Like many others, I don’t much like the taste of coconut oil for general cooking, but find it works fine for curries and the like. We all have our flavour likes and dislikes though. Some people have been enthusing about liquorice teas, I’m a huge fan of herbal teas, but very much dislike all the ones containing liquorice. I’m not sure what it is about it in tea, as I’m okay with liquorice sweets (not that I actually eat such things anymore).

Scales were kind to me today, but I’m not reporting any results until Tuesday next week. We have a meal out with friends tomorrow evening and the weekend in between now and then, so not counting any chickens! Suffice to say I’m content with how things are going at the moment.

Oh Sarah, I’m so delighted for you!!! I related my own CFS history
with you earlier on, in the hopes that this WOE would make the
same difference in your energy levels that it did for me. Keep
going, you’re doing great 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Hi Allie,

Anyone looking into the benefits of coconut oil may want to also search for information on the different acids, for example, there has been lots of research into the components of milk which help the young of each species develop their gut bacteria.

Lauric Acid which is one of the components of coconut oil is so effective in controlling Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, (bad bacteria) that there has been research into the benefits of adding it to the diet of diary cattle to reduce the incidence of mastitis needing treatment with antibiotics. http://www.dairyglobal.net/Articles/General/2015/9/Mastitis-control-starts-with-a-healthy-udder-2671613W/

Caprylic Acid has benefits in controlling yeast infections as well as controlling the same bad bacteria.

Capric Acid has benefits in the same area.

There was some research mentioned in The Times yesterday that found that mothers who breastfed for more than 6 months didn’t suffer from diabetes, and those who breast fed for less than 6 months had lower levels of diabetes than women who had not breast fed their children. All three acids are found in milk, more in human milk than diary. Makes me wonder if in producing the milk the mothers body also benefits from increased levels.

Thanks for all the helpful information that you’ve given me. I guess my main concern was that I am on a lot of medication not insulin, but steroids and blood pressure medication, and therefore was wondering what such a sudden drop in blood sugar might do to ones overall health.

I am of course going to carry on with the diet as I believe that it is having a positive impact on my general health. I am only on week two and have ME/CFS but have noticed a massive increase in my energy levels in that time.

You are quite right. However, my understanding was that Sarah, who is not diabetic, was concerned that her blood sugar would continue to descend from safe, acceptable (desirable even) levels to being permanently and dangerously low. I may be wrong, but I don’t think this is likely to happen. I was concerned that someone would arbitrarily tell her, a pre diabetic, that this eminently suitable diet was not for her.

Sunshine Girl and Verano – I so agree! I tried an omelette today with it and yuck yuck yuck! Butter or olive oil for me for now I think. I probably used too much. But quite nice if you fry up just veg and meat and it becomes part of the dish. It’s way better in baked goods like nut crackers, I think.

Thanks for the idea VictoriaM, I don’t think too many kitted cushion covers will be that useful with a couple of dogs and cats around the house. May take a little practice though, I think the one time as a child I tried to make a hat for myself it ended up a strange triangular shape. :-)) I know my step in mum makes small items for sale to support a charity she is involved in, so I could also ask her if she needs any extra items. – There were some crochet butterflies for sale at the local craft fair the other week and i was fascinated by the effect they had managed to create using different threads for the wings.

Hey, all! You may find this link interesting on the subject of
coconut oil and other MCT oils. I don’t have any experience
with this site, but there’s a ton of info on MCT’s on the net 🙂

Allie

http://www.wildfoods.co/shop/mct-oil-with-lauric-acid

My positive are
Under 12 stone today
Under 76 kgs (into the 75’s)
Able to stay wrapped up warm indoors in this miserable weather

Unfortunately a diabetics blood sugar can plummet, doubt to zero but I have had a low where I went unconscious, my bg was 2.1. However, you are right in that there are many factors and, in fact, I had my plummet just after eating a high carb breakfast of 3 Weetabix. No accounting for how our bodies work. I am in total agreement that this is not a reason to abandon this way of eating, in fact it is the reason we are doing it. Having looked at Sarah’s profile I see she is not on any medication so cannot adjust but must carefully watch her blood sugar. Mine in currently on the downward slope and I am very happy to be 4.2 this morning but I will reduce my insulin (injection) by one unit. I have gone from up in the high 6’s after Christmas to now back in the 4’s and have reduced my insulin from 29 units to 26 in the last week.

I agree we are all responsible for ourselves. My issue with TK is that unless you pay close attention to his disclaimer about the way he lost weight, it would be easy to assume that the method that worked for his tremendous weight loss is what he is advocating and that is just not true.

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice sunshine-girl, I’ll take it and go with the spritzer and sip not guzzle!

On coconut oil, I love it, and enjoy it in lemony salad dressings which make me think I’m somewhere warm and exotic. Cooking wise, I do restrict it to high flavour, spiced or garlicky meals so the flavour doesn’t come through. For more delicate flavours I use olive oil.

For me it’s jigsaws! Love your idea VictoriaM will look into that.

Yes! Mary that sounds like a great idea. But maybe we could add a ‘disagree’ button also which could stop the odd bits of ‘nastiness’ that creep in here from time to time!

Yes we are responsible for ourselves, our lifestyles and our diets. As they say “you pays your money and you take your chance! “

Hi JGwen,

I agree, in my case it’s crochet not knitting, but same principle. If you want something simple, hospitals always want little tiny caps for prem babies (plenty of patterns on line). If you want something a bit more complex they also want octopus because the babies can cuddle the head and grip the legs rather than gripping the wires in their arms.

Well done s-g just have to follow your own advice and keep on keeping on……

I don’t think you can get past the smell and taste of coconut oil. I bought some ages back and to be truthful it only suits my palate if I use it in a Thai curry!! Maybe we should follow Theo’s advice and use it as face/body cream….. just reminds me of Hawaiian Tropical sun oil! It just isn’t for me in any shape, way, or form. Sorry to all lovers of coconut oil.

Hi sunshine – I suppose what I wanted to say is that there is more to blood sugar movement than the food you put in your mouth. It doesn’t plummet to nothing simply because you don’t eat carbs. Non diabetics need not worry too much, but I know that even if you eat as near zero carbs as is possible your liver (I think it’s your liver) will produce glucose. I know this because I have woken with raised blood sugar after a day of exemplary eating.

Low blood sugar is, surely, due to a combination of drugs (insulin etc) and food consumption. To tell someone that they should not be following a supremely healthy way of eating because they have expressed concern that their blood sugar will continue to drop risks their abandoning the BSD. Sarah, don’t worry – this healthy diet is unlikely to send blood sugar plummeting to zero. You could, if you are on diabetic drugs, check with your doctor to see if your new way of eating means your dosage could be lowered. Please don’t be discouraged and believe me when I say a chocolate cake diet to raise your BS is not indicated!

Just a quick question. I have finally bought some coconut oil based on the research on Trust Me with MM. How do you get past the smell and taste of coconuts. Dont get me wrong, I like the taste but not necessarily in my omelette or bolognaise.

I think everyone should push the moderators for a like and love button! Luv ya Tilly.

Mary
xxx

Sarah, I know when you have had high BG with pre or diabetes it can be pretty scary to find you are ‘going low’. And it think I have already given my experience when you mentioned this on another thread (or was that someone else). Briefly, I went from 11.0 to 5.5 in about 3 or 4 weeks and went into a right old panic. Just to put this into perspective – the optimum range for BG in a diabetic is between 80 and 120 – that equates to 4.4 to 6.6. You are running at 4.2 (as am I too) so nothing to worry about, it is the aim of this diet and that is what it has achieved for you. The only caveat is to keep a close eye on it by extra testing and knowing how you are feeling if you go too low, fuzzy head, tingling lips or fingers, blurred vision, shaky etc and have something to eat to put things back up a little. I now dont stuff my face with a cheese sandwich as I used to do. I just have some ham, maybe some yoghurt and a couple of prunes, give it 15 mins and test again. If it hasn’t gone up a little then maybe a glucose sweet or tablet might be in order.

YSYG, it is true that non-diabetics have good BG regulating in the normal bodily functions but diabetics do not and the next step from going too low is unconsciousness and in the worst instance, coma. It is knowing our own bodies and how to take care of ourselves that is important in this process. If my blood glucose goes much over 5.0 then I start to panic that it is getting too high.

I quite agree with you Mary. Weight loss responsibility is ours and no one else’s. Sure life throws shit at you sometimes but you have to suck it up and get on with it. No one force feeds anyone. As you say there are plenty of “diets” and successful diets. The problem starts when people reach their target and go back to how they were eating before and then wonder why the weight goes back on. Finding this way of eating is the key – not diet, “way of eating” and blips will happen, life will get in the way but keep on keeping on. We should be more evangelical to others and maybe WE can change the nation’s eating habits. One pound at a time!!

Sorry I’ll get off my soapbox now. And I stopped watching TK after the first one too. Good luck on the journey to everyone. Pat yourself on the back. You are doing it! X 😌

Another day and another success. Now under the dreaded 76kgs and also under 12st. Great incentive to make the rest of the week as successful. Have a good day everyone.

Victoria, About the wine, if you have only been on this diet and alcohol free for 2 or so weeks then it is not going to go straight to your head. However, how about making it go further and have the prosecco and a wine spritzer with dinner, you might be able to have 2 spritzers if that is the equivalent of one whole glass.

I wondered what people thought of the short article on the following TV program where Dr MM is one of the presenters where research showed that carbs eaten in an evening had less effect on BS levels than carbs eaten in a morning.

I wondered what the people on here who monitored their blood sugar levels have noticed. Does the same apply if you are having limited carbs?

To those struggling with the desire to nibble in an evening, I have found that taking up kitting again works for me. I have picked up a simple pattern which is for a large square which then forms a cushion cover, so whenever I feel like wandering into the kitchen to find something to nibble while watching TV I pick up the knitting instead. Its a pattern which is easy to follow so I can do it while watching tv, sewing isn’t as easy as a distraction as I would need to focus on the stitches so can’t do it while watching an interesting TV program.

Have also been sad enough to research the number of cals burned by knitting. Given how much of a workout a large piece gives my arms its surprisingly only 65cals per hour, but every little counts.

Hi Sandy

Put a bag of frozen kale on the top, that would put me off.

Yes I just have breakfast as late as possible, usually make it to 11-12 ish and then dinner at around 6. Mid afternoon and evening are the hardest times. I sometimes have a piece of cheese or a blob of peanut butter to keep me going and I try and drink lots of water.

Not exactly, but every time I go into the chest freezer they are on the top beckoning to me, so I think I’d best go down and bury them under something!

Was it you who said you only eat twice a day and, if so, have you been doing that from the start? I’m just looking to change things around to see if that improves my weight loss.

I’m not a fan of mince pies unless they are home made like yours. You will have to make your hubbie eat them. Are they calling to you like sirens from the freezer?

I decided not to watch Tom Kerridge after the first programme. However, he was on another programme (This Morning) when he was asked about his own weight loss and how he did it. He admitted to low carb, but said the BBC had asked him to do the series giving LOW FAT recipes for people. So he did it for the money and the book that goes with the TV series. That said, he isn’t responsible for the nations weight losses. There are so many “diet” books in the shops, it is up to the individual to see the light. We all did !

Nonna Mary
xxx

Hi JulesB, I forgot about the dozens of mince pies I made, which the two of us ate, with cream! Still some in the freezer which I’m trying to ignore.

Hi Martymonster, this is a great place to let off steam – but do come back and comment/vent/just say ‘hello’.
SSB

I was awful. I bought a huge Christmas cake at the beginning of December. We ate it and then had to buy another for Christmas, which we ate of course before Boxing Day. Chocolates, nuts & cakes and all washed down with a bottle of Baileys!!

Hi JulesB, same here, my son gave me a Thornton’s advent calendar to bring out with me after a visit to UK, my husband decided he didn’t want any so, naturally I had to eat them all! I also brought chocolate Brazil’s and had sweets & chocolate for presents, so decided to research the BSD in readiness for when everything was gone. I started on the 8th January but there are still a few bits around that my husband’s finishing off!

I was like a moth to a flame last night and watched TK. It was definitely my last though. I had thought it was 3 parts but last night they were half way through their ‘journeys’. (aside: It’s scary now watching Junior Masterchef or Bakeoff or the like. The kids are younger than reality TV so they talk to camera about their journeys etc in completely non ironic fluent reality TV speak)

The disclaimer at the start where he basically says “I did it this way but that’s too hard for everyone else” really gets my goat.
One of the hardest parts of either diet is thinking about it, planning meals, cooking from fresh ingredients.
You can’t say a certain diet is hard and then turn around and say if you feel like a rice pudding, just make these, they only take an hour. The chocolate mouses with awful squirty cream from last night require having ready made custard (half fat of course) and chocolate in the house. Perfect store cupboard ingredients for people trying to loose weight.

The worse raw ingredient I keep in the house at the moment is raisins. And I still have to do all I can to keep from devouring handfuls of them.

Now I’ve let off my final bit of steam regarding TK’s turnaround I probably won’t be on here much for a while. It’s been nice chatting to you all and good luck on your JOURNEYS. 🙂

Hi Sandy13

I was horrified when I measured myself, and I think I have lost about 5 inches so far from various parts of my gargantuan body.
I think I have lost a lot because I was gorging for almost a month before I started. It began at the beginning of December, reaching a food and drink crescendo at New Year! I need to change my eating habits for life, or I will just continue to yo yo. I have clothes in my wardrobe which I haven’t worn for years and hope I can get into them some time this year. My husband spent all of Sunday organising his wardrobe in order of snugness! Less snug at the front and tight at the back!!

Have a good week Sandy. Onward and upward.

Hi JulesB, very well done! I am half way through my second week, still no books arrived yet, and weighed this morning but have only lost 1lb since Monday! But also least it’s a loss, just not as fast as I’d hoped. I also forgot to measure myself before starting so did so yesterday. Yikes, I didn’t realise how big I’d got (I tend not to look in mirrors except to put makeup on!).

Still, it can only get better as long as I stay with it. I think I need to review what I’ve been eating though, incase it’s too much carbs.

Well, week 2 weigh in and I have lost another 6lb, making a total of 17 in two weeks. I’m delighted and hope this downward trend continues. I realise that I will stop losing at such a fast rate very soon and hope this doesn’t de-motivate me, but in the words of First Aid Kit, I have to “keep on keeping on”. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Morning all,

Nick well done on the HIIT, that sort of exercise is what I haven’t managed to do yet. My daily exercise is reasonable, lots of walking and daily activity, but I really want to get to pushing myself harder.

Another lb loss today, that’s 2 in 2 days so the whoosh fairy has visited.

Can I have some advice from old hands please. On Saturday I’m going to a meal for my close friends. I know I’ll go over 800 calories, but I’ve reviewed the menu and chosen delicious low carb options, and I plan to fast for the rest of the day and the next day. My dilemma is that we are meeting for a Prosecco first and I have mentally allowed myself 1 glass of fizz and one glass of wine with the meal and I’m worried that if I haven’t eaten all day the alcohol will go straight to my head. Any advice for non carb ways to line my stomach before leaving the house. I thought about a teaspoon of coconut oil, but that’s quite high calories.

Good morning. My positives are……
1. Had a visit from a lovely chiropodist who left my feet looking and feeling wonderful.
2. Complimented on my “shiny” hair … thanks to my wonderful hairdresser who uses a great vitamin conditioner which really works.
3. Back below my trigger weight so all is well here!

Have a good day!

When it comes to TK I have voted with my finger …. just switched off!

Maybe everyone knows about water apps but I only found out this morning! Waterlogged is an offshoot of myfitnesspal and let’s you log water or other fluid consumption and it has an alarm to remind you to keep drinking. Maybe useful for people like me who keep ‘forgetting’ to drink.

Hi all – I haven’t watched TK – hypocrisy on that level makes me too angry.
Alliecat – I know you mentioned this a while ago but I am bringing back here in the light of the TK programme- Gary Taubes ‘Why we get fat and what to do about it’. What I think has truly shocked me is that for at least 200 years, obesity has been ‘treated’ very successfully using low-carb diets and eating the way our Palaeolithic ancestors would have done I.e mainly meat, fish and animal produce, fruits and veg in season and a very few natural carbs. The whole low-fat crap has only been for the last 50 years or so but look at the terrible damage it has done to human health worldwide. It makes me want to go shouting from the rooftops and it also makes me seriously want to take TK to task for promoting a diet which will not only fail but actually add to the ill-health of the people involved. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
SSB

58.7kg, yay after 2 days of not weighing and steady eating. The scales seem to say 58.x more often than not now, so it’s teeny weeny steps down to the 57kg goal. Main strategies:

minimum 12 hrs fast at night, usually manage more (after 15kg can get counterproductive for me). I do find stopping eating in evening a struggle, I find it helps to think ‘right, 8 o clock, if I stop now I can eat in the morning at 10.30. Headology!)

So many veggies!

So many seeds!

More mindful fat intake (butter and cheese and cream and creme fraiche)

Almond milk means tea instead of cream in coffee (when I break fast).

Not eating dinner if I’m not hungry – so if I snack mid afternoon (peanut butter for example) then I stop. Unless I need more veg, then I have that,

Hi Mokovex and thank you! I’m a cheese demon too. That’ll be easier to avoid in hospital. Arggghh trying to see some positives…

Morning all,

today 129.3lb, amazingly, holding fairly steady in the low 9s in spite of poor food choices.

Thanks so much for the encouragement. You lot are the best!

Today’s challenge is not to hit the sugary stuff or scarf down massive chunks of cheese. Can’t remember the last day when I managed to resist. It probably wasn’t that long ago but it FEELS like it was.

I am so tired at the moment, it is a huge trigger. Need to work on bedtimes.

Milalin, wishing you well for your op and your preparations. xxx

Bridget, that’s a unique point of view. I thought the diet was intended to keep blood sugar levels under control (ie from soaring) whilst providing a way of eating that facilitates weight loss. Is any healthy diet/way of eating really contraindicated? I thought low blood sugar was very easy to remedy and therefore not a huge problem, also aren’t our bodies designed to regulate blood sugar, highly unlikely that this diet will cause levels to drop to dangerous levels. Maybe a tad authoritarian to declare a healthy way of eating is something you “really shouldn’t be doing”?

Natalie, that is hilarious and good news from the scales!

Y S Y L – I too am very disappointed that T K has ditched preaching low carb. He’s also recommending some terrible “foods” – and tonight’s horror for me was the squirty cream; seriously, who outside of The Royle Family ever got excited about that abomination!
This programme was a super opportunity to spread the low carb message. Give people the chance to try it rather than saying basically it’s too hard so here’s a low fat diet that, like all the other low fat diets, probably won’t work! I want to throw things at the TV whenever I watch this show.

Another Wednesday & another HIIT session, could of easily not gone this evening but I dragged my sorry backside to class. The routines change every 6 weeks, all start with a vigorous warm up before going straight into a set of 10 x 30 seconds exercises.
Burpees, various crunches, spider-man push ups, Burpees with push ups & planks, I can handle the planks but the rest are horrible!!!!
Once that’s done, its gloves on and a good bag bashing with a further 4 sets of 10 of pure insanity.

Compared to last week definitely better in terms of pace, energy & strength, absolutely nothing left in the tank though by the end and took most of the warm down stretches to recover my breathing and get a clear head.
But i did it, like i always do. It isn’t easy far from it, takes you really out of your comfort zone.

First meal today was not until 17:30/18:00 when i got in from work, bowl of homemade broccoli & stilton soup with some chicken breast. Tonight a small plate of cold meats, piece of feta & walnuts. Water intake is really good and is becoming second nature.

Well that’s me, time for bed!

Just watched Tom Kerridge and his latest brainwave is to substitute cornflour for oil in a salad dressing. This is the man who categorically stated that he lost his weight by dumping carbs. For the proles he gets paid to recommend obesity inducing favourite the low fat high carb method – breathtaking cynicism or what? He doesn’t even have the grace to recommend brown rather than white rice, and pasta is certainly central to his plan.

Thanks Flick. I plan to give a weight update before I go to hospital as well, so I have a starting point for the next challenge, there’ll be a bit of cheating there as I expect the huge kidney to be heavy and a bonus weight loss. All the best, thanks again. I can’t wait to be less self obsessed and join in the conversations more here, after surgery x

Morning All, can anyone point me to the recipe for the best ever seed crackers? I’ve searched but can’t remember who posted it or where. Thanks