I agree with you Juliet, it is not just that thinks humans are strange, I would say they definitely are. 🙂 My son is doing a psychology Phd, and the things that he tells me really backs this up.

Started BSD 6 days ago, it hasn’t been easy, cravings have been overwhelming, but I am seeing benefit already, I am enjoying steady energy levels, the strength exercises I enjoy, the scales are showing 5lb+ loss already , I have put a real effort in preparing dinner for me and the children within the M plan principles. promised myself a treat on day 7, but my cravings seem to be lessening as the week goes on, so may pick something other than food !
keep going
Rebecca

Welshannie – thankyou – I know I should. To be perfectly frank – I can’t remember where exactly my waist was so I’m not sure where to measure! I will try and get the tape measure out though tonight and see what’s what. It does help when the pounds don’t shift but the inches do so, yes, I will try. Hope you’re having a good day!

Hello, I reached my goal a week ago having lost somewhere over 100 lbs in the last year and haven’t even bounced back over it this week so I am properly into maintenance :)) I can’t quite believe what I have done. I smile whenever I catch sight of my reflection but I feel so very much younger that I am surprised by how old I look! I feel like a teenager! But more confident.
My BMI is now 22.5 happily in the middle of the healthy range satisfying my liking for symmetry but I won’t mind if it goes a bit lower but I am not trying any more. I am doing two fast days a week and following a short eat window but because I feel better while fasting not for weight loss. I am busy all day and into the evening on those two days and I need the extra energy fasting gives me to keep going. I also had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and am convinced those are exacerbated by activity while digesting food. I haven’t had any symptoms for ages and I don’t want to. I now never eat until I can sit and digest my food without doing anything else. Although lately I seem to be able to get away with having a piece of fruit during the afternoon. I have been craving fruit this month having never previously liked it much. And salad. Especially celery with peanut butter. I used to HATE celery. My tastes have definitely changed although I always liked bitter and have only ever drunk coffee black.

I am a vegetarian reluctantly becoming vegan again as dairy inflames the arthritis in my hands and common sense dictates that I need to give it up. I have never worried about carbs from vegetables or legumes and don’t intend to start now. I have even had a few roast potatoes this month, but as other veg is much nicer it isn’t likely to become a habit.

It is nice to find this dedicated thread just as I need it. I know maintenance is likely to be just as challenging as losing the weight was.

Well done Juliet with your 3lbs.
Do you measure your waist as well?
I am doing mine so that I can see that the pounds are coming off around my tummy.

Welshannie x

8 whole hours in my one whole chunk …. WOW I envy you! Hope tonight is just as good for you.

Blood test out of the way now so we will see on Thursday if I have been low carb enough to maintain my HbA1c at 34 (5.3) and my cholesterol at 4.5. I have everything crossed at the moment as I really don’t want to go back onto metformin. In fact I won’t I’ll ask for 3 months to get it down again if needs be.

Good afternoon my friends!

I’m having a very slothful start to the week off! In fact, I’m not doing anything at all today chore wise – I’m having the day off! Over the weekend I did my housework, washing, cooked a bit, went to visit my favourite Auntie who’s only 70 but crippled with arthritis and has some sort of speech problem that has appeared in the last 12 months. She’s had scans and blood tests but they can’t tell her what’s what. After an hour, her speech goes thick and slurry sounding. When she rests, and I do the talking, she’ll be okay again for awhile. It’s not stroke type symptoms, she’s been checked out. She did fall badly backwards down a flight of stairs about 18 months ago and hurt her back badly. Unfortunately, her mum, my nanny, had bad arthritis so it’s probably a genetic thing. I left her my copy of the BSD800 book as she wants to lose about 14 lbs. I was pontificating the benefits of BSD. She said, Oh, I could listen to you talk all day about diets, you have great knowledge! Bless her, I don’t at all, but I’m happy to pass on what I’ve learned and spread the word. Alas, her daughter has recently lost 6 lbs in 3 weeks doing slimming world, so I think my auntie is leaning that way. It would be easier for her with having to cater for my uncle as well. I said that and she said, oh, David will eat whatever I give him! Fair enough! I left with 6 beautiful fresh eggs laid that morning. Their hens come to greet me whenever I arrive, they are adorable!

Julia – my thoughts on 48 hour fasting are that it is worth it, particularly if you want to speed things up a bit on the scales when you are a slow loser like myself. I lost 3 lbs rather than the usual 1lb last week. In terms of ease, I did find it quite hard, probably because eating is such a pleasure for me. Not just something I have to do to keep alive. And since blowing off the refined carbs like bread, my tastebuds seem to have woken up! The flavours of things – it’s pure joy having 20g of cheese and 4 picked gerkins! I find 24 hour fasting easy. Anything longer is a bit of a struggle but it could be it was my first time and perhaps the next time I will find it easier. I’m on holiday this week so I will do another 48 hour fast, probably be after breakfast on Thursday until brunch on Saturday.

Allie – I echo your thoughts and if you don’t mind, I’ll pick up your email address. I love the sound of your cats! My mum would like a cat but she won’t as I’m allergic to them, as I am all animal fur which is a bit of a blow! It wouldn’t stop me having a short haired dog when I semi retire though!

Mary – good luck with the next fast – we’ve got the 15s in our sights so I am with you.

I ordered psyllian husk powder, ground flaxseeds, coconut flour online and that has just arrived. I want to have a go at making home make crackers. Got some sesame, poppy, chia seeds also to mix in.

Okay my friends, I’m struggling to use the built in mouse on this laptop which I have warming on my lap, so I’m going now to make a coffee and read my book.

See you all later.

Lots of love
Kazzzzeee xxxx

62.9kg today, down 100g. Watched everyone else eat Bakewell tart and snarled at my husband when he suggested using MY cream to pour on it. Back away from the cream! 😂😂 I also nearly cried when I realised my daughter used all the flaked almonds so there were none for my yoghurt. Luckily I found some walnuts, but was still a bit put out!

Still, we had a good roast and I had loads of Brussel Sprouts and chestnuts and crackling, so overall the food was good yesterday.

Martie, for what it is worth, I did the 5:2 several years ago and am on my 4th week with BSD, so have done both. I find the BSD easier….less hunger, more flexible, easier to plan around. On 5:2, even though I was already low carbing, I found going from an “eating day” to start all over again for each “fasting day” tougher. I now find it pretty simple even to just eat one decent 500-600 calorie meal a day and have soup or a salad for a mini meal for the other. No breakfast.

MM recommends not doing back to back fast days on the 5:2 but I found Day 2 if done back to back much easier….its the first day that was always the challenge. With BSD there is only one first day….all down hill after that. And oddly, those that have been on BSD for a while and have a “off or binge day” say getting back on has not been a problem.

Each person has to decide what works best for them…but the big advantage of having these forums is getting the real life experience of lots and lots of folks that have tried lots and lots of strategies. Do know that of course you are getting a bit of a bias….because we are on this forum because we have found BSD has worked best for us. For me it is a god send and really opened a door I thought would never be available to me.

Back to give an update. Exactly a year from starting to fast I reached my goal weight of 150 lbs and a BMI of 22.5. I definitely lost over a hundred pounds, and possibly as much as 110 as I didn’t get a starting weight, but was somewhere towards the 260 lbs area, with a BMI of about 39. I am now maintaining using the 5:2 version of the BSD. It may be my weight may go lower, it may not, but it is not going up again, I know so much more about how to eat now and am not prepared to put up with feeling like that again.

Hi everyone, I dont know what went wrong over the weekend but I am nearly 2lbs up on yesterdays weight which is nearly the 3.25 lbs back on. The only thing I can think of is that I had 2 cans of Pepsi Max which I had bought in for my grandsons and as they are not visiting again until next Summer thought I would get rid of them by drinking them. I know how bloated they made me feel and I know artificial sweeteners can make you gain weight so I wont be doing that again – I dont even like it much.

Anyway, today is another day and I will see how it goes before weigh in tomorrow. Today I had yog and passionfruit for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and making a BDS skinny chilli with cauli rice tonight.

Hi hatecake, I know a lot of people think of mindfulness as mumbo jumbo but I have just finished a course with FutureLearn online on Mindfulness and it is a lot more about being organised and not try to take on too much. The meditation is just a part of it and can take as little as 5 minutes each morning (or whenever). There is a new course starting today which you could possibly look at called Maintaining a Mindful Life. To meditate just sit comfortably, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing trying to keep other thoughts from interrupting – to do this I just use the word ‘breathe’ in my mind as a kind of chant. It really can relax you even for just a short time and will reduce the cortisol levels. It also works on a part of the brain which pumps out adrenalin which can have a longer term effect on stress levels.

Try it and see.

A full 8 hours, Ancient Weaver? HOORAY, indeed!!!!!!!! 🙂

So Lucia, what has happened to you? Are you still working on combat diabetes campaign?!! A veritable breath of fresh air ( even though you had brussel sprouts on board lol). Come on tell us about your journey for the year.

Well done Welshannie – that’s a great start! Fantastic that you’re feeling so much better too and even managed to watch your hubby eat cake – the rotter! I think, no – I know, I would have struggled with that one!

I think you’re right about listening to your body and also knowing how it responds. eg. I know if I ate an egg just now – which is sorely tempting – I’d desperately want something sweet after to take the taste away, then something else sweet and before I know it I’ve blown all today’s carbs and have the prospect of salad until bedtime to keep me going through the day. And it probably wouldn’t and I’d have a disaster! All because I had an egg. Whereas – if I have an egg at lunchtime and fast until then – which is what I plan – then I’ll only have an egg because I’ll be so pleased and feeling in control that I’ve fasted all morning that I won’t be tempted to eat anything sweet after it!! Human beings are strange (or is it just me??!)

I’ve managed to lose 3lbs this first week so am really pleased and also feel so much better. The feeling of control that this gives you does help me make the right choices. That along with drinking a swimming pool’s worth of water every day!

Have a great week everyone – Monday is a lovely new start! xx

Thanks Theodora….see you on that thread!

Allie….you legend! Thanks heaps for cheering me on….you have done what I’m dreaming of, pretty much. Amazing to realise it’s actually possible and can be maintained. I’m definitely heading over to the challenge thread.
Cheers : )

Week one done 😀
Weight 14st 3lbs- so far lost 2lbs.
Waist 43in and three quarters – lost 1 and a quarter from my waist.
Blood sugar fasting 7.1 – down from 22.5
Feeling : good

Very please with this first week results especially with my BS. And that 2 lbs lost, I can really feel a big different in my body. Goal for this week, is to sort out exercise, male sure I do 5000 steps each day, need to slowing build my fitness up after having the stroke.

My son and hubby are also doing the diet. My son lost 3 lbs and hubby put on 1! Yes you guess it, he has been very naughty… he had cake Saturday night! And let me tell you, he was grumpy 😡 yestetday. He said that he did not feel very good. Let this be a warning to you all, carbs will make you feel crap and grumpy 😡. If I just lose 1- 2 lbs per week and my BS stays low. I will be happy with that. No carbs is going to big part of my lifechanges.

Hey Juliet, sorry to hear that you not been feeling too good. Since my BS has dropped, I will now have to’listen ‘ to my body to know when I am just feeling hungry or that my BS has dropped too much for me, for example I was out shopping just before teatime and felt nauseous. Luclkly I had a handful of nuts n my bag and the feeling slow past away. Boy did I enjoy my steak that night. And did not miss the chips.

Taurusmmuk and Esnecca – Interesting thought about will power and muscles. ‘If you don’t use it, you will lose it’ I had not thought about will power in that way. Friday night was my hardest point of the week. I wanted chocolate 🍫 that night. My son said ‘ no’ and that was that! When hubby had cake on Saturday, I was strong and it did not bother me. I think it was that I felt fuller that day – had breakfast and lunch as a brunch – it is true that eggs makes you feel fuller for longer as this morning I had a blueberry and tea shake for breakfast and I am hungry again.

So here to another good everyone, please let me know how you all doing, it is a big help reading everyone high and lows…

Take care
Love Welshannie x

Hey girls, lend me your pom-poms! Raa-raa- cha-ch-cha raa-raa-cha-ch-cha!
Last night I got to bed and sleep at the very nice time of 10.30, a very pleasing achievement all on it’s own, followed, and it seemed almost instantly, by waking to early dawn light at what is for me a perfectly acceptable time of 6.30, giving an awesome total of 8 hours solid restful sleep!

I’ll write more later, but I have too much to do to spend any more time at the computer today, and possibly not much time tomorrow either.

Oops, just seen it didn’t post. Trying again.

Good morning

I certainly would like to hear anyones thoughts about food and sleep patterns Californiagirl!!!!

Last night I just couldn’t drop off and then when I did I woke at 3am and struggled to get back to sleep and was then woken out of a deep sleep at 7am. Completely back to front night. I ate much earlier than usual so maybe I was hungry but I must admit I don’t often feel ‘hunger’ these days. My poor eating comes from boredom or mouth munchies as some people say. Maybe it’s just a symptom of getting old!

Hope you all had a good weekend and the week ahead is productive. I’m still looking forward to ‘future success’ and really hoping to find some in the last stages of this challenge.

Sunny B
Thank you for this. I will start on it today, at least there are some changes I can still make, doesn’t feel quite so hopeless!
And yes I do need to look at how I relate to the stress, I can’t change the cause but at least maybe how I deal with it. I used to do a little yoga ( not sure why it’s lapsed!,) and it definitely put me in a better mind space if you like.
Thanks again
H

Sue, really pleased that you’ve got your head straight again and are back on track.

Our current 4 week challenge thread is called “Remember remember, low carbs for November: a 4 week challenge ending on 28th November”. Obviously we are half way into it now, but you’d receive a warm welcome nevertheless – never too late to state your short term goals and get support and encouragement to achieve them.

Towards the end of the challenge, a call will go out about starting a new one for December, so we always tend to have one on the go to keep us all motivated. So please do join (current one and the next) and let us cheer you on. 😄

Morning all,

today +0.7lb 😞

Have been slowly gaining for 5 days now and not sure why. Be interesting to see if I have any loss to post tomorrow.

The gains haven’t been huge and possibly TOTM although this WOE has knocked my cycle out of whack so never know where I am any more.

I am walking a little more and so hopefully there is muscle gain. Body fat isn’t rising so I guess that metabolically, things are still going in the right direction.

x

Thank you sunny B x

Hi Sue (Sheehy), it’s really nice to see you here! Like you, I’m finding
maintenance a somewhat daunting challenge. Losing 146lbs. was
pretty straight forward compared to this. I haven’t regained any
weight, and am inside a healthy BMI by 21 lbs and below my target
by 12 lbs. Like Theodora, my challenge is not to lose any more.
You have accomplished so much since Jan., 66 lbs is fantastic.
I know that it is easy to reach a point where weighing and measuring
every last living thing can become tedious. Some of us now don’t,
but we all keep a watchful eye on the carbs. We can figure this
out together, and the suggestions here are wonderful. I think
joining a thread is very good advice, you will begin to chat with
a group of people that you will get to know and soon come to
think of as friends. I’m looking forward to following your progress
here and on other threads. Welcome ! 🙂

Best wishes,

Allie

CCathy, SunnyB, KrysiaD and Theodora….thank you so, SO much for your care and encouragement!

Although it’s a wonderful place to live, Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world – thanks for being such a great ‘community’ from all around the planet.

I had a day out on my own yesterday and got my head straight again. I’m in. Whatever it takes!

Where exactly is the thread for the monthly challenges? I had a look but couldn’t find anything current…..

Wherever you are, have a restful day/night!

Hey ancient weaver — I wasn’t casting aspersions on your comments — I just thought that your sleep pattern/issues were of a long duration — I’m sorry if I misread that it has changed a lot/many times this year (I can’t keep up well with the myriad posts so I sometimes misunderstand).
It would be interesting to hear your comments on sleep and food intake — I think others would find interesting too.
Allie, the points you raised are also interesting, vitamin D as a sleep aid and in general — we all need to go sit in the sun for twenty minutes every day with our skin exposed — now that’s my kind of recommendation!

Thanks SunnyB. I’m feeling a lot more enthusiastic and optimistic now following all your suggestions. The only thing I’m worried about now is will I have enough money to buy smaller clothes?! 😉

My precious sisters, look at us, we’ve hit 1500 in posts! I’m fairly
certain that this is some kind of new record!

Mary, what a beautiful day you have had. I wonder what food menu
your daughter is preparing today in your honor? Please
continue to share your stories about your daughters and Grandies.
Whatever brings joy to your life is something I enjoy hearing about.
I also think siamese are beautiful, mysterious, and highly intelligent
creatures, but keeping up with their antics can be a challenge
sometimes. There is always some disaster to follow up on that
they have created 🙂 They definitely have “our number”, that’s
for sure. I, too, spend more time than is probably healthy thinking
about our missing sisters. I can’t help but have concern for them.
I definitely have some thoughts, but I’m not comfortable talking
about it on an open thread. However, my email address was
posted back around the last week of Oct., with the high hopes that
I would be able to get together with Esnecca. Please email me,
using some sort of subject identifier, and we can continue our con-
versation there, if you’d like to exchange more intimate thoughts
on this. I think your daughter is spot on characterizing you as
an “Empath”. I think I must be one too! 🙂

Julia, I’m delighted that you enjoyed “a day in the life of” our pets!
You don’t know how accurate the cartoon on your refrig. actually
is. My Mother used to be horrified that they had free access to
the counters in the kitchen. They are such pests at the dinner
hour that they DO sit on the diningroom table with a luncheon
plate of their own that we flip scraps onto to keep them from
snatching food off our plates. It’s sick, not to mention mildly
unsanitary, but they seem to run the show around here. Sad,
I know, being outwitted by a pair of cats.
Hope you had a good weekend!

Allie
xoxoxo

Two pounds down then Andy, excellent news! Stick with it and I’m sure you will be reporting more positive results in those 33 days. Keep going!!

Right off, Martie, if you ditched the choccie bics and the crisp butties it would be a huge help! As JackieM says, keeping it simple works just as well as using fancier recipes and there is no need to eat three meals a day. Use your daily cal/carb allowance for as many meals as you like, three, two or just one – it’s totally up to you. I work pretty much to a 16:8 pattern, so 16 hours overnight fast and then two meals in the space of the remaining 8hrs.

Although I like cooking, most days I just keep it plain and simple – one small meal between 12 and 2pm, may be yogurt and berries, or a small med platter with some cold meat and cheese, veggie patties or perhaps an omlette; then an evening with a protein element usually meat or fish and veggies or salad – even if it’s bolognaise I’d have the sauce over green veg and cook some pasta for my OH. There really is no need to make things unnecessarily complicated.

I’d recommend giving it a try, think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to fit into you lifestyle and will be happy with the results. Keep us posted.

AnneF, that bread sounds wonderful. Anxious to hear if you feel it had any impat on your weight….great news for all if the answer is no.

And good to hear that you are maintaining well with a full social life….that’s what we all hope for in the end.

Hi Hatecakes – right off, let me say I not a medical expert and so am speaking purely from a layperson’s view point. Working on the basis that not all calories are equal, I would say that I would think it possible to use the BSD to adjust blood sugar levels, without losing weight. So, if you were to cut bad carbs – grains, potatoes, sugars, rice, pasta, bread, etc. – and don’t cut the calories, you should find it possible to have some impact on the blood sugar levels.

Try to pull your daily carb intake to 50g if you can, but keep your calories up by making sure you include plenty of full fat and protein in your diet. This would mean plenty of veggies (especially green and leafy veg), a decent portion of protein each day and including good fats of olive oil, nut oils, full fat natural yogurt, some nuts and seeds, avocado, butter and cheese are permitted too – so you see, it’s possible to keep the calories up but the carbs down. I don’t want to call it a Mediterranean diet, as these usually include plenty of bread and even pasta, rice or potatoes and all of these need to be avoided.

Final advice though, would be to try address your stress levels, even if you can only manage a few minutes of meditation a day, it should help. If you read the BSD book, you will note that mindfulness is part of this way of eating, so if you can take time out to focus and quiet your mind in some way, even for a short period, it would be helpful. Exercise can be part of this, as spending some time exercising not only benefits on a physical level, but on a mental level too. Have a think about how you can include a little mindfulness in your day – could even be listening to, or reading something inspirational on a commute.

Hope some of this is of some use. As I said, I’m no expert, but working on the basis that reducing carbs impacts on blood sugar levels, it should be possible to adjust the BSD way of eating to work for you – it’s like you’ll be going into maintenance right from the start.

Just wondering if this eating plan can help in reducing blood glucose levels when the cause may be due to cortisol / stress. I am at the prediabetic end of normal for a fasting glucose. I don’t need to lose weight and my bmi is 20., I am 5 foot 6 and weigh 124 pounds.
I don’t like most carbs, eat relatively healthy , but my stress levels are very high, and can’t see a way to reduce them.
I recently saw a hospital dr ( for something else)and he asked me if I was diabetic as my blood sugar level ( not fasting) had been 7.8 So what can I do to reduce my levels?

Thanks JackieM. I understand that the books suggestions are all understandably designed by nutritionist and the pics taken by professional photographers etc. but it’s good to balance that out with your down-to-earth suggestions etc. I’m about 80% there to be honest, I just need to go that extra mile now if I’m to start getting the results I want. Thanks again.

Hi Esnecca,
that is an amazing drop in weight, you must feel better for all that effort, and you are right about measuring every mouthful. I have now taken to weighing every mouthful and I am shocked by how inaccurate my estimates have been. I will make a great effort to get this right including more physical activity. I fasted from last night’s evening meal until my evening meal tonight and I find that I seem to manage better doing this every other day and during week one I have lost two pounds.

Have you been doing this WOE for the last 18 months, I am absolutely gobsmacked by your drop in weight, but as you are in a healthy range for your height do you still have to watch every calorie, and thanks for your insight.

Hey Martie – I definitely do not eat like that! I could not be bothered with it! I eat very simple thrown together meals – for example the sandwich filling without the bread and a bit of green on the side, or cauliflower with a bit of butter and grated cheese on top, or the roast meat without the potato but a bit of broccoli on the side.

Whatever you decide to do has to fit in with your lifestyle and how bothered you are by your tummy (I think that’s why you are doing this?) you will get fastest results with BSD 800 cals, but if it’s too extreme for you you can choose not to. In the book I seem to remember he says a low carb approach will work over time, especially on 5:2, but people with insulin issues need to do it fast to try and reverse their problems thus the extremely low calorie intake for 8 weeks. It does genuinely work though, and if you aren’t that overweight won’t take 8 weeks even.

If you do keep eating the high carb stuff on your free days I think it will slow things down and make the restricted days harder and you will be hungrier. That’s based on how carbs make me feel though. You have to find the balance that makes you happy.

Good luck!

Great results Luvtcook and 2BD! I am continuing to maintain weight, measurement and blood sugar levels despite having friends visiting for the weekend with whom I quaffed much red wine, but despite eating out I pretty much stayed off the carbs – not at all feeling that I am missing out.

Made some bread in my bread maker using rye, buckwheat, whole wheat and oat bran filled with sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame and linseeds. Delicious and ticks all the M-plan boxes.

Good luck with your Thanksgiving preparations Allicat and Luvtcook 🙂

Week 7 here we come!

I’m also wondering if it’s worth me looking at the occasional meal replacement drink. I don’t usually eat breakfast and can easily make it to around 12ish before eating so one of them (sugar-free?) might be an idea with a bit of veg as a snack?

Can anybody recommend an good sugar-free meal replacement that’s available in the UK?

Thanks

Alipally, whatever question you have SOMEBODY on this site will probably have the answer. It is a very generous and supportive lot. Lots of “been there done that” to draw from.

Luvtcook – 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Very tempting, indeed!

Thanks also SunnyB and JackieM.

I guess what troubled me the most was when I looked at the picture section of the book and I just Sat there wondering when I was going to get the time and money to eat like that. Yes, I’m sure it’s not all that expensive but it’s REALLY difficult meal planning whilst holding down two jobs, and especially as I’m not that clued up on food (although I’m far from being a pie and pint can’t of bloke!)

I’ve already been doing the 5:2 diet for about 5 weeks and have lost maybe a pound and about an inch off my waist, which I know isn’t much in 5 weeks but I’ve been really ‘cheeky’ on the non-fast days and am way too fond of chocolate biscuits and crisp butties!

With all this in mind, I’m beginning to wonder, as I’m not diabetic, if I might be better off sticking with (and improving my efforts on) the 5:2 diet, maybe even shifting up to 4:3 and going increasingly medditeranian on the non-fast days as the BSD may be surplus to my requirements at this point??

Get on that shuttle…got an empty chair waiting for you any time!

Hi Martie, lunch for me is often pre-packed ham with salad out a bag, with a teaspoon of mayo, or pre-packed slice (s) of beef spread with cream cheese wrapped around raw spinach. I hate cooking with a passion so it has to be quick. A can of tuna with some red pepper and mayo. You are right, I don’t need to worry too much about budget (at this point in my life, that’s not always been true) but I would say our food bill has gone down because I’m not eating the secret biscuits etc etc. I certainly spend less on chocolate in a week, even though the quality has gone up the quantity has gone down.

What is it specifically you think will be hard for you to deal with? Not eating with kids, preparing special food, something else? If you can pin point what it is then people on here can offer specific advice on how they dealt with it if that would be helpful.

Wishing you lots of luck, I am sure you will figure it out so it works for you xx

Thanks for those replies, I guess I do have everything I need, I’m just going to have to be willing to do things differently, to change for the better etc. I read once that life’s little disasters are the genius of the subconscious mind, and my little rant certainly acted as a catalyst for exactly the advice I needed, so thanks again.

I guess it’s also because I’ve tried and failed with this stuff so many times in the past (I used to be a big fan of Gary Taubes books) and even though I’m already fairly healthy I just struggle to shift the middle-aged-middle, largely due to my love of sweet stuff and potatoes. I guess I’m just going to have to buckle down and give it my best shot (and feeling sorry for myself is the first thing I’m quitting!) 🙂

Hi Martie – we’re all different with different life styles, some have with more disposable income than others, but there is no reason for this way of eating being out of your reach. No need to be making different meals for you and the children, just don’t add the carby stuff to your plate and increase the veggies – as Verano said.

If you need packed meals, think salads, plain yogurt with berries/nuts/seeds, cold roasted Mediterranean veggies, veggie patties etc. And really, just do what you need to do and don’t discuss it with the nay-sayers – once they can see the changes happening, they may not be so keen to knock it. There’s no reason this WOE needs much more time than any other – yes you need to keep track of cals and carbs, but that doesn’t have to take up hours.

It all seems very daunting when your first start, but once you have made a start and begin to get your head around it, it very quickly becomes normal. Hope you give it a go and will use the forum to get advice and support. Don’t feel you are in this on your own, ‘cos we’ll all be here to help you along the way.

Best of luck to you.

Martie, you are right that it certainly is easier if you are only needing to cook for yourself and have fewer demands on your time and more flexibility about when and how you eat. I put off starting this diet for months until I retired for fear it would be too tough to handle with the job (God knows I was exhausted enough at the end of the day and the thought of less than half the amount of food seemed pretty daunting).

But in retrospect, with 3 weeks into it, it is soooo much easier than I ever thought it would be….but I was already low carbing so I had that hurdle over with.

And to me the good news about this diet is it is CHEAP! I had hummus and a bowl of meat free vegetable soup for lunch ( 4 cups of boxed chicken broth and onions, cabbage, green beans, some tomato paste and dried herbs…cheap!). The hummus batch serves 6 and my veggie soup has 5 servings. I reserving 1 serving of soup for tomorrow and freezing the rest. Make some food for yourself and freeze servings for your lunches. No sweat.

After lunch I took out a frozen serving of hamburger stuffed red bell pepper for dinner. Had an omelete and salad for dinner last night.

Nothing expensive or fancy about any of this stuff. In fact, I fully expect to save enough money on food to actually buy new clothes in a smaller size down the line. Most meals you can have everything your family is eating except the potato or rice. Just give yourself and extra vegetable (another idea I use is creamed spinach using cream cheese with herbs…make and freeze that in single servings as your “extra vegetable”).

And some excercise is always a good idea, but not necessary for the diet.

If you have not already been eating low carb, the first couple of days are challenging (you might start on a Sat ?). But after 3-4 days, you are going to find this the easiest and cheapest diet you have ever been on.

Hope it all works out for you….but do give it a shot. Extra vegetables now are a lot cheaper than diabetes meds down the line.

Thank you so much. I’ll look into the sites, invest in almond flour and try the Epica grinder. What a mind of information you are.
Alipally

Oh, God, luvtcook, I want to take the shuttle to D.C. and find a seat
at your table! You’ve given me some added focus, and I will spend
the rest of this beautiful afternoon pouring over my collection of
recipes. See you soon,

Allie

Allie, you are so kind to keep up with so many threads. I know your support and that of others means a lot. Each pound is a small victory so its nice that other BSDs celebrate with you (family would soon tire of hearing about it if shared at that level).

I too am getting a oranic turkey breast from Whole Foods. They allow you to order them ahead so you are sure of getting one, but be prepared for some sticker shock. Mine at 9-10 lbs will be $40! Ouch. But plan to have them saw it in half and freeze half for a later date. The 5 lb half should be fine for my son and I and still provide leftovers (which of course is the BEST part of Thanksgiving….the work free meal you get the next day).

My menu (excluding the two carby things I will make for my brother for his sole consumption) will the the turkey and thin gravy, cauliflower gratin (Jacques Pepin’s recipe with gruyere cheese….yum), the sweet potato souffle, grean beans with shallots and walnuts, and a spinach salad with apple, walnuts and blue cheese (contibuted by my son). Low carb desserts (pecan tart with almond flour crust, and an apple tart with sugar free apricot jam glaze). Nuts nuts and more nuts is the story of the day.

And I do encourage you to try the sausage and broccoli rabe frittata. I made it for the first time this week and really loved it. The next time I am going to add 2 more eggs and a bit more cream to it as I think it could actually strech to make 4 servings instead of 2….I couldn’t finish a full half of it. My idea of what a meal needs to look like has certainly changed.

Well, off to the gym and eliptial trainer (with golden oldies rocking along on head phones)…..and the start to Week 4.

You have a great week yourself!