Hi! I am on day 2 of the BSD and so far, so good. (Lost 2lbs) I have tried many diets (juice, high protein, keto, Omni, 5-2, vegan, paleo . . .) and have had some success, but nothing like the amazing success others report. I usually hit a plateau, then get frustrated and lose it. Yet, my bigger issue is the “white wine”. I can easily drink a bottle in the evening and don’t suffer too much. I am sure this is the reason for weight loss stalls – my liver is compromised.

I am certain there is a link between alcohol and blood sugar control – both binge issues for me. It is impossible for me to have just one glass of wine – how can anyone just drink one glass? Although I usually avoid carbs, except easily weaken when travelling or grandchildren visit. I think I tend to drink/weaken while waiting to eat dinner – so now I will fix and eat diner at 6 p.m. That helps a bit.

I am hoping that the 800 BSD will be just the ticket. I found the keto diet good for appetite control, but I enjoyed the food too much and although my symptom reduced, my body fat did not.

I am attempting to go alcohol free for the 8 weeks and perhaps indefinitely. And, I am hoping that the 800 BSD will help with my tendency to over eat.

My husband has absolutely no interest in dieting whatsoever and would never dream of giving up, beer, bread, pasta or any of the finer things in life. So, I am here looking for support, particularly re the drinking. I worry that my issue may be taboo and hopefully I am OK to be here. My answers to the quizzes, were odd, because this issue of drinking did not feature.

Very hopeful and wishing all of us great success. Feel free to contact me and sorry if I am rambling.

Welcome Tenderfoot – wine certainly isn’t taboo! That was something I wanted to leave behind with this way of eating, and tho I’ve had the occasional glass of wine it has just been a glass and I’ve found it very easy.
Because results are so visible and rapid I’ve found it easy to get on board.
Once you’ve gone through the carb detox I think you’ll be amazed at how your cravings disappear and making sensible choices becomes so much easier.
My two big tips are to drink plenty of water and don’t cheat! Cheating on this way of eating isn’t the same as normal low calorie diets, because it’s like (this is a bit speculative!) going through a drug detox and then just having a bit of what made you ill in the first place.
More reading and watching videos on YouTube will help you make sense of it. There are lots of suggestions in the Take a Look at This thread. Good luck and let us know how you’re getting on.
Maggie

Warm greetings, tenderfoot! You will find yourself in good company here with members that also find wine a great
impediment to weight loss, and maintenance, as well. The topic is in every way appropriate to doing the Fast800
successfully. You may be able to relate to those of us who say that the first glass is easier to resist than the second
or third 🙂 I began the BSD june 1, 2016. I repeated cycle after 8 week cycle for 10 months, at which time I had lost
140 lbs and began maintenance. It took me 17 yrs to take on those lbs., and a relatively short time to rid myself of
them. My trigger foods were crusty bread, cheese and wine. I knew the wine had to go, for the obvious reason that a
bottle of white contains 500cal., 15-16g of carbs, and is basically liquid sugar. There is really no room for it with
a daily cal. allowance of 800, and certainly not if you are insulin resistant and are restricting net carbs to <20 per day.
Many began at <50g, which works effectively for them, but if you are diabetic or insulin resistant, it may take a lower
figure. The scales will “tell the tale”, as they say 🙂 Best success comes from weighing and measuring everything,
and being resolute about water consumption every day, 2-3 liters being optimal. Join any thread that looks interesting,
and I can assure you that you will be made very welcome. Just shout out if you have any questions, and one of
us will be along shortly to try and help. This an exciting journey, and I’ll be looking forward to celebrating each
milestone with you!
Best of luck,
Allie

Just a coincidence, tenderfoot, but I also began at the age of 67 🙂

Hi Tenderfoot!
Fellow wino over here **waves** !! I am the same as you and wine/alcohol is my downfall. I would think nothing of drinking a bottle of wine a night as standard and then some on some days (most days truth be told!). I know that this is dreadful and I know this is being harmful to my health but so much of this comes down to routine in my day and self medication for stress.

My biggest hurdle is not having that first drink. Once I have 1 I find it very difficult to stop. If I get to about 8/9pm then I’m generally fine. Sparkling water doesn’t cut it for me so as I am now more of a gin drinker I am hoping that by drinking slim-line tonic instead I can fool myself into thinking that I am having a nice G&T!

When I first started this in Jan 17 I did dry January alongside this and shifted the weight quite quickly and after a week or so didn’t miss the mid week drinking (weekends are difficult, especially if socialising). I live with my parents and they are also drinkers but I’m hoping that by cutting down they may in turn cut down to support me which will make things much easier.

We can do this together and we can get through this! 2lbs down already is fab!! **high five**

Rebecca xx

Drinking alcohol doesn’t help with weight loss – it’s not just the calories it contains (although a bottle of wine has quite a few!) but that it makes us more likely to snack/overeat. I recently saw a programme about obesity, which demonstrated how drinking alcohol meant fat reserves weren’t used as well as they would be by dieting non drinkers. Sorry, I forget the scientific details, but I remember being convinced at the time.

I definitely suggest giving it up completely for the eight weeks – and that will give your liver a bit of a break. As others have said, not having any actually seems easier than trying to just have one glass. I gave up until I got into the healthy weight range and I’m sure not drinking meant I got there much quicker than I otherwise would have done.

I do drink again now, but less than I used to – I decided to spend the same money, but on better quality stuff. If you do drink, now or later, remember to include that in your calorie count. It’s very easy to forget about any liquids we consume and only add up food calories.

Hi Tenderfoot — welcome, and no, alcohol issues are not taboo. I’m not going to gloss over your question with generalized advice because I know exactly how hard the wine problem can be — it is HUGE and in my experience, a separate issue from the 800-diet part. (So you know where this is coming from, I reached my goal almost two years ago after shedding just about four stone and am a long time maintainer).
I used wine for stress relief for most of my adult life and considered it completely normal to finish off one-half to 3/4 of a bottle (or the whole bottle on bad days) of your favorite (white wine) every single day.
I completely agree that the period of time just before dinner when you are tired, stressed from the day’s activities and hungry/famished is the hardest — I call it the “witching hour” because if I’m going to give in and drink wine, this is most likely when it will happen.
But I also loved wine for parties, going out to celebrate, long Saturday lunches — it is my family’s solution to anything, including difficult family relationships, and I was practically raised with a glass of white wine in my hand.
So for me, starting the 800 BSD meant that I had to both cope with the food issue AND the wine issue.
Definitely a learning curve.
There are some REALLY good reasons to rein it in at this point — and I’m going to just tell you the things that finally helped me get it under control.
First, your wonderful brain is struggling with the alcohol — both physically and mentally — by which I mean you have excessive activity in your brain synapses as it struggles to overcome the depressive effects of the alcohol (the physical part) and also your brain isn’t able to do the “planning” part of your executive function very well (the mental part).
These both affect your ability to handle the additional stress of the 800 diet and also to plan properly to organize yourself moving forward with the 800 plan.
Secondly, you cannot metabolize fat until the alcohol is cleared from your bloodstream. The theory is that the body has to deal with the toxic alcohol first, so it puts metabolization of fat “on hold” while it deals with the alcohol.
So every time you drink, you drop out of fat-burning mode for several hours — that can really slow your weight loss.
Thirdly, it is screwing with the “architecture” of your sleep. You aren’t getting good and adequate rest and that affects you in a hundred ways.
And fourthly (I know you already know this part) it’s really bad for your liver in general and if we’re trying to get healthy again, we might as well start with our liver,
So, how do we cope?
Well, you’ve made a great start — you have identified this issue. I found it really hard to say to myself, I have got to stop using alcohol every day as my stress relief valve. I mean, I love it — I like taste, the mouth feel, the cold mineraliness of it, the calmness that descends on my panicky brain. I still love it, but now I only have it once in a while.
I started with small steps — first, get it out of the house. Absolutely no cold bottle of white wine in the fridge. If you have to go to the store or a bar when you want a drink, it will give you time to change your mind.
Make a written list of activities that you could do for twenty minutes BEFORE you have a glass of wine, which will give you a chance to change your mind.
Practice “out loud” ordering sparkling water — I did it in the car for hours, “I’ll have some sparkling water please”, so your default to the waiter at a restaurant isn’t “Chardonnay please”.
Start finding other good things to drink — mine was Gerolsteiner sparkling water) — require yourself to drink a bottle of that before you have a glass of wine, which will give you a chance to change your mind.
Eat early. Sometimes I eat at 5 pm.
Get some new fun hobbies or activities to do with friends you like to drink with — my best friend and I are now taking Hula lessons on Wednesday evenings instead of going for dinner and drinks.
Read about the effect alcohol has on your brain before having a glass of wine.
If you are totally desperate, and you HAVE to drink wine, first eat something sweet — there is some research saying that alcohol is how we get our instant sugar-hit (this will go away).
You are probably detecting a common thread here. It isn’t that we just “stop” drinking our beloved white wine, it’s that we learn to cope with strategies, strategies, strategies.
Don’t give up looking for YOUR strategies — you are going to win this.
Keep us posted and my best and most heartfelt wishes for your success —
Julia

All good points, Californiagirl.

When I don’t have wine with dinner, I have water in a wine glass (with ice and lemon). I also have a wineglass of water by my side when I watch TV, as I used to drink wine then too. It helps a bit – and means I drink a bit more water which is a good thing.

Julia ….. can you help me too …. my poison, and I know it is ….. is a glass of really good red! So it’s not the chill, it’s the ‘mouth feel’ , as you say, the taste and just the sheer pleasure! I know, I know but I was so impressed with your post I couldn’t let it pass by unnoticed!

I love Allie’s comment that the second glass is harder to resist than the first. I’ve never heard it put that way but it is so true for me, and not just with wine. I find it easier to abstain from my vices than to try the moderation way. I will remind myself of your comment next time I’m tempted to have “just one”!

Julia, my friend, your professional background shines through in this brilliant post, and it’s the best “oral argument”
I’ve ever read for fighting the wine demon. If ever I feel inclined to commit a crime, I’ll remind myself to do so in northern
Cali or Tahoe, so that you can represent me 🙂 Definitely “over the fence and out of the ballpark” !!!

Allie can you translate into ‘English’ please!!!!!!!

I’m SO sorry, V!!! My humble apologies 🙂 Julia is an attorney, and she practices law in northern California… “Over the
fence and out of the ballpark” is a reference to the American sport of baseball, when a batter hits a ball over the fence
and scores a home run for the team. This must have sounded like pure gibberish to all of you!!! I’m a fool 🙂 Does it
make sense, now? (probably the only crime I’ll ever be convicted of is being too honest, or politically incorrect for today’s
world)

xoxo

I remember reading John Grisham’s Calico Joe. At the front there’s a long, and interesting, description of baseball to help out us poor British readers. I read that, and the novel, and still don’t undertsand anything about the game. Mind you, I’m not a whole lot better on cricket.

Not such a bad ‘crime’ Allie!!

Thanks Maggie. So far, low appetite. So very positive. Feel a little thirsty, so will take your advice and drink extra water.

Thank you for your enouragement Allie. Very impressed with your achievement.

I believe there is some disorder in the brain’s reward centre; also difficult to be abstinent when you live with people who have no intention of cutting back. When I mentioned to my husband that I want to abstain, he responded by putting a box of wine in the fridge and “popped” open a bottle of Proseco! That was last month; this month I am determined (I hope)

Thanks California Girl (btw I’m from California, but have been living in England for nearly 30 years). Taking your suggestions on board. Wish I could make all the wine disappear, but that won’t happen; my partner loves his wine and beer. In fact he has even attempted a vineyard!
So far, so good though. No craving yet and not particularly hungry. So fingers crossed.
Hula lessons sound fun; might have to resort to Morris Dancing!

I’ve astonished my daughter, she simply couldn’t believe I’d be able to ditch the wine. A couple of days ago she decided to join in – not that she’s a drnker but she’s seen this way of life works.
So go for it 🙂

Tenderfoot, you have clearly struck a chord with this community with your very honest and sincere post! Loved ones
react in all sorts of astonishing ways when we chose to make major changes in our lives. Often they feel threatened,
but do come to change in time. What you can count on in the meantime for support is this fantastic community of
compassionate, generous hearted people, who will be unfailingly here for you. One day at a time, small steps, and
we shall travel this road together. Everything has changed tenderfoot, you are now part of “the family”!

Allie

Thanks for the very warm welcome. I have never blogged before but already feel among comrades. Nice to be among you all with similar issues and to hear of successes. Like with most things, three steps forward, and one step back. Also, I am bracing myself for a plateau with the knowledge that my liver will need to rest and readjust and build some new fat burning enzymes. But, so far so good. Thanks and talk later.

What a wonderful NSV (non scale victory) Maggie! I think it is amazing that you’ve adapted so very fast to the heart of
our community in such a short time period, and are out and about each day supporting others and sharing your
knowledge. If I could find the emoticons on my screen, I would be posting “clapping hands”! You rock, girl 🙂

Allie

How kind Allie, thank you 😊 I do tend to get the bit between my teeth when I think something is important. And this is, it’s life changing. You’re a great team here and make me feel very welcome.

What a great inspiring post this is. It has proved incredibly supportive to me this evening as I am going to bed after my first alcohol free day in as long as I can remember… months, if not over a year!!!
Good night friends and I will see you (hangover free!) in the morning..!!

Rebecca xx

Good evening everybody, I have been lurking and reading with interest. Recently diagnosed and have decided to take the diet path and see how I go. I decided to ditch the alcohol – I loved my cider for the taste and the relaxing qualities it supplied me with (over a lot of years!) and I am now just over 2 months without any alcohol. I sleep better, and feel better, others say I look better ! I have lost just over 5 kilos. My BS was detected at 15.7 initially !!!!!!!! On a recent testing it was 7 so I think I am heading in the right direction. I have a nurse at my surgery who is very well versed in all things diabetes and I have to see her in a few weeks for a further assessment on how I am doing 3 months after diagnosis. I have cut down portion sizes and do eat healthily generally. Trying to drink more water and always looking for substitute drinks. I do a lot of lime and soda. I have a husband who loves his wine and beer and although is very supportive of my efforts has no (immediate) intention of giving up alcohol (he knows he drinks too much!) He is doing ‘dry Mondays’ and has cut down a bit but for me, it was the realisation of how others smell of alcohol ! Have all my senses become heightened ? Anyway, I hope to offer constructive comments and look for help if I need it. You all seem a good bunch !

Hi Catmadgal
Great post. Seems we have the same struggle. Well done for staying dry alongside a non abstinent partner. I am only on day 3. Not at all craving it, yay! Hope to at least make the 8weeks and then expecting to see moderation (one glass at celebration, but maybe none).

You are right about noticing the smell. Wow.

Well done Catmadgirl and Tenderfoot.

Hi Tenderfoot, Catmadgal – welcome to the BSD. Just popping in! Your subject heading caught my eye as I was very much a bottle of red wine a night type of gal, and did it for years, 7 days a week. When I first started BSD I did give up altogether at first but now I do have alcohol on a Saturday night. Vodka, lime and soda water or sparkling water. I allow myself 2. But even so, I know its enough to slow any weight loss right down. So, CaliforniaGirl, your wonderful post was very timely for me as I really needed a reminder – thank you! Kazzeexx

Hi everyone…!
How is everyone getting on?! I’ve just finished day 4 within calories and no booze!! I’m so proud of myself!!! I am 4lbs down and feeling good. I’m sleeping better, well apart from a storm keeping me awake last night and feeling better already…! Had a bit of a headache tonight so think they are kicking in but have brought myself up to bed to sleep it off. Other than that I am feeling great – even went to the pub last night and stuck to tonic water..!!

My question is though, can anyone recommend flat drinks in the evening that are low calorie – I love my tonic but it’s bloating me out and squash makes me feel like a 5yr old!! I have a cup of peppermint tea before bed but it’s too warm to drink tea all evening… anyone for any suggestions?

Sending love to all,
Rebecca xxx

Rebecca, I don’t know where you are going to find a 5 year old at this time of night !!!!!! Ha Ha ! Well done for abstaining from the alcohol, the days soon mount up. I wish I could say I have stayed low on the calories but had still lost a bit more this morning when I jumped on the scales. It must have been all the gardening I did yesterday. On the drinks front, I struggle with sweet and prefer tart so have made some concentrated lemon from fresh lemons with low cal. sweeter (only a bit) I then dilute with flat or fizzy water. You could always try a cafe frappe ?

Almond milk is carb free and low calorie so that’s a possibility, but depending on your insulin resistance may keep your glucose levels up.
Have you seen the water bottles that have a built-in compartment for adding fruit? They are really effective at subtly flavouring water – do you keep a water filter jug in the fridge? I couldn’t drink tap water!
Another thing to stimulate thirst is Himalayan salt which is loaded with trace minerals, and calcium, magnesium and potassium. I take a pinch several times a day. Ordinary table salt is just sodium chloride.
Catmadgal, artificial sweeteners are a bit risky. The body picks up the sweetness signals in the mouth and responds with an insulin spike to manage the expected arrival of calories to be processed. Stevia is supposed to be the best of a bad bunch, but there’s still the issue of the body anticipating calories.
Anyway good luck all, I’m only 5 weeks into my journey and finding it a way of eating like no other and amazingly rewarding in so many ways. If you haven’t already look at the Take a Look at This thread, there are heaps of resources linked to which help understand the science behind this way of eating.
Maggie

Californiagirl/Julia,
I was directed to your post from another thread – ‘Shame is burying me’ – by alliecat (thank you allie). Everything you say here I know to be true for me but it really helps to have someone else corroborate it. The test for me, of course, is to carry it out!
I’ve only just joined this community although I’ve been lurking for some time. As I’m quite a private person, this feels a bit beyond my comfort zone but I was getting a bit desperate and knew I couldn’t do it on my own.
“… it is my family’s solution to anything, including difficult family relationships, and I was practically raised with a glass of white wine in my hand.” This was so familiar to me. I was handed my first glass – sherry on a Sunday lunchtime – when I was thirteen and I loved it from the start. All sorts of connections, now I’m thinking about it, between the tension in the room and the unexpected and until then unknown way alcohol can relax. Witching hour is usually my downfall so I need to find a new way of getting from work (which I love but is tiring) to home and food without a stop on the way for a bottle. I do find I like a break on the journey home to give myself time to adjust and last time I attempted to drop the alcohol, I decided to ‘treat’ myself by stopping off at a cafe for a cuppa. But that meant a cheese scone which doesn’t do anything for the BSD!
Thank you to everyone here. I know I need to stay close, keep reading and posting. This is day 2 for me and, yes, like Julia I’m tackling both alcohol and carbs at the same time. I know it’s going to take time for my body to rid itself of the poison I’ve poured into it (what is anyone else’s experience of how long this takes? I’ve heard anything between three and nine days). Sleep is going to be a big one for me. I’m a light sleeper which means I tend to wake often and it really doesn’t worry me, but last time I tried dropping carbs and alcohol, my sleep pattern went all over the place and never really settled which was disappointing as I’d heard how much sleep was supposed to improve. I can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling refreshed.
My alternative to alcohol is sparkling water but it has to be the right kind as I don’t like it too bubbly. Badoit costs a bit more but is less sparkly. Mostly, I like it with a couple of lime slices and a squeeze of juice but another way, especially on a hot day, is a couple of slices of cucumber and a sprig of mint.

Hi Nixi — I am glad that Allie sent you over to this thread, and it is good to hear my post was helpful. It’s not an easy thing to write about.
I am now almost exactly two years into maintenance (I lost about four stone in 2016) so I have some long term perspectives on the BSD and the changes it has wrought in my life.
I’m still following the principles of the BSD, still very low carb except for an odd pizza once a month or so, and still limiting wine.
The sleep thing will get better and better as you move away from alcohol and just keep looking for alternatives — Badoit water is perfect — I am a serious drinker of Gerolsteiner sparkling water (also not too bubbly). It might take a few months to develop a new sleep architecture, but don’t worry, it will come.
I still do whatever I need to do to come up with alternatives to the easy-wine-route and I know that I will probably always have to do that in a conscious way because I was so programmed to that way of thinking.
The really good news is that wine is going to “fade” as you move forward — it is going to be less and less of a siren call and over time, it isn’t even going to taste as good or make you feel good — at two years I have reached the point where it actually tastes “too high alcohol” (especially those big red wines like Shiraz).
I’m a very private person too — so respect your limits and post as much or as little as you wish and feel comfortable with. I find it is sometimes too “noisy” and I just read one or two threads to keep up on everyone — I try to post when I feel like it can be useful.
It is helpful, as you battle wine, to keep your anxiety levels as low as possible — sometimes it is anxiety-provoking for me to be too involved with the forums — so be aware that can be an issue too.
Best wishes Nixi. You sound aware and strong — I think you’re already half way there.

I’m new to this site and can’t tell you how good I feel knowing that I’m not the only person who regularly downs far too much wine – in my case, my husband and I buy red wine boxes and refill our glasses to our hearts’ content – except that I now have high blood pressure and presumably a not very content heart! It’s easy to lose count of how much you’ve drunk this way, but we’ve recently started decanting the wine into a bottle, and that is hardly ever enough between us.
Like others on here, I love the whole thing of drinking wine. I’ve given up drinking for periods of time, usually about six weeks, and find this quite easy but once I start back on the vino I’m quickly back to four glasses a night. We do manage one alcohol-free day a week, which is a bit of a triumph vis a vis the old man, but he’s almost certainly not going to agree to do any more and I’d find it really hard to stop drinking if he’s still topping up his glass. Help!

I am 11 weeks alcohol-free under my belt today ! Feel pretty smug actually, hubby still imbibes but recently had to have a medical due to age and needing a lorry drivers licence. I (privately) asked the doctor to help as I believe he drinks too much (as I did). He now has an appt. for bloods shortly. We shall see how that pans out. I am hopeful that we can support each other in leading a healthier lifestyle in the very near future. He is only slightly overweight but I believe that his liver may be suffering. I am not expecting the Dr. to divulge information to me (patient confidentiality) but hope that the true detail will come direct from hubby. We did tend to egg each other on and now I am abstaining it does seem to have had the effect of some reduction in his consumption of alcohol. I also emptied the house of alcohol, (I was not popular!) it is now outside in a covered area and is a deterrent as it is not so easily at hand.

On the fizzy water front, I am quite happy with S’market brands, I do feel that the expensive brands are a bit of a rip off, but each to their own. If I do use cordials (sugar free) I tend to add PLJ as well, as I prefer a sharper more refreshing drink.

I am enjoying reading these personal experiences and they really do help when you feel de-motivated. Keep up the good work peeps !

Hi all,
So I am on day 14 today… 11lbs down, 2lbs to tip into the next stone bracket and 4lbs to my target, which I now want to pass, 15 days until I fly out on holiday. The swimsuit fits but it could look better…!!

I have been alcohol free the whole of the time… I promised myself a gin when I got to 10lbs lost which was yesterday… I had several sloshes last night in the end… interestingly my sleep was sooooo different! Saturday morning I woke at 7.30, nice and fresh and felt rested. This morning I didn’t surface till around 9 and that was still a wrench and also with a banging headache! Goes to show how alcohol really does affect your sleep, even just a couple over an evening. We have some bubbles for Father’s Day this afternoon which I will partake in but will then not touch alcohol until my holiday now… even then I want to limit it…

I have surprised myself how easily I have been able to leave the wine. I was polishing off easily a bottle and a half a night… I have had no cravings for wine, just a craving for “a drink”… once I get past that dreaded witching hour – I am happy to settle with a cup of tea. From someone that was bordering alcoholism I’m so pleased with myself… also pleased that after the drink last night I know I don’t want to have any more tonight…. is that some kind of alcohol breakthrough? Feels like it in my mind in a weird way… who knows!!!

Here’s to the cheers over a peppermint tea!!! (Would be my fave rose lemonade tea but Sainsbury’s have stopped selling so need to order online!)

Hope you are all doing ok…!! Such a positive thread with people doing so well and encouraging each other…!!

Rebecca xxx

I think cake, biscuits and chocolate are my wine!
I did buy a bottle last week when I was away on holiday, but only drank about two thirds of it over three or four evenings.
The packet of raisin & oatmeal cookies (late night purchase on the way home from a concert) did not fare so well however – I ate them all, accompanied by a banana! Probably just as well that I didn’t have scales there to weigh myself the next morning.
I used to drink a lot more, just gradually lowered my intake over the years – not intentionally, although I have noticed how much if affects my sleep if I do have more than a couple of glasses. It’s really only those events where your glass is continually topped up and you don’t really notice that are a problem for me.

Hi Tenderfoot, I eat very healthy but I think wine is sabotaging my weight loss. So I adopted this strategy. I will absolutely not go cold turkey, for several reasons. Wine, and this is not to justify drinking, in SMALL amounts actually helps weight loss. It lowers the sugar spike after eating, just like cider vinegar does. It also stimulates thyroid hormone release, so increases metabolism. But it also has fructose, which is even worse than pure sugar, so in large amounts it can actually cause insulin resistance. Sadly. So I made the rule to have one glass of wine with dinner and no more and definitely not on the couch. Just by the dinner table. It’s working quite well, so far. A bonus, I can save money….

Californiagirl, I found your guidance so helpful way back on 16 June. Thank you. There was so much I needed to hear: the reassurance about sleep getting better in time; the gradual muting of the siren call to drink; the way you limit your reading of the posts and so on.
I did quite well for around ten days, losing 9 lbs which was a real boost and I felt so much better. Then something happened. I think I let myself get too tired and took my eye off the ball and my journal-keeping (this is quite time-consuming even though I now do it on the computer, but it helps me to feel as if I’m achieving something while taking responsibility for myself too). So I come here today a bit crest-fallen and shame-faced as I stopped counting and measuring and have put almost all the nine pounds back on. But I want to start again and know that here are others who are doing the same. Today is another day 1 and if I can say that here I know I’m being accountable. Three days before I go back to work so I hope to get into a new rhythm. No alcohol this evening and I’ve already had my day’s carbs after a 16 hour fast so will eat lightly, healthily and early tonight I hope.

Thank you all for posting here.

A quick ps. I’m sort of post-menopausal at the age of 60. I stopped bleeding around two years ago without any fuss or bother but then started having hot flushes which seem to coincide with very achey legs (feels muscular and mainly in my thighs but sometimes knee joints too). Things seemed to be gradually improving but have now worsened ie the aching is more frequent and always unpredictable. I’ve hardly ever seen a doctor but was desperate enough to go about a year ago. I asked if he thought my symptoms were due to menopause but he couldn’t say. I asked him about supplements but he wasn’t convinced.
What I’m long-windedly getting round to asking is do any older ladies here have any experience of this low blood sugar way of eating easing menopausal symptoms?

Hi Nixi — we never know who our posts will help — thank you for your comments — they feel like a gift.
My best advice is just..start…again. Do it again and again and you will get better and better at it. Don’t give up — this is a learning process — just start again.

Wise words Californiagirl! We can probably apply your advice to many aspects of our lives.

“Do it again and again and you will get better and better at it. Don’t give up — this is a learning process — just start again.”
Thanks again, Californiagirl – this helps. I’ve been lurking for some months and I must admit I was beginning to feel a bit demoralised at how many people trying so hard here find themselves starting again, and again. If others are struggling – has been my thinking – how can I do it and keep going? I’m going to have faith in what you say here – maybe it’s a bit like taking a run-up for the long jump. You get faster and faster as you build up momentum and finally you take the leap and land on the other side of the sandpit.
And I love learning and watching others learn so that’s how I’ll try to think of it (if only I could stop thinking about it quite so much! But then maybe that conscious aspect lessens too in time).
Agree, Verano.

Nixi the important thing is that people ARE starting again. There is no ‘failure’ here and while we still keep trying and posting we aren’t getting lost by the wayside never to start again. You maybe didn’t give yourself enough time last time. Wipe the slate clean, start over again, and take one day, one week, one month at a time. You WILL make it.

Booze free 4 months tomorrow, Quality sleep is the best thing for me. Whilst out to lunch celebrating his Birthday this week, he had a paired glass of wine for each course. Picpoul was one of my favourites whilst drinking, I had a very small sip of his because he was enthusing so much, I was quite surprised how my palate took it. It tasted most odd and very strong! I was more than happy to return to my glass of fizzy water with fresh lime juice in it. I find it very strange how my palate has changed over the course of 4 months. I now actually look forward to a soft drink, at the moment I am enjoying a passionfruit, lime juice and fizzy water mix. A glass of tonic water with a slice of lemon also goes down well. I have not been near the scales for a week, will return to them on Monday…..!

Thanks for the encouragement, Verano. I tend to be an all or nothing person so if I ‘fail’, I have a two year old tantrum, stamp my foot and say ‘can’t do it, won’t do it.’ It’s not quite that bad but I’m pretty good at beating myself up.
I’ve made it through this first day with less struggle than I’d feared and largely – mainly – down to this forum. Late afternoon, witching hour began to call so I came back here, re-read everything and then decided to walk to the supermarket before supper. The walk did me good and just looking at what I had in my basket at the check-out was refreshing: 2 bottles of sparkling water; 2 bags of mixed lemons and limes; 1 carton Greek yoghurt; a few one-size portion tins of tuna; herring roe, oh yes and an avocado.
Catmadgal, good to hear about the change in your quality of sleep and how taste can change. I experienced a little of this (return of taste) when I managed a month last year and I’m looking forward so much to having that again.
I know tomorrow is likely to be another struggle but I feel good this evening and positive. Thank you all.