Hi Sunshine-girl, Thank you for you reply and tips, much appreciated. We’ve cut out all the usual high carb foods, but definitely making mistakes and learning on the way. I’m very interested to see what my weight will be after the first week and a bit of low carbs. I have looked through forums but couldn’t find the answer to my query, but then I could just be blind and it’s staring me in the face!! 🙂
Best wishes
Buggerlugs

“BUSY, BUSY WITH SANTA’S ELVES, WHILE CARING GENTLY FOR OURSELVES: 4wks to 26 Dec” now active.

There is apparently a limit on the number of characters/keystrokes in topic titles, so the word “challenge” is missing from the title but not from the intent!

Cheers all,

Our new 4 week challenge, please join in, actively participate, and take the message to heart (says one who is always harder on herself than on anyone else). All welcome, triumphs and struggles, share and share alike.

We will be effectively starting tomorrow Tuesday 28th, after our final weigh-in day on the Remember/November challenge which has been looking good.

lol, Theodora, Keep On Keeping On One Day At A Time. Mashing together sunshine-girl’s keeping on keeping on and my one day at a time. I think busybee beat me to the mashup:)

Am just about to set up new thread, ready for tomorrow. The months are flying by!

Welcome Scotslass – you have come to the right place. So many BSDers here, all ready to give you the benefit of their experience. But you have already taken your first step towards a healthier (and thinner) you.

Good luck and shout if you have any specific questions, or need support, and someone will come running.

Theo

Well done Tasberry. Really pleased to hear such promising week one results.

Don’t become concerned if the weight loss slows down a bit as you enter ketosis. Just keep on keeping on (our favourite mantra on the forum) because this WOE really does work. Good luck with week 2.

Sshhh, Essie – your secret is safe with me😉

Assuming US sweater tights are the same as UK thermal fleece lined?

They are warm, aren’t they. I bought 3 pairs – grey, black and navy blue, and they’re sooo soft too. Just loving them in this cold, wintry weather 😃 Whoever said fashion couldn’t be practical too? 😉

I bought two pairs of sweater tights last week! One charcoal grey herringbone, one plain black. They’re so warm I wore them under my floral pants on TG and was toasty all day.

Errrr – MnM, got the keep on bit, but still struggling with the rest. Are you and Marsie going to keep us less cryptically minded individuals guessing forever? 😉

Allie, just a week or two behind you in maintenance (almost 7 months for me) and, like you, I feel I need to make it a full year before I feel I’ve cracked it. And, even then, will always feel it necessary to eat “mindfully”.

Hoping to hear some good results from everyone on Tuesday. Can’t believe that month has gone by so quickly 😱

PS As a footnote to the above post, as long as you keep it quiet from all my new-found fashionista followers, I’ll let you into a little secret. It’s bloomin cold in the UK atm and, a skater dress being quite short, and not yet being a total slave to fashion, the charcoal grey tights I wore today were of the thermal, fleece-lined variety😉 My new found weapon against the bone-penetrating cold which is, to date, the ONLY downside I have found to being thin😃😄😀

I’d seen KOKO before which is keep on keeping on, so the rest was possible to work out. Cocoa nibs are brilliant just on their own as a nibble too, mixed with pine nuts sometimes. I sprinkle them on yoghurt as well, and include a few grams in my chocolate protein shake, makes it distinctly ‘bitty’ to drink but certainly helps the taste, and adding chia seeds as well seems to help transit speed up a bit. I am going to start making ‘protein balls’ or similar I think, and will certainly use the nibs in those.

Hey, Allie and Essie (sound like a couple of teenage pop stars😉) so pleased you both like the sound of my outfit. I wore a similar outfit last week to a dinner out with friends, but with bright red accessories. I received so many compliments, I thought I’d reprise the look, with a different accent colour (hey, listen to me – sound like a fashionista 😉). Already had the pashmina and never-used bag so, encouraged by Essie and her outrageous booties, bought some electric blue suede booties.

I never in a million years thought I would ever wear a skater dress but saw this in the sale several months ago (wore it with killer heel sandals in the summer ) and loved it so much that I went back and bought another – only colours they came in were charcoal grey with fine blue stripe, and black with fine red stripe. And I really need to get plenty of wear out of them because they nearly broke the bank 😉 On knock down at the eye -watering price of…………wait for it…………… £4.90 (at current exchange rate, that’s approx $6.50). No wonder I bought two – oh how I love being thin enough to find tiny clothes on knock down 😃

Allie, my friend, don’t fret. It’s not a choice you have to make – I’ll send my angel wings over to borrow for the flight (one careful owner, so in pretty good nick) so, as long as you promise to return them safely after your visit, you can do both 😃

Thanks Esnecca, to be honest, that’s what I expected. I’m not really all that bothered about Breakfast and I guess the only reason I was having the protein and almond milk (both completely sugar/sweetner free) was because I have this huge tub of the stuff and I just thought I’d use it in the morning rather than seeing it go to waste.

I’ve no problem going back to the 16:8 though, I guess I just wanted a second opinion about the protein etc. and I’m glad I came here because at least I know it’s definitely breaking the fast now (I guess it was obvious with hindsight :)) , and not to have it in the morning.

Thanks again, appreciated 🙂

SueBlue, I’m glad that I’m not the only one who is confused by what KOKOODAAT means 🙂

ClarinetCathy, I’ve been trying to discipline myself not to weigh more than 1 x week!
It’s a challenging habit to try to break. Like you, I’m trying to get more comfortable
with maintenance and trusting my own judgement. In my case, I don’t think I’ll be
truly free until I have 1 year of maintenance to report. Sigh, only 5 more months 🙂

At the end of my first “proper” week of the BSD (the first week of 800 calorie days and no alcohol) I have lost 2.2kg. Against my background of finding it almost impossible to lose weight even on very low calorie diets, I am extremely pleased!

Okay, Theo, now I AM envious! I never even thought of a skater’s dress paired with
a suede biker’s jacket. I’ve completely lost my breasts and “bum”, but I still have
my long legs……so I can really buy into this look! I think that I might be googling the
night away. Nordstrom’s here I come! If I spend all my money on clothes, however,
where will I get enough $$ to fly over and take a seat at your hospitality table of good
cheer and laughter? Decisions, decisions! Definitely a tough call 🙂 🙂 🙂

New to this and previously been very confused and told all the wrong things, keen to do this as Diabetes scares me and want to take back control, any tips and ideas much appreciated 👍😃

Hi, Flick! No, we never get tired of sharing information with new, committed BSDers.
Most of us on this thread have achieved previously undreamed of results, and nothing
makes us happier than passing this information along. You are setting yourself up
for success by having the insight to click onto this thread. I’m looking forward to
hearing what your goals are for yourself, and helping you to achieve them! I’ve been in
maintenance for the past 7 months, after dumping 147 lbs. I passionately believe
that anything is possible with this WOL. All that is required is that you forget everything
you’ve ever been taught about weight loss, keep an open mind, and communicate
regularly with new friends on the forum. We will do the rest 🙂 There will be a new
Dec. challenge beginning on Tuesday. I’ll be looking out for you. The warmest of
welcomes. Your life is about to change in the most wonderful of ways…
Very best of luck to you!

Allie

Theo, you were well and truly dressed to kill. I love the idea of the neutral grey monochrome look with the bright pop of electic blue. No wonder all the cute young boy toys were chasing you! 😆

Flick, what a lovely post, thank you. I’m so glad you’ve found these threads helpful. This forum really is unique for its kindness, high-information content and supportiveness. It’s been a while since I had a proper meltdown (reaching goals and buying booties can do that for a gal), but I know that feeling of panic so, so well and it’s very hard to see the big picture when you’re experiencing that kind of acute anxiety. Good on you for informing yourself and being able to take in new data so thoroughly that the panic fled in fear of you intellectual and emotional power. I bet Theo is kicking up her electric blue booties and shaking her shocking pink pompoms to cheer your victory even as I type. 😀

Flick, thank you so much for your kind words. I won’t be leaving the forum any time soon, just not actively partaking in the challenges etc.

I will certainly be sticking around, exchanging notes and repartee with other maintainers on this thread, and sticking my oar in on any other threads where I feel I have anything useful to add, advice to offer, or encouragement to give . So please don’t think you’re going to get rid of me that easily. …..and, whilst I can’t speak for my fellow maintainers, I think most of them feel the same.

Good luck, I think you are going to do just fine. Just keep on keeping on, you will become an old hand at this WOE before you know it, offering the benefit of your experience and support, which is what this forum is all about.

Whilst I won’t be joining the December challenge, I shall certainly be popping in regularly, waving my cheerleading pompoms at you all.

Hello, new person here so far from needing advice on maintenance but I wanted to jump in and add my voice to Verano’s. Having long term, successful BSDers remain active on this website makes a huge and very positive contribution. For example, I’m just at the end of week 2. After reading a number of threads filled with excellent advice (weigh and log, super hydrate, watch carbs, 16/8) I’ve made a solid start. Despite this I’ve hit a slump (not a plateau, yet) these last three day, weight not moving and today a slight gain. I can’t describe the rising panic. Anyway, I found the Plateau Pep Talk started by Esnecca in March. Not only did the advice and reassurance in all the plateau threads I then found help calm my panic, discovering that you are all here, 8 months or so later, successful, maintaining such impressive new lifestyles, is tremendously encouraging.

It must get a bit tedious for you to be repeating information, gently inserting a bit of reality when someone is struggling but not recognising that the odd treat or glass of wine can and will slow down progress etc. (be mindful not surprised). For starters like me, however, hearing consistent accurate information from experienced successful life changers is gold. It might just be me but I value a bit of polite, empathetic straight talking.

Sorry this went on a bit. I’ll head over to the formal introduction area and look forward to joining the December challenge. Please pop over there occasionally and cheer me on or straighten me out as needs be.

Sue- keep on keeping on, one day at a time.

I’ve not been weighed for a few days as I am trying to teach myself to not be so scale reliant! WIll be jumping on them on Tuesday for the final November weigh in.

Have a good couple of days everyone!

Forgot to add, for Essie’s clothes diary, for the lunch party today I wore a little charcoal grey skater dress, grey tights, a pale grey suede biker jacket, all set off by electric blue booties, pashmina and bag. Felt fabulous 😄😃😊 And was told by host’s son in law that I looked “too hot to be a friend of his in-laws”😃 Result 😄😃😀

Yes, and so does the almond milk. To do the 16:8 straight, the 16 hours should involve zero caloric intake of any kind. Unsweetened almond milk has 30 calories a cup which means as soon as you drink it you’re breaking your fast. The calories in the protein powder depend on the type and amount, but they’re certainly more than zero as protein alone has 4 calories a gram plus whatever else is in there.

Have you read the ingredients of the milk and powder? Is there any sugar in them? If there is, replace them both with unsweetened brands. Hidden sugars/refined carbs could well be the reason you feel compelled to break your fast early. They drive ravenousness. My OH, who wants to shed 5-10 pounds to get rid of his little tummy, started IF and I wasn’t sure he could do it because for the 27 years I’ve known him, he has woken up starving and ate 2 breakfasts, one as soon as he got up, one a couple of hours later. He had to force himself to get to 10:00 AM for the first 4 days. After that, he said it became no effort at all and his morning hunger disappeared.

Maybe you can jigger the timing a little. I don’t eat until noon at the earliest because I’m not a breakfast person anyway so it’s easy for me. What hours are you aiming for? Could you try a late morning breakfast and earlier dinner?

That’s brilliant Maggie, well done!

Marsie thanks for your good wishes, but you’ve stumped me with KOKOODAAT! Have never heard of it!
Thanks for setting up the next thread – I can’t believe it’s that time again, this last 4 weeks has flown by.
I had a bit of a blow out this weekend, it’s my son’s birthday and I had a few drinks, a little piece of birthday cake and some other non-BSD birthday foods. However I’m hoping a couple of days back on plan will mean I’ll still have a loss, or have at least maintained, over this past week.
Good luck everyone for our final weigh ins this week 🙂

PS Forgot to mention that, purely in the spirit of research, after lunch today I succumbed to not one, but FIVE chocolates with my coffee. Can honestly say that I think this is a first since starting my BSD journey. Let’s see what the scales say tomorrow……….

PPS Can’t say I enjoyed them overly much. They were okay but wouldn’t rush to eat them again. But I do need to gain a few pounds, so……….all in the spirit of research, you understand 😄😃😂

Luvtook, I truly empathise with you. I think one thing this WOE teaches us is patience. All things come to he (or she ) who waits. You WILL gain your reward, just hang in there 😄

Allie, don’t tuck your feet up under you, tuck them up under our table instead. Pull up your chair, you will be welcomed with open arms. I am fortunate to live close to a large network of friends, but love and friendship is limitless, always room for more, so we have always been open to admit extra to our circle. The only criteria are a love of life, a sense of humour and, most of all, a tolerance of others, no matter what their ideals /beliefs. I think you fit the mould perfectly😃

As far as your question about husbands, mine doesn’t think anything – he is happily snoring on the sofa beside me 😀 Hey, just as well I’m so tolerant of an old man😉 Gotta love him, but occasionally wish he had more stamina😉😄😃😜

I know, Theo, I think we could complete each other’s sentences. You could easily lead
me astray, but as you say, “I don’t do anything I don’t really want to do” Truer words,
never spoken! Pure joy, talking to you every day. I’m unabashedly envious of your
full social life. We live some distance from lifetime friends now, so I will continue
to “stalk” you and yours. My feet are tucked up under me on your couch in front of
the fire. What would our husbands think? Probably head for the hills in self preservation!

Love and laughter,

Allie

Luvtcook – pleased to hear you are much more back to normal. I agree that it isn’t possible to not to have lost any real weight after eating so sensibly. It will show up at some point – that’s for sure.

PS ummm – obviously “mist bad” friendly was meant to read “mostly bsd friendly”!!

And Allie, was obviously meant to read “what you feel”.

Bloomin predictive text😨

Hi folks,
Just returned home after our very sociable luncheon party. Ate and drank far too much, mist bad friendly, but in the service of putting on weight, I did have dessert – stupid really, as I was never really a “pud” person. Just really didn’t want anyone to think I had become a “faddy” eater! Other than that, it was a delicious lunch, although probably ate too much, albeit bsd friendly food

.PS – Allie, I don’t misunderstand you. We are kindred spirits, what you feelike, I feel. Love you xxx

PPS Verano, thank you for your kind words, but I do feel really uncomfortable about posting about losing too much/ not being able to regain weight when so many people are struggling. I feel as though I may come across as “smug” and that is certainly not how I feel.

What I actually feel is deep, abiding gratitude that I found this WOE and this forum before it was too late, but having my weight drop too low, I kind of feel as if posting about it may seem like boasting, and that is the last thing on earth I want to do. I just want everyone to benefit from this WOE. Xx

Verano, thank you for your words spoken with so much grace. I’ve been feeling that
I’m a little misunderstood recently, and you’ve put all of my fears to rest. I deeply
appreciate your understanding. It’s lovely to meet a true “lady”. 🙂

Allie

Hi all
As promised, I am reporting in after my first week. I have lost 4.7kg! I know that this rate of loss won’t continue, but I am pleased with the start I have made.
I hope everyone else is successful at their weekly weigh=ins, and look forward to hearing from you all.
Maggie

I have made labneh with all sorts of yogurt and would say that having one with live bacteria in not a factor in ending up with a curdy cheese. The process is simply separating the liquid from the solid , so it’s really just a drainage issue if the end product is too soft.

Just been reading this thread. I did have it ticked but must have unticked it somehow. You are all just so inspirational and I think I read that some of you want to leave other threads because you are complaining about not being able to gain and it’s unfair to those of us still losing. It isn’t!! Please don’t stop.

Essie, if I may call you that, you brought a tear to my eye, what a wonderful achievement. Indeed you have all achieved so much, it’s great to read your stories and be inspired by you.

We are all benefitting from bettter health being here so we must carry on regardless.

Wish I could still lose on as much as 1500 calories a day, KrysiaD. The only way I seem to be able to gain any extra wriggle room is to revert to the 800/20 ratio! On the upside, staying under my target weight doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue, I just need to make sure a have a few days a week keeping a weather eye on the carbs. Big bonus is that I don’t feel hungry or deprived, so it’s all good.

Hi Tony Californiagirl is absolutely right …. remission does indeed seem possible. My experience is not unusual. I was diagnosed with T2 about 6 years ago and after 3 months following the dietary advice from the doctor I was given metformin. Started at 1000mg a day and then increased to 2000mg slow release a day. In the middle of 2016 my diabetic nurse started talking about adding a second drug, a dear friend had lost a toe because of poorly managed T2 and was having problems with a second and I found the BSD book. So all these things happening at the same time were a real wake up call.

My diabetes was never really out of control. Pre metformin it was around 7.2, then with the drug settled at 6.4ish. I didn’t stop my medication when I started BSD but my BS dropped and kept dropping so in May this year my metformin was reduced by half, the next HbA1c was lower and then in August I became ‘drug free’. The last three months haven’t been the best for me. My weight is more or less stable, even if there is still too much of it, but I was probably having in excess of 50g of carbs a day on average. However my HbA1c had fallen yet again and is now 4.8!

I’m sure this has to be a lifetime change if Diabetes is to be kept in remission. Both my diabetes nurse and doctor are astonished at my results. Time alone will now tell. We have no way of knowing if those who have reversed their diabetes have stayed in the ‘normal’ zone because they have, in the main, stopped posting. I still need the support to stay on track so I think I’m here for the duration!

You are doing really well and yes remission is possible but I think it may take a lifetime of vigilance to remain ‘free’.

KrysiaD, thanks for the feedback on the kefir, because I love it and don’t want to drop it. Doing better today and think things should be pretty much back to normal BUT after a 4 day fast and eating very sensibly and low carb over this 3 day Thanksgiving holiday, I am at the same place I started before the fast. Was down 5 1/2 lbs at the end of the fast then crept back up day by day to where I started. I know that it is just not possible to not have lost any real weight after all that….so am patiently waiting it out. I know its going to show up at some point. I love the saying on a plaque I once saw: “God give me patience….but please hurry up”. That about sums it up for me.

Its now 11:15 and off to prepare my first meal of the day. Finding this suits me well. No breakfast but black coffee, big meal at 11:30 and lite supper at 5 is. All eating for the day done by 6:30. The evening cravings are a thing of the past and for that I am very pleased. I used to think I just could not possibly go to bed on an empty stomach. This WOE has changed all that. Just not really hungry any more and falling asleep not contingent on a full belly.

Love to all.

Go Tony! You are doing fantastically well, especially with the strain and stress of travel added to it all.
I think there are several people here who can give you full assurance on the issue of remission of the diabetes — hopefully Verano, Esnecca, Allie cat and others who have become diabetes-free will check in. Also read the old Bill1954 thread — it has a clear account of Bill’s beating his diabetes.
It will be fun to hear what the airlines consider a “diabetic meal” — let us know.

Tony, sounds like everything is headed in the right direction for you. To make you feel even better, you might want to watch this video of Michael Mosely’s Horizon program (on YouTube). I rewatch it every time I need a little bump of encouragement. Such a well done, interesting and informative program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihhj_VSKiTs

Yes you can reverse your type II diabetes but it can come roaring back if you put the weight back on and start eating significant carbs again. That is why so many on this forum talk about a Way of Eating and not a diet….it is a lifetime thing, but a lifetime on the mediterranean diet sound just fine to me.

Hi buggerlugs, long time since I have heard that term – I’m from Yorkshire in England and it was a common phrase when I was a kid. As for the calories versus carbs I can only tell you what I found. If you have the book and you cut out all the white carbs like wheat, rice, bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta, sugar and any processed foods AND try to keep to 800 calories the carbs will pretty much take care of themselves. Some do go for 20 grams but I found the juggling act to get enough calories at that low level caused me such a headache. Even with the good carbs you are likely to make some mistakes i.e. not realising how many carbs are in a carrot for instance. You will also eat good carbs and make mistakes with the calories i.e. how many calories in an apple or avocado. Do what I do and share and apple or an avocado with your husband. My husband is also a TOFI and not much wrong with him until he went to the doctors this week and found he is on the edge of pre-diabetes.

Good luck with the diet and dont hesitate if you have any questions. You might try the search engine first as many people have asked and many people have answered so they might just already be there for you. But dont worry if you ask something that has been dealt with before, it is always good to remind people who are new to this. We are all learning all the time.

Well done and good luck for the next 4 weeks. Enjoy Christmas dinner, it is only one day??????

Hi all, I havent gone away. Can report another small loss of quarter of a pound, not much but not bad for the weekend. Today I weigh exactly the same as I did when I saw my doctor nearly 3 months ago and still have 2 weeks to lose weight before my next visit. That means I have lost any weight gained over my UK visit holiday in October and having visitors here in September with lots of meals out.

I might join the next challenge for the weeks before I go away (19th December) and look forward to there being a challenge for January just in case 🙂

Bonne continuation pour le weekend a tous. Or should that be bon continuation as the weekend is masculine but then again ‘continuation’ is a feminine word. Oh what the heck, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Hi, all. Congratulations to those of you who are reporting significant losses during this
challenge! It is a confidence builder, isn’t it?

Marsie, thanks to you for setting up the next challenge. It will be great to see you posting
again! May I join you? I’m on month 7 of maintenance now, but I don’t feel confident
with it yet. Like Theo, my problem is not weight rebound, but trying to stabilize and not
continue to drop an extra 2lbs. each month. Thanks to the great suggestions that I
have received, I’ve been able to stay constant for 10 days! I don’t know what I thought
maintenance would look like after dumping 10+ stone, but I’m certainly not finding it
as easy as some 🙂

I’ll be watching out for cleverly named new thread!

Allie

Hello everyone, have been offline again for a couple of days, rather time poor recently. Consequently, I’ve not caught up with all your news although two jumped out at me …..
SueBlue, how exciting! Congrats. Now it’s KOKOODAAT😊

Also, arcticfox, good news, well done.

Re our next challenge, I’ll get the new topic opened up tomorrow so we can move straight over after our Tuesday weigh-in reports. Look for:

BUSY, BUSY WITH SANTA’S ELVES, WHILE CARING GENTLY FOR OURSELVES: 4week challenge ending 26 December”.

Theodora – my coat probably belongs in the charity shop also. But it is so useful for dog walking – especially on the coast. No rain here but it is bitterly cold.

I am very envious that you are struggling to stop your weight from dropping further. To lose weight since I have been on maintenance I have to lower my calories to 1500/1600 a day. It goes down ok as long as I stick to that level.

Essie, I’m generally known as Theo, or TJ (initials), by friends and as we are friends, please feel free to do likewise 😃

Jackie, I agree with you entirely, the junk we feed our children these days is deplorable! There should be a law against it!! Youngsters of today are reckoned to be the first generation not to have a longer expected lifespan, despite medical advances, than their parents! And many will predecease their parents! All because of diet. Appalling, frightening and something we need to get a grip on NOW before it’s too late! At least we have seen the light – we must spread the word. Eating healthy food is enjoyable. Moving / exercise (preferably in the fresh air) is fun. Good health is a blessing not to be squandered. Sorry, off my soapbox now, but I do feel passionately about it, and the dreadful legacy we are leaving our children and our children’s children.

Krysia, I too have had a long coastal dog walk, layered up like the Michelin man (remember him?) with an old waterproof on top as rain was forecast, and the waterproof still DROWNED me😃 Think it belongs in the charity shop!

Another pound gone today, so back to 11lbs wriggle room. Just can’t seem to hang onto the small gains😢 But out to a luncheon party today, so hopefully the pound – or maybe even 2 – will be back by tomorrow. Can’t believe I’m whinging about losing weight!!!!

Have a good Sunday everyone.

Theo xx

Hi, I’m in pretty much the same situation as Miss Muffet, although I luckily only have 2.5 stone to loose. I was diagnosed T2 3 years ago, but was only just over and although I followed (UK) NHS diet guidelines at the beginning I lapsed and wasn’t too worried as I have no symptoms.

However, although I still have no symptoms, my numbers were well up this time and the doctor has put me onto 4 metformin, so I really need to get a grip before it gets any worse. I know this isn’t a good time of year to start, but I’m going to do it, and I’ve already worked out how I can cope with most events that I’ll be going to. The tricky ones are likely to be Christmas lunch with my sister-in-law, where to refuse pudding could cause a major family incident, and New Year, for similar reasons.

If I do really well, I aim to be close to my target for an amateur productions of Spamalot that I am performing in late January. It will be good to look nice in the photos, not lumpy!!