Forgot to say Didimarks and Keavney21, welcome to your new life! xx

Had the most delicous dinner tonight; Jamie Oliver’s green chilli (America book) on a bed of baby spinach with smashed avocado.

I avoided the treat table at work today, with considerable ease. (Two weeks ago I would have dived in and indulged massively). I caved slightly last night and ate half a small snickers, but I was still under 1000 calories. I didn’t beat myself up about it, I could have caved “spectacularly”.

I was down 4kg this morning, so pleased with that.

AFTER DAY 13
Weight: 72.6 kg
Exercise: I didn’t have my pedometer on, but had a reasonably active day. Not 10,000 steps though, I shouldn’t think. Note to self : FIND pedometer!!

Good luck everyone! May today be a good one for us all.

Start of fifth week today. Sundays weight was 13 3/4lbs down!! Allelujah, allelujah!!!
Am having a new bathroom fitted so have had to vacate the premises (no loo!). I am staying with my daughter who eats really well 90% of the time and treats herself occasionally. Don’t know where she gets that control from, lol!! Anyway we are all having a go at low carb, son in law, granddaughter, 12 years old. Daughter follows low carb frequently, so we are all doing really well. I am pleased to say that I won’t be weighing myself for a week or 2 so am really hoping to see a nice drop on the scales. We are trying recipes from the BSD recipe book. So far have found them all to be very tasty.
I must say I do not really count my carbs, have been on Fatsecret a few times and logged my food and average 50-60. I find that just cutting out the refined carbs, rice and potatoes etc takes me low automatically.
My body is feeling very different. So much freer, arthritic pains in shoulders and arms vastly improved already. I feel stronger and brighter on the whole.
Keep to it everone just starting, it is so worth it.
How are you all doing,
Wendyq, Natalie, Tattiescone what’s your news?
Sleep tight everyone xx

Hi Doordie

sounds awful – I had similarish problems a few years ago, and not consistent bleeding, but regularly used to lose about a litre of blood every couple of weeks.

When did you last see your GP and get your bloods checked?
When I had problems I was severely anaemic in addition to everything else – and one set of medication would cause other side effects and it seemed a never ending cycle – but resolving the anaemia was a start in coping with other stuff, including battling to get the gynae stuff treated appropriately.
Standard advice with many diets is to discuss with your GP – including BSD. I know many people don’t, and when I mentioned it to mine, I simply got a cheery “good luck” – but it would be advisable to get advice with all the other medical issues that you’re having to cope with.
Have you discussed a mirena coil to control the bleeding with your GP? (a side effect can be gaining weight, but it would make sense to get that sorted first, then address the weight)
Additionally, I was reading on this forum the other day about the low carb increasing oestrogen & therefore heavier periods. I think it was on a thread titled “Just Ladies” – have a look thru that; maybe helpful, or use the search box (top right hand corner) to pick up any previous threads and conversations re PCOS.

Hi Andy, and if this is your first post, welcome. If only I had heard of this diet when I was diagnosed 11 years ago. My doctor put me straight on drugs as at 11.9 said it was too dangerous to try to reduce with diet. The drugs, particularly Metformin, made me so ill and I nearly had to set up camp in the toilet that he told me to go onto insulin – to by pass the digestive system. So 6 months into my diagnosis I was put on Lantus and he told me I would gain 15 kilos. Sure enough, within 6 months I was 2 stone 4 lbs heavier and 6 months after that 3 stone 5 lbs. I was only ever that weight when I was 9 months pregnant.

I won’t say you are lucky as you are T2 and no one wants that, but you are lucky because you have found this plan early (and similar) and been brave enough to take charge of your own health. May the good results continue for you. Now I have found this diet and only 12 weeks in, I too have reduced all my numbers except my blood pressure although that was down a bit from 140 / 80 to 130 / 70 so moving in the right direction. Let us know how your next test goes in 3 months and good luck.

I have PCOS and uterine fibroids. * I braved up, and posted a query earlier today. ( I have been on BSD for 3 weeks now, and am not losing – AT ALL. ) It is very hard, but not impossible to lose weight with PCOS. ( I lost right at 100lbs on ultra-low carb, but it stopped working, about 6/8 months ago. ) Hence my presence here; I’m kinda at the end of my rope :-< Congratulations to all who have lost weight, though. Losing weight is hard work, and we should support each other <3

I have tested positive for hypothyroidism in the past. ( I was on Levoxyl and then Armour for years. ) I didn’t like how it made me feel, though, so I got off. I retested about 8mths ago, because I wasn’t feeling well, and having some other issues. It came back only “borderline”. They did a thyroid ultrasound on me, and found some nodules, though. I am going back to the doc this Thursday. ( My period won’t stop. ) May be something will turn up. I have been on BSD for three weeks now, and sadly not lost any weight :-< I braved-up, and made a post inquiry earlier today. I am “Doordie”, if you ever want to talk, or see my post. Good luck to you <3

Hi – I am a reasonably active 49 year old female with PCOS, and uterine fibroids. ( IOW : I have uncontrolled bleeding – a period that never stops. ) * I somehow managed to lose right at 100 lbs on ultra-low carb. However, about 6/8 months ago, I quit losing. Seriously. NOTHING. I’ve been on BSD now, for almost 3 weeks. STILL nothing. Honest. Today, the bleeding is particularly bad, and I hauled my fat arse onto the scale, only to discover that I have actually gained a pound :-< I am absolutely desperate to drop the weight. I do not drink, or smoke. I keep my carbs fairly low, and only eat fruit once a day at breakfast. Dinner is a lean protein only. I also avoid diet pop like the plague. I drink a ton of water, green tea, and some coffee. Does anyone have any suggestions? Here is an example of what I eat, as a rule…

Breakie : fruit smoothie >>> 180/210 C & 25/26 g of P ( or )
1C of ff Oikos plain yogurt & a piece of LC fruit >>> 120 C + fruit = aprox 200 – 220 C & 22/23 g of P

Lunch : spinach egg-beater omelette >>> 215 C & 29 g of P ( or )
garden salad W/ lemon juice & 3 oz of turkey breast >>> 190 C & 22 g of P

Supper : Grilled turkey patty, grilled fish fillet, or 3 oz of venison >>> roughly 200/275 C & 22/28 g of P

Snacks : The only snacks I eat other than bouillon, tea, or coffee is a small can of tomato juice, with a few cucumber slices. ( Coffee and tea are taken plain. )

*** I have a food scale, so I weigh, and measure everything. Also, I was keeping a food diary, but it was a huge hassle, and didn’t really reveal any Earth-shaking epiphanies.

YES, I KNOW THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT ON THIS LITTLE FOOD, LET ALONE GAIN – BUT I DID – SOMEHOW.

I would really, REALLY like to hear from any other ladies on here with hormone issues! Please be brave, and speak up <3
( LOL, I just told the world that I have a period that won’t quit, and an arse that’s expanding like a family of Catholic rabbits :-O)

Hi Jan,🙋

So sad to hear of your recent troubles. It is so important to remember to take care of yourself – especially when you are so busy taking care of others!

I am in midst of yet another pesky plateau (which I should be more than used to by now) though I am finding it particularly frustrating this time. Your post was a timely reminder to myself to ‘not sweat the small stuff’!

The bus is still travelling on…we are still travelling on it😊

Today was a much trickier day – Day 3 of anything is usually my downfall, my high hopes give way to temptation. However, today has worked out well.

I am tired-er than normal, but will see how that goes. I see from more regular posters that the tiredness can last a week or two. I’m also drinking water by the pint, frequently.

Tomorrow I’m going to have a stock-cube drink to get a bit of extra salt in – as I’m sure that will help. And finally get myself to the supermarket to ensure I’ve got some goodies in that suit me.

Managed not to eat a flatbread with the homemade chicken tikka. Woohoo!

Thanks for that – I must admit to being really down about it and can’t be bothered to eat anything, which I know is wrong. I’ve lost 11lbs but I’m not that big and my readings were in the 4’s and low 5’s – I’ll keep going – hopefully tomorrow will be a better day x

So, back in the path.
Still moving, still learning.

In the daily mail, recently, there have been bs diet articles.
Have a read on the website.

What’s The weirdest thing you have learned on the diet?

I will tell you mine if you tell my yours.

Love Lucia

Take the victory Yowzer. As Igor said, you’re on the way to size 16!!!

Way to go, Yowzer!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Onwards and downwards – size 16 on the horizon …………:) 🙂

Just wanted to share did a really gorgeous fish dish with some red snapper (get me 😉 ) on a bed of green lentils. It was a James Martin recipe and he did c 70g of lentils per person when for our three servings I did 26g each and we all agreed that was right amount. Added a small salad of baby spinach with some baby plum tomatoes and 1g of flaked almonds dressed with tiny splash olive oil and balsamic. Total count for entire meal was 303 calories and 8 carbs, even adding in all the oil, stock cube etc. Son not on BSD thought was great and wanted recipe.

Just goes to show you can do absolutely delicious meals with very few calories/carbs. Would do again with other fish or meat.

Just had the super quick fish curry from bbc. Takes 5-10 mins. (Onion, garlic, tin of toms, stock, curry powder, pack of fish pie mix over cauliflower for me/ rice for OH).
The other failsafe is an omelette.
A tin of BigSoup with a cooked chicken portion gets some salt in.
Sugar free beans on LivLife (low carb) toast.
Prawns stir fried with a bag of stir fry veg.
Minute steaks….

Off out to the movies sporting a pair of trousers that have hung in my wardrobe sad and lonely for maybe two years or longer..bought from catalogue and never got sent back even tho they wdnt even get past my thighs!
So for me,these are the current Total Triumph Trousers and i better get some wear out of them coz they already feel a bit roomy..(not boastin or anything 😄 )..theyre a size 18 so in no way boastworthy but a major non scale victory for wowzer yowzer,who 11 weeks ago was heading like a fast train into size 22 clothes! 😊😊😊 xx

Our bodies are funny things. Mine went up for absolutely no reason and that lasted for 3 days then went back down. Sometimes if you are anxious, stressed, tired, a bit run down, lots of reasons, this can happen. I think in my case I had wrenched my shoulder and had very little sleep. Keep to the plan and you should be alright. Let us know if not.

Anyone want to share a SIMPLE menu they use daily? All the recipes in the book take more time than I have. Is there anyone just doing this very plainly? If so can you share? I’m not sure where to start..but the menus in the book are overwhelming to me. I don’t cook and I don’t have a lot of time….so I just want things I can throw together….for instance, beans, tuna, Fage…stuff like that….

thanks Verano, found the waitrose recipe.

I made ‘proper’ pizzas this evening, and eat both of them! (very tiny!)
After not being overly impressed with cauliflower pizza base, I was fixated on pizza – I’d seen mini tortillas in Tesco that were about 13g of carb and thought I’d try those as a base.
Local Tesco didn’t have them; don’t know if you’ve seen those Warburtons Thins? Obsessed by making pizza, I got some of those instead – 18g of carb. Made a perfectly acceptable thin pizza base. (I crisped them up a bit on my pizza stone, then added the veg topping and mozarella, and baked until the cheese was melting and bubbly)

Better than the cauli base – but at the end of the day, I think I’d have enjoyed the veg topping by itself just as much.

Hi Jenko – great results weight wise.
I had similar digestive problems the first couple of days – I try to avoid medication where I can, but a single dose of immodium helped. It’s not the food per se – just that it’s probably a huge change from what you were eating before.
You do need LOTS of water on this diet – compounded with the bathroom issues that would be dehydrating as well.

Hope that you feel better soon.

Am half way through week 3 and have been averaging around 5.7 but for the last two days they’ve shot up, yesterday 8.3 and today won’t go below 6.8. Has anyone else experienced this and why might it be happening?

Hi Jan
sorry to hear that you have family problems to handle – sounds like a tough week.
I know it’s tempting to fall back on carby/sugary stuff as a comfort, so well done for getting back to BSD so quickly.
If you’re eating well, and no reason to fret about what you’ve eaten, you’ll probably feel tons more able to cope with it all.

Well done Indy – sounds as if you managed it well, but the added reflection had given you even more tools for next time.

Correction – calories 720 not 7.20!

Day two and after having spent most of the night in the toilet last night I woke this morning to having lost 5lb in one day from 20st 1 to 19st 10. This is the first time I have felt comfortable speaking about my weight because I actually feel like I’m doing something about it today 2 eggs water scrambled. Homemade fish soup and chicken salad for tea. Feeling tired today and a bit groggy tonight. Headache as well need more water. Coady hope your day went well.

INDY enjoyed reading yr thoughtful and helpful post! And dont you have a lovely caring OH!
totally resonate with a lot of yr comments especially ..of course if moderation was my talent,i wdnt have almost 100 lb to lose! I share yr all or nothing tendency..can become very uptight about cals/ carb consumption but i can also go crazy,drawing a chair up to the fridge and eating the entire contents!
Ditto re still being a bit scared around food, me too,despite losing very well over the last 11 weeks ..just taking a friend for lunch yesterday as a birthday treat filled me with trepidation ..but went extremely smoothly in fact.
We will get over such anxieties given time and with learning lessons like youve just done after yr weeks away x i think you passed that test really well and will feel much more confident if/ when a similar situation arises! X

Hi lgorasusual
Thank you so much for your helpful information would like to use something as easy as possible. I might try fatsecret you mentioned. Just my second day so a lot to take in. 👍😃😃

M/L must feel so much better than XXL, and standard size tshirt instead of XL too 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks and Well done FROG! Howz the Nordic walking ? X
Hope ANTIGONE and LUCKY are recovering! X

Day 2 done.

Feel strange starving myself and then eat g good wholesome foods. Like the none diet aspect. I sound strange but dont have a sweet tooth or crave sugar. I love hearty dinners, home cooked, wine amongst other things.

I’ve ate well but one meal down and it’s evening time. Wife is at college and dinner is simple. Aubergine stuffed with something creative and whatever else I can find. Snack today 1 bloody boiled egg!!! Hahaha that makes me laugh out loud. I never think of snacks until you can’t have what you really want!!!

Hope everyone is well, sorry for rambling heres to day 3…groan ahahahahhaha

Hi Victoria

No, the story about ‘starving’ your body making the metabolism slow down and store more fat is incorrect (in fact Dr MM discusses it in the BSD). Fasting is recommended, but it may take a little getting used to. Chicken and salad sounds absolutely fine!

You are in early days, there will be some changes in your body as your hormones adjust, be patient and you will soon be feeling better.
Drink lots, plan your meals well (as you seem to be doing), and you will be absolutely fine!

Onwards and downwards (that’s the weight) 😉

Hey ladies, sorry not been on since yesterday as had a day off work and wow that was hard. I’m so used to punctuating my day with lunch time and being busy. So as I didn’t eat until 1.30ish (that’s over 14 hours fasting) I went for half roast chicken shared and salad and I’m unsure if this is the right thing as doesn’t feel right. I understood that if you starve your body your metabolism will slow down and then store all food as energy aka fat as its safety storage. Can anyone dispell this??

I feel OK. Walked bloody miles today around sodding supermarket, for eye test and then docs and back to the car, all on starvation mode!!!

Don’t feel as bloated as I suffer from ibs and slept well too. Drinking hmm where’s my wine gone…. Wow am missing it already, I feel so weak willed. I want chicken skin and a bottle of red but I know this is the right thing so I quash the food deserving monsters and continue onwards.

God it will get better won’t it. I’m super strict and my fridge looks like a vegetarian heaven, I’m doing it all right just doesn’t feel right starving myself. So got yoghurts for tomorrow and hope this wistful feeling passes.

Glad it hear you’re all doing so well. Send me some positivity please hahaha I’m needing it. Until tomorrow, better go attack some veggies for dinner….. Victoria x

Hi
Starting weight 10 stone 6lbs. Just 3/4lb lost last week. Fasting blood sugar today 4.8.

Carbs 22.4 cals 7.20.

Was at dentist late afternoon so did a lot of walking. Breakfast scrambled egg. Lunch was probably not that healthy – homemade Kefir and a square of dark chocolate. Dinner was better – a small portion of beef stir fry. Am back at work – will finish at 9pm.

Really looking forward to this week’s challenge.

Hello, all!

Wow, halfway through another 8 weeks – what a good reminder, Verano! It doesn’t seem like it has been 12 weeks, but time flies!

The last two weeks have been tough for me, work-wise, and last week I was out of town all week and sitting in meetings in a hotel all day, every day. Very little control over what I had to choose from in terms of food and almost no time (unless I sacrificed sleep) to walk/exercise, and I was really worried about what the scale would say when I returned. Oh, I should probably mention that I also drank more in that week than I have in the previous 12 combined – which is to say, less than my former life, but more than I should have done.

So I finally got on the scale this morning (I couldn’t face it yesterday after getting back late the night before) and was a little shocked to see that I’d gained less than half a pound. I was all set for bad news and self-recrimination, and my husband was standing about ten feet away saying, “Now, remember, even if you don’t like what you see, it is only temporary,” etc. because I’d confessed all my sins about food and drink and he knew I was anxious.

Weigh-in: Down a total of 8 lbs since the end of the first 8 weeks, 40 lbs overall on the diet, and 52.5 lbs since Jan. 1. 42.6 lbs to go!!! I really want to get to the “under 40 lbs to lose” stage!

What the last week taught me:
I am going to feel guilty if I am not exercising and I was almost paralyzed by not being able to control my meals, and that’s probably bad. It turns out I made ok choices, but I was far more worried about eating the wrong thing than the prospect of just not eating at all.

I think this means I need to make a few adjustments:

1. Most importantly, avoid these situations. I could have been very clear with the conference organizers about my food restrictions, but I hate to be a bother and figure it is my problem, not theirs. But I also could have gone to a local grocery store and made some purchases that would have helped me avoid the problem; and, I could have paid more attention to the conference schedule in advance so I was prepared to give up an hour of sleep in order to fit in exercise.

2. Give myself a break. I’m so afraid of backsliding that I’ve somehow convinced myself that any deviation from the plan is going to immediately result in a 50 lb gain or a slippery slope to it. I need to chill out. Of course, if moderation was my talent, I wouldn’t be in the position of trying to lose almost 100 lbs to begin with, right? 🙂

3. Be more open with people. I think, had I shared my situation with others, I could have counted on them to excuse me from some of the social things in order to take better care of myself. That’s not 100% true – one of my closest friends was there and there is a 1/1 correlation b/w being around her and my misbehaving! – but it’s largely true, and people understand and have generally been supportive when I have been honest.

I guess I just want to acknowledge that, even when things are going the right direction overall, food is still this scary presence in my life and, while I may have established the right habits now for eating and exercising, I may be a bit behind mentally and need to put some effort into normalizing my relationship with food and exercise!

HI ladies not good day today, hubby had unexpected day off so we went out for lunch!!!! I did however buy new blood sugar diet recipe book…looks really good so definitely back on track tomorrow

On 16th June 2016 I found out that I was a Type2 Diabetic, my HbA1c was 62, cholesterol was 4.9 and BP 144/92 and I weighed 13 Stone 13 lbs (88.4 Kg) with a BMI of 30.2. I was sent off with a bag full of pills (Metformin & Statin) and a booklet about Diabetes. Needless to say that was not the best news I ever had. So I took my pills and read the booklet, which still suggested that I can have loads of carbs and some sweet stuff!
I decided to do a bit of my own research and soon found lots of information on the Internet, some good, some bad and some controversial.
I found the Ditch The Carbs, Blood Sugar Diet by Dr Michael Mosley and Sugar Free by Karen Thompson and these lead me to look at a whole host of others including Diet Doctor (Andreas Eenfeldt MD), Professor Tim Noakes, Professor Roy Taylor, Dr David Unwin, Emily Maguire, Ted Naiman and Dr Aseem Malhotra. All these wonderful people have websites and social media that support diet and exercise and a LCHF or real Mediterranean Diet to improve your health.
After spending some time reading their websites and tweets I decided to give it a go and try Low Carb. I stopped the bread, pasta, potatoes and rice and started including more vegetables, some fruit (Berries, Apples, Pears ) and trying out some of the recipes from Ditch the Carbs and the BSD. I also started some basic exercise; I walked for 30 mines a day. Pretty soon began losing weight and feeling better. I mixed up my menus taking my inspiration from Karen’s Sugar Free book, Libby’s Ditch the Carbs website, Andreas’s Diet Doctor Website and the BSD book by Michael Mosely.
Over the last 3 months my cooking has had interesting results, as somethings I cook really well other were a bit of a disaster (Down to me not the recipes : ) I have become a big fan of cauliflower rice and I am now enjoying butter, eggs, cheese and some full fat yoghurts, cream and nuts and I am losing weight. Much to the bewilderment of family and friends. I have even now increased my exercise and I’m doing HIIT sessions from the fabulous Joe Wicks (Freely available on YouTube) whose 15 minute low impact workouts are fantastic and fun.
It’s now 24th September and I’ve had a 3 month blood test to see how I am getting on -The results are in!
HbA1c is now 39, cholesterol is 3 (LDL=1.3, HDL=1.3) I now weigh 11 Stone 9 lbs ( 75 Kg ) and my BMI is 25.6. At my review they have kept me on Statins and I am now down to 1 Metformin and my BP is now 131/84. With my Diabetes Nurse I have agreed a target weight of 11 stone and another HbA1c test in 3 months. I’m also now trying to get my BP down a bit more so I’m going to start some Qigong and Mindfulness exercises.
I’ve had a fantastic journey over the last 3 months. I’m no saint as I have had a glass of red wine and a couple of squares of 85% dark chocolate during the last 3 months (But not every day!!)
I’ve found a supportive and vibrant community on the Internet who keep posting their recipes, research and hold forums discussing the latest developments in LCHF and Diabetes. I’ve managed to watch The Big Fat Fix and the Fixing Dad (Documentary about reversing Type 2 Diabetes by Anthony and Ian Whittington) and I’ve just watched the fantastic 2 part program by Dr Chris van Tulleken – The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. I’m now looking forward to the next few months of my new journey.
A big thank you to everyone in the LCHF community and to the Doctors who are supporting and researching this way of life.

As Albert Einstein once said “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we create them”

Keep posting and tweeting.
Andy @Crixus1963

Hi Flash21

I don’t want to get you to be too confident. But I can tell you, for certain, that if you stick to the BSD and enjoy changing your lifestyle to accommodate the 800 calories and no refined carbs, ONE dress size down by January is ABSOLUTELY AND DEFINITELY ACHIEVABLE.

In fact, I look forward to catching up with you in a few weeks to hear how you’ve already done it and are moving towards the next milestones. 🙂

Onwards and downwards, all 🙂

By the way, if you type My Fitness Pal in the SEARCH box, top right, you get lots of threads talking about it.

Very useful, the SEARCH facility, as there is absolutely reams of great historical info here on the forum now. 🙂

I hope your husband is doing OK, Chookymama. I know all about well-meaning friends… we have one who spends long periods of time with us (he has a place very near us but almost no facilities – at least at the moment – so when he’s in the area, essentially he’s with us). During his most recent visit, I put on 6 kg, eating more but above all drinking more because he buys lots of wine and beer in ‘recompense’ for our generosity. When he arrived, I weighed 83.5 kg and that’s why it’s my mini goal. I’ll be going ‘properly’ downwards from there on. I have set myself a target of 25 kilos overall but probably ought to lose a few more after that. Good luck with your target.

Hi there Womble

Yes, many many people here on the forums use MyFitnessPal (me included) but there are many others, and I have heard FatSecret recommended by others as easier to use.

MyFitnessPal takes a little getting used to, but I find it quite reasonable to use as a diary, to record meals, to search for things by barcode etc. However, you do need to be a bit careful with its suggestions as sometimes all you get are ingredients by cups – not so good if you are UK based – and some of the entries aren’t accurate. A little bit of good sense is required.

However, I’ve found it really useful for planning ahead – as someone said here, if you don’t do that, you can find you’ve got 50 calories left for dinner, which is quite sad 🙁

Hope that helps!

By the way, you don’t need the paid-for version.

Have a look at Libbys site – ditch the carbs (http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/) some very good recipes on there plus an article on The Ultimate Guide To Low Carb Flours (http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2016/09/12/low-carb-flours/)

Was just wondering if anyone joined up to myfitnesspal and if it ok?? This was recommended by Michael Mosley as an aid to counting calories. 😃👍

I used to be 70kg Snoop – back in the day – well actually not that long ago (my OH was diagnosed with a life limiting illness three years ago. Very well meaning friends sent me chocolate by the TRUCK LOAD. Rude not to eat it. I put on 2.5 stones in 2 months. Three years on and it had not budged despite particpating in many foolhardy sporting events but finding them incredibly hard work with my new body size!)

SO – 70kg is my target. It is also at the higher end of the range for my height so I know that I am not being unrealistic. Quite a few websites that have BMI/weight calculators.

Ahhh, those white noise apps are great! They usually have a good variety of sounds – I found that the noise of a train on the tracks would send me off to sleep very quickly! Haven’t tried a podcast or an audiobook but others have reported them to work well so I might try them out too. I don’t suffer from “true” insomnia, just worry when I can’t sleep properly.

Hello all,

I’d like to join in too please! I’ve started my own diary thread as well in an effort to remain accountable throughout this process but it’s also fun to hear about how everyone else is approaching this 🙂 I got semi-started last week but just had a weekend away which derailed my (minimal) progress so am back on the wagon today and full steam ahead! Thanks to Igor and Californiagirl for the reminders to measure. I will get on that tonight, not that I really want to find out just how enormous I am! But my current mini-goal is to drop a dress size by 1st Jan, so I guess doing the measurements will spur me on. I’m also going to make more of an effort to try new recipes so I don’t just flop about complaining I have nothing to eat and then bingeing on crisps and the like. So, there is my plan of sorts! Good luck with everything everyone 🙂

Hello all!

Nomorepanic – good to hear you’ve had a successful day. I hope there were more to follow. I too often feel bloated but find peppermint tea helps when I get like this. And lots of water as Boli suggests.

Antigone – I’m also a forum addict! Glad to hear not just me 🙂

Comforteater – congrats on your 3 stone loss! You must feel wonderful. A small gain is not terrible. You know you can do this. I am definitely a self saboteur – lose a couple of pounds and think, oooh I’m doing well so will treat myself with xyz and then am back to square one. It’s a really annoying pattern but am determined to break it! I have some severe back problems which are currently hindering most attempts at exercise, so I know how you feel on that front. In fact, we are pretty similar! My target weight is also around 11 stone. We can help each other along!

Boli – 1.2kgs down is fantastic, congratulations! Hopefully this will inspire you to keep at it. I’ve read that cravings seem to start dropping off once you’re into the 2nd/3rd weeks so you’re well on your way. I also need to sort out portion sizes and get my head around the fact that a “normal” sized helping is not small and I will not starve!

Hello everyone,

I too have gained over the weekend, which is annoying but not surprising. I’ve reset some mini goals and by the end of December I want to be at least one dress size smaller and to have weaned myself off diet fizzy drinks. Or indeed any fizzy drink. It’s definitely comforting and motivating to read everyone else’s goals as it makes feel like I can achieve mine if I really put my mind to it. Good luck to you all! 🙂

Hello Hillybob,

How are things going? Are you feeling better now? I hope so! 🙂

So, I have been away for the weekend and in four days I have gained 3lbs. BAHHHHH. I thought all the walking around I did would have mitigated my less than wonderful diet but alas not. However, I did also want to try the local fare so I guess that’s the price you pay. Back on the wagon properly today, with some new goals ahead of me for Oct/Nov/Dec:

Drop at least one dress size by 1st Jan
Attempt walking home from work at least one day per week (am experiencing terrible back pain again and off to see consultant next week so only putting a small target in as really struggling)
Try some new recipes
Wean myself off diet fizzy drinks

I would like to add to these but need to think of some more first!

One question: does anyone know where you can buy full fat Fage/Total yoghurt in small pots rather than the big one?

Hope you are all doing well! Please feel free to drop in and say hi 🙂

Just to say that we substituted tofu for chicken in the Thai curry. Also put in less curry paste than it said, as it was really hot. The dish was delicious, not quite what we’d expected in that it wasn’t red. The coconut milk dilutes the red colour of the paste. It has lovely creamy sauce, that doesn’t feel like being on a “diet” at all.

We also felt that it needed more veg, though that would up the carbs and cals a weeny bit. Next time I’ll put in more green beans.