Hi Sunshinegirl, sounds like you’re doing great – I tend to add some nuts into my meals to try and make sure my calories are up – so I might use chopped almonds or walnuts in a salad, or flaked almonds and tenderstem broccoli is lovely, or I use my calories up on making dinner more delicious so I might add a bit of butter to something – you could brown your meat for your stew in butter or oil for example, or I’ll make a nice dressing with yoghurt and apple cider vinegar to dress salad leaves or add a bit of pesto to courgetti or just that bit of extra cheese or a bit of extra sauce etc. – you get the idea! You’ll find you own way of doing it, I found when I dropped my carbs below 20 I was really struggling to meet the calories but I manage it now by doing the above and you’re basically trying to replace what you would have had as a snack by doing the same things – great idea for example to add the almonds to the yoghurt – could you add some seeds as well? This would increase calories and minimal carbs and if something like chia loads of fibre so keeps you fuller for longer
L x

Hi yes Lauren, I am used to doing 800/850 and around 40g carbs so all I am really doing is cutting out that evening snack which has already been included. I will have to add something to replace it and will make sure my evening meal is more calorific as that is the one that has to see me through to morning but it just happened yesterday was cod day which is so low in calories and I didnt add anything (except the chips). I always cook with oil and it is normally calculated in my meal plan as is butter but I have realised I havent been counting milk so I have around 40 cals to add in. I too struggle with going lower carb without sacrificing calories but I am finding this quite easy as long as I dont think about food in the evening or get bored. Feeling hungry is not a bad thing as, someone else said recently, I had forgotten what it feels like. People think you must be starving on 800 cals but as long as you are eating the right things and just leaving out the rubbish (carbs) it is very satisfying and nutritious. I do also take a multi vit daily.

One thing that is helping is hubby has cut out his bedtime dish of cereal. Better for him too. Although the cats still go and sit and cry in the kitchen around 10pm. 🙂

I don’t eat fish but how about a pistachio crumb on a bit of cod? Or “bread” it using egg and ground almonds, or add a dollop of tartare sauce, I know a trick with chicken is coat it in some mayonnaise or some garlic mayo or marinade in some yoghurt and spices – could probably do the yoghurt thing with cod too – like a sort of tikka or even marinade it in yoghurt with dill or something?

Haha my cats are like that. Except they cry all day. And ask for food all day. And eat any food (literally anything) all day 😂

Hi florob and sunshine-girl,
Do you roast all the nuts and almond flakes? I bought various nuts, almond flakes, and even almond flour for this woe, but nuts have never really been part of my diet in any significant way and I’m not used to using them. That’s going to change!

Hi Goforgoal

I use nuts in cooking a lot, I’ve got to be honest I buy preroasted flakes but they are easy enough to toast, just bung them in a dry frying pan and cook for a couple of minutes max, stirring a lot – they catch quite quick, be careful roasting in the oven as they burn easily but again keep the temp low, don’t cook for too long as they burn easily due to the oil content. I use a lot of raw nuts too – for example in my chicken korma tonight I’ll add a few whole almonds as well as the ground, but you just have to be really disciplined with the amount cos they are addictive! I’ve used crushed pistachios to coat chicken, I throw nuts into stews and casseroles and curries and salads all the time 😂

L x

Hi All,

A bit late to the party this week…not been feeling great as I had my 2nd vaccination on Saturday and haven’t bounced back yet…..not currently convinced on the 5:2 as not lost weight so far and I fear the issue is what I am doing on the 5 😂…fine if I want maintain tho 🤷‍♀️

Lauren- have you tried Spatone iron water? It brought my iron levels up a treat when I was anaemic during pregnancy with none of the constipation side effects of iron tablets.

Love to all xxxxx

Thanks Goforgoal,
Sounds like you are doing good, resist hubbys crisps n chocolates, if you have to have chocolate go for dark but bear in mind it,s 150cals 2 squares! I have allowed myself slightly more cals at the weekend, so kind of doing 5.2 in reverse 5 days 800 and 2 days off but still being mindful……STAY STRONG and have a great weekend too everyone.

Dear all,

Would it be okay if I joined in on the next weeks ‘One week at a time’ please? I am almost 3 weeks into BSD, down about 3.6kg at the moment (7.9lbs), and still have lots to learn! Would love to join you all 🙂

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great weekend and not lost too much sleep from the clock change.

Hi hopefulinOz, looks like you have already joined us just by being here. You are doing great and we look forward to seeing you from next Tuesday too on One Week At A Time Beginning 30th March. Oh so March is nearly finished and I am not wishing my life away but I am wishing for things to get moving again.

Did 15 hours TRE last night due to staying in bed as long as I could and having a very late brunch. Think that is the most I can do considering cooking evening meal arund 7 to 7.30 so finished eating around 8pm and having breakfast at around 10am. I know there will be days when I dont feel like breakfast and I will wait until lunch so might fit in 16 hr fast.on the odd day. No more weight loss but very happy AND no booze. When I know I cant have anything after a certain time I dont even think about food or wine so it is not a problem. Just want to be strong until 16th April, it is not too much to ask.

I havent done any exercise for the past week due to being quite busy on several mornings. If I dont get it done in the morning then my get up and go has got up and gone. I had 3 morning appointments plus having jab and told to take it easy for a couple of days although neither of us have had any side effects except a bit of a stiff arm. Then I had an early appt for hairdressers. Will be all set to start again on Monday morning.

Enjoy your Sunday and chag sameach to Jewish friends. Happy Passover.

The clocks went forwards!!! That’s why I feel so rubbish today!! Or maybe at least!

Tulip I’ll definitely look up that water, I’ve started iron supplements again and I think it’s helping a bit but am experiencing the side effects so something without those would be great!!

I’m taking it easy today, still feeling quite pants and so tired so I plan to stay in bed most of the day, will cook dinner tonight but I’m not feeling the love for cooking today so it’ll be something very simple!!

I have a question for those who’ve read Gary Taubes Why we get fat, – I bought it as everyone kept recommending it but I’ve got to be honest I’m struggling with it, I’m still on chapter 1 and it’s a HARD SLOG – is it worth persevering for the “magic life changing” stuff?! Or should I abandon ship?!

Hope all are having a peaceful weekend, welcome to newcomers and keep going to others, congratulations to all who’ve done well and commiserations and hugs to all who need them!

Lauren x

Bit of a disappointing result this week. Weighed in with a 1lb loss yesterday, only to find that reversed this morning! So in a positive light, it’s a maintain, but still pretty demotivating this morning. I do wonder if I’ve let complacency set in a bit after 10 full weeks 🙁
I started back with some more exercise yesterday, and went full welly on the exercise bike (my legs are feeling it today!)
However, no more sneaky drinks of milk whenever I’m at the fridge this week, or pecking a strawberry here and there and telling myself they won’t make a difference.
For the first time, I’m also trying my own meal plan rather than following a week from the recipie book so lets hope I’ve balanced that correctly! I found it really hard to stick below 50 carbs a day, and also quite hard to get to above 700 cals but I’ve balanced that with a day of 1000 so I’m hoping it works out!

Hi everyone, bit of of blip up with weight this morning although I did increase cals to just over 800 but maybe not the right food – sausage with breakfast and snacked on duck confit in the afternoon. I used to see questions on fasting or TRE about having something like a drop of milk in tea, would it break my fast. I never understood, thinking a drop of milk could do no harm. But now I understand the science it is about knocking the body out of fat burning and would something so small upset that balance. So I have a question of my own. I went from 8.30 pm and skipped breakfast and didnt eat until 1pm, so 16.5 hours. BUT in the morning I always have a glass of warm water to dissolve my asprin, add a teaspoon of wine vinegar and about 3 grams of stevia (just a tiny smidge) to sweeten. Would that knock me out of my fast. I dont need the stevia so if it is a problem I can skip that.

Florob, I might be able to help you with your question on Why We Get Fat. The anthropological studies and the raw science go on forever. I have found that page 163 – Meat or Plants? is about where it started to get interesting for me although nothing I didnt already know. After that, the next chapter The Nature of a Healthy Diet starts to promise the answers but I am half way through that and still not learnt anything I didnt know. Next comes explanations about HDL and LDL cholesterol and Metabolic Syndrome and I am still no wiser. I would have given up a long time ago (I have been reading this for nearly 2 years) but I hate to be beaten. Seriously, this book has me beaten. I will finish it, just because I am bloody minded but you might want to start reading at page 163 and see how that goes. Sorry there are people out there who swear by it and him but, even with a degree in social sciences and psychology I found this book very hard going.

Scott, dont give up on the milk, just pour an allowance and dont have more. Strawberries are only 33 calories per 100g so not too bad. Again, put a small measured dish in the fridge and pick from that and when they have gone that’s it. BTW 1lb is a lot of weight if you have been on this for a while now – which you have – imagine a pound of butter and how big that is.

SG – thanks for the advice, it’s a good idea – I’ll get myself some wee jars and measure out the milk and some tupperware for the strawberries. I haven’t snacked at all since I started so that was the first time this week! I put the two together and decided that was the problem! As you say, I’ve been doing this 10 weeks now and that’s teh first time I’ve has a small loss then increase, every other week has been 2-4 lbs. I think stress is playing a bit of a part too as my blood sugar was elevated thos morning (5.9 highest it’s been since I started the BSD) but work has been stressing me out.

Regarding TRE, in general, anything that causes an insulin response would break a fast, 3g of sweetner isn’t much, but I think it could still be enough to interrupt the fat burning process and trigger insulin. However, acids such as wine vinegar, in very small amounts have such low level of sugars and calories that they shouldn’t trigger an insulin release. I’ve been told before that OTC medications do not break a fast so that should be fine.

Thanks Scott. So my true fast was from 8.30 pm to 10.30 am when I had my meds. Will hit the stevia on the head. I only use it to get rid of the bitter taste of the powdered asprin. Not thought that the vinegar would do that as well and I could drink vinegar out of the bottle.

Haha good to know it’s not just me sunshinegirl, I kept thinking sheesh dude you’ve made your point move on!! Think I’ll abandon ship! I’ve got other more interesting books on my reading list!

Re the aspirin, you could dissolve it in a big glass of sparkling water – the bubbles are sharp enough that they’ll mask the aspirin, I have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar every day and the difference between diluting it in still and sparkling water is mind blowing!

Hi all

I need some motivation to get back on track, truth time I’ve fallen off the wagon the last few days and have eaten carbs etc. This started because I’ve just not felt well and certainly not well enough to cook, I don’t trust my partner to cook (he’s made some let’s say questionable dishes in the past, he means well but I want to you know, survive it) but still hungry and ended up having toast and potatoes over the weekend and a bit of cake and a sandwich today. I’ve gained weight, which is fine, I can live with that, but my main concern is getting back on before I mess up even more!! I’ve well and truly woken the carb monster and am feeling absolutely zero ill effects from eating carbs which isn’t helping my motivation to get back on. Feel like a fraud as well as I’ve been offering advice to people on here and also guilty as I feel I’m dominating the forum a bit 😞

All feeling a little daunting today, any suggestions lovely people?

L x

Lauren … put it behind you !! I am about to set up the new weekly thread so stop buying the bread and buns and come and see us on the new thread !!!

Lauren, no need to feel guilty or like a fraud. This is the place to safely vent and it doesn’t matter how often you do so. You have valuable information to share, so please don’t stop doing that either.

So, forgive yourself for being human, make tomorrow a fresh start and put the carb monster back in his box. You know you can do it, so best foot forward into a new week.

Hi Lauren, get your little booty over to the new weekly thread and forget about the last couple of days. Keep on keeping on…