Hello everyone !
That’s it , January is over and here we are at the beginning of a new month .It’s always a good time to take stock if you feel things are slipping and your motivation is flagging. Well done if you maintained your resolutions .

Don’t focus on the negative , it’s about what happens now and as we move on .
I approached January as a reboot and an experimental time with ADF. Realistically I may have to adjust things somewhat this week but I will be reading the thread and thinking of you even if I may be less present.

SunnyB and sunshine girl will be watching over you too .

Especially thinking of Lauren who had an horrendous week and I sincerely hope this one is better.

Remember there is no need to complicate things. Just do what works for you. There will be results even if it takes time .

Wendy xx

Phew, I’m glad that worked finally ! Here is the list

Wendleg
SunnyB
Sunshine-girl
Florob85/Lauren
Antigone
RubyG
Onestep
Tulip1/Clare
Verano
Elle-Mae
Russianroulade
Californiagirl/Julia
Stevoka/Kerry
Windyjulz
JGwen
Quetzal
Catenelson
Riccoh
Sixturkeys
Greenbean
Merrymelba
Prittimistri
LauraY
LittleDrummerGirl

Some of you have gone a bit quiet ? Come back any time .We are always here to support you xx

Thank you Wendy, enjoy your time with your son xx

Thanks Wendy – hope you have a lovely week with your son!

I’m pootling along, bit over calories the other day due to a 90% Lindt chocolate incident, but I’m not sorry – ’twas very nice! WI day for me is Wednesday so looking forward to seeing the undoing of last week’s small gain and the continuation of a downward trend.

Goals for me this year are around a week away in April and two weeks away in July (assuming covid doesn’t require them re-scheduling for a third or fourth time!).

I’m targeting an average loss of 2lb a week, but know that will vary – I plan to stick to F800 right through, although it’ll be up and down over a few special occasions, which I assume will mitigate sticking to it longer than the recommended 12 weeks. I’d like to get back to longer fasts and some EF if I can, but we’ll see how things go!

Wendy, thanks for taking time to spur us on for another week, even though you have plenty to keep you busy right now with your son finally being home. It’s encouraging to see the list of participants growing again, which means despite what’s proved to be a dodgy month for many, people are hanging in there.
I have certainly found January challenging, especially on the BSD front, however, this morning I set up a nice new spreadsheet to record everything consumed and am making a completely fresh start. I have eight weeks to get rid of 7lb, so have to get serious NOW.
Hope that whatever has happened this last month, you will all be travelling along with us for February … looking forward to sharing in everyone’s experience and progress as the new month progresses.

Have a lovely time catching up with your son Wendy. I have happily been maintaining, but it is OH’s birthday on Wednesday sooo, the plan atm is our for brunch, possibly some cake with his parents and a pizza in the evening, it was to a be an Indian takeaway but apparently a football match is happening that evening 😁

Evening all,

Eurgh what a week. I had my period which normally disrupts things, but this month has been the worst yet. I weigh myself every day and despite sticking to plan, I was gaining weight each day. I have to take iron tablets which make me feel queasy and I was also v bloated and constipated, which led to me feeling incredibly full at the weekend. I had plans to go for dinner on Saturday evening and as it was sushi, I could stick to plan. I kept off the booze and only had a few mini eggs with the girls on Saturday evening when I got home. But then yesterday I felt terrible. I was cold and hot, felt as if I had a hangover and was unbearably hungry. All I could think about was carbs. The thought of wanting to eat protein made me feel physically sick. So I caved and had some noodles and a bread roll.
But this morning, I woke up, I felt great. I wasn’t hungry and was able to get right back on plan. I weighed myself this morning and all in all I’m only 1/2 pound heavier than I was last week. So not a disaster. I did initially feel a bit disheartened, but am focussing on the positives. I feel much better after a week of being a bloated mess and I’ve booked onto some exercise classes for this week. I’ve completed dry January and am going to keep it going. So am sticking to my micro goals again and am going to aim for 3 pounds off this week.
The race is long and in the end it’s only with yourself. Good luck guys and here’s to Feb xxx

Hello, I’m here too!
Sometimes I wish I’d used a cute username instead of just my own, when I see other people’s. 😆
I started (restarted) yesterday but I’m going to call that a practice run – I was doing well but then there was an incident with some leftover Toblerone cheesecake from my daughter’s birthday the day before. I still managed to discard 0.2kg though! Every good decision helps, even if you make a few bad ones.
I’m on the 100 day bus to Easter too but a weekly challenge is just what I need, mini goals! I’d love to lose 1kg.
Russianroulade I think you did really well! I crave carbs too at that time of the month, or if I’m sick. Spicy 2 min noodles are my comfort food. Half a pound gain is nothing. This isn’t a sprint, or even a marathon. It’s life! Go you!
Wendy, have a great time with family.
What apps (if any) are people using to record calories etc? I fired up MyFitnessPal last week but then noticed it recorded 10g of butter as 7 calories – not quite accurate! I found a different entry that gave it as about 64 cal. Now I’m not sure if I trust it!

Hi Natalie
I find Easy Diet Diary a good app as it Australian – and it has many Australian brands etc. It keeps track of carbs (I highlight the carbs column so it shows up on my main diary page)
You can add recipes and foods that are not in the system.
cheers
Merry

Happy February!
I’m not sad to see January disappear. I didn’t quite reach my goal of 1lb a week, I only lost 3lbs last month. So I think I might aim for a bigger goal this month of 6lbs over the next 4 weeks. Maybe the higher the goal the harder I’ll work.
Tuesday is my WI day so a new page in my journal for a new day, a new week and a new month …. will do my very best not to blot my copy book!
Have a good week.

I’m back for a new month, January was a write-off and I weigh the same as I did a month ago 🙁
I know it’s not just the number on the scales, but my motivation doesn’t last for more than a few hours, especially when tired and/or cold.
At least I am not snacking on nuts, my tooth is still sore and I am worried I may have cracked the filling or the tooth itself, but can’t see and don’t want to go to the dentist unless necessary. Painkillers/anti-inflammatories for a couple of days will either resolve it or not, which will guide my decision. It wasn’t really sore this morning, so I decided to give everything a rest and do a 16:8 and I’m feeling good.
Lunch is soup, supper is meatballs in a tomato sauce, I don’t have courgette so will look to some other vegetable to replace the pasta it would have been served with pre-BSD.
Aiming for a better week.

Big hugs Ruby x

Hope your tooth problem will soon be resolved … virtual hugs coming your way, Ruby. Be assured you’re not alone, January was a complete write-off for me too, with the only positive being I didn’t gain as much as I thought I might.
I know others struggled last month too, but we have a nice shiny new start today, so let’s refocus and do our very best to make February count.
Russian, sounds like you have had a really rough week, so hope this one will be much kinder to you.
Natalie, this WoE is very forgiving if you get back on track quickly after a transgression.
Elle, enjoy OH’s birthday and don’t worry about a day off plan. Get straight back to BSD afterwards and I’m sure that ‘naughty’ day won’t have much impact.
V, hope you hit your target this month,I’m sure the lengthening days will help to boost mood, which should help with focus.
LittleDrummer, good to see you here for another month. You’re right to move on from the chocolate incident, no point dwelling and if you enjoyed it all the better.
I completed my first day properly tracking everything and it felt really good to be back in control. Day 2 and not yet broken fast since 19.00 yesterday, but will do so in the next hour or so, with a little yogurt and tonight’s meal is going to be salmon, so menu all planned.
Wishing you all a good day, with wise BSD food choices.

Hi everyone, thanks to Wendy for setting this up even though she is really busy right now. Enjoy.

Natalie, hi to you. No need for cute names – I am Denise. I guess it is so you dont get recognised or trolled but none of that goes on here, we are a friendly bunch. I see you are pre-diabetic and was pleased to see you say this is for life. Let us know how you are doing, no judgement here even when you have a Toblerone incident. I should thank you, my daughter works for Cadbury so you are helping to keep her employed. Unfortunately for her I dont do the same as I dont have a sweet tooth.

Well done to those who have joined us so far this week. No matter how you did last week this is a new start. As for the rest of you, come and join us, just to say hello.

I finally lost a little weight taking my 4 week total to 4.25 lbs. I shouldnt complain as it is not as if I am starting a new diet and losing all that fluid before the real work. I even only put on 2.5 lbs over the Christmas holiday so not much to shed there. I should be pleased and so should anyone else who has lost anything at all, there is no such thing as losing too little. It all counts. That makes me rethink my dry January and having a February drink tonight. Think I can wait until the weekend when I go out for a meal. Never know, might lose more weight and I will be really cross with myself if I put any of my hard fought loss back on.

Have a good week everyone and koko…

Well, the tooth has not got any worse, the lunchtime soup was good and no snacks have passed my lips 🙂
Let’s at least get one day in the bag!

I think someone mentioned the goals to look good in whatever outfit/whatever event are further on in the year – that is definitely the case with me right now. It’s cold, dark, and I am definitely in hibernation mode.

Hi All

Hi all, i am new here and i am on fast800 diet i suppose but i am using only homemade soups and salads. I am 4 weeks in and lost about 7 kilos. I am t2 diabetic and a1c was down from 115 at diagnosis to 51 with lchf and walk and lost 8 kilos in process. But went on holiday and Christmas put all my hard work of 6 to 8 months down the drain and back at 85 kilos. But since starting the diet i have managed to get to 78. I need to be at 72 for healthy bmi so just aiming for that. Nhs recommended me a 12 week plan but i dont know whether i should stop at 8 or 12 weeks. Is it a percentage of body weight you need to loose or inches around the waist? No idea at all, but one thing i am sure of is i am not even eating 800 cals a day right now but this week i have started adding proteins in my diet as only veggies in form of soup was leaving me hungry all the time.
Thanks for reading the post.

Hi everyone- week 3 for me on the 8 week bsd- 1st week I lost 9lb – last week 1lb and so far this week 1lb. Finding the eating plan really fulfilling and using the recipe book. Have found naturally that I am not eating breakfast and having brunch anywhere between 11.30am- 1.30pm. Just not hungry. Love the chicken korma although I use quorn as don’t eat meat. Bought a spiralizer which is an absolute pain – ended up grating a courgette which wasn’t brilliant! Any recommendations for an easy to use spiralizer? Had celeriac for 1st time this week used as a mash topping in the skinny cottage pie – again using quorn mince – delicious. Great forum – I did post once but accidentally unsubscribed from it so thank you to those that gave me advice.

Morning!

Natalie – app-wise, I track everything on my fitbit app. Seems pretty good on the whole and keeps me broadly in check!

LauraY – never tried a spiralizer but if you’re looking for a meal accompaniment, I can recommend konjac noodles; absolutely brilliant for filling out a meal, providing fibre and very few calories.

Bravef800er – definitely need some protein and fat in there to keep you full, it’ll make a big difference (as will keeping to low carb veggies). I wouldn’t worry about the percentage of body weight, but inches off your waist is a good indicator (aiming for waist to be <= half your height).

WI day for me and 5lb off, which is good – reverses the 0.6lb gain last week from my birthday and no doubt some fluid retained due to the carbs consumed! Got back into ketosis quite easily thankfully and the other metrics I prefer to the scale are heading in the right direction too (resting heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep score etc – I’m a numbers nerd and love my fitbit 😁)

Hoping for another solid week and then at the end of next week I have an overnight stay for work which will involve a meal and no doubt plenty of booze. Will brace myself for that and do the best I can at the time!

Hope everyone else has a good week 👍

LauraY I have a salter table top spiraliser but it’s a pain to clean. I also have a small Oxo hand held one which I think is much better and definitely easier to clean!

Bravef800er with T2 it’s not so much the weight per se or the number of calories, but rather, it’s more about the number of carbs you eat. Carbs, in the most simplistic way, are like eating pure sugar as they turn into glucose in the body very quickly. You will need to find your own level of carbs per day as everyone is different but <50g usually works. For those of us with T2, even when in remission, carbs will always need to be monitored. Once your BS is in the normal level there will be some leeway but basically to stay in the ‘normal’ zone, without medication this is a lifelong way of eating. Professor Roy Taylor’s “Life Without Diabetes” is worth a read. I was particularly interested in his ‘set point’ weight theory.‘ Enjoy the journey.

Hi guys, thanks for the app suggestions, I’ll try Easy Diet Diary and see how I go.

I have two spiralisers, an Icon Chef tabletop one which is a bit of a pain to clean like most appliances but works very well, and also one like a little serrated potato peeler that does long strips but has a lot more wastage as it can’t seem to handle the middle of a zucchini/courgette. I also like to make lasagne with thin slices of zucchini instead of pasta.

Sunshine-girl I don’t really have a sweet tooth – except for chocolate! Does your daughter like working there? My Nana used to work in a chocolate factory (not sure which one) in her youth and she said people always asked her if she ever got sick of chocolate and she always said no! Of course she was rather overweight…weekly WW meetings never seemed to make any difference.

Ruby I hope your tooth gets better.

will go back and read everyone’s posts when I get a spare minute ……just popped on to say……tried the speedy one pan curry with salmon last night from the new MM book….delish! I used balti paste as opposed to thai red curry paste as that’s what I had in….another time must try as written. Happiness 😁
Ooh, and I have an informal interview for the new job role on 21st Feb….so hopefully progressing towards something exciting and new 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
Love to all,
Tulip xxx

Thanks all for tips on spiralizer- I’ll have a look and try a different type. Also those konjac noodles I’ll give them a try as I have some in the cupboard- I tried the rice and it was ok – both on offer at home bargains for 99p if you have one nearby. Going to try the spicy green lentil dish tonight.

Hi All.
LauraY I use a hand held little spiralizer and then just chop the middle of the courgette into thin strips or thin slices.
Brave- MM says in his latest book that weight- wise to lose at least 10% of your weight as part of the plan to push the diabetes into remission (but yes also inches lost, rapid weight loss, low carbs, maintenance for life etc).
Natalie- I use MyFitnessPal and double check things that look wonky. Once you have your own little database built up it’s really quick. Little Drummer…..I love all my fitbit stats too🤩🤩.
The weekend was frankly a disaster….started with wine and lasagne and finished with roast potatoes. Hence I regained 2 lbs of the 8 I had managed to lose this time around. Need to turn this around and get a good bit lost before my birthday which is now in less than 2 weeks!!
Love to all,
Tulip xxx

Morning all,
Re. spiralisers – I have 2 and can comment as follows:
http://www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-spiralizer-black-and-stainless-steel – it is quite small, easy to use and easy to clean. I find it works best if I cut a courgette in half and put the cut end onto the spiraliser blade first (so the uncut end is on the spike at the handle end), and also find it works best with straight veg, as if they are curved it all goes a bit wrong 🙂
I also have a manual one that look like a pencil sharpener, and it does the job adequately – you are left with the middle bit and the end, but like someone else suggested I just slice or dice the leftover bits and add to the spiralised bits.

Re. konjac noodles/rice – I bought a bag of the rice to try as a camping food, and some had suggested possible gastric upsets eating them, so we tried them for the first time last night, with a homemade curry. My honest opinion – I won’t bother buying them again. No gastric upsets to report, but they tasted of nothing, the texture wasn’t great, and they just filled half the bowl with white nothingness. I would rather eat less volume for the taste and mental satiety.

Re. my tooth – it is resolving, so hopefully no actual damage has been done.
Re. tracking and losing any weight – I’ll see what the scales say tomorrow, but still battling to find my motivation.

I am looking for inspiration, what “treats” do you set up for yourself when you hit intermittent targets along the journey.?

I tend to go with pampering things JGwen, some buying new skin care or a nail varnish, maybe do a home facial or relax in a deep bath with a fragrant oil. Guess what I’m saying is, I choose something special just for me … so select something that is special to you.

Hi everyone, interesting chat about spirallizers. I have had one for around 6 years when I first started this diet. It is a KUUK brand. Unfortunately my favourite blade broke (spiral flat slices) so I dont use as much. Really should get it back out or buy a new one. Will check out some of the recommendations.

Bravef800er, Verano has already given you some good advice. I see your numbers are still in the diabetes range. As mentioned, it is the carb that are the problem, not so much the calories although it is always beneficial to lose the weight as well. Dont worry about whether you should stop at 8 or 12 weeks. This site recommends no more than 12 weeks. Personally, I and many others are on this diet for life but it is good to have a short break after 12 weeks, drop onto something like the Mediterranean Diet or 5:2, keeping a careful watch on what you eat carb wise but relaxing a little bit on calories. I think you will find that there will be natural stops in your dieting like birthdays, holidays, Christmas and so on. When these off plan occasions arise, enjoy then get back on plan within a couple of days at whatever level suits you. I think you still have a little way to go with the diabetic numbers so get them down first.. Do try to eat 800 calories by adding some protien and not living on veg. Also use some good fats in your diet – certain vitamins need fat to process which is why they are known as fat soluble vitamins (A, D E and K). This is why the Europeans (Mediterraneans) always have some olive oil in their salad dressing.

Im still sticking with it and not broken my alcohol free time even though January is over. Weight loss now 4.5lbs so hope to reach 5lbs by my birthday meal on Saturday.

well, cr*p on toast…..that isn’t quite what I ate, but it was no better for me.
Aaargh.
Why????
That. is. all 🙄😆
🤣

Good morning everyone
Such great going SunshineGirl on your alcohol free – you’ll be so looking forward to your birthday 🍾
And thanks for all the tips of spiralizers. I haven’t got around to buying one as they seem a bit fiddly and there are so many on the market that I don’t know what to choose.
But I do use Konjac noodles/rice. I’ve found it is necessary to prepare them rather than just tip them into a dish. There are many versions of how to do this but I sort of follow this version: https://epicureantherapy.com/how-to-prepare-shirataki-noodles . I rinse them well stirring with my hands in a collander, but don’t bother with the boiling part. I just put them in a bowl of hot water with a teaspoon of vinegar for 5 mins, then drain well, then dry fry them until the squeak. That way I find that they cling more to the sauce/food I am mixing them with (like a stirfry) and they have a better texture. I agree RubyG that they don’t have any taste – but the do help to fill me up. I also use the Slendier “pasta” like the endamame fettuccine. Again not much taste but filling.
As for Treats JGwen – a day out to a gallery or garden is something I enjoy. Wandering at leisure 🙂
I am almost at the end of my second week reset and am going OK. A couple of wine deviations – but have lost 1.5kg. And – da dah! – I went back to my gym exercise class yesterday – first time since the end of Nov. I kept away during the Omicron surge. It felt good to be back and to see the group again.🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️
SunnyB – how is your tracking going? And Tulip – thanks for the recipe ideas
I hope you are having a delightful week with your son Wendy.
🌺🌺🌺

Merry- good job on the gym class- I find exercise helps me feel loads better generally 😍

Great tip about the noodles and rice thank you x

Evening all, just to weigh in on the spiraliser debate, I don’t bother, I either use the large hole on a box grater to grate strips of courgette, or a veg peeler to cut ribbons!

I’ve had Konjac noodles again for the first time in ages tonight and remembered why I stopped bothering, they are so revolting. The texture is just all wrong, I’ll stick with cauli rice I think!!

Lauren x

Hi Lauren! The veg peeler option seems like a winner for me. I don’t have a lot of gadget storage space so a peeler fits the bill and the space.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sunshine Girl 🎂🎈🎈🎈 I hope you enjoyed your birthday meal and the wine!! Many happy returns.
Beautiful day here – not a cloud and going to be a warm 29C. We have an extended family gathering in a park today which I’m looking forward too. I’ve not seen as much of the family due to lockdowns, iso, etc. so no doubt there will be lots of chatting! I am taking a chorizo salad for my lunch – with the extra of some mango in it as it’s such a summery day. Now I just have to stay away from any cakes on offer 😀

🎉🎉🎉🎈🎈HAPPY BIRTHDAY🎁🛍🎁🎊🎊 S-g. Hope you had/have a lovely day!

Happy birthday S-G 🎊🎈🎉
I have to fast today from 9 am for the hospital procedure tomorrow, I go in at 8.30 am. I have done 16:8 but this will be the first long fast. I will be interested in how much weight I lose!😁
Have a good Sunday all

Happy birthday Denise!! Have a marvellous day

Best of luck with your procedure and fasting Elle-Mae

Sending everyone warm Sunday hugs, 9 weeks till the wedding!!

L x

Happy birthday, SG 🥳🎂 hope it’s a good one with a great year to follow.
Hope all goes well with the procedure Elle, all best wishes.

Hi everyone and thank you for the birthday wishes. It is actually tomorrow but I didnt want to go to a restaurant on a week night when it would most likely be empty. Had a lovely meal of onion soup (no need to call it French onion soup as we are in France) where the only bad carb was a small piece of baguette with cheese toasted on top. My main was an entrecote steak which was served with beetroot 3 ways (puree, roasted and sorbet) with a mini beef and wasabi samosa which I ate the beef but left the pasty except for a little taste. I could hardly finish my meal and there was no way I could squeeze in a pudding. Does anyone else find they are not able to eat as much as they used to. Even my favourite meal of the week (Sunday Brunch) I left half of it. Not sure if I should be worried. Well I am 69 tomorrow and my daughter says that makes for a whole year of dirty jokes. Hope I dont offend anyone.

Someone asked about my daughter and her job at Cadbury (now Mondelez) and eating chocolate. She doesnt make the chocolate, she designs the machines that do the processes. She is an engineer. Although she has done lots of different jobs in her time there and is currently working on sustainability. So reducing plastic packaging, sourcing ethical products etc. Yes she does sometimes have to taste things but it is a very small part of her job. Although I believe in the office there is a mountain of chocolate or Belvita etc but she is mainly working from home so she can avoid it.

Hope all goes well for Elle. Wendy is in seventh heaven right now, hope she doesnt mind me saying.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and koko.

Hi All, not sure how I missed so many posts (maybe I unsubscribed by accident).
Happy birthday Denise 😚
Glad Wendy is having a fab time!!
Good luck with the procedure Elle Mae xx
Still mostly eating on plan….although prosecco happened Saturday as middle child (daughter) had good news- she passed her G4 ballet with distinction and had a meeting with someone in school as she is in the top 5% re CATs and they have a special pathway towards getting their goals re good uni/ career e.g. medicine, which is what she wants to do….this was over the course of 2 days Fri and Sat so she was really excited (and has been feeling low and lethargic for quite some time so this is a real boost for her)….anyhow, I didn’t get sozzled this time- just one glass, although we then did finish the bottle yesterday (v small glass each)….any how, I didn’t eat any roast potatoes yesterday, so that’s a win for me (hubby had bought some celeriac- or Ood, as we like to call it- I had that instead 😊)…..weight is a bit static, I’m not really surprised, cals not super low….I’ll see what I can do this week.
Love to all, Tulip xxx

Hi everyone !
First of all : A very Happy Birthday to sunshinegirl/Denise !! Your celebratory meal sounded fab and I hope you enjoyed every morsel ! Have a lovely day today and you have certainly earned a drinkie or two xx

Talking of treats , well it has been an absolute joy catching up with my son and I am glad to see he is adapting to life in France without issues ( despite the cold !) Amazingly he started applying for jobs last Monday and had immediate interest with Zoom interviews throughout the week, leading to a job offer last Thursday !! It’s in the Paris region ( his field is sports marketing and advertising so no surprises everything happens in Paris) He is due to start his new job on the 21st and so decided to stay on in the South a little longer .Happy Mum !!!

So yes, we have been out for lunches and an evening meal, I have been cooking a lot and so my fasting has been put on hold .
Am I bovvered ?
No

There will be time to get back on track this weekend . This time is special . The next stage is for Oliver and his partner to find a flat around Paris and he can work from home some days to allow them to come back down here and we can always visit of course . It won’t be anything luxurious as rents in Paris are crazy .I am not complaining though because for me, their being in Paris is like the next village compared to Australia !! 🙂

I just need my eldest son to come back ( hopefully for a visit this summer ) Merry, he loves his life in Australia ! I see borders are opening very soon and tourists will once more be allowed to visit .

I’ve just read through this week’s posts . I’ve added Nathalie and Bravefast800er to the list, welcome !

Thinking of Elle Mae who is going into hospital today .Hope all goes well xx
Tulip/Clare all the very best for your upcoming interview !

About spiralisers .I first bought a manual one which was fine and then tried an electric one which was abit fiddly but OK. I tend to forget about it and focus on cauliflower rice, roasted radishes etc but it does have a place for sure with courgetti .

I will sign off now but will pop back a bit later to set up the new weekly thread

Thanks for all your good wishes xx

I’m back and ready to set up the new thread, folks!