Esnecca
I’m sure that you are right – and being new to checking all this at the time I blindly accepted it without applying common sense!
Mike

Hi sunshine-girl. Page 124, getting to know yourself. There are a few other things mentioned in this and the clever guts books that I can’t find on the websites although to be honest I can’t remember what any of the others were. I’d be happy to use other apps but my iPad is first generation so the operating system won’t support them and my phone is also getting on a bit. That’s why I was hoping to be able to use the website

Hi guys — my struggling/laboring niece just gave birth to her twin daughters, Kathryn (my daughters name) and Ava! She finally did have a c-section, so all ended well with the littles ones and mom and dad in Washington DC! That was exhausting….
Allie, you are in Connecticut! Lovely to think of you there — our daughter went to Williams in Mass so we drove around New England a lot on visits but didn’t get to see much of Connecticut so I would love to go back some day soon.
My dad is a 94 year old walking disaster — my mom passed away 10 years ago (we all say she had had enough of my dad — ha ha) he has always been a tough customer — successful? Yes. Nice guy? Uh, how about them Yankees? My dad is HIV positive and has multiple issues related thereto — Not a blood transfusion — he is gay but forgot to tell my mom over fifty years of marriage.
Glad to know that I am not the only person who hears sugar treats calling from the freezer and… I usually tried to cover my tracks too!! So funny! These days I am the tough one, and my OH is a little more piggy.
I am happy I’ve got some new sisters! Take care all.
Julia

Oh mon ami Moojar, Je suis desole tu ne parles pas francaise. C’est une langue tres belle Je suis sûr que vous pouvez le faire et ta femme sera très surprise et fière de toi. Bonne chance et bonne continuation.

P.S.
les haricots vous font péter

Would hate for you to be disappointed at the lack of French LOL 🙂

Glad you are able to adjust the diet to your breastfeeding needs but dont go mad on the bad fats. Sorry to say the jury is out on coconut oil as it can increase HDL cholesterol (H for happy to remember it is good) but it also increases LDL (L for lousy as it is bad) – that is my way of remembering which is which. However, you are not like a lot of the people here, you just want to lose weight after having a baby so you shouldn’t be too worried about diabetes or cholesterol or blood pressure etc like a lot of us ‘oldies’. So just do the best you can for you and your baby and the weight will come off – we are not all Victoria Beckham. Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby and the hormones released also help you lose weight. Such a beautiful time – my baby is 40 next year. 🙂

Hi Jill! Jump on board!!! I am a sort of returner too (did it just from the book, I haven’t used the forum before) as I lost over a stone and managed to keep it off for about 3 months, but as always with me, once I hit that 3 month point I seem to do all I can to sabotage my healthy eating regime and before I know where I am I’m back at the starting point! I really am my own worst enemy sometimes.

I will probably try and feed my boys the same food but give them bigger quantities. One of my sons is into healthy eating anyway and has quite an open mind when it comes to anything different.

I have been very inspired by some of the recipes on the site; I filtered to show the most highly rated ones as I thought they would be the best bet and some of them sound lovely- can’t wait to get cooking!

Onwards and upwards; bring it on!!

Love Marianne

Hi folks

good to see people still at it

One tip I try to give since hitting my big target !! and now maintaining !!

I NEVER counted carbs, I stuck to 800 cals, so ate everything I wanted (No bread no buns etc etc) witjout counting the carbs, just the calories , Much less faff !!

I did stop drinking alcohol and now just dabble on bdays and spcial events (looking for ward to Christmas and new year !!)

As someone once said

Never bloody give up !!

Its worth it !

54 (now 55!)

Gday all

54andfatnomore, thanks, will stick at it mate.

It sure is easy to put on Snoop, we know we can lose it, just got to go to the basic. For me im going to try avoid the carbs big time.

Have a good one all and just one more thing…
never bloody give up!

Californiagirl, hello sister woman! I know exactly what you mean
about being overwhelmed by the multiple active threads we are
reading at the moment! I keep starting at the top of the page,
and have only made it down to my “homepage” here at 4:30pm.
You’ve really made me laugh about a turkey roasted at 450F degrees!
You are of course correct, I’m on the east coast, CT to be precise.
I have a great weakness for pumpkin pie, too. Unless I can find
a single serving at Whole Foods to be shared by the 2 of us,
I’m steering clear of it this holiday. It might spell disaster for
me. I really could relate to your comments on treats residing in
the freezer, on another thread. I so remember frozen homemade
cupcakes sending telepathic messages to me at @11:00pm
that couldn’t be ignored! I couldn’t even wait to defrost them,
that’s how obsessed I was. I actually had to wait until O/H
went to sleep so he wouldn’t catch me at it. Shame, shame 🙂
Now my Kitchenaid mixer sits forlornly on the countertop, unused!
I’m so happy you had time to drop by today. Does your Dad have
any urgent health problems? I lost my Mother following a massive
stroke at the age of 94. We all know they are on borrowed time
at that age but it certainly doesn’t make it any easier, does it?
I hope you will be back SOON. It’s so quiet here that I feel like
I’m surrounded by ghosts, with exception of Mary and Kazzi.,
of course! Of course!

Kazz, I’ll be back later. Your posts are so full of fun that I want
to allow enough time to respond. 🙂

Love to all who may be reading but not posting! Hello66, I
think about you every day. Put me out of my misery and let
me know how you are, whatever the news.

Allie
xoxoxo

Hello Welshannie and Marianne
I am a 6 November starter too, so climbing on your wagon for the ride if that’s ok? Actually a I am a returner as I lost 20 lbs in 4 weeks back in May 2016 and kept it off for ages but slipped a bit and gained half back. No more slippy slope! ( not good for wagons). The good news is yes this is different and it is a great and successful diet and I am hopeless at dieting so if I can do it anyone can! I not only lost the weight but my ( pre diabetic) bloods returned to normal and my blood pressure came down a lot. Added bonus …I stopped taking Meds for acid reflux as my stomach loved me for feeding it this way. To this day if I eat carbs I gain weight and get heartburn…they are the very devil!

My top tips. Cook for yourself and ask your family to feed themselves for this period: spoil yourself with non food treats like days out or head massages: yes, use this inspirational forum.
Starting at 12st3 dripping wet…the only way is down ladies – onwards!
Jill

Ok. Yesterday I stepped on the scales for my regular weigh in. I have taken to weighing myself 3 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I am slightly stunned to announce that I have had a further loss of 800g since Saturday which means I have officially reached my target weight of 10%!!!! Break out the champers! I mean soda water. 😏 A week ago, I was skeptical that I would reach the recommended 15% but I have done the maths and. ….you know what. …this just may happen yet. 6 weeks ago I was skeptical that I would achieve any significant loss at all but THIS WORKS. Get off the couch everyone and keys boogie! 😂😂😎 I have 2 weeks to go and roughly about 4.5kgs to lose. If I don’t make it, it is going to be close and the green ‘normal’ range is definitely on my radar now so I am thinking if it ends up close I think I will keep going to get the prize.

Verano, I’ve got all kinds of fascinating sags hither and yon. My bingo wings are so empty now they’re basically two-dimensional. You can see my triceps when I flex, that’s how thin the connection point is between the wing and underarm. Thighs have pleats like my high school uniform skirt. All butt padding is gone but pancaked skin remains. My belly, oddly enough, looks if not normal, no different from many mothers’ bellies I’ve seen. A little pooch but nothing gaspworthy. Considering when I started out that belly was wider than I am tall (seriously, 3 inches wider), I’m more than okay with the pooch.

This was bound to happen. I knew from the beginning that with 200 pounds to lose, there wasn’t going to be any magical bouncing back of my 45-year-old skin. Is it unsightly? Yup. Does it get me down sometimes. Sure. But it’s no problem whatsoever to cover up in normal clothes. I don’t have to wear head to toe scuba gear or anything. I’m also extremely fortunate in that the way my fat was distributed and the locations and dimensions of the loose skin don’t show up at all through clothes, even lighter weight tops and breezy cotton cargo capris. Some of the people I’ve seen on extreme weight loss tv shows are left with pretty serious disfigurements that make them constantly self-conscious even when dressed.

Some good results posted above, folks ! And I endorse the suggestion about public recognition for our Esteemed Leader Dr Michael Mosley. ‘Twould be well deserved.

As for myself, well, I nearly forgot to post today, despite it being the end of my 11th week on the BSD. So here is a quick summary of last week’s progress.

I now weigh 177.6 lbs (down from 205.2 lbs on 21 Aug 2017) and this is a 2.2 lbs loss on the week. Satisfactory, but not outstanding.

I have upped the protein intake to a daily average of some 71 gms, at last, and I feel much better for it. Now, if I could only get my carbs under control, in the opposite direction as well, I would be a happier man. I have only stayed below the 800 cals budget one day out of the last seven. A couple of days I was substantially over. Naughty me. Again.

Alas, I also have this wedding long weekend coming up Friday through Sunday this week. A veritable cals-fest, no doubt, but it will not be fatal, I am sure. Public confession in due course next Monday.

So I wish you all a steely determination, wherever the week takes you.

Long Live the BSD !

Macloud

You don’t want to eat eggs every day but you do want bread every morning? I suspect repetitiveness isn’t the problem. It’s the carb withdrawal making you crave breakfast toast. That being the case, you might want to try varying your breakfast with something that is not the drug that drove you to BSD rehab in the first place. Greek yogurt and berries, say, or coconut cream chia pudding or smoked salmon with capers and a thinly sliced green onion drizzled with 14 grams of cream cheese thinned out with the juice of half a lemon. Break out of the mold a little. It’s rewarding, I promise you.

To answer your question, there are commercial low carb breads out there, yes. I used them as a crutch quite often when I first started the BSD. Eventually I found I no longer cared enough to bother with the expensive online orders and since I love to cook and have easy access to ingredients, when I do want a “bun” for a burger or a buttered muffin with my omelette I just make one. I gather from your Sainsburys and £10 references that you are in the UK. All my sources are US-based, but these sites have a couple of options for you: https://www.carblife.co.uk/carblife-bakery/ , http://www.sugarfreemegastore.com/acatalog/Fresh-Bread.html . I’ve tried several Great Low Carb Bread Company products and the plain bagels aren’t bad at all. Also Joseph’s Mini Pita Bread and Mama Lupe’s Tortillas.

Hi I think it may be best if you try to think of life ‘without’ bread just for the moment. Most people find that you just have to go cold turkey and cut out simple carbs like bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. Lots of people have Total (fage) full fat Greek yogurt with some berries and maybe some nuts for breakfast if you don’t fancy a protein breakfast. I have that or an eggy breakfast occasionally with smoked salmon, or a kipper, or smoked haddock and an egg and I’m sure others will add their favourites……???

Verano, many thanks for that, all help at this early stage gratefully accepted!

Marianne

A good website is fatesecret.co.uk where you can record your daily intake of calories carbs etc and get great nutritional information about all sorts of foods. Also you can put in your own recipes into the ‘cook book’ section and it will work out the carbs etc for you. Some of the recipes in the book don’t have accurate calorie etc, counts so be a bit wary. Best of luck to you and your family on your journey.

Maybe someone else can recommend a suitable loaf.
But I’m not sure the “alternatives” are helpful. They’re likely to be a bit pants compared to the original version (and your mindset doesn’t change). I had a recipe book for paleo, someone lent it to me. The bread was made with about 100 probiotic capsules and an awful lot of expensive, ground-up things as flour substitutes. I buy a lovely, 4-ingredient, small sourdough loaf once in a blue moon. We enjoy a bit fresh, then toasted, then as breadcrumbs, then it’s gone til the next time. Each to their own!
Why are eggs your only option? Can’t you eat yogurt? Avocado? Smoked fish? Nuts? Even baked beans?

Hi, I too am starting the BSD tomorrow! (I have breakfast sorted but probably need to do a bit of planning!). I’m 52, 5’5”, 13st 10, on BP tablets, narrowly avoided being prescribed statins by my doctor last week and pre diabetic! So unless I do something and soon I think I shall be in the same boat as you (frightening situation).

It’s incredibly scary though because I have many failed dieting attempts behind me and my mind wants to tell me why do you think this time’s going to be any different? But I have to try again so that I don’t feel quite so helpless.

Hubby will be doing this as well as he’s been diagnosed with kidney disease and needs to lose weight too (he has an iron will and no problems sticking to it; what is it with men?!!!). I don’t think my two grown sons will take kindly to it as they have quite physical jobs.

I shall be relying on the book and this site as I don’t have a smartphone (about the best mine will achieve is the calculator function!!).
I love cooking (part of my downfall) and am looking forward to making some of the recipes.

So I will follow your posts with interest and see if we share the same experiences.

Tootlepips and have a good Tuesday!

Marianne

Hi KazzUK

Thank you so much for your welcome and good wishes.

I think the hardest part for me is sorting out the food plan and doing the shopping list. So that has been done and I hope as weeks go, it will be come easier.

Will keep you all posted with my journey. And my family as well. They are on board at the moment 🤗
First day done, organised for tomorrow.

Positive thinking.
Welshannie

Weigh day again! It seems to come around so quickly 😊

63.4 today, 0.9kg or 2lb gone. I’d like to say gone forever but I am in one of those seesaw periods where everything returns for an encore.

I am a little disappointed because I have not only been strict with myself, I had an extended fast of 48 hours due to a tummy bug. I was kinda hoping for the silver lining but oh well, it’s still a loss.

I don’t post much but I read every comment and they all help me stay on the path so thank you all and crossing my fingers that you have the results you’re looking for.

Yes, Verano, it would be be so sad to know that anyone felt too
ashamed to come back. The support here is so sincere and lacking
in judgement. I also hope to see captainlynne back one day too!
Someone was kind enough to provide a link to the dailymail photo
shoot. Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

MnM thank you. Yes you are a bit younger than me! I am really encouraged that skin tone can keep improving for up to two years. So encouraging. I have to be honest at the moment it’s just bingo wings but, the visions that spring before me, from gastric bypass surgery, are truly frightening!

Allie strangely enough Captainlynne is a ‘captain’ in the Salvation Army, not sure if you know of that in the US but it’s a Christian organisation. I think her talk of make up etc was more a result of her being featured in the Daily Mail as a great loser on BSD. I think somebody posted the link to that article on another thread, maybe Remember, Remember. She did so well, she was very generous with her help for us newbies at the time and I was sorry that she had to come back. I’m even more sorry that she did come back only briefly as she probably needed our support but didn’t stay around for us to help her. She had been having a rough time.

If you are out there Captainlynne come back and say hello!

Lots of people have come and gone on these boards and you often wonder if they made it, in the long term, and are living the ‘dream’ or have fallen by the wayside, and need help but are too ‘ashamed ‘ to come back.

We are all still here continuing our journey, whatever that may be, but the important thing is we are all still here giving/taking advice and help. That’s why we are all succeeding!

Thank you so much for posting your results!!!! I REALLY appreciate
it, Mixnmatch. I’m now going over to the 100 club to read all about
it! You’re a star 🙂

Allie

I am struggling about breakfast. I have done a week now, and I dont wnt egg every day, I dont have time to cook and im not so good at it anyway. Is there any bread we can eat? Any bread we can make without weird stuff for ingredients. Went to sainsburys today with a list of ingredients for low carb bread and couldnt find any of it. Saw a bag of almond flour in the health food shop but it was tiny and £10!
Please someone tell me there is a ready made low carb bread out there……

I am 6 days late but still would like to join.

Hi everyone

Thanks for getting in touch Theodora and lovely to hear updates now and again from all that are still on this thread. I’m good: am well and happy and have a renewed determination to get to my goal – which is the same as yours CC. Well done you on getting so close – you have inspired me to keep trying.

I’m basically on maintenance but would like to shift those last few pounds so have been stepping it up a bit over the last few days and am now touching 10 stone. What I find is that I get to a significant point then wobble around it for a while before it stabilises. So I’m hoping to fix on 10 stone very soon then start getting beneath: will keep you posted.

But whatever the numbers say, I’m so glad to have found this WOE. I feel so much better and have tons more energy – have even started jogging which I’ve never been able to do before but seem to manage now 🙂 I love that you can have the occasional indulgence then rein it back in as needed. And as others have previously remarked, once you start eating more healthily it has a cumulative effect in that you no longer want to stuff yourself with crap the rest of the time!

Good luck everyone and do keep in touch X

Mixnmatch, I really appreciate all the contributions that you make to
these forums. It’s interesting that you bring up captainlynne. When
I first started reading posts on this forum I heard of her spectacular
story. I took the time to read thru all of her past replies hoping to
gain some additional knowledge by doing so. I read about reversing
T2D, a huge accomplishment indeed! Shortly before she stopped
posting, only to briefly return several months later to report a gain
of 17lbs, I noticed that a lot of her posts were focused on vanity
issues like make-up consultations, pencil skirts, hair stylists,
wardrobe consultations and the like, and no longer had much
to do with overall health. This made a big impression on me,
believe it or not, and I’ve been determined to not lose focus on
the journey forward. Everyone here has such generosity of spirit,
and I’m so happy to get to know all of you!

Allie

About 115 -120 pounds I think at my lightest, I stopped counting really after joining the 100 club. Currently about 112.

Mixnmatch, that’s encouraging, your comment about 2 years in
terms of skin recovery. I do wonder what your losses overall
in terms of pounds lost are, however! thanks for the input 🙂

Certainly from my experience this WOE doesn’t leave you with masses of loose skin, even after my losses, although there is still a creased effect with loose skin on my thighs and a small fold on my stomach as well as the usual ‘bingo wings’ although even they seem to be reducing. My bikini body is a thing of the past but almost any other clothing option is still there if I want to. I am younger than you, I think at 51, but Captainlynne was older and reported a similar lack of issues when she reached this stage. I am hopeful that things will continue to improve as well, as they say it can for up to two years after weight loss. Certainly I never needed to consider surgery, and wouldn’t think they could find more than a couple of ounces to cut off!

I haven’t actually been true fasting today as I have started my own version of FMD and all I have had all day is lots of water, herbal tea, black coffee, a green banana, and a cup of marmite. Tomorrow I will do a proper plan to make sure I am getting the best nutrition I can despite the lower protein and carbs, and will have to be careful as it is a badminton day, but I am looking forward to seeing if the results are as dramatic as the last time I tried this.

Hi Theodora

Still here and still not at target weight! Today I weigh 134.8. On Friday last week I weighed in at my lowest weight at 133.6 so was 0.6 off my goal. I just can’t seem to get to 133. My weight goes up every time I have a drink of water! I will keep on trying. Like you Theodora I have got rid of all my big clothes and now my wardrobe consists of nothing above a size 12. I’ve purposely done this so that I don’t give in. Previously I had a range of sizes so that I always had something I wear in my size. After putting all this effort into losing 3 stone there is no way I will put it back on ever! I am going to keep following BSD and hopefully will get to 130lb at some point so that I have some extra room for indulgences. I remember that I had difficulty getting lower than 140 lb earlier in the year but I did it eventually. The trend is heading in the right direction. Your luxury safari sounds like the perfect reward for your hard work. What a lovely thing to look forward to-and wearing size 6- amazing!!!!

My youngest son is getting married next summer and I am looking forward to buying my wedding outfit in the springtime so I will be staying focused.

Rather worryingly, my diary is getting filled up with Christmas celebrations so December will be a challenging time for me. I think there may be a few extra fasts in December and probably in January too. I hope that on 8.1.18 which is my one year anniversary of starting BSD that I will be less that 133lb. I really do need to try and get as much weight off as possible before middle of December.

Would be lovely to catch up on all our other January friends. I know SueBlue is doing the November challenge with us. Hope everyone else is doing OK.

Allie very interesting ideas about Alzheimer’s and weight. Another good reason not to lose too much! To be honest I know somebody who had a gastric bypass and I was shocked at the result. The amount of loose skin was on the verge of grotesque. I just don’t fancy the idea of having to cover my body, literally from head to toe, in winter and summer! We spend quite a chunk of the year in warmer climates and I need to wear summer clothes without frightening everyone to death!

Marie that’s really interesting I wonder what the science behind it is? I think if you lose weight especially quickly after a life time of obesity then there is far more chance of tons of loose skin. I have never heard of that benefit of fasting before. I have sort of started fasting after a fashion. I don’t eat solids until lunchtime but I do have tea/coffee/water so not sure if that’s true fasting. I think you’re right to wait until after your HbA1c. Until my blood sugar was stabilised in the normal range without medication I was afraid to miss a meal.

Lessmuffintop it is confusing. I can’t really help with fat and protein I just eat them so long as they are in my calorie allowance. I agree with you about fruit I miss it too but you can have berries in moderation. Also there are some very low carb vegetables like spinach, broccoli and asparagus. There was one day last week when I had fewer than 20g of carbs but that was more by accident than design. I started the day with smoked salmon and eggs and I was stunned by how few carbs there were. I think most people aim for less than 50g and lots make their goal 30g so that would give you a little more room for fruit and vegetables.

So pink top is ironed and tried on… it fits ok but shows a few too many ‘rolls’. It will soon be hanging in pride of place on the outside of my wardrobe!

Allie I know without this website and the forums there is no way I would have come so far and be where I am today. So my thanks go to everyone who contributes and especially to those of you who help me day after day, week in week out, especially those with pom-poms and those who have been here as long as, if not longer, than me!

Hi Verano,

I’ve just been reading this thread and thought it might be worth mentioning Jason Fung’s comment on fasting and how his diabetic patients who have lost many, many pounds through his fasting protocols very rarely have loose skin or need surgery afterwards. He ascribes it to autophagy and the cleansing out of the body’s old cells. He mentions it in his book (which I’m currently re-reading). I also heard him discuss it briefly on a couple of interviews.

I haven’t done any fasting yet (don’t want to do anything until after my Hba1c test which is coming up) so can’t comment on whether this particular facet of fasting works or not, but thought I’d mention it. It’s the reason I’m considering it.

Great idea about the pink top. I tried an old ring of mine on the other day and it almost fit. (It goes on but I’m still a bit worried it might get stuck – so not quite there yet). So, I’m going to follow your example and put it out where I can see it. I’m going to wear that ring on Christmas Day!
Cheers
Marie x

n.b. My husband has just come in so I told him about the ring. He was clearly touched – he bought it – I didn’t want to say I’d forgotten that bit – I just really like the ring!

Hey Mokovex — I know exactly what you are talking about — there is an odd way to fall back into old patterns very quickly — I think because they were comfortable for us, even if they lead to disastrous results — and, that pattern is giving you a dopamine rush (and a sugar rush) which your body has learned to love. This is a chemical thing — you are responding to chemical drivers.
Your description of ” it’s like a switch” is very accurate because I think it IS a switch and the pattern just falls into place.
I used to have more of those moments, but now almost two years into BSD, I only rarely have one.
My experience is that it is best to stop immediately — don’t let that old pattern get reestablished.
Throw out (or give away) anything non-BSD-friendly in the house. I STILL cannot have any treats in our house or I WILL eat them — even the freezer doesn’t work, I can eat frozen trash very easily!
Curtail your activities so you are always in easy reach of BSD-friendly food and I cut out social activities until I gain control. Small price to pay.
And can you get going on some fasting? That truly truly helps reset your brain and reminds your body how much better you feel with less/better food.
And, are you 20 grams or less of carbohydrates per day? The carbs will drive you to eat the wrong foods so that is a good place to start getting control.
Esnecca is giving you good advice, don’t be passive. One day turns into a week, a week into a month — not good — you have the tools here to calm down your body’s out-of-control response. Start with one and the others will fall into place.

Hi Alliecat / Verano
That is really interesting on the Alzeihmers. I kind of dont really care what the scales say but I do like wearing nice clothes so I definitely diet for a dress or jeans and in fact thought about stopping recently when I had to discard some lovely clothes that were too big! but I got over it and bought more. I was working on body fat and have made significant headway but have got confused .

1. Im not sure what weight I should try and be so not as motivated to keep losing.
2. I am getting all muddled on carbs and protein and fats. I cant get to 20g carbs and eat enough veg and I miss fruit.

but I do like this WOE .

Who had the definitive answer to the ideal weight and what to eat…answers on a postcard.

Hi Allie, Mary and Kazz — there are so many super active threads right now that I’m having trouble keeping up — sorry for slow posting, so many things going on right now with issues with my 94 year old dad, my niece having twins (and a very difficult delivery — 3 days so far and no babies yet — I’m mad they won’t just give her a C-section but I’m not the doctor) — roof repair (yay, rain on the way!) and about a hundred other things —
Mary, my daughter is just 35 next week and she is pretty independent too, like yours — does not take advice well so I’ve stopped trying to offer any. She is a lot of fun though, I love her self-determination and she is an amazing cook. In fact, I’m going to press her into service for Thanksgiving because we will be at my younger sisters house and she (sister) CANNOT cook and even burns the turkey.
One year she cooked the turkey at about 450 degrees and we only figured it out when the baster melted — hmmm, not so good! I was like, why is the plastic baster melting? Then saw the temp that the oven was set to… Ha ha.
Kazz, fasting is my current salvation — anytime I get over-eager in the food department I follow up with fasting for 24 hours and that seems to set me back on track. I haven’t been able to go longer than 24 hours but I would like to try like Theodora and Esnecca — I just need a good “window” to give it a try. It took me a long time to work up to 24 hours so I think I can go longer if I practice. The problem I have is that my OH would like to have dinner with me every evening — good problem to have!
Allie, love reading your posts — are you getting ready for Thanksgiving on east coast (you are back on the “right” coast, am I correct?)
I don’t even think all that dressing and potatoes and pie even sounds that good anymore — although, I am looking forward to my daughter’s pumpkin pie — I do love the pumpkin pie!
I am going to be BSD-strict for the next two weeks so I am ready for the pumpkin pie.

Thanks so much Verano for putting your thoughts and goals to
paper: I completely understand your concerns about baggy skin
and the “gaunt” look. It’s not just that we lose the ability to produce
collagen, but that our skin actually gets thinner when we reach the
age you and I are. I can actually see veins now that I swear
I’ve never seen before. Sometimes it’s a little disconcerting 🙂
My approach though is that no one needs to see what goes on
under my clothing except my husband and my doctor! I saw a very
interesting tv program on cognitive decline and Alzheimers disease.
The National Institutes of Health (U.S.) has been following a large
sample of folks in this category group for more than 15 years.
In addition to a lot of information on markers on CT scan results,
what caught my attention was the fact that those individuals who
were about 20lbs. overweight had a much slower rate of decline
than patients who were thin. I found that fascinating. So, perhaps
aiming for an ideal weight similar to our early adulthood isn’t the
best plan. I try to hedge my bets and eat 1 Tbs of raw unsweetened
cacao nibs, just in case! 🙂
I’m happy to hear that you are well onto refocusing. I think that
it is only this thread that is responsible for mine, i.e., exercise,
so thanks again for beginning it. Your one stone at a time idea
makes excellent sense to me!

Have a great day,

Allie

Hi WelshAnnie

A very warm welcome to you. There are many people here with extensive knowledge so you are in the right place. That must have been very scary for you all. Take comfort – you have made your decision, shopped and got organised and have your family on board – that is wonderful. Lots of support here so anything you need to know, just ask. I hope your first day is going well? Don’t forget to drink lots of water. See you tomorrow!

Thanks for all the advice, and good sleuthing sunshine-girl!
I am modifying the diet due to breastfeeding, so yes, eating lots of cheese, and having more calories. I’ve been getting closer to my fat target by adding more butter, mayonnaise, yoghurt etc. I have just bought some coconut oil (very expensive!) to try too.

Mixnmatch, I think you are spot on with the speculation that the Biggest Loser folks did NOT provide maintenance info and support to those folks that worked so hard to get the weight off. Maintenance doesn’t make for “good TV” so they were probably just given a pat on the back and sent home to fend for themselves.

The problem really is that too much of the dieting “expertise” and advise from the 1960s- 2000 was not based on scientific evidence, but simply some MD making what he thought was a logical guess. It is only recently that science is actually studying how REAL metabolism works and that it is NOT just all about the calories.

Someone in one of the forums had suggested that Michale Mosley derserves a Nobel prize for the work that he has done. I couldn’t agree more….or at least a Knighthood. There has been no one that has worked as hard to educate the public and the scientific community in general to data based strategies for weight loss, exercise and now gut health. Frankly, the man is my hero. If he makes some money of the extremely helpful books he has published, good for him. He deserves it. He is so generous with his time to keep supporting these forums and generally provide encouragment.

And thanks to all of you, especially the ones that have actually hit maintenance to continue back to follow and support this community. The BSD shows every sign as being the big breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. We can finally get rid of the old rubbish advise so many medical schools pedelled for so long based on real research at all.

So downward and onward. And hurray for the NSVs along the way. Spent a good chunk of Saturday weeding through my closet of 3 sizes tossing the TOO BIGS (charity pile) and organizing the FITS NOW and the ALMOSTS.

Have a great week everybody.

Ok Allie, I’d like to lose just 2 stone, 28lbs, initially. That would take me down to my lowest weight just after I was very ill 10 years ago. Then another 14lbs would get me to a weight I would ‘like ‘ to be. And maybe a further 14lbs after that so 48lbs altogether. My fear is that I’ll be ‘baggy’ if I lose another 4 stone, that’s why I’m talking in small chunks because I need to see what I’m looking like before I go further. However, even if I do lose all of that weight I could probably still lose more! Part of me feels that because I’m getting older I may look ‘ill’ or scrawny! Fortunately I don’t have any health issues, apart from my diabetes which is in remission, and my mobility, so we will just have to wait and see where the journey takes me!

Well done on staying on plan over the weekend, s-g – really looking forward to hearing your scale results tomorrow.

Krysia, great news about your eyes – how fantastic.

Mokovex, great advice from Esnecca, so keep plodding on, you’ll get there.

TC – well done on resisting all those carbs. A tonne of cake outside your office door is FAR better than a tonne of cake on your hips, so feeling proud of you.

KrysiaD, great and encouraging news about your eyes, so happy for you.

MaisieMouse, interesting thoughts from the Clever Guts book. Narrowing it down like that may be just the answer …. junk food craving gang vs fish and veg craving gang. I became somewhat overwhelmed by all the many and varied bacteria, good and bad, so thank you.

Esnecca, that was a great post of yours in response to Mokovex. Listen to her Mokovex, she knows ……. I hear you though, as one who only had 10 or so kg to lose, stuck at 6kg, gradually became 5 then 4kg, I’m listening too.

sunshine-girl, good news about your recent successes. Fingers crossed for you for Tuesday weigh-in.

I’m away from any scales until Thursday morning. Will weigh then and post results of several days away with a fairly eaty, drinky crowd and as much as I feel I’m hanging in reasonably well, things can slip by over time, especially with portions sizes. The sheer press of three meals a day in company can put stresses on the best of intentions. I am enjoying myself, however.

Good weigh-ins everyone.

Hi Verano, I really like the “pink top (sexy?) plan” that you are putting
in place! I used getting my rings back on my size 5 1/2 finger
as the same sort of measure. It took forever, and I was only 7lbs
from target when they finally slipped on. I was so pleased with
myself that I took up polishing my nails again 🙂 I’m not sure that
I agree with the conversation here about the need to up protein if
we feel sapped of energy and a bit moody. I know that excess
protein gets stored as fat, so I do keep an eye on that figure.
What did come to mind though was SAD (seasonal affective disorder),
particularly for those of us in northern hemispheres. It has reminded
me to order some more vitamin D3 + K. I think SAD affects more
people than is generally reported. It’s simple enough to get a blood
test done for low levels of vit. D. It’s the right time of year for it!
I don’t think I know how much more weight you’d like to get rid of,
so share this if you are comfortable doing so, and all of us will
be cheering you on to victory each day. I’m gearing up for some
daring athletic moves as we speak!

Morning all

After my self-absorbed wittering last week I gave myself a stern talking to over the weekend (which basically consisted of going up to bits of food and saying ‘you don’t own me’ to it!) and stuck to the plan 100% for the weekend. CArbs under 30g both days, average cals of 765.

As a result I have a crashing carb withdrawal headache which I consider to be progress, and have stuck to plan so far today despite there being a literal tonne of cake sitting right outside my office door – I mean it, I’m not exaggerating – really….

Onwards to weigh day!

Verano, so glad to have made you laugh, and thrilled to hear you are back on track. What with your pink clingy top hanging on your door, and my shocking pink pompoms being shaken as if my life depended upon it, how can you fail?😛

Kazz, how great that your JOTP have become your JOTF😋 Your post about them reminded me of a ridiculously expensive designer dress o/h bought me 45 years ago, to thank me for his first-born son (it cost him approx. 6 weeks’ wages!!!). Haven’t been able to get into it for YEARS and YEARS, but could never bear to throw it away. I can now get my wedding dress on, but this dress (scarlet) was even smaller, so would be a real test! Time to dig it out and try it on methinks😀

Not sure if you saw the article….

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5048863/How-drop-dress-size-Christmas.html

Hi fellow January starters. Our thread seems to have gone a bit quiet, so I was wondering how you are all doing?

Seasidenana (and grandpa), seems ages since we’ve had an update from you, so really hoping you are hanging on in there, that all is lovely for you and that your wedding plans are going well? Have you moved yet? I do hope life is settling down and that you are back on track?

How goes it with you, CC – that last pesky pound still coming and going? And Sue, 7 weeks left until Christmas, so have you made any inroads into that 5kg? And DCT – under the magic 10st yet?

I’m not sure how many of us Jan starters are still here, we may be down to just us few – CC, SueBlue, Dreamscometrue, me and (hopefully) Seasidenana seem to be the full compliment, but at least we are still going……..

I will be hitting my 6 month maintenance birthday in a few days, and the scales are still being kind. As of this morning (official weigh in day for me) they registered 7st 13lbs, so 8lbs of wriggle room. I’ve finally cleared all my big clothes (with the exception of a few big chunky jumpers which can go over my new clothes when / if it gets really cold this winter – I see the met office is predicting a really cold, snowy one) and have even got rid of some of the new clothes (UK size 12s and 10s) acquired earlier in my BSD journey. Now my wardrobe consists entirely of 8s, with the odd 6 thrown in for good measure.

I now have an added incentive (if I needed one) to make it to my one year maintenance birthday as, having booked a fabulous luxury Safari for the end of April (my BSD success reward from o/h – in fact I will be celebrating my 1 year maintenance in Africa), I have been buying up shorts/ cargo pants, T shirts, etc in the sales – all 8s and 6s – as we have been advised to wear neutral colours (beiges / greens / olives etc). Now, I don’t “do” those sorts of colours, I’m at my most comfortable in blacks and blues, with the odd bright colour thrown in as accent, but have been advised by the safari people that blues and blacks attract the insects, and that the “brights” stand out too much against the bush! Hence the sale shopping (really didn’t want to pay full price for clothes I’ll never wear again!), so I really need to still be able to fit into them next Spring.

Keep going, my trusty Januaries – we can all achieve our goals, no matter what they be, together. xx

Glad to be of service, Verano … 🙂

… the other thing… last year, the security man said to me when he saw me on dress down Friday wearing my £8 Matalan “pumps” – “heeeyyyy, rocking the Converse, I see?”. I thought, what the hell is he talking about …. I googled… that was it, I’ve coveted ever since but not until I’m in the size 12 Levis!