So changing things up a bit folks as it’s half term and I am away for a Week from the 9th to the 16th Feb. So I hope you are happy with a 2 Week stretch so we can carry on supporting each other. I will be checking in as often as I can while seeking out some lovely fish dishes in Valencia. Definitely not paella ! 😉

Please if anyone would like to take over hosting please do not hesitate . All offers gratefully received ! Keep posting anyway because we need each other !!
Scottishgal….I will be watching you 😉 😉

Hi WENDY thanks for the thread,and hello all! X
I am no longer weighing myself or my food! Trying to trust myself more and be obsessed less with scales.
Have a good fortnight folks! Onwards and downwards. We can make it happen
And WENDY have a fab time with those Valencian dishes 😋😋😋XXX
“When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody notices, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps.”
― John Lennon
.¸¸🐝*•.¸🌼¸¸.•*¨🦋¨*•.¸¸💞¸.•*•¸🌿.•*¨¨*•💞 🐝*•.¸🌼¸¸.•*¨🦋¨*•

Hi Yowzer ! Good to see you ! I understand the Numbers can make us a bit obsessive . I have never been a daily weigher…sometimes I can go for a few weeks so I get it. I don’t weigh food religiously any more as I can trust myself with most things . Not Greek yoghurt though unfortunately, especially when hubby brings home the big 1 kg tub. Not easy to stick to a moderate portion ! So my strategy is just not to have any this Week !
We have an Airbnb in Valencia so we don’t need to go out for meals all the time. I will be happy as soon as I find the Central Market and we can stock up on greens and fresh fish. Rick Stein reckons Valencia’s market is the best food market in the world ! We shall see !!

Wishing you a great Week Yowzer and I wll be checking in as often as I can from Sunday xx

Thanks for kicking us off again, Wendy, I’m in again as there is still work to be done. Result from last week was disappointingly a 0.4lb gain. However, given that I was off piste over the w/e, that’s a modest blip. Back to it properly now and will hopefully be able to report something better next Monday.

If it will help, I’m happy to share the hosting while you’re away enjoying Valencia. It’s important you have some tech free time with your man, Wendy and make the most of your vacation. Hope we’ll be seeing everyone on the thread again, as it’s been wonderful seeing the lively input from both old and new posters on the weekly thread. And if you’ve not posted before, hopefully you will choose to now.

Yowser, loved that quote from John Lennon. I read this today and thought it deserved sharing too …..
“Just for today, be free and happy.
Just for today, have joy.
Just for today, you are taken care of.
Live consciously in the moment.
Count your blessings with gratitude.
Honour your parents, teachers and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Show gratitude to all living things.”
This is the modern version of the Reiki Principles.

Hi Wendy (my mum’s name is Wendy, named after Wendy from Peter Pan 🙂 ).
Thank you for this thread and your ongoing and warm support. I’m hoping this thread will show some positive progress for everyone! I had a good day yesterday, ate well and went to Pilates. My aim is to do three classes per week – either there or at my normal gym, which I’m paying for anyway. I’ve finally weighed myself, I was so nervous. I’ve put on 5.3kgs since my best in October – when I was not so far away from my goal. So I need to get rid of that 5.3kgs and then go for the rest. Your holiday sounds amazing – I’d love to go there! I had a hamam for the first time for my birthday last November, it was amazing!
take care all
H

WENDY I’m same as youwhen it comes to greek yoggy..i could go into a trance and eat the lot. Its just so yummy! X
SUNNY,Havent seen the reiki principles before,tho ive had reiki many times! That was so beautiful to read,and so true!
We should all take those words to heart xx 💓💓
Hi HEIDING, GOOD LUCK with the Pilates!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Remember what Nelson Mandela said, “ Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” xx

Hi, I’m a newbie to posting but have been a serial lurker for a few years. I’m now determined to get my weight and eating permanently sorted and not to continually sabotage myself. These threads, this one in particular, have been amazing in keeping me steady. I’m around 14kg down from my heaviest recorded weight with ideally 8-10Kg to go. I decided to jump in at last, as yesterday I had a bit of a revelation. I followed a link from a link…….and this revealed that my micro vascular angina (MVA) and insulin resistance are linked. It was a huge wake up moment to realise that the MVA I have lived with (quite well) for 10 years and basically been told is nothing to worry about, is actually something which needs to be taken seriously. It’s actually a disease! Following readings in several medical journals I am starting to realise that by really getting my insulin whipped into shape I will be fending of more than T2. Has anyone else out there got any experience of Microvascular Disease?
I’d just like to say thanks to you all for your unknowing support over the years and I so hope that this new information is the final push I need to keep myself eating low carb forever. Carbs for me appear to be poison! kim

Hi all, checking in for the new week/fortnight.

Wendleg, alas yesterday’s planned fast didn’t work as I bought a waffle maker and simply had to test it when I got home… as you do… oh my stars, chaffles are amazing, how have I not discovered them before now?!

But yes, that put paid to my fasting plan.

However, today is another day so I’m trying again. I guess if I keep trying I’ll get there eventually 🙂

And I did have a bit of good news yesterday – was at the doctor and she took my blood pressure, it was 105/70. I nearly dropped! I’m lucky in that despite being very fat I’ve never had high blood pressure or high blood sugar, but all the same that reading is substantially lower than I used to see. No doubt the effect of weight loss, increased activity (mostly just incidental activity, which is easier than it used to be) and this WOE. So that was pleasing – even if it didn’t inspire me to skip the chaffles yesterday evening LOL

Arcticfox, hope your fast did the trick for you in terms of losing water. May we both have a better week this week!!

Red-Riding, welcome! You’ve done great so far, you must be so pleased. I’m like Wendleg, I mostly do OMAD for several days a week. For me it’s usually Monday to Friday, though I try to break that up with at least one fast (which I’m struggling with just now).

Gattina that’s a great result for you too! Glad that the sneaky bar of chocolate hasn’t derailed you, how rude of it just to jump at you like that 😉

Hi Kimeliz, welcome out from the lurking shadows! Sounds like you’ve done really well too. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about MVA but there are lots of very experienced people on here so hopefully someone will have useful information on it. I don’t think you’re alone in finding carbs to be poison, I think many of us here are in that camp. Good luck for your final push!

Hello to everyone else too, hope we all have a good week/fortnight.

Cheers, Elky

Thanks Wendy, you know me well.
Hope you have a great time in Valencia but when the cat’s away………lol, only teasing. I promise to be on my best behaviour.
In the last 2 weeks I’ve managed to lose 5lb. I’ve always been a slow loser so I’m happy with that result.
Well done to everyone else on their results and here’s hoping for another good week.

Hi everyone.glad to see everyone motivated for another week.I have something similar to micro vascular disease.I didnt know tiil I had a mild stroke last year the CT scan showed that I had multiple chronic small vessel infarcts.I had no sypmtoms so they said it happens in my sleep.it seems that ignoring high Bp and high cholesterol is not a good idea.Luckily I feel fine and Im 95% my old self.So I recomend regular check ups listen to doctors but do your own research and understand your own body. I had a cheat day on sunday a birthday party where I ate everything.Im back on track now.I went to work for a few hours yestrrday 1st time since september and reallly enjoyed it .Unfortunately my ordinary computer skills have got worse so I will need help but my boss is still wanting me to work , so Im motivated to stay fit and get healthy.Have a great week everyone.

Thanks for that Butterlover and great to know you are feeling better. I’m fortunate in that I have never had high BP, quite the opposite in fact! The docs have not said much at all re the MVD, I just get repeat scripts. I noted in my research that a stroke is a real possibility with this MVD, it’s all a bit sobering! I think I’ll ask for a cardiac review, it’ll be the first since diagnosis in 2010 so perhaps due 😂. Good luck with the return to work Butterlover, I start a new job this Thursday as I recently moved interstate. I am nervous but I think we’ve got this eh!

Thanks for the warm welcome Elky, it is very much appreciated. Amazing BP results, good on you! Your post motivates me so thank you.

One day at a time! If I can do it, believe me, anyone can! Kim

Hi all!
Thanks for setting us off for 2 weeks Wendy. Hope you have a marvelous holiday. 🏰🌞
Elky – I thought of buying a waffle maker after seeing the chaffle recipe last week. Did you eat the chaffle plain, or spread something on top? They look very low carb – did the recipe make 4 chaffles? 🧇🧇
Thanks SunnyB ad Yowzer for the lovely quotes. 💛🧡

I have just posted a link to a podcast on the take a look at this thread that I think may be helpful for people. – It is an interview with the Doctor who has written the text book of processed food being an addictive substance. Its one and half hour long, but I think its worth listening to no matter what stage you are at in your journey.

Just a shout out to Duckie. Are you Ok? With the most recent fires all around Canberra I am hoping they haven’t reached where you live. 🌸🌸

W5D2
Well rolling on for another week here (less rolling these days 🙂 and I am sticking to it as much as I can. My daughter is practicing for her food GCSE exam so three lemon meringue pies were produced over the weekend as a practice…. Just tasting them and not putting my whole face in there was a challenge!
The scales are steadily showing progress with about 2kg discard per week. Which is keeping me on the straight and narrow. I am also now beginning to resemble a child in his father’s suit!
Still keeping up 11000 steps a day, and indoor cycling three times a week. Strength exercises are more problematic because as my body adjusts to less food I seem to be getting more muscle strains, but I shall persevere as and when I can.
I played tennis for the first time in a few weeks and the difference was incredible, I had much more energy and I found I could change direction much quicker and without knee pain, so the benefits are really showing!
So I will be KOKO!

Hi, in it again for the next fortnight, thanks Wendy and hope you have a great holiday. Pushing through tell 1pm today for lunch, skipped breakfast so that will be 18:6 today, lets see if it helps.
I have another dancing class tonight so that’s about 1.5 hours on the go, don’t seem to be getting up to 10000 on steps any day, really need to address that.
Weigh day tomorrow so will report in then. Good luck everyone.

Good to see so many marching along with us again. Elky and Merry, you are responsible for me buying a waffle maker on my trip to Lidl this morning! Will be giving chaffles a whirl later.
Butter, great that you have ventured back to work. You’ll soon be in the swing of it all again. Welcome Kimeliz, hope you’ll keep us posted on your progress.
Phoenix and Gill it sounds like you are both doing really well and are both getting physically active too …. putting me to shame! The rowing machine has been packed away again, as we have today moved the contents of our bedroom into the spare room, so decorating can commence in ours. Will make an effort to do some equipmentless exercise later though.

Oh that’s lovely to see so much response on the thread !

Sunny , thank you so much for your offer to host the thread while I am on holiday . I know you will do a great job looking after evryone and spurring them with your customary gentle empathy .

Heiding ! Our Mum also chose Wendy for me and Peter for my brother 😉 Fortunately she stopped there and we don’t have any Tinkerbells in the family 😉
Hope you have a great week. You are very clear about your goals and determined to achieve them so go for it !
Hi Kimeliz ! Lovely to hear that our thread has inspired you . I have never heard of MVA but you really do have a major incentive to keep your blood glucose stable and ward off diabetes. I am glad you have taken the step to join us on the thread and you will find all the support you need here .
Good luck with your new job. Look after yourself Kim xx

Elky ! Chaffles are my guilty pleasure ! I read so much about them I had to try them. I have experimented quite a bit and my combination of egg, almond flour, psyllium husk, cream cheese and baking powder usually produces a very forgiving, quite presentable chaffle !!
I have the individual DASH type wafflemaker and also an older Lidl one . I must say I find a chaffle very filling and I fully understand how they messed up your fast 😉 I think the first ‘reboot fast is a tough one as it’s a bit of a shock to the system but doing OMAD is still fasting, Elky, so you can do it.
SUNNY !!! Keep an eye on Scottishgal while I am away ! I have decided to tackle my excessive Greek yoghurt consumption…and my present choc of choice is Montezuma 100%. It really does hit the spot and unlike other very dark choc I can stop at a square (or two 😉 )
Hi Butterlover ! You have had a scary, distressing time too. That’s great that you were able to get back to work and enjoy it . Your work friends sound very supportive and even though it will take time to adjust , work will give you a structure and hopefully allow you to establish a routine of healthy eating . You need to look after yourself,too, Butterlover.
Oh Merry I sense a chaffle thread is beckoning !! There are loads of recipes online and even facebook groups but I tend to keep my chaffles simple . I don’t go for the burger bun /bacon sandwich type chaffles. I am waiting to hear how Elky makes hers and how she flavours them.
Merry, Duckie posted on the Positives thread on the 27th January. She previously told us of her very traumatic evacuation incidents and I am always staggered how she manages to find positives in times of intense distress. Elky is in Canberra too and will keep us updated .
Thanks for your continued research JGwen . I can totally believe that processed food is addictive. I will be checking out the link.
WOW PhoenixBurns, a weekly discard of 2 kilos is stupendous ! You are well on the way to that 8 week target and I hope you stay with us after that initial programme. The 29th February and the wedding celebration is approaching. Have you bought your new suit yet ? Maybe wait until closer to the date as you are likely to have shed a few more pounds ??
All the best to you Gill33Uk ! Glad you are sticking with us . I know you are anxious about (pre) diabetes but Scottishgal can allevaiate your doubts …. don’t panic.
Sunshine-girl also used to give very useful, reassuring advice about diabetes but we haven’t seen her since Christmas.Where are you SG ?
Amz ? How are you ?
Shouting out to
MumofStig ! Riccoh ! Peachcakeforme ! KatrenaJ ! Tili ! SlimmyKim !
Capricornia ! freester ! zeitgeist !

Lots of love to everyone and just keep going xxx

Aaah,have loved reading here,so interesting..plus useful to know we are allin this together! 💜💜💜
…WENDY if we are having a shout out,please may I add GREENJANET and FROG please…where are you,buddies,I miss you! X!

Cheers Wendy, I intend to hang around after the 800 calories portion of my life. I suspect reintegrating into a more calorific way of eating will be hard with many false starts.
I haven’t bought the suit, waiting until the weekend before the wedding as I keep visibly shrinking! Its a great incentive.
Enjoy your holiday!

Hi everyone, I’m in and I have set a goal of losing at least 3kg in February, with 5kg as a stretch goal. Currently sitting at 93.1kg, so all except 0.5kg of last week’s water weight has gone. Fasting again today after eating 2 good meals yesterday. I promised myself that it could only be 24hrs if I wanted, but after surviving a Chinese New Year event at work without eating anything, I think I will have no issues making it to 36hrs if I so choose. I will likely eat breakfast tomorrow instead of trying to go longer because I am in a public event later and I don’t want my stomach rumbling and picking up on the microphones! I feel like my fasting muscle really is getting stronger and getting to that nice feeling of just humming along in fat burning mode and not needing to eat a little quicker each time.
In other news, the bar of 90% Lindt has been opened, but I feel like I have really gained control over the chocolate after abstaining for a whole month. Nice to have it occasionally, but I don’t ‘need’ it now. I was having trouble even not buying it before, but now I will limit myself to buying only 1 bar per month, so once this one is gone, I will not have more until March. So that is some incentive to make it last!

That sounds like a good idea with the chocolate, articfox. I recently managed to last 10 days without any chocolate. But then once I had a bar it was a slippery slope again. I always seem to find an excuse to “need” it. Maybe I should join you in going for a whole month without……..

I’m in for another fortnight!
This will be my 5th week since restarting. I’m now in the normal BMI range, which is great! But my waist measure is still in the unhealthy range, so I’ve decided to keep going. The past days have been a bit of a struggle, but I’ve sticked to the diet… until today. Fell off the wagon at lunch-time. It could have been worse, though, and although my total calories (and carbs) for today will be a bit too high, I’ve decided to have a BSD-friendly dinner and keep going tomorrow like nothing happened 🙂

Hi everyone, just popping in to report a bit of a whoosh. I was down to 92.1kg this morning after yesterday’s fast. Will go back up a bit after today, but I still feel some progress is being made.

Articfox, that’s a very encouraging result, both on the scales and with the choc resistance. Yoir excellent control is obviously paying off.

Sunnyside, that’s exactly the attitude needed. Just keep going and the slip off the wagon probably won’t even register …. and if it does, it will be minimal and quickly dealt with.

ScottishGal, you’ll get there with resisting the siren song of the chocolate.

I confess I’ve had a couple of shaky sketchy days, but I’m refocused and back on track again today. Scales are not being friendly, but I deserve the blip upwards. Determined to see it off by the w/e though …. onwards and downwards.

Hi everyone. Just checking in. I have been following the thread but have had a mad and very long few days at work, plus an injured and needy dog to nurse and haven’t found chance to post. Being so busy has been good in one way because it has stopped me obsessing about reaching my prized target of 1 stone loss. Been stuck at 12lb total discard for ages and racing towards the end of my fourth week. I do know not to compare myself to others, but it can definitely feel frustrating when you know you are ticking all the boxes and that next mini-goal just doesn’t seem to be getting closer! The great thing is that in the past, work stress and tiredness would almost certainly have meant lots and lots of bread and sugar and chocolate because that used to feel like what I ‘needed’ to power through. Not anymore!
Thanks so much for the reassurance offered on last week’s thread about my sudden chillblains. Now I feel a bit silly for linking that to this WOE – lots of things in life are just a coincidence, but I suppose it’s natural to try to make sense of things any way we can. I am sympathising with the temptation of chocolate. There is no way I could trust myself just to have a square or two, but I was seriously tempted at Aldi the other day.
I was really buoyed up a couple of days ago when my lovely neighbour called to say she was concerned that having seen me in the distance she had noticed I looked ‘ really thin’ (big exaggeration, but I’ll take it) and thought I must have been really ill!! Of course I put her mind at rest, but it felt so good to have someone else notice the changes for the first time. I am hoping that some other people might have noticed, but are too polite to comment! I am certainly starting to look a bit of a scruff in my work clothes, or at least as if I’ve borrowed them from a considerably larger person – hooray! I’m kicking myself for chucking out all my smaller clothes last year because I thought I was kidding myself thinking I would ever wear them again.
Best wishes to everyone! You have all helped me keep going this week so far. Hope you are having a fab holiday, Wendleg.

Morning all, a day late with weighing due to running late yesterday, lost 2lb so starting W3D2 13lbs lighter! Today will go a bit astray as I am going to a funeral, followed by the Wake with my two fav sisters, we are all dieting but all like a drink and this afternoon I am going for it! Will make good food choices, so will not completely sabotage myself and back on the straight and narrow Friday.
I would love to drop a dress size before my holidays, 3 weeks today, think another 7lbs will do that. I always have to loose about 1 st 7lbs before I drop a size, things are loser so feeling positive I can do this!
Bryla, it’s always nice when someone comments about looking thinner, take it as a big win, hope everything else gets better, and the dog…I love dogs, have to Labradors we adopted through a rescue I volunteer for, so I really feel for you and your poorly pooch!
SunnyB, love the onwards and downwards quote, pinching that! lol
Wendy, thanks for the encouragement, you are ALL really lovely people. Have a great break. I am a bit rushed in the mornings, leave home at 6am so will do blood test again over the weekend when I have a bit more time, thanks for the kind words Scottishgal and for putting my mind at rest!
Have a great week everyone!

Hi all, I’m in for the next 2 weeks – thanks for setting this up Wendleg. Good idea to go for the 2 weeks while you’re away and I hope you have a lovely time in Valencia.
I made a big pot of minestrone soup yesterday to keep me going for the rest of the week. I’m not always organised enough to take the time to meal prep but when I do it makes life so much easier because there’s always something healthy and nutritious to eat. I’m now intrigued by chaffles. I had never heard of them before and now I see that they’re all over youtube 🙂 Well I don’t have a waffle maker and no plans to get one just yet, so that’s one for the future.
Today I’m off to my second waterworkout for the week – swimming leggings are just that – leggings that are made out of swimming costume material to wear when you go swimming, just a big longer than the swim shorts – mine come to my knees. I wear mine with a tankini but can be worn under a swimming costume and I feel less exposed wearing them than I do in a swimming costume.
Best of luck everyone
x

W4D4 for me and I am struggling for the first time. Not with hunger thankfully just cravings for junk, chocolate mainly. I am a huge sugar fiend and have gone completely cold turkey on all sugar since starting this WOE, not even fruit. Anyone have any advice for getting though and how to re-train my brain? Thanks

Hi Red. I had cravings for chocolate last night after dinner. I had a word with myself and decided that if i was hungry, or low on energy, i would have a square. So did a self check and realised i was just after a pleasure hit, i was completely full and had enough energy to go and get 3k steps before bedtime.

So i wasn’t denying myself (which never works for me) i was making an informed choice based on listening to my body as well as my cravings and making a choice.

First time i have tried it and the craving just went away after that. Hopefully I will learn to keep this up for the future.

Good luck

Hi Red-riding.
The “bad ” bacteria which live in your gut and depend on you eating a high sugar diet for their food / survival have the ability to send signals to your brain encouraging you to feed them. – Stick out the cravings and they will die off, so the cravings will reduce as their numbers reduce. –

Apparently its this type of bacteria that produce as a byproduct the chemical responses which can get through the gut wall into your blood stream and trigger inflammation. So just focus on how much better it will be for your body if you don’t feed them.

Red-riding, I couldn’t add anything to the advice already given, but I can sympathise completely! W4D6 for me and this last few days I have felt really hungry a few times (unlike you) for the first time since starting and had quite a few overwhelming sugar cravings. Not sure how I walked past Greggs earlier! Each time I have hung on and it has passed. Similar to PhoenixBurns I have tried to come up with a task or goal to focus on intently and by the time I have finished, the crisis has passed. I don’t know about you, but not too long ago I craved chocolate and carbs almost every waking minute, so the occasional craving reminds me that I have made massive progress already. Hang in there – I’m completely with you in spirit and we can do it!
Gill33UK – my dog is a rescue too and she is absolutely my world. If she’s not okay, I’m not okay and vice versa. Was just reading The Obesity Code and got to the bit about stress and cortisol levels. Although I have a demanding job, I’m pretty good at managing any stress there, but I lose the plot when the hound is in a bad way. I’ve slept on the sofa (not too well) with her all week, so it will be interesting to see if my stress levels and disturbed sleep might be maintaining the current plateau. We’re back to the vet tomorrow, and hoping we will get the all clear for some gentle walks, which will surely lift both of our spirits if the forecast storm doesn’t get in our way!

Hi everyone
Quick check in after a long day and trip to the garage to have 2 new tyres fitted. I always read the thread but I fell asleep on the sofa yesterday afternoon and it turned into more than a short snoozette !!

Good to read the posts and your expériences. Everyone sounds very committed, even when a few difficult days/challenges creep in.
As long as they don’t derail you long term there’s no harm done…Good attitude SunnySideUp !

Well done on that whoosh arcticfox !! Look out for yours too, Bryla.You are doing everything right so the discard will start again. It took a long time before people started noticing I was significantly smaller. Apparently like your neighbour some colleagues thought I had been ill ( but did not dare ask me !!!) Such a strange association. Others wondered if I had had bariatric surgery !!!!!
To be honest it took me a very long time to recognise that I looked different and that I needed to downsize a bit in my clothes which were still fairly loose fitting.

I hope all goes well at the vets tomorrrow and your poorly dog gets better soon Bryla.

Red-Riding, PhoenixBurn’s words about cravings are very interesting. I also believe that if you DENY yourself something , telling yourself that it is forbidden, a sin etc etc there is a part of you that will rebel and cave in . It almost makes that particular food highly desirable because it is not « allowed »
If you tell yourself that a particular food is always available and you can eat it at any time but that you CHOOSE NOT TO, then that is more likely to work ?
JGwen is absolutely spot on as usual about the bad gut bacteria which keep the cravings alive . They feed on sugar ! The cravings really do ease with time, be patient xx
Ride out those cravings Red-Riding !! You can do it ! What worked for me ( and continues to work )is just to see sugar as harmful, toxic junk)
I am so glad you are sticking with us, Gattina and you will be on the way to reversing your T2 !
You too Gill33Uk ! You also have a massive incentive to stay with us and just shout out to Scottishgal or Jennie10 if you need any more diabetes advice. I think Verano is less able to post so frequently at the moment.
I will be here for another couple of days until we jet off on Sunday 😉 Then you will be safe in SunnyB’s capable hands !
Remember Spring is coming …the days will get longer and the light and warmer days will lift the spirits….Just hang on in there everyone ! xx

Interesting Wendy, personally I absolutely HAVE to have some dark choc in the fridge, so I know if I want a little fix it’s available. Consequently I only have some after very careful consideration and it’s maybe once or twice a week at most that I have a square. We’re all different though and for some people having choc constantly present would be like a siren call proving too tempting.

Will do my best to care take the thread while you’re away, though you will certainly be missed, but hope you have a wonderful time in Valencia.

Hi Everyone.Have a great holiday Wendy. I’m halfway through my second week of taking this way of eating seriously. I had a few practice runs last year but I was not serious. 2.9k down for week one. Hoping for another 1k this week. I’m back in the gym for strength training. I’m in Sydney so walking outside was difficult because of the smoke from the fires. Now we will be having very heavy rain for the next few days. I was 95.4k when I weighed in on February 4th. Take care everyone.

ARCTICFOX! Whooshes are just the best! Well done!X
BRYLA and WENDY! When I was losing so much weight back in 2016/17,i had not long moved home,and I noticed I was getting sympathetic glances from new neighbours,who maybe felt they didnt know me well enough to comment on my weight dropping and dropping. When the truth came out,people started telling me they were relieved,they had assumed I was really unwell. Strange really,coz actually, according to blood test and bp results!,I was healthier ..and looked healthier (and younger)… than i had in years
BRYLA I hope your darling pooch is ok Totally understand your stress..we were heartbroken recently when our dear cat was ill and an inpatient at the vets,where on top of being ill,the vet said he was fretting 😢
(All ok now..)
Please keep us posted!x 🐶🐶🐶🐕🦮🐕‍🦺🐩

Hi Everyone .I also have periods of less control.This week has been very eratic I have been able to limit intake for a few days but we had two days of 40plus hot days.I went to work for a few hours and was really exhausted. So not much control when tired.I still had a couple of chinese new year outings always with food,difficult to decline and “transit ‘issues are ongoing. So last night after a reasonable fish and salad meal I conscously chose a strawberry tart.It was not craving it was more like last supper.Thinking that this week has been a wright off I might as well have a treat.I know this is wrong thinking but I havent yet accepted that sweet treats are not going to be part of my life going foward.Today Im in the right frame of mind to fast till lunch and choose correct foods and portions.One positive for the week was a more intense gym session and Im beginnig to like the gym
I hope everyone has a good weekend.never give up.

Oh Butter, your eating pattern this week echos with mine …. I too have been off piste a couple of days and have transit issues, so am now frustrated by lack of progress. However, I’m focused on making today count, with a plan to fast through until this evening.

Bryla, hope your furry friend is feeling better and your stress levels have dropped. Enjoy getting out for those walks together again.

Might not get here tomorrow, but will be sure to drop on of Sunday, when Wendy goes off on her travels. Have a fantastic time Wendy.

Thanks for everyone’s advice. I am sticking to cold turkey and distraction at the moment and coping well. I have never understood how people could have a piece of chocolate. Once I have a bit of sugar the flood gates open for me and I just eat everything in sight. I am really hoping that this WOE is going to help me with that but I don’t plan to reintroduce anything sweet until I am much further into my journey. I completely understand what you are saying wendleg about denying foods but given that I am reducing carbs I have put it squarely in that camp in my mind. To be fair I am really enjoying the food I am eating and I don’t want to waste any of my precious calories on foods that are not nutritious.

Hi All. Thanks so much for all the well wishes for my canine companion. Great progress. Healing well, dressing and bandages off and calm walks allowed (though try explaining ‘calm’ to a lurcher who has a week of stored up zoomies to make up for). All is right in the world!
I have finally lost a pound after 7 days (no inches). Not quite a whoosh, but chuffed and relieved nonetheless. My ketostix told me I am still in strong ketosis, so it’s just a question of keeping busy and trusting my body to get on with it. 13lb discarded in the first 4 weeks. Can’t be anything but a success. I’m learning from all of you to celebrate progress, however small and in whatever form.
People’s reactions to weight loss are definitely interesting! After my neighbour had established that I wasn’t terribly ill, her next comment was “oh, but you’re no going to lose any more weight, are you. You mustn’t!”. She simply didn’t believe me that I could lose a further 2 stone and be a healthy weight. Just shows how distorted perceptions of what is ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ have become. I wonder whether that has something to do with the way some folk seem to try to undermine our efforts and tempt us. Perhaps us taking responsibility challenges their own view of normal and makes them uneasy.
Hope everyone has a great weekend and those of us in the UK take extra care if the storm does arrive as forecast on Sunday. I’m off to research waffle/chaffle makers!

Hey Bryla, glad that you furry friend is back in action. Imagine it is problematic keeping some control of a bundle of pent up energy, itching to run free!

Think you could be right about the reaction of others to someone losing a noticeable amount of weight. Kind of a flip on ‘if they can do it, so can I’ … so more ‘if they can do it, someone might expect me to do it too’. Which let’s face it, is quite challenging.

Hope everyone is having a good BSD weekend. It is often more difficult to keep thing in check at the weekend, but try to stay focused and keep on keeping on.

Hi everyone ! I have had a busy day tidying , packing and generally getting ready for our trip . I absolutely hate doing anyhting last minute as it would be sure to stress me completely and fortunately I have a patient, understanding hubby. So it will be an early start for us in the morning . An 8am flight which gives us a full day in Valencia.

I will be reading the forum but bear with me if I don’t post much. Sunny is lovely and will look after you very well. I wish you all a successful week, whatever your goals. Whatever happens to disrupt you, don’t allow it to totally throw you off track so you don’t see the point in carrying on. Keep focused on the health benefits.
xxxxx
Lots of love everyone xx

Aaahhh WENDY,feel so excited for you! Have a fantabulous time! Lotsa love back to you and hubby 💜💜
Have fun,I know that you will X

Hello all!
End of week three. Am down 11 pounds since I started, although weight loss has become very slow! The big achievement has been blood sugars of around 5.6 for about a week with no meds. I had an appointment at a specialist clinic on Friday and was discharged straight away as my bloods were so good. I have reduced carbs to around 20 this week. I thought my biggest problem would be hunger but I’m not hungry. The big problem has been insomnia, waking at about 2.20 am and not going back to sleep. Am taking a host of herbal remedies.
Will keep persevering though!

Hey Capricornia, great news re: your blood results … and indeed for your weight discard so far. Stick with it and the pounds will start to fall away again. It’s common for things to slow, or even stall or plateau around week 3/4, while you’re body takes stock of what has been happening.

Just continue on the lower carbs and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and you’ll see the scales readings start to go downward more consistently again soon …. it might take longer than you’d like but it will happen. Meanwhile, congratulate yourself on your fantastic achievements so far.

Hopefully someone else might be able to advise re: the sleep disruption. I’m not aware of this being an issue related to this way of eating, but maybe someone else has had similar disruption whilst on the BSD. To me the pattern would suggest that you have something on your mind perhaps? That waking in the early hours must be frustrating though, so I hope it resolves soon.

Well done CAPRICORNIA, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Sorry about the insomnia,i feel for you as I have spells of this too..and its so important we get our proper rest.
I dont think mine is low carb eating related,Im not sure what it is. I have tried a few remedies and the only thing that has helped – and only sometimes,not always unfortunately – is chinese herbs. I take them to try to reduce lymphedema in my legs..so far, no improvement, but a good side effect is that I sleep better on some nights. Which is a blessing,as they taste so awful,its great to at least get some benefit from them !🙄🙄🙄 x

Thanks SunnyB. I am drinking so much! This forum is useful for info and inspiration. I think in time my body will adjust. It’s only been three weeks, after all. Stalling is frustrating though! Anyway, roll on week four! I am adjusting to a new way of eating and I am pleased it’s working 🙂

Hi everyone! Sending lots of positive thoughts for the new week ahead. I think my body is teasing me. Now into 5th week and total discard is 13.8lbs- just won’t let me have that first stone I’m longing for. But I’m imagining that my body is busy working really hard on reversing some of the damage from the last couple of decades and have different priorities. It’s doing a stellar job because I feel like a new woman in so many ways. Just wouldn’t have dreamed of the health improvements I’ve had. But on that score, wow, Capricornia! What a fabulous achievement with your blood sugar. Well done!
Red Riding, how are the cravings? Was thinking of you yesterday when I was feeling like a caged tiger thanks to the awful weather interfering with usual weekend activities and thoughts of carb temptations kept popping up every five minutes. The benefit was that the house got a rather deep clean and I dug out my little dumbbells (and used them!) and sorted out some of the too-big clothes that I am determined never to need again.
That really tough first week or so feels like a lifetime ago. Definitely helps me to think about how far I’ve come already, not how far I still have to go. I confess I’m pretty bored of spinach and kale at this point! Next job is to get a bit more creative with food, I think.
Thanks everyone for keeping me company.

Hi Bryla,
It sounds like you have made the great discovery that many of us have been surprised by. – How much better we feel with this way of eating. I love how much more mentally on the ball I am with this way of eating to when I have carbs,

Its a good idea to start to expand the range of meals that you have while keeping the carbs low, because the longer you stay low carb the more it will become ingrained in your habits and then you get to the point where you realise you don’t want to go back to the old way of eating that made you ill in the first place because you don’t feel good when you eat carbs. I decided at Christmas that while I wasn’t going to have a carb fest, I wasn’t going to be so strict. I had alcohol, and bought a bar of rum and raisin chocolate, and a packet of bake in the oven bread rolls and one potato to bake and some grapes and little oranges and a tin of baked beans and a packet of cream crackers – Not a big haul of carbs in a weeks shopping in comparison to most peoples festive intake and you can tell how much I thought through what I really wanted by the way I can remember the list. Well the potato went in the bin, the baked beans are still in the cupboard. I felt so uncomfortable and mentally dulled that I couldn’t face them. I was really shocked by the grapes. They tasted like little balls of sugar.