Hi everyone ! I hope I can inspire you to keep going for another week . I was so pleased to see Gattina returning last week and to welcome some new members .
How are you getting on ?
It’s mid November , let’s look forward to brighter days and happy celebrations. I was just thinking yesterday that Thanksgiving is beckoning . I wonder how celebrations will pan out this year ? . We are hoping for an easing of restrictions early December ‘(in France) and wishing for a brighter end of year for you all .
There is still time to make a difference so please come and join me . I am still imposing a lockdown on choc and almonds !!

Let’s just do our best , together
Wendy x

It was lovely to see Gattina responding to our shoutout last week and I never lose hope that others will return !

SunnyB
Merrymelba
Niamh and Dean ( Neegan)
EC
Caronl
Clarinet cathy
Bryla
Windyjulz
Georgiejeorge
Olive 1
Puddy
Dreamscometrue
Gattina
melH
rosyapple
LovesGroodles
timetochange
Patricia
Articfox
Double Dutch
PTR
Britta
Film24
Rebeccakershaw
JGwen (of course !!)
PlumpGoose
Russianroulade
DebbieDarko
weebleswobble
nicoles212
Steviep
Zuzuvela
Frog
GreenGal
EachPeach
SusieMac1957
Limes254
Butterlover
PhoenixBurns
Quetzal
Waitaminute
Riccoh
Tulip1 (Clare)
ADD6605(Dawn)
Gyllb
EllieAllegra
Roheryn
AuroraB
Sweetgirl
BlueSkyz
Karenwm
SusieMac1957
Jeremy Fisher
ClemFlo
LR800
Eowyn
Kevlondon and Mrs Kev
Scubado
Lulu16
Shammy
sunshine-girl !!!
Beattie66
2eviltwins
Violinist ( Catherine)
Sarah 1968
Angelsand
Lecurie
Choccybuttons
Sonz
AnnieW
Sixturkeys
Urchin
Delabodge( Clive)
Calliope Swan
O2BSkinny
Ghudugi
PSL68
EclecticRajistani !!!
Lily
Luella
Mumof4in France
GardeningChef
Gill33UKS
Squidge !!
No more banquets
Weightykaty
Petiteketo
Humphrey1
The other me
AMZ !!!!!!!
Gooner
Justjudy
mumofStig
Missamd9
Peanutbutty
Sunnysideup
Stephen J
Fattystar
1960smp
Nhatha 3432 (Nick)
Happyseaswimmer
TJ
Reuby 19
Zoelazer
Rainey
Gordosh
Mifoz
Energisedby800
James3891
SamG67
SusieQ102
Rainydays 42
RubyG
Shally
LA

Hi everyone and thank you for including me on another weekly thread Wendy.I’m mainly posting on the Countdown to Christmas thread but still read this one most days.I have been losing and regaining then same few pounds for ages now but feel I’m finally in the right frame of mind to keep losing😀 I found my old food diaries on MFP from early last year when I did really well on Fast800 so using those to help plan.Hope everyone has a good week.Dawn

Hi Dawn ! Good to see you ! Yes, we still have time to make a difference before we see the end of 2020 and all the best for this week xx

Hi there, still awaiting the return of my desktop, and I hate using a phone for this. Nevertheless, here goes:
On the 16th November I weighed in at 95.4 kgs, which is a loss of just 1 kg over the previous week. Pleasingly though, I note that I am now no longer listed as being ‘Obese’ but ‘Overweight’ instead!

So, from a starting weight of 118.6 kgs on 17th August, I have now lost a total of 22.2 kgs, which is 3.48 Stones or 47.72 lbs. I shall keep going until Christmas Eve, although I do have my first scheduled day off the diet on 14th December as it is the birthday of a very good friend of mine, who will have by then, been deprived of his drinking partner for nearly four months.

I’m in for the week. Thank Wendy for keeping us motivated. I so so appreciate it.
I’ve had a decent couple of weeks, definite drop of 3.5lbs last week which got be back to 11st 3 (best I’ve ever been thought this is 11st2 with an ultimate goal of seeing 10sts something) but every time i get to this point i seem to ease up and plonk 4lbs back on instantly! So I am digging deep and really pushing for those 3.5lbs over the next 2 weeks. I’ve sworn off the wine though november (not that a drank a lot of it but a glass or 2 on a saturday had a tendency to lead me astray!!) and it seems to be helping along with much after dark walking and a tightening up on ‘after dinner yogurt’! Oh and 1 x 24hr fast and 1 x 36hr fast a week – fasting makes me feel good and at peace as there are no decisions to make!
Really hope i can push through this milestone……..

Have a good week folks, let us know how its going and what your plans are. Hope you are all keeping well and making what you can out of current challenges.

Hi Everyone.Im still persisting.I was really pleased that my pants have been loose lately and today a favourite pair in a size smaller fitted comfortablely.On the scale I’m 85kg exact. Some of it may be dehydration as I’ve been forgetting to drink when Im busy. Overall I’m discarding 1kg every 10 days which is ok if I can maintain consistent results.Especialy as I’m not exercising much.I hope to get back to the gym next week.Thank you Wendy for always setting up the week.I hope everyone is staying well and coping with lock downs .

Thanks Wendy for these threads.

I’m still here, very much a newbie but into our 4th week and doing well.
The scales and clothes are showing the difference and keeping the motivation levels up, but still a long way to go for both of us.

Keep at it everyone!

Good morning all
Thank you Wendleg for such a lovely welcome and Sunshinegirl and Verano for your stories. I’m in for another week – hope it’s OK with everyone as I’m doing the meal replacements rather than using food.
My father had T2 diabetes and I watched him take more and more medications, then insulin and a long list of diabetes related complications. I don’t want to get there just yet – maybe when I’m in my 80s when it may be inevitable but I’m not ready for it yet. I didn’t get on with Metformin so I refused to take it and insisted the GP prescribe something else – I’m taking Sitagliptin. Not sure how effective it is, like all diabetes medication you do have to make good lifestyle choices to help them along.
I’m getting used to the meal replacements – 4 a day and 250g of non-starchy veg. I’ve made the veg into a minestrone so that I can eat something delicious. I’m getting around 75g of protein a day which is way more than I did using food – as a vegetarian I always struggled getting enough protein on 800 calories. The carbs add up to 90g a day.
I’m down 8.5lbs in my first week taking me to 16st 6lbs. My weight in January was16st 5lbs and I would really like to end this year with a weight loss. My next session with the weight management clinic is in 2 weeks time – not sure how this will pan out but I appreciate all the support on this forum.
Good luck everyone, have a fabulous week and stay well.
X

Hi everyone, another week. It is okay you are on meal replacements Gattina as that is what you are being recommended. In order to see if their plan works you have to stick with it. You are doing great so it is working for you. I am assuming your BG is being monitored as you can go down very quickly with such a diet. Me personally on BSD went from 180/190 to 150 in less than a week and then down to 130 a few days later. I am now regularly around 80 to 100 which is perfection to me. Gives me a HbA1c of around 6.0 when I have my 3 monthly checks. I have reduced insulin from 40 units daily to around 26.

Not totally on plan over the weekend and dithering around the 77 kg mark again. Ever the optomist I look back to August when I was 79.9 kg and even further to when I started the diet when I was 84 kg. Could really do to lose another 5 to 10 kgs but not really bothered as long as I dont go up and I keep my BG’s low. I guess I really should say I am on maintenance but with hope of being slimmer. I will keep going with the hope of losing a bit more for Christmas – so I can put it back on – yes, I know that makes no sense but we all do it. No good saying I am sticking to my diet at Xmas although one year when I was super strict, me and my daughter decided Christmas was just one day and had a blow out and then straight back on plan the next day. I don’t think there will be too much indulgence as we are not buying loads of food ‘just in case’ as it will be just the two of us. Hubby wants a Christmas pudding but I hate anything with candid peel so I will probably have a much lighter dessert. We will see. Have a good week and stay at home if you can, if you cant then go out. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi all,
I’m in for the week. Had a good week last week and for once managed to stay on track over the weekend as well so weighed in on 72.5 kg Monday morning – down 2,5 kg from last week (but I had a bit of a bump up last week so the loss is not that big in reality).
Was pleased about the weekend as I tried to focus on not having carbs and only had some wine on Saturday night.
Like you WindyJulz, I’m enjoying the fasting. I normally do 16:8 on a daily basis just by pushing breakfast back to a late morning yogurt treat instead (keeping a sharp eye on those raisins that try to jump in…). Over the last two weeks I have tried to do Mon, Wed, Fri with 24 hour fast – so I only eat dinner. I find that the Monday fast corrects me from the weekend and puts me right back in ketosis and that is motivation to stay clear of carbs when I’m eating as the ketosis will keep going. The Friday fast is good to set me up in the right mood for the weekend and to make sure I don’t overindulge on Friday night.
I’m only 0,5 kg away from 20 kg loss (since January) and 3,5 kg away from being in the healthy weight BMI. I was hoping to get there my Christmas. Like you say Sunshine Girl, I know there will be some weight gain over Christmas, so the better position I am in before the better! And I would like to make it only Christmas indulgence rather than December indulgence which has been the case for me in the past.
Hoping you are all well and lovely to read about the progress for everyone!

Hi and thanks Wendy.
Last week wasn’t the best for me but at least I know why. So it’s back to my notebook where I log the foods I don’t want to eat each and tick each one that I’ve succeeded in resisting at the end of the day. The notebook system works really well for me especially when I have a full row of ticks!
I also use the timer on my phone to remind me to drink water and move around a bit. That also works.
Anyway, hope everyone had a successful week.

Hi All…..I need some motivation to stay strong because I really want to get my last 11 pounds off and reach my target…..anyone got any good tips on keeping going, especially getting nearer to goal (where I have been for a little while now!)?

Love to all xxx

Hi everyone just dropping by to say hello. I’m mainly on the Countdown to Christmas thread but trying to step up my effort over the next couple of weeks so will join in here too.

Lots of great tips on here – I like the notebook idea Verano. I’ve realised today that I need to log my food intake to have it in black and white, so am going to use my FitBit for that. But like your idea of keeping a record of what I’ve managed not to eat and drink.

I’m in a similar position to you Tulip1. Around the same amount to lose to get to target and I’ve been at this stage for ages now (in fact am about 7lb heavier than this time last year). So really need that last burst of effort! I’m exercising more now, which seems to be helping me to maintain but not actually lose any more, either weight or measurements. So I’m going to really focus strictly on diet for the next couple of weeks to see what happens next . . . .

Dreamscometrue…..I agree, to lose, diet is the key….takes a lot of mental effort tho hey? 😆….I know it’s worth it, I just need to get back my mojo. I love exercise too tho, and am doing plenty of that and that definitely plays a part in maintenance of course as well as keeping us fit 😁…

Hi everyone ! Good to read the posts and sense that people want to keep going. I think I am guilty of complacency especially when I don’t weigh that regularly . My problem is that I consider myself a healthy ( low carb ) eater so I don’t stress about temptations but I can still over eat the good stuff . Knowing that I can fit into jeans and much smaller sizes and not be at the top end of online sizes is comfortable. BUT I have to keep an eye on my portion sizes . The solution there is to log everything but I am sort of resisting that right now. I am with you Julz and Olive …getting into a regular fasting routine is beneficial but I am struggling wiht that too at the moment and still having 2 meals a day.

I am still locking down the choc and almonds but found some 95 % choc in Lidl yesterday . It seems to arrive on the shelves for Christmas . I bought 6 bars !!! Don’t tell me off 😉 I have put it away and I will not touch it because that is my mind set and I’m stubborn !
I think to maintain motivation it is useful to read loads, check out the many videos about this WOE . It rams the message home . Also…. being aware of boredom, emotional eating when feeling the need for a treat or comfort, planning ahead, not buying foods which will be a temptation at fragile moments .. Above all keeping to the forefront the immense health benefits . Stay positve, focused .

I have moments when I start checking out recipes and print them or write them out in one of my notebooks, just to change things up a bit .

I no longer think of festive occasions as a time for eating foods I would not normally eat . It is however very easy to indulge my love of rich, luxurious Normandy creams and tell myself it’s ok 😉

I haven’t got the magic solution for staying motivated but if we are still here then that shows that it matters to us . Let’s just keep boosting each other !

Oh and I picked up a parcel yesterday ( preloved Vinted ) and the nice lady had slipped in a packet of Haribo sweets in my parcel !
How weird is that … to think that a grown up person would be happy with sweeties ?? It just shows how ingrained the view is that sugar is an elixir of pleasure and joy . Nope …
I am preparing a parcel of French goodies to send to my boys in Australia . I am fairly limited in what is allowed but they are getting loads of tins of patés, duck produce, foie gras etc (sorry but my boys are true French boys ) I never thought of sending them sweets ! Choc and cheese is not allowed so that’s for me !! Saucisson sec is also a no no unfortunately .

Hi all, For those of you starting out and missing the things you used to eat let me assure you they soon lose their appeal especially if your health is involved. Like you Wendleg I dont even think of having anything off plan as it isnt in my mind at all. Taking Christmas Day as an example I will probably have foie gras on a rye cracker with a fruit confit on the side, then a dinner minus any carbs but with lots of roasted veg and a dessert of fruit maybe with a bit of vanilla ice cream but more likely with plain Greek yoghurt. I will be having some champagne and a few voddies but not to excess and not every day. The thought of piling up my plate with loads of food just turns my stomach. Of course I will be having load of sprouts, cooked in a little oil with lardons and chestnuts.

Wendy, have you tried the L’Eclerc Eco brand of 70% dark chocolate. I prefer it to any of the branded versions. I am happy with one square a day after dinner but I do buy 6 at a time, mainly because they dont often have them in. Although I dont think you shop at Leclerc.

Weight steady and done 30 mins of aerobics with Sean T – HipHopAbs.

Hi guys-

Good to hear of all the success you’re having! I’m celebrating with you, nhatha, as that’s a benchmark I hope to meet next week. Also to hear that you, Tulip, are approaching your goal. Impressive and I’m pulling for you! I think it would also be impressive to tally what this group loses in a week’s time. I have a feeling it would be a small child.

I’ve struggled mightily the last 2 weeks. Until this week, I haven’t successfully fasted in quite a while. But I finally managed a completely successful Monday and yesterday I merely had a dinner of meatballs and tomato sauce on wilted cabbage. I went as far as I was able to get whatever was sabotaging me out of my system. I hope I’ve accomplished that and can go on in better form.

Despite my struggles, my failures to exercise and an entire *day* of eating outrageous things in the past week, I managed to lose almost 2 pounds. I *know* I didn’t deserve that but I’ll try to use it as motivation to keep healthy eating and weight loss going.

I hear you guys have goals for Christmas. Here in the US I’ve got Thanksgiving to get past. Thanksgiving is full focus on foods and traditions. And guess who’s chef?! Although I’ll have my restrictions, I’m not about to let the family down. I’ve already made and frozen one dessert. Got 2 pies to make still. My daughter will be making ice cream. The main event, however, will be quite manageable: turkey, several veggies and other (delicious) carby things best not to mention. …or indulge in. I have, however, promised myself *one* leftover turkey sandwich (the *best* part if you ask me) if I stay clear of the dessert buffet. A homebaked roll spread with cranberry sauce (sweet) on one side and blue cheese (tart) on the other piled with cold turkey and a drizzle of turkey gravy. At least I won’t have either cause or opportunity to do that again for the next year! LOL

Hi everyone! Happy to be kicking on for another week.
We had the dreaded family Christmas (or family get together with a Christmas theme) over the weekend, and I’m thrilled to say I survived all the amazing foods and drinks with no issues, so shall try and do the same when Actual Christmas gets here. We did buffet style cold meats and salads and sides so was easy enough to serve myself what I could eat. My husband’s cousin is doing keto for weight loss so it was nice to have a carb free buddy. He even had some zero carb craft beer that I had heard about and been wanting to try, so I shall get some for the summer. Same calories as the vodka Soda I’ve been allowing myself on a Friday and Saturday afternoon. Dessert – well the top of the pavlova was berries and cream, so that was my little treat. I gave my son the sugary bottom part 😂 Best of all I weigh myself on a Monday and still came in with a loss, although that probably has something to do with the usual monthly fluid fluctuations that women have. I’ll count it as a success though.
Here’s a question: this makes week eight for me, I shall try for 12 before I go back to the GP. What happens after that? I was thinking if my blood sugar is looking better, I would try the 5:2 while still keeping as low carb as possible. I’ve lost about 11kg so far, but still have 20-30 to go. And continue the exercise that I’ve been shirking for so many years. Turns out it does make a difference – who knew 😆

Wendleg- thank you for your motivational advice!- where is a good place to find videos of this WOE? Are there some links on this site?

Rainey- thank you! And ooh, I hafn’t even thought of the implications of the day after Christmas 🤣….because like after your Thanksgiving- a turkey sandwich is usually a ‘must’….I like(d?) mine with butter, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, turkey and chopped pickled onions 😂

Popping in to say hi!
Enjoying reading the Christmas plans. I have yet to decide what to do.
Have lost a little bit overall since I was last here after putting on some weight then losing it again (sigh). Hanging around the 7-7.5kg total loss, getting harder to shift and we can’t go walking as much as I used to in this lockdown.
Have a great weekend,
Shally.

Hi everyone, day I have reached the lowest weight I have registered in the last 12 months. This is just the motivation I need to get me through the weekend without any slip ups as I want to be even lower by the new thread next Tuesday, not playing catch up again. The weather is lovely here even if it is getting colder, I have 3 cats nudging each other for rug space to get some sunshine coming in through the front patio window.
Had our annual gas delivery today and have saved 40% by turning off our water heater except for when we need it. So many people said it was false economy as it costs more to heat up from colder. We dont need it for the washing machine or dishwasher so only for showers and maybe a bit of hand wash of dishes (rarely). When we want it we just turn it on for an hour then turn it off again. Anyway that 40% amounts to €1200 for the year. So much for it costing more. All round feeling happy, have a good weekend everyone.

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great weekend. I have been super on plan and happy to be the same weight as yesterday instead of gaining for the sake of a glass of wine or three. I have a serious question for vegetarians on here. I am always trying to eat less red meat but get stuck because I dont eat fish and I see all the carbs in grain based foods like lentil dahl and so on. However, I was skimming through my SW magazine (for the sake of something to read in English) and there was a vegetarian section. Now the main part of the meal was a potato cake which I would never have but it was topped off with a poached egg. This morning I was watching Saturday Kitchen and it was all veggie food as the guest was Muslim and his favourite food choice was eggs. Now to me an egg is an unfertilized baby chicken so definitely an animal product. Could someone please enlighten me. He said he wanted to go vegan but didnt want to give up eggs and cheese. Both animal products, is that where veggie and vegan part ways.

Nothing to report except our car is dead. Just wouldnt start, a combination of not getting good run outs and a very cold and frosty morning today. It is being charged and if we get it going we will take it for a new battery. Even the car is getting more new stuff than I am. 🙂

Hi Sunshine-girl,

I have to say over the years I have got so irritated when you turn to vegetarian cookery books and find it full of fish dishes. I think there was a long period where there wasn’t any formal definition of what was and wasn’t “allowed” on a vegetarian diet.

I can’t answer for those who are vegetarian for emotional reason for definite, vegetarian excludes food sources where something has to be killed so you can eat it, while vegan is nothing which involves animal products. So dairy and eggs are allowed in vegi diet but not vegan.

I must admit that as the food industry has become more and more industrialised to the point of factory farming, then I can understand some of the choices by vegans,. The profit margins on milk is so low that cattle for dairy herds ave been selectively bred to maximise milk production rather than muscle development , leading to the situation where any male calves are killed shortly after birth simply because the amount it would cost to care for them so that they are old enough to enter the food chain is greater than the money you would get for selling the meat. – Or the mark up on eggs is so small that the only way to do it profitably is rear hens and have them in the barn for their first laying cycle, but when they hit their first moult they are either re homed or go to the food chain because in their second year they will lay slightly less number of eggs. But on the other hand I don’t understand why some vegans are anti bee keeping. . Bee keepers are providing the ideal conditions for the colony to thrive, and need to ensure that the colony have the supplies to survive winter, its not like we are forcing the bees to spend more time out gathering rector than they would naturally its about taking the surplus.

Thanks JGwen, I think I am a bit clearer. I can totally understand vegan principles but have now found vegetarianism to be a bit vague. For me it would be easier to turn to a veggie lifestyle if I was allowed to eat eggs and dairy. Just seemed strange because of what I perceive an egg to be. I try to be meat free but my daughter would not be pleased as she finds this diet hard enough for her to cater for me. Darent drop in another element but will try when I am at home.

Hi All,

Wendleg- or anyone else- what are good threads to go on with the basics and related info about the BSD, also Wendleg, you mentioned watching videos about this WOE? Are there some links in other threads? Sometimes I ask Qs, get advice and then I can’t find it again! And just want some extra motivation and reinforcement for my brain.

Also, today I had the BSD apple and cinnamon porridge- and I understand the bit about rolled oats being slower to digest and better for GI than other cereals, but I must say that between the oats (15g carbs) and the apple (22g carbs)- that’s quite a lot of carbs, so I guess I am a bit surprised it’s allowed/ recommended on plan- I have ordered some pinhead oats too as they are even better than the rolled ones (all vastly better than instant)- any how, just wondered what those of you that know more about this WOE think?

Have only had wine at the weekend again- but got somewhat sloshed both of the last 2 nights (it doesn’t take a lot but still think I need to be more moderate as partly still using it to mask other issues and partly because I can make bad food choices once drunk), and a couple of unexpected snackcidents earlier in the week, so still more work to do.

However I managed to lose half an lb this week so not a total disaster…..

Love to all xxx

Good morning all, hope everyone is having a good weekend.
JGwen that is a good definition of vegetarianism and veganism. Sunshine-girl the Vegetarian Society has more information about what vegetarians eat and how to become a vegetarian if you’re interested. There is so much confusion about what vegetarians eat and then throw veganism into the mix and it makes it worse. The problem is because of the different levels of vegetarianism.
I am an lacto-ovo vegetarian which means I eat eggs and dairy but no meat or fish.
Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but no eggs
Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy
Then there are semi-vegetarians who call themselves vegetarians even though they are not. Pescatarians eat fish but no meat. and some semi-vegetarians may eat fish and chicken.
I get very annoyed when people ask me if I eat fish but because of all these different levels I have to admit it’s difficult to know what someone does or does not eat. It is difficult to get enough protein on 800 calories and following a vegetarian diet especially when you’re watching the carbs as so many protein sources are carb rich, so I think that eggs and cheese are essential.

Hi all, still sticking with the plan and no alcohol this weekend. Not lost anymore but going into a new week at the lowest weight I have been for over a year.

Tulip1 in answer to your question about a porridge and apple breakfast. First of all you will see in the recipe book that in the oats section of recipes Dr M starts off by saying that some carbs are better than others and oats is one of the good guys. I totally agree 38g carbs is high for one meal and my advice (or what I do) is only have it on the odd occasion and leave out the apple, replace with berries or just the cinnamon. If you want oats and apple, again, dont do it too often. Also, I wouldnt swap the jumbo or rolled oats as the larger grains give more bulk when cooked or soaked than the pinhead. I have the same problem with lentils, knowing they are good for me, knowing they mean less meat for me (ie. lentil bolognaise instead of mince meat) but so high in carbs and calories that I now just avoid.

Now this is not a criticism but, like me you dont seem to count the calories in wine. I know I dont. Which is better for you, a plate of oats or a couple of glasses of wine. I know wine is low carb and that is my excuse when it comes to my blood glucose. I am saying this with humour so imagine me on Tik Tok with a glass of wine in one hand and a bowl of porridge in the other saying ‘wine or porridge, wine or porridge – oh sod it wine wins again’. Big smiley face.

To Gattina and JGwen, i dont intend becoming a veggie but just want to eat a lot less meat without adding lots of carbs (see lentils above) and I really cannot live without chicken, it is something that is always in my fridge for snacks. I guess my label would be flexitarian minus the fish.

Have a great end to your weekend everyone and keep on keeping on…

Thank you so much SG- love the tiktok image 😁….as a matter of fact, I put absolutely all my calories into myfitnesspal daily, including the wine- I like to keep track of everything so I can track patterns etc….and another good incentive to not have too much thru the week…I do love it tho….thank u for the porridge explanation- I agree, occasionally is good, but at the weekend, I like to have a continental breakfast (pain au choc etc), which I know isn’t BSD but I reintroduced it on a Sat morning after the 8 weeks 800 cals a day as it’s one of my great loves- however I have recently been eating that both Sat and Sun, and I weigh daily and can see a very clear pattern of gaining at the weekend what I have lost in the week, so I guess it’s the combo of the continental breakfasts, the wine and the roast dinner with maybe more potatoes than I should have…..hence I had my favourite brekkie yesterday but today replaced it with the porridge, so definitely feel that was a better choice (Mon to Fri I have chia seeds with greek yog and berries partly as not so much time to prep hot food pre-work and school, and partly because it’s the bwst diet choice)….we will see how it goes all told this week xxx

Tulip1 you’ve really made me chuckle with your pain au chocolate. Did you know there are no calories in anything eaten or drunk at weekends, no calories in food you eat straight from the fridge as long as your head stays in it, no calories in chips stolen from someone elses plate and definitely no calories in broken biscuits. Enjoy your weekend and dont ever change.

SG, lol lol lol….Roast cooking time now, must limit potatoes, must limit potatoes, must limit potatoes…..!!!

Just a wee check in….especially as i am relating to Sunsjine-girl…… as of Friday weigh in I am back at the lowest weight i have ever been so need to dig deep and venture into new territory and see if i cant find a wee 3lbs discard to take me into the new stone bracket….. My weekend was reasonable….. well yesterday wasnt great as we ordered a takeaway, i stayed low carb but gosh i ate too much! Will fast through to dinner time today as i still feel full!! Busy week planned, only working Monday and Thursday which should help…..
I too find the vegan / vegetarian thing difficult…..and i think it depends on everyones reasoning and resources….. I’m nervous venturing into this as i know its easy to offend people…..a bit like this way of eating, i think folk should be canny about “rules” and find work works for them ethically and nutritionally….. for me, I ate everything, or everything i like the taste of, but i am very conscious of the ethics of where my food comes from, whether it be meat or plant based with a massive carbon footprint. Eggs I like to buy best free range available, but even better is getting from the chickens who live next door to us and are truely free range!! The eggs are produced whether fertilised or not and if they dont want more birds then i have no ethical issue eating them rather than wasting them. MEat I prefer to get from our local butcher / slaughter house as i know thats where the cows on our hill end up – I know they have good lives, a short journey and clean end. Chicken….well i like chicken, but its what i struggle with most from an ethical point of view, again i try to buy as good as i can afford and from a butcher if i can. Dairy…. we get deliveries from a local dairy farm, support local etc and quality of life of the cows is know. I’m not a big fish fan so no hard and fast thoughts on that.
But reality…. I also buy from supermarkets, the convenience often wins out and i find that frustrating! And i know that budget and convenience will affect many people.
But that is my rationale, and I totally respect other peoples thoughts on it, especially if it is thought through well; ultimately we have to eat what we are comfortable with. But clean eating i find helps with this way of eating and ethics of what we eat…… this year especially i have tried to support local as much as i can for all things….. but i could do better!

Totally off topic, but interesting ponderings!

Roll on Monday!!

Hi everyone, hope you have had a great weekend. Hi Windy, nice when people are on the same page with our blue sky thinking LOL wish I could do emojiis!!!! I have had so many heated discussions with people over my ‘low carb’ diet. Someone once told me my brain would shrivel up as carbs are the only food for the brain. Hard to explain to someone who doesnt realise there are carbs in almost everything we eat. When I once mentioned being in ketosis someone tried to tell me I cant be if I eat veg as a keto diet is animal based. I just let them get on with it. Hubby once banned me from discussing my diet but honestly, it was always other people asking me daft questions when I refused rice or potaotes, or forbid, chips. I listen to my body and how I feel.

I managed to get through my weekend with no relaxation of the diet. Sunday evening I watched a very sad film that had me all choked up and nearly sent me running for a voddie to ‘settle me down’. I gave myself a talking to, it was only a bl–dy film for heavens sake but sometimes we are looking for an excuse to stray. Anyway I am starting this week at the same weight I was on Friday, so much better than playing catch up after gaining half a kilo or even more. Puts me in a good place to help me with my resolve to lose 9.5 lbs by Christmas. I will weigh in tomorrow to see exactly how I am progressing on that score.

Have a great week and keep on keeping on…

Hi everyone ! Felling reallly bad because I haven’t been around much this week. Preoccupied with overseas food parcels, photo books etc. First of all want to congratulate SG ! I love hearing about your successes and to be on plan for your Christmas target is bl***y brilliant ! Sorry the sad film unsettled you but sometimes a good weep is quite therapeutic ! Hubby likes a dark Scandi drama which are a bit too grim for me. I prefer to read an uplifting book ! The 70 % choc you mentioned would be very dangerous for me, SG … I have to draw the line at 85 or 90 ( especially if it is Lindt or the delicious Godiva 90% choc I spotted in Sainsburys last Christmas). No, I don’t like shopping in Leclerc. Too busy for me and big queues at the checkouts. I favour Lidl and Aldi and Grand Frais of course.
Still no choc or almonds have been consumed by wendleg. Can’t say the same for my yoghurts which are pretty good if I say so myself. I am still researching cheese making. My attempt at making fromage blanc was not successful. I am waiting for a River Cottage book. I saw there was a recipe for clotted cream…. oh heck !!

Tulip…. so sorry I am late replying to your request for video links.

The dietdoctor website
http://www.dietdoctor.com has some very informative videos covering all aspects of low carb eating . I also found Jason Fung very enlightening ( mainly to do with fasting)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jason+fung+

Other recommendations would be Robert Cywes the carb addiction doc but he is very into carnivore

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4Mk7vArjSYBa1VKv9-chA

Dr Vera Tarman is very good on sugar addiction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpTsJ5DdroA

Zoe Harcombe ….

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zoe+harcombe

Generally the” take a look at this “thread on the forum is an interesting one to follow and JGwen has contributed a lot to that one as have Verano and many other of our ‘regulars’

https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/take-a-look-at-this/

Just reading a couple of posts. This one is classic Esnecca about Tom Kerridge ( a Uk chef who lost lots of weight doing low carb ) yet makes programmes touting low cal, low fat diets.

“Kazz, just reading the title of that episode in the link was enough to pop a blood vessel. STOP SUCKING UP TO CARBS, KERRIDGE. Have carbs kidnapped your daughter and this is the ransom price? Are they paying you a billion dollars? Did you at least see them help a little old lady cross the street once? Because they are not “joy” not a “celebration” not “living” not “love” and not freaking comfort.” For a literal global pandemic’s worth of people, they are a curse. He knows that very well, of course. Like Verano says, he’s making a calculated move of suppressing the truth to sell drugs to junkies. Always a lucrative business.

thank you Wendleg- I now have some things to look at xxx

SG- glad to hear I’m not the only one looking to alcohol for comfort and not just taste….I just need to keep it under control!

I am feeling all buzzy after my youtube pilates session hee hee !
Time to set up the new thread !

Hi Wendleg,

I have forayed a little into cheesemaking, and regularly make a ricotta-style cheese by adding 1tsp/litre citric acid to milk on the turn, bring it to the boil and strain through muslin, squeezing out to get a dryer crumbly texture. Paneer is also easy, I can’t recall the quantities, but lemon juice and milk, instructions on google.

If you make your own yoghurt, try straining it over muslin overnight or for 24 hours for a rich cream cheese too.

Halloumi and mozzarella – I went on a course and have had sort-of success making those a couple of times since, but they do take time, you need rennet (vegetarian rennet is apparently more forgiving than animal rennet) and then you end up with cheese which has to be eaten! Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Hi WindyJulz,

I sympathise with your food ethics – I will only buy chicken from 2 local producers within 3 miles of my house – I see the chickens in the fields and am happy with how they’re raised. I also get my goose and turkey from these producers. The chicken is not cheap, it shouldn’t be, and is appreciated more because of that.

Do you eat game and venison? If you know where it’s coming from, I think that’s a better alternative than factory-farmed meat and food-miles or processed non-meat, but I appreciate a lot depends on where you live and how much you’re prepared to spend on food. We don’t (even before lockdown) go out much unless somewhere really good for a really good celebration, so I’d rather spend more on good ingredients.

Good luck!

new thread is up and running folks, forgot to remind you xx