Let’s continue our progress as we are just over half way through January . We hope we can continue to support and motivate you .

A few people are sounding despondent about their rate of weight loss ( discard)

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else . Listen to YOUR body, watch for the changes , not only in your appearance but in your health and energy levels and remember not to be too impatient ! You too will get the results you are seeking and they will be sustainable .

Hope to see you all joining us for another week

Wendleg, Sunny B and sunshine girl xxx

Here is the updated list

wendleg, Sunny B, sunshine girl
JGwen
sixturkeys
Starina
Verano
ADD6605 ( Dawn)
Riccoh
Russianroulade
Tulip1 ( Clare)
Mifoz
MerryMelba
Maryanne Carlos-Mascarenhas
WindyJulz
articfox
Olive1
lauraknits
Marsie (Marilyn)
EllieAllegra
EC:Erin
Hello66
Jordana
Alipetunia
RubyG and hubby
Ditchedthemet
Dizzychicken
SlinkyTinks
LonelyAdipose
Emzijw
Barefoot girl
Life Diet
allicat1A ( Allie, formerly alliecat !)

Please believe me I am not stalking you but when I checked today I discovered we have not heard from

Starina.. how are you ?
Merry Melba ( are you on the Easter bus, Merry ??)
Maryanne Carlos- Mascarenhas… how are you ?
articfox ( are you ok ? Busy at work and on your property ?)
Olive1 ( are you maintaining Olive ?)
Ditchedthemet … how are you getting on ? Sunshine girl is here to help and guide you
Dizzychicken .. how are you ?

Hope to see you all returning and if things are not going so well, we are here xx

Thanks, Wendleg, for the set-up of our next week. I had a ‘one step forward two steps backward’ week of the 12th so I have a bit of work to do in this week of the 18th. Time to focus….
Cheers all xx

I have planned my menu for this week to start BSD officially. I am a person who does not mind eating the same thing over and over so it is easier for me to plan ahead and know exactly what I should eat.
The menu I made has 792 calories, 71g protein, 11g carbs, and 51g fat. It consists of 2 eggs, 3 strips of turkey bacon, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, 200g broccoli, 1.5 tsp olive oil, and 140g chicken breast. Depending on the day, it will be split into two meals unless I do OMAD. Fasting is something I want to incorporate, but I’m going to first get used to 800 calories. I also hope to add in daily walking on my treadmill and strength training, but I want to take baby steps to ensure my success.
Tomorrow I will weigh-in and begin my official journey towards good health. My goal is to check-in daily here to keep myself accountable. I complain and fail a lot, but despite that, I’ll be in your care. I hope we all reach our goals through mutual support.

Hi all and big thanks to Wendeleg for starting another weekly thread.
My weight loss is slowing, in total I’ve lost 13.75 pounds (nearly a stone) which is good going for just over two weeks.
I had a difficult weekend. I have adenomyosis, which is similar to endometriosis, so I spent most of the weekend in bed in pain. Thankfully feeling much better now.
Motivation levels are still pretty high, interested to see what the next 6 weeks will bring and how much I discard between now and the end of February.
Come on everyone we can do this.

Hi all.
Thanks for the new thread :).
Lonely Adipose- I like your comment “I complain and fail a lot”. Very honest!
Russian Roulade- that is an enormous amount of weight loss in 2 weeks! I also have adenomyosis and know the pain :(.
I’m still chugging a long, but having a few binges that worry me. I have a goal of being under 80kg in one week (when I return to work), so I need to get serious again.
Best wishes to all.

Hi all and welcome to another week. Thanks Wendy, for more than just the thread :):)

Had a bit of a glitch – say no more – but ready to get back on track. At the beginning I sent myself a 1lb a week goal and, as of today I have managed just that. 2lbs in 2 weeks but having been on the diet permanently for nearly 5 years I dont expect big losses but it doesnt let me down either as I can lose more when I really set my mind to it. The diet for me is a way of life and I dont slip up on the carbs as I am doing this for the diabetes control, weight loss is a bonus. Not being too hard on myself I have to remember I have lost over half a stone since the start of lockdown. Not everyone can say that they have had losses (not referring to people on here but people in general). I have many friends moaning that their clothes dont fit but they cant be bothered to do anything about it yet. At least we are here and getting on with it.

Getting myself into a better frame of mind I am thinking it is now just 3 weeks to my birthday and using that as my goal I think I can do a lot better. Keep going everyone. Have a great week.

Hi all, I started again on the 4th Jan – so will Join in if that s ok.

Thank you for the new thread, I have been keeping up with all the great posts but not had much time to post myself.
RubyG and hubby still here, he is still super-motivated and losing ~1 stone per month at his current rate (and I am probably losing half that rate, which I am happy with). He has taken to wearing “proper” clothes for working from home, as they now fit him well, while I am still happy to sloth about in tracksuit bottoms at home and dress up a bit to go grocery shopping (the only outing I get these days during lockdown).
I have not actively tracked in MFP for a few days now, but kept to the plan of low carb, small portions, lots of veg and water, and we seem to be doing OK for now.
I am struggling a bit with lockdown in winter, stressy busy at work for us both, and out of my comfort zone a lot at the moment, but I am mostly resisting the urge to comfort eat, and even when I succumb it is a small piece of cheese or ham or similar, and my revived milk kefir has been filling in the hunger gap late afternoon.
@merrymelba – I made the pickled lemon achar on Sunday, so looking forward to trying that in a couple of weeks.
Have a good week everyone!

Hi Ruby G – Just like you husband I’ve also started getting some of my ‘Proper’ clothes on for zoom calls – as I also am now fitting them better, think as the weight comes off I generally seem to care more about my appearance. Know what you mean about stressy months, I also ate and drank my way through the first couple of lockdowns.

I had been fasting today. I got into an agreement with my spouse and thought if I ate then, I would definitely not choose wisely. It’s been several hours since then and I have calmed. I’m gonna do OMAD today and strictly made only what I planned out on MFP. I’m definitely an emotional eater so it’s hard to resist the urge, but change is never easy but the results are worth it. I’ll do my best.

Thank you for a new week startup & yes I want to keep joining in , some fantastic losses , mine from January 5 th – January 18th 3.3 pounds ( 1.5 kilograms ) a loss at least & that includes a big slip
up last day of week 2 when 2 Christmas Mince Pies hurled themselves at me and landed in my mouth , one at a time ! I almost choked on the 1 st one , but when the second one came at me full force I decided to chew it up really quickly to reduce the possibility of savouring the flavour & actually enjoying it ! Yesterday is gone , and so are they , & I’m marching into this week without looking back !

Marsie thank you for explaining when your scars occurred , so glad to hear that you were carefully monitored for 20 years as far as your kidney & ? liver involvement is concerned , & it’s been 10 since your melanoma , so guess with skin checks & extra care with sun screen to protect yourself as best you can against skin cancers , you feel quietly confident now that Cancer is leaving you alone now , & may that continue to be so ! 🙏

Hope it’s a good week for everyone & I look forward to checking in each day .
🙂Hello 66

I survived Christmas and New Year off the diet quite well, gaining a couple of kilos, but today:
20/01/2021, a loss of 1 kg = 91 kgs (BP 126/63)
I would like to get under 90 kgs before I take my leave.

Hi All,
Just joined this week’s thread- I am always at least a day late to the party!
Well, this last bit is coming off slowly- half a pound lost last week leaving me 5 to get to goal (but 2 to get to my birthday goal 15th feb)….really trying but not managed many very low calorie days, altho fairly good on the macros, and have had less wine this week…really got to dig deep to get my goals!!
Love to all xxx

Hi everyone, as usual my weight had dropped again after a small cheat the other day. Now lets see if my pattern of it going back up again every Thursday continues or can I do something different. Still had my usual breakfast of frozen berries (heated in the micro), almond slivers and Greek yoghurt (100g). Lunch of Spanish chorizo and chickpea soup with 2 Rye bread crackers and will be having a fritatta tonight. What do I do wrong?? Maybe too much cheese on the fritatta, maybe my habit of knicking a couple of hubbies oven chips. I will still put cheese on the omelette but will stay away from the chips just in case my couple have turned into a few more. Certainly done plenty of exercise – 30 mins Mon, 60 mins Tues and 30 mins today. Bumped up to 60 by going for an afternoon walk with hubby even though I had done 30 mins aerobics in the morning. Not today though, it is bucketing it down but still done aerobics.

Really wanting a further loss by next Tuesday so I will try my very best.

Bit late checking in, but thanks to Wendy for kicking a new weekly thread off and to all those who have already shared their ups and downs.

Sadly, I can’t report anything other than another week maintaining …. which in and of itself, is no bad thing …. however, when the intention was to lose pounds gained, maintaining doesn’t feel like such a great result. It’s frustrating, as I am continuing to stretch overnight fasts and on some days, only have one meal. Time to review I think.

Anyway, wishing everyone a successful and stress free week of BSD eating …. will look forward to following your progress.

Hi everyone and well done on sticking with it despite the challenges, managing pain etc . I do hope you have a better pain free week Russianroulade and Alipetunia . It can’t be easy to stay motivated when you just want to feel comforted. Can you pinpoint what is causing the binges, Alipetunia ?
Wishing you a good week too, Marsie .

Hi RedRooster, good to see you and hope everything goes well for you , nearly at the end of your first month !

LA , recognising that you are an emotional eater is part of the battle and you did well managing your food after your disagreement with your hubby . Remember to focus on your needs and continue to plan your meals so you don’t get derailed when emotions run high . You can only do your best and you are doing great . we are always here to support you xx One day at a time …

Tulip/ Clare you are doing great and you don’t have an easy time of it so well done you . I must admit it does feel a bit weird calling Tulip Tulip when we know her real name is Clare . It’s true of lots of others too and I suppose we have to stay with the handles but if you want to let me know your real names and don’t mind me adding them on the list, just say !
My name is Wendy by the way … the le and g are the initials of my maiden and married names . Nothing to do with my legs !!! 🙂

I’m glad the mince pies have been dispensed with Hello66 !! How very dare they !!! We love hearing your news . I think Allie was trying to find a way to reconnect with you (by email ) if you are ok with that ?

Well done on staying motivated despite the stress RubyG . It’s great that you have your hubby following the plan with you . Don’t worry about comparing progress. Blokes do seem to lose faster ? I hope work stresses ease a bit . I hated doing the distance learning /teaching last year as I never felt I switched off . It was a relief to get back in the classroom . I know how tough it is for parents and kids too .

Talking of blokes, good to see you back with us nhatha and to hear that Christmas didn’t cause too much damage . I am sure you will soon reach your target . You are very close !

You will be fine too SG . I know you prefer to have a daily weigh in and there definitely does seem to be a pattern emerging . I can’ t see any great excesses in the foods you mentioned . You are doing great with the exercise .

I too got dressed today , well I usually get dressed but nothing smart . It was quite a treat today to get out for an afternoon . I had a hairdressers appointment and it felt quite a privilege ! I am hoping my cut and colour will last me a few weeks . Who knows if we will be locked down again in France ? Our shops, schools etc are all open right now but we have 6pm curfew . Hubby did a rare shopping trip which is a 30 minute drive . There is talk of March being ‘ difficult’ Ho hum ..

But let’s stay positive . We are doing our best xx

Hi Wendy – thanks for the shout-out.
I’m back to pre-holiday weight but haven’t managed to get down further. With 20 kgs lost last year, and getting close to goal it is definitely going slower. But weight is not the only way to measure success. I have lost more cm around waist, bum and legs in January. Am on day 15 of a 21-day training challenge (online) where I’ve been doing about 30 min resistance or cardio training per day. It pays off even if not on the scale. My former goal jeans 👖 are now quite loose.
I’ve also started a new habit the last three weeks, where I start the week with a 38h fast starting on Sunday night. Funny though, last week doing this I got into good ketosis but this week not at all. Did some reading and apparently it is much harder to get into ketosis just before the period starting. Hormones then increase insulin resistance. Who knew? Nice to find explanations, and now I know what to expect.
I loved all the comments this week about getting dressed up. The other day I found myself quite excited and getting dressed up to go and take a blood sample 😁. Highlight of that day. We have got quite a cold house so my normal day ware includes woolly slippers, thick jumpers and sometimes an extra blanket. Fashion Indian style ? 😉

aww thank you Wendy 😍😍…..I don’t really mind being called Tulip1 or Clare- so you can put both in the list if you fancy. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers which is where my handle comes from 😁

xxx

hello all
still here and still trying to move on from maintaining my original losses to actually losing again (but grateful I’m not gaining esp with more than a couple of slip-ups)….I feel as if I’ve settles on a new set-weight so need a push to send the next few kgs on their way-so like you, Sunny B doing a bit of re-evaulation
I had a long think last night about what I want to achieve with weight loss-I’m not super fussed about the number on the scales so, I:
-want to be fit and healthy enough to stay active
-keep my blood pressure manageable (bad FH-but doing what I can!!)
-reduce inflammation-this recent bursitis in the hip has led me to reading about adipose tissue working like inflammatory cells-so begone!!!
-look good in the clothes I have….getting there… and have got rid of most of my bigger sizes, so there’s no going back!! another 5 kg would have me wearing the last of my smaller (not tiny by any means 😉 ) things, so that’s the aim….

Wendy-glad your boys enjoyed Tas-I love my adopted state (moved here in my early 30s and this is it!)
I’ve enjoyed getting back in the pool, bu still sorely missing my long walks so I’m on a protocol of high doses of fish oils and tumeric tabs….if this doesn’t help soon I’ll consider a cortisone injection for the bursitis 🙁
anyhow-wishing you all fortitude (and a great weekend to come!!)
Erin

Wendleg …. Wendy , what a performance I’ve had getting back into the Forums again , I’ve had to reset my password again , couldn’t remember if user name was my email address or Hello 66 , it’s taken a while and several errors but here I am .
So glad Allie wants to find me via my email address , but I don’t want to share an email address here , as I’m not sure how secure it would be ?
Good reading all the comments , time poor so won’t go on , so many positives , so many doing well , fantastic to hear !
❤️Hello 66

Hi everyone, I’m still trucking along. I haven’t lost any weight or size, but haven’t gained either. My horse has been taking up a lot of my time and I spent 50min power walking with him yesterday evening as he has so much energy and doesn’t know what to do with it all. Walking slowly is not an option these days with him! Spent this evening planning out fences so I can get him home as soon as possible. I fasted for around 16 hrs today as I had to drive my dad to an appointment and so didn’t eat breakfast and didn’t get back until 1pm for lunch. Finding the dark days a bit of a struggle right now, especially with all the work that needs doing. I have to fight against the temptation to ‘treat myself’ and to find time for some yoga or things that are just for me rather than what I need to be doing to keep the house and property going. Days are getting lighter though and the first of my seed orders has arrived with another on the way!

Good to see you articfox and as I suspected you have been very busy with your property and your horse . Yes, the gloomy days are a bit demoralising but Spring is coming ! We have daffodils emerging here .. Be kind to yourself articfox !
yahoo.com
Hi EC/Erin . Good to see you too . So sorry your hip bursitis is hindering you but you are being pro active . My neighbour had those cortisone injections in her hip and they really eased her pain . Hubby has injections in his knees to lubricate the joints . I think he was told it was hte same stuff they use for botox ….hyaluronic acid ??? It must be miserable for you Erin …. sending you a massive hug .

Hello66 there is a ‘neutral’ , risk free
email address set up by KazzUk some time ago which you can use and then be connected to Allie
Here it is
kazzlchf@yahoo.com
Hope everyone has a good day . Take care in the Uk with Covid, weather warnings for flooding etc xx

Just want to send love and all our thoughts to Jennie10 . I read on another thread that she lost her brother unexpectedly so she was quiet for a time . Just to say we are thinking of you Jennie xx

Wow , love your determination and perseverance Olive ! It was definitely my experience that weight discard does slow down as you get closer to ‘goal’ . My body found a comfortable place but I am shaking things up a bit to kickstart a bit more discard . I am nowhere near as active as you with your training challenge but definitely moving a lot more. Well done Olive xx

Hi Wendy and all. Wendy- I just wanted to say thank you for making such an effort to be thoughtful of everyone in your comments. The personal touch is often the thing that makes all the difference. And your background story is inspirational. I can only dream of reaching a place when I no longer indulge the carb cravings.
PS My real name is Alison 🙂

Hi Alison / Alipetunia !!!
Believe me , it IS possible to crack the carb cravings . Just stick at it, it takes time . It means really really trying not to give in whatever is happening and to tell yourself that food is for nourishment, it doesn’t have superpowers to make you feel good( apart from a brief sugar high which as you know leads to a miserable slump)

This is from someone who was quite capable of having a huge, carb laden meal and still scoff a bar of Dairy Crunch afterwards . I could never find the moment when I was truly satisfied . I would scoff sweet stuff, choc, whatever till I felt a bit sick and then reach for the savoury stuff to seek for a salty hit . It was an infernal cycle of addiction but I was able to break out of it . Now I am miserable if I haven’t got lettuce 😉

Keep going, you will get there !!! Sending you all my best wishes and keep asking any questions you may have Alison xx

Hiya
I’m completely new to the forum, so I thought I’d introduce myself, as I’ve joined in on the bus to Easter.
I started this week & have never done this WOE before. I’m 18 months away from 50 & for various reasons, I need to discard the weight around my waist. I noticed recently that when I stand sideways, my waist is wider than it is when I look at it forward facing. Even when I suck in, it makes no difference!!
So, it’s gotta go! I don’t weigh myself but from previous weights I’ve been, I reckon I’m carrying 6 stone extra from my weight when my BMI is 23.
I live alone, with two dogs & have been working from home for the past year. I’ve been kind to myself during this time & adapted to shielding fairly ok.
My cholesterol & hb1ac were high 9 months ago & was aware that I needed to change & I knew that when I was in the right mindset, the motivation would kick in. It kicked in last Sunday, no rhyme nor reason and here I am.
I cut my carbs, aiming to keep them to 20g daily & have set macros on MFP for 800 calories.
I’m looking forward to see how it goes. I doubt that I’ll weigh myself but will be keeping an eye on how my midsection responds. I’ve been living in leggings and haven’t tried nothing fitted in 12 months. I’m looking forward to getting back into clothes that I haven’t worn for years.

Although I have 2 dogs, they don’t go for walks so I take no exercise whatsoever. I know this will change once my motivation for it kicks in. Luckily, lurchers are incredibly lazy & snuggly & sleep a lot.

Hi sprox, welcome to the site and your new way of life. If you are not going to weigh you might want to take some measurements so you can plot your progress but you might just be happy to feel better or fit into small sizes of clothes. You do it your way.

Alipetunia, Wendy is absolutely right. You will stop craving carbs. You eat carbs, it gives you a high and then a very quick low which knocks on your brain saying ‘I want more carbs’. Everytime you feed the addiction, cos thats what it is, you make it shout louder. Once your body gets used to going without it stops looking for them and gets its nourishment from other sources like protiens and fats – dont avoid the fats (good fat) they are very important in keeping you full and giving you that feeling of having something nice. Another reason for eating fat is ‘fat soluble vitamins and minerals’. You can eat as much lettuce and salad as you like, full of good vitamins, but they cant be released into the body without a carrier i.e. oil. That is why an oil and vinegar dressing is perfect on a salad. Just a bit of the science for you.

Well I managed to get past Wednesday with just a tiny increase of 0.1kg and I didnt actually change anything I did or ate. Our bodies are funny things. Hopefully my weight tomorrow will have got over the hump and I will be back under 77kg. Not giving up and never giving in. Keep on keeping on…
Sunshine /Denise

Hello 66, your sense of humour is ace!! Those mince pies took no prisoners!! Laughter is SO important, thanks for making me laugh out loud!!

Hi All, just wanted to add a few thoughts, if anyone has advice/motivation for me: It’s now been two weeks on the BSD, and I’m only down 4.5lb. I had hoped for a lot more, I must say, as it does say that the AVERAGE loss in 8 weeks is 14kg (30.8lb), so I was hoping for at least 3.5kg (7.7lb) in two weeks.

I am new though, so perhaps some days I’ve not been eating right, and it hasn’t all been plain sailing, as my son’s birthday was on Tuesday and I made him a whopper of a 4 layered chocolate peanut butter cake🎂, and I made cinnamon buns for them all for breakfast that morning and didn’t eat any myself (now that’s hard core!!), but somehow a very thin slice of cake did find its way down my food pipe 😁(my son seemed quite disappointed when he realised I wasn’t planning to eat any!). We also had Indian takeaway that night but I did keep to a lamb bhuna with cauliflower rice, and didn’t have any rice or naan (it was amazing to realise that what had always made me feel stuffed after an Indian meal before was obviously the rice and naan).

I have drunk lots of water every day (I keep a bottle of fizzy water by my desk, i love the bubbles), and have kept tabs on my Fitbit app (haven’t managed to get my head around another one yet) of my calorie consumption. I am struggling in the afternoons though, it’s when I start to feel hangry!! I need to know what I can turn to to munch if I need to eat something, what do people turn to as their go to snack? Spinach leaves/celery/cucumber/berries/anything else? I have frozen shoulder which is currently agony, so haven’t been able to do any strength exercises, but have been walking 5km most days.
I’m struggling to know how many carbs are acceptable. I know @lifediet said to count macros, I do intend to do that but just haven’t got round to it yet.

My aim was to do the BSD on 800cal per day for 12 weeks and then go to 5:2, but the next 10 weeks are looking LOOOOOOOONG unless I can find a way to manage this better. I guess it’s just a case of seeing what works for me, as this is all totally new. The last time I lost weight, it was on a completely different plan where I never went hungry, but I want to conquer that, as I don’t want food to control me, but not sure I can handle the tiredness and light headedness in the afternoons. Sorry this has ended up being so long… if you’ve made it this far, THANKS for sticking with me!!👍

Hi barefoot girl, it is possible, as you say, you just havent got this right yet. Doing something is better than doing nothing so you are on the right track. There is a bit of science to this diet and you have to get rid of the carbs. They (or that cake in your case) are what hang onto the fat, the carbs hold fluid with weigh as pounds and they cause the hanger you feel in the afternoon. 4.5lbs in two weeks is disappointing but you have said yourself you havent completely stuck with it. Once you get the motivation going you will be fine.

First ask yourself why you are doing this, what you want from it, how much does it mean to you. Have a goal in mind but have some small goals along the way. Try to get other people on board for support so they dont derail you. Let them know how important this is to you.
Try not to have anything in the house that you shouldnt have or would be particularly tempting to you. I guess you have family so that might be difficult but keep things out of sight if you have to have them in for others.
Plan everything – write a weekly (or couple of days) menu and check the cals and carbs before you shop/cook/eat it.
You already know to drink lots of water to replace the fluid that leaves the body to flush out the fat and also which will be released by the lack of carbs.
Have a pinch of salt every couple of days, just a dip of the finger or a bit on an egg or whatever.
Make sure you have some fat in your diet, it makes you feel fuller – olive oil, rapeseed oil for cooking, foods containing good fats/oils, like avocado, a few nuts, oily fish (yuk not for me).
Try to make your meals interesting and exciting – use the cook books with care as the cals etc can be way out. Check yourself putting the ingredients into an app, or type each item into google and, as I do, use a pen and paper, just add them up.
There is so much more I could say but take it one stage at a time.
What to eat when you are hangry. Have something satisfying like an egg, a square of cheese, a few slices of ham or chicken. I wouldnt thank you for some spinach leaves as a snack but a boiled egg wrapped in a lettuce leaf with a small amount of mayo would be very nice, thank you…
You asked how many carbs are okay, I personally find it difficult to go lower than 50g though some people do. Just read on the Dr Becky site that under 100g is considered low carb. Dont forget it is what those carbs are – never white starchy carbs, there are carbs in almost everything else we eat except meat (I think), even an apple is 20g.

Keep asking questions and keep going. I am sure others with have lots of advice for you.
Denise

Hello. Checking in, I didn’t do great yesterday… although not as bad as I had been, just ate some graham crackers with my daughter. I need to find a replacement treat for her.
After this week, I’m going to try to lead my family towards a diet closer to the one I want to do; for my husband, I will continue to feed him rice or whatever carbs her wants, but I talked to my daughter about her eating BSD style, except for the calories restriction. I don’t want her to experience the tough life of being obese. It’s going to be quite a shift because most of our regular meals are carb heavy- spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, stroganoff, pizza, etc. But if I don’t buy it or don’t make it, then my family can’t eat it. I am thinking about how I can help her adjust- perhaps making taco lettuce wraps to replace the tortilla, serve the meatball and marinara sauce over tofu noodles, maybe cauliflower pizza crust. My coming skills and equipment are limited so I need to really plan the new meals out.
I ordered a scale from Amazon that should be here tomorrow so I will start tracking my weight then.

Just to say to Barefoot Girl that I don’t agree 4.5lbs in 2 weeks is “disappointing”. Good on you for passing on the rice and naan; as you say, we can enjoy a curry without.

Hi hope I didnt give the impression that I thought Barefoot Girl should have felt disappointed in herself. 4.5 lbs in two weeks is a good loss and it is a loss. I think it is difficult when you see others losing lots of weight – I am not a fast loser and only lost 13lbs in the first 8 weeks, and Barefoot Girl was asking for help. I did say that just by being on the diet she was on the right track, just making a start can be the hardest part. She said she was new to this and knew she needed some help so not much point me just saying keep doing what you are doing. She did ask for some help and advice which I hope I was able to give.

Barefoot girl don’t be disheartened. First of all you’ve lost 4.5 pounds that’s great. When I first started last year, I remember my weight loss was initially slow and then it just suddenly fell off. Sunshine Girl is right, you do need to be strict and you do need to plan. No carbs means no carbs, so cake is a no go. This diet does work, but you have to stick to it rigidly. I found it really helped me to use the 4 week diet plan in the Michael Mosley book. It took the thinking out of it gir me. I used the plan to make my shopping list and stuck to it. I also encouraged my boyfriend to do the plan with me, which has been super helpful. I appreciate it might be more tricky if you have kids. I know it is hard, but whilst on the 8 week Blood Sugar diet, I also avoid getting take aways or eating out, as I don’t have any control over what is in the food.
And my biggest tip, if you’re not already doing this, weigh your food, understand your portion sizes. Keep at it, you are down 4.5 and you will see more losses.

Hello everyone. I was on the forum for a short time 2 years ago while home alone with a new baby and thanks to all the amazing support I reached my goal – 21kg discarded! All was well and very easy to maintain until I was undone by lockdown comfort eating and drinking. Put 11kg back on. Sigh. What a spanner. So I’m back on Fast 800 for 8 weeks. I thought I’d pop back here to get, and give some support. Massive love to everyone doing this – my God if there was a tough time to be doing strict low sugar (AND NO WINE, SOB) it’s midwinter pandemic. You’re all legends. I’m really inspired by the posters talking about coming out of their chrysalis in spring. That is absolutely my plan. I am NOT spending another summer unable to fit into almost all of my clothes and feeling like crap.
As for progress, I’m in week 3. Week 1 discarded 3.3kg (whoo!), week 2 0.7 kg (er…) but as my husband helpfully pointed out if it had been 2kg a week I’d have been delighted. Which is true. Week 3 seems to be very slow again. And by slow I mean nothing. I KNOW it’s all wonky and not linear but I am hopelessly impatient and do find it hard to be putting in so much effort, in this stage when it all still feels so restrictive (I found it does get much easier, almost effortless in fact, but that’s not right now!) and not seeming to get anywhere. Heigh ho. The only disaster is giving up, so onwards.
Sharing a tip that has helped me – I’ve recently got into T2 teas and tisanes. They are not cheap, but some of them are wonderful for feeling like a treat. Some of them are not “free”, in that there is a carb count e.g. 1.5g per large mug (just made with water no milk or other adds) but obviously that matters if like me you are aiming for under 20g. But I factor them in, and they are making everything much easier. I love this, maybe you will too: https://www.t2tea.com/en/uk/tea/boho-rose-loose-leaf-gift-cube-T130AE196.html
or for a pure zero carb or cal hit, rose buds make a delicious brew: https://www.t2tea.com/en/uk/tea/just-rose-loose-leaf-gift-cube-T140AE026.html
Stay strong everyone!

Hi Wendy and all the wonderful posters this week and newbies and returners. Thank you for the shoutout Wendy. I have been here reading and keeping up with all the goings on.
Hello Skittle – you are back in the good place and you are motivated and really ready for this. I like your tea suggestions – I really enjoy licorice tea which several people here have recommended.
Adipose – your plan for your whole family sounds great. Taking out the big carbs will help everyone, and involving your daughter in new food ideas and preparation is a good step for her future.
Thank you EC for the note about adipose tissue and inflammation! That had me read through a few medical articles on the topic last night (interesting bedtime reading!). I *KNOW* that low carb reduces my pain levels (from arthritis, aging, etc) – and I have had a wonky painful right knee and also sciatica that I want to make feel better – so you have spurred me on to jump into a 6 week 800/20 burst to try and help my knee. One of the articles (which was actually on lipedema- which I don’t have) discussed the postive effects of keto diet (KD) on adipose tissue etc and says “Researchers have suggested that due to shared mechanisms of seizures, neuropathic pain, and inflammation, the effects of therapeutic ketosis induced by a KD may also reduce pain and support the management of chronic pain. ”
I do keep to mostly low carb and 16/8 – but since our easing of lockdown in Melbourne I have been out to a few dinners/drinks – and need to slow this down 👩‍🦱👩‍🦱
So this week is meal planning, and the wine cabinet is locked! A few hot days coming – so salads and grills will be on the menu.
And for those Australians here – check out this years fun Lamb advertisement “Share the Lamb” – very funny about border closures etc which we have had right across Australia.

Wendleg ( Wendy ) , thank you for that email address , much appreciated. Have been to an exercise class today , so came home feeling very hungry & felt drawn to a carb fix , but suppressed the desire & cooked myself bacon and egg , had a cuppa and a rest & feel some energy returning !
Barefoot Girl , glad you had a laugh about the mince pies , we’ve certainly got to keep laughing that’s for sure , do hope you are having a good week , there’s certainly lots of support & heaps of information for us all to learn from as well as adding to the knowledge we may already have , so thanks for all who contribute , and keep contributing , it all helps 👏👏
🙂Hello 66

Hi Barefoot Girl.
I lost 6 lbs in the 1st week and then average 2 lbs per week after that- not as much as some, but I was happy personally with that as we are all different, it was the fastest I’ve ever lost weight on any diet, and I was often eating more like 900 cals or so.

My go to snack when I am out is unsalted nuts (about 6-7 g, so 6 almonds or 2 brazil nuts) – I prefer whole almonds or brazils, and aways have them with me to cope with any sudden lows/ wobbles and prevent me looking for cake or whatever, especially at work in the mornings. If I am at home, I like a small piece of cheese (I find having cheese triangles in is extra handy as they are portioned already, but also weigh myself other cheese depending on time), and very occasionally (like once every couple of weeks or so, if I really feel I need some chocolate), I have a square of 85% choc.
You will find your way, it’s a learning curve all the time xx

Thanks sixturkeys, it was quite a revelation to realise that the most filling part was the naan and rice, and I felt good passing on them and didn’t feel stuffed after the meal like I would normally. I feel that on occasions like a birthday, it’s counter productive to not have what the others are having, it just makes you feel more deprived, so for me the important thing was finding the best option that is most BSD friendly in the Indian takeaway range.

Hi sunshine-girl
Thanks for the care you took to offer me advice and reply to my long epistle, I appreciate it. I know I haven’t quite got it right, which is why it’s frustrating me. To me though, the essence of losing weight is that if every now and then you have to or need to eat something that isn’t allowed, it shouldn’t make such a difference that you can never have the occasional treat. For me, I knew when I started at the beginning of January that my son’s birthday was coming up, my daughter’s birthday is in Feb and my own is early March, and my husband’s is April… but for once, I didn’t let this be excuses to only start in April, as I knew that by then I could have done a lot more damage, and if I started I could be well on the way to a good loss, with the occasional hiccup, if that makes sense.

My family is not out to derail me, they are totally on board with what I’m doing, they know I’m doing it for ME, to get healthier, my husband is cooking a lot of the evening meals for us from the BSD recipe book and trying as best as he can to support me, but I also have to be careful not to show too much obsession over it all, as my soon-to-be 9 year old girl is at a very influential stage in her life where watching her mum obsess over food or the lack of could set anything off in her system, and my son is totally on board with it, but just wants me to have fun too. So I guess I ate the tiniest slice of cake I could, partly because I wanted to join in and partly because I wanted to taste my creation. My motivation is completely there, otherwise I wouldn’t be joining this forum, I would have just given up!! And I’m not saying this in any angry or upset way, just helping set the scene for my previous post. Hope this helps, please don’t feel guilty for trying to help, after all, I asked for advice!

Having said that, I am finding that now I’m starting to obsess about carbs and I don’t want to do that. I don’t really understand the science behind it, as when i was on Slimming World for almost two years I lost 5 stone very successfully, and that was not cutting out carbs (I could still eat baked potatoes, rice etc). But as I said earlier, I didn’t want this way of life forever as it encouraged a lot of artificial sweetener and low calorie stuff and NO good fats, and I know nuts, avocado, full fat yogurt etc are good for you and satisfy you much better, so I knew it wasn’t a lifestyle choice I personally wanted to follow. That’s why I’m trying the BSD as the WOE further down the line really sits well with me, it’s a good diet for life, and I’d be happy to stay on the 5:2 once I get there.

I can’t possibly keep all snacks out of the house though, as the hubby and kids want them and it wouldn’t be realistic to expect them to chuck it all out, I need to be strong enough not to go for them, which in general I can manage, that’s why I was asking for ‘allowable’ or sensible snacks as an alternative. I love your suggestion of sprucing up an egg with a bit of mayo and wrapped in lettuce!
I think I’ll probably switch to weighing myself every week now, as daily can be disappointing.

When we cook an evening meal for 4, and the allowance for me is obviously 1/4 of it, it’s hard to know exactly what that is, but I just estimate as best as possible as that’s life (I did this for the Spicy Spinach and Lentils we had last night from the recipe book).

Ah well, that’s me for now. Thanks again.

Thanks Russianroulade, all taken on board! Thanks for the motivation.

Hi Barefoot Girl,

The bacteria in our gut which digest carbs are capable of sending signals to our brain to get us to feed them. – When you stay low carb for a while you are starving them and causing a change in your gut bacteria. As you get used to not having carbs for a while it will get easier.

Hi Barefoot girl, I also totally understand the confusion after you lost so much weight on SW. I too lost a lot, 7st on WW (and found half of that back over 5 years), and in UK lockdown 1 my hubby and I started following the WW way again, eating very “healthily”, but with a carb at every meal (toast and poached egg for breakfast, bread and soup for lunch, pasta, rice or potato with supper). My hubby lost half a stone, but his annual blood tests put him into the pre-diabetic range!
This is what triggered us to start the BSD 8 weeks before Christmas. He has now lost 3st and I have lost just under 2st.
Last night we had a pork chop with mushrooms and a mustard and cream sauce for supper – no way would that have worked on WW, but it is working on BSD. His BP has dropped to about normal or a bit low some days (he is still on 5mg ramipiril for now) and he is losing weight where it matters – around his middle. Theoretically, his HbA1c should be normal again this year, and he really is motivated. He is enjoying his food, mostly not missing the carbs (except his beloved sourdough bread) and eating to satisfaction and leaving food on his plate, instead of being ravenously hungry all the time as he was previously.
I think for some people, it’s what you eat as much as how much you eat.

Can I hop into this group? Got the book today!

Hi everyone, still pootling along aiming for my 1lb a week loss and so far so good. But 1lb a week might be disappointing to some but if I can make 13 lbs by Easter I will be very happy.

Barefoot Girl, I am sorry if you felt my reply to you was disrespectful of your efforts. I never said 4.5lbs was disappointing, you said that. You also pointed out where you felt you had gone wrong and I just gave some advice to help avoid similar events or situations. Yes you can have treats on any diet but then dont expect to lose as much weight as you would if you had stuck 100%, you know yourself you can only get away with so much and not derail your efforts. I for one ruin my diet most weekends by losing 2 to 3 lbs during the week and then having just a couple of glasses of wine to put me back to square one with no loss for that week. I dont think your family will try to derail you on purpose but even my husband sometimes has a pizza in front of me and cant understand why I am upset. Also, sometimes people just love you as you are and cant understand why you would want to do this and it is helpful to get peoples support. I dont know what is wrong for me saying that. I gave you some hints and tips that might help (you asked for help) but it is perfectly okay for you to ignore all, some or those that dont suit your circumstances. I hate it when people come on and try so hard then give up because they are disappointed (your word not mine) when all they need is a nudge in the right direction. I love it when I hear that they have got the diet sussed out in a way that suit them and stick with it and us. There are so many of us here that have been there and done it so we know what the pitfalls and difficulties are. This diet is tough to get those amazing results some people do get but there is no harm in easing yourself into it and taking it at your own pace. I did say you were on the right track. I really cant see what I have said that has upset you. I can only apologise and hope that you find the right way to do this and get great results and stay with us for support.

Hi Sunshine Girl
No, you’ve got me all wrong. I really appreciated your advice! Please don’t read me wrong. Just trying to explain my motivation. I didn’t say it was disrespectful anywhere, we are all trying to achieve a goal here and I asked for advice! I’m not upset, or anything else, just explaining my situation to make it easier to understand. Absolutely no harm done, please!

Thanks JGwen, that’s useful!