Hi florob85,
Interesting question on impact of emotions on metabolic rate, yes apparently it does up it, but the first few papers I found on the subject was research carried out on people in asylums. So maybe a bit extreme.

The other year I had a pair of guys working on the drive here who can best be described as being like letting Laurel and Hardy loose with a digger. Boy was I spitting tacks at one point. I was a participant on an experiment into the effect of weight training at the time and I discovered how just 30 minutes of working out with maximum weights was enough to turn that round so that I could laugh at them.

JGwen and HopefullinOZ you are legends! I love my new collarbones and I havent seen them in years. So I will watch and wait to see what happens with the rest of me.

Sam

Sam I was going to suggest Spanx! To be honest I’d suggest Spanx even if you were very slim as they just create a lovely line under a ballgown (I have a friend in the Navy, I’ve been to a LOT of balls!)

JGwen, haha perhaps I should have tried to punch something or lifted weights instead of getting so angry. I’m paying for it today, my body does NOT COPE with adrenaline surges (it’s the ME) so I’ve felt really sick and shaky all day since waking up, starting to ease now but I do not like adrenaline come down!! I don’t particularly enjoy the surge either! Generally I try to stay pretty level headed all the time but that student made me so mad yesterday!

Hope all having a good day

L xx

Lauren, I once read an article that said something like “Teachers are the guidepost that teens and young adults sharpen their teeth on”. Too true in my opinion. And quite honestly, your line of “Does anyone know how many calories “incandescent with rage, steam pouring out of ears, hopping mad” burns?!” goes down as one of my favourites of all time in this forum 🙂
I hope the day has gotten better x

Thanks Lauren Spanx are a great idea!

Sam

Just wanted to say that I stumbled upon this programme on ITV last night in which Tom Watson (UK politician for those of you not in the UK), was explaining the impact of losing 50kg (!) and putting his Diabetes 2 into remission. There was then also a couple of people who were going to be test persons in a sugar free diet experiment for a month. I think its a series. Anyway, 2 things really stood out to me; firstly the part where TW said that previous to cutting out sugar he had been hungry for 30 years (might have been 20)! Sounds familiar? Secondly they talked about exercise and its effect on mental health and they had to do a walk around a racetrack. TW was given 50Kgs worth of sandbags to carry to illustrate just how much strain he had been putting on his body… Anyway, nothing people on here do not already know, but I’d recommend watching it anyway for motivation. Think it was called Giving up sugar.

Morning everyone. I’ve successfully reached day 5. I’m so pleased to have got here as previous attempts last year, meant I didn’t get past day one! I’ve bee reading different threads in this forum this morning which has been interesting. I can see how it’s expected to have stalls, whereas when I read the BSD, I thought you lost weight each week. That’s good to know as I can see how that could derail you when you’ve been soo good. I also hadn’t played as much attention to carb intake as I think I will need to. I’ve stuck within the calorie guidelines and have avoided white carbs, bread etc, but I’m thinking this will need to change. For now, I’ve got (for me) an easier option of soups that are high in protein and keep me in the 800 limit. I’ve done this so I can change my bodies way of doing things and not keep eating when I’m full (one of my downfalls) and for ease with work as it can so busy it’s often difficult to take a 20 min lunch break and just not think about food, and I’ve been having eggs for breakfast.
I was going to start this diet this Monday coming as I’ve got a celebration meal with my parents tonight and the first face to face girls night (bar one evening last summer) since Covid. I will be ‘good” with my parents meal and I will change wine to gin for the girls night, but I will have a celebration with them and a meal. I know this may seem silly so new into the diet but I thought it was better to just start it then wait another week. Sticking to the diet the past four days shows me I can do it and although I will be to all affects going backwards tonight and tomorrow, I do believe they are important events. I live with my son but not a partner, so the girls night is super important on many levels. Please don’t judge me. What will be key is getting back on track on Sunday. I’m having to leave work ridiculously early on Monday, so my weigh in will be Tuesday morning. Thanks everyone.

Hey Kat, no judgements here! We all do this our own way and have our own reasons for doing it! Slow and steady is fine, easing in is fine, having a break is fine, struggling is fine! We’re all here to support you!

Lauren xx

Hi Kat. Sounds like you’re doing great. Life get’s in the way – both in positive and negative senses – every now and again. The lower you can keep the carbs, the easier next week will be is probably the main thing, but it sounds like you’re already on top of that. One thing I’ve found useful when going to restaurants has been to look at their menu online beforehand and select the best BSD choice, so that when you’re there you’re not tempted by the spur of the moment appeal of the carb/sugar stuff. Hope you have a great time!

Hi everyone ! It’s great to see the thread thriving with regular contributors, thank you ! I admit to feeling a tad guilty when I don’t post daily but I honestly think there is a lot of experience and wisdom being shared and I don’t for one minute think I am indispensable !!

LOTS of sensible advice. Big hugs to anyone experiencing tough moments . Lauren that incident was an annoyance but you coped. It’s hard to let go of those frustrations. You did well !!! Tulip/Clare you have had a lot of your plate too and you are both incredible , coping with work, health issues, fatigue etc .

As long as those frustrations etc don’t lead to longer term off plan carbage then it’ s ok . I think we just have to be LONG TERM careful so we don’t allow ourselves too many excuses and complacency . I know that would be dangerous for me . Celebratory events are important of course, we have to factor those in. I still have this theory that I will always be an over -eater . I just have to be ultra careful on the choices . We have to keep ourselves motivated, re reading the boos, listening to podcasts and videos , remembering noone else can do this for us .

I watched Tom Watson on Tv, Britta . That was one serious wake up call he had . I remember reading he favoured Aseem Malhotra’s Pioppi diet . I was relieved to see that the focus on sugar was not limited to added sugar in hot drinks, biscuits, cakes , milk choc etc but also rice, bread , pasta which we of course know about . I’m not sure that everyone associates sugar with carbs .

I’m guilty of not doing enough outdoor exercise right now and have NO EXCUSE . Well, just a little one . I have been tootling away preparing a photo book for my eldest son’s 3Oth birthday . That’s a lot of photos and family memories to select and sort !

Made me think of EC/Erin when I got to the stunning Tasmania photos. Hope you are ok, Erin ? Send news .

Julz are you ok ?

Still unsure about travel to the Uk this summer although restrictions are lifting progressively here from Monday . Curfew remains although getting later in June .

Lots of love to everyone and definitely no judgements Kat2020 as Lauren said . Do your best folks . Nothing comes without the effort and it doesn’t happen over night . My belly fat is most definitely not disappearing . It really is a long term work in progress and sometimes I just need to work harder !!
Take care everyone xx

Well done everyone, some great results.

I am ending my first 4 weeks with a total loss of 9lbs*, which I’m fairly happy with, given that I haven’t been sticking to the plan religiously. As people say, it didn’t go on quickly, so why expect it to come off the same way?!

This approach is proving more manageable for me, and feels more like a lifestyle change than a crash diet, which is a definite improvement on last time! That being said, I have a small treat lined up of a bottle of Skinny lager – gluten free and just 3g of carbs per 330ml bottle. Here’s to the weekend 😀

*The lightest I have weighed since February 2020 :O

carbage 😂 that cracked me up Wendy.

Well, after my getting back in gently on Weds I managed a good BSD day as planned yesterday- altho was 1000 cals in all, my 800 has always been 800- 900s tbh, occasionally 1000, so I am ok with that…BUT I’ve had another day of carbage today, and really struggling to get my act together….just opportunistic carbs in the staff room at work set me off today…sigh, not quite sure how to get myself back in the zone.

Kat, no judgement here! Those socials are extra important after what we’ve all been through the last more than a year! Have a fab time.

Love to all, Tulip xxx

I liked the carbage too 😀 Hey, it’s the weekend! It’s somewhat unsettling to have to admit how much I associate “treats” with weekend, but obviously I’m trying to reverse that, or to make my treats really nice meals rather than snacks at least. So kicking off with burgers (mushroom “bun” for me) and (beans) chips tonight, and then trying to make the weekend about doing stuff rather than eating stuff. I have not eaten any snacks for a couple of weeks now, and it feels like my body is beginning to accept the change, so quite determined not to mess it up now.
Good weekend every one!

Hi all, watched an interesting TV prog last night – recorded from last week – called The Secret Lives of Slim People. One was a young man built like a whippet who sat in his car all day (travelling for work) eating crisps and chocolate bar after a breakfast of sweet cereal, a lunch of ham sandwich and dinner at 6pm. Turns out he automatically did TRE without even knowing there was such a thing. All very scientific with blood tests and metabolic measurements. He was really regimented and ate exactly the same things at the same time. Then there was a young lady who was underweight with BMI of 18 who ate to get fat. She ate everything, pizza, burgers etc and never put on weight. They did a pooh test on her and her gut biome was one of the highest seen in the western world. Turned out she ate a lot of veg, raw veg and her husband made lots of fermented veg. So I take 2 things from this, TRE works – almost proved that to myself now I am doing it and lost 2kgs in 4 weeks – and fermented foods and a good gut health can help with weight loss along with other benefits. There will be another 2 on this week so I have set it to record.

One thing my husband pointed out which was probably true and that is that they couldnt continue to eat the way they did without it catching up with them in some way. The boys father was a big lad and there were health problems in the family history of the girl. But not advocating eating a load of rubbish but taking the good things from the programme. It is on Tuesday night late on Channel 4.

Hope you are all having a good weekend. We dont have a bank holiday Monday here in France, the holiday is on the actual day so we had not bin collection or post delivery yesterday but Monday everything is as normal. People say the French get too many public holidays but if it falls on a weekend you dont get it some other time. May has 3 holidays, May Day, Victory Day and Pentecoste, 2 of these fall on a weekend so no special day off for anyone.

Sunshine-girl have you – or anyone – read Michael Mosley’s Clever Gut Diet book? If you haven’t I really recommend it. Understanding what lives in the gut and how you can feed some of the beasties and starve others (and why according to that some lucky bastards can eat whatever they like…) has been really useful for me. The ‘diet’ bit is a bit disappointing I think, but the introduction is really nice.

6lbs off in my first week. Really happy with that 😁

Morning everyone.
Lauren, Brtta and Wendleg thank you for the lovely non judgement words! You are right, it is also managing to find a way that suits your need with compromises.
Well done Ncjj678 on your 6lb loss.
I had a two lovely celebrations, the girls night I wasn’t as good as I planned and ended up with (to coin the phrase from Wendleg) more carbage was consumed through nachos, humus and prosecco then originally intended. I have also had my son and family friends working on a concrete area on my garden this weekend and I managed to avoid eating any of the cooked breakfast/ crisps/nibbles/sausage rolls/sandwiches I prepared for them both days but did have pulled pork and cheese rolls on Sunday and two biscuits. This is still a massive improvement for me as previously I no doubt would have eaten all the treats Friday and Saturday night and replaced them, so I’m thinking it was still good progress!
I had got my Monday”s muddled up in an earlier post of mine (it’s next Monday I’m leaving super earlier so will move my weigh day to Tuesday then) and I’m chuffed that in my weigh in this morning I’ve lost 5lb….but I’m mindful my weekend lapse may not be registering fully yet .
I wondered what happens when the new weekly thread starts, do we transfer to that, or keep commenting on this? Thank you all for your lovely contributions, I do think this will help me stay on track. Happy Bank Holiday for those that have it (or do but have to work).

ps well done Avisamuelgrey on your 9lb weight loss..fantastic!!!
Thanks Tulip also for your lovely words…I’m also the same, if I see treats, i’m soooo tempted! Sorry if I missed anyone else xx

ncj and Kat, amazing starts on your journey!!! 😁

Well, predictably I gained a little weight this week (1 lb) which still leaves me just under my original goal weight of top of normal BMI range for my height.

Now what to do? Is anyone here now on a maintenance programme? I am wondering whether to park it here, for now at least, or whether to continue to aim a bit lower, further into normal weight range and closer to the recommended waist measurement for my height- I am 2″ away. I’ve been mulling this over for a couple of months now and still not made a decision, which must in part contribute to my mostly stalled weight loss, given I am not truly sure I want to lose more!

How do you decide what is right for you? And if anyone is there, what are your tips in terms of healthy meintenance, how often do you have on plan or off plan treats etc etc? (as carbage, as Wendy puts it, has happened this week and I know that is not a long term option).

Maybe I should write a pros and cons list?

Love to all,
Tulip xxx

Hi Everyone, and thank you for your lovely post Wendy. Lots of wise words and encouragement 🌼🌼🌼 How is your album progressing? It’s lovely going through our old photo collections – they bring back so many memories! Oh those hairstyles!!
I am just doodling along. I’ve set myself a 🌺Mindful May🌺 – to be mindful of wine – and hopefully stay away from it completely for the month. And mindful of keeping my carbs low. Just trying to maintain at the moment, but looking to decrease inflammation for a bit. One week at a time …. 👩‍🦱

Hi Tulip, would advise taking a look at the “After reaching your target what’s next?” thread, especially the early posts on there, where maintenance strategies were shared and debate. It might help you in deciding how to proceed as you approach your target. As you suggest, writing down pros and cons might also help clarify things for you, as you’ll be able to see clearly what your fears and potential pitfalls are, as well as how you can best tailor the BSD to your lifestyle long term.

Well done on your great losses people! I forgot to log my weight last monday so it’s a little unsure if I’ve lost 3 or 4lbs, but it’s in that ballpark.
Tulip on your question of when you have reached your goal weight, my view is that only you can know. I think its when you feel good and like what you look like in the mirror. I don’t think it’s a question of BMI. I think the critique of BMI when it comes to individuals is well established now and the one time in my adult life I reached what the BMI calculator recognised as ‘normal’ I was bordering on a size 6 (UK). I think now, in my mid 40s, my healthy, happy weight lies at the bottom of ‘overweight’ where I am somewhere between a 10 and a 12.

Btw, a review of the Fast800 meal replacement shakes: they’re a load of overpriced rubbish, don’t buy them! I bought a bag in a bid to have a back-up solution for emergencies. I don’t usually do shakes, but seemed like a good idea to have them for emergencies. At the weekend was an emergency where the teenager wanted, last minute, to go to a fried chicken takeaway in town, so I thought I’d try the shake. It filled me up for about 30 minutes and the rest of the afternoon was the hardest/longest I’ve had in week. The rest of the bag went in the bin.

Hi everyone

Great results being posted, well done folks . It really does give you a boost .

Tulip/ Clare ….about maintenance I think you have to ask yourself if you feel at peace around food because that in itself is a massive victory irrespective of whether or not you have a couple of pounds to discard until your perceived target . I understand what Britta is saying about feeling comfortable with the way you look and feel . That’s not necessarily a number on the scales or on the tape measure . You could ask yourself too if your attitude to those starchy carbs has changed or if they still pose a potential risky temptation ?

Carbage is not my invention 🙂 not sure who coined the ophrase , maybe Esnecca on an ancient post ??

But CARBAGE really is just that …. CARBS AND GARBAGE . If they still feel sort of warm and cuddly and comforting Tulip, then I would say beware . They can creep up insiduously and as has been discussed here, the effect of carbs on the gut is undeniable . Even after nearly 3 years I still don’t allow any bread, beans, lentils etc because I don’t really miss them and also because I don’t want to risk carb overload . So I don’t reach for” off plan “treats as I have this annoying tendency to reach too often for the so called healthy stuff ;;;;;;you know what I mean . It’s still over eating !!!

So …..even though the carbs no longer have appeal I, as I can still over eat the healthy stuff so I am not totally ‘cured’ and I doubt I ever will be . On the positive side I consider myself fairly healthy at don’t take any meds at 62 .I have never been a UK size 10 or 12 in my life and to be a 14/16 rather than a 22 feels good . I am not sure I can aspire to being a tiny size and be comfortable .BUT it is easy to allow a bit of complacency and lee way and therein lies the danger .

That’s just my view and experience

Maybe you just need to experiment a bit more Tulip ?You tried 5:2 . My sense is that you have a handle on healthy eating but you don’t have a total aversion to the comfy cakes at work ?? Maintenance means constant vigilance I think . Yes, pros and cons for sure . Let us know what you decide .

Hi Merry ! Yes, I completed Volume I of my son’s photo book and I am waiting for it to arrive . There is a second volume which mostly covers travels and time in Australia . He will like that too as I expect he has lost most of the photos ! It is quite a joyful activity but a bit sad too as I haven’t seen my boys since 2019 . Hopefully we will get over next year . Like SG we are still awaiitng news on travel between France and the Uk this summer .

Britta I did once try those Slimfast shakes on one of my failed diet attempts but I would rather fast to be honest now if there was no real food available . I do think they have a place for people who need a rapid early weight loss to motivate them to move on to healthier meals as MM has suggested .

Kat 2020 . I will set up a new weekly thread later on today which will be called
One Week at a time beginning 4th May 2021 . We transfer over to the new thread every week and resume our posts on there .

So, see you later folks . Happy Bank Holiday for those who are having a day off work . We have a sunny day here and 18 degrees right now but looking forward to some temperatures in the high twenties at the weekend !

Hopefully some absent members this week will check back in ! Julz ?? EC ???

Just a quick check in – we’ve been off work for a week so ive avoided screen time and so not been on here at all.
Doing ok, not been totally on plan, but eating reasonably well with too much wine included.
I’m hoping today is the start of a strict Fast800 phase for me, planning a tight 4 weeks to get my weight down a bit, partly cos ive let myself down a wee bit, partly to look a bit smarter for upcoming horsey comp and partly cos i think its gotta help with running if im leaner.
So here we go, day 1, so far so good, despite work being a bit of a headache to come back to! Back to the black coffee (i persuade myself i dont like it that much, but actually i do – its a habit and a mindset!), increased fizzy water drinking. I will get back to mediating daily and I’ll keep up the running. (averaging about 30km a week which im so chuffed with!!) Just need to make sure i dont let running be a continuing excuse to overeat!

Enjoyed reading through the thread and catching up. Welcome new peeps and thanks as always to everyone for keeping it interesting and real and letting everyone learn from each other.

Julz

Hi Julz ! Good to see you checking in and good you had a break from work and screens !

I am about to set up the new thread !