Hi everyone, I started the Fast800 three weeks ago and so far I have lost 14lbs, which I’m really happy with – although my weight loss this week was a lot less than the first few weeks but I guess that’s to be expected.

The question I have is that on reading the forums I keep seeing reference to 20g carbs a day. I don’t remember reading this value when I read the Fast800 book but I may have missed it. However I use my fitness pal to track all my meals and even following the recipes from the book exactly I cannot keep the carbs under 20g, they are more like 50-60g.

Will this affect my weight loss significantly?

The other question is regarding fasting. I have been doing one day a week of “fasting” (on eating around 200cals). It’s not part of the Fast800 but I’ve found that it makes my stomach less bloated. Has anyone else followed a similar approach? Will this be a problem for the weight loss?

Hi Ruth,

There is no official limit on carbs, but a number of people on these have found that keeping carbs low can help in trying to combat T2 Diabetes and with weight loss.

I did a “close to ” Fast800 for several months and have lost just under 120lbs and my average carb intake was just under 50g, so it seemed to work for me but it’s fair to say everyone is different. I would suggest just sticking with it and seeing what works for you.

Wow Jules, 120lbs lost is amazing!

You’ve just answered another of my questions actually, I was wondering whether it was ok to continue with the Fast800 after the 8 weeks. I have about another 100lbs to lose myself so you’ve just given me hope that it is possible using the Fast800 principles.

Thank you so much

I worked on the principle that if I felt OK I would just carry on. My Diabetes nurse (who is great and skeptical but supportive) had a bit of a wobble and insisted on a full set of bloods to make sure I was getting the right levels of nutrition and I was, so I just carried on.

I started at quite a high weight (330lbs) and am quite a big-framed guy so I aimed for less than 1000 calories a day and it seemed to work for me.

HI Ruth. There are a quite a few of us who just went straight
through on the Fast800 until are goals had been reached
because we felt so well doing so. It took me 10 months to
lose 140 lbs, and I’ve been maintaining it for 9 months. Best
of luck to you! Why not re-access at the end of your first 8 wks?

Allie

Hi there, I went down to 20g carbs and found it way easier to lose weight fast (I had three stone to lose). It’s a Keto based number.

As I read the BSD book, when people are obese and insulin resistant or worse their pancreatic function is compromised, so they need to lose weight fast. Broadly, MM is saying a really low calorie diet will do that quickly, and speed is of the essence when your pancreas isn’t working.

He also thinks moving long term to a lower carb diet than we have all been used to will aid long term health and longevity, but he doesn’t give a figure, just says what not to eat. This is a way of life, not just a diet, which is why I think his recipes are higher carb than a pure Keto diet would say.

Some people, me included, found the really low carb element important as our pancreases (? Plural?) were compromised. Others without issues have also used low carb and found it useful, and yet others have been higher carb (not high) and that’s worked for them. So the joy of this is it’s so flexible and you can work out how to work it into your life.

I think the fast should help as it rests your internal organs, which they need to recover from all we do to them. Interestingly lots of people on here love fasting but extended (16+) doesn’t suit me at all, I eat too much after.

My blood sugar now back in normal range and I am maintaining on low carb no-calorie-counting but giving myself at least 12 hrs fasting each night.

This is my second time doing the 8-week 800 calorie diet. I did it last year and lost 2.5 stones in 8 weeks -I didn’t count carbs and although my blood sugars went down and were good they were never quite into the ‘normal’ range always stayed in the ‘pre-diabetic’ range. This time I’m counting carbs – sticking to 30g a day and this week (week 5) my fasting blood glucose has been in the normal range. Compared to last year I’m losing exactly the same amount of weight just better control of the blood glucose.

I’m concerned about how to continue after the 8 weeks too – my head tells me that I shouldn’t stay on such a low number of calories every day because it can’t be healthy – but the success stories that have been shared on this forum are inspiring. I will reassess when I come to it and maybe continue the diet a bit longer – maybe taking it a few weeks at a time …

Wow! I am so impressed Jules and alliecat. Congratulations on your loss. (That sounds wrong somehow). I’m desperate to avoid giving up when the going gets tough. My diaries for the past 30 or 40 years are full of me starting a diet, and then starting another one a few months later and heavier still. Do you have any tips?

Hello, Clarerocks, no worries, we don’t mind in the least being referred
to here as “big losers” 🙂 I’m just going to generalize about
maintenance, because Im not familiar with your specific goals.
Like every other diet plan, weight will return if you go back to eating
the foods/drink that got you to a weight loss forum in the first
place. To be successful, the changes you have to make are a
change in lifestyle. The most fantastic thing about cutting out
bad carbs and sugar is that when done for a long enough time,
your tastes will change, and these things will no longer seem
like treats or something that you feel deprived not being able
to eat. You just won’t want them any longer, so it’s easier than
it sounds, really! All the support you can imagine resides here,
and for many it is the secret weapon we all share in getting
threw the occasional plateaus or moments when we wobble a
bit. Keep posting, and ask anything and everything, we’re
happy to respond!

Best of luck to you,

Allie

Hi Gattina – once you hit your goal weight, it is okay to start increasing the calories, as long as you keep control of the carbs. It is the carb intake that impacts on BG, so it is finding the best level for you once at goal, which you will need to play with. There many on the forum who are living with blood sugar concerns day to day and I’m sure they will provide more refined advice in this area.

Don’t panic about staying on the 800 cals for longer that 8wks if you need to, many on the forum have done back to back periods of eight weeks (and more) to no ill effect. Personally, I took periods of maintenance between periods on 800/20, but that was due to my lifestyle, rather than for any health concerns around eating at the 800 cal level. Obviously, this approach meant it took me much longer than others, to lose all the weight I wanted to be rid of, but in some ways I think this may be meant I went into maintenance better prepared than some.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide on the best approach for you, your body and your lifestyle. We all have to make the BSD way of life work for us in the long term, so we each have to work out how to amalgamate it into our lives for keeps.

Best wishes to you – hope you are soon at goal weight and successfully maintaining.

Thank you so much for all of your replies, it’s so helpful to hear from people who have gone through the same thing and been sucessful!

I think I will try to continue on the Fast800 until I reach my goal. It’s worked for others and I’m determined to make it work for me.

Alliecat, 140lbs loss is fantastic, how did you find it maintaining after reaching your goal weight? You are so right about tastes changing. I’ve only been doing the Fast800 for 3 weeks and already I’m not craving the same foods I used too, plus everything tastes so much better!

JackieM, that’s really helpful information thank you. Can you recommend a good recipe book for 20g carb meals? Am I correct in thinking it refers to 20g total carbs, not just 20g sugar? I use my fitness pal and it lists carbs and sugar seperately so I’m a bit confused as to whether the carb value includes the sugar or not.

Thanks

Really useful posts in this thread. Thanks for your advice SunnyB – lots to think about.

Gokiniruth, you are correct that it’s 20 grams total carbs, including sugars. The sugars are listed separately so people who need to can pay extra attention to them. I keep them as low as humanly possibly, usually below 5 grams a day. The trick to avoid almost all fruit and drastically reduce or eliminate vegetables like onions and tomatoes that have highish sugar counts. Rely on leafy cooking greens like green chard, chickory, broccoli rabe, turnip and mustard greens instead.

Gattina, see how you feel at the end of the 8 weeks. If this plan were unhealthy, you’d feel it. Others have posted about experiencing fatigue and energy loss so they adjusted their caloric intake upwards and increased protein. Some even increased carbs from veg and legumes. Considering your outstanding response to the lower daily carb limit this time around, I would stick with the 30 grams indefinitely even if you did increase calories. That’s the whole point, after all, to control your BG through diet, and you’ve figured out your sweet spot.

Congratulations!

Hi Gokiniruth, I don’t really have a recipe book I follow, sorry. I either eat raw stuff (just had a roast salmon fillet with mayo and raw spinach for example) or use old recipes and reduce carb items. During myfast800 I weighed and measured all ingredients and used MyFitness Pal to work out carbs (yes all carbs not just sugar).

Also, I checked all packets or googled carbs for things. Which is how I found out I had to give apples a swerve. And onions 😳 I now eat all carby veg in moderation – some one carrot and one onion in a bolognese for 4 people for example, and I eat my share.

Thanks for your post Esnecca – very helpful.
Gokinruth – good luck on your journey. I look forward to hearing how you’re getting on.

Thanks Esnecca and JackieM, I’ve experimented using your advice the last couple of days and I’ve managed to keep my carbs and sugar much lower!

Thanks Gattina, the same to you, sounds like you’ve already done amazing and will continue to do so. Look forward to hearing how it’s going. Any advice is welcome!