Oh Essie what a post, I could see you doing it as you explained it and felt all your emotions! What a truly remarkable journey you have had and what a true inspiration you are to us all. We all get upset when we have blips and go off track and I know you have mentioned before that you had plenty but you are the light at the end of the tunnel that proves this Woe and WOL work. I know there are others that are struggling But with you at the helm we will all get there as we know deep down that it works and we can do this. I am once again in awe of you and as Wendy has said to me you truly are superwoman❤️ Thank you for sharing. Love and hugs Birdy💞🦜

I have just seen Essie’s latest post . Essie I remember your recent revelations about your struggles and seriously debilitating health issues pre BSD. To read about further pain and trauma with mobility …and your achievement today trotting effortlessly up and down those stairs ……..staggering !

You are an absolute phenomenon !! Be proud, be very, very proud Essie !!!

Oh Esnecca! A sincere thank you for being so open in your descriptions and revelations on how life used to be – and now is -for you 🙂 Im shedding tears of joy, admiration – (and marvelling at such, and better understanding your personal journey and current situation – given Ive only recently heard of you, made your acquaintance and become privileged to speak with the lady who’s reputation preceded her (for us newcomers) . All I can add is . . . what an inspiration you and BSD are/can be, and what achievement/results you – (and others) – have given yourselves with just plain guts, determination and diligence . . . (as have so many others who share such intimate details and achievements). Incredible and . . . very humbling. Duckie’s journey has been a cakewalk in comparison 🙂 Quack! Quack!

Good morning. I’m starting bright and early today before I attack a mountain of ironing!
So to my positives……
1. Had my washing machine repaired yesterday, caught up on washing and now have an ironing mountain. Even that’s positive because I enjoy seeing freshly ironed clothes.
2. Lovely meal out with friends last night which was very BSD friendly apart from one thin slice of well toasted sourdough! But goodness I did enjoy it!!!!
3. My ‘sin bin journal’ is already showing clear patterns after just 6 days. I must say that the notebook is tiny, just 2″x3″, so really only space to record a handful of items each day. I record the same ‘snacks’, or unnecessary foods to establish a pattern. I have eaten out twice in the last 6 days and even though I thought I was eating BSD friendly foods I have recorded gains the following morning. It’s obvious that I need to restrict my ‘normal’ food intake when we have a meal out planned. So my little blue book is turning out to be a very positive asset.
Hope everyone has a positive day.

Belated Happy Birthday wendleg! And many congratulations. How fantastic to be 4 stone lighter than a year ago. I bet it felt like 51 not 61!
Too early for positives, but I am going to make this a good day!

Hi Wendleg! Many many happy returns my friend 🙂 A shadow of your former self in such a short period of time is reason enough to doubly celebrate so congratulations and well done you!!! Hello Verano! Getting your WM fixed must have been a great relief!!! Lovely to read the rest of your positive post as well . . . and due to my (seeming) stagnation in the kilo discard/disposal stakes right now, the sin bin journal sounds like a BRILLIANT idea!!! Thank you for sharing that simple idea 🙂 For the past week, (at least) – I too have been involved with clothes – two large black “garbage” bags sit quietly awaiting their journey to family members when I visit on the upcoming holiday long weekend. The remaining items which are way way too numerous for one person . . . have been laundered and/or ironed . . . others folded, rolled or put into the seasonal container to be re- assessed in a few months time 🙂 Three positives 🙂 (1) It almost feels like relief to have finished this massive cull . . . (and while Im almost embarrassed to admit . . . it is interesting Im unable to remember what is in the first bag!!!) – as the visual weighing down was depressing and debilitating. Im hoping it will be a metaphor for some kilos to follow by example 🙂 (2) An unexpected telephone call from a dear friend lifted my mood even further this evening. . . and (3) I have an invitation to join a local “Big Morning Tea” which is a national fundraiser for Cancer Council. Ive been given the green light to take my handmade greeting cards along . . . promising to donate a $1 from each sale to the communal piggy bank of donations. Quack! Quack everyone for the remainder of the week to be positive in every way possible..

Many happy returns Wendleg! Thought of you as I decided to have a look round TK Maxx when I was doing some shopping. Bought a “coatigan”, hardly seasonal, but it’s nice, navy blue, and, in a departure for me, a brightly coloured lightweight round neck cardigan (horizontal stripes too!). And a hat for doing the gardening in the sun. And some nice Italian (blood orange) soap and liquid savon de Marseille, love the smell. Hope you were thoroughly spoilt and cosseted on your birthday!

Good evening all and I hope you have all had a good day? I have had a great day in shorts!🤣

1 I got into my fire engine red shorts that I bought last year and they didn’t ever fit! Not even three weeks ago! Today they fit lovely and paired with a navy, white and read striped top looked great and made me very happy.

2 I went for my first physio on my injured knee and he was very impressed with my weight loss and how I achieved! He also agrees with the fasting helping my growth hormone work for longer and help repair my muscle! So win win! Oh and I also have some core and stretching exercises to do, which I will even though my OH said I won’t!! As nobody apart from soldiers do🤣🤣

3 I went to a friends after the hospital for a cuppa and a chat which was great as we sat in the sunny garden. She also told me me I look like a new woman. Thank you I will take that.

Unfortunately I am back on night shift tonight but the positive to that is by Friday morning it will all be over. Love and hugs Birdy💞🦜

Happy Birthday Wendy. You’ve come so far. You must feel great.
And Essie, your post brought a lump to my throat too.

I haven’t posted positives recently as I’ve been a bit down lately…..but determined to change that!
1. After a dreadful day yesterday (when I think I must have eaten a months worth of carbs and cals in one day) I’ve been extremely good today and avoided all temptation……and the vending machine too.
2. Went for my annual diabetic retinopathy eye screening appointment and all went well.
3. Attending above appointment meant I could leave work early 😁

Happy birthday wendy.

My positives for today, are that my belt is on the next hole again.
Having done my best for avoiding going shopping, I think I am going to have to do a Duckie soon and go through my wardrobe working out what still fits and what doesn’t. I will confess when I started this WoE, my dress style was jeans with a baggy jumper to hide the ever increase tyre of fat hanging over the top of the jeans. – I have been going through the same jeans but now need a belt to hold them up. Only its sort of starting to get that they are so baggy they look silly.
I managed a water only fast from Sunday until Tuesday. I have discovered the secret, lovely long sunny days with plenty to do and nothing you want to watch on TV, a completely empty fridge, and the double cream you have in stock for your coffee has gone off. – Oh, and of course it being a 10 mile drive to the nearest shop. ————– Then I forget about eating. – So just need this sunny weather to continue for a few months. (With rain after dark so that the grass continues to grow) and to have the schedule and resolve to only buy enough food for planned meals and cream for coffee for the couple of days between each fast.

Hello
What a very busy week we are all having. My positives fir today are simple
1) It’s a beautiful day
2) I’ve enjoyed my day
3) I felt appreciated

That was nice and simple, On a Mission – I like it. Middle of the day for me but I haven’t posted any for a while so maybe doing so will help.
1. I got 90% in my Spanish quiz and now on to studying for the final next week
2. I vacuumed finally (it scares Albert so my vacuuming schedule is based on when he goes outside – this is normal, right?) so apartment is ready for the next round of shedding
3. I had a yummy breakfast – chicken jalapeño sausage omelet and my beloved cup of tea

Thank you so much for your lovely messages . Glad you are back with us Scottishgal ! We will cheer you up xx Relieved the eye appointment went well !
Glad you are sounding positive V and caronl !
JGwen…you are one incredible lady !
Birdy your red shorts and Dior pink toes ..wow !! You really are a new woman !!
Ooh TKMaxx 6T !! Your horizontal striped round necked cardi sounds very like my Liquorice Allsorts cardigan. I have of course matching allsorts earrings !!! 😉
Kirsten, Bob and George hate the roar of the hoover too !
That’s great that you have had a good day On a mission xx
I have been short of time to respond to the forum today. We have guests who need attention…but O/h is taking them out tomorrow and I can recline voluptuously in the garden with my silly floppy hat !
Like Duckie I have been discarding clothes with gay abandon and have a a little pot of cash which is steadily mounting up 😉

Thanks to you all for the kind words. They take on even more meaning because I know you can empathize with someone who reached the limit of liveability in their own body and found a way back thanks to the BSD.

In extremely positive news, I was off completing my ambitious basement project yesterday. No more books to carry, thankfully, but what I did have to do was even more daunting if not physically strenuous. I organized OH’s significant tool collection, plus the previous homeowner’s vast assortment of screws, nails, bolts, mounts, brackets, joiners, cleansers, lubricants, clamps, window kits, picture framing hardware, adhesives, caulks, wood putties, carpentry tools, tools of unusual size, tools I can’t imagine him ever using and tools of wtfisthisthinganyway.

To be honest, I would have tossed 98% of it out without a moment’s hesitation, but the boy wouldn’t hear of it. I swear men turn into magpies when it comes to paint-spattered allen wrenches and coffee tins fulls of rusty screws. His job keeps him very busy so he doesn’t have the time to dedicate to so monumental a task, which meant that if I wanted the hall right in front of our awesome billiards room to be even remotely sightly to visitors, I had to do it all myself. Now everything is categorized, labeled and out of plain view in storage cabinets. No more shoddy metal shelving units heaving with paint and boxes/baskets/stinking plastic bags of random crap. No more piles covering the work surface leaving only a tiny square of usable room. The space is neat, spartan and really quite fun because the workbench at the end of the corridor is this huge, tough solid wood table and now that it is completely clean, it looks extra badass. I will take great pride in showing off the workshop area that I used to have to apologize for and explain to every guest.

That must feel so satisfying Essie !! Another fantastic achievement. Anytime you fancy a workshop clearing session in rural France , give me a shout, I know just the place !!! I know all about tins of rusty nails and screws . I can’t even recycle the 1kg Greek yoghurt pots as they get ‘stored for some time in the future ‘ !!

I am looking forward to the day I can clear out all the textbooks and resources I have accumulated in the study since 1990 ! It’s a slightly shameful space although I did find some splendid metal office storage cabinets in Emmaus ( a sort of French garage sale place ) and they look quite trendy …..and are extremely practical to house the masses of paperwork that French administration churns out !!

Positives ? I am blissfully alone in the house and am about to take my coffee and Fermenting Vegetables book ( thanks Essie !) into the garden.Talking of Emmaus I found some brand new glass conserve jars there too and they will be perfect for my first fermenting ventures.

My preloved clothes are selling well although my busines skills are dismal !!

Have a great day everyone. The sun is shining and the birds are in full chorus here

Good Day, everyone! Am 1 really the f1rst here today? Th1s may appear a l1ttle “th1n” for a pos1t1ve s1nce 1t occurred
1n my subconsc1ous 1n the form of a dream, but 1 hope 1t w1ll del1ght you all, as 1t d1d me…
The last th1ng 1 d1d before l1ghts out last n1ght was to look at a photo that Wendy had sent of an alfresco luncheon
for houseguests out on the lawn under shade of a tree, and her lovely French farmhouse and garden pots were all 1n v1ew.
Off to dreamland w1th th1s 1mage fresh 1n my m1nd….Suddenly we were all descend1ng at her res1dence, carry1ng bags
and b1ns of cloth1ng to share! Her p1cn1c tables had been turned 1nto sort1ng tables. 1 know a good number of you
by s1ght, but there were other new fr1ends to meet too. Sunny had flown 1n from Turkey, JGwen appeared from Wales,
Duck1e from Austral1a, as well as B1rdy (1n her red shorts!) and Kazz from the UK. Wendy was hold1ng court from
a cha1se lounge, and was 1n her red and p1nk floppy hat! We d1dn’t seem at all surpr1sed to f1nd each other there,
e1ther! ! th1nk 1 was fully engaged 1n w1sh fullf1lment, and a glor1ous hen party followed. All th1ngs are poss1ble
1n dreams, but 1t cera1nly put me 1n a happy place from wh1ch to beg1n the day 🙂

W1sh1ng you all a happy day f1lled w1th snsh1ne and pos1t1ve thoughts!

Morning Allie it would seem that you are the first here today. What a lovely dream! Maybe one day we could make it come true? I know it would be longer for you to get there but it is doable and I am sure Wendy would live to host. I too saw those photos and thought how lovely it would have been to be there. We holiday in France every year and we love it. Maybe one day we will put our heads together and sort some sort get together. Until then we have the forum and email so we can still have fun.

My positives start with another 1lb discard which now puts me at exactly 15 and a half stone! I cannot believe that nearly 8 weeks ago I thought I would never lose the 4 plus stone I want to and now I am only 2 and half stone away from my initial target! I am so so happy and grateful for all you guys as I don’t think I would have managed it without all your amazing support. Thank you.

2 you guys!❤️🥰 enough said.

3. Tonight to go and then done. No more work for a week😁

Hope you are all having a fab day guys. Love and hugs Birdy💞🦜

Wendleg, I’m itching to clean out your workshop. I’ve heard of the emmaus secondhand places but yet to try one.
Allie, your surreal
Dream sounds a delight.
1. Had a French class with a new teacher and she’s a great improvement on the last one, who was lovely but a terrible teacher.

2. Just eaten the first watermelon of the season.

3. I’m shattered and OH is away so can look forward to an early night and hogging the snore free space.

Allie, your dreams are preparing you for a holiday, with good friends, food and wine.

Esnecca I am so happy for you, that you are in better health and can move about without any effort.

I feel closer to my sister in planning and living with her on holiday. This makes me very happy.

My positives:

1. Sardinia was delightful, every aspect of the holiday gave us joy and contentment. We ate out, we had snacks and substantial salads with the ripe fruit and vegetables available in Alghero.
2. My sister is now fully read up on the theory of BSD, and during the week together she enjoyed herself and didn’t take a single high carb food except a few glasses of wine. (I decided that this was no time for me to falter, so I was just as good.)
3. At the end of the holiday, she has practical plans to avoid her weaknesses. She realised that she wasn’t hungry, and she could have satisfying food.
4. I am 2cm smaller around my hips. Hip, hip, hurrah! 😃

Wendy, what is with men and yogurt containers?! OH’s father has literally shelves full of nested yogurt containers in their lovely but quite compact galley kitchen. When they went to Paris a couple of years ago, he ate multiple yogurts a day just so he could bring back the small glass jars they came in, which is apparently a big deal because few yogurts here come in small glass jars. I have no idea why this is a thing. It’s not like he has a specific need for them, and even if he did, he has already has a huge hoard of containers. Besides, Mason jars come in every shape and size under the sun and you can buy them by the gross for loose change. I have a case of one-ounce hexagonal ones with cute red lids that I used to create a wee portable sampler of my favorite salts so I wouldn’t have to live with people’s sad table salt offerings while visiting friends and families. They fit together like a honeycomb. Can yogurt pots do that? I THINK NOT. 😀

Speaking of Mason jars, I’m so excited you’re about to embark on your first ferments! Do you have an idea of what you’d like to try first? There’s an old thread dedicated to fermentation. I shall have to bump it so you can tell us all about your adventures.

That sounds l1ke a splend1d 1nterpretat1on, Patr1c1a! Wendy w1ll l1ke 1t too 🙂 1’ll have to wa1t unt1l july 2020,
when Wendy ret1res. Plenty of t1me to pract1ce my school g1rl French 1n the meant1me…So glad that you
enjoyed your hol1day 1n Sard1n1a! Wendy w1ll be r1ght beh1nd you, follow1ng your recommendat1ons, 1’m sure!

Oh I like the sound of that ! You are all so welcome ! Essie and Skipping can clear the study and workshop..Patricia can cook beautiful Mediterranean food ..Birdy can parade in her red shorts but they will probably be too big as she will have lost 2 more stone 🤣🤣..Allie will be presiding over us all…with a glass of wine 🍷🍷I will help you all learn French 🤗🤗
What a lovely thought !! Why not make it come true !!

Essie..yoghurt does indeed come in little glass pots here and some people put decorative tea lights in them. There are also little terracotta yoghurt pots which are quite sweet…in.blues and traditional ochre.
I am still researching Fermentation Essie so I thoroughly understand the process but I would love to exchange on a forum ! I will go in search of it
I found Japanese wakame dried seaweed which is a nice crunchy snack ! Must try it rehydrated too. We have a Chinese supermarket here with lots of Japanese products. I gave the chicken feet a miss though ! No offence to lovely Chinese people ..Brits have black pudding !!
Skipping ..Emmaus is another of my guilty pleasures as are summer vide greniers where I go in search of beautiful embroidered linens like a woman possessed. Be warned it can become addictive !

I’m coming too, Wendy! Not Albert though – he doesn’t travel well. I don’t do shorts but I have an obsession with what my niece calls “Auntie Gherkin’s pretty dresses” so I’ll be swanning around in a summer dress. Mid morning for me here but positives can come at any time so here goes:
1. Just got Albert booked in for his permanent thyroid treatment. In the meantime I need to get chest X-rays for him and rabies shot but glad to get the process underway as neither of us are enjoying this pill twice a day business.
2. I’m going to San Francisco tonight for a very quick catch up with an old school friend who is passing through in her way back to NZ. This is much needed so I’m looking forward to seeing her.
3. The carnations I bought a week ago are still going strong. I always think of carnations as funeral flowers but these are pink and white variegated ones and it turns out, I’m cheap enough to go for long lasting death flowers than the others.

“Auntie Gherkin” – reminds me of a friend who had a second daughter called Beatrix, the older (but still a toddler) daughter called her “Breadsticks”…Have a lovely time in San Francisco Kafin (sounds very jet-setting – just popping from LA to SF….) and re your Spanish exam (courtesy of google translate), felicidades, eres brillante. And I like carnations! I know about the male hoarding instinct. But I am also guilty of a certain degree of “it might come in useful one day…”. Not yog pots though. There is also the “what does this gizmo/cable belong to/better not throw it away” conundrum…. But very envious Esnecca of your uncluttered table (and a dedicated billiards room!). I tend to see horizontal surface, put something down on it…

6T – I adore being called Auntie Gherkin which is often just shortened to Gherkie. It’s a big improvement from Auntie Kaka which is all Mia could say when she was small. My brother of course translates it to Auntie S*** and thought it was hilarious!

Kafin, I also have a hilarious brother…. I did get a postmaster rebuff from my email to the “angels” email address, but in “sent” folder it seems to have been sent. Birdy, might you check your firewall/junk folder? For Kafin and Wendleg for the mo!

Such a WONDERFUL way to start my day with all the pictures created by posters here this morning!!! Thank you EVERYONE for helping me raise my mood. Here are just a few responses but please know you are all part of my smile today 🙂
HAHAHAHA Allie!!! What a FANTASTIC dream! And we all KNOW dreams can AND do come true!!! Ive checked flights which are plentiful and around $2000 Aus $$$ so Duckie might have to do a migration flight – fly north for summer/winter whatever my breed do . . . BUT . . . such will require a great deal of exercise, to tone the wing muscles and shoulders for such a long flight . . . plummage treatments to strengthen and rejuvenate the feathers would be a must and could lead to ANOTHER culling: that of the bathroom cabinet having a good clear out/making use of the stored conditioners shampoos etc!! My mind went immediately to the painting . . . Luncheon of The Boating Party . . . which I quickly googled and not only found MANY images of the whole and portions thereof . . . BUT photo of a group of modern day women who had re-created the same atmosphere to recreate/live the original “luncheon!” Now THATS spooky coincidence!!!
Odd its Autumn here and Im SPRING cleaning/clearing like a madwoman . . . though nothing like in the real Springtime action going on in the other hemisphere!!! Collating/categorising unknown implements to organise (and in turn) expose imposing surfaces, enhancing a billiard room for social gatherings around BSD fare! (of course)!) – or lugging tonnes of books three floors just because its time! But that conjures up a triumphant picture! Well done Essie!
LOVE the talk of (another) Avian and red shorts! What a gloriously happy, bright, cheeky and triumphant picture that creates!!! And congrats on the physio compliments and encouragement Birdy!
Aunty Gherkin’s dresses!!! complete with matching bloomers . . . . ??? NOW THAT could become trendy . . .!!!
Finally some easy to find positives for this Duckie today . . .(she has had her head reeling and scrambled for a few weeks now but seem the tide may have turned . . .) –
1. Elder son has had some success with contracts he has been patiently awaiting so his fridge will be refilled and bills will be paid this month. That concern allayed for now . . . made way for. . . me arriving home late and therefore to see only 10 of my solar fairy lights were twinkling – enabling me to . . . .
2. Locate the broken wire in the string which can now be reactivated after some pliers are applied to twist the ends together, and electric tape seals the join.
3. Glorious sunshine and lovely Autumn warmth temperature to do some laundry and enjoy fresh air and sun-dried clothes and bedlinen tonight! Ill shortly seek the comfort of the huge cane chair in the front courtyard sunny spot to continue reading my current compelling book – “Angela’s Ashes” – with my personal favourite blend of coffee, with spices and a dollop of cream 🙂 Alls well with Duckie’s Domain today. Thank you for my Blessings – not the least of which is this forum and those who frequent its halls. Quack! Quack!

WOW! What an amazing array of wonderful positives. This thread is certainly the place to come to if you are ever feeling low because there is no doubt that your spirits will be lifted reading all the positives.
So I have a few to report ……
1. Hair cut and coloured.
2. Nails manicured.
3. Chiropodist visited …… ready for anything!
Have a lovely weekend full of positives everyone.

Snap Verano lol…….It must be the day for pampering.
1. Hair cut and eye brows threaded. Doing my nails myself tonight.
2. Managed to take a day off work today……so much easier not to eat crap when pottering about at home.
3. Booked summer holiday. Not abroad, just a romantic week in a holiday apartment in Northumberland. Can’t wait! Plus it gives me an incentive again to stay on track.

Have a great weekend everyone 😁

My positives are….

1 beautiful weather and lovely busy day in our little cafe😀

2 relaxing in the garden with my OH and the dogs 🐶

3 reading the posts from all you lovely people.

Off to Devon on Monday with the whole family in toe to remember and celebrate my lovely Aunt. Hope you all have a lovely weekend 🤗❤️ Birdy 💞🦜

Hi all, what a lovely UK weekend it has been!

My positives are
1. My sister is enjoying the WOE. She is using recipes we enjoyed in Sardinia..
2. My new size 14 jeans are getting loose around the waist.
3. I am choosing where to stay in Chepstow later this month, as we are visiting family there. So far I am leaning towards an ancient old pub with rooms.

Same here Patricia re the size 14 jeans, have to pull them up and definitely baggier round the thighs and bottom. I do find it amazing – it’s nothing short of revelatory really – that even though I am so undisciplined in terms of counting, just generally following the principles (lean protein/above ground veg with focus on leafy greens/full fat yog/olive oil/avoiding white carbs and keeping fruit to berries etc and eating in an 8 hour window) has been so effective for me, and the blips don’t seem to halt the general trend of progress. Just wow to the woe!

I’m back from San Francisco so my positives are:
1. Had such a lovely visit with my friend – so nice to laugh and talk and be totally comfortable. We walked and touristed but more than anything, we talked nonstop. Sad to say goodbye and I hope she can come back to the States soon
2. Focusing on study for my Spanish final on Tuesday and looking forward to it being over!
3. I have lots of chores to do which is good for keeping me distracted and busy

Hi Kafin, you seem to have had a really lovely time in SF. I know how nice it is with old friends that even if you don’t see them for a while, you can just pick up where you left off last time. Hope Albert gave you a warm greeting and not giving you cold shoulder for leaving him…All best for your exam tomorrow and if the last one is any indication, you will smash it! And enjoy your chores – as you say, a distraction (in my case the naughty ciggies…). Sun is coming out here, which is always a major positive! x

Checking in on the lovely pampered people ! Threaded eyebrows Scottishgal …I am very envious ! Relentless plucking in the eighties has resulted in very scanty spécimens for me . My lovely hairdresser bravely colours them in for me when he cuts my hair but I could never aspire to the bushy caterpillars of my young nieces!!!
Talking of which..my next hairdresser visit is due on Friday.

Other positives….my clothes are selling very successfully, embarrassingly so in some cases but I am glad they are being loved again.

I am resisting buying new things as I have found summer dresses in my wardrobe which were previously too snug and now look pretty good !
I don’t need lots more stuff…I am continuing to de clutter

The weather here is due to be glorious by the end of the week !
The idea of going back to work is slightly daunting ( flights of stairs !!) but I will be ok and I am looking forward to resuming my fasting pattern.
Patricia ! Sardinia is about 6 weeks away !

Have a great week everyone !

Good evening!
Home again after a few days away which were thoroughly enjoyable. I have kept my ‘little blue book’ updated so no matter what the scales say tomorrow I won’t be depressed!
So to my positives ……
1. Nothing like a few days away being waited on hand and foot!
2. Finding that I’m able to walk further and further. I will keep trying and keep extending myself.
3. Just a week to our next trip but I’m feeling really positive that I will be able to stay within my food boundaries
Just a little aside: just ask! So many people, especially the newer members, have such qualms about eating out. I was faced with a very limited carvery lunch with the only thing on the menu that I would eat being green beans! So I asked ……. “could you find me a salad please” …. “with egg or tuna or cheese” …. no problem…. and got all three!!! I always ask in restaurants but never from a fixed menu before. Just goes to show where there’s a will there’s a way!
Looking forward to reading many positives!

Evening V ! Glad you enjoyed your break ! Where are you off to next ? I love your positive one day at a time attitude and that the scales and the ‘little blue book’ will not depress you ! It’s great that you are walking more .We tend to forget you had major surgery not that long ago.
Interesting what you said about food.I always ask for veg or salad in place of rice, potatoes etc but I have never thought of asking for a completely different dish. I should wear a badge saying No carbs please !
Positives for me:
I am working through my reports so I won’t have a mad rush when I get back to school next week
My clothes are still selling well and my de cluttering is very satisfying
Being out in the car is more manageable for me these days as I put my headphones in and listen to a keto podcast or video on my phone, very distracting so I don’ t watch the road ! That’s a Major Victory for me !
O/H bought some more herbs to plant in the garden today : 3 varieties of basil ! Yum !
I wore a (smaller ) summery dress today and it felt good !

This Golden Girl will be pampered by her two lovely hairdressers on Friday. Not much hope for my eyebrows though 😉

Hope everyone is well xx

Wendleg, please say you are not driving at the time…. Verano, I have been amazed at your travels, in the few months I have been here. Really quite envious. Dogs and an expired passport don’t lend themselves to foreign trips for me!

6T the passport is easily remedied but the dogs are another story!
Wendy I have a similar issue with brows but found a great product twelve months or so ago. I know I shouldn’t advertise but this is Silk Fibre Brow Enhancer, but I’m sure there are many similar products on the market! It’s a tiny bottle and was quite pricey but you only use a minute amount each time. The secret is not to use the wand provided but just ‘wipe’ an angled eyebrow brush down the stem of the wand. You are only using a minute amount each time but you can add extra….. if you use the wand you will end up with Brooke Shields eyebrows!
I had a breakthrough a month or so ago when were having lunch out. I asked for no potatoes and the waiter suggested extra veg and when OH went on to request the same he said , ” ah no carbs then”. That was the first time in my almost three years of BSD eating that somebody has actually recognised no carbs. Maybe the massage really is getting out there at last!

Love the Blood Sugar Diet

Today

1. Got on the scales and see that I have gone from a BMI of 33 (Mid Jan 2019) to BMI of 26.8.

2. Enjoyed my regular breakfast of full fat greek yoghurt, blueberries and sugar free peanut butter.

3. Log on my GP records App and discover that my HbA1c level has dropped from 8.600% (Mid Feb 2019) to 5.900%.

I cannot thank this diet enough!!! 13lbs to go for my ideal weight. Just stick with it.

Hi all so I am back from Devon and my Aunty had a lovely send of thank you for all the kind words and thoughts guys.

My positives are

1. Had an amazing time with my family even at a sad time.

2 got weighed at the doctors and haven’t done any damage thankfully

3. The sun is shining and I a, enjoying the most lovely salad.

This woe and you guys are amazing 😉 Birdy💞🦜

Glad that things went as well as they could, Birdy. x
Positives:
1) Saw a friend for coffee this morning who has been following this way of eating now for a month. She is really happy with progress. Makes me happy too!
2) Mentally preparing for our trip to Italy next week. I may be even quieter than usual on these threads, while I enjoy grilled aubergines, climb 14th century sky-scrapers, and absorb the fantastic atmosphere of Tuscany.
3) Garden is looking gorgeous – purple alliums popping up everywhere and the bees are all over the geraniums.
Early wishes for a good weekend for everyone.

Nooo !! 6T, I don’t drive with my earphones in !!! I have to be alert for all sorts of wildlife that jump in my path !!
I am much nicer to be with in the car since discovering my phone and podcasts !
V, I am going to have my hair cut and coloured tomorrow and my understanding hairdresser dabs a bit of colour on my scanty eyebrows to help give them some definition …I have grey hairs appearing there , how very dare they !!
The colour wears off though so I will investigate your magic product. I have heard of women having tattoed brows but I doubt that would be a good look for me.
Positives : I had a lovely afternoon in the garden having completed yet more reports.I am getting there ! Today is bank holiday in France and the weather forecast is very sunny for the long weekend.
I will hopefully sell all my remaining eBay items this weekend . I have done well, if I say so myself
I resisted buying anything on eBay but discovered a site here called Vinted which is for buying and selling all sorts of preloved things and I must admit I have bought some new make up !
O/H says his weight is down which is very positive ( considering he is not exactly strict BSD 🙂 )

Oooh your Tuscan holiday will be fab, caronl !

PUPKINDAD Those figures are remarkable and admirable! AND encouraging to us all 🙂 I can relate VERY well – especially to the HbA1c!!! Well done and continued success and good health 🙂 Quack! Quack!

Hi all glad to see some lovely positives on here! Well done pumkindad your are doing great 👍. My positives are

1 I am now back home and back on my woe

2 the abscess that has formed in my mouth has actually stopped my cracked tooth from hurting😂

3. It is just me and my boy this weekend so film fest will start this evening! Love me and my boy time ❤️❤️

Happy Friday everyone and I hope you all have a fab weekend x💞🦜

Good morning and it really is good to read all the positives here. I continue to be busy socially but am managing to keep my weight within +/-2lbs so that’s my first positive.
Just having a quiet 5 minutes with a cup of tea before I start preparing food for friends this evening.
Finally, I seem finally to be able to catch up on some posts. I’ve been out of the loop for a while and I realise that I need the support here to keep me on track, even if that means treading water at the moment!
Have a good weekend everyone.

Hello everyone. Just checking in ….

It has been a Glorious Sunny Day and I have shamelsssly lazed in the garden listening to the birds !
More preloved items are winging their way to the UK and I am coming to the end of my wardrobe clearance.

I am happy with my hair cut and colour .It’ s very vibrant in the sun !! I am embracing my curls again !!! My lovely hairdressers understand me !
I was given a very relaxing pampering in the massage chair ! My sparse eyebrows were dabbed with colour V but I will go shopping for extra cosmetic help , thank you xx

I am back at work on Monday but I refuse to be miserable about it. I will be back into a different routine after 3 weeks on sick leave but I will be fine . I am actually looking forward to getting back into my fasting routine !
Have a great evening with your friends, V !
Enjoy time with your boy Birdy ! Would love to be able to do that but hopfully one of my sons is coming back for a few weeks in August :-):-)
You will soon be in Tuscany caronl !!

Lots of love to everyone ! xx

Your hair looks fab Wendy and I hope your first day back at work goes well. Good to see Birdy, Verano, Caronl, 6Ts, Duckie et al all having such lovely positive notes.

Positives:
1 – Rain – it is really raining! So lovely as we have not seen rain like this in more than 6 months. Listening to it on the roof is a joy.
2. Worm farm – I finally got round to buying a worm farm, and have been out in the rain setting it up.
3. Delicious homemade cauliflower and red capsicum soup for lunch with a sprinkle of parmesan and a swirl of cream. Goes perfectly with the rain.

Really thrilled to see so much activity on the positives thread! Apologies for my long absence from contributing, we had a very busy week with UK friends visiting last week, was fun though. Now it’s just OH and little old me until a week tomorrow, when we will be joined by another visitor for a week.
Positives right now are …
1) laundry drys really quicker here – just as well as plenty to catch up with post visitors.
2) bought lovely long coulottes in a fab dress shop I found, in a town we will be revisiting next week – funds could take a bit of a hit as there are a couple more items I’m thinking I might have to buy!
3) another gloriously sunny day, with a little cooling breeze, a good to be alive day.
Still five weeks to go, before we head home – which I guess is an additional positive!
Please keep posting those positives everyone.