This is the ongoing reset thread which began in January and due to end March 2024 .

If you are familiar with the thread then just keep going.If you are new, then just jump in and join us .

If motivation is flagging , if you are struggling, with health issues or if life has just got in the way, that’s ok . Dust yourself off and look forward to this month. It’s not a competition, it’s YOUR experience and we are all different .

Some of us have upcoming celebrations to look forward to .Others want to improve health and fitness . We are all here to help and encourage and to find our own way .

So let’s keep going .There is still time to make a massive difference in March !

My weight discard since January is 5 kilos which I am happy about but I seem to be stalling .I reckon nuts are an issue for me so have to ban them for a while . I am not bored with my food choices and I am resisting all of the keto ‘treats’ I keep seeing with all sorts of fake sweetners and nut flours.I reckon that would be a slippery slope for me .It wouldn’t take much sugar to kick off the cravings .
I am happy with my clothes feeling more comfortable but I would like to drop a few more pounds .
That’s where I am as March begins and so on I go xx

Hi Wendleg, thank you for the March thread. You should be well pleased with your discard of5kgs. Mine was 3kgs so I am not too unhappy. I wanted to reach the magic number of 72kgs but missed it by 0.3 but now re-setting my goal for March to 71kgs.

I am dithering about going vegitarian and trying to look at the problems and solutions. Watching a video about reversing T2 says a plant based diet is the way to go. My problem is carbs. I cant and wont eat rice, pasta, potatoes, bread etc so tend to have a meat based meal with lots of veg. I have found a great website called eatingwell.com and it shows 7 days of any diet you fancy trying. So there are complete menues and meal plans for vegan, veggie, Mediterannean, diabetes, low carb etc. But haven’t found a veggie that cuts the carbs or a diabetes that cuts out meat. So I am going to work my way through the recipes. I tried butternut squash and chickpea curry but it sent my blood glucose sky high and also I gained weight too – although it was only fluid and went the next day. Maybe more beans than chickpeas as like Wendy, the keto substitutes are too carby for me. Anyone got any ideas. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat but think I should eat a lot less of it.

Margaret, great to get back on track. Can I also say, I put up with a UTI for about 2 months before I finally mentioned it to the doctor. I didn’t like to bother the doctor with something so minor I left it to my 3 monthly appointment so put up with multi peeing and lots of discomfort. It was a substitute doctor and she sent me off for a urine test, whereas my GP would have treated it on the basis of what I told him and also sent for a test. So I had to wait nearly 2 weeks to do test, get results, get another appointment etc. Then she gave me one tablet and said it worked like a miracle. It didn’t and I end up having to go back again and got different medication. Fortunately, we can get GP appointments here in as little as 2 or 3 days so I should have just got it sorted.

Hope you are all going to join us for another month and hopefully have new enthusiasm for the diet.

We are all winners when we lose but we are not losers if we gain. Be kind to yourselves.

I get that, SG . I also like the idea of a plant based way of eating but I don’t think I could add in all those healthy pulses and grains just yet as they are very carb heavy .Something to look forward to in the future . What about fish ? Sardines are supposed to be very good for us . Halloumi ? Feta cheese ? I haven’t really experimented enough with tofu and tempeh remains a mystery to me !

I am pondering what other protiens we could try ? I like edamame beans from Picard and I think they are protein rich and modest carbs ?

Wendy, not sure fish is plant based 🙂

Hi all,
I thought I might just comment on the “going vegetarian” idea that has been floated…
I have tried both vegetarian and vegan — neither worked for me and I am pretty sure it is because I have a body that simply does not like a carby diet — this is something I have discovered as I have worked through eight years of eating, starting with my eye-opening book “Good Calories Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes and moving on through the “Blood Sugar Diet” and then to Dr. Benjamin Bikman’s books and suggestions. I believe I have a metabolism, most likely from my genetics, that just doesn’t respond well to carbohydrates and sugars. It could be from my family history or my mother’s diet while pregnant or something else but MY body gains weight quickly and easily when I am eating carbohydrates.
My solution, and it is a solution supported by evidence, is that I must eat mostly meat (fish, beef, lamb, chicken etc) and low carbohydrate vegetables (green ones — although I can handle some potatoes and sweet potatoes and a bit of fresh corn and a moderate amount of wine and even some beer). I can easily maintain my weight eating this kind of diet and if I wish to lose more, just cutting back a bit does it.
My diet is high fat, but I have stopped worrying about that because my blood work is excellent and the fat doesn’t pile on the pounds. Fat ends up being your friend, tastes great, satiates your appetite.
Sunshine girl, why would you jump to a vegetarian diet now, after all you have read and absorbed? Such a diet will be higher in carbohydrates and you wanted to stop your insulin injections. I think vegetarians do struggle a bit with a higher carbohydrate diet when they are trying to lose weight.
I urge anyone still thinking this way to reread Dr. Bikman’s book, “Why We Get Sick” — high levels of insulin drive several bad-health outcomes so the lower our insulin, the healthier we will remain. There is nothing wrong with well-raised meats, buy grass-fed or organic and maybe source them from a local farmer who you can trust. A little extra cost is worth our future health.
I know we are endlessly bombarded by the media propagandist message that “vegetarian” is healthy and the best for our planet but there is lots of evidence that both of those points of view are incorrect.

Hello March!

Wendy thanks for the new thread and a great result for you so far this year.

I read your post yesterday and it really made me sit down and think. I think in an earlier post you mentioned that you only weight very rarely. I weigh everyday so have all the ups and downs of putting on 0.1 of a pound etc. etc. I realise that I’m not weighing everyday to see how well my eating (dieting) is going but rather to see how much damage the previous days eating has done! Not good.

I realise that if I’m eating well I don’t need to see the number on a scale because it will be going in the right direction. It’s just force of habit but habits can be broken. Anyway, January was a good month for me but February was a bit of a wash out. Nonetheless, overall I’ve lost some weight and I have the power to make March mine! Going forward I’m going to just take one day of ‘eating well’ at a time and try and stay focused on staying away from the scales.

S-g why are you considering vegetation when you know the real secret for T2 is low carb? Meat is not so bad, especially as Julia says, when it’s grass fed or good quality and in moderation. If I’m correct, and I may not be, all lamb is ‘grass fed’ as they graze! I think why red meat gets a bad name is because lots of people class poor quality sausages, bacon and other processed meat products as ‘meat’, which if eaten in quantity is not good for health. I’m not sure that you like fish but I don’t think there’s much wrong with chicken or duck. We probably have red meat twice a week at the most, with fish or chicken the rest of the week. Then of course there are always eggs … fried, poached, scrambled, baked in a sakshuka, in a frittata or just plain boiled! I think finding protein from purely plant based foods is quite difficult. I think you may miss out on vital proteins, vitamins and minerals which may be more essential as we get older.

So March is here. New month at the end of which the clocks jump forward and out come the spring clothes. There never was a better time than now to jump into action.
Hope March is all you wish for it to be.

Hi all, thank you for your comments. Besides the joke about fish, no I don’t like fish except canned tuna or white fish like haddock or cod. We have fish almost every Friday. In fact hubby had fish and chips and I had grilled fish with a massive salad and didn’t even steal one of his chips. I have to hold my nose when cooking it as I hate the feel, smell and taste yet put up with it for the sake of so called health benefits.

As for becoming a veggie. It started with my daughter becoming a vegan in the New Year. She has many health problems that are related to food like her skin rash (still undiagnosed), irritable bowel brought on by eggs, dairy, wheat and whatever else just happens to upset her at the time i.e. it can be something different each day. After becoming vegan she has no problems with her bowels and her skin is showing improvement – might be she has also stopped the massive doses of antihistamines. So she put me onto a website called food revolution and I watched a video which was a masterclass in tackling T2. The conclusion was to eat a plant based diet (not vegan). I also did the 9 week course on InsulinIQ on beating insulin resistance and they came to the same conclusion. However, it would be easy if I could replace the meat with pulses, beans, chickpeas etc but they send my BG up and also increase my weight. Can I also say my daughter is low carb as she cannot eat bread or cereals or pasta and also no rice but she manages to have a filling diet. I will find out more when I visit her. So, not having all those other things (carby) I would be stuck with a plate of veg. Yes, I know veggies eat veg but they can also eat other things that I cannot.

I think you are right Californiagirl, I know what has been working for me and what to do so will carry on although I am looking at 2 solutions. I am going to use the eatingwell.com site and make maybe 3 veggie main meals a week (lunches are not a problem as I have soups or salads). I am going on a cruise at the end of April and I am going to eat from the veggie selection as much as I can and I am sure it will be wonderful as long as it isn’t carb based. Tonight we are having cauliflower and broccoli gratin. The veg is par boiled then mixed in with creme fraiche, cream cheese, some spices. Piled into an oven proof dish, topped with sliced tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. It is surprisingly filling. So no meat but also no carbs.

Anyway, I have a joint of beef in the fridge which I am going to braise tomorrow because, honestly, French beef is as tough as old boots most of the time. So not going veggie.

Weighing daily. Well, I have already said it is a habit because of changes in weight affecting my insulin injections but I could go a week without that having any impact. Like Verano, I might give it a try starting after my weigh in on Tuesday. If I have gained I don’t let it get me down but it makes me more determined so it is not having a negative effect on my food choices or my mood.

Have a good weekend.

Hello. I’m an eternal lurker, perpetual quitter, and procrastination expert. I would like to try to join everyone in the quest to become healthy despite my personal failings.
I’m 276 lbs, I would like to be under 200.
I suffer from depression and extreme insomnia.
I haven’t been regularly active in a few years.
I haven’t read any of the books I’ve seen mentioned and casually stumbled across this website.
I loved everyone’s supportive attitude. I have literally one person in my life who agrees with my desire to lose weight, but she is taking a very different path.
I will be switching over to the BSD way of eating next week after I finish the food I currently have in stock. I’m a single mom of a low income family so if anyone has affordable recipes they love, let me know! I have a teenage girl who is rather picky but I plan to pull her along with my new food plan.
I thank everyone in advance for their support, and I’ll do the best to offer encouragement as well.

Welcome Sunshine Orange!
I’m so glad you are here and please do not worry about any personal failings — believe me, everyone here has plenty of those but we have all decided to simply ignore them on our quest for true health.
There’s a great quote that I like, “fall down seven times, stand up eight” — that’s pretty much everyone here, so you are in great company!
It would be incredibly useful for you to get a copy of Dr. Mosely’s book “The Blood Sugar Diet” because it will give you the basic understanding of why this works (and it works brilliantly).
Then you can move on to Dr. Fung’s work online (just Google Dr. Fung diabetes to watch his podcasts) and then Dr. Benjamin Bikman (also has excellent podcasts). I know it seems like a lot but the knowledge of what is actually going on in your body makes all the difference to your mindset).
And while you learn, just START!
It’s easy to do what I consider a “rolling start” — immediately cut out your white carbohydrates — that is sugar, bread, potatoes, rice and replace with green vegetables and other good choices (see book for details). Then roll on into more of the recommendations and just go on from there.
It is a learning process here — you can’t expect to do it perfectly at first — you learned to drive a car over weeks and months, and this is the same kind of thing so don’t give up — just keep choosing good foods — fall down seven times but stand up eight.
Your body is going to become your friend instead of your enemy. I know it happens because it happened to me.

Oh good I’ve found this thread & thank you Wendy for setting it up!
Pleased you finally got your UTI sorted S-G mine I think is mild & I also had it last year when the GP then described it as chronic so I suppose this better way of eating does help infections but my healthy diet was not enough alone for my body to fight it off just let it in an irritating fashion tick along until I had my urine test to confirm an infection. However a close friend died from an untreated UTI that changed to sepsis & she lived alone & was found dead in her bed so a salutary but very sad lesson.
You all seem to be making good progress & I am still catching up reading all your messages. I feel quite cheerful & positive today with the sun shining here & my husband & I will go out for a walk this afternoon 👍🌝. I always give myself a bit of a calorie increase over the weekend eating to my BMR to allow a large glass of wine & possibly a dessert as a treat 😀. I also have to break TRE to hava a glass of milk first thing to take my antibiotics but will return to my usual routine of 18-20 hour overnight fast with no more calorie intake after supper & not eating until lunch the next day which works for me.
We can all do this & make March a positive month 🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, welcome to Sunshineorange. You don’t say if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic. You don’t have to be but it would help in your choice of Michael Mosley books. The Blood Sugar Diet book spends a lot of time talking about diabetes and how it affects the body. You might be better with one of his other books like the Fast800 which is basically the same diet but with more general information. However, there is always the possibility you might be pre-diabetic as about 2 million people in the UK are living with undiagnosed diabetes. Either way, this is a diet for weight loss as much as diabetes. Hope you can quickly get rid of the left over food and make a start. The first step is the hardest.

The advice is good to start by cutting out what we call white foods like bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and definitely breakfast cereal – except oats. You can eat your normal meals but leave out the carbs so I have a meaty bolognaise sauce without the pasta or a chicken curry without the rice. You are going low calorie so you will get used to doing without that extra stodge. You could make fine ribbons of courgette to serve instead of pasta (known as courgetti spaghetti) or grated cauliflower instead of rice just to fill up your plate. Anyway, shout out if you need any help. If you google low carb meals on a budget you will get lots of ideas. There is one called budgetbytes.com. We are looking forward to having you on this journey.

I am doing okay with no loss over this weekend but that’s also no gain. Will weight in on Tuesday and then try to do it once a week.

Yes, Margaret, we forget an infection is something attacking our body and can lead to something more serious, especially if you have other medical problems.

Just gone back over some old stats and photos I took on my earlier journey. A year after starting this diet I lost 26lbs and got down to 11 stone exactly. Today I am 11st 4lbs, so hoping to lose that 4lbs before the cruise. The only problem is I went on the exact same cruise 7 years ago and gained 7lbs so hoping I have learnt something and can do better this time around. This time I know what is more important and will be watching out for the luxury carbs that can be so tempting.

Welcome SunshineOrange ! Lots of sunshine on here. Good to see you posting. You have already had some useful pointers as you start out . Noone will tell you it will be easy but determination goes a long way. If you get down,feel a bit lost with it all just give us a shout. Concentrate on whole foods,getting rid of the ultra processed stuff ( not easy because carbage is cheap) but we will help. Keep things simple so you don’t get overwhelmed. You can do it !

SG…I am also tempted to say let go à bit and enjoy a few treats on your well deserved cruise break. You don’t have to go berserk ( I doubt you ever would) but you are unlikely to mess your weight targets too drastically if you have a few tasty morsels.

Have a good week everyone. I have just booked a beautiful place in Nafplio where we are spending 2 nights when we leave the wedding venue on Spetses island. I love Greek salads ,feta cheese etc and I will indulge for sure in a few treats. Have to resist baklava though 😱

Welcome SunshineOrange! This works so give it your best shot and just shout out if you need help.

S-g seven years ago your tastebuds were still being ‘refined’. I’m sure you will find that now those creamy, sweet, chocolaty carbs are just too ‘sweet’! I find when we cruise I have an odd dark chocolate mousse here and there but anything other than that is too sweet! Anyway, no point in going on a cruise and being in ‘deprivation’ mode! Just have to ENJOY!

I’ve had a relatively good week so far. I made a breakthrough this week. I tend to finish eating around 7pm and have lunch around 12-12.30pm. Some days I feel really hungry after I’ve eaten lunch so I start ‘picking’ and sometimes carry on for the rest of the afternoon. In the middle of last week I was really hungry about 10.30am and I had breakfast. I wasn’t hungry then until dinner 6.30 ish. So this week I have eaten brunch between 11 & 12 and I’ve found that I’m not hungry the rest of the day. So I’m still doing TRE but I’m listening to my ‘stomach’ rather watching the clock! Let’s hope this is a breakthrough for me.

Hope March is going to be a productive month for us all.

Hi everyone ,me again!
I feel like am in and out, sorry I am not in a continuous flow. Am sure it’s a mindset but for now, the desire to crack on and make a dent is back and am embarking on this journey with you all…
I am slowly moving away from carbs and finding other replacements. I am Coeliac as well so it is helpful as some of the gluten free bread / crackers etc is YUK!!
Recently, I have also purchased an instant pot and Ninja airfryers. Love both! Intention was to find planning meals easier but not sure lol
Was also hoping to get on a cruise for hubbys 70th but we have to rethink at mo due to ill health. Maybe later in the year….

Thanks for the new thread, Wendy and huge congrats on your excellent results. Sounds like you are doing really well too, SG. Apologies for not responding to everyone else, but good to see there is plenty of positivity here again. If it’s going well just keep fingers what you’re doing and if things haven’t worked out, make tomorrow a fresh start … you CAN do this!

SunshineOrange, good to have you join us. Lots of solid advice has already been offered, for what it’s worth, mine is to keep things simple. There’s no need to buy lots of different foods / ingredients, just make simple meals with a protein element and plenty of above ground veggies / salad. Oh, and always opt for full fat options …. so no low fat spreads, yogurts etc. And as someone else said, don’t wait jump right in, d just make a start now, even if it’s only by cutting out the obviously carby stuff. Keep us posted on progress and be sure to shout out if you need encouragement or support.

Finally, I’ve stumbled this week, so not seeing the results I was hoping for, however my official weigh-in day is tomorrow so will report in properly then.

Have a good week everyone 😊

Just a quick check-in, to help keep me accountable. As I feared, not a great result from the past week … in fact the discard is so low it really only counts as marking time. However given I had lost focus, I’m grateful not to be reporting a gain.

So, now is the time for a fresh start, to make sure this week really counts and I can report better results this time next week.

Hi all, today is my weigh in day and I have now lost a total of 7.5lbs since 2nd January (always have 1st Jan as a holiday). So just 2.5lbs to reach my 10lbs goal. More than that, I have gone under 72kgs for the first time in 7 years. I have been on this way of eating for 8 years (started on 28th June 2016). I don’t even call it a diet, it is my way of life and eating. BTW I weigh in kilos but convert to pounds as the pounds seem to go quicker than the kilos 🙂

Just a couple of changes I have made particularly with snacking. Completely cut out the one square of very dark chocolate after dinner – it was just a habit and not needed. Changed my afternoon snacks, which I actually need due to BG dropping around 4pm but instead of some meat which is usually processed like ham, or cheese I have been having olives and a few (5 ot 6) nuts. Also when I get the nibbles I am making a cup of a yeast extract drink. Just small changes but I think they have made a difference. I am also back to exercising 3 times a week at 30 mins aerobics although I did 40 mins on Sunday. As it gets warmer I will intersperse the other days with a walk after lunch. It will only be a couple of months before I can swim again. Sooooo looking forward to that.

I think it is time I tried on some clothes to see what I am taking on holiday with me but still 7 weeks to discard more weight.

Have a great week.

Well done SG . Your determination always pays off !

My journal says we are on Week 10. Wow the time is going really quickly !
What do we do after the 12 weeks?
I had a piece of fish with cauliflower mash this lunchtime. I steamed the cauliflower and then whizzed it in my blender with some butter and parmesan cheese with lots of pepper. It was good..very smooth and mash like. The blender made all the difference.

Yes ..have a great week everyone. I am sorting out my clothes to make some space and earning a few pennies on Vinted !

Wendy, yes it is the start of week 10. The 12 weeks ends on 25th March. Mine ends on the 26th so I have 3 weeks to go.

I’m sure you’ll ditch that 2.5lb by the time you go away, SG. You are always very determined and focused. I’ve 5 weeks to our next trip and hoping to get rid of 5lb in that time. As a slow loser, that might be more of an ask than you’d think, but definitely going to give it a good shot.

Perhaps when we get to the end of the 12 week reset and this month, we could kick off a post-Easter reboot, Wendy. I’m sure there will be a good number of us wanting to re-evaluate, refocus and push on, both for our health and in preparation for summertime fun.

Sunny my goal is 2.5lbs in 12 the weeks journey we are on. I go away in 7 weeks so hoping for a lot more. I have just tried on the infamous dress I bought about 7 years ago. Had it sent to my daughters when I was about 5 lbs less than I am now – i.e. my lowest weight, tried it on but it was after the cruise and it has never fit me. Today I still need at least half a stone off. Managed to zip it up but I looked like a stuffed sausage. Hey ho, one day, and hopefully for the first evening of the cruise. After that not sure it will fit again.

Sure you will manage 5lbs by the time you go away, like me it is 1lb a week if lucky and nothing comes along to interfer – like my hubbys birthday on 23rd March.

We all have such achievable goals for March, YES we will get there.

Relax, enjoy the journey we will all make our 12 week goal !

Hi all, well today I avoided the scales and that didn’t send me into palpatations. However, I also didn’t do my blood glucose and that did. Not knowing whether I could wait until 10.30 for breakfast, which is my TRE 15hrs or even go longer and have a brunch instead of breakfast. I compromised by having a light lunch of yoghurt and fresh fruit (kiwi and strawberries). So I will continue to do BG each day. I have to weigh tomorrow as nurse is coming to do my bloods (and urine) and will want my weight for the calculation of Cholesterol and another test. Because of how I was feeling (totally exhausted) doctor has prescribed a full set of bloods so I told her to bring plenty of phials with her 🙂 But now I can tell doctor how much better I am feeling though not sure of the cause of the improvement. Was it taking chair yoga very slowly until advancing to normal yoga then to aerobics, was it the collagen I now have in my tea or the daily dose of vitamin D. Or was it just my body saying ‘ok your wound has fully healed so you can now get on with life’. I have gone from feeling like a 90 year old back to feeling 60 (even though I am 71). Whatever, I am sure he will be pleased. I thought my life as I knew it was over and I was doomed to old age before my time.

Hubby is out this afternoon so I am getting on with small things that add up. Trying to wear my contacts again as, after not wearing them for several years except on nights out, I was looking drawn around the eyes (like someone who normally wears glasses), so I want to wear them regularly so I don’t have to worry about make-up and glasses or swimming and glasses or swapping out
prescription sunglasses for glasses. Just a faff, so I will give it a try for the few weeks before the cruise.

Trying on a few more clothes – I have picked out 6 dresses for evening wear – 3 long 3 short and will need one other for the 7th night. Going to exercise then shower and hair wash. Feels nice having some spare time. Going to count the coins in my piggy and top up my tablets for the week. Phew, good job I don’t work 🙂

Evening! I am pleased for you SG! I am so glad to read you feel so much better, a great relief for you am sure. I am sure you are super excited for your cruise too. I have not gotten round to booking ours but hopefully will do before too long!

I weighed in 2lbs less this morning so am a happy bunny. Been sorting an decluttering my kitchen cupboards, literally all day today! What a mammoth task. Sadly, family not interested in my passing most on so will drop off to a local charity but if I can find one that is free to others needing, I would prefer to do that!!

Good morning everyone & welcome to Sunshineorange & I hope you have had a good week? This way of eating still continues to be a learning experience for me seeing how my body reacts to different foods.
I’m annoyed & puzzled because I wrote a post yesterday that seems to have disappeared !
Fantastic news S-G that you are feeling much better now 👏👏 and Wendy congratulations on your weight loss & everyone else managing to keep on track.
I am feeling slimmer for some odd reason but will find out when I weigh on Saturday & have finished my course of antibiotics so can have some Kefir today to start keeping my inner biome happy. March feels like the start of the year for me after a miserable January & February & I have lost 5.25 lbs of my festive gain since Christmas but not all of it yet. I’m back to doing TRE & trying to eat 800 – 900 calories on weekdays but relaxing to about 1400 over the weekend to keep me still motivated & will be eating out on Sunday which is Mothers Day with my youngest son joining us.
I hope everyone has had a great week 👍
Margaret xx

Hi all, I was waiting for my blood results before commenting but they have not turned up. There are about 12 different blood tests and one urine so they could be taking a bit longer than usual. Will come back on tomorrow when they are in.

Morning everyone!

I’m late to the party on this new thread – my apologies! Without the email notifications since I hadn’t posted I kept forgetting to check it!
Anyway Tuesday’s weigh in was a 0.6lb gain, which I’m happy with as it was my husband’s birthday weekend and let’s just say I did not follow plan! All in all, a 1lb gain over two weeks encompassing a night away on a work trip, my son’s birthday weekend and my husband’s birthday weekend is absolutely fine by me!
So, this week…well, I’m clinging on to the concept of Fast 800 and low carb, if not executing it perfectly! I’m still struggling with my breathing and low energy on the back of this virus I’ve had for over three weeks; it’s so frustrating. Consequently, I’m a bit over 800 cals on some days, but keeping it low carb – there was a cheese incident last night when I got home about 9pm, but we’ll gloss over that and try to forget about it as I can’t even guess at calories – cheese is my nemesis! In my defence, I’d been for my first long swim in about four weeks to see how much damage this virus has done to my fitness, then been out to my accordion group which was restarting after an 8 month break, and not having eaten since 9am I just fancied a nibble!
In all fairness, the swim wasn’t as bad as I expected – 1.75k in an hour, so not all fitness has been lost, but my breathing wasn’t great and boy am I suffering today! I’ve managed to go to my lessons (apart from one, when I felt really rough) while I’ve been ill, since they are only half an hour and my instructor agreed to go easy on me, so I do think the technique changes are helping – three more lessons and seven weeks to get things right for the 5k swim, so fingers crossed my stamina returns at some point!
Anyway, enough ramblings from me, have a good day everyone!

Morning all, am up at a decent time today. Plenty of errands etc so feel motivated to press on…
Margaret, hope you feel tons better and that ‘feeling’ is a reality for you with a weight loss!
SG hope the trying on of your holiday clothes got you into the holiday mode and the excitment of it . I do hope your blood results are favourable for you.
Good to hear from you LDG, and such encouraging points in your post. I hope your breathing issues resolve quickly!!

Well, this weekend in the UK is our Mothering Sunday. I do hope plans etc go well for everyone and gentle hugs from me for those who , for whatever reason, would rather it passed by quickly…I miss my own mum dreadfully, I lost her when I was 17 , nearly 50years ago but still have a moment…

Anyhow, I was wondering, do any of you use a kitchen gadget to cook, like an airfryer, electric pressure cooker?

Thank you 1960smp I am feeling better now & more energetic but my eating went a bit haywire yesterday because I went out to Knit & Natter & we are obliged to buy a drink to support the venue & I had a glass of wine then craved something sweet when I got home & had a small glass of Cointreau & two Jammie Dodgers that I won in a raffle🙀Today I will fast until supper & hope I redress the balance of what has otherwise been a lowish carb/calorie week🤔
Well done for getting back on track LittleDrummerGirl & I hope your next weigh will be encouraging 👍
Well I have confessed my dieting off track diversion which I don’t recommend to anyone else!!
I hope you all have a good day.
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, got my results back this morning and jumping up and down with glee. HBa1C 6.1, total cholesterol 1.25, triglycerides 1.08. All excellent and that is with reducing my insulin so doctor cannot have a go for putting it down from 20 to 14. Also lost 3.5kgs and 3.5 inches since 2nd Jan. Just feeling great. 30 mins aerobics today and every other day with upper body weights on the inbetween days.

LDG if my experience is anything to go by – although not a virus, just generally run down – slowly does it and you will get back to full fitness. I don’t know how you manage 1 hr swimming, I get bored even though I have deezer to keep me company. I always plan to start at 30 mins then increase but never get much further than 40 mins. Knowing how important my stamina is to me I will make every effort to get up to 1hr per day (when it is warm enough) once the pool is open. Don’t worry about the small gain or the slip up with the cheese, if you are going to slip up then protein and fat is the way to do it.

Margaret, you will get back on track, a little diversion doesn’t do too much damage as long as you can get back on it. This diet is very forgiving.

1960smp, yes I have a airfryer and use it for so many things. Mainly for cooking a joint or a chicken – saves a fortune not putting on the oven and it heats faster and cooks quicker. Also, do the usual chips for hubby, that really would be a waste of oven time. We have cut out electricity output from 323 Kwh per fortnight to 211 Kwh. That is one third off the electricity bill – the charges have gone up but our bill has stayed the same as we are using less. Not tried baking as I don’t do that anyway but will still put in a lasagne or cottage pie (carrot topped). And I make aubergine chips. We have all the other stuff, bread maker, ice cream maker etc but don’t use although we have a mincer and I use it to make chicken or turkey mince as we can’t buy that in France. Also my bullet for smoothies gets used regularly so not everything is in a cupboard, just the bread and ice cream makers but they are really hubbys. Forgot I have have a hand held mixer which I use for soup and a mini food mixer which is good for hummus and a microwave. Gosh we have a lot of gadgets but at least we use most of them.

I must resist all temptation over the weekend. No celebrating mothers day or any other day. Appt with Dr Gorgeous on Tuesday so want to be at my best.

Have a good weekend.

Fantastic news on your blood tests S-G very well done 👏👏
I am back on track fasting until a duck stir fry supper today with some high protein lentil noodles. I’m weighing tomorrow.
I also use a double drawer air fryer that I find very useful & faster & more economical than heating up my electric oven. I took a long time to buy one feeling rather suspicious of all the hype but now wouldn’t be without it.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!
Margaret xx

Oh well I was under an illusion & have gained 1lb🤔 but I’ve lost inches & my body seems to be re-arranging itself. Nevertheless I am still plodding on & want to lose more weight before the end of March & have eleven weeks to lose ten pounds before my Seine river cruise at the end of May🤞
I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend 👍
Margaret xx

Hi all, Margaret, remember what I said yesterday. This diet is very forgiving and to me 1lb is a good pee 🙂 or a pooh. You will soon drop that and be back on track. Anyway, losing inches is just as important as they are harder to lose than pounds. 11 weeks and 10lbs are doable but remember that next time you have a family event. Wendy and I always have slightly different foods to our guests or when we are out. We leave out parts of a meal and honestly, no-one notices and you can enjoy family events without the fallout of gaining.

Today I felt so good I decided to do another 30 mins aerobics. The one I do is called HipHopAbs and there is a lot of movement for the waist and ab muscles and last night I noticed a ridge just under the bra line. I said to hubby ‘look I have abs’ and, yes, he laughed. Well they are coming and that is what motivated me to do more.

Builder arrived in the middle of my exercise but I just carried on. At least I was in T-shirt and jeans. I get cross with hubby as he always wants English tradesmen and we are let down time after time. If you have ever watched New Life In the Sun you will know what I mean. However, this French chap did our pool surround last year and while he was here he noticed a house for sale at the end of the road so now he is our neighbour. So after waiting since September for 3 different English builders who never turned up I finally convinced hubby to give the French chap a call and he turned up the next day. Looked at the roof, said he had to come back and hose it, came today and voila – he has found the leak.

It is starting to warm up here and should be in the high teens in the next week or two so looking forward to getting out in the garden. Particularly as I can now do some work myself and not have to rest every 5 minutes.

Bon continuation pour le weekend.

Hi everyone, happy Mothers Day. Little Mothers Day story. My daughter fosters cats and kittens for a charity and was called to pick up 3 cats – but still only kittens themselves as the oldest – the mother of the other 2 is about 6 months. When she arrives at the house she was heartbroken to find one of the kittens had just given birth to 4 – aged 1 day. She had to take them away from 2 crying children which also broke her heart. When she gets them home she discovers one of the other ‘kittens’ is also pregnant. So she has 3 semi adult cat/kittens and 4 tiny babies. Got up this morning to find one not thought to be pregnant had birthed 3 kittens overnight. Cat number 3 is still pregnant and due to drop any time today or tomorrow. So a very happy Mothers Day to 3 cats and my daughter. I am so proud of her compassion. She will have to keep all of these until they are old enough to be neutered and that is 14 weeks. I will let you know how many cat number 3 gives birth to but for now she is looking after 3 cats and 7 kittens. Fortunately they seem to be feeding from mums so not needing hand-rearing (which is a specialist task and not within my daughters remit).

Totally off subject I know, but just shows me as a mother I have done a great job in raising a caring daughter.

Still not weighed but feeling great. So good I added in another exercise routine yesterday so that is 4 for the week. Will weigh before I go to the doctors on Tuesday. Sorry I can’t go too long without weighing but it could impact on my insulin injection requirements.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Happy Mothers Day everyone & I have my youngest son here & we are all going to our local pub for a late lunch.
Wow S-G & very well done your daughter caring for so many young cats & kittens. I love cats & when our two died from old age we tried to adopt a brother & sister from Cats Protection but after being visited by an inspector we were told our road was too busy for us to adopt them even though our neighbours had cats & we had previously had our last one living here with us. We were rather sad but have got used to not having any now.
I will be eating roast beef & a pudding plus wine so my low carb eating starts again tomorrow!
Have a good day everyone 👍🍷
Margaret xx

Hi all, Margaret, my daughter was a volunteer with Cats Protection and left for the reason you stated – bureacuracy and back biting. I don’t know where you are but she lives in Solihull and is now with a small independant rescue organisation called Fur and Feathers. She was told off for allowing a family with 2 small children (aged 3 and 5) to have a kitten and the person who told her off was a right b^^ch and undermined everything she did. BTW the advice on children was totally wrong as they are allowed. She refused to be spoken in such a way and resigned.

No real news from me as I haven’t been weighed for a few days. Waiting for tomorrow before I go to the doctors. My BG is running very low each morning (64 today) so I might have to reduce insulin again.

Just a little tip for the ladies to make your lives easier in a small way. When you buy a new bra, adjust the straps to the perfect length then put in a few stitches and you will never have straps that keep slipping to longer lenghts. Also, just bought my new swimsuit for the cruise and the first thing I do is sew in the foam pads, just a few stitches that only show on the inside. Stops them scrunching up when you wash it. Boob pads stay perfectly in place.

Have a good week everyone. I will return after my RDV with doctor (thats rendez-vous).

Hello.

Hope you’re all well.

Today I started ‘hearing’ a book by Dr Andrew Jenkinson, “How to Eat” and still lose weight”

What an eye opener! I’d never heard of ‘leptin resistance’ before. I’m only into chapter 1 but it just seems to make so much sense. I would really love to hear anybody else’s opinions.

Anyway, hope this has been a productive week. Tomorrow is a new start!.

Morning!
Just a quick pop in this morning as I need to actually nip in to the office – so used to working from home I hope I can find it 😂
Weigh in this morning was a 4.2lb loss, which is great – undoes the last couple of weeks and sets me going downward again. Lightest for over two years now, so that’s a positive. Need to make sure I’m not creeping too far over calories this week – I’ve had the odd day around 1000 cals rather than 800, but I’m trying to listen to my body as I get over this virus; just don’t want it to become a habit!
Anyway, hope everyone had a good week and I’ll keep reading updates from folk.

SG, thanks for the clothing hacks, they will be useful. Well done to your daughter, caring for all those cats and kittens, must be very challenging, especially with a family to care for as well.

I’m reporting in early today with my weekly results, which are slightly better than usual at 1.5lb. That gives me a bit more confidence, that I’ll be able to hit target before we go away next month.

Hope everyone else has had a successful week, but if it’s been a struggle or not gone to plan, dust off and make today a fresh start. We still have a goodly portion of the month left, to make good progress towards our personal goals … let’s make it count!

Wow LittleDrummerGirl & SunnyB congratulations on your weight losses 👏👏
I doubt that I will lose any weight this week because our son is still here for a couple more meals & we always eat more sharing dishes. However he seems to be doing better in himself now & is settling in to his new contact & he has had an honest discussion with his boss who seems to micromanage interrupting work flow which was irritating considering our son is employed as the IT team lead. My husband & I are also feeling less concerned about him but are keeping our fingers crossed 🤞🤞
Very well done for those of you keeping on track 👍
Margaret xx

Hi everyone. Today is my weigh in and I was a bit apprehensive as I hadn’t weighed since Saturday. No need to worry as I am down 1lb this month. I know it is slow but it is steady. Total of 8lbs since 2nd Jan with just under 2 weeks to our 12 week deadline.

Just back from the doctor and all is well. He is super pleased with all my results (he did about 30 different blood tests because of my problems) and all is well. I showed him my book of numbers for insulin and BG and told him I had dropped from 20 units to 14 and that my BG is still very low so he says to drop down to 12 units. One thing worried me, I received a prescription in the post this morning to get a whole load of tests done mainly for my liver. My SPGT was a bit high but my doctors says a slightly fatty liver is normal for diabetics and also the meds I am on. But his locum has obviously picked up my results and decided I need more tests. My doctor took one look and threw it in the bin. Yeah….. She was also testing for my gall bladder function. If she had gone back to my history she would have seen I don’t have a gall bladder so it would have been a waste to test my bilirubin levels.

Really pleased for those of you who are losing weight. Don’t give up if you are stalling or life is getting in the way, it will come good. Margaret, what is in your sharing dishes that cause your weight to go up. Maybe you could adjust as Wendy and I do when we have visitors.

A small bit of new from daughter. Cat number 3 has given birth to 5 – I watched it happen on WhatsApp, they are so tiny. Now she has 3 mother cats and 12 kittens – all less than a week old. Don’t know what she is going to do when she has to name them all 🙂 for the adoption website.

Have a good week.

Very pleasing to hear about your good results S-G & good heavens so many kittens for your daughter to look after but I should think once word gets out people will want to adopt or buy them👍
My food choices for the past four days have been less than ideal & more carb laden on Mothering Sunday with roast potatoes & a Yorkshire puddings with my roast beef, a banoffee pie pud & wine. Yesterday croissants, a little cous cous, cheese & biscuits (given to me in a Mothers Day hamper with wine & shared) & nibbles & more wine than usual which will stop now until next Sunday when we all meet up at our eldest sons for a family gathering & my granddaughters early birthday celebration! I will be fasting for a couple of days before the weekend & weighing on Saturday to see how my weight looks. But what is positive for me is that my youngest son has definitely benefited from being here, sharing food, wine & chatting & if I gain some weight from that I feel it’s a price worth paying with rather unexpectedly having to conjure up food from my freezer, cupboard & the small village shop to create meals for three although I wasn’t eating breakfast. Sorry I’m wittering on a bit but I suppose I’m also re-evaluating the past few days as well & feeling quite settled & more balanced in myself as well. My past as a therapeutic counsellor catching up with me because I definitely get lots of emotional transference when he is here that badly affects me & my sleep 🤔 We never stop trying to be supportive parents how ever old our children become! Oh well onwards I will go & do my best to get back to my low carb eating 😀
Margaret xx

Margaret, I hope you don’t think I was guilt tripping you by asking what you are eating. Quite the contrary, I could say I am envious of you having that joy in your life which is so much more important than a few pounds here and there. Enjoy the next few days with your son and for your granddaughters birthday. Why am I envious. First because my diet is imposed on me by my health and I really have no choice. Secondly, you have the joy of family around you and no one pointing a finger. Just briefly, after all the effort I have put in over the last 3 months with my BG and weight and the great response from my doctor I decided to relax and poured a vodka and tonic and if you could have seen the look on my husbands face. Just to say he can suck the joy out of any happy situation. We are going on a cruise and he will watch every sip that passes my lips, watch everything I do and so on. He always has the sob story that his mother died from alcohol and it scares him but I am not his mother. I have managed to reach 71 and not killed myself yet.

BTW, every Thursday he buys himself 2 individual cakes of some sort and 4 croissants for the Friday and Saturday breakfast. When I suggested that he gave them up he was shocked I would suggest it as it is only once a week. Well I have a drink about once or twice a month. Wait until we get to the supermarket on Thursday 🙂 I will certainly be watching and tutting like he does.

So just enjoy your life and your family and don’t listen to me – you are living the life I wish I had.

Hi Verano,
I have read about leptin resistance before — it appears that it usually resolves with the loss of excess weight (like insulin resistance).
It is interesting that researchers started out with trying to INCREASE the leptin levels in test subjects (like rats) and then started to try to DECREASE leptin levels as they started to believe leptin was high because the rats had developed resistance to it and so the rat body was making too MUCH leptin, which led to resistance.
And, of course, this is exactly what goes on with diabetics — they are insulin resistant BECAUSE they are making too much insulin. And then we treat them with MORE insulin, which only increases insulin resistance. It’s a damaging cycle. As Dr. Bikman points out, the real goal must be to reduce insulin with low carb eating and weight loss. I suspect leptin resistance is similar.
Good news from what I have read is that weight loss helps with all of it. But maybe there are some good ideas about which foods to eat — does your book have specific food suggestions?
Julia

Ah S-G I’ve always been pleased to read your helpful & wise advice regarding this low carb way of eating & whilst you have written about your health issues I felt sad reading how much of a daily impact they have on you. I am aware that compared to many I have few health problems & I suppose that I follow this WOE to try to look after myself & to lose weight but also to keep my husband as healthy as possible with his Type 2 diabetes & march him off to GP if I think he is ever unwell. He seems to generally ignore his own well being apart from regularly taking his medication so I suppose that I’m always keeping a watchful eye on him that he probably finds irritating & naggy of me!
I think the only thing any of us can do is soldier on & take what joy we can from each day 👍🙂 I am aged 76 now with my husband almost exactly a year older & it will be our 50th wedding anniversary in August & we will be going to Gibraltar for a long weekend because it’s on our bucket list😂
Take care & enjoy looking forward to your cruise.
Margaret xx

Julia yes it does look like insulin resistance and leptin resistance are similar but yet quite different.

I purchased the audio book “How to Eat (and still lose weight )” last week but as I started to listen to it I realised that I had Dr Andrew Jenkinson’s previous book , “Why we Eat ( too much)” so I decided to listen to that audio book again before I get into the latest one.

So, I realise that I had heard of leptin resistance before but had obviously forgotten! I’m not far enough along with the book yet to see how to change leptin resistance but have to say it’s fascinating so far. Basically he’s talking about how ‘diets’ / calorie control, doesn’t work in the long term! I’ll report back when I’ve read a little more.

Well done s-g on all your achievements this year … the year is still young so plenty time to reach for the starts!

Hope everyone is having a good week.

OO this week is flying by! Seems like a day or two ago I posted!
Well done on those blood test results SG! Am sure you are thrilled. And wow your daughter is pretty good taking on those kittens and cats. I do love any animal but my hubby is not the same…
V that book does sound interesting, hoping you enjoy the rest of it and it might be one I add to my ‘reading list’
A great loss LDG and hopefully continues you for you!
SB good news on your weight loss too, it is so encouraging when we see it on the scales. Thanks for the note that we have a ‘goodly portion of the month to go thru yet!
Margaret, our children seem to always need us, no matter the age and that is one thing I do love! I went out with one of my daughters to a day spa many miles from home, as a gift from her for Mothers day. It was so lovely. I did not know a soul and that was even better BUT I could see how my body shape is so different to 2 years ago. I was able to get into, quite comfortably, my cozzy of several years too. We had a buffet lunch which was salads, meats and soup. Really lovely.
I am in the process of compiling a shop online list from the meals on the freshwell site. Easy and doable so makes life easier. I have my youngest grandson here tomorrow for 8 days while my 2 daughters head off to a week in the sun for her 30th!! Am hoping I will survive, he is 6 but with several issues ….

Hi all, after my little foot stamping last night and 2 vodka and tonics I have gained around quarter of a pound (0.2 kgs) so that is me back on track until Monday when we are going out for lunch with our hairdresser – sort of for my husbands birthday but mainly because he is getting his hair cut at home on that day and our hairdresser is dying to go to the restaurant we are always talking about.

Margaret, I didn’t know your husband was diabetic. I can believe you are doing your best to keep him on the right track but will know how hard it is with food being one of the great pleasures of life. I normally don’t feel sorry for myself but now and then it gets me down. Especially, when I was so pleased with how things are going then someone knocks me down.

I have friends who have diabetes and no-one every says until I do. They are shocked that I would talk about it. As for their diets, they usually just take the medication and think they can live and eat as they have always done. 2 have died from such an attitude. One ate a full packet of chocolate digestives every morning with her coffee, the other made lemon drizzle cake at least twice and week in case someone turned up but still ate the lot to herself. The cake person said she would rather be dead than give up the things she loved. Well, she is now. Sorry if that was morbid but it used to make me so cross when they could have had a full and sort of healthy life with just a few sacrifices.

Verano, on the subject of leptin resistance and insulin resistance. Yes it is quite a puzzle that all diabetics are insulin resistant as that is what has caused the diabetes in the first place (there are exception) and then pump them full of insulin. I have learnt from Dr Jason Fung that modern medicine is in effect causing our other medical problems and eventually early death. Sorry, I am being a bit morbid but it is true. Insulin doesn’t remove sugar from the blood it just stashes it somewhere else like in the liver, kidneys, heart, eyes etc. As he says, every cell in our bodies is affected by diabetes.

Any good news. I think the cats have stopped giving birth. My daughter not only has 3 stray cats and their 12 kittens, she also has 4 cats and a dog of her own and 5 kids (blended family) so in my eyes she is an absolute hero. Not only that she is a senior scientist in the food industry and holds down a full time job.

Today it is 20 degrees and I have spent time outside weeding and trying to trim the bay tree. That counts as my exercise for the day.

Have a good rest of the week all.