Was on my way out with previous entry – but also wanted to send you best wishes Yowzer, I hope you start to feel better soon x
And also Cathy – good luck with your birthday goal, you’ve truly been an inspiration this year. I need to channel some of your persistence and hard work!
Am off to a good start today though. In addition to walking I’ve also completed a 30 minute dance/exercise routine on YouTube (it was great fun as was set to 80s music!). I then added a 10 minute hand weight routine. Now it’s off to the kitchen as I need to clean my fridge. Am going to make some veggie soup in the slow cooker at the same time. Hope everyone else’s week is off to a good start 🙂
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Hi,
I hope everyone is well, I will catch up on posts today. We had a lovely week in the Scottish highlands and I maintained my weight but after our daughters 21st birthday celebrations over the weekend the scales showed a 2lb gain when I weighed myself this morning. I’m back on the paid plan today and will see how I get on over the coming month. Dawn X -
Hi DCT,
Thank you for your message last week. I still follow the thread though my head has been all over the place for the last 5 months. Grieving for my husband and my father, and helping to settle my mother into a residential home in the UK has been —– no words really.I wanted, too, to send my best wishes and sympathy to MixnMatch. You are a familiar name from the past, when I went under another username. I am so impressed by your charity work for pancreatic cancer in memory of your husband and wish you well. Such a positive way to steer your grief. And 7lbs is a great start.
I wish I could report such focus and drive, but it is taking time. Eating has been chaotic rather than comfort-driven. And I shall be working on bringing more planning and good healthy nutrition back into the picture.
Congrats to all who are doing so well – particularly Clarinet Cathy. Go girls. xx
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HEIDI so lovely to hear from you, though I can’t begin to imagine all you have been going through. What an awful time for you. Sending you love and hugs, and I hope that knowing we are here is somehow a small help X
MIXnMATCH very well done on your initial loss. That’s great! And for all the walking too. I’m glad you have a good support network around you, and it’s so good to have you back on here again 😊
DAWN well done for maintaining on holiday and here’s hoping you lose the 2lb birthday gain. It sounds like you all had a lovely time. And SUE, keep me posted on how you get on now you are, like me, going it alone. Be interesting to compare notes. I’m tantalisingly close my end of week goal of 150 so here’s hoping 🤞. . . although I am at a champagne tasting event this afternoon so have given myself the rest of the day off plan 😉. Will have to work hard tomorrow to make up for it!
Hello to everyone else reading this too : do let us know how you’re doing X
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Hi everyone just a quick check in to say I am finally below 150lb. Only just! 149.8 to be precise. But for me it’s a significant psychological milestone. I only climbed into the 150s last year but since then have seen my weight continue to increase which made me fear it was inevitable I’d regain all the weight I’d originally lost (I started at 175 back in 2017). So I’m relieved to be making slow but steady progress in the right direction and I hope to report a further loss this time next week 🤞
Hope that you all have a positive weekend, whatever that means for you right now. X
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Hi everyone
Just jumping on quickly to say well done DCT for your significant milestone achievement today. What a fantastic achievement. It’s great to be back in the 140s! You’ve got this! I am 140 lb today and I think it’s going to be impossible to get to 138 before Monday. I did dip to 139 but I can’t seem to keep there and eat! I am not overthinking it. I am very happy with where I am and to be fair I have kept moving my goal so i if I can maintain under 145 I am happy with this.
Enjoy your success DCT and we will continue our journey in the 140s together. -
Congratulations DCT! It would be lovely to be under 150lb 🙂
I’m focusing on getting back under 200lb, which is still about another 12-13lb away. I did shed another 1.3kg this week, making a total of 7.3kg since the start of the year (or 1st 2lb).
I think the loss this week (and last week) has been helped along by the fact that I’ve had far less wine than usual! As well as changing my meals around. I was having 3 meals a day on the plan, where often breakfast was only 150-200 calories. I’d often be hungry mid morning as I’m usually up at 5.30am and walk from 6.45am till about 8am, with breakfast around 8.30 to 9.
Anyway the last few weeks I’ve been eating a bigger breakfast (400-500 calories sometimes), this keeps me full until early afternoon when I’ll have a light meal or snack (rice cakes with cottage cheese / veggie soup / yoghurt and berries / salad), then dinner at around 5 or 6. Fingers crossed this approach will continue to work for me 🤞
With drinking wine – as both myself and my husband are both retired now we’d got into the habit of having a few drinks in the evening (say 3 times a week), as well as a few on Saturday night. Well my husband has had gout for the last week and hasn’t been drinking at all, so I haven’t. I had also cut down last week as well, having sparkling flavoured water instead, so I think that has definitely helped. I haven’t even really missed the wine tbh!
I have my eldest daughter coming this weekend, it was her birthday last week but she was away so we’re having a belated celebration. I’m just going to be sensible – and having a few drinks once a week is certainly a lot less than what I had been doing! Hope everyone has a good weekend! -
Just a quick post to say Happy Birthday Cathy! Hope you have a lovely day 🌞
Good to hear from you too Sue, and glad you are making progress as well.
Busy day today, but will post again soon X
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Thank you for your kind birthday wishes DCT. I’ve had a lovely day. I purposefully avoided the scales today. I’ve had a weekend of eating out and decided it wouldn’t be kind to myself. Tomorrow i will begin a two week detox before my family weekend away in Lytham at the end of June to celebrate my husband’s retirement. . I will go back to 800 keto for a fortnight. I will weigh myself tomorrow as a benchmark but I expect to be about 144 lb. Tomorrow is my last day invigilating for this term and i am looking forward to being off work over the summer. May and June has been busy with A levels and has, at times felt quite stressful. Ive been getting some steps in and I’ve now got some hand weights so i can start doing some arm exercises to help with my loose upper arm skin.
Hope everyone has a good week. We have to keep doing our best. Some good days and some not so good. I’ve definitely not been as good as I should have been this last few days but today’s birthday gelato was delicious and I enjoyed it. Back to basics tomorrow. -
Hi everyone,
I’ve finally caught up on posts and was so sorry to hear about your husband Mixnmatch and am thinking of you. Heidi I am also thinking of you at this difficult time. Yowzer, I hope you are starting to feel a bit better bless you. Cathy belated birthday wishes and it’s great to hear you are still doing so well after finishing the online plan. DCT well done for getting below 150! I’ve lost the 2lb I put on since getting back from Scotland and feel back in the swing of the plan so hoping for a decent loss this coming week, I intend getting back to the daily exercise videos too as haven’t been doing that for a while. Sue that’s such a good loss since the start of the year, you are all inspiring me to do better.Dawn X -
2 weeks in now, keeping up with the walking and the restricted carbs (mostly) and just short of 14 pounds off now. Starting to feel a bit fitter as well, and have noticed a reduction in inflammation. It’s so good to know you are all here and I can drop in at any time, but I have to dash right now to get my mum to her regular coffee date with her sister. I’ll be back again later to check in more fully.
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Morning all. It’s going to be a hot one here in the UK! I think we are in for a week or so of hot sunshine. In one way I absolutely love it, but in another it seems to slow me down and nothing gets done.
Anyway, just a quick check in to say no further weight loss this week for me, and in fact I have bobbed back over 150 again. I’m not surprised or disappointed as it’s been a busy week with lots of social activities and eating at the wrong times etc. I have a much calmer week next week and am aiming to make it down to 148 if I can.
CATHY I’m glad you had a good birthday and hope that you’ve enjoyed a more leisurely week now the invigilation has finished. Good luck with the hand weights : I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with those. My latest fitness effort is Aqua classes. I really enjoy them and go 2-3 times a week. I think they’re having a positive impact on my upper arm, as exercises often involve having to keep floating weights under the water which is a lot harder than it sounds 🙀
MIXNMATCH what amazing progress so far! Well done 👏. I have only managed to lose 9lb this year so far. Which I’m happy with and is in line with my original “slow and steady” approach for 2026, but I’d like to pick up the pace a bit for the next month or so. It’s lovely to have you back on here again X
DAWN and SUE I hope you’ve both had a good week? I think we three are quite similar in terms of our ups and downs and our ability to go off piste 😉. But we’re all still making progress and should be proud of that.
Hello to everyone else too. Do keep in touch, and I hope you all have a good weekend whatever you’re up to X
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Hello everyone
I am looking forward to seeing some sunshine again this week. We are going away next week for a couple of nights with the family to celebrate my husband’s retirement so having nice weather will be a bonus.I’ve been good since my birthday weekend and today I weighed 139.2 lb. I have every confidence in you DCT for your goal this week. I’ll be rooting for you.
Well done to you MnM for already losing a stone – you should be proud of yourself. That is a superb start.
I am back on my walking pad and taking things slowly and am going to see how I get on with my arm weights. I’ve booked in to see the physio as I feel I’ve pulled a ham string! It’s been painful for about three months! Good job I’m not playing for England in the World Cup!
Have a good weekend everyone and just do your best every day. We are literally half way through 2026. To those in the northern hemisphere enjoy the summer solstice this weekend and those in the southern hemisphere enjoy the winter solstice. I love celebrating the solstice both winter and summer.
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Hello.
I know there are lots of newbies and oldies on this thread and I would just like to ask one question if I can…….
“When you are setting a goal do you make it a small ‘realistic’ one of maybe 1lb a week or do you go for something more ambitious.”
Which works for you? -
Verano, you know me, slow and steady -although the best laid plans etc. If I have an event I go all out for a quicker loss but as I have been dieting for years it only works if I have had a break or a gain. So back from a holiday I can lose 2kg in a week and then it slows right down.
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HI Verano
I used to have very ambitious goals but I find now that small goals are more achievable and more rewarding. Earlier this year I divided my weight loss into bite sized chunks and planned what I would like to lose per month. I used a simple Kanban Board to visually map out my progress. I split my weight loss into 3 categories, to do, in progress and done. I then wrote my monthly goal on a post it note, put it in the in progress section and once completed I moved the post it note to the done section. It was pleasing to see how my done list filled up. It wasn’t all about weight – I put things like reduce HbA1c, increase walking and exercise. This really worked for me. I still do it now, currently I am trying to maintain and I have monthly goals to aim for. Things like, be sensible, don’t go over 142 lbs, relax eating on holiday but get back on track. Hope my idea is useful to you and others on the thread. -
Thank you s-g and Cathy.
I think I probably need something more tangible line your Kanban Board Cathy. I’m just thinking in ‘vague’ numbers at the moment and I think it’s ‘thinking’ rather than ‘doing’ that’s hindering any sort of progress.
Time to make a ‘real’ but ‘realistic’ plan I think! -
Verano, I have a weight chart on my fridge door, fill it in everytime I get weighed. Also log on MyFitnessPal weekly but record exercise as I do it.
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Hi Verano, Sunshinegirl and Clarinet Cathy,
Hello, hello from California and good to hear you are all well! We are no longer living in England, but back in California — however, I have learned so much about the British mindset in living there for six years so I feel like a long-lost British cousin or extended family or something like that!
Verano, you are so sweet, and you are absolutely on target when you say “life is for living”. So why do you want to establish “new goals”? The ONLY goal that is relevant is to eat as well as possible every single day (we KNOW what that means), taking into account life events, and just “keep on keeping on” as Sunshinegirl often says.
There really is nothing else and the constant “dieting” mindset cannot be healthy!! We are not dieting, we are living and eating properly. As you all have said so many times, this is a way of life — we eat right as much as possible, have a holiday or family celebration and then we just go back to eating “right”.
The number on the scale is not super important, unless you are truly obese, above 31 BMI — then it makes sense to bring it down a bit but it doesn’t have to reach perfection, there is no evidence that a low BMI is good for longevity (actually it is the opposite) and at our age (I just turned 70) longevity is probably a LOT more important than a number on the scale.
And actually, the research supports a bit of fat on older people as it protects them and is useful in the event of a bone break or an illness.
Why do we need new goals? It is all just tiring and life is for living. Don’t stress about new goals! You know what to do — all of us who have done this for a decade know how to eat.
Best wishes, Julia -
Hi Verano, I am a multiple goal setter, but only track them casually. Once I have determined to eat this way (a choice for me as I was not diabetic at any point) my willpower doesn’t seem to be an issue, and I use weight loss (weekly, monthly and overall) and non scale victories like fitting in a favourite pair of trousers again that had become too tight. My overall goal is not a set weight though, more a feeling. Do I feel healthy, do I feel fit, can I maintain this in the long term now I am getting back to my old active self?
On that note, the numbers are 3.5 pounds in the last week. Not bad as there was some off plan eating last weekend although in pretty strict moderation. (1 slice of pizza, about a dozen fries and a small handful of brown rice in an otherwise compatible salad while out all weekend, nothing sweet). I am two thirds of the way through my fundraising month now, and am rapidly approaching 100 miles walked which is a good feeling (although my feet might disagree). Can someone help me with how to embed a link or picture into the forum or my profile? I know several of you asked how you could donate and I haven’t yet worked out how to do that. My mum and sister joined in to support me and it may be easier to donate to their just giving page for ‘Ed’s Team’ so I can try to find a link for that.
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S-g I admire you! No way would it ever enter my head to have a weight chart in ‘clear view’!
I do fill in a weight journal everyday but then I close the book and put it away until tomorrow!Mixnmatch you sound like you are doing really well. I love you’re idea of a ‘feeling’ and I think that’s a big part of my isssue my ‘feeling’ isn’t one of health and vitality! But yes multiple goals are good and nsv’s even better! Please do post the link if you can. I just checked ‘Ed’s Team’ but I’m sure your page didn’t show.
Julia….hello! how are you! good to hear from you again.
BMI over 31? Truly obese? Well I can say yes to both!!!
To be honest I am ‘an older person’ , well very much older than I was when I started here 10 years ago. I’ve also got more , way more, than enough of that ‘extra’ fat ‘just in case’.
I have to agree that a ‘constant dieting mindset’ isn’t healthy but you know I’ve probably had that mindset for 60 years so very difficult to break. When you grew up when Twiggy’ who was a model and an ‘idol’ it’s hard not to think that ‘stick thin’ looks great!
I eat well 90% of the time with mainly home cooked meals, lots of vegetables. In fact I was never a lover of vegetables until I started BSD and now I am positively upset if there are no green vegetables on my plate when we eat out! I enjoy my glass(es) of red wine. I feel ok. I wake in the morning refreshed and I don’t ‘flag’ during the day.
I have mobility issues which I’ve had for over 19 years since I had sepsis and virtually lost the use of one leg so exercise isn’t easy.
However, I know if I weighed less, exercise would be easier and I would probably feel better for it.Sorry if this all sounds so self-pitying. I had some blood tests this week and am seeing the practice nurse on Wednesday so I guess that will be the moment of reckoning! Just hoping my HbA1c is not through the roof!
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Hi Verano, The link it gives me for the team JustGiving page is;
https://www.justgiving.com/team/mred?utm_medium=TE&utm_source=CL so I hope this works. Hilary is my mum, and Sandra is my sister. A donation to either goes to the same team. If you are on Facebook, my own fundraising page is actually under my husband’s name as I am using his account as a tribute. Ed Needham.
I am currently well above 31 BMI, but after my previous weight loss experience I treat BMI based healthy weights with a good dose of scepticism. I was skinny enough to see all of my ribs and just dipped under 25 in 2017. -
Morning all. MIXNMATCH that link worked for me. All the best with your fundraising 👏. Also well done with your loss this week.
The BMI issue is interesting isn’t it. At my lowest weight of 135lb in 2019 my BMI was around 22.5. To get to the lower end of healthy weight – a BMI of 18.5 I would have had to go down to 108lb in weight which is never going to happen (and doesn’t sound healthy to me!).
VERANO good luck with your appointment this week, and I hope the test results are better than you fear. And I agree about not wanting to have this diet mentality forever. But I do want to lose weight as there is distinct flab – particularly belly fat – which is not good in terms of either health or clothes fitting. When I started the BSD in 2017 I set myself a long term target of 133lb, but that figure is actually fairly random. So my current aim is to get back to a settled weight of 138/139lb which I managed to maintain for a significant period of time a few years back. I’ll be happy with that, particularly as I’m exercising more now so that should help to tone things up. I have about 12lb to go . . . will report back at the end of the week!
Hope that you all have a good week, whatever that means for you X
Hope that everyone
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Thank you Dreamscometrue, my sister is going to be the first of us to pass the 60 mile ‘target’ although she will keep going to support me. Another pound down today, to my second lowest weight this year. The first was after a water fast that was for health rather than weight loss. Just two pounds to go to my first (numbers) mini-goal, hopefully will do that this week. My birthday is only a week away and I will be having a few days off plan, but hopefully keeping low carb. Then I have a week away at the beginning of July so may do intermittent fasting then until I am back home to start again properly.
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Thanks M&M the link worked. Well done to your sister and just keep on keeping on ………!
DCT you sound so close to your goal that you obviously just need to keep doing what you’re doing. At the end of the day a couple of pounds above your ‘ideal figure’ aren’t really the end of the world!
So I’m just a couple of days away from my results but today, Monday, the start of a new week, has also been the start of my reset. Just day one so not saying anything yet but hopefully this is my ‘real’ restart!
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Just to let you know Diet doctor and HAVA are going into bankruptcy. There are some really good charts on diet doctor so I suggest copying them sooner rather than later.
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VERANO thanks for letting us know. I don’t use those sites myself but have heard them mentioned before on here, so thanks for the heads up. And thanks for your encouragement earlier in the week too xx. How did your appointment go this week?
MIXnMATCH how are you getting on with your walking? Not easy in this weather. Good luck with the rest of your fundraiser.
No loss to report from me this week I’m afraid. My eating has been pretty much on plan, but the hot weather has resulted in me being out in the garden with a cold glass of wine or two just that bit too often I’m afraid. I justify this to myself along the lines that it is extraordinary heat and won’t last long, and as I’m not going away anywhere this summer I’ll treat it like a holiday. Queen of excuses as always 🙀. But I’ll get back on track next week.
On a positive note, I’ve been to the gym every day and have been trying out new things including more work with weights. I think I’m beginning to look more toned, especially my arms, and I do feel firmer and stronger. Just waiting for the scales to catch up 😂. I’m not good at taking measurements – I\m sure I measure a different part each time – but I noticed some shorts that wouldn’t button up a few weeks ago now do. So there’s hope for me yet . . . .
Hope everyone else is ok, and that you all have a good weekend.
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DCT my appointment was good. All bloods fine but HbA1c at 42 so not great. Weight: well that’s another story! All in all good but I know what I need to do!
Hope everyone is coping with the warm weather. Tonight we have a breeze!!!
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Nearly at the end of June, and I have completed the two 60 miles in June challenges I set for myself, so feeling quite proud. Dementia UK has just been completed yesterday, the donations for that one are understandably a bit lower as many are donating to the other one as a tribute to Ed, and the Pancreatic Cancer challenge donation total is nearly at my target of £220 to get a medal too, although the Facebook fundraiser went faulty a couple of days ago so I now have a JustGiving page in the team page as well 🚶♀️🚶I believe the collection window doesn’t close until the end of July now so plenty of time to get the last £4 in! Weight wise I had a ‘pre-birthday’ party yesterday so had a slight rise, but am about another 2 pounds down for the week. I will be trying to keep it up for most of the rest of the year, but will have some intermittent fasting weeks and maybe some ‘eat what you like’ weekends to try to keep my body guessing. Feeling a lot fitter after all that daily walking so will try to keep that habit going forwards.
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Well done MixnMatch on your 60 mile challenge. You must feel so proud and it’s been so hot here too. Well done also for your continued weight loss- 2lb in a week is fab. Hopefully the daily walking will continue to help you feel fitter. I have been enjoying my walking pad but had to see a physio last week as I have been having pain in my good leg and she thinks I’ve got a partial tear of my medial meniscus so i am doing exercises. She said it’s ok to keep walking. She will arrange an MRI if the exercises don’t help after six weeks. We have had a lovely family weekend away and today when i weighed I was 140lb so i am pleased ive not put too much on. I did eat all the naughty things i like but I am back to basics now. We did a lot of walking and so I think that helped! I have my cruise to look forward to in October and my plan is to keep my weight down and I am aiming for around 138 lb. I am still subscribing to the online programme and hope to use the exercise programmes more over the summer. I have a tendency to be lazy so that is something I want to address.
Looking forward to catching up on the thread and looking forward to reading about your progress. -
Hello everyone,
I know it has been a while since I posted. Busy season here on the farm and there is a lot of other stuff going on this year as well. I have been doing weekly counselling at the moment as my funding source came through. Really enjoying working with my new counsellor and feel like I’m making a lot of progress. I fell into some bad habits with a spell of hot weather mid-June that made it hard to cook. I’m finding that as long as I can turn on the oven and have a tray bake cooking while I’m doing the evening chores I can stay on track, but struggling with no cook meals as I’m just not feeling like salads for some reason. It always seems to be harder for me to lose weight in the summer.
But in other news, I met someone and although early days, things are going well. We live 6 hours apart so it is a bit difficult to meet in person regularly, especially during farming season, but we talk on the phone and text regularly. He eats pretty healthily, basically a moderate carb Mediterranean diet with lots of fish, so we share meals back and forth a bit as well and that holds me more accountable. He was also checking in during the hot spell to make sure I was staying hydrated! So that has been really nice.
Anyway, I am currently procrastinating on getting my final assignment done for the nutrition course. It is a long and boring one where we have to take photos of food labels and the nutrition facts tables and answer questions about whether they are high fat/low fat, what the health benefits are, etc. I am not enjoying it at all, but need to get it done before Friday, so I’d better go!
Hope everyone is doing well. I haven’t had time to read all the posts! -
Hi everyone, just catching up up on posts.
ARCTICFOX that’s lovely news about you meeting someone and I hope things continue to go well. Likewise with your counselling. I’m so pleased that things are going well for you, and hope that you get your boring assignment done too! You sound very busy and motivated which is great to hear. I also think your tray bakes are a great idea for nutritious meals, even when the weather is hot, as I agree salads can sometimes not quite hit the spot.
MIXnMATCH well done on your fundraisers, and for your ongoing weight loss. I’m not sure when your birthday is but hope that you had/have a good day. I know it will be a poignant one this time, and am sending you every good wish for a happier year ahead x
VERANO sorry to hear that your HbA1c was higher than you would want, and hope that you are able to bring it back out of the pre diabetic range. Good luck – and let us know how we can support you in doing that?
CATHY I’m glad you had a lovely weekend and that you are maintaining your fantastic weight loss. Well done! I’ve been meaning to ask you if you have any insight as to why it has worked so well for you this time round? We’ve been friends for years on here, and I have always been full of admiration for how determined you’ve been, and how many different ways you’ve applied the WoE to get your weight down, and yet at various times it didn’t seem to be working. But this time round you’ve had such impressive weight loss and so far are maintaining really well. So any snippets of advice or insight would be very welcome 😊 And I hope you get your leg sorted soon too x
I seem a bit stuck at around 150/151lb at the moment but that’s fine for now. I’m doing a lot of exercise and beginning to feel much better both physically and mentally than I realise I have for a long while. So I’ll keep going at my own pace and hope to see more gradual loss over the next few weeks and months 🤞
Hello to everyone else reading this too. I hope all is well, and hope to hear from you soon X
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Hi everyone, good to hear from many of you recently. I have nothing much to report, still maintaining and so far so good. I am up in Broome in Western Australia having a lovely few days, with a lot more alcohol than usual. I am boarding a small cruise ship on Saturday for an expedition cruise from Broome to Darwin for 10 days. Lots of hiking and trips on the zodiac as well as luxurious food and drink, just crossing my fingers that I am able to keep myself within holiday limits.
It’s wonderful to be delightfully warm in Broome after cold winter in Sydney.
Hope everyone contributes well and report back a well or so after I get home with the good- or bad- news. -
Hello everyone
Nice to read the latest posts. ArcticFox – lovely news that you’ve met someone nice and it’s going well. Glad things are going well with your new counsellor too.
Mariet- enjoy your cruise. It sounds really lovely. You can get back to basics when you get back home.
DCT – nice to read that you’re feeling good mentally and physically from doing your exercise. I have no doubt that your scales will move in the right direction and I can tell how motivated and positive you are. Over the next few months you will be heading towards your goal. I am intending to try and do more exercise over the summer months. I’m enjoying my walking pad and I’ve got some hand weights so I just need to get on with it. In answer to your question about why things worked out for me this time round I honestly think it was the consistently low calories (800) and keto, I found eating to the online meal plan rigidly, only two meals a day, keto 800 was the perfect formula for me. I was super strict every day for the full 12 weeks. There were no days when I went off plan. I had to give myself 12 whole weeks of dedication and I know that reading the book about preventing diabetes by Professor Taylor gave me the motivation to stick to it. I know that maintenance will be challenging and I can already feel that things are slipping in my regime so I have to get on and give myself a talking to. I was delighted to get my HbA1c back to 35 and I need to keep focused on the non scale victories more than the numbers in the scales. Sometimes the time is just right. I’ve had a lot of ups and a lot of downs over the last few years and this year has felt like the right time for me. I have to admit to feeling weary with the whole dieting process many times but I am fortunate to have a very strong will and it has paid off this year. I am so grateful to my friends on the forum who have supported me over the years when things haven’t been good and I want to be here for everyone to help you on your journey over the next few months. I want this year to be the year when we all achieve our goal. We have six more months to achieve. I know we can do it. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to end the year knowing we did it! -
Hi Arctic, like your news about meeting someone. I met my husband on a blind date – introduced by friends. He live around 300 miles away in Edinburgh Scotland and I was in Leeds England. Went back and forth for about 8 months before I moved to be with him. Hope it goes as you would wish.
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Hello everyone,
Lovely to read everyone’s updates. I realised this morning that I hadn’t seen any posts for a while (I subscribe to the thread and receive emails) – for some reason I had been unsubscribed so wasn’t receiving any email updates. So it’s been a nice way to start Sunday morning catching up with everyone’s news 🙂
Mixnmatch – well done on all of your achievements and best wishes for your birthday.
ArcticFox- glad things are looking up for you!
Mariet – the cruise sounds wonderful – I so wanted to travel this year but my husband is reluctant, he wants to focus on relocating first. This is proving more difficult than we thought with the state of the housing market here in Sydney at the moment!
Cathy – like DCT I’m so impressed by your progress this year! I just need some of your determination!
I’m going ok-ish, have had a few things going on in my personal and family life that have side-tracked me a bit recently. I haven’t gained weight, but haven’t lost any either, so still at just over 7kg lost so far this year.
I now need to knuckle down and concentrate on the next 7kg. I have a fridge, freezer and cupboards full of healthy foods, time on my hands to be able to exercise, I really have no excuse!
A few weeks ago I had an offer pop up on Facebook for free Fast800 shakes – you just had to pay the postage. So for $12.50 I received 2 packets of strawberry shake powder. I’m thinking of having these for lunch on the days I’m not having soup. I’m still finding that having a more substantial breakfast a bit later in the morning, then a light lunch/snack in the afternoon and an early-ish evening meal seems to work best for me.
I’ve ordered a book from the library called “Filling Meals” – I kept seeing reels on FB by the author (Lindsay something) and so I joined the FB group – a lot of the people in the group are losing weight by using these recipes so I thought it may be worth a go. Originally I had bought the book on Amazon but it got lost in transit so I just cancelled the order and received a refund and thought I’d just borrow it from the library instead – especially considering I already have ALL of the Fast800 and BSD cookbooks!
I have had a very active week, walking up to 20k steps some days, so I need to keep that up. I have been experiencing hip pain and my rheumatologist is referring me to physio for that. If it gets worse I can get cortisone injections – I did this about 10 years ago and they worked well. But I want to try exercise first as I know in the past Pilates has helped.
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend 🙂 -
Hello everyone
Hope you are all well and those of us in the UK have been enjoying weeks of lovely sunshine. It’s been incredibly hot! There are two wildfires on the moors nearby and I’ve had to keep my windows and doors closed for a couple of days as the smoky smell is awful. Not ideal in this heat. I am maintaining my weight and do make sure I weigh about three times a week. Today I am 140.8. I don’t want to spend my life weighing and measuring but I do want to keep my weight under control so I am learning to navigate maintenance and learning to eat more variety and have the occasional treat. I occasionally eat breakfast but most days I just have coffee. I am still not eating any processed food. I would like to lose a little more, say 3lb or so as my BMI is still in the overweight category but I am quite happy for the time being with my progress. My main priority is keeping my blood sugar level low.
How are you all doing? I am looking forward to hearing your news. -
Hi Cathy, so glad you are getting comfortable with maintaining, that’s the real life long accomplishment and one that has eluded me over the years.
Commiserations over the smokey smells. It does get into everything, I hope your fires are not endangering life or properties.
I am back from my holiday, a wonderful cruise around the Kimberley coast. It was an expedition cruise, concentrating on the land experiences more than the ship ones. Lots of hikes, trips in zodiacs and snorkelling on shallow ocean reefs. I’ve never done anything like it before and the landscapes and wildlife will stay with me forever. But there was fabulous food and drinks to enjoy as well 😆
I haven’t weighed yet and don’t intend to until next week- my hands and feet are still swollen from retained fluid both from the long flights and from the tropical heat and no point upsetting myself over something that *should* pass fairly quickly. But I am right back into my normal eating pattern and I am hoping that any weight gains will quickly settle down. Crossing fingers.
How is everyone doing? It’s chilly back here in Sydney and I’ve been envious of your warm weather in the UK. -
Hi everyone,
Still in the middle of busy season here. Garlic is coming out of the ground now. It finally got hot here yesterday – 38C. We haven’t had a lot of +30 temps yet this year, so I am not acclimatized and that is making things more difficult. We had a couple of days of smoke from some distant fires, but nothing too bad so far. It is still early in fire season for us though. Thunderstorms in the forecast for Thurs, so it could get bad quickly. We are in severe drought and everything is so dry.
Anyway, things are going well for the most part. One of my work colleagues who had been on holiday for a couple of weeks said it looked like I had lost some weight. I have been eating fairly healthily. My nutrition course and new fella are keeping me on track. I said on Monday this week that I needed to batch cook some things so I wasn’t having to turn the stove or oven on during the hot spell, and he asked what I had in my store cupboard and fridge and came up with some things I could make quickly that could be eaten cold. So I have been relieved of cooking for the week which is saving a lot of time and energy. Only 2 weeks left to go in the nutrition course, and then I get to finally meet this wonderful guy in person. Fingers crossed it continues to go well! -
Hi everyone. Lovely to read your posts and catch up.
CATHY very well done for maintaining so well. But I was shocked to hear that your BMI is still in the overweight range : I’m becoming increasingly convinced that there is definitely something wrong with the way BMI is currently calculated! You have had such a fantastic weight loss and have dropped at least one dress size . . . . how can you possibly be viewed as overweight 🙀. Thanks for your recent encouragement too re my progress. I’ve definitely stalled in terms of movement on the scales, which is no surprise as I’ve been treating this heatwave as a holiday so have gone rather off piste. But I’m maintaining my weight (albeit higher than I want to be), exercising a lot and am feeling good. I promise I will knuckle down again once things cool off a bit!
SUE lovely to hear from you too and it sounds like you are well prepared for the next phase of your loss. And well done for the 7kg loss this year so far, that is in itself impressive and worth celebrating. I also hope that you’re ok generally as you allude to “stuff” going on. Am thinking of you x
MARIET your holiday sounds fantastic, and I’m sure the swelling plus any residual weight increase will soon get back to normal. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time! Yes we still have the hot weather here. I love it actually, apart from when it’s uncomfortably hot at night and is difficult to sleep. But it’s such a luxury to have reliable warm sunny weather here for a while instead of the often unpredictable English summer. I’m at home all over summer which is lovely when the weather is like this. When I was teaching I had to take any kind of summer holiday in that six week July/August window but now prefer to go away in April/May or September/October when it’s quieter, even if the weather is a bit cooler. I just love being at home in the sun and having the freedom to potter round the garden or do little day trips etc rather than be somewhere else.
ARCTICFOX you sound busy as always and it’s amazing that you are already nearly finished your nutrition course. It only feels like yesterday. you were considering doing it. I always admire your very strong motivation and sense of purpose, and your ability to get so much done. It’s great to hear you sounding so happy and positive. I’m excited about your new relationship too, and hope that the long-awaited face to face meeting goes well. SUNSHINEGIRL how lovely that you met your husband in a similar long distance way too.
Must head off now as I’m out for the day, but hello to everyone else too and hope you’re all doing ok.
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DCT- according to the NHS BMI calculator my BMI is currently 26.7. I am 5’1” and weigh 140 lb. I am 65. To get my BMI to 25 I would have to weigh 132 lbs I don’t think I want to lose 8lb because I know I would not be able to maintain it. I did read that having a higher BMI of 25 to 27 for older women was associated with better cognition and daily functioning. So I am happy with my BMI. I am going to try and lose about 3 more pounds over the summer but if I can maintain long term then I am delighted with my progress and don’t want to get too carried away with numbers .
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Hello Everyone
Hope you are all having a good week. I’ve gone off piste! I have been rather too relaxed and getting into bad habits this last few days. I went to book club at weekend and that started me off! Red wine, nibbles, you know where this is going! Also, It’s my husband’s 65th birthday next week and we have booked to go out for a country pub lunch which will be cheese and onion pie and chips for me! Then we are going to the gelato cafe for an ice cream! SO……… i will be drawing a line under July and I am going to do fast 800 keto for all of August. Four weeks of back to basics from 3rd August. I am going to weigh myself on Monday 3rd August and am going to try to lose some weight during August. I am determined to finish 2026 at goal weight and as I have my cruise in October I know there will be some pulling back needed in November so I will probably do another 4 weeks fast 800 keto in November to hopefully be where I want to be as the year draws to a close. I am still paying for the online programme so I think it would be wise to make use of it next month and then maybe call it a day. If you want to join me for a back to basics August, we can do it together.
The hot weather has been challenging for me , ice creams, al fresco dining, G&Ts and World Cup snacks crept in too! There, I’ve owned up but after next week I will be back to it. We’ve got this. -
CATHY yes please, I’ll happily join you for Back to Basics in August. I keep going off piste and am maintaining at around half a stone down from February – but want to lose more. Enjoy all your celebrations and I’ll join you in August 😊
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Thanks DCT for being my August Back to Basics Buddy. Let’s weigh in on Monday 3rd and see how we both get on.
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Cathy and DCT – count me in for the reset too!
I was actually thinking of temporarily rejoining the online plan, as if nothing else it gave me some structure. The monthly fee is around $22 Aussie dollars so I’m thinking of doing it from end July to end September to hopefully lose another 6/7kg (or a stone) by my birthday which is in September. -
HI SueBlue
Great that you’ll be joining me and DCT for the August reset. I am already preparing to start August with determination, focus and resilience. Four weeks of focus is definitely doable. We can choose how we do it. We can try something different every week if we want. I am choosing to do 800 keto for the four weeks and I will be strict. I think the online plan definitely helps me with daily structure too.. I am still paying for the plan but I think once August comes I will use it daily for exercises as well as recipes and motivation. I’ll look forward to checking in on 3rd August where we can make definitive weekly plans towards our August goal. We’ve got this! -
Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven’t posted in ages, have totally lost the plot again over the last month. I’m still paying for the online plan so Cathy, Sue and DCT I will join you all for the August reset please!
Dawn X -
Hi everyone,
I started my reset today, have decided to partly use the Fast800 online plan combined with logging stuff on MFP and will see how it goes. I haven’t done any of the online exercises for quite a while so have reset the online plan to ‘beginner’ and did my first set today. I’m not going to be as strict with myself as I have been in the past (which has often been my downfall as if I have a day ‘off plan’ even if it’s not eating really unhealthy food, it can make me go WAY off plan)I am just going to try eat as healthily as I can, using lots of the online recipes, for the majority of the time and not put a time limit on how much I want to lose by a certain date as I think that’s putting too much pressure on myself. I don’t want to spend the next 7 years like the last 7, setting goals and then failing to reach them. I hope everyone has a good week.
Dawn X -
Dawn- I love your new approach and it is a positive approach and mindset. Like you, I’ve “failed” when setting targets and then feel disappointed and a failure. By going with the process and doing what you can you will succeed. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. I also like your positive approach to the next 7 years and like you I have got to the point where I cannot keep doing the same thing and getting nowhere. My aim for 2026 is to end the cycle! I’ve found what works for me, 800 keto and I have to be strict and I plan to be strict in August. I want to get to goal, enjoy holidays and festivities and then be strict in between. I think I can do it! I am hoping that I can keep within my weight range using this method. We don’t need to be hung up on what the scales say but they’re a great guide along with looser clothing and so hopefully over the next few weeks we will feel better. I’m starting on Monday with my strict August schedule- my husband is away next week leading a retreat so it’s a perfect time for me to start. I want to get under 140 and would love to get to 138. I’ve not weighed for a couple of weeks but I know I’ve crept up as I’ve not been as strict: I can’t do 800 keto long term but a four week stint every so often might just suit me. Good luck Dawn. You sound motivated and I’ll look forward to hearing your news and I’m cheering for you. SueBlue and DCT are also up for an August reset so it will be good to share our journeys together. We’ve got this!
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Hi Cathy and thank you so much for your encouraging words! My longtime goal has always been to get down to 138 as it would give me a couple of pounds leeway under the 10 stone mark so that I could pull things back if I strayed towards it. I’m only 5ft 3 but think anything below 138 may make me look a bit gaunt now, it’s so long since I’ve been anywhere near it that I won’t really know until I get there! You have been very inspiring managing to stick to the 800 keto and making it work for you, I’m cheering you on too, as you say, we’ve got this:)
Dawn X