Hello again 22PTG! 🙂 From my perspective and experience . . . (almost 8 months into this WoE :)) – there IS something magical to look forward to . . . sometime down the track – maybe 3-5 months . . . (maybe longer) . . . ? (after mastering the initial 8 weeks counting as 2 . . .) There will come a time when ONE DAY you will say . . .”well . . . this is one of my relax days . . . and I think Ill have a (whatever) – after all I havent had one if those in SO LONG!!” And believe me when I say . . . you will eat or drink “it” and sit back and quietly say to yourself . . . well I didnt really enjoy that as much as I remembered I had done in the long ago past :)” Happened to me last week with scrambled eggs, and a slice of my 2.5grm of carb per slice bread toasted . . , with a doorstop of butter 🙂 Eggs were fine . . . made with cream and chives, fluffy and delicious, silky . . . and with a sprinkling of curry powder. The butter was fine . . . but the bread/toast . .? . . . a beautiful deep colour with rich flavour, seeds and nutty pieces galore . . . which once “had” been an integral part of this dish . . . was now bland and unimportant. It just simply sopped up the juices 🙁 True story . . . and I used to relish that combo of food. 🙂 Our taste changes are quite remarkable . . . and remembered flavours arent what they used to be . . . and therefore MUCH easier to ignore and/or discard . . . but this wont happen while ever the transitioning period is still having the carb monster/s demanding their fix and being pacified with an agreeable response 🙂 Thats why I do my best to encourage newbies to discard as MANY carbs as possible – no matter how seemingly “cruel or inconvenient!” – until . . . the transition time has passed. Hope this picture helps 🙂 Quack Quack.

Hi all – I’m on day four of my first week and happy with performance and progress so far (down 4.4lbs)! I’m hoping I can hit the average weight loss of 8.8 by the end of week two and I’m going to try and do three months on the 800. Question – has anyone experienced one swollen ankle? It’s the same one that swells when I fly and only started after a day on the plan. I don’t eat a lot of salt so wondering what it could be and when my fat ankle will go away! Thanks!

Thanks Woodduckie for those inspirational words! I certainly hope to have that exact experience!
Can you tell me what the recommended % of carbs, proteins and fats are by any chance? Not that I am too caught up (I am just trying to lower my carbs mainly) but I don’t recall seeing it in my MM ‘fast800’ book!

Hi Scottishgirl,
First of all I am not unique, and Allie far excels me in the amount of weight lost. I am glad to see that others are already joining in to provide you with inspiration.
———-
My first 8 weeks I fell off the waggon on more than one occasion. I had eaten a carb high diet all my life, I grew up with a mother who learnt her cooking skills in an era when there wasn’t the welfare state and it was a good day when my grandmother had enough money to provide a meal for both herself and my mother and uncle. My grandmother would sometimes claim to have already eaten because she couldn’t afford food for all three that day. – So it was normal in my upbringing that every meal included bread and butter, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes or pastry (sometimes all of them) to help fill you up. It took me time to get into the swing of not craving the carbs.
I think the most important piece of advice I can give you is to find your WHY. – Its really hard when you are looking at something you want to eat for the impact on the reading on the scales the following morning to be a strong enough reminder to step away from that plate. – If there is a something you want to do that has a weight limit, some event you want to go to looking fabulous, some activity you want to be fit enough to succeed at, then focusing on that will be far more motivating than the scales. – For me it was getting back to riding weight.

The second piece of advice is to break your journey into small steps. – If you think I have so many stones to loose, it can feel like a huge hill to climb. – If you focus on the next milestone on the route, and combine it with a none food treat you want to reward yourself for reaching it makes the journey feel less daunting. – For example I knew that my car needed work to get it through its next MOT. – I really wanted to replace it with a different model, so doing that was my reward for myself for achieving the 3 stone discarded mark. – Spending the time researching which vehicle to buy, looking at the classified ads to see what was available all gave me something to focus on instead of focusing on food.

The third piece of advice is don’t let your gut bacteria bully you into eating what they want. – Part of the reason its difficult at the start is that our gut bacteria develop based on our diet, and have the ability to signal to our brain to eat more of what they feed on, this includes the bacteria that need you to eat sugar or carbs. – Its hard to go cold turkey, but the levels of bad bacteria in your gut which depend on the sugar in your diet will die back quickly if you starve them by going very low carb. – So go for the under 20g of carbs level if you are struggling with a sugar addiction and just focus on doing that for a 8 weeks, don’t think about what you will eat beyond that 8 weeks. Eight weeks is a small period of time if you think in terms of the rest of your life. Once you have achieved 8 weeks, then think in terms of just another 8 weeks. I promise you in time your tastes will change and it will not longer feel like you are depriving yourself by not going back to your old WoE.
————————-
There are so many aspects behind our choices of food and changing our WoE brings so many of them to the surface. I have found it helpful to research the science behind this way of eating to reassure me when I wonder if it is worth it. – I would recommend following the links to Dr Bikmans work that I posted about a year ago on the Take a look thread.

I am still learning, over the last few months my challenges have been about how my emotions drive my eating patterns. Facing the issues of how I tend to mask feelings by eating is bringing other benefits to my life.

What delights me about this forum is no matter where you are in your journey there are people willing to lend you a helping hand to take the next step. I hope you find my tips helpful.

But the benefit of this forum is that there are people around to be the wind under your wings when you are struggling. – I

🙂 Hi 22PTG! Never one to do things halfbaked . . .I jumped right in at 800 cals a day and <20grms of carb. I was desperate to prove medicos wrong . . . with my only choice insulin injections. I picked what I liked from the lists . . . wrote them down . . . checked EVERY label of EVERYTHING in my fridge and pantry. I created my very own I LOVE THIS FOOD menu . . .. I was ruthless but didnt weight or measure or count anything. Just checked how many calories and carbs were in those items . . . saw what THAT amount looked like . . checked for good fats . . . (most I was having anyways but a few were added and were considered WONDERFUL additions where Id previously been advised to avoid them . . . and went from there 🙂 SO MANY here supported me with information and encouragement on my down times . . . which thankfully Ive forgotten because the ups are so GREAT!!! An those I do remember have been learning curves Im willing to share with newbies 🙂 If I did 25 carbs today tmrw would surely balance out with less . . . same as cals. Was surprised with some foods . . OATS, crispbreads, cherries, onions!!! for some!!! But all in all I didnt deprive or deny myself very much at all 🙂 and while diabetes may not be the reason you are changing your WoE, I wrote this:” Dont Ingest Anything Before Examining The Elusive Sugars :)” They of course are the carbs which MANY of the LowGI foods which are recommended! are carried in bucketloads 🙂 Hope this helps 🙂

Hi All,
Well, that’s week one done! Mostly more straightforward than I’d feared. I feel full sooner and have even been leaving some food on the plate (psychologically difficult as I was brought up not well off and wasting food was a terrible sin). Eating slowly and mindfully has really made a difference here. Yesterday I ate very little throughout the day and felt fine – right up until I had dinner with the kids playing up. Don’t know if it was the stress of the occasion or the lack of calories that day but I felt very odd for the rest of the evening. Wondering if my nutritional balance is slightly out, so bought myself some multivitamins this morning. Feel better today after a good breakfast.
Results-wise… Got a hug from my wife this morning and she said she can feel the difference already :o) 4kg down this week (ok, that’s probably 3kg of water but hey, I’m not complaining!) Just over a cm off the waist, so hopefully the spare tyre will start deflating soon. Most importantly, I feel slimmer, more upright and more confident. The Positive Thought thread has really helped keep me on track – it’s great to see people at different stages of this WOE and how they have coped over time.
Off skiing for a week now – will be difficult to avoid carbs but I’m going to try! At least I’ll be doing some good exercise!
Onwards and upwards – happy Friday!
CC

Feeling better today, the sun is shining and my collar bones are beginning to emerge from from there padded state 😊 not much movement around the middle or with my sugars but I feel confident after reading all of your wonderful success stories that things will improve xxxx

Nice work ShellBob 🙂 It’s all about the confidence isn’t it? And having seen people go through this and succeed! We’ll get there! Great to hear your collar bones are re-emerging from hibernation – must feel terrific! Keep up the good work!!
CC

Hi 22ptg.
You are right that the BSD doesn’t give firm targets on macros in the first version of the book I haven’t read the new version so I don’t know if that has changed. –
One of the positives from this forum is that there is the opportunity for us to discuss recent research and other Dr’s work on the benefits of low carb, and controlling insulin levels.
The common guidelines from different sources are .
Under 50g of carbs, but for some people you need to be under 20g of carbs per day.
Protein, in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 gram of protein per kilo of target weight.
Make up the rest of your calories from healthy fats.
No artificial sweeteners. – The taste of anything sweet results in an increase of insulin as the body prepares for the sugar it expects is coming.

A rule of thumb is to try at 50g of carbs and if you don’t loose weight at that rate then drop down lower. – My recent experiments with using one of the cheap breathalysers to monitor keto levels suggests that just a small change in levels of carbs can make a big difference in how deep I am in ketosis. Which is the state of being in fat burning mode. For just over £8 from amazon the breathalyser is proving to be a useful tool to monitor the impact of different foods.

JGwen and Duckie – thank you for sharing your stories and providing such inspiration to our newcomers – and indeed to established BSDers as well. It is useful to all, to be reminded that we need to be watching out for those hidden carbs and that we should try not to think of those old high carb foods as ‘treats’. You are so right Duckie, about how our palates change after eating this way for sometime. Those things we used to adore, don’t taste nearly as wonderful to us anymore. When you’re in the strong craving phase, it’s hard to believe things will ever be any different, but it does happen.

Thank you also to CCrumble for sharing your journey so far and I hope you have a brilliant ski trip. Don;t panic too much while you are away, try to make good BSD choices and when reading menus, think about the choices you could make, where you can easily sideline the high carb element and just enjoy the more BSD friendly food.

Shellbob – oh collarbones! Quite a revelation aren’t they? Still can’t quite believe I have some, even though I’ve been in maintenance for quite sometime now. Glad that your’s are emerging and I’m sure they are providing you with some confidence that things are progressing.

Kafin – a warm welcome to you. Sounds like you have made a good start and even if things don’t hit the 8.8 mark when you’d like, you have made a good solid start and you should be proud of it. I’ve not heard of the ankle problem before, but I’m sure if anyone else has any info in that regard, they’ll be posting some details for you. Do hope that your ankle will not cause too great a problem and that you will persist with the BSD meanwhile.

Have really enjoyed seeing so much lively activity on this thread, so please keep it going people. Have a fab BSD weekend everyone.

Hi Sixturkeys,
I have been up and down. Still losing but major life challenges at the moment. Thank you for your concern. Hope you’re well and staying strong. I will be back next week- can finally see the light at the end.
Thinking of all fellow BSD’ers
Nee

Thanks Custardcrumble, hope you have a fabulous ski trip.
Thanks Sunny B too, hope everyone has a fab weekend xxxx

Hi Sixturkeys or should I say five turkeys,
I am still losing but have been up and down due to major financial life challenges! Can see the light at the end of tunnel finally ! Hope you’re well and are going strong. I will be back next week. Thank you for all your concern. Oh ps..I try to keep my carbs below 20 and protein 1 gram per 1 kilo of ideal weight according to allie’s post some time ago.
Big hello to all BSD’ers!
Nee😊

Oh I’ve posted twice! I will just leave it but I am aware.😁

Hello Nee – good to see you are still with us, despite life pressures. Sounds like you are managing your macros well and are still making progress. Drop in and post when you can, but meanwhile look after yourself while you are adjusting to whatever life has been throwing at you.

Gangreneheart – thanks for your tips – really helpful. I did take some food with me on my travels this week and avoided the temptation. Reached one airport and there was only cheese and ham sandwiches – so I was pleased I had bought a healthy thing with me. So another week is done and I stayed on track. I have managed to reach 70kg – a 10kg loss in just under 6 weeks. I will be so pleased when I get under this number. Blood tests will be retaken at the start of April and I really hope to see the HGBAC1 test result back into a normal level. That is the aim….

For each of you – what is the thing you visualise or focus on to motivate you?

Thank you so much for your post JGwen. All your advice is really helpful. I’m trying so hard to focus on my blood sugar improvements and really don’t want to go back to taking the canafliglozin again. I’m also trying to focus on half stone targets but I am really struggling as there has been no weight loss for weeks and I’m thinking what’s the point. I did cave in last night and had fish and chips for dinner. But I actually felt quite bloated and ill afterwards so holding on to that feeling and hoping it puts me off cheating again. All day today I have been craving a galaxy but have managed to resist the temptation so far! I’m a chocoholic and have been missing the chocolate so much. I bought the 80% small bars from aldi at the beginning of the week with the intention of having 1 per day (there are 5 small bars in a packet) but ended up eating them all in one day. I think I really need to go cold turkey with the chocolate and not have any at all……so that’s my goal for next week.
Well done to everyone on here. You are all doing so well. And you all give great advice gained from you BSD experiences. I am so glad I joined this forum. And maybe one day I’ll be one of the success stories lol.
Have a great weekend everyone

Hi Scottishgirl, should you decide not to give into the sugar monster, cocoa has no sugar and makes low carb possible with the best chocolate taste.
I made a chocolate mousse tonight, with 100% cocoa from M&S, dissolved in warmed milk, sweetened with almond essence, then folded into whipped cream. Topped with raspberries. Total 9.5 carbs for large portion.
You won’t be able to snack on the cocoa, it’s so bitter believe me I tried! Same ingredients but with lemon make a change.
I was longing for a dessert, and this satisfied me.

Wow Patricia that sounds fabulous. I must give it a try. I’m determined to make this work and not give in just yet

Patricia, that sounds delicious… Can you give me more details instructions? I want to make it for my daughter and me.

Delighted to, GGH and Scottishgirl,

Chocolate mousse
Bar of M&S 100% cocoa 25g
Milk 100ml (any left over makes excellent cocoa)
Whipping cream 100ml, or yoghurt for a sophisticated taste.
Almond extract 1/2 TSP
Warm milk gently, making sure that it doesn’t boil
Stir the broken up cocoa into the warm milk until it incorporates, takes 5 minutes.
Whip the cream to soft peaks
Add almond extract to cocoa.
Fold the cocoa into the cream. Don’t put too much, as the cocoa has a very strong flavour.
Chilled, serve with berries
9g carbs

Lemon mousse
Cream cheese unsweetened, unflavoured 100g
Greek full fat yoghurt 100g
1/2 tsp almond extract
Squeeze of lemon juice to taste

Mix together and chill. Whipping cream gives a lower carb alternative.

Patricia, it’s very nice to see a few desserts here for the occasions when it’s necessary to
produce them for dinner guests, so thank you 🙂 Would you have the calories per serving?
Thanks in advance!

Allie

One other thought for our new members that haven’t broken the addiction to sweets as of yet, and are looking for
low carb substitutes….We have a member who started an incredible thread called GOOD EATS…THE LOW CARB
WAY, which has been quiet for many months. It is a fabulous resource, and “luvtcook” has posted an amazing list
of food blogs and recipes geared to a low carb lifestyle. Please type the name of the thread into the search box,
and you will be AMAZED! Very best to you all 🙂

Hi alliecat, the ingredients may not be available and it’s so dependent on how much you put in your bowl. If you don’t find solid cocoa you can use unsweetened cocoa powder.
Chocolate mousse
The 9g carb refers to 100g whipped cream plus cocoa. Fatsecret values for 100g whipped cream is 345 calories, Yoghurt is 125 calories.
Total calories 387 cream or 220 less for yoghurt.
I ate the whole bowl of chocolate yoghurt, and day’s calories went to 699. But there is enough for 2 reasonable* people for dessert.
*I can’t say I am reasonable about chocolate. 😁

Two wins! Chocolate yesterday and 1kg loss overnight! You can hate me now, SG 😁
Alliecat, I changed my taste of bread, so it’s not beyond possibility that chocolate will have a similar fate. Can’t imagine that.

On a serious note, the effect of chocolate dessert on blood sugar (even if zero sugar) may be worth checking when you are on meds for insulin management.

Hey everyone,I’ve lost 4.2 if in just,under 2 weeks..I need to refocus and count my calories more strictly.
I’m starting to snack on.mini cheeses and n uts,and not counting cals.It’s also P MT week and have had square of dark choc last few days.Need a few more carrot and cucumber sticks to keep my veg intake up.
I’m looking for an alternative to cauli rice..am off to gym in a bit then weekly food shop.
Any ideas gratefully received.

That’s a good result Patricia, especially given that it’s PMT week too. Keep an eye on the mini cheeses and nuts, especially if they’re not currently counted. The occasional square of dark choc is alright too if counted. Go easy on the carrots as root veggies are surprisingly high in carbs – carrots are 10g carbs in 100g product – so maybe opt for celery at 3g instead?

Have you tried cauli mash? I know it’s still cauli, but as it’s cooked with garlic and is mashed with some butter, it tastes very different to the rice option. I’ve also recently been having charred broccoli or cauli, which is yummy – part steam the florets and then finish off in the oven to brown the edges. Great with sauces or on it’s own with some soy sauce and a little finely chopped chilli. Those are my only suggestion though, but I’m sure others will be posting ideas for you soon.

Keep going … you’re doing just fine.

Hello, just to report in honestly, my weight increased a bit.
Yesterday’s spike was due to my water intake, I’m sure. I only got a couple cups in.
Today’s was honestly caused by my own lazyness. I have a very busy week coming up, so I spent Friday preparing meals so I didn’t have to worry about cooking for my family,and by the time I finished, I didn’t feel like coming my own food. My menu was made of homemade beef stew and almonds for the most part. While I avoided grains and sweets (despite my husband waving them around in my face to tempt me), I did have a little bit of potato and a tiny bit of pineapples. I didn’t count my calories, but I am sure I was over 800.
Oh well, today’s a new day and my scheduled 36 hour fast. So I’m going to complete that, drink my eight bottles of water, and do an easy low impact workout as a sort of rest day. I finished the first free 5 day challenge on fitness blender yesterday (it was tough and my body is sore a little) and tomorrow will start the second.
My goal for February was 159 and since I already passed that, I’m aiming for 155.
Let’s continue downward, everyone. ❤️

G/heart, you’re doing GREAT so don’t worry about one little blip upwards – they happen, life happens …. draw a line and forge ahead! Your poor hydration level is probably the main cause of the blip anyway and once you have that back to normal, that little anomaly will vanish I’m sure.

Have a brilliant w/e and I’ll look forward to reading how the rest of your w/e goes.

Hi everyone. Once more Sunny B and Allie have done a sterling job reassuring this morning’s posters. I am a big fan of very dark choc Patricia. At least 85% cocoa and my fave is Lindt 90% I think Verano favours this one too ?. Lidl and Aldi have some good Fairtrade chocolate too. I don’t go as far as preparing cakes etc but I did enjoy my chocolate fondant at a special lunch date with retired friends a couple of weeks ago.

I love the cauli rice and mash Avocado 73. What about roasting some veg? We like braised fennel too Are you needing an alternative to have with a sauce as a pasta substitute ? Have you tried spiralized veg …courgettes ?? You can sneak in lots of veg in an omelette/frittata type meal too.

Amz don’t dwell on yesterday . A small increase is nothing in the overall, long term scheme of things and you understand what happened. Well done on avoiding the grains and sweets and you once again showed great strength . Well done ! You are well on the way to achieving your goal so you should be proud of that !! Keep going xx

Sorry SG, I think I have made it harder for you, and I am sorry I was insensitive.
The scales shift up and down, and it’s meaningless when compared to the real changes that we are making in eating good food and taking care of ourselves.

Lol, Patricia you were not insensitive at all. I actually struggled to find where you might have thought you were being insensitive. In actual fact you made me laugh with your comment. I like your sense of humour. Well done on the weight loss despite having my coveted chocolate 😁

Hey SG, 👍

Hi all – I’m so impressed with how everyone is doing and how kind, respectful and non-judgmental everyone is. I see hateful comments in many other forums ( not necessarily related to diet) so this feels like a very safe place. And I’m learning so much from all the info posted! I have one more day of my first week and I’m down 3.3kg ( or 7.3lbs – I live in the States so tend to use pounds) but I’ve lost nothing off my waist, hips and chest. Is that normal, too soon for results or just different for everyone?
Thanks!

Kafin13 . . .? Welcome aboard!!! Youre in a VERY safe place 🙂 Those sharing the journey are only too happy to comfort, support and offer advice through their eyes and experiences 🙂 From my 7-8 months experience of this new way of life, for me it was advisable NOT to compare weights and measures . . . because we all start at a different station, with different bodies – requiring different needs, with different reactions . . . due to different issues 🙂 It seemed to add stress if I “wasnt keeping up with the Jones’s”. Plus understanding it isnt just a “diet” per se . . . it is a change of eating habits for life. However the baseline starts the same 🙂 Again from MY experience . . . begin with selecting foods you like from what is recommended. Once you get the hang of that, begin tweaking the edges to suit your needs . . . concentrate on getting to auto=pilot on food and quantities . . and listening to your body’s responses. We all arrived where we are over long period of time/. It wont take THAT long again to reverse or change it . . . but i needs patience and understanding to support yourself -(your body) – through the transition:) My endocrinologist has just told me he isnt interested in weights . . . just measures. Thats great because I dont own scales!!! in the past three months while my weight may have fluctuated . . . I have discarded 11cms from my girth. Since June last when I started . . . I KNOW by my clothes whats going on the outside – physically visible – and now with recent blood tests the reason I started BSD – blood sugar levels – are now within normal range. With this short story . . . may I suggest you accept one day at a time . . . meet whatever challenges come along and dont compare or expect too much . . . while keeping within the colouring lines as best you can and relax 🙂 Simply accept what is forth coming as your body adjusts to better fuel economy from better fuel 🙂 And have fun 🙂 Hope this helps, and please keep us posted of your progress . . . Quack Quack 🙂

This is very helpful at day 6. I googled Dr. Binkman but only found a bio. With some general stuff.
I had already been mostly eating low carb so that part is no too difficult. Do you use stevia when you want a sweet taste?

Based on your helpful guidelines for this newby, I probably have carrots to blame for most of my weight gain! I looked on the bag (usually eat at least 2 bags a day) and one bag has 175 calories but worst of all 40g of carbs!
My goodness! I need to find a new favorite crunchy snack becasue I need crunchy. Maybe celery? Any thoughts?

Good day to one and all, and a warm welcome to our new members just finding their way to
this marvelous thread! It thrives on the combination of BSDers at all stages of the adventure
to change our health and our lives…and IT WORKS 🙂

Peacerunner, have you thought of pepitas or pork cracklings? A small portion of nuts? Some
here make seed crackers, and if this interests you, just shout out and a recipe will appear on
your screen!

Hello Kafin! It’s very nice to see another American here 🙂 I am in CT. Others will introduce
themselves too, when they find your post. We will all look forward to sharing your journey
with you…Very best wishes,

Allie

Peacerunner, if you type “you tube dr benjamin bikman” you will find a wealth of his podcasts
there. Good luck!

Allie

I see you had already found us on the weekly thread, Peacemaker, prior to my mentioning it elsewhere. Good to have you here with us and I’m sure you will find it useful to be part of this lively group of like minded folk.

Hi Kafin13,
When we go low carb our initial weight loss comes from water stored as a result of high insulin levels. That can come from anywhere.
Also our bodies like to save the spare tyre for the last and works on getting rid of fat from all sorts of places first.
Also search for information on Whoosh, our body doesn’t take fat out of a single cell at a time, it takes a little from a range of cells and replaces the fat with water, when all of the fat is used from the cell it releases the water and the cell collapses and you will get your whoosh.

I think it is quite something the way negative words can dig their claws into our heart and weigh us down to the point that we get sidetracked and distracted…
Today was one of those days for me. Sadness at the harsh words spoken in my home tempted me to give in to depression and fill that empty void with oreos, spaghetti, smoothies, whatever I could reach quickly…
But I forced my mind elsewhere, busying my hands with taking in my beloved, but too large winter coat, which also served to remind myself of all my hard work that I didn’t want wasted on a night filled with food that would just make me sick. After I worked on my coat for a bit, I felt cheered enough to start the second five day challenge on fitness blender. Now I’m showered and getting ready for bed. I am very happy I was successful in resisting my bad habit of emotional eating. Good night and will wishes to all.

Amz, you lift us all with your newly recognized belief in yourself! You are a STAR….link arms with us and it
will take you anywhere you wish to go…Sleep well, and tomorrow is a new day on the east coast of the USA.
I’m traveling with you!

Allie

Oh what a wonderful story of a WONDERFUL breakthrough in and of will power you have just shared 🙂 The strength shown is SO humbling . . . and well just a humble “WELL DONE” doesnt seem enough 🙂 Please KNOW the well done is coming from someone who has walked a similar path a long time ago . . . so I recognise what has happened, and how you have handled it!!! With a positive action!!! 🙂 I can still become that emotional eater – and when I say no to myself its almost like I react as though Ive put my self in the “lost land” with no directions or signposts. Futility. I am SO cheering you on because I know only too well those feelings, thank you for your reminder of them . . . and how to continue to strengthen myself with those well-learned hard lessons. Pom Poms to hand and boppy music to celebrate! Quack Quack!!

Thanks for the great info, jgwen!

Thanks WoodDuckie – very helpful perspective 😊

Hi could I join this thread please? I started last Thursday (14th) but so far doing fab with a weight loss of 7lb in 4 days so am delighted. I’ve struggled a bit with sweet cravings especially in the evenings and hoping these will subside soon. About 2 stone to lose having done the diet 2 years ago and having put back on 2 of the 3 stone I lost. Determined to do this for good this time though. It’s for health as much as weight loss. Good luck to all x

Hi Amz,
Thank you so much for sharing your recent experience of moving away from the carbs to find an activity which raised your spirits. – I am with Allie on this that its stories like that which help inspire all.
I feel like every story like that adds a light on the maze of paths which we all have to travel to reach a healthy interaction with food.

Thank you for that info about the toast. It gives me hope. I only started on the blood sugar diet on 16/02/2019. I have been a yo yo dieter for years,and need to loose at least 4st. I have not been diagnosed as pre diabetic, but being in the healthcare profession, I know that I must be. Carbs have always been my week link,so to read that you really can loose that urge is encouraging. Daty 3 today and got my meals planned.

So encouraging to come here each day and read all of your supportive suggestions and encouragement!!
I am still a bit confused as to how this forum works and wish I could see the inspiring post by “amz” but will keep trying to figure it out. Is their a main forum? I am in Massachusetts, so close to you, alliecat. I’m trying to avoid nuts and nut butters this time because even sugarandsalt free seem to become binge foods too easily and they are very calorie dense. I’m doing the 800 for 8 weeks with no/low sugar. I have not added exercise yet. Although I only want to lose a stone this time, I have battled weight my whole life and have maintained a 110lb weight loss for 18 years through much hard work and learning about nutrition and how my body works. When I lost the weight I used to bring my clothes to Goodwill and then buy clothes cheaply in the next lowest size. Goodwill is one of my favorite places still.