That’s Hawaiian for “Good morning!” I’m not Hawaiian, though. I live in Southern California actually. Always dreamed of going to Hawaii, but it hasn’t happened yet.

I’m here, attempting the 800 calorie per day Blood Sugar Diet. This starts today.

Starting Weight: 171.3 LBS
Goal Weight: 145 LBS

Hopefully nobody minds, I’d thought to journal my experience via this thread in an effort to stay motivated and on track.

Like so many people, I sssssstruggle!!!! with losing weight. In the past, it has come off after some significant effort (and maybe a sprinkle of luck and happy circumstance), but then it returned with a vengeance. I would be honored to hear some of your success stories and stories of maintenance as well. Please feel free to chime in.

A hui hou. 🙂

Aloha Nabs! Hello from your own state, California! I am a Bay Area northern Californian married to a Pasadena guy — I also went to UCLA and we have a son in Long Beach, so Southern California is my alternative home. Where do you hang your hat down there?
I have been BSD’ing since I ran across the book in London back in February 2016 — reached goal last summer and just maintaining since. I hope your experience is as wonderful as mine — I have been so honored to meet all the great people from all over the world on this site — there is always someone to respond and I know you will enjoy great success.
You will have to save up for a trip to HawaII as your reward for the BSD — I love Hawaii, so much so that we named our Australian shepherd, Kai Nalu, ocean wave!

@californiagirl aww yay!!! Hi there! 🙂

Thanks for your reply. I’ve been living in Orange County forever. Lol.

It’s so good to hear that you’re happy with the diet. So you reached your goal after having been on the diet between February ’16 and summer ’16? Those are some great results! And you’ve been maintaining!

May I ask how much weight you lost? (If it’s personal, I totally understand.)

I’m finding, already, that I need to plan better and save more calories for later in the day.

I’m already close to 1100 calories today… however I’m gonna keep going and count this as Day 1. Just gotta do better going forward.

Also, cute name for your pup! 😉

Ok I’ve officially kinda demolished Day 1… in other words I ate close to 1800 calories.

Yikes.

I am shaking it off. It won’t be the first time in my life I failed at something in the beginning. Tomorrow still counts as Day 2 in my book.

For tomorrow my plan is to have veggies (riced cauliflower/broccoli/brussel spouts), salsa, almond milk (30 calorie variety), and protein– likely in the form of protein bar and/or fish . I also think saving most of the 800 calories for evening will be better for me.

That’s it! Super sleepy. Night night.

Day 2 begins… not that anyone cares haha.
I slept the worst than I have in a long time but I’m hoping that doesn’t make today a problem.

It’s weird, not entirely sure why I slept so poorly but I’m guessing I’m just stressed and drained, sure feels like it. I’m really hoping this diet alleviates at least some of that. It’s very uncomfortable at this weight in my body; I’m really tired of carrying it.

I can’t afford not to do this diet really. So today’s calories better be perfect or darn close.

Hang in, Nabs, hang in. Keep posting and maybe drop in on some of the other threads. Good luck.

Good morning Nabs! Don’t despair — it is better to start slowly and fitfully than not to start at all. I have posted many times on these threads that I had to LEARN how to do this diet right. I made many starts and had many days when I was over the 800 magic number, but I just learned to accept it as I was able to do it and I just started up every day as a new opportunity. I ended up losing over 12 inches at my waist (if you can even imagine!) and I went from a tight size 14 to size 8 — it took about five months and believe me, I did not stay on the straight and narrow every day.
Don’t let your learning curve derail you — just keep learning what works for you personally. I had to sort of develop a “system” of eating that I could just default to every day — but it became second nature after a few months. I am a sporty person, love to ski, hike, ride bikes and most days I did consume more than 800 calories because I could not do my sports and eat so little — I actually took several weeks and did MUCH LESS exercise because that made it easier to stay closer to 800.
I have changed my eating habits almost completely — I eat almost no carbohydrate except vegetables (none starchy) and I eat a lot of fat and a lot of protein. I have mentioned this many times also, but get a copy of Gary Taubes’ book, “Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It” to help you understand it really matters WHAT you eat and why refined carbs and sugar in all its forms (sugar of all kinds, milk, fruit, grains, starchy veg like corn and potato etc) are really not good for those of us who struggle with weight. Another good book is “Grain Brain” by Dr. Perlmutter.
The four week “challenges” are fun threads to follow (Marsie started the most recent one) if you like that much posting (I need a bit more internal focus and solitude to stay the course) but find your own path here — and there is only one rule in my mind, DON’T GIVE UP!!!!! You are going to amaze yourself!

Thanks @marsie 🙂 Good advise.

Well, here is the weight update for Day 2:

Start Weight: 171.3 LBS
Current Weight: 170.9 LBS

I’ve had some coffee, a protein bar (worth 190 cal) and a splash of low cal almond milk so far. No more cheating and overeating. I”ll stay the course. Headed to the gym soon.

@californiagirl, wow! You could be a life coach! haha! Thanks for that very warm reply. I am lifted and motivated by it!!

Definitely, I agree with you, the only rule is “Don’t give up!”
I’m feeling super inspired. Thank you! <3 🙂

Hiya Nabs, east coaster here. Welcome to the BSD! I started last August and have lost more than 120 pounds, so I can assure you the system works if you work it.

What’s in that protein bar, Nabs? Those little guys can be deceptive, carb and ingredient-wise, and at almost 200 calories, one bar is a quarter of your daily calorie allowance. For them to be worthwile, they need to be high in fat and fiber to keep you nice and full, otherwise you’d probably be better off just eating half a can of tuna with half an avocado (one of my favorite pre-workout meals).

Good luck!

Hi Esnecca

When I was a girl we worked in lbs and stones and inches too because I live in a former British Colony…it’s been awhile since we converted to metric (1967) so I have to use an online version now instead of my aging brain….I just did your figures, you have lost a HUGE amount in kgs too. Thats three times what I lost and I feel, great…..do people recognise you now? All power to you you must feel proud of yourself.

Hi Nabs,
Yes we do care out here in blog land. Early early days, just wait a few more, not long, before you feel fantastic, your health rapidly improves on this…sometimes it’s a bit rugged in the first week as your system adapts but then we look forward to hearing your euphoria as it kicks in.

My plan was to try two weeks of the eight week diet, then because it was easy…Yes I use the word often, I stayed on eight weeks then more, eventually my plan b was to switch to the 5:2. 14 months on I am still fine on BSD, have maintained a weight lower than initial goal…. I have upped the calories some days and watch the carbs but no major issues, I am healthier than in decades, I have my life back. My cheeky mates call me “Skinny”. What a hoot.😅😆

Good luck, stick with it, stick with us.

Nettle

Hi Nabs, and welcome. Lots of inspirational stories and people on this forum to give you support and encouragement. Well done on starting and deciding to take control of your health. Just take it one day at a time, most of us have fallen off the wagon at one time or another, and often far more than that. The important thing is to not let it derail you and to climb straight back on.

Don’t be surprised if you begin to feel worse before you feel better, carb flu is very common in the first week or so – I had it fairly badly for a few days, but not everyone gets it. If you do suffer from it, just work through it and remind yourself that it is just your body adapting to no carbs (easy energy) to burn, going into ketosis and transferring to burning fat which is, after all, the object of the exercise. Many people find that they sleep much better once they have weaned themselves off carbs too (one of the many NSVs of BSD) Personally, I now sleep much more soundly, but go to bed much later because I have so much more energy now, I rarely feel tired – combination of diet and quality of sleep.

I am just about to finish my 16th consecutive week. I have lost 38lbs in that time (my original target was only 28lbs), and dropped from a UK dress size 16 to a UK dress size 8, something I never believed possible. Now I’m about to start maintenance on Monday which I am , if I’m honest, rather nervous about. But I know the inspirational maintainers on here will keep me motivated, and be full of advice and encouragement as and when I struggle, as they have been throughout my journey so far. So shout if you need help, and they will be there for you too, as you have already discovered. Good luck, take one day at a time and you will be able to do this.

Nettle, I have found BSD800 quite easy too, but think I may find maintenance more tricky, My mates (and o/h) call me skinny now too (I prefer slender) and my new nickname is Skinny Minnie 😜

Theo aka SM

@esnecca @nettle and @theodora thank you! And again, thank you to everyone who’s responded here in this thread; it’s very encouraging to hear your experiences and wisdom. You all have wonderful personal success stories. Everyone sounds confident and adapted to the BSD life.

@theodora, I wish you well on the maintenance transition. I am sure you’ll be able to get through it in a way that works for your body with the support of your fellow maintainers on the forums. No doubt you’re very self aware by now too, so nothing to fear!

@nettle, I sure hope I can claim it’s “easy” to do! Haha! But it’s nice to hear you have been happy on it for 14 months!! Wow. I hope I can do that! Or something like it…

@esnecca Hello East Coaster! (My boyfriend is from Jersey.) To answer your question, my protein bar was the Kirkland alternative of a Quest Bar (I bought them from Costco Wholesale). Its first ingredient is whey protein blend, second ingredient is dietary fiber from tapioca starch, 3rd ingredient is cashews… Actually I wonder if these are a bit healthier than Quest? They have 7 grams of fat, 22g of carb, 15g fiber, 1g sugar, and 21g protein. I have maybe 2 of those left in my cupboard, not sure I will purchase anymore, but they are supposedly “low carb” and high protein.

I also have a few Kind Bars. The Kind Bars seem more in line with the Mediterranean style of eating, as they are made with healthy whole nuts, chicory root fiber, a little honey, and are loaded with fat. I will likely switch to those going forward. Much less processed than these whey protein bars… 😀

Day 2 is going pretty well so far. Got in a good workout, then went on a long moderate intensity walk with a neighbor. So far, so good.

Hi Nettle, my neighbor didn’t recognize me! He lives right across the street from me, but he’s elderly and not in the best of health and had stayed mainly indoors over the winter, so when he got back in his yard a couple of months ago and saw me approaching on my way back from doing my 10,000 steps, he had no idea who I was. I called out to him but it wasn’t until I was a few feet away that he finally recognized me. He hugged me and congratulated me and told me how pretty I looked. It made my day, I can tell you. 😀

Hi Nabs, those aren’t bad stats for the protein bar at 7 grams net carbs. Did it keep the hunger at bay? When I first started out, I used all kinds of low carb substitutes like “bread” made from isolated wheat protein and oat fiber, Quest protein bars, Quest protein chips, sugar-free chocolates, etc. I think it helped make for a smoother transition. As I progressed, I relied on them less and less and focused on whole foods so I could calculate the counts myself and keep the food as fresh as possible. I’ll still enjoy a bag of those cheddar and sour cream protein chips once in a while, though. 😉

Good job getting through your second day!

Esnecca, those Quest products really are delicious, I agree. 🙂 Yes, the bar was helpful for my hunger. Although I still ate a little more than I should yesterday… but I am so close to hitting 800. Today I think I can do it.
Weighed in again, also I am just starting my monthly cycle, so that might matter?

5/5/17 – 171.3 Lbs (SW)
5/6/17 – 170.9 Lbs
5/7/17 – 169.1 Lbs

How exciting!

I started a week ago on 1 May, which was a Monday and seemed appropriate. it’s taken me all year to work up to it and had to get the local food festival and then a holiday out of the way. My sister is diabetic and injects insulin with some of the long-term effects starting to creep in; our skinny, fit, brother is prediabetic. I want to see if what we have is genetic or perhaps environmental. No previous documented diabetic history in our families.

I averaged 873 cal/day for week 1. Happy with that. Don’t think sugar cravings will ever go away; I have a sweet tooth. And a savoury one. And I love to bake/cook/experiment.

So, I keep seeing posts about Verano’s pea soup but cannot find it in the recipes. Can someone reply to this post or put up the recipe or direct me to it please.

I’m finding that increasing my fasting time from the previous night into the following morning works for me. I’m not hungry in the morning and for years have been making myself eat breakfast (toast and marmalade!). Also helps when it is morning tea at work. I just make my breakfast porridge and eat that.

Hello crabbycams. I have not heard of Verano’s soup… glad to hear you’re doing well on BSD, though! I hope your siblings are well. My boyfriend has late onset type 1 diabetes, also has to take insulin and unfortunately no amount of BSD would reverse his condition as it is, indeed, genetic.

Today was utterly CHEATASTICAL! (That’s not really a word, but it best describes my day.) Calories were *rather* high. I know, that’s not good. After 3 days, none of which were actually completed at/around 800 calories, I wonder if I should start my BSD day count from the beginning. Then again, I’m cool with a three-day grace period to keep marching forward. Tomorrow is Day 4. I will not be weighing myself since it’s that time of the month and I ate quite more than usual.

I know I can do this. I will do this. 800 calories tomorrow. I’ve got this. Seriously. I mean it.
lol
But for real.

Day 4 begins.
🙂

Day 4 succeeding!

If I drop the ball today then I will scrap the whole thing and start from Day 1 again– and maybe even start a new thread.

But, I’m doing well… it continues! Yay. 🙂