However many false starts you have had, or if you are tentatively starting out , what matters is that you are here, the fruit of your experience and knowledge .

It can be hard to stay motivated especially as lockdown eases ( in the UK anyway) with the promise of long awaited treats and socialising in pub gardens !!!

That’s where we can help, offering support and tips if you need a reset, a post lockdown reboot or just a wake up call for better health .

We are learning all the time. Someone has ‘been there ,done that ‘ and is willing to share their experience .

So as always, feel free to join our merry band of followers . We work on a week at a time to give you a manageable target .
We look forward to welcoming you and adding you to our ever growing list of contributors !

Wendy, SunnyB and sunshinegirl

Here it is , the updated list

Please check in when you can

wendleg, Sunny B, sunshine girl
JGwen
sixturkeys
Starina
Verano
ADD6605 ( Dawn)
Riccoh
Russianroulade
Tulip1 ( Clare)
Mifoz
MerryMelba
Maryanne Carlos-Mascarenhas
WindyJulz
articfox
Olive1
lauraknits
Marsie (Marilyn)
EllieAllegra
EC:Erin
Hello66
Jordana
Alipetunia/Alison
RubyG and hubby
Ditchedthemet
Dizzychicken
SlinkyTinks
LonelyAdipose
Emzijw
Barefoot girl
Life Diet
allicat1A ( Allie, formerly alliecat !)
RedRooster
nhatha3432
sprox
skittle
Daisybean
workingfromthe fridge
Bombalone
PSL68
ScottM
florobo85/Lauren
Tamara1
MillieMoo/Claire
SummerTwinkles/ Summer
Sheila Canning
JustKeepFasting
Bryla
kiltgirl
Deb2003
Donnadoobie
HappiR
WilLuck
PaulaZ
Faithlyn67
Onetowatch
nicnocgee
Smead01 ( Samantha)
Goforgoal
Britta
Mokovex
DebOflo
Riverrock
HopefulinOz/Donna
Quetzal
Onnipinoy
Magicbean
Pashasmum

Can’t believe another week has evaporated and a new thread is again needed! Thanks for setting us up for the week Wendy, for me like many others, having the weekly thread helps keep me focused …. even when I’m not in the right headspace to fully commit and so maintaining rather than losing.

So, no matter where you’re on your BSD journey, feel free to jump in here and be part of the weekly thread … vent if you need to, ask questions, let us know about your frustrations and wins and be part of our little tribe of supportive BSDers.

Personal sit rep: no loss no gain …. marking time, but with the full intention of a better effort this week.

Hi all!

I am indeed blissful in my treehouse! We have birds and sheep and nature and it’s really lovely, we arrived at 5pm and my partner jumped in the hot tub straight away, it’s now 8pm and he hasn’t really moved! I’ve been pottering and reading on the deck etc.

Anyway hope all have a good week, I’ll be keeping up and will pop in with wisdom if I have any!

Pip pip

Lauren xx

Thanks for including me on this week’s list Wendy.I’ve lost 1 and a half pounds(am easing myself gently back into this woe so hoping for a bigger loss next week) but happy with 2 inches less bloating on my waist.It proves what a negative effect carbs have on me if reducing them for just one week can decrease my bloating by that much.Will try to post more regularly this week,I have been enjoying reading posts,just haven’t got around to posting myself😀 Dawn X

Thanks Wendy. As always, appreciate the effort.
Day 4 of my renewed motivation and i’m hoping if i make it through today and tomorrow with no cheats I’ll be back in the game! Whoop.

Feel i need to continue my chat with Tulip from the previous weekly thread…… the hotcross bun thing – totally empathise, its exactly what would happen to me! I love the things, lashings of butter too, so i steer clear otherwise it would just awaken those senses and would go wild. Finding your own boundaries is hard…..and thats why i think of this way of life as a journey of self discovery….. you will find what knocks you off course, what can be done in moderation and what you need to give a very wide birth to! You will find your way, try and enjoy the somewhat frustrating process of working it out. For me its habits….. can easily get into the habit of a “pudding” even if its only yogurt and berries it becomes an issue when its after every meal…..and milk chocolate was a mistake. I can add some jumbo oats and it doesnt throw me off as long as it doesnt become a habit. I do find it easy to up my calories and still eat BSD foods (cheeeeeese and cream!) and i think that has to be my normal. For now tho – another stint of 800 adn tight on the carbs. I know i feel so good when im in the zone…. heres hoping i can stay in it for a few weeks!

RubyG and hubby back for another week – in 2 weeks it’ll be 6 months since we started this WOE.
True to form, I have a small weekend gain since Friday, and he has a small loss, but week-on-week Friday-to-Friday we always show a loss, so the relaxation over the weekend is not doing any major damage to the plan.
I too understand the boundaries concept, and find it easier to avoid something totally than show restraint. Nuts are an example, but I have found that pistachios are OK as I have to work for them (like a lab subject in some behavioural experiment?) and I can feel satisfied after a small ramekin – other nuts just get devoured out of the bag until they’re gone, which isn’t good.
Cheese – I’m better not eating it every day, but planning a meal with cheese as a major component that I can look forward to and enjoy. Every Friday we have a cheese omelette for breakfast, feels like a real treat.
I agree that something as a treat easily becomes a habit, so dessert of yoghurt and figs or berries is a weekend treat, no dessert on a school night!
ODAAT!
Have a good week everyone, wherever in the world you are.

The Easter egg started it! But I’m back now. Lets call it another week 2. Sugar cravings are obviously worse than ever, and I’ve discovered something slightly worrying which is that sugar doesn’t seem to give me energy any more, I just go straight to the bit where you get tired. So I have self-diagnosed as pre-diabetic (!) as another bit of motivation. I will do this!

I am torturing myself and hubby!
I have 2 duck legs confit-ing in goose fat, plus 2 pieces of cured and cold-smoked brisket (for pastrami) pot-roasting at 120°C in the oven – I am drowning 😉
One of the 2 will be supper tonight with a side salad, but at the moment I could eat both!
What was I saying about restraint?

Britta – you got this – maybes try my tactic of fighting through the first 5 days – accept it will be hard….and know that it is easier on the otherside! It wont be this hard for long!! Booo to the sabotaging easter eggs….. I fell victim to the same!

Oh Ruby I can almost smell it from here!! Its great having something pre-cooked for dinner but resisting the smell is hard!! Just pick one – make the decision now and stick to it!!!! And dont forget the broccoli……i mean its the best bit, you dont need both bits of meat…. just ALL of the broccoli….

I’m peckish but thankfully actually in the office today so nothing i can do about it! And have a run planned for this evening….

Hope everyone else is having a good day!

Good to see you checking in !
RubyG we often open a tin of confit de canard here for a quick meal . we don’t do the goose fat potatoes any more, just some green beans or broccoli but you can’t go wrong . I have never tried making my own confit even though my boys’ grandmother used to make it every year along with other magic preserves. We have lots of duck produce here in the SW . I have never had cold-smoked brisket . That sounds very posh !

Britta ! I am glad you are back . Easter eggs are evil I think . Yes, definitely avoid . Can you gently transition to very dark choc , cacao nibs etc ? Yes I would definitely , seriously cut back on the sugar as you have experienced how it is affecting you. You could try reading FOOD JUNKIES by Vera Tarman ? She discusses sugar addiction and recovery in a very accessible way.

As Julz has said, my experience is basically to not risk any attempt at moderation . It just doesn’t work for me as I am a chronic over eater . I could easily trick myself into thinking I’m Ok, have discarded a bit of weight, it won’t do any harm etc etc but I know that would be VERY dangerous for me . So I have accepted that some foods will just never be part of my life any more and I honestly don’t miss most of them . I am talking about bread, pasta, rice etc . I can handle the temptation of buns and cakes because I have a little alarm bell that goes off when food is in any way processed or contains wheat flour . In the same way I can’t make keto bread, low carb ‘treats” or fat bombs etc because I would just scoff the lot .

However as I keep chuntering on about I still have to manage the ‘healthy ‘ foods which I can over eat if I allow myself too much tolerance !
I am generally finding some form of peace with this as I think my way of eating really is healthy now and I don’t take any meds. I can’t afford to take my eye off the ball though .

I totally agree Julz, we have to find a balance that works for us and yes, boundaries for sure !

Remember we are not doing any daft fad diet , we are on a sustainable healthy eating program but it is a learning curve . Even if it is a bit bumpy at times and we veer off the route slightly, we can get back and it most definitely is worth it .

So on we go !
I am still supping my rooibos and Puerh teas . No need for milk in those xx

Hi everyone, thank you Wendy for a new thread this week.

Must say I am having a bit of a mare. Weighed in on Friday at 75.6kg, continued TRE Friday, Saturday relaxed and had 2 vodka tonics, Sunday weigh 75.7, so okay no problem there. Continued TRE Sunday night, Monday weigh 75.9. This morning (still strict TRE 15 hours) 76.5 kgs. Where has that come from. I know we all look for reasons and I think I know what did it. On Sunday I cooked ham hoch, salted, soaked, rinsed, boiled. Decided not to roast it as that tends to dry out so I boiled with onion, celery, small carrot, spices etc. Monday I went to the fridge for lunch and thought I would have the broth from the ham hock. It was jellified, no fat, and soon became broth again. Then I just felt sick and bloated and like I had drunk a load of fat. So I am thinking it was a very fatty lunch. Last night had usual mince dish BUT with sweet potato topping (very small amount of potato) and voila, 76.5. That is nearly a kilo in just a couple of days. Anyway, I am very upset (that is not the word I was going to use) and will just have to ride it out and hope it sorts itself out and hope it is a blip. It has happened around the time I have my female bloated time even though I am long past periods, my body still acts like I do. We will see.

For our anniversary on Friday, when I wanted to have lost 3 kgs grrrrrrrrr. I have ordered from our favourite Michelin star restaurant but from their bistro menu. Then realised we are not allowed to go an collect it due to 10km travel restrictions. They are delivering for free but they can only come 10 kms so I asked them if they will meet us in a car park at a pharmacy at a village between us. They said yes. So we are collecting on Friday morning to have in the evening.

Then, set off to buy some bits for the garden and the car automatic emergency signal came on and wouldnt go off. Tried to drive with the intention of heading for the garage but there was no power. So a few phone calls later and a man has just taken it away. Waiting to hear from the garage but without a car we are totally stuck. If they wont give us a courtesy car I think we will rent from the local supermarket but just waiting to see. My stress levels are surprising low on my fitbit with only a one minute blip up to high. Hey ho. Not going to get upset until we know what is happening. Remember, there is no public transport around here so we really are stuck.

Thats it for today folks.

Hi everyone
After a binge over Easter (lots of fat and sugar and wine), I’m back on track this week.

Today I weigh 12.10 and have lost 2 stone since 1st Feb. I am really chuffed about this and it just goes to show that this works and even after a hiccup, if you put it behind you and carry on, you will lose weight.
Whilst I’m not diabetic, my mum and brother both have type2 so I’m trying to make sure that I don’t.

Had my 2nd jab today so planning for feeling a bit meh over the next few days but will make sure I’m ready for it! I had a ready meal early last week (least said..) and I fear I won’t ever be able to eat white pasta again……

I had stopped drinking since 1st Feb and the Easter holidays made me realise how badly I feel after drinking too much.

Re: above, it’s interesting to see just how your body adjusts to a healthier diet and lifestyle isn’t it?

Good luck everyone this week. Sending a hug if you need it
Nic xxx

Cheers everyone, I’ve looked up the Food Junkies, looks like I can get it on Kindle, so might do that. I do of course know exactly what goes wrong and what I need to do, but I’m really clever when it comes to tricking myself 😀
Like you say Jules, it will get a lot easier again once the sugar beasties have calmed down in a few days. It’s all or nothing with me too, I don’t do moderation well. But Easter is technically over, and I’ve eaten all the kids’ sweets anyway, so time to get on with it!

Btw, those of you with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance experience – am I right in thinking that getting tired from eating sugar is likely somewhere in that ballpark? I’ve just done a bit of googling and I don’t seem to hit many of the ‘symptoms’ people mention, but this is definitely not something I used to get?

Britta, I’m not an expert but the tiredness is maybe the reaction of carb overload causing a rise in blood sugar and then the dreaded slump ? I suggest just staying really low carb for a while and the symptoms of fatigue should ease as long as you don’t feed the carb monsters .
Eat foods which are good for your gut too …

If you are worried you could ask for a blood glucose check at a pharmacy or the full blood works at your doctors to ease or confirm any worries of pre diabetes ?

Hi Britta, the tiredness is nothing I have experienced as a diabetic. Generally eating too much sugar would make anyone feel yuk.

Oh Sunshine-girl, bless ya, it all happens at one doesnt it. I wouldnt worry about the scales too much – you’ve seen a positive trend with the TRE and know your body can handle it….and well you’ve had a ham-related-blip…. thats ok, bet it comes off again just as quick! I do hope your car is ok – we are the same, live so remotely it would be a bit of a disaster…. we are nearly 2 miles from the only bus stop and there is one bus a day to and from the City!

Britta, i bet you always got the tiredness thing before, you just didnt realise it as it was “normal”!! Your body got used to a healthier way of being and now you really feel the slump. Just get through the tough sugar beastie days and you’ll be winning.

Nic – I’m totally with you, alcohol now makes me feel pretty crummy, I dont sleep well at all for it but thankfully never have enough to feel too bad the next day. Really isnt worth it though is it. I’m also thinking its great your readymeal has put you off pasta! ITs such a pointless slimy thing anyway, i haven’t eaten it for years now and dont miss it at all. I had a food poisoning situation involving fish n chips a number of years ago, the benefit is now that i really never fancy anything battered and deep fried….gadz, turns my stomach! I see this as a good thing! Now just to find a way to put me off bread and chips and chocolate! I do believe there are some NLP techniques that can be used for mental associations…..might look into that again….hmmmm…!

Wendy – think we are brain twins in relation to food. Totally with you on everything!!

I made it though day 4….. i had to swerve a migraine at 4pm yesterday, triggered by light but i managed to get some painkillers in which stopped the headache and allowed me to have a positive evening, but once the wore off i felt pretty terrible. First time in forever i wasnt very hungry and didnt eat all my dinner, then got an early night and feel better this morning….. though i was hungry when i got up so I’ve had a carb free protein pancake with yogurt. Hopefully thats me past the hardest part!! Roll on the rest of the week!

Julz

Evening everybody (morning for some?),

I hope your weeks are off to a good start. I was wondering if I could ask a question about fat?

I have been monitoring MFP and noticed that my protein levels were still a bit high – receommendations vary, but seem to average approximately 1g per ideal body weight at my age (mid 40’s) and exercise levels (dog walking one to two times every day, strength training a couple of days a week). So in aid of trying to bring my protein levels down, and keeping carbs low, I naturally increased fat today. I love fat. I am a cheese lover and nut lover and always have been. So lunch was a bowl of baby spinach leaves (which I also happen to love ), 40g of a really good quality vintage cheddar, and 55g of macadamias. Needless to say, I don’t really feel like any dinner, and could probably go through the night without (but do wonder if I should make myself eat as I am only up to about 400 calories so far as I have had coffees as well).

So here is my question – have you found that you bodies adapt more to the fat, or is it always this filling? And if it is always this filling, how do manage to eat enough, especially once you go into maintenance? I am aware that I chose quite rich fats, and I could have chosen extra virgin olive oil, or avocados instead…but I am assuming that all fats have the same affect…….

Britta – the easter eggs got me too. Never mind…. one day at a time, we just have to get back on that horse. Now, if only they were an allowed fat 🙂

Hi HopefulinOz,

I don’t think it is about the meal being filling, but its about reconnecting with genuine hunger signals.

If you eat a meal which triggers insulin, then our body works hard to get the sugar eaten out of the blood stream, which results in a dip in energy levels which we have got used to viewing as being hungry because our body is signalling we need fuel. – The reality is that our body can not access our fat stores because of the high insulin levels so needs us to give it more carbs.

When you keep insulin levels low, your body can access your fat stores, so has access to fuel without you eating. – Then you start to encounter the issue of is your desire to eat due to emotional hunger rather than physical hunger or habit.

I heard Dr MM talking on Radio 4 on Saturday evening in an interview. – One of the questions was about the criticism of his 800 calorie recommendations. It came across clearly that the 800 calories came from NHS policies / and was set at a level to deflect criticism rather than for a reason on what is physically needed.

Its taken me a few years of eating low carb to get there, but I have been at the point of not feeling hungry when I keep my carbs low for a few months now and I view it as being a successful step in the process of healing my body. – I also describe it to anyone who is concerned about my not having meals that I am simply completing the digestion of a meal I ate earlier, and depending on the person / mood, may highlight the size of my spare tyre.

Hi Sunshine-girl.

We have all talked in the past about how insulin levels block our body from maintaining strong bones and muscles by blocking growth hormone. – Could it be that your experiment of TRE and reduction in insulin taken means that your are having periods where your insulin levels are low enough for that process to resume for you and you need to start including taking measurements as well as the reading on the scales to measure progress?

Hi everyone, first of all JGwen I ate something really stupid. I have now estimated one bowl of broth was very high. It was the jellified result of boiling a ham hock, so I think that caused my weight gain. It made me feel bloated and very sick so probably contained a lot of pure animal fat. You are right about measuring other than the scales for my TRE experiment and in fact I am not really including weight in my experiment. I am getting BG reading of between 50 and 75 each day and, because of this I am reducing my insulin. I am now down from 28 units daily to 19 last night. For this reason I will continue TRE. The weight loss was something I wanted to achieve separately for my wedding anniversary, get into a different dress or trousers. However, I do think it helped with the weight loss (before I mucked it up) as I am probably reducing by around 150 cals I would have in the evening and this keeps me on the right side of 800 cals. I will continue with the TRE for my BG levels and insulin reduction. Interesting watching Dr Fung as he says why do we give insulin to someone whose body is still producing it but cant use it effectively and therefore has loads sloshing around our systems. I dont have the answer why we are prescribed insulin except to say that the medical profession just expect us to eat too much sugar and as our own insulin wont deal with it they give us it by artificail means. My possible answer is that insulin was a god send for T1 diabetics who cannot produce any insulin and needed it – thanks Dr Sangster et al…. So maybe they thought it would be good to give it to T2’s rather than expecting people to stop eating ‘sugar’. They always say sugar but we know carbs are also sugar and not just the white grains we put in coffee and cakes. In all the research, nowhere is it shown that modern medicine uses diet to cure (help cure) what is a dietary complaint. This is a modern thing as back in the 1700’s diabetes was treated by fasting and near starvation and this has been the case over the centuries. It is only since the discovery of insulin that medics have given up as it is so simple to just give us pills or injections. Sorry for the lesson for those who have no interest in diabetes.

Back to my vehicule situation. They took the car away with the little man saying it looked like it was the injectors (nothing to do with my diabetes). Then we got a call from the garage saying it is the injectors and all 4 need replacing at a cost of eeeeeeeekk €1300. Oh well I guess we are lucky we can afford it due to not spending hardly anything with not being able to go anywhere. Hopefully it will be ready tomorrow and we now need to work out how we are going to get to the garage to pick it up. The last time we got a taxi it cost €100 to go 18 kms due to the driver taking up right into the town and back out again and twice past where we had already been and hubby wouldnt say a word. Anyway, he is the only taxi in town but I will do some research.

I will get my head back into the diet and settle down to our normal quiet life when things are sorted.

So, I’m on it now, hot on the heals of you Julz, in the pursuit of the calm after the carb storm. I’m really going to town on planning because that seems to always be where I fall down. I have invented a two (as a minimum) salad rotational system which I’m quite proud of; I made big batch of coleslaw day before yesterday, which I finished yesterday alongside a bean salad which I’ll finish today alongside a roast veg salad, which I’ll… you get the drift. So make one salad a day, and have two salads always available in the fridge to go with whatever meat I fancy as a basic and avoid the ‘omg it’s past dinner time, what can I cook in a hurry – trap’. We’re going away for a couple of days at the end of the week and I am busy planning the … out of that too! 😀

JGwen, thank you so much for that information. It was very insightful, and really made me think about how I approach hunger. You are spot on – I was feeling like I should eat dinner even though I wasn’t hungry, just to eat the 800 calories, when really I need to connect with my natural hunger signals and be guided by that (after all, there is plenty of body fat for my body to utilise 🙂 ).

Hilariously, this morning, I was playing with an Australian app called Easy Diet Diary, as it has a barcode function. Up until now I have been using My Fitness Pal. When I entered the macadamia nut information from yesterday, it came up with a vastly different calories figure than MFP. I then went to verify it, and found that the listing for the exact barnd of macadamias I ate on MFP was completely wrong….. so instead of the 110 calories of macadamias I thought I had eaten, I actually ate 395 calories. Ooops. No wonder I was so full! So needless to say I actually went over the 800 calories yesterday and actually had my first look at what transitioning to maintenance could be like (accidentally). Surprisingly, I registered a 300g loss on the scales this morning from yesterday, so hopefully no harm done. I guess it is a lesson learnt to check the MFP listings for correct information before using them. I reached the 6kg lost mark today (in just over 5 weeks), so feeling happy about that. 500g more and I will be halfway to my major goal (13kg from 68 to 55).

Sunshine Girl – sorry to hear about your car situation. Costly and inconvenient surprises are never much fun.

Lauren – I hope the time away was amazing and all that you needed. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures when you get back.
Have a lovely day everybody.
Donna.

Hi All,

Have just read through the thread- fascinating insights JGwen, thank you to Wendy, SG and Sunny for keeping us going. Well done everyone on our continued discoveries about ourselves.
Julz- yes, I will really have to think hard about what things are far to dangerous to have a nibble of and what I can manage in moderation! I find it really easy to up my calories in BSD style too, as I really enjoy the food…cheese, full fat yoghurt, milk, meat, loadsa green veg, plus allowed treats v dark choc and red wine etc etc…..so maintenance I am happy with I think, but definitely need to watch the carbs and sugars as very occasional treats only and ones that don’t totally derail me because once I start I can’t stop!
Things feel more under control again now I am watching (and calorie counting) what I eat on my ‘5’ days again and I am feeling much less sluggish already on day 4 of low carb med style without overindulgence generally. My 800 cal days were monday- and today, and I am feeling good about it. Hoping to see my weight start to reduce again until I get to a target I am satisfied with.
Love to all,
Clare xxx.

p.s. glad your treehouse and time away are lovely so far x

Hopeful your message reminded me that I used to really struggle with the carb count on the Fatsecret app, which might be of use to other new calorie and carb counters. There are people on here with more detailed expertise who can explain this properly but basically I found wildly differing carb content in vegetables which turned out to be a difference between how carbs are counted/reported (net carb or not net carb I think) in different parts of the world, mainly a difference between the US and the UK, so certain veg had very high carb content which made staying on less than 20 almost impossible, until I learned to identify the right ones.

Thanks Britta. Yes, this confused me a few weeks ago also, until I came to understand the ‘net carbs’ – (Total Carbs – Fibre). That has certainly been helpful in keeping my carbs low, and I have been feasting on zucchini/courgette as part of my dinner for the last few days happily!!! Thanks so much for the ‘heads up’ (possibly an Australian term? – The advice).
Donna x

You are right, Britta, in some countries the carb values on nutritional info included fibre in the overall figure shown for carbs, whereas in the UK (and possibly other places too) the fibre is deducted from the overall carb count and shown as a separate entry. This means in the UK we see net carbs list against carbohydrates, which is the value we are concerned about here on the BSD, so no further deductions are necessary.

Yet again, my week is proving to be more like maintenance than anything else, as I’m floating backwards and forwards over the same pound and a half. Have to admit, that although I started this week with good intention to be fully focused and get rid of those last couple of pounds, things have not gone to plan and I’ve drifted again.

Soooooo, feeling guilty about being flaky …. and it seems I have some work to do to really get back in the zone. Date night tomorrow, so as offset, I won’t be breaking fast until about 3pm today, giving overnight fast of 19hrs. Will continue in maintenance through the weekend and then look to make a completely fresh start at full on 800/20 from Monday …. again!

KOKO everyone …. we’ll get there!

I am dreading weigh-in tomorrow as I’ve felt a bit hormonal this week (age 52, who knows what my hormones are doing) and after saying no dessert on a school night, I have had Greek yoghurt and a fresh fig after supper every night this week. Saying that, we’ve kept the cals about on plan and the carbs have been very low this week, and my clothes are feeling good.
I have been working on some simple strength exercises for my wrists and forearms the past 2 weeks, and I can feel a huge difference already, which is great.

Hi everyone, thanks for your concerns re my car and my weight gain. Weight first. Well it is now back down to nearly, not quite, what it was so back to 75.9 (got to 76.5) and with just another small loss by tomorrow (fingers crossed) I will have lost 2kgs in the 3 weeks leading up to my wedding anniversary tomorrow. Not the 3kg I wanted but we know they saying, reach for the moon and you might land in the stars. I think I have landed in the stars as I am 2kg lighter than 3 weeks ago. We live and learn and next time I will throw out the jelly from boiling ham hocks. Pretty much the same for you HopefulinOz learning about nuts. I usually keep to a few almonds, maybe a couple of walnuts and some pistachios in the shell to make them hard to get to. Last week we bought some Brazils because I had read that just one contains a full days selenium. What it didnt say was one nut contains 32 calories and who stops at one. I do now.

RubyG you are so right about female hormones messing with our bodies, weight etc. As I said on a previous post I havent had a period for about 25 years and I still get monthly bloating and sore boobies around the 14th of each month and I usually have a small weight gain too.

JGwen, thanks again for your wisdom and help. I might not always say so but it is really appreciated. You certainly get me thinking, researching and learning something new every time. We are all still learning. Me after nearly 6 years on here.

Car back home and working great, although we are quite a bit poorer. I am a bit of a believer in serendipity – things being a happy coincidence. It is more like what if….. For example, although not a breakdown, hubby hit a kerb while driving quite slowly and our tyre blew completely. It was an absolute pain, back in England but 1. it happened when we were driving slow and not on the motorway we had just left 2. it might not be the kerb that caused it but it was ready to blow and 3. we were about 500 yards from our daughters house so not stranded. This breakdown happened on a day we shouldnt have been going out, it was just on a whim. It could have happened this morning when we were going shopping, it could have happened while we were out and stranded us without a car (found out we dont have car hire on our insurance so will get that sorted now). Anyway it is done now and life continues. We have so much to be grateful for so a bit of money is not the end of the world.

Hi SG, hope you enjoy your Michelin starred meal and happy anniversary!
We’ve also had an expensive car week – service and software updates, new battery and 4 new tyres – the car has not enjoyed sitting around for a year!

1 Brazil nut – that would be a challenge.

I am making good progress suddenly with the Why We Get Fat book (had an hour to kill while waiting for the tyre-fitting) and it is making so much sense, but trying to explain to hubby last night wasn’t as successful 🙂 When I have the time, I will log into my online medical record and take a look at my cholesterol and triglycerides with fresh eyes.

ODAAT everyone, the weekend is nearly here!

Morning all.
Sunshine Girl – What a great attitude you have. You are absolutely right – count our blessings, so many things to be grateful for in our lives 🙂

RubyG – I think you will probably be pleasantly surprised. If it fit in the calorie and carb targets you have set for yourself, probably no harm done. I absolutely adore figs. We have a young fig tree that produces only a very small harvest every year, but it is absolutely one of my favourite foods.

SunnyB – I am sure the majority of us go through the same frustrations. It is hard going up and down over the same pound or two. It will happen in it’s own time, and when you are ready to get back ‘in the zone’ we will all be here to cheer you on (we will do that even if you aren’t in the zone also, by the way) 🙂

I have a bit of a challenging day ahead, as it is my OH’s birthday and we are hosting a big family lunch. I asked him what he wanted for lunch and he chose Roast Pork, Roast potatoes, pumpkin, peas and parsnips. Followed by a delicious French fruit and custard tart. Soooo, pretty much everything I can’t eat! Fortunately I am not a fan of pork. I have ordered a rotisserie chicken to pick up, and have a premade salad in the fridge (all weighed out) in the fridge to accompany 100g of chicken breast, no skin. The French tart will definitely prove a challenge (as it did when I was making it yesterday, fighting temptation to lick the spoon). No doubt, LauraAF with her ‘Carbohydrates’ post would have me judged and hung for having such temptations, but the less time given to such judgement and negativity, the better!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday,
Donna x

HopefulinOz- who is LauraAF and what’s the carbs post about?
I guess I am weird then- since knowing the calorie content of the nuts, I CAN eat just one brazil nut- it’s one of my ‘safe’ snacks. i.e. I always have some unsalted nuts- generally brazils/ hazelnuts/ almonds in my handbag, work bag and walking bag to hand in case I do need a snack to see me through, or on an 800 cal day I plan it in my diary- one to 2 brazils, 3-6 almonds or 3-6 hazelnuts. Not tempted to eat more, although I enjoy them.
Anyone got an opinion on full fat cheese triangles?- I quite like one or 2 as an afternoon snack if peckish and I am at home as they are easy to eat as a ready made portion but I can’t decide if they are pure enough cheese to be ok. Yes I do prefer ‘proper’ cheese of various types but that is a more dangerous snack as don’t seem able to cut one measured slice or block and not go back for (a lot!) more…..I’ve had 2 cheddar cheese snackciddents this week whilst grating cheese for to go with/ on dinner…..consumed a good 40g of it both times before stopping.
xx Clare.

Hi Clare 🙂
Go to Forums – All Recent Topics – and find ‘Carbohydrates’ (maybe 4 or 5 from the top). It is an interesting read .
Donna x

Hello, I am a returner, and have been lurking for a few weeks catching up on all the posts. Trying to be less ambitious/more realistic this time around, after successfully losing a stone and a half in 2019 and then giving up. I went from 16 stone 3lbs to 14stone 9 lbs in 6 weeks, but was upset to not drop a dress size and quite demotivated.

Still a size 20 and still 16st 3lbs. I was 16st 9lbs 10 days ago though, so that’s something. I am trying a more gentle approach, aiming for 1000 cals a day or less, and under 40g of carbs. Given that I’ve spent lockdown trying out all the takeway delivery services, I think this will work for a while, even though I’m not sure I’m n ketosis.

I will be 48 at the end of November, and would love to be in the 13 stone bracket by then. In the meantime I am trying shorter goals and being less harsh on myself about sticking strictly to 800 cals or having the odd wine diversion.

Lovely to see the familiar names all still here and continuing to provide such friendly and informed support.

Hi Tulip
I like the mini Babybel cheese as a work snack mid afternoon. 61cals and 0.2g carb. Just the right size portion. That and 2-3 almonds get me through a busy work afternoon.
Merry

Hi everyone,
Wendy -thanks for another weekly thread! ADD6605 -well done on the 1,5 lbs and 2 inches down! Nicnocgee -yay 2st gone since 1st Feb! Wonderful! Britta -hang on in there! Slay that sugar monster! Do you have a blood sugar monitor? I bought one from the pharmacy, just for interest and running some tests, although I don´t think I´m diabetic or even pre -we´ve got other diseases running in the family. Still, the monitor could serve as an extra motivating thing. HopefulinOz -congrats on the 6kg loss, nearly halfway there already! Hope the OH birthday went fabulously and you both enjoyed it. BTW I read the LauraAF´s ‘Carbohydrates’ post! 🤭 Avisamuelgray -well done for the restart, your more gentle approach sounds sensible yet still very effective.
Also my birthday end November, I hope to be 12st then (yea sure I can see that happening 😩)
Thanks for your contributions and insights everyone I failed to mention here.
Week5 results: weight today: 105.0kg Loss this week: -0.6kg Total loss: 7kg. It has been a busy week. It may not have been a perfect BSD week, but I believe in being good enough constantly instead of perfect. I´ve got some tofu, lots of veg in the fridge, tinned fish, and extra virgin olive oil -better start planning what I’m going to eat today!
Have a good weekend all!
ODAAT!

Good evening wonderful people.

Goforgoal – congratulations on your loss. It sounds like you are all set for a very successful BSD ahead 🙂

Avisamuelgray – lovely to meet you.It sounds like you had amazing results last time, I am sure you will fall back into this very easily.

Today has been interesting – I have eaten my normal 800 calories of Fast800/BSD friendly foods, drunk loads of water, and done all of my normal things, but have had really strong head rushes when I make sudden movements (even sitting down on the toilet too fast). When it happens I feel and hear the blood throbbing in my head, but it doesn’t hurt and isn’t a headache or migraine. It could, of course, be entirely unrelated to this WOE, but I have noticed the to a much smaller extent than today in the past few weeks. I am just wondering if anybody else has had similar? It doesn’t concern me as I am assuming that it is probably linked to blood pressure, but I have always had a normal blood pressure during doctors visits, the most recent of which was only about three weeks ago. I am not, nor have ever been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Very curious as to whether anybody else has had a similar occurrence…

I am so glad I found this forum. I have vastly appreciated the expertise and advice, and the lovely supportive nature of everybody here. I hope that, in time, I too will be able to add to the vast array of knowledge and success stories here.
Donna x

Hi everyone and welcome to avis. You will soon get back into the swing of things and wow 6lbs straight away. Take your time, it is not a race and it is good not to be try to compete, just be yourself. People on this particular weekly thread are doing lots of different things.

My posh nosh last night was OK but just OK. Yes the food was delicious but we are now finding it all too rich for us and couldnt manage to eat it all even though the portions are small. Everything seemed to be sweet, even the pork. No more takeouts for us. We will wait until the restaurants reopen and go and enjoy a decent steak or duck breast without all the palaver.

Obviously I had a gain in weight but I am straight back on to my preferred way of eating with strawberries and Greek yoghurt for breakfast and a Mediterranean style salad for lunch. Hubby cooks on Saturdays so he is doing a simple stew with mushrooms and a green pepper that needs using. I increased the insulin injection up to 22 last night and my BG was 90 so I havent done too much damage and will reduce again each day.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

Thanks goforgoal,I haven’t had the best of weeks food wise(can’t even really blame DDs revision! ) but back on it from today and aiming for 100% 🤞Dawn X

Hi everyone,
It is 10 days until my horse will be coming home and I will have no more excuses for not eating right! I’ve been doing ok the last few days as I’ve been doing TRE. I’ve been working outside all weekend until about 1 or 2pm, at which point my dad comes over to help me and I stop for a quick bite to eat, which doesn’t amount to very many calories. Then we work until 4pm and I go and muck out and feed my horse, and come back home for my first proper meal of the day at around 6:30pm. I really hit the wall on Saturday and could barely finish filling my horse’s hay net, which was my last task of the day. Did a bit better today and got finished without issue, but then went to do my weekly shop on the way home and started feeling quite sick and headachy. It has suddenly been quite warm here (26 degrees C on Saturday!) so I think I haven’t been staying hydrated enough or eating enough salt. I was very pleased though at how much better my shopping basket was looking this week compared to some previous weeks. I decided earlier today that it was ridiculous that I have a garden full of spinach and kale and I’m hardly eating any of it. Also green beans and asparagus in the freezer that need to be eaten before the new crop starts coming in. So I looked up some recipes on Diet Doctor and got some inspiration ahead of going shopping. That’s the first time I’ve done that in a long time. Part of my issue with not being inspired to cook or even eat some days has been because I’ve been failing miserably on the shopping front. I’ve often been going on my way home when I’m tired and hungry and it hasn’t turned out well. Even when I’m buying mostly BSD friendly things, they are always the same things and I think I’m bored of always only having the same ingredients to hand. Now I feel like I have much more of a plan, so hopefully I will have a better week.
Thanks s-g for the reminder about greek yogurt and strawberries. I always have greek yogurt on hand, but ran out of frozen berries and haven’t restocked. I was able to get some fresh ones today, so am looking forward to having those during the week.

Checking in after a few days’ absence.
We survived our 5 hour drive over the weekend without chocolate bars or energy drinks! I made a small bottle of iced coffee each – 4 shots and the same volume of double cream – very nice and seemed to do the job, interspersed with ham and egg “muffins”, some salami and some meatballs made with chicken breast and lots of herbs. I had dark chocolate and some cheese in the bag which we didn’t eat. The downside is we don’t drink enough water when travelling as we don’t want to stop, so after the journey I probably over-compensate.
Even though we’re away from home this week, today’s meals are planned to be light, low cal and very low carb as a reset – it was very difficult going into the farm shop we haven’t visited for 6 months, seeing all the familiar faces, and avoiding the custard slices (I have a particularly soft spot for custard slices over here, or flan when in France), but we did avoid them and bought a beautiful aged rib of beef (one rib) from their award-winning herd, which fed us last night with some salad, and will continue to feed us for the next few days!
ODAAT everyone!

Sunning myself in the garden… nearly forgot the time !

New weekly thread time !!