I’ve been pondering what to write for the content of this week’s thread .

It has been uplifting to see people meeting up with loved ones in the Uk, enjoying outdoor drinks and meals. We are still restricted in our movements here in France but the sun is shining .

So .. nothing ground breaking . We just need to keep going, picking ourselves up if we veer off course, finding our own balance with important life events . We all need something to look forward to ,whether it be a special occasion or just wanting to feel comfortable in our summer gear .

Well done if you are on track, well done if you are struggling but you are not giving up and welll done if you have found your way here and want to make lasting changes after years of dieting misery .

Another week beckons, let’s give it our best shot folks !

Wendy, SunnyB and sunshinegirl

I have just added avisamuelgrey . I do remember your posts ! We will do everything we can to help you and keep you motivated . Believe in yourself, you can do it !

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
avisamuelgrey

No doubt Lauren will be back soon to tell us about her ‘honeymoon’ in the tree house !
Good to see you checking in articfox . Honestly you put me to shame . You are so active !

Hi Merry ! Good to see you too .

I hope EC/Erin checks in soon to let us know how she is doing .

That goes for anyone who is a bit quiet . xx

All the very best for this coming week xx

Thanks for including me on weekly list Wendy.Hoping to have a loss to report in the morning but it’s been another half hearted week so it’s touch and go😕I feel reinvigorated today though,the sun was really warm in the car when I was driving and I kept remembering how much better I will feel if I can fit into my Summer clothes comfortably in a few months time!Have stuck 100% to my food plan and had early meal tonight so will hopefully manage 16/8 TRE until my breakfast at 9.30 tomorrow.Well done to everyone who is sticking in!Dawn X

Hellooooooo!! I’m back! We’ve had a lovely week away for our pretend honeymoon, first four days in a treehouse in Bath and then in a beautiful cabin in very rural Wales for the weekend. We got back this afternoon.

I’ve eaten all the wrong things and will see what damage I’ve done tomorrow – I just decided early on actually that I needed a break and needed to stop obsessing. Clothes all feel the same as at the beginning of the week and I’ve walked loads but whatever the damage is I’m just going to accept and start fresh tomorrow, I’m geared up and ready and feel a bit more rejoojhed so I think I needed it.

We went to Bath and Bristol Zoo, lots of countryside walks, lots of sheep. It was lovely to just be away for a while from all the rubbish we’ve all been through this last year!

I’ve noticed a couple of nteresting thing this last week where I have eaten carbs and sweet things and all sorts of things I shouldn’t
1. I not at any point felt ill, sick, bloated or anything else – mildly concerning as some kind of side effects from eating carbs might help me kick them! Clearly not yet there!!
2. My energy has actually been better and I’ve felt less exhausted than I have for months, so I think I’ve been doing something wrong and maybe in some sort of middle ground where I hadn’t quite switched over to fat burning or something? Something to work on
3. Digestion – MASSIVELY improved this last week, despite barely eating any veg or fibre – this is clearly weird and I can only guess it’s because I’ve had much more caffeine this week (I don’t normally drink much tea/coffee because i dont find it refreshing and can’t be faffed to make it!) – so maybe that’s the answer, maybe the softer water helped too (water here is basically liquid limescale)
4. Even though I have enjoyed everything I’ve eaten this week and don’t regret it, there was one tiny moment when I had a white bread roll and actually didn’t enjoy it and thought do you know this isn’t adding to the burger – so maybe I’m finally getting there!!!

Anyway onwards from tomorrow, I’m dreading the wave of carb flu coming my way but I’m feeling motivated and ready. Hope all are ok and had a good week, and have a good week this week

Lauren xx

I’m ready for another week! We went away for two nights at the coast this weekend and I feel about 3 stone lighter! I’m not of course but its nearly 8 months since we last left the house for an overnight stay and a sunny weekend at the seaside felt like 2 weeks in the Maldives! BSD-wise it wasn’t completely textbook, but not too bad either, so all in all I’m winning. Fingers crossed the boost in energy can carry me though the week (at least until Thursday when I have the vaccine…). Hope everyone has a good week Bx

Wendy … once again you have found the right words to lead us into a new week.
Lauren …. so glad you have had a wonderful week away. Very impressed you are all fired up to leap back into the BSD again tomorrow. Please send some of you motivation and focus my way!
Dawn … likewise, you sound like you are very much in the zone and are very determined to make each day count.

Okay, time to fess up …. lost the plot at the weekend and so begin this week with a small gain. Frustrated with myself, but pathetically can’t seem to find my mislaid motivation and drive. Not going to offer excuses, or indeed any promise to do better, as I’m not confident I can keep it. Until I can be assured of being able to ‘walk the walk’, I’ll be reading posts, but probably not posting much myself.

All best wishes for a great week everyone. KOKO

Awww big hugs and motivation coming your way SunnyB – we’ll see how long mine lasts, traditionally carb flu fells me pretty quick!! You can doooooo it and don’t beat yourself up, it’s been so hard for everyone the last year and we’re all getting tired and losing mojo now! We believe and you’re in no way pathetic!

L xxxx

Hello – I have been physically active absolutely every day – have these nice routines – three walks a day – one short in the morning at lunch and evenings. The best bonus is a walk during ‘boring digital meetings’. I have used a few weeks to slowly adjust to weighing myself, to slowly adjust to less carbs and less kcal. I am there now. Have had some incredibly good days, have planned meals and feel healthier through eating low kcal and much of the good vegetables. Today the house flooded in waffles (the kids made it this evening) – the smell was incredibly tempting – and I didn’t even taste it.
I am ready for full focus for a long time. A long time… I have to reach my goal – a normal BMI. And stay there. It can take time, that’s OK.
Lauren – what at nice post – so good to know people are having good times.
Wendy – so inspiring words, thank you.
Britta – great to take in all the wonderful experiences – feeling good about oneself – what a treasure!
Sunny B – you should look ahead – be kind to yourself – and honest. I am also sending my very best motivation.
Wish you all the best. You provide so much motivation and positive energy – thank you all for that.

Quetzal

Hi all. So good to hear that you are all going well and feeling motivated to face the challenges. Quite a few years ago I decided to give up drinking alcohol. I was having a wine or two almost every night, and found that when I tried not to do that for a month, it was surprisingly hard. That really worried me because there is some alcoholism in my family. When I decided to stop drinking, I read a fantastic book and the author wrote a story that really helped me. Even though it is about alcohol dependency, it could just as easily be applied to the challenge many of us are facing regarding better healthy eating habits. I thought some of you might find it useful.
………………………………..
” I read loads of sober blogs, and I get hundreds of e-mails and comments from readers of Mummy was a Secret Drinker.

The ones that really make me want to cry, and yell in frustration, are the ones written by people who do the first few days over and over and over again.

They do four days sober, then back to day one. They manage ten days next time, then go on a bender. Three days. Four days again. Ad infinitum.

I get it! I really do. I’ve been there. We all have. And you do just have to keep persevering until one day it just sticks.

But now, with the benefit of six months of hindsight, I just want to grab them in a big bear hug and yell “Nooooo! You’re doing the hardest part over and over, without ever making it to the good bits!”

And the problem is, the longer you spend wallowing around in those early dark days of despair, the more you manage to re-enforce the idea in your subconscious that that’s what sobriety is all about.

So, if that’s you, then think about it like this:

Imagine you’re standing in a field which you’ve been in for a long, long time. Initially it was beautiful – filled with wild flowers, friends, sunshine and fluffy bunnies (maybe the bunnies are a bit too much? But, hell, I’m going with it).

But, over time, it’s got more and more miserable in your field. There are still some sunny days, but there’s an awful lot of rain, and some terrible thunderstorms. You keep thinking the flowers are growing back, but they die before they bloom. The bunnies are few and far between.

Then you start meeting people who tell you about another field, not too far away. They’ve seen it. Some of them live in it. It’s everything your field used to be, if not more so. And they appreciate it so much more because they’ve seen what your desolate home looks like. They used to live there too.

“Hey, come and live with us!” they tell you. Because they’re not mean and selfish. They know that there’s plenty of room at their place for everyone, and they genuinely want more friends.

You really, really want to join them. But there’s a hitch. There’s a huge great obstacle course in the way. You can’t see the whole course, only the obstacle directly in front of you. And you can’t see the promised land on the other side. You have no idea how big the course is, how long it takes to get through it, or whether you’re up to it.

But you know that you can’t stay where you are. It’s only going to get worse. So you take a leap and throw yourself at the first obstacle….

Initially it’s not too hard. You’ve got bags of energy and enthusiasm. But, after you’ve been over a twelve foot wall, through a leech infested, waterlogged ditch, and dug under a fence with your bare hands you’re exhausted. Fed up. You have no proof that this place even exists. You have no idea if you can ever make it that far, and you’re desperate to go back to somewhere familiar, where you’re not so tired, and cold and scared….

…..so you go back to your field. And initially it’s great to be home. The other people stranded there welcome you back with open arms and tell you that the alternative field doesn’t really exist. You’re comfortable. You know what you’re dealing with. You think you can see the sun coming out and a bunny in the distance….

….but you were fooling yourself. There are no bunnies left any more. The thunderstorms come harder and harder. Eventually you throw yourself at the twelve foot wall again. You brave the leeches again. You dig the tunnel. You make it to the fifth obstacle this time before you go back to the beginning.

You go back because you have no proof. You don’t know how long it takes. You don’t know if you can do it. You’re exhausting yourself by doing those first few obstacles over and over again. It’s just too hard.

So, if that’s you, then listen to this. Because I do know (as do many people reading this who I’m hoping will back me up in the comments below). I am going to say it really loudly:

IT DOES EXIST! IT’S EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS YOU’RE HOPING. IT TAKES ABOUT 100 DAYS TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT, AND ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO GET THERE. YOU CAN DO IT.

The truth is that the hardest bit of the obstacle course is the beginning. So you really don’t want to keep re-doing the wall, the leeches and the digging. Once you’re through those, the other obstacles get easier, and they’re further apart. And you get stronger, and fitter and more able to cope.

One thing to look out for is ‘false summits’. Sometimes you think you’ve got there. You’ve seen no obstacles for ages, and you think THIS IS IT! Only to be confronted by a whopping great wall.

But by now you know how to scale those suckers. It’s no biggie. You almost start to get a sense of achievement from making it to the other side of each one. After all, a field with no challenges at all in it would be a little….flat and featureless.

So, my fellow adventurers, pack up your bags, say goodbye to your field, throw yourself at the obstacles and KEEP ON GOING! Do not look back until you get to the end!
…………………………..
Written by Clare Pooley
…………………………..
It might not be useful, but I still find it motivating.
Have a wonderful day everyone,
Donna x

Hi all – just checking in as I realised I hadn’t posted in a few weeks. Lovely to read your messages and Lauren your trip away sounds fab! I’ve maintained the same weight as am still watching what I eat – but maybe not as obsessively as before. Still enjoying mostly bsd recipes but too much alcohol – especially since the pubs opened. Had a great day out with the girls last Tuesday and felt good in tight fitting dress – the rewards of weight loss in jan to March! Needless to say the day of drinking and eating was not by the book. Like you, Lauren, was a bit worried that I felt fine the next day. No hangover, no weight gain. Not the disincentive I need! But I know that a one day blip is recoverable- just don’t want to be slipping too much into bad old ways. So I have regrouped to ‘go again’ – doing 800 diet and not drinking and writing it all down. I know that is what keeps me in check. Spurred on by all your motivation. Now off to walk the dog – hopefully sunshine again today.

Great inspirational story Hopeful! I recognised the ‘false summit’ (just over 2 stone weight loss in my case). I’ve been wondering why this time around is so much harder than last time. I blame the total lack of stimulus from just being in the house, get up, work, eat, watch tv, sleep routine most of all. But I also recognised the bit where you’re past the hard first couple of weeks and things get easier; the cravings subside, you have better control, its plainer sailing, you even sort of enjoy “riding the hunger waves” and all that comes with it. So I now feel inspired – thanks for that!

Lauren …. thanks for the encouragement, very much appreciated. I’m determined to make today a better BSD day.
Quetzal …. well done on cracking the exercise nut, sound like you are in the zone and well done on resisting those waffles. You’re right of course, I need to look ahead and not back.
Hopeful …. that is a really inspiring passage and so right, starting over time and again is demoralising and exhausting, so digging down and pushing on is by far the best way forward.
FromTheFridge … hope your reboot goes well.
Britta …. it’s definitely a few day away that I need. Normally at this time of year, we’d be in Turkey with sun and warmth. Still, it is what it is, so need to find a way of being okay with that. Glad you enjoyed your mini-break and hope your it has given you the recharge you needed to be able to press ahead.

❤️❤️❤️ you got this Sunny!

Well jumped on the scales this morning and +7lbs but that’s ok, I know it’s mostly water – I certainly didn’t eat 25000 excess calories last week for it to be fat! So just back on it today, I’m drinking all the water to try and stave off the carb flu (it won’t work but worth a try!) and I’ll just keep cracking. Peanut butter and seed crackers for lunch and chicken salad for tea planned in.

Hopeful that was a nice little story to wake up to!

Lauren x

Hi everyone, ready for another week of having somewhere to chat with like minded people. Hopeful, I too gave up alcohol for the same reasons, just getting too much of a habit. I used a book by Jason Vale who does the juicing guy called Kick the Booze Easily. I did for about 17 months then a disasterous holiday and people compensating in bar vouchers led me back to sin. Seriously though it was good for me at the time as it proved I could do anything I set my mind to. The difference with that and food or not eating carbs or sticking to a diet and not seeing the benefits of the end result is we have to eat, food is all around and necessary for life. I think we are all doing our best, at least we are here and, although not perfect we are successful in so many ways. Yes, I agree, if you give up and walk away it is very difficult to try again. That is why we just keep on doing what we can.

Lauren, you dont seem to have any affects from eating carbs again. You might be like me, no withdrawal effects when I gave up although I do get slightly bloated when I have say a small bread roll – fluid retention. I smiled at you saying some of your weight gain will be water. You are right of course. This morning I got weighed before the trip to the toilet (because I had already been up to go just a couple of hours before). I was happy with a 0.2kg but then decided to give it another try and got weighed again to find I had actually lost 0.5kgs.

On the subject of bodily functions, and I make no apologies for this. This week is No Butts week. Check your poo and help in the fight against bowel cancer. You can check on line what you are looking for.

Back on track after wedding anniversary and drinks (special occasion) and, as I said above, already lost 0.5kg since yesterday. Aim is to lose 1kg by the weekend.

Have a good week everyone.

Hi everyone,
Just popping in quickly to report that my improved shopping basket has not made any difference weight wise so far, but I do feel a bit more energetic after only 2 days. Here’s hoping I can keep this up!
Good luck for the week everyone. I’m off outside to transplant some broccoli and cauliflower plants into the garden.

Morning everyone, well on the plus side straight back on plan yesterday and 3lb off already of the 7 I gained.

On the bad side ohhhhhhhh the carb flu 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩 it’s not fair!!!!! How is it if I eat carbs (which I know was my own fault) I feel no ill effects whatsoever, nothing to warn me, nothing to put me off, but as soon as I stop I get hit with the most awful carb flu!!!! I drank all the water and kept up my salt and everything waaaaaaaaaa!!!! Guess a few days of feeling rough is my penance for going to town last week!!

Send me good thoughts, my brain feels like it’s trying to climb out of my eyeballs at the moment!!

Hope all have a good day

Lauren xx

I’ve missed the bit about that shopping basket articfox, but now I’m really curious?
I have had a boost after being given lots of recipe ideas yesterday, so meal and shopping plan for the week, tick, fridge full of the right stuff, tick, I’ve got this for today! Now on with some work…

Oh Lauren – nooooo! The carb flu is not nice. I hope it passes soon for you – make sure to sprinkle some salt in your water to help with the headaches. On the up side, so glad you had an amazing time away for the ‘honeymoon’. Well worth it! xx

Hi everyone

So good to hear of you out and about enjoying yourselves, getting away ! We really need those simple pleasures and a change of scenery .

My happy place is in the garden and I try to make it special by laying a nice table with white linens and vintage plates , a jug of flowers and some floral cushion pads on the chairs . I made a nice meal the other day with recipes from The Ketogenic Kitchen.

I made baba ganoush and lots of crunchy dipping veg, an aubergine parmesan dish, chicken wings , roasted asparagus and lots of green salad . I even tried some little tarts with an almond and coconut flour crust filled with a mascarpone and raspberry cream . It was all very lovely, no white carbs as such but pretty high in calories I reckon . I find it hard to count calories now and I suppose it does lead to some complacency and a lax attitude .

It really is difficult to get back into the zone after a break . I get that and fully understand the difficulties . I think this is the danger point where some people give up but just dig in and you will feel better , honest .

Lauren you know what is happening and as long as you don’t feed the carb monsters in your gut it will pass . That was a special time away and it’s important to enjoy those moments .

Britta, I find planning really helps too and looking forward to that special meal when I am hungry and not just feeling picky . You’ve got this too Workingfromthe fridge !

SG I have seen the No Butts campaign and I am going to get my poo checking kit fom the docs. They used to send it but they don’t do that any more . I knew you would be straight back on track .

So don’t worry if you are struggling with a few moments of excess . Think LONG TERM . Focus on what you have achieved . What helps me and I know it is not for everyone is just to have a day of fasting to settle my system and feel a bit ’empty’ again . Just try to choose good nutritious foods which make you feel good . I don’t think I eat enough excess carbs to suffer from with drawal and carb flu . I can just overload on the calorie content . I am still battling the nuts and choc urge . The only solution really is not to buy them, I know, I know !!!

Looking forward to hearing from you all and all the very best for a great week xx

Lauren just saw your post about your brain trying to climb out of your eyeballs.. – that does sound very painful! 😀 I’m rooting for you!

Wendleg, thank you so much for including – and remembering – me! It is such a friendly and positive forum, and you are all very inspiring.

I will weigh on Friday but have now been back on plan for 2 weeks, and just taking it day by day. I did have wine at the weekend, but instead of overdoing it and then feeling tired the next day (and sugar craving then slumping), I simply went back to the plan and drank more water, and felt much less guilty for allowing myself a treat before going back to work (after a whole year at home).

The mind is a treacherous thing sometimes, and I have a terrible habit of feeling guilt for just about everything. It’s been a big step for me to feel that I’m not doing anything bad by having an evening off. Luckily, like other people have said, I enjoy nuts and cheese and don’t have a sweet tooth at all, so haven’t gone carb crazy. Always learning!

Good luck to everyone this week.

Lauren …. sending good vibes your way. Hope you don’t suffer too long and that you find the strength to ride it out. Well done on getting back on track so quickly and hopefully, seeing the scales moving in the tight direction will help keep you in the zone.

Thanks to all of you who offered me kind words earlier this week. I’m feeling less pathetic than I was a few days ago. Have seen a small move downwards on the scales and generally have less bloating … consequently feeling more positive and upbeat.

Keep up the good work everyone. If it’s not going well don’t beat yourself up though, take time to breathe and refocus and make your next meal a new start.

RubyG and hubby reporting for duty.
Wendy, your picnic sounds amazing, and I love baba ganoush!
We are both wfh but at a different location this week, and eating too many cals, but keeping the carbs where they should be, so maintaining this week and not losing any weight will be acceptable.
Interesting discussions about alcohol, I have had a few drinks in the last 6 months, can probably count them on one hand if I’m honest, and never more than one on the occasional weekend. I feel good for it, and can’t really see me changing this habit once we’re out of lockdown etc. What I have done in the past if I haven’t wanted to drink when we go out is I volunteer to be the driver – brownie points all round.
While I don’t crave carbs, I seem to be craving fat recently, so I have taken to adding some cheese to a salad, the occasional coffee with cream when I normally drink black coffee, and have had some smoked salmon with my breakfast eggs the past 2 days. Does anyone else get this? Ideas on why? How to overcome or manage the cravings? Please don’t suggest avocado, ain’t gonna happen 😉
ODAAT and try to have a good week everyone!

Ruby, I don’t get cravings for fat but I did just want to agree with you on the avocado! Disgusting repulsive blah gross fruit/vegetable/spawn of Satan!

L xx

PS I’ve now got to the feeling like my eyes are being gouged out by hot spoons stage of carb flu 😂

Sorry to hear about your carb flu! Hope it goes soon. On subject of avocados – I love them, but could not believe Jamie Oliver show this week where he was using (two of them) in place of butter to make pastry. Er… most expensive pastry ever!

Hi I am just starting out and was advised to join this thread and hope to get some good advice and tips thanks

Welcome, Scotsgirl 🙂

Britta, I posted at the end of last week’s thread that I actually went shopping with a plan for a change and it resulted in a much better looking shopping basket. Before I didn’t even have so much as a list, so I would throw random things into the basket and then when I got home would realize that I didn’t have the ingredients to put together a proper meal. I ended up just snacking on a lot of cheese, which didn’t make me feel very good.
Tonight I am having a rosemary parmesan frittata with a few chickpeas in. First time I’ve tried this recipe, so hoping it is good. Last night I put frozen broccoli in a bowl and microwaved it with some chickpeas and topped them with cheese. It was quite satisfying as an evening meal, but very quick and easy, which is pretty much as ambitious with cooking that I get these days.
Today’s workout was that I had to go and close the weir on my dyke before my fields flood. But when I got down there, I discovered that the water had come up quite a bit since I last looked a few days ago and it was over top of the valve. If I had gone in to turn the valve, I would have been chest deep in freezing cold water, so I sat on the bank, put my feet out on the valve, balanced with my hands on the bank and closed it with my feet. Hard to describe, but it took arm and core strength. Anyway, it was successful. Valve is closed and I didn’t fall in!

Hi All,

Just logged on to this week’s thread- haven’t read through the posts as yet but 😳😳😳 remembered to look up ‘Carbohydrates’ by LauraAF! Wow, I see what you mean 😳😳😳. Will catch up with posts later, off to work now.

Love to all,
Clare xx.

Ah, that sort of shopping basket, arcticfox, I’m sure that will pay off eventually. I hate writing shopping lists but I’m such a scatterbrain that if I don’t make one I spend an hour in the shop just staring at the isles trying to get my brain in gear and then come home with a random selection of stuff that has cost me a fortune and doesn’t quite add up to more than a single meal…
I’m sending positive vibes: It’s a good day here, sun is shining, Japanese cherry tree is finally flowering (ours is always the last on the street!), I’ve bought seeds for spaghetti squash which I’ve read about but never seen in a UK supermarket, and I feel like I’ve rounded the first corner on the carb cravings front. Lauren, surely that carb flu must be subsiding by now? You’re sure it isn’t an actual flu?
Oh and welcome to the thread Scotsgirl!

I love Sakura blossom Britta! I’m desperate to try and incorporate it into my wedding next year which is very early April!

Unfortunately I seem to suffer very badly with carb flu, my body does not like giving them up! Last time it lasted a week then I had another wave two weeks later! I’ve got some COVID lateral flow tests ready for going back to the office next week after a year of WFH so if I don’t start feeling better by tomorrow I’ll do one just in case!

Lauren

Hi everyone, managed to do better than 1kg by Friday, reached that target today. Now want to keep it off and get another half a kilo by next Tuesdays weigh in. I dont have a longer goal as we are not going anywhere or planning anything but we have had news that restaurants might be opening in early May. I still have 2 pairs of trousers I bought a long time ago that I cant just quite get into, they are my next challenge. Although, I bought some black jeans around my birthday (early Feb) and they are too big for me now and need a belt.

Reading your shopping exploits, they have started online shopping here since lock down last year, although you usually have to collect it yourself from a depot. They are now doing deliveries but costs about €10. I have a loyalty card for my local supermarket and we have been gathering in the odd amounts for buying specific items, like today 20% of deli meals and I bought a rotisserie chicken and 0.72 cents off mayo. Also, because we are spending over a certain amount we are regularly getting €3 off next shop. You dont get the money deducted, it goes onto your loyalty card. So far this year we have earnt around €90 and just spend some of it on getting gravel and plants for the garden. We also gain points and when they add up to 1200 we cash them in for a €12 voucher to use in store. Its like having a wee treat.

Weekend coming up and nice weather to go with it. Enjoy.

Donna, what a great piece about alcohol/ could be applied to food. Very interesting.

Well, I have lost 1 lb over the last 2 weeks, which is better, as had been maintaining pretty much since Feb I think, well, gained a bit with birthday celebrations mid Feb, then lost it, then maintained for a while.

Current task is tackling one of the consequences of losing lots of weight since last year- trying to find a decent fitting bra and with the added covid challenge of course of no fitting rooms, sigh……
Also swimwear that fits 🤣

Today was supposed to be an 800 cal day but was a bit stressful so ended up eating more dinner than planned, but nothing dreadfully unhealthy.

Lol, any way

Love to all xxxxx

Tulip I walked past Marks the other day and they have opened their bra fitting service again! I need to get new bras too, largely cos I can’t remember the last time I wore an underwire and I’m back at work soon, I need a bit more lift in the giant boobs (last time I was measured 44H! Lost weight since then but not enormous amounts!)

I’m still feeling utter pants so beginning to think maybe a bug on top of carb flu, it’s not covid fortunately but I feel rubbish! I did have a delish lunch though – it was sort of bits and pieces – some macadamia nuts, handful of blueberries, cottage cheese, babybel and 5g of cocoa/hazelnut butter (no added sugar, it’s literally cocoa powder and nuts) to dip the macadamias in. It was really tasty! Sausages, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower mash with gravy for tea but I couldn’t finish it because I just ran out of energy halfway through. Now watching greys anatomy in bed with the fluffy cat draped over me!

Hope all are ok!

Lauren xx

M&S also offer online bra fitting consultations …. I did one and it works pretty well.
Hope you’ll be feeling better soon Lauren.
I made a yummy salad today …. raw courgette, feta, pomegranate seeds, celery and fennel, with an oil and vinegar dressing.

Wendleg – the garden is absolutely one of my happy places too. And your picnic sounds absolutely divine – how you managed to cook all of that up is beyond me. The garden may be my happy place, but I am definitely not a ‘natural cook’ 🙂

Avisamuelgrey – Let that guilt go! I won’t serve you in anyway. I am sure everybody has their own ways, but I personally don’t think this WOE would be sustainable for me if I couldn’t have the occasional treat into the future.

RubyG – I hope you didn’t misunderstand my previous post regarding alcohol. I certainly wasn’t suggesting that anybody else shouldn’t drink. Not at all. It was simply a passage that I had found motivating when I did give up drinking, and have read it from time to time when I have had a ‘bad day’ where I was tempted to launch into multiple bars of chocolate whilst on this journey.

ArcticFox – Here I was thinking that our family three day camping trip was a workout, what with assembling the tent, all of the packing/unpacking, constant walks to toilets and camp kitchens….. and then I read about your dyke-opening experience! It sounds amazing – what part of the world are you in?

Sunshine-Girl – congratulations on your loss….you will be into the two pairs of trousers in no time at all 🙂

Clare – I too am in the market for new bras – which is exciting because I can see the weight come off in measurements, but can’t help wishing it would come off the big roll of fat on my belly instead! Why is it that that one doesn’t seem to budge at all!

Lauren – so sorry that you have been feeling ‘pants’! (I absolutely love that term – I have an English friend who says it regularly). I am sending you lots of virtual and Fast800 friendly chicken soup, and hope you feel better soon.

All is going well here with me. We got in a wonderful three day lakeside camping trip, lots of paddleboarding, walking and reading by the lake. Despite constant snacks all around me and marshmallows by the fire in the evenings, I managed to stay on my eating plan only. That is a big thing for me, because willpower has never really been my strength, which probably explains my need to be on this WOE in the first place. On the plus side though, I have now lost over 10% of my bodyweight in 6.5 weeks, and am hovering very close to a healthy BMI, currently at 25. Was trying to remember when the last time might have been that I was at this weight, and think that it must have been in my 20’s, over 20 years ago. It doesn’t seem overly noticeable yet though – I can see it in the mirror and in a bit of looseness in my clothes, and one friend has noticed it, but other than that it isn’t anywhere near as obvious as I hoped. But I know these things happen in stages and it is showing up on the scales so I will just keep on plugging on, because I know this works for me and my health is all the better for it.

Wishing you all a wonderful day / evening (depending on where you are in the world).
Donna x

The camping trip sounds lovely, Donna, and good for you staying on track food-wise. I’m quite lucky to have my little creek and may have to make use of it in the summer. People do apparently paddle down it, but this time of year the water is too high and flowing too fast and it is quite dangerous.
We’re back under travel restrictions tomorrow, and who knows how long that will last as we are getting hit quite hard with the variants at the minute. I am hoping I will be able to get my horse home next week, and then hopefully can just stay home for a while until this current risk passes or until I can get my vaccine. I had transport all arranged and then late last night I was contacted by the person who was going to do it and she has Covid. So I’ve been scrambling to find an alternate arrangement. Very stressful last 24 hours, with little sleep, and it has been really interesting to see how it affects my eating. I had a lot more cravings for food and wanted to keep picking at things all day.
S-g, I had a large online shop planned to stock up and pick up in the nearest city to me, but then the supermarket that I ordered from had a number of Covid cases. If there are more than 3 cases of transmission in a workplace, public health shuts it down until they have determined how transmission happened and won’t let them re-open until the issues have been fixed. So no grocery pick up for me for a while unfortunately.

Hi all.

Lauren- it’s positive about bra fitting!!- altho traditionally was difficult to get the small back sizes in Marks, it seems they have now got into the groove (I have just had a look). SunnyB, that is cool about the online fittings too….Currently I am using an online group called ‘Boob or Bust’ (thru fb but you can find them on a regular website too)- they do have their own company, Revelation Lingerie, but they will advise you on the fit of any make of bra, you just send pics and things, and they are full of suggestions. They have an ace bra size calculator. Their view is a lot of women are wearing too big a band size and too small a cup size (so they are really good at helping women with larger cup sizes, of any band size)….any how, I am measuring 30E to F at present….which is tricky, it’s like being a 3.5 in shoe sizes- which is also my size 😂😂….I’m tiny remember, 5 ft 0…..so loadsa bras ordered, many being sent back….my fave bra only goes up to an E cup and the cups are too small, hence the hunt for a new favourite, sigh…

Yes I want to know where artic fox lives too!!

Donna, yeah, targeted zap your belly fat only would b fab 😂😂

Love to all,
T xxx

Hi Donna, no misinterpretation I think, and I did indeed have a bad day earlier this week when I ate everything in sight! No appreciable carbs, but I should know better by now that cumulative nuts, cheese, yoghurt, etc. do not help my weight loss! I also had a whole small bar of dark chocolate, not my usual 85% and it must have been about 70% as it was so much sweeter, and actually not very nice (noticed after it was gone of course).
So the scales have shown I have found 1lb this week, hubby is about the same (he got 5 different readings this morning as he kept getting on and off the new, unfamiliar scales), but my hormones seem to be all over the place the past 2 weeks, plus some new stressors and I know I have been eating over the 800cals. I have a decent meal plan for today and tomorrow, Sunday we are travelling home so will do the best we can, and Monday we are back into a normal routine again.
I have been considering trying TRE again (normally I have about 12-13hrs overnight fast between supper and breakfast the following day) by skipping breakfast or having just a bulletproof coffee, but will have to manage hubby’s comments about “skipping meals” and convince him I’m not heading towards an eating disorder.
I too need to revise my bras, I am not gifted in that department so don’t bother when working from home, and just wear a sports bra on the weekend so as not to offend the neighbours when I’m gardening 🙂 but I will be going back into the office occasionally, so need to do something.
Back to work, needed a brain-break.
Keep going everyone!

Hi everyone,
I have just finished reading Jason Fung’s ‘The Obesity Code’ – I know a number of you have also read it. For the most part I found the information confirming of this WOE and all I am doing. However, I was left with one concern. Fung goes to lengths to explain that success consists of two parts – losing the weight in the first place, and then lowering our body’s set point through fasting. He writes about 24 hour fasts, 36 hour fasts, multi day fasts. Can I be honest? The idea of not eating at all for this amount of time really scares me. I am just not sure that my relationship with food at this point is healthy enough to be able to do that – I have gone to OMAD on a few occasions and been okay with it, but I do find that it makes me a tad obsessive about food. I am wondering whether eating within an 8 hour window is enough to lower the body set point and stop any weight regain. I would love to hear the thoughts of those of you who have had ongoing success in maintaining your weight loss – do you think that 24+ hour fasts are really necessary? I don’t doubt their many health benefits, just not sure that that is a step that I want to take.
Donna.

Hi Donna, isn’t it like 1am over there?!

I’m the same as you, I find extended fasting a step too far and it makes me feel ill and like you obsessive with food. But I have done the occasional 24 hours – remember if you’re doing OMAD you are by default doing 24 hours, dinner to dinner is 24 hours 😃

Like both of you, I can do OMAD, so a 24 hour fast, when my mind and body are in the right place, but any longer than 24 hours is not for me, and is not the way I want to live. I enjoy eating a meal with others, even if it’s just hubby and I – obviously my relationship with food is that it is not just fuel for me, which is why I couldn’t do the shakes. Food is a source of enjoyment for me, in many ways, so the balance I need to find is the enjoyment while not harming my health, and for the most part this WOE does that for me.
Saying that, I just had a lunch of rocket, pastrami, cheese and cherry tomatoes for lunch.

Hopeful, I did a bit of investigation about the set point theory a while back, mainly because I am a recovering binge eating disorder sufferer and rule number one in that club is never skip a meal, fasting is a risky strategy for people with eating disorders. The set point theory has been around for decades and there are several schools of thought with regards to how much you can interfere with your body’s set point and how it could be done. My two favourites: one says basically identify where it is and ask yourself if it is really worth the fight, because it very often sits only a little bit above where you would like it to be. Another one suggests having frequent maintenance periods included it your weightloss process; so lose some weight, maintain it for a while, and then lose some more and maintain for a while… There are many well documented positive effects from fasting, but it is not necessarily the right plan for everyone.

Hello lovely people. Done amazing this week. Set a goal of 1kg by Friday, reached that on Thursday so set another goal of another 0.5kg by Tuesday, but already hit that on Friday and today I am down 1.8kgs in less than a week. Not being smug as I still have the weekend to get over. I can do well when I set my mind to it but, being permanently on a diet, I dont usually do more than a couple or maybe 3 lbs in a week. I can only put this down to the TRE as I dont have to think about food at all in the evening and that means not able to have a sneaky drink too. Very determined right now. Hubby says I am like a dog with a bone when I get onto something.

I used to do a lot of watercolour painting before we moved to France and then I just seemed to put my kit away. First it was too hot to sit outside to paint as watercolour dries very quickly and you want it to move around to get things like sky effects. It was too hot to be sitting in the house painting, so double whammy. Anyway, I seem to have lost the techniques I learnt so I have bought an oil painting kit with a ready outlined canvas. Not quite painting by numbers, more like filling in a tracing. Maybe it will get me back into real art. The only thing with oils is you have to wait so long for them to dry so can only do a bit at a time. Im not that patient which is why I like watercolours. I can finish a painting in a couple of hours.

Lots of work going on in our garden but I have to be careful of lower back pain so doing everything a bit at a time. We are currently draining some water from the pool to drain the cover. It is 50 foot x 30 foot and is a nightmare to get off. It has to be folded and folded again. If there is water on it you also have the weight of that. Last year we nearly got it off and then it got caught on the corner of the roman steps so I had to strip off, jump in and stop it from sliding back into the pool. Hopefully, we have got a different method this year. I really dont think we should be doing this at our age (68 and 76) but we dont have anyone to help, especially now.

One thing about the water sitting on the top of the pool cover, it has attracted a colony of mating frogs. Kept me awake until after 4am last night. Hubby went out with a torch to try to shoo them away but they just looked at him and the male puffed up his chest as if to show who is the boss. Maybe they will move to the field next door when we get the cover off.

Life in rural France. Hey ho – and we are thinking of leaving it. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Just a quick check-in mostly to just build up my own resolve. Friends coming round for bbq in garden this evening and they will eat and drink loads, but I will not. I’ve had a great week and lost 2kg and I will not ruin it so have made a plan and I will stick to it. One pork chop and and ice water for me, because I cannot do moderation, it’s all or nothing. I’m strong.

You can do it Britta! Think of all the lovely salads you can have!

I have just started the fast 800. Day five and I already feel great… loving the food and I’m not feeling too hungry – yay! Right now it feels like nothing can stop me but I’m realistic and so I’m hoping this forum can help keep me going when the motivation slips! But I feel strong and I’m determined to reach my goal weight.

Morning lovely people 🙂
Lauren, Ruby and Britta – thanks so much for your thoughts regarding fasting. Lauren, you are right, OMAD is a 24 hour fast (I didn’t really realise it). I should say though that the 24 hours was interspersed with (many) coffees with just 20ml of soy milk, so that probably took me out of a fasted state 🙁 Britta, since reading your response I have done a lot more research on the set point theory also. In particular I found this a useful resource: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/set-point-theory-the-fat_b_11017624
I think my plan, at least at this stage, is just to get to my goal (which is still 5.8kg away) on my current two meals a day, and then ‘reverse diet’ and see if I can maintain. I am very willing to go back to 800 whenever needed to maintain, and who knows, maybe once I am eating to my TDEE or maintenance amount I might feel more comfortable with the idea of fasts.

So, I am full of questions this month it seems. I hope I don’t upset or offend anybody with this one, so apologies in advance (if needed). Has anybody noticed that the rapid weight loss portion of this diet has affected their monthly menstrual cycle? I am pretty regular – 27 day cycle. Currently 3 days late, which never happens, and pregnancy is not even a remote possibility in my case. I had what I thought were the telling signs at the correct times – PMS, a bit of discomfort, and yet still no period whatsoever. It is highly unusual for me. I know my dates are correct because I track it on an app. I don’t take any medication (no need, husband has had a vasectomy). Very curious as to whether it could be related to the 800 calories……

Sunshine girl – enormous congratulations on your amazing losses!!!! That is definitely something to be proud of. With your TRE are you on OMAD or TMAD out of interest? How lovely to be back into the painting. It is something I have enjoyed from time to time – unfortunately artistic ability is not in my genes 🙂

Britta – I hope the BBQ went brilliantly.

And Annemarieboo – a big welcome 🙂 This is a great place to be with so many supportive, experienced, well researched and welcoming friends. You will find all of the support you need here to stay on track and reach your goals .

Wishing you all a fantastic Sunday x