Let’s keep going folks !! We are halfway through January . New year, new beginnings, new friends, renewed motivation !!
This is the place to be if you need support and help to get to your 2020 goals . Feel free to pop in , ask any questions you like. You will be sure to receive a friendly welcome .

Hi everyone as we start this new Week.Put any blips behind you …Don’t dwell on them, pick yourself up and just keep going

I hope SunnyB is having a wonderful birthday and enjoying many treats ! Well done on your first week’s discard Sunny ! That’s a fabulously encouraging result.

Welcome Oimadam ! You are sounding very positive and determined. You know what to do, what works for you and we will be here to keep you focused and motivated. The health benefits speak for themselves and you are going to feel great again. Cracking the carb cravings is the key …not giving in to them is easier said than done in the early stages but it is what will give you lasting success.

Hope to see your continued enthusiasm on the thread, Yowzer ! You are going to think me really boring but I have been lucky to avoid ‘ the slippery slope’ .I was so fed up of feeling bloated and sluggish and constantly battling to feel full that I had to make a radical change. That meant banishing the carby stodge and sugar poison because to do half measures doesn’t work for me. Having a history of years of over – eating means I am in danger of setting off that infernal cycle so I just don’t take the risk. What helps me is that I ask myself the simple question…Is this food good for me ? I honestly have an aversion to certain foods now. I refuse to eat processed foods with dodgy ingredients and I don’t care if I appear anti-social or ‘awkward’ in my choices 😉 It’ s my body, my health.
It’s a change of mind set as you say . I don’t see scones as treats and yet we have been used to thinking of sugar laden cakes and biscuits ( even the home made ones) as exactly that. So it’s easy to see how your house move led to your baking and how neighbourly sweets and cakes proved hard to resist. We are/have been seduced by sugar ! But it’s toxic !!!
You will get that mind set back, Yowzer ! I think the key as well is not to feel deprived because certain foods are off limits. You are choosing to eat differently and choosing health over the carbage….

I am always on the look out for things to read and I always learn something new which keeps me focused. I have said before that I realised how much food was controlling me and it does feel good to find peace and balance now.
There is a reference thread on the forum called « Take a look at this » ( started by Verano) which is a very useful place to check for useful videos, blogs, articles, books, research etc etc . It’s a goldmine and a great motivator if enthusiasm is flagging.
!
Gattina, you have already been given some useful advice . Maybe reading about emotional eating, self sabotage would give you some insight into your triggers so you can be prepared next time the carn monsters rear their heads ?
Yowzer’s image of hairy gorillas made me smile but you have made them a bit too cuddly in my view, Y !! 😉

Hi, I think I will join for the week this time as I’m trying to go hard on keeping to less than 800 cal for 2 weeks, and now that I’m back at work for the week, I think it will not be easy. I’m opposite of most people as it has been easier for me to stick to plan or to fast on the weekends than during the week when I’m working. Hopefully a short challenge like this weekly one will help to keep me motivated.

Thank You WENDY for a new page and also for yr wise words.X
Carbage is a fab new word for me,i love it!
Youre right,deffo need to not feel deprived,…Choosing to eat for health and all the benefits that brings.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
And yes,its true!,my Carb Monster is quite cuddly and cosy,but thats what makes her such a deadly character really..
she very slyly tries to lead me astray!
By the way folks, i checked out the techies and yes they are still here..
email tech@thebloodsugardiet.com if you have any queries
ARCTICFOX good luck for the week ahead x i know it can be tricky in the workplace,always seem to be biccies on the go or sbodys bday OR everyone going the pub after work.
keep strong,it will be worth it, we’re all with you,so youre never alone xx

I’m in for my second week!

Day 2-4 were a bit of a struggle for me. Especially day 3 (last Thursday) with a stubborn headache, tiredness and hunger. I gave in and couldn’t keep the diet that day. Day 4 was tough, but I managed to get back on track. Day 5 (Saturday) I decided to skip breakfast and transition from 12:12 to 16:8. I love breakfast, but saving those calories for later makes my afternoons and evenings easier. So, for now, no breakfast.

Best of luck to you all this week – wendleg, arcticfox, Yowzer49, and everyone else who is ready to jump into this thread!

And Happy Birthday, SunnyB! I hope you had a lovely celebration!

Well week one wasn’t too bad for me. I didn’t manage 800 calories every day (2 days in the 900-1000 range I think) and maybe too many carbs (I really have no idea what I’m aiming for) but I’ve tracked religiously and chosen what I hope is the right stuff. I’ve managed to fast 8pm to noon or beyond each day without too much bother but I have been cheating with a cup of tea with milk at 8am. I’ve order some chia seeds to see if that helps with constipation (always happens when I change my diet!). Weight loss a bit disappointing at 2kg but I’ll take it even if it’s all water!

Last week I was focused on the fasting bit which i found easier than I thought I would. Any suggestions on what I should focus on this week? I really would like (wouldn’t we all like!) to see a good weight loss this week to encourage me to stick at this all January. I’ve even started c25k (partially to give me something to do in the evenings so I don’t think about snacking!)

Hi PAW! I think 2 k is a very respectable loss for your first week 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Fasting..when i did 5:2,I too had a cup of tea ..it was v hard to wake up and not start the day the way I always had!..
the 5:2 fasting forum I was on,the belief was that just one tiny splash of milk in one cuppa wd not break the fast,tho any more would.
Carb wise,I lost 100 lb counting 50 g carbs per day..many people eat less,as low as 20g carbs,but its early days,so maybe for this week just keep track and keep within 50 g? Then you still have sthing to aim for …if your weight loss starts to plateau further down the line,you could go down to 30 or 20 g per day. There are apps such as myfitness pal to help you keep track of carbs..the one i use is free and called mynetdiary.
Good luck,onwards and downwards! One step at a time x🌷🌷🌷

Thank you Yowzer49

It’s amazing how I can go to bed hungry and yet wake up fine. I’m not missing breakfast but the ritual of making a cup of tea, sitting with everyone else as they have theirs, well to give up my cuppa seemed like a step too far!

I’m tracking everyone in MFP so I can go back and look at my carbs. I’ve had a week of cauliflower and lentil curry, or the lentil pesto thing both of which are highish in carbs. I might see if I can do 5 days lower.

I’m going to experiment with salad dressings this week. I love a plate of spinach and lettuce, with some protein and a big bowl always fools me into thinking I’ve eaten loads. I’m really look for a Caesar salad like dressing – I can’t get enough anchovies…

Exactly PAW! When fasting,i wd v often go to bed quite hungry,but always woke not at all hungry! Magic! How does it happen!
My daughters doing whats called ( i think) warrior fasting..she only eats with an hour or so window..has done it a long time and is 40 soon but people always thinks she is in her 20s. I think fasting is v v good not only for health but for looking good too
Salad dressings,i cant help really,i only have olive oil and lemon,or nothing..i dont like anything tangy or vinegary.
Hopefully sbody will come along and have some suggestions for you.
Do you sleep well? Just been reading a Marks Daily Apple article about the crucial importance of good sleep x

Hi Everyone.Im in for another week.I continue to try different ways of doing things.My wt today is 87.5 kg and Im aiming for 80kg asap. Yesterday I worked hard on the gym and increased my water as it was a hot day but I still had too much cals and did not resist the bread. Im reminded of someone on one of the forums sometime ago who reminded us to take responsibility for what we eat. We put food in our mouths and its simple if its not on plan don’t do it.At the time it seemed very harsh but now I think this get tough with yourself is what I need.Im talking about food and reading about it but Im not really taking enough action and Im leting myself make excuses.So this week less talk more action.I hope you are all having a good week.KOKO

Hi everyone, I made it through a trying and very cold Monday. My hands are still cold. Off to have a shower shortly and hopefully that will help. In spite of my doubts, I managed to come in at 792 cal for the day and 26g carbs, which is extremely low on the carbs for this vegetarian. My eating window was from 1pm when I ate lunch to 6:30pm when I finished dinner, so a 17.5hr fasting window overnight through this morning. My body is objecting now after 3 full days under 800 cal – I am cold and hungry. But I am very determined to make things work this time around. It would be very motivating to see a discard by the end of this week, so that thought is keeping me going at the moment.

Ist week for me and only started today. Your encouragement on here is great. I bought the book last year but never even started, this time is now my time to put my ass in gear and do this. Good luck everyone.

Good to see there are a good number of us plowing on for another week. Just thought I’d pop in to say that the predicted blip upward on the scales this morning happened, post yesterday’s birthday indulgence – mainly alcohol. Anyway, not as huge as it might have been and didn’t wipe out the discard I posted about yesterday. Anyway, I’m hoping that by Thursday the gain of 1.6lb will be history. I’m stretching my o/night fast to around 19hrs today, which should help.

Hope everyone is managing to have a great BSD day and will be reporting good discards in due course.

At the end of my first week of 16:8 and 800cals – I’ve lost 4 1/2 lbs. It was very hard for the first few days and the 4th & 5th were worst ‘cos I felt cold, shivery and very lightheaded – but I’ve been better since. My tummy is really rumbling this morning, but I don’t actually feel hungry, which seems really weird, but as long as I don’t feel starving it’s ok 🙂 Did an on-line shop this morning so I wasn’t tempted by all the goodies I’d see walking round an actual supermarket haha
Best wishes to everyone for the week ahead 🙂

Hi everyone x
BUTTERS.. less talk more action..is a great mantra for the week! 👍🏻 Im going to keep that one in mind X
ARCTICFOX,it does seem very fitting for you to be cold,with yr name! Ahh,Only joking,its difficult to KOKO being cold and hungry,its so miserable,so I feel for you and hope you see that discard as a reward for yr efforts.
How about making a warming veg soup of mainly green veg? X
Good luck GILL! You sound very motivated x👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
SUNNY I’m glad you enjoyed yr bday indulgences..bdays arent bdays without some kinda treat! Well done on the longer fast today,it will soon see that 1.6 lb off X
MUMOFSTIG…Wowzer yowzer,you did so well on yr first week,despite not feeling too good! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thats a good tip about the online shopping,that way your hand cant reach out and put the biccies and crisps into your trolley!😄😄 x

Hi everyone !
Welcome back to the thread, articfox. Wishing you the very best for this coming week. Hope you can get warm !! You need a fluffy onesie. I swear by mine !!
Hi Sunnysideup ! Stick with it. You are bound to get a reaction as you transition from high carb and your symptoms are common but it gets easier. I never eat breakfast as I leave too early and am not hungry at 6am and as time has gone by I don’t even think about it, it’s an establshed routine . Most working days I don’t eat lunch either and I have got used to that too. I like a nice weekend brunch though !
Paw71 ! That’s a great loss for Week 1. What should you focus on this coming week ? Stretching the fasting/eating window is always good and you have managed that. Make sure you are drinking lots, tracking carbs initially. Lots of people use different apps to track carbs. I am not good with those but I like ZERO ( recommended by Kazz Uk) which records fasts( short and extended) and it’s nice seeing how much time has elapsed.
I have just seen that Yowzer gave you similar advice 😉 Definitely stick with your cup of tea with milk if it helps you. I don’t suppose you have tried green tea ?

Hi Gill33Uk ! I am so glad you are encouraged by the thread and hope to see you posting your progress. Shout out to us any time.

Hi mumofStig ! Sounds like you were suffering a bit of carb withdrawal too , likeSunnysideup. Well done on your first week’s result !!

Butterlover I am definitely with you on the ‘taking responsibilty’ for our food choices. I am convinced you need total commitment. Just allowing a bit of bread, an occasional biscuit is just setting ourselves up for a hard time as it perpetuates the addiction. I have said this before also but food is for nourishment.It does not have magical powers and if we choose starchy white carbs they will ultimately make us stock the fat. We have been making excuses for so long and that’s what has got us to where we now are so yes definitely action is the way to go. It’s down to us, noone can do it for us .

Glad you had a lovely birthday celebration, Sunny. Don’t worry about the little extra pound. It is insignificant and will soon disappear.
Have a great week everyone ! Am I starting to nag a bit ? 😉 It was bound to happen 😉 hee hee

Hi all, I managed an almost 18 hour fasting window overnight and this morning. It was going to only be 17.5 hours again, but then I had a colleague phone me just as I was planning to go have lunch, so that extended it by another 20 minutes. I worked from home today, so that made things easier as well. Less stress from driving on dangerous roads to push my cortisol levels sky high in any case! One of the most valuable things I learned from wearing a CGM was how much driving alone can spike my blood sugar, even in the absence of eating anything. I’m going to get back into a daily yoga routine that I started in the fall so I can continue to try to keep my overall stress levels down.
Managed to get in a quick walk at lunch, and boy was it brisk! Down to -20 today. I was cold in the morning, but warmed up after lunch and my walk.
I was finally down a reasonably substantial amount this morning. Scales registered a 0.6kg discard, so 0.7kg total since starting the 800 cal per day on Saturday. I am now in the 95’s at 95.9. It would be fab to get under 95 this week, but my calculations if everything goes to plan mean I can probably reasonably expect to lose 0.8kg per week. I may be having a bit of a whoosh today though, so we’ll see. I was thinking that I hadn’t lost any water weight yet because I was reasonably low carb before cutting calories, but today I am rushing to the toilet every hour. I am drinking lots of water and herbal tea, but I’m also doing well with my salt intake and no headaches or carb flu symptoms and I think I’m still losing more fluid than I’ve been taking in. So fingers crossed for tomorrow. I promise not to be disappointed though if the scales don’t budge or move up. I’m thinking of just noting my weight down without judgment this time and then average it out over the week and see if the average goes down week over week rather than being overly concerned with the day to day numbers.
Glad everyone is keeping motivated and positive!

HI I’M KATRENA
Just starting. its my second day. I’ve lost on this program before but never completed it. I’m determined to succeed this time by making weight loss and regaining my health my hearts desire. I’m in Florida for the winter and last week I saw my destiny if I do not take control and responsibility for my life and health. I am lucky to have the opportunity to learn self discipline before I get any bigger or more unhealthy. Today I drove 30 miles to try cryotheraphy. I’m trying it to see if it works for a shoulder injury. it is supposed to also help asthma and they sayn weight loss. Im not doing it for the weight loss though, ill take it if it works
I’ve been in this rodeo enough to know that weightloss takes planning and discipline.

Morning/evening everyone
I have a few minutes before I get started.
You sound very focused articfox, despite that extreme cold !
I am lucky not to have to constantly monitor my blood glucose but I fully understand about the stress . I am a total stress head in the car and avoid certain roads. Friends know what I am talking about !
I have to be vigilant on the quiet country roads I use , however. Two
deer leapt across the road in front of me on Monday morning. So don’t put pressure on yourself articfox, you are doing everything right. Hope your iron levels are ok too.
Hi Katrena and welcome to the thread. Stay determined. The programme works as you know.Just shout out and someone will pop in to answer any of your queries.

Have a great day /evening everyone. Half day for me and yoga later which is my stress relief 😉

Hi all – I’m in for another week. Thanks for starting Wendleg 🙂
Verano and Yowzer – thanks for the encouragement, it was much needed. This is a new week so last week is behind me now and I’m looking to the future. I have had a look Prof Taylor’s articles in the Mail and ordered the book. It’s interesting but he suggests having meal replacements for the first 12 weeks to avoid having to make choices around food. I must admit when presented in that way it does seem like a good idea. I am interested to hear what other people think about meal replacements?

At my last diabetes checkup we had a conversation about a weight management service which would support me to lose weight – it’s aimed at people with extreme obesity (BMI over 40 or over 35 with a related medical condition). They didn’t give me a lot of detail but my understanding is that it’s a 12-month programme where you start with the meal replacements, then move onto re-feeding (re-educating) and then maintenance – it includes support from a clinical psychologist in group work. It sounds like it’s very much in line with Roy Taylor’s 3-step plan. I have an appointment at the end of the month and I’m half thinking I should ask for a referral. I would hate to lose the freedom of just doing this my own way but it might be what I need…

On a completely different note, I’m starting an evening class tonight about the Pyschology of Eating Behaviours and Body Image. It looks into why people make the choices they do around food and understanding disordered eating. I think it’s going to be really interesting and I’ll share any insights I gain here.
Enjoy your day everyone
xx

Hi Everyone.Im really positive today and actually on track to get under 800cals. This is a really big deal for me as Ive been averaging 1000plus calories due to cravings and bread addiction. GATTINA Im impressed with your being open to everything in your search for success.Can I suggest to take it slowly, one thing at a time to avoid confusion and get diet burnout.good luck with the evening class.today is day 2 of my taking my betaglucare in the evening so I can miss breakfast and fast. today had lunch at 1 o’clock 14 hours fast which is good for me.Im hoping everyone is progressing KOKO

Great to see there are still some people joining in here and that everyone still seems to be determined and focused on achieving their goals. So welcome to Katrena and congratulations on making the decision to take control and change your life for the better. Gattina, hope you will drop us a few titbits from your new course, I’m sure there will be some very thought provoking things that come out of that.

Personally, I’m pleased to report the scales were kinder today and some of that blip upwards has been resolved already. Also pleased to say that the meal out this evening at our son’s, has morphed into a take away, which means I’ll have a little more control.
KOKO everyone!!!

Just kicked off on the blood sugar diet with the aim to have a healthy BMI by losing just shy of 15Kg in the 8 weeks. Motivation: I saw a photo of myself, which someone took to put in a book about keeping active (the irony), and if you had slipped a grey beard on me I could have sworn I was Santa!

I am mostly following MMs diet plan in his first book, substituting in other meals from his wife’s recipe book whenever the original meal won’t feed the family. Ironically the rest of the family is enjoying this much more than me as they get the really nice food AND the carbs to go with it!

I have set myself the target of 11,000 steps each day, which I have managed hit every day so far (11pm walks are becoming the norm). I am also following his suggested push-up, sit-ups, etc regime three times a week. My shoulders now ache….. Yesterday I got on the bike and did something akin to his HIIT session for 30 mins (10min warm-up and 10 mins warm down to avoid Delayed Onset Muscle Stiffness).

Observations from the first week:
1. The food is edible (Beetroot, apple and cannellini bean soup for lunch today)…..very surprised
2. I mostly feel quite full……again very, very surprised
3. Much to my family’s delight I haven’t been Hangry
4. My clothes are beginning to feel a little baggy. Yay!
5. How is it possible to lose 4.5 Kg in just 9 days and not feel awful?

So I remain highly motivated to keep going. I don’t beat myself up when I bust the 800 calories in a day, just accept that even 900 or 1000 calories is a hell of better than the near 3000 I was consuming before!

Keep it up everyone! You’re doing well.

Great to see such a busy thread and that people are getting on track and some seeing results already.
I discarded a whopping 0.8kg since yesterday. That’s my target for a whole week! Mind you, I know that it was all water weight, but I’ll take it for now. That means I’m within sight of getting under 95kg. 95.1kg this morning, so that is motivating me to stay on track now.
Wendy – I think it is my improved iron levels that are helping me keep such tight focus. I haven’t had any further blood work yet (4-6 months is typical for recheck because it takes 120 days to form new red blood cells), but I have noticed my concentration has improved at work. I’m not spending the day struggling against brain fog anymore. And then I still have energy once I come home from work. This is allowing me to not only cook a healthy dinner, but also to meal plan and prep for the next day, and do my yoga or core exercises. I can’t believe the improvement! Always with iron deficiency, because it happens so slowly, it seems you don’t realize how bad you are getting – until you start to get better.

Wow GATTINA That course sounds interesting! Thanks for saying that you’ll will share any insights, Im sure we wd all like to hear more! It could be very helpful. I know that in my own case,there are emotional reasons for making poor choices re what I eat/ want to eat,but I am not sure how to change that
BUTTERS makes a good point tho re diet burnout..i have often fallen by the wayside confusing my self trying to take too much on board all at once
BUTTERS! I thought of you today, I was looking wistfully at my favourite little sourdough loaf in the bakers…* sigh*
Give me a thick slice of well buttered ‘ good ‘ bread any day,rather than a slice of cake.
ARCTICFOX Good to read yr good news! 🌟🌟🌟
PHOENIXBURNS! Lovely to read yr good news also!🌟🌟🌟 youre doing great!
Love to all X

Yes, it’s great to see the continuing enthusiasm !! 
Gattina, I have no experience of meal replacements. Is it a way of keeping calories low in the early stages ? I don’t think it would work for me as I like something to chew and especially crunchy leaves and I would get bored. I personally think we can prepare delicious low carb food rather than shakes but it means preparation and tracking initially.

I think you have to consider whether you feel you can remain motivated on your own ( and with support from us all of course !) or if you think being part of a group with support from your diabètes team would make you more accountable ? Either way it’s down to you Gattina to want to restore your health enough to stick with whatever protocol you choose. You have a clear objective…to reverse your diabetes and come off your medication. Nothing can be more important than that. You are young too Gattina ( 49 ?) . Make 2020 your year ! We will support you every step of the way.
By the way I am really not a role model as you suggest 😉 I am just a stubborn plodder who got fed up of being dragged down and uncomfortable around food. I am a bit all or nothing but I still have to be very wary of temptatons. They are different these days but I will never go back to my old ways. I have learnt so much from the wonderful people on this forum.
Yes, that course sounds interesting. I think I have mentioned before but Zoe Harcombe has done some good work on how to tackle emotional eating. I certainly had very ‘ disordered eating ‘ and as a result I never recognised hunger. I didn’t really have meal times. I could chomp all day ….
Welcome PhoenixBurns ! All the very best with your goals and we will do our best to keep you motivated !
That’s great that things have settled down Sunny ! Your treat was totally justified and did not do any great damage so you can move forward with your customary positivity !
Lots of love to everyone xx

My thought for this evening..
Dont know who first said it,but its worth bearing in mind!
🌷🌷🌷🌷 You can make excuses or you can make progress 🌷🌷🌷🌷

Ps WENDY thanks for the heads up re Zoe Harcombe,will look her up
I loved yr paragraph about being a stubborn plodder! 💚💚💚💚

I almost can’t believe it, but I am finally seeing some appreciable discard! Down another 0.4kg this morning which means I’ve met my weekly target of being under 95kg! I wasn’t sure I would be as I really struggled yesterday. I was so, so, so hungry all day and ended up having a snack of boiled egg and a few nuts at 3:30pm. So I was over my calorie target just a smidge. But hopefully back on track today. I think my lunch was a bit too high carb and that just drove my hunger for the rest of the afternoon. Will do better today. I am working from home again after another dump of snow and the roads are still icy. The benefit is that I can do a cooked lunch. I’m planning an omelette with mushrooms.
KOKO everyone. This does work, but sometimes you have to resolve other issues first. For me it does seem to have been my low iron levels.

Well done arcticfox, I too had a bad day yesterday and had an extra egg – it certainly does take the edge off the hunger 😉

I survived my long day but feeling very weary so I will check in tomorrow when I will have perked up again 😉

I hope you are all feeling more lively than me ! I must say the weekend is beckoning which is nice !!

Have a good evening /morning everyone xxx

Hello everyone
Thought I would touch base mid-week to say how motivating you all are. It’s great to hear about your successes and your ways of managing challenges. Wishing everyone continued success. Almost the weekend x

had three successful days. lost a little. had to eat fast food today and just told myself to be mindful and make good choice, had grilled chick sandwich with no bun. Didn’t succumb to emotional eating even though I had an extremely upsetting event occur. I just told myself that I had no control over the situation and therefore I had to let it go. im still hearbroken over the situation but imhappy my grandkids are coming for a visit

This thread is very encouraging. Does anyone know how I should breakdown my foods, ie what % carb, protein & fat

Still sticking to it, now day 3 for me as only started on Wednesday, thanks for the welcome, stepped on the scales this morning and 3lb down, motivation for not buying wine for tonight was needed and I got it! Hope you all have a good weekend what ever you are doing.

Hi all – it is lovely to log on and see so many posts. It is really encouraging to hear people are doing well and how you manage when it’s not.
I’m plodding on – not brilliantly but trying to stay on the healthier side of eating – although I have given in to cheese and crackers and pop corn last night.
Butterlover – thanks for the warning about diet overload, you are of course right. And Wendleg – your wise words are very true. Weight management service was suggested to me and I do have to think about it. I had hoped to return to my appointment having lost lots of weight and my bg having gone down – but I’m not going to have achieved as much as I wanted. There will be some difference but maybe not enough. I have two more weeks to think about what it. I will look up Zoe Harcombe – thanks for the tip
PhoenixBurns – I love the image of the little round Santa 🙂 Red is one of my favourite colours and I’ve often looked like that myself 🙂
Well done everyone who’s lost and keep at it those who like me are plodding on.

My class the other evening was disappointing – the tutor was inexperienced and therefore clumsy in the way she was running things. She made a point of going to each person in the class and then summarised what was said – but in summarising she embellished. I was deliberately vague but she came out with all sorts of things which I hadn’t said. And later in the class she showed her prejudices – she made a flippant throw away remark people always make about fat people which I took offence to. Without boring you with lots of details – she didn’t respond well to being challenged.
I was disappointed when I left the class, I had really wanted to learn more about the subject but I don’t think I will be able to tolerate the tutor – she is much too inexperienced to understand the effect her words have. I’m now trying to get a refund 🙁
All the best lovely people – I’m going to see Little Women on the cinema this afternoon which I’m looking forward to .
xx

Hi all, another stunning discard for me, 0.8kg since yesterday. I’m feeling hesitant to report now as I know others aren’t discarding as much right now. Be assured though, it has taken me months to get my body to the point where it is prepared to discard and not wanting to hold onto every last scrap of fat. So I understand the frustration of seeing others shed weight quickly when your body isn’t co-operating quite as well for some reason. I know it is also largely water weight as it isn’t possible to lose this much fat in a week. I am now down in the 93’s – 93.9kg this morning. I’m finding it hard to readjust my goals for the week because I keep unexpectedly smashing them.
Today is more challenging as I’m back at work in my office. Already I’ve had to battle the 10am munchies. No real reason to eat, but I normally eat breakfast between 9:30 and 10am when I’m sat at my desk, so it is just a habit, but apparently a fairly ingrained one.
Gattina – the weight management program sounds amazing! It may be worth it for the extra support and sounds like it would fit in well with what you are already doing. I can understand wanting to go it alone so you can retain control. I tend to really rebel against people telling me what to do. I realized at one point though, that this is because I also want to maintain control of failing. I was in a bootcamp once where they were giving us weekly nutritional challenges, and I was sort of half-heartedly trying to meet them for the first couple of weeks, and in the 3rd week was ready to slack off completely. At that point our trainer decided to put up a poster in the gym with all our names on it and gave us star stickers to put up if we met our goals each week. My first reaction was that I was so angry! How dare someone do this just as I was ready to give up and now expose my failings to everyone! Luckily I found it a bit humorous how angry it made me, so I begrudgingly went along with it, and it turned out to be just what was needed to keep me on track.

I have just typed a weekend message but first wanted to congratulate articfox on fabulous results this Week. It hasn’t been easy for you…a real struggle at times and you have come a long way . I am so pleased that things are going well for you. You deserve a break !
I am sure I won’t be the only one on the thread to be thrilled for you xx

It’s the weekend !!! The Week went by really quickly …pampering Saturday has come round again 🙂 My Week has been a combination of chocolate resisting ( not always successful ,Godiva 90% should be made illegal 😉 and a couple of extended fasts which I can cope with when busy working. I do enjoy my refeeding times though ! I am not weighing …clothes feel ok so will see at the end of the month .

Oh Gattina that course sounds so disappointing. Definitely Nothing to be learned there … Give Zoe Harcombe a go. As you say , you have a couple of weeks before you make any décisions but we will always be here to support you.

KatrenaJ , so sorry you had some upsetting news but as you say many things are out of our control. I have never been very comfortable with the Maths of carb/fat/protein percentages. Others may advise you more precisely ( JGWEN ? SUNNY ? CALIFORNIA GIRL ? CARONL ? MERRY ? JENNIE10 ?) My strategy has always been to cut out the white stuff completely ( pasta, rice, bread,potatoes, grains, flour, crackers, biscuits etc), and I really mean completely… to eat nuts, seeds, eggs, avocados, olive and avocado oïl, fish,sea food poultry, tons of fermented and green veg and multiple varieties of lettuce 😉 , some cream , cheese and Greek yoghurt . I don’t really complicate things too much .Food has to be fresh and in a natural, unprocessed state…I like trying out low carb recipes but I don’t often seek out any food “substitutes ‘” as there is nothing I really miss . Fruit maybe but I have to be careful there. I have eased off the calorie counting too . I lost 9 kilos in the first 8 weeks but many months down the line I have just become more comfortable with my food choices and less focused on the numbers.

For me it was important to establish good habits in those first weeks and that set me up to keep going .
I think the key is to break the addictions and whatever marcros you decide on, it has to be sustainable. You will always hear me saying give up the carbs completely ….just allowing a few is a slippery slope and just keeps activating the cravings. This is just my experience though.

Stay positive everyone . You want to feel great in your own skin, not burdened by constant cravings and self recriminations. Wishing you all a great weekend. I will pop in and hope you have some time to post a quick message too xx

My thoughts on the week so far. A lot harder; 3pm is a bummer, and the scales are defo broken. However, the difference when I played tennis was noticeable, not so much momentum to scrub when having to change direction. My knees are thanking the diet for that. Still averaging about 800 calories (no idea what the carb/protein/fat balance is, sorry) and not judging myself when it goes a bit awry. Kept up 11000 steps day, win.
Hearing all your challenges, makes mine seem small. But believe in yourselves, don’t judge yourself too harshly and be compassionate. It’s hard, really hard, especially when the results don’t come quickly. But you are stronger than you know and when you fall off the wagon bounce right back on again without feeling like a failure. Because you are not.
Good luck for the coming week!

Hi everyone,
PhoenixBurns – those are some great NSV to focus on while the scales aren’t budging, and well done on your steps. I certainly haven’t been that great on steps this week due to the treacherous, icy conditions outside. I managed to get out with a colleague at lunch yesterday and we tromped around the local park where it was mostly snow with little ice underneath. When we started out she said we should go around twice, but the snow was deep enough that our legs were burning after just one circuit, so we left it there. Keep at it and stay consistent and I’m sure the scales will move eventually. It seems there are all sorts of reasons why our bodies can want to hang onto weight.
Gill33 – 3lbs is a great discard over your first few days. Keep at it!
As for me, I’m down another 0.5kg today, bringing me to 93.4kg. That is 3.3kg in a week, or more than 7lbs! I’m now wondering if I might be able to turn this into a full stone discard by end of next week, or if I’m going to start to stall out soon. I only have 5 days left of daily iron supplementation, and then I can move back to every other day, which will allow me to do some fasting, so hopefully that will help if I do start to stall out.

Hi Katrena,

I had a lot of weight to loose when I started, and a big change to make from a carb dominated diet. So I started out by cutting out the “big whtes” bread, pasta, pizza, sugar, chocolate, flour. All the items that are high carb. Once I got used to that then I moved over to using the fatsecret app to monitor the macros of what I was eating and tweak it to reduce carb levels.

The amount of carbs you can eat without tweaking an insulin response depends on how insulin resistant you are. For many of us who have eaten a carb rich diet all our lives its best to assume that we are IR, in which case the target is under 20g of carbs a day. Others advise starting at 50g of carbs, while advice to professional endurance athletes from dietary experts is to stay under 100g of carbs. Personally I have found experimenting with a cheap breatherlyser from Amazon (AT6000) to monitor the byproducts of fat metabolism has been the best way of working out for me my personal levels of carbs. I have been eating this way for 2 years, over that time I have consistently found that I have to be around the 20g of carbs mark to be in fat burning mode. Yes I lost weight at the start by just dropping carbs and counting calories, but that is no different to any diet which over time causes your body to reduce your metabolic rate.

There are various views from experts on the level of protein. A mid point in the different views is 0.6g per kilo of target weight .

The rest of your calories come from healthy fats.

I don’t think that it really works thinking in terms of percentages. For example to go into maintenance, you wouldn’t increase carb, protein and fat intake, you would simply increase the number of calories from fat.

Just popped by to say hello,and wanted to say KATRENAJ ..so sorry to hear of yr upsetting news..i hope things get better for all concerned v soon 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷 thinking of you x
Hugs to all,KOKO 💜

Yowser40 – Thanks for your comment. Good news is I found my wedding ring. It was in the nozzle of my asthmas inhaler which I had taken out of my purse 7 times but never noticed anything in the nozzle. After I made a police report. I was upset but I did not let it make me eat.

Can anyone tell me how many carbs I should be eating each day.

I was on diet by the letter this week and only lost two pounds. Ive lost more per week in past and past two days my sugar has been in 130-140 range despite no sugar and less than 85 carbs (some days 41 or 65 or 77)

Currently I am striving for 100 gms carbs, 22 fat and 50 protein and 40 fiberr (I never meet the fiber), I would appreciate any comments on by intake breakdown

Jgwen.
I ust saw your post. Thanks for the advice.
Ive been get 40 to 85 grams of carbs and allow myself up to 100. I’ll adjust the carb count down. Thanks agan

KatrenaJ – I’m not diabetic, but I’ve been listening and reading a lot by Jason Fung and Megan Ramos lately and I from what I understand, they do often see sugars going up a bit in the beginning because your body starts to release it from all the places it has been packing it into. I think lowering your carbs down for a while should help, because at least then you are not getting much extra from food.

I was really feeling yesterday like my metabolism was starting to slow. No energy, cold, and very tired. I went to bed at 9:30pm! Only to lie there with my stomach growling incessantly. Showed up a bit on the scales this morning too with only a 0.2kg discard. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m still very happy with that, but the other signs of slowing metabolism I find quite worrying, so starting today, I’m going to try eating to sateity and then do a couple of 24 hr fasts (OMAD) this week and see how I go. That way I can still take my daily iron supplement over the next few days, and it should set me up to start doing some 36 hour fasts next week. Only issue is that now I’m not hungry! I think I will go and start cooking something delicious to see if that wakes my appetite up.

Hi Everyone.Ive been off plan for a few days.experimenting with late breaky led to fasting bgl of 4.0 and feeling tired.so i over corrected with too much carbs.then I forgot to take my bp tablets and had dizzy spells.spent the day resting and eating everything.So tomorrow is weigh day and back on track. I hope everyone is doing well and staying motivated.

Morning All, I am getting to grips with this new way of living now, have completely cut out the bread, rice, pasta etc. and am feeling good about this new way of life. I bough the new journal at the weekend and have been diligently filing it in, and waiting for the Fast800 recipe book to land on the doormat today so I can keep it varied, I really don’t want to get in a rut! I bought an avocado, a first for me, plucking up the courage to try it. I also bought a food processor so am going to have a go at cauliflower rice and other things!

I can’t even remember the last time I didn’t have wine at the weekend or even in the week, but since last Wednesday I have not been tempted. I haven’t gone completely cold turkey though, I have had a couple of Vodka’s Friday and Saturday night but no more now until Friday, unless I am completely weened off by then!!

I have managed to dump 7lb so far, week one is over this Wednesday, it would be great to get to 10lb and be a real motivator. I am away on holiday at the end of Feb, it would be great to be able to do more activities and getting out and about if I am a couple of stone lighter, is that even possible in 6 weeks??

Hope you all have a great week, if you fell off, get back on, if you are under the whether I hope you are soon feeling much better, good luck everyone, I love reading these posts, spurs me on.

Hi everyone
Thanks as always to JGwen for her invaluable insight and research . I am sure her words will be helpful to anyone hesitating or unsure about macros. Lots of apps have been recommended too.JGwen mentions fatsecret. I liked cronometer but to be honest I am not very assiduous logging numbers as time goes on.

I had a busy Sunday helping out a friend with visa applications etc so could not get onto the forum but it’s time to set up a new weekly thread so I will do that right now !!

I hope to see you all on the new thread !
Wendy x