Hi everyone, I’m starting the fast 800 plan today, so far ok.
I have at least 15 kg to get to a normal BMI of 24 and I’m looking to get a little bit lower, so I have some leeway for Christmas.
Looking for anyone else who is fairly new, so we can motivate each other to keep going.
At the moment I am not fasting – I want to get used to 800cals for a week and then I’ll try 16:8.
One question I do have, have people continued with their physical activities in week 1 or waited until they have got used to the reduced calories?
Thanks and I’m hoping that this does the trick for me.
xx

Hi fattystar, welcome to the site. The question about I presume exercise is a personal choice. Some people feel quite drained or even a bit run down when they first start and dont do any exercise, some manage it perfectly well with their normal routines. However, DrM says that if you do exercise and then feel you have to eat more to compensate then it is better not to exercise. Exercise makes very little difference to weight loss it is what you eat that has the biggest impact. Exercise is great for heart, bone, lungs, muscle and mind but a few days off wont do any harm or impact on weight loss. So if you dont feel up to it give it a break.

I started the BSD 800 a day back in Jan. I am a very keen cyclist but as my body adjusted I just did what I felt my body wanted to do. I stayed active – walking etc but didn’t get on the bike for 2 weeks. Simply because I didn’t really feel like it. First bike ride felt like I had 2 hours riding in my legs before I got on! Being honest it probably took me 4-6 months to get back to where I was before bike fitness wise. That said I’m now hauling a lot less weight around so a lot quicker!

So my advice is do what you feel up to. 800 cals a day you will be losing weight so the exercise really is for wellbeing and the other benefits, not for weight loss.

Good luck!

Hey fattystar,

I am relatively new, is started 3 weeks ago had a slip and am now back on that horse so to speak! I have 20kgs to loose to get back to a healthy BMI.

I had similar questions i posted in the week one starting 8th September forum (its called something like that) and general consensus seemed for the first two weeks your wiped out but after that youll start to get some more energy. I am a avid gym goer but i have found that i just cant lately and to make it worse when i do go i get hungrier so ive dropped my classes to 1-2 a week and am starting with a PT for 1 half hour session to see if weight training vs cardio maybe a better option. Ive been walking though. Im pretty tired most of the time though and headachey so looking forward to getting out of this two weeks!

Have you the books or online program?

🙂

Hi fattystar, Welcome to the forum.

When you eat a high carb diet your body holds on to water, when you change to low carb that water is released but the kidneys also release electrolytes with it. – That is the cause of the keto flu or carb flu you may have heard about. You do need to replace those electrolytes the best option is to have some rock salt and let a pinch dissolve on your tongue. You want to aim to have 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt per day.

When eating low carb you do need to have a higher salt intake than you may be used to. – Processed food has salt added, and if you are cooking from scratch you will need to add salt to your diet.

No one is sure why but low insulin levels result in your kidneys releasing electrolytes but that’s how the body works. I don’t work out in a gym but do have physically active days. – After 4 years of eating this way I still need to keep some salt by the side of my bed and during the night if any of my muscles start to go into cramps I dip a finger into the salt pack and lick it off. Thats usually enough to deal with the problem.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/salt-guide#:~:text=Consuming%20about%204%2C000%20to%207%2C000,period%2C%20depending%20on%20individual%20needs.

Thanks everyone for the replies – I did do some exercise this week – mainly weights but one HIIT class. I felt ok and paced myself but did feel very tired afterwards, went to bed at 9.30pm and was asleep in 5mins!

I find cardio such as running makes me more hungry so not doing that at the moment.

I am adding the extra salt – thanks for the tip. So far – Ive felt quite upbeat and am happy with the 6lb loss for my first week.

Trying to do more general movement so have been gardening, and also volunteering in a charity shop for a couple of shifts.

Feeling positive for this week – I am having the brekkie, lunch and dinner and will continue for another week. Next week, I am hoping to skip breakfast and just have lunch and dinner but will see how I feel.

@mssamd9. – I have read the books previously but am just using my fitness pal for the calories – I have previously been low carb so I am just modifying some of those recipes. I also use the ‘diet doctor’ website for support and recipe ideas. However, I’ve kept it simple – my usual curries, pasta sauces (no pasta obviously), griddled fish or chicken with veg or salad, cooked from scratch. I don’t weigh everything every day but if I am making something I’m not sure about – I’ll add a recipe to myfitnesspal so I have it for future.

Can’t wait until I am hauling less weight – was lifting yesterday and realised the weight I was lifting was equivalent to 90% of what I am trying to lose so no wonder its difficult! Thanks for the support!

I love moving sacks of animal feed nowadays. Its a reminder every time of the amount of weight I used to carry around. Makes me smile every time I pick up feed from the stores and they ask if I need help carrying it to the car. 🙂

When my level of discard was more than 2 sacks of animal feed, so it was at a level where I had to get a wheelbarrow because I couldn’t physically carry that weight in sacks that I decided that even if I never get down to my target weight I have still achieved more than I ever expected.

@jgwen – thats a fantastic amount of loss! 🙂

So have decided to use this thread as a bit of a diary to keep myself motivated. I am weighing myself everyday at the moment to understand the fluctuation in weight loss – as my scales go up and down like anything!

Was feeling really motivated but feel quite emotional at the moment and almost disgusted with myself as to the state I have got myself into. I worry too much, which leads to emotional eating and as a family / friends circle we celebrate and commiserate with food which doesn’t help.

I want to cry as it feels like my life is going nowhere – I was made redundant due to CV19 and have been applying for jobs along with 1000’s of other people and struggling. Coupled with looking like a little ball as I’m only 5″3 – how I have managed to squeeze into the same size clothes I don’t know!! Arrggghhh

Your doing great just to even start and use the apps and so on. For me the apps add more stress and the book has kept it simple and easy.

I understand what your saying though i get down about my size pop on baggy clothes and eat a tub of ice-cream. Which in turn creates this messed up cycle. I think the emotions are normal! Ive been so sad whilst starting the diet but that because i never usually feel i squash it down with food, and because im a sugar/ carb addict so maybe we can just let that disgusted unhappy feeling sit and keep on with this diet and then in a month, then another month and another we will see changes and all of a sudden the same patterns we’ve been used to will have evolved into something better.

I too have lost my job i finish up in 2.5 weeks, your not alone its hard and its crap but i think that we can focus on the positives of the other changes we are making in our lives.

haha im sure you dont look like a ball! Keep your chin up, feel your way through, write down the crappy feelings and just keep going 😉

thanks @mssmad9 – sometimes it does feel like its just me feeling the way I do while the rest of the world carries on as it wants.

Anyway, I’ve lost another couple of lbs so 8.5lbs in 2 weeks – would like to make it 10lbs by the end of week 3 (as I have a weigh-in at the gym – extra accountability!). So will need to be extra vigilant on the size of my dinner portions – mostly ok but have sometimes had some bites of cheese as I have been so hungry waiting for my dinner to cook.

10kg to get my ‘ok’ weight and then I can reassess how I feel. Have my husbands birthday and a weekend away at the beginning of November – so something to look forward to over the coming weeks.

Exercise – last week managed 6 sessions – more than planned but was very tired. Will aim for the same this week as well and maybe add some online yoga in as well.