Hello everyone.
I need to lose weight fast, but more so I need to get my cholesterol down to normal levels.
I knew I was out of shape, in my early 50s just over 6ft tall and 16st.
But I really didn’t think about what was going on inside until my doctor suggest I get some bloods taken.
Well I did and my overall fasting cholesterol was 8.6 with the LDL 4.4.
My doctor said I needed to go on statins right now.
Then I thought about Michael Mosley’s work and thought if I tried hard enough I might survive this.
I’m just very concerned about firstly my state of health, and secondly about going down the road of statins.
Help!

I love reading all the good stories on this thread!
My 3 for today:
1. I am just at the end of week 7 of Fast 800 and feeling great. Hooray!
2. There may just be some rain today – which we so desperately need
3. I can feel the tenderness in my legs after doing some extra leg pushes at the gym (very light ones mind!) – so that is good as it tells me I am pushing my muscles.

Patricia1066 – please please tell me more about your aubergine/eggplant curry and the secret recipe! I would really like to try something like this as I like eggplant.

My made-up meal this week was based on one in the recipe section of this site – using red peppers/capsicum.
I halved the capsicum and took out seeds. Into the bottom of each half I put in 2 frozen spinach blocks – slightly defrosted so I could spread it out a little. Also threw in some finely chopped celery. Topped that with tablespoon of sour cream (didn’t have sour cream so used greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon in it) and then topped that a small can of tuna (they are 95g tins here) divided over the 2 halves. Then into oven about 200C for 20/25 mins or so – keep a watch in it. Then out of the oven and spread another tablespoon of the sour cream over each half and added 50g of small prawns over each half, a sprinkle of salt, pepper and paprika, and lastly about 20g of shredded tasty cheese over the top of each. Back into the oven for 10-15 mins. My tracker had this at 313 calories and 7.4g carbs so good for a meal – serve with a little extra veg. I kept one for lunch the next day and that tasted even nicer as the flavours had melded.

Happy Weekend! Merry

Thanks, Patricia – it’s quite old now but I enjoyed it when I was writing. I’m slowly turning it into a book (very, very slowly) – figured I already had the content done and I’ve always wanted to write a book.
I agree with your number 3, Scottishgal – maybe your revelation will inspire me.
1. House is clean for the weekend
2. Bought Albert a new bed that he is loving sleeping next to.
3. I have finished doing a redline of a contract for work that I have been putting off for a while. I feel a lot of relief. And now back to the Spanish homework

Have a good weekend everyone xx

This morning’s weight was 163.
I fasted from Wednesday night until lunchtime today (Friday).
I was invited for a meal by a Japanese friend and she made Okonomiyaki, which is like a Japanese pancake with a cabbage base filled with chives, ginger, Kimchi, and ground beef. It was delicious. She made one and split it between the guests so over the whole lunch I probably had a total of 1 and half pancakes. Also had one egg roll ( this is not Japanese food though). Planning another fast now until Sunday at lunch.
I have been trying to walk daily. I am also going to try to complete a fitness blender video tonight.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, your experience and your knowledge with us JGwen. It really does help. That’s me ordered my cheap breathalyser now and it gives me more figures to aim for over and above the bgl readings.
Hope it’s going well for you too Pollywotsit

Esnecca, the blessed peace after the guests have gone! Glad you had a wonderful time, and that your OH loves the coat. I can see you are enjoying seeing him in the coat.

Wendleg, laughing at you wearing all your new clothes on the flight

Scottishgal, you go girl!

Kafin, you sound like you are in a good place. I enjoyed the specialk blog, you have a great sense of fun.

Verano, your garden sounds like a lovely place to sit.

Allie, are you feeling better?

My positives are:

1. I have a great physio who has helped me get out of the surgical boot, and be steady on my feet.

2. I made aubergine curry and know now how to make a sweet mess. Without sugar. Anyone who likes Chinese curry should ask me for the secret.

3. The fast was a good time to think, I want to do that once a week.

Well done on fitting into your size 14 jeans Patricia 😁
Glad you enjoyed your holiday Verano and welcome back.
My positives today
1. Bank holiday weekend and no work until Tuesday. Yippee
2. I only drink tea when I’m at work and have been taking it the last few days without sweetener as I ran out and kept forgetting to take some in. I remembered this morning, made tea with sweetener…….and didn’t like it!.
3. Someone on here said something to me today that made me think long and hard and re-evaluate exactly where I am on this BSD plan and where I want to be. I’m normally easily pleased and was really happy to get to size 14 and bring my bg levels down. Been in sort of limbo and half heartedly sticking to bsd while gaining and losing the same 4lbs since the initial 8 weeks ended. I’m now thinking why shouldn’t I aim for more? There’s no reason why I can’t aim for a size 12. I suppose initially I assumed it wasn’t achievable…..but I won’t know if I don’t try.

Have a great weekend everyone 😀

Hi Esnecca,
Thanks for your reply. Yes, my whole house needs a spring-clean. I’m with you on the benefits of spring-cleaning – hard work, but I know what you mean about one thing leading to another and before you know it half a day has gone, but you’ve got a clean house. Then I go for a walk and trudge in more grime! 🙂 But it has to be done… so I might as well “enjoy” burning some calories and feel virtuous.
This morning I had a taste of Nordic walking – I shall sleep well tonight!
I must remember to pace myself – experience shows if I overdo it I can end up with a headache/feeling really tired, and that’s when I can go overboard scoffwise.
Guess I know what I’m doing next week…
Thanks again.

If you use green leafy veg then you can have almost unlimited quantities for very low calorie outlay. I typically used to aim for about 35-40g protein, 35-40g carb and the rest fat, but some advocate lower carbs. It depends on your individual circumstances. Protein has many different recommended amounts quoted depending on your level of exercise etc, but I usually use the 1g protein for 1kg weight (at ideal weight, if you want to be strict) rule of thumb and aim for 70g – 80g on a maintenance day.

Bah. Day 3 and I was ambushed by a retirement afternoon tea at work, when very hungry, and the white stuff prohibition went out of the window, along with today’s 800 target. Kitchen is closed at 1350 today, so will do another ketofast day tomorrow (24 hour water etc. fast from 3:30pm today when I ate the evil prawn and egg mayo sandwiches and the cream scone, followed by an extreme low carb meal with about half normal protein and the rest fat). Unlike Wednesday’s strict fast that I kicked off my effort though, I will allow caffeine as well as water/herb tea for this one tomorrow. Average for the week should still be okay as a ketofast day is only around 450 calories in total. 140g of carbs though. Kicking myself a bit.

I’ve got about 6 stone to loose, I’ve already lost 32lb over the last 10 weeks so I’m really pleased with how it’s going, but I’m really not sure how many grams of fat & protein I should be eating. I started on low fat then realised I need to be on full fat foods but now I’m finding it difficult to stay under 800 calories. I’m loving eggs, avocados, and oily fish but surely I can’t eat these every day, I’m finding I hardly have any calories left to eat any veggies. Any advice would be gratefully received. 💚

Hi!
Sorry I’ve not been able to catch up on all the posts but good to see this thread is so active.
So to my positives…..
1. Home again safely after a wonderful holiday. I enjoyed with great abandon, although even I couldn’t stoop as low as danish for breakfast! Nonetheless the news on the weight gain side, although not really positive, is less than I thought it might be, so maybe it’s positive after all!
2. Unpacked, washed and back to normal laundry wise. Just the ironing now which I’ve actually grown to enjoy!
3. My garden is looking so ‘green’. I’m always struck by how ‘Green’ England is when I’ve been away. My apple tree is in full leaf as are my various Acers. There is nothing quite like an ‘English ‘ garden, even with its many ‘foreign’ specimens.
Hope everyone is feeling positive. Have a good weekend …… we have a long one away to celebrate with family …. soooooo a new chapter of My BSD journey will start towards the end of next week. In the meantime we all just have to keep on keeping on ………….

Hi Wendleg, have great journey back, no stress I hope. The thought of you wearing all your new clothes is funny, well you can take them off at your seat and stuff them in another bag. They don’t charge you for the number of bags you take off the plane!

I have been doing well, got to see the bluebell wood a few times, bought some lovely t-shirts for Sardinia. I really need to say Sardinia a few more times! Every time I see that, I see myself on the beach with white sand! Physio says why not.

Hi snailrunner, you sound very organised in planning what you are going to eat. Well done for binning the flour, cakes and bread.

The presence of insulin prevents fat burning, your purpose in reducing calories and carbs.
If you are insulin resistant, you will need to avoid high carb sources like pulses and root vegetables. As eggs and dairy yoghurt are also excluded, you may need to look at alternatives like nut milk. It becomes difficult to maintain a satisfactory range of food sources, for vitamin and minerals.

Hi all, I (re)started BSD this week and so far am 1.5kg down – this is only day 3! My diet is complicated as I’m vegetarian and have an egg intolerance (not allergic, but it really doesn’t like me) and a mild dairy intolerance. I think it’s thus inevitable that I eat a lot of pulses and it’s hard to avoid carbs but I don’t eat biscuits, cakes or bread. I’m going to see how things work out on my ‘usual’ diet (adapted to contain far less food/meals/calories/snacks) first.

My goal is to lose 5kg by Eid, 8kg by end of term and 10kg by start of new school year.

Pleased to be sharing this journey with you all.

Hiya Rozy! Good to see you again. I was off the grid for a while too because we bought a house and I spent the better part of a year nesting. The previous homeowner left such an ungodly amount of stuff in every nook and cranny that I’m still plowing through it. I’ve only gotten to the garage over the past couple of weeks. Talk about busy work… Do you have any storage spaces or closets or workrooms that could use a spring clean? It’s the kind of thing we put off indefinitely because it’s gross and spidery, but wow does it give you a sense of accomplishment to carve off even a small chunk of the mess and you really work up a sweat. You start out planning to do one thing — go through a single box, clean out a specific corner — and then you figure you might as well do this one other thing, then another and another. Next thing you know, you’ve been ridiculously productive for two hours. You can’t put a price on that kind of feeling. It’s positive reinforcement for all your goals, very much including weight loss and fitness.

Welcome back!

Hello all. Wendleg, enjoy the meal this evening (sounds like there will be delicious choices) and the flight back (with extra “padding”). And Kafin, re your “good week under your belt” post on the other thread, just take it day by day – we are all willing you (and each other) on! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Allie, I hope you are now fully recovered.

Hi Mixnmatch, nice to hear from you. I was dangerously close to 11st this morning – eek. Still some way off my pre-BSD start weight of 12.5stone but I get annoyed with myself for letting things slide. If I could get back to nearer 10st I would be happy. I generally start the day off well but the evenings are when I go overboard. I’ve forgotten my own advice of “resist temptation in the shop – don’t buy the crap stuff in the first place”. And I must remember to drink water, rather than resort to food. The bad habits have crept back in again.

I’m hoping that not working will take away the stresses that led me to comfort eat. However, I have to be wary of slobbing out on the sofa watching Amazon Prime, and the only part of me moving is my fingers while knitting! So, my plan is to keep giving myself things to look forward to so that I don’t get bored – if my mind is occupied then I won’t think about food. Vary my routine. Keep active – do something every day to burn a few extra calories.

I’ve recently made more of an effort to eat “gut-friendly” too. Kefir. Dilute apple cider vinegar. Green tea.

At the end of the day, it’s all in my own hands. I think it’s probably harder the 2nd time round so I probably need to be stricter than I was before. Good luck with your reboot, too. Thanks for getting in touch.

Regards,
Rose

Hi CC, DCT and welcome back MixnMatch! I have been a bit quiet on this thread, but I am definitely keeping on keeping on. CC, I have great sympathies with your frustration. We have (had!) lost a similar amount of weight – and went into maintenance about the same time. That said, you are maintaining at a lot lower weight than I – anything under 140 is my starting weight at uni, and I won’t get to that again. Not sure the look would be that great for me in any case! I hope your plans are working out and that you are finally getting a result. But I think it is important not to get into a cycle of eating less and less. Keep surprising yourself! Healthily!

I do find maintenance hard. I am far less tempted by sugary stuff, and tasteless carbs. But portion sizes creep up, particularly nuts, and now and again wine starts to call out. I shouldn’t be surprised, I suppose, since I have had a lifelong weight problem.
And that means lifelong vigilance too. But I am pleased to say that I feel more on track now. I have stopped nibbling on OH chocolate, have cut out salted peanuts (!) in favour of healthier options, and the option of wine is not popping into my head. So I am pressing on with an eye on my June holiday in Italy! Best wishes to all.

Morning everyone . That was interesting reading Turkeys. Salted caramel is everywhere in France. I remember one friend used to make it and give it as gifts at Christmas. Those food manufacturers are so wily and out to reel us in at any cost to our health. They wont be manipulating me.
Our last day in the UK. Meeting friends for coffee and then the dreaded packing. I will be wearing 2 coats… 3 jumpers …5 tshirts and countless layers of new bloomers on the flight back 🤣. I decided not to buy any jeans. I will save them for when I am closer to target plus wearing 2 pairs of trousers would be pushing it a bit 🤣 !!! I would never get the belt round me on easyjet !!!
A family meal out tonight and I was impressed that the pub restaurant we are going to serves cauliflower steaks…with truffle oil..scallops and mussels amongst other BSD friendly options. Nice.
Birdy !!!! I was not telling you off about your wine tasting France fest 🤣🤣. Just gently teasing. Teachers can be a bit bossy . I will be so much nicer in retirement 🤗🤗. You must enjoy your trip and be grateful I don’t live closer or I would be over to check on you 🤣🤣🤣
Saying hi and welcome to Kerri the Kiwi
Hi caronl !..Scottishgal..Patricia .Hope you have a good day everyone. Thinking of you avisa…Amz…Kirsten your honour…all the newcomers. I will catch up properly when I get home and have my computer
I had better get up now ! Xx

Wow…cauliflower curry scallops! That sounds like a deal in a fluffy dinner cloud. Definitely trying that!
Last night was fried seabream with garlic mushrooms and okra. Okra, my new obsession. Who knew?!
Birdy – very excited for you and your wine tasting, life is too short to say never again to wine. Of all the things….and it’s good for you so enjoy! If youre worried about going OTT maybe you could go designated driver a few days and have a glass? Thinking ahead to next weekend wine tasting and i think i will try lots of small tastes…but i am NOT spitting it it out!
Bought some moscato for my partner yesterday. .. I love dessert wine but find it spikes me too much now which is sad but I have to accept it.
Kerri – welcome! Congrats on your early victories, great to have got rid of that acid reflux, I don’t miss that I can tell you!
Happy Friday folks x

Morning naomb sorry you haven’t had the results you have been looking for. How has your water in take been? How many grams of carbs have you been eating? If you could gives us a typical day we can then gage it and maybe help to point out anything that could be slowing your progress. Also we have started a new weekly thread from the 29th of April that will run until next Tuesday. So pop on over as we are all there. Hope you have a fab weekend. Birdy💞🦜

Hi all,
Slightly disheartened this morning- seem not to be losing that much weight on this diet.
I’ve been going for a week and a half now (with one day being a mess up), and after a few days I had lost 0.7 kg, however for the past 5 days I haven’t lost a thing! My loss seems to be a lot slower than it should be with this kind of deficit. I am going to carry on as if I haven’t weighed myself as I’m trying not to let that get me down.
Hope everyone has had a lovely week

Allie, I used to travel thousands of miles back to NZ only to be told by my father “don’t sit there, the cat’s there”….
Nice job on the jeans, Patricia! Thank you, Wendy – now when you refer to me as “your honor”, you will be able to picture me! Although I look about as dignified and honorable as a marshmallow but I’m ok with that!
Off to Spanish shortly so doing my three now:
1. All my work is finished for today after a week of early morning conference calls and I only have Friday to go
2. I booked in for a yoga pop-up on Saturday. I love yoga and my yoga studio but I haven’t gone in a long while so I’m nervous but I know I enjoy these popups and my instructor knows what I’m going through so he is very gentle with me.
3. I bought corn plasters – feel like this has put me in a new age bracket – and am fascinated by what will happen. However, after half an hour, I checked and nothing has happened. So this is a positive in anticipation of something big happening. How long should this take because I’m starting to get bored waiting for corn action.

Welcome, Kerri! I’m a kiwi too (from Taupo) but I live in LA. You’ve had an amazing start! I’m still struggling to get back to my original success and every day I start over. But that means I’m one day closer to doing it. I’m going to take some inspiration from you!
Love the sound of all your “babies” six turkeys! Albert adores my face however it looks and he’s very intuitive. If I’m crying, he has to come over and sit on my lap and lick my tears. It’s nice to know that kind of unconditional love!
Scottishgal, I don’t know if I thanked you for your sweet post, you are a very caring person 🙂

I’m starting fresh again today – I just need to get a good week under my belt to give me the impetus to carry on. I keep telling myself that and it keeps not working. But I keep trying.

Hi everyone and an especial welcome to the newcomers. Mixnmatch I remember you from the early days of my BSD journey (from January 2017) so it’s good to hear how you are doing and I’m sure you will be where you want to be by your birthday.

Cathy thank you so much for your kind words earlier this week. I had a lovely birthday and am now trying to get back on board, though have a big party this Saturday then more meals out and another holiday during the rest of the month. So what I’m going to do is stick to my normal BSD routine whenever I can then just enjoy the times when I can’t without panicking or feeling guilty. I’m currently around 137/138lb and still hoping to get to 133lb one of these fine days!

I do hope you enjoy your time with your son Cathy, and also that you see some downward movement on the scales soon. I’m sure you will – hopefully it’ll be a big whoosh moment and put a big smile on your face!

Hope everyone else is doing ok? Do hang in there – we all have our ups and downs (literally) and sometimes there seems to be no rational explanation for them. But remember we are on a long haul road trip not a short commute, and tomorrow is always another day.

Have a fab weekend everyone X

If this attempt at linking works, not where I read today, just same theme….https://www.getthegloss.com/news/hedonic-escalation-why-salted-caramel-presses-your-eat-more-button
I think the cauli mash/scallop/curry powder was so good because of the “holy trinity” of sweet/salt/fats – but with now greater appreciation of the natural sweetness of cauli and scallops.

What a great way to catch up with people, whether or not they are still fully on the WOE. I missed this thread when it started, but have found it at the perfect time when I started my latest attempt to reverse the ‘maintenance upward trend’ that I have been in for the last few months. I will keep checking in here to see how you are all getting on.

Hi Rozy, I remember you from when I was on the diet the first time, and have been maintaining for about 2 1/2 years. Since last November though the weight trend is going up so I have just rejoined a Fast 800 thread, the Road trip to Summer. I reckon I need to lose about 1 1/2 stone to give me back some maintenance wiggle room.

Mixnmatch
What an amazing achievement I’m in awe. I sure you’ll be able to advise us all.

Hi Roadtrippers, I am joining in for this stretch and will hopefully keep focussed and posting this time, having said I was on it a few times recently, and then going back to my new bad habits. For those who don’t remember the Mix story, I lost 8 1/2 stone over two years, with the last 8 months after I discovered this diet being the bulk (literally) of the loss. I reached my target in Feb 2017, after which I began the task of trying to stop some of the ‘diet’ behaviour and try to come up with a maintenance strategy that would just keep me at a healthy weight. I actually count my ‘maintenance’ period from 24th November 2016, as that was when I got to within 5 pounds of my target at the end of my only 8 weeks at 800 calories period, a weight I would be happy to maintain without the skinniness that resulted from actually getting back to my 25 years ago wedding weight, the rest of the time I was mixing it up with different numbers of fast days. So two years after reaching that point the trend started very slowly going back up again. I have had a few aborted attempts to get my head back in the game, but touch wood, from 1st May I have been sticking to the low carb 800 plan. I currently plan to do three weeks of this, before starting a reverse diet for the rest of the eight weeks. Since I am still in my size 12 trousers (if only just…) then I think that should do to get me back feeling comfortable with myself again, before my Birthday at the end of June.Today is only day 2 but I can already feel the difference in my motivation this time.

Hi Yorkshire P
It’s good to see another Yorkshire lass on here. I’ve found the forum an enormous support when it first started. Don’t be afraid to ask to even search the forum if you have any questions. Hope you’ve had a good few days.

Thanks Allie.

JGwen, finally got time to watch those vids you posted. They both make so much sense. Pretty sure I have hashimotos and apparently very low cal is a complete no-no. I should be on reduced calories with intermittent fasting and its the fasting that is the important bit. Absolutely no grains, processed food, sugar or ‘vegetable’ oils and I need to take more supplements, so ive added vit k2 to my already extensive list. Anyone with thyroid related weight issues should watch those videos.

🙂 🙂 🙂 Call us if you need us, Polly! Best to you!!

Allie

Ive decided to change to the 5/2 with long fast and concentrate on keeping my carbs way down. I think ive felt rough today because Ive finally got my carbs down low enough to have an effect. Complicated innit.
Thank you all so much for the support, help and advice. I will get there!

Good call, 6T. I love the “hedonic escalation” concept applied to savory foods instead of sugar-spiking ones. You don’t really need a new conceptual coinage to explain why sugary caramel tastes better with every bite. Sugar triggers a sharp dopamine response, ie, it stimulates your brain’s pleasure center. It also ramps up the delivery of tryptophan essential to serotonin production, increasing your feeling of happiness or joy in the moment. The only problem is that it all comes crashing down as quickly as it came, driving you to take in more sugar to feel good again and over time increasing your tolerance just like methamphetamine or any other drug.

Finding the hedonsim in the gloriously tart flavors of something like sauerkraut, Bulgarian yogurt or passion fruit is a whole new ballgame, and yes, I found myself escalating those flavors as far as I could. For example, I started off with a couple of fermented elements in a salad — pickle juice in place of vinegar, miso in the dressing — and then added more and more. Nowadays I routinely make salads with 8 different fermented elements. 😀

Thank you Essie I am very pleased! I did fancy some more or the chocolate as I swear it reactivated the carb monsters in my brain and tummy, but I put those to rest by making my OH and son eat the chocolate🤣. It is now gone and shall never return!! Back to the Absolute Black for me.

I didn’t realise chocolate was savoury! I used to put a couple of dark squares in whenever I made a chilli as that Is supposed to be the traditional way.

I love learning new things about food and me. This WOE has helped me in so many different ways already. Thanks for all your help and suggestions Essie 💞🦜

😆

Gosh, Esnecca, washing your house guests takes hospitality to a whole new level. I just put out clean towels…

I have been out and about last cple of days so catching up. I was interested in the cat stories; as well as my two mini dachshunds I have a very handsome silver tabby Norwegian Forest cat. He is a very good mouser (seems to bring them back for dogs, so I have to be quick to get there first), but this morning appeared just after he had stuffed his face with breakfast with a poor blackbird. There it had been singing its early morning song and he casually comes along and ….Kafin, if I start looking at your blog I will never be off laptop, but might not be able to resist a peak…I hope Albert was not too startled by your “lady of the night” eye liner. Cats can be funny things….I read in the paper today about “hedonic escalation”; a reaction to food which tastes better and better with each bite (the example was salted caramel…). I wondered what BSD foods trigger the same result with each of you? If I were a betting woman, I might say that Esnecca might go for fermented/kimchi. Inspired by Kafin’s ref to scallops, yesterday’s supper was cauli mash with scallops, pan fried with a dusting of mild curry powder, with a bit of rocket on the side with smidge of olive oil. I must say I could have eaten a lot more…Hope all is well with you all.

Birdy, congratulations on your speedy palate shift! It’s amazing how quickly you found sugared chocolate cloying compared to the intense depth of the 100%. Hazlenuts are naturally quite high in sugar, so that Lindt bar was hitting you with a double whammy of added sugar plus a sweet nut and your palate ran screaming. 😀

I remember when I was a kid I found 100% choc in the pantry and took a bite thinking it was just another chocolate bar. I spat it out and cried and my mother explained that it was only used for baking, not for eating. It was jarring to discover there was such a thing as chocolate that was not sweet. Now in hindsight I realize that the real disconnect is that chocolate, one of the most savory foods there is, has been mutilated and broken into a sugar-delivery vehicle to the point that it is constantly referred to as “the sweet stuff” or “sweet treat” when that is literally the opposite of what chocolate actually is.

1) My OH’s birthday house party went off without a hitch. We had 6 guests for 3 days, all of whom eat things I don’t, and they were all happily fed, washed and entertained the whole time.
2) The vintage Brooks Brothers trench coat I bought him months ago fits him like a bespoke suit. It is unbelievably perfect in fit, condition and features. I literally got weak in the knees when I saw it because I have been suffering massive anxiety in silence since I took the plunge and bought it based solely on measurements knowing that he wouldn’t be able to try it on until well after the return window closed. The weather has even cooperated, from my perspective, because it’s been so cold and rainy that he has worn the coat every day complete with the wool lining.
3) Without missing a beat, the house party guests were replaced by a family event yesterday in which we divvied up some wonderful old photos and I saw cousins I haven’t seen in years.
And one extra but in no way superfluous positive thought:
4) Every bathroom in my house is clean, all sheets and table linens laundered and put away, all china back in the cabinets, kitchen counters uncluttered and gleaming and I am now blissfully alone without a damn thing to do but put my feet up and watch reruns of Murder, She Wrote. Ahhh…

Hi Allie, I do think there is more spam on the site than there used to be. – This guy is probably trying to find mugs on every diet forum to buy his snake oil.

With regard to the batch of posts about a restaurant. As there are ever more websites, there is more and more competition to be the businesses that come up on the first page of any search. Part of the way google ranks a website and decides where it comes in each search is by how many highly ranked websites have links to it. That’s why there are businesses in countries where labour is cheap that are putting out posts with website links on forums and even just signing up members to a forum and including links to websites in the profile page of those members does the same job.

If there were paid moderators taking an active role on the site they would block such activity, but then it would cause a time lag in conversations because each post would have to be approved by a moderator.

JGwen, is it just my imagination, or are we seeing more and more of this stuff every week? WHY would anyone
take advice from a total nobody on the forum trying to sell snake oil?

Have reported Albertsen’s marketing post.

Polly, I think that consulting an endocrinologist is an excellent idea. However, the symptoms you are describing are
very typical for carb flu…It generally doesn’t last long, and a fair number of new BSDers go through it. If you type
that into the searchbox, there should be many posts about it.

My dear dear Wendleg I know it is a bad thing to go wine tasting but it is not until August 😞. My OH and me go to France every year on our summer hols and it is when we buy our wine for the year. I am hoping to be half the size I was at the beginning of my journey by then. I am in awe of your strength of avoiding carbs whilst you have been in Blighty this week my lovely and can assure you I will not sabotage my progress by going completely off of the rails whilst on holiday, but I am going to enjoy myself. We will be staying in the same place as we have done the last two years and to be honest I could taste the mineral high water in the croissants and bread and it I didn’t like it at all! So I know I won’t be eating either of them while I am away, but I will let my hair down a little and wine tasting will be one of the ways. Please forgive me of my sins 😈 dear Wendleg. I might even find that I don’t want it but I find that unlikely as my palate still likes the taste of wine even though it has disliked normal dark chocolate, crisps and snickers.🤣🤣. I have nearly 4 months before I go away so here’s to discarding loads and then not having to worry too much whilst I am away. I will still be using MFP to help keep my on track and I will still be here too. Glad you are having a great time on your hols my lovely. Birdy💞🦜

Hi CC, very impressed by your plans to keep in control this weekend. I’m just about to start maintaining and am going away this weekend. I’m planning something similar to you to try and limit the damage. I’ve a horrible scales addiction which I’m going to have to get rid of. I know if I continue to weigh daily I’m never going to get off this rollercoaster.

I don’t know your story. Have you been in maintenance long?
I can feel your frustrations but also hear your determination to Continue your success.

My dad had type 2 and I started to get symptoms that worried me so instead of marching off to the GP demanding tests and meds, I embarked on the blood sugar diet. Ive been reading a lot this morning. Im feeling really rough, very tired, foggy brain, achy etc and I’m concerned my body isn’t reacting quite the way i hoped it would. I weighed myself in boots today and I’ve actually gained back the 2 kg I lost in the first week, plus a little. Feeling very defeated just now. Im going to look into getting a consultation with an endocrinologist. Perhaps privately i can get the t4/t3 combined thyroid meds. Quite what I’m going to diet wise, I dont know, but being miserable for no reason is not ok.

You could swap your tea with semi skimmed milk for either herbal tea, or use a dash of double cream instead of milk, or look for a different milk type which is low carb.

Having a small number of calories which are fat based so don’t trigger insulin is fine if your focus is on weight loss. –

Apparently its when you get into the 100lb loss region there is a risk of loose skin. – I am intending to get into that territory, so by incorporating water only fasting autophagy will be more active and that is the way to encourage your body to break down excess skin.

Am fasting today. I did a silly thing and had a peep on the scales and was disappointed. I was convinced I’d have lost a couple of pounds! – I can’t seem to shift any of my excess pounds. I am up and down the same couple of pounds hence fasting. Am driving to London tomorrow to see my son and am taking a piece of cheese and an egg and some Brazil nuts for the journey. There will be no M&S service station sandwiches or snacks for me en route! .

I will probably try one meal a day whilst I am away. The thing I find hardest is not drinking enough water when away from home because of needing to go to the loo. The plan is to also fast on Monday when I am driving home and again next Thursday (my day off) and hopefully the scales will start moving in the right direction. I am getting a little frustrated and had a long conversation with my husband on Sunday morning explaining how I feel about the perpetual struggle of maintenance and having to be vigilant about every single thing I eat but giving up is not an option as I don’t want to put on any more weight but I am really finding maintenance a real struggle.

It’s gone quiet on this thread, are others struggling too?