JGwen . . .? I couldnt agree with you more on BOTH counts! I have TWO people close to me – one a friend one a relative – who eat badly . I mean BADLY!!! (One more than the other.) BOTH have weight and joint pain/arthritis etc issues. BOTH say they have done what Ive done but proudly dismissed it all with . . . “nah . . . it didnt work for me (them)!” One reckons she did it for a month . . . the other A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Like you, I line up at the supermarket – (mine has a l-o-n-g conveyor belt so one can see ALL of someones purchases 🙂 ) – and I cringe at what people have chosen to be scanned. I say to myself . . . .”self they arent necessarily overweight or having BSL issues . . . so dont stress . . .!!! ITS THEIR CHOICE informed or not!!!” . . . and bite my tongue . . , but find it sad that maybe things in general could well be “better” for them and their overall health . . . if only they knew 🙂

Absolutely true about people’s shopping JGwen! Especially people with families, I look at their trolleys and think WOW that would feed a mountain and it probably amounts to a mountain of sugar 😯. But then I think we’ll I’m in my 60’s and still learning about healthy eating and making the right choices lol.
Happy to report today’s weigh in is a 1.1kg loss since reboot. I’m finding that although I’m not hungry (been keeping under 900 this week) I do tend to ‘wander’ to the fridge/cupboards for something ‘tasty’, a habit I’ll have to change! Have a great weekend roadsters x

Well done, Granny! And thanks for being such a great encouragement to the rest of us!

K

I sometimes feel a bit judgy and have to keep myself in check! So many people seem to spend their life complaining about their weight and poor health with no plans to do anything about it.

I came across a podcast which raises some thought provoking ideas on the importance of feast / famine to keep the body guessing. I have posted a link on the take a look at this thread. If you scroll down the page slightly you can find a list of the timing of different discussions on the podcast. I took some of the guys ideas with a pinch of salt, – but its interesting that there are a team of doctors running self experiments on different eating protocols and comparing results.

Just wanted to mention to the group that the recipe section of this forum is well worth a look at from time to time. I have just been searching for a recipe for some soup I made from the recipe section previously and was quite inspired by some lovely (vegetarian) recipes. It’s definitely worth a look at if you want to try something different from your usual go to recipes.

Weigh day tomorrow for me after my first week on strict reboot BSD …..am still in ketosis so hoping for a good weight loss tomorrow.

Good tip CC will take a look👍, good luck for tomorrow’s weigh in.
I’ve gone from twice weekly to just one Friday weigh in, finding it much easier to handle.

Thanks Granny. I know what you mean about a weekly weigh in. I was a daily weigher for a long time but now it saves me a lot of disappointment if I only weigh once a week and it is also very liberating from day to day.

No weight loss to report as yet because when I stood on the scales this morning they said “Low” not because I was the lowest weight ever but because the batteries had died and I’ve just replaced them. I will post my weight loss tomorrow when I jump on.

Hope everyone has had a good day. Unbelievably beautiful weather in Manchester today! Vest tops at the ready!

Maybe that’s a sign CC …… good weight loss to come tomorrow I’m sure👍. Yes great weather can you believe it! Makes making good choices soooo much easier 😍

I fell off the wagon during a trip to New York. Now back on it and determined to complete 8 weeks of disciplined Fast 800. Started the day with a 5K run and I also did a HIIT class this evening.

Thanks everyone for the support on this forum.

Have got strict again this past week or so. Am now down to 10st 4lbs so slowly and surely heading towards goal. I think from waist measurement I will fit in my wedding dress for the fitting, fingers crossed! I will find out come Saturday.
On the job front I have had a few interviews so keeping positive.

I hope everyone UK side is enjoying this beautiful weather.

Well done cleverblonde! Sure you will be excited for saturdays fitting 😘 and keep positive on the job front. Yes enjoying the UK weather and definately makes it easier choices for bsd 👍

Hi Guys
I’m back on board now it’s warmer and easier to stick to plan
Weighed in this morning and feeling a bit better already.
It was the right thing todo before as it was just to hard working in the extreme cold and trying to stick to plan.
So looking forward to the journey
🤗🤗🤗 jan

Welcome back Jan- we are all still plodding slowly towards our goals. I started a “back to basics” week last week, Week 1 resulted in a 3lb weight loss. Am delighted with that. I am tryiing to lose 7 lb to 10lb before I go away on the first week in April. When I started in Jan 2017 I lost 4lb in my first week but I was a lot heavier then. This week I am aiming to lose 2lb. I am still in ketosis and feeling strong willed and determined to get back to my goal weight of 133 lb or less. Have booked to go to Turkey in June so no is a great time to start chipping away at those extra pounds that are proving to be so stubborn.

Cleverblonde – things are going well for you which is fantastic news. A few of us went strict last week and it’s starting to pay off for us. Good luck for your dress fitting on Saturday. It will be nice for you to gauge where you are at. Well done on getting some interviews lined up too. Keep us posted and best of luck.

#comeon everyone. Hope the rest of the “back to basics” crew are doing well, should be time for a weekly weigh in for some?

Hi Cathy – 3lb loss is a great result from week 1 of your back to basics week – I’m not surprised you’re delighted. xx
greenjanet – welcome back – it sounds like it was completely the right decision to wait until the warmer weather to continue with the BSD – hope things go well this week

CleverBlonde – looking forward to hearing how the dress fitting goes on Saturday – what great motivation for staying on track

Caroline – well if you’re going to fall off the wagon I guess New York must be one of the best places to do it – never been, always wanted to! Good luck with this week and getting back on track.

Well, I’ve not been weighing myself recently, but got up this morning feeling thinner – and then read your post, Cathy, – so thought I’d give it a go – and I’m pleased to say I’m now back in the 10s – 10 st 11lbs in fact. Hurray! I’m really pleased with that. I think I was 11st 1lb when I last weighed so I’m happy. My aim for now is to get back to the top of my healthy BMI which is 10st 2lbs, (maybe get into the high 9s) and then hold steady for a while. What I’m really pleased about is that I feel a bit more in control of my routine again – weighing everything, getting my steps in (the warm weather here at the moment is really helping with that). It’s not perfect but it’s getting there.

Granny, Kerry and everyone – hope things are going well this week. xx

Hi Team Slim!

I’m still here – and have been treading water for about 4 weeks and feeling a bit deprived, tbh.
I’m being fairly good, but just little slips are keeping me above calories or slightly higher carbs than is ideal.

Thanks for the nudge Jennie10 – I’m just trying to keep swimming.

Hope all’s well with everyone.

Kx

Hi roadtrippers, I am still bowling along but after my last attempt to get rid of some unwanted Christmas pounds, I had a slight detour when my OH wound up in A&E with acute gastritis, and the next few weeks while I worried about him, followed by a holiday meant that last Monday was my first fast(ish) day for ages, and last weekend the scales were as high as they have ever been since I was on the way down the first time, and a large number of my tighter trousers were unwearable. I have stuck to 800 again for the next two days as well, and planned my eating strategy all the way up to the middle of June! No more detours, I mean business now. Faced with the choice of lose the weight or have to get yet another bunch of clothes, I choose to lose the weight.

Mixnmatch glad things have settled down at home and you can get back to basics with us. There are a few of us old timers going back to basics at the moment. I found maintenance quite challenging and after Christmas and a trip to London found myself 11 lbs over my target weight! I am on week 2 of a reboot and like you am totally committed to getting back to my goal weight. Once you get your mind in gear it’s easy. We know this works and we know what to do, we just need to do it and do it 100%. My aim for this week is 2lb. Get back in those trousers mixnmatch- we are on a mission #comeon.

Welcome back Jan and MnM 🙂
Well done Cathy and everyone else who has lost this week. Thanks also for your words of support and encouragement Cathy, they do make a difference – I’m happy to say that I’ve lost 600g/1.3lb this week. As I tend to lose weight slowly this is a good loss for me. I’ve been eating on plan foods, averaging 1000 calories and walking 10-12,000 steps each day. This week I’m aiming to go down to 800 calories on at least 2-3 days, and see what result that brings. It’s the last day of summer here today (thankfully! The heat has been a bit much for me this year), and so Easter doesn’t seem that far away…my plan is to lose 4.5kg by Easter, which I think is achievable. Keep going everyone 🙂

Just want to share a delicious low carb dessert/breakfast/snack with the roadsters. It’s simple but delicious and probably everyone has already tried it but if not give this a go. A bowl of Greek yoghurt mixed with chia seeds. A few hot microwaved raspberries on top of the yoghurt and then a few little chunks of 85% chocolate on top of the raspberries. It is a taste sensation. The hot raspberries with the cold yoghurt is devine. That was my lunch today.

This sounds delicious CC! My variation uses raw unsweetened cacao nibs in place of the 85%.
A different bitter choc. taste and texture, but equally good!

Hi Cathy
Agree with Allie, that sounds delicious. I read a tip on here one Christmas when somebody offered something similar as a dessert after Christmas dinner. She had full fat greek yoghurt, raspberries and a grating of 85% chocolate on top. I’ve used that a few times; it’s a real treat for me. Hot and cold is a great idea though so I do like the sound of having hot raspberries. Will definitely give that a go!

About the chia seeds – I’ve got some but I’ve only ever used them in a recipe for parmesan seed crackers? (not sure of title but also from here). Do I just put them in the yoghurt? How many would you use?

Allie – I also like the sound of the raw unsweetened cacao nibs – I like bitter tastes (and my husband would really like it – he likes bitter coffee, 100% chocolate). He is doing BSD with me this time round – and is doing far better than me!

Does anyone know where I could buy them in the UK? and again, do you just sprinkle in/on top?

jennie- just mix in a couple of teaspoons of chia seeds into the yoghurt.i always add chia seeds into my yoghurt for fibre! You can get cacao nibs in Sainsbury’s, Asda, Holland & Barrett. They probably sell them in Aldi. I get my chia seeds from aldi. I think I’ve seen them in Aldi. I buy frozen raspberries at this time of year as the fresh ones can taste a bit woody out of season. I simply defrost them and heat them up in the microwave and tip them onto the cold yoghurt. With a sprinkling of chocolate on top it’s like a delicious trifle and BSD friendly!

How lovely of CC to find you a source, Jennie! Mine would be restricted to my side of the pond…The first time
I tried the raw nibs I was very surprised by them…they are quite bitter, and have the texture of a coffee bean!
When mixed with a small handful of defrosted raspberries, they become something magnificent. I use a
few tsps of both chia and raw cacao, creamy greek yogurt, and about 10 raspberries..We refer to this
concoction in our house as a breakfast parfait. Lots of texture and fiber, too!

Yes, you can get the nibs in Aldi.

Yes, Allie, it was lovely of Cathy and JGwen, and yourself – I knew your source would be from ‘over the water’ but I didn’t realise cacao nibs were so available in the UK. We have an Aldi within a good walking distance so I’m going to try there first.

Cathy – yes, I use frozen raspberries too (my favourite berry!). I’m really looking forward to trying the whole caboodle

Allie – I’m intrigued by the nibs so I’m going to go for that, too – I’ll introduce it to my husband as a ‘breakfast parfait’

Edited: should say my favourite Berry – after Mary!

Great, Jennie! Let me know what you think! I found the gritty texture a bit strange at first, but today a bowl of
yogurt without my additives seems boring 🙂 Definitely “sell it” as a breakfast parfait! There is research that
suggests this “superfood” is very beneficial in terms of cognitive functioning, too. Best!

Allie

Hi, hope everyone is doing ok? Hope to be back posting soon, meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend everyone. 🙂
Kazzeexx

Allie – I will do
Kazzee – that’ll be lovely
Hope everyone has a good weekend

Hi Everyone, I hope you are enjoying your weekends.
A little update from me, it’s been quite a week. Firstly I have a job offer, details now finalised and it’s a great opportunity with a better package so job stresses are over.
Secondly I had my dress fitting this morning and it’s a perfect fit ! So thanks everyone for the positive words of encouragement it has meant a great deal to me.
Looking at about another 4/5 Lbs off by the wedding at the beginning of May and I’ll be very happy. Huge positive vibes to everyone Hx

Cleverblonde- I am so happy for you! Excellent news regarding the new job offer and fantastic news about your wedding dress! You’ll easily lose a few more pounds by May. Thank you for sharing this lovely news.

Onwards and downwards to everyone

Wow brilliant news all round cleverblonde well done! And yes thank you for sharing your news 👏. Can’t say there will be good news on my scales this week as have just spent a lovely few days in Edinburgh with my daughter……but keeping positive as I know I can easily step back in bsd mode ……yaaay x

Granny- one of the best things about this way of eating is that when we get back on track we lose what we gained. It only took me a couple of days to get back into fat burning after my trip to London. I am beginning to realise that if there is a special occasion I can take my foot off the gas a little and then get straight back to basics until the next special occasion. It works for me! I am being really focused at the moment and have already lost what I gained when I stayed with my son. Hopefully you’ll be the same after your trip to Edinburgh and in no time you’ll be losing again. The trick is to keep our eyes on the prize.

Hi Everyone
I’m currently conducting a study on how 5:2 diets and Very low calorie diets (less than 800kcals a day) make people feel about their lives as part of my University dissertation. If you are on one of these diets I would be extremely grateful if you could fill in the below survey – it’s really quick! Thank you
https://loughboroughssehs.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0JNDYtn1q0Zi2Pz

How is everyone doing? I lost 2.4 lbs this week. My aim was for 2lb so I am really happy with that. Being realistic I will aim for 1.5 this week. I am still being super good. Ive lost 6.4 lb in two weeks on my back to basics reboot. I will keep going until my trip to the Spa on 1st April and I hope to be somewhere near my goal weight by the time I go. The plan is that if I get to goal weight the impending weight gain from my week away won’t be too drastic so that I can get it off quickly before my summer holiday in June. It works for me this way. Diet and then have a week off for holidays! I also read an interesting study in the new fast 800 book about people who diet intermittently – the Matador Study. Apparently having a regular break from dieting “intermittent dieting” can be more effective than ploughing on (Page 145).

Hope everyone is still on track or enjoying a little pit stop before the hitting home straight!

Hi CC,
The research you mention the Matador Study, was only about calorie counting, participants were allowed 67% of energy needed to maintain weight, as there is no mention of the ratios / limits for macros I would assume it was just a calorie in/calorie out.
Obviously there is the difference between dieting v low insulin & calorie counting.

If you are dieting you are only counting calories, which may mean that your carb intake is high enough that your insulin levels are not low enough for your body to make up the calorie difference from body fat. So after a while of eating low calorie your body will reduce your metabolic rate to match the level of calories you are eating.
If you are low carb, low enough to keep insulin levels low enough so that your body can access your fat stores (you are in ketosis), your body doesn’t need to reduce your metabolic rate to match the levels of calories as it has to do if calorie restriction applies.
——————–
However, the study raises a range of interesting questions. – The two versions of dieting tested were consistent calorie restriction against 2 weeks on a diet / 2 weeks off routine. – So what would have happened if it was 1 week on/ 1 week off. – What would happen if it was a greater calorie restriction, would the slow down of metabolic rate be more rapid? How would one meal a day which raised insulin but only so much that a percentage of the day was low insulin / fat burning effect the results?
———————–
I have been wondering if insulin is the only mechanism which controls if the body drops the metabolic rate. – Initially we have to go low carb for a period which is long enough to beat the carb addiction. I know that there are a lot of us on this forum who have been eating low carb for a long period and have successfully lost weight and many who have done multiple back to back 8 week cycles. – But, it sort of seems logical that there would be some mechanism within the body which notices that you have been drawing on fat stores for a long period of time, without any occasions when you add to the fat stores, so may be living through a period of low food supplies and trigger lowering of metabolic rate.

I haven’t come across any formal research on the topic. But something to think about.
————————-

Well done CC! With your determination I’m sure you will reach your target by 1 April 😀. I just wish I had half of your determination, I suppose it’s my mindset…….the slightest waiver seems to set me back a couple of days😔, I’m fed up now yo-yoing with a few kilos! I probably need to research like you JGwen 👏. But at least I’m not giving up I’m still on the road trip albeit slower than most . Have a great weekend everyone x

Granny- slow and steady wins the race. There are a few of us on here who are slow losers. It really doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you keep going. I have just had a trip to M&S on my way home to buy some bread for my husband and whilst in there really got a fancy for a pizza or some pasta. When I looked at the carb content I was so shocked. I am polishing my halo as I walked out with a salad pot. I could easily have just bought something and thought “what the heck” but after over two years of plodding I know how disappointed I would be with myself. It’s shocking how high in carbs most items are on the supermarket shelves. A pasta bake I saw had 75 g of carbohydrate in a portion! I used to eat that and garlic bread! One weeks allowance of carbs in one meal! No wonder I was so fat. Tonight it will be an egg salad for me. (Sorry to say this but the pasta bake did look like it would be tasty!)

Have a good weekend everyone.

Thank you CC for those wonderful words of encouragement 👏 I shall soldier on 💪. I am very impressed by your M&S trip, it’s difficult at the best of times to resist their food 😀. I know what you mean about carbs, it’s shocking once you start to read labels , even things labelled ‘healthy option’ can be high in carbs! I love egg salad, always reminds me of balmy summer days……

Hi all
I have had a bit of a break through as I have finally realised that I keep falling off the wagon because it is fine I will start again tomorrow! A little slip today can be sorted tomorrow!!
My new mind set is finish today, stay strong and perhaps tomorrow you can indulge. Working on the theory tomorrow never comes!! I have 2 weeks & need to loose at least 6lbs so need to be focused. Aim high work hard with the hope that success will breed success!! My BS readings are going high again so I have to loose this last 2 stone. No more excuses. I should be half way by now not even further away!!
You are all doing so well I need to get control and do it for my health. 3 lbs minimum next week!!
With my mum in respite for 3 weeks I have a little more time to get my life sorted!!
#ontracktoday#treat tomorrow

Hey there Denise susan! The neuro Linguistics have arrived to guide you : Well done! Same thing applies to “Lose” “dropped” and “Discard” . . . lose immediately conjours up “find” . . . dropped . . ? picked up whereas discard is finished with and gone. Some timeout for yourself will no doubt be a welcome break . . . and of course give you time to reset the “programming”. Excellent! You go girl! Quack! Quack 🙂

Thanks WoodDuckie
I am happy to report I am continuing to discard weight and was on track for my goal until I looked up my tracker and realised the goal post has moved and I had done better than I remembered before Xmas so have added another 1.5 lbs to my challenge!! So although I have discarded weight I have 2 weeks to discard 6lbs. JGwen or anyone else I struggle to get into ketosis & stay there unless I completely fast for 48 hours! could that have anything to do with high insulin resistance or raised blood glucose or too much protein. I am very bad at recording my macros, have cut back on the nuts and blueberries so that should help.
I am finally loosing so am determined these next 2 weeks to reach my mini goal & whilst away I am going to stick to it. No more excuses or set backs I am only interested in new lowest weight in 20 years. Good luck everyone we are on the home straight xx

Hi again DeniseSusan! Given you have a short timeframe for the desired discard . . . and the seemingly slow removal 🙂 would you like to share some days menu’s for us to scrutinse and offer suggestions maybe? Just a thought – because there are SO MANY hidden pitfalls . . . like my late dinner tonight . . .Im feeling SO BLOATED and have no idea why . . . same meal as many many tmes before . . . maybe Its because its a little later than normal . . .Ill need to make not of this one . . . QuACK! qUACK!

Hi Denise Susan,
Could you give us a list of what you have eaten /drunk in a couple of days where you struggled to get into ketosis so that we can help you work out what is going on. Also what method are you using to test if you are in ketosis?

Thanks for the quick response JGwen and woodDuckie, I eat only in the hours of daylight so have about a 6 hour window although I am trying to start earlier as I usually start late because once I start eating it triggers me to want more which I am trying to drink each time I think food. I probably have about 15 coffee/ tea on a bad day up at 7 pint of water exercise 10 minute hit brunch usually 150g Greek full fat yogurt handful of mixed nuts or 5ml spoon of chia or mixed hemp chia seeds & 100g (now 50g) blueberries tea pizza from celeriac egg cheese BSD recipe mushrooms a few baby tomatoes no tomatoe purée spinach or omelette left over bits of meat mainly chicken, veg & leaves or broccoli mushroom and haloumi stir fry. Veg always above ground. Yoghurt cheese meat & nuts are my go to when I nibble!! These up the calories and I think too much protein. Over on my milk quota.
I have never slept well since children came along with medical issues but looking at my coffee tea intake I guess I know why!! On half the days I probably only have 4 or 5 but those days I don’t get round to drinking anything!!
I would love a weeks plan based on correct macros perhaps I can now make the time although might be off to London to collect middle child who decided to dislocate his knee last night!!
Thanks in advance for any help advise Dx

Hi Denise Susan,
There is a lot of research which suggests that people who are Insulin Resistant have a higher baseline of insulin levels. Which is why some people have to be under 20g of carbs a day to achieve ketosis.
Its amazing how carbs can sneak into our daily intake. I wonder if the amount of milk in your drinks is part of the problem? I know its a hassle, but there is no getting away from the fact that using an app like fatsecret and weighing / measuring everything is the only way to be sure on your intake. The target is under 20g of carbs, 0.6 to 0.8g of protein per kg of TARGET weight. (too much protein can also cause an increase in insulin.) with the rest of your calories coming from healthy fats. On the positive side, once you have got into a routine with preferred meals it gets easier.
You don’t mention how you are measuring ketones. Is it using pee sticks? If so remember that they are an unreliable method. They are measuring the surplus ketones your body is producing and after a short period of time your body stops generating surplus ketones.

Denise Susan,
In my case, too much caffeine causes water retention. It has the opposite effect than it should do when you are drinking too much of it, and with water retention, there is less of a weight loss. When I’m drinking to stop myself thinking food, it is water or sugar free drinks, although I know it’s best for quite a few of us not to drink sugar free drinks, it isn’t a problem for me. Sugar free tonic with lime and ice, or sugar free squash. I drink 3 cups of tea and 2 coffees a day which, if I go over this, I start retaining water.
Sorry, not very helpful on the ketosis front, but I usually manage to stay in it when I’m doing it properly.

“Some recent research however, has found that caffeine could actually disrupt the metabolism of glucose, which could actually knock you out of ketosis”

Hi, Jordana! Wine has the same paradoxical effect for me, too. Fluid retention. To be successful, I did give
it up until the maintenance stage, which took me 10 months to achieve. I, however, had lots to lose 🙂