Hello everyone,
Hope you’re doing well. Garlic planting is pretty much done now, and I just have a few tulips and daffodils left to go in. Will do that on the weekend as I’m back at work now and the days are drawing in at both ends.
I’ve fallen back into eating easy things and not cooking as a full on week outside has meant that the house is a mess. At best I am popping something in the oven and then using the time to clean up. Once I feel like the house is back under control I think I’ll be able to focus on cooking healthy meals again. I picked up a magazine today that has some interesting looking recipes, so hopefully that will help. I also have a lot of kabocha squash that I need to start using along with the remains of the rainbow chard from the garden. Beets and onions are still left out there too. So any ideas are appreciated!

Hi all, Arctic you are still very busy but I feel better knowing you are 30 years younger than me. I would have been helping you back then with no problems.

Down another half a pound and the weekend looming. Still doing sober October but now counting the days to the 30 when we have a night out. Hubby says ‘oh poor you’ but I never see him giving up anything, even his cakes on a Thursday and croissants at the weekend are always there. I don’t think he realises how hard I try with everything.

Had a bit of a hypo during the night. It is like an alarm clock, I woke up restless and sweating. Staggered to the kitchen to do a test. 58 which is about 3.1 so I had to have a glucose tablet then some chicken. Went back to bed and was okay but that might have stopped me from losing any more weight. Probably partly because I had a shake for lunch (was in a hurry to get out) then decided to go veggie in the evening with aubergine parmagianno. I only gave us 2 slices of aubergine each with some tomato sauce, cheese and egg to top it off. Obviously not enough. We live and learn.

Weekend is upon us and I hope you can all have a nice relaxing time – but stick to the plan. That is my intention.

Well done arcticfox with all your planting! Also well done s-g losing some weight despite your hypo scare👍
I have completed two fast days this week but am feeling rather despondent because I don’t think I have lost any weight this week. I will weigh tomorrow to find out! I’m keeping plodding on but this weekend will be challenging going out tomorrow night for a Tom Jones evening at the bowls club with dinner & I have avoided chips & chosen vegetarian “meatballs “ with pasta & a tomato sauce! & I will definitely have a glass of wine! On Sunday we are going to a friends house for lunch where there will also be wine & a pudding. I will have to eat very carefully next week if I have any chance of reaching my interim goal of losing two stone by the end of October but will keep going.
Well done anyone else managing to keep on track👏👏👏
Margaret

Margaret don’t feel despondent.
If I’m right you don’t need/want to lose too much weight.
We have to live.
Fasting may just not be right for you.
Avoiding chips and having pasta is just like trading 300mls of water for 300mls of water. No difference!
I can see that you think you’re pre-diabetic but your husband is T2.
The only way to resolve the situation for both of you is to control the carbs. It’s not the weight, per se, it’s the carbs!
Fasting might appear to be a good way to lose weight quickly but controlling T2 with diet is long term, a complete life style change. In saying that occasional desserts or whatever your ‘poison’ is are fine just can’t have refined carbs at every meal!

Margaret

I can see your post in ‘recent topics’ and in my email inbox but it’s not appearing here.
I don’t read all the posts so didn’t know your back story. I just looked at your profile and took it at face value! I’ve taken a second look and realise that it’s way out of date! I guess you wrote that when you first joined way back when.

I’m sorry you’ve had so many issues but pleased that you seem to have overcome them and that your husband is in control of his T2.

I assumed, incorrectly, that you were relatively new to this WOL and I was only trying to help, as you said you felt ‘despondent’. Hands well and truly smacked!

Sorry for the offence I’ve obviously caused, none was meant.

Hi everyone, hope you are having a good weekend. It is raining here in France and we are getting a real Autumn vibe with the smell of woodburners in the air. Love days like this when it is a good excuse to do absolutely nothing. Painting, french, a few games and yoga exercises are enough for the day. Maybe a film this afternoon.

Weight down a smidge making my loss for October just under 5lbs. Funny how .02 kgs sound a lot but it is less than quarter of a pound, anyway, I’ll take that. Still doing sober October, still doing daily yoga, so always trying my best.

No offence taken Verano & I realised you were trying to help!👍I am just tough on myself & get frustrated when my efforts don’t work out 😀
I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend!
Margaret xx

Margaret glad I didn’t offend you. Sometimes the written word doesn’t come across in the same way as the ‘spoken’.
Don’t be too tough on yourself at the end of the day staying as health as we can is the REAL
goal!
Enjoy your weekend too….especially your glass , or so, of wine!

I also cannot see my other post so don’t know where it’s gone🤔

What a shame it must have taken ages to write!

Well I’ve adjusted my fruit intake over the last few weeks.
I realise that I’ve really been missing fruit over the last few years. I’ve not added bananas but I do have a small satsuma and a passion fruit most days. I have berries when I have yogurt but that’s not every day.
I know fruit can be higher carbs but the satisfaction it gives me is worth far more than the higher carb count!

Hi everyone ! It’s early morning here in Cairns and I am the only one up ! The light is beautiful and there are lots of intriguing birds cooing and tweeting !!

Update …. I too caught a yucky cold , fuzzy head and later very annoying hacking cough which I probably picked up on our long haul flights ! I have since read you can put handcream or vaseline just inside the nostrils to block any nasties so I might try that on the return . Fortunately I was in Melbourne at the time and no risk to anyone . I did test for covid but fortunately it was negative .

Baby Leny was born on the 8th October and weighed in at 3kg860 . Mum had to have an unexpected C section because of her high temperature which was very stressful for my son but births don’t always go as expected ! So I was asked to go up a week earlier to help out and changed my flight .Before then I had a few days in Tasmania with hubby and his daughter and grandchildren but left there on the 15th. The fish there was amazing and we had some incredible oysters .

As it turned out mum and baby had to stay in hospital for 10 days as they wanted to be sure there was no infection which also meant a check for meningitis , all a bit worrying but everything is fine . So I met my first grandson in Cairns hospital and he is of course the most beautiful baby in the world !! It was very emotional and a very very special moment .

It was great when everyone got back home and able to settle.Baby is feeding really well , sleeping and with moments when we have lots of cuddles and ‘grandma ‘chats’ !! I swear he recognises my voice when I start chuntering on !! He is an absolute joy .

Hubby arrives from Tasmania today and it’s good that he also had some special time with his daughter and grandchildren .We have to manage the distance with loved ones being so far away but we cope with video calls etc .I am not even going to think of how I will feel when I leave here ( mid December )

I know my posts are not really ‘diet’ related but I honestly feel pretty good with food choices here . I just tend to choose salad and some protein .The avocados here are amazing .There is also an abundance of tropical fruit which I find hard to resist but I intend to enjoy some . Hubby will enjoy the barbecue as he likes his meat . I have come to realise that any carbs but especially bread gives me the most awful acid reflux which is enough to kill any temptation. I am not planning on weighing or setting any targets, just making healthy choices and enjoying my time here . I can focus on losing weight when I get back to France .

I do read the thread and thank SG for keeping everything going .You are a star, Denise ! i will check in as I have my lap top with me .I started sorting baby photos yesterday to make a first little album before I get totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume 😉

Take care everyone and just do your best .I sense sometimes we do put a lot of pressure on ourselves yet we are doing great !

love
Wendy x

Great to see your update, Wendy, and I’m glad you are enjoying Australia and your family. The birds in the morning is one of the biggest things that I miss about Australia. And yes, the food is pretty good. They are so lucky that they can grow such a wide array of foods there. If you get the chance, and can find them, I recommend King Island cheeses. They are sooo delicious. It is actually quite difficult to source good bread in Australia, I’ve found, at least in the more rural areas where I was, so I would say that you’re not missing out on much in that regard anyway.
Verano, I’ve added more fruit back as well. No more than 2 pieces a day, but I’ve found that it wards off worse sugar cravings.
I’m starting to feel some of the autumn craziness subside a bit. Still busy this weekend trying to get some jobs done before winter, but I can see progress, so that’s always good. Starting to look at recipes again. I have a gift card that I will use towards buying an InstantPot. I think that will help with making soups and stews in winter, but also will keep me cooking in the warmer weather as it won’t heat the kitchen up as much as using the stove or oven. For tonight, I have a squash roasting in the oven and will figure out something to top it with. Possibly chickpeas and chard with lots of herbs and spices. Best go do that. Keep on keeping on, everyone!

Wendy thanks for your update. Congratulations! Glad mum and baby are doing well. You took me back to when my first grandson was born, almost 16 years ago now! It really is a very special moment so enjoy!

I loved Australia, especially the fresh produce and the fish. I think ‘health’ is the real objective here rather than weight per se and it sounds like your having a really healthy ‘diet’. Weight is just a number! Enjoy the rest of your time in Cairns.

Arctic I don’t crave sugar but my diet was just becoming so ‘boring’ which is why I’ve started to add some fruit back. I tend to have brunch but then get a bit fidgety in the afternoon looking for a snack which often leads to full on eating! A couple of pieces of fruit seem to stop the nibbles in their tracks. So while it’s working that’s what I’ll be doing!

Wendy many congratulations to you & your family for the safe arrival of your grandson 👏👏👏
My husband & I have visited Cairns & I awoke early heard a sound & looked out of our hotel balcony to see a huge number of what I thought were large birds calling & flying towards me, when they came closer I realised they were fruit bats that I had never seen before & it was magical😀
Have a wonderful time with your family in Australia!
With very best wishes
Margaret

Hi everyone, great news for Wendy and her first grandchild.

It is strange that Australia has such an abundance of good produce yet it is one of the worlds obesity leaders especially among young people (15 to 21). I used to live in Sydney and remember it’s beaches being the land of the beautiful people so it is such a shame.

Weight still the same but that is better than the many weekends I have gained for the sake of a few glasses of wine. I am just dithering at the bottom of a kilo level 73 – and hoping to see 72 by Tuesday for my weigh in. Looking back on my history I have lost just under 2 stone so can imagine how bad I must have looked. Shame my health is not showing the same improvements but I have to think positive and think how bad I would be now if I still weighed that extra 2 stone.

It is a day of taking in all the summer furniture and the solar lamps from around the gazebo. We don’t have to take down the gazebo as it is a permanent fixture now, cemented into the ground. Not looking forward to covering the pool, think we will have to call in some help from friends.

Enjoy what is left of the weekend.

Thanks for all your good wishes ,everyone .Hubby arrived from Tasmania last night, finding the temperatures here a bit of a shock to the system !
Back to food here the supermarkets ( Coles and Woolworths) remind me of UK Asda .I found cottage cheese which is not that easy to get in France .Fresh salad all great , and a good variety.I am stocked up on avocados ! My son bought crumpets for hubby which are a distant memory for me and I definitely haven’t seen them in France ( apart from the little blinis you can buy )
Arctic I will look out for that cheese !

I don’t see any reason not to continue my normal way of eating as long as I can resist the tropical fruits .

Have a good week everyone xx

Hi everyone.

Congrats on the grandbaby, Wendleg!
Hope everyone is doing well and managing to keep going!
I’ve been AWOL for a while, so thought to pop in and see how everyone is doing- and share how i’m doing!
Had slipped off the BSD for a couple of weeks, but last week I was fully committed and lost 1.7kg. This week I’m doing extended fasting (which I actually prefer to BSD, because far less choices to be made!) and I would love to shed another 1-2 kg this week. I am definitely in ketosis, I can smell it (!!) and feeling fabulous.

I will be making a big pot of courgette soup to have in the freezer for when i end this fast in a couple of days. (I saute a few onions until golden, add a bunch of courgettes, add water to cover, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other spices i’m in the mood of and add a couple of slices of chicken breast. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 mins, Remove chicken, and cut into cubes, blend soup and add chicken back. Delicious!!) It helps that hubby and the kids love this soup too, and its a real comforting winter soup, so win-win for all!

Anyway thanks to all of you for being here. This forum is the best!!

Hi happysnap, always happy to welcome you back with open arms.

Today is day 7 of my chair yoga which, surprisingly I am finding a challenge. Okay I don’t have to jump up and down and get out of breath but I am having issues with flexibility and mobility. For example, cannot reach my ankle to hold my leg behind me – I could a year ago. I am hoping that is the sort of thing the 30 days will iron out.

On a different subject. Has anyone tried the ZenB pea pasta substitutes. My daughter bought some after seeing the ad and we tried it. The family couldn’t tell the difference from ordinary wheat pasta. It tasted better than ordinary pasta and it is made of 100% yellow peas including the skins. Sounds healthy and probably better than wheat but for me it was adding a carb that I don’t have and don’t really miss. A portion is around 200 cals with 13% carbs so I guess but that equates to a 56g dry weight so 100g would be about 50g carbs. A bit high for me although those carbs are mainly dietary fibre with no sugars. So if you feel the need for something to soak up the sauce they are worth a try. Not advertising, just reporting back on my experience and feelings. They are not for me as I would avoid carbs by any name. Should also mention the price – outrageous – around £9 for a 12 oz box.

Have a good week.

Just finished week 3 but with only half a pound loss. Total for 3 weeks is 4.5lbs which is why I set my goal for 1lb a week to give leeway to the ups and downs. Only 6.5lbs to my 11lb goal before we go away in 8 weeks.

Well done s-g on your continuing weight loss it looks like you are on track to achieve your 11lb goal.
Margaret

Another day and more weight loss but not counting my chickens etc….. We have a night out on Monday so I will do my weigh in on Monday morning instead of the Tuesday – give myself a break. Then back on with the plan. Just looking back at my photo diet folder and remember I have been down as low as the weight I am now aiming for. For clarity it is 11 stone exactly which gave me my 2 stone weight loss in the early days. Unfortunately, when I reached that weight I went on a cruise and gained half a stone. Then slowly a bit more each holiday without really getting back down. Now if I can get back down I will only have Christmas to deal with and hopefully no more than 3 or 4 lbs gain (I know, but only to be expected). Then back on it in time for my next cruise in May – so plenty of time. I am really pacing myself.

Hope you are all taking good care of yourselves in this colder weather. Stay warm and stay healthy.

S-g that sounds like a plan! It’s about time you gave yourself a break weighing on Monday would definitely seem like the way to go.

Well done everyone who is keeping on track & losing weight 👏👏👏
I’m still doing TRE each day & will be doing a fast today but my last weekend seems to have totally screwed any weight loss so far this week despite eating 800 calories for the past three days. I know I need to reduce 3500 calories to lose one pound & now have until the end of this month to lose 2.75 lbs to reach my goal of losing two stone since I signed back on here in January this year. This means burning 1750 calories each day until 31st October which seems unrealistic with my BMR being 1303! I think I will have to shift reaching my goal to my birthday on 19th November 🤔 but I hope I reach it before then when the family is gathering to celebrate our birthdays. My husband & will stroll to our local pub for dinner on 16th November which is his birthday so reaching it by then would be even better & keep me motivated for the rest of the year🤞
It’s lovely & sunny here today but I have been rather sedentary knitting myself a jumper & studying French on DuoLingo which I’m much enjoying keeping my brain active & testing my memory. It teaches in a clever way rather like the way children learn to speak introducing verbs, adjectives & nouns as they are used in everyday situations. I’m hoping I will get to use it next year & I’m trying to persuade my husband that a French river cruise would be good. His French is still surprisingly fluent with him retaining much from school & having been in a family immersion exchange programme for three months with a French family. As we are aging we are trying to prevent becoming too mentally decrepit as well as physically 😂
Onwards everyone 👍🍀🍀
Margaret

Margaret, 2.75lbs to reach your goal sounds entirely realistic- I hope you will reach it very soon!
I’m just wondering if you’ve read Jason fung’s work, or Zoe Harcombe? because if there’s one thing i’ve learned from them, its that a calorie deficit of 3500 calories does NOT cause a lb of weight loss! it doesn’t work that way… I would suggest upping your fat and lowering your carbs, and keep shifting your TRE so your body doesn’t become accustomed to what you’re doing- keep it guessing.

I know you are one of the senior members of this group so I hope its OK that i’m offering you advice- its just that I’ve been reading yesterday just this- how the 3500 calories deficit for 1lb of loss is the biggest weight loss myth of all time- there is seriously no evidence to support it at all!

Hi all,
I think I need to restart the healthy eating! There’ve been a lot of things to throw me off track/ that I have let derail me……I’m still really tired, but if I at least start the WOE and then reduce cals once I am settled, I usually find that works better…..perhaps I should also re-read the book…..? What are your best tricks and tips for getting back into it? I do know that I will feel better on it, but those short-term reward foods feel like an easy fix to get out of exhaustion!
Clare xxx

Hi Clare,

After a period of the waggon my trick is to focus on improving the mix of gut bacteria. – The bad bacteria which digest sugar are able to signal to your brain that they want feeding creating cravings. – A combination of lots of salad to help feed the good bacteria and coconut which helps to reduce the bad bacteria levels. One word of warning, it does also cause a bit of a clearout of your digestive system, just as with a fast never trust a fart.

Hi all, made a school girl error yesterday. Needed to buy a baguette to make some breadcrumbs – prefer them to the packet orange stuff. Inevitably I ate a good chunk with my lunch. In my defence we had got back from shopping rather late and I was shaking and it was the first thing I grabbed. 0.25kg gain which is quite small and hopefully will be mainly fluid retention. It also showed on my BG result – normally about 85 and was 116 this morning. I made up for it by completing a 16 hour TRE with no breakfast and lunch around 1pm.

Tulip, I guess that is the sort of thing I do to get back on track, but that is just for one silly mistake. It can be hard if you have been dilly dallying for a while and need some motivation. The first thing I do is get out the BSD book and just browse through it. Then I sit down and plan a weeks meals along with a shopping list. I am not going to let my blip go into the weekend so still hope to have some loss to report on Monday. Then after my night out I am going to start the 8 weeks 800 cals from the start even though I will have only 7 weeks to get back on plan to my goal.

Thank you Happysnap & I have two of Jason Fungs books that were recommended when I first joined you all here that I must reread! I’m not being very physically active at the moment apart from my usual bowls playing but I will try increasing my fats & do usually eat lowish carb, however I had two pumpkin seeded Ryvitas for lunch with some 11g Boursin & with ham & an apple. The supper I’m planning is tuna steak with homemade ratatouille & I will be weighing tomorrow.
I’m always happy to receive advice & have learnt a lot from you all since joining in January so thank you👍
I hope everyone will have a good weekend!
Margaret

So 0ctober 28th tomorrow.
Clocks go back early Sunday ….. let’s just move forward… have to take each season as it comes ….

Hello all, I have been away for a while. Fiance has had his hip replacement and recovered amazingly well and is now back to work. Although he is leaving me to be a football ‘widow’ for the next 2 Sundays 😜. He has also lost almost 2 stone by finally going low carb. All the things I have been telling him he is now discovering are true. We tried a month on the carnivore diet which although filling didn’t result in me losing any weight but he did. I am now trying MM’s fast 800 keto. 10 days in and 4 1/2 lb down 😁
At the moment I have an awful cold 🤧 I am finding that I am extremely hungry. I’m wondering if I should just go with low carb but eating more calories until I’m better. Does my body need more calories to recover?

Well I have just weighed & lost 1/4lb which at least is moving downwards again & I must admit I seem to also have lost inches around my middle because my clothes are looser. I now have 2.5lbs to lose to reach my interim goal of losing two stone by 31st October which of course is impossible now 🙁 then depending on my final goal weight to lose a further 1.5 to 2 stone to reach my healthy weight range🤞I sincerely hope that it won’t take another year to achieve this!
I have learnt after my disastrously calorific last weekend when I had no food choices apart from eating nothing, which is not acceptable when being invited for lunch, 😂 that I must not relax my usual WOE over my weekends!!
Very well done everyone keeping on track👍👏👏I hope you are all doing better than me but I will keep on going😀
Margaret

Brilliant news Elle-Mae on your weight loss & your fiancé recovering well from hip surgery. Sorry to hear about your cold & my husband & I had that three weeks ago for ten days. We found eating homemade soups comforting & lemon & ginger tea & a spoon of honey to sip soothing our throats. Just take it easy & prepare simple food until you feel better!
I hope your cold soon goes🤞🤞
Margaret

Hi everyone, looks like the weight gain was just fluid as I dropped half a kilo this morning and I am now in the 72 range, albeit 72.9 which keeps me on track for my 1lb a week goal when I weigh in on Monday.

Wendy1947 I am sure you too will reach your goal. We are still here and still determined.

Welcome back Elle-Mae. It makes such a difference to have your partner on board with this. Even when I offer hubby rice or pasta with a meal he says he doesn’t want it as it doesn’t actually taste of anything. He still has the occasional sandwich but usually now with only one slice of bread. However, he doesn’t have the sort of medical problems that are effected by diet.

One good thing, Saturday is his cooking day and instead of doing something he thinks is healthy but I consider stodge he has decided to make a chilli.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you s-g & very well done keeping on track 👏👏👏 I am trying something different & eating to my BMR over the weekend & also rereading Jason Fungs The Obesity Code & his Cookbook to try some different recipes. His approach is different where he doesn’t give calorie, carb or protein counts recommending instead well balanced meals. I’m thinking it’s easy to become complacent & stuck in a routine so I will try to regig mine a little.
Margaret

Hi all, just done day 13 of the chair yoga and I am pleasantly surprised at how much more supple I am becoming. Certain things I can do now that I couldn’t a few days ago like reach back for my ankle and pull it up to my bum. I am very weak in the arms but hope that will improve. One nice thing about it is there is an element of mindfulness with the breathing while in poses and just relaxing in namaste pose. Also, the course comes with about 5 or 6 downloads on exercise, diet, mindfulness etc. I have looked at a couple and will read the others when I get time.

Hope you had a good nights sleep with that extra hour. Funnily, it didn’t help me as I kept waking up – looked at my watch and it was around 2.40, went back to sleep then woke and looked again and it was only 2.10. Must have been around the time my fitbit (watch) had change the time automatically. Then I had to get up an hour earlier as my body clock was telling me it was time. It can take up to 2 weeks for your body to get used to the new time.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Raining here but I am snug and warm and getting on with some artwork.

Weighed in today and lost 5lbs in 4 weeks so still within my 1lb a week goal. This is where it goes pear-shaped as I have a night out and I will also be breaking my sober October – not done bad with 29 days alcohol free.

Might keep quite for a few days although I will be setting up a November thread tomorrow. Keep on keeping on…

Hi everyone,

Pleased to report almost another kilo down since last week!
Hope everyone else has nice victories- both on the scale, and off, to report!

Take care!

Hi All,
Thank you for the re-starting advice…..I have to admit it’s been a shaky start so far, but I am very stressed for various reasons and somewhat exhausted, so…….
Errr…I don’t really quite have a plan as yet…..but I think it would be a good idea to get the book(s) out again!
Lots of love,
Tulip xxx

Wow Happysnap & S-G very well done with your inspiring weight losses 👏👏👏👏
Good luck Tulip & try not to stress as you get back into your eating routine. I have found it helpful rereading my Jason Fung books but will have to wait & see if it shows with an improved weight loss🤔
I hope everyone has a good week & it seems amazing it’s already the end of October & here lots of rain with grey overcast skies!! I’ve got my SAD light out & on each day😀
Margaret xx

Quite surprised that I have actually lost weight after my night out. Must say the food was very much to my taste. The starter was fish and prawn marinara, as I don’t eat fish I was served stuffed guinea fowl and a salad, then the main was a bit like a cottage pie but with chunks of beef and a pumpkin topping. Hope I don’t get a shock tomorrow. Must say, I had a bit of a hangover this morning. Not that I drank a lot, just that I haven’t had a drink for 28 days and it really effected me.

I am going to set up a new thread for November when I have some inspiration on a title.