Just calling out to everyone, wherever you are, however you are feeling to reassure you that our thread is available whenever you feel like checking in . If you are in need of a break for whatever reason then that’s ok too. You will always be welcomed back when you are ready .

There’s no pressure to compete, it’s certainly not a race but we will give freely of our experience if you need a helping hand

Returners will always be supported, anyone struggling will always find a friendly ear and we will celebrate your successes with joy .

Looking forward to this week , and if last week wasn’t the best for you just focus on the long term !

Wendy, SunnyB and sunshinegirl xxx

Please shout if I have forgotten anyone !!!

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
scotsgirl57
Annamarieboo
peanutbutty
erinmc82
Kat2020
xx1flump1xx
Ncij678
LizzieTOFI
Jeremy Fisher
Green and White
Garmmcns
Chrissybabe63
Reuby19
Elle-Mae

A quick message to Jeremy . I think fasting has to be taken slowly as you start out . It shouldn’t be something that makes you feel ill . Of course you will learn to recognise hunger again but that is positive . I would definitely say listen to your body and as you have been doing, stop if you feel light-headed and in any way unwell . That is certainly the message from Jason Fung and Megan Ramos . Have you come across Fung’s Complete guide to Fasting ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day-ebook/dp/B01MF8SC2X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=jason+fung&qid=1624298244&s=books&sr=1-1
I bought my copy on the 12th September 2018 as I was starting out !

Maybe build up gradually pushing back your first meal of the day so a 16/ 8 protocol to start with . You can then build up to 24 hours . Everyone responds differently to fasting . Megan Ramos talks about building up your ‘fasting muscle’

Don’t put yourself under any pressure . All the very best to you

Just a quick check in, to thank Wendy for leading us into a new week and to add my voice to her’s with a shout out to all our contributors and anyone new, uncertain about posting. Don’t worry if you’ve been absent for awhile, or if things are not going to plan or even if you have decided to move into maintenance, or haven’t posted before … everyone is welcome here.

I’m beginning the week in a good place, both on the scales and off, but still 3lbs above target weight. I say this, as after a few indulgences over the weekend, I was expecting that 3lb to be 5lb. Anyway, will be continuing on maintenance and playing with varying overnight fasts over this week. At some point I’ll knuckle down and get back to target weight … promise!

Will look forward to reading how everyone are doing, so please do post.

Evening all!
Russian Roulade checking in for another week.
What a roller coaster. As you know I weigh myself every day and on Sunday I was thrilled as I’d made it back to the 10s (just). But when I jumped on the scales this morning I was back to 11st 1. Where have these two pounds come from? I know lots of you weigh yourself weekly and I’m also aware that our weight does fluctuate daily, so I shouldn’t worry too much. I know for me, the best way to keep myself accountable is to get on those scales every day, as the number keeps me on track for the day.
I think it might be worth my while focussing on how many grams of carbs I’m eating. As whilst I’m eating 800 cals, I’ve noticed on my tracking app, that a lot of my food has a high carb content. Are these secret carbs? I’m still off the bread, pasta, rice and crisps. Any thoughts on how many grams I should be sticking too?
Good luck to you all this week and thanks as always to Wendy, Sunshine Girl and Sunny B

Morning all, from a cold and grey England. I also feel cheated out of a decent solstice!
Hubby and I are back in for another week – after a focused week and a good loss last week, the weekend was more calorific and some alcohol was consumed – he showed a small loss and I had a 1lb gain over the weekend (but still less than I was last Tuesday). We have a busy week ahead of us this week, so there won’t be as much tracking as last week, but we’re both settled into the low-carb WOE and feel OK.

Re. fasting and Jeremy’s questions – you sound like you’re being really harsh on yourself. Fasting isn’t for everyone, and maybe not for every day, or so many days for so long to start with. I can sometimes fast, but need to feel strong enough both mentally and physically, to do so. Some have suggested a 16:8 approach to start with, which may help with the afternoon slump. I would also add that some on here monitor their ketones and have reported that after eating carbs it can take 2-3 days to get back into ketosis. So maybe feeding the slump with carbs and then eating carbs on a no-fast day should be reviewed too. I will also add that my hubby has shown good weight loss while following the BSD of 800cals and <50g carbs per day, while eating 3 meals a day. Key for him has been no between-meal snacks, and eating in a max 12-hour window of 7:30/8am to 7:30/8pm.

Have a good week all!

Good morning all, thank you for letting me join in. As a bit of background, I lost a couple of stone or so a few years ago, using this WOE. That stayed off, pretty well but has gradually crept up, mainly due to overindulgence during lockdown. But I’m getting married in 6 and a bit weeks, so I’m having a concerted effort to lose 10lbs, just so I can breathe in my wedding dress. Day 1 went fine, I’ve been shopping today and got everything planned, so fingers crossed. My trip ups are 1) portion control (!), 2) alcohol, 3) less activity, due to no more dogs and general lethargy during lockdown! Also, an element of carbs creeping back. Nothing too big, but over time ….
Anyway, head down, crack on!
Good fortune for the coming week.

Bissel, good to see you on the weekly thread and well done on getting that first day ‘under your belt’. Keep us posted and let us know your progress.
Ruby, at least you can see the bigger picture and not worry about that small blip, as you know that over the week you are still down. Think you and hubby are well settled into this WOE now and can cope even without close tracking.
Russian, I’m like you and weigh daily too to keep me focused. With regards to carb levels, it’s not easy to advise as the level at which each person can achieve ketosis will vary. For some a daily level may be as high as 100g, but for others who are insulin resistant that may need to be pushed down to sub 20g. Suggest you aim to gradually lower the level you have been recording recently, until you see more consistent results. Like you, I saw a small blip upwards on the scales this morning, but think that is a lag from Sunday …. will see what tomorrow brings.

Hi Russianroulade !
I wouldn’t worry about a couple of pounds fluctuation in weight to be honest ( remember JGwen’s wise words on water retention, digestion etc ). I understand the daily accountability is important to you, however .

What sort of foods do you think might be high carb ? You are not eating the white starchy stuff ? I honestly think that if we are consistently dismissing the highly processed foods and sugar loaded starches we can’ t go far wrong but if you want to be super low carb (less than 30g a day) you have to watch your choice of fruit and veg too . I am not very techy and don’t use apps but I have a pictorial carb and calorie couNter book which shows portions and nutritional info .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbs-Cals-Carb-Calorie-Counter/dp/1908261153

Wishing you a good week RubyG and hubby !

HI and welcome Bissell ! Congratuations on your upcoming wedding ( hopefully it won’t be scuppered by Boris if you are in the UK ) You are aware of your ‘danger’ points and so , armed with that knowledge you will soon be back on track . Lockdown has certainly not been an easy time . You want to feel special on your wedding day although remember the most important thing is the lovely partner at your side 😉 Wishing you all the very best, Bissell xx

Lots of love to everyone !

Ruby G, sunny here in Northern Ireland, but we will have the rain tomorrow. One lb down from last week is still down. After losing 3 lb in the 1st week I seem to be going down 1/4lb a day, I also weigh myself daily. Bissel hope your wedding day is fabulous. I walked a bit further today so rather than being just under 2 miles it is now just over 2 miles. Tomorrow’s walk will be more challenging in the rain 😂.

We had a wintery Winter Solstice here – but can optimistically say we are now on the way to summer! (only 5 months away!)
Hi Elle Mae and Bissell, and good to see you RussianR. Thanks for the new week Wendy.
Trying to keep focused this week – and am going to try and steer clear of cheese 🧀🧀 I am wondering what foods clog up my digestive system, so will eliminate cheese for a bit to see if that helps.
I watched the BBC doco What are we feeding our Children with Dr Chris van Tulleken last night (in Aust it’s on iView) I found it really interesting as the Dr. tucked into highly processed food for a month, and the changes it made to his body, and also his brain! It seemed like his brain had set up new pathways linking the “enjoyment” of the carby junk to the pleasure zones in his brain. To me that sheds light on how it can be soooo hard sometimes to break that cycle of soothing ourselves with carbage.

All this talk about the soltice, we had 32 degrees C yesterday and 34 today. I expect we will be above 40 by the weekend. I would love some rain as we’re only at 18% of normal rainfall and things are shaping up for a pretty dire fire season. Especially as travel restrictions may be lifted on July 1st and we will get people coming from wetter cities who don’t know how to behave in hot, dry environments starting fires. It is a big source of stress. But definitely don’t want the rain tomorrow, as my hay field will be cut. Just making this a quick post as I have to get up early tomorrow to move electric fences so the equipment operators can get in.
I had to do a quick run into town today to go to the bank and get some supplies. I wore some denim capris that I got on my last trip to the charity shop.They fit quite nicely when I got them, but were fitting close to baggy today. I’m not going to celebrate until after I put them through the wash though, as they may just be stretched out. We’ll see.
I drank more than 3L of water today, but will have to do better over the next few days as it is so hot and dry. My tap water is not drinkable, so that can make things a bit difficult. I was boiling water in the winter, but it is too hot to turn the stove on for any length of time, as it is amazing how much that can heat the house up, and I do not have air conditioning. I have a couple of big 10L jugs that I fill up when I visit my parents, but as I’m eating a lot of salads, that also has to do me for washing anything that is coming out of the garden that will be eaten raw. I will have to search my tea cupboard and see if I have anything that will make a nice iced tea.
Any other hot weather ideas for non-cooked meals and keeping hydrated are much appreciated!

Morning all from sunny Bristol and thank you for the good wishes. Blimey articfox, that sounds like extreme weather and heat, whereabouts are you? I’ve just had avocado and feta hash from the second recipe book, which was lush. But small! I’m trying to eat slower and savour my food, I’m a greedy perisher and tend to bolt my food.
Yesterday went well. I had yogurt and berries (nice), roasted salmon, tomatoes and broccoli (ditto) then walked a couple of miles to meet up with choir friends in a park and sing, then walked a couple of miles back. Now, the choice was, something light to eat whilst watching the football, or a gin and tonic and the football. Guess which?!
Have a good day everyone.

Dear all

I’m really sorry to have been absent a few weeks, I’m sorry if it has worried any of you. As you know I’ve been struggling a lot with mental health, well this all got worse and I ended up off sick and just basically sleeping all day. Starting to come out of it slowly now but I’m stepping back from the forum and this WOE for a while, partly because I don’t want to monopolise this thread with my own woes and drag everyone down, but partly because I think trying and failing to control this aspect of my life is not helping the shame spiral and complete sense of failure I’m experiencing at the moment. I’m not asking for sympathy, and I’m very grateful for all the support you’ve all given me. I wish all of you the best, I’ll no doubt be back when I’ve got my head on straight

Take care

Lauren x

Just wanted to pop in to give Lauren a wee (((hug))).
Take good care of yourself, I understand the need to step back and not focus on this WOE for a bit, and you are right to do so. Take good care of yourself, eat foods which will support your recovery (I believe broccoli is the answer to most things so get plenty of it in you any / every which way you can.
Do pop in every now and then just to say hi – wish there were ways we could support you through this, know you are in our thoughts.

a “me” update – maintaining away roughly i think. Occasional off plan thing and not calorie counting but working away and some time i’ll be ready for a full on Fast800 drive, but not at the moment. Learned so much through this forum though and apply it in some way every day!
I do pop in regularly but dont got much to say. Apologies.
xx

Hi all
I have been having a lot of headaches (2 weeks in, although probably this is the 1st week of strict 800 cals) I woke at 2am and got one and also felt very hungry. I contemplated having a healthy midnight snack, but resisted and went back to sleep. Are the headaches normal?
Hope all of you have a good day.

Firstly, I shall miss your sense of humour Lauren, and I wish you all the best.

Elle-Mae – my hubby had a couple of headachy days in his first strict week, which I think is not unusual. If headaches are not usual for you then you should get them checked out with your GP. If headaches are a normal part of your life in some way or another and not related to some underlying medical cause, drinking lots of fluids, getting a good night’s sleep and maybe a couple of painkillers may get you through the day or 2 that your body is rebelling. Have you reduced caffeine intake as well as being strict on the 800cals – that can normally cause headaches too.

Just wanted to pop back to say hi to Lauren. Hope you can start to improve your overall health and take time to just yourself self care and love. I too am taking time out but just to have a short rest from reading and posting every day. I can understand your need to take one more pressure off of yourself. Take care and big hugs.

Ty Ruby G. I have cut down from 2 to one cup of coffee just at breakfast and am drinking or trying to lol drink 2 litres of water a day.its a challenge. I will persevere and hopefully the headaches will pass. Waking up with a stiff neck this morning isn’t helping. On the plus side I’m 6 lb down (jumps for joy) and timed today’s walk to within a minute of it starting to rain 😁.
Lauren, depression is awful but it will pass and things will be better in the future, big hugs.

Lauren, it’s good that you are prioritising yourself and taking the steps you need to fir your wellbeing. We will of course miss you, but please feel welcome to drop in as and when, we’ll be here and happy to have you posting. Big hugs 🤗🤗 hope you’ll soon be back to your sparky self.
Elle, my first couple of weeks with this WOE were so long ago, I don’t remember exactly what my experience was. However, when we increase our fluid intake and by extension our fluid output, our electrolitic balance can be be affected, which may well explain your headaches. Best way to counter that is to take a little extra salt … just a pinch here and there through the day should help. Do take painkillers if you need to though, nothing to be gained in suffering for the sake of it.
Julz, glad things are going okay and you’re successfully maintaining …. don’t be a stranger.

Quick question about blood sugar readings. The Doctor told me just to take them once a week and at different times of the day so I got to know what was happening, however she didn’t tell me her readings or what is normal. Last week it was 8.6 and this week it is 7.8 before breakfast, I thought I would do 2 readings at the same time of day for 2 weeks to compare. I plan to do 2 weeks after breakfast next, then 2 weeks of after lunch and so on. On the plus side I am down 6 lb since I started which I am delighted with.

Hi Elle-Mae, just popped by to see if I can answer your question. Fasting readings should be between 4.0 and 5.9 to be considered normal. After meals should be taken 90 mins after eating and normal is under 7.8. You ideally should do readings just before eating and drinking anything first thing in the morning which is close to a fasting reading. Your reading of 7.8 fasting is still in the diabetic range but I can assure you that sticking to this diet will soon bring that down even more. You are looking for a fasting reading of around 6.0 or less. I say this because the finger pricks are not as accurate as the HbA1C test a doctor does (blood from the vein after fasting overnight) due to the machines not being 100%.

Dont mess around with the after meal testing as it depends on too many variables – type of food, activity levels etc. Even if it is the same time of day each time. Hope that gives you some sort of guideline and something to be aiming for.

Hi Sunshine-Girl, thank you for your answer, that was exactly what I wanted to know. Got a phone appointment with the dietician on 17/8/21 will have done the 8 weeks by then. 😁

Elle-Mae I would be interested to know what the dietician says as I have absolutely no faith after I saw one and she put me on nearly 300 carbs per day, said it would keep my blood glucose steady and my body would get used to the carbs and I would start to lose weight. 3 months later, 5kg heavier and BG of around 10.2 I cried myself to sleep and a few days later I found this diet and told her where to stick her plan. Dont want to put you off going to be aware, they dont like us doing this diet. Hopefully, you will have the proof with your weight and bg numbers to back yourself up.

Anyway, I am supposed to be having a break from the site but will be back in full swing on the next round (29th June) so if you need any more advice please ask.

Hi SG sorry for some reason this post didn’t get into my emails! I will listen to what the dietician has to say but I intend to continue with the BSD no matter what she says. I can see that I’m losing weight not being hungry and really enjoying the food. I’m also pleased to see that none of the meals seem to take very long to make. I have always found it very difficult to lose weight before and because it’s for my health I think it’s more motivation to stick with it and not fall off of the wagon.

I’ve continued with 3, 24hr fasts this week, and the good news is that I’m starting to get used to them. The brain fog in the afternoons has much improved and I’m finding them easier to do.
The downside is that I actually put 2lbs on last week and am now back to where I started 5 weeks ago. I’ll keep going as I am this week and reevaluate if that continues – I suspect I’ll have to cut down more on my non-fast days to see improvements.

—————
Summary
—————
Weeks 1-3: A bit of a false start – one good week and 2 bad and lost 1lb overall
Week 4: Started intermittent fasting, finding fasting difficult, brain fog in afternoons – lost 1lb – total loss = 2lb
Week 5: Brain fog much improved – getting used to it! Gain 2lbs. Total loss = 0lb

Morning all. It’s good to read your posts and know I’m not the only one! Its day 8 for me and I’ve lost 4lbs, which I’ll take. I’ve found the no obvious carbs fine, I used to be able to do it and, so long as I can eat the stuff I really like, (so, cholesterol basically) I remember that I can do this. Keeping to 800 calories isnt so easy though, but I’m managing. Basically, my plan is 2 meals a day and some alcohol! I know, not the best way, but it works for me. I can remember when I was at school, 50 years ago, I could either buy school lunch, or 10 No. 6 cigs and a Mars bar. So nothing much changes! At least I dont smoke anymore!
Best of luck to everyone.

Hi everyone
Still not checking in as often as I would like but am reading the posts .

Lauren , as everyone has said you have to take the time to look after yourself and we will always be here to welcome you back ( and Tulip / Clare ) if and when you feel able to return. Really feel for you and your struggles with depression and anxiety and fully recognise you don’t need any additional pressures and constraints right now . Rest Lauren and be assured that you wouldn’t be monopolizing the thread . We are here to support each other . Sending you a massive hug and hoping you feel better soon . Clare we miss you too xx

We haven’t heard from Britta for a while either ?

I am going to set up the new thread now, a bit earlier than normal but a family Whatsapp call might delay me if I wait

Lauren- so sorry to hear this- just seen as been MIA as well for similar reasons- I really hope you feel better soon, and I love hearing all your news, happy or not. Love T xxxxx