Hi Laska, just to stick in my 2 pence worth. Are you counting absolutely everything, for example a 10 gram knob of butter is 70 cals, cherries are 50 cal per 100 grams but sugar dense and how many are a few squares of dark chocolate, i.e. 10g square is around 60 cals. It is easy to forget to add little bits here and there.

I have started my 2nd FL course today – Nutrition and Wellbeing – and, so far at least, I have found it far more interesting than the Science of Nutrition one, but early days. Is anyone else doing this one – if so, what do you think?

Verano, interesting enough, and further to our conversation about all the weeks being available at the same time, the Nutrition and Wellbeing one doesn’t appear to be. This is a shame, as far as I’m concerned, as it means I cannot get ahead when I have more time to devote to it. But you would assume it would be standardised, wouldn’t you? It may be because the Science one is provided by Open University, and the Wellbeing one by Aberdeen University.

Sunny, that is such good news about your mother getting most of her jewellery back, sentimental stuff just cannot be replaced. Also, well done to your o/h for not losing his cool with your father, “helpers” can so often be a hindrance, even when their intentions are good.

My positives – not very exciting today as we’ve had a slightly difficult weekend, but good to see the positives, so here goes…….

1) Finally finished granddaughter’s practise ballet skirts (just hoping they’ll be the last she needs for a while!!)
2) Despite the forecast for heavy rain today, it only drizzled this morning (so I didn’t get soaked walking the dogs 😊) and the sun came out later, so our afternoon walk was in glorious sunshine.
3) Have made a good start on my 2nd Futurelearn course (Nutrition and Wellbeing) and, so far at least, it’s proving far more interesting than the Science of Nutrition one.

Well I know it’s wise not to binge😀 but my lesson was that just that small amount triggered overpowering craving, and at that point wisdom and rationality go out the window. So, avoid the trigger 😉

Essie, my love, you are as usual completely correct. We are all not so much rediscovering ourselves, more discovering whole new us! And the dress does make me feel beautiful, and very feminine.

As far as shoes are concerned, I cannot actually wear flats with it, as it then drags on the ground. I do have a couple of neutral colour low-heeled sandals that I can wear, however. But I agree, if I want to wear it for a “dressy” occasion, I need a fantastic pair of knock-’em-dead heeled sandals, picking out one of the colours. I already have rather a wonderful “fascinator” in the exact turquoisey blue that is in the dress which I had especially made to match another outfit so it would be good to give that another airing, (plus I have a matching pashmina) so I will probably opt for that colour for the sandals – I’ll be keeping my eye open!

Blimey – hadn’t thought of adding a pith helmet to my safari shopping list😝 However, somewhere or other, I probably still have a pair of jodhpurs from a previous life (used to be a very keen rider) which I hadn’t thought of digging out😜

Yes, I agree totally with Allie – you are a bird of paradise, relishing all the bright vivid colours that we have hidden from for so long. I love colour as an accent, but I’m afraid that in general, my actual clothes still verge on black / navy etc!! Though I am getting braver…………….slowly!

Cadburys use coco butter – my daughter is a food scientist and works for them.

Absolutely, Essie..You’re a bird of paradise!

I know what you mean, Theo. I’ve long been more into tailored looks than soft and flowy, but those old patterns don’t matter anymore. All that matters is how great you look in it and how beautiful it makes you feel. Besides, you’re going on safari! It can’t be pith helmets and johdpurs all day, can it? (Note to self: get your hands on a pith helmet and johdpurs stat.) Like Kazz says, a gorgeous summery dress is going to work for you in all sorts of contexts, be it a daytime maxi or an evening gown. Which reminds me, what are you planning shoe-wise? It seems to me you need at least a heeled sandal in bright pink or green and a flat for more casual wear.

I second Allie’s emotion. Our tastes evolve so actively these days that I hardly know what I’m going to like from day to day. When I went shopping with my style guru friend the first week in September, she had to repeatedly nudge me away from black and white. “Just try a color accent piece. This scarf, that cardigan, this jacket.” I resisted her in the beginning, but by the end of the day I was like “Ohh! Bright orange!” And voila, just like that I went from monochrome to color freak.

In a weird way, it matches the evolution of my palate. I like my clothes to tangy just like I like my fermented foods. 😀

Thank you, Laska. It’s good to hear that you have had success with
this WOE in the past. Stay strong, and the results will come 🙂
I lost 10 stone over 10 months with this WOL, but I did hit an 18
day plateau 2 months in. When I dropped the carbs to <20, the
issue completely resolved. We all lose at different rates though.
Most don’t have to go to extremes that I had to, to be successful.
I was sufficiently disabled to be unable to do any exercise until 8
months in. I was somewhat astonished to discover that exercise
had no impact on my rate of loss whatsoever. Obviously great for
the heart and lungs, however. Best of luck to you!

Allie

I know you were referring to the general question of chocolate quality, SunnyB, but on the specific matter of 100% cacao products, ingredient lists are of no aid in conveying the quality of the contents because it’s just a single ingredient. That’s where source and processing methods become paramount. In the end, you pretty much have to be prepared to kiss a bunch of frogs before your find your prince.

oh, and I have been waiting ‘breakfast until about 11am.. each day . so that’s why no lunches. until today when ,l ike I said ,I was ravenous!

Hi Allie yes 2.5 all told since th reboot. I meant unaccountable to me i suppose given the diet guidlines and how it worked for me so well previously….(Ilost about 20lbs when this diet came out 2 years ago now? )

Carbs have been no more than 30 a day , MFP has logged 800 or less most days (with a couple of exceptions but never over 1000) . Ive been having eggs for breakfast scrambled in a bit of butter ,

Nothing or miso soup for lunch , and usually a piece of meat or fish with steamed or roasted veg for dinner .. veg has been variously, cauli, peppers green beans , courgettes, the odd tomato ,

Very little cheese – though i have had some grated on my veg when i haven t had meat or fish.. Im not doing that any more though.. .
I did have a small dish of cherries and strawberries the first week and some cream..and I di dhave a ew squares of dark chocolate the first week none of these since
Loads of water ..

The only thing i can think is that i do very little exercise , apart from walking but that didn’t make a difference before..

I think ill have have to keep on being dogged .. the weight must come off at this level of calories .. I am not diabetic or pre diabetic .. and about 2.5st over weight

Hi – not sure that statement about chocolate in the UK using cheap vegetable oil is quite accurate, this may have been the case in years past, but there are quite tight regulations now – please see attached:

https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/chocguidancejun2009.pdf

There are strict guidelines about what can and can’t be included and how it has to be clearly shown on labelling. That’s not to say some chocolate is not much better quality than others, or contains more or less cocoa solids, sugar etc., but it should be possible to make a reasonably educated guess at which should be the better product, by reading the product contents.

Hello, Laska – I’m intrigued by your statement that your results are
“unaccountable”. Have I understood you correctly when you say that
your total loss since you began 2 weeks ago is 2.5lbs? Maybe we help
you figure out the reason. Do you weigh and measure everything? What
do your macros look like? Water consumption? Carbs? At first glance
and if the day you’ve outlined above is typical, it seems your proteins
are a bit high…I’d like to help, but need more info 🙂

Allie

I’m feeling very pleased with myself – I almost gave in and had toast with my soup at lunchtime BUT I didn’t! I ate my chicken and cauliflower soup mindfully and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure that each time we make a strong choice, it makes the next time easier.
Stay strong ladies! 💪 👍
SSB

hello all .I am keeping the faith despite the fact that I havent lost anything more! – well a brief 3/4 over the weekend which is back on this morning DESPITE 2 days of16.8 fasting and both days being so far under my 800 ls (more like 500) that today I have been ravenous !. Its unaccountable..just 2.5 lb off in two weeks.

So today I have fed the monster 3 eggs with butter for breakfast and a chicken breast and cucumber for lunch . I also intend to have more chicken and veggies for dinner..

Maybe ill get a WHOOSH sometime soon… strange thing is I do ^feel^ a bit lighter …

Hi,

Diabetes.co.uk say normal is 4 to 6 (or 7 if your are diabetic) so you are fine. Unless to are prone to hypoglycaemia or taking meds that can cause it, your body shouldn’t take you too low.

The reading is something to be happy about not something to worry about. Well done

Hi Sarah, since starting this I have reduced my BG from its highest at 11 to a normal of 4.5. At one time I would have said 4.5 was too low and try to stay around 5.0 but I now have no fear of ‘lows’. At one time I was going to give up as I dropped from 11.0 to around 5.5 in about 3 weeks and it scared me to death, but I kept going and have my diabetes under good control.

It is hard to tell someone else what to do as we are not medics but can only speak from my own experience. As you are not on medication you cannot adjust doses up or down so if you are at all worried you might have to increase food. That does not mean going over your calorie allowance or eating sweets or sugary things to up your BG. So, assuming 4.2 is an okay figure, if you go much lower like under 4.0 then you might want to add a couple of prunes to your breakfast just to push it up a little. Maybe check it in the afternoon too, before dinner, I do mine around 6.30 as, if you have not snacked in between lunch and dinner this is a time when you can get lows. Again, if it is too low i.e. under 4.0 then have a small snack like yoghurt and prunes or a slice of ham. As long as you keep a close eye on things at this time and know how you are feeling then you should be okay. I know if I get shaky or blurred vision or numb lips or fingers, it is time to test and eat something. Take care of yourself.

Pcoventry….many congratulations. You must feel so pleased and relieved. It just goes to show how powerful this way of eating is…

The first week has gone well – I’ve lost 6.6lbs and 2.5 inches around my waist, so I am pretty happy. Down side is that my blood sugar is pretty low, 4.2 this morning and I am worried that it is going to continue dropping at the same rate. Given my other health issues I really don’t need to create any new ones

Kelsbells – well done on Day 1. I always think the same about giving them carbs but now give them white bread but only with savoury topping and think at least they feel like they are getting something they like plus we eat way less sugar at home overall. Strangely more relaxed about their diet now mine is sorted.

Am pretty sure you could make carbs way less for children and it would be fine, just they’d need more of the good stuff, especially stuff with fibre. That was where my own fast800 was lacking, I have to make special effort to eat my greens now. And son in particular wouldn’t eat kale or spinach (yet!?)

Keep up good work!

Natalie – 😂😂😂 about the baking daughter and younger son. My daughter is also getting more and more conscious about food, but I think in an informed way, knowing about protein and good fats. I think it’s a good thing. I was obese as a child and desperately unhappy without knowing what to do except not eat (impossible!). whereas she is not and also she is looking at stuff like healthy smoothies, which we then make. If anything I think our WoE is a great help when explaining what is faddy and rubbish out on the great wide inter web.

it should level out if you are not on any medication to lower your sugars

Hi everyone, like VictoriaM I too have hit a plateau. Usually happens when I have a good loss one week and I lost 4lbs last week. I have lost this week but put it back on. Seems strange when I only had 650 calories on Saturday as I had a cauliflower base pizza for lunch and saved some for my snack. Anyway, as we all know our bodies are not machines and have some funny quirks. One for me, and it is around the time of the month, I havent had a period for 20 years but around 14th 15th I get bloated and ratty (ask hubby) so I dont put too much store in a small gain or stagnating. On the other hand my BG is now down to 5.4 so I am back into the good figures. I wont be put off and will continue to stick with the plan happy in the knowledge that it does work and will start to lose again.

See you all tomorrow for the weigh it, good or bad.

I started this diet because my GP informed me that I was Pre-diabetic and I didn’t want to end up medicated. I have been on steroids for 10 years which have contributed to my weight gain.

I am now on W2D1 and my blood sugar has dropped from 6 last week to 4.2 this morning. I am concerned that this drop is going to continue, or is it possible that it will level out?

The weight loss, 6.6lbs has been fantastic however I do not want to put my health at further risk. So am feeling a little confused as to how to proceed.

How did the first week go, Sarah?

I had one lapse (found some Cadbury’s eclairs in my handbag and ate them all) but mostly stuck to the plan and found it a lot easier than I was expecting.

Just thought I’d drop in to say I won’t be posting my end of week 2 results until Wednesday, as we won’t be home until tomorrow night, so I won’t be able to weigh-in tomorrow morning as I normally would.

Been at my folks since Wednesday last week and think I have managed to keep things under control, so hoping at worst to be the same and at best to have lost a little. Ketosticks have consistently shown positive, so I’ll be miffed if I find any gain.

Hope everyone is happy with what the scales tell them tomorrow and I’ll look forward to reading about lots of losses.

Morning all – sorry to have been out of the loop for a few days. We have been staying with my folks, while OH refits their bathroom and does a few other job, like installing an alarm system (I know, bolting the stable door and all that, but gives peace of mind). Anyway, haven’t had the chance to get online much, so haven’t been posting, thought I’d drop in a few positives now though, while I have the chance.

1) Mum has got about 80% of her jewellery back from the burglary.
2) Had a lovely family time yesterday, with son and family visiting us at my folks house.
3) Going to go and trawl a huge health food store this afternoon – hoping to pick up some BSD friendly goodies.

Going to be greedy and have a fourth today:

4) OH has managed not to lose his cool with my Dad’s ‘helping’, while he’s been working! Although it’s come close a couple of times.

Runrascal, be assured that the gain will be retained fluid because of the carb intake. It will right itself over the next few days, just be sure to stick to the 800 and keep the hydration up. Wise not to binge like that though, as it undermines your progress and worst case scenario, could become a slippery slope back to old habits getting a stronghold again.

Keep up the good work and let us know how you get on.

IN November 2017 I went to see my GP for my routine bloods. He asked me what I had been doing because my levels were all normal, infact he told me that my diabetes was gone!. I confessed I had not taken ANY medication since I starting in April – he was shocked. I now have bloods once a year as well as my eye scans as a “precaution” (his words, not mine) but this morning my level was 4.1. I had a full roast dinner the night before. I have no problems with hands or feet, and I no longer feel sluggish and lethargic.

He said he wished he could “get me out there to talk to other patients” – 2 work colleagues also purchased the recipe book and one no longer needs his insulin top up.

All in all, not only do I now eat more tastier foods, but it’s the best money I ever spent, apparently less than 2 standard cups of take away coffee.

I am glad to see more of Michael in the Daily Mail and I always stick up for him and the various methods if needs be, these are no bullshit sensible approaches and it’s possible to do 0 exercise and still lose weight.

All my friends told me coke zero was the problem as to why I had diabetes, and yet I drunk it in high volume every day through the BSD. I also lost 2 stone and It had zero effect on weight.

After years of trying shakes and throttling the calories – I found this 800-1000 a day diet to be not only filling but easy to manage. I mean come on.. Who isn’t full after scoffing green beans? I love green beans!

If it’s good enough for the med then it’s good enough for me!

Hi Sandy13

I tend to try and keep things fairly simple, such as chicken with salad, or steak with salad, fish with veg and then spice up with a bit of chilli or pepper. I am attempting just 2 meals a day, by having two eggs (scrambled or hard boiled) at around 11am (or later if possible) and then have dinner at around 6. I have also been using cauliflower or broccoli rice a lot to go with spaghetti bolognaise, (without the spaghetti), which is vaguely tasty – but is a great replacement for rice or pasta. If you can’t get prepared cauli rice I just stick some florets in the blender and make them into a grain, then pop into the microwave for 2 minutes.

For snacks I may have a small piece of cheese or ham, or even smoked salmon.

Hi JulesB

No wonder you try and do a weeks menu , you can’t have much time to cook. I’ve tried a couple of the recipes from this site, but some seem to be very high in cals. I shall just have to wait till after the 8 weeks are up.

I do like to have 3 meals a day so try & spread the calories.

Hi Sandy13

I have a very sedentary job, which means I sit at a screen for over 9 hours a day. I how now started setting an alarm on my phone to get me up and moving around every hour and get some steps in!

Olive picking sounds more fun!

Hi JulesB,
I know what you mean about the weather, it keeps raining here. We should start olive picking but the rain is putting that on hold, which is a shame, as that’s good enough exercise. The first year we did it we just about stayed awake to eat dinner then we were in bed by 9pm!

I have got an exercise dvd but I’ve left it in the UK, I’ll have to get my son to dig it out & send it.

Hi Sandy13

I have started making a menu plan for the whole week and then go and do a big shop, so I have everything in and not tempted by visiting the shop more than once a week.

I am fairly limited on exercising, but trying to walks 10k steps a day and do a little lifting with dumbells. However it is pouring down today, so I will be pacing up and down inside!

Thank Allie, so eloquent and generous good wishes. I take them as a big virtual hug. In October 2016 I weighed in at 19 stone 4 pounds, having lost around 4 pounds before beginning this way of life. I have maintained a lot, but never gone back to the white carbs!

Kazz I wish I could admit to it being water, but alas, it is still here today. Despite a 24 hour fast yesterday! I just cannot get my head around it. Jovis has lost half a stone and doesn’t even know how (because I feed him healthy food lol). Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair. BUT…3 steps forward, two backwards….for me at least.

Lee, I feel your pain! What a busy day you have in front of you. Take care my friend and enjoy what you can.

Lots of love on my Birthday Eve.

Mary
xxxx

Thanks for the encouragement JulesB, I’m still waiting for my books but just keeping to what I know I like and counting cals/carbs. I write everything down and try to work out the next day or so in advance.

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t started exercising yet! Too cold to swim in the sea so will have to start walking, I guess.

I didn’t lose this morning either, I’m blaming it on the rain and hoping tomorrow will be better. It’s the end of the week weight that counts so maybe I shouldn’t weigh every day.
AMx

After only 2 weeks on the BSD my fasting blood glucose is down from 6.7 to 5 mmol/l. I’ve lost 3.6kg & my blood pressure is down from 140/90 to 120/75. I’m delighted. I’ve had to modify the BSD a bit to take account of the fact I run about 40 miles a week. I just have unsweetened porridge for breakfast.

Day 3. Good morning – a crushing loss of only 0.2kg this morning down to 75.7kg. However, given this is still going down and only just at the very beginning I am happy that it’s going in the right direction. I’ve kept to just under 800kcal each day, have drunk a lot of water and haven’t felt hungry. Even losing just 02.kg a day would shift a kilo a week. STAY POSITIVE! Have a great day everyone.

Thanks Victoria 😊

Hi runrascal. I know how you feel, that’s what happened to me over Christmas. I read comments from older hands here about how that goes with time and I’m looking forward to that. For now I know that I can’t allow myself any slack.

Well done on getting back on to the wagon so quickly

Hi Kazz I weigh daily but use Happy Scale app as it averages out the fluctuations – helps to stem the despair if you get a sudden biggy 😊

2 weeks in and 7 lbs down I “treated” myself to 20 gm of chocolate (fruit and nut). And triggered a massive sugar craving. By my old standards the ensuing binge was pretty moderate, but still came to around 2000 calories over my 800. If ever I needed proof of my sugar addiction this is it. I fasted yesterday with only a 500 calories meal in the evening, but the scales still punished me this morning with a 1.5 lb gain. On the plus side it has taught me a good lesson 😱

Well done Sandy13

I think more than anything a good weight loss says “I can do this” and certainly gives me the motivation to carry on.

Hi all, just finished my first week and have lost 7lbs! Not bad for an old biddy. Have several stones to go though.
I didn’t crave carbs at all and didn’t feel hungry, so really pleased with the week.

I know some of the loss will have been water but hope for another good week.

Well done everyone..

wow, thanks everyone, this is helpful. We do normally eat healthy most of the time in terms of lots of vegies, meat and tofu etc but we do have carbs with most meals – so noodles, pasta, flatbread, potatoes etc. So I will continue to keep up the carbs for him and ditch them for me. Seems strange though if carbs are bad for you, why would I give them to my kid? Everything in moderation, right! Anyway almost through day 1. Quite chuffed. Thanks again for your advice.

Hi everybody.

There’s a lot of really go losses out there, well done to you all.

I’m definitely on a plateau at the moment, having lost my Christmas extra quite quickly I haven’t moved since! That 6 days, so I think I’m due a whoosh some time soon. Sticking to 800/20 and believing it will work.

Non Scales Victories,
My blood sugar has tested between 4.2 and 5.6 since 2nd Jan, so I’m hoping that the doc will reduce my metformin prescription.
I had to go into the loft to get out some things for my amateur dramatic performance, and while I was there I tried on some summer trousers that I couldn’t get anywhere near when I put them away in October. Now they do up, tight and a bit bulgy when I sit down, but a wonderful felling to pull that zip up. I’ve brought them downstairs and will use them as a check as I get smaller. (Jeans aren’t any use as they are already loose, but I’m not buying new ones till I finish).

Hello Squidge

Good to see your weight loss continuing and that you can see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I have much further to go, I want to lose another 2.5 – 3 stone.

My mexican meal at the weekend went very well, and as you suggested we used lettuce to wrap our chicken whilst everyone else had tortillas and I didn’t feel deprived, although I do think that my appetite has subsided and I have lost that constant craving for food.

Have a great week

Hi Traceyanne, I hope you feel better soon and can get onboard properly.
At my biggest (that I would get on the scales for) I was 16st 10Lbs, that was 10 years ago and I lost 4 stone on Slimming World. It’s been a bit roller-coaster since then but I’ve managed to stay around 12st 10lbs for the last 5 years or so but never get much lower.
This diet makes so much sense to me, how carbs make you store fat, and I’m sure we’ll get to our targets. I was 12st 1lb yesterday, I haven’t been that low since my early 20s. My waist is stubbornly still 36.25″, all the inch loss was off my hips & legs, but that’s where I store fat & water!
Bit worried about tomorrow as I’m meeting a friend for lunch, I hope they have salad on the menu, not just sandwiches and jacked spuds!
Have a good day everyone x

Wow everybody you’re doing great! I’m still sort of doing the diet…..the illness is hanging in there. I’m probably still eating less than 800 cals a day because of it but that’s not going to hurt in the long run.
Legend2cv well done on the weight loss so far, a new grandson in March, that’s lovely, I’m sure you’ll be that skinny nana you are hoping for!!!! 🙂
So although I’m not eating the cals I should be, in my head I have officially started the diet. I took my weight and waist measurement and calculated my BMI. Not a pleasant read…so I’ve started at 16st 12lb with a waist measurement of 50 inches and a BMI of 39.2 shocking stuff! But……no more. I will turn this around and lose the weight, I need to for my self respect but also because I want to be around to see my children grow up!!!
I’m in it for the ride…..let’s make it a good one…..wooooo hoooo!!! 🙂