Welcome NewClare and Faraday_au and SueBlue.

NewClare – what an exciting time for you and great motivation too.

We’ve all got different “numbers” to get to….. but for the time being I’m trying not to focus on the bigger picture (ie the 50lb loss) – just going to take each lb loss and celebrate that. Think I might treat myself to a little something (non food of course) for each 7lb (3kg). What is everyone’s thoughts about weighing every day. I have been weighing daily and it’s a 3lb loss to date – but just wondering if weekly weigh in’s are better?

Welcome Chrisula83 and good luck! Rhodie well done on your 3 lb! I might try to get out of the habit of weighing every day, I think at the beginning it’s probably natural as everyone talks about losing weight quickly initially and it keeps you going. But after that I might try to leave it for a few days, easier said than done perhaps.

Hello All
I thought I would join in too.
I hope all are well.
I am on day 8 of the 8 week plan and am getting along ok. It has taken a bit of getting used (especially portion sizes) but am enjoying it so far. I invested in a new set of scales that does weight, fat percentage, water percentages and BMI. I have lost 6lbs so far in week 1 and my bloods seemed to have stabilized. My bloods before were around 10.2 first thing they are now between 5 and 5.8. Also I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but my eyesight seems to have improved. I am going to hospital for my diabetic eye check this Friday so will be interesting to see if they notice any changes.
Good luck all.

Hi New Claire, well done on your wieightloss. It defies our logic to imagine we can lose so much weight so quickly, but it’s true. Whilst some of it at the beginning is water, it is amazing how fast the weight can come off through this way of eating. Changes in mood can also be pretty normal, but keep going as it does settle down! Lots of recipes in the books if you have them if you are short on ideas, but the recipe section on here is a good source of info as many have been posted on by forum members.

Faraday_au and Chrisula83 welcome, great you to have you along😊

Hi Julygirl, welcome 😊

Hi Rhodie, I weigh in twice a week, Monday and Thursday. I think my weight would fluctuate a bit much to do it every day, but twice a week is far enough apart but close enough together to keep me motivated, if you see what I mean!

Good morning all. I think a daily weigh in can become a bit addictive and I am going to try to not let it become a habit – easier said than done. I am on day 3 and after an initial loss yesterday morning , no loss this morning, 🙁 which was a tad discouraging as I have been really, really good with food and tried to up my “steps” a bit too – I achieved 7,845 yesterday, and 5,813 so far today (11am).

However, my new all singing and dancing scales said that, since Monday, I have lost 4lbs, my BMI is down to 28.8 (from 29.4) and my fat percentage has dropped by 0.2%, so something is happening 🙂

I am feeling a bit weak today, on our morning walk, I got wobbly legs going up hills I normally stride up. But I am sure that will pass. Other than that, I’m feeling fine.

Julygirl, welcome and well done on your results so far. it will be very interesting to hear if your eyes have actually improved – good luck and don’t forget to let us know.

Welcome Chrisula83 – think we may be kindred spirits. I’m not diabetic either, would like to lose a similar amount to yourself (approx. 12kg and more if possible) and my weaknesses are wine and bread (and cheese of course, but I can have a little of that, but not the same without the wine and good bread 🙁 )

Hi Julygirl. You may well find your eyesight has improved, one or two others have mentioned it. Check out KrysiaD who had retinopathy and had to have eye injections (doesn’t bear thinking about) but now reversed – no injections!😀😀

As for daily weighing, I do as part of my routine but don’t get hung up on it and can happily leave it for a while without withdrawal symptoms. When weighing I tend to go over what I have eaten, how much water I’ve drunk and how my digestive tract is performing 😳 As all that has a bearing on the scale numbers. I write down what I eat, my weight and measurements daily as a rule but don’t let the scales ruin my day. As long as the general trend is down, that’s all that matters to me.

I like the daily weigh in, but don’t mind when I am away from my scales for a break. I have also ‘trained’ myself to regard only one per week as official, the rest are tracked and logged, but if weight goes on or stays the same it is not a problem, I just want to see the ‘trend’ going down on the weekly weigh in. I believe MM has mentioned that people who weigh more often are more likely to lose more and to keep weight off, and am resolved not to get ‘weight blind’ again this time, which I think is the main reason for my previous yo-yoing.

As a data monkey, I weigh daily but actually use a seven day average as my “official” weight. I appreciate this won’t work for everyone but it does overcome the desire to react to any plateau or increase.

Thank you Annie W and others for your welcome.
I am aiming not to weigh myself everyday. Will weigh every Sunday.
Will certainly come back after my appointment tomorrow. Interesting that other have found their eyesight improve too.
Will certainly look at note from Krysia D. How amazing too. Well done.
Hope everyone has a good day.

Morning all – hope all is going well with everyone. Day 4 for me and I am resisting the urge to weigh myself daily – think for me it’s going to be better. Having been a bit of a yoyo dieter in the past the main downfall was getting on the scales when I’ve been “good” only to find I’d stayed the same or put on weight. I’m not sleeping too well at the moment (worse than normal) – is this usual in the early days? Hubby surprised me yesterday with the Recipe book so shall enjoy trying out some new healthy, low cal meals. Have a great day everyone.

Morning all.

Day 4 for me too, Rhodie, but unlike you I succumbed and weighed myself – 1lb off since Tuesday morning. Not amazing, but at least going in the right direction. I’m going to try to only weigh myself twice a week – ideally I’d only do it once a week, but it’s difficult enough resisting carbs, let alone resisting the scales too! 😉 You can only expect so much from a girl! 🙂

Again, unlike you, I am sleeping much better than usual but I suspect that is the no alcohol aspect of the diet, rather than the diet itself!

However, I am feeling pretty rough today, not ill or headachey, but very weak. Really struggled with the dogs’ usual 3 mile walk this morning, which I normally really enjoy. Felt weak with very wobbly legs, and even had to rest twice!! . Have been home an hour, had something to eat (yoghurt and blueberries), a glass of water and a coffee but still feeling weak – not tired, just weak, my legs in particular. Hope this isn’t the beginnings of the dreaded carb flu I keep reading about? How long will it take for my body to learn to burn fat instead of carbs? Sadly, the dogs have to be walked – they’d be bouncing off the walls otherwise – so I have no choice regardless of how I feel, so really hope it’s not too long, as I really struggled this morning. Any tips to rectify/alleviate this would be very welcome please.

I looked at the recipe book in Smiths yesterday and it does seem to have some good recipes, so may invest in it in a week or two, if I get bored but so far I am enjoying the food.

Hope you all have a good day.

Hi Theodora

Carb flu is great!!! Let me rephrase – carb flu means that your body is switching from burning carbs to burning fat and that’s great! – it does take a few days to adjust and through that time you may feel a little dizzy, lightheaded and weak – Yes, the dogs need to be walked, but if you were planning on doing anything else ‘exercisey’ just don’t…until you feel better. I suspect by the weekend you will be full of beans again but it may take a few days. Hang in there, drink plenty of water, eat enough fat and you should be fine and rolling on with some fabulous weight loss next week 🙂

Aww, thanks for your encouraging words Topcac. Having sat down for a couple of hours now, I am feeling much better, but I really should be up and doing stuff! But, unlike the dogs, I guess most “stuff” will wait (the dust and the ironing will certainly still be there next week 😉 ) and you have now given me permission to sit and do nothing all day 😉 Thank you. 🙂

I have actually made use of my laziness and joined Fatsecret, and have logged every single thing I have eaten this week and was astonished to find that I am averaging well under 800 calories (660) and 33g of carbs a day!! No idea how I’ve managed that, but it will no doubt be contributing to the weakness. (I have forgotten how many carbs I should be aiming for – can anyone enlighten me please?) I will allow myself a handful of nuts to compensate – or maybe even a glass of wine?????

Onwards and, hopefully, downwards…..

Hello
I too am new to this 8 week BS Diet. My GP is so enthusiastic about it! I have Type 2 Diabetes on insulin (which in itself increases weight) and have difficulty walking due to PAD so have a battle on my hands. I have battled my weight all my life and had given up tbh entering the “Third Age” but the claims of this regime enabling me to go off insulin have motivated me
It is certainly different to other diets I’ve tried .. simple calorie counting, low-fat, WW points etc!
Butter! Eggs! Dairy! Wine! Full fat yoghurt! I’m still trying to get my head around the mix of carbs/calories and constantly reading/re-reading the 8-week BSD book or on this and other similar sites – Fat Secret and My Fitness Pal (which to be honest I find even more confusing as they just seem simply to Calorie Count).
I only started on Monday so this is my 4th day but already have lost weight and my readings have improved (as they improve I can reduce my insulin which in itself will help my weight loss)
I have a lot of weight to lose so expect to be around for a long time. Already have found my go-to snack food is Greek yoghurt and blueberries .

Hi Theodora, well done, sounds like you are doing really well 😊 The general rule I try to stick to is 50 grams of carbs and under as that is what seems to be generally recommended on here, but make sure you keep the calories at a manageable level to be sure you can sustain this in the longer term 😊

Hi Summermoonstone and welcome. This way of eating seems a bit counterintuitive, but it really works😊 I find fat secret works for me as it measures calories and carbs. I have to agree that greek yoghurt and blueberries is also my go to snack…barely a day without…Fage yoghurt is amazing if you haven’t tried it!

Hi Summermoonstone. Welcome and good luck on your BSD journey.

I started on Monday too, and I’m with you on the Greek yoghurt and berries – absolutely delicious and tastes too decadent for a diet. I have it for breakfast every morning (used to have buttered toast and marmite) and really enjoy it.

Going back to the subject of carb flu, I forgot to mention that, apart from the side effect of weakness, I am feeling incredibly cold all the time, just cannot seem to get warm. Guess this is relatively normal and also due to the low carbs? I really hope my body adapts soon – sitting here with heating on full blast, wearing 2 jumpers and a fleece jacket, and a fleece blanket over my knees, and still cold!!! I must look like an old granny – well I am a granny, but hope I don’t look old enough to need a knee rug yet!

Thanks for your reply and advice, Chrysalis.

The funny thing is, even on only 660 calories a day, I haven’t been feeling hungry (just weak and cold) – I think the reason it is so low is that I’ve always walked the dogs first thing, so don’t eat breakfast until about 11am, so I’ve never had lunch, and just wait for supper. Pre-BSD I would, however, snack on biscuits or crumpets etc mid afternoon, and I have cut that out completely. So I am only eating twice a day – I will try to do better.

Theodora, I’m a bit of a reptile in that I am always cold! However, I do think I struggle to get a heat even more since cutting out the carbs…which probably isn’t surprising. I just put up with wearing extra layers these days! Cant wait for Spring! 😊

HaHa Chrysalis – so even after all this dieting, we’ll end up looking fat because of all the layers, even though we are really thin underneath? 🙂 😮 We’ll be the opposite of MM’s TOFIs – we’ll be FOTIs in fact 🙂

I never used to feel the cold, but went through a phase when I felt cold all the time. That now seems to have passed and although I can get cold if i dress unsuitably my new furnace metabolism generally keeps me quite warm. The exception seems to be my hands which get really cold so I will have to start wearing gloves more often.

Hi folks – just starting out on my first week, bought the books makes interesting reading re the low fat stuff, feel like we have all been conned for years. Like the look of Med diet, I pre planned in advance and went and bought myself a book, I write down my meal plans for the week, and write down a shopping list. I shop every Friday buy what on the list and cross it off, if its not on the list it doesn’t go in the trolley is my thinking. So far so good, my first weigh in will be this Saturday, I must say I feel better already – like the food options and despite a national courgette shortage ( its been on the news today) I managed to find some at a small co-op store. I am having meatballs with courgetty for tea, the book is helpful in that being single and cooking for 1 if the meal is for 2 persons I make it and then have it again the next day. that way I get the right portion just have to eat the same thing for 2 days but I am used to that or I would spend a fortune on shopping. This week I have had porridge for breakfast but am going to go down the full fat greek yougurt route next week with a few raspberries on top. I made the Red Thai Curry this week too with the cauliflower rice, I have to say it was delicious. Considering I am a cake monster ( I love my cake) and partial to shortbread especially those Scottie Dogs that Sainsburys do. I have been amazed with no bread, ( how can I live without bread), rice, pasta, or potatoes – all the things that I love that I have not once strayed off the mark and feel pretty good. Got a fitness tracker coming this week to wear, with the dog walking on top plus 12hrs on my feet at work each week be interesting to see what I am doing and get myself fitter week by week. In an ideal world I would love to lose 6 stone, that would take me back to what I weighed in my 20’s. But I am going to take this a pound at a time and 1lb off is and always will be better that 1lb on. Positive thoughts for a new start. 🙂 feeling motivated – & love the posts on here find them so useful. xx

Hi MissFreddieSausageDog and welcome 😊 love the name …there are some very inventful people on here! I definitely need to get more organised in the meal planning dept but not there yet! I have found a fitness tracker really helpful in challenging myself to walk more … and I’m the same, a pound at a time works for me.

Hi everyone, weigh in day for me and loss of 5lbs since last weigh in. Still not able to excercise, which is a shame, but sticking with it. How is everyone else getting on?Had a stumble last night and succumbed to a couple glasses of wine, but not going to beat myself up about it…for too long 🙁

Great result Chrysalis! Don’t worry about the wine, I’m sure you will see good results again next time too. Keep going and good luck.

Good morning all.

Welcome MissFreddySausageDog – another dog walker 🙂 I think everyone should get one (or 2, as in my case ) as at least it forces you to walk, but not sure I could then manage 12 hours on my feet on top of that (going through cab flu atm) 🙁

Just wondering how everyone’s doing today?

Things going ok for me and very pleased to report that the incredible weakness I was feeling yesterday has definitely improved today. I didn’t start to feel wobbly until the last half mile of our walk (and that bit is all uphill) and, unlike yesterday, recovered quickly, so hoping carb flu is on it’s way out.

Little concerned about facing my first weekend on BSD because most of our social life happens then. Also O/H always goes out with his mates on a Friday and I settle down to a lovely quiet evening snuggled on the sofa with a large glass of red in my hand (to be honest, generally more than one!). But I will try to be strong and resist the call for wine and the accompanying snacks / crisps etc. 😉 If I manage it, this will be my 5th BSD day, and my 6th day alcohol free, which even if I don’t lose weight, has to be good for my liver! 😉

I was going to make Mondays my official weigh in day, but considering the above, have decided to make it Fridays, so that if I do slip a bit over the weekend, I will have time to recover and lose any little weight gain I’ve made over the weekend. Is this a cop out, do you think?

Have a good day everyone.

PS Well done on your weight loss, Chrysalis, and quite right, you shouldn’t beat yourself up about the wine – I’m sure we are all tempted, sometimes we succumb, sometimes we don’t. On the scale (pardon the pun) of things, the occasional slip won’t hurt, as long as we don’t treat it as an excuse to binge!

Thanks Chrysalis I am continuing with my Fat Secret page (if I remember) . I will try Fage yoghurt …. never heard of it before but often have Total so will look out for it when I’m next in the supermarket. Atm I am eating one from Lidl which is a huge pot of full fat Greek yoghurt not very expensive but very nice (only a couple of tablespoons at a time I hasten to add not the whole pot lol) Can’t remember the time I last ate full fat yoghurt!

Hey everyone, well done chrysalis!! I feel everyone’s pain who has had wine or is struggling what to do around social situations for the weekend. My friends and I go out every Thursday night and usually have some carb rich pub meal with two very large glasses of wine. I stayed strong though and had soda water and ordered the healthiest salad I could find which was actually yummy as! Very happy that they had a salad that the dressing was just olive oil and lemon!
Like others on this forum I am feeling quite lathargic especially mid afternoon. I feel that after I’ve eaten dinner i perk back up for a fairly long time. It’s just that 3-6pm time that I’m really not feeling great. Any suggestions out there?
Hope everyone is doing really well and staying strong!! 🙂

Hi all,

I weighed myself this morning and am still on 6lbs loss, which is the same as the first few days. I haven’t exercised over the past couple of days though so I will make sure to do that over the next few days and see how I am on Monday morning after 1 full week. If I could lose another 2lbs by then I’d be very happy.

Finding it relatively easy to stick to the diet and just put up with the hunger, drinking 2 litres of water in work every day so that helps, although I’d love to have a couple of gins tonight. I have the big recipe book and tried the prawn and tuna fried rice last night – it was lovely but seemed like a very big plate of food compared to some of the other dishes, I’m doubting I was allowed it all, even though I followed the recipe!

It helps to read the posts here and spur each other on, I’m thinking the only advice I can give at this early point is to exercise if you are able, I am going to try to do some every day from now on.

xx

Welcome MissFreddieSausageDog . Oooh to be as organised as you! But I am going to try and plan next week’s meals in advance and buy on Monday. I have rambled through this week by looking at what’s in the fridge/freezer/cupboard and that’s not the best idea really!

Well done on your weight loss Chrysalis. What a start! I shouldn’t worry about the wine MM says its OK so that’s good enough for me

Hi everyone – Chrysalis – well done on your weight loss. Welcome to MissFreddySausageDog. I too am worried about the forthcoming weekend – this will be my first BSD weekend. Thankfully no social events planned but quite busy with the family – so hopefully my mind will be kept occupied. My worst time is when I get home from work as I am usually feeling quite hungry – trying to work out it if really is hunger or if it’s because the habit has been to snack. I’m trying to have a fruit tea as soon as I get home. Another bad time for me (food wise) is in the evenings when I settle down to watch the telly – why is it that we feel hungry even though we’ve had a meal – another habit formed perhaps? So far so good – this is day 5 for me and I am resisting the urge to jump on the scales every day. I’m really hoping for a good weight loss on Monday 🙂

Hi Rhodie – it might be worth increasing your fat intake a little, as this helps you feel full sooner and for longer and it also helps to kick start the fat burning process. I have found this a useful thing to do and now rarely feel the need to snack. Also, increasing fluid intake should help too. If like me, hydration is something you struggle with, it’s worth giving this some thought and making it a conscious effort.

Good luck and hopefully you will be posting some great results soon!

Hi all. I’m new to the diet and new to posting on forums. I started Monday 16th Jan. I am proud to report I have lost 3.2kgs in 4 days. I have found the food delicious and cook the meals for my husband and 3 kids just adding some noodles, rice or potatoes for them. I’m not diabetic but feel unhealthy and overweight. I have been hungry but have found that I’m close to mealtime and can hang on. The worst is on a night when having a cuppa and usually several biscuits, but no more. I meal plan and write my shopping list. It was hard today in the supermarket and walking through the bakery, I miss my artisan bread! As I said before I don’t usually post but am hoping this will keep me on track.

Hi summermoonstone -just to say Fage Greek yoghurt is Total. So you are already using it 😀

New Claire – the recipe says for two – you do d only eat half didn’t you? Having said that, some of the portions in recipes do seem larger than others.

Hi Iwilldoit and welcome to our group. Well done on your weightloss so far- you sound very organised! Lots of support and motivation here as we are all in the same boat, all looking to lose weight and improve our health. This was the first time I had posted anything, now love keeping up to date with others and it helps me keep focused too 😊

Hi Iwilldoit, and welcome.

Well done on your loss – that’s fantastic in 4 days. Like you, I have never joined a forum before, but decided it may help keep me on the straight and narrow, and it’s great how helpful and supportive everyone is, celebrating each others’ triumphs and understanding and motivating when we fall off the wagon.

For the first time this evening I had the munchies – think it was because usually on a Friday evening O/H goes out and I snuggle up on the sofa with a bottle of red and some crisps etc. Anyway, I checked my calorie intake for the day and discovered I could have a few nuts and still just about squeeze in under 800. I chewed them very, very slowly, and they did the trick – bit odd having them with a cuppa instead of wine though 😉 Now my first BSD weekend to get through……………………

Hi All,
So I’m hoping that I can join your posting board. I’ve been on the fence about this diet since late last year. I don’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes of any kind, I just need to lose weight. I started my diet yesterday and today my scale moved down 1.5 lbs. I’m very excited but gosh was I ever hungry today. I had a wholesome dinner again this evening and I’ll keep you all posted if that’s alright. I need some encouragement from everyone on here.
Thanks so much 🙏🏻

Hi Boston babe and welcome 😊 1.5lbs is a great loss and is good motivation for the times when you feel hungry. I found fruit teas and water help to stem some of the hunger pains. It does get easier, eating plenty of full fat foods will help you feel fuller for longer, but watch your carb intake! Check into the forums regularly as they really help keep you motivated. I’m on day 12 and have to say it really does get easier!

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to ask if there is a minimum amount of carbs you’re supposed to eat a day. I know the maximum is supposed to be 50. I haven’t been eating many at all (under 35 each day) and today I was so tired around midday so I decided to have a piece of rye bread with my bolognaise sauce. I’m not too worried about eating the bread but I’m just wondering if I’ve need to make sure to at least eat 50g of carbs a day?
Thanks for all the advice 🙂

Hi Chrisula83, I think the aim is to stay below 50 grams carbs, and the lower the better…if you are feeling hungry try increasing the amount of fat eg in yoghurt snack as this should help.

I find I can run on around 20g carbs a day, but we are all different and you will need to find your own level. To keep the weight falling and the fat burning, it’s best to be below the 50g it seems, but some people manage it on around 60g, so we are all different. If I’m reading your post correctly, it was an energy issue that took you to the rye bread, so maybe you need to have your carb intake nearer the 50g a day level, than the 35g. Think about where those extra carbs come from though – opt for pulses rather than grains as they contain complex rather than simple carbs and so won’t cause blood sugar spikes, which might result in hunger pangs and cravings.

So I had a massive evening of weakness yesterday. I decided to eat poached eggs for breakfast instead of the yoghurt I’ve been eating all week, as I knew eggs would fill me up. I wanted to skip lunch and have a couple of gins with sparkling water and lemon/mint with dinner this evening. Well by the time I was driving home from work I was so hungry I felt sick, I just had water sloshing around in me and I needed food. I ended up stopping in Sainsburys and bought a mini gammon shank from their hot food snack bit and ate that as soon as I got home. I then had a “what the hell” attitude and followed that up with crisps and cashew nuts! Oh, and I still had the gins! I’ve had more than double my allowance of carbs and calories. Went to bed hating myself.

Ive tried to put it in perspective this morning and thought if I end up losing 3-4lbs this week instead of the 6lbs I had lost before yesterday, then it’s still an ok amount. I can never skip lunch again on this diet! So ladies if you need a good laugh, just imagine someone standing in their kitchen eating a big lump of ham off the bone and trying not to burn themselves!

Hi Boston Babe, welcome and well done on finally committing to BSD and your first weight loss.

NewClaire – please don’t hate yourself. Everyone will fall off the wagon sooner or later – we are only human after all – and the important thing is to just pick yourself up and get back on the wagon.

Chrisula, I have been on under 35g carbs all week – lowest was 21 on my first day – but will have a blowout 40 today, as it’s the weekend and I have 2 courses planned for dinner. Daily total will still be only 819 calories though. Will do 2 courses again tomorrow, including a roast, and it will come out at roughly 30g and only 720 calories. As SunnyB says, I think we are all different, and it also takes us all a different amount of time to start metabolising fat instead of carbs. You may have felt tired because you have hit carb flu – happened to me a few days ago, couldn’t believe how weak and feeble I felt, but I persevered (with encouragement on here – thank you) and seem to be shooting through now. So whatever you are comfortable with, as long as you try to stay under 50.

Despite determining not to weigh myself again until next Friday, I jumped on the scales yet again this morning – another pound gone, so 7lbs in 5 days, and my fat percentage has dropped a bit from my starting figure on Monday – was 33.6 and is now 32.9 🙂 and my BMI has dropped below 29 for the first time in years. It has given me the motivation (I think) to try to get through my first BSD weekend without straying too far…………….but oh, what I wouldn’t do for a glass of red (or white for that matter!)

I’m feeling a bit guilty because we were supposed to have some very dear friends (all thin) coming to stay next weekend whom we haven’t seen in ages and I was worrying about sticking to the straight and narrow during their visit, which would have involved feeding them on 2 evenings and going out for dinner on another – and lots and lots of wine. But last evening they rang and cancelled, and they sounded so disappointed, so I tried to sound likewise, whilst in my head I was shouting HALLELUJAH!!! Bad girl Theodora 🙁

Have a good day everyone, onwards and downwards 🙂

Well done Theodora, you are doing great…not to worry…Monday will be here before you know it 😢

New Claire, don’t worry about slipping occasionally. As I see it this is about changing a way of living, and so long as the general trend is low carb and low calorie I really don’t think it will make much of an impact…as Theodora says…onwards and downwards!

PS I can absolutely picture you devouring a piece of gammon whilst trying not to get burned…it’s exactly the sort of thing I would do! 😂

😂 I’m off to the gym! Everyone is doing so well and trying so hard, it is great to tell all and get the boost to keep going – thank you all, we can do it!!

I’m not counting my carbs as I’m using recipes in MM book. I do keep a record of calories and stay roughly under the 800 but try not to get too obsessive about it as I figure once I’ve finished it will be easier to stick to the lifestyle change. Weekends are so hard. Took my youngest to a birthday party and had to resist cake! My wedding anniversary this week and we are out for dinner, going for tapas so I can avoid carbs!! Everyone sounds like they are doing so well. New Claire great to go to gym. I do weigh myself everyday as I have had a decrease and it keeps me motivated. May give it a miss after tapas though!!!