Hi Mrs Stiches… your more than welcome to join me xx its good to talk with people who have similar weight to lose and at the same stage as me too… looking forward to hearing your progress xx

Congratulations bigmama99 ! Today is my W2 D1 too 🙂 I lost 6.4 lbs in one week and I cannot say I followed the 800 cal to the rule. Hoping to do better this week but 6.4 lb it’s a good start anyway:) .

Hello, Mrs. Stiches, and welcome to the forums! When you venture beyond newbie threads, you will soon
discover that there is an entire community of maintainers who have found 800 cal. a day very realistic,
as well as sustainable. I did an uninterrupted 10 months, and felt fantastic as soon as my body switched
from using carbs for fuel, into fat burning mode. Six months in I had every blood test imaginable, and each
result was “optimal levels” across the board. My experience is far from unique, and seeing this journey
as a change of lifestyle and not just a diet is what has made all the difference. I’m well into month 10
of maintenance without any regain, and that achievement is the one I prize even more than losing 148 lbs.
Best of luck to you on your journey! You’ll find all the support one could ever need here on these forums.
Let us know how you get on 🙂

Allie

Hi Mrs Stitches – I can only endorse Allie’s comments above. Most successfull losers and maintainers on this forum have continued on 800 cals and very low carbs for way beyond the initial 8 weeks and have experienced nothing but huge health benefits by doing so. So good luck and keep going. We’ll look forward to reading of your progress.

Hello all, it’s day two for me and I haven’t found it too difficult. I’m drinking lots of water and fruit tea, and just had decaf coffee with almond milk. I’m just doing 1 meal a day at as that suits me and I want to have good fast periods in between. Smoked mackerel salad last night and Thai green chicken tonight – can’t wait…. I have also cut out all alcohol, so the weekends are going to be interesting, but at the moment I am very focussed and I really want to do this! Hope you are all having a good day…At last the snow is going so I can come out of this hibernation. 😊

Thank you so much for the support – I saw the diabetic nurse today, who confirms I’m now prediabetic, out of diabetic range, and this was after getting on the scales and discovered I have lost 2.2kg already! I will take that, thank you very much. I have a long way to go, but I talked to the nurse about the BSD, she approves thoroughly, told me not to worry if I fall off the wagon from time to time but just to get back on track asap. All very positive. No need for drugs or special tests, and she is looking forward to what progress I have made in 12 weeks! having been terrified by the GP, this nurse has put me back in the right place in my head. And I have now had a proper conversation with my husband about what I need to do – I didn’t tell him about the diabetes to start with as I was so ashamed. all in all a very good day. Tonight I made a chilli following the BSD recipe and my husband loved it – but he had rice. I have finally accepted that the only person who can deal with this is me – its about me and the rest of my life. I have hens in the garden laying the most wonderful eggs, and now husband is totally on side – he doesn’t understand it at all but understands my blind terror of falling into the family Type 2 trap. Thank you – finding you guys has been a massive boost, and I know you will kick me up the bum if I slip. xx

Oh, Mrs Stitches, what a great achievement, and so quickly too. Well done, and how wonderful to have such a supportive and well-informed diabetic nurse. Lucky you.

Great news that you are now being totally open with o/h, and that he is supportive too. You can, and quite obviously already are doing this and, don’t worry, if you do fall off the wagon occasionally, there are plenty of us here to gently but firmly pull you back on. Sounds as though you have had a great day.

I’m very happy that you have found your way to us too, Mrs Stitches! I’m sure that you will soon
come to depend on and believe in our community, too 🙂 It’s totally unique for the wisdom and
friendship offered. You must be so relieved that you have an informed nurse, and didn’t have
to suffer having medication forced upon you. Having o/h on board is a wonderful asset, too!
Sunny skies are coming your way, and just call out to any of us if you have questions. There
is always one of us out and about, and we are more than delighted to share information and/or
experiences that will advance your goals.
Very best wishes to you,

Allie

Alex49 – hope day 2 went well for you and hope the Thai curry was tasty 😁. fingers crossed you can keep cutting out the alcohol… i failed this weekend and had 1 glass of red wine 😶.. hope you have a good day 3 x

Mrs Stitches – it’s really good that you have the support of your husband and nurse as it is hard for other people to understand that this is a 800 cal diet and you have to be careful what you eat which can make it difficult for partners when they are wanting takeaways & alcohol… but be strong ! I love the thoight of having new laid eggs daily .. they must taste lovely.

W2D2 today for me.
yesterday I was so hungry i could have eaten everything in the house.. im due my TOTM on Saturday and i always get sooooooo hungry a couple of days before that & I just want to eat everything in site…. I resisted and had a full fat greek yogurt with strawberrys to try and satisfy the sweet urge….i ended up having braising steak for tea instead of the pork stirfry i was going to have.. in all my calories came to.892 & 44g carbs which im pleased with. I’ve woke up this morning really hungry again so it’s going to be a long day ! for exercise today I’m planning on doing a Zumba class tonight. hope you all have a fab day x

Go Mama!!!! You can do this, you know you can. I’m a few steps behind you, but with you all the way. Dealing with hungry thoughts is horrid – the lovely nurse told me that every time I think I’m hungry to drink a glass of water – its working for now, but I’m only on day 7. One thing she asked me was why my subconscious didn’t think I was worth keeping healthy? got me thinking……..for breakfast I had mushroom omlette having collected the eggs from the hen house this morning. Ive not done the eggs for breakfast before, so hoping it will last until well into the afternoon. I was struggling yesterday but determined not to fall off, so ate celery. and then I did my daily calorie count – 533 – hence being hungry!!!! not quite sure how that happened, but the cookery book is a life saver. I’m run a sewing business from home and teach all day Wednesdays – its going to be interesting to see how I get on – there are always biscuits and chocolate flying around! Hope everyone is having a good day. xxxx

Mrs Stitches – your nurse does sound great; a few weeks ago someone on the forum said eating healthily is a form of self respect which made me think, too. Great going with your shift to being pre-diabetic. I came to the BSD when I first learnt I was diabetic in August and have got my blood sugars back into the normal range through this woe. It’s always heart warming to hear when it works for other people.

Good luck everyone and keep going. x

Marie123 – it is so good to hear that others have already got there. And you have got your sugars back to normal in just 6 months – that is nothing short of amazing. Type 2 runs in my family – I should have thought about it, but it never crossed my mind that it would be me – but it is, so just have to get on with it. I’m having a hungry day today – think celery is going to take a hit. Keep going folks, you have spurred me on. and for that I’m truly grateful. x

Hi Mrs Stitches – they actually reduced in 4 months. I was diagnosed diabetic with an Hba1c result of 106 (almost 12%) at the beginning of August last year (and started BSD immediately) and my next Hba1c at the end of November was 35 (about 5.5%) – easily within the normal range. I did stick rigorously to 800 cal < 20 carb throughout. You’re right it’s a shock, but, as you’ve seen this way of eating just works. Lucky us, really, to be diagnosed at a time when this info is there for us to use. Marie x

Hi Mrs Stitches
So delighted for you, full steam ahead now, this plan is nothing short of miraculous I’m surprised and delighted by it every day.

🙋 jan

and it’s your week 2 weigh tomorrow Jan too 😁… are you being especially good today 🤣

I’m not sure i actually like a Monday weigh.. . think I might change it to a Friday 😁

BigMama, that’s actually a good strategy for weigh-ins. During my extended months of weight
loss, tuesday and friday worked best for me, too. A little reality check on the scales going
into the weekend stiffened my resolve 🙂

yes.. I think i will follow you alliecat & going forward I will weigh in on a tue & fri too.. this will keep me in check & so i know what the weekend has done to my weight.

.Very good plan, Bigmama! I hope you don’t mind if I look in on all of you determined ladies. I once
walked in your shoes, with even more to lose, so I have a special place in my heart for all of you,
and I’m very invested in your using these tools to find the way forward 🙂 One day at a time, and
with a little support and guidance, I know that it can happen for each and everyone of you! You
don’t have to be perfect, you just have to do it 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Allie I appreciate your support & experience as think we are all going to need it to get through these next 8 weeks successfully . I’ve dieted for most of my life but somehow this one seems different and i think I can do it…. I just got to learn to not beat myself up if i have a slipup & instead of thinking ive blown it & stop( as that is my usual tactic when i diet after a couple of weeks) i will just keep looking forward to the body i want to have . thanks Allie x

This time IS different, Bigmama. You have a “force field” of experienced maintainers here to
support you, and you’ve already seen the wisdom of frequent posts to help you stay on track 🙂
Believe in yourself….We believe in you, and that will carry you through 🙂 🙂 🙂

Well here we go Jan’s Wednesday weigh in
End of week 2 108.9 total loss since start 4.8 kg
And this weeks loss 1.6 kg
So very pleased with that and feeling very well, just as well we will be taking delivery of 50 roof trusses to day, so need to have my strength and stamina with me today, and not my old carb sluggish way of feeling
Yay thank goodness for the brilliant BSD
💃💃💃💃💃
Bm99 thanks for your support hope it’s going well for you
🙋 jan

Woohoo Jan that is a fab loss for your 2nd week.. Well done you 👏👏👏👏

Hello everyone, day 4 for me and I think I’ve been hit by the dreaded carb flu ☹️ feeling weak, a bit shaky and light headed today, no energy at all, but not hungry strangely enough. I know it will pass but I sooo much want some get up and go, especially having been housebound for the past week because of the weather. Hey ho. Hope you are all having a good day xx

Alex, your energy levels will soar when you’re well into ketosis. Just try to ride out the carb flu until
it passes, and drink extra water if you can manage it. A little extra salt on your food can be beneficial
too!
This is an extra tip for you all, which hasn’t appeared on the forums in weeks…so time to repeat it 🙂
For those of you that have a lot of weight to lose, try to hold off buying any new shoes for as long as
you can. Too many of us discover that we drop in shoe size, too! Some old dependables are pairs
that I know walk right out of. I always thought that when your feet “spread”, they stayed that way.
Not true at all 🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks Allie., I’m also feeling tearful today which I didn’t yesterday…is this normal? Xx

I think we can all be affected in different ways, Alex. During the first week, our bodies don’t know the
meaning of all these changes, i.e., reduced calories AND reduced carbs. Treat yourself with love and
kindness, and it will soon pass. Then you’ll probably feel better than you have in years. Keep posting,
too. We get through this together! 🙂

Allie

I know, the shoe thing is surprising isn’t it Allie? I have a couple of pairs that could be binned, but I’m hanging on to them at the moment, as I can wear them with my slipper socks on, if I need to pop out in the garden for anything – saves taking the slipper socks off to put on shoes that fit.

Oh, Sunny, this comment about your slipper socks made me truly giggle 🙂 🙂 🙂 Dashing out to the garden
in some rag tag costume in the hope that no one would bear witness is precisely something I might do!
Convenience always takes precedence over style. It brings out my inner “bag lady” time after time 🙂

Alex, in the back of my mind, I recognized your username…Of COURSE, it’s from the old “new life choices…”
thread!!! I remember something about a delightful navel piercing.. Oh yes!!!! I don’t use that thread much
any longer, so it’s just wonderful to see you here 🙂 We can pick up where we left off. I’m still here fighting
the good fight, and I’m 10 months into maintenance now. I’d love to know if wine is still a challenge for
you? You will enjoy this lively and positive thread. Call on me anytime, girl. Kazzi is still out and about,
too! I have enormous empathy for the special ladies with much to lose, so I look in here often.
Welcome Back!

Allie

Glad to have brought you some cheer on a cold, snowy day, Allie!

Alex49… I felt really down last week for a couple of days but I’ve got a lot of stress at the moment with work & family so i just put it down to that and not the diet but i feel a lot better this week so just keep going and you will turn a corner and feel better. keep posting and we will get through this together x

Allie wish you’d told us that earlier about the shoes … I have just had delivered a pair for a wedding im going to at the start of April 🤣… fingers crossed there not dropping off me in 4wks time !

W2D3 for me today.
yesterday I went over my calorie allowance and ate 1100 calories… but i did jog on the treadmill for 10min & did a 1hr zumba class so my fitbit said I’d burnt a extra 600 calories doing them so i dont feel as bad going over. I did feel absolutely knackered afterwards and this morning I woke up with a headache & dry mouth so think I need to up my water intake when i exercise although I did drink 2ltrs after the class before I went to bed. I wasn’t organised this morning and didn’t take my lunch to work and ended up having a Starbucks cappucino & some mushroom soup for lunch. Just got in from work and I’m starving but got the celery & humous as a snack to keep me going until i decide what to have for tea.. . I’m maybe a thinking a veggie omelette. no exercise planned for today !

Thanks for your support guys…haha, well remembered Allie! Gosh that was a while ago! I’ve been ill pretty much since November but starting to get on my feet so thought this would be a good time to get to grips with the diet, and yes, the wine. I’m doing the One Year No Beer 90 day challenge, which has been surprisingly ok 16 days in, but I want to get back to healthy eating too as I found I resorted to eating crap a lot of the time…So far so good 👍 First weigh in tomorrow. Xx

Hi Bigmama99, I started on February 15th, I’m hoping to lose a total of 50kgs to achieve a healthy BMI. I lost 1 stone 3oz in the first 16 days and I’m already shedding inches too, my waist if reappearing. My 3 week weigh in is due tomorrow so fingers crossed. I’m managing to follow the meal planners, no cravings or hunger and drinking 2 litres or more per day. I really need to see quick results to stay motivated because I have so much weight to lose and the BSD is doing just that. Good luck with everything and look forward to hearing how you are getting on.

wow Donnal that is an amazing loss in 16 days ..you are doing really well and must be really pleased with yourself. and nice to have here with us as we try to get all our weight lost 😁.. have you managed to stick to 800 calories every day without fail ?

i am super hungry but im due my TOTM soon as i always get starving hungry so I know it’s just that trying to make me eat crap ! I don’t usually have breakfast but had to eat something so just had a coffee and some scrambled egg to stop the craving for a bit of toast or hot cross buns that were calling me to eat them this morning ha! will see how the rest of the day goes but might not be able to stay below 800 calories but will stay low carb and not give into the bad stuff !

Morning everyone. 😊 First weigh in (day 5) and I have lost 1.7 kilos or 3.75 lbs. I am now 114 kilos. My goal ATM is 99 kilos as I can’t remember the last time I was under 100. I am so pleased with this result. I know that much of this is water, but I have lost a lot of my previous diet bloat, especially from around my tummy which is great! Still very tired, but not tearful (ATM!) Have a good day xx

Bigmama99…well done on fending off the toast and buns. Eggs are much more filling and nutritious 😉 When I crave something, usually cake, I say to myself..Oh I don’t eat cake/whatever and oddly enough after a year of saying it I do actually believe it. Funny the tricks your mind plays!

Daisy thankyou for your advice …its been a hard day and ive just wanted to eat something really nice… I’ve just made myself some garlic mushrooms to try satisfy my need to eat… ended the day on 990 cals & 68g carbs… I’m not giving up as I know i havent failed just cos I can’t stick to 800 every day. The thing is im not actually hungry & i just miss eating whatever i want ! tomorrow is another day.

Alex .. good job on losing 1.7kgs in just 5 days… stick with it.. you can do this 😁

Bread is not nice. It’s been a plague on all our houses for years. Good for you for not letting it suck you in and going for the eggs and mushrooms instead. This is a mental endeavor far more than a physical one. Don’t let yourself be dragged down by some wistful longing for foods that are not your friends and never have been. Steel in your spine, bigmama. You’re in this for the long haul and you can 100% do it.

Bigmama…I do sympathise..until I cut my carbs down to 30g or less I had those cravings. It is actually magic how the cravings leave you and how comfortable it is not to think about food. It is literally liberating.
So cut down your carbs and secondly go into the search bar and read Esnecca’s posts. Print them off, put them on the fridge and read them when your hand starts straying to the fridge or bread basket. I can’t tell you how much they helped me.
I started at 111kgs and I’m now 15 months later at 82. Not as fast as Esnecca but I’m still losing and to be honest the slow boat suits me. I’m enjoying the journey and you will too. You have everything to play for…
Oh and that thing about wanting something nice…there was a thread about rewards I think…can’t remember what it was called. Try the search bar. Instead of reaching for food buy yourself something small but nice nail varnish for example or, maybe better, when a craving hits go paint your nails! You can’t eat much with wet nails. Haha!

Daisy/Esnecca your advice is just what i needed & really helpful to know that you both know what im going through. I always find this time just before my TOTM so difficult.. once it’s here im absolutely fine but the week before it just tries to take over me and make me eat everything… it’s due soon so hopefully these feelings will disapear.

W2D5 – So it’s my Friday weighin before the weekend…. Monday 113.3kgs & today i’m 112.8kgs so only 0.5kg (1lb) lost this week so far. I would’ve obviously liked to have seen more but with TOTM on the way im hoping im holding onto some water weight and i will get a whoosh latee but its going in the right direction still.
Today’s plan
I’m going to try to do just a water fast all day today and save all my calories for this evening and try to fast for 24hrs and not eat till at least 7pm tonight. We are having a family night with the kids and we are ordering takeaway as a treat for them. I’m going to go with a chicken fillet kebab (without the pitta) but with lots of salad 😁 and that way I can join in with the eating but not go off plan. Also going to get some plain popcorn to eat too. have a good day everyone x

Hi Bigmama99
Week 3-day 2 for me now and still motivated, would usually have self sabotaged by now but happy to have lost 7.5kgs in 3 weeks. Not gonna lie, the first week or so was rough, headaches, low energy, feeling hungry constantly and counting down the hours to my next meal but I have followed the meal planners and eaten whatever calories and carbs stipulated for the day. Drank some miso soup if I felt desperately hungry or had a chunk of cheese. I do switch things around now though to suit me. I’ve never been one for breakfast but I do love a latte, so that’s what I’ll usually have in the morning now, although in week 1 I tried the apple cinnamon and the spiced porridge, which is delicious and great if you have a craving for something sweet and I’ve had the scrambled eggs and flat mushrooms, which were also fab. The meal planners average out the calories over the week, so one day you might eat 900+ and the next 700+. I usually make soup at the beginning of the week for lunches, the roasted red pepper and cream of mushroom is lovely and for dinner I follow one of the recipes, whichever takes my fancy but the beef with asparagus, Thai fish cakes, halloumi kebabs and Turkey burgers are firm favourites so far. One thing I don’t worry about too much is the portion guide, some of the recipes are meant to serve 6 but I usually divide it between the four of us. I tend to cook the evening meal for the whole family and adapt it to their requirements, that way I don’t feel so excluded and they all find the meals tasty and satisfying. My husband is even stealing my soups and lunches now, I’ve made the rye/spelt bread and the crackers which are tasty too if you need to eat some carbs and the Konjac noodles/rice are great for bulking out your meals, if you’re struggling with portion size. My water intake was minimal initially and it was a struggle to drink 2 litres at first but find I can do it easily now, especially drinking sparkling water. At the end of week 3 I have much more energy, I feel better, friends and family are commenting on my weight loss already and I can see my shape changing and feel the difference in my clothes, I’m even climbing the stairs easier. I’m going to start exercising now too because I feel so comfortable on the BSD. Just take each day as it comes, do your best, if you have a bad day don’t write yourself off, just start afresh the next and don’t beat yourself up about it, set yourself small realistic milestones and keep your eye on that end goal. We’ve got this and we’re gonna do it together! Just think of it as running a marathon and how good it will feel when we cross that finishing line. 😊

woohoo…ive got to 6:30pm today with just having water so far….. It’s not been as difficult as I thought it would be actually and will definately do it again when i want to save my calories for the evening. I’ve drunk loads of water… hoping to not eat till 8pm and that will be 24hrs !

Well done bigmama, this is how I eat every day and it does get easier

i managed to wait till 8pm and had a glass of wine & a chargrilled chicken fillet kebab with lots of salad (no pitta) ..it was yummy and i didn’t feel guilty at all eating it….. I really like this WOE and the Friday fasting might become a regular thing as i feel really content & in control now !

W2D6 – got TOTM today as expected so im hoping for a whoosh by my next weighin.😁. I do feel very hungry already and have stomach cramps but i will wait too eat & have some nettle or peppermint tea… Plan for today is…. try a 20hr fast again & eat all my 800 cals between 5pm & 9pm. Exercise wise i might do some jogging on the treadmill for 1/2hr as the weather here is horrible so i want to stay indoors. Tomorrow is mothers day and i’ve told my husband not to buy the kids chocolate/sweets or wine as presents this year… I’ve also got a family party tomorrow so I’m not sure how that will go but i will stay as low carb as much as i can but can’t guarantee the calories with stay below 800.

W2D7- yesterday I managed to stick to under 800 calories so a good day.
Today i wont be eating anymore and will be ending on 61g carbs & about 1000 calories so I’m slightly over but im still in control.