Hi everyone. Just catching up! A special welcome back to MARIET and YOWZER! It’s great to hear from you both 😊

MARIET I am sure you will get to your goal weight by April, you are such a determined person. Look forward to seeing your progress! YOWZER how are you now? It’s great to have you on board and I really hope that your health issues are beginning to clear up?

CATHY I’m glad your appointment went well last week and even more so that it was someone you knew and can trust. What a difference from last time!

BECCA it’s great that you’ve kept off those 13lb – that’s a tremendous start! And I am confident there will indeed be more by the end of this month too. I think your default menu is a great idea as it’s something you can always fall back on. And like many of us are finding, keeping things simple is often the most effective strategy.

PATSNOTCARB I hope you find an app that works for you. I’ve not used MyFitnessPal but wondered if there’s a phone setting where you can turn off background data on the app or something? Might be worth a look. The only app I use is FitBit because I have one, but I use it more for counting steps. Occasionally I’ll take time to put food in and it’s quite good at giving you all the macros etc, but tbh I find it all a bit of a faff for everyday use. Though really useful when you want to do some strict number crunching.

ARCTICFOX good to keep up with all your news. You mentioned kale and I love it, particularly crispy kale baked in the oven with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. I was intrigued by you mentioning kale chips. What are they?

SUEBLUE Thanks for the muffin recipe. I’m always on the lookout for new things so will try them, minus the ham (chicken is the only meat I eat). Will report back in due course. I love that quote about getting to the stage of being at peace with your body. Like you, I don’t want to still be trying to lose weight every year for the rest of my life 🙀 So let’s make this year count!!

I’m doing ok at the moment. I’m on target so far this month in terms of weight loss : the numbers do bob up and down all the time but the overall trend is downward, which is good. I’m excited to see if there is any reduction in measurements by the end of the month as that is the main priority for me at the moment. But I’m pleased with progress so far as it has involved breaking some old habits and establishing some new ones. I’m tearing more healthily and mindfully, have cut out all sugary foods, cut right back on drinking and I’m also making a conscious effort to exercise more – manage to get to the posh gym most weekdays which I’m enjoying. I’m a very habit driven person, so getting into a more positive groove is a significant start to 2026 for me.

How is everyone else doing? HEIDI if you see this, just want you to know I’m thinking of you as are all of us on here X

HEIDI i have just read your sad news.
There are just no words, but wanted to say how sorry I am,and send some long distance hugs to you.XXXXXX

Hi everyone,sorry to be late to the party.
A very belated but heartfelt wish for a fab 2026 for all xxx
Are we land lubbers again now?!
However we might be travelling this time around,good luck to all of us on our healthy lifestyle journey!
Its my tenth year anniversary this year,like for many of us.
This is such a long living forum!i read that most only last about two years…..so well done all BSD forumers! XXXX
Thanks as always to DCT for setting this up! XXXXXXXX

Hi Sunshine Girl- it was me- just really needed an injection of something new and a planned structure-

I am LOVING THE APP!

Which is why I’m posting here more too as I’ve found that bit of extra motivation I was lacking- each week you get a full meal plan, and what’s particularly great for me is because I cook for a full variety of between 1 to 5 people, you can just quickly change the number of people on a recipe and it calculates all the quantity changes for you….you can also switch meals in and out from the recipe store, and of course if you’re already used to the Fast 800 you can do your own thing too for some, just sticking to the principles.

I’ve lost 3lbs week one and 2 lbs week 2- so I’m thrilled. I’m not a super-fast weight loser and I generally tend more towards 1000 cals per day- I’ve also caught a cold so I’ve been adding things like freshly squeezed orange juice, ginger and honey tea, and some unwanted but necessary throat sweets, but I’m sticking to great healthy choices, whereas often a cold would knock me right off the wagon- and other than the cold, I have lots more energy and feeling better because I am eating better again.

The app also has exercise videos of various levels and different learning each day- of course you’ll be familiar with lots of the info already but I do like the refreshers- and I exercise any way but I have been trying to incorporate some of theirs in too.

So, if it gets me back to a good weight, I’ll consider it a good investment- health comes first, and eating well and feeling good also make me hugely more productive in everything else too 🙂

Good to see positives being posted. Back from sunny climes now and not really appreciating the UK weather, however there are positives to be acknowledged, so here goes …
✈✈ managed to get a seat transfer on our flight home, giving us extra leg room for a more comfortable overnight trip
🧺🧺 first lot of holiday laundry done, only another three or four to go
🌸🌸 the hellebore gifted to me by friends, has given me its first bloomed …. deep red and sooo pretty 😍

Hope you’ll be able to post a positive or two of your own soon.

Hi everyone and it is time for my weekly weigh in. Lost 1lb, disappointed as that is not what I had lost when I caught a peek yesterday but hey ho, it is what it is. So 6lbs down. Also my BG was quite high at 6.5 (no not high high) so thinking about what I ate and all I can think is the readymade coq au vin in a jar. Looked on the label and it is all natural, no sugars, only chemical as such is aminodan. Could be that all the onions create a sweet base for the stew, just like onion soup is high in natural sugars. Still keeping on…

Saw someone the other day say they were doing the paid Fast800, for some reason cannot find it, but I just wanted to say that you can still use this platform and we would be interested in your experience.

Found a housesitter. It is a man on his own although his wife sometimes sits with him, he rides a motorbike and his wife is going to meet him in Spain as she wont get on the bike. They used to live in France and returned to the UK so there might be some scope for discussion, comparisons etc.

Have a great week.

Happy Monday all!

Lovely to hear everyone’s updates.
I agree with keeping it simple with food too, makes it a lot easier to stick to plan. Since starting this WOE all those years ago, I’ve mainly adapted our ‘regular’ family meals to suit, so bolognaise, chilli, grilled chicken, curries etc. I have mine with cauli rice or veggies and family have theirs with pasta, rice, potato etc. Works out well for us.

I didn’t have the best week last week, I did manage to lose .5kg, or 1lb, but was ill with a virus in the 2nd half of the week, and over the weekend., so didn’t walk as much as usual and didn’t stick to low carb foods as I felt sorry for myself! I still feel a bit ‘ordinary’ today but definitely on the mend, so back to healthy eating.

For breakfast today I made some egg muffins – just eggs, cottage cheese, and then left over veggies and ham chopped up and mixed in. Then I bake in a muffin tin for about 15 minutes. I think they work out to about 100 calories each, so I had 2 with some avocado. I’m going to have Greek salad for lunch, and then lentil curry for dinner, it’s cool and rainy here so good curry weather.

And to finish this update off – I read this on Threads this morning and the words really resonated with me:

“I hope when I am in my golden years that I am at peace with my body. I really do not want to be in my 80s thinking about weight loss or protein or whatever….“

So that’s my over-arching goal for this year, to be at peace with my body! Finally! Have been dieting on and off for the majority of the past 45 years now!

Welcome JaneA, you have come to the right place to lose weight. I see you have no health problems besides limited mobility but that should not stop you losing weight. The diet is the main thing, exercise is a bonus.

You will find this diet has good quick results if you stick to it and the main thing is to cut out the white, bad carbs like rice, potatoes, bread, breakfast cereals etc etc. You will start to lose a lot of fluid and may even find yourself having to get up during the night, this is normal. Drink plenty of fluids to replace what you are losing. You might also want to add a little salt, just a taste on the tip of your finger if you dont eat any or have some on your eggs etc, it will help replace the electrolytes you are losing with the fluids. Yes, you will be hungry but try to use techniques that help you ignore it. A week or two in you will feel pretty grotty, this is known as carb flu and your body starts to crave them, don’t give in. Do treat yourself well and not expect to do too much during the early days, just relax.

So much more but that will do for now and you can expect lots of advice from the rest of the group. Good luck.

Hi. Just joined and starting the 800 bsd from tomorrow. Excited and nervous. Welcome any advice. Thanks

Patsnotcarb – just wanted to pass along that I use My Fitness Pal on my laptop, and find it much more user-friendly than the phone app. Depends on your needs, of course.

Mariet – good job actually losing some weight over the holidays! I’m sure the remaining couple of pounds will melt away soon. That’s really inspiring to read that you resolved your fatty liver disease.

Cathy – hope you can get things taken care of with those tumours soon. I’m sure it’s not easy on body nor mind to have that concern ongoing. Also good luck getting the HbA1c down. I’m working on the same.

After several days of dealing with an “ugh, what should I eat?” mentality, I’ve spent some time working out a kind of default menu for myself that I can use when I don’t want to think and figure out the calorie math and such. It’s high protein, low carb, and exactly 800 calories. : ) Hoping this will help me stay on track long term.

I’ve also been staying off the scale since that was getting tiresome and frustrating dealing with ups and downs. I plan to now weigh at the start of each month, then halfway through. So every couple of weeks, basically. I have the 13 pounds gone for the first half of January, and hope to have some more loss to report for the second half of January.

So nice to see so many people on this board! Looking forward to getting to know everyone as we travel through 2026 together.

Becca

Thanks for the info on menopause calories, Tulip. I’ll see if I can find that booklet on The Fast 800 website to read it.

Sunshine, good job getting the scale to work again. I’ll remember that battery trick. Funny that you mention the metabolic age on the scale, because I have the same, showing 78 years old when I’m 71. I’m not surprised that I have it, being so overweight, but yours seems strange, since you are at a good weight. People often say not to trust or pay attention to all those things on smart scales, since they’re likely inaccurate, but I agree that it’s disconcerting to see that kind of thing.

It’s interesting how many of us are in our 70s and of short stature. : )

I’ve been working on formulating a menu plan that I can eat on repeat for those days when I just don’t want to have to come up with ideas or work out calorie math. I think it will be helpful for me. Low carb, lots of protein, just moderate fat, and foods I keep on hand.

Hi everyone, considering the conversation on 200 cals less in menopause also reminds me that ‘they’ say older people need around 200 calories more. Funny thing is I often find I sit down to a meal and then cant face it.

Got my scales working. Went through uninstalling, reconnecting to bluetooth – it was always connected, and many more techie solutions. Then I came across someone who said take out one of the batteries and leave for 5 mins and replace. Did it and it now works. A bit like turn it off and turn it on again.

Anyway, because I got on to reset it I had a peek preview of my weight and it is looking okay. What is not looking okay are my body composition results. Nearly all are high or average although muscle mass is high but in the green, I assume having high muscles mass is good. The one I really dont like is my metabolic age at 79 when I am 72. At least I have a starting point now.

I am chatting to a prospective housesitter later today so fingers crossed. Although I have a further 2 lined up.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Re the conversation about weight in menopause, it was ‘the fast 800 menopause guide’ which I read that mentioned 200 calories less for maintenance after menopause- I got it from an advert on facebook- comment if you’d like to be sent this guide sort of thing- which was free- but of course highlighting the fast 800 as an approach (which we all like any way, obvs).

🙂

Hi everyone, back again for another year 🙂
Thanks for setting up the thread, DCT. Lovely to see so many old names and some new ones as well. For those who don’t know, I have been here on and off also since 2017 when I lost 23kg and was able to maintain that, within a 3kg range, until Covid hit. Cue drastic backsliding at that point with long lockdowns here in Sydney.
Last year I had some long term success with weight loss, losing about 15kg, 4 of which I regained on a long and very enjoyable holiday in November/December. Losing it again has been slow and frustrating and I have only been able to discard 2kg in the month since I came home. This time last year, before losing the weight, I had the beginnings of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease which completely resolved after losing weight but I know it will come back if I let things go.
I am sticking with low carb and eliminating snacking between meals as that seems to suit me best but I am not weighing or counting calories. There is no bread or ice/pasta in the house; if it’s not here I don’t even miss it but if it is here I am tempted because making a sandwich is so much easier than anything else. So I have 2-5kg to get to my goal weight and going on last year’s results I hope to get there by April.
My aim is to work out a way to enable to me comfortably maintain my weight without feeling deprived. If I am deprived I know from experience it will all go horribly wrong when life gets in the way as it has the habit of doing. I have done it before so surely I can rediscover the trick 🙂

5 ft 0″ here too 😅

Hi all, my Renpho bodymass calculator has stopped working. I have tried to reset it without success but I am useless with tech so will disconnect and try to reinstall.

Becca you did so well that your body has had a shock. Normally we plateau or have a week with no loss after 3 or 4 weeks when our bodies decide it needs to work out what is going on. After 13lbs it has decided to do this earlier. Keep going as you are and it will see you are not going to starve it and the losses will return.

I like the way some of you are talking about being short. Well I am 4’11” and 72 years old. I am only likely to get shorter as my body shrinks.

Accidently did 40 mins exercise yesterday. I put on a different YouTube video which was supposed to be strength training for oldies and she was so boring I got fed up after 10 mins and we hadn’t even got into using the weights, so I put on my usual HipHopAbs with Shaun T and did a further half an hour.

I am finishing my after lunch coffee and going to do some cooking. Making my favourite soup – Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo and also making some courgette and parmesan crisps.

As you say S-G I also feel that the longer we have been dieting the more used to operating on lower calories our bodies become! I have just weighed & have only lost 1.5 lbs but know I still haven’t managed to keep to 800 calories each day but have increased my step count although I suppose still rather sedentary with my replacement knee becoming sore when I am doing too much. I know I must tweak what I am doing to try to speed up my weight loss & now I am worried about my husband who over the last three weeks has lost weight when he should really be gaining some. He is six foot tall & has now dropped to 10 stone 13.5 lbs. He has Type two diabetes & has always had very skinny legs but I have suggested he contact our GP for a consultation because although he eats the same lunch & dinner as me he usually has seeds Greek yoghurt & kefir for breakfast & more fruit than me. He is now prescribed Empaglifiozin which reduces any excess circulating glucose which may also be having an effect & is the only obvious change to his diet or meds? I know we lose muscle as we age & he says he doesn’t feel any different but I think he should weigh 11.5 stone! He has very obviously kept off the two stone weight we both lost with the Blood Sugar Diet six or seven years ago👏👏 but I have regained some since then🤔
Oh well I suppose I just need to keep going & plodding away recording what I am eating & keeping track.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend 👍🤞🤞
Margaret xx

SueBlue

G’day 🙂

I’ve been using MyFitnessPal for years no issue then the recent update, just opening the app chews through phone data?

Yes I remember the days of the little calorie counter books and keeping a physical food diary., dedication 🙂

There have been sone 40+C days here in NSW recently, too hot to do anything 🙂 but on the bright side also too hot to eat carbs 🙂

I’m checking out a few alternative apps a lovely person above recommended fatsecret app, but I’ve also noticed MFP app users defecting to Cronometer app, it has some good features like being able to record water, it’s not as straight forward as MFP app but I think once I get use to it might be a good solution.

Tulip, that actually sounds pretty accurate, given my experience of recent years! Thanks for sharing that. This will all be a grand experiment, I guess! As frustrating as it was to have no loss this week, I somewhat expected it because I had a huge loss last week which was also unexpected. I think it just takes a few weeks for the body to settle down and adjust to lower carbs and lower calories, but even then, I know weight loss is never linear. Taking the long view! I have a lot to lose, so I have no choice! Ha ha.

Becca- I read recently in a menopause booklet- I think it might be the fast 800 one, or it could have been Zoe….or one of the health-related things I follow- anyway- I’ll try to track it down- that to maintain weight post-menopause, you actually need to eat 200 calories less than you use per day….how is that fair?

Anyhow, not sure if that was actually related to what you were discussing.
I’m not there yet, but at 47, I think I’ve at least entered peri-menopause- so it’s a relevant topic!

xx

Hi, everyone. Well, here we are with the first half of January already gone. I did my weigh-in yesterday and as suspected, my weight had stayed the same. Actually, it went down a bit at the start of the week and then came back up. Not sure why — even though I didn’t stick with the 800, my average daily calories were still under 1000, which seems easily low enough for weight loss. In any event, going to try to be more disciplined moving forward.

Margaret, I am also 5’3″ and in my 70s, and would really like to know what my actual maintenance is. Over the years, I’ve started to think it’s actually very low, given that I’m very sedentary. Oh, and thank you for the soup recipe! It sounds easy, just how I like things to be. : )

Tulip, good luck with the online Fast 800, so glad you like it so far! Please report back again!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Tulip I think we all respond to different methods. I think the one thing we all have in common is that we eat low carb. Best of luck with you app. Great loss for your first week.

S-g I see how difficult it could be. I guess the new rules do put some people off. I’m not sure why the ESS rules would put anybody off especially if they’ve been to America or a host of other countries where photos and finger prints are mandatory. Anyway, sorry you’re having such a problem but as you say you have time and other options. Blood glucose results sound great. How many units are you on now?

My week is still going to plan. I seem to have found that eating my first meal between 10.30am and 12pm. works best for me and I’m happy then to eat around 6 with maybe a few olives around 4ish. No crisps, no biscuits and only 2 Leksands crispbreads since Monday. I’ve also started doing my 30+ a week. I don’t know why I find it so difficult. Although I’m just one of my target for this week so will make it. Good to know dark chocolate and coffee both count in the total!

Have a good weekend everyone.

Hi All- I have been reading the posts but not had time to update myself yet- I actually decided I needed something a bit more structured and some extra motivation- I previosly did the BSD/ fast 800 using the books, but more recently just kept falling off the wagon- so- I have joined the paid fast 800 with the app for the initial 12 weeks- and may continue for at least a while afterwards- as I have (or had)- 3 stone to lose- so, as you all know- when you are really committing to the diet it takes a good bit of time and mental energy (well I find it so)- of course you then reap the benefits with more energy and productivity (well that’s how it works for me)- any how- I’m loving it, and lost 3 lbs in the 1st week- which is a lot for me- I’m not a fast weight-loser- and I usually am pretty relaxed about my 800 cals- often more like 1000.
Love to all xxx

Hi Verano, you asked if we have repeat sitters and the answer is no for various reasons. I have just raised it with the people who sat over Christmas and they said the 90/180 rule stops them as you can only spend so much time in Europe. The new EES rules are also putting people off – it is taking peoples identities with fingerprints etc. Also my dates fall outside of school holidays so people with kids cant apply. There are a lot of newbies on the site (THS) and they dont seem to understand how it works – one asked if they could come just for one week – who is going to do the other 2 weeks. Then we had the girl from Australia who didnt seem to know where France was. We had a couple who seemed perfect but didnt reply to my message after 3 days I had to tell them no as these things are time critical and also shows they are somewhat unreliable. The list goes on. We have looked at putting them in a cattery for the 3 weeks and it will cost us around €800 as they will not be caged together as they hate each other 🙂 If they went in the same pen it would cost around €500. We have other options so not worried just yet.

BG was 4.3 this morning so super happy.

Hello everyone
I have weighed this morning and I’ve lost another 1lb this week. My hope is that by the end of February i will be 5lb lighter. I have now lost 2lb so four packets of lard! I have made some changes this week and eaten low carb but there are still tweaks to be made and i am going to walk more this week. I am choosing simple food whilst I ease into my new journey. I am also monitoring my blood glucose levels which seem to be on the high side at the moment so i am hoping that by going low carb my glucose levels will come down. I will have my HbA1c level checked in May. I was reviewed at Christie on Wednesday and was seen by a consultant who i worked for 25 years ago (I was his secretary). I said I never ever expected to be one of your patients. He said he can operate to remove one of the tumours that is on a sensory nerve but he cannot operate on the one on the femoral nerve as it would be drastic! . I said i would rather defer surgery until i cant tolerate my symptoms. He said he will rescan me in two years but in the meantime i can contact him any time to be seen in clinic. I was happy with that. So, it makes sense to lose my abdominal fat as he will have to go deep into my abdomen.
I will weigh again next Friday and hope to post another loss.
Have a good week everyone. Ill look forward to hearing about how you’ve all done this week.

Patsnotcarb – just letting you know I’m an Aussie too 🇦🇺 Well actually a dual British citizen but have lived here since 1981 🙂
I actually hate summer – far too hot for me – BUT the saving grace for me is all of the summer foods and salads 🙂
I have been using My Fitness Pal for over 15 years now, didn’t notice the data consumption to be honest but I mainly use on my home WIFI where I have unlimited data.
Years ago, pre-internet, I used to use the Calorie King little books – still see them from time to time in Op shops – they are useful for basic food stats if you can’t access an app 🙂

Verano,
Thank you I’m in Australia ( loads of light summer food, might be why I’m finding it not too difficult 🙂

I looked into it and the app is highly rated Australia , I will download and give it a try,

Thank you again,

Pastnotcarb. You could try fatsecret. There are two versions .com with US foods and .co.uk with UK foods.

Hi Everyone,

I’m still going strong hope you are enjoying the journey or at least the results 🙂

I have a slight issue I’ve been using MyFitnessPal app for years now problems but since a recent update the app is using huge amounts of cellular data – MFP support says that a day logging meals should use 100 – 300KB. If I just open the app it uses 0.01GB that’s basically 10,000KB. I’ve deleted and reinstalled the app a couple of times MFP support is very slow in responding and basically just tells me to do things I’ve already done so boring.

Not sure if anyone else has a similar issue or can recommend another free food tracking app???

Ps searching the forums to see if tracking apps have been discussed I found a lot of spam posts totally irrelevant like real estate???

Might just get out a dairy and pen and pretend it’s pre internet 🙂

Thanks ClarinetCathy and Dreamscometrue. I definitely think I’ll benefit from taking things slowly and introducing new habits. The ‘all or nothing’ mindset has been my biggest challenge.

Hi everyone, we are having a gorgeous, sunny day here. We have hardly seen the sun at at this winter, so it is much appreciated. I am having a quiet day at home after a week of interviewing counsellors and going to Girl Guides and pottery the last 2 days. Catching up on housework and waiting for a delivery. Unfortunately, the counsellor I was supposed to see tomorrow has come down with the flu, but I have a support group meeting tomorrow, so that will help.
Eating-wise, I am trying what many are and looking to whole foods and thinking that I need to keep things simple. No need to make fancy things for every meal, just hit the right food groups. Thanks for the apple, cheese and nuts suggestion Cathy. That is what I had for lunch today. With the sunny, above zero weather, I will likely be able to harvest some kale from the garden this afternoon to have with my evening meal of prawns and Brussels sprouts, maybe in the form of kale chips.

S-g blood sugars are sounding really good. I’m sure you’ll find a house-sitter. Do you ever have repeat sitters? I’m sure your evening dresses will look good … maybe even too big by your next trip!!!

Margaret hope you’re Saturday weigh-in is a step in the right direction.

Becca there is a ‘soup’ thread. Just put ‘soups’ in the search box above and you’ll get lots of recipes.

Still journalling here and I do think it’s stopped the ‘mindless eating’ of last week. Funny how you just can’t bring yourself to write down 6 biscuits, a frozen mince pie, even if it was mini! A packet of crisps, a ‘handful’ of chocolate nuts and a few chocolate mints! Anyway, my journal is much healthier! Not weighing food yet as I’m just trying to get back to good eating habits. Time will tell.

Hope this week is turning out to be a good one.

Not much news, no more weird applications for my sit. Still concentrating on lower carbs but yesterday I did have one slice of wholegrain bread – not normal for me. Anyway, the main thing to report is my BG yesterday was 3.5, so very low so I reduced insulin by just one unit. This morning it was 4.85 which is very good. So, will keep up the good work.

How quickly the weeks go by. I have 3 new evening dresses I bought over Christmas, so they fit me then and hopefully will fit me better now but I am not going to try them on again until I am another 2kgs lighter.

Keep on keeping on…

Thank you Becca & the carrot soup was a very simple one but is delicious. Two pounds of chopped carrots with one onion & three cloves of garlic sautéed in a little olive oil or butter is the base then adding one litre of stock, I just use water with Marigold bouillon powder. I served it with a little crème fraîche stirred in.
Yesterday I did manage to get down to 850 calories & I will try to keep to 800 today. I’m only 5ft 3inches tall so really need to properly reduce my calorie intake but I’m slowly getting there 😀
Good luck with your weigh in today 🤞🤞
Keep on going everyone & I will be weighing on Saturday!
Margaret xx

FightingT2 I agree with everything Cathy has said. Keep it simple. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of information and recipes out there, plus all the various numbers involved. But in my view it’s better to have a few meals that you just keep rotating round until you get into the groove. If you try to spend ages researching, shopping for and preparing lots of different meals that you’re not familiar with it can get too complicated.

I also think the key to success is in something you mentioned – “breaking bad habits”. This can be really hard and, as I said in my last post, I’ve found I do much better if my mindset is right. So I’d suggest two things. Firstly, you need to be clear about your main reason for changing your WoE , and you’ve already mentioned you want to reverse your diabetes and reduce your blood sugar. But it might help to explore that in more detail about why it’s so important to you. Try to identify your main reason for wanting to do it. You don’t need to share that here but just have it as your main inspiration for doing this and always keep it in focus.

The second thing that may help is to gently wean yourself off the bad habits rather than going completely cold turkey. Others may disagree but this worked for me. When I started this WoE I was working full time in a private school and had very long days. My bad habits included snacking during the day – think cakes and biscuits in the staffroom! – having lots of bread at lunchtime and then hitting the wine and salty snacks as soon as I came home. So what I did was take my own snacks for break eg celery and hummus, eat that at my desk then go up later to the staffroom when the best cakes would already have gone. I avoided the bread at lunchtime and had extra salad items instead. And when I got home it was chilled sparkling water with a slice of lemon accompanied by a handful of almonds. By doing these kinds of things I maintained the comfort factor of the bad habits but replaced the actual content with healthy alternatives.

So the important thing is to be kind to yourself and find what works for you. Also see this as an exciting adventure not an ordeal to be endured. The results will be worth the effort of change. Once you get into the groove you might want to start finding a new recipe now and again, and incorporating it into your regular routine. But don’t try to do everything new all at once as it could be too much.

Hope this helps. And good luck! Remember two things. It CAN be done. And YOU can do it!!

FightingT2- when i started doing the blood sugar diet back in 2017 I read the book and ate very simple meals for quite a time before reading any of the recipe books. Breakfast was always Greek yoghurt and raspberries. Lunch was a piece of cheese and some salad or an egg and salad or a greek salad. I am vegetarian. I would have hummus and celery etc and evening would be an omelette or some quorn sausages with cabbage or some chilli with cauliflower rice. It was quite simple food. This has got me thinking that I maybe need to go back to basics. The recipe books are really useful and I’ve got some lovely recipes from them but this way of eating doesn’t have to be complicated. I remember having an apple and some cheese and some walnuts for my lunch. Jist cutting the bread, pasta, rice, cakes, crisps out of my diet made a huge difference.
Thank you for reminding me about how simply I started and how it made a difference. I have always thought it must be so much easier for meat eaters with the amount of choice you have. I’m also keen on avoiding any processed foods so going back to salads, soups, berries, yoghurt, eggs, vegetables, is something to appreciate for its simplicity and effectiveness in losing weight.
Good luck everyone – it doesn’t have to be complicated. I had amazing results first time round with my simple food! Hoping to enjoy good results again this time too.

Ohhh, Denise, I know it’s not funny, but I almost spit out my coffee reading about the person who wondered if they needed to fly to get to France. My goodness, I do wish you well with your search.

Margaret, carrot soup sounds delicious. You’re making me want some right now! Sounds like you’ve made good progress with the kitchen clear-out That’s always a challenge, and like you, I hate to waste food. Thankfully, when I did a clear-out after the holidays, my daughter was willing (and happy) to take all those carby things. Made it so much easier, because I can promise you, if they’d been here, I would have been eating them. Carbs and I have had a lifelong love affair, but sadly, it’s a destructive relationship for me. Maybe down the road I’ll be able to manage moderation better.

I sympathize with the difficulty in cutting the calories down so far, as I’ve also not done too well this past week. I’m not too angry with myself, given that I’m a big woman and even if I can manage to average 900-1000 calories a day some weeks, I’ll still consider that a win. Weigh-in tomorrow. Since last week was such a huge loss, I’ll be surprised if there’s a loss this week.

Kudos to both of you for getting some exercise in. I’ve not yet begun with any exercise.

Sending out support and encouragement for all of us!

Becca

Many thanks for the warm welcome, Dreamscometrue.
I’ve not been great with the diet so far. I can see my main hurdle is to overcome bad habits, but I’m conscious of what I’m eating, so that’s a start.
I may copy your framework of eggs or Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast; a salad for lunch, and chicken or fish for dinner. I think I’m getting overwhelmed with all the recipes and need more structure with less options.

Fingers crossed for you S-G that you can find a reliable house sitter 🤞🤞
I am still finding it difficult to cut my calories each day however today it’s homemade carrot soup with a little crème fraîche & a slice of wholemeal seeded bread & an apple & supper will be ham & scrambled egg with probably some tinned pineapple in juice. My kitchen has now been cleared of other temptations & I am resisting having any of the Sauvignon Blanc that is open in the fridge 😀. I managed 5600 steps on Monday after playing short mat bowls & yesterday 4800 steps preparing carrot soup & Turkey bolognese in the kitchen from scratch. Today fewer steps after going to an Arts Society lecture. I am also continuing TRE eating two meals between 1-0pm and 7-0pm & getting back to low carb meal planning & cooking from scratch.
I hope you are all having a good week 👍😀
Margaret xx

Hello.
Pootle rescue chickens!
OK so the bread arrived a little earlier. It’s a bit difficult for me to judge yet but I went for the low carb as opposed to the keto. I have sourdough white and wholegrain half bloomers. Also a seeded sourdough loaf which looks a rather strange grey colour but I’ll try it and see. It’s all feeling very fresh and it’s in the freezer now. The company is Robert Andrew. I used to buy Livlife bread which was really good but they no longer produce it unfortunately. I’ve tried Hey-lo but haven’t been too impressed. I don’t know if you ever buy low carb seeded loaf bread but if not be prepared for slices to be similar in size to ‘nimble’!

So to my positives…..

👁️👁️👁️ Visit to optician who agrees my cataracts should be removed. Going forward with trepidation!

🍞🥐🥯 As above bread arrived will report back hen I’ve tested it out

📚👩🏻‍💻📚 Reading, well actually listening to, a really interesting book, “It’s not a Diet” by Davina Taylor. I’ve started journaling!

👩🏻✂️👩🏻 Hair cut and coloured yesterday which always makes me feel brighter.

Hope you’re finding positives at this miserable time of the year….
Oh! That reminds me just saw🌼🌼🌼 my first daffodils of the year (I know these aren’t daffs!)

Hi all, I am off the site for one day and it all goes to hell 🙁 I hope there has been some reporting done.

I am having my own computer idiots problem. Looking for a housesitter and been with Trusted House Sitters for around 9 successful years. Then this year there are a load of idiots applying, one coming from Australia and asks if they need to fly to get to France, one coming from America and dont understand the concept of NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT saying they will rely on my local knowledge to advise how they get around – you hire a car you idiots. Then there was the man who was caught on camera doing things to himself – I dont know how he is still applying. Then I found a couple who appear perfect but when I ask for a face to face they blank me. Anyway, still got 2 months to find someone so I am not panicking yet.

Diet going good, exercised on Monday and hopefully again today, so just every other day.

How are the rest of you getting on.

Just a small point, I have now reported serveral posters but not made the comment ‘reported’ as it brings them back up to the top. Just report and ignore.

Hi everyone, and a special welcome to the latest two newcomers FightingT2 and Patsnotcarb. Hello and lovely to “meet” you!

FightingT2 I hope that you find this thread a helpful support in reducing your blood sugar. Both Verano and Pootle have put diabetes into remission using the WoE, as have several others on various other threads. So you’re in good company and if you need ideas or inspiration, just shout! I hope that you see great results this year : it CAN be done 🙌

Patsnotcarb well done on your first two weeks! It’s interesting you are finding it easy this time, because when I first started in 2017 I found it easier than expected, and began to lose weight quite quickly. But at other times since then it’s been an uphill struggle. You’re right that there are definitely more resources around now, which is great, but I think a big part of it is your own mindset. I am doing well at the moment but I think that’s mostly because I feel very motivated and excited at the prospect of losing weight and fat, and I’m willing to stay on track because it’s important to me to do so. Whereas at other times I’ve made more of a half-hearted attempt because I felt I “ought” to, or whatever. It’s amazing how completely interlinked our mental and physical health and wellbeing is, even when we don’t acknowledge that. You sound like you’re also very motivated so I look forward to further updates soon.

Arcticfox I’m pleased you are nearer to finding a new counsellor. It sounds like you had gone beyond what your previous one was able/willing to provide and in that sense you didn’t need them any more. You referred to “the monster” she helped to create but in a way it’s all credit to both you and her that you have come so far. It’s great to hear you sounding so confident and you sound as busy as ever! Well done on the food experiments too : I’m glad you are finding things that you enjoy and are now able to eat.

Cathy I hope your appointment goes well today. And Heidi, I’m thinking of you every day X

I’m plodding on. Another pound gone which is great. Though my main desire is to see some inch loss by the end of the month. But I’m taking things gently. Currently having three meals a day in no particular time window, so I have the option of dropping to two meals and/or a limited eating window later to shake things up if needed. I’m not counting calories or carbs but reverting back to combinations that have worked for me in the past. So it’s mainly eggs or Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast, home made soup or a salad for lunch, and a simple chicken, fish or veggie dinner. I’m also cooking and eating earlier in the evening to cut out that tempting late afternoon drink/snack time which just adds empty calories. I may allow myself to indulge on a Friday as a weekly treat, but I’d got into the habit of doing that every day which is lethal 🙀

Hope everyone else is having a good week. Let us know how you’re getting on 😊

Heidi I’m very sorry to hear about your husband, in recent years I’ve supported a few friends in similar circumstances all I can offer is – be gentle with yourself and deal with one crappy thing a day (don’t try and do it all at once) and then try and do one nice thing even if it’s small – a cuppa or patting dog .

Hello everyone ,
Thank you Dreamscometrue for starting the thread.

I started Fast800 on 1/1/26 almost completed 2 weeks!!! Stuck to it so far, finding it easy, so much so I started to triple check weighing and logging food 🙂

I have done the diet before years ago but this time it seems easier, more interesting recipes and loads of resources around, I’ve even enlisted the help of AI to adjust a recipe or two ensuring low carb / high protein, with ingredients I have.

This week I started to also do 16:8 and exercise more, that’s made it a little harder and feels more like I remember.

I haven’t weighed myself I decided it would depress me too much, using a tape measure instead to regularly record changes/ track progress.

I’m using MyfitnessPal to log food, for some reason the app started to use a large amount of data? I googled it a known issue with some users? I was thinking of signing up to the fast800 program that includes food logging but I really like the food / recipes I have been discovering and making.

I hope everyone has a lovely week!

.

Glad to hear of the positive changes, ArcticFox, and I hope it will all work out well. Sounds like you’re making a good effort to care for yourself with relaxation, volunteering, and eating well as the business of finding the right counsellor is sorted.

Thanks, Arctic Fox. Seeing all the spam showing up is so sad. Makes the boards feel a lot less cozy and safe. I hope they will be able to find a way to filter out these kinds of posts.

Posting a positive to get this thread back up above the reported posts.
I interviewed a new counsellor yesterday and she seems lovely and is very experienced. My body breathed a sigh of relief when she was explaining her approach. I did not realize just how on edge I have been seeing my previous counsellor over the last few months. I am so glad I made the decision finally to not go back. I have 2 more interviews this week, but am already more hopeful that I will find someone I can work with. My motivation to cook and make healthy meals has already improved. I think I was under so much stress that the relationship with my previous counsellor had gone wrong that it was causing me to almost shut down. So interesting the impact of stress has on our bodies and well-being.

Just bumping this back up to the top over the spam posts.

A quick post to bump this back up to the top.
I interviewed a new counsellor yesterday and what a relief it was to feel like I was finally being heard. I really don’t understand how things got so far off piste with my last one, other than I finally started to stand up for myself, not only in the real world but in her office and she couldn’t handle the monster she helped create, I suppose. Anyway, I have 2 more to interview this week; one today and one on Friday. I am off work so just trying to relax other than keeping the animals clean and fed and watered. Well, not quite true. I have a hay delivery coming tomorrow potentially depending on the weather and the first night back volunteering with the Girl Guides since the holidays. I started at the beginning of December. So I have been trying to eat a bit healthier while I have more time to plan and cook this week. I had a prawn salad last night with green bell pepper and cubes of cheddar in a mayonnaise-based dressing. Quite nice. I still can’t eat eggs, so I had to have a plant-based mayo which was not as nice as my regular mayo though. I can eat small amounts of tomato now again though so that has opened up some options. I think my gut has healed enough from not eating the gluten anymore that I have been able to add most things back in, including dark chocolate and some higher fat things like the mayonnaise. So that is good.

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