You lot have all the fun while I’m asleep! Lucia, I’m with you on Legolas, dreamy looks and I’m a bit ( ok lot) of a hippy so the hair thing is pretty good too. Comes with being born in the sixties I guess. My husband has lovely long hair that hangs in ringlets when loose. He wears it in a plait so it doesn’t get caught in stuff when he’s working.
I’m with Judith on Leonard’s voice too, always loved the less pure earthy type vocals. Plus men who reflect on life and relationships and so on are hard to resist aren’t they?
Sounds like all the charity shops should be signing your petition too! They will be supportive of the BSD based purely on donations received and sales of smaller clothes wouldn’t they?

Hi cherrieanne, I’m off to bed as you are up and about. Your hubby and my son sound like twins – he has long hair which falls into ringlets, he ties it in a pony tail not a plait.

Re leonard cohen, when I organized my funeral I included the chorus from ‘Going Home’ (the Old Ideas album), it’s just so apt.

I’ve always been something of a hippy too. You’d never know though would you? 😉

Definitely Legolas. I have a poster of him aiming an arrow out of the picture – right at my heart!

Hey Cherrianne I have lovely long hair that hangs in ringlets too 🙂
Unfortunately it migrated from my head to my armpits a few years ago 🙁

Hi Judith, some men just have the best hair and longest eyelashes!! No your hippiness doesn’t show too much. The gardening, country walks and foraging etc. don’t give it away at all 😉
Bill, have you never heard that a sense of humour is a man’s best asset? You’d come up trumps on that count alone, never mind the ringlets. As long as your wife thinks you’re gorgeous you’re on a winner. 🙂

LMAO
she is like me, prepare for the worst and accept the best
BUT
I do have dark brown eyes and long eyelashes, in fact I was the envy of all Mums friends when I was a baby.
My hair unfortunately, seems to be leaving me faster than the weight is.

Hi Bill,
What’s your thyroid function like then? I’m going to ask for mine to be retested. My hair is thinning, first thyroid test came back normal, but it was that blood test that picked up the diabetes. I’ve since found out on one of the threads here that you should ask for all the thyroid hormone levels to be checked. Only one gets checked usually cos it’s the cheapest test.

Cherrianne, my hypothyroidism went undiagnosed for YEARS because the cheap test the NHS can use kept saying I was just low end of normal. I had ALL the symptoms. The surgery, to give them their due, did regularly retest – always the same result. Then I started going in mini comas, and my mother asked what the huge swelling on my neck was. A goitre! Hypothyroid goitre. Ask for a more definitive thyroid check. 🙂

Cherrianne

Google Mary Shomon/thyroid. She’s a bit out of date with her dietary advice (wouldn’t surprise me if she is currently research low carb high fat though!) but she also gives info about what tests we should be asking for. If you really want to annoy your doctor you can ask for the specific test by its name!

Dear captainlynne,

Ex husbands have a lot to answer for! For me the psychological abuse was the worst, 2 episodes of physical violence and I saw a solicitor and became officially separated but he wouldn’t leave the house. He ended up in hospital with alcoholism and I had the locks changed. I divorced him and ended up having to pay him off but managed to keep the house, car and my pension (if anyone needs a fab solicitor in the north east just let me know). He ended up drinking himself to death, what a waste for an addiction!

Partly why all these years later I need to sort my food addiction out, it’s down to me and nobody else, I can sit and mope feeling woe is me or shake myself and get myself in shape. I want to see my son and his wife have children and me be the bad influence in their lives – in a fun way!

Like you I got my degree at 39 and my masters 4 years ago, we can take on the world and kick butt, we can also take on this weight loss and wonder where our butts, flab, muffin tops, flabby bellies and bingo wings have gone.

Oh Leonard Cohen and Legolas, you guys are talking my language… although I do think Orly’s pirate is as good as his elf!

Catgirl, unfortunately for me I’m of a size where the bingo wings will be with me forever, regardless of how much weight I lose. Skin surgery would be out of the question price-wise and I think it’s very hard to persuade the nhs to do it now. I don’t think that’s a bad thing to be honest, I don’t see why other people should pay to put my mistakes right. I would rather live with saggy skin and bingo wings than kidney disease and amputations, any day!

Thanks Judith and Janet, I will definitely ask for further testing. As soon as my lovely GP saw the blood sugar readings she thought that explained everything and the whole diabetes thing began. Dietician, glucose tolerance test etc. etc.
My energy levels have improved tremendously since going low carb but not to my previously normal levels. I’m usually a ‘can’t sit still for long’ person and assumed my tiredness was down to middle age lol! Then my friend nagged me about getting my thyroid function checked when I was complaining about my hair. So I will definitely follow this up after googling Janet’s reference.
Thank you 🙂

I hope you get the correct test, cherrieanne 🙂

Jpscloud, totally agree with you. I responded to a question about loose skin with this is about living a healthy life, even with loose skin rather than being a slightly prettier corpse. This diet should add years to our lives – a very good exchange!! 🙂

Sorry, just sitting here thinking about captain jack sparrow and that cheeky smile.
I used to like Richard Gere before he went white haired, liked him in pretty woman, and in Chicago where he sang.

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm one of those please
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Still feeling slimmer, but the heel came off my shoe at lunchtime when I tried to walk 2 miles in 25 mins and still have five mins to eat lunch.

More shoes to buy, rats ,!,!,

It’s sunny here, a lovely day today.
Bet it changes for the weekend.

Trousers that were tight, I have worn them to work. So I now have a pair of jeans and trousers.

Love Lucia xxx

oh mand my fabulous news is.

I AM A SiZe. 12!!!!!!!!!

Just found out that the USA sizes are two down from ours.so in the uk I am a 16
In the USA I am a 12.
😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
Looked for an emoji with a smug look. These will have to do.

I am so happy…………

I could go to a size eight… Give Kate moss a run for her money.

Ha ha ha

Love Lucia xxx

Hi lucia it’s great to suddely have more trousers all of a sudden

Monty Don is on at the moment……he’s a bit of a dish when he’s working in the garden. I. Could do with him in mine to do the spring weeding for me!!!!!
🙂

Dear Lucia, so glad to hear your news about your new size 12 and getting into your trousers, you must be so pleased. Discovering a whole new wardrobe without forking out must be such a thrill.

Sorry but Jack Sparrow does nothing for me, still like the silver haired Richard Gere, shame we don’t have James Martin on Saturday Kitchen now as he was a good start to the weekend!

Catgirl i agree re james martin! And with his love of butter hes half way to being a BSDer lol

Great Lucia. 😃

I’m looking for new trousers- have no old, smaller ones hidden away -,but can I find any in the right size/colour/style? Of course not! This could get embarrassing 😳

Hi,
Got in late from work, sitting on the settee wrapped in a blanket, feeling tired and zapped of energy. Had a few bad nights especially Tuesday night. I had bad cramps in my feet. The cramp was trying to bend my toes under . It wasn’t nice. I tried to stretch it out and walk it off, ended up at 1:30 am wrapping my leg in a house coat.
Looking forward to the weekend.
Still walking 10,000 per day minimum. Weekends I try and double that up.
Diet going okay but now I am getting bored, so I am going to try the recipes to jazz it up.
I may pretend to start it all over again.
Unsure how long I have been on it, it feels like months.

In an OK frame of mind, as I no longer crave the carbs. Today had usual breakfast and just an apple for lunch. Bacon and egg for tea.
I need to overdose on veg tomorrow, I feel I haven’t had enough veggies these last couple of days.
The freezer is nearly empty so I am going to top up with the good stuff. Any suggestions? I will probably go to Iceland.

I am getting there.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi captain Lynn
As I go down in sizes I am getting trousers from Bon marche. Not the nylon-y feeling ones, but they do a nice cotton one which are great for work, quick to wash and dry.
They have some trousers a little bit Ali baba style in a dark material but with patterns on, they can be dressed up with blouse and jewellery or dressed down with pumps, boots and a pully.
I am looking forward to getting markies clothes to keep when I am an American size eight.
😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi cat girl , are you sure you would turn jack away if he turned up for a cup of……. Strawberries?

Did you see the pride and prejudice with Keira knightly in, I liked her mr d’arcy.
Yup, I swooned several times especially at the end as he walked across the fields at dawn to propose to her.

Knowing my look he would stand in a cow pat and twist his leg down a rabbit hole. Get mud splashed all over his white shirt, then catch a cold with his shirt so open.
Oh well, now you see why I day dream.
Love Lucia
Xxx

Oh, and I found a pod cast with free casts for the 5:2 diet by a lady who has written several books.
Listening to that on the bus each day.
Also in my spare time, researching edward vi. Or Henry the eighths little boy, who became King and died at 15.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Lucia I’m in bed thinking I’ll just check my mail box before switching the light off but now I’m rolling around laughing out loud at that description. It’s exactly what would happen to me – I’m thinking of my younger days when a rather serious kind of guy was displaying his punting skills on the river in oxford trying to impress me and fell in, came back up with something in his hair still trying to look cool. I tried not to laugh, lucia, honestly i did. But the more I tried the more I laughed
Sleep tight and sweet dreams x

Friday thank goodness.
Hoping for an early finish around 7pm.
I wanted to go shopping tonight at Iceland but beloved doesn’t and he has the car so I have to spend some of my precious weekend shopping.
Meeting up with a girlfriend on Saturday lunchtime for just a chat and a tea. We usually laugh and cry together, she is great.
Would like a lie in but also get up early and enjoy the early morning light. It’s usually sunny then when I get up it clouds over. Not fair.
Want to get on my pushbike and go around a few blocks, get the blubber going.
Lovevlucia xxx

Hi Hashimoto,
Thanks , glad you like my sense of humour.
Yesterday at lunch went for my long quick walk.
At my furthest distance from work, my heel came off, and as I changed my gait to accommodate the broken heel, I unbeknownst to me, rubbed a blister on the sole of my foot the size of London.
Flat brown shoes today, with brown skirt and cream blouse , limping a bit. But will still go for a walk.
I may get the foot bath sorry, the foot spa out and have a soak tonight.
Will I ever get straight?
Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Morning Lucia,

Re your cramps, you may need to up your salt intake a bit. If and when you already have cramps or to stave them off, get a bar of soap, any soap will do and put in in your bed, under the sheet so it doesn’t move about so much. Obviously down in the leg area!

I’m envious that you manage to get so many steps in each day, I don’t know how you do it? Even when I do ‘the walk’ by the river, up n down stairs at home and a walk round the shopping Mall, I’ve never really got abovr 7000 steps!

Morning lucia
I don’t think you’ll ever get straight, just deliciously curvy 😀
I can’t remember if you’re diabetic, but if you are, make absolutely sure you take care of that blister.
Have a great day.

Hi Lucia,
Night cramps are nasty things! I take a magnesium tablet at night. A couple of glasses of sparkling mineral water also help when the cramp strikes.
Buy the Ali Baba pants: set your inner hippy free 😉 they are such comfy things and very versatile. I wear them, and the fishermans wrap pants all the time. I don’t have an inner hippy lol, it’s on show for all to see.

Hi Lucia I suffer from night cramps as well, you would not believe the contorted shapes my feet and toes make. It used to be all over my body, to the extent that I had to roll myself off the bed and onto the floor. Nothing worked for it until the doctor prescribed quinine sulphate – they can have some bad side effects so I was told to just use them for 4 or 5 nights and then drink tonic water with quinine in. It’s the only thing which works for me. Every now and again I have to take them for 4 or 5 nights. If night cramps are a regular feature I would speak to your doctor. BTW salt and all the other remedies for cramp had no effect on me, I was told to try lots of remedies since I was a kid. I got to 60 before I was given the quinine!!

Like Bill said, take care of that blister. Australian blister socks (you can send away for them) are the best protection for feet which blister – mind you they might not look too fetching with normal shoes!!

Sounds like you have a busy weekend ahead! The push bike might save your blister from more damage while you still get exercise.

Hope you get that ‘early’ finish at 7pm x

Sorry Lucia, I may be odd but I’d rather have the strawberries than captain jack- no accounting for taste!

In relation to your leg cramps, I remember getting serious leg pains when I tried the Atkins diet many moons ago and was told this was due to excreting a lot of potassium with the weight loss so having more potassium rich foods may help.

If you are getting bored with the diet the harissa chicken is gorgeous, spicy and very filling, the bolognaise again feels like normal food, the chicken and pea pilaf lovely and low cal so you can add to it, spicy chicken and lentils is really filling, also done the spicy bean burgers and the beetroot falafels.

Variety is the spice of life, hope you enjoy your new cooking adventure, have a good weekend and look after your blister.

Hi gang,
Just got home,
So you want me to wear sexy blister socks, whilst putting a bar of soap in the bed, while I excrete potassium, riding my bike eating strawberries.
Well gang, you are all as insane as me ,!!!!!.

What will the bare of soap do in the bed other than make marks on my sheets? Skid marks on the sheets, it will look as through I have pooh-ed my self. 😊
I think bananas have potassium, so I will be pooh-ing bananas.😊🙂
Sexy socks, it was me trying just to get home with a broken heel, I couldn’t take my shoe off as my estate is like a. Minefield. If you know what I mean, it’s bad enough treating them like roundabouts.😊😊😊
I love you all, I hope we all stay together until I am a size eight.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

How long have we been together now?
I feel as though i have known you lot for decades.
Do you feel the same way about our little family?
Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Hi spirit,

When I drive, the road I go down, I have gentlemen trying to get into the boot as they don’t like me driving at 50 mph which is the speed limit on that road.
There are a few roundabouts, so to stop men blowing gaskets, I go around the roundabout twice, then carry on. This allows them to overtake me safely.
I drive slightly further, but to prevent situations.

When I walk, my path never goes in a straight line, I cross over the road, to nose in people’s gardens, then cross back over as I walk down the road. You get more steps per road.
I now go the long way, rather than the short way.
I get off the bus three stops later and three stops easier every journey. More to walk.

As I am losing my marbles, how many times have I walked into the kitchen/bedroom and forgotten what I went in there for. So I came back only to remember and go again.

Now you see why my shoes blow up?

The swelling has gone down around my blister. I put a plaster on it and keeping it very clean. I may call my blisfpter Fred, but I understand our relationship will be hopefully short lived.
Do any of you have pet blisters

Pork chop and egg for tea, nice dippy egg, mmmmmmmmmm

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi lucia, absolutely!!! It feels like we have all shared our highs and lows and made real connections. I never tbought I would think that!

Yeh, we are a little family 🙂

Lucia, your blister is called Fred? A friend of my son’s called his ‘the baboon’! You two have something in common! 🙂

Lucia, you never fail to make me smile 🙂 you say all the things we only think or wonder!!
Yes, it does feel like a family. We have a lot more in common than many families I know and these forums are one of the best bits about doing the BSD.

Are you all up and ready to go?
I have read the newspaper.
There is a photo in the daily mail of Victoria beckham cocking her leg up. Today, my mission is to see how far off the ground I can lift my right foot and Bob the blister. 👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯👯
Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Will cycle to my butchers soon.
He does two huge chicken breasts, four pork chops, 3/4 lb lean beef mince and 6 pork sausages for £10. It’s not pre sealed in plastic and polystyrene.
Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Does anyone know the USA comic strip called the pickles?

It’s about an elderly couple. He is always in the dog house.

I look at it each morning and it makes me smile.

The website is go comics or the artist has his own face book.

Let’s all do less excercise, it takes less muscles to smile than to frown, you game for a little laziness in the face muscles department?
Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Lucia, if you cock your leg i hope you don’t pull a face like VB. What’s wrong with that women? I bet she curdles the milk for miles around.

Lucia have you got an old fashioned wicker butchers bike basket to wheel your meaty goodies home in?
I’m picturing you like a female pied piper with all the neighborhood dogs running behind your cycle in single file!

Yes, totally approve of using less face muscles – I already am – your posts make me smile.

I hope you have ordered those Australian blister socks!

Failing that, what about some trainers? You could carry your smart shoes in a back pack and change into them at work. I used to walk the 4 miles to work when there was a lot of snow and ice. Walked in my walking boots (2 pairs of socks) and put my shoes in backpack.

It’s not very nice getting blisters 🙁

There are proper walking sandals you can get in the summer. Not the prettiest footwear you will see but they would save your poor feet – and walking is becoming part of your life now. So ask for money not pressies when your birthday comes round! :). 🙂

Hi Hashimoto,
Of course I have a basket on the front.
AND I ring my bell with attitude!!!

Around here the basket is wire tied on.

I will try not to let the string of sausages trail behind me for the dogs.

Just off now.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Do you think Michael ever reads these posts?
Love Lucia
Xxxx

I think he may be too busy but I’m sure he must dip in from time to time and his tech team will keep him informed 🙂

Glad your basket is tied on tight lucia 🙂

Well done everyone – seems like you’re making great progress.

I haven’t …

I’ve been away for a few days – self catering so I was able to stick with the diet … in theory anyway! I *might* have drunk some wine and eaten a slice of bread and forgotten to count calories. I have lost 1lb. Not as much as I’d like, but not a disaster.

Hi patsy,
No worries, just think that you have taught yourself the right way to do things.
A loss is still a loss.
Have you actually felt the weight of a pound? Eg apples?
That is some weight loss.
You were on holiday or away.
And you did what the doctor ordered.
Doctor Mosley said in his book, a little wine.
Positive thoughts
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Thanks, Lucia.

It did give me confidence that I’ll be fine with the maintenance and won’t have to worry about measuring things then. Just need to be stricter with myself for a while first.

Lucia

I look forward to seeing you on your bike being chased by the dogs 😃 Please ring your bell to warn me!