Just popping in to say hi – hope everyone is doing well. How is your running going DCT? I was up to week 4 last weekend and did the first one bit really struggled running for 4.5 minutes at a time, I felt exhausted afterwards and had heart palpitations all afternoon. It probably didn’t help that I’d had a few wines the night before! Anyway this week I went back to Week 3 and repeated that, so I can comfortably run for 3 minutes at a time now. I’m still going to follow the program but will do each workout twice at least before moving onto the next one, as the running time seems to increase quite quickly from week 5.
Our restrictions are easing here but I feel a bit uneasy as we are in winter now, I’m still going to play it safe for a while. I had a hospital appointment on Friday which meant travelling out of my suburb. I wore a mask the whole time I was in the hospital, just in case.
Diet wise it’s same old same old for me. I lose a kilo, gain half a kilo, lost a bit, gain a bit, so round and round in circles! On the plus side I do feel really well, and healthy, which is something 🙂 each week I plan my meals and aim for 3 or 4 fast days of 800 calories, and eat in an 8 hour window, so doing 16:8. It mostly works although the 800 days tend to be more like 1000, and 16:8 is often 12:12 or 14:10!
I guess on the plus side I’m not gaining, just maintaining really. Am going to try a bit harder this week!

Hi everyone,
Not too bad a day today. I went for a 1 hr walk/run in the fasted state that was 3 loops of a trail that includes 230 stairs, so I did 690 altogether. I had to stop for breaks part way up, especially on the last 2 rounds, but hopefully I pushed myself enough to get some good improvement in my lung capacity and leg muscle strength. Fresh strawberries, greek yogurt and chia seeds with a couple of eggs for breakfast after. I’m in training now to go up a mountain trail that has some very long, steep stretches, so will try to do a couple of more vertical workouts each week. Clothes were still not fitting any looser this morning, but I seem to be losing a lot of fluid at the moment, so may be slightly less puffy tomorrow. If I have lost any fat this week, I think it is mostly from around my face, as it definitely looks to be a bit slimmer. Don’t think it is just my imagination.

Speaking of addictions, I had a revelation this week when a friend posted an article that she was interviewed for about her relationship with alcohol. It was about people who, while not alcoholics per se, were starting to question their relationship with alcohol and whether the amount they were drinking really was helping them or not or whether it meshed with other goals in their lives, such as being healthy and working out. My friend came to the realization that drinks every evening were not helping her, so she stopped that, and made a bargain with herself that it was not total abstinance – she could still drink when out or on special occassions, evening drinks at home were out. As the year went on though, she realized how much better she was feeling and started drinking less and less even when out, to the point where she hardly ever indulges now. Anyway, the point of this long story is that when I was reading this, I realized that I feel the same way about chocolate. I’ve not had any for a few weeks now, even the 90 or 100% kind, and I’m feeling so much better. It was always something I would have in the evening as a reward for getting through the day, but I don’t have too much control over it, so I would always overindulge, and then I would have trouble sleeping or getting to bed at a reasonable hour. So, I have made a committment that I’m just not going to buy it as a regular thing anymore. Not saying I won’t ever indulge ever again, but it will likely have to be for a special occassion and definitely not as a weeknight, eating alone sort of thing.

Hi all
Waitaminute I also “lost” a post the other day
Precis -thankyou to Rosyapple and WindyJulz for your honesty re addictions-mine would be wine….not in an alcoholic way, but it’s my go-to stress buster if I can’t go for a long walk-and the thing that will occ take me over the 800 🙁
Had another of those planned for today but my bursitis is having a hissy-fit at the moment so it was back to just over an hour

All good on the food front. I’ve almost inadvertently done OMAD several days and finding it incredibly easy -esp without socialising and lunch-time meetings (though I had one the other day and as they only had takeaway toasted sandwiches I just had a coffee!)
So the NSVs are increasing-currently wearing a woollen jumper that was looking much “rounder” last time I had it on!!

my recent food discovery has been home-made pistachio dukkah -completely BSD friendly and a great taste boost to veg, fish, tofu etc (almost anything really!)

Winter is truly here with a massive frost this morning-now the sky is clear blue and glorious but still a chill in the air!!

Wishing all a wonderful weekend (it’s a long weekend here and restrictions have just been eased a little more here in Tas, so lots out walking and enjoying the beautiful outdoors!)

Good morning ,
Well hopefully this post stays!!
Bit disappointed with myself..had a couple of glasses of wine last night, it’s so strange because the whole time I was drinking them I’m thinking why are u doing this when u know it’s not good for u but still did it 😕. I’m not a big drinker a glass every now and then, but now of all times I chose to do it 🤐.
Hope u are feeling better zuzu .
Windy Julz the puds sound yummy .. I made the coconut cream and chia pudding the other day and even a small bowl of that is quite filling..still got some left so it will be dessert tonight.
Britta congrats on reaching your 10kg milestone 🌹👍
I’m hoping for a discard when I step on the scales this morning but not holding my breath seeing as I had the wine. Maybe I’ll give this morning’s weigh in a miss so I’m not disappointed.
We are planning a 6 kilometre bike ride at some stage today most of it is on a slight incline so that has to burn more calories 🚴 I’m quite looking forward to it. Never thought I’d say I look forward to exercise, but there u go, inside this lazy person is a budding athlete 😂😂😂.
Well it’s 5:20 am I’ve been awake a couple of hours so I’m going to try to go back to sleep.💤💤💤
Onwards and downwards beautiful people 😊🖐️
Hopefully this post doesn’t disappear 🙂

also very few people lose 11 lbs in 11 days so don’t try and keep up with that!

Hi Daisychain
Don’t despair. Lots of people lose weight more slowly. There can be many different reasons for that. Check that you weigh and log absolutely everything so you’re not accidentally going over the 800 calories. Check that your carbs are not too high. Drink more water. And then just persevere. Try not to compare with how much other people lose. It will come off. Weeks 2 and 3 are famous for being a bit tricky, but stick with it, you’ll get there. Everyone on here has tried having weeks of not losing much. Have a read through some of the older threads, feeling disheartened with slow progress is part of this journey. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t working. Good luck!

Hi everyone,

I’m on day 11 of the Fast 800 diet. Finding it surprisingly easy apart from the occasional carb craving! Only issue is I’ve only lost 4lbs. My partner has lost 11lb. Does anyone know why my weight loss might be so slow? Keep reading about lots of people losing loads in their first couple of weeks, it’s a bit disheartening.

Thanks 🙏

I would run it by your GP first. A quick check showed that it comes in 2 dosages so if you are on the higher dose your GP might be happy for you to drop to the lower dose. The best thing would be to get your GP onside – and hope they are as enlightened as Dr David Unwin (look him up on You Tube if you don’t know of him. He is a GP from north west England.) He has a great thread on the Public Health Collaboration Chanel (Which is a charitable trust he helped set up) from a month ago that you could discuss with your GP.

Hi Theodora, Lovely to hear from you and to know that you are well in these trying times! You were one of my cheerleaders at the start of this journey, so I take particular notice that you are very much on track and celebrating over three years at your target. A good example to follow! I have wobbled a bit this year for a number of reasons – but a lot of the weight has stayed away, for which I am grateful! Take care of yourselves and keep healthy. x

I’m suffering from a cold and ear ache, but my weight loss is continuing so I’m hanging in there. The weather is just as variable as my health at the moment, but I managed to go for a walk without getting completely soaked. I have a mini-goal of hitting 80kg on Saturday 13th (I started the diet on April 13th). I was 80.9 this morning, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

I’ll also have a look at the “After…” thread for some inspiration. I don’t expect to hit my target weight when I finish my Fast800 stint, so any inspiration is welcome.

Hi all
Hope your weekends are going well. I have had a couple of days of thinking after hitting my 10kg milestone this week, which is half of what I decided I need to lose as a minimum. I never thought I would lose so much in such a short time so I am kind of adjusting my goals a bit. So I spent the last couple of days reading the “After reading your target” thread on here (it’s long…). It was an amazing read, a bit like on of those films where you follow a group of friends over a number of years, this one interspersed by lots of bsd experiences, advice, trial and error…
So I have a new plan, which is first of all to extend the 800 calories phase a bit. I’m about to embark on week 7 and I am still not quite ready to leave the structure of the 800 calories behind. I can do one or two days of not counting calories too strictly, but they seem to always lead to stall or gain, so I clearly haven’t quite developed a sense for it yet. So my plan now is to do 12 weeks, see where I am at and then begin to follow all the wonderful advice from the “After…” thread. Anyway, I’ll have to exit my philosophical corner as I have accidentally promised to play Star Wars on playstation with the kids…

Hi I’m Type 2 diabetic and want to start the BSD800 diet, however, I have seen warnings regarding this diet if you are prescribed SGLT inhibitors
I take Jardiance, would you recommend stopping this drug before starting BSD800?

What an amazing thread this is! It took me a couple of days to get through it, but so much to learn here and just such an interesting read. I found myself thinking this would make an excellent film script! Congratulations on all the successes – very inspiring indeed!

WindyJulz, good idea with the frozen puds, have just invested in a couple of tins of coconut milk so might give that a go. My name is Jo, I have rosy (a nickname) cheeks and I’m (still) apple shaped!! The names Jo and Rosie were both taken.
Is it freezing cold up there? It is here, wearing a jumper, I usually run on the warm side but I think having less padding is cooling me! Brrr. 🌹🍏

Hi there Richard and well done on the weight loss. This is one of the things I am always banging on about. Yes your BG will go right down, that is the point of the Blood Sugar Diet and the Fast 800 is basically the same as the BSD but not aimed specifically at diabetics. I used to panic if my morning readings went under 5.0. Now I am okay at around 3.5 to 4 but with caution. My BG used to drop in the afternoon which coincided with my exercise routine. Know your own body and all the signs and symptoms of a hypo such as numb or tingling lips, shaking, sweating, blurred vision etc, you should know these yourself. If you feel at all unwell have a small snack, something which is allowed on the diet (I no longer stuff a jam sandwich into my mouth as in the old days) a slice of ham or chicken, 2 tablespoons of plain yoghurt with a couple of prunes or apricots chopped in or a couple of walnuts. If that doesnt make you feel better have something sweet. I always have a bag of Werthers Originals in the house but also emergency glucose sachets. I prefer not to use the glucose as they may bring your BG up but it will drop again very quickly if you dont then eat something – so it is a quick fix until you can get to real food.
Stopping the Metformin is not recommended and we are not doctors but the Metformin would bring your BG down further so you might want to talk to your doctor just to let him know what you are doing. What you are experiencing is normal for the diet and you just need to be a bit more careful than a non diabetic. Also, home monitors are not that accurate, usually under what you actually are, so at 3.5 i would not be panicking. Under 3 I would be worried and eating something extra. Hope that helps.
Can I just add that when I started this plan 4 years ago I was running at 8.5 and within around 3 weeks was down to 5.0 and the occasional 4.0. I did a post back then called What Are We Doing To Ourselves or something like that and received reassurance from other members. Good luck.

Thanks Rosyapple. (Are you called Rosie or do you just like shiny apples?)
I’m in NE Scotland so might get after some posh cheeses.
I’m going to make some coconut cream and berry puddings and freeze them so I have an ice cream, I’ll do them in single portions so I can have a small pud if I choose but can leave them if I don’t want or need them, and enjoy the virtue. Also figure frozen is slower to eat etc.
Coffee with cream might be just as good an after tho.
Woohoo for the 16lbs. I’m chuffed to be the same. Ready for a step forward now.
😃

… I too have discarded 16llbs x

WindyJulz, well done on staying the same, not the result you’d hoped for but WAY better than an increase. Cheese sounds like a good idea and a much better habit to get into. I don’t know where you live but if you’re in the UK I know there’s some amazing cheeses on offer here. Could it be that you could have some with a small crisp apple? Best of both worlds! I’ve been enjoying passionfruit (17 cal, 4.21 carbs) with yogurt and toasted flaked almonds for breakfast, it would make a nice pudding also. Or a chia pudding, don’t want to encourage you to make ‘wrong’ choices but I think the lesser of 2 evils is sometimes a good option when you’re feeling wobbly…. Or a dose of smugness for having no afters at all!!! What a journey! Much love 🌹🍏

Have been on the Fast 800 BSD and apart from a few slips managing to keep it up, not easy as I am stuck in Morocco and on my own. Due to this I have had to improvise and rearrange the diet but have always kept to around the 800 cal mark and try to maintain 50g of protein every day. Have lost around 7 kg and lost 5cm around my waist, the problem that I have is that it has been too effective on the blood sugar levels. Bought a glucose monitor with the intention of checking weekly but as it started to drop I have been checking twice a day, first thing in the morning and then 2 hours after breakfast. My average is now around 3.5 mmol/L (fasting) and 3.9, 2 hours after eating. Have completely stopped my metformin all of which is great but low sugar also has it own problems.

Anyone else have the same thing? Did it change later? What did you do to help it?

Thanks sunnyB…. I’ll go look at cracker options. Was busy looking at cream and berry options but looking at recipes is a high risk activity. 😂
Diet doctor has a decent looking chocolate lava pud thyme thing….. tho I do wonder if I need to totally just steer clear of anything like that. Crackers and cheese sounds like a plan.

Julz, why not make some almond crackers and have them with a little cheese, instead of baked apple and cream. Pretty sure that would be lower is carbs, even if it pushes the calories up, because of the fat content it would be more satisfying.

Rosy apple, it feels like we have been on similar journeys this week. I’ve had a….’perplexing’ one with definite emotional eating. Over calories but all BSD friendly.
Plan was less walking more HIIT but I found we missed our walking and being motivated For HIIT is harder, so back to walking daily with occasional HIIT.
For me, it’s been a week of self discovery and honesty. Dr Cywes really has had an impact and I’ll watch more. I genuinely think my brain is getting toward the right place.
Today is weigh in day – I didn’t want to, wanted to put head in the sand as I know Sat, Sun, Mon & Tue were way over calories. Wed was fast day, Thursday was a little over and Friday was a good day. Step count was down. Oh and there may have been a small glass of wine consumed Thursday and Friday night. And I know last Sat I’d done a 20hr fast before standing on the scales. So I full expected an increase. Pleased to report I’m exactly the same. Feels like consolidation which is great. Last week wasn’t a fluke. So still down 16lbs which is good.
Brain now in place and hopefully I’m ready to settle down and get on with it.
Tonight is family night, it’s important to my Dad. I have 3 courses planned for the boys, just need to decide if I ‘treat’ myself to a baked apple while they have pudding. As of yesterday and new mindset, I’m seriously looking at options and alternatives as o know my apple and whipped cream will push me over and ultimately it won’t satisfy me anyway – I am now certain I am a carb addict and think I need to take account and not have it. There we go. Decision made.

Hello everyone 😊
A new day here in sunny Dorset! Which I am happy about. Yesterday was a tough one emotionally. I’m really feeling the effects of having had very little human contact. I’m missing hugs! I get the occasional one from Frida, age 5 when she feels the need which is lovely but not the same as hugging my friends and family 😦
I went way over 800 yesterday but stayed within my time frame and only had BSD friendly food. Definitely emotional eating though. (A small triumph).
I’ve been for my walk, so nice to be back on my feet after my little injury which took nearly 3 weeks to heal. What a relief. I think it has definitely affected my mental health being stuck in for so long. I usually do 40 minutes brisk walking with 3 inclines along the way. I keep my pace up throughout the whole journey ensuring my heart rate gets raised. I’m looking forward to adding in another form of exercise somewhere down the road when the situation permits! I have always wanted to do a martial art but have let my body issues get in the way. Sad really as it would have done me so much good if I’d started sooner. Oh well, I am where I’m at!! Meanwhile I can work on my carb issues.
I’m going shopping with the girls today, out in a car for the first time in months. Their Mum has taken pity on me and invited me along. (I’ve been part of their household whilst babysitting through the whole of lockdown, I don’t know why I feel the need to explain this!). It’s a 40 mile round trip so it’ll be lovely to be out on the open road. It’ll be along the coast which is such a beautiful thing. Small pleasures 😊 Need to be extra vigilant about food choices along the way!
Have a good day and keep on keeping on 🧡🌹🍏

Ugh my posts keep disappearing…this is a test one

Hi everyone, lots of posts thus week. I’ve been a little quiet last couple of weeks as sorting out in my own head the diet and disappointment at my slower weight loss than it seems a lot of people have. I would agree with a few posts on here that 800 is just a little bit too impossible for me, so gave come to terms happily to make sure I clock in at under the 1000 cals a day. I am pleased with myself that I have resisted temptation with the “wants” – wanting something though I don’t really exactly know what, but I gave had one binge on a whole bar of chocolate. But then it’s not many weeks since it would be a full bar of chocolate every night, so it’s still progress!! The think that still confuses me is how high in carbs veggies are. We are meant to eat them but when you do it really bumps your intake up. I really struggle with the contradiction in that. I take my hat off to those of you keeping to the 800 cals and really low carbs, just don’t know how you do it!! Dx

Good evening!
Just wanted to report that I just finished my first 24 h fast. Was a lot easier than I thought. A little light headed this afternoon but not bad, and not really hungry.
Had a lovely home made curry with cauliflower rice.
Have a great evening and weekend all! 😊

Sunshine-girl, s-g, I love your idea of having outcomes to celebrate. We so often look at our ‘failures’ rather than our ‘achievements’. Hope you are all well.
Yes it might seem strange to some that we ‘Musketeers’ are still around after four years but for me, for one, I like to have a place to come to to reaffirm my WOL and find help, when needed.
GreenGal I think you hit the nail on the head …. we are all individuals with are own goals, , we all have different reasons/ goals for following this life ….. best of luck with your journey and don’t be put off by others progress or lack of.
Well ….. I just have one major positive today ……
My toe nails look wonderful!!! I had my first pedicure in months today and I can’t stop looking at my feet! Ok, sad I know but I’m so happy!!!!!!
Have a positive weekend……

Goodness me! I regret to say that I haven’t been on site since my last post (above) celebrating my 3rd year anniversary, and then i suddenly received an email saying this thread had been bumped – thanks caronl.

Anyway, I’m still here, still maintaining, despite this horrendous lockdown, though I admit that we are drinking too much and exercising not enough while under house arrest!! But I have managed to maintain by fasting every monday, and an awful lot of gardening (which I guess counts as exercise) and dog walking. But I’m pleased to report that I am still 3lbs under my trigger weight.

I do hope that all you other maintainers are continuing to maintain? I think we’re all pretty fed up with the pandemic situation by now and can’t wait to get back to “normal”? But in the meantime keep strong everyone, stay safe, and keep on keeping on! Xx

Brilliant, thank you Caronl, loads of reading to get on with!

Bump.

Hi Britta,
I found it helpful to read through the thread “After reaching your target, what next?”. It gives some thoughts and experiences on different approaches. Congrats and wishing you success with the next phase!

Verano, Allie, sunshine-girl, Sunny-B, Yowzer – four years of working hard continuously to achieve your own goals but also being self-less enough to share your journey and inspire others to make the changes for the better! That’s amazing!! So to you all and Wendleg & JGwen of course..
1/No.1 positive for today is being grateful to be part of a community who are dedicated to helping others to live their best life! Thanks to you all mentioned for your efforts over the years!
2/No change on the scale but 2 x people asked had I lost weight 😃 NSV no.1
3/I tried on my dresses that are too tight and took pictures to compare for when I reach my goal of comfortably slipping into them.. they were both a little looser so NSV no.2
4/ Did a weights workout – weights feeling more manageable – I’m building muscle.
5/4 x nights no booze 🍷- I am a champ
6/ TGIF Its Friday and I have the afternoon off YES!!
Happy Weekend People!!!!!! GreenGal 🥦

DON”T REPLY PLEASE! Sorry, I accidentally put this in the wrong category, I’ve reposted in the Way of Life where it belongs. I can’t seem to delete this, but if no one comments it will dissapear!

I love a good plan… so although I’ve still got two more weeks before my 8 weeks are up, I’m beginning to think about what comes next. I’ve lost 10 kg in 6 weeks, and I need to lose another 10. Obviously that’s not going to happen in two weeks, so I am weighing up different ways of going forward. I suspect there will be some trial and error… My first question is: there must be a thread on here where people are talking exactly this – has anyone come across it? My second question is: what experiences do people have? I suppose my options are a) carry on with the 800 calories until I get to 12 weeks and worry about it later; b) up the calories but keep the carbs low; c) switch to 5:2 (doing 800 calories two days, I’ll not do the original 500)…
I’m just curious really about the things that have worked or not worked for other people?

I love a good plan… so although I’ve still got two more weeks before my 8 weeks are up, I’m beginning to think about what comes next. I’ve lost 10 kg in 6 weeks, and I need to lose another 10. Obviously that’s not going to happen in two weeks, so I am weighing up different ways of going forward. I suspect there will be some trial and error… My first question is: there must be a thread on here where people are talking exactly this – has anyone come across it? My second question is: what experiences do people have? I suppose my options are a) carry on with the 800 calories until I get to 12 weeks and worry about it later; b) up the calories but keep the carbs low; c) switch to 5:2 (doing 800 calories two days, I’ll not do the original 500)…
I’m just curious really about the things that have worked or not worked for other people?

Oh yes, 4 year anniversaries. It is mine on the 28th June. Instead of positives I would like to think of things I am grateful for this ‘diet’ for.
Giving me such great Blood Glucose numbers so my doctor said, even with T2 I am not in the vulnerable section of society from Covid.
Keeping my weight in check even when I have little slip ups.
Possibly saving me from all sorts of other illnesses I would now be facing if I had not embraced this way of eating
Giving me back control of my life
Also, great to see all you long timers, Verano, SunnyB, alliecat, Caronl, Yowzer and Greengal (although we had another gg at some point.). Hope I havent missed any of you out.

Interestingly the only difference in the ingredients in Fage yogurts is use of semi skimmed milk plus cultures in the 0% one instead of milk and cream And cultures in the full fat.

Actually can’t believe I’m so interested in yogurt….. sorry for being high maintenance.

And yes, I am trying to stay away from artificial sugars – eat real food is my focus!! I totally get that.
Thanks. All info much appreciated.

Allie,

Good to see you back on the forum again, Its made my day.

I would presume that the low fat versions of yogurt also use artificial sweeteners rather than sugar to keep the calories down. – One point about artificial sweeteners is that they have the same effect on insulin levels as sugar. –

A healthy level of sugar in our blood stream is equal to 2 teaspoons of sugar dissolved in the average 4.5 litres of blood in an adult, any higher level will cause damage to our bodies. (The level of blood sugar to be diagnosed as diabetic works out at an additional 3/4 of a teaspoon of sugar. )

Our body is clever. It doesn’t wait until the sugar levels in our blood rise to take action and release insulin, anything that tastes sweet triggers the release of insulin. So don’t focus just on the calories, look at the ingredients. anything with artificial sweeteners is something to be avoided.

Yes, focus on what goes in! I had a period a few years back where I followed the LCHF diet (some of which I still follow). I got hold of a copy of Tim Noakes “The Real Meal Revolution” and it blew my mind! Diet doctor was only just starting up then, but there were a few films out, I can’t remember the names of them. But if you never have, I really recommend doing a months free membership of dietdoctor, which is just about enough time to watch a lot of the films etc (you can cancel whenever). They have put calories on the recipes now which looks terrifying at first (!) – ignore them for now, they’re not compatible with the 800 calorie phase, but good for when you move away from that. As with anything there are pros and cons to LCHF / Keto and all that, but there’s a lot of good information on there.

Ah-ha….the penny has dropped. Thank you Britta. Same information put access in a way that has made it make sense to me. It’s not about what’s not in it (Carbs and calories) but there is in it (fat) …. and I have to be getting something for it or it is just eating for eating sake…..and therein be my problem… must fix mind set.
Excellent.
Much appreciate everyone.

Julz you need to read the other macros as well. The 0% stuff doesn’t give you any fat. There is nothing in there to keep you full. This means you’ll get no support from the meal – without the fat (and protein) helping you not to become hungry / develop cravings you’re balancing the whole thing on willpower. You might have a helluva lot of the stuff, but it is a risky strategy in the long run. Cutting carbs is only half the strategy, you need to replace them.
There are a lot of really good videos and material on dietdoctor about why getting enough fat is so important, and some films as well. I can thoroughly recommend those. Fat is your friend 😀

Thanks Verano, and I get that and i do now read all the labels and always steer away from the ‘low fat’ marked products. Its just with the Fage yogurt the carbs are the same in the 0% as opposed to the 5% which made me query it.
The fuller longer thing is important and in all honesty I am definitely not at the stage of stopping when i am full, i still want big portions and need to learn to listen to my body. Think it is anxiety driven – “i dont eat much or often so need to feel really full after my mean’ mindset. I am realising this is my biggest issue and the thing i am struggling with.
All very interesting

Spot on, Rosy A. We deserve more and we owe ourselves better treatment. And as Olive says, everything around us tells us we should be eating all the time, and unhealthily to boot. Plus government advice is that we should eat more carbs than anything else. Even many well-established diet schemes try to draw us in by telling us we can eat whatever we wish in moderation, when so many of us can never succeed (or succeed for long) on that basis.

I feel very lucky to have found this WOE and to have learned so much about food and my own dietary needs. I agree that we should never have to feel shame, Olive. Now I have the information I need to inform different choices I feel it doesn’t matter whose fault it was that I didn’t know better. It’s knowing that I can take responsibility for what I choose to do/eat next that has been so powerful for me- and learning that owning my choices doesn’t and shouldn’t involve shame and self-recrimination. Aren’t mistakes are an essential part of any sort of learning? I think that society, or certainly the media, is obsessed with blame (as opposed to responsibility) and it’s tough not to internalise that.

It often takes quite a long time to ditch the ‘fat free mantra’ after years of brain washing. The main point of having fat is to stay fuller for longer so less tempted to snack between meals or huge portions.
Fat free often means extra sugar to replace the taste of the missing fat. I know you are trying to stay below 800 calories but the carbs are the really important component of this way of eating. If you have a look at some random ‘low calorie’ foods you might be surprised at the number of carbs. Apples are a great example.
Have another look at MM or Professor Roy Taylor for great explanations of carbs being the most important especially if you are T2.
Buy the full fat Greek yogurt!

High-five Olive!! You are spot on adn i 100% agree with everything you said.
Just watched my first Dr Cywes podcast – most excellent!!
Real self -reflection going on here. My family has a history of addicts in various forms and I’m always been pretty black and white about it….and accepting myself as a carb addict is a big step, I’m hoping explaining it to my hubby will help with the ongoing management and life style – sabotage avoidance and all!
Most fascinating morning

Thanks. Yeah Britta I agree on the sugar and fruit side and I’m good on that and as i say, a fruit yogurt with no added sugar is an occasional thing and by far the sweetest thing i have, my sweet tooth is also pretty diminished now.

The real question is abut the benefit of the full fat greek over the 0% greek – as the carb content is the same it ‘appears’ just to be a calorie difference…. so is the benefit just the higher fat keeps you fuller / satisfied? Or is there a nutritional or other benefit I’m not seeing?
My ‘greedy person’ brain tells me i’d rather have 2 portions of 0% than one of 5 or 10%…… and my ‘trying to stick to 800 calories brain’ tells me not to “waste” 54 calories having the full fat….
I’m going shopping shortly and trying to decide which to buy…..

🙂

Hi RosyApple,
I couldn’t agree with you more about all the reasons there is behind eating what is not good for us, and that it is deeply programmed so it keeps popping up in for example stressful situations etc when the reptile brain is on.
I find that having done the WOE for quite a long time, I really start to reflect on how screwed up the eating patterns and consumption has become in society today. Going into a supermarket is really like an assault course to stay away from all the nicely displayed snacks and treats, especially before the weekend. And going to town or a shopping mall, there is easily accessibale food everywhere. And people think it is totally normal. But it is enough to look around at the levels of overweight and obese people to understand that it is not noomal and haelthy. If you looks at old films or tv-series from the 70ies I’m sure you would all react to how lean people are. That used to be the norm, but we have all been seduced by the fast food industry and the eat all the time culture.
It was something else that Dr Fung said about beeing a kid in the 70ies – we didn’t have a snack/meal when coming home from school – you were told that it would ruin the dinner. At maximum a fruit perhaps. Now kids have so many eating events in a day.
Sorry about the rant – I just think it is quite an eye opened when you start to look around with the BSD/fasting glasses on.
And it is also to take way some of the personal blame from all of us – it’s not lack of willpower and bad personality that has got us all here – society has a lot to answer for here.
Ps. Am also a Dr Cwyes fan, he has a way to put things into perspective that I like.

Hi Julz. I often have full fat greek yoghurt for breakfast with raspberries/blueberries and seeds. I get the 10% fat stuff. A portion with fruit comes in at just under 200 cals (I have 100 g of yoghurt which gives me 4g carbs, 7g protein, 10g fat and 146 cals) If I need lower carb that day I ditch the fruit. I think there is a calorie question here but for me it is all about getting enough fat and protein (so the diet doctor has loads of stuff on that) and getting the beneficial effect on gut microbiome and blood sugar. And also all the fat helps keep me full. As my sweet tooth has been reducing I add less and less fruit, seems less fruit = less hunger later. In a distant past I was on Slimming World where they taught me to eat loads of low calorie yoghurts (with lots of calorie free artificial sweeteners and other nonfoods). You can’t argue with the calorie content, they are a lot lower. But I have never had sugar cravings as I had them on Slimming World!

…. love Dr Cwyes! Got a real thing for the South African accent! I 😉