Hi all, I’m back doing the BSD again after a relapse 🙁 This may be a really stupid question…but I’m slightly confused as to the major differences between keto and BSD…would it not be easier to just follow the keto diet? It seems much easier in terms of what you can eat?
Forgive me if my question doesn’t make sense!

Hi Stilltrying, I do know what you mean, so I’ll try to answer from my limited understanding.
I don’t think a standard keto diet counts calories, the focus is on very low carb.
BSD is about an initial very low calorie 800cal per day for anything up to 12 weeks, followed by maintenance on a low(ish) carb diet. In some of the BSD plans and recipes you will find carbs, including things like pulses and brown rice etc. Some of the recommendations are anything up to 100g carb per day.

Following standard keto with no focus on cals may work from a blood chemistry point of view for some people, but if I eat unlimited low-carb cals I know I don’t lose weight, and I do gain weight (Christmas cheese and charcuterie anyone?)

My hubby and I have been following the BSD of 800cals per day but also keeping our carbs below 50g per day, and his weight loss has been consistent at about 3lb per week (He has lost 3st in 3 months) and his BP has improved dramatically (he hasn’t had blood tests done since before the BSD but theoretically they should be better).

I think everyone needs to find their own limits as to cals and carbs.

Your question makes perfect sense.

The aim of the BSD was to give people an 8 week eating program to help with weight loss. – It was never intended to be more than an 8 week program. And the official advice is to not do more than 12 weeks at any one time.

Many of us who have had a lot of weight to loose have gone on to research for ourselves the science behind this way of eating to work out a plan for continuing.

Basically insulin levels are like a switch, if insulin is high our body can not access our fat stores for fuel, and so after a few weeks of counting calories, if we don’t keep our carb levels low enough to enable insulin to stay low our bodies will reduce our metabolic rate. – If you keep your carbs low enough to be in ketosis then your body can access your fat stores and can make up the difference between calories eaten and calories burnt from your fat stores.

I would recommend going to the Take a Look at this thread, where people have shared articles and links to youtube talks that they have found helpful. I would suggest starting from the earliest posts and working forward in time.

Thank you for your insights ruby and JGwen- it’s starting to make more sense to me. I definitely do my research and take a look at the threads!

Another wee point if i may….. you will find that Keto diets use a lot of sweeteners, artificial flavours and carb ‘replacements’. BSD is a much ‘cleaner’ was of eating where we go away from sweeteners and refined foods of any sort…. which is much healthier for your gut, general wellbeing and sugar receptors. I use a lot of keto recipes but I’m careful, selective and dont go near the sweeteners etc.

Hope that helps

I tend to agree with WindyJulz, and steer clear of artificial sweeteners and various other things I don’t recognise as actual food. I recoil at the cal values of some of the keto recipes I have seen!

Thanks both- it is slowly coming together for me. I must say I do already feel the benefits of the clean eating.