It seems ages since I last posted, so am starting a new thread. Hello to old friends on here, and those I’ve not met yet.

It’s been a difficult few months. I’ve been thoroughly stressed out and struggling to just keep afloat. Then, on top of everything else, I had a minor health scare (to do with an eye – age the beginning of this week. Thankfully that is currently ok, and I’ve arranged to see someone about the stress etc. So I am starting to get on top of things again.

Unfortunately all this has meant that the BSD went out of the window for a few months and some weight has reappeared and I’m slightly over my original weight of 9st 7lbs. Can’t be exact because I’ve not weighed for a couple of days. But I know the excess will disappear fairly quickly when I get back on track.

I’m on holiday at the end of June for 5 days and want to get as much off as possible before I go – just over 3 weeks.

Also, I had an email from a research student to Prof Taylor following up those who had previously sent information to the Prof. She asks some follow up,questions, which I’ve replied to. But you may be interested in some parts of the email.

She says: “Professor Taylor’s work on reversing diabetes continues, and a large study in general practice is planned to be published at the end of this year. It focusses on long term sugar control. As part of understanding this, it is really important to find out how everyone who previously sent information is getting on now. … The further insights will be of great value. Moving research findings into everyday medical practice is challenging, but the NHS is now interested in our research.”

I’ll be back on track tomorrow, but just wanted to check in tonight. Posting certainly helps me keep on track and accountable.

Captainlynne
Great to hear from you. It sounds as though you have actually done quite well over what has been a really difficult few months. It’s good that you will be back on track tomorrow and I do agree – posting certainly helps me keep on track and accountable also.

Very interesting information from Professor Taylor.

Lovely to hear from you again, and sorry to hear life has been stressful for you. Welcome back into the fold and always remember that this way of eating is the very best way to look after yourself. It is interesting to hear from Professor Taylor again, although not a diabetic I must write and thank both him and MM for the WOE that has transformed our lives.

Lovely to ‘see’ you back. Wondered how you werex

Hi Lynne, lovely to hear from you. I have had some trials, but fortunately for me they have been happy ones. Just too many holidays one after another. The first one I was strict, then 2 weeks later went on a cruise and was less strict, this week I have family staying and my 2 little grandsons who want cake and ice cream and, although I am not a cake person I have been joining in. All through I have had no white carbs and kept BG steady at 100 but surely cake is a carb……. Okay, they go home on Monday and on Tuesday everything left over goes in the bin. Keep on keeping on…

Glad you’ve started a new thread. I’ve just replied to you on another thread but again lovely to have you back amongst us.

Thanks everyone *waves*

Scales today show 9st 10lbs. Ok, so that’s only 3lbs over my original target weight, but 17lbs over where I was before everything went pear-shaped!

I’ve got just over 3 weeks before my holiday to lose as much of that as I can. I’m staying in a B&B in Pisa for 4 nights this trip. Then in August I’m back in Italy, staying with my friends so will be away from home for 11 or 12 days, but they’re used to what I can eat 😀

So. Posting back on here. New notebook bought to record everything. Looking forward to saying ‘goodbye’ to the excess. Again. Hopefully for the last time.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hi LYNNE

Kia Ora…the NZ Maori word for hello and welcome back.

You were never far away from my thoughts…I did wonder if all was well, I scanned everyday for your fine words of wisdom.
All will be well, you have reason and tons of motivation to get back to that fab new you that we celebrated with you.

In a lead up programme prior to finding this wonderful BSD WOL I learned to deal with stress that was ruining my health, I still use those tools with great effect. To follow up with BSD was fortuitous.

It is testing to see the scales slip upward isn’t it? Mine slip and slide 1 to 2 kg (1 to 4lb) and it can affect the thinking…however I know I will be OK because it’s nearly 9 months at or near a lower revised goal, life as you know changes so significantly, it’s worth keeping on track.

Like your many other fans and followers here I will be wishing you all the best, pace yourself, listen to the wise woman inside…..THANKS for coming back in.

The Prof Taylor programme is timely, you are such a great example to study.

Nettle

Hi Lynne
Thankyou for coming back with this post. I’m sure you will be fine after your restart and look forward to following your progress.
I started last August and was doing so well and really thought I’d cracked it for life. I never posted much but read many posts and took great inspiration from you and your weight loss journey.
Then Xmas came and I felt very confident all would be fine, planning to have the odd treat if I really wanted it. Well that was it, Xmas wasn’t too bad but it was New Year, birthday and here we are in June and I’ve put it all back on bar 4.6lbs! I am far from happy, in fact quite depressed about the whole situation. It’s like something switches off in my brain somehow.
About a month a go I started a complete juicing regime. I kept it up for 6 whole days. Around days 3-4 I was feeling quite good, seeing good weight loss (obviously just water) clear eyes and sleeping well. End of day 6 – I just had to eat something! Within a few days I weighed more than I did before I had started.
I know I have to change my eating and drinking habits for life. I am 66 and need to lose at least 4 stone, probably 5 would be better for me. I’ve only had one spell of being reasonably slim (for about 2 years around the age of 50) since I had my first child at the age of 25.
This morning whilst feeling quite down I decided to have another look at the Forum and there was your post! Hopefully it’s meant to be and as I am writing this I’ve decided to start again from now. Not tomorrow, next week but NOW.
So thankyou again for posting and look forward to joining in a bit more this time. I hope that someday I can encourage someone else to start/continue their own journey, the way I know you have done for many on here.
I live in the Highlands, a few miles outside Fort William, overlooking Loch Eil. I already do quite a lot of walking but plan to do more. I can’t walk for longer than about 3 hours or up steep hills as I have a worn out knee. Had one op and they did their best and although I had a little improvement I’m left with living with it until they feel I need a replacement. I have to manage the inflammation carefully as I can’t take NSAID’s orally and if it does swell then I can’t walk until it subsides. I do have success using Voltarol 12 hour gel when necessary.
Wishing you and all the others well, hoping it will be a positive week for us all.
Denise

Hi Nettle. Thanks for your comments. I’ve not been too bad dealing with stress for a while. Unfortunately, recently, too much has come all at once and some ‘stuff’ I thought I’d dealt with has popped up again. Strangely enough, getting back on track with the BSD also helps with the other stuff – being in control of one aspect of my life helps with the others.

It’s been frustrating to lose control after all this time, but it seems I’m back on track. I’m really glad I threw out all my bigger clothes – it could have ben so easy to slip back into them.

Hi denisesunny. Thanks to you also. We’re both the same age! Glad my returning post has helped you 😀 I find that posting on here helps keep me on track. That, and writing down what I eat! Please let us know how you are doing.

Looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on.

I’ve already said I want to lose as much as possible before my holiday. It’s reasonably ok when I stay with my friends, but this trip is to a B&B in Italy. It’s only small, and the owner is a very friendly, elderly gentleman who doesn’t speak English 😱. Some reviewers say that he almost force feeds them with breakfast – there is some protein, but lots of bead etc! Also lots of coffee 😀. Could be very interesting! Hopefully I’ll get lots of walking done while I’m there – a new place to explore 😀.

Captainlynne the only breakfast I’ve ever seen in Italy was hard bread and black coffee! Not very tempting. France was much harder! Although I did see a celebrity nutritionist on TV recently saying croissants were better than sugary stuff because at least they have plenty of fat.

Good to see you back, even if not for the happiest of reasons.

Natalie, sorry your Italian breakfast was so poor.

Reviews say the breakfast where I’m going is pastries, bread, cheese, salami, ham, cereals and fruit. With lots of coffee. Will just have to wait and see! I do like an adventure. Worth noting about croissants!

Ok. Well. Lost two pounds this week.

It would have been more, but had a couple of bad days. First was the day I went for first counselling appointment. And I was cold and very, very wet. Note to self: eating carbs does not make things better! Second was after hours of trying to get admin done with (new) computer and printer not communicating although they used to. A phone call to the IT department. Everything is networked, so they can do things remotely. (Weird!!!) They rang me back to make appointment 3pm the following day to sort the problem. 9am the following morning, they rang me. Somehow my 3pm appointment had become 9am!! I told them I’d been told 3pm and wasn’t in office but could be there in about 15 minutes. Told they’d ring 3pm. And they did. Long phone call seems to have sorted the problem.

Neither much in the scheme of things. But triggers for me.

So. I must work harder at dealing with these situations. Certainly the counselling is going to be for longer than a few weeks. I’m looking at different things to help and will report back on what works. Well, works for me.

Still. Two pounds is two pounds. It’s going in the right way again.

In those classic words, keep calm and carry on.

Well done Lynne, 2 pounds going the right way. Sorry about the stress, sometimes we can take things in our stride and other times we just can’t. Hope your counselling works out for you.
I had a pretty good week and lost 4 pounds. Happy with that and I wasn’t perfect! Off on Tuesday for 2 weeks in our motorhome. Husband and dog walking the Offas Dyke Path whilst I ferry them about from campsite to campsite and hopefully find plenty of time to draw and read and maybe some walking too! Not sure if and when I’ll have wifi but I also won’t be weighing myself. I have taken scales with me in the past but that didn’t work so I’m hoping that my head is in the right place and I will return a little healthier and hopefully a bit lighter.
Keep calm always makes me think of ducks, looking placid but legs going ten to the dozen!
I will be in touch when I have signal, hope you have another good week.

Thanks Denisesunny

4 pounds is great result. Enjoy the holiday.

I know what you mean about the ducks. But at the moment I feel more like a hamster in a wheel!

Speak soon.

Hi captainlynne

Sorry to read you have had a rough few months and a recent health scare. In times like these, something has to give, but it’s good that you are getting back on track and starting to really take control. I have every confidence that you will very soon be seeing good results and that you will be able to get back to your desired weight again – having had such great success before, you know you can achieve this for yourself again.

All best wishes and I’ll look forward to reading your posts on your progress.

Hi Captainlynne, nice to see you back posting! Life is never straightforward, is it!
I’ve loved reading all your posts looking forward to many more!

Captain Lynne lovely to ‘see’ you back on the forums. Hope your week has gone well and that you can get enough space to slow the (hamster) wheel down.

Hi Lynne

I guess you must be back from your holiday now and I hope you had a great time. Hope your ‘silence’ on the boards is not a bad sign that things aren’t calming down for you.

Hope all is well and keep in touch, it may just help if you need it at the moment.

Just thought I’d check in again Lynne. Please to read that you were making progress again on the BSD, prior to your holiday. You know of course that you can achieve your weight loss goals, as you did so brilliantly before. It’s good that you are finding taking control of your weight again, is helping in other areas too.

Hopefully, your holiday has recharged you and you feel more able to tackle things. Look forward to reading your update soon.

Take care and post again soon

Hi Capt. Lynne and all the motivated BSD forum posters 😊.. I’ve stayed away long enough. I lost 8 kgs last April/May (2016) and kept it off for months. Even through our trip of a lifetime through Europe in September. Disaster struck for my motivation when I had a fall early November and fractured my hand. Then 10 days later shingles came out around my abdomen accompanied by excruciating nerve pain in my back. This pain continued until about March this year. In those few months I had to take very strong meds and ended up in hospital in CCU with suspected heart attack and high blood pressure! I have a terrible family history with heart disease so I had extensive tests and luckily for me, angiogram only showed a very mild thickening of the arteries but no blockages. A brother is undergoing open heart surgery this morning after a heart attack last week and he is the 3rd sibling to join the dreaded “zipper club” so I was understandably worried when I was unwell. (Both parents died of heart disease in their 50’s too) I managed to put on all the weight I lost last year. And it has taken all the energy I had to get back into work full on, but now it’s time for action again. I didn’t think I had the courage to come back to this forum, but after slowly getting started, I have so far lost 1.8 kgs and my head is in the right place again. I am now on meds for blood pressure and to lower cholesterol but I’m getting my head around that too. About to go for a walk with the dog on a beautiful winter morning here in Brisbane where the min temp was 7 but the max will be 26(c) … I hope you are going well Capt. Lynne. I love your humour and I hope we can keep each other going on this very supportive forum. If anyone has some good tips for easy to prepare meals I’d love to hear. I always find it a bit of a struggle with working shift work.
Talk soon everyone … I’m back!! 😊

Welcome back Mary — you show great courage to jump in again — it really matters that you are just starting “again” — that is how it finally and truly works — just keep going — I will look for your posts.

Yes, welcome back Mary, you’ve had a dreadful time and I admire you for starting again; it sounds like you’ve made a great start.

Shift working can be a nightmare can’t it? When you get in, tired and hungry and open the fridge and eat whatever is there! I find it helpful to have some boiled eggs, cheese, salad stuff, carrots I’ve already prepared, tins of chilli sardines, ham and extra portions of bolognaise type mince in the freezer. Then there is always something I can just grab and eat. Although not all of the above at the same time, obviously!

Best of luck and I hope your brother recovers well. Enjoy the dog walk too!

Thank you all for posting and it seems we’ve all had struggles in and off for a while.
Captain Lynne you put it best above when you posted “Strangely enough, getting back on track with the BSD also helps with the other stuff – being in control of one aspect of my life helps with the others.”.
That is so true!!
So much is going on in the world we can’t control it seems like st least controlling our food plan and health greatly assists us.
Our family gave up animal products the past several weeks for many reasons BUT that means carbs are sky high. I just let it go and monitored everything to see what happened. If you’ve seen the movie What the Health you’ll know it’s created a massive movement toward veganism.
Vegan equals carbs and for some carbs st all, even “healthy” ones are major triggers.
We’re giving it one more week to decide but it’s already increasing our weight so we may have to give it up.
Ugh. Trying to be healthy and feel ethical as well is daunting. Why can’t the two go together. So many in plant based diets have changed their health.
Wishing you all a wonderful day and so good to see many old friends in here again!

Hi all,
I’ve been off for ages but after losing 2 stone initially on the BSD, I have had a stone creep back on. Still good overall but the problem now is that after a great HBA1C result in Dec, I feel that the numbers are creeping back up again. I’ve never taken meds for it and as I never intend to then I need to jump back onto eating properly again.

Great to hear that people are still coming back to post, encourage and conquer themselves again 😀