2018 has not been the best for me with regards to weight … but, I need to add, that is so far! There are still three months left!
I have re-read my post from February 2017 and realise I’ve totally lost sight of the prize.
I stated my journey in July 2016 with two goals: to lose 15% of my body weight and to reverse my T2 diabetes. By February 10th 2017 I had lost the weight and by August of the same year I was medication free with my diabetes in remission. So, both goals reached, and by October 2017 I had lost a further 5% which was an added bonus. I also had a new hip which gave me greater mobility so all good there.
2018 arrived with a bang! A major birthday in mid December, a great Christmas and New Year and a holiday on January 1st. What more could you want? I don’t know if I became complacent or just stopped thinking about what I was doing. I certainly took my eye of the ball and the ‘weight creep’ began, slowly, but surely.
So where am I today?
I have regained half of my weight loss. I had back ache when I walked a long distance a few days ago. My clothes are getting tight. I have a pair of trousers that fit perfectly at my lowest weight, which I hadn’t worn, but are now too tight. My diet, although still mainly BSD friendly, now includes ‘too much’ of the good stuff. Calorie and carb counting has gone out of the window.
So where to now?
Well I have reached a crossroads. I can either just carry on as I am now and put back all the weight I lost and be plagued with the old aches and pains and difficulty buying clothes. Maybe even having T2 again and needing medication. Or I can put the last 9 months behind me and start a new page……
Although I know it won’t be easy, I’m starting again, not just with a new page, but a whole new journal! I don’t want to go back to the ‘old’ me, I have the tools and I have the support on here. I know what to do and how to do it. I have my new unworn trousers hanging on the wardrobe door as my ‘trousers of the future’, scales at the ready and Fatsecret on my iPad ready to be filled in. Wish me luck. It’s never going to be as easy the second time around but here I go…… My Journey Part 2…..

Hello Verano. Well it’s good news that there was only a small gain from the cruise. And since you ask us to wish you luck, GOOD LUCK. But you don’t really need it. You have shown you can do it before, through good planning and commitment. While the excitement may not be the same, at least there is no difficult learning curve. And all the support you have given here will be coming back to you with lots of cheering on. Wishing you lots of success in the rest of 2018 for the second part of your journey. You will do it. xx

Hi Verano,
I think it is really smart to start a fresh journal. We keep changing every day, so the “you” of today is not the same “you” in your old journal. We cannot go back and those old stories/experiences even keep us captive — so good that you’re starting fresh.
Consider it a victory that you’ve recognized that you don’t like where you are currently headed, and have already made a plan to redirect yourself. That alone is a valuable phase!
I know you know the drill — but for what it is worth, I have found that strictly low carb and intermittent fasting have been the most successful in maintenance. Have you had a chance to listen to Dr. Bikman’s podcasts on insulin? They really helped me formulate my thought process on how to control insulin and I think that has helped incredibly.
Best, Julia

A big good luck to you, Verano! Will be interesting to see the speed of weightloss during this second journey. I guess the rapid and encouraging losses from first time can’t be repeated (since you start a lot lighter this time), but maybe you will pick up the pace from maybe what it was halfway through? I am applauding your determination!

Thank you for your good wishes. It’s just so good to ‘vocalise’ my inner thoughts and finally be truthful with myself. Head is well and truly out of the sand now!
Caron you have summed up perfectly how the ‘second time around’ is likely to be …. lack of the excitement but the positive is that I know that ‘learning curve’ only too well. I think it will be much easier to slot back in but it might just require some extra determination.
Julia such wise words, as usual! Yes I am not that same person of 2016 so a new start is the way to go. My old journal was really just a record of my daily weight and periodic waist and chest measurements. In my new journal I’m going to make brief notes of how the day went as well so I can look back and pick out any patterns.
I have listened to Dr Bikman and I enjoyed his podcast but I will listen again. I think for the moment I am just literally ‘going back to basics’. There is so much research out there that I think it can become really confusing. Do you count calories/carbs or follow Pioppi and the dietdoctor, eat low carb/Mediterranean until full. Do you throw in one or two long fasts each week or just do 16:8, or even follow a 5:2 plan! I think I just need to keep things simple at the moment.
One of my problems of late has been that I am missing fruit.I think it’s better for me to have the odd apple or tangerine rather than feel deprived and have biscuits! So, with that in mind, I’m going to take 50g of carbs a day as my upper limit for the moment. I can’t set myself up to fail. I need to make this work and so I need to be realistic.
Bjorn yes it will be interesting. Part of me thinks that because I’ve been eating low carbish but higher calorie for most of this year I may just, hopefully, lose reasonably well. But, who knows, maybe my body will hold onto the fat once the water weight has been shed! Time will tell!
Will keep in touch, hopefully with some progress!

Good luck Vetrano! It does get confusing.

All the very best Verano
I understand you have got to get your mind in the right place but keep the goal at the forefront. To live a long , healthy life. Don’t think about the past . You can’t change that. Look forward and you will succeed again.

I have my big notebook . I write down all the recipes I find and my daily meals , cals, carbs , measurements and progress.
My way of coping is to eat one meal a day. It is my strategy on working days so I have a 24 hour fast but I add a light lunch at the weekends. I too miss fruit as I used to gorge on it before and never questioned the fructose/sugar I am only eating berries for now and will gradually introduce more fruit as I feel more confident. I always have Greek yoghurt with chia berry jam for dessert and that satisfies me. Lots of green tea.
I also have a new hip and it has made a massive difference.

I need to check out Dr Bikman

Have a great weekend . You know you can do this xx

Thanks Violinist and wendleg. Do check out Dr Bikman. I found some notes I’d made from a podcast of his so here are a few points:
Control carbs
Prioritise proteins
Fill up with fat
He suggests that if you control the macros, the micros will take care of themselves. Do have a look he’s a great speaker.

Thanks Verano.