Caron, you ‘re so sweet for asking! I’m still struggling with an old laptop whose typing function is seriously
impaired, while I wait out the past 10 days to receive the verdict on whether or not my usual device can
be repaired or if I’ve well and truly killed it by spilling liquid on the keyboard AGAIN 🙂 I feel truly bound and
gagged, and I don’t like the feeling at all! I am able to keep up with the daily news however, and am dreaming
about how all the current industry of burying bulbs in the earth will be delivering a stunning display in the
Spring. A quintessential message of hope and belief in tomorrow, and one that resonates well with me and
represents this thread absolutely! Positives are here to stay, and I hope soon to be adding my own again.

Love to all,

Allie

1. I really didn’t want to go to the gym today, and delayed until I missed my group fitness class. But it had already been too many days since my last session, so I dragged myself there and did my time on the treadmill. Not as long or high in intensity as a class, but something. I’m proud of myself for getting my butt there.
2. Swam with the husband and kids yesterday, showered. Family came over, wanting a swim, so we all went in again. Another shower. (We have a mineral pool, but I still like rinsing off and especially removing sunscreen residue.) Games and dinner, then people wanted to go in the pool again in the evening! I wavered, but decided to join them. The pool water was still 30C due to the heater, but the air temperature was down to about 21C so it was chilly getting out and drying off with a very damp cold towel. I really enjoyed my third warm shower of the day!
3. We have a set of inflatable pool toys where you each sit on a floating tube and use an double ended (inflatable) hammer to try to knock the other person off into the water. Some have trouble balancing even without the combat, but Jasmine and I flailed at each other for ages before calling a draw. Either we are both good at balancing, or bad at hitting!

I went to a wedding reception on Saturday which included a bring and share buffet. – I made some mini frittatas following an online recipe which went down really well with people. -Fried thinly sliced radishes do work well adding a little bite instead of potatoes. I used silicone muffin trays which made it really easy to make neat and tidy bite size ones.
I forgot to make up a notice on what they were, so while in the queue to serve ourselves at the buffet joined in a conversation with some people speculating what they were. – When I mentioned low carb a woman’s eyes lit up. – She had gone low carb two years before and had reversed T2. –
I wore heels for the first time in 10 years. – just a couple of inches heels on a pair of ankle boots. But it did feel good to strut around in them.

Hi everyone! So much positivity I might have to 1a and 1b etc to cover them all!
1. Second osteo appointment tomorrow for my poor sore hip, leg, ankle and foot! Yeah! because it is much better than it was . . . so hoping tomorrow might crack it for good!!!!
2. Craft and computer room – well almost a cubicle – think it is 8x10ft – with ALL this in it is all finished!!!!! it is and looks amazing! Energy will have to be built/created in the new location but Im sure in time that will happen . . just right now it all feels very “new” although everything bar the LED spotlight lamp – is second hand! . . . and nothing wrong with that! Thank you to “He who provides all things”.
2a. Laundry makeover which ensued because of the above relocation is AMAZING and working ay better than the last setup!!!
2b. Dining room table can now be used for meals!!!! That will be the first time in two+ years! And it looks so bare after what was once on it!
2c. Linen press copped a cull and re-arrangement as well!
2d. Changing bed linen and covers from winter requirements to spring summer ones was a massive job . . . with laundry of some heavier items needing to be done before the predicted rain in the next few days. They are now safely packaged, fresh and ready for the autumn winter chills in around 6 months time.
3. Tomato plants I set in their tubs a couple of weeks ago have flowers . . . herbs and lettuce have all taken on healthy appearances . . . strawberries have perked up and have buds . . . the frontrunners in the wheelbarrow have small fruit so its working as a gardenbed!!!!!
3a. The bush orchids I hung in the native trees are settling in nicely . . . the new situations for the birdbaths seems to have frightened off my feathered frequent visitors . . . but I believe they are sensitive to change so will just keep topping up the reservoirs and hoping they return. I guess when it gets hot enough and they are thirsty they’ll find the bowls again and the cooly refreshing resort 🙂
3b Stuffed loads of cuttings into the greenwaste bin which is collected tmrw . . . now only half a bin of that pile left to dispose of before I start on the rest!!!! HEHEHEH!!!
3e. When I tired of all the above activities . . . at whatever stage they were at . . . I managed to cello wrap two hampers and several Christmas gifts to give me a headstart on the silly season and reclaim some of the “formal” loungeroom floor!!!!
WOW! Any wonder Im exhausted . . .? BUT Im so GRATEFUL for the energy onboard to be able to do so much . . . and continuously until it will be finished which Im envisioning will be by Friday . . given I have other commitments on two days 🙂 For now must away to bunch and tie up with violet and purple ribbons . . the latest lavender stems I cut this afternoon – again in an attempt to beat the expected rain which will inhibit the drying process. There is a buy swap and sell at the local community hall in a few weeks and folks previously have paid $5 for a good size and pretty bunch 🙂 And alongside my cards . . .? maybe . . . if I can get it . . . some pocket money for Christmas 🙂 Wouldnt that be nice!!!

Hello Martinpc! Well done on your dedication and life change 🙂 Story sounds quite parallel to mine so I understand completely . . . meds almost killed me and I knew there had to be a better way 🙂 So June 24th I started BSD. Just last week I had the results of my latest HBa1c – (done on September before I went on holiday!) – delivered at the long waited appointment with the endocrinologist – and with 3 months of BSD under my belt reading, dropped from 12.9 to 6.9. NO MEDS REQUIRED were magic words to my ears!!! The discard of at least 10-11kgs . . . was for me an added bonus. And I know there is more moving as Ive been re-arranging things in my home. Long days, fasting cos I was too busy to eat . . . loads of fetching lifting carrying etc., has been a serious workout every day for maybe 3 weeks!!! Keep up the GREAT work and welcome to the Forums!!!

Back home and it’s lovely to see the thread is so active today ! Back into the routine, no more lazy lie ins for me . Back to OMAD today . How are you doing Eclectic ? I have got some swordfish lined up for my evening meal ( still in Spanish mode 😉 and some leafy greens. I have been drinking green tea all day.

Eclectic ..I have been teaching since 1981 (eeek !) I began teaching French and Spanish in the UK and then moved to France in 1990. I have been teaching English here since I arrived, adult classes and business courses to start with until I got my first post in a French state secondary school in 1995. I have been in my present school for 20 years ( double eek !!) I teach ages 11 to 15 . I was 60 in May this year and I plan to ‘retire’ at 62, in 2020. So one more school year to complete after this one. My OH is retired and is 10 years older than me and I would like us to have many more years together, travelling all over the place 😉 I dream of going away on holiday in September 😉

Well done for packing in all that activity, Natalie ! OOH strut your stuff JGwen ! Good for you and I like the sound of those frittatas too. I resisted the potato omelettes in Spain, radishes sound like a good substitute.
My goodness WoodDuckie you have boundless energy !! I am impressed. I hope the osteo appointment helps you. I got a new hip in 2017 and my new spare part has been fantastic !
Welcome Martinpc. You are in a good place here. All the very ebst to you.

Positives ? I survived my first day back at school although the kids were ‘frisky’ They need a day or two to get back into the routine after 2 weeks break. Our first class is at 7.50 am . I doubt most teenagers emerged before midday during the holiday !
Allie, I understand about killing computers ! Our cat leapt on to my lap top last year and it bounced on to the floor and never recovered. I need my PC for work so it had to be rapidly replaced ( no hope of a repair unfortunately) .Hope you get yours sorted soon ?
I am completing my log book and I am determined to carry on the next 7 weeks to Christmas with low carb and some fasting . I am almost in to the 13 stone bracket. I am already projecting ahead and thinking it would be nice to be close to 12 stone by the end of the year .We can do this Eclectic my OMAD twin and the lovely people on here , my BSD family !!!
I want to strut like JGwen !!

Having been out of the loop for awhile, I won’t try to comment on recent post, except to say it’s great to see people still finding plenty of positives to report. Love that there’s so many people wanting to keep this thread alive and – for me at least – it’s therapeutic to read and contribute whenever possible.

So, here’s some positives from me …
1) spent the day with our longest standing Turkish friend. Has been a day of chat and laughter and lots of Turkish tea!!
2) weather here continues to be in mid twenties celceus during the day.
3) into our last week here, but still have things planned for the days left, so trying not to be too disappointed our time here is again drawing to an end. And hey! It will soon be Christmas!!!

Make the very most of every day Sunny, though I have no doubts that you will 🙂 Speaking altogether selfishly,
I’ll be overjoyed to begin reading your daily posts again! I want more details on the studded red jacket…

After 12 days of being more or less incommunicado, at long last I’m up and operational with a new computer.
That’s represents at least 100 positive for me! I’m dancing around like a child that’s just been given a pony!

One “little” detail I forgot to mention is that I killed 2 different computers in the past 6 months by spilling
liquid on the keyboards. Quite deplorable, when I think about it! I’m hazardous to all devices, and really
must do better. This time around, O/H purchased insurance!! What does that tell you???

Your joy in your new computer bounces out of the screen, Allie!! Great positive that your OH committed to insurance for the new one, hopefully that will act as a talisman and protect it from destruction.
I admit I have missed my BSD family and so will be pleased to be posting regularly again from the end of next week. Meanwhile, I’ll most certainly be making the most of our time left here.
Maybe I’ll try to post a link to a photo of the red jacket once I’m back home, Allie – if I can remember how – but being generously endowed with gold tone studs, it’s quite a striking item!

Good to hear from you SunnyB! Enjoy last days of your holiday.
A few positives from me today…
1. Hair and nails refurbished.
2. Cases packed. It’s so different packing for a hotel stay. It was so much easier when we had our own place. So much more to remember now!
3. Came across an advert for a ‘happiness planning’ journal/diary. I’ve not had time to look at it in depth yet but it does look interesting.
Allie enjoy your new computer!
Will do my best to post my positives each day. It always gives me a warm glow reading everybody’s happy events.

Enjoy the rest of your stay in Turkey, SunnyB ! All the best for your upcoming trip Verano !

I have enjoyed my lazy Wednesday afternoon when there are no classes in France. OH bought some delicious fresh herrings which we had for lunch. Then I had a snoozette 😉

Glad you hear about your new computer Allie !

Where is Eclectic ?

xx

Good morning from downunder 🙂 Glad you have a new comp Allie! How about buying a travelling mug with sealable lid this time around . , just for sipping while your reading and posting 🙂 (Teasing you!!) – Again today I have so many positives I’m putting them in a hat and drawing three . . .
1. Lawnmowing man came yesterday . . . and whilst he was putting the finishing touches to the final tidy up . . . the rain started. There was several hours of nice showers . . . followed by a short break and then more . . . and more . . . resulting in about 20-30ml. Most welcome and today everything looks SO REFRESHED, green and glowing 🙂
2. The culling sorting and re-arranging of all things here at the Duck(ie) pond have almost finished. Craft station set up is needing tweaking here and there as I try to emulate the “perfect” set-up I had in the diningroom . . . but another day should see it totally operational! And . . IM SO PLEASED WITH IT ALL! Every room is set up way better than before . . . and that was fine – once!!! Proof we can always do a little better huh . . .?
3. I vowed Id not do another market . . . but there is a buy, swap and sell day at the local community hall soon. Just 3-4 weeks before Christmas, it might be a good start to and clearing/rotating some of the “seasoned:” made cards stock I have here. The bunches of lavender I have been harvesting and drying are always popular so they will be offered as well. And so now its back to the last two shoe boxes of “stuff” needing sorting and “housing”, the last of the ironing (for now!!!) before a final “finishing” vacuum through, and my new energised home is ready to enjoy!!!! Lovely to read all your positives! It brightens the day no end . . . Thank you all for contributions 🙂

Morning all !
Not so positive..I typed 2 messages to JGwen last night and one was deleted ( by me somehow ??) and I thought I had sent the other one but it didn’t appear ,aaarggh !
Very positive, Jgwen’s venture into the low carb cookery presentations.Keep us posted.I will write more in another post ( if it works !!)
WoodDuckie you have boundless energy ! It bursts out of my computer screen !
It’s Thursday 7.28 here at school .The first week back is progressing and I am adjusting to the early starts.

I will check back in this evening.Have a good day everyone

All day yesterday my posts have been disappearing

I have also had a couple of posts go missing – I thought it was something I was doing wrong! Like maybe I’d accidentally said something offensive that had to be removed…

It’s not just me then !!

Positive today ..I am in my classroom and I have made great progress marking videos my pupils prepared ….and having a laugh too !
I can go home later without my satchel and just chill !!

I have been reading about the Thanksgiving food fests on another thread. Brits are less into pumpkins ( apart from in soup) but I remember one year our lovely American assistant made pumpkin pie for us and it was yum.
So do American people do it all again and have another feast at Christmas ? Like you Allie , it will be just the two of us for Christmas day
I will be reporting in later when I get home
Hope everyone is having a positive day x

I had one post disappear yesterday as well. What I have realised is that for that message clicked on submit and then went on to do something else quite rapidly. – I noticed there was a bit of a delay yesterday on other posts after clicking on submit before the screen came up to say that the message had been submitted. – Maybe not waiting for that message was the reason I lost a post?

Hey Wendel,
My hubby and I usually get snowed in at grandchildrens house in Vermont for Christmas. Traditional Christmas eve is many different hors deurvs and Christmas day is turkey or ham or roast

This year we will be here in florida and when we are alone we do prime rib, filet mignon and twice baked potatoes.

I have some important great news!!!!!! My new doc supports the keto way of eating!!!! She has lost 40 pounds since January and although she wishes me to not go under 1,000 calories, she is in on everything else!!!!

I love Vermont, Violinist, though I’m not too crazy about Bernie Sanders! Where do you go in Vermont? When
I was a decidedly younger woman, we spent a good deal of time on Stratton Mountain, off skiing almost every
weekend. It was glorious!

Oh thats great news!!! My GP and I have been down some tough roads tpgether and I was happy with our rplationsh[ . . . but then in March with the bad BSL reading it was pills pills and/or more pills . . . diabetic nurse, advisor etc etc etc and there is nothing else to do but take meds. I do hope that next week when I visit my GP for my BP meds script, she will have the letter from Endo to sit beside my blood results and be on board with me and with it all as well. Otherwise . . . the thought of having to recruit another GP does not thrill me. Considering Ive had so many positives in my life lately . . . I am hoping Im not greedy in asking for just one more to complete the cluster for now please 🙂

Morning,
Huntington, Vermont, up a dirt road in the boonies, Allie.

Woodduckie, I know how you feel. So hard to retain a doctor you can work with.

1, 2 and 3. Twelve years ago today, at 3.30am, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He’s a lot bigger now, but still my baby!

Morning everyone, may I join you?

My positives for today

5 lbs lost this week, (first week back on 800/20)
My knawing hunger and carb flu has GONE, (sorry to shout but it was getting me down)
I made a cake for the old people’s tea in the Village Hall and didn’t lick my fingers for sugars once. (I did lick the spoon with soured cream on that I used to make the ganache, but that’s OK).
Today’s challenge – we have meal in the Village Hall as part of Remembrance Celebrations to raise money for Combat Stress, and I’ll have limited choices. I’ll have to be careful.

Victoria, 5lbs in ANY week is spectacular! Congratulations 🙂 Those with gratitude in their hearts will receive
an overwhelming welcome here. Thank you so much for sharing your week!

Allie

1. A workman turned up on our doorstep this morning to install our solar net meter – we had solar panels installed over a month ago and this meter means that the electricity company will pay us for the excess we produce.
2. The workman was here most of the morning and needed access, so I couldn’t get out to the gym today. I know that shouldn’t really be a positive, but I didn’t want to go and this gave me a guilt-free pass!
3. Upping my water intake means I’m constantly in the bathroom today – but I know that means I’m peeing out all the party carbs I ate yesterday.

Just a quick inquiry here for californiagirl…Are you safe, Julia? I’ve just heard that 70,000 acres have been
destroyed in the fires, and 30 lives have been lost. This is tragic! I’m concerned about you, and will send
prayers your way for you and your neighbors. xx

Hi Allie and everyone, I am well and safe — thank you so much for asking — just living in a smoky world right now — such awful news about Paradise — the death toll is up to 44 and there are still many many missing — the fire was SO fast, many people were caught trying to evacuate on the only two roads out of town. Paradise is in the mountains, just as you start to climb up into the Sierras from the Central Valley and it had a lot of trees and small winding roads, with the houses tucked away in the woods — it was a beautiful town — wow, poor California, we continue to struggle with all these fires.
I have good news too — we had a wedding over the weekend!!! Our daughter Kate married her sweetheart Andrew at Tahoe — it was mostly clear up there and a loud and fun party. I admit to drinking too much and eating wedding cake — I am back to strict BSD tomorrow!!
Overall though, I stuck to BSD through most of the week and it was small harm done.
I’m home for Thanksgiving this week — it will be poignant as my Dad has been placed on hospice and this is our last Thanksgiving together. We will do the family tradition, Turkey, two dressings (cornbread and dark bread with ham), creamed onions, mashed sweet and white potatoes, cranberry chutney, goblet gravy, Brussels sprouts and pumpkin, pecan and apple pie with whip cream.
Believe me, I am fasting before AND after!!!

Ha ha it is giblet gravy, but goblet gravy sounds ok too!

Glad you’re ok, we had fires near us a while ago – nothing as bad as California now – and after one sleepless night monitoring the online updates with the car packed and ready to go, the extended family all went and stayed at a hotel so we could get some rest. Very glad the house was still standing when we came back! Congrats to your daughter, definitely a time to celebrate!
I had a very productive day unexpectedly Christmas shopping. Unexpected because I was just out for a few things but ended up spending the whole day shopping. I had to make an extra trip to the car when the parcels got too heavy, and a one-day sale saw me needing a trolley. Lots of presents for my husband and children, and a lovely new quilt cover for the spare bed which is very visible tucked behind the lounge (we don’t have a spare bedroom, but I needed somewhere to escape to when my husband snored). Previously it had an old cover from my son’s bed, with cute crayon zoo animals – not very sophisticated. I also bought some new towels. And before all that, I took Aiden to the High School to get his uniform and books for next year. So a bit of spending was perpetrated today!

I’m so glad that all is well, Julia! I was hoping you might see my post. Violinist and I were concerned for
you…
What a slice of real life you are living in at the moment…the pure joy of seeing your daughter begin her new
life with her husband, and seeing your Dad out of the life he has lived. I had the same life changing experience
a few years ago when my Mother died. We were there with her, and it was truly one of life’s most intense
experiences. I can relate to what you and your family have ahead. Be kind to yourself, especially now xxx

So glad you are safe Julia. It truly seems to be a devastating fire.
Life is so full of twists and turns. Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding and commiserations for your Father’s poor state of health. My mother also spent her last days in a hospice and as Allie says …. “truly one of life’s most intense” experiences. I wish you well.

Californiagrl, so glad you are okay. So sorry to hear your dad is in hospice now. This thanksgiving will be special, I am sure.

Thank you Allie, Natalie, Verano and Violinist for your kind replies! It never ceases to amaze me that I am talking to people all over the world!
I am carefully measuring my cream in my coffee this morning to ratchet back to BSD-friendly lifestyle — both my husband and I noticed that the “party-carbs” we ate didn’t make us feel very good — it’s so weird how healthy I feel on low carb — I think that is an area that has not been explored at all by the medical establishment.
Natalie that was epic Christmas shopping! And I laughed with the comment about the bed you use when the OH is snoring — I have one of those beds too and the dog and I go together when it gets too loud!
Have a good day all!

Oh thank goodness you are safe and well californiagirl /Julia . Yor BSD family were all very worried about you.

Congrats also on your daughter’s wedding.

For info …my OH had a serious snoring problem.He is 6 ft 3 and overweight, thick neck … His GP picked up a slight heart murmur and sent him off to see a cardiologist who monitored him with a 24 hour machine. Turns out his heart was fine but he had serious sleep apnea ( he could stop breathing up to 50 times in an hour ( off the scale !!) That puts a lot of pressure on the heart ….I used to get stressed when he stopped breathing and then he would very suddenly and abruptly jolt back to life with a huge snort !! He used to doze a lot during the day as his sleep was not very restoring. Now he has the Darth Vader mask attached to a machine and wow it is such an improvement !! The machine is very quiet although the mask does take some getting used to. On the latest check he only has 5 incidents an hour now ! I think it was good that Tony was diagnosed as it can be problematic if left ….

Thank you Wendleg! Wow, good you caught that — sleep apnea is so dangerous — my OH has gotten so much better since he joined me on the BSD — he lost 25 pounds and his snoring is almost gone — it made a huge difference (he had gotten sort of thick in the neck too) — so we can add that to the NSV list too!!

Definitely Julia but I can’t get OH on board with me . Living in France he very much relishes the hearty patés , rich sauces, potatoes, pasta and meaty stews not to mention the red wine and family packs of crisps he can consume in one sitting !! He is on various meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, statins etc which I would love him to stop but he does not feel confident in my pronouncements and trusts his doctor ! He is very supportive of me however and often cooks my low carb dishes so maybe as he sees my progress he will reconsider …

Hi Positve BSDers – finally back from Turkey and installed in front of the log burner! Have had a quick read through of the recent posts – CG, I’m pleased you are safe and haven’t suffered any loss in the fires. Wendleg – hope as you progress, your OH reconsiders this WOE as a way forward for himself. It sounds like his health could only benefit from following the BSD as well, but as we all know, it’s a personal choice and it has to be the individual’s decision.

Thought I’d post some positives, to help to get me back in the normal routine ….
1) After our trip back to the UK, we spent the night with my folks and went out for a lovely meal. Good to catch up with them in person and spend a little time with them.
2) So grateful for having a log burner, as getting that going as soon as we got home was a definite bonus.
3) This one is a strange one, but driving through London on our way back from the airport, I saw a man who I guess would have been in his late thirties/early forties and by appearance probably had a limitation on his mental capacity. What made me notice him, was that he was skipping along like a child would and his evident enjoyment from doing so made me smile. It also got me thinking, what a shame it is that as adults we eschew this mode of movement, which to my mind is inherently joyful.
4) The garden has survived well while we have been away and we’ve come home to an amazing number of plants in bloom – pansies, pinks, cyclamen and primulas, all giving little flashes of colour in the general November grey. And one rose, which is a very old shrub we took from my father-in-laws garden after his death 18 yrs ago. Amazingly, it is always the first rose to bloom and the last one to give up at the end of the season.

Have a weekend full of positives ……

Oh SunnyB you are so right about OH but I can’t see how I can persuade him to get on board with me right now. He has just gone off to an open day at a local vineyard so lots of wine to taste as well as a very hearty ,rustic meal…paté, sausage and a potato dish here called ‘ aligot’ which is basically mashed potato and cheese . They beat it to make a very smooth consistency and the party piece is then to see how far it can stretch into the air on a wooden spoon 😉
I will have another go in January. He is enjoying retirement and has several outings in the Week with other retired male friends. One positive though is that he fully supports my way of eating so there is no need to plan two meals . He just adds white bread, pasta etc etc. He makes brilliant cauliflower rice !
I cannot see how he would ever limit his beloved beer and wine.
I won’t give up because I want us to spend lots of happy years together when I finally retire .

Hi SunnyB, welcome ‘home’!
Wendleg if your OH supports you eating this way then success, what more do you need. He will look after his own health as and when you can’t force him!
So whilst I’m here a few positives …….
1. Today I had paella … yes rice …. first time since 2016 that I have eaten rice but boy did I enjoy it!
2. Sun is shining again after lots of rain this morning. Good thing about an island is that the weather usually passes over quickly.
3. Coming to the end of the Obesity Code and realise I need to rethink both my strategy and my future. Insulin resistance has been bandied about on here for quite a time but I’ve never really taken much notice. Time to sit up and think. So a very positive read.
Have a good weekend everyone.

Sunny, my arms are open wide to welcome you “home” too! How lovely to arrive home with so much in
bloom 🙂 It’s probably time for me to pot up some paperwhite narcissus to bloom for the holidays, too.
We had an early snowfall the other day, and that definitely took out what was still blooming in my container
garden. It’s time to move my base of operations indoors!

Even though it’s chilly in the house, moving constantly keeps my internal combustion working optimally,
and my positive for today is that I’ve put my enormous 12″ high soup pot on the stove, and I’m prepping
101 vegetables to make a huge batch of minestrone.
#2 – We’ve just lugged 2 loads of split firewood up the stairs, so the evening fire in the fireplace is a cozy
thought. I shall settle down in front of it this evening, and begin a list of what gifts I need to acquire for
Christmas posting. I always cut it too close.

Enjoy a weekend of positives everyone, and I’m going to do the same 🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks V & Allie for the warm welcome back. I’ve got a touch of the post holiday blues, but won’t let that draw me off course, especially as the scales were kind this morning.

Some positives for today:
1) shopping trip this morning with OH, for both groceries and a few gift bits for Christmas.
2) planning to make an aubergine and chicken dish this evening, which I created while away. Will post it somewhere eventually, but the chicken is cooked on top of the aubergine, do the juices are soaked up.
3) did some online Christmas shopping, feels good to be ticking things off the list, as I’m a bit panicky about the time frame.

We’re all looking forward to new recipes you might post, Sunny! I’m sure that there will be creative use of
Turkish, Indian or Morrocan spices, and I’m looking forward to that 🙂 I’m particularly drawn to ras el hanout
or garam masala. When you get caught up with holiday laundry and are “up to speed”, I’m anxious to
get a peak at the red leather jacket with the studs, and I want to show you my scarlet coat too, as well as
a fabulous Russian scarf, or a shawl really, with outrageous fringe that my sister bought for me in St. Petersburg.
When I wear it, I feel fully connected to my Ukranian genes, and feel a bit like a gypsy at the same time! I know
that I’ll be wearing it for the rest of my natural days…See you later, my friend 🙂 🙂 🙂

Good to hear all the positives! SunnyB, I LOVE skipping!! If I have to run for any reason, I usually skip — it takes half the energy and you get this big airtime moment that is exhilarating! I go to a boot camp class that is a bit of a bore because it is lots of basic drills, but during the running part I always skip and I think I am having the most fun of anyone. No one has joined me yet but I’m not giving up the skipping! (they probably think I am nuts)
Allie, that’s so funny — I had minestrone in the brain yesterday but I only had ingredients for clam chowder in the house, so I made that (thickened with cream only, no flour, no potatoes).
Verano, getting my brain into the whole “insulin resistance” issue is what truly, finally worked for my body. I must have been incredibly high background insulin because once I dropped carbs below 30 grams/day everything just changed.
I’m still there most days, with a few beers every now and then and rarely rarely rarely a plate of pasta — today was interesting, I went to a class (Body Pump) which I had not gone to for several months due to a shoulder injury — looking in the mirror, I could tell my body is STILL changing, almost three years into BSD. I am so lean on my upper body, my neck, shoulders and waist — my fat storage has settled at my butt and thighs — but this is not the old me!!! The old me was “thick” pretty much everywhere —
I think this is absolutely tied to eating low carb and lots of protein — I have more muscle and I’m just different looking — the “high insulin body” is gone — it even shocked me this morning.
But look how it is still changing, years later. So incredibly interesting!!

The changes in body type ARE interesting, Julia! In the past, even when I was at a normal weight, I was
mildly pear shaped. I knew how to dress to disguise it, and I had a rather small waist. Today I most closely
resemble a banana, basically narrow everywhere! Who knows what will happen next? I’m not sure “skipping”
would be a safe bet for me, as I’ve twisted both ankles so many times that they aren’t too dependable, but
“twirling”? That’s a different story 🙂 When we were out at the beach this past June, I was so overcome with
unadulterated joy that as I walked along the surf’s edge, I just stopped and raised my arms perpendicular
to my body, and twirled in place! The sun was shining and sparkling off of the water, and it was an expression
of pure joy. If anyone found this “age inappropriate”, they were too far away for me to see the expression
on their faces… Who cares anyway…It was just wonderful to be alive on this perfect June day 🙂 🙂 🙂

Yes Julia I think insulin resistance is the key. Fung quotes Taubes very early on in his book but I have to say I did not come away from Taubes having had a light bulb moment as you and Allie had. I think it’s time for me to re-read Taubes!

Happy Sunday, all!
Positives today are that all the sweet winter birds have arrived with last week’s snow drop..Juncos, Chickadees,
and a few Cedar Waxwings! The blazing red Cardinals and Bluejays are here year round, but now that the
leaves are off the trees, they are the brightest spots of color in the landscape. Time to fill the bird feeder
with sunflower seeds!
#2 – Homemade minestrone soup for Sunday lunch 🙂 For those of you who know Esnecca, her kimchi deviled
eggs will also be putting in an appearance.
#3 – An afternoon fire on the hearth! Some Chopin or Vivaldi will be playing in the background…-11C degrees
today, and I’m overjoyed that I don’t have to go out. 🙂

I’ve been down with the flu, and so have the kids. I keep finding piles of used tissues all over the house. But I’m feeling so much better today, Jasmine and Aiden are back at school, and husband Tim doesn’t seem to have caught it this time so it’s a happy day.
Aiden and I had a bit of a panic this morning, unable to find Aiden’s home project made out of a shoebox… not blaming anyone of course but I’m guessing I’d find it in the recycling bin after Tim tidied up yesterday. But I found another box (actually I sacrified a pretty gift box as I didn’t have another shoebox… damn yes I did! I bought a pair of sneakers on Thursdayand they are still in the box! Oh well…) and we had time.

…to make another one before school.

Hi Everyone! Can I draw on our New Zealand friends to help me with suggestions on where to visit on North Island in late January/early February? It looks like we get to take a trip there in early 2019! My first time on/in New Zealand!