Great to be actively advancing…
Thanks for the new thread. I haven’t posted much on the monthly threads since Christmas, but have been reading and mentally encouraging everyone as we all live the BSD life!
I am still maintaining 😄😇 and am happy to turn down potatoes (including chips), rice, pasta and bread (mostly..toast is still a temptation!🫣) but I still have a sweet tooth, so dessert is a major temptation.
To get over this, I have persuaded husband to have a pudding that I would like, and I have a teaspoonful!
I still haven’t had a follow up with the diabetes clinic and wonder if the nurse black listed me as a difficult patient. I saw her at the end of June last year!

As an April baby, this is my favourite month.
So I wish everyone health and success as we all advance!
Xx

SunnyB
Wish your OH a very happy birthday from another April Fool!
My positives for today:
1. A delicious celebratory meal out today 🥙🦐🍤🦞 for my special birthday!
2. I resisted dessert! 😇 ( and chips!)
3. A glass of sparkling wine this evening. 🥂The first since Christmas, went down really well! 😄😄😄

Quick post with my positives for today …
🥳🎉 OH’s birthday today 🤸‍♀️
🌞🌞 sunny day and a pleasant visit to Lyne Regis
🍽🥘 lovely celebratory lunch out

Hope your day has been a pleasant one too.

Hopping back on board the cruise ship for my new Day 1. Had a worrying time at the end of January, when my mum became very ill again, culminating in her being taken into hospital in an emergency ambulance towards the end of February. March was therefore dedicated to visiting her in hospital several times a day to keep her morale up while they stabilised her and then we all waited for the date for the operation she needed. Originally that was to have been 28th March but she got suddenly transferred to Plymouth 2 weeks early and had the operation on 14th March. She has been home now for 2 weeks nearly and is still getting better every day. My weight has been roughly stable through this period, and pleasingly my visceral fat readings are still normal, despite a diet that is sometimes too carby as I try to encourage mum to put a bit of weight back on. She essentially hardly ate anything for nearly 5 weeks while feeling really ill. Now ready to start a push to lose a little more and gain some fitness again, after far too much driving and sitting next to a hospital bed.

Hi all, I can report a total loss of 1lb for the month of March. Yes, disappointing but overall I have lost 7lbs since 2nd Jan and my goal was 9lbs to today. So a good loss but just not where I wanted to be. My body seems to have a set point of 71kgs but I can be grateful as it used to be 74kgs then 72, so some improvement. Still got 10 days before we go away so still hoping.

Hubby has gone away for a few days so I have plenty of time to myself and started off the a facemask followed by Vit C serum and then moisturiser. Feels very clean. Now to get on with some well organised packing – fingers crossed I don’t forget anything on my extensive list.

Have a great April and hope you didn’t get fooled – didn’t actually see any this morning.

With Tuesday being my weigh in day, I can report a further drop of 0.5lb this morning. This means March has seen 3.5lb ditched, leaving me a little more comfortably in the correct stone bracket. Happily, clothes are feeling more comfortable and more of my wardrobe is available to me again 🙂.

However, there’s no space for complacency, as I’m currently still 5.5lb above target, with only a week until we head off Turkiye bound. Hoping it’s possible to rid myself of another pound before then though 🤞🏻.

Looking forward to reading everyone’s updates so please let us know how things are going with you.

Hello
Spring is helping to make me feel very optimistic. Lovely to see some sunshine and brighter days. March seemed to fly by. I lost 3lb in March. I am starting April at 155.8 lb. I hoped to be 155 so almost achieved my goal. My goal for April is to achieve 152lb. I am going to see if I can stay off the scales until the last day of the month. I’ve said it before, the scales are not my friend! They have a lot of power over me and I want to avoid looking at the numbers too often. My plan is to stay low carb/keto and to keep walking (sore toes permitting). There isn’t too much on the calendar so far in April to scupper me. I have been very disciplined this last couple of months.
Dreamscometrue- you’ve picked a fantastic time of year to retire. I want to wish you well for the start of your retirement and I know that you’ll enjoy the freedom and simplicity of retirement.
SueBlue and Mariet- I hope you’re both enjoying cooler days after a long, hot summer. I do enjoy living in a climate where we have four seasons. Good luck to you both on your journey- it will be soup weather for you soon!! So many lovely low carb soup recipes to enjoy.
So as we begin April – a quarter of the year under our belts, let’s make the next three months count towards our year long journey. Our cruise ship continues on its epic journey- let’s all keep out of the buffet and let’s walk around the deck together enjoying our adventure. It’s great to have time to enjoy this adventure slowly together. If we have a bad week or so- we have time to get back to working things out. Have a good week everyone.

Glad the lambs are doing well, Pootle. I’ve noticed the primroses seem to be really abundant this year too.

I’ve a few positives to post, so here goes ….
👍🏻🙂 Mum and Dad are doing okay, was lovely to see them and spending some proper time with them
🌸🌸 bought some pretty little viola to add some colour to the garden.
🙂🙂 son and GD visited whisky we were at my parents, good to catch-up with them in person, before we leave for Turkiye again.

Hope you all had a positive weekend and that your week is off to a good start.

Thank you very much for setting up this April thread SunnyB & the thought of actively advancing through April is challenging & appealing 👍😀
Best feet forward everyone 🍀🍀🤞
Margaret xx

SG, I expect that blip will have disappeared by tomorrow 🤞🏻.
Verano and Margaret, sorry March has not gone well for you. I admit that I’ve see little movement in the downwards direction too, so not where I’d have liked to be at this point, however nothing to be gained by beating myself up about it.

The April thread is now available, so I’ll look forward to seeing you all there.

With spring well and truly sprung, it’s an ideal time to get active on all fronts. By that I mean, with better weather not only we can get outside for some physical activity, but also to be active in revamping our eating.

Several of us have struggled since the festive season and subsequently seen disappointing results. That’s okay though, because we have the tools to make April count and get a step closer to our personal goals.

Have a think about your ‘why’ … why are you on the BSD path, what do you want or need from it? Hopefully that will help you find the motivation to push on with more determination.

Please join us here, we love to see ‘old faces’ and ‘new faces’ on these monthly threads, which help us remain accountable. It’s a safe place to come for encouragement, offload if things are not going to plan, as well as to share results and celebrate our wins both on and off the scales.

Let’s remain active and accountable in April.

I agree with you Verano & in fact I haven’t had much dieting success yet & am still not at my pre-Christmas weight. Roll on April & I hope this lovely sunshine will continue 🌝
Margaret xx

Oh so glad March is almost at an end. This month has been anything but mindful for me. In fact I would say, for me, March had been a month of mad, mindless, munchies.
So no weighing tomorrow just starting April as I mean to go on with a mind reset and a return to healthy eating. No more and no less.
Hope March has been a successful month for everyone else and your goals have been reached.

slight blip up on weight, just 0.025kg but I was up at 6.30 having to eat as BG was very low – slice of ham, 2 chunks of fresh pineapple and a Werthers Original to get me back to normal and back to bed.

Started on personal holiday care and trying on all my clothes. The blue dress my friend lent me is beautiful but needs a belt, so will be looking for one, just a slim belt in either blue or silver (silver shoes). Hopefully, weight will be back down by Tuesday and I can count up my March loss (es).

Hola! Hope the music event went well DCT!
DAWN,half a pound off is better than half a pound on,plus it cumulative..add it on to the pounds you’ve lost recently and it really starts to add up!
CCATHY,good luck with your ‘ totaliser’..love that word!
MARIET and SUE,enjoy your cooler autumn days! SUE,I used to be good at fasting,nothing wild,just 16:8,20:4 at best,but I seem to have lost the knack,really need to get back into 5:2.or even 6:1. Youre right,its ok to feel hungry,specially when we know that the next meal isnt far away
MARIET,i had forgotten all about the Miss Read books! Used to love them. I too did a backslide from 2017,its disappointing isnt it after we did so well,but I guess and hope we have learnt a valuable lesson..go back to the old ways and the Carb Monster will swiftly return to bite us in the bum,so we wont – fingers crossed – make that mistake again!
Happy weekend to all and Happy Mothers Day to all it applies to. Whether your child be two footed or four footed,have a fab day tomorrow,and again to whom it applies,yipppeee clocks go forward,longer days ahead ⭐️🩷⭐️ XX

Hi all, V, not actually started packing but there is a pile of stuff in the spare bedroom that I keep throwing in so I don’t forget it – little things like a new emery board, a particular pair of earrings etc. I have been sorting and washing all my dresses that I have probably had on once and stuck back in the wardrobe. Hubby goes away on Tuesday and back on Thursday so that will be my time to get on with the packing and also clean the house. We are having a rug cleaned with a hire machine on Monday so that will be his job while I tackle the rest of the house.

Weight is doing well but will announce any losses on Tuesday 1st April. Have a great weekend.

Hi everyone,
Just a quick post to say I’ve lost half a pound this week. Barely worth it but a move in the right direction I suppose😀Hope you all have a lovely weekend. Dawn XX

Well I’ve regained 1.25lbs that I lost two weeks ago so I’m rather surprised & disappointed!

An exciting time preparing for going on holiday S-G, Sunny B & Verano👍🌝
I had an ECG this morning which was an interesting experience never having had one before but apparently because of possible high BP. Fortunately all was normal & I know from having looked at my blood tests results that I am not pre-diabetic but probably have raised cholesterol which is rather weird when mostly eating a BS diet & following TRE each day. I will have a phone call from the GP next week. I have no news regarding a surgery date so cannot book going away until I know this. I lost weight last week but doubt I have this week which is frustrating but will find out tomorrow.
I hope everyone is staying well & has had a good week?
Margaret xx

Hi all, well I certainly wont be accountable in April, what with eating in restaurants 2 nights before cruise, then cruise for 2 weeks and then daughters for a week when she wants to take up for a meal for hubbys 80th plus he asked for an afternoon tea – even though he can have one every day on the ship – and its free.

Definitely it will be awesome just to be relaxing. That’s my choice.

well done Lucy

Hi everyone. Just dropping in quickly to say hello as am incredibly busy at the moment. We have a small music event at our home tomorrow and I’ve been doing lots of preparation for that. I’m currently waiting in for a carpet cleaner who has already let me down twice and is now almost half an hour late. I think it’ll be a case of “three strikes and you’re out” 🙀. Next week is the week I retire from school so that’s very much uppermost in my mind at the moment too.

Which is all a very long-winded excuse as to why I’m not losing at the moment! I’m maintaining really well, and feeling good, but am around 12lb heavier than I want to be. And I know it’s not all about the numbers on the scales (and they can be so fickle anyway!) but I can see from the mirror and feel from my clothes that I really do need to shed a few more pounds. So I need to get back on the case bu am giving myself a week’s leeway to navigate through all these other things first.

Well done to all who are losing and “we can do this” to those that aren’t. Sometimes life gets in the way but I’m confident that everyone reading this thread will make progress towards their goals.

Incidentally there is a feature in the new edition of Good Housekeeping about body positivity and it refers to an event they organised. I was at the event and was sad to hear that the number one change most people want to make in their bodies is losing weight. And I say sad because it also emerged that so many people feel that their lives can’t be good or positive until they’ve done this, it’s as if life is on hold until that happens. Let that not be us!!! yes we want to lose but also need to enjoy life while that happens.

Love to you all and I’ll return next week in a more focused state of mind! Have a great weekend X

Hello everyone
Well done to SueBlue and Mariet. I’ve weighed this morning and am disappointed to see a gain of 0.8lb. I have had a good week and walked a lot of steps. However, I’ve been stressed over trying to get a further prescription for more eye drops which proved very difficult. I will weigh myself on the last dsy of March but sadly I’ve not achieved my March Goal. I’ve only lost 1.2 lbs so far. Planned to lose 4lb- a pound a week. I’ve said no to scones, a meal out, cake etc etc. doesn’t seem fair but I’ll keep on trying. I will weigh on Monday and do a March totaliser!! Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Hi Lucy,
Brilliant that you have lost the 3lb gained weight plus an extra pound!! Excellent!

I really hope that they can get on top of your Dad’s uti, it really is amazing how that can affect dementia!

Take care.
Xxxx

Just a quick one this morning!
Contrary to the forecast, the sunshine is beautiful again this morning! ☀️☀️☀️
Primroses are fabulous this year! 🌼🌼🌼
Lambs still doing well! 🤞🤞🤞🍼🍼🍼
😄😄😄

Thank you.
Well some good news I lost 4lbs this week. Original 3 rhat I put on and an extra one.
So that’s the lowest I’ve been.
Some good news in a rough week. My Dad is very unwell wirh uti. Which has had a terrible effect on his dementia and well being.
Hope everyone is doing well
Xx

Hi all and well done Mariet and Sueblue on your weight losses🎉 I’ve woken with a lot of fluid retention this morning so am delaying my weigh in until tomorrow. I know I haven’t been drinking enough water so will drink plenty today. Have a good day everyone. Dawn XX

Mariet I completely agree with you about our weather. I absolutely detest humidity as it causes my joint pain to increase, and it’s awful trying to sleep at night. I’m counting down the days till Daylight Saving ends and I can enjoy April – September/October – always feel that I come alive in Autumn/Winter 🙂

Cathy I hope you are continuing to do well. I’ve been reading everyone’s posts and start to compile a reply but then don’t get around to posting…have been flat out with working on MIL’s house and garden, as well as work and everything else. During the hotter weather we’ve got
Into the habit of having a few beers in the afternoon (or a few wine spritzers), but I’m trying to cut down to doing this only a couple of times a week, instead of every other day! I also need to get back into meal planning, prepping and cooking as we’ve had a few takeaway meals lately.

I had to fast for a medical test this week, it was supposed to be a 4 hour fast but due to the timing of the appointment it ended up being a 7 hour fast, so I only had breakfast and dinner that day. I often used to do this, but lately have got into the habit of snacking regularly, so I never usually feel hungry, it was a bit of a wake up call and made me realise it’s ok to just feel hungry sometimes and wait for the next meal time!

Didn’t mean for this post to be this long. I weighed myself this morning and I’ve lost 1.2kg this week – but due to previous weeks gains and losses, it’s a net loss of 1.5kg for me since January – I need to get my act together and be more consistent as my big birthday is only 6 months away now and I still need to lose 8.5kg to get to my birthday goal.

Hope everyone else is well 🙂

Here we are on another Friday morning and I hope you in the northern hemisphere are enjoying the early spring. I have been reading over the Fairacre books by Miss Read and they are set in the North Downs near Oxford I think and they have given me a strong wish to one day experience the beautiful springs she writes about.
We are into autumn and it’s normally my favourite time of year but this year it has been pretty cloudy and the nights still muggy. We’ve been promised some cooler nights next week and I can’t wait 😁
Another week and another 500g down which is very satisfying. I have to see my GP this morning for blood results. Last time she was making noises about statins which I would prefer to avoid so I’m a bit anxious. She is very reasonable and a great supporter of low carb eating and managing conditions through lifestyle modifications so that makes me hopeful.
Big hopes that your eye is responding to treatment Cathy and that mixing it up is still working for you. I look forward to hearing how the week’s gone for you and for all the other cruisers on this ship!

Positives for today….
🚘🚘 car passed its MOT without any issues
💦💦 OH has set up the watering system ready for keeping my garden pots watered while we’re away and he’s going to extend it to take in a bigger portion of the garden too
🎉🎊 created an 18th birthday card for youngest GS and ordered gifts
Although it’s been quite a steady day, it’s still felt productive 🙂

Oh V, really hope your OH will be well enough recovered in time for your trip. It must be really stressful not knowing if you will get away or not.

I too am packing, firstly for this weekend as we’re visiting my folks and secondly for our Turkiye road trip. It’s almost a military operation getting it all sorted!

Pleased to report I’ve managed to slip back in to the right stone bracket again … like SG, I’m hoping to improve on that before we leave in April.

Am starting to give some thought to a title for the April thread … so far the adjectives I’m mulling are “accountable” and “awesome”, but if anyone would like to offer up some ideas, please let me know.

‘Starting packing’! Gosh s-g you made me think. We have 18 days before we are due to leave. I need to make a start on packing NOW!

I have to say it’s so difficult not actually knowing if we will make it or not. OH has an appointment on Tuesday so hoping that will be more conclusive. In the meantime just getting stuff together!

Delighted March is almost over because for me it’s been more ‘Mindless’ than ‘Mindful’. April ? Well we’re only here for the first half of April and I’m just concentrating on ‘healthy’ eating at the moment and hope to carry with that whilst we are away.

Hope March has been a good month for you but if not April is just around the corner and we can make that better!

Glad to hear you are passing on our site, we are all rather enthusiastic about the diet.

Even though you are not diabetic the very low calories can still affect your blood glucose levels but, in that case you don’t need to dash to the jam and bread, it will soon pass. And you said your BP was a bit low. Dr Mosley does say to take things easy in the first few weeks until you get used to it. Keep up the fluids.

Back down to my pre-birthday meal weight so now hoping now for another 3lbs before holiday. No news, just busy.

Went to the local hardware store yesterday to rent a carpet cleaner and, don’t know why but it was the most stressful thing I have had to deal with in French. All the questions and when I told her I hadn’t understood half of what she said the young man explained. It was just one thing we needed to know and she had been gabbing on, he told her we didn’t need all the other information she was going on and on about. Just cost, how long, when to pick up and return and had to buy cleaning fluid. That was it, oh and a small insurance. Anyway, the weather forecast has changed and I rang up this morning to change the date to when it is going to be nice and sunny and it was a piece of cake – we now know the terminology. Always something new.

Getting close now and will be starting packing this weekend. Thats about it then. Cleaning for sitters arrival and ready to go.

Well done, SG … there’s still time to drop a bit more.
Disappointingly I’m up by 1lb, so back above the right stone bracket again😔. However, I too still have time to make some positive progress before our next trip 🤞🏻.

FGS, goodvto have you posting positives… it’s so often the simple things that bring great joy.
I have a couple of positives to report today ….
🥳🤸‍♀️ GS passed his theory test today!!!
🌸🌸 while ge was sitting his test, I spent sometime in a lovely little public garden, enjoying spring flowers and warm sunshine.

Positives today –
1. Feeling full of the joys of Spring (even though it’s nearly Summer) and loving the sunshine. The dog is basking outdoors and I’ve actually hung some washing OUTSIDE!!!
2. Reading the positive vibes is a really good way of staying on track. Love the sense of community on this site!!
3. Had a lovely time birdwatching – looking at the winter birds leaving and the spring migrants filling the available space. Just wonderful and managed to avoid the fruit scones at the cafe. Truly a miracle!!!

Thank you, Sunshine Girl. I am not diabetic. My husband and I started this diet because he is pre-diabetic. Both of us are feeling really tired but attribute this to the low calorie count. I have to say though we are also massively incentivised by the weight loss. I will try your tip of adding salt. I must say I have been reducing it (as per the recipe book’s suggestions) so will add a little back in. A friend of mine (inspired by me – hahaha) has started the diet with her husband. They are loving the tasty meals too. Can wholeheartedly recommend the squash and red pepper soup – delicious and filling. I’ve also told my friend about this lovely and helpful forum. I enormously appreciate your taking the time out to respond to me.

Thats good to know Lucy 1771 and thank you for the tip. I’ll look out for it.

Thank you for the good wishes for our DD, V and Pootle. Sorry you’re not able to find positives at the moment, V … I’ll keep everything crossed that your man’s recovery will allow your next trip to go ahead.
Pootle, how wondrous to have an unexpected lamb appear.
Positives from my little corner are ….
🌿🌸 all the plants I had waiting for permanent homes, have now been planted out and some serious garden tidying done ….. following on from that ….
🌸🌱 managed to gather some offshoots from established plants in my garden, to transplant to the village hall garden … which is a job for another day.
🙂🙂 nice chat with eldest GD when she popped in to collect a key, so she can look after my plants while I’m away.
If you gave a moment, why not post a positive or two for us all to enjoy.

Sunny, Good news that DD is home… Hope she continues to improve.
Sorry you don’t have any positives Verano. I hope that the healing moves along and you can start to look forward to your trip.

I have a couple of major positives for today…
I was helping OH with a large downed ash tree, (one of many that came down in the storms last December!) logging and clearing, when I noticed some fabulous entwined ivy trunks… perfect for a job next month!! 😁😁🪵🪵

Whilst I was writing the above, OH came in to say the ewe that we thought only had a single this morning had produced a twin 4 hours later!!! 🐑🐑

Sunny pleased to hear your DD is home and doing well.
All good here thanks just watching a ‘slow’ recovery as the days before our trip slip away! Hoping by this time next week I’ll have a clearer picture and then I can start to think about packing. At the moment everything is up in the air. So no positives from me just at the moment!

Hi all, no panic, I have lost most of the 1kg (lost 0.7) so will be getting back to losing more for the holiday. Did a 30 min aerobic workout with handweights yesterday and will try to do it every other day.

Lucy, we dont care what you talk about as long as you are here and have someone to vent to. I have been going on about daughter wanting us to sell up in France which has nothing to do with diet.

If you are diabetic you might be having low BG and need something to eat. If not try adding a little salt to your diet.

5 weeks in to the Fast 800 but last week and this week have been getting intermittent dizzy spells. BP reading as of this am a bit on the low side but not drastically so. Anyone else experience this? Any tips for addressing it? I’ve increased my fluid intake. All advice welcome. Thank you.

Pootle, glad the lambing is going well and the rest arrive safely.
V, I noticed you didn’t post any positives of your own… hope things are okay with you and your hubby is recovering well.
My positives are ….
🎊😊 DD is doing well… she’s back home, taking her meds and resting up.
🎒👝 have made a start on sorting some things out ready for packing, including ordering items we need to take with us.
🧺🧺 got a couple of batches of laundry done.

If there was a plus point in your day, please take a moment to tell us about it.

You are all so kind and I feel awful hijacking this thread when sometimes uts not about dieting.
Thankfully my Dad has remained after ironing out issues we had. Unfortunately after this 2 weeks respite is over and he cannot stay there full time due to finances so another struggle will start again. And now he has a water infection making things worse
I’ve been back on my diet today but struggling a little due to eating the wrong things recently I am back to craving them.
Thanks for all your nice comments, I really appreciate it..

Well thanks to hubbys birthday and several drinks too many I am 1 kilo up or 2.2 lbs overnight. Not too worried as it will come of in a couple of days and felt the need to have a treat after the worries of the past week. Briefly daughter wants us to sell up and go back to UK, she owns a second property which we can have so no househunting. However, I think she expects us to hand over the equity from our French property and, besides having somewhere to live, we would own nothing. What happens if we argue and she wants us out, or she dies, divorces whatever and we are left with nothing. I asked about putting the house partly in our name so we would have 50/50 ownership but that didn’t go down well. There will be a lot of talking to do after the cruise but for now I just want to enjoy the holiday and forget everything else. We certainly wont be putting our house on the market for a good few years.

Now to crack on with the diet and I have 2 weeks and 5 days before we leave for our trip so I am still hoping to a) get rid of the kilo and b) lose another couple of pounds.

Have a good week.

Hi, I have been doing this successfully and list 2 and half stone. Due to family issues I’m bot being as successful at the moment. I too was pre diabetic and rhen diabetic and overweight
I am neither pre or diabetic anymore but still have weight to lose.
But I have eaten bread whilst on this diet. But uts specifically low carb and high protein. You pay a bit more for it and I only have an odd slice but uts only 5 carbs per slice.
It’s called hi-lo and in a green wrapper only available from Sainsbury’s.
Just a thought, I would have an odd piece of toast within my carb allowance and it really helped me.