Is there anyone who has just a few kg to lose, is not pre diabetic but has struggled with weight ( but not a huge amount) and sugar craving? Would love to chat.

Hello all,
Just totted up my miles for 1st-7th May, less than last week (more ogling of the tellybox!), comes to approx. 24 miles which by my reckoning has seen me get past the Barrow Downs, arrive at Bree & puts me roughly a couple of miles outside of Bree on the East Road.

My weekly check-in – frankly, this is more of a confessional! Really stressful few days (work-related), 5 days feeling so tired I thought I was coming down with the virulent lurgy that is afflicting other people at work (I wasn’t) – so what did I do. Hauled my sorry backside round the village for a walk & called in at both food stores, bought a load of crap & proceeded to binge on it yesterday evening. I shouldn’t say this on this forum but I did actually feel a lot better afterwards – so I’m guessing my body was desperately craving something.
My foray into the dark world of non-BSD foodstuffs did demonstrate something to me – while I enjoyed the salt & vinegar crisps, I didn’t derive much pleasure from the 1litre tub of mint/choc ice cream, the whole bar of choc/caramel, or the individual tiramisu I shovelled down my throat. So I suppose that means my taste buds are losing their love of things sugary – pity it doesn’t stop me eating the darned stuff.
So no loss to report this week – back up to 10st 2lb.
This is what I experienced last year, around Aug/Sept, got very close to 10st and no further. I am now thinking that this is where my body just wants to be and any dip below 10st is just that, a temporary dip. Marathon runners hit “The Wall” – I think this is my equivalent. I’ve mentioned before that when I hit a nice low, I have a bad day or two where I feel grotty. So darned annoying when I feel I still have weight to lose.
But I’m making the Turkey Burgers from the recipe book today – so must get a grip, must maintain even if I don’t lose!

Hope everyone else is faring better…

WeeScot, I know it seems disheartening but you are not the first person this has happened to. There is absolutely no way you can be on this amount of calories and not be shedding. It will show up soon – It may be that it’s all the visceral fat on the inside you are getting rid of first! Most of all you need to remember how much healthier you are on the inside since starting. Just give it some more time because what have you got to lose? Don’t throw away the time you have already invested! I am a super slow loser but know that I am so much healthier and will get there in the end, and so will you! Please stay!

It’s going good so far 🙂 Also, my hubby has said he wants to do it, so I’ve been prepping his breakfasts and updating his intake on myfitnesspal. I’m hoping he will be more proactive in doing this more for himself soon, but it is a step in the right direction, and at least he is sticking with it. He IS prediabetic, so he needs to do something pronto.

As of today, I’m 1kg down (now 61kg). Steady weight loss and I’m feeling great. I did have a naughty half piece of pain au chocolate on Saturday at work, but nothing like that since. I started on Wednesday last week, so I guess I’m day 5 now? Well done everyone on amazing results!

Has anyone got any tips for hunger probs? I don’t have a problem with this, but hubby does. I’m wondering whether it’s because he would typically just eat a LOT of carbs every time he felt hungry before – he’d have a large meal, feel hungry an hour later(!) and then eat 2 pieces of bread with jam/a massive bowl of cornflakes with sugar/honey added etc…..and then repeat etc. I’m guessing that the sudden drop in calorie and carb intake has hit him more than it has hit me. I’m trying to persuade him to drink 2-3l of water a day. Luckily he does only take his coffee black (without sugar), so that’s easy. He’s gone over the 800cal allowance a couple of days, but not more than 150cal. I’m aiming his carb intake to hover around the 50g/day. Couple of days, it has been between 50-100g, but still, much better than what he used to do. I’m hoping that with time, his body will adjust to the decreased cals and the decrease in carbs (I guess it is a bit like going cold turkey?).

It’s def good to connect on here 🙂

SueBlue your post is a lesson to us all that this journey is about so much more than losses on the scales. By following this way of life we are reducing risks with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and a string of other things. In that list I would also include mental health because being overweight affects self esteem and can result in depression. Best of luck with your new resolve in round three.

Chrissie good news about your jeans, many of us are gathering piles of too big clothes on this thread ! I agree that the UK is very carb focussed. I do wish cafes and restauarants would offer healthier options. Some do of course, but the majority don’t. I ate in a nice pub on Saturday and had a chicken breast cooked in bacon, with a nice big dish of fresh vegetables. I just asked them not to serve me any potatos. The meal was delicious – it’s really not hard to make menus adaptable if they don’t cover everything in pastry !

Theodora your achievement is brilliant. To be honest I think you are already on maintenance because it’s about cutting back for a few days after a small gain which is what you are doing. Everyone has social occasions where they eat or drink more, even super models. The trick is to correct it straight away as you are doing.

I have worked hard over the course of this BSD to explore my weight history and work out why in the past I kept regaining weight I had lost. I have concluded that after reaching target I go into denial over the effects of any excess eating. Rather than keeping an eye on the scales and correcting any increase, I used to ignore it. I would deliberately leave smaller clothes at the back of the wardrobe, “knowing” they wouldn’t zip up, but reaching for the baggy clothes. I wasn’t acknowledging the reality. How silly ! It’s so much easier to lose 3-4 lbs recently gained than to lose 50 lbs !

I have had fluctuating weight all my life, but I’m determined that once I get to target this will never happen again.

My current target is 130lbs. Some years ago I did reach 125 lbs, but didn’t maintain it. I still have a pair of Levi’s from those days (now vintage) and I do hope to wear them again.

My final observation for today, I’m sure you have all had the same. I went out for the evening last week with some old friends wearing a nice dress. Some of these friends have not seen me for a while, so I got lots of compliments on my new figure which was nice. Then the inevitable “how much more are you going to lose” ? When I said another three stones they were astonished. Everyone said no need for that, there will be nothing left of you etc. In fact, if I reach target I will be roughly in the middle of the recommended range for my height. I don’t want to aim for the very top of that range because my frame is quite small and I know that would be too heavy for me. This kind of remark goes along with “surely you can eat chips tonight, it’s a special occasion” ” one cake won’t hurt you” etc etc

Good luck everyone, you are all stars !

Hello all. I’d like to join the group as I’m two weeks in, which about where you are and I feel the need for some accountability!

I’ve found the two week-ends HARD. I also find the evenings tricky and it’s a total challenge to keep out of the kitchen! I love the toasted nut and seed mix: fine for a sprinkle on a meal, not so good by the handful…

However I started at 79.3 and am now lurching around 75.5 (before the w/e I was 75.1, nearly at my first mini-target: hmmm). I’m enjoying the food and am pleased to find I’m not hungry (just greedy when I’m not busy…).

Good luck Jules! It’s nice to have a buddy to do it with.

I am always a little more relaxed at the weekends compared to the week, kind of a reverse 5:2 and fits in a lot better with my lifestyle. I was much more controlled this weekend compared to the bank holiday which I am happy with. I went to the gym 4 times last week – I’m really enjoying it now, so very happy about that. I am going to keep the calories down this week and continue with the gym. I am now at 80kg and hopefully be below this for the first time in a long while by the end of the week. I haven’t remeasured myself since the initial measurements and plan to do that on Thursday, as this will be a 2 week comparison.

Have a good week everyone and for those that might have had weekend slips- don’t beat yourself up! Fresh starts each morning 🙂

Charlotte x

Hello everyone – how was your weekend?
I am so relieved to have got through it without a hiccough (even resisted the treats at the cinema yesterday afternoon). Another 0.5kg down since Friday (5.6kg total loss after 2 weeks) and I am starting to feel SO much better. I am still hungry during the day but it can be easily distracted and I am keeping my water levels high.
I did eat carbs on the bike on Saturday and had porridge for breakfast before yesterday’s run but the rest of the weekend was low-carb and within calories.
I tried skipping breakfast to save more calories for later in the day but I have reverted back to eggs for breakfast and I feel much more alert this morning. I can manage on a v low calorie lunch leaving enough for a substantial meal in the evening.
1st revelation – cauliflower rice – where has this been all my life?
2nd revelation – as my palate changes and I reduce sugar, the recipes taste better!
Good luck with it and keep posting – whether we have a good day or bad it’s good to connect. I am sure the accountability helps keep or get us back on track when needed.
Great getting hubby involved Jules58 and good to set a target. I was aiming to be below 80kg (7.6kg to go) and go back to 5:2 until I reach goal – however, I am determined to see the 8 weeks through so I may adjust this as time goes on.

SueBlue, that is great news about your blood pressure. Surely the health benefits must outweigh the weight loss in importance? In which case, your 2nd round has been a resounding success, so well done and good luck on Round 3.

Chrissie, well done on managing to lose 1.5kg whilst on holiday!! Hope I can manage such a thing when I am away for a couple of months in the summer, but won’t hold my breath as, unlike you, I most certainly haven’t lost my taste for alcohol!! I wish I had – I’m fine if I don’t have any, but once I have a glass it would appear my judgement is derailed and I have another, and sometimes another 😮 Enjoy rest of hols 🙂

Yesterday was my last day of round 2 as well, and I was supposed to go onto maintenance today but got totally derailed yesterday (we entertained a crowd of friends for a long, leisurely lunch, though what possessed me to invite them all on my final day is beyond me) Whilst I didn’t eat any refined carb foods, I did overindulge on nuts and wine (my two big weaknesses). Although FatSecret tells me that I expended more calories than I took in, the scales are punishing me this morning with 1lb increase – and that’s on top of the 8oz (dog hair 😉 or maybe Esnecca’s cat? 😉 ) that I put on during our family reunion last week. So, I have decided to stick to BSD800 for one more week to see if I can shift that 1lb 8oz and embark on a controlled maintenance plan at my lowest weight.

But as this is officially my end of round 2 weigh in day, I will report that I have lost 38lbs in total (would have been almost 40lbs), which consisted of 24lbs in round 1 and 14lbs in round 2, which has far exceeded my original target of 2 stone. I have dropped 8″ from my waist, 5″ from my hips, and 4.5″ from my bust, and moved from a UK size 16 tops / 14 bottoms to a UK size 10 tops / 8 bottoms. I have lost 23% of my body weight and my BMI has dropped from 29.4 to 22. So no complaints here – apart from totally sabotaging myself yesterday!!

Morning All

Day 1 . I have persuaded my husband to join me on the BSD so we both weighed in and I read the book again ! I do enjoy the posts on here it’s nice to know I’m not alone ! I’m sticking to the diet plan in the recipe book as best I can certainly for the first few days and have made a list of jobs for me to do when I get hungry ! Starting weight 183 lbs goal 1 – 165 lbs by 8th July . Saying it here makes it real somehow !!

Hi All ,so impressed by your bike ride MK,well done. Krysia, staying away from the icecream, great Job that is an achievement.
I took the weekend off. I had a really bad week last week . I worked really hard. 10 hours on my feet ,both ankles are really sore and Im thinking that I will need to retire sooner than planned. So I decided treats where needed. We went to a Malaysian place and I had half a small bowl of rice with curry and a delicious banana prata with ice cream, shared with Hubby.Of course , it was a really bad idea when we got home,I also ate a whole packet of Lindt black balls left from Easter. Today my weight is up .4 KG, surprisingly my BGL is ok this morning at 5.6 .
So now I’m back to the usual routine and Ive learned my lesson again. I don’t have the ability to have one square of chocolate ,I’m an all or none person and Ive proven it to myself a thousand times. The plan is to focus forward to get down to 80 kg and another size smaller before my holiday in July.Ive taken on extra work which should keep me really busy, no time to snack and provided my ankles hold up I should be able to do it. Invested in a supply of anti-inflammatry gel and tablets, stacked the fridge with salad, so Ill let you know how it goes.I know I sabotage myself but I accept that’s what I do ,now to get on with returning to plan. I hope everyone is happy with progress. Cheers

Hi All ,so impressed by your bike ride MK,well done. Theodora, staying away from the icecream, great Job that is an achievement.
I took the weekend off. I had a really bad week last week . I worked really hard. 10 hours on my feet ,both ankles are really sore and Im thinking that I will need to retire sooner than planned. So I decided treats where needed. We went to a Malaysian place and I had half a small bowl of rice with curry and a delicious banana prata with ice cream, shared with Hubby.Of course , it was a really bad idea when we got home,I also ate a whole packet of Lindt black balls left from Easter. Today my weight is up .4 KG, surprisingly my BGL is ok this morning at 5.6 .
So now I’m back to the usual routine and Ive learned my lesson again. I don’t have the ability to have one square of chocolate ,I’m an all or none person and Ive proven it to myself a thousand times. The plan is to focus forward to get down to 80 kg and another size smaller before my holiday in July.Ive taken on extra work which should keep me really busy, no time to snack and provided my ankles hold up I should be able to do it. Invested in a supply of anti-inflammatry gel and tablets, stacked the fridge with salad, so Ill let you know how it goes.I know I sabotage myself but I accept that’s what I do ,now to get on with returning to plan. I hope everyone is happy with progress. Cheers

Hi Krysia, and well done on resisting the carb monster and the ice cream – yes, make o/h get his own ice cream in future, even if he has to crawl to the freezer on his hands and knees 😉

Thanks for the encouragement, but yesterday I had more than double my 800 cal allowance and the wine and the extra nuts pushed my carbs up to a whopping 48!!! I know lots of people aim for 50, so 48 may not sound a huge amount, but for the past 16 weeks my carbs have never been above 25, and usually below 20, so it was a huge increase for me. Anyway, despite the fact that FatSecret tells me that I expended more calories than I took in yesterday, the scales still showed a pound increase today (how can that be???), so I will continue with 800 cals and 20 carbs until that pound, plus the 8oz I put on during the family reunion last week, have gone again, and then start a CONTROLLED maintenance by gradually increasing both cals and healthy carbs. Depressing though – no idea why I sabotaged myself so badly on my last day, as this was the very first time in the entire 16 weeks 🙁

Hope everyone else is doing better than me 🙁

Hi Jannylynn

Just finished my second week.

Haven’t lost much weight (3kg) but my bloods down from 9 to 5 fasting.

Mainly following the recipes.

But don’t sweat it.

Mike from Oz

Hi, On my second round of the fast 800 I have found that I am often eating 900 calories despite my best efforts. I am sticking to the principles though. I know Prof Roy Taylor’s research started with 600 calories, then went on to 800. He has said it doesn’t matter if you lose the weight fast or slowly as long as fat in the pancreas diminishes. I am just wondering if I often eat 900 calories, will it make that much of a difference to the remission of diabetes and weightloss. Any thoughts?

Congrats SueBlue! Its the medication changes that have made the most difference to me. I am on a 6 week holiday now, not being so careful although I have lost my taste for alcohol! Everything in the UK is extremely carb focused I have noticed but I have still lost another 1.5kgs in the first 2 weeks of hols so I am pretty happy. Except the jeans I brought with me are now too big. Have to buy a belt.
Still heaps of weight to lose but I’m so much happier and more positive.

MK – well done. Your 60 mile charity bike challenge is awesome. You are right about the difference it makes not having to drag the extra stones around.

Pod – hope you have a lovely holiday – and well done for the weight loss.

Theodora – great that you didn’t have any refined carbs. On maintenance it is absolutely fine to have more calories. I have been entering everything into fat secret while on maintenance – not to control how much I eat, but just to get an idea of how many calories keep me maintaining.

It is so interesting that I have a sort of natural cycle where I eat more calories for a few days – then have a few days when I just can’t eat as much. On those days I often have to add extra calories (cheese is helpful to up the calories) because I am worried I might start burning lean muscle mass. As long as I keep the carbs low I keep maintaining in a very narrow weight range. On the higher calorie days 9st 4lbs and the lower calorie days 9st 3.5lbs.

I thought that the carb monster was well and truly vanquished – but obviously not. We have a rule that if husband wants a sugary desert he serves himself. Yesterday he was tired so I went to the freezer and got out a tub of luxury ice cream made by a local farm. The carb monster leapt out – telling me that it was so unfair that I was depriving myself of the lovely ice cream.

I managed with great difficulty to avoid even a teaspoon of the ice cream because I know that just one teaspoon would have led to me secretly consuming the whole tub in the kitchen and then having to replace it secretly so that nobody is aware of the huge amount of ice cream I had consumed. I have done this so many times over the years.

In future husband gets his own ice cream no matter how tired he is. Carb monster retreated back to his corner defeated.

I had my 90% Lindt (2 squares) and all was well – but it was touch and go.

I am not losing weight on this diet. I have stuck rigidly to it and when I weighed myself this morning I had gained, having only lost a couple of pounds anyway in the first two weeks. Yesterday I went to bed hungry but thought I have to stick to it and have been reading not only all the success stories on here but on other websites. I have stuck to 800, using my fitness pal to ensure the calories and carbs are exact and the diet has taken over my life but it is a disaster. This morning I have a headache and feel lousy. I was on this diet to turn around prediabetes and lose the weight I had put on over the past three years, I wish Michael Mosley actually contributed to these forums as I would like to know why I have failed.

Hi @chelle1981 I’ve only been doing the diet for just under 3 weeks but I find myself making lots of exciting meals that is keeping me going. I’ve set up an Instagram account to share my ideas and recipes so pop over and have a look for some inspiration for dinners. And you say you don’t like courgette or cauliflower? Have you tried a Courgizza (well that’s what I’m calling them), they are DICINE! Doesn’t even taste like courgette and is so tasty at only 261 cals for the whole thing. Instagram: mamaslim2017 xx

Do you like fish? Baked salmon with roast veg is quick and yummy. Salmon steaks are expensive here so for fish cakes I use basa fillets or tinned salmon, double quantities and freeze the extras. They’re nice cold too. Curries are good, fish or chicken. I’ve just made a beef casserole that’ll do me for 5 meals. Not one after the other!

But it’s chilly here and you’re getting warmer there. Thinking, what did I have in summer… chilled spicy soup? I had that a lot on hot nights. Roasted veg are often even tastier the next day if it’s too hot.

Not sure if any of that is helpful, I’m not a very committed cook ☺ well done on the weight loss, I seem to be on another plateau *sigh* I’ll report in the morning.

have been doing bsd for 8 wks now and have lost 14lbs did expect more but im happy with that but what now do i stay on this plan or move to 5.2
worked out on calculator and this came back BMI 33.5
BMR1613
TDEE2218
so if i start 5.2 how many calories will i be having on my 5 non days from what im understanding my 2 days will be 500 cls , if someone can help me cos im confused.com

I find that making ALL my meals really tasty and indulgent keeps me on track. I keep the ingredients simple so everything is fast and easy to make. I’m on Instagram and posting pics of my diary every day if you want to follow for some food inspiration. And try making low carb pancakes with some sweet freedom choc sauce. It feels like your having carbs and a treat so double bonus but you’re 100% still on plan 😉

You’re not alone! I’m in the exact same “struggling” boat.
Was successful a year ago and lost just over 2st. However have put a stone back on :(! After lots of false re-starts I have stuck to the plan 90% in last week. The scales this morning show hardly any loss. Very disappointed. I’ll carry on as my hunger has adjusted to the plan by now but am really struggling as last year the scales were my motivator.

Morning all- my weight is still slowly moving off- still have a muffin too but even that is smaller- I need to drink more water at weekends- at work I am fine as have water bottle on desk- at weekends out and about I always carry a bottle but if I am in house I hardly drink

I need some new ideas for dinners getting a little bored now- can I have some inspiration please – I hate califlower and courgette-

Typical day for me is breakfast- yoghurt and fruit, lots of water, lunch of salad, usually rocket, ham or a little cheese, toms, pepper and pickled onions with a couple of chopped up strawberries and then dinner is something like a pork chop and cabbage or chicken stir fry, cottage pie made with butternut squash mash or so egg muffins- I love cooking so like new things

Happy Monday all xx

I am still here! But I still felt very depressed for no reason on the Sunday as well as the Saturday. This was cured by hummus.
I have decided to stop trying to fast for 15h overnight and go back to having porridge early in the morning, at least until my period comes!!!! Sorry if tmi.
It may not be the diet’s fault but I have had low mood and increased infections so I am going to go a bit easier. I’ll still stick to the foods and try not to eat between meals. I suppose that is called the bsd way of life….
Thanks for the support!
Readytochange enjoy your holiday!!

Hi crabbycams and bigeater,
I had the same problem and now take two magnesium citrate tablets and a tablespoon of unrefined coconut oil (from Aldi) daily. I continued this even after the problem resolved and now I’m good.
Cheers
Linda

Hello crabbycams. I have not heard of Verano’s soup… glad to hear you’re doing well on BSD, though! I hope your siblings are well. My boyfriend has late onset type 1 diabetes, also has to take insulin and unfortunately no amount of BSD would reverse his condition as it is, indeed, genetic.

Today was utterly CHEATASTICAL! (That’s not really a word, but it best describes my day.) Calories were *rather* high. I know, that’s not good. After 3 days, none of which were actually completed at/around 800 calories, I wonder if I should start my BSD day count from the beginning. Then again, I’m cool with a three-day grace period to keep marching forward. Tomorrow is Day 4. I will not be weighing myself since it’s that time of the month and I ate quite more than usual.

I know I can do this. I will do this. 800 calories tomorrow. I’ve got this. Seriously. I mean it.
lol
But for real.

Well done ClarinetCathy and Seasidenana on your fantastic results.
Round 2 ended for me yesterday. I would like to say it was a great success – but it wasn’t! Lots of off plan days and weeks meant I only lost a net 800g in the 8 weeks 😳
But today is a new week and a new round and a new attitude for me. I’m going to start afresh and just focus on one day, one week, one goal at a time. So my first mini goal is to lose 1.5kg so that I go down into the next stone bracket – this ties in with the 4 week May challenge I’m in.
On a positive note, I’ve already mentioned some health benefits for me with BSD, and I can now add another one. I went to see my GP yesterday to get some prescriptions renewed and I asked him to check my blood pressure to see if losing weight has made any difference – I thought I could perhaps lower my dose. My blood pressure is now only slightly elevated and I no longer need to stay on blood pressure medication, after at least 8 years on it.
So although I’ve only lost about 7% of my body weight it was enough to make a difference to my BP. Doing a happy dance 💃
Now I just have to stay on track for Round 3! I’m using Clarinet Cathy, Seasidenana and Theodora, as well as all of the lovely posters on here, for my inspiration … or should I say thinspiration!

hi there. i have a similar problem since being on the bsd. i drink loads of water though, also exercise. i add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed and tablespoon of chia seed to my morning breakfast. this helps somewhat. prunes work if i eat megaloads and i cant because they are full of sugar. i am investigating inulin. have yet to buy it.

I started a week ago on 1 May, which was a Monday and seemed appropriate. it’s taken me all year to work up to it and had to get the local food festival and then a holiday out of the way. My sister is diabetic and injects insulin with some of the long-term effects starting to creep in; our skinny, fit, brother is prediabetic. I want to see if what we have is genetic or perhaps environmental. No previous documented diabetic history in our families.

I averaged 873 cal/day for week 1. Happy with that. Don’t think sugar cravings will ever go away; I have a sweet tooth. And a savoury one. And I love to bake/cook/experiment.

So, I keep seeing posts about Verano’s pea soup but cannot find it in the recipes. Can someone reply to this post or put up the recipe or direct me to it please.

I’m finding that increasing my fasting time from the previous night into the following morning works for me. I’m not hungry in the morning and for years have been making myself eat breakfast (toast and marmalade!). Also helps when it is morning tea at work. I just make my breakfast porridge and eat that.

Interested in all the advice for constipation. I’m on metformin, which messes with the system anyway (1poo every 2 days). Now on the low cal, no sign of the brown stuff and no desire to do it either, so researching other responses.

Some people recommend inulin, but I found this site http://sweetpoison.wikidot.com/inulin, which seems to advocate against. As I’m neither chemist nor dietitian I don’t know if this is fake or real news.

Any suggestions?

BTW prunes and porrige no help. Loads of veg no help. Drinking tea (that counts as water doesn’t it?) until it is coming out of my ears. I find water unappealing unless exercising heavily. Next stop mild laxative from the chemist. Chilli works, but I hate the stuff as the result is quite uncomfortable from mouth to bowel.

When I get annoyed by all the restrictions, I just indulge myself within the system. For instance, today I was craving chips and dip, so I had spicy pork rinds with a homemade blue cheese dip (blue cheese, vegan mayo, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lime juice and chives). Total calories: 348. Total carbs: 1. It tasted great, filled me up and felt like the old days without ruining all my hard work and throwing me out of ketosis like bread or pizza or potato chips would have.

Hi Timetochange, ok — been there done that — I suggest eat some bread — in fact, go out and buy the very best favorite bread you love (better be artisanal!) and slather it with butter and eat it happily. Then, listen to your body’s response, and….just start the BSD again tomorrow. Don’t look back — don’t make up for it by eating even less. You needed some bread and you ate some bread. End of story.
Now, what “system” was working for you last year? Were you having no breakfast and just a bullet coffee? Was lunch a lovely big salad? Go back in your mind and recreate a day that you were successful — that is your template. Plug your days into your template. If you are tempted, have a pot of herbal tea, then go do something else, anything, to keep from eating. I liked to shop for shoes (got a lot of shoes now!😜). It is hard to get back on track but it is harder to gain weight and hate yourself.

Hi Smaus,

Thankyou for that info. I am interested in the flex2 because I also swim. Hmmm a heart rate monitor….that would be good. More research needed!

Happy exercising!

Bigeater

Hi- I use Fitbit purely for counting distance and paces but haven’t used other brands so may not be providing the fairest comparison. They are easy to set up and the app is straight forward to use (and can be linked in to My Fitness Pal) so I have no complaints. Mine is a Mark 1 Alta, but for the life of me I can’t remember why I chose it over the Flex as it doesn’t seem to do more. The new Flex also seems to be more waterproof which is a plus if you swim.

If money were no object I would choose the new Alta 2 as it has the continuous heart rate monitor. I would like to know more about how much of the time my heart is actually working hard rather than the slightly lame “active minutes” which the lower grade Fitbits calculate based on time. Other than that I am a happy customer, especially as the battery is currently lasting for a good week.

Happy stepping!
Smaus

Well done Mk – fantastic result. Very impressed, you must be feeling doubly good, what with the cycling result and kicking that carb monster into touch – exactly where he belongs – but did you have to kick him my way?

Supposed to be my last day of 2nd round today and what on earth possessed me to invite a crowd of friends round for a late, leisurely lunch, I have no idea. But invite them I did, and I succumbed to wine which meant all judgement went out the window – no idea how many calories I have eaten, only know that I haven’t had any refined carbs. Except for alcohol of course. May have to extend my 16 weeks by a few more days to repair the damage before hitting maintenance.

This is doubly distressing, as on the whole I have been really good for more or less the entire 16 weeks, other than a couple of planned blow-out trips away. Psychologically speaking, as I am terrified of maintenance, I wonder if I have subconsciously sabotaged myself today? Hey ho, back to the drawing board……………………..

Have a great holiday Pod x

PLJ stands for pure lemon juice and is essentially just that, but filtered and stuck in a bottle. Drinks go less cloudy with it than just lemon juice, so I prefer it in them, but any lemon juice will do.

Enjoy your hols, pod! Mkx

hi fitbit users. I am thinking of getting a flex 2. Any comments on them?
Thanks
Bigeater

Mariet, Good morning sunny Sydney! It’s blinking cold in cloudy London, mind you, it is time for bed!,
Happy Days All xx

Good morning all from sunny Sydney ☺

It’s chilly here this morning but looks like it’s going to be a good day. I hope everyone’s had a good weekend and Ann, have a fabulous holiday!

I’ve been having stop start progress. Can’t seem to be consistent and keep to the plan. I had great success with this at the latter end of last year, but sadly it fell by the wayside and I have gained a few pounds back. I’m just struggling to get through a whole week on the plan but I really want to. Any pearls of wisdom on keeping the momentum when all you want to do is shove bread in your mouth!!

Just logging in,a week early, my weight for this 4 week challenge! Lost 6lbs in 3 weeks so not so bad. Was hoping for an 8lb loss in 4 weeks, but I’m off on holiday in 6 hours, so I don’t imagine I’ll be losing anymore!
So won’t be around for a couple if weeks. I aim to continue this WOE whilst on holiday, but with wine and gin and soda!! I really want to maintain so I’ll be mostly keeping the carb monster at bay, hopefully.
Hope you all have the results you’re happy with,
See you all in a couple of weeks and the next challenge!!
ANN xxx

Maharanikitten, well done, good on you! Fantastic achievement, you are amazing!

Congratulations Maharani kitten. How fantastic 60 miles and over 4K!

Falldown7times don’t give up and desert me, my BSD twin! I’m in pretty much the same place you are at the moment mentally – I got a bit fed up with the whole 800 cal thing and had a huge binge on Friday night (having promised myself ONE glass of red wine, I had three as well as lots of chocolate and crisps…); but I’m more determined than ever now to keep going. I’ve been pretty good again today and am firmly back on the 800 cal track again from tomorrow. This week’s Wednesday weigh-in might be a bit crappy, but so what?! I’m doing this for me and I’m the only one who will be annoyed and disappointed if I don’t stick at it. I just can’t bear the thought of being on the beach in four weeks’ time feeling fat and gross. Hope you’re feeling better today and still sticking to your guns. What’s motivating me right now is a photo I found of what I DON’T want to look like on holiday – every time I look at it, it reminds me why I’m doing this and what I want to achieve (getting back to a weight I haven’t been in probably 20 years).

Did my 60 mile bike challenge today – cold and drizzly, but 42 of us raised over £4K for the charity, so all good. Hard route and hilly, started with bowl of porridge and kept going with cheese cubes, nuts and a banana. Drank half a can of flat Coca Cola near the end – my ‘go to’ energy boost on these occasions as recommended to me by Olympic cyclist Rebecca Romero a few years ago on a charity celeb ride. Works brilliantly.

60 miles in just over 5 hours including breaks, I was sixth home, happy with that, and it was nice not to have to drag 4 extra stones up the hills – a huge difference from last summer! Also, I managed to ride over the carb monster several times – the naughty lIttle rascal, he’s not the boss of me.

100 miles to do in 2 weeks time, but not scared. Could have kept on going today.

Only five more weeks till puppy pick-up. There was a spoodle at the end of the race today, beautiful.
SO excited to bring my girl home! MKx

Haha, Bigeater. 😉 In my dreams 😜

Well I’m still going and after a couple of blips (long weekend in Spain and a 40th birthday party) I’m 11 pounds down. It will be my 5 week weigh in on Tuesday and I have a bit of a dilemma. I’m going to Greece for a week where I plan to follow the principles but not calorie count and not refrain from alcohol. As I won’t be doing the full 8 weeks should I start trying to maintain from the week before or follow the BSD 800 right up to the day I go. I don’t want to put all the weight back on through not planning correctly if that makes sense. Any advice would be appreciated. I plan to get back on plan when I return.