That’s fun, Jackie! Care to model it for us??? I used to have an 87
year old neighbor that had been on multiple safari expeditions, and
on summer weekends he could be sighted, sitting on his riding mower,
with his pith helmet on, protecting his bald pate from the noon day
sun!

I’m the same Natalie, i just love sleeping now and feel very protective of it. It kicked in quite early for me so I put it down to a combination of low carb and low(no for me) alcohol. I hadn’t really lost enough weight for that to be a contributor.

Very very hard not to obsess about the scales. I caught myself just now trying to count back water drunk yesterday – lordie, that way the path of despair. Time to get out into this beautiful sunshiny, quite mild summer day.

Hi Luvtcook,
Thanks for your answer.
It isn’t about missing the luxury button or living the life of an ascetic. We eat incredibly well and our food is full of flavour.
There is something about a big carb hit that gives me a visceral, hormonal satisfaction that I don’t seem to get from other foods. If I could replicate that feeling without carbs I would be a happy man.
Have you tried the noodles made with konjac root? They have 0 calories and actually are a pretty good spaghetti substitute. They tend to have a fishy smell when you open the package but a good wash gets rid of that. They are one of the few “substitute” foods that I am happy with.
Jan

Oh dear, Thanks for your lovely cheering and well wishing, but it seems I got a bit ahead of myself. This weeks wrap up is very disappointing. Yesterday I was 66.6kg and that deep wailing noise you heard this morning was me looking down at a .7kg gain in the scales this morning. Only change was to spread the calories over three meals and eat to breakfast out. Loads of steps as I enjoyed a day of furniture shopping and browsing with my daughter. Who knows what is going on.

Round 2
Starting Weight 67.5
Week 1 67.3 = -.2 and back into the overweight BMI range at 25.2

I know it’s just not sensible to panic over a single blip on the scales (even one this spectacular) but how maddening! I’m tempted to immediately start a 24 hour fast, but I think as it is early days I will sit tight, stick to 800/20 and just see what this body is actually up to. If it looks like the weight loss is going to be erratic or super slow, I will introduce fasts.

Oh on the bright side another centimetre has nelted from my wait. My hips remain generous!

Flick (and Mariet) it’s crazy isn’t it how we can eat so little and still not lose much! I agree with all you said, it’s not a linear calories-in calories-out process. But it’s hard not to start stressing, trying to work out what I did wrong, any other diet they would say we’re not losing because we’re not eating enough, going into starvation mode etc etc. we know this works, just got to keep going.

My NSV is that I’ve been sleeping soundly which is very unusual for me. That alone (almost) makes the difficult change of lifestyle worth it. I do still find it difficult – my daughter made banana raspberry cupcakes yesterday! And it’s tropical fruit season, the fruit bowl is full!

That’s true Natalie!

Like a few others here I’m disappointed in my loss this week, 0.4 kg. Maybe it’s a week two thing? On the Biggest Loser show they always lost big in week one, not much week two.

Kero believing?? Sorry, KEEP believing! Silly typo!

Laska, this is my second time round too and am losing incredibly slowly but I seem to remember someone on here saying that for some reason that’s just what happens. It’s like you get a ‘free pass’ the first time around, then your body goes, wait a minute! the next time and grimly hangs on to everything. I’m finding it a real effort but finally dropped down into the next kilo bracket this morning so I know it’s still working but at about a quarter of the speed!
We just have to keep in and kero believing. It will definitely happen, though like you I’m astonished at how little I’m eating and how little I’m losing!

Natalie, It is definitely not a competition, but if it were I would win. I have finished this week, Week 1 of Round 2 for me, down a whopping, eye watering 200 grams! Yesterday I was 66.6kg (🤘), tracking nicely for a 1kg loss and wham … 67.3kg this morning. Up .7kg overnight. Overall my calories and food choices were within 800/20 but spread over three instead of my usual two as I ate breakfast out – BSD food only, so who knows what’s going on. Oh dear, back into the overweight BMI range.

I had drafted an encouraging post to you Natalie, reminding that weight loss is not linear, our bodies are complex wonders, a loss is a loss etc. and I still offer those thoughts to you, and I suck them up myself!

Mariet, MEEEE TOOOOOO!

So weekly wrap up –

Starting Weight 67.5
Week 1/9 67.3 = -2

Thank you Angela, and yes it does – I always wondered if people in the Med really did live long lives – and now I know it’s very possible if you eat this way!

Hi Atlas,

I think I was in a very similar situation as yourself this time last year and I have had amazing success with the BSD.

I did the 8 week fast 800 and have eaten low-carb since and have lost 12kg.

I even trained for a half marathon during the 800. The only extra calories I had was an extra pint of semi skimmed milk for the protein post run / exercise. Running without carbs is strange at first but the body adapts. Staying hydrated is WAY more important as is keeping up your salt levels. It’s suggested to drink a pint of salted water an hour before exercise. I hadn’t read that at the time and carried a bottle of salted water on my long runs. Tastes like sea water but I got used to It!

Best, Marty

Week 2weigh in, an increase of 3.2 kgs this week from last week. For an overall increase of 1.4 kgs over the two weeks.
Started back at work from holidays yesterday so hopefully this is a slight glitch and things revert to normal from here on in. Not sure why the massive gain but no good stressing about it. Recording everything that goes in my mouth and weighing everything as I knuckle down for the next six weeks.
Good luck to you all on your journey

Regards

Cameron

Hey Jackie, LOOK OVER THERE OMG!!

*runs to Jackie’s, steals her pith helmet, pulls the raspberry bushes and hauls ass back across the Atlantic*

Not to boast …. but I have a pith helmet 🤗

Hi all 😊

Reporting in 100g up on last week but I don’t know how to take this as each day has varied by a kilo in any direction. On the plus side, back at work yesterday and achieved 10000 steps, not bad as I have a desk job.

Hanging in there and trying to concentrate on things other than food and weight loss. Tonight I am going to a social oil painting group. I used to paint water colours but never tried oils so looking forward to widening my horizons. Good luck all.

Right dug out my old electronic scales and actually found a battery for them !5g ans 10g butter weighed and happy to report that i am confident in MFP size /calories which i have been going on ..
All good.. I will just KOKO..

Sunshine that is a good point, I think i am counting ,and I am logging on on MFP .. but I use the category which says ‘ Butter – Salted, 1 pat (1″ sq, 1/3″ high) and logs that as 36 calories ! Iam now going to go an see what a 10g knob of butter actually looks like and also cut some butter in the MFP measurement and see how much that weighs ..

Cathy that is a really motivating post . Thank you f r takingthe time to post that to me ..Not comparing weight loss with others is quite hard ,but then it fits in with my ‘Perfect of F-it’ personality as described above.. I MUST keep remembering that ! .

. Allie am in awe of your your 10st loss .. You must feel amazing!

Laska

Like you, I lost my weight really slowly last year. It took me 10 months to lose exactly three stone. Some weeks I would stay the same and like you I wondered why. I still don’t know why my weight loss was so slow but if you keep plodding and keep following the BSD 800 you will lose your weight. It’s so difficult keeping motivated when the scales don’t move and it seems like everyone else is losing weight quickly. My advice to you is don’t give up and don’t compare your weight loss with others. It sounds like you’re following the plan, keep drinking water, keep low carb and keep plodding and like me you will get to goal. Once you get to goal you will realise that it doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you get there. I have maintained my loss since end of October and I think that going slowly has its advantages. I didn’t exercise because I can’t and actually I fell and sprained both ankles at one point during the first few months so that hindered me too. Keep positive and it won’t be long before you’re seeing the results. Good luck with your journey. This forum kept me going when I was fed up and I got some great support. Keep plodding Laska, it’s so worth it when you get to goal. I was the tortoise in the race but I didn’t give up and I reached the end and you can too.

That’s a relief Theo – I was thinking along the lines of some torture
undergarment from the middle ages! Who knows what else that you
have hidden in the reccesses of your closet.!
I don’t know if you enjoy classical music, but I heard Vivaldi’s “four
seasons 1/4” when I saw your dress. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Ub5B3lr1F48 I hope that it appears!

xoxo

That is so perfect! Is it packable for safari or best kept for a home-based event? If it’s the latter, you need to find a pretext to wear that dress and the hat at the earliest possible opportunity. As for the heels requirement, there’s an easy solution that keeps you casual and comfy in the day while still being as colorful as you wish: wedges. Wedged espadrilles for spring/summer have been favorites of mine since I was a kid and I still love them, but nowadays oh my god there are soooo many different kinds of wedges from boots to strappy sandals. Go nuts!

Clearly we need to dedicate a few posts to our hat collections. Mine is in an expansion phase, as I’m sure surprises no one. I loved hats as a young woman but most of my old ones don’t really suit me anymore. I have a different face shape now and my head has shrunk enough to make cute riding hats and straw boaters that used to perch jauntily on my noggin fall down to my brows.

I don’t think so, V, because on the Science one I could access all 4 weeks right from the start. Only time will tell however – atm if I click on week 2 it says it will be downloaded next week 😢

I don’t actually have time on my hands atm, quite a frenetic week actually, it was more a comment for “as, or indeed if, and when”. But I have registered to do it in the future, thank you for the recommendation.

Allie – yet again, two nations separated by a common language 😉

A fascinator is one of those “little bits of nonsense” consisting of feathers, net, etc that is more than a headband but less than a hat😊

Come to think of it, I have a proper hat in exactly the same colour which I could also wear with my frivolous confection 😀

Ha, help me, Theo! What, pray tell, is a fascinator??? 🙂 🙂 🙂

Theo just a thought but maybe be you have to comlete all the elements in week 1 before you can access week 2. Yes I am also doing that course but haven’t started it yet. If you’ve got time on your hands try the Liver one!

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.