Hi all, weight is still at its downward level of 72kgs but we are out tonight. It will be just one night but I intend to enjoy it. Saying that, I find firstly I am not interested in carbs except for the breadroll but will use glucose goddess hack of eating veg or salad first. Secondly, the French do not do many carbs so no mashed potatoes or chips, not big on pasta or rice either. WIll look at the menu in a minute and will be careful with the dessert I pick but I am sure I will have something even if it is just to have a taste.

Went to cinema last night and can highly recommend Lee (Miller), true story of a Vogue photographer who managed to get herself on the frontline of WW2. Hate leaving cinema still crying but it was so moving. I can see Kate Winslet getting an Oscar for her performance.

Just picked my started which is a pate then the main of confit of lamb with creamed mushrooms, roasted pumpkin with a soya foam(?). The desserts aren’t listed as it is a daily choice. But if I have a starter and main I probably wont bother with pud.

Hi Lucy,

That is good, you will quickly lose the 4lb, I am sure! Well done for restarting with purpose!
Life seems to be getting in my way at the moment…I am trying so very hard to keep to the diet and record calories and carbs. I had a ‘lunch meeting’ yesterday… I did turn down the bread and had a few prawns on a small salad with lemon mayonnaise but not able to know the calorie or carb content! I weighed and counted everything for supper to make sure I was well within the limits, to try to allow for lunch. BUT it wasn’t scientific!!!
Today I am out for supper….So, again, I will not know the calorie and carb content of what I eat…even if I try to chose ‘lower carb’ foods. So am being ultra careful with lunch!!

I have had 2 very interesting conversations recently.
1. person worried that they might be heading for diabetes…extremely interested in the BSD, looked at website and ordered the book. I hope my experience helps them. 😀
2. person with diabetes, (about 5-6 years) already lost a toe, sight causing problems etc….just started on insulin injections once a week. eats anything they like…white bread, sugary foods etc etc. Could not understand why I was saying no to jam and dessert. Didn’t want to hear about the BSD… was certain they wouldn’t benefit… 😢

I am just grateful that I found the diet, have been able to stick to it and it has taken me back to pre diabetic, as well as losing a great deal of my excess weight!! In no little way because of the support from these forums. Thanks everyone!

I am keeping on!
K.x

So proper weigh day today and was less than yesterday considerably. So I am 4lbs heavier than when I left. Not 7.
So hopefully this will be gone quickly. I’m happy with 4lbs for a week. Have been pitch perfect since re starting and will continue to do so.

Being hungry is a sign of health.
So feed hunger with REAL, healthy food — meat, vegetables, salad, nuts. Prioritise protein. Avoid the sugars — sugar is the driver of your hunger. Don’t give up — one of the amazing things that happens is that you will lose the desire to eat sugar. Seriously, this is absolutely true. It took about a year of refusing sugar and refined carbohydrates and one day, like magic, I simply didn’t want sugar anymore. It happened overnight, literally. It was, and has been, a game changer for me.
I used to read that sugar was addictive and I did not believe it until this happened to me. I was a sugar monster for most of my life — I even remember endlessly looking for sugar as a child. Refined carbohydrates are also sugar — quickly converted to sugar in your body.
If you are interested in why this is true metabolically, check out and listen to Dr. Benjamin Bikman’s podcasts. You can just google his name and they will pop up. He is a metabolic expert researcher at BYU University in Utah. I love his simple and entertaining explanations.

I totally agree Sunshinegirl. Many processed foods are excellent — canned tomatoes and tomato paste are perfect examples, as are beans in water, other vegetables etc. And extra-virgin olive oil is processed, but in a way (cold pressed, raw) that protects the quality.
I think the UPFs that Chris Van Tulleken was talking about is the stuff that we can neither pronounce nor could find in our kitchens. And even good sounding foods, like canned beans with sauce, can be full of those!
So important to read the labels — we work so hard to get and stay healthy — hate to ruin it by eating bad stuff.
And yeah, popcorn at the movies is for children!

Just thinking about UPFs and what I have in my cupboard. There is a big difference between processed foods and ultra processed foods. Many foods go through processes, think of cheese as an example but it would still be milk if it wasn’t churned and maybe added rennet and left to mature. Even olive oil is processed as it started life as an olive and had to be pressed to make it into oil. Ultra processed to me is when it is not recognisable as an actual food. If you need a degree in chemistry to read the ingredients then it stays on the shelf. Back to my cupboards, I always have canned tomatoes and apparently the process they go through increases the lycopene which is good for men and helps prevent prostate cancer. Canned beans and lentils and chickpeas, tuna, sardines etc. As long as they are not stored in sugar or salt. Frozen fruit and veg are really good for you and only go through washing, picking off bits, then flash freezing.

So not all processed foods are bad for you, just don’t eat anything that doesn’t resemble real food of or has more chemicals than food.

My stupid body has had a drop down in weight this morning so I have nearly reached my goal. Not feeling quite so bad about it although we are out for a meal tomorrow. Hey ho, life is for living. We are at the cinema tonight and there wont be any popcorn 🙂 The French don’t do snacking and the snack counter is only open when it is a childrens show so they can get popcorn and coke.

Lucy, At least 3lbs of that is fluid and will be gone in a couple of days. Keep on keeping on…

Thank you both. Pootle….I am the same. Constantly hungry and wanting all the wrong things but hopefully it will pass soon.
Thanks for the message SG , I am determined to get back on course but yes its hard at the moment as so very hungry.
So it’s not weigh day until tomorrow but I have gained 7lbs. Quite frightening really I wasn’t as bad as I usually would be and kept my exercise up. So a 1lb weight gain per day! I’m shocked but hey back to it and hopefully it will come off quite quickly.
Back to it in earnest today.
Thanks everyone. Good luck to you too Pootle. We can and we will do this. Xx

Hi Californiagirl, I am in total agreement with you on UPF and in my own cooking I cook from scratch. About the only thing that comes out of a tin or tube is tomatoes and tomato puree. I use fresh veg in most cases. Unfortunately, if I want to have a couple of nights off I have to allow hubby to make something he is capable of like ready meatballs or sausages. Not the healthiest but when I get into more veggie cooking I might be able to get him to come up with healthier recipes.

I am just re-listening to The Food Revolution group with Ocean Robbins in the revolution summit – 2 and half hours, the first in the series is called Beyond the Deception about big pharma, big food producers and all the other things we think are good for us. One thing they talk about is what you were saying, if you eat ultra processed foods you wont get the sensation of being full, then even if you do, you will still have room for sweet foods as they give a different chemical reaction which open up different receptors to make up want to eat more and more. Big companies know this and prey on our vulnerabilities.

Oh, I forgot one thing — don’t eat seed oils!! They are classified as UPF by their very nature. They have been chemically extracted and then refined and deodorised in a nasty chemical stew.
This includes palm oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, corn oil and soy oil (especially corn and soy as they are also usually GMO — genetically modified organisms).
Use extra-virgin olive oil and butter, avocado oil — cold expeller pressed sunflower oil.

I’ve been reading “UPF People” by Chris Van Tulleken — UPF being, of course, ultra processed food.
Very interesting read — a couple of takeaways that really resonate with me:

1.) Ultra processed food does not satisfy your body, and so after eating it, you are quickly hungry again. The research is fascinating — your body is actually LOOKING FOR NUTRITION and when you feed it junk (low quality UPFs) , it keeps looking for nutrition, thus driving you to eat more and more. It is not clear to researchers whether this is your own “self” driving this or it is your micro-biome in your gut that is driving this but maybe the distinction is academic because the end result is the same. Eating UPFs is nutritionally deficient and so you eat and eat and eat to get the nutrition your body demands. Your body KNOWS when it is getting full nutrition and when it does get it, it feels “full”.

2.) A huge part of your physical pleasure and the “full-from-eating” response to food comes from the act of CHEWING. It is very important to eat foods that need a lot of chewing — think quality sourdough bread vs white Hovis — one requires a lot of chewing, the other turns into a gooey mess. Think crunchy vegetables and fruit, meat with sinew vs soggy vegetable lasagna — nuts and seeds vs basic breakfast cereal. At every meal it is vitally important to have a chewing experience.
I read recently that a Swiss clinic for weight loss tells patients to chew every bite 60 times. I have tried that, and it really slows down your eating — I have started to eat so much more slowly!

So read the labels (ha ha, for me that means take my reading glasses to the grocery store) buy organic if possible (organic tends to have less or none of the UPF ingredients) — if you wouldn’t have one of those ingredients as a regular everyday ingredient in your kitchen then you should not eat it! Especially avoid food colourings, weird emulsifiers like lecithin and carrageenan etc., preservatives etc.

And, as a win, if you cook for yourself, you will not have to worry about this!
Anyway, a good book if you want to delve more deeply into UPFs.

Hi all, glad you are still doing well and looking forward to another week.

I don’t quite know what is happening with me as I am up another blip today so from 72.1 on Monday to 72.2 yesterday and 72.3 today. No reason, except maybe hubby always make something on Tuesday and it is not always in calories but he has learnt to cook without carbs. He did pork sausages (high in calories) served with a melange of onions, red peppers, mushrooms, half an apple, carrots and peas all in gravy.

Still not giving in and waiting until Friday to have a meal out and a couple of wines. Maybe it is what I need to get me back on track.

Just come back to quickly say, I am also doing more exercise with 30 mins aerobics Monday and again today.

Hi Lucy,
Don’t think your loss will be up the creek! At least we both know what we have to do to rectify any problems we may be having now.
Great that you enjoyed your holiday and kept active. I think you were VERY restrained to only have 3 pastries! I might have given into temptation much more than that!
Keeping my fingers crossed for your weigh in, but don’t beat yourself up if you have put some weight back on. We can get back on track!

K.xxx

Hi Lucy, glad you had a good time but the holiday is behind you and any bad eating is also behind you. You have not put a two stone loss up the creek. You will probably have gained between 5 and 7lbs. So you are still 1.5 stone down. No it is not ideal to have made that gain but it is life. You said you did a lot of walking you also talk about avoiding pastries (maybe a couple were eaten) so you have already taken in good habits and strategies.

Now is the time to build on that and get straight back on plan. You will also find you lose quite a lot in the first week as you are carrying fluid from the carbs as well as some actual weight gain. Get on the scales tomorrow and take a reality check then back on it. You might find that, like Pootle, you find it harder this time round, the hunger, the cravings the whole diet thing will seem more difficult.

The first time around you are so full of optimism and motivated to do well. You are excited to get started and see your progress. This time around it is all so familiar and lacking that enthusiasm. It might be an idea to go right back to how you started. Making a menu plan, shopping, looking forward to a new adventure. Can I also suggest some of the mistakes you made in the first place wont happen again so you are already starting from a much better position.

Hope I haven’t gone on too much but you have done this before and you are rareing to go, so good luck.

Hi Pootle, hi everyone. Literally just walked through the door home.
Don’t know where to start really, I haven’t been very good. It was just too hard. I only had 3 pastries all week but an awful lot of chips and some bread and lots of alcohol too.
I have walked between 2and 3 miles everyday and swum lots too but like you Pootle I am craving all the wrong stuff again. Haven’t dare get on the scales as I know it’s going to upset me. It was too much to resist everything all the time. All your meals in rows and rows.
I did my best I know it was nt good enough. Two stone loss up the creak now.
On the plus side I had a lovely time and ready to start over again.
Probably be crying on the scales later but I can’t change it all and I ate nowhere near what I usually would. Fingers crossed for the damage.
Xx

Hope your holiday is going well Lucy,
My latest experience has shown me just how easy I had it for the first couple of months of the BSD! In that time I was totally in control of what and when I ate. After the hunger of the first week, which I quickly realised could be assuaged by drinking sparkling water and/or eating a little meat, the diet suited me brilliantly. Following the afternoon tea and then being in a hotel for a few days (very limited food compatible with the BSD, as I was working and only had sandwiches, wraps and or chips on offer!), I am back to craving toast etc and feeling hungry all the time! I know I can get through this and back into the ‘happy place’, but am a little frustrated that my body is reacting in this way!
On the weight front, I have lost another pound…probably mostly due to being so seasick 🤢🥴 on the ferry home!

A positive note; the consultant for my asthma was almost as delighted with my progress as I am!!

Keeping on!
K.x

Hello All

How is everyone doing that started October following this thread? We are 7 days in and so how did you find the programme?
For me it has been enlightening and I am still waiting to get hungry (800 calories) and not – WOW!!! Certainly had time to reflect, on diet and by limiting carbohydrates, I seem to have found my nemesis – who knew. I am so amazed and happy.
Concentrating on quality of food to work within the 800 calories and I think the key has been (apart from the carbs) higher fat Greek yoghurt at breakfast – and all of a sudden my food has taste too.

Bonus was the weight loss in the first week, which I know would be more due to water loss, but at least I didn’t start this and not get some reward at the end of week 1.

Thank you to everyone that messaged in the first days, with your stories and advice – lovely to know I am not in this alone.

Here is to first day of week 2 down…

I think you dodged a bullet sunshine girl! There are a lot of other side effects to Ozempic than I mentioned above in my first post.

Hi Californiagirl. When the drug first became talked about in the world of diabetes (7 or 8 years ago) I asked my doctor about it. A friend was on a similar drug called Byetta and he lost 4 stone in 3 months, he started at around 24 or 26 stone so was at high risk from other morbidities. My doctor said he wouldn’t prescribe it for me as I was (at that time) about 3 stone overweight and he was unsure of the long-term side effects. I didn’t want it to lose weight but to stop the weight gain from insulin. Anyway, around that time I discovered BSD and took the right track. I now just wish I had never started on insulin but I couldn’t tolerate the side-effects of Metformin and other oral meds. I have asked to go back onto oral meds but he says it is too late for me to change. I ask if there have been any new oral meds over the years but he wont consider it while I already know that the insulin is working for me – except for the weight gain or inability to lose weight.

I got a bit cross last month when I had my regular appointment for diabetes check up and I said to hubby, why does he weigh me and make me feel bad if I have gained when he is giving me the drug that is causing the weight gain. But hubby said he always weighs him as well and is happy to see loss or maintenance and tells him to watch out if he has gained, and my husband is tall and slim. He said I should be grateful I get a full work over i.e. weight, pulse, blood pressure, lungs and heart all checked on every consultation. So I didn’t make a fuss when I saw him although I do say I don’t like the weight gain aspect of the insulin. I once got down to 12 units a day and he said if I got down to 6 units I could have the discussion again about stopping. But I have never reached that level.

Hey ho, I keep trying. I will watch Dr Bikman but I don’t want injections for weight loss and should be grateful to my doctor for not giving in to me.

I watched an interview with Dr. Benjamin Bikman yesterday about weight loss and Ozempic (Wegovy etc. GLP 1 agonists). It was actually pretty scary — reminded me that a healthy diet is the ONLY way to go long-term for health. Ozempic users regain weight after they stop using the drug so they STILL have to learn how to eat properly, which is what the Blood Sugar Diet teaches you in the first place.
In addition, Ozempic users lose a lot of muscle mass (a serious problem) and even worse, Bikman states that it appears to permanently affect their rate of metabolism — it goes down and never recovers.
He reiterates the usual important points — prioritise protein, limit carbs, increase fat.
If you just google Bikman and Ozempic it should come up.

Hi all, turned out my whoosh must have been a fluke as my weight then went up and up. Was down to 71.6 and now 72.1 and for absolutely no reason. Been having homemade shakes made from almond milk, spinach and frozen berries with a few seeds and keeping to under 800 cals. Thinks my body needs a shake up.

Anyway, my 3.3lbs goal has been missed and I have lost 2lbs for the month. That is a total of just under 6lbs so still worth having and every month will be different. This is a long term project with my final goal on 7th February next year. I am still going to stick with it but we have a meal out planned for Friday, I could get down to goal by then, I don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. Meaning, just because I didn’t reach goal doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying.

Someone mentioned sober October (on TV I think) and I suddenly remembered I usually do it. But these days I am sober most of the time and not had a drink since around 2nd week of September so not really bothered. It used to be a good re-set time but neither of us really bother now unless we are out somewhere. I will probably have a couple of glasses of wine on Friday.

How are you all getting on.

Anyway the challenge continues and I will follow my own advice and keep on keeping on…

Hi everyone,
I’ve been rather absent as thing are soooo busy right now. I will have to catch up with everyone’s posts later. Luckily I get some time off work starting at the end of the week, so that should help. I signed up for a Sat afternoon wheel pottery class with my sister. It is 3 hours and really nice to do something other than work or the farm, but I don’t really have time for it at this time of year, so other things are being neglected and then I’m scrambling a bit. I wanted to go on a weekday evening as I can’t really afford to lose a Sat afternoon for 7 weeks, but my sister doesn’t do evening things, so it had to be Sat if I wanted to go with her.
I am having a wee break from counselling at the moment to see how well I do on my own. So a bit of time saved there which is good because I also have a job interview on Friday that I need to prepare for. Even if I don’t get the job, it may put me on the radar of this group who have a reputation as being good to work for/with.
I have been doing ok with my food. It turned out the tomatoes were a problem. Within 2 days of not eating any, I had significantly less joint pain. I’ve noticed that my reflux has been better over the last week too. So perhaps my system is calming down now as a result. I was doing fairly well with my carbs, etc. too, but then fell off the bus big time yesterday with some ice cream for dessert. I’m paying for it today as I have an upset stomach and refluxing again. So, no more ice cream for me, although I know I shouldn’t be eating it anyway.
The weather has cooled down a lot now. We’ve had several light frosts. I have an instant pot that I haven’t used yet, so I want to start using it for some nice stews and curries. A lady at pottery suggested that I use a meal kit delivery service to save time, but they are very expensive and then I still have to cook the meals. So instead, I will go on their site and look up the meals for the week, choose those which I like and plan meals that I can cook in the instant pot. Saves me a bit of brain power which is in short supply right now. First up is a kabocha squash and tofu (soy free tofu for me) coconut curry that I am going to try tonight.
Hope everyone is doing well. Will catch up later!

Hi Nokie and bus friends
Glad you’re still on the bus Nokia and I’m standing right by you. We are not getting off until Christmas. It doesn’t matter that we had a bad week or two. Today is a fresh day and even if we don’t do well today tomorrow is another day too. When you’re going through a difficult time I think it’s best not to be too hard on yourself. . I’ve made a pan of broccoli and stilton soup from one of the Fast cook books. My plan is to have that this evening and to not eat until tonight. I had a cup of coffee this morning with some almond milk. I’m not fasting as such just trying to reduce the carbs as I’ve been very carb heavy since my cruise. I need to detox. I’ve bought some huge blueberries from M&S and I’ll have some of those with some yoghurt tonight after my soup. I am focusing on healthy nutritious food and not carbs which have crept in in the form of sourdough bread and I even ate a mince pie yesterday which wasn’t as nice as I had anticipated it would be. Totally unnecessary indulgence which made me feel terrible. You would think after all this time I would have learnt! Thank you for the support on the thread. I am feeling positive this morning that I can make some progress this week. I’ve not weighed myself- I can’t face the insult but in a couple of weeks when I’ve been on the straight and narrow I will see if I am where I hope to be. If I can get back to 150 in the next couple of weeks then I can hopefully get into the 140s again and take things from there.
Thank you for the inspiring messages and wise words. Have a great week everyone. It seems that some of us are finding this more difficult than we anticipated. Dig deep and do your best. We still have 79 days until Christmas so plenty of time to get ourselves together and make a difference. I read a quote that said it’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year it’s what you eat from New Year to Christmas. So true!

Hi everyone

Cathy and Nokie thanks for your honest posts, and from the responses it seems that a few of us are feeling the same way. I include myself in that. Thanks to Yowzer and SueBlue for your encouragement and wise words.

I also didn’t have a good week last week. It was a very busy week for all kinds of reasons. Non-stop rushing around at work – including an event on Saturday – and also at home, with various tradespeople turning up to do work (all good – but just happened all at once. And much of it in this awful rain too). I’m also trying to do these online fitness challenges which I’m enjoying and am very motivated by, but am always counting steps and miles and trying to push myself on. So I’m afraid with all that I took my eye off the ball food-wise and too much sugar was definitely consumed. The result of all of which was by yesterday I felt completely exhausted and fed up. So your posts really resonated with me.

But something Mariet said last week was very helpful in all this : “Sometimes it seems to me I have to wait it out until the head is in the right space.” Last week mine wasn’t, but there’s nothing I can do to change that now, just move forward. This week is a new week, and it will be whatever we make it.

So if you’re a bit “stuck”, why not set one or two small, achievable goals, and just focus on that? Baby steps. Mine are simply to nip the sneaky sugar habit in the bud, and to lose 1lb. My initial aim on this journey had been to lose 1lb a week and gradually get to goal but basically I’ve lost nothing. At least I have, but then put it back on again. So this week I want to lose that pound yet again, but this time keep it off. Then get back on track for 1lb a week for the rest of the journey.

Hello to everyone else I’ve not mentioned so far – Mixnmatch, Arcticfox, Dawn, Heidi and anyone else reading this. Wishing you all a positive week, and do let us know how you’re getting on.

Thankyou Cathy yowzer sue blue💞

You are all so kind!
I am going through a rough patch but I will get there !!
I have just weighed myself and cried!! But I have reread your words sue and I will give it a go this week I am going to try and plan my meals but do it one day at a time and work out in the eve what i am going to eat the next day I know it means more shopping but maybe that will help
Thanks again hope everyone else is ok I will try and stay on the bus 🚌 but at the moment the seat 💺 isn’t big enough!! So I am standing🤣
I will be in touch soon have a good week all
Lv nokie xx💞

Cathy and Nokie I hear you! In fact this has been me for the past 6 months at least!
I read this today on Instagram, and going to
Give this a try:
“…before you buy (or eat) the thing ask yourself “why am I eating this?”is it hunger? For comfort? For healthy minerals and nutrients? For energy? Just the act of asking why forces me to stop and face the truth and I often make a different choice”.

This sounds so sensible! Going to try it this week.

I’m not going too badly, have done lots of walking over the past week, including 22,000 steps on Friday. Did have some wine and beer yesterday watching the footy grand final, so sticking to 800 cals today, eating brunch and dinner only.

Have a good week all!

CATHY and NOKIE…It happens to us all. ….time and again in my case.
You have both been through a lot and that means at times we just need a bit of extra comfort.
Im doing ok at the moment,but getting bored,and today I was too heavy on the cals,although carbs are ok. ( had far too much cream,the cal count is horrendous,and I feel a bit sick now!)
But…We are only human! Tomorrow is another day and fingers X’d it will be a better one! Sending hugs.XXX💜🩷

Hi Nokie
Good to have some company in the naughty seats! Life isn’t always plain sailing and like you I eat more when I am stressed. We have both had a bad week but tomorrow is another day. Let’s try and have a good start tomorrow. We are human and life isn’t always easy. We know we have let ourselves down this week so let’s not make it worse by shooting ourselves with a second arrow. Let’s try our best tomorrow Nokie. Hope you’re ok.

Hi Cathy
Don’t feel bad 😞 I am going to confess too !! I have had a terrible week I am now 2 pound heavier I feel awful 😢 I have a headache boated tummy and all my own fault my life is very stressful at moment I am not going into details but as usual I eat for England!! I read all the post. And every one seems to be doing ok I am so cross with myself I nearly jumped off bus 🚌 feeling sorry for myself as. Have let myself down too
Hopefully I can pick myself up again thanks Cathy for posting
Lv nokie 💞

I have to make a confession- I’ve been feeling sorry for myself this last week and have not eaten healthily. I am sitting here feeling bloated and annoyed with myself. Tomorrow is a fresh start and I am going to make better choices. I am feeling sad and annoyed that I’ve let myself down this week. I am writing this to make myself accountable and to move forward on a positive mind set tomorrow. Must try harder.

Hello Julia

Well done you !!

yes, lets keep at it!

LONG LONG way togo and Ive got to keep developing my new mindset (Think where I am going to be rather that where I am or have come from and act/eat accordingly !!)

54

Hi Simon, just to add my twopenn’orth🙂. There are times when I look bigger than expected, or clothes just don’t look right on me that were ok the day before, it’s one of life’s mysteries! out of habit I weigh and measure myself most days and the measurements do often increase one day and reduce the next: sometimes I can put it down to what type of food was eaten, sometimes not. It could also be down to food in transit.
As for exercise, your body will catch up to using fat for fuel and you won’t feel so tired. I used to run regularly (pre injury) and I often ran half marathon distance and further, fully fasted, on Sunday mornings.

Hi all, well my whoosh downward has stayed so not a fluke and makes me even more determined to reach goal by Tuesday. Lips sealed so as not to jinx it.

JeannieP, don’t mind me, I am sort of diabetes obsessed so latch onto any newbies with problems. Your BS was the first part then weight loss, so got the wrong end of the proverbial stick:) You are right to presume you are prone to diabetes as you have 2 red flags, gestational diabetes and a family member. In following this diet and cutting down on carbs and completely cutting out refined carbs you will avoid falling into the diabetic range.

Doing my research there are 4.4 million people in the UK with T2 and another 1.2 million undiagnosed. My wish is that everyone would follow a lower carb diet, just smaller portions or avoiding ready meals, pies, sausage rolls, not eat so many cakes etc and most people would avoid ever getting diabetes. We eat high carb because meat was expensive after the war and wheat and potatoes were cheap and plentiful and we were encouraged to eat this way but we have so many more choices now. I guess I am talking to the converted here as it is a low carb diet but maybe mention to friends and family – they might bite your head off but it might help just one person from getting a diagnosis.

As for my diet, daughter is vegan due to health problems and she has inundated me with the batch cooking she has done today such as black bean mole, carrot and squash soup (great for winter) and a butterbean and lentil curry. Now just got to incorporate meat for hubby but that should be easy if he doesn’t mind grilled everything 🙂 She has also put me on Instagram and recommended 2 brothers with a site called BOSH. TV (put in space to stop it coming up as a site). Now to get rid of what is in the freezer. If I can do veggie 5 days out of 7 I will be happy and so will hubby when we still have a cooked Sunday brunch.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Glad to be of help

Thanks, sunshine girl and thank you for the welcome wendy1947. I feel a bit like a fraud now, as I’m not diabetic yet, although I did write in my profile that I’m trying to control my blood sugars. I will go back and edit the profile for clarity. I have been worrying a bit about them rising as I had gestational diabetes a while back, my father is diabetic and I am approaching 40 whilst overweight. I believe all these factors combined make me more prone, so I want to get on top of them.

Wendy1947, I am a bit obsessively organised when it comes to things I know I could easily fail. I have to take the thinking out of it and just be able to follow a list I’ve made when I’m calm/not harassed/hungry.

1 week DONE! Yesterday was a bit tougher as my body likes to aggressively remind me that I am still fertile but I’m really chuffed that I stuck to my plan and got through it.

My proudest point this week was making oat and raisin cookies for my husband and children and managing to resist having any myself.

Yummiest meal this week might have been one I had to throw together in a hurry. It was sort of a pot noodle/stir fry thing using konjac noodles. Struggled to eat it all but it felt like comfort food, which is so nice.

Today the plan is a chaffle based ham and mushroom quiche with a nice leafy salad. I’m going to have to see how much cheddar I can sneak in without it hitting my calories too much.

Onward through week 2 for me. 🙂

54 that is AMAZING progress, go you!!!
I’m still plugging away with much slower loss but heading in right direction. 3 kilos down since August.
Let’s keep at it 💪

Thank you as always for your excellent wisdom. Feel so much better and look better today – think it was just a blip, whether it was imagined or just a fluke!

Hi all, lovely sunny day but a bit cold, just hung out a wash load.

Mistehippos, I didn’t think anything of your silence. We are all busy doing other things, as the person who set up the thread I like to keep an eye out for people, newbies, questions etc. Don’t expect you to jump when I respond – take it easy 🙂

I think people underestimate how fulfulling and nourishing 800 cals can be. A breakfast of say a bowl of cereal, a slice of toast with jam and a glass of orange juice can total just under 450 cals and you will get a sugar rush and swift drop so will be hungry again in 2 or 3 hours. Whereas 2 eggs scrambled with a bit of creme fraiche in butter comes in just under 300 cals and will keep you full for longer. So you have saved 150 cals straight away. It is the quality of the food we eat that counts.

On the subject of quality food, I have been watching a webcam by Ocean Robbins and he talks about meat eating and its effects on the body. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, but I would like to eat more vegetarian foods and cut out maybe 70 of my meat. I won’t give up eggs and dairy and buy my eggs straight from a farm where I know they are free range. Problem is when I look for recipes they are so full of carbs I cannot see to find a balance. I don’t mind beans and maybe a nice butternut curry but the addition of rice or pasta in order to make it a decent meal is difficult. I probably thought this with BSD and no carbs and manage by adding more of the veg or meat or add a salad when everyone else is having mashed potato or making cauli rice etc. Guess that answers my own question as long as the main event is not mainly carbs. Anyone recommend a site or a book that is veggie and low carb.

Had a bit of a whoosh moment this morning but not taking anything for granted until weigh in on Tuesday – end of my monthly goal.

Have a good weekend.

Simon, bloating can have many causes and I am assuming you are a man so it is not what first comes to mind for a woman. Too much gas caused by certain foods, upset stomach, indigestion, intolerance to a certain food, fluid retention, constipation, can all account for it.

You will find exercise a big more difficult at first but then your body will learn to run on fat – make sure you get enough of the good fats in your diet, it is your sustenance instead of carb burning. MM used to say take it a bit easy in the first few weeks until your body adjusts.

I still look in the mirror and feel big and I have lost just under 2 stone. Did you take some photos of when you were bigger. If not, do it now, always wearing the same thing. I now think ‘if I think I am big now how bad must I have been before’. I can ask my hubby if I look slimmer and he says he sees me every day so cannot see a difference. Strangers will say ‘oh you have lost weight’, so it is all a matter of perspective.

So true MIXNMATCH…”There’s time for treats after this challenge!” XX

Hi Mariet, I do remember you, there are a lot of familiar names from my first go making me feel welcome 🙂 after my last post I had a bit of a wobble and had too many calories, although still mostly low carb on Wednesday, with a bit of tidying up/fridge grazing rather than meal planning being the cause, but I was stern with myself and logged it all and one 1000 calorie day won’t hurt me long term. Back on track again since but having my first plateau with my weight currently marginally up since Monday. (0.8 pounds) not much but you do get used to seeing the numbers going only one way after the first couple of weeks so still a bit of a shock.
Experimented with a Joe Wicks recipe for cheesy chicken with garlic and chives for tea last night using what I had to hand, so no chives! Also I used Creme fraiche instead of mascarpone and a chilli instead of the garlic so really it was nothing like his recipe but it was absolutely delicious. I still have some for an evening meal tonight, with some side vegetables as accompaniments I decided the recipe was perfect for two 280 calorie meals rather than one huge one as Joe intended. I went out to a talk/concert in the church last night and afterwards tea and cake was offered. The cakes looked and smelt awesome but I stayed strong! There’s time for treats after this challenge!

Had a ten-mile walk yesterday and was much more tired than normal after it, due to the lack of calories I suspect. However, when I got home I looked in the mirror and was disappointed to see how bloated I looked around the stomach. I measured my stomach and it was more or less the same as last week, possibly an inch more. How is this possible? It seems a little less disappointing today. The science of it all still rather baffles me! This is week five – perhaps I am suffering for having had fhat evening off last Saturday and going over!

Wow Yowser that is brilliant, you must be so thrilled! I am sure it’s been hard work as well.
I am plodding along and was delighted today with a 1.4kg drop since Tuesday. This brings me to well under 70kg and within spitting distance of my goal 🙂 I expect it will bounce up a bit again but that’s okay, the trajectory is still slipping downward.
Remembering my past failure to successfully maintain, I am not sure I’m ready to let go of my vigilance. So easy to relax the rein and so hard to shorten it again.
Cathy, good luck with your surgery and other procedures. I hope you find some good paths forward and are able to be without pain, it’s so debilitating.
Mixnmatch, hi! long time no see and you might not remember me but we have been on the boards at the same time before. 14lb in a week or two is very impressive.
Good luck with finding a way, DCT. I’ve been just there in the past. Sometimes it seems to me I have to wait it out until the head is in the right space.
Looking forward to seeing how everyone is getting on over the weeks before year’s end.

Is that Christmas just around the corner !!

I think weight loss can be ‘easy’…. you just have to REALLY want it before you start and be DETERMINED to change

I dont think you can be the same person at the end of your weight loss journey as you were at the start, otherwise you wont maintain your new found weight as you’ll just be the same person at the end of the journey as you were at the start and have THE SAME bad eating habits etc etc

Weight loss still continuing, now on 18 stone seven from a start of 25 stone !!

And Ive been to Italy, and Ive had a birthday weekend in a hotel recently….!!

Keep on in there everyone

54

ps found I could actually bend down and tie my shoe laces the other day !! (Bonus)

Hello Sunshine Girl

Sorry if it seemed I was ignoring you, my computer wouldn’t let me send a message the other day.
What a lovely thread – thank you and thank you for messaging me with a welcome too..
Day 3 and dinner just eaten, I am managing OK at the moment – with between a 12 and 14 hour fast (usually 14).
So think I am in the right mind-set and coping at the moment.
It is a case of undoing everything you have been raised to do, but simple enough to follow
Who knew I wouldn’t be hungry on just 800 calories and probably mainly as I am not using “diet” foods but full fat – and finally my meals have some taste – hahaha
I hope this works, will be back in touch soon

Well done S-G & I like you Pootle will be having a few days away from chopping & cooking with a long weekend at a family gathering in Yorkshire.
Well slightly shocking news for me after seeing a private consultant surgeon today & being X-rayed. I have NO cartilage left in my right knee & now urgently need to have replacement knee surgery. So much for thinking I just had meniscus damage as told by a physiotherapist. Thank goodness I went privately to get a correct diagnosis & my husband & I will be using our savings to pay for my surgery because my GP would probably only add me to an NHS waiting list🙁
Margaret

I am looking forward to a weekend off cooking! I will be staying in a hotel, so will have to relax my calorie and carb watching for 3 days. I now know that I can get back on board again when I get home on Monday as I have succeeded before, having ‘fallen off the wagon’ a couple of times. I also know to avoid anything ‘bread-like’ and potatoes etc as far as possible. Possibly I won’t be able to resist a banana if there is one on offer! 😂 I am very much more relaxed now I know the BSD way of life is achievable and works for me!

Thanks so much – you’re so helpful and inspiring.

I absolutely love the flavour of the banana shake but find that in water they just are so lumpy, so today blitzed one with some Greek yoghurt and had it with blueberries and it was fabulous. Another little win!

I have reported misstwistedbliss for advertising.

Hi all, back after my weigh in and not too bad at 1.5lbs for the part month, still got a week to go and need another 1.5lbs to reach my goal. Got no plans, no meals out so should be able to reach 3.3lbs by 8th. Fingers crossed.

Hi Verano, glad you are keeping up with us and enjoying your trip. If you get the chance to see the cathedral Sagrada Familia do so but dont bother to go inside, it is just a building site. We are doing Barcelona on our own (i.e. no excursions booked) so any advice would be useful. Also, don’t bother with Picasso museum it is all his early work and I don’t think he knew how to paint then 🙂 You are probably long gone from there now but it will be interesting to hear of your travels.

Hope our newbies are getting to grips with things and getting any help and advice they need. Shout out, there is always someone who has been in your shoes.

After my wasted trip to the DIY store to buy oven and hob we are going to buy it on-line (from a different store) and will get it delivered to the store where we can pick it up – 20min drive away. Then we have to get a gas-fitter to put the hob in – know a man who can just down the lane.

Have a very happy self-care week.