Actually on the Weds night 25 days in I felt very weird and a bit anxious in bed about midnight
I was restless and couldn’t sleep and knew I was low on calories/salt/sugar or all
I had to have a slice of bread and butter to settle me
It was quite unsettling
The next morning i had a 400 cal breakfast and felt a lot better

Have to be careful drinking and getting enough salt and at least some carbs I reckon

I’m not T2 or Diabetic so not sure how that affects me

See how we go this week by Friday

Hi

My cookbook arrived yesterday. Lots of lovely ideas.

Had wine at the weekend, and overdid the calories but not the carbs when out for lunch with friends yesterday. So…..scales show the damage this morning! Back to the straight and narrow today.

I feel for all you Australians suffering from the heat; it’s cold and wet here in the UK, makes comfort food very appealing!

Week 3 here I come!

Hi SusannahD
Nearly 7pm here now and still 35 deg outside! Going to be another scorcher tomorrow as well. Ah well, lucky I don’t work tomorrow either, just have to spend it around the pool again!😀

It’s funny, but I’m only just starting to get used to how my body looks now, I kept walking past mirrors and thinking ‘that can’t be me’! Especially when it happened so quickly. I’ve gone from a 16 to a size 8 and had to buy a complete new wardrobe, right down to the bras and undies! There’s no way I’m going to go back to eating sugar and carbs again, even for Christmas and my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I ate BSD friendly food!
This had to be a lifestyle change forever because if we go back to eating the way we did before then we’ll go back to looking the way we did.
Hope tomorrow is not too hot for everyone on the East Coast.
Cheers
Linda

Wow it’s crazy that you guys are basking in the heat over there and it’s just well cold and wet here 😥, though it sounds ridiculously hot atm!

Day 1 of week 4 (wow already!) and I’m 9.6lbs down with a loss of 3.8lbs this week which I’m quite pleased with. Think I had a mini-whoosh overnight as it was 1.2lbs on the scales this morning. Feeling really positive that this WOE is working for me and I’m hoping if I continue through maintenance that’s goodbye to GERD and the need for PPIs.

Apologies in advance men, but I note that some ladies have reported their menstrual cycle restarting after a long time whilst on BSD, have any ladies experienced the opposite (I tried to search forum)? I have regular cycles but am a week late so far, although my partner and I are also trying to conceive got a negative pregnancy test yesterday 😥 so am wondering whether it’s due to BSD and hormones?

Hi all

We are all doing so well aren’t we!!!

Today was a massive milestone for me, its week 4, day 7 and i have hit my stone and entered the next stone bracket!! 13st13lbs!

That’s 14lbs in 28 days. I am so so happy. I was laying in bed last night thinking that my losses were slowing but I have lost 3lbs this week. That is a rate I like. I have been weighing myself every day and I am seeing the patterns emerging and I am aware of my body. I stay the same for a few days then have whoosh and lose 1-2, then stay the same for a few and then whoosh again. It seems to have been steady that way for the 4 weeks I have been doing this and long may it continue!

Onwards and downwards as they say – I have 18 days until I fly out on holiday – lets see whether I can get to 13st6lbs which is my mini goal for holiday… It’s going to be tight but I’m going to try!!!

Hope you are all well – much love from a grey, drizzly England!!!

Rebecca xxxx

Hello everyone, I’m from a drizzly UK. I started on 21 January so I’m behind most of you. Congratulations on some good results. Just a few questions from me as my weight loss is slow despite low calorie.

I am 10 days in doing the BSD 800 and lost 3.5 lbs, much less than most of you in early diet. I have been stuck for a few days. Waist is down 2 inches though. I have 65 lbs to lose. Mini goal is a holiday to Spain in April when I hope to be down 20 lbs. I’m divorced and live alone. It’s easier in some ways as I don’t have to shop and cook for others, but harder in that I have no support.

1. I realised I wasn’t drinking enough water, so read up on all that last night on here and on the web. Ouch ! This morning a big headache as if I had been on the red wine last night ! (I’m not drinking any alcohol for 8 weeks). I was peeing a lot yesterday and was sure I would get a big loss today, but just lost 0.4lbs. Today I will get my full 2 litres down and see what happens. Any thoughts ?
2. I also realised my carb count is too high. I’m averaging 70g when it should be under 50. The extra carbs are all from vegetables (I’m not eating any from below ground but some are still quite high) which seems unfair, but I’m planning to cut down on veg and increase the fat. This goes against all we have been taught, but I’m going to try. Will this help ? Any tips ?
3. Finally, I’m not exercising as I should. I have MS and can’t walk far, tend to fall and get injuries so have to be careful when out on my own. I also get fatigue. This is no excuse I know, and I need to do an exercise DVD. It’s ready to go, but not done it yet ! I must build that in to my routine from today ! How much has exercise contributed to your losses those of you with big reductions ? I feel like my journey will be slow and long !

Best Wishes all

SusannahD/Chrissie63

The seedy flapjacks are a staple in my fridge. I make a batch every couple of weeks and freeze half down. My partner (non-BSD’er) is loving them too.

I also had the granola result the first time I made them. I’ve found using 100g of jumbo oats and 50g bran helps keep them together, instead of 50g jumbo/100g rolled with bran. I put them in the fridge to set properly after they’ve cooled and they’ve held together well.

Happy flapjacking!
Jacks

Hi Jacks –
Thanks for the tip re those flapjacks – I couldn’t find jumbo oats – are you in the UK?? What you do makes sense thank you.
But tell me how do you get 24 out of the batch? I could do 16 – anyway the rest was granola – so I thought a couple of teaspoons on yoghurt would be rather delicious.

Hi SusannahD

Yes, I am in the UK. I bought a 20cm square baking tin although did make them in a slightly larger one before, which might explain the granola-type result. Perhaps having the recommended sized tin helps as the mixture is deeper. I also press down the mixture firmly and give them another 5/10 minutes on top of the recommended cooking time.

I can get 24 out of the batch without crumbling OK once they chilled down.

Yogurt sounds like a good addition!

Hope that helps.
Jacks

Hi again Jacks – so you don’t cut them into the 24 pieces once cooled – you put them in the fridge first to set hard –
Aha that’s where I went wrong!
I will hunt for jumbo oats – maybe the healthfood shop has them.
By the way my husband’s eaten all of them from the fridge so I will have to make some more!!

Yep, SusannahD, that seems to work fine when they are really chilled before you embark on cutting them up.

They’re clearly popular in your house too!
Jacks

Morning all,

Day 1 week 4 for me, eeek how time flies! so my weigh in is typically the same as Fri/Sat so from starting weight of 13.02 (83.5kg) to 12.01 (76.7kg) which is a 15 pounds or 6.8kg loss. (8 pounds first week, and about 3.5 pounds the following 2)

So i passed one of my mini goals which was a stone lost, and very close to my next mini goal, should achieve this week which is under 12 stone.

This weekend again was no strict calorie counting, I had about 15 squares of montezumas 70% dark chocolate with sea salt and lime (DELICIOUS!) and 2 glass of white wine. But other than that, no carbs, definitely more calories, as I had bacon, sausage, egg tomato and mushroom for brunch on sat as well as 3 coffees with milk, then a subway tuna salad for dinner plus some nuts. and sunday, bacon, scrambled egg and grilled tomato brunch, followed by a pre prepared low carb veg grain pot from Co-Op plus a baby bel, a small handful of salted peanuts, plus the choc and wine.

Not been very organised food wise, so have just brought some tins of sardines and tuna into work, but need to do some shopping tonight.

Wishing you all a good week x

Good Morning All

I am just starting week 4. Monday is my weigh day , but I am not going to today as I lost the fight with a bar of chocolate yesterday !! It was left over from Xmas, I should really have binned it , but I find it hard to throw good food away.

As I don’t want to depress myself with numbers I am going to wait until next Monday to weigh.

To make up for my bad behaviour !! I am on a mini fast until supper tonight. I am not diabetic so all is ok. I am busy with housework & am drinking lots of water & lots of hot water with lemon in. So far I am not hungry.

I have a lot of weight to lose so don’t want to fall off the wagon yet. I also have a 6 monthly hospital appt in 2 weeks with my oncologist and really want to impress him with some weight loss.

I am interested in hearing about the flapjacks. I have made them twice & both times have ended up with bowls of granola !! Not wasted as it makes a lovely topping for yoghurt !! I am going to try again & follow the ideas on here.

I find the secret to success with the BSD is to be organised & throw away any stray chocolate bars !!

Good luck everyone

Annie2 why not give away stray chocolate bars rather than binning them ? I gave away quite a lot of food when I started my diet. Bread from the freezer, biscuits, chocolate etc. People are usually very happy to receive it, especially if they are hard up. You could also take it to your local food bank or homeless shelter.

Hi

After Xmas we did bag up all the sweets & biscuits we had been given & my husband took them to work.
Unfortunately this rogue bar of chocolate escaped the clear up. I had bought it to make a chocolate fondue & never got round to it.
I really wished I had thrown it away but my upbringing stopped me. Never throw away good food was my mothers mantra , just as eating everything on your plate was !!!

Anyway, its done, I eat it & there is no going back. Time to move on . There are no more goodies in the house to tempt me.
I have virtually no will power, which has always been my downfall.

Hello everybody

SusannahD – if you have a Morrisons in your area they have jumbo oats – I find them in the cookery section in my branch. Not sure how widespread Morrisons is – I am in Norfolk.

Seasidenana – I was disappointed with my first week’s loss which was similar to yours, but at the end of 3 weeks I have lost a stone – so keep on! I haven’t yet got into the exercise. Started on the exercise bike building up the HIT thing, but then life came and whacked me sideways, like it does, and I haven’t done it for a few weeks. Hope to get back on me bike later this week.

Well done to all of you with your fantastic results. Thank you to those who have been brave enough to tell us of their falls from the wagon and for getting back on track again. It is so encouraging, knowing I am not alone This WOE certainly works and is the easiest eating regime I have ever done, but then I do have an enormous amount to lose………….. Baby steps as Lucia would say.

Kate

Hi all
Weighed in today at end of week 4 and a bit disappointed with just a 1lb loss and nothing off my waist. Sticking rigidly to diet and under 50g CARBS so hoping it’s a plateau. I’ve averaged 4lb a week so 17lb off but only 5lb since week one. Feeling abit impatient as I’ve 4 stone to shift but going to keep at it. Good luck those weighing in today

End of Week 4 results:
This has been a difficult week mentally for me. My weight dropped very fast just in time for last weeks weigh in and then has been playing catch up all week, so this weeks weigh in is about the same. Still, it’s a good result: 24.5 # since Jan 2, 27.5 # since mid Dec.

My blood pressure is down to a healthy measurement 117/75 and my pulse is down. I am really happy about this!

Overall body fat percentage down from 52% to 47.7%, which seems good, but also is a little discouraging because I still have so far to go. (Is it even possible to get down to 20-25%?!)

I lost another inch around my waist and around my belly.

Confessions: I probably average 1,000 calories/ day. I’m fairly active and this is what feels right. This has also caused me quite a lot of mental stress this week as I joined a new gym and did some very demanding workouts. I had a couple 1200-1300 calorie days, and absolutely needed them. (All within diet). I think I’m going to go back to just walking, getting my 10,000 steps and some yoga, until the 800 portion is done, because I really want the low calorie benefits and I just can’t do it when I work out to peak heart rate. Anyone have any thoughts or info about this?

Challenges: Have been noticing how much I want to use food for comfort during difficult circumstances. We attended a particularly difficult funeral this week (a family with young children). I really wanted to binge eat after that. Instead I drank cream in my coffee as a treat. It worked, but the next day I was cranky and craving carbs.

It has been VERY stressful politically here in the US. I have dear friends and family across the spectrum who are very upset and angry, family members not talking to each other, lifelong friendships ending, things feeling very uncertain. My community is a sanctuary city, very diverse, immigrants are a vital part of my neighborhood and city. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the upcoming days. I’m needing extreme stress management techniques. Maybe it’s ok to eat more calories in particularly difficult times (like after the funeral) as long as they are in diet? Or maybe just continue to walk off the stress, go to yoga, etc? Any thoughts on that? Any resources that you would recommend? The political stress is unlikely to go away for a while so I know I’ve got to figure out how to deal with it. Any ideas that you all have would be greatly appreciated!

TumtumP, right there with you! Not much progress in weight this week. Here’s to a great week five!

LindaA, thank you so much for the salt information and for your continued presence here. It’s very helpful and encouraging to hear from you.

LizV. I cannot imagine how difficult things are in the US right now, here in the UK, we had similar with Brexit, I was on a protest March earlier this evening against trump and the UK government offering a state visit. The world seems to be changing rapidly, and in a horrific way right now, and I totally understand the powerful desire to use food emotionally. I guess the thing to hold onto, is that it won’t make any of those things feel better. And it will probably only make you feel worse longer term. You don’t have any control over the political world, or about the Friends death, but you do have control over you, and your body, what you put into it, how you nourish it and look after it, and the better you do the better (physically) you will feel.

I would say find people who think and feel like you, be there for them in these tough times and they will be there for you, and I think your thoughts to reduce the high energy exercise might be a good idea, could you try swimming or pilates?

Take care of yourself x

I just found this great article that explains a lot of the basics of a low carb high fat way of eating that may answer a lot of the questions for those not familiar with this way of eating:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fears#cholesterol

Cheers
Linda

Hi LizV
Since April last year, the only exercise I’ve done is average 10,000 steps per day and yoga twice a week. I’ve noticed that my moods have really evened out and I no longer get incredibly stressed or depressed and I’m able to handle life’s ups and downs without too much drama. As for any other exercise (other than team softball) I’m just not interested so I decided to stick with what I enjoy as I’m likely to continue doing it if I enjoy it.

I don’t know what my fat % was when I started, but I’m now at 26.7% (size 8 from a size 16) BMI is now 20.9. Whether 20-25% is possible, only time will tell, but I suspect not unless I decide to take up weights.

My motto is “Don’t worry about what you can’t control and worrying won’t help if you can control it, action will”
There’s always going to be something that you can say is causing you stress, best just to stick to the plan which you can control and get on with making you the best person you can be.
Good luck
Linda

LizV
Forgot to mention that stress can raise cortisol levels which can halt weight loss by raising insulin levels which will kick you out of Ketosis, so even more important to find ways of de stressing.
Cheers
Linda

Well this diet is amazing after 45 years of dieting, bulimia, and starving myself nearly to death, giving myself stomach ulcers on the grapefruit diet and suffering constant bullying as a child by being called fatso for years, I am now slimming down, thanks to the diet. My GP is so pleased I am no longer border-line type 2 diabetic. I have so far lost 5 kilos in 5 weeks; last week was a very difficult week of food and more food. My exercise routine is mainly walking with the dog. I have increased my salt intake, drinking a lot more sparkling water, take 1 magnesium tablet in the morning and 1 at night to stop my legs cramping, and to occupy myself (to avoid eating too much) I am knitting and recovering the cushions on the sofa. The evenings are always the worst time for me. Now into week 6, this week I have planned to make lots of meals from the cook book which look delicious. Good luck everyone you are all doing wonderfully well and you are all amazing.

Hi there K8 getting thin – I love Norfolk but I’m on the other side of the world in Melbourne/Australia!!!

I’ve just got to do some hunting I have a lovely local organic fruit shop that sells masses of health foods but I think I need to go a little further afield – I like to be loyal there and support them but …….

I’ve just started week 2 and today is the first day I think I’ve been really properly hungry – like right now – but instead of stuffing myself – I’m making a herbal tea – cos I know this is probably in my mind.

k8 you’ve done really well – that is so fantastic.

We started January 17, my birthday was on the January 16 and my husband’s on March 15 so about 8 weeks between. We are going great guns! My hubby has lost 8 kilos and 12cm off his waste. I have lost 4 kilos and my bloods have been really good. I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but have had normal bloods at last GTT.
Our three sons have taken it on as well as they live with us. 25, 24 and 22 year olds, two could do with losing some weight and the middle son has a serious sweet tooth. Didn’t push any of them, just told them that we were making some changes and they jumped on board. I’m very proud of them. We had Australia Day off but still pretty much stuck to the diet except for Pavlova and a couple of low carb beers.
This is week 3 and we’re loving the meals. There is usually 7 of us for meals as a couple of girlfriends usually join us and it is often difficult to work out calories( we are using Fitness Pal) and quantities, from the books. It would be very handy if the books said a cup of soup (not a bowl) or cauliflower rice or curry or two meatballs and two tablespoons of moroccan tomato sauce etc.
Also having a little bit of nausea particularly when I do the crunches. Is anyone else getting this? It’s not major and it does pass with a lot of puffing and doing them slowly.
Anyhow, keep it up!

Good morning January starters,

well done to all losers and a big hug to all those on a plateau!. We’ve got the first month under our collective belts, just another 4 weeks to go.

I personally am gutted and yet unsurprised that I’ve put on 500g. I had a wonderful loss last Thursday and since then I have gained and lost the same few grammes every day. I take full responsibility for them; I haven’t been able to keep out of the fridge and old habits have reasserted themselves. I have grazed my way through the late afternoons: squares of dark chocolate, walnuts and so much cheese.

I need to refocus on the WOL and go back to weighing everything. The discipline is the only way for me to keep myself accountable. I’m also going to plan a walk late afternoon which is my weakest moment and when I should be nowhere near food! There are still habits to break!

Good luck to everyone sharing this journey.

Hiya January Starters!

Started 2nd January at 15 st 10.1 lbs (220.1 lbs) Today I am 14 st 10.3 lbs (206.3 lbs).

But I have been 14st 10.3 for like, 5 days! I am on the Plateau! Lordy Loo its sucks. I had a ‘cheat day’ on the 27th but nothing desperately horrific – that day was my biggest fail with total stats being: 1439 Cals / 77 g!

Other than that I have been able to keep carb intake to between 10g and 25g on average. And 95% of the time I am within the 800 cals.

When will this plateau end :’-(

Much love January Starters xx

Nope – no plateau – you have to remain at the same weight for 4 WEEKS for it to be official so don’t panic just yet 🙂

First things first – look at everything you are eating, make sure your carbs and calories aren’t creeping up.
Secondly up your water for a couple of days – could be retention and paradoxically, extra water will help get things moving
Thirdly, are you bunged up (pardon the expression) chia seeds or upping green veg – spinach, brocolli, kale – will help with that
Fourthly, maybe don’t weigh yourself every day – do you have an official weigh day? If so, wait until then
Fifthly, you are not alone – this is normal, common and do NOT let it derail you…
Sixthly (is that even a word?) get moving!!

God speed and good luck

Hiya Topcac,

Im keeping my Carbs and Cals to a general average – all on or below the 800/50g target (apart from the one day) I dont really want to cut out any more Cals in case I push myself too far :-/

Ive been trying today to keep my water up – Although I feel a little groggy after Hungarian goulash from the recipe book. It was 27g Carbs though so way more than i normally have for lunch, must be why!

The bunged up thing, ha ha, well I suffer from IBS so take medication daily to help me. Loprimide bungs you up but restores my system to a ‘normal’ routine. Maybe this has something to do with it…

I have tried to avpid the scales, te he he! I have the Withings Bluetooth Scale which tracks my weight and activity during the day with an app so can be helpful. A couple of days a week I stay at my boyfriends (and althought Ive been tempted to take them with me) Haven’t weighed those days.

Trying to stay positive, the forums certainly help when i see other people in their 4th week also having loss slow down!

Thank you for your kind words 🙂

Its been an upside down today !!
I spent the morning looking after my father in law , who has dementia, whilst my MIL went to a hospital appt.
I was running late so only had a cup of tea for breakfast.
When I got home I had my porridge for lunch. It was lovely & warming on such a cold damp day.
I made 2 bowls of the porridge with apple & cinammon on Sunday. I only have porridge twice a week.

Tonight we are having the Spanish chicken with chorizo & beans. I like the recipes in the book but have also bought Tom Kerridges new book called the Dopamine Diet. It is full of low carb recipes,and I spent a happy few hours whilst my FIL was asleep sorting through the recipes.

I only weigh once a week as I find my weight varies from day to day so much. Also it can be very depressing when it appears that you have plateaued.

Hope everyone is having a good day

Hi All, Week 4 Day 2 Gained 1lb last week! Must be the 3 bananas and 6 satsumas that went missing from the fruit bowl. I LOVE fruit. Hardest thing I’ve had to give up. Didn’t keep up my intake of water either. Will do better next week.
Seasidenana – I don’t have MS but a balance problem. I walk round the house but little outside and not on my own. I go to gym twice a week (someone takes me) so I do some weight training and treadmill walking (holding on). Didn’t lose an ounce in 2 years but keeps my body moving. Only lost on this diet. I don’t know where you live. I’m in UK and have noticed the centre has classes suitable for MS and a chair fit class, advertised for 50+ also suitable for MS. I also go to the pool if someone helps me go in but I hang on to the side for dear life and kick my legs. I can pretend. You might like to enquire locally.
I’ve tried every diet in the last 50 years but I feel comfortable with this one. I’ve only lost 5lbs but I’ve given my size 20 bottoms away so it must work.
Interesting article on Salt. Haven’t bought salt for last 40 years so might have to think again. Thought it helped blood pressure.
Well done everyone. Good luck for next week and keep going all.
M
Thanks to everyone. This forum keeps me going.

Hi All Chicken Korma for dinner, using cooked leftover defrosted turkey from Christmas, hope we dont all get food poisoning!

Ahh, because of my relaxation over the weekend my weight tends to standstill for a day or two afterwards but this weekend had friends staying – too much wine – tried to stick to the diet foodwise but when cooking hearty meals for friends, it is hard… so up 1kg to 94.5. It is so irritating and am very cross with myself. Still back on the wagon the last couple of days so hopefully will be at a new low by the end of the week…

Hiya January Starters!

Hurrah! Finally moved from 14st 10(ish)lbs!!

After what felt like an eternity I have dropped to 14st 7.8lbs!

Toby101 – Weekends are the worst for me too, I stick to the food correctly but not the quantities and I certainly have one to many gins!

I lent my books to a friend who has made a fantastic success in her first two weeks with a whopping 10lbs off! It is so great having a friend to do the 8 weeks with, especially when they do so well! very motivating!

Have a great day all xx

Hi since adding in fasting 18:6 doing very well and steadily losing. Also added coconut oil into my hot chocolate daily. been very helpful too. still sticking to calories and healthy eating. Will hit two stone lost milestone after one more pound loss and im only in the sixth week which will end on Sunday. Really happy stick to it everyone it will work and the pounds will shift.
I was stuck on one weight for nearly two weeks did shift though eventually. I know when the scale isn’t moving down can seem so long but overall results on bsd are very fast and i’m loving it. Getting closer to my goal everyday. I will get down to 7 and a half to eight stone this time. im tiny only five foot 1″ so its a healthy weight for me.

Oh so glad I opened the e-mail from BSD that had popped in. I have nearly lost heart as have been stuck at same weight since week 2. Lost 7lb in first 10 days and now in week 4 Day 3 having lost nothing since then. Had last weekend away where I was really good, then came back and weighed myself on Monday and got so down due to no change that I ate all my calories and carbs by 10am. Nearly came on here to ask for help but chose the other option and ate everything else in the house instead. Be warned of doing this – I felt SO ill on Monday night. Had to go to bed at 8pm and felt so awful thought I might never wake up. Never again! I was lots better yesterday, although not perfect and much better today – almost back on plan. Still no change from the 7lb but at least it’s not gone up. I am NOT going to weigh myself at all unless I feel confident enough that whatever I see on the scales will have no bearing on me sticking to the diet. Instead I will focus on the new energy, the lack of aches and pains and the looseness of my clothes.

As I said, I was at the point of giving up until I read the posts here. It seems to be a real issue, this plateauing (not sure if that’s a word) at this stage. Is 50g too much? Should we be eating a certain amount of fat? Anyone got any advice how to move things on? I’m drinking loads, have doubled my steps, weigh and measure (apart from Monday the BAD day). Would really welcome help and advice.

Thankyou everyone for your honest posts. I now feel reassured that I’m not on my own and will carry on this journey after all. x

I feel your pain, Juliet.

I am on Week 3, Day 3 and, despite sticking to BSD800 religiously, have lost nothing since the first week, when I lost 8lbs. So 10 days with no downward movement – not as bad as your 14 days, but bad and discouraging enough! My carbs are averaging just 27g per day, and I still haven’t lost, either weight or inches. It can be very dispiriting 🙁 I am not going to weigh or measure again until Friday in the hope I will have had a “whoosh event” in the meantime 🙂

Let’s all stick together, we CAN and WILL do this – let’s face is, on only 800 calories a day, the weight has to go down at some point.

Hallo all, I think I fall into the ‘cautionary tale’ category for January. This was my second stint on BSD after xmas/new year off.

I wasn’t going to post and have been kicking myself as I only lost 6lbs in January. Then I gave myself a talking to. It’s 6lbs less than I was. And this has been a super-stressful January for me, hospital trips and firings at work.

I made it through and for all my slip-ups I still lost weight! So yay me. And good for everyone who’s been super-together and done an outstanding job!

Refocussing for February. Downwards at any speed I can get!

Keep up the excellent work folks!

Juliet,Be brave. Don’t punish yourself. We are human. Don’t let a lump of metal (a.k.a. Scales) control how you feel. Just keep going. Learn from your mistakes and establish new habits. Many factors can effect the weight. It’s only a number. Your clothes WILL get looser and you WILL look and feel better. I believe that and if I fall off the wagon I restart the next minute. Not tomorrow or next Monday. Don’t be inpatient. Read the posts of long term successful people on this site.
Good luck.
M

Thanks all for your encouragement and support. You’re right Marion – that lump of metal on the bathroom floor is heading for the garage – right at the back. When you put it the way you did, it makes sense. This is about so much more than numbers. Theodora, I really hope you get your whoosh moment by Friday. Well done for sticking with it. Apparently it’s in desperate times that people’s real characters shine through, so let’s be strong and courageous and determined – you really sound it. This is after all about how we feel and ultimately quality of life! Tomorrow is another day … : )

I’m on Day 12 and have lost 4 lbs. That is good as it’s 4lbs less, but not the level of loss I expected in the first two weeks. Some people seem to be having huge weight losses, which is very motivating. However, some of us only have modest losses and stick at the same weight for a while too. This is difficult, and there are quite a few posts on this theme. Logic tells me we must lose weight on 800 calories a day, but I wonder if I for one might have had unrealistic expectations. Everyone wants to lose lots of weight fast, and this diet does promise that to be fair. I just think it may not happen that quickly for some people. I am going to readjust my goals and accept this is going to take longer than I thought. I have a lot to lose, but if the trend remains downwards then at least I’m making progress the right direction.

Hi everyone,
Hugs to those who need them and high 5’s to everyone because we deserve it!
I’m on Day 18 and so far I’ve lots 7kgs (which I think is about a stone?). It seems a lot but I have a LOT to lose. I think we focus so much on the amount of weight people have lost that we forget to look at it as a proportion of what they have to lose. People like me (older, diabetic, FAT) will probably have more to lose. I feel like I’m doing well and 7kgs is a lot but its about a quarter of what I have to lose. Numbers and comparisons do your head in, I find. Not weighing myself everyday coz I find it too stressful.
I went to my writing group this morning which is held at an amazing organic sourdough bakery. Organised my carbs and calories so I could have a piece of toast and it felt like such a treat! Now I’m so full, I will make it to dinner easily. Also bought heaps of seafood at the market including fresh prawns & oysters – yummo!
You are all amazing and so inspiring – I feel supported and part of a community. On into February now!

Sounds great! Love oysters 🙂 thought to self, must check their calories, though not likely to have any!
This is day 17 for us and a few sad faces around with the weight plateauing for all of us. Trying to put a positive spin on it as it was bound to happen and we need to be reminded that it’s not going to just happen, we have to make it happen. Feeling really empowered this morning, increasing my 4km walk to 5km and two of those under 11 mins, really good for me. 10 mins on the bike with two 15sec sprints and a set of bicep curls to try to work on my flabby arms as an extra on a bike day and weighed in at .1 over my weight yesterday 🙁 Not to worry, my blood sugars are really good and I’m loving the meals.
I have lost 4kg since I started and hubby 8. He is looking fabulous!
Bring on week four.
Had skinny lasagne last night, but my son made it with zucchini instead of aubergine and it was a bit liquidy, but had it with quinoa and it was yum! I’m looking forward to beef stroganoff tonight. The turkey burgers are probably my favourite though the pork stir fry was very good and the pork chops with mustard sauce were outstanding.
Keep it up guys 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi all. Long time, no check in so thought i’d start. I am teetering about 76.4 kg, sometimes as low as 76.1, other times bouncing up to 77, half way thru week 4. I’ve got a confession to make though: over the past few weeks it’s been school holidays and i struggle to do any decent exercise with miss 5 in tow. She’s too unstable on her bike to go at a decent pace, and just not able to keep up on her own 2 feet. School went back yesterday and i thought yeah, i can walk to and from school. Until my son ended up on crutches for a weird knee problem. As it’s all hills on the way home, i’m not going to expect miss 5 to walk home (i’m only little’ she tells me,) but she can walk to school in the morning. Head still feels clear and still no napping. Some days i have struggled to eat enough to make up my calorie count and other days i have overshot, but figure it’s long term. Mentioned to a friend who is finishing personal trainer training and he was alarmed i’m sticking to 800 calories a day. Says i’ll just be losing muscle mass. Unless the muscle in particular is the one i carry around my hips aka the muffin top, or the ‘have you had the baby recently then?’ belly, then i would question it. Off to guns and roses this weekend and may well overshoot my levels then, but life is for living !! No point being healthy and not actually enjoying myself!!

Hi Lyn G,
A fresh oyster has 11 calories. I checked first! And 150g of cooked school prawns has about 115 calories. So just with salad and lemon juice I am going to have a feast!

Hi Juliet
1st thing, try reducing your carbs a bit, if you are insulin resistant or have T2D, 50g of carbs will probably be too many. Try 25g and if that kick starts the weight loss again, then increase it by 5g for a week and see what happens. Do this until you find your sweet spot.

2nd, increase your fat a bit. This often helps. A piece of cheese, done extra butter, some home cooked bone broth. Works for me.

Keep drinking water and don’t forget salt. Salt is really important eating like this as we are not getting salt from processed foods.

Exercise isn’t fabulous for losing weight as such but it has a multitude of other benefits, so increase your steps by all means but don’t expect to lose a lot of extra weight by doing it.

Keep reading the forum and posting. You are not alone!
Cheers
Linda

It’s my three week weigh in and in total I’ve lost 12lb. Weight loss has slowed a bit after the initial drop in week one, but something’s happening because I’ve already lost 4.5ins from my waist. This is where I tend to store my weight and I know that’s the most dangerous part healthwise so I’m really pleased.
I’m sticking to it ridgedly and give myself a good talking to if I’m ever tempted by something I shouldn’t have (You’re only cheating yourself. Think of the end goal etc) and so far, so good.
So keep going January Starters. Onwards and upwards (or should that be downwards?)

Just looked in the mirror and wow I have discovered that after many years I now have signs of a waist down from 81 cms to 77 cm, its not much but at least something. Salmon steak with veggies for dinner.