Good afternoon, my post from yesterday doesn’t seem to have appeared, but never mind – today’s weigh-in went well – I’m down to exactly 75kg so that’s 1.9kg since Saturday. I’m keeping to the 800 calories a day and so far haven’t found myself feeling hungry. I’m sure this has also been massively helped by the lack of alcohol. I’ve slept incredibly well the last two nights and felt more alert this morning than in a long time.

Hello all

Well I’m doing ok on the carb front – not so calorie wise though. Yesterday turned out to be a disaster (although kept under 50g carbs). However, not one to dwell on my pitiful performance, today I started the day at 6am with a 5k run (you heard it here first). After that I fasted until 1pm (having eaten at 7pm last night so 18 hours) and have had a total of 528 calories and 2.8g carbs so far today. Dinner is Hungarian goulash and then swiftly to bed to try to combat the after dinner munchies!

If I can also wade in on the tea front – I can’t drink black tea so when I started BSD I tried a few herbal teas – having NOT been a fan before. I found licorice and peppermint tea and haven’t really looked back. The licorice gives it just a hint of natural sweetness and I have one in the evening after dinner most nights. I only drink one cup of ‘normal’ tea a week, as a treat on a Sunday morning – a splash of milk and (shock horror!) a sweetener!! Maybe this is the route of all my problems, but I doubt it!

China looms – now THERE’S a nation obsessed with tea…..

Hello, Flutetute, and welcome to the forum. You have found
your way to a place of support, caring and wisdom. I agree
with everything that sunshine-girl and SunnyB have shared.
I’ve been practicing this WOL (way of life) for 19 months, 9
of which have been in maintenance. I’ve lost 148 lbs. I didn’t
become obese overnight, and these changes are not a sprint
or a quick fix, but an out and out marathon. Strictly speaking,
you cannot even call it a “plateau” until you’ve been stuck with
no scale movement for 2 weeks. Our bodies have a lot of
adjusting to do, and every experience is different. This is where
you and your partner need to trust in the advice of us “old
timers” who are a little farther down the road, for we are all
positive that this works! If you are carefully weighing and
measuring everything, and drinking 2-3 liters of water daily,
the results will come. My friends here will undoubtedly groan
when I repeat again that I experienced an 18 day plateau two
months in. I had to make adjustments to my net carbs to get
the scale speeding in the right direction. You may have to
consider this also, if you’re not happy with your rate of weight
loss. All things are possible here, so just keep the faith 🙂
Bring any and all of your concerns to us, we’re always happy
to help!

Good luck,

Allie

Hi FluteToot – if you get to the end of week three and you still haven’t lost more, it might be worth checking your carb intake, check you are including enough fats in your meal plan and reviewing your fluid intake. All of these are important factors in losing weight on this regime.

Fingers crossed that you will soon be seeing the pounds dropping again soon. If you’re sticking to the plan, it will happen for sure.

Firstly, this is absolutely the place to come to offload and vent, when things slip out of your control. No one here will judge you for confessing to being human and making mistakes.

Please don’t waste time beating yourself up for something you can’t now alter. You have recognised that you have made an error in judgement and all you can do now is chalk it up to experience, learn from it and move forward on a better path.

Stingle and Yams1979 – refocus and begin afresh. You both KNOW you can do this and we all believe in you too. Keep posting and we’ll keep supporting and encouraging.

Not been around for a couple of days, but have enjoyed reading all the positives here this morning. Theo, how wonderful your OH did his best to shoulder some of the load for you and that he can still surprise you. V, loving your fresh approach and hope it brings you the success you are aiming for – I can particularly relate to your point 2. This is the approach I take now when away. There are often so many variables and trying to lose weight when you have no control over how something is prepared, exactly what is in it and then having to guestimate what might be a sensible portion can be fraught. And your point 3. – think sometimes we all need that little bit of space to regroup and prepare ourselves to make a new start.

My positives for today are:
1) Have been away for a week and managed to stay the same weight – nothing lost, nothing gained.
2) Bought some yummy stuff from the wholefood shop – some super dark chocolate, turmeric ‘latte’ powder, a goats milk gouda and a packet of organic cacao coconut macaroons (for our drive out the Turkey). The turmeric ‘latte’ could become addictive I think!
3) Yesterday we left very happy parents with a refitted bathroom.

It really works for him. It works for me for the first two weeks and then I stop losing anything. I had great success with BSD last time and he is very supportive but at the same time is comfort eating a bit at the moment which makes it harder for me. I’m sure things will balance out soon.

I forgot my bag of salad today!! Remembered everything else for lunch (chopped coriander, chopped radish, rollmop herring) so it wasn’t very filling, although still very tasty. I may need to go out and get some nuts soon though.

I admit to being lucky OH is doing this with me…😁 We tried Atkins a few years ago. It was very effective but couldn’t maintain on it. I used to be ravenous all the time whereas on the BSD I’m rarely hungry…

Busybee, hugs.

Milalin, echoing Marie and Allie, hope you’re ok xx

Hi, Jackie. That’s a marvelous link! I think any and all new to
this WOE would be well served to copy it and give it a home
on the front of the refrig. I’ve already bookmarked the second
link to read later in the day. Many thanks 🙂

Allie

Hi Jax51,

Steps
———
The book says to record how many steps you do over a typical week, then increase by 10% a week up to 10,000 or more (p.119)

Strength
————–
A few minutes first thing in the morning, at least 3 times a week – push-ups, squats, crunches, bicep curls, plank.
One set of 10 reps each in week 1, building to 3 sets by week 4. (p.165)

High Intensity Training
————————————
Three times a week.
Warm up, then go flat out (e.g. on exercise bike) for 10 seconds, then warm down
In week 1, just do 1 burst; gradually build to 2 or 3 20 second bursts by week 8. (p. 170)

HTH! I also checked to see if there is a particular recommendation for frequency of mindfulness practice, but I don’t think there is.

I’m happily consolidating my losses today – got into the healthy weight range a couple of days ago (yay!) and under eleven stone yesterday (double yay!!)

Congratulations to everyone for continuing to show up – it’s great reading the posts and getting involved in everyone’s stories (Laska – great news!)

I got into the habit of one particular breakfast and when I reviewed it it was about 50 calories more than I thought – oops! Possibly just variation between ingredients used by me and whoever works out the recipes.

KOKO and keep on reviewing!

Hello hello hello

I can’t get warm today… it’s 4C, cold wind which is going to get a lot worse over the next day or two. I may have to buy my first ever cardigan for the office – must be the lack of blubber to keep me warm! Has anyone else noticed a similar thing?

Lee – that’s so lucky and very good of this doc to take such a personal interest in your particular situation. I hope things start to move in the right direction for you soon. I envy you the holiday! We sure could all do with warming our bones and feeling the sun on our shoulders. I couldn’t face salad either. I’ve just had roast pork and stirfry veg and a side of bok choy from the restaurant upstairs. Salad will go home with me tonight to have with my dinner.

Hope everyone else is ok?

Kazee xx

Good morning,afternoon or evening, everyone! It’s great to
see so many persevering, inspite of a few stalls along the way.
I think recognizing our triggers is all part of the lifetime changes
that are a part of this WOL. The more we practice them, the
closer we come to making them permanent 🙂
A very happy anniversary to those celebrating, this week! I’ve
had 19 months of practicing this WOL, and celebrations no
longer include a carb/sugar festival of failure for either me or
my o/h. Far more happiness in planning a special evening or
a future trip. No recriminations in the morning, either 🙂 🙂 🙂
Wishing you all continued success!
Marie, you’ve read my mind today! I’ve had Milalin in my thoughts
also. Her major surgery is scheduled for the 25th, so only a week
away. I’d really like to wish her well. Such a brave and inspiring
lady! We’re thinking of you, Milalin…Hugs!

Allie

I think this was the post I meant to post re high fibre low carb

https://www.verywell.com/high-fiber-low-carb-food-list-2242216

And this one talks about bile

https://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/cardiovascular/cholesterol/foods-that-lower-cholesterol2.htm

Hello All – I’m late checking in this week, as we didn’t come home until last night. This morning was my first weigh-in for a week and I can report that I am the same as I was last Tuesday, so nothing lost, nothing gained. I’m okay with that result, as while we have been away from home, I haven’t been weighing, measuring or as stringent as I should have been. Yesterday I know I was under hydrated, which of course doesn’t help either.

Now we are back, I can be a bit more vigilant and get back to weighing myself daily, so I have a good idea where things are headed. I’m not panicked by not having any loss this week, as I have three pounds to drop and still two months to do it. I’m aware though, that I really need to keep any complacency at bay and not allow things to slip, just because there’s not many pounds to shift.

A huge well done to all those who have successfully lost again this week and commiserations to those who were disappointed to find no loss (or even a gain) this week. Now’s the time to double down though and dig deep to make sure of a loss next Tuesday.

Just saw your post, sunshine-girl – supports what I had decided, so thankyou. Am going to keep eating butter, cream and cheese in moderation (like now) and get fibre from dark green veg, other veg, avocado, chia, flax, linseed and the low carb nuts. Yummy!

Thankyou Verano as well, good to hear your experience, which seems to be more normal than mine.

I must stress my fast800 was extremely effective and not devoid of veg, but I think I ate WAY too much cheese and WAY too much processed meat because it was instant and felt like I wanted the fat. And because it was high calorie I don’t think I had much left over for enough veg etc. Partly that was circumstance and partly that was conscious decision to get the weight off really fast without worrying about anything else. Then I realised that my BMs were really not v healthy looking or happening that often and I had to sort that out, which I have done. And now I’m really enjoying all the Ultra healthy food and could not eat Parma ham if you paid me. So I wonder if my cholesterol is a response to that, as it is not the norm on this WoE as others experience shows. Let you know in two weeks.

Ha – brilliant story. The only thing ‘bad’ that is left is the cheese. The problem is my OH is doing Atkins and so is eating cheese like a demon so there’s tons there and he keeps stocking up the supply I think. Trying to convince him to join me on this diet and he’s like ‘I will as soon as I finish all the naughty stuff’. Then buys more.

Thank you for responding. Good to hear from someone else who has been diagnosed recently. I’m due my six-monthly check-up this month so will be interesting to see how the readings compare with those in July. Had the blood test on Monday so fingers crossed this diet is still working. I was supplementing some carbohydrate items with those in the book but am finding it is better the less of those things I have as it just makes me more hungry. Good luck to you too.

I love my GP – just back from seeing her. She agrees everything else apart from my (admittedly extremEly high – 9) cholesterol is in prime condition (blood pressure, weight, every other blood test etc). So we will do another test in a couple of weeks to see if it was a blip and whether the fibre will help, and to exclude thyroid issues. She did not even mention statins! Apparently her dad has read the Kendrick book too 😂

As an addendum, we looked at my cholesterol history and the lowest it’s ever been tested is 5.2, rising to 6.5 last time about 4 years ago. She said they wouldn’t worry until 7.5 at our practice. Also, that I probably have a family history, but I don’t have anyone to ask about that really.

I have already reported this in other threads over the last 2 years but worth repeating. When I started this my total cholesterol was in the 6’s, I am on statins at the top allowable dose and my doctor lectured me every visit – do you eat processed meats – no – do you eat lots of cheese – no – and so it went on. Also my triglycerides were always quite a bit over normal so the usual question – do you drink to excess -no. 3 months after starting this plan my cholesterol was down in the 4’s and triglycerides normal. What do you eat he asks – me, oh fats like butter, oils, cheese. He immediately put to test again in 3 months – 3 months later cholesterol 3.2 and triglycerides well under normal (in a good way). He used to test me annually but now includes it every 3 or 6 months when I go for my HbA1c as he cant quite believe it.

On the subject of fibre it is true it can reduce cholesterol which is why oats is good for you, but on this diet in moderation. You can get fibre from lots of roughage type veg like cabbage, kale, lentils, beans, artichokes, quinoa, peas and so on – so dont opt for the wholegrain cereals – most aren’t really wholegrain as it is a marketing word and, again we are on a low carb diet.

Hi just wanted to add a bit about cholesterol. Mine had never really been high at 5.2 for as long as I can remember but the GP used to fight with me to take statins. I wouldn’t and didn’t . Eating this way my cholesterol dropped to 4.5, 4.8 , 4.5 and then back up to 5.2 last November after following low carb eating for 16 months. The really interesting thing was that although my total figure had increased my good had gone up and my bad down giving me a ratio of 2. Apparently a ratio of less than 3.5 is good. So things maybe happening even if your total figure doesn’t seem great. Just ask your GP about the two levels anyway.

Thanks for the links Jackie.

Hi everyone, funny little coincidence this morning. Jumped on the scales and weighed in at exactly 76kg then took my BG and it was exactly 76 (4.2 in other scale). It reaches another mini goal though one I keep reaching and going back to and that is to be under 12 stone, now 11.13 1/2 lbs. Goodbye 12 I never want to see you again. Just done 30 mins HipHopAbs with Shaun T. It is a good routine as it only lasts 30 mins and you can see the timer going down. Friday is my next exercise day and will try to put in more effort – still doing arms with weights on the days I dont exercise – 100 on each arm at 2kgs.

Have a good day everyone and keep on keeping on…

Mi Marie,

thanks for the ‘nudge’, despite good intentions of an update I lost my password … back on track now. We had a good Christmas, a bit of relaxation of the low carb rule on the day itself, but otherwise we’ve been pretty good (give or take the odd mini mince pie!).

Unsuprisingly perhaps, OH is waiting for things to ‘settle down’ before returning to the GP. That said, a recent home Hba1c test came in at 37 – which is great. OH has to have shoulder surgery in early February, so will aim to test with the GP before then. There are good intentions for maintaining low carb during recovery, but any exercise (or even dog walking) will be severely curtailed for at least a month – which will not help blood sugar management. That said, post-recovery we will be able to combine diet and exercise to manage sugar levels for the first time. Even the GP said the shoulder injury may have contributed to the raised blood sugar in the first place, as OH has become less active to avoid making it hurt, increasing weight and insulin resistance.

Good news is that we’ve had no weight gains, and things are fairly stable. Nicely on target 🙂

How are you getting on? Did you manage to ‘let go’ a little but with one eye on the low carb plan? It’s hard, when you know you are making good progress not to give in to temptation for a ‘treat’ that then becomes a habit again … red wine and chocolate anyone?

Got my first bag of almond flour this morning … off to hunt out some recipes …

Hi Shansu…I sympathise with the left overs from Christmas problem, especially the cheese. On the 1st January I gave away or binned anything that didn’t fit with this way of life. I figured that when I was feeling low I’d crack and eat them. 🤣 And I was justified as the other evening I went looking for a box of Quality Street that I know is somewhere in this house. OH had hidden it and I absolutely couldn’t couldn’t ask him. So I went to bed….

Hi Jackie,

I’ve also got high cholesterol. It was 6.1 in August so will read this with interest. Frustratingly, it wasn’t tested in November when I had my first 3 month Hba1c. The practice nurse told me later I should have asked for it. (Was never told that at my initial appointment!).

Anyway, my focus now, as well as still losing weight, is on getting the balance of my diet right, and improving my cholesterol levels. I’m also going to research it as I go, so will post if I come across anything of interest.
– good luck at the GP.

Oooh another pound off this morning 12.6 .. . Its starting to work!! 🙂
Lesson learnt about weighing everything!!

Ok so yesterday wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. I think because I knew dinner was going to send me over (leftovers from pre-diet), I felt like it gave me licence to overindulge.

On the positive side, I stuck to very low carbs and I was probably around 1100-1200 calories so maybe I’m easing myself into it. Also I did over 14K steps so that’s positive.

And standing on the scales at the beginning of Day 3 to see weight is already shifting is strengthening my resolve (even though I know its just water at this stage).

I’m finding during the day it’s easier (maybe because I’m in the office) but when I get home there’s all that leftover cheese from Xmas. Last time I used to do a post at the end of the day stating what I achieved. Going to try that again from now on.

Me aGain, maybe wrong thread, but I have v high cholesterol and today have been reading links between that and fibre, which as noted above I had issues with. This suggests high soluble fibre can help cholesterol levels, and somewhere I read if you don’t have enough fibre your liver starts producing more cholesterol to sort out excess bile. So maybe my body is still recovering from that abuse a couple months ago.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol/art-20045192

Literally nearly out door to see Dr for follow up session, so feel armed with strong arguments about not having statins and fixing self through low carb high fibre diet.

This morning had Greek yoghurt, macadamia nuts, pecans, chia and flaxseeds. Followed by couple slices apple but that was so sweet I couldn’t eat the whole half I had planned. Maybe I’ll shred a quarter once a week or something. Still, the dog liked it 😁

Milalin – Been thinking about you the last few days. How are you doing?

Hi emu

Wondered how things were going after Christmas and New Year? Is OH having his Hba1c soon?

Let us know how you’re both getting on.

Marie

Yes, me too. I also like some of the stuff in the shop.

Sorry I*m a day late posting, I was feeling cross with myself ( tail between legs), as had put 1.5 lb on due to ‘stress eating anything in my path’ and 1 glass of wine at a party… the wine wasn’t the problem it was the grazing that came with it! along with lots of chatting , I was completely oblivious… learnt my lesson!, but need a plan to manage myself better on a hen party 26th…any suggestions welcome 🤓
Well done everyone, & thank you for the posts they are so helpful.I am learning slowly that I have to keep going & not let failure take the reins. This is the only way I have ever successfully seen the scales move.
learning that milk in your tea is 20 calories is a huge shock, I drink lemon water 1st thing & am replacing some drinks with herbal teas, but I have never counted the milk..I probably had 80 calories yesterday 😱

Can I ask at what stage do I start exercise? Straight away? I seem to remember reading to introduce it slowly?
I walk the dogs & have started back swimming & a few weights at the gym. Id love to do Zumba but reckon I’d eat my arm after it…any thoughts?
Wishing you all a happy ‘hump’ day from sunny Wales 🌞

Jackie – Thanks, I’m trying to be mindful about increasing the fibre in my diet so this will be helpful.

Positives (2 days worth)

1. Got lots of School Governor work done yesterday (it’s a voluntary role, and sometimes feels like busy-work but this felt productive

2. Persuaded husband he was too ill to go to work (cough and cold, but bad one). He went to train station, then came home and is now in bed. He’s stubborn as a mule to this is a big positive,

3. Feel like all the plates are spinning at the moment, even though there’s quite a few of them.

4. Almond milk – used to hate taste, now don’t, means I am enjoying my tea again.

5. Eating healthily, not just low carb. More veg than you can shake a stick at!

6. Haircut tomorrow! Yay!

Thank you for your support Marsie and I don’t take your comments as preaching, just thoughtful and encouraging.
Yesterday turned into a binge both with carbs and wine and today my guts are telling me enough is enough! The long time in the loo and then reading your comments, which are all true, gave me the push to start today and not hover around waiting for next Tuesday.
Thank you!
So here I go again MOODAAT.
X B

thanks angela06, all that pool scooping and cleaning has been worth the effort with the hot spell. Ive got cricket this saturday, hoping weather gods are good to me. have a good one and just one more thing, remember never bloody give up!

Natalie – my daughter’s just started playing lacrosse. It’s brought back so many Malory Towers memories! I loved those books, but definitely didn’t have a Malory Towers childhood here in England either – not just the weather that was different either! Hopefully hers will be like it a bit, in a good way (no midnight feasts on my watch though!) x

Hi all

One of my issues on the Fast800 was keeping … erm … regular. My new mission is to get lots of fibre into my diet. (And am now regular just in case you wondered!) Just found this list of low carb/high fibre foods, thought it would be of use:

https://www.verywell.com/high-fiber-low-carb-food-list-2242216

What lovely uplifting posts from everyone! Happy first birthday Theo it’s a great milestone to reach.
So yesterday I read THE book again, well almost finished, and I think I may try a different method of maybe 4:3 and probably two meals a day, 15:9 which suits me best, I think.

1. I re-read the book and realise that MM offers far more than a rigid 800. You tend to become set on one path but after 6 months of ‘maintainIng’ , instead of losing, I need a new way.
2. I have to be realistic and forget about losing weight when I’m away. It only leads to disappointment and frustration. Staying below my trigger weight is my new goal for holidays.
3. I am going to forget the current challenges and start over next Tuesday (even though I’m still away) with a new journal and a new mindset. I love new journals! Sad I know!

Anyway, hope everyone else is also staying positive.

Hi,

On the drinking tea and coffee with milk subject, I gave up milk in both years ago. It might have been the original Atkins. I now can’t stand milk in either and very rarely drink tea at all. I now overdose on Peppermint tea which keeps me wonderfully hydrated, is warm and tasty.

Looking back Atkins worked brilliantly for me and if I hadn’t allowed myself to be bullied off it be people saying it was faddy and bad for me I probably wouldn’t have diabetes today. Hey ho, can’t rewrite. Just know I’m on the right course now.

Hi Jan, that sounds awful and don’t know if my two cents worth will help but magnesium tablets with your evening meal definitely and (lots if internet info on this one ), a bar of soap in the bed, near your legs. Even those little tablets of hotel soap. Jusr regular soap, not deodorant soap though.
This is mainly for those that suffer leg cramps but give it a go, it’s meant to be very effective and you never know! I think there gave been a few posts about it , but this is just off the top of my head.. good luck, it’s very possibly just your body reacting and adapting and there are some great suggestions to follow x

Hi All

Woke up freezing cold at 4 and now sat in bed, cat in lap and coffee in hand. Somewhat regretting my avocado and feta salad prepared for lunch today. Delish but not exactly warming!!

Mary, hope you and nightie had a fun night 😆

Allie, had my bloods done on Monday, so made an appointment for next week. I’m really lucky as I helped one of the top endocrinologists in the country set up a study last year, so took a chance and emailed him about my condition and he’s been lovely. Told me exactly what tests to ask for and is going to review the report as well as contact my consultant directly. He will also get me in to the best surgeon if that’s what I need. It’s really lovely of him as I certainly couldn’t afford a private consultation and to be fair I’m very pro NHS (bound to be in my job) but I don’t feel guilty about using my contacts!

Tobago on 27th January. Can’t wait! It’s raining there at the minute but at least it’s warm rain 🤣🤣

L x

Bloke41…good morning I was wondering how you were getting on. Your “never bloody give up” inspired me so much last year. I’m so pleased that to hear that you never have done (well apart from the Christmas blip).

Being half asleep here I thought you were talking about Tamworth in the UK…was astonished to hear how hot it was there! I’m a bit slow in the morning! Enjoy the swimming and good luck on the rest of your journey.

Good morning,
Well done, Nick, on breaking the 100kg barrier…
Congratulations to everyone who lost this week and commiserations to those who didn’t…but let’s stick with the plan. Weight loss will happen!

I’m a day late reporting in….total loss this challenge so far is 1.4kgs so I too am still losing Christmas weight and very slowly. Hopefully next week should see an end to it. I’m longing to enter new territory.

I’m following your tea conversation with interest, Flick and Natalie. I don’t eat breakfast but I do drink tea with a little milk and lots of mugs of it. I think I’m going to have to grit my teeth and give up the milk. I drink builder’s tea so it’ll be a big change. And I really do love my tea…

Have a great week!

Hi joannesusan

Sorry for the late reply I’ve been away for a few days and am just catching up on things here.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last August so understand and sympathise with the shock of your initial diagnosis – and yes, I’m exactly the same with alcohol (doesn’t bother me) and chocolate (still a weakness as I also discovered at Christmas). Your initial weight loss and return to normal blood sugar levels are great results!

I’ve used 2 blood glucose monitors which I posted about last week. I’ve copied parts of that post below for info. If you look under Resources above and then scroll down to Helpful Products there are a couple of BG monitors suggested on there. I also spent a lot of time on the diabetes.co.uk forum searching and checking out people’s views on various monitors. Lots of different opinions, I’m afraid. In the end I think you have to go with your best instincts about what will suit you.

Good luck
Marie

Post
I have 2 blood glucose monitors – an SD Codefree and an Accu-Chek Performa Nano. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes at the beginning of August and got the meters at the end of August so have been using them for between 4 & 5 months.

The SD Codefree is the one I use on a daily basis to test before and 2 hours after my meals (so 4 times a day right now). The SD Codefree was recommended by a lot of people on the forum at diabetes.co.uk. There is some general information about the SD Codefree here https://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose-meters/sd-codefree-blood-glucose-meter.html .

One of the reasons people suggest it (probably the main one) is that the test strips are cheap compared to those for some of the other monitors. The starter pack, (which includes the monitor, the lancing device, a few lancets and test strips, is £15.50 (slightly cheaper if you are diabetic). On-going costs include the lancets (£5 per 100) and test strips (£9.23 – 50, £46 – 250). There is also a discount code which is in a number of posts in the diabetes.co.uk forum – easy to find – which will reduce cost of testing strips slightly.

I’ve also got an Accu-Chek Performa Nano which I bought just after the Codefree. I bought it because it was the bg monitor recommended to GP practices to provide for eligible patients in my area and I found it on offer (rare) in a local pharmacy! I’ve used this to record and show my data to clinicians, so e.g. I used it for 2 weeks before my last meeting with the practice nurse and used these numbers rather than the Codefree numbers. I’ve also used it at times to compare with Codefree readings. The Performa Nano starter pack is £24.95 from Boots, (more expensive on Amazon), the test strips are £20 for 50 (Boots, again – didn’t check Amazon).

There is a question about the accuracy of the monitors generally. In my experience, the Codefree readings are consistently higher than the readings from the Performa Nano, (I don’t know, of course, which is more accurate) and I get the odd anomalous reading, more than with the Performa Nano.
All things being equal, I’d prefer the Performa Nano. But the Codefree is much cheaper to run and it does a ‘good enough’ job for me. I’ve found it helpful in seeing the trend in my readings over time (downwards, yeah). It’s also been good at identifying any after meal spikes – equally as good at this as the Performa Nano….

Thanks for posting the link, Flick. It looks an amazing exhibition. I really wish I could see it….

I have read these posts and while you all recommend salt for the cramps, I can’t find anything about the muscle pain. I’m 2 weeks in and have terrible pains in my leg muscles. No cramps, but can hardly walk from the pain. Can anyone fill me in?

Lol I’m the same! When I started drinking more tea I didn’t need to eat as much chocolate, whenever I stop putting sugar in tea I find myself drinking it much less (but I crave chocolate again). It’s clearly the sugar I want, not the caffeine or the tea flavour.

Thank you, marie123. I appreciate it.

Hi Allie, no I mostly just pottered around, sweeping skirting boards and wiping down the odd surface. It was though very exciting and they are now nicely settled in. So I only have myself to blame, I had my first really pain free day last Friday and in my excitment over did it. Mowed lawns, pulled weeds, carried heavy shopping. Really paid for it on Saturday, so it’s back to proper care for a while.

Funny how the scales send little tests. ‘Is that the best you’ve got?’, I growl at them.

I’ve dipped back under 67kg today but only just. Do google the exhibition, it’s on at the Australian National Museum. Actually here’s a link

http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/songlines