Hi Sunshine Girl,

That’s amazing! I’ve just been through the leftovers from yesterday freezing a lot of stuff, so it feels like the beginning of a beginning. Looking forward to companionship on the journey

Zoe

Hi everyone, I too will be starting fresh on 2nd January so will join in with this thread. I too have just done the two futurelearn courses on Mindfulness – I will advise when they start up again when I get home and get some peace and quiet on my own computer. They were good courses but have to remember to practice: Interested in the yoga course, again when I get home.

See you all in the New Year – bonne annee a tous.

Hi V, I have had.a pretty crap year as far as the diet goes in terms of weight. I was happy with my weight so began to slacken off while never losing site of the no bad carbs rule. So I have had success in terms of my BG results but even they have crept up from lowest at 5.5 back up to 6.0 – still ‘normal’ but not good enough for me, also my insulin has crept back up from 19 units to 26 so that too has to change.

Goals for 2018 – lose 1 stone by April for cruise is first goal. BG down to 5.6 on next review in March with insulin down to 20 units. That is as far as I want to think right now and will be starting a new challenge on 2nd January doing a full 8 weeks.

Good luck to all.

Just half a pound up on yesterday morning, not bad for Xmas – so total loss for this challenge is I think 1.5 lbs. I wont be joining the next challenge as I am not back until New Years Day and will be doing a full 8 weeks starting from scratch.

Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for your support on the past years challenges:

Am in Australia and keen to start the 800BSD. My plan is to go in boots and all from tomorrow. I am considering the Tony Ferguson shakes – they have a VLCD plan and available at my local chemist. Any ideas/suggestions?
I will do just this plan for two weeks and then when my husband has cleared out all the Christmas temptations I will venture back into the clinic and create 800cal meal plans. Has anybody else managed this way?

Hi all, I’m so pleased you’ve decided to start the challenge thread today, was panicking what to do about this week without one as I’m feeling fired up to get stuck in strictly from today.
Start weight today 10st 4lbs
Goals are to drop into the 9’s and fit into a certain pair of trousers.
Plan to set max 20g carbs, around 800 cal and lots of intermittent fasting, one meal a day when possible. Good luck all xxx

That’s the ‘drug’ side of sugar, and the white stuff, and is different to true hunger satisfaction. You will never get that from a healthy diet, but can get similar effects from non eating methods (exercise, laughter etc.) What I have found is that you don’t miss that sugar high that much when you haven’t experienced it for a while though, so as long as you keep mindful of this, and practice moderation on the daily level, that the occasional ‘blowout’ does you no harm in the long term.

Signed in on new thread already, but coming here to ‘confess’ with a warts and all weigh in. To put it into perspective I am just 1 pound up on where I was at this point last year, after having a similarly un-BSD Christmas. My main Christmas present was some Wi-Fi body composition scales so these results are on different scales to all my previous measurements and so I won’t be announcing a full challenge result.

My weight today is 11 stone 11.5, which is a stone up on my target. Pleasingly my body fat reading on my new scales is 29.2%, I say pleasingly, because that is in the normal healthy range whereas my old Salter scales insisted even at target weight that I was still 34% fat, when the Boditrax scan had me at 21.5% or close to ‘underfat’ for a non athlete. Muscle mass is 67.2% and my hydration on waking was 49.9%. Bone mass was 3.5%, hopefully that won’t change too much 😁

I expect the fat percentage is still reading high as without the hand electrodes it cannot detect the fact that I can still see my ribs as my fat level on my top half is far lower than it is on my legs and thighs, as a ‘pear shape’ body type. I will organise a Boditrax update in the new year and get some direct comparisons with my new scales, but in the meantime I am still committed to staying slim and healthy, and hope that 2018 is just as good a year as 2017 was. See you over on the new thread.

I’ve only been back here for a week or so (I think?) and I’m still easing back into it with plenty of indulgences over Christmas – so I’m very happy to say that I’ve maintained my weight. This morning I was the same as Monday last week: 75.8 kg. Which is also the same as I was four weeks ago. I refuse to experience ‘calendar regret’ (if I’d started then, think where I could be now…) so I’m going to be genuinely happy I’ve maintained and not gained.

Happy Boxing Day everyone. Reporting in on last day of this challenge. My goal was 6 lbs off and although part way through I’d lost 4lbs, I’ve regained 3lbs due to Christmas, oops. Only to be expected really though and I’m actually delighted as I’d normally have eaten a lot worse and gained a lot more. Still ended with a 1lb loss so a win in my book! Am feeling enthusiastic so off to track down the next challenge now.

Verano I indulged a lot more than you but I still lost weight overnight! The human body is weird, isn’t it.
I have the obvious Christmas positives of family and presents. But also a couple of funny ones about Christmas dinner dessert.
1. There was a little niggling argument going on on Facebook Messages about who would contribute trifle, several people offered but we didn’t want more than one – I don’t like it so didn’t care and wasn’t part of the discussion – and then in the end no one did! The person who insisted they would was of course the most unreliable person there.
2. One mother of small children bans unhealthy food for them, fair enough though it’s tricky to manage at big family celebrations, and she brought some ‘healthy’ desserts (not BSD idea of healthy) for them with extras which didn’t get eaten. Then she asked if she could take leftovers of the ‘unhealthy’ desserts home for herself!

I’m in, although my only goal for this first week is not to go up anymore in weight! I have been enjoying a relatively un-BSD diet over the last few weeks as I have indulged in many old favourites and my weigh in on the other previous challenge thread will be ‘warts and all’. So with first week as BSD maintenance, the remaining three weeks when I start work again will be a mini-800 period, probably 2:5 with more at weekends. Carbs will be strictly controlled again, and I expect a very fast drop back to target area. February is already planned in as a ‘recovery’ logged month, where calories are increased by 50 per day until back up to TDEE, so I will be active on the next two challenges.

Hi Verano! May I join you in reflecting and re-focussing? You have had a great year, so have I!

I started this WOE after a chance encounter with a fat old woman in a full length mirror, in total denial over diabetes and its accompanying risks. Realising that measures needed to be taken, Dr Mosley’s BSD and later, Dr Jason Fung’s Fasting books were avidly read. I had lost 28lbs with low carb and 10,000 steps a day a couple of years ago but those pesky carbs crept back in to sabotage any maintenance 😠 Time to re-start, quick smart!

May 30th. Weight 12st 8lbs. Recent HBa1c 56
Oct 13th. Weight 9st 9lb. HBa1c 35. Metformin and Trulicity handed back to pharmacy (after a visit to delighted Diabetic Nurse!)

Dec 26th Weight 10st 7lb. This will be mostly carb induced water weight after the last couple of days so…. …..

Time to go back to weighing and logging. MFP app pressed back into service. The daily journey to work and back will be on foot. 16:8 intermittent fasting. All the above will soon have me back into my happy place (9st something)

So, Verano, I’m with you with similar goals. Keep my diabetes in remission with no drugs and get my weight back to target with some wiggle room. Blood tests in February to check progress – all to play for

Looking forward to hearing from anyone else!

Happy New Year!

Greetings from Melbourne,

Decided to loosen the shackles ane enjoy the Christmas and Boxing Day left overs but know I must get back to the BSD lifestyle. Amazing the difference in how you feel when you let your hair down and eat things usually avoided on the BSD way of life,. I have had wholemeal bread and some roasted potatoes for the first time in 14 weeks along with a few other items usually only reserved for Christmas.Whilst I don’t actually feel unwell I am not as sharp and feel more tired than usual so back to basics tomorrow and resume my mission of losing 18 kegs to get to goal.

I hope everyone has enjoyed their festivities for those who celebrate and wish you all well in your continued quest to good health following the BSD lifestyle from tomorrow and beyond.

Regards

Cameron

Hi SSB,

Thanks for your encouragement, very welcome!

Another free resource I’d like to share is Yoga with Adriene – she always does a 30 day challenge at the beginning of the year, and I love her ‘Find What Feels Good’ philosophy – I always feel accepted and free to adapt the practices to what’s right for me (especially as I’m in my own living room!). The link for this year’s 30 day journey is:

http://true.yogawithadriene.com/

Zoe

Hi,
Boxing day.

Well , i have drawn a line under xmas.
I am now ready preping for the new year,

Today getting eating back on track,
Exercising to be done
And generally move around.

Tons of rain here today, so wont be able to play in the garden.
Back to work tomorrow.

Just getting my head into gear.

How you all doing?

Love lucia
Xxx

Thank you Zoe.
Yes, we can do this! I have some excellent mindfulness apps and books and I was doing ok until all chaos ensued! Funny, when you need it most, that’s when it’s so hard. But I will get back to it – I know it is actually a very powerful weapon (when I do it!)
Good luck
SSB

Hi SaltySeaBird,

Good for you! I would love to join you. We can do this!

I recently did two free FutureLearn Mindfulness courses from Monash and they have helped with cravings. For a while I was doing really well – when a craving came I was just noticing it, exclaiming, ‘Oh that’s interesting, a craving!’, then just taking a breath and releasing it. It was really interesting because the cravings, which had seemed to be insurmountably strong, turned out to be only momentary and only a couple of times a day – nothing really! It seemed like the mindfulness let me finally find that little space between the urge and the action to engage some executive function. I’m guessing that on 800 calories a day there will be more mindfulness work to do, but I’m up for it.

You can only join the courses periodically, but the second one might be open – here are the links:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-wellbeing-performance
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-life

It’s quite tough to make the transition back to modest eating after an indulgent period – maybe it’s good to recognise that and celebrate early achievements, like the first day.

Really sorry to hear about your Dad.

Zoe

Good morning. Hope everyone had a good day yesterday and it brought all the joys and pleasures anticipated.

My three positives this morning are all interrelated ….
1. Lovely lunch cooked by my lovely daughter. It’s probably at least 10 years since I was waited on at lunch!
2. Spent the day with my wonderful grandsons watching the delight of Xmas and presents on their faces.
3. Stayed 95% BSD friendly. My only concessions to the festive season were half a roast potato, one tablespoon of pudding, which I love, and a third of a mini mince pie. Homemade and succulent. Weirdly I had lost weight this morning when I weighed!!

Today we are just four for lunch here so it can be as BSD friendly as I want it to be! Hope you all enjoy the rest of the holidays.

Well I can’t believe another year is almost over but, as most people do at this time of year I have started to reflect on 2017.

For me 2017, on balance, has been a really good year. January started with the expectation of a wonderful trip to Australia and New Zealand but ended with me in hospital on intravenous antibiotics fighting a bad bout of cellulitis. So trip cancelled, and two further weeks to recover the year seemed to be off to a bad start. I believe that things always happen for a reason even if it isn’t clear at the time.

Life was uneventful until a recurring, but much milder attack of cellulitis at the beginning of May. But May also brought some rewards for following this WOL.

My original goal in July 2016 was to reverse my diabetes and become drug free. My HbA1c had been ‘normal ‘ for at least 6 months and now my medication was halved. Success so far. My next blood test in August showed I was still ‘normal’ so my drugs were dropped ….. Goal reached! Three months later, in November, drug free, my blood test showed my HbA1c to be even lower. It’s ‘official’ my GP recognises that my diabetes is In ‘remission’. I had ‘Arrived’ primary goal achieved.

September was the start of a new phase in my life with a new hip and loss of pain and greater mobility. It was late in September when I realised why ‘fate’ had taken a hand in my life in January. Being pain free and more mobile made me realise that the trip to Australia and New Zealand would have been a disaster, because I was just not fit enough to do it. Maybe another time!!

So none of this would have happened without the Blood Sugar Diet and my weight loss. Not stupendous but slow and steady. In the last six months of 2016 I lost 35lbs and then in the first 6 months of this year 28lb. Then, without the impetus of raging blood sugars, I rested on my laurels and have maintained for the rest of the year.

So to 2018 I now have to draw up a new set of goals. I have just three, to keep my diabetes in remission, to remain drug free and to lose another 28lbs. All intertwined really. I am now free of simple carbs, my taste buds have changed, I am drinking more water and snacking far less.

It just remains for me to continue this WOE with a little more vigilance, weighing and logging my food and I will make my goals this year.

What will your goals for 2018 be?

Thank you Marie123, I am definitely starting today and actually feeling better just for having made the decision.
I’m in the uk for a week from Thursday so probably won’t be much on plan but will seek to limit the damage but then 100% on track.
SSB

Good morning/ evening everyone. Hope yesterday was good and today is relaxing. Sounds like Boxing Day over in Australia has started well.

I’m sorry I’ve not posted much on this thread but I lost track of all the new people very early on as I was away. Despite all the odds I’ve actually lost 2.2lbs or exactly 1kg on this challenge! I’m happy with that. Well done to all the losers, those who have stayed within touching distance of their starting weight and the maintainers. A new year just around the corner and new goals. Looking forward to it all.

Hi everyone, hope you’ve all enjoyed a lovely Christmas 🙂
Thanks for starting this thread Marsie.
I’ll join in, but will be treating this week as an “off plan” week then starting properly on 2 Jan. My goal for the first week will be to minimise any gain (and I know there will be a gain as I’m on leave from work and have a few social outings and trips planned). My overall goal for the 4 weeks is the same as it was in our last challenge and that is to reach the Overweight range for my BMI. I was only 1.2kg away from that goal 4 weeks ago but now it’s most likely 3kg away (not sure because I haven’t weighed myself for a few days now). I’ve been continuing to increase my weekly step count, original goal was 70,000 steps per week and last week I did over 90,000 (Christmas shopping played a part in that!), I’d like to reach 100,000 steps per week by the end of this challenge.
It will be interesting to see what my weight is in week 3 as that will conincide with my 1 year BSD anniversary.
Good luck everyone 🙂

Hello All
Just nipping on to say I’d love to join this Challenge if I may. I have a meeting with a practice nurse early tomorrow to discuss the results of my end of November Hba1c results. I’ll wait until after that meeting to set my targets/goals for this Challenge.

Saltyseabird – I read your other post – what a very difficult and stressful time you’ve had – best wishes for a healthier and happier 2018

Marsie – great title – that’s how I’m going to go during these 4 weeks!

It’s early Boxing Day morning here (nobody else awake yet – bliss). I’m just popping on briefly to report my final weigh-in. I’ve lost 7lbs in total on the Busy, Busy challenge. I’m now 10st – hurrah ! However, if I’d reported this time yesterday I would have been 9st 13, so have put on 1lb….. . But generally very happy with the weight loss. Having the Challenges and report-ins really help me to keep focussed and accountable.

Flick – well done, you’re doing brilliantly, just powering through every week – and having such a good time at the same time – as some of my lovely Australian friends have said to me – go girl! (Nobody’s ever said that to me in my life before – love it)

Marsie and Mariet – I’m with Flick – that’s such a tiny gain for you both in such a tricky month – Mariet, I’ll be on that sideline next Challenge to give a loud cheer…..

Jim47 – you’ve probably seen Marsie’s set up the next challenge 2018 A HAPPY NEW YEAR; MEETING GOALS WITH GREAT GOOD CHEER: 4 WKS ENDING 23 JAN starting today – we’ll all be there with you to kick start into a great 2018

Allie – fireside and snow – what could be better x

Off to sign in to new thread – then time for a nice cup of tea…with milk – my Boxing Day treat !

Starting last Tuesday up to tonight, Christmas night, I have thrown caution to the wind. Three feasts, two parties, wine, eggnog, mince pies, Christmas cake, Dutch gingerbread, etc, later, I am up 8 pounds. Mostly water from all the glycogen packing into my liver, but still.

The thing is, I’m not at all concerned. A couple of weeks back on my new way of eating and it will melt away.

One thing is a bit worrying though. I find that a good feed of sugar and starch is massively satisfying in the way that protein and fat just isn’t. If I could find out how to get that satisfaction without all the calories I would be a happy man.

Jan

I’m with you Marsie, with a 600g gain for the month. So now planning on getting to my final goal next challenge 😊

It’s a cool and cloudy Boxing Day in Sydney and I’m off for a two day house party up the coast on the lake. I’m really looking forward to relaxing in a hammock under the trees, in between a little kayaking and chatting with friends. We’ve been doing thus for years and years, used to be with our kids , now some of the kids bring their own. Originally about 10 people, now more than 70 attend.

See you all on the new challenge!

Thanks Alliecat. The support here is so important to stickng with it. I can hardly believe the results so far. I fgure I’ve got a good few months ahead of me to reach my target and I’m looking forapward to staying in touch with you into the new year. Your Christmas by the fire sounded wonderful!

Marsie, that sounds like a perfect Boxing Day to me. Such a minor gain over a very challenging month. I have no doubt that and your target loss will just melt off in the coming weeks. Thanks again for setting these monthly challenges. See you over at the January thread.

Boxing day, starting this new challenge at 62.5kg. As this represents a gain on the Christmas challenge, I will work to turn this around. Behavioral goals for this challenge:
: no chocolate exc Lindt 90%. No more than 2 pieces a day, if any. My
friends will need to go without my rocky road for the foreseeable future
: if I sit for a cup of tea while shopping, just have tea … no cake, no
biscuits. That only happened a couple of times but is an old habit I
thought I’d stopped, but those old habits are always hovering, just
waiting to be let in again. Awareness needed at all times
: one day at a time

Best wishes to all for the coming challenge xx

Happy to join you, SSB, on your return journey to “unbloatedness”. I, too, have that bloated feeling today, not nice, needs to change.
feeling bloated

Good morning, everyone, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day with family and friends.

Flick, so well done you on your progress during this challenge, koko.

That sounds like beautiful Boxing Day weather for you. We’re also blue sky, expecting about 26° today (33° yesterday) and as the “Fremantle Doctor” i.e the southwesterly sea breeze is in already for our coastal suburb, we’ll have a fairly mild day. The MCG Boxing Day test is on tv for OH and radio for me and we’ll go into the WACA mid-afternoon for a 20/20 match.

My weigh-in showed 62.5kg this morning. So, that means I’m •5kg gained for this challenge and certainly have not lost the 2kg I’d nominated. A very up and down month, a lot of socialising, of course, as for us all, given the time of year. I’ve made valiant attempts to stick to first principles without weighing and measuring, but will re-think this now the bulk of pre-organised socialising is over.

Thanks everyone for your company here, hope there will be many positive results to admire. See you over on the next challenge.

Hooray, Flick! Averaging a weight loss of 3 lbs. a week for the past
6 wks is a very positive result! I love to see this kind of commitment.
You’re doing great, and should feel very proud of the work that you’ve
put in so far. Many congrats, you’ve earned them, and your goal is
very much in your sights for the new year. Congratulations!!!

Allie

Morning Everyone,

It is a beautiful big blue sky Boxing Day here and I’m still smiling from such a wonderful couple of days with my lovely family. We love Christmas. I’m finding as we all get a bit older it is a lot less stressful and I noticed the extra energy I have this year. I always host and always love it, but this year was even better.

Boxing Day for us is usually quiet, loll about, read new books, keep eating of course and catch up with friends. I usually plan to spend most of the day sitting down. This year I am up early to walk the dog and have friends coming over for dinner.

Boxing Day also marks completing my first monthly challenge and Week 6 of the first round of BSD. I stayed on track over the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day feasting, 16/8, carbs kept below 20, although calories yesterday tipped 950 cals of yum! I wonder if I will be hungry today? No alcohol and really didn’t miss it and no one commented.

So here are my results.

28/11. 74.1
26/12 70.1. Exactly 4 kgs (my target was 3kg) and tantalisingly close to getting below 70kgs!

End of 6 weeks I’ve lost 8.2kg. Very happy with that.

Well, I’m off for another cup of tea. Hope you are enjoying Christmas Day/Boxing Day.

I would love to join you for the challenge – as I have posted elsewhere, I’ve had an incredibly stressful few months and the BSD has taken a slide – and don’t I know it! I feel bloated, tired and completely out of sorts and I know that once I can get back to BSD I will feel good again.
Looking forward to joining all you lovely peeps!
SSB

Sorry, Verano and others, I opened this thread without having first caught up on 2 days worth of posts. I agree with your sentiments about starting after New Year but not sure how to change it now. I was hoping to be able to cancel but at this stage can’t see the way to do so.

Perhaps leave it as is, everyone join in when or if they can this week and if there is a concensus, we will jump over to another new thread after new year.

Welcome to the new 4 week challenge, starting tomorrow, i.e. Tuesday 26th December, Boxing Day (I know, I know), after we’ve weighed for the final time on the “caring gently” thread. Again, it seems I’ve been too verbose to fit the word “challenge” into the title. But you know it’s implied, right?

A four week challenge, setting our own goals, keeping us on our toes, reporting and supporting. That’s us. Join in…….

Happy Christmas (morning here) to all! Just a quick note:

Milalin, to complete your world wide picture, we have a beautiful
soft snow coming down in New England USA. Didn’t know we’d be having
a “white Christmas” until I awakened this morning! It’s lovely, particularly
because we don’t have do anything but light a fire. Enjoy your holiday!

SueBlue, what a wonderful effort you have made with your first BSD
Christmas! It’s very empowering, isn’t it? Congratulations! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Individual people need different recommendations, but in general below 50g is sufficient to make sure fat burning is fully activated. If you are more severely insulin resistant you may need to drop below 20g.

Finished setting up the barbecue for the turkey (cooking it indirect, on charcoal), will light it at about 2 for eating at 6 tonight 😁 lovely Mediterranean salad for lunch though. If we do start the next challenge on boxing day it may still be a bit quiet, but I think helps keep up the way of life vibe by having the challenges continuously renewing. I’d certainly be hopping on board straight away.

Hope you are all having a great Christmas- quick question what is the recommended daily carb intake on the 800 ? Thanks in advance

Oh and for a giggle musical toilet rolls….

Love lucia
Xxxx

Hi natalie,

I already bought their gifts,
hand lotion,
bubble bath,
fluffy hat and gloves
Necklace
Jewellery box
Parker pen
Etc,
I am trying not to give gifts that could make you ill

Thanks for the recycle suggestion though!

Love lucia
Xxxx

Hi friends

Wishing you all a merry christmas, happy holidays and a healthy peaceful 2018.

Love lucia
Xxx

Hi everybody.just a few moments to my self on Christmas morning.Its 7am and Im about to start a frantic cook .I need to make a jelly , pavlova., chocalate mousse,stuff the turkey, glaze the ham prep the veg and wrap gifts before 11 am.
I was supposed to do most of it last night. But I had 2or 3 glasses of wine with the next doors who popped in with gifts .found myself to be very tipsy and I fell asleep watching carols on TV. I havent had any alcohol for several months and it really affected me. So my weight is 81.6Kg .its not tooo bad considering Ive eaten rubish this week.Ill enjoy today and back to routine tomorrow.MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all.

Searchingrockpools – we were typing at the same time. Just saw your post. I’m sorry you’re having a tough time – best wishes for the coming year. xx

Having 2 children and having to work 8-hour shifts every day took its toll on my body. I lack time to go to the gym, and as years pass by, I noticed that my skin started to get a bit loose and a bit of fat on my back. So I started doing a routine of exercises for my back for a few minutes every day at home, and it even helped me reduce the belly fat!!

I feel much better with my body and my health has improved (I’m a diabetic). The exercises I do vary from day to day depending on my mood, but I usually swap between these http://ohealthyeah.com/back-fat-exercises/ . I do see results, but they aren’t what I was hoping for, so I was wondering if the BSD will help me “tighten up”.

Anyone?

Hi all, I think I have just gone through possibly the most stressful time of my life – ever!
Retired from teaching at the end of September (now that’s a shock, even though great)
My dad died a week later when I was on holiday
Our house sale stalled when the chain broke
House sale on again but meant re-homing my beloved cats (I cried for 3 days)
Moved to live in Spain 10 days ago with all the trauma of that

Now, I’m not going to say ‘consequently ‘ as though I had no choice in the matter, but I have regained the whole 10lbs I lost last year doing the BSD 🙁. I’m back in the uk after Christmas to see my family and that will be a total carb-fest so when I get back in January, I am well and truly back on the wagon. I did ‘dry January ‘ last year and I felt great so I will throw that in too – and I can enjoy the Spanish weather by getting some proper exercise!
Good luck to anyone else starting in January – I’m guessing there will be quite a lot of us!
SSB

Merry Christmas everyone! The orgy of present opening is over (until guests arrive), the turkey is in the oven, and I’m taking a quiet moment while the kids are playing with new gadgets.

Last night we were watching carols on TV, I had some chips and a Lindor ball. But you know what I enjoyed the most? A bite of the apple we put out for Rudolph! So fresh and crisp and healthy-tasting.

Hi Milalin,
I am in total awe of you, I wish you everything that you wish for yourself and more. Your attitude is amazing and I always try to stay positive so in future I will attempt to emulate your take on life and continue to count my blessings, sometimes when life gets in the way I forget how lucky I really am. I will thank everyone again on this thread for being strong and helping to keep going although I am actually limping along at the moment and have had more carbs over the past few days than is good for me but I will KOKO, until the new challenge begins. Will there be a new thread on Jan 2, or do we stay on this one?
I don’t have any religion but believe that we humans don’t know enough to definitively state that there is nothing left when life ends, and I console myself with an idealised afterlife living in the Hundred Acre Wood made famous by Winnie-the-Pooh, but I only tell this to my very best friends who understand that I am usually quite emotional at this time of year, and quite a lot of the rest of the year as well. Thank you all for listening and may your God go with you.

Esnecca, thank you so much! I did use a food processor and very thoroughly at that. I have time later today and extra supplies so I’ll start again and fi it as you suggest.

It’s Christmas dawn here, I hope it’s a wonderful Christmas for all 🎄🎉🎼

SRP , heartfelt cyber hugs from me also. Wishing you and yours a peaceful Xmas and a much happier 2018.

Kazzee xx