January progresses and so do we ……with ongoing help and support from this friendly thread.

Feel free to join us at any time and make 2020 your year xx

I hope everyone is still feeling motivated as we progress through January. If you are flagging don’t give up. Put it behind you and just keep going. Everyone progresses at different rates and with different constraints and health challenges so don’t get too hung up on expected targets and comparisons. I think concentrating on remaining low carb and satisfied with healthy food choices is the way to go to give yourself the best chance of sustaining this way of eating.

Let us know how you are doing xxx

I’m in! Nearly the first week done, no real wobbles accept vodka a the weekend but not beating myself up about it after drinking 2 bottles of wine a night for goodness knows how long, will try harder not to have a drink next weekend, its a hard habit to break after a long day at work. But habits can be broken I am sure.

I have not been tempted with any potato’s, pasta, bread etc. I have just really enjoyed the freshness and flavour of new things! My Fast800 recipe book has arrived today so looking forward to even more idea’s in the coming weeks. I bought the journal too so am diligently filling that in and finding it very helpful.

Good luck everyone and thanks for the motivation. Weigh day got me is Wednesday, 8lbs down this morning so fingers crossed for a stonking good week!

Crikey Gill..you should be proud of yourself ..you are doing brilliantly. New habits will get established in time as you keep going. Yes..freshness and flavour is great after the years of stodge. You will have great energy too.
I found filling in my daily journal was really useful for me even though it is looking a bit battered these days 😉.
Keep going and all the very best to you Gill xx

Impressive result Gill and thanks for both starting us off for another week Wendy and for the encouraging words. I too am in for another week and still feeling quite positive.

As you know, birthday indulgence rather stymied things last week, but can report today that I have seen off that blip upwards plus a little bit, to be 0.8lb less than last Monday.

Still have to shift 5.2lb to return to target weight, but confident things are going in the right direction and still enjoying feeling in control.

Hope we’ll see all the other weekly threaders joining us again, have been enjoying the activity on the weekly threads this year.

I agree with Wendy, very nice work, Gill!
I am in as well. I just completed my first 24 hour fast. Amazing how much not eating anything helped calm down the extreme hunger I have been feeling. I was well into ketosis too judging by the metallic taste in my mouth. I was only down 0.1kg this morning, but it is still going in the right direction, and I had a NSV as well. A pair of my work trousers that were getting slightly uncomfortable to sit in at the beginning of the month now fit me perfectly. I haven’t really noticed any appreciable loss of inches up to this point, so perhaps my body is starting to catch up. I’m at 93.1kg as of this morning and it would be fantastic to blast through the 92’s this week. I’ll calculate up my weekly average tomorrow. I think averaging weight is going to be even more important as I move into an IF routine as I will be experiencing weight fluctuations for sure.

Ok. A weekend of normal eating has reset my digestive system so I’m back on it – skipped supper and did my next c25k run, and I should be ok to skip breakfast too.

I think I’m going to focus on drinking more. I will miss my fizzy vitamin b (had them again over the weekend) and I probably don’t drink as much as 2l a day.

Count me in too!
I agree with you Wendy in keeping carbs low and making healthy food choices that ensure sustainability. That’s my motto for this week.
Gill, you’re doing great. Keep up the good work.
And well done Sunny on managing to still lose weight despite your birthday celebrations

I’m going to try to post this week too, I’m slack about posting though I love to read everyone else’s!
I lost 24kg in 2017, for those who don’t know me, kept it off all 2018 but have had drift and complacency over the past year and am now 6kg more than target. I’ve been back to weighing and recording since 2/1 and as a long time slow loser I am happy with my 2kg loss to date. I would have been happier with the 3kg loss it was yesterday but scales bounced upward today, shame!
I’ll be happy if I can remain in ketosis and see any downward change in either weight or measurements over the week coming.

Morning everyone. Well, hangry Phoenix has arrived and my family is not best pleased, yesterday my ‘support network’ had a pointed word or two about this. So i got the bike and rollers out and smashed a 30 HIIT session. The endorphins masked the hanger. This morning I’m back to my normal self. I will be getting the bike out more often methinks.

NSV: I need to get my drill out to open a new hole in my belt! Sweet.
SV: Currently lost 45% of my targeted weight loss, which is nice.
Intake: Currently averaging about 860 calories a day and 3 litres of water.
Soundtrack: “Not Giving in” by Rudimental.

My short term goal: Family wedding on the 29th Feb and as a reward I will get a nice new suit/shirt/tie/shoes. If I have met my target by then this should also help keep me in check in the longer term as if it starts to get too tight I know will have to go through this again!

Keep going everyone!

Hi all, and thanks Wendleg for starting the thread again. I feel there are some soulmates here – ClarinetCathy, ScottishGal, Mariet and Sunny amongst others. We know this works, and need to stop the sliding! Hope I am not presuming too much.

Last week I discarded 1.3 kilos – would have been more if I hadn’t had a stupid wobble yesterday. Still hoping to be back at my healthy weight by end Jan – though that is a bit ambitious. Keep On Keeping On!

Ooh I love seeing familiar names too,caronl ! We are Always Stronger Together !

SCOTTISHGAL !!! There you are ! Lovely to see you here. I am with you on the lure of dark chocolate …but at least you are not scoffing Galaxy any more ! You know your objective is to manage your Type 2 and keep your bg levels stable and you can do it because you have in the past. I reckon the solution is not to but the choc SG . I have cleared the shelf of a favourite brand I found here and it hasn’t been restocked so that’ s it. I have to break the habit of thinking coffee equals choc . You are still young SG and have many many years of good health to look forward to xx You don’t want to jeopardize that.

Sounds like you are doing great Phoenixburns. I never experienced the hangry episodes but I understand it eases as you progress. You sound very determined and motivated.You will be looking great at the upcoming family wedding !
All the best for this week Paw71
Really pleased that things are going well for you articfox . Hope you have another great week. You too Gill !!
Just want to shout out to everyone . Let’s keep our motivation solid. We are inching towards the end of January but we are making changes which will impact the rest of our lives xxx Just keep going. You will see massive improvements in your health, energy and self esteem and it really is worth the effort.

Hi Everyone. Im struggling on disorganised and eating mindlessly.Im in the middle of a mega clean of my house in preparation for chinese new year and trying to correct my bp and bgl.Im not giving up but it will probably be next week before Im back into a routine.I have a lot of eating events to get through.I think its more challenging than christmas.I wiĺl take it one meal at a time and try not to get too stressed.I hope everyone is progressing well.

Moring All, first full week completed, I have lost 8lb in total, nothing in the last 2 days but still pleased with 8lb, if it was a SW diet I was following I would have been chuffed to pieces, so I am!
I worked a second shift yesterday, so on the go for 16.5 hours, second job was cooking pizza, I felt very smug with my stir fry and steak I had prepared instead of having pizza and chicken wings, also I normally would get home 10:15pm at night and unwind with a bottle of wine, instead I had a pint of water and went to bed!
Going into week 2 now just as positive as week one, I read a post on a different thread from Denise Susan ‘This is for life not just for this New Year’ I liked that! Thanks for the support of this group, finding it a great source of support, good luck to each one of you, stick with it and don’t beat yourself up about it just get back on the bus, last stop Success Station! DING DING!

Mornings, still doing fast 800 16:8. I weighed myself this morning and I’ve ‘only’ lost 3 1/2lbs this week, but it means I’ve lost 8lbs in the 2 weeks since I started and I’m happy with that!
Had one tea-time when I cooked chips for others and couldn’t resist eating some myself, still counted under a thousand that day, though, so don’t think I did too bad….
Feeling a bit low this morning and having to resist a nice hot chocolate, lemon tea doesn’t really hit the spot at times like this. I will resist, I will resist, I will resist……….

mumofStig, hope you manage to resist, 8lbs is fantastic motivation so stick to it! We all want a fast fix and 8lbs in two weeks is certainly a lot faster than WW or SW results I have ever had.
I wish motivation was available in bottles so I could store some for a little later down the line if it starts to waiver, not that I am at the moment!
Best of luck.

Thnx for the support Gill33UK, yes, I managed to resist the hot choc, and now it’s after 11am I’ve just had a cup of tea with a splash of milk and a Stevia tab so feeling much better now 🙂

Hello everyone!

I’m still here, sticking to 800 and 16:8. This is my 3rd week! I popped in a couple of times last week to read your posts on the weekly thread. Thank you all for sharing and keep up your good work!

Thanks Wendy, it’s good to be back.
I’m actually enjoying eating “normally” again after all the junk I ate over Christmas and New Year.
This is now my third day without ANY chocolate. And I’m not missing it……….yet.
Also, my bg is finally back in control too (it was continually high over Christmas)

Great determination and focus here, it so good to see everyone so enthusiastic! I’m quietly confident that things are consistently rolling in the right direction, just hope that continues to be the case when it comes to my next weekly weigh-in.
Rarely eat anything before 2.30pm, making it a approx a 18:6 split these days and then it will just be a little yogurt with berries, nuts etc or a small salad. Like you ScottishGal, I’m so enjoying being in control again!
Keep on keeping on folks.

Did someone mention Galaxy. Oh my, my ears perked up at that! Tee hee.
Always a temptation for me but thankfully I have managed to keep to a snack free week and avoided most, but not all, carb danger zones resulting in a 4lb loss. Phew.
This week, I have promised my body that I will be kinder to it, by drinking more water and reducing carbs to 20-50g (which I know works for me).
Happy healthy eating everyone. X

MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION MOTIVATION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gill 33Uk wrote “I wish motivation was available in bottles so I could store some for a little later down the line if it starts to waiver, not that I am at the moment! ”

Hi Gill ! Motivation is such a big deal. It’s key. Nobody can do this for us, it’s down to us and basically if we want it enough we will succeed.
I have constantly read of struggles with motivation, giving in to temptation , feeling bad , overeating as a consequence etc , and the infernal cycle goes on….
I read this recently too (from ditchthecarbs.com)

“If you truly want something, you’ll find a way.
If you don’t , you’ll find an excuse ”

It’s tough talking but it’s true. We have got to want to be healthier, free of cravings and addictions more than we want those snacks and other foods that make us feel c**p.
I always remember JGwen talking about finding your WHY. We don’t all have the same WHY ….it could be avoiding or reversing diabetes, discarding weight to feel and look better for a special occasion, for life !! , helping with inflammatory issues, ending the infernal binges and cravings ?
Objectives can differ but we have to keep that WHY in mind at all times and not allow ourselves to make excuses because that diminishes our motivation and just means that ultimately we will give up.

I don’t want anyone to give up. I feel passionately about the long term benefits of this way of eating. It’s not a quick fix. It needs commitment, determination and belief.What is important is to stay the course and never waver from your WHY.
Here’s an idea ………….
Come and tell us your WHY on here , then write it down and keep it visible at all times . Refer to it whenever you feel a bit fragile and tempted.
I will record everything, copy and paste it and save it and keep reminding you !

My WHY is to be healthy in retirement, so I can have a good, long life with my hubby and happily run after any grandkiddies that arrive. … You know I started in September 2018 . I had a moment when I feared I would run out of time to sort out myself out. Too many false starts, I had had enough so I knuckled down…that was a pretty powerful WHY.

There have been some brilliant results on the thread ! Be proud, very proud !!! 😉 There will also be some moments when things feel a bit flat and less exciting. There will be times when progress slows a bit, when a weekend binge feels irresistible because ‘ you deserve it’ . We have to learn to manage those danger times and stay focused. You can get through those tricky moments by thinking long term. Breaking long established habits is not going to happen overnight. Give it time and keep focused on your reasons for doing this.

I have seen people posting time and time again and then disappearing and I don’t want that to be the pattern on our thread. Please keep posting, stay with us , voice your fears and victories and keep your eye on the prize.

I don’t know how this post will be received but I honestly don’t think I can help unless I speak honestly and directly. I want you all to feel great and free from the demons.xxx

WOW Wendy, that was a truly inspirational post!!!

Even those of us that have been here for a very long time stray occasionally and need reminding that falling into old patterns will ultimately result in a return to old problems.

My ‘why’ for being here and staying with this way of life, is to be healthy and the best I can be. (And I can’t afford another new wardrobe of clothes!)

Fantastic! Another great post from Wendy!
Really struck a chord with me…….in fact it felt like I was reading about myself, it’s all so very true.
Thank you once again Wendy. You really are great at explaining things and making me see things from a different angle…..I’m always using excuses.
My long term WHY is to keep my diabetes under control and not have to increase meds or eventually go onto insulin.
My short term WHY is to lose weight for my holiday abroad on 1st May. It will be my first sunshine holiday in years and I would love to feel confident in a swimsuit (a bikini is a definite no lol) rather than hiding under loose clothing.

Yes, we all need a peptalk sometimes, don’t we?
I’m just hoping people aren’t too judgemental if someone falls off the wagon from time to time, as nobody can walk in someone else’s shoes and know what they are coping with. As long as we get back to the diet, we’ll still be winning won’t we? It’ll maybe take longer than it could, but as long as we’re getting there – that’s what counts isn’t it?
My WHY – I have a degenerative spine and hope losing weight will help me to cut down on painkillers, and that the fasting hours can ease some of the inflammation, so I can walk easier.

Wendy is great! Personally, i’m not so much wobbling on the long term “Why?” but “the keeping my eye on the prize” bit,because I’m not sure what prize I’m after. I set a quite random “six turkeys” target in Jan 2019; I’ve discarded 4 of those (ie 16kgs) , and gone from size 18 to size 12 in the same M&S jeans. My knees and hips no longer ache. Crumpets and big bowls of pasta hold no appeal. I still have a “sporran”. I still like some red wine. My BMI is still “overweight”, but no longer “obese”. There has been discussion here of the Prof Taylor regime – he also says no one should exceed the weight they were at 21 – I’d need to add several more turkeys to get back to that…So, do I just keep to where I am, much better than 12 mths ago, or do I still aspire to the size 10 jeans?

Hi everyone,
I have had a couple of busy and stressful days, but I have stayed on track. As predicted my weight popped back up by more than 1kg from a couple of higher calorie days. Amazingly, I feel smaller though finally. I fit very comfortably into my best trousers today and they do not have any stretch. I could not do that before Christmas.
I was planning on eating breakfast and lunch today and then starting another 24 hour fast, but lunch simply didn’t happen, so I am now already in the middle of the fast. I am managing clean fasting quite well. Just salt and water and the odd cup of tea.
I have a couple of WHY’s. I really do want to get back to looking good like I did when I was in bootcamp. I just don’t want to get there again through extreme exercise and daily calorie restriction. It was just plain hard and probably dropped my metabolism to the point where I now put on weight at the drop of a hat.
I also would like to get back down below 75kg so I can participate in a therapeutic riding program, and that will also allow me to ride smaller horses again. As I get older, riding the big, strong horses gets more challenging, and 17hh or 18hh or even 18.3hh (biggest horse I’ve ever ridden) is such a long way off the ground. It would be nice to be a bit safer and be closer to the ground in case of a fall/bailout.
I’m going to dig out my next pair of goal trousers this evening and use that as motivation to keep going and not slack off.

Thank you Wendy! And great WHY responses from everyone 💃💃 And yes mumofstig – we all fall off – so just jump back on 😃 No judgements here.
My WHY is a bit like yours Wendy – to have a healthy retirement. I see friends who have health issues, and I know that could be my future too – but want to stay lively and active for as long as I can! I do have less inflammation when I am keeping my carbs low and if I am in keto I do feel less sluggish. Thanks for the Pep Talk Wendy 🐶

No judgement here Mumofstig. We are here to support and encourage, share experience and knowledge, not to judge or critisis.

All of us are human and most of us transgress at some point and it’s then that this community is so important. It’s then that we need this safe place so that we can be honest about the errors and where we go next.

So, please don’t ever be fearful of being open about any slips or trips, because here you’ll definitely be offered a hand back up.

Thanks Wendleg, thats a great post on the importance of WHY,
My why is the same as Articfox, having a horse that you need a step ladder to get back on if you get off to do a gate is no fun. – I
may have solved the problem at home (15hh Shire x TB) but I want to get down so that I can go on some of the better riding holidays where they set weight limits.

I completely understand the point you are at 6turkeys. My initial target was to get down to the weight I was traditionally at as an adult so I could get back to enjoying life. Even the simple benefits that its easier to do so many things if you are not physically limited by the size of the spare tyre are positives.. – Having achieved that I felt a need to maintain for a while. so I am just coming out of spending a few months maintaining that body shape and not being proactively trying to loose weight / counting calories I think I just needed to have a period enjoying an active life during which time I pondered if I wanted to do more and if so what my WHY would be during which time I l learnt more about my own mental issues with food and body shape and worked on plans for the next couple of decades.

One thing from my experience that I wanted to share with those who have a lot of weight to discard is the importance of celebrating mini goals. If you focus too much on the total weight loss / new size you want to achieve it can seem like a very big hill to climb. But if you focus on celebrating steps along the way, it gets easier. For example, I needed to replace my car, so I promised myself when I had discarded 3 stone I would get myself a car I felt proud off. – Which meant as I approached that milestone I had the incentive from researching options, and once past that milestone each time I got into that car I had a reminder of my achievement, which helped me keep on going heading for the next milestone.

I do have my next what and why. I have reached the point where if I continue to want to change shape I need to partner it with autophagy to prevent loose skin whcih means regular 36 to 42 hour fasts. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go that far, I am not into looking at myself in mirrors or being too concerned with looks, it seemed foolish as a middle aged woman to want to have a “beach ready body.”. But I have changed my mind. Its not forever, just as long as it takes to heal my Insulin Resistance, and hopefully it will lead to a longer and better quality of life.

Great post Wendy!
I wonder if I might just add that your ‘WHY’ is your own and yours only ! Please don’t be carried away by how others are doing just keep remembering your own’WHY’.
I think I have been guilty of getting carried away by other people’s progress in the past and have felt wanting or even a failure. When I look back my WHY was to reverse my T2 and be drug free. I did that within six months but then set myself targets that didn’t really fit into my lifestyle, had periods when I became despondent when I wasn’t reaching my unrealistic goals, and even started going backwards. But I never gave up and never will because this WOE keeps my T2 at bay.
Have your ‘WHY’, and as Wendy says, just keep your ‘WHY’ visible and never forget where you are going …. but ….. when you ‘arrive’ still keep your ‘WHY’ in the forefront of your mind and that way you won’t slip back again.

Oh I am so pleased that my post was received positively as I only ever aim to help in any way I can. I tend to be a bit ‘evangelical’ and I sometimes risk sounding slightly bossy ( I have been a teacher for nearly 40 years ..might have something to do with it !!! 😉

Most definitely NOONE judges or criticizes on this thread…as SunnyB has confirmed. Have no fear MumofStig, you are safe here and I so hope this way of eating will give you relief from the pain and inflammation you are suffering.
I would like to think there is no pressure to compare progress with others either. And definitely , V…our WHYS are personal to ourselves and it isn’t helpful to measure ourselves against others. It’s not a competition. Our goals are ours alone .
Celebrating your mini goals is really important as JGwen says and those little victories can be tremendously motivating . Also… even if you think nothing is happening, noone is noticing your diminishing size, there will come a moment when it all slots into place, where all of a sudden you look different, most obviously leaner with clothes fitting better. Just remember it takes time and that varies for all of us.
I used the excuse for years that as a menopausal woman , weight gain was inevitable and would take a mammouth effort to shift. In fact it probably could never be shifted . That way it wasn’t my fault .….Little did I know it was the carbs and a completely diiferent set of hormones that were keeping me fat.!
I am never going back to those days. I would never risk undoing the hard work of the last year or so. In time my attitude to food underwent a profound change and I believe that is what will make this sustainable for me. It’s about seeing foods as good for me and totally rejecting sugar as a treat.

I am going to say something which might be perceived as ‘tough talking ‘ again but I have another solid belief that it is easier to resist temptation ( certainly from toxic sugar) than to manage the fallout from an excess of carb-loaded foods which ultimately do you no good. I kept reading and reading and just became convinced that food is for nourishment , less for comfort

It ‘s lovely seeing you all popping in and I really hope that we can continue to support each other and share what has worked for us. My way isn’t the only way and I respect we each have to find out what works best for us .
Let’s just stay focused and believe we can get where we want to be xx

JGwen,thank you. Your post did make me reflect. My “prize” will be to trim down my middle a bit. Which will be more down to exercise than anything. You do always surprise me; the what I thought was a “little smallholding” turned out to be 60 acres and now you tell us about your thoroughbred cross horse which you ride across said acres…How are your naughty goats and your lovely dogs?

Hi everyone,
I finished my second fast of the week at 26 hours today. It was amazing because at that point I started to feel like I could just keep going, but I chose to break the fast, partly because it was lunch time and I knew that I wouldn’t get a chance to eat all afternoon. Even though I probably could have made it all the way to dinner without eating, I didn’t want to risk it. I was in meetings all afternoon and sometimes I don’t drink enough when that is the case, so I didn’t want to get dehydrated. But I’m very happy about 26 hours as that is the longest I have done in a while. I can always try again on the weekend and see if I can go a bit longer. I am finding I am being quite productive at work these days. Fasting makes me go to bed a bit earlier than I would otherwise, so I seem to be more rested, and maybe getting some of the clarity in the mind that happens. My weight was up again just a little this morning, but I put that down to transit issues. Here’s hoping that results will start showing up on the scales again soon. In the meantime, I’m enjoying feeling comfortable in my clothes and an overall feeling of wellness and strength.

Why for me is very complex. I had become an eating machine without an off switch, i didn’t like the way looked, i had become demotivated at work, my long term knee problems struggled with my weight and i had become disengaged from life to an extent. I am aware that losing weight will not solve all my problems but it acted as both a barrier and an excuse for not taking control. It has only been 2 1/2 weeks but already, taking back control of my eating is positively impacting other areas of my life. I know I can keep going for the 8 weeks I’m on this, wherever it takes me, the looming worry for me is what happens at the end when I don’t have complete control. I have a plan, to move to a 6:1 fasting week and track my calories to either keep the same weight, if I meet my target, or reduce slowly if i have not. But after February other variables creep into my life so it will not be easy. But I will keep trying!
So back to my comforting mug of hot water, spreadsheet full of weight data (I’m a nerd) and Tidy Friday office clear-up.
Koko everyone!

Hi Phoenix, sounds like you have made an excellent start and glad that you are finding positive impacts in various areas of your life. Good to know you have a view of how you will maintain after the 8 week period. Really, as long as you keep an eye on the carbs as well as the calories from here on in, there shouldn’t be any problem once your 8 weeks expires. Sounds like February may be challenging for you, but as long as you do your best to follow the BSD principles you should be okay, but be gentle with yourself. I too keep a spreadsheet to track my cals, carbs, discards, measurements, BMI etc., its nice to be able to look back and see the progress made.
Have a good w/e, whatever you’re doing.

Just popping in to say Have a Great Weekend everyone . Today is Pampering Saturday for me 😉 I will be back later to see how you are doing.
Come and say hi if you can xx

Hi everyone,
I broke my 3rd fast of the week at 38.5 hours today. I wasn’t hungry and felt like I could go on, but need to still ensure I’m taking in enough nutrition and I don’t want to get into extended fasting at this point. I think this schedule may work well for me, doing 2 24 hour fasts during the week so I’m able to eat lunch most days, and then a longer fast on a Friday or Saturday when I don’t need to worry about biting people’s heads off. Not that I felt like doing that this week due to the fasting. I’ve actually felt quite good and hunger has become less with each successive fast. I even managed to go food shopping yesterday in the middle of a complete non-eating day and I was totally fine. Not at all tempted by the wide array of ‘healthy’ crisps they had on display, just purchased my green onions, avocados and greens and a bit of nice cheese.
I’m holding steady with my weight at the moment, but I think I am still seeing some results in my shape. I’m fitting into a couple of pairs of very stretchy size 18 slacks that I haven’t worn in ages. They still fit quite snugly, so won’t be wearing them in public until another inch or two is gone, but I couldn’t even really do them up before, so it is progress. Being smaller fits in with my goals of fitting into clothes and being more comfortable in an airplane seat, but I will need to see some appreciable weight loss as well if I am to get into the riding program I want. Hopefully the weight loss will resume in short order.
Eating to sateity on my eating days is only resulting in about 1500 calories, so I’m thinking that my metabolism has been quite damaged over the years of calorie restriction. According to the TDEE calculators I should be able to consume close to 2200 calories per day to maintain my weight, and this week with all the fasting, I’ve averaged less than 1/2 that and haven’t lost anything. But I understand that it can take time for the body to adjust to IF to the point where discard starts to happen, so trying to be patient.
I got caught up with my yoga sessions yesterday and today. I definitely needed the stretching. One of my colleagues at work was being really stupid this week and her manager didn’t want to confront her, so he supported her over me and started to suggest that if I didn’t like what she was doing, I could take on her work as well as mine as a solution. So I had some stress to work through as well. Perhaps that could have been preventing me from losing weight. I certainly had one afternoon where I normally would have run to the supermarket for a sugar fix, and I didn’t do that, but I ate some salad leftover from lunch as an afternoon snack even though I was not hungry.

Just finished my first week on the FAST 800. Have lost 2 kgs and am feeling a little weak and tired to be honest. I may need to cut back on my gym time, as I suspect that 800 cals is not enough for exercise and energy for same. I have also had some disturbed sleep. I will visit my doctor next week, as I am a Type 2 diabetic on non insulin medications. I sometimes am feeling light headed and sweaty. I suspect this will pass as my body adjusts to the new food intake. However, maybe I need some of these meds adjusted as well.

Week one nearly completed. Had to come off gliclazide on Day One because I had a hypo so, after eating lots of biscuits, I started again the next day. On Day 7, with no diabetes meds at all, my blood sugar is at 7.0 this morning. Weight down around six lbs. I have been diagnosed with diabetes for 20 years, with lots of complications. The weight loss is great, but it’s the blood sugars I am ecstatic about! I am amazed!

Capricornia – congratulations on your fantastic results so far! That sounds promising for possibly reversing your diabetes.
zeitgeist – yes, probably best that you will be checking in with your doctor. I’m not diabetic, so not very familiar with the effects of the medications, but sounds like maybe they might need an adjustment. Insulin and blood sugar levels can fall quite quickly on this plan. I’ve just finished up my second week and I’m trying to black out when I stand up too quickly. Luckily I think I know what it is. I had hypotension and postural hypotension for most of my life, but as I put weight on over the past 7 years it went away as my blood pressure increased to most people’s normal range. This may be a sign that it has only taken 2 weeks for my blood pressure to come back down to my ‘normal’. I’m going to stop by the pharmacy later to get a check on it.

I had a small scale victory today and finally can register a discard for the week. As of this morning I am 92.9kg, so officially in the 92’s, and that is after an eating day, not a fast day! I was hoping to get into the 91’s this week, but given that my body has been going through a bit of an adjustment, I will happily take the 0.2kg discard. I only have 0.7 to discard off my BMI to get into the overweight category instead of obese, so I think that will be my next goal.

What a great thread.

I started the 800 BSD on 4th Jan. For me it wasn’t about diabetes but to get my Blood Pressure down. GP was threatening to medicate and recommended this diet.

Within 5 days my BP was back to acceptable levels.

I’m 6’3″. Was 17.5 stone. People telling my I’m not fat but a large frame like mine can hide a fair bit of excess timber, and probably part TOFI as well.

So I’m Week 4 day 3. Still feeling very motivated. Not had a drink since 3rd Jan. Every weekend I say I’ll treat myself to a glass of red or whisky but not felt like it yet. Last night was quiz night at the local. I went and nursed some soda water with a lemon slice much to the chagrin of my friends and neighbours.

So right now I’m down to 16 stone. BP is still coming down. I enjoy the food the preparation and planning which is what keeps me motivated. I’ve stuck to the recipes in the books so far but haven’t had a single meal we haven’t enjoyed. I enjoy cooking and the prep. I love the fact the chopping board comes out every day to make something nice.

I think I’m getting close to my target. My plans is keep going on the 800 for 6 weeks total. Then I’m off on holiday (skiing) and already planning how to make the right choices in the land of Cheese, Bread and Potatoes! It won’t be easy and I’m sure I’ll head off plan a bit but I’m trying to plan to minimise the collateral!

I’ve had a couple of hungry moments but so far fended them off with a little snack of the seedy crackers from the recipe book or a small handful of walnuts/almonds/hazelnuts.

I think the lowest part for me was after 2 weeks felt very tired and week. I started taking an iron supplement and focussed on getting my 60g of protein a day. Feeling a lot better at end of wk3. I’m a keen cyclist and a 2 hour ride on Sat my legs nearly felt them their old selves.

Hopefully this will help motivate some people. Apologies for the long post.

Hi all – I hope everyone is well. I’ve been AWOL for this week but have caught up on all the posts and I’m loving the positivity that’s coming through.
Wendleg – you are my guru – I love your post – please keep them coming. It’s great to have that kind of motivation.
My WHY is essentially to reverse my diabetes. I’m single with no children so as I approach my old age I have to stay healthy to look after myself. I cared for my father for 8 years, he had all the cardiovascular problems – vascular dementia, circulatory problems, diabetes, heart disease… In his later years he was completely dependent on me which was exhausting but if I hadn’t been there fighting for his rights he would have had a very sad life. There won’t be anybody fighting for me so I need to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can.

I was suffering from a bad cold last week – still fighting a sore throat – so I spent most of it on the sofa with a blanket. I weighed myself this morning and I’m down 3.5 lbs since my last weigh-in. That’s a total of 8lbs lost this year – but an overall loss of just over 2 stone from this time last year. Bg still all over the place – I have my check up with the diabetes clinic this week so will see my hba1c results which is more telling than the daily tests.
All the best everyone
x

I’m running a bit late today ! Just to say I am about to set up the new weekly thread so pop over there and keep posting folks !!!