It’s been great to follow your progress. Such a great way of eating with real results if you just stick to the principles. Well done both.

Hiiii SUNNY ( waves!) ooh back of the scooter eh! I did that in my Mod days,but I was always terrified! 🙂🙃
Hope everyone doing ok today x
*~  I’m so enjoying seeing early Christmassy things happening,all bets are off this year,the earlier Xmas is here the better IMO… important to keep hold of our traditions,with all these rules /regulations,/restrictions/impositions now in our everyday lives.
*~ A friend I havent seen or spoken to for a while sent me some news! Shes now got three cats! She took in a little stray,soon noticed cat was pregnant,helped her give birth to five kittens…She has kept two,Leo and Leonie, and Mum,of course,and found good homes for the others.
*~ Sunny day! Going for a walk down to the river,feed the squirrels and birds on the way! X
An early Xmas cracker joke..
What do donkeys send at Christmas? Muletide greetings! X😉🙂🙃 xx

Hi all, still sticking with the plan and no alcohol this weekend. Not lost anymore but going into a new week at the lowest weight I have been for over a year.

Tulip1 in answer to your question about a porridge and apple breakfast. First of all you will see in the recipe book that in the oats section of recipes Dr M starts off by saying that some carbs are better than others and oats is one of the good guys. I totally agree 38g carbs is high for one meal and my advice (or what I do) is only have it on the odd occasion and leave out the apple, replace with berries or just the cinnamon. If you want oats and apple, again, dont do it too often. Also, I wouldnt swap the jumbo or rolled oats as the larger grains give more bulk when cooked or soaked than the pinhead. I have the same problem with lentils, knowing they are good for me, knowing they mean less meat for me (ie. lentil bolognaise instead of mince meat) but so high in carbs and calories that I now just avoid.

Now this is not a criticism but, like me you dont seem to count the calories in wine. I know I dont. Which is better for you, a plate of oats or a couple of glasses of wine. I know wine is low carb and that is my excuse when it comes to my blood glucose. I am saying this with humour so imagine me on Tik Tok with a glass of wine in one hand and a bowl of porridge in the other saying ‘wine or porridge, wine or porridge – oh sod it wine wins again’. Big smiley face.

To Gattina and JGwen, i dont intend becoming a veggie but just want to eat a lot less meat without adding lots of carbs (see lentils above) and I really cannot live without chicken, it is something that is always in my fridge for snacks. I guess my label would be flexitarian minus the fish.

Have a great end to your weekend everyone and keep on keeping on…

Good morning all, hope everyone is having a good weekend.
JGwen that is a good definition of vegetarianism and veganism. Sunshine-girl the Vegetarian Society has more information about what vegetarians eat and how to become a vegetarian if you’re interested. There is so much confusion about what vegetarians eat and then throw veganism into the mix and it makes it worse. The problem is because of the different levels of vegetarianism.
I am an lacto-ovo vegetarian which means I eat eggs and dairy but no meat or fish.
Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but no eggs
Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy
Then there are semi-vegetarians who call themselves vegetarians even though they are not. Pescatarians eat fish but no meat. and some semi-vegetarians may eat fish and chicken.
I get very annoyed when people ask me if I eat fish but because of all these different levels I have to admit it’s difficult to know what someone does or does not eat. It is difficult to get enough protein on 800 calories and following a vegetarian diet especially when you’re watching the carbs as so many protein sources are carb rich, so I think that eggs and cheese are essential.

Hi All,

Wendleg- or anyone else- what are good threads to go on with the basics and related info about the BSD, also Wendleg, you mentioned watching videos about this WOE? Are there some links in other threads? Sometimes I ask Qs, get advice and then I can’t find it again! And just want some extra motivation and reinforcement for my brain.

Also, today I had the BSD apple and cinnamon porridge- and I understand the bit about rolled oats being slower to digest and better for GI than other cereals, but I must say that between the oats (15g carbs) and the apple (22g carbs)- that’s quite a lot of carbs, so I guess I am a bit surprised it’s allowed/ recommended on plan- I have ordered some pinhead oats too as they are even better than the rolled ones (all vastly better than instant)- any how, just wondered what those of you that know more about this WOE think?

Have only had wine at the weekend again- but got somewhat sloshed both of the last 2 nights (it doesn’t take a lot but still think I need to be more moderate as partly still using it to mask other issues and partly because I can make bad food choices once drunk), and a couple of unexpected snackcidents earlier in the week, so still more work to do.

However I managed to lose half an lb this week so not a total disaster…..

Love to all xxx

Great bus songs! How about “Last Christmas….. my jeans were too tight”!! What would anyone else identify as a positive change/bad habit they’ve changed since “Last Christmas“?? 🎄🎄

Thanks JGwen, I think I am a bit clearer. I can totally understand vegan principles but have now found vegetarianism to be a bit vague. For me it would be easier to turn to a veggie lifestyle if I was allowed to eat eggs and dairy. Just seemed strange because of what I perceive an egg to be. I try to be meat free but my daughter would not be pleased as she finds this diet hard enough for her to cater for me. Darent drop in another element but will try when I am at home.

Hi Sunshine-girl,

I have to say over the years I have got so irritated when you turn to vegetarian cookery books and find it full of fish dishes. I think there was a long period where there wasn’t any formal definition of what was and wasn’t “allowed” on a vegetarian diet.

I can’t answer for those who are vegetarian for emotional reason for definite, vegetarian excludes food sources where something has to be killed so you can eat it, while vegan is nothing which involves animal products. So dairy and eggs are allowed in vegi diet but not vegan.

I must admit that as the food industry has become more and more industrialised to the point of factory farming, then I can understand some of the choices by vegans,. The profit margins on milk is so low that cattle for dairy herds ave been selectively bred to maximise milk production rather than muscle development , leading to the situation where any male calves are killed shortly after birth simply because the amount it would cost to care for them so that they are old enough to enter the food chain is greater than the money you would get for selling the meat. – Or the mark up on eggs is so small that the only way to do it profitably is rear hens and have them in the barn for their first laying cycle, but when they hit their first moult they are either re homed or go to the food chain because in their second year they will lay slightly less number of eggs. But on the other hand I don’t understand why some vegans are anti bee keeping. . Bee keepers are providing the ideal conditions for the colony to thrive, and need to ensure that the colony have the supplies to survive winter, its not like we are forcing the bees to spend more time out gathering rector than they would naturally its about taking the surplus.

Know what you mean about weekends still seeming special, Yowser, I feel the same way.

Thought I’d offer up a few positives…..
🌞 really beautiful warm sunny day today … we even had a little harbourside picnic in a neighbouring town.
🧤 in contrast, bought lovely warm fleece lined gloves and snood for chilly rides on the back of OH’s scooter, which is our main transport whilst here🇹🇷.
🍴🍱🍳 made a start on scoping out tiles, kitchen fittings etc for new villa …. still needs consideration, but very exciting!

Hope there will be positives during your weekend and that you might find a moment to tell us about them … doesn’t matter how small, they all count☺

I echo those wants BUSYBEE and will add
AllI want for Christmas is for all the animals to be loved and respected and treated kindly 💜💜💜💜💜
And a more light hearted one….
All I want for Christmas is..a fast metabolism!😀
I feel grateful that Im not saying ….
All I want for Christmas is..my two front teeth ( like in the song!)
O.D.A.A.T. XX

‘All I want for Christmas is’ ……………………….
For me it’s for me and mine to stay safe and well, oh, and of course to be a few pounds less!!
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

HimSUNSHINE Yes I bet that busker will be on a high for weeks! Jimmys still got an amazing voice
Hope you re having a fab Saturday XX
“ I told myself I was going to live my life like every day was SATURDAY!” ( Chip Gaines)

Hi Yowzer, must be great when that happens.

Hi everyone, hope you are having a great weekend. I have been super on plan and happy to be the same weight as yesterday instead of gaining for the sake of a glass of wine or three. I have a serious question for vegetarians on here. I am always trying to eat less red meat but get stuck because I dont eat fish and I see all the carbs in grain based foods like lentil dahl and so on. However, I was skimming through my SW magazine (for the sake of something to read in English) and there was a vegetarian section. Now the main part of the meal was a potato cake which I would never have but it was topped off with a poached egg. This morning I was watching Saturday Kitchen and it was all veggie food as the guest was Muslim and his favourite food choice was eggs. Now to me an egg is an unfertilized baby chicken so definitely an animal product. Could someone please enlighten me. He said he wanted to go vegan but didnt want to give up eggs and cheese. Both animal products, is that where veggie and vegan part ways.

Nothing to report except our car is dead. Just wouldnt start, a combination of not getting good run outs and a very cold and frosty morning today. It is being charged and if we get it going we will take it for a new battery. Even the car is getting more new stuff than I am. 🙂

For any lovers of Jimmy Somerville/ Bronski beat/ Communards,this is a lovely little clip of sthing magical that happened in Berlin…❤️
https://twitter.com/doglab/status/1329915919284449289?s=21

Hi everyone,ive been busy hanging old fashioned paper chains on the lower and upper decks of our Christmas Cracker bus! Thanks to everyone for contributing decorations and lights, I think we’re gonna end up very bright and festive,like that yearly Coca Cola lorry! Its deffo beginning to feel like Christmas is coming,seems everyone needs it early this year,me included,tho I was a bit dismayed to hear in the supermarket..🎶. Simply having a wonderful Christmas time!🎶
I love Macca but not keen on that one!
Ready to warble a few choruses of …
🎶 are you hanging up your stocking on the waaaaaaallllllll…..🎶 though.
I guess we’ll get thru plenty of Christmassy songs over the coming weeks as we bowl along on our bus!
O.D.A.A.T. 💘💘💘💘💘xx

Its Saturday Woohoooooooo…even tho Ive been retired a long time…….
*~ ……Saturday always feels special!
*~ My friend took in a little stray cat that kept eating the food she put out for hedgehogs,kit was pregnant,and gave birth to five kittens. A nice young guy we know took two (Shiro and Moki,Shiro means white and he has a white mask face! Moki means wise eyes,he was first born and first to do everything) his friend took a girl,and my friend kept two,Leo and Leonie,plus of course their little Mum XX😻😻😻😻😻
“ Cats leave paw prints in your heart forever and always” 😺😺😺😺😺😺

evira reported

Glad to know you are safe and well Yowzer –
Lucky you to get a dishy soldier!
I noticed the lovely sunset last night and it’s beautiful here this morning too.
Seeing the sunshine always makes me feel better. X B

Hiiii folks,just two positives today!
*~ Had my second “ mass test” ( negative) Got a dishy soldier this time!)💜
*~ On my way home the sky was blue and pink! So pretty.
XXX

Still here!

Weigh-in today:
He was 20st 2lb, so another 2lb down since Tuesday
I was 13st 0.6lb, 1.4lb down since Tuesday

Still keeping on keeping on, week 4 almost finished, and weekend food all planned in MFP.

Hi everyone, day I have reached the lowest weight I have registered in the last 12 months. This is just the motivation I need to get me through the weekend without any slip ups as I want to be even lower by the new thread next Tuesday, not playing catch up again. The weather is lovely here even if it is getting colder, I have 3 cats nudging each other for rug space to get some sunshine coming in through the front patio window.
Had our annual gas delivery today and have saved 40% by turning off our water heater except for when we need it. So many people said it was false economy as it costs more to heat up from colder. We dont need it for the washing machine or dishwasher so only for showers and maybe a bit of hand wash of dishes (rarely). When we want it we just turn it on for an hour then turn it off again. Anyway that 40% amounts to €1200 for the year. So much for it costing more. All round feeling happy, have a good weekend everyone.

Hello everyone,
CC I hope you are feeling a bit better now after your tooth extraction.Busybee I love the sound of the Christmas tree beside the driver(Yowser🙂) I’ve draped some golden fairy lights around the bus🎄Love the idea of an Advent calendar and Yowser’s quotes are definitely always inspiring.
Not sure if Rainey reads this thread but well done for getting into the smaller jeans!
I AT LAST have another loss to put on my sparkly chart!!!! I’ve lost 4lb since Monday but alas can only write 1lb loss on my chart as 3 of them were gains from the constant up and downs of my willpower.But that’s all in the past (hopefully) It would be great if by next Friday I could write on a more substantial loss so I’m sitting firmly in my seat still,hopefully all the way to Christmas and beyond⛄️ Have a great day everyone,ding ding🙂 Dawn X

I put on a pair of size 14 jeans today. I started out in 18s but I’ve been in 16s for the last 9 weeks. Quite a contrast with my last adventure with 5:2 when I was dropping a size every 3-4 weeks. But I was younger then and, thanks to the lack of Covid, more active in the course of my days.

I can’t say that I was swimming in the 16s so this may be the difference in a single pair of 14s but all my weight is between my hips and my boobs so when I can put on something smaller and I don’t look so baggy in my legs it’s a real boost to my spirits and my appearance.

My husband says he sees a *big* difference in my body from behind. So all I have to do now, apparently, is walk around backward …… ; >

Thanks JGen for explaining that to me. That makes perfect sense. I won’t worry, just trust the process as you suggest.
Thanks again.

Hi Rob1n
i think that monitoring progress via the scales alone is a mistake. A little bit of myth busting may be needed to explain why.

Our bodies need water to help process a high carb diet. So they hold on to water. – When you cut out the carbs, you body releases that water. – So you get a rapid weight loss at the start. – After a time this will slow down. and it does seem to be common that weight loss sticks for a bit after the first few weeks.

When you are eating a high carb diet your insulin levels are high, and when insulin levels are high it blocks your body from producing growth hormone. So when you have low insulin levels your body starts to catch up on all the overdue maintenance of your bones and muscles. Both of which are better when stronger but also weigh more.

Your body weight is also based on what is in your digestive system. – 800 calories of celery weighs more than 800 calories of cheese.

Then there is your water intake. 1 litre of water – 1 kilo. (or 2.2 lbs) so where you are in your water intake / water output will make a change in the readings on the scales for that day.

Finally 1lb of fat = 3500 calories of energy. – So do you really expect to burn 3500 calories more than you eat every day? 🙂

Monitoring with the aid of a tape measure, or target clothes is probably better. But remember that our bodies will get rid of the fat around the organs before getting rid of the fat under the skin. – Also our bodies tend to pick on locations we don’t want it to focus on. So many of us have dropped a shoe size before starting to loose weight from our waists.

The bottom line is if you are keeping carbs low enough to be in ketosis, and eating less calories than you burn your body will be accessing your body fat to make up the difference. No need to worry, just trust the process.

I’m all for a Christmas cracker advent calendar- I’m sure we could manage 24 between us. I lay bets that Yowzer could come up with some ‘crackers’!
X B

Hello!
Popped in on the wrong thread to say hi!
Hope everyone is well.
Ive been a bit up and down, my husband is a chef and he’s been cooking a lot in this latest lockdown (he has no weight/BS/etc issues) and while I’ve mostly resisted the breads and focaccia, I gave in t his pan cotta (half portion) and Chinese take-away so my weight has been all over the place. Since last week I have lost 0.5kg so I am OK with that. I hope the next week I can do better.
Thinking about Christmas now!!
Have a great weekend
Shally xx

Popping in to say hi!
Enjoying reading the Christmas plans. I have yet to decide what to do.
Have lost a little bit overall since I was last here after putting on some weight then losing it again (sigh). Hanging around the 7-7.5kg total loss, getting harder to shift and we can’t go walking as much as I used to in this lockdown.
Have a great weekend,
Shally.

Jennie- so sorry to read how difficult things have been for you and for your family. It certainly puts things into perspective and makes us realise what is important. It’s a great that it has given you the momentum to look after your own health so come back aboard and enjoy the ride amongst friends.

Thanks Busybee for starting the Christmas decorations on the battle bus. Loving the Christmas tree with flashing lights by Yowser as she drives us along!

DCT- loving the Advent idea! All these things definitely help us on our journey. Yowser’s quotes are always fab, maybe we could have a cracker joke to enjoy or maybe we could all enjoy singing a Christmas song/Carol or maybe we could share a low carb recipe or meal I am sure there will be much fun and merriment as we had towards Christmas. If we all try and contribute something during Advent it will be a fabulous ride!

I’ve not been feeling great since my tooth extraction on Monday and haven’t been out but I’ve been sticking to my plan and have eaten less, low carb and no weighing! yesterday my Ketostix were on the very darkest purple and I’ve never been on that colour ever! Was a bit concerned to be honest that it might be dangerous!

34 more days until Christmas Eve so lots of time to get a few pounds leaner.

Good luck everyone. We will do this,

Hi JGwen – thank you for this. Yes, I am definitely in Ketosis. Just as well I’m not in the office much at the moment as working with others might be a problem! My kids have been complaining about it!!
On another note, so on Monday, my 2 week weigh in showed I lost 1 stone. Any ideas why then that since then I have put on 3 lbs and hardly losing anything at all? I am doing exactly the same as the last 2 weeks, so don’t know why I am not now losing? I know it’s only been 3 days since I weighed in, but the last 2 weeks I lost around a 1 lb a day. This time I put on and hardly losing at all.

Very frustrating.

Reported Sugarloans as possible spam

Gosh you were up early Yowzer!
Verano, you are so right, positives are hard to find some days but here goes.
Last night our little Granddaughter ‘read’ us a story via FaceTime and our lovely Grandson ‘played’ the piano. Thank goodness for technology!
We have started to write the Christmas cards and presents are mainly sorted.
Made a corned beef hash last night which brought back childhood memories, though I used celeriac and turnip along with onions and the obligatory dash of HP sauce (other brands are available). A bit carbs but worth it!
And another, I can see a bit of blue sky!
X B

What a mixture of ups and downs we’ve had this week? Some sad, worrying about family and friends and others excited and determined about their weight loss trip.
Travelling on the Christmas Bus together offers support, comfort, encouragement, congratulations and lots of fun.
So I have put a little Christmas tree with flashing lights onto the dashboard next to where the driver sits (Yowzer?) which I hope will makes all the passengers smile. 🌲 😃
O.D.A.A.T.
X B

Just catching up with recent posts. Jennie I’m so sorry to hear your news, that’s terrible. It brings it all home as to what an awful time this is. I hope that your family can be of strength and comfort to each other, despite all the current restrictions. Sending love X

Dawn I’m so glad that there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of seeing your father. And well done on your loss – that’s a real boost! Do feel free to start putting the Christmas lights on the bus as soon as you want to: it would help to cheer us up and boost us on. I saw a house round the corner yesterday which already has its inflatable Santa and snowman outside!

In fact I reckon we should up our Christmas Countdown once we get to December by running some kind of Advent Calendar. Maybe suggest a little treat (non-food related) each day. I was going to say inspirational quotes but we already have our lovely Yowzer covering that! Thank you for all the inspiring words Yowzer – I love the most recent Helen Keller quote you posted. It’s all too easy to get into the mindset of what we will do / how we will feel when we eventually lose so much weight or whatever. But, especially in these difficult times, we also need to make the very most of every minute and not pin all our hopes and dreams on that unspecified time in the future.

My mini blitz is going quite well so far. One thing I’ve been doing is logging all my food on my Fitbit. I’ve done this WoE for so long that I kind of assumed I knew instinctively what is high cal and high carb. But decided to log it anyway just out of interest. My aim being for the next 2 weeks to stay under 1000 calories and 50g carbs per day. Well, what a shock!! Some foods that I eat regularly – and in huge amounts – are actually way higher in carb than I’d realised. Last night’s culprit being kale. I know it’s good for you in so many ways and I love crispy kale (put on a baking tray with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake for around 5-7 mins. Lovely!). But last night’s heap that I happily munched through clocked up around 15 carbs! So I need to keep an eye on the hidden carbs – even in good foods – that are lurking.

There’s always something new to learn!

Take care everyone X

Wendleg- thank you for your motivational advice!- where is a good place to find videos of this WOE? Are there some links on this site?

Rainey- thank you! And ooh, I hafn’t even thought of the implications of the day after Christmas 🤣….because like after your Thanksgiving- a turkey sandwich is usually a ‘must’….I like(d?) mine with butter, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, turkey and chopped pickled onions 😂

Thought for Thursday..
“Be happy with what you have,while working for what you want” (Helen Keller)🌸💘🌸💘🌸💘🌸
Well done DAWN on that little Whoosh!!!! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Hi Thursday people,Im here early,been awake since 4 a.m. far too soon,but Ive enjoyed the early morning quiet with the promise of a brand new day ahead.
“Be happy with what you have,while working for what you want” (Helen Keller)🌸💘🌸💘🌸💘🌸

So sorry to hear about yr bereavement JENNIE,and your family member struggling financially X this year has been so tough hasnt it. Im glad youre looking after yourself,its more important than ever right now. Sending love to you and your family x❤️x

Hi everyone! Happy to be kicking on for another week.
We had the dreaded family Christmas (or family get together with a Christmas theme) over the weekend, and I’m thrilled to say I survived all the amazing foods and drinks with no issues, so shall try and do the same when Actual Christmas gets here. We did buffet style cold meats and salads and sides so was easy enough to serve myself what I could eat. My husband’s cousin is doing keto for weight loss so it was nice to have a carb free buddy. He even had some zero carb craft beer that I had heard about and been wanting to try, so I shall get some for the summer. Same calories as the vodka Soda I’ve been allowing myself on a Friday and Saturday afternoon. Dessert – well the top of the pavlova was berries and cream, so that was my little treat. I gave my son the sugary bottom part 😂 Best of all I weigh myself on a Monday and still came in with a loss, although that probably has something to do with the usual monthly fluid fluctuations that women have. I’ll count it as a success though.
Here’s a question: this makes week eight for me, I shall try for 12 before I go back to the GP. What happens after that? I was thinking if my blood sugar is looking better, I would try the 5:2 while still keeping as low carb as possible. I’ve lost about 11kg so far, but still have 20-30 to go. And continue the exercise that I’ve been shirking for so many years. Turns out it does make a difference – who knew 😆

Hello everyone. It’s so good to see more of us finding positives even if it seems like scraping the bottom of a barrel at times.
Sunny what colour is your hair!!!
Ok so it’s been a miserable day here but there are always positives …..

🥕🍵🧅 Great soup for lunch today. So pleased I spent a few days last week cooking and freezing because today was definitely a ‘soup’ day!
🖥🖥 Spent some time today catching up on 2019 Masterchef Australia where the sun seems to shine everyday. Roll on the summer!
🥩🥦 Meatloaf cooking in the oven as I write and cauliflower and sprouts steaming so dinner almost ready. Tomorrow I’m having a proper ‘cooking’ day so looking to fill up my new little freezer with even more soup. I’m thinking about Thai style butternut squash soup, a great recipe from BBC Good Food.

So Thursday is almost upon us, just a couple of days until the weekend, which I think we should still try to celebrate as something special even more so in these unprecedented times. Have a good Thursday.

Thanks for all your positives folks! ❤️
Mine for today….
*~ So happy today,I managed to reunite a missing cat with his owner.
The cat had been missing a month and owner was heartbroken and exhausted trying to find him.
Lovely feeling to make someones day,and bring a pet and owner together again
*~ Brrr it was wet and very windy when I took a walk today. The wind destroyed my umbrella and I definitely needed glove,which I hadnt brought. But I enjoyed the walk anyway x
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 Its Wednesday,may you find moments that make you smile today 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

Hi guys-

Good to hear of all the success you’re having! I’m celebrating with you, nhatha, as that’s a benchmark I hope to meet next week. Also to hear that you, Tulip, are approaching your goal. Impressive and I’m pulling for you! I think it would also be impressive to tally what this group loses in a week’s time. I have a feeling it would be a small child.

I’ve struggled mightily the last 2 weeks. Until this week, I haven’t successfully fasted in quite a while. But I finally managed a completely successful Monday and yesterday I merely had a dinner of meatballs and tomato sauce on wilted cabbage. I went as far as I was able to get whatever was sabotaging me out of my system. I hope I’ve accomplished that and can go on in better form.

Despite my struggles, my failures to exercise and an entire *day* of eating outrageous things in the past week, I managed to lose almost 2 pounds. I *know* I didn’t deserve that but I’ll try to use it as motivation to keep healthy eating and weight loss going.

I hear you guys have goals for Christmas. Here in the US I’ve got Thanksgiving to get past. Thanksgiving is full focus on foods and traditions. And guess who’s chef?! Although I’ll have my restrictions, I’m not about to let the family down. I’ve already made and frozen one dessert. Got 2 pies to make still. My daughter will be making ice cream. The main event, however, will be quite manageable: turkey, several veggies and other (delicious) carby things best not to mention. …or indulge in. I have, however, promised myself *one* leftover turkey sandwich (the *best* part if you ask me) if I stay clear of the dessert buffet. A homebaked roll spread with cranberry sauce (sweet) on one side and blue cheese (tart) on the other piled with cold turkey and a drizzle of turkey gravy. At least I won’t have either cause or opportunity to do that again for the next year! LOL

Hi all, For those of you starting out and missing the things you used to eat let me assure you they soon lose their appeal especially if your health is involved. Like you Wendleg I dont even think of having anything off plan as it isnt in my mind at all. Taking Christmas Day as an example I will probably have foie gras on a rye cracker with a fruit confit on the side, then a dinner minus any carbs but with lots of roasted veg and a dessert of fruit maybe with a bit of vanilla ice cream but more likely with plain Greek yoghurt. I will be having some champagne and a few voddies but not to excess and not every day. The thought of piling up my plate with loads of food just turns my stomach. Of course I will be having load of sprouts, cooked in a little oil with lardons and chestnuts.

Wendy, have you tried the L’Eclerc Eco brand of 70% dark chocolate. I prefer it to any of the branded versions. I am happy with one square a day after dinner but I do buy 6 at a time, mainly because they dont often have them in. Although I dont think you shop at Leclerc.

Weight steady and done 30 mins of aerobics with Sean T – HipHopAbs.

Oh and I picked up a parcel yesterday ( preloved Vinted ) and the nice lady had slipped in a packet of Haribo sweets in my parcel !
How weird is that … to think that a grown up person would be happy with sweeties ?? It just shows how ingrained the view is that sugar is an elixir of pleasure and joy . Nope …
I am preparing a parcel of French goodies to send to my boys in Australia . I am fairly limited in what is allowed but they are getting loads of tins of patés, duck produce, foie gras etc (sorry but my boys are true French boys ) I never thought of sending them sweets ! Choc and cheese is not allowed so that’s for me !! Saucisson sec is also a no no unfortunately .

Hi everyone ! Good to read the posts and sense that people want to keep going. I think I am guilty of complacency especially when I don’t weigh that regularly . My problem is that I consider myself a healthy ( low carb ) eater so I don’t stress about temptations but I can still over eat the good stuff . Knowing that I can fit into jeans and much smaller sizes and not be at the top end of online sizes is comfortable. BUT I have to keep an eye on my portion sizes . The solution there is to log everything but I am sort of resisting that right now. I am with you Julz and Olive …getting into a regular fasting routine is beneficial but I am struggling wiht that too at the moment and still having 2 meals a day.

I am still locking down the choc and almonds but found some 95 % choc in Lidl yesterday . It seems to arrive on the shelves for Christmas . I bought 6 bars !!! Don’t tell me off 😉 I have put it away and I will not touch it because that is my mind set and I’m stubborn !
I think to maintain motivation it is useful to read loads, check out the many videos about this WOE . It rams the message home . Also…. being aware of boredom, emotional eating when feeling the need for a treat or comfort, planning ahead, not buying foods which will be a temptation at fragile moments .. Above all keeping to the forefront the immense health benefits . Stay positve, focused .

I have moments when I start checking out recipes and print them or write them out in one of my notebooks, just to change things up a bit .

I no longer think of festive occasions as a time for eating foods I would not normally eat . It is however very easy to indulge my love of rich, luxurious Normandy creams and tell myself it’s ok 😉

I haven’t got the magic solution for staying motivated but if we are still here then that shows that it matters to us . Let’s just keep boosting each other !

Jennie I’m so sorry to hear your news,my thoughts are with you.Dawn X

Hello everyone🎄Thanks DCT,I’ve just seen footage on the news of the trial care home visits already taking place and it was lovely🙂
I wasn’t going to weigh myself until Friday but I decided to this morning and am delighted to have lost 2lbs in 2 days (still not down to weight I was on last entry on my sparkly chart though so need to lose another 2 before I can write another loss on it! ) I am doing my old food plan from MFP that I started when I began Fast800 in February last year.I’ve been having a good look at what I was eating back then as I did really well (lost 18lb in 6 weeks)and felt so much better.This year I’ve been trying to keep my carbs down to no more than 50g a day but back then I see my carbs were mainly between 50 and 80 so,following that plan this week,I had 50g on Monday and 70g yesterday.I am not diabetic or prediabetic (as far as I know and I know carbs play a huge part if you are)so am hoping that I can continue with that level of carbs and still become healthier.I was also having 10g of 70% dark chocolate most days.All of my cravings for sweet food had disappeared and it wasn’t until I seriously fell off the wagon for about a week that they came back.After looking at this I feel that it is definitely possible to still make a big difference before Christmas so am sitting firmly on the Coundown bus (can we decorate it soon with sparkly lights please🙂) with renewed vigour!!!! All the best for the day/night ahead everyone.Dawn

Hi everyone
Sorry I’ve not been on for a couple of weeks. As a family we’ve been having a hard time recently. One of my relatives has recently died due to Covid-19 and another is struggling to put food on the table/heat the house . Easy to fix short-term but harder to work out a fix for the longer term. Anyway I know I’ve got to look after my own health and don’t want to slip back so I’m back on the bus.

JGwen, you definitely deserve that award xx

Jennie xx

Dreamscometrue…..I agree, to lose, diet is the key….takes a lot of mental effort tho hey? 😆….I know it’s worth it, I just need to get back my mojo. I love exercise too tho, and am doing plenty of that and that definitely plays a part in maintenance of course as well as keeping us fit 😁…