I am keen to embark on the BSD but keep putting off due to planned meals out, coffee meetings etc. I would love to know how everyone copes with eating out, family occasions etc. I don’t want to have to refuse invitations and also don’t want to explain that I am on the plan as I have not told family about my diagnosis . Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

First of all, direct the action to a restaurant where you know you can order something BSD-friendly. Then I just acted like what I was ordering (meat, vegetables) was exactly what I wanted to eat at that moment. I never mentioned I was on a diet. I always tried to order a salad or starter that would work on the diet, to keep me from reaching for the bread basket and I let people pour me a glass of wine but just somehow never finished it. I always asked for sparkling water for the table and just seemed to be quite thirsty! That way I was participating without putting anyone (including me!) on the spot. Ask for extra veg instead of rice/potatoes and if you get too much or the wrong thing, just don’t eat it. Say you’re “too full” for dessert and coffee meetings just drink black coffee. And at weddings, dance all the dances, then eat cake!

I kept getting offering things so have said “I’m not eating any junk til Christmas” and left it at that. So they know I won’t order dessert or eat biscuits etc. It is clear I need to lose weight so its easy to accept I want to be “good”. Then I just order the best I can from the menu or eat the best choices from my plate. Sometimes I’m surrounded by sugary junk but no one is forcing me to eat it!

OMG do I have some stories, just spent 2 weeks travelling around England and Scotland, eating in family homes and lots of restaurants. One family member said ‘oh you are on the Mediterranean diet’, I thought great, she gets it. Went for dinner and she gave me breaded fish and chips. I politely refused the chips and asked if there was any salad, she gave me thick creamy sugar laden supermarket made coleslaw, not tomato, lettuce, cucumber. Although i never seem to eat that type of salad now, I would have been so glad of it. And please dont get me started on the restaurant who pride themselves on dealing with allergies and intolerances – just talk to our staff, it says at the top of the menu. I told them I didn’t eat simple carbs, stating what they were. They gave me garlic bread with my starter, garlic croutons with my main and, I had specifically said no chips (came with the main) and asked for a salad, which I got, they brought me a bowl of chips just in case I wanted a few.

Nightmare trying to stick to the plan but did manage by willpower alone. No amount of planning can cope with idiots. Next time I will tell them that carbs can kill me and they will be so frightened of being sued they might take notice. It is true, they will kill me eventually.

I hope that come across as humourous as I just had to laugh.

You may need a larger purse! I would have a small can of vegetable juice (I like V-8) in my purse plus some snacks like snap peas, grape tomatoes, etc. in a small plastic container. I would just go to the washroom and eat a few items before a coffee meeting so i wouldn’t be so hungry i would eat cake or something like that. It’s difficult not to eat what’s on offer when you are too hungry.

As for family dinners …. we usually make a wide variety of stuff so i just take larger portions of the healthy stuff and a teeny bit of the other stuff if others insist i try something. As for a glass of wine ….. i can nurse that a long long time. Desserts are easy in my family because about 1/2 of my family refuse desserts.

Dinners out ….. i just say i am absolutely CRAVING something green!! Dressing on the side please i don’t like too much. Since i have occasionally really really craved a salad … i can make that quite believable. AND the last time i had fish and chips …no chips, vegetables instead they put some garlic butter on the vegetables — but since this is a full fat diet THAT was very tasty.

Really no thank you, it’s so kind of you to offer but i really couldn’t eat a bite of desert just now!!!

I pretend i’m a skinny person …. and i say, No … just don’t want any right now. That sounds sickeningly sweet 🙂

Thanks for all your suggestions. Will be fine when out with friends or husband but certain relatives like to eat at places where everything is fried and carb laden and always expect a huge scone or cake with coffee so will have to be careful. Have just weighed and measured myself and enjoyed my first meal so fingers crossed the weight comes off and my blood sugar readings come down.