Hey ancient weaver — I wasn’t casting aspersions on your comments — I just thought that your sleep pattern/issues were of a long duration — I’m sorry if I misread that it has changed a lot/many times this year (I can’t keep up well with the myriad posts so I sometimes misunderstand).
It would be interesting to hear your comments on sleep and food intake — I think others would find interesting too.
Allie, the points you raised are also interesting, vitamin D as a sleep aid and in general — we all need to go sit in the sun for twenty minutes every day with our skin exposed — now that’s my kind of recommendation!
-
-
Good morning
I certainly would like to hear anyones thoughts about food and sleep patterns Californiagirl!!!!
Last night I just couldn’t drop off and then when I did I woke at 3am and struggled to get back to sleep and was then woken out of a deep sleep at 7am. Completely back to front night. I ate much earlier than usual so maybe I was hungry but I must admit I don’t often feel ‘hunger’ these days. My poor eating comes from boredom or mouth munchies as some people say. Maybe it’s just a symptom of getting old!
Hope you all had a good weekend and the week ahead is productive. I’m still looking forward to ‘future success’ and really hoping to find some in the last stages of this challenge.
-
Hey girls, lend me your pom-poms! Raa-raa- cha-ch-cha raa-raa-cha-ch-cha!
Last night I got to bed and sleep at the very nice time of 10.30, a very pleasing achievement all on it’s own, followed, and it seemed almost instantly, by waking to early dawn light at what is for me a perfectly acceptable time of 6.30, giving an awesome total of 8 hours solid restful sleep!I’ll write more later, but I have too much to do to spend any more time at the computer today, and possibly not much time tomorrow either.
Oops, just seen it didn’t post. Trying again.
-
A full 8 hours, Ancient Weaver? HOORAY, indeed!!!!!!!! 🙂
-
8 whole hours in my one whole chunk …. WOW I envy you! Hope tonight is just as good for you.
Blood test out of the way now so we will see on Thursday if I have been low carb enough to maintain my HbA1c at 34 (5.3) and my cholesterol at 4.5. I have everything crossed at the moment as I really don’t want to go back onto metformin. In fact I won’t I’ll ask for 3 months to get it down again if needs be.
-
Hi everyone, are we all set to refocus this week?? I have mixed results
to report today. Weigh-in on Sat. showed another lb. lost, but I’m
hoping that adding cream to my coffee (quite decadent, but tastes
like a dessert of coffee ice cream to me) will help. However, I am
now committed to walking 5 days a week and doing strength training
3 x wk, and thanks to the support here I’ve managed to do this for
the past 2 weeks. I feel better about me, for doing so!Verano, I’ll be waiting with you to see how your blood test results
are on Thurs. Knowing that Metformin hangs in the balance must
be stressful. Here in the States we use a different measure, so
what I’ll be waiting to hear ultimately is whether or not you have
optimal – normal levels.. Fingers and toes crossed, of course! 🙂I’m wishing you all a very focused day…..
Allie
-
Californiagirl, I figured it was probably a misunderstanding along those lines, hence my attempt to clarify. Sorry if I came across as ‘pissy’.
Sadly the great night’s sleep did not translate into a day without EDS. I started getting sleepy about 1 o’clock and crashed completely by 1.30. I had suspected for some time that my EDS is not linked to lack of sleep at night. Obviously a lack of sleep at night is highly likely to cause fatigue in the daytime, but as I have had really good days as well as bad days, with only 6 hours of sleep, the link is not set in stone. Today’s experience really drove home the fact that night-time and daytime sleepiness have different mechanisms.
Night-time sleep is primarily melatonin based, but daytime sleepiness is primarily to do with adenosine.
I seem to have sussed how to get my melatonin working properly, but am nowhere near getting my EDS sorted. It’s really ironic because I have always had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep (at night), but the EDS only really started about 20 years ago, so I’d’ve expected to sort the EDS more easily than the insomnia.It’s very interesting that vitamin D is implicated in EDS, and curious that when I was living a lot further south than I am now, I had no daytime fatigue worth mentioning, but I don’t really think I can be deficient in vitD, as I still have tanned arms, despite the shorter days.
Sleep problems are not always rooted in deficiencies though, just as they are not always rooted in poor sleep hygiene. There are also variations in enzymes and brain chemistry that can have serious repercussions for sleep.
My problems with night time sleep are mostly due to an overactive enzyme, but slight deficiencies of other trace nutrients also have noticeable effects.
I haven’t quite finished but it’s bedtime, so I’ll wish you all as good a night as I had last night!
Good night all! 🙂 -
Hi Ancient Weaver, just a thought- I live in Sydney and am active outside all year around, sailing mainly so in the sun and usually without sunscreen. I was shocked to find after my last blood work that I was Vit D deficient although I don’t easily burn and tan like nobody’s business. You may find your levels are lower than you suppose, even if you are tanned. I am a midwife and we have recently started recommending Vit D supplements to all our mothers because of the prevalence of the deficiency, and this is in sunny Sydney!
Maybe it would be worth giving a supplement a try? Low vitamin D has been linked to all kinds of issues, depression, muscle and joint pain to name a few.
-
Morning everyone, I’m gatecrashing here to repeat what Mariet has just said. I live in the south of France and walk a lot and garden but according to my last blood test, am vit D deficient. The doctor says it seems to be an epidemic particularly in women, for the moment no one knows why. I take a slow release supplement 3 times a year…
-
Good morning
This is an interesting conversation about sleep and vitamin D. I take a calcium supplement everyday which also contains vitamin D3 to aid absorption but my sleep pattern is still up the wall. A cup of tea at 3am this morning did help me to drop off again but just for an hour or so and then eventually I fell into a deep sleep and really didn’t want to get up this morning!
Our penultimate weigh-in tomorrow and I hope everyone is doing better than me. Last night we ate Indian food and I had chickpeas which has resulted in a minor gain this morning but I still seem to be in maintenance mode and am finding it difficult to get back to losing. Maybe after my HbA1c result on Thursday I’ll be re-motivated ….. will have to wait and see!
Have a good day.
-
Good morning, Verano! It’s 3:30am here and I’m wide awake, reading
that you have passed a similar night. Now, if you were here in the
States, we could conduct nightly conversations at this hour 🙂
I take a melatonin supplement that helps me get to sleep, but I
have a built in alarm clock that goes off at this hour most nights.
I know just how you feel! Are you remembering to drink 3 liters
each day? -
Hi Allie the answer is no! I’m lucky to manage 1.5 that’s a good day for me. I do have maybe 3 or 4 cups of tea/coffee a day so I do get enough liquid just maybe not the right kind! Hope you manage to get back to sleep I’m just off to the dentist! Speak later.
-
Hi, this is an interesting topic so just jumping in here, Sleep deprivation is a killer and was used as a torture!!!
I really feel it for you Verona and Allie. I have some poor nights sleep when I wake in the early hours and can’t get to sleep the only thing I do is have a cup of tea or 2 and watch some tv and read everyone’s posts!!until I fall off 💤but it ruins my day I feel lethargic and a bit grumpy!!!😩I am menapausal so put it down to that as you do!!but recently noticed it also happens when I’m hungry or thirsty , taken some good advice from you guys and tried to fill up on more veggies or soup to fill me!
I am taking ultra vitD which is boosting my immune system, hoping that will help with sleep too!!!!! Anyway out yesterday and had good lunch in pub, seemed BSD and mezzo for tea plus olives small glass of red stuff🙈
About to go on a walk 👍 -
Thanks, Sue! It does help a lot to find that we aren’t alone with this 🙂
I’m well past menopause though (newly 69, but feel like 40!) I’ve
read that 80% of us are deficient in vit.D, something we are finally
beginning to hear about at last! During the winter I, like you, take
D3+K2 supplement to try and stave off SAD (seasonal affective
disorder) which can be the cause of the “winter blues”. How are
you doing? How many weeks in are you? One thing is ever present
on these forums and that is that nothing we encounter on our
journey hasn’t been experienced before, and everyone is always
very generous about sharing advice. Good luck to you in pursuing
an active and healthy retirement! Let us know how you get on.Allie
-
Hi Allie am I correct in thinking it was you that started drinking water again after a few weeks lay off and lost 10lbs!!!!!!! Don’t know which thread!
I’m struggling with water so I’ve decided to add it to my fatsecret in snacks, just to add up exactly how much I am having. It’s 6pm here and I’ve only had 750ml so far! No way will I make 3ltrs today but I think it may concentrate my mind more if I ‘write’ it down. -
Don’t forget …. Wednesday tomorrow and weigh-in fellow refocusers!
-
Hi, Verano – I was just relating an observation to Nonna Mary on the
“new life choices” thread that I had been away from home for 3
weeks while my husband had been in the hospital last Spring.
In attending to his critical care, I was unable to keep up with my usual water consumption during this time period. I missed a lot of meals
during his confinement, and could visibly see I had lost weight.
I was astounded to discover when we got back home that I hadn’t
lost any weight. I resumed my customary 3 liters, and within 2 days
the scale had registered the 10 lbs I seemed to have lost while we
were away. More than anything else, this drove home the point
for me that I retain fluid unless I drink 2-3 liters a day. This may
just be anecdotal and how fluid management affects me, but I
was really shocked by the discovery. I hope this helps to clarify
what I was trying to say 🙂
Today I still tick off on my notepad 12/8-10oz glasses per day.
Our bodies are mysterious mechanisms, indeed! -
Thanks Allie. Hope your husband is doing well now.
As you say our bodies are mysterious and each and every one of us is different! Nonetheless it can’t do any harm to drink more water so I will certainly do my best to get to 2ltrs a day and then who knows … the sky is the limit! -
Thanks, Verano. O/H was admitted for colon cancer surgery on top
of pre-existing heart failure. Post-op he had a second heart attack,
but he is doing very well at the moment. He has returned to full
time teaching (professor) so I feel very blessed. Work on that
water consumption! I’m kind of a nutter on the subject 🙂 -
That’s really good news Allie. It sounds like he had a really difficult time but thank g-d he has come through it. Enjoy each day and keep drinking that water!
-
WEEK 4 DAY 1
Well our last week has arrived and I gained llb but still have an overall loss of just 1.4lb.
The aim of this challenge was to ‘refocus’ on the future and stop looking back at previous success, and so I hope anyone who took the challenge with me is managing to do that.
My main aims were to drink more water, which I have done but need to do better. Weigh all my food and log it in fatsecret which has been less successful but improved vastly this last week. Not eating digestives and crisps done! Not eating Lindt 90% complete failure as it seems to be my new ‘craving’. And lastly to the red wine which hasn’t taken that back seat as promised.
So a sort of part success so far for me with one more week to go. I am determined to increase my water consumption everyday and to keep weighing, logging and staying as close to 20g of carbs a day as I can. To achieve that I need to stop drinking wine with dinner. So there, all sorted, now I just have to do it!!
Sorry for being so self indulgent in this post and I really hope that anyone else on this journey is meeting their goals, hopes and aspirations. Just seven more days to refocus and we can make our goals if we try.
-
Hi Verano, well done with the water, logging, and avoiding the digestives! I can’t even have them in the house.
Sorry for radio silence this week – it has been a very busy, and totally preoccupying week – not always in a happy way. But onwards and downwards! I have lost a kilo this week – so altogether 4.2 kilos since 27 October. The loss is slowing, but I was expecting that. And having a house guest for 3 days who liked red wine and French cheese didn’t help! A bit too Mediterranean I suspect!Like you I am still focusing on drinking more water, and am logging my food (on Sparkpeople). So good luck to you and others here on the challenge. Best wishes for the coming week.
-
A loss is still a loss however small, so congrats on your progress so far. 🙂
I had hoped to have lost about 2lbs in this three weeks, but I have stuck pretty firmly to 11,6. Slightly more before bedtime, but always back to 11,6 in the morning.* On the plus side though, it shows that I can maintain with ease. I like not having to fuss about having food in the daytime, and as eating a full meal in the evening gets me more and better sleep at night, with no downside to report, I see no reason to change this pattern of eating.
I do need to lose weight though, so I’m going to have to stick to 800calories from now on. Eating close to bed time seems to be the key thing for me for a decent night’s sleep, hopefully that will continue as I cut down to 800 again.Deficiencies of lots of things impact on sleep: protein, vitB, zinc and choline, to name just a few. VitaminD is particularly implicated in daytime fatigue, so is of particular interest to me, especially now that I have ruled out lack of sleep at night as the cause.
I still doubt that I am significantly deficient, but I will take note of my intake and see if I can find any correlation. Annoyingly, tracking vitD is not an option in mfp.*Actually I am now down to 11,4.5 and I was down to that a few days ago once, as well, so maybe I don’t need to cut down again. I think maybe I’ll give it one more day without counting!
-
Good morning . Well done Caron that’s a really good loss. Yes it does slow down but it does keep going you just have to keep on keeping on as sunshine-girl says.
Yes Ancient Weaver it’s great if you can maintain with ease ….I can… and have… but hey I need to get back into weight loss mode now!!
My only thought for today is ‘it’s a new one and thank goodness yesterday is behind me’! Lets keep soldiering on we will make it if we try hard enough!
-
We will indeed! Perseverance is key! And the scales have indeed started moving, so that 11,4.5 looks like it’s official now. I only usually cheer at the 2lb markers, but I have been stuck on 11,6 for so long that I am celebrating it with a “Yesss!” and some air punches. 😀
I only fasted to lunch time yesterday, and broke a major rule by having (fried) rye bread with it. I was out with a friend, and was only going to have a hot chocolate, but my friend, reading the specials board over my shoulder, said “I think I’ll have the homemade meatballs in tomato sauce.” and I thought “Ooh! That sounds BSD friendly.” and had the same. Only after it arrived did I realise it was also with rye bread, but as it was rye and fried, I figured it would have a lower GI and so be BSD friendlier than wheat bread, so I had some, and it doesn’t seem to have done any harm, but the coffee or later tea, trashed my melatonin system, so I had a rubbish night! -
‘Morning all!
Verano, that’s what is great about the sunrise, it’s always a new
day…….yesterday is behind us………and no one knows what
tomorrow will bring. My butterfly persona will be perched on
your shoulder today, whispering encouragement in your ear.
Listen for it! 🙂Caron, good to hear from you! Almost 10lbs in 3 weeks is just
great. You have a good chance to reach a stone by the end of
month! I sympathize about the cheese and wine in your sights
with the house guest. I still can’t keep cheese around. No
concept of portion control with that particular food 🙂I’m a day late checking in. Mixed results to report. I managed
to keep to my exercise goals in week but I’m not enjoying
it much (YET), I hope that it becomes a habit soon, and
something that I learn to look forward to. I find it all too easy
to procrastinate about since I’m trying hard not to lose anymore
weight. Another 1lb lost this week, so I still have a way to go to
master maintenance “with ease” as some of you do.
Time to really commit in week 4!Have a wonderful week, everyone.
Allie
-
Another day another strategy. I drink 500ml bottles of water from the fridge and I drink from the bottle. I thought if I always have water at hand I would drink more. Today I have started to drink it from a glass and hey presto two glasses go down much quicker than constant sips! So already one litre down and the rest of the day to go . I might even make 2.5 litres today !
-
Yay, V – You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
V, that’s the way I always drink my water. I have a pint when I wake up, then a pint before my first meal of the day (about 11am), a pint at about 1pm, one mid-afternoon, another before my supper, and yet another before bed (and no, it doesn’t mean I am getting up and down all night – once your body gets used to it, it’s fine). This way, it just becomes routine plus it fills you up too, particularly drinking it just before meals. Plus countless cups of black tea and coffee.
Allie, my friend, not exercising because of potential extra weight loss?? Now we all know that exercise builds muscle, builds a bit of EXTRA weight, so don’t think we are going to let you get away with that as an excuse!😜😘
Still jumping, cheering and waving my pompoms for everyone🙋🏼
-
Thank you, Theodora, I needed that! 🙂
-
Hi my Blood results are great after three months of being drug free so I am both relieved and happy. Because I’ve not lost anymore weight I thought my HbA1c may have risen but quite the opposite so it must be the low carbing and the water! I’m definitely doing better on that front than I was three weeks ago, so success and I will keep going.
Theodora do you think all that ‘fluid’ up stopping you putting on weight? You can’t have my ch of an appetite if you drink before meals. Maybe that’s what I need to do!
-
Quite possibly, V. And of course filling me up was the original intention, but now maybe I should break the habit – and it IS an ingrained habit now. But I like drinking water – always have, so haven’t increased my consumption during BSD, just the timing.
Tell you what, let’s make a deal. ……I’ll stop drinking water before meals if you start? Deal? Then we can compare notes😉
And HUGE congratulations on kicking T2 into remission completely drug free. What an achievement. Now if THAT isn’t worth a jump, wave and shake, I don’t know what is!!!😀😁😁 So very proud of you 😃
-
Theodora ….. IT’S A DEAL!
-
😀😁😃😄😆
You’re on, Verano😘
-
OOOOOKAYYYY…
Let’s do it. As from tomorrow you mustn’t have water, or any other liquid, before meals, any meals , and I MUST (but only water!)… let’s get to it ‘!!!
-
Okay V. How long do we give the experiment before comparing notes?
I’ll still try to drink the same amount but NO LIQUIDS OF ANY KIND for one whole hour before meals.
You, on the other hand MUST drink a pint of water before consuming food? Is that fair?
Let’s see if I can gain a pound or two and you can lose a pound or two.
What we need are some cheerleaders 😉 Any volunteers? 😄😃😀
-
Ok so let Day 1 of the water challenge begin!
If anyone else wants to try then just follow the rule ….. 1 pint of water before meals if losing weight and no liquids for one hour before meals if trying to stabilize or gain weight.
Theodora how about ‘one day at a time’ ? I will be happy to get through today and worry about tomorrow when it comes. I think we need to give this 21 days as they say it takes that long to make/break a relatively easy habit. Day 21 will be December 7th. Does this call for a new thread??
-
Sounds like a plan V.
Just had my first pint of the day, will have a cup of tea in half an hour, coffee an hour after that, then no more liquids until after my breakfast at 11am.
Will leave the decision of the new thread to you.
Theo x
-
Well done Theo! Just about to have my first tea of the day but will have a ‘pint’ before brunch at around 12ish. No I won’t start another thread at the moment as I’m going away on Wednesday so one thread will be more than enough to keep up with.
Quite excited to have a ‘plan’ involving water. Hoping it will help me to curb my wine habit too!
-
Theo and V – Would it be okay if I join the two of you? For those who are
trying to stabilize or gain a bit, does this also mean no glass of wine while
preparing dinner, or are we only talking about chugging water? Sorry to
sound so thick! 🙂Allie
-
Yes of course jump aboard Allie! No I think you should be keeping the wine. I know it’s ’empty’ calories but sounds like both you and Theo need all the help you can get!
I’ve just posted about my OH on another thread:
My OH has been pre-diabetic for many years but I really didn’t understand the implications of that. Anyway, he was given metformin about 5 months ago but it didn’t agree with him so he stopped it 3 months ago. His latest HbA1c shows he’s into the diabetic range now so has been given glycosides??? Anyway, with the diabetic nurse’s permission, I’m going to try and get his BS down with BSD. He was quite reluctant not to take the pills as he has an ‘if they are prescribed they must be needed’ attitude. Unlike me who won’t take anything unless it’s absolutely necessary! Don’t know how easy it will be because he loves bread etc. but he’s prepared to give it a shot and I will do my best for him. It may just help me as well to get back into full on BSD, who knows!
So that’s where I’m up to and hopefully with this water challenge and cooking more BSD friendly food for him, I will start to lose again too.
-
Thanks, Verano. This will be fun! Did you hear that, Theo? V says we can have
a glass of wine 🙂 Does that mean with breakfast and lunch, too?? Only kidding,
of course! On the other hand 🙂 🙂 🙂 ……….Sorry to hear about o/h, though. You
are the ideal person to help him get diabetes into remission, though. I hope
that he’s more amenable to taking suggestions than my husband is. I’ve yet
to be successful in getting him to give up the cold cereal for breakfast. 25gm
of carbs, good grief! However, I switched him to unsweetened almond milk,
so a small victory there. Now that you’re on a mission on his behalf, maybe
this will be just the thing you need to help you refocus, yourself ! 🙂 I’ll keep
reporting in, regardless of what the scale registers tomorrow.Have a great weekend All,
Allie
-
Well just had my first failure of the day. Didn’t leave myself enough time to have a ‘pint’ before brunch. Result of a really bad morning! So for his first BSD lunch I made Esnecca’s shakshuka with spinach, mushrooms and home made tomato sauce and eggs. Well he ate, smiled and asked where the main course was! I’ve told him it gets easier but this is only day 1 and he’s already doubting this WOE. We are out tonight having Thai food and he’s already worrying about rice! We will see!
-
Welcome aboard Allie, but crikey ‘ you had me worried there for a moment,😱 When I agreed to no liquids before meals, hadn’t even considered that could include wine😨 Thank goodness our mate, Verano is such a tolerant and caring person – good answer, V 😉
Errr, exactlyhow much time does it take to glug a pint of water? Takes me all of 30 seconds😜
Sorry to hear about o/h’s diagnosis but if anyone can help him reverse it, it’s you. Will be much easier to do BSD together too. Very early days for him – tell him to fill up on water😉 Good luck.
BTW – I had to go out unexpectedly this morning so am only now having breakfast – usual yoghurt and berries – so still haven’t had my 2nd pint of the day. Really missing it, so will be necking it down any minute 😜
-
Good morning V. Just wondering how your water consumption went yesterday? Did you manage to drink more?
Not being allowed to drink liquids before meals sent my consumption way down,
as being out of my normal routine meant I kept forgetting, which has resulted in a 0.5lb gain this morning, which I’m sure is water retention as I’m feeling dehydrated this morning. I had intended drinking the same amount, just not before meals, so must try harder today. Obviously we are creatures of habit.Hope you managed at least the extra pint before dinner and bedtime?
Hope you enjoyed your Thai meal last evening and o/h managed to resist the rice?
And what about you, Allie? How did you get on?
-
Theo you beat by a few moments I was just about to confess all! Amazing that you have gained half a pound by not drinking your usual amount.
I had a really bad day yesterday water wise, worse that normal. It started with my steamer breaking down and blowing all the sockets in my study with computer etc all going off. Fortunately all was well when we reset the fuse but that was the beginning of ‘just one of those days’. It ended nicely with good food, Thai, and good company but has left me with a 2lb gain this morning.
During the 23 days of this challenge I have actually gained 7lbs and lost 6.6lbs. What a total and utter waste of time and effort. If I hadn’t had the ‘bad’ days like yesterday I would have had a good loss overall. But your day yesterday Theo, and my salty food day, without enough water really point to how very, very important it is to stay well hydrated. A lesson for us all maybe.
So Theo what are you planning for today? It clearly is not good if it makes you feel less than your best when you limit your water intake. Maybe to start with you could try to not drink anything for 30 minutes before meals but drink during and/or afterwards.
I promise to try much harder today and at least make my goal of a ‘pint’ before meals and extra will be a bonus.
Hope you had a better day Allie.
-
Verano – I had one of those days yesterday. I spilled a cup of copy over my mouse and it went absolutely crazy – hopefully it has dried out now.
-
Krysia …. today is another day and it WILL be better!
-
A lesson to be learned indeed, V. Though one I think we already knew.
I had fully intended drinking my normal compliment of water yesterday, just not before meals. But, being out of routine and also having to go out unexpectedly for several hours meant my water consumption got left by the wayside. Literally didn’t think about it whilst so busy, whereas usually it is a habit to down a pint while preparing food. I shall try harder today – it’s a case of forming a new habit of drinking after meals instead of before. But I’ve had 2 pints today already, as well as a mug of black tea and 2 of coffee, so hopefully restoring full hydration.
Sorry both you and Krysia had “one of those days” yesterday – we all have them sometimes. Hopefully today will be better for both of you – and keep drinking the water. 😉
-
Good morning, my fellow water nymphs! Changing any habit, even how much
water to drink and WHEN isn’t as easy as I thought. Like you Theo, I thought
I’d make up for it later, but I ended being 2/8-10 oz glasses short for the day,
and I wasn’t about to chug it at 10:00pm!. When I was ready for lunch I
actually had to wait to eat it because I’d already downed a glass of water.
So, I have now placed a rubber band on my wrist to remind me to keep track
of the time. (simple plan for my simple mind!) V, what a day. We all have
them. Recently, I turned on the coffee maker at 5:00am, only to have the
10 cups of heated water explode out of it. After that, the plumbing backed
up and the bathroom flooded. All in all, a day when I would have done well
never to have gotten out of bed 🙂 Or at least learn how to appreciate tea!
Let’s do this, my friends!!!!!!!!!Allie