Progress

[GuinevereBlueEyes]

I posted back in January when I joined, and since then have been reading rather than posting updates. Thank you to everyone in the community who does post and share. I started by calorie counting, which was effective to get me started, and I got my eye in on smaller portions. But my success and slow gradual loss is mainly due i think to my avoiding processed foods and products with added sugar. I still have honey on toast. And pasta, wine, fresh fruit, dried fruit - but not those coated in a syrup - it is the added, not natural, sugars I avoid. I was shocked to discover that the chicken stock i was in the habit of buying has added sugar. Why?! Sugar makes me want to eat more of something. So avoiding sugar has stopped my over-eating at any one meal time (it took about 3-4 weeks for my brain to really adjust). If recipes call for sugar (such as tomato-based concoctions) I add some barley malt extract I bought from a health-food store. Last week was Easter and i was on holiday with family - so it went to pot slightly. But I countered the relapse by walking my brother's dogs daily - I was regularly hitting 12,000 paces. I sleep better without refined sugar in my diet, and when awake, I've more energy. It is time-consuming because I am reading the ingredients before purchasing. Anyway, I have lost 5 kilos (11 pounds) since January. So a gradual loss, but I'm hoping it will stay off. I am now 86.7 kilos having got up to about 92 at Christmas. I am working in 10 per cent stints - my current target is 79.5 kilos. Then I will give myself a new target. It is time-consuming, but more straightforward than calorie counting, I find. Oh, and vegetable smoothies at breakfast featured a lot but I have to find new veg smoothie recipes now that a spring veg season is upon us. Kale is not so easy to find.

[Tiggerr]

Great post GuinevereBlueEyes. Just goes to show that there are a number of paths to sustainable weight loss.

I'm intrigued about the barley malt extract and will look into whether it might be something I'll do.

I'm sure you'll keep going and I wish you all the best.

[IndigoBlue61]

That's fantastic GuinevereBlueEyes 😊 Very well done. I'm so pleased you are finding the forum helpful 😊

I shall award you your 5kg badge 😊

Congratulations 😊

[Pineapple27]

ThenBlood Sugar Diet also advocates removing processed foods (refined sugars) and in fact all types of sweeteners from the diet. I too was completely blown away with how much more alert and energetic I felt during the first few weeks of keeping myself almost entirely sugar free! As I have been following a much healthier way of eating for over five years now, I was also shocked as I really didn't think my diet was that bad. But as you say, sleeping better, waking earlier (naturally) and not needing as much sleep...

We are led to believe that it is the FAT our diet that we need to avoid, but in fact I have found my weight loss has been greater by increasing the fat and reducing the sugars / carbs.

Out of interest, when you have eaten sugar (you say things went a bit to pot last Easter weekend) how did your body react? I have found that, if I eat half a bar of chocolate (85% cocoa) I feel quite nauseous!

I think your way of losing weight is likely to be far more sustainable, and better for you in the long run. Cutting out sugar as you have rightly pointed out, make some far more aware of all the places it lurks. I am always shocked by the condiments such as tartare sauce, horse radish, etc.

Your weight loss is brilliant! Do keep it up!

[GuinevereBlueEyes in reply to Pineapple27]

Depending on quantity I get acid reflux - and once after too much i actually got candida -not last week, but earlier before I really got into the rhythm and had a binge on boiled sweets while driving! But what was immediately obvious last week was poorer sleep and concentration. Just to add I was invited to lunch and I told my friend that I was off sugar: she made a dark chocolate cake using lentils -no sugar. That reminds me - I must get the recipe from her.

[Pineapple27 in reply to GuinevereBlueEyes]

Have you seen the recipe for the chocolate mousse made with avocado?

cookforyourlife.org/recipes...

[Jules_T in reply to Pineapple27]

What a brilliant site you recommended! My daughter studies human nutrition at uni and they made avocado chocolate cake she said it was really good. So I bet the mousse would be too.

[GuinevereBlueEyes in reply to Jules_T]

It is indeed great - the recipes look delicious.

[Lakeswimmer]

You have great determination, well done! And what a lovely friend you have