Denise Susan welcome to Australia and I’m glad your trip is going well 🙂 it certainly was hot on Saturday, western Sydney suburbs reached 48.9 degrees and was the hottest place on earth that day! It was a cool 46 where I am, I spent the day watching tv and reading in front of the air con.
Green & white – you are doing so well 🙂 Most people have a big reduction in weight during the first week or so, then it starts to slow down. Plateaus are different for everyone, but weeks 3-4 seem to be when it happens for a lot of us. From memory you can expect to lose about 10% of your start weight in the first 8 weeks. It is different for everyone though, it took me about 10 months to lose 12kg for example.
There is a lady on the Facebook group I’m a member of who lost 4stone in 12 weeks, and of course there’s many members on the forum who have had decent losses.

‘Hi GreenandWhite.
Your post reminds me to welcome the newbies from one of my favourate soap boxes ::-) Measuring progress via the scales is not a good idea. Measuring progress using photos, tape measure, and how you feel are much more appropriate and are more sustainable longer term. Please don’t feel that this post is aimed at you, – Your post is simply the reminder to pass on information to help all the newcomers avoid making the same mistakes I made when starting out. –

If you were eating a high carb diet when you started then your body will have had to store water to help process the carbs. As soon as you reduce the carbs your body starts to release the stored water. So you will be seeing impressive changes on the scales initially, but that comes for some with feeling down when this stage is over. The following are some of the reasons why its not a good idea to focus too much on the scales.

————————-

Your weight will fluctuate based on what you eat each day. For example a litre of water weights a kilo. So depending on where you are in your water in / out cycle each day your weight will fluctuate by upto 2k. Then there is the weight of the food you have eaten in your digestive track. 800 calories of celery weighs far more than 800 calories of cheese. 🙂

So if you really want to use the scales as a way of measuring progress, monitoring over time rather than comparing each day is best.

———————————–

Each lb of fat you carry is equal to 3500 calories. For the average person that means that the best you can hope for in fat loss on a water only fast for 24 hours is 0.5lbs. If you have been yoyo dieting for years and have damaged your metabolism (as many of us on this forum have) then you will not achieve even that.

But its not as simple as that. your scales will not be telling you how your body composition has changed. We are on this forum because we now know that carbs raise insulin which prevents our body from accessing our fat stores. But also raised insulin levels also effect other systems of the body, like how the body repairs itself. – The strength of our bones and how muscle recovers from exercise all depend on growth hormone and raised levels of insulin block the work of growth hormone. Having strong bones particularly as we age is really important for good health. But strong bones weigh more, which is why body shape is a better measure of progress than the scales.

Finally there is the whoosh effect, no one is sure why, but we go through periods of no change in the scales for days / weeks but you can see changes in the texture of the skin, and then suddenly overnight the scales drop. Our bodies don’t use all the fat from a single cell at a time but from a range of cells. There are theories out that about the whoosh effect but is an area where the scientists don’t know what causes the effect.
—————–

Don’t dispare, remember, the only person who sees the reading on the scales is normally you, so why give such power to statistics that no one else cares about.

Hi all,
Another returner here!!! Back with a vengeance to get rid of the weight gain. I lost over a stone at the beginning of last year and was maintaining well but then had a bout of bad mental health for around 8 months and alcohol and food was my go to… I saw myself gradually gain a stone and a half so not a good thing. I am now however on the mend and feeling really positive. I am on day 5 of the diet and dry January with a holiday to focus on in mid February. The scales are being the scales but i know that if i keep going and am patient they will catch up with my determination. I’m feeling that starting this is a really positive move for myself and already I think i have got over the worst of the withdrawal at the beginning (esp the post Xmas booze withdrawal) and am now feeling good and flying into January.

I hope everyone is feeling well and things are going OK so far.
Much love,
Rebecca xx

First day didn’t go to plan! I found it really, really difficult to stay out of the chocolate box! That carb monster was fighting real hard! Returned to work today after a fortnight and I was really busy. My central heating boiler was condemned yesterday so we have no heating and no hot water at home and quite frankly I was feeling very sorry for myself. I have made in roads into getting back on the wagon but today was not as I had hoped and it was really hungry. I skipped breakfast and took home made mushroom soup to work with an egg and a couple of slices of quorn. For my evening meal I had two vegan sausages and some roasted sprouts. I will try even harder tomorrow but it was harder than I remember to go cold turkey. There are already some good losses being reported on here already so hats off to anyone who is doing well. I hope to lose at least 1lb by Friday so tomorrow had better be better than today was! Hopefully, shivering in a cold house may help the weight loss!

Keep plodding everyone. Tomorrow is another day. MUST TRY HARDER!

ClarinetCathy – I have been struggling the last couple of days as well, after a fairly easy start to the new year. I am managing to steer clear of chocolate, but my carb monster is after the salty, crunchy sort of carbs, especially in the evenings.
I made a broccoli rabe and mushroom frittata this evening which was quite nice and will keep me going with lunches for the rest of the week. I’m hoping that will help keep me on track.
I had some further confirmation the last couple of days that my iron supplements are doing something as I have a layer of peach fuzz all over my scalp, which I take to mean that my hair is finally growing back! It had got really thin and what was left was quite dry and brittle. Here’s hoping I see some improvements to metabolism in the near future as well. KOKO everyone.

Hi everyone,
I’m a newbie here. It’s been interesting reading through the comments people have written. We’re all looking for that extra support to help us stay on track! Hats off to those people that spend their spare time writing words of encouragement and support to others.

I started back on the BSD yesterday after about 18mths of on and off weight gain. After returning from an epic holiday in amazing shape, I swore I would never go back to being at my heaviest but I’ve managed that plus some. I’ve never been a fan of the scales, rather I go on the fit of my clothes and how I feel but I made myself take to the scales for the first time yesterday in a long time and got a rude shock at being the heaviest I have ever been in my life. It’s crazy, I can’t believe I am here but I DO understand how I got here. New boyfriend, lots of indulging and social drinking and putting my training and exercise second has been my downfall.
Anyway, I am hoping I can keep my motivation going by reading through all of your comments and taking a little something onboard for my own journey through January and beyond.
Here’s to getting my body back, my knees feeling better, riding my bike being more fun, fitting into my denim overall shorts again, and just generally feeling a lot more focused and healthy in my day to day life! Good luck to all on your journeys through Jan!

Hi all – I’d like to join the monthly thread. I’ve just posted on the weekly thread a bit of an intro to myself. I’m a returner and did the BSD a couple of times with success while I stuck to it but sadly couldn’t sustain it. I had some bad results for my diabetes check up so I’m tackling this again and hope to get my bg and weight down and keep it down this time! I know this is a way of life and not a quick fix and I’m determined to make this a permanent change.
I look forward to sharing your journey with you 🙂

Hi all! I started today!
I’ve tried this diet before and had some success, which makes it a little easier this time, although it’s still tough at times.
Looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you!

One week! It’s been pretty good, well very good with the diet but my mind is acting up so I need to really work on my stressers. I agree totally to not focus only on the weight loss. In fact I’d say to keep the weight off once lost you have to really be focusing on your life and what makes you eat or eat the things that are not so great for your health etc. I am learning this, time and time again I falter but I am learning.

*cough* However, for me, the scale weight is something that keeps me motivated. I do also measure. My weight is now down 2.75 kilos from this time last week. It has now slowed as expected. My clothes feel so much more comfortable and some I will probably be ditching soon as they were at the higher end of what size fits me. I, like many, have a wardrobe full of many different sizes so be interesting to see in the next few weeks what I can fit back into… I take any and all motivators!

I hope everyone had a good week, wishing you all the best for this… It can be tough but the weeks will happen anyway so may as well stick with it – I mean, why not! – stay strong. 🙂

Hi everyone, lots of positive thoughts happening here at the moment, which is great to see.
I managed to avoid eating giant sized cookies at work today that someone had brought in. It was surprisingly easy. My brain automatically went “ooh, cookies” at first, but then in the next second I realized that I really didn’t feel like having one. I suspected that my low iron status was driving sweet and starch cravings, but I think this proves it. I’m able to say no a lot easier than I could before. I’m also concentrating better at work and not looking for an afternoon pick-me-up of sugar or carbs to help me focus. This is my 4th day back at work this month and I haven’t yet reached for an afternoon snack. I’ve just completed week 5 of heavy duty iron supplementation and it takes roughly 4 months to really see the full effects, so I’m excited to see if any other changes happen as well. It seems like a good reminder that when we are trying to change behaviour, it may not work if there is a physical cause driving the unwanted behaviour. Have to fix the physical problem first and then work on any remaining behaviours. The same could be said for behaviours driven by stress as well, I suppose. Have to fix/reduce the stress first.

Hi guys
Everyone seems to be so positive, I need some advice from our Aussie friends here if anyone has any knowledge on medical treatment and work visa. My son was out walking with me last night and caught his foot and we have ended up in A&E!! MRI this afternoon and suspect surgery will be needed!! He is due to complete his farm work but can’t get any sense out of the government department we rang!!
Anyone on here got any experience with foreign nationals it is all a bit of a mine field!! Paid was then told we didn’t need to so I am very confused!!

Under the reciprocal healthcare arrangements, British citizens resident in the UK and travelling on a British passport are entitled to limited subsidised health services from Medicare for medically necessary treatment while visiting Australia. This does not cover pre-existing conditions, or treatment that does not require prompt attention. These provisions do not apply to non-visitors, for example those who are studying in Australia.
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/australia/health

And …
https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/when-you-visit-australia/visiting-from-united-kingdom

The agreement covers:

medically necessary care out of hospital
medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital
some PBS prescription medicines at the general rate.

Thanks Green and white for the links, his farm work visa seems to be the most difficult bit to try to get a straight answer for but I guess we will take it one step at a time!! Results of MRI will be next step.
We were going out for a meal when it happened and ended up not eating but going to a bar for some ice so I had soda water today at the hospital I had frittata so certainly sticking to the diet haha
Well done all of you so positive. Xx

Hey guys,

I’m just wondering what you all are doing in terms of nutrients carb/fat/protein ratio? I’m trying to keep low carb but wondering if I’m in overkill and bordering on Keto? Currently doing around 30g carb. I do feel really energised though all things considered.

If anyone is willing to share the rough ratios they’ve found to work I’d be very thankful 🙂

Good morning all – hope you’re all well
Denise Susan – I’m so sorry to hear about your son, I do hope you get everything sorted and he gets better very soon.
Arcticfox – well done avoiding those cookies…giant cookies sound amazing…yum…. oh dear….
PositiveSpin – you’re absolutely right about looking at your life and motivators to keep overeating. That is definitely my problem. I have done the 8 week BSD before and I know it works but then gradually go back to all my old habits. I am putting some time into trying to understand why I keep sabotaging my own health…I’m trying to learn too…

Well, I’m finishing my first week today and I’m pretty pleased with myself. I’ve tried to stick to my daily 800 calories and haven’t really been tempted-I’m very determined. I’m sure one reason for this is the general positive vibe on this thread. Others’ success is very motivating!

The changes I’ve noticed this week are a general feeling to lightness-both physically and mentally. Despite having a stinking cold and a hacking cough, I feel positive about the changes I’m making to improve my health-even the dry January!

WK1: 6lbs lost

Hi everyone and great to hear lots of positive news on here. It’s nice that it’s such a busy thread too! I read every single post and am cheering you all on. It can be easy to lose track though, so I do hope that everyone’s questions are getting answered as we go along: if not please just shout. Maybe we should have an agreed emoji for “hello is anybody out there”?!

Special shout out to Denise Susan – I hope your son gets the medical help and employment advice he needs, and that you personally can still enjoy some fabulous times out in Oz X

The only diet-related thing I would add to the great advice others have given is to eat your food slowly. Mindfully, even. I became aware pretty early on how mindlessly I had been eating. Literally just shoving food in without even thinking about it. Now I really look forward to my food, especially if I’m pretty hungry. But I make the effort to eat really slowly and savour every mouthful. It takes longer to eat but the food is more enjoyable and also I think it fills me up better so that there are less cravings later.

So we’re already 25% of the way through January! Keep going everyone X

Hi.

I did the diet some time ago, got to my target weight and maintained it pretty well for a year or so. Then a few things happened (excuses not reasons!) and I stopped paying attention, ate too many carbs and gained weight. I’m still, just, within the health weight range and lighter than when I first started the diet, but I’m heavier than I want to be, so am back to doing this thing properly.

On my way home tonight, I was supposed to stop at a local market to replenish my supply of frozen berries as I only have a 1/2 cup of raspberries left. Unfortunately, my body was screaming CRISPS!!! at me. It is so strange that this is my craving these days. I have never even really eaten crisps to excess as I always had more of a sweet tooth and chocolate has been my downfall. The market I was going to has a dizzying array of crisps, so I decided it was better to avoid temptation and I just came home to leftover homemade curry from last night. I think my issue today was that I just didn’t have as much to eat during the day due to swing dancing at lunchtime resuming, so I think that led to some hunger.
All I can say is that I sure hope this is a sign that I’m losing either weight or inches, or both. I haven’t weighed or measured myself yet, but I may at the weekend just to have a baseline from which to track my discard moving forward. At the very least, I hope it is a sign that my gut microbiome is changing for the better and that will make sticking to plan easier in future.

Arctic Fox I hear you re the crisps 🙂 I’ve found pork crackling is a good substitute (the packaged one), has no carbs and is high in protein. the brand I get is 130 calories, 15g protein, 0.4g carbs and 7.2g fat. They satisfy that salty, crunchy craving 🙂

Hi Articfox, is your crisp craving just a salt craving with your brain making the link to a food source which has a lot of added salt?

For the benefit of newcomers, when we go low carb our bodies release the water it has stored to help it process the carbs. In the process our kidneys release electrolytes so we need to increase our salt intake to balance this out. If you suffer from muscle cramps that is a clear sign that you need to increase salt intake.

JGwen – good thought. I was being fairly diligent with my salt intake earlier in the week, but fell off a bit yesterday. Also, in spite of not trying to restrict calories at the moment, when I did my final count for yesterday, I was just under 1000 calories, so consumed less than intended. It was a lower carb day for me and I didn’t make up the calories from carbs with any others. Today I added in some salty nuts to help make up the difference and I am feeling better. My TOTM started today as well, so that could easily have been a factor, especially on the calorie front as I generally want more calories the few days before.
Hoping that I may have lost some weight/inches before the weekend is over. Clothes maybe feel like they are fitting just a slight bit easier and this is right at that point in the month where I typically retain a lot of water and look really puffy, so fingers crossed that once that goes I may have actually discarded a bit.

Hi everyone
I’m awake early this morning so thought I’d post now as I’m set to do a big walk with my OH as soon as it gets light.
Denise Susan – I also hope everything goes well for your son xx
SlimmyKim – that’s a great result particularly for Wk 1, especially when you haven’t been feeling great. Fantastic – well done that woman!
articfox – I also use pork scratchings as a replacement for crisps if I crave a to-hand, crunchy snack – although not quite the same, and you do have to watch your teeth! If you have time to bake, for something crunchy I also recommend the Almond Parmesan Seed Crackers on the Good Eats thread. Posted by JackieM, and then re-posted by Luvtcook who loved them!.
byrneburns – There is a calculation that people on here quote. I’m afraid I don’t have it to hand. Hopefully, someone might post it or you could try the search box. I did the 8 week BSD in 2016 and again last year. I used fatsecret.co.uk to monitor calories and macronutrients but haven’t got a record now. I know I did 20g carbs (I have Type II diabetes and really wanted to go low to get my bgls down quickly). In 2016, I used calculations provided on here to work out my individual protein level – think it was around 60g protein, but I found myself craving steak (weird because it was something I’d never eaten before) so decided to up my protein levels. I heard Ben Bikman and Stuart (Phillps?) on Biohacker videos (posted on Take a Look at This thread) saying how older people (I am one) in particular need to eat more protein. That chimed with my experience so after that I probably ate nearer to 70g. I just did protein by instinct really. The rest of my 800 calorie allowance I just filled with fat – never monitored it by g or %. Hopefully some others will be able to be more specific xx

WelI, I wanted to set a lovely new Journey for January target (I do like a measurable numbers target) and so have delayed posting until I came up with one. But, to be honest, I can’t think of any. All my health markers are good, including my bgls, and I’m back at a healthy BMI so I’m just going to go with the pre-Christmas ones – keep to my exercise/walking routine and continue to try out new low carb/keto recipes.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Jennie xx

Hi guys
Thanks for all your best wishes. Just a quick update. My son is having surgery first thing Monday.

Denise Susan – glad your son has a surgery date. It’s rotten timing that this has happened on your holiday but then again good timing in a way as at least you are here to take care of your son & give him some support 🙂

Denise Susan – great he has a surgery date and first up, no waiting around.
Arcticfox – Our impulse cravings are a hard thing to beat but you should be proud of yourself for doing the right thing for you health by going straight home.

I’m now on day 10. Yesterday my weight was up 500g or just over a pound and I knew it was due to um, slow transition… LOL *cough* So yes, bowel movements – let’s be adults here – will be less frequent in the beginning due to less food and more water. So your weight may go up before it goes back down again. Anyway…let’s just say this morning my weight is back to what it was on Wednesday. 🙂 Basically don’t panic!

Have a good weekend when you get there (it’s Saturday morning here) I will be doing boring housework but trying to use that to keep me occupied. Sad I know, but there it is, has to be done! 🙂

First week done for me. Having only been about 50% compliant it was no surprise to see that I had gained just a little over 1lb when I weighed myself this morning. I feel that this week has been a training week and next week I hope to be back on it with 100% commitment. I have had a bad week, central heating broken, mother in law in hospital, brother with a suspected broken neck and work has been bloody awful! I had a MASSIVE cramp in both calves on Tuesday morning whilst in bed and my calves are still extremely sore! I need to put a bar of soap back in my bed! What a lot of excuses it seems but actually they were all genuine worries. I am having a new boiler fitted next Thursday , my MIL is in the best place being cared for in hospital and hopefully my brother won’t wait too long for his scan. One of my new resolutions was to play my clarinet more and I’ve done that this week- it has certainly helped me keep warm in a cold house with no heating! I think I knew that I would be half hearted on the eating front this week with everything going wrong so I hope that this week I will get my act together and be able to report a loss next week.

Well done to everyone who has done well this week and well done to anyone who is still trying. Although my first week hasn’t gone to plan I am being kind to myself, another one of my resolutions. So here goes for week 2.

Thanks for the crisp substitute suggestions everyone. I’m vegetarian so anything pork is not possible for me. I haven’t tried the seed crackers yet, but may have to give it a go. I made avocado crisps with parmesan cheese last night and they were really delicious. Salty nuts are helping too, especially given how low my calorie intake has been.
I was at the dentist today over the noon hour, so just skipped lunch and only had 2 meals today. I was quite hungry when I came home and ate a large evening meal, but stuck close to plan and ate to sateity without overeating.

Hi arcticfox – I’ve never heard of avocado crisps, but love avocado and like parmesan. Can I ask how you make them?
Jennie xx

Denise Susan – glad to hear there’s a surgery date.

Well I’m on evening of day 9 LA time and having my first real attack of cravings! Made hot tea and had a few nuts. Going to have to cook some different breakfast items as getting a bit bored of eggs/turkey/spinach or eggs/soyrizo/spinach. To mix it up I do have a friend’s bday brunch tomorrow however the menu does not look v easy to navigate healthily. But will try haha 😩

Morning of day 9 holding strong at the initial week’s 8 pound drop but generally feeling better in my clothes too which is nice.

Happy weekend everyone!
On we roll.

Cathy – my week was like yours also, with a 50% commitment. No real reasons, I was fine during the day, eating on plan, but then on a few evenings I joined my husband in having a drink or 2, which led to off plan snacks! I did manage to lose 400g in 5 days though, so not all bad.
Arctic fox – sorry I didn’t think before posting about the crackling! If I come across any veggie options I’ll let you know.
I’m not vegetarian but have been trying to have meat free days at least 3 times a week. Last night I had some zucchini noodles with a sauce made from mushrooms, leek, sour cream and Parmesan cheese. I really enjoyed it. Today I’m making some curried tuna patties to have with salad. I’ve been cleaning out my cupboards and have decided to try and use as many of my store cupboard and fridge ingredients as I can before going shopping again. I was watching a program on tv about food waste and it has inspired me! I wasn’t too bad before, I try and minimise food waste and will often use products that are past the “best before” dates, but my daughters don’t, so I often find myself rescuing food that’s destined for the bin.
I’m going to write up a plan for next week, and then do my best to stick to it, so hopefully will see better results next week.

JGwen
”Don’t dispare, remember, the only person who sees the reading on the scales is normally you, so why give such power to statistics that no one else cares about.”
————————————-

… Thanks for your feedback.

I do feel that my weight loss motivates me, and that some folk on here do care about the statistics of others, and that can help be an example to them and motivate them too. I appreciate that you have a different opinion. Fine, no worries.

Jennie10 – I just scooped the avocado into a bowl and added what I thought was enough grated parmesan cheese to hold it together, dropped teaspoons of the mixture onto a baking sheet and flattened them down. I didn’t quite get them thin enough for them to be really crispy, but pretty good for a first try. I will know to really flatten them next time. Some people add various spices, but I found them perfectly acceptable without.
SueBlue – no worries, and good idea about using up things from the store cupboard. I have a number of bits of veg, etc. in the fridge so if I can manage it, I think I will try to use all of that up before going shopping again. I also have lots of eggs in at the moment as I caught wind of a rumour that we are in for another egg shortage while I was at the supermarket (apparently other supermarkets had already run out) so I snagged a dozen even though I still had 10 left at home. Spinach in the freezer and feta in the fridge means I can make spanakopita without the phyllo pastry.
I managed a 560 cal day today. I am a bit hungry, but not too bad. I’ve decided to go under 800 cal for as many days as I can, hopefully for as long as 2 weeks if I can manage. I’m opposite from most, I find it easier to fast or go low calorie or fast at the weekends. Probably it is because I am mainly on my own then and don’t have others around to influence me or wanting to eat out. Anyway, I’ve decided to try this based on the horror of discovering this morning that I am nearly 3kg heavier than I was in the summer when I was last trying to discard. I did know I was quite heavy based on how my clothes are fitting, but it makes it real to see it in numbers. I would like to get back under 95kg as quickly as possible, so need to start cutting back. I can’t do 5:2 or ADF until I’m finished with my every day iron supplementation, which will hopefully be in 2 weeks, so cutting calories every day is how it will be for now.

Hi everyone. I thought it had gone quiet on here but then checked and the posts weren’t coming through to my email address for some reason. So will try and catch up! I can’t believe we’re over a third through the month already!

Tfunkis we don’t accept marketing links on these forums so I have reported your post. Genuine participants only!

Cathy it sounds like you’ve had a dreadful week and I hope things improve soon on all fronts. But well done for keeping your resolution of being kind to yourself: that’s a real step forward and I know you will start seeing results once you are able to get back on track again. Like you and SueBlue, I’ve had a day or two of half-hearted compliance but thankfully am still seeing an overall loss from when I started on Jan 2nd.

Yes Green and White, I tend to think of results in terms of numbers on the scales and it’s really motivating when you see a drop. But I also agree with JGwen that those numbers can be influenced by many different factors and can vary accordingly: so it’s also important to monitor the NSVs (Non-Scale Victories). This time round I’m measuring myself too, and also looking forward to some clothes fitting less tightly whatever the scales may say.

Byrneburns make sure you’re getting enough salt as I’ve found lack of salt can lead to cravings, especially for savoury snacks. On which point I will try those avocado crisps arcticfox!

I’m loving all the comments and suggestions on here – it’s great that everyone is so positive and supportive. Well done to those that are losing or maintaining, or achieving other results, and good luck to all who need a bit of a boost X

Thanks arcticfox – those avocado crisps sound delicious 😋😋. Here’s a link to a recipe for them. https://www.delish.com/uk/cooking/recipes/a28996170/avocado-chips-recipe/

Thanks for posting the recipe link Melba, I’m going to try these tomorrow 🙂

Hi from Sydney everyone. Positive Spin you mention slow bowel movements. Is that a common problem as its definitely affecting me. I’m drinking loads of water but Its still an issue. How do others cope? I’m also trying to keep my calcium rich foods high , doctor’s advice, which I think adds to the problem. I am a bowel cancer survivor so changes in bowel habits are on my mind a lot of the time.
Have a good week everyone.

Hi all,
How are people coping with weekends? I am literally only 1 week down on the BSD and I’m trying so hard to stay on track as much as possible but even though I tell friends and family that I am doing this, some don’t fully understand and basically it inadvertently feels like people are trying to sabotage me. I know this is my hurdle to get over but I wonder how others cope with weekends where it feels like there is so much more temptation than the normal working day? I just don’t want to come across as anti-social or kill joy. Maybe I just need more weeks under the belt, to be in the groove more, thus avoiding temptation becomes easier? It is just very difficult with opportunities to make poor choices at every turn! :-/ It doesn’t help that I am trying really hard to avoid all alcohol for a while.
Any tactics for negotiating the weekends?? I tried very hard to be very organised and have all my food prepped but I know this won’t always be possible.
Thanks!
Shels

Shels I can sympathise as I’m often in the same boat! This weekend I actually managed to stick to 800 calories and not have any alcohol but it was easy because I stayed home and had no visitors!
If you really want to stay alcohol free then you can try drinking soda or mineral water in a glass with a slice of lemon or lime and some ice – it looks like vodka and tonic and so people don’t even notice you’re not drinking anything alcoholic. I also like the fruit tea bags dropped into a bottle it fizzy water, it’s like flavoured mineral water without the calories.
When I do go out for a drink, or have a wine at home, I drink white wine with soda water, or if out I’ll have vodka and soda (it’s about 60-70 calories I think).
Another thing I often do is allow extra calories for weekends – I’ll go up to 1000 or 1250, that way I can fit in a social outing with no problem.
Prepping food is a good idea (as you have been doing), also eating at home before you go out so you’re not hungry later.
Most importantly if you do go “off plan”’ just treat it as a temporary blip and then get back on track at the next meal, rather than thinking you’ve blown it so will start again next week.
Good luck!

Happy Monday everyone. The weekend was fine eating wise, but I did find that I thought about food and hunger and abstinence far more than in the week. So here’s to Monday, routine and busyness!
Ricoh-I’m having the same problem. I’ve been eating so well, lots of greens, lentils and fat etc but still sluggish. I know it’s having an impact on the scales and I’m feel more bloated than I was too. I’ve taken some dulculax this morning…so here’s hoping.
Sueblue- I too was on the sparkling water and slice this weekend. I was trying to trick my brain into thinking it was a GandT 🤣
I’m going on holiday in under five weeks and this is helping as a motivator. I’m hoping to have lost a stone by then but this week losses have definitely slowed. I know-I know-don’t just focus on the numbers changing-it’s hard not too though, especially when you’ve set a target you’re keen to meet. I am noticing that some clothes a fitting a little better and my mind has been clearer a work too, maybe my face has slimmed a little.
This week I aim to get moving a bit more. I’m finding myself a little bored in the evenings anyway so might pop on my trainers and head out for a jog.
Keep going everyone-make Monday count!

Hi everyone,
Having a bit of a hard start to the week. We are in the midst of a winter storm. It had stopped snowing this morning, so after a quite frightening commute, with vehicles in the ditch everywhere, I made it into work. Only to discover that the boiler was down. It was only 13 degrees in my office! Then just as they got the boiler fixed, the fire alarm went off and we had to go out and stand in -17 degrees while waiting for the fire department to arrive. My office felt warm after that! I skipped breakfast this morning as a way of keeping my calories down, so overall it has been pretty miserable. I’m drinking lots of tea to help keep me warm. At least my office is back up to 16 now. The only positive is that my mind feels pretty sharp and I’ve managed to get a fair amount done in spite of the cold and interruptions. Really wondering if I’m going to be able to make it through the day on less than 800 calories though.
I am down only 0.1 kg as of this morning. I am also having some transit issues at the moment. For those struggling, I would say psyllium and/or magnesium are what I have had the most success with. I have magnesium at home but have run out of psyllium, so I may have to pick some up this evening.
I’ve signed up for another round of an online exercise program. First core workout will be this evening. Luckily I can do it at home, so don’t need to brave the outdoors anymore once I am home.

Arcticfox. Thanks for the advice. I take magnesium every day so I will try some metamucil.

@Articfox … well feels like I should stop complaining about being cold in my office at 21-22 degrees C! hahaha… I hope your temperatures are quoted in celsius not fahrenheit!

Shels – yes, Celcius. It was up to a balmy 19 by the end of the day. I was allowed to leave early and glad I did because it took ages but I still managed to get home before dark and before it started snowing again. I brought my work laptop and headset home with me so I can work from home tomorrow if the roads aren’t any better.
Managed to get my workout in once I got home, then a small dinner. Met my goal of staying under 800 cal for the day. I’m not sure why it is so much easier for me to stay under target on the weekends and yet so difficult during the week. Perhaps because I am so much more physcially active on the weekend, buzzing around doing things, whereas when at work I’m just on the computer which lends itself so much more to wanting to snack.
Anyway, hope everyone else is working away at their goals. KOKO!

arcticfox – thanks for the avocado crisp recipe. Mashing something up and then squashing it down onto a baking tray is just my type of cooking
and
merrymelba – thanks for the link – they do look delicious. Of course, as soon as I saw them I wanted to eat the whole stack!

Starting week 3. Good news. Down overall 2.7kilos. Not so good news, I was down 2.7kilos this time last week, so no change in a week -but of course there was change, my weight went up and then it came back down during this past week and I didn’t quit. 🙂 My clothes fit better and in fact I can now wear a summer button up shirt that just two weeks ago I could not get buttoned up no matter how much I breathed in! :p

I feel OK. I don’t feel amazing. I think given the heat, smoke and TMI but my perimenopause (see hot flushes/night sweats) I’m a bit hit and miss on sleep and I know I need at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to feel human. I am lucky to have 5-6 hours right now and definitely interrupted.

Other good stuff; kept very much to my drinking enough water, 2-3 litres a day. I’ve upped my protein but slightly worried I’ve upped my protein at the expense of vegetables so need to work on getting the balance right. Must do better!

This week things to work on. Exercise. I am lacking in doing real exercise. I am still getting my 10,000 steps in but that is normal for me, so need that to be doubled at least on every other day. I am aware of HIIT but I don’t feel fit enough right now to take that on.
Maybe in a couple of weeks of getting back to walking – I used to jog!!! So, starting tomorrow – OK, it’s really hot here right now and the smoke in the air is no joke! I do however, have a treadmill, so I need to stop with the excuses. :p

Mindfulness. That is a biggie! I stress easily, I have social anxiety but much better with it these days (the older I get the less of a damn I give – apparently) but I still find myself stressing over the little things. So, I’m going to download an app – no idea what – and work on relaxing and not stressing.

Hope you have been doing well? Good luck in the coming weeks!

Having a bit of a tricky time with the scales coupled with my period which was super late (I think due to the fasting so had to have a day off 800 to get it to start).

But loving this week two nearly 3 feeling of putting on a pair of previously very tight jeans and feeling roomy in them!

Keep on keeping on folks!

Positive spin – I downloaded the Relax and sleep well app, Glen Haroll is the guy who does it, there’s mindfulness and meditation tracks in the library, some are free and some paid – I’ve only ever used the free ones. Glen has an English accent, I’ve been using the app for about 5 years now and find it helpful.
One of my Xmas gifts was a booked called “Eff this meditation” (!) but it has some really good mindfulness techniques in it, some only take a minute to do, so I’m working my way through it.
Well today I jumped on the scales and after 8 days of being back on track I’ve discarded a kilo, very happy with that. I’ve taken a 5:2 approach, so I had 2 x 800 cal days (on the weekend) and the other days have been eating on plan foods but not restricting calories. I’m still tracking through My Fitness Pal and I’m mainly having 1000-1250 calories per day. Am also avoiding alcohol which definitely makes a difference.
From Monday next week I’m going to try TRE 16:8, couldn’t do it this week due to work hours but should be able to next week as I start work later.
Hope everyone else is travelling well. My next weigh in day is Friday so I’ll update again then 🙂
Denise Susan – thinking of you and I hope your sons surgery went well – at least our weather has cooled down again, 46 deg was a bit much.
Arctic Fox – thinking of you during your cold spell – I prefer winter to summer (here in Australia) but your cold temps are a bit too cold for me 🙂

PositiveSpin try Headspace.

SueBlue – 1kg is a great discard!
As of this morning I’ve managed 0.7kg and I’ve been on 800 cal or less per day since Saturday. It doesn’t seem like much considering how hungry I’ve been, but I did the math and it seems like I should really only expect to lose 0.8kg per week on this regime. Anything more is likely water weight. Speaking of which, I may have lost some of my retained water. I certainly was running to the toilet frequently throughout the day. We’ll see when I weigh in tomorrow if it made any difference.
We were down to -20 today and I was still cold all day. But it is warming up tomorrow to -5 and rain and +6 by the weekend, so the end is in sight. We get some pretty good extremes here. Not as hot as Australia, but can have the odd day up to 40 in summer. Luckily not as cold in winter as some areas. At least we can still get outside at -20. It isn’t overly pleasant, but not dangerous.