Thanks Cherrianne. I’ll send out party invites! Watch this space😃

Hi Cherubneddy. Are you eating a lot of vegetables? Some people (including me) have that problem with lots of veggies😳

Hi, started this last Sunday with my hubby. He is type 2 diabetic and overweight and I’m overweight. Today I’ve not felt hungry at all and have eaten just because I felt I should. Should I do this or if I’m not hungry just don’t eat?
Also I’ve noticed I am weeing all the time.
Also finding it strange to buy full fat stuff e.g yoghurt after years of buying fat free or low fat.
We are weighing together tomorrow. Hoping for good results as I know my belly has changed but looks worse at mo. My belly hung over 😝 but is now sticking out and look pregnant!

Day 56 (8 weeks)
Starting weight 11st 2lb. Today’s weight 10st 4lb ( 12 lbs lost)
Starting waist size 38 1/2″. Today’s waist size 36″. ( 2 1/2″ lost)
Blood sugar has been irratic all the readings were taken first thing in the morning the highest reading was 13.7 on day 15 and the lowest was 7.5 on day 2. Today’s reading is 11.9.

I got a nice surprise today, I started the diet a size 16, I bought a pair of size 14 jeans today (no elastic in the waist) and they fit with room to spare.

I’m staying in the diet and my exercise regime will mainly consist of cleaning mine and my Mum’s house. Visited my Oldie today and the pills have started to work.☺

My usual sweetener is sucralose based, but I’m going to use stevia for the next week to see if that makes any difference to my blood sugar readings and I have stopped putting Diabeti Sweet sweetener on my porridge as well.

Continuing the journey ……

Thanks. It’s getting worse. 5 days now. After googling “rabbit starvation” I wonder if I’m having too much protein and not enough fat? Going to start having cream in coffee for breakfast instead of nothing.

On the plus side, am 12 days in and have lost exactly a stone, as of this morning!

Hi Christine
That all sounds lovely!
Penny

Hi Vanessa
Glad you’re feeling better.
On diet doctor.com they say low carb diet makes you excrete more salt and we should eat more so it makes sense
Best of luck
Penny

Christine I think it’s only ice cream I can get away with… it is only really the proper homemade Italian stuff which tempts me and I find if I just stick to (for example) chicken and non starchy veg I can get away with it as a dessert on the odd occasion and still lose weight. My dad worked out years ago through copious b s testing that he could have minestrone soup then meat and veg followed by ice cream without it spiking sugar levels. It is because the low GI of the beans and veg balances out the higher GI of the gelato. Might not work for all but certainly if you are going to be naughty I would say best balance is to do it at the end of a ‘good’ meal rather than as a separate snack? As Bill says though, onwards and upwards! (a pity shrinkwards isn’t a word!)

Christine
Today in London 6 degrees with a wind chill factor of 6. So it felt like 0 degrees.
Middle of April in the soft south!
Penny

Hi christine
I snack on water!!!!
Penny

Next stop Amazon for that spiralizer! That’s too good a deal to miss☺ thanks so much Judith!

Janet – wedding dress was tried on by my 16 year old daughter the other night. It almost fits her but she is not as tall as me yet. I must say I am rather more keen on fitting into a Monsoon teal silk dress I wore as my going away outfit. I kept it as I had never before (or since!) had anything so nice and although 19 years have passed it doesn’t look at all dated because of the classic fitted styling. I am determined to borrow Lucia’s (not to mention all the other equally focused souls on the forums) grit and get there, hopefully by the summer. However, not doing this for the dress, although it is a bonus. My biggest motivation is to avoid the diabetes which plagues so many in the family. I have been lucky to have got away with normal blood sugar levels up to now but knew with the weight I was carrying and the family genes it was only a matter of time.

Christine – hope the break has been excellent and the diet damage not too bad! You may just be pleasantly surprised when you step on those scales😆

Hi Lucia
Today I have been mainly eating ham, cheese, walnuts, tomatoes and cream cheese, plus Greek yogurt, strawberries, and almonds.
Tonight I ate chicken, veg and 1 glass of wine, well it is the last night of our holiday!
Christine

Thanks penny 😉

Hi Odette
Someone posted that as your fat cells empty they fill with water which can cause stalling – I don’t know if it’s true.
Have a look at Jenny Ruhls book if you haven’t ‘low carb problems solved’- it might help.
Penny

Hi captainlynne
Gosh I still have a way to go to get to that! Well done though, I read an article the other day that said if you want the weight to stay off keep on the diet for a year! However ours is not a ‘diet’ so we will be on it forever, with a little jiggle here and there!
Looking forward to losing another 1 stone 9 lb. that’s my next goal, it’s the only way I can do it in little increments.
christine

Hi Granmarob
It’s so frustrating isn’t it.
Have a look at Jenny Ruhls book ‘low carb problems solved’ that might help.
She also says in another of her books (diet 101) that the more out of control your blood sugar is the bigger effect a low carb diet has, which is why I’ve been very slow as my BS was ok.
What I did was really monitor my carbs keeping to 25-35g per day, upped my fats, and I do ‘intermittent fasting’ which really is just not having breakfast.
Dont despair, hope things get better for you
Penny

Hi julia18togo
Jealous! I only have to look at forbidden food and I put weight on! However I will be gracious and say – well done you! I hope it keeps coming off for you
Christine

Hi Doola
Frustrating I know.
You could have a look at Jenny Ruhls book ‘low carb problems solved’ (£3 on kindle) it might help.
She has another more technical book – ‘diet 101’ in which she says the more out of control your blood sugars are the more of a big effect you ll get from low carb. My BS were ok so I think that’s why it’s slow for me.
I found really monitoring my carbs and trying to stay around 25-35g plus upping my fat, and having some intermittent fasting – which just means having no breakfast- helped me.
Penny

That’s interesting. I started out slow dieting last summer when I was 105kg (ish) and started the diet when I weighed 92.8. I ended the eight weeks at 82.2kg so shed 11.4% during the diet and another 11.6% of the original weight before that, 21.7% of the summer weight, I’ll take that.

Despite me being a svelte 33/34 inches waist, down from 38inches, a collar size is of 15.5/16 inches instead of 17.5 and I have not measured my chest but the suit I bought for a wedding last May looks like a tent, I am still in the overweight band for BMI at today’s weight of 80.8 kg (about 12st 10lb)

I haven’t found an alternative to pastry flours, but I haven’t been looking. I have just steered clear or done quite a different crust: such as an almond based one which has a very different texture, so isn’t trying to be something it can’t.
It may be that chickpea or coconut flour would work for pastry, but I don’t have experience enough to know. I wonder whether a crustless quiche might be a better option.

Hi Beverly
👍🏽
Penny

Hi julia and christine at the moment they are on offer at the moment – £30 instead of £70. 🙂

Hi Janet
Tamari is a type of soy sauce
Penny

Hi Julia
That’s a great weight loss, the plan is working when so many others have failed for us all. Do you still have your wedding dress to try on?

That will do me grand! As a lovely nun at school used to say – we actually used to call her Sister do me grand as she said it so often! 🙂

Hi julia18togo
I am going to get a spiraliser when I get home from hols, they sound like a good idea! I often have to cook for family too.
Thank you Judith for the info! Any idea how much they are, I still have birthday money!! to spend?

Hi Judith
I will wear all my clothes to keep warm, and pack the sunshine in my case! Ok?

Thanks Cherrianne – that looks really good. I have a 200g block of tufu in the fridge, that would make 4 portions. When I used it last, I did a stir-fry, enough for one meal then forgot about the rest of it and it had to be thrown out. With most things I make 4 (or more) portions and freeze for later days. From memory, tofu does not freeze well…. have you every managed to freeze tofu?

Don’t forget to include all fluids in your count – it is not just water. If you like herbal teas, have a couple of cups of them during the day, that will add a 0.5l onto what you already have. I have to large glasses of fizzy water with iced lime, one at lunch and one at supper. That on top of other fluids takes me over 2l a day.

Yes thank you cherrianne,I’ve pasted your replies into my notes to refer to they’re very helpful so I keep them thanks,input on here is fantastic .
Just myfitnesspal app which I keep food I’ve eaten and work calories keeps telling me to eat more it’s unhealthy etc !
Alan

Hi,
I lost 12kg over the 8 weeks and carried on a couple of weeks – now down 14.5kg. The expectation is a loss of between 10 and 20% of your starting weigh. I lost 12%; MM said be lost 11%. It probably depends on your starting weight, but also how quickly you get your body to start burning fat.

Hi Fantail, Welcome on board. I did not get as much weight loss the first week as some of the books examples. I felt I lost the same weight that I would have on any diet – in fact last time I had tried was the 5:2 and weight loss was about the same week one of that as it was week of this.
Re-reading some of the book, what MM says is that you should lose between 10 and 20% of your weight in 8 weeks (he lost 11%). I lost just over 12% which was two dress sizes & I was happy! Your 8 lbs is pretty good! On the range 10-20%, you should expect to lose between 26 and 52lbs total; on average 3 – 6.5 lbs per week.
The change I made in week two was to start checking my carbs as well as my calories and in weeks three took the scariest plunge and started eating full fat yoghurt instead of skimmed.
I had started with shakes and my carbs were 80-90g per day, although my calories ranged from 700-850. You need to get your body to burn fat and although everyone had a different threshold, that will be below 60g carbs per day. For me 60g works, and below that I get too many cramps at night. For others, they are managing fine and aim for 50g and under.
Use all 800 calories but restrict the carbs and you will keep the weight coming off. That may initially mean that the oats come off of the menu.
Hope that helps.

And I just realised I am having self correct problems when I type too… 600k in a previous post was supposed to be 600g ! But I daresay that was obvious. It took me just over the 2 stone total loss. Slower than many but I have not been as good as you guys. Most importantly, however, I am sticking to the low carb principles for life. I have 8 kg to get back to my wedding weight which I had previously thought totally unachievable – thanks St Michael Mosley for showing so many of us the light at the end of the tunnel!

Hi Julia,
Thanks for the advice.
Rose

Judith – not at all . I only noticed your post after posting mine (it takes me ages with the phone rather than the laptop). Very useful info, thanks. I’ll take the plunge and buy one. I am often cooking for 5 in a hurry after work and the one I have takes ages to do 1 courgette. I am finding that the family will eat low carb provided there is enough to fill their plates – in practice that means a huge mountain of courgetti!

Hi Natalie,
I too have been a late evening snacker – as you say, it’s a habit, and sometimes it’s hard to break. I’ve not done too badly on this diet but there have been times when I’ve given in to temptation. Like you, I can be an emotional eater so I understand about just wanting to eat, eat, eat whether I’m hungry or not – sometimes I just have to have a splurge if I’m feeling headachey, and sometimes that has worked better than painkillers! Then I can get back in the saddle and regain control. Over the weeks I have come to realise that, for me, the best way to deal with it is to have a drink – I am sure that dehydration is the main problem. If you have to have an evening snack, make it something “good”. Sometimes I go to bed feeling a bit peckish but once I snuggle under the duvet and am nice & warm I soon drop off, and often when I wake up I don’t feel hungry. If you can cut down on the evening snacks you will increase your overnight fasting time and that will help with weight loss. The occasional extra snack isn’t going to be the end of the world, it’s when it becomes a regular thing that it causes trouble – just remember, you are in control. If you are bothered by something, then give yourself something to do that gives you pleasure and distract yourself from whatever is causing you stress. I’m sure you will find a way through this, don’t despair. Take care, Rose

Hi Fantail I started this week at 235and I lost 6lb and I used 600-700 cals my weight paused mid week so I upped my calories abit and am try to eat about 700 to 800 as I can get to obsessed and I need to be able to cope for the next 7 weeks. I confess that although I am pleased to have lost weight I lost this much on slimming world first week and I had got exited about how much people lost in the book but your right mostly men in there. So just hoping if I keep going I will see 3-4 lbs a week,more would be lovely:) hope you do ok this week

I was getting severe headaches from drinking 2lt of water and felt dehydrated! Talked to a nurse friend and she said to increase my salt as too much fluid can ditute it and that causes headaches. Hhave cut back on water and increased salt a little and feel so much better. I know it was my first week and you can expect withdrawal symptoms but I have had this before when just increasing my water. I will gradually increase my liquids think I am on about 1 and 1/2 ltrs at the moment Lost 6lb at end of first week and am pleased but had hoped for more as I have been under 800 cals all week and believe I am doing what I’m supposed to. I need to lose a lot of weight -6 1/2 stone would be good

Just wondering where you are Lachlan?
Haven’t heard from you for a while!
Are you AWOL, still struggling with those high fasting readings or have you had success?
Next time you pop in to read the posts can you let us know if you’re still hanging in there?
Hoping to hear from you soon 🙂

Hi Alan,
under 7.8 2 hours after a meal is the non diabetic range so you are getting great results. Keep it up 🙂
See my previous post from 6th April on this thread for the ideal blood sugar levels.

Hi 800ers, I started at 257lbs and only dropped 8 lbs my first week even though I stuck to between 600 and 700 calories a day! The book implies there should have been a greater loss, though it only seems to have statistics for males. I haven’t had any rice, wheat etc but have had steel cut proper porriage oats for breakfast made with water and have had goats chees and the odd half glass of milk. Everything else has beet tuna, eggs, salads etc and I only use minimum balsamic which I also log. I have been measuring everything carefully, especially portion sizes. any ideas? I do have a thyroid issue but am on a small amount of medication for that.

If you cant get nutrition information from the packaging, the nhs calorie counter is really good

hi feltwicked, the one I have in the house is (per 100g) 893 cals, fat 100g, 87g of which are saturates, 0g carbs, 0g protein.

I realised it was a typo Bill! I know you can reach your target! 🙂 The hardest part is the beginning 🙂

Hi Julia, hope you don’t mind me jumping in … I spent a lot of time researching spiralisers and as I have arthritis in my hands I wanted a gravity fed one as they are easier to operate. The one I got is called cuisique, I ordered it from amazon. It has a jug which catches all your spiralised veg instead of it going on the worktop/floor 🙁 I really like it 🙂

He typo, that should read 14.5 stones.
Thanks Judith, I think I can do it.

Great. Do you happen to know a calorie value for a generic coconut oil?

Lucia – is the spiralizer gizmo you have any good? I have a small handheld one like a pencil sharpener but it is slow and practically kills me every time I use it. I have looked at the ones which sit on suckered feet on the worktop but there seem to be conflicting reviews over their effectiveness. Good investment or do I stick with the cheapo handheld one?

Your meal sounded lovely.

I am a happy bunny today – had some cheesecake and a wee bit of ice cream last night as it was my daughter’s birthday. Oh the wickedness…. but I still lost another 600k since my previous loss just 3 days ago😊 Yet only a few weeks ago I was also at a looooong plateau. So hang in there!

20,000 steps!!! Lucia you put me to shame!!! That is utterly fantastic xxx

Hi Christine – you enjoy your sunshine while you can – though I won’t complain if you bring it over with you! I’m really pleased you’re having a good time:)