Birdy- don’t be too hard on yourself. I know that you are fairly new to the BSD way of eating. My advice would be to take smaller steps. When I started, I followed the advice in the book and cut out all refined carbs. I did 8 weeks and assessed how the plan was working for me and then I just kept on following the simple diet plan until I reached my goal. It took from January 2017 to November 2017. It was slow and steady but I think it’s more achievable long term if you don’t rush things. This way of eating has to be forever if we want to stay healthy. We will always have to deal with difficult social situations and make considered choices about our plan of action. Once in maintenance there can be a little give and take. I am now having to work hard to lose the weight I gained whilst away at the beginning of April! I didn’t even think about fasting until I was in maintenance. I wonder if you are putting too much pressure on yourself by doing everything all at once. Once piece of advice I would offer is that this way of eating does work but it isn’t as easy for some of us and we have to be patient. I love your enthusiasm for the BSD Birdy and I appreciate that you’re keen to reach your goal but don’t be too hard on yourself and try not to rush the process. You’re doing great- just keep on keeping on and you will see how the weight does come off.

Oh, I forgot to say – when I have any, I use the water used for cooking veg (steaming ot boiling) to make the stock. I try to remember to save it in a jug in the fridge to use, if I expect to make soup, but generally forget.

Hello everyone!
I just joined the forum again after being away sins July 2018. So happy to see all the names I remember! ❤️
My wardrobe is extremely big, about 6 big garderobe,+winter clothes. Only cleared a tiny bit last summer but all sizes are still in there. A really big nasty energy drainer! It haunts me!
I know clearing is the only way so this thread is so important!
One of my plans is to take ALL out in the garden (when summer comes). Then pick up only the things I love to wear, washing it and let it dry in the wind and sun.
Quickly, before I change my mind, pack the rest, put it in the car, drive away and leave it to charity.
Swab the wardrobes, debuild some of them and throw them out.
Then before night dew falls bring in all the lovley sunsmelling items. But I’m afraid I don’t have the guts. Still it would definitely give me energy instead of taking.
What do you think?
Is it a to big job? Or shall I take a little at a time? Maby start a recurring thread here with a monthly wardrobecleaningday?
Or ask MM to make a BBC program about this “nice” problem where we (or rather those of us that have had a success in this) can participate and give hope and advice to others? This problem must be enormus.
Love
Buddhas Wife

Yuck chicken stock soap🤣🤣🤣. Thank you I will go with that way then. 💞🦜

Soap? I know we want to eat clean, but … (Sorry – I realise it was jusy a typo.)

If there’s any gravy left, or veg which I won’t actually put in the soup then that goes in the stock. Otherwise nothing. I put all the fresh veg and herbs in the actual soap, not the stock.

Quick question what do you put with your chicken bones when boiling them for soap stock?💞🦜

So I am back on this WOE after a naughty weekend and my day of food today is this

Omelette with mushrooms and spinach

Chicken with little gem wraps

Small steak with fried left over cabbage and a little shallot.

My macros look good on this!

Protein 47g
Carbs 14g
Fat 50g. Then I am into a fast for 24-36 hrs. Need kick myself back in.💞🦜

Squidge that is exactly what I do and they are substantial enough to keep me going through a nightshift.💞🦜

Thanks, Birdy.

I have made crustless quiches before and guess these are similar?

I like the idea of making a batch with different fillings. We could have one type hot the day I make them and the other cold later in the week.

Ok so my road trip has hit a few bumps😫. It has been a bit of a pain this Easter weekend, it is now a two week long period! My doctors say I am to young to going through menopause but I don’t believe them and feel this is the beginning of the end! My mother had finished and was through th menopause by the time she hit 50! This I think is effecting me somewhat on this diet? Any of you other ladies find this? So I decided to take the magic little pill I have for holidays to give me a break, oh my mood swings and feeling down galore! I never noticed this before as I am always on holiday when I take them. So again I think it has effected my WOE this weekend (gosh I sound like I am making excuses!). I have been naughty and my body has craved rubbish, so I have had (over the whole weekend) 400mls of white wine! I had my eureka moment just Monday on knowing how bad alcohol is and what it does to this WOE but still, had it! I ate around six rich tea over two days too, with butter on top!! What an idiot! I have however sat and watched my O/H eat a entire Cadbury’s Easter egg(large) and not asked for any, I also avoided the crisps he was eating on Friday, so I just don’t get why I ate six biscuits I don’t even like! The reason I bought them was for my son and because I don’t like them🤬! So to get to the point I am going back into this today and I am going to drink loads of water, eat three meals within the plan and then I am hoping to fast for at least 36 hours! I have ordered Dr Fung’s book on fasting and I am gonna get my head back in the game. I feel a little bloated, and I have gained a 1lb! It is not a lot and it could be worse but to me a gain is bad! I need my house empty of my O/H🤣 so I can get myself back on track! I also got my OH to do my measurements yesterday and I have lost an inch or two in places but the majority has stayed the same. Ah well onwards and upwards as we go into a new week, by the 4th of May I will have discarded and lost and inch or two all over! Happy road tripping ladies and thank you Birdy 💞🦜

Hi Shibby, those are either imperial (dessert spoon) or metric (ml) and I presume you are more familiar with the American standard.

Google cup dessert spoon will give you 19.98 so it’s 20 dsp to one cup.

Hope that helps you make the adaption.

Hello Scottishgal!
My no 1 is eating a unpeeled half, mix wasabi (paste or dry) with some soya and pour over.
You can also try the same in a salladleaf for a wrap.
When I have (home made) mayonnaise at home I mix in the soya and put on avocado. Very good to keep up the fatintake.
Try it! Did you like it?

Sixturkies, the bodyshaming is internalised. When someone says you need to lose weight, that is heard as “you are gross”.

We hate the bodies we have. We want curly hair if it’s straight; tanned skin if it’s pale blue. And the reverse.

Health is worth aspiring to, but do you need to be frustrated with how you are now to be motivated? Or in my case, faced with a future with diabetes T2 and trying to save my life.

Knowing what I know now about the Big Food industries, our food issues fit into the misinformation and snacking culture that propels these industries.

Squidge I make a batch of twelve little frittatas thanks to Allie and Essie sending me the recipe, I think if you go to the thread what have you eaten today it is on there. The spinach feta ones are really low carb, but you need to strain the spinach or it makes them to wet. Essie suggested wilting a load off and letting dry once squeezed then using it later. They are ok in the fridge for a few days too and you can put all different things in the mix to make them interesting. Birdy💞🦜

My husband is no more keen on ironing than I am. He used to do it as he’s the neat and tidy sort (he does most of the housework as my standars don’t reach his!) but I’ve converted him to my method.

The only thing he does iron is his dress shirt the rare times he wears a DJ. It has fancy creases down the front and they do need to be really flat and straight to look right.

Hello Allie!!! Thank you! I remember you too!!!
You are absolutely right! Here in Sweden, still snow, my window sills are bursting with seedlings longing out. It’s all food!😋 I hope they will help me loose weight. I’m longing to.

Hello Carol!!!
Thank you! Wonderful, I love One week at a time. They made the trick for me last year! I will check it right away!!
Thank you both🌺 You make my heart smile.🤗🤗🤗

Sixturkies, I use a steam iron too, but not for fun.
Squidge, saved by polyester! My favourite dresses are polyester because they come out of the suitcase ready to wear. The cooler cotton needs a day of hanging before it’s creases are shaken out.
Birdy, my husband hates ironing but it’s a necessity of his work. No t-shirts there. He has always done his own shirts.

Squidge I don’t so the ironing my OH does it all🤣. He is ex army so I let him get on with it! I would hate to put tram lines on his shirts🤣💞🦜

*shudders*

I haven’t ironed anything since I had a day job for which I had to wear a uniform. Now I give washed clothes a really good shake when they come out of the machine and dry them on coat hangers (or spread flat in a few cases).

I’m on 150mcg a day. I reached a healthy weight after about three months – my weight loss was slower than many report on here, but that’s because my portion sizes were more generous, not due to the medication. I still get to my target and have been maintaining for over a year now.

As long as you are on the correct dose then having hypothyroidism shouldn’t make any difference at all to the effectiveness of this diet. If you suspect that you’re struggling due to it, talk to your doctor and ask if the dosage needs to be adjusted. (Btw, my doctor did put me on a higher dose for a while (before I tried the BSD) I did lose some weight, but didn’t feel well, had trouble sleeping, was irritable and anxious. It wasn’t worth all that just to make weight loss a bit easier, so do watch for side effects if the dose is increased and again talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.)

The only meal I struggle with is lunch. I find it hard to keep coming up with different, quick and easy ideas especially for when I’m away from home. That leaves me open to the temptation of buying a sandwich or pasty!

Could we share some of our lunch ideas, to give each other suggestions?

My usual ones are –

Soup (I make a batch and freeze individual portions)

Lettuce wraps – little gem or romaine leaves with egg mayo, cheese, ham etc and eaten like an open sandwich.

Omelette – usually with mushrooms, but lots of different veggies or cheese work well.

Have reported the post from the latest spammer Anglinia advertising a restaurant.

Hey, I recently visited at Amsterdam, Netherland. I went so many coffee shops to get the experience of Coffee. I liked one coffee shop in Amsterdam with name of (Prix dami) i think. The sweetners of this coffeeshop was the best as compared to others.

Hello everyone,

I am hoping One of you will be able to help me figure out these measurements! I find it rather confusing to have teaspoons, grams, Mills etc. in the same recipe. Anyone else struggling with that? Thanks and happy fasting.

Welcome back Buddhas wife. And congratulations on keeping 16 kilos discarded. You will find quite a few old faces here, as well as many refreshing new ones. So dive right in! ONE WEEK AT A TIME is a very good thread to start with.

Clarinet Cathy, what you say about others resonates with me. Obesity is a huge issue, and a huge drain on resources, and many are just carrying around too much but then we also get the “body shaming” lobby….That girl on the front of cosmo as a body aspiration/be comfy in it….I need to kick 1 1/2 stone; I will do that with all the help on here, as will those who have more or less to discard, or conquer their blood sugars!

Made a cauliflower based pizza for my evening meal and it was delicious. The base was 5oz cauliflower, two eggs and 4 oz cheddar cheese. It made a large square pizza base. I put tomato paste. mozzarella, peppers, mushrooms, onion and olives on it and it was delicious with salad. Having the other half tomorrow. It was all I ate today. Been really good since Friday. Weigh in this morning was 144.8 so still well above where I want to be. I have drank a lot of sparkling water and have only had yoghurt and raspberries at lunchtimes the last couple of days, no breakfast only coffee with a little oat milk frothed up and only BSD food so all being well I will be able to report a loss next Sunday. I have been really disappointed at how slowly the weight is coming off since I went off piste but am determined to get back to feeling good about myself. No Easter eggs or hot cross buns for me this Easter!
I sometimes wish I didn’t care about being a healthy weight and feel rather envious of my friends and colleagues who eat what they want, seemingly without a care in the world and wonder why I am always so hard on myself. I guess it’s because I do care about my health and how I look and want to be the best I can be but it’s so hard! Here’s to a good week everyone. Hoping to report a loss next Sunday.

My son loves ELO too! 😆💞🦜

I know. It cheers me up every time I hear it.

HaHaa! I do remember you, Buddha’sWife! Sweden is it? That’s what I remember, anyway. WELCOME HOME!
You will find many of the old regulars still here, when you begin to hop from thread to thread. We have a very active
thread known as ONE WEEK AT A TIME, where old and new members congregate. I’m sure you will find many names
that you recognize. New weeks begin on Tuesdays! Stop by and we will give you a warm welcome 🙂

Allie

On a mission that is an absolutely amazing song. 💞🦜

Hi Katerino, Im also hypothyroid. I take 200mcg levo a day and really struggle with my weight. I’ve been doing the 800 for over a week now and have lost a measly 1.6kg. Its so frustrating and disheartening but I refuse to give up. Now that I have a better idea of what i can eat, Im going to cut carbs even further and try to keep them below 30g. Im cycling miles too and in Lancaster that means HILLS! Im determined to get to the point where I can confidently wear cycle shorts.
I also discovered that my scales are totally unreliable and give a different result depending on where i put them, so they are now in the bin. So Im dieting blind until i can afford a decent set.

Hello my very very dear friends! One year has past and time for me to join this precious forum again.
With my heart filled of gratitude for 2018 I’m longing to be a part of your group again.
With your help I was very successful in loosing about 18 kg, moving from obesity 102 kg to overwheight 83 kg and finding so many new friends! From Mars to June, it was amazing. Then I lost track. You know, life moving unpredictable…
But almost all the gains achieved is still here! I gained weight and was 90 kg in mars. Struggled hard and is now at 86 kg. So. Time to remember! How happy I was one year ago when I joined here! Loosing kg was still hard but fun together! Does anybody here remember me? And what tread to join now?
Love
❤️❤️❤️
Buddha’s wife

Forgot to add my summer anthem – Mr Bluesky, ELO.

Hope you have all had a lovely Easter Sunday. Fortunately my children were late for lunch as it took much longer to prep than I had thought! Washing, drying, and taking leaves off 250g coriander and 150 g mint is not a five minute job, nor is griddling sliced aubergines for 4 when you only have one skillet…..I found the recipe in a magazine last week, it is apparently inspired by a Californian chef I had never heard of, Wolfgang Puck. As well as the herbs and fresh ginger in the sauce, there is oil (sunflower…), rice vinegar, bit of sesame oil and 2 tspns sweet chilli dip. Wrangling all those leaves in liquidiser and then passing and pressing gloop through fine sieve was quite intensive! Very tasty , though the comment was it did look like bright green pond algae…..I have lots left and my son took some back home with him…I am planning to have with some cut price hake I got the other day, which is in freezer. And Birdy I also had some wine…..Tomorrow is another day and the coming week is another week.

Some sweeteners are worse than others. I avoid sucralose, sugar alcohols like malitol, sorbitol and erythritol, aspartame and saccharine. They can have a blood sugar impact, feed unfriendly gut bacteria and harm the friendly ones. The jury’s still out on whether Stevia causes a blood sugar response. Some studies suggest it’s neutral. I find it unpleasantly sweet, sticky sweet almost, so I avoid it too.

The only sweeteners I use now on the rare occasions when I make low-carb desserts are pure monkfruit extract and inulin (chickory root extract) for bulk. That’s what I use in my mini-cheesecakes and when I’m making a raspberry or blueberry compote for the peanut butter and yogurt parfait that is my OH’s favorite thing in the world. They are entirely natural, and the mogrosides that make monkfruit extract taste sweet (200 times sweeter than sugar) have no blood sugar impact. Some animal studies indicate it actually helps control blood sugar levels, although no human testing has been done yet.

The problem is that sweetness itself can still ignite cravings, sort of like a psychological addiction even when the physiological process isn’t engaged. When I started on the BSD, I drank a bottle of Coke Zero a day. Within a couple of weeks they no longer appealed to me as my palate began to change. I’d still have sweetened chocolates on increasingly rare occasion over the next few months. When I discovered that 100% chocolate no longer tasted bitter to me, I cut those out too. Leaning into my newfound love for bitter, sour, tangy, intense flavors made me much happier than trying to recreate sweets I used to love in a low-carb form. It was a long process, though. Whatever keeps you on track and away from carbs should take priority.

Hi guys. Thanks for starting this thread JGwen. I’ve spent a happy morning ricing cauliflower and broccoli and jotting down a menu plan for the week ahead. My summer song is Don Henley’s Boys of Summer too, Birdy. I’ve also got a spice rack contraption that I need to put together for the inside of my cupboard so everything is arranged and easy to find. 72F here today in Worcestershire and it’s wonderful. Was in Bidford upon Avon on Friday, having lunch by the river! A bunless chicken burger with salad. It’s great to be back and very much ready for this next trip. 😁👍
Kazzee xx

How occassionally do you mean? If it’s one every six months or so it probably won’t matter much, but if it’s a couple of times a week (or more!) then you’re not giving yourself a chance to retrain yourself not to want this kind of sweetness.

Remember there’s no nutrional value in these sweeteners and some suggestions that they’re harmful. If you really want something sweet, then have the chocolate or fruit, rather than synthetic stuff.

Lovely to hear from you SunnyB ! Your Turkish sojourn sounds idyllic !
I am on holiday until the 6th May and will be in the Uk from Wednesday , looking forward to catching up with my family ( 2 days in Brighton !)
Spoke to my boys today and they are well and happy in Oz
Got a lot of tidying up done today ready for the trip ( I like returning to a tidy house !)
I sold 4 tunics on eBay which are now too big for me 😉
It’s all good xxx

Hi Mel
This is only my opinion but I steer clear of all things ‘ artificial’. I don’t like the chemical nature of these sweeteners. I would not touch a Diet drink or sweeteners because I want to break free of the sugar addiction and all the faux sugars etc just perpetuate the cravings for soemthing that I do not need. Berries are sweet enough, dark choc at least 85% for me…

Some people says adding a bit of cinnamon can dispel the bitterness of black coffee ?
You are not ‘sabotaging’ anything if this is your way of adapting to a new way of eating but I would say try to wean yourself off the sugar in the long term. Sugar is a very addictive substance and it’s tough adjusting as you start out but I think it’s worth it .
Have a read of this

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/sweeteners

Birdy is right, anything that tastes sweet causes our bodies to produce insulin to handle the sugar it expects is going to be entering the blood stream. So artificial sweeteners cause a spike in insulin and while this way of eating is called the blood sugar diet really what we are trying to do is keep insulin levels low so that our bodies can access our fat stores.

Hi Mel I am on the understanding that they are a no go. Even though it is not real sugar they still make your insulin spike. Allie and Essie are the ones to go into it deeper but as I understand they effect the fat burning. I have tried a sip of slimline tonic and it was really horrible, I could taste the artificial sweetener! We are trying to get our bodies to not crave sweet things and carbs and thus could be a sure way to break all that and start the cravings again. I have found that if I have a few nuts like pistachios with a little Maldon sea salt on them that stops my cravings dead. Hope this has helped? Birdy 💞🦜

Hi all and a happy easter to you!
What are your thoughts on diet/zero sugar drinks and sweeteners and Natural Stevia??
Are these ok to use. Sometimes I just want something that tastes sweet. I’m not sweet toothed by nature but occasionally I just fancy something sweet. I love berries and dark chocolate( Green & blacks organic 80% )
Is it ok to grab an occasional diet drink or have a sweetener in my black coffee?
I’ve also occasionally put a sprinkle of stevia in my natural full fat yoghurt or a teaspoon of sweet freedom chocolate spread to make a chocolate type desert. Am I ok with doing this as I won’t if it’s going to sabotage all my good work .

I’ve been dipping on from time to time and it’s been wonderful reading all the positive posts. Seems UK is basking in sunshine and enjoying unusually good temps. Here in Turkey, we have had the sun and blue skies, but a very cold wind from the north. Promised better to come over the coming week though
My current positives are …
1) spending time with OH
2) lovely fresh foods from the three times weekly markets
3) acquired a beautiful little orchid and a basil plant, both of which add life to the apartment.

Sorry to hear about your weekend spiral, Happyhel. Like JGwen says, now you know that for you alcohol is a clear trigger for risk-taking behavior when it comes to food. The drink itself doesn’t have to be high in carbs in order to send you reeling. So off the list it goes and you move forward. I agree with Allie that you should weigh yourself to know for a fact the price you paid. It will help you down the line when nasty thoughts sneak back in that a little gin or two can’t hurt.

This is why I always advocate that people do the 8 weeks straight, no liquor, no carby foods, no intentional deviations, no breaks, exceptions or timeouts. The cost is so, so much higher than people tend to think it will be when they’re wearing rosy glasses beforehand and the worst part is that the cost is far higher in recriminations and self-loathing than in number on the scale. Damaging the way you feel about yourself, mentally flogging yourself over and over, only sets you up for the next spiral. Your mindset will get you to your goals. Your body is just along for the ride. As your liver cleans the toxic ethanol out of your body, you must do the same with the poison in your mind. Draw a line under the past and look forward with renewed determination.

Or just google the type of food and “nutrition”. You’ll get a full nutritional panel on the right with the breakdown of calories, carbs, fat, protein, etc.

You can also use an app to look up and calculate calories and carbs. I use MyFitnessPal. FatSecret is popular with UK folks because its database contains a lot of the brands found in stores there.

HI!! Easter smiles to all
Seems like most of us are having lull in determination but personally I’m hoping that better weather and better health will perk us all up
Jennie – ‘5lbs is a mere bagatelle’– know that’s true but it’s very nice to see someone say that to me – yet another thank you. Still not driving – but some of that is from within myself – a fear that without a definite diagnosis I still could injure or kill someone. However, I’m a terrible gypsy and never happier than when I’m on the road to somewhere or other so it’s hard. Hey ho – it’ll all pass hopefully with further hospital consultations. VERY happy for you with your BMI success – totally get ‘don’t tell anyone!’ but hope you don’t have to put fingers on lips. Also hope the various pieces of family jigsaw come together well – we all need our families to be happy.
Hadenough – Hope your resolve for tomorrow and getting back to it pays off – determination can be everything when you need to take the first steps. I’m totally sympathetic wish you all the best – being in a similar situation. DO keep us posted – for good and for bad. There’s always help and encouragement to be found here. Good luck to you.
Miss Ziggie – am so very sorry about your property and tenants’ bad behaviour. It happened to me at the beginning of last year and the rage I felt was huge – tho nothing compared to how hard I worked to get it back into shape and how MUCH I resented every paintbrush stroke made and gardening task done. Very debilitating. Hope the end of that will see you right for your next efforts for yourself with BSD.
VERY opportune for me seeing the conversation you provoked about cauli-rice. I’d been meaning to try for ages and happened to get a cauliflower in my organic box on Thursday so THIS is the week and coincidentally here are loads of great hints and tips. Put a smile on my face. XXX
Margaret – glad to hear there has been positive news following your MRI. Know those things are an ordeal and that can fade a bit when news is good. Happy to hear you’re making progress and hope that progress with the loss of balance continues. Also hope the consultant can help with your tinnitus. I can’t actually imagine living with that – though guess my day could come. You do sound like you’re paying some attention to your eating habits – ‘can’t be botheredish’ made me smile (wryly) – I have too many days like that at the moment – NOT helped by my own odd glasses of wine. I am also too sedentary and am figuring ways round it. In this glorious weather I take my coffee downstairs to the beautiful green square outside and sit on a conveniently cut-down tree trunk and contemplate the sea. Once I’m out there I then take a walk. Equally I have signed up with a local allotment – not as a holder but to help others with their plots – also to aid with selling surplus produce on stalls and to follow their guided meditation and outdoor yoga sessions. Called the Magic Garden. Hippy Dippy Brighton – love it!
Bat on all – we should have a good few months of reasonable weather ahead to consolidate – and continue with – progress. SoniaX

Hi Esnecca …I will try the roast cauliflower rice method it sounds good!
hi Hadenough…. I was like you a couple of months ago and managed to motivate myself again. good luck for starting back on BSD tomorrow🙂
MIss ZIggy

Many foods list the calorie count on the packaging, per 100g of food. The figure you’re looking for is the kcal one. You’ll need to weigh the portion you’re using and calculate the weight for that.

For things which don’t have packaging which states the calories, do an online search for a calorie counter and use that.

Scottishgal, hope that you enjoyed every minute of the break.
My favourite George song is from 1984, yours is just 2 years later, in his solo gig. What a great voice, lovely man.
I’ve got “Listen without prejudice” on YouTube now.