Paleo Judy's Journal, 05 Mar 17

Now I hope you don't take this the wrong way as it's a genuine question but don't you think you're being a wee bit harsh on yourself? I get that you want to be 63.5kg (about the same as me and you're much close to it too - well done!) but your current starting and target weights are so close you could be above and below with just one day's fluctuations. Only 4lb/1.8kg. Yes, by all means work to your goal, I applaud you for your success so far, but if you're within your range, surely concentrating on your health issues around sleep is more important. As to your post on your last journal, I'd say it's unlikely the expert would work with you without a referral but I could be wrong - the worst you'll get by trying to contact them is a 'standard letter' rebuff. Take care, Judy! 

Yes Judy, I have to agree with Phooka on this. You've done really well 

Judy, if you want to stay nearer to 140, I'd suggest setting your goal weight to 138. It could make a big psychological difference. If you find you don't like it, you could always change it back again. Last week I set my goal weight and my 'diet start weight' both down by just a pound, and that has really made me think harder about what I'm doing. 

Thank you all for the comments. I was interested in trying a little bit of fasting, because so many people have given good reports on it. I'm sure it does work well for some people, but for me it's plainly not the right course of action. The first time, I felt ill and thought I had just made a mistake by going to the gym at the same time and had tired myself out. The second time, I did not eat until 8.00 pm and was careful not to do any exercise. Same result - I felt absolutely terrible. Perhaps unsurprisingly, low thyroid functioning, hypoglycaemia and intermittent fasting do not mix. I'm now going back to simple balanced meals and a few snacks and beginning to feel a lot better. I think the best policy for me is simply three moderate balanced meals a day and maybe a couple of snacks. The portion plate and small dish method will be useful at times in order to help me with balancing the protein, carbohydrate, vegetables and fats. I think what has happened is that I had become interested in losing weight and low calorie diets because these were proving to be helpful for Type 2 diabetes (e.g. The Blood Sugar Diet), but this sleeping after meals with rebound insomnia is a separate disorder and maybe it needs a different approach. It looks as if what might be needed is a steady regulated flow of balanced foods throughout the day and ensuring that there are complex carbs in the evening to help with going to sleep. Some good sleep hygiene and a bit of gentle exercise might also be helpful. I'm going to try the approach recommended in the Daily Mail article I mentioned and see if I can get my sleeping pattern back on track. Did my initial weight loss with the portion plate and only used FatSecret at the end, so the chart here is really more about maintenance. It would be nice to feel I could maintain at the actual target, so I'll bear in mind Heidi's idea about lowering the marker for the target weight. Don't want to eat so much I blow up like a big biscuit, but I'm really happy with being any weight between 10 stone and 10 stone 3, and my main aim is to get my health back to rights.