Hello Eliza52 – your experience is sounding similar to mine. After around 12 weeks of c850 cals and over 2 1/2 st lost I shed like crazy for about 2 months. Ironically the start of this episode coincided with me increasing my intake to around 1300 – 1400 cals (I’m a little taller than you at 5ft 7). I’m no authority but I suspect that the body’s messaging to follicles has quite a long lead time! Another 3 months on and my hair is still there, I’m down another 2st but can’t really tell whether regrowth has started. I think that my advice is to nudge up the calories a little (800 really isn’t very much), be patient and don’t worry too much about it unless it keeps falling out beyond say 2-3 months or seems to accelerate. Meantime expand your hat collection for the chilly weather – I have one bought in May just before my my shedding spell that is now too big; I’m a bit miffed!

Smaus

Hi Verano,
Tried your trick of adding ginger to my soy and olive oil steelhead. I also added a touch of garlic. I used my usual open broil technique and it was excellent. Tasty and moist with a nice crust.
I’m not a big fan of fresh coriander so I didn’t try that.
Jan

Hi veerle
I, too, had an odd week, weight-wise. I was doing well, losing 1kg between Sunday and Friday, then putting 900g back by Saturday! So, on Sunday, net loss for the week was 400g. Since then, I have lost a further 500g so am still not back to where I was this time last week. However, my husband has noticed my legs look slimmer, so I can only hope I am still going in the right direction. I have another week to go before we travel to Northern Ireland for Christmas, and I will be unable to weigh myself for a week.
(Another by-product of me going back onto the BSD is that my husband, whose elevated blood sugars brought us to try the programme successfully last year, has retested and his readings have risen again to show “pre-diabetic” range, so he is trying to cut down on wine and crisps. This will help me as well as, hopefully, bringing his readings down again. He is a typical TOFI whereas I am just fat and had a lot more to lose than he ever had.)
Onward and downward -hopefully – I am hoping to be “only” overweight, as opposed to obese, soon.
Maggie

SunnyB so sorry to hear about your parents there’s nothing worse than having your home violated. I hope they are ok. Yes I am with you I also should be in a ‘sunny’ place too but at least I have missed the last three weeks of winter!

Yes Allie I am in Spain but in the Canaries not on the mainland so the weather here is still warm all year round but more importantly we get maybe 2 hours more daylight!

Well I’m off home later this morning and sad to leave the sun but ….
1. I have managed to stay a fraction under the weight I was three weeks ago.
2. I feel ready to start eating more carefully despite the time of year.
3. I’m feeling bright at the the thought of the festive season ahead.
Thanks for your good wishes! And have a good day.

Merry Christmas all January starters. As our anniversaries come round, what a year we have had ! Here am I now living with seaside grandad in our new home. We moved house a week ago and it was hard work, but I’m so much fitter. I don’t think I could have managed nearly so well at 3 stone heavier. I have eaten non BSD food occasionally during the first week surrounded by boxes because we have had to buy takeaways. On the whole though I’ve stuck to the low carb way of eating.

It’s also been lovely to unpack my nice size 12 clothes and hang them up. I used to have a selection of sizes, but the big ones are all sold or given away long before the move. My new wardrobe just holds what fits and I’m certainly not planning on filling our new house with anything bigger !

DCT – brillliant news that you have dropped below 10 stone ! I’ve been on a plateau for ages too, but finally the scales have been kind and I’ve lost 2 lbs. I think moving house has helped ! Non stop exercise for a week ! I’m going to a wedding on Saturday and I’m hoping my dress I wore for the races in August will be looser on me than it was then.

Sue Blue, thanks for your observation about how weight takes time to stabilise at a new low. It certainly seems to be the case with BSD, but the good news is that it seems to stay off !

Cathy I do hope you have a fabulous time in the USA. Your family will be impressed by your new shape !

Theodora, so lovely that you still keep us up to date with your maintenance, half a stone of wriggle Room sounds good, it’s what I’m aiming for when I finally get to my goal.

I look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Hi, eliza, my experience with hair loss is posted above. Two more months have passed
since that post, and I still have no current problems with it. Before upping calories, please
read the following link. I don’t advocate for vitamin capsules in lieu of whole food,
however. If you search google for “foods highest in x” you should be able to adjust
your diet to compensate for any nutrient deficiencies without having to abandon your
weight loss objectives. Sometimes in an attempt to keep carbs really really low the
yellow/orange vegetables are abandoned, and that’s where the vit. A (betacarotene)
is found, very important for skin and hair! If you would tell us how many grams of
protein you average per day also, we can take a look at any shortfall there as well.
But first, have a read through on vitamins that affect the health of our hair 🙂

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-vitamins-hair-growth#section3

Hope there is something there that may give you some insight beyond what the
NHS has to offer.

Best wishes,

Allie

Great JackieM…let me know how you liked it. I love the stuff.

Hi Sueonit

Just about to go to bed, so won’t be long but wanted to give a big shout out to you – 3lbs off this week is great but dropping down into the next stone is fantastic. You must be thrilled and deservedly so! If I could post one of those emojis ?!? I would, but I can’t so I won’t.

Marie x

Even if you still want to lose another stone there may be some benefit in increasing your calories, with suitably nutritious foods in the short term and see if that helps the hair loss. My advice would be to increase the calories gradually, anywhere between 50 calories per week or about 300 (I used 50 calories per day which works out at about 260 calories per week extra) seems to help the body to adjust to the higher calories. Use a lot of variety, particularly in vegetables and fruits to try to bolster any trace nutrition you may be short of and above all don’t panic. You may well find you continue to lose weight during the calorie increase stage, and even if you don’t, you can always do another 4 weeks or so later when your metabolism is more reactive and any trace minerals have been replenished. Good luck with whatever you decide.

So glad I decided to search for “hair loss” on the forum to discover I’m not alone! As Jillf said, there’s quite a bit about it on the net, but nothing very authoritative. However it does seem a likely cause – I’ve lost 3 stone in just over 3 months, and haven’t really strayed much from my 800 a day. I don’t count, but I’m fairly sure I don’t go much above 900 ever. I do eat plenty of protein which seems to be one piece of advice, and veg, and I take a daily multivit (just in case!) I did go through a moulting phase about 30 odd years ago (no idea why), which scared me at the time, but it did stop and hair grew back. Someone once told me that if you can see little hairs growing at the hairline, there’s basically nothing to worry about, as it indicates new hair coming through (if it falls out with no sign of replacement, that could indicate alopecia). I keep asking my sister (we live together) if it looks thin, and she insists it doesn’t – I think other people have written similar things here, that no-one else seems to notice even though it’s dropping out at an alarming rate, and running my fingers through me my hair, I can really feel a difference!

I wonder if I should start to up the calories, but I still want to lose another stone (I’m 5″ 5 and 11 st 1 and “ideal” according to NHS is between 8st and 10 st 11 and I think I should aim for around 10 stone), and the weight is still coming down at about 2 lbs a week. I mostly don’t feel hungry, feel really well in fact, and I worry slightly that increasing calories will mean I put the weight back on….and I REALLY don’t want to do that! Equally I don’t want ALL my hair to fall out! Almost doubling my current calorie intake (which is what NHS reckons would be a healthy amount) I feel fairly certain would lead to massive weight gain! Or are my fears ungrounded? How has everyone else managed when trying to up the calories?

I have ouchies, went to an HIIT class at the local gym, followed by a reasonably gentle cool down on a cross trainer in the gym then a couple of hours later did my usual Wednesday double badminton for the last time before January. I unfortunately went over on my ankle in the second session and banged my knee as well and it hurts, both the knee and the ankle are burning! ! I am trying to keep them both moving but am expecting major stiffness at least in the morning. Found a letter from six years ago today, inviting me for a free NHS health check so I am going to make an appointment. I am not sure why it disappeared six years ago to only be rediscovered now, but probably can blame denial since I would have been at least 17 stone then. It will be interesting to get some feedback on blood levels and health factors you all talk about, it is probably a decade since I last went to the doc’s. Welcome to the party Jim and well done being perfect sunshine-girl, and Verano, you are doing so well, I am sure that 2018 will be very special for you. It is always a pleasure ‘talking’ to you all.

S-g 2018 will be our year!

Weird week last week. Despite sticking to the eating plan rigorously all week, and doing its of running alternate days, weight stayed the same all week. Eventually I checked with FitnessPal whether I was eating more calories than thought, but no, calculations each day came to 800-850. I do notice my clothes being much more loose though, and my body looking slimmer.
Eventually at the weekend I had an upset stomach (not sure why), with pain each time I ate, so I went a day with hardly any food. That made the weight drop (but not in a planned way), so overall 1 kilo down over the week

This is a week of work meetings and hotel again, with people around me eating so much and frequently. It’s easy to stay away from carbs, but I probably eat bigger portions than if I was at home.

Funny old day, all going well food wise until after the gym. I’m in a fuming mood about a Governor thing (I’m Chair of a Governor’s at a local school) and other people’s sheer lack of organisation and lack of vision is driving me nuts (impotent to change it sadly – at least in short term). I thought the gym was the place to vent as I hadn’t been for a couple of weeks because of a cold, but despite enjoying session I Then willfully came home and Wilfully and with Rebellion in my heart ate nearly 100g of dark chocolate and not even 90% – a mix of 70% and 85% and I went to the shops especially for the latter. Of course, compared to the bad old days this is nothing, but it’s clear I still have some way to go on the ‘not finding answers through eating’. Came home and stuffed face with beef stew and yoghurt and chia seeds. Only now feeling satiated and ready to stop.

On a more positive note, Am trying a new thing of not eating after 7pm or before 10am. Not quite the full 16 hrs but best fit with how my days go. So, it’s 19.06 and the end of my eating day. I could happily go to bed now! Sadly I’ve mistimed the online shop and the van won’t be here until between 9 – 10pm.

Luvtcook you have made me very happy. Discovered chia seeds 2 weeks ago and am obsessed with them, in fact just finished my yoghurt and chia seeds. I’m, definitely doing this tomorrow for breakfast!

Thanks V, having just finish my second Mindfulness course I should know more about self compassion and not do myself down so much. The results were good but not as good as the time before or the time before that. What is different, I have to ask myself. Well I am about 4 or 5 kgs heavier, always saying the weight didn’t make much difference to me maybe that is what I should rethink.

When I get back home on 31st Dec I will be straight onto a full 8 week starting from scratch BSD to get rid of a few kilos.

Hi All, some fantastic tips and recipes posted on this forum from a very positive group😊I have great news to share 3lbs off in week 2👍
It was so helpful imagining foods I didn’t want to eat covered in yellow visceral fat!!! The mind can be so powerful💪 I completed my fast and that really helped me focus on what choices I made. YIPEEEEE! And a little dance 💃 I have dropped into a lower stone!! I can’t post my weight yet (it feels heavy)but next year as I get my weight lower my confidence will improve.
Thankyou to all I hope everyone is battling on.. not long too go! 😊

HIGH FIBER HOT CHIA PORRIDGE

It is freezing cold with blustery winds today on the east coast of the US…perfect time for hot porridge. Here is a warming and very filling low carb one that it my go to in the winter.

High Fiber Hot Chia Porridge

Perfect warmer upper in cold weather
Yield: Serves 1
Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp chia seed
• 2 Tbsp flax seed meal
• half pinch of salt
• 6 Tbsp boiling water
• 1 Tbsp nut butter (optional) …peanut butter, almond butter, etc

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, stir together chia seed, flax seed meal & tiny pinch of salt
2. Top with the 1 Tbsp of nut butter
3. Add boiling water, stir and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

Delicious topped with a drizzle of heavy cream. In the winter I also add a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup and a bit of chopped walnuts.

In the warmer months I let the porridge cool a bit and top with heavy cream, fresh berries and sliced almonds.

For lower calories you could of course use almond or hemp seed milk.

Serves 1. Each serving (without optional toppings) has a total of 309 calories and 18 g of carbs and 18 g of fiber! Total NET CARBS = 0 g. And yes it will keep you full and satisfied as a meal.

S-g great result! Maybe you are expecting too much of yourself. He’s happy so you should be too. What a great way to end the year. Did you have slow release metformin last time? Anyway, given that metformin only reduces your BG by 10-15% maybe you could persuade him to let you ditch the insulin and just try to control by diet? Something to think about and aim for in 2018! For the moment just enjoy a successful year and enjoy your holiday …. but without too many treats!

Jim,

What a wonderful response.

Hmm, considering what you’ve said about the 5:2 Fast Diet I think I might be better staying on BSD. Being able to eat relatively freely on some days wouldn’t end well for me. But, being on 800 cals/20 carbs for 5 months is enough for me just now, so I think I’ll slowly increase my calories for a few weeks and then start 8 weeks again early in the New Year.

Thank you for sharing your background. You’ve described your story beautifully. We were saying the other day just how deeply riven those emotional connections are between food, and childhood, people and places. And, even when you know what you’re doing, how hard it is to stop. I definitely know that one!

I’m glad you’ve joined this thread.
Marie x

Oh SunnyB, what a miserable experience for your parents! I’m sure that you are very
grateful that they weren’t at home or sustained any injuries. They certainly will feel
violated and vulnerable for awhile though. We had our Jeep Grand Cherokee (SUV)
stolen from the driveway in the wee hours of the morning a few years ago. A group
of miscreants took it and 2 others of the same make and model, drove them to a
deserted area, and set them on fire. We got to see the charred remains on the evening
news broadcast the following evening. So senseless! No one likes to feel that
vulnerable, particularly those of us who are aging.

Eliza52, congratulations on getting rid of the meds, not to mention the loss of 42lbs!
I hope you feel wonderful. If your daughter is at all emotional, there may be a few
tears in her eyes when she first sees you. She will be both shocked and overjoyed
to see the new you 🙂

Verano, putting no holiday weight on in 3 weeks away is a real victory. Cheers!
Happy Birthday to you. Enjoy everything about your celebration with friends. Are you
still in Spain? I’m not sure if you actually told us that was your destination, or I just
assumed it because I know you enjoy being there.

Wishing everyone a fine day 🙂

Allie

Hi Marie123,
I will carry on with the BSD after New Year, and the reason I started on the BSD is to try and get some discipline into my eating. I found the 5:2 Fast Diet too easy and didn’t seem to work for me, allowing me to eat too much good on plan food on non-fast days. I feel that the BSD helps me to focus on basic needs and reinforces the amount of food that I was overeating. I had a sticker on my fridge that stated “Whatever You Are Looking For It is Not In Here”, didn’t make any difference, I still went looking for something to put in my mouth and I feel that that is tied into my upbringing. Having been born just after the war when food was scarce and my family were seriously poor, we savoured every morsel of food and on a few occasions were clinically hungry but not in any danger as we were living in the country there was always rabbits to catch or someone in the extended family would give us some fish that they caught. I can remember when the salmon were running up-river we had it every day for a fortnight until we were sick of it. But this insecurity left me with a dread of feeling hungry, and my mum had been a cook in a big country house before the war and could turn out some amazing meals with seemingly few ingredients and whenever I said after a meal “that was smashing mum”, she beamed with pleasure. Having said all this I have always associated a full stomach with being in a safe place and have eaten in the past until my stomach has ached whenever things were not going right in my life.
I have used this information over the years to cut down on my food consumption but still for over the last twenty years mostly ate good stuff, but always too much. And a lot of the so called good stuff was high carb, which had been recommended on the eatwell plate by the powers that be, so it had to be good for you, and if it was good for you then more was even better. If only we had known about this plan 30 years ago, how much better would our health be and how much would the NHS, have saved in the past decades. There is so much to take in with all the advice on here I am so glad I stumbled on this forum, and thank you all for your innate good sense and empathy.
Jim

Thanks for all the loud talking, as requested, (I do love this forum) but I have to now ask for it again tomorrow night. Late change of plans tonight but, as I need to give the rocky road to my friends on Sunday, then tomorrow night is deadline for making, Friday night for chopping/wrapping, Saturday is my time with granddaughter for her 17th birthday (our customary annual Nana+Holly day) then to “Symphony in the City” our favourite annual outdoor concert by the Swan River. Can’t miss that! And, I will need to concoct after full days at the cricket … the Ashes are in town, woohoo:) We are going to the WACA for the first two days and fifth day if it lasts that long. (Apologies to anyone from US, Canada etc who don’t get the reference). Missing days 3 and 4 of the match is awful but we have big clashes with other important things. Life just gets busier!

I’ve just read that back and I sound rather manic so I’ll stop now. “Night all xx

ps Just saw your post s-g, great reaction from Dr Dishy. So pleased for you x

Hello, I’m back again. Just been to see lovely doctor and he says I am perfect – I think he means my results are perfect. When I pointed out it was in the diabetic area, he said if I wasn’t diabetic he would be worried that I was heading that way but I am so all is okay. It is like saying I am only just diabetic. He says I expect too much of myself and when I told him how much insulin I was on he said it was hardly worth bothering with, he would take me off completely if I could stomach metformin. Maybe I should try it again but it gave me 24/24 hr sh–ts and I dont want that again. So, I will keep on keeping on… and in the new year try for new lows. Also I had lost 1.5kg since my last visit. That was major for me as I have been creeping up.

Mokovex, I showed him the numbers on my machine and he said it is what he would expect and I could do no better.
Regarding your cholesterol, are you on any medication as that is quite high. Do not despair, when I started on this plan my cholesterol was up in the high 6’s and some 6 months later was down in the 3’s. Doctor picky makes me have a test very 6 months because he is still unsure of this diet when I tell him I eat fat. Teasing him really I should say good fats and oils. It is the only thing that has ever brought my numbers down along with my triglycerides which used to be scary high and now under the normal bar.

Hi Mokovex.I always have a high cholesterol but when I ask for a cardiac risk factor calculation including blood pressure its ok.Im quite low risk . I don’t have diabetes yet and I refuse all medications and quite a few tests.Im trying to treat diet related conditions with diet.If I have tests its only when I want to do something about the results. IF I don’t have symptoms and feel fine , I refuse tests and only go to doctors every 2 years .thats just me I want to be responsible for myself.
Well done to everyone posting so well at this busy time of the year.

I veer towards to ‘glass half empty’ myself, Verano – especially in the grey and chilly winter months – definitely should have been born somewhere hot and sunny! In case I forget, all best wishes for your birthday on Sunday and for the coming year.

Struggling a bit to think of positives today, as I heard this morning that my parents were burgled yesterday. The house was ransacked, the safe and laptop taken and all of Mum’s gold jewellery. On the upside, some one saw the burglars acting suspiciously in an adjacent street and speeding off in a car. They took the reg number and immediately reported it to the police. So, by the time the police were taking statements from Mum and Dad, another team had tracked the burglars and it looks like some, if not all, of the property taken may have been recovered.

So, I guess the two main positives to take from that is:
1) There are still people who will make the effort to question things that look suspicious and report put themselves out to report it- i.e. to get involved.
2) The burglary happened when Mum and Dad weren’t in the house and they are physically safe and sound.

A final one from me today: ‘Only one principle will give you courage, that is the principle that no evil lasts forever nor indeed for very long.’ – Epicurus (341 – 271 B.C.)

soo, Feb – cholesterol 7, today 6.8. Will admit to feeling more than a smidge disappointed.

Things I have thunk:

1. I actually did way more damage (hit the Haribo hard) between Feb-August 2017 so possibly it was higher than 7 when I began BSD?
2. I don’t know the breakdown of the numbers, LDL & HDL.

So, group wisdom, anyone experienced anything like this? I have probably had high cholesterol for years (3+) Any thoughts or things you may have read on how long it takes to bring that number down? Is it slower if it has been high for a long time? Any particular foods it is good to eliminate or restrict? Have you done anything that has worked?

On the positive side, all of my other stats are good. BMI, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, hip/waist (0.78 when I measured this am, 0.8 when gym chappie measured) my resting heart rate is low, and my Vo2 max is EXCELLENT!!!!!! (legs do under the table jig in Starbucks). He was impressed and just said to keep on.

Thanks for tips on snacks. It is cold here Marie123, an unusually snowy UK. Might give the Fage yoghurt snack a go. Well done on your loss for this challenge. Brilliant!

Sunshine girl – way to go! Would your doctor accept ‘unofficial’ numbers? Let us know how the appointment goes.

x

Sorry to hear things are still problematic for you, Theo. Hope you have a good journey home and ‘the boys’ are pleased to see you – just know they will be! Being around them will probably help to reduce the stress levels a little. Keeping everything crossed that your family problems will soon be resolved, you and your OH will be able to relax together and life will return to normal. Will look forward to you popping in as time permits, meanwhile we will be thinking about you.

I’m doing okay. Unexpected 1.2lb drop registered on the scales this morning, which was a nice little bonus. Have a busy few days coming up with family though, which starts this evening through to Sunday, so no doubt that will be sneaking back on. Still nicely under target weight though, so taking it as it comes.

Hi Flick, I agree with you about feeling well on this WoE. – i have spent years trying all sorts of diets which all felt like trying to push water up hill. Being a vegetarian counting calories but not looking at the ratio of carbs to the rest of the diet doesn’t work. You get more and more restrictive on calories for very little benefit. – I have so enjoyed watching the needle move on the scales.

This is one of the articles that I found helpful in working out why I was having difficulty getting to sleep in the first place. https://www.livestrong.com/article/482729-i-cant-sleep-on-a-low-carb-diet/ There were other articles on how slow release of carbs from fibre intake before going to bed helped promote a long high quality of sleep.

Thank you Allie and Sunny.

At least the snow is thawing, which is just as well as I have to head home for the dogs as o/h is having to go abroad for a week. Family problems still not resolved, and I’m not sure whether dealing with it all long distance will be easier or make life even more difficult! The stress is telling though, and those 2 regained pounds have disappeared again!! O/H has tried every which way to get out of his trip as he is worried about me, but needs must and it’s only a week. So I’ve told him to stop fretting (oh that it was that easy!) and just go!

Will pop in when I can. Hope everyone else is doing ok?

Have a great time in USA, Cathy – your son won’t recognise you! He will be thrilled with his “new, healthy” mum.

DCT, well done for hanging in there and now the scales are rewarding you. I know what you mean about moving the goalposts, as I did that a couple of times. First wanted to lose 2st, when I got there, I carried on and lost 3st and once I hit maintenance I lost even more unintentionally whilst gradually racking up my calories until I stabilised. But it’s given me more than half a stone of wriggle room, so not worried about Christmas, although will stick with no refined carbs.

Merry Christmas to all our January buddies – can’t believe that in just a few short weeks, we’ll all be wishing each other happy 1st BSD anniversary.

Hi everyone, down another 100g this morning and just finished a 30 min aerobic workout. Looking back over my daily results shows I am too low most of the time SO why are my official numbers higher. That is the puzzle. If I increase insulin my results will go through the floor and I will be trying to rectify it all the time. If I reduce insulin the numbers will go up. I think I need to lose another stone to get some kind of movement with my bloods. Week before Christmas and I am still keeping on….. so will see what the New Year brings. Seeing doctor at 2.30 so will let you know what he has to say. Can I just say, yes he is very dishy but he is also very picky. There is always a BUT with him – lets hope he is in a forgiving mood.

Mokovex Hi and thanks, yes I’m stoked!

VictoriaM thankyou too. I’ve got a couple of messy days happening. So I will pack snacks and pre make my shake to take to the hospital as I’ve got fasting bloods in the morning. I’ve also got an ultrasound booked that means I’ll be racing from dialysis for that appt and no time for proper lunch until late. Truly though, on a normal day I try to do a brekky shake then sml meal at dialysis and a big salad after. Then the evening meal. That’s my pattern at least 4 x a week. If I snack it’s a little bag of almonds and/ or 1/2-1 punned of strawberries. I do generally find it easier to not snack but I’m armed these days to limit the damage esp on a day like tomorrow.😊

Thanks marie123! And yes 10 lb sounds so much better! Reading your post reminded me I’m fasting for my cholesterol / fats in my blood tests in the morning. I’ll be looking for some changes! Good work everyone😊

VictoriaM – thanks x

Flick, I carry two things in my back pocket at the moment to be pulled out and used judiciously but effectively as required – one is that image of Kush’s of visceral fat, and the other is Esnecca’s ‘Not one step backwards’ Works for me, too.

Marsie – DON’T

Thanks Lucia x

Hey Marsie, Don’t forget Kush’s image of toxic, luminous yellow visceral fat!

Hi Emu
I think we are all in the same boat and that definitely helps me, too. I understand what your husband means about not doing other tests – I was told my cholesterol was higher (6.1) at the same time I was diagnosed with diabetes but didn’t really take it in, and then when I remembered I felt I needed to concentrate on getting my blood sugar levels down before thinking about anything else.

I pushed back the date of my hba1c (it was down to me to arrange it) so that I’d been fully on the BSD for 16 weeks before getting tested – so there’d be no fully sugared blood cells left from before BSD. But it sounds to me as if his levels are good now. You’ve both done fantastically well with the weight loss and BP, too.

Let us know how your OH gets on with his hba1c and wishing him well for his operation in February. I’m impressed by the running, by the way, no matter how low key!
Marie x

Hi JGwen and Lessmuffintop, who knew there was a relationship between fibre and sleep. Makes sense when you think about how important it turns out our gut microbiota are to so many processes, including feeling well and happy.

One of the revelations of this WOE is how well I feel (and how not hungry or having to fight off cravings all the time) so for me, tthere is no contest. If it was a choice between feeling well and getting through the day happily, or, super fast weight loss but misery, I’d take the slower road without hesitation.

Boy, you are both achieving stunning results!

Brilliant results Panda B and great to get an update from you – I’m so delighted to hear from you. I’m really sorry to hear how tired you’ve been, it does sound pretty grim. I hope the vitamins begin to make a difference.
Your results are doubly impressive because of what you’ve been through. From 13 to 5.7 that’s fantastic, normal cholesterol and 10kg weight loss!

Like you, I feel like I need to embed all the good habits into a workable routine so am concentrating on that right now and I’m also looking to up my calories bit by bit. I still need to lose 6lb to get to the very top of the healthy BMI category and then decide what’s next, but I’m going to leave all that until after the New Year.

Hope to see you around in the challenges. Would love to hear new updates but only whenever you can. No worries if there’s a big break.

Marie x

My uncle’s much better – I don’t think he was ever a hippie, but you never know!

Well done Marie123 to have reached your target. Good job. Total loss of 4 stones is amazing.

Marsie. YOU CAN DO IT. you don’t need to taste test it, you know the recipe will work. This is a gift for someone else, NOT for you. (Don’t usually shout with caps but you asked us to!)

Hi
I started on the BSD in August lost about 22 lbs easily. Didn’t really worry about carbs in the beginning then read threads and tried to go lower. I must have knocked myself into ketosis as I then got up 3 or 4 times a night to go to the toilet. I then was so tired I started wanting stuff to get me through the day so it was counter productive! I really don’t think low carb works for me. There is a man on the fast diet thread simoncolov and he did 16 weeks 5/2 dropping calories and walking so general deficit and lost 1 lb a week. That and mixmmatchs threads have changed how am losing the next 12lbs . I need my sleep ,my fit bit told me in low carb I was getting 13 mins average deep sleep from normal 57 mins … slower weight loss happier healthier me no contest!

Mokovex – Is it cold where you live? I’ve not snacked at all on BSD until the last couple of weeks when I’ve started having some additional Fage yoghurt on an evening. I’m also feeling very cold, but that’s probably the weight loss. Great news – getting down to your lowest weight again – and good luck with the Health MOT. I’ll be interested to hear how you get with your cholesterol as I’m focused on that too, at the moment.

Milalin – Hi, and that’s great going – 4.7kg/10lb -(I always have a kg convertor open when I’m on this site!). 10lb is a great number, but getting under 100kg is a brilliant target and so doable. It’s always lovely to hear when someone’s ecstatic – it jumps right off the page.

JGwen – I’m the opposite. I can lose lbs but can’t seem to lose the inches, particularly from my waist. My arms and legs are quite slim now, but I’ve still got a barrel waist and I’ve now got a turkey neck! Still, I’m working on it…

Jim47 – Hi, and welcome. I’ve just calculated (clicked a button) your weight loss – 6.7kg – is 1 Stone in my language. That’s a great loss. Are you continuing with BSD in the New Year? I’ll have done 5 months on BSD next week and I’m wondering whether to shift to 5:2 in the New Year. What do you think of the two diets/woe?

Sunshine-girl – what jumped out at me in your results post was the bit about you nowadays being on half your insulin – what an achievement, truly. Hope it’s a good meeting with your doctor.

Well, I’ve lost 2lbs this last week so have lost 4lbs to date on this Challenge. My initial target was to lose 3lbs which I’ve met. This means a total weight loss from my heaviest of 4 stone. I lost 1 stone 3lbs before I started BSD and the rest since I started in August.

So, I’m not going to set another weight target for this challenge. I’m going to keep walking down that garden path. I want to make sure all those BSD habits are bedded down. Ok, I clearly need to stop writing now……

Hope everyone has a good week.

Welcome to you, Jim47. Join in when you can, keep us posted with your news, good or not so. Pretty good people on here as you’ve seen.

That’s the way, Mokovex, back to your low. You are on your way again☺ Fingers crossed with your test.

JulesP, I’m liking the sound of your snack. Makes good sense, it’s enjoyable and it works for you☺

Talk loudly to me everybody. I’ve been asked, again, for rocky road to stand as friends’ Christmas gifts. I have the 3 bowls to hold the chocs but tonight is making night. Too easy to lick fingers, or test, along the way…😈

Hi, everyone.

Well done Mokova, I agree about the forum. I so wanted to post the results of my lunch out with friends when I got in last night from singing in my concert and I had no broadband and no phone signal (here in deepest darkest Surrey).

Well done Milalin sounds like you’ve got an enlightened doctor! As you say – watch that snacking, it’s always been my downfall. Do you find absolute prohibition easier than allowing “the odd snack”.

As foe yesterday, You were all right encouraging me to talk about my diet. I told my friends about what I was doing, they were interested and supportive, and interestingly Dr M seems to have moved this WOE from fad to mainstream. As soon as I mentioned his name they saw it as a legitimate option.

I had a delicious halloumi salad with no dressing and lots of olives. Then I had dessert, which I didn’t need because I was full, but I had natural yoghurt with chopped nuts and no date syrup. Way over 800/20 which I knew it would be, but a fantastic meal and low carb. I ate nothing else all day as I was full, and won’t eat till lunch time so I have the added bonus of a 24hour fast (usually 17 hours).

Btw one question came up in the evening, I had a coughing fit and the kind lady next to me gave me a throat swetet which I took because I was desperate. But I’m sure it was pure sugar. I sucked it very slowly then threw half away when I decently could. Do any of you have advice on good, low carb through/cough sweets for a newbie please?

Hi Mokovex, well done getting down to your lowest weight again, new territory from now on! I’m the same re forum, love checking what everyone is up to and getting new info. Although I only started posting again a week ago I’ve been reading posts since I restarted BSD in Sept and it’s been lovely to see new names plus all the ones I remember from my first time last year. Such a kind, inspirational forum.
Re snacks I wonder whether upping fats in meals might help instead? If my meal hasn’t contained a lot of fat my occasional dessert is frozen strawberries/blueberries/raspberries heated in oven topped with Fage, splash of cream & almonds. Stops me craving snacks and helps me get benefits of longer fasting windows.
Good luck with the mot.

Good morning everyone. SunnyB I guess I must be a ‘cup half empty’ person struggling to see the positive side of life. Some days are better than others …. yesterday….
1. Chatted to an old friend.
2. Had texts from some friends who are getting excited about celebrating my birthday with me on Sunday.
3. Getting excited about my birthday party …. but no 🍰!

Hi

Just a quick tip,
If i want to say a lot.
I use word on the computer
Or notes on the ipad
Then just copy and paste.
So if the little bugger disappears, i can still copy and paste again.

love lucia xxx

Morning all,

Can’t believe it is Wednesday already, the kids have been off school with a couple of snow days and so I am completely thrown. Feels like a Monday morning. Anyway, bit late but here goes,

Start: 130.7lb
Week 2: 131.6lb
Today: 129.6lb

Total of 1.1lb off and back to my lowest weight on 23rd November. 👍

It really is a struggle at the moment. I am just so very very hungry, in a way that I haven’t been for a while. I haven’t needed to snack since August but wondering if I need to add a snack in so as not to sabotage myself. Best filling snack ideas anyone?

Last night, hubby said ‘you will post on the forum first thing won’t you?’ he is fabulous and totally gets that my morning routine of coffee and posting on here, as soon as I get out of bed, keeps me accountable and helps me to get outside of my head. I remember how awkward that felt back in September? when I started but has now become such a pleasure, so thank you all 😀

This morning I have my health MOT at the gym. I am particularly interested in the cholesterol number, was 7 in May. Isn’t it funny how these appointments can have such emotional weight? I KNOW that everything about my health has improved but would still like the validation of some numbers recorded by an external organisation.

Topac – I really love your idea about adding what you would have eaten to the empty tin. How marvellous! and what great feedback for you at the end of the day.

S-G – I am sorry to hear that you are wrestling with your results. Hoping that your doc appointment has gone well and you have some ideas going forward.

Arctic fox – well done for continuing to post on here, I am sorry that life has been a bit tough for you recently, and though the successes haven’t necessarily come in lbs loss yet, continuing to remain engaged with the forum will hopefully minimise the damage. Keep going.

Milalin – well done. ONEderland here you come.

x