Morning/evening all,

start weight = 128.1lb
Week 1 = 127.8lb
Today = 126.2lb (new low by 0.1lb)

Total -1.9lb

Shanshu – I still dream of numbers like mine! it’s funny, doesn’t feel like ‘me’ yet. Keep going, there is no reason you can’t get there 1 BSD mouthful at a time.

Luvtcook – thanks for the encouragement.

SunnyB – Wow, a reminder that there is a maintainers thread. Haven’t thought about that as I am probably still too convinced that I am not someone who can reach the goal I have in mind. Mmmmm, that mindset is probably not going to get me there is it? It would be great to hear from any maintainers about changing this mindset, that of becoming comfortable with your new shape/size/weight as ‘this is who I am now’. I still feel a little like I am ‘playing’ at being someone who makes good food choices but deep down I am the person who struggles daily with self sabotage. Imposter’s syndrome anyone???

Gattina – YAY ….Yay…. That’s an incredible loss. Enjoy finding some new smaller things to wear.

Go well all, looking forward to the posts today. x

Hey there Mokovex, how close to goal are you? You sound tiny already! I have stopped losing at 128llbs and have definitely got used to it. Would like to move on down a bit more but am happy with what I can eat now so can’t quite face restricting.

I guess you need to look at what you’ve done and own it before you’ll fully believe it’s you. I’ve heard we need to maintain for a couple of years before our bodies accept our new default, so I guess over time we relax into it? I know what you mean about imposter syndrome but as I have decided I am never eating simple carbs again I am finding it relatively easy to imagine that if I stick to that rule I can keep this body.

Good morning all
Great posts so far – well done Marsie and Mokovex for your losses and JackieM for maintaining. Enjoy Italy – try to stick to the second courses – meat/fish and vegetables – the first courses are pasta and even though they will be amazing probably not great for BSD.
Mokovex – I seem to have the opposite problem to you – when I look in the mirror I still see a size 10 16 year old not a size 22 middle aged woman 🙁

So I managed to undo my good – I was craving something last night so I decided to have some berries with yogurt, cashew nut butter and some brazil nuts. It brought my calories up to just over 1,000 for the day and my carbs to 40g. I thought this would be OK as it wasn’t a full on binge – but this morning I couldn’t believe my blood glucose had gone up to 6.2 and I’d put on 1/2 lb on the scales. I will be able to put this right before my next weigh-in next week but so disappointing that such a small diversion has made such a big difference.

‘Morning, Mokovex!
I’m not participating in this challenge, because I reached maintenance 9 months ago.The name of the maintenance
thread is “After reaching your target, what next?” You would be most welcome to join us over there. It’s the ideal
place to discuss imposter’s syndrome, or anything else that is on our minds as we get used to the new “normal”!
I have found that figuring out what strategy to use going forward has been far more challenging than a weight
loss of 148lbs….I hope to see you there! Congratulations on all your success 🙂

Allie

Hi all…

Well done for those with losses, large and small and commiserations for those not yet seeing the results they wanted. I’m sorry i don’t have time to post to all but…

Gattina – whilst your BG may be related to the slightly added day, the weight gain is probably a fluctuation and will not doubt be gone as quick as it came. As for the BG – it’s quite early on in the cutting out of carbs for you (am I right that you’re on Week 3?) and it may take awhile for this to stabilise. You may find that in a few weeks simply a similar day wouldn’t have that effect at all.

Mokovex – well done on the new low. You and others posting your amazing achievements helps keep on track when I’m feeling like taking a break (or at the very least keep me from staying away long).

Gattina, cashews are one of the highest carb nuts at 27g per 100g serving. Brazil nuts have just 4g by comparison.That small amount cashew butter at night is probably a large part of your elevated BG this morning, and may even have been sufficient to make your body retain a half pound of water. If you feel the need for something in the evening, stick with fat and protein like sunshine-girl’s trademark slice of ham and cheese. If it’s a dessert need you’re feeling, try coarsely chopping 28 grams of Brazil nuts. Mix a half cup (4 oz) of nut milk, 2 tablespoons of ground chia and a sprinkling of cinammon. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it sets. Top with the nuts. You get the pudding with none of the sugar or carbs of yogurt, the luciousness and crunch of the Brazils and the sensory of illusion of sweetness from the cinammon.

So as you know my week had two days of far too many calories and I wasn’t great carbs wise either. About halfway through the week I resolved to ensure that at the very least I didn’t gain any of the previous loss. Then yesterday I sabotaged myself a bit as was stuck at the hospital with my OH unable to get BSD friendly food and then went way over calories (on olives) when I finally got somewhere selling something other than crisps, sandwiches, jacket potatoes or pasta (you know hospitals).

That being said I weighed in this morning down 1.2lbs from last Tuesday. Nowhere near where I wanted to be at the start of the week but probably better than I deserve given that I haven’t been strict this week at all (and have hardly done any exercise).

My goal for the month was to lose 12lbs and at the halfway stage I have lost 6.2lbs so technically I’m on track but will need to be strict over the next two weeks if I’m going to make it I think. I have two nights (Fri and Sat) that will be difficult. Friday, I am co-hosting a murder mystery party. I will stick to one glass of fizz and maybe a vodka and sugar free mixer (not sure I will have the confidence without a bit of drink). Food will be totally BSD (at least for me). I will go no doubt go above calories but hopefully not exceedingly so.

Saturday night is a pub crawl and I will eat beforehand and not drink so long as I’m good, it shouldn’t be a ‘bad’ day.

1.8 lb on for me this week! I am not feeling good about that at all. I have been really struggling to keep at my goal weight this last few weeks. I went out with work on Friday and had a few G&Ts. I have been feeling hungry during the cold days at work and feel like things could easily slip out of control. Hope to be back at 133 lb next Tuesday. Think I will aim to get back to goal weight during February and then aim to try and lose the extra 4lb I want to lose as a buffer when the weather warms up a bit. There are some fantastic losses this week so well done to everyone who has done well. Keep going everyone who hasn’t seen the results they’d hoped for. It’s so disappointing when the scales move in the wrong direction but so exciting when you see reward for effort. Hope to dust myself down after this mornings weigh in disappointment and feel determined to get back to basics this week that’s for sure!

Not recording any loss on weigh-in day, even though I was down by 100g temporarily before the weekend. So I’m sitting steady at 79.7kg. I’m actually fairly happy with it and glad I haven’t gained after a fairly high calorie weekend. Last week’s hunger has subsided, and I’m feeling back in control again. I’m still on track to meet my goal for the challenge, and I’m hoping for another whoosh this week as that has been a fairly typical pattern for me. Great to see all the loses coming in today.

I’m happy to report a loss this week, 0.9kg or almost 2lb. I finally feel I’m getting some control back!
Because I gained in the early part of this challenge, I’m still 0.7kg more than when I started, but still with 2 weeks to go I should be able to get a bit closer to my next goal.
Because of the gains I had in Dec & Jan, weight wise I’m back where I was in August (I lose weight very slowly!), however I’m trying to look forward and not back.
One part of my challenge goal I have been able to meet is daily/weekly steps – I’m averaging at least 13,000 steps per day and last weeks total was 88,500.
And a small NSV yesterday, we had an afternoon tea at work and I was surrounded by cakes, muffins & biscuits. I munched on my boiled egg and veggie sticks, and sipped green tea. I didn’t even feel tempted to eat cake, or feel I was missing out.
Hoping everyone has a great week 🙂

JackieM – hi, I am pretty small but my issue has always been body fat % I started this WOE only a smidge over the top end of a ‘healthy’ BMI but my body fat was over 40% and my waist circumference was obese. Never had great musculature or bone density so what weight I hold is fat. A classic apple shape and TOFI. Awful problems with reflux etc. I am now down to a uk size 10 which I know is small but my body fat has only just started regularly coming in under 30% so would ideally like to get that down to closer to 25%. Still have really high cholesterol so don’t feel out of the woods yet. I think that naturally I need to be at the bottom end of the BMI for fat health and gain loads of muscle for decent weight. Am very excited about an ultrasound scan I have booked for March as it will be a much more accurate reading of my body composition. If it tells me the Fat levels around my visceral organs is healthy, then I will stop and focus on maintaining. Feel at a funny stage of being there but not there yet,

Ah, we are similar then, I’m a uk 8 or 10 but our scales still showing 28 – 30% fat and my cholesterol v v high. Am very stable at about 128llbs at the moment, know I will not get fatter and can’t quite motivate self to restrict self – well, that last bit is not the same as you is it you are moving on downwards!

Best of luck with it, you are going great guns by the sound of it. If you find any magic bullets let me know. I’m experimenting with increased fibre at the moment to see what that does. Be interested to learn more about the ultra sound

Lovely to see so many great losses being posted, I unfortunately have to report that a combination of TOTM and a minor carb fest and alcohol over the weekend sees my loss of last week almost reversed. Still, it is definitely water related, so I am not getting upset about it. Interestingly my body fat percentage is reducing as my weight increases, as the scales call the gain ‘muscle’ I think that means quite a lot of it must be new glycogen being stored in the muscles.

Hi All , just a quick note as I’ve just gorged on reading lots of wonderful posts. I’ve still been battling nausea and sickness, so not writing much. Thankyou again for all of your encouraging words to me. It’s been a very difficult couple of weeks. I’ve moved over to a rehab hospital 2 days ago. When I arrived dinner was served and looked fantastic but I was very sick so never got to try it. Good variety of foods including fantastic salads plenty of protein and very helpful staff. I did manage bacon scrambled egg and grilled tomato this morning. Nothing since . Nausea is back so I’ll say good luck and bye for now x

Milalin so sorry to hear that you’ve been so sick, but glad that you have now been moved to a rehab place. Are they giving you medication for your nausea? I used to take Ondestron (think that’s what it was called anyway) when I was having chemo a few years ago. Although admittedly it didn’t always stop it completely, it did make it more manageable. Hope you feel better soon x

Thanks SueBlue, yes that’s what I’m taking in wafers. . And thanks again for your good wishes xx

Morning all,

Today -1lb Now 8st 13.2lb.

I am in the 8s!!! haven’t been there since pregnant with dd1, over 13 years ago.

Alliecat – thanks for the welcome onto the maintainers forum, I am hoping to be on there in the next month or so and very much looking forward to the wisdom there.
ClarinetCathy – sorry to hear you are struggling with it at the moment, cheering you on as you refocus and get back to basics. KOKO x
SueBlue & Arcticfox – so happy to hear that you have your hands on the reins again. Takes a great deal of strength to get back to it when things have slipped. well done.
Milalin – Have been thinking about you and wondering how you are. Glad you found a moment in your nausea to post, even if you can’t , we are thinking of you and wising you well in your recovery and hope they can get this nausea under control. x
Shanshu – keep going with those good choices

JackieM – so interested to hear that we seem to be in such similar situations. Will definitely let you know if I do find the ‘magic bullet’ especially where the cholesterol is concerned. The scan I am going for is called ‘musclesound’. They ultrasound scan 7 parts of the body and provide a report of the results. The results are apparently within a hairsbreadth of the accuracy of a DEXA scan which is the gold standard but without the same price tag. My scan is costing £35 and was the incentive I gave myself at the beginning of this WOE for when I got to goal or thereabouts. I toyed with a reward of a massage, pedicure etc but no, I am totally excited about seeing what is going on ‘under the hood’. It will also help me to see how far off my bf readings are on the scales.

have a good day all.

I’ve been feeling rubbish today – the cold weather has caught up with me. I was cold all day yesterday and couldn’t get warm during the night. I eventually got to sleep but woke up feeling hung over, headachey and still cold. I’ve spent most of the day in bed drifting in and out of sleep. I am up and feeling better now – although I’ve got the heating cranked up high and a blanket over my knees like an old woman 😐

Esnecca – thanks for your post – I think you were right about the cashew nut butter. My bg was normal this morning. I actually bought the cashew nut butter by mistake but have been eating it – I didn’t think a small amount could make such a difference, but I guess it was too late in the day for so many carbs.

Shanshu – this is actually my 6th week doing this. I’m thinking about what to do after the 8 weeks are up – it feels too restrictive to continue but the I like the results. Hope you’re OK and OH well after his hospital visit.

Well done losers 😉 and hang in there maintainers. Mokovex – to be in the 8s is like a dream – well done. I haven’t been in the 8s since I was 16 – a lifetime ago!

I have lost 1 lb, 9 stone 9 lbs, 9 lbs to go ( maybe after this challenge).. However, I am all over the place. I am attempting 20 carbs 45 protein 800 calories as I know I don’t lose weight easily and need to be strict. As a veggie I am finding it hard to get in enough protein without shooting up the carbs, and last week I was hungry. I have temporarily solved things by having meat once a day! I thought perhaps I could bump up my protein by taking either whey protein or collagen powder which is pure protein – both are in the cupboard and neither have been touched! The whey is 20 g of protein for 2g carbs. What do people think? I’m spending a lot of time looking at low carb meals for meat eaters, then swinging back to veggie low carb books but avoiding lentils and beans. The veggie books tend to say eat more carbs as vegetarian forms of protein aren’t so filling as meat …. and round and round I go! However, I’m still on the straight and narrow and haven’t gone off the rails.

I use whey protein. It’s 1g carbs per 30g serving and I never have more than half a serving, so I get 13.5 grams of protein at the cost of .5 grams of carbs. Look for whey derived from grass-fed, pasture raised cows. I think you can shave off a gram by avoiding dairy from grain-fed cows. This is the brand I buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0177EV7E4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 There are others more readily available in the UK. This one looks great at .7g carbs and 15.4g protein per 20g serving: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MSQXB8I/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01MSQXB8I&pd_rd_wg=uFsxL&pd_rd_r=Y30RSGD8S2ZVV9F8KYK3&pd_rd_w=LPZYH

How do you feel about tofu and soy beans (not edamame, the grown bean)? They are high in protein and can be used in lots of different ways so even if you’re not a big fan you can probably find a way to prepare it that works for you.

Hi Crazyquitter – I find that 20g carbs is too much of a challenge for a veggie diet so I only go down as far as 30g and I average 50-60g protein. I do plan several days ahead and pre-prepare food which mean I can play around with quantities and ingredients until I get the stats I want. Planning really is the key to making this work. My main sources of protein are eggs, tofu, soy beans, cheese, nuts, yogurt and Linda McCartney – sausages or burger. I occasionally have legumes but very small portions – sadly they are just too high in carbs. But I think I remember you saying in a previous post you don’t eat eggs which must make getting enough protein tricky.

I haven’t tried whey powders and if they work for you great – let me know how you get on. Good on you for trying meat again, I don’t think I could do that but if it helps you then it is worth it. Well done for not going off the rails – this is a big change and does take time to get used to it – you’re doing really well.

Morning all,

today -0.2lb.

Gattina, that sounds miserable, get well soon, hoping today is a better one for you. x
Crazyquilter – I really hope you can find a way through this that works for you and your body. I don’t count carbs and so have nothing to offer in the way of suggestions but perhaps you could start a new thread to mine people for wisdom? Well done through for persevering with it whilst you are figuring it out.
Shanshu – hoping all well with you and your OH is doing ok?
Milalin – thinking of you

x

Thanks Mokovex a bit of a tough day again. Coming good now with endone zofran and more. One advantage not much appetite . So I won’t have gained but hopefully lost.
Also the ambulance was late brining me back by a couple of hours, so I missed my daughter but she left 6 punnets of berries! Had a clear tomato soup and bit of vege couldn’t look at anything else. Maybe cheese matchbox later or mini yoplait n berries.
Stick at it everyone and it will eventually happen!

Well, can’t afford to miss a day on this active post. Too many to reply individually but seconding all the good wishes to both losers and maintainers.

A full day yesterday then evening company in the form of my youngest sister, staying overnight. Dinner down at the marina, walking there and back (only 10 mins ea way) then lots of gossip time before bed.

A wonderful morning today… finally organised my siblings to be in the one place at the one time. It’s been akin to herding cats😼 we have now scattered the ashes of both parents who have been residing in my craft room for 27 and 16 months respectively (mostly peacefully but every now and then I’d feel a prickle which I interpreted as “come along, Marilyn, get us organised”). They are now in a beautiful rose garden surrounding the small suburban war memorial where, for 45 or so years, they were instrumental in organizing the local ANZAC Day Dawn Service. 🌹🌹💕

So appropriate, such a great feeling but heavens I’m now fighting the urge to eat when there is no need. Must keep busy.
MFODAAT

Thank you Esnecca, Gattina and Mokovex for all your advice and support. As to what I’m eating:. I do eat eggs, I’m delving into tofu (can’t quite say it’s delicious!), and I will have another go at soya beans and look for black beans. Other people in the UK say they are available. I’ve got some good low carb books – just need to browse less and cook more! But in the meantime, another 1lb disappeared overnight so I’m 9 st. 8lbs.
Have a good day everyone.

Hi all – firstly thanks for the good wishes about me and my OH. Fortunately he’s fine, he was just having a follow-up procedure to check he was on the mend after his emergency admission before Christmas.

I’m starting to see a downward trend this week so just need to keep at it. I’ve generally been quite good (and yesterday I was quite active managing 14K steps) but it’s the evenings I find the hardest. I think that’s because its when I have my main meal and then having given myself license to eat, I feel hungry and just want to keep eating. I’m managing to avoid carbs but not always calories. I was about 1000 calories yesterday. I’m considering trying to balance my intake over the day so that I don’t gorge myself in the evening. We’ll see how that works.

Sorry if I’ve missed anyone below:

Marsie – what a beautiful description of your memorial this morning and I’m glad all your siblings were there to share it with you.

Milalin – Sorry to hear that you’ve been so poorly. I hope you’re beginning to feel a little less sick today and can enjoy the berries.

Mokovex – I’m counting all the .2lbs as well even though at this stage, it’s the stones that matter for me. Still each little increment feels like i’m winning the battle. However to get in the 8s!! Absolutely fantastic. You are living my dream. I hope the ultrasound shows you what you are hoping for.

Gattina – I wouldn’t know where to start doing this diet without meat. I rely on fish and chicken heavily. I’m so impressed by the vegetarians and vegans out there making this work. Also good to hear that your BG is back to normal. I shall be checking mine soon – my new needles arrived yesterday so no excuse.

Crazyquilter – impressive loss, well done.

SueBlue – well done for resisting all that temptation. I find it so hard and end up avoiding being tempted which is a bit of a cop-out on my part (especially when it means I miss out on events).

ClarinetCathy – I don’t know if this helps at all but at least you’re keeping on top of it. I lost loads (for me) last year but because I was in denial, I didn’t get on the scales. If I had then I’m sure I would have stopped the self-destructive behaviour a lot earlier.

arcticfox – well done for not gaining and for feeling back in control again.

Right – let’s go check those bloods…

He everyone – I’m feeling so much better today and have made it into work. But still VERY cold! I don’t usually feel the cold so much so it’s probably related to the reduced calories. I’m drinking lots of hot tea to keep me going – Redbush is my favourite at the moment.

Marsie – your memorial sounds lovely – well done getting your siblings together. I’m sure your parents will be pleased to have such a lovely resting place.

Everyone else – keep up the good work.

Morning all, I am so sorry, feel free to skip this post, because I am going to have a massive moan. I just can’t seem to get below 64kg. Check this out –

64.9
64.9
64.2 after 36 hour fast
64
64.4
64.4
64.4
64 after 24 hour fast
64.7 😱
64.3 after 24 hour fast

Carbs are below 20, calories below 800 (day before 36 hour fast calories delibertely = 900). Bloody hell. I’m off for a walk, sans dog as it is already too hot for him!

Okay, Flick.. We know what’s going on here…you’re being tested with a 9 day plateau. You are doing everything
you can possibly do in terms of calories and carbs. It’s time to stare down the scales, inform them that you
are going to triumph over them, and just hold on! High temperatures and humidity can play havoc with them,
as well. I had one of these that lasted for 18 days. Trust in all of us who have been there..It WILL pass, and
I know that you believe this too. At 800 calories a day, you cannot fail to continue losing! It will happen 🙂
Up your water, if you aren’t drowning already…We’re here for you 🙂 🙂 🙂 Keep posting, too.

Hugs,

Allie

Hi Marsie,
the paragraph about getting your parents organised in the rose garden gave me a lump in my throat, just lovely…

Hi Everyone.I havent posted for ages but I have been reading your posts.Well done to all the successful and the not so.I have been eatng crap every day.Im in the middle of a most stressfull tlme.Mostly worrying about my adult Kids 2 out of 4 have employment problems and my daughter is breaking up with her partner.So Im doing my usual emotional eating. Also Im busy with preparing for chinese new year and house guest from the UK in two weeks.Im not planning my meals or weighing anything this week just trying to stick to the principles and thats enough challenge for now..Im definitely going to work hard next challenge as Ive really not put in enough effort for a couple of months and I need to loose 10 kg to get to healthy BMI. KOKObest wishes to you all

Flick, I can empathise with your frustration as somebody who was tested regularly last year with plateaux! It’s so frustrating when the scales don’t reward us for our hard work! Don’t give up! I could never break the 140 lb barrier and when I eventually did I vowed never to see 140 lb again! Keep drinking, keep low carb and one day soon you’ll see 63! Weight loss is a science I will never fully comprehend. It doesn’t happen when you think it should. Sometimes even though the scales didn’t move, my clothes definitely were looser! Maybe this is happening to you. Keep chipping away flick. It has to happen soon on such low carbs!

Oh Flick I feel your pain, as someone who has bounced between 63 & 64kg since Christmas. On two occasions I dipped into 62s, just to mess with my mind, then the numbers leapt back up as if scalded. Like you I am aiming for carbs <20 and under 800cal though in my frustration I have had the odd ‘I don’t care’ day that has blown things out of the water. Cals, not carbs. Then it rapidly comes back to 63- and sits there.

I’ve tried short fasts (24 hours only), my everyday 18:6, switching up to 3 meals a day, upping water, lowering water, sulking…

I hope you get a breakthrough soon (and me too) 🙂

Cheers Allie and CC, thank you for your encouragement. Of course you are right, I just have to tough it out. Mariet, isn’t it just a complete pain in the neck 🤬 I can sympathise with an ‘I don’t care day’. I was sorely tempted to lash out and have a glass of wine last night! Of all things. I have an open bottle from cooking Luvtcook’s cauliflower risotto recipe for guests, so I had to stare that down as well.

I’m back from pounding away, up and down hills for 5km and feel a bit more in control. Embarrasingly, I was caught giving myself a VERY loud talking to by a fellow I often stop to chat with on this walk and actually teared up when he asked if I was OK. Realising how silly it would sound to say “No I’m not, I can’t get under 64kgs” I managed to get a grip and enjoy the rest of the walk. Without the pupper, the kangaroos didn’t bolt and I managed to get a couple of lovely photos.

So, here’s fingers crossed for us Mariet. Let me know if you find a magic bullet.

Also warm hugs to you Butterlover. It is impossible not to worry and fret for our children, no matter their age, and the terrible cruelty is that the crap food does soothe. See you fighting fit and ready for the next challenge!

Morning all,

Today -0.4 down taking me into a new lb bracket. Today, it dawned on me that I am only 5.8lb away from my goal of 8st 7lb. 😱

Butterlover – do what you can! I guess most (if not all) of us here know that when life gets messier it is easy to just abandon ALL the plans for taking care of ourselves, if you can hang on to the principles of BSD then that’s a win, perhaps you might not have had even that before beginning this WOE? Be gentle to yourself if you can.

Flick – Totally hear you with regards plateau, keep coming back here and keep letting us know how you are going. As I know you know, you WILL get past it but boy that disappointment and frustration can be hard to conquer. I have been very grateful for the sage advice and just general sense of people willing me to keep going that I found here. I also committed to posting each weekday morning, that helped me when my levels of tantrum really escalated.

Marsie – what a lovely picture you painted for us, beautiful but I imagine pretty emotionally tiring. Not surprised you wanted to eat, hope you managed to resist.x

Shanshu – Keep enjoying that downward trend. As regards evenings, I have always felt totally ravenous in the evenings, this seemed to be irrespective of how much I had eaten. Finding something to do with my hands has helped. Got myself knitting again (albeit badly) and now having a go at cross-stitch for a friend’s new baby. Also, a pint of sparkling water with a wedge of lime has also been helpful.

Milalin – So nice to hear from you. Keep checking in when you can and enjoy your berries. xx

Have a good day all. x

Good morning all.
Congratulations to you losers and commiserations to those struggling (me included) -we will get there!
Here I am after a very busy and emotional week – visiting demented 96 year old Aunty, then to lovely Ludlow to belatedly celebrate our anniversary ( beautiful town and the good centre of the north) and finally the funeral of our long time friend yesterday. The results of the last few days show four lbs added to the scales which, all in all, I expected to be more.
Now I just have to stop this self sabotaging and get down to business, though how many times have I said this before?
MOODAAT.
X B

Hi everyone
Flick – I feel your pain. Keep going – you know it will change
Butterlover – with so much going on I’m not surprised dieting is the last thing on your mind. Do the best you can in all areas of your – that’s all any of us can do.
Busybee – That does sound like a rollercoaster of a week with emotional ups and downs – not surprising the diet has taken a back seat. I’m sure you’ll have the strength to get back on track

I’m feeling warmer today – after the past few days of extreme cold. I sneakily weighed myself this morning and was disappointed at only a 0.8 lb loss – hopefully that will improve by Monday for my weekly weigh in. I’ll try and get out and do some walking at the weekend and hopefully that’ll make a difference.

I’m sitting in the office on my own right now – all my colleagues have gone to the canteen for lunch. I do miss joining them as that’s the time to catch up on all the goings on but I find it easier to eat my healthy salad at my desk rather than be exposed to all that lovely food. The canteen food is healthy, but very carb heavy – particularly for vegetarians, so I know this is the right choice.

Have a lovely weekend everyone and I look forward to hearing lots of losses soon.

Thinking of you, Butterlover. Hang in. Think about the oxygen principle, you know the one, when you’re on a plane and being given the safety instructions: if oxygen masks descend, put one one yourself first, before you try to help anyone else. Makes sense after all… If you have no air for yourself you’ll be no good for anyone else. Look after yourself first, BL, to remain capable of looking after the others. Hope to see you Tuesday🌹

Busybee, see above re oxygen:) And, you know, we both know from hard experience, that keeping going is the thing – you’ve been on such a rocky road lately but maybe now the detour signs are pointing back in the desired direction. Thinking of you 🌹

Mokovex, thank you. I didn’t eat… then! I put on some gloves and went out into the fresh air for an hour, did some weeding. Cravings were still with me so rather than sabotage altogether I had a piece of crumbly cheddar wrapped in some rocket leaves, then another. Not what I was craving, so I had a fig from our tree. Nothing disastrous but just an egg for dinner an hour later. Bit of a NSV for me really, to be so deliberate under pressure of emotion-led cravings.

Flick, this hasn’t been my experience, but others have written about increasing their fat levels for a little while, then going back to usual levels induced a break in the plateau. I think that’s the idea… someone else may know better.

Keep the downward trend going, Shanshu,and I hope I can keep you company. So far, so good.

Thank you to everyone for your support ❤

MFODAAT

Super quick flyby cos I’ve just read loads of posts and wanted to write to everyone needing support and unfortunately I can do it individually right now.

I’m unbelievably hormonal (TOTM) – crying in the supermarket yesterday and then a big fight with my OH in the evening which was not hormonal driven and today had been awful and just getting worse. However so far I haven’t comfort eaten so that’s good. I didn’t even think about buying a chocolate bar.

I can’t guarantee I won’t get drunk tonight though…

Sending best wishes to everyone – particularly those in need of a hug xxx

Hi Gattina,

It does feel hard doesn’t it not being able to eat with colleagues because of the poor options available in a work environment.

I was at a conference for 2 days this week in a 4 star hotel and had to choose between taking part in the networking over the lunch provided or sitting on my own. – It was a shock to me to remember how unhealthy the ‘standard’ buffet lunch is. I am paying for the decision to join in the networking but fortunately its only a once in a blue moon situation for me.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the importance of ‘fighting back’ against the normalisation of carbs creep. I spent a couple of hours in Hay on Wye during a long journey at the weekend and was surprised at the lack of at least one cafe providing healthy low carb options. – For people who don’t know, Hay on Wye is a small Welsh Town dominated by second hand book shops, my favourite type of shopping trip. – You would expect with that client base there would be some cafes offering something other than cake or sandwiches and coffee. Even the overpriced ‘healthy’ place options were toast based, fancy cheese on toast with side salad for £8, but its still toast based.

It sort of seems to me that we are in a cycle of eating a carb high diet is seen as normal, so thats the only option offered……. But its a bit like vegetarianism, as more people came out of the woodwork and it became clear to people providing catering services that there was a percentage of people wanting a veg option so the menu options available have improved.

I wonder if there are other people in the companies some of us work for who are eating at their desks because of the lack of healthy options, and if you were able to come together to have a presence in the canteen it would help shine a light for others who haven’t got the same level of resolve as you to cope with the difficulty of sticking to a low carb diet.

I will definitely specify low carb vegetarian as my diet preferences for events in the future. – Thinking about it, a hotel will be easily able to offer scrambled egg and grilled mushrooms, or a omelette if they have a reasonable breakfast range.

Hi JGwen,,
Your post made me nostalgic – I used to live in Hereford and often trawled the shops in Hay on Wye (I’m in Devon now). In those days I was happy with pasta and yummy cakes, but I can well imagine it was hard finding low carb food. It’s going to take a while before catering outfits catch on.

I have just realised that on three occasions in the next 7 days I will be eating out with a set menu, i.e. very little low carb. Things have been going well while I have been cooking for myself, and I’m apprehensive about the effect of these three meals. In my ‘old life’ eating out used to be a pleasure, but now not so much. The first of these meals will be Saturday lunch, so wish me luck!

Morning everyone,
Oh big hugs back to you Shanshu.

Thanks everyone for your good wishes, it really does help to help to be in contact with people who get it. Most folk here think I’ve done enough and ‘body telling you it has reached it’s preferred weight’. Sigh.

Today weigh in at 64.3 still (day 11) so it does look like this is going to be quite the war of attrition. Anyway my ‘level of tantrum’ is settling a bit and I tipped the wine out just in case. Funny how the many unopened bottles don’t pose any temptation. I will try upping fat and fibre – if nothing else it will give me something to focus on besides how long this is taking.

Gattina, JGwen and Crazyquilter, I found it was always worth asking conference and meeting hotels, canteens etc, to provide a low carb option (I was working while doing the Dukan diet some years ago). If we called the function manager ahead they would mostly be able to rustle something up. Gattina, why not take your healthy food to the canteen if they can’t provide an option for you? It will start to feel normal after a few uncomfortable first few times and sad to be missing out on fun and catch ups.

Morning all,

today -0.8lb a new low. 5lb to goal 😱📉

Admit to feeling a smidge guilty that I am in a whoosh phase of regular losses when others here are struggling. I know this is coming from me as I have only experienced this forum as supportive not competitive. But actually, this is showing me that these phases can be quite arbitrary. I don’t think that I am doing things that differently at the moment from the months of plateau or the loss/gain weeks where the same lbs come off and go back on. It really is just about perseverance.

go well all.x

Hello All,
I am a returner to the BSD and have been lurking around the forums for the last week or so, gaining inspiration from everyone who has done so incredibly well. I was going to wait for the next 4 week challenge to say hello, but hey, why wait.

My first attempt at BSD was in Sept 2016 when I lost 11lbs in the run up to Christmas, and then relaxed and ‘treated’ myself over the festive period for doing so well – which ended up being a year long treat, so I am back where I started. The final straw last weekend was realising that none of my trousers would come up over my thighs, I would have to go out and buy new, and then spend a few evenings taking all the waists in as I am a classic hour glass figure, and trousers are always way too big around the waist for me.

So got on the scales last Monday, took lots of body measurements and jumped back into the BSD way of life. Starting weight 12 stone 6lbs, target weight 10 stone 8lbs. And hopefully drop down from size 18 trousers a fair bit as well.

I see many of you aim for 20g carbs a day, but I am having trouble picturing what that actually means in reality. Could someone be good enough to describe a day’s worth of food to help me out with this?

Also, the very idea of having to log and weigh every single thing fills me with horror – how do you cope with that?

Many thanks,

Hello treelady, and welcome back to the forums! How many carbs a day is a personal decision, but a lot of us
found through trial and error that we had to go that low to achieve optimal results. It is only with careful
weighing and measuring of everything that you establish your own sweet spot. Carbs lurk everywhere, and
often in the most unsuspecting of places like apples or onions. Most people use an app like Fat Secret or an
equivalent to track them. I suggest you type “20 G Carbs Anyone?” into the search box to learn how some of
us went about it, then come on back if you still have questions…
Best of luck to you on your journey! Join any thread that interests you. Participating on the forums is the
best way to gain knowledge and all the support you might hope for when the scales seem less than co-operative…

Allie

Hi Everyone,

Sorry, I’ve been AWOL for over a week. Basically, my computer went kaput and I have no other way of getting on the internet. Anyway, my computer guy has just returned my laptop this morning so I’ll be spending some time later today catching up with all the posts on the rest of the Forum. But just wanted to check-in here.

Mokovex – sometimes these things can be so arbitrary, can’t they, but still huge congratulations on now being in the 8s and being so close to your goal weight. You must be so thrilled with that. I’ve just read your discussion with JackieM, I’m also focused now on reducing my body fat % and measuring my visceral fat. The weight I end up ‘settling’ at will depend on those figures also. Like Jackie, I’ll be very interested in how you get on with your scan in March.

Butterlover – I share some of the same worries as you with my son at the moment, so I completely sympathise. I think Marsie’s description of the oxygen principle hit the nail on the head – something I definitely need to do, too. Take care, and as Mokovex says, be gentle with yourself.

Busybee – what a difficult week. Hope you have a gentler, more relaxing weekend. (Btw, I agree about Ludlow – a real foodie place and lots of individual shops).

Flick – I’ve lost 1lb since the beginning of this challenge which is over 2 weeks now so I know what you mean. I often give myself a good talking to when out walking – just about to do it again – so your encounter with the fellow while out walking did make me smile. Here’s hoping things will happen soon. I know you’ll KOKO.

Shanshu – what a couple of horrible days. How did you go last night? My TOTM days are long gone, thank goodness, but I do remember how up and down things used to get for me. Not pleasant. But, great that you didn’t reach for that comfort food – definitely an NSV. Well done that woman!

JGwen – like Crazyquilter, I used to visit Hay-on-Wye years ago (friends used to live in mid-Wales) and would always go there for ‘a cup of tea and a cake’, so know what you mean about finding something OK to eat. It’s an interesting idea about fighting back. Often, in a pub or restaurant when I ask for some part of a meal to be changed I explain it’s because I have to manage my diabetes and so I’m eating low carb and explain what it is. I’m quite a reserved person so don’t always want other people to overhear my business (and I don’t always do it), but I try to because, like you, for me there’s something about putting a message out there.

Crazyquilter – I know your 3 meals this week are set menus, but if they’re in a restaurant – or somewhere that will be serving a main menu for other people – could you try asking beforehand to see if you could swap one of your dishes for one from that menu – and pay for any difference? Just a thought.

Gattina – like you I’ve been really cold lately. My hands, in particular, sometimes feel freezing even when I’m wearing gloves. Glad to hear you’re starting to feel a bit warmer.

Marsie – just wanted to say what a touching post about your parents. What a lovely place, a rose garden, to scatter their ashes, and what a wonderful thing for them to have spent all those years helping organise Anzac Day for their local community. Definitely something to be proud of. And, to choose not to deal with your emotions with a food splurge is brilliant.

Sorry if I’ve missed people out – will catch up again later. Have a good weekend everyone.

treelady – the sun is shining here (rare at the moment) so I’m just going out for a walk with my very patient husband but wanted to say Hi, welcome back and good on you for coming back to BSD. Hope to catch up later.

So very nice to see you posting again, Marie.! Although I’m not participating in this challenge, I’ve worked out
(at last!) that this is the best place to find you. I read most threads, but can’t seem to manage my blogging
time very efficiently! I’m relieved that your absence was only due to computer problems, though, and I certainly
noticed that you were AWOL. 🙂 You are such a valued member of our community Marie, and now you have
some catching up to do! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie