Tasberry, above are all good suggestions. Homemade salad dressing (small blob of Dijon mustard, 1 Tbs vinegar, 2 Tbs olive oil, salt & pepper shaken up in an empty jar…toss in a half a garlic clove smashed or herbs for extra flavor if in the mood) on a large tossed salad gets you a long way. Generous butter on veg, tuna salad made with ample mayonnaise will do it. It ends up looking like not a lot of food on your plate for the number of calories….but that is deciveving because it is so filling due to the extra oil. It is HARD to get used to after decades of listening to the old low-fat preaching….but give higher fat a whirl. Its also great for your skin.

I will try to get through it as I never give up on anything except for a book called The Corrections which I have never managed to finish. Weird book. Having been on my own the last 5 days I have found that food has no interest for me, it is just a means of fuelling my body. I have sat down at the table for every meal but the eating was just boring I think eating is a social event in my house as we always sit together and talk.

Kazz, recommend you Google recipes for roasted broccoli / cauliflower / green beans. All more or less call for preheating a baking pan in a very hot oven…then once hot, tossing the veg with oil, salt & pepper and then throwing onto the hot baking pan. Objective is to get one side nice and browned (no need to turn over) and finish with fancy extras (like the wonderful pancetta suggestion). I agree with you….roasted veges are a revelation.

Tony – keep up the good work! Doing BSD with all the travelling is very inspiring! I hope you are feeling proud of yourself. You should be! Big pats on the back!

“Why We Get Fat” is a continuation of his first 500pg tome on “Good Calories…Bad Calories”,
and is meant as a summary of his 5 years research on weight loss. There were significant
break throughs being studied in the days leading up to WW2. Because the scientists were
scattered to all corners of the world at this time, work was halted due to the war effort. Post
war work was done on the lipid hypothesis vs the carbohydrate hypothesis. This is
where the “book gets good” in fact, because it examines whether it’s simply calories in,
calories out, everything in moderation as we had been taught, or was it the type of calories,
lipids( high fat) or carbohydrates (low carb) that was the key that unlocked the door on
obesity. We all bought into the low fat concept in the 1980’s, promulgated by the flawed
Ancel Keyes study. Then Dean Ornish came along with his heart health cookbook advo-
cating for many servings of bread and grain each day. In my opinion, the “what to do
about it” is a shift in how you look at all your calories in the future and how your choices
are driven not by taste but how supportive they are to optimal health and wellness.

I hope this helps you to refocus, Sunshine-girl. I’ve never viewed food the same after
reading Taubes books. Probably Californiagirl will have something to contribute too~

Best wishes,

Allie

that should have been 11.13 3/4

Morning all, or is it afternoon. I have managed to remain at 11.11 3/4lbs over the weekend. I am still on my own as hubby has been snowed in at Hanover airport.

With regard to the Gary Taubes book can someone tell me when it starts to get interesting. I have a degree in psychology and sociology (not bragging) so used to reading complicated material but his book is so full of examples and statistics and every time I think I have got the gist he jumps to something else. Eating doesn’t make you fat, dieting doesn’t make you fat, exercising doesn’t stop you from getting fat – when am I going to get to the good bit that tells me what to do about it. I will finish the booked but I dont know when.

Looking forward to the weigh in tomorrow. Have a good day everyone.

Esnecca, a double date would be insane! Will respond to your email when the sun
comes up and I won’t be disturbing the old bearded one as I bang around with
the desk chair. Keep a sharp eye out, see you later!

Allie

Allie – It is nearly lunch time – 20 mins to go. I’ve done nothing but sort out people’s most ridiculous requests this morning. I support 5 bloody babies! Like I’m their mother or something! Give me strength!!!!!

Alas, my lovely mum is notorious for boiling to death all vegetables until they are a mushy plop! Frozen peas are the only “veg” that survive! Also, roasting all meats until like shoe leather! My dad used to really moan as he was never able to carve the meat/chicken – it just fell like wood shavings! 🙂 I think that’s why I always preferred the dark meat on a chicken – the leg and thigh! It was only as an adult when I first dined out and had succulent beef, Lamb and pork and al dente veg, that I realised that was how it should be! So, to answer your question, I will very diplomatically suggest we try a new exciting way with the sprouts! I’m now totally spoiled for choice as roasted sprouts were definitely on the list to do, but now my mouth is watering at the idea of your sprouts with pancetta! I may just have to do both!

Mary – I too think about you daily. 🙂 I hope you come back after your rest. I really miss you, my friend. xxxx

Laters peeps – don’t let the baaaastards grind you down as they say!

Kazzee xxx

I’m very happy you found us too, Jackie!

Morning Theo, I love roasted vegetables in the winter! B. sprouts have alluded me in
terms of successful execution however. Outer leaves always burn! Can I ask what oven temp you use? Thanks!

Allie
xoxo

‘Morning Kazzi, and anyone else who may be out and about on this thread. Mary, if
you’re reading but not posting, I’m thinking of you and sending you a hug from the
darkness of our bedroom at 5:30am. Yawn.

It must be tea break time for you Kazzi. It sounds to me like you’ve set yourself
up well for another successful week. Glad the brussel sprouts roast turned
out well. I love to eat vegetables seasonally, so this time of year I’m hot on the
trail of new sprout ideas. I’ve tried roasting a sheet pan of the petite cabbages,
but think I used a too high temp because the outer leaves were charred and
inetible( sp?). My current favorite holiday version is to cut mid size sprouts in
half, set aside, then saute a thin slice of chopped pancetta. Remove from the pan,
and then saute the sprouts in that pan til they brown to caramelize, but don’t became
overcooked. Pour back in the pancetta crisps and serve en casserole. Very simple!
what will you and mum be choosing to make? I feel like a “kid with a secret” to tell,
so I’ll find you later!

Allie
xoxo

Esnecca – can’t remember where you posted it but you have already inspired me to give the 99% choc/salt combo a go and it was indeed very good! Same kind of feeling as when I first tasted salted caramel. But I am glad I built up to it as First try of 99% without salt did not go well. 70% now tastes weird so my default is 90%, which given a WHOLE BAR only has 14g carbs is my treat of last resort! But the 99% and salt one is now my treat when I have time to savour the moment.

So interested in the secret eating chat. I was such a secret eater, I still prefer to eat alone but now because I cherish it. MYbe I always did? Emotional eating since childhood, plus I think a very sensitive palate which meant I really enjoyed food (my daughter remembers places based on what she ate there, I was like that). Associations of food with my (dead) mum plus scared of being hungry as I often was as a teenager when living with my dad. TKen a long time and more than the BSD to see how it all interlinks. But the BSD has taken away the physical cravings, so now I feel like I can’t damage myself too much if I eat to ‘treat’ myself (that extra cheese or extra piece of chocolate or the glut of cream). I don’t think I would have ever done it sithout the insulin scare, but thank God I did and found y’all.

Flick, that is a brilliant result! Well done. And I’m so glad that you’re finally seeing results around your waist. Are you noticing a difference in how your clothes fit? How are you feeling energy wise?

I’m very happy this morning that I’ve lost exactly 6kg and 6cm off my waist. When I started this 19 days ago I thought I would be really happy if I could get below 90kg before Christmas, but I’ll hopefully reach that target sometime next week. I feel great – I feel like I’m in control of my eating for the first time in my life, I feel calmer and can make rational decisions about food. And I like that feeling.

Happy Monday everyone!

Hi all. If it’s weigh-in day, then I must report. But only down 300g. I don’t think I have slipped much this week, so perhaps I am consolidating? Or maybe not drinking enough water – one of my weak points. Anyway I shall think of it as more than a pack of luminous yellow butter that is no longer clogging my insides! Although the scales haven’t shifted much, my waist and cheekbones are emerging, which is very pleasing. Now off to market to buy lots of healthy stuff – and maybe a healthy treat or two! Wishing everyone success this week.

Thank you Theo I will give that a try. I found roasting cauliflower a bit of a trial at first it was always raw but burnt! I do now have the knack just didn’t want to go down the same route with sprouts!

Hi everyone,
I would love to be with you all on this challenge, bit of a late starter but hoping it will keep me on an even keel over these next tricky weeks! Despite faffing about for the last 14 months on the BSD and falling off the wagon pretty much weekly I’m still here and have even lost a couple of kilos lately – hurrah!
Am loving all the posts on all the threads, my daily reading gives me hope and pleasure always!
Am planning a very moderate approach to Xmas with a careful choice of one or two things only, the rest BSD friendly and I think that will be manageable..wine on the other hand may flow more freely..😬 ( a few tricky relatives..!)
Thanks again everyone for the funny, informative and moving posts, wishing everyone the best for this challenge,
Inka

Hi Everybody – this is such a wonderful discussion for me as a bsd newbie, I’ve been thinking hard all morning about all the things said – there is so much I can’t thank you all or my post will become a list, but believe me when I say thanks to you all.

Esnecca you started me off with your comment about food can be a treat, because that made me think hard about the way I felt about treats, and that they are “naughty” so tend to be something bad for you, and in my case usually concealed from everyone else. This combined with the comment Mokovex about falling off the wagon made me realise that I have never shared any weakness for failures with others. On previous forums I have trumpeted my successes but backed of when things went wrong. I can’t easily admit to failure or weakness – I have only confessed my Type 2 Diabetes to 4 people as I see that as a failure of lifestyle on my part.

I am using other techniques to help with this which I won’t mention here as it is a distraction from bsd, but I think the thing that I’m going to need to work on most this holiday is not wanting to be seen to make a fuss by being “different”. An interesting aside from that is that when I was on holiday earlier in the year and on anti-malarial tables which made me ill, I didn’t eat or drink very much at all – AND NO ONE NOTICED so I don’t need to worry about it!

BTW – I must stop my computer from autocorrecting bsd to bad!!

Verano, no recipe needed really, but the way I do them is to cut them in half, add some olive oil, salt, black pepper, lemon zest and a few chilli flakes, shake around to make sure sprouts are covered, then roast in oven until starting to caramelise – probably about 10 – 15 mins. Keep an eye on them. Then sprinkle with some freshly grated parmesan and continue roasting for a further 10 – 15 mins til turning golden and crispy. Yum😃

Well done, veerle -it sounds as though the circumstances were challenging but you still kept your focus!
For the most part, I am not hungry either, but I do get the odd patch of “light-headedness” if I stand up quickly (maybe that is another symptom of eating less?). I have done some work at my allotment and been for a couple of good walks without noticing any lack of energy, but am aware that I need to be more active so I am probably not working out as hard as you!
The oddest thing is that I am/was a cake junkie, but I find myself looking at the displays in the bakery with no more than a mild curiosity at the moment – long may it continue!
Maggie

With a work trip away (with hotel stay), it was a challenge to stick to lowcarb/lowcal food. Also 2 evening meetings with a glass of wine. So most of the week my weight stayed the same, then dipped 1 kg over the weekend. Determined to do better this 3rd week, with no trips away planned. Overall, no cravings or hunger feelings. But doing something strenuous (e.g. garden work or cycling) I do feel the lack of sugars/ energy.

Verano, I think you’re right about body shape changing even though weight isn’t moving much. Since July I have lost the princely amount of 2kg net though up and down as you say. In that time though, all the padding has disappeared from my midriff and I no longer have the muffin top that has plagued me for years. I think low carb is redistributing my weight into a healthier configuration regardless of what the scales say. Maybe that’s another reason I am not burning to lose more even though I’m filled with admiration for those who have.

Roast sprout recipe please?

Esnecca I love the idea that ‘success drives itself’. Another of life’s wise sayings to add to my collection!

Mariet I think you could be right about health issues driving weight loss. When I started BSD my main aim was to lose enough weight to reverse my diabetes and become drug free. I have been successful and reached that goal. Now I need to remain in remission and need to lose more weight but for 5 months my weight has yo-yoed around the same 3lbs or so. I’m finding it much more difficult to lose again because I no longer feel that my health is at such great risk.

Bizarrely, although I haven’t dropped any weight recently, people who I’ve not seen in several months are noticing that I’ve lost weight. My body must be changing shape even though I’ve had no further weight loss!

Lovely to hear everyone’s news 🙂
Seasidenana sorry to hear you have been unwell, I hope you feel better soon and that your move goes well.
Abbado – glad the wedding went sell, how lovely for you to receive so many compliments 🙂
Cathy – I used to love all of the Christmas ‘treats’ and would normally have eaten copious quantities of mince pies by now! Instead this year I’m waiting till Christmas Eve, and even then I’ll be selective about what I eat (and drink!)
DCT – I find the same thing happens to me with weight loss. I’ll get to a “new low” then my weight goes up again and it can take a few weeks (or even months) until my weight stays at the new lower weight.
Theodora – my New Years resolutions will still include losing weight, but it will be amended to “keep on keeping on with BSD to lose more weight” or something like that!

Very, very well done, Mokovex. You took such an important step by stating what happened and committing out loud to sticking it out here with us. You may not feel it at the moment because you’ve still suffering the emotional and physical aftereffects of the binge, but you just turned everything around and are now climbing out of the spiral instead of sliding down it. That’s not an easy thing to do when you’re carrying a lot of baggage around. Secrecy can feel like sanctuary, when in reality it’s isolation and despair. It only drags you down further and faster. You just dropped half of those steamer trunks down the pit. It was courageous and strong and you should be very proud of yourself.

Now let us help you with the rest. What can we do to give you a hand? New recipes? Pictures of boots? Maybe just an attentive ear if you need to get things off your chest? I have about a million of the first two, and a functional pair of the last.

Hi Tasberry, it is important to average 800 calories even if you have a couple of low calorie days. Fat is absolutely essential as well to stimulate the fat burning mode and adaptations. Can you eat nuts? Avocado? I also love houmous olive oil dressing and of course cream and butter in recipes. Nuts are probably the easiest way to get more fats but some people cannot tolerate them. Avocado is also a great source of healthy fats. You may have to add a little salt to your meals and it is hyper important to keep drinking the water, at least 2 1/2 litres a day.

Morning all,

I could so well become one of those people described above who fall off the wagon and leave. But today I have decided I won’t. I am a few pounds up due to old bingeing habits this past few days and so although I have lost a decent amount of weight (2st) I have most certainly not cracked it. I guess that a lifetime of disordered thinking around food is not going to be fixed in a few months (sigh!).

This forum has been such a great place for supportive accountability I want to be in it for the long haul. Hubby and I are taking my slips seriously and are getting re-focused. Hoping that tomorrow I will be able to report 1 good day.

x

Hi Allie – yes, think it was probably the sausages. They were small thin ones and grilled not fried, but it was all too much. Should have just had some scrambled eggs I’ve learned from that and won’t do it again. Had a peep on the scales expecting to have gained a bit more after yesterday’s food, but was still at 16.7. I’ll not weigh again now until Saturday and see what the scales say.

See you later my sweet!

Kazzee xxx

Oh Kush, meant to say that luminous yellow fat image will stay with me for a while … will bring it out next time I feel the need for extra willpower. Eurgh!!

60.9kg, new personal low, 100g loss since yesterday. 400g more and I can say 16kg weight loss. 900g and I’ll have met next target. I say target but I am not aiming for it, in sense of counting rigidly. As I am healthy BMI now I am just sticking to principles, staying low Carb and not eating until lunchtime. Which is resulting in this loss. Bit bemused it’s happening, given I am using cream as my go to treat at present and it’s a rare day without 90% chocolate, but there we are! Had greens yesterday but going to double efforts there today after leek-gate!

Victoria, I think you can still celebrate with food. Food is a very big category, after all. My sumptuous break fasts, for example, are a very real celebration. They’re just not cake and alcohol is all. Instead it’s grass-fed steak, cultured pasture butter, gorgonzola, sauteed spinach and garlic or asparagus or pan-roasted brussels sprouts and bacon and a crispy Romaine salad on the side. I munch happily away, making yummy noises and everything.

I was never much of a drinker because I don’t have the stomach for it. (Gee, I wonder why more than a couple of servings of alcohol with all its sugars might make me vomit? Yet another thing doctors never said a word about.) I did enjoy a glass of wine with dinner from a gustatory perspective but it was no hardship closing that door. I am fortunate, I know, because as you discovered, those alcohol carbs are very powerful triggers. Good on you for placing it right away and in fighting the urge to hit the sugar bar hard.

Caronl, I second Flick’s sentiment. Red cabbage sauerkraut is one of my favorite things. I haven’t made coleslaw in ages but I bet it delicious and ever so pretty with red cabbage.

s-g, I don’t know if I’d call it a fear, but I definitely have a very strong aversion to those kinds of foods now. I went grocery shopping today and inadvertently cut through the bread aisle. It’s not like a nice bakery which still smells fine to me. It’s those megastore processed breads, buns, sliced breads, etc., that smell sickly sweet with an undertone of dry yeast. I literally had to cover my nose to keep from wretching.

Luvtcook, like you and MnM said, we have to do what works for us and you are wise to examine your weaknesses and strengths so you know what you can handle without launching a carb meltdown. I will tell you this, though, success drives itself. When I started out I held back mentally, told myself I was testing the waters because counting and weighing and all that stuff was so foreign to me. Within four days I knew I’d hit the jackpot and there was no going back. I am now far more hardcore a low carber than I was in August 2016 when I still had 200 pounds to lose.

Krysia, that’s just what I told my mom when she got sad over my refusal to eat her potatoes this year. It’s not self-abnegation or asceticism. The momentary taste pleasure is already very diminished for me because I don’t taste things the same way anymore (and because she doesn’t use anywhere near enough salt), and taking the very real risk of setting off a chain reaction that would set me back even just a little bit is anathema to me. She knows I’ve been insulin resistant for decades. I’m not making this up. This is a real thing that robbed me of my young adulthood. When I say not one step backwards, I mean it. I’ve been there, and it was a living hell.

I used to love the milkiest, whitest, blandest, sweetest chocolates in the world too! Now here I am pounding a big square of 100% cacao unsweetened bakers chocolate several times a week. I remember making a ganache for the first time years ago and thinking I must have bought the wrong thing because this bakers chocolate is obviously not really chocolate. 😆

Allie, excellent advice about formulating a plan and cleaving to it. Structure is so important when there are pitfalls to navigate and people trying to derail your progress and break your resolve at every turn.

Californiagirl, I think about those folks a lot. I wish they hadn’t left because this forum is such an invaluable resource for people when they need it the most. The support factor is essential to success, so it makes me sad when people feel so ashamed or damaged by a fall off the wagon that they can’t face talking about it. 🙁

Sandy47, congratulations on your quick recovery from the party situation. It’s good to know you have already developed the tools to keep your system running even when something goes awry. As for so-called friends who sabotage you, my current theory is they secretly feel like your healthy choices are a silent judgment of their unhealthy ones so they want to tear you down to feel better about themselves. Or they could just be negative nellies. Or simply jealous. Keep an eye on them, seriously. Those kinds of foul-weather friends do not have your best interests at heart.

Kush, that was the most awesomely disgusting description! I love it. 😀

Mariet, I agree, when your health looms very large, you have an omnipresent reminder of why you’re doing this. It’s like how Roman generals had an attendant behind them in the chariot during a triumph whose job was whispering “remember always that thou art mortal” in his ear as the crowds cheered the deity-for-a-day.

Thank you all for your thoughtful, measured engagement on the topic. When I woke up this morning I dreaded I’d gone too far, prompted by barely contained irritation at having had this exact same conversation with about 10 family members in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. It didn’t dawn on them that “but it’s the holidays! You need a little joy in your life” is actually a really crappy thing to say to someone over their food choices. That’s the danger of cliches that get repeated over and over without examination of the full implications. The irony is I was clinically depressed and hyper-obese for 20 years and not a single cousin or aunt or family friend had a thing to say about me “needing a little joy in my life” then.

Flick, your enthusiastic embrace of this WoE early in the game is going to stand you in the best stead as you move forward. I’m a bit of a lunatic zealot now, but I have no superhuman discipline. Or at least I didn’t until I starved it of sugar and it sprung up out of nowhere. Like you say, you don’t get to be in the obesity danger zone (or so far into it that your toes are edging over the deadly ravine like I was) by exerting a lifetime of Prussian self-control. I just tried something, it worked well, I felt great for the first time in years and so I kept going. I think see that in you too.

Congratulations, Verano! What a beautiful place to be in after all the ups and downs and all the hard time you’ve put in to not even notice the chips on the plate. I am loudly and obnoxiously doing that backwards V thing with my fingers to all those potatoes and digestives from across the pond. 😆

Jackie, You have to try the 100% bakers chocolate with flaked sea salt sometime. You’d get a kick out of the experience, even if it didn’t become your new favorite. What you said about using food to staunch anxieties that go back to childhood is so important. I think emotional eaters of long-standing can’t even conceive of finding new sources of comfort that they feel doomed from the outset, even though if they don’t say it. You’re proof that you can cope with these issues in new ways, by making choices that don’t materially damage your body and only give you temporary serotonin rushes before driving you to new emotional lows.

MnM, everyone’s coming at this WoE from a different place, and I have nothing but respect for your open-minded, exploratory approach given your circumstances. My stringent attitude is a necessity, what I needed to achieve my weight loss and health goals after years of neglect and decline. Now that I’m holding steady at below my impossible goal, I’m afraid I’ve become even more of a deranged evangelist. 😀

The biggest issue for me with tip #7 is the overly general nature of it, the pretense that it applies universally, and the constant drumbeat of that kind of prattle in seasons when people feel the need to justify overeating. The moderation, it’s-the-holidays, I’ll just-have-one-glass, pablum does not work for a lot of people who have struggled with their weight for many years. When purported experts pull out the same canned responses in a country where 10% of the population has T2D and a projected HALF of it, 150 million men, women, and worst of all, children, will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050, then it’s not just lazy thinking, it’s negligent, dangerous and unprofessional.

Hi Tasberry, I’ve just finished week 3 so I’m no expert. But for what it’s worth I reckon that’s a good solid start. Sad as it is, the loss rate always settles down after the first week or two. Mine did. But it is still steady. I’d suggest not worrying too much. Eat up to the 800 cals, keep the carbs low and proteins moderate. Eat plenty of fat. Sounds like you have enough spare calories to add some more in. Do, and enjoy them.

Drinking 2-3 litres a day will support the weight loss, though I’m not entirely clear on the science. Others may be able to help there – but from what I’ve read on the forum, there is consistent experience to support this. I measured out one of my larger glasses, 375ml, and I just make sure I drink 6-7 of those within th3 day. Mind you I could win a gold medal for peeing.

There’s thread covering a December Challenge, that has loads of interesting information and great support.

All the best, Flick

Flick – your week 1 Dec challenge stats look great. The stalls do seem to be part of the weight loss pattern on this way of eating. Hope you had a lovely pedicure.

Verano – how brilliant that you didn’t even think to eat the chips. Definitely have ‘arrived’ as a permanent guest at the BSD Hotel!. Captainlynne was my guiding light also when I started the BSD – and so was Bill1954. I do miss them on this forum.

Sandy47 – you have done well to ‘get back on the wagon’ after your works party blip. It’s a shame that ‘friends’ would try to sabotage your efforts. I don’t know why they would do that either.

Kush – I was a Sugar Queen and was well on the way to becoming one of those people you see at work. Luckily I found this way of eating before the damage become irreversible.

Now a ‘treat’ for me is relaxing in my conservatory in my recliner chair with my feet up reading (sadly quite rare at the moment as I am so busy), or going for a walk somewhere lovely with husband and dogs. Or browsing around the shops – without husband as he absolutely hates browsing around shops. Actually – just living without worrying if I will need another injection of lucentis to save my eyesight or whether the numbness in my foot is getting worse is a real treat.

Mariet – I think you are right when you say that it is easier in a way for us who have health issues to stay motivated.

JackieM I have just looked again and yes MFP does show a higher carb count than mine which was from Fatsecret. Just goes to show we all need to be more vigilant when using these apps. Maybe just checking ‘ Nutritional data’ for various food items would be more accurate.

Sorry for the misinformation Kazz but hope you enjoyed the leeks!

Kush that is a really evocative picture …. insides turning luminous yellow…. had never thought in those terms but maybe we all should. No way would those carbs be so appealing if we thought of bright yellow visceral fat building up with every mouthful of carbs we ate! Yet another rude awakening.

Hi, you know I hadn’t actually realised I’d ‘arrived’ until today and the incident with the chips/fries. It may have taken me a while to get here but I really do think that I am now a ‘true’ carbfree person. I had company tonight and whilst they ate crisps I had olives! I just don’t see myself returning to that old carb filled life any time soon!

Kazzi, that’s an incredible loss for so many weeks in! Congratulations! I simply can’t
be around Stilton, it’s at the top of my list of all time favorite cheese. I could OD on
it easily, so I can’t risk it. 🙂 Ever! Do you think your upset stomach was from all the
pork fat? Sausage and bacon aren’t really part of our food traditions, so I keep our
protein very lean, and use plant based sources to fulfill that requirement. I don’t think
I’ll ever stop learning, though.

Enjoy your evening,

Allie

Week two : I’ve lost 700 grams this week (compared to 1200g last week). In contrast to last week, I’ve frequently been hungry. I think this is because, as the weight loss has slowed, I’ve been cutting calories below 800 in an effort to boost the weight loss. The past few days I have been craving fats. When I look at my diet overall, I am probably getting too few fats but I am struggling to find a way to incorporate more fat and stay under 800 calories.

My Fasting Blood Sugars have been sitting steadily at 7.4 but this morning, were 6.3 so I’m interested to see if that continues. Also, had a sudden spike of blood pressure yesterday, from an average of 110/70 or lower, to 150/85 along with a pounding headache and the first palpitations in ages. Dehydration perhaps? I am a person who very seldom gets thirsty, no matter how little I drink so it takes a real effort for me to get enough water, and I haven’t been drinking much at all.

Drank a lot of water. Woke up this morning with only a hint of the headache and BP is 135/80….Still feeling positive and heartily enjoying the food this diet is bringing with it.

This week, I’m going to concentrate more on making sure I get some good quality fats and enough to eat that I’m not constantly hungry…and plenty of water!

Update..week 5 now completed. Still losing consistently. Another 1.3kg this week. That’s 9.8kg or 22lbs in 5 weeks!! Anything over the next 3 weeks is a bonus on my target.

Have a blood test mid week. Will be interesting if 5 weeks of bsd800 will have an impact on HBA1C levels?

Thank you, MnM. I’m very curious about autophagy, too, particularly how it impacts on
the aging of the brain, and dementia. Looking forward to doing some research on FMD,
and will pursue that in the week ahead. I’m not at all troubled about my loose skin,
no one sees it but my o/h and my doctor, after all 🙂 🙂 🙂 But if I can improve it over the
next 2 years, why not? Thanks again, very helpful!

Morning everyone,

This is such an interesting discussion. It raises the broader context of the BSD. It’s very easy to be heads down, counting cals and carbs, trying out new recipes, weighing and measuring food and self. It puts some flesh around the ‘easy to say’ life style change. Big shout out from me to everyone taking the time to share their thoughts and experiences. KrysiaD – a BSD snack pack as an alternative to a unhealthy meal is a great idea. Verano, three cheers for you, your arrival has obviously been well earned and well deserved. I would definitely need to move them off my plate. Kush I am going to hold that picture of visceral fat at the front of my brain.

Sorry to drag this discussion back to the immediate, but here are my Week 1 Dec challenge results –

Starting weight = 74.1 kg
Week 1 = 73.2kg
Loss = -0.9kg
BSD Total Week 3 = -5.1kg
BMI = 26.9 (starting 28.8)
Waist = -.5cm😂

So weight loss is settling into an OK rate (can’t pretend I’m not a little sad to say farewell for the rapid losses of the first two weeks). Interestingly my pattern seems to include 3 day stalls followed by a .5 kg drop. Today is my third day at 73.2 and this is the third 3 day stall. 74.1 for three days and 74.6 for three days. Drawing on the wealth of experience I’ve tapped into here, I am able to keep panic at bay and by day three of a stall, make an effort to reflect on NSVs and treat myself to some special self care. Today I think I’ll try a pedicure for my new skinny feet (this seems to be where all the weight is falling from). First up though I’m off to show my body how our fridge is bulging with lovely fresh, delicious food so it understands it is safe to drop into the 72s.

How is everyone else going on the challenge? Best of wishes to you all

Hi Allie, There isn’t really a single answer to that, I have never gone beyond 42 hours, and that quite rarely, but I did a 5 day fasting mimicking diet a couple of times (800 calories a day but plant based only and very low protein as well as low carb, lots of nuts, seeds and avocado with above ground vegetables) to try to promote autophagy. I pretty regularly manage the 16:8 or 18:6 intermittent fasts as I rarely eat breakfast and my lunchtime is typically around 1:45 – 2:15. My little remaining saggy skin seems to still be improving and is really very minor. I am younger at 51 though so maybe some of the benefit is residual elasticity of the skin. I have only discovered the FMD since maintenance but the other IF patterns were there while I was losing as well. I have only started the longer fasts of over 24 hours since I was in maintenance and usually do one every couple of weeks or so. I am debating an FMD 5 days in this current challenge as I think it would make an excellent ‘detox and housekeeping for the body’ before the holidays start in earnest.

Hi MnM! You’ve caught my attention this evening with regard to the baggy skin question…
Would you mind sharing your history of how , when, how often,l how many hours, etc.
that you credit with the improvement in your skin, and if this has been a part of your
journey to where you are today, or is it something you arrived at when in maintenance? What
role do you think age plays in it? Thanks in advance for your reply. (I’ve just turned 69,
have lost 147lbs, and have never fasted more than 18hrs. Do you think it might help me?)

Best,

Allie

I have lost 10 pounds in 10 days at least twice since discovering this WOE, but at least from reading on here I knew it wasn’t fat I was losing at that rate. The switch from processed food/higher carb to low carb and calorie restriction causes a lot of water loss in the initial period, including all the muscle and liver glycogen with the associated water molecules, and also that associated with the processed food tendency to cause sodium retention. In fact if I get down to my target for this Tuesdays weigh in that will be 10 pounds in 7 days technically, as last Tuesday I was at 11 stone 7 and my target is 10 stone 11. Two pounds a week is a very good result in fat burning terms, whether you are fasting or not. For what it’s worth I am a believer in fasting and the benefits of autophagy, crediting that with my almost complete lack of problem baggy skin, despite my extreme weight loss.

Morning everyone,

Alibalibee, well done at your dinner, what an interesting and encouraging reaction to sugar. Of course you shouldn’t feel guilty. While don’t trust myself to stay on or get back on track if I bend the rules, loads of people can and it looks to me successful deviators are the ones who do so mindfully and don’t waste time retrospectively feeling worried about it.

Luvtcook, that is impressive weight loss over 6 weeks. You must be feeling really chuffed. Good tip to use dry vermouth. I agree undrinkable! You are absolutely right about the joys of butter, cheese, crème fraîche. For dinner last night lightly steamed asparagus with a dipping sauce of melted butter with garlic and lemon zest. Individual sauce pots so we could double dip! Luxury

End of week 3 results for me

Starting Weight – 78.3kg
End week 3 – 73.2kg (third day at this weight 😟) 3 weeks and 3 separate stalls
Total Loss -5.1kg

And drum roll please …. today I measure a .5cm reduction in my waist! I think all this weight is coming off my feet and hands and under my eyes!

Verano….ditto for me. Your thoughts are always of value and I fully understand your concern about new folks going nuts that have ready the headlines in the tabloids lining the checkout line at the supermarket…..lose 10 lbs in 10 days. You’d have to amputate a leg to do that.

As Allie would say: xoxo

LTC