Hello there,

My name is Natasha and I have just completed week one of the BSD, and I could not be more impressed with the meals!

I also had no idea this website and forum existed, and stumbled across it completely by accident.

I’m looking forward to interacting with the many interesting areas and discussions in this forum.

Welcome to the Site Natasha. Will enjoy sharing your journey.

Hi to all you lovely people on this site.
This is the first time I have joined a forum, but I have been so encouraged by all the friendliness, support and encouragement that I thought I would like to be a part of your group.
What led me to this diet was a combination of feeling bloated, sluggish and over weight. Like many of you on this forum I to have been a yoyo dieter most of my adult life, seeing good results at times but never been able to stick to anything long term resulting in an unhealthy way of eating.
Towards the end of January I was getting a constant pain under my right ribs, which I SELF diagnosed after a bit of googling as fatty liver disease (OK I know I shouldn’t do that !) anyhow this led me to what might cause this, a possibility of diabetes. Ok so now feeling scared. Then after more googling came across the wonderful Michael Mosleys diet. I have always been a fan of any medical science which proves a theory.
I have just completed my second week and I am really enjoying cooking all the tasty recipes.
A little about myself, I am 53 a shorty at only 5 ft and ideally I would like to achieve a 3 stone weight loss.
So far I have lost 9 pounds … Yippee and 2 inches from my waist. I feel great and full of energy. I am so surprised that I haven’t felt hungry at all and I haven’t even craved chocolate, that is a miracle where I am concerned !
The second day I did have the withdrawal headache but I expected this (thanks Zandranna : ) for the link to ketrogenic diet which explains why we might experience some of the side effects). Also constipation seems to be a bit of an issue but I am starting to introduce small amounts of ground linseeds daily to help with this.

My forum name loft babe I have chosen after an amusing observation the comedian Michael McIntyre joked about when he was asking his wife about all the clothes in the loft, she said they were the clothes she will be wearing again once she has lost weight, so he joked about all these slim lovely babes prancing up and down on the cat walk in the loft wearing the clothes !! Well I have loads of clothes waiting for me to steal back from those loft babes ; )
Looking forward to sharing my experiences with you all over the coming months and reading all your positive results.
Keep smiling.

Hello Natasha and Loftbabe (I love michael Mcintyre 🙂 )! 9 lbs is great and you sound so positive!! I started today and i’m just feeling my way around this BSD so it is great to read how everyone is doing. Your pain under right ribs rang a bell with me- I’ve been having the same combined with blood sugars going crazy (i’m pre diabetic) I have been experiencing blurry vision and one day my fasting blood was 8.7 (I monitor myself because of family history of diabetes) my blood was going up and down like nobodys business so I take this as my body telling me to DO something before it goes too far

Thank you! Nice to meet you 😊

Hi, I’m am just about to start 8 week diet as a recently type 2 and put on metformin 2 months ago. I am not overweight (5’2″ and 8 stone, and do loads of exercise) so am not a “typical” type 2. I have been following a very low carb diet which is recommended by the diabetic.co.uk forum and although my blood sugar is now in the non diabetic zone I am finding it very restricting, which is why I am going to give this a go. My only problem is that as soon as I have any supposedly good Carbs my blood sugar goes sky high, eg porridge with water and 2 hours later its gone from 5.4mmls to 13,7mmls! does anyone else have the same problem with carbs??? would be great to hear from someone in the same predicament as a little wary to try other good carbs.

Just started today as well. Cant get it all in my head, reading Michael Mosleys book and this website, just not enough hours in the day! But hearing other peoples experiences is very motivating. I have been looking for the tape measure to record the starting figures. Just found a calculator to translate stones and pounds to kilos which I understand better. So getting a better idea where people are starting. My weight has been creeping steadily up over the last year or so to about 70kg (11st) so really hoping I can plan well and manage the diet with a busy job. Preparation is everything. Does anyone have tips o the best way to plan a weeks food and shopping for it? Also we are having a heat wave here – 40 centigrade tomorrow so I expect keeping the water levels up is going to be really important.

Hello again, just getting used to how this forum works so I hope my previous message didn’t come across as impersonal :-/

Hello Loftbabe and snackerlady (I love the names!),

Both of your stories are really encouraging, and you sound so motivated and positive! It’s great that you are taking action.

I am 43 and although I don’t have type 2 diabetes, I have been locked into a very dysfunctional ’emotional’ eating pattern for the past 2 and a half years.

My diet has consisted of good nutrition and appalling nutrition (more appalling than good). For example my daily diet has been a couple of family sized chocolate bars per day, a family sized bag of crisps, a croissant or pastry (and often) toast for breakfast, a large shop-bought sandwich, lots of grazing, a big dinner (pretty healthy and balanced) accompanied by delicious bread and butter, more chocolate to follow, then at bed time (around midnight) I’d often have a packet of crisps and more chocolate or sweets.

I am definitely a secret eater.

I used to be a size 8 weighing around 9.5 stone, and after 2.5 years my weight has now reached 12.5 stone and I’m a large size 16. I also look 7 months pregnant, I am that bloated.

After hearing so many reports about the recent epidemic of T2D I became extremely scared. I also saw a photo of myself taken at Christmas and was shocked. I hadn’t realised I had got so big, and that was the wake-up call I needed. My skin is also terrible because my body cannot cope with the sugar I have been consuming. And I feel tired, sluggish, unmotivated, depressed and irritable nearly all the time.

I had to face up to the fact that I was a ‘food addict’ and extremely addicted to sugar and carbs, and I knew that if I didn’t take immediate action I would end up with T2D – all self-inflicted.

Like you both, I knew I had to do something NOW before it got too late. And I am so glad this diet exists and I am really looking forward to being part of this supportive and encouraging community.

By the way, I used to be a weight-management and nutrition consultant who was super-fit, but after a difficult life-event I reverted back to my old eating patterns – I was obese prior to 2007 and lost 4.5 stone on rosemary conley’s GI Jeans diet. The fact that I have regained almost all the weight felt very upsetting and embarrassing. I want to put an end to the yo-yo dieting pattern.

Hi Natasha, welcome to the forum. Most of us seem to be new to this and are learning together. It helps to hear everyone’s experiences and tips for managing. You will succeed on this diet because you learn to make the changes as you go, and you feel in control of your food choices right from the start.
Metta is right, there’s a lot to get your head around, especially when some of it goes against current advice. Science and current research backs up what Dr Moseley is saying and when you read the stories on here you can see it works. The CSIRO here in Australia have done lots of studies on obesity/ diabetes and their findings have begun to get notice in the media. The most recent study supports the theory behind the BSD.
I’m like you Lola, I am 5’2 and weigh 53kg. Always been a vegetarian and healthy eater so it was a huge shock to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. I am so sensitive to carbs I have to stick to around 50g/ day to keep my FBGL in the healthy range. Unfortunately for me this means I rarely get to eat the sourdough bread, sweet potatoes,cous cous or brown rice that I love! I’ve had to wave a fond farewell to crisps and crackers too. My biggest downfall is fruit. I could easily eat 3 or 4 pieces a day, sometimes more. It isn’t worth it though if I want to stay healthy. I grabbed a smallish nectarine the other day and ate it without thinking. When I entered it into my food diary I was horrified to see it had over 12g carbs. I had to radically alter what I planned to eat the rest of the day to make allowances for those extra carbs.
I dread to think how many carbs I was eating previously without realising.
I can only manage by using a food tracker app and planning my meals ahead to stick within my carb allowance.
You will need to weigh your food Lola and use some sort of food tracker to find out what the carb content is and to keep count of how much you’ve eaten. I think being organised and planning ahead is the key so you aren’t grabbing something at the last minute. Being mindful of everything that you eat is a challenge at first, eg my nectarine, but quickly becomes habit.
This week I made vegetarian lasagne for my family. I love lasagne but the pasta is too high in carbs for me. I had some zucchini which had hidden under their leaves and grown into marrows so I sliced them lengthways into thin slices and layered them into a lasagne for me. It worked well and had a similar texture to pasta and came in at around 6g carbs per serve.
I’m sure you’ll learn to be inventive too. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Hi Natasha 😀
Thanks for your bio. Wow, you’ve really been at all parts of the spectrum there, so you know you can do it and you WILL do it again 🙂
It just goes to show how huge an impact trauma has on our health doesn’t it 🙁

I’m an emotional eater too, and grab all the very worst things. It was like reading my own daily eating diary reading your post there.
This BSD has come at just the right time for so many of us it seems.

Big hugs! How has your day been? xx

@loftbabe re your self diagnosis of fatty liver disease. I would definitely consult your GP as my Mrs had exactly the same symptoms you described. Pain under the ribs etc
She had a scan last year and was diagnosed with a gall bladder stone!
Very painful at times, she is still awaiting for it to be resolved.
It may turn out your self diagnosis is correct, but I would want to be sure.
Wishing continued success with your journey to improved health and wellbeing.
Kind regards Shrinky.

Hi everyone,

I have just logged in and I’ve been reading the posts. I really like the feel of this group!

I also like how keen everyone seems, even if it’s all feels a bit overwhelming. I agree, with support and encouragement we can cheer each other on.

Thanks Snackerlady, my day has gone well re the bsd. Today is my 8th day and I had Cheesy Beans for breakfast and Sirloin Steak with Peppercorn Sauce for dinner.

I find that the meal plans have been so expertly devised that I’m not at all hungry in between meals – in fact I don’t even think about food. This is a total miracle!!

I am not working at the moment and money is a bit tight, so affording all the food in the plans was a bit of a worry at the start. However, I’m comfortable with repeating the same meal plans until all the ingredients are used, or else I’ll be buying ingredients, only using a small amount and then not using them again, and spending loads of money on new stuff that will go to waste if I don’t use them.

Just wondering if anyone else does this?

I know what you mean about the initial outlay on new foods and like you I have altered things so I don’t waste anything. As I’m veggie I don’t have to buy meat but used up quite a lot of petrol searching for coconut flour, and then when I found it it was 1000% more expensive than normal flour. I’m getting a little tired of courgettes, red peppers, eggs and mushrooms I must say as they are the cheapest ingredients but I pulled myself up sharp earlier when I read about a Nigerian 3yr old who had been abandoned 8 months ago and had been wandering alone scavenging to stay alive. Dear me, us in the West eh, how we’ve got used to expensive food that kills us. Found that the veg curry and cauliflower rice and the beetroot falafels freeze well. Have you tried the home made humus yet? Tins of chickpeas are really good value and the dried ones even more so.

Hi Natasha,

I think it is definitely a case of doing what works for you. For most of my first week (I am day 2 of week 2 today) I cooked our own choice of meals using the guidelines/rules from the book, but not the actual recipes, so I could use food I had in the freezer and pantry. You’re right – it would be crazy to waste the food you have if it fits in with the plan, even more so on a tight budget. Maybe, when you do your next food shop, you could shop for a different set of ingredients, to try a different set of recipes until those supplies are used up. That way you are less likely to get bored with your choices.

Hi Misssay and Auntylil,

Thanks for your responses.

I agree, I think it’s easy to get carried away and splurge money for the sake of the diet. Sticking to 800 calories a day is the important thing, and I really don’t mind repeating the same days several times.

For example, the only not-from-concentrate apple juice (for the Bircher) I could find was from Waitrose. It cost me £2.85 and is 1 litre. Now, if I only need 50ml and I don’t have the Bircher for another 4-weeks – WHAT A WASTE! Same goes for the other recipes. So I’m happy to repeat a few meals again and again so that I know I’m not wasting wonderful ingredients.

As auntylil said, we are in a privileged position and I cannot justify taking food for granted, wasting food is a crime.

Thanks for both of your tips, I’ll definitely be trying those!

How’s it going so far?

Well done for getting to week 2 day 2 misssay! Exciting!

I’ve just had the Med Platter from the book, (minus the anchovies – quite possibly the only food I never eat!) and it was delicious. It couldn’t be much quicker to prepare either – slice up a pepper and a piece of cucumber, put everything on the plate, eat and enjoy!

Natasha – just an idea, could you freeze the apple juice in muesli sized portions?

Hi Natasha, you seem to have it sussed 😀 I too am refusing to by ingredients that will go to waste so I am using stuff up before i’ll move to another recipe. The apple juice thing is crazy, there’s only 2 of us in the house so it would be wasted. It’s different if you have kids at home who would drink it. I’m totally ok with repeating recipes too, in fact it makes you look forward to the next new one even more 🙂

Auntylil, thanks for the freezing tip- I’m definitely going to do that where possible.

Day 2 and I feel surprisingly human! A dull headache but i wasn’t hungry until 10.30 am so i just went with it and had the cheesy beans, i’m still satisfied and its 3pm. I have a little hankering after sweet stuff but i know that its just the carb gremlins having a whinge 😉 I’m not giving in ya hear me! lol!

Well done everyone xx

About the apple juice – I froze some in ice cube trays & get the cloudy stuff from a wholefood place and it’s cheaper than Waitrose, but you know what – I think part of this thing we’re doing is to enjoy food again knowing it’s doing us good and not worry too much; I say that as I’m a terrible worrier and have to remind myself not to get too strung up about things. It’s a wonder I wasn’t skinny from worrying but I suppose it went the other way and I ate for comfort. That’s where I will be working mindfully! Shall look on ebay for an apple press ; – )

That’s a good point Auntylil, about enjoying food again knowing that it is doing us good. I think those of us who have dieted before (in my case on and off since I was 15) have become so used to thinking of certain foods as “bad”, and seeing food as an enemy. I remember when I tried Atkins a few years ago, after years of low fat dieting. I was literally standing over the frying pan with the olive oil poised to pour in, but so many years of low fat indoctrination had left me almost scared to use it! Now I only use olive oil and coconut oil for frying, and sometimes butter at the end for flavour.

It is quite amazing to think that as an adult I could be fearful of using olive oil, but it just goes to show how we can believe something, if we grow up with that belief, and enough experts continue to tell us it is true.

Interestingly, I clearly remember that whenever my mum wanted to lose a few pounds, she gave up potatoes, bread and dumplings. She did buy into the polyunsaturated fats belief though – but again, that is what we were told by the experts.

Evening All,

Great to read everyone’s messages!

Misssay – the Medi Platter sounds delicious. My idea of grazing heaven is to have a picnic-type spread to pick at, so the Medi and Mexi platters are the perfect solutions to high cal grazing choices. Please send your anchovies my way, I love them 😄
Good idea re freezing 50ml portions of apple juice, thanks for the tip. I have just bought a Nutribullet so I can make apple juice from now on.

Snackerlady – I’m totally with you about waste, and repeating meals is a great way to save money. I agree it’s the best way to make the meal varieties last!

It sounds as though we are experiencing similar appetite patterns. I thought I’d be ravenous but I’m not. Cheesy Beans are amazing and satisfy for hours!

Auntylil – thanks for the tip about apple juice, that’s helpful to know 😊
I’m also a terrible worrier. It is annoying that so much worrying doesn’t burn off calories! I’m trying to turn my worry energy into getting active because I’m noticing my energy levels are rising by the day. If I don’t do something physical, the energy turns into anxiety and that’s horrible. Do you find this healthy no-sugar diet is helping with your worrying?

Misssay – just a thought about olive oil; I’ve heard it’s better to use other oils to cook (heat) with ( I’m not sure why). I think olive oil is ok when you heat a small amount for a very short time, but I was advised to use an oil like Rice Bran Oil for cooking which is supposed to be safer, and is also very good for you. I need to check it out 🤔

Well done everyone, I’m feeling inspired by everyone’s motivation.

Hi Misssay

Please totally ignore what I said about olive oil – I see you use coconut oil for frying and not olive oil. SORRY 😔

Must learn to read properly.

No worries Natasha. Oils are a hot topic (haha, it’s the way I tell ’em!)