Ok, today I’m going to read Fast800 and watch related videos on YouTube and reprogram myself! X

Thanks Olive1, that might just help, I do feel that I have to wind it in!
I have just been for my walk as it happens, with loud tunes and I pushed myself speed wise. I have a bath planned for later and everything bar the cooking and washing up can wait! A film sounds good also.
Hope all is well with you 🥰

Arrrgh – the forum just ate my post!!
Shorter version….
Britta – I was reading about horemones and low carb on diet doctor yesterday – have a look here:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/category/health-problems/pcos-fertility
Its mostly about PCOS but there is some info on progesterone and oestrogen levels. so there may be some connection.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/why-is-it-harder-to-lose-weight-during-the-luteal-phase
I’m looking at it from a progesterone only pill point of view but im not convinced low carb is the cause of the issues.

RosyApple – deep breath! I was in a pretty dark place last week and so close to the f-kit step….but i dug deep and just tried to minimise the impact of the bad week. I made it through, and things have gotten a little easier. This isnt a sprint, it isnt about being perfect every day for the nest 6 weeks, its a journey, a long one, but we do need to go one step and one day at a time. Dont beat yourself up for a difficult few days, the idea is a sustained trend and new habits, so by christmas we can look back at the journey and all the bumps and see what we have achieved – it WILL be glorious!
Olive – your advice is great. Our minds are so powerful, both for positive and negative, its harnessing the positive adn controlling the negative that is key and so difficult to do. Be kind to yourself RosyApple, everyone deserves kindness – even yourself, and i know that loving yourself and treating yourself well is so so hard – trust me – you deserve it, be kind and treat your body and your mind gently. Focus on all the good things that you are – not all the things you are not – you cant be everything!!
I saw this yesterday and loved it…… interestingly from a friend who is a keto success, looks amazing and has been through a really rough time!!

Three good friends went for a swim.
The one who was fat wished she was thin.
The one who was curvy wished she was clever.
The one who was clever wished she swam better.
The really great swimmer wished she was witty.
The one who was witty wished she was pretty.
All three friends thought the other two were just fine.
If only they could let their own bright light shine.
So throw on your swimsuit if you’re fat or you’re thin.
Enjoy fun and friendship …. love the skin that you’re in!

Me…. I’m doing ok. Just had my first breakfast of the week – chaffles made from 1 egg, a teaspoon of cream cheese and cinnamon, with some butter. It was good, but not as good as i always seem to imagine – must stop imagining food all the time!
Yesterday evening was a little tough – was sitting on the sofa feeling bad for having an apple after my 3 egg omelette when friends on a group chat sent me photos of their dinner – one Chinese takaway and one fish and chips….I managed to find the pride in the situation as opposed to the envy….or gluttony (deadly sin anyone?) so I went for a walk then did horses and went to bed with the promise of morning chaffles. I’ll have a late lunch today and no dinner. I’m heading out shortly to witness a test of a new machine work has had built, that should be fun.
Tomorrow is weigh day – i am nervous!

Have a good friday everyone.

Arrrgh – the forum just ate my post!!
Shorter version….
Britta – I was reading about horemones and low carb on diet doctor yesterday – have a look under health and PCOS (I’m trying taking out the links as it wont let me post!)
Its mostly about PCOS but there is some info on progesterone and oestrogen levels. so there may be some connection.
I’m looking at it from a progesterone only pill point of view but im not convinced low carb is the cause of the issues.

RosyApple – deep breath! I was in a pretty dark place last week and so close to the f-kit step….but i dug deep and just tried to minimise the impact of the bad week. I made it through, and things have gotten a little easier. This isnt a sprint, it isnt about being perfect every day for the nest 6 weeks, its a journey, a long one, but we do need to go one step and one day at a time. Dont beat yourself up for a difficult few days, the idea is a sustained trend and new habits, so by christmas we can look back at the journey and all the bumps and see what we have achieved – it WILL be glorious!
Olive – your advice is great. Our minds are so powerful, both for positive and negative, its harnessing the positive adn controlling the negative that is key and so difficult to do. Be kind to yourself RosyApple, everyone deserves kindness – even yourself, and i know that loving yourself and treating yourself well is so so hard – trust me – you deserve it, be kind and treat your body and your mind gently. Focus on all the good things that you are – not all the things you are not – you cant be everything!!
I saw this yesterday and loved it…… interestingly from a friend who is a keto success, looks amazing and has been through a really rough time!!

Three good friends went for a swim.
The one who was fat wished she was thin.
The one who was curvy wished she was clever.
The one who was clever wished she swam better.
The really great swimmer wished she was witty.
The one who was witty wished she was pretty.
All three friends thought the other two were just fine.
If only they could let their own bright light shine.
So throw on your swimsuit if you’re fat or you’re thin.
Enjoy fun and friendship …. love the skin that you’re in!

Me…. I’m doing ok. Just had my first breakfast of the week – chaffles made from 1 egg, a teaspoon of cream cheese and cinnamon, with some butter. It was good, but not as good as i always seem to imagine – must stop imagining food all the time!
Yesterday evening was a little tough – was sitting on the sofa feeling bad for having an apple after my 3 egg omelette when friends on a group chat sent me photos of their dinner – one Chinese takaway and one fish and chips….I managed to find the pride in the situation as opposed to the envy….or gluttony (deadly sin anyone?) so I went for a walk then did horses and went to bed with the promise of morning chaffles. I’ll have a late lunch today and no dinner. I’m heading out shortly to witness a test of a new machine work has had built, that should be fun.
Tomorrow is weigh day – i am nervous!

Have a good friday everyone.

Thanks WindyJulz, right on all fronts there. I liked the thing about the swimmers, it made me think of a friend who is so down on herself. It makes me sad when I hear the way she speaks of herself. I see her as a beautiful woman, kind and funny with a lovely face and so complimentary and loving towards everyone else but her. Why are we so hard on ourselves? It’s madness….
Good to hear that your picking yourself up and moving on (without F & Cs and Chinese takeaways!)
🧡🌹🍏

Hello @britta, my last period was all over the place (second one into the diet), much more painful than usual. I read that body fat stores estrogen so when you lose the fat, the hormones get released and you can feel the effect. I don’t know how scientific this is, but it certainly felt like that to me. Ever since my last period started I’ve been feeling under the weather (for about 2 weeks now) and I’m now trying to shake off a cold. I’m keeping up the exercise, even if I don’t particularly feel like it, because it always makes me feel better.

On another note, I made a fish curry last night that I’m very happy with. White fish is fantastic on this diet, very low in calories and high in protein. With all the spices it was a very filling meal (I didn’t have anything to substitute for rice/bread). I learned that big flavours help make a meal feel more filling so I’ve been taking that advice on board.

@ellieallegra I’m glad you said that, I’m losing my mind (as opposed to any bodyweight…) and my family is terrified of me, even the cat! Fingers crossed this is a temporary state of affairs, probably compounded by lockdown depression and the onset of autumn in June… @julz I’ll check the PCOS stuff, thanks. I’m not too far off sticking to diet though, at least there seems to be part of me that knows that the only way I could make this worse would be to fall off the wagon and put on loads of weight, so I’m still digging…

ps Julz – what are chaffels? (bad flashback to furiously throwing a bowl of waffle mix in the sink because it didn’t work only to realise a while later I forgot to put an egg in – kids were traumaticed!)

Rosy, have you tried writing down the thoughts that are troubling you? Sometimes it’s a helpful way to offload, either so that you can make sense if them, or to take them outside and set fire to them ….. literally. It’s a kind of symbolic cleansing of the negativity.

Something else that might help, is to write down 10 positive words each day …. or indeed 3 positives each day. Forcing yourself to think of positives can help with mindset. Please don’t lose sight if the fact you have made great progress, Rosy, which cannot be denied. Perhaps try setting yourself a daily mini goal …. and that can be as simple as not eating anything sweet, or writing down some positives. If you can be kinder to yourself and less demanding, I’m sure it will help to make your stress levels more manageable.

Julz, you are absolutely right, this isn’t a sprint and we are all human and there will be times when things get away from us. The important thing is not to allow ourselves to be completely knocked off course. We have the opportunity to make good food decisions everytime we decide to eat and one poor decision doesn’t define our the whole journey, the progress we have made to date, or will make going forward. We can do better next time. Loved the swimmers tale too. It is so right, we are often our own worse enemies and harshest critics …. we really do need to be kinder to ourselves.

Wishing everyone a calm, peaceful and positive BSD weekend.

@zuzu we must have been typing simultaneously, I like your theory, it certainly feels true!

@britta & @zuzu – oh my goodness this is me right now.. I have been struggling with a stall for over 2 weeks and I have done ‘everything’ to address it and couldn’t understand from a diet point of view what was going on. However, I have had horrific TOTM and middle of the month pain .. that has ended up with me being basically in pain to varying degrees almost since I started this diet.. I have also been so bloated and seem to be holding onto water too. Then it twigged that it could be to do with my endo and i started googling how my hormones could be affected by the diet I came across similar information about oestrogen etc getting released that you read @zuzu. I also have been feeling really under the weather, I initially put it down to no carb flu but realised that it coincides more with how my pain levels/hormones are that day ..so the long and the short of it is I have a Dr appointment today to discuss it as I can’t continue feeling like this.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the diet .. Infact I feel that it is maybe helping me to heal and I need to stick with it but boy, I can’t continue like this so I will see what the Dr recommends to help manage my symptoms..
All I can say is well done to all who are struggling with any kind of issues right now.. whatever they are .. I normally would have given up by now but the encouragement of everyone has me keeping on keeping on.. keep going peeps, when we come out the other side we’ll be stronger and better and slimmer for it! GreenGal 🥦

Hi all, been following the thread since I started fast800 5 weeks ago. Your tips and shared experiences have been invaluable so thought I’d better jump on here myself and share with group.
So week 5, started with roughly 15kg to lose and I’m down 7.1kg after 4 weeks and big cm loss under bust and around waist especially, 8 and 7cm respectively. I weigh myself once a week at the same time each week plus take all the measurements at that time too. This helps me to focus more on how I feel despite scales and also to pay attention to the visual changes evident in my body so I’m less susceptible to disappointment if my weigh-in doesn’t go as hoped. For example, next Monday I really hope to see below 70kg on the scales for the first time in a long time (2 babies under 2!!!) but if I don’t, then I’ll just remind myself that I put on jeans this week that I haven’t worn since before I got pregnant with my son in 2017!!

My first week was by far the hardest with horrific headaches and flu like symptoms as I withdrew from sugar but I didn’t mind at the time because that proved to me it was necessary and I was just so determined that I was sticking to this. And basically up to this week it has been plain sailing. I really haven’t struggled with hunger, mentally felt very strong – for some reason this just feels like my time.

Then I got my period this week. @britta, as someone who luckily has the worlds most regular periods and no such thing as menstrual symptoms, I was really surprised to get my period early this week, despite still taking my contraception. I’ve been having mood swings, lethargy, cramps etc. For the whole week I’ve been eyeing up things that were really not bothering me before. My husband broke off a square of dark chocolate the other night and I heard it so loud in my ears I swear I could have felt the room shake!!!! I’m craving coffee. I don’t AND NEVER HAVE drank coffee!

So ya, I’d say that hormonal changes on this diet are a definite. In my experience.

Despite all that, I still remain fully confident of sticking to the fast800 for the initial 8 weeks. Goal is to see 66kg with two more stretch goals after of 64 and 62 which will then be maintenance.

Please keep sharing everyone. I’m always learning new things from you all.

Karen

Hi and welcome Karen! You sound very motivated despite some struggle. We seem to have similar target for the weight. May O ask how tall you are?
I really hope that you and the rest that are feeling the imbalance in hormones get through the har patch. I haven’t felt that at all, rather the opposite that I’ve become more regular and stable.

In other words, I’m having a difficult time. It’s been very stressful at work the last two weeks, yesterday I was in the office (first time in weeks) and a colleague had brought in chocolate to celebrate an anniversary. And I fell – big time! In fact couldn’t stop.
Slept terribly bad, couldn’t keep my fast until lunch, had some late breakfast and major cravings ever since. Even stooped so low that I had some old meringue hiding at the back of my cupboard since Christmas! Totally unrealistic (I know), but feels like all the 13 kg I lost have popped back on again. Uncomfortable!
Am dreading the evening, kids will have pizza, and for me??? Nothing feels appealing right now….

I hear you Olive, but be assured any damage to date will be minimal. Try to haul yourself back on track as soon as you can though and I doubt you’ll see much of a problem on the scales.
You’ve shown yourself just what giving into those carbs does, reinforcing what I’m sure you had already learnt – bloating, disrupted sleep, feeling sluggish, craving more carbs and hunger pangs. To be honest, an event like your’s is valuable in reminding us how much better we feel, when not indulging in high carb foods.
Don’t beat yourself up for this transgression, the negativity it causes is of no value … just dust yourself off and get right back to BSD friendly eating. You definitely haven’t undone all your hard work to date, so don’t panic.
Karen, welcome, glad you have decided to join us and have started posting. Shout out if you need anything and of course, please keep us posted on your progress.

Hi Olive. I’m sending as much mental strength as I can muster. You don’t have to be strong and stubborn forever, just for the next few hours, tomorrow will be better, the cravings will subside again, it will be easier again. Put all you’ve got into the next few hours and you’ll be fine again. You know what to do – go!

Cheering you on Olive, you can make it through the rest of the day and get back on the wagon. Feel for you, we have all had days like that. I still struggle daily as i think i mentally expect to be ‘full’ after every meal but due to calorie restriction theres always ‘room’ for something else, even if i am satisfied and hunger gone. After years of eating too much every day I find it hard to stop eating, best thing is to go outside and do something in the air. Moving helps a lot.

If you struggle through pizza tonight try making an omelette pizza – fry up some onion and veg of your choice in a wee frying pan, add 2 beaten eggs and make like pancake – basically over cook. Cook on both sides, top with tomato paste or pesto and cheese, or even meat of your choice and pop under the grill…… no carbs other than veg, can cut into pizza slices and you’ll almost feel like you are pizza-ing!

@olive, I’m 163cm. BMI guidelines would have me a bit lower than 62 but it’s unlikely for my build. I have been at 62 and felt and looked good.
Yes, I’m motivated but aren’t we all here!! That’s what we’re doing. Motivated doesn’t mean we won’t have hiccups. That’s why I’m so drawn to this diet. Take the chocolate cake and use it as something you can learn from. And just jump straight back on the BSD again. Our happiness can’t be dependent on our weigh-ins. Why don’t you make your big achievement this week about having had a rough day and then beating it by getting back on track!
Wishing you all the best. I know we’re hardest on ourselves.

@karenwm love this “Why don’t you make your big achievement this week about having had a rough day and then beating it by getting back on track!” Nailed it! Clarity in one sentence .. stop punishing ourselves for perceived failures (sabotaging behaviour) and start celebrating the victories (re-enforcing changed behaviour) Let’s give ourselves a break here people and appreciate that this is a ‘process‘ of change and failures are simply lessons we are learning along the way which ultimately will give us the tools we need to achieve our goals!
Have a good weekend and let’s remember to try and enjoy the process, follow the plan, celebrate the small victories and be kind to ourselves! GreenGal 🥦

Hi all,
Had a few days where I’ve fallen off the wagon so I haven’t posted. Been too disappointed in myself.
Looks like I’ll be starting all over again. Just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how enthusiastic I am, I still self sabotage. So angry at myself.

Have a great day/ night 🖐️

Hi Olive1 and Waitaminute, feel for you!
I have also transgressed this week as you will see from my previous posts. Not been feeling great about it either. Mmmm. It’s just a glitch!
I can’t say anything more than or better than what our other friends here have been saying in relation to these episodes. It’s about being positive and learning from our mistakes, picking ourselves up and moving forward. Go for it!
Had a better day, I’ve been focusing on taking care of myself, eating 3 BSD friendly meals and trying to imagine my health getting better and getting slimmer.
I’m pretty sure it was my blood pressure dropping that has bean making me feel so rough. I’ve halved my meds under the guidance of a doctor and I already, after 2 days feel so much better. Result NSV!
Keep up the good work, you’re worth it!
Much love 🌹🍏

Hi all, emotional rollercoaster seems to be a bit of a theme at the moment and I can’t say it’s been any different for me. Hard day today. I’m going house hunting tomorrow in my new location so gearing up for a 5 hour trip where I won’t be able to stop anywhere along the way, as I think most of the rest areas are still closed. I had a viewing of my place first thing this morning and another one tomorrow, so I might ordinarily cook some things to take with me, but I’m keeping the place clean, including the kitchen so I’m not trying to do a massive clean right before I leave tomorrow morning. I’m finding it a bit difficult to get adequate calories while not cooking, especially as eggs were about the most calorific thing left in the house this morning, and I couldn’t cook them as the viewing was just before noon. The weather has been horrific, more like November than June, pouring rain and cold, so that is quite depressing and doesn’t show my place at its best.

I had some terrible news from a mortgage broker around noon about my purchasing power, and then I was just getting ready to leave my flat when the president of the owner’s association knocked on my door and gave me some bad news about the management company that has been looking after the building. I am now quite worried that all this drama may affect my sale, but I hope not. I was at least able to get rid of him quickly by saying I had to go to an appointment. That appointment was to get my hair cut, so at least I look a lot better now! I went shopping for a few things after which meant navigating the supermarket in the early afternoon, so it was quite busy. I coped reasonably well though and managed not to shout at all the people who can’t seem to figure out that arrows on the floor mean an aisle is one direction only! Feeling a bit better now that I’ve stocked up on some easier things to put together. I’m going to do vegetarian forms of the no-cook keto plates on the Diet Doctor site. I’ve got some halloumi, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, olives, artichoke hearts, cucumber and avocados to go along with the eggs. I have as much lettuce as I can eat out of my balcony garden at the moment and a few sugar snap peas now as well. I bought treats of kale chips, roasted seaweed snacks and plums to take along with me.

Anyway, I came home and had something to eat as I was feeling that my low mood might be related to not having had enough calories, and then I contacted another mortgage specialist that I was in contact with a few months ago, and he was much more helpful, so I’m now feeling more confident about my property search after talking to him. Now I just need to boil some eggs for tomorrow! In spite of the rocky day, I am pleased with how I handled my food. With my low mood and going to 3 different shops to stock up on things, it would have been so easy to just grab the wrong things, but everything I got is fully on plan. I seem to be having yet another day where I am losing more fluid than I am drinking, so hopefully all this staying on plan is finally having some impact.

Hi Rosy,
Good to see that you have managed to half your blood pressure tablets and you are feeling better😁👍.
Good luck with your house hunting Arctic fox. Hopefully all goes well with your sale. We have also been doing some house hunting back where we were living before our move here, so that we have somewhere to live when we go back, after our 2 year stint here. Yesterday we signed a contract so it’s a happier day today. We had to get our daughters to check out the property seeing as we are 1,00’s of kilometres away and couldn’t do it ourselves..good job we can rely on their judgement 😊.
I’m in better frame of mind since my last post, so I’m climbing back on the discard wagon, shuffling over and making room for everyone else that needs to climb aboard. Come on ladies let’s do this …
Windy Julz that pizza sounds delicious, will have to try that😊
There are so many delicious recipes out there and the majority of them have the ingredients we already have in the fridge so all it takes is a flick through to find what we feel like cooking really , easy 😊
Ok that’s me done for now
😊🖐️

hi all
sounds like many have had a difficult week…..so glad that we’re all able to “share the load” here
I’ve had a week of my old bursitis playing up-thankfully the flare seems to be passing, so can hopefully get back to some more exercise this week coming

Olive and Karen-my weight-loss goals are also almost identical ….we’ll all be able to do this together!
I am losing slowly but surely; weirdly, while my belly has definitely shrunk sideways view, my waist doesn’t seem to be shrinking as fast as previously-my next NSV goal is to be able to wear my overly tight bushwalking trousers when we go hiking in 5 weeks!

We’ve been invited to a friend’s for dinner tonight so I’m trying to mini-fast today and then enjoy the evening!

Arcticfox, all the best with house sale and moving-such a big stress!

have a great weekend all!

Hi all and thanks for all the cheering on. I’m back on the waggon with you Waitaminute 😊. I’m starting BSD friendly today with Greek yogurt and some nuts, chia seeds and flaked coconut + a couple of raisins (=my fav breakfast), and putting a line over yesterday.
Pizza idea sounded great WindyJulz, I have done something similar but with grated cauliflower before. Yesterday this was not on the cards though. It was the end of school here this week (yes, our schools have been open all the time – live in Sweden), and we had all the 45 children from the year of my daughters (twins) meeting up at the local football field with 5 of us parents (we’re allowed max 50 people to gather), where they played rounders, and we (all gloved up) handed out pizza. It is strange time we live in!
Anyway, with a very stressful week at work I had not thought this through properly and hadn’t prepared something else for me to eat, so I had a couple of slices.
What’s done is done. New day and new start today. Great weather and have 27 tons (!) of gravel to move in the garden, preparing for building a greenhouse (-ish) and some decking. Will take most of the weekend for the whole family – great exercise!

Hey everybody,
Sorry to hear so many people are struggling this week.
Love to all, we can do this 🤜

Hi all, ooh, and re pizza- has anyone tried the low carb pizza from the 8 week BSD recipe book- I had it this week, surprisingly pizza-like and very tasty for a base made out of grated celeriac, cream cheese and egg 😁…..my daughter made it specially for me as she was making pizza with real dough for the rest of the family.

Hello 😊
Had a successful day yesterday, cared for myself, ate 3 good BSD meals, no snacks, fasted for 14 hours and went for my walk.
It was interesting to me that I felt some relief after eating the last meal of the day and that my system was going to have a break for a few hours.
No more nausea or lightheadedness. Thank goodness! It was unsettling as my brain seemed to translate that as hunger which made me panic. No wonder I was feeling anxious. Glad that’s sorted.
Time to move on into the next phase of my BSD journey with a little more hope in my heart. I’m so happy that I didn’t stray too far. Boy has it been emotional though!! Fighting against myself…
I’m doing a long shift with the girls tomorrow so will give some time to planning what I shall take with me to eat.
Keep on keeping on everyone! 🧡🌹🍏

I reached my mini-goal today (yesterday, actually!) as I was hoping: 80kg. I started on 13 April so it’s two months. My next mini-goal is not too far away and is to have lost 15% of my bodyweight, down to 79kg. I have 4 weeks left so my aspiration is to get down to 76.5kg, which would bring my BMI down to just below 30. I know not everything is about the scales so I’ll keep up my exercise, which has been working very well so far.

@rosyapple, good to hear that things are looking better for you. I also like the feeling of giving my body a long break overnight to recover from eating. I’ve been reading books about nutrition and brain health recently, which all underline how important this is.

Quick check in from me. I have had a couple of rough week, similar to everyone else, wrestling with myself, making poor choices and learning from it. This week has been better, I know when my difficult times are – evening after dinner, and how to cope – get up, go for a walk and fight through til bed time.
And today I weighed in, down 2lbs which I’m delighted with (and a little relieved about) so a total of 18lbs down is just under 8 weeks. Another 6lbs to what seemed like an unrealistic goal at the start of all this. Can’t believe a might actually make it.
Hoping sharing this helps those who are struggling this week. Fight through it, learn from it and hop back on track. It happens to everyone and you can and will do it. It’s never going to be an easy ride – we are reprogramming ourselves and that takes time, courage and mistakes.
Have a lovely weekend, be kind to yourselves. And kindness includes good nutritious food and we know BSD food is the kindest thing we can do for ourselves, physically and mentally. And find other ways to pamper yourselves.
Fresh air, hot bath, good book….
xx

I’m relieved to be joining the positive vibe this morning. A week late my period is finally there and the ‘omg I’m too old for pregnancy and not ready for menopause yet’ panic has subsided, so I’m back in business. I weigh exactly the same as I did a week ago which I suppose under the circumstances I should count as a win. So my scrambled eggs have been logged, the next few meals have been calculated and I’m planning on making the most of (fingers crossed) plainer sailing from here on.

Phew Britta!!
And for what it’s worth, last week I weighed exactly the same as the week before – and I took that as a win. Proved the loss to that point was stable and even with a difficult week I didn’t ruin the whole thing. Good on you for getting to today!!
Happy positives.

I am unbelievable excited- day 12 for me, and this week I have lost 4 lb (I do my weight on Saturdays)- that is 6 lb since starting the diet and 8 lb down from when I was diagnosed with pre diabetes 5 weeks ago- I have never in my life lost weight this fast, and truthfully thought my body was just incapable of it!!!

I’ve also lost 2.5″ from my waist, which is of course the most important area- also my eyes practically popped out with surprise when I saw this, but to be fair, my leggings are now starting to fall down too, so there is another NSV 😂

Question for more experienced members of this diet- typically does the weight loss slow or could I be losing at this rate through the 8 weeks if I stick with it well?

Also interested to chat to ClarinetCathy if she is on this week- I play the clarinet too, I love it, altho sadly not been able to get back to it as yet post-covid illness as still having some breathing issues at week 11.5 🙄🙄

Any how, love to all, from a very excited Tulip (Clare)
xxx

Hello everyone,
It has been a turbulent couple of weeks with lots of ups and downs for many of us but what is good is that we are checking in, seeking help but best of all, keeping on with this way of eating. The current coronavirus and economic crises are not helping us with our own personal struggles and I feel we need to consider self compassion and kindness even more at the moment.

This way of eating is for life and therefore we will all have ups and downs and we have to make this work for us even when things are difficult. I honestly believe that being kind to ourselves and being patient and being positive will ensure that this way of eating and way of life can be sustainable. If we go back to how we ate prior to embarking on this way of eating we will end up where we were and we were not happy being overweight, unhealthy and unhappy. I have been a “dieter” for over 30 years. When I embarked on BSD it was like a light had been switched on. I’d been doing things wrong for thirty years. I expected my weight to drop off quickly as many people seemed to be shedding their weight very quickly but I was struggling with a slow loss. I felt a failure! However, by chipping away slowly I did get to where I wanted to be. I lost 17.5 lb in the first eight weeks (slow in comparison to others both then and now!) and 42 lbs in total in about 10 months. My point is that if we keep on chipping away through the ups and downs and keep our resolve (not easy, I know) we will eventually succeed. I think we need to believe in ourselves more. I found that comparing myself to others had a detrimental effect and I often felt a failure in comparison. Our journey is our own personal journey. We are doing this for ourselves and our bodies go at their own pace. So this week for a change I am going to try and be as kind myself as I would be to a friend and look at how I treat myself and I wonder if this will help me towards a happier and healthier relationship with choices and how I feel about myself.

I will have my weekly weigh in on Monday and post my weight, I hope I have lost a pound. Oh, and by the way, I did something amazing yesterday…. I walked 10,095 steps in one go! That is like me doing a marathon! I was really proud of myself…. what are you proud of this week?

Well done Tulip. That’s great. This is an amazing way of eating. I expect loss will slow a little but it’ll depend a bit in your body as an individual and how diligent you are.
I was just reviewing my progress and it looks a bit like this (I also weigh on a sat)
Week 1 – 6lbs
Week 2 – 2lbs
Week 3 – 2 lbs
Week 4 – 3lbs
Week 5 – 1.5lbs
Week 6 – 1.5lbs
Week 7 – 0
Week 8 – 2lbs.

Taken me from 12st 10.5 to 11st 6.5.
I find mini goals as I go, so this week below 11 1/2 is smile stone. Another 3lbs and that’ll be a stone and a half, 3 after that will get me to the 11st target. One after that will be under 11st which I have genuinely never seen or thought possible.

ClarinetCathy – your post made me smile. Well done on the walking, that’s fab. And thank you for the words of wisdom. You are so right and 40+lbs is really something.
This week I totally accepted that it doesn’t matter how long it takes, it’ll happen if I keep at it. I’ve always felt in a rush with a diet so this is new, refreshing and ‘peaceful’….

So many posts and so much positivity and compassion. I won’t respond to everyone individually, but I do want to say how pleased I am that you are feeling more balanced now Rosy. Your last posting sounded so much more upbeat and you must be really relieved that adjusting your meds has made such a change.
Tulips, some wonderful results there, both on and off the scales. Sadly weight loss is rarely linear, but we’re all unique and some will see a more sustained loss than others. Mine always seemed to be erratic, but as CC says, keep ploughing on and you’ll get to target. Just be assured YOUR body is doing what IT needs to, regardless of what others are reporting and that you WILL achieve your goal.
Having mini goals is very valuable, as hitting these help to sustain motivation and remember, they don’t need to be scales related. They can be getting into a favourite garment you haven’t been able to wear in awhile, another centimeter off your waist, or being able to achieve something exercise related, previously only dreamed of.

Morning!
All 3 girls were up and ready for their day at 5.30!
I was faced with the choice of ukulele practice in the kitchen or cartoons in the sitting room 😂😁🤣
Had a rough night with tummy ache so wasn’t ready for it! Needless to say I don’t feel like eating.
I stuck to 3 BSD friendly meals yesterday focusing on timing and content and not on calories so much. I’m hoping this will help me get back on track. Weigh in tomorrow, not sure which way it will go.
Yesterday I went shopping in small jeans, shorter than usual top and a little jacket than until now I’ve not been able to do up. Felt good!… And a few appreciative glances!! (Not that I’m interested at the moment, need to focus all my attention on myself)
Today’s challenges are staying away from the biscuits etc, keeping the girls happy and staying calm, it’s a 12 hour shift!
Hope you’re all well 🧡🌹🍏

Hi SunnyB and WindyJulz- thank you for your input re weight loss, I guess I will see how my body reacts ongoing, very happy so far!

ClarinetCathy, love that you have been chipping away at that weight….as it happens, I turned 42 in February and made it my aim to lose 42lb this year, thought that would be cool- this diet might actually help me to pull that off!! Not much progress was happening before (as usual) ☺☺

RosyApple, 5.30!! You are a superstar!

SunnyB, I am making a note now to think more about those mini goals- I have achieved 2 weight-related ones already, 1) get under 12 stone (NB I am only 5 ft and my starting weight of 12 st 3.8 lb had me at BMI 34.7), 2) lose 7lb…..3) I didn’t have a planned one re waist size but I think I will celebrate each inch off! 2.5 was a great start! 4) I think dropping under each BMI number- so now at 32.2!! I just did that on the NHS website- I thought I was still 33.something.
Sorry for all the rambling!!!!! Any how- thank you for the advice, next weight goal to get to 11 st 7 or under. But I get excited about any weight loss really as so many years of failed diets previously like a lot of us!!!

So far so good, no snaxidents, no tears! Even did some running races (me in flip flops) at the playing fields. Quite impressed myself with my speed and at not having gotten out of breath 😊 Even resisted icecream which is one of my weaknesses 🌹🍏

@tulip1 – I definitely like mini-goals although it’s more a matter of reaching them at some point rather than a particular day. Weight loss isn’t linear after all so it can be hard to predict. I do have an ideal goal for when I finish the Fast800 phase and a realistic goals based on what I’ve lost so far – let’s see!

@zuzuvela did you have this goal from the start or did you change it while doing fast 800? I must admit my goal is changing since I’ve started this WOE. or should I say WOL? anyway, first I thought, I need to be set a optimistic goal, since MM says optimistic goals seem to work better. Okay, so my goal was under 90, bmi at 27. Coming from 114. Now, I’ve changed this into my weight when I was 16, plus wiggle room, so around 84. Now I’m kind of dreaming to make it under 80, since I’m really enjoying my new way of eating, my reflection in the mirror and fitting into these crazy small sizes of clothes. Wondering if people are moving their goals as well.
DD

Hope those are kilos and not pounds DD! Like you, I adjusted my final target as I progressed, but unlike others, I didn’t lose more in transition to maintenance.
Zuzu, there’s no need to put time scales on mini goals – or indeed your ultimate goal. The mini goals just give you something more readily attainable to aim for along the way.
Tulip, that’s a great set of mini goals you’ve worked out there…. keep us posted on progress.
Rosy, good to see you have had a positive day, with much to be pleased about.
Enjoy what’s left of your w/e …. onwards and downwards!

@doubledutch – my overall goal has stayed the same: it’s to have a healthy BMI but I won’t reach this within the next 4 weeks of Fast800! I didn’t quite set a goal for the 800kcal a day phase, but I was hoping for 80kg or possibly 15% of my bodyweight at 79kg. I’ve now reached 80 kilos in a little under 9 weeks. With the extra time I have, I’ve adjusted my goals and I’m looking towards a goal of having a BMI just under 30. That’s ambitious so I hope it works like that! One of my main motivations has been to keep the time I spend on 800kcal a day relatively limited. I want every day to count so I can move on to the next phase (I’m planning to do 4:3 next).

Just to add, I’m also doing quite a bit of exercise (upper body weights and pilates several times a week, daily walks). I imagine this slows down my weight loss a bit, despite the calorie deficit every day, but building muscle, strength and fitness will hopefully make the weight loss more sustainable.

@sunny definitely kilos 🙂 I’m quite tall, so compared to your weight, I’m extremely heavy! Still, I have an Asian friend who clocks in around 40 kilo, which is 88 pounds! My current weight is 191 pound !!!

Hello everyone!
Monday morning here and a clean slate. No movement on the scales and that’s ok given the struggle it’s been over the last couple of weeks.
Had one slip up yesterday, a small bag of crisps at lunchtime. More importantly I resisted icecream and biscuits. I found that hard as they are now displayed in a glass jar on the counter top 😐 and the youngest girl is constantly asking for them!! She does take no for an answer though. Really enjoyed my day looking after them and was nodding off when I got home and fully asleep by 8.30! Shattered.
I’m going to take advantage of the cool early morning and start weeding on my allotment, it’s been quite neglected of late.
I’m currently at 13 st 2 llbs so my next goal is to get into the 12 st zone a real milestone for me. I need to see this can be done. Then I will have lost 3 st, half of which I’ve done in the time I’ve spent here with you all.
Well done on all your successes and thanks for keeping me going, needed you! 🧡🌹🍏

Well done Roseyapple! No movement on scales i think is a win given the rough week you have been through, it shows you are stable where you are and how to get it going again. Good work on the the resistances too – think we should get gold stars every time we say no to something we would always have said yes to!! I know exactly how you feel re the 12st zone -you will feel amazing once you hit it!! You ahve done amazingly well!!

I’ve had a standard weekend – over indulgence of BSD friendly foods, so calories over etc but i am actually ok with it and not going to beat myself up. I know its my pattern, i know where it goes a bit wrong (wine with family dinner on Saturday night) but given current status and how much it means to my dad to eat with us and share his wine, I think i just have to accept it. I made tasty alternatives…. well my ‘pudding’ was rubbish so i didnt eat it (dark choc chaffles with unsweet whipped cream – not good!) But i did go a bit nuts on the cheese instead.
Better than that, I know I just turn the page and get cracking with this week – one meal today, tight calories rest of the week and plenty of walking!

Thanks for posting everyone, it is so helpful to be reading stories and experiences. Lets be having a good monday!!

WindyJulz, it is indeed a win!
I think it’s nice that you share a meal and some wine with your Dad, precious! It’s about making adjustments the rest of the time I guess?
I’m thankful that I’m not a drinker, one less thing to contend with! Plenty of other temptations out there that call to me sometimes… I am beginning to talk positively to myself about these, I am not missing out by saying no. When I’m tempted I tell myself how bad they will make me feel, especially wheat products and sugary foods. Bloated, hot, tired, sad, heavy. Not how I like to feel…. and that there’s an abundance of tasty stuff that won’t make me feel like crap.
So chuffed, did 1 and a half hours weeding and 40 minutes brisk walking and it’s only 8.20am 🥳
So, on I go, feeling good 🧡🌹🍏

thanks all for the chat about goals! And yes, I don’t put dates with mine either xxx

So glad to see you in a much better place Rosy! Impressive weeding!! Top way to start off the week. Your mind set of not eating stuff that will make you feel bad is spot on!! You got this!!

I’m certainly no big drinker, can quite easily take it or leave it, and certainly cant handle more than about 3 glasses. I would happily not bother on a Saturday but dad loves to share it and I do enjoy it, so I go with it. Maybe not ideal but I’m happy making the adjustments around it and sharing times with dad, sometimes that is important. He’s 84 and says he has nothing else in the week to look forward to. He’s fairly hard work as he’s quite down (always has been a negative sort of chap) so making saturdays a wee highlight for him ios good. I know in theory I should be able to not have a glass of wine, and it shouldnt matter to him and maybe I am just making excuses, but it feels like a conscious decision now, that i am in control of and that i am happy with. Ive wrestled with it a fair bit over the past few weeks but made my peace with it. I will keep trying to ensure moderation and reduce the cheese effect of the wine!