Heya thanks for replying! I’m fine with medical jargon, did biology degree so used to the words lol, but makes it harder with so much contradiction in medical texts and trials! I’m glad to hear it is a good thing, I’ve done keto loads of times before and never plateued this quickly but it has been a good few years. I’m fully motivated at the moment (getting married!) So definately will keep at it, at least for a few months until I hit the target goal. Long as it starts to move again soon, I’m happy

Hope you get to the Chinese supermarket tomorrow, V and that all your deliveries arrived safely.
Elle, how lovely to be making a new friend and to have a get together to look forward too.

An odd day today, but can probably still find some positives….
🙂 had thought it might be harder today, to find 27 things to shift in some way, but it was actually quite easy …. plus here, is that more clutter has been cleared (although you wouldn’t know it to look at the house!).
📝 date night menu has been planned and shopped for… it will be a day late this week, as we have a dinner to go to on Friday. Positive … whilst looking for the menu cards I write up for our date night dinners, I found some things for my nine day 27 item declutter.
📞 after a week of procrastination I got around to making a doc’s appointment and requesting paperwork to drawdown some cash from a pension. My positive here is that two things that were very much pending are now in hand.
📂 found the folder we made up two years ago, in prep for our drive out to Turkey, which was cancelled of course. Will make it easier to plan this year’s trip using that as a template for our upcoming trip.

Now…. finding something I’m looking forward to tomorrow is going to be tougher🤔 …… okay, well I’m definitely looking forward to dealing with the next 27 items on my declutter (thanks so much Yowser, for the inspiration). Other than that, nothing much happening tomorrow, so will just have to wait and see what the day brings.

That fake mashed potato sounds interesting Elle Mae, I might try that one day.

Brilliant thread, nice to meet you newcomers or returners and hiya to all the current regulars….sounds like everyone is kinda
getting on track since the new year….I’ve lost 8lbs now- week1: 1 lb (false start), week 2: 4 lbs, week 3: 3 lbs…..happy with that as had a little celebration drinky break on Friday …..7 lbs left to be back to my goal and then see if I want to lose a little more to give me a buffer for things like hols and Christmas.

Love to all xxx

Welcome back LittleDrummerGirl !
You would have to check back through the 2019 weekly threads to find your former username but for now you are LDG and you are on the list !
All.the very best !

Evening all (where I am, anyway!), thought I’d re-join the forums and say ‘hi’! I was a member years ago (back in 2019 maybe?) but can’t even remember my username, so I’ve got a new one! Recognise many usernames on here though!

Had good success with Fast800 back in 2019 and eventually transitioned to keto & fasting a la Jason Fung style. Went well and enjoyed the fasting a lot – never got to goal, but felt quite good about myself and enjoyed fasting. Anyway, covid happened, at the same time as risk of redundancy and some other stresses etc, etc and the weight went back on when low carb and regular fasting went out the window (although I managed to keep occasional fasting going and believe it resolved the long covid that hovered around for six months or so). Have been back to fasting now and then over the last couple of years, but need to sort out the low carb side of things to see the weight start to move, so thought I’d pop back on Fast800 at the start of this year to get back into a bit of a routine.

Losses so far were 7.6lb first week, 3.2lb second week and tomorrow will tell for the third – although it was my birthday last week and we were away for the weekend where alcohol, carbs and general naughtiness was consumed (and very much enjoyed!). Back on keto & F800 since yesterday and we’ll see what the damage is in the morning, then onwards and downwards!

So anyway – ‘hi’!

Thanks Merry for reposting Esnecca’s message.That is a classic and spot on for motivation. Thanks SG for giving a few pointers to Laura and anyone else starting out.
All the best for this week ,V. It’s important to have special times especially after all the restrictions.

Merry , my Alternate Day Fasting looks like this
Dinner Sunday evening
Fast all day Monday
Eat lunch and dinner on Tuesday
Fast Wednesday
Eat lunch and dinner on Thursday
Fast Friday
Weekend lunch and dinner
Start again on Monday

I’m not a saint and I can’t handle water only so I have cream in 2 coffees and then drink water and herbal teas the rest of the day . My fasts average 40 hours because I never eat breakfast. It’s surprisingly manageable because I just tell myself ‘ I can eat tomorrow”
I used to do OMAD ( One Meal a Day) frequently when I was working so that got me into the fasting habit and honestly I don’t feel any discomfort. I am careful with electrolytes and I have to wrap up because I feel cold on fasting days.
It’s important not to go overboard on the ‘feeding days’ and I allow some Greek yoghurt and berries but no nuts. I know extended fasting doesn’t suit everyone but even shorter fast and intermittent fasting , skipping breakfast or lunch has proven benefits.
I will see how I get on anyway .

Thanks for all the lovely messages about my son who is on a Singapore Airlines flight to Paris as I type this . Tomorrow morning he will be in Paris !!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow will be a good day 😉

Well done Russianroulade ! You are right not to focus solely on the scales . Other beneficial changes will be happening for sure .

Be proud of those discarded pounds Lauren ! Well done for producing interesting meals . It would be so easy to turn to carbage when you are feeling low .We are always looking out for you xx

Things will happen soon SG .I think you are spot on about us not showing much movement on the scales just now as we are several years on this way of eating .I didn’t weigh this week .I will have a look at the end of the month

Hi sorry I’ve not been contributing much to this thread. The bus is spinning out of control for me …. so many people, so many stories… I’m just losing track! I think I might be more in tune with the shorter challenges. So I’m getting of the bus at the next stop, sorry, but I wish you all a happy, healthy and productive journey to Easter. Can’t wait to hear your results!
Happy travelling!

My 3 positives today
I met someone who has moved to the village and feeling isolated and lonely, and I took her along with me on my daily walk, we have arranged to do it again on Monday.
My weight is back to my pre Christmas weight.
We have booked to go visit family in England in March.

Good afternoon.
Theo my OH is exactly the same! Last week we disposed of a shower hose inlet that fractured, maybe three years ago …. and he’s keeping this useless piece of tubing for what??? Mind you he is getting better because if I say I’m going to throw something in the bin he always says, no, he’ll take it to the charity shop … a step in the right direction.
Sunny how lovely to have something as wonderful as your daughter’s wedding to look forward to …. we all need something to look forward to.
Yowzer fancy finding presents you didn’t know you had, that must really have been a nice surprise. I have to say I’m finding the 100 day challenge difficult to keep up with, so many people, so many stories, I’m just confused so will probably get off the bus at the next stop!
Today has been a bit mixed. We didn’t get to the Chinese supermarket because we were waiting for various deliveries. Still waiting for Virgin to pick up some equipment but I don’t think they’ll come today. Told OH he should just leave it on the doorstep tomorrow, photograph it and send the photo to Virgin saying “we’ve left it on the step, here’s the proof!”
Anyway I do have some positives ….
🌷🌼🌹 Unlike Theo, my daffodils are just poking little green shoots through the soil but, my positive is, my neighbours winter cherry is in full bloom …. spring is on it’s way!
🌶🧄🐟 Roasted sea bream with coriander, garlic and chilli tonight. I’m trying to make sure we eat fish at least three times a week. Fortunately, OH likes fish too.
We love olives especially Fragata but I’ve discovered they have msg in them! Why? So just finishing the last can and won’t be buying them again. Why do olives need a flavour enhancer?
😎😋😍 Feeling quite relaxed despite a less than sparkling weight loss week. (Tuesday is my official weigh-in day). So …. giving Yowzer’s Feng Shui ideas a thought I think I might try 990 for 9 ….. 9 days at 990 calories. Makes me feel positive when I have a plan!
Tomorrow …… looking forward to Chinese supermarket shopping, and maybe an Asian meal tomorrow night.
Have a good evening.

Hi Tanny-lou, welcome to the site and well done, thats a fantastic weight loss in 2 weeks. You havent quite hit a plateau which can go on and on but you are experiencing the normal reaction of your body to losing 17lbs. Our bodies dont like change and try to seek out a state called homeostasis. Which is a fancy word for balance. It sort of goes ‘oh heck, whats happening, why arent I getting fed like before – help, I had better hang on to what I have got until I can see what is going on’, Yes, that was your body talking. Give it a few days or maybe a week and it will settle down to the new diet and you will start to lose again.

This is usually the time when people give up, but seriously, this is a good sign that your body is recognising the changes you are making. Keep on keeping on as I always say. There is a lady called Dr Becky Gillespie who does YouTube videos which I suggest you scan through the subjects. She is really non-medical jargon and talks a lot of sense and easy to watch.

Hi everyone and happy new week. Thanks for the thread Wendy. You must be so happy right now with your son arriving soon.

Sorry Elle-Mae but didnt get a whoosh but did drop back down to what I was last week. No loss, no gain. So, not exactly a plateau but stuck for a bit. I know, as I am sticking to this, that something will happen soon.

On a good news note, BG is steady at around 100 (5.0), giving it another couple of days before I reduce insulin down again.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Hi all, just popped in to say hi to LauraY and clarify a point. As mentioned, threads on the site can sometimes run and run, i.e. Positive Thoughts, or can be medium term like The 100 days to Easter, or, like this one which only last a week at a time. Today this thread becomes defunct as we all move over onto a new week (with the date in it… 25th is next). The purpose of this thread is that we can all have a bad week and want to forget it, it is a fresh start no matter how you are doing. It is also a mix of people at so many different phases in their weight loss story or, even people with diabetes trying to improve their numbers. Also we chat about anything, whereas some threads are on a specific subject.

Anyway, my point is, this thread has now moved to a new week and we hope to see you there. Especially for me, as someone mentioned you are T2 and might want to see how others, like me, are doing with our blood results etc. See ya.

Great news about your son Wendy.
S-G hope you get your whoosh moment soon.
We have just booked a few days in England to see my son and brothers in late March
I have made ‘mashed potatoes’ by blitzing cooked cauliflower florets with a drained tin of chickpeas, a little marscapone, olive oil and spring onions and a tiny bit of grated cheese. OH said you wouldn’t know it wasn’t potatoes.

Heya

Iv been doing fast 800 for almost 3 weeks now. First 2 weeks were great, lost 17lb but now nothing has changed for last 5 days, I even gained a lb on one day! I’m using an app to track macros, I’m eating less than 20g carbs, 100g fat and 100 protein each day and calorie intake is between 400-800 calories a day. I’ve tested and am definately in ketosis.

Exercise is limited for me due to health conditions and I know my meds cause weight gain so that contributes but I cant go less calories a day!

And just to demonstrate my point below about brain fog, I posted in the wrong forum!

Hi Laura and welcome, we’re a lovely bunch xx

I’m back in for another week, I’m now down 11lb in three weeks which is unheard of for me, but obviously good.

I’ve been reading along with everyone’s posts, welcome back to all returners, well done to all who are going great guns and big hugs to all who need it

I’m not in a great space mentally at the moment, let’s say it’s been a difficult week, and my sincerest thanks go to Wendy and Tulip for checking in with me in private and showing so much love! Anyway so I’ll be dipping in and out, and may not be able to concentrate on who said what or did what etc. as my brain is very foggy at the moment, but rest assured I’m here with you all in spirit!

I’m just planning todays meals, I think mozzarella, chicken, pesto and piquant peppers for lunch with a handful of almonds and mayyyyybe kung pao chicken for tea. Last night I invented a new dish and I have to say it was delicious. I used to make a SW “cheeseburger pasta” recipe – obviously not BSD friendly due to the pasta, but I thought “why don’t I make the mix and put it in a pepper?” – so I had cheeseburger stuffed pepper with some mixed salad leaves and pickles and it was really tasty. Although I have to say plating the pasta on my partners dish was not the easiest!

Lauren x

Hi Laura and welcome, we’re a lovely bunch xx

I’m back in for another week, I’m now down 11lb in three weeks which is unheard of for me, but obviously good.

I’ve been reading along with everyone’s posts, welcome back to all returners, well done to all who are going great guns and big hugs to all who need it

I’m not in a great space mentally at the moment, let’s say it’s been a difficult week, and my sincerest thanks go to Wendy and Tulip for checking in with me in private and showing so much love! Anyway so I’ll be dipping in and out, and may not be able to concentrate on who said what or did what etc. as my brain is very foggy at the moment, but rest assured I’m here with you all in spirit!

I’m just planning todays meals, I think mozzarella, chicken, pesto and piquant peppers for lunch with a handful of almonds and mayyyyybe kung pao chicken for tea. Last night I invented a new dish and I have to say it was delicious. I used to make a SW “cheeseburger pasta” recipe – obviously not BSD friendly due to the pasta, but I thought “why don’t I make the mix and put it in a pepper?” – so I had cheeseburger stuffed pepper with some mixed salad leaves and pickles and it was really tasty. Although I have to say plating the pasta on my partners dish was not the easiest!

Lauren x

Hi LauraY,
Welcome to the forum, there is no external moderator setting up the forums, its left to members. Some of us prefer to set targets on a weekly basis, others prefer to make a longer plan so there is a thread running up to easter. Its up to you which you join in with, some people join both.

There is also threads on specific topics, such as a positives thread where people post their 3 positives of the day. a thread just for good soup reciepes, a thread where we have shared links to articles and useful research.

Some of us just use the heading of latests posts to read all the most recent posts on any thread.

—————————

Well done on your initial loss. When we eat a high carb diet our body needs to store water to help it process the carbs. When you cut out the carbs the body releases the water. Most of the weight you discarded in the first week is water. When our bodies discard water we also loose electrolytes, which we do need to replace by increasing our salt intake. Your aches and may be linked to a need for extra salt.

I notice in your profile you mention that you have been diagnosed as being T2. Are you on medication, or have you agreed with your GP that you will first try to reverse the diagnosis through diet.?

Thank you for this new thread.
Wendy you must be on cloud 9!
It really has been a terrible couple of years for us all but we now have to have to a positive outlook and plan for the best, fingers crossed!
My goal this week is to stick as close as I can to 990 calories ‘everyday’ not just the odd day or two.
Have a good week.

Hi everyone.
I had such a simple task this week …. lose 1.2lbs to get to my first mini goal for the year. Well, it’s not been my finest hour! I didn’t take into account that we were going to have a few days away …. result gain of 2.8lbs! Goal for this week to get to my first goal now means a 4lb loss which I think might be very hard.
Wendy, s-g I think because our bodies are so used to this way of eating that it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight. Possibly a shake up of food, different meals maybe more veggie or fish might work. Or indeed ADF although I find fasting really difficult.
Laura lots of us use the FatSecret app/ website to track carbs/cals.
Well last week of January is upon us and I can’t let this year disappear into the abyss like 2021. So with no distractions in the pipeline I will try my very best this week.

Hi Wendy and all – so terrific to read that your son is on his way back to you ✈.
All the best with your ADF – does that mean you are doing a liquid only 24 hours? 36 Hours ? (dinner thru to breakfast on 2nd day?)
I am in day 4 of my reboot. Going well so far and keeping carbs low. I’m in keto (using the breath meter) so that is motivating and I will aim to stay there for a few weeks. Just finished halloumi and salad for lunch. Salmon and veggies planned for dinner.
Merry 🌺

Hi LauraY – Welcome! You are in the right place for loads of helpful advice and tips. You’ve made a great start – congratulations.
For some ideas for foods – and how high in carbs some foods are take a look at the Diet Doctor pages. You don’t have to pay or join to use these pages – just browse.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/guides
It is amazing how the snacking cravings are reduced by this WOE (way of eating 😉 )
Many here use an app to track their foods and carbs etc – like My fitness Pal. I use Easy Diet Diary which is good if you are in Australia. There are several others. This can really help track your foods. I think many people here follow the plan of lower carbs as an important part of wellness (and weight loss).
We had a really guru on this site called Esnecca. This is a link where Wendy posted Esnecca’s journey. You might find it interesting. https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/one-week-at-a-time-beginning-march-10th-2020/#post-122793
And also take a look 👀 at this forum https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/take-a-look-at-this/ where links to interesting videos and articles are posted.
cheers
Merry 🌺

Hi everyone,
I was tired tonight and one of those nights that would normally have me running into the local shops to find something quick and easy to eat. But I’m not going into shops right now, and still have so much food in the house, so I quickly put together a stir fry with frozen veg and some forgotten prawns that I found at the bottom of the freezer, and had a rare pescatarian evening. It was delicious and very educational, because it came together in less time than it would have taken me to drive to the shops and back, never mind actually do the shopping.
I made a broccoli quiche last night and had the leftovers for lunch, so all together not a bad day on the food front. Such a big win to be cooking regularly and enjoying food again.
I know what you mean about the effort to reward ratio, Cathy. I can’t say I’m trying overly hard right now, but I did for so long before and hit a point where the weight just wouldn’t budge. I think I’m still at a point where my iron levels are interfering with my weight loss. I’m going to talk to my new GP about getting iron infusions because I’m so tired of the tablets and I get so many side effects from them that I don’t stay on them consistently. Hoping that will help with my energy level as well.
DCT – I follow the Somerset flower farmer and florist Georgie Newbery on youtube, and I was laughing at one of her recent videos where she is dressed in a loose-knit jumper with a puffy vest on top, no hat or gloves, and proclaiming that “it’s freezing!”. I shouted back at the video “it’s not freezing if you can have exposed skin without getting frost-bite!”. On one of our coldest mornings the lock on my feed room door was frozen shut, and I made a rookie mistake of taking my glove off to try to get it open. Even just the cold air started to immediately burn my skin, never mind the metal of the lock. Anyway, it will be going back down to around -10 C this week, but that is still quite manageable. Much prefer the cold to the heat and wildfires that we had in the summer.

Hi everyone- completely new to this forum / diet – started Mon 17th – have lost 9lb in 1st week which I am pleased with. Have a long way to go and just finding my way around the blood sugar recipe book.
Slightly confused at all the different forum headings … do I join 1 and post and stick to it or jump in to several?
Would appreciate learning more about recipes and how to work out how many carbs / calories to aim for each day. Very new to this but loving it so far. Cannot believe how hungry I am not! Not had one snack all week and tending to have brunch and dinner and that’s it. Only observation is I have woken in pain in joints today and felt like I had run a marathon ( I haven’t!!!) am wondering whether I should be taking any supplements or am I getting enough of everything with the plan I am following ? 800 calories for 8 weeks.
Thanks all x

yay! Another MM week….thank you Wendy, SunnyB and SG

😚😚😚😚😚

Hi Wendy I know exactly what you are suffering on the scales. I have managed 3.5 lbs in the first 2 weeks and then absolutely nothing for the last week. My daughter has lost around 12 lbs in the same period but, as she pointed out, during the holiday period she pigged out while I still ate within the principles of the diet. So she has gone from having lots of excess to lose whereas we (you and I) have not really taken a break and havent got loads to lose. I would be interested to hear how you shake things up….

Looking forward to another week and will weigh in tomorrow. You never know there might have been a whoosh moment.

Hello everyone
Been a busy day on the thread today and I’ve just been catching up with how you’re all doing. Thank you for some too tips. I was working today and it was so cold at the vaccination centre. I took some home made soup and a Warburton’s thin with cheddar cheese for my lunch. My evening meal was some egg muffins with mushrooms and pepper and cheese and a few Halloumi fries. Probably slightly over calories and carbs but it was so cold at work today I reckon I shivered off the excess! I weighed myself this morning and was up yet again. I am now the same weight as I was at the start of this month so not lost anything! How disappointing after three weeks. Let’s see how much I’ve lost on day 12 from today. I’ll be lucky to lose 3lb! In all seriousness, my husband cannot fathom my poor weight loss since starting in January. The effort to reward ratio is poor. He sees what I eat and can’t believe it when I tell him I’ve not lost or I’ve gained (don’t mention the chocolate 🍊 orange]!

I am tired out tonight – been so cold today at work and quieter than usual. I hardly drank any water today so tomorrow I will address that and work at having a better day food wise. I feel so tired of battling with my weight. When I did this in 2017 the weight came off slowly but quicker than it is coming off now! I need to get into a more positive frame of mind! I need to believe in myself and believe I can do this.

V, thank you for the info on the numbers associated with feng shui and I’m quite liking the idea of flagging something we are looking forward to, as well as posting our positives.
Yowser, you have definitely inspired me to take on the 27/9 challenge …. have made a start, more on that later.
Theodora, really pleased you have been able to spend time with family …. hope your granddaughter will soon be fully recovered.

Right, so let’s see what positives I can identify for today …..
♻️ really enjoyed starting the 27/9 feng shui challenge Yowser mentioned yesterday. Proved easy to find today’s 27 item to move on and consisted of disposing of a stack of glass jars and plastic take away food containers all ready for recycling. Probably still have too many, but the positive is it feels like I’ve made a good start.
🚐 youngest daughter has arranged a minibus airport transfer for all of us for her wedding trip … one less thing that needs to be organised so that’s a plus.
🐟 made a yummy haddock in light cream sauce, with pernod, pinenuts and fennel for dinner. Positive here is that it was tasty, within cal/carb limits and quick to make.
🍷offered eldest daughter some glasses my mum gave me as she was having a clear out and I don’t have a home for them. DD has accepted half if them, so a positive that they won’t be sitting in boxes in my house fir yonks!

Looking forward to taking the balance of mum’s old glasses to a charity shop tomorrow. Will try not to come home with other stuff!!!
What have your positives been today?

Wendy what lovely news about your son. You must be beside yourself with excitement. I’m pleased for you.
Well all was well and had hit my sub goal of 10.13 on Saturday which had meant another 4 pounds off. However Mother Nature has a different plan for me and the arrival of my period has seen my bloated and carb craving. I have stuck to plan, but have gained 1.5 by today. I think some coconut milk in my curry may have had something to do with it. Anyway I remain resolute as my body is changing shape, so a NSV when I look in the mirror. I also went spinning and to body pump at the weekend, so am confident I’m making changes. Plus I’m going to keep going with dry January into dry February as it seems to be having a positive impact. I’m going to maintain focus and see where I am when my period goes again. But for now it’s the sofa, my hot water bottle and some rubbish TV. Good luck for the week all

Still here and still trying to find proper focus, so thank you for another inspirational kick off post for this week, Wendy. Had thought I’d done okay last week, but the scales had another opinion this morning. This has given me the push I’ve needed to get my act together, so today has been full-on weighing, measuring and I’ll be recording it all.

Anyway, no matter how well or badly you did last week, this is a fresh start, a new week to do with as you will. Let’s make this one count.

Hi guys.
Interesting read about the feng shui numbers, V.
Yowzer, I’m a big fan of decluttering too👍 So satisfying. And I never seem to run out of things to get rid of, as O/H is an inveterate hoarder!!! He rarely goes out without coming home having “found something which may come in useful” at some unspecified time in the future, be it a sliver of wood, a bit of string, elastic bands dropped by the postman, or whatever junk happens to catch his eye!! He still has every credit card receipt and bank statement he’s ever had, all filed away!!
I have to say it does cause….err, let’s say,…..the odd difference of opinion! And also means I have to declutter surreptitiously 🙄 If I were to leave a charity donation bag in the house or garage, everything in it would have been repatriated by the time I got around to taking it to a charity shop!! Hey ho!!

Positives to report….
1. Yesterday my mother (97) came for Sunday roast with the family and she really tucked in! Sooo good to see, as she’s become a very picky eater.
2. My lovely 16 and a half rescue dog (had her nearly 3 years now, which in itself is a positive) enjoyed TWO decent walks today – about 40 minutes (circa 2 miles) each – when these days her 2nd one often tends to be not much more than a “comfort break”. But she’s been very sprightly today 😁 So lovely to see in my golden oldie 👍
3. Daffodils bursting into bloom in my garden – even cut a big bunch for the house. Spring is on it’s way👍👍👍
4. Eventually got to see my gorgeous 17 year old granddaughter yesterday, first time since early December as she was very, very poorly with Covid (tested positive the day after her booster 🙄) over Christmas and beyond. Still very tired, with aches and pains, but not infectious and back at school. Such a relief. Love her to bits.
So much to be thankful for.

Sorry V – our posts crossed! But, good idea and my “looking forward to tomorrow” thing is a much needed hair cut!👍

Hi,
Dinner done, lovely stir-fry.
So to today …
🧀🍳🥕Felt so hungry today after lunch so went looking for ‘food’! Found three asparagus spears left from last night …. saved me from myself!
🌈📖💈Had a lovely ‘hazy lazy’ day. Feeling very relaxed.
🌶🥦🐓 Very healthy chicken stir fry for dinner tonight …. feeling really virtuous!
So more reading today and I want to add to Yowzer’s ‘decluttering’ idea …. each day add something you are looking forward to tomorrow….. for me a visit to a large Chinese supermarket to stock up on ginger, rice wine and sesame oil, …. sure I’ll find more stuff when we get there!
Have a good evening.

Thank you for the suggestions Jennie,
When I started on this way of eating I set myself different targets along the way along with rewards. As well as “rewards” for each stone, I also set myself rewards for larger targets. For example I really needed to upgrade my car, so I set that as my reward for discarding the first 3 stone. I also have a plan for when I get to target, To go on a riding holiday in the States.

Fasting breaks into different categories.

TRE Time restricted eating is when you have an eating window during a day, so for example you may see people talking about 16:8 or 18:6 as their fasting:eating windows.
ADF is Alternate Day Fasts. usually 36 or 42 hour fasts. Often done in a pattern of fasting monday, wednesday and friday.
EF Extended Fasts are more than 2 or 3 day long fasts depending on which group you are following.

Having stayed low carb and discarded enough weight that to carry that weight of animal feed I need to use a wheelbarrow,, because its too much to sling in sacks on my shoulders. its a bit frustrating that I still have to be so exacting on carbs. While I built strength and thrust taking part in a 3 month research project on weight training I discarded a minimal amount of body fat. – I still have to stick at 20g ish to stay in ketosis and if I come out it takes a couple of days to get back into ketosis.

The theory is that prolonged periods of low insulin are needed to help the body reverse insulin resistance. Wendy and I are supporting each other with our experimenting with ADF. But I guess to be fair that means I need to pick up a new set of bathroom scales so I can record progress. I have decided to put the money saved on food each week into a pot to spend on myself at Easter.

Hi JENNIE (waves!)thanks for yr tips and for that very useful quote x I particularly like tip 2 and will bear that in mind.
I used to be awful for “ all or nothing”..if I wasn’t doing it “ perfectly” I wd think I had ruined everything and it wd take me ages to try again. Hence a big weight gain over a period of time
Fortunately I’ve – at last- got it into my head that progress in baby steps will get you there,perfection won’t! I deffo get “the relapses are only human” idea now…and “count every achievement”,no matter how small,it all adds up!..and “make plans to improve”and then work on those plans will deffo get results! 🥳🥳🥳

Ahh brill! I knew about the making space for new things to come in,but didn’t know about the significance of 9 and 27! Thanks for that,it explains a lot. Interesting too to know that 9 for 9,27for 27 works too!
I wd really like to go on beyond my last day tomorrow as it’s felt so good to do it, but I’m a regular declutterer anyway,so there’s nothing really left to go after tomorrow. Just a few big items left for a “Bulky Bob” pickup.
I wish I enjoyed dieting as much as I do decluttering! X

Hi JGwen – Ignore my question above about ADF – I just read Wendy’s post on the One Week thread – Alternate Day Fasting.

Hi everyone
Jax – that’s a great loss – woohoo! and coming out of the carb flu thing – double woohoo! You must be chuffed.
RobN, Tracy Adams, Denise Susan, Nokie, RussianRoulade – hi, hope you’re all doing well so far. (Denise Susan and RussianRoulade – nice to see you both back).
JGwen – belated happy birthday wishes for Saturday – Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you…….. (if I knew how to post balloon and candle emojis I would……but I don’t, so I won’t!).
I completely get what you’re saying. One of my problems recently has been similar – buying the same limited range of food over and over (1 goal this trip is to eat a wider range of more nutritious meals). It sounds like you have been really poorly so relaxing restrictions over weekends going forward sounds like a great plan. It’s really nice to see you back and posting. N.b. What is ADF?
Stevoka – belated birthday wishes to you also. I like ‘Begin Again’. Thanks for the tips, it sounds a bit like the 5:2 diet where you have 5 stricter days and 2 more relaxed days, only more fluid, instinctive maybe?
One of my tips would be to set tiny meaningful (to you) targets. When I first did BSD I had almost 6 stone to lose. It just felt like such a mountain to climb so I deliberately set tiny targets that I could meet in a few days or a week – 10 days at most!. I was so happy when I ticked off each target that it kept me motivated. Another thing I found helpful was when I went out to somewhere with tempting food I always had something nice (one of my favourite low carb treats) at home. Knowing this kept me on track. The final tip that someone posted on here which I found helpful was if you’re going to go off track then do it by eating more cals rather than more carbs. I’ve found that one really helpful over time. My almond butter was plain full fat yoghurt – if I was really hungry I’d have a spoonful (or 2 or 3) of yoghurt. (It doesn’t count you know if you’re standing by the open fridge door while eating it! ).
Linda, I’m really sorry to hear about your concerns. A bit like arcticfox, I’ve been in a situation where I was living with, and teaching English to, refugees for 3 years, and I experienced a very similar and significant loss of vocabulary/word recollection. My husband and I have been in a similar situation to yours during the pandemic and we have both independently commented on our struggles to remember words, brain fog etc. Take care. xx
Dawn – sorry to hear about your worries with your Dad too xx
A 12 day challenge sounds like a great idea, I’ll be cheering you all on from the sidelines – you go girls!
Yowser – I’ve been de-cluttering too. (My husband says he’s afraid to stand next to an empty cardboard box or black bin bag – I have been tempted!). I’m almost finished but I do love the sound of your system.
I’m off for me tea, but, in best Yowzer style, I’ll leave with a quote. “Count your achievements, make plans to improve, view relapses as being human”

Jennie xx

Yowzer I just had to look up the Feng Shui ritual and found this answer to a question …..
CAN YOU EXPLAIN/DESCRIBE THE REMOVE/MOVE 27 ITEMS IN YOUR HOME METHOD? I HAVE READ DIFFERENT IDEAS LIKE DISCARD 9 ITEMS A DAY FOR 27 DAYS, 27 ITEMS FOR 27 DAYS ETC. I AM CLUTTERED AND NEED TO CLEAN! I WAS HOPING FOR YOUR INSIGHT.
The adjustment to remove or move a particular number of items for a specific number of days comes from the idea that by moving or removing items, you can stir up the qi or energy in your home. If there is no movement, the energy of your space as well as your inner and outer lives may be stagnant and/or stuck. Since you mentioned you have clutter that needs improving, this does sound like a good adjustment for you.
As for the numbers, BTB feng shui philosophy places much luck and auspiciousness to the number 9, and multiples of 9 such as 18 or 27…….The numbers are not arbitrary and I usually prescribe the numbers based on the particular client. You can’t go wrong if you discard 27 for 27 days, or discard 9 for 9 days, or even 9 for 81 days. My teachers have taught me that the more challenging the effort, the greater the results while finding balance in what is actually the effort level that you’re ready to exert.
Just about to cook but will write again later.

Hi everyone !

We started January with renewed enthusiasm and we are still here so let’s keep going ! This month can be notoriously difficult ( in the Northern Hemisphere anyway ) and a bit grey . It’s normal to feel in need of comfort and temptations are always lurking .

Just do your best. Plan ahead as much as you can and don’t get despondent if you feel you are not progressing as you would like . It will happen . Re read Californiagirl’s post from last week and believe !

Remember the days will get longer and brighter. Spring is coming !

I see that Covid tests will no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers entering the UK from 11th February which is good news .I am still a bit perplexed about the situation because here in France cases are only just levelling off and cases in school are still extremely high . We all know someone here who has had Covid .

On a positive note my son tested negative to enable travel to Paris via Singapore and Brisbane !! I think you can imagine my excitement ! My boy will be in France at the end of this week ! I haven’t seen him since our last Christmas in the UK in 2019 .

As I have said in my previous post I am going to persevere with my ADF experiment and see how I get on . I am still trying out new recipes . This weekend I roasted radishes ( the red ones and also the very peppery thick black ones we can get here ( Daikon radish ??? ) and some chunks of kohlrabi . They are supposed to be a good potato substitute . Now… I haven’t had spuds , chips , roasties etc for a very very long time but I think potatoes definitely taste better but honestly these roasted radishes were not bad . I tossed them in olive oil and seasoning.You can add herbs, chili flakes etc . They lose their peppery taste and are quite crunchy .

Off to post the updated list now xxx

Merry !!!!! Welcome back ! Great to see you !
Welcome also to Greenbean and prittimistri

This week has flown by . I have been having a bit of a rethink . I decided to try an experiment with Alternate Day Fasting and coped with the first week . I find any weight discard is so much slower now and even though I have well established low carb habits I can stall quite easily if I check on the scales . I feel well , no terrible hunger panngs, no real cravings ( althougth nuts are still an issue for me) so I thought I would continue to see how I get on. JGwen is doing the same experiment .

I am not at all interested in some of the extended fasts I see published online which frankly seem a bit crazy to me but this feels fine . I think what works for me is to change things, shake things up a bit . I will keep you posted !

Anyway it’s time for me to set up the new thread and then I am going to snuggle up in my fluffy onesie and do some drawing 🙂 I drink lots of herbal teas throughout the evening.I find them very warming and comforting.

Well here we are,another new week begins! And the last full week of January! We edge ever closer to springtime!
*~ my 27/9 mission completed for today. 27 items either thrown out or in charity shop bag.
*~ While searching for things to declutter,I opened a drawer I haven’t looked in for ages. Found three beautiful presents from Christmas 2020 …they’re now out and in immediate use ( some Neals Yard toiletries,an Orla Kelly diffuser set,and a lovely eye mask,journal and pen,all decorated with moon and stars) Very grateful for them.
*~ My online course is proving to be challenging, inspirational and motivational. Today it reminds us to always be grateful for what we receive and never forget to say thank you 🙏 which of course is what this thread is all about! X X
🌸🌸🌸🌸“ Give thanks for unknown blessing already on their way “ 🌸🌸🌸🌸( Native American saying)

DCT!SUEBLUE!!DAWN! and CCATHY! I’ve started the 12 day challenge! Woohoo! A mini challenge within a challenge!👏👏
JGWEN good on you eating at yr stepmums..that must have meant a lot to her, having your company and having someone to eat with.
Belated birthday wishes. JGWEN! X and belated bday wishes to STEVOKA too X!🥳🥳🥳
Onwards and downwards Bus People! X

Hi Guys,
I have been quiet for a couple of days, I went down to visit my step in mum. I hadn’t had a chance to visit her for a couple of years and she is feeling the consequences of Covid lockdowns. She is in her 80’s so is going through the time of life where she is loosing friends that she used to socialise with on top of not being able to meet due to Covid. It was the first time for her that she had the chance to cater for a friend in her home, so I didn’t like to say can;t eat that when it came to all the extra fruit she had bought because its healthy….

It was my birthday as well on Saturday. So I wasn’t strict with myself then either.

Cathy and others, I have been feeling the same as well about feeling restricted. – Part of the problem for me is being a vegi, who doesn’t make the time to batch cook. I end up buying the same limited range of grab and go ingredients every week and I am sick of them and sick of looking in others trolleys in the supermarket and never seeing any one else on as restrictive an eating program. Some how as we come out of Covid restrictions I want to socialise occasionally and that does involve sometimes eating with others.

I am going to put it out there for accountability, that for this journey I am going to include ADF 3 times a week, and stay sensible but not as restrictive from saturday lunchtime to sunday evening.

Hi RubyG

Great HbA1c result for your husband – that’s brilliant news. Congratulations to him.
About cholesterol, my experience was similar to your husband’s. When I was diagnosed with Type II, I found out my cholesterol was already high. It was 6.2. I started the BSD. I didn’t have my cholesterol checked as often as my blood glucose but after 6 months on the BSD my cholesterol had increased to 6.7.
Between getting the results and the similar phone call from the GP practice, I did a bit of googling about low carb and cholesterol.
One of the things I came across was this interview (links below) with Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney (well-known US low carb experts) talking about low carb diets, weight loss and cholesterol.

How Do Low Carb Diets Affect Cholesterol? – YouTube – Jeff Volek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ-deF9I31s
Reason for LDL Increase for Some on a Low Carb Diet – YouTube Stephen Phinney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNfjkTyBUdQ

Both bits might be useful for your husband but particularly Stephen Phinney’s section where he talks about the fact that during the weight-loss stage of a diet, if you lose a lot of weight, your cholesterol can go up because the fat cells stored contain cholesterol which is released into the blood stream as you lose fat. I’ve heard Jason Fung and others talk about this too. Once you’ve lost all the weight you need to, and your weight stabilises, your cholesterol goes down again.
This is what happened to me. My cholesterol readings went 6.2, 6.7, 5.6, 4.7. These readings were taken at 6–9-month gaps. When my reading was 6.7, I’d lost 66lbs and was still losing weight. All the others were taken once I’d reached my goal weight. Even with the 6.7 reading, my HDL had increased more than LDL, and my triglycerides had gone down (as Jeff Volek says), and my ratios were better than with my first 6.2 reading. (This was in 2016/2017. I learnt about the importance of ratios, and which ones were important to measure, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten these now).

Just thought this might be a helpful, other perspective.
Jennie xx

Thanks for the advice re. cholesterol-lowering options – we cut out all pulses when we started BSD, so it may be time to add these back in a small way, same with oats for breakfast occasionally too, with some added berries. Aubergine – we do eat this, but too often in a melanzane, which sort of defeats the object so maybe more ratatouille and babaghanoush and less melanzane. I usually cook with oilive oil, but some things I have preferred to cook with butter, so I am more consciously using olive oil instead of butter for these things, like mushrooms. We do like oily fish so again a conscious decision to eat these more frequently. Soluble fibre – would psyllium husk fall into this category, and how can we add it to our diet?

Otherwise, we have not had a bad week last week, my 16:8 TRE worked well, but am feeling a bit off this morning so decided to have breakfast – 50g mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, with a poached egg (2 poached eggs for hubby) and will make a chicken broth for lunch today, and some fish from the freezer for supper.

Tomorrow is Burns Night, so homemade haggis, neeps (swede – a small amount) and cabbage, no tatties will be on the menu tomorrow.

Have a good week everyone.

Arcticfox, Linda and Sue I really sympathise with your house situations. There is always so much to do but it sounds like each of you have particular challenges. Arcticfox I cannot begin to imagine the temperatures you are living in. It brought it home to me when you said it had warmed up to 0ºC!

Cathy good to hear from you and I’m completely with you in terms of wanting to feel normal and not fretting about food all the time. I agree that we need to keep all this in perspective, and know that it has been a very difficult time for you recently with the bad news you have faced. I just want to get myself back on track – as I said I’ve drifted into some really bad habits – but equally never want to be fanatical and obsessive about what passes my lips. Life is for living, not for worrying all the time. But on the other hand I know my bad habits make me feel less well and energetic than I could otherwise be. Like everything, it’s a balancing act.

I certainly want to do this 12 day challenge and welcome all joiners. Great to already have the company of Cathy, Sue and Dawn. I would love to think I’ll lose 9lb like MM but very much doubt it. I’m just intrigued to see what I can lose by being really strict. In the early days I did lose weight quickly but have been so on and off this WoE for so long (more on than off, but not stringently) that I kind of take it for granted that I will now keep losing slowly. It just surprised me that MM lost so much so quickly after (I imagine) sticking to this WoE much better than me for so long – and also seemingly not having much remaining excess weight to lose.

So we’ll see how it goes. This morning I was 148lb, my highest weight for a long time. I have a family event on Saturday 5th Feb – 12 days away – and I’d love to wave the magic wand and say I’ll be below 140lb by then. And I know in theory it’s possible. But doesn’t feel do-able for me. Maybe I’ll surprise myself 🙀

Dawn I’m sorry to hear your Dad is not so good. Hope that there is some better news this week. And Stevoka, thanks for all those helpful tips. It’s always good to read about how we all adapt things to suit our tastes and circumstances. I will certainly share anything that is particularly helpful to me over these next 12 days.

Hope everyone has a good week X

Hi all,sorry I haven’t posted much this last week,we’ve had a worrying week with my Dad and yet again I’ve turned to rubbish food.On reading everyone’s posts it seems quite a few of us are going through anxious times again with various things so I’m hoping situations improve soon for us all.DCT,Cathy and Sue would you mind if I joined your mini challenge please as I think having something short term to focus on would really help me at the moment.We had a Chinese takeaway last night.We don’t often have one and I feel horribly bloated this morning and I’m sure some of the extra pounds on the scales will be because of that and will drop quite quickly.I’m pleased I did a food plan last week for today as can’t think about food until I feel less bloated!Hope you all have a good day/evening.Dawn X

A few observations from my first two weeks which might help others. First point, I’m not on the diet due to blood sugar issues so this won’t help everyone. The first week I had one day off and this week I cheated over a few days as it was my birthday week. On my properly allowed day off I didn’t eat past being full but allowed myself to just eat what I fancied. It really help me stick to it for the rest of the week and I had no guilt for what I ate that day. This week I knew wouldn’t be strict in the evenings so I fasted during the day. After one week on the diet, this was not hard at all because my appetite is massively reduced. I also got full quickly when I ate in the evening so I didn’t over do it. On Thursday I ate without restriction but all things allowed on the diet. On Friday I went out for dinner and definitely spoiled myself and yesterday wasn’t too much better. I’ve still been prioritising protein so that helps to fill me up quick and also keeps my cravings for carbs down. Today I extended my fast a bit past when I first felt hungry to get back into eating healthier and I’ve been good. I don’t know if I’ve lost weight as I’ve only just bought some scales but I’ve lost size each week. I measure in multiple places which is really helpful as one week I lose it off one place and one week from another. This keeps it motivating. If it’s useful, these are the places I measure: under boobs, belly button, what I call fat tum which is kind of round the top of my hips and the roundest part of my lower stomach. Bum, saddle bags and left thigh and right thigh. In the past I was really disappointed when I’d been so good and lost no weight over 2 weeks but was shocked when I’d lost a fair few inches. The combination of the two really helps for me. Next, almond butter! I find that a tablespoon or two really keeps me off the carbs. I mostly keep it within my 800 calorie count but even if I don’t I let myself have a bit. It means I stay on the diet but feel like I’ve had something really naughty. I also find Greek yoghurt with a little granulated sweetener, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and a teaspoon for flax seeds really hits the spot if I need something chocolatey. If I use a zero percent fat yoghurt the calories are really low. And lastly I’m careful not to keep things too low fat. If there’s a reasonable amount of healthy fats, I feel much more satiated and much less likely to cheat. Anyhow I hope there’s something helpful here for someone else and I’d love to hear your tips and tricks 🙂

A few observations from my first two weeks which might help others. First point, I’m not on the diet due to blood sugar issues so this won’t help everyone. The first week I had one day off and this week I cheated over a few days as it was my birthday week. On my properly allowed day off I didn’t eat past being full but allowed myself to just eat what I fancied. It really help me stick to it for the rest of the week and I had no guilt for what I ate that day. This week I knew wouldn’t be strict in the evenings so I fasted during the day. After one week on the diet, this was not hard at all because my appetite is massively reduced. I also got full quickly when I ate in the evening so I didn’t over do it. On Thursday I ate without restriction but all things allowed on the diet. On Friday I went out for dinner and definitely spoiled myself and yesterday wasn’t too much better. I’ve still been prioritising protein so that helps to fill me up quick and also keeps my cravings for carbs down. Today I extended my fast a bit past when I first felt hungry to get back into eating healthier and I’ve been good. I don’t know if I’ve lost weight as I’ve only just bought some scales but I’ve lost size each week. I measure in multiple places which is really helpful as one week I lose it off one place and one week from another. This keeps it motivating. If it’s useful, these are the places I measure: under boobs, belly button, what I call fat tum which is kind of round the top of my hips and the roundest part of my lower stomach. Bum, saddle bags and left thigh and right thigh. In the past I was really disappointed when I’d been so good and lost no weight over 2 weeks but was shocked when I’d lost a fair few inches. The combination of the two really helps for me. Next, almond butter! I find that a tablespoon or two really keeps me off the carbs. I mostly keep it within my 800 calorie count but even if I don’t I let myself have a bit. It means I stay on the diet but feel like I’ve had something really naughty. I also find Greek yoghurt with a little granulated sweetener, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and a teaspoon for flax seeds really hits the spot if I need something chocolatey. If I use a zero percent fat yoghurt the calories are really low. And lastly I’m careful not to keep things too low fat. If there’s a reasonable amount of healthy fats, I feel much more satiated and much less likely to cheat. Anyhow I hope there’s something helpful here for someone else and I’d love to hear your tips and tricks 🙂

LINDA – sorry I hadn’t read your post when I last posted – somehow the ‘notify me of replies’ box had become unticked (I read posts through my email), also ARCTIC FOX I hadn’t read yours either!

I have forgotten words in the past, it was about 7 years ago after I’d gone through chemo and radiotherapy and while I was (unknowingly!) also going through menopause… it was like a constant brain fog for about 6 months. I’m fine nowadays though. I don’t know how much it helped in my recovery but I used to do ‘brain training’ exercises each day on my phone. I had one of those free apps installed and every day I would do the daily tasks that were set, some of the challenges were word ones, and there was some maths too, it only took maybe 15 minutes or so of my day.
My MIL does have this issue (forgetting words) but she is 86 and doctor has said she has mild cognitive impairment/dementia. My dad too, he is 80 this year and has been getting increasing forgetful for the past 10 years or so, but he does have Alzheimer’s run in his family.
Perhaps it may be worth having a chat with your doctor? There are simple tests they can do which can help show if there is a problem. My MIL had no trouble answering questions about the day, date,
Tme etc but she could not copy a simple drawing of shapes that the doctor asked her to do for example.
Anyway I hope that you are able to sort out all your problems. My house, as well as being too small, has loads wrong with it but it’s not worth fixing as it’s resale value is in the land. We were all set to put it on the market for sale when the Covid lockdowns hit us last year so we put it off, but hopefully we’ll be able to get back on track with that soon.

Thanks for all of your support DCT, Cathy and fellow travellers, it really does help.
I’m in a better frame of mind today, which is good! I rarely feel down, I’m more a glass half full person and find myself trying to cheer everyone else up most of the time 🙂
It’s a new week and I started the day with a healthy breakfast of scrambled egg, mushroom and avocado. I’m not working today so going to do some meal prepping and planning. Was thinking of making bolognaise for dinner as I can have that with green beans that I need to use up, and then the leftover sauce I’ll use to make eggplant lasagne tomorrow as I have a veggie order coming from the markets. I didn’t go for a walk this morning so will go this evening instead.

DCT – I like the idea of a 12 day challenge so will join in too!