Thanks for the poem Allie. It’s always good to be reminded of this.
Nicola I relate to your post and there are a few of us doing some soul searching here. I hope you find your answers
XX

Hi Nicola12,
your thoughts on self sabotage rang a clear bell with me – I’ve been there with buying something and then scoffing it in the car park just so that I can put the evidence in the bin and get home and pretend there’s nothing but good stuff in the shopping bag. As others have said, and as I keep finding out, your taste buds do change over time, and what once I would have driven miles to get (lemon danish were my thing) now today I wandered past the pastries in the supermarket without a glance.
But Alliecat’s tale and question about ‘you don’t believe you deserve to feel well?’ has been quite enlightening for me today as well. I have a science background, logically I understand all the reasons for not stuffing my face with low grade foods and thankfully I do not (yet) have a health reason to worry about. But despite all of this, I can’t seem to get out of the ‘being deprived’ mindset i.e. you can’t eat this or that, so I immediately want it. And as you say Nicola12, I also have this thing about rewarding myself with a forbidden treat – which currently is way too much dark chocolate and milky coffee.
Growing up Mum always had fresh baked bread and home made jam waiting for us when we got home from school, and she would bake a couple of cakes a week as well – leading me to think that sweet foods seem deeply ingrained with love and security in my mind. I guess we need to find a non-food treat to reward ourselves with instead, but I am not one for fashion, or make-up, or movies, or trinkets, so I shall ponder this some more tomorrow when hopefully I can get out in the garden for a bit.
Chin up Nicola12, get straight back to the BSD way of life as others would say, and keep on keeping on – long term the fab people on this forum have shown it will work and they are there for us as we progress.

Treelady – your story of having fresh baking available when you arrived home from school is exactly what I had in my early school years as well. Then when I was older, my mum went back to work and was no longer home to bake and wasn’t there when I arrived home. I started being bullied at school and it was around that time that I started to raid the cupboards for anything high in carbs when I would get home.
With regard to finding non-food rewards, I have decided to start to pay myself for every 0.5kg lost. I also realized the other day when I managed to survive the supermarket and emerged without any off-plan foods that I should pay myself for those accomplishments as well. I like being able to see the money accumulating, so I’ve got a jar on the kitchen counter I am using and putting in cash as I go. I may end up spending it on clothing that fits me better once I reach my target weight, but the nice thing about this idea is that you could use it for whatever you wanted – put towards a nice holiday or another experience that would make you happy, for instance.

marie, great news on your bgl results, reward for your efforts. Enjoy breakfast😊
Allie, what a profound question you were asked. Thinking about it, it fits neatly with my thoughts about “fear of success”. Thank you.
Nicola12, as others have said, you are not alone in your self-questioning and self-sabotage. I strongly empathise and as you’ve already received some very wise words here I’ll just wish you well in this continuing WOE.
Treelady , great post.
MFODAAT xx
Ps editing to say Articfox, saw your post after I’d submitted and loved your idea of a rewards jar. 👏

Hi Nicola12, Treelady and ArticFox.

I think the key words in your post Nicola12 were “treat” and “addiction”. I sort of feel lucky in a way that I have so much weight to loose, and my dratted body is choosing to loose weight from everywhere other than the spare tyre. Which means that I have so far stuck to low carb for 6 months, and can see me being low carb for months to come. I am sure if 8 or 16 weeks had been enough to get to my target weight I would have immediately gone back to eating as I used to do.

I don’t crave carbs so much any more that I have to consciously not think about chocolate or bread when in the supermarket, but I have tried for a week to drop stevia from coffee and soda water and found that its too soon. Plain water, and coffee without sugar taste so sour they don’t appeal. I have drunk much less fluid and found myself reaching for something to nibble on instead of drinking over the last few days so have decided to go back to the stevia, but gradually reduce levels rather than trying to go cold turkey.

I understand from the Why we get fat book that you will often see recommended on the forum that research shows it takes 12 to 18 months of low carb eating to loose the sweet tooth, and when people did it was like a switch, they could name the week where their taste buds changed. Like you TreeLady, jam sandwiches, even sugar sandwiches were a staple of my childhood. My parents grew up in an era where their mothers struggled to be able to afford enough food, and my grandmothers would apparently often lie saying they had already eaten because they couldn’t afford enough food for both themselves and their children to eat that day. – So the traditions in my family was that every meal included either bread, a potato dish, or Yorkshire pudding to help fill you up. (Not rice, that’s foreign food and yorkshire puddings were eaten the traditional way, a large pudding served with gravy on its own as a first course.) Chocolate was a treat in an evening after a hard day. (I still remember the Saturday afternoons in winter, when the loaf of bread was going stale, so was wrapped in a damp tea towel and popped in the oven for a few minutes – producing warm bread with a really crispy crust served with butter and golden syrup which I got to eat watching TV from a tray sat by the fire.) Its a big change to think of eating differently for the rest of our lives, and setting aside such strong patterns of association.

Again referring to the why we get fat book, there is a section which explains why sugar has a similar addictive quality as alcohol on our brains. Personally, instead of doughnuts, there have been occasions when I have bought a pack of 2 cream slices (with proper cream not custard in the middle of the puff pastry) and eaten both of them in the shop car park before heading home. – Not cos there was anyone at home that I needed to hide eating patterns from, but because curling up in an enclosed space with music drowning out the outside and taking time out was something I needed to do as a break. I agree with you TreeLady, that makeup, and little pampering things don’t appeal in the same way as nibbling on a bar of chocolate at the end of a hard day. Although having a long soak in the bath (the type with the option to top up the hot water every so often) with a good book does equate for me to the cream cake release. I am struggling to think of an alternative to the ‘treat’ element of something sweet to eat in an evening, but plan to experiment with yoghurt and berrys mashed up and briefly (couple of hours) put in the freezer to turn into frozen yoghurt. Again somehow facing the idea of 12 to 18 months on this WoE gives me more of an incentive/interest in the idea of trying out different recipes for alternatives rather than just giving up on favourites for a few months while I loose weight and returning to them once the weight is lost.
——————
Sorry this is getting to be such a long post, but I have been pondering about these issues for a few days. – I know the answer for the Why that drives weight loss for me, and thought it may be worth sharing it with you because it may spark ideas for you. Unfortunately, when I broke my ankle there were two mistakes made by NHS staff. A passerby helped pick me up off the ground and helped me hobble/hop to the nearby NHS surgery. Unfortunately they wrongly presumed that I had simply strained my ankle, handed me a pain killer and suggested I rest it for a few days. – After a week of the swelling getting worse an X ray showed that I had broken the bones on both side of the ankle but fortunately the bone fragments were still in the correct location. So I had to stay in hospital for a few days while they got the swelling under control so they could put me in plaster, and I got very strict warnings from the consultant that I was very very lucky thr fragments were in place but I wasn’t to put weight on the ankle at for the next 6 months because if the bone fragments moved I would need operations with plates and screws to rebuild the ankle and it would never be pain free. At the end of the 6 months the consultant signed me off, and decided that I didn’t need physio because I could walk short distances on level surfaces without pain (5 steps across his office on the day the supports were removed) . – Unfortunately taking a step on uneven surfaces caused shooting pains up my leg, and I was pain free walking on even surfaces only because of the way I was twisting my back/hips to limit ankle movement and that twist caused back pain if I tried to walk for more than half an hour at a time. I was told I should count myself lucky and it would have been even more painful if I had had the plates and screws to rebuild the ankle. It was 8 years before a trainee physio I met explained why the consultant was wrong to say that nothing could be done about the pain and helped me return to walking. – During those 8 years there were times when I thought about all the places I would have liked to see, things I would have liked to do that now I would never get the chance. I felt and understood my friends in their late 70’s who have reached the stage in life where illnesses mean they have a sedimentary lifestyle and eating is one of their main pleasures in life. But now I have a second chance at life, and I want to grab it with both hands.

Hi JGwen,
it’s good to share and know I am not the only one trying to work out the ‘why’ and ‘how to stick to it’ part of the BSD way of life – thank you. I do feel that I have a much better handle on my eating habits after only a few short weeks so far – in so much as I now don’t buy the bread / cakes / biscuits / milk chocolate any more. Not having those in the house is a very big step forward for me, and I acknowledge that at the moment, I have swapped reaching for a cake or half a packet of biscuits with 3 or 4 squares of dark chocolate and a large milky coffee with sweetner. But I view that as a NSV as my definition of ‘treating myself’ is slowly changing. In this last week, the appeal of a large milky coffee has considerably fallen, with every other drink now being replaced with a lemon and ginger herbal tea, and baby steps seem to be the way forward for me.
It certainly helps that Spring is definitely here now in my mind, and having green stuff and salads with my evening meal is now OK because the cold, dreary, wet, dark months of winter are behind us. I intend to sit down this week now and go through the recipe book and on-line recipes picking out the ones that appeal to me and get a meal plan for the next 4 weeks sorted. I don’t actually mind having the same thing for breakfast and lunch every day (after all, I was before the WOL), so those should be easy to sort out. It’s the evening meals when OH and I eat together that I need to get creative with for me, and probably invest in a smaller dinner plate as well to keep my portion sizes down.
Finally, on the plus size (pun intended) my 4lb TOTM weight gain has now gone, so I am back to where I started before I had 5 days away. Hooray.

Well done treelady!

Today is one of those days where you have to keep repeating to yourself “This is for my health. This is for my health”.

Really longing to just eat although I have recorded enough until dinnertime. Carb headaches and other pains.

Feel awash with water and good teas and more water and quite fed up!

Somehow keeping on keeping on.

Hi all
Wonder if I can join you? I’ve been on this mission since 12th March. For the most part it’s been ok and I’ve dropped for 66.6kg to 60.4kg in that time. I will confess, my heart and soul has gone in to this and haven’t cheated or cut corners even once.
I have found myself to being far too attached to 60kgs though and seem to be boinging up and down through the numbers.
Is this something others have noticed? Is this the dreaded plateau phase?
(Just to add, I’m not diabetic but utterly addicted to carbs and have a strong type 2 tendency in my family)

Thanks
Miranda

Hi all,
As usual I’ve found all of the replies on here so interesting. Allie, I found your story really interesting, and reflecting on my own life I realise I have always felt I deserve to be mentally well – I take anti-depressants currently and have had therapy in the past. So I’m stuck about why I sabotage my weight loss. The thought has crossed my mind today that I just don’t have the willpower; I don’t want to be slim in a couple of months as much as I want those carbs right now. It’s given me a lot to think about anyway. I’ve got a couple of books about eating/bingeing etc (and Why We Get Fat is being delivered tomorrow) and I’m planning to start reading them now, and hope I can find some answers!

Arcticfox I love the idea of non-food rewards. JGwen it’s nice (wrong word, I know!) to hear that others have also binged in the car.

I’ve just got home from a day out for work where I ended up eating pizza. I convinced myself there was no alternative, but in reality, of course, there was. On the drive home I thought ‘I’ve already screwed it up, might as well eat every carb I’ve been missing for the last 7 weeks’ but luckily was able to stop myself from doing any more damage. Today is day 3 of my new 8 weeks. Day 1 was great, yesterday was mostly great, and today not to great. But instead of sabotaging the rest of today, I’m making my BSD-approved dinner as planned, and will get on the scales in the morning. I’ve acoided them since before my binge, I guess out of embarrassment – it’s the proof of what I’ve done, how bad I was. But tomorrow I’ll get on them and post here.

Nicki, I’m extra excited to hear that you have taubes book on the way! You may very well
find, after reading it, that willpower has next to nothing to do with the weight equation 🙂
Some of us just can’t handle carbs in the same way that alcoholics can’t handle just
one drink. I’m 22 months into this WOE, and somewhere along the way I admitted to
myself that I was powerless over bad carbs/sugar, and stopped eating them. It takes
some degree of humility to accomplish this, because as perverse human beings, we
don’t like to be told NO. Maintaining the loss for a year has been effortless, I no longer
have any desire for carbs, and it’s a form of freedom that I wouldn’t sacrifice for anything
in this world. Congratulations for putting the pizza incident behind you immediately,
and focusing on your next healthy BSD meal. This WOL is very forgiving if you get right
back to it. Maybe have a few back up hard boiled eggs on hand for future contingencies?
They saved me more than once in those early days 🙂 Be sure to let me know what you
think of the Taubes book! Maybe you will become a “Taubes Woman” too!
Best wishes,

Allie

I really must get that Gary Taubes book!
I’m still here though I keep losing my emails from this thread and have to resubscribe. Still sitting within the 2kg band I have set for myself.

I’m finding weekends more challenging now than they were while I was trying to lose weight. I don’t really like the pattern I seem to have got into of being effortlessly on the WOE during the week and then undoing it on the weekends. That way lies danger I think so that is my new resolve, to hit it on the head.
We have friends visiting from England and taking them sailing on the harbour today, I’ve catered mainly BSD friendly food, it all has to be ferried out to the boat in a dinghy so volume and weight are also considerations. I’m determined not to sample the Tim Tam bites I’ve got for sweets.
KOKO everyone!

Hello, Miranda, and a very warm welcome to you 🙂 The 4 week challenges are wonderful
and very active threads, and we look forward to getting to know you. I see that you’ve
recently become acquainted with “the plateau”! We all seem to experience these, some
more than once. Just have faith in the process, it does work 🙂 I was happily sailing along
for 2 months, and then an 18 day plateau! I did more research, concluded that I was
highly insulin resistant, and adjusted my carb levels downward to ketogenic levels
(<20g per day) and I broke through to very consistent weekly weight loss of approx.
.5lb/day from that day on. I think upping my water consumption from 2 to 3 liters
a day had a positive effect too. I’m sure other maintainers will be along with their
ideas, and you might also type “plateau” into the search box to catch up with
past posts on the subject. Have you been weighing and measuring your intake
and counting carbs? Looking forward to your continuing success,

Allie 🙂

Good morning all – hope you are all well
This is a flying visit – I’m madly busy this week on a training course and I spent most of the weekend doing work that I would miss this week while training! I got the Taubes book a few weeks ago but still haven’t had a chance to open it and unlikely to until this busy couple of weeks are over – it’s on my to do list.
JGwen – your story is very moving. I found myself getting annoyed on your behalf when you kept being told how lucky you were when it was the care providers making mistakes – but I very much admire your resolve at seeing this as a second chance and grabbing at life.
Nicky and Treelady – I’m struggling with the why too. I don’t have any insights to add to that statement – best of luck on your journeys.
Miranda welcome – I hope you find this forum useful.
Its weigh-in day and I’m deliberately avoiding the subject. I have avoided the scales this morning and not measured my blood glucose for some time now – Oh dear! But I’m still here – not totally off piste…
Have a good day everyone.

Hi All,
I would join in the chorus recommending the Taubes book. You may want to have a note book to hand to jot down key points or prepare to re read it a few times as it has lots of useful data in it, and it isn’t written in that very annoying style some people have where they pad out a book by repeating the same point for 9 pages when 1 paragraph would be enough.
I spent a couple of hours re-reading it again yesterday, and realised that it has the answer for why my (our) bodies are loosing fat from anywhere before the pear positioned spare tyre. Its down to estrogen, that’s where women’s bodies prefer to have fat.

Thanks Gattina,
I am sad that I lost so many years to pain, but felt I wanted to share the story because its helped me realise that you shouldn’t put off doing the things you want to do and I hope it will help people thinking about the WHY. You never know what could happen in the future which would block you from doing things you dream of doing. I broke my ankle just slipping on a metal grid as I walked down the street, it was simply that I landed with my foot bent back under my leg breaking bones on both side of the ankle.
———-
My results for this week are just 0.6kg down, I have been trying to cut out using stevia to sweeten drinks but found that it put me off having a drink and instead I have had a craving for salty snacks for a couple of days, so started to see a weight gain at the weekend. I changed back yesterday and dropped back to the weight loss I have achieved prior to the weekend. Instead I am going to gradually reduce the level of stevia to wean myself off it.

Morning everyone. Can I just say what a wonderful thread this is. It never ceases to amaze me how open and honest everyone is. There has been some deep insights into your past ways of eating and some heartfelt baring of souls. Very humbling for me, reading them all. I’m just the opposite. I was always the skinny one who used to get called bony or skinny and believe it or not I used to cry and want to be fatter! At 5’5″-ish I was tall and was desperate to be 8stone! I made it when I was 17/18. Stayed slim til I was 50ish and discovered red wine. Polymyialgia and steroids really did the weight gain. Almost 2.5 stones. I have lost it following this way of eating but have not been too strict with the carbs as I am not diabetic. Eating healthier was the main aim. Having said all that I’ve lost .25lbs this week!! I am now 10st 1.25lbs. I’ll take it. Let’s see if I can make 10 or just under in the final week for my holiday in Peterborough next week! Home helps all set up for mum and I’m looking forward to a much needed break in motorhome. Yes! Good luck with weigh ins today and Allie don’t ever stop giving advice (that’s all I’m going to say). we all love you for it. Go well my friends and all have a fab Tuesday x

Hello Miranda, I can only echo Allie – the water is really vital to push through plateaus, try to have around 3ltrs fluid a day?

Well I measure the same today. With only a week left on this challenge, I braved the scales. On the measuring club thread you may have read that I did this a couple of weeks ago – usually I just avoid the scales as I find them depressing as to how much further I have to go.

I’ve lost 11lb in 2 weeks – average of 5.5 a week. I feel really happy 🙂 even if it isn’t anything to do with the initial goal. Surely I can stick at this. Surely the current pain and withdrawal symptoms is worth this.

In the words of Rosemary Conley – nothing tastes as good as feeling slim feels.

Good for you Tillybud 🙂

Thank you so much for the warm welcome!
I’ve been looking though these forums for a few weeks now and have noted those important points you raise, Allie and Maid2. I’ve been using MFP to track calories and those pesky carbs. It’s a very interesting insight in to the nutritional make up of foods….who would have thought onions contained as many carbs as they do?
I am drinking lots of water too….if nothing else it’s good for reducing my copious amounts of cellulite!
I had a bizarre dream last night where I was rugby training…..the next bit I can remember is scoffing a Topic at a speedy rate! I don’t even like them! Am I thinking about this too much perhaps?
Looking forward to getting to know you all

Miranda x

Maid2Measure good work on your weight loss, brilliant result!
Tillybud I was also super skinny too! I went off to uni at 18 at 8 stone, and came back weighing 11! When I started this WOE I had got up to an all time high of 12 stone.
JGwen, I’m with you on the sweetener front. Whatever it takes to keep me off actual sugar is a positive for me.
Thanks for your support Allie! I forgot to add that I also did an hour of sweat-inducing trampolining after the pizza, which I think must have lessened the impact somewhat! I work with kids in foster care and a big part of my job is taking kids out for food/activities. Typically they always chose fast food and sometimes I’m stuck for options!
I weighed myself finally this morning, first time since the 24th March. I was 150.2lb on the 24th and this morning (after over a week of bad eating) I’m 153.6lb. I’m pretty pleased the damage isn’t too bad and feel that I’m now in a good place to get back on it, being less than 150 seems in reach, and that’s my goal now for this challenge.

Tilybud, there you are!! I was just thinking about you yesterday, and hoping that a few
unfortunate posts last week hadn’t discouraged you from posting here 🙂 You are very
sweet, and thank you for your comments. I remember meeting you on a different less
active thread, and was delighted to see you sign on with us here. Our stories are more
parallel than perhaps you know….Like you, I’m fairly tall (5’7″) and never had a weight
problem until I hit 50. Steroids weren’t my problem, but Lyme disease was. Years of
antibiotics, chronic fatigue, constant pain, and then a collosal weight gain of 148lbs.,
that was 17 years in the making! Like you, wine contributed heavily to my demise,
along with crusty bread and cheese. I know that every goal is within your reach, and
I’m very happy to hear that everything is in place for your Mum’s care while you set off
on a much earned holiday. Enjoy it all, my sweet 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Hi all.Ive not been at all active these last few weeks.I almost gave up after I ate 5 hot crossbuns and a whole packet of mini chocolare eggs.Considering that Ive been dabbling in bsd for nearly 2 years .I should know how my addiction can quickly get out of control.Somehow I convinced myself that I bought treats for the family and I could just have a bite. So now back to the beginning again .Ive lost count of how many times I have done this but Im determined to continue.I used YouTube to watch Gary Taubes faster than reading. bought some mct oil on the advice of a friend.weight 83.4Kg
So now to stay motivated and stick to the plan
I will try to post regularly .goal; loose 1kg per week.well done to those of you .aking peogress you have my admiration.for those who are struggling KOKO

Hi Allie. No, I’ve not been put off. When something is unjustified I bite my tongue and bide my time! I find at the moment I’m just posting on weigh days.
Lyme Disease is very nasty and very serious and I’m very sorry to hear you suffered for so long with it.
My arms and legs are still skinny but my torso is (or was) very “apple”. I’m getting a waist now! I’ve said on another thread (I think) apologies if I’m repeating myself I look quite good from the front but sideways ….. if I hold my stomach in til I go peuce then i look slim that way too! Unfortunately when I breathe out my tummy “falls out” and I look like a teardrop! Not a pretty site. Luckily hubby loves me whatever, so we just laugh about it. He likes the new me though because I like the new me, if that makes sense.
You and your hubby have health issues I know and I so admire your thoughtfulness to others and your concern for everyone else’s health issues. I and many others here find it a great comfort. Thanks hun 😘👍 x

Hi everyone. Very late here, well after midnight. OH and I were out for a beautiful shared plate dinner in the city with #1 son. It would be very easy to overeat by ordering too many dishes. I don’t think that we did that but I am still feeling quite bloated. The only thing non bsd was a half slice of gf bread, that is until I had a few teaspoonsful of #1’s vanilla ice-cream.
I couldn’t get to sleep so watched, in bed, on this phone, a very good doco on SBS-On-Demand called “Is Sugar the New Fat”. Made in NZ, the presenter demonstrated the enormous amount of sugar on the supermarket shelves, the terrible effects of sugar on the NZ population, incl children, then provided examples of successful turnaround.
My Tuesday weigh-in showed me on 60kg so I’m “maintaining” but still want to lose in this final week.
I’ve not had time to read your results but I’ll do that tomorrow, no it’s already tomorrow, I’ll do it today and get back to you, with lots of congratulations, I’m sure.
MFODAAT xx

I’ve just been back to the beginning of this thread and can only describe the tone of kindness as overwhelming.
My relationship with food has been shocking in my adult years. I’ve done the secret eating; those moments of shoving a bit of cake in so fast you’re risking choking yourself because you think someone is coming…..eating nothing all day and then demolishing a tin of Quality Street………sneaking back to the kitchen after a huge roast dinner to pick at the leftovers, despite already feeling sick. Been there, done it and got the waistline to prove it. All of this stemming from some form of emotion or another….doesn’t even have to be sadness or anger, I even used to reward myself with overindulgence!
This WOE has been a revelation for me, particularly after an awful year last year where I lost a long awaited baby girl at 20 weeks. I honestly, finally feel like life is starting to get back on track and know I can only suceed in the company of such kind, knowlegable people
Hope everyone has had good days and the tape measures/scales are being kind to all
Miranda x

Miranda, as a mother of two (adults now) I can’t begin to imagine the pain of a miscarriage or stillbirth. Take time to heal and don’t be too hard on yourself. The community here is amazing, empowering, lots of sympathy, empathy, and most of all virtual love and hugs and support. There are Americans, Australians, Brits, Canadians. Loads of nationalities so there’s always someone typing away here whatever the time of day or night! Ask away or just have a moan. We’re here X Tilly x

Tilly – your words are much appreciated, thank you x

Miranda – so sorry for your loss. Take care of yourself, as Tilly has said there is loads of support on here x
I’ve had a good week, compared to the last 2, with a 200g loss. It’s not that much I know but better than gaining! I’m still 3.7kg away from the goal I set myself for this challenge, I’ll see how close I can get over the next week.

Miranda – I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and glad to hear that you feel your life’s getting back on track.

I was also moved by your description of secret eating – it’s searing in its honesty and definitely something I can relate to – I’ve done all those things, exactly as you’ve described (and, of course, still could). Being on the BSD has helped me control my diabetes and lose a lot of weight which is fantastic. Being on the forum and getting support and help from everyone has been invaluable in doing both the above, but one of the most valuable things for me from ‘listening’ to others – past and present – is the way in which it has challenged/is challenging how I think about and relate to food. To get to the point where I can be free from all that angst you describe so wonderfully; others have done it, and well, I now believe that it’s achievable. Wouldn’t that be great for all of us.

I’m glad you’re here.

Apologies – I haven’t reported in yet this week – will do so later but basically I’ve lost a 1lb. Will also read how everyone else is going later, but wanted to give a big shout out to Maid2Measure. M2M, a few lbs short of a stone – brilliant weight loss xx

Thank you Marie! :)) xx

Butterlover I’m glad you’ve got past your Easter blip, I’m back on th wagon after Easter temptation was too hard to resist!
Hi Miranda, I’m sure most of us (definitely me) can relate to your past eating habits and I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. I’m glad you are feeling more positive about things now.
I’ve lost another 2lbs of Easter weight, 1 more lb and I’ll be back to my pre-Easter weight. 2 and a half weeks to of weight loss stalling for a few treats at Easter. I’ve definitely learned my lesson and am well and truly back on the wagon now!

So, sorry for the late report-in this week. I’m trying really hard to spring clean the house at the moment. Result – mess and chaos in every room – does anybody else find that? The upside is I’ve found £66.62 in a mix of euros and polish zloty – off to the foreign exchange in the morning!

I’ve lost 1lb this week (weighed yesterday) which means I’m now 9 stone 2lbs (58kgs). I stepped on the scales this morning and they were flickering downward so I’m hoping there’s more to come today or tomorrow. I now only need to lose 2lb to reach my 9st goal – but goodness it feels like it’s a long time coming. (And, of course when I get there I’m going to revise my goal downward, but that’s for another day).

Kazz, Gattina and Marsie – I had a great weekend in the Lake District, thanks. I took my ‘walking wardrobe’ outfit just in case it was cold but it was OK. Of course, the one thing I managed to forget was any kind of waterproof, and yes, it poured down Saturday – think ‘drowned woman in a woollen coat wearing the wrong shoes and mishandling a gentleman’s too big and part-broken umbrella’ and you won’t be too far amiss. Sunday was better – a bit misty over the lakes, but I managed to go for a lovely walk (18,000 steps and right shoes), and bought a size 12 top – woohoo, woohoo, woohoo. I also went twice to see performances at the Theatre by the Lake, had some good BSD food and, Marsie, breakfast was de-li-cious (not obsessing just saying!!!).

Nicola12 – good going with the weight loss and getting back on the wagon.

Having caught up with everyone else’s happenings – just – there’s other posts on here I’d like to respond to but I’m off out tonight so will catch up again later or tomorrow. Have a good evening/night/day everyone.

Btw, Allie, when’s the anniversary exactly – got to get the old trombone, bunting and other street party accoutrements ready for the big celebration ……

Hi JGwen,
I’ve been a bit pushed for time since getting back on Monday, but I wanted to respond to your post where you talked about what happened when you broke your ankle. Like Gattina, I was moved by your story. Having previously experienced trauma I remember the relief when I got to the stage where the predominant feeling was simply one of sadness, so I hope it doesn’t sound too strange when I say I’m glad to read that’s where you’re at after what sounds like an excruciating and torturous eight-year experience.

Two other things in your post really resonated with me. Like you, it’s taken me a canny while to lose the weight – eight months and still counting. While I may not have believed it when I started, I’m now glad about that. Like you, I think if I’d lost all the weight I’d needed to lose in 1 or even 2 rounds of BSD it wouldn’t have been enough time for me personally to adjust to this new ‘diet’ and pattern of eating; something I know now I need to do to avoid piling the weight back on, stay healthy and positively manage my diabetes – and something I now know I can do.

Finally, like you I’ve recent experience of people, in my case family, who have reached the stage in life where illnesses mean they are no longer able to do what they once could – it can all change so quickly. So, cheers to your idea of grabbing life with both hands. Long may we continue to drive down country lanes, in my case music blaring, and singing at the tops of our voices.xx

Good morning everyone
Hope the week is going well for all of you?
Weigh in this morning reveals I have finally said goodbye to 60 “something” kilos and am currently at 59.7!
Coincidence (perhaps) but I generally feel more relaxed this week. I’ve finally realised that saying of “keep on keeping on” is absolutely bang on. It’s a hard one to digest (no pun intended!) for someone like me. I’m definitely not blessed with patience.

Here’s to a good, healthy focused weekend. Happy friday to all

Miranda x

Hi Miranda
I’ve just reckoned (well, the Kgs to Stones converter has) that’s over a stone weight loss since you started – great going. Well done that woman. Yes, as you say, ‘keeping on keeping on’ is spot on.

I’ve just got off the scales myself. I’m 1 and a half pounds down since Tuesday. Half a pound to my 9 stone goal. Woohoo!
I did 22,000 steps yesterday. I’m about to step outside again, pedometer to hip and water to hand, and this is to be repeated again over the weekend, so here’s hoping I can lose that tiny amount of weight by Tuesday. It’s looking good.

Have a good weekend everyone. xx

Marie- that’s within touching distance to your goal! Fab going x

Congratulations Marie123 – the last kilos are always the most stubborn, so even more well done. MirandaG, you are doing really well. Congrats too!

Sounds like a great (if wet!) weekend in the Lakes Marie. I was supposed to go there over Easter but it was too wet in the end. Amazing that you’re nearly at your 9 stone target!!! Half a pound will come off in no time. Well done!

Good work with the weight loss Miranda! I have finally said goodbye to the 150s, and this morning I weighed 149.6lb. Through looking back at my Health app and MyFitnessPal (I’ve tracked my weight on and off with each) the last time I was under 150 was 2016. Looking at my weight loss/gain on those apps has also made me realise how much I’ve yo-yod with my diet and my weight. I know people who always lose lots and gain it back. I never saw myself as one of those people but the scales don’t lie. It’s given me a lot to think about in terms of maintenance, when that day comes.
My revised target for the end of this challenge is to get down to 148. KOKO!

Happy Friday all
I’m back at work today after an intensive week of training.
Well done all losers out there – some fantastic loses.
Miranda – I am very sorry for your loss. I’m glad you’ve found this forum – it is a very supportive environment. Sounds like you’re doing really well with the weight loss – so KOKO 🙂
Mariet – I know what you mean about undoing all the good work at the weekend – I find the structure of a working day helps me stay on track – I just have too much time on my hands at the weekend and social activities always seem to include food in some way. Enjoy your weekend with your friends and stay away from the Tim Tam bites (I don’t know what Tim Tams are but they don’t sound like something that is bsd friendly 🙂 )
Tillybud – we are total opposites – I must admit I was surprised to see you say you wanted to be fatter. I have always been fat so and always assumed skinny people were happy that way and the skinner the better – goes to show you never really know what is going on inside people’s minds. I hope the home help works out with your mum – I cared for my elderly father for many years and I know how important it is to get a break from it all – have a lovely time in our motorhome.
Maid to measure – 11lbs in 2 weeks is amazing! Well done that woman!
Marie – thanks for the reminder of the walking wardrobe outfit – that still makes me laugh 🙂 Well done on the weight loss – almost there…
Nicola – Well done shifting into the 140s – it is interesting in how we see ourselves and what others may see – one of the advantages of tracking our eating/weight helps us pick up on those patterns.
KOKO everyone

I have a question and wonder what people’s thoughts are – has anyone ever tried CBT for weight loss?
We have an employee assistance programme at work and they offer an online course of CBT – I enquired and was told that it only has short term benefits in weight loss and doesn’t address the underlying causes of obesity. I wonder if anybody has any experience or thoughts about this.

Quick question, I think someone on here previously mentioned a thread where people gave examples of their meals, does anyone know what thread that is? Ta!

Hi, everyone! I’ll be back later for a “proper” post, but dropping in for a quick reply for Nicki…I’m not aware of
a particular thread for meal plans, unless you’re thinking of one entitled “20 g carbs anyone?”, where those
of us who kept to 20g of carbs went into some detail on how we managed it. There is also a thread called
“Good Eats” that has many great low carb recipes. Apart from that, there are years of posts scattered
throughout the forum. Perhaps someone with a memory superior to mine will know what you’re looking
for 🙂 As ever, we’re always happy to answer specific questions, so ask away!

Allie

Hi Allie, I think it was ‘good eats’ actually so I’ll have a look there. Thank you! I just feel like I’m getting a bit bored with having similar meals (though have got the next week covered with more exciting options) so looking for some inspiration. Thanks!

Thinking caps on, one and all, new challenge almost due! I’ll start things rolling with : BSD ALL THE WAY, CHALLENGE FOR MID-MAY: 4 weeks til May 15th. This can definitely be improved upon😉

Hey, Marsie, we’re almost “there”, aren’t we 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you for picking up the ball! So many of us love the
4 wk challenges, so it would be “unseemly” not to have one in motion at all times…Just off the top of my head,
here’s an idea for consideration, and probably can be improved upon..SWING INTO MAY, THE LOW CARB WAY.
I guess I like the idea of being in motion!!
Enjoy this sunny saturday,

Allie

Afternoon everyone
Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend and the (currently!) lovely weather (if you’re in the UK anyway)
Random question……I’m loving courgette “spaghetti” right now but struggle with how best to cook. It always ends up mushy and creating a pool of water on my plate.
Any tips ? I’ve made my own and bought pre-prepared but it always ends up the same
Thanks in advance x

Hi Miranda. I’m certainly enjoying the sunshine. It’s warm too! Maybe Spring has sprung at last. Re: the courgetti, u don’t boil it as I too found itcmyahy. I tend to stir fry it in hot butter for about30 secs or add raw to Bolognese sauce immediately before serving and that’s ok too. The heat from the sauce is enough to heat it through. I tend mainly to leave it raw, with carrots done the same way and bulk a salad out that way. Hope that’s ok. I’m sure you’ll get loads of other suggestions too x

Hi Allie, I love the title … I think you’re the clubhouse leader at this point😃

Hi MirandaG
I found this link useful for suggestions of how to cook and recipes for using courgetti.

https://www.olivemagazine.com/guides/gadgets/spiralizer-and-courgetti-guide-plus-healthy-spiralizer-recipes/