Hi guys
I am only popping in when I get the chance. life has continued to be hectic & I am trying to stick to the plan as best I can. SueBlue thanks for remembering, my son is now transferring back to his work town (not what is best for his knee, but he is young and obviously knows best!!) His girlfriend is there and he has the hope that he can pick up some work that is suitable to his situation as 8 weeks in Sydney for treatment just wasn’t practical. The outcome wasn’t good and the surgeon wasn’t happy with his whole knee stability. Have organised a physio transfer and he sees the surgeon in 6 weeks.
I have a feeling this won’t be the end of this.
Sticking with the plan when your busy is easier but sometimes that can lead to not eating or drinking enough and broken sleep we all know is not helpful and I have found the middle of the night hard when there are only my sons naughty choices available!
This weekend I am in Canberra with a Vegan friend so that will be interesting and then the tennis next week in Melbourne.
Stick with it we all know it works, it is just those continental carb breakfasts I find difficult to avoid when I have ordered it in & my son, he doesn’t eat it but keeps it for later!! Then I end up putting it in my bin rather than throwing it away!!
Take care everyone stay safe wherever you are and this is for life not just the new year so the odd slip isn’t the end but it should be minimised not extended with excuses!! D Xx

This morning I’m feel despondent 😭 No discard at all this week. I’m sticking to 800, haven’t been cheating at and eating within 16:8. But no loss not even a nail! What could I be doing wrong?

I am feeling slimmer around my middle, as I was last week, and I think my belly over hang has reduced-so that is positive.

I’m wondering if my hormones might be a factor- It’s permanently tOTM at the moment and waiting for some medical intervention to help. I could be retaining because of this I suppose?

I’m going to keep going 800 until Saturday then a normal (good choices) day, as I’m out with a friend, and then back on it. Perhaps this week will see the scale victory. In the meant time, I’m going to walk to work this morning as it’s dry-moving more is probably the key 🔑

I’m embarrassed to report that I have completely blown all my good work. Scenario: as I moved back into the final week of my holidays, the thought of going back into battle for another year overcame me and I crumbled. Completely spinless move on my behalf. I inted to reboot on Monday. I would say tomoroow but a family member has a milestone birthday this weekend…

Hi all
Green&White – I’m sure you haven’t blown all your work. You’re having a hard time right now and that’s just normal. I had my own blip last week and it felt the same way – I’d blown everything just by 2 days of overeating. This is a hard thing to do, so don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept that you’re off plan at the moment, but just restart again. What’s in the past is in he past, now think about the future and what you want to achieve. Someone on the weekly thread said we should take responsibility for what we put in our mouths and although I do think we need to be kind to ourselves there is truth in that – we do have to take responsibility about our food choices. And even at special birthdays we can make good choices – we can avoid potatoes, rice, etc at special meals and have extra veg. We don’t have to have a slice of birthday cake to wish someone well and we probably only need a small glass of wine to toast the birthday person. Have fun at the birthday and then fully commit the following day – you can do this… 🙂

xx

I’ve been off the forum for a few days, but still KOKO….I just wanted to respond to SlimmyKim. Please don’t be despondent. I can completely relate to the frustration of not seeing any movement on the scales – I haven’t either (or rather I seem to have put on 500g since Monday…). BUT i do think it is so key to acknowledge how this is obviously working for you – you mention you feel slimmer and your belly over hang (I call mine my sporran…) has reduced. In my case, it is my bottom that is reducing. Do look back at various posts on NSVs (non scale victories), and posts from JGewn. It’s been said so often this is a marathon, not a sprint, and a long term change in what we choose to eat. I know what it is to be impatient and frustrated – but at the end of the day, we all just want to be healthier and maybe just “look” better or feel better in ourselves; get a new wardrobe etc…. None of us are planning to walk around with badges proclaiming to all and sundry our weight as per scales. This will work for you and sounds as if it is already! You can see from other recent posts that sometimes weight can yo-yo all over the place (and personally I don’t think one blow out meal can overnight cause the body to create an extra 1lb of fat). I also agree that just getting back on the wagon is the way to go – and similarly i don’t think that it is that easy to “blow all the good work” with just a cple of pig outs. The human body is more sophisticated than that! All best to all.

Hello everyone.
I would really like to join you. I started on 10th Jan with the aim of shifting the fat around my middle and hoping to feel generally more healthy and energetic. My weight has crept up over time and after turning 40, taking more care of myself suddenly seemed much more important, especially since I am seeing loved ones struggle with type 2 diabetes. I am hoping to lose at least 2 stone, which I know is not much compared to some folks, but right now feels pretty intimidating. I gained 3lb in the first two days, which I think was due to drinking vast amounts of water, but a bit mortifying! I was just so thirsty, but that has calmed down now and I have lost a few pounds from my starting weight and the ketosticks have shown a moderate reading for a few days, so I hope that means I’m heading the right way. I have found the FS app so helpful.
My fears about being hungry haven’t come true so far, but I find myself thinking about food constantly (have never done that before, but maybe not thinking about it is part of the problem). I am trying not to talk about this much to friends and family because I don’t want to be a diet bore, but I do feel that I need to share the experience somehow. It’s really helpful just to read all your posts and know I’m not on my own.
Best wishes to everyone. Bryla

Welcome Bryla, this is the place to share your thoughts, struggles and victories for sure. It has been very helpful for me.

SlimmyKim – I just read these articles and found them very helpful and motivating. For sure your hormones may be playing a part (they seem to be for me too), but what I got from these is that you can still have success, but it might take longer to really start to lose weight and you have to be consistent in your efforts. It was great that I read them yesterday, because I was really struggling today and thinking I could throw in the towel, but I know I won’t see results down the road if I do that.
https://thefastingmethod.com/women-and-fasting-top-tips-for-women-going-through-menopause-part-1/
https://thefastingmethod.com/women-and-fasting-top-tips-for-women-going-through-menopause-part-2/
https://thefastingmethod.com/women-and-fasting-top-tips-for-women-going-through-menopause-part-3/

This is only my day 2 this time around, I found yesterday ok, hardest part was not having a bottle of wine last night but felt very good when the husband called on his way home from work and asked if I wanted wine as he was having beer and I said NO. We had discussed the day before I started the BSD that he would not try and sabotage me, well I reminded him of this and when I got home he had not bought me (or himself) any alcohol! It’s a result in our house. He does mixed martial arts tonight so wont be drinking and nor will I.

We have both done Slimming World previously and had already cut down on carbs, don’t have sugary drinks, hardly ever buy bread, I love veg and meat but still ate pasta, rice, potatoes but much smaller portions, so hope this will still be effective.

My twin has started the Cambridge Diet the same time as I have started this so it will be interesting to see who has the fastest results after week one! Trouble is we all like a drink, that will be the test this weekend but feeling positive at the moment.

I love all your posts, real motivation, well done to all of you and don’t be too hard on yourselves, we are all human! Looking forward to more and your updates.

Thank you Sixturkeys and Articfox for your encouragement-much appreciated 😀

I feel so must better today. I’ve walked to or from work the last couple of days and I think this helps lift my mood, and hopefully will burn some calories!

I will have gone a bit over my 800 today, not doing anything wild but I didn’t plan my meals as well and a hand fully of nuts fell into my mouth!

I love the food I’m eating. The MM recipes are fab. I’ve not eaten one I wouldn’t do again.

Articfox, those articles are interesting and I can really relate to to fasting clean part. I’m aware that I’m still having the odd Diet Coke and I’m going to cut back. I’m a black tea and coffee drinker so no worries there. Thanks for the prompting😉

Bryla-welcome. Glad you’re not feeling hungry. It’s amazing how our bodies adjust. Gill33UK- It’ll be interesting to see how you and your twin compare in your weight loss. Keep up us updated. Well done on passing up the wine by the way!

SlimmyKim, yes it’s nice to have a bit of healthy competition! We also work together so lots of support for each other too. Her starting weight is 16st 1lb and mine was 14st 13lbs, this is only day 3 for me and am now 14st 10lbs, she won’t weigh until Wednesday but I need a bit of motivation from the sales to keep me of the booze tonight! Need to break the ‘Friday Night’ habit!

Technical question anyone on Eggs? I have bought in scrabbled eggs and spinach/ham for breakfast but had made a salmon and spinach crustless quiche for lunch, can you have too many eggs??

I have just had a look through my last SW journal, my starting weight then was 15st 9lbs and it took me 6 weeks to get down to the weight I am now and another 4 LONG months to lose another stone! I then fell of the diet wagon as had a lot of Christmas parties and I have not got back on tell now. I will keep popping on here, love the inspiration and the advice, thank you.

Hope you all manage to battle your demons this weekend!

I have got a new boiler and the house is cosy and warm and I have hot water. Woo hoo. I have also had confirmation from the NHS Pension Agency that my pension application has been processed and I will receive my NHS pension in April. That’s two big worries sorted. Still another couple to deal with.

Weight has been steady but I’ve definitely felt more in control during this week, have been eating less too. Hopefully, week three will be the one that gets me back to seeing a downwards curve on the graph. I have booked a holiday for end of April so that gives me ample time to get to goal weight. I’ve been inspired by posts on the forum of people who have managed maintenance long term. I can’t believe that I let things slip last year almost past the point of no return. It seems so much harder to keep chipping away at the extra few pounds I put on last year. I was a slow loser and still am but I know with perseverance, determination and commitment that we can get to where it want to be.
SO………….
Tomorrow is the start of week 3 for me and my goal for week 3 is to lose 3lb. Three in three! I am DETERMINED to post a 3lb loss by his time next Friday. I’ll be drinking copious amounts of water, eating 800 calories and sticking to BSD principles rigidly.

What plans do you have for the week ahead? Looking forward to reading more success stories and hopefully posting my own success story next Friday!

Glad to hear that things are looking up for you Cathy – here’s to a successful week 3 to both of us!
2 weeks in and I’m down 1.2kg, so happy with that.
My goals for week 3 is to walk more – I managed 3 days this week where I walked over 10,000 steps but I’d like to increase that to 5. I also want to have 3 x 800 calorie days instead of 2, and get closer to 16:8 with TRE. I’m working an afternoon shift next week so will try and have breakfast later in the morning, skip lunch and then have dinner.
Green & white – try not to be too hard on yourself. I’ve been where you are loads of times! The trick is to draw a line under it and just jump back on the wagon ASAP.

Hi all!! Just passing along to wish you all a happy new year and success on your health journey 🙂
I had a good break with a lot of feasting and too much carbs over Xmas/NY but now back to the WOE that makes me feel energised and well 👍
A couple of kg off goal so should be back there quickly.

I’m in Australia and the current climate is such a disaster, fires everywhere, it is so depressing and feeling so helpless at the state of our planet. Taking all the steps I have in my power to fight this.
Hugs to all my other fellow Aussies on the forum, let’s stay strong and care for each other @merrymelba, Duckie, Elky….

Hi LousieK – I’ve been thinking of all the people in Australia that I know, including the ones I only virtually know through this forum. I was located near Kilmore in 2014 for that fire, and that was scary and depressing enough and I know that was nothing compared to what you are experiencing this season. Stay safe!
I was also thinking of you just yesterday because I have decided to do Fast 800 and I’ve just finished my first week which has been quite successful. So I have one more week and then I will transition over to fasting. I was reading some of your old posts yesterday to get inspired. I am considering going for a DEXA scan as well. My scales say that I am 33% fat and only 24% muscle, but I don’t think they are overly accurate. I would not be surprised to find that my fat is higher than that!

Hugs back to you LouiseK – nice to see you 👀 The fires are a tragedy for our environment – so many animals, birds and insects gone. Another fire raging today on small Flinders Island – a home to many koalas. I understand your feelings of hopelessness – and I feel that sense of loss. Keep your spirits up and as you say – do what you can.
Great to see so many people doing well with this WOE – people who are getting started and others having a reboot. 🌸☘
And a wave to Kafin if you are still about and reading posts,
Merry

Hi Louise, I’m Australian also and yes, such a depressing state of affairs right now. I’m fortunate to be in a state that is not as impacted but we still have fires and the smoke from NSW/Vic has blown in/over during the past few weeks. I feel so sad, and worried for those who have lost their homes, businesses and of course for the animals our country can never replace. Whole breeding grounds wiped out. 🙁 We have to do better!

Anyway… that all aside…my weight is going stupidly right now. Up/down/up – just mad. Making me think my perimenopause is playing a part. Warning of TMI talk 🙂 skip along if you don’t want to read.

I no longer get a period (well 6 months now) but I still get the weepy side of things and now hot flushes (flashes for US folk) and wondering if I am still getting the bloating also. I use to gain upto 2 kilos each month just prior and it would take a week to go away again! Not even kidding!!! I noticed a pimple on my face a few days ago and I only ever got them when I had my period. I do know my clothes continue to fit better and my arms definitely are smaller, shirts that would be tight in my upper arms now fit. I am sticking with it, for other reasons beside scale weight, but this rollercoaster is bizarre… definitely not constipated… LOL

I am giving myself a break from weighing, will only weigh this week on Wednesday.

Hi @arcticfox @merrymelba and @positivespin, so good to read from fellow Aussies and I am feeling the power of the online hugs 🙂

@arcticfox dont hesitate and hit me up on the fasting thread if you’d like to chat. I just got a new book from Jason Fung, it has a summary of his theories and then a lot of recipes. It’s quite good!
I need to get back for a DEXA and see where I’m at. Highly recommended as very insightful although in my case it was a little bit demoralising at first 😬

@merrymelba yes 2020 and the new year brought me back to the forum too. It’s good to see lots of new comers. I am sure this WOE will be a revelation for them to as it was for me.

@positivespin I too would put on 2kg worth of water retention at TTOM but weirdly enough I haven’t seen that much variation now that I’m on this new WOE.

Two weeks in and loving it, on the whole…

Just wanted to say I’m 58, and skinny other than around my middle, so. Really difficult to lose this unwanted fat. Nothing else has made much difference and I’m sure that it’s because of the insulin resistance. My blood sugars are up to 6.7 and I’m exhausted so thought I’d try fast800! In two weeks I’ve lots 5lbs and don’t feel bloated or uncomfortable. Still a long way to go, but one of the best things about this ‘diet’ is that both ( me and my husband are loving the food. We are real foodies and a lot of our social life focuses on food and drink, so to enjoy the food is a real bonus.

Yesterday was really difficult, I wasn’t hungry, just crav cake and chocolate, so I watched the Horizon programme MM did, and the Magic Pill on Netflix to remind myself why I’m doing this. It worked and I lost .3k rather than eating chocolate and putting on weight,

Hi all. Thanks for the welcome. So grateful to have been able to see all your updates as I have pushed through week 1. I only lost 5lb, but already I feel as if I’ve had a body transplant – though I felt horrible for a couple of days until I started adding salt to things! After some ups and downs 8 days in and my body and brain feel lighter and amazingly, after years of middle-of-the-night eating that I could not control (and felt so ashamed about) however hard I tried, I have slept through the night for a week. I have spent years feeling as if my feet and brain were weighed down by wet concrete and thinking ‘surely other people don’t feel this way’. I notice I am walking faster (the dog is chuffed to bits), getting much more done and feeling like anything is possible.
The toughest bit was visiting my parents this weekend, somewhere I associate with eating lots of lovely food, but I didn’t crack! At home I haven’t been too bothered by what anyone else is eating. Just shows how powerful those mental associations from childhood are. I am quite nervous about the next week because I know from everyone else just how many pitfalls and challenges there are and doing this for a week is the easy part.
Can anyone recommend any (simple) recipe books that are good for keeping carbs right down? I have the Fast 800 recipe book, but would love some more inspiration. I don’t usually use recipe books much, but my previous diet was very heavy in beans, pulses and grains (and ginger biscuits), so it is definitely a big adjustment.
Warmest wishes to everyone one. I’m in awe of everyone doing this!

Hi Bryla
There are some good ideas in the Recipe section, and on the soups thread on this site – just use the search engine. http://www.dietdoctor.com is also a really good source of recipes. Well done on resisting old habits at your parents!

Hi Merry – still here reading along! Happy new year to you xx

Bryla and all new starters- you have embarked on a way of eating that will change everything you knew about “dieting”. Check out the recipe section of this forum, I’ve found some lovely recipes in there. I tend to keep my food choices fairly simple; as a vegetarian I don’t have the same choices and so I tend to have a simple repertoire of menus. Pintrest is also good for low carb recipe ideas. When I first embarked on this way of eating I cut out pasta, rice, bread, biscuits, etc etc and ate what I call simple foods. I eat cheese, eggs, nuts, salads, vegetables, home made soups, full fat Greek yoghurt, and drink water.

I tested my urine with Ketostix tonight and the sticks went dark purple which indicates that I am in fat burning mode at last. This week I pledge to lose 3lb so I am well on my way to curbing my appetite now that there is no sugar in my system. I’ve got 12 weeks to my holiday. We are going to The Red Sea and I plan to lose 14 lbs by the end of April and then I will be back at goal. I’ve got clothes that I know will be too tight if I don’t lose the excess pounds that went on last year and I haven’t got the money or the inclination to buy new ones. When I lost my weight I got rid of anything above a size 12. I always used to have a range of clothes from size 12 to 18. I was a size 18 when I started this diet and managed to get down to a size 10. Now my size 12’s are feeling a little tight hence why I am back to basics!

I have added an app on my phone called Zero. I am going to use it to incorporate regular fasts into my week. I have just started an 18 hour fast (I usually do 16 but want to increase the time to hopefully assist my weight loss). My longest fast to date has been 42 hours and I hope that when I eventually get back to goal that I will incorporate a weekly longer fast To help maintenance but that’s a long way off yet.

Here’s to a good week for us all. Let’s hope we can all be “losers” this week.

Kafin- just seen your post- lovely to see you on here! 🐢🐢 (me and you).

Hi Cathy – I’m still going 🐢, just not up for posting these days. You seem to be doing really well! xx

Kafin, I am not doing well but I don’t want to ever give up! I have been “transitioning” back to BSD following a two week Christmas “break” from BSD. I’ve found it difficult to get back to basics but it’s make or break for me now. I read some inspiring posts from people who I started with in January 2017 who are maintaining following their weight loss and it made me mad that I let things slide after getting to goal which I found really difficult. Glad that you’re still part of the forum even though you aren’t posting. It takes energy and resilience to keep plodding but I hope you can dig deep and join us. There are a few old timers still on our journey. We are hoping that 2020 will be our year! Come and joins us.🐢

Hi all, I haven’t posted for a while but have still been reading the posts off and on. Basically I have been so bad over Xmas that I thought “where’s the point” but reading your post, Clarinetcathy, has made me think again. Thank you.
I started the BSD journey on 8th January last year and lost one and a half stone. I felt great and my HBA1C was finally back in the normal range (been type 2 since 2011). I managed to maintain over the summer but Christmas was my downfall and I’m now back at my starting weight from last year. The last 3 Mondays I’ve been determined to start again but I only get as far as Tuesday and I’m off it. I read your post Cathy, realising I’m in much the same boat as you, but at least I have longer until my holidays……then the penny dropped when you said you’re going away at the end of April. I’m going on 1st May! So I really, really need to get serious again. All my new clothes are too tight and I have thrown out my fat sized clothing. It’s my first holiday abroad in years and we are going with another 2 couples so I really do want to look my best.
My plan now is to go back to basics and take it one week at a time. This week my aim is to last one full week without any chocolate……I’m a chocoholic.
I did it last year and thought it would be so easy to go back to it after Xmas but it’s proving to be much more difficult than I expected. I know all the benefits of BSD…….I’ve experienced and felt it so you would think it would be easy to get back on track……but it’s not!

Scottishgal- I am so glad that reading my post has resonated with you. Jump on board and do your best. It has taken me two weeks to transition from Christmas eating to getting back into ketosis. Your plan sounds great. It’s harder second time I feel too but we have the advantage that we have done it before and know it works. Be kind to yourself, maybe read the books again and take small steps to getting back on track. You can do this, you are not alone and there are friends on here to support you along your journey. Let’s make 2020 our year!

Lovely to see you Kafin, and to know you are still reading posts. 🌺🌻
And hello Scottishgal 💥💥 Welcome back onboard. With ClarinetCathy cheering you on you can do this 🙂
Some more welcome rain last night. Lovely!
I’m about to make a sort of lasagne using eggplant slices and some mince with tomatoes and capsicum, and some sort of cheese, and herbs. That will be tonight’s meal and will get me through a couple of days. I sometime do a similar dish with mushrooms as the layers. I like using enoki mushrooms ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enokitake ) which I can spread quite well between the mince layers. Asian grocers sell these as do many supermarkets.
And I saw a recipe for keto “chaffle” waffles yesterday – I am not into waffles, but these may appeal to some and are made with cheese: https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/news/introducing-the-chaffle–the-hot-new-keto-friendly-cheesy-snack-20200113-h1l0zx
KOKO gals (and any lads posting) – and Hello WENDY! And thank you articfox for posting the Rod Taylor links. I have ordered the book from my local library.

Hello everyone, so nice to see everybody’s positive stories! I’m brand new to the diet, started fast 800 on Saturday so this is W1D3 for me – planning to do two full weeks before switching to 5:2. My goal is to lose and keep off 12 kilos ahead of my wedding in November, which will take me from 80kg (bmi 26) to 68kg (bmi 22 and firmly back in the healthy range)
I don’t have loads and loads to lose, but my weight has been creeping up steadily throughout my late 20s/ early 30s and I carry all my excess around my middle which isn’t great health-wise. Diabetes, high blood pressure and heart issues are all prevalent in my family so I need to do something to keep my weight under control.

I know that my main issue is snacking – loads of chocolate, biscuits, cereal bars and other sugary carby treats all day long and constantly feeling hungry, so my goal with the BSD is to try to re-set so my body isn’t expecting to be fed all the time. Day 3 has been a struggle, I woke up feeling woozy and have been light-headed and tired all day despite drinking loads. Felt quite sick after eating breakfast (2 scrambled eggs and smoked salmon) and again after lunch (last night’s leftover steamed fish with broccoli, asparagus and cherry tomatoes); is this normal, or is there something I’m missing?

Hi Sabrina Spells. I started 7 days before you and this time last week felt just as you describe! For me, salt was the answer. I very quickly felt better with a sprinkle on my food. Got the tip from someone else on the forum. I think some people just dip their finger in the salt – I like celery dipped in the salt.
Everyone’s different, but your experience is ‘normal’ to me. I felt so good by the weekend – first 3 or 4 days were definitely tough at times, but then i really started to adjust.
Thanks everyone for the recipe tips. Some really tempting stuff on Diet Doctor, so inspiration achieved.

Scottishgal- did you make a start today? You can still eat chocolate- buy the 85% dark stuff and have a small piece with a cup of coffee with cream- that’s what I used to do. Dark chocolate pairs lovely with raspberries and I used to have a small piece with some pecans and a couple of raspberries- such a lovely treat that’s allowed! It has taken me since the beginning of January to get into the zone but I am there now, my appetite is reduced and my resolve to reach target weight for my holidays is back and I hope yours is too.

I did an 18 hour fast today and had an egg and some cottage cheese for lunch and a yoghurt with some raspberries. Evening meal was cauliflower rice with some mushrooms bolognaise and cheese on top followed by coffee and cream. Am going to do 17 hour fast now til lunchtime tomorrow.

Hope everyone is feeling strong- 11 days left in January to make a difference…..let’s see our charts going in the right direction. I’ve just looked at last years trend and it makes for grim reading so I am determined to see the graph going down this year 📉

Thanks, Bryla – so good to hear I’m not alone and that feeling rubbish will pass! Stopped off at the supermarket after work to pick up some pink himalayan salt so hopefully that will do the trick. Had a snack this evening and felt fine afterwards so fingers crossed.
It’s really useful reading about other people’s experiences and tips so thanks everyone!

Yes Clarinetcathy, I finally made a serious start today. Better late than never.
Last night I searched for and found my post on here from March last year when I was high as a kite after achieving the weight loss and a good hba1c result. I read the post several times and I’m determined to get that feeling back again. I also realised that I’m back to looking 9 months pregnant again! So I really must stick to BSD.
I’ve avoided chocolate today and started recording on fatsecret app again. I like your suggestion of pecan with dark chocolate and raspberries. I do like the dark chocolate but I struggle with just having a small amount. For me an open bar is a finished bar so I’m better just completely doing without.
You sound like you’re definitely back on track. Well done. You’re doing great with the fasts too. I’ll need to get back to fasting again as well but I find it easier on a Saturday when I’m busy with housework etc.

Hi Scottishgal, good to hear you’re off to a great start. Just wanted to say that I have trouble even with dark chocolate as well. I decided to make January chocolate free and so far it is going well. I still have a bar of 90% sitting unopened in my fridge. I have only been tempted once, and I just let the craving pass. One thing I have also done is really cut down on the amount of fruit I was eating. Some days I only have 1 serve and other days none. I think it has helped to readjust my tastebuds. Now when I’m craving something it is usually more of the savoury, crunchy, salty variety instead of sweets.

Hi SabrinaSpells,

When we eat a high carb diet our bodies store water. When you reduce the carbs our bodies release that stored water which is why some people get a dramatic drop in weight at the start (and the reason for a dramatic increase if you step off the wagon).

When your kidneys release that water they also release electrolytes. Some people feel like they are suffering from flu (which is why its known as keto flu) some people if low on electrolytes suffer from cramps especially in the leg muscles. In either case you need to replace. Hence the need to increase salt intake.

Scottishgal, if you have an Aldi near you, they do a dark chocolate called Moser Roth that comes wrapped in individual servings of a decent size.

Oh yes avisamuelgrey, I know the Aldi Moser Roth chocolate very well. Comes in packs of 5 small bars – ideally one small bar per day. But I usually end up eating all 5 bars in one day……..

Hi all, just dropping in quickly before I get ready for work. I’ve been cooking meals from the Fast 800 recipe book. I made a Veggie Bolognaise last night and we loved it, my husband said he didn’t miss the meat at all and asked if I would make it again 🙂 Recipe uses quorn mince, lentils and roast veg.
I’ve found the Fast 800 recipes similar to BSD but on ‘non fast days’ you can add small amounts of brown rice, pasta etc. also some of the breakfast recipes have some of my favourite fruits, like banana & cherries 🙂
I’m finding mixing my meals up and having a nice dinner to look forward to each night is helping me stay on track. I did have a bit of a blip on the weekend with some wine, but hoping that staying on track this week will mean a loss on the scales when I weigh in on Friday.
Can’t believe that next week is the last week of January already!

Hi SueBlue- Lovely to read that you are on track. I’ll check out the fast 800 recipe book – that bolognaise sounds lovely. Here’s to a weight loss on Friday. I’ll be weighing in too on Friday. I am so focused this week that I’ll be really disappointed not to see a loss on Friday albeit definitely water weight post Christmas. I really want to get the job done this year and I am sure you do too Sue. Let’s do this!

I loved my evening meal tonight. I was very hungry after a busy day at work. Today I did 17 hour fast and had egg salad for lunch with Greek yoghurt, raspberries and blueberries. My evening meal was two vegan cauliflower masala sausages from Aldi (delicious) and roasted sprouts. I then had a cup of coffee with cream and some Brazil nuts and half a piece of 85% dark chocolate- delicious!

Day 2 of week 3 done- well into ketosis today. Feeling good and focused.

Hi everyone,
I had a pretty impressive first week loss of 3.1kg (total loss goal is 15kg) but like everyone says, first week big loss is pretty common. I weighed myself sometime last week and had lost another 1.4kg, I think it was at the beginning of the week so be interesting to see what I weigh tomorrow (tomorrow will make 17dys since starting)… I am a little apprehensive, I don’t want to build up too much expectation for what the scales say. I’ve been pretty good at keeping sugar out and calories in check through the week but at the weekend it’s still proving difficult as I am doing my physical exertion and I feel like having an alcoholic drink or 2. I decided it is time to start incorporating a more systematic exercise regime this week so I’m planning out my week with a few exercise goals as I am starting to feel like I have a bit more energy than those first 2 weeks. Could be the extra calories at the weekend haha. I at least can say (apart from the small amount of alcohol) I have kept it pretty healthy and haven’t gone crazy. I think I get sick of pedantically counting calories and as time goes on I just get better at portion control and so hopefully I will get a positive result in a negative direction tomorrow and keep soldiering on with the lower carb no snacking mantra of the BSD and see where it gets me. Wish me luck!
and best wishes to everyone else with their journeys!
Shelley

Time restricted eating, does anyone do this? I’m wondering if it might make a difference. My weak spot is in the evening after dinner, when I would usually sit down with chocolate, have replaced this with coffee and milk and a pear, but I’m wondering if eating this around 9pm is such a good idea, any thoughts?

Thanks, JGwen! I’ve been upping my salt intake a little and feel much better now on day 5. I’ve been really surprised that I’ve not been tempted to snack very much so far, maybe it’s because it’s been so hard for the first few days that I don’t want the effort to have been for nothing. 2.7kg down already, although presumably that’s mostly water at this stage.

chrissierichards, I have the same routine as you with a cup of milky tea and some kind of snack in the evening around 8/9pm, it’s been weird getting out of the habit this week. I wouldn’t be able to get in 12 hours of fasting if I was still eating at 9 though, what time are you having your first meal of the day?

For the first few days I was really craving chocolate and remembered I had some chocolate tea in the cupboard – it’s black tea with cacao nibs and pretty good for taking the edge off the craving as long as you don’t mind it without milk.

Sabrinaspells, breakfast usually between 9-10… yes I have some of that tea, might try that, thanks for the tip…

Hi all! It’s been a couple of months since I popped in.
@slimmykim – is there any chance you’re iron deficient? That’s always worth considering for women. Being iron deficient blocks weight loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtczW43tiu4
@clarinetcathy – *hello!* I’m fasting with Zero and using ketostix too. I let being keto slide for a few weeks, but got back into it this week.
@denise susan – isn’t it hot here today! Avocado is a great healthy-fat food to help you to stay full. There’s also fabulous hot-smoked salmon portions at Woolworths that I love. They are $7 each. Maybe you can sneak out and have those sometimes?

For anyone who doesn’t know about the ketogenic diet, it just means really low carb. I started with Fast 800, but being a small framed person, I needed to go low carb to really shift my fat.

I ate lots of carbs over Christmas. Did a 36 hour water fast to accelerate getting back into ketosis (lost 3 pounds of water weight/glycogen stores, like when you first start Fast 800). Now I’m nearly back to goal weight, so close, just 100g, and hoping to lose a couple of extra pounds this time before I go hormonal/pre-menstrual. Mostly 16:8 intermittent fasting. I might pull off another 36 hour. Anyone curious about 36 hour fasts should check out videos by Dr Jason Fung on YouTube. I highly recommend the “Two Compartment Model” one.

Hi chrissierichards, I used to eat between 8 and 9pm simply because I was getting home late and was having dinner then. I had a chance to wear a continuous glucose monitor for a month and I realized that when I was doing that, it was sending my blood glucose completely haywire overnight. I’m not diabetic, but reactive hypoglycemic, and I was getting some fairly significant hypos overnight, not in the super dangerous range, but enough to scare me out of the habit of eating so late. I’m not saying that everybody would react the same way as me as we’re all different, but I think it is fairly common to have bigger glucose spikes and insulin responses to foods in the evening/night than if you had the same foods earlier in the day. Now I make sure I have at least 12 hours free of food overnight, and over the last week and a bit I have been experimenting with 16:8 and 18:6, and it seems to be going well. I am finally losing some inches around my waist, for example.

Hi all,
Great to see everyone posting through January and experiencing some positive approaches to eating and some body/weight changes. For the last few weeks I’ve been overseas and so gave myself permission to relax this WOE a little, here’s what I noticed;
1. Actively choosing to not be so strict on my low-carb eating removed all feelings of guilt, so no usual beating myself up for food choices, I owned up to what I was eating and enjoyed it!
2. I really noticed the effect carbs had on my body – bloating, lethargy, over-eating at times – not pleasant, so I felt totally ready to resume this WOE
3. 3 days in to the Fast 800 lifestyle I can already feel that I’ve lost my stomach bloating, I look a little brighter and it felt easier to resume it.

I gained 3 kg and 7cm around my waist during my ‘break’ so I’ll keep posting as to how the fasting weeks go. As many have said before (especially JGwen and DCT) this is a very forgiving way to eat/live, fairly easy to jump back in after a break. Good luck to all for the last week of journeying through January!

Hi arcticfox

That’s really interesting about the glucose monitor. Yesterday I ate between 7-7 and only had mint tea afterwards, lost .2 of a kilo this morning and felt better for it last night. I mentioned to my husband last night (who is also doing this with me ) how it has become so much easier to tune into what my body wants and what makes it feel good. Think I can only manage 12:12 at the moment but that’s a good start. Have a good day.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to share a bit of a high this morning. Yesterday, only 11 days in, I was feeling utterly fed up of having to think about food so much, shop so often and of weighing every last gram. I had felt positively murderous towards the man in front of me at the corner shop buying a Double Decker and a bunch of bananas. However, this morning I weighed in at a smidge under 10st for the first time in a decade. What a boost! So that’s just over 7lb so far which I know is modest for many in the first 2 weeks, but something I didn’t really believe I could achieve.
So far I have learned that I have more self-control than I knew, but also that carb addiction has been calling the shots for years and I was constantly giving my body the wrong fuel, even though most of it was ‘healthy’. Also that a splash of cream in my coffee once a day is bliss and I love boiled eggs. Everything tastes better and even if I never lost another ounce I would still feel so much better in myself. I’m determined to hang on to that and remember that’s not anything a chocolate bar or ginger biscuits can give me, but still full of self-doubt about what’s ahead.
Thanks for all the info and encouragement so far!

Hello! I have just joined. Just turned 49, diabetic, NAFL, high bloods when I even look at a carbohydrate! I started the diet on Monday, weighed in at 13 stone exactly. This morning (Thursday) 13.3. I have been religiously counting every calorie. But my blood sugar is 7.5 without gliclazide and I seem to have a ton of energy all of a sudden.

Weigh in this morning showed a 3lb loss for me which I am very happy about. It was 4lb yesterday but
I made a new recipe last night with sprouts and mushrooms and cream and cheese and it was very filling and I think it weighed heavy in my tummy! Am in dark purple ketosis according to the Ketostix and to be honest I’ve never seen the Ketostix so dark as they have been this week so I am burning fat which is brilliant.

My plan for the coming week is to keep my strong resolve and to keep that graph on a downwards slope. Have been feeling stressed for a variety of reasons I won’t go into but slowly and steadily things are working out. I have lots to look forward to, retirement and a lovely holiday all before May. I am going to have a steroid injection into my left big toe next Friday and I am hoping that when they’ve both been injected I will be able to do some walking and get in some walking exercise. My sore toes have hindered any exercise for the last few months. I have arthritis.

One more week in January to make a difference. My plan is to lose 3lb next week and then I will be 145 lb. I am aiming high because I want this so much. So, I’ll continue to do intermittent 16 and 18 hour fasts and I might try to do a 24 hour fast on Thursday, stay LOW carb and keep my eye on the prize.

Here’s to a good week for us. Looking forward to reading about everyone’s journey- keep posting!