Well I have just weighed and I need to lose 2.1lbs to get down into the next stone. You would think I had a huge mountain to climb but it’s only a smidgen over 2lbs.

I have looked back in my journal and very briefly in May I did drop down, and then again for two weeks at the beginning of October I was in a stone lower. So yes I can do this. I have to push myself because I have lost 64lbs , mainly from following BSD since July 2016, and my clothes are looking acceptable. I don’t have any health issues other than my mobility, which is vastly improved, and my diabetes, which is in remission. I seem to have lost my motivation despite needing to lose more weight. I have become complacent.

I have joined and started so many challenges over the last 12 months or so and this will be my last shot. I can’t keep doing this indefinitely so one more try before I accept this weight as my ‘norm’ and just get on with life. I will go into 2018 either with renewed enthusiasm or acceptance of me as I am …. time alone will tell. Anyone coming along for the ride with be most welcome.

Hi Panda Bear,

Sorry for the late response – I’ve just got home late last night. I had to go over to the North-West unexpectedly at the weekend. My Uncle had a fall at home. He lives on his own so I went down to help out – he’s 89 so it’s a bit of a worry, but he seems OK-ish. But will be going back over on Saturday and staying for the week.

The good news is I’ve lost 4lbs (1.8 kilograms).Got on the scales this morning and I’m 10st 10lbs (68 kilograms). I’m well and truly in the 10’s – woohoo! Can’t remember when…… It’s funny but that’s how BSD seems to work, for me at least. I’ll be stuck at one weight for a couple of weeks (or more), and then suddenly I’ll drop a pound a day for a few days, and then stick again. Do you find that?

Your comment about the fridge raid consisting of yoghurt did make me smile. Even as I was writing it I thought what do you sound like – a yoghurt secret eater! (Although I have to say eating this Fage full-fat Greek yoghurt does feel completely indulgent). As for the C word – no chance of having that in the house. I almost bought some of the dark chocolate people suggest for a birthday treat but, hmm, for me it would be one short step from 1 or 2 squares of that to a whole bar of Dairy Milk chocolate. Walk away, Marie!

Where you live sounds lovely. We live just south of Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East of England. I live minutes from the coast. It’s an industrial coast (or post-industrial) but there’s beauty in it and it helps with my walking that I can walk next to the sea. It’s about 40 miles up to Northumberland from where we live. Whereabouts did your father-in-law come from? It’s a beautiful part of the country, with castles, empty beaches and small villages. We usually drive up there for the day a few times in the summer months.

How have you got on this week. I wouldn’t worry too much about the exercise when you can’t manage it. One of my closest friends has CFS and I know how debilitating it can be. Both Roy Taylor (Newcastle Diet) and Jason Fung (Fasting) – both Diabetes specialists – emphasise focusing on the diet rather than the exercise, especially in the early days.

Hope you have a good rest of the week – you’re doing brilliantly!
Marie x

Hi there, your issue could be straightforward carb addiction, but as you are vegan, have you had your iron tested recently? There may be a physical reason behind your cravings. Your description sounded so familiar because when my iron goes low then I have absolutely no control with chocolate and starchy or sugary carbs. Once I get my iron levels well back into normal range (even a low normal isn’t enough) the cravings are much more manageable. Cocoa has lots of iron in it, and I think I end up consuming the sugar and starch either for energy or as a form of pica. And it’s not just me. I had a vegetarian flat mate at one point who could not stop eating chocolate and I asked had she had her iron tested because that could be the reason, but she brushed it off. When she tried shortly after that to donate blood, they wouldn’t let her because she was anaemic. I have a slightly complicated iron pattern where my hemoglobin never goes into anaemic range, but I can still be extremely iron deficient so I have to get them to test my serum ferritin as well.
As for vegan treats, I haven’t done it in a while, but nut butter with some apple or pear or berries works well for me. If I’m in the mood for something a bit more decadent I have mixed a bit of cocoa powder into the nut butter.

Cheers Esnecca, good pep talk. It wasn’t on the menu. That pub does that A lot, I just forgot to be vigilant, but still it is bad on them not me. Thankyou! Anyway, I have tummy ache but no weight gain. In fat, another 100g loss, leading me to 62.1kg. Another 2.1kg and I will be same weight as when I got married. Not sure I can face trying to fit into my wedding dress though!

Morning,

Today -0.4lb which gets me back down to my lowest. Hoping tomorrow will take me into a new low.

Recent weight gain does just seem to have been water. Body fat reading improving so that’s good. All going the right direction. ⬇️

It should have been on the menu. Don’t feel like a prick for having dietary requirements. It’s the service and hospitality industry. Providing their customers with accurate information is their job, not yours. We spend our whole lives taking on other people’s baggage about food. We feel bad not joining in with our friends, we feel bad declining a dish when we’re guests, we feel bad not drinking “to celebrate,” we endlessly feel bad about things that we have no business feeling bad about. Next time send it the hell back and tell them your pal Esnecca told you you never have to eat a morsel of something you don’t want to eat ever again, and she’s a lot meaner than they are so you pretty much have to do what she says.

Bloody bloody bloody pub, food arrived with a glaze, felt like a prick for not asking so ate it. Crap poo wiggly bits. Oh well, fingers crossed tomorrow isn’t a bad day as a result. Onwards and downwards!

Sorry about the redundancy everyone!

Hi, Alibali and Mel. We welcome you to these forums, and a new
way of life, not just a diet. Sunny is so right with her invitation to
join in the challenge threads. It’s very comforting to have a buddy
when you’re just starting out, but the fastest way to acquire know-
ledge is participating with those of us who may be farther down
the road to achieving our goals. I’m a maintainer of 6 1/2 months
time, and I’ve accomplished more than I could have ever imagined
with this way of life, a loss of 147 lbs. There is nothing we enjoy
more than talking about changing our lives and our health, and
sharing our journey with those just starting out. This is a generous
and supportive community, and there is nothing that you will encounter
along the way that someone here hasn’t already faced. If you have
a question(s) just ask, and someone will be along to answer it
in short order.
A very warm welcome to you both. Hope to see you out and
about. I’ll be watching out for your posts. Best of luck 🙂

Allie

Hi, Alibali and Mel. We welcome you to these forums, and a new
way of life, not just a diet. Sunny is so right with her invitation to
join in the challenge threads. It’s very comforting to have a buddy
when you’re just starting out, but the fastest way to acquire know-
ledge is participating with those of us who may be farther down
the road to achieving our goals. I’m a maintainer of 6 1/2 months
time, and I’ve accomplished more than I could have ever imagined
with this way of life, a loss of 147 lbs. There is nothing we enjoy
more than talking about changing our lives and our health, and
sharing our journey with those just starting out. This is a generous
and supportive community, and there is nothing that you will encounter
along the way that someone here hasn’t already faced. If you have
a question(s) just ask, and someone will be along to answer it
in short order.
A very warm welcome to you both. Hope to see you both out and
about. I’ll be watching out for your posts. Best of luck 🙂

Allie

Hello

I’ve lurked in this forum from time to time when I started a modified version of the BSD end of May, mainly for advice for vegans as I’m one 🙂 I wasn’t pre-diabetic, hence doing some modification, but I definitely found that staying off sugary things and refined carbs really helped my health and also stopped the cravings/ binge eating. Since a holiday at start of October I decided to loosen up a bit and unsurprisingly the amount of sugary refined carbs has snowballed to a point where I can safely say it is an addiction! So I’m looking for ideas/examples of what other people have tried as their ‘treat’ foods. I have an issue with pretty much anything sweet whether it is sugar, maple syrup, sweetner, dried fruit, plus bread/cakes, etc. Some time back I even switched to 100% dark cocoa chocolate and now have come to love it so much I can eat most of a large bar in a day, so that’s out too! I don’t get cravings though with a mug of unsweetened cocoa, thankfully.

I want to be able to have something which feels like a treat but doesn’t trigger the wanting more. Obviously needs to be vegan. Any advice?

Thanks

Thanks so much SunnyB – will def join. This sounds very motivating!

Hi alibalibee ad melnz – can I invite you both to join in on the four week challenges? The current one is ‘Remember, Remember ……’ and if halfway through, but we welcome joiners at anytime – it’s running until 28th Nov. The challenge threads are populated by people at all stages of the BSD journey, so there is lots of wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and support on them.

I was thinking as I ate it “this is the last spaghetti I’ll be eating for weeks” and I was quite glad as I wasn’t enjoying it!

I will if you will do!!!

Are you planning on posting warts and all? I think I need a bit of a confessional! I need to be honest on here so I don’t try and kid myself.

I found it hard – not so much because I was hungry but because I am a bit of an emotional eater!! But once I got through the first few days and saw the weight dropping off so fast – it was super motivating! I am like you – planning to relax the rules a little over Christmas but then back into it.

Good luck for the start of it Ali! We can keep each other on track.

Hello Meinz, I’ll join you but I’m going to have a few days head start – I’m starting on Thursday so that I have the weekend to hide if I start suffering the effects of carb withdrawal.

I was going to wait until next week, but want to try and get a good run at it before I have a few days of more relaxed eating over Christmas. I plan on starting back properly in the new year.

I’ve warned himself and our two sons that they’re going to be fending for themselves for the next couple of weeks at least so the pressure isn’t on me, but I can’t stand the thought of not eating with them for very long, we always sit down and eat together. So I need to do what others on here have done and work out what we can all eat, they can just add extra carbs.

How did you get on with this before? I’ve done the 5:2 before but have mostly been staunchly anti diet, mainly because I’ve been in complete denial about how much weight I’ve put on!

I feel like I’m at the start of an adventure…

Ali

Thanks Esnecca, I’ll look into getting some of those 🙂

Well done on the cake and not eating all the pasta. Hope that is the last pasta meal for a good while to come and that you will soon be through the carb withdrawal phase and well into the BSD proper.

alliecat is right V, loads of water and really keeping pushing the carbs down, should get you there. It worked for me and I know it can for you too. Go for it!

I’m hoping so SunnyB . I don’t know if it’s because I’m becoming super carb aware, but there was cake at work today that I didn’t eat, which I can’t ever remember happening before, and I made pasta for dinner for the family, and then left most of mine.

For beans, see if you can find non-GMO canned black soybeans. Eden Foods is the brand I get here. https://www.evitamins.com/uk/organic-black-soybeans-eden-foods-52672 You can also find dried ones online, but as with all legumes, they need overnight soaking and a slow simmer for a couple of hours which is probably not something you have time for with your crazy schedule. They can easily sub for standard beans in any soup, hummus, salad, burrito bowls, etc. They have carbs but only a single gram in a 130 gram serving (7 grams fiber).

YES, Verano, I’m the butterfly on your shoulder, whispering in your
ear 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 And I can be a pest!!

Yes well done to everyone who lost this week, and also for those that didn’t, well done for staying with this challenge for another week 🙂
I met my target exactly this week with a loss of 0.5kg (1.1lb), and my steps were 85,000, so again exceeding my 70,000 goal. Next week and the week after though I need to lose more than 0.5kg each week as I need to make up for last week where I had no loss!
I’ve had an up and down week, mainly sticking to plan. Yesterday we had a work lunch, where everyone ordered take away. I still attended, but brought my own BSD lunch along. Normally I would have joined in with the food but I have a colleague’s leaving lunch today too. Luckily there are some BSD friendly options on the menu, or mainly BSD friendly anyway!
Planning and preparation are helping at the moment – on the weekend I made a batch of slow cooked steel cut oats with apple and Cinammon, so that’s breakfast sorted all week. I also made some veggie & bean burgers with all my left over veg, and a lovely salad from the BSD recipe book (Morrocon quinoa & chickpea), so that was a few lunches sorted! I try to cook once and eat twice as much as I can.
Theodora – your post made me laugh, I was wondering why your friends would eat cream before their cooked breakfast!
Have a good week 3 everyone 🙂

LOL … yes I can’t fail with your support and yes water, water, water. I’m going to make sure that tomorrow I have at least 2 ltrs. Then who knows …. the sky’s the limit!

That’s really good news Allie. It sounds like he had a really difficult time but thank g-d he has come through it. Enjoy each day and keep drinking that water!

Well, I’m extremely glad I asked that question because I thought my little concoction was the healthiest thing since not eating sliced bread! Thanks for the suggestions, they sound way better (in every way) to what I’ve been having so it looks like it’s time to seriously rethink the shopping list! Thanks again 🙂

Verano, I KNOW you can do this! <20 gm of carbs, and water,
water, water!!!! 🙂

xoxoxo
Allie

I need help to get down into the next stone.

I have noticed from various post here that there are a few people who are on the verge of dropping down into ‘the next stone’.

I have been on the ‘verge’ for around 5 months now! I wonder if we can help each other, whether it be 13.9lbs or 0.3lbs, just to take that last step and get into the next stone lower.

I just need to lose 2lbs to drop down but I’ve needed to do that for so long I now need help …..

Thanks, Verano. O/H was admitted for colon cancer surgery on top
of pre-existing heart failure. Post-op he had a second heart attack,
but he is doing very well at the moment. He has returned to full
time teaching (professor) so I feel very blessed. Work on that
water consumption! I’m kind of a nutter on the subject 🙂

Sorry …. well done to all of you who have lost, no matter how small …. a loss is a loss!

I’m not reporting this week because I may have small increase but I just count that as a normal fluctuation. I’ll post when I have a proper ‘loss’.

S-g you have just hit a plateau. A loss of 3lb in one week is so good so now you are in ‘consolidation’ mode. Next week or the week after you will be back to ‘losing’ so don’t despair just keep on keeping on ……

Thanks Allie. Hope your husband is doing well now.
As you say our bodies are mysterious and each and every one of us is different! Nonetheless it can’t do any harm to drink more water so I will certainly do my best to get to 2ltrs a day and then who knows … the sky is the limit!

Hi, Verano – I was just relating an observation to Nonna Mary on the
“new life choices” thread that I had been away from home for 3
weeks while my husband had been in the hospital last Spring.
In attending to his critical care, I was unable to keep up with my usual water consumption during this time period. I missed a lot of meals
during his confinement, and could visibly see I had lost weight.
I was astounded to discover when we got back home that I hadn’t
lost any weight. I resumed my customary 3 liters, and within 2 days
the scale had registered the 10 lbs I seemed to have lost while we
were away. More than anything else, this drove home the point
for me that I retain fluid unless I drink 2-3 liters a day. This may
just be anecdotal and how fluid management affects me, but I
was really shocked by the discovery. I hope this helps to clarify
what I was trying to say 🙂
Today I still tick off on my notepad 12/8-10oz glasses per day.
Our bodies are mysterious mechanisms, indeed!

Don’t forget …. Wednesday tomorrow and weigh-in fellow refocusers!

Hi Allie am I correct in thinking it was you that started drinking water again after a few weeks lay off and lost 10lbs!!!!!!! Don’t know which thread!
I’m struggling with water so I’ve decided to add it to my fatsecret in snacks, just to add up exactly how much I am having. It’s 6pm here and I’ve only had 750ml so far! No way will I make 3ltrs today but I think it may concentrate my mind more if I ‘write’ it down.

Thanks to everyone for the information about water weight. SueBlue, the article was really interesting and helpful.
I’m down just 200g from last Tuesday morning, but I’m really happy that the weight I put on during the week is gone, plus a little bit. Clearly it was just water weight from eating more carbs over the 3 days. I was thinking it wasn’t as I have a body analysis scale that was saying that I had put on fat, while water weight was staying steady, but I have now noticed that it says that I am losing and gaining fat in proportion to the amount of weight lost, and I don’t think this could possibly be. I think the scale is not really doing what it was advertised to do (i.e. bioelectric impedance analysis) and is instead just using a formula based on my weight.
I am feeling like I have a little bit of carb flu now as I get back into the swing of things; very tired and sluggish and hard to get moving this morning. I had 1000 cal yesterday as I had quite a hard workout at the gym and felt like I needed a few more calories and some extra protein, but my carbs were at 32g which is really very low for me.

Rebecca, click on your name at the top of your post. That will take you to your profile. Click on the Replies Created tab and then on the thread title next to your name on the list of posts. That will take you to your post in the thread. You can read down to find replies and just click on the “Reply” link in the bottom right of any post to reply to it.

The cravings will subside, but you have to starve them to death. Don’t feed them or they win. Great job so far and keep it up!

Hi taurusmmuk, you’re so right about American serving sizes. It is madness out here. Between the giant portions, constant potato and bread overload and hidden sugars at every turn (the maple syrup trend cannot die soon enough), even really nice restaurants barely have a single thing available for low carbers. In a country where literally 10% of the population is diagnosed diabetic, untold numbers have diabetes and don’t know it yet, and a projected 50% of the population will develop diabetes by 2050, you’d think finding a meals not laden with carbohydrates wouldn’t be the grail quest it is.

Here’s a quick tip for your Orlando adventure. When in a pinch, there is a single fast food option I’ve encountered that works with the BSD: Popeye’s Chicken. They have naked chicken tenders coated in their lovely cajun spices, no bread crumbs or batter, and a side of green beans with ham. That’s it, kids. They also happen to have the greatest biscuits (southern style, that is, not what y’all call biscuits which are cookies to us) ever made, so a drive-through order is of the essence. You don’t want to walk through those doors.

I can tell you right now that is not a BSD-friendly meal, sorry Martie. Like Verano said, people do eat very small portions of lentils and chickpeas but they have to be portioned into minute amounts. Yes, they are complex carbs, high in fiber, slow to digest and therefore less likely to cause blood sugar spikes, but they will absolutely slow down the weight loss process. Vegetarians who require pulses for protein almost always lose weight far more slowly than omnivores on the BSD. At the end of the day, carbs are carbs. The more of them you eat, the more elevated your blood sugar and insulin. The more elevated your insulin levels, the more unbudgeable the fat.

Bulgur is just wheat. Wheat is on the no list. Its high fiber content doesn’t change its cereal essence, which is why there are 58 grams of carbs per 100 gram serving even after you subtract the 18 grams of dietary fiber. Quinoa is somewhat less terrible carb-wise with 18 grams per 100 gram serving. Brown rice is just as bad as white rice in terms of carbs.

I hope I’m not bumming you out too much. I know it’s been a challenge for you contemplating all these changes with all the pressures of single parenting, working two jobs and a tight household budget. I’m afraid you’re going to have to let go of some of what you’ve thought of as “healthy meals” in the past, because this system works best when you whittle down your daily carb intake as much as possible, cutting out flour, sugar, grains, cereals, rice and root vegetables. You’ll find that plenty of so-called healthy foodstuffs are crammed to the gills with carbohydrates.

On the plus side, it’s actually not difficult at all to calculate the carb content of a meal with multiple ingredients like your mixed grains and pulses bowl. Check out MyFitnessPal or Fat Secret. They make it a simple matter of searching for a product or brand, selecting the serving size from a dropdown menu and clicking the button to add it to a recipe or to your daily food log. Then the software does all the tallying for you. I use MFP religiously both to record meals and to plan them in advance so there are no ugly surprises.

It goes without saying, I hope, that we old hands are here for you whenever you need us. I’ve been doing the Fast 800 for 14 months. It’s second nature to me now. I can run any calc you want in about 3 seconds flat. I also love to cook so I’m always up for a challenge like figuring out a viable substitute for ingredients or dishes to make a meal BSD-friendly. You have an army behind you.

Does anyone else find this forum difficult to navigate? I struggle to find my posts and the replies. Thank you for the advice for those who have replied, I have seen them on my email, but can’t find them to reply. Any tips ?

It’s the end of week 1, the cravings continue to be tough. But I generally feel more energetic and have lots a staggering 6lbs. Omelette and salad for dinner tonight. I am hoping it gets easier with time.

Rebecca

It might be that with cutting down on sugar has moved you pasted the worst of the carb withdrawal, but I guess you won’t know until you get started properly.

Hey Martie – I think you will be surprised how carb heavy that concoction is. Could you maybe look at making some Mediterranean roast veggies instead – peppers, courgettes, onions, aubergine, button mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, a little olive oil, a sprinkle of herbs. If you make a big batch, you can have dress it with cyder vinegar or lemon juice and divide it up to eat cold with cold meats, tuna, etc. Or may be roast some cauliflower with herbs or spices or make salad or homemade coleslaw. All of these would be much lighter on the carbs and will also be filling.

Thanks both!

I’ve been trying to cut out sugar since last week and feel really lethargic and headachey just with that, so I’m preparing for the full on carb flu! If it doesn’t hit, so much the better!

Hi as SunnyB says carb withdrawal varies from person to person but I was on the other side of the coin and I was very lucky because I never had carb flu at all! So try it and see!

Hi alibalibee – glad you have decided to make a start regardless of you blood results and it really doesn’t matter when you start, as long as you do.

Carb withdrawal varies person to person, don’t know if the level of previous carb dependence has any baring or not, so its hard to know how hard it might hit you. For me it was a couple of headachy days and feeling dog-tired, but I know for others it’s been really tough for a week or more. Only advice I can give is to be kind to yourself, rest as much as you feel you can/need to, take painkillers if you need to and keep well hydrated, which is essential to our bodies functioning to their optimum.

Best of luck, both with the blood results and making good progress on the BSD. Be sure to keep us posted.

So, just logged on from a PC again instead of from my phone, and have found that none of the replies I did on my phone have appeared here! Agh!!! I’m honestly not that rude and I did reply to you all and thanked everyone for their comments and encouragement! Has anyone else had problems like that? I’ll know not to use my phone in future.

Anyway, I should get me blood test results back tomorrow: I think whatever they say I’m going to start the diet on Thursday. Strange day to start, but I don’t work Fridays so I’m figuring if get massive carb withdrawal symptoms I can distract myself with something that doesn’t require too much thinking. I give legal advice for a living so don’t really fancy having that brain fog at work. How did you all cope with it?

Onwards and downwards, I think I’m one of you now!

Heather, my sweet, I don’t think you realize how much you have been
missed! It is so absolutely wonderful to hear from you today!!!!
Life “on the farm” sounds somewhat wild and crazy. I admire you
and your wife for all the rescue work you are doing. Most importantly
however, you’ve really been making progress on the weight loss
front. 24lbs in 7 weeks is something to be very proud of. You
must soon be close to getting under the 200lb mark. That was a
a huge mini goal achieved when I accomplished it.
Deciding to take a break after 8 weeks or plod on to goal is such
an individual decision, and I think it has much to do with personality
type. The more pragmatic of us do well with a break, but I’m too
much of an all or nothing type that I would fear that if I loosened
the reins for awhile I would risk never returning, so I just put one
foot in front of the other until I reached target. I’m still not altogether
comfortable with maintenance because I’m 13lbs under target
and trying hard not to lose any additional weight. BMI currently
21.69, thin enough!
Don’t abandon us hens for the chooks! We miss you. Hope to hear
from you more often when life slows down.

Allie

nb – how did the kitchen reno turn out?

Heather…so lovely to have you back…you have been missed. What a life you lead. Rescue Chickens, Rescue Cats…any room for a rescue 60 year old fat woman with water retention issues? Lol. We all have times when we lapse but bloody well done for losing 24 pounds in 7 weeks.

I did hear a roar come from up North so I presumed it was you. Thank you! Sorry your gammy leg is holding you back, but do what is right for you. Some bosses can be right b#st*rds can’t they? I won’t get started on that because I wont stop.

Kazz, yes our bodies are very strange. But if I am going to gain 4/5 pounds every time I fail to drink enough water to float my kidneys I am giving up lol. I hope you enjoyed your walk and the book. I find George Orwell quite easy to read and so politically current. I may just re-read that book again. My goal would be under 12 stone. At my heaviest I was nearly 20 stone and I think if I go too low I will look ill. At this rate it will take me another 18 months. I have lost 36 pounds (2 and a half stones) since October last year. I have stuck to the way of eating even when on holiday. I started losing better when I restricted my carbs to less than 20g daily. But I have stalled again. I will never go back to my old way of eating as I enjoy my foods this way. But I am getting just a tad fed up of silly results. I have some days when I feel really slimmer, then days like yesterday when I don’t. Drinking loads of water today so fingers crossed.

Allie, I am determined not to weigh myself now until next Tuesday. I was going to do it tomorrow, but I have changed my mind. I would rather see a whoosh next week (God Willing). No Noodle day this week as she/her mother/Father are all ill and I don’t want to catch another cold. Plus this one sounds particularly nasty.

Later peeps

Nonna Mary
xxxx