So if Switzerland lives in Australia and it is on the opposite side of the world.
And me in England are on the top shoulder of the planet, then Australia is on the underneath.
So technically Switzerland is standing on her head right now to read this.
Wow,
That’s heavy too.

Switzerland when you read this, does the extra blood to the brain
A help
B keep you younger
C help you think faster

So if you are upside down, and you step on the scales, you shouldn’t weigh anything………

Or would you prefer I stop thinking…..

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Can’t wait for Switzerland to come on line and read my recent blogs.
Just want to see if my craziness freaks her out or if she knows me long enough to accept it as the norm.

Love Lucia
Xxx

Oh and I have also had chocolate cravings today.

Sorry chocolate I don’t love you as you are 💩
But you put up one hell of a fight.

Love Lucia
Xxxxx

I May reduce my chestnut mushroom intake tomorrow.🙁😘😫😅😏☺️🤗😟😅😛☺️😛😅😑🙄😆😠☺️🙁😆😕😥😅😠😴🤕🤒😩😆😷😤
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Godness flash, we have only ten minutes to save the earth….
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Collie and sandie,
You have earned so many brownie points from me as you have surely made many readers smile today.
Keep up the good work.

Love Lucia… I need something more catchy like Ming the merciless.
Ahh…. He’s the leader of the universe 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Sorry, just off to sing the theme tune. 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi collie,
It’s probably brain rewiring caused by overdosing on carbs and calories.
Or the reverse effect of all the veggies especially the mushrooms.

I have so much fun now in my head, thank goodness we have no empaths who can read minds ( are they real or was it in Star Trek)

I never used to speak, I was shy. You only know what’s going on in my head as you all live inside my diary, where I write it down.

Now there is an unusual concept.
You are all characters in my book of life. Wow. That’s big, that’s so deep.

So as characters in a book, you can write your own story.
Take this moment and write what you want to do, what you want to be, what your aims and dreams are. Make them a reality.
You are all my hero’s.
Wow.

So why don’t you make a creative chapter of your own?

We are all x men, but there are separate movies such as wolverine.
So team Come with me, don’t forget to pack talc as those leather outfits may chaff!!

Pick a title for yourself. A hero name.
I was thinking.
Lucia the lucky
Lucia the loose clothing
Lucia the ludicrously insane.
Lucia the lightly boiled.

You get the picture,….. Our adventures start now.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

You can never get too excited about growing things 🙂 made the onion bahjis last night but I think they spiked my blood sugar too much. Really not sure why as the flour shouldn’t really be spiking me too much and onions don’t usually. Might try them with red onions instead.

Also had stir fry with bare naked rice, thinly sliced lamb steak, veg and some of my lovely beansprouts which are just so, so easy to grow.

Imogen, well done on such a lovely weight loss. I know in some exercise programmes they talk about carb cycling which is something to do with not having your body adapting to regular carb input. I think it really depends on whether you are insulin resistant to carbs or not. I’m watching mine as I’m trying to be non-diabetic 😀

HappyLIfe, sounds like you are having a lovely time on your anniversary trip. I’ve always thought that if people didn’t like the way I look then they should look somewhere else 😀 Not a shrinking violet, me (actually am slowly shrinking but it’s just a turn of phrase).

Have been trying to push the petition on the diabetes.co.uk website with very little success. Still I only put it up yesterday.

Hi Lynne,
Get the coffee on, although I will be a while, 17th week starting Monday, still I’m in for the long haul too! See you in a bit.
Christine

Oh and someone else said that it wouldn’t matter because the food industry lobby is too strong and that’s who government listen to

Hi Hashimoto, hope you’re having a lovely break x

OK so I had one person who signed the petition and 2 others that responded, one of which said that they’d be really angry if someone forced them to go onto an 800 cal a day diet and the other said she didn’t feel as if there was enough long term research done on it 🙁 Tried to give a positive answer and said that it was free to register here and ask any questions from the lovely supportive community.. So I don’t know if anyone will sign.

But I did get one more signature .

I don’t mind TU leggings but found that the really cheap ones I bought got holes in them very quickly. I love charity shops too much to want to buy new clothes. Also they may be a great way to get new interim clothes while you are still losing weight. Have had brand new clothes still with the tags on in the past so it’s not a case of worn out stuff.

Distractions can sometimes help. Have a hot bath, chew sugar free gum, get naked in front of the mirror and think about your need for the sweets. I disagree about keeping the bickies in the house… chuck them in the bin, preferably smashed to crumbs first. If you think you would go to the shops anyway, make yourself walk there.

Maybe eat something really filling that doesn’t leave room for anything else. I made cauliflower mash last night and I reckon that’s a filling comfort food. Or try a low-calorie hot chocolate.

Hang in there. This is about not dying! We want to live long and live well. 😊

This is my first week, now on day 6. Started off fine, by day 3 I was congratulating myself, not hungry and no cheats. But on Thursday I was craving biscuits, I fought it, drank lots of water, went for a walk … but I finally gave in and had a biscuit. Yesterday I had two. Tonight I had two again. When I get the craving I do really try not to give in, but when it gets too much it’s as if nothing stops me, my mind just blanks out all the reasons why I am doing this diet. Don’t know how to keep strong. (And not having biscuits in the house will not work for me, when I need something sweet I would just go to the shop if the craving was that strong).

I’m also using MyFitnessPal and love that it syncs weight with the Apple Health App. This is where I can also record BMI, BGLs and blood pressure, to track improvements over time.

Agreed. I feel like I’m taking everything I ever believed (low-fat, high-carb) and flipping it in its head. It certainly hasn’t worked well for me.

But it’s difficult to change the mind set about fat when we’ve been indoctrinated for so long.

I’d suggest lots of cauliflower (to make rice) and zucchinis (for zoodle noodles), tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach. And eggs! I also bought small portion-controlled packets of nuts and planned those for a lunch with miso soup. Then some small fruits like apples or mandarines have helped me get through.

I too have cut out entirely the diet soft drinks (and have ongoing headaches as my reward) but I agree that they are linked with hyperinsulinaemia, and probably keep the fat on. As I have never drunk tea or coffee I’m now on the water only. And occasional red wine (but fitting that into 800 calories a day has proven impossible so far… I’d rather have food).

Good luck. I agree that it’s probably better to try and avoid the grazing. I took up sugar-free gum at the start of the BSD… a lifesaver for those many snacking moments of the day.

Hi all, another relative newbie here, a couple of days into week 2.

Week 1 went ok, I lost 0.7 kg which is better than none I suppose. My exercise and steps were inconsistent due to the wicked headaches. I hit those targets probably only 3 times in the week. Some days the headaches are debilitating, probably in part due to the diet and also because I quit the evil caffeine juice 5 days before starting the BSD. I’ve been addicted on and off (mostly on) to Diet Coke, Coke Zero or Pepsi Max for 30 years. Figured this poison was really mucking with my insulin levels. I now only drink water and have taken up fizzy water too.

I got a veggie spiraliser for my birthday (day 1 of BSD) and it’s brilliant. Have only made zoodles (zucchini noodles) so far but they were great. A medium zucchini made a bowl full of noodles for 24kcal.

I also made my first ever cauliflower rice and used it for several meals. Great stuff.

Don’t really miss the carbs too much, although, as a vegetarian it’s unrealistic to ever get extremely low carb because legumes have a lot of carbs in them. But I do miss some Vegemite toast (it’s an Aussie thing).

Good luck BSDers. And especially to my fellow veggies. 😊

Hi, another veggie here. I find that a sachet of miso soup (28kcal) in boiling water will get me through those gnawing patches of hunger. The miso is very fulfilling.

Keep it up!

Yep, Tea, coffee are OK for fluids f not ideal, caffeine may be an issue for some but if taken black there’s not too much in them if they are not too strong and most foods contain water so it is not hard to do 2 litres when you break it all down.

Best veg are those grown above ground. Root veg are full of carbs. Best fruits are berries. Avoid tropical fruit.

Depends how much you use!

Lots of us on here make the coconut flour flatbread, using 1.5 tablespoons of coconut flour. That’s 60 calories and 5g of carbohydrate.

Hi Siar, you need a proper medical opinion on this. Why would you discontinue your medication now. If you are Type 2 the first thing to do is get your vital signs in a healthy state and on your records. If it were me in your position I would most likely complete the course of medication for the EBV and then when you are basically healthy again reduce my carbs and if all goes well then begin the 8Week BSD.

Only you knows your true situation, we support you in your enthusiasm but take care not to listen to amateurs where health is at stake. You may be lucky and get a response from the person you were seeking but how would you know if their advice was good enough?

If you doubt your GP you are entitled to a second opinion but h/she may be a bit grumpy about it.

Dinner was yummy 🙂 Courgetti bean bake! gonna add it to the recipes.

Coconut Flour Nutrition Facts

A ¼ cup serving (or about 28 g.) of coconut flour has roughly :

120 calories 4 grams of fat 4 grams protein 10 grams of fiber but

16 grams carbohydrates of your daily 30 gms and 2 grams of sugar

If this works well for you in your 800 cals then use it but most of us don’t use flour except in the smallest quantities on rare occasions.

hi I started this yesterday and bought the book on my Kindle I’m wondering if the reason they use coconut flour is because it is lower carb ?I was thinking of coating my oysters with it before I fry them ,but would another flour be better?

Hi, I have started the low carb diet… lost around 4kg in 8 days..However yesterday my doctor told me that I have epstein barr virus and sees inflamation in Spleen and liver ( slightly larger ) and slightly sensitive and hence asked me not to to attend boot camp exercises.

a month back – a doctor from my home country where I was visiting for few weeks who first found through ultrasound that my Spleen and Liver enlarged slightly & hence have prescribed medicines which I was taking for a week . A week later when I am back in UK i was told I have high blood sugar levels . Hence I have discontinued my medication (Lipantil and Crestor) before I started the low carb…. Has anyone faced such scenario and if it is ok to continue the medication while on low carb diet ? Also does epstein barr has any role to play in my high sugar level which caused me to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic at first place ? Would medication be taken along with Low carb diet ?

Hi Lynne,
Such a lot to celebrate!
60 lb loss, 66 birthday coming up and on top of that a lovely holiday to look forward to, wow, I hope you have a great holiday and birthday.
I am over the sixteen weeks starting Monday, so looking forward to that, although we are away next week too, so don’t know how my diet will go.
I had a rare visit from my sister today, she lives on the south coast, we live in the Midlands, she was going home from visiting a sick friend in the north Midlands, so called in, she was going to stay to have a meal with us, then decided she had better get home, she never mentioned the weight loss, my dear husband was getting annoyed so said, isn’t christine looking well? She said oh yes I did notice you had lost weight! And that was it! So you are not alone with being ignored regarding weight loss.
Christine

Hi CarlaCarla1, to start with you need to stop buying carbs like the main white foods containing flour and sugar, this includes bread, biscuits, cake, chocolate, breakfast cereals, rice, pasta and skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Full fat dairy is OK inc yoghurt. Veg and fruit are your friends, meat is OK in small amounts and fish is good. Sparkling water is excellent. Some people need herbs and spices but this is a whole new way of eating for most of us. Nuts and raisins and oranges are too calorific for most days if on 800. Enjoy…

Thanks all! Have had another good day, and a long walk, so fingers crossed for my next weigh in. Janet.xx

in other news, my poblano chilli seeds have arrived so I’ll be digging out the propogator and planting some tonight 🙂

I get far too excited about chilli babies!

Hello, I’m about to start the BSD and wanted to go shopping but feeling a little stuck as to where to start. Does anyone have a shopping list of staples that are good to start with?
Thanks very much in advance.

Lucia what did the pirate’s sick parrot say?

Pieces I’ve ate.

Sorry for getting mixed up about the weight loss, I’m easily confused sometimes!

Sounds like you had a wonderful anniversary that’s great it sounds like a wonderful trip, and you are quite right to just enjoy the pool regardless of size. You know they always say the thing that makes a person truly attractive is confidence and you have that in bunches!

I know I’m playing a carb game in a way, but isn’t all of this in some ways one big mind game? trick the brain into reducing cravings, trick the brain into feeling fuller etc. In some ways it is less of a game and more just a big balancing act.

In all honesty the new things I’ve tried that are equivalents to the old carby stuff hasn’t made me desire the old stuff. I might think oh that’s nice I’ll have that again about a new recipe, but the new recipes will be good for long term anyway, so if it is a game I think I am winning! If I feel less in control I will change it again, but at the moment I feel like I am controlling things reasonably well 🙂

It isn’t a travel blog so much, it’s just all the local sites I’ve visited (all within a couple of hours drive of home)

http://izzydoesfridays.tumblr.com/

There is a post saying new home with a link to a new blog, which I have started elsewhere as I was having trouble uploading photo’s to tumblr, however I haven’t put much on it yet and all the best stuff in on the tumblr blog. I hope you like having a look and if you want to know anything about any of the places let me know. Although one of the things I love about most of the places is the fact that so little is actually known!

Hi Izzy, many thanks for your advice.

I think it’s just a case of getting used to a new regime as i’ve always been a snacker and since i started the BSD it’s been celery sticks or a few nuts and or seeds. I have made a conscious effort to restrict the snacking but still had a couple of celery sticks today; my main meal will be about 8pm and then the next weigh in tomorrow. I’m not going to obsess over weighing so i’m going to do it every 3-4 days and that way should see the benefits of the diet.

I love the things you use to motivate yourself and i too have an array of clothing i want to wear again. when i hit my goal i’m going to treat myself to a pair of Levi 501’s. Nothing too exciting i know, but it keeps me focussed on the end goal; weight loss and health!

Trinity1814

Thanks JCH187; drinking the sparkling water is the only way i can make sure i drink enough and i have started adding strawberries and blueberries to it which certainly makes it more palatable.

I do like tea and coffee but i drink both black without any sweetener. Recently i’ve been drinking decaf Green Tea which i find very refreshing. Does anyone have have any views on black tea and coffee; does it count towards the overall 2-3 lines per day?

Trinity1814

Hi Skywalker, you seem know your stuff and I’m sure i’ll be tapping into your experience again.

I’m trying the 2 meal brunch today which so far hasn’t been too painful but i’m making sure i take on board plenty of water to keep me hydrated and to ease the hunger.

Trinity1814.

Well done JCH187 that’s great news! 4 inches off your waist is a great achievement and i bet a real encouragement to you.

Keep up the good work and i like the idea of the tuna stuffed pepper.

Trinity1814

Hi Lucia
Pirate joke coming up shut your eyes if offensive to pirates!
Whats Pirateophobia – fear of a sunken chest. boom boom.
I too admire the stick yo it not make it up as you go along style just wish I could too.

Hi Christie 1948.
Another , easier way to keep cats from using the garden as a bathroom….
I watched game of thrones.
How about a photo of Ramsey Bolton in the flower beds.
Ha ha.
Definately lol.

Love Lucia
Xxxxx

So far today 12,758 steps.

15 sets of stairs.

10 minutes feeble tap dancing twice.

Bit of gardening
Bit of house work.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Yes,
Berries and yoghurt

Sliced beef no caramelised onions, salad.

Mushrooms, poached eggs tonight.

Love Lucia
Xxx

Goodness me.
I don’t know want came over me.

I need to calm down.

Any one see that Australian guy in ‘master and commander’. Russell Crowe.
Swoon, swoon……..
He can swash my buckle any time. 😉😉😗😉😉

Oh, you should have seen what the predictive text wanted to put istead of that last comment.
I am having more fun here than I ought to.

Love Lucia
Xxx

Hi Switzerland.
Do you still measure everything or do you do what I do.
You know what the average bowl of broccoli costs in calories and carbs.

Do you use protein every day or , like me have a few days just veggies?

I think it is great that we have all read the book, but we execute it in a million variations.

I am thinking of doing the captain Lynn version from June. By the book. Strict.
I think she is a wonderful role model.

I love my blubber but I feel it needs its independence, it needs to go out into the world and just be.
I need to see how I can live without blubber. We love each other but we can’t live with each other any longer.
I have a few photos, to remember it by.

So on Wednesday, I shall be captain, Sorry, no to presumptuous of me. Midshipman Lucia.
Ah har me hearties. Come on ship mates, I challenge every last land lubber (or is it land lover) of you to all wear and eye patch and sellotape a plastic parrot on your shoulders and join me.
If you don’t, some of you will walk the plank.
Our rations will be maggot infested ships biscuits and a bucket of rum per meal.
Yes, we need the maggots for protein.
You there ! Stow that rope immediately!
Any backchat and you will take a turn in the crows nest.

Look lively!!!!!!!!!

Love Lucia
Xxx

Thank you JackieMac!

Just costing a fortune in new clothes…

; )

Yay! 9st 13lbs this morning….8 lbs gone of my target 20-22lbs. Depending where you start counting from (I had a relatively small amount to lose, and didn’t really focus on cutting the carbs until a week and a half in), I think this loss has taken me just 2.5 weeks.

Enjoying it all …although some intensive gardening put me in a spin yesterday and I fell off the wagon slightly, snacking on baby plum tomatoes, an apple, and I think about 6 nuts. In my view that doesn’t really count as a fail…….bit like wavering and pulling myself back on!

*waves* to another recycled teenager 😃

Who says we’re past it at 60!😃

Have you read “When I am old I will wear purple”? I love it😃

Thank you California Girl, I appreciate your encouragement very much. It’s good to hear from someone who is much further down the track than I, who has experienced the plateaus but pushed on through. I shall keep on going, as I realise it isn’t just about weight – it’s about health and beating the metabolic syndrome and helping my liver and pancreas too. So many benefits to be had. It’s just confusing when your body seems to be defying the laws of physics.

With regards to the power generation service, I’ve already been contacted by my local power supplier, and they’re sending around someone to hook me up to a pylon shortly. 😂

Thank you again & well done on your own journey. 12 weeks! Amazing!

Happy you are doing an amazing job of staying on track on your trip! Well done!!

I’m pleased you will be able to do the things you have held back on soon too.

I expect to stay off most carbs indefinitely as well. I enjoy the alternatives I’ve found with different low carb flours so I will likely just stick with those. I will have carbs on occassion I’m sure but it will be the exception rather than the rule.

Keep on having a great time 🙂