Day 1 - here goes! - The Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

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posted by jpscloud
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:32

Hi all, I’ve just joined the forum. I’ve decided to give the BSD a go, with nothing to lose but weight and medications.

I’m type 2 diagnosed in November last year. I’m a menopausal fifty odd year old woman, 20 and a half stone, and FBG today was 6.3 which is a bit lower than usual – it’s normally around 7-8.

I’m a bit uncertain about my ability to stick to it, but we’ll see. I desperately need to change. Hope it is ok to post daily (or as often as possible) on here to keep myself on track?

Breakfast: cheese, onion and mushroom omelette – about 300 calories

Lunch: Chicken breast with lettuce, grated carrot, cucumber, tomato, onion and a tbsp. light mayonnaise – about 300 calories

Dinner: fish portion with sweetheart cabbage tossed in a teasp. truffle infused olive oil, with a few chopped pistachios – about 200 calories

In preparation for starting the BSD today, I bought some truffle-infused olive oil, nearly a fiver for a small bottle, but it’s powerful stuff and will last well. I find the flavour incredibly satisfying – breakfast was over three hours ago and I’m still feeling satisfied. So far so good!

I’m going to go through the cupboards today and get rid of most things that will be no good for me – I’ll take them to work and give them to my colleagues.

I will keep a few things like dark chocolate, for example… I am going to try to include them in amounts that fit in the BSD so I won’t feel deprived. I have some things in the freezer which are not strictly BSD friendly but I have to use them up. The fish portions are the bird’s eye type, around 100 calories each, and fairly low carb.

I’ve been in a terribly down state for a long time now and I hope the BSD will help me get out of the downward spiral.
posted by bizzylizzy
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:41

Hi, I have just joined the forum too, but been lurking for a while. Well done on deciding to go on this diet! I am in the 5th week and found the trick is to plan, plan and plan some more! I’m sure you will get a lot of support on here, post as often as you need to. Good luck!
posted by jpscloud
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:44

Thanks bizzylizzy! I’m just about to walk to the corner shop for some cucumbers and carrots, then after lunch I’ll go and do a bit in the garden. Spring is a good time to be starting this, I think!
posted by bizzylizzy
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:48

Sounds like an excellent plan! Hooray for gardens!
posted by Bill1954
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:52

Consider the downward spiral at an end. You may have some initial side effects but within a week you should be sleeping better and feeling full of energy.
Then you see the weight loss happening and the blood sugar readings decreasing and you dont feel hungry and you start asking yourself, am I really on a diet .
Then comes the realisation that this diet has become a way of life, you’re loving the food, the healthier feeling and you can’t understand why you used to eat chocolate, biscuits and crisps all in 1 night
As I said earlier, you’re at the start of an amazing journey, and we’re all coming along for the ride.
posted by Buxtonmick
on 19 Mar 2016 at 12:55

Welcome to the forum and well done for taking the decision to change your life. The first week is perhaps the most difficult (along with the second and third…that’s as far as I’m up to so far so can’t comment on the other weeks.) but you are doing it with food rather than meal replacement shakes etc. so it will be far more varied and interesting. Treat it as more of an adventure than a ‘diet’, feeling the subtle changes that your body goes through as it adjusts. Try to be strong during those moments when your body questions your sanity, reminding yourself that this is your health at stake, and possibly your life.
Do post regularly on your progress and, if any, your struggles. It really helps when one is enduring a difficult spell to know that others go through the same things.
And do please post more recipes that you may have or come across – I’ll be trying the omelette for tea tonight…

God luck and good health, Mick.
posted by jpscloud
on 19 Mar 2016 at 14:58

Thanks Buxtonmick, If you’re from Buxton I’m not very far away 🙂

I noticed while walking to the shop I had already started to question why I decided to go 800 calories and not 5-2 so that I could find excuses to eat my old favourites. So I gave myself a talking to and promised I’d do a week of 800 at least to prove I can do it.

Heck, 1 day will be an unprecedented success!

Just had a large chicken salad and it was delicious. I feel quite full.

Michael is so right… when you’re not overeating food tastes great. I realised some time ago that I didn’t really enjoy food because I was never actually hungry but couldn’t get myself to change.
posted by captainlynne
on 19 Mar 2016 at 18:15

Welcome from an old-timer.

Today is the first day of the rest of your (healthy) life.

Post as often as you like – not only with your progress, but also any questions or problems.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.
posted by jpscloud
on 19 Mar 2016 at 18:44

Thanks Lynne, much appreciated.

So today went well… I swerved the hot cross buns in the co op and managed to suppress the naughty thoughts that kept cropping up about how I didn’t really need to do 800, maybe I should do 5-2 and eat “normally” (aka stupidly) today…

I’ve done it though. Just finished my cabbage and fish dinner, it was delicious. Hunger really is the best sauce, although I can’t honestly say the hunger is too bad at this point.

I have never really stopped eating after dinner before, unless I’ve been away from home, except on one or two occasions when my nerve held. So tonight is the test, if I can do this now I know I can take control.

I’ve noticed I’m hopping up out of my chair a lot more than usual today, and getting through chores that I would normally sit and avoid.

Here’s the strange thing – I KNOW I will fail. This time It’s different though – this time I’ll fail, then start succeeding again straight away. Failure is not the end, it’s a pitfall that I can climb out of. It suddenly doesn’t seem so scary!
posted by Sharon
on 19 Mar 2016 at 19:30

Hi jpscloud
You can do this you have taken the first step and like you said if you have a blip you can pick yourself up and carry on. Before too long you will be posting your good results.
posted by Janet1973
on 19 Mar 2016 at 19:53

Hi jpscloud, well done on finding your way here and completing your first day. You can wake up in the morning knowing you had a great day yesterday and it was so easy!

I just wanted to have a little word with that devil on your shoulder who has been trying to tempt you to go for the 5:2 where apparently you can ‘eat normally’. Well, in this case that means still sticking to the med style diet just with no calorie counting. So probably not any of your old favourites, I’m afraid. Now little devil, b***r off and let jpscloud get on with losing weight. There is nothing wrong with the 5:2 as long as you are doing it right but if you want to lose weight fast, the 800 is the way to go. Wishing you every success.
posted by jpscloud
on 20 Mar 2016 at 09:40

I made it! I felt a little nauseous later last evening but it soon passed after a cup of black tea. This morning I’m feeling weak and feeble, with a slightly swimmy head, but have just started sneezing and I think this all might be a coincidental cold!

FBG was 7.3 this morning – and I’m already down 3lbs in weight! I know it’s water, but hey… I’ll take it.

The little devil on my shoulder wants carbs this morning, of course. I’m making spelt and rye bread to take over for my mum who is borderline diabetic (at 82, so she’s done a lot better than me!) and although the aroma is making me drool a bit I’m staying steadfast. I’m going to have the mushroom omelette for breakfast again today, actually my whole menu is the same as yesterday. I don’t mind having the same thing several times in a row, fortunately.

I’m not over-hungry even though I’d normally have eaten a very large breakfast by now.

Tomorrow will be easy as I’m at work. I’m going to have Fage full fat yoghurt for breakfast with a couple of strawberries, chicken salad for lunch and fish and vegetables for dinner. I’ll also quarter an apple and have two quarters with breakfast and two at breaktime.
posted by jpscloud
on 20 Mar 2016 at 09:44

Thanks Sharon and Janet by the way! Janet that little devil is so naughty. I am thinking of him as my carb addiction trying to get fed.

I read Alan Carr’s easy way to stop smoking in my late twenties, and stopped smoking at thirty. One of the most convincing aspects of his book was that the addiction is a raging monster that gets smaller and quieter as you go on. Thinking of it this way really helped me and I never faltered, I went cold turkey and that was that.

I don’t think I will be an extreme low-carber, but I want to reduce as much as I can while I do the 8 weeks to give my liver and pancreas a chance to de-fat.
posted by SunnyB
on 20 Mar 2016 at 17:50

Hi jpscloud
sounds like you are really organised and determined to make this work for you and that you have a handle on the little devil of yours. You will find the journey gets easier as you progress, although there will be blips, struggles and frustrations along the way, stay positive and hold on to your determination to get you through.

Keep posting and make good use of the threads on the forum, as there is heaps of tips, advise and support here, which helps to get us all through.

Good luck – and be sure to let us know how this go for you.
posted by jpscloud
on 20 Mar 2016 at 18:33

Thanks SunnyB I will – this forum is absolutely the best thing (literally!!) since sliced bread for me. Having read the book I was determined to give it a go but I don’t think I could have made it through yesterday and today without the support on here. That sounds a bit dramatic but it’s true!
posted by AnnaandAlfie
on 20 Mar 2016 at 18:59

Hi there
Well this is hopefully a new beginning – I am 57, a school secretary so sit at a desk for a lot of the day; walk the dogs twice a day, have a fitbit to try and keep track of 10,000 steps a day; not diabetic (yet) but really need to shift 25kg according to the tests on this website. I have tried 5:2 before and it was comfortable but want to kick-start the weight shifting and have just heard about this food plan.

I have a couple of questions – it would be really useful to have a comprehensive list of fruit and veg that are ok or no-no’s but I can’t find one anywhere. For example, just cooking a roast for tonight and I won’t have the potatoes obv but will be having sprouts/broccoli and leafy green veg. Where does this plan stand on carrots? I am assuming that parsnips are too starchy/carbohydratey? Also, for fruit are kiwi ok? or fresh figs? I know that I have to resist tropical fruit so mango/pineapple/melon, but my morning salad usually has grapefruit/kiwi/figs/melon with a spoonful of creme fraiche so I guess that is going to have to change a bit?

Any advice would be gratefully received – please!
posted by SunnyB
on 20 Mar 2016 at 19:27

Hi Annaand Alfie
Welcome to the clan! Hope you will find the threads on the forum helpful and supportive. Re you question on veg, as a general rule of thumb use those that grow above ground, as those that grow below are much higher in carbs. However, watch out as some – broccoli and kale for instance – can be surprisingly high in carbs. Carrots are okay occasionally, but parsnips are high and so best avoided. Fruit – I’m pretty sure the book says melon falls into the ‘tropical’ bracket and I would suggest that kiwi and figs do too. It is the sugar content that you need to watch out for. Think if you stick to fruits native to UK (sorry, assuming you are from the UK) you should be okay. I have high fat yogurt and approx. 15g of raspberries as the base of my breakfast each day for instance.

Sounds like you are all set to embark on this new venture. Good luck – hope you achieve your goals.
posted by jpscloud
on 20 Mar 2016 at 19:29

Hi AnnaandAlfie, welcome! I will let the more experienced posters give you the benefit of their wisdom on all this as well but as far as I am aware, the recipes in the book do include some carbs and each person has a slightly different response to carbs from different sources… so I think it’s a case of try, test your BG (if you do) and see what works, as long as it’s in the 800 calorie count.

Not sure if this helps but the GI lists (there are loads available) show the likely impact of a food on your blood sugar – this is one site but you can also do a search on an individual food, for example ” melon GI ”

http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
posted by jpscloud
on 20 Mar 2016 at 19:43

Bill1954 I apologise most profusely for not acknowledging your post! I’ve only just re-read the thread and realised I missed it first time around. You are such an inspiration, thank you for sharing your journey with us all.
posted by AnnaandAlfie
on 20 Mar 2016 at 19:45

Thank you so much, that is a really helpful rule of thumb. I am sure once I get my head around it, it will be much easier! And yes, I am UK!
Onwards and upwards (or rather downwards…)
posted by SunnyB
on 20 Mar 2016 at 19:48

Keep us posted AnnaandAlfie and be sure to use the forum threads for support when the going gets tough. There’s so much positivity here to help carry you through – they have certainly helped me when I’ve been struggling.
posted by captainlynne
on 20 Mar 2016 at 21:06

Welcome to the club AnnaandAlfie. Lots of support and advice on here, and usually someone around. Look forward to seeing your progress.