I think the problem we have starts with hyperinsulinemia before we get to the resistant stage, and this is the element that is part of us. The insulin resistance, like the type 2 diabetes may improve over time since muscles and other tissue are always being renewed and it is the tissue that becomes resistant.

I have had some success in reintroducing carbs on maintenance, (just over 9 months in and at target again today after a couple of months a few pounds above) but in nowhere near the quantity I used to eat and I am still an almost complete junk food free zone. White carbs and too sugary food wake the carb monster which is the mental manifestation of this hyperinsulinemia as far as I can tell. Your body floods with far more insulin than it needs to deal with the food you have eaten, and this prompts your ‘second brain’ to shout for more sustenance. I think this is also the mechanism behind the effect of sweeteners, raising both insulin and cravings, as the body expects more sugar than it gets.

Whether you remain at keto levels of carb or not this is a super healthy way of eating, and I agree that as long as you stick to generally this way of eating going forwards then the gradual increase of calories up to and even beyond your calculated TDEE is the key to keeping your metabolism fast.

With the Biggest Losers, I wonder how much guidance they are given on the transition back to a less regimented existence? Are they advised to reduce portion sizes to match the lower physical requirements? This would tend to keep the metabolism slower. I have been using the ‘reverse dieting’ transition where your body can adapt to the bigger portion sizes naturally. I have a couple of times done this gradual increase once from 800 calories and once from 1250 calories at 50 calories extra a day and in both cases only stopped when I got to 2500 calories a day, still not putting any weight on, although the earlier losses while still increasing the calories had stopped. Reading about reverse dieting, someone as an experiment carried on up to 5,000 calories and his metabolism just carried on speeding up with no weight gain. We could only manage that by keeping carbs low as the insulin over production would just use excess carbs as a chance to store more fat.

I think if you transition properly, and eat a varied diet with little or no junk food, there is no reason why your metabolism can’t be just as fast as it ever was, maybe faster if you have built up more muscle.

Showing how dangerous it is to generalise – I’ve just found another source that refutes much of what I wrote above – something that I have been relying upon all year! More digging needed.
Mike

It’s my works do on the 15th & at last year’s works do I was fat & miserable. I wore something that covered me rather than something I liked. Thank you for your comment it wasn’t until I read it that I realised how much I have lost since the beginning of October. 8st 7lb is probably unrealistic but if I tell myself 8st 7lb I’m hoping my motivation will stay with me & help me achieve the best result. hope you have a great day sunshine-girl.

I don’t think that it is fair to just say cheese is saturated fat – it depends on the cheese. Soft cheese from Teco has 15.8g per 100g, Parmesan has 19.6, but Brie, Camembert, Cheddar. Fetta and Stilton don’t have any saturated fat (there are many other cheeses, of course, these are just the ones that I have checked.
They also vary in calorific content, from 290cal/100g for Camembert to 416 for cheddar. It’s worth actually checking the cheeses that you like and try to find one that strikes the sort of balance that you want.
Mike

Allie – that’s very interesting. A lot of what I do is to teach good movement patterns and posture. It is said that it takes two months to make a movement pattern a habit – but a whole year to make the new habit completely automatic.

I hadn’t thought that this would also be the same when it comes to our eating habits. When I started I had to really work at staying low carb but now it is effortless because I have been doing it so long that it is virtually automatic . That thought has really cheered me up on this cold Monday morning.

Verano, and others suffering low mood and tiredness, I’m not sure how to phrase this, I suggest you eat more protein.

Early this year I started to discover just how much my mood is affected by my protein consumption, and I am still shocked by the fact that even one day of insufficient intake can render me tired and depressed. I need more protein than most people, but the symptoms of deficiency are the same for everyone.

Hi Orchid, just this year I discovered that most of my problems of the last 20 years were due to protein deficiency.
The reason it took so long to realise, is that back when they started, the amount of protein I was eating was, according to UK guidlines, enough. Back then, ‘protein deficiency’ was only really known about in connection with body building and serious athletic training. I was not in that environment, nor even very active.
To cut a long story short, if you haven’t been suffering symptoms, and changing the composition of your diet hasn’t brought on symptoms, you don’t need to worry about getting x amount. However, if you DO get symptoms, you need to adjust your intake upwards, and .75g per kg might not be enough!! I really want to underline that last bit, but can’t!

Exercising more, and increased levels of stress increase protein requirements, but UK guidelines do not mention this, let alone suggest how much more.
I need more protein than most people seem to need, but exercising more still increases my requirements still further. Last week I suffered a slight relapse following a long session of swimming, even though I had significantly over 1g per kg.

Unless you are tired and listless, (or have even more pronounced symptoms), you don’t need to worry about protein.

YES, Krysia! I’m completely with you on the apparent change in
metabolism. It is truly about the type of calories, not the quantity,
isn’t it? If we just accept the fact that we are insulin resistant (for
life) the amount of weight we need to lose is irrelevant. Any goal
can be achieved. It’s exciting that you are so close to 1 year on
maintenance. From what I have read elsewhere the chances of
long term success increase substantially when 1 year has been
achieved. I look forward to getting there myself in april 2018!

Hi everyone

Weight 14 stones 5lbs
Waist 45 ins
BS 22.5

I start tomorrow. The BSD. Why.. at 51 I had a warning.. a minor stroke and it has scared me big time. I have been 2 type diabetes for several years and not controlling it properly. This is it. Time to take control. Only I can do this.

I will be posting my results regularly, good or bad for the next 7 weeks ( Christmas in Seven weeks ) and I hope to have lost 20 lbs by then. My family will be doing this with me as well. Hubby needs to lose weight ( not sure if he will manage this as he drinks… a lot ) and my 23 old son will be supporting me too. So big changes for the family as well.

So the first 6 day menu planned and shopping done ( except for Spinach… still need to get that..).

I did some research for shopping list for the BSD and decided on using an app called MealPlan. Cost 3.99 and took a couple of hours to get the hand of it and set it up for a shopping list.. worth looking at it as it will become easier ,quicker to use , plan ahead and get that important shopping list.

Have a good week everyone
WelshAnnie

Hi Bloke41

DONT GIVE IN !!

54

I’m so impressed that you taught pilates even when you were uncomfortable with your weight. I wouldn’t even consider joining a class because I was so self-conscious about fat rolls and people seeing me in weird positions. I never would have had anything like the courage to teach a class, even if I had the skills. Big kudos to you, Krysia. That took serious ovaries.

Man, so many terrible sweaters out there! The thin ugly synthetics, crappy stitching, drab colors, endless shades of grey… I couldn’t even find a simple colorful fair isle pattern across the chest and shoulders of a rib or cable knit. I swear the last time I was thin (20+ years ago, granted) you had your pick of a million such pieces come the fall.

Bloke41 – so good to hear that you are still not bloody giving up! Carbs are a no go zone for me also. Great that you have beaten the carb monster and have lost 2.4kg since your holiday.

Gday Snoop & Mixnmatch and anyone else whose reading the forum

Good to hear from you both.

Week 61 done and dusted, haven’t posted in the long while. Got back from my holidays, 2 and bit weeks. Initially l was going to watch what l ate on the cruise, but the carb monster set in and it was a free for all. So lucky l kept up with the exercising and walking or the damage would of been hell a lot worse. Prior to going on my cruise i weighed in at 99.4kg., coming back l weighed in a staggering 105.5kg. A gain of 6.1kg! Holly molly, definaly proved carb is a no go zone for me. Ive had two games of cricket since l got back, really enjoying it, though my walking has decreased, to knackered after training and game day.

Weighed in @ 103.1kg
loss of 2.4kg since 16/10/2017

Still have another 3.7kg to go till l get to my pre holiday day weight and another 4.1kg to go till l get to my original goal l set when l began this journey of mine.

Back on the bandwagon again, ive had many ups and lows on this journey, have learned a lot, old habits are so easily regained.

take care all

Guess what? Im still not bloody giving up!

Esnecca
Well done for reaching your lowest weight yet this morning. You are absolutely right that maintenance is a marathon not a sprint and as long as the overall trend is even or slightly downward – it is all good.

Your jumpers sound great – the colours are exactly the colours I love now. I agree that it is so good not having to buy the depressing blacks ever again. My work clothes for teaching pilates were black from top to toe. I had this forlorn hope that they made me look thinner and hid the rolls of fat. I would think that they probably didn’t.

It was so nice finding lovely jumpers because there are some truely horrible ones in the shops at the moment.

Hi, Mary, it is a dark dismal afternoon here, looks like it is about to
rain or time for the sun to set, then I click on your post and the sun
comes out! What a lovely thought, being able to check in with you
on Christmas..I look forward to it 🙂
Here’s a thought. Maybe your youngest daughter is trying this WOE
because Jovis lost some weight, but would that even have happened if
you hadn’t led the way forward???
Only about 2 weeks til thanksgiving. As of yet, we have no plans.
I certainly agree that we would all benefit from a pause to give
thanks. I feel gratitude each and every day that jim survived his
colon cancer surgery and subsequent 2nd heart attack. Much
to give thanks for. Probably he will spend the day watching American
football. All I know is that the day will not be about indulging
in carby food! I don’t have much interest in the sport per se apart
from those long ago days when he was on the field. He used to
have this weird ritual: If his team won the game I was suppose
to get down to the field and be on the sidelines to congratulate
his heaving, snorting person (also smelly!) after the last play.
If there was a loss, I was suppose to go back to the fraternity
house and wait there! Only had do the latter once, though.
You’re right, caviar is much more available and less costly than
it used to be. There are even some fairly decent domestic versions
on offer. We used to be able to afford a pig sized tin of beluga,
but since jim left corporate america, I now enjoy a tiny little
jar. People serve this in all different ways from putting it on top
of a hard boiled egg as a topping to serving it on toast with
chopped egg and onion. I’m pretty much of a purist though,
and load my little jar on top of of 4/ 1″ melba toasts. I think
the most decadent way is on top of tiny red potatoes with
a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche. I think my hands down
best experience was in New York City at the Russian Tea Room
where I had some excellent beluga on top of those miniature
pancakes, blinis. Heavenly!!!!
My, you’ve really been productive in the kitchen today. Wonderful!
I have yet to try any of the alternative noodle lasagna recipes.
Let me know how it turns out if this is your first maiden voyage.
Does it get at all watery?
Time to roast a chicken – See you tomorrow!

Love, my sweet.

Allie

Hi RBeany,
I did the BSD last year as a veggie and wrote extensively over the year about my experiences which you can look up – especially my views and experience on the level of carbs per day! I still follow a couple of the blogs – this an the weekly weigh in one and if I spot a veggie question will try to answer/help.
Getting the right amount of protein is hard and I realised that I have probably been eating too little for years, and filling up with carbs. Only last year did I find out that I should have been having .75g protein per kilo of weight per day – so as 73Kg I needed 54-55g protein per day. It sent me off looking for other sources and I tried a few things including adding hemp powder to soup. Others have added it to meals successfully, but I personally found it gave me to much wind so I stopped. it. It may work for you tho’ so worth a try. I stick to eggs, dairy, cheese, humous and beans with some soya.
I’ve been looking into MM’s new work on getting healthy gut biome as mine was not and after 15 days of antibiotics in the summer, (first for many years) that has been my focus. One trick from that book is to take 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar (raw – cloudy) in a glass of water (fizzy us nice) before lunch and dinner. It helps reduce cholesterol, so if you are worried about the cholesterol with the amount of cheese, this may help.
good luck

Great posts from everyone today and so heartening.

We ate well today at our 3-course meal, so I’ve probably gone way over my 800 calories today.. . I had tomato soup, then a carvery without potatoes or Yorkshire pud. Roast pork with cabbage, peas, a few carrot medallions and cauliflower cheese. Then mixed berries with a spoonful of single cream. I even had a sip of champagne today as a toast and a mint chocolate with my black coffee. First alcohol in 5 weeks. Naughty but nice. Back to normal tomorrow.

I reached my lowest weight yet this morning, 123.3 lb, btw. I might just make that ultimate dream goal of 120 lb after all. It takes a lot longer these days for me to drop a pound and to fix it as a permanent loss rather than a random fluctuation. About a month per pound, at best. I’m fine with it. I know I’m basically at goal and that maintenance is a marathon, not a sprint. As long as the overall trend is even or slightly downward, it’s all good.

I went on a little sweater shopping spree myself last week. It’s getting colder quickly and since I lost my protective blubber layer I am extremely susceptible to cool temps. Low 50s are enough to send me running for warm layers these days. I opted for lots of color too, Krysia. Reds, purples, florals, one is bordeaux with a multicolored owl embroidered on the front. 😀

The order of the day is bright, happy, cozy, fitted and chic. After 20 years in plus size hell, I refuse to buy any more depressing blacks and questionable prints on synthetic fabrics that feel scratchy or slimey. If the fabric is thin or in any way non-functional as a sweater (found a lot of those, for some reason), it stays in the shop. Same goes for the other side of the coin. If the fabric and cut are bulky, no sale. I didn’t lose 10% of an imperial ton to get swallowed up by a sweater.

Hey everyone. I am hoping you have all had a good weekend.

Today I made a huge aubergine lasagne, so a lot of freezing to do later. I also made my first Kimchi. I haven’t had my Kefir for a while, so I made some of that too. I am going to take both on an empty stomach, just not at the same time!

Allie, I know it is sad to lose a sister, and Christmas is a time about families. We can still share a moment on Christmas together!

My daughter doesn’t usually take advice too well (she is 33 by the way), but is improving. I think it was because she could see Jovis has lost weight.

Do you have many visitors at Christmas? Thanksgiving soon too. I wish we had a thanksgiving holiday. It would do us good to remember to give thanks! Unfortunately, I don’t have many good memories of my mother, but the dancing is one of them, and I try very hard to only recall the good ones.

I must have another ‘go’ at caviar. It was a long time ago that I had some and I wasn’t very adventurous then. I am now and as the price has fallen I will try some. Any advice as to how to serve it?

Lots of love
Nonna Mary
xxxx

Am late joining this challenge. In the end I only lost three quarters of a pound in the last challenge. Will do better this time as I want some wriggle room before Christmas. Have been reading Verano’s posts on another thread and I think I am in the same boat. Am trying to get myself off maintaining and into the weight loss mode – but am finding it hard to get motivated.

Was at the eye clinic this week and very pleased to report that eyes are absolutely fine. So BSD is still working its magic on the Macular Oedema. I was pretty sure eyes were ok because I have kept my carbs low and not cheated at all – but you cannot know for sure until they do the tests at the hospital.

Have had daughter and family staying for half term and then I had to finish my end of year accounts so have not had much time to post on the forum in the last couple of weeks.

While I was overweight I wore a lot of fleeces because jumpers would accentuate the rolls of fat – but also made my boobs look a bit like Barbara Windsor’s in her heyday. Shapeless fleeces did hide a lot.

I wanted to wear jumpers ever since I reached maintenance on 10th December 2016 because the boobs are much smaller and the rolls of fat around the middle have disappeared. I have searched and searched the shops for jumpers I like since then and either I didn’t like the colour or the neckline or they were too baggy – I just couldn’t find what I wanted. On Friday I wandered into M and Co. and found 3 lovely jumpers that I absolutely love – and at very reasonable prices. I ordered a couple more – one in blackberry and the other in mulberry. They all had necklines that suit me and the colours are lovely – I am so happy and looking forward to wearing them over the winter. Just to say that I have absolutely no connection with M and Co. and am just a happy customer.

Although I did wear my fleeces today because we walked in Sheringham Park and there was such a bitterly cold wind sweeping across North Norfolk.

Hi Verano. Sometimes it can be so frustrating to find the right “switch”. You know you can do it, but something pulls you back. Theodora is so right – successfully maintaining takes huge will-power. I am full of admiration, since so much of my WW loss crept back in the three following years. So many congratulations on what you have achieved SO FAR. Now convince yourself that you deserve even more compliments and even better health. We are all rooting for you. Two more days to weigh in. I put on 0,2 kilos yesterday thanks to the porridge. I’m fasting this evening. Fingers crossed.

Right, thankyouAlliecat I will get some Ceylon cinnamon and use it v sparingly. As others have been commenting on another thread it’s the total carbs rather than the calories that seem to have an impact for me. Ho hum, onwards and downwards.

Allie: Cannot tell you how much I appreciate your response. I was wondering whether the Biggest Loser group had tried to follow a low carb diet….the article did not say.

Your experience has really given me hope. I have been low carbing for 4+ years now after losing about 30 lbs on it. Have found it does not take many carbs for me to start packing the lbs back on ….but if I stay low carb, I seem to maintain just fine. Have gotten to the point where low carb alone would not allow me to lose any more….hense the BSD.

I have about 70 more lbs to lose….and feel I can do that even though I estimate that it will take me 3 full cyles of 8 weeks each. Maintenance was my big worry. But your note has really enouraged me to stay the course. Light at the end of the tunnel!

Again, thanks so much. Wishing you a lovely (and low carb) Thanksgiving. I plan to reread your post early that day…great inspiration.

Allie – I absolutely endorse what you have written. I hit maintenance on 10th December 2016. Have had no problems maintaining – and like you my maximum carbs are 30-35. It looks like my metabolism is higher than it was before I did the BSD – with calories often over 2000K. But I certainly could not eat that level of calories if my carb level was higher. I would definitely put on weight. So it looks that my issue – probably because of insulin resistance – is with the carbs.

Verano, Verano, Verano!!!!!!

What, oh what, are we going to do with you?

It’s great that you seem to have found the secret of maintaining – going by my experience, that is MUCH more difficult than losing. So opt for the easier option, go strict, back to basics and into losing mode.

So, at your request, I am going to tell you that you are not looking at all well! You need to lose a few more pounds and then you will look, and feel, amazing. Go girl, go – you can do this. We believe in you, now PLEASE believe in yourself. YOU CAN DO THIS.

Now, not to put any pressure on you at all, but…………………………..I am jumping, cheering and shaking, please don’t make it all for nothing😉☹😀😜😛😝😋 WE BELIEVE IN YOU – YOU CAN DO THIS. XXXXXX

Luvtcook, I am American, so I took a look at the NYT article. I’ve
also seen Biggest Losers. I find that I completely disagree with
the article. I lost 140 lbs. in 10 months, and an additional 6 over
the next 7 months, placing me 12 lbs below target today. This
article does not take into account insulin resistence. When we
reach target and begin to slowly increase calories 50-100/day
each week, we continue to lose because we haven’t reached
our TDEE yet. The decision regarding long term weight loss has
to do with where we allow our carb levels to be. If any of us go
back to carbs, weight gain will be the result. I did my program
on <20, and today the max I allow is 30-35. I’m happy to do that
for the rest of my life, because I recognize the danger if I don’t.
Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, however.
Last Thanksgiving I managed just fine by choosing to only put
turkey and non starchy vegetables on my plate. No stuffing,
no potatoes, no gravy, no pie. Other guests were so busy
enjoying their meal that no one even noticed. Dinner was
served around 5:00pm, and all I ate prior was @ 10 almonds.
Holidays are very manageable.
I also have noticed that Big Losers spend 7 hrs a day working
out. That is completely unrealistic for the average person. Of
course these people regained, because their losses were con-
tingent upon heavy duty training. I was too disabled when
I began to do much of anything, and today all I do is a 30-40 min
brisk walk. I’ve had occasion to stop for a month at a time with
no adverse effect. Please don’t get down hearted. This plan
DOES work!
Best of luck,

Allie

Congrats to AnneF. Must feel wonderful to have reached your goal and have your blood sugar down to such a great level.

Well done AngS: hoping you have hit the “starts with an 8” numbers by now.

And 21.4 lbs for 2BigDave… great work.

I am now 10 days in (initital 3 days on first week, and full on the second week) and have lost 9 lbs. This is amazing for me as I typically lose very slowly….usually 2 lbs the first week I start a diet and only 1 lb a week after that. So I am well pleased and just hope its not all water weight and will truly stay off.

Was a little discouraged mid week when the New York Times ran an article about a study on the Biggest Loser contestants finding their metabolisms all went down considerably after their weight loss, never to come back up to pre-diet levels even 5-7 yrs later. Nealry all of them regained the original weight and some went even higher. Only those who exercised very agressively were ablt to keep the weight off.

Bummer.

I finally got my head around it and just decided that if I have to live on some form of partial fasting the rest of my life then so be it, because staying 60+ lbs overweight is just not an option. And like you all have said, this partial fast is really the easiest diet I have ever been on. It just seems easier for me to be very black and white about when I eat…and when it has to be a flat NO. Having been a late night muncher FOREVER, I have been pretty successful at just shutting that door and not eating anything after my late PM meal. Hoping I can still say that 5 months from now.

I also am finding it surprisingly easy to be flexible as to when I have my two meals, depending on the particular demands of the day, and also easy to switch which is the larger one. That is a great relief. Was really worried I would crash and burn if I started changing the schedule a bit, but it seems to be ok. I seem to now be falling in the habit of black coffee only in the morning until I do a late breakfast around 10-11am and then supper around 5-6pm. That keeps all my eating within an 8 hour window. Will see if in the long run that makes any real difference.

Thanksgiving is coming up in the US in just over 2 weeks…a holiday whose sole purpose is to eat eat and eat, and give thanks for the (excessive) bounty we enjoy. Normally I do only low carb foods but plan to have a couple “moderate” carb items on the menu. We’ll see how that all goes. Fingers crossed.

That’s VERY interesting, Jackie. I’ve learned something from you
this morning! I use cinnamon on my yogurt, too, but only a light
sprinkling, not anywhere near a tbs. On the other hand, Ceylon
cinnamon is high in antioxidants so I do see the benefit there.

Allie

First of all well done on the loss so far. Can I ask what is so special about 15th December, it is not the end of the 8 week plan so have you a special occasion (besides Christmas). Why do you have to be 8st 7lbs. You have lost just under 1 stone in the 5 weeks so far but dont be disappointed if things slow down. As you have less to lose the more your body will want to hang on to it. Also there is a period known as the plateau when you might (might but not always) lose nothing for days or a couple of weeks. I dont want to put you off trying to reach your goal but it is too easy to pack it all in when you dont do what you set for yourself. You have to keep at it no matter what. The gym is great and will help tone and strengthen and more muscle mass leads to more calories being burnt as muscle is more fat burning than fat.

Keep up the good work.

Just found out that cinnamon is a whopping 80% carbs! So 1 tablespoon has 19 calories and 6.3g carbs. I am so sad! Also probably explains why I’ve stopped losing weight, I’ve been pouring onto my yoghurt with gay abandon! Damn.

First can I say a “bloody well done” for breastfeeding. Not everyone can manage it or wants to!

My daughter is breastfeeding her 5 months old daughter and a month ago started cutting out all carbs and sugar. There has been no reduction in milk production and can see a considerable weight loss. I think general common sense should be used when breastfeeding. It has been long known that what you eat affects the baby…I found out when I ate grapes, my baby had an upset tummy.

As long as you are eating a balanced diet of good food you will do well. 1000 calories is low anyway.

Keep up the good work.

Nonna Mary
xxx

CJK as you have not put on a profile and I have just read the post you have made here, ignore my advice about cheese. Although it is a saturated fat it is high in calcium and you are breastfeeding. I know it might seem intrusive but these things are important to know when giving advice. Half a picture etc…

Hi, I’m still breastfeeding my 11 month old, and have been on the diet for a week, though I’ve only cut down to 1000 calories. I have not noticed any reduction in milk, my daughter is still feeding happily, and I have lost 5lbs so far.

Mary, what could be nicer for me than starting my day with coffee
mug in hand, reading one of your stories? It seems that I’m quite
the talker, too! In my day to day life I’m more of a listener, as I
find others far more interesting than I find myself 🙂 I’m glad that
you have such delightful memories of your Mother, and your
beautiful daughters will have them too! I can SO see you pausing
your player to critique the program, as well as the amusement
Jovis feels watching you. Jim says the same about me when
watching me consume my baby jar of caviar once a year. He
says it’s entirely worth it to see the childish pleasure on my face!
It’s almost a “toe curling” experience…..but enough about that.
That’s entirely good news to hear that your youngest daughter
is benefiting from this WOE. At the age of 25 or 30 I wasn’t
too receptive to hearing advice from anyone, particularly
a parent. Oh, how I would welcome my Mother’s voice now,
however 🙂 Christmas is speeding forward on the horizon,
and I look forward to hearing about your family traditions.
Last year was the first one after Mother’s death and thus very
bittersweet. God knows what this year will look like since I
haven’t spoken to my toxic sister in almost 7 months. But,
I have such wonderful new sisters here, a sincere blessing
in my life. Californiagirl, how are you??

Everyone, enjoy what’s left of the weekend. I miss you!

Lots of love,

Allie

Another downward dial on the scales this morning and really pleased with my results so far. I am still having a 10g square of 75% dark chocolate as an after dinner treat otherwise I would feel totally deprived and it is always counted into my calories. Managed to hit just under 800 yesterday and that really showed on the scales.

I have been doing ketone stick tests (remember Boots refused to sell them to me) which I bought from Amazon. My readings are still in negative even though I havent had a white carb since I got back i.e. Tuesday or even before that. I am okay with that as, being diabetic I dont want to go into ketosis. I can tell the diet is working as I had to get up twice during the night to pee then there are the scales.

Hoping to report good results on Tuesday. Bonne continuation pour le weekend a tous.

Stuck to my calories yesterday & low carbs. Burnt 500 calories at the gym. Weight today 9stone 9pounds. Need to be 8stone 7pounds by the 15th of December. 1 day down 40 days to go.

Hi CJK – unfortunately cheese is a saturated fat and is only allowed in very small portions i.e. 40 grams in a lunch or on an omelette dinner and only a couple of times a week. I think you are concentrating on micro and macro nutrients too much and making the diet more complicated than it already is.

Follow the advice of MnM and concentrate on good fats so an example (I too cannot have peanuts) of a day would be full fat yoghurt and berries served with chia or linseeds or pumpkin seeds etc. Lunch of avocado salad (see recipe in book) and dinner could include some trimmed lean meat (saturated fat but small quantity). Try using olive oil to dress a salad – I make my own ‘mayonnaise’ using Greek yoghurt, olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of pepper with half a crushed garlic clove. If you are cooking use rapeseed oil which is high in good cholesterol and dont forget oily fish like salmon or mackerel. If you google ’19 healthy fats and high fat foods you should be eating’ you will find a list – but remember fat is also high in calories. Yes it is a balancing act

I know it is easy to grab a piece of cold meat for a snack but you can mix it up by making hummus or a batch or mashed aubergine mixed with olive oil (forgotten the Greek name) which can be frozen in ice cubes makers, bagged up and taken out of the freezer in portions to defrost and use. Dont forget also eggs are a good source of protein and not high in cholesterol as once believed.

Just try to have a varied diet and you cant go wrong.

Hi Jimmy and well done on doing so well with your weight loss.

Gall bladder pain is murder isn’t it? I had mine removed 30 years ago after being on VLCD…not this type of VLCD…the “Shake” type…like the Cambridge Diet. These are the ones that bugger the gall bladder, something to do with the concentration of the powder. It is more likely to be the increased fat you are having, rather than the lower calories that is causing your pain. When the Gall is inflamed it takes very little spice or fat to make it hurt. I follow this diet plan but still have to be careful not to have too much fat as it causes diarrhoea and acid indigestion (a by product of Gall Bladder removal). I hope this helps.

I really hope you recover from this quickly I know how much it hurts and nothing relieves it. Good luck.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Jimmy

Just wanted to offer my empathy on the gallstones front. I was lucky and got away with only a few gall bladder rumbles and not a full blown flare up when I was on 800 cals but I know how debilitating it is.

I have been following this regime for purely weight loss reasons and appreciate that easing up from 800 calories may not provide the short sharp shock needed to effectively manage your blood sugars. However I just wanted to say that even with a higher calorie allowance post the first 8 weeks this has been for me an effective and sustainable way for me to lose weight, learn to live with much less carbohydrate in my diet and and very adaptable to social situations. If the gallbladder situation gets too much it may still be be worth your while nudging up the calories a bit but eating in line with the principles as the other benefits of changing your diet may still be helpful.

Good luck and I hope your gallbladder falls into line soon!

Smaus
Smaus

Thanks mixnmatch, I will give some of this a try.
Unfortunately my son is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, so we can’t have them in the house.
I do eat a lot of cheese at the moment (I love cheese).

Ease back to 5:2 if you have to and see if that helps somewhat. It may take longer than 8 weeks but the goals should still be possible, if in a longer time frame.

On my way back to Melbourne now and back on track. Whilst I went through the 800 Cal limit a couple of times I managed to stay away from carbs in China.

Take some of your calories in avocado’s, seeds and nuts, and use olive oil in salad dressings or even just a spoonful with any dish. That’s easy. Make sure any dairy you have is full fat, but limit it to smallish portions. Coconut oil is also a potentially ‘healthy’ fat although somewhat controversial. I use it and have no problems but some have a problem with it being a saturated fat. Peanut butter and houmous are good sources as well, although make sure the houmous is either homemade or made with quality oil such as olive oil. It is important to get enough dietary fat to enable the body fat to burn, and it also helps keep you feeling full.

Week 1 done.

The Good:
Weight loss = 3.9kg (8.6 lbs)!! 🙂

The Bad:
The hunger is tough but seems to be getting easier now.

Terrible carb flu, low energy, lightheaded etc. Day 5 and 6 were particularly bad and crawled into bed early. On day 7 I seem to have turned a corner but have picked up a cold 🙁

The Ugly:
Fast 800 seems to be playing havoc with my gallbladder/gallstones. I’ve been in discomfort every evening and night from day 3. I’ve an ultrasound due in 3 weeks but I suspect gallbladder removal is a likely prognosis.

After some research I understand that very low calorie fasting type diets are a known trigger of gallbladder problems particularly if you have a pre-existing condition. The science makes good sense. Unfortunately this could be a showstopper for my fast 800.

I’ll see how I get on this coming week but I may have to be sensible and adjust the plan for a slower loss rate to ease symptoms if possible.

Sounds like a good day to me caronl!

When I started this thread nearly two weeks ago I wanted to recapture my ‘losing spirit’ instead of which I think I’ve ‘lost my spirit’! I don’t know why but my head is just not in the right place at the moment. Unfortunately I think I’ve been in ‘maintenance ‘ mode for so long it’s proving more difficult than I’d anticipated to get back to losing again. Partly I think it’s because I keep being told ‘how well I look ‘ but that’s a result of being pain free rather than having lost weight. It’s great to be getting compliments but they are counter productive in some ways. So any tips for getting back my motivation for losing again would be great.

Anyway, hoping those of you still reading this thread are doing well. Three more days to the end of week 2, and the mid point of this challenge, so let’s do our best to make them count and all have a positive result on Wednesday.

Wheat derivatives, like wheat itself, aren’t very BSD-friendly. Seitan has 14 grams of carbohydrate per 100 gram serving, only half a gram of them fiber. I think you should probably be cautious about relying on a high-carb grain as a protein source, both since it doesn’t contain all the essential amino acids and because of your history of developing food allergies with regular exposure to a product. Eating too much of a high gluten food might trigger a whole new allergy or sensitivity. And that only applies to seitan you made at home which is the best-case scenario. If you check the ingredient lists of most commercial seitan, you’ll find even more sources of carbs and allergens, like added flour, soy sauce, sugar and other such nasties.

Do you have access to any hemp products? In the US, Tempt makes the most delicious non-dairy milk I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried them all) from hemp seeds. A serving contains all essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. They make a tofu substitute as well that is a marvel. No soy whatsoever in it and a very short list of ingredients — water, hulled, hemp seeds, a plant gum emulsifier and assorted seasonings. In one 8-oz package there are 30, you read that right, 30 grams of protein and only 2 grams net carbs (8 grams of fiber!). Slice it and pan-sear it quickly in a hot pan for a great main protein. Sautee some spinach, kale or broccoli rabe with garlic and hot peppers for a side. That’ll be a big ol’ pile of non-soy, entirely vegetarian (vegan, even) protein on your plate.

What kind of exercise level would you say were at, arcticfox? Do you have a clear idea of what your protein intake should be vs. what it is? I’d be curious to see if we could brainstorm a couple of days’ worth of lunches and dinners that would help you accomplish your macro goals.

RachelH

Thank you for that. I’m a bit surprised by how “easy” it is too – my first day I went close to 1000 calories and thought what a joke, who can survive on 800? But yesterday – my 4th day – I was more than 60 calories short of 800, ate an apple to get up there. Then I finished reading Michael’s book last night and realise I didn’t need to have the apple, 800 is just an average and on other days I will go a little bit over.

I’m thinking of shakes too actually – having read the meal plans and started a shopping list last night, I realise I have almost none of the ingredients. Yeah, I’m no foodie – more a baked beans on toast sorta guy. 🙂 This morning I am going over the BSD recipe book and try to construct my own meal plan with fewer ingredients, with the intention of adding dishes each week as I build up my ingredient stock. Of course I should have prepared before I started, but there you go – probably shows how I got into this blubbery mess in the first place.

Three reasons I’m leaning away from the shakes:
– I’ve done those before, then gone back to my old habits and regained weight. I am determined that this is it – it is time to lose this weight once and for all.
– Which flows into my second reason – I need to move away from “baked beans type of guy”, because those are my old habits. If I prepare the meals for the BSD, then I’m learning same valuable new skills as well as losing weight.
– My wife doesn’t think I can do this. She has watched me yo-yo diet for years, and I’m pretty sure she has resigned herself to a retirement without me – as a widow. Well, I’m going to prove her wrong and delight her at the same time. And hopefully delay her widowhood by many years. 🙂
– Oh, fourth reason – I work from home. That’s part of the (weight) problem, but also gives me time to cook an omelette for breakfast and prepare something “complicated” for dinner, etc..

But as long as we all make the lifestyle change required, all good eh?

Cheers.

I was down about 200g this morning. I then spent 4 hours outside in the freezing cold, and now I’m starving and can’t get warm again! I’ve already had 828 cal for the day (37.5g carbs), but I think I’m going to have to eat a bit more, otherwise I will end up grocery shopping while hungry and that never turns out well. Does anyone else find that they have to eat more on cold days? My cousin is an arctic climate change researcher and he says he has to eat a lot more fat to stay warm on cold days, but he defines cold days as between -50 and -60, whereas I have been out in a balmy -1!