So no chocolate passed my lips or hot cross buns. Not tempted at all. However managed to share a bottle of red on Saturday and shared a bottle of Cava yesterday. Today I’ve felt empty all day. I rarely feel hungry and today I can’t stop thinking about food. Actually eating a lot. Maybe I haven’t had enough water.. usually I’ve no issues drinking it. I made a low carb pizza yesterday. I wonder if psychologically I’ve switched the carb craving on despite it being friendly to this way of eating. Routine back tomorrow. Hopefully not too much damage ahead of weigh in Tuesday. Continued best wishes all.

Hi All. Easter was a mixed bag. I had a really bad day at work on Thursday and feeling really weak and exhausted in a traffic jam, I chose to a have a Mcdonalds snack wrap and small fries.I ate it in seconds and had a bit of a bloated feeling. I vowed to get back on track. Friday was good on track and no hot cross buns or chocs in the house in the house. Saturday I went food shopping and bought some lindt balls for the family to share on Sunday,only a small box.I was on track all day till after dinner,I got angry with hubby and ate the whole box.At this point I decided to stop all BSD and start again on Tuesday. Just as well as the next door neighbour came in with home made buns ,then on Monday we had family dinner,roast pork, vegies cauliflower cheese.butterscotch pudding.more chocolate.
So surprisingly my weight today is 83KG which is only up .2 kg from last week. My BGL is up at 6.4 and in total for this challenge , I have only lost .3kg.I need to get real and stop allowing stress to get the better of me.At least it was a loss better than nothing.
Today I have started with me new mini cycle its just the pedals I only need to sit on a chair and I’m cycling.I plan to start at 5 mins twice a day and build up . If I can maintain the habit , i will look at a proper exercise bike.I also got the cook book out with a plan to make up my menu for the week
I’m really impressed with those of you who can stay on track through stress and festive events,totally inspiring.see you all on the next challenge.

Weight this morning 2.25lbs up from Sunday morning. Quite impressive as the offending lemon tart ended up in a bucket. After the incident blood sugars stayed at over 11.0 for hours which was really scary as they normally go no higher than 7.2 after eating. Fbs 6.8 this morning – up from my normal 4.8/5.3 fasting sugars but a great improvement on Mondays 8.8 fbs.

So everything slowly going back to normal. Apart from the lemon tart I had a lovely time with family and got loads of admin and lesson planning done over the Easter break – so feel really good this morning.

After a weekend of very moderate Easter indulgences, including cakes, chocolates, bread and potatoes in small-ish quantities, I am pleased to report I am back to my lowest weight at 10 stone 8.2 pounds. Since when I started this challenge all I was interested in was maintaining at or around my target weight as I increased calories to make sure my metabolism was firing on all cylinders, so a drop in weight like I have experienced was unexpected. I am now averaging nearly 2200 calories per day over a week, and 135g of carbs. I will join the next challenge thread as I enjoy reading the experiences and it helps to keep me on track, but with my wedding anniversary, the focus for all my weight loss now only 5 days away, followed by a weeks holiday with no measuring, my only commitment for the next four weeks will be to keep on keeping on, and keep tracking my weight when I can.

Good morning everyone

Well the end of another challenge. I had hoped to stand still but haven’t managed that. I have been away for 3 weeks and 2 days and have put on 3.6lbs so I’m really pleased with that. I’ve not eaten any simple carbs and even managed to resist the lovely French apple tart and cream last night! I have had lots of wine though!!

I’m home on Thursday evening and so from Friday I’ll be doing a short, sharp, 7 day reboot. I’m not declaring a target for the next challenge until I’ve lost my ‘holiday weight’.

Well done to the losers and the maintainers! See you on the next ‘step’.

Well done everyone for getting through.

STS this morning which is starting to be a bit of a routine – good loss one week, nothing the next. That’s still 7lbs for the month, happy with that. 11lbs to go to my target. Loving that the SBMI has me healthy right now, ‘cos that’s how I feel. However, it wont be enough for the GP and I do feel a bit chunky, still.

I’m going to stick with the challenges until my June wedding invite, then will maintain on carb counting over the summer ( easier because it’s all about salad anyway) – see how I do, get plenty of exercise, rest and sunshine then reconsider 800 in Sept. I can’t do 5:2, it messes with my commitment!

Fingers crossed for all those still to face the scales. Mkx

Glad things are normalising for you, KrysiaD. Those upwardly mobile numbers would not have been pleasant for you. .

Butterlover, I think you and I have been stuffing around a bit. Glad we’re both on the forum though. From my point of view it has served to stop me going backwards at a rapid rate. See you Friday, all being well.

Hope your wedding anniversay and holiday are wonderful for you, Mixnmatch. Glad you plan to still help us all with the next challenge.

My weigh-in this morning showed 63.8kg. This is 900 gms up on last Tuesday’s weight, which surprised me a little as I was expecting worse.

Onward now to the next challenge. See you all there🙆
“””

Love your determination, Verano. More power to you re the French apple tart.

How clever to keep moving while standing still, Maharani kitten👏👏 Admire your short, medium and longer term plans. They sound perfect for you, and 11lbs to target. …it must feel wonderful to say that, knowing you’re fully capable of achieving it. 😻

lol Marsie, it’s my first target! Eventual target still to be decided. Slower progress these days, but hey…my dress for the wedding already is completely acceptable, but want to look sleek!

Butterlover, this is another hard stare from me. Why would any adult who is eating mindfully and low carb ever ”choose to eat’ a McDonald’s ‘meal’ no matter how tiny? What were your thoughts as you drove/walked in? Hunger? Frustration? Entitlement? Sadness? How did you feel afterwards? Why didn’t you have some nuts or veg to hand? You mentally ‘decided to stop Bsd’ on a weekend where temptation was all around? Why?

When I first started low carbing, I was rubbish at it. There was always an excuse, a reason why I couldn’t do it – they were awfully like your reasons. The’too hard/why me’ light came on and I dived back in the trough.

Not until I went to a diet boot camp and met a fellow low carb traveller who had lost 98lbs and had the photos to prove it did I see the light. She was focused on the task and had done everything to make it easier to succeed.

She vowed never to blame others for her own weaknesses. The traffic, work, the kids, grumpy greedy skinny husband (reader, I divorced mine but that’s another story). kind , bad neighbours, relatives and friends who brought nice things into the house.
Because it’s your hand. Going to your mouth. So it’s your responsibility. She Never bought petrol at a petrol station with a sweetshop – self serve only. She would never cross the doors of a fast food place of any sort. Bought all her food shopping online, only had enough money for a cup of coffee when travelling for business. purse in bag, on luggage rack, not accessible. I still do all these things. What can you do to make your journey easier? Mkx

Sorry, Butterlover, bit of a rant and not aimed directly at you. IT took 2 years to get my head in the right place to address the five stones that had hung round my body for all of my 30’s and most of my 40’s – what a waste! Coming from a place of helpfulness and hoping to save that time for you and anyone else who eats emotionally.. I was absolutely that person. And it was tough love from Jenny (still a friend, still 9 stones and gorgeous) that turned it round. MKX

So was all confused with the days which means today is Tuesday and final weigh in. So after the weekend with wine I’ve ended on 10st 8lbs which was the commitment I made to myself at the start of these 4 weeks. I had been down to 10st 6 during the weekend but alas I managed to put back on 2 lbs. So I’ll be popping across to the new 4 week challenge with renewed vigour. Congrats all.

Okay so I set my stall out at the beginning of this challenge and lost exactly what I said I wanted to. Then I put it back on during my holiday in Spain so back to square one, though not really as I am still 25lbs lighter.

I gained 5lbs and that is what I would like to lose before we are off again, on a cruise around the Norwegian fjords on 29th April. So less than 2 weeks.

BG starting to creep up to 5.0 so will get that back in check although I have not had much in the way of bad carbs just when it couldn’t be avoided like the tortilla in Spain. I will just have to keep on keeping on.

Dear All,

Just scraped through this challenge, found the wedding on the Isle of Man enjoyable, probably too enjoyable.
It’s the wine problem, I don’t really want to stop drinking the stuff but I find on the BSD diet the wine is SO much more potent. Fully with you Verano on the wine issue. I did drink a glass of water or more for each of the grape juice, however it does weaken your resolve the more you drink (is that the Carb monster or alcohol dependency?).
I have a question for ddraig-goch – what does TOFT stand for? Is it an item of clothing you are aiming to wear at some point in the thinner future?

Result after four weeks – a paltry four pounds and one pound short of my target for this challenge. During the week I was 0.2lbs away but the effects of the wedding and a relaxed Easter lunch veered me slightly off-course. At least I didn’t eat any Easter Eggs or Hot Cross Buns, they were everywhere, so I can be happy not to have succumbed and made it worse.

Looking forward to the next challenge. Well done one and all, I enjoy reading your posts even though I don’t contribute much to the conversation.

Well I actually lost some weight during this challenge in spite of two falls off the wagon – it was 7.5 lbs offbefore Easter but today shows 3.5 lbs on! I hope it is mainly fluid but do have a friend’s 70th birthday dinner tomorrow. I will then knuckle down to try and get the gained weight off – again!
X B

Glad everyone had a good Easter. It’s funny how different people react differently to re-introducing carbs/sugar back again briefly. When I originally stopped eating carbs/sugar, I did quite a bit of research into their effects and convinced myself that both were poisonous so why would I want to consume them? Still feel the same way nearly 5 years later so the carb monster has never been an issue for me. The only things I still really miss are porridge and blueberries for breakfast and hummus. That said, I’ve recently found a great macadamia nut humus recipe and if it tastes as good as it looks I shall be very happy. Not long ’til mid June when I’m back to eating nuts again and can try it out.

As for wrapping up the Bun & Egg challenge for myself, my daily average stats are:

Wk1 778 cals, 10592 steps (wk loss>2.5lb)
Wk2 543 cals, 13848 steps (wk loss>2.5lb)
Wk3 525 cals, 21514 steps (wk loss>2.5lb)
Wk4 441 cals, 14657 steps (wk loss<2.5lb)

So I succeeded in my challenge of daily averages of 800 cals & 10000 steps, and even though I failed to lose 2.5lb last week I still lost 14.4lb overall, so I guess I can call it a win.

Now for round 2.

Hello everyone- I have lost 5.5lb on this month’s challenge which is more than I had hoped for. I planned for 4lb. I have not eaten any Easter eggs or hot cross buns. Whilst away at the weekend I did feel very resentful of the fact I couldn’t have what I wanted to eat whilst watching my family tuck into anything and everything! I have achieved my mini goal of getting into the 10s and currently weigh 10.10. Thank you for all the support during this four week challenge. I am off now to the new thread to post my challenge for May. See you over there everyone who is moving over and congratulations to anyone who achieved their goals during April.

Final post for me in this challenge also. I just re-read my goals, one of which was to lose 2.6kg over the 4 weeks. I almost did – by week 3 I had lost 1.6kg however my planned “off plan” days over Easter has seen a kg go back on, so my 4 week loss has now been reduced to just 600g!

I am disappointed in myself BUT I still think I was better off attempting this challenge. I initially was going to skip it due to a planned holiday and Easter but glad I didn’t now as I know I would have put on a lot more if I wasn’t being accountable at least some of the time.
See you in the May thread!

Hi ddraig_goch
I found the absolute best hummus recipe:
http://libidiny.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/there-have-been-many-times-since-began.html?m=1
I’ve made it a few times and didn’t tell my (adult) daughter it was not made with chickpeas until after she had finished and she said she couldn’t tell the difference. I always have a tub ready made in the fridge and some in the freezer so I can have some with celery sticks when I want a snack.
Cheers
Linda

Hi MK. thanks for the death stare and the rant, its really a great reminder of the reasons that I got to this place in my life. At my age I know what I need to do but I still have days when I loose the plot.you are right. I can decide what goes in my mouth.I have been following bits of the BSD way of life but not all and I intend to refocus. I know that your comments are there to help and intended to be encouraging by making me accountable, so Thank You. See you on the next challenge and feel free to remind me next time I need it.cheers

LindaA – just noticed the hummus recipe you posted. Looks really good – can’t wait to try it. Would make a perfect lunch – the sunflower crackers look great also.

Hi LindaA, thanks for the recipe link. Its very similar to the one I found but with added zucchini https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipe/macadamia-nut-hummus/

I especially like the idea of the Sunflower & Sesame crackers. So come 24th June I shall make the crackers and a pot of each hummus and report back.

KrysiaD and ddraig_goch
That one looks good too!
I’ll try that next. I haven’t tried the crackers, let me know how they are after you’ve made them.
Cheers
Linda

Morning All

Apologies for dipping below the radar for a while. A client dispatched me to sunny Durban in South Africa to “refocus” a project that was going somewhat awry. Three and a bit weeks of crazy hours (all chargeable!) and it’s back on track. Finishing off loose ends and then back home on Friday/Saturday. Good to see that most people have survived the trials, tribulations and temptations of Easter with at least their dignity intact.

I can’t remember the goals I set for this challenge but a combination of being very busy and South Africa being the most BSD-friendly country I’ve ever encountered (fish, lean game, great full-fat yogurts , Biltong and Droewors for snacks – I won’t mention the wine!) means I am now at 16st13lb which is 92lb off since I started last Summer. This is according to the big scales in the spa so I will need to confirm on my own scales at home. Also I’ve managed alternating thirty minutes of swimming with 30 mins in the gym every morning before breakfast so a very disciplined exercise regime. I could get used to this!

See you on the next challenge – still after 100lb by my birthday in June!

Welcome back JulesM, you had some people worried. Maybe we should ask our loved ones to post for us if anything serious happens as we seem to have become attached. Good luck with your 100lbs, I am sure you will do it considering how close you are. Keep on keeping on…

P.S. An update on my upcoming cruise, it is snowing heavily and forecast for moderate to heavy snow next week. The week we are on board it will be sunny sunny sunny and 4 degrees.

I was wondering what was up with you, Jules. I’m delighted to hear you’ve been keeping your eyes on the prize, even amidst the vaguaries of travel. See you in the 100 Pounders Club soon!

JulesMaigret, what a brilliant post to come back in with. With your admirable discipline you’ll get the 100, I’m sure. See you on the next challenge:)

This year Easter diet was easier for me. I have a nice experience from Christmas time.
Every time when the holiday starts I eat more than in the usual time. I stay at home and spend my time in the social media and when I see happy photos from the tropical islands, mountains of just a lot of present and the ideal holiday that have my friends and relatives I feel so lonely in my flat. I become stressed and start to eat. I always cook a lot in the holiday season. So there is a lot of food at home. But I hope this Christmas will be different for me. I like canning and in autumn when I was looking for jars, here: http://allinpackaging.co.uk/food-packaging/ I suddenly got an idea. I bought two dozens of food containers. And when the holiday has started I divided food into the containers for the day. And did not touch the meal out of containers. That was successful 🙂