Here we are again on our favourite thread ! Thank you Verano, Allie, Sunny B and Birdy for keeping the thread going, providing advice and support as we begin or continue on the BSD path. Our friendly band of travellers are very welcoming so don’t hesitate to come and join us !
If you are struggling, please don’t disappear…keep going. We don’t judge on here ( although I nag a bit about McFlurries and fags occasionally 😉

Hi Wendy and thank you for setting up this weeks thread, I do love it here and it really does help. As you know I have been on and off the wagon but I am fully back on today and have started my two day OMAD today so I can do some damage control!🤣. Luckily I have not actually caused myself or my new slimmer body too much damage but I need to curb it NOW😳🤣🥰. Yes all of us need your nagging and some more than others🤣🤣, we love it. Here’s to another great week on this amazing WOL and I look forward to everyone joining in! Love and Hugs Birdy💞🦜

Parricia1066 – thanks for the ideas around the chicken and green bean stir fry on last week’s thread. We made a variant on it tonight (chucked in some tinned tomatoes, garlic and onion) and it was very enjoyable. I do use the Bare Naked noodles and rice a couple of times a week – they need an thorough rinse and a good sauce to give them a flavour, but serve a good purpose when you need something a bit more filling (the noodles seem more filling than the rice).

I’m going to try making some keto bread rolls off the diet doctor site, later this week, in preparation for bbq season. I used to bake a lot; cakes, breads, biscuits, pastries (croissants and cinnamon danish were my specialities) so it’ll be fun to try a totally new approach.

Second weigh in for me tomorrow – hopefully another good result; fingers crossed!

A shout out for Amz …..come and let us know how you are doing Awesome Amz xx

Looking forward to my week away. I’ve prepared as best I can. I have nuts, clementines, boiled eggs, hemp seeds and small pots of greek yogurt to take with me. I checked out the hotel restaurant menu online and it is absolutely dire. Might work for breakfast as they have a ‘build your own omlete’ option, but looks pretty bad for any other meals. Luckily there are lots of other restaurants in the area and even an organic supermarket which looks promising. Lunch will be laid on for the second day and I have no idea what it will be, and the organizers didn’t ask about any dietary restrictions. My emergency stores may come in handy.
I went for a run today. Well, more of a jog with lots of walking, but not as bad as I was expecting. I was worried how I would do as I’ve had a fair amount of pain in my pelvis and low back again recently, but it actually felt quite good. Cardio-wise I was not even really out of breath. It was my legs not being used to the pounding anymore that was the limiting factor. It was a cooler day and very windy and mentally I felt like I was clearing out a lot of cobwebs.
I have a pair of goal trousers that I am trying to fit into. They may have been very slightly looser today than last week. Still feels dangerous to sit down in them though. I would like them to fit either the same or better by the end of this week, so that will be my motivation to stick to things whilst I’m away. Have a good week everyone. I’ll check back in a few days.

Morning all. With all my transgressions, I was not expecting stupendous results, but pleased to see a bit down. 73.5kgs this morning (162 lbs). I started in January this year at 86 kgs (189 lbs), so that is a discard of just under 2 stones. I know it is much slower than others, but still very gratifying for me, and seat of size 14 jeans also roomier, plus tummy blubber is much more “malleable”, which I take as a good sign! I am aiming for 10 stones, so still 22 lbs to go (although according to NHS BMI scale, that would still put me in “overweight” category – but it is a round number to aim for). If I can get there by the autumn I will be happy. I know what the issues are….I hope all are well – ArcticFox, you seem very well organised for your trip away. Kafin, how is Albert? And Duckie? I also wanted to ask if anyone thinks an exercise bike is a good idea? And if cheaper models are worth it?

arcticfox – sounds like you’re well prepared for the time away and it’s great to hear you enjoying you run; it’s a great way to blow away cobwebs as you say. I hope to get back to it one day.

sixturkeys – exercise bikes are okay; I’ve got an upright and a recumbent one, but they were relegated to our back shed in favour of a cross trainer, treadmill and free weights. I found the bike was a bit boring – not sure why, just not my thing. I’d say if you get one, get the best that you can afford as if you really enjoy it, you’ll want it to keep going for a long time. In the end I found I preferred running outside than on the tready, so the cross trainer is what I found best for indoor. In fact, mine’s been out of action for a few years but I’m in the process of getting a tech out to fix it so I can get back to it. If I can clear enough space, I’ll also go back to lifting weights as that’s my absolute favourite for exercise.

Well, second weigh in for me today. Another 5.6lb off, which takes me to 13.4lb lost in two weeks. I’m very impressed, as that’s probably the best start I’ve ever had to a weight loss attempt, however, as I said last week, I’m not going to get ahead of myself – will see how I’m still going around week 4+ and that’s when we’ll see how it’s really working for me.

Today, I need to get at least a couple of hours digging in at the allotment – I’ll be in trouble with the committee again if I don’t make it look a bit more like an allotment and less like a jungle! Besides which, my sprout seedlings desperately need space; they’re outgrowing the greenhouse! At least it’s good exercise!

My plan for this week is the same as last week’s turned out. I will be eating BSD friendly foods but only recording any ‘snacks’ or not strictly ‘needed’ food. I found this method more relaxing and it fits in more with my social life at the moment. Slow and steady losses are my aim at the moment. Hope everyone has a good week.

Morning Arcticfox you have planned so well and I am sure you will find what you need to get through this week. You should be so proud of yourself with all that forward thinking, especially when the company didn’t ask for dietary needs or wants🤬. You go for it and we look forward to hearing how you navigated it.

Beegirl that is a fantastic discard so far, amazing 😉, I was like you after two weeks but I am now in my 8th(I think🤣) and I have discarded more weight and half an inch off of my waist, hips and underbust(it is the only ones I can measure myself🤣). So be assured your discard will continue. According to MFP I have discarded 30.8lbs since April 1st😁 and I am sure you will see results too as the weeks pass. Have faith this WOL works.

I hope everyone has a great day and we look forward to reading your posts Birdy💞🦜

Love all the positive posts and hearing about your progress! I survived the hen do!! I planned everything out and was super determined to stick to low carb and low calories. I aimed for under 50g carbs and under 1000 cals, knowing I would go over that but it did help to keep the numbers down. Temptation was eeeeevvvveerrywhere! The whole weekend was about carbs but I was armed with my bag of nuts and the odd apple and I can’t believe I actually resisted pretty much everything. For takeaway I avoided the pizzas and burgers everyone was having and I had a cocounut chicken soup which was delicious. On the Sat I had the fajitas that everyone else was having, but in a bowl without the wrap. I got some funny comments but mostly people left me alone. There were a fair few drinks on the Saturday but I stuck to vodka and soda and then on the Sunday I finally gave in and had the afternoon tea as a treat. it was amazing, but incredibly sickly and I regretted it afterwards as the rush of sugar made me feel so ill. It’s made this week a lot easier as I know I can do it and that sickly feeling is fresh in my memory. So now it’s been less than a week and I’m already down 6.4lbs!! It’s the first week back on it so it’s always a big drop, but I feel so much better for it.

Thank you everyone for your support and tips 😀 My weight loss chart is finally beginning to trend downwards again, after slowly gaining some of the 37lbs I lost last year! It’s taken 5 months but I’m finally back on the BSD wagon 😀

Verano I like your treat technique and I’ve used that in the past and think it really works for highlighting how much of your nutrition and daily intake is coming from treats. I often find if I’m struggling to meet a calorie target doing that shows me that the reason I’m hungry is cause I’m treating myself too often, even if they are ‘healthy treats’.

Hi,

I’ve posted this in last week’s thread because I see it as last week’s achievement, but Birdy kindly suggested that I post it here.

3 lbs last week which makes a total of 12lbs in 3 weeks – wow

To add to that I’m feeling proud of my lunch. Smoked trout, caught and smoked by my husband, with home grown asparagus and spinach. Not many food miles here!

Morning guys, that’s quite a lot of good progress from all of you, well done x

I’ve just been for a long walk out in the sunshine, it was really nice.

I’m going away to London tomorrow and Thursday so I may not be on here for those times.
I’m not going to be strict but I am still going to aim to stick to low carb, where possible.

I went round a friends yesterday evening and even though there was pizza and cake on offer, I had none, I actually found the smell didn’t seem as nice as it used to.

G’day mates! The first day of this week is starting to wane for me. I woke this morning to a fasting BGL of 14.2! 😝 and a weight of 83.6kgs so I post it here as a starting point. We all have to have one of those. 😉 So this is mine. Today I managed to stick to the 800 cals! Yay! Proud of myself as by the time 3pm came around I really had to fight the urge to hit the fridge and then at 5pm the bottle 🍷 and then 7pm…. someone, anyone! 😂😂😂😂 So pleased so many have shared their success with weight loss today as this is my inspiration for getting back to the Fast 800. I know my BGL should be enough motivation but for some reason it is not. I have endured 18 mths of gruelling hormonal torture which ended with a hysterectomy back in Dec and all that time food was the only thing I found enjoyment in. But now with my BGL sky high I am telling myself if this is what it takes to get my BGL back to normal then at least I am going to look great in a size 10 outfit because that is what I am aiming for! 3 dress sizes to go! Yeah! 💪 Looking forward to seeing the results of this week and hearing all your stories. We are going away for the weekend so I too have been menu planning. I must buy some soda water and lemons as a chilled glass of this with a twist of lemon is a great drink to enjoy, while others are having a G&T, with minimal calories. Chin up! Tomorrow is another day to watch the weight fall away! 😁 Let’s how so anyway. Night all! 😴

Have a good week everyone. I wont be on this journey but will be watching out for you all and your successes. See you all on the next round. Keep on keeping on…

Wow this is turning out to be positive day for everyone and that is amazing🤗. We will miss SG❤️ The sun is shining here in Blighty and I am on a real high, even though I have toothache😢. But I have clove oil until I can get to the dentist. Keep on keeping on guys we are doing amazingly❤️❤️💞🦜

Should have said, lost 1.5lbs and BG down to 5.2. Yeahhhhhh

Well done, 6T (and everyone else) – Albert seems to be doing just fine but I really want to get the radiation treatment done as the pill every 12 hours is just not practical. Waiting for the coordinator to call me back.
I haven’t posted much of late as I’m having to transition to new meds and I don’t feel good physically or mentally but rest assured, I read all of the posts and it’s something I look forward to every morning and throughout the day XX

Hi Kafin, I did try the email address again…and again a bounce back…So what is the next step in the child advocacy? I don’t know how this might happen, but I am thinking a meet up at say Charing Cross or Victoria station when you are next en route on work in Europe would be very nice!

That’s such a bummer, 6T – if you’re on Instagram, you can search for me using kafin13. Next step in Child advocacy is five weeks training, starting this Wednesday evening plus a half day of observation in court and another half day in court with the kids who are waiting for their cases to come up. Then graduation (formal I guess because we’re now officers of the court) and for most, that’s the day you get assigned your first kid. It’s quite extensive!
A meet up would be lovely if I can make it work!

Sorry I haven’t had chance to post today , folks but I will catch up tomorrow !
I celebrated my 61st birthday today , which involved a very special Skype session with some very special friends ! xx

Wendy a massive happy birthday to you lovely lady ❤️❤️

Happy birthday Wendleg!
Off to London today, will check back in tomorrow evening or Friday.
Keep up the hard work guys 😀

Belated Happy Birthday wishes, Wendleg.

Happy belated birthday Wendleg. I’m hope you thoroughly enjoyed your day.

Thank you so much for your lovely messages. Guests, and the beautiful sunshine have kept me away from the forum again today so I only got chance to skim through the posts.

I am not far away though …

I still haven’t seen Amz ??

hi there! i know i’m a bit late but hoping i can still join? today’s day 1 back on the bsd. lost 3 stones on the 8 wk bsd in 2016 but life plus lager plus baguettes = back where i started.

i had a massive cry about it, now i’m ready to sort it! any advice/tips gratefully received.

thank you!

Hello everyone .Lovely hubby has taken the guests out today for a train ride to a lovely little market so I have the house and garden all to myself !

So I am enjoying catching up. Hope those who were planning trips have a good time and don’t return feeling despondent ! Thinking of you articfox , Niknak. Have a good weekend, Panda !
Hope you are having a lovely family time, SG..and congrats on your discard and BG results !!
Well done , great resistance Lolly..rocking that hen do !
Glad to see you with us, Puddy, you are doing so well. Your home grown food sounds fab. Hubby’s veg patch is looking good here but early days.Things get munched by critters before they have had chance to emerge …
Hope you are having a good day, Kirsten.xx Love to Albert the Burrito 😉
Hi On a Mission, Hi Skipping. You must be glad to have the house back to yourselves !
Hi Bee Girl . I wonder how JGwen’s new bees are coming along ?
Nights are nearly over Birdy, stay strong girl ! Rocking those red shorts, you little Red Devil 😉 😉
Have a good day , V !
Of course you can join us erinmc82 ! Welcome. You know what to do ..you know what works but maybe start by walking away from the baguettes and liquid bread 😉 They are not your friends.
Crying done…get planning your menus for the coming few days and shout out if you need help. The key is keeping your carbs really low to ultimately crack the cravings…but you probably know that 😉
I am going to take my book and coffee out into the sunshine now .xx
6T put that fag down, I said !!!

Amz !!!!!!!!!!!!! How are you ? Check in with us when you can. Looking forward to hearing from you xxxxx

Just popping by to say ‘hi’ everyone.

I’m really struggling for energy today – few nights of bad sleep and I’ve just got no energy; ended up using some holiday time to finish work early yesterday as I was so tired. I should be at the allotment digging, but I’m pottering round the house and garden instead, doing up some old wooden garden furniture and will probably clean out the fishtank a bit later.

Dinner last night was really delicious so thought I’d share it: cod fillet, coated in dijon mustard with a topping of almonds, lemon zest, olive oil, salt & pepper and dill on a bed of spinach cooked with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Yum!

Pace yourself Bee Girl . If you need a less active, no digging day, that’ s ok. Sounds like you are still doing plenty !
Love the sound of your dinner !
Follow my lead and have a snooze in the garden 😉

Hiya!
I had a good trip, really enjoyed myself, did a lot of walking, following by dancing (I went to a concert) followed by even more walking this morning and my legs are really aching right now.
Food wise, it wasn’t perfect I leaned towards low carb meals, wasn’t concerned about calories and had a couple of treats (ice cream and chocolate covered strawberries).
But, it was massively more well behaved than I have ever been on a trip out.
I don’t think I’ve knocked myself out of ketosis as I haven’t felt any different/no hunger pangs, even though I haven’t eaten since midday.
So I’m actually quite happy with that. Back on track from the moment I got home.

Hello everyone,
I confess I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks and this is such a useful and encouraging thread, with such a supportive group of people, that I wondered if I could join in too?
I’m not really sure what to say by way of introduction? I’m Australian so heading into winter, very envious of so many comments about being out in the sunshine. And I live in Canberra, so we get a real *winter*!
I’ve got heaps of weight to lose but, you know, I didn’t put it on overnight so I’m trying to tell myself not to be discouraged when it doesn’t disappear overnight either.
I’ve been dieting one way or another for a while now and had some success but I only returned to low carb in the last couple of weeks (I did it years ago with some success). I didn’t *want* to because I never met a refined carb I don’t like, but it is what I need to do. I just need to accept that.
So I went back to people like Gary Taubes and told myself to suck it up 🙂
I was very excited by some posts by JGwen here which introduced me to the concept of autophagy – and Jason Fung – so I immediately read up on that and tried fasting too! So far have managed 2 longish fasts, so I’m quite keen to explore that more. A wee bit disappointed it didn’t result in more change on the scales, but every little bit helps, right?
As you can probably tell, I find it a bit too easy to latch onto something new rather than stick with something long term… 🙂
Anyway, not sure what else to say, except hello everyone!

Morning all,
One more day to go one then a lovely week off. I’m ready for it and looking forward to a long weekend with the family.
Hello newbies, well done for making those first steps. You won’t look back.

Hi Elky,
Welcome to the forum. I am glad you found the information on Dr Fungs work helpful. You mention that you were disappointed on the amount of change on the scale. – The scale is a poor way to judge progress for a number of reasons.
1. We think of water as being calorie free, but it does have weight, 1L is 1KG. Combine daily water intake with the weight of any food in your digestive system (800k of cheese weighs much less than 800k of celery) and you can expect up to 3kg fluctuation in your daily weight.
2. When we fast we also increase the generation of growth hormone. This is the system which supports building stronger bones, responding to exercise by building stronger muscles, so your weight may increase while inches are lost.
3. Most of the rapid weight loss that people report at the start of their journey is fluid loss. Our bodies hold on to fluid when we are eating a lot of carbs because it needs it to process it. As soon as you cut down on carbs the body can release it. –
4. Finally 1lb of fat contains 3500 calories. Dr Fung says that the best most people can achieve if they fast for a day is half a pound of fat lost.

I’ve returned! Thanks to everyone who was thinking of me while I was away. I was thinking of you too and it helped keep me more or less on track, athough things were not perfect by any means. The first thing that happened was that I forgot my dress shoes in my office and didn’t realize it until I was halfway through the 4 hour drive to my destination. I had to try to find a pair of decent shoes in a strange town and that had me in a bit of a panic. Luckily my hotel was right across from a shopping centre and I scored a fabulous pair of summery shoes that are nicer and more comfortable than the ones I forgot. I haven’t had a new pair of shoes in ages, so this felt pretty good.
Next, the mini fridge in my hotel room froze my carefully prepared hard boiled eggs completely solid. Even once I got them thawed out, they were rubbery and quite disgusting, so I couldn’t eat them. Luckily for breakfasts I still had yogurt with hemp seed and clementines. The first night I went out for dinner with some colleagues and they were having great feasts of pasta, while I had a salad. I had asked for the dressing on the side in case it was sugary and unfortunately they didn’t follow that instruction. I hate wasting food, so I just ate it as it was rather than sending it back. It was a bit sweet, but I also think my tastebuds are changing, so I might not have found it sweet a couple of weeks ago. The others had a dessert to share among them but I didn’t take part. I was lucky with the laid on lunch as it was a build your own fajita thing with salad. I had salad loaded with fajita fillings including guacamole, olives, cheese and pickles and it was fantastic. I had to present after lunch and it was a difficult one as there were over 90 people in the room and I was really on the hot seat for part of the time answering difficult questions that were being thrown at me. I fell down at the final dinner a little as there was only one truly BSD friendly option at the restaurant I went to and it was salad. I had a little revolt against salad as that was all I had eaten for the last 2 meals and ordered a veggie burger. I could have ordered it without the bun I suppose but hindsight is 20/20. I went for a good walk after to try and blunt any insulin response. Didn’t feel very hungry this morning and I needed to get on the road to make some appointments, so I delayed breakfast until after my first appointment. I stopped at a supermarket to get some things for lunch and ended up with strawberries and camenbert, which seemed quite decadent. I passed the ready made sandwiches on my way in and they did not look appealing at all.
I tried on my too tight trousers when I got home, and they certainly fit no worse than before I went away. Hard to tell if they fit any better. Maybe just a bit through the legs. I’ll have a super busy day in the office tomorrow catching up on everything that has been waiting for me. Look forward to catching up with everybody here too!

Morning guys I am sat in bed with my coffee and cream and going through the posts so far today before I retire for some much needed sleep. Night shifts are over for another week! Hooray 😀.

Good morning and Welcome Elky! We don’t mind lurkers as you usually turn into newbies eventually. I must say before this forum I had never don’t anything like this before and I am sure people find it a little scary at first. JGwen is amazing at the science stuff!😀. In fact we all bring something to the forum and I am sure you will too. All the best on your journey and see you soon🤗

Arcticfox you were meant to leave your dress shoes at the office!😊. I do believe a lot of things happen for a reason and you doing so helped you get a better pair! So we won’t put it down as accidental and memory loss we will instead say it happened exactly as it should have🤣❤️

6T I have checked all folders and there is no sign of your email😢. So let’s give it one more go! Bsdangels&800£&gmail com. You need to take out all the symbols no spaces between the angels and 800 all one word and you need to put an @ sign before the gmail and I am sure what follows before the com. Best of luck.

Glad to see you all here and posting!🤗. I hope you all have a lovely day!❤️, I am off to sleep now. Love and hugs Birdy 💞🦜

Welcome Elky, I hope you will find us a helpful welcoming bunch – and there are some other Aussies here too. I am sure Ducky will be along to say hello. Good to hear that you are already adopting the low-carb approach. There is a lot of useful information on this site, and on http://www.dietdoctors.com, including lots of tempting healthy recipes. I would suggest that you first concentrate on the basics. Drop the white/beige carbohydrates (flour, sugar, rice, pasta) and over-sweet fruit, and aim for 800 cals a day max. Drink lots of water, and get plenty of sleep. You will see that many say this is a marathon not a sprint: a long term commitment to healthy eating. Your tastebuds will change, and you will not miss (or hardly) the processed food and sickly sweet carbs.

You can get more sophisticated in due course with the macros/fasting patterns etc. Sometimes people find that the weight discard slows, and they need to refine their approach. But I would start with the basics, take lots of measurements, and marvel at the difference this way of eating makes!

Wave to Elky and all the other newbies. This is a wondeful site and full of lovely people and helpful info.
I’m in Melbourne so like you we are coming into a cold snap as autumn finally arrives.🌧🌧 Time to look at the thread on soups!
For some Australian info I found lowcarbdoctors.com.au an interesting site with some useful videos. I’ve been on Fast800 with 20g or below carbs for 9 weeks and feel so much better. Much improved energy, reduced brain fog, and much reduced arthritic pain. 👍 as well as the kilos discarded.
There’s always someone here to lend support and answer questions. The “take a look at this” thread also has some excellent links ( use the search box at top of page to search take a look).
All the best! And one day at a time.

Morning guys.
So even though I wasn’t on plan for a few days this week and I haven’t done my normal amount of exercise as I was not at work (and therefore not at the gym as it’s next to my workplace), my week 3 ended with another 1lb down, I’m happy with that.

I hope everyone else is doing well and welcome to the newbies.

thanks for the kind welcome, everyone!

day 3 today and yesterday i accidentally had 902 calories. annoyed at myself but then realised i’ve been doing things backwards.

1) decide what i fancy to eat for the day
2) weigh all ingredients
3) make meals
4) eat and enjoy, generally being smug
5) put recipes into mfp
6) realise i’ve eaten too many calories
7) sulk

so now i’ll go
1) decide
2) put recipe into mfp and adjust ingredients/portions to acceptable calorie count/macro
3) weigh
4) make meal
5) eat and enjoy, generally being smug.

you live, you learn i suppose. also my fast 800 book comes today so that’ll help.

hope you all have a wonderful weekend. thanks again for having me!

I know that some of you, prompted by Esnecca, are reading up on fermented foods. I spotted a short article, on a study at University of Leipzig, which might interest you. In brief, “The German team studied proteins on the surface of cells in fat tissue and immune cells called hydroxycarboxylic acid (HCA) receptors. Most animals have two types of HCA but humans and other great apes have three — perhaps to enable us to eat rotting fruit and vegetables. When consumed, lactic acid bacteria — which turns milk into yogurt and cabbage into sauerkraut — produces D-phenyllactic acid in the gut. This binds strongly to this unique third HCA receptor, spurring the immune system into action”. I am still wary of exploding jars, but might try a small experiment…Dreary start to day here; hope it clears up, and grey skies do not herald a bank holiday wash-out.

Erin- please don’t get upset over 900 calories, it’s still very low and still working for you. But I do agree that planning the recipe and calories out before you make it is better for you.

6T- by “spurring the immune system into action” did that mean your immune system is boosted/improved?
If so then I can attest to the fact that since I have been using probiotics I have only been ill once in 3 years even though people were dropping ill around me.

Hi everyone, sorry I’ve been out of the loop for the past week, I went to see my brother and his family for a few days and then got caught up with work. I’ve just managed to read the messages and I must say you are all so encouraging and positive, you’ve really improved my mood this morning.
I was a little fed up as it’s the end of week 3 on the new WOE and I only lost a pound this week, I know I should be happy with that but the initial weight loss was so good (12lbs in 2 weeks) that I guess I was just hoping for more. Especially since even when visiting my brother I stuck to the plan despite an abundance of temptation including homemade desserts and alcohol. The OH ate how he pleased and had a few glasses of wine and yet he has lost more than me this week.
However from reading other posts I know that this happens sometimes and I’m still happy to be sticking to the plan. This week I have noticed that some of my cravings are back, I didn’t really have any in the first two weeks, but the past couple of days have been hard, I didn’t give in to any of them though so I guess that is a positive change.
Most importantly, whatever the scales say, I feel so much better, my skin is better and I’m sleeping better in general, and you’ve all help to improve my mood this morning so thank you. Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi NikNak – I was just quoting verbatim from the article I saw, because I know for example that Wendleg and Birdy are reading up on home fermenting and thought they might be interested – I wouldn’t know an HCA receptor if I fell over one! Do you make your own fermented foods or yoghurt? Your immune system does seem to do very well for you. And I agree for Erin, 900 cals is still low – maybe you could work out average daily consumption before and you might see how big the difference is! Also, the plan started out as Fast 500, now Fast 800!

I do make my own yoghurt, I have tried making kefir in the past and it did work for a while but I got fed up with it so I just buy it every now and then.
I buy kimchi and kombucha sometimes aswell, but that depends on when I fancy them.
I only just about understand what the report is saying and I’m a scientist. I think it could also be saying that the receptor would alert the immune system that the bacteria is there so the immune system can check it is not a “bad” one, but as the immune system is then active, this would boost your immunity in general.
I may be wrong though.

Here is the link to the University page (which has a link to the full article in a science journal).https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/newsdetail/artikel/bacteria-in-fermented-food-interact-with-our-immune-system-2019-05-24/ -for those who are interested – Niknak, you might be able to summarise better than the short article I just spotted!

Yes, so it’s been known for a while that probiotics do boost the immune system but it was never known exactly how. So that’s what they were researching.
The bacteria give off the d-phenyllactic acid in the stomach, this binds with the receptor (imagine it as pressing an alarm), the immune system is alerted that there is a foreign substance.
Therefore activating the immune system.

That is very clear synopsis – thank you – and presumably the general immune system activation then has wider effects, ie it’s not just focussing on whatever foreign substance has pressed the alarm? Hence the benefits which had already been established but more anecdotally? Wendleg and Birdy, do let us know how you get on with your own first batches! Sun is putting in an appearance so off into the “great outdoors” now. Have a lovely weekend all.

It doesn’t state any further but I do think that would be the case. If the immune system is already active, (but not under stress) I assume it is more likely to pick up other foreign substances more readily.

Hello lovely people ! Guests have left so back to a more normal routine here. I am still sorting my ample clothes so it should all be done by the end of the weekend. Then I have to start on my reports on Monday, get them out of the way so I can go back to work feeling serene and organised ( that’s the plan anyway !)
Glad you are back on track Niknak…great discard !
Welcome Elky.We have a few lovely Aussies on here who are sure to pop by.( Hi MerryMelba ! Glad you are doing so well !! )
Stay with us Elky and I guarantee those refined carbs will lose their appeal ! Fasting is a great tool…you just have to find the rythm that works for you. Staying low carb and eliminating the nasty processed and white carbs is key.Make sure you drink lots too.I have just seen caronl has given you loads of good advice ! Hi caronl !
Have a great family weekend and week off, On a Mission !
You coped very well articfox ! Well done !
Birdy..relish the thought of no more nights for a while, that’s great !
Erinmc82. You were a bit harsh on yourself there ! There is a bit of trial and error at first but you will find your way, no worries. Stay with us
SixT I am still in the reading/research phase of Fermenting as I keep getting waylaid by my tycoon busines woman activities ( I’m pretty hopeless really !!)
Thanks for the info. The science bit sounds a bit complicated for my poor brain but I will persevere ! I already have my conserve jars .. 😉
Stick with it gokiniruth ! The cravings will gradually lessen and don’t worry about comparing yourself with O/H.
The sun has finally come out here too so I am going to take my book into the garden. Have a great weekend everyone.
I am still concerned that Awesome Amz hasn’t checked in this week…..