Hi guys, just checking in to see how you’re all doing. I have at last started back on the straight and narrow again. So with any luck I’ll be seeing some results soon. Will report back later with something positive I hope! Hope you’re all doing OK.

Hi Snoop, and welcome back, I’m looking forward to reading your reports and hearing about your progress.

Thanks, Mixnmatch. At the moment, the only thing I can say is that I still weigh a few kilos less than when I started! Will keep dropping in from time to time.

Gday Snoop & Mixnmatch and anyone else whose reading the forum

Good to hear from you both.

Week 61 done and dusted, haven’t posted in the long while. Got back from my holidays, 2 and bit weeks. Initially l was going to watch what l ate on the cruise, but the carb monster set in and it was a free for all. So lucky l kept up with the exercising and walking or the damage would of been hell a lot worse. Prior to going on my cruise i weighed in at 99.4kg., coming back l weighed in a staggering 105.5kg. A gain of 6.1kg! Holly molly, definaly proved carb is a no go zone for me. Ive had two games of cricket since l got back, really enjoying it, though my walking has decreased, to knackered after training and game day.

Weighed in @ 103.1kg
loss of 2.4kg since 16/10/2017

Still have another 3.7kg to go till l get to my pre holiday day weight and another 4.1kg to go till l get to my original goal l set when l began this journey of mine.

Back on the bandwagon again, ive had many ups and lows on this journey, have learned a lot, old habits are so easily regained.

take care all

Guess what? Im still not bloody giving up!

Bloke41 – so good to hear that you are still not bloody giving up! Carbs are a no go zone for me also. Great that you have beaten the carb monster and have lost 2.4kg since your holiday.

Hi Bloke41

DONT GIVE IN !!

54

It is indeed scary how quickly weight can pile back on, bloke41. I’ve been going back to the UK and seeing my mum a lot following my dad’s death, and over the months I’ve put back on 11 kg of the weight I lost. It has been altogether too easy to eat loads of calories in carbs when I’m there and then not do anything to lose them when I got back. She’s starting to recover a bit and I’ve persuaded my brothers to get a bit more involved. So I’m really hoping to get to grips with things or at least get back on the right track and my head in a better place. Time to give up the excuses! I’m still not bloody giving up either.

Gday all

54andfatnomore, thanks, will stick at it mate.

It sure is easy to put on Snoop, we know we can lose it, just got to go to the basic. For me im going to try avoid the carbs big time.

Have a good one all and just one more thing…
never bloody give up!

Hi folks

good to see people still at it

One tip I try to give since hitting my big target !! and now maintaining !!

I NEVER counted carbs, I stuck to 800 cals, so ate everything I wanted (No bread no buns etc etc) witjout counting the carbs, just the calories , Much less faff !!

I did stop drinking alcohol and now just dabble on bdays and spcial events (looking for ward to Christmas and new year !!)

As someone once said

Never bloody give up !!

Its worth it !

54 (now 55!)

Thanks KrysiaD, im trying to outrun that carb monster…..

Gday all,

Been long time since I’ve posted, still on my journey been very challenging to say the least over last couple of months. Really over indulged over the xmas & new year break.

Week 72 done and dusted, my last post l weighed in @ 103.1 on 5 Nov 2017

Week 72 weigh in: 104.2kg, a gain of 1.1kg since last weigh in post.

Prior to going on holidays in early October l got to 99.4kg, was so close to achieving my 99 kg goal, but carb monster set in while on holidays and l blew out to 105.5 kg. The lowest l got to my pre-holiday weight was 102.4kg on 20/10/2017. Then the Christmas and new year’s holidays came by and l really indulged bad, carb monster and desert over load. We ended up going to Tamworth to the in-laws for 3 days and we had a mighty feast for those days. I couldn’t believe my eyes when l stepped back on the scales on 27/12/2017, I weighed in at 116.5KG! Then l knew l had to go back to the drawing board, carbs were vanished and deserts were off the menu. For some reason l weighed myself 3 days later and l weighed in at 109kg. I don’t know what went on, a loss of 7.5kg in 3 days is unexplainable. It was bloody hot in Tamworth over 40c for our whole trip and l was drinking water like a camel, could of been mostly water weight gain l guess.

Lately l have added swimming to my exercising routine, really enjoying it during our heat wave. Still sticking to my walks but just not as long.

My weight loss journey has had many highs and lows and twist and turns, another 5.2kg to go till l reach my goal weight. My 99kg goal weight has been so close many times but yet so far away.

Though there is on certain thing l know, l will never bloody give up!

take care all…..

Bloke41…good morning I was wondering how you were getting on. Your “never bloody give up” inspired me so much last year. I’m so pleased that to hear that you never have done (well apart from the Christmas blip).

Being half asleep here I thought you were talking about Tamworth in the UK…was astonished to hear how hot it was there! I’m a bit slow in the morning! Enjoy the swimming and good luck on the rest of your journey.

thanks angela06, all that pool scooping and cleaning has been worth the effort with the hot spell. Ive got cricket this saturday, hoping weather gods are good to me. have a good one and just one more thing, remember never bloody give up!

Good morning. I was an Aug 29 starter and was successful And mostly maintained until this past winter. I struggled and felt horrible but have decided to restart. I am 6 days in and feeling pretty good. Just wondering how others were doing.

I was an August 29 starter and was not very successful. Lots of ups and downs and am almost back at my starting weight. There, I’ve admitted it. But I have started again, so I haven’t bloody given up! Reviving this thread in case anyone else feels the need to get going again.

Welcome back, Snoop! I can’t say whether or not any of your old friends have been posting on this thread,
but there are weekly challenges and a monthly one that are lively and very active, and you’d be very welcome
to hop on board 🙂 I’m sure that you’d recognize a lot of names there, and meet new friends, also! Looking
forward to getting to know you…

Very best wishes,

Allie

I’m already ‘started’ but getting little loss lately … plus my scales are rubbish!
And I can’t stand on the scales very well either as I’m non weight bearing on a recetly operated on foot so it’s crutches and a bit of a wobble!
But I’ve lost a stone overall and very keen to lose another I hope!
So I’ll happily join you all. Maybe you can all tell me where I’m going wrong!
I had the chicken & lentils tonight but I added in 2 chicken pieces then split it into 2 servings so put one in the freezer. I added kale but cooked it in oil and water as it then tastes better. Used 1 red onion and half a fennel (about the 1st time I’ve used one – just trimmed it as I’d no idea how to properly cut it?) added a small handful of sliced frozen mushrooms too!
Added in various herbs and the lentils near the end of cooking. Was good. 🙂

Hi AuroraMagic,

Sorry for taking so long to come back to you. This an old thread for people who started on 29 August 2016. I was seeing if there was anyone in this original group that wanted to have another go as we had a good vibe going. Looks like there isn’t, so this thread is pretty well defunct. So I’ll probably go looking for another thread to join. As alliecat says, there are plenty of other threads with new starters and weekly and monthly challenges we can join. Have a look about and see if there’s a group that takes your fancy.

As an initial response to your question, I’d say that if you’re not weighing what you’re eating, you might find that useful. It’s all too easy to put more calories on your plate than you realise. Without knowing the amounts you’re using, it’s a bit hard to give any advice. The lentils were the stand-out potential problem for me. I love lentils and could eat far more than is good for me. And perhaps the amount of fat. Every tbsp of olive oil contains 119 calories, for example. Although lots of people think of the BSD diet as low carbs, high fat, I don’t believe that to really be the case. Fat is perhaps high proportionally, but if you’re trying to stick to 800 calories a day, just 1.5 tbsp is getting towards a quarter of your daily intake, so you can’t afford to eat that much.

But that said, it sounds like you’ve made a very good start, scales and crutches notwithstanding! Keep at it and even if you feel like you’ve hit a plateau, if you stick to the plan, it will eventually come right. As bloke41 on this thread used to say, never bloody give up.

Best of luck and best wishes for your post-op recovery.

Hi Snoop

Picked your message up

I am trying VERY VERY hard to maintain

Happy to seek out new thread, to boldly go where no dieter has gone before etc etc

I have already started the 8 weeks and nearly a stone off, wonderful and not TOO difficult to keep going. Wishing you tons of luck and a thinner healthier you

Hi Damejane

Yes I think once it becomes ‘routine’ things become a lot easier !!

Hi Snoop,
Yes and yes. It is still coming off but just less…. Yes I think I will more closely monitor everything. I might even look to buy ‘smaller (weigh) scales’. That is interesting re olive oil.
I think too that some of the meals I’ve had must have taken the calories over, but I’ll learn. 🙂
I’ve enjoyed the lentils but the frozen packet one’s were far easier and quicker to prepare! I hope that the quinoa will be here very soon and then I can have more of those! 😀
I am enjoying some of the new food experiences, once I get over the lack of knowledge on preparation/cooking.
It must be nice to ‘just know’ and it all becomes 2nd nature.
Yes I’m finding other threads to natter on (&on…!) ! 😀 Thanks.

Well, I was thinking of starting a 29 August 2016 revival/reboot thread, but on second thoughts, if we continue here, some of the old crowd might spot the emails coming in and rejoin or give us the benefit of their experience. It’s a bit confusing for people starting in 2018, but no matter. We’re all in it together.

Very glad to have you here 54. You stuck to it far better than me. I went off the rails due to life events and then didn’t get back on track when I should have done. Anyway, that was then and this is now. Still got the old mantra at least: never bloody give up.

Looking for a 30 kg loss in total. Started on 27 July.
4.5 kg down so far
25.5 kg still to go.

Hi snoop

Ups and downs weve all had !!
Good and bad habits pick up also !!

I have learnt THE HARD WAY to only eat things I like !! otherwise i eat the stuff i dont and still go and eat the stuff i like

I have learnt that a healthy portion is a LOT smaller than i think it is !

But have learnt that eating loads of green ‘above ground’ veg makes up for this

i too am a fan of Olive oil, eat virgin and cook with non virgin

I read somehwre that 20ml each day (Uncooked) olive oil was VERY good for the heart and just about everything else including weight loss so I aim to eat 20ml a day (Idont have butter or marge or any other oil / fat at all !!)

i also dont snack at all !

only on a small hadfull or Olives and a ‘few’ (Yes i count them !!) almonds

More ‘top tips’ later !!!

Fat no more but not 54 !!

Can we refer to you as 56andfatnomore? How glorious that you’ve kept “IT” off! 🙂 In terms of cooking oils,
I’ve discovered avocado oil, which has a much higher smoking point than olive oil, for searing protein.
I wonder if it’s available to all of my friends in the UK?

Allie

Hi Allie

I try to keep things VERY simple and easy so Olive oil is the best healthy oil i can get anywhere without thinking about it. And it is good for you. It fights heart disease and all that stuff !!

Yes, I have ups and downs but have learnt loads of tricks and tips to stay roughly at my goal. Now around 12st 7 from 22 stone !!!
The thing is to build routine but stay alert for the pitfalls

DG

Hi 54,

Great tips there and really impressive weight loss. I can’t get lots of the ingredients in the recipes (live miles from anywhere – a decent supermarket is a 90 km round trip, and even then I can’t find much in the way of fancy stuff), so my strategy is a bit of protein and loads of veg for lunch followed by salad for supper, but at the moment I’m only using vinegar for the dressing to give myself a jump start at the diet. I use virgin olive oil for both cooking and eating raw (it’s our local oil) and very occasionally cook fish with butter.

And yes, small portions of everything except veg are where it’s at!

Alliecat, I bought some avocado oil online via Amazon for using with a wok, but it was frighteningly expensive. Might peanut oil do for high temperature cooking?

It’s quite possible that the cost of avocado oil could be prohibitive, Snoop? I often see rapeseed oil mentioned
on the forum. I was just happy to find avocado oil in my market at all! Since there are only 2 of us, we don’t
use it that often 🙂

Wow, Wow, Wow, 54andfatnomore. To have come down from 22 stone is incredible!!! I started at 20stone5lbs.,
and have been maintaining at 9stone12lbs. There aren’t too many of us up in the stratisphere, so it’s so good
to meet you!!! I’m sure that your life has changed dramatically, too! I still don’t recognize who looks back at
me from the mirror… I mostly just want to laugh 🙂 So happy for you!!

Hi Alliecat
Yes avocado oil…. IS available (online) I just had a look but it’s £7.90 for a mere 250ml !!! Yeeesh that is really expensive!
Cheaper to use the best butter ! 😀

Also found coconut oil is around 1L for £7.39 I’ve just found … not as bad – but still pretty pricey. But I’d tend to use it in cooking from recalling a few recipies… than ‘just’ frying…
I’m finding that I’m ordering more in online than at the shops, not least because they don’t sell ‘everything’ … and Holland & Barrett (specialist foods) is typically very expensive. And then I’m not going anywhere becuause of my poor foot! (Finally got a date for physio today, 2wks!) 🙂

Hello alliecat and auroramagic, thought I would stick my oar in !!

I try to keep things very simple because i discovered if i dont i get fed up looking for the ideal/perfect ingredient !!

and if i cant get it at the local coop then its a hassle1

So i use olive oil for cooking and never use butter or marg or strange oils

Hi 54andfatnomore
Yeah I totally agree…
However for me it’s like I’m learning how to cook ‘properly’ with best ingredients. So one one hand I ‘want to try things’ but on the other I’ve budget and value for money to balance out.
So having just placed another online order I’ve got bits of stock food as well as ‘weekl’ food stuffs.
I know that I still get through a fair bit of tea with milk as I use it to help stave off hunger.
I think I have to eat dinner earlier or I’m going to eat too many nuts !
I do get hungry late afternoon. But I ‘trim the protein’ eg if it’s fish and add cheese – I can’t justify the added cheese as that’s another meal for a salad etc… but with seed proteins I’m hoping to eventually figure out what ‘works’ to keep me full & happy.

Many Congratulations on your weight loss. 😀 That’s brilliant.
I’d be interested in what others are ‘actually eating per day as their ‘usual’ diet day food. I don’t think I’m doing anythign odd or different – other than tea perhaps. I know whole milk has more vitamins than other types and to me tastes a lot better. I try not to use more than necessary. I’ve used a cheese nibble once too. But think heating spinach with a little butter might make a better ‘snack’. 🙂

Hello Aurora Magic,
This is my usual pattern of eating when I’m fully on the wagon which I have been throughout August and I have lost a stone so far this month : I water fast throughout the day with a litre jug which I keep refilling and a pot of tokens which I use to keep track – ( drinking 3-4 litres with another 2 litres during the evening) until about 2pm and then I have eggs, usually scrambled with mushrooms, and about 6pm I cook my main meal which consists of fish and a large salad. ( iceberg lettuce, some bagged leaves, a small tomato, cucumber, beetroot). I don’t snack as I don’t feel hungry. I do drink tea for warmth – a couple of cups in the evening. For exercise I swim about three times a week and otherwise I potter about. I’m not a runner or that much of a walker. I certainly don’t go to the gym. Sometimes I miss out the eggs meal – just depends how I feel. It’s working for me. I have another 1.5 stone to go! That’s my target by Christmas.
I am a teacher so in term time I have a litre of water for breakfast, I don’t eat until 12.30pm when I have a small salad and fish and then in the evening I either have more fish with veg or salad or an egg meal. This works and I lose about 1kg a week . I find it harder to drink all the water because it’s not possible to run to the loo at school and so I drink 1 litre as breakfast, 1 more during the day and the rest at home. Probably up to 4 litres a day then.
I never make fancy recipes – although I can cook because I find this keeps me focused and it keeps my shopping simple so that I don’t get distracted by the other tempting items like cheese!
I have been very energised and have managed a major clearout of my garage and filing cabinet this summer which has been a huge morale boost for me.
I hope that helps. Keep on keeping on!

Hello Aurora Magic,
This is my usual pattern of eating when I’m fully on the wagon which I have been throughout August and I have lost a stone so far this month : I water fast throughout the day with a litre jug which I keep refilling and a pot of tokens which I use to keep track – ( drinking 3-4 litres with another 2 litres during the evening) until about 2pm and then I have eggs, usually scrambled with mushrooms, and about 6pm I cook my main meal which consists of fish and a large salad. ( iceberg lettuce, some bagged leaves, a small tomato, cucumber, beetroot). I don’t snack as I don’t feel hungry. I do drink tea for warmth – a couple of cups in the evening. For exercise I swim about three times a week and otherwise I potter about. I’m not a runner or that much of a walker. I certainly don’t go to the gym. Sometimes I miss out the eggs meal – just depends how I feel. It’s working for me. I have another 1.5 stone to go! That’s my target by Christmas.
I am a teacher so in term time I have a litre of water for breakfast, I don’t eat until 12.30pm when I have a small salad and fish and then in the evening I either have more fish with veg or salad or an egg meal. This works and I lose about 1kg a week . I find it harder to drink all the water because it’s not possible to run to the loo at school and so I drink 1 litre as breakfast, 1 more during the day and the rest at home. Probably up to 4 litres a day then.
I never make fancy recipes – although I can cook because I find this keeps me focused and it keeps my shopping simple so that I don’t get distracted by the other tempting items like cheese!
I have been very energised and have managed a major clearout of my garage and filing cabinet this summer which has been a huge morale boost for me.
I hope that helps. Keep on keeping on!

What do I eat as a ‘typical day’

I follow the 8 week diet book for 8 weeks and then spend 4 weeks using recipes not in the meal plan but still in the book or I trawl for ideas on the web

I then do another 8 weeks etc etc
I too drink quite a bit of water 2L + a day and am now very into tea infusions and flavoured teas (No milk)

Breakfast tends to be porridge, or eggs, or fruit and berries as I have tried the other items and dont really like them !!

Lunch is the hardest so either save something from the night before or eggs are a real winner.
Olives are a great snack as well as a few almonds. Most hunger is really thirst so if i feel hungry I have a drink of tea / water and it usualy goes away

I still swim 5 times a week (late night session) and this is the only exercise i get.

We eat out at least once a fortnight and still get take away once a week

I find planning really helps me

keep it up !!

I tend to have very large meals as i stock up with low calories leafy green veg every time

Hi everyone
I hope you don’t mind me joining this thread. I too am a teacher and have had a very inactive summer following an op in June. I am preparing to do the 8 week blood sugar programme when I get back to school from 3rd September.

I have listed lots of recipes from the Blood Sugar Recipe book plus Belinda Berry’s 5.2 Healthy Eating recipe book ( calorie counted meals). Nothing too complicated and I think it’s doable ( hopefully !!) It will definitely be more manageable when I am at school and away from temptation.
I am British but have lived in South West France since 1990. If anyone would like to ‘buddy up’ to give mutual support I would love to hear from you .
All the best to everyone

Hello wendleg, and welcome to the website. How lovely to be living in SW France – a Mediterranean diet on your doorstep! You will find a lot of support and encouragement on these threads, and I look forward to hearing how you get on with this way of eating. I am now maintaining, comfortably within my healthy BMI range, after losing 3 stone between end October and end March this year. This website played a major part in helping me along the way.

I hope someone is along soon to say hello on this thread. It has been active lately, although the 29 August refers to a year or so ago I think. Since the website can be a bit confusing, we have an informal structure of monthly (zoomer) challenges, and weekly (I have a plan) challenges to help people keep focused. 8 weeks can feel a bit long at the start! You will be able to spot the current thread if you look under Latest Forum Posts. So feel free to dip in to whichever group you feel like, you will be welcome, and hopefully find a good mix of new and more experienced BSD-ers.

So, lots of good wishes to you as you start off. For what it’s worth, some suggestions.
1) Do weigh and measure yourself (at several points) at the start so you can enjoy the progress you make.
2) Remember to keep drinking water – at least 2 litres.
3) If you wobble now and again, be a bit more generous on calories, but keep the carbohydrates low.

Best wishes.

Thanks so much for your lovely message caronl. Lots of very useful advice there. Yes, living in France is an advantage as I can have lots of lovely seasonal fruit and veg readily available. Indeed my problem is fruits of which I eat a lot but I am aware after reading The Blood Sugar Diet guidelines that I seriously need to limit this. I don’t eat biscuits or sweets. I make the occasional cake but I have an issue with fruit which is pretty much an addiction for me . I have an aversion to red meat but still eating poultry. I love experimenting with new plant based recipes so I am not fearful of changes there but losing weight has never been easy for me.

I just turned 60 and have had issues with my weight most of my life !! I would like to lose 3 stone also and am detemined. I will be checking the site regularly and dipping into the groups hoping I can find lots of encouragement.
I am getting preparing …making up my menu plans to give me a start so I am ready.

I will be asking lots of questions ! Do you tend to spread the 800 calories through the day or is it ok to say skip breakfast ? I am an early riser and can manage to go without a meal at 6am .

Many thanks for anyone who wants to continue this thread with me !
Wendy (wendleg)

Hi Wendleg

I trust you are well.
Sounds like you are ‘chomping at the bit’ to make a start !!
Living in France sounds great !! (Almost as good as Yorkshire !!)
To answer some of your questions from my own experience so far
Calories: I dont snack (That should say ‘try very hard not too’!!) so i split the 800 over 3 meals a day. I read somewhere that it dosnt matter if you do 1200 one day and 400 the next as long as its an average of 800 !!
Skip meals: Yes the diet does say it is ok to skip meals and Breakfast can be avoided. (I tend to sometimes have a larger BRUNCH) and skip evening meal sometimes if I have had a huge lunch or huge breakfast. The aim is 800 cals for 8 weeks, how you do it ios what you fell ‘comfy’ with
I love fruit BUT have to cut back so seasonal blackberries, apples, pears, raspberries all go in the freezer/the family eat them or are given away to suprised neighbours / family / friends.

I mix and match the recipies/meals so never feel that I am in a rut and there are loads of interesting white meat / fish recipies out there forn low sugar

Hope this helps

Keep it up

54

Hi Wendy. You are sounding very organised, and should be well on your way soon. I am 60 too, and have been fighting my weight for 45 of them. So it is incredibly good to be at a healthy weight now – and the lowest in over 30 years. You can certainly do it too!
You are right to steer clear of fruit at the beginning. Raspberries and other berries are ok in moderation. But more exotic fruits, and even apples, contain a lot of carbohydrates which would hold you back. Chicken, fish, eggs, lots of above ground veg, nuts in moderation, full fat Greek yoghurt. These are all your friends. I promise after a week or so, the desire for sugary things diminishes considerably.

As regards missing meals, I am assuming you are not diabetic when I say it is no problem at all. Indeed it is probably beneficial. Many of us do 16:8s, when we eat nothing for 16 hours (or even 18) and concentrate food into a tighter window – often by skipping breakfast or dinner. This has the advantage of allowing more substantial meals when you do eat. There are also meant to be wider health benefits of intermittent fasting. There is a thread Take a Look which gives some useful links to research. Good luck to you on your journey, and keep an eye out for our new weekly challenge which should start tomorrow. Best wishes.

Thanks again caronl. No I am not diabetic but sugar is very much a problem as far as fruit is concerned. I have dipped into intermittent fasting also ( 5.2) but not for long enough periods. I am hoping to complete the 8 Week challenge and then move on to 5.2 to maintain or keep losing as I doubt I will be at the weight I need to be after 8 weeks ! It is really encouraging that there are lots of interesting recipes available now so it promotes healthier eating. I can remember slimfast and worse in the seventies !
I can’t do ‘vigorous’ exercise at the moment as I had pevic floor surgery in June . I love aqua gym and yoga but can’ t start again until November. In the meantime I can get out and walk with my pedometer but must stay motivated with that .

I will definitely look out for the weekly challenge. My start date is getting closer !

Congratulations on achieving a healthy weight. That must feel brilliant . Well done you !
Have a great day everyone.It’s still sunny and hot here in SW France….back to school on Friday

I started yesterday. I’m a newbie, I want to lose 10lbs. I am doing the 800 cals per day. I already exercise so I will have to see how it goes . Does anyone have any tips for food for hiking, I do 12m on a Sat, we do a fair amount of ascent and descent. My fasting blood sugar has crept up to 6 and I want it to get down to under 5.

Hi Wendleg & Bindy,
Although I’m still a newbie – Welcome. It’s all very friendly and helpful around here ! 😀
I’ve got the books and the recipe book to (the one written by Dr Michael Mosley’s wife Dr Clare Bailey) and then there are a whole heap on line all over the place. But do be aware that this diet concentrates on the Type 2 diabetes so is quite specific about what fruits and veg are OK and/or in moderation or ‘not yet’…
There are seed/nut recipes for ‘lift me up’s’ when you really need something. And there are savory cheese ‘pizza’ topping-like’ snals called muffins. All can be pre-prepared and taken with you.
I’ve had little bother taking lunches out with me and have even taken the half apple, almond butter & a few goji berries out with me! 🙂
I put both books into an excel file so that I can look up full meal / recipe/menu food lists and juggle it any which way to help me.
Apples are fine in moderation and frequant the recipes along with an orange in one recipe. 🙂
I have found like neigh everyone else, that I’ve needed to clear out the cupboards so I had a few weeks of ‘adjusting’.
I too have been overweight for many years, but have been able to see in the last 2 months, my shape shrink and weight drop (& like others too) the scales don’t always move, yet your shape still shrinks! 🙂 (You might experience this too!).
We all tweak the food and ‘diet’ to our preferences… but it has been a learning curve for me to learn what some things are, and then how to actually cook them! But I needed to add to my previously limited food stuffs and eat healthier too, so this is a good way to do this. I need to lose more weight (another 1.5stone to go yet) – I’ve lost roughly 1.5st. But I have every faith that I can do it because I can see it working!
I feel lighter and feel healthier inside. Certainly the foodstuffs are doing me good!
I was thinking just today, that it’s a bit like I’m ‘treating myself’ with foods every day ! Like prawns, avocado, salmon, lots of eggs, nuts, and many veggies! 🙂
I’ve now found online suppliers for many foods, but including psyllium husks (arrived yesterday!) which are meant to be good for lowering cholesterol too (something this diet also helps and that I need to do)! My cupboards are changing ! 😀
So I’ve been finding lots of foods to add to my diet that are new tastes and new recipies! A little bit stressful at first but I’m gradually adding to my food ‘stock’, so that my cupboards and food choices expand. 🙂
It is a long term aim for me to change my ‘way of eating’ probably forever! 🙂

Thank you. I am really struggling with 800 cals, I’m so hungry. I played Tennis yesterday and when I counted the cals at the end of the day I had eaten 1100 cals albeit only 88grams of carbs. I have a reasonably healthy diet anyway and so it is a matter of tweaking it.
I think the day I hike I will have to up my calories. Although I want to lose 10Lbs, I am in a healthy weight range, my main concern is to reduce my fasting sugar down to 5. Its good to be able to share experiences.

Gosh Bindy

It does sound hard doesnt it!!

BUT

You will get used to 800 and your body will too!!

I try very hard to fill up at every main meal with LOADS of vegetables big green leafy ones

also lots of water (The feeling of hunger 80% of the time is a thirst thing. Have a drink when you fancy a nibble and the nibble urge tends to go away (The craving for chocs and bikies tends to be something else . Its a craving) so hunger sometimes isnt really hunger.

It will get better!!

Never give up !!

54

Hi AuroraMagic. Hi Bindy
I am still at the stage where I am reading and gearing up for the 8 Week program, so your expériences are really useful for advice . I still have a few more days before my official start but I won’t binge before hand ( perhaps a daily mini magnum!!!)
Psyllium husks ……I used those to help with constipation after an op. You put the ground powdered husks in water and it creates a slimy consistency that is very effective fibre to Get Things Moving. I will bear that in mind. Has constipation been a problem on 800 cals ?
It’s difficult to imagine what 800 cals looks like but I have stocked up on veg to help initially and have got prawns , eggs and fish ready to go. I agree I see it as ‘treating yourself’ I also ask myself if the food I am about to eat is going to be good for me ( not really the case with mini magnums !!) Fortunately I don’t cope with alcohol very well so that’s not a temptation.
I am going to have to be creative though.I haven’t tried any fancy pizza bases using cauliflower yet but I rate the chia jam from Dr Claire Bailey’s book.
Bindy …wow you are so active. I can understand you would be struggling on 800 cals. Surely all that exercise would allow for a few more cals anyway ? I understand your objective is to lower your fasting sugar levels.
It looks like I will be skipping breakfast as it is not easy for me to eat early in the day. Could you suggest easy light lunches for taking to work ? Otherwise I am going to be consuming most of my cals when I get back after work.

Many thanks and keep going everyone. I am really impressed with your success stories

Hi Bindy,
My experience is that its the level of carbs that makes you hungry. If your insulin level is too high your body can’t access your fat as an alternative food source so your hormones try to push you into eating. I know that the BSD doesn’t set targets for levels of carbs, but many people on the forum will tell you that getting below 50g is more effective and some of us have to aim for around 20g a day. But I promise you, if you do get down to that level the hunger goes.

Thank you. I will try 50g carbs I presume working on the basis of .8g protein per Kg
of weight is applicable to an active person & the rest of the cals are made up of fat. If I am very hungry hiking I will have to eat some nuts. As I exercise 6 days a week I will have to try & work out what is best. I really don’t want to have carb flu again .

Welcome Wendleg! Another person from France is always fun (although our other French poster, Sunshine girl, has been quiet lately). It is good to be gearing up for the BSD, but I would encourage you to do a “soft start” right now and cut the carbohydrates as low as possible so you can adjust gently. You can ease into this way of eating, it doesn’t have to be a rigid start — and it will get easier and easier as you cut your carbohydrate intake and your hunger begins to diminish.
I’m two-plus years at maintenance, but I’m still happily following the basic tenants of this WOE and still keeping my carbohydrates below 50 every day, often even lower.
I would also say, it’s fun to be creative with the recipes and all but there is great value in simplicity too — a simple meal of roasted/grilled beef, fish or chicken with stir fry greens and garlic plus another green veg and a slice of cheese can be absolutely easy and satisfying. If it gets to be a lot of work, just have simple meals.
Hi Bindy! Welcome also! I love that you are a hiker too! Hiking is my favorite way to spend a day — since my OH retired, we’ve made hiking our go-to holidays and daily fun. I have much experience hiking as a low carb person — once you are keto-adapted (below or well below 50 grams carbohydrate per day), you will find you have lots of energy and can hike for hours. On a typical hiking day I will have breakfast of heavy cream in my coffee (about 1 full Tablespoon per cup, yes I use a measuring spoon) and scrambled eggs. My trail snack will likely be nuts (I like cashews) and unsweetened coconut chips and sunflower seeds and maybe jerky bits (a keto trail mix ha ha).
When I’ll done with a big hike, I will be hungry so I eat a hamburger with cheese, no bun, big salad and very very likely, a beer.
I would say you are still too high at 88 gr carbohydrate — keep pulling it down and you will have more energy (cut carbs, add protein and fat) AND, and this is important, if you are working out hard, add in more calories in the form of fat and protein — I always added a bit more when I was doing big workouts/hikes for two good reasons — first, your body needs it (especially the protein, please watch Dr. Bikman’s podcasts) and secondly, I think it trains our bodies to behave properly when we fuel/feed our exercise — this is how it is supposed to work.
Finally ( sorry for so many opinions!!) if you are struggling, cut back in the exercise for a while. I lost faster and easier while I was doing LESS exercise. Counter-intuitive — you can go back to your sporty lifestyle later — you won’t have lost your edge.

Hi 54andfatno more! Good to see your name again! And Aurora you are doing great — good to hear!