The Weekly Challenge for July 17 to 24!

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  • posted by Violinist
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    Thanks Allie, wonder of almond milk will bother my digestive system like milk does. Haven’t had milk or eggs in 10 years due to issues.

  • posted by MaggieBath
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    Hi Caron, love The Netherlands- are you visiting or is it your home? Yes simpler tastes
    are so delicious and subtle now and leaving behind the tacky artificial tastes is quite an eye opener.
    Thank you Allie, the deck looks great 🀩 Today’s been a busy day running errands – living in a tourist city means an hour for a round journey of 4/5 miles is pretty well what we live with.
    One thing I can’t get right is buying something that looks amazing but not having the appetite to eat it! I guess I’ll get to grips with that in time!
    Maggie

  • posted by InTheHeartOfADyingStar
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    Hi all! Thank you for the kind words 😊 After much consideration I’ve decided I will bake my daughter’s birthday cake. I honestly don’t think I’ll be tempted to eat the batter like normal because I want to make something beautiful plus I’ve worked out the recipe so there’s no spare batter at all. Also, I’ve done so well these past 5 days and am over the headache that the last thing I’m doing is throwing this away. And if it all gets too much I’ve got my emergency pate to enjoy πŸ˜‰ But I’m feeling good that I can bake this cake, it’s not about the sugar, it’s about creating something beautiful and artistic that will wow my daughter. I do love being creative, so the effort will be in making a showstopper! Or as close to a show stopper as I can get it πŸ˜‚
    Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend, it’s a scorcher here! Xx

  • posted by MaggieBath
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    That’s wonderful news Heartstar – you’ll be up late tonight 😊 You sound so positive, in such good control and how lovely to make something special for your daughter. I’m really happy for you; have a day you’ll all enjoy and remember tomorrow xx
    Maggie

  • posted by alliecat
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    Beautiful thoughts, HeartStar! I hope your creation is a masterpiece πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

  • posted by InTheHeartOfADyingStar
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    Thank you so much Maggie and Allie. Haha yes I’ll be awake until very late tonight! I am feeling really quite positive today…my headache is better and it might be my imagination but my jeans feel a little looser. I know it’s mainly water weight at this early stage but it honestly gives me an incentive to keep going and see where this way of eating will lead to. Focusing on the BSD friendly foods I can have and knowing I’ve got my emergency pate makes a big difference…I can still treat myself just with different foods xx

  • posted by marie123
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    Heartstar – you go girl!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Yes, heartstar! The magical delight on your daughter’s face is what it’s all about πŸ™‚ Enjoy your pate!

  • posted by caronl
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    Heartstar. Do have a great day today. I hope the cake has worked out well, and that you enjoy your special “treats”.
    I have come on to sing the praises of ratatouille (well why not!). I made a huge batch on Thursday, froze half, and have enjoyed the rest, first with cote de boeuf, then in a moussaka, and finally today the last will be whizzed up for a soup. It feels like the essence of a Mediterranean diet. Wishing everyone a good Sunday from my home (Maggie!) in NL.

  • posted by Violinist
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    Morning from florida at 4:50 am folks! Happy Sunday!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Here we are, Violinist! (5:20 for me). Coffeemaker has been fired up, and I’m listening to the rain….Expecting more rain
    for an entire week! But then, no one calls this the sunshine state πŸ™‚ I’m looking forward to a reprieve from the heat!

    Caron, that sounds delicious! I still have the “fill the freezer with ratatouille” task ahead of me. Just waiting for the
    August tomatoes……

    Enjoy your day, everyone!

  • posted by Violinist
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    Morning Allie! I have never made ratatouille, but you guys have me downloading it. What else do you use it for

  • posted by Violinist
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    Caron, I had to look up your meals and still don’t know what some of the ingredients are. Interesting!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Oh, Violinist, you’ve been missing out on one of the true joys of summer πŸ™‚ My grandmother was an excellent cook, and
    she kept a vegetable garden as well, so I’ve enjoyed this vegetable stew since childhood. It’s a fantastic accompaniment
    to grilled or roasted meat or poultry, and can be served either hot or at room temperature. We use to also serve it on top
    of whole wheat pasta, but of course we “don’t do that” anymore πŸ™‚ It even works with the heartier fish like tuna, sea bass
    and halibut or swordfish. When I use it with tuna or swordfish, I usually throw some kalamata olives in too. The
    very best part is that it freezes beautifully, so make a big batch! and Enjoy!

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Allie – your vegetable stew sounds delicious.

    Had a lovely day today walking around Holt Country Park in the shade of the trees. We dropped into a local cafe for a light lunch. I had scrambled eggs on toast (minus the toast). Because I didn’t have toast they gave me a truly huge pile of scrambled eggs – so not quite the light lunch I was expecting. Still – I did give some to the Labradors who really enjoyed it..

  • posted by alliecat
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    Krysia, you find such lovely places for your sunday walks! I enjoy having a google, and sharing your jaunts. The
    ponies are delightful! Labs at the table made me laugh πŸ™‚ My Mother used to be horrified that we allowed our pair
    of Siamese to sit ON the diningroom table with their own plates…but it was the only way to keep them from interfering
    with ours!

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Allie – it was a lovely walk and almost all of it in the shade because the labradors are feeling the heat a bit (26 degrees today). It was surprising how cool it was under the trees. The doggies are so good when we go out but are always hopeful that I cannot eat the whole of my meal – which I definitely couldn’t today. The cafe was in a lovely garden centre and the dog friendly part was outside under a huge canopy – it was just so nice and relaxing.

  • posted by caronl
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    Hi Heartstar. I hope the party went well! And if you did decide to have some cake, well today is a new opportunity to eat well….. Hope to hear from you!

  • posted by Verano
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    Good morning. Another Monday and another new start for me. I’m afraid I have been socialising too much lately and need to get back on track so I do hope Maggie you will start a new challenge tomorrow.
    I finally got around to watching a Benjamin Bikman podcast yesterday and really enjoyed what he had to say. I seem to be reading/hearing more and more about not counting calories but staying very low carb. It seems as alien to me to not count calories as it did to eat fat when I first started this way of eating. I’m afraid I’m just brainwashed into counting calories, weighing daily and not eating too much fat. Despite eating low carb for a long time I still find it difficult to eat the healthy fats. But I’m in need of a shake up so I’m going to bite the bullet, at least that’s carb free!, and start using some of the recipes from the dietdoctor website.
    I’d be really interested to hear from anybody who only counts carbs, and maybe macros. I’m just wondering how long it’s likely to take to stop stressing over calories!

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Good morning everyone!
    Verano – my problem is that I don’t count or weigh anything really and that’s why I’m stagnating around the 15 stone 12 lbs place (222 lbs). I’ve been roughly this weight give or take 5 lbs up or down, for this whole year so far! I’m getting very annoyed with myself. At least I have learnt well how to maintain! However, yesterday I made a menu plan for the week ahead, prepped my veg and salad ingredients and they are all in individual storage boxes in my fridge! I bought a dozen eggs and I have salmon and chicken in the freezer. I have seeds and will make some seed crackers tonight (if I can stand having the oven on!). Did you ever make any, Verano? I remember it was the crispbread crunch thing you were missing. Do people actually weigh out their greens or their salad ingredients like lettuce or spinach? I tend to go for small portion size and two meals a day generally. I also have the recommended amount of fluid. But I do have vodka, soda water, slice of lemon or lime creep at the weekend and this too isn’t helping! I really need to pull my finger out. I’ll be 56 on 28 August – I have 5 weeks to get well into the 14s! I love kippers! I must add those to my shopping list! Thanks for the reminder. Sorry for the ramble… just getting it down so I can refer back to it!
    Maggie – your 10 week journey is really very inspiring – how you’ve totally got into the swing of this WOE. It puts a procrastinator like myself to shame! πŸ™‚ Hope to see you a bit later, love.
    Kazzeexx

  • posted by Verano
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    Hi Kazz you are writing my story! I too am a great maintainer but need to start losing again. You know when I first started I did weigh lettuce I weighed every morsel that went into my mouth,, obsessional or what!
    Yes kippers, and in fact for me any fish. I love fish. It’s my snacking that seems to be out of control and that I think is out of boredom rather than anything else. It’s just mindless eating it’s certainly not hunger.
    I did make the seed crackers but they were a disaster. I think they were too thick and even though I kept them in an airtight container they went soggy so into the bin they went last night! I’m going to stick with Finn Crisp I think as they give me the crunch I need occasionally.
    Anyway, my new strategy is to try some carb counted dishes from the dietdoctor. Lots of the recipes contain β€˜shredded cheese’ I’m just guessing that that can be any cheese grated. Or, could it be a US ingredient. Help please!
    Good luck Kazz getting back on track. I’ll let you know how I get on with the recipes!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Hi there, V.! Shredded cheese is a little different than grated….Do you have a 4 sided box grater? If you used the larger
    holes, you’d get something like shredded cheese. In the States, it is sold in packets…Imagine actual shreds, like what
    would be used to make a pizza (mozzarella)? Hard cheese grates up “fine”, but softer cheeses like cheddar and mozzarella
    grates into something that is more string-like. Does this make sense?

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Thanks Allie – understood. I have a box grater, lethal thing! πŸ™‚ We basically use the word “grated” regardless of how fine or coarse the “grate” is. So “a small grate of cheese” to me is just two strokes down the finest side! Probably about 10g of cheddar.
    Verano – sorry to hear the crackers were a disaster. I’ve glanced on DietDoctor. Some excellent recipes. May be we can kick each other’s backside a bit then?! πŸ™‚ Good luck to you also – it’s not like we don’t know what to do! πŸ™‚
    Onwards and downwards!
    Also, just wanted to say hi and welcome to Violinist! πŸ™‚
    Kxx

  • posted by Verano
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    Ahh, thank you Allie! Yes I do have a box grater and it makes perfect sense. I suppose I can use whichever cheese suits the recipe. None of the recipes specify a type of cheese in them all it just says β€˜shredded cheese β€˜ .

  • posted by Verano
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    Maybe we can Kazz! I could certainly do with a fellow traveller. So far so good today. I’ve just had brunch of two eggs over some pan fried asparagus with a blob of mayo. My first real test comes at around 4pm when I get the β€˜munchies’. Think I may just weigh out 20g of nuts now so I’m prepared. You are right to plan ahead….. fail to plan and you plan to fail…. as they say. Need to take some of my own advice! Tonight I have some bolognese with courgetti and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Hope your day is going to plan.

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Yes, I fail miserably when I don’t plan, V! Your menu sounds lovely today! Okay so far today, at work in the air con which is a relief! 29C here. Although someone got engaged at the weekend and they’ve brought in a monster stash of danish pastries! Fortunately I’m not tempted.
    I made a small Greek salad for lunch with just 20g of feta. Home made dressing of white wine vinegar and E V Olive oil. Tonight will be lightly sauteed chicken, mushrooms, garlic with courgette ribbons with 1 table spoon of cream cheese mixing it all together!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Kazzi and Verano, I think you have a plan! I like it πŸ™‚ Both of your menus for today sound lovely!
    V., since you are so well traveled, you probably already know about fontina cheese, but it melts beautifully. I wish I
    could have cheese in the house, but we would go after it like pigs in search of truffles! (and yes Kazz, I know you
    are laughing at me, per usual!) πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    It’s 29 degrees here and I also (thank goodness) have air-con otherwise I think I would have to cancel classes as the room has huge windows on 3 sides. Have been here since 9.30am and will finish at 9pm and home around 9.45pm so quiet a long day.

    Had a lovely chicken salad for lunch and am thinking of doing a 22 hour fast – eating brunch at 11am tomorrow.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Krysia, WHAT is going on over there? I thought July in England was suppose to be rainy and cool? You might as well
    be in New England! Your studio sounds beautiful though, with all of that natural light…Wish I could enroll in one of
    your classes!

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Allie – I would love to join one of my classes. I don’t have a studio but run them in a lovely church that was built in the 1950s. The room is huge and is light and airy. It has a modern kitchen where I can prepare food and is in walking distance of a pub / restaurant and a cafe and just a little bit further to walk is a huge shopping centre. So a perfect place to work.

  • posted by KazzUK
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    Allie – how did you know?!! I even snorted, just like a pig going at it, snuffling for truffles! πŸ™‚ Obviously, the boss is on hols now for 2 weeks, hence my many posts today… when the cat’s away and all that….
    Krysia – it sounds beautiful! Glad you have aircon, not a massive fan of sweaty exercise but I do really like yoga. Not doing it at the moment but I will get back into it once my knees will take my weight!

  • posted by Verano
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    Cheese! What can I say apart from β€˜elixir of the gods’ or β€˜maybe work of the devil’ ! I adore all cheese apart from soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert. A good strong cheddar or a blue and I’m in heaven but I just cut 30g and I can manage not to eat more than that.
    If Maggie chooses not to start a new thread, and I really hope she does, then I guess I’ll set another one up tomorrow. Can’t cope without a challenge of some sort even if I am very rarely successful!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Bless you, V.! I hope that Maggie will be participating, too. If I’m not mistaken, I think the 1 week challenge was originally
    one of your inspirations, anyway? I’ll definitely be here, and I’ve been thinking that today “is the day” to set it up. I’ll
    be “in”, because I think the energy and new faces creates a very unique dynamic, and I’d hate to see it abandoned.
    Always happy to do my part, but thank you for thinking of it first! See you in the morning πŸ™‚

  • posted by InTheHeartOfADyingStar
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    Hi all! Wow loads to catch up on…apologies I haven’t had a chance to read all the posts yet but willl do this evening just wanted to send a quick message as I managed to survive baking the cake and also the party! I was very good! Unfortunately now the house is packed with leftovers…I managed to give some away to family, but most of it I’ve frozen. Weird because it makes me feel like I’m not missing out…if I want some of the leftovers I can take it out of the freezer, if I don’t I just leave it in there and don’t have to see it all the time. Tonight my husband is out for dinner with friends so I shall need to keep myself occupied…I’ve decided to do this by catching up on the forums and by sorting out all of the photos on the computer…there’s loads! I keep meaning to print them so I shall try and get round to that tonight.
    Thank you so much for the lovely wishes for my daughter’s party…she had a wonderful day, and was so happy! It was a gorgeous day so we were out in the garden. And now I’ve no more parties to organise (until Christmas…is it wrong that it’s starting to be in my mind already?!).
    I did have a couple of questions though…I’m drinking lots of Water can’t drink anymore, but I am constipated, is there any advice? Also I’m finding my energy is actually quite low…I’m struggling to run around and play with my daughter, although this heat doesn’t help, I’m definitely not as energetic as normal. Do you think maybe I should up the calories slightly? Or the carbs? I’m doing around 20g a day approx… but don’t want to slow down any weight loss…any advice welcome xx

  • posted by Verano
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    Heartstar it may just be the heat that’s making your energy low. My idea would be to carry on doing what you are doing until the weather cools and then reassess.

    Allie , yes I started one week challenges back in 2017 for selfish reasons whenever I was flagging and needed extra help, and they seem to work for others too. I am sad about the discomfort caused to some people over the last few days. However, there have been disagreements in the past, some really bad ones, but in the past we have agreed to disagree and then moved on. Maggie, if you are reading this, please continue to post as your posts are so valuable to many people.

    So, for the sake of continuity, and because I need help, I will set up a new thread ….. I Have a Plan ……..

  • posted by alliecat
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    Heartstar, I’m happy that your daughter had a very special day! I agree with V., I wouldn’t change anything
    until a) the heat breaks and b) until you are ready to brave the scales and determine what your weekly weight loss
    looks like. We’ve all made tweaks, but it seems difficult to do without more data. Have you taken any measurements
    at your start date? Pretend the cake isn’t in the freezer πŸ™‚ Did you enjoy your pate?

  • posted by InTheHeartOfADyingStar
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    Oh the pate is amazing! I just had more of it now with a couple of slices of low carb toast, which is my “treat food”… I thought I’d gone to heaven! Made me go over my calories for today, but it was totally worth it, and if this is a way of life then we must indulge in good BSD friendly foods every now and then. I shall be buying more pate in my next food shop…I’m like a woman obsessed πŸ˜‚
    Yes I have braved the scales…stood on them on Saturday and the number was much better than I had feared…I guess this is because a lot of water weight (and maybe some fat too?) has fallen off. So what I’m currently doing is definitely working, I feel slimmer already which is a big motivator. Shall do as you advise and track my weight loss now with the scales and also wait for this weather to cool a bit…

  • posted by caronl
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    Hi Allie. Thank you for setting up the new challenge. And thank you Maggie for hosting this week’s. I shall report in tomorrow. But pleased to say that I have had a week without wine and with far fewer snacks. My plan for next week will be to move more – and make sure that I sit for no longer than 30 minutes at any one time. Should be do-able and good for me!

  • posted by alliecat
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    Caron! I’m glad you’ll be on the new challenge with us, but Verano set it up πŸ™‚ She’s the creator, in fact! You’ve had a
    great week πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    VERY proud of you, Heartstar, for getting on the scales!!! That’s a big step πŸ™‚

  • posted by caronl
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    Oops. Of course. Sorry Verano. Thanks to you and to and Allie for pointing me in the right direction. “See” you all tomorrow.

  • posted by caronl
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    Hi all. Well I am here to round off this challenge week. Pleased to report that I have lost the 0.4kg that crept on on my holiday (something to do with too much wine and a fabulous lunch…) and a further 0.5kg. So now 71.1. Nearly 8 kilos within my healthy BMI. So happy πŸ™‚ I shall revert to maintaining, and join the next challenge to make myself move more. Food plans will be to relax a bit on the calories, keep up the protein, and stay around 50g carbs. Hope other challengers are happy too. And thank you MaggieBath for hosting this week. I have really appreciated your comments and support.

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Star – well done for getting on the scales and really good news that the number were better than you feared.

    Weighed in today – same weight as last week. Scales have been dropping just below 9st then going back to 9st and a half pounds all week – which is what my weight is today. I have upped calories a little this week as I would like to slow weight loss a little so am happy with that.

    My main goal is to continue my battle with insulin resistance and keep off the insulin. This has gone very well and I am pleased to record another week with no injected insulin and good blood sugars.

    Thank you.Maggie for setting up this challenge. I really do hope that you are continuing on this forum as you are a very valued member of this ‘team’.

  • posted by InTheHeartOfADyingStar
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    MaggieBath thank you for hosting and thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement, it’s been invaluable. I have noticed a change in body shape in just a week! My goal is to try to embrace this WOE more. Had a bit of a slip yesterday with my daughter’s leftover birthday cake and chocolate biscuits but tbh I don’t regret it…it was delicious, I enjoyed and savoured every bite and I’m completely back on it this morning. This is for life so we must enjoy the important events in life as well! Back to normal today! Xx

  • posted by alliecat
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    Before signing off of this challenge and hopping over to the new one, I just wanted to congratulate everyone who
    has used this past week to advance and achieve your goals. The “spirit” is strong here, and I shall grab onto it, and
    see you all “on the other side” πŸ™‚ Thank you Maggie! Come along with us, won’t you? The weekly challenge just
    won’t be the same without you !!!

    Allie

  • posted by Violinist
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    I am 170.6 this morning!!! Thanks for the challenge! See you with the next one!

  • posted by Jo Dedieter
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    Hello everyone, I’m on day 4, masses of weight to lose but so much more to gain in health, fitness and wellbeing. I only logged in here a couple of days ago and already find it inspirational. I’d like to join the challenge, in fact I’m heading for the cupboard for my water bottle, and the fridge for some cucumber right now!

    Good luck everyone
    Best wishes
    Jo

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