Hello everyone

I just finished my first week on the BSD. So far I have lost 10.5lbs which is great, I am very happy with that. Mostly water of course and also I overate ridiculously in the preceding few days before starting so was probably a bit ‘inflated’ to begin with. But still I am hopeful for the next weeks. The possibility of losing 10kgs in 4 weeks is very exciting!

I am only going to be able to do 4 weeks of the fast800 section of the diet (new job, new living situation will make it impossible to continue) but I am hoping that that is still enough to kickstart further weightloss on a Mediterranean diet in the following weeks. Let’s see.

For anyone considering the diet I would definitely encourage you – it’s really working so far for me. A few things from my very limited one-week experience which may or may not help anyone:
– Water: really I would advise to take seriously the 2-3L in the book. It makes you fuller and helps you to lose weight for sure. Your new hobby will be going to the loo…. but still do it! I haven’t had any headaches, grumpiness, feeling bad at all and I think that’s partly due to good hydration. Also my skin looks nice!!
– I am using a mix of shakes and real food. For me it takes the stress out of the nutrient side of the diet (getting enough vitamins and minerals) and I spend less time in the kitchen where all the temptations are. I am not obsessing about how many grams of carbs and fat I am getting (I have read the original Newcastle studies and the proportions of Optifast are good enough for me as a general guide) but am eating a lot of green vegetables too.
– I really find it helpful to weigh my food with a digital scale. For me the logic is: if I don’t, how can I really say I am sticking to 800 cals and know whether the diet is working? I log everything I intend to have in MFP a the beginning of the day and then adjust as I go along. I started losing weight 5 years ago and the only time my weight has been reducing in those years is when I have faithfully weighed and logged everything. (Much too slowly until now!!) It really works for me, I am too weak-willed to not cheat and make what a recipe says a ‘handful’ into a massive fistful and a bit extra snuck in while I’m cooking! Especially when small things (nuts, oil) can be so calorific. However, I do hope to stop weighing after the initial section of the 800 calorie diet.
– Sometimes (ok, a lot of the time), I am really hungry. I have not found yet that I am satisfied with 800 calories to be perfectly honest. So that’s quite tricky and a bit ‘mind over matter’ for me just now. I hope it will get better but I do worry that I will ‘crack’ at some point. Fizzy water helps, hot drinks help, but I still have quite a lot of desire for a big pile of pasta or a cake. But I just try to have a word with myself and hang on until it’s time to eat again. So far I haven’t fallen off the wagon!

For me the biggest change in my previous dieting life with the BSD is that I feel as if I’ve been given permission to lose weight quickly. I’ve struggled before with 1 – 2 lbs a week and it’s so dispiriting seeing it go so slowly. So I am really hopeful for the next few weeks!

Good luck to everyone and I will try to post another update next week…

Oh and sorry I forgot to mention, I am not diabetic but have a lot of weight to lose and thought this would be worth a try. So I am not testing blood sugars or anything.

I am also one week in and have lost 7lb but that was in the first 2 days nothing since I am having two shakes a day, veg for dinner and yoghurt and fruit after, I am trying to drink that amount but it is hard. The trouble is I am disabled and exercise is really difficult I can only walk for ten mins and then I have to rest I have been trying to do more but it is almost impossible, I wondered if this means I will be unable to loose any weight on this diet. Think I may have ‘carb flu’ as well the headaches are horrible. Anyone out there able to help I would really appreciate it.

I have just completed my first week and have lost 5lbs!!! I am delighted. I did 800 cals Monday to Friday and relaxed a little over the weekend with a glass of red wine on both saturday and sunday night. I am using my fitness pal to log all my food. Another plus, is that my husband, who is not on a diet also lost 5lbs Ha Ha. I did feel a little dizzy once during the week but otherwise have had no headaches etc and feeling quite good on it. I’m not that hungry most of the time, but just feeling today that I would probably love some chocolate or something that feels like a treat!!! maybe containing no more than 50 cals. Any ideas? anyone ?

Hi Sharon, which shakes are you using? If you are using Optifast then it may be ok, but other shakes are very high in carbs and that maybe why you are seeing no changes. 7lbs is good and you do get step changes, but check your daily carbs as they should definitely be under 70g per day and many on the diet are aiming at under 50g per day.
Good luck

Hi sharon1066
Welcome. You are doing really well. The original diet trial was done by prof Roy Taylor, Newcastle uni. It was 3 x Optifast shakes a day + 200 calories of veg weighing 250g. Total 800 calories. We can’t get Optifast here so you use the ones you’re happy with.

The point is he said DON’T worry about exercising if you can’t , concentrate on doing the diet. As you lose the weight you may be more able to then think about exercise.

We are happy you have come aboard the good ship BSD! Dr Mosley’s 8-week Blood Sugar Diet is doable. The best tip is drink that 2 – 3 litres of fluid a day. Also have a bit more salt on your food. The headaches are telling you your body is making a change with this new diet. Most of us have had ‘fuzzy’ heads. It mostly lasts just a few days. Take some paracetamol for instance if it’s a bit too much. Fluids are the key. Going to the loo a lot will settle down too.

My husband had the Carb/ Keto flu but it was only a couple of days. You feel a bit achy & not much energy. Reread the book & mark the important points for you.

If you can keep going with the 800 calories a day you will lose weight. Some of us lose it quicker than others, don’t worry about that.

Go for the diet & then see what you can do exercise wise down the road. Keep reading & posting your progress. There’s always help on here
Good luck
Eureka

Hi saz12345
Welcome to BSD. Well done it’s all good. Keep going for as long as you can. The diet will creep up on you & this will be the way you want to go!
Eureka

Hi jaalow
Well done. The ‘ hunger hormone’ goes away as you lower the carbs. Keep going
Eureka

Sharon – drinking that much is really hard, I agree! I really have to force myself sometimes. Often what I do is make sure I drink a full, big glass of water (one of those massive IKEA ones, probably 300ml at least) before I have my shake or meal; and then at least two in between meals. It adds up! Re exercise – any movement is better than none so 10 minutes is already something! Don’t beat yourself up over it!

Jaaylow – sugar free jelly has worked for me in the past but at the moment I’m trying to avoid all treats esp the fake sugar ones; I did scoff some raw mushrooms and sugar snap peas before dinner one night (was totally desperate!) which were surprisingly nice 🙂 Probably not that helpful though!

Orchid, please can I ask where you are getting the 50g figure from? It’s not in the book that I can see and a sachet of Optifast has 20g carbs so 3 of those, plus 240g veg, must be closer to the 70g that you mention.

Eureka, completely agree about the exercise, great if you can do it but concentrating on the food you eat is the thing!

Good luck everyone!

Hi Saz12345,
I agree it is not in the book, it is a figure that many people have been using to make sure they go into fat-burning mode, gained from experience. If you put 50g carb into the search engine at the top right of the page you will get a number of threads with people asking how many carbs. I have found 60g a day is fine for me, I am burning fat.
I started on shakes, but the Optifast ones are only available in the UK on prescription. I bought Slender and once the milk is added, it was 31g carbs three times a day, but only 2g fat, so one day with 3 shakes, and home made veg soup plus some veg, 715cals but 115g carbs and 8g fat! Wrong proportions for fat burning. I lost weight in week one, not as much as I would have expected and by week 2 my waist was not dropping much, but my hips were. I moved to real food and dropped to 60g carbs a day and I have lost weight consistently and my stomach fat has dropped away and now in proportion to my hip measurements.
Hope that helps.

Hi Everyone
I feel better already, not so despondent , I will try not to worry about the exercise and concentrate on the diet. I think I may have been having too much veg in the evening. I am making a real effort with the fluids today. Can I have butter on my veg?
Thanks again I have never posted on a forum before

Hi Sharon, yes butter on your veg is fine 🙂
good luck

Thanks orchid for the info.