Actually I’ve just checked and at 5’1″ I come in at a BMI of 21.1, so not as impressive as you thought. Were I that extra inch taller, it would be 20.4 – ho hum. Not likely I’ll get down to a BMI of 20 even if I drop a little under the 8st mark, as to get down to a flat 20, I’d have to drop another 6lb and be 7st 8lb (or 106lb) and that’s not happening. However, at a smidge under the halfway point in the healthy BMI band, I’m content with being around the 21 mark.

W/e is going well, had a lovely lunch with daughter and her partner, grandson and OH. Managed to get new school shoes for grandson, the very first pair he tried on, in the first shop we tried – couldn’t believe it! We had to buy underwear too, as intypical teenage boy fashion, he didn’t pack any to bring with him. Anyway, he’s been pretty easy so far, but we have another day and half to go yet.

Hi all, I’ve had the most marvellous break at the beach and have come home to find the painters have finished, completely wonderful job that makes me smile everytime I return home. So that’s the good news, less good is how dreadfully I did with reverse dieting while away. I maintained 16/8 and we cooked absolutely delicious, healthy BSD friendly meals, however I also had a glass of wine most evenings, there was delicious fish and chips TWICE!, we discovered this beautiful bakery

http://www.honorbread.com/

so there was a beautiful cardamon pastry TWICE, and bread with a delicious locally smoked salmon, cream cheese etc. I am guessing I was consuming well over 1500 calories most days and I can’t even begin to calculate carbs on some of those days. So much for a slow reintroduction of calories.

Anyway I was completely terrified of weighing on return. I was quite relieved to read 60.9kg as I was steeling myself for something much higher. It must have been the walking and jumping around in the ocean that kept the gain under control.

Anyway one day back and I had dropped back to 60.1 and remain there today. Phew! So last two days I’ve been strictly BSD, carbs less han 20 and I’ll stick to this with calories between 900 and 1000 for a week. Back to weighing and measuring. 🤪 it’s tough.

Hi Flick – so pleased you had a great time at the beach and that although the carbs perhaps got away from you a little, there was no hugely negative effect from that. In the scheme of things, that was only a tiny gain and some of that has already been despatched. You’ve done great at getting back to basics immediately to get things back to where you want them to be, which is definitely the way to go. The BSD has certainly empowered us and given us the tools to deal with any small glitches and gains. Good to have you back and I’ll be looking forward to reading about your progress, Flick.

Hey Flick, it’s wonderful to hear that you had a great holiday, and what ever small indulgences you had, had
a minimal effect on your weight. Getting straight back to dedicated BSD eating will reverse any upturns
on the scale. I think attending to them immediately will serve you well, and I’m sure that you will be back
on track in a matter of days 🙂 Most of all, I’m happy that your back injury didn’t affect the great time that
you enjoyed! The sourdough bakery would have been a challenge for me, and I think I might have had to
cross the street to avoid it. I haven’t had access to the really great stuff since living in the San Francisco
bay area in the early 70″s. Just as well! Happy to have you back 🙂

Allie

Hi, I have reached my target and maintained it for a few months by sticking largely to the recipes in the book, but I would like to return to a more varied diet and wondered if anyone has any advice about that or whether there is a recipe book that covers that.

Thanks

I have just applied the BSD principles and avoided all the obviously high carb foods, whist increasing calories. There are heaps of low carb recipes online and this is a great place to look for ideas and it’s easy to put together a selection on dishes you’d like to try. Alternatively, there are lots of low carb recipes books out there, if that is your preferred choice. And of course there are recipes on this website too, as well as a thread where some people have posted recipe ideas too.

Thank you, do you have any recommendation of books, I like Michael’s simple way of writing recipes and instructions so anything of that ilk would be great. I have looked at some and they are too fussy.

Sorry, I’m no longer a recipe book person and use the internet if I need a recipe these days, but take a look at http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-1688/low-carb-recipes.aspx
There are a good number of dishes on this site, but there are lots of other sites too. Sorry not to be able to help with books, but hope you find what you are looking for.

I realise that one option post BSD is to continue using fat secret to calculate the carbs and cals in what I eat but I am not a natural cook so needed to locate recipes that I could follow.
I have just bought a copy of the Low GL diet cookbook, by Patrick Holford. and Fiona McDonald Joyce.
– I bought a second hand copy from Amazon for the princely sum of less than £3. – I have found it quite interesting.
Glycerine Index is about how fast the carbohydrate within a food raises your blood sugar compared to pure glucose, but it doesn’t take into account the amount of carbohydrate a food contains. So it doesn’t take into account fibre so it would make any diet books on GI diets misleading when we are looking for additional recipes for keeping blood sugar stable .

Glycerine Load factors in both the quantity of carbs in a food and the quality.

So if you take water melon as an example. Its GI is about 72, because the sugar in it is fast releasing, but a 120g slice of water melon contains only 6g of available carbs, So a GL diet would allow water melon as a desert, while a GI based diet book wouldn’t.

—————–

One trick I have found from the book that I plan to do is mix natural yoghurt and a few mashed up berries together and stick in the freezer for a couple of hours. Hay presto, when summer comes I can have frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream.

Thanks I will take a look.

I gained 8 pounds while living in the UK for a month. Unfortunately, we were staying at a place with an open plan kitchen/living room and I couldn’t keep my mitts off the snacks, and the Brits know how to make snacks!
Good news is, after only 10 days of regular Med diet type eating, albeit with some small lapses (I brought some snacks home!), it has all gone.
This diet really seems to have reset my body, and the Med way of eating is a painless way of keeping it reset. As long as I can have the occasional hot cross bun (or a glass or 2 of pale ale), I’m happy.

Back from my week long holiday in glorious (if still cold) Cornwall, and despite relatively unrestrained eating of snacks and drinking alcohol, even if many actual meals were recognizably BSD influenced 😊 I have increased in weight by a tiny 0.2 of a pound from my pre holiday weigh in. I am feeling a few other effects of my indulgences though, I almost get hangover symptoms these days from too many refined carbs and I fuelled my drive back last night with some rather excellent and high quality but sugary biscuits, and have a bit of a muggy head this morning. Today will therefore be back to low carb, and I will be 5:2 this week to try to get back into the swing of things as I go back to work. My 7 day water/black coffee fast will be the first week of the new term, leading up to my wedding anniversary on the 23rd April, although I won’t be trying on the dress again this year, that will be an every 5 years special project.

Well, that attempt to get back to my post holiday routine didn’t work, and I hit my trigger weight, although some of that is TOTM bloat, I also had a wake up call when the pair of work trousers I selected out of the drawer wouldn’t do up. So yesterday and today are FMD (yesterday on about 500 calories as a short sharp shock) and then I embark on my first water fast, if I struggle with it I will allow a few FMD foods (mainly nuts and seeds) to get me through it this first time. So Tuesday weigh in was 12 stone 6.6, and today a reduction at 12 stone 4.3. Since most of my fellow maintainers are ‘out and about’ rather than chatting here I will put on here the odd report about how I go, and maybe go and join the latest challenge as well, I have missed being involved.

Mixnmatch – great to hear from you. I went 5lbs above my trigger weight just by eating industrial quantities of the good BSD stuff. 2 weeks dropping to 20g carbs and it was gone and the following week another 2.25lbs also gone.
Have joined Verano’s 1 week challenges and Allie’s 4 week challenge and it has really helped me refocus.

Hey there this is a timely post as I have just put on half a kilo and as I am usually so stable I decided to take action. Eat too many peanuts! And also I have been lengthening my eating window, so that is now being shortened and I am walking away from the peanuts and towards pecans and walnuts, which are less More-ish. Also rationing cream in coffee to mid morning only!

See you all on the lower side of the scales. Mostly keeping up by reading emails at the moment, rather than logging on, so look forward to hearing how it goes with you both.

Sorry to read that a few of our merry band are battling increases, but I’m confident you all have the tools to get back to where you want to be. Just over two weeks into our extended vacation, I’m having a bit of a review myself, as I am aware my approach has become a little lax – oh, okay yes I’ll have a wine and that tiny piece of bread won’t matter and just one more square of chocolate should be alright. At present, no problem fitting in my ‘test’ garment, but time to take stock I think. Seeing the posts here have been a timely reminder. Best of luck on getting back on track and seeing off those gains everyone.

Thank you for starting this thread and the responses have been very helpful. A few weeks from my last post has seen me relax more into maintaining with good results. Like others the treat from my old life just don’t cut it, so I am enjoying food that fits in with the guidelines and adding in little extras as I feel I need them and no weight gain. Excellent.

Esnecca- just wondering if everything is OK as I haven’t seen any of your posts recently. Thinking of you and looking forward to seeing you back here in the forum. I hope my post finds you- wasn’t sure which thread to use.

Cathy

Well, I’m back!

Arrived home yesterday evening, after spending 3 wonderful weeks in South Africa. It was the most amazing holiday we have ever had, although we ate and drank far too much (though I did stay off the white refined carbs, and drank enough water to sink a battleship, as it was so hot) and we are already planning a return trip.

I have so much to do, so I don’t have time to catch up with everyone’s news right now, but particularly wanted to check in today for two reasons…………….

1) Today is my one year maintenance anniversary!!
2) I was dreading my first weigh in for over 3 weeks this morning, particularly after such an indulgent holiday (all inclusive basis, 3 meals a day, plus 3 snacks, and unlimited drinks, including alcohol), but the scales recorded………………….tahdah, drumroll please………..a gain of only 0.25lbs (0.11kg)!!! Result!! I stuck to my usual plan of not eating when travelling – in this case homeward journey was 33 hours – though I confess that I did have a gin and tonic and an airline bottle of sauvignon blanc on both legs of the flight. O/H ate all four of my meals as well as his own!! (For the record, he didn’t gain any weight either, but then he never does!!)

I do hope everyone is well – though do I gather that Essie has gone AWOL? Hopefully just busy with her big move? And I missed your first anniversary, Allie – sorry, but belated congratulations.

Really hoping that I can get on top of everything quickly and get back to taking a more active role on the forum again soon – there seem to be an awful lot of new members. xx

Hope to be the first, but surely not the last, to wish you a huge “Happy Anniversary”, Theo!! I’m so
pleased that you thoroughly enjoyed your holiday 🙂 Can’t wait to hear about your travels…Details,
please! The old guard is still out and about here, but we seem to have grown in numbers 🙂 You
have been missed more than I can possibly say. Essie, too! I’m looking forward to all of your
future posts, and you know I know where to find you!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Theo, WELCOME BACK !!!! So glad you had a restorative holiday, and no damage to weight (.25 lbs is barely an extra celery stick !).

You have been missed, and it is great to see you back in form.

Congratulations on your anniversary….well done.

LTC

Hi Theo! welcome back and many congratulations on your anniversary! Look forward to hearing about your trip in more detail!
Kazzeexx

So good to see you back, Theo and in much better spirits. Many congrats on both the anniversary and the tiny gain. Africa gets under the skin somehow and like you I’m itching to go back.

Looking forward to seeing you out and about on the forum again, generously spreading you wisdom and inspiration – it’s been much missed.

I’m a month in to our extended break and am getting fearful things are slipping. Have a friend staying this week, but have a full plan of action for next week. Hopefully will get things pulled back in line before things get out of hand.

See you soon, Theo.

Hi Theo and welcome back. Congratulations on your first anniversary but even more so for the incredible weight gain of only 0.25 lb! There are a lot of us “old timers” still posting and taking advantage of the help this forum affords us. I don’t find it easy maintaining so still read and occasionally post. I am now six months into maintenance and do find I have to work hard at maintaining. Looking forward to hearing about your trip to Africa. Welcome back. Cathy

Theo ..Well done.. You obviously have extremely strong will power which is very admirable. It’s good to have people like you on these boards for advice.

What a reality check I gave myself today. After weeks of not weighing my breakfasts I have been wondering why my weight is creeping up slightly, so I decided to weigh what I have been putting in my breakfast bowl.

I originally put in:-

1 x tsp pumpkin seeds 31 cal
52g (i large tbsp) greek yoghurt 49 cal
blueberries 1 tbsp 10 cal
1 x tsp whole brown flaxseed 18 cal
1 x whole crushed walnut 26 cal

Total = 134 cal

1 tsp pumpkin seeds has turned into 2 or 3
1 tbsp yoghurt has turned into almost 2
blueberries …maybe a handful
At least 2 tsp whole flax seeds
2 x whole walnuts crushed

Haven’t added up because I know that i have been having at least more than double what i used to have, and this is just my breakfast.
I am putting this in writing to give myself a wake up call to that slippery slope. I know the 2 squares of 100% dark chocolate has turned into 4 also. It is a never ending battle to what the carbs sugar and calories. I became really tired of eating eggs for breakfast (around 9am) and think I will read the BSD book again today…

Forgot how high in calories pumpkin seeds were.

I hope everyone else is finding ways to keep on track.

GofouritG1RL – oh dear – you have done exactly what I did. All my portions doubled – exactly the same thing happened – I started putting on weight even though I was stricktly sticking to BSD foods only. The good thing is that the weight just flies of when you control the carbs and portion sizes. So am back to weighing everything again (except lettuce).

KrysiaD…Your right..I think I was thinking well they are BSD foods and got a bit lazy by not weighing my portions..Good to know it drops back of though…best I weigh my other meals also and add up my carbs…
Good luck and keep up the willpower.

WELCOME BACK Theodora. I’m so pleased that you had a good holiday. And many congratulations on your anniversary. To celebrate, I am now going to join this thread, and officially become a maintainer. Current weight 72.1. Maintenance goal is max 73.9. I look forward to learning from the experience on this thread as I navigate these new waters.

There you are Caron! Wonderful to see you here 🙂 Do you have a strategy for maintenance?
A lot of us have had great success with the “reverse diet”, and continued to lose additional
lbs. while working up to our TDEE… CONGRATULATIONS !!!

Allie

Hi Theodora, Welcome back from your holidays.

I was wondering where to post my update for this week, and the restart of chatter on this thread inspired me that its the right location to write it up.

Having reached my initial target last week, I will hold my hands up that I have had a none BSD day this week. For the first time in years, I headed down to the beach yesterday in my new swimming costume with a wrap around skirt. I had a paddle (water was too cold to swim in and the water was a brown silty colour) followed by an ice cream. Then spent the day enjoying the breeze and sun with a book, followed by a chip butty before heading home. – Did have soda water rather than a soft drink, so not all bad. I sort of wanted to test what would happen, other than ending up wide awake until half 2 in the morning when I got home, nothing much. No major jump in the readings on the scales this morning. The high I was sort of expecting to feel while eating the chip butty didn’t happen, and today, even though I am surrounded by food left by the guests in the holiday let. – 3 carrier bags of bread, 4 boxes of breakfast cereals, 2 packets of scones and butter and jam I haven’t been tempted by anything other the left over eggs, and bowl of salad.
So, now for the other part of my post, what after hitting the target based on the WHY which inspired me – getting back to riding weight, what WHY would inspire me for each of the next couple of stone. I don’t think numbers on the scales will inspire me as much being able to do things. – I think getting down to bikini shaped territory must go with going on a snorkelling, sand with palm trees holiday. – Having done a diving holiday to the Red Sea I don’t think diving is for me, its the suddenness of the temp change that I don’t like, beach dives are great but not boat dives, but floating on the surface in the warmth watching fish darting around in clear water is something I want to do. I have also decided that increasing fitness would be a good target. I would love to be fit enough for one of those trips through the jungle to see gorillas in their natural environment. So I have decided that’s my other goal. To get rid of the excess weight and be fit enough to walk uphill through difficult terrain for a couple of days in a row carrying a back pack. – That level of fitness would also be helpful in my every day life, so its something I can build working towards into weekly tasks.

Hi Theo, welcome back and Happy Anniversary. Glad you had an amazing trip probably just what the doctor ordered! Good to ‘see’ you again.

Hi JGwen
I’m in the same boat as you in regards to being able to DO things. I’m 18 months post reaching my goal weight of 63kg. I’m 58, go to the beach in my bikini, hike up to 15km in the bush most days, have booked an 12 day trek in the Himalayas for October next year and am currently planning a visit to the gorillas in Uganda and a volcano climb in The Congo for June next year.

I love feeling slim and I won’t jeopardise that in any way, so although I no longer count calories, I do not eat any added sugar or starch and I keep my carbs to less than 50g a day, sometimes less than 20g and I often do a water fast, sometimes for up to 72 hours, but regularly 24 hour fasts.

Do whatever works for you to get/keep the weight off as ultimately, it’s not just about how much you weigh, it’s how healthy you are and how long you will live in a healthy way.

Theo, welcome back from Africa, we went for 5 weeks and lived every minute and I too came back 0.2kg lighter than when I went. It’s a good feeling isn’t it!!

I haven’t posted for a while, but I still read the posts when they come through and cheer on all the success stories.
Cheers
Linda

Try to find new target, that can motivate you. It can be a new diet system or exersices. So just try to find out somethink that can help you to improve youre self

Hi Allie. Thank you for the welcome on this thread! I have been a bit quiet lately. It is lovely seeing so many newcomers, but sometimes it feels like a busy swimming pool and you have to wait to jump in!

I can’t quite believe I am calling myself a maintainer, but that is now the plan. But I do not (yet) have a very developed strategy – except for upping the calories, keeping away from the white carbs, and some IF now and again. My first step is going to be reading through this thread from the start and picking up some tips. Someone commented on a thread that dieters tend to be black and white thinkers. I think that’s true. I feel in a kind of no man’s land at the moment. I am still on the same way of eating, but now need to adjust and I am finding the ambivalence uneasy! (Probably partly because I wouldn’t mind losing a bit more…). I am sure there will be a lot to learn from this thread. So watch this space ….

Oh Caron, I know EXACTLY how you feel, on all counts 🙂 Our population of new members
seems to have exploded in recent months! Must be that we’re heading into the warmer
months in the northern hemispheres, and have begun to think about fewer clothes….
Because I had so much weight to lose, I was in diet mode for a long period of time, and
found it easy to do. Maintenance made me very uneasy, because that’s where I had failed
in the past. When the time came, I almost felt a bit let down, as in “so, now what?” I think
most of us maintainers rely on this thread, so have a read through, and shout out to any
of us, and we’ll find you! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Hi Allie (and other maintainers). Well I have now read the whole thread and cumulated advice on maintaining. I am left weak with laughter, and with lots to think about. In particular I have to thank Esnecca and ClarinetCathy for the following: “I didn’t lose 10% of an imperial ton to get swallowed up by a sweater.” and “I happened to notice two protuberances in the full length mirror whilst sitting in the chair- my kneecaps! I’ve not seen them for a fair number of years! They only seem to have appeared this week.” It is good, as JGwen has just reminded us, to remember how far we have come.

On the maintaining front, I seem to have meandered between approaches of IF once or twice a week, a more formal 5:2, one day a week of eating what you like, calorie intake between 1500 and 2500 a day, keeping carbs low, getting a bit more flexible eg sweet potatoes, a bit of bread, alcohol… This is not a complaint! It just brings out that we are all quite different in lifestyles, mentalities, genes etc. So I am back to square one, ready to work out what best works for me by trial and error.

So I am going to build up to 1500 calories max a day, aim to keep around 50g carbs, mainly Mediterranean, and do a 5:2 structure of intermittent fasting (16:8) on two days. Oh and a couple of glasses of wine a week maybe…. I shall shout if it all goes horribly wrong!

Good luck Caronl. And congratulations on reaching maintenance. I’ll be looking out for you to see how you’re getting on.
IF is a great tool to help us pull back after a social situation perhaps when our preferred food options are scant.

Hope it’s ok to join in here…..my 8 weeks ended last Monday. Happy to say a couple of Ibs under my target.
I’ve always known the transition in to a higher calorie diet would be a tentative process and my plan was initially to retain my eating habits from the previous weeks but add in a few more nuts/allowance of cheese and ease myself in gently (all the time watching the scales of course!)
All was fine but the numbers decreased slightly Friday and Saturday morning and yesterday I dropped another 1.1lb despite indulging in a glass of red on Saturday night. I was so unconvinced it was correct to the point I stripped off mid morning and checked again. Reading was exactly the same. I shrugged my shoulders and just accepted it.
Today’s weigh in though…..nearly 2lbs back up?
My question is, has anyone else noticed anything similar or are my scales going in to meltdown?
What worries me, is that this is the sort of up/down pattern I used to see prior to knowing about the BSD and with bad carb choices .
Any words of wisdom?
Thanks
Miranda

First and foremost Miranda, congratulations! So happy to have you here 🙂 Sometimes what we do on the weekends
catches up to us a few days later. The wine is one possibility, since for some of us it causes fluid retention.
Have you dropped your water consumption? That’s a possibility, too. Now that I’ve been in maintenance
for a year, I only weigh in on fridays and tuesdays, and this works for me to even out wine nights. It’s quite
normal to continue to lose lbs. in early maintenance, assuming that you’re adding calories back in slowly.
I lost an additional 12 lbs below target, so more wiggle room than I had anticipated 🙂 This is trial and error
for all of us as we figure out what number of carbs we need to stay below each day to maintain. My tipping
point seems to be 40g, but everyone will be different. I know by trial and error that I can consume calories
up to my TDEE IF I keep carbs under 40g. Try not to worry. You will work this out. If we can help, just
shout out!

Brava, excellent work 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Allie, bless you for such a speedy response. You obviously detected the panic in my “voice”.
I have become religious about my water intake. 2 litres minimum a day…..it’s done wonders for my skin. I don’t plan to drop this….too much of a benefit.
As for the wine, it was one 200ml glass (yes, I measured it!!! Old habits and all that) Do you think thats enough to make a difference?
The carbs have remained under 30g but granted that’s up on my 20g which I stuck to so carefully.
Hey ho….trial and error….it’s the only way I guess.
M

Oh yes, Miranda! Maintenance was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, too 🙂 But you have a very well
thought out plan, and you’re doing everything that I would do, i.e., water, low carbs, just choosing more of
the “good stuff” to increase your calories. I also remember that you’re significantly younger than I am, so
hormone levels shifting throughout the month could have an impact too! Try to put thoughts of previous
pre BSD experiences out of your head. You will figure this out, and you have an entire thread here to help!
See what shows up on the scale tomorrow 🙂

Hi fellow maintainers
So! Who knew this bit of the process could be so hard! My progression in to maintenance has started in a fairly turbulent manner…..
Further to my posts above from a couple of days ago, the scales have moved upwards each day since Monday.
I have reverted back to 800 cals in desperation. I don’t know what else to do?! I was never going over the top though…certainly never over 1000cals or 30g carbs and most definitely no BSD unfriendly foods
Thoughts or suggestions??

When you go off the 800 you will have a rebound in weight. Most of this is the water weight you lost at the beginning so you should expect maybe 3-5 pound bounce. This does not mean that you are putting on fat. After the bounce you should stabilize around a new weight as long as you stick to your new healthful Med style way of eating. If you find that there is a slow but inexorable creeping up in weight over the next few months than you will need to adjust your diet. Also, a good exercise program is vital in maintenance. Lots of activity plus a healthy way of eating is the lifestyle that will maintain the new improved you.

Your body stores glucose in your liver as glycogen, which is glucose chemically combined with water and is very heavy. When you first go on the diet you use up these reserves in the first few days, so you lose a lot of weight quickly. When you go off the diet, the body rebuilds these reserves, so you gain that weight back. That is your new normal, and is the weight you are. Your weight will always go up and down but if you are not putting on fat than you don’t need to be concerned.

Miranda, I have to respectfully disagree with jande here. As long as you continue to drink at least 2 liters of water
a day, there is no reason for you to expect a regain at all. Many of us have chosen to begin maintenance with what
we refer to as the “reverse diet”. Simply, this involves eating 850 cal/day during the first week of maintenance, week 2
would be 900, etc. until you approach your tdee. At this point you can begin to increase your carbs in small increments,
using only BSD friendly foods. You will eventually arrive at your personal trigger point, and as long as you stay below
this figure, maintenance is effortless. Like everyone else on this thread, I continued to lose additional weight until
I reached my tdee. It is the type of calories that you choose that makes the difference. What makes this WOE so
unique is that exercise is NOT a necessity for maintaining weight loss. Of course it is beneficial for heart health
and overall fitness. In the 10 months that it took me to lose 140lbs I was unable to do any exercise for 9 of them.
Month 10 I was walking 10/mi a day, and it had no effect whatsoever on the rate at which I lost. Try not to read
too much into the past 3 days. Many of us naturally fluctuate on the scales. It does not mean that you will continue
to do so. Hopefully one of the other ladies will be along to share their experiences, too. Keep in touch 🙂

Allie

Jande9 – your post has been reallly helpful to me, I lost three stone last year following BSD and got down to my goal weight of 133lb in October, My best weight has been 131 lb in November and more recently I have averaged 136 lb. in April I noted that my weight had creeped up again to 138 lb at which point I had to do something drastic. This morning I was 136.4. Ideally I would like to be 130 lb to allow a little bit of room for manoeuvre but I am finding it really hard to keep to goal weight never mind lose a little more! I am going back to basics to lose the extra. I am not finding maintenance so easy but am reassured from your post that despite putting on weight, hopefully it is not fat! Keep on keeping on is the plan for all of us maintainers. It’s a mind set. If I do what I always did when losing weight in the past then I will easily be back to square one. Not one step backwards somebody very wise once said on here. This has got to be our forever way of eating. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us,
Cathy

That would be Esnecca that coined that phrase, Cathy. Well into maintenance and 200+lbs lost, she still adheres to
under 20 net carbs a day. She hasn’t posted since March, but I hope that she will be back soon to share her wealth
of knowledge and take no prisoners attitude. She is missed by her friends, of which I’m privileged to count myself.

Thank you for all of the replies there….it helps knowing you’re there.
The overriding point here is how little I have altered going into maintenance. Aside from a couple of grams of almonds and another square of 85% choc (and yes, and a single glass of red wine last Saturday!) everything else has remained pretty much the same. No bread/pasta/or other unfriendly foodstuffs and my exercise regime is unchanged from week 4. I’ve had another gain this morning which means all of my holiday “wriggle room” has gone. .5lb up from yesterday.
Bereft of any other ideas I’ll just keep KOKO…
I shall report any news in the coming days whether good, bad or ugly.
M x

Hi MirandaG
I came across an interesting video of a conference presentation yesterday evening by one of the Professors specialising in insulin research. – Its filled in an extra piece of the puzzle for me, its worth watching all the way through but, towards the end he mentions that there is a trace element which mainly comes from red meat which is critical in the effectiveness of our body in relationship to Insulin Resistance, autophagy, and how readily our bodies burn fat. Afterwards I googled the trace element, and discovered that on a low carb diet (so we have cut out milk) we are going to have very low levels of this trace element in our diet unless we eat a lot of red meat. As a life long vegetarian the only food I would eat on the BSD which made the top 10 list of food sources was Asparagus, which only has 0.1 in a portion against, 3.0 in a portion of red meat.

I have put a link to the video up on the take a look at this thread. – maybe you will find it helpful? I would be interested in hearing everyone’s views.

I am heading down to the health food shop today to buy a supplement, and test it out for a couple of weeks before I really start jumping up and down about this snippet of information but my gut feeling is its going to be as important a light bulb moment for me as understanding the role of insulin in weight loss has been.

JGwen, what’s the trace element called?