7 Days (3) ... 'Add a little extra' ... Tuesday 11th October - The Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley

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posted by Verano
on 10 Oct 2016 at 08:59

Hi this will be the third 7 day, just 7 days, challenge.

For those of us on the second round of 8 weeks this is our penultimate week so just two weeks left to reach our second 8 week goal …. not sure if I even had one!!!

Still keeping to our theme of staying with 800 calories and picking our own carb level I though it might be an idea to ‘add a little extra’. Sorry that won’t be chocolate or wine!!!

I will be staying at 35g carbs and my ‘little extra’ will be some exercises with light weights to help stop all that saggy skin forming as I get ‘thinner’ !!!

Please join me on this short journey.
posted by Antigone
on 10 Oct 2016 at 13:01

Hi Verano. With you on this. Being extra careful this week and keeping under 30g carbs as I’ve just had a short BSD break ( after completing 8 weeks).Haven’t seen a gain despite horrendous stats last week….yet! With you on the ‘extra’ too – skin is a bit saggy 🙁
posted by Verano
on 10 Oct 2016 at 14:37

Hi Antigone

Good to have you here.

Some ideas for other ‘extras’. I think I need more fibre and I know I need to drink water. Maybe some people are concerned about their protein or fat intake or lack of exercise in general. There are so many areas that we may want to keep a check on for just ‘7 Days’ !

Pick your poison!
posted by loopylou
on 10 Oct 2016 at 17:53

I’m here and ready for tomorrow. My little extra will be making sure I do 10,000 steps each day. i have been a bit lax about this lately.
posted by KrysiaD
on 10 Oct 2016 at 18:30

I am here and ready for tomorrow also. I know exactly what my extra is. I really haven’t eaten enough fish – lots of weeks no fish at all. So I’ve not really been doing a true Mediterranean diet.

To remedy this my husband has made some salmon fish cakes for me that he saw in the ‘I and they are lovely’. They are really spicy and the recipe uses ground almonds and an egg to bind them together. I like kippers So will have one for breakfast. Will also start using tinned tuna with cream cheese which I really do like. I will look for more fish recipes in the recipe book.
posted by Verano
on 10 Oct 2016 at 18:54

Hi loopylou and Krysia good to see you here.

I love fish! I’m not much of a meat eater, maybe once a week, but I love chicken and fish, any type except monkfish. You could also try Thai fish cakes if you like spicy. I think they are really low carb but I would need to work it out exactly. They freeze really well!

It’s amazing how we forget about little things as time goes on. I think we become a bit complacent. This ‘7 Days’ will get us back to basics adding back in all the things we have relaxed on.
posted by KrysiaD
on 11 Oct 2016 at 07:24

Carbs yesterday 17 (a bit low but I didn’t do much yesterday as I was under the weather with a sore throat) calories 765. Today feel much better so will go for my walk before work.

Weight this morning is 10 stone exactly which makes a stunning weight loss of 3 1/4lbs this week. In the 2 weeks I have been doing the weekly challenges I have lost an amazing 6lbs so the weekly challenges really work for me.

Have been looking at the BMI again and the low end for my height is 8stone 3lb which is a bit low for me so am aiming for somewhere between 9 and 9 stone 7lb. And that is where the real challenge will begin – to maintain it. Thank goodness for the support from this forum – because I really think that this time I will as long as I stay on the forum.

So this week will aim for 30g carbs and the ‘add a little extra’ is the fish to make my food more Mediterranean.
posted by Verano
on 11 Oct 2016 at 07:49

DAY 1 of 7

Hi
Well done Krysia! Hope you are better today.

New week , new challenge, clean sheet… here we go!

I’m adding some light weight exercises, which I d already forgotten about! Will do them later. I’m back down to 30g carbs and 800 calories this week. I think the extra leeway of 35 carbs made me a bit complacent and I had a few very high days.

My goal this week is to lose 3lbs. It may be a bit of a tall order, 2 would be ok but 3 would be great!

Have a good day and enjoy your ‘little extra’!!
posted by Verano
on 11 Oct 2016 at 08:55

Hi Krysia

If you like spicy you could try a Thai curry. My daughter is a pescatarian and I sometimes make the curry with cubes of salmon or cod and salmon. Can post the recipe if you want it.

In the same vein you could try a Tom yum soup with prawns …. do they count as fish? Add some courgetti and you’ve got a hearty but light soup.

If you like kippers you’ll probably like smoked mackerel which you could make into a pate or as it is with salad maybe. I also like hot smoked trout, but then I also like baked trout and sea bass but that’s probably one step too far at the moment!!

If you could get three portions of ‘oily’ fish in this week that’s the recommended number per week but more would be a bonus.
posted by Frog
on 11 Oct 2016 at 09:24

Hi Verano – feeling better today?

Krysia – egg and smoked salmon for breakfast!
Sounds indulgent, but I buy a 200g pack that lasts for about a week (30g ish a day) for about £3.
An odd thing to remember with oily fish is that fresh tuna counts as oily – but when its canned it loses its omega oil properties.
Not the same for other fish, canned is fine.
Prawns are lovely, but don’t contain the omega 3 oils of oily fish
quite a good section on the nhs website
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/fish-shellfish.aspx

Kayaking today!
posted by Verano
on 11 Oct 2016 at 09:56

Hi Frog

If you join us here you could add loads of water rather than a little extra! Could just help with the ‘digestion ‘ problem.

I had a look at ibreathimhungry, what a great name, looks good will take a closer look later.

Enjoy the kayaking!
posted by KrysiaD
on 11 Oct 2016 at 10:03

Hi Frog – thanks for the info on canned Tuna. I didn’t know that so maybe substitute tinned salmon with cream cheese. The egg and smoked salmon sounds yummy and something I could eat for breakfast. I will look on the NHS website.

Verano – the Thai curry sounds good – and would be grateful if you could post it to me. I will also try the pate with smoked mackeral. Husband has also suggested that we could look at a meal with rainbow trout as he says he thinks I would like it – so I will start experimenting. I really do have to as I have got a bit stuck in a rut with my food at the moment.
posted by Verano
on 11 Oct 2016 at 11:39

Hi Krysia

Thai Red Salmon Curry 2 servings
360calories and 8.8g carbs per serving

250g salmon cut into chunks
1tbsp groundnut oil
2tbsp shallots finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced
1-2tbsp ginger finely chopped
2tbsp. red curry paste, or more to taste
1tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
200ml light coconut milk
Large handful of basil leaves.

Gently fry the shallots and ginger in the oil until softened.
Add garlic and cook for a further minute or so.
Add curry paste, to taste, and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add the salmon and coat with the spices
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce( or soy if preferred) , and sugar.
Simmer gently until the salmon is cooked …. maybe 10minutes.
At the last minute stir in basil leaves and wilt.

That’s the basic recipe.
I add a smashed stick of lemongrass to cook in with the salmon. I also finish with the juice of half a lime and some coriander. If you like you can add a handful of peas while the salmon is cooking or some sliced mangetout. If there’s not enough liquid you could use more coconut milk but you’ll need to add any of those to the calorie/carb count.

You could serve with cauliflower rice or even cauliflower mash. Enjoy!
posted by Antigone
on 11 Oct 2016 at 13:17

Hello All! Thanks Verano for that smashing recipe – shopping list written! I am really pleased to have lost 2lbs this morning so I am actually 4lbs lighter than before I went away 🙂 This is great news as it means maintenance (one day in the future!) should go well! However, back to BSD for now and I’d like to get more fibre into my diet – previously I’d go for AllBran or a banana but not now. I’m gauging my nutrient intake from MFP and sometimes I know it’s a bit off but it’s a general indicator. Have a good day everyone 🙂
posted by Verano
on 11 Oct 2016 at 15:45

Hi Antigone

It’s just as good with chicken breasts. Dice or slice the chicken into strips and add it with the curry paste and stir fry for 4 of 5 minutes of so until the chicken is seared on all sides. Then add the coconut milk etc and poach the chicken for maybe another 15minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

The ‘real’ recipe for chicken curry involves marinating and frying the chicken prior to the method above but it adds too many carbs and calories so I do it my way!!
posted by KrysiaD
on 11 Oct 2016 at 16:57

Brilliant Verano – I will copy your recipe when I get home tonight, we are shopping Friday so will be able to get the ingredients. Am aiming for 3 servings of fish a week. I am really on a Med diet now.
posted by KrysiaD
on 11 Oct 2016 at 16:58

Will try it with chicken breasts also.
posted by Frog
on 11 Oct 2016 at 18:58

Hi
I was surprised at the tuna thing when someone first told me – but I’d never really thought of it as an “oily” fish

All these cookery courses are working – where I’d normally have just microwaved some vegetables to eat with some cooked chicken at lunch time – stir fry, with onion, ginger and garlic, 3 different vegetables, the chicken, and finished it with sesame oil, sesame seeds and soy sauce. tasted really nice.
And I’ve used a whole bulb of garlic – I used to cook so infrequently I usually ended up chucking out most of it. I think I might even have bought two bulbs in a little net bag last time as well. I bought more courgettes last night – they’re enormous, nearly half a kilo each, more like marrows. Just as well I have my new spiraliser!

I probably have been drinking less water since it started getting colder Verano – thanks for the reminder.
The salmon recipe looks nice, will give that a try at some point. there is still come chicken left as you say it works well with that too.
Kayaking was brilliant – was actually quite warm and sunny.
posted by Busybee
on 11 Oct 2016 at 19:20

Hi Verano.
Would you be able to put the red curry recipe into the recipe section please? I don’t have the skills to copy and paste and would love to try it – it sounds delicious!
Many thanks
B
posted by Verano
on 12 Oct 2016 at 07:34

Hi Busybee
Will try never done that before!
posted by Natalie
on 12 Oct 2016 at 07:39

I don’t like fish much but I’m trying for at least once a week. And the less food you’re allowed to eat, the more you appreciate what you have, so that improves the flavour! That’s a bummer about canned tuna, it’s one of the few fishy things I do eat occasionally. Oh well, I’ll just have to stick with fresh salmon for my Omega 3s.
posted by Verano
on 12 Oct 2016 at 07:42

DAY 2 of 7

Yesterday:
Calories 1310
Carbs 36.5g

I know !!! Just lost the plot last night and cuddled up with a bottle of wine …. added …. 676 cals and 9 carbs to my total! Idiot or what????? I would have been well with my allowances without my ‘treat’ which wasn’t really a treat because now I feel bad!

At least I know what I’ve done wrong and can move forward. To add insult to injury I didn’t add my ‘little extra’ yesterday.

Positive news is that I have stayed the same weight this morning. So now it’s onwards and upwards towards my next mini goal of just 3lbs.

Hope you all had a better day than me yesterday. Have a good day.
posted by Verano
on 12 Oct 2016 at 07:51

Busybee

If you’re using a PC you can copy this recipe easily
Go to the recipe
Press ctrl +shift together … the text will turn blue
Right click
Select ‘copy’
Open a new email message.
Right click in the body of the message
Select ‘paste’
And hey presto it should appear in the message and then you can print it out.
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 08:28

Yesterday I rather stupidly went to work even though I still had a sore throat and was croaky. Now I have completely lost my voice and am having to cancel all my classes. Luckily I can text most of the class members. Husband is phoning the rest – and making jokes about how nice and peaceful and quiet it is in our house now.

The only good thing about this is that I have completely lost my appetite and only did 24 carbs and 710 calories yesterday. Actually – have just thought of another good thing. I can sit and relax and read my womens weekly magazine in the warm with a nice cup of coffee.

Verano – at least your wine didn’t have any carbs and it didn’t give you the munchies and set you off on an eating binge which is brilliant. So it was just a little blip. So onwards and upwards to your next goal.
posted by Verano
on 12 Oct 2016 at 09:25

Hi Krysia

Sorry to hear about your throat but hopefully you’ll feel better soon.

Afraid the wine did have carbs, 9, it was the vodka that didn’t!!!!!!!!!
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 12:37

Hi Verano
9g of carbs is almost saintly when you think of just how many carbs you could have consumed if you had thought (as I have in the past) that you might as well blow the diet and have a real carb fest because you had very slightly ‘fallen off the wagon’. Just a very tiny blip.
posted by sunshine-girl
on 12 Oct 2016 at 12:49

Hi Verano and gang. I am just sneaking in before my holiday to tell you I have lost another 0.2 kg since yesterday so I am 73.7 kgs and hopefully more by tomorrow. At least it gives me a little less (weight) to worry about when I am drinking champagne next week. Hope to pop in with a final tally tomorrow morning before I go.
posted by Verano
on 12 Oct 2016 at 13:17

Krysia I did nearly succumb to the Lindt 90% chocolate I have in the fridge but started think about my diabetic review at the end of the month!

BON VOYAGE ! sunshine-girl. Well done on the extra weight loss! Have a great holiday!
Enjoy the champagne!
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 13:32

Verano – my diabetic review is on 25th October and I really want to do well also. It feels so important that we can show how well this works.

I looked at my diabetic monitoring book for last October and I was consuming between 120 and 150g of carbs a day. How shocking especially as I was told I was doing well. Even with the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Looking forward Sunshine-girl to your last weigh in before your hols.
posted by Antigone
on 12 Oct 2016 at 13:49

No loss on scales this morning despite yesterdays stats 🙁
Tuesday 11/10
cals:514
Carbs:21

Forget the wine episode Verano – this too shall pass!
Good luck at your review Krysia – we’re eager to see how it goes. Hope you’re soon better 🙁
Bon voyage Sunshine and bonne chance on the scales!
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 15:47

Having tinned salmon and cream cheese on a bed of baby salad leaves shortly – So have had one serving of fish (my add a little extra) today. We are now going shopping tomorrow and more fish is on the shopping list.
posted by greenjanet
on 12 Oct 2016 at 15:52

Hi is this where we all post now, I’m getting confused so many different threads. 🙋
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 15:53

Antigone
With such good stats the weight loss will follow. Just think about what is going on unseen inside your body. A war is going on against your visceral fat and your body is winning the war.
posted by KrysiaD
on 12 Oct 2016 at 16:12

Hi Greenjanet – yes this is where we post now for 7 days starting Tuesday. My challenge this week is to add fish to my diet which has been sadly lacking as I am supposed to be following a healthy med diet. I am also sticking to 30g carbs and under. Adding the fish is going to be much harder than keeping to the carb level.
posted by greenjanet
on 12 Oct 2016 at 21:36

Right well end of day 1 week 14
Cals 756 carbs 50 and 5532 steps, good day, kept busy. On plan and loving it. 🙂🙂🙂
posted by greenjanet
on 12 Oct 2016 at 21:49

I’ve just reworked it out I’m actually day 1 of week 16, I’ve lost a few weeks somewhere. Hehe
posted by Verano
on 13 Oct 2016 at 07:33

DAY 3 of 7

Yesterday
Calories 650
Carbs 25.8g
Weight loss 0.4lbs
Added a little extra …. exercises with light weights…few aches this morning!!

Well, yesterday I managed to lose 150 of the excess 510 calories I had on Tuesday!! I had a small loss but my target for this week and next is 1kg a week. just 1.8lbs to go this week I’m sure I can manage that if I stick to the plan!

Had two revelations. Although you probably know this one! I put courgetti into chicken broth and it was lovely. Just added 50g of courgetti to the soup and microwaved. It gave the soup substance and for very few calories and carbs it was a substantial lunch.! I’m going to try to make Thai Tom Yum soup this week so will let you know. I think it will be more tasty Pho but we’ll see.

Secondly, I had trout last night. Weighed 320g with head etc, on so I calculated it would be 225g when cooked. I took it off the bone and weighed it and there was only 125g. Shows how important it is to keep weighing our guestimates may not always be up to scratch!!

Hope you all had a good day yesterday. Have a good one today!
posted by Frog
on 13 Oct 2016 at 07:45

Morning Yowzer
haven’t worked out yesterdays food – I have to log all of the Ethiopian recipes then guesstimate how much I had of each of them. all v healthyish though!

found really nice collection of low carb soup recipes on this site
http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2013/10/10-best-low-carb-soup-recipes-fall.html

amused by the trout – did you take your scales to the restaurant?
posted by Verano
on 13 Oct 2016 at 07:49

Hi Jan glad you found us and are back on track!

Forgot to take my Metformin yesterday and have just done my b/s 7.1 Bit disappointing because I’ve been just above and below 6 the last week or so. I know fasting sugars aren’t the best measure but I was hoping to have a good Hba1c result but maybe I’m expecting too much too quickly!
posted by Verano
on 13 Oct 2016 at 07:52

Hi Yowzer …. no …. had the trout at home!!

Ethiopian recipes they sound interesting. Any you want to share?
posted by Verano
on 13 Oct 2016 at 07:56

I knew this was going to be a bad day when my computer shut down just after I had typed my first message this morning!

Hi Frog mistook you for Yowzer! Anyway answer to trout issue above!!!

Think it might be time to get back into bed and out the other side!!!
posted by Frog
on 13 Oct 2016 at 08:05

and I was so unawake that I’d addressed you as Hello Yowzer! – and misread that you’d eaten out last night.
I didn’t get to sleep til after 5am. go back to sleep maybe!
second night that’s happened – time to change to a heavier duvet maybe
posted by Verano
on 13 Oct 2016 at 08:13

You’re just going to sleep as I’m thinking about getting up!! Maybe you should try going to bed early. I usually go about 10pm and am asleep by 10.30 … sad!!!! But then I’m awake by 6 at the latest! I’m definitely a morning person.

Maybe a warm drink and a warmer duvet could do the trick!
posted by KrysiaD
on 13 Oct 2016 at 08:28

Verano – that was a really good day yesterday. I agree about the guesstimates not being very accurate. I weigh everything also.

Yesterday a good day also 27 carbs and 812 calories. Weight the same as Tuesday – but that’s ok as I lost so much over the last two weeks and I am off work with a virus so not been very active and keeping active is very important for my weight loss. Voice has come back a tiny bit today – it was impossible yesterday as I could only croak. The sensible thing is to cancel classes on Friday and Saturday so my voice can fully recover. For once I will do the sensible thing.
posted by KrysiaD
on 13 Oct 2016 at 09:02

Hi Frog – Verano could be right about a warmer quilt helping you sleep – I have slept much better since we put on the warmer quilt. It feels so cosy.

I got out my water proof and windproof winter jacket yesterday. It is too big but looks fine because it drapes nicely over my shoulders and doesn’t stick out past my shoulders like my leather coat. Last year if I put a fleece on as well it was so difficult to do up and really uncomfortable – but yesterday I put on a thick fleece on underneath and it was so comfortable. I could even put on another fleece as well – so I am all sorted if we have a very cold winter.

Verano – I am getting my charts ready for my diabetes doctor appointment and it is really interesting looking at how I progressed from meds to no meds. It wasn’t a slow gentle curve towards coming off the insulin. It was literally one week I was on full dose of insulin with rubbish fasting numbers and mealtime spikes. Then over just 3 or 4 days I was off all insulin with fantastic fasting numbers and no mealtime spikes at all. I know everyone is different but for me it was like there was a tipping point where before it my pancreas and liver were not working properly and then there was a certain point where enough visceral fat had drained from them so they were able to work – and I dramatically was able to stop all insulin.
posted by Antigone
on 13 Oct 2016 at 09:04

Looks like today is a bit of a brain fog day for some of us – is it a full moon yet?
Verano and Greenjanet – good job yesterday 🙂
Krysia – hope you feel better soon. What classes do you run (singing would be difficult lol)
My stats for yesterday
Cals:786
Carbs:22
Walking, gardening, riding all day yesterday too.
Feeling virtuous but no loss on the scales this morning – think it’s payback for my week off! A funny thing, which some of you may have found, when the scales stall (like now) I tend to FEEL thinner than when they are showing a loss – bit strange. Right, off to muck out the stables and go for a ride 🙂
Sort yourselves out ladies 🙂
posted by KrysiaD
on 13 Oct 2016 at 09:32

Hi Antigone
Your stats yesterday were super – it is funny how we sometimes feel thinner but the weight loss doesn’t show up on the scales until later.

I teach pilates – a lot of it is rehab stuff. When I first trained in London – nearly 20 years ago – one of my teachers (an ex ballet dancer) said to me that she didn’t know why I was training because I was so fat I would never get anyone to come to my classes. On the train home I was so upset – the course was superb but very expensive and I absolutely loved it. I phoned my daughter and she told me to ignore it and carry on. I avoided that teacher and only sought advice from the kinder teachers (and actually none of the other teachers ever mentioned my weight). She was absolutely wrong as my weight never affected my classes and I am still going strong after all those years.

But the weight is an issue now because the diabetic complications were threatening my classes. If I can’t drive I can’t run them. So the BSD had to work for me – this is my last chance. I want to stay healthy and continue doing what I love. The problem with my voice is that I talk a lot (probably too much) as I explain how to do stuff. So a sore throat always ends up with me losing my voice because I don’t take enough time off to recover.
posted by Frog
on 13 Oct 2016 at 14:02

Hi
Yes, I bought a thicker quilt in the summer – one of the points when it turned chilly; a friend came to stay, and the weather reverted to scorching hot, so I didn’t offer her the new 13.5 tog duvet. I do have the other half of my current quilt as well (it’s one of those four season ones with a thin summer, medium autumn/winter and you can but them both together). I don’t like sleeping with the heating on, but I think the night time temperatures have dropped suddenly (and I don’t have as much fat to keep me warm of course 🙂 ).

I did get up and go to the gym this morning – in the class, I realised what an unhelpful phrase “stand with your feet hip width apart” is; presumably they intend that you position your feet inline with your hip bones, which haven’t changed – but it dawned on me this morning that my usual “hip width apart” stance is way too wide – but is in line of my perception of where my hips used to extend to. After the class, I collected together and picked up 18kg (the amount I’ve lost) in hand weights. IT’S A LOT!!!!

I discovered a fantastic new restaurant that opened this week just around the corner from home. I’d read a review of it yesterday, and it was on my “must try” list, but I hadn’t quite computed where it was – then I walked past it on the way back from the gym. I had salad with courgette, apple, pomegranate, hazlenuts and something called labneh, that google said was Greek yogurt, but was more like tiny scoops of soft cheese. It all tasted amazing – I will definitely be going back, although sadly it’s only open for breakfast and lunch, not in the evening.

Congratulations on your jacket Krysia, that’s great.
Inspired by your lamb at the weekend, I bought a lamb breast joint in Waitrose this morning that has to be slow cooked. Having had lunch out, I think it will be remainders of yesterdays Ethiopian food this evening, and I’ll look for recipes on how to cook the lamb tomorrow.
posted by KrysiaD
on 13 Oct 2016 at 16:32

Frog – yes, we don’t have as much fat to keep us warm and our hips are not as wide as they used to be. It does get some getting used to though.

Your new restaurant sounds a lovely place to eat. It is so nice to find somewhere like that – especially as it is so close to your home.

Have had a lovely day today and am beginning to get over the virus. Decided to carry on with sorting through my wardrobe and the boxes of thin clothes under the bed. Everything that is too big went into black plastic sacks (3 of them). There was other stuff that is a little too big but I can still wear (which I kept) and other stuff that I had bought in sales – hoping that I would sometime in the future be thin enough to wear it. What joy – I fitted into all my thinner stuff. And there was some lovely stuff that I had totally forgotten that I had bought.

With somewhere between 7lbs and a stone to lose I will need to buy more clothes at some point – but for now I don’t have to as there are enough clothes to see me through the winter.

We dropped off the clothes to the animal sanctuary shop. This is the first time I have ever got rid of my bigger clothes when I have lost weight. I have always kept them. This time feels different though and I know I will never need them again. I feel sort of lighter with all the big clothes gone.
posted by Mixnmatch
on 13 Oct 2016 at 18:02

I know how you feel, having done the same recently. This time really is different, because we all have the tools going forward to make this style of eating our new way of life.