busybee – don’t beat yourself up. There are a few of us back here this week feeling that things haven’t gone to plan- me included! I am hoping that we can get back on track and going back to basics will help. You’ve done the right thing coming on here. Those pounds do creep back on a lot quicker than they shed! Lovely to see youre back with us and sharing the ups and downs. Have a good week. I am 2.6 lb up from my goal. I plan to have them gone asap!

My scales fluctuate so much its hard to know what my actual weight is but I going for 14.11, which is about 6-8lbs since I started 2 and a bit weeks ago. I was having a bit of a wobble but am back on the straight and strict path. I am just focusing in this next 3 weeks, if I admit that I realistically will need to do this for months and months it seems to daunting. So I have a red jumper that I am keen to get into. I can get it on but I look like an over stuffed sausage in it. So thats my first goal, look less sausage like in my jumper. I walked into town today so a nice bit of steady low impact exercise about 2 miles. Will go for a swim this evening. In other good news our 20 year old campervan only cost £200 to get through its mot, which is a relief, so camping with the kids here we come, when the weather warns up brrrr. Good luck everyone, its such an unforgiving diet but really works when you are strict.

Blessed enough you made me chuckle with your over-stuffed sausage comment 🙂 I have a few clothes I look like that in too!
I’ve had a good week with a 1.5kg, or 3.3lb loss, so a bit closer to my goal for this round, it’s now only another 2.1kg away.
I still need to read a lot of the last few days posts on here, but did want to say welcome back Cathy and good luck 🙂

Just back from swimming and I felt like I could go on and on. Hopefully that mythical energy boost has began because until now I have just felt knackered.
Had a good day food wise, come it at 750 cals 16g carbs. Plus walking and swimming, feeling very pleased with myself 😂

What marvellous results have been posted! Congratulations to you all and those who didn’t have such a good result, I’m with you in spirit as I have, yet again, bounced up away from my final goal. I know it will happen if I keep at it but this period is so frustrating 🙁

Oh2bethin what a fantastic first week! Go you, you must be wreathed in smiles 🙂

Just sharing that I’ve just completed a lunchtime to lunchtime fast. Lots of water and green or herbal teas. It wasn’t difficult although the thought of food was often present. Went for a walk with OH mid-morning, a smidge under 4km but with a cuppa at a local cafe as our turn-around point. Medium pace as OH is 80 with heart & stroke history. This suited me on my first real fast (exc for pre tests or ops or post-op blahs) not to push too hard.
I tend to have small breakfasts & dinners and large lunch, so had my large salad+cheese+tuna+sauerkraut and am feeling so full. When/if I do this again I think I’ll start off with something smaller.

Sueblue wowser so close to your target! Clarinetcathy and Busybee, hats off to you for jumping to attention with determination. I’ll be quite new to maintenance shortly so huge thanks fir sharing your exoetience and strategies.

Marsie, isn’t it interesting how simple it turns out to be to think food but not do food, if you are ready and well placed for a fast? Well done!

And big cheers to everyone else, this has flipped to a new page so I can’t scroll up and down 😭. That’s Week 1 done!

Morning – thanks Mariet I know it’s all fluid but the mental boost it has given me is keeping me proper focused also measured my waist yesterday and down 2inches 😱 that put a bigger smile on my face and a happy dance 💃 lol.
You are soooo close it will come.

Marsie congratulations on your fast I know even if I do 16:8 I have to watch what my first meal is coming out and have learned that if I am eating my usual salads I have to eat the greens first then the protein if I consume the salad along with the protein my insides rebel.

I have a snow day here in the North Highlands, ice & white out conditions so working from home today thinking about making soup. Anyone got any good low carb soup recipes?

Hi Marsie,

There was an interesting program on making the most of exercise on channel 4 in the UK tuesday evening at 8pm. – Just being specific so anyone in other countries can watch it on the on demand options.
They said that you get the same exercise benefits from walking as running the same distance. In this case it was a 5km route. They also said that you burn double the amount of fat if you take the exercise in a morning without eating breakfast than if you have eaten breakfast before going for the walk. – Your post made me think these snippets of information could combine to be a useful tip for anyone reading your post who is thinking about starting out on IF.

Such a busy thread – so well done all losers. Some really good losses posted yesterday and keep at it those who were disappointed. I was disappointed with my 2lb loss this week, but I suppose the weight loss will slow down the longer I do this. I’m now into week 9 which is when I gave up last year so I can’t allow myself to make the same mistake.
Not such a good day food-wise yesterday – stuck to my usual meals and calories then had cravings in the evening and I can only describe it as a binge – I couldn’t stop eating cheese and nuts (luckily they were the only indulgent food I had in the house). I’m a lb heavier today but I will get rid of it by next weigh-in day!
London is covered in snow today – or I should say melted snow and sludge on the pavements. Regent’s park is lovely and quite a few people having snowball fights at lunchtime. Too cold for me so I just watched them from the window.
I’ve signed up for a fundraising activity for Cancer Research UK – Walk Over Cancer. I’ve committed to doing 10,000 steps every day for the whole of March – I start tomorrow. It doesn’t bode well with this weather – I hate icy weather and dread falling over. I may have to start pacing (a lot!) at home to make up the steps.
JGwen – that is very interesting about burning more fat if you exercise before breakfast. I didn’t watch the programme last night but sounds like it might be worth watching on catch up. Perhaps I should go for a walk before breakfast this month to make up my steps and burn some fat.

KOKO everyone – and those of you in very cold UK, keep warm. Those of you in sunnier climes – Iucky you 🙂

Gattina – ive only just started this on Monday and i thought this was a 8wk 800 per day plan but you mention your on wk9.. are you doing something different this week or still doing 800 calories a day ?

Hi Bigmama99,
There are a lot of us who continue on the 800 cal low carb plan beyond the 8 weeks because we have more weight to loose. I started in mid October, am down 27.4kg so far and have another 6.6kg to get down to my initial target, but can see that there will still be some fat to loose beyond that.
When I started I couldn’t have imagined that I would be able to face any more than 8 weeks of this Way of Eating (WoE). But by the end of the 8 weeks I didn’t want to go back to eating as much as I used to. My experience is that its easier to get into long term good habits on what to eat by continuing through rather than dropping and out of the WoE. I know that some on the forum go to the 5:2 after their initial 8 weeks and for some people a slower rate of weight loss suits them. For me I found over time that my body naturally wanted to follow a pattern of eating in a 3 or 4 hour window each day which gives me lots of options for a meal while staying around the 20g carb and burning off the fat.
Once I get down to my target dress size, then I will look at increasing food and carb levels a little at a time, but by then I will have reduced my fat stores to the point where I will not have the fat to live off.

Hi Bigmama – I’ve just posted on your other thread.
I am sticking to the 800 calories and 30g carbs. As JGwen says I have a lot to lose and so am continuing. I’m doing well on this woe so I would like to see it through a bit longer.
Last year I did the diet for 8 weeks and then in week 9 tried to increase my calories but by week 10 I had lost control and just binged for the rest of the year. I started this year at 1lb heavier than last year. I have a long way to go so I imagine I will switch to the 5:2 at some point but not just yet.
See how you go with the 8 weeks and then decide if it’s something you want to continue with or make a change – we all have to find a way that’s works for us.

Hi Bigmama99

I started BSD 800 in January last year and it took me until November to lose my weight. I am a slow loser and lost three stone in 10 months. I did one round of eight weeks and lost 17 lb and then just continued week by week until I got to my goal weight. There were plateau weeks along the way but with the help of the lovely people on here I kept my resolve and kept plodding. I have been maintaining since November and recently put on 3lb hence am back on track, I am hoping to lose another half stone so have embarked on another 8 weeks BSD and joined in the March thread to help me. Some people lose weight quicker than others, I was slow and steady. Once you get into the swing of things and see how your weight comes off you will be able to decide what is the best way for you. Don’t compare your weight loss to anyone else would be my top tip. Sometimes the scales didn’t move for me but my clothes were looser.

SueBlue- you’re doing so well and I am so impressed by your resolve to keep on plodding, I’ve been plodding along even though I got to goal- I have a feeling we will always be plodding to success. How far are you off your goal?

thanks all for your replies .. as im only on w1d3 at the moment im just taking 1 week at a time and see how i go each week .. but it was interesting to know what you all did when you got to the 8wk mark.. . so far so good for me & today i haven’t been as hungry as i was yesterday so thats a bonus. I’m going to weigh myself tomorrow for the 1st time since Monday so will see if ive lost owt ! 😁

Flick thanks for the congratulations. Unfortunately though I’m still about 17-19kg away from my final target weight, the 2.1kg I mentioned is how much I still need to lose to reach my target weight for this 4 week challenge 🙂

Oh to be thin – I can recommend the roasted butternut squash and red capsicum soup in the 8 week BSD recipe book – it is delicious!
Marsie – well done on your fast 🙂 like you, the only times I’ve fasted have been for medical reasons, I really must try it as I keep reading about how well everyone is doing with them.
JGwen – thanks for posting the info about losing more fat by walking before breakfast – another thing I can try 🙂
Gattina – a 2lb loss is great! Any loss is great in my book, and yes definitely the rate of loss slows down the longer you go along, in my experience anyway.
Big mama – I started in Jan 2017 and did the initial 8 weeks at 800 calories, but as I still had a lot more weight to lose I’ve kept going. I usually eat about 1000-1200 calories though on 4-5 days a week, and 800 on the other days.
Unfortunately I’m a slow loser, I have an auto-immune condition and was on daily steroids up until a month ago. Steroids unfortunately cause weight gain, which didn’t help my cause! This is why I’m still here, I find the 4 week challenges keep me focussed, and it’s easier working towards a smaller mini-goal, rather than focussing on the end goal.
Cathy – thanks for your good wishes 🙂 yes I’m still plodding along! In December 2016 I weighed 103.6kg, I started BSD in Jan 2017 as you know, and I got down to 91.1kg by November, so a 12.5kg loss. Then came Christmas, New Year, change of medication, changes at work… and at the end of January/early Feb I was back up to 95.8kg! It’s very disheartening as I lose weight so slowly (but put on so quickly!). I was back where I was last June/July.
Anyway I joined in the Feb challenge, and now this March one and I’m down to 93.3kg, so getting there…if I can lose another 2.1kg I’ll be back to where I was in November.
My goal for this year, set on Jan 1, is to lose ‘18 in 18’, so 18kg over the year. This would see me in the healthy weight range for my height. So I guess I’ll just keep plodding on till then!
Didn’t mean to this post to be so long, and I’m sure I’ve missed some replies but have to go to work now. Luckily it’s forecast to be 29 deg C and sunny – I wish I could send some of the warmth here in Sydney to all of you who are shivering through the cold snap in europe and UK 🌞🌞🌞

Oh2bthin, Broccoli & stilton (or camembert or any soft cheese) is delicious, recipes all over the net. I add a little chilli for extra warming in winter. Leave out the potato of course and I use eschallots rather than onions and use chicken stock rather than vege stock. 1 head of broccoli & 140g cheese makes 6 portions with 1.9g carbs and less than 200cal per portion.

morning all

today down 0.1lb, new low
to goal – 3.1lb.

SueBlue – deeply impressed by your perseverance. I guess that the fact that you have these extra hurdles to work through mean it is more likely to stay off when you are in maintenance as you will have had that time to work on your mindset?

Shivering here in cold blighty. Snow forecast throughout the day and through tomorrow. This will probably bring the country to a screeching halt and boy it feels much harder to keep hunger at bay.

go well x

Hi Everyone
Sorry for the late report-in. I’ve been away with my son since Sunday and only got back yesterday. (Quite a drive – Cardiff to north-east England!).
Happy to report a 2lbs weight loss for this week (well, up to today). Hurrah! So, I’m now 9st 9lbs (61.2 kgs). I’m pleased with that because we’ve been having restaurant meals, etc. for the last few days. But I’ve been really careful, not had breakfast, stuck to BSD food only, sipped lots of hot water, and my steps have been around 17 – 18000 each day.
I’m happy – my weight is moving downwards again and I’ve shifted further into the healthy weight range.
I haven’t had a chance to read everyone’s posts yet, will do this later, but hope everyone is doing well – and congratulations, Mokovex, on your new low!

I know what you mean mokovex it’s freezing. I’m tempted to stay home today but I won’t get much done if I do. This is not a good day to start my stepping challenge.

Well done Marie that’s a good result 😀

Good morning everyone, 2 good thing this morning
Firstly, I now have have 1 st to go to reach my target.
Secondly I did another 30 hour fast (lunch to supper the next day) without too much difficulty. It seems to work for me!

Mariet – soup sounds amazing. I’ll look into that.

Well done VictoriaM in getting to within a stone of your target.

Mokovex, I am so with you on the cold making me hungry. I am working from home this morning due to the snow and already I have had a piece of broccolli bread with peanut butter and at work I wouldn’t eat till lunchtime. It was only by a narrow squawk that I passed the porridge by.
Still I’m doing better than my daughter who posted a pic of some chocolate hobnobs she’d bought “in case we get snowed in at the office”. Her office is in Belgrave Square, London about the least likely place ever to get snowed in.

hi all.. it’s day w1d4 for me and 1st time ive weighed myself since Monday.. . I started on Monday at 117.7kgs and the scales today said 114kgs… now I had to get on/off the scales a couple times as i couldnt believe it… 3.7kgs(8.2lbs) in 3 days .. that’s mad ! I will now wait till next Monday to have my official weigh in but seeing that on the scale definately motivates me to carry on ! i know its water and I’m not under any illusion that it will be like this every week but still can’t believe I’ve lost it so quickly. my weight is always up/down daily so thats why im only weighing twice a week on a Mon & Thur else if i get on the scales tomorrow and its back up again i will think “whats the point”… so fingers crossed on Monday it will have still lost.

Shanshu – there’s a soup in the Recipes on here Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup which is also good, although I do like Stilton, too.

VictoriaM – congratulations from me, too – only 1 stone to go is great news – it feels so much more doable, doesn’t it.

Gattina – thanks, I’m pleased because I lost nothing on the last 4 week challenge. I know what you mean about the steps challenge. I did well this week. I was down in Cardiff (where I once lived many years ago) and was determined to get out and see the place again. It was bitterly cold, especially at Cardiff Bay, where we were staying, but no snow. Now, I’m back home and there is snow everywhere so a few day indoors for me – maybe now’s a good time for some of Allie’s kitchen worktop lunges!

I experienced a quite funny NSV while I was away. I had with me a mix of fairly new (size 14/16)clothes – well leggings, and the thicker leggings?!? I use now in exercise classes, etc as well as one or two of my favourite older winter dresses (size 18/20). Going out and about in the bitterly cold weather I was able to wear a pair of thick tights, under my thicker leggings, with an M&S thermal vest, a new fitted jumper (size S/M), and still top them all with a lovely warm winter shift dress. Result!

Edited: fantastic result bigmama99 – well done, that woman!

Oh, Marie, that’s a lot of clothes…you’re a walking wardrobe 🙂
I’m so glad that you had some special days away with your son!
Great work navigating restaurant menus,too. I’m DE-LIGHTED
to hear that I still have my kitchen dance partner!
For everyone unaccustomed to the bitter cold, here’s a somewhat
curious tale…Here in the States, we’ve had many weeks of
sub-zero temps. My apartment heating couldn’t handle the
challenge so I was shivering for days. At the same time, I
was perspiring under my arms! I’m in maintenance and can’t
really afford to lose extra pounds, but at the 5 day weigh in I
was down 3 lbs. It seems that my internal combustion engine
was working overtime to heat my body, and in so doing
burned many more calories! Hope this quixotic phenomenon
might happen for you, as long as you can’t do anything
about the weather anyway 🙂
Congratulations to all who are having a good week.
Big Mama, that may be some kind of a record for 4 days in!
If you enter “whoosh effect” in the search box, it will be a
great help to you in understanding the mechanism of how
fat cells collapse. Keep up the good work 🙂
Great day, everyone…Carry On..

Allie

Marie, so pleased you had a good few days with your son and managed to negotiate eating out so well. I think your are competing with me on the clothes layering front – I’m wrapped up in so many layers I must look almost as fat as I used to be before finding BSD! And I’m still cold!!

Allie, funny just reading your post, as I have just posted about the same phenomenon on our maintenance thread. I’ve dropped 3lbs this week, whilst definitely eating up to my TDEE. Hopefully other people who actually want to lose the pounds (unlike me) will experience the same side-effect of these freezing temperatures.

Hi all

I started on Monday and have lost 4 pounds so far. I’ve been sticking to 800 calories, 10 carbs and 23:1 fasting. I’m really insulin resistant so I have to be really strict if I’m going to lose weight and hopefully reverse my insulin resistance at the end of 8 or 16 weeks. I’m having a week off after 8 weeks in Indonesia, so something to work towards in terms of swimsuits 😊

Day 4 and I’m so hungry I’m ready to eat my arm. Been OK day 1-3 so will power through 💪

Hope you guys are all safe and warm. x

Hi heidio79 you are being very strict but I suppose a swimsuit in Indonesia is a great incentive, its an amazing place! Good luck with your efforts.

Thanks 😊 I’ve been on 1575 cals and 20g carbs for months now but have not lost anything in a very long time. Something’s gotta give and I need to reverse this terrible insulin resistance 💪

Heidio79 its my w1d4 too today and im so hungry too.. think its going to be struggle to keep under my 800cals ! is this a normal day 4 thing ??

You do get used to the cals. I am water fasting today and so far feeling ok, not hungry at all weirdly and have cooked the family 2 meals already! I low carbed for ages and gained and lost the same 7lbs. I think low cal and keeping beneath 20g carbs seems to work for me. Have you looked at fasting? Diet dr has great resources. You will get used to it, one day you will realise its 2pm and you still havent eaten.

How long did it take for you to notice a decrease in hunger please, Bessedenough?

Probably 4-5 days. Now I get hungry but its more empty and needing fuel, rather than ravenous and hangry. Keep your carbs low and it will happen. A long walk will help, burn off all your reserves. Good luck

Although probably not in this weather. 😂 I am not hungry but my brain is telling me its dinner time and the little devil on my shoulder is trying to persuade me to eat chips.

This weather is sooo not helping. Cancelled Pilates for Friday and Saturday but I’m still getting light headed so it’s probably not the worst thing.

Hubbies eating like a trooper, so not him. I think the snow is messing with our heads re hunger 😂

Should I be adjusted after 2 weeks? Might be starting s job the Monday after next and obviously want to put my best foot forward. Travel writer – it would be sooo great 😊

Wow what a great job. You should be adapted by then, tbf I rarely notice the mythical endless energy but perhaps I am not doing it properly!

Thanks. More mental clarity if I’m not hungry. 😊 And eating all the calories at night act like a Valium and chills me out so nicely before bed.

Miserable day – much too cold and my heating has packed up. Can’t get through to BG because of the other thousands of people in the same position. Booked an appointment online for a week’s time but will have to try another engineer as can’t wait that long in the cold. I hope I have the extra weight loss that comes with the cold.
On a positive note I did do 12000 steps yesterday despite the cold.
Wishing you all a happy and warm Friday.

Gattina, poor you, you must be freezing, hope you manage to keep warm and sort things quickly.

Gattina – it’s horrible to be without heating – I also send best wishes and hope you get it sorted as soon as possible. Really impressed you still managed the steps!
Marie x

Morning all

Today – another 0.1lb down, another new low.
To goal – 3lb

Gattina- have you managed to get your heating sorted? Well done on the steps 👌

Hi Allie, I think a ‘walking wardrobe’ is a great thing to be here right now. Your comment made me smile.
It also triggered an almost forgotten memory of when we went on holiday as children. My dad, who was only 5′ 2″, used to lug our one and only ‘expanding suitcase’ with a week’s worth of clothes for all of us (6 kids and 2 adults) on and off buses and trains, usually with at least one of us hanging off his other arm. In order to reduce his burden, my Mum used to make us ‘double up’ our clothes for the journey. I’d wear, for example, one dress with another on top, my ‘cardi’ and then a coat – whatever the weather! So, what goes around comes around, I guess.
Theodora – I did have a lovely time with my son, thanks (luckily always do). About the layers, I remember reading a thread of yours from before I started BSD when you were saying how cold you were at that point (I think not long into BSD). Well, that’s me right now. Not sure why now – if it’s just the weather, or because I’ve less weight to lose, or it’s a sign of my metabolism slowing right down. Anyway, right now, like you, I’m wearing so much I do look the same as I did before BSD, but come the warmer weather, like Kazzee, I intend to emerge like a butterfly from it’s chrysalis!

Hi all
Heating not sorted. The earliest I can get an engineer is Tuesday so I’ll have to be active until then to keep warm. I’m in the office today and I have an essay to do for my course so I’ll go to the library tomorrow.
I ordered some fleece bedding earlier in the week which fortunately arrived yesterday so at least I’m toasty warm in bed.
I’ve felt a bit like a walking wardrobe too. I’m not used to wearing layers I don’t usually feel the cold. But this week I was overjoyed to find an old thermal vest at the back of the underwear drawer 😀

Gosh, Gattina, I cannot imagine being without heating in this weather!! Really hope it warms up soon for you.

Marie, yes, in the first few weeks of BSD (back in January 17) I was soooooo cold I nearly gave up. Thank goodness I didn’t, because my body soon adjusted and I haven’t felt particularly cold since then, until this awful cold snap we are experiencing at the moment. Having to walk the dogs for 3 hours each day, it’s not so much the actual temperature (minus 6) that’s been the problem but, as it’s been blowing a gale, the wind chill factor is making it more like minus 14!! I am so thankful that I kept a knee length really warm down coat from my larger days, as it now fits nicely over the 6 layers I am wearing underneath! The Michelin Man has nothing on me!

On the plus side, cold weather does tend to make you burn more calories – I am in maintenance, and certainly don’t need to lose any more, but nevertheless, I have dropped 3lbs this week, whilst eating well up to my usual TDEE. Hopefully you will all experience this wonderful side-effect of the cold too.

Hi all, hope you don’t mind me joining! Better late to the party than not at all, right?!

Tomorrow will be the end of my third week on the BSD. I’ve lost 11lbs so far (21lbs to go!) but have become a lot more relaxed about counting/tracking recently and as a result my weight loss has really slowed down.

My aim for the next couple of weeks is to be more strict with myself and count everything. Fingers crossed!