Thank you to everyone who posted, you’ve mentioned things that I hadn’t connected with the BSD (so far I’ve lost 20lbs since November, well chuffed!) Sense of smell: mine seemed very poor and I always woke up with a ‘stuffy’ nose which seems to have cleared. I can smell the scented candles that I’ve been using since Christmas. I thought that they were just strong but now I’m going to take more notice. Looking forward to summer when I’ll be able to smell flowers in the garden again!
An irritating cough which used to start as soon as I lay down seems to have disappeared, maybe it was all of that weight on my throat and stomach!
Making beds is so much easier and quicker now that I can stretch further without my stomach getting in the way! as is using a dustpan and brush on the floor.
Wearing clothes that are so much more comfortable although some of them are just not wearable any more. Has anyone else noticed that tops are hanging strangely around their neck? I must have lost fat from my shoulders..! One of my motivations is to wear nice bras again, I’ve hated wearing horrible, broad strapped, digging in contraptions, and am looking forward to the day when I’ll be proud to hang them out on the washing line for anyone to see! I’m sure that my shoes are looser too. It’s a journey of discovery isn’t it? I’ll be forever grateful to Dr M 🙂

My very first NSV was being able to cut the nails on my small toes myself instead of asking husband! It was a really big deal.

Being able to fit comfortably into hairdresser’s chairs and the gown was the second.

And being able to walk faster and bend over easier. Small but important victories!

Good for you Angela06, some of the small things become the big things don’t they? Well done 🙂
A silly thing that I’ve noticed is that I have more freezer space now that I’m not storing cartons of ice cream and loaves of bread! 🙂 More room for frozen vegetables…. 🙂

Thank you, Weeble 😉

Have only recently noticed how much stronger my finger nails are and as I haven’t been doing anything else that might have benefitted them, I’m attributing this to the BSD.

May be imagining it, but has anyone noticed better energy levels? Since I’ve lost some weight all the ‘mess nests’ under beds and corners of room have been sorted out and put away. Whereas before I would groan at the thought of having to pop to the nearest shops to get milk or whatever, I now routinely run out to get things without even thinking about it! Don’t seem to be getting the early evening slump where all I seemed to want to do was veg out on the sofa and watch TV. Now I find I’m a bit restless and I jump up and tidy up the kids’ toys or empty the dishwasher. Usually jobs I would think ‘oh I’ll leave it until the morning’. Is this really all because of the diet? Did all that extra weight really affect my fundamental behaviour and thought patterns in that way? Astonishing…

Hi Zimmer

It’s had the same effect on me but it manifests itself in me doing things that create more mess. I caught myself playing hopscotch on the kitchen tiles the other day, doing a bit of a Tigger bounce.

How wonderful JulesMaigret – sounds so much more fun than slobbing on the sofa stuffing in cake and feeling like death

OK so here we go, to me, the best Non Scale Victories of all…

I have done the first 8 weeks and then on and off so totalled 3 months altogether. Now three months have passed I have just had the results from my GP of the blood tests which were last taken 10th Oct 2016

(I’ve lost 2 stone and 9 pounds)

So HbA1c has gone from a very alarming 54 to a diabetes free 34!!

Cholesterol from 6.5 to 5.3

Chance of heart attack/stroke % 2.2% can’t remember what it was before.

Fasting blood glucose from 9 to 6

Still got weight to lose and want to brings sugars lower but I am DELIGHTED with these results. 🙂

Great news, of course all our best non scale victories are to do with our health. 😀 I had an interesting one today, bought a new top (well new to me, from a charity shop) it was on a hanger marked as size 12, and I wore it today. It looked great, but was very tight about my biceps, I thought little about it, I know my biceps are quite big due to the strength training and badminton, but when I got home and checked the label it was uk size 6 😮 😊 I assume the sylph like former owner must have donated it when it stretched in the wash, as I don’t think I’m a size 6 candidate, ever!

Some brilliant victories posted there. Very inspiring. Congratulations everyone!

Wow! What a difference BSD makes! Well done everyone.

Non scale victories for me include:

Dr cut my blood pressure meds by 50% to be reviewed in a few weeks with a view to reducing further or even stopping altogether!

No more sensitive teeth! I have even stopped using sensitive toothpaste with no ill effect so far (2-3 weeks).

Before Christmas I made myself a perfectly fitted front buttoning jacket, now having lost only a few pounds more I have had to turn it into a crossover front!

So many other non-scale surprises like energy levels, overall wellbeing etc etc! Keep posting everyone, these triumphs are really encouraging!

Still fairly new to this but have been surprised by the following non-scale victories:
-All the food I eat tastes amazing 😀
-I’m eating more nutritiously than I ever have
-We are saving so much money on food! (My husband is doing this too.) Just cutting out alcohol alone saves so much. But one former meal now makes 2 – 4 meals.
-No more acid reflux
-I have more confidence about my appearance and have been enjoying clothes again. I had given up for a while.

Have been struggling to get used to not needing to buy baggy-hide-a-multitude-of-sins clothing any more. However, I can report that at the w/e, I purchased – and can comfortably wear – a pair of size 10 trousers! In a very bright royal blue too, no shrinking violet these days.

Hi SunnyB 😀💐

Great non scale victory. 😀

Our wardrobes will wonder what’s happening – all the sorting out and decluttering. All the big baggy clothes disappearing and being replaced by smaller, more colourful cloths.

Doesn’t it feel good? 😀

All this talk of decluttering and clothes has got me thinking too: I’ve got a lot of things tucked away that need minor repairs, but there’s no point as they’re going to be too big for me. I’ve got plenty of nice things that are also on the verge of being too big, so why waste time and effort on something I’m never going to wear? So, it’s out with them. Probably cut some of them up for plant ties.

LizV, I recognise all your NSVs except for saving money. I’m not sure we are, as we are spending so much more than usual on veg, partly because they’re so much more expensive, but also because we’re simply eating more. Another good reason for getting my veg patch on song.

Decluttering my wardrobe is on my list of must do’s. Have already side lined jeans and trousers that are too large and packed them away, some for charity and some to sell on ebay to raise some funds. Looking forward to sorting the rest of my wardrobe out and seeing what now fits and what I can permanently clear out, ready for newer additions.

It’s exciting to think that I will be able to bring things back into service, which I have not been able to wear in years and also look at gradually adding some new things in similar smaller sizes. Sure there are many of us adjusting to our new forms and delighting in being able to look at things we haven’t dared even trying to wear for ages. Fabulous isn’t it?!

Zippity doo-dah moment.

Not weighed since Thursday, but I did a quick measure and 2 inches off the waist and one inch on the chest (side-effect of weight training). Now only one inch from my waist being 50% of my height.

But major NSV. I have a great (and expensive) hand-knitted cardigan I bought in the Faroe Islands over twenty years ago, that hasn’t fit for at least the last 10 (and probably fifteen!). I tried it on this morning and it fits great. Now just need a good cold snap, as it is unbelievably warm. Mme Maigret reckons it makes me look like an aging hipster, but I think I look elegant (mildly delusional head on).

Well chuffed.

Great stuff, JM. Congratulations on all those results.

I cleaned out my closet of everything that doesn’t fit anymore and gave it all to a women’s shelter this weekend. Out of curiosity, I tried on what had been my go-to pants for a decade, the only tailored pants with a non-elasticated waist I could wear without a struggle. When I went low carb last February (months before I started the BSD), those pants were my weight loss bellweather as I had no scale in the home nor the desire to see what a scale would have had to tell me at that point. I pulled them on yesterday over the pants I was wearing, buttoned them, zipped them, and watched them fall to floor the minute I let go.

I still can’t quite believe this is real life.

Great news about those trousers Esnecca, you must have been delighted to see them slip to the floor!

I’m planning a major wardrobe clear out this week too – poss. tomorrow. I know I have about five pairs of jeans to go and a few dresses, but I really need to go through it all and see what fits and what doesn’t. Can’t really believe I’ve got to the point of getting rid of clothes because they are too big.

My most surprising NSV has been that my Rosacia on my face has disappeared! Ive been on constant meds and facial gunk for 5 years but no more, I don’t know what else to attribute it to. Unexpected but very welcome 😊

Seem not to be losing much right now but this week so many people have suddenly noticed my weight loss. Not sure why as I see them 5 days a week so it can’t be that. Losing slowly but have a busy weekend ahead. Then St Patrick’s Day (weekend) the following. Then contemplating moving from med plan to the 800.

It certainly gives a boost when people start to notice doesn’t it? It was a while before anyone commented on my weight loss, but then a few people started telling me how well I looked. The only change had the weight loss, so that is what they were seeing. Took awhile for my OH to make any comment about my progress, but now he often mentions how well I’ve done and that he’s proud of me.

This week I turfed out a lot of clothes now too big for me and I am now looking for cropped trousers to take on our upcoming holiday, as all but two pairs have had to go in the reject too-baggy pile.

Keep going everyone ….. have a good w/e and an excellent result at next weigh-in.

I am really enjoying some of the foods I didn’t used to eat and love getting creative in the kitchen to find new recipes

Clothes fit better and I can now buy smaller sizes. The local charity shop will soon be getting a delivery of clothes that don’t fit anymore

I’ve learnt to say no to sweets etc

I didn’t take my meds with me on a long weekend to London and Bloods in normal range all weekend

Hi Red Roster, my taste for sweet food has gone too, now I look at then and register that they look yummy by have no desire to eat then. My son made hot cross buns yesterday and needed me in the kitchen every step of the way. The turned out perfect with a delicious looking cinnamon glaze and normally I’d have eaten several but I wasn’t even tempted which I’m counting as a win ☺

One marvellous side effect I’ve found is the disappearance of the oedema in my feet and lower legs. I’ve had it for 30 years just varying with the seasons, and 30 years ago I was only 8st so it’s not just a fat thing. For the past 5 summers I’ve had to sleep with my feet up on 2 pillows to reduce it enough to wear sandles without my feet bulging out of the straps 😯

After nearly 3 weeks of low carbs and healthy fresh food it is all gone! Has anyone else found this? I haven’t seen any reference in the forums. It might be silly but the boost it’s given to my vanity is a good as a drop on the scales 🎉🎉

A big NSV! I was diagnosed around 4/5 years ago with the beginnings of glaucoma. I have my eyes checked fairly regularly and at last week’s appointment the doctor told me that the pressure in my eyes had dropped. Am so pleased. The doctor was really thrilled which made me think the reduction was unusual. (I was so surprised I didn’t ask!). The only things that have changed are my eating habits and weight so coincidence? Who knows? But I’m definitely taking it as a victory for BSD!
Wish I could get my sense of smell back too!