Just checking in with weight today of 9 stone, down 3 pounds from last week. Total of 7 stone now lost 😱

Hope everyone is ok.

Morning everyone.

This ‘old lady’ now weighs exactly 7 st less than when she began this journey. At 9 stone, its many a long year since I was at this weight. Stay with it, it is doable, and sustainable.

Best wishes for your BSD journeys.

Morning everyone. After last weeks one pound gain, I’m reporting in with a weight loss today of 3 pounds, total weight now lost 7 stone (98 pounds), with my weight today being 9 stone exactly.

Great way of looking at things Sumo. I’d not really thought about it but that’s more or less the way I’m doing things. 😃

Last Saturday I’d gained a pound. Today I’ve lost 3 pounds. Weight today is 9 stone exactly. That means I’ve lost 7 stone (98 pounds or 44.5kg) along this journey.

Glad you enjoyed ……i’m having a cup of dry white …100 calories!! 🙂 Cheers!!

I watched the Mindful Eating video with the raisin. Of course i had already purged the house of raisins … i think i ate them!! 🙂

So i did an experiment with a snap pea pod … one of my BSD snacks of choice. Usually i can eat the whole bag …. or a goodly portion of it.

I did enjoy the freshness of the sugar snap pea pod …. i thought i could even taste it’s green-ness!! AND i only ate a few and enjoyed them to the full.

Was my day to have some deep fried wontons. I did not hold the wonton to my ear in the restaurant though …. but i tried them without a ton of plum sauce. I usually cut them in half so i can enjoy them longer.
But it revealed a lot about my eating …. i’m usually putting the next bit in my mouth before i’ve swallowed the previous one. I just looked around the restaurant or out the window at the shivering cold trees …. and didn’t try and read at the same time.

This was a good respectful thing to do … I know the wontons in this restaurant we home made. The mindfulness reading also made me realize that it was a great thing to know how many people were involved in making my meal and day enJOYable … from the farm to the table. And i felt proud to pay and leave a nice tip for the poor tired Yvonne — a lady who is trying to make her business a success …. and has a husband and children to “do for” as well.

One day at a time Carb_Addict …. every meal, every day is an opportunity for a new start.

I’ve been very over weight for a long time …. sometimes i have that feeling of being ashamed of my weight when i’m out of the house, or looking in the mirror. Sometimes i avoid social situations.

I’m retired and i have gray hair now …… maybe it’s 67 years under my belt …. but those ashamed times are less … i’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care about it.

I am doing the best i can …. we ALL are. And now with BSD i am doing what i can about it … and no, i don’t often hit the 800 calorie mark …..BUT …. it takes time and some trial and error … it WILL happen.

I actually have an interim goal of 199 pounds by Dec. 10 …… but i don’t plan on reaching my ultimate goal until next summer. I haven’t set a date …. but i want my body and spirit to have time to adjust to this. One step at a time, one day at a time.

It’s a process ….. i have my eye on my goal … which is to be healthy enough to enJOY my life … my life … what i want for myself … not for anyone else.

Another nice thing about being 67 and retired …. i know i don’t have many days, weeks, years to go …. i intend to enJOY every day along the way to my goals …. and after my goals.

I saw an acqaintance on the bus today … and she again said how cheerful i was … yes i am obese right now … and sick right now … but i count my other blessings … i was out in the fresh air, had some really nice wontons for lunch, and i was on my way to the library to pick up some books on mindfulness … what was there to be miserable about.

p.s. One of the books was with the The mind’s own physician : a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the healing power of meditation / edited by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard J. Davidson with Zara Houshmand.

I do respect the Dalai Lama especially since i read that when asked … what one piece of advice he would give to people, a golden rule if you like, the Dalai Lama said BE KIND.

So ….. BE KIND to yourself, to your spirit, to your body …. and then Be Kind to others.

Sorry carb addict just reread your post and weights etc despite asking in previous mail, !!! Enjoy the bunting and if we do another 5lbs next week woo hoo again, it’s good feeling good about yourself isn’t it?

You can distribute your 800 calories etc. over the day in any way that is good for you. People here do a variety of things … whatever is good for them.

As for carbs most people aim for 50 or less … and most of those carbs are from complex carbs.

I personally only count calories and carbs …. i figure if i am eating healthy food the proteins and fats will fall into line. Frankly counting 2 things is more than enough for me. But if you like counting everything and think it’s useful to you … go for it.

And if i am counting only 800 calories how on earth is it possible to eat too many fats? And if we are getting most of our fats from full fat yogurt, avocado, nuts and seeds, butter and such … sounds good to me.

And since sugars are part of carb counts i don’t see counting sugars seperately … but you can if you want.

@patc: Good to hear that! I’m a little younger (at age 41) and I’d imagine a LOT heavier (although I have the same goal weight as you too ironically). I’m slap-bang in the middle of the obese category for my height in fact (it hurts to write that btw). Growing up with a weight-obsessed, overweight mother who lived on grapefruit, I do not remember a time when I did not feel ‘fat’ (even if I technically wasn’t). I have steadily put on weight since my late teens but things have gotten out of control in the last decade in particular. On the outside I’m vivacious, strong and have a successful career in a so-called glamorous industry. On the inside I’m an emotional eater who has suffered a fair bit of ill health and subsequent chronic pain, and who has increasingly gorged on carbs in large quantities in secret in an attempt to stifle the hard days. I can now see that this has stifled nothing and actually made the situation far worse. I have started to find excuses not to even leave my home because I feel so huge and ashamed. I can’t fit into 99%of my clothes anymore. I’m being very honest and vulnerable about this stuff because I desperately want to succeed this time and I believe that a large part of my weight loss (and ability to keep it off thereafter) will be facing up to why I got so big in the first place and being kinder to myself. For me the 800 kcals is almost the easy part: the hardest bit is believing that I can do this and that things can be different. That I can be different. Right now, every day is a victory over what has become the status quo. So there you go, soul bared to the world, and with that I am off to put the kettle on! Enjoy your day too x

P.S. I had a glass of red last night, included in my allowance, and I really didn’t enjoy it!!!!! I think I must have lost the taste for red wine! So maybe I will try white or champers next time I have an alcoholic treat!

DAY 5 of 7

Well just three days left of this challenge and the strange thing is that most of us are ‘stuck’ on last weeks carb level! I’m finding it difficult Ito increase my carbs and stay within 800 calories.

Yesterday:
Calories 776
Carbs 25.4

Weight loss 0.8lbs just 0.4 to get me to this weeks goal of 1kg.

Blood sugar 5.7 whooppeeeee !!! I think this his actually working. Two 5’s on the run … great!

All this talk about clothes is making me realise that I need to check my wardrobe out too! My goal is to lose another 5lb by the end of the month so maybe I will wait until then!

It’s so good to see that everyone is on track and upbeat! Let’s just keep going or is it
‘Keep on keeping on’

Have a good day!

Hi United Arab Emirates, Carb_Addict, loved your post, putting bunting up as we speak and a victory dance on my way to putting kettle on! It will be very interesting to see what happens next week, are you similar age group and weight, or just been on a diet forever, you are so totally right nearly 5lbs is great stuff? Enjoy your day x

JENNI THAT IS AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS AND GOOD NEWS ABOUT BGLS. I DON’T HAVE THE BOOK YET AND I AM ADJUSTING THIS TO COVER THE LPR MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS. DO YOU KNOW IF THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL ON THE CARBS AND FATS PER DAY. I MADE OUT MY MENUS USING MY FITNESS PAL AND ALTHOUGH 800 CALORIES AND OVER 45 GRAMS OF PROTEIN MY FATS AND CARBS SEEM HIGH TO ME. ONE DAY THE CARBS TOTALED 125 FOR THE DAY AND FATS 22, SOME DAYS LESS.MY TOTAL SUGAR INTAKE RANGES FROM 18 TO 22 PER DAY ALL FROM FRUIT, ONE PER DAY

@patc: Good morning Australia, this is the United Arab Emirates calling. I’m smiling at your comment: I have lost exactly the same weight as you and am over here victory dancing all over the room. Almost 5 lbs is not to be sniffed at – quite the opposite. This is a marathon, not a sprint – especially if you have been grappling with your weight for five decades. Yes, we all hope to be one of those ‘I lost 15 lbs in the first 48 hours’ stories (including me) but 5 lbs is no small achievement. Like you, it is the first weight I have lost, not gained, in many years. So I am hanging out the bunting and throwing myself a tiny party. I do hope you are too.

Good morning everyone. Just did my daily weigh-in and I lost a whopping 700g (1.5 lbs) overnight! That’s by far my biggest single loss so far, taking me to 2.1kg (almost 5 lbs) since I started on the 2nd. So I guess I have to stop claiming that my PCOS stops me losing weight now, lol. I’m so pleased I gave this a go: I was at my all-time highest weight just a week ago, and at a real low. One week later and my self-confidence is on the up and, despite a 30-33kg (70 lbs or five stone) target weight loss which feels overwhelming at times, I’m starting to believe I can do this. I’m managing to eat out frequently and not crack either! I hope everyone else is feeling equally as motivated.

Hi KatrenaJ, you can get to 800 calories in what ever way suits you best within the BSD guidelines. I am completing week 6 and have 3 meals every day and lost 10kgs in total to date. Some days I have built a small snack into it when hungry but then adjusted night meal’s cals. BGLs returned to normal levels after day 2 and have stayed there.

Hi Everyone, I am new to this. I have had the book for some time but have not done anything with it. However I have just weighed myself and am shocked at how heavy I have become. I would like to loses 15kg. I am also coeliac so 1960smp when I saw your post you inspired me. I can do this! I have just finished work so will go and reread my book and get motivated. 800 cals doesn’t sound so hard.Its hitting those carbs on the head thats going to be the hard part.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF YOU CAN STRETCH THE 800 CALORIES OUT TO THREE MEALS AND A SNACK OR DOES THIS DISRUPT THE WEIGHT LOSS

I eat low acid foods, low fat (can use 1-2 tsp of olive oil per meal) rice, bananas, salad w/o cucumbers, tomato, green peppers or onion), oatmeal, platanos, noodles but no sauces, ginger, tofu, celery, fat free milk (but not yogurt, too acid) soymilk, honeydew melon and watermelon, chicken w/o skin, other poultry, high ph vegetables, couscous, chamomile tea, potatoes, full grain bread, mushrooms & fish – These are best to eat but low acid ph foods are allowed also.

I’m waiting for the book to work up some 800 calorie eating plans with 45 grams of protein

Good evening everyone soo glad it’s Friday. Crazy work week but made it thru. Tomorrow shopping for more fresh veggies at the market. I have containers standing ready to make a select variety of meals so I can heat and eat for those in a hurry days. I ordered the cookbook today too can’t wait until it arrives to try some new things. Best of luck to everyone happy weekend!

about 10 or 11 weeks
I ordered cat food the other day, and forgot to add on Froglet’s advent calendar.

I am under tall – if I was the right height for my feet, I would be AT least 5’10” – and I am sad enough to occasionally calculate my BMI for the height I think I should be!

Drat – bought a salad in Waitrose, read the nutrition, it was only when I went to enter it into FatSecret that I realised that was the nutrition for half a pack. Wasn’t v nice either. Under 800 calories, but 50g of carbs.
Thought I’d walked 14k steps, then remembered I’d already counted about 1500 of them as yesterdays because I got home at about 12.30 (and the pedometer kicks into the next day)

Found some Probiotic chocolate in Boots, Not sure what the probiotic element is supposed to do, box with 7 tiny bars (13g each, around 70 calories) Ideal if you’re not at the stage where you can buy a large bar and ONLY eat a couple of squares.

Morning everyone, this feels like the Eurovision Song Contest, Australia calling with my first weeks results –
Mixed bag really I have gone down 4.8 lbs, my measurements by bust – 1/2 ” ‘ waist – 1″ hips stayed the same- As I have said before I don’t have a huge amount of weight to lose I would like to get down to 133 lbs (and I will), after reading some of the huge weight loss results after one week I had hoped there would be similar results for me, but to be honest I have been on one diet or another for the last 48 years so my poor old body is probably thinking ‘bring it on’ – but this is the first time I have joined a group online, posted on a forum, and read every single entry for 1 October starters, – so even though I had hoped for more off it’s the biggest weight loss I have shown for years so woo hoo! So thank you Emily and thank you to everyone of you lovely people who belong to 1 October starters, good luck everyone, week 2 beckons!

It starts today for me, too! Hoping to lose disgusting belly fat which has increased alarmingly over the years! My body seems stuck in fight or flight mode and I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, as well as sleepless nights, and indigestion (especially after eating bread). I am sure it’s all insulin-related and although I have always had lowish blood pressure, it is now elevated! Not good! So…I am about to re-set my metabolism. I have just ordered the recipe book from Amazon and will log my food on My Fitness Pal. Wish me luck!

Jackieppp, glad it’s worked for you and as you say can’t have been many carbs. But any you did have were good carbs, not bread, grains or spuds. So excellent day. I have started taking a walk in the evening, 1-2 miles, more if it’s a nice evening, gets me out, gives me a boost and makes me forget about food!! Win, win. But I am lucky and have only myself to think about! Have recently moved from a badly lit village to a small town, so when the dark nights arrive the streets are well lit and I can still get out and walk., it was actually one of the reasons I moved!!! Have a good weekend.

Coady that is a fantastic loss, well done. Well done for ignoring the blip. Isn’t it strange how we all of us have thrown in the towel when we have erred in the past. But this forum is giving us all unheard of willpower to succeed.

Have a good weekend everyone. xx

Hello again!
Well, day 1 went .. okay I guess. I love cheese. It was so hard not to just throw the whole lot of halloumi into the pan when I made my warm courgette salad.. But I didn’t, so that is good. Also need to resist temptation of children’s unfinished slices of toast with honey in the morning. Hmmm. I will get there!
I think I also need to better lay out my water for the day as I forget to drink and don’t do the full amount I should be drinking. Something to do for tomorrow and following days.
See you all tomorrow and well done on all the weight losses and (more or less) successful sticking to the new food regime. 🙂

Cold is subsiding – but I still feel weak and break out in a sweat with small exertion. Is this my virus or is anyone else sweating a lot more because of the diet?

I feel cognitively clear – no brain fog.
I have been hungry, but not crazy – gotta eat RIGHT now hungry.
I’m sleeping great (only woke up once to cough last night)
Day 7 – I weighed myself and have shed 7.5 lbs or half a stone.

Recipes food ideas I love:
Vegetable Curry with cauliflower rice
Beet Falafel
Full-fat greek yogurt with berries and nuts
Chicken with Walnuts in lettuce cups

My best tip? Have the ingredients and foods handy that you need! For the most part – I am sticking with three meals a day.
Mostly – 200 cal breakfast, 200 cal lunch – 400 cal dinner

Hi all
Well on day 12 and just done my Friday weigh in lost 6lb very pleased were I lost a stone last week a lot of that was fluid so this is now fat going lol , had a blip on day 8 why I don’t know but had a slice of bread and a kit Kat not going to beat myself up as I know i will have days when I’m going to have choc and bread but as long as I can’t get over it and get straight back on it I will get there
Well that’s me for this week hope you all do well and stay on track good luck 😀
Coady

Hi Trelawny and all

Thanks to you and Mixmatch and Tizzie (I did smile about the bread and butter as yesterday it was a french stick with loads of Lurpak!) – today I’m on the BSD. Blueberry smoothie for breakfast at 13.00. Homemade celery leek and parsnip soup for dinner at 17.00 and pork chop with veg for tea at 21.00. No idea how many carbs but surely not many. So am now thinking I’ll do it this way and start eating later. Mixnmatch – it’s definitely a habit I need to break so got to find something to do in the evenings, tonight was ok as family has been round.

Hope you and everyone else on our forum are doing well.
Lots of love

Are we twins Yowzer? I have an offer of a fancy English High Tea as well …. i think you just talked me out of it~~~!!!

It’s not like there’s not going to be another offer!!!!

p.s. I love a fortune cookie and coffee!!! But i just had 1 … didn’t ask for any extra cookies to go!!!

A very Happy place SHALIMAR if you can afford the cals n carbs! X i am deffo having some chicken wings soon from the new shop…they cant be very calorific can they!
Oh i Love Chinese food…mmmm…char sui,chow mein,chop suey,noodles,crunchy veg…my fave food…its fabulous! ..Dr Pepper much nicer than coke,,pepsi etc
Funny story about chinese food.. We have a Chinatown in the city centre..some good restaurants and one or two Chinese bakeries..i went in one of the chinese bakeries one day ..pre BSD!..drawn in by lovely window display of goodies..i saw a jar of biccies labelled chewy biscuits and thought,mm i bet they will be nice dipped in tea! Fortunately. I asked the assistant what were the ingredients that made them chewy..it turned out they were char sui biccies..so glad i dint buy and dip in my tea!
PS just had phone call from old neighbours asking me to go for posho afternoon tea..my Carb Monster was lurking in the corner rubbing her hands with glee then went off cursing me coz i’ m not prepared to drop this way of eating yet even for one afternoon..have said will meet them post avvvo tea just for a cuppa…luckily they understand i need and want to lose weight..will be time enough next year to incorporate occasional treats/meals out etc..right now i doubt i could manage even a little sarnie…sometimes ithink ive been brainwashed coz i cant imagine eating bread,cake or scones these days yet i used to scoff them down all the time🐷🐷🐷🐷 x

Hi Nedds mum

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Been sick too …. although i haven’t eaten junk food …. except for wine and diet Dr. Pepper …. i haven’t been up to exercise …. and i haven’t even tried to keep 800 calories except for 2 days where i didn’t feel like eating anything at all.

When i feel better … i’ll want to get back to exercise and 800 calories. Until then i’m not going to worry about it too much.

Frankly the wine went down really good ……. but i didn’t feel better the next day.

WOW Yowzer …. you live life in the happy place!!!

I just had a mindful eating session at the Red Rickshaw Chinese restaurant a few yards down from my house. Very interesting. Did the Raisin Mindfulness exercise with a pod of snap peas …. frankly when you eat them slowly, smell the freshness, it seems like you can taste the color green …. hell i ate a lot less of them than usual.

I ate my deep fried wontons … my very very favorite … with only a teeny amount of plum sauce …. slowly enjoyed the crunch and the beautifully seasoned filling!!!! It took forever … but i had a nice chat with Yvonne the owner/waitress/allrounddogsbody … she looked so tired i really tried to express how she had made my day. All in all a lovely time on a cold and miserable day. and i have some chop suey for supper … i found the chow mein noodles tastless … and the vegetables in Chinese food are still quite satisfyingly crunchy~~

AND …. when i got home from the library the corner store had one box of diet Dr. Pepper left!!

AND …. The Toronto Blue Jays Baseball team is up 5 to 1 in the 8th inning!!

AND …. it’s still only 4:00 pm. here …. still lots of the day left to read and such

I started the BSD for the third time on Monday. I’m so close to getting below 80kg, was 80.1kg this morning, so my mini mini-goal is to be 79.9kg or under by the end of the weekend. And then think of a new mini-goal, as healthy BMI is still 10kg away….

Hi folks and welcome back ANTIGONE..pony up and get back on that hoss! ( oh ok if you want to ease back in over the weekend,thats allowed x)
All this running and jogging and jiggling flesh has made me want to join in somewhat..so i am marching! By my bed so i can collapse onto it..gonna build it up..did it ages ago plus exercise bike,all v gentle to begin with,as part of a hospital programme to help with ME symptoms..and it did help given time and patience

As if it isnt enough that i live opposite two bakeries,two lovely sweet shops, a chinese restaurant, one of the best chip shops in the North West,AND a fab cafe and Italian restaurant close by..PLUS a toby carvery…! We now have right opposite my windows a new shop selling chicken,burgers,falafels,hummus,shakes and so on…open til very late…my windows are open and a lovely smell is drifting across! I hope i dont get tempted into going over for a midnight feast!😋😋😋😋😋
Happy weekend everybody and sleep sweet xx

Hi Nedds mum,
Just seen your post – you are spot on when you say it’s all a bit of a roller coaster. I’m sure a lot of people have experienced “ups” on the scales, it’s not all downwards every time you step on them. But so long as the trend is downwards that’s all you need. It is hard when you are feeling low/ill and thoughts turn to comfort food but over time you do lose your dependency. If your good intentions do go AWOL, don’t worry, just start up again and get back on track.

I’ve also made the Orange & Pistachio Cupcakes (p185) – these worked well, with a very nice orange flavour coming through. I froze 3 for later scoffing. Nice on their own (well, accompanying a coffee) but I had one for dessert with a dollop of greek yoghurt.
Did my shopping yesterday – planning on doing the Lamb Tagine in the coming days. Got a red cabbage so it looks like the Gammon &Red Cabbage as well as the Steak & Red Coleslaw will be on my menu.
I’m sure I’m doing more cooking from scratch since being on this diet – had my kitchen refitted last year so I really ought to use it!

Dear BBG
I wish you the best. I am starting on Monday the 10th as I have a lot on this weekend and I need to make sure I am properly stocked up, planning menus, activity, and getting my brain right. The plan here for me is to do the 8 weeks; it seems a huge mountain to climb so I will take it hour by hour, then day by day.

I did what I have never done before and that is told everyone at work today in the staff meeting that Monday is D-Day. They are pretty good about non-sabotage. I also have a work buddy who has had weight loss surgery and part of her preparation was to go very low cal, low carb so she promises to share her best recipes etc. and be there for me. That is one route I could not go on, but it seems to have worked for her. It was not without a lot of set backs and suffering, though.

I will be following your progress, and I promise to check in from time to time with mine, if I have any progress that is! I won’t wish you good luck, but I do wish you godspeed on your journey.

For that too tired after work to cook feeling …
Make a big batch of something … soup, chilli, etc. …. divide it up and freeze portions …. and on the really tired days just defrost!!

Wow Kosher Kid you are doing well! 15000 steps a day! Please come and take my two dogs out:-)

I now leave a glass on my fridge water dispenser so I have managed to get plenty of fluids in.
Next thing is to start moving. I have arthritis and have had difficulty in walking, but do you know what?
Since being on this diet my pain has been reduced. I am so pleased with just feeling more comfy.
I have been out with my choir friends today and they do not know I am on a diet but I am so pleased I only ate the salmon and veg.
I have felt so motivated and well this week.
Weigh day tomorrow but I thinkI will give myself a pat on the back now!

Onwards and upwards.

I don’t know about cheesy farts…. she doesn’t usually sleep that close – but it definitely had an effect on today’s output!

Today’s adventure was coming home from shop, went to put something in freezer only to find the door hadn’t been closed fully and was massively iced up – cue unplanned defrosting session!

But at my sewing class actually got onto sewing not just the pattern and prep stuff – apparently I have sewn plackets, no I didn’t know what they were either, (its the thing that goes up the sleeve from the shirt cuff) but it is a ‘clever thing’ – or foolishness in my pattern choice!

For busy people M&S do some great prepared veg packs, microwave, place on plate and sprinkle with a little grated cheese and pop under the grill.

I particularly love the butternut squash shredded to look like spaghetti. You can create some great dishes with this.

Hi all. Been a couple of days or so since my last brief post. I started a couple of days before so today is day 10 for me. I have lost 3.1 kg over this period so I am delighted – Only 24 more kilos to go!. I am still in love with my fitbit – doing 15000 steps a day and the dogs are really fed up. I am keeping myself motivated (I live on my own) by writing out every morning in my BSD journal “If not today, when?”.
I haven’t been diagnosed as pre or diabetic but it runs in the family – my father is type 2 and I am determined not to go down that path.
Fairyface – I was struggling to take on enough fluids so now I buy a 2litre bottle of water from Sainsburys (only 20p) and I make sure that I consume all of it going through the day – I also find it great to throw the bottle into the recycling at the end of the day – another mark that I have survived another day. Other fluids come from my three cups of coffee in the morning and having 3 lemon and ginger teas in the evening.

Good luck and fast loss to all.

Thanks for the words of encouragement – I think the planning will definitely help, and it suits my personality. I agree with you Avila, that hopefully once into the rhythm of it all and with a a well-stocked fridge, I can experiment more with other recipes. I even had a trial run this evening with the Pork in Mustard Sauce – and for someone who doesn’t even like mustard, I can say that it was delicious ! I used wholegrain mustard and a slightly smaller amount than the recipe said, just in case it was too strong, but it was delicious. That’s a good start.

Thank you for the ‘bon chance’ sunshine-girl, and well done on your weight loss and blood glucose results.

Onwards and upwards !

Brilliant news. Did not measure bust on 1 October but noticed today that I have fastened bra on the tightest setting and cannot blame it on age as it is three weeks old as had to bite bullet and face the fact I needed a huge one! I remember hundreds of years ago on the original WW diet I did so successfully, that we were warned not to buy new shoes as our feet would shrink and she was right.

Hi sunshine-girl

Thank you very much for all your help it’s really helped me. I’ll have to look into the calculator online, I’m sure that will help me. Yes I’ve got the book and am using the recipes to start of with but am slightly fussy so struggling with lunchtime. I’m sure I’ll get there. Fingers crossed.

Agree with Shalimar – give your body time to adjust

I have found this easy than any other diet. Not dealing with family, but work full time and live with depression that affected

Tips –
1. Plan – have a look for recipes and ideas that you know will like and can be cooked easily. I was a ready meal girl but found I could cook a bit of fish and a spinach salad in less time than the ready meal took. But it is the ‘thinking time’ of deciding what to eat that is the slowing factor not the actual meal prep, so having a plan in place really helped me.

2. Drinking fluids – I fill up 3 x 1litre bottles at the start of the day (or night before). This makes it easy to track if I am drinking as much as should. Personally water is too bland, some add lemon etc but I make it up with dilute mix of no sugar squash, I know this has sweeteners and some would disapprove but it helps me get the fluids in.

3. Do it your way – Some weigh everything and fill in apps like my fitness pal or fatsecret. Personally I would find that too time consuming so I aim at the calories, and follow the principles. I am 2 st down with another 1 and 1/2 to go – I fell off the calorie wagon a few times but that is me, not you.

4. Decide how to measure – by scales, by tape measure, by the jeans in the wardrobe. I measure on the scales but frequently, it can vary by a kg or more during the day depending when last eaten, last bowel movement etc etc. So if seeing those fluctuations is discouraging then leave it to weigh in day, I find it helps keep me focussed day by day. You need to find the way that encourages you and helps you stick at it, avoid approaches that will discourage you

5. Just do it!! 😉

Ok, I totally blew it last night and once I had started down the carb route I just didn’t stop. Today, my cramps have gone but so has my resolve. I am not sure my system can cope with such a severe reduction or maybe I am being a wos…. Anyway, I have decided to write my first week relapse off as a 5:2 week and restart. I think I am going to adapt it the diet to1,000 calories a day for the first week and work from there. I really did feel terrible ill and now have eaten almost double my normal carb allowance today to rebalance.