So, having been twitched that I might be at risk of diabetes and having read the book I decided there was no time like the present and plopped myself on the diet. I wouldn’t ordinarily post on a forum but the results so far have been very encouraging and I thought I’d share my journey.
I’m a 37yr old male, with sedentary work and a family with young kids. From a history of doing gym-work I am a muscular stocky build (5ft 8in) but carrying far too much weight. My BMI says normal weight for me should be 11st 12lbs – I doubt very much that would ever be possible for me. When I tested blood sugar I’m in the normal range. Here’s my numbers;
Start
Weight – 16st 9lbs
Body fat reading – 41% (not sure I believe my scales, see below!)
Waist measure round the belly button – 44in (38 where my trousers are)

End of Week 1
Weight – 16st 1lb
Body fat reading – 41.9% (!?)
Waist measure round the belly button – 42in

So – extremely positive result albeit I’m not convinced about my body fat scales and why my fat percentage went up! The weight and waist measurements are great. I know at least half of the weight loss will be water, but its all good.

I found the first 3/4 days very difficult, very hungry, shaky and tired. I’ve settled into a new rhythm now and the only major symptom is tiredness. On the positive side I’ve slept very deeply.

The food has been easier than I thought, although I’m highly unlikely to be awarded a michelen star anytime soon for any of my meals! My main principle has been lots of protein and lots of variety. I have ended up consuming between 750-1000 calories each day so not sticking to the plan religiously.

6 weeks away from my 65th birthday and my present to me is to shrink my fat, kick the diabetes label and destroy the greedy monster in my tum that demands more and more food once I wake it up with the first mouthful landing in its greedy jaws, and best of all a healthier, active life!.

Welcome Slingy – congrats on make such a good start. Think you might well find that just under 12stone is actually doable, but early days yet. Re: body fat percentage – 1) remember these readings are a snapshot in time, so not completely representative across the board and 2) in week one the majority of weight loss is water, so reducing the water element means the percentage of fat reads higher. Although you are not sticking to the book, what you are doing seems to be working, so keep going. Be sure to include plenty of good fats as this helps with feeling full, have plenty of above ground veggies, hydrate well and keep the carbs low.

Suecq – Welcome to you too. You should be able to make quite a good stride forward in six weeks. Cutting the carbs will help to defeat that monster in you tum, as it’s fuelled by carbs. Good hydration is very important, as is a good fat intake, but do shout out if you have any questions and someone is sure to respond.

I encourage you both to join any thread on the forum that feels relevant to you and to join one of the challenge threads, as these are populated by folks at varying stages of the BSD process and so share information, advice, support and encouragement. These threads also help to keep you focused and accountable.

Best wishes to you both for great BSD success and hope to see you out and about on other threads.

Thanks SunnyD,
You are spot on about the body fat %age, I just worked out it means I still lost 3lbs of fat (in theory), so the other 5lbs is likely to be water. I have kept fluid intake fairly high at around 2.5 to 3 litres a day so hopefully that will balance out over the next couple of weeks and the fat will continue to disappear.
I would be gobsmacked if I could ever get under 12st – but thanks for the belief! I ran a marathon at 13.5st 12 years ago and was pretty lean then. 13.5st would be a really health weight for me (maintaining a bit of muscle) I’ll look to get back there and see how I feel.
Bit of a strange question but I had ‘milky’ wee around day 6 – anyone else had this? A google search said it could be fat in urine?!

Hi Slingy – the BMI healthy bands are fairly broad and I would say your approach is the right one, aim for 13.5st and see how you feel when you get there. Quite a few of us have pushed a little further than our original target weight, to give a little ‘wriggle room’ to allow for the odd indulgence without trashing the target – if you see what I mean.
There are a number of potential causes for ‘milky’ wee, but assuming everything else is normal, you are correct in thinking this was probably fat being flushed, but don’t think if you aren’t seeing this symptom fat is not being eliminated. You’re doing well keeping fluid intake up and that is the way to go as you progress.
If there are any topics you want to know about, try putting it into the search box at the top right corner of the page and it will bring up previous related posts for you.
Keep on keeping on, Slingy.

Week 0
Weight – 16st 9lb
Body Fat – 41%
Waist – 44in

End of Week 1
Weight – 16st 1lb
Body fat – 41.9%
Waist – 42in

Week 2
Weight – 15st 11lb
Body fat – 40.7%
Waist – 41in

Excellent progress there Slingy, keep doing what you’re doing!