Hello All,
I have really enjoyed reading the many positive and encouraging posts and of course the wonderful success stats. You are all just lovely !
The blood sugar diet book appealed to me as it just seems so sensible. I am fortunate that I’m not diabetic but not so fortunate in that I am very fat. At a guess I would say 15 1/2 stone.
Tomorrow is a new day and I will be stating and not guessing my weight !
The issues of being overweight have changed as I have got older, it used to be vanity alone now it is painful knees,hips,ankles and general sluggishness tipping into low mood.
I am a real booze hound (liquid toast) as someone said, so this will be a big lifestyle change for me.

Just a couple of questions i would love to know your views on

1. Do you think this diet is different from Cambridge style diets? I ask this as cal. counts are similar. Has anyone done liquid commercial type diet and found they feel different eating real food ?

2. I have previously done the Harcombe diet (low carb) and found my sleep very interupted which is unusual for me. have you found this to be the case on this diet ? and if so tips to avoid it.

I have an unusually full on foodie day today, Thai restaurant for lunch and bbq this evening. I could plan around it but feel I will fare better creating a more controlled meal plan from scratch tomorrow.

Thank you for reading this and I really hope I can become a part of your lovely community

Mo x

Hello Fatnfifty and welcome! I’m new too – day 4 – so no pearls of wisdom yet! I get what you mean about the way it changes with age from vanity to impacting health.
I did Lighter Life a few years ago – lost 3 stone, put on 4stone. The total meal replacement VLCDs are great if you can stick to them with no thinking involved but I don’t think they change your palate, hence regain and more. Real food takes planning and effort but I am really hoping that it will set me up for the rest of my Mediterranean low-carb life because I know that I will have to adopt it as a way of life, not a crash diet.

All the best (and definitely start tomorrow!)

Hi Mo I am on day 5 and I like yourself am awfully fond of a few wines! That for me is the hardest part….I cook so am making things that fit within the cals and using the book for meal ideas.
My sleep has been fine so far and energy levels pretty good for the most part.
I figure when I really need a drink I will opt for vodka with soda and loads of fresh lime and count it into my cals…
Good luck, lets stay in touch!

Real food means I am learning new food combinations and patterns of shopping and eating. And feel fuller than with off the shelf shakes – the sensation of eating is psychologically important I think.

I haven’t managed the cold turkey on the other kind of liquid refreshment, though massively reduced. I am on week 3, the initial enthusiasm commitment has waned but the scales keeping me focused. I hope by week 8 my tastes are retrained.

Hi Mo FATNFIFTY welcome and good luck on yr journey..itsfunny,the weeks fly by, i am now on week six after being very apprehensive about starting. Its been easy and now 23 lbs down!
I did Cambridge diet many years ago but i feel it’s much more important to eat proper ‘ real world’ food as after all,who wants to drink shakes when theres delicious nutritious food to enjoy
I’m sleeping better partly due to taking magnesium but also think my body feels more settled as getting better nourishment..i wd recommend taking magnesium an hour or two before bed if you have a problem xx
Welcome too LANGERHANS And KERERU x

Thanks for all your responses, lots of tips to help and get me started there. Encouraged that you are enjoying real food Avila and langerhans and have bought the magnesium pills. Cheers Yowzer.

Well, weighed in this morning at 15st7lb. No nasty surprise at reading my weight yet hardly cause for celebration. My bulk is making me feel truly rotten though. I don’t mean the number on the scales but the stress on my poor old frame.

Enough of the pity party, as I know I can change all this and feel better in a matter of weeks. Time to plan and cook. I love to cook too Kereru so will be thinking how to get as much taste value as possible from daily rations.

I don’t use social media (one friend on Facebook) so this is all new to me in a wonderful way. So much advice and many experiences to draw upon. Will be using the recipes from the book at first as then I am assured that my daily nutritional balance is sorted.

What I need to work out is the times of my meals. Should I eat at the same time each day? or go with the “when hunger strikes” method? I do like times and plans so maybe for me a structured approach will work best. So for today breakfast at 11am lunch at 3pm and dinner at 7pm

Feeling afeared and scaredful ! yet paradoxically joyous and hopeful. Off now to pore over posts and recipes and will check in later today

Mo x

Hello Mo. Good luck and keep posting!, Like me I have no doubt you have done numerous diets before. I am starting this on September 1st as just had an operation and been told to wait. I will, however, follow your progress with interest and do lots of reading in the meantime. Don’t like cooking much so a whole new ballgame. Have a good day, tipping it down with rain here in Oxford! S x

Hows It going MO. The mealtimes youve chosen wd suit me as i think its helpful to push meals back in that way.
I dont eat til noon or later,i always have yog and berries for lunch, as the fullfat yoghurt fills me up… in the evening,sevenish, i have my din-dins. Hope youre finding this do able..first week can be a bit tricky..i know i felt more tired and a bit weak,but that passes as does any carb cravings. Once the carb cravings pass ( it might only take a day) you wont feel very hungry coz it’s the carbs that make you want to eat more x

How are you doing? Started yesterday and still very hungry! Just spoke to a girlfriend, 11 weeks and 12 kgs and she is pleased and says it does get easier!! I hope so! Sara