Wooduckie, I share your love of nature! Here, we are in the warm days of Indian aummer, so typically Californian, the leaves on all the deciduous trees have turned color. The Fuyu persimmon which grows in our West field has begun to ripen it’s fruit and the leaves are no longer dark green, but tinged toward yellow.
The quail have been in the fig tree, so the ripe figs are pocked with bird beaks and not so desirable anymore. I’m leaving them on the tree for the birds, good food for winter fattening.
We’ve had dozens of crows recently, perching on the cedar trees by the road, caw-caw-cawing to each other and diving one-on-another in what looks like play.
This afternoon the pistachio trees are just turning pink, and the west-setting sun shines through the branches. The pyracantha hang heavy with orange berries and the naked-lady lilies are dry and bent. Clearly winter is coming.

Allie what a beautiful post. I can sense the elation the joy, happiness, and contentment and hope it endures for quite some time 🙂 My positives are much less in elevation – in fact could almost be described as travelling incognito . . . but none the less necessary to find! I, adding a couple of extras because I can! 1: A trip to – and treatment by the osteopath for a seriously painful right hip and leg took some days to yield any discernable relief . . . but any is better than none. This allowed for . . . 1a: Some orchids sourced while on a holiday to have found their residences in my garden . . . I trust Ive found sufficiently protected places to ensure they survive all seasons between which there can be some vastly opposed temps 🙂 1b: Ive started on the courtyard re-organisation . . . overgrown, weed-riddled pots with spent soil are going . . . and an old brickies wheelbarrow will be my new spinach and strawberry planter. Three large containers with Tiny Tom, Yellow pear and red grape mini tomatoes will flank the barrow, and a repurposed clothes airer will provide the scaffolding for the necessary protective netting. I have some very opportunistic creatures who get excited and well fed when I garden like this! The fancy “three-leaf-clover” shaped stacking planter will hold my herbs. . . . . and then . . . . . AH YES!!! 2: A magnificent King Parrot dropped by for a drink from the watering holes under the shrubs by the back door. He sat watching me knitting for maybe a good 30 minutes – and occasionally, I extended the odd single note short whistle his way. Imagine my surprise when in the courtyard with the pots and barrow yesterday . . a King Parrot – (and Im guessing its the some one!) – came and watched the goings on from maybe just 2 metres away!!! – and started whistling for attention. Nature gives such solace. I wont be doing much more out there today as it seems more torrential rain is expected this afternoon – so my hip is jumping for joy at that prospect! 3: My long awaited endo appointment is at hand in two days time and with a slightly elevated BSL this morning makes me consider maybe Im just a little anxious about that 🙂 Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend 🙂

What a marvellous find, JGwen! When is your party?
Am in bed, watching Gardeners World. Another early night.

I am glad to hear you had a lovely day on your birthday, Allie, but I have never been convinced about the idea of eating fish eggs.

My positives for the last couple of days are linked.
1. I have been having a clear out and came across a pot of coins that I had forgotten about.
2. When I went into town today I managed to find a parking slot in the one zone where you get a full hour free parking (There is only space for 6 cars in that zone and all the rest of the on street parking has a half an hour time limit). – So I had time to call into a couple of charity shops looking for a dress than I could modify for a fancy dress event in a couple of weeks time.
3 I didn’t find anything suitable for that but…… I came across one of those special dresses, a long black evening dress that is an unusual but very classy design so it will be timeless. Just one of those dresses that makes you go wow, I want to make an entrance into a room wearing that. It had never been worn (the labels were still in it). And it was in my target dress size. So guess what my horde of coins was spent on. 🙂 – I did try it on when I got home, so I know the number of inches I need to loose for it to fit.

Hi GangreneHeart,

When you first cut down on the carbs you will see a better than average weight loss because your body is getting rid of some of the water stored. – After that stage there are a number of factors to consider.
1. On average 3500 calories equals 1lb of fat. – So monitoring macros and calories can be important to manage expectations.
2. Weight loss isn’t linear, the body doesn’t use the fat out of a single cell at a time, It takes a little fat out of a number of cells replacing the fat with water. It is only when all the fat is used out of a cell that the water is released and the cell collapses – search for the whoosh effect.
3. If you are increasing your activity levels you may be increasing muscle, so your weight will stay the same but your inches will change as muscle is denser than fat so a lb of muscle takes up less space than a lb of fat. (and not necessarily the waist & hip measurements, a lot of us have seen changes to our arms and legs before changes to our spare tyres.)
4. I would recommend joining either the weekly challenge or 4 weekly challenge thread on the forum. On both people set themselves targets for the challenge and you will find a mixture of experienced BSDers and newcomers sharing their stories and hints and tips. – There are no moderators on this forum, and most people tend to just read threads they are signed up to, so you are more likely to get a wider range of views if you post any questions on one of the two challenges.
5.. Finally I would recommend looking at some of the links to podcasts on the Take a look at this thread, particularly those by Dr Bikman, or Dr Fung, or read the book Why we get fat and what to do about it by Gary Taubes. to understand the importance of getting your insulin levels down enough so that your body can access your fat stores. – Some of us who have been eating lots of carbs for a long have become Insulin Resistant, and find that a daily limit of 20g of carbs is the magic figure for regular weight loss.

Thank you for your reply I will try them out. I’m really pleased I’ve lost 3pounds in this first week so over the moon . It really helps to encourage me to keep going. I don’t know when other people weigh in but I really need to know if lost something. I desperately need to get in my Halloween outfit before I sew the spiders on it. It was a touch tight the first time around.

Hey. I have been doing fast 800 for about three weeks and I noticed that around Monday, my weight stopped going down. I’m eating an average of 45 grams of carbs a day and I stick to my diet pretty well. The only thing I changed a was that I started doing a fitness blender program to incorporate strength training last week. Could that be the reason? Should I stick with cardio for now?

I started around 187. I’m now 174. My goal is 150 (maybe lower depending…). Thanks for any replies in advance

Good morning CJ, JGwen and Wendy and Allie (most recent posters), I agree too, I think the two week diet post is an advertisement but just on the off chance that someone might take it seriously, I thought I would answer it truthfully. Also, in the past I have assumed some posts were fakes and then they turned out to be real people!
JGwen, my body did the same, I lost everywhere on my body EXCEPT my belly. Interestingly though, now if I gain a pound or two it goes to my upper thighs and my butt — my stomach seems much less a storage site than it used to be and I believe it is due to my lowered insulin. It had taken two years to get that response but I really believe it happens if you stay low carb. It is very interesting!
I support the “long view” too — taking time for a break along the way and staying low carb is a good way to relax the pressure of the diet and try out what it means to be in maintenance.
I know some folk were incredibly focused (Allie for one) and able to stay the course until they reached gol but I went back and forth for many months and although it wasn’t as fast, I got there. The great thing about the BSD is that it works with so many approaches. The critical piece for me was finally understanding the insulin/carbohydrate link.

Allie that sounds a heavenly birthday – so pleased you had a lovely day. Kazzee you sound well set up for a lovely weekend! My positives:
1) Another beautiful sunny day
2) A nice chatty lunch with friends by the borders of the Rhine. Gezellig as the Dutch would say!
3) Managed to stick with one glass of wine and avoided all bread and chips. So still hoping for a decent outcome at weigh-in next Tuesday. (That thought has probably blown it!).

Thank you, Jennie10. It’s good to see you here! 🙂

Oh, Allie – how wonderful! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed your day! 🙂
Well, my positives are:
1 – human again today, after giving in and going to bed at 8.30pm last night – was asleep by 9pm and only woke twice in the night instead of my usual 4 times! I’ve had the sniffles and a mild nagging headache the last 3 days, both gone today.
2 – I think my carb monster is finally asleep – absolutely no bread urges at all and, in fact, my linseed bread which is in the freezer, has been untouched since last Saturday and I’m not sure I’ll even both tomorrow!
3 – Hair cut appt tomorrow morning booked and am thinking about going to the nail bar next door. I’ve never had my nails professionally painted. Mainly because they are short (so I can touch type).
4 – It’s nearly the weekend, all my solicitors are out and I’m happily plodding through it… uninterrupted!
5 – This morning started with 2C (32F), bit frosty, beautiful sunrise and mist rolling over the fields on the drive to the train station this morning.
Greedy or what? 5 positives! Hoping you all have a lovely weekend. 🙂
Kazzeexx

Greetings, all! It’s a bit early in the morning to have experienced positives for today thus
far, but I’m still floating on fresh memories from yesterday, and will share them!

1. Had a very special luncheon yesterday with O/H at a lovely upscale Mediterranean
restaurant that serves an extensive menu of tapas appetizers, in addition to entrees.
We select three, which we shared, and had a wonderful eclectic meal that was shockingly
BSD friendly. We must come back to try the dinner menu!
2. Spent the evening in front of the first blazing wood fire of the year, indulging in some
bubbly and a small tin of beluga caviar…yum
3. In addition to opening some very beautiful birthday gifts, my husband presented me
with a lengthy handwritten poem that he had composed to celebrate the occasion. He
has no facility for verbalizing his feelings, so this gesture filled my heart with joy, and
my eyes with tears.

All in all, a very memorable day, never to be forgotten! I felt like a princess 🙂

Natalie, your commitment to improving your fitness level is so inspiring 🙂 Do you genuinely
enjoy working out every day, or are you just doing it to expedite weight loss? I love that
you are trying new things, though! With children at home, exercise and BSDing, do you
manage any “me time”? I don’t want you to get burned out! 🙂 🙂 🙂 (I’m a bit of a mother hen,
and have to watch over my chicks…sorry!)

Hi CJBA, I am also self employed and have times of the year which are busier than others. – First of all this isn’t a race, there is absolutely nothing wrong in taking a couple of months where you stay eating low carb but stay in a holding pattern while you deal with other aspects of life. – No one says you have to achieve weight loss every week until you get down to your final target. I found taking a few months away from the pressure of trying to loose weight was good for me while work was hectic because it demonstrated to me that if I stick to low carb eating and keeping calories eaten in proportion on average to cals burnt the weight doesn’t pile back on, and I felt fresher and ready to restart once work was less demanding.
Also the scales can be deceptive. Are you monitoring to see if your measurements are still changing even if the scales are not? – Muscle is much more dense than fat so takes up less space, and it could be that the inch changes are occurring in locations other than your waist and hips. My body seems to love taunting me by taking inches from places that I don’t expect rather than from the spare tyre.
Finally, you may have seen it before on this forum because its a piece of advice that I have shared before, but for me working out a WHY is very important in motivation. When you have all the other demands on your time, and temptations a reading on a scale that only you will see isn’t such a strong motivator. – Working out why getting to a lower weight is important to you is much more powerful.

Reported

Reported

I hope you can get back on track CJ because you know you will feel better when you do. I notice when I go from eating the BSD with low carbs my body objects now & I have a feeling of indigestion.
Yesterday for me was very off piste having lunch at a friends house mainly because of having wine but we were also served quiche as a starter, a good beany casserole with potatoes & few other vegetables as the main then a rather delicious chocolate flan with berries & strawberries for pudding. We got home & had broccoli soup for supper but I hope to redress the balance today with a fasting day & suspect I’ve poleaxed any weight loss this week!
Life & temptation always gets in the way but the beauty of this WOE is the chance to start again because we have learnt a better way of more healthy eating. I do find it’s so simple to just not buy any low fat stuff, sugar, bread, pastry, cakes or potatoes & choose any more processed food very carefully but I do buy soup & houmous to save time making them. Oh well I’m off to my ancient history class this morning & then food shopping at Waitrose afterwards.
I hope you are all having a good week & roll on Sunday for me to weigh & see how I have done this week!
Margaret xx

Thanks Kazzuk
Amazon doesn’t ship that book to Australia
But I have now found it
Why not just call the diet the 8 week blood sugar diet instead of Fast 800
Cheers

Lovely to read and catch up with all the posts and this is where I’m struggling. It’s great to read all the successes – in every shape and form and to take on the advice of more experienced BSDers and I’m guessing that we’re a slightly more senior forum given the varied reasons for wanting to lose weight – the healty perspective from so many of us. I just wish that I had the time to come on more often but I’m self-employed and have recently been given some work (needs must and all that) which means that I can’t get on here as often as I would like (and need!) and can’t fit in my regular exercise. I’m having a real problem with my lack of motivation plus being exhausted so while I start the day well, by the time I get home I’m hungry and find myself picking at food. I’m trying to go by overall fit of clothes rather than weight on the scales, but I seem to have hit an impasse and am going backwards and forwards, lose a bit, gain it back, lose it again, gain it back… I know that if I stick to the plan, as I did the last time, it will work, but I just can’t seem to find the motivation that I had before.
Any advice, carrot/stick would be very welcome! In the meantime, I’m enjoying reading about how well you’re all doing and trying to make that my motivation.

I agree, JGwen, I think that I have seen that post before – cynical marketing ploy/scam.
Have a good day, everyone.
CJ

I suspect that the post about the 2 week plan is a marketing technique, and have reported it to the moderators.

I tried a Body Balance class yesterday (yoga/Pilates/tai chi) and didn’t like it much. I enjoyed the Tai Chi warm up moves,but then an hour of boring painful stretches? Urg. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again. Today I did a Step class (aerobics while stepping up and down on a box). Much more fun, but so hard! I left after 40 mins when the woman next to me asked if I was ok. Drenched in sweat and beetroot red, shuffling through the moves. My legs refused to step up any more, they barely agreed to walk me back to my car! I used to do these classes at a gym (ahem, a few years ago now) but I dont think I’m quite ready for that level of intensity for a whole hour at my current level of fitness. So far I’ve definitely liked Zumba the best. Still a few different classes to try!

Hi Davi. Welcome. It’s The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Moseley. If you click on the Resources tab above, then click Books by MMoseley, it’s shows you. I got mine via Amazon. You could try your library also. Wishing you well!
Kazzuk

Hi all just joined but a bit confused
How do I get the right book to get started, Google search just shows The Fast Diet
Is this the right book for starting the BSD 800 ?
Cheers
Davi

Thank you, happyitsworking! Very kind of you 🙂 I know you’ve been a former participant
in some of the weekly challenges. It would be so nice to hear from you more often, so
we might know how you’re doing. Everyone has an important contribution to make here 🙂
Hope to hear more from you very soon!

Allie

Hi Jeremy, you say you are looking to lose significant weight and are interested in an
honest opinion from members of this community. The BSD is based on solid research,
not just testimonials with before and after photos. It isn’t a quick fix, and it involves a
different way of looking at food long term. The advertisement you forwarded looks like
nothing more than an advertising scheme designed to appeal to the most vulnerable among
us. There are “real people” in this community who would happily welcome you and share
their experience and guidance in reaching your goals. And no fees required! I’m highly
skeptical of any program that offers guarantees, and I’d steer clear of this one 🙂 Best of
luck to you!

Allie

Hi Jeremy — two weeks won’t get you very far — the Blood Sugar Diet is not really just a diet, and it isn’t about just losing weight. It is truly a new way of thinking about food and health and if you want it to be successful, you need to keep on it for long enough for the mental switch to be triggered — so you don’t just return to the eating patterns that got you fat and sick in the first place.
The research is absolutely clear — to lose weight and protect your brain and your body, you need to stop eating simple, refined carbohydrate.
Two weeks will just barely get you past the “ditching the carbs” phase — most of us have gone multiple 8 week programs to achieve our goals.
And somewhere along that path a light bulb goes on and suddenly it is not a diet, but a wonderful new way of life.
The BSD will give you your life back. I doubt that two week diet can offer you the same miracle.

Hi Ellesmere, Welcome to the forum.
You asked about L-carnitine. Its an amino acid which is important in the process of turning body fat into energy.

The main source of L-carnitine in our diet is meat, but as a vegetarian thats off the table for me. The next 8 main sources are all off the table if you are eating low carb, which means either eating buckets of asparagus, or taking a supplement. – Apparently the recommendation is to take 2mg a day.

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1026/l-carnitine

Happy Birthday Allie😄

Hi guys.
Was down for a few days because of the scales however I’ve stuck to the plan and stopped weighing myself every day. Trying for only once a week.
It’s so lovely to have the experienced members joining in and helping. I’m definitely taking alliecats advice about water and drinking s much as I can. I cannot wait for my whoosh effect 😃
Salmon for breakfast sounds fab miss ziggy. Might try that

Hi everyone ,
I am so happy to see this thread active again and most of you seem to be doing so well. I also agree with Reducia. I feel so much better on BSD. I have been so busy this week working in the greenhouse and tidying up the allotment. And tidying up the very messy study. Some days I don’t even feel hungry😱but I do make sure I eat. Something that helps me on BSD is to eat for non breakfast foods at breakfast…for example yesterday I ate a salmon steak with a poached egg and spinach for my breakfast and throughly enjoyed it!! One morning I ate a home made burger with onions peppers and mushrooms. It works for me🤣🤣🤣🤣
My husband has just home from golf and he is cooking my steak as I type. So its steak and salad tonight. I have no fresh berries but have loads in the freezer. I might defrost some and swirl it through some yogurt for dessert!…

Keep on keeping on!!! Bye for now
Miss Ziggy

Jennie – thank you. To be fair the first weeks loss (12lb) would most likely be mostly water. It was then 5 and then 4 so a more feasible loss pattern appearing. I will keep going. Have had a better day today. Feeling a bit back in control. Your kind words helped no end. So big thank you. xx JGwen- you are totally right I was a very heavy carb eater. I found what you were saying very interesting. I actually felt better knowing it was possibly not all my fault I was feeling bad and has something to do with the science of the body. Made me doubt my ability a little less. Even managed to crack a joke about bounty bars being healthy! So many thanks to you as well. Its amazing what a bit support from people going through or understanding the struggle can do for a person. Thank you all. Xxx

Hi everyone! You have revived an old thread, so I’d like to welcome all of you newbies to
the exciting and life changing journey known as the BSD 🙂 If you don’t mind a little unsolicited
advice from a long timer well into maintenance for a year and a 1/2, the importance of water
can’t be underestimated. As fat cells release the fat, they fill up with water, causing the cells to
eventually collapse, and something referred to as “the whoosh” effect takes place. Several
pounds can drop from the scale overnight. Drinking 2-3 liters a day facilitates this process.
Thinking of you, Jennie 🙂 Carbs hold onto fluid, and wine has the same effect! We really do
need all of that water. Congratulations to all of you who have the fatsecret app. Carbs
hide in surprising places, so the sooner you begin to record and recognize them, as well
as count them, you will be well on your way to seeing fantastic results. We call this the
“learning curve”, and soon it will be second nature to you. There is much knowledge and
generosity of spirit to be shared here, so just shout out if you have any questions, and
someone will be along to answer them. Wishing you all the best!!!

Allie

Happy anniversary Theo! We all do have a lot in common, mine was last a Friday and I think Allies is very close too. Enjoy your adventure because it’s certainly more than a ‘trip’!
Haven’t had much to be positive about this week but I will still find something…..
1. Finally on the mend from two bouts of an autoimmune problem I have.
2. Finally feel like getting back to normal cooking etc. Soup is starting to get boring.
3. The sun is shining today so who can ask for more than a bright, crisp autumn day!
Kazz thanks for the information about the wraps. I will try them next week they sound really useful for lunches.
Glad you are all sorted out now Sunny enjoy your holiday.
Hope everyone is well and feeling positive.

Sunny, you lawbreaker 🙂 And you’re always so organized, too! I’m sure the kefir grains
arrived with you intact, however? Adapting to change is suppose to be a key element
in living a long life, and look at how well you’re prepared for it! An unplanned 3 days in
Greece…sounds just great to me!!! Enjoy it all, my friend…Look in when you can, you
know we’ll keep the home fires burning:)

How very thoughtful of you, Jordana and Violinist! I appreciate it so much. Violinist,
yes, this is a “big one”….Officially a septuagenarian, today! What a perfectly gorgeous
month to be in Vermont…..Approximately another week until we’re at maximum color
riot on the trees in CT. I just come fully alive in Autumn, with the heat and high humidity
behind us. Expecting a hard frost “on the pumpkin” tonight, and brilliant sunshine
tomorrow! Enjoy your break and time with your granddaughters 🙂

Hi Squidge, something to do with it being higher is resistant starch. It is okay to cook it as the other benefits of overnight soaking is quicker to cook and easier to digest. There is a theory that all starchy food can be improved by cooling and reheating i.e. rice, pasta even potatoes.

Happy birthday Allie! I don’t normally post on this thread, but wanted to wish you many happy returns 🙂

So I guess I better post a few positives…

1) haven’t been able to read posts for awhile and logged in just in time to see its Allie’s birthday…
2) sun is shining here. Makes me so happy!
3) just had a lovely few days with some friends from America. So good to see them

Happy Birthday Allie!!!!! Is it a “big “ one??

I am up in Vermont this week visiting grandgirls!!!

Hi Allie
Hope you have a super rest of the day! 🙂
Dark choc peanut butter on strawberries & a tbsp yoghurt? Then stick in a candle?
Would that do for a cake?
Or the choc cake made with red kidney beans! The one Dr MM’s Wife Dr Clare Bailey w/ Dr Sarah Schenker for the 8wk BSD Recipe book, put together! 😀
Not wanting to tempt you into any bad habits of course!! 😀 (Not that you would I’m certain!)

Please can I join as well I’m four days in to the 800 diet. I’ve read on one of the replies about l carnitine im interested in what it does can someone tell me?

Glad I haven’t missed the big day – very happy birthday, Allie! And happy anniversary to you as well Theo. I confess I haven’t read all recent posts in full, so please forgive me if I have missed anyone else’s significant event.

Our trip had a bit of a shaky start. OH forgot all his Turkish keys. Not a problem for getting into our apartment, as I had mine, but a day spent sorting out new keys for the scooter and breaking into our storage unit in the basement to get to it.

Also, due to a bit of a mess up on my part, there was a small problem with our Turkish visas, (apparently I can’t count!) the answer to which, was to leave and re-enter, so we were here three days, for two of which we were here illegally! We then left and went to Kos for three days and came back into Turkey two days ago. So, we are only just now settling to our home-from-home properly. Enjoyed our little Greek adventure though and to be fair, it’s a trip we have talked about doing and this time, events forced our hand.

Some simple positives for me then …
1) now in to country legally
2) sun is shining, it’s warm and very pleasant
3) enjoying time with OH

Will drop by again in a few days. Stay positive everyone xx

HAPPY, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Theo! I’m so glad that you found a moment to check in.
If you fail to return by Christmas, I will personally organize a search party for you 🙂 You
seem to have adapted to wanderlust with gusto! Enjoy every unstructured moment…you
travel from one adventure to the next 🙂

Thank you kindly for the birthday wishes, Julia! I’m happy that you’re finally installed
on your mountain. Remodeling and moving house is exhausting, even if it’s something
you’re looking forward to. I’ll be looking forward to hearing about the flora and fauna in
the neighborhood!

I’m certain that I’ll be on overload with positves by the end of the day, but waking up to a
forum full of birthday wishes is how I’m celebrating the early hours of this day!

Hi all – we have a lovely a day here again too – been walking by the sea at the bottom of our square – makes movement very easy on a good day!
Jennie10 – good for you on all the measurements – I probably should do that too but even weighing myself is more than I really want to do – I always know by my clothes whether things are going well. In view of my Pre-diabetes check in early November I may go the local chemist to have everything checked soon and again before I actually go. It’s really motivating me at the moment and I’m being very careful with carbs and cals – long may it last! Good to know that so many others are lowering their BS levels here – thanks. I’m actually amazed at how much easier it all is than I expected. I agree with you about Wendy’s omelette – DEF going to do that soon. Am loaded with veggies at the moment that I can’t see how to finish to any veggies things are good for me.

goldie – sorry you’re so discouraged by the scales – I’ve stopped weighing myself more than once a week – and I don’t always do it that often purely because I’m up and down all the time and it does nothing for my mood or motivation when I’m up for no reason. Hope it all evens out soon. As you say – you’re going in the right direction – guess that’s the thing to hang on to.
Have a good day all of you – SoniaX

Oh, my goodness!!! I feel as though I’ve just left the “bed chamber” and walked into the
lounge, to find you all there, after organizing a surprise birthday brunch in my honor! I’m
both humbled and delighted to begin my day in this fashion 🙂 We have songs as well as
video entertainment, and not even one mention of cake! I thank you all so very much!!!
I laughed and laughed Kazz, because my memory reaches back to the mid 50’s, when Betty Boop
was part of popular culture. I was given a small blow up Betty Boop, suspended from a
stick, during my first trip to a national zoo when I was about 6 years old! I didn’t even know
I had retained the memory…. Wendy, your message read like a very special card from a dear
friend…I’m now ready to embrace the adventure of being a healthy, happy septuagenarian,
and see what secrets will be revealed to me, beginning today 🙂 🙂 🙂 21C appeals to me
V., though I’ve never been the sort of woman that lies about her age. I will be sharing
your observation with any callers today, however! Some more of your British wit, I
think 🙂
The coffeemaker has finished making obscene noises, so time to fill my mug! There is
nothing nicer than starting one’s day with friends, and I thank every one of you for the precious
gift. To borrow the line from our new birthday song, “You’re just too wonderful for words”!

xxx
Allie

Hi guys
Sitting here in sunny Oz celebrating our 49th wedding anniversary before heading off to NZ. Positives are:-
1) Catching up with my favourite cousin and her family in Oz.
2) Despite all expectations, absolutely no sign of jet-lag (though definitely touching wood here)
3) Rain has been threatened all day, but not materialised – perfect weather for city sight-seeing.

Heading off to NZ on Sunday – will just follow our noses/inclination and see where we end up, as long as we are home for Christmas.

Hi JGwen, that was me and Tillybud! It took me MONTHS to get over my 2.5 lb “gain” when I bought new scales! I was most put out! 🙂

Jennie, yes I think you are right about the water! Sometimes I am quite good but I haven’t been the last few days. I just went and got myself a pint of water! So thank you for the nudge!! What a good idea not to weigh when feeling like that. I weighed again this morning and up another pound! Frustrating. My partner moved out recently so the nightly drinking wine has stopped and I am getting a good night sleep so I should be losing, shouldn’t I?

Some carbs did creep in yesterday mind. I had half a slice of rye toast with egg on in the morning but that was only 11 carbs and then later did succumb to Cottage Pie (my go to comfort food). Again 30 grams carb. but nothing else. the rest was just fat/fish and greens. It is quite an eye opener to see carb content of foods. Actually 30g is quite low compared to a lot of the ready meals. (I prefer to cook fresh but Sainsburys over the road so sometimes tempted). And of course it is full of nasty preservatives etc.

I am chuffed with myself for giving up or at least cutting down dramatically quite a lot of things so even if this takes some time, I am headed in the right direction.

All the best to all of you. xx

Hope everyone is doing well today. It’s a beautiful autumn morning here.

Haven’t weighed myself so far this week as I’m also feeling quite bloated – so I’m going to leave that until I’m feeling thinner! Goldie, I think it must be just fluid retention. I’m wondering if drinking more water might help. I always struggle with drinking water – i.e. I don’t really drink any – so I’ve really got to start. I think I need to re-read the BSD book to understand why I need to do it.

Yesterday, I took all my measurements, bust, waist, hips as well as blood pressure, BMI, etc so I can see what’s happening as I go.
Last week, I hadn’t got my portions right so I’ve signed up to fatsecret and started recording all my food and drink. I need to keep a close eye on things as it’s surprising how often little bits of food can just pop into your mouth as your passing by your fridge.

Wendy1947 – I like the sound of that courgette, herb & chive omelette. Think I’m going to give that a go this week.
Bluey – it’s nice to hear you’re doing so well

Reducia – hope your pre-diabetes check goes well – is it soon? The reason I first did the diet (I also did 5:2 but liked this better) was that I have diabetes. Like lots of people on here I managed to put my diabetes into remission by using BSD. Even with the recent weight gain my blood sugars are still good. (But, I know I need to manage the weight now otherwise they won’t be). Keep going and you’ll get there.

There was a spate of people finding their weight went up when they changed their scales. – Its nothing to do with digital regarding analogue. – On most home scales thats just the display not the measuring system. Both types of scales depend on a spring to take a measurement, and over time the springs become slightly weaker, so when you change to a new scale with a new spring you will get a higher reading.

Hi Fee, well done on the weight loss so far, so much, so rapidly suggests that you were eating a very high carb diet before moving on to this way of eating. When we change our diet in this way, our body goes through a number of changes. – For a start when we eat high carb our bodies need to keep more water in reserve to help with digestion, when we move over to low carb that water is released leading to a rapid weight drop in the early days. – I had a similar experience myself, and as time goes on you will find that the scales will show marked changes if you have a day off the wagon and then get back on.

I also went through a similar period of craving carbs when I started.

Our gut bacteria mix adapts to our normal diet, so if you have been eating a high carb diet for a while you will have a high percentage of bacteria that need sugars to survive. – Its a fascinating topic, but it does appear that gut bacteria have the ability to get us to think about eating the type of food they thrive on. It turns out that there is a clear link between the gut bacteria that digest sugar and the production on an enzyme in our blood which causes inflammation. So those bacteria that are trying to get you to eat carbs so that they can survive are the ones that in the long term will cause you health problems.

I got through the cravings by thinking that I will not give in to bullying by bacteria. – Its a long story that I will tell you in full if you are interested, but I happen to know that nature provides us with an acid which controls the level of the sugar loving bacteria. – Caprylic Acid. It plays an important role in helping a newborn in establishing a healthy gut bacteria mix. If you eat enough coconut you could get it from your diet, but you can take a concentrated dose as a supplement. I took it as a supplement (Mycopryl 680) 3 capsules a day for a month to help me get through this stage.

Stick with it, you have all of us on your side, so just call out if you need any advice in the future.

Allie just want to add my congratulations to all the others. Wishing you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 Hope you have a wonderful day and remember, this is just the beginning. You may be 70 today but that’s only 21 in Celsius so ENJOY! 🥗🥂👠