S-G I haven’t seen the Dr yet…cannot get an appointment until the 25th, and I am not prepared to see a different GP. I think she will be very interested, when she saw me 3 months ago, she wanted to know about the BSD as I told her I was using it! She even told the Diabetes Nurse not to talk to me about diet…which she couldn’t help doing…..was very patronising and told me that, on no account was I to cut carbs…on the contrary, I should be eating them at every meal!!! I have kept a very detailed diary of my food (calories, carbs and protein), weight, activity, etc. I hope never to see that nurse again, but expect I will have to.

My ‘treat’ meal out will not involve bread…but I might give in to a very few chips!

Wow Pootle what an amazing weight loss in three months ⭐️⭐️👏👏👏 I bet your Doctor will be astonished & very impressed with your achievement!
Margaret xx

Pootle, I hope you do see that nurse and can say ‘told you so’, but I’m sure you wont and the doctor is on your side. Your results say everything about this diet that any medical person needs to know – it works. Good for you.

Good morning!

So great to read all your positive posts it’s put me on the right track for getting back into the swing of things.

Well done S-g and Pootle , great results. Love your long term goal setting idea s-g.

Sunny hope you’re having a good trip. We came back yesterday as you were leaving!

Wendy sounds like a great summer with wonderful family time. Sometimes we have to just go with the flow to enjoy those occasions to the fullest extent.

Welcome to the newcomers and returners. This is definitely the right place!

Julia …. buffets! I’m with s-g here. I avoid buffets whenever possible and eat from a menu. Sometimes it’s not the ‘hunger’ monster but the ‘just fancy a little bit’ monster that wins at a buffet for me! Afternoon tea is simply, we just avoid them!

Margaret don’t worry too much about general anaesthetics and age/fitness. They tend to use sedation and spinal anaesthesia now for lower body surgery. I’ve had two extensive hip surgeries with that method and couldn’t tell any difference!

So to me. Home from lovely family time in Portugal. Naturally after 15 days AWOL I have a little extra baggage, 5.2lbs, to be exact but that will be soon be gone. I’m going to set out some short and long term goals following s-g’s lead. I have to be realistic as we have another trip planned at the start of October. No point in setting myself up to fail so my first short term goal will be to lose this holiday gain before our next trip. I will work out my longer term goals later today.

Hope everyone is continuing to do well.

Hi everyone, I didn’t get weighed today because I lost a fair chunk yesterday and didn’t want to be disappointed if it had blipped up as it can day by day. So will leave it for a couple of days.

Verano, was that about me getting a sandwich and throwing the bread away 🙂 Still do that, or eat the meat out of a sausage roll. I expect a buffet to be full of fresh cheeses, meats, salads and maybe some fruit, not stodge, stodge and more stodge. Went to an event recently at a chateau and it was a buffet so I thought great – posh nosh on a buffet (as above). When it arrived it was either in bread buns (burgers) or deep fried with batter or breadcrumbs. When I told them I couldn’t eat it they said I should have told them beforehand. So lesson learnt. They did do me some chicken bits without the batter and then ask if I would like some chips to go with it 🙂 People, really.

I envy you and your trips and I was saying to hubby I would like to just pack a case and go off somewhere whenever we felt like it. But we have 3 cats and it is a military operation getting everything sorted. However, that is working in my favour as we have had nothing in our diaries except for a few quiz nights from beginning of September to end of December when we visit family again. Great for my long term plan. I took my inspiration from Mel Robbins in a podcast about if you really want something, make it into a project with a start and end date and work towards that goal. She say 6 months is good so that is what I am doing. 3.33lbs per month adds up to 20lbs. No more messing with 2lbs on and 2lbs off and so on. So I am also being grateful to be able to concentrate on me and my needs and goals.

Have a great weekend and keep on keeping on…

Thank you Verano regarding your surgery reassurance to me. S-G you are doing so well with your weight loss now. I need some of your determination to rub off on me🤔 My husband & I went up to London yesterday for lunch with friends & I have been trying to eat much fewer lower carb calories today but will find out when I weigh tomorrow 🤔
Keep on going everyone 👍
Margaret xx

By the way SunnyB thanks for your suggestion that I might be under eating good fats & protein & I have been increasing my protein intake & having more kefir!. However as I had feared I gained another 0.75lbs when I weighed today & seem to be going backwards this month & in fact since last January have gained 8lbs rather than at least losing that much🙁
I’m not happy about this but still want to keep trying to lose as much weight as I can before Christmas. I hava a bowls final celebration lunch tomorrow & must do better next week.🤞
Margaret xx

Just a quick drop-in for Margaret. Can I suggest a complete “back to basics” approach?

No more guessing portion sizes even for good stuff … weigh and measure everything going on your plate, stick to as near 800 cals as you can each day and similarly, decided your acceptable level of carbs a day and try not to exceed it. And no “just one/just a little won’t do any harm” excuses.

We can all get complacent about the size of portions and little “off-piste” treats/exceptions, but by going back to basics and reminding ourselves what “normal” portions/eating on the BSD looks like, we can reset. The exercise might only be necessary for a couple of weeks, to get you solidly back on track.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone.

S-G, you’re right; I’m quite the lurker. I am rather shy and easily discouraged so I tend to stand in place rather than take action… but I would like to change that. My two biggest challenges right now are my severe insomnia, which leaves me so exhausted that I struggle to even think clearly, and my traumatic brain injury that prevents me from taking short turn memory to long term storage, which means I forget most everything including my goals and determination.

My introduction- I am an almost 40 year old widow with a teenage daughter. I currently weight almost 270 lbs.
My reasons for joining everyone is to decrease my weight, improve my health, and positively influence my daughter while giving my self-esteem a facelift.
My marriage was a rocky one to say the least and left me with quite a shattered view of myself, not really knowing who I am, what I want, or where I belong. My daughter is likewise lost and wandering so I hope leading the way to a better path will help her in her journey of healing.
I really love the atmosphere of this forum so I’ll try to contribute more in the future.

Hi all, hope you are having a good weekend. I love it when things go right and that is what is happening for me right now. First we put out a call for a Christmas housesitter on the site we use and, after 2 false starts we have found someone who we hope is a perfect fit for us. Next we bought a new light-weight stick style vacuum and put our heavy Dyson on a selling site. Went the first day and they picked it up and paid today. That money will go towards me having my engagement ring repaired – needed 2 new diamonds (tiny ones at around €100 each) but couldn’t justify that so settled for 2 cubic zirconia at €100 for the 2.

Weight loss is going well so I resisted weighing today as we all go up and down on a daily basis. Going to try to wait until my weigh day on Tuesday. BG is going down every morning so I am still reducing the insulin dose. Down to 15 units. That also helps me lose weight as I am not pumping so much fat magnets into me.

SunshineOrange, you are in a safe space here. We never criticise or have a go at or insult anyone – we are here to look out for each other. We might sometimes give each other a little push or some advice people don’t want to take but it all comes from a good place. I am assuming you don’t have any health problems like diabetes where diet plays a big part but I am sorry to hear about your head injury. It must be difficult to cope with the combination of insomnia and memory loss – I find it very hard to sleep and often still awake at 5am but lucky enough to be able to stay in bed if I need to.

My suggestions for you are 1. Stay with us and shout out if you need any help or advice. We might have been asked a question a dozen times but we don’t mind and that even makes us quite an experienced resourse. We will never try to give you crazy ideas or sell you anything but we have all done lots of reading or watching videos we might recommend. 2. I think you said you have bought the book (can’t remember which one) and I am sure you will find a menu plan for a couple of weeks. Try to follow one or spend a couple of hours making up your own using them as inspiration. 3. Do a shop with your menu with you and don’t buy anything that will throw you off plan. 4. Write down all your goal, hopes and dreams. You can also write down how you are feeling, is the diet helping with sleep or are clothes fitting better etc. 5. Write down what you eat and drink or put in an online application like MyFitnessPal which will calculate your calories, carbs, fats etc. Also write down any exercise you do and try to get into a routine, be it a walk once a week, aerobics in front of YouTube 2 days a week. Whatever. It is all up to you and baby steps are fine. I think the lists and recording will help you remember where you are and what you are doing. So many things. Hope I haven’t overwhelmed you.

Margaret, at least you have admitted you have strayed from the plan and maybe you already know where you have been going wrong. I think you can still go out to bowls dinners or spend time with your son but plan it into your diet. When he has a bowl of potato chips you can have a bowl of carrot sticks with a hummous dip or something similar. Have a meal out but leave the bread and miss out the dessert or have some fruit or even ice cream or a sorbet. There are lots of little tricks that can build up to good habits. Don’t think any of us find this easy. I sometimes want to scream – I hate being diabetic and I cannot be on and off my plan as my diabetes is always there at one level or another. Much as it is my dream it is not going away. Pull on your big girl pants (not a comment on size 🙂 ) and crack on with a plan to get you where you want to be.

Well I think I have had enough to say for today, see you all next week.

SunshineOrange ….. great advice from sunshine-girl. Just stay with us and write down all your daily/weekly/monthly goals. Although at the moment ‘one day at a time’ might just be the way for you to go.

Thanks S-G yes time to stop fooling myself with guestimations about what amount I am eating & smaller big girls pants will also be welcome 😂
Margaret xx

S-g yes I remember the days when I was ultra strict too throwing away the bread from sandwiches etc! Must admit I’m far more lax these days although I still don’t eat a sandwich unless it’s with my low carb bread, and then it’s always an open sandwich and I do have a burger, but without the bun!

The abiding thing I remember of my pre BSD days is that ‘afternoon fatigue’. I used to think it was the normal thing to need an afternoon nap after lunch. But then lunch was usually heavy carbs with a sandwich, crisps and maybe even a chocolate biscuit! Now, with a low carb diet, I never get that afternoon slump and in fact when I wake in the morning I feel much brighter and more alert and stay like that for most of the day.

So, I guess this Way of Life has many benefits apart from controlling blood sugar. Losing weight I guess is the primary benefit for many but there are others, well for me at least, include feeling much brighter and alert despite getting older, eating a far better diet with virtually no UPFs and being far more aware of how food can, and should be, our ‘friend’ not our ‘foe’. I’t comes back to the old saying we should ‘eat to live not live to eat’!

this is i think such a good things to see and i cant wait to try it now ekotogel

Hi everyone
Well to be honest speaking French is a lot easier for me than struggling with a pretty rough week back ! I think I knew what to expect with carb withdrawal but I reckon it was a bit more than that .Headaches yes, but feeling weary and really out of sorts for well over a week … ? Ok I had a month of excesses when family were here but I didn’t expect to feel so yuk for so long after .Oh well …maybe something else was going on ??

So I am sticking with it , fasting where possible and eliminating any white carbs .I immediately get an attack of acid reflux if I eat bread so that is a good deterrent .
I have a week in the UK planned early October to catch up with hubby’s family so I will need to be extra vigilant there but apart from that , no other trips planned .

I start back to yoga this week and will resume pilates whne aquagym stops mid October .

Just keep going everyone and be gentle with yourselves .You can pick yourself up and crack on if there are any detours on the road !! Just find your way back 🙂

Wishing everyone a positive week
Wendy x

Wendy so sorry to hear that your carb withdrawal symptoms are so bad. Hopefully this week will be smoother. Keep on keeping on ……

Hi all, no weigh in today. I am getting used to not weighing every day but tomorrow is my official day – hoping… fingers crossed. I have been super good and no afternoon snacks except one slice of ham today and yesterday I have 2 olives and a couple of chunks of pineapple.

Verano, I too know what carbs I can have and how often but they can still creep in. I allow myself the occasional Ryvita with butter with my boiled egg or with my homemade soup. But notice it is getting to be most days. Luckily I run out after my current packet and no more until we go back to the UK.

Wendy, sorry you are struggling. Think of it as your body ridding itself of the poison. I could say in French ‘bien fait’ but wouldn’t even suggest such a thing 🙂 Sorry, something I learnt today. These crazy little phrases that we think we know what they mean. Now I am worried you will think I am serious. No way. It is a phrase I had to learn so I never make the mistake of using it. :). Only you and maybe Californiagirl will understand – are you still on track with the French Californiagirl.

Lovely weather here again but no chance of the pool heating up so just have to get on with the aerobics.

Have a good week.

Hello all, just started having a shake at lunchtime. Bit of trial and error with the quantity of water and stirring it up properly, but super easy. Having a med style dinner, usually chicken and veg but also make my own burgers with just the meat and herbs and a bit of cheese and salad. After a week clothes feel looser (I don’t weigh myself), but definitely felt more tired than usual. Hoping this wears off as I adjust!

Hi all, today is my weigh in and was a little disappointed as I have been super strict but I have lost 0.75 of a pound, so on track if I can do that every week for another 3 and half weeks. Must get more exercise factored in. I am doing some but a bit here and there so maybe 3 times a week.

StarGazer, sounds like you have a plan and doing what is working for you. Not sure about shakes with water, I prefer to use almond milk which is quite low in calories and fat but gives my smoothies a creamier texture.

Spend the night worrying that Wendy is going to take offence at what I said to her. I’m sure she will understand I was just flexing my newly found language skills. Big hugs Wendy.

This idea of mine of getting out and about more seems to have got out of hand. We have 2 more cinema nights next week and I have booked for us to do a city murder mystery tour on Saturday. It takes place in Bergerac and is all done on the phone. We have to decide whether we want to be Ersin Lupin (the famous French jewel robber) or Moriarty of Sherlock fame. The only difficulty we will have is that it will all be in French so 2 phones will be needed, one to translate in case we get stuck, but a great way to learn the language more.

Hope everyone else is keeping on.

No offence taken SG ! Please don’t worry ! Xx

No-one posting lately so thought I would think of something to say.

First my weight is getting me down as I have gained 0.2kg every day for 3 days. But thinking about it I had a bad stomach upset on Tuesday and took some bunger uppers and not been since 🙂 So made a smoothie for lunch with chia seeds, they usuall help things along.

Looking forward to our mystery day out tomorrow. It is like an escape room but in a town (Bergerac) with clues and little souveniers. We did similar when we were in the Alscace and got little reminders of our trip. Apparently this new game is ‘permantently replayable’ so hope we can do it again when family come out – obviously no prizes or bag of goodies at the end but just a fun thing to do.

Good morning everyone & phew I have lost 2.5lbs this last week with two consecutive 24 hour fasts which must have helped as well as the brighter days. I have also been using my SAD lamp, started taking St John’s Wort & have increased my protein & fat intake whilst staying between 800-900 calories in the last five days which is quite a juggling act. I must keep focused now because the thought of reaching Christmas weighing more than I did in last January is awful!!
Keep on going everyone & sorry for not posting much because reading all your experiences is helping & is very motivating 😀👍
Enjoy your mystery day S-G 🤞👏👏
Margaret xx

Hello all, I had a better week as well. The tiredness has worn off to a significant degree, and I’ve also realised how much eating bread was upsetting my stomach. I’ve suspected for some time that I have some sensitivity to wheat, but I definitely feel much better when I don’t eat it. Also figured out the right ratio of water for my shakes, which I’m having 2 to 3 lunchtimes a week. Just off to stock up on chicken breasts and veg!

Hi all, well done to Margaret and StarGazer, it certainly pays to stick with it. After my continuous blips up I had a big drop this morning. Unfortunately, it only took me back to what I was on Tuesday so I hope it continues. However, (I must stop using that word, sound like a report card). I am going to have a small vodka and tonic tonight and my small treat after no alcohol for 3 weeks and a very long day out.

We did the Escape Route in Bergerac and it was tres difficile – all in French but, we were reading all the story about the tasks and the girl told us it was just fluff and if we scrolled down to the bottom of the page we would just find the task we had to do. This set us back about 30 mins plus we set off 30 mins late. At one point my phone kicked me out of the game and I had to reset and then it did the same again so we gave up. It was fun but was hard going with the language and I did 7000 steps up and down and round the city.
It was an experience but I thought we would learn more about the city and its history. Quel dommage.

Tomorrow we are having a no internet day – I can have my phone on but cannot use for WhatsApp or anything online. It will just be for emergencies. I have gathered together some things to do. We will start the day with a crossword (a real paper one) with our brunch. Then we are going to do some reading and then a game of scrabble. We are allowed to watch TV or listen to the radio. It is supposed to calm the brain but also show up just how dependent we are on tech. So I wont be coming on here and I wont be able to do my daily French course or my Duolingo. I can set them to allow me a day off so I don’t lose my progress.

So I will see you all on Monday. Hopefully with a clearer head and better mindfulness.

Brilliant news Margaret and Star Gazer. I am still in the 2lb club…lost 2lb each week since the end of July! So a good steady loss. I went off piste yesterday, with a meal out! 🥴 BUT today I am back on track…
I hope your no internet day went well S-G. I love the idea..will have to try to persuade hubby and give it a go!

Keep on keeping on!
xxx

Wow Pootle consecutive drops of two pounds each week that’s brilliant & you are setting such a good example of sticking with it! 👏👏
Wendy I hope you are feeling much better now?
I’m fasting again today from supper last night to supper this evening so about 24hours & changing my summer clothes over to warmer ones. It’s a right faff since I mostly store my seasonal clothes in wheeled boxes & zipped bags under my bed & my husband has had to extract them because I find it difficult kneeling now. Unfortunately I don’t think many of the clothes are going to feel much looser but I suppose on the plus side I haven’t gained much weight just gone up & down a few pounds this year. But it still feels like a bit of a wasted time since January but I am trying to do better until Christmas. I have got a family gathering in Leeds to negotiate in a couple of weeks time with eating out & a buffet no doubt filled with carbs for the family gathering. I always feel like a spare part as the other half at these events since I don’t know most of them but will soldier on🤔 with a glass of wine in my hand🙀
Keep on going everyone 👍🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Back after my day of no tech. To be honest I didn’t feel any benefit but then I am not a mindless scroller. I am usually online to do puzzles or general knowledge quizzes or I come one here and don’t even turn on any tech until after lunch. One thing with our crossword, when we got really stuck we couldn’t just take a peek at the answers so had to bear with it and eventually finished the whole thing. I checked online today and we got everything right.

Gave myself a free pass to have a few drinks over the weekend – thinking 7000 steps would compensate – and I have had a serious gain but I am sure it will be gone in a couple of days. We have no more social events until 16th October so a good couple of weeks to get back on track.

Pootle I wish I was in the 2lb a week club, I am lucky if I manage 1lb but I am permanently on this diet unless I allow myself some wine, and never allow carbs. I wouldn’t even think of having say mashed potatoes with Sunday lunch. We had roast pork with 4 different veg, so that doesnt bother me, the wine does but less and less.

Still sticking to my goal of losing 3.3lbs by 8th October so really determined again.

Hi S-G.

I think the 2lb a week is because I still have a lot of weight to lose before reaching a sensible weight. I expect to need to continue with the diet for life, but maybe not so strictly counting calories or carbs…but keeping a close eye on weight and counting again if I gain too much. One lucky thing; I have not drunk wine for about 10 years. I became allergic to the sulphites and wine (always a glass whilst cooking supper, and at least 2 more whilst eating) made me sneeze repeatedly and my eyes & nose run incessantly!🥴😢 So I only have the very occasional glass of Southern Comfort or Cherry Brandy (about 3 times a year, Christmas, birthday and wedding anniversary!😂)

I am not missing the carbs particularly now…only as a convenience, making a piece of toast is so quick and easy! I did enjoy the 10 chips and creme brûlée I had on Saturday, but I don’t have a craving for more…so think I am extremely lucky!

I am certain that you will achieve your goal by the 8th Oct…and then move on to another goal!

Keeping on Keeping on!
K.x

Hello everyone. In 2021, I joined this forum to help me with the BSD, which I was doing both to support my diabetic dad, and to lose some weight. It completely changed my way of eating (I thought forever!) and made me feel so much healthier, including putting paid to 30 years of migraine, and a decade of osteoarthritis pain. I could not have done it without everyone here, including a few familiar usernnames I still see now.
Anyway, a few months ago, I fell off the wagon. A hugely stressful period that gave me so little time to cook/prepare food and look after myself got the better of me and I succumbed to fast food and lots and lots of crackers. Even pizza! I feel horrible physically and mentally and my trousers are way too tight. So yesterday I decided enough was enough. I cut out all refined carbs and am already weeing like a racehorse and thinking about nothing but food. I know I got past this before, but I think I need a bit of support this time too. So I hope it’s ok if I jump back in x

Welcome back Bryla & I hope you will soon be feeling much better once you get back into the low carb routine 👍
With best wishes
Margaret. Xx

Bryla, sorry life knocked you off course, but you have definitely come to the right place for support and encouragement. Try to plan your meals ahead of time, to remove temptation to take a quick and easy carby option.
Most importantly though, is be kind to yourself as you start to get back on the BSD road. Please shout out if you need advice, encouragement or just want to vent … keep us posted on progress too, so we can celebrate positive results with you.

Hi all, welcome back Bryla. You will soon be back in the groove with very few side effects.

I can happily say that my indulgences over the weekend are behind me and I have lost more than half of my gain. Just a couple more notches down on the kg scale and I will be back to normal and then try to get into the losing zone again,

Not much to report so will go a do my daily French. Day 24 today so nearly there for the 30 day challenge.

Thanks for the welcome back, everyone! Well, I’ve thought about food a little less today which is good. And I’m happy that I have some hard-wom lessons under my belt to draw on. I downloaded fatsecret again, which helped me so much previously. And I know that since I live alone, I have the luxury of just not keeping unhelpful foods in the house. I really admire everyone who has to exercise self-control over family members’ food choices! I’ve put new batteries in the scales, but I also know it doesn’t work for me to weigh myself daily.

You’re going great guns recovering the blip, Sunshine Girl! Well done. Plus one day closer with the French challenge.

I’m a bit disappointed with myself today. I’ve ended on 963 calories. I think the tbsp of dbl cream in my 2 coffees has to go. I’m more concerned with the 50g carbs, though, since I know it’s the carbs that actually make me feel bad. I used to find it easy to stay under 30. How? I think today the broccoli and peas were at fault. BUT I have not touched a cracker, or bit of pizza or a ready meal in 3 days, and I’m not missing them. Onwards and upwards! Hope everyone has had a good day.

Please, please, don’t be “disappointed” about eating 963 calories, Bryla. That is actually a very low number.
Being stuck on just a number is really hard on our brains — it can result in black and white thinking — as in, well “I blew it” (by eating a tiny bit more food than I had planned) so now I will just give up and keep eating whatever. I have seen it happen over and over. It is a common point of failure for so many!
The drive to eat is biological and the strongest human drive we have.
Keep prioritising protein, eat as low carb as possible. Vegetable carbs don’t affect the body the same way that cake and bread carbs do — it matters more what kind of food you are eating than the total calories.
Don’t let “perfect” get in the way of “good enough”.

And Lucia, where are you? Missing your interesting and personal posts!

Hi all, another notch down. I would like to do some exercise but I suffer from a sort of IBS and was confined to the loo yesterday and looks like I am going to be the same today. I do take Imodium but hate to stuff myself up so prefer to wait for it to settle down. I know eggs can be a culprit so had 25g oats and a kiwi fruit today and might be okay later.

We are going to the cinema tonight. Twice in 2 weeks and then again on Sunday. We prefer to see British/American films in the original language as some of the language can get lost in the slang as some of us have been learning on the 30 French Challenge. It is great to learn the slang – and it is not kids slang, just everyday ways the French say things – but it is hard to use as it is not ingrained in us as it is with them. Like using the word baraque to mean my house – but when you think about it barracks are where you live.

Anyway, we currently have a spate of films in English and went to see Trap by Night M Shalayman a few weeks ago. Beetlejuice was on last week and tonight we are seeing It Ends with Us which has mixed reviews. We wanted to see Deadpool 3 but they didn’t show it in English and the humour in that would have been impossible in French. That is why we are having a few trips to the cinema.

Bryla, as Californiagirl says, don’t fret about an extra 100 cals. Think logically if you were still eating a ‘normal’ diet you would be having between 2000 and 2500, so 900 is still a big drop. Yesterday I only had 650 but the day before I touched on 850 so it evens itself out. Weight loss is not linear, our bodies have minds of their own and what we eat depends a lot on how we feel. I want to eat less meat but find adding beans really ramps up the calories so have to share the meals out during the week and not have beans everyday. Just keep on going.

You are doing very well S-G & I hope your IBS quickly settles down.
My husband & I went to see the film The Critic which was excellently acted but I must admit I found the behaviour of the main characters rather disturbing & unsettling but I won’t say what it is because it would give the plot away. I wouldn’t want to see it again unlike some films such as The Ministry of Ungentlemenly Warfare which although based on true exploits but very slapstick & James Bondish & amusing boys own stuff.
I’m noticing that since I dropped my carbs & calories my appetite is much reduced & I hopefully will lose some weight this week. I’m averaging between 800-900 calories each day & spending lots of pennies😂
Keep on going everyone 👍🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Thanks Margaret, a dodge bowel is one of the things diabetics have to put up with. The other thing I get from time to time is hair loss but it is thick and glossy right now so thankful for that.

Oh I’m also getting all my jabs next month Flu, Covid & the new RSV vaccination for the Respiratory Synctial Virus. The NHS are releasing the booking sites today online vis the website or ap but I think the RSV is through GP surgeries & only for over 75 year olds.
Margaret xx

Is there such a thing as our bodies going into winter hibernation mode? I have test weighed & have not so far this week lost any weight even though I’m spending lots of pennies & eating low carb! I’m fasting today until supper & will weigh on Saturday but might tomorrow instead because of Macmillan cancer fund raising tea where I play Mahjong tomorrow afternoon & I know I will be tempted to have at least one cake after paying my £5!🤔😳
Margaret

Hi all, my weight is right back down and for the Sept/Oct challenge I have lost just over 1lb so just over 2lbs to go in two weeks. Determined and refusing to go out for a meal. If it was a special occasion I would still go but not just for the sake of it. We have a night out on 16th Oct with a buffet that I have been assured will include healthy food as well as some cra….

Margaret, to answer your question, No humans do not go into a hibernation phase but I think you mean do we tend to store more fat to keep ourselves warm. But that will depend on what you choose to eat. Most people not on a diet will use this as an excuse to load up on stodgey foods like stew and dumplings (yum) but we know you can have the stew without the dumplings and still have a hearty meal. Good season for homemade soups with lots of veg and maybe beans or lentils.

We to cinema last night and we got out nights wrong. It was still a film we (hubby) wanted to see but my choice is on Sunday. So we saw Megaopolis and it was absolute rubbish, no idea what it was about. Some sort of analogy between a rich evil leader and a rich man who had a vision of what the world could be like – I thought Trump and Musk but it played out as Ciscero vs Caesar. Still rubbish no matter what the heck it was about. Into all our lives a little rain must fall – hey ho 🙂

Have a great day.

Thanks S-G & I will try to avoid the stodge however we are also mammals with cave man bodies preparing for winter with the reduction of daylight etc but it may be my SAD kicking in plus the idea of comfort eating. Well done on continuing to reduce your weight.
I have lots of veg to use plus I must empty out my kitchen freezer to defrost it & who knows what I might find buried in its depths that might be useful?😀
Margaret xx

Well I have weighed a day early & have lost 0.75lbs. I know it’s better than gaining weight but still disappointing but I’m going to a MacMillan Cancer fund raising tea this afternoon where I’m also playing Mahjong. I will weigh again tomorrow in case I might have lost any more weight & I am seeing a Orthopaedic Consultant on Thursday.
I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend.
Margaret xx🍀🍀

Can’t believe this month is almost over! Sorry I’ve not contributed much here and I will be away for the first three weeks of October so won’t be saying much next month either!

Will there be an October thread? September hasn’t been the best for me in reality. I put on 5..2lbs while I was away mainly because I gave into lots of bread, the odd potato, a few slices of pizza and some desserts. Added to which I was eating three meals a day instead of my usual two. So I’ve lost 4lbs but am still going away with a head start of 1.2lbs. I will just have to be extra careful on this trip because I want to get to the end of the year with an overall loss of 1stone. Looks like I will have some serious work to do!

I’ve brought ‘to the top’ the soup thread and the cauliflower thread which might be helpful as we go into Autumn. Please add your favourites to keep the threads alive.

Hi all, yes there will be an October thread and I think I am setting it up unless Wendy has some ideas.

Still down at my previous weight at 72.2 but looking forward to seeing the dial dip under the 72. Hope for Monday is 71.9. Fingers crossed and I am determined. Hubby is cooking tonight and we are having a recipe out of the 8 week BSD recipe book which is mix of cauli and brocolli with a graitinee sauce of creme fraiche, cream cheese and spices also mixed in some lardons. Called Pancetta, Brocolli and Tomato gratin. Works out at around 320 cals.

Cinema tomorrow and hoping we will be going to see the right film 🙂

Hi everyone. It’s been such a busy week but it’s been so nice to have a quick look at everyone’s posts and remind myself I’m not alone! The advice about not being too hard on myself was timely. I’m pleased to say that I haven’t had anything carby all week, and it has actually been fine. I realised it was actually early 2020 when I first started BSD, and I maintained it for well over four years, so maybe the good habits are better ingrained than I feared. I have been eating a little more than ideal on a couple of days, but I think getting back to the right food was the big priority. I’ve always maintained OMAD (apart from some days after a run), but a bit of grazing after dinner has snuck in. I think it’s partly that change of seasons comfort eating that’s been mentioned! I do know what to do about it, and I will!

I lost a couple of pounds earlier in the week (water weight), but haven’t weighed again. I am so constipated, I feel about a stone heavier from it and so uncomfortable. I remember this difficulty, but I’m really stuck for his to ease it. I was already taking 1480mg magnesium glycinate morning and evening, I’ve added in some milled linseed in my main meal every day and mixed seeds with berries, I have leafy green veg coming out of my ears and I’m drinking enough fluids to sink a battleship! I’ve even been drinking a shot of prune juice every evening ,(yes I know that’s awful for sugar) because I’m so desperate. And I do exercise. Help! What am I missing, everyone?

I love the sound of that soup, sunshine girl. I’m going to check out the soup thread now before I do my weekly shop. I am going to hang some pictures and mirrors in my new house later. The walls are very hard brick, so I’ve treated myself to some new masonry drill bits – very exciting stuff!

Hi Bryla ! I remember you from a few years ago ! I’m still here but like you am having to deal with the fallout from prolonged excesses ! I accept that I have to make allowances when I have family here and certain “occasions ” but I have to stay hyper vigilant. I found the transition to low carb very challenging this time . I understand I have to push through .
I am not a daily or weekly weigher. I rely on my clothes so I don’t post numbers but it sounds like you are also pretty much back on track…well done!

I am going to the Uk on Friday for a week. Will I need my ” big coat ” ?
So SG I would be really grateful if you could keep the thread updated. You are doing a great job. Thank you 😚 😚

Was it here I read about skin care ? Just to add briefly to the discussion..I have super dry skin and need efficient rich hydration. I have discovered Korean moisturising toners which I use in the morning. I love the Laneige one ..it’s milky and rich,like moisturiser in a bottle. I follow with a good moisturising cream. My favourite is from Aestura. For dry skin though …

Hi everyone, okay Wendy I will let you enjoy your UK break and, yes, you will need your big coat. We have had to put our little calor gas heater on this morning as it was 6 degrees when we go up. Refusing to put the house heating on. We usually do it on 1st November but it is so bloody cold – whats happened to the heat we had last September. We had friends staying and they burnt themselves to a crisp laying out in the garden and enjoying the pool (:

Wendy, I was watching a prog yesterday and they recommended Korean products and I think they are now widely available, they mentioned Boots, so you can stock up.

Bryla, on the subject of constipation you seem to be doing the right things but here are my tips. For breakfast have a yoghurt with chia seeds or anything with chia seeds, they send me running. Try some gentle yoga for the stomach area – Adrianne on YouTube will have a special 20 min programme. If you are in the UK you can buy something from the chemist called Andrews Liver Salts – 2 heaped teaspoons in water and drink while it is fizzing. Failing that, something like Ducolax, something mild to help you along. I really hate it when I cant go but more often than not I have the opposite.

Any ideas for a new title for our October thread all thoughts accepted. Verano is good at this but I think she has already gone away.

Hubby has come up with Optimistic October – he does have his uses 🙂

Hi Wendleg! I remember you so well, and all your wise advice. I feel in good company knowing that even you falter now and then! Yes, big coat and big jumpers. And something waterproof . The log burner is going at our house. Hope you have a great trip.

Thanks Sunshine Girl. I forgot about chia seeds. Excellent. I might give the Andrews a try too. I remember my nan having them 40+ years ago! Dulcolax gives me awful pain and sweats but no relief ha! I do remember feeling like this when I first started BSD and eventually it just settled down. I suppose it shows just one way how our bodies are so sensitive to dietary changes, and not always in the most obvious ways.

Well done Mr Sunshine! Optimistic October sounds great.