Hi keeptrying,
Good for you on sticking to things since Sunday! Small steps, but in the right direction – keep it up.

I’ve had a few bad days – like you I had a headache for 3 days & was nodding off on the sofa (stress at work, and not drinking enough) and had to drink like a fish (painkillers didn’t help). Weight went up slightly – only now that I’ve got back to “normality” has the weight started coming off again. Although I’ve not experienced the shakiness, etc that you seem to be suffering.

Perhaps it is your body still being in a state of adjustment – it’s not punishing you, it’s just fighting your new regime because it’s not getting all those bad things it has grown used to. If you give in and have a binge you will be going back to square one and then have to go through it all again when you resume. Maybe this time, try and tough it out (gnaw on a chair leg if you have to 🙂 ) – once you are through the worst of it then it should be easier to cope with if it happens again.

You can do it!

Hi Keeptrying! How our bodies work to get us back into the old habits!! My theory is that although the old habits were harmful, we actually become adjusted to them. Then, while struggling to set new patterns, our bodies actually fight against it for a while. I believe our minds get there first, but the body plays “catch-up”. I had many of your responses also — for tiredness I just went to bed early and slept as much as I could and when I was too tired to do anything, I just tried to do something non-stressful, like reading or strolling through a park looking at the trees. For headaches I took aspirin and many many cold bottles of Pellegrino water. For anxiety, I went to the gym or took the dog out or gardened (my activity of choice for all things anxiety-producing). I found that the first 8 weeks were better if all I did was the diet — I really put everything else into a sort of sleeper-mode as much as possible. Somewhere around week 6 I finally started to feel energetic and more myself — and then since then, better than I have been for many years. I think this 8 week plan is HUGE for your mind AND body and we (the BSD community) maybe don’t respect how big it really is — you are changing a very important part of your every day life and the change is drastic. I hope you feel better soon! if it doesn’t get better, go get a check-up — good to check just to be sure. Just don’t quit 😜😜!! It gets better just about the time you think you can’t stand it for one more minute!

Good evening Californiagirl. I appreciate your insight with regard to your blog this evening about your mind and body. Interesting.

well I have managed to stick to it this week – although I must clearly be taking in a lot more calories than others as I never have any spectacular weight loss
but 3lb down today – although since I put 2 back on last week, it is actually only 1lb – but anyway it takes me below another target

Hi keeptrying,🙋

So great to hear that you are living up to your tag name… 3lbs loss is still 3lbs loss, so good news I believe that we all find our way to what works for us best… and as you are losing weight and still on the BSD…managing ok and not stressing over calories… whatever you are doing is working for you!!

Imogen🌻

thank you Imogen

just wrote a long post about being so very tired
but just don’t have the energy to rewrite it again since it decided to vanish

I am also have big issues with fibre
which I am having way more of
but it is causing issues!!
might start a thread about it

Hi keep trying,

Yep, it’s a pain when that happens…I often get ‘timed out’ when replying to posts…😕

Be gentle on yourself, if you need to rest then rest and restore your energy!

Hope the fibre issues resolve soon. A thread might be useful as I am sure others may be able to share their experiences and solutions – hopefully.

Take care,

Imogen🌻

well its Sunday again, and weigh day
another 1 3/4 lb down
it does make me mad that others seem to lose in one week what it takes me a month to get rid of
and i have LOTS to lose
🙁
anyway at least it is in the right direction i guess

what is strange – and this seems to happen almost every week – fd or bsd
is that whatever i weigh on Wednesday, will be my lowest for the week
so i lose between sunday and Wednesday, and then for the rest of the week, regardless of my sticking to the same restrictions/eating – i seem to either stay the same or gain back some

and my tummy doesn’t seem to be going anywhere so i don’t know where even the odd pound is going from

Well done keeptrying. 1 3/4 lb is exactly that and you have that much less to lose now – embrace the positives.
Have you been measuring yourself? It can be useful to measure yourself and sometimes that will show you where the weight has disappeared from.
It is curious that Wednesday is your lightest day of the week. Do you work Mon -Weds or something like that?
I hope you can work out the mystery of your Wednesdays.
Best wishes.

thanks Switzerland
I am rubbish at embracing positives but you are right – so long as it stays off

no I don’t work, and don’t really go out that much either, so it is strange
I certainly don’t think I do anything different from sunday morning to weds morning
in fact I probably do more weds/thurs/fri – so it is very weird, but then that is me!!

but I really must be doing something wrong as other people seem to lose so much
I realise they are probably far more active than me
oh shut up keeptrying

feeling rubbish and depressed and failed
i even have my weight loss plotted on the tracker on fd site
i can see it going down
but i feel so rubbish

still having endless reflux/throat/bloating etc issues
tummy not going anywhere
and just keep reading about the pounds and pounds others seem to lose on here

i know i shouldn’t compare to others – but everyone does, don’t they?
all i want to do is binge my head off on biscuits and cake – fortunately i have neither at home

sorry this is so negative, and i know i should think back to Christmas and how i had no idea i would be so much lighter by now
but also, i feel ok sometimes, then i catch sight of myself in a shop window (i don’t have a big mirror at home) – and i realise how i am still fat and still look horrible

I have such admiration for you keep trying for keeping trying! 🙂

time is such a strange thing, isn’t it, it seems endless when you are in it – but when you have completed a task, or got through something, it all shrinks up in retrospect and seems no time at all. So I wonder if you can think to yourself that you will commit to this 8 weeks no matter how you feel within it, and not make any judgements at all until it’s done.

Then you can look back and see what the conclusions will be.

You are still detoxing from the carbs, most definitely, and this will pass as so many people have said. But if you have had years of carb addiction, do you think the effects will disappear immediately? No way, of course! But they WILL go eventually.

Weight is not the issue, it’s the fat you’re burning as you start to have your body operate a different way – you can often see this in measurements. Have you got anything you can measure yourself against? I keep having slow loss in weight terms (and I agree that’s so frustrating!), but can feel a bit lighter and see some reduction in measurements.

So could you give up on the weight – some people say they don’t weigh themselves at all, as they know small losses discourage them – and purely go on clothes?

And whatever you do, don’t stop trying. You are magnificent to carry on, to remove the biscuit temptations, and tell your carb addiction just where to go.

Hi keep trying,

Oh honey – it’s just a rough day, do not let it derail your efforts – you are losing weight. Remember this is about finding your way back to a healthier you…sometimes it can take longer than we hoped.

Can you get out at all? You mentioned that you do not get out much…would giving yourself some time out following a favourite interest or hobby help? Perhaps join a group activity do something fun. Maybe find something that gets you out of your normal routine and stops you over thinking? (Only suggestions which have worked for me in challenging times, feel free to reject)!

As you said yourself you have come a long way since Christmas…keep taking one step, one day at a time.x

Hello again, keeptrying,
Just dropping a line to echo what Imogen and Igorasusual have posted. Keep plugging away at it – we are not all the same so don’t compare your weight loss with others. I remember that you had already lost weight on the 5:2 before doing the BSD so think about what you have lost in total – and give yourself a pat on the back, not beat yourself up. And use other means such as baggier feeling clothes to assess how you are doing. I still get times when I struggle to resist food temptations. My weight loss has been slowish, it’s been a bit up and down but I have come to accept that’s just how things go for me. And I know I’m never going to win a Miss World contest so I don’t worry about it!! 🙂
Keeping active, or at least occupied with something, can take your mind off things – allow yourself to get lost in something and push those cravings/negative thoughts to the back. Give yourself a respite. Your target is a healthier you and you are on the way.

thank you for your support
it does help knowing there are people out there ‘listening’ and understanding

one thing that confuses me is yes, I am measuring and weighing
and my waist has stayed the same since I began the bsd which was 6 weeks ago
I have lost perhaps an inch of hips, but nothing from anywhere else
I realise week 4 was a complete fail, but the rest of the time I have been trying really hard and certainly in the last two weeks my carb intake is probably never over 50g/day and often around 30g
I still have 4 stone to lose if I wanted to get to an ‘average’ weight for my height

I do go out, to mh support and for walks/shopping
although I seem to have a lot less energy at the moment
and the trouble is, living in a small flat, not much movement is necessary to get anywhere!!

Hi keep trying,
Don’t know whether it is of relevance to you, but currently (about 1.20pm on 20th June) I am listening to the Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. They are talking about how some meds, as a side effect, actually promote weight gain – the conditions mentioned include diabetes & mental health issues such as depression, etc. They’ve mentioned statins too (which I am on). I don’t know if you are on any meds at all, but maybe this is something that is holding back your weight loss????? They seem to be saying that newer meds don’t have the same side effect. Maybe checkout iplayer and see if you can listen to the topic.

thanks rozydozy – that is a really good point – but sadly I cant blame meds as I no longer take the mh ones (refuse to)

actually was just checking on nutrition of what I eat, again – and although I only eat maybe a couple of pears a week – they are like 28g carb – so think I shall have to give them up 🙁
also, although I don’t believe I can lose my weight through exercise, I DO think it might give my metabolism a kick up the backside

omg I want a hundred wispas

Good morning from California KeepTrying! I’m just going to give thumbs up to what Inofen, Igorasusual and Rozy already said — we are all very unique and although the happy “fast-losers” love to post their results (and I enviously read them!) there are plenty of us out here losing slowly! It all adds up though, week after week, until suddenly there really is something significant. Specifically for waistline issues, I recommend some fast aerobic exercise — do you have access to a stationary bike or a treadmill? The more aerobic I did (do), the more I lost at the waist — but not quickly — looking back over my journal, it took about ten days to 2 weeks for each inch at the waist. And, the number wouldn’t change for days and days, then suddenly I would lose the inch overnight. Go figure! How does that work?

Oops, sorry, misspelled Imogen! Should proof read my posts!!

Hi California girl,🙋

How you doing? Inofen sounds like a painkiller…😄😅😂

Ha ha — LOL — it does sound like a pain killer!! Or an anti-insulin drug! I’m good here in California, up at Tahoe for a week but it has been cold and stormy! So waiting for summer to show up — this is not our true weather. And the solstice is in two days! I love the solstice — such an evocative time of year.

thanks californiagirl, and it sounded so obvious – when YOU wrote it – that others are losing slowly and just not posting about it
duh
but it is nice to know its not just me

sitting here mega struggling with my sugar/carb addiction – crochet, film and tea are helping for the moment
might need another walkabout in a bit if dinner feels too far off

Give this girl some coffee!! TOMORROW is the solstice! More daylight hours for walking our 20,000,000 steps 😜😜😜.

Hello keeptrying, I really empathise with you, I have just struggled with diets for so long and just because I am managing to overcome my cravings mostly this time, doesn’t mean everyone else is! How much “healthy fat” have you had today? That really helps.
Coconut oil is meant to be good for killing hunger cravings. Just 3g uses 21kcal but you may find it worth it. Originally used it to help with candida. On a sad note I completely lost the babybel I packed for my lunch 🙁 oh well I will try not to indulge elsewhere!

How fabulous, I love it in the mountains…even in the unseasonable weather! Nice to spend time at the Lake… I miss that (sighs deeply). I was so blessed to have had time there. Enjoy the Solstice – moon + sun rise, the turning of the year… Sending best wishes from Cumbria.

hi baristagirls
yes am cooking with olive oil/coconut oil/butter – full fat yogurt and cream and cheese (not all at the same time!!)

Thank you Imogen. Tonight much warmer, but windy– solstice coming on — changing from a growing day to winter– how weird it happens so early in the summer — you must really feel it in Cumbria — I think you are much further north than I

am actually coming to the conclusion that actually – this way of eating is not working for me

I don’t doubt its healthier
but I have not lost any inches, cm, mm, at all from my waist, in nearly 7 weeksI think that the pounds I have lost are only because I have cut back radically on sugar
I have only lost a few pounds
and I feel tired
I had far more energy even when I was more depressed and bingeing

the fat I was having in biscuits and cake is probably about the same as what I have now (only now it is healthier)

clearly I am doing something wrong
or I am wrong
and – long story – but in my head I am ‘wrong’ anyway, so it all fits

I KNOW that there is no such thing as ‘starvation mode’ – aka most professionals
but whenever I eat less, my body burns/needs less, and everything slows down
this has always happened regardless of what new thing I am doing

I cant eat a lot of salad, it makes me gag
I cant eat platefuls of veg, I like lots of veg, but I cant eat stacks of it

and to be honest right now I am just too knackered to do even the reasonable walks I was doing before

end of rant!!!! – hot, sweaty and feeling ****

Keeptrying,
Are you having eggs? These at breakfast are filling and keep you going a long time.
although I have lost a stone, I have lost NOTHING around my waist! I find that strange.
I keep feeling tired. Irritable. Rubbish. Lack of energy. Sick. BUT the difference is I know why. I’m not saying this is the same for you. If you don’t know about candida, look it up and you might find you echo a lot of the symptoms. And it led to sugar cravings which has made me binge in the past.
The trouble is, when you start to kill or control it (like with low sugar diets such as these) you find that the symptoms get worse. Really bad while those candida cells are screaming out for what you are starving them with. So I insist on continuing to starve them. I can’t do much without feeling tired but it must go eventually. Try taking a small teaspoon of coconut oil morning and evening and don’t worry about the calories.
I don’t like lots of veg either. We make soup with it instead and add a chicken stock cube, its yum.
Another thing to make you feel good is a small square of dark chocolate. Keeps within calories and carbs and kills those cravings.

hi there, and thank you so much for taking the trouble to reply

I don’t know about candida, as in I know what it is, but I don’t have the ‘obvious’ issue
and googling it, well the symptoms are so many and cover my ibs, my mh, ….

anyway, I am eating very very little sugar, apart from in berries and the occasional pear/apple

I was having some dark chocolate, but have now discovered I can binge on that, too, and it causes major reflux issues and insomnia

I eat eggs, I had 2 for lunch, with 2 rashers of bacon and 2 tomatoes (I like even numbers!!!!)

sorry if that sounds like I am chucking everything back at you, its not meant to – its just how things are
I totally agree about soups and I love them, although it is not so easy now that the weather is warmer, as it just increases my hot flushes!!

Hello Keeptrying – don’t worry about appearing to throw it back at me – I get the same, people make suggestions and you know they’re no good! 🙂
I don’t have the obvious candida issue either but plenty of other things. I saw a private doctor once as nearly all the NHS refuse to admit it or bother to look for it. If they did, they would find it was causing a lot of other issues such as IBS etc. I had all sorts of NHS checks last year to find out why I had such pain and upset stomachs and patterns, all they found was inflammation and didn’t follow it up. I’d been vomiting mind! Not for no reason. Anyway it’s all a long story but I wonder if half the problem was the raging candida through such binge eating.
Remember we have been in the habit of bingeing for a long time. It will take more than 8 weeks to completely eradicate my habit.
I can understand your frustration about so little weight loss. I can’t understand it. But we’re all so different.

bless you

so sorry to hear you have been having so many ‘gut’ issues as well
hope this ‘diet’ is helping things improve for you

I have had a pear, and a gf cake thing so been bad today

will try to persevere, but feeling a real failure

You’re not a failure because you want to persevere.
Keep trying keeptrying, although it must be hard.
stick it out the 8 weeks and decide what to do from there.
Perhaps just the low carb style would suit without any counting or fasting?

Hi keeptrying,

I understand your frustration. it can be hard to keep going when the results are slow to see.
Have you considered following the BSD Mediterranean diet? This would allow you more flexibility and choice with your foods with a higher calorie intake (as you mentioned that your weight loss stalls when your intake goes to low). If you are not diabetic the less restrictive diet might work better for you? Or the 5:2 diet if you can cope with the fasting days?
Not trying to influence you, just a reminder that there are other choices. You can take control over your eating in a way that works best for you.

Tomorrow is a new day – see how you feel then – keep trying🌻

still keeping going
still hardly losing anything
(away so cant weigh accurately)
eating low carb – between 30 – 50g/day mostly on lower side
eating healthy fats but not stacks
eating only berries and no other fruits
eating good protein every meal but not too much
eating lots of veg
eating NO grains, NO sugars, NO chocolate or cake or biscuits or crisps ……..
eating way below my TDEE

but have been reading a lot about menopause weight problems and feel a bit vindicated
as I am in the middle of menopause and trying to reverse what is extremely common weight gain at this time
also the weight now tends to gather around middle – which is also what I am finding hard to budge
and all this is being controlled by chemicals in my body – which is not my fault or failing
so
hopefully I can keep plodding on

I have no doubt there will be people on here who are at same stage of life who are shifting tonnes
but whilst I am really pleased for you, honestly I am!! – I know = assume = hope that there are others like me
– plodding, struggling, fighting against what my body doesn’t want to let me achieve

Keeptrying, I have the greatest admiration for you.

Have you thought of getting Ketostix which you use to simply test if you are burning fat?

I had lots of plateaux but knowing from these I was burning fat was so encouraging.

Just a thought. You WILL be doing your body good, it’s just not showing you yet.

Good wishes to you – and a virtual hug [ ]
🙂

thank you Igorasusual
I really appreciate your kindness

have thought about getting them, but to be honest whatever they say wont change what is happening

I am ‘keeping trying’ and intend to continue as long as I am able (which can of course change with the wind!!)

I don’t want to go into ‘stupidly low’ carbs/cals as then I know it will not be sustainable for me

just wish a bit more stomach would move as then I could wear my new trousers that fit everywhere else

(to be honest, I don’t want to know if I am burning fat, because if they show I’m not, then I shall break down and give up, so I have to believe it)

well today is 6 months since I began my weight loss campaign
did fd for 4 months and been doing bsd since may

am now under 13st 🙂 for first time in about 7 years
so have lost nearly 2 and a half stone

only what people here seem to achieve in a few weeks
but anyway
I am pleased to see a 12 on the scales !!!!

now hoping not to sabotage it as that seems to happen so often

Yay, keeptrying! Fabulous stuff, 2 and a half stone, and under 13 stone! What great results!

You need to tell that little inner demon which keeps comparing yourself to other people here to get on its bike and cycle off (insert suitable alternative words), as it is YOU doing this, and your body has its own agenda for reasons. You may not know what those reasons are, but trust it.

That little inner demon is also suggesting to you that you will fall off the wagon – well, what you know now is that if you fall off (and we all do) then you can GET RIGHT BACK ON AGAIN. There are no tests to say – oh, if you’ve fallen off, you’ve failed, leave the room. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall off, if you continue with the BSD you WILL lose the weight, and you WILL feel much better and get your life back.

I’ve just worked out that if you’ve lost nearly 2.5 stone, and are now under 13 stone, then you must have lost 17% of your starting body weight? WOW WOW WOW!!

What fantastic results!!!

Onwards and downwards – and CONGRATULATIONS! 🙂

oh bless you and thank you SO much for your encouragement and praise
and for working out that percentage!!
it looks good doesn’t it

those demons will have to bite another day because today I am happy
and although I could still happily munch through lots of digestive biscuits – none are coming into my home!!!!

Wooohooo Keeptrying!!!! 🎉🎉🎉 Your post today was really great reading for me when I staggered downstairs to get some coffee! I think you must be commended for keeping on trying and now succeeding despite stiff opposition from the fat gremlins 😜! It can be so hard to maintain focus when the loss is slow but 2 and 1/2 stone is absolutely fantastic and I am so happy to hear of your success! If those fat gremlins come around and threaten sabotage you can show them the door (impolitely). I’ve had you on my mind, wondering how you were doing — it is a good feeling knowing you have been doing so well. Huge congratulations from California!
Julia

Hey KeepTrying – congratulations! 2 & 1/2 stone is brilliant – so what if it’s taken 6 months. It’s taken a shade under 6 months for me to lose 2 stone. As soon as I hit a new low (in the good sense) there tends to be a bit of an upward bounce – but that’s just the way my body seems to work so it seems like I’m losing the weight twice but the overall trend is downwards so I’ve learned to accept it. Treat the fat gremlins with the contempt they deserve. Don’t worry about what results other people are achieving – we are all different so we are not comparing like for like (unless there are identical twins out there 🙂 ). You are proving that you can do it – just have a bit more faith in yourself.
Well done & keep on!

thank you so much Rozy and Julia for your kind support also,
it hardly seems possible that others would actually think of me and wonder how I am doing
even though I do that for others

needless to say I am struggling to fight the need to binge tonight
some things have occurred in rl to make me NEED food and it is so so hard not to

so far all I have had after my chicken salad and fruit/yog – is a glass of milk and 4 peanuts
now on the tea
and think I will possibly drown in my attempts to drink away my need to eat!!
scared, as I so badly don’t want to put weight back on again but I am pretty sure it will happen in the next few days (if not tonight)

Hi keep trying,

Congratulations on the ongoing weight loss!!! So happy for you.

You are doing brilliantly😊

You have found the inner strength to keep moving forward even through difficult moments and you can find the strength to get past this! You are choosing to take control, to eat healthy life giving foods…because you are worth the life you want for yourself.

You’ve come so far already…

Imogen.xx

many thanks Imogen

yes I am taking control – sometimes!!!!

managed not to binge last night, drank lots (water) and early bed

fingers crossed I can keep going

I have no end date for this ‘diet’ since even when I began it I never intended it to be just an 8 week interlude
so I will keep on with it as long as I possibly can

was dreaming about cake earlier – ha ha – but still frightened of it

Stay strong keeptrying, you have been doing so well and showing such determination, I am sure you can get where you want to be.

thank you SunnyB – I hope so!! although I am not exactly sure where I want to be

a sad thing I thought today – was with two friends, who also have ‘big’ weight issues
they were asking what I am/am not eating
so I said – no pasta, bread dah dah dah dah
then they both said ‘no life’

since we all three are binge eaters and all know that our binges are out of control stuffing and not pleasurable at all, I wondered at it
I just said that what is my life when I am sat bingeing? stuffing packets of biscuits and cake down my throat
is that a life?
I am way way off from solving the bingeing disorder – and I do still binge and need it more than I do it
but it is NOT a life, it is torture
I really don’t want to spend the rest of my life like this

although right now I long for it

You are not alone in getting that reaction for others, when explaining what the BSD is about. However, when your results become obvious to all, those friends will be back wanting to know how they can achieve the same. Meanwhile, you know you can get support from those of us on the forum.

I don’t personally know how it feels to be trapped in a binge cycle, but emotional eating and I are not strangers, so understand self sabotage is hard to control, but if you can recognise the triggers, perhaps you can start to find ways of taking evasive action. Have you sought any professional support in your mission to combat your bingeing? It might be the best way to break the cycle.

Have a good w/e and try to start believing you have the power to do this, ‘cos I’m sure you can.

Hi keep trying
I find that most people say can’t stick to that, what is odd I can and am enjoying it with the occasional wobble. I have now decided that the negativity of my colleagues and friends will not affect me and I just don’t discuss it unless they bring it up, I am trying to show them by example, now the weight loss is more apparent they are asking questions .when they say oh can’t do 800 or can’t manage without bread etc I just smile and say nothing because I do not want to persuade them, they have to find out for themselves as I was once that negative person until something snapped in my head and I thought I could do this.But some have started and it is fun discussing menus.
In my head I want to be zealous and shout about it but discretion is the better part of valour.
Well done keep going I find the forum very supportive , by the way I am the queen of emotional eating and find that side of me has defo reduced over the past few weeks .🙋🏻

Hi Keep trying, I have just sat and read from the start of your posting on this thread, I see a lot of myself in the things you speak about. I have never really thought about what I eat or why, to be honest it was a case of if I liked it I would eat it. I don’t have a very sweet tooth but do love my savoury snacks and takeaways so can relate to the feelings of not wanting to eat something but needing to have it.
Up to quite recently I have just kept going and have ended up wearing a size 24 and suffering with my knees so finding this way of eating was a blessing. Reading your struggles has made me think about the issues of self sabotage and although I’m not there yet I am sure I can do it, not sure if you realise it but it’s not the people who come on here and tell us about losing 6 or 7lb in week who are the inspiration but the people like you who despite your own best attempts at putting obstacles in your own way you have moved them aside and have had a huge success, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there the important thing is that you will get there.

I hope you will keep adding your thoughts on here and maybe one day we can both say, yes it’s been a struggle but I am now where I want to be!