Had a great day yesterday. Was struggling all through week 5 and into week 6 – finding it harder and harder to keep my metabolism firing and just wanted to hibernate. I had to consciously make an effort to get back on top of drinking water, and had a bit of salt – that definitely helped and got rid of the headaches I had for the first time. At some point in the day yesterday I became clear that it was the end of (this round of) the FAST 800 for me. I just decided to stop counting. I had a mid-afternoon bowl of soup, some 100% chocolate and some nuts, and took my pedometer off. I began to revive and got some colour back in my cheeks. Had a brilliant afternoon out litter-picking along the nearby main road and felt fantastic.

So, 36 days was the right length for the FAST 800 for me. Weight has had a little bounce of course, but nothing much. I’m still well over a stone down.

Before I knew about the BSD, I did Whole30 and stopped after 23 days, again because I became clear that it wasn’t right for me at that time. But in that case, I was really missing banned foods like pulses and flax crackers. This time there are no foods I’m missing, so it’s just the calories counting that needed to go for the time being.

Interestingly, I was refilling the sugar bowl for someone else and tested some from a jar to make sure it wasn’t salt – and I actually thought: I don’t like the taste. It seemed to offer nothing, except the promise of a bad aftertaste. So, for now at least, the work of retraining my tastebuds feels like it’s done.

Just thought I’d share my experience to support the idea that it’s OK not to do the full 8 weeks if it doesn’t feel the right thing – which is just following the advice in the book, really.

Well done on recognising what your body needed, Zolou. If you stick to the BSD principles, things should stablise quite nicely and you shouldn’t seem too much of a bounce back. You don’t say if you still have weight you’d like to lose, but if you do, you can revisit the Fast 800 at a later date.

This is the way I lost my weight in fact, but mine was due to taking time out for extended vacations, rather than because my body needed the break. Continuing to eat in the BSD way, will maintain your dislike of sweet things and help to protect from yo-yoing back up. It’s avoiding the carbs that will keep you on track and some people find as long as they do this, increasing the calorie intake has no real impact – in fact some luck folks continue to lose.

Keep the faith and keep posting and best of luck to you going forward.

I thought I’d post a little follow-up on how this went. The urge to redress the calorie balance after the long fast was powerful enough to sweep away all my will and resolve. I completely lost sight of mealtimes and just ate all the time, and in a bid to feel satiated, the carbs crept back in. I could feel myself within days ballooning powerlessly. It was like an arm wrestle with your big brother – he lets you think you’re in with a chance and then flattens you with a laugh. After a few lapses, I caught back up with my daily yoga practice (Yoga With Adriene February calendar), and finally the prompting of Lent, along with the realisation that even with all that food gratification I couldn’t be more miserable, helped me find a new, much gentler path. For the first time, I was up to to stepping back on the scales. I’d gained 7 pounds, which actually wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. I returned, gently, to the habits I’d been practicing of low carb and mealtimes only. If I’m genuinely hungry way before a mealtime, I add in another meal, maybe having the other meals a bit later. For me at the moment, breathing through the odd passing craving after a meal is much more sustainable than trying to defy gnawing hunger that lasts for hours.

In the 3 days of Lent we’ve had so far, I’m half way back to where I was.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that this dance of body and mind is a great test of skill. Where I’m at now is an acceptance that as in life, there is no real peace until a resolution is negotiated which meets the needs of both parties – our bodies, sending signals about our immediate nutritional and energy needs, and our minds, which weigh up what’s best for our long-term health.

I still don’t do any counting – the pedometer is out of favour. So I was cheered to hear Michael talk about “Active Ten”. I still believe what it says in the book though – that walking is life’s great elixir. Whatever the findings are about its effectiveness for fitness levels, walking is amazing for digestion and mental health, and nothing is ever going to take that away. I’m just being a bit less dictatorial with myself about it at the moment …

I did notice on the fast I was doing black and white thinking, and was aware that that could be problematic – I just thought I could make black and white thinking win. But no! It’s all about dialectics (thank you, Marsha Linehan) 🙂

Good to know you are taking back control, but I’d counsel against listening to your body’s demand for carbs. Carbs do not satiate the body’s demands, just gives it fuel to drive the carb demands on. When carb demands hit, try something fat based, like some full fat natural yogurt, a few nuts or a little cheese.

Hope you will soon see the back of the gain plus much more.

Hi SunnyB,
For me this is not now about anything as cut and dried as “taking back control”, it’s about negotiating and making peace – because thinking that is too black and white can rebound dramatically. The book is really good in not being too black and white. I’ve reached a point where I’m clear about that for now, so I’m not actually looking for counsel, and I won’t offer you any as you also seem to be clear about your own path – just wanted to be open and share my experience.

Good luck to everyone on their own journeys.

Hi Sunny! You and I know, along with a large community of other very successful maintainers, that
victory lies not in the weight loss but in maintaining it long term. Your insights are invaluable to
these forums, and the amount of your time spent sharing them (as opposed to “counseling” others)
is a tremendous gift to our community. I often think as I read your summary to newbies of what
the BSD is in general, and the Fast800 in particular, that it should be must reading for all who wish to
triumph over carb/sugar addiction. Listening to our bodies is what got us here in the first place 🙂
This WOE has truly saved my life, and I feel free to live it in good health as long as carbs are not
a part of it!!!
Wishing you much continued success, Sunny. See you out and about, sharing the good word!
Just beginning my 10th month of maintenance 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie
.

Sorry Zolou, I seem to have inadvertently stepped on your toes. I will refrain from offering any comment on your posts, as it is not my intention to cause offence. Hope your approach will bring you the benefits you are seeking.

Allie – thank you for your generous words. As maintainers, I believe we have some insight into the trials and pitfalls the BSD way of eating can present, having tripped up a few times ourselves. Congrats on the start of your 10th month of maintenance and I look forward to the day I can make the same claim – although to be honest, I’m not exactly sure where my maintenance officially started. do know for sure it’s no where near 10mths though.