Hi guys-

Sorry I’m not reading right now. I just saw this video that made yogurt making really simple and really clear. http://honestcooking.com/make-sous-vide-yogurt/

He uses my cute little individual serving canning jars — love that! He also illustrates that you can do a family-size container. And he shows some ways to use your homemade yogurt as well.

My notes would be that the sous vide part is so unnecessary. Just put your freshly jarred yogurt in your microwave cavity overnight. …making sure everyone knows that they must not turn it on. What you’re attempting to accomplish is keeping the yogurt warm as long as possible so the matrix can form. Some people do that by wrapping it in towels and letting it sit on a counter. Some use insulated coolers. I think annette suggested bottling your yogurt in a thermos bottle. That works too!

You can see how firm his yogurt is but you can make it even more substantial by stirring non-fat milk powder into your whole milk before you heat it. And you can steep a vanilla bean in it as well if you feel like it. Don’t even need to spit the bean if you don’t want the little black seeds in your finished yogurt.

Also, when he demos yogurt cheese he does it unflavored. If you stir in some favorings before you drain it you can get some really tasty stuff. Chopped green onion, puréed garlic (rub it against a cutting board with the edge of a chefs’ knife) and a little salt & pepper will get you a Boursin-flavored yogurt cheese. Did you know that’s what Boursin is? Minced dried apricot, slivered almonds chopped up into small shards and some honey will get you something that’s great on toast and scones. I know we don’t eat that stuff anymore but we might have family and friends who do.

Anyway, thought I could tempt someone into giving it a try to see how easy it is and how great the results are. You’ll save a young fortune and be skipping a lot of the junk commercial dairies put in theirs.

Welcome, Keeliuz, to the island 🙂 We are actually on a treasure hunt here for the recipe for painless and sustainable weight loss. Come join the fun!

Cali, Canadian, glad that LCHF is also working so well for you. After another week on it, I now understand why I haven’t lost weight in the two weeks before (not that I gained any either): I ate too many proteins. One can be pretty generous with them, but if you eat too many, they also transform into glucose in our bodies, which doesn’t help if you want to lose weight. The formula that Phinney/Volek are giving is: ideal body weight in kg multiplied by 1.0 or max. 1.5 = grams of proteins that you can eat every day. My ideal body weight is around 70kg, so I am trying to not eat more than 80g of protein each day. Guess that 100 g would be ok, too, but since I still want to lose some weight, I tend on the side of caution. If I eat only 70g that is fine too.

Since I am trying to stay below 30g of carbs every day, the rest of my nutrition has to come from healthy fats. So I am actually not counting calories at all. I count carbs and now also watch out for how many grams of protein I am eating. The rest I fill up with butter (yum yum), coconut oil, olive oil. Coffee with heavy cream (yum yum yum), whipped cream with the few berries that I eat each day, and also almond butter. No calorie counting or restricting whatsoever.

I understand that eating these healthy fats is actually needed to get your fat metabolism going. It sounds like a paradox, but it actually works: you need to eat fat (under the conditions explained above) to lose fat.

It is the nicest side-effect of the world, that all the fat prevents you from developing any kind of cravings. I take it as a signal of my body now: if I have a craving for carbs, I immediately try to eat something fat, like a slice of cheese with some butter on it, or some green veggies with a good amount of olive oil.

I am losing weight again now. Great. But what is even more important: my mood has improved significantly since I am eating like this. I am so much more relaxed, cheerful, optimistic than I ever was before in my whole live. This goes way beyond dropping some kilos, this is my whole body and brain and whatever else changing.

But I still need to work on integrating the diet into my life. Sometimes I wait too long with eating until I am really really hungry and then tend to overeat on one meal (portion control was always my biggest challenge). But then again, no stress, as I have the rest of my life to figure out how to optimize that 😉

What is also quite funny is the way that people look at you when they see you eating loads of food that we were trained to regard as BAD and UNHEALTHY. My family is also still eying me suspiciously to see whether this is just another diet experiment. But they like the more relaxed Karen, so I would assume that they will be happy if this becomes my new way of life.

Greetings and hugs to all islanders! Keep up the great spirit 🙂

Karen xx

So Karen and all doing LCHF, are you not fasting? I’m stuck in this in-between zone, I like fasting and I also like the loss of cravings on LCHF but I’m not totally on-board with counting carbs to such a low level. I went pretty low for a few days but was bored out of my mind. I think I’ll stick with just cutting down.

But CHUBS OMG that yogurt video. I did everything he said, even straining after it was “yogurt” to get Greek style. It is soo delicious, and thick like clotted cream. And easy! Well, once I bought a candy thermometer. After heating the milk to 180 degrees (F) then down to 110, I put the bowl in a slightly warmed oven (turned off) then left it overnight. Strained it through colander lined with coffee filters for a few hrs this morning. I just took a spoonful from the fridge, IT IS SO GOOD.

I’m fighting desperately through a FD here, I’ve been really lax but want to get to goal finally and be honest about maintaining, which I’ve been doing for months and calling it 5:2. Gotta get this show on the road🎭🎟💪- we can do it, islanders! Salmon with a dollop of yogurt for dinner in the rehab cave🌴🌴xxx

Morning All,
I have decided not to fast this week, partly because I am trying to run more and partly because I can choose what to eat this week. I am not counting calories or giving up all carbs, simply aiming for more fat and vegetables/fruit and smaller portions of rice/pasta and less often. The seed/nut meusli is not enough to get me to lunch if I have run 4 miles, so today I am trying 2 thirds of my homemade meusli(porridge oats/dried fruit) and the other third of the seed/nut mixture.

My aim is to have less fat on my belly and a smaller waist, and I think that is starting to happen again. It is early days consuming less carbs than I was having before. No idea if I am having a high fat diet, I am simply eating more than I was. So the experiment continues…

I am quite confused to know what is a carbohydrate and what is not…and then what other people think they are or not. I am fussy enough and have no desire to eat a limited amount of food choice and then be both miserable and obsessed.
My plan is to stick with those scrumptious avocados and pair them with salad, unless I have been on a run(more than 3 miles) and then it will be on 2 slices of wholemeal/seeded toast. I will aim to eat food that is higher in fat-smoked salmon and eggs at the weekend or during the school holidays for my lunch when it is just me to please and I am not running more than 3 miles.I will continue to have butter but as I have less bread when at home, I shall chuck it liberally into any omlette/scrambled egg that I make. I am gong to continue to eat fruit-what I like and when I like it as I am not a fan of vegetables(apart from peas and carrots). My nut addiction will continue unabated with almonds and walnuts and brazils which I snack on by the handful, or add to a salad with a homemade dressing. I shall continue to make home made yoghurt from full fat milk(much more filling)and add to the homemade seed/nut mixture or to that with some homemade meusli if I am running. Roast potatoes will be a weekly treat unless the boys are out/away in which case I will not have them at all.
I suppose that I am aiming to eat the best that I can with the food that I like the most-the key to sustaining this, I feel.I was in the supermarket buying some plants when I really wanted a cake or to buy the 6 pack of ice cream. I made the decision to leave with the plants and a large bag of nuts(they only come in 1 size) and ate them all the way home.
I would love to think that I was a reformed character, but I am very much in rehab, just making each decision one at a time. No doubt though that less sugar in my life means that I am much much calmer and enjoy what I eat, without looking constantly for the next sweet fix. I had no idea that I was a sugar addict. Now I have nuts!

Hi Annette- interesting question- what is a carb and what is it that people think a carb is- I thought it was only grain related. Now that I am realizing that my weight loss and binging is so intertwined with carbs I am diligent about tracking them to see how many can I eat and still lose weight. It seems carbs are in a lot more foods then I realized. The grams add up fast and I was eating well into the 200-300 range when I didn’t pay attention. The key is to find what foods you enjoy and allow you to still loose weight and not ignite the desire to binge- this is unique for each person. I’m on a quest to slowly increase my carb amount to see how many I can have and still lose weight and not want to binge- it is a definite science experiment. I had a low carb ice cream alternative with some chicory root sweetened chocolate the other night and the next day I was a mess of cravings. Dr Fung has explained the role of non sugar sweeteners and insulin leve response- it is practically the same as it is with sugar. I saw first hand for myself how this happened to me. I was much happier without that sweet – ish treat.

I read the New Atkins book (I was not a fan of Atkins before) and it really made a lot of sense to me. I use their app to track my eating and I love their plan of figuring out what level of carbs my body can handle- we are all different. I like feeling satisfied but not like I want to shove one more bite in just because- I am hoping to keep an eating plan that reduces my binging because it makes me really upset to constantly police myself to not overeat- it’s exhausting!!

Taking my 12 yr old on a class trip to a water park today- I am not ready for my bikini-(I don’t own one yet!!) so out from the archives comes my oldy moldy one piece that’s probably 10 yrs old b/c I hate bathing suit shopping!!

Because my cravings and binging got going from the ice cream I had 2 days ago I will fast today to get back on track– better too so I don’t have to bring food to the water parkI–‘ll just bring my powdered vitamins with ground flax seeds and add water when I’m there– if I don’t eat ground flax seeds every day my hair starts to fall out and I can’t tolerate thinning hair on top of everything else!! Menopause!!!!

Best of luck to you on your quest Annette – it is a balancing act for us all!!

CaliB

Thanks for that link, Tango – of course my go-to grapes are high sugar! But good to know, I like all fruit, and always have apples too, so my devious plan to outwit my sugar lizard is slowly working😈. My FD salmon with homemade yogurt topping was flat-out delicious. I had to have a bit more yogurt and fruit before bed, so it wasn’t the strictest of FDs but not bad considering my slightly hungover state from a dinner party the night before.

I love this discussion of carbs and how to find the right individual level! Definitely seems to be the key to curbing cravings. Annette, I think we are alike – I was bored when I cut out most fruit. I had enough carbs not to feel deprived or anything, but gosh it was boring. And in summer, we are surrounded by such wonderful varieties of fruit….I just can’t. Fun to experiment, isn’t it? All while eating beautiful, healthful who,e foods.

CaliB, I agree about the sweeteners, I’ve slipped back into having a diet drink and it’s not like the sugar hit of yore but it’s definitely causing problems. I downloaded a free book called Never Binge Again, by a psychologist Glenn Livingston – the title is a bit misleading, because it’s equally helpful just for cravings. Similar to Brain over Binge, he calls the lower brain The Pig (the survival impulse – to eat as we’ve now been conditioned by too much sugar). He describes how to separate its voice from our own, so that we truly call the shots. Pretty entertaining, and free😎 Anyway, I like his idea of creating a food plan – like you’re doing Annette – his is a list of things that are Never, Unlimited, and Conditional, but then you can amend the list as you go along. But the goal is to “never binge” i.e. eat stuff or behave in ways you’ve identified as “nevers.” Eventually, all of it becomes just the way you naturally eat/behave. A good example of one my “conditionals” is that I will have dessert only in social situations when it would be fussy or rude to refuse. So maybe it’s just a shiny new toy in our Arsenal of things we use to get to Planet Normal, but I love toys😀

Great job on “going nuts” 😂instead of grabbing the treats, Annette – get that habit going! CaliB, have a blast at the water park – and go you, planing to fast💪 And Tango, good luck with your fast today, I’ll join you in a B2B at least until dinner – we may go out with D – but getting well acquainted with hunger until then can’t hurt. Hope your back feels better, mine’s a bit sore too but from pulling weeds. Not nearly as elegant as dancing! Shoutout to Spring, Chubs, Karen, Queen, and all the islanders – cheers and hugs♥️♥️jade xx

Hello Everyone!
I had wondered how you were Chubs.We will be here for when you land and join us again.Good luck with the packing up, shipping and driving home.

Drum roll please…I have lost an inch off my actual around the belly button waist!I lost 3 inches in the first year and no more, nothing until now. While I have lost inches all over in the past 3 and a half years, I was starting to give up on my waist getting any smaller. I am putting the success down to less sugar in my diet and perhaps more fat. I am thrilled to have a waist that is now 4 inches smaller!!!

I might celebrate with an Almond Croissant!

We crossed Annette – well done!!!! Enjoy every flake of that yummy almond croissant 🙂 xx

annette, that is *insanely* exciting!!! Just knowing that can happen is a real shot in the arm! It is just reward for all the hard work and hard running you’ve done and I couldn’t be happier for you!

Dear spring, let’s go set up camp down on the Bad Girls’ Isthmus and lick our wounds. Probably less calories than the stuff we’ll be avoiding from now on!

I managed a clean fast yesterday, Trying for another one today to break the spell. We just have to keep ourselves busy and distracted so nobody else pay any attention if you hear spring and I cutting down forests or whooping up war dances or anything. 😏

Annette, Chubs, Spring, Tango, CaliB, and every other lovely island inhabitant or visitor…we have all gone to parties at Bad Girls Isthmus (lol Chubs, nailed it!), sometimes for very long parties! Annette, I just want to reach across the Atlantic and hug you for being so delightfully not perfect😍 – of course you had chocolate, girl! I had THE identical night. Broke my own rule about desserts, after failing to talk hubs into some after dinner. I just went back in the kitchen and voila, transported myself to the Isthmus. Short party, but felt just right. An almond croissant kind of party.

Gang, this is the cycle (not the circle lol) of any human life. It’s what you described Spring, that switch being on or off. Sometimes we’re up for a good fight, sometimes we’re not. I believe avoiding the sugar/bad carbs helps a LOT, but it doesn’t immunize us. The best I can do sometimes is just not to jump off the Isthmus cliff and try to drown myself👋 – Then I hack my way back to the rehab cave💪 because I do want to feel good, look good, be healthy, etc. Swinging that scythe is great mental cardio.

After a sort-of b2b this week, I was amazed to realize I had forgotten what it felt like to be serene about fasting. The first day was hell. The second day, I wasn’t preoccupied with food at all. It’s sort of what I remember about my early days doing 5:2. And I probably caught myself in a good “switch” time on day 2, but it was worth it to get that lovely feeling again. Must keep that in my head now! I may visit every cave on the island today 🌴🌴♥️♥️ – love and hugs to all of you! jadexxxx

I just love this forum. I don’t post often but I read your messages. I would have been better off years ago if I’d known such smart, funny, caring women could be bringers like me! I thought it was only horrible people like me. Really, it’s quite a revelation. I kept it a secret for so many years…..still don’t broadcast it.

I’ve been doing very well for quite a while. Loving the LCHF way of eating. Can’t say the pounds are dropping off (because of my need for a hip replacement, I hardly get any exercise), but I feel sooo good on this way of eating. The mental aspect of it is amazing. I think I’ve been seeking fat for a long time and not knowing it.

I hosted my Book Club Tuesday night so bought food for it. At Costco I bought a bag of cashew clusters (sound sort of healthy because of nuts but really mostly sugar) and dark chocolate covered mango slices (again sounded like might be healthy). They were delicious and after people left and the next evening I binged on these treats. Ate out of control. As is usual for me, I would eat well during the day — no urge to binge — but come night time, I binged out of control. I finally got up and put the remainder of both bags down the garbage disposal!

Went to bed in a sugar-induced haze. Woke up the next morning and thought I was sick. First thought it was a cold. I was all congested. Blowing my nose constantly. Since my hip surgery is June 17, I’m nervous about getting sick and having it cancelled. But then that congested part ended and I was sick to my stomach. Multiple trips to the bathroom. That continued last night and even this morning.

I really think it was a huge reaction to all that sugar after having been almost totally off sugar for weeks and weeks. An allergic reaction. I really felt sick. I am going to use this as another tool in my arsenal — not only is sugar and binging not good for my looks, I am quite severely allergic to sugar and really have to stay away from it.

I wonder if this carbohydrate sensitivity is something you’re born with or if it is triggered at some point during childhood. I’m leaning toward the born with option. My mother was like this and I wish I’d been more understanding of her struggle with it. I think I was the worse of my 4 siblings (one sister is built like our dad and has no carb problem at all — a brother is more like mom and I think his carb problem shows up more in drinking alcohol). I’ve never been hugely overweight — and often within the average range — certainly was able to control all this more when I was a smoker. Weight became a bigger problem when I stopped smoking. It’ not even the weight so much as the ‘stinkin thinkin’ about food for all my life. I’m rambling…..

Anyway it’s all very interesting and I thank you for reading and for your insightful posts.

Congrats on your week, Chubs– sounds like you are back on track. Traveling can be so hard on the dieting front– I’m happy you are feeling better and safe journeys home!

I start Ramadan tomorrow and I’m hoping all the fasting I’ve done up until now will help get me thru it. I don’t usually lose weight during that fasting so we will see this time around with my new LCHF diet if it makes any difference.

I’m so excited that a new work out studio is opening in my town- it is called Orange Theory Fitness- don’t know if any of you have heard of it? My dearest friend opened 2 of them in her hometown and when I visited her last (she is in Memphis) I tried it out. Best workout of my life!! Can’t wait to start going to the one here when it opens.

Going out to dinner tonight with the family- Mexican food. I will have to resist the chips and salsa!! I have no off button for them.

Happy to report that since starting the LCHF diet 3 weeks ago and doing daily 16-20 hour fasts I have lost 6 lbs! I am really thrilled! I have about 7-8 more lbs to go but I’m expecting these last few to be the most stubborn ones.

I know I have been raving about my love of butter and I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about it but I never imagined I could eat 4 T of butter everyday and still lose weight. Hoping this isn’t too good to be true!

Wishing everyone a happy Sunday wherever you are!

Ah! Ramadan. Last Ramadan we were in South Africa. Cape Town. My husband has always worked closely with a good number of Muslims in LA and he marveled at how lucky the Muslims of the Southern Hemisphere is that Ramadan comes during winter when the days are short and the evening meal comes at a much more reasonable time than it does for us Northern Hemispheres where it’s got to be *tough* to hold out until 9 or 10 (when does sun set in Central Cal? We still have light closer to 10 here in Vancouver).

I will never forget the day after Eid (is there a name for that?)! Everyone was out in colorful clothes and the diversity of Muslim women’s clothing there — from simple scarves wrapped in a dozen different and elegant ways to the full cover with mere eye slits — added to the exotic and the festive.

Cape Town has about the same Muslim population as North America but it’s a magnet for people from all over Africa and the Middle East so it’s far more open to Islam (as I wish we *all* were!). It was *great* to be there. I have never seen such incandescent smiles in my life and I hope the memory never dims.

hi all, sorry for radio silence, but it has been a busy week. Fast Canadian, thanks for sharing your sugar experience with us – sounds really like you had an almost allergic reaction to the sugar you ate. Remembering this reaction of your body might help you to stay away next time, who knows. Our bodies do adapt to the LCHF for sure. If we then change it and bring back lots of carbs all of a sudden, it must be a true shock!
My body is running well on butter and other fats. Am getting more and more used to eating more and more fat. Carbs are not an issue for me any more. Amazing, really, but there is no craving at all for sugars or bread.
I tend to eat too much protein, so meat or cheese or fish – not in one go, but it adds up during the day. And then I am not losing any weight. But on days where I manage to eat only moderate amounts of protein, but lots of fat, next day it shows on the scales.
WE HAVE TO FORGET EVERYTHING WE EVER LEARNED ABOUT NUTRITION. Really, fat does not makes us fat.
Fat actually makes me feel great. It is like my body has been waiting to get more of it all along. Skin looks better, mood is improved.
Exercising is also fine. Today I ran 13 km and only needed some water on the way as it was really hot here in Germany. My body doesn’t need any carbs anymore to perform just fine. Fat is my new fuel 🙂
Butter with cheese is a new favourite of mine. And for breakfast I am actually eating Mascarpone (!!) with a bit of almond butter. And some berries. So delicious! So fat. What a great start into the day.
And I don’t do any fasting anymore. I tried it a couple times and you know what happened? I overate the following day. Like I had to make up for it. So I decided to rather eat normal every day. And since I am losing weight (as long as I stay moderate on the protein) it does not really matter anymore.
I am almost where I always wanted to be. If I lose another kg or so, that is great. But even if I stay where I am right now, I am fine.
I look forward to the maintenance part with LCHF.
The wine is another element that I find hard to give up. Have a glass on most evenings. And two or three on the weekends. Dry wine. The 2 or 3 glasses are a weight loss blocker for sure. So one needs to be mindful. But I can live with that, I would find it too hard to give up the wine.
Cali, hope the Ramadan goes well for you! Sending you all good vibes ~~~~~~ stay calm and just carry on with everything that is good for you ~~~~ Karen

Thanks for the good wishes Karen and Chubs- I’ll post you all when I’m feeling crazy and it will calm me down. Congrats on the weight loss Karen! I am so happy for you that you have had such great success on your weight loss journey. I also so grateful to be turned onto this LCHF diet plan- really life changing for me so thanks for that!!

Wishing you all a great day!
CaliB

Hello there Jade, Annette, Chubs, FastC, CaliB, Karen, lolly, and all other wonderful Island friends 🙂 Btw, there’s no chance that I’m leaving the Island for some time, it just been very busy so I’ve only been reading rather than posting. We were away in Sydney over the weekend with our children and their partners so needless to say there was no fasting going on, just lots of amazing food and lovely conversation and togetherness, despite the truly horrendous weather http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-storm-aftermath-battered-city-recovers-after-extreme-weather-20160605-gpc6qn.html We avoided any catastrophe and our flights in and out where largely unaffected, so we’re feeling blessed but the clean-up is going to take some time.

I am, as usual, in a funny place with food although I’m doing a FD today – I’m not quite sure why but maybe it’s just become a habit on Mondays? 😉

I, too, am still ‘trying’ and I’m also a work in progress so that is something I suppose, despite my frequent ‘knees-up’ on Bad Girl isthmus (at least we’re not trying to take over the whole Island…) Next week I have to go back and see my GP for a BP check, and that’s always a good motivator to find a solution to the current fix (it’s why I started 5:2).

Hang in there friends, together we can DO this. Spring xxx

Gah, did you all know there is a bus line that will take you to the bad girls isthmus and then run over you? I think I’m officially in the bad girls infirmary. Good lord Spring, stay safe in that awful weather!!🌪🌫

Sounds like a lot of good work going on here, yay!! But I’m not in a good place to talk about much of anything health related today – and have to run meet a friend – so later I’m going to read up here, ponder things, and try to figure out what is wrong with me. Could be I need to take a break from fasting, I don’t know. However, I am not leaving the island, seeing as how I’m in a figurative body cast at the moment! Catch up with you all later – hugs♥️jadexxxx

LA, hubby and I kayaked for two weeks from Vancouver island and saw Orcas “up close and personal” almost every day. I was thrilling!!

K-lo, I am so jealous! I live with a view of Howe Sound (near Horseshoe Bay on the mainland) every day. And I have wanted to learn to kayak because the water is calm, protected by Bowen Island. But last time we lived here I was too fat to get in a wetsuit and this time (when I believe I could) the timing was bad. The water is still pretty cold and I’d have to demonstrate first that I could right a kayak. I’m not at all sure I could do that! So it will have to stay on my bucket list for now.

It must have been fabulous to be out there with them right at their level!!!

Orcas are less common here (though they tell me they sometimes see migrating Gray Whales. My landlady who has lived next door for 20 years or more said this is the first time she’s seen Orcas here. And it had to be something of a big deal because the Bowen Island ferry diverted substantially from its route to get close and was still in the water by them for 10 or 15 minutes to take advantage.

Are you from BC?

Dear Jade —

It is breaking my heart to see you struggle like this, because it is exactly what I was doing. What I want to say to you is that there was no relief for me in half measures, no straddling between worlds. I gave up the sugar. It took 3 days to clear my system, and frankly, it was white-knuckle all the way. BUT after that I was free. Then research brought me to LCHF. You ask what one eats after reducing carbs and moderating protein, and I know you are having trouble absorbing the answer after years of being told differently, but the answer is — fat. Butter. Bacon. Cheese. Cream. Olive and coconut oil. Nuts. All delicious. All filling and satisfying. And most relevant to you right now, all removing those horrendous cravings. That last one seems impossible, but it’s quite true.

It is not my practice here to tell people what to do, so forgive me for addressing you so directly. We all need to work out our own way. But I have found what works for me, and I pass it on in the hopes that it might help you with some understanding of what LCHF entails. This link is to an awesome site, with clear explanations, insights, and fabulous recipes — and a 2-week daily guide complete with shopping and menus. http://www.dietdoctor.com/

With every best wish and a hug — Lolly

Thank you for being so gracious, Jade. I am happy to share anything I find works but I dread the thought of being pushy about it!

At a guess, I’d say that your version of LCHF was behind the emptiness and boredom. Most newbies to it (myself included) can’t grasp at first that eating high fat really means that. We’re used to cutting things down, so we get the dropping sugar and starches things. We understand that unprocessed real food is best, so no problem there. But ADD fat??? How can that possibly work?

It’s about the right balance. High carbs and high fat = typical bad diet we know all too well, and the fat gets blamed. High carbs and low fat = typical advice for weight loss we also know all too well — and it leaves us craving and unsatisfied, with only a matter of time before we fall off, feeling like failures. It’s not sustainable, yet for decades it’s been standard advice.

Most of us bought the mantra that eating fat makes you fat. As it turns out, we’d have been better to eat the butter and throw away the bread! And that’s real butter, not margarine or processed oils. And it’s the fat in a LCHF diet which make you feel so full and satisfied.

No-one could have been more of a sugar junkie than I was before I began 5:2 and then LCHF. Yet I don’t miss or crave it one bit. I don’t expect you to believe me because I wouldn’t have, but it’s true. That was an unexpected bonus. It changes you. Other changes include mood regulation, regular sleep, better skin, less inflammation. Oh. And EASY weight loss, with zero hunger.

Do I eat cake? No. I’m a sugar addict. This is a permanent change for me and that’s just the way it is. I’ve pulled myself back from diabetes using LCHF and no cake in the world beats that. It doesn’t matter what other people can eat, this is what I need to do to feel well. Others are fine on a liberal LCHF and there’s quite a range of approaches. As with 5:2, you find what works. I love what I eat now, and my rule is to only eat foods I like. I’ve never felt better.

A view from the trenches, if you will. Take what you need and leave the rest!

Very very interesting.

I bought a butter dish yesterday, clear glass with a lid-perfect. I have told my boys that when the margarine spread has been finished, it will be butter only here.
I am convinced that more fat and less rice/pasta/sugar/bread is the way forward because since I increased the fat and decreased the carbs…I lost an inch off my waist within a month. Bearing in mind that there had been no further decrease in my waist in the past 3 years, after the initial 3 inches.I am slimmer and trimmer all over, but the waist just wasn’t shrinking at all.

Dinner for me this evening was 2 salmon fillets that were ‘painted’ in full fat mayonnaise then added grated cheese with some grated bread from a bread roll. Baked for 20 minutes then eaten with a pile of cherry tomatoes and the bread roll spread with butter. I had a cheese and mushroom tart yesterday at work with salad, it was delicious and very very filling.

I like nuts and snack on them. I like fruit. I would always choose fish over meat left to my own devices. I love avocados. I can buy and eat white bread in roll, but if I buy anymore, I will eat it. I shall be making some more yoghurt later with full fat milk, makes me feel fuller for longer. The nut/seed meusli is delicious, but I need more carbs when I run more than 3 miles, so I have more meusli with the nut/seed mixture.

I am trying out different combinations of food and simply seeing how I feel. I am quite fussy and although nothing is banned, I am finding that I can ignore the siren call of sugary things most of the time. I left the supermarket last week with a large bag on nuts rather than the 6 pack of ice cream or the pastries.

I am only going to eat foods that I like, so I shall see how I go and see how I feel.

Hi islanders 🌴 – Nurse Ratched is writing up my discharge from the infirmary, after a day of…lets see, almonds, cheese, tomatoes, a bit of hummus and yogurt, and half an apple. She raised an eyebrow at the apple, but I convinced her it was a compromise. Whew, what a thrill ride that was. I took a look at the diet Doctor link, they do have some very good recipes on there. For now, I’m back on the LCHF train.🚉 Let’s hope it doesn’t make a stop in Sugar Creek again soon. I like the idea that it’s flexible – I hope to graduate to the group that can have more than 20g a day.

Chubs, I hope your FDs went well – tall order to do that in the midst of all you’ve got going on. Annette, looks like you and I are doing the same experiment for now – I too can ignore the siren call of sugar “most of the time.” I admit I got a bit scared when the siren seemed to drown out everything the other day – that hasn’t happened in a while!

Good luck whatever is in the offing for you today, friends – thanks for the advice and strength shared🔆😍🌴 jadexxxx

I am so happy to report a dismissal of 4 lbs. this week! I’m no longer 21 stone something, not even 20 stone something — I’m 19 stone something. Haven’t been there in a LONG time and I’m just so grateful to have found my way at last.

Thank you all, just for being here to listen and share.

É bom ver você, Anaide! Algumas palavras de boas-vindas. Concordo com você – a saúde deve vir em primeiro lugar e você é um bom exemplo!