Here we are, gearing up for the holidays, together! Success is on the horizon, as long as we don’t lose the plot 🙂 The
clock is counting down to Christmas, but it need not include a lot of rubbish to make it a blessed holiday. It’s essentially
about family and friends, and the joy of celebrating the season. As Julia says, making it about food IS depressing…
I’ll be here, and I hope all of you will be joining me! xoxo

Allie

Hi Allie I’m back again! Not terribly active just as the moment but from next Friday I will be here 110%!
I have finished ‘The Obesity Code ‘ now and have a whole new outlook on BSD. I’ve felt for a while that I need a bit of a shake up and I think I know where to go from here. Just started re-reading Gary Taubes so by Friday I’ll have a plan in place.
Allie I doubt very much that I’ll leave 2018 at the same weight I started but I’m pleased my idea has given you some impetus to get back on track. The one thing I really love about these boards is that we all keep dragging each other along and so we all keep on keeping on ………
Hope you are well sunshine-girl!

We absolutely do that, V.! There was a popular song, I think it appeared in the 90″s, called “The Wind Beneath My
Wings”. I always see our community in those terms, and I’m delighted to be the wind beneath the wings of anyone
who has hit a rough patch…There is no judgment here, and that is what makes the forum so unique. I don’t have
much use for “social media”, but we have all created a very different universe here, and have been shone the way by
others that have come before us, lighting our way 🙂

Checking in for this week’s posting. Today was a bust for me. X.x No reason for it, just lack of willpower, I suppose? Hate those weak moments, but I’m already moving on to the positive changes for the week ahead. Starting with a fast tomorrow and determined to stick to my menu. I would also like to walk a couple times a week. I’m around 174 so I hope to be at 170 by next Tuesday.

Hello lovely people !
It’s already Tuesday evening and I feel as if I have spent the last 2 days doing nothing but manage fractious teenagers ! Poor things , it’s tough for them. I am seriously thinking they need a few minutes deep breathing/meditation before they are in a state to concentrate and learn anything !

I’m with you all . My Week will be a combination of low carb BSD days and some fasting. I have just finished one which started Sunday evening. It ‘s manageable at the moment. We’ve just had an invite for a Saturday ‘ Strictly Come Dancing ‘ viewing evening. Light supper ? Ok . Next question..do you eat ratatouille and baked potatoes ? Sweet potato , steamed rice ? Gulp …Just the ratatouille for me 😉
Hope the Thanksgiving préparations are going well for our American friends and you can manage it all serenely on the day.
We just have to keep doing our best ..sending good wishes and positive thoughts . Looking forward to an active thread again ! xx

Hello one and all – so pleased to see there is still a little band of us continuing with the weekly challenges thanks for kicking off another weekly challenge Allie. Good to see you back with us Verano and sounding focused and upbeat. G/heart – it’ a new week and a new start, so press ahead and I’m sure you will get to where you want to be. Keep going wendleg – is it permissible for you to take something BSD with you for the ‘Strictly’ gathering? I did that when visiting Turkish friends while we were away and it saved me from succumbing to the bad-stuff.

Starting this week 0.6lb down on my weight at weigh in last Friday – first full day back from hols. Not a huge loss, but a small step in the right direction and it brings me back on to the right side of my target weight again. My aim for this week is to keep control, start to extend overnight fasts again and maybe wedge in the odd 24hr fast if I can. Also working on increasing hydration and watching those sneaky carbs. If I can finish this week down on today’s weight, I’ll be a happy bunny, even if the loss is again a mini one.

Christmas turkey has been ordered and I’m meeting a friend for Christmas shopping tomorrow. I’m mindful though, that lunch has the potential to get out of hand, so will approach with caution.

Have a great week everyone and hope to see positive results being posted next Tuesday.

Hello all. Checking in this morning at 176, really messed up with the carbs gestational, but oh well. The Tardis is unavailable so I can’t go back in time and just have to keep at it. Been fasting since 9pm yesterday…. Going well, drinking plenty of water. It’s pretty amazing how I’m not starving despite not eating… It makes me wonder why I overate all those years.

Hoping everyone faces their challenges this week successfully. We can do it!

Good morning everyone. Ooo, ordering the Christmas turkey SunnyB. I’d better do that soon.

Well my abdominal upsets, which weirdly got a lot better when I was eating bread to see if I was intolerant to gluten (clearly not!), are back quite badly and I’m uncomfortable all the time. So I’m going to try eating bread again (high fibre, low GI good quality bread) and other sources of fibre to see if that helps. There is a Enid Blyton story where the children see plates piled with fluffy white stuff. Is it cake, they ask? No, it’s bread! Not like the brown English bread they are used to. You’ll like it, they are told. Very apt, I thought, to mistake it for cake.

Hi All.Im happy to report a small loss so Im back to where I was last week.I have been trying to do a bit of fasting but I dont feel well and I had a splitting headache.my Bgl went down to 4.8 mmol and my blood pressure was up.Im still reading Fungs book so Im hoping to learn more . carb cravings have been a challenge.So more water for me today.
I hope everyone is doing well.thanks Allie for you suport and leadership in setting us up again this week.

Oh Natalie, I’m so sorry that you’re in pain all the time! Do you have access to a good gastroenterologist? Perhaps
you might have an underlying condition that you don’t know about? I’m glad that gluten intolerance has been ruled out,
but maybe some investigative studies might help? Chronic conditions can certainly wear us down. I don’t know what
sort of healthcare is at your disposal, but I hope that help is on the way! Thinking of you 🙂

Allie

Hello Natalie,
I haven’t read all your posts but I’m interested with the one just above. What abdominal upsets did/do you have? Abdominal issues are quite common with me and I don’t eat any bread at all………. also I’m wondering what plans you adopt to still lose weight on low-carb while eating bread? If you don’t mind letting me know?
Thanks 🙂
Jordana

Natalie, I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well.

Butterlover, Yay for you!

Today I was 172.6. I fasted until dinnertime yesterday and I think I’ll do another today.

Hi all, new, old and lurkers I’m humming wind beneath my wings as I tap! Thanks for the thread and song Allie 😘
Still no news from teaching job which is a little stressful but my normal response (and I’m due on apologies if that’s too much info) is that I eat non BSD foods. But I’ve not even be tempted! I have lost another pound so 12st 8! (That’s with a few g&ts 🙈 but I stuck to OMAD BSD of course)
Wow wendy amazing your journey to become a teacher in France. That’s quite a tough process but job for life sounds good. Its my first job interview post mummy years so it’s gonna be tough. But my volunteer placement is helping. Onwards!!!

Did an impromptu fast today so that was good. I would like to fast two days a week. Goodheart keep at it! Up and down was my way and I know there will more ahead. Look at inch loss clothes fitting looser too. I try and weigh only once/twice a week only as I do think that you want to see the scales reading loss even after a couple of hours, that was me a few months ago! But this support group picked me up, gave good advice and I’m keeping on!

Aurora you have inspired me to continue so thank you! I definitely think you will get to 8s soon!!! Congrats!

Its lovely hearing from you all and apologies if I don’t remember to mention all, but you’re all amazing and we have this!!!!
Happy prep thanks giving our lovely American BSD cousins 🎄😘🤗

Congrats Eclectic!

Hi Eclectic !! Great to hear from you. Hope you get news about the teaching job soon. Don’t worry, if you don’ t get that job there will be other opportunities and you will always learn something from the interview experience.

I have a horror story to relate. As you know, lots of uncertainty around Brexit at the moment . In the worst case scenario ie no deal there is a serious risk that native English speakers who qualified as teachers in France through the system I described will lose their status as public servants as no longer part of the E U so illegible to continue in the same posts and losing pension rights etc.There are 1700 native speakers in the French system and not all have acquired French citizenship and they are extremely worried. Some have been in France like me for many years, with families etc. To find themselves losing their job and being reemployed as replacement teachers at best is devastating. Let’ s just hope it doesn’ t come to that.

Onto more cheery things ! Well done for your ongoing weight loss Eclectic, and for resisting temptation. You are in a good place ! I am with you on the fasting and try to slot in two fasts during my Week . Hopefully it will keep my weight loss going even if it’s only tiny.

Stay positive and keep going ! You are doing great !

Big hugs to those who are not feeling so good ..Nathalie, Butterlover. Thinking of you and hope you feel better soon. Keep going Goodheart but don’ t get too hung up on the numbers xx

Wendy xx

I’m feeling your confidence, Eclectic, and that is indeed wonderful! 🙂 I often hear music playing in my head, and
if this hadn’t been the case for 40 years, I might worry that I was going a bit mad !?! Sometimes I don’t even
realize that I know the lyrics, until they appear in my imagination…The first time this happened was when I was 30 years
old, and I was having a particularly good downhill run on a pair of skiis. (Usually a “good run” meant that I’d made it
to the bottom of the mountain without falling down or wiping out). It’s quite entertaining, really 🙂

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. Jordana I’ve had quite bad abdominal pain for more than five? Six? years now. I had a variety of tests and found I had fibroids in my uterus. They are very common but can have anywhere from terrible to zero symptoms. We decided that was where the pain was coming from and I had them removed. My periods went back to normal after being very heavy and pain did seem to reduce a bit for a while but then came back. Was the pain from my reproductive organs at all? A physio suggested my muscles cramp up because I don’t more enough. One test showed arthritis in my hips. My intestines? I don’t have diarrhoea/constipation but I do get terrible abdominal pain sometimes going to the toilet – particularly if I’ve eaten junk the day before. More tests, nothing conclusive other than not being intolerant to gluten. Before the gluten test I had to eat four slices of bread for a month, and during that time I felt much better! Pain almost gone. Since I’ve been back on lower carb, for 3-4 weeks I think, pain has come back. Do I not get enough fibre? Can that cause so much discomfort? I’ve had just about every test known to womankind… except a colonoscopy. It was suggested early but when we found the fibroids – problem solved! So there didn’t seem a need. I guess that is next – but I’m trying the bread first.

🤣⛷️it’s quite fun reading about it too!.
Clichéd as it sounds music is food for the soul. A tune is there for good, bad and the middly bits! Allie how’s maintenance going? The gardening? Thanksgiving prep? I’m taking a leaf out of your book and have planned my own BSD friendly 🎄 dinner. Planning is my middle name well food at least! I chased the school twice today and they will call me tomorrow. Its never a good sign chasing for an answer which I have never done re a teaching job before, not a good omen 🙈
But positive note it was good experience and with hindsight too early to be applying, onwards and upwards!!

Wendy 😬 no idea what Brexit means it’s a mess here and I’m so sorry to hear about the potential plight of all your friends. I hope they will make exceptions, they have to! Wherever you stand on the issue. It’s a mess at the mo and the uncertainty is not helping anyone just hope and pray that all works out for your friends. Glad you bought it up. Appreciate politics is not the done topic at times but some convos have to be said! Wishing you all good vibes, I’m presuming you have french citizenship?

Thanks Violinist, how are you doing?

I’m sorry to hear that some of you are poorly tis the season well here at least for colds 😰
Try the soup thread they are amazing! I’m still indulging in pumpkin soup batch made by hubby after Halloween and it’s delicious and BSD ok!!

To think I almost gave up a month ago so glad I didn’t. I can’t believe how much I look and feel better and to be almost half way just feels great. We all have bad days and I do think this way of being is new and somewhat regarded with suspicion and incredulous As if 🙄 but it honestly works. And paraphrasing a rather controversial but powerful political figure…This lady is not for turning! And neither are you lot!!! (I’m also singing run the world girls by Beyonce in my head of course)
We have Thanksgiving tomorrow, a good one for all! And 🎄 in just over 4 weeks 😘😘🤩

Thank you Natalie for the informative reply. It sounds quite different to me so maybe I won’t embark on the bread after all 🙂 I have various localised pains including abdominal and many tests (yes including a colonoscopy) and it was eventually deducted my digestive valves often malfunction.
I hope you manage to get rid of the pain and maybe you could count a slice of bread in your diet?

NOW I am intrigued, Eclectic! Are you possibly American, too??? There are so few of us! It always surprises me
because ours is a big country 🙂 There is Julia (Californiagirl) Catherine (Violinist) and Gangreneheart (?) and of
course, little old me…Maintenance is very stable, thanks for asking 🙂 I’m off to Massachusetts this morning, and
really looking forward to spending the holiday with sister and her family. She travels a lot, so these are rare opportunities,
indeed. Frigidly cold, but no snow in the forecast, so that’s a good thing! Fortunately I didn’t buy a turkey, so that
won’t be awaiting me upon our return. Let the music in your head PLAY ON 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it!!!

Allie

Nice and warm here, Alli! Southwest Florida is in the 80’s

Two days of bread (2 slices each morning) and I woke up today to no pain. Astonishing. But increased weight. I’m very conflicted right now and I think I’ll take a break from BSD while I do some food experiments and maybe more tests. This has gone on too long. Best wishes to everyone and a Merry Mediterranean-style Christmas.

Natalie, it does sound like you need to experiment. Speaking as a person with digestive issues my whole life, I could probably eat a slice or two of bread a few days without issue. But, I could not continue to do so as after a while the build up of gluten would get me.

Good morning!
Well I’m back with a new plan. I have read Jason Fung’s ‘Obesity Code’ and have decided to shake-up my routine. I’m aiming for 30g of carbs a day, maximum. I am trying 4:3 with the 3 being a minimum of 16:8 and hoping to eventually make a 24. I hadn’t realised just how many and the variety of fluids that are allowed in the ‘fasting’ part of the day. So armed with new information and lots of enthusiasm I’m starting the journey to the end of the year. I know that I will still be showing a net gain for 2018 but the plan now is to make that as small as possible.
Hope everyone is well and a belated ‘Happy Thanksgiving ‘ to all our American friends.

Let’s get it going Verano!

I’m on board with you lovely ladies! Apart from multiple glasses of wine for the Thanksgiving feast, I did well yesterday.
No pie, no gravy, no cranberry sauce, no potatoes or root vegetables, no stuffing apart from a tbs. No cheese/crackers or
any other nibbles before 4:00pm dinner. I’m always so busy talking that it wasn’t much of a challenge. The turkey was
so huge that only one of the men could comfortably lift it! It was a lot of driving for one day, 5 hrs. roundtrip, but worth
it in every way :)!
We were 14 for dinner, so the offerings brought seemed endless… 4 different pies! I’m glad to be separated from
the leftovers, though! Willpower will only get us so far, so best not be around temptation! Only 1 month to go before
we ring in the new year. Christmas will be a quiet day at home in front of the fire…The passage of Thanksgiving
means that the time has come to finish up Christmas shopping…all our gifts must be sent out of town, so I’m turning
my attention to that immediately! Have a great weekend all, and stay strong 🙂 You sound great, Verano! Stay in your
new “zone” xx

Good job Allie!! I confess that I probably ate enough for you AND me — turkey, gravy, two kinds of stuffing, cranberry chutney and wine and pie.
Well, as I always counsel others, I’m right back on the BSD today and I only had black coffee for brekkies — I am doing 24 hours to dinner tonight before I eat something — my houseguests however, woke up and made cornbread and ate leftover pie. Honestly, how can that be possible?!
As soon as they leave, any leftover pie is going into the trash (sad but necessary) and in the meantime I am not going to look anywhere near them on the sideboard. I’ve drawn a veil over the pies!!

Hi Everyone. Good wishes to all the americans enjoying their Thanksgiving.Im glad we don’t have a feast so close to Christmas trying to stay on track is enough challenge for me. I’m an aussie and we do a big Christmas but since its summer bbq seafood and salads makes it easier to stay closer to plan.
Today Im trying to be fluids only till dinner.Im still reading the Obesity Code but im a bit over the anslysis part so Ive skipped a few chapters to get to the back of the book to try the fasting.I have done ok the last few days on plan but last night I started to reward myself again with bread and the result is 0.3 up this morning. I am going out for dinner tonight planning a main meal salad with salmon at a japanese place.I let you know my results on monday.For those with tummy problems can I suggest improving your gastric status with probiotics and sour foods.Cheers to all

Hi Allie,
Nope definitely a Brit! One of my good friends is American and she sent me a pic of her lovely theme of homemade paper doves with messages for their Thanksgiving. So I tend to be aware virtually of Thanksgiving hence the confusion. Probably wasn’t clear meant to say I am planning my BSD 🎄 meal based on your Thanksgiving example! Which sounds lovely by the way. Well done!!! The most important aspect of the day is getting together with loved ones as you say not the food or presents!

Verano, I know right re all the fluids you can drink in fasting is quite good. You can do it I loved that book it’s transformed my way of thinking & feeling about food. Butterlover sounds like you are getting there too! Wishing you good fasts! Let us know how you get on?

Natalie sorry to hear about your pain. Do what helps with your pain. I hope you find a way to resolve this health issue. We are all here and always feel free to come for support.

Surprise surprise I didnt get the job. Finally got a call yesterday with some good constructive feedback, I’m rusty for sure! The school apologised profusely as I was supposed to be told by senior staff on the Tuesday. They took down my complaint re admin issues and lack of communication to a shortlisted candidate. Anyway feel better for knowing the outcome.

I’m due on so not gonna lie went off BSD yesterday 🤦🏾‍♀️ but I’m fasting today and will do OMAD tomorrow. So hopefully things will balance out. I’m afraid the stress of the week and it wasn’t just the job stuff but also silly parent group politics that got me down and I weakened in the face of it by running to the non BSD foods. But I’m picking myself up and carrying on from where I left things on Friday which was a BSD good place.

I hope you’re all well,happy, healthy and having a wonderful weekend 😘🤗

Morning everyone
I’m a pound down this Week and I will take that and continue on my BSD way. I am definitely into the 13 stone bracket Eclectic !
Sorry about the job but as you say it is useful feedback. It wasn’t meant to be but another opportunity will come along
Stress is a BAD thing . Kazz struggled with it this Week and you had issues with parents. Don’t let them get you down girls !
Food still has that power to somehow ‘comfort’ and commiserate but be strong .
Eclectic you are doing brilliantly, fasting and OMAD when you have meals to cook for your children. I don’t have that extra pressure and so it’s easier. Well done all you lovely ladies juggling and multi tasking.

I have prepared my BSD food to take to the Strictly evening tonight. It”s all ok.
Sending lots of good wishes for a great weekend where you are surrounded by decent human beings, healthy food and drink.

Hope you are getting some relief, Natalie.
Keep going Butterlover, Jordana, SunnyB , Verano , Violinist, CaliforniaGirl , my BSD buddies
and of course dear Allie looking after us all.
Gheart is quiet. I hope she is ok
xx

Eclectic, you couldn’t possibly do more than getting back on plan as quickly as possible 🙂 Feel GOOD about
that!!! I think handling stress is a problem that we all have…These days, when my heart starts racing, I immediately
throw on my coat and head for the pavement! It’s restorative, and when I return home I’ve forgotten about
what might be in the fridge. I really must find my gloves, though, because it’s getting quite cold here in New
England! I’m sorry about the job, but interviews are in and of themselves a useful experience. 🙂

The pounds are adding up, Wendy! How wonderful for you 🙂 🙂 🙂 Have fun tonight! Kazzi really enjoys the
program you mentioned, too. Not available to me, of course!

Butterlover, Verano and the gang, have a wonderful weekend! I’m off for more firewood!

I made it through my 24 hour fast yesterday and I am already feeling so much better after the Thanksgiving rout! I used to think 24 hours was impossible but it has not only become doable, it’s actually comfortable and I can relax during it, knowing that It wlll be manageable.
I think I would like to try fasting for longer, but as with the 24 hour fasting, I think I will have to build up to it slowly — it took me so many “practice” runs to get to 24 hours but then I was, huh, what’s the big deal? I’m thinking it is as much mental as physical for me. Anyway, it is a great way to balance a day when too much food seemed to find its way in!
It sounds like everyone is doing very well and staying focused — such a wonderful way to move into Christmas/holiday season!

Nice going Wendleg!!!!

Ok, Thanksgiving is over! Between the carbs and alcohol I felt terrible yesterday. So today is back at it!

Yes Julia I think fasting is a useful tool . I started on 24 hour fasts and OMAD pretty early on and found it very manageable as I was away from the house and food. It’s pretty standard for me now and not fearful at all. I am not ravenous, and it is quite liberating. I would find it quite weird to eat breakfast as I am just not hungry that early in the morning.

I have done longer fasts , up to 42 hours just to mix things up a bit so going from say Monday evening till Wednesday lunch time. That’s ok but I can only manage one a Week .

I must say I don’t lose massive amounts of weight with it but maybe it just balances out overall in subsequent weeks.

I think it would quickly get me back on track after any excesses . It’s like having a brand new page in a colouring book 😉

Good going Violinist !

Thanks Wedleg.

Well done Wendy! That’s great! 13s keep going soon you’ll be in the 12s! ( I’m down to 12st 6 now) so inspired by your fasting and reckon you’ve started a trend amongst us! Amazing Californiagirl you must be proud of that achievement. You have just shown us it can be done! I agree it’s definitely a mental challenge.

Violinist know that feeling. It’s ok your back on it again, keep on it.

I’m still on my fast as I tap here. It’s been 24hrs and im gonna hold out till 3pm tomorrow for OMAD celebratory BSD friendly brunch (online menu research done) with the girls. Lots of black coffee, green tea & water till then.

It wasn’t the right job or time for me. I know there will be other opportunities. Thanks for your well wishes. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy, work hard at my volunteer placement.

Allie good tip re having a walk although yes to gloves it’s pretty nippy here too. Glad maintenance is going well. I’ll be asking for lots of advice when I get there. And for once I think this is possible.

I bought myself some lovely M&S jumpers as I got rid of all my L sizes now. These are M size but a bit baggy as some jumpers should be! They are bright, warm and soft just like the online vibes coming your way 🌈 BSD 🤗😘

Eclectic, I wish I could see you in your new sweaters!!! So happy for you,

Hi Everyone. Thanks so much for all the words of encouragement.The fast was not as good as i had hoped.I lasted till 3pm before I forgot about it and had some cashews, cheese and my usual bread substitute of corn thins..I had a lot more fliuds through the day and I had the japanese salad for dinner.then we went to the casino complex to meet our daughter and her friends.I didnt drink anything .We were home by 11pm and I was starving .opened the fridge to find a pizza and garlic cheese toast left overs from my sons dinner and i ate them without any thought and a bread roll and more cashews I definitely dont have any self control . I really learned a lot.wt up 0.7kg.Today I will try to last till dinner and have more protein and fat.Also hidden the cashews and to replace with almonds, I was shocked when I compared the macros. Thanks for all the encouragement. I will keep trying.

We are all learning from our expériences Butterlover. We all have our weaknesses and challenges. You can plan next time knowing the fridge is a danger zone. You can do it !

Eclectic…. Your sweaters sound totally lovely and match your positive mood ! I miss M and S here . They closed the one in Toulouse. I have decided not to buy clothes for the moment. I will check out the January sales but to be honest I have enough stuff in my wardrobe that I can still wear ( clothes just look better with fewer lumpy bits !) I do believe my ‘apron’ is shrinking !
The Strictly evening was fun and our BSD offerings were much appreciated. My friend produced a beautiful fruit salad and I did not have the heart to say I couldn’t eat it so I had a portion of pineapple, pomegranate and banana. No panic. It ‘s not going to do that much damage….my first fruit apart from berries since September 1st !

Fasting. I am going to try mixing up fasting this Week. Lunch and dinner today . Fast Monday . OMAD Tuesday, Lunch and Dinner Wednesday, Fast Thursday, Lunch and Dinner Friday. I’m not saying I will manage it but I will give it a go.

Have a great Sunday everyone ! xx

Good morning to all Americans, and Good Afternoon to everyone else 🙂 Butterlover, pizza in the refrig.
sounds like a not so subtle form of torture to me! Throw out the “evidence” so you won’t be tempted
again. We all do have our “moments of rebellion” I think! The only thing we can do is learn from them 🙂
Cashews are shocking, aren’t they??? I often find a small packet hidden away in my husband’s briefcase….
Sneaky devil!

Wendy, navigating social waters can be challenging….You’ve done a grand job avoiding your beloved
fruit, by not bringing it into the house, so applaud yourself for that!!! The trickiest social circumstance
is when a friend prepares a special dish just for us, and we’ve worked hard for months to avoid it…
Even though I’ve always been pretty much of a zealot on the BSD, I always have a very small portion of
whatever it is that has been made especially for me. I can’t deprive the friend who has done something
to please me 🙂 Any damage will certainly be reversed by fasting and a lot of water! How did you feel
after eating the fruit compote? Did you swoon, or did you fail to enjoy it fully because you were mentally
calculating the carb load? Fortunately, social occasions are few and far between these days, so keeping
out of the danger zone is relatively easy for me, as we are no longer living in close proximity to our best
friends. Wonderful news about the “shrinking” apron 🙂 That area was the last to go on me..and the one
I hated the most! At least tunics are easy to find, until we get it all under control..

Hope to hear from the rest of you today. Sunny? I miss you on this thread! Is everything okay? GHeart?
Jordana?

Morning Allie and all! Off to walk and church

Hi Allie and all other dear friends.
In fact Allie the fruit did not ‘hit the spot’ as you might imagine. I have ben pretty zealous too and as we don’t get out much either ;-), it has not been too tricky avoiding treats lovingly made by others. I could not refuse the fruit salad however.

I did notice I have been visiting the loo more often since that carby fruit portion . OOPS too much information !

I think that as compensation I was happy to be wearing a pair of trousers which had been very tight and lumpy and impossible to wear in public (!) pre BSD and I felt quite slinky in them 😉 I also bought a bargain dress in Malaga for 5€, yes 5€ and when I tried it on ( end October) it was still a bit snug over the Jelly Belly. Last night it draped quite smoothly over said belly ! NSV…! yes !!

Sending positive Sunday wishes to everyone and as Allie says, hope to see ‘absent’ friends back here soon. If you are feeling down or de motivated after a wobbly Thanksgiving or whatever, we are all here to lift you up and get you back on track.

Beautifully said, Wendy! It’s a new day and a new hour for each of us. If I know you, your Malaga dress is
bright with color. I’m happy that you felt so good in it! Good riddance, shrinking apron..OH YES 🙂 🙂 🙂

There isn’t much better is there Wendleg, than pulling on an article of clothing and having it draped nicely and feel easy at the waist — so great NSV!
As promised I “binned” (we say trashed but bin sounds much nicer than trashcan) the leftover pumpkin and apple pie, the cranberry chutney and dressings and mashed potatoes.
I was horrified by the waste but I simply will NOT eat it again (I did my full American duty on Thanksgiving) and I am going to plan differently next year for Thanksgiving. A few years ago we were in Hawaii on Thanksgiving and we had fresh mahi-mahi (fish) and it was perfect. I think we should only do a big turkey feast like the family wants, maybe once in every three years — in between we can eat crab or fish — a big seafood feast would be fun like Christmas in France. Then when we do the old-fashioned American carb-fest Thanksgiving, everyone will be very excited (maybe even me!)
Well, as usual getting right back on the wagon has already gotten me feeling good and it looks like no harm done.
It’s been raining here and the fires are out, the sky is bright blue again and it is so much fun to have our migrating birds coming through — Allie and Violinist and Goodheart, do you all do the Audubon Holiday Bird Count? It’s usually around Christmas and you can do it online!

You are absolutely right Allie ! My Malaga dress is very vibrant and will be worn tomorrow with my black opaque tights ( the ones that now reach up to my bust ) 😉 😉 I have to have colour in my life in Winter, in fact I wear colour all year round !!!

Thanks Julia ! Yes Thanksgiving and other Celebrations are important times in our lives and are to be enjoyed I agree , planning equals damage limitation..I understand your not wanting to have the carby foods hanging around though. The Hawaiian fish sounds lush ! You are straight back in the zone and that is brilliant as I sense some members may have left us as a result of festive excesses. Come back ! It’s all ok !

Food wields so much power over us ….time to break that hold and make friends with nourishing food.

xx

Julia (Californiagirl), I’m so relieved that the rains have finally arrived! I didn’t know about the Audubon
Holiday bird count, but I’m going to pursue it! In my family, we are multi generations of birders, and none
of us ever have our binoculars far from the windowsill. When we arrived at my sister’s house @ noon on
Thanksgiving Day, my 20 year old nephew, a freshman at Harvard, was out birding that morning! My sister
and her husband have made multiple vacation trips to the Amazon, Central America, and most recently
Cuba, to pursue sightings of parrots. We are a little nutty on the subject! When my Mother retired at the
age of 72, we sent her on a trip to Oaxaca, Mex., and it was an Audubon trip, if I remember correctly. I
do have a life journal of sightings, and I’m still in pursuit of a Snowy Owl. One of my favorite places is
New England marshes, where we can find blue herons and white egrets….Seeing a belted kingfisher,
and a family of indigo buntings are some of my favorites, as well as rose breasted grosbeaks. I’ve now got
a birdfeeder installed off our balcony, but haven’t seen much activity yet. The snows will be arriving soon
though, so I’m hoping for more activity. The greedy bluejays have been making the rounds, and the juncos
and chickadees should be along soon! You have different migratory patterns west of the Rockies, though.
Your first winter on the mountain is going to be marvelous! I would love to see the mountain lions, coyotes,
and bears, if they ever venture out from their winter hibernation 🙂

Allie, that’s so wonderful that your family is bird-crazy too!! We are like you, there is always a pair of binoculars are the window sill or immediately adjacent thereto so we can see what’s out there.
It sounds like you feed them on the east coast but our most successful way to attract them here in so-dry California is with water! So I have multiple water sources around the property — different birds seem to like different water set-ups, some like the fountain and some like the drips and some like the pool water.
I did at one time feed them but I was able to end that when all the berry shrubs grew up and the berry producing trees got big and all the seed producing things got going — I don’t cut anything down in the garden anymore or even deadhead the flowers so they will produce food. I’m careful to never use pesticides too so we have a good amount of bug life!
If you check out Audubon annual bird count online, it will show you how to report — of course, you get to select your own counting location!
Plus we get good BSD exercise bird counting!

Hi Californiagirl and everyone else,
I have started exploring fasting over the last couple of months as well. I really like the fact that this forum is open for us to discuss different methods. There are some other sites with moderators who shut down any discussion about any technique other than that promoted by their guru. – On the other hand, I thought it could be distracting to newcomers to this Way of Eating if they thought they had to incorporate fasting to reach their goal, so I haven’t talked so much about my decision. But I would like to discuss/share taking baby steps with fasting with fellow people on this journey.
I both felt that with the amount of weight already lost and the amount I still wanted to loose I needed to harness the advantage of Autophagy, and felt that my body had decided it was at its “weight set point”. I spent some time over the summer debating on trying to go more strictly keto, following Dr Fungs protocol or the Fasting Mimicking Diet.

I have gone down the fasting route, and its been an interesting experience. Its really brought home to me how much I associate finishing work for the day / me time / with eating which made it so difficult to go from 24 hours to 36 hours. And how I turn to food when I am feeling stressed. If nothing else getting more proficient at separating out the different reasons for wanting to eat will have benefits long term when I get to maintenance.
I had presumed that I was “fat adapted” after the amount I weight I have lost, but quickly found that I suffered brain fog when I tried to do water fasts. – I added at least an hour to my working day wandering round looking for things that I had just been using and I couldn’t remember where I had put it down. – I watch Neuro Typicals doing this all the time but hadn’t experienced this before, for me its normal to be able to walk straight to where I put something down when I last used it even if there have been months since I last used it. – I have been OK when having just coffee with double cream as well as soda water on my fasting days.
Not much change on weight, but finally I am making progress at getting rid of my spare tyre. My aim for next week is to try again without the cream in my coffee.

Hi All,
In New York, my whole back of the house was glass and did a lot of nature watching including turkeys, deer, fox, Orioles, hummingbirds, cardinals, blue jays, chikadees etc. We also had a sun room with binoculars at the ready!

Julia, I forgot you just moved to a mountain!! How noce!

This afternoon I practiced my violin. I play in an “Orchestra”. I use that word pretty loosely. I also am trying to get in more steps, but my dang ankle with the pin and screws in it is trying to slow me down.

Riht now we are in a second floor 1700 square foot apartment. You could say we are up with the palm trees. They are litterally in evry window. My bird watching is out on the pond with the sea gulls and other very tall and large birds. Alot of turtle watching too!

Hi JGwen, I like our flexibility too — we’ve been free to explore different way of eating ideas and try them on “for size” and adopt them or leave them as it suits us personally.
I really appreciate the fasting idea — I resisted at first because I thought it just seemed like overkill but now that I have been able to incorporate fasting (I probably do 24 hours once a week and 18-20 hours almost every day. I actually really like it and it frees me up because I can take a break from thinking about food and diet! After three years of this, it is mostly automatic, but I still spend a decent amount of mental time planning meals, counting calories and carbs and just thinking about it all.
Fasting has also been really helpful in maintenance — it just keeps the weight gain from taking hold and has made maintenance pretty simple.
I haven’t made it past 24 hours yet — I become a little mentally foggy after 22 hours (similar to your experience) and I don’t like that but I am going to try to go longer. I know that I thought 24 hours was just impossible when I first started but now it’s easy so probably that is true with a longer time.
In any case, 24 hours seems to suit my metabolism just fine, so if that is all I can manage, well that’s ok by me.
I drink a lot of mint tea, coffee and sparkling water while fasting. Let me know how it goes — I know a lot of people are probably considering trying it, so your experience will be helpful to them!