I wondered if anyone fancied joining in here just for chit chat, I’ve been trying to read all the threads but I always run out of time. It would be nice I think to have one thread were people can drop by as often or not as they like, and just share anything. Get to know each other easier.

I’ve just put my son to bed and am sat here reading threads with a cup of camomile and spearmint tea, waiting for an experimental dinner to finish cooking…

What a lovely idea Izzy, how did your experimental meal turn out? I’ve been to yoga tonight and am feeling very Zen – oooommmmm! My half stone loss reward was restarting yoga classes and I’m loving them, go twice a week now. I’ve also started swimming four or five times a week – have you taken up any new activities? Jules x

Hi, always happy to chat because I live on my own with two dogs for company.
It’s 2pm here, and it’s just started to rain. A nice afternoon to be staying indoors. I bought an ox tail yesterday and am going to cook it in the pressure cooker, diet friendly of course.
I also drink chamomile tea Izzy, mine has lemon balm, peppermint and lavender and is supposed to be relaxing and soothing. I hope your new recipe turned out well.
Good for you, JustDo it, taking up yoga and swimming. I struggle with exercise I’m afraid. Not because I can’t, but because I keep putting off starting until the day is nearly over. I know all the reasons why I should, how good it is for me physically as well as mentally, and when I do it, I even feel good afterwards. So there’s no excuse really.
Keep up the good work both of you.

Hi 🙂 where are we all from? Certainly different time zones. I’m in Scotland and despite it being spring today it’s snowing!

My experiment was making a kind of lasagne using courgette strips instead of pasta and it turned out quite nice.

I used to do yoga and enjoyed it but due to my kids here and my husband working differing hours I couldn’t go regularly 🙁

Since I’ve started this I’ve committed to the 10000 steps per day which is double what I used to do. I have a treadmill so I have no excuses on the nights my husband is out.

Gotta go but I will be back later.

I’m from Perth, Western Australia. We’re just coming in to winter here, after a long dry summer. So the rain is very welcome. I’ve only seen snow once in my life, and that was on the east coast at the tail end of the snow season, so it was starting to melt. We still had fun though, building a snowman and having a snowball fight.

Today I’m possibly having a couple of family members come for dinner, but I’m waiting for them to let me know. I have plenty of chicken and vegetables, but no potatoes. I have a packet of frozen oven chips though from before I started this diet, so they will do if they do decide to come. No dessert, but I have a packet of chocolate chip biscuits I can offer. I bought them for unexpected guests because they are the least likely kind that would tempt me to eat.

I have a few internet friends from around the globe because my late husband was very ill for quite a few years, so other than visiting family we didn’t get out much. I chat with two of them every day, and have been very grateful for their support, even though they’re thousands of miles away. In a couple of months I’m going travelling and will be meeting one of them and staying with her for a couple of days. She’s English but lives in France. I’m beyond excited.

I’m making a real effort to bring more exercise into my day. I need to get it into my head that I have to make it my number 1 priority instead of thinking I’ll get around to it when everything else is done.

Lovely to chat with you all, Dawn

melbourne and morning here 🙂 about to do my resistance exercises then meditate and head off for a jog. brunch after I come back and then off to work (sigh) from 3 pm – midnight!

Hawke I hope your work goes well.

TrishaDawn your travels sound great. Hope you get to Scotland too – it’s so beautiful. I live in Edinburgh and although it is a city it has so many hills it can feel like you are in the country. I have Highland cattle and horses just a 15 minute jog away from home before I am even out of the city. If there’s better weather today I plan to help my mum with some planting and fix my house (loathe housework!) in between cajoling my older daughter into studying folr her exams. The recent snow hasn’t helped me to make further progress with my own garden.

Izzy – your cooking experiments are sounding great and I am planning similar dishes for the weekend inspired by your successes. My spiralizer should arrive today!
Julia

Hello, I’m from Sydney and I was up at at 5am to head to the produce markets to stock up in all my fruit and veges for the next fortnight – so much fresher and cheaper than the shops and they have a huge selection of seafood, poultry and red meat for sale as well.
Anyway, by the time I got back at 9.30, unpacked and spent some home visiting my elderly parents, the last thing I felt like at 3.45pm was going for a walk, so TrishaDawn, I know how you feel when you talk about having to make exercise your nbr 1 priority. I looked at the dogs, they looked at me, I thought of what good it’d do me, grabbed the dog leads and just did it! Now that I’m on the other side of a 70 min walk, I’m glad I went, but I’ve learned not to think, just do, every day!
It’s been a lovely sunny 24deg day here, with only a sprinkling of rain this morning, but winter is coming and I’m not looking forward to it, although I guess us Aussies can’t complain after hearing about the weather in the UK, sometimes I hear your summer days are as warm as our winter ones!

Yep our summer is generally cooler but I don’t like it too hot lol. Lots of you at that side of the world 🙂 it’s sonething I like about the internet you get to meet people you otherwise never would.

I’m glad you’re liking my experiments Julia, I have more in mind. I’m just realising my cooking had become really dull we had fallen into just eating the same stodgy carby stuff all the time, this has re-ignited my excitement about food and experimenting. I didn’t expect that.

Dawn I love that you’ve made so many plans after losing your husband. It’s hard sometimes to get on with your life. I lost my first husband too young 9 years ago, but I’ve been fortunate to move on. I have married again and had another child since then. Life goes on and it’s worth getting out to live it. I made a lot of Internet friends then too and I’ve met many of them since, and still in touch. Make sure to tell us about your travels!

We had an xbox rock band night last night and a takeaway, I avoided the usual rice and naan and I was full up just earing the chicken and veg in the sauce. So much gets thrown away usually.

Taking my daughter to the optician today and maybe a walk somewhere afterwards.

Forgot to say Edinburgh is my favourite Scottish city, love the history it has. I’m further north of Dundee but visit now and then.

Just been to the optician with my daughter then a rummage around a local castle 🙂

Hi everyone, my name is Georgianna, most people call me Georgia. I live in Chesterfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. I am so happy to have found this site. I am married with three grown children. I have recently retired and have a lot of free time. I do not know many people from around the country and do not travel outside the USA because I have always been afraid to fly. So this will be exciting for me to get to know friends from around the world. I just joined this site yesterday. My husband bought me Dr. Mosley’s book . yesterday. I read the whole book and started the diet today. I am anxious to try it . I was diagnosed with diabetes last year. I lost 30 pounds and then I reached a plateau and did not lose anything for three weeks. I got discouraged and put it all back on plus more. I need to lose about 75 pounds. I have been on so many diets, get discouraged and quit.
Anxious to hear about success stories.

Hi Georgia, welcome to the BSD 🙂 I hope this works for you. I’ve not been here long myself but there are many success stories, I’m almost through my second week and it has been far easier than I expected as well as actually reminding me I actually like cooking!

Hi Izzy, thank you for responding so quickly. I have read some of your recipes that you have posted, they sound delicious. I can’t wait to try them!

Hi Georgia, welcome… Like you I can get discouraged but I think a forum where you can hear the stories and be encouraged by others successes and hiccoughs is a great place to be. I have almost finished my first week and have lost 1:2 kilos – I had hoped to lose more but it will happen. I wish you every success. Keep posting and am sure you will connect with people all over the world. I am from Australia, hence the use of kilos — I was in early primary school when our nation changed to metric… I can’t visualize the pound thing but from time to time will look at a converter app to see what people are referring to … Oh I have a similar weight loss to go so I expect we will be on these forums for a little while cheers 😀napangardi

2.2 lbs= 1kg if my memory serves me right!

It’s a lovely group here everyone has been nice so far as I’ve seen 🙂

Hi Georgia, welcome again, I’m now in week 2 and am finding the forum a fabulous way to stay inspired. I too lost a lot of weight only 4 or so years ago and managed to put most of it back on. I think the difference this time is that I know this is the way I’ll be eating for the rest of my life and not just until I reach my goal weight.
It’s been raining since 4am, so not sure how I’m going to get my walk in today, may have to dig out the walking machine thats been hidden under storage boxes for the last 4 years!

Thanks napangardi, glad to hear from someone who is in a similar situation. We can cheer one another on. I have joined Weight Watchers here in my area several times, but the members in my classes had only 15 to 40 pounds to lose. I would get discouraged and quit. Good luck with your weight loss! Sounds like you are off to a good start.

Hello, may I join this global chit chat! I am just outside London. Ive just finished week four and realised that Im finding it quite easy at the moment, Im loving the food but still need to buy a lot less, Im still buying far too much.
Ive never really exercised so I decided to join a gym and I do aqua aerobics, which is really helping.
Im off to Bologna tomorrow for a week, so the mediterreanean diet shouldnt be hard, apart from the wine. And the pasta. And the pizza. And the ice cream. and the cheese. As Oor Wullie would say ‘Aw, jings!’ Ps Im Scottish.

Hi all
Had a busy day so haven’t managed to look at the forums until now. I planted a box hedge for my mum (40 plants so lots of digging) and I also got myself to the shops to buy loads of food for a batch cooking session this afternoon. Between that and the house and dealing with teenage girls I am absolutely exhausted! But happy that I am back on track following a difficult few days (well probably more like a couple of weeks really) of not so careful eating. Hopefully this week will show better results.
Lovely to hear about everyone’s stories. One thing I have learned on these forums is that so many of us have had life throw more than its fair share of ups and downs at us, and I have read many moving stories on here. But I don’t think I have ever come across such a supportive group of folk as the BSD forums. Miles better than WW etc (at least in my experience) and what’s more it doesn’t cost us a penny to join!
Wishing you all a great week ahead – and hoping for some warmer weather for us UK residents (we could do with some of the warmth from those friends in other parts of the world). My central heating doesn’t know whether it is on or off I have been chopping and changing so much with the weather recently. I think we have had all 4 seasons this week! Ah well – just so long as my scales know that the direction has to be down, the heating can do what it wants😀
Julia

Odette your post made me laugh, but that’s at least 3 scottish lasses here 🙂

Julia we certainly could do with nicer weather, but it was actually not too bad here today. A bit windy but much nicer than yesterday when it was snowing grrr.

bedtime for Izzy. Night all

Odette, welcome to the best forums ! Enjoy your trip to Bologna and enjoy the food too. Now at least you won’t find yourself being offered Lone sausage butties a la the Broons while there!

Hello! I wondered if I might join too? I am about to go into week 4 and have so far lost 12lbs… This week has been hard as I have been floored by flu but stoicly kept to the diet… Missing my exercise but hoping to get back to it next week! There are some brilliant success stories on the threads and I read them frequently for inspiration. I would like to lose about another stone/ stone and a half as we are going on holiday in 9 weeks. Interestingly, life without carbs is a revelation and I’m pretty sure food tastes better… And not really hungry at all!

Forgot to mention I’m Scottish too 😊

Hi GillyD, Congratulations on your weight loss! Sorry to hear you had to deal with the flu on top of you trying to lose weight. Keep up the good work.

Hi everyone, it’s been great to read your chit chat posts!
I am in Washington state (not DC) and have a lot of weight to lose. I am not diabetic but it’s probably because I have been vegetarian for 35 years then pescatarian for 5 so I always ate a lot of vegies. It does run in my family and I do want to avoid it so am excited to lose weight for that and to move and do more things with a lighter body. 😍
All your posts have been so inspiring my first two days. I did read we aren’t to do major exercise while on this, is an exercise bike moderate level okay?
Thanks for this great thread Izzy!
❣

Hi HappyLife, today is the first time I joined this forum and am already addicted. My husband cannot believe that I have been on for most of the day. Everyone’s posts have been an inspiration to me.
I am from Michigan and have 75 pounds to lose. Much success to you on your diet.

Welcome Odette, GillyD and HappyLife, the more the merrier on this forum.
HappyLife, I haven’t heard you are not to do major exercise on the BSD, and in reading Dr M’s book, he talks about doing at least 10,000 steps per day and encourages high impact training, so unless there is a medical reason that you shouldn’t, I’d go for it.
Here in Sydney, the rain managed to stop for a few hours so I got to go for my daily walk with the dog. I’m at week 2, day 5 and a walk that has been taking 70 mins to complete, only took me 65mins today!!!! Woo hoo!

Hi Georgianna,
I have been on and off a lot as well
Today!
Best of luck!!

Thanks Linda! I read in other posts about a couple people getting faint who were doing hard workouts. Guess I will do the bike and walk for sure. Reading the book tonight and tomorrow so I will understand more. So far I have been reading posts. 😄

Hi HappyLife – I have successfully done 3x 5k runs a week while on 800 cal. No ill effects… so I guess it must be really hard core exercise or else folk not accustomed to doing such levels who feel faint, maybe? That said, I don’t have diabetes myself….

Gilly D – that makes at least 4 of us Scots now!

Great news! I like lifting weights since I have a cranky knee right now – hoping that goes with the pounds!! 😄
And for all you Scots, my name is Heather so include me somewhere 💗

Hello everybody,

chiming in here – another from the west coast of australia, not scottish though – originally from NZ, I have seen theres a good NZ contingent on this forum too. Not quite a week in but gosh its COLD, it seems too soon for the lower cals to translate into feeling the cold? Here we don’t really build for winter, but to keep things cool in summers (Perth gets well over 40c regularly) so in winter I slope about the house in lots of clothes feeling freezing – electricity and gas prices make heating more expensive than cooling!

I found that exercise actually helped to perk me up in the first few days of the regime, I only do pilates twice a week at the moment, and walk the dog. That takes up enough time around a fulltime job.

glad to read about everyone elses experiences! I have a lot to lose, so will be about for a while. Well, i had better be, not letting myself pike out of this diet effort!

Hi Chongolo, I’m off to Perth soon – please don’t tell me it is cold???? What kind of temperatures are you talking? How many pairs of jeans and winter woollies are we talking? I’m very comfortable at 17 or 18c.
I was also planning on swimming outside a fair bit – pools and ocean. 🙂

Not Chongolo, but from Perth. It’s cold by our standards, expected to have maximums of 22, down to 21 by next Saturday with minimums around 10 or 11. Jeans and warm top weather, not overcoat weather.

I know it’s relative. This weekend I had family up from Mt. Barker where it’s always that bit colder. They were in T shirts while I had broken out my winter clothes. When I went to stay at their home in summer, I had to borrow some warmer clothes.

Not many West Aussies would be swimming right now, but there’s always a few hardy souls. If you’re from the UK you’ll probably feel fairly comfortable while we’re hugging our winter woollies.

Have fun while you’re here, I hope you enjoy your stay and that the sun stays out for you.

Hi Trishadawn. 10 or 11 sounds like Blighty!!! That’s what we have (on a good day) here if it isn’t snowing lol

Thanks for your good wishes and the info! Well I don’t like weather too hot but I thought it would be warmer now than in August when it is winter. 28 years ago when I was last over I didn’t need jeans or jumpers in August – has the climate begun to get colder generally?

I won’t be swimming if it’s 10 or 11c! 🙂

Ah, Hashimoto – you should be just fine, rarely do we have a whole day where 17-18 is the maximum in winter. Currently 17 here, which is enough to have me sooking in a giant cardigan, I guess the point is that its the same inside the house as well as out, so clear days will have colder mornings (8-12in a few weeks I’d say) so for me thats freezing, for you maybe thats a cardigan or jumper? Definitely don’t worry.

but you’re MAD to think about swimming in the sea, good gravy BRRRRRRRRRRR. Needs to be at LEAST 35c for that sort of malarkey! (you can tell i don’t do cooler climates, don’t you? 🙂 )

just got back form a trip to get supplies, and noted some people still wearing shorts or just teeshirts with jeans, so its probably just me….

Hi Chongolo, I guess those cozzies I had such a hard time buying may not be needed after all? I have got to say I did once swim in the North Atlantic off the Ardnamurchan Peninsula with a friend a few years ago, it was freeeeezing cold and we came out lobster red all over. I think that day barely got to 17c and there was a wicked cold wind blowing. I only got in because my friend did – and as she had serious health probs I would have felt like a total chicken if I didn’t get in. Actually, it was rather nice as because it was so cold it was also incredibly clear, you could see the bottom even when it was over 30 feet below you.
I remember a lot of surf of the beaches round Perth! And the big brown jelly fish in the Swan river. Probably not wind surfing weather now!!
Thanks for the info! 🙂

Hello to the newbies 🙂 yay for so many Scots both true born and by name lol but it’s no nice hearing about other places too. I’m jealous of 17 being typical winter day, that’s really nice weather for us! Like hashimoto I don’t like it too hot. I’ve never swam in the sea, sounds like a wonderful experience.

We’ve had a lovely chilled family morning and a nice brunch 🙂 first time I’ve done that seemed strange having a bigger portion but I hadn’t eaten breakfast. Good fast too as probably about 16 hours from last meal.

We were going to have a family day out today but weather isn’t great. Might do something tomorrow instead.

Have a great day BSDers 🙂

Hi Izzy, as a Scot you really should go for a dip in the sea at Sana Bay, it’s beautiful!! I’ve also swam in the sea off the Black Cuillin on Skye. I was so hot after the climb up – even though it was cold on the higher slopes – I just had to go in!
At least there are no sea wasps or other nasties lurking in the North Atlantic! 🙂

Pleased you had a relaxed brunch with your family! 🙂

Happy May everyone!

Well it’s day 3 for me and I am down 4 pounds in the first two days.
I really don’t think I would stick to it without you all here becUae knowing you all are doing it makes me feel not alone in the process.

I feel weak this morning but a friend told me it’s because my body hasn’t figured out to get energy from the proteins yet instead of the carbs it’s used to and that it takes about four days. Also having some major tummy issues so gave up the yogurt for today in hopes that helps.

Have a wonderful day everyone and if you have any issues to go through just imagine I am there with my hand on your shoulder to help support you through it.

So great to hear about your amazing places you live in! I lived in Hawaii 45 years and am real an island girl still in my mind even though I live in Washington now.

Hugs to all! 💜

I had a dodgy tummy for a short while too, I suffer IBS off and on, but it faded fast and I’m fine now. Also I think my … ahem *blushes* wind… is a lot less on this way of eating!

Thanks Izzy! I have IBS symptoms off and on in life but not consistent. Everything is 100% worse tummy wise with the diet so far but I am hopeful it will adjust. 😍💖
I tell my husband it’s the fat melting off from the diet. Ha. Maybe it is! 🌷🌷

Hi happylife I had upset stomach first week too. I was surprised as I was used to eating much more fruit. Soon settled down, looking forward to 4 week weigh in tomorrow. Trying to stay off scales in between.

Hello, hope it’s ok to just jump in!

I am on day 6 of BSD and loving it! I live in London, married for 12 years with an almost 10 year old son. I work as a train driver, so it’s a very sedentary job – however I’m training for an overnight marathon walk in September, so I make myself get up and go out. I did it last year in 9hours 4 mins, so my target is to beat that!

I love to travel, been all around the world, but my favourite place in the UK is Edinburgh – I’m up there most months to see friends, back again for the day on May 11th (that will be a non BSD day, we have afternoon tea booked!), then we have a week in Kefalonia booked in August.

Nice to “meet” you all!

everyone is welcome here 🙂

I’ve had an interesting day sorting out my bomb site of a bedroom. I’ve filled two bags with rubbish and one for the charity shop! reorganised my wardrobe, my drawers and my creativity corner 🙂 (full of all my favourite things) and put a painting I did myself on the wall. Hopefully in a month or two I’ll be throwing out loads of clothes that are too big and welcoming down my bags of smaller clothes that are currently hiding in the loft!

I’m an engineer as my day job which is very analytical, but I’m also quite a creative person. Last year I wrote a fantasy novel aimed at my daughters age group, and in January just using youtube tutorials I started painting. I doubt it will ever be more than a hobby but I love painting. haven’t recently because I lost my mojo but it’s coming back.

My dream is to give up work and stay at home with the kids and write. Nothing ventured nothing gained 🙂

My creativity corner happened last year when I really needed to do something just for me. So it is a wooden cabinet filled with my things for writing, painting, and my camera. It’s my little peaceful place – everyone should have one!

Izzy
Love your creative ideas. Get writing that novel 🙂
We should all take some time for ourselves. Have recently returned to some old creative hobbies myself.

On a completely different note.
As well as trying to be conscientious about the BSD. Am on slightly fanatical campaign to move more, to stay healthy.
If anyone is interested here is a link to ‘Quitting the Sitting’. An American site which has some ideas about becoming more active.
http://www.quittingthesitting.org/ideas.html

some good ideas on that page 🙂

I already do one of them, I stream stuff to watch on my laptop whilst on my treadmill, makes the time pass. A walk outside is nicer and holistically better for you I think, but I can’t always get out so it helps keep my steps up 🙂

Good idea to leave your laptop/tablet in another place so you always have to get up for it. I could do that…

My son is inadvertently helping because he keeps losing the tv remote lol

I’m stuck in Wales, lol. It’s a nice place to visit but have been here too long and am waiting to move on.

I started driving out of necessity and think that that has helped to contribute to me being more stressed as walking is great. I’m not in a great place mentally so use driving as a way of not having to talk to people. But I’ve been meeting a couple of my friends lately and walking.

I’d already started doing a ‘rest based training’ exercise programme I bought online – it’s sort of high intensity interval stuff but you work as hard as you can until you have to stop and then rest until you can continue again. So I’ve been doing that since January.

I got diagnosed with type II diabetes on Monday and get my first diabetic appointment on the 9th. I have no idea if my blood will get tested on that day again and if it would be just for that day. Am not stressing so much about the diagnosis now I’ve read a lot of things on the web and seen so many people being able to control it through diet and exercise.

Polly 🙂 x

hello, I’m in London, just starting the 800 cal plan. I stuck to it today except was naughty with some brazil nuts. I knew it was a mistake buying them. However I did walk 7 miles, so I’m forgiving myself!

Hi Polly, I had a lovely holiday in Wales a number of years ago would love to visit again.

many have managed to reverse their type 2 diabetes, I hope you get to be one of them.