I am a 50 something Aussie lady. My mother was diagnosed with type 2 at roughly my age. I have made a point of watching my diet my the last 10 years or so. My weight has crept up to the point where my belly is not under half my height :-(. (need to lose about 20cms) I tried Michaels 5:2 plan for a while, but found that I do really need to eat regularly or my BS drops and I get really dizzy and my eyes go “funny”. I am now into week 3 of the BSD and am loving it. Never hungry and never dizzy :). Oh and I have lost 3.5 kg 🙂

Hi Moyjos and welcome. Well done on your first 3 weeks loss.

Hi Moyjos
Welcome to the forums, you will find loads of support here and good advice when you need it. I’m always interested when people say they have been watching their weight for years. It probably means you’ve been following the advice they gave us about low fat, high carb, exercise, etc, etc. And yet our weight has still crept up. Their answer to this – you didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t have enough will power, bla bla. Our answer to this – it was the wrong advice! You are spread finding out how wonderful this program is, long may it continue for you!

I, too, am an Australian. I have been an insulin dependant diabetic for 15 years and overweight all my life, so am not sure how this diet will work for me. I have done a stint of 5-2 diet, lost some weight and then it all went back again. I am about to start BSD next week, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
jilly B

Hi jillyB
Follow the advice on the forums and shout if you need help.
This way of eating will make you lose weight and it will be easier than you could ever imagine.

Best of luck on your journey, let us all know how you progress.

Hi Mojos. Lots of us used to feel like you, eating the ‘old’ way, but cutting out carbs has meant we no longer go dizzy etc. When I ate caFBS I was always thinking of the next meal. I’d get really wobbly and panicky if food wasn’t readily available, feeling faint. Now I eat a low-carb breakfast and nothing then until my evening meal. I don’t feel hungry or faint in between. Congratulations on the great weight loss!

Hi JillyB. Welcome to the family. Lots of advice on here. Shout if you need help.

Hi Moyjos,
I am Aussie too – just logged on even though I haven’t finished the book. Lovely to meet you.
I am not diabetic but I my BMI is over 35.

It is wonderful you are having results in such a short time. Congratulations.
I hope to ‘see you’ again soon.

Hi Beany.

Welcome to the forums.

Hope we’ll soon be reading your posts.

Hi jillyb, beany and moyjos, welcome to the forums!

Quite a few of your fellow Aussies are on these forums!

Personally, Moyjos, I have found this far fast 800 much easier to do than the 5:2 and for similar reasons. We will look forward to the three of you posting regularly so we can celebrate your progress! 🙂

Hi
I am an Australian as well. I am on week 3 and have lost 3kg this week was tough with
Easter but I stuck to it
Look forward to reading your results

Welcome to all the new Aussies on here. We are going to be catching up in numbers to those in the UK soon. The book was released in the USA last week so we can expect to be a truly global BSD community soon.
The more the merrier. Let’s spread the word that here is a way of life that overcomes type two diabetes and that we are no longer sentenced to an uncertain future health wise. 🙂

Welcome to all the new Aussies and the new Americans.

This is turning into a global phenomenon 😃

Welcome to the forums Gabby, and all other Aussies!! Same goes for our American pals 🙂

Another Aussie here from Perth, started at 92.7(was at 99kg 9 months ago) 2 and half weeks ago and am 86.5kg this morning, so happy with this diet, feeling great

Hi larry from Perth! That’s a lot of weight lost, this diet is amazing!:)

Hi, another Aussie here too – got a lot of weight to lose (currently 122kg) and on day 2. Felt great yesterday, terrible today, but realise it’s a sugar/carb detox. Looking forward to feeling good soon! Wanting to get to 80kg in the long run, but taking it a day at a time! I’m following the plan in the book but am going slightly over 800 I guess due to some milk in my tea/coffee. But I cant live without it in the first week anyway! Will be good to share in everyone’s achievements!

Hi everyone, I’m Natalie and I live in Sunbury, Vic, Australia. 3 kids (12, 11, 9), two dogs (poodles), 5 budgies, 1 husband 🙂
Today is day 1 for me. I’m worried I won’t be able to stick to the diet, mainly because I’m worried I’m going to be feeling hungry all the time! My main downfall is bread (vegemite toast, national dish of Australia) and portion-size. I’m not into sugary or processed foods like biscuits/cakes/lollies/chocolate etc. but I absolutely love my savoury foods. My favourite meal has to be weetbix with soy milk (weird, I know) which I can happily have every night before bed. I’m not a huge wine/alcohol drinker so won’t prob miss that which is lucky. My biggest concern is whether I’m going to be ok on this diet to start a new job – newly admitted as a lawyer and trying to get a job at present, hoping I won’t be a flake on the job (if I’m lucky enough to get one soon) with ‘low sugar’ levels… will be checking in on everyone’s progress just to keep motivated I think.
Has been 45 mins since my lunchtime ‘shake’ and I’m hungry already! groan.
nice to meet you all 🙂 🙂 🙂

Im also in Australia and this is my first read and forum for this site. I am getting ready to start this new lifestyle next week, Ive been reading and exploring making shopping lists and I hope this works! Ive tried soooo many diets and always put weight back on. I’m hoping I see some fast results to keep me motivated. I’m getting so organised I cannot fail! I’ve even convinced my husband to do this for 4 weeks to see if it works for him too.

Hello, I am also from Australia. I have always been a fan of Michael Mosely and his documentaries.
I am a fifty something Aussie female and I have been overweight for most of my life.
I am not diabetic and don’t want to be either, hence why I’m here.

I have been essentially sugar free (with a few lapses) since October last year. In that time I have lost 19kg.
I am into week 5 of the 800BSD because my weight had plateaued for a while.
After week 8 I will go onto the 5:2 BSD as I want to stay off sugar altogether.
It has taken me all of this time to realise that I was seriously addicted to sugar.

I am calmer and happier now and enjoying shopping for smaller clothes!

Hi to all my fellow Aussies.
I’m starting a thread for low carb foods available here. Please feel free to contribute any products you may know about. It should be useful to all the newbies.

Hi all. I’ve just hit the big 55 and due to an illness last year piled on quite a bit of weight. Had blood tests recently which showed that I had developed Insulin Resistance and could be looking down the barrel of Type 2 Diabetes!

Needless to say I wasn’t interested in entertaining that little gem, so I started reading up on these topics and discovered the BSD. Have since bought the book and am at the end of Week 1 with a loss of 4 kgs under my belt (or over it 🙂 ) and blood sugar levels on the downturn.

I am enjoying the food and adding regular cardio exercise to the mix. My goal is to stay faithful for the entire 8 weeks (and beyond) and try and drop around 20 – 25 kgs all up.

Good luck to all the Aussies out there giving this one a chance. It certainly shows promise.

Hello fellow Aussies!
I live in Sydney and have been on the BSD for 5 weeks. I tried the 5:2 a couple of years ago but I found it a bit difficult to stick to as my hands tend to go cold in the afternoon as my body starts to conserve energy and the Air Conditioning gets cranked up on hot days. I haven’t been quite sticking to the 800 calories but I have been pretty good mostly. I have lost 6.5kg so far – plateaued a little around Easter. There may have been a bunny involved. But I like that I have been able to fall off the horse a couple of times and actually get back into the diet without feeling too bad … that’s something I have had difficulty with on other diets.

Hi to all our new Aussies!

Healthyanna the carb detox flu won’t last for long and then you will feel wonderful! 🙂

14kgtooheavy, stick with it, michael says that the first two weeks are the hardest, then the hunger pangs go and you will feel healthy and energetic especially when the weight starts dropping off. Watch those kgs melt away 🙂

Dorothy I ve tried other diets and haven’t even lost weight. On this diet I. Have lost 2 stones and 9lbs. I won’t put it back on because this quickly becomes a way of life. No way could i eat starchy food again. 🙂

Kooka, congratulations on the weight you have already lost. People often experience a plateau and then the weight starts dropping again 🙂

Hi wedgie, great news re your first week. amazedbanana great results 🙂

thanks for the encouragement!

Hello to Oz from uk

We sound very similar minus the animals!!! — mine was toast and mimite and all things savory. I’m on week 10 and have lost 2 to 3lbs a week so I am very happy. One thing I have had very day for breakfast is a Xl boiled egg no toast but with a sprinkle so salt and this keeps you going until late lunch — I do have a coffee at about 10.30. But before BSD I would have laughed at the thought that an egg with no toast would satisfy me.
The other thing that got me though those first weeks was batch cooking and filling my freezer with little silver food containers so in the morning I just got out what I was having for lunch ie soup and something for tea. I also batch cooked for the family just to keep me out of the kitchen as much as possible and not have to think about food 24/7. When I’m out of the house I try a carry an apple with me and a few almonds which can keep you going and not have to go and buy a sandwich or something.
Well good luck and a few weeks down the line no bread and vegemite will taste as good as your new energy levels and new waist line. X

Also hi all, from Perth Western Australia, 4 days in and I’m finding this relatively easy.I am obsessing about food like I was with the 5:2. Weight is dropping nicely and Im feeling really positive about the next week’s. I just ordered the book, sold out in every book store and have downloaded the menus from the daily mail. I’m hoping to beat my family history of diabetes and fit nicely into the airplane seat by October.

Started on Wednesday and have reached my 4th day. Seem to be always cooking or preparing something, not giving me any time to do anything else. My husband is retired so I am cooking 3 meals a day every day. He is not on the diet and has no desire to, some meals he will eat and add a little, which I appreciate. But it is very time consuming.
I am elderly, diabetic for a long time, can’t exercise, only a little walking because of a total hip replacement so will never, ever manage 10,000 steps, not even 500 ! So I wonder if this is going to work for me. Any weight I have ever lost was all put back again, even though I eat healthily and carefully watch what I eat. I haven’t weighed myself , except on the first day, because I don’t want to become too dispirited so early in the diet.
Thank you all for your informed forums, I find many of them quite informative. Will let you know soon as to how I go.

Hey Jillyb,
My wife, also 50 something, had a recent hip reconstruction. She went on the diet with me and has lost weight regularly. I believe it is a lifestyle change. Once you convert to the type of meals supported by the program, if you stick to it you will shed the weight.
Good luck to you.

Hi jillyB. Just wondering if there are any of the meals that you’re cooking that you could double and then freeze portions for days that cooking from scratch is difficult time wise? Sorry to hear that you can’t exercise. I’m trying to recall what Dr Mosley wrote in the book. Obviously you have to be safe, but any exercise (no matter how small) in addition to what you normally do must help.There are physiotherapists that can give sound advice in this regard if there is one in your area.

Hi 14kgTooHeavy. I’ve just read the nutrition label on the jar of Vegemite………check for yourself……..you may be able to ‘have your Vegemite and eat it too’, but you’ll have to ditch the bread. How does carrot and celery sticks with Vegemite before bed sound?

To Switzerland and Wedgie01

Thank you both for your suggestions….much appreciated. Unfortunately my freezer is not very big and already packed .
I have done my stint with the physio and not much can be done. However, I am feeling cautiously motived and am certainly going to give it my best as I am thinking that any weight lost may well improve my walking ability.

Thank you both.

Hi jillyB,

I forgot about small freezers. I do understand about the preparing meals all day though. Maybe as the days progress the food preparation will become easier.

It’s fantastic that you’re motivated and have such a good attitude. As I wrote before any increase in exercise (even small) will help. Looking forward to reading about your progress jillyB.

Hi jillyb, this will work for you 10,000 steps or just a few steps! Get a pedometer I think you will find you are doing more than 500 steps – it might only be over 1000 but not likely to be under 500. You will be moving more than you think just making 3 meals a day.

I felt I was doing nothing but cooking and washing up during the first 2 weeks. As you go on you will start making larger pans of food so you can freeze some.

If you like hummus you could make crudites and store each kind of veg in plastic freezer bags or containers. You could do a similar thing with salad veg.

Look at some of the resistance exercises – there may be some you can do. You can definitely do the biceps work sitting down

Keep going Jilly 🙂

hello hashimoto,

I already have a pedometer and have been wearing it for some time, and I can assure you I quite often have less than 500 steps. The most I have done [once] was 4000, mostly around 1000 and 2000. Apart from my hip replacement I also have arthritis throughout my body. I have use of a treadmill and have used it a bit for short periods, but find at the moment with the diet I am still a little light headed.

Thank you

Hi jilly, sorry to hear you have arthritis as well. I’m guessing you either live in a bungalow or have a downstairs loo as I do more than 400 just up and down to the bathroom 🙁

I hope your blood sugars fall and that you feel better in yourself 🙂

good evening Hashimoto,

No, neither of those….I live in an apartment. But I guess this is just the same being all on one floor. Been here 2 years and my last place was 2 stories, and like you I had to go up and down stairs to use the bathroom. However this is one of the reasons we had to move. Thank you for your concern. I’m off to bed now and will weigh myself in the morning.
Good night

I’ve managed three days without toast and vegemite – that is seriously an achievement for me. And no weetbix either. I am hungry, I’ll admit it. But weirdly as long as I focus on the losing-weight aspect of it, it feels sort of okay. My family had gluten free fish and chips tonight for dinner (not a regular occurrence) and I didn’t even have a single chip. god i’m good! hehehehe… I got grilled ‘naked’ salmon which turned out tiny (weighed it, was 115g!) and virtually inhaled it covered in lemon juice and pepper. yuuuuum. incredibly, every day i’ve woken up i’ve dropped over a kilo – 1.5 on the first day, 1.2 on the second, will be interesting to see if i’m down another kilo tomorrow morning. crazy stuff. feel less bloated despite the hunger. yesterday got the shakes when i had left lunch too long. but i’m not doing anything very fancy – plan on having sardines tomorrow for lunch with tomato and mushrooms which shd take about 5 mins to prepare 🙂 best wishes to all

14kg Fantastic weight loss, are you gluten intolerant as well?

hey Hashimoto
My middle son is coeliac, was diagnosed as an 18mth old baby… most dinners are entirely gf for that reason alone. he’s also fussy which is painful! i seem to do better on gf, though have had gastroscopy so make sure i’m not coeliac also. 🙂

Hello all!

Im from victoria! Am on day 2 of of bsd 800 and feeling pumped to lose some weight and try and reverse the scourge of my life that is T2 diabetes.

One question that i feel seems unanswered is im currently also burning 600 cals swimming daily and eating 800 cals. Should i eat back some calories? The severe reduction is scaring me and I’m reading different responses. Some say yes. Some say no.

Hi all. Im also an Ozzie from Sydney. Just want to encourage Jillyb and anyone who cant manage very much exercise. That is me too. I have multiple health issues and have been mostly sedentary for many years (even more than usual since beginning of 2016 due to different conditions flaring up). When Prof Roy was on ‘Insight’ with Michael a few weeks ago I recall him saying that it was not advisable to commence a new exercise program when you start trying to lose weight. Just get the food side right and shed the weight first. That is enough to deal with to begin. Michael also said in the book that moving can be very helpful and exercise is great for maintaining – but not for losing. So ironically, I’m just trying to eat my way out of trouble to begin! I also suffer chronic pain so I can empathise with your situation Jillyb. What I try to do is if I’m having a bad day with pain I don’t try to exercise. I just rest if that’s what I need. On some other days when the pain is not as bad or it doesnt last as long, that is when I try to move a bit more than the other times. In short – just do what you can, when you can – even if it is just standing up or changing position a bit more often. We dont have to be gym junkies or marathon runners to get great results. (I’ve lost more than 8kg in less than 7 weeks!) Good luck Jillyb and all the other Ozzies. Its great to do something positive for our health. that we can control. Oi oi oi!

Handofgods if you are keeping toned with exercise and stick to 800 you will get some rapid results!

Some people just count carbs not calories.

You could do a few weeks of fast 800 then switch to carb counting only

At the end of the day it is up to you and what you are happy with 🙂

Hi 14kg, I just wondered with the current lack of bloating if you are slightly gluten intolerant as I blow up like a balloon with just a trace of gluten – not coeliac just very intolerant. 🙂

yes, hashimoto, i reckon i’m a bit intolerant… i also think my body is now thanking the hell out of me for losing all the bread! 🙂 better hit the sack or there’ll be bags under my eyes tomorrow… ciao.

Thx hashimoto. I feel like ive settled into a routine with the exercise (7 days of consecutive swimming but only started the diet on day 6) and i don’t wanna give it up especially after so many failed attempts to keep up an exercise regime.

Currently this is my meal plan
Protein rotation for dinner
Prawns, Tuna, Chicken breast (just stir fry with a little bit of garlic n olive oil)

With a side of (1 cup)
Roasted cauliflower (very tasty my favorite)
Carrots, capsicums, cucumber, tomatoes and leafy greens.

Lunch is tofu stir fry with mix veges or tuna with the side of veges.

A few strawberries for an emergency snack. At most 3.

Breakie has been 2 hard boiled eggs and 100 grams of cherry tomatoes. A cup of ceylon tea no sugar no milk obviously.

Im looking at the self made baked beans recipe here looks very tasty.

Am i on the right track? I need more recipes for breakkie but i love eggs so i think im happy just egging it different ways.

Hi handsofgod,
I have started eating Fage full fat yoghurt with blueberries/raspberries /strawberries and nuts/seeds.
It’s filling and contains the fat you need on this diet.
Don’t forget cheeses is GOOD on this diet – it keeps your digestive system busy and helps to keep you feeling full.

Don’t forget your 2-3 litres of water.

Otherwise you’re on track. If you don’t have the book google daily mai,8 week blood sugar diet. There are 5 articles and 4 weeks of daily menus

I sometimes have a fried egg, 2 rashers of bacon a d grilled tomatoes for breakfast. You could mix and match between eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon and baked beans. Just watch the carbs!
🙂
::

Haha hashimoto im lactose intollerant!

I just bought a bathroom scale from woolies. Price was 25.00. Scanned it promotion 15.00. Scanned my rewards card 5.00! Lmao its like fated!

Reached home weighed in 89kg! First time in years im under 90! Pretty sure i shed 4 to 5 kilos! How is this possible!

Very pumped!

Handofgods, shame you’re lactose intolerant, you will have to use lots of olive oil instead!

The weight loss on this diet is pretty miraculous isn’t it? Bargain price on the scales too! I have fond memories of woolies in Oz, it’s nice it will still be there when I come over again this year!

Well, witb 4 or 5 kg gone you have a lot of motivation to continue! I’m looking forward to your posts over the next weeks!

Stay pumped! You feel even better after 2 weeks 🙂

Thank you for the encouragement. Just had to google 2 stone conversion to kgs…lol Well done that is really encouraging. I have started and looking forward to see what happens. Sometimes I feel like you have to get to rock bottom to make you realise its time to make a change. Being prepared is the key for me. I don’t live near shops (which can be an advantage,sometimes) but have to be organised with shopping making sure I have all the right foods in the house, otherwise I just eat Bread. I think I am in the circle of bread, bread and more bread. Looking for the quick energy hit…I tired of feeling tired. So here goes I am hoping this works.

Great advice. You cant change your whole life all at once. Small steps. Get the food right, concentrate on shopping, organising and breaking old habits. As you improve in diet you will feel better and then can start bringing in exercise, small changes. Its a change of life…(well that’s how my mindset is working at the moment)..