Hello everyone, a little bit of background. I’m not diabetic, but have wanted to be a healthier version of myself for a long time. I have absolutely been addicted to sugar and carbs for years and although I’m not desperately overweight, I would like to lose a stone and stay there.
I haven’t really set about the BSD correctly I don’t think, but I’ve read the books I received on Thursdsy afternoon and have since cut out any sugar or carbs.
Today was tricky as I had a birthday lunch to go to so opted for burger (no bun) and salad with no dressing and sweet potato fries (I’m not sure if sweet potato is a carb or not🤦‍♀️). Otherwise I’ve stuck to the recipes in the book. I tend not to eat breakfast until midday which is Greek yog, strawberries and oats. I think I need to watch my portion sizes though becUse I’m feeling fatter than ever as I don’t usually eat meals, I used to graze on high sugar all day through. Which is terrible, and falsely tricks you into believing you’re hardly eating anything at all.
So as things stand right now I’m definitely feeling healthier, but I’m still not 100% sure I’m doing it right.
Did anyone else feel like this to start? x

Welcome SamDB – it’s a learning curve for all of us at the beginning, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it will all become second nature. I’m afraid that sweet potato would fall into the high carb bracket, as indeed do all root vegetables, so be very cautious about those. Oats are also something to be cautious about, as all cereals are carb heavy too.

It sounds like you are maybe experiencing feelings of being bloated, due to the change in both what you are eating and your pattern of eating, but your body will adjust to the new regime. You might experience ‘flu like symptoms, which is normal too when carbs are withdrawn. Do take pain killers if you need to and be gentle with yourself – it will pass in a few days and you will begin to feel energised and well again.

Make sure to drink plenty and include good fats, as these are important for helping to get your body swapped from burning carbs to burning fats. And be sure to make the most of the forum, join any thread that looks relevant or interesting to you and you’ll be sure of a warm welcome. There is a challenge thread which currently has Nov 26 in it’s title, which is populated by people at various stages of the BSD process and there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into there, as well as support and encouragement when needed.

Best wishes to you for every success in getting to your goal …

Hi Sam,
One of the positive things about this forum is that people share hints and tips, and also information on the latest research.
While the books don’t set a target for the level of carbs, protein and healthy fats in our daily food intake most people have found it best to set a target of under 50g of carbs, a range of 0.6 to 0.8g of protein per kg of healthy weight, and make up the rest of your calories from healthy fats. – Some people find they need to lower the limit of carbs down to 20g for consistent weight loss.
The simple way to do this is use one of the smart phone apps, I use myfatsecret. If you enter everything you are thinking about eating it will tell you the levels of carbs, protein and fat in each item so you can make healthy choices.
I am just about to post a link to an article on the “take a look at” thread which will help explain “carb flu” and the solution.

Thank you so much SunnyB.
Yes, straight after I posted I looked up sweet potato DOH!🥴 oh well… I won’t do that again and I’ll have oats a lot less.
I’m wondering whether just cutting carbs to 50g a day and eating no sugar will help me lose a stone or whether I really need to go for the BSD 800.
I guess I’ll just have to see what the scales say at day 8 (coz I messed up day 3).
This is such a kind accepting group, thank you for your comments and help. x

Thank you JGwen. I will do that.
It takes a little while to get the head round it doesn’t it.
I don’t think I ever realised how many carbs I ate per day, I dread to think of the carb count!
I will start at 50g from today then at least I’ve got something to gauge it by and go lower when needs be.
Holiday season coming up is going to be a bit tricky as I have so many meet ups planned where we’ll be eating out 😖 but I hope to be able to avoid eating a desert and go for fish and salad (let’s see) .
Perhaps I should have waited until the new year, But I am full of motivation and enthusiasm, so wanted to strike while the iron is hot. X

Hi Sam,
Providing your carb intake is low enough that your insulin levels are low then your body can access your body fat to make up the difference between the number of calories you burn more than the number you eat. – Remember that 3500 cals equals one pound of fat.

Ok that makes sense J. The thing that concerns me slightly is maintaining a 50g carb intake for them”rest of my life”.
So today I’ve had:
2 eggs, 1 large mushroom, 30g tomatoes, 100ml lactose free milk.
200g Greek yog, blueberries & strawberries and a full fat latte and my app says I’m already at 41.67g carbs and it’s only 12:30 in the afternoon😄.
I don’t know what else to eat for dinner that won’t tip me over. Ugh! I’m befuddled.

Hello, Sam! Lactose free milk is quite carby, and contains a lot of sugar, too. While full fat greek yogurt
is a good choice, 200g is quite a lot. Most fruit is high in carbs, and tomatoes are fruit. Berries are about
your best option, but the serving size is important. It’s great that you are using an app, but I think it would be
helpful if you reduced your portion sizes. There are many experienced BSDers here, and we’re always
happy to help. Just shout out, and we will find you 🙂

Allie

Thank you Allie. xx

Hi SamDB – Allie is right, it is important to look at portion size, so that we get used to understanding what that looks like. Not sure if you are on the 800 calories, as I know you don’t have a lot of weight to lose, but it could be worth doing a few days at 800 to 1000 cals, as way of getting to grips with portion sizes.

Don’t worry at the moment about this way of eating being for life, just take it day to day and eventually it will automatically become your normal way of eating. Have you tried unsweetened almond milk? The Alpro one comes in at nil carbs and is low calorie too. It isn’t to everyone’s taste, but worth a try. Another option is to use a teaspoon or so of double cream in coffee or tea, which is also lower in carbs than even semi-slimmed milk.

Don’t worry if you go over on the carbs today, just begin afresh tomorrow and eventually it will become easier. Keep us posted please.

SunnyB thanks so much.
To be honest I don’t know if I’m doing 800 or Mediterranean or fasting or what🙄 I seem to be doing all three. today I had fasted for 18 hours before consuming 807 in a late breakfast and then an early dinner. I’ll do the same tomorrow. I’m actually not hungry at all weirdly.
Thank you for the cream and/or almond milk tip.
I’m hoping that I can eat a Mediterranean diet, zero sugar and low carb but more quantity than I’m eating right now.
I’m not asking too much am I? HaHa!
xx

Many find that if they pull the carbs down low, the calories are not so important. Following an 18:6 eating pattern will definitely help as well. I’d say that following a Med diet, you can probably up your cals at least to 1000 a day and still see some weight loss, as long as you hold the carb level down. It is weird that once your body no longer craves carbs, the hunger seems to largely disappear. It is a rare event for me to be really hungry too.

Best wishes for every success …