After reading with interest lots of your posts and various threads and topics I realise the best way forward for me is to plan, carefully, and set a date to actually commence the 8 week BSD. This is to reduce or get rid of hurdles (aka excuses) and give myself the best start at achieving a decent outcome.
Have read the 8 week BSD book twice through and so far have done my BMI and have purchased a pedometer.
I am not diabetic but looking at my female relatives and family tree they are all built like wardrobes and in later life have an impressive collection of metal ware between them in the form of various joint replacements. Several have had leg ulcers and one has had an amputation above knee.
I have twinges of a hip and back problem and a crunching knee mainly due to having one leg slightly shorter than the other. This is now getting worse due to the fact I am way over heavy.
I took early retirement a couple of years ago after having a busy and active job and seem to have overindulged in recreating “weekend mornings “i.e. getting up later, extra toast and freshly brewed coffee, newspaper and not getting dressed much before lunch time. Marry this with extra outings to lunchtime eateries with friends and more socialising involving cake/coffee mornings etc and it is no surprise to me now that the two dress size increase has occurred ….thank you Dr.Michael for giving me the mental “slap round the chops”. In my head I am young so don’t want to have the restricted mobility of an elderly, unfit person as I want to enjoy my retirement and not have to go to medical appointments etc.
Yesterday my baseline steps measured a shocking 3,750….aaargh!
Today I thought I would go for a proper walk before lunch and have clocked up 4895 already.
I am lucky enough to be able to be going on a short holiday in the next few weeks and will have access to a small swimming pool so will definitely try to take advantage of that.
My first day of 8/800 BSD will be Monday 23rd May.

Hi Plumptious, I’m also a ‘newbie’ with an impending start date! Mine will be Monday 9th May all being well (I need to survive a trip to NYC and a hen weekend before!) and my reasons are similar to yours for wanting to modify my eating behaviour. I also need to get more active as my job is desk based.

I successfully followed the 5:2 diet for nearly 18 months and felt the weight and health benefits, but lifestyle changes (new partner and growing son) mean it’s more difficult to stick to such a rigid regime. So I’ve lapsed into old, sugary/pasta/rice habits with their resulting effects. I’m early 40s and suddenly have a bad knee, possible high blood pressure and generally feel out of sorts.. so it’s time to knuckle down again! I’m already thinking about what carbs I’m consuming on a daily basis and trying to reduce them before ‘D’ day!

Interestingly I had a previous boyfriend who was morbidly obese and scheduled for bariatric surgery, and I put him on a very similar pre-operative diet for 8 weeks under hospital guidance.. and the weight dropped off him! 3+ stone between consultation and op.. so I already know this can work!

Good luck for the 23rd!

Hi Janeycoughdrop.
It’s nice to know others are starting anew every day too.
Good luck to you also!
I only tried the 5:2 for a week last year and it made me feel quite ill. That said, it was probably my own fault for not reading up well enough first.
It is difficult isn’t it trying to juggle other family members meals….not so much the actual cooking and serving but the fact that the ingredients are there in the cupboard/shopping trolley making eyes at you lol! I’m hoping my other half may well join in a little as he does like some healthy ingredients but we just eat far too much and at the wrong times too at the moment( and he has said he would like to lose a little too.)
Wow that was a lot of weight loss in the time between starting the diet and the surgery.

Good luck both of you.

I tried the 5.2 before but couldn’t do it. I’m having better results with this one.

Thanks Patsy

I have ordered things on our shopping delivery which, when I look at the list, looks some other families’ shopping!
Organic coconut oil, lentils (three different colours) almonds ,no sweeties, cakes ,pasta ,rice ,cake baking ingredients or fresh orange juice .As a previous chocolate monster it is a very alien act.
I was worried that the new style of eating would be over our budget but having carefully looked at the amounts needed and other items not needed I don’t think there will be much of a difference as one will balance out the other.
I am wondering if buying much larger bags of things such as cashews/pecans would work out cheaper (if I avoided scoffing them in large amounts of course lol!) Does anyone have a good value source of larger bags please?

I’m glad I’m not the only one with a weird and wonderful shopping list! My delivery later includes gram flour, pine nuts, almonds, tinned beans and lentils and various cheese. The driver will think he’s got the wrong house!

There is a pot of plain yoghurt with rhubarb and ginger compote on my desk, looking at me. The brain is still struggling to accept that as the viable alternative to the custard creams I usually scoff about now!

If you have an Indian grocer or supermarket near you it’s worth checking it out as they sell nuts in larger quantities and mostly significantly cheaper than Tesco etc.

Thanks JaneyCD.
We have one about 8 miles away so will go one day this week and have a look. I do go there sometimes but usually for rice and naughty things which are just not allowed from now on. I love the Indian sweet things called gulab jamons …not sure that this is the correct spelling…but I will give myself a strict talking to upon entering the shop and avoid them. I was thinking more about online businesses.

Tried out my pedometer whilst gardening this morning. I did 2 hours of barrowing, digging, weeding and hoeing and am absolutely cream crackered. I am disappointed by the steps registered though….it seems bending, stretching ,contorting ones body underneath branches and kneeling up & down don’t really have an effect on it. Never mind -I got lots of fresh air and sunshine so that should count for something if only vitamin D boost (Only 1720 steps since getting up…..it feels more like 17 miles lol!)

Hi Plumptious (love the handle!),
Never mind the number of steps – pedometers are not the most accurate things – the point is you were beavering away for 2 hours, using your muscles. Feel smug! You’ve benefitted & so has your garden! I’ve been frustrated with my pedometer when I’ve knocked it & accidentally reset it to zero, or when it reset itself because it needed new batteries. Other times I’ve just forgotten to wear the darned thing. A pedometer is just a tool to help motivate you – using one doesn’t actually help with weight loss, it’s you making the effort to exercise that’s important. Take care, Rose

Welcome to the forums and the BSD way of life Janey and Plumptious! You are making the right decision – this diet has been working wonders for us all! 🙂

Thanks Rose and Hashimoto for kind the words and encouragement.

Thanks for all your support. My grocery shopping just arrived. My cupboards look like they belong elsewhere! Am looking forward to the 9th so I can knuckle down and get healthier!

I have cut out extra toast at breakfast and cereals at supper, done extra walking each day since beginning my first post, drunk extra water also have had no sweets, chocs or “goodies” sticking to three smaller meals a day and to my surprise have lost 5lb. I know most of this will be water and some glycogen but it is still encouraging as I haven’t launched into the 800BSD yet.
I have been shopping and got a couple more store cupboard items, such as ground flaxseed, in readiness.
I have also told a few people I will be doing this. Hopefully forewarning them may help deflect any disappointment should I have to decline any social events where I know the main aim of the session will be to eat lots & drink lots of alcohol! lol. I think I need to find other social events or activities where the focus isn’t actually the eating.

Well done P!! Like you, in trying to mentally prepare by winding down slowly. I’ve not been an angel but low carb lunches and dinners for the last few days lead my to believe my trousers are not so tight in the waist! Yippee. It’s quite enjoyable eating different things too. Gram flour wraps are a winner… I don’t weigh myself but my goal is to get back into my M&S size 14 jeans before the 8 weeks are up (from 9.5.16!). Keep going!

Hi JaneyCD,
Not heard of those. Are they pre-bought ones or have you been making them yourself?
Good news about the loosening trousers!

Hi plumptious the gram (chickpea/besan) flour flatbread recipe is on this site – look for the recipes tab on the tool bar. They are really tasty and lovely with a curry. They freeze well too 🙂

Thanks Hashimoto, I will definitely have a look and try them out.

Today I have bought a cuizine spiralizer ( as recommended by Hashimoto …Thanks) and got the free kindle download yesterday-sorry can’t remember who put that on but thanks whoever it was. I haven’t read it yet ,but ,as we always have a glut of courgettes and have planted some butternut squash amongst other things, I know I will enjoy using it.
I’m still doing bits of reading and researching of recipes and ploughing my way through the forums as there is so much information and experiences to soak up. I think I have just about cracked menu planning and just need to finish off designing a two part shopping list as I plan to shop twice a week to ensure the freshest veg & salad .
I am confident I can do this but know to try and start before my holiday and during it would be a mistake and I wouldn’t be as successful. Normally I am a “jump right in” person and throw caution to the wind….not this time cos I want to give myself the very best outcome.

You are very organised! I bought a few more things in preparation today but I have to say that even before knuckling down properly, I am feeling the benefits of the Med diet. Ok I haven’t been an angel this last week..nevertheless I had to do a double take when belting my jeans yesterday as I was once belt hole slimmer!! Today has been more trying. Battling with a 10 year old to get his homework done (ongoing as I write) would ordinarily mean reaching for the biscuits or chocolate.. But I’ve remained strong. Although I may have just broken the Hoover by sucking up a rucksack strap whilst arguing with said 10 year old..ho hum, resist, resist!

Hi plumptious those homegrown courgettes willcome in very handy!
It was Barby who found the free kindle recipe books, she’s a star!

Hi Janeycd, I. Hope your 10 year old has done his homework! 🙂

Ah , thanks to Barby then.
JaneyCD ….commiserations on the homework battles. It’s a long time since I had those -my son is 6 ft 4″ now! But well done on the shrinking belt though. I have dropped a pound this week….I suspect because its because I haven’t had my usual chocolate/sweeties/cake etc and have stuck to my 3 meals a day rather than snacking.

Now back from my hols.
We did lots of extra walking every day and also a short stroll after dinner too. Tried to follow a few basic principles by cutting out puddings, and lots of other traditional holiday eats, refined carbs and also no booze.( Not that we drink very much but every little bit helps i’m sure.) Had a few small treats but to be honest didn’t really enjoy the chocolate cake.
I am bringing my start date forward to tomorrow as I have decided not to wait until the 23rd as planned.
Just before we left I picked some rhubarb from our allotment to make the rhubarb compote ( and unfortunately found the printing error 500g instead of 50g too late !! ) and ended up making over 20 small bags which are nestling in the freezer. Not to worry – it tastes good so won’t go to waste lol.
I have lost a few more pounds and weighed 14 st 3lb the day before we went away. Will start tomorrow morning with a fresh reading.

Welcome home P and well done for doing so well in resisting temptation on your holiday. Seeing as you’re already ‘in the zone’ it makes sense to start a bit earlier on the BSD proper. I’m at the end of day 5 now and it doesn’t feel so bad without the carbs! I even sat smugly in Costa with my skinny cappuccino today, knowing I had resisted the lure of the muffins. You do have an awful lot of rhubarb compote to get through… Breakfast is sorted for several weeks!

This is the best start to a Monday morning I have had for ages….now under the 14 stone “bar”…only by a smidge but who cares lol! This morning I am 13, 13 and a quarter pound. so in total one stone and a smidge of a pound lighter in 4 weeks. I can feel the difference in certain areas and jeans too loose. Feeling positive.

Happy Monday and congrats on your successful first week! I am in the office wearing work trousers that are most definitely looser than the last time I put them on a fortnight ago 😃
Last week I was strict on 800 cals mon-fri but more relaxed at the weekend, although still stuck to the Mediterranean diet, and this seems to work well with family commitments. We had a low carb picnic (kids helped themselves to my humus) and a BBQ last night where I enjoyed meat with salad but no bread or spuds. I don’t know about you, but food seems to taste better when not surrounded by bread, pasta etc! Certainly I am not feeling deprived! Roll on week 2..

Sounding good JaneyCD!
I try not to think about the bread and pasta lol. Hope everything good with you & yours.
Everything going well at the moment. I have tried to keep up increasing the walking and extra stepping/jiggling and swaying when doing the washing up etc (to music ).
I have lost another four and a half pounds this week and can definitely feel my fat getting softer/less solid to the touch. I am wearing jeans that wouldn’t do up in February.
My other half is being a sport and eating the same menu as me ( + having extras such as ham, lettuce, prawns and small cubes of cheese if he is feeling desperate) and has lost nine pounds too.

Hi P! You caught me browsing the forum threads! Glad to hear it’s still going well. I am really beginning to feel GOOD physically; definitely not got the munchies of previous bad habits. No snacking at all on weekdays in fact. I am holding off till week 4 to try on my M&S jeans.. will be delighted if they do up again! Well done on getting back into your jeans already. My OH is also supporting me, although he is already annoyingly slim so I am being kind and letting him have rice, pasta etc with the same meals as I am having on the eating plan. I think he is impressed with the new recipes though 🙂

Woo hoo ! extra post this week ….I am now exactly one and a half stone lighter than my starting weight. All still going well…

Hey Plumptious
Very well done! You’ve got this😀
Go girl!
Cheers
Linda

Way to go girl! You are doing so well! I’m also happy with my progress.. My friend’s wedding is this weekend and my dress will definitely fit better!

Thanks LindaA.
Hi JaneyCD, how was the wedding….and the dress?
I have had a good week and have lost another 4lb. Now I am 13 st 4lb and 3/4 ‘s.
I have all the menus and shopping planned for the week and finding it easier swap things around if necessary…like when the fridge was accidentally turned up too high and ruined lettuce, celery and quite a few other bits that had been for incorporating into meals. We don’t carry any extra food nowadays lol!
Twice this week I have had to apologise to unplanned visitors that we don’t have a crumb of cake or biccies in the house so if they are hungry…would an apple do? Fortunately they know us pretty well so weren’t shocked. I think our cultural & social background of welcoming visitors with “white”food/drinks is a very hard one to get over…our cake tin is redundant and Mc V-Biscuits has probably gone bust! In the future I may do some BSD style baking but not for a long while yet.
We have made a real effort and been on lots of extra walks and feel so much better. I can really feel the muffin top shrinking and have put all size 20 clothes into the recycling bin at the supermarket.

Hi Plumptious, wow, congrats on binning the size 20 clothes, you’re doing fantastically! The wedding yesterday was wonderful and my dress looked 100x better than when I first tried it on. Had several comments on how much weight I’d lost which means it’s definitely paying off changing those old habits. I ate the meal and did drink a few G&Ts but I stayed away from the bread and sweets and ice cream. And this morning I’m back on track again! TBH I’m feeling so much better that I don’t want to slide back to the carbs…

Hmmm, 24 hours off the proverbial wagon, must knuckle down again. We’ve been on holiday in Norfolk and it’s been a challenge to eat out when just about everything comes with chips. And yesterday was my other half’s birthday so Guinness was drunk. And to be honest, cake was involved. Smacked legs for Janey. Anyway, I’ll be back on the straight and narrow again very shortly! Those size 14 M&S jeans are waiting for me!

Cake confessions all round then lol!
I was “forced ” to eat a slice of well known supermarket ready made chocolatey child’s theme cake at my grand daughter’s birthday party. To be honest I didn’t enjoy it…way too sweet but didn’t want to be a party pooper. Boy, did I really know afterwards though and felt yuk for two days. It was only a small slice so thought I could get away with it. I definitely won’t be doing that again.
Apart from that I have been good and tried hard to eat healthily within the principles of the BSD.
I got myself a fit bit and signed up to” myfitnesspal” too so have been twiddling away with those and they have helped me keep busy.
I have lost almost two pounds this week ….would have been more I reckon, if the cake incident hadn’t interfered with things.
I feel less out of breath when going up hills etc and have hit a more than 10,000 step walk midweek, which I am pleased with. I feel much better within myself all round so will keep on beavering away.
We are enjoying nice weather so it is really nice to be out and about more.
Bring it on week four !!!

Plumptious, Isn’t it strange that we celebrate birthdays, weddings, Christmas with cake and or alcohol. What could we find for a non calorie substitute? Balloons? They come with different issues i.e. environmental problems. Chinese hot air lanterns again environmentally unsound. Bubble blowing or of course a group hug might be the answer. Do you have any other ideas?

Haha Sandie, not sure a balloon or group hug would be met with anything other than howls of derision and a definitive chant of ‘we want cake’ in our household! I’ve found it easy enough today to get back on course though. The most delicious poached egg on haloumi for brunch and a bread free BBQ this evening. It’s much easier when the weather is warm and sun is out 🙂

Hi Plumptious, how are you getting on. Now at the start of week 6 and still going strong here. Feeling so much more energetic, and on a vanity note, I am back in my NYDJ jeans that haven’t been able to get on for goodness only knows how long! I’m still trying to stick the tight controls on food intake during the week but allow myself a little more leniency at weekends. Am getting used to BBQ’s without bread! Need to make an effort to get exercise levels up though but doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day!

Hi Janeycoughdrop. That’s great. Well done !
I had a busy weekend so have got a bit behind with things -but not too busy to weigh myself and find out I have hit my 2 stone off level ….yeehoo!
Week 5 going well. I managed to squeeze in a little bit of swimming and another 10,000 step walk recently so am pretty pleased with myself. The other half is doing really well too.
We have also dug out clothes we can now fit into again. I have got rid of so many I am having to wash & dry things more regularly. I’m not going to buy lots whilst still losing so will spend one day next week going on a charity shop spree and buy three pairs of jeans or bottoms and three sweatshirts/fleeces or tops to wear in the transition to a yet smaller size and then will take them and donate them back again when I am happy with my BMI.
I feel better in myself than I have for years and wake up earlier and brighter as well as having better skin texture. I have been taking one high dose fish oil tablet a day during the whole of the time we have been doing this but that was in response to new research that this MAY stave off Alzheimers/dementia for a while longer if & when either of us were to succumb to it. We plan to continue that long term even when we eventually bridge over to the 5:2 plan.
We are having a couple of days away next week but I am confident I know enough now to make wise choices and will do a bit of advance planning on which food shops etc are there and what we can expect to find to suit us. There is no way I am going to spoil things now….the cake incident a few posts back taught me a valuable lesson so won’t be making that mistake again.
I went on one of the machines in Boots and got a print out of my BMI and body fat percentage recently. I am going to repeat this in one month and two months to be able to compare them side by side. To be 12 stone something rather than 15 is great (even if it is the very high end lol !)
Onwards and downwards….

GO PLUMPTIOUS!! 2 stone is amazing; you must feel so chuffed! Good idea on the charity shop sweep. I’ve been known to do that myself in the past as there are some good quality ones near to work.. so could be time to pop in again and look for trousers. Like you, I generally feel much better physically and mentally more alert.. although I did ‘tweet’ the BSD in a ‘desperate’ state last evening as I was trying to resist PMT induced chocolate cravings!!! A few cubes of cheese took the edge off thankfully 🙂
We went for a post dinner stroll last night while the kids rode their bikes. It’s gentle, but still counts as exercise so I will try and do this more often. Walking up to town in my lunch hour is also a more regular occurrence (although we got rained on and had to call our colleague for a lift back one day last week when the heavens opened, mid walk!)
Away breaks are a little challenging, as I found out recently, but if necessary settle for damage limitation rather than stressing. 2 or 3 days of compromise won’t undo all your effort so enjoy your time!

Glad your’re going well too JaneyCD.
Well it’s a couple of days into week 6. I have lost another 3 and a 1/4 pounds this week.
It is becoming a more natural way of life for us now and having to struggle less with ingredients and menu plans and we are making up slightly more replacements with certain foods to make sure we do not waste any of our food. It feels normal now not to think about “whitestuff”.
I can honestly say that the only tiny bit of dark chocolate has been put into the skinny chilli recipe (yum!). I had to look around quite a lot to find small bars but eventually found a nice little 40g fair trade bar in the co-op’s own range .
I have been doing more and more walking as it gets easier and easier.
The other half is still doing well too and has had to have a couple of new belts because his were looking scruffy with imprints of the moving buckle as it shifted smaller and smaller and had a large tail of waste length leather to shove round the belt loops.
We have been spreading the word about BSD to anyone who seems interested and one of my step daughters has lost 13lb in two weeks and is delighted.
More determined than ever….bring it on!!!

It’s so nice to look and feel better isn’t it?! I’m also promoting BSD to all who will listen and surreptitiously converting the rest of the family to the BSD way of life.. Although cauliflower mash on top of the BSD cottage pie last week was an epic fail as far as they were concerned. I liked it though! I’m pleased to report I’m back in the M&S jeans too..yay!!

Well our few days away to the seaside was really nice, good weather and lots of extra walking about exploring things. We negotiated meals well -no extra “treats” or items not in the BSD . I didn’t expect to lose any weight but knew I wouldn’t add it on….very happy to say I did lose some….so over the week a few more pounds gone. The bags of candy floss, toffee apples, donuts etc really didn’t appeal to me at all. In my pre BSD days I would have scoffed at least three or four donuts.
Also gone are the size 18 jeans…way too baggy even for use at the allotment.
Had a good wardrobe sort and lots of things jettisoned to either charity shop, recycling bag or a friend (bigger than me now….tables turned!)
Have ordered some new trainers and excited they will be here any time soon. Its a long time since I possessed any. I have walking boots but they are too heavy for the daily walk in terrain that doesn’t warrant them. They are pink…very unusual for me- but they feel cheerful lol!
How’s it going JaneyCD? I know what you mean about fitting exercise in when you have so many other demands on your time. Its lovely now to be early retired and pretty much design your own day. I look at the years gone by and wonder now how on earth I fitted everything in.
Have you tried the family on cauli rice? I think that is more easily disguisable with something like a Korma style curry sauce?

Way to go Plumptious, in those size 16’s!! Glad your few days away went well. It s amazing how our food preferences can be changed in a relatively short space of time isn’t it? I’m quite happy to watch the rest of the family enjoy desserts etc without feeling hard done by now. I had a small treat last night as we went out for a payday Indian. But I stuck to tandoori mixed grill and raita, and NO alcohol. I had a small piece of naan bread as my sin but no rice.. Unheard of for me!! Stomach seemed to be gurgling a lot after.. Wonder if that’s a protest against bread after 7 weeks?!
Get those pink trainers on and keep up the exercise! They’re a cheery reminder of how far you’ve come 😃 I will probably hit the roller disco again later with the kids. Still need to factor in a bit more structured exercise but trying to walk more!!!

Today I am sticking a flag in my courgetti!
I am mid way through week 7 and have just gone through the barrier from obese to overweight ….YYYYHOOOOO!
My BMI is 30 and am a smidge under 12 stone 7lb. (started at 15 stone)
So the stripes on my new pink trainers must be “Go -Faster ” stripes!! lol
Had a couple of plateaus along the way like most folk….but kept hammering away at it….wonder what week 8 finish will bring?

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW, that’s amazing! I’m so pleased for you! We both kicked off at the same time so it’s great to hear how well you’ve done! It’s those trainers that did the trick 😉

Presumably you’re not just stopping at the end of week 8? OK, the rigid calories counting can ease off, but new, improved eating habits will stay, won’t they? I intend to carry on eating in this way longterm because I want to stay healthy for as long as possible. And if the clothes continue to get looser.. well, so be it 🙂

Once again, many congratulations Plumpcious!

Thanks Janey CD! Sounds like you’re going great guns too.
Your rollerblading sounds great fun -but I don’t have grace or good balance so would be a bit like Frank Spencer’s famous performance lol!
No , definitely not stopping at the end of the 8 weeks. My plan is to have a treat on the last day….of half a sliced banana and some strawberries (cor …in the old days that would be several Bombay Sapphire gins and full fat tonic plus nibbles and/or a box of chocs!!) then start again until I get to that normal BMI measurement range.
Not sure about the other half yet. He had less to lose than me plus was fitter and has lost 1 stone 8lb’s so far. Depending on how he feels we probably will continue the way we are now but he will increase intake a bit. He is desperate for some new potatoes dripping with best butter ( home grown from our allotment) so that will be his celebration treat.

Hello, sorry to jump in on your conversation but I just wanted to say WOW!! well done! I heard about this diet on radio 2 the other day and the book arrived today and I’ve read it. Was feeling all positive (8 weeks til my holidays) but I am such a picky eater and also have food intolerances I’m now back tracking before I’ve even started 🙁 No good!! it has to be done, and reading what you have achieved in such a short time is amazing. You must feel fantastic. Thank you for sharing your journey. I am planning to start on Friday 🙂

Welcome Annadongela! Take a brave pill and give the BSD a go – you’ll be amazed how quickly you start to look and feel better. Plumptious and I are at the end of the 8 weeks but it has been a revelation to the extent that both of us will make permanent changes to our lifestyles long term. The forums are here to support you as well as giving advice or making you laugh. Good luck!

good luck annadongela
whatever the food allergies, I’m sure you’ll find this eating plan easy to adapt – you may even find that your intolerences lessen after a few weeks of wholefood and no junky carbs.