End of my 2nd week 10 lbs down for a total of 38 lbs since I started my weight loss journey. 39 lbs to go and I’ll be at my goal weight.

thanks eureka – and yes do you know I think a am beginning to work out what hunger – vs – addiction feels like!!

well done janey, it does feel nice to have successfully done a week, doesn’t it

I am still having stupid reflux issues (not the heartburn I had from being too big, but throat issues) – and have been reading about what I should avoid – and it says high fats and yog and berries
well that throws half my meals out of the window

what is it with my insides – every time I hit upon a way of actually eating well and losing weight and it punishes me

Well I hope that I have everything covered, I plan to delve headfirst into this diet Monday morning:
Health checks done ✔
Measurements taken ✔
Cupboards sorted ✔(even put my families treats into a locked cupboard)
Menus planned and shopping done✔
Goals set✔
Diet buddy found ❌😕
I have been astonished by the heart warming stories and support on these forums, so I am sure you will all become my diet buddies. I have tried over 20 different diets and failed all of them. In January this year, I moved to a new country and then I reluctantly turned 50. I have been overweight for more than half of my life. I was sent for routine blood tests and shocked to find I am glucose intolerant. I’ve been on metformin now for 2 months and to my horror my hair is thinning and I have small bald patches! I need to become healthier, by changing my lifestyle, lose this weight forever and get off this medication. I reckon I have a slim chance of doing it this time, whilst others I tell will say under their breath “fat chance, here we go again”.
Well this time I’m doing it for me! 👍
(Please God help me stick to this one.)

Thanks Frog. Welcome to the family😃

Jump right in tomorrow, and let us know your progress. Remember: low carb, 800 calories, full fat products, and drink lots of water.

I’m one of those who strictly restricts carbs because I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic nearly 7 years ago. Now my test results are in normal range so will be looking for that diagnosis to be changed.

Any questions, just ask.

Hi Eureka 👋

The spiraliser idea might help their relative who is gluten intolerant – must be a nightmare in Italy.

Because of Maddie’s health issues, she has to be careful not to gain weight, and she has to watch what she eats because she’s on warfarin.

Their breakfast is usually bread with jam, or cake 😱 And coffee 😃
Lunch might start with a small amount of pasta, followed by sliced cooked meat – mortadella, Parma ham, prosciutto or similar – with green salad dressed with oil and vinegar, then possibly cheese or fruit.
Dinner might be similar to lunch. Very occasionally they get a takeaway pizza.

If we eat out, obviously lots of pasta dishes (last visit, before BSD I had black pasta – made with squid ink), but fresh fish and meat dishes too. Had some great fish at a restaurant on the island in the middle of Lake Isola

Just need to avoid dolce e gelato😱

And stop Antonio offering me local delicacies – usually carbs! He even emails me cake recipes😱 I always look at Maddie when he offers me something – ever since I accepted an olive, ate it, then realised it was stuffed with chilli. Nearly burned my mouth out! Not forgetting the time we brewed a catering size pot of tea and people complained about it. When we emptied the pot to start again, a tea bag was different to the others – he thought it would be funny to put in some Lapsang Souchong. Yuck!

I’ll try to be very observant and note down any/all recipes we can use😃

Looking forward to some good Parmesan and Gorgonzola (M&S out of stock of Gorgonzola dolce for ages and not keen on the picante version). All the food is so fresh – much nicer😃

Yesterday I invested in not one, but two 600ml leakproof water bottles. I’ll see which I prefer and take one, if not both, with me. Empty until through security, then fill up. Although I prefer sparkling water, it’s sometimes easier just to go with the still😳 Although might experiment to see if fizzy water works in them! Experimenting with fruit tea bags. Current favourite is cherry and cinnamon😃 Maddie has some like camomile, so might take some of mine over.

Hi Emmie.

I have just started week 3. I’m not diabetic or pre-diabetic either. I’ve tried load of diets in the past, including Slim Fast and Cambridge. I did lose just over 4 stone with Cambridge actually, but this was about 6 years ago.

I googled ‘Low Carb/Low Calorie Diet’ and found this website. I bought the book, read it from cover to cover, and started the following day. Its been the best diet I’ve ever been on …so far! And in a fortnight I’ve lost 11lbs. I’m never hungry, which is usually the cause of me giving in with other diets, and I’m eating some delicious food.

I tried meal replacements again earlier this year, and found myself completely unable to stick to them. I was constantly hungry, and because the thought of only having a milkshake for dinner wasn’t really something to look forward to, I’d find myself reaching for the nearest biscuit! I found it very anti-social too.

I have 5 children, ranging from 3 years to 16 years of age, plus a husband. They are all quite fussy eaters, and the thought of cooking for them AND cooking for myself was very daunting at first. But I found that by planning all my meals for the week ahead I then only had them to think about. Once you get into the swing of it its easy. I weigh absolutely everything, and stick to 800 calories and 30-50g carbs per day. I have not followed the menu plan in the book as I found it contained foods that I wouldn’t normally eat, so I just devise my own week by week. I’m also realising that this way of eating can become a way of life, and not just a ‘diet’.

I bought lots of plastic containers and spend a hour or so once a week making cauliflower rice, soups, lollies (greek yogurt blitzed together with frozen berries) etc., so that I can just reach into the freezer for my food.

It is much cheaper than Cambridge; not sure about the price of Slimfast these days though.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I’ve read half of the book and then gave it away, I’m waiting for a new copy to be delivered! What I have read so far has interested me.

I am not diabetic, or pre-diabetic but I do have a BMI of 40, just over. I think I will do better on meal replacement shakes rather than having to cook 3 low calorie meals and carefully measure out etc, I have 2 young children who are not yet at school and time is short.

My thoughts are to have 1 coffee in the morning and 3x shakes throughout the day, and 1x bowl veg. I think this would be manageable.

Does anyone know if I can just use Slimfast at 200 calories a drink or would I have to go to Lighter Life or Cambridge meal plan etc. I figure Slimfast would be cheaper.

Hi general Lynne
Good thinking. Bring back some BSD food ideas we can adapt or pinch!
Courgetti :
Whisk olive oil with lemon juice & pour over hot drained courgetti. Add black or green olives, ground black pepper & grated Parmesan. Deliziosa. 🍋 🧀

Congratulations Lynne – that’s really inspirational
I’ve just read the book, and now this thread through from the beginning (your starting stats are extraordinarily similar to mine, which hooked me in), and I was just getting to the “so how is it going now?” question when I reached your 21 week post.

The thought that if I started tomorrow, by October I could be 20 kilos lighter is astonishing!

Hi all, I’m at the start of the BSD, being fairly strict about 800 calories on work days, and I’ve just had a reminder that I’m due to donate blood next Friday. Does anyone else have any words of wisdom on this? Did you feel more faint or have other after effects? Also, as the NHS advises donors to consume a carb heavy snack 2 hours beforehand I would appreciate any guidance on what to eat – no more sarnies or crisps! And no choccy biscuit with my cup of tea afterwards!!

Congrats on 20lbs loss, but more so on the blood sugar level decrease, which ultimately is the goal! Remember that as your body changes you lose fat and gain muscle, which weighs more. So if you are feeling and looking slimmer, ignore the scales and just enjoy smaller clothes! I am a committed NON weigher so I’ve always relied on how my clothes fit!

Congrats on getting to one week! I’m also at the end of week one and altho I was pretty strict on work days, I am being relaxed about calorie counting this weekend, but sticking to the BSD principles. So far so good.. In spite of temptation (I understand your cookies comment totally!) So keep going, it’ll be worth it!

Hi Imogen,

Thanks, that’s what I’ve done. I have gone back through my freezer/fridge/cupboards and made them BSD ready again. This has also helped my mindset get a step closer to committing like it was last time, unlike how distracted and stressed I’ve been lately which has lead to giving into temptation too easily.

I know it’ll be difficult for the first few days again, but will continue reading everyones encouraging posts and all the tips/recipes on here. This is definitely a time that I need to do this before my health gets worse.

Swimming. Definitely something I will look into as there is a swimming pool very close to where I work 🙂

Thanks again! x

Thank you, Eureka and captainlynne, for your support!

I haven’t started yet; I read the book a couple of days ago, and thinking “after my birthday… holiday…”, so lurking on the forum for inspiration
I had a really foul restaurant meal on Friday evening (it sounded good, even healthy-ish on the menu) that was still making me feel grotty 24 hours later, so I may get started very soon & just work around the birthday! I guess the way to think of it is that if I started now I’ll be 1/3 of the way through 8 weeks by my birthday, half way through by my holiday,

I’ve found that I used to loose loads when I first started a diet in the first week or two, but this has become less common as I’ve got older – well done Moolock, MaryPhil & Izzy.

Hi keeptrying
Well done. You know what you want & are working things through. It’s good to get more control of hunger. I’m pleased you can see your own progress.

Hi Collie
Dead right!! As I have been writing & telling those in power. Simple Carbs are killing Type 2 Diabetics. I am type 2 & so we’re both my late parents. And their treatment was & did kill them! It has to change. It WILL change.
Keep on keeping on

Hi Odette C
Well done & brill idea. My mission to change Type 2 diabetes treatment. Am writing to those in power making the decisions & asking, WHY!
Go get em! 😀 👍

Thanks Eureka 😃

Might even take TWO Moles on holiday! One for the BSD and one for the trip – no idea what (if anything) my friends have planned, or where we might be going😳 Love a mystery trip😃

After posting last night I copied some results, calorie & carb values etc into the BSD Mole, just need to enter dates and week numbers , then it’ll be ready to go😃

Curious to see how they react to courgetti!

Hi general lynne
I salute you! Your fortitude & consistency ( body & mind) on the BSD is brill. Every loss you post inspires others. Take the Mole on hol 🖋📔

Hi Linda,
I didn’t sleep at all! Brain would just not switched off. I just kipped for 2hours on the sofa. I’m on earlies for the next few days so hopefully will sleep well tonight.
Your story about your dad is interesting. I could have been Australian, my great grandad did the same as your dad only after the First WW! but he died on the way over from the effects of mustard gas from the war.
Happy birthday to your dad.
Yes I’m in London, its mostly manlc at work as we’re vastly under staffed.
It’s fresh but sunny here. Time for making lunch.
All the best.
Beth.

Hi izzypeach
Give your nurse a ((hug)) from me! Best news yet re medics. Change IS coming.
Your weight loss is great. Try a week without alcohol & see how you go. Right now it’s empty calories you could spend better. The wine will wait 🍷 Sangre de Toro, £6.50 ASDA, is a nice red wine to try later on.
Eating out shouldn’t be a no no for any of us. The more we ask for alternatives to simple carbs, the more the message gets passed on. Ask for extra salad or veg instead of chips! Most places are happy to oblige if you say you are on this BSD to try & reverse Type 2 Diabetes or to stop it happening to you. We ALL should SHOUT this from thr tree tops.
Make a list of foods you like & new ones you are willing to try. Check the carbs & stir fry, steam , microwave even pressure cook as well as slow cook in the oven. Read recipes & see how you can adapt them. And look at Spiralizing food, it’s fun.
You are learning as you go & we all wobble. Keep posting keep doing!

Hi Igorasusual and Eureka

Well done Igorasusual😃

I’m really fortunate that I was forced to give up sugar at age 11 – when I was put on my first diet😱 The only alternative at the time was saccharine, which was truly disgusting. So I started to drink tea without either, just milk.

Eventually I moved to drinking coffee with milk and, in recent years frequented various coffee shops for lattes.

Now my coffee is drunk black, which some thing is very strange😳 It’s funny when I’m in Italy – they think it really odd that this crazy English woman drinks espresso without sugar! I was in a coffee shop yesterday and made that comment, when he told me where the sugar was, and the answer came back that he couldn’t drink an espresso without about 6 spoons of sugar!😱

But I taste the coffee, not the sugar 😃

Hi Igorasusual
Controlling sugar addiction is no ‘ little thing ‘ at all! You have regained the power of choice. You are getting the knowledge 👍 Very well done. Keep on keeping on 😀

Hi ay caramba
Back from christening ( was great).
Clocking in : 9th May = 9,500 steps. ✅. As at 14th May = another 20,000 steps ✅. Total so far for the mymarathon = 61,500 steps. Fits & starts but getting there!

Worked out my stride = steps per MY mile. This is how :
Take 10 steps & measure distance = MY stride is 19 feet in 10 steps. Divide 19 by 10 to get your average stride length = 1.9 feet in MY stride.
There are 5,280 feet in a mile. Divide 5,280 by 1.9 = 2,778 steps in MY mile.
There are 26.2 miles in a Marathon.
Therefore MY marathon is 26.2 x 2,778 steps = 72,783.6 steps.
72,783 – 61,500 = 11,283 steps still to do to complete MY Marathon!

Phew! Will do better 👣👣👣👣

You are putting on a great show 👌

Best of luck to everyone else with their exercise. 👏🏻

Only a very little thing, but I’ve written before that starting this way of eating has given me so much more feeling of control.

I love my coffee in the morning, and have three cups of home made strong coffee, dash of milk, and usually 1.5/2 spoons of sugar. I tried aspartame at one point, but having read about it a bit more, switched back to sugar. Really started my day off well, looked forward to it every morning as a treat.

So starting this diet, I thought I would get a grip on myself and give up the sugar. I tried many many years ago and basically stopped drinking tea and coffee because I really disliked the taste of the sugar-free versions.

So this time I have concentrated on making the coffee each morning as usual (or buying one if travelling for work) and having it sugar free….

Now three weeks since giving up, and I am noticing that my taste buds are starting to recover a bit and instead of simply noticing the lack of sugar, I am starting to notice the flavour of the coffee!

Someone told me that it takes about 30 days for the sugar habit to die away, and the pleasure of the new taste to become a habit, so a few days still to go. But very illuminating from various points of view

– how much we get addicted to added
sugar….say 8 teaspoons a day in various drinks is 15 cals per teaspoon = 120 cals day/840 week
– I can have a fillet of poached salmon (amongst many other things) daily for the same calories, and rather better nutrition
– feeling of control coming from knowing what best to eat, keeping an eye on it, and understanding that it will eventually have an effect,
and BEING ABLE TO GIVE UP SUGAR WHEN IT EVIDENTLY HAD CONTROL OVER ME!

Hi, I am going to start my journey on 800 BSD tomorrow. Due to suffering from diverticulitis I am not able to eat nuts & seeds. Just wanting to know if I can grind them? Or what I could substitute these for? Or if I can just leave them out without effecting the fat or calories of the recipes? Thanks.

Neohdiver – many many congratulations on fabulous BSD results and very very best wishes for your next steps.

Oh absolutely. Forgive yourself for the chocolate! You could start this afternoon and I bet the choc will not make a catastrophic difference to your calories today….. it’s an AVERAGE 800 cals, so a slight variation will be fine.

Done 2 weeks & have lost 4 kg. LIke you MooLoc I wish it would come off faster but I am not unhappy with the loss & think if I have same over 8 weeks it will be great! Hope you are finding it not too taxing. Most days I am going Ok but I do miss toast and vegemite (an Australian must ) at breakfast! Well done on your losses so far and it’s nice to know someone else is doing it the same time as me.

Hi Lucia.

Party in the clubhouse next Saturday😃

When you looked round the clubhouse did you find the glitterball?

Thanks for looking after the clubhouse, the homely touches are great. A new fridge is being delivered so we can prepare some food (BSD friendly, of course) in advance. Don’t know if anyone will want food heating, but that’s no problem. Have a good look round the kitchen, you’ll find everything that’s needed.

Remember your apron – don’t want to get your white clothes dirty😳

Time to bring out those hidden items that I’m not supposed to know about😃

I made two batches of the drop scones (not a hit with the daughter but the son ate them)

They’re not as nice on their own as the coconut ones I’ve been making, but they are denser and the recipe suggests the author sometimes has them with soup. I think they could be nice dunked in soup so I’m going to save whats left for that.

The second batch I added blueberries to, and those were pleasant I enjoyed my portion 🙂 I made them smaller so that I can have one sometimes just if I feel like picking (only 37 calories in one)

Many people do have high losses but there are just as many of us that only seem to lose 2/week. Many people seem to have weeks when they don’t lose at all, then other weeks where they lose more than their average. It’s worth getting this in mind now and trying to be at ease with it.

9 lb in two weeks is pretty awesome!

It doesn’t matter what diet I do, my losses are typically slower than most. My body must just like being a tortoise! But you know that story of the tortoise and the hare?

I lost 6 lb’s week 1, then 2 lbs week 2, then 2.2 lb’s on week 3. Week 4 is almost at an end and my scales only show 1 lb so far.

The thing is, it doesn’t feel like denial to me. I’ve jumped in with both feet. I love this way of eating, I feel better and I’m excited about food again instead of the world of confusion I’ve lived in for years. Trying to find what might work for my particular body was tricky… I have IBS, no gallbladder, wonky ovaries, high risk of type 2. I tried to get targetted advice from a professional dietician but really all she gave me was the generic advice. It didn’t work. This works. It might not be as fast for me as it is for others, but I’ve made my peace. I hope that you find yourself feeling the same 🙂

Cheers Bill I know where to go when I run out of these ketostix. If I was T2 I would never have been so rash in the fat/sugar fest. Thankfully my BS have been so stable on BSD that it was worth seeing how my body reacted. Although I try to stick to the 800 cal daily limit I still do try to include as much natural fats as possible. I thinks that what makes the LCHF way of eating so attractive and something I plan to try once I reach my target of 100 kg.

Hi Neohdiver,
Firstly, congratulations on your achievements! That is impressive and being able to state ‘I AM NO LONGER DIABETIC’ deserves a really big cheer from us all!
I am glad you are getting more tests and investigations up front albeit that it is delaying the op. Better to be prepared for the correct treatment than for the surgeon to find once they start the op that things are not what they expected. I hope and pray that the results are favourable.
Take care – Ruth

Hi. My twin granddaughters (8.5 years) were with me for about 10 days, just after Easter. I introduced them to courgetti and full fat plain Greek yogurt amongst other things. And they loved it😃 They said they didn’t like red cabbage, but when they tried mind (slow cooked with apple) they loved it. 😃

Hi Mooloc, you can get them at Asda pharmacies, £5.95
Whalleyrange, congratulations on the weight loss but that’s not an experiment I could try, just a handful of nuts at the wrong time spikes my BS

Crazy morning readings
I see why morning fasting reading drives people crazy
Mine started 8.1 rose couple hours later to 8.7
I had nothing to eat since last night and too first reading at 8am then 10 am
Where does this sugar come from and continue to rise in morning
Maybe early exercise will burn it off ?
Alan 5 weeks gone

Hi MooLoc, I was reading the articles on Diet Doctor about Ketosis and its role in using fat as the bodies energy source. As not diabetic I don’t really need to test this but was interested to see what my body is using for its energy needs. Bought Ketostix by Bayer from Amazon. £6.50 for 50 strips. Its a colour code system so will not give precise reading just a range. I was using one a day to see if still in Ketosis but have now dropped to a few times a week just to check.

Sounds lovely! Interesting experiment. Can I ask how you know you were in a state of ketosis? I asked in Boots for ketosis sticks but they were £30 for ten and the assistant didn’t think I’d really need them.

Just wanted to share my bbq experience. Had our first new last night (UK!) and was worried I would go over but managed to stay on course with salmon, a tiny burger (92cals) served on a portobello mushroom! Watermelon & feta salad and Waldorf salad. Followed by grilled pineapple. And the scales still moved this morning!!
Sharing in case anyone needs ideas this summer 🙂

I started cutting down on gluten in Jan and am now in week 5 of BSD – for several months I’ve noticed my finger nails have started to chip and flake. I’m taking a daily multivitamin tablet. What nutrients am I missing? Anyone else solved this?

Hi julia18togo,
Thank you, we are all getting there the funeral was last Thursday, we are going to make a special visit to the parents next week, I always think it’s after that, that support is needed, we will do whatever we can for them, they are such a close family, it’s so much for them to take in, they are doing ok though at the moment, bearing up, as they say!
Thank you again for your concern, I hope the exams are going ok, our grandson just has two more next week chemistry and history, he should do ok he has worked very hard for them! Good luck to your examerX
Christine

couch to 5k is a good programme if you want something to help you jog. It builds you up from short sections of running with longer walking sections up to running for 30 mins in 8 weeks. I did it a couple of years ago with success until I had an injury and stopped. I’ve NEVER been able to run. Even in school I couldn’t even get to the end of 400m…
I did some weeks of the programme twice as I didn’t feel ready to progress to the next week, so I probably took 10-12 weeks to get to 30 mins I can’t remember. Subsequently I continues to build and I was able to jog for an hour.

It’s something I want to do again once i’ve lost some of my excess baggage. I can’t do it just now because I have pain in my arches. Walking is enough for the moment.

The most important running secret, and something no one ever told me until I read a book when I was older. It is ok to run SLOWLY. totally. In fact running slowly helps you to run for longer, and build it up further. Trying to run faster too soon just means you can’t run as long and wear yourself out and give up.

Week 2 ended yesterday & I was disappointed to only lose 1lb, in fact the scales moved down and then up again. Whilst I was over the 800 on one day when we ate at friends I’d been good all day before that and felt it was a lot of denial and commitment for a small loss …BUT… today on the first day of week 3 the scales moved another pound. So still a small loss for week 2 at two pounds but I feel happier.
Having lost 7lbs in week one I had hoped for 4lb this week and therefore a stone by week 3/4. I will have to be patient!!
Still, 9lbs in two weeks is fab! Well worth it.

I’ve been BSD for 8 weeks and have found it very effective in reducing weight (15kg) and keeping BS in normal range. But I do still miss a really nice pudding. So I decided to do a one off experiment and find out what impact having a high fat/sugar pudding would have.

On Friday 13th I weighed 105.2 kg. Had a dinner of salmon, mushrooms and green beans at 5.30 pm. my BS at 6.45 pm was 5.

My pudding consisted of a 100 g slice of Belgium chocolate cheesecake with a 100 g serving of Cornish clotted cream. That’s 908 cals, 85 g fat and 26 g sugar. Yep I was going for a big one.

I had this fat fest at 8 pm and it was totally gorgeous. At 9.30 pm my BS was 6, I tested again 30 mins later and still 6.

On the Saturday 14th my pre and post BS levels were 5 and 5.5.

On Sunday 15th (am) my weight was 104.2 (a loss of 1 kg) and still in state of ketosis.

I’m not offering any reasons for the seemingly lack of impact of eating the fat fest pudding as I am no dietitian/scientist but the principles behind the BSD and Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) may be at play.
I don’t intend to do this every day but maybe a celebratory fat binge every now and then may not be such a bad thing.

Thanks Maryphil – hope you’re doing ok on week 2!

BabsG, I now realise you don’t live in uk! 38 degrees??? We’re at less than half that here, but I did spend yesterday walking around a stately home and vast grounds in the sunshine. Our family picnic was adapted to my new regime, and worked just fine (altho the kids dunked their mini sausages in my humus). Well done on the weight loss. As I said, I don’t weigh myself but when I looked in the mirror after getting dressed yesterday I realised my clothes were hanging differently, and my jeans belts is yet another notch tighter. Quite apart from that i definitely feel better physically.. Which is the ultimate aim 😃

Hi Barrelonlegs

Welcome to the family. Glad you’ve decided to join us. You’ll get lots of support on here. Now we’re in so many countries there’s usually someone around to help 😃

Hi Janeycoughdrop
Welcome to the family and well done on resisting the muffin.
Don’t be afraid to have full fat cappuccinos, the skinny ones have heaps more sugar and on the new eating plan (I refuse to call it a diet), you needs your fats. Don’t forget to calculate them as part of your calories and carbs as they so add up quickly.
I’m resisting coffee altogether until I’m at my goal weight, over 3 weeks in and not one cap! Lots of herbal teas to keep my fluids up and lots of water. Now I even carry herbal teabags with me in case the cafe doesn’t sell them!
If you’re in Australia, you can download the Easydietdiary app for free and that will keep track of everything for you.
Let us know how you go😀
BabsG, you are doing so well, keep it up, it won’t be long before you’ve lost that first stone!
Welcome both to the family!

hi – well I have done one week, although not to 800cal
I don’t have diabetes (or didn’t as of jan this year)
so I decided to just cut out the rubbish carbs and most sugar and go from there
have not felt hungry hardly at all – although that is not to say I couldn’t eat a whole pile of chocolate or cake if it sat beside me

anyway – since January I was doing the fast diet, but ran into difficulties and also family bereavement led me back to my bingeing behaviours and I put some weight back on

today I weighed after this first week and have got back to the lowest I got on the fd – so I lost 3 1/2 pounds this week
that is good I think I am pleased so long as my head will continue with current enthusiasm
I don’t want to be a fat person anymore (no judgment to anyone other than myself here)
I don’t want to be afraid of food and afraid of my body anymore

I have already received some great support from some wonderful people on this site and I hope to stay around and maybe sometimes have something useful to say to help others

good wishes to you all