I should know better, I really should know better than to say out loud, write down, even to think, that I was mildly happy with progress. I have since wasted two days on carbs, carbs and more carbs. I’ve received a callback on my mammogram, extra tests to be undertaken on 20th. Has thrown me off stride to say the least and disappointed that I’m still so easily open to the carbs. So, now that I’ve “confessed” I’ll be back to my one day at a time in the morning. Fingers crossed for me please that this turns out to be a false alarm.

Marsie so sorry to hear your news. Fingers, toes and dog paws crossed for a false alarm and remember, whatever happens, long term low carb, 800cals and fasting will help the body heal.

Marsie, so sorry you’ve got this worry over Easter when appointments slow down.
Right now it will be no comfort to know that the vast majority, the overwhelming majority, of callbacks are not cancer at all, and never will be, stem from a benign cause. But it’s absolutely true.
I work for a breast cancer charity and what I’d say is, isn’t it a great thing that doctors take such care to make sure we’re well? And that diagnosis and treatment have improved so massively in the last 10 years? Really huge, ginormous improvements, they can spot and diagnose the tiniest things that they want a closer look at.

It won’t stop you worrying, but the odds are most definitely on your side. And (heresy!) if a glass of wine occasionally will chill you out till your appointment, don’t stress too much about it. You’re allowed.
But you know. Don’t go mad… !

All the charity helplines are really good, staffed by specialist nurses, so don’t fret by yourself if you need an ear.
Deep breathing, stay calm. All will be well. You’ll be in my thoughts. MKx

Oh Marsie I feel for you – the wait is always worse than the outcome, whatever that might be. Please listen to what Maharani kitten has written and hopefully you will gain some comfort from her words.
Enjoy your comfort foods and wine and don’t feel guilty at this stressful time. The wagon is in the garage for A MOT for the time being until you feel ready to climb back on.
Be kind to yourself.
X B

Much love Marsie. Maharini kitten is right. How fantastic they have spotted something and want you back for a closer look. Take comfort it has been spotted and acted upon.
Positive vibes coming to you from Fairytowers.x

Marsie. So sorry to hear your news. Hopefully it just the doctor being cautious and there’s nothing to worry about. I think the carb fest is a perfectly understandable response. No need to feel bad about it. Take it easy and look after yourself.

Thank you from my heart. I read your messages this morning before getting out of bed and teared up at the support and sheer kindness shining through.

My excesses of the past two days, mostly chocolate, have left me feeling distinctly queasy this morning so I think I’ll fast until lunch with a big gathering of friends when I’ll just be able to sit back quietly and chat.

My thinking this minute is that kindness to self means being on track with low carbs, low cals, good fats and one day at a time.

Have a great Good Friday everyone. See you tomorrow xxM

As this is week 4 for me I tried on the TOFT. Surprised I could actually get a size 8 on all the way up and felt OK in the legs. About a mile apart from doing them up of course but at least the selfie wasn’t indecent.

Happy good Friday everyone and watch out for the Easter bunnies.

Lol ddg,

i know lots of people are doing this for lots of reasons but if my problem was squashing my chubby shanks into a size 8 I’d be hopping naked round the garden singing at the top of my voice and doing a happy dance! I bet you’re a petite little thing too… All about perspective I guess… !

Your deeply envious Amazonian 5’10 size 14 (formerly 16/18) cycling buddy.
PS

Nothing else has worked so Carb Monster now reduced to sending animal ambassadors to do his evil work. The dog I walk for an elderly neighbour has just delivered a big Lindt Gold Bunny. CM must be REALLY desperate… Mkx

Good morning everyone

Marsie my thoughts are with you too. I can only echo MKs wise words. I have used a telephone helpline in the past and it really does help to speak to a ‘stranger’ sometimes so please do keep it in mind.

MK I had t realised you’ve been eating LC for so long. I also like your idea for treats!

I have to admit there are times when ‘I just feel like something’. Usually a square or two of Lindt 90% does the trick and I really don’t see any problem with that. I understand that some people can’t stop at a couple of squares of chocolate so choose not to have any at all and that’s also fine. Some people choose to have low carb ‘susbstutes’ and again that’s fine, although I personally don’t have them. I think the real secret of success is to find a ‘plan’ that suits your own way of life because at the end of the day, as we keep saying, this isn’t a ‘diet’ to be started and finished it’s a WOL!!

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to eat ‘normally’ while away but am just concentrating now on moderating my portion size, in the hope that when I get home I will slip straight back into my usual diet. I think I may try MKs idea of just counting carbs. That may just save me!!!!

Sorry MK, petite doesn’t fit the bill. 5’6 and well built (currently 12/14/16 depending on clothes). I don’t really ever expect to get into them properly and too be fair they are summer outdoor walking type trousers with an elasticated back but its interesting to see what happens.

To be honest, I’m not sure my final goal weight of 60kg (9st6) is realistic (BMI 21-22) as I don’t think I’ve been that weight. I was 10st7 when I got married (now 53) and that’s the only time I’ve ever felt slim, but the people on this forum have had such great successes and the NHS healthy range for my height is apparently 8st3-11st2 so it will be an interesting experiment to see how far I can go and still remain healthy.

Once I get to 10st7 I shall take it in small strides will regular check ups with my doctor. After all, this is more about being healthy than what the scales say.

As for the CM, I’m sure all your family and friends are having just as much fun with it as you are, getting all the extra gifts that pass swiftly through your hands. You should embrace it and enjoy the feeling of gifting on haha.

Lol ddg, Also in my fifties so take ‘recommended’ weights with something of a pinch of salt. If I was just under 10st I would look like a wraith. 11.10 and comfy size 12/14 is my goal. Been there, like it! No offence intended, was just trying on for size what even one leg in a size 8 would feel like, mentally. For the record, have never been less than 11 stones as an adult. My 6ft tall sis weighed 8.10 her entire adult life. So ….You SOUND petite!

Thankfully my sporty choc scoffing nephews and their kids are due today so Bunny’s days are numbered.

Verano, I did well on low carb for 5 years, it was a way of life for me. Then I got really ill, almost died, couldn’t exercise, was also diagnosed T2, turned round and realised I’d taken 18 months to put on stones and stones and my diet was still high fat, protein, but I was also eating bread, pasta, spuds slathered with butter – All stuff that in my head I’d come to see as ‘healthy’ but results were, of course, literally five stones of catastrophe. That’s not to mention industrial quantities of cake, chocolate, biscuits – not sure how I rationalised those!

It’s something to remember when we reprogramme to low carb that you just can’t go back to the way things were before. I won’t forget how deeply ashamed and annoyed and frightened I was when the doctor referred me to a consultant for an EAR appointment with the words ‘this almost morbidly obese 53 year old woman…’. Honestly, is that what I am? Is that what people see? Bought the book that day, cleared out my fridge that day. That’s why I have no truck with low carb substitutes or ‘cheats’. I can’t ever eat that way again. Don’t want to imagine a letter that says ‘this morbidly obese pensioner with uncontrolled diabetes…. Aargh, arrghhh! Mkx

Hello ddraig_goch, & MaharaniKitten,
I’m also questioning the idea of recommended weights & whether my ultimate goal is really achievable. I’m in my fifties, 5’3″ and have lost very nearly 2.5stone thanks to BSD. My healthy weight range on the BMI is allegedly anywhere between 7st6lb and 10st2lb – my ultimate goal of 9.5stone is at the upper end of this scale and didn’t seem unreasonable when I started this. In my younger years I was 9 to 9.5stone. Can I get back there? Nowadays, as soon as I’m in touching distance of 10st the scales start going up – I hit this problem Aug/Sept last year and, now, having lost my Xmas excess, it’s the same.
I don’t want to give up the idea of 9.5stone but I’m realising that it’s not the end of the world if I don’t get there – maybe keeping my weight below 10st2lb is a more realistic aim, being healthy is the most important goal.

DDG, you are the same height as me and I also originally pencilled in the secondary target of centre of BMI, but realised when still over my initial target of what I was when I got married, that I was already as slim as I was then, when I fitted back into my size 12 going away outfit that was a squeeze then, with room to spare. My conclusion was that all the exercise I did as part of the journey made me so fit I was actually lower body fat than I was then. I dropped enough to get me to my initial headline target which was what I was when I married, and have maintained there, with one brief drop to the centre of Smart BMI (age related BMI) at 35/70 which was 10 stone 8 pounds at my age, 50. Your plan sounds very sensible but don’t be surprised if you find the same as me, given how active you are.

No offence taken MK. As well as the weight I have long arms and however low I weighed, petit would never fit me. Why is it that clothes always get shorter in the arms, the smaller they are?

As you know, the TOTF were bought by accident and to be honest I didn’t really expect to get them up over my knees so was pleasantly surprised this morning. Gave me a real boost considering the lengths I am having to go to, to lose even a lb.

Mixnmatch I agree. BMI is not necessarily the most accurate way to view the body. There are lots of goals between now and my final goal and I may stop at any, once my BMI is <25 depending on how I look and what the doctor says is healthy.My daughter is 5’9 and always been slim so it is reasonable for me to weigh less than her (that’s never happened either) and I so want to get into my going away outfit (if the loose skin doesn’t get in the way). After that we shall see.

NB: I’m loving the picture I have in my head right now of me being muscular and athletic!

I have been no sugar/low carb/high fat for years too but put the weight back on due to my high calorie count when I wasn’t looking (also I have to confess that whilst I won’t buy anything that has the word sugar or equivalent written in the ingredients, I DO buy 85-90% chocolate and occasionally like a pint of Guinness or a glass of malt). I view all grains, pulses, seeds and sugar as poison so won’t go near them under any other circumstance. But I got out a bar of chocolate today and was surprised to see the word sugar (don’t know why really) and how high the content is – I had only ever looked at the carb content before. Just shows how easily we can be caught out. Going forward, when I start eating chocolate again, I shall only use it in cooking or with brazil nuts (I did love chocolate brazils at the cinema), never as a bar or square of chocolate.

I too have no truck with low carb/low fat substitutes or ‘cheats’ but am now looking at lower fat cheese. If the carb count is the same/less than the full fat variety and it tastes OK, is it cheating to use it in order to keep the calorie count lower? I guess it could be treated the same as using single cream instead of double to lower the fat content whilst still being ‘full fat’ if you see what I mean.

Mixnmatch, I’d be interested to know what other exercise you did whilst on your journey besides walking.

Marsie, so sorry to hear your news, but stay positive. I have been recalled on 3 occasions so know exactly how stressful it can be, but they have (thank the Lord) all proved to be false alarms, so praying that yours will too. Stay strong.

As far as BMI is concerned, I tend to use the sbmi system, which I feel is more realistic as really does take age into consideration and scores you points out of 70, (although this site also gives the normal bmi score too), and tells you any associated health risks for your score.

http://www.smartbmicalculator.com/

I’ve just had a look at the smart bmi calculator. Glad it works for you Theodora but it wont work for me I’m afraid. When I put my number is it told me I was in the low range, my ‘weight is at a level , in our view, is good for your health…..’, I have a ‘good balance of body fat and muscle mass’, ‘weight management … is no issue for you…..you are already in your optimal weight range. Losing weight would add no benefit to you health…your current low-carb diet achieves weight loss by tricking the body. In the long run this may be unhealthy as your body will try hard to compensate for the carb shortage by storing more fat…’. All of which is complete rubbish but each to their own.

I don’t bother filling in all the optional extras ddg. I only use it to calculate my actual smbi (mine is 32/70) rating – not interested in the diet advice section, as we have already found a diet which works for us and are not looking for advice in that respect.

That blurb on the Smart BMI just means you are in the Green zone, which is a good thing, it gets wider the older you are, and there are some studies that show carrying a little more weight as you get older causes less health problems, in practical terms I am addressing this by trying to keep building more muscle. For exercise, I play badminton three times a week, walk when I can (sedentary job, at a computer all day, so the long way back from the loo, etc.) run up any stairs, unless carrying knives, scissors or hot drinks. I have also taken to just randomly running up steep slopes just because I can 😀 I bought a bike last summer with the best of intentions but have not yet managed more than a handful of rides, although may find time for more this year, as OH now has one too. I have some weights but don’t train with them as often as I should.

might be on holiday but walked 8km today. BG still under 100 usually around 80. The diet resumes on Tuesday.

Marsie – good luck for your appointment on the 20th. Hopefully it will be a false alarm.

Many years ago I found a lump – which turned out to be a false alarm. My joy at receiving the good news completely evaporated when the consultant asked me if I had always been this fat. At least nobody can say that about me now.

Happy Easter fellow challenger’s! Where is everyone?
I have to confess to tasting a piece of chocolate bunny, a piece of cake but no hot cross bun. We have also partaken of a few glasses of fizz and wine!
Family leaving late tonight so I can get back on the straight and narrow tomorrow.
X B

Hello busybee

I am here- on my way back from London. Have been seeing my son for a few days. Faced a few challenges and mostly the challenge of feeling envious. My family can eat anything and stay slim. I have been envious of their choices. It’s so difficult when eating out looking at the menu and choosing salad! I am vegetarian so find it even harder. I have not succumbed to any of the things I can’t eat but have felt a little resentful. Have managed to keep on the straight and narrow. Will be interesting to get on the scales when I get home. Have stuck to sparkling water but not been able to drink as much as I would do normally due to travelling. Thank goodness I took my rations with me. Service stations are not BSD friendly! Final challenge weigh in on Tuesday- then ready for next challenge! Happy Easter everyone x

Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter day.

Have had a lovely time with my youngest daughter and her family who have been here since Thursday. She was really pleased to see how well I am on the BSD. She wondered if now I have been on the BSD for nearly a year whether I could have an occasional desert on special occasions rather than completely abstaining as I do now.

So decided to try it as an experiment – as I have been wondering if I was still a carb addict – or maybe I could now very occasionally have a desert on special occasions. I also have been wondering how well my pancreas would cope.

So took the plunge and had a piece of Tesco finest lemon tart and some Cornish ice cream after our Easter dinner.

As an experiment it was a total disaster – but as a form of aversion therapy a complete and resounding success.

Firstly – it wasn’t that nice. As I ate it I wondered why I used to love deserts so much. Not a patch on my piece of Lindt 90% and cup of coffee that I love now.

An hour or so later I started to feel queasy – then sick. Husband got me a bucket as I began to be sick. The lemon tart came back up undigested (sorry for the graphic post).

Felt so ill I had to go to bed for an hour with my bucket.

Am now lying on sofa watching Countryfile – bucket next to me. Have now got horrible horrible indigestion (which I haven’t had since starting the BSD).

Am I likely to repeat the experiment again? No – definitely not! Am only pleased I didn’t try this at a restaurant.

Actually am not sure why I have had a reaction like this – was it the sugar or was it the wheat – but I am very very sure that I won’t be repeating this anytime soon.

Wow that’s a really violent reaction Krysia.
I went sailing on Sydney Harbour on Saturday, I do it every 2nd weekend and it was a beautiful day with a large but smooth swell but this time for the first time in 20 years I was horribly seasick, the kind where you hope the boat wIll sink and put you out of your misery. Everyone else was scoffing antipasto and prawns while I was hanging over a bucket. So mortifying.

When I began to recover I couldn’t face any food except water crackers and I nibbled then all day, first biscuits I’ve had since starting BSD.

I paid for it Sunday, achy and out of sorts all day. Should have tried the celery sticks instead.

Mariet and Krysia – hope you both feel better soon! Nothing worse than being ill during holidays 🙁
Krysia that certainly does sound like effective aversion therapy! Many years ago (am talking decades here), I had food poisoning after eating a hot dog. I’m still unable to eat them to this day! If I ever made them at home for my kids I used to buy vegetarian ones! It is funny how your tastes change though. I tried a bit of apple juice a few days ago (was soaking raisins in some for one of the Bircher recipes) and I couldn’t believe how horribly sweet it was. There is no way I could drink a glass of it!
CCathy – sounds like you had a lovely break with your family, and I am impressed by your strength of will!

I planned to be “off plan” over Easter and decided to eat what I wanted, then get back on track Monday. In saying that though I did mainly stick to BSD foods, and kept the calorie count to about 1200 . I made roast turkey and vegetables for lunch on sunday and no one noticed that I didn’t have any potatoes, as I had so many other vegies on my plate (roast pumpkin, cauliflower, beetroot and steamed green beans and yellow squash) . For dinner I made salad and cold meat, so again pretty easy to stick to BSD principles – the only exceptions for the day were some sparkling wine, 2 small chocolates, a bread roll, a sliver of chocolate Bavarian desert and a hot cross bun. My daughter had made hot cross buns for the first time, and had gift wrapped a tin for me. It was nice but I wondered how I used to eat so many in the past. Usually I’ve been eating them since January!
Today I’ve woken up with sore, swollen wrists, hands and feet – not a violent reaction but still another reminder to me not to eat wheat!
It’s the start of Week 14 for me and back to 800 calories today. Hoping my weigh in on Tuesday for this challenge is not too bad!

Marsie – I hope your appointment goes well on the 20th. This waiting period is definitely the worst part. I’ve been called back 3 times now, but still remember how I felt the first time x

Nearly there, just two days to go! Double whammy for me, Easter also my birthday today. Had carbs: Yorkshire pud and roasties, first since pre-bsd, also had dessert. Must say I really enjoyed the meal without guilt, just have to await the outcome at next weigh-in. Tummy feels okay too, no bloat. Good feeling when my weight loss was noticed by family today. Hope you all are enjoying Easter.

Happy Easter everyone. Marsie I hope you get the all clear on the 20th.

I had family here for Easter dinner last night, planned to cook a lamb roast and roast veges for 14 but my oven suddenly died! With Tim manning the outside BBQ and me inside wielding the slow cooker and an electric frying pan we managed to get dinner on the table but it was a bit stressful.

I’ve been eating badly all week, only half a kilogram up in the end which is a relief but I don’t feel great. I had one night of horrible indigestion. Early this morning I was lying awake fantasising about eating something fresh and healthy – like a juicy pear or some yoghurt. No more processed junk!

I’m on board for the next challenge, does it have a name yet?

KrysiaD, what an eye-opener for you. You mentioned wheat, this is very much the reaction my OH (with coeliac disease) has if something containing gluten slips through his GF barriers. Can take days to feel well again. I hope you are feeling very much better today.

Mariet, how awful for you to have seasickness so unexpectedly. I know the Harbour can sometimes be challenging but i was lucky to only ever experience good conditions the few times I was out when we were living in Sydney. I hope you will be feeling so much better today and that it was a one-off.

We had #1 son with us for Easter Sunday lunch for the first time in 15 years, so special. He had always either been working on the day or away. It was so nice to have him at the table with #2 son, wonderful DIL, and the 2 grandies. Enjoyable lunch, BSD friendly except for the delicious warm bread roll. Lunch followed the annual E egg hunt I set up for the younger brigade. I must say it’s getting harder, lol, to find different hiding places around our townhouse and to create increasingly difficult/cryptic clues that both 16yo g-d and 8yo g-s can follow. Of the 9 ‘stations’, 4 involved small chocs, 1 had a more substantial piece of good chocolate and the other 4 were a couple of fun trinkets, book vouchers for our annual book-look days, and new dressing gowns for our approaching colder weather. And this year, g-s devised a clue trail of his own. OH and I had to wait outside while he and is mum placed his illustrated notes leading to our gifts: GF chocs for OH and a beautiful, perfumed, hand made (by them) candle for me. A good family day.
A good day somewhat spoiled when alone later, by my over-indulgence in chocolate. Not weighing today, will wait for official weigh-in tomorrow. Concentrating, narrow focus, on reigning it back in today.

While I was slowly typing, dozing, typing, SueBlue, LinD49, Natalie, all posted. Sounds as though Easter had it’s stresses for most of us, in different ways.

This leads me to think the next challenge could be called EASTER IS DONE, MID-MAY HERE WE COME: 4 week challenge ending Tuesday May 16th.

Thanks again for all your good thoughts xx

Love it Marsie! Count me in 🙂

Great title Marsie. I was wondering what it was going to be called. See you there.

Mariet – hope you are fully recovered. Sea sickness is really horrible. At least my sofa wasn’t moving.

Marsie – how interesting that your husband gets a similar reaction to wheat. One of the reasons I have stuck 100% to the BSD and haven’t cheated once is that a whole raft of minor health issues just disappeared and it was not just about reversing the diabetes.

The sickness has stopped thank goodness – but some of the other minor stuff is lurking in the background this morning. So as you say – a real eye opener.

You sound as though you had a lovely time with your family – and I am sure the scales will be kind tomorrow.

SueBlue – it was interesting to read that you had sore joints after eating wheat. Hope they settle down very quickly because it doesn’t sound very comfortable.

Marsie – have just found a blog on the wheat belly website which was so interesting. I had previously thought that the only people who needed to avoid wheat were people who had celiac disease which is a really serious condition – and of course anyone who is trying to reverse diabetes.

Very interesting that people without celiac disease can have really strong reactions to wheat when they eat it after not eating it for a while. Have often read in the newspapers that people are cutting out wheat from their diet and that it is just a fad and they shouldn’t be cutting it out – so it was interesting to read that some people do have real issues with it.

Am sitting in the conservatory while husband is tidying up the house. Because I was so ill after the wheat episode yesterday I am not allowed to help. So at least one positive came out of it and the other is that it will be highly unlikely that I will slide back into eating the high carb sweet stuff in the future.

Halo slipped slightly yesterday too when I was sort of embarrassed into eating some Simnel cake ‘oh you’ve done so well, one little piece, she’s always being RIDICULOUS about her weight, she’s just big boned (yep, big fat bones!), I made it specially’ etc etc. Gave in to avoid the whole room getting involved and peering at this weird woman who couldn’t trust herself near cake, had a small piece, tried to shuffle it under a napkin. But Lo. The Carb Monster was woken and I spent a horrible afternoon and evening craving craving craving sugar and eventually ate a slice of sourdough toast with a slice of cheese. Mistake.
Back on track today, but chastened. Need to be firmer about saying no to pushy, guilt inducing relatives. My in-laws are just WEIRD. FiL is 5’7 and weighs 26 stones, nobody ever mentions his weight – mine seems to be a source of constant conversation with them. Yesterday, he had the nerve to say ‘when you carry a bit of extra weight LIKE US. ‘ He is over twice my weight. I can buy clothes and shoes in any shop I like. Grrr. if ever there was an incentive to get slim and stay slim…. MK x

Maharani kitten – the carb monster doesn’t take much to wake up. Well done for getting back straight on the wagon today. Your in-laws are weird when it comes to weight. It must be hard for them to see how well you are doing when your FiL cannot even get started on a healthy eating regime.

you all seem to have had your challenges over easter! Red wine was the one I lost, but no hot cross buns or choccy!! And I had the family, grandchildren, around for 4 days, so cooked no end of carbs, but didn’t eat any. I just told everyone that I was approaching prediabetes!!
Marsie, thinking of you and sending good wishes for the20th, xx
I’m in for the 4-week challenge, but I’ll only be able to do 3weeks cos on holiday then, so no scales, but NO carbs, (Note to Self)!

Dear Maharani Kitten

Your posts are always a delight to read so positive. Your inlaws do sound weird. Fancy them pressuring you to eat the wrong thing. They are very naughty and yes. weird.

I have also experienced people pressuring me to eat the wrong thing and they nearly embarrass you into it.

I have just been to a party where I was given the up and down look by some dreadful woman and the same look by a man I know, but in his case I decided he was assessing the weight I had lost. People can be horrible and downright rude. By the way it was a pizza party and people were so busy eating they didn’t seem to notice I wasn’t! Off the hook for once!

All the best Maharani Kitten. Don’t let people pressure you into eating stuff, it is nobody’s business but yours what you decide to put in your mouth.

I am back from my holiday and know there has been a weight gain. I allowed myself 5lbs over the 10 days and will weigh in tomorrow. We have had house sitters staying so are all going out for a final meal tonight plus it was my wedding anniversary yesterday and we were driving through Spain and France, a long journey.

Funny experience in Spain, stopped for lunch on the motorway so not choice of menu and it was a tortilla bar. As you will know tortillia is cold potato omelette so I knew I was going to be having carbs but they are stuffed with other things and, being good, picked the vegetarian. Sat down to eat it and thought I could smell fish (I detest fish) opened it up and it was full of tuna and anchovies. Vegetarian????? Must look up the Spanish translation.

See you all tomorrow and keep on keeping on… I have a new catch phrase with I will reveal then.

I had two days off plan and am more than ready to start the new challenge, though will be having a weekend off for a wedding in Spain in the middle.
See you all tomorrow with what I can only describe as a disgraceful last week weigh in.
X B

Lol sunshine girl. I once ordered a vegetarian pizza in Spain and when it came it was topped with …sardines…!

Hi everyone

Some really interesting posts. They have made me think of ‘addiction’. If I were an alcoholic nobody would say … but I made this cocktail specially for you! Nor if you were celiac would they say …. oh, a little bit of wheat won’t harm! So why this huge palaver over carbs?????

Part of me wonders if WE want to try carbs out to see if we really can dip in and out. I never had ‘carb flu’ and even when I have the odd oatcake or a few crisps I don’t get the ‘craving’. I wonder if, in fact, it’s ‘SUGAR’ that’s the real enemy and it’s when we have a sugar rush that our bodies cry out. I haven’t tried yet so can’t say for me. Although I do have people for dinner tonight and dessert is a wonderful French apple tart …. can I resist …who knows!!!!

Maybe carbs or sugar are like alcohol, some can drink in moderation with no problem but for others it’s an issue.

It’s 34ish here today and I’m roasting lamb and lots of slow cooked vegetables for our friends!!! I’m not a lamb lover so it’s chicken for me and who know about dessert could just be strawberries and yogurt if I’m good!

Hope you had a good holiday S-g and really looking forward to your new saying tomorrow but think we will always try to keep on keeping on!!!

I’ve discovered that in Spain the best way is to ask what is ‘IN’ a dish. I use to ask if there was ‘carne’, meat, but that doesn’t seem to include rabbit or pork!!!! So soup would come with huge chunks of ‘meat’ and chickpeas, which I love are, nearly always cooked with pork!!!

You live and learn!

Hi V, yes I know how to say ‘yo no come pescado’ (I dont eat fish) but I didn’t think I needed to when ordering a vegetarian meal. Fortunately hubby let me have his ham and cheese tortilla.

Not sure they actually understand ‘vegetarian’ but hey leads to surprises, sometimes good!!!

KrysiaD, strange things happen with reactions to foods or parts thereof. I’m not surprised at your reaction to wheat. My late sister in law had a strong reaction to wheat but was not coeliac, which does of course cover more grains than wheat. I have a reaction to shellfish, not strong enough to be called an allergy. My sister has a reaction to pretty much anything that wears feathers. Since OH was diagnosed with CD in 1999, aged 60, he has had remarkably few mishaps. Even when travelling in places like Russia, we managed to make his needs known. Which makes it quite puzzling that he has been troubled with unexplainable reactions for the past few days and luckily has a scheduled review with endoscopy, colonoscopy etc with his specialist tomorrow.

It’s all go, isn’t it?

Late to bed, again, feeling that I’ve gone too far with self indulgence, expecting nothing pleasant with the weigh-in in the morning. Actually looking forward to a fresh start with the new challenge.

I weighed myself this morning on a friend’s scales as I’ve been away from home all weekend and won’t get back to my own scales till next Monday. My weight was 12st 3lbs which suggeststhat I’ve lost 4lbs on this challenge. I don’t think all scales weigh the same but the numbers are coming down so that’s the main thing. I’m definitely going to get involved in the next challenge and try to lose 7lbs.

I’m doing the 2 week keto challenge which I found on the Diet Doctor website. If I stick with that it should make a difference as it gives very specific instructions including recipes and a shopping list for every day.

I have also been away for most of the weekend and have been pushing the envelope of my carb intake over those days, but luckily with no buckets required (I beat the eggs and the hot cross buns, but some of the milk tray chocolates I got for Christmas went, I gave the rest to my mum). I have no idea what will have happened to my weight, but my overall calories don’t seem to have been way too high from my after the fact logging, so I am hopeful the damage will be limited and / or water weight only. I don’t feel bloated so that is good. My wedding anniversary is next Sunday, after which I will be heading to Cornwall for a weeks holiday. That will be totally unlogged again, and with no weighing, and I want to see if my increased walking on holiday means I come out with a minimal gain or small loss again. Sorry to hear of your troubles Krysia, Maharani Kitten and Mariet, I know I am so lucky to still be able to occasionally indulge in wheat/sugar as I have this weekend without waking the monster or any physical problems, as I would hate to have to be in a position where I was always having to be so vigilant.