Esnecca, thank you so much for your amazing, thought provoking response! I don’t think I will ever look at my self sabotaging in the same way again. Not going to give in to it this time. Pushing through to find new ground.

Reminds me of a very early Simpson’s quote:

Bart:
How could you, Krusty? I never lend my name to an inferior product.

Krusty:
(gasps and sobs) They drove a dump truck full of money up to my house! I’m not made of stone!

Hi YSYG don’t dismiss cauliflower steaks, they are quite tasty (although I’ve never bought any, just cut up a cauliflower). Brush with oil and any spices/herbs you fancy and roast in the oven – delish 😉. There is actually a thread (use the search box as I can’t add a link at the moment) 101 ways with cauliflower, it might give you a few new ideas.

Fair warning: tomatoes are very high in sugar. I still eat them when they’re in season (my father is an avid gardener and raises spectacular heirlooms every year), but no more than 2 oz at a time, mostly in Caprese form with buffalo milk mozzarella and all it’s lovely fat to offset the sugar hit.

Good luck finding killer olive oil. If there are any international markets — Middle Eastern, Greek, Italian — that’s where you’re likeliest to find the small manufacturers with the highest quality products. You want the oil to be green. Not yellow, not light green, an intense, dark Robin Hood green.

While you’re out and about, look for grass-fed pasture-raised butter too. You can tell at a glance that it’s not like regular butter because it is deep yellow and has an almost tangy finish. A teaspoon of that added to broccoli with a grating of Parmigiano Reggiano and you’ll get a ton of flavor for comparatively little cost in calories. I once had mashed cauli for dinner — literally a plate laden with mashed cauli — with a well of melted grass-fed butter in the middle. It was pure sumptuousness. Good luck!

…and MM next week talking about carbs for breakfast or carbs for dinner – really?!

He is so annoying. Smugly announces that he lost his weight by cutting out carbs, but makes money telling others to eat low fat, even going to the lengths of recommending that awful 1 cal per spray oil. Talk about do as I say, not as I do. His scrambled eggs looked quite nice though, as did the courgette fritters.

I’m off to look for strong flavoured olive oil. Can’t wait for the more interesting varieties of tomato to come back into the shops – I ate pounds of the huge coeur de boeuf tomatoes they had in M&S last year.

One other thing I find really helpful is cauliflower. Mashed cauli was a revelation to me with the taste so different from the conventional veg where the florets seem to be stone cold the minute they hit the plate. It seems to thicken soup really well too. I draw the line at the latest M&S offering of cauliflower steak though.

JGwen, regarding the underlying issue of getting enough protein on a low carb veggie diet, have you explored tofu and hemp products? What about whey (assuming you’re not vegan) protein? Chlorella? Spirulina? Algae in general are protein powerhouses. There’s a gram of protein per gram of chlorella powder. You could easily get half of your daily ideal protein in a single smoothie using a combination of hemp/nut/soy milk, dried and powdered algae, silken soy or hemp tofu, whey or plant protein, raw cacao nibs and whatever other flavor elements you enjoy. Beans are not the be all-end all of options for vegetarian proteins. It’s just what people are used to relying on until they find they’ve put on 50 pounds despite their “healthy” diet. That’s how it was for me, at any rate.

That’s so cool, Sandy, thank you! I don’t know how I wound up a motto person, but between “act as if,” “eyes on the prize” and “not one step backwards,” I have come to realize that certain refrains can resonate deeply enough to be a motivational shortcut in getting over day-to-day obstacles. I’m pleased as punch you’ve found it helpful on occasion too. By all means, stalk on. 😀

Just caught a snippet of Tom Kerridge – baked apple on pastry and a dish served with white rice! Have the state food police kidnapped his family…..? 😡
SSB

My two cents..I’m a newbie to the BSD, but not to low carb. I’ve read many books and internet articles over the years. I have found that there are experts out there (Rob Wolff – Paleo guru, as an example) who recommend BSM testing as a good way to fine tune a persons’ diet – even for non-diabetics. Especially after we are at a desirable weight. Since all “good” carbs aren’t created equal with our own chemistry, my body may favor sweet potato over blueberries or oatmeal. If I had the same breakfast of say 2 scrambled eggs in butter with sauteed spinach and 1/2 avocado.. and then each day added one of the above at the end.. and had differing results on the monitor 2 hours post meal – wouldn’t that be an indication? All else is equal, so even if it’s not absolutely correct, it would provide some useful data.

Last time I was serious about low carb I bought a basic BSM, the strips and learned what carbier foods I could get away with. Note, I wasn’t and am not currently VERY low carb or keto.. If I was keto I wouldn’t be trying the foods mentioned – but I’ve been averaging at about 30 net a day. I’m not playing around with legumes yet, but eventually will and will take out my trusty BSM and see what it says.. A few years ago, I didn’t stick with LC long enough to make any long lasting dietary tweaks.. but, I hope to this time..

TC, your post about eating in the toilets has made me howl with laughter!! As quite a shy person in certain social situations, I can totally identify with the embarrassment of drawing attention by ‘being awkward’ and not going with the majority. This was touched on in one of Esnecca’s posts in the Santa’s Elves thread, which I’ve just spent the last 15 minutes hunting down! If you do a search on ‘Act as if Victoria’, you’ll find it easily. Act as if really stuck in my mind, and I’ve been trying to ‘Act as if’ ever since, with some degree of success. Have a look, you may find it useful. And Esnecca, I’m really not stalking you, honest! Just find your experience and advice so helpful and constructive…along with all you other amazing people on here x

Hi, all! As a non diabetic, this conversation today has been very interesting
from a strictly intellectual point of view. LTC, I’m going to be quite curious
to hear how your body reacts, so please remember to post the results of
your tests. I flirted with the idea of blood testing when I was trying to
work out what levels of ketones I had, particularly after reading how
unreliable ketone strips were. The entire exercise was moot, because I
felt such a dramatic change in my energy levels after 10 days of <20
carbs, because that was the day that I entered into that desirable state
of fat burning. I’m always interested in increasing my knowledge however,
so thank you to everyone participating in this discussion today!

Esnecca I love your post about the chain reaction!!

Part of me is starting to wonder if life is too short ……. for all this testing etc. If not absolutely necessary!

Can I also add that the more current thinking is to look at the insulin response versus the blood glucose level for non diabetics. To do that, you essentially are looking at ketone levels that drop when insulin is triggered by a certain foods. This is more important for weight loss and addressing insulin resistance as some foods trigger an insulin response that do not cause a rise in blood glucose….high injestion of meat for example, hense the often heard caution about keeping your animal based protein intake moderate.

The ketone tester are not that expensive ($50 for tester and a starter set of test strips) but the test strips are quite pricy. I recently bought a pack of 30 for $50. Ouch. But I wanted to see for myself how my body was reacting to various foods, especailly meats and fishes and exactly how big the reaction to moderate inclusion of pulses in my diet.

The testers can do both ketones and glucose, depending on which type of strip you are using.

I am just getting started on all of this and want to establish a baseline at different times of the day, but will let you all know what I am finding after I get enough readings to make some sense of it. And of course there are going to be differences from one person to another. I truely feel I am very sensitive to carbs, at least refined ones. But I want to see what the response is to low carbs with/without fats and to carbs that are very high in fiber. I want to see data and let that dicate future food choices.

I will add one more voice in support of higher fat. I have no regrets whatsoever of ditching the carbs to make room for healthy fats. The fats go hand in hand with more veg on your plate…you are eating broccoli with butter, and roasted veges drizzled with EV olive oil. That and moderate protein and you have the basis for a very healthy diet high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. And fiber fiber fiber. Very few dieters are happy muching raw celery sticks for long. Toss a bunch of broccoli or cauliflower or brussels sprouts ….or all at the same time….onto a sheet pan and roast then at high heat for 20-30 min….add spices and olive oil and you have a satisfying feast.

The fats also do not trigger a rise in insulin….they are the most metbolically benign of all the foods you could eat.

Its a huge change in your thinking….but look at the total calorie count and not the volume on your plate. An avocado smashed on low carb toast and drizzled with some olive oil, salt & a squeeze of lime (and maybe a bit of hot sauce) is amazingly filling and so very very good for you.

A broiled chop or piece of fish with a huge salad on the side nicely dressed (well coated but not dripping) will keep you full …promise you.

JGwen, I looking into something similar a few months back when I was considering testing my BS reaction to certain foods (beets, primarily, because I love them so much and miss them) to see if they could reintroduced once I was at goal. S-g told me much the same thing she’s telling you now, and my initial forays into the home testing kits confirmed that the results were really only significant and useable for people with diabetes because the blood glucose spikes and valleys can quickly become medical emergencies.

I haven’t researched home testing devices thoroughly, but I find it hard to believe that any of them could truly replicate the results of a constant monitor used in a study. They are not even remotely in the same neighborhood of accuracy and they rely on self-testing at varied times, so the data gathered is on a completely different scale as well. It’s like the difference between the mapping of an individual’s genome and the ancestry DNA kits people buy to find out the ostensible percentage of their ethic makeup. One is a precision instrument; one is a lumbering lummox that is so often wildly off-base that they should be legally required to admit to the sampling error rate.

Hi Sunshine-girl and Marie123.

Thank you for your insights into using a blood sugar home testing kit. First of all I should mention a couple of points, my work nowadays isn’t office based, so I only get the option of reading the forums and responding once a day, when each day depends on the work of that day. So yesterday it was in the morning and today its in the evening. Secondly I am an Aspie, (Aspergers is the high end functioning version of Autism, – think of every scientist and engineer or geek with poor social skills and truthful to a fault and you are thinking about the 1 in 48 of the population who is an Aspie.) Its just a difference in brain wiring which means we notice patterns more than the average person, continue to ask why all the time, but are not as proficient at other skills as other people.

I have been a vegi all my life since very early childhood, meat fat causes projectile vomiting and fish is one of the few things that has as a scent I can pick up and it stinks. Despite having a low cal diet, (so low that on two separate occasions NHS nutritionalist’s I have been referred to by my GP have decided I am a liar. They decided my food diary must be false because I couldn’t be that fat if it was accurate.) I have fought my weight all my life, now I realise that it was the carbs of the bread, potatoes, etc which bulked out the fruit and veg heavy diet which was the problem.

Its really difficult to stick under 20g of carbs and have enough protein for a vegi. I can do it for a short period, but its not a lifestyle I could sustain for long term. I picked up a low carb cookery book the other day and most meals involving beans and pulses were in the 40 to 70 grams of carb per portion. So my logic is that I need to find out more about other ways of reducing the impact on blood sugar levels of different food groups. I found the research in Israel which linked the ratio of gut bacteria to have specific foods impacted on blood sugar levels very interesting. They fitted a blood sugar monitor to participants in their trial which constantly monitored blood sugar levels and response to sleeping, exercise as well as food, and the participants supplied a food diary. That trial has come to an end, but reading through all the information including the papers published, I came across the suggestion that people could use home blood sugar kits to replicate the process for themselves. So thats why I asked about others experiences of using home based blood sugar kits.

A couple of links you may find interesting are http://newsite.personalnutrition.org/WebSite/Home.aspx (The website for the Israel research) and http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sarah, some of us find that we became a little dizzy upon rising, and
some extra sea salt on your food (good for the mineral trace elements)
is really useful, particularly with 3 liters of water a day stripping some
of the salts from your body. Hope this helps!

Allie

Hello again, You snooze you gain! Trying to save calories by eliminating
healthy fats like avocado, olive oil and nuts because they are calorie dense
will work at cross purposes to success on this WOE. This is a low carb,
moderate protein, high fat program. Like my fellow maintainers have
said, it’s quite easy to include fats at every meal, as long as you exert
careful portion control over them, i.e., 1/2 small avocado, 8-10 almonds,
a tbs of seeds, etc. They are instrumental in managing hunger as well.
A secondary gain is beautiful skin, hair and nails! If you are finding it
challenging to work out your macros, please ask for help. There is always
someone around who would be happy to help you figure this out 🙂

Best,

Allie

I use MyFitnessPal. If you’re in the UK, Fat Secret might be better for you because its database has GB brands and uses the British labelling system. Several forum members have reported finding it easier to navigate as well.

Whichever app you choose, keep in mind that you should be counting carb grams as well as calories. In fact, the carb count is probably more important than the calories, and you might be shocked to find out how high in carbohydrates certain foods we think of as healthy “freebies” really are, onions, tomatoes, beets, etc.

Good luck!

No s-g I think you put a very well reasoned case I just reinforced your argument!

Hi V, just wanted to say, I wish I could have said it as succinctly, I always go all around the houses and then back again.

Not really. Portion control fixes everything. I bought the smallest avocadoes I can find and eat half of one instead of the whole thing. My cheese limit was 2 oz a day total. I just measured everything to be sure I didn’t cross the 800 calorie limit. I also found easy ways to trim the fat (literally!) in things like salad dressing and veggie sautees. For instance I used to use a tablespoon of olive oil for a salad dressing. Now it’s less than a teaspoon. I use a strongly flavored artisan kalamata oil to make sure I don’t lose deliciousness, and add bulk with a fake mayo I make out of silken tofu. It has the emulsifying power of the oil in 8 calories and .25 gram carbs in a tablespoon (15 grams).

Food combinations are also key. If you’re going to enjoy a higher fat lunch, for example, then make a dinner that’s focused on veg and lean proteins. Sometimes I’ll do a cheesy lunch, for example, and then for dinner have a giant salad with arugula, cucumbers, miso dressing and smoked whitefish. If you plan your menu, there are no nasty shocks and you can indulge in the healthy fats without worrying about calorie count.

Then again, I did the 800 calories regimen for 14 months, so I had plenty of time to come up with systems that worked for me. Now I’m in maintenance and I don’t count calories anymore, but I still measure so I can keep the carbs extremely low. Besides, I’m used to the process and I like knowing for a fact what I’m eating and how much of it.

My advice would be go for the fats anyway and just get used to eating smaller quantities than you used to. It is really good for satiety and I have pretty well trained myself to recognise what a healthy portion of one of the healthy fats is using this method which I am finding very useful now I am maintaining.

Condolences Grannyvee.

I have found celeriac makes pretty good oven chips and cubed it also makes a good enough for substitute for potatoes if making a roast. There are a million recipes online. I just put some oil and seasoning a dots of butter on them. About 50min at 220.

Broccoli mash with plenty of butter or crème fraiche is a revelation.

Thank you – I hadn’t considered my salt intake, I rarely use it in cooking or to my plate.

Does anyone else have problems balancing the low cal and high fat elements here? I find myself avoiding things like avocado, cheese and oils because of the high cal value. I console myself with the thought that I know it’s only 8 weeks of combining low carb with low cal.

Just reading the book and starting out. Can anyone recommend a good calorie counter app?

Theo, I had much the same reaction as you to the material in week one. I’ve done so much reading on nutrition since 2016 that there wasn’t much I hadn’t encountered before. I was glad to see the cautious approach to thorny issues like whether saturated fat really does cause high cholesterol, and the emphasis on vegetable cellulose as the primary source of fiber rather than wheat. That’s one of the things I’ve encountered most frequently in conversations about this WoE: if you don’t eat bread/oats, where do you get fiber? People are so weirdly convinced that bread is high in fiber when it’s actually dismally bad, whole wheat, multigrain, Ezekial bread, you name it. It all sucks compared to spinach.

To my eternal shame, I tanked the protein question on the quiz. I mean, tanked it hard. Like I picked the right answer dead last.

Hi Sarah, well done on your 4lbs, and sorry to hear about the funeral.
In addition to what Allie and Esnecca have said, you may want to try increasing your salt intake a bit. If you are drinking lots of water, you will likely need more, and that should help with the need for the loo and the headache.

Hi JulesB, and welcome to the forums and the depth and breadth of
knowledge and support waiting for you here. Being a part of this
community is the secret weapon we all share! You’ve taken the first
step in acknowledging your self sabatoge, and I salute you for that 🙂
From time to time there have been other discussions here on that very
subject. One of the more thought provoking comments was the following:
Rather than fear of failure, could it be fear of success???
It’s good to meet you. If you have time in your life to join one of the active
challenge threads, then you will meet other newbies, those on their way,
and most importantly, maintainers. We’ve all been where you are and
are more than happy to share what has made us successful.
Best of luck to you, Jules!

Allie

Sorry Theoi promise to do a little more and report back!

Carole I think the course starting next week may be a bit more interesting than this one ….. we will have to wait and see!

I just want to add that I agree with sunshine-girl when it comes to the BSM question. I do have T2, now in remission and controlled by diet alone, but I realised very early on that the only reliable measure was the HbA1c. There are so many variables that affect blood sugar that unless you need to prick your finger several times a day because you use insulin, why would you? It really serves no reliable measure and is a bit like weighing several times a day, leads only to frustration because of all the fluctuations and serves no real purpose.

Hi guys,
Thanks for posting about this course.
I’ve signed up for the one starting on the 15th

Hey, V – some study buddy you’ve turned out to be😉😜😊😘 I have done quite a lot today because I was supposed to be out with friends all day, but it was unexpectedly cancelled, so found myself with a very unusual free day. Now, a free day could be spent on Futurelearn, or catching up with much neglected housework…………………no brainer!😝

I’m now up to 1:19 – benefits of fibre. After that, only 2 more to go to finish this week, and those are a quiz and a summary of week 1. Frankly, I’ve whizzed through week one because most of the information given, I was already aware of. So, so far, not learned an awful lot of new stuff – hopefully this will improve in future weeks. But will be interesting to see how much I do actually know when I take the quiz😝

Jules, have you ever heard of nuclear physicist Louis Slotin? He worked on the atomic bomb during WWII and was known for a practice he called “tickling the dragon’s tail,” in which he placed fissionable materials closer and closer together to study the build-up to the chain reaction. The idea was to observe closely and separate them before the chain reaction and inevitable massive explosion. One time the reaction began faster than he’d expected and he had to physically separate the materials with his bare hands to keep the southwestern United States from turning into a mushroom cloud. He died of radiation poisoning shortly thereafter.

The seed crackers, the other things you’ve bought when you achieve a weight loss goal, that’s your version of tickling the dragon’s tail. Because it’s well-embedded in your psyche, I think you need to fight it in a very mindful, aggressive way. Talk to yourself, remind yourself of the inevitable shame spiral that ensues, and most of all, acknowledge and accept that you are a different person now. You are not the secret cracker binge person. These dirty little assignations in pay-by-the-hour motels don’t work for you anymore. You are about health, strength, committment, focus and holy crap are you all about results. Those loss figures speak for themselves. They’re the best rebuttal in the world to a self-destructive impulse.

You can do it!

I’m sorry, Sarah. Funerals can be deeply upsetting even when you don’t have the triggering associations you have. Very well done confronting the pain you’re in a face-to-face way instead of trying to numb it with food. It’s a big part of making the changes you need in your life a permanent thing instead of a trick to lose weight.

Regarding the bathroom, your bladder will adjust and you’ll have to pee less frequently. I have found, however, that when I need to go I need to GO. The days of me being able to hold it for hours are over. I drink too constantly for that.

Forgot to post here on weigh day yesterday so coming clean now. 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.
This reminded me that years ago, when doing slimming world from a lower start weight I managed to get down to 9st 13 too and only stayed their for a couple of days, then over time ended up way heavier than start point. Seems I sabotage myself when at lowest weight. Odd, need to work on this.

Hi Sarah, I’m sorry you’ve had such an emotional day, but congratulations
on your 4 lb. loss and not using food or drink to medicate your emotions.
I always have a hard time at funerals, for the same reasons that you do.
I have to fight so hard to control my emotions (which I usually fail at!), and
sometimes I don’t even know the deceased! If your headache persists, it
might also be attributable to the onset of “carb flu”. Some have this
experience, some don’t, but it’s generally short lived and all that you can
do is wait til it passes.
Good luck to you, Sarah. Keep us posted!

Allie

Marie123, I’ve been meaning to pick up on something you posted on our previous challenge re BMI i.e. “It struck me as I’m also 5ft 2in you saying you were still overweight BMI. I use the UK NHS BMI calculator and according to that at 61.3kg you would now be in the healthy weight BMI category.”

I know I mentioned 5’2″ but I was always about 1/2inch less than that and lately I’ve been thinking that I’ve become shorter with age (now 73) so I dug out a spirit level and had my taller son hold it on the top of my head and mark the door (this was a method I used when a WW leader because I was usually a lot shorter than anyone whose height I was trying to measure accurately). Mhm, now a smidge under 5ft or just on 152cm. It doesn’t help with my BMI, lol, as, according to the 3 different sites I used, plus doing it manually, I still need to get down to 57.7kg for the very top of the healthy range. Oh well, at least it made me double check, Marie, and know exactly where I stand, so thank you.

Had a great day, today, in many ways, then made it harder to get to my re-stated BMI by delving into chocolate, and not the helpful dark kind. Feel horrible…..Sigh….

Just come back from a funeral and feel rubbish. It brought back memories of the funerals of both my parents, the emotions have led to a crashing headache.

Good news is that I am sticking to the plan and have retreated to the furthest point from the fridge as possible

Yes Theo I’ve not looked at it since Monday …. shame on me but I will catch up…. promise!

I’m a second timer too – but new to the forums. I did the 800 calorie diet last year, stuck to it rigidly and lost 2.5 stones. My blood sugars went down and almost normal. But after the diet I found it hard switching to a more sustainable eating pattern and binged for the rest of the year 🙁
I now resolve to make it work this time – this is my second week and so far so good.
I look forward to hearing and sharing updates – and good luck with the holiday.

Hi Victoria – I agree, so far I’m not sure I have learned anything that I didn’t know, but then a lot of BSDers have already read a fair bit on nutrition.

I agree about the fats (though they are doing the same for sugars), and I am making comments at almost every opportunity to the contrary, but there don’t seem to be comments from other BSDers I am following. Maybe that’s just because I am ahead of you all? Perhaps I should backtrack and look.

Well said Squidge! I started to watch the program but just got bored.

For anybody interested there is a second helping of Tom Kerridge tonight if you can stand it! But, it will be followed by another slice of Trust me I’m a Doctor, much more palatable!

Hi, just started the carbs. I usually do first thing it in the morning with my first coffee, but I had to go for a blood test so didn’t have tone this morning. Will catch up tomorrow. I’ve leant a few things so far, but am finding it a bit simple. They also seem to be pushing the standard fats are bad line with just a nod to the fact that new research might be saying something different.

Hi – not a lot of action on here, so just wondered how my study buddies are doing?

I’ve just finished the carb section (1:14) so am over half way through the first week.

I just completed my first week and lost 5lbs and I find that blueberries with strawberries in Greek yoghurt really satisfies the sweet tooth. Herbal tea (pomegranate) is also great however I must note it’s clear that if I wanted to cheat say once or twice every two weeks as long as it’s not a massive carb or sweet intake I will still see the pounds fall off so don’t feel too guilty if u can not avoid a treat here and there.