Yowser – thank you for sharing the brilliant quote about losing weight and not wanting the weight back. It is just what I am thinking after years and years or losing and finding it again! So now i shall say i have discarded my weight because I never want it back. I’m tired of the continuous cycle of losing and gaining. More gaining than losing to be perfectly honest.

I know how committed you are Yowser when the time is right and you will know when you are ready. Spring is an ideal time to spring into action. You did brilliantly last year before you became unwell and you lost consistently so I know you have the tools and the mindset and of course your friends on here to cheer you on as you discard! What has worked for me this time is drastically reducing my calorie intake alongside low carb/keto. I’ve cut out breakfast just a coffee (with milk- I can’t enjoy black coffee still) and am managing on 800/900 calories a day, lowering the calories has made a big difference. Low carb wasn’t enough, Even fasting for 24/36/42 hours didn’t have an impact on my weight loss last year. I was so disappointed and disheartened, You know I have tried various formats since my success in 2017 and 800 calories seems to be working at the moment so I am going to do this for 12 weeks and then gradually increase my calories to a level where I stabilise my weight once and for all. I hope you are inspired to come out of hibernation and join in with “the losers”.

Congrats CCATHY and DCT,you have both started off theyear so well! XX
My start to the year has been a damp squib,too much hibernating,too much comfort food and treats,but I am buckling down 1st March,no more excuses.
DCT,enjoy the ‘ city that never sleeps’
I read somewhere,maybe Instagram,someone saying they never say that theyve lost weight – because they dont ever want it back 🙂🙃 xx
Happy weekend everyone x

Yay, Cathy and DCT! Your dedication is paying off!

I’ll weigh again on the 1st of March to see what the loss was for February.

I’m feeling a bit wiped out tonight, like I need to include some more carbs. Not sweets, but a little fruit, more vegetables, and the occasional bits of whole grains, nuts, beans, milk, etc. I think I’ve been overdoing it with the keto thing for many weeks now, and it’s left me not just bored, but a bit flat-feeling, lethargic, etc. For a time I even considered trying to go ZERO carbs. But… no. I need a bit more balance. Looking through my Fast 800 cookbooks today, I’m reminded of that.

I know I had said a few days ago that even a little bit of carb makes me retain water, but maybe that’s actually a sign that I’ve been going too low. Will need to experiment.

If we don’t talk to you before your trip, DCT, have fun! Try to say hi from the Big Apple! I’ve never been there and I live in the states!

Speaking of trips, I am shopping online for a bathing suit for our desert holiday… which is something I NEVER thought I would say again! My granddaughter can get me to do anything. : ) Seriously, though, it’s been DECADES, and I’m still very overweight, so this is a bit of a challenge.

-Becca

Wow CATHY that’s fantastic news! SO pleased for you. Very well done 👏. And I’m sure you’ll get to 149 at least by the end of March.

I’ve met my original target of 152lb for February, and had been lower than that last week. So I’m hoping to be in the 140’s by the end of March too, taking into account my New York trip. Here’s hoping!

BECCA your forthcoming trip sounds fabulous! I’ve been luck enough to visit those areas many years ago and would love to go back someday – they are so beautiful. Plenty of time to shed a few more pounds before then too 😊

Hello to everyone else too. It’s lovely to keep up with all your news on here so keep it coming!

If I don’t post over the weekend I’ll check back in first week in March X

Hello everyone
Just jumping on quickly to post my weight this morning- 153.8 lb – so a loss of 1.8 lb this week. Very happy with that. A total loss of 13 lb since January. My goal was 5lb for January and February so I’m smashing it! My next goal is 149lb for the end of March. We’ve got this.
Looking forward to seeing your progress.
DCT- have a wonderful trip to New York.

Sue, that’s a great idea for how to handle meals on holiday, thanks. I think I’ll try that.
Love that other John Lennon quote! I think I may have heard that one once, but had forgotten it, and it’s wonderful.

– Becca

Becca I can totally identify! And that John Lennon line is one of my favourites to quote (along with “we are all of us lying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”)!
With the trip if it was me going, I’d aim to keep my weight stable, or with minimal gain, rather than trying to lose. So maybe have 2 “sensible” meals a day and then one “treat” meal (for want of a better word), where you eat whatever you want/feel like without feeling guilty?
I would love to see that part of America, am very envious!

DCT and Cathy… oh, how I relate to that old feeling of “Well, I’ve blown it now, best to start fresh later.” I would venture to guess that much of the weight I’ve gained over the years was gained while “getting ready” to go back on a diet… like an “eat this while I can” kind of thing. Very foolish, and I should have overcome that silliness a long time ago. I keep coming back to “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans,” or whatever that was that John Lennon said.

So, DCT, you are by no means alone in feeling demoralized from time to time. It’s true of all of us, I’m sure. And Cathy, I like what you say about “chipping away.” That’s a good healthy attitude that can hopefully keep us staying the course.

Hope everyone has a good almost weekend, and I’ll be over here rooting for your next weigh-in, DCT, as you prepare for your trip!
I’m going on a trip with my daughter and granddaughter at the end of March… Grand Canyon, Sedona, other parts of Arizona, ending in Palm Springs… and I’m still working out in my head whether to relax and enjoy some things that I don’t usually allow myself… or whether to try to stay reined in. Still haven’t decided.

Edited to add – I’m loving all the recipe ideas! I’ve had all the cookbooks (even the dessert one!) for such a long time, but get a bit overwhelmed when I look through them as far as what to try, so the recommendations are much appreciated. Kudos to those of you who are sticking with the online programme! I’m watching with interest. : )

–Becca

I am in the same boat with making lots of appointments, S-G. It’s like a part-time job, isn’t it? And somewhat never-ending. Best wishes on good A1c results, and also on finding that perfect pair of jeans.

I agree with you about the rogue posts. It makes the site seem much less safe and comfortable, as well as just being annoying. Thanks for reporting them. By the time I see them, they’ve usually been reported already. When you report them, do you ever get a response? It seems like if they’re going to keep this website open, they’d have someone whose job it was to monitor it.

Becca

Hi all, so many rouge posts that I keep reporting. Make the site a bit of a mess when looking for real information.

Diet going well and going to look for some more jeans tomorrow, will be looking for narrow leg this time. Not really got any news, just busy making appointments – made 6 over the last 2 days – for when we come back plus blood and doctor before we go away. I am seriously hoping my HbA1c is down. Still 3 weeks to go and as you can tell I am counting the days.

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Hello everyone
DCT- I had a feeling and hoped it would just be a short blip on the scales and you’ve definitely got time to lose that small gain before heading off to New York. How exciting! I agree with you that when we follow the plan properly and eat properly it doesn’t feel like we are on a “diet”. When I ate 3 apple and cinnamon muffins last week with a cup of coffee for my lunch it felt so indulgent! I couldn’t really believe I could lose weight whilst enjoying such a delicious lunch! The lesson I now have to learn is to be strict (apart from holidays and special occasions). The main lesson I am trying to learn is to remember how hard it has been over the years to lose weight in the first place and so not to take my eye off the ball and put back my hard earned pounds! I do think maintenance when it arrives will take a lot of effort. Anyway, for now we don’t have that to think about. Let’s keep chipping away to discard the excess and we couldn’t be in a better place than here supporting each other.
Lunch today is mushroom and pesto egg muffins. I really do look forward to my meals and appreciate them. I’ll get on my walking pad for half an hour later and I’ll look forward to my weigh in tomorrow to see if my hard work has paid off. Would like to see another pound gone.
Looking forward to seeing how we have all done this week. Next week is week 4 of my 12 week reset. I’m still craving an apple but my crisp addiction is well under control oh and the Fybogel had worked it’s magic!!!
Have a good day everyone .

Thanks CATHY for your wise and kind words yesterday. I always seem to fall into the trap of feeling complacent. Once weight is coming off I seem to think I can ease up a bit. But a bit turns into a bit too much! Something DAWN said really resonated with me, about once you have “blown it” a part of you thinks you might as well write off this week and start again next week. Or some such warped logic 🙀. Anyway, thankfully the scales are heading downwards again this morning so I’ll report back again at the weekend on that one.

BECCA some of the recipes I have enjoyed on the Fast800 programme are:
Spinach and cheese stuffed chicken
Salmon in cream and pepper sauce
Greek yoghurt chicken salad
Chili prawn zoodles

Some of them are so nice it doesn’t feel as if I’m on this WoE or indeed any other kind of special diet. They wouldn’t look out of place on any restaurant menu! If you can’t find any of them just give me a shout and I can give you a quick run down.

DAWN I notice you said you’re in Newcastle. I grew up in Sunderland and my mother lived there until 2023. So I’m very much a northern lass too, even though I’ve been living in London then Hampshire for over 40 years now.

Hope everyone is doing ok. I’ll check in again at the weekend before heading off to the Big Apple!

Eva I can o lu say “you will KNOW” when the time is right. Yes I would definitely wait until after your holiday.

Becca there’s some recipes available online through the Fast 800 website – https://thefast800.com/recipes

Most of the recipes I’ve had so far on the plan seem to be simplified versions/adaptations of ones in the various books 🙂

Thanks, Cathy and Sue! Cathy, I didn’t mean for you to have to type out a whole recipe, but thank you! Was just thinking that maybe those favorite recipes people had tried could be found in my cookbooks? Or maybe the online recipes aren’t in the cookbooks, not sure!

Thanks, Verano. My eye doctor said they were “getting a bit worse,” but left it to me as to whether I was ready to have them removed or not. I didn’t really know how to make that decision, so have been reading about other people’s experiences on reddit (as well as your experience just now). The consensus seems to be that nearly everyone is glad to have done it, and mentions how much brighter the colors are. I’ve got a holiday coming up at the end of March, but I think I’ll see about having it done when I get back.

Thanks SUEBLUE and CCATHY for those meal ideas,they sound yummers and right up my street xx
DCThave a wonderful time in New York! I would love to visit there x
I hope NOKIE and FOXY ( ARCTIC FOX) are ok,seems like a long time since ive seen posts from them
Cant believe its Thursday already tomorrow..feels like only a few hours ago it was Sunday evening
Stay warm and well wrapped up folks!SUEBLUE hope you can keep cool XX!
Only a few days now til March! The meteorological season changes then from winter to spring wooohooo!
They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb …and this year we have an early Easter ( and lots of chocolate…no,no,NOT lots of chocolate,what am I thinking of…well,maybe just a little nibble 🙂🙃 )
💚🌸🌸 “ May the dream of peace take flight across the world “🌸🌸💚

Margaret, that is a very long drive! I’ve rarely driven on the M25 and was very stressed last time I tried! We were going across to Norfolk from Wiltshire and that took a long time…was feeling exhausted after flu as well which didn’t help.

Still enjoying the Fast 800 and weight loss really a bit plateau’d but explicable given extra bits here and there, but still feeling much more energetic with sticking to the right foods so I’ve been steadily increasing various types of exercise as well 🙂 🙂

Hi Becca.
Obviously you need to be guided by your opthalmist/optician.

I’ve had cataracts for quite a number of years and actually had no problem seeing indoors. But, we’ve had a really wet winter with very dull weather so all cars are using headlights during the day and I was finding the glare from the lights and traffic lights was becoming really unpleasant. Instead of seeing ‘round’ lights with defined edges I was seeing ‘star bursts’. It was really unsettling.

Since I’ve had my first eye done, which was the worst of the two, I can really see the difference. My operated eye now sees bright colours whereas my other eye has a brown film over it! When I look through both eyes together everything looks fine.

I was wearing contact lenses in both eyes but now I only need a lense in my un-operated eye. The procedure itself was painless and even after it I didn’t really have any issues. The worst part was having to put drops in my eye every 4 hours for two weeks!

Of course all surgery, no matter how commonplace, carries risks so be guided by the professionals. You will know yourself when the time is right. Best of luck!

Becca I hear you regarding treats! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth usually but sometimes crave sweetness. Last night after dinner I ended up having 3 frozen grapes!
There are some treats in the recipe books. One of my favourites is the Beetroot Chocolate Brownies, from the BSD recipe book I think. I used to make a batch and then freeze them so that I wasn’t tempted to eat more than 1. They are quite rich and satisfying.
The berry chia “jam” recipe in the same book is good as well. I make it when I have left over berries usually, but you can make with frozen ones too. It makes a nice topping for porridge, I used to spoon it over a warm brownie and to me it was (almost) like Black Forest cake, especially with a little bit of whipped cream 🙂
Another sweet treat I used to make was a version of stewed apple – you sauté chunks of apple in butter and cinammon, then when the apple is coated then the heat down and add some water and cook until just soft, but still keeping the chunky shape. I then kept it in the fridge and had it on porridge, or as a “dessert” with yoghurt after a meal.
Other favourites of mine from the BSD recipe book are
– Pecan chia porridge
– Apple and cinnamon porridge
– Roast pumpkin (squash) soup – can’t remember the name but you roast the pumpkin/squash and some red capsicums then make the soup – it’s delicious. I make Haloumi ‘croutons’ to have in it sometime too (just cut into cubes and bake with the capsicum for 10 minutes).
– Red cabbage and beetroot salad

There’s a Beef Rendang recipe, I think it’s in the Fast 800 recipe book that’s really delicious. The vegetarian bolognaise is good too.

I’ll have to dig out my books again as there’s loads more I used to regularly make 🙂

Here is the halloumi fajitas recipe – this is for one portion – 400 calories 25g protein. 12.7 g carbohydrate. 25.9 g fat. Fibre 6.4g
1/4 red onion
1/2 red pepper
1 portobello mushroom sliced
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
25 g plain full fat Greek Yoghurt
1/4 lime zest and juice
80g Halloumi cheese sliced
1/2 baby cos lettuce

Toss the onion peppers mushrooms in the spices with half the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the vegetables. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking mix together the yoghurt! Lime juice and zest with a pinch of salt.
Remove vegetables from pan and heat the remaining olive oil. Add the Halloumi and cook each side for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy.
Return the vegetables to the pan and warm through with the halloumi.
Scoop the mix I to the lettuce leaves , top with lime yoghurt and enjoy.

amazing

Ooops, sorry I got you mixed up, Sunny and Dreams! I’m relieved to hear it, though. Hope your holiday is going pleasantly, Sunny, and hope your holiday will be pleasant when you go, Dreams.

You are right about the need for strictness, Cathy. I had one tiny sweet thing last night, and even with still being under 20 total carbs for the day, my weight was up almost a pound today. Just crazy. I feel torn at times between wanting so much to stay disciplined, but also feeling like life is short (especially now that I’m in my 70s), and a little pleasure is called for, too. I know it just comes down to balance, but that balance means the scale tends to go up and down.

Thanks in advance for the recipe recommendations! I’ll look for the mushroom stroganoff and the haloumi fajitas. Not sure I’ve ever seen haloumi in the stores – but will look for it!

Cheers, everyone! Onward and downward. –Becca

Hello everyone
DCT- I was hoping it was the end of this week that you were travelling to New York . That’s fortunate and hopefully the snow will be gone and the sun will be shining . I’ve enjoyed a few sunny but cold trips to New York. I love it!
Don’t be too annoyed with what has happened this week. This is the teaching we all need to learn. This is the teaching that has got us back here time after time because we don’t learn. We really will have to be so strict and disciplined going forwards. It’s going to be tough. It will be water weight and so it will whoosh away quickly and with a few strict days you’ll be back nearer to 150 again. Enjoy your holiday and when you get back you can continue to chip away. I am planning to allow myself holiday time going forward but the lesson is to get back on track straight away and not get back into this situation ever again ( I lost 42lb and put back 32lb)! Your little lesson is teaching us all DCT. I reckon by Friday you will reach your original target of 152. I think smaller goals are more realistic. Anything more is a bonus and a boost.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
BECCA- I will post some recipe ideas too later. I’ve particularly enjoyed mushroom stroganoff and Halloumi fajita this week. Mine are vegetarian keto but they’re still really yummy!

Hi BECCA and SUNNY. Yes it’s me going to New York but thankfully not till next week. It looks like the snow will be on its way out by then 🤞

I’m a bit grumpy today as a bit of weight has crept back on over the last couple of days. Totally my fault : I went off piste on Sunday with friends round for lunch and then last night at another event. l got down to 150.6lb by Saturday and my original end Feb target had been 152lb : so I boldly changed that to 150lb but am now nearer 154lb. And yes I know it’s most probably water weight (like you BECCA, it comes back on really quickly) but I’m just annoyed!

Anyway, still 4 days to go so let’s see how we go!

BECCA I will trawl through my online recipes and send you a few that I recommend

Hi to everyone else too and hope you’re all doing ok?

SUNNY enjoy the rest of your holiday X

Thanks for the concern Becca, but think it’s DCT who was going to New York, I’m currently in Turkiye where it’s chilly but no snow thankfully. Hopefully DCT is doing okay despite the weather issues in New York.

I’m back next week and so will be back on the thread properly once I have done my weekly weigh in on Tuesday.

Sunny – so sorry that your vacation coincided with a week of record-breaking snow and blizzard conditions in New York. Hope you are able to have some kind of fun, and safe travels home next week. Thinking of you!

I haven’t posted much lately – did well the first two weeks of February, lost 8 pounds, and then gained the 8 pounds back during the 3rd week, due to Valentine’s Day sweets and daughter’s 40th birthday celebration. I didn’t even eat all that much, but eating carbs piles the water weight back on me with frightening speed. Fortunately, I’ve lost them during this last week of February and have even managed to get down to a new low, though not by much.

Best wishes to everyone, hope you’re all doing well, those on the online program and those on their own! I kind of wish now that I’d signed up if only to have an inexpensive look at it all again, but that’s okay. Would be great if some of you shared the names of your favorite recipes, though, because I have all the recipe books! Nothing like a recommendation from someone who’s already tried out a recipe!

–Becca

PS – Sorry for the misspelling, I meant Cotswolds, of course.

Just want to add… how much I would love to see the beautiful areas that you all seem to live in or visit. I have wanted to go to the UK and France for my whole life, but have never gotten there. Wish I had been more adventurous when I was young. Lots of people seem to get all excited about coming out to the Los Angeles area where I live, but aside from the nice weather and maybe the beach views, it’s really not pretty here. I would love to be where it was greener and more open, with more of a sense of history.

My daughter and her husband and little girl will be going over in June, at the invitation of her husband’s parents. Clearly, they have a lot more money at their disposal than I do. I’m happy for her, though, and asked her to please take lots of pictures. If anyone has any tips on places to visit in the Cotswalds, pass them along — that will be their main visit area, plus a few days in London near Buckingham Palace.

-Becca

Hi, everyone, I have been bad about posting, although I have been here reading! I have been frustrated by the up-and-down of the scale along with some of you. I did well the first two weeks of February, then the third week was gifted Valentine’s chocolates by my daughter which I could not resist (chocolate is my nemesis, no question), plus it was daughter’s 40th birthday that week, and even with moderate eating I put back on what I lost the first two weeks. I know a lot of what I lose and regain is water from when I eat or stop eating carbs, because it goes and comes back so quickly. Anyway, doing better this week, down now to a new low, though not by much.

Verano, I just found out a few days ago that my cataracts have gotten worse, and am trying to decide whether to hold off or just have the procedure done now. Would love to know more about your decision and your experience with that. One thing that might push me to do it sooner is that my eye pressure is up a little bit, and I don’t want to end up with glaucoma.

Thanks for sharing how close we are to the time change! Oh, how I look forward to those longer days of sunlight. : )

Good luck, everyone! –Becca

Hi Stuart, our bodies are a mystery and can go up and down with a glass of water. Sometimes when you have been strict and had good losses your body can hang on to its resources the following week and give a very disappointing loss. Then it can catch up again giving good losses. I hope you dont mind me saying but you do have a lot to lose so you must be doing really well and shedding as would be expected. It will slow down unless you are seriously undereating. What are your calories and carbs per day. BTW if you dont like some of the food then swap it out although it is good to follow the suggestions to start with until you get used to what is what and how it affects you. Eat what you enjoy or you wont stick to it, as long as you avoid the obvious white, starchy carbs.

You dont say if you have any particular problems healthwise. Just keep doing what you have been, it will slow down.

Well I am certainly no angel and had an increase this morning. Thinking about it I had a snack late of a Ryvita with a slice of ham and pickle but I was starving. I went without breakfast on TRE and it always seems to catch up with me. Then I had a very bad night with restless legs and still awake at 3am so I got up and made a comforting mug of low calorie drinking chocolate. So maybe they both gave me a small gain. Hopefully, it will melt away by tomorrow 🙂

Hate to brag but it is 22 degrees here in France but only for a couple of days then it goes back down to 18 / 19 so we are on our way to summer. There is a bird that signals the coming of true Spring in France, called a Grue, they are actually cranes and they fly back to the north as things start to warm up. They came in small skeins of around 10 early on to test the weather then they somehow get messages back to the rest of them and they start coming over in their hundreds, it is a brilliant sight to see and so noisy. They are flying over right now and will for a couple of weeks. Always love to see and hear them.

Had my feet done today so feeling light as air.

Well done s-g ….. keep on keeping on ……. You will go to the ball 10lbs lighter!
Margaret , sorry to hear about your gain, your year is sounding very familiar, mine’s just like being on a roller coaster too!
Anyway, the sun is shining here, the spring flowers are abundant, the days are getting longer and just 32 days before the clocks spring forward! Today I feel re-energised and hope this will help me towards more healthy eating.
Have a good week everyone.

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Hallo! Ich schreibe gerade an meiner Masterarbeit, schaffe es aber wegen meines Jobs zeitlich kaum. Kennt jemand seriöse Services, die beim Schreiben oder Lektorat helfen? Wichtig ist eine hohe Qualität ohne Plagiate. Ich bin für jeden Tipp dankbar!

Good morning & I bravely weighed today & have gained 1.75lbs but I am hoping a lot of that is carby fluid gain. I now need to start again recording what I am eating because I feel my energy levels & focus have improved probably because of the brighter last three days. I will be walking in the village to a friend’s house to play Mahjong this morning.
I hope you all have a good week.
Margaret xx

I’m now 3 weeks into the BSD. Have to admit I’ve really struggled to eat a lot of the foods listed in the book but have adapted the diet to suit me whilst still remaining low carb. My ideal weight is apparently 12st 7 and at the start of this I weighed in at a hefty 19st 7. I lost 10lbs after week 1, 5lbs after week 2 and now another 10lbs at week 3. Usually I would say that is great but a bit confused about some of the sudden weight loss. During week 3 I weighed myself on Wednesday and I had lost 2lbs, by Friday another 1lbs so 3 in total but by official weigh in day on Monday I had somehow lost another 7 pounds taking it to 10lbs in a week. Ordinary I would put this down to a great week and great progress but unsure how I suddenly lost half a stone in 3 days when still eating the same as I had previously. Does anyone know if there could be some explanation for this?.

Hi all, weight today is an 8llb loss which is not great as I have been around 7lbs for ages but it is around 1lb per week since I started on 5th Jan. Seems unfair when you lose 3lbs in week one then none and then the odd one. But then you have a quiz night then a birthday so life goes on. Still a good average. 3 weeks to go so should reach 10lbs.

Margaret, these were not skinny jeans, they were the new fashion of wide legs and for me they were just baggy. I will be shopping for slim fit in the next week. We will be taking the car in for service in a couple of weeks and the garage is slap bang in the middle of the shopping strip just outside Bergerac so will have an excuse to spend a couple of hours in all the shops.

Hope you are all doing well and keeping on keeping on…

Very well done S-G on your weight loss & going shopping for new jeans especially slim legged ones 👏👏 I am pear shaped so do buy the wide legged ones 😂
Tulip I live in West Sussex & it took us seven hours to drive up to Yorkshire including a stop for some lunch. The weather was mostly kind with staying dry & a little rain. It is always awful driving on the M25 around Heathrow & I think smart motorways are really dangerous with not enough safe stopping places if you break down 🙁
I forgot to weigh this morning after our away weekend where rubbish food carby food was only available so getting back to more nutritious low carb eating now! I will weigh tomorrow to see what my weight gain will be 🙀
Margaret xx

Hi Sue, I’m pleased your IBS symptoms have reduced since starting the programme. I’ve been taking an optibac capsule daily for about a year and I think it probably has helped a bit but not as much as how I’ve been eating these last few weeks has. I’ve also just realised I’ve stopped getting heartburn which I was getting almost daily before I started the programme , not sure why it’s taken me until now to notice I haven’t had it for weeks! Well done for getting so much walking in., I am going to start trying to walk more over the next few weeks. I didn’t do any of the programmes daily exercises last week but started them again today.
Dawn X

Dawn – I have IBS too with the same symptoms you have described – luckily I know my “trigger” foods so it’s usually manageable without medication, although I always carry it on me in case it flares up while I’m out. I’ve found a daily probiotic capsule seems to help. I’ve had a huge reduction in symptoms though since starting the Fast 800 program, it’s nice to feel ‘normal’!

Cathy – in the past I’ve found Magnesium helps (I found out accidentally when taking magnesium for leg cramps!) so that may be worth a try if the fibrogel doesn’t help.
The walking pad sounds good, and a convenient all weather option 🙂
I was out in Sydney with my family on Saturday, it was very hot, about 34 degrees, but I still managed to walk almost 13k steps. It helped counteract the off-plan lunch I had!
I’m back on track today though – have walked 11k steps, completed the week 3 day 1 exercise routine and had 3 tasty meals – Quinoa porridge, Tuna salad and the beef tacos (in lettuce leaves) I enjoyed those as I was able to serve them to my family as well, they had regular soft taco wraps instead. I wasn’t keen on the Quinoa porridge to be honest , I added a small amount of cream and a tiny dash of pure maple syrup which helped! I didn’t want to waste it after going to the trouble of making it.
Hope everyone else is having a good Monday, and I’m glad you got to enjoy a bit of sunshine in the UK – thankfully it was overcast for most of the day here, and a little cooler, although still very humid. I’m counting down the days till the end of Summer now… Autumn is so much nicer 🙂

Hi everyone,
Cathy I hope the fibogel works, I have IBS which usually gives me the opposite problem, following the food plan has reduced the amount of trips to the bathroom to probably what is considered ‘normal’ but I can imagine that I would be struggling too if I hadn’t been too much the other way in the first place if you know what I mean! I’m pleased you’ve been on your walking pad and hopefully the dizziness will cease once you are used to using it. Yes the Baked Oats with Pear and Walnut recipe is definitely not very low carb and, because I used whole milk instead of almond (as I didn’t have any in)was also pretty high in calories(I had to adjust my lunch to a half portion to make up for it!) but it’s definitely one worth a try once you’re off the Keto 800. I look forward to having it in maintenance with maybe some Greek yoghurt and berries every so often.
I’ve weighed myself this morning and have lost a pound (not much in two weeks but I think I had probably gained at some stage during those two weeks so am happy to have lost at all) my waist is another inch down though and that has got it to under 40 inches for the first time in a good while I think so I’m over the moon about that😀
I hope everyone has a good day, it’s been sunny here in Newcastle this morning but is extremely windy🌬️ Dawn X

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. Sorry if it’s too much information but I’ve been struggling with constipation since doing the keto 800. I’ve never had this problem before. Maybe because I’m not eating a lot of food. I have upped my water and ordered some Fybogel. It’s strange because the food is really healthy with lots of veg. I added some flax seeds today to my yoghurt . Anyway, apart from that I am following the plan 100%. I had mushroom stroganoff tonight with broccoli and cauliflower and sugar snap peas and it was delicious . I don’t feel very hungry this week and I think it’s because I am now in ketosis and burning fat. I have been craving an apple! I can’t have one til I’m off the keto diet. Made some kale crisps last night and they were lovely and crispy. I had a 20 minute walk on my walking pad yesterday – it’s felt different to walking outside and I did feel a bit dizzy when I got off but it could be adjusting to the motion. Because the sky was blue today I went out for a proper walk and it was so lovely. It’s been a dark grey and wet winter.
Dawn, your breakfast sounded so lovely. I looked it up but it’s not keto friendly so I’ll look forward to that when I’m on a different plan. I’ve been printing off some of my favourite recipes and keeping them in a folder. Such a lot of lovely food.
Have a good week everyone. I am hoping for a 1lb loss on Friday. It feels good to be back in the 150s and creeping towards the 140s.
Hope everyone saw a bit of blue sky today- it definitely makes us feel a lot better.

Hi all, seems I have been absent for 5 days. Weight is dropping so I am BACK to the 7.5lbs loss and still aiming for 10lbs or more before we go away on 19th March. Doctors on 16th so need to be better than last time at 74kgs and need BG down below 7.0.

Bought 2 pairs of jeans and spent 2 afternoons altering the length. I did try them on in the store but only to see if they would button up, really long so they looked baggy. Tried on again after altering and I have never seen such rag bags, backside hanging out, too big on legs. They have gone straight in the charity bag. 2nd pair just a bit different but fit better around the rear end and upper legs. Never done that before, bought something and then thrown it away although I do have a couple of dresses that I have never managed to get into. I think it is the new fashionable style of baggy jeans. I will stick to my skinny legs. Much more flattering.

Everything is fine here, rain has stopped and we avoided being flooded, we live next to the river Dordorgne. We have temperatures of between 18 and 21 now for the next couple of weeks so it will all dry up. Might be able to get out into the garden before we go away.

No more news so have a good weekend.

Reported the 2 Australian Student posts on another thread so you dont have to.

Just popping on to say I think I had my nicest breakfast yet this morning from the online food plan, oven baked oats with pears and walnuts. It reminded me a bit of a bread and butter pudding! Dawn X

Hi everyone,
I’ve just been catching up on posts, Sunny hope you have a lovely holiday. Heidi, I’m thinking of you and sending hugs. Sue that’s a great loss this year so far! Cathy congratulations on your loss and I hope you enjoy the walking pad. DCT I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the meals on the online plan and well done on the weight loss so far. I feel as if I’ve just got back properly onto it in the last few days so haven’t lost any more weight since my first week but, hopefully, will have done by next Monday’s weight in. I’m also really enjoying the meal ideas, I do swaps too to ensure the meals mainly include ingredients I know I like, I had cinnamon cooked apples with yoghurt and chopped walnuts (I’m not usually keen on walnuts but these were toasted a bit and went really well with the apples) this morning and it was lovely. It’s one I will definitely add to the My Fitness Pal app when I’ve completed my twelve weeks. Like you, I realise that, for me, this is a long term thing, once I’m down to my goal weight I will need to continue to meal plan as much as I can if I want to keep the weight off. It’s great that the online plan is giving me new ideas which will hopefully ensure that I will have a big catalogue of recipes which I know I like and plenty which the family can also enjoy. The free month maintenance at the end of the twelve weeks will be interesting and at the end of that I will decide whether it will be worth the £12 per month to continue with it.
Yowzer, I hope you’re keeping well and it’s lovely to see a quote😀
Dawn X

Well done DCT on your incredible weight loss pre New York. I have a good feeling that you will achieve 150 next Friday. I think most of us who have struggled for the last few years have realised that this is it now. We can’t keep struggling. We have all learnt the hard way that losing and gaining is difficulty. Let’s get to goal and learn how to maintain long term.
This morning I am 155.6 lb and I started at 166.4lb. I am 1.4 lb down this week and I am really pleased with that. It hasn’t felt too difficult this week. I had 3 apple and cinnamon muffins for my lunch again yesterday! Very indulgent but totally keto.
My walking pad has arrived this morning so I’ll look forward to opening it and seeing if it is something I’ll enjoy. I have to be mindful of my toes but I’ll make sure I’m wearing my glideride trainers which have been an enormous help. I’m talking to the orthopaedic surgeon next week and will be hoping to avoid surgery. I can’t wear nice shoes but the trainers are great. I have oofos sandals for the planter fasciitis which I wear in the house and that is also under control.
Hope everyone else is well – sending Heidi love at this difficult time.
Yowser – please keep posting your wonderful and uplifting thoughts – they’re lovely to read and inspire.
Have a good week everyone…. Here we go again!