Hi everyone, I’m taking a break from madly cleaning my flat from top to bottom as my estate agent informed me last night that I will have my first viewing Monday morning.
Kazz – alas, I have tried and failed to move my horse closer. Even the best place I could find close by wasn’t feeding him properly and when it got cold, they wouldn’t even break the ice off his water so he was going up to 14 hours without food and water overnight. Horses are definitely not adapted to fasting! I moved him after only being there 3 weeks and he had lost 50lbs in that time. Also, he needed good footing in the school for rehabbing his injuries, so it was exceptionally difficult to find a place that would feed and water him correctly and had that to offer as well. I’m actually now moving him further away for the time being. I’ve now found him a place at an awesome retirement/rehab facility where he can be out on pasture and have more space to move around. It is 4 hours away, but everything will be taken care of for me, and is half the cost of where I have him now. I am in the process of trying to move anyway to a town 5 hours away so that I will be nearer family. So once I get there, he will only be an hour away and then I can start looking for places even closer to keep him. I am a bit worried about leaving him completely in someone else’s care, but I know this place has a very good reputation and we’re very lucky to have snagged a spot. Also, it will be a little break for me and hopefully that will help me manage the stress better. At the very least I will be driving less and saving money on fuel!
I have had quite a stressful year at work too. I had a couple weeks off work after my accident, but then I returned part time for a while, but there were some pretty major things happening. The people at head office were all new and were trying to muddle along on their own, but soon my boss pointed out that they didn’t know enough to do the job and that is when I was brought in, head injury and all to save the day (which I only partially managed because they didn’t listen to me all the time). I did manage to point out to my boss that I could have died on the day I had my accident (was unconscious and not breathing at first) and that they would have been dead in the water on this project if I hadn’t been around last summer, so they need to step up and start building more capacity of capable people in the unit. Anyway, things should be getting back to normal over this summer and I should be able to go back to serving my regular clients. I’ll be doing the same job in my new location, but with a different group of people. I met with them a few weeks back on my last roadtrip and they are thrilled to have me join them, so hopefully it will be a nice change.
Amz – welcome back. I agree with the others that stressful life situations can make losing the weight very difficult. I’ve been in that situation myself for the last year. Also, finding a counsellor or someone to talk to can be very helpful. I’ve gone several times in the past, and even when the counsellor wasn’t very good, it still helped to talk things through.
Must get back to cleaning now! Have a great rest of the day everyone.

Good morning everyone

Really just popping in to say hello, I’m still here battling away and enjoying reading everyone’s posts.

Amz, we haven’t “met” before but let me add my welcome back to everyone else’s. I don’t want to sound trite, but I feel your pain, I really do. I think I felt a bit like it sounds like you do in the dying days of my marriage, and my health really suffered. I have never been slender, but boy did I put on weight in that period – I look at photos and just can’t believe it! I was so miserable and confused that I turned to food for comfort, even more than usual. Like Scottishgal I did find antidepressants to be helpful for a while, I’m not sure if that’s something you could consider? (My experience was that they did not make me put on more weight.) Things did slowly get better for me, they really did, so do hang in there and try to be kind to yourself.

My progress on the weight front has been disappointingly slow this week, sadly. I still have not lost everything I put on after my weekend of toast 7 days ago, so I guess it wasn’t all just water weight. And based on my breathalyser I still have not got back into ketosis even though I’ve kept my carbs below 20g all week, which is really frustrating. I know it’s harder for some people than others, but I’m disappointed to discover I’m one of the ones for whom it’s difficult. I didn’t do any long fasts last week, only 24 hours (dinner to dinner), so this week I’m going to try to get back to the 48 hour fasts (dinner every second day) that Jason Fung talks about. Even if I can only do that once or twice this week, I’m really hoping that’ll kick things along for me. Keep your fingers crossed for me 🙂

Have a good day,
Elky

Hi Beegirl,
I keep my bag of salt next to my bed, when I suffer cramps I just lick a finger and dip it in the bag. That seems to be enough to quickly stop the cramps.

Hi Elky – I don’t really have any answers for you (and you’re probably not looking for any as you already have a great plan!) but I’m writing a court report and I need an excuse to stop! I dropped my protein a bit as I thought it was getting too high – not sure if that helped but I haven’t been lower than 0.4 for over a week and yesterday I hit 0.6 but I don’t know why so that’s not helpful for you. I’m not ready to do any fasts at the moment but I’ve been trying to stick to 16:8 (or 8:16 – can never remember which way round!) and that’s enough to keep me consistent. I test multiple times a day and find that my highest readings are not long after a meal and towards the end of the evening. Good luck and fingers are crossed!

Hi Amz,
I am glad to see you are back with us.
Please do not view your struggles as a sign of a lack of willpower. – It takes a lot of willpower and strength of spirit to stay in a place in your life where you are putting all your energy into supporting others.
I think that a lot of us have used food as a crutch to cope with lifestyle issues. – When you cut out the carbs and the comfort eating it turns a spot light on the issues in our life which we have been masking. It takes time to understand that, and time to explore other responses to what life throws at us.

I have discovered something in the last couple of months. – I have found out that when I am feeling stressed a brief hard workout weight training drains all the stress away. Instead of playing the issues over and over in my head thinking of what I would like to say in a confrontation until the negative energy has cleared enough that I can tell someone calmly how I feel, I can quickly release and pressure. – I think that when the stress hormones build up we are working with the bodies natural relief system by using hard physical activity to clear them. –

Hi Kafin – no I’m always up for answers, don’t worry! 🙂 Your idea of reviewing protein and maybe dropping it a bit is a good one – I’ll have a look at that and maybe have a play with macros. It surely can’t hurt, and it’s always interesting to fine tune a bit to test what impact a change makes. Thanks for the suggestion!

Cheers, Elky

Morning all
Many thanks for all the feedback and suggestions re leg cramp – I’m going to work my way through them and see what makes a difference. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond, it’s much appreciated.

Back in work today – not sure where last week and the weekend went! Weigh In for week 6 tomorrow morning after being away for last week, so we’ll see what two weeks including 5 days away does; yikes!

By the way – got the new Fast800 recipe book and it’s really quite good. Made some pulled pork from it on Saturday and it was amazing
Had some on Saturday night in keto bread rolls (recipe on Diet Doctor) and used the rest in a stirfry last night. Tonight we’re trying the recipe for Chicken Goujons in a Parmesan Crumb. Yummy!

Morning Kazzee yes we are around the same weight and we both want to discard it to!😃. We will do I have faith in us both. Your jewellery making sounds great! What a great distraction and I bet it is calming too!❤️ I can’t believe you will be in my old home seaside town this weekend! I only moved away from Deal 3 years ago and my parents still live there!😂. I wonder if we any of the same people? Probably not but this is small world❤️. I am sure they will love their friendship bracelets and I imagine you will have an awesome time😊. I hope your week is starting well!

Morning everyone Elky glad to see you are still going for it hun! Brandnewme I love your positivity today and I am sure you will find what works for you on this woe! Drink plenty of water hun. Articfox good luck with your horse move and your move and I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that your new team takes you in and makes you a lot more happier than the one you are in now. You obviously know your stuff within the company and it is about time you were appreciated❤️ I love reading about your BG experiences with your machine. Your doing so well with all the stress in your life🤗. JGwen as always your help and explanations are shining bright thank you 🙏. Wendleg hope your fast and mine go well over the next couple of days and I am glad you only have one more late meeting this week❤️ Allie hope you are well and I look forward to reading your posts today. Kafin you are doing so well with your fat burning! It won’t be long and you and Albert will be cuddling again.🤗 You go girl I am here waving my Pom poms and joining you with my breathalyser too💞. Skipping hope the maintenance is going well? In a mission it must be nice to go back to school this week knowing you have done all the exams! And breath😊🙏. Scottishgal hope you are feeling better and stay away from that vending machine today😂. Patricia1066 hope you are well and I am loving your positives. Beegirl I hope you find a cure for your cramps! SG lovely just lovely❤️ 6T I hope you don’t get too many presents from your cat this week! It was one of the only things I didn’t like about my cats! Especially when I could not find them and they stunk the house out! One was deep under a cushion on my sofa!! Just rotting away and stinking the place up🤢. If I have missed anyone I am sorry but you know I am wishing you all a great start to your week ahead! Love and hugs Birdy💞🦜

Kafin13, many thanks 🙂

Good evening everyone. So good to read everyone’s questions and advice as always.

I wanted to ask Elky about her ketone monitor. You also live in Aust, so was wondering if you can tell me where you got it, and the brand? Are you happy with it, as you mentioned that you were having trouble getting good readings at the beginning? I use keto strips and they seem to work for me but have been thinking about a monitor. And a last question 😀 on psyllium husks. I have been given a bag – quite finally ground – and was wondering how you use them? And did you decide to eat them in your fast days?
Thanks Elky!

oh lordy Birdy – I have been round the house checking under cushions for forgotten “presents” from the cat!! How horrible that must have been! Arcticfox, hope the flat viewing goes/went well! I would have to do some serious archaeology to get my place ready for viewing if I were selling. Sun is out and blue skies. Have a lovely day all. CG, your trip to the seaside sounded lovely, shame about the rain – yes lots of places to visit around and about Bath using the train. Exeter next maybe? I used to have family there; not been for years, but the cathedral and cathedral close are lovely, and the redeveloped quayside.

Good morning. Messed up slightly last night, but there was still a1 pound decrease this morning. I always feel so hungry when I eat in the morning so I’m going back to delaying breaking fast until at least noon. I think that will help me stick to 800 calories. Mondays, Wednesdays,and Saturdays were my fasting days so I’m sure I’ll eventually pick that back up. I’m trying to create a menu for my family that’s healthier and closer to the way I eat to limit the junk food in my house, the problem being my husband wants to gain weight not lose…. I have a 9 year of girl and I don’t want her to go through the stress of puberty while struggling with obesity like I had to. So that’s my pet project today – creating an affordable and healthy menu that’s my family will think it’s delicious and easy to adjust for either bsd or to add in carbs for my husband.
Also, I read everyone’s suggestions about seeking help. You’re probably right, it might be useful to have the aid of a professional.

I’ve just completely binged over a work lunch. Just after celebrating Father’s Day with maybe a little too much cake 🤭
Ugh the last few days have not been good. Had a wee devil whispering in my ear telling me to go the whole hog since I’d tripped up once or twice. I have a history of bingeing so really don’t want to go down this road again, really feel like the BSD can make a massive difference. If only I stick to it!

Hi Amz
I think forward planning would be beneficial. Have you had a look at the dietdoctor recipes and meal plans ? It doesn’t have to be complicated to manage family meals and adding carbs for your husband. You could include more grains and legumes for him and your daughter. Junk food is going to make you feel cr*p. Don’t buy cakes, crisps, biscuits and other sugary junk. You don’t need it in your life. What you choose to eat is your business. Choose nutrient dense foods which will keep you full and satisfied.
Let us know your meal plans and just shout if you need any more inspiration. We are here for you Amz x

Strongcurves..I will probably have to nag you a bit. Father’s Day is over..it’ s one day .You didn’ t have to make a week of it 😉
You recognise bingeing is an issue for you so get prepared. Plan your meals and do not allow yourself to waver from your menu. Ensure you feel satisfied…if you feel deprived you will binge…and seek out c**p. Don’t listen to that pesky voice in your ear telling you to go stuff yourself silly because “I’ve started now so I’ll finish !!!”

MASTERMIND your strategy 🙂 If you are serious about your health then you will do it. As you eliminate carbs the easier it will become to resist them and there will be no self -sabotage.

A new weekly thread begins tomorrow…stick with us Strongcurves

I am about to set up a new weekly thread as I have less pressure from work now .See you over there xxx

Strongcurves – I’m also a binger and I know that feeling of I screwed up so to hell with it very well. For many of us who binge, there is much more behind it and I’ve learnt through therapy that I don’t overeat because I’m a glutton with no self-control (which I thought for many years). I battle with food and my feelings around it and I continue to work on that but I feel like BSD is very good step towards that. What’s really helping me right now is the breathalyzer as I don’t want to be out of ketosis and it keeps me going. Not sure if you have one but maybe that could help? And as Wendy says, it’s one day – don’t beat yourself up

Thanks Wendleg, I will stick with you all!

Hi Merry

My breathalyser is the “Greenwon at6000”, which I think is the same one that’s used in the video that JGwen linked that got me started on it. Not sure if I’m allowed to list commercial sites here so I’ll kind of break it up. I got it from “shop4safety” and since it’s an Australian site it’s then “.com.au”. I just checked and they actually have it on sale right now (end of financial year I guess) – it’s only $3 off but still, every little bit helps. They also do free postage with Oz Post. If you google “Greenwon at6000 australia” they’re about the first site that comes up. I had no trouble at all with them and my parcel arrived safely.

Yes, I’m happy with it. It took me a while to get the hang of it, I was doing what I think a lot of people have reported they do at first, taking a big breath in and then immediately blowing into it. So it measures ketones in the room not in me, lol. Mine counts down from 100 when you first turn it on, so I did JGwen’s trick of counting out loud for the last 20 numbers and *then* blowing into the machine so it gets the air from the bottom of my lungs. Much better readings 🙂 I don’t know what it is that it counts down, it’s faster than seconds, it’s just kind of a countdown I guess. Big plus, as I think Kafin has said, is that it takes only about a minute to reset so you can test over and over again. Oh, while I think of it, my breathalyser needs 3 triple A batteries and they *are not* included when you buy it. So if you get one, make sure you have the batteries too or you’ll be hopping from one foot to the other with frustration when it arrives and you want to play with it. I was lucky, I found some in the back of the pantry, but there was a brief moment of “oh you are kidding me” when I thought I had to go out just for batteries!

I don’t know how accurate it is (for $30 I don’t think I can expect too much), but I think it’s reliable with respect to direction, if that makes sense. So after my Weekend of Toast, I was getting readings of nearly zero. Yep, logical, I had just about mainlined carbs. Then over the last week I went through the 0.2 something to 0.3 something as I guess my body slowly inched back towards ketosis and this morning it was 0.48. So that tells me that I’m headed in the right direction, at last, it just takes me a while.

I have seen really expensive ones that need calibration and such (which I’d probably mess up, as I’m not good at that kind of thing…) that are used by people when they’re trying to stay deep in ketosis to manage things like brain tumour growth. Scary stuff. For me, that kind of high tech approach wouldn’t be worth it. But my little $30 job is interesting.

Psyllium husks: this will probably make your hair curl, but I just stir a tablespoon full into a glass of water and drink it. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but it works for me. I don’t find it has any taste at all, just a bit “thick” for want of a better way of saying it. Follow that up with yet another glass of water. I used them years ago like that, but then recently moved to Metamucil. It was very tasty indeed, but I figure it has to be full of at least artificial sweetener to taste like that, so I gave it up and moved back to psyllium husks. Also much cheaper lol If you do decide to drink the stuff, make sure you rinse the glass *incredibly well* because once it dries it sticks like superglue. Think weetbix on steroids.

There are also lots of recipes that use psyllium husks but most of them seem to use a version that is ground down to a *powder* and the stuff that I have is not quite that fine. It’s fine, but not a powder. Not as fine as, say, ground almonds for example. I suspect you probably have what I have, as I think it’s more common in Oz than the powder. But if you do have the powder then you might want to try some kind of baking with them, as I have seen recipes like that which look interesting. Or you could even try baking with the not-quite-a-powder version, it might work. Come to think of it, I might try that too 🙂

Yes, at this stage I am using psyllium husks even when fasting (I take my vitamins and husks first thing in the morning – the vitamins do not need to be taken with food or anything). Otherwise I just have black coffee, green tea and water. I have not been able to establish whether psyllium husks technically break a fast or not – JGwen may know more. I suspect they’re OK for fasting, but might be enough to prevent autophagy, which is something I need to try to figure out how to manage. Maybe I should move them to dinner time on the days I eat dinner… The problem is that I think I need the fibre on a daily basis, not just every second day. But maybe over time my body will get more used to this WOE and I could have them every second day. Still experimenting!

Anyway, hope this helps, let me know if I forgot to cover off something.

Cheers, Elky

Yay Elky! I’m glad you got back in to Ketosis, sounded like you were doing everything right. Mine was only $10 and counts down from 10 so I don’t k ow how accurate it can be but as long as it’s moving the (digital) dial and not at zero than that’s enough for me. I also needed batteries which I found in the remote – tv…breathalyzer, tv…breathalyzer. breathalyzer won and kept me entertained for hours! Once I’m more sure of my ability not to binge and stick with it, I think it would be interesting to experiment a little. How quickly does something take me out of Ketosis and how quickly can I get back in etc

Oh Kafin, the thought of you tearing the tv remote apart the steal the batteries for the breathalyser did make me laugh!! I’d have been tempted to do that too, but my remote only has 2 batteries and my breathalyser needs 3 so that would have been an exercise in frustration!!! I’m like you, I plan to experiment a little with what particular foods do to my levels once I trust myself a bit more…. I’m hoping that once my body “learns” ketosis better it becomes more of a natural state and I can get back into it more quickly and easily, but let’s just wait and see how that goes…

Thank you so much Elky for all that fab information! I have ordered the same model, so will buy batteries today 📦 so I won’t be searching the house like Kafin !!! 😂Is there a particular setting you use on it? I read online about some monitors where you have to do some maths in order to get ketone readings 😮
And thank you for the psyllium information – mine is quite finely ground (supermarket own brand from the big C supermarket) – and I have found a keto bread recipe that uses it, so will try that. I would think that the net carbs would be pretty much zero, so would think they are OK for fast days. I sometimes have a teaspoon of Benefiber stirred into my morning coffee to help fill me up – not added sugar or sweetners in that brand.
Thanks, Merry

Hi Merry,
No need to change any settings with it if you get the same model. – If it has a reading above 0 (and you haven’t had any alcohol) then you have low insulin and are in ketosis which is the main aim.

In theory the higher the number the deeper you are in ketosis. however, what it is measuring is the byproduct of burning fat, and over time your body tends to learn not to waste resources so the numbers may not be as high in time.

Because your body has to burn up the glycogen before you get into ketosis, it normally takes a couple of days to achieve that unless you use exercise to speed up the transition. – So it is helpful to find out what your personal limits on carbs are at which you can stay in ketosis.

Hi Merry

I agree with JGwen, no need to fiddle with settings or do any arithmetic. It has four distinct settings which show the same reading in a different way (I assume based on what scale the local law enforcement people use to determine whether or not you’re over the limit) so I just went for the one that shows 0.05 as over the limit because that feels logical in Oz (“What will you be when you sit for the test? Will you be under 05 or under arrest?”).

Have fun with it!!