I finally took the plunge and started yesterday. I am not diabetic but I am very overweight. I struggled a bit with hunger yesterday but today is shocking. My stomach is growling and I feel ill. I have eaten between 750-800 calories both days. I am vegetarian but I have eaten mushroom, eggs and quorn sausage both days. I did think the first week would be hard but I am reading all these posts about not being hungry and finding it so easy. Maybe it’s because I am eating less than 1/3 of what I ate before? I have about 40kg to lose. Has anyone else struggled with hunger? Does it get better? I am drinking 2+ litres of water.

Fran, where is the fat coming from ?
If you don’t eat it of course you will feel hungry, you have to give your body something to burn now you are resticting the carbs.
Go full fat dairy on everything, get lots of veggies in there, especially above the ground veg and you should feel much better
I’m eating maybe a quarter of what I used to and I never feel hungry.

Hi Bill,

I am cooking in olive oil. I had fetta cheese in a stuffed mushroom. Lots of vegies. I had some mozzarella in my eggs tonight. I have a small amount of full cream milk maybe 2 cups of tea during the day. I had a cup of miso soup about 15 minutes ago and I am feeling better now. I do eat fish so I might try that tomorrow. Thanks for replying 🙂

I suppose I should add that I am breastfeeding a toddler, but as I want to wean (she is 2) my GP has given me the ok to stick to the 800.

Don’t be disheartened Fran84, on this new eating regime it can take a few days for your body to adjust. It is normal to have hunger pangs in the early days and feel a bit rough, as this is your body rebelling against the lack of carbs.

It’s important to make sure you include enough fats in your meals, as this really does help to make you feel more satisfied and less hungry, keeping the pangs at bay for longer. Good options are full fat yogurt, cheese, oils and nuts. Don’t be scared in the first week to be a bit over the 800cals a day, if it helps with the hunger and if the pangs become unbearable, try a small cube of cheese, a few nuts or a few grams of yogurt. It is a big difference cutting down to a 1/3 of you previous diet, but you will adjust to it more quickly than you might think.

Stay strong and focussed on your goal. As soon as you start to see positive results, you will be spurred on to keep going. The BSD is making a huge difference to so many of us and you are going to be one of those people too!

Keep us posted on your progress and sing out if you need support, encouragement or advice – someone will respond.

Hi Fran, for me the first few days were a nightmare. Sooo hungry and with a family house full of temptations! But I got through it and somehow my appetite adjusted. It just takes time and will power. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. End of day three now and while I am definitely still hungry and have a slight headache, it is much better than yesterday. I had yogurt and some nuts and more cheese today. Closer to 900 calories than 800 but less than 50g carbs. I am already 3kg down- this is due to fluid loss I am sure but motivating none the less.

Thanks for the support.

Hi Fran. Glad to hear you’ve had a better day. I absolutely agree with everyone and want to add ny voice on the importance of full fat dairy and plant oils in helping you to feel more full. I also have found including food that is high fibre (70g baked kumara – 50g chick peas, 60g avocado – which is brilliant for good high fat too) and 45g dried prunes can go a long way to helping you to feel more full. If you are breastfeeding of course its important to keep up your protein and water intake too. Good luck. You wont be sorry if you persevere. It will be so worth it. You can do it!

Hi Fran. I’m glad I’m not the only one who is finding the 2nd day harder then the 1st! I started yesterday and quite enjoyed all the lovely fresh salad. I felt super hungry when I woke this morning though (probably due to no evening snacks 🙂 ) and today has been a bit tougher than yesterday. I was v.proud of myself for giving my children a chocolate treat and not treating myself too :-D. I’m a little confused by what I can eat though. If I eat carbs, but stay under the 50g limit and eat less than 800 calories, is this OK? So far I’ve completely abstained from bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, crisps and chocolate (!) but could I eat a little? I have an avocado that needs eating and I’d love some Doritos to go with it 🙂 Thanks!

Unfortunatley the carbs in bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes are the simple carbs, the bad ones.
We should be trying to cut them out and eat complex carbs instead.

Hi Purple Marian

You are doing great, avoiding the temptation of the choccie treats! Doritos with avocado sounds tempting too, but probably best avoided – especially at this stage in the game. The idea of the BSD is to retrain you pallet, so that you no longer want the things listed, so best to avoid them until your body no longer wants them. Why not make yourself some sesame crackers to have with the avocado – or have it sliced with salad and smoked salmon.

Hope to see you posting great results soon.

Thanks SunnyB. I thought the Doritos may have been pushing it a little. I probably only want them because they’re the only treat in the house. Will keep on avoiding them 🙂

Hi All for me it is day 5 and I have lost 4lbs so far and feel good. I hope you do not mind me joining you but you all seem very supportive.

Welcome on board Kathy54. Sounds like you are doing really well and we will look forward to reading about your results as you progress. I have found the forum threads hugely helpful when needing advice or support, so make the most of them and shout out if you are struggling – someone will be there to offer advise and kind words.

Starving – ah, that takes me back…! Fran, and everyone starting or considering doing so, the really big thing about this lark is that it is HARD! One of the problems in the initial trials was actually finding participants that would be sufficiently motivated to see it through (several fell by the wayside). The first three days are very trying – your body screaming at you “where’s the carbs?! I’m suffering man!!!”. But then things gradually settle. Your body forages elsewhere for sustenance and hopefully finds the reserves of fat, and then (the whole point of this adventure) starts using the fats and sugars around your organs, notably the pancreas and liver. If you’re checking your blood glucose it will start doing all manner of crazy stuff now! Stick with it and at the very least you’ll be giving yourself a great chance of a longer healthier life and I promise you’ll feel great about yourself soon.

I type so slowly that whenever I post a reply at least five others have already posted! Kathy54 (you don’t look a day over 40!) we’re all on the same adventure here and lean on (and learn from) each other every day. The more shoulders the merrier – welcome, and keep updating with progress and problems!

Same happens to me buxtonmick! I liked your previous post at 17.11 !!:)

Fran I was a bit like you in the first week – but I wasn’t eating enough full fat.

Hang on in, it DOES get better 🙂

Kathy – a big welcome! 🙂

Hi All – if you haven’t already done so, please check out the ‘Please Sign Our Petition’ thread on the forum and sign the petition if you agree the government needs to look again at their new programme to tackle type 2 diabetes. Thank you

Hi all, I am day 5 now and doing much better with the hunger pains. I have added extra cheese, olive oil and I am having some full fat yogurt everyday. I made pizzas for my partner and toddler last night and wasn’t even tempted- happy with my fish and vegies. I have lost 4.7kg since Tuesday, again I know this will be mainly fluid but my jeans are lose this morning and they are straight out of the dryer which is highly unusual! Purple Martian I am not an expert at all but for me I am going to do my best to avoid “bad” carbs such as cakes, bread, potato, sweets etc for the whole 8 weeks (and beyond!) as I have some bad habits and a sugar addiction to sort out.

I am finding this forum really helpful. Thanks everyone 🙂

Hi purplemartian try the avocado/bacon recipe. You put a bit of the mix into each leaf of a little gem lettuce. 290 cals and to die for 🙂

Fran -amazing weight loss 🙂

I made it to the end of week one! Still feeling very hungry at times and struggling to get to sleep at night due to hunger. As Michael says in the book it gets easier after two weeks so hopefully this time next week I will be finding it better. I have lost 5kg in one week which is remarkable, though to be honest considering how hungry I have been not surprising. I am feeling very motivated! I just want to be honest about the hunger for other new starters in case they are in the same boat, particularly other non- meat eaters who may struggle with fat and protein intake. Looking forward to another week!

Hi Fran,

Glad you stuck it out and got such a great result 🙂 it was my first week weigh in yesterday and I also lost 5 kg so I’m with you on how motivating this can be! I’m technically not vegetarian, but barely eat meat – haven’t had any over the past week. In terms of preventing hunger, I think we all just need to experiment and find out what works best for us – and I think the fact you’re are burning so many calories breast feeding will always make this a bit more challenging for you. I’ve found that having full fat greek yoghurt and berries every day for breakfast works for me because of all the fat in it. Omelettes with whatever veggies you like packed in are a good choice, and I’ve eaten cheese every single day which for me is like a dream come true! Hard boiled eggs make a great snack if you need. Mushrooms cooked in butter taste great and are more filling with the added fat. I think my current superfood for this diet though are quorn ‘chicken style’ pieces, so if you like those definitely try and include them – for the same calories as 2 quorn sausages you can have 150g of quorn pieces which will give you 21g of protein (only 8.6g in the sausages) and barely any carbs (1.5g compared to 11.3g in the sausages).

I hope this week gets a bit easier on the hunger front, and that you start sleeping better 🙂 focus on the amazing number to keep you going – just one week at a time, and one step closer to our new slimmer selves!

Hi fran,good advice there from lauren. Lots of us have full fat yoghurt with berries and seeds for breakfast. Milled flax seed is good!

Remember olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado are all good sources of fat as well as cheese, cream and yoghurt.

Dairy and green leafy veg are important when you are breastfeeding. Throw in a prune or two for iron. Curry powder, oddly, is rich in iron too.

Congratulations on what you have achieved so far 🙂

Hello everyone, hope it’s ok for me to join in. I’m on day two and have a raging headache, it’s also only mid afternoon and I could eat my own arm I’m so hungry. Is there anything anyone suggests for getting through this? I felt the same yesterday, just hoping it won’t continue like this. Drinking more water than ever in my life so I don’t think it’s lack of fluid.

Hi Caroline999
Welcome to the BSD forums – sorry to hear you are doing it tough right now. Carb withdrawal hits some people worse than others unfortunately. Are you including enough fat in your diet? This is essential to help you feel full and satisfied. There is no reason not to take painkillers if you need to for your headache, but this too will pass as your body adjusts to the new eating regime.

Hope your body gets used to the BSD regime soon and you can settle down and enjoy this new way of eating. Look forward to reading more positive posts from you soon.

Hi SunnyB, thank you so much for your reply. No idea whether the fat I’m taking in is sufficient, I am literally following the menu from the book, to the letter. I think you’re right though, it’s carb withdrawal and hitting me hard, as I did have a carb-rich-diet before. I’ll hang in there and hopefully it will pass. Meanwhile, the painkillers are going in! Thanks for your support, it’s appreciated.

Hi Caroline999, welcome to the forums. I had a pretty bad first 4 or 5 days when I started the diet. As you are following the book to the letter it will be as Sunnyb suggested – carb withdrawal. Have you tried some hot herbal teas as well as cold water?? It can be a bit more comforting.

All I can say is I took paracetamol for the headaches and this phase doesn’t last for long. Soon you will be singing the praises of this diet and feeling very well 🙂

Hope you will soon feeling much better and brighter Caroline999. You should soon be out the other side, forging ahead and clocking up results.

I had headache for about 3 days that I couldn’t shift with any amount of water – think it really just is withdrawal symptoms from our carb addiction! It is definitely a temporary thing though so stick with it and you’ll soon be over the worst of it 🙂

Thanks for the tip Lauren- I do like the quorn chicken strips so will be having those in place of the sausages. Caroline, I hope you feel better soon- there is lots of good advice on this forum. When the hunger just gets too much I have a piece of cheese or some nuts. I figure if we end up having 900 calories it won’t hurt (I am breastfeeding so have found I need those extra 100 calories to sleep at night and stop the nausea from hunger). Hang in there!

Hello everyone, hope I’m new and also a vegetarian – you don’t mind me joining in. I have a lot to lose and hope this forum will help me stay motivated.

I find it hard to low carb as a veggie (no fish) so am hoping to get some tips. I have tried high protein shakes for one meal a day, but want to find some easy ideas using lentils and pulses.(am no great cook).

I am only on day 4, would love to lose an average of 2 pounds per week, but I haven’t actually weighed yet, can’t face it.

Hi everyone – thank for all the replies to my post, they really helped. Now day 4 and the headache has starting to improve. I’m taking the paracetamol and that definitely made me feel a bit better. I also took a day off work (I’m freelance so I can do this if I need to) and lay on the sofa sleeping and feeling sorry for myself – great therapy! I’ve also lost a few pounds so that’s very encouraging. Feel that the worst is over now and I’m focused to keep going.

Thanks for the tip Fran84, the cube of cheese saved me yesterday, it’s amazing how so little can be a help.

Hi barby – don’t be scared of the scales! I was and it’s now day four the same as you, I got on the scales this morning and have lost three pounds already. Hope you get the same result!

Hi barby and welcome 🙂
There are lots of us vegos on here. Have you looked at the recipe section, there are a few vegetarian recipes on there.
What sort of foods do you like to cook or eat, and are you cooking for one or more? If you give me an idea eg: spicy curries, Italian food, traditional English I can help you out. I’ve been vego since childhood and been doing the BSD for around 10 weeks ( I think, might be longer as I’ve lost count lol).
There are so many lovely people on here who are willing to help so feel free to join in on any of the threads. Ask questions, ask for help, let us know how you’re going. There’s always someone around to support you or celebrate with you. Stay in touch and let’s see how many recipe ideas come flooding in.

I’m glad you’re coming out of the worst of it, Caroline999! Things will improve in every direction now!!

Over two weeks down, the hunger has largely disappeared though my stomach rumbles very loudly-often during meetings! I lost less weight week two as I expected- still over 6kg down in two weeks! I recently purchased a pair of jeans and they are too big already- not just need a belt too big, they are fall down to the ankles, give to the op shop too big! Feeling great 🙂

Day 2 was really hard for me too, I was soooo hungry I was fantasising about food and then at about day 5 it went away. I am eating absolute sparrow portions now compared to my hearty meals pre diet and feeling incredibly satisfied, hell last night I even left some food on my plate!!! If I can do it you can too, the breastfeeding can’t help with the hunger but I promise it will get better.

By the end of week 3/4 it is a doddle! 🙂

Hi. fran, April and Marian
I’m glad you’re feeling better. I just came across this thread.
A little technical explanation. When you’re eating carbs you’re burning them for energy. When you stop eating carbs you switch to burning fat for energy but that takes different enzymes in the body, which your body has to make which takes a few days to achieve. In those few days you feel very hungry !
Penny

Well its the end of week three, my scales have been broken the last two days so no weigh in. I am going to pick up a new set tonight. I hate changing scales and I purchased a new set right before starting so I would have consistency. Oh well. I have definitely lost more weight this week, I would say about 2kg. Would would bring me to a 8kg loss in three weeks. My next goal is to start doing more exercise. I plan to do a 30 minute walk in the evening on top of the normal walking to a from work etc. I am hoping this will get my steps up and help the weight to keep dropping. So far, so good 🙂

Halfway there at week 4- I had to buy new scales so I am not sure if the old ones were inaccurate but my weight is the same as last week. Still, I feel like I have lost more which is the main thing I guess. Also I can feel it in more of my clothes. I have lost 8kg in four weeks. I would love to lose another 8kg in the next four weeks but really would be happy with 5 🙂 At this stage I plan to continue the 800 calories a day for a further 4 weeks taking me to 12, then I will switch to the 5:2. I am now trying to get my dad to get on board as he has pre-diabetes. I think he would find it much easier as he eats meat. Will keep suggesting it to him. Also my BMI is now under 40 🙂

Hi Fran, Captainlynne has finished week 18 on the fast 800 as she wants to lose more weight so no reason for you not to do 12 weeks! Well done on your achievement so far – 8kg is a lot of weight to lose!!! 🙂

As you lose more weight and get more good health benefits your dad is going to get more interested – it will be fabulous if he joins you and loses his prediabetes status!

Onward and shrinkward – I can’t remember who coined that word but it’s great! 🙂

Wow Fran84, that is just a brilliant result! 8kg in 4 weeks is smashing, I would be so happy with that. I have just begun, so yet to see what my body is going to do to me – it added 0.2 after day one, so I think i shall have to step away form the scales a bit.

I think your 12 week plan is a good one, I do wonder how 5:2 works in practice though. Congrats on the BMI! I remember doing that – it was a great feeling, the BMI number goes down much slower then the weight number, so a round figure there is something to be celebrated! Cheers, C

Cracked it Fran !!!
Your Dad has to be impressed with your results, keep plugging away at him 😉
8Kg WOW that’s 35 packets of lard that you no longer have to lug about with you.
You must be feeling fantastic and well deserved.

We are mainly eating stir-fries for main meals. Mushroom and courgette with a handful of cashew nuts or chickpeas is a favourite (usually Chinese or Thai-style), and also aubergine curry made with grilled aubergines, onions and tomatoes – you can vary the latter by using herbs instead of spices and topping it with cottage cheese, in which case it’s more Italian. I also do a lot of main-course soups such as carrot/ginger, celeriac/cinnamon and veggie minestrone. In the evening, it’s mainly salads – we’re not actually vegetarian and the DH has ham on his, while I stick to cheese or home-made hummus. Choucroute is another favourite main course – hardly any calories and very filling.
Good luck. It’s hard to be carb-free as a veggie. You might want to look at sites such as http://gluten-free-vegan-girl.com/ and http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com for ideas (you’ll have to skip the lovely recipes with added sugar, though, so beware!)