Hi all, didn’t join this 4 week challenge as I was away when you all started. It seems to have been a challenging 4 weeks for many of us… I’m having a real personal challenge this month, and I’m thinking about the only thing I can control is what I put in my mouth, so weight wise I’m doing good..
anyway, I’m really up for a new 4 week challenge, the time frame of 4 weeks is just enough to keep my goals in sight.
I have had crazy thought for the next challenge title:
“Let’s get doon (down, said in some sorta weird accent!,) in June
Yep, it’s weird, but made me giggle! I’m sure the rest of you will have some brilliant ideas!
June or July, we’re waving goodbye (to fat!)
Ann x

Like CCathy, I won’t be able to report in at the end of this challenge either as I will be away – will have access to the internet, but not to scales.

Anyway, having come home from holiday a few days ago, somehow or other managing to maintain my weight exactly, despite so much over-indulgence (particularly in the wine dept), I weighed myself this morning and have somehow managed to drop another 3lbs since returning home at the weekend 😝 Quite how that happened, I have no idea as I’ve had wine every evening with dinner – though only one glass (quite a large one though) , and continue to increase my calorie / carb count. This has brought my BMI down to 20.6, which is fine because I am going away at the end of the week for a couple of weeks, so happy to have a bit of extra wriggle room, but probably a tad low long term (started at 29.4 and I have now lost 45lbs, original target was only 28lbs). I think it was Krysia who said when she reached maintenance that her doctor told her that she had turned into a “fat burning machine”? Maybe I have too – certainly not going to knock it as I am happy to continue gradually increasing the cals / carbs until I find the correct level for maintenance, but I do feel a bit guilty knowing how hard some of you are struggling.

Because of this, I hesitated about posting, but then thought it may encourage people to know that it CAN be done, and maintenance CAN be achieved (though only been approx. 5 weeks so far, so I may think differently in 6 months 😜 ) Good luck for the last week of the challenge.

Made a good start and lost 0.3 kg (0.75 lb) in one day, there might be hope for me yet at the end of this challenge.

Weighing in a day late and I’ve lost 2lbs from last week. Midweek I’d lost 3.75lbs but it was my hen night at the weekend and I’m afraid carbs found me in spectacular size in the shape of cocktails, pizza and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels but …..back on it now, been to the gym, fasting today (had a handful of roasted almonds after 21 hours as a felt a bit woozy) and hoping for another loss at the final weigh in next week – which will be the last before my wedding.

Had a look at my starting weight and appalled to see that I’m actually a pound heavier than when I started. Ups and downs are an understatement – but I guess the stress of a full time job and planning a wedding are taking their toll. I tried my wedding suit on last night – it’s snug!! Ideally I need to drop about 4-5 lbs to be really comfortable but if I’m not, well, my own fault – only I control what I put in my mouth!!

Good luck to everyone for their last week of this challenge – I will not be joining the next one as I will be on honeymoon, but I do like the suggested title of ‘Let’s get doon in June!’

Keep on keeping on everyone – one day at a time xxx

TC 🙂

Come on topcac you know you can do it if you really set your mind to it.

ClarinetCathy, pod, Theodora, s-g, Verano, well done to all of you. Enjoy your holidays, and, Theodora please don’t stop posting. Your insights are too valuable and we enjoy hearing success stories.
Topcac, just do absolutely the best you can between now and then and whatever happens you will look spectacular and your wedding day will be a great triumph, setting the stage for the years of your married life.
Keep on keeping on, Butterlover, you will prevail.

pod, I do like doon/June, clubhouse leader.

Pod- I am loving your title suggestions for our next challenge.

Theodora- thank you for posting about your continued weight loss during maintenance and it is certainly very encouraging for those of us yet to embark on maintenance. I love the thought of me being a fat burning machine. It must be that when we get all our fat off and are still revving high then we continue to lose weight rather than being insulin resistant and storing fat. I like the idea of that a lot.

Topcac- you will easily get rid of the hen night excess by being extra careful and fasting. I would like to wish you well for your forthcoming wedding and honeymoon and perhaps we will see you when you get back as some of us will be being challenged for a fair few more four week challenges!

Keep going everyone- only five more days to go to end the North and South 4 week challenge!

I missed your note yesterday, Busybee, a good week for you, terrific 🙂

My day started well today, then tailed off foodwise. I did manage 10,000+ steps today, best for a while, helped by a lovely sunset walk. Tomorrow will be reduced rations as we are out for dinner with another group of friends and it is another Italian Restaurant. Wonder if they will have a similar veg dish I can have without the pasta? I’m at the gym in the morning so will just have a small serve of raw nuts with my lemon and ginger tea and wait for lunch and my salad leaves with tuna, tomato, avo, cheese.

Go well, everyone xx

Come on topcac, we’re all routing for you! Only a few more days! What an exciting time for you!
Theodora, keep on posting!
Ann x

I’ve been reading a lot of the posts on the forum I missed while I was on holibobs.
I found all the posts on this thread about carbs extremely interesting..
I had been searching everywhere to see where the carb numbers were.. couldn’t find them so sort of just copied what other people had done!
I have been trying since I came back off of hols to eat more fat.. I had already cut the carbs to under 30, and usually under 20… but hadn’t upped the fat. By mistake really, but I find eating more fat counter intuitive.. I’ve practiced low fat most of my adult life, blame Jane Fonda, who used to survive on coffee and cigarettes, anybody remember her workout video? it used to be my fav …. and Rosemary Conley! In fact I’ve just chucked out my Rosemary Conley diet books, I had 4!, And was still fat. I’ve waffled on, sorry! Anyway since upping the fat, I’ve had 2 unbelievable weeks. Upping the fat is all I’ve done different, but the first week I removed 7lbs and the second week 4lbs. This is my 15 week on the diet so a really surprising loss. Also lost 2 inches from my waist and 2 from hips. Don’t know how all this happened in 2 weeks. You’d expect it in the first few weeks, but not this far along.
Maybe the whoosh fairy paid me an extended visit!,,
Keep on keeping on
Ann xxx

Pod I think we’ve all found the idea of eating fat the most difficult aspect of this plan. Most of us have been brainwashed into thinking that low fat is the answer but, as you say, eating low fat has helped us to stay fat!!!!

Now we know better!

A really amazing loss over two weeks …. well done. It can be done when we stick to the principals of BSD like glue. Can I ask how you have increased fat in your diet?

I don’t think that MM actually gives a figure for the number if carbs a day but other websites do. I think dietdoctor gives some figures. I guess it’s a different number for each of us. Some people seem to need to go very low but then I also think it’s the type of carbs that are important if you have diabetes.

I’m still plodding along. Another day standing still but that’ll do me at the moment.
Have a good day.

Just lost the whole post!, I’ll start again!,,
Hi Verano,
How I’ve upped the fat!
I cook everything in fat. Extra virgin, coconut and butter…
I’ve tried advocado for the first time today, quite tasteless in my opinion, but for 34g you get 10g of fat!
Swapped back bacon for streaky bacon.. I can’t stand the fat in meat unless it’s really really crispy so I cook it to death, crumble it and add it to eggs or salad, or anything really.
Eat walnuts.. but put a hold on that, I’m starting to eat too many!
Eaten belly pork for the first time, also cooked until it was crispy
TotAl fage yoghurt has the most fat/protein I’ve found
And basically, stir fried everything!
I’m going to try bulletproof coffee today, coffee with butter or coconut oil and cream.. OMG!
It’s a huge learning curve for me and I spend ages trying to get the fat/protein at a decent level. The carbs seem to be looking after themselves!
Ann x

Thanks Ann

I’m not a lover of coconut oil unless its part of a Thai curry! Interesting post. I eat walnuts but only 10g a day with my breakfast and I also have full fat Fage. I’m not really much of a meat eater just the occasional steak but I do like chicken. I like avocado but I often fill the ‘hole’ with tuna mixed with a little mayo and vinegar makes it a bit more tasty. The thought of coffee with butter in fills me with horror! I am totally brainwashed even after so long on this plan and do find it hard to increase my fat intake.

As a matter of interest do you count carbs and calories?

Hi Verano,
I measure count and log absolutely everything on myfitnesspal , even the 4 cream crackers I had on Saturday ( A naughty day!) I wasn’t craving carbs, I just wanted some sort of cracker with my cheese, won’t be doing it again though, instead of the one I’d accounted for I ate 4!! Obviously woke up the carb monster.. Must look for low carb cracker recipe!!
I try to plan the days menus in the morning, as Ive found out I can reach the last meal of the day and I need to eat loadsa fat!!!
Anyway average numbers
Total cals 780
Carbs 23g
Protein 50g
Fat 60g
As you can see, I haven’t quite got it right, but I’m getting there

I’m aiming for 50 percent fat 30 per cent protein and 20 percent carbs
Ive done a lot of reading and I think this is the way for me.. it will probably need tweaking but its early days yet!!

Thanks Ann.

I have never counted fat but have just changed my Fatsecret to include it. May make interesting reading. I also add in any ‘treats’ into my daily calculations. Sometimes you just have to have that crunch with cheese. I’ve got a recipe for chickpea crackers but I’ve not made any yet.

Yes when I’m in the ‘zone’ I also plan the day in the morning. It’s sticking to the plan that is often my downfall!

Hi All, the calculator I use on Sparkpeople tell me my intake of cholesterol is too high when I have fats, even good ones. I just ignore it but many of these cals are wrong because they dont take into account the good fats and still have stupid ideas about fats and cholesterol, especially with eggs. Good cholesterol is the building block of the body and also creates and converts certain vitamins and minerals. All need updating but so do doctors and nutritionists info.

I am still here even though I have started another thread. Sticking to plan and now 0.8 kg down which is 1.75 lbs, okay in 2 days. Lets just keep on keeping on…

Hi sunshine girl, I’ve been reading your other thread, I hope to join when I’ve worked out some goals!! Keep on keeping on!
I’ve just checked the cholesterol for yesterday’s food, and it is up.. ….I’ll just ignore it then!, there are soooo many things to check, I spend half my life on my fitness pal. Good job I don’t go to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Verano, just tried the bulletproof coffee. Only made half a mug cos I didn’t know what it would be like!
It wasn’t that bad! Don’t think I could drink a whole mug, perhaps it’s an acquired taste…
On the plus side, it’s a great lip balm!!!! my lips still feel greasy after an hour! Teehee!
Ann

Have never fancied trying bulletproof coffee but I always take my coffee with cream now and it’s delicious. I always ask for cream when going in a coffee shop and feel slightly smug! It feels very indulgent and tastes so much nicer than made with the skimmed milk I used previously following the bad advice trying to stay slim on low fat! My colleagues still can’t believe how much weight I’ve lost eating full fat everything! In fact two people at work, both health care professionals, have asked me about the diet this week as they are going to give it a try. We should be on commission!

I’ve never fancied bulletproof coffee either! But as a means to an end, it was ok!! I drink black coffee so cream doesn’t appeal, but, as taste buds change all the time it seems, I might give it a go. Tomorrow I’m trying bulletproof cocoa with cream!!!! Was thinking it might be good when I go out and I can’t find anything BSD to eat…
Your right, we should be on commission!!
Ann

Hi all!
When you start to run that old “low-fat” tape in your head, and think that it is somehow wrong (still naughty!) to eat full fat, remind yourself that high-carbohydrate diets are the most prominent stimulators of inflammatory pathways that reach your brain. It’s really easy to notice your gut, like gas or constipation, but it is hard to see what is happening to your brain on a molecular level.
If you live to age 85, your risk of Alzheimers is 50-50, if you continue eating the current high-carb, low-fat way we have been taught. Elevated sugar levels are toxic to brain cells.
So when you drink your bulletproof coffee, feel smug and smart! And think about how low your C-reactive protein (marker for inflammation) will be as you eat your good quality fats! (Coconut oil, avocado, wild fish, grass fed meat butter and cream, nuts, seeds and of course, eggs!)
The new research on how what we eat can “turn on” certain genes and “turn off” others is amazing stuff — you literally can control your genetic destiny by what you eat — so enjoy the yummy fat!! (and dump the crackers)

Well said Californiagirl, it is interesting the science of it all… I can’t pretend to be able to remember all I read, Lol!, but at the time it all makes perfect sense… If I drink more bulletproof coffee perhaps I’ll remember more!!
Crackers already dumped!!!! (grins sheepishly!)
Ann

Out damn crackers, out!😜😜

Heehee!!!!

Hey everyone

Just catching up with some posts and thanks for the words of encouragement. I am 1.5lbs down from Tuesday which is awesome, and fully expect to reach my goal of another 4lbs by next Friday! I can do this, I will do this. Have been fasting today too and managed 20 hours, will try the same tomorrow

Pod – your weight loss in the last two weeks has been amazing – congratulations. Hate most coffee so won’t be trying the bulletproof but your remark about the lip balm made me laugh!

I can understand the need for crunch with cheese – celery / apple / walnuts / cucumber??

Will try to visit this page every day until the big day, see you all again soon xxx

My favourite version of bulletproof coffee, and I love it so much I could drink it every day, though I don’t 😎 uses Cornish clotted cream instead of the butter. I sometimes chuck a little cinnamon in as well, but then I tend to do that with a lot of things as I have discovered how much I love the taste. I haven’t actually tried the butter version yet, I suppose I should do to get a comparison. Next time I run out of cream I will give it a go.

Been struggling with random munchies ever since my carb fest at the funeral on Monday, and weighed in this morning out of my comfort zone at 11 stone 1. Still healthy weight BMI just, but too close for comfort. It must be water as I put on 3 pounds in one day, so am having a double fast day, with 18:6 IF, not eating until 2:00pm today, and then stopping eating before 8:00pm and 800 calories, which I will repeat on Monday and next Thursday as well. Also making sure the water intake is higher as I think i got a bit out of step with my routine. It isn’t easy this maintenance, but at least the tools to cope with a rise like that are well understood.

well done topcac, were rooting for you!! You can do it, you’re gonna be awesome!!
Sigh!! I’ve tried walnuts and celery, but apple and cucumber I don’t like. Sighs again!!!
I’ve seen some low carb cracker recipes, just have to choose one and have a go!!
mixnmatch, I’m trying the cream version tomorrow!! And keep on keeping on maintaining!!! I find maintaining a frightening prospect, but I’ve ways to go yet!!

Ann

Funny to read about the ‘need for crunch’ – I’ve had a really stressful afternoon and just tucked into a hearty bowl of homemade cheese coleslaw – that seemed to do the trick!

I still have mixed feelings about the fat due to former programming… I added a teeny bit of butter to my asparagus this morning but really I’ve been doing without it the last 3 weeks. I think it’s also because at this stage of counting 800 calories too much butter would take away too much other food from my day…
It’s great to read how helpful upping the fat has been for some of you!

Y’all, pork rinds. When you need crunch, there is nothing in the world like a properly made southern pork rind. I assume they have them in the UK but call them something else. I’m suspicious that they may not make them right because if there’s one thing the Deep South does better than anywhere else in the world, it’s pork rinds. I’ve had them with hard cheese. I’ve even made a blue cheese dip using my homemade tofu “mayonnaise” and Worcestershire sauce and scooped it up with them in like it was the old days when I’d make all kinds of dips to have with potato chips. The flavor is heavenly, the crunch so loud you can hear it across the room and there isn’t a single carb to be found.

Pork scratchings or crackling usually here. I second this suggestion, but make sure you check the ingredients on the packet for interlopers and extra flavourings, as I have seen some which contain these. My favourite butcher in Hayle, home of the best Cornish pasties in the world, also does their own pork crackling and it is lovely. I also found some bags called pork curls that have a slightly higher protein content using some more of the meat as well as the fat and rind.

I’ve changed my counters on Fatsecret today and now have protein, carbs and fat with calories. Today I’ve been shocked proteins are 40%, carbs33% and fat just 27%. I have never done this exercise before but it’s obvious that I need to up my fats and reduce my protein!

I’ve had pork curls before, Mixnmatch and I love them. I may even prefer them to the rinds because they’re even crunchier. Yes, it is imperative to always check the ingredients. One of my favorite brands has several flavors, all carbless, except for their BBQ flavor which has added sugars.

Hi, I had belly pork for the first time in my whole life last week and made some pork crackling on Tuesday!! It was OK!!
Esnecca, tell us the secret of yummy southern pork rinds!!
Mixnmatch, I’m gonna see if my butcher does pork crackling rind!!! And are the pork curls in supermarkets and can I make cheese crackers out of them!!!!! Lol!!!
Verano, I know how you feel, that’s exactly how my calories looked!!
Californiagirl says good fat is good for the brain, I certainly need some of that
Maisiemouse, it is a weird way to eat for sure… Don’t know what MM might think of it! He does advocate eating good fats though!!!
Ann

Disastrous couple of days, food-wise. Sigh. I had an exam this morning and I was very stressed leading up to it and I also have a cold so the combination was making me miserable. Enter “comfort food”. I went shopping and basically grabbed everything that took my fancy: crumpets, chocolate biscuits, Doritos, whatever. And spent two days chowing down. Now I don’t know how much of this yuck feeling is from the cold and how much from the carby processed junk.

Have to shake my head at my non-logic. Feeling sick and stressed, so let’s feed my body with things that will make me feel much worse! Need a clear head for the exam, how about eating things that will make me tired and foggy! I need a good smack upside the head sometimes.

Good news is the exam seemed fine. And I also have ingredients for a couple of different kinds of healthy soups so I can get back on track straight away.

Natalie – I am glad your exam seems fine. Exams are really stressful so it’s good that they are over and it is great that you have got straight back on the BSD after your blip.

From reading this forum for over a year – the thing that has really struck me is that to be successful with this way of eating we don’t have to be perfect – we just have to get back on after each blip (and there are bound to be blips) – as someone said on this forum – we just need to just keep on keeping on.

Morning lovelies

Checking in early as I have been up since 2:30am and working since 3:30am (trouble in China – 7 hours ahead). So I’m TIRED…and what do I want to do when I’m tired?? Yep, you guessed it! EAT!!! And I’m not talking a chicken and avocado salad!!!

However, I have stayed strong (OK OK I know – it’s not even 9am yet) but this talk of Pork rinds has me thinking that it might just be the perfect ‘treat’ for a carb craving stress head! So I’m off to the supermarket!

Will check in again later but have a good day y’all….now…where did I put my car keys….

I think I’ll join everyone and do a pork belly roast tomorrow night!

I’m going with the good news first, Natalie. Well done with the exam and we’ll done for picking yourself up again. As for the other, been there, done that, wrote the book and I can only agree with KrysiaD about not having to be perfect (I do wish I could remember that! !) and being prepared to work past the blips and keep on keeping on.

topcac, careful in that supermarket ……….

Well done everyone, you are all still here so that is a big bonus, Natalie well done with the exam. Topcac can you get some sleep now, my daughter trades with America and sometimes takes calls at 4 am.

I am doing fine, no loss today and BG 5.0. BUT it is the weekend. Hubby has just gone out and said he would be calling in at the wine co-operative and did I want anything, I resolutely said NO and I must stick to it. Feel free to give my a bollocking everyone.

Hi all….still awake SG – and working at the office until 6 tonight then out for drinks (fizzy water for me). I also work in the US time zone both eastern and Pacific so if everything goes wrong at once I’m pretty much up 24 hours! Fortunately the US are behaving themselves today 🙂

I did go and get some pork scratchings. I also bought some cold chicken…and that was it. Calories may be a little over (who am I kidding, they’ll be about 1600 for the day) but carbs will only be in the 20’s and it’s the weekend tomorrow and I’m so busy with wedding prep that I’m sure I will forget to eat….HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Wow, wild election in Britain , huh? I thought we had the wildest election with Mr. Trump last fall but yours is Mr. Toad’s super wild ride — someone pass those pork rinds!

Well California girl I totally predicted the outcome of this one… although Brexit and Trump both came as a shock. Yes we are flung into yet more chaos here in Blighty!

I’m just trying to ignore it….there is literally NO ONE to run this country!! I’m munching on Pork Rinds…it’s helping 😀

Munching on pork rinds is the solution to many of life’s problems, in my experience.

pod, I’ve only tried to make them at home once. I baked the cut up skins in a 325F oven for something like 2.5 hours until all the fat was gone. They were good, but not as good as the fried version and I never fry at home because I burn myself all the time in the kitchen as it is. The last thing I need is an inch of boiling oil spitting at me. The local burn unit would run out of gauze. Which is why I buy my pork skin products from a local family-run concern in the middle of nowhere that makes the classic rind (the puffy, light, large kind), curls (small and twisty and super crunchy) and traditional cracklins (roughly cut chunks that sometimes go beyond crunchy into the hard-as-rock territory).

I would love to try the ones Mixnmatch’s butcher makes. All the fresh pork rinds, none of the skin grafts. 😀

It’s a bit of a disaster right now — we may all have to run for public office — our current crop of politicians (both sides of the Atlantic) seem to be flailing about. It’s almost enough to drive me to eating cake, but I am going to have coleslaw instead!😜 I’ll call it Jim Comey-coleslaw. Haha.

Haha California girl!
Things you never hear people say… “It’s driven me to coleslaw”! 😄

I’d put some mature cheddar in that if I were you 😉

Amazed you’re not asleep at your desk topcac!

Today is my final weigh in on this challenge and I have maintained. Today I am 10.3.5 and I started the challenge at 10.7.5 so I have lost what I set myself to lose, 4lb which is the most I seem to be able to lose these days in a month. I am very happy with that. The weight loss does seem slow but still steady. Am more than ready for a week away and am looking forward to seeing how I cope when I am away from my comfort zone of the same old food choices.

My next four week challenge will be to try and get down into the 9’s! Depending on what happens this next week, I should be able to do that by losing another 4lb during the next challenge.

Two colleagues at work have embarked on the BSD this week as they have been so impressed with my weight loss during the last six months.

Am off to Turkey this afternoon. See you all on the 20th June when I will join for the next challenge. Thank you to everyone doing the North and South challenge. I will check in whilst I am away but won’t post.

Phew, back into my weight comfort zone this morning and in fact back to target which is the middle of my zone, so the water weight must have left as abruptly as it arrived. Still struggling to stick to a plan, I end up picking at enough bits and pieces that I end up missing a real meal totally as I have already had enough. Election night was fun, I was just finishing an 800 fast day, and at one in the morning the munchies arrived. So two glasses of wine, far too much to eat and I ended up going to bed at five o’ clock aware that I had to be up again at seven! Didn’t need to eat again until Friday tea time, but ended up with another bout of eating randomness instead of my planned meal when my OH was late home and not hungry.

Ha ha Maisie mouse — “driven to coleslaw” will be my new mantra on bad days! And Mixnmatch, being driven to wine and munchies is much more the common experience! Hope your day today (wherever you are in the many times zones) goes better!