Remember, remember, low carbs for November: 4 week challenge ending 28 November.

We have not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you are have any health related symptoms or concerns, you should contact your doctor who will be able to give you advice specific to your situation.

  • posted by SueBlue
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    Setting up this 4 week challenge to continue on from our “Eating clean for Halloween” thread which ends tomorrow. With only 8 weeks until Christmas, we can use these next 4 weeks to shift some pounds (or kilos) before the Festive season (aka Silly season!) is upon us. All welcome to join in – let’s do this!

  • posted by Verano
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    Hi Sueblue I’ll be joining you for the first three weeks before I go on holiday and hopefully I’ll manage to stay on track for the 4th week too. My aim for the first week is to keep drinking the water, which I have been doing on the other challenge for the last 5 days and to add to it eat 20g of carbs a day, something I’ve never attempted before!

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi Sue, I will be joining you for the full 4 weeks as I need to lose a lot before Xmas (havent weighed yet). I get home tomorrow afternoon and will weigh on Wed morning to see the damage and exactly what my new goal will be. I really have to stop messing around.

  • posted by FrenchFemme
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    Hi Sue, I would love to join you for support and accountability!

    I started BSD last Tuesday (after doing it for a while beginning of last year), and really enjoyed the food. My downfall is wine and frites, and eating out at our local cafes and restaurants in the sun. Not going to be such an issue going into the cooler months.

    It is my wedding anniversary, and my puppy’s first birthday, on Saturday, so Champagne may be required! Also my husband’s birthday is at the end of the month, but these distractions aside I am aiming for a good month.

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Hi Sueblue – I will also join in for November. Another great thread name!

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
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    Hi SueBlue – Thank you for starting our next challenge thread- I’m in too for this challenge. I hope to get to goal weight during November and then if possible lose a couple of extra pounds on top as a buffer prior to Christmas. Looking forward to seeing some really good pre Christmas loses during our November challenge.

  • posted by Mariet
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    I’ll be joining you as well, my goal is the same as the last challenge 😒 try to achieve final goal which is only 3 lb away and consolidate that. November is reasonably clear of big events so fingers crossed I’ll get there this time.

  • posted by Pancita
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    Hi Ladies,
    May I also join you?
    I have a few challenges this month (my daughter’s many birthday parties!) but intend to stick to the plan on all the other days and lose 6 pounds during this month… Sounds so easy, doesn’t it?! Support will be much appreciated!
    P xx

  • posted by marie123
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    Hi SueBlue,
    Count me in too, please. I’ll post my goals tomorrow after my final report in on the Halloween Challenge.
    Marie x

  • posted by SueBlue
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    Morning everyone and welcome to Kazz, French Femme, Pancita & everyone else who has joined in so far.
    Marie – yes I’m going to post my goals tomorrow too, once the Halloween challenge has ended.
    Pancita – yes goals always do seem easy! I deliberately set myself small, achievable ones, but inevitably life gets in the way and I don’t quite get there! Good luck 🙂
    Mariet & Cathy – how exciting to be so close to your final goals! Hopefully this challenge will help you get there – imagine us all as one big cheer squad cheering you on as you head towards goal 🙂

  • posted by Veggierose
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    Hello everybody! May I please join your November challenge? I’ve been following your supportive forum posts for a while and if you will have me, I would like to join you for your 4 week challenge “remember, remember, low carbs for November”. I have had some success on the 8 week BSD in losing weight and reducing my blood sugar levels (type 2),but maintaining has been erratic. I’ve put a few pounds back on and need to get it off again as soon as possible and then learn from you how to maintain properly without it happening again I note there is a lot of experience in the forum posts!

  • posted by SueBlue
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    Hi and welcome veggierose,
    I find the posts really helpful too as almost always there is someone else who has a similar experience and can offer some guidance. It’s great that we have a mixed group with varying experience., some starting out, some who have been following BSD for a while, the “slow losers” like myself, the ones who are almost at goal, and the maintainers 🙂
    We’ve found that having a short 4 week challenge is less daunting than the thought of 8 weeks, and more doable. Good luck!

  • posted by Mokovex
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    Hello, 😀

    I’m in too.

    Goal for me = keep on track

  • posted by Verano
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    My goal is simple …. to stay at 20g of carbs a day but no higher than 30g. Tough but I’ll give it my best shot. Good luck to everyone starting this new challenge.

  • posted by Mixnmatch
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    I’m in, will do the FMD for 5 days then gradually increase my calories again and hope to continue losing as I do so as I did before. I put my story forward for the DM article, and there will be a photo shoot sometime this week, so nicely focused on that at the moment. FMD will be 800 calories no dairy, no meat, less than 20g protein and I will also try to keep carbs down to 30 ish, a little lower than last time. All fully logged so I can’t cheat. Three weeks into November is a black tie dinner so will have a weekend off there, and I have decided to give my ball dress an outing rather than one of my new ones, I tried it on for mum recently and she agreed it was really pretty, and deserved an outing.

  • posted by Verano
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    Good for you Mnm! Look forward to seeing the article. You have motivation enough to keep you going this month!

  • posted by Busybee
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    I’m in too and yes, another great name to egg us on. As usual, I will be trying to get rid of the same 4 – 5 pounds before I can move on to the next half stone.
    Keeping on keeping on one day at a time.
    X B

  • posted by Theodora
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    Same as usual for me, pretty boring – but need to be answerable – to keep on maintaining……will have my 6th month maintenance birthday during this challenge.

    Start weight 31.11.17……….8st 1.5lbs

    Good luck everyone.

  • posted by soapbox
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    Hello everyone!

    Looking forward to another supportive 4 week jolly!

    My starting weight Ian 13 1 and I would like to lose 4lbs to take me into the 12s and also past my 5 stone total loss mark.

    I have a busy month socially though, so will need an iron will power for this month.

  • posted by Veggierose
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    SueBlue- thank you so much for your warm welcome-I love the name of this challenge and will post it up in the kitchen as a reminder form whenever I am tempted!’ I have been so impressed at the determination of those who have carried on, persevered no matter what-and the enthusiasm, which has been inspirational and light hearted- (Joe’sNonna/Verano/Theodora and all the others!)-and the acknowledgement that life just gets in the way sometimes!
    I started the BSD diet at 11st 9lbs, with some considerable motivation at the end of March this year, in having been refused much needed surgery because my sugar levels were soaring. I was given a short period of time to try and get these down or face going on an insulin pump to allow me to have the op. I was on 2x500g metformin twice a day and a newly prescribed Sitagliptin. I then discovered Dr. Michael Mosely and in a nutshell……..lost 3 and a half stone,came off Sitagliptin/halved the metformin- reduced my Hb1AC from 93 to 36- and had the op 3 months ago. The point is……..now that the major motivation has gone, it is so easy to slip back into bad old ways! I have gained 5 lbs but what is worse is that the sugar levels have been creeping up again and the temptation of Christmas is looming! Maintaining has been so challenging-I admire those who have managed it well. Time for me to get going again- starting this November challenge at 8st6lbs- goal is to get back to 8st and learn to maintain effectively, hopefully with your support.

  • posted by Marsie
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    Good heavens, 20 posts already! Thanks for starting this one up, SueBlue, great title. Love to see the “keeping onners” (?!) and the new names. We will all progress….

    Starting this challenge on 63.5kg, still above my BMI normal range – to get down to normal range I would need to be 57kg. At age 73(in a couple of weeks) it may be just a bridge too far and I will see how I feel when, WHEN, I reach 60kg which I’ve previously found a struggle to maintain. But, this WOE/WOL is different and doable. We have the evidence of that on this very forum with people like KrysiaD, Esnecca, Mixnmatch, Sunnygirl, Alliecat, Theodora et al.

    So, I guess I’ve just stated a goal i.e. 60kg. To get there I will need to “remember, remember, low carbs for November”. Also, water+++
    And ONE DAY AT A TIME……..

    ……We will all progress……

  • posted by marie123
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    Hi All,

    Veggierose – Wow, that reduction in meds and Hba1c result is fantastic. You’ll be another great role model for those of us trying to get our sugar levels down. Great that you are back here and re-focused.

    I’ve got two main goals for November; the first is to get the most out of the Exercise on Prescription programme I’ve started today. I’m going to try the various activities on offer over the next 4 weeks – tried Pilates this morning. It’s completely new territory for me but I’m going in with Esnecca’s (and Eisenhower’s) ‘if you only do what you’ve always done, you’ll only get what you’ve always got’ words ringing in my ears. (Can’t look this up while writing so sorry for any misquotes)

    My other goal for November is get the balance right on my food and drink intake. I need to increase my water and fibre intake; I need to think about my fat intake, get more healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocado etc, and watch my protein levels. So, for the next 4 weeks I’ll be focused on trying to improve those things.

    My weight target for November is to lose 4lb – 1lb to drop into the 10’s and a further 3lbs to reach a 25% total weight loss – 50lbs. Is that 100 packets of butter? (I have to say this does include my weight loss pre-BSD, my BSD weight loss over 12 weeks is 29lb). Losing the 1lb to get into the 10’s would be brilliant but other than that I’m putting weight loss on the backburner this month.

    Having said that, Soapbox, a 5 stone weight loss is a fantastic thing, as MaiseMouse says on previous post, and I’ll be cheering you on, along with CC and Mariet, as you achieve that target this month. Hurrah!

    Happy Halloween everyone
    Marie x

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Vegierose – welcome and what a fantastic achievement so far! I too also hope to be waving the checkered flag as our “close to goalies” sprint over the finish line just in time for Christmas!

    At 17.2, I would love to get into the 16s (lightest I’ll have been in 10 years). My goal this month is to lose 6 lbs. 16.10 is my end of November target.

    Good luck everyone!
    Kazziixx

  • posted by MaisieMouse
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    Hi everyone!
    I’m starting this challenge at 9st 2 and will be very happy if I can get to 9st 0 at the end… ECSTATIC if I can reach 8st 13!!

    Thinking of how I’ll look in my clothes at events in December to keep me motivated! 😉

  • posted by ClarinetCathy
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    Lovely to see new friends and familiar friends in this thread and all so motivated and positive to do our best. I reckon we will see some good results in November.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Just got back from the UK. Had my healthiest meal on the boat and then today on the motorway. Salad starter last night followed by duck with a paprika crust – what no chips, no rice, no potatoes or pasta, no this is France, they rarely eat those things. I dread to check my weight tomorrow as every meal we had out was accompanied by chips. One meal, a chicken dinner, came with roast potatoes, mashed potatoes and yorkshire pudding. How on earth do you survive in the UK, you must need sterling strength of will. Anyway, I will weigh tomorrow and set out my goals.

    We have had house sitters to look after our cats and they have left me 3 cauliflowers, 6 red peppers, 4 courgettes – I think the lady had been reading my BSD book and meant to have a go. I wont need to shop for a few days. For tonight I am going to chill out and have a drink before the battle begins tomorrow.

    Good luck everyone and keep on keeping on…

  • posted by MaisieMouse
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    It IS hard here sunshine girl… so it’s very nice to have your sympathy…
    Carbs are King on every menu of every coffee shop, pub and restaurant all around the country!

    I’m getting used to ordering scrambled eggs and smoked salmon without the muffin or toast, soup without the bread or a Sunday roast with extra veg instead of potatoes!

    (I have not been doing very well lately with fish and chips though)

  • posted by Mixnmatch
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    Photo shoot is Thursday, really nervous now… at least it will be at my house which should help me feel comfortable.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Mixnmatch, try not to be nervous! You’re doing this for all of
    us. 🙂 I look forward to seeing the article. I would really appreciate
    knowing when the piece will run, so I can look for it from this
    side of the pond. You’re a rockstar!!

    Best wishes,

    Allie

  • posted by Pancita
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    T’is the night before the challenge and all through the house, there’s chocolate and lollies and Haribo and biscuits and treacle toffee… sugar in its very many sticky forms.
    A minefield. Hopefully by morning a wee mouse will have eaten it all. Or at least have hidden it in the garage.

    Positivity to us all!
    P xx

  • posted by Mokovex
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    Morning all,

    today -0.5lb. This is a good thing 😀

    Still 0.5lb. heavier than my lowest which was a few weeks ago but hopefully a new low for me this week.

    Pancita – hoping that your stash of sweeties have a hard to find new home.

    sunshine girl – you are totally right about how carbtastic we are in the UK, is it our way of coping with the weather I wonder???? I think you were here in my city? Birmingham?

    My challenge was to get back on track. Yesterday I had a biscuit (horror of horrors). The world kept on turning and the sugar dragon didn’t demand more feeding but it was typical of the mindless eating pre BSD. I love the feeling of being liberated from my cravings.

    Keep going and hope today is a good one.

  • posted by FrenchFemme
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    Good morning all, bonjour à tous – hope we are all having a good day. It is a public holiday here so even quieter than usual. Food shopping done yesterday so no excuses for go off-piste.
    Goals:
    To stay within 50 cals of 800, BSD-compliant food only (with my planned glass of Champagne on Saturday!);
    To get into the 78kgs – my weight yesterday was 80.6kg;
    To do some form of exercise every day.

    I also went back to UK last month for a family wedding. We were mostly self-catering, which was fine, but when we did eat out I was reminded of how carb-heavy the menus were. I was looking forward to fish and chips, which we had one night, but I was disappointed as it seemed so stodgy. Maybe my tastes have changed… Not lost my taste for wine though!

  • posted by Angela06
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    Hello,

    I’d like to join this challenge if I may. I lost 25kgs earlier this year and have been gaining and losing the same kilo for at least 3 months. I need to refocus because I can feel my motivation slipping and while I’m still adhering to bsd principles I am eating a lot of high calorie stuff like spoonfuls of creme fraiche…that stuff should come with a warning!

    I’m going to aim at losing 1.5 – 2kgs during these 4 weeks…Good luck to all fellow challengees 😉

  • posted by Pancita
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    Good morning,
    Mokovex – the Halloween bounty has vanished, thank goodness. I don’t actually enjoy eating that stuff any more, it’s too sweet, but I would have eaten it anyway, you know how it goes!
    So my starting weight: just squeezed into the 9s with 9:13 and seven eighths, it doesn’t get much closer than that. Aim to lose a pound or two a week, do my exercise class 3 or 4 times a week, and drink lots of water.
    Good luck fellow losers, onwards and downwards xx

  • posted by topcac
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    Good morning challenge buddies and apologies for not posting for a while. The end of my US trip and then a weekend celebrating my parents Golden Wedding anniversary has put paid to any plans I may have had to lose weight over the last challenge and I weighed in at a whopping 10st yesterday morning, 4.5lbs heavier than when I left on my trip. This time last year I weighed in at 9st 11 and that was on my way down. I vowed I would never hit 10 stone again but guess what!!!!

    So new day, new month, new challenge – it must be written in the stars that this is my month. Aim for this challenge is to lose 7lbs, to step up the exercise which has been sadly lacking in the last few months, and to slip back into my completely neglected size 8 trousers that are currently hanging redundant in my wardrobe 🙁

  • posted by KazzUK
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    MixnMatch – this is exciting! – a photo shoot and a spread in a national newspaper on the fabulous merits of BSD!
    Good luck and I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

  • posted by Cambridgedon
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    This is an excellent challenge. I have been on a low carb/low calorie (1200 a day) diet since 01-Aug and have mostly stuck to it. The result is that I have reduced my weight from 82Kg to 75Kg and my BMI from 26.5 to 24.2 (height 176cm) And most importantly I have reduced the waistline from 36 to 33 inches. I am aiming for another 5Kg weight loss and 3 inches off the waist and I am sure that this challenge will help 🙂

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi everyone, I have had my weigh in this morning and, like topcac, I too have hit a weight I never wanted to see again, just a smidge over 12 stone or 12st 3lbs to be precise. Due to the holiday I have gained 3.5 lbs so not too bad but it is these small gains over and over that are pushing me up to within a stone of my starting weight.

    This 4 week challenge will be a completely new start for me and I want to follow the plan exactly as I did in my first 8 weeks when I lost over a stone. My new goal is to lose 10bs before Xmas – I have 7 weeks to do it in. For the first 4 weeks I would like to lose 6lbs or even 7lbs.

    Today I have had 2 eggs scrambled with chilli and 10 grams of cheddar cheese, for lunch I have just had tuna and cream cheese mashed served with red and yellow peppers, courgette and 4 tiny tomatoes. I will be having grilled pork chops tonight as left by my house sitters and enjoy some mashed cauliflower. No alcohol between now and Christmas.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Sunshine-girl, I don’t think 3.5 unwanted lbs. over a holiday is too
    bad at all. Same thing happened to me on holiday in early June.
    As soon as I returned to drinking the requisite 3 liters of water
    a day and leaving the wine off the table upon my return, the weight
    was gone in 3 days. Probably fluid retension is the main problem,
    unless you went way over on carbs/calories. 🙂 I know you’ve
    got this, and will reach your christmas goals! Best of luck,

    Allie

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    thanks for the encouragement alliecat. I am okay with the 3.5 lbs but not with the previous 3lbs and 5lbs and 3lbs – which is a total gain of just over a stone through the summer and last week. I know I can do it and hope to have lost the 3.5 by next Tuesday.

  • posted by Verano
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    Reading the posts here has made me think. Over the last week of so I’ve been trying old ‘smaller’ clothes and have had some surprising results. Trousers that used to fit nicely now still fit on the hips but are way too big on the waist. I can only assume that weight lost with BSD involves more visceral fat loss and so smaller waists as a result.

    S-g you know you can do it so you will. Mindset is so important for success but sometimes it’s so difficult to get your head in the right place. Sounds like you have now. New start, new plan new you!

  • posted by arcticfox
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    I’d like to join as well please. I have a goal to lose 2 inches off my waist, which would put my waist below 1/2 my height, and will likely be helped by all the core exercises my kinesiologist gave me yesterday, and to get under 80kg if I can. I would have to lose almost 6kg to do that, so it might be a bit aggressive, so I would be happy with being under 82kg but might as well set a stretch goal.

  • posted by SueBlue
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    Reading through everyone’s posts about goals and I realised I haven’t set mine yet!
    I’m aiming to lose 2kg, broken down over 4 weeks this will be 500g per week, (or about 1lb). This doesn’t seem much, but the last few months I’ve only been losing 1kg per month.
    I’ve kept a diary since starting BSD and I’m going to go back and follow the same meal plans I did at the start. Also I’m on a new medication now where alcohol consumption should be limited to 4-8 units per week, so having a low intake will I’m sure help things along. I’m going to have 5 alcohol free days each week.
    Exercise – I’m aiming for 70,000 steps a week minimum, have been slacking off a bit lately and only doing 50-60,000.
    Good luck everyone! And all the best for your photo shoot MnM – how exciting 🙂

  • posted by Marsie
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    Enjoy the photoshoot MnM. Look forward to seeing the outcome, somehow, here in Perth (Western Australia not Scotland)☺

  • posted by Mokovex
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    Morning all,

    Today -0.7lb 😀

    This is a new low and I am hoping to be in the 134s tomorrow.

    Mixnmatch – all the best for your photo shoot, when is the article coming out?

    s-g & topac – cheering you on. You CAN do this 👍

  • posted by Mixnmatch
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    I don’t know when it is coming out, the journo has been trying to get hold of me to read me the text part but I have been so busy I haven’t had the chance to get back to her. Couriers will be delivering some clothes tonight before the photographer and make up artist arrives! I very rarely use make up so am intrigued about what she can do for the photo. I looked out some old photos for her as well, for the photographer, gosh, I looked almost as wide as I did tall.

  • posted by FrenchFemme
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    sunshine-girl on my return from UK I had put on over 2kgs, which has now depatrted after a week on BSD. I too had seen my weight creeping back up over the summer despite my resolve to lose enough to fit back into a dress I intended to wear to the wedding- unfortunately once I had decided that the dress was not suitable for Derbyshire in October my resolve went to pot! That coupled with some stressful times was enough to set me back in the wrong direction. All that is a roundabout way of saying I know where you’re coming from and am sure that we are now fully recommitted to moving the scales in the right direction.

    Thank you Verano for your words on the importance of having the right mindset – I am now making a conscious effort to take the positive view.

    A good day yesterday: Greek salad for lunch, chilli con carne with cauliflower rice and Greek yogurt for supper, all jfor 796 calories. Not doing quite as well with the water, but I do have quite a few frui/herb infusions.

    Hope we all have a good day today!

  • posted by marie123
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    Good morning everyone

    As part of this challenge I’m going to try to post more – usually just the weekly report in – to help me keep ‘on it’ and maintain focus. So here I am bright and early…. well, early.

    MixnMatch – gosh, that sounds quite exciting, being attended to by a make-up artist! Don’t suppose you get to keep any of the clothes? Hope it all goes well.
    Mokovex – a new low is always a good thing isn’t it – always puts a smile on my face. Good look getting into the 134’s.
    SueBlue – yes, I’m also going back to follow the same meal plans I did at the start. My blood sugar average is just beginning to creep up ever so slightly. I’ve been relying too much on meat and dairy (never eaten so much meat or yoghurt – and I’ve always loved yoghurt!) so this month I’ll go back to eating more fish, nuts etc. Like you, I’ve also been slacking a bit with my walking so yesterday I went back to 10,000 steps a day. Good luck with it all.

    So having said what I’m going to do, we’re off back home for a few days for a family wedding, so my main aim right now is to have stayed the same weight when I report in on Tuesday!
    Marie x

  • posted by marie123
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    In my last post ‘Good look getting into the 134s’ should read ‘Good luck getting into the 134s’ ……. although thinking about it maybe not!
    Hi FrenchFemme – love your name

  • posted by Theodora
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    Sounds like exciting stuff MnM, please make sure we all know when the article is being published – bet the circulation figures will leap that day, with all us BSDers buying it😉

    Have a great day everyone and good luck, whatever your challenge.

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