Well done to those with losses and keep on keeping on to those without. I am still the same weight having lost 3lbs in the first week, still 3lbs and with much less time to go. I really have to get down to it as I will be seeing my doctor in 4 weeks, yikes that soon. Okay I promise to be careful and stick with it for another week.

Thanks to everyone for the information about water weight. SueBlue, the article was really interesting and helpful.
I’m down just 200g from last Tuesday morning, but I’m really happy that the weight I put on during the week is gone, plus a little bit. Clearly it was just water weight from eating more carbs over the 3 days. I was thinking it wasn’t as I have a body analysis scale that was saying that I had put on fat, while water weight was staying steady, but I have now noticed that it says that I am losing and gaining fat in proportion to the amount of weight lost, and I don’t think this could possibly be. I think the scale is not really doing what it was advertised to do (i.e. bioelectric impedance analysis) and is instead just using a formula based on my weight.
I am feeling like I have a little bit of carb flu now as I get back into the swing of things; very tired and sluggish and hard to get moving this morning. I had 1000 cal yesterday as I had quite a hard workout at the gym and felt like I needed a few more calories and some extra protein, but my carbs were at 32g which is really very low for me.

I’m not reporting this week because I may have small increase but I just count that as a normal fluctuation. I’ll post when I have a proper ‘loss’.

S-g you have just hit a plateau. A loss of 3lb in one week is so good so now you are in ‘consolidation’ mode. Next week or the week after you will be back to ‘losing’ so don’t despair just keep on keeping on ……

Sorry …. well done to all of you who have lost, no matter how small …. a loss is a loss!

Yes well done to everyone who lost this week, and also for those that didn’t, well done for staying with this challenge for another week 🙂
I met my target exactly this week with a loss of 0.5kg (1.1lb), and my steps were 85,000, so again exceeding my 70,000 goal. Next week and the week after though I need to lose more than 0.5kg each week as I need to make up for last week where I had no loss!
I’ve had an up and down week, mainly sticking to plan. Yesterday we had a work lunch, where everyone ordered take away. I still attended, but brought my own BSD lunch along. Normally I would have joined in with the food but I have a colleague’s leaving lunch today too. Luckily there are some BSD friendly options on the menu, or mainly BSD friendly anyway!
Planning and preparation are helping at the moment – on the weekend I made a batch of slow cooked steel cut oats with apple and Cinammon, so that’s breakfast sorted all week. I also made some veggie & bean burgers with all my left over veg, and a lovely salad from the BSD recipe book (Morrocon quinoa & chickpea), so that was a few lunches sorted! I try to cook once and eat twice as much as I can.
Theodora – your post made me laugh, I was wondering why your friends would eat cream before their cooked breakfast!
Have a good week 3 everyone 🙂

Bloody bloody bloody pub, food arrived with a glaze, felt like a prick for not asking so ate it. Crap poo wiggly bits. Oh well, fingers crossed tomorrow isn’t a bad day as a result. Onwards and downwards!

It should have been on the menu. Don’t feel like a prick for having dietary requirements. It’s the service and hospitality industry. Providing their customers with accurate information is their job, not yours. We spend our whole lives taking on other people’s baggage about food. We feel bad not joining in with our friends, we feel bad declining a dish when we’re guests, we feel bad not drinking “to celebrate,” we endlessly feel bad about things that we have no business feeling bad about. Next time send it the hell back and tell them your pal Esnecca told you you never have to eat a morsel of something you don’t want to eat ever again, and she’s a lot meaner than they are so you pretty much have to do what she says.

Morning,

Today -0.4lb which gets me back down to my lowest. Hoping tomorrow will take me into a new low.

Recent weight gain does just seem to have been water. Body fat reading improving so that’s good. All going the right direction. ⬇️

Cheers Esnecca, good pep talk. It wasn’t on the menu. That pub does that A lot, I just forgot to be vigilant, but still it is bad on them not me. Thankyou! Anyway, I have tummy ache but no weight gain. In fat, another 100g loss, leading me to 62.1kg. Another 2.1kg and I will be same weight as when I got married. Not sure I can face trying to fit into my wedding dress though!

Good morning fellow Challenger’s.
I am late checking in as it has been quite a week for us. Following the health issues early last week found me back on large doses of steroids, we had a call to say one of our oldies up north was very ill. We went up to support Aunty during the passing of our uncle and stayed until her son arrived from Canada. I was determined not to comfort eat and also, surpringly, had no appetite. I was very pleased yesterday to find I had lost 4. 3/4 pounds over the week.
Then I had an unintended fast yesterday as I spent another long day at the hospital having a artery biopsy and today have lost another 2 pounds. We will wait and see next week whether it was a fluke or not.
I will report in again Wednesday as we are off up north again for the funeral.
Keeping on keeping on one day at a time.
X B

Hi everyone, if I had checked in today I would have been exactly the same as I was last week so just, as Verano says, going through a phase of consolidation but as I lost that last little glitch this morning I am confident I am back onto losing. Dont ever give up and keep on keeping on…

Very sorry for your loss, Busybee. It can be a stressful time and it seems you came through with flying colours. Not stress eating is very well done by you. Also, wishing you the best for your biopsy results x

Well, I had bread yesterday. Lots of bread. Once started…………… All supposedly healthy bread i.e. wholemeal, multigrain, multiseeded. Large roll with butter++, salad & salami & cheese for lunch. I was out with no time to get home to eat, feeling blah (which on later reflection was an early indication I was not well hydrated!) so stopped at a place and bought the sadly over the top thing, sat for 10 minutes and pretty much inhaled it then rushed off to the next appointment, not fully fixing the hydration problem. Out for dinner that night, friends had similar rolls, dinner sized thank heavens, on the table and I had two. Never mind the rest of the food, it was too much but managed to avoid the sweets with the excuse that I’d had too much bread. Stuffed, absolutely stuffed, its a wonder I could roll out the door to the car.

Woke early this morning with my almost forgotten eczema in full flight, desperate to scratch at itchy ears, itchy eyes, itchy skin. Was able to calm it down after a little while but have been very careful today. Goodness, what a horrible slapdown ………..

So, I’ll write off that day, and just get on with one day at a time focusing on healthy med-style eating.

Wishing everyone great focus x

Hi All. I’m really enjoying everyone’s posts.some great positive results. Well Done , Sadly, I’m not doing too well. Ive had some serious work stress and all my old habits, emotional eating,carb binge ,chocolate cake and even icecream as overtaken me, Im not going to record this week, i shall just chalk it up to a bad week and try to get back on track.With luck I can have a fluids day to get my mojo back. I will still read all the posts as it definitely helps and I shall give myself a good kick up the backside .keep on keeping on cheers lynne

Hi All,
I’m also late checking in as I had to go back to the north-west unexpectedly over the weekend and didn’t get back until late last night.

Anyway the great news is I’ve lost 4lbs this week which takes me from 11st to 10st 10lb. HURRAY! I’ve met my 3 targets for this challenge
– to drop into the 10s
– to get to 10st 11lb which means I only have 1 stone to lose to get to the top of my healthy BMI range i.e. 9st 11ib (on reflection don’t really like this target – a bit too negative – but anyway I’ve met it)
– to get to 10st 10lbs which means my total weight loss is 50lbs.(It also means I’ve lost 25% of my original body weight)

I have to be honest and say that not all that weight loss is from the BSD. I was on a diet for about a year before I switched over to the BSD in August when I was diagnosed with diabetes. However, for info, (and hopefully, encouragement) before BSD it took me a year to lose 17lbs and in 15 weeks on BSD I’ve lost 33lbs.

So, I’m off to think of another small, achievable target to carry me through the rest of the November Challenge. Wishing everyone well for this next week.
Marie x

Oh, Marie! What an accomplishment!!!!!!!!!!! You must be feeling
so good today. I can imagine 🙂 I just love the symmetry of an
even 50lbs and a round number of 25%. It won’t be long before
you’ll probably be adjusting your goals downward, too! I don’t
usually post on this thread, but just had to stop by and congratulate
you.Soooooooo Wellllllll Doneeeee!!! Keep up the good work!

Allie

OMG just converted kg to stone and I think I am now officially the weight I was on our wedding day! So much easier to get to this on BSD than it was by starving myself all those years ago. Am going to measure in stones now. I am 9st 7llbs! Want to get to 9stone and stop. Not sure today’s massive calorie consumption will aid that, we’ll see tomorrow. Night all xx

Hi Allie,
That’s lovely of you – thank you. You, Kazz and Nonna Mary supported me over an emotional hurdle last week so I’m really touched by your post.

Jackie – Getting to your wedding day weight is so impressive and losing 7lbs to get to your ideal weight is so do-able (is that a word?). You must be pleased/relieved to be so close.

Verano – just wanted to say hope things go well tomorrow.

Marie x

Well done JackieM – great feeling isn’t? Well done you!! I was so chuffed when I get to my wedding weight and I can tell you are pretty pleased with yourself too – you deserve it. Keep going and you will very soon be reporting getting to your ultimate goal of 9st. Don’t panic ab out over indulgence today, tomorrow is a new day and as such a blank page and a fresh start.

Morning,

Today – 0.6lb, down to a new low of 131.7lb 😀
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was in the 140s looking longingly at the 130s, now I’m doing the same for the 120’s. Will probably get there on this challenge.

Marie123 – Really well done 👋👍👍

JackieM – wedding weight – brilliant!

Butterlover – As i was encouraged here a week ago when I was slipping back into old habits, keep going. Those habits don’t define you. You are wise to chalk it up as a bad week.

Well done Marie and JackieM and everyone who is on a downward trend. Great to see such good results.

Thank you Marsie
You have been so kind in supporting me over the past months.
We will K.O.K.O.O.O.D.A.A.T.!
X B

Some great news coming through on this challenge. A lot of great weight losses and plenty of positivity. The support and encouragement actually does make a difference so keep posting everyone good or not so good news.

Butterlover- Lynne – hope you’re back on track and feeling the good vibes being sent your way from everyone here. Work stress is awful and I hope that you are soon able to get back in the driving seat, draw a line under this blip and take back in control.

Have a good day everyone.

Still the same weight this morning. One thing I did notice, after drinking diet cola my BG shot up to its highest in ages, around 6.9 rather than my usual 5.2 or less. No more diet coke or any other diet drinks. I dont usually have them but they were left over from visitors. Keeping on…

Hi All. Mokovex and CC thanks so much for your support.Feeling better today, slacked off a bit at work and walked more.Ate a better diet more BSD friendly only one slip up icecream but I’m using the hot weather 35 degrees as an excuse.
Ive just made my salad avacado and chicken lunch box for tomorrow.prepared a water bottle.so hopefully the drama is over. I will need to focus on the weekend as we have a dinner on Sat for my daughters birthday.Next week I will get back to weighing and measuring all my food, at the moment its just estimating.I have a small lunch box with small sections so I know roughly what fits in each section. Evening meals I’m using a small plate to help control portions.Also setting a goal to get more sleep as I know I eat junk when Im overtired.thanks for all your support ,one day at a time.cheers lynne

Sunshine-girl, so glad you posted the note about sugar free soft drinks. I keep reading these vague notes about weight gain in those that used a lot of sugar replacements. They were suggesting that the body reacts in many ways to the sugar free stuff as though it actually was sugar (mostly stimulates hunger). But I had never heard anybody that was actually testing their sugar report a spike….good to know! I have cut way back on my sugar replacement use, but like you also have some reserve bottles of Diet Coke in the pantry. Sounds like it would be good idea to just chuck them.

Thanks LuvTC

Luvtcook – your research on diet drinks coincide with what I have
also read. I threw out the remainder of my sugar free diet coke in
june 2016. I had a sip of someone’s glass this past summer, and
it tasted so sweet it almost made me sick! Our tastebuds do alter
drastically on this WOE, and sugar has no allure for me anymore.
Now I’m much more attracted to bitter and fermented foods.
Unsweetened raw cacao nibs really does it for me. Great on
yogurt or a small piece of fruit, and they never stimulate my
appetite. They are also a great source of antioxidants, fiber,
iron and magnesium. Give them a try if you haven’t already!

Allie

Allie, I have tried cocoa nibs and have some right now that I need to find a landing spot for. Thanks for reminding me to use them.

You said you are enjoying fermented foods. I do make my own sauerkraut. I did it for the probiotics but have also found I enjoy the flavor much more. You just have to be sure to only barely warm it to eat it, as you kill the good bacteria if it gets truely hot. And I can buy kimchi from any of the bazzillion Korean/ Asian markets in the DC area (have a robust population of Korean, Vietnamese, a growing population of Ethiopian, and those from El Salvador….lots of good ethnic eats here).

I also have a glass of kefir nearly every morning, but I am still buying it and not making it. Have been researching how much /or how little trouble it would be to make my own kefir, and maybe kombucha as well. Do you have any experience with any of this? Would love to get starter kefir grains and/or kombucha SCOBY if any of the BSD posters in the US have any to spare.

Luvtcook – It has to be great living in such a cosmopolitan area when
you are an accomplished cook! I haven’t tried making my own kefir yet,
but I do recall reading a lot of discussion on the forum about it. There
are a few other Americans with us, and they may be able to offer a
source for those of us stateside. You might also try typing “kefir”
into the search box at the top of the page. At least it might have
info on what’s involved in making your own. I’ll be interested to
know what you find out!

Wishing you a wonderful day,

Allie

Great idea, thanks Allie.

Well, I’ve weighed myself this morning and another 1lb down – I’m now 10st 9lb.

I’ve been looking back through my diary this morning and after the initial weight loss, the pattern has been around 3 weeks on a plateau (so I was stalled at 11 stone for a couple of days short of 3 weeks) and then I lose 1lb a day for 4 or 5 days. I always stay on plan but I’m not sure what I do differently to trigger the weight loss. Still, understanding the pattern hopefully means I’ll be more able to stick things out better.

So, my new target for this challenge is to lose 2lb. It’ll either happen tomorrow and Saturday – or it ain’t going to happen!

I’m off to search out recipes to meet my other aim for this month which is to try to eat a greater variety of low carb food. Not going quite as well as the weight loss. I’ve eaten Pea Soup for lunch for the last 5 days – delicious, but I need to move on!

Both kefir and kombucha are really easy to make yourself. I make my own kefir and it’s no trouble at all. I bought fresh grains online and initially they were enough to produce approx. 200 to 300ml of kefir, but now I have masses of them, so I have some dried and frozen as back up, in case anything goes wrong. Then I have two active batches, which I rotate – one lot working and one lot in the fridge. Providing you give them enough to ‘eat’, grains will happily suspend in the fridge for weeks at a stretch – last time I was away, they were in there for five weeks and were fine.

When I have too much kefir I make labneh cheese. Currently I have much too much product altogether, so I have suspended production. If anyone in the UK would like some grains, I’m happy to share some, just text me a postal address to 07768 206353and I’d be pleased to send you some.

Personally found kombucha too sweet, as it is made with sweetened tea and there is always some residual sugar not processed, but it’s a personal thing so by all means give it a try. I used to make my own and again, I found the culture (scoby) thrived and I ended up with more of both product and culture than I knew what to do with.

Hi SunnyB is the labneh made from kefir a lot more sour than that made from Greek yogurt? Can I ask you what flavours you put in the cheese. I know we have have this conversation before but I can’t remember which thread!

Hi Verano – last lot I made with some rose petals, a little rose water and a sprinkle of nigella seed, but in the past I have added, mint, saffron, black pepper, chilli – not all at the same time. Really, you could add almost any herb, spice or even some finely chopped onion, garlic, or fruit.

I think the labneh made with kefir is probably a little more sour but not hugely, but what I have found, is that it needs to be eaten more quickly, as it continues to ferment, even in the fridge.

Thanks Sunny. Do you make your cheese in or out of the fridge? Don’t know if you make it when you are away for a while but if you do, do you make that in the fridge because of the heat? I haven’t made it for ages but have packed my cheesecloth to take away with me!

Most often I make it outside the fridge, even when I’ve made it whilst in Turkey, when I use local homemade yogurt rather than kefir. Actually, my kitchen at home tends to be quite warm too, as we have an Aga. It goes straight in the fridge once it’s finished draining and I can take it out of the cloth. Forgot to say I always add a couple of twists of salt when I make labneh. By the way, the commercial kefir I have tried was nowhere near as nice as the stuff I make at home – much too bland and very watery – not sure you could actually make a cheese from it. My homemade stuff is more like a yogurt consistency.

thank you Sunny! This is so helpful. I’m going to get the grains and
give it a try 🙂

Evening all!
Well, this is my first day on the diet so am also joining the November challenge (half way through), as one of you (sorry! can’t remember who) suggested. It’s been OK apart from eating a bite of a very small prawn sandwich at lunchtime. In my defence, I was at a conference and there was nothing else to eat, and it was only a finger sandwich, but then I realised that I didn’t have to eat it so waited and got a beetroot and feta pot from M & S instead – 183 calories, I think about 8g of carbs. Mushrooms and eggs for brekkie, veggie stew with cheese for dinner. Think I still have about 50 calories left if I need them. Had a few hungry moments – not exactly pangs, just a hungry thought.
I got my blood test results as well – I’m not diabetic! I had just assumed I was – I have two siblings and both parents with the condition. So I’m treating this as a kick up the bum. I need to lose weight so I’m going to. I’ve been kidding myself on for too long: thinking that sizes in shops were getting smaller (!) , that my clothes had shrunk, that all those photos where I look fat were just taken at a bad angle. Seriously! So i took photo last night,weighed myself and measured my waist – which was a big shock – and I’m raring to go.
I discovered this forum last week and have really enjoyed reading all of your stories, and have found you all totally inspiring, so thank you all for sharing your stories. I hope I can add mine as well.
See you all soon.

Thanks Sunny I’ll try it outside the fridge as I do at home. Actually our place is quite cool inside especially at this time of the year. I guess I’ll know if it’s gone off!

Good news albalibee just enjoy your journey to improved health anyway.

Morning,

today +0.6lb ????

Think my previous low was due to dehydration.

Anyway, enjoying the discussion on Kefir. I love the coincidences of life. Yesterday, I spent a little time looking at various Kefir products, wondering if I could get going with making some and then I hopped back on here! Motivated now. Will ping you a message SunnyB. 😀

Welcome alibalibee 🐝 and well done for accepting where you are and doing something to tackle it. As you say, the forum is a great place to share stories, ups and downs. I have made the decision to post my loss/gains and write something on here first thing every weekday morning. When I have hit a couple of blips and wanted to withdraw, this routine, and therefore the support, have kept me powering through.

Hello Alibalibee and welcome – great news about the blood test results. Good idea about the photo – hope your first week goes brilliantly and look forward to reading how you’re doing.

Mokovex – Great to see you back in the game! It is an interesting discussion on Kefir. I think I need to concentrate on expanding on my low carb meals right now – I’m tending to eat the same thing over and over – but am storing this info away for the future.

So, I’ve lost another 1lb this morning so am now 10 stone 8lb. A plateau will be following shortly but it’d be great if I got to 10 stone 7lb beforehand. Roll on tomorrow!

I’m away now until late next week so will miss Tuesday’s weigh-in. Have a good weekend everyone.
Marie x

Thanks Marie.
Day two for me today – feeling slightly light headed but otherwise fine. Drinking water like it’s going out of fashion, and in 36 hours I’ve lost 1.7 kg. I know it’s fluids, but I numbers like that give me some encouragement, especially when the little devil on my shoulder is already telling me that it wouldn’t be so bad to go over 800 calories, what’s 100 calories between friends? Any idea how to shut him up? I think keeping busy might be the answer – I’m not at work today.
I’d forgotten that I’d ordered the recipe book and it arrived today, so have been planning what I’ll be eating next week. Need to go and do shopping now, which I’m not looking forward to…

Hi Mokovex – strange how things fall into place like that, isn’t ? Do ping me a message and I’ll happily post you some grains next week.

Well done on your reported loses Marie123 and alibalibee. I’m down on yesterday but not counting chickens, so will wait until Tuesday to report progress – hopefully. Have been out gardening this morning, pruning back a couple of big buddleia and planting in some primula and Chinese foxglove.

Keeping busy is the best thing to do, to avoid giving into that little devil – that and another glass of water, or cleaning your teeth (the peppermint flavour makes eating less appealing).

Have a good w/e BSD everyone.

Still here but still stuck and the weekend is upon us. Only good news, if you can call it that, hubby has annual blood results and his triglycerides are high, not super high but above top of normal. Anyway, he is in a bit of a panic and he probably wont touch alcohol this weekend even though he doesn’t drink half a much as I did and even less now that I hardly drink. He has maybe 2 red wines on Friday evening, one whiskey and a couple of reds on Saturday and 1 or 2 reds with Sunday dinner (we eat in the evening), then nothing during the week that I know about. I think he sticks with me with no carbs but follows dinner with cheese several evenings a week. He also has this thing where he is being healthy and has a yoghurt after lunch but that is on top of his cake (just twice a week) – I try to tell him that I’m my eyes that is 2 puddings. What do you think. Anyway he is pooping his pants as he hates doctors anyway. It is good news for me as I wont have to be worried about being tempted by him pouring a glass or two of wine.

SunnyB, thanks for your thoughts on the kefir and kombucha because they pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts….kefir my best bet as it is so easy and I drink at least a quart a week regularly. Kombucha sounded intriguing but probably too much trouble to keep a scoby alive and happy for the limited amount I would drink. I understood that the sugar goes down the longer you ferment it, but that just adds one more degree of fuss to time it just right.

Thumbs up on the homemade kefir and will take a pass on the kombucha for now at least.

One last questions: I have a lot of saved plastic quart bottles from my store bought kefir. Do you find your kefir fussy about what you make it in? Kefir website I was reading recommended glass jars, which I would have to buy. If I can recyle and use the plastic bottles that would be lovely. Please advise. LuvTC

Luvtcook – I’ve been saving the glass jars that my kimchi comes in. Could
that work for you? I definitely like the idea of making my own kefir too. The
jars are 32 oz. though. Is that too large,Sunny?
Thanks!

Can I jump in here? I make my own Kefir and my own Kimchi. My question is how much am I supposed to take?

Just as a by the by….I make mine in Kilner Jars…jars with a lid on…although you don’t need a lid for the kefir…you do with the Kimchi. I make approx three quarters of a pint of Kefir. I drink an eighth pint a day. Then make up a new batch. Just started eating the Kimchi. Not sure if my gut flora is improving as I am on the loo a lot…could be my tummy getter better? Effin well hope so…scuse the french lol.

You are wonderful peoples…

Nonna Mary
xxxx

Hey, Mare! I guess my jars are too big for kefir production. I have some clamp
top jars in a smaller size though…..Do you know how to count the cals. and
carbs for a homemade product? Also, what type of heat do you add to your
homemade kimchi, and how long does it take to ferment? I really like the
product that I order from Gold Mine foods here in the States. Raw, organic,
and contains napa cabbage, sea salt, carrot, scallion, garlic, ginger, cayenne
pepper and chili pepper. What do you use in yours, my friend?

Hi Allie, the recipe I used is below.

How to Make Cabbage Kimchi
Makes 1 quart

What You Need
Ingredients
1 medium head (2 pounds) napa cabbage
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt (see Recipe Notes)
Water (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon grated garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 tablepoons seafood flavor or water (optional, see Recipe Notes)
1 to 5 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
8 ounces Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Equipment
Cutting board and knife
Large bowl
Gloves (optional but highly recommended)
Plate and something to weigh the kimchi down, like a jar or can of beans
Colander
Small bowl
Clean 1-quart jar with canning lid or plastic lid
Bowl or plate to place under jar during fermentation
Instructions
Slice the cabbage: Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips.

Salt the cabbage: Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves optional), massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit, then add water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.

Rinse and drain the cabbage: Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting, and set it aside to use in step 5.

Make the paste: Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, and seafood flavor (or 3 tablespoons water) in a small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste. Mix in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons).

Combine the vegetables and paste: Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and return it to the bowl along with the radish, scallions, and seasoning paste.

Mix thoroughly: Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!

Pack the kimchi into the jar: Pack the kimchi into the jar, pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the vegetables. Leave at least 1 inch of headspace. Seal the jar with the lid.

Let it ferment: Let the jar stand at room temperature for 1 to 5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid; place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow.

Check it daily and refrigerate when ready: Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it’s best after another week or two.

Recipe Notes
Salt: Use salt that is free of iodine and anti-caking agents, which can inhibit fermentation.
Water: Chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation, so use spring, distilled, or filtered water if you can.
Seafood flavor and vegetarian alternatives: Seafood gives kimchi an umami flavor. Different regions and families may use fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, oysters, and other seafood. Use about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, or a combination of the two. For vegetarian kimchi, I like using 3/4 teaspoon kelp powder mixed with 3 tablespoons water, or simply 3 tablespoons of water.

Hi Again Allie, Sorry…didn’t answer everything…I haven’t calculated the carbs in the Kefir…I just go on the same ones that are in full fat milk. I haven’t done the Kimchi either. As I have been fasting and I know my evening meal is not 800 calories I presumed it would be ok. Perhaps I had better do that now. lol.

Mary
xxx

Mary, thank you SO MUCH for writing this out for me! I now know what I’ll
be doing over the long Thanksgiving weekend while o/h is watching American
football. You’ve answered all my questions, and I have a very good idea
what this will taste like. I’m really excited to try it! I’ve been paying a small
fortune for an excellent product but it will be great to make my own. I even
have fish sauce on hand. I’m off to print it out right now.
Thank you again, my sweet!

Allie