Hi all, down under another kilo mark so very happy. Although looking at it in pounds it has hardly made any difference. I will continue as I am so glad I didn’t give in last night so just tonight to get through. I never bother about a drink during the week but when the weekend comes it is like a little treat but I can go without. This will be 2 weeks so almost a dry July.

I agree Arctic, the weather situation has a lot more effects than just being too hot or sunburn. In France a lot of people are aware of self sufficiency and preserving water etc although I doubt the Parisians (and other townies) really give a monkeys or even know. There might also be another reason, if there is a shortage then the farmers want more money (and they deserve it) so the supermarkets rebel by refusing to pay and therefore, no milk. Besides foods we have to be very careful about water as I can see that being a big cause of conflict. Although there are water restrictions all around us, in our small area there are none. That doesn’t mean we go mad and we now have 4 water butts all around the garden which are doing fine for now. Now all the gardeners have gone I can sort out my little planter. I have plenty of land but as our house was built on a farmers field growing maize and it is mainly clay, it can be like digging concrete so my planters are just 2 small raised beds with debris in the bottom and fresh soil on top. Not sure what I am going to put in yet, possibly some soft herbs to start with. Any ideas Arctic.

Had a nice relaxing swim yesterday and might have one later today. Not too hot at around 26. Have a good Sunday.

Hi again, just back from the doctor. What me, never! 🙂 The bladder infection needed a second treatment but the other doctor told me one was enough. So I have a new course of antibiotics and a letter for a new urine test 7 days after I finish the course to see if it has completely gone.

I showed her the letter from the cardio and she said it was nothing to worry about as DR O is not recommending any change to my treatment and not to read too much into it.

Weight still the same and been good all weekend so hopefully there will be some movement over the next couple of days. Have a good week.

Busy start to the week with appointments for me too. Dentist and a lymphatic drainage treatment in my case. Had some disappointing news today as the florist I sold my flowers to last year said she still doesn’t need anything from me as sales are way down this year. This of course just as everything is blooming all at once. Oh well, people are feeling the pinch and luxuries like flowers are the first thing to go in their budgets. I will have to just dust myself off and plant more veggies for fall and hope that I have enough water to bring them to maturity. I found two 500g packets of green and wax beans and a 200 g packet of snap peas that I misplaced earlier in the season, so I will definitely start those. I’m going to start them in the house where it is cooler so it takes less water. I have broccoli, cauliflower, kale and spinach as well. Good news is that I have started pre-sales for my garlic and in 2 days I have found 4 new customers and one of the people who ordered from me last year has just put in a request for double her previous order.
Sorry to hear about your ongoing health issues, s-g, but sounds like you are on track to having them sorted at least. Herbs sounds like a good idea for your raised beds. What about also trying some runner beans or other things that can climb up to make the most of the small space?

Hi all, glad you have found a buyer for your garlic Arctic, sorry about the florist. The ups and downs of agriculture. It is surprising how many people moving to France want a large garden so they can be ‘self sufficient’. Not possible unless you are a farmer and even they concentrate on one or two crops. We have a cooperative in the village where you can swap your veg for different ones, however, no-one wants courgettes just now 🙂

My little plot is so I dont have to dig in cement like ground every year and also so I dont have to bend so much. I already have a bay tree, sage and rosemary bushes which have become so large I have had them cut back nearly to the ground. I don’t need mint as it grows all over the garden but as it is wild it is very mild (poetic). So will have a look what is available at this time of the year. Some thyme, basil, oregano, stevia. Not sure yet.

Felling better in myself although I am still struggling to breath and the asthma meds are not helping. Forget about that, I am just glad I dont have any more appointments, at least until late September when I see the asthma specialist and will be able to have the full tests done. Couldnt before because I had stitches and clips in my neck so not allowed any pressure.

Nice and coolish here at around 28 degrees but will get hotter next week. I am looking forward to our meal out on Sunday which I want to be nice an relaxing. Weight is exactly the same 73.8kgs, hopefully a bit less by Sunday.

Have a good weekend.

I should have said it is relatively cool as we have gone from 35 to 28 degrees. Even a cool breeze this evening. I think now people in the UK are realising hot isnt necessarily better.

We’re headed the opposite direction to your temperatures at the moment, s-g. We had a little break from the heat earlier in the week, but were back up to 35 C here today. I had to go into my office today and it was 40 C there. Luckily there is air conditioning in the actual office, but it was struggling to keep things cool today. Also lucky that because I don’t have air conditioning at home, I have built up a bit of heat tolerance by this point in the summer. A couple more days of this and then it looks like we may cool off to the mid-20’s for a few days again. It makes summer much more bearable when we get these little breaks from the heat interspersed. So even with the incredible drought we’ve been having, temperature-wise it’s been better than some years.
Anyway, just a quick check in for me as I’m headed over to my parents place for a swim to cool off. I had quite a good lymphatic drainage treatment this week. I was losing tons of fluid all day yesterday and into this morning. My legs feel lighter. My massage therapist is going on holiday again, so I won’t have another appointment for a month. I want to see how long I can keep feeling good through a combination of diet, swimming, and self-massage while she is away. So I have a reason to be motivated.
Hope everyone is doing well.

Hi all. Not sure you understood me on the weather Arctic. We are in summer and heading for hotter although yesterday was relatively cool. Fortunately we are not getting the heat coming up from Spain and expecting to be around 30 degrees over the next few weeks. Maybe up to 35 or even 40 in August. I think you are also in summer. As it is cooler today at 24 I am leaving my swim until later, around 4.30 pm and going to do a bit of gardening.

Lost a little more weight so now 6.5lbs down for June/July. I love my new scales watching the BMI go down and other things, plus things going up that should like muscle and bone mass.

I bought a bottle of Kefir at the health store and dont know what to do with it. Do I just drink it neat or mix it. It says kefir original. Sounds like it it pretty healthy as it is only 12 cals per 100mls and doesnt seem to have much of anything in it. Advice welcome.

Just noticed your kefir query s-g you just drink it! I usually have about 3 inches worth in a glass & use a spoon to scrape out the glass because kefir is rather like a thin yoghurt. It has quite a sour taste rather like natural yoghurt but your micro biome will be very happy😀
I’m weighing tomorrow so hope I will have lost some weight. Sorry for not posting much it’s been very hectic & Ive been out of routine with being away & then being with my son.
Margaret

I’m pleased to say that I have just weighed & have lost 3 lbs so pleased but need to keep focused to lose the rest of my holiday gain & much more weight but am back in the overweight rather than obese category.
It’s dry so far today & looking better tomorrow so we may be able to uncover our garden furniture & sit out when our friend comes for lunch tomorrow.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend.
Margaret

Happy Saturday, didnt win the lottery again so wont be getting a new kitchen 🙂

Great news on the weight loss Margaret. I am still at 73.6, although looking back a couple of days, that is a further loss of 0.2 kg.

I have just opened the bottle of kefir expecting it to look like milk but it is actually kefir water which is quite different but with the same effects. It is made just using the kefir grain and soaking it for a couple of days. Some have fruit flavours but they are higher in calories whereas this is only 12 cals per 100ms. It is fizzy and tastes like Andrews liver salts. Hope it doesnt go through me like ALS.

No real news but really looking forward to our lunch out tomorrow. I just want to sit back and relax over a delicious meal and wine.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Well done Margaret on the further weight loss. Good luck with the kefir S_G.

I have had a very judicious week. I promised myself a sushi lunch if I completed the first 6 weeks without any alcohol. ( I know I know I should have found a different treat – hair colouring etc etc. But the only effective motivator was my comfort sushi…). Anyway, 6 weeks duly completed. 4.4 kilos off. And I was so pleased with the progress that I decided NOT to go for sushi. This may all seem very circular, but some of you will understand!

So pressing on with the next 6 weeks, and hoping at least for another 2 or 3 kilos.
Happy weekend one and all.

Had a lovely meal yesterday. I decided not to have a starter as that is almost enough for me then I struggle with the main. I had beef fillet with braised fennel and one large potato wedge, so not very carby although I did have a bread roll while waiting for hubby to finish his starter. Now I had room for desert which was a quite light peach mousse with peach sorbet. Obviously some wine and I have gained 1 kilo just from one meal. I am not worrying as most of that will be gone by Wednesday. So back on it until our next night out in August.

Have a good week.

Firstly, thank you to Wendy and SG for making sure there is still a thread where we can all seek advice, encouragement and share our progress. I confess, I haven’t read all the posts on the thread though, as there have already been so many.

Sooo … here I am again, having been absent for close to 4mths and I now desperately need to get serious and back to basics. Shamefully, I allowed myself far too much latitude whilst away and as a consequence, find myself with 1st 2.5lb to shift to get back to my target weight.

Though this feels a bit daunting, I’ve taken decisive action today and kicked off my reboot with a fast – 24hrs in so far. If I’m honest, I think my system is grateful for the break, after all the over indulgence it’s been subjected to in recent weeks.

Anyway, really happy to see there is still a thread here to help keep me accountable and I’ll be reading posts and reporting in more frequently in the coming weeks.

Well hello! I am still alive and unfortunately over weight again. Lots has happened menopause being one of them! Empty nest syndrome and also worrying about my boys state of mind! So I have looked and read and been told that low carb and fasting don’t work for peri menopausal women! I don’t believe them so I am gonna try and get back on it. Good see some old names and new ones. Hope you are all well and I will to contribute and get myself back on track!
Much love Birdy 💕🦜

Hello everyone & I apologise for the few posts I’ve recently made but I’m trying to keep reading all yours. I feel as though life in general is just getting in the way of my being able to focus & get back on track fasting & really staying low carb. Leftover wine & chocolates tempted me last night after eating the baked pesto cod & veggies from us hosting our friend for Sunday lunch plus some new potatoes! I have however cooked & will freeze the extra bag of new potatoes I bought to not waste them & will divide those into small bags to thaw so my husband can have them for future meals. I’ve got a second go at the circuit & weight training tonight that I’ve promised to attend but really feel rather depressed with achy legs, sore knees & full of inertia & played poorly at short mat bowls yesterday & have not yet been back to the gym. I’ve got a GP appointment on Friday to get a dodgy wart on my back checked out & think I’ve got an ongoing UTI so I will take along a urine sample to be checked & spending lots of pennies means interrupted sleep every night that I had thought was just losing carb fluid but probably a UTI. Some good news at least from my eldest son who had a testicular lump just checked that is not suspicious but a side effect from his vasectomy & my younger son now has a diagnosis for his kidney problems which is IGA nephropathy where Ig protein builds up in the kidneys causing blockages & although incurable may be able to be managed long term with medication returning normal functioning to his kidneys. It never rains but it pours!!🙁
Sorry for this self centred post & well done to anyone keeping on track or starting again👍 It has helped writing down my ongoing woes!
Margaret

Birdie – plenty of us here are post menopausal and absolute proof that low carb works for us, so just jump in and see how it goes. Keep us updated of progress and shout if you need support.

Margaret – this is exactly where to off load all stuff that’s getting in the way of you focusing on yourself and what you need to be doing, so don’t apologise. Once you have your doc appointment out of the way hopefully you’ll be able to refocus and get back I the BSD groove. We’re here when you need us.

As I’m here, I can report that my fast is still in place, plan is to break it early afternoon … if all goes well.

Hi everyone. Welcome back SunnyB, that was some holiday. Keep joining in and helping to keep things moving.

Birdie, I know you lost quite a lot of weight over the last few months so put this behind you and get back on track. We are always here for you.

Margaret you have done so well with your latest weight loss even with all the things you are dealing with. I hope you went to your class. We all know it can take some effort but well worth it when we do something that makes us feel good. I try always to remember that feeling. I am waiting for it to warm up a bit so I can get back in the pool. Not been in for various reasons, rain, husband mowing the grass, people visiting etc. Fortunately we are not too hot so will be back in tomorrow.

I have already lost 0.6kg so more than half the weight gain has gone. Another week before we go out to our quiz night. We were going to see Oppenheimer but have been told besides being 3 hours long it is quite boring, so I night in watching Corrie and Emmerdale.

Hi all, RubyG and hubby still here – we have just returned from a long holiday where we ate what was available, when it was available – mostly carbs minimum 3 times per day 🙁
Hubby gained less than half a stone, I may not have gained anything? But neither of feels well, despite the numbers on the scales. Straight back into low carb, not counting calories this week, but focusing on live yoghurt, lots of green leafy veg and salads and a side of lean protein. We have both already dropped the water weight we brought back with us, so that is good.
Hubby is also under instruction to avoid any blood tests until we have recovered from the holiday carbage 🙂
I haven’t read all the threads from my time away, but will keep popping in to catch up.

Hey Ruby … congrats to you both on not gaining despite carby eating, but can totally understand the not feeling well as a result high carb eating. Tackling things head on now you’re back, by getting straight on to low carb eating again is a really good move … impressive motivation, well done.

Personally, I’ve found out that even years after starting low carb eating, I still can’t afford any lengthy periods of carby eating though, ‘cos the pounds pile back on all too readily.

I’ve made reasonable progress this week, with two fasts the water weight has been ditched. Also been very cautious about what’s been consumed in between fasts and am planning to keep up the regime for the next couple of weeks.

Hope everyone is doing okay this week, looking forward to reading some reports soon.

Hello everyone & thank you for your support I’m finding it really helpful just being able to speak from the heart on here & not be regarded as a moaning Minnie! It’s grey & rainy here today which is not helping my mood or motivation but I’ve just done 20 mins Jane Fonda exercises with 1kg weights & I did go to the circuit class on Tuesday & actually got on the floor to do some stomach exercises, leg raises & side leg raises which was amazing for me.
I’m becoming really impatient to see my GP to try to get sorted out but to be frank I haven’t much faith in him much preferring the honest & humorous relationship I had with my previous GP who unfortunately for me retired. I think this one doesn’t listen & just wants to do the minimum so I will take a urine sample with me so he has no excuse to not test it or get it sent off for lab testing. I want to leave there with antibiotics & a referral to a Consultant Dermatologist or at least the surgeries private wart clinic where they will use cryotherapy on warts of which I have many! Also another GP there that I used to work with specialised in dermatology but he may have retired but would know to recognise a melanoma. My surgery seems so messed up & re-arranged since Covid!!
Oh well it’s feta salad for lunch & a courgette & cheddar cheese omelette for supper. I know it’s a too cheesy day but easy to prepare because I’m going out to knit & natter tonight taking the jewellery I have beaded & strung with my knitted squares for the charity project. I’m pleased to have got back to beading using up my supplies & find it creative & relaxing.
Well done everyone keeping on, not gaining any holiday weight, losing weight & generally plodding on which I’m trying to do!
Margaret

Hi all, welcome back RubyG. Good for not gaining but don’t worry about hubby, you know he will lose it really quickly – men do. It is when we have eaten rubbish that we realise how beneficial our diet is to us.

Margaret, never a moaning Minnie. I worry about that myself as I have had so many medical problems lately. Feel like a totally different person since I turned 69 over a year ago and 70 is even worse. If you are going to do a urine sample, a bit of advice . Make it the pee you have when you first get up. Use a wipe (like a baby wipe or some antibax on a tissue) to clean the area so no external bacteria. Start to pee and let it go down the toilet then stop. Start to pee again and collect this. Then finish off in the toilet. It is called a mid stream sample. Write down the time and, depending on when you are seeing doc, put it in the fridge (not next to the apple juice 🙂 ) Tell him what you have done and ask him to test for infection. I currently have one and was treated but the young stand in doctor didnt give me a follow up dose or a follow up test. I saw another doctor (mine is on holiday) and she has done both and I have just finished the course of antibiotics and go for a new urine test 7 days after finishing – so Tuesday.

One thing I got from the lady I saw was – we were talking about all the things I have wrong now, asthma, the surgery and all the tests that have been involved and now thinking I have something wrong with my heart. She said ‘I can imagine how difficult your life must be just dealing with the day to day issues around diabetes’. No doctor has ever acknowledged that I live every day with this illness and do a bloody good job in keeping well. That is why I am never on A DIET, it is my life.

I have just found out there is no quiz night the first Monday in August due to holidays so for me August is completely free. I have friends arriving on 2nd September so want to take a good long run at losing weight for then. A whole month being 100%. No carbs, no alcohol.

It is getting hot again here, 32 this afternoon, so will probably start swimming again later today. Take care all.

Thank you sunshine-girl & I had planned first thing in the morning but had forgotten mid-stream for a urine test😀
I can say very well done to you with the way you are coping 👏👏👏⭐️
Margaret xx

Hey everyone,
I’m taking advantage of the thread being more active to share that I’m in a complete breakfast rut and would appreciate any suggestions to get me out of it. I usually break my fast between 10:30 and 11:30 everyday. If it’s later, I just move straight onto lunch, but earlier and I don’t feel like my typical lunch foods. I’m so tired of chia and hemp porridge or chia puddings. I’m usually eating on my morning coffee break, so quick and easy with no cooking required is imperative. I’m going to hard boil some eggs this evening to have something a bit different for tomorrow, but any other ideas would be fantastic!

Hi Arctic, do you have time to make some egg ‘muffins’ or cloud bread one evening? They’ll both keep for a couple of days in the fridge. You can add whatever you fancy to the muffins, including leftover veggies, cold meat, frozen veggies and so on. You could use the bread to make a sandwich of whatever you fancy …. bit of cream cheese and smoked salmon, butter and marmite etc. Alternatively, yogurt with berries and nuts or seeds works well for brekkie too.

Hello!
Yes I know, it’s been a while since I last posted. I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’ve been a bit at sea …. up and down … mainly down!
I think I definitely need to be accountable so am back again.
Just 5 weeks to my next trip and I really have to get a grip before I go.
Almost the end of July are there any thoughts for an August thread? I know I shouldn’t really ask because I’ve been so poor at supporting this one.
Onwards and upwards ….. towards our goals!

Thanks for the suggestions, SunnyB. I had yogurt and a handful of cashews today. We’re entering another hot week and I don’t turn on my oven in the evening as that is what it turns my house into! Then it’s too difficult to get it cool enough for sleeping. I will definitely keep the muffins in mind for cooler days though. The broccoli sandwich bread in the recipe section is also nice with marmite and freezes well, so I’ll have to do a batch of that at some point. I had the first of my swiss chard for dinner in an omlete that I made on the cooktop. If I had extras, that would work nicely for a breakfast too. I was so hungry tonight that I ate the whole thing though. Very tasty with some thyme and rosemary.
I am finding that adding extra herbs and spices to everything I eat is helping enormously with my pain. Not, unfortunately, with the swelling and weight loss, but it’s a start. If I’m in less pain then I can move better which should help. I was watching a video recently where they shared a new theory that lipedema may be a type of inflammatory compartment syndrome that occurs in people with loose connective tissue. Very interesting, and they emphasized that getting and keeping inflammation down is key to the condition not progressing and possibly improving. So I’m going to keep on keeping on!

Morning everyone & I hope arcticfox you can continue to improve your lipedema 🤞My occasional breakfast is organic Greek yogurt with fruit, some ground flax seed & cinnamon plus a teaspoon of honey if I want it sweetened & in winter sometimes dried cranberries & a banana. I know sugar & carbs🙀
An update & I saw my GP yesterday & thankfully now have some antibiotics & my dodgy wart/mole on my back he identified as a wart but wants to see me again in four weeks time regarding a colourless growth/wart on my face. Amazingly he was quite chatty for him & pleasant😀 I’ve also very surprisingly lost 0.75lbs & next Thursday is my 49th wedding anniversary so we will go out to dinner. This makes next year my Golden Wedding Anniversary which feels very weird so perhaps I can get down to my wedding day weight of nine stone by then😂 Please keep this thread going!!
Margaret xx

Another possible breakfast/brunch option, Arctic, could be gem lettuce leaf ‘boats’, with premade cold fillings …. e.g. tuna/sweetcorn, cheese/ham, egg mayo/chives etc.

Margaret, so pleased you Doc appointment went better than you feared. Well done on the scales progress and 🤞🏻 you’ll get to your 9st goal for your 50th anniversary …. you’ve got plenty of time. In case I forget, many best wishes for your 49th anniversary next week.

Progress here is slow, as always. On the upside, I’m feeling much less bloated and clothes are more comfortable, even if the scales readings aren’t decreasing by much. That’s the normal for me though, so no huge surprise.

Have got about 8wks before we go away again, so if I can keep focus, I have time to make a reasonable impact on the gain made in the last three months.

Hope you all have a good BSD weekend everyone.

Hi all, being a bit out of sorts and can’t be bothered. Every day it says we are going to get rain and we badly need it. So every day I am convinced I wont be swimming, then the clouds move over and the sun comes out but I am now not in the right frame of mind or it is too hot. I dont know if anyone else is like me. I decide I am going to do something i.e. exercise in the morning, and if it doesnt get done then I have moved on. I also have to time it to my food intake so late afternoon I can be too hungry and dont want to eat because it will soon be time for dinner. Well today, again forecast for rain and the sun is shining and it is hot but I am going to move my lazy backside and go for a swim.

Arctic I was going to suggest the egg muffins that SunnyB put on. I also find scrambled eggs take 2 minutes, a little butter in the pan with a sprinkle of chilli flakes to give it a kick followed by 2 eggs whipped. I also like the chop 2 or 3 apricots and soak overnight in cinnamon, lime and olive oil. Then put under the grill and serve with yoghurt and a few seeds. Again, only 2 minutes. On that vein of overnight food, oats soaked in milk overnight served with yoghurt and seeds. No cooking at all. I just looked back at your post and see you didnt want to cook anything mainly because of the heat, but 2 mins on the stove top or apricots in the microwave shouldnt be a problem. Although I did my apricots in the microwave last week and they came out spitting hot and burnt my stomach so I must take care to let them cool down or not leave on for more than 30 seconds.

I have had yesterday off the diet and allowed some wine in. I know I shouldnt but how do I gain half a kilo just with a couple of glasses of wine and an ice cream cornet. Tuesday is August so I am letting myself off until then and then I am going back on the 8 week menu plan for 5 weeks (all of August) before my friends arrive for their holiday.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Had a swim and feeling great.

Hi. I thought I would jump in at the end of July to cheer us all on. I am now down nearly 5kg and feeling better for it. Some poor blood results in June were a great motivation, and pleased to say that almost all of them improved on the second testing after 6 weeks back on this way of eating.

Life is very difficult at the moment, and I was resorting to chaotic comfort eating. So it feels good to be more on track. What comes next? Awesome August?

S-g this popped into my nail box this morning. Hope the link works although it might be a little late for your courgette glut, but could come in handy for next year!

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/collection/best-courgette-recipes/?utm_content=&utm_campaign=20230730_ol_sun_act_2868088_olive_Newsletters_15794102&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Adestra

Hi all,

well done Caronl, especially at a difficult time. I am just not in the right frame of mind.

Yes, V, thanks for that. I have seen such sites but they use a lot of carbs i.e. pasta etc. I have in my freezer 4 packs of courgette soup (8 servings), 3 packs of mixed roasted vegetables (6 servings), 2 packs of ratatouille (4 servings). So not much room for anything else. I am going to make some fritters but then they are a temptation so I might have to freeze those too. I currently have 4 very large courgettes and 3 nice small ones. Fortunately, because they are picked so fresh they have a long shelf life and when one in the fridge is used I replace it with another. Think I will give them a miss next year 🙂 Now I have to deal with a glut of tomatoes and figs.

I didnt get my swim this morning as hubby was cleaning out filters and this evening we are talking to prospective housesitters, so might just have to give it a miss today.

First of August tomorrow. Wendy are you doing the next one or do you want me to jump in.

Hi everyone I’m here !

I have just read throught the posts .Sorry I haven’t been around but I have been spending very precious time with my 2 sons( very rare to have them both together !) and enjoying catching up with them and just chilling ! A friend let us have the use of his gite close by so my son’s partner’s family can also join us .They are easily contented with a bit of ground to play pétanque, a dart board and a pool which is a bonus when the temperatures turn silly here .
I cannot say I have been sticking to my low carb or fasting schedule as it just doesn’t fit right now . I avoid any carby apéritif snacks and contribute lots of green salad, and summer veg to the gatherings but it’s a lot more than I would normally eat .Oh well I am not going to stress as there will be time to redress the balance when everyone has gone .Then I have to get ready for our trip to Australia !!!

One thing I haven’t changed is my exercise routine of aquagym, pilates and yoga so at least I stay fittish !!

Sendng lots of love to anyone struggling with health or family worries .

Yes, it is the 1st of August today so I going to set up the new monthly thread xx