Ooh! Now there’s a thought, Esnecca, thank you – plus a nice milky drink before bed may have the added benefit of helping me sleep. You may notice that I’m replying to your post in the early hours 😉

Sorry about muddling you and MnM, I knew SOMEONE had mentioned the metabolism boosting effect of reverse dieting.

I can empathise with you on the clothes buying front. It’s turning into somewhat of an addiction. Just yesterday, along with my new bras, I treated myself to another new dress (never used to wear dresses) a couple of jumpers and yes, you got it………another pair of really cute boots😉

Theodora, I believe it was MixnMatch who got all the way up to 2500 cals a day on her reverse diet. I’ve been doing my version much more slowly and am still below 1000. Like you and Allie, I have no desire to cram more food down my gullet, and I quite like that I can only tolerate small portions these days before I get full. It’s like a security system.

Your continuing losses are troubling, however. Since you seem to be more comfortable with a glass of wine than a square of chocolate, how about trying to drink your calories? It doesn’t have to be something sugary or acoholic or an additive to coffee. I had a lovely glass of hemp milk for dessert the other night with a drop of cheesecake flavoring and a teaspoon of vanilla powder. It was scrumptious. There are all kinds of unsweetened non-dairy milks out there that would make a delicious treat, and you can drink a lot more cashew milk than you can eat cashews.

Lord help me, I cannot stop buying new clothes. The first shopping spree I went on was in September when I finally crossed the threshold into the healthy BMI category and it was still warm. Now it’s gotten cold and I have less than zero tolerance for it so I had to buy sweaters and silk long johns and waterproof boots and an ultra-warm coat. Then that led me to an insatiable thirst for cute booties to go with all my ankle pants and the cute cropped hems on my jeans! I can’t have my ankles exposed to the cold, can I? Obviously the only solution is to buy every bootie in sight, the more embroidery and happy colors the better.

I figure I barely bought a stitch for 20 years because the options were so god-awful and the process so humiliating, so now that I’m a normal person who can go into normal stores and buy normal clothes, I’m making up for lost time. 😀

Yay and giant congratulatory fireworks CC on attaining your goal! That is wonderful and I know you’ve been plugging away at it for a long time as I have read your posts and followed your progress.
This is wonderful news!! You go girl!

****that was obviously meant to read 36GG in my previous post. Sorry for the typo.

I was having steel cut oats cooked up with lots of water (1 cup of oats to 5-6 cups of water) and this would last me about 10 days when mixed up with some seeds and/or nuts and some berries and greek yogurt. I was finding that my carbs were quite high though, so I have started using 1 Tbsp of chia and 2 Tbsp of flax mixed with some almond milk, greek yogurt and berries and that is much lower in carbs and keeps me satisfied much longer. It also doesn’t require any cooking. You can cover the chia and flax with almond milk in a jar and leave it overnight, or I mix it up when I get up in the morning and it is ready at 10am when I eat breakfast on my morning break at work. It tastes different from porridge but I still like it a lot.
I have also been experimenting with the broccoli bread in the recipe section. The first time I made it as the recipe said. It worked quite well but was a bit fragile for transporting. This last time, I substituted some of the almond flour with flax and added a bit of grated cheese and it held together much better and I found the flax made it a bit “breadier”. I’m going to keep experimenting as I am trying to cut down my cheese intake, and although I don’t really crave the carbs from bread, I do find I miss the yeasty flavour. I may try using some nutritional yeast in it and see what that is like.

Whoa, Seasidenana, how great to hear from you, and so good to know you are plodding on, despite all the exciting developments in your life. Moving house is so stressful – we have attempted to downsize on at least half a dozen occasions but, halfway through clearing out the family home have chickened out and decided we just cannot face it! I know the reason for your move is far more cheerful, but it must be stressful nevertheless, so good on you to keep plodding away at BSD and you will look absolutely gorgeous in both your wedding dress and your swim suit in the Caribbean. Go girl, you only live once, after all.

Cathy, yet again, I’ll bring on the dancing girls (or boys) to celebrate your wonderful achievement. Don’t be offended if I call you a tortoise – remember the story about the tortoise and the hare? I have a feeling that you, if anyone, will still be slim and lithe this time next year and, probably for years to come. So HUGE congratulations to you. And to SueBlue too, who is another shining example of keeping on keeping on.

So pleased that we have managed to revive our January thread and have a goodly compliment of keeper-onners reporting in. xx

To sue blue

Thanks for posting that link, very interesting reading, knowledge is power.

Hi Juliet,
So glad you are feeling better and thanks for the update re breakfast. X

Hello all : )

Apologies for not posting the past few days. I really have been feeling dreadful and by the time I sat down at night and had time to post I felt so washed out I couldn’t face writing! I’ve been aching all over. had a painful face – under my eyes, in my cheek bones, muscles. I’ve felt sick (can’t spell naus…nauseu..) dizzy, light headed and hungry. And today (day 5) – all change – yippee!! I’ve felt great, no hunger and really positive and in control. So for anyone just starting off – do persevere through these initial few days – your body is adjusting to the massive changes you are putting in place for the long term and that’s worth putting up with for a few days. It will get better!

Pinkclare12 – Hi! You were asking about breakfast – in the book MM says you don’t have to have breakfast, do whatever suits you best. Since doing the BSD last year I never have breakfast and regularly fast from around 6.30pm until 12.30pm the next day when my daughter comes home from school for lunch. I find the mornings very easy to get through on just coffee, lots of water and the occasional mug of Bouillion if I’m struggling. I notice that once I start eating I feel hungry a lot of the time so putting off that initial meal seems to help me. After that I try and pace myself, drinking fizzy water with a slice of lemon if I’m hungry between meals. I tend to be ravenous by 4pm and that’s when I eat most of my cals and carbs, then a light supper and I’m fine. It doesn’t work every day, but I for one prefer to give breakfast a miss, otherwise for me the day just seems too long for those few carbs!!

Good luck and well done to us all for making it to Friday! Stay good over the weekend : )

Hi Welshannie,
Thanks for your reply and info – hopefully one of the experts may be able to answer the other questions raised.

Stick with it. You will only regret the chocolate! Maybe factor in a square of dark chocolate into your day?

I have just planned the lunch and dinners for the next week. Have added the turkey burgers!

I’ve lost 3lb, but have been doing a bit of exercise (from YouTube) there are some good low level walking ones for just 15 mins that are good to get started!

Good luck and have a fab weekend. Xxx

Jackie, thanks for your concern and, I have to admit that the same thought had crossed my mind. But I had my annual MOT with my doctor just 10 days ago, and they passed me A1 fit – were astounded at how much weight I’d lost and how well I was. I honestly think it is a result of the reverse dieting – I’m sure I remember Esnecca reporting something similar, and that she had to go up to 2500 calories per day before she started putting on weight. Please correct me if I’m misremembering, Esnecca.

But certainly, as it’s a phenomena that my maintenance buddy, Allie, is experiencing too, I’m not overly worried on the health front. I just seriously don’t want to get any thinner.

Allie, your mention of your coccyx made me laugh, albeit sympathetically. I said to o/h just last evening that I was getting more and more uncomfortable sitting for long periods. Not my coccyx though, it’s my pin bones that hurt – at least I always call them “pin bones” because that’s what they are called in dogs – but, having googled the correct term it is apparently my “ischial tuberosities” which are causing me pain! Have to feel for them, they have supported so much weight, with so much padding, for such a long time, it must have come as a bit of a shock to them!!

I have eaten and drunk far more than usual today, so will wait to see what the scales say tomorrow. I went to be measured for new bras today and was gobsmacked to be told I am now a 32″ C – down from a 34G when I hit goal weight, and a 39GG when I started BSD.

Really great to have my January buddy, CC, aboard. Cathy, well done on finally reaching maintenance – been a long old haul for you, but slowly, slowly catchee monkey, as they say. Huge congratulations for sticking with it, and gaining your reward. xx

Hi guys

Five days in.

Warm Welcome Clare

I am new to this diet so will not be able to answer your questions. Hopeful someone will be able to help you. It sounds like you have a very difficult year. And an emotional eater like me.

Years ago when the atikins diet came out, I was able to get test strips from my Dr,s to test for Ketones in my urine which is a by product of your body using up fat stores. You may be able to buy testing kit over the counter.

Skipping breakfast? Not sure about that one. I only started on Monday and by the morning I will eat anything. I hate yogurt but I am enjoying no carb Bircher.

I love salads and veg too. I did the spicy turkey burger for dinner with salad 🥗 but I think I have over eaten on the salad, so an interesting question, how much is too much?. I know you have to be careful with the some of the root veg.

Been so good so far, second good fasting day with blood sugar level at 6,8 this morning. But I have not lost any weight so far. But I can feel the difference with my body. So sticking to it.

Now that I am able to drive again and started back to work.. it is time to start the gym again . Love swimming but not so keen on weights. I do walk my dogs 🐕 but need to come out of my comfort zone.

Found today hard to stay on the straight and narrow so say speak. First day thinking about mars bars! ( even when I ate rubbish, I did not buy mars bars! ) But I need a good result again tomorrow morning with blood sugar level.

Have a great weekend
Welshannie

Brilliant achievement Clarinetcathy – welcome to maintenance. You will love being on maintenance – it’s so good to be able to eat more of the lovely BSD foods.

Isn’t it great also to ditch the big clothes and to see a slim person when you look in the mirror. Although I must admit it did feel a bit weird in the beginning.

Arcticfox, this article explains about carbs and water weight. I can’t remember where it was originally posted but I saved it as I found it interesting.
https://8fit.com/nutrition/glycogen-gluconeogenesis-and-water-weight/

ClarinetCathy – Heartfelt congratulations on your achievement!
Savor it 🙂 I think it’s fantastic that MnM thought to start this thread.
I’m really looking forward to hearing another voice that is figuring
out what is in my opinion the more daunting task, MAINTENANCE.
You have some catching up to do, reading back thru the thread.
It must be wonderful to find some old friends here. Looking
forward to getting to know you!

Allie

There are some lovely porridge recipes in the 8 week BSD recipe book, I love the Pecan Chia porridge and the Apple & Cinammon one. I’ve read that oats can spike blood sugars, but I don’t have diabetes so it’s not a concern for me. Plus the pecan chia one uses only 25g oats for 2 servings.
Talking of porridge, I did make porridge bread once, it was quite easy to make – just oats, Greek yogurt, seeds and oil from memory. I cut it into slices and froze them, and when I felt desperate for a piece of toast I’d have that. To be honest though I rarely feel like bread or toast nowadays, have got used to not eating it.
Do you like mushrooms? Flat mushrooms make a good toast alternative, they are nice baked in the oven with feta, spinach and nutmeg. I sometimes make them the evening before (say when I’m cooking dinner) and then just reheat in the morning, as on a work morning I wouldn’t have time to put the oven on and prep them.
Another breakfast I like is the Simple Egg muffins – I make a batch up on the weekend as it’s a great way to use up leftover veg, cheese etc. they only take 30 seconds to heat up in the microwave in the morning.
Also sometimes I’ll have things like a Ploughmans or Hommus and veggie sticks! I would never have dreamt of eating those sort of foods for breakfast before BSD.

Cathy you certainly proved the old adage “Slow and steady wins the race” is true 🙂
I am happy to keep plodding along slowly. To be honest as I have (or rather had) a large amount of weight to lose I think I would have been worried I’d regain it if I lost it all too quickly. The way I look at it, the race is a marathon rather than a sprint!
Seasidenana – how exciting that you have your wedding and honeymoon in the Caribbean to look forward to, so happy for you 🙂
It is hard to believe that I’m now almost 10 months into my BSD journey – I think next week is Week 44. I’m aiming to try and lose 4-5kg by Christmas, this will put my BMI safely inside the Overweight bracket (from Obese), with a bit of wriggle room to cover the silly season! Then I plan to get straight back on to another 8 week round in January, probably the 2nd week. Then if all goes to plan I should be at my goal weight mid-year, although it could happen quicker if I am able to completely come off of Prednisone.
Thank you Cathy, Theodora, Seasidenana, DCT, Abadoo and everyone else still on this thread. Reading your successes, as well as your trials and tribulations, really does help me stay on track. And then when I read about one of us achieving our goal it’s fantastic! Reading your post Cathy made my day as I know how hard you’ve worked towards reaching your goal 🙂

Welcome to the challenge Seasidenana – lovely to see you join us on here 🙂

I’ve also read about carbs holding water, so your gain is probably “water weight” Arctic fox. I’ve found that every time I eat “off plan” and have a higher carb intake this happens to me. However even when I’ve gained as much as 3kg it’s gone again within days once I eat according to plan again.

Welcome to the maintenance thread CC, good to have you aboard. Well done on persevering to getting to this point and hope you enjoy the new you – you deserve to revel in the new found you.

Like you, I am looking to lose 3lb before Christmas, to gain back my lost wriggle room, which disappeared during my recent holiday. I admit to having been just coasting this week, but intend to get back to paying proper attention to cals and carbs starting Monday. I know I should do it NOW, but I’m still under target weight so will allow myself a little latitude. Also like you, I work to a 16:8 pattern and that seems to suit me very well, but I need to give some attention to the exact cals and carbs I’m consuming for a few weeks I think, to ensure I drop back to my pre-holiday weight.

Anyway, hope you find maintenance easy to drop into. It feels a bit daunting to begin with, but actually, if you broadly stick with the BSD principles even if you are not exact about the cals and carbs, you should be fine.

Have a good w/e and keep us posted on how things go for you from here.

I’m convinced carbs hang on to water and of course, this would show on the scales, so if your carbs have been higher over the three day period that might be a factor. Good hydration is vital, so if you have been in meetings and not drinking as much as usual, that might also show up as fluid retention. Now you are back to properly tracking you cals and carbs, you should find things right themselves quite rapidly, but if it takes a little longer than you might like, don’t get disheartened – it will happen.

Hi Allie

Well, I’ve no idea what happened to my post this morning. I definitely pressed submit?!?

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for your kind and thoughtful response to my post. I’m glad you didn’t mind me jumping in. I did it because I found your post moving.
I’m often moved by what people write on this thread. Of course, there’s also been times when I’ve read something and it’s just made me laugh out loud (but always in a good way!) As you say, it’s always fiercely honest which I think is something to be proud of.

Thanks for the tip, and yours Kazz, about the unsweetened Almond and Soy milk. I’m definitely going to try them. I happened to walk past Holland and Barrett yesterday (UK health food shop) and, bearing in mind what Mary had said about black tea, I bought myself some nettle tea. I remembered years ago a colleague at work having some which I’d quite liked. So, I’m going to try that and use the milk versions as an alternative. Moving forward…….

I’d love to pop on and say hi now and again to you all, thanks. Hope you all have a great weekend.
Marie x

Thanks so much for the encouragement Clarinet Cathy! I’m doing much better with my food choices today now that I’m back home and it is good to hear that the weight does come off quite quickly once you get back on track. I’ve got my meals planned out for today that will put me around 750cal and 50g of carbs, and I think I’ll do the same over the weekend and not weigh myself for a few days and see what happens. It has definitely been a big lesson about having a plan and being prepared when in less than optimal food environments and not just relying on sheer willpower to get me through.

Don’t know why it says SunnyVale typed sunnyb & autotype changed it.sorry x

Thank you SunnyVale your post has encouraged me more x

Arcticfox – as soon as you get back to BSD that 3lb will be gone! Weight loss is a strange science and I havent fathomed it out during my journey. One thing I have always found though is that after a holiday when I have put on a few pounds it has gone within a week. I put 7 lb on in June when I went to Turkey and was devastated but with hard work and determination it was gone in a week. When I went away in September I put on 3 lb and that too was gone quickly. Like you, I thought I’d made really good choices. I reckon that 3lb could be gone by Tuesdays weigh in if you stick to BSD. Don’t beat yourself up about possibly not achieving your goal for the month, just get back on BSD and you might be surprised.

I weighed myself on Tuesday morning and I was down another 0.4kg, which meant I’ve lost 6.4kg or 14lbs (a whole stone!) since starting the last week of September. However, victory was short lived. I was away for 3 days for work and found myself in a really unhealthy food environment. I did a lot of walking and a couple of workouts in the hotel gym, and spent large amounts of time being hungry, but when I weighed myself this morning, I put on 1.4kg or 3lbs. While I’m glad the damage wasn’t greater than this, I am still struggling to see how that could happen. Even though I didn’t stick to 800 cal each day or even 1000 cal each day, and my carb intake was high, I feel that I didn’t go over my daily energy requirement, and yet the scales would suggest that I consumed an extra 3500 cal each day in order to put on that amount of weight, and there is no way that I did that. It took me more than 2 weeks to take off that 1.4kg, so even though I’m back on the program today, I’m really upset to have to be starting over to lose it once again, and I don’t think I’m going to make my goal for the month at this rate.

Hello Everyone

I achieved my goal weight yesterday 133lb as some of you are aware and I’d love to now join you all for further inspiration and support. I am aiming to lose a few more pounds as a buffer and am hoping for 3lb before Christmas. It has taken me a long time to get to goal because I’ve lost weight exceptionally slowly since June but in many ways it may make maintenance a little easier. I am going to read all the posts on here from the start and make notes of what things I need to do going forward. I am planning to do regular 24-42 fasts- am already doing 16:8 and hope that will help with maintenance. It feels so good being a “normal” weight. I know I won’t be silly and undo my hard work by eating the wrong foods. I love this healthy way of eating and never feel hungry so it suits me. I am looking forward to being part of this group and I already know some members because we have shared our journey together. It feels so good to have achieved my goal as there were times when I didn’t think it was possible. Looking forward to reading some top tips on here.

Hello January friends

I am delighted to officially announce on the January thread that I have at last achieved my goal weight of 133 lb. I am so happy. I know some of the January starters have seen my post in a different thread. To be perfectly honest I can’t quite believe that after 10 months and one day I have lost 42 lbs which is a three stone loss. I am now at a BMI of 25 and I plan to lose 3lb more as a buffer prior to Christmas. It has taken me a long time and a lot of determination. Thank you so much to all my lovely friends for the support I’ve had from you all along the way.

Seasidenana- you’ve done so well on your BSD journey. I am thrilled for your new life and getting married and going to the Caribbean for your honeymoon. Who’d have thought all these wonderful things were possible when we set out on our journeys in January.

Abbado- great to know you’re still with the stalwarts on here and going great guns. I hope you enjoy the wedding and I am sure you will look fantastic.

Dreamscometrue- nice to see you back on here and I hope my post inspires you to achieve your dream.

Now that I have achieved my goal I would like to share a pearl of wisdom which I thought about today. It really doesn’t matter how long it takes to achieve our goal. I know that SueBlue like me is a slow loser but once you get to goal it doesn’t matter how long it took. Keep plodding everyone and keep that in mind. We are all different and lose at different rates. When I started BSD I read how effective this way of eating was and that we could all lose weight quickly but I made the mistake of comparing my loss to others and sometimes I was disappointed. Now I am so proud of myself that I kept plodding slowly.

I really hope that my slow and steady journey encourages those still plodding to keep on plodding and chipping away gradually so that you too can achieve your goal.

My favourite thread is the January starters thread because it was the first forum I ever joined and I was so excited to learn about BSD and I had no idea how successful it would be for me. Good luck to everyone still reading the thread. I will be hanging around the forum for support and to encourage and help wherever possible.

Cathy

Thanks Allie — good memory! Yes, I will probably be hiking this weekend because I had to come up to Tahoe to solve a thermostat problem in the house — it is really cold but the snow is high enough so I can hike (snow is currently above 8000 feet).
Sadly though, my OH is in Ireland and my daughter who lives here and is a wonderful hiking companion is in Paris so it’s just me and the dudes (two enthusiastic but not so verbal dogs) so I’m not sure about the beer — i like beer drinking to be social!
Mary, why do people behave like your family members? I cannot understand it but I think it is incredibly cool that your brother apologized so many years later.
I think it is a testament to how mentally healthy you were (and are) that you chose wisely for your husband and created your own strong friendships.
We can’t undo where we get born, but we can go on to create our own positive lives and that is a testament to the good work you did in life.
Oh, and Allie, Dungeness crab season opens here in about one week!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!! I am the queen of crab and I can hardly wait. It is probably the best food on earth AND it is BSD-friendly!! How perfect is that scenario? We make home made mayonnaise to go with it and if I can just resist the sourdough bread, I will be fine. A little Chardonnay though…
I hope the little one (Noodle) is feeling well soon.

Hello everyone and a very Happy Friday!

Thank you all so much for your love and support. I wasn’t aware that my life was so awful until I grew up. I thought everyone went through it. I was 16 when I went to school with blood pouring from my leg, after my father had thrown a bottle at me and it smashed against a wall. A teacher asked me if he ever hit me and I laughed and said “of course”. That was my first inkling that things were not right. You are all correct my Jovis saved me. I met him a month after my dad had died. I was confused and he straightened me out. However, I have always been blessed with good friends and had a particular boyfriend who helped me a lot, before I met Joe.

Anyway…everyone has a past, its best to leave it there. My bestest friend came to visit me today. We have know each other for 49 years. She is my sister in every sense of the word except blood. Like I say. I am a very lucky person.

Allie, I love your description of Napa etc. What a lovely memory. Yes Noodle Day does sound a little funny! Unfortunately, she is quite poorly with a cough and cold at the moment. She is on antibiotics and steam inhalations. My poor DD is looking after her and her husband (bit of a hypochondriac) who also had a cold.

Kazz, I don’t expect a reply to all my posts! Wow what a saving and what willpower to be so good. Make sure you enjoy your time off next week. You deserve it!

Apologies if I have forgotten you. By the way EC…Erin where are you?

Lots of love
Nonna Mary
xxxx

Yes HbA1c is a rough three month average. They say that the lifetime of a blood cell is between 8 and 12 weeks. My cholesterol dropped before I started BSD from 5.2 to 4.5 but I have no idea why. It has stayed in the mid 4s since I’ve been eating this way but I don’t eat prawns often and I only have 70g so I don’t think it will make much difference but I have been eating a lot of cheese, so we will see!

Brilliant!

Yes Verano, all things are truly possible, aren’t they?! So happy that
you are “going for it” 🙂 Best of luck with the blood tests on Mon.
Is it correct that Hbac1 measures a 3 month average? Because of
my husband’s heart condition, we really watch the chloresterol around
here. We’ve both cut out all cheese, and we both have gone from
high levels to optimal ranges. Just a tip if your chloresterol is on
the high side. Shellfish, especially shrimp, is rather high. Strangely,
sea scallops are not. Who knew????

My local organic food store carries them, but you can get them online too. This is the brand I buy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Tangle-Noodle-Company-Noodles/dp/B00CPQ1C54/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1510330187&sr=8-1&keywords=kelp+noodles&dpID=517p%252BFevVnL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

There’s a trick to preparing them, one I discovered through extensive experimentation. They come out of the bag crunchy which doesn’t really work for most noodle dishes. Boiling them like regular pasta won’t soften them unless you do it for ages. My system is fast and easy. You dump out the bag into a collander, untangle the strands and rinse under cold water. Put a tablespoon of baking soda in a large mixing bowl filled with warm water. Stir until it’s dissolved, add the noodles. Let them sit in the baking soda water for 2-4 minutes, depending on how soft you want them. You can see the tension relax and the strands go from taughtly coiled to smooth. Drain. Rinse. Set aside until you’re ready to use them.

Thanks Allie, and to you. I’m actually quite surprised at how easy it is to stay less than 20g without wine! I hadn’t realised I’m doing 15/9 at the moment because I’m not having breakfast and today with prawns, smoked salmon and watercress salad for brunch, and steak, asparagus and broccoli for dinner with a snack of almonds I’m still under 9g. Unbelievable! I hadn’t realised it was even possible but it is. I don’t normally eat all those lovely things in one day just had some left overs in the fridge.

Monday is my next blood test day and I’m just praying that I’ve done enough to stay off metformin. I haven’t put any weight on but I have been having more carbs so it will be interesting to see what both my cholesterol and HbA1c are. Even if my BS is raised I’m going to ask for a further 3 months to control my diabetes with diet again. Next Thursday is D day so almost a week to wait!

Sorry you’re having “that kind of day”, Jackie. Eleven year old boys
wear me out! Hope things improve by evening. A friend of mine
who was an executive in the rag trade always says that “sizing” is
pretty much of a marketing tool anyway, which is why I always use
height and BMI to indicate where I stand. How can we compare
international guidelines anyway? BMI of 25 is fantastic, though.

Have a good weekend!

Allie

Julia, are you gearing up for some long hikes this weekend? I know
that you’re very athletic, compared to me. Will that be with or without
that refreshing glass of beer at the end??? One of the things that
I loved about living out there in the early 70’s was that the weather
was always the same (except for the rainy winters, when they
existed). Every weekend we were either walking in the redwoods
(I’ll never forget that smell!), out at Half Moon Bay, or packing a
picnic of sourdough, cheese and a cracked dungenese crab to
take to Napa. A few stops at the wineries, and we were ready to
spread a blanket with friends on a quiet roadside and open a
bottle of Cabernet. Feast fit for a king! Napa has become a
foodie destination since then, however, and I probably wouldn’t
recognize it today. When husband’s Army deployment ended,
we drove back across the country with a case of Mondavi in the
trunk, thinking we were going to save it for several years. I think
it was gone in 6 months! I blame Cali for our lifetime habit 🙂

Have a splendid weekend…

Love,

Allie

Currently eating disfunctionally due to stress of 11 year old son who’s too ill to be at school but well enough to be thoroughly aggravating. Eating low car, but disfunctionally!

Hey Alliecat, I am BMI 25 right now, currently 63.6kg (fluctuating up and down the 63’s at the moment, as is my way) and 5’3”. Size UK 12 I think, though still wearing size 14. Happily fitted into daughters size 8 coat the other day though! I think 60kg is about right for me but if I don’t get there I’m happy with anything under 64kg.

Verano, wishing you well over the weekend! Great that you managed
20g of carbs yesterday. Until the cocktail hour 🙂 A glass of chardonnay
is 3.8, so you see how I sometimes end up at 30???? I’m either a 0 or
2 glass girl, no half way measures for me!

Time to lift some weights, and throw in a cartwheel for those
with us. Have a great weekend,

Allie

Hi susiwantstobeslimmer

I am sure you will receive a lot of advice in response to your posting. If you follow the Michael Mosley 800 calories a day Blood Sugar Diet as closely as possible for the suggested 8 weeks, you will find that you will lose weight much more quickly than you put it on. The greatest benefit of this diet is the early, rapid and regular weight loss which most of us have experienced. This gives great encouragement and you will see from many postings that this is really encouraging. You can make a big difference in just 8 weeks and it is not as difficult or uncomfortable as you might think! If you haven’t already, read the book and read the postings on this forum, take a deep breath and go for it!

Looking forward to hearing of your progress.

Hi,

I too started on 6th November and was hoping to gain and share info here. After a tough time this year with family illness and bereavement I have pulled on the weight (my fault completely) and now want to start a healthy lifestyle and loose approx 5 stone.

I had a couple of questions hoping someone might help with? Can I skip breakfast and would this help getting into ketosis? Generally happy to skip breakfast in the week, and do something nice at the weekend.

Also, how do you know you are in ketosis and how can you stay in it?

Doing ok so far. Have the book and did the Medi platter for lunch minus the anchovies. Felt really naughty eating all that feta!

Also, is there an approx weight of veg you can add as a side generally for your main meal? I do like veg and tend to eat a lot of it!

Thanks all and good luck. Clare xxx

Kazz, 30 lbs in savings per wk? Now, that’s what I call a NSV!
Put me down for some nail enamel, by the way 🙂

See you tomorrow!

Lots of love,

Allie

Yes, JackieM., I agree! How close are you to 60kg? It looks like
we’re definitely in the same goal range. I’m 5’7″, BMI presently
21.69, US size 6/8.

Best of luck to you!
Allie

Hey there TC – sorry you have been through it a bit, but pleased you seem to have now got yourself into a good pattern of eating which suits your body. Like you, I don’t think fasting would suit me either (although I haven’t tried it in years). For me a two meal pattern seems to work best, with my first meal being between 12 & 2pm and then evening meal between 6 & 8pm. We all need to find a way to make this WOE work for us, to fit in with our lifestyle and suit our bodies – we’re all unique and what works great for one, doesn’t necessarily suit another.

If I’m honest, since getting back from holiday last week and struggling with pretty bad jet lag, I have been coasting on the BSD front and so haven’t made any impact on gaining back my wriggle room again. However, I’m intending to allow myself the rest of this week just sticking to the principles and then really take control again from Tuesday – properly nailing down the cals and carbs, so that I hopefully start to see some real results. Just need to get a battery for my kitchen scales and I’ll be ready to roll again!

Have a good w/e fellow challengers!

Hi Alliecat – I hadn’t realised you were in the same place as Theodora – my fault for skim reading. Was a bit nervous to post, tbh, but it’s worth excluding anything else, at least, isn’t it? I’ve never had to google ‘can’t put on weight’ so don’t know what it can be an indicator of.

when I am 60kg I am going for a check up as certain things like BM have changed. I want to make sure my cholesterol is OK too. Like I say, I am definitely one of the worried well, but if it alleviates your concerns it’s worth doing, right?

Best of luck with however you decide to approach it xx

Hi, Jackie! I know your post isn’t intended for me, but Theodora and
I are in exactly the same place. I’m 12lbs. below target, and it’s really
work, worrying each time I weigh in that I haven’t lost again. It’s
been niggling about in my mind that perhaps I’ve acquired some
problem totally unrelated to BSD. Thanks for posting your opinion.
Definitely something to think about!

Allie

Theodora, is it worth going to the Dr and checking it’s not something unrelated to this WoE? I’m not medical, so not sure what that might be but 1700 cals a day and still losing, it might just be worth checking? Although I guess the average person supposed to be 2000 (but is that true? I don’t know!)

Anyway, don’t mean to be alarmist, and I am a hypochondriac, but it’s probably what I would do. Xx