Yes, well done Heidi staying on track even with all the stress.
I’ve had some stress this week as my car finally died on the way to my counselling appointment Fri evening. Three garages couldn’t figure out what the issue was 18 months ago so told me to drive it until it died. So I was car shopping yesterday and think I’ve found one. It just needs to pass inspection. In spite of that my blood glucose was in normal range this morning even with having a later dinner.
I was able to quickly get hold of my therapist and switch to an online appointment. We unpacked why I was so upset about the diabetic lady binge eating in my support group. It was multi- faceted with me saying it was like staring my future in the face if I don’t get my issues sorted, and then she pointed out that I had watched someone self-harm in real time and so of course that would be upsetting. That really hit home because of course if she had been self-harming in another way, it may have been dealt with by the social worker host, but because it was food she let it slide. Also I think because I was already getting back on track myself it didn’t feel good to be around others who seemingly aren’t trying as hard, if that makes any sense. I told my therapist that I want to be hanging out with others who are also trying and working hard. I know she runs some trauma and eating disorder groups. I think they are on break for the summer but I might ask her about joining one in the fall.
In the meantime, thank goodness for this forum and all of you! I feel that everyone here is working so hard even if the numbers on the scale don’t always show it for us.

I should start posting positives more often again too. First one for today is that my fasting glucose this morning was down to 5.4 even after eating dinner at 7pm and having a few more carbs in the form of tortilla chips with my salmon and kale. I was really hungry and they were calling to me from the cupboard. So nice to be back in normal range. I had missed lunch though thanks to the second sort of positive, which is that my car died in spectacular fashion on the way to my counselling appointment. Thankfully it died only 1km from home and I was able to get it right off the road onto the verge. I got hold of my counsellor and we switched to an online appointment instead. So I spent yesterday getting it towed back home and then looking for a new used car that wouldn’t break the bank. And I may have lucked out. One dealer had a vehicle just traded in. It is only 1 year newer than mine and almost as much mileage but very well maintained. If it passes the safety inspection I think I will go for it. It is a much roomier vehicle too, which I really need here on the farm. So a bit of a blow financially, but it could have been worse and I should be back on the road by the end of the week. Cannot be without a vehicle way out in the sticks! I always realize how vulnerable I am without a car as I can’t even fill and carry my big jugs of drinking water without one.

Not much to say today but at least posting pushes the scammers further down to line.

Lovely warm day
Diet going really well
Starting to get rid of some crap from the garage. Why do men have jars with screws and washers in.

Hi everyone. Will catch up with posts later but just wanted to say a quick hello to HEIDI and send you lots of love at this difficult time. You have done incredibly well to stay on track despite all the stress of what is going on around you. Am thinking of you and wishing you well x

Hi all. Popping in for my weekly report. It has been a very difficult week as expected – reviewing my husband’s illness and next steps. So little sleep and lots of stress. Somehow I have managed to keep on keeping on, and avoided sugar etc. And I know that that has helped me to cope. Not sure how much I have lost this week, but am now down by 10.2 kilos since 25 May.

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to focus on the posts this week. But sending best wishes, and hoping that the quiet ones are OK! Wishing you all a good week. x

Just popping in to say many congratulations Lucy on your determination and brilliant results. It’s always inspiring to read good news. x

Yes S-G irritating aren’t they!!!

Happy Anniversary Margaret, enjoy the meal, it sounds delicious!! I didn’t know Cote Brasserie did dine in meals!!
K xx

Yes Pootle, they really get me mad, as you can see, I have reported them all or 4 of them.

Margaret glad you are improving. Happy wedding anniversary for tomorrow. It is my daughters anniversary too. Well, besides the fougasse, I cannot see anything in that meal to contribute to carb overload – wine doesn’t count when you are celebrating. Enjoy.

Welcome back Antigone, its been a while. Sounds like you have been keeping in control and ready to join the support group.

Hello & thank you for setting up the new thread Pootle👍
I am continuing to slowly make progress & am walking with one crutch now & with much effort can lift my straight leg up off the bed so gradually retraining my muscles what to do 😀🤞
Trying to eat fairly sensibly but it is our 51st wedding anniversary tomorrow & we have had delivered a Cote Brasserie dine in meal to cook for lunch so it will be scallops with fougasse, steak frites & creamed spinach with peppercorn sauce & bitter chocolate mousse plus I will have one glass of wine to celebrate & forego my midday Tramadol so it doesn’t conflict. I will get back to low carb when I am back in charge in the kitchen whilst in the meantime my very supportive husband continues to provide me with meals & supervise my recovery & exercises 😀.
Margaret xx

Hi Antigone,
Great to hear from old hands…

As you know, these forums are brilliant for support and advice from a friendly community!
Looking forward to hearing about your progress!

Hello All, Im back after a long time ( before Covid?) I have regained a little weight but really I’m looking to lose more as I have recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure and would like to not be on permanent medication. Here for support, accountability and community. I see some of you are still here so I’m looking forward to catching up with you and hearing from new folks. Starting now!

Excellent news!!!
I have been making broccoli bread… pretty good, but not ‘bread’ as such. A good base for other things.

Fairly tired today as I have just completed 4 very intense days at work! 😩 I am getting too old for a succession of 14 hour days now… think it will take me a couple to recover!! 🙄

Take care and keep on keeping on!!
K xxx

My goodness, there is a sudden spate of spam threads… they have eclipsed all the ‘recent topics’!!!

Typical August day today… sunshine, buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies!!
Feeling exhausted but satisfied after 4 intense working days. I was going to try to persuade hubby to eat out tonight… but can’t be bothered to shower, change and get in the car!! 🙄
So trying the lower carb toad in the hole recipe… 🤞

Hope you are all keeping on…
Xxxx

Chickpeas and lentils always put up my BG but they are also good for you. Hard to strike a balance. Glad to hear your lump is nothing to worry about.

Thanks s-g. I had dinner last night. A bit higher carb as it was Greek salad with chickpeas and my fasting glucose this morning was back up to 5.8. I have definitely noticed that it is higher if I have more protein even if the meal is low carb. I think I will skip dinner again tonight and do a 24 hour fast again. It was actually easier for me to do that than not eat all day and have my one meal at night.
I was just on my health record as they emailed me with the results of my latest ultrasound of the lump on my back which is actually a lipoma so nothing to worry about. However, I saw that they also had my blood results from 2022. I get my iron and thyroid levels checked every so often, but I saw that my HbA1c from then was 5.8. My doctor never remarked on it at all. So I may have been struggling with this for longer than just my recent binge, unfortunately. Also telling is how I feel my energy levels getting a bit higher, sleep is better and less brain fog at work. So I’m on the right track now, just need to keep it up!

Thought it was time to bump up this thread with a few positives@

Had a great week with daughter and grandson.
Truly back on the diet and not feeling the hunger I had after the cruise – my body is adjusting.
Weather here is managable, around 25 with cooler nights, so able to sleep. Don’t speak too soon as we have another heatwave coming next week.

Take care everyone.

Arcticfox, your body holds on to glucose in the evening in anticipation of the night fast, it is part of the circadian process. You are helping it to get back into being used to lower carbs and calories after a binge. I am in the same boat. My biggest hurdle has been hunger before bed but I am slowly getting used to not snacking late at night – even a slice of ham can cause a blip upwards. Anyway, we have been doing this for so long I don’t think you need someone telling you what to do – keep on keeping on…

Hi Pootle, thank you for the new thread. I am still around but keeping my head down. Started Monday with a new goal to get rid of all the cruise and family holiday weight in 7 weeks. 2 reasons for mid September as I will be seeing the doctor and having my 3 monthly blood tests and a few days later we are going to the UK to visit family. Will be weighing in every 7 days (maybe a sneaky peek) so this coming Monday is the end of my first week.

Glad youre back Pootle with your Internet and phone. What a pain!
So I lost another 2lbs today. I have done my walk everyday. …well its not a walk….its 2. 2 miles of really fast walking. Literally cannot believe I am doing this. Haven’t deviated from diet once either. Have bought a couple little things from heylo so I can have a bit of toast or something. It’s not the same a s real bread but its something.
So I am back below my lowest now for 10 years. 4lbs off 3 stone. And above my 10 week 10lbs criteria for holiday. So far 2 weeks 4lbs. Hope everyone else is doing wrll and enjoying the summer. Xx

Afternoon all,
Margaret, great to hear your progress…brilliant news, keep on keeping on!

I have set up a new thread for tomorrow.. Awesome August with the BSD. …

Hope to see you all there! I cannot believe we are at the end of July!!!

The continuation of the monthly thread!

Bumping this thread as it was a useful resource back in the day and I’ve been looking for more ways to have some easy and low cost fun and reading it again was very helpful!
If JGwen is still around – I think I’m going to have to borrow my mum’s spinning wheel this winter. She isn’t using it anymore and she has a ton of rovings stuffed in bags in the basement as they live next door to a shearer who would bring her fleeces all the time.
So now I’m adding to the list that just planning some fun activities for the future can be a good non-food treat too!

Just popping in quickly with an update to my post above. I got fed up with my morning fasting glucose creeping into pre-diabetic range and was seeing that it was my evening meal that was affecting it. I tried eating earlier in the evening (which is a stretch if I’m cooking on a work day because I have so much to do to get the animals sorted when I get home) and it still didn’t help. Might be ok if I ate at 5pm but I wouldn’t be cooking then, so I decided yesterday at lunch that I would fast starting then for 24 hours. My numbers after lunch have been pretty good. I was 6.3 at 1 hour after lunch and 5.4 at 2 hours. For some reason my glucose control is just awful at the end of the day after dinner. Even with a very low carb meal and an after dinner walk it just doesn’t come down as quickly as it does after lunch and then I’m going to bed with it elevated and it is only worse in the mornings. So, I decided that I needed to ditch the evening meal for a day and see what impact it had. Good news – I was down to 4.5 before bed last night and at 5.0 this morning. Much happier with that as it more in line with what I was measuring with the CGM back in 2019. I will fast until lunch today and then measure again and make a decision about what I will do this evening. Hopefully all the hard work this week is getting the excess glycogen and fat cleared out of my liver so my system can regulate itself better in future. I think I’ve had a pretty solid slap down after that last binge episode and hopefully have learned my lesson to treat my body better than that.
Have a good day everyone!

Awesome August sounds encouraging Pootle👍
Thank you S-G & I know everyone’s pain threshold is different & I hope your cousin is soon completely recovered & mobile again. How lovely seeing your daughter & grandson!
My clips have now been taken out & the nurse was pleased with my wound but I was rather shocked with how long the stitch line is. The physio was pleased with me & says I have 95 degree knee flexion now but my straight leg lifts are still very difficult as is the pain I am in at 5-30 am when the meds have worn off. The physio was pleased with my mobility with crutches because I can walk with a rhythm probably because of walking in the past with Nordic poles😀 she wants me to walk with one as much as I can. My GP has said that I can use a sleeping tablet each night for a couple of weeks then wean myself off them taking 1/2 tablet because they are addictive which I am worried about. I can see that I am making slow progress but returning to the BSD will have to wait until I can start cooking from scratch again. I haven’t dare stand on my scales but will get my act together as soon as I can 🤞🤞
Keep on going everyone
Margaret xx

A couple more positives ….
🌹🌹 visited a garden centre looking to buy more plants for our village hall, but ended up treating myself to a new rose bush instead. The flowers are a beautiful plum colour, with a heady fragrance ….. dreamy 😍
🌹🌹 was given some delicious figs from a friends tree … roasted them with crumbled feta and served with a scattering of chopped walnuts 😋

Has been a fine and pleasant day.

Thank you Marie, S-G and Arctic Fox.

I had not heard about the dawn effect… which may be possible… having considered it today, I think that, having vomited so much, it is possible I was dehydrated… also think that was because of a bug or lunch time food…as husband was feeling off too. Not as bad as me but he was queasy. So it was all against me!!!

I will keep on keeping on!
Xxx

Hi Pootle,
I’m sure your system will calm down in a few days. I was back in the 5’s this week until I had a histamine reaction to some tomato paste that caused a spike back up to 6.2. Inflammation of any kind can cause a spike. Also, I learned this week that dehydration can cause your cortisol to spike, which in turn causes a glucose spike, so that may also be at play for you. Concentrate on getting rehydrated and feeling better and see what happens. We can do this. I’m trying to get my fasting glucose down into the low 5’s, high 4’s this week as my goal.

Hi Pootle, Mariet is correct about the Dawn effect but you had eaten a reasonable amount during the day. Just the fact that you vomitted could be a slight stomach bug which can also cause BG to elevate. Looking at what you ate, and as you have pointed out, nearly 50g carbs, which is anyones book is not much but there was the cheese, which tends to put mine up. I wouldn’t worry about 6.9 on a finger prick as they are quite a bit out from maybe 5 to 15%. You have licked it, just because you had more carbs than usual doesn’t mean you have failed. The fact that you were sick might also be that some of the food you had was too rich for your now more fussy stomach, like cheese and cream, along with cooked apple and choclate. Try sticking to just one or two rich or high carb foods and it will settle down.

Dont worry.

Hi Pootle, I am no diabetes expert but as you vomited late last night, could this be the ‘Dawn effect?’ I’ve read about this on the forum lots of times- as your stomach was empty when you went to bed, the early morning drop in your BSL triggers a glycogen release from your liver, resulting in a higher fasting blood sugar.

I am sure I have not explained it well and you may already know more than I do about it anyway. I am sure if you are keeping your carbs low s you describe there has to be something else like this to explain it.

Good luck!

Advice please….. they say pride comes before a fall….
I have been so careful to adhere to low carb diet and really thought I was doing well… BUT…

Testing with a Freestyle Libra tester… strips bought from the internet, with a “use by” in August 2026. For the past couple of months my fasting BG has been ‘pootling’ along at between 4.6 mmol/l and 5.2.
Then yesterday it went up to 5.6 and this Morning was 6.9!!!!! 🫣
Yesterday we ate out at lunchtime:- an all day breakfast, Sausage, Eggs and bacon with mushrooms and 1/2 tomato. Went home and ate 1tbs Greek yoghurt plus 2 blackberries, 1 strawberry.

Supper was 1 slice broccoli bread toasted with 150g runner beans topped with 50g grated hard cheese.
Followed by 100g dessert apple cooked without sugar and a little cream.
I then had 30g dry roast peanuts and 12.5g 85% chocolate during the evening.

By my reckoning that was a total of 48.6g carb..

However, I was violently sick at about midnight… would that affect my BG??? 🙄

I am concerned as I thought I had it licked….
Help!!!! 💐💐💐

Thanks S-G,
I rather like “Awesome August with the BSD”. As the annual thread is sort of ‘on a cruise’ maybe “All Aboard” is a but confusing??

Great that you enjoyed your family time and that they seem to be changing their minds about the glaucoma!

I feel so fortunate to have ‘met’ you and Verano on these forums. Your encouragement and advice really made a huge difference to me. I would be delighted if I can pass it forward to someone else in need!

I feel I am still learning about my body and my diabetes. A lifetime of having a sweet tooth is difficult to overturn….but I am mostly doing just that!!

Keeping on keeping on!! 😄😄xx

Thank you for sharing the choc mousse recipes, Pootle. Will try out the first one over the weekend.

Positives from my little corner……
🌻🌻 got my watercolours out after a few weeks break. Not having had a chance to paint for awhile, it felt really good to play with my paints again.
🌻🌻 made carrot cakes for OH and GS to take to work with them tomorrow. Don’t often bake, but it worked out pretty well and was quite fun.
🌻🌻 couple of pleasant catch up phone chats with friends
🌻🌻 my garden is starting to bounce back, after having been a bit neglected during our absence.

Hope everyone else is noticing some positives each day too.

I picked the first ripe blackberries today… very early this year!!! And at 5g carb per 100g they will be a great addition to my Greek yoghurt! 🫐🫐

Prep for this weekend’s wedding work is going well! 💐💐💐

Prep for next weeks work is also well in hand… it needs to be with a bank holiday on Monday! 🤞👍👍
I hope you can all find some positives if your life… please share if you can! 😄

Thank you for keeping things going Pootle, I like All Aboard for August as we have used so many alliterations like Jubilant July, Merry May etc, so your idea is good for a change.

I too cannot wait for you to see the diabetic nurse and it would be nice for her to be educated and not so stuck in her ideas.

Margaret, I didn’t say anything about being in pain as everyone is different but it took a while for my cousin to start getting back on her feet (literally). She has children around her as her husband died some years ago, and I think she is being well looked after but not able to do much for herself for a couple of months and she is not allowed to drive so needs help with shopping etc.

I had a wonderful week with my daughter and grandson but, of course, ate way too much. My weight is now too high although my BG is staying pretty stable. I had a bit of a mind blown moment when I was at the opthamologist. They still are saying I have signs of glaucoma but it is getting better (checked Dr Google and it doesn’t get better on its own). I think they are being over cautious but now want to see me in 6 months so it is going down, from 2 to 3 to 4 and now 6. However, he did ask me what my blood pressure was and that made me realise my weight is as important as my BG as they are all connected. If I stay or gain weight there is every chance my BP will go up and that will then affect my eyes.

I will still pop in from time to time but thanks again Pootle for taking over the reins. Let me know if you want any help in the future.

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the follows, DCT and Pootle. I finished the garlic harvest today, just in time for the start a little heatwave. It should help to get this very wet garlic dry. I’m going to try and put a reel together of all the photos I took during harvest. Just not tonight as I’m too tired.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the continuous glucose monitor is not suited to my lifestyle. The adhesive is not sticky enough with all the movement and sweating that I do, so it slid off my arm before it was fully activated. I’m super disappointed by that. I don’t know if I should report it to the company as well as the one that didn’t work. I don’t really want a replacement if it isn’t going to work for me. I know some people put them in other locations like chest or abdomen, but I’m not sure either of those would have worked this time either. Anyway, I got a regular glucose monitor and am using the lancets and strips to test. It is going well so far and is still motivating, but a bit more confusing given you can’t see what is happening moment to moment. It was quite shocking to see that my last binge eating episode put me into diabetic range, and then I’ve spent the last couple of days in pre-diabetic range, but I know what to do, so I’m eating really low carb and getting back on track. I had some pretty good numbers today in the low 5’s so fingers crossed for a good reading tomorrow morning. I think this may have been the wake up call that I needed to finally buckle down and get serious about losing weight and breaking my insulin resistance.
Another part of the wake up call was going to my mental health support group on Friday and one of the ladies who has diabetes had brought a huge bag of crisps and two big bags of sweets, supposedly to share. I declined when offered, as did most of the others, but she and one other lady polished off most of them between them. I didn’t even notice what they were doing, as I was listening to people sharing how their week had gone, but saw at the end when they needed to get rid of the wrappers and their laps were piled high with sweet wrappers and the entire bag of crisps was gone. The lady who brought them in had previously shared that her latest HbA1c result was 12! I didn’t say a word, but it really upset me very badly. Partly because I seemingly care more about what she is eating than she obviously does, but also because the group knows that I struggle with binge eating, and it seemed rather unfair of her to not only bring in those things as snacks but then have me witness the evidence of their binge even if I didn’t notice them actually doing it. Does that even make sense? Not sure. If I had been in a more vulnerable state, that might have led me to go and buy similar foods after and binge on them at home, but it is lucky that I was being pretty strong that day and I was already measuring my glucose at that point and didn’t want to increase my numbers again. I did go to the supermarket on my way home, but only bought greek yogurt and soy-free tofu. I’m fairly pleased with myself about that, and the fact that I’ve been making really healthy, very low carb meals this weekend, in spite of being so tired at the end of the day from the garlic harvesting. I think I will have to talk to my therapist about how upset I got in this situation though, and what I’ve been doing with tracking my glucose to manage my own intake. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m being too restrictive now in response.
Anyway, this post is too long already, but here are the meals I’ve been having:
a ramen noodle bowl with konjac noodles, red pepper, romanesco broccoli, soy-free tofu and prawns in a salty veggie broth made with wakame seaweed, bouillon and tamari.
pizza made with cauliflower sandwich bread as a base with flax and chia instead of eggs, toppings of kale, red pepper, rainbow chard and mozzarella.
A rainbow chard salad with the left over tofu, green onions from the garden, and sardines with an olive oil and vinegar dressing.
I’m not feeling deprived at all, just a bit hungry, but that is to be expected as I go through a bit of carb withdrawal, I think.
Anyway, thanks for putting up with me if you’ve managed to read all of this. Keep on keeping on everyone!

Sunny, I have made 2 different chocolate mousses.
1. 🥛400ml can coconut milk.
🍫120g melted chocolate (recipe calls for 70%, I used 85%)
Whisk coconut milk for at least 30 secs to get lots of air in.
Add melted chocolate whisking all the time… continue to whisk… the more you whisk the better it will be.
Pour into 8 small ramekins and chill overnight. (4 hours min)
For 8 portions, Carb 6.4g, kCal 170 per portion.

2. 🍫125g 85% chocolate, melted over Bain Marie.
4 tbs water,
🥚4 eggs separated.
🥃1 tbs brandy.
Add 1 tbs water to egg yolks and beat well.
Add 3tbs water to melted choc and mix well still over heat.
Add yolks and beat until light.
Remove from heat and add brandy (optional)
Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and fold into choc.
Pour into 6 small glasses and chill overnight.
For 6 portions Carb 7.8g, kCal 268 per portion.

As I am maintaining weight but remaining low carb, I have found the 2nd better, but the 1st is very good!

So I am going to use the above as a positive as I am delighted to have found something good! 😄😄😄

Or “ Awesome August with the BSD” ???

So sorry to hear you are in so much discomfort Margaret. Hope the outpatients appointment goes well and they are pleased with your progress!

Lacy, I agree that the medical professionals can be too dismissive at times. Sometimes a well phrased encouragement is invaluable and patronising dismissal destructive!!
My experience with the diabetes nurse last year was horrendous! She was actively against me trying this diet, despite the GP saying that I should try it for a few months to see how I got on! I ended up making a complaint to the GP… saying I was 65 not 5!!!
However, the best bit for me was seeing the look on the GP’s face when I went to see her 6 months on…with a 5 stone weight loss and HbA1c of 40! She was stunned at my achievement!
Still waiting for the follow up with the diabetes nurse! I cannot wait as I am now 5 1/2 stone lighter with a BMI of 24 and 🤞 not in the diabetic range of HbA1c!! Just want to thumb my nose at her!! 🫣😂

Thinking of “All Aboard for August…” or ????? Something will come to me!
K xx

Hello everyone, I do hope the heatwaves are settling down for those suffering through them. Here in Melbourne (Australia) it’s freezing – the coldest winter we’ve had for a while!
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble sleeping because of the pain, Margaret. Hopefully the pain will ease enough as you heal for you find a comfortable sleeping position!
Pootle, you mentioned Prof Roy Taylor, and I checked out our local library. Both his books, and also Emma Porter’s recipe book were on the shelf, so I spent this week reading! Fascinating stuff, and some fantastic recipe ideas. And I noticed that you’d bumped a recipe thread – some great recipes on there too!

I’ve been on the BSD now for a month, and have lost 5kg – and more importantly, 5cm from both my waist and my hips! But when I saw my GP this week (blood pressure meds review) she was completely dismissive. She informed me that “lots of people were very enthusiastic on new diets, but soon got sick of it and packed the weight back on again.” And you know what, that might be true for some people, but definitely not everyone. And a bit of encouragement and positive reinforcement would have been a lot more helpful than patronising dismissal. Apparently this is not an uncommon reaction from doctors, though, so I’ll just continue on with support from the lovely people on this forum, and see what happens when I have my next blood panel review in 3 months.

Title ideas for August, hmm? I’m terrible at coming up with things like that so I’m afraid I’m not much help!
Take care everyone,

Lacy xx

Hello everyone & sorry also for my absence I am having rather a difficult time at the moment with pain/discomfort & lack of sleep only getting about three or four hours sleep each night. I think part of the problem is I am a side sleeper & my knee will only let me sleep on my back because it’s too painful if I try to put pressure on it lying on either side. My back also hurts which I think is again lying on my back. I have been good doing all my exercises three times a day & can now lift my right leg back onto the bed on its own 😀. I am going to Outpatients today to have the clips removed & apparently then all dressings stay removed to air the wound🤔🫣. I don’t think my lack of sleep can be helping my healing but I will find out today if I am on track.
My husband is doing well Pootle & produced a very good stir fry 👏😀
Look after yourselves everyone!
Margaret xx

V, hope you’re doing okay and the positives are easier to identify again.
Pootle, love a bit of choc mousse. If you have a moment could you share the recipe here please?
Heidi, how lovely people are noticing you’re slimmer.

Thought I’d pop in with a couple of positives…
🌿🌿 gardening at the village hall yesterday, lovely to be in the sunshine and it looked so much tidier and more presentable when we’d finished
🌿🌿 an informal date night last evening, with a meal eating on the patio and a chance to relax and catch up with each other after a busy week
🌿🌿 at last all the post holiday laundry has been completed

Hi, sorry to hear you and your Mum are struggling! Such a sad time!

Great news that you are feeling strong and that you have got onto target! I know you can do it!

We have had no internet or phone for most of the week… just back on! As we have no mobile signal here, and I usually use my mobile phone via the router, I have had to go out to the top of the veg garden to pick up emails etc… thank goodness it kept reasonably dry!!

Take care, 🤞🙏 for this week! Xxx

No prob Heidi24, I realised you meant DCT. I am not energetic enough to warrant a Gym!! I walk for exercise…. and garden, and carry hay bales, and carry water buckets, and feed sacks and lug heavy equipment for work…. I sometimes think it would be a simpler life if I gave it all up, 🤪 moved to a flat in a town and joined a gym… 😄 but then I realise how much I would miss the animals and outdoor life! 🫣😄.

I must admit, I am not brilliant at names… I easily get very confused!!!

I made a chocolate mousse at 10.00 last night.. just felt the need!! Melted 85% chocolate, added water and eggs, and worked out carbs as 7.2g per portion… as I am trying to maintain weight but keep carbs low, this seems quite a good indulgence for a Sunday! I didn’t dare work out the calories!!

Thanks for sharing your FB info Arctic Fox.. you have gained another follower! Love your flower bunches!

As I am a terrible sailor, I’m now going up on deck on this ‘cruise’ … Hope you are all doing well!
Xxx

Sorry I meant DCT not POOTLE re posh gym. x

Hi folks,
Sorry I have been absent over the last week… we had no telephone or internet, and as we have no mobile signal at home, I wasn’t able to check in!

(I use a pay as you go phone, as at home it operates through the internet router… over 4 days it used £40 worth of credit just picking up my emails etc and making calls at the top of the veg garden!! Thank goodness it wasn’t raining!!)

So.. Margaret, I hope your husband excelled at the ‘from scratch’ meal.

All else much the same here… coming up to an August thread… anyone any ideas for a ‘title’.

Take care everybody. K xx

Hi all. Another week of healthy eating where I, and not stress, have been in control. Two months now. And that feels great. Only 0.5 kilos of this week, so 9.6 kilos in total. It would be really nice to report over 10 kilos next week…

DCT I am certainly not giving up yet. I was probably not very clear. My first goal is to get to the top BMI end of my healthy weight. That’s another 4.6 kilos to discard. The next goal is then to look good in size 16 trousers and other more non-scale victories. I have a ring that I really want to wear again, for example. And lots of nice clothes from my previous thin period. Ho hum! It still feels more like failure than success to be on this journey yet again. But I am definitely pressing on.

MARIET, I have been thinking of you and hoping that the operation went as well as it could. It sounded quite traumatic.
YOWZER, Are you there? How are you feeling?
CLARINET I am crossing fingers for you that you have finally seen some results.
ARCTICFOX Good luck with the harvest and your next steps. I have never tried a glucose monitor and would be interested to hear how you get on.
POOTLE I love the idea of your near and posh fitness place. Go for it!

I found another good quote this week from Dr Mark Hyman (other doctors available….) which I have found helpful when tempted by a what the hell moment:

“Food is not just fuel.
It’s code. Every bite sends biochemical instructions to your body, activating or silencing genes, feeding good or bad gut bacteria, regulating inflammation and mood.
You feel how you eat.”
Not sure I agree that mood is totally generated by our food choices, but you get the idea!

Best wishes for a good week. Mine is going to be very rocky on my husband’s health front. But I shall be doing my best in the circumstances. xx

ARCTIXFOX thanks for the info. Am now following you on Facebook and also Instagram (which I’m much less familiar with : only use it for writing work and stalking my daughter 😂). Not sure if you can see followers, but my photo is me and my dog 🐕

Hope that you get your glucose monitoring sorted 🤞

I’m a bit all over the place with gyms. I liked the first one (close but expensive) so much that I nearly didn’t bother going to see the second one (further away but cheaper). But when I did was blown away by the setting and grounds and nearly signed up. But since then have thought carefully about how dilapidated the actual gym and pools are, and how much further away I would have to drive. I know myself very well, and any excuse can make me bottle out! Have also chatted with a former colleague who used to go to the posher gym (but moved away) and is still totally in awe of it. So I think I will go for it, ie the nearer but more expensive option. I have to sign up for one year so if I’m not making the most of if I will cancel after that. But I do feel the need to “elevate my life” – sounds a bit pretentious I know 😂. – and start really looking after myself. Otherwise I can visualise my semi-retirement years just getting frittered away and me ending up doing my bit of work then just spending the rest of the time as a couch potato.

Will report back in due course ……

Hi everyone,
Garlic harvest is still ongoing. Made some good progress yesterday and hopefully some more today and tomorrow. I took Monday off work just in case I don’t finish tomorrow, but really hoping to and then I’ll be able to have Monday as a rest day.
DCT – I will hold back around 1/4 of the crop to have enough to replant, and will sell the rest. If you and anyone else would like to see photos of the harvest and my farm and you are on facebook, it is Whistling Fox Farm. I am on instagram too, but have not been posting much there lately. Good that you have been checking out gyms. It is so hard to do that analysis of what is better, cheaper but further away vs. expensive but closer. I once ended up doing the more expensive and further away option, but it was worth it because they had classes with fantastic trainers and I got super fit and healthy while I was doing that. Only stopped because I had to move away for work, and never been able to find anything like it since.
I am also a 2017 veteran. I lost a lot and was within 5kg of my goal weight, but couldn’t sustain it. Peri-menopause plus my accident really wreaked havoc on my system. I am finally at the point where I feel like my hormones have stabilized enough that it is time to get serious again. I am starting to wear a continuous glucose monitor again as that was really motivating before. I decided that it was worth the out-of-pocket expense. I applied the first sensor on Wednesday, but it didn’t work. The company is sending me a replacement for that one but it won’t arrive for a couple of weeks, so I got a new one yesterday and will activate it this afternoon as it needs about 24 hrs after being inserted in your arm to give accurate results. I got the tip about inserting it the day before you activate it from an online diabetes forum. The sensors only last 14 days, so this saves you from using up a whole day with inaccurate results. Fingers crossed that this new one works. I’m not looking forward to seeing the initial results though. I know my insulin resistance has increased since I last used one, as I have new skin tags and a bigger waist circumference. But I just have to think of it as keeping my eyes on the prize and how much it will help me. I really want to beat the binge eating and get back to being more insulin sensitive. I have just over 2 months to go until my leg surgery and I think it will only help with the healing if I am healthier.

So have continued my walking, now do it 6 mins quicker than when I started.
Lost 2lbs this week which is double my goal. Doing my “10 weeks, 10 lbs” target for holiday. But part of me is a bit disappointed ….I shouldn’t be i know. But I have been so busy and not strayed from the diet at all. But when I looked up 2 lbs of fat it actually looked a lot.
Losing has definitely become harder. The 2. 5 stone came off quite well but that’s weight ive out on in last couple years. Now im back to my original need to lose weight size its a lot harder .
6 lbs off 3 stone now. Feeling positive. And walking is helping with the stresses and strains.
My mum isn’t coping very well and its a struggle for me im not going to lie. But im feeling strong and trying ready for hols. Hope everyone is OK. Xx

Morning all!

POOTLE I am so impressed with your ability to lose so much weight twice. Very well done – you are an inspiration! And I’m so sorry to hear about your brother, particularly the awful circumstances of his death and the limitations on your grieving. That’s so sad. And it feels so strange now to look back on those times when everything was so very different. I’m so glad that you have managed to move forward in terms of your own health and wellbeing since those dark days.

HEIDI you have also done really well to lose your weight twice, and how lovely to be able to put away those larger sized trousers and look good in the 16s. I hope that at some stage you might start needing the smaller ones too – especially as sizes vary so much. So don’t rule them out : you are really on a roll right now!

CATHY it sounds like you are doing all the right things and I’m so disappointed for you that weight is not coming off. I wish I knew what to suggest. I would only echo what HEIDI said in terms of increasing protein (which is often difficult for vegetarians) and also VERANO’s advice to check the carbs. But I think your attitude about getting as far as you can this year then accepting yourself as you are is a very positive one. Whilst on the one hand doing all we can to keep fit and well is really important, on the other hand we don’t want to be completely obsessed with it to the extent where it is interfering with enjoying day to day life. As MARIET said “my longing to achieve my goal was robbing me of life happiness.”

MARIET do let us know how you get on with your hand surgery. You’ve had a rough time recently in terms of medical/dental intervention. I do hope that this will be the end of it for a while. And I’m so glad that your mother is feeling less anxious now. I used to find it so hard seeing my mum struggle in terms of decreasing mobility and ability to do things. She did her best to put a brave face on it but it must be so awful to be in that position. I hope that she is now able to enjoy some of the good things in life again.

ARCTICFOX how is the garlic harvest going? I so admire your resilience! What will you do with all the garlic? Is it all for home use or do you sell some of It on? I’m always in awe of your growing and farming abilities, and that you manage to keep your eating on track at the same time.

I’ve had a pretty good week so far. No further loss, but after a bit of a regain over the weekend, I am now maintaining the three pounds off from last week. So here’s hoping more will follow. I went to see a fabulous hotel pool / spa / gym yesterday which I think I may join although it’s very expensive. I’m off to see another one later which is cheaper but is further away whereas yesterday’s is only 10 minutes away from me, so no excuse not to go every day! Will report back in due course.

Hope the rest of the week goes well for everyone X