Hello everyone
April flew by! Here we are in May and I am hoping I’ll be back on track after a not very productive April. I am 1lb down. Had planned to lose 3 lb but as ever life got in the way. I’m feeling positive that I can make a difference in May although I’ve got my son coming home tomorrow for the weekend and a weekend away next weekend but that still leaves plenty of days when I can eat sensibly. I’ve had my eyes tested and the optician said my new lenses and the left epiretinal peel have made quite a big difference to my vision. I only now need reading glasses and they only cost me £50! That is a huge win. I usually had varifocals and they cost me a lot of money. Today I weighed 154.8. It’s creeping down SLOWLY. Calorie counting, low carb and time restricted eating will be my focus for May. I’ve bought some new trainers as recommended by Podiatry so hoping that I can get some more steps in this month too. SueBlue- 23,000 steps in a day is incredible!! I can usually only manage about 7000 but I’m hoping my new trainers will help take the load off my toes.
At the start of a new month let’s all focus and plan for what we want to achieve this month. I will be happy to weigh less at the end of each month. Would be great to lose a couple of pounds during may- I’ll aim for 152lb. I find I have to be realistic as it comes off so slowly. I have to admit that when I weighed this morning I was really pleased to see that I had actually lost weight during April even though it was only 1lb!
Mariet- I’m so sorry to read about your dental problems- you must be feeling awful.. Good riddance to that problematic tooth. Once the antibiotics kick in I hope you’ll be soon able to eat properly and feel better.
Have a good week everyone. I’m going to weigh myself once a week to keep track. I lost my way a bit in April but im back on track for May. I’ll weigh in next Friday and report back. Am loving this cruise 🚢

Mariet, sorry to hear you are still having dental issues, I hope you get it al sorted soon.
Cathy, glad to hear your eye issues are improving 🙂
Dawn, you sound really motivated, glad you enjoyed your break away.
I’m off work this week, and yesterday went into the city with my husband. We ended up walking 23,000 steps over the day! Haven’t walked that much for a while. We visited Cockatoo Island on Sydney Harbour – despite living in Sydney for over 40 years I’d never been there before, so enjoyed the visit.
I weighed in this morning and have lost another 300g or so. I looked back in the Happy Scale app I have on my phone and saw that I have now lost 3.5kg (since January) and have lost a small amount of weight each week for 8 out of the last 9 weeks. 3.5kg is half a stone – so it goes to show that while small losses each week may seem quite insignificant at the time, they do add up!
I’ve started to get back into meal planning and cooking again. In the last few days I’ve made some of my favourite BSD recipes – pumpkin and roast capsicum soup, vegetarian bolognaise, pear and cinnamon porridge. Today I want to make a plan for the next week, and then organise a shopping order.
I’m absolutely loving the cooler weather we are having now. I cope so much better in the 20 degree temperature range rather than 30-40 degrees! Hope everyone else is having a good week 🙂

Thanks for setting this up s-g. Just checking in so I can get all the posts. Although I’m not home until May 9th I will definitely be back on board on the 10th!

Have a Marvellous May everyone.

Thank you s-g … marvellous is definitely the way to go….as you say we are! Hope you had a great holiday.

Well we still have 11 days to go but fortunately tomorrow is our last cruise day. Although we’ve had a great time the food is really hard to refuse. Looking forward to Portugal and fish, fish and more fish!

See you all over on the May thread.

Pootle thank you so much for keeping this thread alive. Apologies for being AWOL for so long, but I’m able to offer some positives…..
🙂👏🏻 progress has continued on our villa, thanks to the efforts of OH
🌞🌞 weather good and sunshine is definitely doing positive things for my wellbeing.
🍽🙂 discovered today, one of my favourites restaurants has opened for the summer season … yippee!!!
Hope there are some notable positives in your days too … why not tell us about them?

Thank you SG & I hope you have had a very enjoyable holiday.
I weighed last Saturday & had lost 1.75lbs so a more optimistic end to April for me.
I will be pleased to join in with Marvellous May 👍😀. I am really enjoying the sunshine this week 🌝
Margaret xx

Set up May thread called moving into marvellous May 2025. Hope to see you all there.

Welcome to the new monthly thread. I am not the best influence for you all at the moment, having just spent 2 weeks on a cruise with a total glut of food. What you can be sure of is I am totally on board to make a big difference in May.

So, whether you are one of our regulars, a newbie to the diet or just lurking, come and join us on our adventure into weight loss and health.

Sunshine-girl, SunnyB and Wendleg.

Hi Mariet,
I’m so sorry that you are still having dental problems, it sounds awful! Hope you’re feeling better soon. Dawn XX

I haven’t posted for a little while, it’s been a bit rough here. I wish humans had evolved better teeth! After a strong fight to save it I have had to have a tooth taken out last Saturday. I am still on antibiotics but I have the most putrid taste in my mouth although I’m on antibiotics and have been for some time. It’s revolting. So much so that I am barely eating, only soup or protein shakes. The silver lining in my mind was going to be a satisfying drop on the scales but sadly no, I have registered a gain 😭
Tomorrow I see an oral surgeon because this saga hasn’t finished yet.
I hope others are in a better place and getting better results!

Hi everyone,
Thanks Cathy, we had a lovely break in yorkshire, DH enjoyed a fat rascal from Betty’s😀, I had a vanilla slice and we both also had fondant fancies! We also had various meals out so not a healthy four days at all. We got back yesterday and I sat last night doing a food plan for the coming week as I daren’t think how much weight I will have put back on. I’m pleased your uveitis has gone, DH has had it twice and I know it’s awful.

Yowzer, I’m afraid I bumped into the Easter Bunny and ransacked his basket😱 Instead of a sparkly chart this time I ordered myself a food diary/exercise/habit planner (which I will use my sparkly stickers in😀) and took various body measurements this morning to fill in on one of the pages.

DCT I totally feel as you described about not knuckling down and using anything as an excuse to not fully stick in and I’m really going to try hard from today. The recent sunny weather has helped me imagine another Summer where I can’t fit into the majority of my clothes and I really don’t want that again😩

So, I’m definitely feeling in the right frame of mind and, with the usual brilliant support from you all, I really hope I can finally crack this in 2025. I hope everyone has a good week🤞

Dawn XX

Hi everyone, you have been very quiet while I have been away. We landed in the UK yesterday and I did get weighed this morning but on different scales and have gained 2kgs but my BG are totally out of whack and I have had to increase insulin every day. Not to worry, I will soon be back in the swing of things.

Thank you Verano for some suggestions for the May thread name and I am going to go with Marvellous because that is what we all are. I will set things up in the next day or two but definitely before the 1st. Looking forward to seeing you all then. Right now i am very tired and we are still celebrating with a meal out tomorrow. See you in a couple of days.

Just thought I’d pop in and say ‘hello’.

At the moment we are in the Med, lovely and warm, with just three more days of our cruise left. Today I decided to try and do ‘lowish calorie’ for the rest of our trip as ‘low carb’ has gone right out of the window! So this morning I just had fruit for breakfast. Just trying to stay away from the desserts but is a bit difficult on a cruise!

Anyway, hope everyone is well. May is almost here … any ideas for an inspiring title for the month? May… mine is ‘definitely must do better in May‘ but Marvellous or Miraculous May would also work for me!

There’s nothing wrong with having a weekend off. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! You’ve done so well, you deserve it
We are flying into Murcia staying at Le Torre golf resort. Just hired a little apartment and a car and aim to get about the area and coast. Very excited as I feel I need a bit of a break. Cyprus was lovely but it was busy with wedding and meet ups etc.
His 2 cats were rhe only 2 of a litter and their bond was crazy. They did eveything together and slept with their paws wrapped round each other.
Literally unreal. So as well as the dire circumstances of the boys death, the girl is desolate. So sad to see. X

Hi Lucy,
Good news that your Dad now has a permanent placement.
So sorry to hear about your Son’s cat. Losing a pet can be very hard, especially when it is sudden!

Great that you have lost 5lb of the 7…….. exceptional given the stresses you are under! I am certain that you will achieve your goal by the time you go on holiday to Spain! Where abouts are you going? We have friends in Malaga and relations near Madrid!

I put on 2.5 lb last weekend and have found it very difficult to resist the temptations, that came from the treats, I succumbed to over Easter! 😩😥
I had lost them again this morning… but only by being very strict with myself!
Thinking of you… onwards…
Xx

Hope you enjoyed your weekend off Pootle.
Been a grim week , ladt weekend my dad suffered a very bad fall and was taken to hospital but thankfully nothing broken. He’s still not eating and its so so sad to see. My son who got married had 2 cats 18 months old and one was sadly killed by a car. That was the beginning of my week. The rest was taken up by more hassle with getting Dad a permanent placement which was achieved yesterday at last. And he doesn’t have to move homes thankfully.
And I went back to weighing and measuring and being 100 percent….and lost 5lbs of the 7 I put on on holiday. Pretty pleased but not going to lie it’s been hard. I have 6 weeks until hubby and I go on our own to Spain for a week,can’t wait, so my target is to get back to pre hols weight which is another 2lb and then aim for another half stone by then. As you know I have lost 2.5 stone but haven’t achieved much more than that since before christmas. I’ve worked on maintaining which I have more ot less as life has been so stressful I kept falling off the wagon so would then diet again so all I was ever doing was maintaining. I want to lose another 1.5 stone to total 4 stone but woukd be happy anywhere above a stone. So I am going to keep measuring and carb counting until June when we go away.
Hope everyone else is doing well xx

Hello everyone
Enjoy your break Dawn . Enjoy a Fat Rascal in Betty’s- I love them! I’ve decided that on the days I am doing nothing I am going to be 100% good and that will give me permission to enjoy the odd luxury when on holiday or eating out etc. I’ve made a note of all my forthcoming events and if I am good in between then I still should be able to see a loss on the scales. My son is coming home next weekend and I’ve not seen him since September and we are going out and I am going to enjoy our meal. So, I’m being good til he comes home. The following weekend we are going to Lytham for a couple of nights so again, I’ll be good before and after!
Sue- I’m glad I’ve been an inspiration along with DCT. I do think being mindful of calories is helping me. I’ve ditched the peanut butter for a start! DCT’s idea of 5:2 is great. I have been so inspired by this cruise because it’s given us space to see what works and to experiment and mix n match. It keeps me inspired to keep trying different methods and because we have time I don’t feel like I’ve failed.
I went to eye clinic this morning. My uveitis has cleared up so I can have my eye test on Tuesday . I’ve got some antibiotic eye ointment for 10 days. My eye is still a little sore. Podiatry went well too. I am booked in for 4 more sessions of shock wave therapy for my plantar fasciitis and he has recommended some trainers for me to try which I’ve ordered – £159 but if they help me it’s worth it! . He said they’ll take the pressure off my toes! I am becoming a new woman!!!
Have a great weekend everyone. Weather is looking good here for the Uk next week. Let’s eat plenty of salad!! 🥗

Hi everyone,
Apologies, have been meaning to post most days then didn’t get round to it! I’m still not sticking in the way I know I can so haven’t weighed myself again yet. We are heading to Yorkshire tomorrow for a four day break and I know I won’t be able to resist popping into Betty’s shop in York but I will definitely weight myself next Friday. I’m so pleased this is a leisurely cruise which gives us plenty of time to refocus. I will catch up properly with everyone’s posts whilst I’m away.
Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Dawn XX

Hello all, thanks for your posts DCT and Cathy – you’ve given me some great ideas and inspiration! I’m definitely going to try calorie counting for a while, and I really like the idea of 5:2 and then moving to 3:4 etc – as I have been behaving exactly the same as you DCT, I just can’t seem to knuckle down!
My husband suggested we have a ‘dry May’ as we’ve both been consuming too many liquid calories so far this year. May is a good time, as apart from Mothers Day there’s no family birthdays or occasions to get in the way.
We’re still keeping up with our walking, we walk for at least 40 minutes, 4 days a week, and sometimes when we’re out on the weekends or running errands we’ll walk 12-15,000 steps a day. So between walking and the upkeep and garden maintenance at MIL’s house, we do keep fairly active. I just need to get serious with my eating. I’ve lost a couple of kilos since the start of the year and have kept it off – BUT I still have a long way to go to get to my target weight!

Hi everyone. How are we all doing? Hope we all survived the Easter Bunny!

CATHY it sounds as if you have a lot going on! I hope that your eye appointment goes well tomorrow and that you can then focus (pardon the pun!) on your forthcoming happy events before getting your toe sorted out. I think it’s a good idea to defer your retina surgery to give you time to breathe! Good luck with your April weigh-in result. It may be better than you think : I often find that when we are expecting little or no loss it can be more than we think. And sadly vice versa!

No loss this end, but that’s because I still can’t (or won’t?!) knuckle down to be honest. Part of it is that with recently retiring and then the Easter holidays there’s always “something” getting in the way. By which I mean, that I will use pretty much anything as an excuse not to get fully back on board this week, or next, or the one after etc. Be it an event, a lunch out, a family visit, it becomes a convenient focus on why I should leave it till next week to get going properly again.

So earlier this week I gave myself a good talking to (as you do!) and decided for now that I will commit to 5:2. Whatever else is happening, there is no reason for me not to be able to be really strict for 2 days a week. I did one of my 2 days yesterday and did fine, and there is an immediate loss on the scales this morning (water weight I know, but they had been starting to creep up, which I was cross with myself for). And today would have been my first day. back at school so I’m off for a spa day and will allow myself a glass or two of fizz without feeling bad.

Next week I’m off for a country hotel break from Wednesday (my birthday!) to Sunday, so I will do my two days Monday and Tuesday. I’m not planning to gorge myself while away – the food at this place is lovely with lots of healthy options. I’m just in the place at the moment where I need to get back into calorie and carb counting gradually without the “all or nothing” mentality that I tend to fall into.

Once I get 5:2 working well, I will probably increase it gradually to 4:3, 3:4, then 2:5 – ie being stricter during the week but cutting myself some slack at weekends. I’m going on holiday with my daughter at the end of June so hope that by this gentler approach I’ll be able to shed a few pounds before then.

MARIET how are your teeth? I have recently been told I need root canal treatment on one tooth, which is booked in for 21st May.Not looking forward to it. I really hope that the oro-maxillary surgeons appointment helps and that you get everything sorted soon.

Hope the rest of the week goes well for you all, and have a great weekend when it arrives!

Hello everyone
Let’s dig deep for the last week in April- the time is flying by and progress at this end is slow! I ate two hot cross buns over Easter which were calorie counted in and a jam and cream scone which wasn’t! I want to finish April at a lower weight than I started so am giving it my best this week. I know I won’t have achieved a 3lb loss which I hoped for but at this rate I’ll take even 1lb! I spoke to the orthopaedic doctor yesterday and I have asked to be listed for the fusion surgery on my first big toe after my cruise in September . My toes are incredibly painful now and I’m having to limit my walking. I’m going to enjoy my nieces wedding in June and my holiday in August and then hopefully have my surgery. I am mindful that I will not be moving much for about three months so need to capitalise my weight loss now! Am at the eye clinic on Friday so hoping to be signed off to get my new glasses if the uveitis has cleared up. I’m going to defer the retina surgery to next year as I feel I’ve had enough eye ops this year!
I have a few things coming up which might scupper my losing weight schedule so I am going to work extra hard on the weeks when I’ve got nothing on. I’ll post my April result next week and am hoping to be less than 155!!
Have a good week everyone.

Hope everyone has enjoyed a Happy Easter!

The weather has been lovely…
Positives for today;
1. I was treated to an Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate egg…and have been very good about not scoffing it all at once! 🐷 (It wouldn’t have lasted 24 hours in the past!!)
2. British asparagus…with hollandaise sauce….has been my easter special…yummmm!
3. All my seedlings are thriving…so looking forward to home grown Onions, Butternut Squash, Courgette, Celeriac, Leeks to eat and cornflowers, helichrysum, sweet peas and sunflowers for decoration! 🌻🧈🌱🫛🧅

Hi Lucy,
Brilliant to hear that you had a wonderful time in Cyprus!
Also great to hear you are getting back to it… it can be so easy to ‘backslide’ and go down the slippery slope!
I am having a ‘weekend off’…. Husband bought me a superb dark chocolate Easter egg, filled with dark chocolate pralines etc…. They just have to be eaten!!!
So here’s to getting back on board next week!
Xxx

I hope you have a wonderful & relaxing holiday Verano & I also hope you have recovered from your car prang Pootle. I’m reviewing what I am doing at the moment rereading MMs the fast 800 book to refresh my memory & have also adjusted my food shopping for next weeks delivery. My husband & I do have an Easter egg each to eat so by Tuesday temptation will be gone. I will also go back to drinking fruit teas instead of coffee that I really rely on to pep me up in the morning & will try to keep strictly to the fast 800 diet & I always follow TRE anyway not eating until lunch. I will review after two weeks & hope I have lost some pounds in weight. I know I must get prepared for my knee surgery & after reading about the recovery period I do feel quite anxious & daunted so do need to get back to taking control & looking after myself more!
Let’s keep on going everyone 🍀🤞🤞👍
Margaret xx

Hi Yowzer.
We all need a treat from time to time…and Easter is as good a time as any!v
I am looking forward to my special easter egg tomorrow…(Whisper…husband has treated me to a Hotel Chocolate Dark egg….🥚🍫!!!)
But I am now worried about avoiding the Easter Bunny…🐰😉

Will get back to it on Tuesday!
Happy voyaging all.
xxx

Hi everyone. Had a fab 6 days in Cyprus, everything was great. Wedding day fantastic!
Nothing got sorted with my Dad in my absence..social worker off again and no one else knows about it….you know how these things work…they allowed an extra week again to tey and sort full time so I’m straight back to it after bh weekend !
Down side…have put on half stone. But I know some of this should vanish quickly.
Back to it!!!
Hope everyone else is good.
Pootle….thanks for the .message, appreciated.
It’s a .minefield isn’t it??? We are still no nearer a resolution! He’s still not eating. Will have to get on with chasing it all up Tuesday again!. X

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Hi CCATHY and MARIET and all my other shipmates! Happy Easter to all xxxxx
I have lost the plot completely and have indulged in buttery hot cross buns and have already cracked open the chocolate! Its a holiday weekend and Im allowing my Carb Monster to throw caution to the wind until Tuesday.😄😋
Look out 👀 for the Easter Bunny,ive seen him strolling round the deck with a basket of goodies! XX
🦋🦋 Happy weekend everyone X 🦋🦋

CC, I have had that exact experience as well, it’s a timely reminder as I wonder to myself why I am up 200g this week. The extra handful of grapes, the little piece of a grandchild’s Easter egg and all the rest probably hasn’t helped.
I hope calorie counting for the next little while helps for you.
I am still having awful trouble with my teeth 😫 so I am on a liquid diet, apart from the aforementioned grapes and chocolate. I’ve been referred to an oro-maxillary surgeon next week and hopefully he will be able to help me.
Meanwhile, looking forward to hearing from other cruisers and hearing how things are going!

Happy Easter all.
Sounds like you are really enjoying your break away Verano, isn’t it brilliant when you don’t have to think ‘Think, menu, shop, cook, serve’ just ‘menu, choose, eat’!! 😄😄

Wendy1947.
Good to hear that someone has listened to you and you have had an MOT! Hope the result is a quick turnaround for the op!

Now the weather here has broken, I am struggling not to give in to some comfort eating! Cold and VERY wet means I am sort of confined indoors!
I also had a minor car ‘prang’ yesterday, which has in-nerved me more that it should have!! Result…I was eating hot buttered toast and drinking tea at 1.00 this morning as I couldn’t sleep!
But tomorrow is another day… getting back to keeping on, keeping on!

Hello. Thought I would just pop in to say ‘hello’ especially as we’re a bit thin on the ground on this thread at the moment.

Margaret glad to hear you are making headway with you op. Let’s hope it’s soon!

Julia hello. I also read that article and yes very interesting. Really when we think about it BMI is just one of those very rough guides.

Welcome Oh2bthin. So sorry to hear of your issues. Maybe at the moment you should concentrate on being ‘Oh2bashealthyasIcanbe!’. A Mediterranean diet is great for health and reduction of inflammation so you are definitely on the right track. Keep well.

Well arrived at our first destination on Tuesday. Outward journey was completely hassle free which in this day and age was a bit of a miracle! Here until Monday then pick our ship to sail to Lisbon where our son will pick us up and drive us to the coast. So wonderful to have sunshine but unlike the recent great weather in the UK we have heat as well! Even better is I no longer have to say each morning ‘What shall we have for dinner tonight!’. Lovely to be ‘waited’ on.

I’ll try and pop in again but in the meantime as s-g says ….. just keep on keeping on…….

Hello everyone & a Happy Easter 🐥🐥
Welcome Oh2bthin & with joining in with this BSD ongoing saga we are all on. I think it does help to air our ups & downs & to read the very helpful guidance we have on here 👍
Thank you Californiagirl for your post I know what you have said is sensible & correct & I suppose my “diet tantrum” is because I am very fed up at the moment. However I have not completely thrown my toys out of the pram because I have had a health MOT by pestering a female GP. It’s a minor problem that my sleep is disturbed by my having to spend lots of pennies through the night & it seems I have a sensitive bladder that I have now have some medication for. I have just had two ultrasounds investigating my bladder, ovaries & uterus to identify any growths or infections & they are normal. My BP & my heart ECG are also normal & my blood tests show raised B12 which is similar to earlier ones so normal for me but I have a slightly raised cholesterol level so I am now taking a low dose statin. I have had an indirect message relating to my knee surgery & thank goodness I have now been referred for surgery with the orthopaedic surgeon I saw last October but don’t know when. I find it very interesting that the BMI is now been questioned for over 65 year olds. Mine is currently 30 so too high, I am aged 78 & pear shaped so most of my flab is external & on my lower half & I wear UK size 14 trousers which is much better than size 18 that I previously wore. So some plus points 🤔
I am over this weekend going to sort out my thinking & review what I can do to most help myself get more ready for surgery. I know that I can resume doing exercises to my Jane Fonda dvd plus the ones my physio gave me & give myself a mental boot up my derrière to stop feeling sorry for myself!! I did fast yesterday & it was really easy so my body hasn’t forgotten how to do that.
Thank you & sorry for yet another moan. I will bite the bullet & weigh myself tomorrow 🙀🤔
I hope you all have a relaxing & enjoyable weekend & it is sunny today so my husband & I will go to a garden centre to buy some flowering plants in red white & blue to put in pots in the front garden to help celebrate VE Day. I have already put out a banner on our fence as has our neighbour.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧
Margaret xx

That is very interesting California Girl.

I am 65 and my BMI is now (having lost the weight via the BSD) at 25.1, calculated to be just into the overweight range. However, I feel if I go any lower, (to get into their “healthy” range) I would look and feel gaunt and frail!

In today’s Telegraph newspaper, there is a very interesting article about how the current BMI numbers are not appropriate for people over the age of 65, which many of us on this site are (I’m 69).
The former UK health secretary, Ms. Hewitt, says that older people, men and women, should aim for a BMI up to 30, and possibly even higher. Keeping a bit of padding protects from falls and loss of muscle mass and in the event of a serious illness, provides protection from frailty. This is apparently accepted wisdom in Australia (her comments).
Worth evaluating your weight goals with this in mind. I am not commenting regarding diabetes (so don’t jump on me) — that is another issue.

Hello everyone
How are we all doing? I’ve not posted for a couple of weeks. I hosted book club a couple of Fridays ago and fell off the wagon for a week or so. I am not weighing myself until the end of the month but i can tell I’ve not made any progress. My target for April was only 3lb but I don’t think i will achieve it. I have decided to try something completely different and something I’ve not done for a long time- calorie counting and my word it’s been an eye opener! Things I’ve been eating without thinking are coming up so high in calories! A tablespoon of toasted seeds, crunchy peanut butter, four brazil nuts! I have been logging my food today and it’s been a total eye opener. Usually i eat low carb or keto and just eat what I feel is reasonable. I am going to calorie count until the end of the month as well as stay low carb and see how i do. I will weigh myself on the last say of April and report my score. I have quite enjoyed not stepping on the scales but it’s hard to know how far off target i am.
I hope you are all seeing some progress and look forward to reading your news. Two more weeks to go in April so if we knuckle down we could hopefully be a couple of pounds down. Here’s hoping. When I set my goal for April I felt it was achievable but I didn’t count on falling off the wagon for 10 days!

I wrote a long post yesterday… but (somehow) between posting in Advice and uploading my post on here, I had been signed out, so lost it!! 🫣😩🤔
That wasn’t positive!!!!! 🤯
But:
1. We heard the Cuckoo yesterday, loud and clear, (so must have been close) for the first time in about 15 years!! 😄😄🐦🐦🐦
2. The swallows are back! So now have to leave the shed door open for them…and cover everything in pooping risk area!!! 😄😁🪶🪶🪶
Hope you are all having positives today!

Hi Lucy.
I hope you managed to get things sorted so you could enjoy your son’s Cyprus wedding at the weekend. You have been in my thoughts… xx

Oh2beThin, sorry about your struggles, but welcome to the monthly thread. You are right, if nothing else this WoE should help with inflammation and make you feel better generally …. it has lots of positive knock-on effects. Feel free to vent and rant if necessary and be sure to share wins, no matter how small, so we celebrate with you.

👋 hello all hope you don’t mind me jumping on to your April challenge. It’s been an absolute yonking time since I’ve been on here but was so nice to read some names from years past. I’ve moved home retired due to ill health and husband has rheumatoid arthritis and I’m now living with stage 4 breast cancer. My weight has fluctuated due to treatment & life but need to take control & start back to adopting fully the BSD as I know it will help both me & hubby to reduce all that nasty inflammation we are both dealing with in different ways – I’ve been lurking for a few days to try and get my head straight & motivation up so here I am – hope you can all help me keep on keeping on 😉 day one today x

Hi Verano, sending you good energy from California. Sorry you have been feeling down.
Hi Margaret, your journey with your knee surgery is so frustrating for me to read about. The NHS holds such promise but they have structural issues that have to be addressed!
I am going to encourage you to not give up on the diet right now — seriously, this is not the moment to “be kind to yourself” because in the long run it will be “anything BUT kind” to comfort eat. Surgery will be immensely easier if you lose some weight and the recovery will be faster and more successful. You will come through the anaesthesia better if you are metabolically healthy. You will grow more cartilage when you are eating low carb and high protein (and exercising as much as you are able with your restrictions.)
Bombard yourself and your days with support — watch Dr. Bikman videos, buy expensive teas, hire a personal trainer even if all you do is chair yoga), have wine in small quantities with meals (you mentioned you like wine) — do ANYTHING to stay on the straight and narrow — you will be SO grateful you did so after surgery — think ahead to how you will recover quickly and robustly. You have many good years ahead!

Have been enjoying everyone’s positives and just popping in with a couple of my own …
🙂🙂 we’ve got as far as Italy, currently dockside waiting to board the ferry to Greece
🚘🚘 journey so far incident free and we’ve met with friends and enjoyed some good food …. and yes, some wine too🤭

Keep posting those positives!

Enjoy your trips SG and V xx

Just popping in with a few positives. I haven’t been lacking positives lately just not been very active in reporting them.
As everyone has said wonderful weather makes us all feel brighter.

So to my positives ….

☀️☀️☀️ Sunshine has definitely been a bonus.

👩🏻👩🏻 hair cut and coloured. So feeling renewed.
👣💅👣 toes had lovely pedicure yesterday.
🧳🛩️🛳️ now just need to pack! Then we’ll be on our way!

Stay positive!

Thank you, Pootle and Mixnmatch for your replies. I can see its a process of experimentation and I will monitor and adjust accordingly and, given the flying start, I will feel more confident going forward. Positives for today:
Lovely beach walk with the dog
Successfully tackled the ironing mountain (LOL!)
Bought a wooden egg instead of a chocolate one to celebrate the season!

Hi FGS,

I am sure we all do things slightly differently, depending on how much weight we still have to lose, whether we are diabetic, our way of life etc etc.
Mixnmatch has been around on these forums much longer that I have and really knows what suits most people. Personally, I kept to low calories and gradually started to increase portion sizes.

Hope all goes well.
x

Hi FGS, regarding graduation, there are many different possible next steps but the ones that work best and especially if you still have weight to lose are the ones that still involve intermittent fasting. 5:2 is just one option, I have also used 2:5, 3:4, 4:3, and 6:1 variants. (1:6 is a bit close to full Fast 800 to bother with usually). You can also just raise the calories every day, keeping the target below your basal metabolic rate and following the same principles but at 1000 or 1200 calories for example. Whichever you choose, you don’t have to stick with just one, just avoid the temptation to let up the control too soon.

Good morning.

Sorry I’ve been ‘quiet’ lately. I just seem to have had a few minor mishaps which have got me down a bit. Husband seems to be recovering well. But I had a fall a week ago. Fortunately nothing major but a bit battered and bruised. Arnica is a wonderful thing!

I was due to have my hair coloured on Friday but got a message on Thursday to say my hairdresser was unwell but would see me Tuesday, the day we go away! Anyway, as he is mobile, he will come tomorrow instead. So things are looking up.

Weight wise I’ve lost the pounds I put on during my ‘madness’ so am feeling ok about that. I’ve not reached the goal I set in January but I’ve still lost this year which is a plus.

Margaret I sympathise with you. Don’t fret about healthy eating at the moment. Sometimes we can only deal with one issue at a time. I just wondered if you are on the ‘cancellation’ list. I know a few people who have got last minute surgical slots when others have cancelled. Worth.a thought if you’re not on the list.

Anyway, hope everyone is well and April is proving to be a healthy month.

Well I bit the bullet & weighed & have lost 0.75 lb. I am rather in despair about my replacement knee surgery after an NHS fiasco on Thursday evening. I went to the hospital to be seen as I thought by another MSK specialist but my appointment had been changed to a phone call on my home phone from the Consultant Surgeon I had previously seen privately last October. I stayed at the hospital hoping he would call on my mobile for another hour but only got a voicemail saying he was trying to contact me but because his number was withheld & my phone didn’t ring. I then drove an hour back home to find another message on my house phone. A little hope was raised because he remembered seeing me previously & he may now be my surgeon & said he would take further action but no idea what that is & I was sent another appointment in January for May that will apparently be from him although it doesn’t say so! I complained to the NHS hub where apparently all new appointments are now made who said they had sent me a letter that I didn’t receive!! I have given up dieting with comfort eating nibbles with some wine & eating more carbs & not surprisingly because I am now more sedentary & can walk less weigh more than in last October 🤔😢
Sorry for the moan I know I am not a good advocate for eating wisely at the moment & my son & autistic grandson are coming for lunch today & I will be cooking pizzas plus salad.
Margaret

Me too, Pootle. And thank you for your kind words. Everyone has been so supportive and welcoming. Our final week of the diet and I’m a bit nervous about what comes after. I still have more weight to lose so I’m thinking of “graduating” onto the 5:2. Is that what everyone else has done? Grateful for any suggestions based on your experience of what works/what doesn’t work.

Positives for today:
Just like you, Pootle, the sunny weather makes me feel alive! It’s so uplifting!! (Just wish it was a bit warmer)
Have just organised a lovely birding holiday in Wales in May (my jam!!!)
Difficult to put my finger on the exact reasons but generally feeling positive and energised (probably another thing to attribute to the miracle that is the BSD)!

Have a lovely weekend!

Hi Yowser, my oldest grandchild is actually 6! They go down like steps, 6, 4, 3, almost 2. The girls both tell me that the baby shop is shut, so 4 it is and that’s plenty for me ❤️
DCT, happy retirement! I am sure you will revel in it. Every so often u have friends telling me that they miss work but I just look blankly, I adore being retired. Enjoy ask the opportunities that come your way.
After my steady week last week i’m happy to have had a 700g drop this week, to 70kg! That’s a big psychological barrier for me, I didn’t really think I would get below it again. Next goal is 68 and possibly 65 as a final goal, we’ll see how that goes.

Yes marigold Bouillon is good during fasting because it has low calories, no added sugar moreover it’s fasting friendly. so you can consider it in fasting.

Wishing all the travellers wonderful, relaxing holidays! Hope you all enjoy yourselves, indulging when appropriate…and I look forward to seeing you all back from your journeying!

FGS…a fresh wardrobe is so uplifting…and brilliant that you have spread the word. I feel so fortunate to have found the BSD and this ‘community’, it has improved my life so much!

Positives for today;
The long spell of sunny, warm weather is continuing…makes me feel good to be alive! ☀️☀️☀️
My seedlings are growing on…just have to prepare the veg garden soil ready to plant out! 🌱🌱🌱🫛

Hope you all have some positives in your day!