What’s wrong with sparkling water?!!

Good morning, all. It’s lovely to hear new voices on this thread. A warm
welcome to you all! Everyone seems to be starting the New Year in style.
For all those that have just or are about to celebrate a BSD birthday, I’m
thrilled for you! I have set my sights on celebrating 1 year in maintenance
mid April 2018. It’s so nice for me that Theodora will be reaching that
milestone at the same time, and we can look forward to it together 🙂
For those who travel about on numerous other threads, isn’t it marvelous
that we have so many new members? For the first time ever, I can’t keep
up!!
Kazzi, how on earth did I miss that post about your 3 lb loss this week?
Old scale or new, it’s still 3 lbs 🙂 🙂 🙂 A pound is a pound, Joes Nonna,
and they all count. Congratulations, everyone!!!!!!!!!!
To all my friends here, I continue to watch for your posts, and hope to
see you all very soon.

xoxo
Allie

Hi Verbatim – welcome welcome!

Thanks Nonna – you’re not far off 4 stone lost! KOKO! 🙂

xxx

Hi Sixer, welcome to the forum. The fact that you prevailed over such a brutal opponent goes to show what a true fighter you are. That same power that carried you through the worst of cancer and treatment is now going to be dedicated to reclaiming your health in a different area of endeavor, and it’s important, I think, for you to recognize and acknowledge how much ass you’ve already kicked so you can feel that strength inside of you even when the numbers on the scale don’t cooperate.

Illness is so debilitating, and with the chronic pain and complications of treatment to deal with, I imagine you’ve felt weak and exhausted for a long time. You can build up to exercise. Just set it aside for now. The biggest feat of strength required for success on the BSD is mental focus and we all know you have that because you are a survivor and dragonslayer. Focus on that for the time being. Once you’ve cut all the carbs and your body is getting some nutrient-dense food and burning fat for energy instead of sugars, your body will feel very different. When you’re up to it, you can start very modestly with a short walk or something like a 10-minute exercise video on YouTube targeted to people with mobility issues.

You’ll work it out. The dragon hasn’t a hope in the world against your courage and strength.

Hello 🙂

NSV or positive….

1 – today am wearing a tunic style top that is “for best” but needs to be worn before it gets too big!
2 – a colleague I’ve known years but don’t see very often was in the kitchen earlier today and he commented that he thought I’d lost weight! “I can see it in your face” he said! Yey! He then went on to recommend walking gear for damp, wintery weather… useful! 🙂
3 – I only woke once last night and boy does it make a difference! I feel so much better today! Normally I wake every couple of hours.

K

Hi Sixer. You’re very welcome! Glad you found my post helpful.

Sounds like you already know what you’re doing, whereas I am just starting to explore low carbing. I’m trying to cut out the forbidden foods I love so much but that I know don’t do me any good. I have a sweet tooth & one biscuit is never enough! So I want to see how it goes eating more strictly without counting calories. I don’t find real food that interesting, so hope I won’t overeat, as long as I have plenty of veg & fat to sustain me. I’m finding Diet Doctor quite useful in terms of knowing what to eat & why, though it is a bit scary contemplating all that fat & so few carbs (20g per day max). I’ve been extending my fast for a while, skipping breakfast, & that’s fine. I just want to feel in control of it all.

I lost some weight at the beginning of last year but lost my motivation because I was bored of the food I was eating & really craving bread, biscuits etc. Naturally most of the weight came back. I didn’t really know how to go about a low-carb transformation but am making more of an effort to understand the right approach. I’m not a details person but it’s obviously important to prepare properly & plan meals. I’m very much still learning but also making changes already.

I ‘d love to keep in touch & compare notes, even if we’re not following exactly the same method.

Weighed in at 16st 2lbs, so 6lb / 2.7kg lost this week.
How long till i break into the 15st / under 100kg mark??? Next mini step is on!

Well done everyone.

I watched that programme last night also, V. What about him (supposedly) having his belly fat rendered down by those waves? Pfffft! Fair play to putting it to the test but he certainly wasn’t convinced was he? 🙂 At least I didn’t feel like screaming at the tv unlike last week! 🙂

Thanks for the tip on the article….. I’ll check it out.

Kx

Hi All

4lbs down from last week although the caveat that I am using a hotel’s unnecessarily complicated gym scales.

My pennyworth (which probably doesn’t have that value) is that isolating the impact of gut bacteria on a single food, unless you carried on the experiment for a period exceeding the natural bio-viability of a particular range of gut bacteria, would be extremely difficult and I’m not sure would tell you that much. Isolating a particular variable in a massively complex environment would just be too difficult. Obviously, your choice but it seems a real pain, if you’re not seriously diabetic.

NSV – I’m currently in Qingdao, China (famous for its breweries – Tsingtao) and have just come back from a restaurant meal, where I had squid and veggies and a lovely simmered fish in spinach, washed down with sparkling water and all with not a hint of noodles or rice to be seen. – all very BSD – a big win in a diet usually rich in refined carbs and sugars. I did avoid the intriguingly translated “Duck’s blood in red sauce”, as they couldn’t confirm the duck had been following a BSD compliant diet.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Verbatim, it is always lovely when someone takes the time to post. Welcome and thank you again. I has taken a long time to get to this point. I actually started in October 2016 when I weighed 19th 4 pounds. I initially lost a stone, then maintained for a long time, before finding Canadaliz. I re-read her posts to remind me it can be done.

Kazz, you are not far behind me and I look forward to you catching me up. I would go for calf length, snakeskin with a pointy toe, for looks, but a square toe for comfort. You are doing so well. I am so proud to be a member of this sisterhood. Keep linking arms ladies. By the way, where are you all…I have a few weeks off and you have all left. You are missed.

Love
Nonna Mary
xxxx

Hi everyone,
I’ve been lurking and following you all for a few months but have finally decided to register so I could post CONGRATULATIONS to Joes Nonna, Mary. I have been following Mary’s progress or sometimes lack of it and despairing or cheering along with you. You have been keeping the thread going and been an inspirational support to newcomers and strugglers alike, especially since CanadaLiz stopped posting. So ra ra Mary and May the scales be with you.
V

I should imagine Christmas and New Year has something to do with it. Before Christmas my morning readings were between 4.5 and 5.5, then by the 20th December with a couple of meals out but still not eating carbs they went up to 5.0 to 5.6. By the time Christmas had been and gone they were around 6.9 to 7.7 with one day hitting 8.8. The odd chocolate, a sweetish drink, oh go on then just one mince pie and suddenly it has gone out of whack. It will only take a week or two to get it back down but it is not a quick fix. I have had to increase my insulin from 24 units to 29 and it is still coming down slowly. I hope to be back on track by the beginning of next week and then I might think about reducing the insulin by a unit every 4 or 5 days. Slowly, slowly does it and dont worry, you know it works.

Hi JuliaV…oh, you are so good to write again…thank you so much and thank you for sharing your story. It means so much to know there is somebody here who understands all the issues that we suffer during and post treatment. I also had issues with pain prior to diagnosis/treatment and have had surgery for scoliosis too so I do understand that additional burden.

And thank you for that reminder…I do tend to forget and can get angry that I still feel so bad but it’s really only 8 months since I finished treatment and you are right, it is such an assault and indeed casts a long shadow. I really hope this way of eating works to help me lose this 20kg I need to lose as I feel that losing that weight is bound to alleviate the various aches and pains and hopefully put a bounce back in my step. I find exercise very difficult at the moment also but hope to give it a good go and do what I can and ideally see some improvements in my fitness level which is worse than it’s ever been. I know they say we can’t go back to our normal selves but a new normal that is somewhat similar would be nice, right??

Are you only just starting? It would be nice to keep in touch so that we can compare notes! Thanks again for writing!

Well done S-g you are obviously in the best frame of mind for BSD. Keep on keeping on …….

Bugger – I’ve just posted and it’s disappeared! It will probably show up after repeating myself….

So, first of all, hello, sorry I have been scant of posts recently…. everyone is storming along, particularly you Nonna Mary! Bloody fantastic results and your sixties will be swinging at this rate! I meant that in dance terms, obviously!

Allie and Tillybud – I agree totally and said something similar on another thread but at least we have all the info on here and know where to find it.

I weighed in on Saturday and have lost 3 lbs. I posted that on another thread…. BUT am only counting it as 1 lb as my new scales weigh 2 lbs heavier. So was 16.2. Need a big push now to get me over the edge into the 15’s! C’mon Kaz, shift yerself! 🙂

Meanwhile, I’m checking out cowgirl boots. Found a UK online shop! Question is, do I go for square boxy toe or traditional pointy? Ankle or calf length? Two tone snake skin or keep it a bit more sedate whilst I break myself in? I’ve not ordered yet, just window shopping…. but boy does it give me a warm fuzzy! 🙂

Have a good day, y’all! 🙂

Kazzeexxx

Hi Theodora…thank you so much for your lovely and encouraging message! I am well used to low carb lifestyle thankfully and always enjoy/feel good on it however I now believe that counting calories is so important, especially with all the issues I am dealing with so am really looking forward to cracking on with the BSD and finally getting rid of this weight! Thanks again!

Hello Sunnyb! Thank you so much for your response and lovely words and of course your encouragement! I really appreciate it! I will definitely look at all the various threads and join in 🙂 I’m feeling more positive and excited that this might actually work for me! i have done ketogenic which is very similar but not with counting calories and this might be the thing that makes the difference! Thanks again!

I followed the diet (and exercise regime) pretty much religiously for 8 weeks. Christmas came along and I let go a bit, but not that badly.

Blood sugar levels fell dramatically during the 8 weeks and I lost 10Kg, though I wasn’t all that overweight to start with (5ft 8ins, was 80KG)
Trouble is…even though I am still being super careful, my reading have moved from an average of 5 to 6, up to 7 to 8.

I cant understand why….not much has changed in terms of diet or exercise…has anyone else experienced this?

SunnyB and Esnecca. Thank you so much for your words of advice and encouragement. I am determined not to fall over this time and see the 8 weeks through and then plan to convert to the 5:2 way of life.

I weighed this morning and lost 8lb in week one, but even better, my constant hunger seems to have eased. What’s not to like?

So I go into week 2 not only happy but also determined. And you are right, I am not a slave and will not be beaten by a looming holiday. Thanks once again.

Hello Sixer. I wrote a long post here last night & it seems to have disappeared😐. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone. I was diagnosed with ER+ breast cancer in May 2015 (turned 50 that August). I underwent surgery, chemo & RTx, finishing active treatment at the end of January 2016.

I gained lots of weight on chemo, because of the steroids & also ended up with type 2 diabetes (steroids again probably). I didn’t tolerate tamoxifen so have been receinving 4-weekly hormone injections instead, & since last June have also been taking daily hormone tablets. I have fibromyalgia anyway, so already had widespread pain, including in my hands, wrists, elbows, knees & (worst of all) feet & the hormonal therapy has made this worse. I don’t exercise because of this. So I really sympathise & empathise with you. As for the fatigue – that’s part of fibro & chemo etc exacerbated it hugely. As you say, the menopausal symptoms, which mimic the drug side-effects, also make life hard-going.

I’m new to the low-carb way of life, so can’t offer any advice as far as that goes but as you can see there are lots of lovely people on the forums with wisdom to share. What I will say is just remember that your body has been through an assault that shouldn’t be underestimated & you deserve to be kind to yourself. Cancer treatment casts a long shadow which I think only those who have been through it can truly appreciate.

Sorry if I’ve gone on too long but I just wanted to offer my support on this latest stage of the journey.

I started yesterday too, Sarah!

I’ve planned out my week’s meals from the book and shopped accordingly. So far I’m finding it hard but manageable. I have a tiny pot of toasted nuts and when I’m desperate, I’m letting myself have a couple of those. Also lots of water and cups of tea.

Hi everyone, just got back from the chiropodists and feeling lighter of foot. Not only that, I am 4lbs lighter than last week. Started at 78.4kgs so I have met several goals on the way, said goodbye to 78kg, said goodbye to 77kgs and only 1lb to 12 stone. So many mixed measurements.

JGwen, why do you want to do blood tests. The machines – even the good ones – are like scales, quite inaccurate. When are you going to measure, what time, what food will you have had, will you be fasting, are you going to do it every day, before meals, after meals, beteen meals. Why do you want to stab yourself in order to get an average idea of – what – if you are not diabetic your blood sugar readings will mean nothing. As an example, just to support me, my husband let me test him pre breakfast after 10 hour fast, my BG was 5.2 his was 7.8 – does that mean he is diabetic, no, it means nothing. Tested 2 hours after breakfast mine was 5.2 his was 8.4, does this mean he is diabetic. Seriously, the readings only mean anything if you are diabetic. Also, pricking your fingertips is painful, squeezing the blood out is painful (especially if you have cold hands), pricking the finger cause the tips to lose sensation so eventually you will have no feeling in your fingertips. Pricking my fingers twice a day is worse than the injections in my stomach every night, more painful. Can I also say, if you are going to do this, do not prick the exact tip of your fingers, prick the sides, also use a different finger every time so as not to cause too much nerve damage. Sorry cant help with a brand name as mine is prescribed by my French doctor and is called One-Touch. The machine will cost between £50 and £90, the finger prickers are around £30 for a box of 100 and the measuring bands that go into the machine are around £30 for 60 – 2 months if doing daily.

That is just my opinion, anyone else feel free to disagree, agree or give your own opinions. All welcome.

Hi folks, Could those of you who use a blood sugar tester give me some advice please on what model you use and how well you get on with it?

I am not a type 2, but having read about the research which suggests that the mixture of gut bacteria effects the blood sugar impact of different foods I would like to use a blood sugar tester. There seems to be a wide range of machines, some of which also test if you are in keto.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I am pleased to report that I have lost a further pound, so now weigh in at 15 stone 11 pounds! Eight years since I weighed this little. In fact I weighed 15 st 8 pounds in 2010.

Thank you for your kinds wishes. I read all the threads and can see lots of people are doing well and losing weight. I would LOVE to be 15:7 next Tuesday for my Birthday, not expecting it though.

Take care everyone, best wishes and lots of love.

Nonna Mary
xxx

I hadn’t realised that butternut squash is high carb – will really have to rethink my options too 😞

Wow everyone, well done – some great results and some real determination! I posted my first week results on the restart thread, but I’m pleased to say that much to my surprise the weight loss is continuing in week 2 and I’m melting like the wicked witch of the west. I did put a lot on recently, so it’s all new weight that’s coming off again and will be for a few weeks yet. Don’t think it can have got a proper foothold (she said scientifically).

The diet is getting easier as I find what works and I really like the 10,000 steps target as it’s so adaptable. It’s inspired me to go for some lovely frosty morning walks which I would have missed out on otherwise, and motivated me to tidy up the house more! But sometimes I’ve just gone shopping to get my steps up 🙂

Hi, I’ve had both that and the opposite. As Squidge said your body is adjusting, and if you’ve upped your fat your body may well struggle to digest it for a while. Mine settled down after a couple of days, came back when I had a high fat meal a couple of days later then went forever.

Now I tend to have the opposite but keep green veggies up and that helps.

Weighed in today at 147.8.
Start weight was 152.6 so just a smidgen under 5lbs gone!!! Looking forward to another week of lovely food and a healthier me. My ultimate goal is 126lbs so I’ll keep chipping away towards that and keep a close eye on my fasting blood sugars. Well done everyone, amazing results! X

Wow Congratulations JGwen! That’s a real achievement since October!

Starting objective: “My start weight for this reboot is 83.1 kilos (down 7.4 from my start under the 4 week October 2017 challenge and a wobble at Christmas). My goal is a healthy BMI (79 kilos) by end Feb. A bit of wriggle room would be nice, but probably not realistic!”

This week I have lost 2.2kgs (5lbs) – so I am now 80.9kilos. I haven’t been in the 80’s for four years, so happy. The top end of my BMI is now only 2 kilos away. And the Christmas wobble (in more ways than one!) has gone. It has generally been an easy week, apart from a thumping headache on day 3. And I have really enjoyed trying some new ideas like cabbage noodles! I think I need to prepare for a bit of a slow-down next week, but with all the support, humour and good ideas on this website I feel in the right place. Wishing everyone a good second week.

Sarah, I like making veggie soup too. Unfortunately most of the things I use to give it body are high carb – butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots or parsnips. I’m looking for alternatives.

Loss this week 2.1kg, which takes me up to a total loss of 21.9kg since starting 800/aim for 20g in mid October.

I probably could have done better if I hadn’t come across a book that interested me. – So I did my usual trick of just essential chores and keeping my head buried in the book until I finished it, and then heading to the computer to research options that occurred to me as a result of all the trains of thought the book inspired. Meaning minimal steps for 48 hours.

Still have another 13.1kg to go to my target weight. But I don’t know if that will be enough to get rid of the spare tyre, as I seem to have lost a shoe size but surprisingly with that amount of weight, not yet a dress size. 🙂 – The treat myself to new clothes are on hold for a little while longer, but maybe I could join the shoe fetish group. :-)))))

I’ve not had that – rather the opposite in fact.

If you’ve drastically changed the way you eat, then it might take your body a while to adjust. It’s also possible that this is nothing to do with the diet and just coincidence. This sounds like something to talk to your doctor about if it continues – but hopefully it won’t.

Well done, SueBlue.

Getting below the obese level would be a great achievement. I’m rooting for you.

I have just watched the Dr Van Tulleken program and really enjoyed it. He is a great presenter. Not a lot new really but they tested six diets, two crash , two six week and two four month . Two different diets in each group and needless to say they all lost weight, as you would on a restricted diet. Would be interesting to see how well they all ‘maintain’ the losses though!

It’s worth signing up for emails from Myfitnesspal even if you don’t use that site for counting/logging etc. Today there is an article ‘The 11 Most Common Weight-loss Blunders Dieticians See’ which is certainly worth a read.

I’ve lost 1 lb. As long as it’s heading in the right direction I’m not too worried if it happens fairly slowly.

I’m not finding the diet hard to stick too, but confess I don’t weigh everything when I cook (I keep forgetting) so could be eating a bit more than I should. I’m getting used to the exercise – used to doing it that is. It’s still hard work as I’m still unfit. Looking forward to that improving.

Staying off the drink has been easier than I expected. In the past we’ve decided to cut down, but that never lasted long. Weirdly the strict none at all policy is easier to stick to. We don’t intend to give up permanently, but we’re thinking we should set a firm limit on how much we have in a week. Vague rules are harder to stick to, aren’t they?

WotW well done on the walking. The exercise must do us good even if we don’t see immediate weight loss from it. I’ve been gettting up in the night more too. I’m hoping that’s temporary as having a late night cup of tea is helping me to not snack.

Chewsnoo, you’re doing great! I hadn’t realised there were FB groups too.

Happy low carb 2018 to old friends and new.
I am back after a fabulous time with our son and his family in N J. What an absolute delight grandchildren are but it’s so sad they are so far away.
I had no access to scales and we were wined (every night) and dined to excess every day though I did miss eating breakfast when I could. Our son tries so hard to spoil us and it seemed so churlish to say no all the time. (I know, excuses, excuses) Anyway, the upshot of three weeks away is that I have gained a lot of weight, but I hope that some of that will be fluid. I am straight back on BSD woe this morning and will record the interim weight increase on Friday.
X B

Hi all,
Loss of 1.6 kg at end of week 1 which is ok given I haven’t been as diligent as usual due to being on holidays so not as controlled as I would have normally been. I return to work next week so am not going to stress too much as any loss is good.
I have no doubt that I will be better prepared from next week on.
Congratulations to everyone on their efforts to date

Regards

Cameron

Well done to those through to end of week 1.

I am down from 101.6kg to 98.2 kg after 1st week. Very happy with that – especially with a bottle of wine last Friday and Saturday night! I think doing the C25k challenge at the same time helps.

Well done everyone…it’s so inspiring to read about your successes.

Victoria…losing all Christmas weight so quickly, what a victory! And Nick, inka, Linso and Verano.

Topcac and Tillybud..I sympathise same thing for me just not cream tea or wine but a handful of Christmas chocs I found in the bottom of a bag. I was angry and stressed and they were in my mouth so fast. It was the absolute opposite of mindful eating!

So for me a 600g loss. The house is now officially a carb free zone and I’ve started walking again so lots of positives.

Verano, I love jigsaws too. I had one for Christmas that has defeated me wish I could send it to you☺

Milalin, you are an in inspiration! Your perseverance in refusing the rubbish and tracking down the edible food stuff in spite of all you’re going through is tremendous. Hope you’re out and about very soon. Just think how much you’ll enjoy rhe ease of eating on plan again at home.
Well done in your 2lb loss Marie123 and on the flickering sight if the elusive 9’s!
How frustrating for you Mariet!! Hang in there, a woosh must be just around the corner.
Well done to all those who lost and to those who didn’t, at least we’re still here and we soon will be.

Honestly, I’m my own worst enemy, need to work in my will power. After sticking rigidly to plan since Boxing day I reached the longed for 9st 13 last Friday and sat tight right at it, terrified it would sneak up again, what did I do the day before weigh in? A scone with jam & cream, half a baguette & 2 seed crackers, that’s what I did!!!
Nice one Jules, not!
So now 10st 2, sad face, can’t to emojis.
I’d bought the seed crackers on Saturday and thought I could risk a couple but that must be what triggered the carb fest so they’re going straight in the bin. Back on plan again 100%, trying to win back the 9’s.

What a lovely, positive post to round off phase one, Flick. I’m so pleased for you. Your focus will be an inspiration to newbies following in your (much lighter) footsteps. Can’t wait to welcome you into all the above mentioned clubs – you are going to have such fun.

Good luck in round 2 – not that I think you’ll need it, but your cheerleaders are all still here, pompoms waving for you.🎉🎊🎉

Morning all! My weight today is 10st 3 and a quarter. 2 and a half lbs down. I’m really disappointed in my head but realistically I should be pleased as oh and I had a bottle of red and a whole tube of pringles between us. I could kick myself but …… I’m still down and I’m back on it now. Good luck everyone on your weigh ins x

A quick report-in this morning as I’m on my way out just now.

I’ve lost 2lbs this week. That means I’ve lost the 2lbs I put on over Christmas. I’m happy with that. The scales flickered on 9st 13lbs (which I was for a few hours on Christmas Eve) before settling at 10 st, so may not be long until I’m in the 9’s. I’ve also just worked out (I do like my stats) that at 10st (140lbs) I have now lost 30% of my original body weight.

Will catch up with everyone later today but good to hear you’ve turned a corner, Butterlover, – and brilliant 8 week end results, Flick.

woohoo, week 1 and 9lb down. I know it will slow down now but those sort of numbers really spur me on 🙂

Good morning and it really is. My first positive is sleep related, sorry you’re having a bad time sleep wise SunnyB.

1. Second night of really adequate sleep. I only woke once for the bathroom after so much water!
2. Dishwasher engineer turned up and fixed dishwasher. Yippeee!
3. Lovely Indian meal out. I have now found my ideal BSD meal …. chicken tikka and saag bhaji. Lovely!

Hope Tuesday brings lots of ‘positives’ for us all

Good morning everyone. Yippee my weigh-in takes me back to my pre
Christmas party/Christmas/New Year weight. So it took me 3 weeks to put it on, and a week to take it off, but that’s dangerously close to yo-yo and I hope that by next time this WOL is embedded in my brain. !

So today 13st 6lbs
Target for this challenge 12 st 4lbs
Overall Target 12st. (Right in the middle of the “normal” weight for my height)

Hi less than half a pound gain for me and I’m happy. If I can stay the same for the next two weeks that will count as a success. Hope you have all had a good first week and that week two gets you further towards your goal.

Morning all. Just a quick one to say beware the cream tea!!! Total loss for the week is 2.5lbs but it was much higher before Sunday! When will I learn 🙁

Good luck with weigh in everyone. I’m on a course today but will catch up later or tomorrow xx

HI Everyone . reading posts is really helping me get back on track. MILALIN yes Im shouting at you.You are amazing, coping so well with multiple challenges and frustrations that would have sent me to comfort food in a wink.Im inspired to stop my excuses and get on with improving myself.thank you for sharing with us.👏👏👏👏.Today I weigh in at 82kg so a loss of 0.4kg over night which is very good for me.I may be low on fluid intake so it will probably go up but I feel that I have turned corner.Its too hot to walk outside so Im off to the shops to do a couple of laps. Koko too you all