Natalie …. sometimes the energy comes once you move.

I took something to sleep last night so i was groggy but i went to aquabics with my sister. When i got home i still wanted to go to bed but i had coffee with heavy cream instead. It’s funny though … i am tired but don’t really sleep deeply for more than a little while.

Hmmmmm…

HUGS 🙂

So true. Am not a natural exerciser, I never want to leave the house after dark in winter – but every time I do, I end up saying – this swimming/spinning/rowing/exercise class makes me feel great – why don’t I come more often? Am still tired and cold on this plan, so on rainy cold nights I can just about muster the energy to trudge up to the rowing machine and do 30 minutes. Like you, Natalie, the cals are creeping up, over 900 three days in last 7. I need to say no to porridge. It’s carby and I can do without it for 4 weeks. MKx

Maharanni kitten …. i would NOT have gone if i hadn’t promised my sister!

It’s 5 o clock here and dark already. It’s snowed and rained and snowed. Not all the sidewalks are plowed. It is NOT inticing!!

My sister drives school bus so she’s still working …. so i have to get off my duff on my own….. not happening but i shall do better.

After discussion here about Melatonin helping you sleep, I went into the chemist’s today and asked for some – and it’s illegal here in Australia! They only had homeopathic Melatonin, which they are allowed to sell because homeopathic “medicine” is so diluted it doesn’t actually have any active ingredient. Didn’t buy any! I could ask my doctor about it but the chemist girl didn’t say “need a prescription” she said “illegal to sell in Australia”.

One site I just looked at said in Aus it is sometimes prescribed for people over 55 for up to three months, not as effective as other medication but less side effects.

WOW …. i think it was illegal or prescription only in Canada.

Valerian or tryptophan?

She did offer me valerian but I decided against it. I rarely take any medication, even when I’m supposed to, not even paracetamol, so I’ll just muddle along and hope weight loss and exercise will help.

I ate terribly today but I went for a 30 minute walk, that counteracts all those carbs right? Right?

Hi Natalie. Don’t think it’s illegal in the UK – you just can’t buy it here, which is why mine comes from my friend who travels regularly to the US. I will have a new supply at the weekend so will let you know how I get on, though past experience is that it takes a few weeks for the benefits to kick in. And here I am after a disrupted food day, wide awake and posting at 2 in the morning after 5 hours of sleep…. MK

Melatonin is over-the-counter in pretty well any drug store in Canada..

About 10-15 CAD for 100 tablets of high strength.

Jande9 …. yes it is now. Mind you i ordered mine from the States …. before our dollar hit the deck it was a good deal. I actually have a shipment of stuff coming …. because i really like a few of their formulations for liver function … i have taken far too many meds that were hard on my liver so i am now in prevention mode with milk thistle, NAC and stuff.

I actually took 2 of the 10 mg. ones a while back … we will see how it goes. It might have a lag time of a week or more to really kick in. I took it early because i like to feel clear during the day.

I had been drinking herbal tea but i made a nice decaff Chai tea.

I might very well have been drinking too much coffee in the afternoon … sure it doesn’t help. But i am retired and can sleep in if i need to.

Wishing you all a good rest.

If exercise helps sleep then I should sleep well tonight. This morning I had someone come round and grind up a big tree stump and chop up the roots, then I moved all the big chunks elsewhere. Hot sweaty work. Good exercise, but I undid some of the good by having ice cream afterwards!

Let’s hope everyone gets a good night’s sleep, medicated or not.

I stayed up late but went to bed when i felt tired. I had taken the melatonin. I did have a good sleep except for snow ploughs and the emergency vehicles in the early morning. I live across the street from a paramedic station …. might prove a good thing 🙂

So ….. don’t know if the melatonin works … but i will try for a few a few more days anyway. Since it is winter here i started staking Vitamin D3 with K, omega 3 oil capsule and a general liquid gel multivitam, as well as magnesium citrate because people with diabetes are frequently low in that (not taking any calcium as that may be both unecessary and even promote calcification of arteries … i think Dr. Jason Fung’s video on calcium explains that to my satisfaction). Besides i do eat high dairy fats and veggies … more than enough healthy sources. By the way NATALIE … way to get your natural calcium 🙂 🙂 🙂 HUGS.

Still watching all sorts of diabetes and health videos and it’s very very interesting …. and i have the whole day to kill now that i am retired.
Still gotta get myself moving more … the snow and cold is soooo discouraging for getting out!!!

Well …. i could always move my body by doing some housework …………………………… / not! 🙂

I now have my melatonin so will take and see what happens.

However. Last night I slept in the spare room with a fluffy blanket, hot water bottle and WITHOUT my snoring husband . Result? Eight hours and 20 minutes of deep, restful sleep. But he hates sleeping alone, though he gets 9 hours every night without trouble.

Marital harmony v sleep, glorious sleep. Hmm. I wonder if I should spend 2 weeks addressing my sleep debt and hope that absence makes his heart grow fonder??? MKx

MK
It sounds like your Dear husband has the problem not you! Lack of sleep is proven to be hugely detrimental to your health and weight lots of research particularly re cortisol levels, how many women are going around in a fog because of it, has your hubs snoring been assessed ?does he have sleep apnea a passive air machine can cure it and give you both a silent and peaceful night? 20% of couples sleep apart to get good quality sleep you will discover a new you!

Hello 10/10ers!

7 week weigh in for me today and I’m down another 1.1kg, taking total loss to 10.8 and 12.4%. Would love to crack through 75kg by end of week 8 but would require a 1.5 loss next week to get there. Hopefully I’ll land close.

Had a delicious dinner tonight – was craving some red meat, so had some eye fillet with broccolini, dressed with butter and apple cider vinegar and some chopped up almonds. Was ready to lick the plate 🙂

Good luck with weigh ins everyone!

You’re so right Angiebabe. Have been far brighter today. Am replicating my routine from last night and hoping for an even better outcoMe. If I could sleep till 7am I’d be delirious!

OH has Brno assessed – even had a nose op, made no difference. But bless him, he knows it’s mostly his fault, so has agreed to spend a week in the spare room (he can sleep anywhere, I struggle). MK x

Hi everyone. MK these days I often think it could be nice to sleep alone! I’m the one with sleep apnoea but my husband has asthma and he tends to snuffle and snore a bit. He’s one of those people who falls asleep about 7 seconds after his head hits the pillow while I lie staring at the ceiling listening to him breathe! But when he’s sometimes away overnight for work I have even more trouble sleeping as I’m on high alert listening for intruders…

My eating continues bad. Not terrible, but enough calories and extra carbs that I am gaining slightly instead of losing. I need to throw myself into this final week!

This is my third round of BSD this year, and the other two followed the same pattern as this one. Reasonable compliance and weight loss for 5-6 weeks then started to crumble. The other two times I then put most of the weight back on but this time I’m determined that even if I do take a little break over Christmas I will start again before the gain goes too far. Maybe I just have a short attention span and 8 weeks is too long for me? Or maybe I just need to stop whining and get on with it.

Maharanni kitten … your hubby sounds sweet. 🙂

Natalie 🙂 i will see you around the dieting block in January too. I am doing good but i will definitely have some social days …. don’t intend to binge or pig out … and will try to stay low carb …. rather have a delicious meal and perhaps a drink than cake/sugar anyway. I will make it up in January. I feel more in control this way …. not just getting carried away and binging on sugar and chips. Just planning a few controlled deviations … will likely only be 4 or 5 scattered days.

LOL …. I have no idea what i took the other night …. but it wasn’t Melatonin …. i forgot i used the larger melatonin bottle to put in assortment of supplements. Found the melatonin though … at least i had the sense to write melatonin on it …. i am so lax its guesswork if i change something.

Hi Angiebabe 🙂 Lara 🙂 …. good luck with your weight loss journey.

Love to all 🙂 HUGS

Hi Natalie. Getting to sleep? No problem. Staying asleep? Another story …..

Am being really good but all of a sudden my FBS has gone a bit wonky. 7.9 yesterday, 8.1 today. Have had to up meds again. Can’t work out why., have been totally on the carb and calories ‘straight and narrow’. Exercise, or lack of, maybe? Haven’t had much time for rowing this week. Puzzled. MK x

Maharanni kitten …. i am up at 3 a.m. …. and i have to get up at 6:30 …

Stress hormones ….. cortisol anyone? The will play with blood sugar and sleep.

Sleep …. let’s home for some … and good blood sugars too!!

Good morning Day 50 – the start of week eight! Congrats to everyone for getting this far, even those of us (like me) who have wobbled. One official week to go. Actually I plan for two more weeks after that, which makes up for the past two wobbly weeks and takes me to the end of the school term.

This morning I weighed 79.9 kg, a gain of 0.4 (gain two weeks in a row) and my waist back up to 100 cm.

Time to plan my menu for the week then go and shop without buying any nasties!

Good luck on weeks 8-10 Natalie.

Hope you got a good sleep Maharanni kitten.

I slept all Sunday …. took aspirin on an emply stomach …. NOT a good idea. Was so sleep deprived I slept all day Sunday. But i feel better now.

Morning 10/10 ers!
Well, despite feeling ‘light’ all week, I have just a 1lb loss to report. Not complaining, it’s in the right direction and I know I must expect little plateaux. Bit disappointed that it probably means I won’t hit my 28lbs in 8 weeks target next week, but feeling so good that it doesn’t seem to matter so much just now. Will keep on keeping on with the Strictlys until Christmas.

I’ve two weeks hols from 23rd and intend to spend them on plan, and giving myself quite a few non food treats – long beach walks, a little sum of money for treats in the winter sales, leisurely swims, not the rushed post-work ones I’m used to, cinema trips, coffee with friends, a leisurely coffee in my favourite coffee shop with a proper read of the papers, a cooked breakfast there one Sunday (with no toast!). Because I’ve worked hard at this and I deserve it.

What non-food treats work for you? Happy week 8. MK x

Maharanni kitten 🙂 I love your list of non food treats!!

I promised myself spa treatments as a reward. I have a foot pedicure lined up. Don’t have the massage booked but i will. And if i find a purse i really really really like i will buy it even if it is 100 dollars.

I still have the pretty charm waiting for me to lose 5kg so I can put it on my bracelet! That is my non-food treat. I’ll get there eventually.

I spent the day Christmas shopping. Only about 6000 steps but my legs and feet are very tired. I think a long walk can be less tiring than shopping. I got quite a few presents which is great. Lots more still to get.

Good morning Day 52. My son is home sick today which ironically is a good thing for me. I’d planned to eat some “treats” when out this afternoon, I knew I shouldn’t but mentally I’d already given in. Now I can’t go out!

How funny, that did give me a smile Natalie😊. But I do hope that your son gets well soon!

Well I’ve had a very wobbly few days and it’s taking real effort to get back on track, still not there entirely but better choices today than the last few days. It has been real wintry weather here in Northern England and I felt the need for comfort food!! Plus one slice of yummy fruit cake did not satisfy……..and the rest as they say is history! Anyway, thinking positively I have done better meal planning for tomorrow so fingers crossed. Good luck everyone😇

Foiled again Natalie!! 🙂

So lots of wobblies! HUGS

Well i just finished a 12 day fast. I am not sure what my plans are. Think i am going to do 16/8 as much as i can … 16 hours fasting with an 8 hour eating window. Also going HiFat low carb and moderate to low proteins but i don’t think i am going to try for under 20 carbs. I will try for less than 50 but no promises. I am going to fast again in January. With good preparation i enjoy a longish fast.

Just read an interview between Gretchen Rubins (have a look on her website for the whole interview) and Gary Taubes who recently published “The Case Against Sugar”. There were lots of good points in it, but I found this bit particularly poignant. Sorry it is so long, I have edited a little for length but not much:

“One likely phenomenon … for why people who are obese or predisposed to be obese would crave carbohydrates and sugar more than someone who is naturally lean. The obese people tend to be insulin resistant, which means that their insulin is going to be elevated. This insulin is not only preventing their fat cells from mobilizing fat, it’s signalling the other cells in their body to burn carbohydrates (glucose) for fuel. So for someone who’s insulin resistant, carbohydrates are their primary source of fuel. Even when their blood sugar is dropping and they should be burning fat instead, their body wants to continue to burn carbs.

Now these people also tend to secrete too much insulin, and this will happen even before they eat, when they’re just thinking about eating. This is called the “cephalic phase” insulin response, and it’s like a Pavlovian phenomenon. If I start thinking about eating some delicious bread pudding, I’m not just going to salivate, my pancreas is going to start secreting insulin to prepare my body to deal with that bread pudding as I eat it. The more predisposed we are to put on weight, and the more insulin resistant we are, the greater this response will be.

So now let’s imagine two people, a naturally lean person and a person predisposed to get fat, and they both walk by a bakery. They smell the freshly baked bread and the sweets and they’ll experience entirely different levels of cravings based on how their bodies respond to the stimulus—the cephalic phase insulin response in particular.

A lean person might have a relatively mild response—“Mmm, that smells good,” and he or she just keeps walking. The obese person or the person predisposed to gain weight will have a much different response: the delicious smell will trigger a hormonal response—insulin—that works to lock up fat calories and lower blood sugar, and suddenly that person is almost literally starving, and starving for carbohydrates. The insulin is in effect emptying their blood stream of available fuels. The lean person walks by the bakery proud of his or her willpower. The obese person or the person predisposed to obesity can’t resist walking in, buying the bread or sweets, and eating it. And then feels guilty for not being able to eat in moderation. It’s physiology driving behaviour, not the other way around.”

Thanks Natalie …. that is VERY true.

I am a sugar addict … when i even see a picture of sugary stuff i start to salivate. I was great on my fast as long as i didn’t look at foods which trigger me!!! If i was just thinking about food that was okay … it was the visuals that killed me!!

Thanks

It is good to see experts acknowledging that some people are naturally disposed to be lean, some predisposed to be fatter. My entire family, growing up, were skinny no matter what they ate. I ate the same at every meal and never was allowed to snack like my siblings, and was a porky little podgy thing. A barrel in every family photo.
.
Eventually my mum fed me separately, on salad and cereal. Never got thinner, to her exasperation. When I was 16, she suggested I start smoking as it would ‘make me slim’.!!!!. But no doctor has ever agreed that we must have had very different metabolisms. I’ve never drank alcohol – they all drank like fish, snacked when they liked, ate what they liked, rarely exercised. I rode my bike everywhere.

Anyway, here’s the thing. I’ve never been massively overweight or a binge eater or anything – max 2 or 3 stones over recommended weight for height, usually towards the lower end of that for my 5 feet ten. They were all unaturally thin in my view – my sis six feet tall and 8 stone, straight up and down so I guess I looked huge with my boobs and hips, a totally different shape. My mum and our doctor kept telling me I needed to shape up or I’d die young. But my sis and brother are both gone, in their forties.
I know being fat’s not healthy, but I sometimes think there has to be more to all of this. So as I say, good to have that acknowledged. MK x

MK my mum and I were the only fat ones in a family of skinny people. My mum was fat all her life, her younger sister thin and athletic. They both died last year of cancer. I think genetics are as big a factor as lifestyle in many health issues. I guess we just do the best we can with what we were born with

There is absolutely no doubt that genetics plays a part in this, I’ve inherited a mixture of my parents – dad as skinny as a rake, mum has struggled with being overweight her whole life. I can be literally either depending on how much time, effort and will power I have in any given year. However, keeping the carb monster at bay is the only thing that works for sure. All other diets leave me feeling miserable and starving, no matter what I eat – it’s only cutting the carbs that helps.

…and I am that person who salivates at the thought, sight, smell of ‘bad food’ but also at good food so as long as it’s good food in front of me I’m fine!….basically I love food LOL!!

Can’t lay my weight at the feet of genetics. Dad was a sugar eater and slim and tall. Mom was 5 ft 3 in. with a slight tendency to weigh about 10 pounds more than slim. I didn’t gain weight until my highschool years where i started to eat more sugar because i had a job and money to spend on goodies. Every year i gained. My sister is the kind that tends to gain 10 and then loose 15 and yoyo a bit around that figure.
I ate as much or more than my Dad at the dinner table though …. but i until my late teens i had quite a nice figure … and i felt the eyes of men on me and at that stage it gave me the creeps since they were friends of my parents …. old! LOL.

I know I’ll learn my lesson one of these days… maybe. My local bakery only makes lemon curd tarts around Christmas time. I bought some today for afternoon tea. Small, but lots of sugar! I had one and there is no way I want a second. I feel quite ill. I’m having a bowl of salty home-made chicken soup to counteract that sugary feeling. Urg.

Hello day 54. I can’t call it a good morning. My son was home sick on Wednesday, my husband yesterday (and today) and I started feeling bad last night. I don’t feel like eating, which I suppose is a good thing, but I tend to turn to carbs when sick so I have to be careful. I’m out of bed because I have to get my son off to school, then I can collapse again.

I hope everyone else is feeling healthy and strong for these last three days of our eight weeks!

I’m still hanging in there and will post final result on Monday which is the end of my 8 weeks.
X B

Hi Natalie, hope you’re feeling better today.
Have been away a few days foe work and have done surprisingly well with food, awarding myself a gold star, especially for long train journeys when Shortbread can be my nemesis. Not sure why I thought calories didn’t count if the train was moving☺️ Got celery and cheese sticks for the journey at M&S before boarding train – just look at my new travel attitude!
Looking forward to weighing on Monday too, Busybee, as that’ll be my 8 weeks, though I plan to keep going with the Strictlys till Christmas.

Happy weekend, everyone. 🎄🎄🎄- decking the halls !! MKx

I’m feeling mostly better today thanks after a lot of sleep yesterday. Went to two parties today and was feeling a bit of a failure but I didn’t really have that much. A sliver of cake in the morning, a few chips and grapes in the afternoon. There are just so many temptations around at the moment!

We put up our tree today! 🎄

My goodness, this is the last day of my eight weeks. I lost nearly 5kg in the first five weeks but haven’t lost anything since then due to many many wobbles. I’ve stayed within a 1kg range. I currently have a total loss of 4.5kg. To be honest I’m really glad I haven’t put all the weight I lost back on, maintaining feels like a win! But I would so love to lose 5kg, I have this mental and/or physical block against it. Somehow I can get close but not achieve that. I suppose there is a faint possibility that I could lose 0.5 kg by tomorrow!? I’m hosting an afternoon tea and dinner tonight for family, but that doesn’t mean I have to eat the treats I’ve bought. I deliberately bought things like mince pies that I don’t like, I just have to be moderate with the cheese platter! But there will be lemon roast potatoes…

Now there is something I’ve always felt is unfair, that potatoes get lumped in with bread, pasta, rice and sugar. They are a natural unprocessed vegetable, full of fibre and vitamin A. Just because they are white grumble grumble. Yes I know they are very starchy! But they will definitely be part of my long term maintenance plan when I get to that stage. I can use zucchini as pasta and cauliflower as rice but nothing can replace the perfect roast potato!

Hello 10/10ers! Well yesterday marked the end of my 1st 8 weeks on BSD. I’m so proud of myself for sticking with it and being so disciplined. I never thought I could do something like this – imagine surviving on 800c a day?! And sometimes less than that 🙂 And not feeling hungry most of the time and no crazy cravings either. Some days were harder than others, but that’s life I guess. It shows that it’s what you do consistently every day that counts, not the one-offs. We seem to have lost a few posters over the weeks, but I hope they’re just lurking in the background. Congratulations to everyone who has completed the 8 weeks. No matter how large or small our losses, we have all gained so much knowledge about how our bodies work. A special thanks to Natalie, MK, Shalimar, Granny and other regular posters on this thread. I don’t get to post very often, but I read everyone’s messages and they’ve helped me get through the difficult days.

My eight week report card:
Starting weight: 87.2kgs
Weight loss: 12.4kgs, which is 14.2% of my starting weight!
Current weight: 74.8kgs – so excited to bust through 75kgs by the end!
I’ve also dramatically reduced my medication. I’m off the BP meds and on very low insulin doses (some days nil) – about a 95% reduction in 8 weeks. I still worry that I won’t be able to get off insulin completely, but I’m hopeful.
I’m not good with taking measurements, but I’ve dropped about 2 dress sizes as well. Have been clearing out lots of old clothes for the charity bin 🙂

I will be continuing with BSD fast 800 for a while yet as I still have about 8kgs to go to reach the top end of my healthy BMI range, but I’m confident I’ll get there.

Good luck to everyone with this week’s weigh in!

That is wonderful Lara! Great work.

Well done Lara. Keep up the good work.

Natalie I see what you mean about the roast potato. I am debating for Christmas lunch carefully dissecting the yummy exterior and just eating that, just to get the taste! But do keep going, it is a difficult time of year with food.

Well done Lara! Have congratulated you on the Strictly’ thread too, that’s an amazingly disciplined 8 weeks and you have your reward. Almost 15% of your body weight lost – incredible in just 8 weeks.

I’m on the scales tomorrow – have been SO GOOD this week, so have my fingers, toes and eyes crossed for a good loss. MKx

Final weigh in for the official eight week BSD (I’ll be continuing for two more weeks then a break for Christmas then start again). How did we all do?

I lost a total of 4.8 kg, that was all in the first five weeks then I’ve wobbled since then but hey at least I maintained instead of putting the weight back on! My waist is only down 3cm over that time. My body hasn’t changed enough to need a smaller clothes size but I do look better in what I already have. I can see a difference even if no one else can! I want to lose a total of 25 kg and I’ll get there eventually.

Good luck to everyone as you weigh yourselves this morning. Not that we need luck, we have BSD!

Lost about 2 inches off my waist, 1 inch off my hips …. really approximate figures. Was 246 pounds Sept. 4 and just this morning was 224 pounds. My diet had it’s ups and downs and until a couple of weeks ago my blood sugars were ranging mostly between 9 and 11. But this last 10 day fast really broke my insulin resistance and i have been between 5.4 and 6.2 …. the 6.2 after i ate 1000 calories and 300 carbs worth of chocolate covered coconut chunks. Mind you i had a 2 week fast in September as well. My blood sugars in July August were between 23 and 29.

And although it doesn’t seem like i lost many inches …. clothes that fight tight hang loose now.

I don’t think i can fit in much fasting this month so i am going to be one of those One or Two meals a day. I am watching my carbs but i am not trying for ketosis. But i will be mostly eating healthy fats, moderate proteins. Will fast more in January and perhaps try for a ketogenic diet then.

Congratulations everyone on your marvelous efforts to date!

🌟🌟🌟whoop, whoop🌟🌟🌟

Celebrating the end of week 8 with a 3lb loss, total 27lbs, 12.4kg. Absolutely thrilled!!

Report card:

Type 2 meds – glitcozide eliminated and now on half dose Metformin
FBS – down from 11 some days, usually over 9 most days medicated, to always under 6 on less meds
Sleep – always a problem for me but has gone from 4-5 hours to 6-7, which is a result
Dress size – back in a UK 14, which is fine for my 5’10 height
Exercise – 2-3 hours a week, still needs work

Next target: 2 more weeks with the Strictlys,
No break at Christmas (I know from past experience it will derail me for 6 weeks and I’ll put on 10lbs and an attitude of entitlement) – no thanks!

Another 20lbs to lose to get to the weight that’s a tiny bit above BMI 25, but at my age and height, can’t go below as I look really scraggy. That old saying about choosing between your bum or your face looking good is so true after 50,,

Thanks for all your support ladies (I think you’re all ladies!). I’m pushing the boat out and having a slice of watermelon for breakfast….. MK xx

Congrats Shalimar and MK, great results!

Toot Toot!!! Well done Natalie, Shalimar and MK – such wonderful results 🙂 🙂 🙂 Congratulations and celebrations all round!!! See you all in Strictlys…