There are definitely people who have stopped and came back you are not alone. Good luck with your new start.

Caro making it through any day is an achievement so stay proud and keep going. I don’t think the courgette muffin is a popular recipe I’ve not tried it but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it was great lol.

I use some recipes from this website for baking with almond flour if you are interested in that…
https://elanaspantry.com/

I regularly make the silver dollar pancakes, they freeze well too so it’s ok to make a big batch knowing they won’t be wasted, and I make the salt and pepper crackers almost every week.

Hi Lynne,
Well done another amazing result, there is no stopping you is there?
I am away next week, so will have a weigh in next Saturday, then I will be starting week 23 on the following Monday!
See you there.
Christine

lol it will be nice to have power. Oddly when I was flooring the loft I came across a power socket installed already that I didn’t know about and didn’t pay for. We are the first owners of this house and I remember having to pay for every extra… I’m not complaining though it will be super useful for me!

I’m very much an amateur but I like to paint, and I want to paint things like boxes and mirror frames etc. I’m painting a set of coasters just now. I also want to alter and customise clothing so I have a sewing machine and dressmakers dummy up there as well. I also like to write so I may even hide up there to do that tool. In the future I want to try many other crafts like jewellery making, pyrography, candle making and no doubt a million other things I haven’t thought of yet. I have plans on top of plans on top of plans but lack the time and funds… In the meantime I will continue to potter around with my paints etc. I’m making my daughter a mermaid tail sleeping bag blanket thingy out of old clothes 🙂

My dream is to give up the day job, stay at home with my kids and make things to sell, but it will be a number of years before we could afford that.

Hi collie,
What a great charity to do a cycle ride for, I admire you immensely, I like to do stuff, mainly just giving money to be honest, for Mary’s meals, it’s a Scottish charity set up initially by a young girl, who used to take photos of her school dinners, as they were awful, then somehow she started doing Mary’s meals, the charity makes sure young school children all over the third world get a breakfast meal then they are able to stay and learn with a full stomach, they also get schools here to fill old school bags with supplies which they then distribute to these same children, there is a specific list that you have to go by, I have been trying to get our school in my parish to something however I haven’t yet got the priest on board!
When do you do this wonderful charity ride? Good luck whenever it is.
Christine

Hello,
Just wanted to put it our there, that I have made to the end of day 2. Not much of a milestone I know, but I am pretty happy with myself. Scales say I have lost 1kg (probably water but hey I’ll take ), but I am most happy that I managed to stay the course given it is school holidays and my young daughter wants to bake every day. So I have managed to bake and not eat it. A miracle for me!! I think it is time to go to bed as I am starting to think about food. The evening is my worst time. About 9pm I would normally grab a bowl of cereal followed by 2 slices of toast with butter – an yes I would have had my dinner a couple of hours before that. Oh dear.
A question – I made the courgette and pumpkin seed muffins today. There was so much moisture in the mix – they didn’t cook through. Has anyone had success with this recipe? I thought if I have to keep baking I may as well make something I can eat. Enjoying reading everyone’s posts.

Hi Switzerland,
We will be on the rout of le-Tour on Wednesday, we were going to the finish at Montpellier but now brother, David has decided it will be better mid route, and as he lives there we accept his wisdom on where to make camp for the day!
Look out for a mad woman with two old geezers with a card with my name on and bsd, I’m going to try and do one!!!!!!!
Crazy or what, christine!

Oh how lovely 🙂 Yes, we all need a sanctuary, don’t we? Mine was my kitchen in my old house, but in this house my kitchen is teeny tiny and it’s a chore cooking and keeping it clean. What sort of crafts do you do? I’m useless and I’m really envious of people who are arty. My friend paints silk cushions and makes peg dollies, another makes cards and sews and cross stitch. I am a reasonably good knitter though, but that’s the height of it! Stick to baby clothes and tiny knitted toys because anything larger and I lose interest/patience!

It’s insured 😉 Made sure of that after what it’s cost us over the years! He’s a devil at car boot sales buying merchandise.

I’d connect them up to alcohol if I had my way! There’s even a wine pump! Imagine! We’re having power put into it next week, finally, after two years of fairy lights and iPods and phones and kindles running out!

Thanks Izzy, I might give them a try! I have a birthday coming up, so maybe ……

In the meantime, I’ve stewed 100g in a little water, if I divide into three for some yoghurty breakfast I should be ok.

Hi Judith,
It seems like months since you were on the forum, I hope you had a good time in Australia?
I can’t take ibuprofen! however, it’s so long since I had a problem I really did forget, then remembered then thought I might be able to get away with it now I’m on this diet? Why I don’t know! then forgot again when I came off them, it was the fact that I had a virus and thought it was a bit of that, it wasn’t until I went to the doctors and he said it was all related and I didn’t understand how that could be? So it was only when it was flagged up by (cherrianne I think) that it all fell into place, I am still having tummy problems, it comes and goes, thankfully, my back and leg are not too bad at the moment, that comes and goes too, I have got my back massager out of the loft and use that if I need to, it really does work.
I cannot have chilliest as I am allergic to them, they actually set my stomach off! Amazing how different food affect different people isn’t it, it’s like an explosion in my stomach whenever I accidentally eat one!
How is your diet going, are you on target? I am losing slowly, which is fine, I don’t think I will be 3 stone lost by the time I go to the doctor at the end of August, however I think he will still be pleased as I haven’t that much more to lose, about 9lb I think.
Looking forward to seeing your posts in the future, we go away in the morning, back Friday, so will have a weigh in next Saturday and see how much I have put on! we are going to my brothers in Bezier, south of France to watch a couple of stages of Le-tour-de-France. I’m really looking forward to it, it will be a challenge however with my food! so we will see.
Christine

lol it’s nice to have somewhere to hide, I recently floored our loft and made myself a craft area so that is my quiet hidey hole! Just take care not to burn the shedpub down…

you could connect the pumps to a water bottle… or juice?

Hi Lynne, staggering results!!! You must be on cloud nine! 16 inches of your waist is amazing! “waves”

Hi Christine, I can’t seem to get on to the forum from my phone and I don’t often come up to use my pc. I hope your tummy is settling down. I absolutely cannot take anti inflammatories without catastrophic results, I once put ibuprofen gel on my damaged leg after being told it wouldn’t cause problems – I was throwing up half an hour later.
These days I stick to a lot ( and I mean a lot) of chillies in my food as they have antiflammatory properties which don’t upset my stomach. My GP gives me zaicin cream for my arthritis (chilli based cream, POM) as my body doesn’t cope with the traditional meds. I wonder if chillies would help you? Not everyone’s taste, I know 🙂

The plot thickens with the tombola wins, Izzy… He’s a huge Quo fan, he’s even wearing a Quo T shirt today. Just gone to play the CD now, opened the case to find… a BB King CD. He’s told me to text my niece to ask for his pencils back. So, not a successful school fair…

No, I haven’t heard of them? Will investigate. Yes, I love quiet. I rarely get any though. Sounds like something I could retire to the shedpub with, lock myself in, with my kindle 🙂 Yes, I said shedpub. My teetotal husband has built a pub. In our garden. Complete with three pumps. Not connected to anything. Because he doesn’t drink… He’s hard work at times, but I love him.

Hi all,
I haven’t posted for a while. Officially finished the 8 weeks at end of May. Total weight loss 8.3kgs (18.29 lbs) and just over 10% of body weight. I have been fitting into a size and a half smaller and so much happier. Finishing weight 71.7 kgs and would like to maintain at ideal goal weight of 70 kgs.
It is my birthday tomorrow… Apparently it is a golden year as I am turning 58 and was born in 58 🎉 😊
All through June I have kept in control with weight up and down by about 0.5 kgs. Didn’t crave sugar at all.
Now it is my birthday month and I feel like I am unravelling all the strong minded willpower and self motivation I have maintained since beginning of April! Sugar is creeping back in! Help??!! CaptainLynne how do you do it??!! I am in awe of you.
I haven’t exercised enough and am so tired from 12 hour shifts 😜 I had a bad day yesterday and have indigestion now after eating out for my birthday and having a rich meal and dessert! I’m going on holidays from Australia to UK and Italy at end August and don’t want to lose the plot now!! I knew this would be the hardest for me to maintain/lose a last couple of kgs. Any suggestions to help me back on the wagon???

lolling at what your husband won! I once won the bottle of wine I donated in a tombola lol.

enjoy your candle, I love a nice smelly candle. Have you had a woodwick one yet? They also make a lovely crackly sound which is nice if you are having some quiet time reading or something… if you like quiet lol.

Hi there welcome to the best bunch of losers you will ever find 🙂

I’m not a veggie but as Jan says there are some here, and many of us are busy making up our own menus as I didn’t like many of the recipes in the book either.

Good luck with the weeks ahead.

Sounds lovely but to high ion carbs for me

blackcurrants… you could add to yoghurt as you’ve said or have some with some cream. or make mini cheesecakes if you have the calories free.

http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2016/04/low-carb-strawberry-swirl-cheesecakes.html
you could also add some to low carb pancakes or muffins, I’d look here for inspiration.
https://elanaspantry.com/

Yes I used my fitness pal as well, but I find that site unreliable sometimes you have to look and look again. As it sometimes gives opposing values on the same page. I would assume they are not in the plan so not to kind on the carb side.

Welcome Ziggy.

I was a long term veg, but converted to meat and fish to do this eating plan as I need it to succeed but there are quite a few vegetarians on here, can’t remember who. So it can be done. I also make up my own meals as I like to count my own carbs and cals it ensures I get a good weight loss, have lost 14 lbs in 11 days, so get planning, and enjoy.
Regards
Jan

I’ve just treated myself – for once – as a ‘well done’ for completing my first 4 weeks, and I’ve bought myself a nicely reduced large Yankee Candle. I’d have spent as much as the candle cost in a week on wine, I’d have definitely spent more than that much on junk food over the course of the month. I’m not ready for new clothes yet, not when I’ve still so many new and nearly new to get into so… We had it at Christmas last year and it smelled lovely, like a coal fire and… just Christmas in a jar. Looking outside, it’s like Autumn/Winter now. Gloomy and grey. Heatwave my a**e.

Thanks for the reply Jan. Myfitnsspal has them at 7g/100g carbs. You don’t know what to believe when different sites give different values. I might just stick most of them in the freezer for when the family come and cook some without sugar to add to yog. If I can eat rhubarb without sugar, I reckon I can eat anything!

I’m sure it will all be fine, it’s good though to be mindful, then we don’t get caught out. Well done for donating, more should do it. It saves lives and allows so many operations to go ahead. Unfortunately I cannot donate as I have lupus anticoagulant. Hope it goes well
Regards
Jan

I was not thinking about eating unhealthy food just increasing my calorie count from 800 to more like 1200-1400 but still keeping to the diet. I have had problems with light headedness before which is probably mostly due to an inner ear problem

Home! Left on the stroke of one, home now – soaked. Nearly £30 the lighter between hubby and I after they had burgers, chips, drinks, tombolas, raffles, the photoframe was… interesting to say the least, cakes, computer game league (son left in second place and if nobody beats his score he wins £5). I bought some seeds that our local Waitrose had donated, some extremely fancy tomatoes, some basil, spring onions and even tomatillos! Hubby won – you couldn’t make this up – a box of Thorntons chocolates (but on further inspection best before date was on the 31st May) and a make your own cider kit. He’s teetotal. And I swapped two girlie tombola prizes with my little nieces for a Status Quo CD they had won. Hubby now happy. Bought a bottle of water, and I am now munching on an apple. It doesn’t get much worse than this, folks…

Hi.
It’s the fluid balance that causes dizziness post donation, if you are feeling well, drinking well pre donation, then it should all be exactly the same as normal. Eating healthy food is not contraindicated for blood donation. In fact the opposite. But if you have been feeling unwell in any way pre donation then you need to discuss this with the medical officer on site on the day. Hope that helps.
Regards
Jan

Hi
What cheese did you use, I use feta, it’s really lush, very strong cheesy taste, just what we need huh. I’ve found I am tasting things so much better, wonder if that is due to this plan, or just that I am relishing every mouthful. Keep up the good work
Regards
Jan

Hi Bissell
Ooh just looked them up, cal wise they are okay but at 15.4 carbs per 100 g I would be giving them away, nothing wil sabotage my health and weight loss no matter how free they are. So good luck, with that dilemma.
Regards
Jan

Although not a medic I would think that unless you are prone to fainting or anaemic it shouldn’t make any difference how many calories you have had. Let your body tell you, if you feel shaky after have a few nuts – do not see it as an excuse to have the biscuits they offer. I cannot see a need to feed yourself up before donating, just check your bloods after and see how you feel. Good for you giving blood, wish I could but not allowed on meds.

I started the BSD last week and it is going really well, I have lost 8 pounds already.

However, next week I am due to donate blood on Friday and I am just wondering if anyone has any advice on this?

I am planning to eat more calories on the day but should I also eat more on the days running up to it?

Does anyone have any experience donating blood on this diet? Thanks

Oh what a kind friend, never mind it won’t hinder the excellent work I’m sure. Labradoodles they are so cute, we used to have three dogs at one time, two dogs is just right. Lucy couldn’t cope with another dog, it’s a shame I would like to have a gang.
That’s a lovely thought of just putting one foot in front of the other then getting there, but I must admit I feel amazingly well so the thought of sabotaging it just doesn’t enter my head, and today I want to trot everywhere hehe with the wobbly bits, anyway tomorrow there will be less to wobble. It was only a couple of months ago I was being investigated for having SLE, because my symptoms were so bad, but today, all gone.
This weekend, today I am working in my lovely shop, this evening, nice supper, steak might have mashed butter beans, then a nice walk in the fragrant evening air. Tomorrow not sure nothing planned yet, you could pop round for a nice fruit tea if you like hehe. Do you have anyone near you who is doing this, I haven’t found anyone yet, although I think I have probably given a lot of people the idea to have a look at the website. Mind you my sister started yesterday, but she is a 3 hour drive from me, so she can’t pop round either. What do you have planned other than walking of the couscous.

You must be very chuffed, what a great start!

I’ve just picked 750g black currants off my allotment. Normally I would have lots of ideas of how to use them, but I’m struggling!

Any ideas gratefully received!

Thank you! I will. Getting food list and prep sorted out 🙂

Hi ruthdownunder.
Snap im on day 11 and yes I plateaued for a few days between days 5-8 but I have lost 14 lbs now so great. Yes you can have baked beans half a 400g tin is 200 cals and 28.3 carbs. I must admit I’m not following the recipes, I am using them but calculating my own cals and carbs, as I find some of them are grossly underestimated, and I need precision for reassurance, other wise the fat pixies may sneak up on me. Hehe. I am also to keep myself focused putting on here in the form of a diary my daily eating, wellbeing etc it’s in another thread, isn’t this forum wonderful, so ful of tips and advice, I like I am dieting on my own, we are all just one happy international bsd person.
What a wonderful place to live, I live in a medieval market town called Cranbrook Kent England, and I live in Christmas cottage horse entry. And yes it is as twee as it sounds. All white weather boarded buildings, with the biggest smock windmill in England at the top of the hill. Very privelidged to live here. Wheat her is sublime here today how is it with you.
Regards
Jan

Hi Jan
I’m in Australia, but even I’ve heard of Crufts, that’s really big time in the dog world in the UK, isn’t it? I have an aunt that lives there and she used to be a judge at Crufts.
We’ve got 2 Labradoodles, Riley is 11 and still acts like a puppy and will follow me everywhere and Nikki is 10 and lazy and complains if she has to go to the backyard to pee!
Just got home from the dinner at our friends place. She served me couscous as she knew I couldn’t eat rice, but couscous is very high in carbs and I didn’t have the heart to refuse. I’ve gone way over in cals and carbs, but I did my best and that’s the best I can do. I’ll just go for another long walk again tomorrow.
This new way of eating is your best chance of getting your weight down and keeping it down.
You can be so proud of yourself for doing this and making the decision to get healthy. You’ve only just got to keep putting one step in front of the other and one day you’ll wake up and won’t believe where the weight has gone.
What plans have you got for the weekend?
Cheers
Linda

pizza pasties are good 🙂 not best for 800 days though as higher in calories, and I think I should have added more filling but a great first effort at something different. I’ve also made a batch of squash and cashew nut soup based on Brett and Lynn’s recipe.

Still to make my crackers though. BSD really brought back the enjoyment of cooking and baking for me.

Well, one likes to be precise about these kinds of things, Epspecially… 😉

Hi Janet I left out a comma ‘should be pre-diabetic but am not, just fat.’

I do live in Australia on the lovely Gold Coast., and I am on day 13 now and still going down slowly I was stuck on the same weight for 3 days and if I had not read so much on the forum I am sure I would have packed it in. 3kg down, which is fantastic for me. Hope you are still going well. We have our week 2 weigh ins on Monday.

I think I ate too much dinner! The right stuff though so I will be good tomorrow.

Am I allowed baked beans? My book is coming in the mail, and the wait at the library would have meant by Christmas I think

Onwards and downwards

Ruth

Well, I’d have to buy a ticket first… 😉 I really am dreading it. It’s not so bad when you’re outside. And I know I shouldn’t grumble because I’ve had to do it myself thrice, the amount of prams make it twenty times worse. There’s literally about a metre and a half walking room once you have all the stalls around the hall, and the big cake thing in the middle. I want to get there for noon and be home at 1. I will see you all later… wish me luck… stay dry…

😹😹😹 just noticed your chocolate comment lucky

Heee heee hee I don’t know, I’ve got a good feeling about that raffle this year😜 really like those guess how much something weighs things – and we should be good at it now!!- or the how many sweets in a jar thing. Win big Lucky👏👏😹😹

Hope cake turns out well Janey👏👏

Cape of smugness AND a pimp cane, I think.

Good call on the cake. Hope it’s nice.

Epspecially, your poor boyfriend! It sounds like you need some 86% chocolate 😉

Don the cape of smugness and have a matching outfit Lucky! I shall BBQ tonight even if I have to cook it under an umbrella and then bring it indoors for people to eat. I’m going to cook that strawberry choc cake I think. For the topping.. Just fruit, no need for icing. Friends can have cream on it if they want. Will post a pic if it works out!

OH could easily do this BSD as I would manage all his meals. He’s just in ‘I’ll die without carbs’ denial mode!

Ohhhhhh Epspecially, I know what I’ll find. Tombola. Bottle stall. Hugely over-priced ‘decorate your own cake’ stall. Name a teddy or doll. Burger/hotdog and chips cooked in the canteen. No coconut shy, due to health and safety as it’s now indoors. Possibly popcorn. No bouncy castle as it’s indoors. A raffle that you’ve no hope of winning. And the children’s ‘offering’. Something they make every year that you are obliged to buy because your little one has made it. Apparently this year it’s a frame with a picture in and it’s – quote unquote ‘a bit crap compared to the stones I painted last year’. So if stones can be a benchmark for a photoframe… how bad is it???? One small hall, hundreds of people confined, unable to move, or browse. My idea of hell. I’d better win a bottle of red on that bottle stall…

That’s so true about the kg, it definitely worked to stop me getting discouraged at the beginning! Kg s mean nothing to me but stones sound so judgemental 😹😹😹

Yayyyy! And I shall drink my hurrah in a champagne glass, thank you Janey! Loving the ‘robes of smugness’ and I might see if I can get a matching ‘cape of smugness’ too. Ooooh a size 14 top. The last time I managed that was 1998. I remember dieting and getting down to a size 14 top which is no mean feat considering the size of my ‘girls’. That was after one child though, not holding my breath after four. Huge well done 🙂

Shame about the weather, but – everything can be done on a cooker, that’s the way I look at it. And less chance of burned food/food poisoning. Did you make a dessert or are you winging it?

My hubby is going as militant as me about this diet, he’s raving about it to family and friends. He’s really grateful to me though, he keeps saying without me there’s no way he could do it, cooking, calorie counting. He wouldn’t know where to start. You can only lead by example, Janey, and you’ve set a good example, haven’t you?

Hee hee thanks lucky, Smug is good😂 Guess I should feel smug I made fage yoghurt and raspberries and chia seeds smoothie thing this morning and though v annoyed with my boyfriend I have resisted the urge to throw it at him 😎 Would be such a waste of all that working out messurements 😂😂😂(don’t worry I don’t throw things at him, it’s just internal battle!!)
Wouldn’t mind hiding out with a coffee with Janey, except coffee makes me more irritated usually!!

Good luck at fair, who knows what you might find! 😝

Haha Tokyo, you’re full of surprises! No, he isn’t a fan, he just likes taking the mickey out of me. My eldest was a fan though, he had all the wrestling figures and rings and all sorts. Dvd upon Dvd. Woooop well done! That’s nearly another pound off! I’m thinking, I might mix it up a bit on the scales too and switch to kg after I get my next weight loss. I do that on occasion because it throws me (plus you get to see your weight going down in smaller increments – win win win most days there!) and I don’t know what I weigh properly, just if it’s going down or not 😉

Smug mode engaged x 2 then!

Thank you Epspecially! Have you got anything to be smug about today? Diet or non diet related, feel free to join us!

Peeing down here, and it’s the school summer fair. So it’s being held inside a rather small school hall. What this means is, I’ll get there, attempt to spend the allocated money in the shortest amount of time possible, and get soaked on the 10 minute walk home.

Bring these women a pot of hurrah and the robes of smugness!!! Proof time and again that this isn’t a fad or con! I have celebrated our success by buying a new top. Size 14! Currently hiding out in Costa with a skinny cappuccino to get away from the bloody kids.

Lucky I know your pain with calves and boots. Even when I was ‘slim’ my legs were big 😢 I own one pair of suede kitten heel boots that are wider calf fitting. I even struggle with ankle boots. Next time around I don’t care if I look like the back end of a bus.. As long as I have shapely legs!!

BBQ is looking dodgy tonight. Keeps raining. I refuse to give in to the weather though!

OH complained his shorts felt a bit tight round the waist this morning. I suggested that 3 weeks on the BSD would put that right. His face fell at the thought of not eating rolls for lunch and mountains of rice or pasta even tho I assured him he wouldn’t feel hungry! We shall see… He’s not exactly fat (32′ shorts were snug) but it wouldn’t hurt to lose the muffin top he’s accrued in the last year!

Not sure where I went wrong given that it’s such a basic recipe but the brownies came out of the oven a while ago and I’ve just tasted one. They have no sweetness at all and I can taste the cacao which is slightly bitter. Gonna have to count this batch as a fail 🙁