Well, as we come towards the end of this year we are left with just one last set of 4 weeks. I suppose it’s now time to reassess.

Most of us started out on our journey in 2016 and whether it’s a case of losing more, be it a little or a lot, or maintaining I think we all would like to end this year’s journey on a high.

We have made 2016 the year when we took our ‘health’ into our own hands and became ‘responsible’. We have shown that we don’t have to accept diabetes as a ‘chronic and debilitating disease that will only get worse’. We have, and will continue, to take control of our blood sugars, we will no longer be controlled by drugs. We will make our own choices .. . carbs or control??

Let’s make 2016 our healthiest year yet and go out on a high….. 2017 is just around the corner and that will be even better!!!

See you on Tuesday 22nd with your goals for the next four weeks.

Have a good day.

Hello Verano
I’m a newbie here and have been lurking for a couple of weeks. I have been ‘semi-following’ bsd for about 3 weeks since my GP told me I needed to lose weight before he’d consider referring me for a hip replacement. Despite not doing it properly, I’ve lost 12lbs and it’s finally sinking in that low-carb works for me. I’m coming up to 57, have been overweight for all of my adult life (and most of my childhood too) and tried every diet in the book but never stuck to it. Each time I fail, I end up heavier than I started! So … although I’ll never be as dedicated as some of the amazing people here, I am starting to realise that I need to embrace this as a way of life, so I would love to join you in your 4-week run up to Christmas, if that’s ok? I’ve ordered the recipe book and bought a spiralizer, so all good to go!
Immi

Hi immi60

Good to have you join us. We can all help each other… wisdom of the ‘elders’ enthusiasm of the ‘newbies’. One day we reach the point, that Krysia is at and I’m sure sunshine-girl is too, when actually low carb is your ‘way of life’ and carbs are no longer of interest.

Spiralising is great! I don’t think I ate a courgette, apart from hidden in a bolognese, before my spiraliser !!!

A new hip will be a new life …. keep that in your mind everyday and you will reach your goal.

See you Tuesday.

Thanks Verano

It’s taken a long time to find my ‘lightbulb’ moment but finally think I’m there! Looking forward to being a bionic granny !!

See you Tuesday.

Hi Verano

Can I join you?

Always one to be awkward, I began on 19th December 2015, so my first anniversary is imminent!😀😱

As I find myself under 9 stone for the first time in years (and I had been ill last time!) my goal for Christmas is to maintain under 9 stone.

Hi there

I’d like to join if I may – I am currently 4.25lbs from my target – which is 9st 2 lbs. I would love to lose that before Christmas so a four week challenge sounds like a great idea – with all the madness and debauchery of the silly season, I will definitely benefit from having a focus. Will try to post as often as possible – starting tomorrow with my weekly weigh in!

Lynne – you are truly an inspiration, and have done so well and must be looking forward to your anniversary – what an achievement. emotionally it must be great to think ‘I’ve done this for a year – there’s no stopping me now!’

TC

Hi TC

Thanks. The challenge now is to maintain when there’s not a target to aim for.

I went under my original target to give me wriggle room.

Now I’m under my revised target and would like to stay around where I am. Have to say I like seeing figure on scales start with 8. Much nicer than 16. Or even 9.

Have to stay around current weight, not only for me, but to prove a point to all those who say it’s not sustainable! And to keep the diabetes at bay!

Hi Verano and everyone! I’d like to join in on “our last 4 in 2016”. The holidays are always a time of lots of treats around so it will be nice to know I’m not alone in not having it. I’ve been on the BSD 800 calorie plan since October 9th, 2016 and have lost 16 lbs to date. I’m starting my 7th week today!!! Yay! My blood sugar is in normal range now which feels great. Looking forward to checking in with everyone during the last 4 weeks of 2016.

Can I Join too please!! First day tomorrow

Yeaaaa Verano

I love strictly, and I am finally ready to commit I know I’ve said this quite a few times but I’m really ready now, have maintained my 2 1/2 stone so now want to push on more, dah dah dah dah dah you know the strictly tune , ooh lovely I want the boil to win if you’re into strictly you will know what I mean hehe .

How the hecky peck is every one, I’ve been dipping in a little bit, but missed you guys. 💛💛💛

So bring on the 22 nd, ooh I’m getting revved up now. Can’t wait to get back into the flow. 💃💃💃🙋🙋🙋💃💃💃

Hi Verano

I’m in. I should be on week 7 starting tomorrow and I weigh on Mondays so am happy to do 10 weeks, not 8,.

My goals are

– to get into my gorgeous (got it in the sale) Hobbs party dress for an amazing ‘do’ on Christmas Eve’s eve and feel really confident in it, not hide myself away in the corner
– I’m 20lbs off now, so I’d like to be 30 off in 10 weeks – and that would be AMAZING
– to behave myself and choose well in the run up to Christmas
– to up my exercise by 2 more sessions a week
– to keep my fasting blood glucose at 5 or below throughout

Strictly come BSD’ing. I love it! MK x

Hi Verano – I would like to join this thread also. Just what I need in the weeks before Christmas.

I think this is going to be a super thread.

Just posted and it disappeared into the ether!!!

Welcome to all the new posters.

Krysia I think you’re right this will be a super thread …. I can feel the ‘party’ starting!!

I saw the coke ‘holidays are coming’ advert last night for the first time this year. It will soon really start to feel like the holidays are coming.

Let’s make this a great challenge to end the year!

Please may I join you?
I started on 10/10 so am due to start week 7 tomorrow, but this four week challenge is just what I need to motivate me over the next few weeks. I have a very big birthday, two weekends away and then our son and family arrive for Christmas from USA. I aim to continue eating low carb and when I can, keep the faith of the BSD.
X B

If I may I’ll join this festive sleigh ride.

I’m currently 19st 6lb and would love to get down to 19st 3, as that would be the 60lb off milestone, by Christmas then take a bit of a break and start the new year to to focus on the remaining 40lb.

Obviously if I could get to 19st that would be 4.5 stone gone, that would be brilliant but a week working in the US probably rules that out.

I would love to join this thread too, weekends are my danger time and I really have to knuckle down now, having just done (another!) bit of damage at husbands work function! So if there’s room on that sleigh…😀

I’ll join in as well, with my last week of 800 calories starting tomorrow being the first week, to try to lose a few more pounds, and a goal of no days over 40g carb during it. The following three weeks will be back to my old 4:3 pattern, and with a goal of maintaining the same weight within a range of + – 3 pounds. Any further decisions on how much more weight to lose then will be left until after the new year when I see how the holiday season has gone.

It’s the bonkers BSD strictly party 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

Yeahhhh the boil lives to see another week 🎉🎉🎉👏👏👏🎉🎉🎉

Jan what is he doing to keep staying!!!!!!! Sometimes I wonder if I’m watching the same program as everyone else! But he is fun!!!!

Is Honey G finally going????? If not it’s definitely a fix!!!

Hi to all the new posters and welcome …. this challenge will only be as successful as we make it. Sometimes reporting bad days, warts and all, makes us all question what we’re doing, good and bad, and renews all of our motivation …. so just keep posting.

At the moment we are 13 but there are still a few more at least to come over to this thread. Let’s try and end up with the same number (or more) on December 20th!

Verano

Who’s honey g

Honey G, X Factor joke act …. middle class, mid 3O’s woman, trying to be a wrapper!!! Bad bad bad!!! Has just been kept in the sing off ….. it’s a fix!!!!

I’m in! I’m another one who is now starting week 7 of BSD but planning to continue closer to Christmas. I’ve just had a very wobbly week-and -a-half and I need an extra shove to get through these next four weeks.

So glad to see so many of us on board for the next 4 weeks! My first challenge will be this coming Thursday; Thanksgiving Day here in the U. S.! My husband and I are having our family over for dinner. There will be turkey, mashed potato’s and gravy, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls and butter, cranberry sauce, salad, green beans and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. My plan is to eat turkey, green salad and green beans! I know I’m going to be so proud of myself on Friday when I wake up and know I stuck to my BSD. I WILL DO THIS!!!!

Hi jmarie you CAN do it.

You could still have the butter but maybe on the beans not on the bread!! No problem with the cream just have it with blueberries or similar.

You WILL be so proud of yourself come Friday!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! What a challenge – I will congratulate you in advance because I KNOW you are going to be just fine – good luck!!

Initial weigh in for this 4 weeker and I am another 0.25lbs down – with 4lbs now until target – tiny amount I know but at least it’s a nice round figure for this challenge – 4 weeks / 4lbs – easy peasy (hopefully!!)

Hi All,
I’m in too! Tomorrow will be the start of week 4 for me so my official end of 8 weeks is Boxing Day! eek!
I’m totally motivated at the moment and have increased my water intake to 3-3.5 litres per day and I’m hoping that helps.
I lost 11.5lbs week 1, 2.5lbs weeks 2 and tomorrow will be the weigh in day for week 3. I’m hoping for a 3lb loss this week.
JulesMaigret – 4.5 stone is a fantastic achievement and one I hope I can emulate. I started at 234lbs and am currently 220lbs so I have another 80lbs to my target which I’m hoping to reach by August 2017.
It’s so great having everyone to chat with and share stories etc.
Weight loss wishes to all.
Nicky

Thank you Verano and Topcac! I really feel your support and the support of this entire group. If anyone is out there lurking, come join us. The more the merrier! I like your tips Verano. Great idea to use a little butter on the beans and blueberries or similar fruit with cream for dessert. Anyone else have any tips for success in getting through Thanksgiving dinner without eating carbs?
This morning I was another pound down and now have lost 17 lbs. I started week 7 yesterday!
I started out at 157.5 lbs. and now weigh 140.5 lbs. I’m a shorty at 5 ft. tall so feeling good about this amount of weight off. I have an identical twin sister and I’m hoping she gets on board. She wishes she would have started with me but has had a few family issues that have made it difficult for her to start. At least she can see the results that can be her’s if she decides to give the BSD a try.
Welcome everyone who is joining in! Looking forward to sharing the holiday’s in support of each other on our BSD journey.

May I join in please.
I am in week eight which finishes on Saturday. I am going to continue with the diet until I am at a weight I am happy with.
Not set myself any goals. Should I?
I have spent the morning cooking meals for our daughter who is a single parent studying and watching the weight go on.
One batch of chicken korma, one batch easy bolognaise, one batch aubergine lasagne and one batch of lamb tagine.
Oh and a whole red cabbage and apple cooked and portioned for her..
My husband has been shopping and has bought the sausages and bacon for me to do the pigs in blankets for freezing ready for christmas. I like to be prepared. I will also do the red cabbage recipe for our freezer as we enjoy it so much.

I have been so busy today I have not eaten! My tummy has just rumbled and the dog looked up as if to say what on earth was that!

I am sure everyone will do well on the run up to christmas.

First minor victory, I am off to a Christmas meal with a client and their team and all of the options were stunningly against BSD principles. I’ve just called the restaurant and they’re willing to do me a monkfish in pancetta with roasted vegetables rather than the other unbelievably carby options. I’m guessing a good tip will be forthcoming.

NickyH43. . .just wanted to say congrats on the impressive weight loss so far. You are doing fantastic!
Mixnmatch. . .must feel great to be starting your final 8 weeks! I like your plan of monitoring your maintenance of your weight and readjusting at the New Year if needed.
Topcac. . .your plan seems to be progressing nicely. I like that your scale shows quarter pounds. Mine only shows half lbs. What kind of scale is it?
inka13. . .glad you’ve joined. Those weekends can be rough; especially when there are party’s to attend.
Natalie. . . yay! week 7 for you. Great news!
newme16. . . wishing you a great start on the BSD!
JulesMaigret. . .what an impressive amount of weight you have lost. You must be feeling so good! How long has it taken to lose the weight? Have you had any difficult weeks?
immi60. . .so glad you found your “light bulb moment”. I can empathize with your hip replacement situation. I too have to have a knee replacement and part of my goal on the BSD is to not only get my blood sugar down but to lose enough weight to be healthier for the upcoming surgery and to ease the weight on my joints.
BusyBee. . .welcome. . .so glad you’ve joined this sleigh ride. . .is it your big birthday coming up or someone else’s? You have a lot to look forward to with your family coming for a visit.
Maharani kitten. . .20 lbs off so far. Wow! That is wonderful. You’ll for sure be in that beautiful dress by Christmas Eve.
KrysiaD. . .great to see you on this thread
greenJanet. . . glad your riding on this sleigh. 2 and half stones down! That is wonderful!!!!
CaptainLynne. . . for sure your going to prove to your friends and family that you can keep the weight you’ve lost off. I’m glad you are sharing this with us. I want to learn from you how to be successful!

I hope I haven’t left anyone out. So glad you’re all here for the sleigh ride!!!! :–)

Thanks for starting this forum Verano! Great idea. The sleigh is full but lighter than it was a few weeks or months ago so there is room for many more supporters to join in for the ride. If you’ve been here a long while or just starting it doesn’t matter. It’s great to share in the support with you!

If anyone has any fun festive recipes that fit in with the BSD, post them.

I have one that is very tasty! You can’t have much because of the calories but the carbs are low.
Here is the recipe:
Take a thin slice of salami and put a bit of cream cheese on it.
Place a piece of sundried tomato on top of the cream cheese.
Roll the salami up and put a decorative tooth pick through it.
Place these salami roll ups on a pretty place in a decorative round pattern.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
You guests will gobble these up and you’ll be able to enjoy a few yourself. So good!

Another low carb festive appetizer is the following. It doesn’t have a name but maybe one of you can come up with a fun one for it.
Here it is:
Take a wooden kebob stick
Put green olive, kalamata olive, roasted and pickled red pepper, marinated artichoke, small balls of mozarella cheese, mushroom and small cherry tomatoes. (add any other veggie you like).
Alternate the veggies and cheese in any order you like. You can use very little cheese and they still taste good.
Put the skewers (Kabob sticks) on a decorative plate.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
These are easy to make ahead and a nice low carb appetizer to share and enjoy one or two for yourself.

Verano – how many reindeer are needed to pull this sleigh, and what do you feed them on? Do we have to return them to Father Christmas? 😀

Recipe for bread sauce substitute

So easy steam cauliflower ( I’ve discovered frozen prepared is easy) once cooked strain add a little chicken stock and butter salt and pepper and blend with a stick blender until completely smooth no lumps. It tastes like a cloud and so good with chicken or turkey

Hi all

Well done JulesM … there always is a way around things and forward planning is definitely the way to go. I’m sure when you go to the states you will find food other than Big Macs to keep you going!!!

Lynne … we are going to need one huge sleigh!!! Think it may be better to order a fleet as there are 18 of us so far and I’m sure there are one or two more who will come over from our last four week challenge which ends tomorrow.

As for the number of reindeer I can’t begin to calculate!!! I think after they’ve pulled us ( excluding the light weights!) around for four weeks they’ll be too knackered to start delivering presents !!! They may just need to go into retirement!!! But hey ho we may all lose so much weight that their burden becomes a light one!!! I hope!

As for feeding them if we have to go without carbs so do they!!! A few carrots will have to surfice with maybe the odd chunk of meat thrown in … are they carnivores????

Hello peeps. I’m a bit lonely on my thread so joining the party 🙂

I’ve just done 8 weeks, lost 8.8kg and 13cm off my waist. In the groove since it is working so well so game on for even better results by Christmas.

Fairyface pleased you’re joining us. As for goals hats up to you. Some people work much better with goals and others find them destructive.

My new mantra is ….
Set your goals.
Stick to the plan.
Work hard,
Stay positive.
NEVER forget your goals.

But those goals can be mini or maxi … the choice is yours.

Welcome tigs … now we’re 19 and climbing!!!

Verano

However many reindeer we need – I’ve just checked online and they are plant eaters. So green veg, the occasional carrot, and an apple as an occasional treat! Very BSD 😀 That must be why we leave carrots out for them!

This could be their training programme for Christmas Eve 😀

Thank you for the welcome Verano.
I think just getting to a healthy BMI will be my goal;-)

Lynne … well that’s good! If they were bread eaters we’d be in real trouble!!!

Maybe you’re right, lots of heaving and pulling fuelled by lots of ‘greens’ with the odd treat, may very well make them lean and lithe too!!!

I’m in too! This is my first big holiday trying to maintain my happy goal weight and Thanksgiving is around the corner with pumpkin pie and pecan pie calling my name. My goal is just to not gain anything and start 2017 in a great place! Thanks for starting this new thread!

Evening all! I too would like to join. I have started my journey today, and I’m feeling quite focused! I have one blip ahead of me, a staff Christmas meal – which I may have ordered 3 courses…. but, I think it will be okay to have this as a treat to look forward to!
Weekends are my total downfall. I cannot remain on a diet on a weekend – but I am going to give it a really good go this weekend!

Good luck all,

Lyns

Welcome to our new posters.

For our new BSD’ers my take is that when you first start the journey you wonder how life will ever go on without bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, but you know there are so many people here who are testiment to life without, not only continuing, but being so so much better than before BSD.

It depends on whether you are looking to reverse diabetes or loose weight, for vanity or health reasons, or a mixture of both. We each have our own goals but there are a few things we all have in common….

After a time you lose the taste and desire for simple carbs. You may have the odd piece of dark chocolate but a slice of bread has the appeal of a piece of cardboard! Red wine is a treat, but you no longer feel ‘deprived’ because you choose to not have a piece of pecan pie or pavlova .

In time we all reach a new normality where simple carbs are no longer part of our lives and we don’t feel deprived. You will get to the point where carbs aren’t a ‘treat’!!!

Good luck on your journey.

Hi jmarie41

I’m ashamed to say my scales are from weight watchers!!!! Oh the shame!! Still, they do weigh in quarter pounds so for someone like me who likes to see movement every week no matter how small, they’ve been a godsend 😃

Topcac
My scales also weigh in quarter pounds and I agree they are a godsend. Even a quarter pound loss is really welcome.

Thanks for the welcome. Game on or should I say time to party! My goal is to reach healthy BMI too so about 4kg off by Christmas.

No need to feel ashamed about weight watchers! I’ve been there quite a few times myself.
So nice you have the scale still that weighs in quarter pound increments. I really like that feature!

Welcome everyone who joined in today! Happy you are here. :–)

I found a way to motivate myself to work out today! I told myself that I can’t read a book I’m really enjoying unless I’m working out. I can read it while I ride my stationary bike, elliptical or treadmill! It’s working!! The book’s getting really good and I’m looking forward to working out so I can read it. :–)

May I join too? Have just completed 8 weeks. 200lbs down to 176.2 so far. Intend continuing. Can just about get into 18 from 22. Have been fat since toddler. Yo yo dieter gaining more each time. Am very pleased with and comfortable on Bsd. Been lurking reading posts for a while but would love to join the sleigh ride!

I’m getting on the ” Strictly” train too before it leaves the station. Going away on the 23rd Dec through 26th so I would like a boost . I started the BSD on 10/10 so am almost done with the first 8 weeks. Loss = 18 lbs. In four weeks more, would like to make it up to a 25lb. loss, so aiming for 7lbs.during this time. If possible.

I am so motivated by the successes of everyone. There always seems to be a helping hand, for when things are not so great. This is a good place.