Allie – that’s lovely of you, again x

I’m glad to catch you on here, actually. I woke up early this morning and went looking for you on your ‘home’ thread. You mentioned a bit ago about your husband having been poorly earlier this year, and over Christmas it suddenly struck me I hadn’t asked how he was doing – too caught up in my own angst I’m embarrassed to say.

You weren’t around this morning (but it was 6am-ish UK time so no idea what time it was with you!) so I started reading your August posts – goodness, I hadn’t realised just how poorly your Jim had been and what he, and you, had been through. Hope he is much better nowadays and wish you both – well, and everyone really, – good health for 2018

Marie x

Aw Marie – so nice to see to ‘see’ you again. Last couple of days has been really lovely meeting up with my family and friends – especially my dauaghter who lives a few hours drive away and doesn’t get home very often. Hoping you have also had had loads of fun.

It’s really strange that even within one practice , policy differs about who gets and who doesn’t. It could be that you are doing such a good job taking control that you don’t really need one. It makes sense that if you tackle the diabetic issue at source – i.e diet and exercise , then everything else should fall into place i.e blood sugars. There will be people that who are more resistant will need more meds, and therefore more monitoring. You’ve just been diagnosed and as MM says – a better chance of reversing diabetes. No monitor = Marie is taking control anyway – woo hoo!

Yes , that last post – not sure where that came from myself – just don’t like what i’m saying to be misinterpreted but it’s in the past, certainly not going to dwell on it. I only really posted a couple more times because you , Nonna Mary and Mixnmatch were very kind and humanity should not go unnoticed or un appreciated. So , thank you again ladies!

I used the word ‘liberation’ a few days ago – it’s really lovely to see that word being used by others too recently. We are all feeling liberated in our own individual ways.

I know I said ‘Dumpty returns’ – but i’ll be honest – I’m only going to pop in on the odd occasion if at all. Starting a new job and that’s never easy plus continuing on improving my life which is going great, but still needs time e.g to cook, exercise etc. Although, you can be sure If I see something something controversial or I think the wrong the wrong advice is being given , I fully intend on rocking the boat again – hahaha – only in the interest of disseminating correct info rather than targeting anybody on these forums – I would never do that! I read so much about health, I’m a little miss ‘know it all’. Not quite so much ‘do it all’ sadly – hahaha.

Anyway , I digress Marie – you are an absolute joy and very caring- bless you, my friend, and as I said before – I wish you utter joy, happiness and success – and I most definitely will be there when you sail past the goal post! Love success stories!

Adios for now!
Dumpty

Wow, Flick, that is momentous news. Congratulations on your fantastic results so far, most of all in the fearlessness of your resolve, your even perspective on the numbers doing their own thing and the sheer joy you exude for having made such a thorough committment that has paid off in spades already.

Your friends becoming your WoE advocates is truly a great and beautiful thing. My OH’s parents (who hosted us for Christmas) were so conscientious about my dietary needs that I didn’t have to worry about a thing even though of course I couldn’t weigh or measure or calorie count. It was so kind and really made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the holidays not to have to explain and justify for politeness’ sake. Your friends have proved themselves to be true friends who care about your well-being and are 100% behind your choices. You can’t put a price on that kind of support.

Hi, Marie! This a beautiful thread, because we’re able to see a summary
of all the accomplishments each individual has achieved, and how they
have been life changing. You’re inspirational, Marie! I wish you every
success in reaching that mid BMI ideal weight, and I have no doubt that
you will do it. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’ll certainly be here to celebrate that moment with
you…to the fullest! There is really nothing like it…like achieving the
“impossible dream”! I Promise!

Allie
xoxoxo

I’m ending 2017 in a much better position as far as my diabetes goes, which ultimately is why I am here, although I’m getting all sorts of other things from being on this forum, too.

My Hba1c results have gone from one showing an uncontrolled high on diagnosis in August to one back in the normal range in November. My Metformin has been officially ‘unprescribed’ this morning by the practice nurse. (I was prescribed it although I never actually took it).

I’ve lost just over 3 stone on BSD since the beginning of August and only put 2lb back on during that time – 1lb of which was in the last 2 days! I’d been dieting pre-BSD so my total weight loss to date is 4st 4lbs (27 kg). I’ve tried to lose weight many times over the years and failed. I’ve succeeded this time not because I’ve developed iron willpower but because I’ve had no choice – it had to work. So much easier for me than dieting for weight loss alone. (It’s also to do with the BSD itself; thanks to MM and team!).

I’ve become a walker and a regular exerciser. I remember Terry Wogan once saying he was a lazy man who worked extremely hard. Yes, he worked hard but when he was at home he could sit for hours and hours doing absolutely nothing. I know exactly what he meant. I also remember when I was trying to give up smoking many years ago somebody giving me a tip. When offered a cigarette never say ‘no, I’m trying to give up’ instead say ‘I don’t smoke’. So, I applied that idea to exercise/activity in 2017 and now go into 2018 as an actual regular walker and exerciser. My initial high/pre-high blood pressure is mostly in the normal range.

I bought my first Lindt 70% dark chocolate bar this week and grated some on top of my full fat yoghurt for desert after Christmas dinner (delicious, Liz). Christmas evening I had a second lot, but included a couple of small shards of the chocolate. Boxing Day morning woke up and contemplated having the same for breakfast. Didn’t. But by Boxing Day evening I’d abandoned the yoghurt and wolfed down the rest of the Lindt chocolate. As Luvtcook said a few weeks ago, know your own triggers. I can have a glass of wine (didn’t bother) and not want another. I can have a piece of cake (didn’t bother) and not want another. But if I have 1 packet of crisps, I’ll want a Family bag, if I have 1 grape, I’ll want the bunch and if I have 1 square of chocolate – milk or dark – I’ll want the lot. A useful reminder for me that what clearly works for others won’t necessarily work for me – at least not for now.

My 2018 goals: to keep my blood sugars within the normal range – my next Hba1c is in March; to get down into a healthy BMI range (3lbs away from the top weight of this); to reduce my visceral fat to within the normal range; and finally, to stabilise at a mid-healthy BMI (probably) weight I’m happy with. Here we go…..

Thanks luvtcook

I think you’ve put it very well, V! I think it is only with practicing this WOL
for an extended period that we come to view food not as a menace or
challenge, but as something that no longer has power over us. It is
totally liberating, isn’t it? I struggle sometimes to communicate my
thoughts as effectively as you do. Thanks! 🙂

Hi Dumpty

Hope you had a good Christmas.

Just got back from the meeting with the Practice Nurse and it was a definite No to the prescription for BG testing strips. Oh well, I tried. I’m hoping to eventually stop finger-pricking (or at least reduce it significantly) at some point this year, so never mind.

I’m not sure what to say about your last post to me (I know you don’t particularly expect me to say anything) except I was sorry to read it. I notice on another post you’ve signed it Dumpty Returns – I hope so.

Marie x

Never any worries about not responding to posts.

…there definitely won’t be any photos 😂
SSB

Well who would have thought six weeks could go by so quickly. Here’s my weekly update

Starting Weight 78.3
Week 5 71.1
Week 6 70.1 -1kg
Total loss over 6 weeks – 8.2kg Yahoo!

No change to waist or hip measurements but still feeling in great shape.

Stayed on track over Christmas, no alcohol and all BSD friendly. Over my usual 800 calories but all delicious low carb goodies. I was hosting so my fridge and cupboards are still full of carby, sugary traditional Christmas foods. Clearing it all out is tomorrow’s job.

On another happy note, dinner out with friends last night, and they were the ones telling the wait staff – ‘no rice for our friend’, ‘ no, only three wine glasses’, and ‘can we have one of the duck pancakes without the pancake or sauce’. It was hilarious, I loved every minute.

Hi Allie and others!
Many thanks for your encouraging comments! In September, my Hb1ac was 64, and it’s now 32. My fasting glucose was 8.4 and it’s now 4.1. I did the diet rather than start Metformin, so I’m not on diabetic drugs. My cholesterol is down from 5.6 to 3.3 and triglycerides, which were really high at around 7 something, are now 1.6 (I’m currently off the cholesterol and lipid meds too – testing in another 3 months to check progress – if I need to go back on them to help with control I will, but hoping the BSD is enough). ate a huge amount of food yesterday, but all on plan, so delighted that this morning I hadn’t put on any more weight (other than the couple of pounds for Christmas eve and Christmas day). Today I am back on track, so hoping the excess will disappear quickly!

In the meantime, it’s back to work (fortunately at home, so I don’t have to traipse out in the slushy snow!). Interesting Allie that you were an interior designer – I do a similar job…but in miniature! I design and make miniature furniture, especially kitchens, for collectors and film/advertising companies.
Liz

Happy Christmas to all on this thread! Hope you all had a good one. We did, but need to eat sensibly now for a while. I’ve bought the BSD recipe book and Fast Diet book, as I’m now doing the 5:2 as maintenance.
It is now a month since finishing the 8-week BSD with AnneF. Personally, it did me a huge favour and this thread was invaluable.

I dropped a stone, from 9:11 to 8:11 and, although I still have a bit of a tummy, and since a week in Lanzarote and Christmas chocolates, I’ve put on a few pounds to 9:1 this morning, I now know how I can quite easily lose those few pounds again (once I’ve finished the chocs). So, thanks to all on this thread, whose reports kept me going.

How are the rest of you doing? AngS.

Good morning.

Yesterday’s positive moments were many but having a family day especially with our new granddaughter was top of the list……
1. I managed to cook the full works yesterday and stay pain free. A huge achievement for me.
2. I did have 2 small roast potatoes and a little pudding but I stayed in ‘control’.
3. I love being in control of my eating now. Being able to pick and choose without guilt or gluttony is so liberating.

I keep marvelling at the way in which this WOE has now just become second nature. I no longer have to ‘resist’ certain foods I no longer find them appetising. This I guess only comes with time, and I’ve been here long enough to know!!!!

Great tip about the sprouts Esnecca, thank you so much – I’ve got some alfalfa on the shelf so will get those going next.

I’ve got a dinner invite tomorrow so won’t start till after that, but am getting in the swing – just had a delish breakfast of runner beans, 2 scrambled eggs and 2 tbsp toasted flax seeds – about 250 calories by my reckoning and yum.

SSB, yay for the bikini!

Good morning everyone, I’m really enjoying reading the posts and am already feeling positive knowing that there are people like me on the same journey. Alliecat I agree with you – Liz I can definately equate with your picture as I have a very similar outfit as the one on your ‘before’ picture 😀, you look amazing after your weight loss, hopefully you will be able to give us some tips to keep on track. Thanks luvtcook I’ll look up that link too – although I’m not a vegetarian I do enjoy the veggie recipes and I do look for quick, simple but nutricious recipes. Good luck to all – this is the first day of my restart 💪.

Good morning everyone.

Shrinkingviolet I saw that same old lady too!!!!! That was eighteen months ago now and although she has disappeared, together with her T2, her replacement could still do with slimming down still further!

I think what is coming through in all these posts is the degree of ‘control ‘ we now appear to have over our diets. No longer do we seem to have the ‘ one won’t hurt’ mentality which ends up with total abandonment of any ‘sense’. I think we have all learnt that simple carbs do us no favours and although there maybe the odd slip we can still take ‘control ‘ and carry on. I just can’t envisage going back to a carb filled life.

S-g I remember you asking me how much more ‘normal than normal ‘ did I want to be but I do understand where you are coming from. Maybe it’s a little ‘wriggle’ room that we are all seeking. You know you can do it, we all can, and will.

Ahh, living in the moment is certainly something I need to do ClarinetCathy (enjoy the rest of your trip) and also increase my ‘exercise’. I have found my weights and bands and have decided that I will make sure I ‘walk’ every 30 minutes even if it’s only around the room!

I think it’s so important to write plans down and when they are on a forum we can always remind ourselves of our goals as the year goes on.

My plan is too keep on planning until January 2nd and then the ‘doing’ starts in earnest!

Good morning – what a fabulous gang we have all ready to take on the challenge. It’s great to see newbies to the BSD as well as ‘old faces’ – between us, we can do this!
Having been off track for a few months, I’m really looking forward to re-breaking the carb cravings – for me, once that battle is over, the rest gets easier. I really want to feel the way I did earlier this year – slim, relaxed, healthy and not constantly battling with myself about food. And I know this isn’t the be-all and end-all, but we have a pool at our new house in Spain, and I would dearly love to be able to put in a bikini (only when no-one’s around, of course! ).
Keep smiling peeps,
SSB

Hi zoulou and welcome. Since you’re a sprouter and a seed fan, you might want to look into sprouting things other than beans. Like their grownup versions, bean sprouts have more sugar and carbs than green vegetables and grasses and like broccoli, kale, alfalfa and clover. I love sprouts and maintain a strict regimen of less than 20 grams of carbs a day. Focusing on the green sprouts helped me shave off a few grams of carbs to help keep me well below my daily limit.

Good luck!

How lovely to see this little community coming together.

I’m really a newbie to this diet and I see that it’s recommended to start with 800 calories a day for 8 weeks, so I guess that’s for me! After being overweight for a long time I got just back into the healthy weight range and managed to stay there for a couple of years with diets including 5:2, nutritarian and whole30 – this one looks like just the right balance of the good bits of each. But in the last few months I’ve put nearly another stone on. My dream would be to lose about 15-16 Kg which would put me in the middle of the healthy weight range where I haven’t been since my early 20’s.

I’ve started some beansprouts off in preparation, though if I’m doing the meal plans that will mean doing some substitutions I guess. I’m thinking of going for that as a general approach – starting with the meal plans but make substitutions, sticking to the calorie and carb count, to be more flexible with what’s in the fridge, in the shops and in the veggie patch. I also might prefer, for instance, toasted seeds to oil and cheese. I ordered the book before Christmas so it should be here soon and I guess then I’ll find out if that approach is valid!

Oh Liz (Eliza52), how wonderful to see your before and after pictures!
I’m a retired interior designer and an artist, so I’ve always been a very
visual person. Being able to equate your story with your picture is
so helpful! I hope you had a magnificent time with your daughter
home for the holiday 🙂 The changes in you are dramatic, so I’m
sure she was very happy for you. I’m thinking very seriously about
getting an iphone so that I can share my changes with all of you
also! How can one hope to describe the loss of 50% of one’s
self without a picture??? Do you have any blood results to track
the impact your losses have on the T2D? You may have already
put them up, but I must confess to having gotten very behind with
all the new posters this month. I think you are on track to realize
all your goals, and I’m very happy for you 🙂 🙂 🙂 Congratulations!

Allie

Firstly, thank you Luvtcook for the vegetarian link. I’m not veggie…but do think we should all try and eat less meat for the good of the planet! Some good recipes on the link, which I will definitely try!

I’ve eaten far too much over the past couple of days, but not gone “off plan” (except maybe a couple more pieces of 85% chocolate than I should have, and more blue cheese than is good for anyone!). Other than that, yes, eaten too much, but only meat and veg – no potatoes or parsnips though – a few berries, full fat yogurt and some thick cream in my espresso (I always had sugar in it, and haven’t had any coffee for the last three months – so really enjoyed having it back in my diet, helped by the double cream!) No alcohol, as I don’t drink anyway mostly. I have put on a couple of pounds, but hoping that a lot of that might be fluid, and determined to get back on track tomorrow. My main worry is that eating more calories, even if entirely on plan, I will put on weight again – as evidenced by the last couple of days. Fingers crossed I can lose the remaining pounds, and then find a balance for maintenance – maybe move to 5:2.

In the meantime, thought I’d share a “before and after” photo (https://ibb.co/iHn3ew). I still want to lose another stone to stone and a half (14 – 20 lbs), but I’ve lost three stone, and my blood levels are normal, and many of the new clothes I bought (two sizes smaller) are already beginning to feel a bit baggy!

Good luck to everyone planning on restarting in the New Year!
Liz

If I compare the end of 2016 with the end of 2017, it looks like I have only lost 3.5 kg or so (still better than a gain) but actually I gained quite a bit in the first half of the year then lost it plus more in the second half. Despite lots of indulgences in the past couple of weeks, I’m feeling happy and in control and ready to take on 2018 and get down to my goal weight. No, that’s not quite accurate, I can’t actually imagine being at my goal weight! I don’t know what that looks like. But I’m ready to lose more visceral fat and get healthier and say goodbye to 5 kg lumps of fat at a time before thinking about the next goal.

Just dropping back in so I can tick box to receive updates x

I’m still surrounded by unhealthy food which is making life difficult. The real food (turkey etc) has all been finished off but there are lots of chips and lollies and chocolates that myself and others purchased, way too much to be eaten over the two days. I’ve invited family over tomorrow for a swim and to eat up the naughty stuff so hopefully it will be easier after that. It’s not all bad here – we also have a lot of cheese!

Well done! I wish I could say the same but I still have the taste of a gingerbread reindeer in my mouth…

Hi team,

In bed, ready for work tomorrow.

920 cals today.
No bread, spuds, rice, pasta etc.
So starting to build up now for the bs diet.

You all with me on this?

Love lucia
Xxxx

cjuk: here is a link to some pretty yummy looking vegetarian options…..hope one or two work for you.

https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-vegetarian-meals/

LTC

Count me in. Sounds like some of us need a bit of help getting back on track, so thanks for starting this thread Marsie. Your post struck a chord with me – after feeling completely in control of my diet, it’s so easy to slip back into bad habits.

Good luck with your results Marie123, sure you’ll be off to a great start for the new year.

SSB – I too read your other post. Best wishes for 2018.

For me, I will be back on track from tomorrow, keeping to strict BSD principles and calorie counting.
Starting weight today – 11st 1lb
Goal for end of January 2018 – 10st 10lb

Good luck to everyone, look forward to starting the new year with you all x

Allie….Happy New Year back to you. I grew up probably not far from your OH (for me midway between Altoona and Johnstown….both brothers now live on either side of PGH). I love the old immigrant neighborhoods of PA. Weddings in the small town I grew up in were a crazy mishmash of beloved foods from Poles, and Italians, and Hungarians. And of course Pennsylvania Dutch. Perogis next to lasagna, next to Italian cookies and Hungarian nut rolls. Nobody’s traditions were left out.

For our pork and saurkraut….nothing fancy. Small pork roast or even tenderloin nestled atop a bed of saurkraut and baked until pork done. May do pork tenderloin as it is so BSD friendly….sear it first to brown on one side and then finish in slow oven atop the kraut. Maybe a bit sauteed onion stirred into the kraut with a bit of white wine (or vermouth if no wine open….so vermouth it will be ). And the faux mashed “potatoes” (cauli mash) on the side.

Congrats to JackieM on breaking thru 60kg. Well done…..at least your head cold came with a silver lining. I’ll take a weight loss anyway I can get it.

While it would seem odd to have sunny warm weather for Xmas, having BBQ in Australia for New Years sounds like heaven….especially with the cold snap we are getting right now. I had to smile a bit while watching the Call the Midwife Xmas Special last night….the core of the plot were the problems that Londoners were facing with 2 feet of snow and temperature 5-7 degrees below freezing. I am sure that is a hardship when you are not used to it. For the upper half of the US in winter, that is life from Nov through March (although 2016 was MUCH milder than that for a change). So its “hunker down time” for the US for the next couple of weeks. Those of you Down Under, enjoy your lovely weather. We all are a bit jealous.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Have found it difficult keeping up with posts as such a busy time, but just need to complete on here before joining you all on the new year thread. My goal was to lose 6 lbs and get to under 11st, which I happily managed to reach a week before Christmas, but am disappointed to have put 2lb on over the festive period. Never mind, it’s back to being strict and getting back on track tomorrow. I’m back at work so should be really easy to get back into BSD routine, I tend to eat the same kind of stuff on workdays and find it easier to be organised with my evening meals. See you all on the next thread x

Flick how exciting to be so close to the healthy range 🙂
I summoned up the courage to weigh myself this morning and was quite surprised to see “only” a 700g gain! That is not too bad considering I have been totally off plan for over a week, and also for much of December.
So this means my goal for this challenge – to move out of the obese range and into Overweight range BMI is 2.5kg away, not over 3kg as I feared. So my goal for the first week is to hold steady and not gain any more, then lose 2.5kg over the remaining 3 weeks.

I’m not aware of any New Year food traditions in Australia, although of course a lot of immigrants would have brought their own. Maybe as SueBlue suggested a BBQ on New Year’s Day? I’m sure my Chinese sister-in-law has many food traditions like long noodles to promote long life, but she celebrates New Year in February.

The more the merrier I say, we can all help each other along the journey. I found it helpful to buy the book, it’s only about £10 on amazon. With regard to stocking up the basics just think white meat, tuna, oily fish and google ‘low carb veg’ , I was surprised how many calories are in some ‘good’veg 😳! Also look at the recipe section for soups – they’re great to have in stock.

Juneec and cjuk, welcome! I am sure you will be among many starting the 1st week in JAN. It is an easy program to follow and is more mental than physical. If you have done low carb before you will have an easy transition. If new to low carb, the first week is a bit challenging (google “carb flu”). Once you are over the low carb adjustment, you are likely to find you simply are not really hungry anymore and that makes controlling your diet so so much easier. You will find lot of helpful advise here…..lots of folks willing to help because someone has dealt with almost any problem you face. You are among friends!

Re stocking up: I would suggest lots and lots of salad type ingredients…..lettuces, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes (but those need to be counted….one 2 inch one a day is a treat) and red cabbage. Look at the recipes on the site for things to do with cauliflower…..such a versitile veg. White miso for soup. Nuts of your choice for snacks. And eggs…lots of eggs, butter and olive oil. Look up low carb veggies….green beans, zucchini, scallions, garlic, etc. You probably have most of that. And get two of your favorite cheeses. Garbanzo beans useful but will need to count the carbs. Staying under 20 grams net carbs seem to be the majic number for most of us.

Best of luck to you.

Hi all, I’m in for this challenge. I’m just starting week 7 so this challenge will see me through the completion of my first round and 2 weeks of my second. My target will be a 4kg loss. This is consistent with my results in the December challenge, however, I’m preparing for the horror of a possible slow down in weight loss. I plan on sticking to a 800/20, 16/8 pattern and continue on with no alcohol commitment.

As much as I wish I could set and achieve a goal for waist measurement, beyond adopting a healthy lifestyle and paying attention to losing weight, this health indicator has a mind of its own. I will keep up the hopeful monitoring though.

So starting weight for January is 70.4. BMI 26
Goal 66.4 BMI 24.8 – WOOHOO in the healthy range (I’ll hit this exciting achievement at 66.8kg)

Morning all, I have posted in the new thread already and realised I didint do a final one here. My final weigh in shows a 700g gain for the week. Although it’s a gain I’m quite pleased as I have been “off plan” for much of that time! It’s funny though as although I’ve been eating and drinking more than usual, it’s still far less than I normally would at this time of the year. I finally broke my mince pie fast on Christmas Day – and was totally underwhelmed! I think next year I won’t bother to have one at all. I still love Christmas pudding but have had small portions with some cream, and in place of a meal (had some for tea last night). Christmas Day wasn’t too bad as I was cooking and had loads of roast veg along with the turkey and pork.
LTC you asked about New Yesrs Day traditions – I’m in Australia (but was born in U.K.) and not aware of any particular ones here. Our family has one though – roast turkey! We have a simpler version of the Christmas Day roast. Then we won’t have another roast for months, until maybe Easter or something as it’s summer time.
A lot of my friends have barbecues, and seafood is popular too (I’m allergic to shellfish though so we never do that).
Anyway, well done to all of the losers, and everyone else (like me) who tried but didn’t quite get there with our goals – the main thing is we are still here and working towards them!
See you in the New Year thread 🙂

Chestnuts 28g carbs per 100g, yikes! And ooops! Lucky they’ve gone then. Potatoesxonly have 17g!

Hi, I’d like to join this on 2nd Jan, I’ve got 21lbs to lose and just feel my eating is out of control. Look forward to losing with you all 🙂

I’m thinking of starting bsd over the Christmas holidays.
I’ve put on far too juch weight because of a stressful couple of years and bad eating habits.
Any tips of what to stock up on when shopping? And any vegetarians out there? Would appreciate any advice to get me started 😊

Hi s-g hope you are enjoying your stay in the UK. I would love to join you on a straight 8 weeks. I started 4 week challenges about 15 months or more ago I suppose as a softer option. Now, like you, I need to get back to business and a straight 8 is called for. So count me in for Jan 2nd!

Hi everyone, great to see so many good results and positivity. JackieM, headcold or no, it’s great that you’ve managed to break 60kg! Flick and Marie123, you are inspiring me to try harder in the next challenge. And well done everyone who managed to maintain or even lose a little.
Thanks everyone for the congrats and encouragement after my last post (I’m still catching up on all the posts!). After a few days offline though, I am back and reporting in with some mixed results. I managed a fast day on Friday, so as a result, my weight was down another 900g on Saturday morning to 80.6kg. However, I went to my sister’s place for afternoon tea and supper on Saturday. She normally has some savory things as well as sweet out for tea, so I didn’t really think to take anything as I thought I would be ok, but it was a huge spread of all sweet stuff and even though I had a large breakfast to break my fast, I had also been to the gym and was really quite hungry. I tried to just stick with an orange and a cup of tea, but eventually she wore me down and I had some shortbread and a chocolate truffle, and that was all it took to get me to lay into the sweet things. I did better at supper as we went out and we chose a mediteranean restaurant, so I was able to make good choices, but the damage was done. I didn’t put back on all that I had lost by the next day as I weighed in at 81.2kg, but it showed up the following day as I weighed in at 81.5kg even after another fast day on Christmas eve.
However, I am also considering the possibility that my scales are on the fritz (possibly they need new batteries?), as they are giving me readings all over the map this morning. The first was 81.6kg which seemed reasonable given the previous day’s reading and as I had eaten a fair amount of food (BSD friendly) on Christmas day. But I weighed myself 2 more times after just rushing around and doing some housework, but not eating or drinking anything, and the readings were 81.9kg and 82.4kg. If I keep gaining around 0.5kg every hour, I will be back up to my starting weight by the end of the day! So anyway, I’m not reporting a final weigh in for this challenge yet. I will pick up some new batteries when I go out later and see if that makes a difference for tomorrow. In any case, I will not be able to blame the scales!

Hi Cathmac, I don’t know much about shakes so I looked up the Tony Ferguson VLCD ones, and I’m afraid they have sugar and one of the worst artificial sweeteners (sucralose) on the ingredient list. That’s not any kind of low carb, in my opinion, no matter how they jigger the numbers, and it’s definitely not the BSD which advocates the elimination of added sugar. That’s even more important in the early days because you have to kick the bad carbs — sugar, wheat, grains, cereals, starchy vegetables — to switch your body into fat burning mode instead of carb-burning mode.

I don’t know of any shakes that have adequate balanced nutrition and real LC ingredients. Even the ones without sugar and starches (very, very few of them) are loaded with sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame which evidence suggests are quite bad for you in terms of your gut flora and fauna and which can cause insulin spikes because your body detects the sweetness and prepares for the sugar rush to follow. Again, though, it’s not an area I’m familiar with as I am an avid cook, so perhaps you’ll be more lucky. Just don’t believe the packaging because these companies can be extremely deceptive in the way they market their products. Read the ingredients of everything before you buy it.

How about batch cooking a few of your favorite dishes modified according to BSD guidelines? A lovely chunky stew, for example, would be filling, easily prepared and tastes even better as a leftover. My first two weeks I made giant batches of chicken salad and tuna boiled egg salad on the weekend and served up a big 4 oz portion of it on fresh lettuce and field greens every lunch. I used recipes I had made a thousand times before and just turned them into salads where they had once been sandwiches. Good luck!

Late to party! Sorry. Pleased to report I broke the 60kg barrier finally and am 59.6kg.

No magic bullet, but a magic headcold that has wiped my appetite and made eating a bit of a chore has certainly helped!

Christmas here with lots of goodies. No calorie counting, low carb only (based on foods I know are good) and lots of showers to try and clear sinuses. Am sitting in bathroom now in fact! Cold means I don’t fancy cream or chocolate, which combined with a lot of walking explains it.

Happy NewYear all, onwards with THE QUEST (I love that whoever said it, am saddling my sturdy steed as we speak) x

And it is an enjoyable journey – just the freedom from the carb/hunger cravings is worth it!
SSB

Hi all I would like to join this post too. I too lost 21lbs on BSD first time round and felt so much better. I then ‘lost my way’ for the last 3 months but am determined to get back on the wagon as I know this way of eating works. Let’s enjoy the journey!

LTC – So nice to see you out and about today! It gives me a chance to
wish you a Happy New Year 🙂
It sounds like you did great over the holiday. Like you, my only non
BSD friendly indulges were prosecco related on Christmas Day, more
than 1 glass. Usually that makes me retain fluid, so I won’t plan
on weighing until after I’ve had a few days of mainlining water!
Your comments about Pa. customs re pork/sauerkraut sparked a
memory for me. The first New Years I spent with my inlaws I was
served the same thing. I was told it supposedly brought good luck
for the year ahead. I think it would please o/h immensely if I was
to surprise him with it….Or course I’ll be looking forward to what
you’ll be posting on the food thread about how you plan to prepare
it. I’ll have to see if it can be scaled down for the 2 of us. What
part of the state are you from? O/h grew up in very tiny town east
of Pittsburgh, with a lot of people of German, Welsh, Italian and
Polish descent. It was a real culture shock the first time I visited
there, coming from the “gold coast” of coastal CT!

I’d also love to hear about the culinary traditions from other parts
of the world. I’m looking forward to joining all of you that plan on
moving to the new thread tomorrow 🙂

Allie

Happy Boxing Day to all. Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas…..without too much damage to THE QUEST. Overall, I am very pleased with how things went. A glass of wine for dinner and one of champagne for brunch on Xmas Day and a BSD friendly fruit cup were the only things not “on plan”….and a few small pieces of sushi Xmas Eve. So BSD stict compliance begins anew. Have not weighed myself today….will wait until my official day on SUN to see if any damage, but do not expect to have lost any over this week, but also do not expect to have gained. So fingers crosses. In any event, have gotten back on track.

Am curious about any specific food that those in UK and Australia do for New Years Day. In US the South does black eyed peas, and in the North those with some German ancetry do saurkraut. My family is Scotch/ Irish/ Welsh ancestry but somehow we picked up the saurkraut “thing” having grown up in Pennsylvania with so much of the Pennsylvania Dutch (ie really Deutch) customs shared across the state. So it will be saurkaut and roast pork for me for New Years Day….with some lovely Cauliflower Mash to round it out.

Hoping the 2018 will be a better year across the globe than 2017 was. Politically 2017 was a bit of a mess, and too many natural and man made tragedies to even count. Hope we are all blessed with a more tranquil year. Nowhere to go but up on that count.

Hi All,
I’m in, I too will consolidate until starting on the 2nd of Jan. My feelings resonate with Marsie in that it is so easy to slip back into the old bad habits, I wonder if I will ever be free of this monster or will it haunt me forever. I have lost 7.8Kg on the last challenge, but have regained 1.2Kg over Christmas but I am ready for the next stint. I don’t know if setting a proposed weight loss helps, but I know if I stick to the plan the weight comes off so I will go with that for now. Onwards and downwards. Good luck to all.

Hi Zoe and Sunshin Girl,
Yoga is a must for me now – I did it for about 25 years but when my teacher retired, I struggled to find another good one. However, I have found one in a local town and apart from yoga, she also teaches Spanish! Big yes from me there.
Started today ok – cafe con leche and a handful of nuts – that will keep me going until dinner which will be egg and prawn salad. Feeling better already.
SSB

2017 for me was the year I eventually finally found a way of eating that helped me lose 3 stone in weight. I’ve done many diets over the years without success and this way of eating worked for me albeit slowly. I am currently in Arlington Virginia with my son for Christmas and have been off plan for the best part of a week. However, this has been a conscious decision and When I get back to UK later this week I am going straight back to a healthy way of eating. In 2018 am going to renew my resolve to eat healthily as per this plan and am going to increase my walking and my main aim for 2018 is to live as happy and healthy life as possible. One of my aims is to live more in the moment.

2017 was a good year for me because I found something that worked- in 2018 I will be continuing to follow the BSD as it really does suit me.

Good luck to everyone for continued success in 2018.