When I started banting, I looked for support and help and my first point of call was Facebook. I joined just about every single group there was to join and found myself totally confused. I found the groups to range from friendly to downright hostile and condescending. None seemed to be giving me what I needed because I wanted support as well as some guidance as to what I could or should be eating. I also mistakenly thought that this was a diet and not a lifestyle.

Having joined every possible group on Facebook and leaving most of them, I realised that to start the Banting journey is not easy. Bad eating habits of a lifetime and the misinformation that fat is bad for you, causes a lot of confusion. I envisioned a group offering guidelines for banters whilst being a supportive space where Banters could ask questions safe from ridicule and nastiness. And so Banting 7 Day Meal Plans was born to give people meal plans and guidelines to start them on their journey to great health. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1547776405444325/

To be completely honest, I had no huge expectations of this group. I thought that we would have perhaps 1000 members at most. When you think of the huge number of groups on Facebook, then it would have been overly ambitious of me to expect anything more. The group has been successful beyond my wildest expectations. We now have 121,000 members (and growing every day) who are actively helping each other and sharing their personal experiences and knowledge.

So what have a learnt from this wonderful community?

• Most people that are overweight are not huge eaters. They are ill their bodies simply do not function properly.
• Sugar is the most addictive substance known to man. Most of our members when starting banting want recipes for cakes, puddings and other baked goods. They are addicted to anything sweet that will give them their hit.
• You cannot eat as much as you like. Replacing a huge number of bad calories with the equivalent number of calories from healthy food is not going to make you thin.
• Fat keeps you feeling full and you eat less because of it.
• Preservatives make you ill and cause your body to become infected. The only way to ensure a long and healthy life is to eat real food that is free from preservatives.
• The doctors simply tell you that you have elevated cholesterol, but are not forthcoming with the breakdown of HDL, LDL and triglycerides. Yes, they want you to take statins so why would they tell you that you have good cholesterol?
• People are desperate to become healthy and they follow the advice of dieticians who often have not realized that the person is simply insulin resistant and should not be eating carbs.
• Most of the people on the group that are following banting have basically cured themselves of T2 diabetes.
• Help is at hand, just ask for it.

The daily success stories and testimonials posted on the group are inspirational and keep us on track to a better life. The group has evolved from being a place where you can find a meal plan to a community of help and support. It is invaluable for beginners who ask all kinds of questions from “May I eat popcorn” to “Is meat a fat or a carb?” It’s an actively growing community of people that depend on each other daily to keep themselves on track. It has become one big family. I have never been prouder of anything in my life.

(and that was yesterday!)