Hi, bought the books and have read them, first hurdle, not interested in losing weight as ok with that, I am female, 6ft tall, BMI 27 and around 73kgs, but OMG in the last month my tummy has been really painful and upset. 52 years old and yes (not wanting to overshare) but things are already ‘changed’ but I feel really quit unwell so decided to get my life in order, I don’t believe that there is a sinister underlying problem, I am active and love to cook so happy to do whatever it takes to make the lifestyle changes for a better gut and happy me, advise, encouragement and anything else please, but I am a bit concerned that weight loss will make this difficult as I don’t really want that. any ideas anyone?

Hi, Greyhoundgirl, and welcome to the forum 🙂 If you aren’t
interested in losing weight, have you considered simply adopting
a very clean mediterranean diet that includes more rainbow
vegetables and fruit than is recommended on the Fast800, and
introducing some of the gut friendly fermented food like raw,
unpasteurized kimchi or sauerkraut, or kefir to correct any
disorder you may have in your gut biome?
Wising you improved health, whatever you decide…

Allie

Hi thanks for the welcome, i was reading the books and was just a little worried that weight loss was predominant. don’t get me wrong my body is no temple!!!!! but its and ok size 🙂 so maybe not the phase 1 and 2 is that what you mean? clean my system and relearn how to eat well, i never eat chocolate but do have a sweet tooth so that needs to be sorted, i LOVE crisps so never buy them because i become a gremlin demon !!!!!!!!. more veg, more variety, fish and lean meats, should i still fast / reduce intake for a couple of days a week?

Hi Greyhound Girl,

Welcome and enjoy the groups

I started last Monday, my tummy is much less bloated and feeling so much better in myself. Eating much more protein, and for me, who does not cook, it has made me look at food and the way I interact with it differently .

There are so many lovely helpful people on this site, it is great.

Good luck

Candlelight

Hi, it already seems like a great place and very supportive, have got a note book for a diary of food and drinks and will keep that up to date, what sort of foods are you eating that have helped?

Fasting has its own health benefits, but if you want to do it without restricting calories then a 16:8 intermittent fasting pattern is probably best for you. Try to do it most days, and just have an 8 hour period when you take in calories, out of that period just stick to water or herb tea, black coffee etc. Essentially that means usually two meals, and either an 8:00am – 4:00pm window with no food/drink in the evening, or more usually a 12:00pm – 8:00pm or 2:00pm – 10:00pm (if drinking in the evening, wine has calories after all 😉) Let us know how you get on. Also try our sister forum Clever guts, with the same log in details, it is a lot quieter than here but has some very useful threads for the gut biome rehabilitation side of the way of eating.

I’m back again., greyhoundgirl. I agree with Mixnmatch here, about the
intermittent fasting as a good way to start, trying to only eat in an
8 hour window. Is there a specific reason why you don’t want to
get into a healthy BMI range of 25, or an ideal weight right in the
middle of a healthy BMI. When I started down this road I had a
BMI of 44. Today it is 21.22, considered an “ideal” weight for a
5’7″ woman. I’ve been in maintenance for 9 months, and the
only changes that I’ve made is to increase the amount of the
healthy foods that I’ve been eating right along. We eat wild
fish 2-3 times a week, organic chicken, organic greek yogurt,
organic eggs, and steamed spinach or cruciferous vegetables
every day. Our healthy fats include avocado, small portions of
nuts and seeds, and raw cacao nibs. We like our proteins clean
and lean, so items like sausages and bacon aren’t part of our
diet. This is mostly predicated upon being very careful about
animal fat, though, because my husband has advanced coronary
artery disease. That is the only reason why we eliminate cheese
from our diet. In keeping with this diet, cheese is perfectly
acceptable to this WOE in measured quantities. There is a lot
of evolving research indicating this isn’t a problem, but for
now we choose to err on the side of caution. Prior to the BSD
we both had high chloresterol levels, and now our blood results
indicate “optimal levels” for both of us. Please let us all know
how you get on. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience
on the forums, and it is our pleasure to share it with new members!

Allie

Putting the figures you have given us, greyhoundgirl, into SmartBMI calculator I get 21.7 BMI for you, not 27, which is pretty close to ideal, unless you are very lightly muscled indeed. I would agree that you need to improve the healthiness of your diet to try to address your stomach problems, rather than lose any weight. Good luck following the way of life or clever guts diets, and keep us posted.

How clever you are, Mixnmatch! I never thought to run Greyhoundgirl’s
BMI numbers…Now wonder she doesn’t want to lose any more
weight. As you say on your side of the pond, BRILLIANT!!!

That would be “no”, not “now”, sorry everyone!