Hi Squidge, 9st 2 is ok for my height but I still have too much belly fat – typical TOFI. I’m hoping that if I can get to 8 1/2 it might reduce the fat. I’m wondering whether to do keto for a few weeks as that is supposed to really hit the body fat.
I’d like to think I could give up alcohol forever but having just moved to Spain, I think that might be asking too much! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
Keep smiling.
SSB

Hello Wannabeslim (love the name, so do I) & welcome!

I got hubby to take a ‘before’ photo from front, back & side today, they are so awful the temptation was to just delete them but hoping they will be treasured in a few months.

Just tucking into scrummy veggie curry, not missing the rice at all, just don’t mention naan bread though!

Hope you’ve all had a good day.

You’re close to your target weight then, SSB.

I’m aiming for 9st 2. It’s roughly in the middle of the healthy range for my height and also the weight I was when I met my husband.

I’ll be interested to see what happens when we allow ourselves to start drinking again. Maybe we won’t want to?

Hi Nick,

So glad – after I sent that post I was cross with myself for making out I knew what I was talking about when actually I’m a total newbie! Ooh, stone in a month, great idea.

Went for a lovely bike ride this afternoon with DH – felt great. I think there’s definitely more adrenalin swilling round and I seem to need more exercise. Don’t know if it’s the HIT or an effect of the body needing to mobilise its stores.

I was pondering the psychological impact of this WOL – for me it has definitely been a bit of a re-adjustment and I’ve got a bit stressed sometimes about odd things, and other times struggled a bit with overwhelm. I was remembering a technique for dealing with this kind of stuff called “opposite action” (Marsha Linehan). The theory is that an emotion gives you an urge to behave in a certain way, and if you do the opposite your emotion will change. I always thought it was a bit of a yawn technique before, but this week I have really embraced it and found it beneficial. If I feel overwhelmed, then I find something constructive to do and do it, even if it’s just tidying up or something. I feel like I’m finding my equilibrium again, but I am having to work at it.

This wonderful thread seems to have gone a little quiet of late, so I thought I’d revive it by showing you my latest purchase. We have a big holiday planned in the Spring (April) – an African Safari, but we are also doing an “add-on” in Cape Town which culminates in a big party.

Anyway, I saw this……………….and believe me, this dress is SOOOO NOT ME, but I love it (again, please excuse the pesky dog who insists on taking his place in the limelight – only just noticed him lurking in the background, and I’m not getting dressed up again to take another pic without him. What is it about dogs? Guess they are like people, one has to get in every single picture, the other runs a mile as soon as he sees a camera!!)

https://s9.postimg.org/s0r9yfjz3/20171215_124518-1.jpg

Being slender again, after all these years, has given me so much confidence to step out of my “comfort zone” clotheswise……..I really hope it meets with your approval, particularly my phoenix buddies, Essie and Allie (who are my heroes)

Allie, did you get that smartphone for Christmas, so you can join in our game?😉

Wow Theodora, that sounds fab! I use it a lot in cooking but haven’t really used it as a moisturiser – my skin is very dry so perhaps I’ll give it a go.
Btw – a recent ‘study’ by the American Heart Association claimed that coconut oil is really, really bad and should be avoided – guess who funded the ‘research’? – the makers of Crisco, which, it has to be said has been found to have major, serious health implications I.e – avoid at all costs.
SSB

Hi Theodora. I think the coconut oil will have efficacious results on your insides. (You are what you eat). The skin on my face is much smoother since I started this way of eating than it was before. Not spotty or anything just a bit dry or tight. Now it glows, so I’m told! I use coconut oil in the mornings on my face, not in the evenings as it makes the bedding a bit ‘grey’ and oily looking! Not a good look I feel.

I do use it for cooking but I can’t give up my butter altogether and I don’t think it would be good spread on toast for those who still have the odd slice.

I’m very pleased about the cholesterol side effects! Completely unexpected 👍

Aww, Allie😍 What a lovely “positive” – happy first meeting anniversary.💝💕💘 It will be 50 years since I first met my o/h this year too – ours was love at first sight, he asked me to marry him on our 3rd meeting (2nd date) and here we are, still together.❣ Surely that is cause for celebration, for both of us, or all of us, should I say.

My positives…………….

1) Just spent a lovely hour on a “one to one” basis with my beloved daughter – generally one of the kids, or my mother or o/h or somebody is around to claim my/her attention, but today it was just the 2 of us. Bliss.

2) Finally mastered the art of machine rolled hemming silk chiffon (took some doing😆) as I have always done it by hand before, but my granddaughter needs (err….wants??!!!) so many new practise ballet skirts that hand sewing them all would take me forever and a day.🤣

3) Just bought tickets to see aforementioned granddaughter perform in Sleeping Beauty with BRB in February😊

I agree, s-g. I’ve started using it for cooking too.

I have used it for years as a body moisturiser and just yesterday o/h commented (again) on how soft and smooth my skin is, so much so that recently I have even started using it on my face too. I slathered myself in it when I lost weight and all my skin has tightened up beautifully – no sags under my chin, no more batwings etc. That may have happened with any moisturiser, but coconut oil has done the job beautifully on the outside, so here’s hoping it is as efficacious on my insides.

Hi there – Allie pleased there was a reason. I don’t think inappropriate – we are all in different places and it’s always helpful to hear other people’s ups and downs and realise one size doesn’t fit all xx

Well I have finally managed to get around to watching Trust Me on the effects of coconut oil and the results are good for increasing HDL and have no increase in LDL. Might be worth using a bit in cooking for the small amount of ‘frying’ I do i.e. browning onions for a stew etc.

Hi all
Sueonit I too had a compliment from someone completely unexpected. The type of person you thought would never ever notice such things. To be honest I’ve only lost a few pounds but the bloated look and feeling has gone so that could be why. Also skin back to clear after a Christmas blip.
Reading all the inspiring posts. Thank you all.
Beautiful smell of cinnamon in my kitchen as I’m making seed based granola. Just a spoonful on yogurt and berries…. delicious x

Hi there, I have just watched the Dr Mosley TV prog Trust Me etc…. I was pleasantly surprised to find that coconut oil is actually good for us. It raises HDL (good cholesterol) by around 10% based on the amount taken on the programme (which was quite a lot) and does not have any adverse effect on the LDL (bad cholesterol). I always thought it had some bad effects but that has been disproved in a proper experiment so I might just start using a little in cooking.

Hi Speedy, and Lilyrose! I’ve just taken a turn around the forum to check up
on new members, and find a paucity of posts from both of you over the
past 2 weeks. Please check in so that we can know how you are progressing,
as well as to see if you might have any problems that we might help you to
resolve, together. Strength in numbers, ladies! The forum is everyone’s
secret weapon, wherever we might be on this personal journey.
Hope to hear from you soon 🙂

Allie

Hi everyone, didn’t get to post my weigh in 2lb down very pleased with week 1
Dry January didn’t quite go to plan, gave into a couple of glasses !!but reigning in the number DRUNK!! Have been catching up with posts! FAB READING!!!
The dark choc has got me hooked and so I am going to cut it out next week, and will also diary my food, I feel I have to hit basic principles weigh record and plan better to really improve my results. Joined exercise class to motivate me signed up for 8 weeks if it doesn’t kill me etc etc……. hey ho off we go to health and weight loss ! Oh yes had 2 lovely compliments from buddies I haven’t seen for awhile which made my day😊x

Oh so right Alliecat!
SSB

Allie, that is SUCH good news. Really pleased to hear that you have a solid reason for the extra weight loss and now have it back under control.

I cannot imagine how stressful your husband’s illness must have been, and so pleased to hear you are both in much better health now. My o/h is robustly healthy (or so we think) but I still worry about his eating/drinking choices, as he seems to assume he is invulnerable, and banks everything on the fact that his parents both lived well into their 90sm (his father is, in fact, still going strong, at 97).

As far as extra weight loss is concerned, I really feel you are my sister-in-arms, as we seem to be the only 2 on this forum (happy to be proved wrong) who struggle to maintain our weight from dropping too much, not from increasing. Indeed, last evening, not only did I participate in wine whilst out for dinner, I also consumed more than my fair share of vegetable crisps, plus a 3 course meal (no refined carbs obviously) only to have the scales record a half pound drop this morning! If you weren’t on this forum, struggling with the same issues, I would feel very isolated. But, I have never eaten a healthier diet, and never ever felt as well and as energetic – at least not since I was a BYT, which was many, many years ago!

Yes ladies! Bars, pubs, etc. put out the salty snacks to increase your thirst
so that you need another pint, or spirits or wine. Proceeds go straight into
their coffers, and weight straight onto our midriff or hips 🙂

Thank you Squidge – target weight – sort of… I’d really like to get to 8 1/2 but I’m not sure how disciplined I can be to get there.
I am absolutely sure that significantly reducing carbs (especially the rubbish ones) makes a big difference to alcohol tolerance and also desire for it. Perhaps that’s why pubs, bars and junk food outlets all do so well?
SSB

Hi Mrs Getting there ! Yes I am the same as you I am a baby diabetic as it were so only just getting my head around it all – I just keep revisiting the book asking questions on here I have been doing it down for just over three weeks the week I bought the carbs below 30g I was under 6 all week so that is clearly the key for me ! But I will keep you posted if re getting those morning BG down ! Don’t know about the apple vinegar there are a lot of claims for it – the one good thing about testing your BGs so regularly is that you know straight away whether it has worked or not !! Keep me posted with how you are doing x

Thanks for that ! Yes haven’t weighed myself for a while but know I have lost more can feel it !👍

Hi suns shine girl – I have no idea what my blood sugars were in the morning before being diagnosed- the day I was diagnosed was the day I started – so didn’t get my BG machine until the following Monday so my first ever am fasting BG was 7.6 – thanks for the tips late night snack ! I love these forums so reassuring to have people with the knowledge and experience thanks for taking the time to reply !

Hi sorry for late response – yes doing 30g carbs per day at the moment any deviation from that seems to see the sugars spike ! I am new too the daily blood testing so any advice is more than welcome there managed to get the blood sugars down to between 5.2 – 5.7 for a whole week then it was around the 6s –
Just going to have to keep a really close eye on the food !

It IS weird, Jackie, and also probably inappropriate for a weight loss
forum, also. I think all of us are here to gain control over our eating
habits and health, so it’s very disconcerting to realize that I have some
way to go in feeling confident that I know what to expect on the scale
each week. I think my anxiety was further exacerbated by the fact that
o/h underwent surgery for colon cancer in 2017. In my moment of
“panic” early in the week, I completely forgot that I had had a major
g.i. upset that must have thoroughly dehydrated me also. I’m happy
to report that the 3 lbs. have subsequently been regained. Lovely
of you ask Jackie, and I sincerely appreciate your concern. 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Allie

Oh Sunny, did I ever smile in recognition over your Mother’s concern
that it’s time for you to stop! One of my close friends has adopted the
same approach with me, but I know it’s only out of love. We must always
consider “the source” I think….Unfortunately, we also encounter those
who find our transformations a bit of a threat, also 🙂

My positive for today is that I actually remembered, in real time, that
it was exactly 50 years ago today (half a century!) that I first met the
man that I was destined to marry, standing behind the bar at a college
fraternity party! It was not love at first sight…He was relentless in his
pursuit however, and here we are, a half century later. We’ve lived every
moment of the “for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health” portion
of our marriage vows, to the enrichment of both of our lives. What
can I say, I’m hopelessly sentimental 🙂

I hope everyone enjoys another remarkable day of positive thoughts!

Allie

Hello Nick! I really enjoy your enthusiasm..(I use a lot of exclamation
points, too 🙂 ) A loss of a stone a month is 100% doable, as many of us
can attest. Everyone has the tools to be successful if they faithfully
follow the principles and take on board the knowledge and experience
of this generous community. I hope 2018 is life changing for you!

Allie

Sorry to be late getting into this discussion, Diabetty, if you have trouble sleeping try taking a magnesium tablet an hour or two before going to bed. I used to have trouble dropping off and would wake a couple of times during the night, but don’t have that problem now.

Also, try putting sea salt on your food, it won’t be as quick as drinking salt water but a lot nicer! Not enough fluids could be causing your headaches too. I don’t seem to have that trouble as I drink tea most of the day!

Hi Zolou
Your post of course made absolute sense. I believe that will serve many when questioning what’s right/wrong for me as it did me this morning. 🙂
Had an awful sleep last night, was it the alcohol or my mind working overtime. Maybe both?
Took your advice, Jumped on the scales and saw 15st 13.5 lb. A great pick up and lifted my thoughts immediately to more positive ones. Could I really see a stone loss within a month?
Just had brunch, water, water & more water is the order for this afternoon.
We go again!!!!!

Hi
Can I join you? I need to get a new job and need the confidence of fitting into clothes and feeling good to do it!

I didn’t get myself going after new year but am on it now so would love to join your merry band of 13th jan starters. My New Years resolution ( well 13 th jan) is to walk 15 k steps a day and drink 3l water and 800 cal.

Good morning all and thank you for your responses.

I’ve weighed myself – 76.9kg and measured my waist – 36 inches (seems the jeans that Gap claim have a 32 inch waist are very generous). This gives me a BMI (according to the NHS website) of 25.9. They shout at me that I am overweight (correct) and that losing 12.8kg would put me right in the middle of a healthy BMI. This may be so but I have been at that weight in the past and looked scrawny and unwell, so that will not be my target. Instead I will be aiming to lose 6.9kg to take me down to 70kg.

This morning I started with a ham omelette and a black coffee. I’ve got a fridge with plenty of low carb options and I’m probably going to have a chicken salad for lunch.

The need to go to the toilet will go after the first few nights, Legend2cv, and then you should start finding yourself getting a much more refreshing sleep.

Congratulations to all those who are actually managing to do this & are seeing results!

I am still prevaricating & tinkering around the edges, in my usual uncertain way. I have actually gained weight, after an initial small loss. This is extremely disheartening & has led to me eating unsuitable carbs ( illogical but typical response). Perhaps if I could just commit fully, firstly by deciding on exactly which plan I am going to follow, I would see some encouraging results.

Unfortunately the hormone therapy I am on to prevent breast cancer recurrence is known to cause weight gain or at least to impede weight loss, so that’s an extra challenge about which I can do nothing, since I have to have the treatment.

Sorry if this is negative & thanks in advance for any advice/support offered by you marvellous people.

Hello ScubaDo & Traceyanne,
Sorry, for the grumpy post, been for a quick walk and planted the bulbs I got for Christmas so feeling much more alive now.
Have you started yet, and if so how’s it going? I think this first week must be the hardest getting your head round what you can & can’t have and the portion sizes. We’re picking and choosing from the recipes in the book rather than following the meal plan so it’s taking a bit of time each night planning & preparing food for the following day.
Good luck with it both of you, hope you’re feeling better Traceyanne.

Hi everyone, another successful day yesterday although no further weight loss. BG up slightly but nothing to worry about as I did have a serious low in the afternoon and resorted to a Cadburys Roses, just one. Just done a half hour yoga session and still find it so boring also all that resting your bottom on the heels can be so painful I am not sure how that can be relaxing. Anyway there are several different half hour session on the disc so I will keep trying as it is supposed to be really good for you. So everyone, keeping on keeping on…

Morning all, hey diabetty, sorry to hear about your diagnosis but like the joke you made with your name. You are in a very enviable position of being able to reverse that diagnosis in a fairly short time as you have already seen from the lower results on your second test. Yes, it might be a change in eating habits for life but, in honesty, most people, diabetics or not, should be practicing this way of eating to some extend, even if it is not completely cutting white carbs as we do. We know they do damage in lots more ways that being the cause of diabetes.

Follow the plan and get yourself back to optimum health and show your doctor how it can be done. Good luck.

Hi Diabetty,

I totally understand your feelings about the diagnosis. I was there 3 years ago. If you are like me you will go through a few cycles of anger, denial, determination etc. I did. I also blamed myself a lot. My lesson to pass on is – your life hasn’t changed forever. You can still do all the enjoyable things you did before, you just can’t eat carbs. There is loads on this site and elsewhere about how to enjoy your food without carbs so it isn’t about just eating boring bland stuff.

This wonderful forum will support you, I’ve been on here since December and they have welcomed me, encouraged where necessary and given excellent advice.

Excellent thread, following the principles, using the basic ingredients but allowing occasional I’m eating out/it’s christmas day type exceptions is working for me. A protein and vegetable based diet without spuds/rice and pasta which were the mainstays of my previous long term habitual diet is easy and I genuinely prefer it now, 4 months in.
A real life-changer for me, at 51 my HbA1c levels categorised me a s a type 2 diabetic, 8 weeks later low normal levels.

Thank you LindaA, for taking the time to type out all of these links.
I’m very much in your debt. I’ve bookmarked them all to be printed
out so that I can study the material in depth and be prepared to discuss
the findings with o/h’s cardiologist at his next appt. I wish there were
preventitive cardiologists in our area, but they all seem to run their
own clinics, mostly in other parts of the country (USA). I’m happy for
your husband that he hasn’t had another cardiac incident.
Happy Birthday 🙂

Much appreciation,

allie

Ok I’ve decided I need more than soup! I need some quick easy dinner recipes that are not going to wear me out trying to make.

Tonight I’m planning on Quorn curry with califlower rice, my daughter will have the carb loaded version. Stir fry has been a good option as well, but craving a bit more variety.

Hubby and I started on 10th, this is our first time doing anything like this. I’ve lost 4lbs in the three days and haven’t felt hungry till this morning.
I’ve had a couple of bad night’s sleep and wondered if this was normal in the early stages, could be my head full of weights & measures and meal planning, hunger or just the need for a wee, but I’m not doing so well this morning as I’m so tired.
Going to get out and have a walk now, hope that gets me going.

Thanks, Angela.

I’m going to try skipping breakfast, or having it later and see how I get on with that. There was no weight loss again today, so I guess I need to cut back somewhere anyway.

Hi Diabetty. Sorry for the diagnosis, but your lower result after cutting carbs has proved this will work for you.

I’ve got up once in the night to wee for years. At the start of the diet that went to twice, but settled down after a week. Last night I didn’t get up at all!

Dehydration can make you feel terrible, so do drink lots of liquid. Do you like Bovril drinks? It might be easier to have your salt in that, or maybe dip celery sticks into it. I agree that just drinking it in water sounds grim.

Hi Theodora, I didn’t see it but had read a transcript and coincidentally had just rediscovered our jar of coconut oil, so I have fried my veg with it a couple of times. I am still getting used to the slight sense of coconut it gives (not strong enough to use the word ‘taste’). After your post I will definitely aim to increase the amount I eat, I had not realised it was that much (tendencies to skim read and just take the big idea, not the detail).

I wondered about that test, as it did seem to show butter made things a bit worse, whilst olive oil was neutral. Which does seem to go counter to some of BSD/Kendrick eat al thinking. Did you read it like that too? Or is that my skim reading again?

Hi Squidge, I gave up breakfast at the end of November after a trip to the UK when I put on 1.5kgs and I haven’t gone back to having it. I lost the additional weight very quickly and continued losing but the most interesting thing was that my waist measurement, which had stalled, went down. Oh to add the important part, I have a few drops of milk in my tea and usually have 3 mugs during the morning…I don’t think it counts as fasting if we have milk but I can always give that up later once I stall again 😉

I don’t know why I was thinking I had to do the entire recipe or nothing – that’s not like me. I’m always leaving out or swapping ingredients to suit our tastes and what we happen to have. I’ll do that with my porridge too.

Is ‘oat fiber’ what I’d call oat bran? I’ve seen that for sale.

I’ve never considered hemp hearts before, but have just looked them up and see they have omega 3 and protein, so I’ll try to get some and try them.

It’s occurred to me that these things might work as a muesli, which was my usual summer breakfast. I could mix up all the seeds and nuts I’ve learned to like by then and add fresh berries each morning – I imagine all dreid fruit would be too high sugar to eat regularly. Oddly I love nuts in muesli, but don’t fancy them in porridge!

Jackie, I wonder if you watched Trust Me this week? They did an experiment on which fats improved cholesterol most – olive oil, butter or coconut oil. Over the month of the experiment, olive oil and butter came out very similar, but coconut oil came out way ahead, both in reducing the bad and (LDL) and increasing the good (HDL). So may be worth trying? The subjects took 3tbs a day in any way they wanted, (including cooking with it)

And yes, how’s the weight going now, Allie? I hear you are having positively balmy temps there atm? 😉

I was diagnosed yesterday after the results of a 2nd blood test 2 weeks apart. I’d completely cut out carbs after the phone call to repeat the blood test, fearing this outcome. Dr said the 2nd blood was ‘remarkably’ lower so that was good. I cried throughout the appointment with the realisation that my life had changed forever. To top it all I’m full of cold, bad chest, feeling rotten. I don’t sleep well – anyone else suffer like that? Dr said I might be dehydrated but I wee so much at night?? Bought a nice water filter bottle and hey! Not as much weeing last night. Also low in sodium causing headaches. He recommended a tsp salt in water. Urghh. So, sorry for misery but will bounce back and approach this with vigour!
I’m very confused by all the numbers, abbreviations etc – how can I get to grips with it?

Well done, SSB! Is that your target weight?

We’ve given up alcohol for January and found it easier than we’d expected (we used to drink almost every day). Maybe cutting the carbs has helped?

I could try skipping breakfast on some days and might be able to manage the 17 hours without food, but I’d have to have tea (with milk). Would it still be worth fasting in that case? I realise it will cut my calorie intake, which is good as I am overweight, but would I gain any other benefits?

Is this stuff covered in MM’s 5.2 book?

Hey Alliecat, hows the weight gain going? What a weird thing to write on a weight loss forum!

Linda, thanks for all these, I love the bottom line ‘don’t blame the butter for what the bread did’. Still learning, still reading, still trying to work out what will work for me.

In the UK the Kendrick book is on kindle for 99p. It’s very readable!

It’s so hard to know at the outset what is good science and what is formed by self interest/financial gain. You have to believe that on balance the NHS would want people to be healthy, there’s plenty of stuff to spend money on other than obesity and statins, but I guess their advice has to be sufficiently tested before they will chance it and with a long term view. Which leaves us trying it out for ourselves.

The more I read the more I wonder if I just have high cholesterol – it’s so high, and I don’t drink/smoke/am not overweight (now!) and do exercise regularly and did even when fat. It’s been a couple of months since I was eating a lot of processed meat etc. My only saturated fat vices are cream, cheese, butter and the fats in in unprocessed food like avocado, and (organic/free range) meat or fish. And seeds/nuts.

So, my current plan is to keep the (organic) butter and the (organic) cream, but mindfully, for now bin the cheese (I’d quite like to reduce by a couple more Llbs so this is not a drama) and up the natural nut/seed/veg for fibre and for fat. I just found out I like almond milk (used to hate it) so I may have that instead of cream for a bit.

Also, I’m going to try and extend my fasts a few times a week. Currently I go 15 or so hours, but if I keep busy I reckon I could do 17 in time as standard on non exercise days.