Hi, all, haven’t been here in a bit. Interesting discussion you’ve been having about life fitting into the diet vs the diet fitting into life. Also that question of whether it’s best to just stay away entirely from the sweet stuff or try to include in moderation. I have no answers, just my own lifelong struggle with trying to figure it out.

In the same way, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how low I need to go on the calories and carbs to have steady and sustainable weight loss. The 800 seemed very restrictive to me and I was actually losing a bit too fast on that, especially when I cut the carbs way down. However, I apparently just maintain or even gain weight if the calories get as high as 1300, especially when the carbs also get up to 50. So, I am trying to find my sweet spot. Seems like when you’re older and very overweight and sedentary, the calculators aren’t quite as accurate,

However, even with the ups and downs and twists and turns, I’m down 34 pounds since October 15, about 3-1/2 months ago. Very happy about that, but I still have a lot (a LOT) to lose (about 150 more), so would love to just find the ongoing answer to all these challenging questions related to how to keep it going and do this in a slow and steady way that won’t leave my skin looking more awful than it already does, or my muscles more depleted than they already are. (Note to self: Starting to do some exercise seems like a given.)

Happy February, everyone.

Denise, that’s a bit scary about the low blood glucose. I’m glad you did what you needed to do. Glad it went well with your dress try-on, too.

Margaret, I understand the frustration with the scale. I have no loss to show for the last 3 weeks, so my loss in January all came from the first week, aside from one additional fraction of a pound. I had mentioned previously that I was staying between 900-1200 calories, which certainly seemed low enough to continue losing, but apparently not. The mathematics of weight loss is mind-boggling.

At the end of 2025 (October 15 to December 15), I lost 30 pounds in 2 months by sticking close to 800 calories and staying low carb. I was motivated by my upcoming labs, and it paid off with good labs and a huge weight loss that very much surprised me. I really didn’t like losing that fast, though. My skin got extremely saggy and wrinkly-looking, more so that normal.

Over the last 2 weeks of December I did not go crazy, but did take a break from tracking calories and allowed myself carbs, and weight went up 10 pounds in 2 weeks. Again, didn’t really make sense math-wise.

That weight gain must have been largely water weight from the added carbs, because when I restarted low carb on January 1, I lost 13 pounds that week.

Since then, even though my calorie level should have had me losing almost 2 pounds a week (per a supposedly very accurate calculator that takes all my details into account), my weight has zig-zagged up and down and basically stayed the same.

Now, with my annual physical 3 weeks away, I’m wondering if I need to go back to 800 calories and 20 gm carbs until I get more weight off. I’m starting to really believe that 1200 calories may be my maintenance level given how sedentary I am (and short, and in my 70s), and that I’m extremely insulin resistant after all these years. I may let myself have one maintenance day per week to reassure my body and keep the weight going down rather than stalling.

Will report back on my February progress or lack thereof. Continued good luck and best wishes to everyone.

Tried on 3 dresses. 2 look quite good, need to be a bit slimmer. But one just shows too much back-fat. Dont even think losing another half a stone will make it any better. I could wear it with a little bolero jacket but not on its own. Hey ho, Ill just add it to all those other clothes that dont fit. Good news is they dont need taking up.

reported Jamesharry

Really useful post, thanks for sharing this! Finding updated restaurant details online can be confusing sometimes. If anyone is trying to check Olive Garden menu info along with nearby restaurant locations, this page is quite helpful: https://olivegardenmnu.com/locations/
— makes it easier to find a branch near you.

Of course you’re right V, we do all need to find that sweet spot, but I think part of the problem is lots of us have the mindset that if we aren’t “eating the cream cake” like everyone else, we’re somehow being deprived. Whereas, what we’re doing is prioritising taking care of ourselves.

Essentially, as all of us who have been on this path for a long time know, this is not a diet it’s a lifestyle. And yes, taking an occasional mindful step off the path is fine, but it’s a mistake to make that a new habit by looking for excuses to do so. And I have certainly been guilty of that, otherwise I wouldn’t be looking at the need to rid myself of almost a stone gained back.

Like an alcoholic can always find an excuse for a drink, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of frequently finding an excuse for something carby … it’s a leaving party, a birthday, Easter, Christmas, special weekend, etc. One can’t afford to do that consistently and expect to lose/maintain weight and stay healthy and unfortunately it’s been the route I’ve been treading for the best part of a year. So I need to change my mindset if I want to achieve my goal.

This post is essentially just a stream of consciousness and in no way a criticism of how others decide to approach things to reach their goals. We’re all different, have different goals, priorities, lifestyle needs and so have each made our own adaptions to suit and none of them are wrong, as long as we’re happy they meet our needs and will help us achieve our goals.

Hi everyone, just catching up with posts. Some very wise words all round!

It’s a tricky one isn’t it, getting the balance between living life to the full and yet also being aware of what we are eating and how well we are treating our bodies. And I know I fall into the trap of thinking that having fun automatically means having a few drinks and something wonderful to eat. Which sometimes it might, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. As you say VERANO, we all need to find our own sweet spot and make conscious choices between balancing a healthy lifestyle with allowing ourselves to have fun when we want to, whatever that means for us.

SUEBLUE big congratulations on your retirement! It’s something you’ve mentioned for a while now and I’m so glad it’s finally here. enjoy every minute. I found it a good idea not to throw yourself into too many new things too quickly, just give yourself time to catch your breath, relax, and then think about what kind of things you might gradually want to start doing.

CATHY it’s great that your weight stayed the same this week instead of increasing as expected. Well done! My end of January weigh in is a 2lb loss since the beginning of January. It had been lower during the month but bounced back towards the end. But I’m happy to see a downward trend, and have also lost 2 inches from my belly which I’m very pleased about. I’m going away with my daughter at the beginning of March for a surprise trip so would like to see a further loss by then. If I can lose 3lb in February I’ll be back into the 10 stone range so that would be perfect. We’ll see!

Happy February everyone! As SUNNY put it so well for us: “January is finished, so turn your back on the negatives it contained and step into February with new focus, determination and positivity.”

We’ve got this!!!

Can I just disagree with ‘life getting in the way’.

We’re ‘living’ ! Life doesn’t get in the way but ‘dieting’ does get in the way of living ‘life’ to the full.

When weight or dieting gets in the way, ‘life’ comes first, the size of your jeans …. well ……. that almost becomes irrelevant. There’s a happy balance. We each just need to find our own ‘sweet spot’ and not buy into the ‘hype’ or the ‘norm’.

We just all have to be as healthy as we can be and enjoy life as much as we can.

Hi everyone, jumped on the scales this morning and I am still the same as last week. That is good as I had a weird day yesterday. Had very low BG during the night so got up and ate some pineapple chunks and a werthers original. Had very little sleep so stayed in bed until 10am. I had to have breakfast as I was still running low but couldnt face lunch but made myself a tuna sandwich – yes, real bread, only one slice. Later in the day I still felt shakey so I had another slice of bread with the rest of the tuna. Friday is fish night as we had bought shop made (hand made by the shop not mass produced) cod in batter, so I had that, minus the batter with a salad. But I kept snacking on cold meats through the evening. So I was glad when I weighed the same. Anyway, I guess these things happen.

Margaret I am sorry you are having such low weight loss. I dont know if you can work out if it is something you are doing – keeping a food diary etc. Glad you hubby is keeping the weight off. The fact he still has neuropaphy in the toes is not good but without the diet and the effort he has put in he (and me) could be without those toes or even lost a foot. We are doing this for our own good.

Tomorrow I am going to try on 3 new evening dresses, not for fit but for length, so I want to still be good tonight and maybe lose a bit more just so they look better.

Think the secret is spin, Cathy … two sides to the coin and all that – where there’s a perceived negative, there is a positive on the flipside.

You’ve made it through January with a loss and you’ll be checking out at the end of February lighter than you are now.

Talk to yourself as you’d talk to your best friend. You wouldn’t tell her she should be ashamed for eating that dessert, you tell her it might not have been wise but was a small slip and she’ll do better tomorrow. So do the same for yourself.

Thank you SunnyB for posting these wise words. I really do want to be positive this year with regard to my weight loss and that involves being kind to myself. I also want to be honest to myself so when I have a bad week like last week I’ll be open and honest about it. I’m putting a tick on my January Chart and I’ll be putting a tick on my February Chart. I think thinking positively does have an impact on how well we do and how we dust ourselves down after we have gone off piste. February starts tomorrow so let’s make it count – we’ve got this.

Have just been reading a piece, about how we allow our internal dialogue to sabotage our weight loss, which I thought might be worth mentioning here, as the weekend is often the time we slip up.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that sometimes life gets in the way and we’re all human. Secondly, when we recognise we’ve gone off piste, not to use that as an excuse to just give in and leave getting back on track until another day. None of that “well I’ve screwed up so I’ve failed” nonsense.

Finally, be kind to yourself, give yourself the advice you’d give to others. “We all make mistakes, dust yourself off and get right back on track.”

Whatever you’re doing this weekend, make the best food choices you can and no negative thinking … if you’re having salad whilst others are eating roast potatoes, don’t look at it as being deprived, look at it as you’re taking a step closer to your goal.

Hello everyone & I have just weighed & unfortunately gone up in weight gaining 1.2 lbs which I find very disappointing. However S-G your last message is very inspiring how the Blood Sugar Diet has helped you. I have just asked my husband who has Type 2 Diabetes if his toes have recovered feeling but unfortunately not although his medication, not on insulin, has changed & reduced & he has maintained his weight loss over six years & he is well with no other health problems.
I realise how I still need to reduce my daily calories to achieve any weight loss which I am struggling with at the moment & it is frustrating because I have only lost two pounds since Christmas 🤔
Oh well I will keep trying & plodding on & am back making homemade soups which are delicious!
I hope everyone has a good weekend & next week.
Margaret xx

I’m taking part in A Letter in Mind – Brain Appeal’s envelope art fundraiser for 2026. Artworks on envelopes of any size up to A4, can be created using any medium the artist chooses.

All the artworks are all sold at the same price of £85 each, to raise funds for the support of those living with brain conditions.

Will you join me? This year’s theme is Spring Forward and you can register today at, aletterinmind.org and the deadline for submission of artwork is the end of February.

Apologies … I meant to post my previous post on the positives thread … sorry, can’t work out how to delete it from here.

I’m taking part in A Letter in Mind – Brain Appeal’s envelope art fundraiser for 2026. Artworks on envelopes of any size up to A4, can be created using any medium the artist chooses.

All the artworks are all sold at the same price of £85 each, to raise funds for the support of those living with brain conditions.

Will you join me? This year’s theme is Spring Forward and you can register today at, aletterinmind.org and the deadline for submission of artwork is the end of February.

So glad your scales results was cheering Cathy. Keep going and make sure the next week gives a good result too.
Good to see you here Yowser. Really hope 2026 proves to be a good year for you. Fingers crossed you can get the pain under control soon.
Anyway, January is finished, so turn your back on the negatives it contained and step into February with new focus, determination and positivity.

Me again, reporting positives in the hope someone else will do likewise soon ….
🌻🌻 Dad is doing well at maintaining his independence and seeking social interaction
🌻🌻 lovely morning with Dad amd one of his neighbours, sipping tea, chatting and laughing
🌻🌻 nabbed myself a charity shop bargain, a beautiful purple wool and cashmere coat with a wide shawl collar for £18 … one happy 🐰🐇

Enjoy you weekend and hopefully it will be full of positives.

Hiiii everyone and happy weekend!
DCT thanks for yr kind words! Hopefully thisyear will be betther than last for me!
And Massive welcome to my old chum SUNNYB 🥳
Huge hugs to everyone and lets do our very very best in Feb. January turned out dreadfully for me foodwise so I need to pull my socks up ( if only I could reach down to do so without pain 🙂🙃) and tell my Carb Monster to get into the bin! Feb is going to be a good month for us,I can feel it! XX

Hello everyone

I was very pleased with today’s weigh in as I have stayed exactly the same weight as last Friday 163.4 lb. It was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve been out today Supporting an elderly aunt who was nervous of having a smart meter fitted so didn’t get chance to come on and update you. I plan to lose another 1lb this next week and chip away at getting into the 150s over the next month . So I am 3lb down for January. Slow, but it is what it is. I used to lose that in a week when I first started. My aim is to lose 2lb in February but more would be a bonus! I’m going to Corfú with my book club in May so it would be great to feel comfortable in my summer clothes. I’ll aim for a loss of 10-14lb by 1st May when I go. It would’ve amazing to be 149 lb by then.
We start a new month so let’s make a plan for February – what’s yours?

Yes V, it really takes me back. Most people now come on this site and do the BSD like it is accepted and that is great but when we started no one had ever been so daring as Prof Taylor and then Michael Mosley to even suggest that diabetes could be put into remission or reversed. I remember reading all those ads that pop up, an island in the Pacific where they never get diabetes because they eat this berry or that root, this cure or that cure that I knew were all lies – all a load of rubbish. It used to leave me crying thinking no matter what I try nothing worked. Well this does and we are proof of it.

You have managed to reverse your diagnosis and be med free. As for me, I am in a much better situation than 10 years ago. Medically I should now have failing kidneys, eye problems, degenerative diseases. I look at the time when I lost the feeling in my big toes and my doctor said that was it, once its gone its gone. Not any more, only a couple of months of this diet and I have no neuropathic problems. Also on much less medication even though I am still diabetic – I just dont have to staying power to go without everything forever, because that is what it can take. I am always low carb, do TRE and exercise mostly 3 times a week. For me it is the insulin that keeps me diabetic. Remember that, anyone whose doctor suggest insulin as a simple answer – it is not, it is forever for most people.

Hi SueBlue
Retirement – woo hoo! Enjoy it and enjoy the freedom it brings. It’s lovely being able to choose what you do every day. Time for yourself. I retired during covid lockdown but it was perfect. I then went on to work in the vaccination centre and now im invigilating but it’s my choice and thats very liberating.

I’m another one not looking forward to facing the music this week! We had the Australia Day long weekend here last weekend and then I’ve also had various retirement events – team lunch, lunch and coffee catch ups and a farewell afternoon tea -BUT I retired today 🙂
I was almost late for work this morning as I kept trying on different outfits
And so many of my clothes didn’t fit! I mainly work remotely so just wear comfy clothes, but went in to the office last week and today for the various events. It was a real wake up call! But I’m meeting up with some colleagues in a few months time for someone else’s leaving lunch so I have an initial goal date to work towards!
I’m hoping that by being retired now I’ll be able to focus more on health and fitness – that’s the plan anyway! I want to be fit, healthy and strong so that I can travel and make the most of it! A long term goal is to get to my goal weight
before a planned school reunion in the UK next year – I live in Australia now but was born and raised in England. Ideally that would be a 15kg loss – I certainly don’t want to be in the position I was today where I didn’t feel good in anything I tried on! So here goes!

Dreamscometrue- I’m sorry to read about your disappointing weight loss this morning but I agree with Sunny that the salt and carbs from your meal last night will have impacted this mornings weigh in. I am facing the music tomorrow morning and haven’t been on the scales since last Friday. I know I’m going to see an increase and I hope it’s not even more than when I started at the beginning of January. I don’t know what’s happened this week. I had a day of invigilating on Tuesday when I had to drive through the most horrendous storm on the motorway to get to work. I was very nervous but arrived safely and had a good day . When I got got home at 430 pm I was really hungry and I went off piste. The scales will tell me everything tomorrow and I’m annoyed with myself. We have to remain strong and focused and just dig deep. Keep on trying and don’t give up. I hope I’ve not ended the month heavier than I started!
I think it’s good to be honest and accountable so well done DCT for owning it. You might well be getting fitter and stronger with your gym routine and you might be shedding fat and increasing muscle. Your gym and swimming work is going to be helping you become stronger and fitter and hopefully leaner.
I’ll report back after I’ve done the walk of shame tomorrow.

Quick drop I with some positives ….
🧡🧡 Good journey from Somerset up to London ti see Dad … surprisingly little traffic!
🧡🧡 we had a pleasant meal out last evening and Dad is finishing it off for breakfast 😋
🧡🧡 a friend has just landed his dream job … he’s had a rough ride since folding his business 5yrs ago. Absolutely couldn’t be more thrilled for him, hopefully 2026 will be his year.

What about you? What have been your positives?

It is likely that the higher carb intake last night has hung on to water, hence your higher scales reading this morning, Dreams. If you can just get right back on track, that is likely to rectify over the next couple of days.

Like you, I like to use daily weigh in’s as a way to keep track and keep me focused … an increase means I need to buckle down, a decrease that I need to keep the ball rolling. However, I’m not at home right now so not able to do that, instead I’m just trying to make very carefully considered food choices. Hopefully I’ll be able to report another small decrease next week too.

SUNNY thanks for the encouragement and well done for that 1lb off. It may seem small, but as you say it’s in the right direction and a loss is a loss. I also think we can underestimate the significance of each pound or kilo we lose. It can seem like nothing, but if you pick up something of that equivalent weight you realise that it is definitely progress.

I’ve had a disappointing week scales-wise. My usual MO is to weigh every day. I like to see the fluctuations and work out what has impact in terms of gains or losses. Not that it’s an exact science! CATHY you were asking earlier if it was cheating to take your average weight for the week and I don’t think so at all. The scales do go up and down for all kinds of reasons. What I do is set my weekly target and if I go below that at any point during the week I consider the target met. But my weight then needs to settle at that weight consistently for a few days before I consider it a real loss. So last week I achieved my lowest weight for the month so far, which was a loss of around 3.5lb from my start weight. I was really happy with that. Then from the weekend my weight settled higher for a few days at 2lb below my start weight. Not as happy but ok, I thought, it will do. And did wonder if some of the gain was muscle as I have been doing lots of exercise, particularly swimming. Probably wishful thinking 😂. But this morning the scales are back up to where I started on the 5th January!! Being honest, we had a little celebration here last night and ended up with fizz and a Chinese takeaway, so I did go (yet again!) completely off piste which probably explains it. But I feel like I’m in the naughty corner. And am just hoping that by the end of the month I see some loss again.

It all seems very hard. Even though yes, this morning’s disappointing weigh-in was completely logical. But I was reading an article on another site about how periods of intense dieting and low calorie eating can reset your metabolism – Basal Metabolic Rate – so that it works more slowly. Which may not be true for everyone, but is another factor to bear in mind.

Anyway, on a positive note, I’m feeling happy and well, and am determined to lose weight and inches this year, whatever it takes. And there will be glitches when life gets in the way. So will keep on and report back at the end of this month on how it’s going.

How is everyone else doing? Do let us know your ups and downs so we can all help each other to keep moving forward!

S-g I just re-read your blog.

WOW it resonates!

It was really good to re-read your blog. How far have you, we, come!!!! I’ve even copied one of my responses to remind me of why we keep on keeping on ……..

I just think to way back when we were ‘guinea pigs’! Yes we took, in my opinion only a small chance, but nonetheless a chance on a new possibly ‘crackpot theory’. But hey it worked.

If nothing else the BDS, plus other findings, made me rethink my entire diet. I now try to eat no UPFs, only grass fed beef, organic chicken and lots of vegetables together with some fruits and pulses a few legumes each week. I don’t find it easy. It’s so much simpler to go to the freezer and grab a, b or c but I don’t.

I have to say I think, but can’t know, that my health generally is much better now than it would have been if I’d just kept eating a ‘normal’ diet.

I have just remembered that I did a very long blog which I guess is what is called journalling. I used to be on a site called Sparkpeople and they were closing down the non paying contributions, so I copied what I had written over the time on my diet from day one and reproduced it here. If you want to take a look it is called 5 Years of BSD- A blog of memories. It should be especially of interest to newbies – just how scared I was on day one and the promises I hope for with so many scammers offering ‘cures’ for diabetes I was so unsure that this diet would work. Hence, coming up to 10 years I know it does.

I also log on Myfitnesspal.

When I am back in the healthy eating weight loss zone I write everything into the ‘my fitness pal’ app- it’s not perfect and I don’t have the paid version so I do get some ads, but I’ve been using on and off for quite a lot of years- maybe as much as 8 years…so I have a lot of saved bits in there. When I decide it’s time to get back on it I start logging whatever I eat and agree with Verano- that is already a deterrent and usually quite a shock as to how much and how many of the wrong things I’ve been eating (as well as some good stuff- my breakfasts have stayed pretty much on plan in terms of the right foods throughout, altho portions tend to go up a bit).
I also do daily weighs to keep on track like Pootle (and when I have been off plan and not weighing I lose all sense really)- I record in fitbit app and at the moment also in the fast 800 app- and weekly into a journal log on phone notes and currently also done waist measurement and goals for that and weight in my log and in the fast 800 app, and I always have a goal set in fitbit and myfitnesspal apps anyway- they sync with each other even tho one does food and one does fitness tracking and weight. Strava also syncs to fitbit so if I run (or run walk) and record that on my watch- it records in both fitbit and strava. Absolutely love tracking stats, I find it hugely motivating 🙂

Don’t dwell on the weekend’s digression Cathy and Dreamscometrue, focus on getting back to normal eating again and I’m sure the impact of your off piste eating won’t be as bad as feared.

I’m reporting in with a 1lb discard for the week … very modest drop, but at least it’s in the right direction. Not being a fast loser, it’s about what I was expecting.

The next few days maybe a challenge, as I’m going to visit my Dad, will stick as closely to plan as I can and have already decided on another fast Sunday through to Tuesday, by way of compensating for any glitches.

How is everyone else doing?

Hi V, no I tried to journal in the blood sugar book by Jason Fung and found I wrote the same things everyday and was soon bored. I do however log my daily weight, BG, insulin and exercise but just as numbers not with a journalling type story.

Hi Verano, I have kept a journal since July 2024. I record my daily weight (I have to weigh every day or I tend to think I can get away with too many treats) my fasting BS, taking asthma meds and blow test as well as everything I eat and time eaten. Also BS 2hours after food occasionally! For about 14 months I also measured all foods and recorded the calories, carbs, etc. It really kept me motivated.
At the moment I have a really bad flu like bug despite having the jabs, so I have decided to restart when I have recovered!
I won’t measure everything but I will cut out all bread, pasta, potato and rice again as, I believe, that was instrumental in getting the diabetes under control.
I am 66 this year and 5’ 4” tall… still a size 12/14 😄 down from size 22/24 …😄
Hope everyone is doing ok.
K xx

Well done on the discard Verano … keep going! Yes, think we could all do with a Happy Jar. It’s such a simple idea, easily and cheaply replicated too. In fact, I already have already identified a pretty jar to use as my 2027’s Happy Jar.

Anyway, my positives for today ….
🌸🌸 packing done for my visit to my Dad’s, leaving tomorrow by coach
🌸🌸 booked most of the hotels for our spring drive out to Turkiye
🌸🌸 OH managed to take down a dead tree at the bottom of our garden without mishap. Always a bit nervous when he takes on jobs like that.

I wonder if there have been any positives in your day?

S-g BTW do you journal?

I started to use ‘notes’ on my iPad to write down everything I eat, time of day etc. and weight the next day. Sounds obsessive but I find it helpful. I think if you ‘fancy’ something that’s not exactly on your plan, because you have to write it down, you’re less likely to go completely off plan. Writing down 1 biscuit, 1 or 2 glasses of wine etc. helps to stop a binge…. 8 biscuits is really hard to log!!! Also it gives you a little non-judgemental ‘treat’ which I really don’t think does any harm in fact I think it helps to keep to your diet generally healthy.

Sorry s-g but guess we just pick the day that suits us best to weigh. I think Tuesdays go back to my WW days in the dim and distant past. Tuesday was my ‘club’ night.

You know when I think about it ‘Twiggy’ has an awful lot to answer for! Stick insect wearing mini skirts who we all wanted to look like. Never in a million years would I have looked like that but it started a lifelong ‘diet’. Although I do weigh daily and still keep a weekly log I realise that ‘feeding’ my body, good healthy, unprocessed food, with lower carbs, is what I really need to do now to stay healthy. Yes, I do need to lose weight but it will be secondary to ‘feeding’ my body. It actually feels quite liberating

Well V, looks like weighing on a Tuesday makes no difference, still weigh the same today. If I remember right, being in France the shops are shut on a Sunday so in order to top up my ‘diet’ cupboard/fridge I did a big shop on the Monday and therefore didnt have the right foods in to start until Tuesday. Now I always have the right foods in so I just got over the weekend after New Year and started on a Monday. Really feeling like having a little cheat but will try my hardest not to 🙂

I dont know who remembers but I started drinking Yerba Mater tea as it is supposed to mimick GPL-1 (the ozempic effect) and I said I would report back. Well I have thrown it away, it tasted awful and didnt seem to do anything. Just another hype, although I am disapponted as the tip came for Dr Ben Bikman.

Sunny what a wonderful idea … a Happy Jar. I think we would all benefit from one of those!

☀️🌈☀️ My positive today was a dip in my scales for the week. Happy bunny here!

S-g yes that sounds really odd maybe as you say it’s psychological!

Well almost the end of January and I have at last had a ‘good’ week. I’m back to doing 30+ a week and it’s forcing me to add variety to my meals and also adding much more fibre to my diet with nuts and seeds. I’ve found a lovely mix of seeds with dried goji, cranberry and blueberries. So I’m having two meals a day and on my ‘yogurt’ days I add a passion fruit, maybe 4 walnuts and a teaspoon of mixed seeds and a teaspoon of seeds and another fruit. I find that keeps me full until dinner. I must admit I’m really enjoying adding fruit back into my diet. I missed it very much.

Hope everyone is keeping motivated and hope you have a good week.

Interesting about your 5:2 experience, Tulip – I never actually tried it because I knew I’d likely eat too much on the 5 days, especially if I wasn’t tracking. I’ve finally learned over the years that tracking is pretty much the only way to keep myself accountable. Otherwise, my tendency is to just graze all day and night, and that historically included a great many carbs, especially sweets, hence my extremely overweight body and the previously high A1c. Not sure if it was actually diabetes or just a reflection of all the sugar floating around in my blood from whatever I’d been eating.

I have read that some people have a lot of success with 5:2, though.

Sunshine, you were right in what you pointed out about how even if I’m eating 900-1200 calories, I’m still eating well below what most people on the calorie-counting boards consider to be healthy, even though I’m an older, shorter, very sedentary woman. I don’t know who created the line about “never go below 1200 calories,” but I’d venture to guess that most of us on this board are getting far better nutrition than a lot of those mainstream higher-calorie dieters, and thus will probably do just fine staying under 1200. I know I’m eating a lot more protein now, for example, than I used to in my more abundant-eating days.

Speaking of protein, though – I MUST cut back on the cheese. I’ve been overdoing it, and it won’t be doing my cholesterol any good.

Ah Becca, so glad to hear you feel reassured and will stay with us! My aim also is to get some days nearer 800 but it takes me a while to work down to it.

Becca/ SG….as I understand it, the original 5:2 was 5 days of eating healthy diet but not calorie counting and 2 days of 500 calories for women and I think possibly 600 for men….over time MM realised that 800 was some kind of sweet spot: still great for a fast day but more sustainable than 500- so then you got the new 5:2 (2 days of 800 calories, which actually I believe can be 800-1000) and also the BSD/ fast 800….

hilariously I did try the original 5:2 back in the day, but only skim read the book- really really must have skim read the info as I was doing 500 cals but just not really thinking what and then the other days eating to my usual appetite and style- i.e. eating like a horse- I actually managed to gain instead of lose weight 😅😅

It wasn’t until the even greater weight gain and onset of pre-diabetes post-covid illness in 2020 that when the diabetic nurse suggested the BSD- I actually properly read that book before starting and realised that what I was eating was as important as the lower calorie days…..I have rarely felt as well physically and mentally than when I stick to this WOE.

🙂 🙂 🙂

You are right Becca, I have never looked into 5:2 but thought it was 5 on 2 off but it do think the 5 days are around 800 and the 2 days drop down to 500 cals.

Glad that you have mentioned you are diabetic. Makes it all the more important to keep the carbs low and 50g is a good level to aim for. I personally can manage 20g for one day then run out of ideas of what to eat. As for fruit, I usually stick to berries or apples/pears but unless you are eating something really sweet like mango, I dont think some fruit does much harm, might just put your carbs up for the day. I have had some pineapple chunks today and, although they are not considered bad for BG they are very high in carbs. A little of what you fancy as they say.

Thanks, Tulip and Sunshine, I appreciate the understanding! I’m still going to try to gradually move the calories down, and try to insert at least a couple 800-ish days a week.

Sunshine, I thought the 5:2 was only two very low calorie days and five maintenance calorie days? I remember first learning about it after Michael Mosley’s documentary called, “Eat, Fast, and Live Longer.” Always wondered how he put his diabetes into remission and lost 20 pounds after just a couple months of doing that plan, especially since he wasn’t even doing a low-carb diet.

Speaking of surprising results, was also surprised that Dr. Roy Taylor had such great diabetes remission results in The Newcastle Study using the Optifast shakes, since they are not low-carb, either. Apparently his belief is that it comes down to calories more than macros.

I was keeping my carbs under 20, but now I’ve changed that limit to more like 30-40. It has helped me to allow a small slice of thin whole grain toast each day – I use Dave’s Thin Powerseed Bread, which has 12 gm total carb and 3 gm fiber, so 9 net carbs. That’s in the US, so not sure where else it is available. I had also tried the low-carb tortillas, but they messed with my stomach, and to be honest, I don’t quite believe that you can just add some extra fiber to a high-carb food and suddenly make it low carb. I would think the fiber has to be naturally present in the food.

Have also been mixing a low-carb protein shake with a little tub of unsweetened yogurt for breakfast, blending them up together. Very satisfying and satiating, and 42 gm protein. I’m aiming for quite high protein, and that drink helps a lot.

I haven’t been eating fruit, and do miss that, so may add back a little bit when things come more into season, like plums and apricots. Vegetables, I don’t get enough, and need to work on that.

Would love to hear what kind of a food balance everyone else is eating.

Oh, one final thing, S-G, I’ve been working on getting the A1c down, also. I was up to 7.5 (US numbers) this time last year (diabetic), and most recent test I was down to 6 (prediabetic), so hoping I can keep lowering that with weight loss, and get off the metformin soon, which also messes with my stomach. : /

Thanks again for welcoming me to stay and post, it means a lot to have this support system and friendship! –Becca

Thanks for the reminder that we are inclined closer and closer to the clocks changing again, V. Tgink it us nice possible to see the days are noticeably getting a little longer now.

Right, so, I have a few positives to report, so here goes ….
🌼🌼 yesterday OH and GS worked on DD’s car, while she and I caught up on news
🌼🌼 DD and GS gave me belated birthday presents, a cheese making kit (wonderful) and … this one is just up my street …. a Happy Jar. It comes with a little pad of tear off notes and each day you record something positive, memorable or perhaps just made you smile and put it in the jar. At the end of the year, there’ll be lots of wonderful things to look back on.
🌼🌼 today there was no rain until early evening – the first day without rain for a ten hours straight since we came home on 18th Jan!
Going to have one more 🌼🌼 four of my hellebore plants are in bloom and three anemones are in bud🙂

VinnieMac, as SunshineGirl said, there is no need to cook complex meals if that’s not your thing. However, try to avoid processed foods, opt for fresh produce instead.

Just keep things simple by choosing a protein source (meat, fish, eggs, cheese) and then adding leafy veggies or salad. It’s easy to add good fats by drizzling with olive oil or making an oil based dressing. And if the jeans are getting a bit samey, you can ring the changes by using herbs or spices to give interest.

The important thing to remember, is that the way you have been eating, is the reason you are looking at changing to this low carb way of eating. It’s a challenging learning curve, but it doesn’t take long to adapt and it will soon become second nature to opt for low carb choices.

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