Any 800

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  • posted by Tamara l
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    Hi everyone…I’m a picky eater and was wondering if I can eat anything as long as it’s 800 calories or less..and under 50 carbs..
    Just good carbs , not bread ,pasta etc.
    Also can I use ready made salad dressings.
    Is lean ground beef allowed.
    Thank you

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi Tamara1, I dont know what you will be eating but as long as it is 800 cals and not high carb it should be okay. You seem to know what the bad carbs are and also they include breakfast cereals (except oats in small quantities) and most processed foods. Have a look on dietdoctor.com and search for high carb foods. He does a good diagram of what is best to eat with pictures and carb values.
    I have had this stuck to my fridge door since starting and use it for easy reference. Try not to base your eating on too much protien as it is not good for you either. What do you like and not like. Try to still make it a balanced diet.

    I guess you can use ready made salad dressings but be careful as a lot of them contain sugar – in one form or another. Read labels carefully before you buy or eat.

    Nothing wrong with lean ground beef or even full fat ground beef for that matter.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thank you for the information, you have helped a lot.
    I have a question about how much protein I should eat in a day.
    How much should I be eating in grams or calories. The percentage thing confuses me
    I found that Renee’s salad dressings,, well some have zero carbs and sugar
    Thanks

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Also is there a place where ppl do a weekly weigh in
    Will help motivate me

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi, If you go to forums, all recent posts you will see the weekly thread (a new one starts each tuesday) and the thread for those who prefer to think in terms of longer goals ( Easter bus). Jump in to either and you will find a mixture of people ranging from newcomers to those who have been following this way of eating for some time and have achieved successes.

    ————-

    Rather than percentages, Work out your daily protein based on 0.6 to 0.8 g of protein per kg of target weight = So if your target is 70kg, then its a range of (70 x 0.6) to (70 x 0.8) for a woman or 0.8g to 1g per kg of target weight for a man.

    Then work in the range of 20 to 50g of carbs a day and make up the rest of your calories from fat.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Not quite sure I understand that calculation Gwen as for me that calculates to 56g of protein which is not very much at all. I have just used a calculator from the VeryWellFit site and it simply takes your calories i.e. 800 and you eat between 10% and 35% of those as protein – so 10% of 800 is 80 grams and 35% is 280. I would go for somewhere in between so around 150 to 175g per day. That lets you have small amounts in your breakfast and lunch and a good 4oz or 100g portion for your evening meal. I only mentioned it because you said you were a picky eater and I dont know what your diet includes. My advice to you would be to eat normal but leave out the carbs for now, that is enough to be thinking about. Do you know about using a food calculator – you key in what you are going to eat and it tells you how many cals, carbs, proteins etc. Keep cals at 800 carbs around 20g to 50g as Gwen says and the rest should take care of itself.
    Please let us know what it is you are worried about i.e. what would make up your normal daily diet.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thank you for the answers. I haven’t started yet.
    Was thinking of starting on Monday, I wanna get all the info I can get so I do it correctly
    My eating habits are terrible
    Carb junking
    Don’t like most veggies

  • posted by RubyG
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    Hi Tamara,
    Re. the weigh-in, why don’t you start a thread where you log your weekly weight – others will be able to comment but it will keep you accountable to yourself and hopefully motivate you as you look back.
    The reasons for people following this way of eating are varied, and not all are weight-related, although that may be a positive side-effect to the primary goal of better health, better blood results, diabetes control, reduction of high BP, etc.
    Sunshine-girl and JGwen have given you some good advice, and mine would be to focus on what you can eat within the plan, and recognise that the plan is very good but is not a miracle cure – if you eat whole foods, cut out all bread, pasta, grains and pulses to start with, and stick to 800cals and <50g carbs per day, you will see the benefit. The first few days will be hard, but determination early on will pay off and the cravings should reduce as the benefits increase.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thank you for the sound advice. I will do that
    I am 54 years old 5/1 in height and 205 pounds and am type 2
    I need to lose the weight

  • posted by RubyG
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    I started the BSD in October 2020, my thread is here (I am of a similar height and age and have been the same weight as you a few times)
    https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/new-starting-bsd-today/
    I think my early posts said what we were eating, and I received great advice and support from others too.
    Freester’s advice was to STOP all snacking between meals, and I think JGwen would be able to explain the science behind giving your body time to recover between meals.
    I find it impossible to fit 3 meals plus snacks into 800cals so I would rather look forward to a decent supper every day than feel deprived all day and every day, if that makes sense.
    Our strategy is a decent egg-based breakfast by 8am, vegetable soup or salad with a small amount of protein at lunch and a decent supper of lean protein (because 800cals doesn’t go very far) and vegetables of some description. Tonight will be a bolognaise of some beef mince with garlic, onion and tinned tomatoes, served with courgettini instead of pasta.
    Also look to reduce your portion sizes, we are eating far less than before, as well as eating different ingredients.
    The emotional eating still gets me some days, and snacks happen, but then I don’t lose the weight I wanted to lose, so I have to be realistic and realise I cannot eat what I want if I want to lose weight. I have to decide every day which option I want more.
    ODAAT = one day at a time!
    Good luck!

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thank you

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Does anyone know ratio for olive oil and vinegar for a salad.
    Thanks

  • posted by Tamara l
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    When weighing meat
    Do I weigh raw or cooked for calories

    Thanks
    Sorry for all the questions
    Just want to make sure I do this right

    Thanks

  • posted by florob85
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    Hi Tamara and welcome

    Personally I always weigh my meat raw rather than cooked – this is because meat loses water while it’s cooking and I like to be able to plan my calories ahead of time – if you factor in I don’t know 100g of cooked chicken breast and then find out that’s less than the whole piece you’ve cooked, then you’re more likely to think oh that extra 20g won’t matter, I’ll eat it! But those add extra 20g add up, and if you weigh cooked you run the risk of leaving a tiny bit of whatever you’ve cooked or going over your calories, and let’s be honest if there’s a chunk of cooked meat in the fridge that isn’t enough for a portion, at some point you’re going to eat it! At least if you weigh raw, if you have to cut a bit off to fit your calories you aren’t going to eat it raw!

    Regarding your yoghurt question, I don’t like Greek yoghurt either but I do like Greek style yoghurt which is not as thick and not as tart – try mixing in some vanilla extract or as someone else suggested some cinnamon to sweeten but you’ll soon find your palate adjusts. Additionally have you thought about trying coconut yoghurt (with no added sugar) or even no added sugar soy yoghurt – these are both runnier than Greek yoghurt and with no added sugar (so not the vanilla flavour!!) are naturally more sweet than Greek yoghurt – you will need to adjust for this in the carbs but it’s not that much difference.

    Lauren

  • posted by florob85
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    Basic salad dressing ratio is 1 part oil to 3 parts vinegar by the way so if you have four tablespoons one is oil and three are vinegar (that would be a lot of dressing though! A tbpns of any oil is 118cal)

    You can experiment with different oils and vinegars, remember some vinegars are sweeter (red wine, balsamic) and will accrue more carbs but they all give different flavours, you can try substituting lemon juice for all or part of the vinegar for a more mellow dressing, add salt and pepper, add diced shallots or mustard or spices or garlic or the world is your oyster!

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thank you
    Wasn’t sure about the meat thing.
    I’ll do it raw
    Think I’ll just forget about the yogurt
    Just eat eggs
    Thanks again

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Tamara 1 now you have said you are diabetic you might want to keep a careful eye on your numbers. Are you on meds, do you test your bloods. If you are not on meds you wont need to test but still take care as this diet can make your blood glucose drop quite quickly. More information would be useful but only if you dont mind sharing.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    No I don’t mind sharing
    I’m on two 500 mg tabs twice a day of Metformin
    I don’t test my blood
    Just A1c every four months
    I eat very poorly. Burgers ,fries,chips,chocolate,ice cream
    My A1C last week was 7.7. I was shocked it wasn’t through the roof
    Any advice u could give me would be great
    You have me worried now about glucose drops
    Isn’t this diet for diabetics.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Maybe this is not safe for me as I live alone.
    Can’t spend 100 dollars on strips
    How do I know if I’m too low

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Tamara 1 sorry if I have spooked you. I am just going out but will get back to you when I get back. Dont get too worried, there are ways round it without forking out for expensive machine.

  • posted by Bjorn
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    Hi, metformin wont lower your bloodsugar to dangerous levels, typically only insuline does that. Anyway, if you stick to the diet you could probably skip the metformin after a week or two.
    I did this diet a few years ago and my bloodsugar was ok after 2 weeks. I am doing it again right now (just need to drop 5 kilo or so) and since day 3 my bloodsugar has stayed within 4-4.8 tested 2 hours after meals.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Hi again, thanks Bjorn, I was going to shout out to other diabetics, especially newbies to give their experience. Know you are not a newbie but there are 2 or 3 just come onto the site.

    Tamara 1 first of all I am not a doctor or part of any medical team or official on this site. My experience of this diet is just how it has affected me. If I say anything that doesnt concern you or seems personal, it isnt, it is just general info but also knowing a bit about you.

    First of all you didnt mention the diabetes in your original post so I am assuming you are more interested in losing weight rather than controlling your diabetes. If you go on this diet both will happen and you need to be aware of the drop in blood glucose as a consequence. Yes this diet is for diabetics, to lower their blood sugars. Have you got the BSD 8 week diet book – it will give you a lot of information. Your A1c of 7.7 is moderately high and you can certainly improve on that. As Bjorn says, the Metformin does very little to reduce blood glucose – no idea why they still prescribe it at all – think it just keeps you steady. So the meds are not a problem but, if done right this diet gives a rapid reduction in Blood Glucose and I found it quite a shock. As I am on insulin I have to be super careful but you should be absolutely fine.

    Traditionally doctors have told ‘old’ people or those living alone to maintain a highish BG to avoid going too low and having a hypoglyciemic episode and that might be good advice if the person is verrrrrry old or very doddery or totally incapable of looking after their own diet and meds. Dont think that is you. If you are totally comfortable in knowing how you feel if your BG is getting too low and you need to eat then you should be okay. Looking at your diet I dont think you have had those problems as you keep to the high side of being careful. Not doing this diet is an option but I am sure you know that, being diabetic, there are slower long term medical problems building up for the future like heart disease, eye problems, kidney problems. You can live happily with high blood sugar until something like that comes along.

    My suggestion would be to try the diet by getting rid of the high fat junk food and eating a more balanced diet even if you dont get down to 800 cals. I would also suggest for the diabetes you cut out as many white carbs as possible. So no bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, breakfast cereal, wheat products or processed foods. Considering you said you are a picky eater, at least try to cut these right down or replace with ‘brown’ versions. I wouldnt normally say that to advise about this diet but I think it would benefit you a great deal and better to ease yourself into it than look at the restriction and think you cant do it at all. You can, but take it at your own pace. You might say you are perfectly aware of what the diet is all about and are able to do it and that is fine too.

    I will be here and keeping an eye on you and happy to answer any questions you have. What to eat, what to look out for if your BGs are getting low (without a machine), anything you are worried about. And dont forget you can always talk to your doctor about reducing your meds although I doubt they would agree at this early stage. Give it a go and see how you feel. You will feel hungry in the early days but that is normal.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Thanks
    What r signs of low b.s and not just the diet.
    Have read ppl have lightheaded ness etc from diet
    Don’t want to e eating for low b.s when it’s not low b.s
    I really want to do this for my diabetes and need to lose 80 pounds
    Thank you

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    The reason I flagged the hypo or low BG is because someone on here had a hypo just a few days ago and I have had several but we are all different. You shouldnt have any real problems UNLESS you are on insulin (your not) OR on meds starting with a G (simple way to remember) but your not on these either. It is normal to feel lightheaded when you are hungry but the low blood sugar symptoms are a bit more than that.

    Vision starting to go blurry or double vision, lips tingling or becoming numb, feeling really shakey, sweating and feeling confused. If you are not sure if it is low BG or just hunger it is better to have a little something to eat. The thing that changed for me with this diet is when I KNEW I was going low I would reach for something quick, sweet and carby, so typically a jam sandwich or some sweets, even a glucose sachet specifically designed for such an event. This was an absolute waste of time as 1. how was I supposed to lose weight when I had to keep stuffing my face, and 2. these remedies are such short term and only make you feel better for a short time until you can get some proper food. What this diet taught me was to choose carefully so I now have half a yoghurt with some dried fruit (prunes for me), or a couple of slices of ham or a small piece of chicken breast or a small chunk of cheese. This would make me better, be long lasting until mealtime and not ruin my diet.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Ok
    Thank you very much
    Now I know what to look for and feel much better proceeding
    Thanks

  • posted by Tamara l
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    As for fruit
    How much should I eat a day.
    I know they r high in sugar. So should I have one piece a day like an apple or pear
    Thanks

    And meat
    If 800 calls a day should I eat half that in meat and the rest in mainly veggies and little fruit

    Thanks

  • posted by Tamara l
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    I also bought protein powder.
    It is 110 calories
    18 G protein
    Zero fibre
    3carbs
    But has 2 sugars
    Is this still ok to have

  • posted by florob85
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    It’s generally advised to keep your protein to moderate levels so I would say keep your calories to around 35% protein max, stick to your 20-50g carbs and the rest should be healthy fats

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Ok thank you
    That’s not much meat 280 calls

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    No idea about protein powder as I have never used it. My daughter gave me some pea protein powder (she is a food scientist and had been given it to test). I asked her what I should do with it and she didnt know – thicken soup ????

    Fruit is a dodgey one here and something so many people miss BUT it is high in sugar . Both pears and apples have 29g carbs so you would blow more than half your days allowance (if you are on 50g). There are other no-no’s like bananas, mangoes, peaches, nectarines, pineapples etc. All the tropical fruits are not good. Dont go near fruit juices, they are full of added sugar even if it says different on the packaging – natural sugars are still sugar. I also know as a diabetic that oranges shoot up my BG as the 12g of carb in them is nearly all sugar. Im afraid that leaves you with the berries. Once a week I have an apple when I make the ploughmans lunch – cheese, ham, apple, celery and walnuts. Go onto http://www.dietdoctor. com and type in low carb fruits and see if there is anything else. Also look at his list of veg you can eat and what to avoid.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Wow.
    Ok berries it is

    Thanks

  • posted by Tamara l
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    35% protein doesn’t sound right
    That’s 280 calories
    One egg is 155 calories.
    I’ve read ppl having four eggs for breakfast and then more protein for dinner
    That’s way over 35% and 280 calories

    Help I’m so confused

  • posted by RubyG
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    I’m not sure what tracker you’re using, as MyFitnessPal shows 1 large egg as 72cals.
    (Google = 75cals per egg, but 155cals for 100g boiled egg (which is probably more than one egg weighs), so maybe this is where you got the numbers from).
    My hubby has 2 eggs for breakfast, I have 1 (occasionally 2 if I make an omelette as a treat, but then I balance that with a lower cal supper, or the omelette is supper).

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Ya I got it from google

  • posted by florob85
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    Hi Tamara

    I really think you need to get a good app (or use food labels) to track – there’s lots of options but you need to be able to track properly. Yes I’m not kidding about the protein, I do not know where you have read about four eggs for breakfast, this sounds like an error to me! Do bear in mind though that one egg is not all protein! There’s fat and water in eggs as well, so although it is 72 cal for a large egg that isn’t all protein.

    To give you an example of what I might eat in a day:

    Breakfast I don’t eat (this is tough for a few days but you soon get used to it

    Lunch
    2 egg omelette (118 cal for me as I use medium not large) (cooked with a teaspoon of oil (40 cal)
    Filled with 3 slices wafer thin ham (63 cal) and lots of mushrooms (virtually calorie free)
    5 roasted almonds (40 cal)

    Dinner
    Chicken breast (depending on size about 150 cal)
    Green veg like sprouts, brocolli etc or a salad (all virtually cal free)
    A dressing made from apple cider vinegar (3 teaspoons) and one tea spoon oil (60cal)
    Some kind of sauce – I make all from scratch and could be mustard and creme fraiche, tomato, spicy, whatever I feel like. (Usually around 100 cal)

    That all adds up to about 650 which gives me spare for my milk in tea/coffee etc or a small snack of yoghurt or something.

    Now, that looks like there is 230g protein plus some in the yogurt and some in the nuts, but actually that’s not all protein because the ham, chicken, eggs, all have water and a little fat, and the nuts also have fat and fibre

    I think you need to try and work out in terms of percentage of what you are eating rather than percentage of calories – remember if you “spend” calories on what you think is protein, some of it might be water or fat or fibre if that makes sense

  • posted by Tamara l
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    I just set up fitness pal
    So I’m going to use that
    Thank you

  • posted by Tamara l
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    50 g carbs
    36 g fat
    70g protein
    Is this correct
    From fitness pal

    Thanks

  • posted by RubyG
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    I just work on 800cals and 50g carbs in MFP, I don’t bother tracking other macros, and just eat a varied diet of whole, unprocessed foods.

  • posted by Tamara l
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    What’s MFP

  • posted by RubyG
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    MyFitnessPal, sorry

  • posted by Tamara l
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    Oh. Sorry. Lol
    I think I’m ready to start this
    Thank you to everyone’s advice out there
    I learned a lot
    Stay safe everyone

    Thanks again

  • posted by sunshine-girl
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    Ok Tamara 1, Just do normal meals (not your normal chips and burgers) but leave off the carbs and add a lot more veg. My food today was 2 eggs scrambled with a small amount of grated cheese, lunch of chicken salad and tonight I have had a beef stew with lots of red peppers, mushrooms, carrots and onions and garlic. There was so much i wouldnt have had room for potatoes or rice or whatever. My total protein today was around 220 gram. My advice to you not to have too much protein was because of your picky eating, thought you might want to live on burgers and cheese. Seems you have not got a good idea of what you are doing so just get on with it.

    Shout out if you need any more help. Join one of the other threads like the weekly one with a long name like, lets do this 2021 week commencing – and the date of the week.

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