To answer the questions from Ditchedthemet:
No, I don’t eat once a day, I split the 800cals over 3 meals with no snacks and it is do-able.
Breakfast is always egg-based (I have one egg, he has 2), either poached or scrambled, with some spinach, mushrooms or tomatoes or leftover ratatouille on the side. Lunch is generally a broth type soup or veggie soup of some description (homemade, weighed and tracked), and supper is a what I would call a normal meal with meat of some description and low carb veg, so last night was a pork stew with cauli mash.
Re. the yoga, I follow Yoga with Kassandra, she has everything from a 10 minute stretch to one hour sessions. Something a bit stronger is Outlaw Yoga, they have some good programs too, not all within my current abilities sadly.
Weigh-in today, he has lost another 1.8lb and I have lost 1lb (I still have 1.8lb of Christmas cheese to lose, hopefully by next week).
Onward and downward!

I have a question for MerryMelba re. an earlier post – you mentioned making a fermented spicy lemon achar – would you be mind sharing the recipe/technique please. I do make some ferments, but love Indian lemon pickles too, so would love to try making a lemon achar.

Morning all, so day 5 and I’ve weighed myself again this morning (as I do every morning) and it’s 7 pounds off so far. Which in English means 1/2 a stone! I know the speed at which I’ll lose weight is likely to plateau soon, but serum the results at this point in week one, really inspires me to keep going. Particularly as we’re going into the weekend, stuck at home!
My aspiration is to come out of the UK lockdown a bit slimmer. It’s the one thing I have control of at the moment and it seems like a good goal, as fingers crossed restrictions might be lifted by March/April and Id love to see the look on my parents’ faces after some weight loss. I haven’t seen them since October! As we go into the weekend, I just want to say we’ve got this! Thanks for all the support guys

Hello Ruby
This is the link. The ingredients are all listed in the video. Very quick and easy. Quite spicy so adjust chillies to your taste. I made another batch last weekend. I use the half lemon pieces that I juiced to hold down the lemon mixture in the jar before I put the lid on.
They have lots of lovely recipes on their site.
https://ferment.works/blog/2017/5/2/fermented-lemon-achar-video
🍋🍋🍋

Hi all, some more joiners and great to see. Ditchedthemet, just curious considering your good HbA1c numbers, have you been able to ditch the met – the scale you use is not familiar to me. The HbA1c used here is the percentile range and I am 6.2 currently, at home I use mg/dL, so have readings like 80 to 100 which is in the perfect range, over 140 is heading to pre-diabetes but I cant find the scale you use although I have seen it quoted many times on here. Anyway, I suspect you need to be a bit lower to get to pre, just curious.

Had what I would consider a stupid day yesterday. Made a few silly mistakes, mainly by having cheese in my breakfast of scrambled egg and cheese, then a lunch of grilled halloumi salad. 2 cheeses in one day certainly bumped up my calories to just over 1000. I guess that is still quite low compared with a non BSD diet and I have managed to lose some weight. Did my 30 mins aerobics for the 4th time this week, so that might be a help. But I am also reminded by Dr M on TV the other day. Exercise is not the solution to poor diet and I would have to walk 30 miles to lose just one pound. Something to think about from the days when you would knock yourself out exercising then think you could have a coffee and a cake in the gym cafe…

Weekend coming up so it is time to get my motivation into gear and get through it with no slip ups. Funny really as the weekend days are just the same as any other in these lockdown times. We are not in lockdown in France but nothing much is open and we are on an evening curfew of 8pm and 6pm in high covid areas. Have a good one and keep on keeping on…

Thank you MerryMelba, I’ll be looking at that site later 🙂 We like spicy too!

Thanks for your reply @rubyg I will check out the yoga! And I love soup- especially home made broth types, so will get me to the kitchen to have a go.
@ sunshine-girl, my HbA1c figures were 10.4 upon diagnosis and latest of 6.7. no not far to go to get into prediabetic numbers (6.7 was 50, and prediabetic is 42-48.
I did Ditch the Metformin after 7 weeks of 3 different sorts that I did not get on with and my own research that suggested they are not particularly effective and that a diet/ excersise approach would get better results. Funnily enough my Dr put me straight on to medication when diagnosed and still, to this date, has not mentioned that I should watch what I eat!

Replying to my reply to MerryMelba – I had a sneaky look at the website, and realised I have their book Fiery Ferments – I have made one or 2 things out of there, so that can be a new year’s goal to try more from there.

Hello all. Reading through the posts, there seems to be a great deal of positivity on this thread, keep it up everyone.
Thought I’d review how I’ve done since the 5th. I’ve been weighing and tracking so have reinforced my thoughts that I’m more in maintenance mode than loss mode. I’m BSD food friendly more days than not, but the days I’m not then I’m really not! So that’s given me my wake up call, now for the weekend. Cricket on Saturday, then Sunday we’re having our first visit to our new museum i.e. WA Museum Boola Bardip. It opened in November last after 4 or 5 years of building a stunning new place which incorporates the original old stone building (the colony’s original law court and gaol cells). The whole family is coming: sons, d-i-l, grandchildren +1 boyfriend and us. Very excited.

Thank you for your kind words Jordana , I can sympathise with your suffering with Crohn’s as I have ongoing bowel issues and understand how it impacts on daily life & can be socially isolating as well !
Wow you’ve had a great start on this new journey , & you have inspired me as well 😊 Hello 66

No Sunshine Girl , I’m not your cousin in Leeds , I just read your comment that by coincidence she has gone through similar issues to me , do hope she is doing well now !
I have had trouble getting back into the forum again , couldn’t remember my password , had to get a new one , yet another senior moment I guess 😁
I have enjoyed reading everyone’s posts & really feel inspired by so much positivity , cheers to you all ❣️Hello 66

A big hug to you Wendleg , I actually felt a bit emotional reading your warm welcoming words , & your understanding of my health challenges that I spoke about in 2018 , which were ongoing through 2019 , & again in 2020 .
I’m starting this year feeling very positive that 2021 will be a better year so here’s to that being a reality , & with the support of lovely caring people like yourself I’m looking forward to reaching my weight loss goal of 6.6 , & I hope I can be a supportive giver as well as a grateful recipient .
❤️🤗Hello 66

Hi all, thanks for the info Ditchthemet, glad you are off met and on your way to pre-. My doctor didnt even suggest diet and exercise, straight onto meds and when I couldnt tolerate several different ones he recommended insulin. Said it would bypass my digestive system so not cause all the horrible problems. Forgot to tell me I would gain 15kgs in 6 months. Funniest thing of all was he truly believed the brand he prescribed didnt need needles as it came in a pen which he thought was hydraulic – air pressure. Threw all my meds out except the Glycide and got out my ‘pen’ which had a screw top for inserting the needle. I had to dash to the pharmacy and explain that the doctor hadnt given me any needles so they gave me a box. Doing the first injection didnt hurt at all but it made me cry buckets as now it was soooo real. I know I would struggle to get of injections but I think someone on here did – KrysiaD I think. Anyway, I am resigned to my fate but dont want anyone else to go there.

Hello 66, my cousin has just done 3 years of breast cancer, chemo, mastectomy etc and really rocked her collected of head scarves. I know she lost tonnes of weight and just the other day said she has now gained so much and was going to go on a diet. Which is why your post pricked up my radar. Hope you are doing well.

I am doing great so far and having steady losses. Feeling good in myself too, energetic and optimistic. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying home and safe.

Hi All.

So- I have a birthday goal- 15th Feb- last Feb I turned 42 and made a goal to lose 42 lbs in my 42nd year (because 42, in the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, is the answer to life, the universe and everything!!)- well, I have only got 2.6 lbs to go for that, and 5.6 lbs total to get to my weight loss goal of top of normal BMI.

I guess I am struggling, after christmas etc, to get myself to commit fully to the more severe form of the WOE to definitely get me there- I really really want to shed my 2.6 by my birthday, which is in 5 weeks, and more if I can- it’s not such a lot, but yet feels like still not easy!! At least I have figured out to maintain now anyway.

Hope my ramblings are making sense- I’m trying to decide if I can have wine tonight amongst other things 😂…..

Love to all,
Clare xx

Oh, and a learning moment- yesterday I had one of my colleague’s home made brownies- I do make exceptions and have the odd treat esp if it’s home made and I really feel like it- and she’s a great baker- well! I felt like I was eating a bowl of sugar it was so sweet, and I felt very peculiar for a good hour afterwards!!!
So it really wasn’t worth the calories and sugar!! I used to love her brownies too….guess I have changed my tastebuds in a good way…!!

Hi everyone . Hope the weekend is going well. Yours sounds really interesting Marsie and I hope you had a wonderful family time !

Bless you Hello66 . Just remember you are not alone xx

SG is a mine of information about diabetes, thanks SG.

By the way MerryMelba’s lemon achard is a winner !!

Tulip/Clare , it’s weird how when we get close to target it’s harder to focus on those last few pounds and complacency slips in . You really are so close though ! Maintaining is fine, a few more pounds if you can but I bet you look great ! You don’t have to do a severe form of BSD , you could try a 5:2 type program for slower progress ??

Went out for a long walk with hubby today wearing 3 layers of clothing , woolly scarf and gloves because it was about 2 degrees out. Doing pilates etc in front of the telly is all very well but I need fresh air so I am committing to a daily walk . About to start my 15th day of my no dairy, no nuts program because I reckon I was overdoing them . I was starting to get aches I wasn’t used to , joint inflammation ? I already feel that has improved immensely. I also take magnesium because I was getting restless leg syndromes and some muscular cramps and that is much better too . Doing my best to stay fit and healthy ! We need to make the best out of this crappy situation.

Stay safe everyone, remember we are all here to support each other and we will get through this and emerge fit and fabulous !!!

Hi everyone, happy Sunday. Tulip, you just reminded me, I too have a birthday coming up (7th Feb) and can re-set my goal to include a shorter term one. Need to do my calculations and have a think about it. 4 weeks to go so I am aiming for 4 lbs in 4 weeks besides what I have done so far. Still aiming for 13 lbs by Easter Monday which doesnt seem much but with all the ups and downs it is easy to lose 2 or 3 then stick for a couple of weeks. Dont expect weight loss to be constant or linear. Our bodies dictate the pace.

Hope you are feeling better Wendy. Doesnt take long to be off plan, although I know you took a shorter break than most, but the aches and pains or problems we had before this WOE soon return. For me it was acid reflux – too much alcohol over the holiday. Trying to do dry January and so far so good if you can discount the first couple of days before I went fully back on plan. I dont like calling it a diet because it is my way of eating for life and I very rarely make exceptions and almost never by eating carbs. Even on Christmas day I didnt touch potatoes or bread or even parnips (hate them anyway). There was a tiny fondant potato on my dinner plate (restaurant takeaway) and I thought ‘hardly worth bothering with’ i.e. might as well have it, then I thought ‘hardly worth eating’ so I didnt. Although, not being an angel, I did have half the chocolate buche (log) which I found very sickly.

Another week coming up and looking forward to every success. Hope you all have the same.

Thank you Wendy and S-G….yes, that is true, I could do more like a 5:2- basically that is 2 800 cal days per week, right? Plus being sensible and low carb etc the rest of the week? I tried to get a copy of the 5:2 but couldn’t but I think the BSD book is enough really??

Good exercising, Wendy- fresh air is lovely! I had a late start today and have to admit to some comfort food as quite a big reaction to the covid vaccination I had yesterday so taking things very easy too. Still thrilled to have had my 1st dose tho!!

S-G are you a fellow Aquarian then?

Love to all xxx

Thanks SG . I must admit I was getting a bit concerned about recurring aches in my leg because I had a hip replacement in 2017 and everything went well with the op and recovery physio. I was starting to wonder if this pain meant something had gone wrong with my spare part . Honestly after 2 weeks off the dairy ( nuts too because I can over eat them) , the niggly ache has all but gone . So I’m hopeful it was joint inflammation which I have managed to stop in its tracks . The magnesium is helping any night time restlessness too . You are right. we have to listen to our bodies, not abuse them and most certainly look after ourselves .

Another bracing walk with hubby this afternoon which was nice because we had a bit of sunshine . I am committing to getting off the sofa more .
Good to hear you have had your first dose of the vaccination Tulip / Clare . As a keyworker in physio you definitely need that protection . Thinking of all you key workers in fact . You are all true heroes . I am glad to be out of school to be honest and it seems I retired at just the right time . Teaching online is demanding and I felt I never disconnected from the teaching platform. Thinking of all parents coping with their own work and home schooling too .

We WILL get through this . Hope you are all ok . We have almost completed our first week !

thanks Wendy x

Thank you for starting this thread. I’m a newbie here, aiming for that illusive 80cm waist! I’m ready for a new week, BSD and home schooling whilst working from home….How hard could it be!!?🤗

Hello again all , do hope your Cousin does well Sunshine Girl as far as her Cancer is concerned , & now her weight loss , we are all on various journeys aren’t we health wise , sounds like yours has been with Diabetes , I was sorry to read that Doctor didn’t mention Diet or exercise just Medication and from listening around the Community it seems like this is very common practice which is such a shame !
My husband was luckier than most , when according to routine blood tests his fasting blood sugars suggested Diabetes , follow up glucose tolerance test & HbA1c & a visit back to GP for results , his GP was away on leave and he was seen by a rather progressive part time GP , who told him to go away and lose 5 kilograms & he may find his Type 2 diabetes may be put into remission .
He quietly suggested getting some exercise & cutting carbs so that’s what he did & his BSL’s are now within normal limits , as is his HbA1c . When he was given this diagnosis I went straight to a Pharmacy & bought a Glucometer & it was alarming to see his BSL’s after a meal quite often over 14 in those early days .
Vigilance in cutting carbs right back & losing those kilos has paid off & Diabetes is still in remission . His journey started in October 2015 so no medication required , just lucky with the Dr . he saw really as so many friends & aquantances have been started off on metformin , then have had to finally end up taking insulin as you have Sunshine Girl .
I’m classified as pre Diabetic and was ordered some Metformin which I just didn’t take ! I don’t want to become Diabetic so I now have to show some strength & stay away from temptations , all those Chocolates that were kindly given to us at Christmas by well meaning friends 😩
I’m joined a free Quit Sugar summit , 11-17 th for a week , heaps of very intelligent & knowledgeable people ,don’t know if anyone is interested in joining , may be too late now but address is
http:/quitsugarsummit.com?afmc=5z
I’m well aware of what sugar does to our bodies & I am also well aware that most Carbs are broken down into sugar glucose , & I know that if I eat these to excess , my pre diabetes will become Diabetes . It’s now a matter of re programming my brain , when I was so ill & so underweight I was encouraged by the Dietician to eat high calorie carbs like mashed potato , rice custards etc ., & yes they are comforting , & did give me energy when I needed it most , & yes over time I gained weight , but more than I now want , so discard it I must as it’s no longer beneficial to gain any more weight & WILL be detrimental to my health , so there I’ve said it out aloud for all to see , so no backing out now .

Good to see that you have had your 1st Vaccination against this wretched Covid Tulip / Clare , hope the big reaction you had was short lived & you are now back on track .
So glad your inflammation has settled Wendy & yes I’ve found magnesium to be the answer to restless legs as well , ran out and didn’t have any for about 3 weeks & started to have night leg cramps so very quickly realised that it’s an essential !
Yes walking outside in the fresh air is truly enjoyable , I sometimes wonder why I make excuses not to go , too windy , too cold , too late , too busy !
I also have to remind myself how fortunate to be living where it’s safe to go out and not have to adhere to lockdown & Pray for all those who are in that situation that they are coping & things will improve in 2021 .
😊Hello66

Hi everyone,I’ve found the first week far more difficult to get into than I had anticipated but am hoping that I can get stuck in from today.I have been eating more healthily than I did over the Christmas break but still nowhere near how I had intended,despite writing a food plan.I definitely don’t drink enough water so have taken Sunny’s tip and asked my daughter to draw some glasses on the kitchen blackboard and will tick them off every time I have a glass.I’m going to try to keep to an 8 hour eating window by having my breakfast later.Dawn X

It’s evening here in lovely Sorrento, WA, so good evening to all. Hope those who are hours behind will all have great news to share. Middling from me… after being somewhat lighter in the middle of the week, I’ve ended with a 100gm loss. Planned & controlled some days, not so much on other days. At least it’s not up 🙄 but I do intend better next week.
Hello 66, I’m with you in feeling so lucky with our freedom of movement. Note to self not to take it for granted!
ADD6605/Dawn, that sounds like a plan with the water, always easy to overlook.
Will check in later to see more weekly results xx Marilyn

Dawn, me too! Found it harder than I thought, been “better” but not “good”…or at least not consistently where i want to be with food habits. Good learning though, first Christmas on this way of eating was always going to be trial and error. I think i’ve got my head back to where it needs to be so hoping to smash this week. back to basics and simple eating.
Julz

Hi everyone, Monday soon comes around. Just want to say hi to Dizzychicken, love the name. Stick with us, we are full of good information and also quite good fun, if health matters can be fun. Home schooling is really hard, teachers are fully trained and dont have to do it while holding down another job and running a household at the same time. Yes Tulip I am an Aquarian. Although I dont believe in all that stuff I do seem to be a typical Aquarian personality.

Hello66, I was quite unfortunate in my diagnosis as I had been quite ill while living in England and, even though I had regular blood tests for cholesterol etc and a mother who was T2, they never bothered to test me. I even went with a list and the locum said he wasnt interested in my symptoms i.e. blurred vision, thirst, feeling like I was going to explode and tried to put me on antidepressants. Then we moved to France and I had enough cholesterol meds with me to last 6 months so didnt go to a doctor. Was way too busy with having a house built, getting into the French system etc. Also didnt know I was losing so much weight as I was swimming every day and in the hot weather, eating light meals. Plus we were in temporary accommodation and didnt have any scales. When we moved into our house permanently I signed up with a local doctor who sent me to a laboratory (that’s how they do it here) for a full raft of blood tests. To be fair to doctor, my HbA1c came back at 14.2 and he sort of freaked out. Thinks I must have had it for several years and thinking back, yes. It was an emergency that my blood glucose had to be brought down. The rest is history as they as.

Had a fairly good week with a slight relaxation on Sunday with some sage and onion stuffing with the roast chicken. Much less than I would consider a portion, just a tablespoonful, and a couple of glasses of wine. No harm done with weight the same but I could have missed out on having an extra loss. Hey ho. That’s life. Will weigh in tomorrow.

Wendleg, are you doing the next start up – you are the one with the wonderfuly list. See you tomorrow.

S-G, ha ha, nor me, but also seem to fit the Aquarian mould too 😂. Sounds a bit scary with the diabetes- that really could have done with being found sooner!

Hello66- thank you- feeling more like myself today and altho I won’t go for my usual Monday afternoon run, I am going to take a half hour walk for some fresh air with as many of my family as I can crowbar out of the house.

Dawn- I think I saw on the Easter bus about your daughter and the GCSEs? My eldest is in y 11 too- such a difficult time for them. She has quite bad long covid too from when we had it last March, so it’s all a bit of a struggle.

Yesterday I ate a lot- to make me feel better after the vaccination. Back on it today tho, I really want to get my goals!!!

Dizzychicken- I was going to say I love the name too!! I have hens 😁.

Love to all xxx

Yes I’m here SG ! I normally set up the new weekly thread on a Monday ready to start on Tuesday so I will publish the list .
It’s bloomin cold here so today was a shorter power walk and pilates in front of Youtube .

Anyone feeling a bit dissatisfied with themselves this week …put it behind you and look ahead to this week . I’m still compiling my recipes so I have lots of variety .

Back in a bit to start the new weekly thread xx

Hello everyone, thank you for the welcome.
Really interested to read everybody’s progress and find it very inspiring.
As of last Friday I had lost a total of 5lb. Feeling pleased. Haven’t weighed since but still keeping on the plan. Today is so difficult. Colleagues have brought in various foods to share. This is quite a common occurrence. Last week I could switch off to it quite easily, today I have to keep stopping myself. We were told in a monthly meeting this morning that a colleague has chosen to leave . He had been unable to tell us before this and it was very upsetting, I work very closely with this particular colleague. So much is going to change . It’s ridiculous how I feel like eating everything in sight just because I feel upset and depressed.
In the grand scheme, there are much worse things! I should be grateful I even have a job. I think it’s mostly the bombshell of the thing.
This week has gone well. No need to blow it now.

Great to see good positivity here. Sorry not to have been around much, although I have been reading posts.

Bit of an iffy week, which actually looked more like maintenance than earnest weight loss. Have been moving back and forth over the same pound all week. So, I have decided to hold off focusing on actually losing weight, until after my birthday this Wednesday, when there will definitely be cocktails
champagne and a three course meal.

With that behind me, I’ll buckle down and head back to target weight. Will definitely be here on the weekly thread in the meantime, so will look forward to reading about everyone’s progress along the way.

Stay strong Jordana or you may end up feeling worse .

I am about to set up the new weekly thread !

Hi All, I started on the 4th January. Ive done the 8 week fast before about 3 years ago, it worked really well with lost weight, vastly reduce Blood sugars, eye sight improved – many positives. Managed to maintain on med style diet – Fair to say lockdown caught me out and some bad habits developed. With eh new lockdown decided it was a perfect time to do 8 weeks to the end Feb. Two weeks In & 15 pounds down, felling loads better already, some old clothes starting to fit again. The first week was really tough and I felt quite rough – this is where these types of forums are so useful – I imagine most people will give in after a few days – especially if they feel anything like I did, however got through it and have now had a boost in energy and cravings have died down. Only current issue is hunger at bedtime and it taking a little but of time to get to sleep – Will say though that this is offset by once I am asleep I sleep through – I was waking twice a night to go to the loo for the 6 months before starting – this is a typical thing for me when my sugars get too high, so overall a great two weeks so far