Good morning and here we are again at the last day of the week. I have had a very ‘sociable’ weekend which I have enjoyed very much.

S-g I think I need a break too. Coming up to nearly two years of this way of life , as you are, I need to sit down and decide where I go next. I will always eat low carb and I’m pleased to report more and more people around me seem to be taking this WoE onboard, so the word is spreading. I can’t let diabetes take a grip again but I do need a change. So I won’t be starting a new ‘One Week Challenge’ this week.

I will be around but just not as actively. I will ‘pop in’ from time to time but in the meantime I wish everyone a good journey back to health and well-being.

What a week – new phone fell out of my back pocket into the loo :/ , had a slice or two of very fine pizza with a friend :0, managed to rein it in but due to phone loss have not been logging foods on fat secret so feel a bit lost without the props in place. Still, I shall continue to keep on as you say SG. The dilemma is whether to fork out for a new phone or just make do for 2 years until new contact ends (!!!! ).
My sister brought round some weighing scales so that I can get an understanding of gains and losses. Have always kept away from scales for fear of becoming a bit obsessed and self loathing so am now circling them warily interested but not getting on …
VERRANO – the olive dressing is kalamata olives, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil blitzed.

Verano – sorry you are not starting another one week challenge, but absolutely understand that you need a break from being so active in the forum.

Your one week challenges have really helped and I am now in a very good place. Insulin resistance is definitely improving and my blood sugars are dropping to fasting levels 2 hours after a meal or on occasions 3 hours after a meal. Energy levels and muscle strength massively increased. Sticking to 20g carbs and intermittent fasting over these weeks has done the trick.

Also have noticed that dropping my weight a little lower is getting rid of some more middle fat – which must be helping. Am beginning to wonder if I have a very low fat threshold and although I look thin on the outside I am still fat on the inside.

Still not brave enough to return the Lantus stored in the fridge to the pharmacy, but perhaps in another couple of months I will feel that I don’t need to keep it ‘just in case ‘ and will finally accept that I will never need to go back on the insulin again.

So thank you Verano (and everyone on this forum) as I couldn’t have done it without you.

What a week – new phone fell out of my back pocket into the loo :/ , had a slice or two of very fine pizza with a friend :0, managed to rein it in but due to phone loss have not been logging foods on fat secret so feel a bit lost without the props in place. Still, I shall continue to keep on as you say SG. The dilemma is whether to fork out for a new phone or just make do for 2 years until new contract ends (!!!! ).
My sister brought round some weighing scales so that I can get an understanding of gains and losses. Have always kept away from scales for fear of becoming a bit obsessed and self loathing so am now circling them warily interested but not getting on …
VERRANO – the olive dressing is kalamata olives, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil blitzed. Will miss the weekly threads but understand your reasons. Thanks for all you’ve done so far.
TB

Hi Verano,
Before you take a step back from the forums I wanted to just say thank you for your support in the past. – You were one of the team of people on the forums who had already achieved success with this WoE and were passing on the benefit of your experience at the time I joined the forum, so you are one of the people I need to thank for helping me to get my life back.

Hi all, just to say thanks to V, sorry you are not sticking around. It will be my 2 year anniversary on the 28th so I will be here for that. I dont mind starting a new weekly thread if someone can help me come up with a name. Okay it is Another Week of Keeping On. Into July. Hope you will join me there.
I have been off piste since Friday and have lost just under a kilo, so nearly back to what I was last Tuesday. I hope by starting fresh tomorrow I will have some better results.
See you all for the weigh in tomorrow and keep on keeping on…..

Hi Verano and a huge thank you from me too. Your lovely positivity has made my journey so far much easier than I was expecting. Lots of good wishes to you for your continued journey.
Maggie 🙂

Hi Verano. And a big thank you from me too. I joined the same week as JGwen, and like her I particularly appreciated the advice from you and other experienced BSDers. I have also valued your ideas for new fora – new habits to develop for example. I might revive that for July! Best wishes to you during your break and don’t leave us for good please!

A thank you from me too Verano, for hosting these threads and always being so positive!

Sunshine Girl I’d love another weekly thread as I continue staying on the wagon!

Hi Nichola join us on Another Week of Keeping On 26 June to 3 July

Hi, V.! I know that I’ve shared my thoughts before on what a major contributor you have always been to these forums,
and I’m certain that I’m not alone in wishing you the absolute best in all that you do. You will be very much missed, but
take the break that you so richly deserve. I will ALWAYS be watching out for your return…but I think you already know
that 🙂 🙂 🙂

xoxo
Allie

Thank you all! They say a change us as good as a rest and at the moment I’m reading the Fast 5:2 which is quite interesting. I may give that a go for a while. Anyway, hope today’s weigh in goes well.

Weigh in this morning 9st 3 1/4lbs. A loss of 1lb which is definitely coming off my middle. Did a fasting BS test this morning and it was 4.7. Am doing a 22 1/2hr fast today so will eat at 11.30am before I set off to work.

I feel that this intermittent fasting and keeping to 20g carbs is definitely tackling my insulin resistance. Such a shame that we cannot measure our insulin levels. However, I am thinking that the speed at which my after meal BS go back to fasting levels is a really good clue to how insulin resistant I still am – and a much better indicator than morning fasting levels which I rarely check now.

The other very interesting clue – for me – is energy levels. As each week goes by energy levels are increasing. On our early morning dog walk, before I started intermittent fasting, it used to feel that I had no energy available to walk and I almost had to drag myself along. Now it feels like there is endless energy available – which makes perfect sense because if insulin levels are dropping it is no longer locking up the energy in my cells.

Just would like to say thank you Verano for running these one week threads – they have really helped me on my continuing journey with the BSD.

Final day of this challenge and I have gained 1lb but not on my break. I gained 2lbs for no reason, decided to stop counting and lost 1lb. Now I need to get serious again so will be going to Another Week of Keeping On…

Hi KrysiaD, You mention about measuring insulin. There is an indirect way, ketones and high insulin levels which block you from burning fat are mutually exclusive. – So if you are in ketosis you have your insulin levels under control. –
Now comes the fun and games of working out how to test ketones. Apparently when your body is adapted to burning fat the pee sticks are less likely to show a reading. – Obviously there are the blood testing options, which is expensive in test strips. Then there is the breath tester.
I recently came across a thread on a keto forum where they were discussing using cheap breathalysers as a rough and ready way of checking ketosis. Apparently the cheap ones can not distinguish between alcohol and ketosis, but you have to be quite specific on how you breath into them to get a consistent result.. (Don’t worry, the police versions have a different sensor and can tell the difference.)

JGwen, my research 2 years ago confirms what you are discussing, i.e. the ketosticks are unreliable the longer that
you’ve been in ketosis. I looked into the blood testing apparatus, but found it quite pricey. The question resolved
itself the moment I was in ketosis, because the boost in energy level was dramatic, as well as clarity of thinking! I only
attained this wonderous state when I dropped carbs to <20, which is probably why I concluded that 20g was not only
recommended on keto diets, but was also tangible proof that it was where I had to be. I know that you are seeking a
more fine tuned way of seeking results for particular carbs and how you react to them within the context of specific
elements of a veggie diet. You may be a pioneer in this on these threads, but I’m certain other vegetarians here are
as interested in this subject as you are. Please keep us posted on what you discover 🙂