Thanks Mixnmatch you and everyone here are so generous and honest about the struggle to achieve optimum health.
Best wishes to you and everyone for more success in the new challenge. I love the 4 week length. I signed up to the 8 week too but this one has become ‘home’ for me.
I can’t thank you all enough, so much positive energy I’m sucking up!

Mokovex, well done! I’m hoping I’ll be able to keep up with everyone’s posts in the next challenge although I might be a few days late starting. I’m loving the positivity here . Thanks again x

So my starting weight is 11 stone 8.9 pounds, and my scales are reporting up to 33% body fat this morning, in the middle of a long low carb and protein fast. I did have a bulletproof coffee, and a little milk in some tea yesterday, but otherwise ate nothing, and will continue that to around 2:00 this afternoon. Probably around 40 hours and 5g carb in total. I have to eat something then as I have two hours of badminton tonight but I can’t eat late or I won’t be able to run around. After a badminton day my muscle reads higher and my body fat lower usually so it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.

Thanks Marie123 and congratulations on your WL so far, fantastic!

Morning all!

I shall add to the great shoe debate. I too have dropped 1-2 shoe sizes. Used to be a Uk 7, now 5.5 or 6 and my slip on shoes definitely fall off my feet these days. Shape wise, it’s been different too. For the first time I have lost off my stomach. I suspect I had a beer/bread belly which really only went when I took up this way of eating (no matter how much I lost other times) I also have a distinct “re-rounding” since Christmas bad behaviour. Definitely a bread/chocolate baby!

Have had a raging appetite too. Been really struggling to stick to plan, especially when off work which tells me it’s head hunger, not real hunger. Which I find very hard to beat!!

Mary, I hope you are feeling better. So much going round. This is d day week for me. Off to GP this morning to get results of blood tests and endocrinologist tomorrow. Very hopeful that I might get some answers! Then flying to Tobago on Saturday. Will have to stay away from the rice and peas and all that lovely tropical fruit. Not forgetting the rum punch 🤣🤣

Will update you all later

L x

Thanks Natalie x

Morning all,

Definitely in.

My weight target is to get down into 8st weight bracket. I have lost over 2 stone and am a healthy BMI but my goal is to get down to 25% body fat and bring my cholesterol down. My biggest goal is to further entrench this WOE, I am not there yet as still feel a constant emotional pull to eat. The forum is the thing that has kept me accountable and so will be sticking with it.

I only have just over 7lb to lose to reach my notional ideal, (pre-baby weight c.2004) but I am aware of my negative self talk that seems determined not let me push past my previous low of 9st 1. Hit it twice and then bam! 3lbs on. Aargh!

Looking forward to a great 4 weeks x

Final weigh in of this challenge and I am 2.3 pounds lighter than I was on boxing day, but my body fat is currently reading much higher than it was then on my new scales so I will KOKO and hope to drop that body fat progressively by staying low carb for the next challenge, or at least sticking to my one ‘treat’ day idea per week that never quite got put into practice. Good luck Milalin, we’re all wishing you the very best. Well done to everyone on the challenge who has posted a loss, and even more so those who haven’t but are still persevering.

Morning all,

Start – 131.9lb
Today – 128.1lb

So that’s a loss of 3.8lb which I will most certainly not sniff at given I have been struggling this month.

This makes me think that whilst my struggles have been real, there have obviously been brakes on that I haven’t recognised or am not acknowledging. I haven’t been gaining 2lb a week which is where I was at last August, just before I started this WOE.

Marie123 & Flick – well done, these were such great posts to read at the beginning of a day, am feeling some vicarious triumph! Keep going, you are doing brilliantly.

Mariet – Really feeling for you, and hoping this disappointment doesn’t derail you. It is so maddening that you can do all the right things and not get the hoped for results. I guess the bigger picture is your ability to take charge of what goes in your mouth which it sounds like you nailed this month. Keep going.

Arctic fox – some great self control right there!!

Milalin – continuing to send best wishes for this week and looking forward to catching up with your news on the next challenge.

x

Thanks JackieM – yes, it was a big milestone for me. I’m really pleased.

Marie123 that’s fabulous- we’ll done! Such a big milestone!

Inka13 – I’m glad you said that. I was wondering something similar but haven’t got your experience of fasting.

Arcticfox – that’s a mammoth effort and it’s bound to show up on the scales at some point soon (as long as you don’t over compensate by eating more right now!). Same with the end of the plateau. Don’t be discouraged, you know it will happen. x

Mariet – I do feel for you, that’s so frustrating – but you will get to goal and we’ll all be there cheering

Flick & Natalie – brilliant weight losses

JulesP – stick with it, buddy. Like Mokovex said, I’m so pleased you’ve come back.

Milalin – Will be thinking of you on Thursday. Really looking forward to seeing you on the next challenge.

Well, after being 10st (63.5kg) for most of this challenge (and 10st 2lbs around New Year) in these last few days I’ve lost 1lb a day, which means I’ve got to the end of this Challenge bang on target, 9 stone 11lbs i.e. 62.1 kg. (I reckon it’s all those years spent working in the NHS and trying to hit targets; my body has developed its own automatic response !!).

Anyway, I’m chuffed as it means I’m now in the BMI healthy weight range – yay! To get here was my second goal (first was controlling my blood sugar) when I set out on BSD in August. I’ve still got more weight to lose though, so onwards and downwards it is.

Looking forward to reading everyone’s results today and meeting up again on the Valentine’s challenge.

Thanks Inka, it helps to know that I’m not the only one who has experienced this! I have to remember that my main reason for doing it was to help my body heal, so I hope it has done that at least.

Hi everyone, I’m signing up for this challenge after a bit of a hiatus during the last one. I’m fed up with being on a plateau and I’m ready to do something about it. I’ve set quite an ambitious weight loss goal for this challenge as I think that is the only thing that will shake me up and scare me into sticking to the plan. My goals for this challenge are:
– Lose 4kg (1kg per week) – don’t know if I’ll do it, but setting the goal has me feeling more determined than if I had set and easier one.
– Cut out all chocolate and artificial sweetners for the 4 weeks to see if that helps.
– Get back to the gym 3x per week as soon as my battered body allows me to (might start out in the pool for the first week or so, and may have to schedule a physio appointment to get my left leg functioning properly before I can start working out on land again).
– No more than 1 serving of fruit each day, but as many servings of leafy greens as I can fit into my calorie allotment.
– Measure and weigh everything and prepare my away from home meals the night before so that I’m not scrambling around in the mornings and guessing instead of taking the time to do it properly (interesting that I weigh out my horse’s daily vitamin supplement exactly but I don’t take the time to do it for myself!).

Natalie – I’m going to be adding a few extra carbs as well for this challenge. I need to up my fibre so I will be adding a few more lentils and other pulses back into my diet. Also my fall has made me realize that given the dangerous sport I’m in, I can’t cut myself short on calcium or I will end up losing my stellar bone density and end up with broken bones, so I’m going to have a cup of kefir every day instead of just once every few days. I’m hoping to keep carbs under 70g.

Shanshu – I haven’t read the Clever Guts book, but I have been using probiotics in the form of kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir. Others on here are far better at incorporating gut healthy foods than I am though.

Arcticfox, you’ll probably find it will show up in a day or so as the body recovers from its shock and settles back down! The same happened to me with my one and only 40 hr fast so don’t despair, it’s definitely not linear, this weight loss malarkey! It’s an amazing effort and lots of good stuff will have been going on n there as well!

I acheived the longest fast I have ever done, at 41 hours. I was quite proud of myself, but then discovered my weight is up by 200g over when I started. Baffling! How is it possible to put on weight when you’re not eating anything at all! I’m finishing at 81.7 kg, and I’m sure it will be higher tomorrow as I was so discouraged today that I didn’t bother to count calories and carbs.
Anyway, I am finally caught up on my sleep and feeling in a better head space now to start tackling this. I’ve been on a plateau for almost a month now, so it is time for the weight to start coming off again.
Look forward to catching up with everyone in the next challenge!

Theo, you must be justifiably proud of your daughter in law and
son in law. I understand your passionate feelings about the fine
work and dedication they devote to their profession. It can come
at the price of family time, surely. I spent a decade of my earlier
life as a physician’s assistant to a neurological surgeon, and I
know intimately the sacrifice this entails. So many of his
colleagues retired because of the odious government regu-
lations imposed in a fast changing world, but he used to always
tell me,” being a doctor is not what I do, but who I am”. My
personal physician is created out of that same mold, and after
42 years, he seems more like my brother than my Dr.! Knowing
he was always on top of our medical issues was a great source
of comfort and strength to me during the past year. I think we
could all learn a great deal from the honest exchange of inquiry
and outcomes from other 1st world countries, so thank you,
my friend, for sharing your perspective. I’ve maintained my
interest in medicine, even though I’ve been divorced from
the practice of it for many years. Without our health, what
have we truly got? No soapbox, Theo! I truly value the opinions
shared here. We are subjected to so much political b.s. in this
country, to the point that so much is media driven weaponization
and manipulation of reality that it is difficult to separate fact
from fiction. Opinions regarding healthcare are best expressed
by those actually existing under them, so I really appreciate
the perspective you bring. See you out and about tomorrow
in all “the old familiar places” 🙂 A day without Theo is a day
without sunshine!

XOXO

Allie

Thank you both for your replies. You’re right, it’s an emotional rather than physical hunger. Which is harder to satisfy I think.

A 200lb weight loss! Wow – I’m speechless! Congratulations.

Mariet that’s rough. You expect results when you’ve been so good! I hope the whoosh fairy visits soon. You are so close to goal though, maybe your body has decided you are already there?

Milalin I hope everything goes well.

Shanshu, it’s been an eye opener that’s for sure! I weighed my yogurt this morning and realised that even though I thought I’d been eating a tiny amount ‘by eye’ I was waaay over! So am now going to be militant.
As for dark chocolate I also couldn’t eat it, as a huge milk and white chocolate fan I despaired of ever being able to like the dark stuff but I have to tell you, I really love it now! I think it’s partly because if that’s all I’ve got then I’ve had to learn to love it if I want a treat. It’s great with coffee which helped but I started with 70% with mint bits in it and that was so delicious I gradually worked up to 86%. it was largely thanks to Esnecca’s decadent descriptions of pressing sea salt into slightly melted dark chocolate that did it for me!!
You sound like you’re in a very positive place and really motivated, I’m so glad for you, I remember yours and also JulesMaigret’s names from last time too, I look forward to hearing of your successes in the next 4 weeks!

Woohoo Natalie! Great result!

Congratulations Flick!

Thanks Mariet and don’t be disheartened it will happen! I’ve been doing everything to get ready but I try not to think too much about what’s ahead. All the wonderful wishes here and messages and visits from friends over the last couple of weeks has helped my confidence. It’s just got to be done and is a huge step towards my new life. I’m really looking forward to getting into the next challenge, though I might be a bit slow to start. Best wishes to you and everyone for tomorrow.

Hi Marsie and thanks again. Yes time is flying now. Weight wise I’m sure I’m up a bit with all that’s going on but I know I’ve been eating well and I’m a lot healthier from following this WOE.
I had bloods done again yesterday and it’s reflected successfully there. A few more kilos would have been nice but I look forward to achieving that before the transplant! Other than that I know I’ve stuck to high protein n good fats. I’m not perfect but I’ve seldom strayed into carbs I shouldn’t have. When I have my BSL has risen so I know this works for me.
Hoping everyone has successful results tomorrow, even if it’s not reflected in weight we have the group, the next challenge with Topcac’s catchy name and I’m sure just by attempting this, better health physically and psychologically. KOKO We will get there! Idk what all the other letters are as my short term memory is a bit affected atm and I’m too lazy to look back.

Well said Theodora. I think the best thing about the NHS is the total lack of crippling bills. Sorry I took offence alliecat, but you sounded as if you thought we existed in a state of primitive, ineffective healthcare purgatory.

I am a great fan of konjac noodles. They do some transparent ones which are great in Chinese style stir fries. The Chinese supermarket here sells frozen squid tentacles which are good in stir fries – I’m afraid I take the idle option and buy them ready prepared in M&S. So, chopped veg, seafood and glorious calorie free noodles makes a seriously filling meal.

I know exactly what you mean about “something nice”. I try and console myself with the thought that this is just mouth hunger. It’s hard sometimes, but I’m sure you will find the results of your endeavours encouraging. Good luck.

What does “something nice” mean to you? What’s nice about it, exactly? Obviously it’s not nice to your body. The opposite is true. The “nice” stuff brutalizes it, so it must be something emotional/mental, and that means you can change it. You can break out of this prison, I promise you.

I weighed more than 300 lb when I started the Fast 800 in August 2016. I can’t tell you the exact figure because unlike you, I didn’t have the ovarian fortitude to weigh myself until the 4th week. Fourteen months later I’d said goodbye to 200 of the pounds, and am a fervent evangelist of the BSD way of eating.

Good for you for facing the nightmare of the scale with honesty and forthrightness. That’s a scary thing for people who have lived in avoidance and denial for so long. The fact that you did it and posted the hard truth here attests to the strength inside of you. Cling to that. Don’t paint yourself as a weakling beholden to old patterns. Cut the carbs, punch self-defeating thoughts in the face, and move forward into liberation and light.

Welcome to the forum, MamaTri. You’ll always find support and help here whenever you need it. 🙂

It’s day one. I’m not starving but I just “fancy something nice” which is my eternal downfall. But I really need to get my arse in gear. I’m the heaviest non-pregnant weight I’ve ever been. 218.6lbs. I can barely even bring myself to write it down. But memorialize it, I must.

How often do people weigh in? I’m thinking twice a week.

This has to work.

Theo, your wish is my command.

https://s13.postimg.org/qzr6jdpw7/shirt.jpg

Fiber and fat is the winning combination. The food you ate on day one barely has any of either of them (except for the linseed and yogurt). Chia seeds and coconut cream pudding will fill you up for hours, as will nuts (the best ones are Brazil nuts, pecans and macadamias), cacao nibs, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, avocadoes and greens with fibrous ribs or stalks. Broccoli rabe/rapini are my favorites. Close on their heels come turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, chard, escarole and chickory. Another option is konjac noodles. They’re all fiber so the carbs net out to zero and the calories are so low you could eat a whole bag without making a dent in the 800-cal limit. You won’t eat a whole bag, though, because you will be fit to bursting halfway through. Top with sauteed zucchini, scallions, cream cheese or creme fraiche and a little chicken broth to thin it out plus a grating of parmesan on top and it makes a heavenly pasta with barely any carbs.

I’m not clear on what you mean when you say “this 800 version” and “I’ve done this diet before.” Do you mean you’ve done the 5:2 before but this is your first attempt at the Fast 800? Or you’ve done some other iteration of the BSD but not sticking to the 800 calorie limit?

Why does that scare you? Olive oil, avocado, nuts, yogurt, seeds, grass-fed meats and line caught wild fish, these are healthy fats. They are necessary for your body to function (unlike carbs) and help keep you satiated and full, all the more important on a very low calorie diet.

As far as fasting is concerned, the BSD is fully compatible with it. Feel free to have 1, 2 or 3 meals a day. Whatever suits you. I never eat breakfast, for example, and every couple of months I do an extended 3-day fast. This month it was 4 days and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I am insulin resistant so I don’t eat starchy carbs of any kind. I eat fewer than 20 grams of carbs a day, almost always fewer than 10. I avoid fruit, with the exception of the occasional raspberry or blueberry, and vegetables that are high in sugar like beets, onions and tomatoes. Nor do I eat beans, pulses or cereals, including so-called healthy ones like quinoa and oats. I eat plenty of protein and never get constipated, largely because I make sure to include high fiber foods in my daily regimen. Have you tracked your fiber intake? It should be at least 25 grams a day, but most people don’t get close to that figure.

I lost 200 pounds in 14 months on the Fast 800 and I’ve kept it off for 4 months, even losing a few more pounds as I reversed out of the 800 calorie ceiling. This system works. You don’t have to do it as strictly as I have. Plenty of people on this forum eat vegetables, fruit and beans I wouldn’t even be in the same room with. 😀

Good luck!

Thank you for your thoughts.
When I have done a similar diet, I am usually between 45-60 g carbs but the fat percentage seems REALLY high to where it scares me. I use FitDay to log my food and when I have been on a similar diet, it seems like
the fat percentage is too high. For example, if I have a 1/2 TBL of olive oil and a 1/2 avocado, my fat percentage goes way up for that day of 600-800 calories.

My god this 800 version is hard going! Gave up after dinner on the first day 🙁 I’ve done this diet before and was never hungry! Only consolation is I didn’t have carbs, I just ended up eating more than 800 cals. Any advice for filling foods for this version??
I had Greek yoghurt with raspberries and linseed for breakfast, soup and cloud bread for lunch and chicken green beans and brocolli for dinner 🙁 TIA X

Signing up again, the end of this four week stint I will be on holiday, but until then I am determined to keep my focus and get my head back in the game. My continued tenure in the 100 club isn’t quite at risk yet, but I really need to be focused for the next few weeks, to get back down at least close to BMI 25, with my level of musculature I don’t expect to be far under it and don’t mind crossing the line occasionally with daily fluctuations but that ‘overweight’ label I am currently giving myself does annoy me, and besides, a couple of my tighter pairs of trousers have started feeling tighter still.

Inka13 – if I don’t weigh and track then I find everything goes to pot. And I find it all too easy not to weigh and track the second I give up to temptation.

Natalie – I’m trying desperately hard to like dark chocolate so I can substitute this but it just doesn’t compare.

JulesMaigret – you were one of my inspirations last time. To hear that you’ve largely maintained the loss is reassuring – I worry that I’ll lose the weight and gain again like I did last time. Definitely have to work on my head to get past the temptation.

Mariet – keeping my fingers crossed for you. They say it’s always hardest to shift the last few pounds. Your persistence is impressive 🙂

Yes, Allie, our health service is great, particularly in an emergency. And no one is ever refused treatment or charged at point of contact. Of course it is underfunded – how could it not be with people living so much longer, and wonderful new innovative treatments for diseases and conditions that just a few short years ago would have been a death sentence. Naturally there are waiting lists, and there will come a time in the not too distant future when a choice will have to be made over what treatments can be given and to whom – in fact it is already happening in places…..what is called here “a postcode lottery” as some areas provide better care than others. But, on the whole, in an emergency you would struggle to get better treatment anywhere.
But our NHS would grind to a halt without immigration and the free movement of labour. My daughter in law is a GP, a partner in a very large practice and works all the hours God sends to give her patients the best possible care, most of her practice nurses are immigrants. My son in law is a consultant heart /lung specialist and clinical director at a large teaching hospital, working in excess of 60 -70 hours a week for the NHS, inc. most weekends, although he’s not officially supposed to, but he does it because he believes in it. Most of his team are immigrants. It leaves him little time for his family, let alone private practice – he certainly doesn’t have time for that. Of course not all NHS workers are quite so diligent, but the vast majority of them are. Of course it has it’s failings, “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians” (old phrase, not meant to be political or offensive) for one, underfunding for another and people taking it too much for granted and taking the p**s for a third. But on the whole it is a good system which works most of the time. I, for one, can’t knock it. Sorry, off my soapbox now – it’s just something I feel passionate about.

I am hoping to sign off tomorrow with a slight loss over this 4 weeks, but it feels a little like cheating as only on this last day did I manage to actually stick properly to a planned fast day! This morning I was a pound up from boxing day, and I have spent almost a week above my new higher trigger weight before finally getting my brain in gear today. In 4 weeks time I am on holiday so am going to concentrate on getting my Christmas weight off before I go, and this time will keep weighing and logging until I go, see you on the next challenge thread, and here’s hoping for a loss for tomorrow’s weigh in.

So today was much more disciplined. Probably because I didn’t have time for breakfast and so didn’t really eat before 1. Good for fasting I guess.

Lunch was an experimentation that I will share once perfected but under 200 calories and dinner was the remains of the chicken and mushroom ‘pie’ I made on Sat from the menu that wasn’t overly exciting then and wasn’t any better two days later.

Calories: 730
Carbs: 27g
Water: At least 2L (haven’t been tracking this properly and need to start)
Steps: Less than 6000. No excuse really.

Tomorrow I am in the office so steps will be up. Food tomorrow is fully planned and prepped pretty much so hopefully I should be able to stick with it.

Hi all, signing up again, hope on hope ever.

Goals are to keep recording everything, keep carbs low (under 30) and keep active- difficult in the current heat and humidity but must try harder!

My pathetic hope is that THIS is the month when that last 800g goes and I get to target. Has to happen sooner or later if I keep plugging away 🙂

Last day of the challenge today and I admit I am feeling defeated. I looked back over my records and since buckling down and going back to basics a month go I have averaged 770cal/23carbs a day and 3 litres of water a day. I had one single blow out- one day I had a slice of passion fruit cheesecake and a slice of garlic pizza. Nothing else off plan throughout the month but the scales have swung around by half to one kilo each day and I end the challenge 200g lighter than I started. Still 800g away from my final goal, which I feel is mocking me each time I get onto the scales. Sigh.

Milalin, all the best for your surgery. You sound so very well prepared, I really hope it goes well and will be looking for you when you feel well enough to post.

Congratulations to all who’ve had good results and commiserations to others- how I know what you are feeling!

See you on the new challenge- great name!

Lisa different people approach this diet different ways, some have one meal a day, some two or three. Many people fast regularly. Most stick to low carbs (under 50 g, or even under 20 g if they have blood sugar issues) but I’ve found I need a bit more than that for my mental health and possibly to avoid mouth ulcers. I think you can be successful as long as you stick to the general principles, you might need to experiment to find your optimal way of eating.

Thanks, Sunny! One could get creative with this in a number of
ways. Do you think I would be successful by using a whole eggplant
and doubling the mushrooms, adding a few things, and baking
it in advance, then take it out of the frig. ahead of time, reheat in oven
then add the egg and cheese for individual portions each day?
I like the idea of a hot lunch for 1 on a cold winter’s day 🙂

Thanks all. Sunshine-girl the Duromine was my first thought as a culprit but it didn’t make sense that I would get depressed now after so long. And I felt better within 48 hours of increasing carbs a bit so that seemed a strong indication to me. And low carb has made me miserable before. Of course it’s possible that I missing some essential vitamin/mineral by eating a restrictive diet rather than carbs themselves. I will continue to experiment (for the rest of my life, no doubt!) with various food combinations and calorie/carb levels. But I feel great today!

Only a couple of people have noticed that I’ve lost more than 10 kg. On Sunday night at dinner, someone I see every week noticed I wasn’t eating dessert (as I haven’t for most of the past five months or so except for Christmas!) and asked if I was on a diet. I said yes. Later as she was leaving she wished me good luck with the diet. Sigh. I mean, yes, thanks, but can’t you see how skinny I am (relatively) already!!!!!

Natalie,you’re so right, no wonder it tastes so sumptuous! I keep buying the tiny jars so I can further kid myself it can’t be too bad…! BUT I think I’ll actually use up the latest jar making the satay sauce tonight and everyone else can have the skewers and I’ll just have it on braised cabbage, yum! Then I’ll be safe!!
Btw I think your adjustment sounds very sensible and I reckon the weight will still melt away nicely, just beware those valentine booby-traps!

Thought I’d share this, which I made as lunch today:

Diced half a small aubergine and two medium mushrooms, put these in an small ovenproof dish, added some lardons andmixed together with a little butter (olive oil would work fine too). Put in the oven and stirred occasionally until softened, then added some crumbed feta, made a well in the mixture and filled with an egg. Baked until the egg was cooked and served with a good dash of chilli sauce.

All sorts of tweaks could be made to this basic recipe – I’m thinking stilton instead of feta next time for instance. Of course, things like onion, garlic, herbs and spices could be used to ring the changes. By the way, I made the diced aubergine and mushroom quite small, so that it wouldn’t take too long to cook.

Not offering any cals or carbs, as I admit I didn’t calculate these today, but don’t think it would be disastrous.

I’ve been getting mouth ulcers too, I’ve just started increasing fruit and veges a bit so I’ll let you know if that helps! I have no problem with cutting out bread/pasta etc but I do worry about getting enough vitamins from a wide variety of fruit and veges all the colours of the rainbow.

As part of my New Year’s Resolution I have ditched the cartridge razor for a more traditional safety razor. Shaving now takes about three times as long (10-15 mins every morning) but it is a relaxing ritual, involving pre-shave, slow careful saving then moisturising.

I get some time to myself, a close shave and save money – what’s not to like?

Hi Shansu,
I think that you’re right to focus on a time-frame that you’re comfortable with. You have the discipline and the experience to know this works for you.

Like you I had the triple whammy of T2D, High cholesterol and high BP, but also Fatty Liver Disease. Again like you I got them all into normal after losing just over 110lb in about eight months but slipped a bit over the last few months on maintenance and gained/lost the same 5lbs or so, so these four-week challenges are coming at the right time. I’ve just had my diabetic review and all three are still in normal – HBA1c at 35 is the same as last year, so I’m motivated to restart and go for another stone or so over the next six months.

If it’s any consolation, my average intake was around 1000 calories a day when I was on full-blown BSD although I aimed for around 40g of carbs.

Just wondering whether any of you incorporated anything from the Clever Guts book in your diet?

I read it for the first time yesterday – primarily for my OH as due to a lot of antibiotic use I think his gut bacteria is probably not as healthy as it could be.

Obviously there’s things that don’t work with this diet but is it worth incorporating the bits that do?