Essie, will model the blue boots when I get the chance (in bed atm – it’s almost 1am) but to keep you going, these are the ones

https://www.marksandspencer.com/stiletto-side-zip-bow-ankle-boots/p/p60122595?image=SD_01_T02_5920_CB_X_EC_90&color=COBALT&prevPage=plp&pdpredirect

And here are the red ones

https://www.marksandspencer.com/leather-stiletto-heel-toe-cap-ankle-boots/p/p60113899?image=SD_01_T02_2812_B0_X_EC_90&color=RED&prevPage=plp

Not as kinky as your’s I’m afraid but then I’m an awful lot older and they are pretty daring for me!!!

Thanks to everyone that has replied, I have had more sensible and helpful advice on this forum in 1 night than I have had in the last 4 years xx

Tasha, I’m sad to say that I’m not surprised to hear how horribly dismissed your concerns were. My insulin resistance is connected to Polycystic Ovarian Sydrome (PCOS) and I was put through the wringer for almost 9 months, sent to a revolving door of specialists, told I had a brain tumor, that I was just depressed, that the 40 pounds I’d gained in a year and a half was “college partying taking a toll,” given an MRI that was up until that point the worst medical intervention I’d ever experienced, put on meds that made me lactate and on and on until someone finally stumbled on the right diagnosis and then did basically nothing about it. Nobody told me anything about diet other than avoid desserts and years later, avoid refined carbs and stick with whole grains. I had to do my own research.

It’s disgusting, but women and girls are often treated like crazies and malingerers, their symptoms discounted as fantasies or inventions by medical professionals. Your daughter is very lucky to have had you and your undaunted dedication to her health and well-being during a confusing, traumatizing time.

Your diet for her sounds solid to me from what you’ve described. That amount of porridge shouldn’t be an issue, but you might want to consider cutting it out for now just to get the weight loss jump-started. Veggies look good except for the carrots. They’re quite high in sugar. I know this is a lot of work for you and I’m sure as a busy mom there are plenty of other things on your to-do list, so if your daughter is willing, perhaps you could make a few dishes on the weekend and freeze them so she has everything portioned out and calculated and you don’t have to be fiddling with scales every day 3 times a day for two months.

Broth based soups with mixed veggies like zucchini, Swiss chard, scallions, kale, chickory, escarole, a single medium tomato finely chopped, celery, fennel and fresh herbs are filling, taste even better reheated than fresh and can be enhanced dramatically with just a dusting of freshly grated parmesan before serving. Freeze them in freezer bags or containers in one-cup (8 oz) servings and she has a ready-meal good to go. Mashed cauliflower mixed with steamed spinach (chopped), ricotta cheese and butter makes a rich and velvety side to go with a simple roasted or poached chicken breast. Those are also made easily ahead of time and frozen as little TV dinner type dishes. One of my favorites is plopping a container of chicken breasts in the slow cooker/crockpot with some chicken broth and a large amount of chili powder, oregano, ground cumin and garlic powder. Cook it on high for 4 hours until the chicken falls apart when you stab it. Shred the meat apart with two forks and let it sit in the spicey juices until they’re absorbed. Turn the slow cooker to the warm setting and let it ride until it’s all nicely combined and moist. That can be frozen for use in taco salad (minus the tortilla bowls, of course) and it is better than anything you’d get in a retaurant for basically no effort. Romaine lettuce base dressed with a little sour cream, lime juice and hot sauce, then top with the chicken, avocado slices or coarsley mashed for a quick guac, a spoonful of salsa on top and grated sharp cheddar makes for a scrumptious feast.

Anything she likes that she misses eating we can come up with a replacement that while not the same, will give her a different kind of satisfaction. Poor baby needs a little pampering after all the nonsense she’s been through with an establishment who basically called her (and you!) a liar for months as she fell apart. The trick is not to associate dangerous high-carb foods with satisfaction and pleasure. Lovely fats are going to do that job from now on, and the good news is they’re great at it. Almost as great as you are a mother. 🙂

Tasha, I went back and edited my post with a link to a programme you may like to watch – I hope it works. Good luck and please keep us updated – just remember that, whilst we’re not medics, we do offer help and support so you are no longer alone.

Hi Tasha, I’m just into my third week of BSD so quite inexperienced but can vouch for the helpfulness of the advice you will get from the experienced and successful forum members. For me, one of the most best suggestions has been to weigh and then log everything into an easy to navigate weight loss app.

It is very simple but suits my needs. I’ve found some of the book recipes, though delicious, are a little higher in carbs than I’m aiming for but with the app, have been able,to oddity them – for example leave out the lentils (sob), or beetroots (more sobs). A bonus of this approach is you start to build up an intuitive sense of what will tip you over the daily targets and how to prepare for special occasions by lowering intake easlier in the day.

Once you get settled in it is also very empowering to learn that everyone’s body reacts at a different pace to this way of eating. For some the weight loss is fast, others more leisurely but consistent and some, like me, it seems a bit stop and go, even though I doggesedly stick to 800csls and no more than 20g of carbs. Despite these differences, however, it looks to me that it works for all these different response rates. Sooner or later bodies give up stored glucose and in the absence of replacement glucose, become efficient at utilising fat for generating energy.

Anyway, all my very best wishes for you and your daughter and let me say, how lucky she is to have you!

Hi Theodora

Thank you for your advice, I will have a look at Dr Moseley`s other book as well, and perhaps combine the two.

xx

Thank you Esnecca for your reply, It has actually made me quite emotional to hear your kind words. I had to fight for so long to get any doctors to listen to my concerns about her weight at the start. I knew something wasn’t right but I was fobbed off and made to feel that I was in the wrong for voicing my concerns over her unexplained weight gain. After breaking down in tears in the surgery they eventually ordered blood tests which showed no thyroid activity. By that time she was also in a lot of muscle pain and limping, again no one listened until an x-ray showed she needed an urgent operation on each leg for a slipped femoral epiphysis and she now has two pins in her legs. Its not easy for a young girls at that age struggling with her weight, but she is bubbly, a member of lots of groups, and a sports volunteer. All we need to do now is crack this diet. Although her specialist suggested this diet, I have really been left on my own to try and learn all about nutrition and there is so much conflicting advice out there. I am scared that I may do her some harm if I get it wrong.

She does not like rice and the only cereal I make is 27g of porridge a couple of mornings for breakfast with milk and some seeds. Other mornings I give her a 2 egg omelette or Greek yoghurt with fruit and some toasted nuts/seeds. She gets soup at school for lunch and I give her a Satsuma or some berries for a snack. I make a meal from the BSD recipe book for her dinner and serve it with different veggies like cabbage/green beans/carrots/spinach. I have a book which gives me the carb and calorie content of food, but I do not tend to weigh out the vegetable as I thought it would be okay for her to eat them instead of pasta/rice/potatoes. I will look into the fitness app and start weighing out the veggies too. I am a bit confused my the labels on food for carbs. I have been using the total carb figure , is that correct. I have read that sometimes you deduct the fibre content from this but I was not sure?

Thanks again for your help
x

Hi Tasha, welcome.

I so feel for you and your lovely daughter, and Esnecca has given some excellent advice.

But have you also considered Tasha Jr’s gut bacteria. Latest research is proving that those deficient in good gut bacteria often find it difficult to lose weight. Dr Moseley has a book / diet giving advice on this, so may be worth looking into. There was also a BBC Dr in the House programme where an active, but obese 11 yr old couldn’t lose weight, despite the support of his family and a decent diet. After gut analysis and reintroducing the correct bacteria, his weight started reducing and his high insulin levels dropped. Sadly the programme is no longer available on iplayer but it’s available on youtube if you’re interested, though you will have to wade through the entire (interesting) programme to pick out the relevant bits.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bNOLnuS0iPA

Certainly many successful BSDers are committed to fermented foods, and whole fat live yoghurt. Just a thought.

I really hope you can help your daughter and wish you both every success.

Thank you, sister phoenixes! I can’t wait to see your looks join mine on our cozy nest of fire. CC, we’re anxious to shower you with the compliments you so richly deserve. Theo, I expect to see those electric blue booties as soon as you have a moment.

Jackie, were you picturing it as a blindingly bright flower print? I thought at the time that I should probably describe the colors so people didn’t think I was getting kitted up like the dorkiest old comedian on an extra-special episode of the Love Boat, but then I got lazy. 😀

Wow, Essie – how fab are you?!!! Looking HOT girl 😃 great pics.

How exciting to actually have photos to add to all the descriptions we’ve been writing.

When I’ve got a bit more time (busy schedule atm) will try and take some pics too. Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s phoenix purchases.

Hello all, So happy to report that 74.1got the message and has slunk off – 73.6 and absolutely thrilled.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, they are encouraging and calming. I can be a bit Type A and become frustrated, self critical and then despondent if I’m not achieving goals I have set for myself. It is so helpful to discover how complex our bodies are (I had assumed the flab would reduce evenly) and how powerful patience and self care is on this important lifestyle change. I have to work with a body that seems to be very efficient at storage, so be it.

I spent time yesterday developing a list of measurements and non-scale victories that might help during future stalls. The waist to hip ratio calculator I used (90cm/108cm = .82) basically concluded, ‘You are a big risk for diabetes, heart disease and stroke! Print these results and proceed directly to your GP.’ Good motivation.

Hi FlyZacnAmiera, great result for two and half weeks! I am also very confident this way of eating will work. Stay in touch. Today I’m also R1W2D4.

Well I’m off to sort out some of the smaller size clothes I have. After two dieting attempts over the past 5 years I have a range of sizes. Maybe need to look at my shoe collection as well. I swear the weight loss to date is all coming from my feet!

Hi Tasha,

Is she still eating rice, grains, cereals, high sugar vegetables like corn and beets? What are you using the calculate the carb count? I use MyFitnessPal. Others on this forum find Fat Secret a more intuitive app/website. Are you weighing each ingredient before you add it to meals? If you don’t have precise measurements and data about the nutrient content of ingredients, it’s easy to miss the mark because things you never expect to be carb-laden can sneak up on you, particularly veggies (onions, tomatoes), grains and legumes. Given your daughter’s medical history, you may need to go drastically lower on carbs, and that means cutting out beans and grains, even ones that are ostensibly healthy like lentils, oatmeal and quinoa.

I am insulin resistant as well and I keep my daily carb count well below 20 grams a day. I am your daughter’s height and lost 200 pounds or so in a year and a half. Before I started the BSD, I had no idea how much I was eating and how many grams of carbs were in it. If I hadn’t had MyFitnessPal to do the math with, I probably would still be miles off.

The first step is weigh and measure everything, and I do mean everything. The next is to look up those foods in an online database/food tracker like MFP or FS, enter the amount you used, then look down at the columns on the bottom to see the tally of macronutrients. Do this before you make the meal so if you need to make adjustments to stay within the limits, you can easily do so.

I feel for your sweet little girl so much (we’re with you Tasha, Jr.!) and how painful this road has been for her from such a young age. You are 100% doing the right thing. You just need to push it a little further because she unfortunately has a very pitiless condition that went undiagnosed for a long time in the span of her short life.

If you find the fitness trackers daunting or need to know how to do something or what the count of something is, please don’t hesistate to ask. We are here to help. 🙂

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I am at my wits end as to how to help her .x

Wow Esnecca – that suit looks awesome on you! You look absolutely amazing! Nobody would ever guess that you’ve ever been overweight. You look simply stunning. Thank you for starting this thread.

Esnecca, of course I am game to help anyone who is stymied by low carb cooking. It would be helpful to know what roadblock, issues or gaps in their menus they are running into. Need interesting veg options? Bread replacement? Soups? Cheese sauce?

There may be a little bit of an issue translating what I find in my market to what is available in the UK. Some shortcuts may not be an option for others (ex I can make a great fast and lazy creamed spinach with Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese spread at 1 g carb for 2 Tbs…..gives us luxurious creamed spinach with some sauteed onion to dress up a plan grilled chop. But don’t know if Boursin is available to everybody. I suppose they will have to see if they can find something close etc.

By the way….your Phoenixes are ARE ON FIRE today. I go to Tai Chi class and come back to 2 pages if new posts, and new fashion thread, and now a cooking school thread. No moss growing on these rolling stones. You go girls.

Hello,
I’m probably not the best qualified to answer you, however I think I’ve read that people with insulin resistance may need to reduce carbs to well below 50g, nearer 20g. There are others on here with personal experience and hopefully one will answer you
I wish you and your daughter good luck in your journey.
xx

Essie, DELIGHTED that you found the thread idea useful. Now, if you’d put up that
kimchi frittata idea, we can call it a deal! I can be shameless too, when begging for new
recipes. Heading over to see what you’re up to on the new thread. Can’t wait 🙂

Hi, my 15 year old daughter suffered from undiagnosed hypothyroidism and put on a massive amount of weight from the age of 11. We have struggled to regulate her thyroid levels over the last few years since getting a diagnosis and despite her being active (dance, rugby, badminton etc) and me watching her diet her weight has increased to 97Kg (she is only 160cm tall).She eventually got referred to an endocrinologist in September who has ruled out various other medical conditions but has confirmed she is insulin resistant. Her thyroid levels now seem to be responding to 200 levothyroxine daily so our main concern is how to get her down to a healthy weight. He recommended the 8 week Blood Sugar Diet and also prescribed Metformin. We are both determined to give it our full commitment and have bought the book and several recipe books. I am making healthy meals which have completely cut out bread, potatoes and pasta, but use full fat dairy, and I have stuck to the 800 – 850 calories per day , From what I can work out her carb intake is also very low at under 50grams per day, I am completely at a loss as to why she has only lost 1.4Kg in the first week and nothing in the second week. I find all the info on carbs, calories, fat very confusing and actually worried that she was not getting enough. She is trying so hard and we are so disappointed at the initial results, does anyone have any advice as to where we could be going wrong – thanks

Omg Esnecca. So pleased to see these. And a special OMG for the Thanksgiving suit – slamming! I must confess when you described it as a floral pantsuit I was a little dubious, but it’s FABULOUS!

Turns out that helping someone makes 50 cupcakes is quite tiring, and also that my instinct is to taste and lick bits off my hands, which is not ideal when it’s purple icing ☹️😳. Absolutely not tempted (well, some of the misshaped cakes did look very enticing) but Cross I’ve licked icing sugar off my hand, and also it smelled like she’d put almond essence in, so I stuck a finger in and tasted before remembering what else was in it ie: sugar!

CC – people are weird aren’t they? Losing weight really challenges the status quo, I think, people can find it quite challenging. Or else don’t like to say ‘you look thin’ etc because that implies ‘you used to look fat’. But a ‘wow you look fabulous’ would have done it – I bet you did! I’m sure they talked about it loads when you weren’t there.

I make sure I’m well hydrated all the time so I only take water with me if I’m going to be out for over an hour, unless it’s very hot. For HMs and distance training in hot weather I tend to use just water or fresh fruit juice diluted with a pinch of salt added. I have used hi 5 zero tabs too (but they do have sorbitol and sucralose in them).
Just realised this post is an old one which just appeared as a new one – don’t know what happened there 😮

Allie, I stole your thread title idea shamelessly. Here’s our fashion thread! https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/phoenixes-rise-from-the-ashes-with-your-hottest-looks/

We’ve been talking clothes and shoes a lot in the maintenance thread because so many of us spent so long too overweight and depressed to enjoy buying new duds that when we finally teached our goal weight, we found ourselves indulging in more than a little shopping to make up for lost time. The funny thing is I didn’t like shopping before I began to put the weight on in my 20s, but now I’m reliving my misspent youth or something. I took it for granted back then that you could just walk into a shop and buy something. Twenty years of increasing obesity and increasingly limited and hideous clothing options will make you appreciate being able to fit into regular sizes, let me tell you.

So, for phoenixes who are rising from the ashes of their former bodies, whatever stage you’re at in your weight loss journey, post your hottest new looks here! I uploaded the pics to PostImage ( https://postimages.org/ ) because it’s fast, you don’t have to register or install any bloatware. You just upload from your hard drive and it gives you the code to add them here. I’ll kick things off with, what else?, a kickass boot.

Blue velvet knee-highs: https://s8.postimg.org/ytagt47th/bluevelvet.jpg

Two-tone leather riding boots with grey skinny jeans looking just a tad baggy (never thought I’d see the day I could utter that combination of words): https://s8.postimg.org/jxbxljbud/ridingboots.jpg

Extreme hotness alert! I love a brightly colored heel paired with a cool pattern: https://s8.postimg.org/sscrw2g2d/plaidredheel.jpg

This is the first dress that I have bought in more than two decades. It’s been even longer since I’ve worn one. Plus silver glitter sparkle booties, because it’s party season!: https://s8.postimg.org/5qw6qb8p1/dress.jpg

My beloved Thanksgiving suit and Calvin Klein croc-embossed suede booties. I didn’t take a pic of the pug shirt that was my final choice to make this outfit extra happy so it’s not the full TG glory, but close enough: https://s8.postimg.org/v9oj3bcth/floralsuit.jpg

I weighed 248 pounds Thanksgiving of 2016, and that was after losing more than 60 pounds already. A year later, I weigh 130 pounds less than that in these pics. First the BSD changed my life, extending it, enriching it and reviving my former robust good health, and now look what it’s done to my closet!

A new low for me, 62.6kg which is 100g above final target. I must admit I tried every posture I could on the scale to get that final 100g off but oh well. This gives me. BMI of 25.02, so close! Now the weekend looms with guests from out of town tonight and my extended family Christmas get together on Sunday so not much chance of making it this Tuesday. Maybe next week! Well done to all who are sticking with it, it’s great to read so much optimism 💥

Allie, I can’t wait to hear all about your incoming treasures. I’m so glad you got some pre-Christmas presents for yourself. It’s more than deserved and so exciting! Three pairs of boots sounds like walking in a winter wonderland to me. You might have to tip your UPS/USPS carrier extra this Christmas, or at least bake them some … kimchi frittata? (Which I’ve made in real life and is totally delicious, just fyi.)

We could open a fashion show thread and just use Dropbox or another free photo service to upload our images. I don’t know if we can embed as I haven’t quite figured out what parses here, but we can always link. The tide of boots cannot be stemmed! 😀

I can’t believe your co-workers are such a petty lot they can’t even bring themselves to utter a “you look nice today” comment, Cathy. Of course they’re jealous and if anyone isn’t, then they don’t know how to express “I didn’t realize until I saw your kickass rocker chick outfit how much weight lost!” Or perhaps “Hey, nice new ass. Can I wear it as a hat?” 😀

Good for you for having such a great attitude about it. As the saying goes, haters gonna hate. You’re going to look this good all the time so they’d damn well better get used to it.

The diabetic meal was not great. It included a chicken salad which was OK, but the main meal was a disaster – steamed fish, courgette, and carrots with a huge pile of white rice. I left the rice.

The first main menu option was actually the best meal for me, New Zealand fillet steak with asparagus, lentil puree, mushrooms, and carrots.

Fasting readings today up around 5.7.

The more I read the more I find the advice from the likes of Diabetes UK and Australia and the respective medical professions shocking.

Still feeling remarkably good. I am usually exhausted after flying Australia to the UK but today I feel full of energy.

Clarinet Cathy, on this side of the pond we say “that SUCKS”! Are they all blind? I
doubt it. What’s left? The green eyed monster! 42 lbs can’t pass notice!!! We notice,
and the next outfit your voluntary stylists here will help you put together will give them
reason to be speechless. You just enjoy the hell out of those leathers 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi there peeps, well hubby has left and I am all alone. Had a good day and only had 600 cals so I have a little leeway in case I slip up later. Dont know what I am going to slip up with as we dont have any snacks in the house just cold meats and veg, not even fruit unless you count my frozen raspberries. I have all my meals planned and will probably not eat as much as I wont be catering for another person so just grill a lamb chop and steam some veg. Tonight I had left over veggie curry and didn’t even bother with cauli rice. I will have a snack later.

Well done Marie123 that is a fantastic result. Keep going, it sounds as though you mind have dodged a bullet and now not be considered diabetic. I dont understand those figures except that is a big difference but I am sure you are within a normal range. Without reading back through all the posts, someone said they dropped down into the 3’s. To that I would say reduce any meds but only little by little and have a small snack like yoghurt and berries or a piece of cold meat just to bring you back up. Before BSD I used to get shaky and sick if I went as low as 4.5 but now low readings dont even register with me, which is a worry, but I do check twice a day just in case.

Hi I am joining a bit late, but hope you will have me! I have completed 4 weeks on low carbs and mostly at 800 calories, losing around 5 kilos so far. I would like to lose a further 4 kilos to get to my BMI range – though I suspect this is on the challenging side. Thanks for running this challenge and good luck to everyone.

Thanks for such a friendly welcome Marie 🙂 I hope today has been great for everyone.

I have noticed that on days when I do better at the eating plan, it seems to be because my focus and intention has been more about getting my health sorted out so I can better look after the people around me more effectively, rather than simply doing this for myself. On those days I’m less likely to fridge-raid (which I’m a bit of a tinker for!) and stay on schedule.

I’ve also set up a ‘Progress’ folder on my iPhone and started keeping daily motivational memes and pictures in. It keeps me focused on the benefits of health and well-being, as I scroll through them over the day and get a little feel-good buzz from them. We’ve gotta be our own cheerleaders, hey!

Halloumi kebabs and salad from the book are for tea tonight, yum, can’t wait. Those recipes are super tasty.

Positive vibes to all x

Marie I think I read somewhere you only need to lose 1g, yes 1g, of fat from the pancreas to make a difference. The fact that your BS had fallen so much suggests your pancreas and liver are already doing a far better job than they were.

I’m not a great fan of extended fasting, as you may have guessed, particularly when the person doesn’t have a great deal of weight to lose. It somehow, and sometimes, feels that people are using fasting rather than a well balanced diet to lose weight. Also we none of us know how low carbing will effect us in the long term. It’s quite possible that we are exchanging one set of problems for another! I sincerely hope not because I do enjoy this way of eating. Sorry if I’m sounding like a doom monger but fasting is one thing I do worry about.

Cathy, that’s apalling! What a mean-spirited lot! 😨 The green-eyed monster is a terrible master. Well, may I step up to the mark and tell you that you look amazing? A real hot rock chick😃

As for your next works “do” outfit, go sock it to ’em, girl😃

Yes, Allie, have a fantastic time trying on and wearing all your exciting new purchases – after you’ve scraped the poor delivery man off the stairs that is😜

Just back from the office and guess what? Not one single compliment from the envious lot! Unbelievable but I feel quite smug knowing that they must have felt so envious that they couldn’t even say anything nice. How sad! Makes me all the more determined to keep my weight off and I can’t wait to turn up to the next works do in my off the shoulder, skin tight black jumpsuit with retro silver buckle at the hip. Size 10. As ever, thank you girls for your support and encouragement. It has really cheered me up reading about how positive getting to goal makes us all feel.

Esnecca your snakeskin boots are awesome! That heel!

Allie- have fun trying on all your new buys when they arrive.

‘Morning/afternoon, Kazz, and anyone else who follows this thread. Our posts
did indeed, cross! I did get a quick moment to read your email before o/h whisked
his computer out from under me to take it the college. Will respond later when it
returns to the premises. Until then, thank you for your insight. I feel much more
confident in the decisions I have made. I LOVE that you sent me a picture of your
darling “mum”! She looks great, and it’s hard to believe that she has had a stroke.
I’m somewhat distressed that somehow I seem to have missed this fact, however.
I thought my memory was better than that, particularly because my Mother had
a catastrophic stroke that took her life, so I can more than relate to what your Mother
has been through. This makes the upcoming holiday you are spending together all
the more precious. I envy you 🙂 One thing I have to clarify. I must have been unclear
about my family. I have 4 nephews, but no children. It’s just us and the felines!
Since I definitely won’t be spending Christmas eve with my sister, her husband or her
son, or my Mother, I have no idea how to celebrate it this year. I feel a little “adrift”,
and hope to pull something together with friends afterward, along the lines of your
boxing day. Any excuse will do, really! I’ve read this morning that you’re about to do
a second 42 hr. fast this week? You are the educated one on the teachings of Fung,
so I have to defer to your knowledge here, but is it safe in terms of your vitamins and
minerals to go for 4 days without food? I’m feeling a little anxious for you, my friend 🙂
Forgive me, my sweet, but I AM worried for you. Is this okay? How do you feel when
on a fast? I hear reports of euphoria, energy, etc. but since I can’t personally get past
16-17 hours without a growling tummy, I find it hard to imagine….
Can’t wait to see the results that you will be posting Sat. morning 🙂

Love to you,

Allie
xoxoxo

Hi Verano,

Thanks, yes, that’s why I’ve been hesitating a bit. I did read about your nurse saying that when you got your last Hba1c results and I’ve heard other people with diabetes (here and elsewhere) say they wouldn’t fast. But then I watch Jason Fung’s videos on diabetes, fasting, removing visceral fat from the pancreas, etc, and what he says seems to make so much sense.

I will start slowly, go carefully and monitor my bgls frequently. I’m not a risk-taker so I will stop if I see a potential problem.

I appreciate the post.

Marie x

Marsie – 36c – wow, that sounds hot.

It’s tough when you can’t stop thinking about food, but it’s great that you’re at a new low, though.

Marie x
By the way, what’s a boogie board?

Marie just wanted to mention to you that when I had my last HbA1c a few weeks ago it had dropped again. My diabetes nurse just casually mentioned fasting, as in ‘it shouldn’t really be that low unless you’ve been fasting’. As if so happens for the previous month or so I’d stopped having breakfast and now just have lunch and dinner so I’m probably doing 14 or 15 hours without food overnight. She actually asked me to see the doctor just in case there was another issue causing my BS to fall. I just didn’t really take it in at the time because I was so delighted that my figure had dropped to 33 or 4.8! So maybe you should be a little careful and as you say monitor your bloods.

Hi Kazz,

I think I’ve lost the plot a bit – can’t remember where I asked you about fasting. But I’ve read it, and decided I’m definitely going to give it a go between now and Christmas. I’m going to check my bgls as I go and if I think I’m buggering them up I’ll just stop. Good going with the 40 + hour fasts I’ll be interested to hear your Sat weigh-in results. Careful as you go, mind, eh.

Marie x

Wouldn’t you just know it, the one night I actually get 7 hrs. of sleep (hooray), look what
I missed this morning! First things first, however……..I’m going just a bit crazy
contemplating a cooking thread lead by our 2 resident creative masterminds! Imagine
a new cheer routine coming from me today, including a ridiculous amount of backflips
and cartwheels. If the ground under your feet shifts some, that will be me hitting it
after some major miscalculation in my landing. PLEASE go for it!! (the thread, not
the backflips!)

ClarinetCathy, we’d all like to hear what sort of a stir you caused in the office today!
I’m all in for the clad in black look. Especially the leather look leggings. One of the
first purchases I made back in the Spring when I came in on the scales under target
was a pair of python print leggings. Too chilly for them at the moment, but no worries,
I’m anxiously awaiting a new haul tomorrow or Sat. The delivery driver is going to
have to make 2 trips up a flight of 18 stairs to get it to my door. The weight from
3 pairs of boots and assorted shoes should do him in. I hope that he’s “fit”!

Jackie, your dream about food is just a stray anxiety dream. I have a friend who
still awakes in a cold sweat after dreaming about smoking again! Just a little misfire
in the brain. I sometimes dream that my teeth are falling out on the pillow. There’s
nothing we can do about the subconscious, is there. Maybe you’ve been thinking
about what non BSD friendly food that we must navigate around this holiday season!
Isn’t it wonderful to have this thread to discuss subterfuge! 🙂 🙂

Now, to fashion!! Esnecca, your Norstrom snakeskin booties are a show stopper. I
have a real weakness for boots of all kinds, and in my prime had 10 pairs! I’m
genuinely embarrassed to admit that in today’s money, they represented an invest-
ment of $5,000-$6,000 US dollars, possibly more. Different days and different times
however. With no children to raise or college funds to save for, we had a great deal
more discretionary income for luxuries back then. You are an amazing shopper to
be able to find the fashion statement items you have bought for the money you
have spent. Bravo, and keep putting those links up! I really enjoy them 🙂
I’m casting my vote in the affirmative for a fashion thread, too! I think you should
call it “Phoenix Rising from the Ashes”! Isn’t that what we’ve done???

Enjoy your day everyone, and don’t try too hard to keep your money in your wallet… 🙂
I’ll be back later,

Allie

Esnecca,
I agree with Jackie and Theodora – that is a brilliant idea and would be very helpful, certainly to me. I’m not sure about it being for the ‘terrified’, but I agree that if we are to be successful long-term, each of us has to go through our own private eating revolution, and that’s a big challenge. Any support with that would be fantastic.

Marie x

Hi All,

Have I just entered an alternative universe – asteroid belts, conversations with kilograms, R1W2D4 (Round 1, Week 2, Day 4 ?), Orpheus and Eurydice – love it!

Alibalibee – 4.8 kg and 5 centimetres off your waist is great going. I have the same problem as you, Flick. I’ve lost a lot of weight but still have a fair bit of fat round my waist. It is heartening to hear it’s often the last weight to shift.
Funnily enough I was thinking the other day about starting to have a conversation with my visceral fat, or my overlarge tummy, gently encouraging them to leave – well, I’m definitely going to start now!.

By the way, my weight loss has happened just as Theodora describes, although my plateaus can be even longer. Frustrating, but great when you get that sudden weight loss. Hope things continue to go well.

Now, back to earth…..

Marie x

Essie, that is a fantastic idea, and not just for the terrified or inexperienced cooks among us. We can all do with shaking up our repertoires without having to go through all the trial and error these things often involve. So having one dedicated thread where we can all share our experience and / or pick the brains of others can only be a good thing. And even better if it’s lead by such enthusiastic, adventuress cooks as yourself and LTC.

Go for it. Please.

PS we could also do with a “sticky” function to keep such threads at the top so always visible for newbies.

Luvtcook and Esnecca – yes please!

Luvtcook, I had a new thread idea I thought you might be up for: how to kinda sorta cook some things you used to cook only without carbs. So for instance, you could post a few of your amazing baking hacks, links to recipes you’ve already posted as well as fuller explanations and instructions, as applicable. I was thinking of addressing thickeners for sauces and dressings, like how I make a cream sauce with no cream, a gravy with no roux and an enchilada sauce with no roux or tomatoes.

We’ve got some great cooks on this forum and a lot of people with limited kitchen experience or very carb-centered experience who are intimidated at the prospect of having to lead their own private eating revolution. I think it can be a serious impediment to success, so much so that sometimes they quit before they really begin. I’d love to see all of us marshall our forces to create a VLC Cooking 101 type thread tailored to the terrified and/or inexperienced cooks. What do you think?

Gals, have so enjoyed your fashion discussions. Light at the end of the tunnel. You all richly deserve the fun you are having. LTC

Ouch, MaisieMouse, horrible experience for your little doggie and for you, but what a revelation for you regarding you not needing to eat when under stress. Good place to be.

marie123, you have snow, we’re due for 36°c for the next couple of days. We have our 9yo grandson staying with us this weekend while his parents are away and I just know he will have his boogie board with him … beach here we come. Trouble with walking down on a hot day, by the time we walk home it feels like we should be turning around and walking back for another swim. Lol, circular argument there.

61.7kg this morning, a new low. And, of course, all I could think about today was food. Mostly ok, though. I’m trying to stick to principles rather than weigh and measure. I’ll keep that going until I feel it falling apart, then resume the stricter regime for a while.

Cheers all x

Oops, meant to also say welcome Kush – and I really like that idea of eating well being a form of self-respect.
Marie x

But am I the princess …. or the pea? 😂 time will tell!

MaisieMouse – hope your Jack Russell is feeling a bit better today and that she’s soon back to her more lively little self. What a horrible experience for both of you. The fact that there was a total disconnection between your emotions and the food you ate yesterday – that is an impressive place to get to (as is the way you see this woe). I’m not there yet but it’s definitely where I want to be.

Mokovex – I feel the same. The last few days I’ve stopped weighing everything. I’ve snuck in the kitchen to have some extra Fage yoghurt – behind the open fridge door, straight out of the tub, scooping as much as I can onto my spoon and telling myself it’s only a tablespoonful. Then repeating because ‘a couple of spoonfuls won’t hurt’. Old habits for me. Anyway, I’m knocking it on the head right now! I’m not going back down that road. Definitely onwards and downwards.

Appropos of nothing at all – it’s snowing here – our first snow of the winter!.

Marie x