Well done resisting everything, Maharani kitten. So difficult when you’re cold and hungry and everyone else is eating. I’m still feeling a bit sorry for myself as I had a very bad sleep and also it’s approaching that time of the month when I just feel a bit sad anyway.

Two good things though; my weight went a bit down instead of up this morning, and I coloured my hair last night. I’ve always been a natural blonde but since I had kids my hair has gradually darkened to a sort of greasy brown so the past few years I’ve started to colour it, not as often as I should. Back to golden blonde which makes me feel better when I look in the mirror.

I’m having people over for morning tea and I agonised for a while about getting yummy treats I wouldn’t be allowed to eat. But then I wondered why I was feeding people I love junk that is bad for them? I did get one packet of bite-size chocolate biscuits (TV snacks they are called) for the children but the rest will be a big platter of fresh fruit and cheese with crackers.

Plan for the Day 27:
B: yoghurt and passionfruit
S: fruit and cheese
L: zoodles (courgetti) with chicken and pine nuts
D: steak and salad

Hi Everyone! Day 29 for me and 4 week weigh in. I have to pinch myself, can hardly believe I’ve stuck to this new eating plan for 4 weeks straight. Week 4 has been frustrating on the scales, my weight has been bouncing around all week. I finished last week on 80.9 and really wanted to crack the 80 barrier, but it wasn’t to be – I ended the week on 80.0Kg flat – damn those scales 🙂

Still it’s another 0.9kg closer to my target, so have to be satisfied with that!

I was still in a bit of a funk about the 80.0 when I got dressed this morning. Then I put on my favourite belt, did it up without thinking, then did a double take when I realised I’ve gone in 2 notches! And I’m now on the last notch! I haven’t been monitoring my “inches lost” stats as they always feel a bit unreliable when I do them myself (depending on how much a I breathe in or out gives very different measurements!) but I got out the tape measure and checked my belt – 2 inches lost between notches – whoohooo!

So here is my 4 week report card:
Starting weight 87.2
Current weight 80.0
Kgs lost 7.2, which is 8.3% of my starting weight
At the start I was taking 180-190 units of insulin a day and still wasn’t maintaining good BS control.
I’m now taking 10-14 units a day (mainly overnight) and have dropped most meal time doses as no longer required. I’ve also halved my metformin dose and my blood pressure meds this week and feeling better for it. I’m keeping my calories in the 800-900 range, and carbs below 50.

A big hug to everyone who’s been feeling a bit hungry and deprived the last few days – I’m also feeling it today! Weather is colder again and I just wanted a big piece of toast to go with my eggs and bacon this morning – fortunately there’s none in the house! I’m having a bowl of zucchini spirals with beef chilli tonight to warm me up.

Happy weekend everyone 🙂

Lara, what a lovely, positive post. It’s cheered me right up, as I’ve been in the same boat but just realised that actually I’m doing fine! And had a similar weight loss to you since the beginning of October. Well, 6kg not 7kg but near enough.

Time to get a new favourite belt?

Congrats Lara! 7.2 kg in 4 weeks is awesome (double what I’ve lost, and we’re the same weight, so what am I doing wrong?). Smaller waist is very important too.

I had my family morning tea and only had a little cheese. Everyone loved the fruit, much nicer than carby junk. In the afternoon I did lots of gardening and was very tired afterward which is a good sign.

I tried making mashed cauliflower tonight, steamed half a cauliflower then added a bit of cream and blended it to purée. It was great! It tasted nice by itself, but with a bit of gravy you wouldn’t know it wasn’t potato anyway. I served myself half what I made but couldn’t finish it (along with roast beef and some other veges which I also couldn’t finish). I guess I can’t fit in as much as I used to.

I finished the day on 814 cals and 34g carb.

Congratulations Lara – and all of us who are on this journey. We’re doing well, making good choices.

Well sidestepped with the cheese plate, Natalie, so much better than sweet cr*p – for everyone! It doesn’t help to compare weight loss – the whole thing simply isn’t linear and so long as we stay on the path, no matter how winding, we’ll all get there in the end. You’re doing brilliantly and your efforts WILL be rewarded.

Weekends are hard for me because I have a naturally slim husband – he never exercises – at all – and eats what he jolly well pleases, stays at 160lbs which is exactly right for his height …grrrrr … but he hates ‘fussy’ eating and food left on plates, and is always offering treats and saying ..go on, just a little bit of ice cream/cake! I have to be extra strong when he’s around! Interestingly, he never, ever snacks – even fruit is eaten as part of a meal.

Anyway, extra motivation for me is that I have a job that requires quite a bit of posh evening socialising especially this next couple of months so have spent the morning trying on evening wear and shoes.. My favourite ‘go to’ dress is still too tight, needs another half stone off to fit properly. I love it – all the more because it was an absolute bargain, reduced from £289 to £49 in last year’s Hobbs sale but bought almost at my slimmest. It one of those classic outfits that just makes you feel so well-dressed and classy. I don’t have a lot of confidence in the way I look, so it’s invaluable. Can’t bear to think of the festive season without it, so am doubling the exercise this weekend and have put a photo of the dress on the fridge!

Stay strong! MKx

Maharani kitten, my husband is also thin (well, at most 5kg overweight), he doesn’t ever push food on me but he does make muffins and crepes and stuff like that on the weekend! Or go out and buy ice creams.

I can’t really write a food plan for the last day of week four as we may be out at lunch time, definitely out at dinner time. And going out for morning tea too. I’ll Just have to be vigilant and make good choices. But I do prefer having my food planned and written down.

I had my Sunday treat bacon for breakfast, yummy. But I tipped my cup of tea all over myself (luckily ran over the table first so wasn’t too hot by the time it got to me) so I have to go change before we go out!

Now I know what people are talking about when they say they feel like rubbish if they eat off-plan. I had Thai for lunch and tried to make good choices but some turned out to be crumbed and deep fried and I’m sure all the sauces had lots of sugar. My best guesstimate is that I ate over 500 calories and 34g carb in one meal. I feel bloated, tired and headachy. I’d love to have a nap right now. I can still taste the cloying sweet sauce. For the last four weeks I’ve been feeling light after a meal, I’d forgotten this heavy dullness. It’s not something I’d ever want to go back to. And this isn’t even overeating!

Thanks for the good wishes everyone 🙂

Natalie, I’m sure you’re not doing anything “wrong”. As MK said it’s not a linear path and we just need to stick with it. The more I read on the forums, I realise how much the weight losses vary week to week and person to person. The key thing is that over the long haul everyone loses!

For what it’s worth, I’ll share my usual daily routine. I tend to stick to routines and I’m a fairly structured person, so my approach won’t suit everyone, but it works for me and takes some of the stress out of planning meals. I stick to 3 meals a day, no snacking (sometimes 2 meals on weekends as I get up later). Meals average 250 to 300 calories each. I aim to eat some form of fat with every meal as it helps with feeling full. I have completely cut out all bread, rice, pasta etc from day 1. I have breakfast around 8am, lunch around 1pm and dinner around 7pm. I aim to get 5 hours between meals. I don’t know if this makes a difference, but it spaces out my day.

Weekdays, I have 100g of natural greek yoghurt topped with 15g of chopped toasted mixed nuts (I make up a batch each week with whatever nuts & seeds I have on hand, chop them up, lightly toast and put in a jar ready to go each morning). Lunch is some form of salad with either tinned tuna or chicken breast or beans as the main protein and rest made up with veggies (incl huge handful of spinach) and cheese (usually feta) or olive oil dressing. Dinners I aim to keep as low carb as possible to ease the load on my body overnight. I usually have something like steamed salmon and veggies (those pre-packed steamer packs from Heinz / McCains make it really easy and quick to prepare when I get home). I drink loads of water – at least 8 big glasses a day and several cups of tea, no coffee. I haven’t seen much mention on the forums about supplements so I hope I’m not breaking any taboos – I take magnesium & Vit D, and I start each morning with an “organic greens and reds” powder in water. Weekends I splurge on brunch – either bacon & eggs or a bowl of apple & cinnamon porridge (from the new BSD cookbook – delicious and comforting).

My activity levels are still low but I’ve started taking a 20 min walk straight after lunch, which is my biggest carb meal of the day.

Hope that helps someone, but remember all our bodies are different and respond differently. I’m coming off 16 years of medication so I’m sure that has a big impact as well.

What a great post Lara, and I really second your food approach, v similar to mine – others might call it boring but planning and replicating meals helps me t minimise food’s importance in my life. Second your use of supplements too – I take a broad multi vit and a b vit supplement plus chromium supplement which I’m told helps reduce sugar cravings !?!). Trying to see food as medicine to get me well and fuel me to live life, pnot a treat or reward with some (bad) things more of a reward than others.

Told my skinny OH that treats for me shouldn’t be food based in future, – previously he’d take me out for lunch at the beach, now we go after breakfast and have a long walk and a big cup of coffee after – he can have a toasted teacake, which is his favourite! It’s not so odd. Lots of women I know don’t eat cake or potatoes or pasta. Quite normal. They just make different choices, which is the hardest thing to retrain yourself to do. He’s been great, brings me flowers or a magazine instead of usual weekend croissants, taking me out to the cinema rather than weekend Chinese or Indian meal. Surprised me with a spa treatment voucher when I lost my first 14lbs. He’s a keeper,! MKx

I like the idea of a regimen as well. I also added magnesium to my supplements as it was a hint for preventing constipation. I also take milk thistle for liver health as well as a multivitamin mineral liquid.

Next week will help me planning a new regimen. My shoulder should be pretty good by Monday … good enough to get back to the gym and aquabics. It’s in a mall with a good grocery store for getting vegetables fresh several times a week. I will likely want to eat in the mall restaurant … but they were very good about putting on the plate what i order and only that at a reasonable price.

The food isn’t the treat … having it “out” is a treat. I live by myself so being out and about and socializing is the treat. If i am in the house a lot i tend to “graze” … and even though i have only healthy food i can still overeat then.

so this upcoming week i am going to set up a new routine.

Yes I agree great post Lara, going to try a bit more structured view this week! Happy to report that I’ve lost 2.1kg this week😀, so its a good start after my holidays and going to focus on Christmas now.. Yes Lara think hes for keeps with treats like that!! Natalie keep strong, you are doing great, always love reading your posts – we are all making big changes to our eating habits so our bodies will take time to adjust 🙂 Can anybody tell me if Greek Yog is ‘better’ than plain yoghurt on the BSD? Good luck everyone today.

Lara your routine sounds really good. I probably spend too much thought and effort on having different things every day. Writing the shopping list takes a while because I can’t have chicken two days in a row, and we already had Mexican this week, and my husband needs leftovers, and my daughter says she’s sick of bolognaise… it’s like negotiating a labyrinth!

I’m supposed to take vitamin D and B12 but I hardly ever remember.

Shalimar I don’t live alone but I work from home so I do spend a big chunk of each day by myself. I used to sometimes take my laptop to a cafe, before we moved there was an awesome cafe on a hill with a view, I haven’t found one in the new location yet. I’d usually just have a cup of tea but those little cakes can be tempting!

Granny that is a great loss! Good week. I don’t know if Greek yoghurt is better but I like it! One brand I just checked online the Greek had more calories and carbs than their other one.

My day was a disaster in terms of calories and carbs! I think the Thai food unleashed the hunger monster (also a vulnerable time of month). I ate cheese and an apple in the afternoon, went to my sister-in-laws for dinner and had plenty of BBQ meat and salad, came home and ate a big serve of nuts. It was all Med-friendly (except the Thai of course) but so much of it! I’ve calculated the day at 1579 calories and 82g carb. Double a normal day. I’m not beating myself up about it, it was one day, but it was certainly a lesson about eating food with sugar in it. I’m still responsible for all my choices, but it was so much harder today. Not really looking forward to my weekly weigh-in tomorrow, but I’m someone who has to know, good or bad.

Good morning Day 29, start of week 5. I’m pretty amazed I got this far. Great work everyone!

I knew my weigh-in would not be good, and I was right. Major slip yesterday plus it is that time of the month. My weight fluctuated all week and ended up 0.1 kg UP. Also my waist has expanded and is nearly back to pre-BSD size. I refuse to be worried though. I know it will go down again.

Plan for the day:
B: yoghurt and berries
L: chicken and salad
D: steak and salad and mashed cauliflower

Hi all, very frustrated, I seem to be losing and regaining the same two kg for the last two weeks. This weighin, stable at 82.7. I just want to crack the 80 kg mark!

That is a bummer Wishbone. Can you do something different to jolt your body? A few more calories, some HIIT exercise? I got under 80 for one day, last Tuesday, but have been over again since then. Very frustrating. And I feel like a fraud for telling everyone I was under 80!

I thought today might be really hard to get back in the groove, but actually it was easy. I’ve only had 711 calories and 42g carb, without feeling deprived at all. I may have a little snack before bed, but only if I want to.

I feel your frustration wishbone but stick with it, were all behind you on this post, so feel our hugs👍, same for you natalie and great start to the week with only 711 calories. Supper time is my temptation too so i would say if you can do without it then do😌. If i succumb to supper i always regret it as my body doesnt really ‘need’ it, its just habit with me and one which i need to break – determined to crack it this week. Happy Monday choices everyone.

Wow just found out that 1 med banana has 26.95 carbs!!! Should have looked it up BEFORE i ate it, lesson learnt!

Morning 10/10 er’s
End of week four see’s me up a 1 1/2 pounds though I am having problems in the piping department! That means I have still lost 13 1/2 pounds over the four weeks but did see, briefly, half a pound over the stone earlier in the week. Here’s hoping week five will show a bit of a loss!
As those in the know say “Keep on keeping on”
X B

Hello
2lbs off today which takes me to 17lbs in 4 weeks, very happy with that although it looks like things have started to slow.

Taking stock halfway through I feel so much better in myself, – consistently lower blood glucose readings, fewer joint pains, marginally better sleep, clothes fitting better, mind feels sharper.

I want to be 28lbs down at the end of my 8 week journey – 11lbs in next 4 weeks, which could be do-able. However, fully expect at least one or two weeks with slow or no loss but will be happy to feel fitter, have blood sugar down enough to shock the doc. Keeping a log of sugar testing and to be honest it is stunning. This diet should be prescribed! My bs has been below normal for 3 days so may have to re-evaluate meds. AMAZING!! In 4 weeks!!

Keep on keeping on, everyone! MK x

Everyone is doing great! We’re halfway through our 8 weeks.

I celebrated going below 80 last Tuesday but the next day I was up again and stayed up. Finally back down today, 79.7kg so hopefully I’ll stay down this time!

Plan for the day:
B: yoghurt and 1/3 mango
L: cold beef and salad
D: roast lemon chicken and roast veges

So, here’s a weird thing.
Last night I’d had all my calories for the day but felt quite hungry at bedtime. Had an unsweetened spiced apple tea, got into my pre-warmed bed (am feeling the cold on this plan) and slept for eight hours straight – first time for ages. Woke this morning and while I’m ready for breakfast, I’m not ravenous.

I feel like a corner has been turned. Why? No sense of deprivation or ‘entitlement’ to more food last night. Other times I might have persuaded myself I ‘deserved’ more. Hungry is an OK feeling. And blood sugar is 4.8 this morning on half previous Metformin dose. It was 10.8 most mornings on a double dose of 2 meds just 4 weeks ago. From 4 pills to 1 (medically supervised, of course). Begone, sugar monster!

I am literally jumping up and down like a giddy girl inside. I’d persuaded myself that family history meant diabetes, worsening health, constant medical intervention, eyesight degeneration and painful neuropathy would be my fate, like my mum and aunt. I was genuinely grieving for the lovely bits of my life that I Thought I’d lose. But I can fix this just by being good to myself. And I will. Epiphany!! MK x

Thats AMAZING MK👍, well done you! The meds sound horrendoys, thankfully i’m not on any meds but the BSD is the prevention route so really hoping that I will stick with it. Your family would be proud of you and so glad that you have turned a corner. Good choices today everyone 😍.

Good for you MK – that light bulb moment must feel wonderful! Isn’t it great not to feel hungry all the time?
X B

That’s great MK! Not eating more because you “deserve it” when your body doesn’t need it. That is a great NSV (non-scale victory).

This week is going well for me so far, today I ate 848 calories and 40g carb.

Hi Natalie – glad its going well – I read your post & thought “wow, that was a big breakfast” – then remembered that you’re in Australia!

Lol yes that was for the whole day! I don’t think I could eat that much for breakfast… not now anyway. I was going to say never but then remembered a few cafe breakfasts!

So good morning Day… 31? I think? My weight continues to drop. I assume it would have happened anyway but maybe having one day over calories helped jolt me out of my plateau? I don’t intend to try that too often, but it’s nice to think that an indulgence meal once a month or so isn’t going to derail me.

Today’s plan:
B: yoghurt and strawberries (doesn’t taste like health food!)
L: the broccoli and cheese soup everyone is raving about
D: peanut beef and Asian veges

I still usually have a small snack in the afternoon as well, I don’t know how people only do two meals a day!

Doing some afternoon musing (we a having a hole dug for a pool in our backyard, exciting but very noisy and I can’t possibly do any work with an excavator drilling away and a bobcat driving back and forth taking the dirt out to the truck), as well as not understanding how people get get through the hours with only two meals a day – or one! – I have a few other differences from what others post.

Buying clothes you haven’t tried on. Online or in store. How do you know if they look ok or not? I would have said as overweight people we need to be MORE vigilant about what we buy, not less. I hate shopping for clothes and do it as little as possible, but when I do have to get something new I’ll try on a lot of things to see which suits me best: obscures the stomach, hides tuck-shop-lady arms, colour works with my skin tone etc.

Alcohol! A lot of people here seem to say alcohol is the hardest to give up on the BSD and indeed don’t always give it up but have it as a regular indulgence. I consider that such a waste of precious calories, if I’m going to have a treat it will be food. Like chocolate. Or extra cheese. Alcohol is yucky. I have a cocktail maybe twice a year and a cider once a month or so. Wine isn’t very nice, beer is horrible, spirits are so nasty you’d have to pay me to drink it.

I am totally not being all judgy here (sorry if it sounds like it) I’m am just amazed at how different people can be. The world would be a boring place if we were all the same. Or imagine if we all had the same ideal of male/female beauty.

PS I also think coffee is disgusting, even the smell.

Hi Natalie …. and everyone.

I discovered one of my favorite grocery stores carries alcoholic cider. I love that. I thought the grocery stores only carried beer now (new law) and i hate beer. Most people love beer and hate cider. 🙂

I have bought clothes without trying on … because i hate trying on clothes … and because i’ve been over optomistic about various diets. But i have been doing a purge of my house and my closets … and giving away tons of stuff. It’s been a great lesson in crying poor when i have just been frittering away lots of money on useless and non essentials. Now that i am retired it is a good time to save money for things i do want.

p. s. I have changed my goal of 199 pounds or less from December 10 to December 20. Final goal is still 165 and date is end of summer 2017.

Hi everyone!

Natalie – it sounds like you’re having a good BSD week – that’s fantastic 🙂

MK – so happy for you! Sounds like you’ve had a real break through moment this week!

I’ve never been much of a drinker, although I will occasionally have a cider or a cocktail to be sociable. I can’t stand beer. Or wine. And I have no problem giving it all up :-). I love the smell of coffee, but really don’t enjoy the taste very much. I got in the habit of drinking it as so many work meeting involve coffee catchups, but I’m now choosing to drink peppermint tea instead.

I’ve tried buying clothes online, but with limited success. And it gets so expensive if you have to pay for return shipping. The cut, fabric and colour never seem to be as advertised, so I stick mainly to in store shopping. I’ve also been doing a clothing purge the last few days. It feels so good to get rid of things I don’t wear. Very cathartic 🙂

I’ve got friends coming around for dinner on Friday and am stressing a bit on what to feed them. I want to keep it BSD friendly without everyone feeling like they’ve been to a health farm for the night! Any ideas out there for easy to prepare entertaining dishes?

Hi Lara

I’ve entertained a few times on this plan and have served up steak with peppercorn sauce from the original BSD book. I’ve done big thick cut chips for my visitors and a huge, really interesting salad (lots of nuts, seeds, avocado etc) and it’s generally gone down well. For dessert I’ve just served yoghurt with berries, or bought a selectin of mini individual desserts that they take with them if not consumed ! – it’s gone down OK and people have understood what I’m trying to do so have been supportive.

Went out to see a show tonight – local school kids, 8-11 yrs old, husband’s aunt is the drama teacher and director and wrote the script for the show – and I ate five Malteasers. 63calories and 8.4g carb isn’t excessive but I’m always scared that any deviation will lead to a total collapse. Especially since it’s my son’s 10th birthday tomorrow so there will be treats and temptations around for the next few days. Two parties on the weekend! I plan to have one slice of cake, but it’s going to be a struggle not to have more. Hard not to say “I’ll just take the weekend off and start again Monday”. But no!

Good to hear other people’s views of alcohol and coffee etc, I guess I’m not so weird after all.

Lara, I often serve a roast for visitors. A platter full of sliced meat with roast potato and pumpkin, gravy and a salad on the side. Then each guest can take whatever suits their diet requirements. I prefer this style of serving to elegant individual plates where the guest doesn’t get any choice – we know how hard that can be for the likes of us! Also most of the work is done earlier and you’re not faffing around too much while you should be enjoying time with guests.

Today I ate 913 calories and 54g carb.

Just back from yet another work trip – this job was meant to be mostly working from home! – and did quite well food wise – yoghurt, berry and nut sprinkle breakfasts, salad lunches, and a small chicken portion with melted cheese and bacon with a green salad from a pretty limited hotel menu last night – calories a bit over but it was all low carb.

Thanks for the congrats, but it’s common sense really. I don’t drink alcohol at all – never have – like Nat, feel it’s a total waste of calories. But I often reflect that I’d be the size of a house if I followed the example of many (skinny) pals who dive into half a bottle of wine a night to ‘relax’!! Cider is terribly carby, isn’t it? My low carb buddies always used to recommend very dry champagne as the least dangerous alcohol fix.

Since I lost my big chunk of weight six years ago I have been very cautious about clothes buying – when I was really fat I bought loads and loads of cheap clothes that looked awful and didn’t last. Now, I pay for good underwear since I was shown that the right bra takes 10lbs off, and buy other items sparingly and only after trying on and ensuring whatever it is can be worn with 3 other things I own. Don’t buy online as I always forget to send unsuitable stuff back!

Just tested blood sugar and it’s 3.8 – I actually NEED to eat something. Weird feeling. The more I get into this way of eating, the more nauseous I am after my Metformin – it’s like my body is saying ‘no’!! Still feeling very cold. It’s winter here in Scotland and we had our first proper snow today. So am off to bed (at 8pm!) with hot water bottle and fluffy Jimjams for a jolly good read.

MK x

Oh, also, good trick. Take a glass of diet tonic, lots of lemon and ice. Stick your finger in the gin bottle and run it round the rim of the glass. Gin smell, gin taste fools your tastebuds…

Good morning Day 32! I lost another 0.5 kg overnight, after last week’s plateau this week is going really well! Very happy. And happy birthday to my little boy Aiden, born 3:30am ten years ago today.

We had a special breakfast of favourites, fresh mango and croissants. I didn’t have a croissant, but I did have half a mango with yoghurt. And now my tummy hurts and I feel a bit yuck. I did two days ago as well, when I had the same thing. I have yoghurt many mornings so it’s not that, which leaves the mango. I know it’s a tropical fruit that we’re not really supposed to have, too much sugar, but I don’t know why it’s making my tummy hurt. It’s just fruit.

MK sounds like you need to get off the Metformin (if your doctor says so), it’s making you feel sick and your blood sugar is low. Maybe you don’t need it any more!

Plan for today:
B: yoghurt and mango
L: cashew and leek stir fry
D: zoodles (courgetti) with tomato olive sauce and bacon

I guess 20g of carb in one meal is too much for me. I tested blood sugars, just above normal at 7.9, remember I’m not even diabetic, I seem to be quite sensitive to fluctuations and feel bad if I go too high or low. Next time if I want a fruit treat I won’t have mango and yoghurt at the same time.

Go careful with the leeks then Natalie – I didn’t realise how carby they are until I logged them in FatSecret after eating them with the rarebit yesterday. 130g had 20g of carbs in – and they look SO innocuous!
cauliflower rarebit next time 🙂

Wow – snow MK!. I have decided that keeping warm when its cold must use up more calories.
The first time I went to Scotland, huge coat, lots of layers and a fur hat. Lots of winter sunshine; coat, hat and some of the layers stayed at the hotel. Got back to London – it was snowing!

Yes, champagne is the least carby drink.

Doesn’t matter Frog, the leek turned out to be bad inside so I had to sub broccoli instead! 100g of which has 0.4g of carb. Uh, but I just put leeks (raw) into my CalorieKing tracker and it says 4g carb not 20 for 130g of leek!!?? That is a big difference between sites. Oh, is yours total carb? In Aus they take out indigestible fibre first and give you nett carbs.

I made the broccoli and cheese soup yesterday but kind of ruined it by leaving the thyme stalks in when I blended it. It tasted nice, and I ate it, but had unpleasant little bits of stem sticking to my mouth. Next time I’ll definitely pull those out before I blend.

Hi Natalie

Yeah – brilliant – was a dodgy entry on FatSecret – it was the first time I;d had leeks in ages, I’ve just double checked on another site, and other Fatsecret Leek options. UK uses net carb too, and the calories were wrong; very strange.
Must have been frustrating for you if Leeks are expensive there to find that the ones you had weren’t usable.

I am not proud of my eating today. Despite learning this very morning that too many carbs make me feel yuck, I over indulged at the afternoon tea I provided for my son’s after school birthday treat. Chips and chocolate! And yes I felt tired and sick again afterwards and my blood sugar went up to 10.9 which is nearly diabetic range. I am ashamed of myself. That is not looking after myself. How is making myself sick a treat? Total calories for the whole day 1306, carbs 105g. All I can do is forgive myself and do better tomorrow. I know it’s normal to make mistakes but it just seems so stupid to do it twice in one day.

HUGS Natalie …. don’t know if it helps but you have company here.

At least i got back to doing my Palouse mindfulness course. No excuse really … just moping about.

The important thing is that you have acknowledged it Natalie and it’s now time to move onwards and upwards, we all have blips! And it was a special occasion, not everyday your son reaches his 10th birthday🎂😊

Every day is a learning curve Natalie. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off and get on the wagon again. You can and will do it.

Thanks guys, back on track today. Funny thing was I didn’t even really enjoy the junk (although I loved the mango and yoghurt), I just kept eating it anyway! I think the biggest “give me more” effect came from the fun size Picnic (chocolate with caramel and nuts and wafer) which sent me straight back to the chocolate box. Dark chocolate doesn’t have that affect on me at all.

I’ve learned to love the light fresh feeling I get now from this diet and really disliked the heavy overfull feeling after the wrong kind of food. Did I feel like that all the time before? I think maybe I did.

I’m shopping today so I can stock up on the good stuff.

Plan for the day:
B: yoghurt with one passion fruit
L: rotisserie chicken and salad
D: salmon and veges

Ahh, hugs Natalie. Must be something in the air yesterday ‘cos I sinned and sinned again. Mindlessly ate caramel shortbread provided at a meeting, probably 300 calories + of pure sugar. What was that about? Literally down my greedy gullet before I had time to think. Then I made good choices at buffet lunch -ate the salad garnishes and some ham. But then ate another!!!! biscuit, at the next tea break. Had stern word with myself when I got home and did an hour’s penance on the rowing machine. But what the heck happened there? Just when you think you’ve got your head together….

MK let’s put yesterday behind us and move on. I did well today, 806 cals 34g carb. Now I just have to negotiate two parties on the weekend!

Good morning Day 34! Today Aiden is having his party at Laser Underground, one of those places you run around shooting each other with lasers in the dark. Perfect for ten-year-old boys. The place provides lunch of pizza and chips as well as snacks and drinks. I will be taking my own chicken salad instead! But I am providing the cake which I will make this morning and I am going to have a slice. A small slice.

The plan is:
B: yoghurt and passionfruit, tea
L: chicken salad
S: chocolate layer cake with cream cheese frosting!
D: steak and asparagus

Hi Maharani Kitten
Something in your post really struck a chord with me , as it was something I had never considered: ” Hungry is an OK feeling”.
In fact, I was lamenting to a pal who is on another type of slimming regime, that I thought by now, a month in to the plan and 15 lbs lighter that hunger would be a thing of the past.

I guess, I have to face the fact that hunger is going to walk hand in hand with me throughout the thing, and probably forever. Then this gets me to thinking about the people who are always hungry (whether they are in the third world, or unfortunate in our own countries) and it escalates from there. But the point being, I was probably never hungry in the past, hence how I gained the weight in the first place. The hunger tap had been frozen shut, and now, thankfully it has been opened.

So thank you for such an insightful comment and I plan to view my hunger pangs in a new light from now on.

I don’t know whether to consider the party a win or a fail for me! I did what I planned. I resisted all the junk food, ate my healthy lunch, and only had a slice of birthday cake. But that cake! I made it myself, which is presumably better than a bought one, but when I put the ingredients into CalorieKing the whole cake was nearly 10,000 calories! OMG. Shouldn’t be surprised really, five cups of sugar in cake and frosting. We ended up using half the cake for ten slices, so my thin piece was approx 479 cals and 61.8g carb. Was it worth it? It really was delicious, but I could have eaten a lot of healthy food for that many calories, which wouldn’t have made me come home and nap in front of the TV and feel dopey for the rest of the afternoon. I was really looking forward to eating it, I did enjoy it, it’s an occasional treat so I think it’s ok. But I’m genuinely starting to reconsider whether I still want these things, even as occasional treats, as part of my future.

Ah, thanks Tapatch. But read on, and see those fine sentiments crushed under the heel of mindlessly munched caramel shortbread just days later- and nothing to do with hunger, just pure greed!

It’s a complex path we tread, all of us who have what amounts to a lifelong dysfunctional relationship with food. I met a friend this week who in nine months has lost six stones, a third of his body weight. He looks amazing, ten years younger. I haven’t seen him in person for maybe six months and literally gasped with shock – he’s a new person in outlook, attitude. Motivated me, i really want that reaction.

Anyway, he says he eats 1200 cals a day, low carb, on his maintenance plan and never feels hungry. He’s convinced that western hunger is just a trick our sugar-addled minds use to make us give it what it wants, and he’s the boss of that now. He loves being at his ideal weight, approval from doctors, workmates, friends, and feeling great, why would he want to get fat again and have people feel pity? Food for thought for me….

Keep going, everyone! MK x