Hi all
I’m completely new here and today I’m starting this diet for the very first time. I’ve constantly lost and regained about the same stone in weight and my Health has suffered as a result. I really would like to be able to do this for the whole 8 weeks but my confidence and self belief is at an all time low. I look in the mirror and I’m horrified with what I’ve let myself become. Any support and encouragement on this journey would be very appreciated. I’m a slave to carbs and have the most awful sweet tooth so I expect I shall struggle. My family don’t believe I can do it, and I feel so beaten down I don’t know if I can do it either. How have you all found it? Any advice/encouragement?

Hi Mrs Thompson
Welcome to the BSD. You’ve come to the right place for support. The forums are a great place to find non-judgmental encouragement.
You’ve made some pertinent comments in your thread. 1. You’re here to do something about your health. 2. You have admitted that you are a slave to carbs and have a sweet tooth. 3. You’re not on your own (‘my family don’t believe I can do it) – you’ve sent out an SOS in your thread and support is at hand!
The first 3-4 (10-14) days are tough. Your task is to follow the BSD and try not to buckle when your brain tells you that you need to eat non-BSD friendly food. Read through the forums and take on comments that others have made to get them through tough days. We are all different and while there can be similarities in solutions they don’t help everyone. Keep a diary (online or handwritten) about what works and what doesn’t for you. It’s a steep learning curve – but you’re worth it.
If you fall off the wagon just get back on for the next meal.
You will slowly notice that the BSD food is delicious and you will reach the point where you wonder why you ever had a sweet tooth. There will be a lot of changes to your body’s physiology which is explained in the book.
Remember – baby steps – every day or meal that you can stick with the BSD will see you grow in confidence, self belief and the knowledge that you can do this.
Be in it for the long haul and you, too, will learn to believe in yourself again.

Well done you on taking this step.
I did the BSD back in 2016 and went from 210lbs down to 180 lbs. That was my goal.
Unfortunately I let it slip. Slowly over the past 2 years and am now back at 210. Bugger.
I’m starting again today too. I honestly found losing the weight on this really easy, and if I’d been a clever boy and kept on the lifestyle rather than eating holidays in France and Spain with gorgeous bread…. Well, enough said.
My top tip? Get good at salads, big bowls full for dinner with tasty grilled protein of your choice. And salad breakfast? Why not.
1, 2, or 3 meals a day? I did all but mainly 2 meals a day. One as a brunch and the second as an evening meal. Skipping breakfast wasn’t a problem but morning hydration is essential.
So, That’s what I’m going to be doing this time. And afterwards? I’m going to keep on the lifestyle.
Saw the Rolling Stones at Murryfield this weekend 72-78 years old that bunch and running around for 2.5 hours solid. I’m 44 and got knackered walking around Edinburgh and to the stadium. The difference? Those old rockers are all skinny! Proper motivated me to get back on it!

Best of luck
Ps
Chugging water, mint tea and the like is very very helpful. Yes it fills you up, but for your body to burn it’s own fat and give you access to the energy that you’ve already bough and paid for you need to be really well hydrated.

Hi MrsThompson and a very warm welcome to you. 😁
I felt just like you last August. In despair. I stumbled across this website whilst trying to find a remedy to the awful digestive problems that were plaguing me and boy what a lot I have learnt since then. Some excellent advice from Blackspot and Switzerland. There are some excellent threads here such as Take a look at this and Good eats. There’s a 4 week challenge called Zoomers reach for the sky if you fancy joining us, but whatever you decide, you will be welcomed and will receive much support if you want it. 😁

Thank you so much for replying, it has given me a boost this morning. Thanks also for the advice, I will be starting a food diary today to keep me honest, and am increasing my water too. I will also try the zoomers forum as I think support from others going through the same experience will be key as I’ve never had that before…no one else in my family seems to have the same issues as me and so they don’t understand how I’m feeling. I am feeling anxious but then I guess one day (or even just one meal?) at a time? Feel I have a lot to learn and a big mountain to climb…thank you again for your help 👍🏻

Hi Mrs Thompson,
The anxious feeling is pretty normal. I felt the same the day before I first started. Sticking to it is key and remember (I don’t have MM’s book on me right now to quote precisely) but there were 3 principles: the diet, exercise and mindfulness. Take your time to get the diet sorted out and whatever stage you feel ready add in exercise and mindfulness (not necessarily in that order). Other than the forums, if your support has to come from within, find one of the free mindfulness meditation apps which will help you address this.
As you conquer each meal your anxious feelings may turn into confidence…believe you can do this.

Thank you… I can imagine that sticking with this will be a challenge as time progresses…I’ve always wanted “quick results” and gotten discouraged easily. With no family supporting me I’ve given up so many times. I just don’t want to do that anymore, and so something has to change. I don’t want to hate what I see in mirror anymore!

Hi MrsThompson
I came across an idea a few months ago which has generated quite a lot of discussion and a number of forum members say they have found helpful. – Working out our WHY. – Setting our selves a target of losing say 2st, is fine, but it isn’t as powerful a motivator as working out WHY we want to loose 2 st. – 2 stone is quite an abstract figure, but if there is
something we really want to do but because there is a weight limit we can’t do until we loose 2 stone,
or if there is some activity we want to be fit for,
or a special event we want to look good for.
Then that is a much stronger motivator, and when you hit a stressful time, or after a fall off the wagon, focusing on that WHY is more likely to help you get back on track than just an abstract figure on the bathroom scales that only you see.

Here’s the good news Mrs Thompson – it gets easier! Once your body becomes accustomed to no refined carbs you really don’t want them. That’s why cheating is just self-sabotage; if you give your body carbs, even just a little, it’s like a PITA toddler pestering you for more.
You can really succeed on this way of eating if you commit to it. Start exploring YouTube videos on low carb and it will take you to tons of Information that will reinforce that this is the way to change your life.
One other thing; MM reminds us to work on positive thinking. If you get a mindfulness app it will, in time, help you to embrace this way of eating. Remember that cortisol is a stress hormone and frustrates weight loss.
Stick around, this community will always be here to help.

You can do it! You mention being a slave to carbs and that’s what it’s like – the more of them you have, the more you want. Once you break that cycle, by eating only low carb foods, you can get contril of your appetite.

The first few days can be hard, but it soon gets much easier. Drinking lots of water helps – and although you’d think it would do the opposite, so does exercise. You don’t need to hit the gym (unless you want to) going for a walk will do it.

It’s a shame your family are being so negative about this. Prove them wrong!

Thank you all so much for the encouragement and support today! I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to not feel alone. JGwen that is such a good idea to have an actual WHY rather than abstract number, so this evening I have taken the plunge and bought myself a swimming costume online, which is one size smaller than I currently am, to wear for a girls spa day in 2 months time…not in my safe colour of black, but in a bright turquoise…it’s exactly the sort of thing I would look at longingly in the shop but then just walk past.
Do you remember when your cravings for carbs began to subside? I have been ok during the day but preparing dinner for my daughter this evening after she got back from school all of a sudden I was forced to confront foods which I’d kept hidden during school hours (I made her cheese ravioli which is one of my favourites and then she had millionaire shortbread again one of my favourites…it was really hard!) How have you dealt with having to prepare food for the family?
MaggieBath/anyone are you able to recommend any mindfulness apps?
I really do want to stop being a slave to carbs – all they’ve done is made me large and are really messing with my health. Nothing good has come out of eating them!
Thank you all again for your time 👍🏻

Well done on the swimming costume! Don’t try and fade into the background, love yourself and be proud of yourself.
Michael Moseley recommends Headspace, tho I use apps that are linked to Alexa.
Maggie

Happy applause, Mrs. Thompson, for the turquoise swimming costume, and a very warm welcome to our
community! We are probably just a sea of usernames to you today, but you will soon get to know all of us
by posting regularly, and more importantly, we will get to know you 🙂 Out in the day to day world, you will
probably be met with a lack of enthusiasm for your decision to change the course of your life and health by
adopting the BSD way of life (WOL). Ignore the naysayers! All things are possible for you now, and you have
an entire community of new as well as long term BSDers who will be by your side as you travel this road.
Joining the 4 week challenges are the very best way to accomplish the learning curve associated with this
way of eating, so I congratulate you for jumping on board 🙂 I started my journey june 1, 2016. I lost 50% of
my body weight, and have been joyfully maintaining the loss for well over a year. Counting carbs is the key,
as well as the support from this community. Something magical happens on the challenges, and I believe
the secret element is a lively thread, and the participation of members at all stages of the process. I’ll be
looking out for your posts, and I’m happy to know you. Very best of luck to you! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Welcome aboard,
I have just been on this programme for three weeks and the help and advice I have received has been amazing. I’m away from home at the moment so it’s a bit more difficult but it’s a great way of eating once you get your head around it all. Keeping a food diary is key.
Good luck I’m sure you will do well. Let us know how you get on

Dear Mrs Thompson – it’s my first day too so we can cheer each other through these early days! (I have a lot of weight to lose so will be on here for a while I think…. ) Well done for surviving the first day – I suspect the next few days will now be harder but that then things will start to settle down…. Keep busy and it will be Friday before we know it!
nushi

Alliecat that is absolutely incredible! To lose that amount of weight and to keep it off is such an achievement you must be so proud of yourself, well done!
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement…day 1 done…onto day 2! Nushi how lovely you’re starting this too…it will be such an achievement to make it to a whole week…let’s do this!
MaggieBath will check out the app…

Hi MrsThompson,
I guess everyone’s experience of carb cravings will be different. I don’t have to cook for anyone else so I avoid that issue.
I cleared out my cupboards and was successful on my first week of BSD in October, then guests staying in my holiday let left pizzas and garlic bread, and bread rolls. I fell off the wagon big time, expecting to feel good from eating high carb dishes and instead realised just how rubbish they all made me feel. So I got back on the wagon again.
Then there was Christmas. I really wanted to step off the wagon for just a couple of meals because I am not diabetic and once I get back to my target weight and size I want to be able to occasionally eat off plan. I so wanted fresh bread rolls with cream cheese for breakfast on Christmas day, but decided instead to buy low carb flour and try to make low carb substitutes. In the end I was so tired with all the work in the run up to Christmas that I slept most of Christmas Day, didn’t feel like eating at all and all the low carb flours are still in the cupboard.
I can’t say there was one day when I woke up and no longer craved carbs, it just got easier with time. I did try a slice of toast a couple of months ago but didn’t get the comfort food feeling that I expected and all the rest of the left behind bread and breakfast cereals went straight to the chickens. – However, that isn’t to say that there wasn’t a case of a mysteriously rapidly emptying jar of left behind branson pickle a few weeks ago. 🙂

😂😂surprisingly Branson pickle is one of the very rare foods I can resist! Thanks for sharing your experience…I guess it’s a long road.

Hi, I just started yesterday, so am happy to journey alongside you, it will help to have someone at the same stage as me to share support. I have about 5 stone to lose in total so am hoping this will give me a good kick start and help me change the way I eat.

Hi Brownwolf! How are you finding it so far? I’m finding I’m not too hungry because I’m chugging a whole load of water, but definitely been in a terrible mood the past couple of days and no energy. Waiting for this to improve…I’m day 3 now. I think for me the weekdays I can be fairly disciplined although it’s hard, but I’m really scared about the weekends as the family will be home and eating whatever they want, and I just want to join in…going to have to be strong.
Nushi how are you finding it? Hope you’re doing ok 👌

Hi welcome to the forum from another newbie.
I’m only on day 10 so don’t have the experience of others to share but I DO remember days 1-9 very well. Every one will have a unique experience I guess but mine was:
Day 1-3: STARVING!!! Grumpy, miserable, couldn’t sleep, obsessed with food, pounding headaches, lethargy. I survived through sheer will power but I already knew in my mind that there was no way I could cope with that for long and I trusted others further down the line who assured me this was ‘carb flu’ and I would adjust,
Day 4 & 5: Noticeably reduction in “noise” from the carb monster (or ‘chimp’ as I think of it). More space in my brain for things other than food and less hungry. Also FAR FAR more able to tolerate hunger. So although I experienced hunger there was none of the agitated desperation for food that I am used to.
Day 6&7. Mood more stable and energy better. A very busy weekend where I had no access to low carb food from 8am to 6pm. So I just didn’t eat. And it was fine. This would have been 1000% impossible for me before. (I used to struggle to go more than 2-3 hours without food. I have even sometimes eaten in the middle of the night if I can’t sleep).
Days 9 & 10 – Appeitite is well regulated, mood upbeat, energy very good.
So yes it gets easier!
I cook for a sporty family who eat high carb. The house is full of carbs and I have to cook them. I have got round that by buying luxury foods: smoked salmon, king prawns, organic chicken breasts, luxury fresh soups, posh veg, berries. I am still spending less on food that I was before so I feel no guilt at all about that! I have made delicious meals and just skipped the carbs. Last night was chicken fajitas which I had with lots of veg. I just skipped the wraps.The night before was moussake from the recipe section which the kids had with a baked potato. Also baked salmon with cauliflower rice (kids had normal rice). It is mostly about planning. And about deciding that ZERO means ZERO. I will not have a ‘taste’ of their food or just one square of chocolate ot whatever. In my experience of quitting smoking in previous years the ‘chimp’ in our minds can;’t cope with wiggle room and argues all the more if you give it any. A flat out NO shuts the chimp up. I reaasure it that this is not forever. I just ask myself (my chimp) 2 questions if I ever want to cheat:1) Am I at goal yet? 2) Have I planned this ‘cheat’ in advance? If the answer is no then the answer is no. I have a cheat meal planned for father’s day as we will be going out to eat. I won’t eat carbs but I am sure it will be over 800 cals that day. And that’s ok because I am choosing to do that. For me once I cave and think ‘just one’ I am on a slippery slope. I think that is why diets have not worked before. They all actively encourage cheating. Sins or spare calories for treats or whatever. Whereas NONE is easier than just a little in my experience. Hope that helps.

Thanks so much for the encouragement chimp tamer…I can’t wait to start feeling more cheerful (without turning to sugar to feel that). It’s really helpful to read other people’s experiences. and I absolutely relate to having to be strict and not have a taste of the families food…that’s a slippery slope for me too. so glad you’re finding this easier now you’ve experienced it for over a week! The days feel a bit like they’re dragging for me… but just keep on plodding onwards!

Dear Mrs Thompson, I’m so sorry not to have checked in for so long. It’s been just the most crazy week workwise. I hope you are surviving and that the weekend hasn’t been too much of a nightmare? I’m definitely feeling less hungry and even when I do eat I’m happy with much less – are you finding the same? Also, other than feeling hungry, I’ve had no nasty side effects for a change – not feeling exhausted or headachy or anything. In fact I would say I am feeling generally calmer – which is weird! Jeans also definitely feeling looser (though moment of truth will be the weekly weigh-in tomorrow!). Hope all is going well for you.

Hello All!
Chimptamer, as a long term poster on these threads, I find it increasingly
difficult to welcome all new members and also keep up with all the wonder-
ful friends that I’ve made here. Reading your post today, I just find it
necessary to pop in here and stand up and applaud you 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m so
impressed with the manner in which you’ve turned self knowledge,
i.e., being an all or nothing personality type (me, too!) into a positive
tool for success! My personal story appeared days ago on this thread
so I won’t repeat it now, other than to say that I’ve approached the
entire process much the same as you, and made the all or nothing
aspect of my personality into an asset, and not a liability, and it has
served me well…..no cheats, no “treats”, no exceptions 🙂 Congratulations!
I’m genuinely impressed…

Best,

Allie

Hi nushi
I’m doing ok thank you, stuck faithfully to the diet and my meal plan but did stray this afternoon as I had one of my parents home made savoury pastries which would have taken me over my carb target, but considering how bad it could have been I’ve done ok. New week tomorrow, so let’s both keep going with lots of optimism and positivity for the brand new week!

Mrs Thompson – that doesn’t sound too serious, as transgressions go! Well done you! I think the 1st week has to be the hardest and we’re nearly there! I’ve been sticking to the mealplans in the cookbook religously as it meant I didn’t have to think too much about food this week or work things out (which would have been diastrous!) as all the thinking had already been done for me. My husband tried it for a while but gave in quite quickly and started supplementing with beers, triple portions, extra meat etc! He’s ridiculously skinny anyway so it was a terrible idea for him to even try but he’s clearly trying to be much more supportive than he has been of other weight loss attempts in the past which I really appreciate. I’m looking forward to the end of the month when I should be more deadline free and can start to work in some more exercise. Yes week 2 tomorrow – so onward and – actually in this case – downward, hopefully! 😉

Well done Mrs Thompson! Onwards and downwards….
Thanks Alliecat! I have seen your contributions on many threads and am aware of your amazing achievements. Lovely that you stick around to encourage others!

😂 definitely downwards! 🤞🏻we all have a great week next week xx

First day of week 2 tomorrow. My OT was less restrained than me at a family do yesterday. So despite 5 days of being off carbs, she indulged happily.
Today she’s in a right state, mood all over the place, energy gone, tears and tantrums, and the NEED for white carbs.
I think she’s got a monkey on her back alright!
I like the picture you paint of the monkey, Chimp tamer! When I quit smoking it was a little gremlin in my brain I was starving, as it was me or him! If I get more trouble on this I will try your technique. I agree no means no. I really need to learn to use the word though! I haven’t ‘cheated’ but have been less discerning as it was fathers day and TOH had baked a coffee & walnut cake for him. So it was in my planned calories, but…
Eating the rainbowc lots of different colors of veg, is so much easier on this WOL, and I think that’s why I feel OK. How much ‘hunger’ is your body saying ”I want nutrients” but all we feed it is the same flat empty carbs!
Good luck with the week ahead
Mrs Thompson!