Hi everyone

I am on day 1 of the 8 week BSD.

I have steroid-induced diabetes that has come about from putting on a lot of weight very quickly (30kg) on high doses of steroids for two years for auto-immune disease. I currently take Galvus Met 50/850mg, have never had a hypo (so far, and wouldn’t on these meds anyway?) and my BS fasting is between 4.5 and 5.3, and after my jewelled pepper and feta lunch is at 5.2.

So far I have lost 18kg on my own but have been researching low-carb, Banting etc and the 8 week blood sugar diet looks exactly what I need! I would love to reverse the diabetes and have always had a pretty good diet. I am intolerant to wheat, gluten etc and before I was officially diagnosed with AI, put on weight whenever I had a “flare-up” of pain.

So far I’m doing ok but am feeling a bit hungry and need to dash to the bathroom every few minutes due to the water I am drinking! Sorry TMI! My only concern that I may fall off the wagon comes from the long days at work I have (plus a family) which entail getting up at 4.45am, at work by 7am and like tonight I won’t be home until 9pm and have to do it all again tomorrow. I’m useless late at night (blame the AI!) and this morning cooked up 3 meals at 5am, which I know will start to wear me down after a while. Plus, my family want different food, so I’m faced with temptation as well as tiredness!!! Any tips? Or any recipes that won’t take hours to prepare or can freeze well so I make batches at weekends?

Anyway, good luck with your journey’s and thanks for listening!!

Ali 🙂

I had Greek yoghurt with apple and berries for breakfast, Jewelled pepper with feta for lunch and courgette with prawns for dinner. I had a little bit of milk too (naughty) but if this is for life, I will manage better with a splash of milk in tea sometimes!

Calories 911 (the milk!) Carbs 38g, fat 9g, Protein 18g

Does this look ok? I will wean myself off the milk!!

Hi AliB
Welcome to the BSD. It’s your best chance to lose even more weight and get off the meds for diabetes. We’ve also had several people report improvement in various auto immune diseases so hopefully you’ll see a difference too. 🙂
No need to do without milk. Just measure out a portion in a separate container, add it to your count for the day and use that for your tea and coffee. If you deprive yourself of things you enjoy, you won’t stick with this way of eating.
Your total carbs and cals for the first day look good. You aren’t getting enough fat or protein though. The key to burning fat is to keep your carbs low ( which you’ve done) and your fat intake high. It’s very hard to get enough fat on low cals, but perhaps consider adding avocado, oily fish, cheese etc. which will help with protein and fat intake. Eggs are a good low cal and carb source of protein. You could make a frittata to eat with salad for work because it can be made in advance. A small can of tuna with salad also good for packed lunches. Soups and stews and curries can all be made in large batches and frozen. You could adapt some of your usual meals to make them low carb too. You do face a challenge with those long work days, I’m not sure I’d be up to cooking 3 meals at 5am! You have my respect.

Thanks so much for the advice Cherrianne. I’ve just got home and optimistically thought I might manage to cook for tomorrow but all I managed was a vague thinking about what to eat and got stuff out of the freezer instead!!

I’m so much better at 5am!!

I’ll up the fat with avocados and cheese tomorrow I think. I’ve printed off a lot of recipes but am worried I may go slightly over 800 calories. But as this is for life, and has to be sustainable with my lifestyle, I’m going to try not to stress about eating 900 instead!!!

I’ll Post if I lose anything in the next few days!!!

Ali 😊

If you’re only in danger of being slightly over the 800, I don’t think you should worry too much. Better to eat a little bit more if it makes you more likely to stick to it longer term.

Good luck,

Hi Ali,
Patsy is quite right. A little bit over on the cals won’t matter, you are keeping the carbs right down and that really is the key to good blood sugar control and weight loss. Rather you than me with the 5am starts lol 🙂

Thanks so much for all of your advice!

Day 2 and the menu is egg and turkey rasher muffins, salmon in tomato sauce with salad and pine nuts, and Chicken, tomato and mozzarella bake. And 150ml of whole milk for tea as well as herbal tea and hot water.

971 calories 19g carbs, 50g fat, 62g protein or 10% carbs, 58% fat, 32% protein

How does that look?

I feel a bit headachy and have taken paracetamol.

Fasting blood sugar was 5.0 and I forgot to take a pill last night, so very happy with that, and 4.8 before lunch (after having tea with milk and a galvusmet)

Feel hungry now so will have lunch in a bit before my lunchtime rehearsal (I’m a musucian and teacher and work at a British School in Abu Dhabi)

Have a good day everyone!

Ali 🙂

Hi Ali,
Much better fat and protein intake today, you’re really getting into the swing of it.
Headaches are pretty normal at this stage, they only last a few days and paracetamol and lots of water (about 3litres a day) really help. You might get a flu type feeling too, it’s all down to the carb withdrawal, but again it passes in a few days. Then it’s all good news: hunger passes, more energy, lower blood sugars and weight loss 🙂

Thanks Cherrianne. I’m hoping I’ll feel better soon. I’m ravenous at the moment! At least at work I’m distracted! Although I don’t think I’m drinking enough water. It’s difficult as I end up dashing out of my teaching room along the corridor every 5 minutes when I keep drinking water, which is not brilliant!

How often do you all weigh yourselves? I hopped on the scales again this mornig but after 2 days didn’t expect to lose anything so wasn’t surprised to see the scale remain the same. Maybe I should do it once a week? What do you all do?

Have a good day!

Ali 🙂

Hi Ali,
Some people weigh daily, others weekly. It’s up to you, some people say they lose motivation if they weigh daily and the scales don’t move.
I weigh maybe once a fortnight as I’m maintaining my current weight. I’m now experimenting with how many, and what kind, of carbs I can eat to keep my blood sugars in the non diabetic range. Obviously not having any processed or sugary carbs, just increasing the amount slowly until I’m happy I can have a bit more fruit in my diet.
I’m sticking with this way of eating for life! So happy to have blood sugars in the non diabetic range. 🙂

Thanks Cherrianne

I think I’ll try weekly to start with and see how I go.

Unfortunately today my AI eye condition has flared up, which means a lot of pain and most likely weight gain no matter what I eat or don’t eat, so it will be interesting to se how I go through it.

I was cross with myself yesterday as my 8 year old son cooked cheese scones in his cooking club and he really wanted me to try one, so I did. Then had another one. they were very small, and the calories and carbs weren’t horrendous, but I realised how difficult it was to stop once I’d started! But stop I did and today’s food is:

Tuna in water and mayonnaise, Low Carb Moussaka and Courgetti Prawns with 130 mls whole milk for tea.
15g carbs (11%) 33g Fat (54%) and 47g protein (35%) 939 calories

I feel less hungry today which is great! I hope you don’t mind if I post my food here. Doesn’t matter if no-one replies, it just helps to keep me on track!!

Have a good day!!

Ali

PS fantastic news on the blood sugar Cherianne!! Well done you! 🙂

Day 4

I had absolutely tons of energy when I got home last night and for the first time ever made all of the lunches for today, meaning I hit the alarm snooze once this morning! I did feel shattered this morning though and feel that all of the balls in the air are going to hit the deck with a big thump before too long!

My fasting BS was 5.2 this morning which is higher than I would have expected after what I ate. I couldn’t even finish the courgette with prawns. I am not really that hungry either which is good!

Today is tuna and mayo for breakfast, LCHF Moussaka and a tomato for lunch, and chicken, mozzarella and tomato bake with broccoli for dinner.

29g carbs (13%), 41g fat (43%) and 96g protein (44%)

Daren’t get on the scales yet! Not sure if I’m losing anything or not, but I definitely feel better!

Have a good day everyone 🙂

Hi, I too am on day four. Your life seems incredibly hectic…I trust you are abke to slow it down, just a tad! I have yet to get the energy high and I think my carb addiction is rearing its head…. I am generally keeping to 800 cal per day and feeling lighter for it. Off to the gym today for the first time in a while so hoping that will aid this process. I return to work next week, also in education, so am trusting that one week in will put me in a good place. I run a school so there is stress!

Hi Napangardi

I would love to slow down, and understand your work too. I don’t run a school, but am a musician so we have lots of extra-curricular stuff going on, on top of full teaching timetables. Evenings and weekends are non-existent at times so I feel your pain! We start early in the Middle East too, so I’m normally conducting bands at 7am!!!

How are you doing today? Funnily enough, after my energy high on Tuesday I have been shattered yesterday and today and not sleeping but my auto-immune eye condition is rearing its head so that could be why. I also weighed myself today and haven’t lost a thing. 🙁 Am wondering if it’s because I’ve already lost 18kg and my body has been on a “diet” for a year already, so I’m trying not to be disheartened. And usually if I have an AI flare-up I hold on to weight. Arrgggghhhhhhhh!!

Have you weighed yourself yet? I measured myself this morning so will use that as an indicator next week. The hunger is ok and starting to dissipate, but I struggle with wanting to eat the fridge when lunch is at 12 and I don’t get home until 6.30. I think I need to up my water intake, but that involves constant legging it down corridors and leaving a pupil in my room to warm up! 🙂 Fun!!

Hope you have a good day!!

Ali 🙂

Hi Ali, just got back from the gym….feel tired but good! I am determined to get there three times plus a week. I am literally five minutes walk from place but of course drive as evenings are easier for me…. I do not know what I do in the morning but I never have enough time.
Sorry to hear about your flare up..and given you have lost so much on your own I suspect not shifting as yet is to be expected, I am weighing each day and have lost 1.5 kilos. I am not finding it easy but I know my eating is habitual and of course stress related.
I am enjoying however experimenting with recipes. I need to plan for my return to work…have never done this when dieting as I tend to cook when I get home but often eat as I do!
What is the time difference between here and AbuDhabi.ie as I write it is evening….

Hi Napangardi

Well done for the gym!! I’m not getting anywhere near that at the moment but I walk as much as I can I guess.

I’ve just looked at your profile and we weigh exactly the same!! Well we did…you’ve lost 1.5 kg now and I’ve stayed the same!! Whereabouts in the world are you? From the time difference I would say NZ or Australia? It is 14.23 here right now. I’m guessing you’ll be asleep by now!!

I posted on another thread earlier about not losing anything, and they say it could be because of the dieting already, or the stress I’m under at the moment, the AI or living in a hot country!

I’m at work now, and the only way I can do this is if I am uber organised and plan the week’s food and cook it in advance so it is in boxes in my fridge to grab when I get home. I printed off all of the recipes on this site, so will browse tomorrow and tailor my shopping accordingly. I’ve made everyone else’s food I advance too, so I’m not tempted to stray……When I’m teaching I get so absorbed anyway that I forget to be hungry, and after a while you just get used to it!! Today was a colleague’s birthday and there was cake and fruit. I stole the cake and gave it to my piano student who I was teaching at the time, and wasn’t even slightly tempted. So it must be working!!!

Have a good day tomorrow. It’s the weekend for us Fri/Sat. Looking forward to not having a 4.45 alarm call in the morning!!

Ali 🙂

Hi AliB
Sounds like your organised menus will be the way to go for your busy life. Good prep.
Up that fluid intake. It’s not the hot country that’s the problem, you have to drink plenty for this diet to work well. We are shaking up our metabolism to rid the liver & pancreas of fat! You got to lubricate that process! By the end of two weeks you won’t be running to the toilet half as much. Keep going. 🎼🎺

Good morning AliB!
Yes I am from Australia, South Australia in fact. Enjoy your sleep in. I have a headache and feel ghastly… I am hoping it is the effect of minimal carbs and no sugar!
The gym was good , met one of my parents there and thought oh well I am exercising and that is what is important …I did not recognise him as had only seen him in his suit and tie! He has Tatts, and is somewhat muscular😀 He recognised me but in my defens e I am new to this appointment so do not know everyone by sight…they need to be attached to a child…theirs preferably!
I am not surprised that you are not exercising much yet….you do need to sleep….
Enjoy your weekend with your children and rest!