Allie, what a lovely post – thank you. We do seem to have so much in common, what a pity there is a whole ocean between us.😭 I have never actually thought of myself as small (though o/h constantly tells me I am, he actually uses the word “tiny”) as I have always been the tallest female in the family (before my son married at any rate). We are a family of short women and tall men!! I guess that’s better than it being the other way around! At 5’7″ you are only 2″ taller than I was until an inch mysteriously disappeared recently!! I have actually always been 3″ taller than my sister, so as you are 3″ taller than I am now, you feel like my big sister😘

Victoria, what a lovely skill to have, being able to make your own clothes, and if you learned because of your height, well there’s yet another advantage of being tall. I have always enjoyed sewing, but not for myself, only for my kids when they were young, and now my granddaughters. But I have to agree, I think we all thought that we would have masses of time on our hands once we retired but I, like you, never seem able to find enough hours in the day! (Mind you, I guess I could spend less time on here, if something REALLY important needed doing😝 But what is more important than one’s friends?😍)

Sunny, you are certainly right – now we have all lost our “bulk” I am sure we all look taller, even if that is only an illusion. Funnily enough, on the Phoenix thread, someone (I think my big sister, Allie) actually did say that in one of my vintage outfits, I looked “long, lean and gorgeous” which is almost as good as being “tall and willowy” and, smoke and mirrors or not, it definitely made my day😊 (of course, she couldn’t see my face😜)

Essie, what a shame those killer shoes had to go back. I do think heels are such a wonderful rediscovery, as I’ve barely worn them for years. Now that I am slim again, my confidence has been restored and I just LOVE wearing them – I think they make you stand up taller and walk more elegantly. Have to admit though, that wellies and hiking boots are still more my comfort zone though. Has that wonderful vintage jacket arrived yet? Can’t wait to see you wearing it.

Sweet! Let me know how it comes out. I love kimchi and eggs too. I have been known to make lunches out of spinach or arugula dressed with kimchi juice, 4 ml of kalamata olive oil, and a tsp of miso, topped with a hefty dollop of kimchi and chopped up hard-boiled eggs. If I want to make it even lusher, I use three eggs and add half a yolk to the dressing. How can something so simple be such a joy to the tastebuds?

Essie, this qualifies as a positive for me…..I never have to hem pants 🙂 🙂 🙂

This sounds perfect, E! I’m going to whip this up. I always eat hard boiled eggs with kimchi for lunch, so this is
inspired. Thanks!!!

Sarah, I find this discussion on your thread very unfortunate. There are no medical doctors here qualified to give
you medical advice regarding your suitability for this WOE, much less those that have been at it a mere 2 weeks.
With all news things, there is a learning curve that we must all go through. My sincerest advice to you would be
seek out those here that are truly knowledgeable about this WOL. Sunshine-girl, Verano, or Marie123, to name
just a few. There are alot of us “old timers” here who are more than delighted to share our experiences,
anecdotal as they may be. In doing so, we support each other in a positive and loving way.
Come here often, we are always out and about, and look forward to supporting you in every way.
Best to you,

Allie

How lovely to see our thread so active again, and to hear how everyone is doing. You all have such resolve I just know that those who have not yet reached targets will be doing so very soon – this has become a WOL for us now, when on earth did any of us actually stick to a diet for a whole year before?

Abbado, great to hear you sounding so enthusiastic about your continuing weight loss journey, you have done so well, so I know you will shed those last few kg in the next few months. Please keep us posted.

Seasidenana, firstly, Happy 1st BSD Anniversary to you for tomorrow. What an exciting time for you – I bet when you started out last year it never entered your head what a life-changer BSD would prove to be for you! Those last few pounds will definitely disappear before your wedding day, all brides tend to lose weight before their wedding. How very special to have had your dress made by an old friend, I know you will look just stunning, both on the Big Day, and afterwards in St Lucia.

I agree, I’m not sure any of us would have stayed the course without the unswerving friendship and support we have found on this thread. So thank you to everyone, let’s keep it going with regular updates and support – trust me, maintenance is not easy, (though it is very doable) and I think that even those of us who have reached out goals, still need and value the support and encouragement of our BSD family.

Hi there …

How is everyone getting on? I am doing ok ….my work uniform is still too tight but I will get there. I am this for the long haul this time. At least this time Christmas is a long way off as opposed to last time when I started 1st October 2016. I used to like eating yogurt and fruit for breakfast last time but I find it too cold for my digestive system. I have to wake at 5:30 for work too so eating a cold breakfast is hard. So work days I eat porridge, Non work days I try to have a protein based breakfast. I would love I know how you handle the “munchies”😂 any good ideas for snacks would be most welcome.
Hope to hear all you news….

MIss ZIggy

Victoria, how cool that you’re so tall. Kids are terrible and will push all the buttons they can find, but I bet all those petite girls secretly stared in awe at your towering height. I got a pair of ridiculously hot red patent leather platform pumps a while back that were 4.5 inches high. I had to return them because the toes were pinchy while the heel slipped off, but when I first put them on and stood up, I saw the world from Allie’s viewpoint for a moment and I LOVED IT. I hugged my OH and we were the same height! What a rush. I teetered into the kitchen just to experience the sheer joy of reaching the second sheft without having to stand on my tippy toes. 😀

No matter what height you are, finding clothes that fit can be a challenge. My hip to waist ratio works for vintage fashion much better than it used to when I was at this weight as a young woman, but the sleeves are almost always long, and sometimes the placement of the waist is way off. For new clothes I buy petites religiously to combat both those issues, and even then I can’t tell you how many pants I’ve had to hem.

The main aim of the diet is for T2 diabetics to kick start their pancreas to produce insulin again and reduce their blood sugar to such an extent that they can prevent, come off or reduce medication. It was never meant as a weight loss plan for the sole reason of losing weight but to reduce blood sugar. This morning my blood sugar was 3.6 and I dont say I have low blood sugar, I say yippee the diet is working and reduce my medication so I get back around 4.5. This is a continual process as once I reduce my insulin the results will go up but continuing on the plan will bring it down again so I can further reduce my insulin. It is also for pre-diabetics to prevent them from slipping into full diabetes. So this diet is for Sarah until her blood sugar is well regulated and the pre-diabetes diagnosis is given is reversed by her doctor. Dangerously low blood sugar in non-diabetics is rare and is covered by certain medical conditions not addressed here.

The carb count for your home ferment may be even lower, depending on which veggies you used. What else is in there besides the cabbage? One of my favorite brands uses napa cabbage, sea vegetables (another thing I’m crazy about), chili peppers, green onions, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger. It has the same carb count as the addictively delicious Gold Mine Allie mentioned, 2 grams per 1/4 cup, but has a higher calorie count of 20. I always eat at least 1/4 cup at a time, plus more of the juice which I can and have quaffed on its own like I was doing shots in college.

As Allie wisely points out, your IBS requires some caution. I would suggest first having it as part of a larger meal that you know doesn’t irritate your insides, a simple thing, like having it on the side of a grilled chicken breast, say, or turkey sausage. Something you’ve made plenty of times would be ideal. That way you can be certain that if you have any IBS reaction, you need to use the kimchi more sparingly.

To inaugurate your great success, here’s one of my favorite recipes that uses kimchi in small amounts, is totally BSD friendly and it is beyond scrumptious. This is guest quality, and that’s saying something because I make a ton of sloppy things for myself that I wouldn’t serve to guests.

Doubly Devilish Eggs

6T kimchi, drained and chopped finely
12 eggs, hard-boiled
4 strips cooked to crispiness bacon (I use turkey to keep the calories lower, but pork bacon is the best for texture and flavor), drained and chopped into little bits
2T mayonnaise
1T Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp + a pinch smoked paprika
two or three chives, chopped

Cut the boiled halves in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Mash them up thoroughly with a fork. Add 5T of the kimchi, the mayo and mustard, the bacon bits, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix through thoroughly. Taste and adjust for spicing.

Heap the yolk mixture into a spoon and place inside the cavity of the egg whites. Top with the remaining T of kimchi, the chives and a light dusting of more paprika for that classic deviled egg look.

Thanks so much, really appreciate that! 🙂 have a great weekend x

YSYG, it’s not a unique point of view! It’s clearly talked about in the book. This diet is NOT recommended for everyone, and in particular it’s not recommended for type-1 diabetics and those with low blood sugar.

And although rapid weight loss is a feature of the diet, it’s not the goal of it. The goal is the regulation of blood sugar to prevent prediabetes and diabetes.

Thank you Allie. I was thinking something along those lines too. I think the taste is amazing but when you first take the lid off, the smell really hits you between the eyes lol.

Thanks for the cal/carb count too!

Lots of love
Mary
xxx

Good news on your blood sugars sunshine girl. Well done. I’m full of lurgy and a sore throat so q miserable bunny at the mo. Will weigh in as usual on Tuesday but not being too diligent!

Hi, Mary, glad to hear that you latest batch of kimchi is a success. As you say, Essie is the recognized expert
on all things fermented. If this is any help, the brand of I kimchi I enjoy specifies 1/4 cup as a serving. With your
IBS, maybe it would be wise to start off a bit on the cautious side until you see how it affects you? I’m crazy about
the stuff!!! FYI: 1/4c = 10 cal. and 2 carbs.

Best,

Allie

thanks everyone 🙂

When I was first on BSD I was in here everyday posting updates and my food diary, but I just don’t have the time for that now. I also want it to blend into my life and become normal rather than a big deal if that makes sense. I will post regular updates though, probably a few times/week anyway, but I’m only going to log weight and measurements at the end of each month.

I watched Saturday Kitchen and have half a celeriac in the fridge so I am going to roast it in the oven when I cook a chicken tomorrow. Weight is the same today but BG is quite low at 3.8 so will reduce insulin AGAIN tonight. This is going so well. Have a good weekend everyone.

Some lovely positives there JackieM – love the story about the underwear. It’s so good to be able to wear things that we have had to side line, but had held on to as it had a particular value or significance to us.

Your talk of needing to buy new bras, reminded me of the ‘smalls for all’ charity – please see attached http://www.smallsforall.org/
Was thinking if anyone is looking to get rid of any bras still in good condition, they might like to consider passing them on to this charity – just a thought.

On the subject of boring. When I was about 19 I went to my first therapy session and it became clear I had to chose between high drama and being ‘normal’. Believe it or not, it took a while to decide. I came down on the side of ‘normal’ even though i regretfully suspected it would be boring. But I do not regret it one iota. So here’s to boring!

My biggest positive today is weight related, kind of. Back in the day when I worked in the city and had loads of disposable income I bought myself the loveliest lingerie (not sexy, but lovely) just for me. No major events are associTed with the underwear other than I loved it and kept it even though I haven’t been able to wear it for years.

Well yes, you’ve guessed it, I have it on! And it is still lovely, the positive is not the weight but getting to wear something I really value.

Which leads to second positive, I need to go buy some new underwear as I only have 1 bra that fits now. And a bitter sweet one, which is that I have a drawer full of large clothes that I love but it’s time to let them go so I can fill it with things that fit.

Third positive is dog doesn’t jump up anymore – big one that as it’s mortifying when he does – he’s 6 months and the size of a full grown Labrador.

Hi Strawberry13 – as the body adjusts, weight loss will fluctuate and sometimes stall, but don’t worry because these are phases and will pass. Bear in mind though that some of us – me included – lose more slowly than others, but as you say if you keep doing what you’re doing, weight loss will definitely happen.

Have a good w/e.

Hey Izzy, sounds like you have made a solid start and that using your gentle approach is working just fine. It is so important to find a way to make the BSD work for our bodies and our lifestyles and it would seem you found an ideal way for you. Like Allie, I love your ‘small steps are big enough for me’ line and I’m sure there are many who feel the same way – me included.

Keep up the good work and be sure to let us know how you are getting on.

I know what you mean, Nick, sometimes boring can give us the peace and space to just be and recharge. There was a time in my life, I felt my life was boring and bland and wanted it to be more interesting, but there are many types of interesting and the interesting I got was not fun. Now, years later, I’m so grateful for a life that others might consider boring.

Struggling to find positives today, as having eaten too much when we went for a curry last night, I’m feeling cr++py today. Totally self inflicted and not worthy of sympathy of course. Anyway, today I won’t eat unless I feel physically hungry and hopefully a few cups of ginger tea will help to settle my digestive system in the meantime.

Right now though, I’ll see if I can identify some small positives:

1) Enjoyed the company of friends last evening, was good to catch up with them.
2) Watered my orchids this morning and there are eight now in bloom after a fallow period (I have approx. thirty orchids about a third of which are babies at the moment.)
3) Going to do a bit of housework now, as I think moving about a little might make be feel better, so I’m off to vac the carpets.

Bless you Cathy, what lovely words 🙂
The friendship and support on here has been amazing, and it’s lovely to think that although you are at the finish line Cathy you’re still supporting those of us who aren’t quite there yet!

Thank you so much for your prompt reply Esnecca…I know from your posts you are the queen of fermenting! I have tasted it and I am very pleased with it. My next question is…what is the best amount to eat daily and is it better on an empty stomach?

Thank you again for your help.

Love
Mary
xxx

Isn’t it silly that we are so self critical when it comes to height, as that is something we simply can’t change or impact in any real way. Yes, us ‘shorties’ can wear heals and those taller amongst us can wear flats and slouch, but we all know these are just ‘smoke and mirrors’. I would love to be tall and willowy, but was doomed to be short and over the years I have come to accept this fact and embrace it.

What is important though, is we’ve all taken control and made a huge change where we could, by changing our bulk and our health. And you know, now that I have lost a goodly portion of body mass, I think I look much less dumpy and so there is perhaps the illusion that I look a little taller for that too.

Allie – glad things have settled with your weight now and thanks for the invitation to pop in on the Phoenix thread – I might well do just that.

Have a good w/e everyone.

SueBlue

Lose 18 in 2018 is so doable and I know you will do it! There is no way you’re giving up with the support of this thread behind you. There are still a few on here who are going to achieve their goal this year and I am going to support every single one of you. To me, you’re all friends and we are on this journey together. I am at the finish line but I am waiting for you and will help you over the finish line and then we can all stand on the podium together and get our gold medals!

Morning all,

today -0.8lb, 😀

Picked at some pizza yesterday, but trying not to be derailed. Need not to be all or nothing.

Have a good one today.

x

How are you all getting on, have you had a good week?
I am measuring myself once a week, when I get up on a Sunday, can’t wait to see the results tomorrow.
I have been weighing myself each morning though and was getting a little dispondent not having lost for a couple of days, then this morning another 2lbs off, yay! I feel like dancing on the rooftops (think that might be a mixed metaphor but it’s how I feel).
I’ll let you know about the cms tomorrow.
Have a good day everyone!

Abbado

Only just read your post- had internet connection problems. You sound so positive for your new start on 26th January and I know that you will be able to achieve your goal with such a positive attitude. You’ve done so well on your journey and you will easily get that 13 kg off by chipping away. This way of eating works! I will enjoy following your journey on this thread and will be right behind you cheering you and any others still here working hard to achieve their dream. 2018 is going To be your year!

Cathy

Seasidenana
Happy Birthday/Happy anniversary

Your post made me feel so happy and actually brought a tear to my eye. I can tell how happy you are and I am so thrilled for you. How fantastic to be starting a new life with your lovely new fiancé and being slim and so happy. You will easily get the last 7lb off for your wedding and honeymoon! Congratulations to you! I can remember quite distinctly our early posts to each other and wow we’ve come a long way. I am maintaining well and am going to lose 3lb in February so I’ve got a bit of extra slack for high days and holidays! My son gets married in June so that will be a massive celebration!

please keep posting with your news both BSD and wedding. What a fantastic thread this has been for us all.

This thread made such a difference to my weight loss and I am so happy to have shared my journey with such lovely, supportive friends.

Keep plodding everyone who is still working hard – this will be the year you achieve your goal!

Cathy

Thanks Guys, yes Allie everyone needs to find the right combination for their own brain lol, because most of any new routine is determined by the brain really.

Mine is a bit shit, just saying.

I’ve found this website quite interesting https://www.dietdoctor.com/ and may try a few recipes, I’ll report back as to how they go…

Hello everyone I would like to add my voice to all the thanks others have given to you Theodora, you have helped so much with your inspiration and advice. Thank you to all the January 2017 starters as well as we have made this journey together and celebrated our success.

I started on 21 January because it’s my birthday on 19 January and I had a night out to celebrate first. I did 8 weeks on no alcohol and 800 calories, low carb. After that I did low carb and under 1200 calories for several months. After that I met my husband to be, so the weight loss slowed down due to drinking lots of wine on dates! Since my start date I lost a total of 43 lbs. in the last couple of months my weight has been stable, which bodes well for future maintenance, but I’m still 7 lbs from goal. I have been gaining and losing the same 1lb for weeks !

Today I’m starting another round of 8 weeks 800 calorie low carb and no alcohol. I need to detox, and I need to finally make my goal in time for the wedding. Yesterday I tried on my wedding dress, made by my lovely friend I’ve known since I was 15. She cried when she saw me in it ! The dress is quite unique and also top secret!

(Husband to be was banished to the pub while we did the fitting). The dress looks lovely, but will be lovelier still with 7 lbs off !

My lovely fiancé is going to join me on the no alcohol front, and he quite often joins me with low carb menus as
well. Hopefully we will be “beach ready” by the time we go on honeymoon. The wedding is 21 April. We fly to St
Lucia a week later.

Best of luck to everyone on this WOE for 2018. Let’s hope we all finally reach our goals, and those already there keep going. It’s been so inspiring to make this journey with you all.

Jackie – Yes, from a previous post I think we are similar heights. I’m 5′ 2″ and my BMI range goes from 7st 3lbs to 9st 11lbs (approx. 46kg to 62kg). Even as a slim 19 year old I was never 7st 3lbs. My natural weight then was between 8st 4lbs and 8st 7lbs (52kg – 54kg).

I’m a whisker away from the top of my healthy weight range. Once there I’ll aim for 9st. Then, I’ll see.
I’ve also been measuring my body fat & visceral fat levels, so these, and my waist measurement, will help me determine my goal weight. More recently, I’ve been concentrating on getting a better balance into my diet – as you say being healthy, in the end, is what it’s all about.

I know you’re on top of all these things, Jackie. You’ve done so well, and I’ve no doubt you’ll get the cholesterol sorted, too.

NB Your doctor sounds great.

Hi, I haven’t continued studying this week either, as I got bored. Must make the effort this next week

Thanks ladies, I do try very hard to be tall and proud, but after a childhood of being told by my parents to hide it and not stick out and teenage of being bullied for it at school (I was 5 ft 11in at the age of 13) sometimes it just catches me unawares. If I see a picture of myself with friends maybe and am head and shoulders above them, or when I see lovely jackets like the YSL one posted on another thread that I could never wear because my body is too long. It always used to annoy me that the models that wear these clothes are my height but the ones sold in the shops seem to be for people who are about 5ft 6in.

Never mind, just have to make one myself, that’s why I learnt to sew in the first place, I just stopped when I was working because I didn’t have the time. Now retired so should have the time, although it doesn’t always seem to work like that!

Hi Theo I’ve not continued that course this week but I have it permanent access from last year so no need to rush. I have to say that I’m not enjoying it so far I was hoping it would improve!

I dry-toast a mix of sunflower hearts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds then use them as a healthy alternative to croutons in salad
SSB

Theodora I believe the curse (definitely a curse) is “May you live in interesting times.”

Spread over the past three days:
1. We went to Cronulla beach a couple of days ago to walk along the esplanade which was lovely. It was hot but not unbearably so, but the UV was high and I was worried that I or my daughter would get sunburned despite our care – but we didn’t.
2. I spent an hour this morning gardening before it got too hot, Tim mowed the lawn, and it’s looking tidy.
3. Recently we’ve been working on the stuff in the garage, we gave some to charity, got council to do a pick-up of junk, and yesterday swept it out and tidied the remainder like bikes and the lawn mower. All done.

When cooking roast butternut pumpkin (for my husband, I don’t like it) I roast the seeds also with a little oil and salt. Delicious, with shells still on! The kids love them too. I don’t know if unshelled would work for bigger pumpkins or if they weren’t fresh.

That is so badass of you, Mary. You didn’t let two questionable outings deter you and now the third time looks to be the charm. Well done!

As far as whether it’s ready that’s a matter of taste more than anything. If the cabbage is translucent or at least more yellow than its original green, if it’s soft but not slimey and most importantly, if it’s sour enough for your preference, then go ahead and call it. If you want to double-check with a more objective determinant of whether the kimchi is properly fermented, get a pH strip and test the brine. It needs to be solidly on the acidic side. The dividing line is a 4.6 pH. If your strips report acidity levels below 4.6, you can rest assured that you’ve cracked the kimchi code had a successful ferment. It sounds just right from your description, though. I think you can move it to the fridge and chow down with confidence.

Congratulations on your new bouncing baby billions of probiotics! 😀

Me too, I love toasted pepitas, sprinkled over salad gives a lovely crunch. Mind you, I’m getting so weird I ‘activated’ a batch yesterday prior to toasting. Oh and I don’t use oil, just dry toast them in a pan until popping.

It is the little things in life that should be fully embraced and treasured. Not to say that cartwheels and loud cheering is needed over ever little event or moment but to feel some happiness/fulfilment for ourselves and others.
I feel from a male prospective that we more often than not totally miss this understanding and often misread what we should do and what we end up normally doing.
We may label somethings as boring but essential it’s these moments that allow us to be us, comfortable in our skin and sleep peacefully when our heads hit the pillow.
So I now too allow myself to be a little ‘boring’

Waffle over.

Hi Victoria, it’s wonderful to meet another “rangey” lady! Congratulations on being half way to your target. We so
often speak in “stones” on this forum, but those figures can be a little misleading with discrepancies in height.
I always find that “current BMI” is a much better indicator of where we are on our journey. When I was a child, being
taller than average made me self conscious, but all that changed at about the age of 14. By my late teens into
my early 20’s I was even able to make extra spending money doing some modeling, nothing that would ever be
considered a “career path”, but much appreciated at the time:) We get dealt the genetic hand that we are dealt,
so wear it with pride. A goal of 12 stone sounds very sensible to me for your height. I’m at 137-138lbs, which
is exactly in the middle of the healthy range for me, and at that, my o/h still thinks I’ve gone too far. I look thin
to slender, so I’m stopping here. The most marvelous part of it all is that I feel 40 years younger. What’s a bit
of loose skin, after all??

Hey, Theo, good to catch up with you today! Your Mother sounds a lot like mine. I guess this shouldn’t
really surprise us though, we are alike in too many ways to count 🙂 I’m definitely going to try the lemon
steeping suggestion. Using the coffee mug to keep my hands warm is not working out all that well…after
3 cups, my stomach starts to rebel! I’m glad everything has steadied for you too. I really can appreciate the
lovely long walks you take with your o/h and the boys, after the wonderful picture you posted. Enjoy your
weekend..If I know you, it will be filled with friends and laughter, and a glass or two 🙂 Wish we could barge
in on your social life, it sounds just about perfect to me 🙂 🙂 🙂 Oh, glad you liked my lace flats! It seems that
we have the same hair style, too. Surprise, surprise!!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Allie

Aww Jackie, what lovely, simple, every day positives. I think that sometimes we look too hard, fail to find, and ignore the lovely things that are staring us in the face.😊

And trust me, there is far more about me that is boring than interesting – but don’t the Chinese have a proverb (or maybe a curse?) about “interesting”? So, frankly, I’m happy to settle for “boring”😉

Victoria, how absolutely wonderful to be 5’11”. Stand tall and proud😊

My lovely daughter-in-law is the same fantastic height as you – she jokes that she only married my son because he was the only guy she ever dated whom she knew she could marry wearing stilletoes and still look small and dainty, which she did, though she towered above her dad – but to get back to the point, height is a gift, so enjoy!!!😀 Wish someone had granted me that gift but, at 68, I guess my growing days are over and I’ll have to settle for the paltry 5’4″ I measure these days (used to be 5’5″ so I’m known as the
incredible shrinking woman – in more ways than one 😱)

I repeat – stand tall and proud 😊

So happy to have seen this post! I’m completing day 5 of week 2 and first week lost 9.5lb and was obviously delighted… this week just 1.5lb as of this morning. I definitely feel different… I wore a dress today that I haven’t in months, as an example. But I’m glad to see that it is a common thing and not just me. I knew it wouldn’t come off at that rate constantly… but, I’d hoped it wouldn’t slow as soon as 2 weeks.
But, I have faith and am doing all the right things. It’s going to be pretty impossible to continue what I’m doing, without losing weight.

Have a great weekend everybody!!

Hi Alliecat, if you feel Amazonian at 5ft 7 what does the make me at 5ft 11? I won’t sensibly get below 11st 7lbs, and probably 12st. Worrying about my height, and thinking I had to hide it, is what started all these problems so many years ago. This time I’m going to enjoy being slim and tall.

Allie, nowhere is it written that the water has to be cold! I often pour boiling water onto several lemon slices and let it brew for a few minutes when the weather is cold, then Ive got a nice warm drink. And when weather is really cold I can never bring myself to drink water straight front tap – brrrrr – so once I drink one glass, I refill and let it stand so that it gets to room temp before next glass is due.

Pleased to hear you have stopped that worrying decline and are holding steady. And nothing wrong with Amazons – have always wanted a few extra inches in height 😉

Sunshine-girl, I am having a similar issue at the moment if I want to eat fresh seasonal and local. I know freezers are not super common in France, but I am eating out of my freezer at the moment. I have asparagus, broccoli, green beans, courgette, etc. that I froze when they were in season. For fresh veg, I am eating a fair bit of cabbage at the moment. One thing that we are lucky to have here is a lot of different types of sprouts. Mung bean sprouts work well for cooked dishes; quite nice in stirfry with baby corn, but also nice in things like curries. I can get them in the supermarket, but you can also sprout your own on the counter quite easily. I am also about to start a batch of mixed sprouts to be used in salads. On the fruit side we are lucky to have local kiwifruit at the moment although they will soon be finished. I’m enjoying the odd one of those.
A few more weeks and there should start to be some salad greens and mustard greens coming available, especially if you have growers nearby that use polytunnels. I have been known to consume quite large quantities of nettles in the spring as they come up before a lot of the garden vegetables and are very nutritious.

Hello, Izzy, and welcome home! You have no doubt seen all of the new faces here. “small steps are big enough
for me” is a marvelous saying, definitely a “keeper” 🙂 I think it’s destined to become a classic. I’m one of those
all or nothing personality types myself, so I went after my goals like a crazy zealot. It only took me 17 years to
get started! However, I managed to lose 50+% of myself, and have maintained my losses for 9 months. We’re
all different however, and you clearly know what is best for you. I’m looking forward to getting to know you…
We all have something to add to this wonderful forum.

Best wishes,

Allie