My kids used to call my father in law grandpa when they were little they know call him grumparse.

I have just explained to my ancient mother that I am on a forum of like-minded people; where we have no idea who we are in real life, but we chat away, exchange tips and that it is so supportive. I also told her that many have reversed T2 (often in the face of real “We and big pharma know best” obstacles from their doctors) and that some have discarded in the 100’s of lbs. In her eyes (bless) I am melting away, and the concept of “the web” is tricky, but she thinks you are all fab! I agree!

Hi all – thank you for all your support and helpful comments on how you have dealt with this in the past. I read and re-read them and saved them to go back to later as inspiration. I hate to say it but it is nice to hear that everyone has fallen off the wagon (except maybe Allie???) at some point.
Arcticfox, thank you for your empathy, especially when I know you’re dealing with so much. For the record, you seem to be doing great and taking on board those lessons each time things don’t go as planned.
Sixturkeys – love the sound of your Mum and glad you’re getting to spend time together. I’m trying to focus on my rubber ball!
Verano, I admire you for your new trick but not sure I could do it as my list of downfalls is extensive…the only way I can manage them is to not have anything in the house at all. But, I’m glad that’s working for you and you’re absolutely right that starting over each time gets harder and harder.
I have had to switch to new meds for my depression (which if you’re counting, this is the fifth one since last September), the most recent stopped working and caused incredible fatigue and morning paralysis, which meant I just couldn’t function for most of the day. I gave it a good go – two monthsish but the side effects just weren’t going away so here we go again. I am just desperate for a normal sleep schedule, no more debilitating side effects and I long to wake up one morning and feel happy. Everything just has this undercurrent of sadness that rises up and can be overwhelming, yet many would say, I have nothing to be sad about. I know that’s the depression and I’m trying to think rationally but I’m so tired of dealing with this and hanging on.
I don’t know why I can’t stick to BSD at the moment, I’ve done many more stringent eating plans and I was so dedicated when I started out. I guess I have to get my mental health under control as it also causes so many physical issues as well and my serotonin is all over the place so I constantly crave carbs. If I can stabilize on these meds then my therapist and I can really start to tackle my need to binge and self sabotage. I think as we all know, very few people actually get fat for medical reasons and without being too presumptuous, we don’t overeat because we’re gluttons, which is what I thought of myself for a long time, we’re trying to fill an emptiness from some trauma. It just so happens that I picked food rather than alcohol, drugs or some other addiction to fill that hole. As a child, my mother was so terrified that I would be overweight (despite not actually being a fat kid) that she restricted my food, sent me to Weight Watchers at a very young age, made me go running with her and her friend at 6am every morning when I was ten and had all my friend’s Mums write down whatever I ate at their house. So, I know I have some issues to deal with but at least I can recognize them now and not try and take all the blame.
I know I’m probably oversharing but when I told my therapist about you all, she thought it would be good to be open since I obviously trust everyone and it’s an extra level of support that I need. Today, I had a very bad start to my morning and was lying on the bathroom floor crying for several hours, unable to get up or do anything. I don’t want to upset anyone but usually this is when I call the Suicide Hotline – all of my support people live in another country and they were still asleep and I just wanted someone I knew. So I reached out to Wendy (even though we’ve never met, we exchange emails and text and I trust her implicitly) and she was absolutely there for me. She encouraged me to take a shower and get a cup of tea and I was able to calm downpull myself together. Again, probably more than I needed to share but I am so thankful for her – everyone needs a Wendy! And thanks to all of you for reading this and being there. I wish everyone a successful weekend, whatever that means to you. For me, I’m struggling through Day 2 – I did ok yesterday, more than 800 but no sugar or bad carbs and kept the rest under 25g. It was a huge mental struggle with myself but I did it xx

Kafin13, I just read your post now and teared up. You have so much to deal with, I have no idea what to say that would be remotely helpful. I’m so glad that you have support people in your life. I think you’re actually doing stunningly well to be able to *think* about what might be appropriate to eat rather than just grabbing whatever food-shaped thing is easiest and closest. I think that’s a triumph right there.
Thinking of you, big hugs, Elky

Kafin you are amazing. Food, or lack of it, has featured so prominently in your life from such an early age that’s its hardly surprising that you struggle with any eating plan. I watched, and tried to support, a friend with mental health issues for many years and witnesssed her inability to ‘live life’. She tried many drugs and finally her medical team hit on the right one. Life is now good again for her. Hang in there you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You can’t ‘overshare’ because people can choose to read your posts or not. If it helps then you must just keep on sharing. The anonymity here may just help a little. Have a good day and just take one day, or even, one minute, at a time.

morning, kafin13. i’m so sorry for the hard time you’re having. i’m with elky and verano; you’re amazing. getting up every day and putting one foot in front of the other is in itself a victory. you’re doing fantastically well – sending all my best.

oh Kafin, it is so horrible to think of you so sad. I do hope that you will find some meds which will really support you in getting through this. I echo everything that Elky, Verano and Erin have said. And from all I have seen on here, I can imagine that Wendleg is just the kind of person you would want by your side (virtual or not) in bad moments – but also very much in good times too; those days WILL come for you Kafin. xx

Kafin, definitely not oversharing. It’s great that you trust us with this insight into your life. We are all here to support each other.
Have you ever read The Four Day Win by Martha Beck? I have found it a great resource in the past as I also have had a history of early dieting that was encouraged (but not forced like yours) by a parent and me realizing it was a way of getting praise from someone who was otherwise quite negative and demanding. She talks about how having a destructive authoritarian in your life at some point can cause your inner wild child to rebel against the imposed structure of a diet or exercise plan, even if it is only being imposed by your own inner authoritarian, and provides lots of tips and exercises for how to get around that. Also about how important it is to go through all the steps of change prior to taking action and giving each one, especially pre-contemplation and preparation stages the time they require in order to create lasting change. I found it to be a very nurturing and therapeutic book which is not something you can say about most self-help books!
I am so sorry that you are feeling so desperate. It must be so hard to have been struggling with depression for so long without relief. I don’t wish to create noise on the forum or to butt in with unwanted suggestions, and as a result it has taken me ages to try to draft this in a sensitive manner. I am aware of a treatment that has potential to offer fast acting, albeit transient relief to people with severe depression that is resistant to other treatments that is currently in clinical trials. It is possible that you have already explored this as an option, but if not I wonder if it could be worth asking your health care team if you might be a candidate for getting onto one of the clinical trials looking into treatments that balance the glutamatergic system? I do personally know people who have had major depression resistant to SSRIs that have done this and benefited but of course I don’t know how similar their situations are to yours, if at all. Anyway, I hope not to have caused any offense by offering this information.

So sorry for your problems, Kafin.

This forum is always here. We might not be online and able to respond when you are, but you can still type out a message and be sure it will be read by people who want you to be happy and healthy.

It’s totally understandable that you’re finding it hard to stick to the diet at the moment. As Elky says it’s impressive that you’re trying at all – and you’re not just trying but have made a great start.

Hi Kafin,
Like others I was moved to tears by the emotion in your post. – Even if there is no one around on the forum when you need to reach out, then please do. I find that writing about what I am feeling helps to release some of the emotion, and if writing about how they are feeling helps anyone on the forum at any time that can never be anything other than a good thing.
I share yours and Articfox’s experience of a demanding, hard to please mother. – Mine hadn’t wanted to be lumbered with a child – apparently all the old wives tales on how to cause miscarriage, from hot baths and gin to “accidentality” falling down the stairs – don’t work ——– I was stubborn little b***er even before I was born. So she coped with being lumbered with me by decided that I was going to do all the things she had wanted for her life. – Which included ballroom dancing, and to be successful I had to be slender. Only I have the rugby player frame of my dad. :-} Thankfully for me it wasn’t just my weight she focused on. I was supposed to be ladylike, and choose a nice job like an infant school teacher which I would do until I met the right man who would provide a comfortable house, and I would give up work to raise grandchildren that she could boast about to her friends. ——— I bet Allie is falling off her stool laughing right now at the idea of her ever thinking she would succeed with those aims.

Thank you for the book suggestion Articfox, I will look it up.
—————————
On a practical side for anyone who struggles with emotional eating at times. – On days you can’t stick to the plan if you stick to high healthy fat, keto levels of carbs and don’t worry so much about the calories, it will make it easier to get back on the waggon when you feel like you can.

Kafin, just wanted to send my own hug to you. I can’t add to all the wise words of sympathy and support, but am thinking of you. xx

I too am sorry you’re going through such a difficult time Kafin. I can’t add to what has already been said.
Wendy is a lovely person and I’m glad she was able to help you but I do think you should consider seeking more professional help. Of course we are all here to help and support each other but I don’t think any of us on here have the training needed for such serious situations. Hope you’re feeling better today.
On a lighter (or should I say heavier) note I’m gaining pounds by the day and the 11 stone that I’m aiming for is becoming even more elusive! However, I finally got my pension sorted yesterday and it’s on track for me to start my partial retirement on 1st July as planned. At least that’s one thing on track! I’m also going to aim to reach 11 stone by then, just in time for my birthday and my holiday 😁
Thanks JGwen for your tip about keeping carbs low on a bad day and only increase calories……that’s a green light for me and my nuts lol.
Hope everyone else is doing well and you all have a great weekend.

Dear Kafin, my thoughts are with you. We are so caring on here that even if you aren’t doing the diet for now there will always be someone there for you.
I am not 100% on the diet (weaning myself off the wine by just having a couple) but I have still managed to lose 2lbs in 3 days. Good omen for when I get fully back onto it. This morning I had a sort of fast, just didn’t feel like eating breakfast so had nothing until lunch. Had the MM recipe of fish and cream cheese dip with raw courgette, red peppers and carrot then realised I had forgotten the celery. Tonight it is grilled lamb chops with veg and celeriac mash. Keeping on keeping on…

Just checking in as it’s morning time in LA, so wanted to say quick Hi to Kafin. How are you? I do hope today is better for you; can you give yourself a little pamper session? or does yoga appeal? And hello to Wendleg too; hope you have been relaxing in the garden. xx

I feel so incredibly lucky to have you all – thank you for your support, it was the loveliest thing to wake up to this morning. I didn’t sleep very well but I’m up and showered, having a cup of tea on the couch and trying not to move so as not to disturb Albert 🙂
I’ll save all your posts and read them when I’m having a bad day and I need to be reminded that I’m loved and I have worth. I appreciate those that offered up their own experiences, parents can really screw us up even when they have they’re just trying to do my best. And I don’t want to do Mum a disservice- she is a very kind and a not in the least malicious person, she was just repeating cycles of behavior and doing the best she could. Luckily those cycles stop with me as Albert has a very positive body image! For those that think they didn’t have anything to add to help, what you said was absolutely perfect and so very genuine. I do have a wonderful therapist (unfortunately she is based in Australia as my health insurance here doesn’t provide for mental health and I can’t afford it, whereas she won’t let me pay very often) who is very experienced and the strong female figure that I seem to crave. We’re trying to get me stabilized on meds before we get back to doing the actual therapy work as she’s worried it’s a bit much all at once. Articfox – I will definitely check our the recommendation on the book and no you didn’t offend re the alternative depression therapy! I actually applied for one at UCLA (not sure if it was the same thing) for those who don’t respond well to SSRI’s bit was rejected as you need to have a psychiatrist and there aren’t any in my insurance network that are taking on new patients. The US doesn’t make it easy to get help but I will keep trying. Thank you all again and apologies if I didn’t respond to something, I’m just so overwhelmed by the support and love – how I wish I could have you all over for a cup of tea! #weneedabsdgettogetherasap xx

Allie Is all well? You seem to be quieter than usual. Hope all OK!

Hi all,
I’ve not posted all week so here’s a quick update. I’ve managed to shift 2lb this week after stalling the week before. It’s amazing how seeing the scales shift really motivates you to continue. I’ve also discovered how filling cream can be. It does actually really help to keep the cravings at bay. I’ve actually been a little naughty and just had a liquor coffee. It was ‘almost’ sun free but I only had a drop of rum in it. I’m really motivated for the week ahead as I’ve only got 2lb to go to the next stone and the one which is within my target weight. So if anyone wants a fellow cheer leader this week let me know.
I’ve also had a lovely week off and managed to spend some quality time with ever member of the family. Back to work on Monday but all my exams will be finished by Friday and then I’ll get a bit of extra time. So it’s all very positive.
One bad thing this week. I nearly got scammed on the internet paying my car tax. I’d just put my card details in and realised I had been directed to the right website. Luckily I realised just in time, but still cancelled my bank card just in case. Do take care out there people there are a lot of scammers. Luckily I didn’t get caught out, I was very lucky. The internet is a dangerous place.

SixT …you are so right , I have been relaxing in the garden with my Kindle , my pink Crocs and my silly floppy hat ! It has been so hot and sunny today so I am making the most of every minute.

None of this shameful indolence next week ! My satchel has been dusted down …reports are done…5.30 rises…oh heck !
At least it will be light when I leave so I will see the wildlife leaping out at me as I drive without my earphones !! 😉

I am actually looking forward to becoming a fasting machine again next week.. I know I am weird !!

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend . Lots of love on the thread today ….this is a very special place xxx

In spite of having a bit of an up and down week, I think I’m going to have a decent weekend as a result of a significant NSV. For the first time in ages I have energy! I feel bright and happy and I want to actually do things other than sit on the couch. The information JGwen posted about iron deficiency gave me the kick in the backside that I needed to get back on my iron and B12 supplements consistently and 3.5 weeks or so of supplementation finally seems to be having an impact. I think my sleep quality has improved as well as I no longer feel in the mornings like I’ve been flattened by something and unable to move or get on with my day. I got up this morning and immediately went over to the pool for a morning water running class that I haven’t been to in several years. Unfortunately the instructor didn’t show up this morning, so I just ended up doing my own workout anyway, but at least I got it done!
Anyway, I’m hoping that now that I’m back on track with my iron status that the weight loss piece wil start to fall into place too. After my victory with my summer trousers this week, I tried on my next size down jeans and I think they may have loosened just a little from when I last tried them on. They are at the point where I can sit down in them and some people might wear them in public, but I’m not prepared to quite yet. I was wearing them 18 months ago when I was caring for my sick horse in the bitter cold and at that time they were fairly loose and I was able to fit some wooly underwear under them, so still some way to go to get back to that, but seem to be on the right track. Once I’m able to fit into them comfortably, that is maybe when I will step back on the scale and start to track my weight properly again.

Things have been rolling along with the WOE since my holiday, but I have only reduced by 1kg in the last month.
I have set a target of 1.5kg for two weeks time, just as a wake up. I seem to be quite relaxed about dropping in and out of low carb and it shows. Though it is complicated by my injury which has stopped me walking and exercising as usual. That is healing now so no excuses.

caronl and all Allie followers ( of which they are many )
Allie is battling with computer meltdown (no, she hasn’t melted anything!) The ancient old machine she occasionally uses is impossibly temperamental and that explains her absence on the forum.

Come back soon, Allie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love and need you xxx
Off to the market here for gorgeous green veg

Have a lovely day everyone xxx

Arcticfox
I think I’m struggling with my iron levels too. Do you mind me asking what you’ve done. I’ve tried to read back on the thread but can’t find anything.

morning, everyone. just thought i’d share yesterday’s lesson for accountability!

i got all the ingredients to make the prawn korma from the fast 800 book. started the recipe going then reached for the korma paste (as mm said i should use). checked the ingredients just in case only to find the 2nd ingredient was sugar. lucky escape!

thinking on my feet i reached for the mild curry powder and turned it into a generic coconut curry. blended the sauce and put the prawns in (i may be turning this post into an actual recipe – apologies. there is a point.). while i was waiting for the tiger prawns to cook i casually checked the curry powder box… the third ingredient was rice flour (30g carbs in 100g). so in the end i scraped the sauce off the prawns and used the raitha as a dipping sauce.

i guess yesterday’s lesson was never to assume something’s ok on plan just because it seems a simple ingredient – i ended up wasting a lot of money and food. onwards and upwards!

have a good day, all.

Hi everyone, s0rr1 t0 hear about all1es c0mputer pr0blem – sorry couldn’t resist it. Hope she is back on line soon.
Erinmc, it is always a good idea to check. People used to think that low fat was good then found it was packed with sugars, then low sugar was good but it is full of rice powder. Oh how they try to trick us into using their products. But even everyday products can have danger zones. I like a particular flavoured vinegar which I sprayed on salads only to find it was 60% sugar (although natural sugars) so I stopped that. Even balsamic is full of sugar.
I have managed to lose 2.5lbs so far since Thursday, so there is hope for me to get to the 3kg mark in time for doctors appointment on 12th. Keep on keeping on…

I did the same today…picked up a little pot of what I thought was sheep / ewes milk yoghurt…tasted it ..yuk that’s sweet !! Turns out it was vanilla flavoured !! 9g carbs ! Very craftily disguised as a plain yoghurt…vanilla in tiny writing. I am usually vigilant but the carb police were beaten ..I.have organic bouillon powder here which I discovered has rice flour. Balsamic vinegar has caramel !!! Outrageous.
At least today we found bio baby spinach.. a gorgeous dense lettuce …baby avocados …mustard greens..sorrel and pleurotte mushrooms. Love the markets here ..There was even.an earring stall selling beautiful.artisanal earrings ….you know the rest 🤣🤣

Good evening everyone I hope you have all had a great weekend. The weather has been fantastic here today and I have hoovered the while house, done loads of washing, mowed the lawn and now cooking roast chicken for supper! Can’t wait as I am very hungry🤣. I am on penicillin for my abscess and I have to eat three meals a day which is a bit boring and I can’t wait to get back to TRE and fasting! 4 more days to go! I also only have 20 days until I have to get in a dress for the summer ball. Here’s hoping🤞

Kafin I am glad you were able to talk things through with Wendy, she is an incredible lady with a heart of gold and I love our daily chats. She is wise and has so much empathy and love for others. I know Allie would have had some words of wisdom for you too but as we know her computer is not letting her post. We miss you Allie. Artic fox and Kafin you are both strong women who have overcome so much over the past few months. We are all here for you and I am sending hugs and love to you both from across the pond.

Everyone is at different stages of their journeys and even though some have had slips and bounced off of the wagon we all k ow you will get back on and succeed. I am here cheering you all on. Skipping, on a mission, Patricia1066 and Scottishgal you are fantastic and I am grateful for al, your support and your guidance. We all have each other’s backs. Beegirl, CG, SG,V, Caroni and cc and many others you are such a driving force in all of our endeavours and of course not forgetting the incredible JGwen and Esnecca without you guys I know I would not be 2 and a half stone down in just 9 weeks. Thank you all❤️❤️❤️❤️

I am going into my tenth week but I know with being on tablets and having a disgusting cold I may not discard much. I am ok with this as I am not well but I am sure as soon as I am better I will make up for it. Good luck for the week ahead guys. Birdy💞🦜

What a lovely post birdy. You are such a caring and thoughtful person and so full of positivity despite all you’ve been through in the past few weeks. You should take the credit for your massive achievement in the last 9 weeks. Yes there is support and encouragement on here and lots of tips but when it comes down to it the hard work is done by you. So, well done! Fingers crossed you get into the dress in time for the ball. I have every confidence in you.
Well done on your weight loss SG. I know you’ve struggled emotionally this week so that weight loss would have been even more difficult for you. Hope your feeling better and coming to terms with your situation. My sister moved to Canada 12 years ago with her husband and 3 kids so I can see it from both sides as I get the moans from my mum about my sister….. and from my sister about my mum! Good luck with your Dr appointment.
Patricia, you’ve done remarkably well this month considering it includes a holiday. Good luck with the next target.. You can do it!
Hope all goes well for you Wendy with going back to work tomorrow.
On a mission, your incident when payng car tax really surprised me. I assumed the gov.uk website would have been secure. Thanks for the warning. Ill need to take more care when paying things on line.
Have a good week everyone x

I second that Birdy, your kind and enthusiasm is contagious.

Morning all!
Sorry I haven’t been by much – half term really curtails my forum time! Kids are back at school tomorrow though (thankfully!) So I’ll be able to keep up more – have tried to read all the mails as they come in, but not sure I kept up with everything.

JGwen – thanks for the advice re lunch at my course. My Mum’s being great and sorting suitable food for the weekend and evenings, so hopefully navigation of the time away shouldn’t be too bad. Will be interesting to see how I meet the challenge. By the way, re the nucs – don’t take them back; you can never, ever have too much bee kit! If you live near enough to get to Thornes sale in October, that’s great for discount kit, if you haven’t been before. Also, re stings; I was so nervous the year I was learning as I never got stung at all and like you, didn’t know if I’d be allergic; I was so relieved to get stung too as it’s a horrible unknown hanging over you!

So it’ll be weigh in four for me tomorrow. Interestingly, I’ve reverted to type this week; anxiety around ‘what if I don’t lose?’, ‘how will I feel?’, ‘will I give up?’, ‘does it mean this isn’t working and I’ll never lose weight?’. I know it’s all illogical, but it always starts around this time of a weight loss attempt, as losses slow and stabilise. I seriously wish my brain would just shut up sometimes!

Any tips for stopping this negative loop once and for all, gratefully received!

Hi Beegirl, Thanks for the advice on keeping the Nucs. I do plan to increase the number of hives I have, so planned to have some Nucs. – Its just me that I worked out the figures on returning the Nucs (including cost of fuel) and buying new Nucs for myself against keeping these. As it happens the Nucs my bees came in are ones which include a section so that you can feed a Nuc over winter so they are the type I would have bought for myself. But you have reminded me that I haven’t let the person I bought the Nucs from know yet that I plan to keep them.
I went to the Welsh bee keeping convention earlier this year and did some shopping at the stalls and also bought some second hand kit.
I have a book on natural bee keeping, which includes plans for building hives and thats what I want to do, but my worry is how to combine that with breeding bees. The horizontal hives seem to make bee keeping so much easier than having to lift boxes on and off stacks, but then a lot of the techniques for splitting hives involve moving the hive to one side and replacing it with a Nuc. Not so easy with a horizontal hive.
I met a bee farmer who has run his business with the help of his wife for 30 plus years but she is severely allergic to bees, needs to carry two epi pens with her when working with the bees. –
——————–
Now we have confused some other people, time to talk BSD. You asked for advice about monitoring progress and worries that you will not have lost weight this week. – Best advice is to stop measuring progress by the scales. – Look in the mirror, get the tape measure out, spend some time thinking about how your body feels and what energy you have.
Your body weight fluctuates by upto 3kg a day.
Each litre of water you drink weighs 1kg, and over 70% of your body weight is water.
Then there is the weight of the food in your digestive system if you ate 800 calories of cheese yesterday that will weigh a lot less than 800 calories of celery.
You will be increasing growth hormone if you are following a time restricted eating or fasting protocol. That means stronger bones, stronger muscles, both of which weigh more.
Fat burning isn’t linear, your body doesn’t burn all the fat out of one cell and then move on to the next one. it burns a little fat out of a range of cells replacing the fat with water. Repeating this until eventually all the fat is used up out of those cells and then the water is released. Called a whoosh effect.

——————— If you are in ketosis, are eating less calories than you are burning, and are enjoying life then just trust that over time you will change your body composition to reduce the amount of fat, and remember that it took years to gain that fat, it will take time to get rid of it.
There are 3500 calories in every lb of fat.

Weight loss isn’t lin

I take it a “nuc” is just a temporary thing to transport new bees from one place to another, where they go into a new hive? With an immature queen? Beegirl, did you work out whether the swarm was from one of your hives? What JGwen says about having taken years to put on weight, so not to expect instant stupendous results, is very true. We can get everything we want or need nowadays so quickly at the touch of a button (including maybe the complete A-Z of bee kits) so patience, and perseverance, is possibly something we are no longer so good at….but this does work, just easier or quicker for some than others it seems to me. Wendleg, hope first day back was not too much of a shock to the system. And Kafin, all ok? All best to all.

Beegirl and JGwen I love reading about your bees 🐝, it is very interesting and really makes me want to do it. I got stung last year so I know I am not allergic, but I worry about my thick but lovable lab As he has a habit of eating flying things and would probably get stung all the time. I know how important bees are to this world and hope one day I will be able to help them along by giving them a safe home. JGwen you also have your holiday let which is also something I have always wanted to do but in France. We have always driven to France and stayed in Gites that are on people’s properties and have loved it. I know it would be hard work as I have run a b&b stroke wedding venue for a couple of years before. I think it would be good to run the house and a holiday let and work for myself, again one day maybe.

So today for me is getting back into the swing of things! What with my time away for my aunties funeral and being ill I have not been logging on MFP and I have been unable to TRE as I have had to eat and take a mixture of penicillin and painkillers! But today it all changes! I haven’t eaten since 8pm last night and I am cooking my high meat low carb sausages for brunch with an egg and then back out for my second dog walk of the day and then I will supper at 8 tonight. Once the penicillin has finished I will be able to fast properly and my OH goes away for a week soon so it will be even easier. I would like to fast from the Saturday until the Tuesday to get my body back to how it was before last week. I feel a little bloated in the face and the stomach and I don’t like it. All I can do now is get back on point.

Jgwen as always your info is invaluable and I am going to listen to some pod casts and I have bought a multivitamin with iron to see if this helps. I have a blood test booked for the 10th June as they want to make sure I am not developing diabetes after having it when I was pregnant. I have probably already said this sorry if I am repeating myself. I don’t think I have anything to worry about as I am on this WOE and have lost a lot of weight since my last one. I am hoping they will get enough to test my iron levels and if I am peri menopausal.

Hoed you have a great start to your week and Wendy I hope you are ok and enjoying your first day back on the job without too much pain❤️❤️.

Hi 6Turkeys,
Nuc is short for nucleus. A nuc box can hold 7 of the frames you would find in a bee hive. Depending on the make of the bee hive there would be 12 of these frames in a brood box (the box the bees live in rather than the shallower top boxes known as supers where they store the honey)
When you buy a Nuc its usually with a mated queen. The queen makes one mating flight within days of hatching (when depends on the weather) and then settles down to breed, she will only fly again if they swarm.

Hi all, still down at 2.5lb discard and BG is good at around 5.0. Nothing much else to say, pool is still too cold to swim so I have only been in once. Need to get into some sort of routine so starting with the diet first and have been doing a few upper body weights (mainly arms) and increasing reps and weights slowly. See you all tomorrow.

JGwen – I overwintered a couple of nucs last year and kept them topped up with fondant and well insulated and they did really well. I’m interested in building a long national hive actually, but didn’t get time this winter. I think with partition boards and multiple possible entrances you could still manage swarm control. If you’re not in it, there’s a great Facebook group called ‘Women in Beekeeping’ that’s international and has folk in it with lots of different hive types and management strategies. Thanks for the advice re monitoring progress; I did remember to measure when I started so I will try to review the tape measure every 4 weeks or so. I wish I wasn’t an analyst by nature (and by job) – I’m obsessed with numbers, graphing everything, forecasting and working out statistics; very unhealthy when weight related!

6T – nope, never did work out where the swarm came from! Went through all my hives again at the weekend and all queens present and accounted for where they should be. I’ve got a couple of hives currently re-queening themselves so at a pinch it could have been a mating flight from one of them, but I think it’s unlikely. All very odd! You’re right about me needing to be patient re the weight loss – I’m very goal orientated and find I need targets to spur me on; which of course become demotivational when not achieved. I also think that as quite an anxious person, if I don’t have anything else to be particularly anxious about, I fixate on my weight as a handy target for my anxiety. I perhaps need to go back to meditating and try and chill out a bit!

Birdy – sounds like you’re back in the groove with a clear plan! Re bees – can be tricky with dogs as I know a lot like to nibble the spicy sky raisins but I think most learn (or their owners have their hives away from their property and don’t take them on inspections if they get too much of a taste for them!)

JGwen, thought of you as I was reading the newspaper just now; it’s the day of the medical column, and one of the items is headed Cognitive benefits of a high-fat diet. It refers to a man with a son with severe childhood epilepsy, who drugs had turned into a “zombie”. Anyway father with aid of dietician hit on high fat diet (butter and cream) and son quickly came off medication. I quote “The diet’s efficacy, subsequently confirmed in formal clinical trials, is attributed to the phenomenon of ketosis, where a slight acidification of the blood from the metabolism of fat reduces the “excitability” of nervous tissue of the brain. It is also possible that high-fat foods alter the composition of the bacteria in the gut in favour of those that produce the chemical precursors to inhibitory neurotransmitters”. Am just quoting!. It also mentions “currently also much interest in the merits of high fat/low carb foods for reducing weight loss [I think either the “reducing” or the “loss” are superfluous and it’s a sub-editing mistake..] and reversing diabetes” and there is mention of a new book called “The Hybrid Diet” – again just in case those who do do a lot of reading up on the science might be interested in that. No personal connection to the authors (Burne and Holford)!

6T I have just read a little bit of the intro to the book you are on about and I don’t think I can get into another book saying another diet is what we need. They are basically saying you need to alternate between eating a high fat diet (Keto) and a high complex carb one. We all know on here that the carbs are the enemy and that they turn to sugar so why are another couple of people trying to tell us that we need to do yet another diet. I know you were not suggesting we should do it and you were only pointing out what you had read, but they make me a little mad not you 6T that yet another diet should be tried and they are only capitalising on us! I know this Way Of Eating is not for everyone but it has been proven by us all time and again the amount of energy we gain from it and how much weight we discard and for me personally it is going to be the last diet/lifestyle I will ever try or do. I am sick of an advert that is on the radio too at the moment about the one to one diet as according to them unless you spend loads of money with your personal dietician, who by the way has just paid the company £££’s to be trained so they can teach you, you won’t lose weight😡 sorry guys rant over and 6T none of this rant was aimed at you just the diet world. 💞🦜

Oh Birdy, as I said I was just quoting, not “on about” anything. I thought JGwen in particular might be interested in the ketosis bit. I did not look further into the book the article referred to, just mentioned in passing, for those who are interested in the “science of eating”. I saw high fat/low carb, but from what you say it’s maybe high carb! I quite agree with the incessant diet advertising/ fad thing, and yes we all know this WoE is not a fad, and that it works. This was an article in a regular column by a GP in a broadsheet paper, not an ad or an advertorial! One of the other topics he mentioned (he tends to cover a range of subjects, referring to anecdotal pieces of research) today was that biting insects apparently don’t like the subtle change in skin odour (not detectable to humans!) caused by the secretion through the sweat glands of the vitamin thiamine (also available in marmite!). Hope the antibiotics have knocked the tooth abcess on the head; nothing as painful as toothache or earache (and I’ve had two babies!).

JGwen and anyone else to that matter. I’m I right for noticing that I become a little more ‘wobbly’, is probably the best way of describing it before you drop a bit of weight?

I know you were just quoting that is why I made sure you knew I wasn’t getting at you just the industry😉. I have heard before that the biting insects hate the taste of marmite in your system but the little devils still bit me even though I used to eat it on toast spread thick and sometimes three times a day😂😂.

I even bought skin so soft dry oil spray as that is supposed to keep them away and they still make a meal out of me! Ah well I must be THAT tasty 😋 😂.

Penicillin and painkillers have helped with the toothache thank you 6T but until I have finished the course and the abscess is gone I can’t go to the dentist to get the real problem sorted, which is a cracked filling😢. Next week I hope. Also the penicillin and painkillers have caught up with and bunged me up and have caused havoc with my tummy!! I have Kafir to try and replace the good bacteria so we will see how long it takes to get back to normal. 🙄💞🦜

If by “wobbly” you mean “softer flabby” and also almost like little indentations on fatty bits (in my case my belly!) then yes in my experience! Maybe linked to depleting fat cells being filled up with water before collapsing? Hope “wobbly” doesn’t mean ready to burst into tears as that would not be right!

Ha ha, no by wobbly like jelly. I only tend to cry when I’m angry or heartbroken, neither of which apply

Birdy,
Don’t forget to keeping drinking the ginger water/ tea. It works wonders on me if I dunk enough. There has been a recent study on mice to show that in improves healthy gut bacteria too.

Just a quickie until I can check in properly later.
I don’t want to cause any upset but could the discussion around bees pleased be moved to a thread of it’s own?
I have a serious bee and wasp phobia (personally I’d be happier if the wee buggers didn’t exist!) and all this talk is freaking me out……but I don’t want to miss out on any interesting information on the thread.
Thanks

Sorry Scottishgal – will make sure I don’t mention them again.

Apologies if this is an almost duplicate post; my wifi suddenly did none of the expected Wi or Fi…So: On a mission; glad we sorted that. Birdy, the article mentioned that spray as well (as apparently used by Marines in nuclear submarine base in Faslane (think in Scotland, famed for midges). Did you say you o/h was in the Marines? Alternative mentioned was Wrights coal tar soap. Might work for you if you do not mind smelling like the 1950s (must say I don’t find the smell unpleasant). You will have to choose location of that French farmhouse carefully in due course if you are a tasty target. I am too; I have had two nasty cases of cellulitis from insect bites; the first one led to huge blisters on my foot; looked like something particularly nasty from the Middle Ages. Thank heavens for antibiotics (which we must use judiciously!) Scottishgal, that is a good reminder that what is innocent to one is not to others!

You must taste delicious Birdy it’s the mosquitos that appear to enjoy a good feed on me. The unmentionables (sorry Scottishgal 😂) leave me alone. However, I also agree with Scottishgal and Birdy about sticking, mostly, to topic and general well being. I signed up to this WOE because it works. I really value all hints and tips that support given, I think it really helps us all to achieve real success.

Hi everyone ! Survived my first day at work, greeted by shrieks and kids lining up to give me a hug 😉 Equivalent of Year 7s not the cool older kids 😉 Going up the 3 flights of stairs was ok but still a bit of discomfort standing and I have managed to bring my follow up appointment with the surgeon a Week earlier which will be reassuring ( I hope )

Surprisingly lots of colleagues and pupils remarked on my weight discard which I had not thought would be noticeable after a 3 week absence ( and no fasting ) but there you go… I felt quite good in a light summer dress today 😉

Yes, I know about mozzies. First topic of conversation every morning for any visitors we get is how many bites they have , as if it’s our fault 😉

Wishing you all a great Week .Birdy is going to set up the new weekly thread .I will be checking in but report meetings will take up a lot of my time this coming Week and next.

Wendleg, it’s lovely to be missed and what a lovely boost that noticed and commented on your weight loss.

I can relate to visitors being bitten alive by mossies. Our old neighbour told me that you develop something of an immunity to the bites, which I think is true. I’m sure that we must get bitten as much as the visitors it’s just that we don’t react as badly. I often feel a missive nibbling and provided I don’t touch it it’s gone in half an hour.That and the fact they can’t stop scratching!
many years ago I tried b6 vitamins with no result.
Or maybe the wee beasties only like carb rich blood?

Hi all – thanks for checking on me 6T, I’m hanging in there. Had my morning text exchange with Wendy which is such a support and something to look forward to! I weighed myself this morning and didn’t go into a tailspin, I’m looking at it as just a number and a starting point. Trying to be gentle with myself and stop the binging so little steps at the moment. Hope you’re all doing well – Scottishgal, thinking of you and hoping you’re being kind to yourself too. Birdy, glad you’ve got the pain under control and hoping the problem can be fixed soon! Have a good week, everyone x