Hi I’m Catriona (Kah-tree-nah) and I live in NW Ireland. Super excited to have found a way of eating that not only is hugely successful in the short term, but also has a plan for the longer term!

I was always skinny as a child, but as soon as I started work, stopped doing all the hill-walking, canoeing, horse riding and other exercise I’d always done the weight started to creep on a bit, but really took off when I got married. Oh my gods, I love to cook, but portion control and a love of home made bread and pasta saw the pounds fly on. I managed to remain stable for years – overweight, oh OK, obese, but steady at 15stone. I was OK, not happy, but OK, various diets (SW. WW. etc.) got me down to 13 stone, but it all came back on again plus a bit more each time until I was 17 stone and 4lbs. I know, I know…..

However recently, i.e. in the past 3 months, my weight has skyrocketed up 19stone 2.75lbs. I’m already on BP medication, I’ve been hospitalised for it before, I have a brother who is diabetic and a family history of endocrine disorders and cancer. I was in major denial but didn’t know what to do. I know that slimming clubs work up to a point, but they weren’t giving me the direction or the scientific information I wanted plus a €10 a week I don’t think they’re great value, more a social thing. I felt fat, unlovely, y face and chin were podgy, my clothes were stretched to breaking point, my knees ached, ah, need I go on…..lack of energy, lack of enthusiasm, depression. All familiar to some of you I am sure.

I had heard of the 5:2 way of eating, so went to investigate it further, and found this, the Blood Sugar Diet. I spent a couple of days thoroughly researching scientific papers and so on and concluded that this was very likely the best put together way of eating I’d come across yet. Do-able for 8 weeks, but with direction and structure thereafter.

So, after my husband, who hasn’t been privy to my thoughts on this, told me I was morbidly obese and he needs to lose two stone or so as well, I thought, “I need to get a grip”. So I’ve ordered the book, and the recipe book, but with the resources on here, and on line, I’ve started today, pending the books’ arrival.

8 weeks, 8 weeks to quite bluntly save a life.

I’m on it, and glad to be here with everyone else !
Thanks for reading!
Catriona 🙂

Catriona … welcome.
Are you doing the Fast 800 for 8 weeks … or 5:2?

Lots of people here in the same boat … lots of good information and advice from people who’ve been here for a while already … and been through some ups and downs.

Hi Catriona,
Sounds like you have all the motivation needed. And you’re right. It’s just eight weeks, though lots of people carry on for longer because they are so impressed with the results and how easy this diet is, despite it being supposedly very low calorie. 800 calories doesn’t sound much, but so far I’ve never gone hungry or felt deprived. And I would never have said that about any other diet I’ve followed.
The people on here are really great and very willing to provide support or share information. So any questions, just ask away. Someone else is bound to have been there before and will happily share their experiences. All in all, I think it would be hard to find a friendlier bunch of people anywhere.
Good luck to you and your husband.

HI Shalimar, I am doing the 8 weeks BSD. Sorry to confuse!

Thank you Snoop! My husband is on board with this too, which is important from my perspective at least.

So glad to be here, I can’t tell you 😀

Hi Catriona. My slimming history is very similar to yours. I should be given shares in SW! It’s only 8 weeks. It is so doable. I am down 7 inches on my hips which is about 3 dress sizes. Feel so much better. My husband is calling me the incredible vanishing woman and is going to do it too now as he has a couple of stones to lose. All the best!

Hello SchnitzelvonKrumm 🙂 Thank you very much! Well done on your terrific achievement, I hope I can do half as well, and good to hear hubbie is wanting to do it as well – that always makes it easier i think!

No complaints from himself about dinner this evening, in fact he loved it. I did courgette, mushroom and goats cheese bake. Worked out really well, better than I thought it might.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Hi Catriona
I’m from Ireland too.
I’ve started this diet on Oct.1st and have lost 4 kilos!
I take it a day at a time but came off the diet for 2 days for work reasons, other than that I find that’s it’s surprisingly easy. I had been stuffing my face with 40 shades of chocolate and treats up to recently so drastic measures were called for.
I am not diabetic but my father was, I am very aware of its implications. My weight has gone up due to unhealthy eating and drinking habits. Mea Culpa!!
I hope to finish the 8 weeks and more. I intend to finish the diet at the end of November and take it from there.
So Catriona, good luck with this diet. It’s not as hard as it may seem. Go easy on yourself and take it a day at a time. I have become super organised since I started. I am also sleeping better and have more energy.
However, I’d climb barefoot through barbed wire for a bag of taytos and a bottle of lucozade!!!!

Cheers

Dia dhuit Happygirl, and thanks for the welcome! Well done on 4 kilos, that’s great 🙂

Do you know you’re absolutely right, one day at a time, and a bit of planning. I guess some days it’s going to be one meal at a time, and yes, Taytos – that did make me smile. Good to hear that your sleep has improved and you’ve more energy. I am determined to make it through these 8 weeks. I have to, but there are lots of resources and lots of people here to help, all of whom are in, or have been in the same boat.

Keep going Happygirl, and no Taytos, not yet! 😀

Well Catriona, you have been truly blessed to have a husband who will eat your lovely courgette bake. My husband is a fussy, fussy, fussy eater. Did I mention he was fussy?! Living without bread and potatoes (in chip form especially) is going to blow his mind!

Go raibh maith agat Catriona!

Great to hear that you are motivated and driven.
I have decided that I will make it too. I am going to control this situation.
You are very lucky to have your husband on board – mine is too. To be honest he was the one who said we need to do this!
But being a man – I had to work out the logistics of it and of course – the weight is falling off him. He has lost more than me – 9 kilos and he doesn’t miss chocolate!! Life is not fair!
Schnitzel – let your man buy his own bread and make his own chips! You hang in there as this diet will completely change your lifestyle.
I made a lovely courgette soup yesterday:
1 onion
2 courgettes
Basil/oregano/salt/black pepper
A little bit of olive oil

In a medium sized saucepan, fry the onion in the oil until it is soft/translucent
Peel one courgette and don’t peel the other one
Chop them up into small pieces and add them to the onion
Add your salt/pepper/herbs
Fry for about 3 minutes and add 1 or 2 litres of water
Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes
When the courgettes are soft – liquidize the mixture in the pan with a hand blender
Eat and enjoy.
I eat this, then I have 2 or 3 slices of cooked ham followed by a yoghurt at lunchtime.
I make lots of soup and bring it to work with either cooked ham or turkey etc.
It keeps me full at lunchtime and yoghurt takes the sting out of my hunger.

Anyway – have a great day and keep focused

Cheers

You’re right Happygirl. I’m not tempted one bit by his bread and chips as I have gone off carbs now. It is so freeing. He is encouraging and seeing my results is inspiring him to consider giving up the stodge 😁I’m going to make that soup for lunch today. I ever know what to do with courgettes apart from courgetti. Thanks for the idea!

THanks HappyGirl and Sschnitzel 🙂

My husband loves to hand make artisan bread at home, he’s always experimenting, it gets quite technical sometimes! We’ve knocked that on the head though, no more bread, though he is finishing up the loaf he made the other day, he’s got 2 stone to lose, so he’s not quite as pushed as I am! Ha ha yes, he’s full of encouragement, so long as I do all the organising, reading, and implementation 🙂

Good to hear that I will lose the desire for carbs in a while, not that on day 2 I am desperate or anything, still fired up, and pleasantly surprised by the dinner last night, I wasn’t hungry at all after it. Shocked to find there were 22g of carbs in a very average Pink Lady apple, thankfully citrus fruits are coming into season!

Love the sound of the soup, thank you. Here’s the courgette bake

Courgette and Goats cheese bake

Ingredients

• Serves 2
• 1 large courgette – diced
• 1 Red onion – roughly chopped
• 2 large Portobello Mushrooms chopped into chunks
• 1 pack of pancetta
• 3 large garlic cloves – chopped or crushed
• r 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 100g of goats cheese or feta
• 1 tbls olive oil

Method

1. Fry the pancetta in a dry non stick pan over a high heat to render the fat. Drain on some kitchen paper
2. in the same pan saute the onion for 3-4 mins over a medium heat
3. add the courgette and cook for a another 3 -4 mins
4. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 mins
5. Add the tomatoes and return the pancetta back the the pan. Stir through to heat, and put into an oven proof dish, Season to taste.
6. I cut the log of goats cheese (100g) in half and diced both halves. One half I put into the mixture and poked it down into the mix, the other half I laid on top.
7. Cook in the oven at 180 degree C for about 25-40 mins depending on how well you like your courgette cooked – I did mine for 35 minutes at Gas Mark 6 but it was still hot when I put it in.

Delicious and filling!

Tonight I’m going to do hot peppered mackerel on a rocket and watercress salad base with tomatoes (sounds a bit bleh, but actually really filling – the mackerel is oily, and I think that helps), with Fage full fat yogurt and berries! Full fat yogurt – yum!

Have a good day today 😀

Hello ladies

Thanks for the recipe – will definitely try it

It sounds absolutely delicious

Cheers