Hi JCH187, if it’s any comfort to anyone – I am being complete rubbish at the moment – sabotaging myself at every step ☹️
SSB

Can I join you lovely people? I’m going on holiday on 2nd August and would like to lose 4lbs as well – maybe a bit more if possible. I don’t know why but I do ok in the day then sabotage myself when I get home from work. I’m hoping that being accountable on here might help me keep on track.
I will post on here every day so that I have to think before I allow the ‘baddies’ to tempt me!
Good luck everyone.
SSB

Day 18 in the BSD house.

Today I have done my 15 reps with my 3 lb weights. Did 3 circuits of the lifts I do (bicep curls, straight lateral lifts, etc. Is it obvious I don’t know all the names of the exercises?).

I plan on doing strength training one day and light aerobics on the other day. Seemingly this is a good way to do it and I have read I should push the lifting to my limit and then add one more rep.

I have been keeping my veggies chunky as I read somewhere that the more processed a food the quicker the calories are absorbed and the remains pass through the system. So in theory chewing and digesting chunky, less processed food should keep me fuller for longer (and burn more energy?).

On the alcohol front I haven’t been tempted, Fridays and Sundays seem to be my danger days, and I find it tough passing the pub on a sunny day but I am keeping on the wagon.

All the best buddies.

FFBB X

I’m in! My goal is the same as Maisie Mouse- I want to lose 4lb. Today I weighed in at 142 lb. I will aim for 138 lb or less! Have been super strict this week so far and feel like I am in the zone to get results this month. Thank you for continuing this monthly thread- I think it really does help. Good luck everyone!

I don’t like cooking but found the Chicken & Mushroom ‘pie’ so easy I’ve cooked it twice.
What are other people cooking?

No, just the 800 calorie ish version, but the days 3-7 will be full on fasting mimicking with just plant based foods and less than 9% protein to see what the effect is. Still mixing and matching these ways of eating 😁 I have been on maintenance calories so averaging about 2100 calories a day, so should be quite a shock to the system.

I’ve been extending my overnight fasts the last couple of days and I’m hopeful that it will be a good way of kick starting things again. Hope your fasting Is working for you Mixnmatch, is it complete abstention through the 7 days, or do you have a light meal at some point each day? Not sure I could cope with full on fasting – not made of stern enough stuff.

Look forward to reading you input on the 7 day thread.

I still like sweet stuff, but rarely crave it if it isn’t right in front of me. Still, there have been quite a few ‘cake’ moments over the last couple of weeks since my birthday, so I am having a reset week. Back to fasting on the Seriously thread just for 7 days. I will be trying to find ideas for Verano’s new 7 day thread as well to get my head back in the game.

I’m in too, I like receiving everyone’s posts via email – it reminds me what I’m supposed to be doing! 😉

I’m going to aim for another 4lb loss which would take me to 9st 10lbs – hoping to achieve that just sticking to the mediterranean principles rather than anything too stringent. I must also get back on track with walking, water drinking and getting enough sleep.

Hope I can achieve that by the 6th August because I am heading to France on the 7th… land of croissants and pain au chocolats! 🙁

Love the sound of that Kraut with turmeric and juniper, Marsie – can you mail some to the UK?!

I’m definitely in, Baristagirls.

Not personally setting any fix goal to achieve, but I ultimately want to get to and past my original target weight of 8st 7lb, so that I have a buffer zone to allow a bit of wriggle room. Currently I have a pound to drop to target weight and then we’ll see what happens. My main reason for joining the challenge is to be accountable and to help me stay focused and on track, as I’ve struggled a bit the last week or so, with giving the BSD my attention and have coasted.

Let’s do it folks …. Keep on Going!

Yeah! I’m in for “keep it going be it shine or snowing” it’s got a good ring to it.
Mind you , if it blinkin’ snows in August I’ll know who to blame!
And it’s raining crazy here today, hope you haven’t turned the weather gods against us!
Nice to see you back Marsie 😁

Ann x

Great idea Verano, thank you.

My contribution is a purchased product. I have not really enjoyed saurkraut, but reading Dr M’s book as well as other materials about fermented foods, decided to give it another go. I happened upon a local (Western Australian) small producer of Kraut and Kimchi and honestly say it is absolutely delicious. Green St Kitchen Kraut with Turmeric & Juniper Berries. Carbs = 3.6g/100g so a 30gm serve is not damaging.

Hi Sian,

I have only been on it 2 days feel good, not so bloated, but, no weight loss, I will keep going, not going to give up. LOL
I need to loose 1 stone, and hopefully that will help my joints, as they are aching!!

Just think what you can acheive in 2 weeks.

I am going to a wedding in eight weeks so, this is my motivation. As you say, I am going to make this a way of life too.

Have a great holiday.

Ellen :O)

Hey Rozy, sorry you have been struggling too. Think as we get closer to target weight, not only is it harder to lose the pounds, but the temptation is to back off and stop trying so hard and essentially drop back in to maintenance mode. For me the answer is to get back to basics, but we all find our own routes through the problem areas.

Having that sweet tooth must be tough as well. I’m lucky in that I rarely crave the sweet stuff. Savoury is a much greater temptation for me, but I think that’s perhaps easier to cope with than needing sugar. Hope you can find some coping mechanism to get you through the yearning for sugary treats.

Here’s to us all getting to our target weight soon. Keep posting everyone.

The latest 4 week challenge – who’s to join?

I’m joining as I fell so miserably at the last one – my challenge is to lose 8lb, that’s 2 a week, and I will brave the scales tomorrow so as to report accurately next week. This should bring me back into my comfortable weight range and help prevent me feeling so ill when I eat the wrong foods.
It’s raining outside despite yesterdays sun so the title seems appropriate, although I was more thinking of it in a moral context for us strugglers!

I’m not too good at heading things up but I’ll do it for you Marsie….. as I so nearly typed where’s Marsie when you need her, on the above post! 🙂

Have just caught up with this Verano. Congratulations on your considerable achievements thus far, and look forward to your continued success as time goes on. Your participation on the various threads of this forum is highly valued.

Thank you and good wishes xx Marilyn

Great result Ann – you should be really proud to have come so far. Stick with it and the next half stone will soon be history too!

Love this idea, Verano – good thinking! Like you, I have been on and off this WOE for over a year now and it is easy to become jaded and fall back on the easy and familiar, forgetting that keeping food interesting with variety. I certainly thing shaking things up a bit can only be a good thing.

My offering for today is my new discovered – Shawarma Spice mix – which is easy for make. With the addition of some lemon juice (or minced preserved lemon) and a teaspoon each of minced garlic and fresh ginger, it makes a flavour packed paste to zing up any meat – spread it on, leave it for at least an hour, but preferably overnight (especially if you are spicing a joint or whole chicken) and then roast or grill. I make a decent size jar full of the spice mix, so it’s there if I want it on a whim. A bit like Ras El Hanout, there seem to be a number of variations on the mix, so you can tweak it to your personal taste, but this is a good start point:
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tbsp. ground salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (or hot paprika)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1tsp All Spice

Looking forward to reading other peoples ideas to inspire those of us who have become jaded and a bit complacent.

Hello all on this thread. I haven’t been on for a few days, thought I needed a bit of head-clearing. Thanks for your support at the time.
I have finished this challenge heavier by .7kg (700gms sounds so much less, lol) and know it could have been so much worse but I clearly did not follow my own reminder: BE AWARE -AVOID THE THOUGHTLESS HAND TO MOUTH.

Well done to those who have prospered this month and commiserations to those keeping me company. Let’s all achieve our next goals, next challenge.

Lots of ideas for new challenge theme, I vote for Baristagirls’ suggestion “Keep on Going be it Shine or Snowing” 4 week challenge ending 8th August. I too enjoy a good rhyme. I say set it up for us, please, Baristagirls.

Hi Inthebin

You started this topic – how are you getting on?

Hi everyone

Hope you all doing ok

Just had something to eat – first time today. – seems more difficult today than yesterday. 🤔 Determined to keep going though 🙂

I don’t mind… being an English literature freak I quite like a good rhyme like there usually is, so looked back for inspiration, what about “Keep on Going be it Shine or Snowing” 4 week challenge ending 8th August?

Reading the posts I realise I’m not the only one who is going through a rough patch. There are many reasons why this is happening and I think in my case it’s a bit of boredom after a year of this WOE and also post holiday blues.

I was looking for inspiration and looked at 101 Ways with Cauliflower again. I realise that my food choices have become so boring …. salad, salad and more salad! Then reading the cauliflower thread I remembered courgetti spaghetti. I had some tomato sauce in the freezer and so had puttanesca for lunch. Real satisfying food! Such a change from salad.

So I thought I would start a thread to see what it would take to renew our enthusiasm for BSD. Just 7 days to find one thing each day that will help renew your enthusiasm for this WOE. So….

DAY 1of 7

Today I found renewed joy in BSD food with courgetti puttanesca.

Hopefully by the end of the week we will all be inspired by each other and will be enjoying BSD and its benefits again.

Angie that is very cool!! Well
Done you🎊I had t realised how many carbs were in carrots beetroot and spuds! And chickpeas –
How does mum have so many chickpeas in things- and fruit I was def eating too much fruit so now I know! Fingers crossed for a good weigh in tomorrow on week 2 day 1

Hi, I started last Tuesday morning and am pleased to say I’ve lost 4lb. My GP recommended I do this BSD. I only lost my way once, as on Sunday evening a box of Thorntons passed by me 4 times before I ate 3 in succession. Felt awful for eating them. But so enjoyed them.

Thought I’d bring this to the top again for anybody like me needing a bit of inspiration.

Last night I made roast cauliflower pieces and I put just a sliver of butter on them as well as a very small drizzle of oil. The butter really added a good flavour if you have the extra calories. I doubt if I used more than 20g of butter for two portions.

How’s everyone doing? I’ve lost another 1lb this week so I’m 6lbs down in total but it doesn’t look like I’m going to hit my first mini goal. It’s been hard to keep myself on track this week, struggling with food boredom a bit!

Sunshine-girl …. you make a lot of sense and have put things into perspective. You are so right you need to keep your BS at the forefront weight is a separate issue and of far less importance. You are doing so well with your insulin. Have you been as low as 21 units before? You have come so far you just have to keep on keeping on …..

As for me I’ve just come back from the dentist and feel a lot better than I did earlier today. Yes a year on and we are still here. We are the winners. As Sumo says “We are in control of our diabetes”. Not much more to say except enjoy the ‘Tour’.

Week 6 so starting afresh and hoping todays tennis is as good as yesterdays. Shame about Rafa but what a nail biting match.

Have a good day everyone.

Today and tomorrow the Tour de France passes within about 20 km of us. We were going to go and watch but it is such a project. First you have to get there about 5 hours before they come through, you have to find how to get there as most of the roads are closed, then you have to find somewhere to park. You need to take food and drink as you might be stuck where you are for up to 7 hours as happened to us a few years ago. The best part is when all the support vehicles go through, cars in lots of shapes and sizes made to look like Disney characters etc and they throw bags of goodies into the crowds. When the bikes come through you blink and have missed them. So I have recorded it and will watch at my leisure. Something you should experience once in your life and I already have so will relax and fast forward through it.

Hi all, yes we do get stuck in the weight loss means everything mode. I am happy to be 21 lbs lighter than I was a year ago, although I have been less, but with all the ups and downs life throws at us we are still here, hey Verano, a year on and we have not given up.

Not talking about my weight today as it is neither here nor there but my BG is still down around 4.0 so I will reduce insulin again tonight, that is my main aim on this plan and for that reason I dont eat bad carbs and probably wont again. I think I have become frightened of them or, more likely, frightened of what they will do to my body.

Have a good week everyone.

I’m not precious about my idea lol – let’s try to keep it to less than an essay –

‘Keep on keeping on in July and August’ seems fine to me

Anyone else?

Thank you FFBB and Lee, I don’t understand it and am a little angry, but I am not giving up. Your support is so important.
Lee….that is a R E S U L T….that could be mainly water! You will be fine, and you had a good time. Well done.

Love Mary
xxxx

Don’t be despondent Mary. That’s how it was for me for about 4 weeks. Then I think that my body got with the plan as well and “let go” I suspect that will be what happens to you, as long as you persevere…

Damage update:
Just under 3lbs on 😱 I know it could have been so much worse but it’s disheartening nonetheless. I shall be back in Galway on 7th September and I’m determined to be under 10 stone by then. I’ve got time for a full 8 week cycle of bsd, so it’s achievable if I attach myself to the wagon again 😳😇😈

Just waiting for Waitrose to deliver my lovely healthy food. But I may have a pack of stunning Irish sausages to use up first…

Hello 66, you have made the right decision. I wish I had done it years ago and maybe I wouldn’t have ended up as diabetic. Pull up a chair and have a cuppa ☕️

L xxx

Oh Lee, bow chicka wah wah! What a confidence boost. Families can surprise us sometimes so I am pleased they accepted your choices with regards to alcohol.

Mary – Keep on it, stick with it. I am sure you will keep losing. I know it can be disheartening, especially since this WOE is such low calorie and other people have had dramatic weight loss, week after week and the older we get the easier it is to gain and the harder it is to lose. I read the book and all the case studies lost multiple pounds every week, not to mention other members of the forum. I am pleased you are not going to use this as a “fuck it” moment. Eat the sausage meat and not the pastry (easier said than done if it is a warm sausage roll……man I love warm puff pastry, and now I am thinking of a Gregg’s creamy chicken slice!).

Welcome Hello 66. Have you downloaded an app to track calories, etc? I recommend Fat Secret or My Fitness Plan. Both have websites if you don’t want the app. I find it vital to be precise, estimating is not good as I tend to underestimate. 800 calories really makes you think about the food you consume, which I think is part of the idea. Have you bought the book? I got an e-book for less than £3 which is money well spent.

FFBB X

Take it all back. Ive just dug the book out and it says quite clearly that the recipes in the back are based on med style low carb.

Well day 5
Eating lush food, up to 1200 cals and carbs 50-70, today have now lost 2 kg woohoo. Better still feeling amazing, walking 10,000 steps on average, sleeping like a baby, it’s so wonderful to be brimming with energy. I am basically my hubbies labourer, on our site in Norfolk, where we are restoring three barns. So when you are carting around an extra 40 kg, its very useful to be loosing it.
I have had a weight problem since I was 17, started at about a stone overweight, and has escalated over 42 years, well I’m 60 this Christmas, so now as I say bye bye to the pounds/ kilos, they are never going to return.
So of now to do some cement mixing, and clearing of hedges, trees, nettles, etc in the garden in My of duty time 🤗🤗🤗 isn’t life grand 🙋🙋🙋

Quick update as I’ve been very busy and still am.
BS levels been 7.1 / 7.2 / 7.2 in the past week.
So it’s stable but is that good?
My BP is still down to average 123/72.
My weight is down to 13st 4lb. That’s a loss of 3 lbs in a week.
I’m a bit disappointed with my B.S. levels going back up. But I’m into week 5 of the diet now so hoping for a drop soon.

Quick update as I’ve been very busy and still am.
BS levels been 7.1 / 7.2 / 7.2 in the past week.
So it’s stable but is that good?
My BP is still down to average 123/72.
My weight is down to 13st 4lb. That’s a loss of 3 lbs in a week.
I’m a bit disappointed with my B.S. levels going back up. But I’m into week 5 of the diet now so hoping for a drop soon.

Never mind, SunnyB, similar week for me. I did chalk up a couple of days where I’d lost nearly 2lbs (I went back to having soups for a few days) but it went straight back on. Warmer weather makes it easier to drink lots of water, eat salads, but it’s been so hot (particularly at work) that I’ve felt lousy, not done so much exercise (the lure of Wimbledon on TV), and generally resorted to comfort eating at times. Have eaten plenty of good stuff but rather spoiled things with “extras”. Still bumbling around the 10st mark.

As someone commented a while back, I seem to have got maintenance cracked! Just a pity that my mind is not set on maintenance just yet. When I look back, it was around this time of year in 2016 that things started to slow down & generally became more difficult. Just have to keep reminding myself that I’ve come a long way and that I actually weigh less than I did in 2007 when I had significant health issues, so any more losses are a bonus. Must make sure I prevent future gains but it’s difficult when I don’t seem to have totally lost my sweet tooth – must be genetic, I remember my mother gave up smoking but she admitted that never a day went by that she didn’t want a ciggie. I know plenty of people have posted that they just don’t enjoy sugary/carby stuff any more (good for them) but I still feel the need even after all this time (I don’t have to enjoy it to eat it).
But that’s for me to deal with – you have plenty of determination and are so close to reaching your goal. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

A long-winded title with a bit of everybody’s ideas!!
We will “Keep on Keeping” on in July andAugust
No matter what life throws at us!!

Or maybe July to August – Putting Your Health First

Hi Topcac
I had “July-August: keep on keeping on no matter what life throws at us” after a line in someone’s post – will have to look back and see who said that (am on phone at the moment).
So how about “August rush – keeping on no matter what life throws at us?

Firstly, well done to all of you who have posted another lose this week, no matter how small. Commiserations to everyone struggling or unhappy with their results. Don’t allow that to derail you, stick with the regime and it will come right again.

Baristagirls, it’s important to reject the negative thinking and the word ‘failure’ from your mind set in connection with BSD. My advise is to get back to basics. It’s so easy to let things slide a bit and when that starts to feel comfortable, not to remember to pull things back. I’ve been doing that myself and have just started to get back to weighing and measuring everything consumed, keeping a strict check on cals and carbs. You’ll be surprised how quickly you see the pounds dropping again. Think positively, because you know you can do this and will be successful again.

I can report a loss of 0.8lb for this week. Not huge, but it’s much better than where I was yesterday – which makes me think yesterday’s reading was burdened with some water retention. Anyway, assuming I can believe today’s reading, I’m now 1lb away from target weight again. Little worried as this week promises a lot of social events, all featuring eating. I do however, have a plan to minimise the impact, so am hoping things won’t get too out of hand.

Pod – just love that Christopher Robin quote and I shall be copying that somewhere for future reference.

Looking forward to the next challenge. I’m finding the challenges really help to keep me focused and on track.

Krysia,I had exactly the same problem with the almond butter,it was so delicious!I’m sticking to peanut butter as well as it hasn’t got the same temptation.

Final challenge weigh in for me sees me 4.5lbs heavier than when I started!!! This has to stop. I have maintained from last week but the 4lbs that I wanted to lost at the beginning of the challenge has become 4.5 on….not good enough.

On the plus side, I haven’t put on any from last week, I DID get married and have a honeymoon in that time and I didn’t eat the Mint Magnum….the weekend was a disaster – it would appear that my new wife was right (grrrr) but with two picnics, two BBQs and a cream tea, it was never going to be brilliant.

So – moving on….new 4 weeker starting today? Did we decide on a title – my suggestion is ‘August Rush…to lower BS and lose weight’.

Any other ideas?

Well I didn’t make it through the whole 8 weeks of the 800 cal BSD because by week 6 I was getting a bit fed up, very busy, away from home a lot and had quite a few social events … seems to have been a common theme amongst us this challenge!

But rather than go completely off the rails I made a decision to apply the principles of the mediterranean diet without counting any calories and everything felt a lot more manageable that way. Crucially I didn’t feel deprived. Well, apart from a little bit sorry for myself at the birthday party where the most enticing chocolate and guinness cake with a huge frosted topping took pride of place on the table… but I had two helpings of fruit and cream instead of even a sliver of that… I am quite fearful that even a taste of it would have sent me back to all of my former ways…

So despite eating a fair few ‘extra’ chunks of cheddar here and there and quite some ‘fry-up’ breakfasts, I’m pleased to have lost four pounds overall this challenge. I said I wanted to be ‘somewhere in the 9’s’ at the end of the challenge and have just scraped in this morning with 9 stone 13lbs and 3/4…. hardly there I know and yet so nice to see that number 9!!

I’ve realised Verano and Clarinet Cathy that maintaining is a massive achievement in itself, so please don’t take that as an excuse to be mean to yourself – it isn’t! Krysia you are a shining example to us!

Baristagirls I find that when I’m feeling like that I avoid the scales… but I don’t think that works out well for me. Best to face up to it which is what you are doing, hop back on tomorrow, and continue in any way you think is manageable, with much self compassion! In your ‘self talk’ imagine you are advising a dear friend xx

I use the ‘fat secret’ app for recording food intake & weight. or I have before! must get back into counting food to keep below the 800.
I seem to remember from when I did it before that the book does not talk about carbs for the 8 week 800 regime, but I may be wrong. I Know that for me carbs are the enemy, so Im going to try to keep them fairly low.
Good luck everyone.

Verano – you have done well maintaining your weight. When I was in the weight loss stage of the BSD I spent more time maintaining weight than actually losing weight. Although I was often fed up with this I think it really helped me in maintenance because I had had so many maintenance stints on the weight loss journey.

Just think how far you have come – a real achievement.

Baristagirls – I am sure that there is no-one on this forum who hasn’t done exactly what you have done. It is only a failure if you don’t try again.

Pod – I do love your Christopher Robin quote.

In the 6th week of my second 8 week challenge and weighed in at 64 k this morning. Started at 76 k January 17 and finished the first challenge at 68k, so haven’t lost so much this time, but am really doing it on my own this time as hubby and sons have kinda fallen away a bit. Keeping up the exercise and have had the odd alcoholic drink on a few occasions, still trying to stay within the 800, but sadly have gone over many more times than before.
Having said that, I have lost more from my waist and my blood sugars are more often under 5 than over…and I’m feeling great in my clothes and when I see myself in the mirror, with upper thighs no longer rubbing and getting lots of complements from lots of different sources. I love being able to climb the stairs at work without getting puffed and being able to easily dry my ankles after a shower.
I have tended to have a good weigh in and then drink or eat something I shouldn’t. I generally weigh in most days so that if I have put on, I can address it straight away. My son says I need to do more weights, so that I’m making muscle and not losing it, so I have been increasing my arm weight repetitions and still doing 20 sec runs during my morning walk. Sometimes I feel great and sometimes it’s tough, but trying to push on. We have three family birthdays coming up and a long weekend away, so I’m expecting to either finish the 8 weeks early, or just expect to be a little disappointed at the final weigh in. I’m not concerned as I feel I’m in charge and will be able to keep losing by just sticking to the 5:2 afterwards. I saw my ideal weight for my height is 55 k, but I really think I would look (and feel ) unwell at that weight, so I really would just like to get to 60 k and then maintain that. So really only 4 nasty little kilos to go. I feel like I’ve been doing this so long, I am a little scared of reaching that goal, but at the same time I feel really driven to reach it.
Hang in there folks we are amazing and we have all had such wonderful successes! I am in awe of some of you and the battles you have faced and won, and even more so when you have started again after a setback.
I can’t remember who said it recently, but I totally agree, Life is for Living and no matter how gradually or rapidly you are reaching your goals, you are in charge of your future. Have those little diversions, enjoy them, revel in them and get back on track.