Here we are in April !

My objective to be a fit Granny,Nan,Mamie this year is still in place despite my week’s detour ! Don’t worry if there have been slight hiccups we are focused on the overall picture and we know what to do.

Stay focused on YOUR goals !

Margaret you are in the right place for your ongoing 12 weeks program. We will be travelling along with you !

Looking forward to checking in with you all this week

Wendy, SG and Sunny xxx

Hey Wendy, so pleased you had a wonderful time with your son, his partner and friends…. little detours are understandable for such special events.

Despite a meal out on Saturday (celebrating OH’s birthday) I managed to weigh at a whole pound down week on week this morning. As we leave home on Friday to begin our trip out to Turkiye, I’m being really strict with myself this week. Completed a 44hr fast this evening and will be fasting from this evening until lunchtime on Wednesday. After that, will fast through to Thursday evening and then do OMAD on Friday.

I’d have liked to join up a couple of my fasts, but it’s just not worth the aggrevation with OH. Thesedays he’s okay if I miss one evening meal, but it would be pushing him too far for me to miss two or three in a row.

Anyway, I’m 1.5lb off being in single digit pounds in the right stone bracket, so in all livelihood won’t be there by the end of the week. However, I’ve decided to be content with whatever I can manage to ditch over the coming days.

Finallt, congrats to all those who have managed to record a decrease of any size (pounds or inches, or fractions thereof) over the past week and if the week got away from you, don’t beat yourself up, stuff happens. Just make a fresh start as we begin this brand new week and do the best you can.

Hi Wendy, thank you for another week. I really get what you were saying about cooking and being fed up with food (on last weeks thread). I go through phases when food just doesnt interest me at all. My worst meal of the week is Sunday lunch which we often change up for something simple like steak and salad allow hubby a few chips (yes I do nick a couple). Cant wait for the lovely summer weather when I can ‘legally’ have salads every day. I say ‘legally’ because I do tend to eat a lot of salads but when I go to daughters, especially at Christmas, she tells me off for wanting salad. A salad is so much more than lettuce and tomato and I just love lots of summer fruits like strawberries and melon on my salad plate.

I will be back to declare my new weight tomorrow. Lets make this a great week.

Wendy pleased to read you had a wonderful time with your family & you are correct that cooking & presenting food they love & even expect shows our love & maintains family traditions 😀 My family especially expect carrot cake, ginger cheesecake & a salad of mushrooms, avocado, baby spinach & bacon lardons!
Well done SunnyB on losing weight but trips away are to be enjoyed 👍
Thank you for setting up the thread Wendy & for the encouragement!
Margaret xx

Well another week and still no movement. Better than gaining over the weekend and I am experienced enough to know that if I continue to stick with it there will be results. Now got just 1 week before our trip.

Off the subject of diet and on to health, which is my main concern. 2 weeks ago I had blood tests for my GP and he was concerned that my triglycerides were high. I explained I had no alcohol all of January and very little in Feb except my birthday and one other weekend. I am sure he doesn’t believe me but it was 2.01. Last Friday I had more blood test requested by the cardiologist and although some tests were different he also wanted to see my triglycerides – just 2 weeks later they are down to 1.53. One reason GP suggested was because I hadn’t been doing any exercise for a long time with my surgery/scar/recovery time etc. Probably right because I have now been exercising 3 times a week (aerobics) and seen this change. So exercise might not make you lose weight but it has so many other benefits.

Oh well, I will keep on keeping on until we go away. Nothing planned and even gave up a night out last night so still got time.

Hi Guys, Sorry I have been quiet for a little while. I have been having some “fun” experiences with the UK medical system and did not want to put myself in too much of a vent mode until I was no longer angry.

After the first appointment at the cardiac department of the local hospital where I explained my fasting / eating protocol the nurse sent an email to my GP recommending that I be prescribed 2 drugs. One to start immediately, the other to start after a couple of weeks.

The second drug is a repurposed drug for diabetics, which works by reducing sugar levels to trigger your body in reducing stored fluid. The information booklet warns to not fast when taking it as that could cause keto acidosis. My GP wasn’t happy that they were trying to put me on two drugs close together without giving the time for the side effects of the first drug to emerge. So between us we agreed I wouldn’t take it, and I send a detailed email to the nurse with links to videos on how fasting controls insulin levels anyway to explain why it was not an appropriate drug for me to take.

The first drug has caused terrible side effects, acid reflux, heart burn, and feeling like I am going to vomit every time I bend over. That made farm work and changeovers in the holiday let fun. I twigged what the cause of the problem was at a social event, take the med with carbs and no nausea. So I played around, testing if not fasting but eating keto with the drug would control the side effects, it reduced the desire to vomit but not the heart burn / indigestion. However, 2 slices of cheese on toast and there was no side effects. with that dose, and less side effects with the second dose of the day.

Its dawning on me that the drugs for a number of conditions including heart failure will be based on treating people who are eating high carb, multiple times a day and how much of an outrider I am going to be.

I stopped taking the medication yesterday morning and am starting to feel better. My next appointment with the cardiac team is on Thursday. Its going to be interesting to see how that goes.

Hi everyone, just a small loss of around 0.3 of a kilo so nothing to shout about, at least it is a LOSS. One reason I am struggling to lose is probably because I have had to increase my insulin injections from 7 units to 16 currently. They were 24 straight after being in hospital. Hospitals dont seem to care about diabetes care and stuff you full of carbs so they dont have you collapsing on them but it has really messed up my system. Another reason is probably because I am long term on the plan so almost like I am doing maintenance. I dont really mind as long as I am not gaining.

Had a haircut and dye today so looking glam – until I sleep on it.

You know your body best Gwen and unfortunately the majority of the medical profession do not seem to have caught up with low carb and intermittent fasting. (sigh).
I can report that I am now back to my pre holiday weight. However at the beginning of the week we went on holiday I had 2 eating out episodes. So I would like to be at pre that weight. One was brunch with my fiance and the following day the second was a very unexpected family funeral. A 22 yr old cousin of my fiance. She went to bed with flu and they found her dead in bed the following morning. It transpires it was meningitis.

Elle-Mae how terrible. You must all be devastated. Life throws so many curved balls which is even more reason to ‘live in the moment’. Sending my sympathies to you and yours.

S-g hope you enjoy your trip back to the UK and especially the ‘surprise’! Weather looks pretty settled here at the moment. I think you’ve got it …. long term, not losing is not the main aim, keeping blood sugar levels steady or decreasing, IS the main aim. Can you imagine where we would both be had we not adopted this way of life in 2016??? Doesn’t bear thinking about. Let’s just look at the positives.

Happy Holidays to everyone!
Hope you enjoy family or quiet time. But most importantly don’t stress over a little chocolate!

So sorry to hear of your medical hassles JGwen & S-G & my condolences Elle-Mae. I also have a family funeral to go to next week a nephew aged sixty who unexpectedly died from a heart attack. Life is just not fair sometimes & we really have to battle through life’s rollercoaster😞
Weight wise I have weighed a day early & have gained 1/2 lb. because of Easter. The next two weekends & next week are going to be almost impossible to “diet” because of eating out today, hosting a lunch tomorrow, our son staying so the wine & nibbles appear & next Tuesday a bowls brunch. Next week eating out at the funeral & next Friday & weekend staying with our son helping to keep our granddaughter’s entertained😀
I hope everyone has an enjoyable Easter & chocolate will certainly be appearing over both weekends for my family🙀😂
Margaret

Another small loss so giving me the motivation to stay off the wine over the weekend. Hoping to be under another kilo number.

Been out getting thing so the house is ready for our sitter. Called in Decathalon and bought some more exercise pants and some lovely white trainers. They are so in vogue right now and will look good with a dressy dress when we have a longish walk through Birmingham from the railway to the restaurant I have booked. Slim, sexy and totally up to date – stop laughing…..

Have a great Easter weekend. Didn’t realise it was Easter until I saw it on telly – every day is pretty much the same here – peaceful, restful and lazy.

Hi Guys, sorry if this sounds like a rant, but I came away from an appointment at the cardiac department yesterday feeling very resolved to do my own thing. Just as so many diabetics are told there is no cure and they will have to be on drugs for the rest of their lives, so I have been told the same re the damage covid has done to my heart. The nurse had such a condescending look on her face when she told me that the body is incapable of healing and they don’t bother testing you to see if you can reduce drugs at any point. My reply was to say that’s not going to be me.

The nurse couldn’t believe that I did not feel faint when fasting, and insisted on taking my blood pressure both when sitting and when I stand up expecting me to be dizzy when standing because of this way of eating. They have prescribed replacement drugs for the ones which make you nauseous if you don’t eat a carb high diet. Unfortunately, reading the instruction leaflet it says not to take these tablets without discussing with your GP if you are taking any drugs which inhibit mTor. Of course no drug manufacturer will acknowledge that mTor can be inhibited to trigger autophagy just by fasting as there is no profit in that, so fasting is not mentioned in the leaflet but I am taking that as a useful opportunity to educate medical staff again

I have spent some time online today, searching for an equivalent for Dr Fung who focuses on healing heart conditions through fasting. I have found some interesting papers which give me some ideas of questions I want to ask my GP. The drugs being prescribed don’t have any effect on the heart itself, but are drugs to ease blood vessels to reduce blood pressure and repurposed diabetic drugs to reduce fluid in tissues by reducing blood sugar levels. – So what I need to understand is if the aim of the drugs is to reduce pressure on the heart by helping blood to flow easier, or is it to reduce inflammation in the blood vessels. The leaflets in the box with the tablets don’t mention their aim, or how they are supposed to achieve it. Once I know that then I will be able to select appropriate videos to email the nurse to explain why I will not take the drugs that can cause problems if you are targeting autophagy and maybe able to locate articles confirming that fasting achieves the same results.

In the meantime, I have come across some research papers on the reduction in blood pressure that is achieved by undertaking a 10 day fast. The cardiac team seem to be fixated on the importance of achieving low blood pressure. So the hot cross buns that I bought for this weekend have gone in the freezer, and I have decided to go for it day by day. I am a quarter of the way there already anyway and as its a bank holiday I couldn’t talk to the doctor for another 4 days about the tablets either. I haven’t done that length of fast before but they do say that hunger fades after the first 4 days.

S-G we aren’t laughing we are smiling with you 🙂
Gwen well done for sticking to your guns and good luck with it. I couldn’t contemplate a fast that long, the longest I have done is 24 hrs, but know it got easier the more often I did it and once you get over the late afternoon when temptation would hit. I would just look at the clock and say to myself it’s only X amount of hours to go. When it actually got to dinner time when I ate I know I could have continued on for longer.
Today’s success story. A Malteser bunny was left on my desk. When I discovered who it was from I thanked her, she said she was going to give me a cream egg but thought it would be too sweet. She tried bless her. At hometime I thought I don’t know what to do with it, I don’t want it!!!!!!! I threw it in the bin, but then felt guilty so I gave it to my boss. I can’t quite believe I did that.

Gwen I don’t know what country you are in, or whether you are on Twitter but there is group called Freshwell @DrKimAndrews which is run by doctors in the UK and a Dr in the USA Dr Tro @DoctorTro both who are heavily into low carb and fasting. Maybe you could DM them for advice.

JGwen, there is also Dr. Bret Scher who hosts the Diet Doctor podcast. He is a cardiologist and may be able to point you to a low carb cardiologist in the UK.
I’ve been absent from posting for a bit as I’ve been having quite a hard time at work, and am just generally very busy with spring planting at home. I have been reading when I can though. After a week of slightly higher carb comfort eating I was in pain again and my legs were puffier too. So I know that I have to eat lower carb, I do struggle with it when I’m feeling down about things or am extremely busy. I need to find a way to do this woe so that it fits into my life even in those times.

Just dropping by to sign off on the weekly thread in the short term. Started our road trip yesterday and my final weigh in was 3lb off target. As this is pretty much what I expected, I’ll take that. During the week, I did briefly dip into single figure pounds in the right stone band, but that wasn’t consolidated. Hey ho!!

Never mind, it is what it is and I’m heading off looking forward to a more relaxed approach until we are home again.

Best wishes to all …. have a happy Easter 🐣.

Hi all, SunnyB I still think we are following each other. Both going away around now (me in a couple of days), both had hubbies with birthdays last week (or so), both aimed for 7lbs off and both managed around 4lbs (for me, so far). Hey it is still 4lbs even if you didnt make the goal, if you hadnt aimed you would still be what you were 8 weeks ago or even more. We are winners. Have a great holiday.

Funny old day foodwise yesterday, was completely veggie, it would have been vegan if I didnt have cheese. Scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast, mushroom soup and a ryvita for lunch and a Slimming World recipe for dinner. It was aubergine, cauliflower and chickpea curry followed by a aquafaba chocolate mousse. For those who dont know, aquafaba is the thick water that canned chickpeas come in. You whisk it like egg whites to a stiff peak then add cocoa powder and a drop of vanilla essence – per serving it was only 43 calories. Never tried before but it was delicious, I still have 2 in the fridge for tonight and it didnt affect my weight as I have lost another quarter pound. Currently down just under 4lbs of my 7lb goal with 3 days left. Must be strong tonight and lock the wine in the cabinet:).

Have a good Easter weekend. For us it makes no difference as all days are pretty much the same. The shops in France are closing on Monday – most unusual but they say their staff deserve an easter egg hunt or a rest, which ever they prefer:)

Hi everyone,
Hope you are having a good Easter weekend. I’m working really hard as I’m trying to plant things out into my low polytunnel before it rains on Monday and turns the garden back into mud. The plants will be protected, but would be kneeling in the mud so not much fun. I will stay mostly inside on Monday and do some more seed starting and housework.
I’m more or less back on track food-wise. I made a frittata last night with veg that needed using up, so that will last the next couple of days. I’m going to my parents place for Easter dinner, but my mum decided that she couldn’t be bothered cooking, so they will be having Chinese takeaway. Luckily they always order lots of veggie dishes and usually some curried prawns too.
Anyway, I’m basically doing 2MAD right now. I go out in the morning and feed and muck out the horses and then do a couple of hours of weeding or planting in the garden. Come inside for a late breakfast/early lunch, and then back out to do more gardening, then do the evening horse chores and come in and make dinner. I have this coming week off work, so hoping to make the most of it by cooking and freezing some meals.

JGwen I hope your long fast is going well & everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Food wise for me it’s not good food wise because I am drinking some alcohol & eating some savoury snacks & a little of my Lindt chocolate bunny😀 it’s odd but my body is used now to eating fresh home cooked low carb food & doesn’t like being fed pub lunches! I reacted badly on Friday to sea bass with buttered potatoes & spinach followed by creme brûlée & a short cake biscuit & felt very odd off colour & “stuffed” with my stomach feeling very unhappy for the rest of the day. Yesterday was better with smoked salmon & scrambled egg with two croissants for breakfast, ham salad with a cider vinegar dressing for lunch. Supper was a hamburger with a brioche bap, a few crisps inbetween & a glass of white wine & a banana with kefir yoghurt for pud. Today no breakfast for me, a beef stir fry for lunch or supper & a salad for a second meal. I know I’m not drinking enough water & will improve that today but it is lovely having our son staying with us & we had our seven year old autistic grandson visit with his mother on Saturday who remembered being her before & called me grandma & gave me hugs🥰
It’s the short match bowls matches tomorrow following by a cooked breakfast brunch which should all be very enjoyable & I will try to get back to eating low carb & fasting after that during next week.
Margaret

I guess this is the last day for me. I have been strict for 2 weeks, exercising 4 times a week, no alcohol and sticking to around 900 cals. Weight loss ZERO. Hey ho, better that than to be heavier. I will sign off until the end of my holiday and join you all again.

Hi everyone
Sorry I haven’t been around much this last week.Hubby’s second knee op was brought forward so I have been busy visiting etc as well as my usual stuff .It’s a bit strange being on my own in the house especially after having my son and his friends here recently. Now it’s just me and the cat and likely to be another 3 weeks if hubby gets transferred to the physio centre .That will be much better as it’s closer to home.

So on we go through April .New thread time !