Sixturkeys if you don’t like this site or find it helpful fine.
Bye bye

Well that rather proves my point.
Do let us know when the in real life Verano (surmising husband was a top professional accountant or business owner) will meet up with the in real life Denise. You are geographically not that far. And obviously so ad idem.

Hi all, shame we are nowhere near each other Verano – different countries – or we could meet up. You wouldnt want to be here right now. We have wild fires in the Bay of Archechon for the second time in the last few years. Such a shame as it is a magnificent area. Unfortunately, it is impacting on us, so no swimming and have to keep windows shut, lots of smoke even though it is around 100kms from us. Hopefully, we are safe here but you never know if some idiot is going to drop a cigarette end in the grass.

Still losing weight and determined not to mess it up over the weekend. Have a good one.

Well I am ignoring sixturkeys so very rude!!
Very worrying about the wild fires everywhere now & near Bordeaux where we were last month on holiday. I will weigh tomorrow because I forgot today having already drunk a mug of coffee.
Keep safe everyone in the sunshine although it is cooler here in West Sussex around 25c.
Margaret xx

Hi Margaret, did you ever get to the Bay on your trip. I am sure you will have seen photos of the large Dune de Pilat, the largest non-moving sand dune in Europe. It was surrounded by a pine forest which went up in flames a couple of years ago due to arson. Such a shame for all the areas that are burning.

Haven’t checked in for a couple of days, as I had an unusually prolonged migraine episode, which took me out of action.
It’s really sad to see all the wild fires. So many places are being affected and so many beautiful habitats bring ravaged.
On the BSD front, things seem to be going well at the moment. Have been using Myfitnesspal to keep track of things and although carbs were up a couple of days and cals were over on one day, overall it’s balancing out across the week.
My weekly weigh in will be on Tuesday, so although I weigh daily, I’ll wait until Tuesday to report results.
Have a good weekend.

S-g when you move back you the UK we won’t be a million miles from each other so who knows!

Yes the wildfires this year seem to be far more widespread and far more severe. Really sad especially if they are set on purpose, which is quite often the case. Certainly when we had our apartment in Tenerife there were often forest fires in the National Forest and often set on purpose. The only good thing was that the pines always seemed to regenerated really well despite being burned almost to a cinder. Anyway, hope you stay safe in France s-g.

Sorry to hear about your migraine Sunny could it have had anything to do with your fast? You know I’m not a great lover of fasting so just throwing that one out there! Anyway, glad you’re getting on ok with myfitnesspal.

Margaret same happens to me sometimes so I take 0.6 lb of my weight. I weighed a mug with and without liquid and that’s what I came up with. A bit ad hoc I know but having the need to weigh everyday it makes me feel better!

So, to me. Well almost at the end of the third week of my ‘course’ and my weight loss overall is just about 1lb a week but it’s patchy to say the least. I’m finding some of the articles really interesting but the course is really aimed at people who eat a ‘normal’ western fast food/ little home cooked food diet. I think maybe I’m glossing over some of the information because I’m already comparatively low carb and eat pretty healthily. This week the articles have been mainly about mindset and have been really interesting but next week is ‘exercise’ and given my level of mobility I’m thinking this won’t be the best set of articles for me! I haven’t written them off yet but we will see.

I am a Tuesday ‘weigher’ this course has made me weigh on Mondays. I don’t like Mondays! I’m going back to my traditional weighing day… Tuesday!
Hope everyone has a good week without too much heat!

PS I’m having my second cataract op on Monday so may not be posting for a few days… looking forward to finally disposing of contact lenses!

Good luck with your cataract op Verano & I had an eye check a couple of days ago advising me I probably need my second one done as well. I have been referred back to SpaMedica & they were excellent first time around.
Fingers crossed for you on Monday
🤞🤞🍀
Margaret xx

I have just weighed & am pleased to say that I have lost 1.5lbs phew!! 😀
Excellent weight loss for you Verano 👏👏. S-G unfortunately I didn’t visit around the bay because we were on a river cruise & I hope SunnyB that you have recovered from your migraine?
Let us all put our best fort forward for next week 🤞🤞🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Thanks Wendy. My first one was also done at SpaMedica and it was excellent too!
Just need to get it done now when I look out of my right eye everything is bright when I look out of my left eye there is a brown haze over everything! It’s time!

All the best for tomorrow Verano, I remember you saying it was absolutely painless and gave me hope for when I have to have mine done (not yet). It will be wonderful to be able to see clearly.

Checked my weight and I am down quite a bit. Looked back on my records from last year and I have not been this weight since August last year. However, on the graph I also saw me at a kilo lighter so still something to aim for.

The fires are still raging but we are hopeful for some rain – looks like it is raining in Biscarrose – not far from Bordeaux. Fingers crossed. All those poor people losing their homes and everything. Keep saying we need to set up a grab-bag just in case of emergency but you dont think it is going to happen to you. Will look up what to put in it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Had a small slip up yesterday. It is still hot here so, although I really did stick to the plan, I had a chocolate Magnum. Just one little thing can make a big difference when you are on such low numbers. At least I resisted the wine so I must lose more and have another week before we have a night out. Weigh in is tomorrow.

Hello.
S-g sounds like you’re doing well. So sad to see the horrendous fires especially in France but seems to be lots of other places in Europe too. The really sad thing is that some are set on purpose and others are just a result of carelessness. Let’s hope they are all under control soon and yes that it rains!

Thank you for your good wishes but I’m afraid they fell on deaf ears. I turned up for my appointment but my blood pressure was too high for me to have the surgery! I don’t suffer from high blood pressure nor do I take medication it’s ’blood pressure monitor cuff’ syndrome! Anyway I’ll see the doctor tomorrow morning and we’ll make a plan from there. The only problem is that his plan is medication and I’m a medication phobic! We will just have to see! Meanwhile I’ve had to order more contact lenses.

I am so sorry to hear this Verano it must have been upsetting as well as frustrating 🙁 Hopefully another appointment can be quickly arranged for you 🤞🤞
Margaret xx

Sorry your cataract op was cancelled Verano. Hope you can get it sorted out soon.
Thank you for your concern about my migraine. My past experience of both fasting and migraine would suggest my fasting probably wasn’t a contributing factor. However on the Wednesday, my grandson and I did some volunteer gardening and although we had drinks with us, I think I probably under hydrated, which might well have been part of the problem.
SG, that blip will soon be dealt with, I’m sure you’ll be back on track and seeing the desired results soon.

So it’s Tuesday and time for me to report in on my first week’s result, which I’m pleased to say is better than I’d hoped with a drop.of 3.8lb. Think this is probably one of the best results I’ve ever had in a week. There won’t be another drop lle that, so now of course the challenge is to keep up the momentum, but at present I’m feeling positive and confident, so fingers crossed. Have an eating out event on Thursday, but my plan is to make that my only meal for that day and avoid the carbs.

Looking forward to reading how everyone else is doing … Good luck for the coming week folks.

Hi everyone, Verano, so sorry to hear about your op. Hubby has the same problem, called white coat syndrome, even his cardiologist ignores it and during a session always takes BP at the start and then at the end when he is a bit more relaxed. I do have high BP but I always do 10 mins meditation before I go for an appointment then while I am waiting to go in I do some deep breathing.

Sunny that is a great result, you are on your way.

My weigh in today shows a loss of exactly 1 kg. So I am on track to 1kg a month but now need to lose for July/August so I am actually behind a bit.

The skys were clear blue this morning so the smoke has gone. We are forecast back up to 42 tomorrow but only for one day then back down to the mid 30’s. Had a lovely swim.

Have a good week.

Thanks everyone but good news! Saw my GP this morning and blood pressure was fine, he wrote a letter to the clinic and I know have a new appointment for Thursday morning! And that’s with the NHS, can’t knock them at all.

Well done on all the weight losses hope it renews everyone’s enthusiasm.
Have a good week.

Thats great Verano. Fingers crossed for Thursday.

Lost more weight and hoping to see at 7 and a 3 by Monday. Managed a swim this morning before it got too hot – currently 38 but heading for 42. Just hope it doesnt ignite the fires again.

Just one thing. Anyone tried Beetroot supplements. I have been taking statins for years and now on a quite high dose. I always said no effects until I remember the night cramps that have me crying and rubbing my legs and sometimes my arms. Then I read they cause hand weakness – I am often dropping things. And finally, thick fuzzy head. I have to litterally drag myself out of bed, okay I dont sleep well at the best of times but even when I have a good night, I cant shift myself. Then I read it could all be related to the statins. I am going to try a high nitrate beetroot supplement but wondered if anyone has tried this. I have researched and they dont clash with any of my other meds.

Well done s-g! It works when it works!

So a minor blip for me today the nurse from the clinic didn’t know why I’d been booked in for surgery tomorrow … left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing but nonetheless pleased to see they are thorough!

So I’m into week 4 of my Second Nature course now and I have to say I’m enjoying it and learning some new things. This week is devoted to exercise which is difficult for me but learnt something new … in a nutshell, and I may not be right here, but weight training, using muscles leads to less insulin resistance. So I got out my weights, well just a kilo each, and my resistance band and will try to use them every day after my meditation and before my ‘mindful’ breakfast!

V, glad you have sorted it out. One thing I learnt from the paid Fast800 site was the importance of weight training. I try to do a bit everyday if it is not too hot. Also, Pilates to stretch out the fascia – whatever that is – and for core strength. Just a few squats with arm bends with dumb bells. At our age we dont need to be slim and lithe, we need to be strong.

I hope all goes well today with your cataract op Verano & coincidentally I am also booked into SpaMedica next Tuesday for a pre-op visit because they want to operate on the cataract in my right eye now before laser correcting my left one because cataracts take priority 🤔
S-G it’s interesting what you have said about weight training because I have weights & used to use them in my Jane Fonda exercises but have not done that exercise routine for awhile now 🙁I think I must get back to doing it all because it also includes some balance exercises & although I didn’t use my balance stick whilst playing bowls yesterday I am still rather wonky😂
I am trying to eat sensibly this week but I think my poor sleep does also affect ability to lose weight.
Take care everyone
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, hope everything goes well today Verano. You are probably home by now.

Received my beetroot supplements today – it has to be a certain type called rosabella – you open the capsule and if it is brown its no good, it has to be purple/red. Hoping for a return of my energy if nothing else.

Margaret, it is my daughter who has led me to weights although I have always used weights with some exercises like arm raises. But now I concentrate on the weights rather than aerobics. If you do a raise with a weight, instead of letting it down, hold it half way to give you more strength. As for balance. Every night I stand on one leg while brushing my teeth, my brush has a timer so I do 30 seconds on each leg. You can hold on because the point is to give your muscle more strength not just worry about your balance, that will follow. I can now stand on one leg for 1 minute, the thing that stops me going longer is my ankle starts to ache. When we start to fall we can now put one leg forward to catch us and it will be strong enough to hold us up, or at least break our fall.

We keep learning all the time.

Good afternoon.

Thanks for all your well wishes …. they worked! Procedure went smoothly and very little in the way of issues. I had a bit of an ‘ache’ last night and didn’t sleep too well because I was suppose to sleep on my back or the other side neither of which suited. Anyway, apart from light sensitivity all is well. It’s great not to have to wear contacts anymore!

Margaret hope all goes well with your pre-op. I had my first op in February and I must admit having this one in the summer with bright sunny days has meant I’m walking around the house with sunglasses on, a bit pretentious but necessary. Try and arrange to have yours done when we get a wet spell!

I can’t exercise at the moment but as soon as I can I’m definitely going to build some weights into my general routine.

Have a good weekend.

I’m so pleased everything went well Verano 👏👏. I will find out on Tuesday why they don’t want to laser my left eye because I don’t think the cataract in my right eye is bad enough yet to need to be removed but I suppose I could have it done because it’s all NHS & availability etc. My optician seemed very definite that I should discuss my cataract so perhaps it is worse than I think & he didn’t want to discuss it with me since I looked so unenthusiastic 🤔
Thank you S-G & my toothbrush also has a timer on & I do try to stand on one leg but wobble & often lean against the towel rail😂. I have weighed & unfortunately gained 0.75lbs which is irritating because I ate carefully last week but obviously not carefully enough. However I will get out my Jane Fonda dvd & restart doing exercises with my hand weights!!
Take care Verano & I will take my sunglasses with me because I’m sure my eye will be dilated to examine it.
Have a good week everyone 👍
Margaret xx

Not much to report. Weight is still dithering around 74.4, not quite got to my lowest yet which was 74.2. Still hoping for a 73.9 on the scales by Monday. We are going to our monthly quiz night so expecting a blip up. I have a zoom call with someone called Valeria Lopez who does a free consultation. She promises it is free and no hard sell. I have given her my details healthwise and I think she will say there is nothing she can do due to the insulin injections. We will see.

Finally got round to booking a cruise for next year. I have been wanting to go to Greece and Turkey but it is a long cruise and usually on a massive ship. It is 20 days but on a medium ship so hubby is okay and I have decided as a seasoned cruiser I dont have to do everything every day. I love dressing up for dinner but when you have done it 9 nights in a row it gets a bit wearing, after 12/14 nights I just want to go home. So it will be jeans (or shorts) and the buffet when I dont feel like making an effort. Also on P&O they do a lot more daytime events like cooking, yoga, bowls, lectures etc, so I will keep myself busy. Anyway, main point – I have a lot of weight to lose and something to do it for.

Still hot here at around 29/30 but that is so much cooler than 40. Enjoy the weekend.

Temp up to 36 today, sat out having brunch and had to come in as starting to feel sick. I dont do hot weather very well and France didnt used to be this hot.

Weight now down to 74.2 which is the lowest I have been in a long time but never really moved past that. So, besides a meal out tomorrow for the quiz, I am determined to get down to 73.0.

Hello.
Just wanted to pop in to make sure I’m still ‘accountable’!

Things going very slowly here but definitely on a downward trend so all good really.
I don’t eat bread but have become obsessed with baking my own sourdough. I’v got all the equipment so now I just have to make my ‘starter’. Think this new hobby might keep me occupied for a while. Thank goodness for YouTube!!

Hope everyone is well and as we are starting a new week let’s make it a good one!

Hi all, so much for my Zoom call being free. Received a reminder to log onto zoom and she sent a short video to give me an idea of what it was all about. Straight off she said if you decide to go with my services there is an initial fee of £2,500. I contacted her and said it wasnt worth my time as I wasnt going sign up and she came back with the emotional blackmail – so you dont want to invest in your health. Funny thing is we ended up having a very long chat via whatsapp and finally convinced her that I knew as much as she does and she would not be of any help. So I have an hour free tomorrow to look at some cruise tours.

Quiz night has been cancelled due to lack of interest. A lot of people are away or dont like going to a stuffy restaurant in this heat. Good news is they are having air con put in so maybe next one on first Monday in September. We actually had some rain today – about 10 minutes. Yeah.

Glad you are doing well Verano but that sour dough will be very hard to resist. I know, my daughter makes it all the time, just the smell is enough to drive you to carb heaven.

Verano, you’ve much more will power than me to resist homemade sour dough! Glad to hear you’re doing well though.
SG, the call thing sounds very frustrating, but at least you now know you’d have gained little from it and comforting to know you have all the tools you need to move forward.
Thought I’d report in my result for the past week … no progress made … no loss, no gain. Did drip by a pound on Saturday, but that didn’t consolidate and the scales have blipped back up.
Onward and hopefully downward then. This week isn’t going to be a normal one, as from tomorrow I’m visiting with my Dad, which means a bit less control on the menu. That said, I shall be vigilant and try not to get too far off piste.
Hope everyone else is doing well … looking forward to reading about your progress. Keep going everyone.

Hi there, just reporting in but no real news. Still at 74.4 or should I say, back down to. However, we are going out for a meal on Saturday and intending to enjoy it. It is because the quiz night was cancelled and we only go out once a month usually. We are going to a concert in the church in Bergerac on Sunday but no food involved – we might call for a drink after but as it is a Sunday most places will be closed.

Nearly the weekend so enjoy.

Sunny I haven’t made the bread yet! Just started the starter today, so we shall see when it comes out of the oven! I’ve almost perfected the bagels but I only eat one a week …. my treat!

S-g I was just looking back today to when we first started here and yes I lost a quite a lot of weight and yes I’ve put quite a lot back on but I’m still a good 20lbs less than I was 10 years ago. So taking a long view, if we hadn’t been following this way of life how much would we weigh, how would our health in general be, how would our T2 in particular be???

I think we have to take today, wherever we stand as a win. Ten years on and, I’m sure, in far better health than we would have been without BSD.

Onwards towards better health and let’s worry a little less about the number on the scale!
Have a good weekend.

Hello everyone & amazingly I have lost a pound in weight despite going to a Michelin starred cream tea for our 52nd wedding anniversary on Monday & having some wine & puddings at supper this week. I had my Spa-Medica pre-op appointment on Tuesday & I have to go ahead with my second cataract op in a couple of weeks time. I do now find lying still with my head tilted back very uncomfortable particularly with not being able to move my head for twenty minutes as I found out with my hygienist appointment on Thursday so I suppose it was a useful practice session 🤔. Oh well needs must but I will ask for a sedative this time to try to feel more relaxed.
On the more amusing side my husband & I will be going to a Medieval Joust on Sunday which is a local annual event with a set up village with craft lessons & music, & sword fighting & jousting on horses.The temperature is on the rise again so taking water & using sun tan lotion although the village is set up in shade amongst trees. When we went before The Medieval Babes were singing which was very enjoyable but not sure who is this year.
Well best feet forward for next week everyone 🤞👍
Margaret xx

Hello, I’m new here but could not find an introductory thread. I have a huge amount of weight to lose but everything seems to be against me. I’m T2 so that’s the first issue I want to address as I feel tired ALL the time. I started on Monday with two shakes a day (not ideal, I know) and one small meal in the evening with fat, protein and unprocessed carbs. Going well so far.
In the past, when I was younger, I lost six stone in six months on keto – keto doesn’t seem to work for me post menopause!
Just wanted to say hello!

Wendy I’m sure I had a pillow under my head and also under my knees, I can honestly say it wasn’t as uncomfortable as a hygienist appointment. I was more stressed than I realised for my second one but actually the results feel better even just 9 days post op. A sedative might be a good idea though. Well done on the loss!

Skulder, hello and welcome. These boards aren’t as active as they used to be but you have come to the right place for help and support. There are a few of us who have been here for many years and probably stay here to stop us falling into our old ways again.

If I can give you one piece of information that I wish I had known a lot sooner it’s that carbs are the real secret to controlling T2 and not weight per se. Yes weight is a contributory factor but carbs are our real enemy: bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.

I found this Way of Eating back in 2016. I had T2 but my blood sugar was not that high really although I was on the highest dose of Metformin with the threat of another drug being added. I found Michael Mosley and I followed a low carb diet of 50g per day, roughly. At that time I was guided by my doctor and came of Metformin slowly. Anyway my T2 has been in remission for over 9 years now. I do eat the odd potato and I have low carb bread a couple of times a week, but I tend to stay away from rice and pasta and that seems to work for me.

You say you have ‘unprocessed carbs’ can you elaborate please. Having brown rice or pasta or bread doesn’t really work. If you check the carbs you will see they are still very high. There are lots of ‘tricks’ such as cauliflower mash instead of potatoes, even cauliflower pizza bases! I usually have sliced green vegetables as a base for curry and it’s amazing how quickly your ‘sweet tooth’ disappears. In time you will find lots of things are just too sweet. You say you followed a keto diet which is really just a very very low carb diet so I’m sure you will have no problem with the Blood Sugar Diet.

Good luck on your new journey!

I am on my way out to a concert in Bergeac cathedral. Classical. Just wanted to say hi to Skulder, and welcome to the site and our little thread. We are a few T2’s so are in a good position to advice you. Maybe a bit more info like meds, how long diagnosed, fingerprick or HbA1c numbers and a typical days meals. Only as much as you feel comfortable with telling us. We have all been at the start of this process and know just how frightening it can be. Take care.

Margaret well done on the weight loss. You will be fine with your operation, yes a sedative might help.

Got to go – BTW it is 36 degrees and 7.30 in the evening. Water and a fan will be with me in the cathedral although I hope it will be cool.

Welcome Skulder … hope you are settling into this way of eating and beginning to see results. Personally, this way of WoE which is similar to keto (but possibly a little less stringent) was the only thing that worked for me post menopause. I find it’s essential for me to manage the carbs if I want to see lower readings on the scales. SG and Verano are the best people to advise on any T2 issues with the BSD and I know they will offer you support if needed.

I’ve been away to stay with my Dad for a few days and given this meant a bit less control on the menu, was impressed the scales only read 0.5lb higher than when I left home.

Today is a fasting day, which I always find easier in hot weather and I’ll be reporting in tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well, look forward to reading your results soon.

SG, hope you survived the concert okay.

Hi all, a few days ago I said I was down to 74.4 (for the second time) but after my Saturday meal I am up to 75.7. How does that happen. I had 3 courses and I eat very little, the waitress even asked if there was something wrong with the food. Of course I had several glasses of wine and a Kir. I know it is the alcohol but for heavens sake can I not have a meal and a drink once a month without ruining all my hard work.

I had a long chat with AI and I’ll say she – she told me my medication regime is the worst for weight gain or holding onto weight. She gave me a lot of advice about various chats I can have with my doctor and honestly I have already had them all. She suggested SGLT2 but what I didnt realise is they have to be taken with Metformin and Metformin makes me ill. So, new stragegy, she said my numbers are running so low I am almost hypo – I am at around 80 to 85, each morning fasting. She said I should be at 90 to 100. Plan is the reduce insulin by 2 units and not panic when I see my BG go up each morning. She said it will settle down when my body gets used to it. Also said I should do a test 2 hours after a meal and gave me a range I should be in. I have never bothered after meals checks but it is something I will do. We are all learning all the time. I forgot today and cant do it in the evening as it clashes with having already taken insulin so will do an after lunch test.

Concert last night was mixed. The cathedral is massive and there must have been around 1000 people. The music was okay but I was sat behind a man who insisted on draping his arm over the back of the chair and he really needed some deoderant. Directly behind me was a woman who clapped like a seal with flippers – nearly deafened me. When we left the wind whipped up and we were about to stop for a coffee at a bar when the tables and chairs when off down the road. So we quickly made it to the car before the heavens opened up and we had one hell of a storm – thunder, lightening from 3 directions and the wind. We drove home slowly and got home safe and were grateful for the rain. What an evening.

Take care in the heat everyone. We are absolutely sick of it.

Welcome Skulder & I hope you have a good week!
Thank you Verano and I will ask for pillows & a sedative for my cataract op😊 which is next Monday.
Gosh S-G well you at least have some rain but what an evening & I know what you mean about gentlemen needing a deodorant because I played short mat bowls with one who I found difficult to stand next to which was rather awkward being in the same team 🙁
The joust was interesting but my husband & I bowed out early after seeing the jousting event & being there five hours because we were becoming rather overcome by the heat & not eating very wisely with a sausage roll then after watching a cookery demonstration of making Tudor bread, a bread roll & butter🫣. Oh dear trying to do better today with a big mixed salad with some spicy chicken, chorizo, avocado, pine nuts & a little cheese plus some cubed beetroot that I had boiled after being given four by a neighbour. I have never handled or cooked raw beetroot before so a new experience for me 😂
Keep on going everyone & take care in the heat. My husband & I will be driving up to London for lunch with friends & the temperature will be 37c!
Margaret xx

S-g I talk to AI all the time but I have assumed my ‘mentor’ is male!!!
Anyway glad you’re finding it useful. I’ve been using it for my sourdough starter and have to say it’s pushing me in the right direction! Glad you’ve had rain anyway even if it could have been better timed,

Wendy I’m 12 days in and have to say that I think this post surgery is easier than the last. I really don’t think the actual procedure takes more than 5-10 minutes it’s just all the time beforehand with eye drops etc. Very best wishes for next Monday I’m sure you’ll be fine. It’s just the beforehand that we have to deal with! It’s worth the stress!

So I’m now into week 6 of my Second Nature course. I have to say that there are lots of posters so that helps to keep the momentum up. It’s not really a weight loss ‘diet’ per se but more a lifestyle change for T2 or pre diabetics. So for us we already know about low carb so from that aspect not really helpful. But the daily ‘articles’ and the obvious enthusiasm really do help. Anyway, almost half way through for me and I will keep going, weight loss is slow but hey… it is what it is!

Have a good week.

Thank you Verano I will post how I get on if I am still able to read with my existing reading glasses😀
Margaret xx

I’m trying to focus more on consistency than quick results. Keeping meals simple, watching portions and getting some regular movement in seems much easier to maintain than making big changes all at once.

I also think it helps not to get too discouraged by the scale. Looking at how you feel, your energy and your overall progress can give you a better picture over time.

Well I am back down into the 74’s but not quite what I was before. Always motivated and never give up. As I always say my BG is more important than my weight. Reduced insulin to 18 units and BG is still under 90 in the morning. Been doing post meal testing and still staying within the limits between 140-180. Scraped in yesterday at 179 so things are as they should be. Not going to do this every day, just a couple to see how meals affect me and how my BG behaves.

My new goal is to lose weight for daughters visit in 5.5 weeks, and for doctors visit in 5 weeks and blood tests in 4.5. Again, more interested in BG and want to be in the mid 6’s. My weight goal was 1kg per month but want to up that over the next 5 weeks. Not giving a number, just want to see the scales go down consistently.

Verano, when I use voice AI is speak to a man – thats on Gemini – but if I am just on google I imagine a woman. I asked a simple question about weight gain and my medication. She gave me an answer but then she prompted me by asked me a question – like, do you take other meds, do you have other medical problems. And the conversation went on until she knew my life history. One thing I didnt like is this morning I was setting my watch for timing my swim and it asked me if I had taken my Glicalizide and if so did I need some carbs. So now my watch knows everything about me. A bit scary.

All the best for your operation Margaret.

Enjoy the eclipse but stay safe. You are all around my age so probably experienced one before.

Hope your recovery is continuing to progress nicely, Verano and that your op will go well, Margaret.

Seems you have a solid plan, SG and sounds like you have dropped back after that blip on the scales earlier in the week, which must be a relief.

Yesterday got very busy, hence my not posting my weekly result as usual. Glad to say things are continuing on a downward trend, with another pound gone. This puts me at 13lb above target and 7lb outside of the right stone bracket, so still work to do. I’m determined to get as many pounds ditched as possible before our next trip away though, which will be towards the end of September.

Keep up the good work everyone 👏🏻 👍🏻

Weight still going down. I was worried because yesterdayI ate a Magnum chocolate ice cream – it was so hot and I dont feel guilty but was a little worried. Also worried about my Bg but it stayed steady. I am now running at 100, which my AI pal tells me is a good number to be at. My weight is 74.3 with 74.2 being the lowest, so nearly there. I have to remain strong over the weekend rather than use it as an excuse for a treat. Want to be down to 72 in 5 weeks.

They came to delivery our propane gas yesterday but had to go away as the temperature of the tank was so dangerously high – over 40 -that he couldnt risk it. They will come back when it is cooler which is hopefully next week when we will be back in the mid 30’s. Daughter sent a message this morning ‘mum, yesterday was terrible, impossible to do anything’. Yes I know dear.

So sorry to see the fires in the UK, especially the houses but I am also sick of people on talk shows complaining they are sick of being told it is hot as they are intelligent enough to look out of the window and know it is hot. Apparently not intelligent enough to know you dont start barbeques in wooded areas or flick cigarette ends or even leave an empty bottle laying in the grass after a picnic. The warnings are not to say it is hot, it is to say be careful and be aware of the dangers. I am sure SunnyB will back me up with her experience of Turkey but here in France we do things to mitigate the heat like close shops during the hottest part of the day and open in the evening. My gardener turned up at 7.30am at the last heatwave and worked until 1230, so still did nearly a full days work. Anyway you dont need a lecture from me as I am sure you all do the right things like keeping windows and curtains closed all day – none of this letting in the fresh air, there is no fresh air. Hey ho. Hope it soon passes. BTW I am sat here in my pants and bra with a fan on my upper half.

Have a good weekend everyone, we are not doing anything except a walk into the market in the morning to buy some real sausage and bacon. The French stuff is not to our taste.

Good afternoon.

All well here thanks Sunny and finished my eye drops on Thursday. Must admit I am using my iPad without reading glasses now so all looking good. Glad the scales are moving down for you.

Well done on all fronts s-g. I’m sure you will make your 5 week goal.

Yes lots of people, unthinking people, are taking this heat situation far too lightly. The really sad part is that many fires, here and throughout Europe, are caused by ‘carelessness’ or should I say by people who are just ‘selfish’ without care for themselves, others, or their environs. Let’s hope they are soon under control.

So just a ‘tip’ if anybody needs it. This morning I emptied out a cupboard with lots of white ovenware dishes. They were all heavily marked with grey ‘cracks’. I was about to send them to the charity shop but thought I’d ‘speak’ to my pal on AI first. He suggested damp sponge with either Bar Keepers Friend or Astonish, rub and rinse well. It worked!!! I now have sparkling ‘new’ ovenware!
Funny but I never thought before but it’s only the inside that gets marked, it’s from the metal cutlery we use!

So on Monday I’ll be half way through my course. Yes it’s useful despite knowing a lot about low carb etc. I think it’s aimed mainly at people with T2 who really don’t have a good diet with lots of fast food and UPF’s and for them I think it’s great full of good information.
I’m enjoying the ‘contact’ everyday because it reminds me each day to be mindful. So yes if your GP/nurse ever suggest this course I would say yes it’s worth doing.
When it comes to weight loss I’m with my 1lb a week and if I have learned anything it’s to calm down when it comes to the ‘number’ on the scale and to be happy with a drop of 1lb a week. After all that’s 52lbs in a year!!!!!

We had just a smidgeon of rain today let’s hope next week will bring more…. who would have ever thought we hoped for rain!!!!!