Here we are again, continuing our weekly thread as set up initially by Vernano..Allie and Sunny B . This is a very supportive thread with lots of encouragement and advice from lots of BSD ers at different stages, from very experienced maintainers to those starting out with lots of queries. Feel free to ask and someone will be there to advise . Come and join us !

It took a bit of wiggling of big toe, but I am going to claim discard down to a round 12st this morning. Last seen 5? 6? years ago. All that has been said about habits and mindfulness has resonated. Hope everyone has a good week, on their own personal and unique BSD journey.

Hope everyone has a good week. I’ll pop in as and when but sorry not to be fully participating. Almost April so make the last few days of March count!

Hi Everyone, End of week 7 for me, a modest discard of 900g this week after my whoosh week last week but another 2″ from my waist and 1″ from my chest (bra strap zone) my bust seems to have equalized now and no more off my tum/hips so I’m now back to hourglass 😆.
I didn’t up my calories in the end as I didn’t want to rock the boat. Starting to feel very jiggly, with lots of stretchy loose skin, particularly on arms and legs. Really hoping it will eventually tighten up.
Got to go to my first diabetic eye screening today, but I am comfortably wearing my size 16 skirt 🎈
Hope everyone has a great week xxxx

Hi Shellbob – I would not call 900g modest and those inch losses are very definite! I’m also noticing odd bits, I have developed quite noticeable horizontal “creases” on my back, midway between shoulder blades and waist, almost as if fat is deflating there but leaving excess above and below. Is the skirt a new acquisition after the new jeans? Hope all is well.

Hi All,
I’ve been a bit absent over the last couple of weeks, was a very stressful time with lots of job interviews and the inevitable lying that comes with explaining why you’re not in work. I hate it so much!
But, good news! I got offered two jobs and had to pick between them. My stress levels have diminished massively (after the stressful decision about which one to pick and turning one offer down). I’m resigning on Thursday this week so I can’t wait for that. I’m much happier at work knowing there is an end date (even if they don’t yet!).

I haven’t been tracking properly my macros, but I’m still discarding. I have been trying to go low carb wherever possible and have been TRE every day, eating between 3pm and 8pm only. I’m going to get back into it properly for the next 2 weeks as off to NZ!
I’m fitting into clothes i haven’t worn in a couple of years and it feels great.

I hope everyone else is having a great week. I might not comment on your individual journeys but I’m following along in the background.

Great news on the job Kittykatnz, a whole new adventure 😉
You’re right you’re very right Sixturkeys, 900g is awesome really (classic case of being too hard on ourselves). Yes the skirt is a cheeky new acquisition along with some size 14 leggings to wear under tunics but I don’t know if they count as they’re stretchy 😂. The steroid injection seems to have finally kicked in the last few days and my arm is starting to improve finally.
Was it you 6🦃 that told the story of the decrease in Hba1c, meant to say WOW that was massively motivating xx
Today is a good day 😊 xxx

Hello All, a very up and down week ( or down and up and down week )with little to show in the way of weight loss except 400g.
I wasn’t carb counting at the weekend but no white stuff. Probably around 1000 cals each day but enjoyed the most delicious tomatoes and the first of the local strawberries. I was well in excess of 20, 000 running walking and mountaineering steps both days. Also had couple of small glasses of wine. So I’m guessing that’s the cause of the 200g I put on each day. Finally been to the loo after 4 days which has improved my whole day.
Lost a further cm off waist, hips and the spare tyre.
So guys, please give it to me straight.
is it possible to follow the BSD mon to friday and relax a little a weekends and lose weight or am i just kidding myself?

I don’t have any BS issues that I’m aware of.

Have a great week

Skipping, “relaxing a little on the weekends” might mean different things to different people 🙂 Are you thinking in terms
of a 5:2 approach, which is really a maintenance plan, and not for rapid weight loss. If you could be more specific,
I’m sure the community of long term maintainers here will be happy to “give it to you straight”!

Allie

It’s the end of the (first) 8 week 800 and my discard is 6.3kg.

The first month was very up and down, with a net “bye bye, let’s not see you again” of 3.3kg.

My waist reduced by 2cm, but I need to drop 7cm more. My boobs reduced by 4cm so my bra size is now smaller.

I am well hydrated now, and feel energetic, and I have started the couch25k.

I will keep going for another 8 weeks, my current goal is to discard another 6kg that I’m hauling around by end of May. I hope to reduce my tummy this time.

Thank you, all of the lovely women who give time and thoughtful advice to us beginners.

Afternoon all. Week 6 finished on Friday and as of this morning I’ve been static weight-wise for 23 days. That said, colleagues at work are saying my face and body shape are still changing, so fingers crossed… Have definitely given up on my weight target for week 8 now but gradually getting my head around that.
Spent the weekend on Cub Camp – a tricky one to keep cals & carbs down – but I did it, both days! That plus a very cold camp and lots of walking must add up to better fitness, if not discard.
Water intake is up, mindfulness is up and carbs are down a little. Now waiting and hoping for a change!
Happy Tuesday everyone!
CC

Here’s what I ate Saturday

Lunch 75 g avocado
150 g tomatoe
Lettuce
Basil tsp olive olive
1/2 mozzarella

150g strawberries
About 10 raspberries

Dinner
Grilled aubergine and courgette
125g pork fillet
Homemade tzatziki

Sunday
60 grams cheddar
1/2 avocado
Chilli
6 cherry toms
Lettuce
Cucumber
Tsp olive oil raddish and celery

Homemade bolognaise with courgetti
Which was 309 cals 10g
Plus about 20g Parmesan
Both days I had 225 ml of red wine

Monday to Friday
I’m sticking rigidly to the plan. Normally around 70 » calls and 20 -40g carbs

sorry that should read 700 cals !

Shellbob – a turkey emoji!! It wasn’t me re HbaC, tho yes, some seem to be having great results with that. I just clicked and collected a pair of size 14 jeans (the cheapest M&S ones). Current size 18 ones are really baggy round the bum and legs and looser round waist. I can at least pull the new ones all the way up but actually zipping them up is a no no, so I was being slightly optimistic. But hopefully something to get into in the next few weeks (end of Kazzee’s Road Trip to Easter might be a little bit to close to budge the couple of inches round the belly I need – but let’s see!).

Thank you, Skipping, for the additional information. How you arrange your mon-fri seem excellent, and you are
counting and measuring and that ALWAYS is a plus. I took a moment to check with fatsecret on your weekend
additions, and certain of them stood out as calorie and /or carb dense.:

450ml red wine: 380cal. 11.8carbs
60g cheddar: 241 cal.
150g strawberries: 12g carbs
150g tomatoes: 5.88g carbs
1/4 avocado: 69cal
Both strawberries and tomatoes are fruits, and should be used in small qtys. Ten raspberries are a perfect portion
size, and are the lowest in carbs. Most other fruits we avoid during the Fast 800. Avocado is a fantastic fruit, full of
healthy fiber, bur calorie dense, so perhaps 1/2 avocado pear might be too high in calorie allotment. The same
could be said of 60g of cheddar. The wine is the big elephant in the room, though. 🙂 I’m sorry! It’s a hard habit
to give up 🙂 We certainly don’t need the extra calories, but it is the fact that almost without exception it causes us
to retain fluid, and manifest such on the scale immediately. It would seem counterintuitive, but it does make the
scale jump 1.5-2lbs, and it can take as much as 5 days to get us back to where we were before we indulged. Try
to think of wine as “liquid sugar”, because that’s exactly how it behaves when we ingest it. I hope the values above
will give you room for thought, and some ideas for change that will prevent you going backwards during the week
and threatening all of your good work. Very best!

Allie

Hi everyone, back for another week. Only 3.5 weeks to my holiday and still need to discard at least some weight, maybe just 4 or 5 lbs. Big change for me as husband has gone away for 4 days on business. I am not used to being on my own and a bit nervous about the night times but we have had a super alarm system put in recently, if I can only remember how to use it!!!! At least I can eat when I want and what I want without having to have set mealtimes or formal dinners (I dont mean in dinner dress just proper dinners) and I can live on boiled eggs, cold chicken and mashed tuna dip. I can also exercise as much as I want like doing squats in front of the TV while watching Corrie. So maybe it will be a blessing. I certainly have plenty of household chores to do as we have house sitters arriving in 3 weeks and it is a full Spring clean job. But first I am going to do a live on-line French lesson at 5.30 French time. Have a good week everyone.

Skipping, I feel your pain…I’m pretty sure that I would be closer to fitting into new jeans if wine had been completely off the menu for the last 10 weeks. We are not I think generally surrounded by lifelong teetotallers on here so lots have had to acknowledge it! I am going to hang up jeans in the kitchen as a reminder and I hope a really good incentive!

wendleg – thank you for again taking the lead on the weekly thread.
shellbob – encouraging results there, keep going.
kitty – excellent news! How lovely to have some solid options. I remember that feeling of knowing there in an out, when in a job I was no longer excited about – liberating isn’t it.
C/Crumble – it’s good that you are managing to stay upbeat and that people are making positive comments, which means something good must still be happening.
Patricia – great results there, you should feel very proud of your progress. Will look forward to reading about your future progress.

For me, it’s been a stressful few days and I’m currently in dynamic overload! Have a list of things I have to get done A) to handover the village hall booking sec. responsibilities and B) other stuff that has to happen before we go to Turkey and C) OH being incapacitated and a rather bad tempered patient.

That said I’m 1.5lb down on last week, so okay with where I am weightwise, although I’d like to have more wriggle room – heyho, not stressing about that right now.

Have a really good BSD week everyone.

I’m starting my first week on the 800 a day diet. I’ve dieted so many times before, but the science behind this excites me with a lot of diabetics in the family. I love reading all of your posts and it is helping to motivate. Thank you 😊

Thank you so much Wendy, for setting us up for our next week together!

Welcome Charlie25! I’m happy that you’ve been reading along up until the point that you want to jump aboard the
weekly thread, Any questions or concerns will be answered here, so simply shout out and help will be at your
elbow. Do you have a “Profile” posted so that we can learn your goals? and you can get to know us, as well. We
function like a family here, and look after each other. 🙂
Join in anywhere..and Very Best of Luck

Allie

Hello Mr CC. It must be a boost to hear your colleagues commenting on your changing shape, tho I can understand a stall is frustrating. I did think of you the other day when I was doing my shopping as you said you were fed up with fish (and Mrs CC is pescatarian) – if you like them (as I do) squid rings are low cal and low carb (tho protein needs to be factored in). I got them ready to eat with chilli – but fried in 1/2 tspn olive oil just to heat through and ate with a lamb’s lettuce salad (with the other half tspn oil and lots of black pepper). And a bit of mayonnaise would also be allowed! Might make a tasty change and something your O/H could also share. Also, if the person who has posted about chicken and walnuts in a lettuce cup could expand on recipe it sounds v tasty and would love to try it!

SixTurkeys, thanks for the thought. I love squid, as does Mrs CC, so will definitely give that a go. Im craving cheese at the moment in a bid to get carbs and cals down. Just a shame we can only eat so little of it! Im using philadelphia in place of salad dressing and thats working well.
Aliiecat, wise words on the wine. I must admit I succumbed on Sunday after camp (30 8-10 yr olds for a weekend tends to drive one to wine!) and had a couple of glasses. These were the first for 6 weeks though and I’m back to fizzy water and herbal tea now.
SG, I love having the house to myself occasionally – eating what and when you want is liberating. Hope the nerves go away whilst you’re watching the soaps!
SunnyB, wow! How many years in and still discarding?! What an inspiration!
And Charlie25, welcome! I’m 6 weeks in and this tremendous group of amazing people have kept me positive and motivated from the start. Good luck!
CC

I’m not sure Mr CC how a Philly cheese salad dressing works…. Could you go for mustard/vinegar/olive oil (and having read back on many of Esnecca’s posts – one of the gold, if not platinum (if not carbon using bank cards as reference…) medal BSDers, using fingers to coat dressing through salad leaves to make a little go further – it does sound satisfyingly chef-y) – and then add a few shavings of parmesan? – or any hard cheese would be nice. So you get the cheesy taste and the filling fats from that. But also maybe Philly in Portobello mushrooms in the oven, (with bacon?) quick finish under the grill, on top of a green salad wld be nice….in fact that wld be really yummy…another thing to add to my own list…

Thank you for the warm welcome. Reading these posts is making me hungry! I am cooking for my family and fussy toddler, so I’m going to stick to recipes where I can easily switch carbs for salads. I made Cauliflower pizza tonight – I just put a bit less cheese on my bit all served with a side salad. Definitely a recipe I will try again!

Sixturkeys – Portobello mushrooms grilled sound yummy! I will add them to the shopping next week.

Cream cheese can work well in a salad dressing, but not by itself. It’s too thick to spread. For a nice creamy dressing, my base combination is .5 oz (14 g) cream cheese, a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (half a lemon squeezed, basically), a teaspoon (5ml) of really good extra-virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk. If it needs thinning out to make it easy to toss add a tiny splash of pickle juice or chicken broth.

If I’m making a salad with smoked fish I add minced capers to the dressing. If I’m adding chicken or pulled pork I throw some hot sauce into the dressing. If I’m using smoked turkey I toss in some horseradish. It’s easy to customize to your taste and introduce lots of variety with no effort.

sixturkeys, you really have been reading back in time! You’re right that tossing a salad with your hands distributes small amounts of dressing so well that you’ll never miss the huge globs they ladle on in restaurants. You sort of massage it into the greens as you flip them.

Allicat thanks for taking the time to give me such a helpful response. I know that both the strawberries and the tomatoes are high in carbs And that’s why I’ve not been eating them. I thought they would be ok as a weekend treat, clearly I’m fooling myself. I’m used to drinking wine almost every evening and fully expected to give it up for the first few weeks, then hoped to be able to drink a little at the weekends, whilst continuing to lose weight but more slowly. Fooled again! I definitely don’t want to undo all the good I’m doing Monday to Friday . If truth be told, I didn’t start this WOEwith the intention of completely changing my lifestyle but wanted to get rid of some unhealthy habits that I’ve become too comfortable with. I would be happy with another 7lb loss , especially if it’s all from the middle.
I’m stll a little hung up on the calories in and out equation and think I should not be at risk of gaining weight if I’m following a low carb 800!cal diet 5 days a week and relax a bit at the weekend. The evidence of the scales is telling me I’m wrong. Ho hum. So I can’t have my cake and eat it.
CC I’m with you on the cheese front. I can second 🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃sugestion about a little Parmesan shaved over lightly dressed salad leaves -10 g gives me a big enough hit and cheese is a real weakness for me.

Hi Charlie; I have only been doing this since beginning of Jan this year, but I can’t believe how easy it has been to drop bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, and the more occasional crumpets, croissants. The former were really daily staples. Don’t think of veg as just cold salads, wilted spinach or greens are lovely and filling; courgettes; broccoli; etc. And as you say Cauli. And eggs with veg! There is so much which is delicious and filling to eat. I just need to shake off the wine siren call, and that involves getting back to the first three weeks novelty feeling, when it was not missed in the least. Go figure. But there is so much inspiration and support on here!

Feels like I’m late in joining in this week as there are so many posts already…..but it is still only Tuesday lol.
Welcome Charlie. I agree with everyone else. This is a great forum giving so much support,encouragement, help and good tips. I couldn’t have got by without all the lovely folk on here.
Well done Patricia, I have been following your posts with interest and was so pleased to see you achieve great results. Good luck with the next stage. Don’t become complacent like I did when the 8 weeks ended. I’ve not gone back to my old way of eating but I’m not being as good as I should be either!
My main focus this week is my blood tests tomorrow. First time I’ve ever been excited for my blood test lol. Usually dreading it. I’m trying so hard to resist the strong temptation to “treat” myself to a big bar of galaxy afterwards, like I usually do. Still have the mentality that once it’s done I can eat what I want….. but I so desperately want to banish this way of thinking.
My plan is to get seriously back on track and start discarding weight again………

I’m a bit late too and didn’t make it at all last week but still hanging around.

Little or no movement as far as scales go- Mr CC I feel your pain as I’m in the same boat but more like 30 days 🥺 Having said that, something is clearly happening because I’m back in my smaller work clothes that were too snug for comfort last time I tried.

Scottish Gal, how wonderful that you’re feeling confident about your blood tests! I envy you. My dr chased me up the road to give me the form for my bloods that I’d er… forgotten to pick up. I don’t want to do them! Not diabetes blood but cholesterol and I know they’ll be high and she will badger me again about statins. It’s the total that’s high, my HDL and Triglicerides are excellent and the ratios put me in the low risk category according to the Australian heart association but she is hung up on that figure. It’s always an argument and so exhausting.
Good luck everyone. My focus is going to be declining the wine, like so many others. It’s so much a part of social events here and sadly I enjoy a glass so much.

Morning all. Does anyone have experience with bathroom scales that measure body fat %, visceral fat etc? Mine do and I’m wondering how accurate they are and whether to take any notice of the figures other than weight?
As for the Philly cheese baked mushrooms and the parmesan on salad… way ahead of you! Sprinkle a little cauli rice on the top of the baked, stuffed mushrooms before baking for a pseudo breadcrumb crunch – really good!
Happy Wednesday! CC

Sorry custard no help on the scales but just popped in to say what a great idea re cauliflower rice as breadcrumbs. Tomorrow’s dinner sorted! Have a great day

I have Propert scales that do everything that opens and shuts- everything except record downward movement at the moment 🥺

I used the body composition every few weeks while I was losing and though they may not be accurate like the professional scans I found the trend helpful. They tracked my body fat from 46 to 33 over a 16 week period.

There are some that sync with apps etc but mine don’t do that.

Thanks Mariet. My Tanita scales do it too and my body fat % has allegedly come down from 26 to 18 over 6 weeks. Was wondering if this means my non-shifting weight might be water rather than fat! Looks like the trend is accurate based on your results, so will take the positives for today!

Hi CC I have scales that just do weight and body fat % – had them for years. Not sure how accurate they are but they are my “daily users” so I go by them, especially when they’re going in the right direction 😀. They might not be totally accurate but they are the constant I use in gauging any losses – or gains.

I semi-regularly check my blood pressure on the machine in the GP’s waiting room and occasionally get on the height/weight machine there. I did that 2weeks ago and while my height was the same as usual (hurrah) my weight (at mid day and dressed as opposed to early morning and naked) was 3kg lighter 😮. While I’d love to take that what I see in the mirror and the tape measure says no, so I’ll be sticking with my bathroom scales.

Love the Cauli-breadcrumbs idea. Thank you.

Hello all, I am a very infrequent poster but I thought I would add some encouragement to people with Type 2 diabetes by sharing my story so far.
I was diagnosed in 2017 with Type 2. I have never been on medication but was managing OK for the first year or so. Then late last year I noticed my blood sugars were creeping up. I started the BSD just before new year.
In the initial 8 weeks I lost 10kg, then I slowed down by eating a bit more, and in the next 5 weeks I lost 2 more kg. I am now lighter than i have been for 20 years and only a handful of kilos above healthy weight range. Looking a lot better too!
But the best thing is getting my bloods back today, after 3 months of BSD. HbA1C was 5.0%, fasting BSL 4.7, cholesterol and triglycerides down, good cholesterol up, liver enzymes back to normal range. My doctor was happy with me, although when I put my success down to BSD she did a little eye roll and said “we like to just encourage healthy eating and exercise and the weight loss will follow” . Well I know I needed more than that, and I am most grateful for the chance to put my diabetes into remission. Long may it last.
Keep up the good work everyone, good health is worth fighting for.

Scottishgal you have done so well with your discard, fingers crossed for the blood test results.

I found a way that suits me, and I’m staying with it until I can’t live “on the fat of the land” any longer. 😁 So saying, patting my tummy.

Hi TaytoP my GP recognised my fast 800 diet and said he had done it too. He has high expectations of low carb if you want to control blood sugar, the weight reduction is a bonus. The standard line is reduce weight, so you can control blood sugar (all the while expecting hormones to cope with a high sugar diet.)

I think there are moves within the NHS to revise the diabetes diet advice officially. The evidence is quite compelling now.

Hi all, that is great results TaytoP – the problem with the medical fraternity is that their idea of a ‘healthy’ diet for diabetics is quite the reverse to what we eat, they are always pushing carbs so us poor diabetics dont go into coma’s. It is policy for elderly people (T2) to run with a higher HbA1c to keep them safe and, in general for elderly people, they should be encouraged to eat more as most loose interest in food and dont eat enough. I dont consider myself if that ‘elderly’ bracket just yet.
First night alone and, besides getting into a traffic snarl up on the way back from the airport and not knowing another route and didn’t know how to switch on the GPS (he assumes I dont need to know as he is always with me DOH!!!) – I followed a road I didn’t know until I saw a signpost for a place I knew was not far from my home. Crisis number one averted, although it was just that it was getting close to 2pm and I hadn’t had any lunch so worried about BG levels. Crisis number two solved as I had a punnet of strawberries in the boot. This morning I opened the large sliding window in the living room to get some air whilst exercising. Then the damn thing wouldn’t lock, it had jammed. That meant I would have had to have left it unlocked and unalarmed when I went to bed. Found some WD40 in the garage, quick spray and crisis number 3 averted. I didn’t know how much on the edge I live. At least I managed on my own.

Have a good week and I will try to keep out of trouble.

Scottishgal I also feel late checking in and I am supposed to be hosting the thread ! It’s great to see so much discussion again. How did your blood tests go ? I sincerely hope you resisted that big bar of Galaxy.Maybe treat yourself to a square of really dark choc ? Lindt 90 % hits the spot. Galaxy will taste very ‘fatty’ in time.
Sixturkeys are you resolutely 5Ts now ? I am only just into the 70kg bracket (12stone 7) but hoping to join you in celebrating 12 stone soonish. I wold like to be wearing size 14s too.Not sure about jeans..will see what they look like a bit further down the line.
Shellbob well done ! 900g is fantastic ! Size 16 was a major victory for me . Hope your eye test went well . It’s great that you are sounding more upbeat.
Glad you are feeling less stressed Kittykat. Work is an important part of life and when it’s not going well it can be draining so I am glad you have achieved the change you desired.
Skipping ..I wouldn’t advise ‘relaxing’ at the weekends in the early stages . It’s a personal choice but it could be a slippery slope ??? Allie has given you some good tips.I am fortunate that wine has no great appeal for me despite living near the Fronton/Gaillac vineyards !
Patricia1066 you have proved to yourself that this works so with continued determination you wll get where you want to be.
Sunshine girl, hope you are not encountering any other crises there ! I understand about getting lost.I have no sense of direction and wonder how I manage to find my way to work every morning 😉 Heavy traffic stresses me too but if I avoid Toulouse and stay on the country roads round here I am fine !!. What a wimp I am. You have proved to yourself you can cope so well done !! It’s about facing fears and you have already shown you can take charge of your health and a jammed door is a mere trifle !! I shamelessly rely on my hubby for lots of practical stuff so I understand.
Sunny ..hope O/H is recovering. I sense you are a bit anxious with lots to sort before your trip to Turkey but you will get there. Unexpected events and O/h’s accident do throw us though. Well done on achieving that wriggle room !
Oooh CC I love squid. You are very focused and well done for surviving your teenage camp weekend.I know how that can be…totally exhausting ! I have no experience of the fancy scales you mentioned.I rely on my clothes getting looser ! Hope Mrs Custard is well too !
Charlie25…a hearty welcome from me too. You have already had some great advice but keep asking if you have any queries.
Hi AnnieW ! Fellow Midlander I am from the West Midlands 😉
Good to see you back with us Mariet ! I get annoyed with the insistence on ‘treating ‘ cholesterol with statins etc.My hubby has a shedload of meds ( pretty typical in France) and I doubt he really needs all of them as he does not have a proven heart condition but I am not qualified to challenge the doc.I understand it’s high triglycerides that are more problematic and I keep reading that cholesterol is not such a big deal. I fully understand your frustration.
Well done on your achievements TaytoP and I am totally with you .Good health is most definitely worth fighting for.
I hope I have caught up with everyone and haven’t forgotted anyone although I am aware we have ‘lost’ a few people along the way.I hope they decide to come back .
I am still hoping and hoping that Amz is reading this and will check in. We are not just interested in any downward trend on yor scales Amz. It’s about your self esteem and well being and we would love to hear from you.

What a magnificent, inclusive post Wendy! I know the commitment it takes to reach out to everyone, which is
why I think you are such a natural host for this thread. You’re a sweetheart! xxx

Hi wendeg, There was never a case of heavy traffic, 5 cars makes it rush hour. I was on a journey I know so well but the place I was going to (to the airport) and the return journey home cross both a railway and a river. There are two ways to go but one was completely closed due to them putting new hardcore on the railway like and had a long line of rail trucks so I knew I couldn’t go that way. The way I went home was perfectly open on the outward journey but a lorry had jack-knifed on the rail crossing so closing it to all traffic so I had to work out getting to another destination that would eventually lead me home. Miles and miles of country roads until I finally saw a sign. I will get him to show me the GPS when he gets back. Tout est bien qui fini bien – n’est pas.

Hi Wendleg – I work out that I’ve said goodbye to two turkeys now. Still 4 to go (tho I’d be happy with 3!). My size 14 black jeans are still slightly out of reach tum-wise. I also got some new loafers to wear with them (two pairs; black suede and red suede with gilt link thing). I had haircut today (I am v low maintenance and not a once every 8 weeks girl – more like 3 or 4 months) and have promised myself some “champagne” highlights in my otherwise silvery hair (last done 2017 as hairdresser reminded me…) when I comfortably fit into them (jeans not loafers…)! Depending on weather at that time, black roll neck or simple linen shirt maybe and I’ll be sashaying like a Parisienne. My daughter bless her said my (reduced) bottom was “peachy”! Hope all well with you and everyone else – and yes it would be good to hear from those who have not been posting recently. And Duckie!

Hi Patricia1066 & TaytoP – I don’t generally post on here but just wanted to say I’m really delighted for you both. Great news.
Scottishgal – good luck with the results of your blood tests.

Hi all – some great results and ideas here. Love the idea of cauliflower rice as breadcrumbs! Well I was feeling very positive at the beginning of the week as I’d finally managed to discard a little bit but two days on and every day the scale has gone up a little so now I’m up 0.6lb which doesn’t seem much but they were such hard won losses that it’s just so frustrating. I’m drinking 3L of water a day, 20g or under of carbs, 60g protein and healthy fats to make up the difference. I’m around 750 cals every day, no wine and no weekend cheats. I meticulously record everything and log all my measurements too which are also static. I’m thinking of doing a short fast again but really don’t want to rely on this for weight loss. I will keep going but I’m at a loss to understand why I’m responding so poorly to the WOE. In 2015 I stuck to a very strict diet of around 300 cals/day for five months and lost 45lbs but it was so strict that I would end up binging on the weekend and then starting over again on Monday so net losses were negated and took longer because of it. It was too tough mentally which is why this appealed to me but maybe my body just needs fewer calories. Does anyone else feel like 800 doesn’t work for them or am I just grasping at straws???

OMG sunshine that journey would have stressed me out big time ! I am so used to tootling along on quiet roads here that I find the traffic and especially motorways in the Uk intensely distressing !! I am not a natural GPS user either. Well done you !

Hi fourturkeys ! Loving the new purchases ! It feels good to have a good pampering session now and again. I am wearing one of my 3€ dresses from the ‘vide dressing’ today and matching ‘flamenco dancer earrings’ The dress is a French size 4 ( on a scale of 1 to 6 ) and I am very pleased with it. I have found the solution to renewing my wardrobe at little cost ! I will try on some jeans in the Uk if I can find a Marks and Spencer .Time to renew my ‘bloomers ‘ too !! .. Your peachy bum will soon be in your 14s !

Oh Kafin, please don’t think of going to 300 cals a day for any length of time; it’s not surprising you lost 45lbs (and over quite a short period despite your w/end “binges”) but it can’t have been healthy. Barely over half a lb “gain” should not worry you. I do wonder whether you should just ignore scales for a bit; eat healthily in line with BSD principles and make sure you are happy with your new med regime – and in the meantime, try and enjoy some fresh air and the sun on your face. You do seem incredibly hard on yourself – please take some time to be gentle and cosset yourself.

Six turkeys – you are lovely and very intuitive. I’m very hard and rigid with myself. I’m working with my therapist on learning to love myself but it’s such a long and ongoing battle. Maybe you’re right about the scales. I do it because I feel like it keeps me on track but maybe I’ll start with every other day and then whittle it down to once a week for a while. Thank you x

Hi everyone 😊. Some fantastic results well done everyone. I have lost and gained the same 1kg for 2 weeks now. I fasted lost it and gained it back 2 days later
sadly. So did some research and found a video of Dr Mindy Pelz interviewing another Dr. He told a story of a client who did everything perfectly. She followed the eating plan the exercise routine and she lost no weight or centimeters. She persisted and after 5.5months she lost 5kg in 4weeks. She needed that time to let her fatty liver heal. So Ive decided that something is happening i just can’t see it and it will eventually happen as our bodies are amazing.

Hi Kafin. I feel your distress over less than a 1lb gain, which could simply suggest fluid retention, possibly time of the
month, or the effect of new meds. You also mentioned that you believe you are responding poorly to the BSD? On
March 25 you also said that you had lost 20.4lbs and were beginning week 7. I’m having difficulty understanding how
discarding 20+lbs in 6 weeks can represent a poor response. What were your expectations going in? Losing a stone a
month is fairly average, and some go less than that and don’t consider it a failure at all. Antidepressants can slow things
down for some, but dropping your calories to 300 would be a mistake. That wouldn’t be the BSD at all, but a semi-
starvation protocol, which could do serious damage to your metabolism, not to mention deprivation of essential
nutrients. I see that you are doing absolutely everything right, so perhaps some patience might be in order, and a
reassessment of your expectations. An actual plateau isn’t 2 days, but more like 2 weeks, and unless I’ve missed
something along the way, you haven’t had that experience. Could you explain further, because I’m confused 🙂

Best,

Allie

Skinnytish – I’m sorry you’re struggling too but it does help me see that there’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing because others are experiencing it too. I don’t know what’s going on inside my body, I don’t have diabetes or blood sugar issues, fatty liver, high blood pressure or high cholesterol but who knows what else is sorting itself inside!

Skinnytish – what a great positive outlook and one we could all learn from, when we feel cheated that nothing seems to be happening, even though we are persisting with the BSD. Hope you will soon be seeing brilliant results.