Not sure if I’m on right track been in BSD for 5 days now no weight loss feeling a bit down I’m I doing anything wrong

Just saying Hi! If it’s not working for you i would reread the section in the book dealing with that. I haven’t really started the 800 calorie thing yet … i’m kinda of fasting except for coffee/tea with cream and starting to walk. The other hint i have is … when i was on weight watchers i used up 1/3 of my daily points just on coffee cream. I also realized 1 cup, 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon … these quantities are wayyy smaller than i thought. I’m retired now … but when i was still working i couldn’t do a real fast …. i always had vegetable juice. I’m wierd … i actually enJOY fasting once i pass the 48 hour mark. I usually feel very clear-headed. My difficulty will be getting into the exercise routine. I’m also a bit afraid of having more energy as i haven’t got a post retirement plan in place and i wonder if i will find good things to do with my extra energy. But i am working on it!! Call me Ms Couch Potato!! … but not for long!

Last week every day the scale told me something different. It went up and down and all around, but never lower than my first reading of the week. After 7 days, the finally tally was that I had gained .1 pounds. The next morning, the start of week five, I had suddenly lost two pounds. Since then I’ve lost every day.

Scales are horrible bitch goddesses. I know it’s hard, but try to shut down any tendency to obsess over what they tell you, because you’ll get whiplash from the emotional rollercoaster ride. The last thing you need is to be dragged down, especially this early in the process.

If you genuinely think you might be off track, check your calorie counts and make sure they’re in the proper range. Check your carb counts too, and maybe shave some grams off your daily goals. Dropping the carb levels lower might help jumpstart your weight loss.

Sally forth and good luck to you!

Thank you Sally I’m not even having 800 cal always under no coffee no sugar 3 litres of water no alcohol that’s killing me walking 10,000 steps a day no dairy I just have to Jee going and give it time I guess thanks for responding very appreciative xx Deb

Thank you Shalimar. I’m not even having 800 cal always under no coffee no sugar 3 litres of water no alcohol that’s killing me walking 10,000 steps a day no dairy I just have to Jee going and give it time I guess thanks for responding very appreciative xx Deb

Hi Peewee …. keep on keeping on. Maybe there is some good going on on the inside even if there are no results on the outside yet.

Hi Peewee – is no dairy a preference/vegan/intolerance or diet decision?
My line of thought is whether or not you’re eating enough fat.

If it’s an intolerance, or has been in the past, now that you’re ‘eating cleaner’ in terms of no refined carbs or sugar (so low/no gluten as well), it may be worth reintroducing dairy and see if it is still a problem for you.
You can only do so much with cutting out different food groups – you can’t cut all of them out! 🙂

Is under 800 a bad thing? The impression from the book was that it was low enough for weight loss but high enough for essential nutrients. If go lower all the time then maybe kicks off a defensive metabolism / famine response??

Just a thought,

Hi Frog it’s not a tolerance just trying hard to cut back maybe I’m cutting back too much thanks for responding X Deb

Hi Avilia thanks for responding I think you might be on right track I’m not eating enough I need to still live a little x Deb

On the BSD full fat is good as helps to feel full and gives important stuff – so dairy is good, calorie count limits how many but they are good for us.

Part of the challenge is to rethink what we thought we know – especially the ‘low fat’ = weight loss mantra

Hi Peewee, nothing much to add to all the advice you’ve already received. But just wanted to wish you good luck. I’ve had some days where nothing has changed or I’ve gone up, but like Esnecca, I’ve seen the scales going down these last few days. Hang in there. It’s bound to happen sooner or later.
Do you use an app to track your calorie and carb consumption? Lots of people seem to use My Fitness Pal, but I’ve started out on Fat Secret. Horrendous name, but it really has changed my views on food. I was amazed to see all the carbs in things that I have traditionally thought of as being low calorie. It has really opened my eyes. For health reasons, I have to eat a lot of vegetables, but choosing ones low in carbs has made all the difference. If you’re not already using one of these apps or programmes, you might find it useful.
Good luck.

Hi Peewee

If you’ve been a serial dieter for a number of years, you’ll probably come across a number of things that you’ll have to suspend belief on! Eating full fat is one of those – another biggie for me was the realisation that I simply wasn’t getting enough salt.

As Avila suggests, adding some full fat dairy may help give a better balance
Should help kick in weight loss, and give you energy for the 10k steps

Hi Frog, can I ask about salt? I never add salt to food except tomatoes (and rice and potatoes, but obviously not now!) or to cooking water. How much salt should we be adding to food? Can you let me know why?

On the 800 calories, I tend to regard that as a bit of a target and get more scared about under nutrition and not eating enough, than eating too much, in case I trigger the famine response. My 800 day average is probably closer to 810, with a few days as much as 900, (including today, a celebratory glass of red wine on top of my planned calories due to meeting a major mini target today). I am in this for the long haul and firmly believe that my weight loss is helped by sticking as close as I can to the 800 calories.

If you are eating less calories than you are burning then you will lose weight. Whether or not this shows up on the scales is a different issue. As I age it takes any change longer to show up with me. I have lost 2 stone quite gradually but nothing for the first two weeks! Our weight includes hydration levels, gut contents and a huge mass of bacteria that live in us. (A change of diet will have a massive effect on them). It is more complicated than a 1000 calorie deficit each day is 2 lb a week and the low carb/low insulin fat burn will complicate it further. I lost the first stone conventionally, then read the book. I now get really full really quickly. My mini lunch of full fat yoghurt and blueberries keeps me going for ages (Brown Cow yogurt is lush). You do need to guzzle loads of water and exercise too though. I’ve got back into running and am training for a half marathon but have added the strength exersises from the book. Two weeks after starting I have discovered some mini biseps!

Hi Snoop
If you’re adding some salt you’ll probably be fine – and some foods have decent quantities in (bacon and other processed meats, smoked salmon).

I came across it when I was researching constipation; it can cause that – other symptoms can include headache, nausea & tiredness; a lot of non-specific stuff that you may not immediately identify with low salt intake.
Aside from the lack of salt in the diet if you stop eating processed food, drinking a lot, as you should on BSD, flushes the salt that you do eat through quickly, further reducing the salt in your body.

I didn’t find any research on a sudden drop in salt intake (ie if you stop eating predominantly processed food and move to mainly fresh food with no salt) which I would have been interested in.
The recommended UK daily intake is 6g – I have no idea whether that should be scaled down proportionate with lower calories

At the start of BSD, my salt was regularly in the region of 1g – I now try to regularly use food that has salt in it, I’m still not great at adding it to cooking. A few weeks into BSD, I was served charred green beans that had been tossed in sea salt crystals – I thought they were amazing – when I made them at home, I realised that it was probably just the salt.
One poster on another thread said that they used (or made a drink with) a stock cube when they were concerned about salt levels – I only had a low salt oxo in the cupboard, but it contained more salt than I’d had in a few days.

The problem is that one is so familiar with all the mantra of avoiding too much salt, it’s easy to be unaware that too little can cause problems too.

Thanks, Frog. Very informative. Anything that might help with constipation sounds like a good idea. I sprinkled a few salt flakes on a curry I made yesterday. I could taste the salt even more strongly than the curry flavour. Next time I find a health food store, I might get some miso. There’s a fair bit of salt in that I think. Meanwhile, smoked salmon sounds like a good idea! Thanks again.

Hi Snoop I have been using the fat secret app u suggested my carb intake is about 22% protein 29% and fat 49% should I be worried about fat content being high or am I on right path

Hi peewee

How’s it going now.

Regards jan

Hi Jan think I’m going well very slow though 1week now and 1kg loss not sure if I’m on right track carbs are under protein is ok but fat is high

Hi Peewee,

If you’re following the recipes, I’d say no problem as they will have been carefully worked out to ensure you get adequate nutrition.

If you’re adapting your own recipes, then there may be a bit of an imbalance. Your fat percentage is about in line with mine, but I’m adapting my own recipes as I don’t have the book yet, so I wouldn’t rely on my info.

Let’s see if someone who has been doing this for longer comes along with more info.

Hi peewee.
So are you using an app to count

Peewee

Just double checked and see you are using MFP app, that’s good. Things on this plan you must doo for health, eat 800 cals a day, not under. Try to keep your carbs under 50, and only eat high not low fat, don’t worry about counting fat, it’s good for you and essential for weight loss. Also don’t worry about counting protein. If you are following the recipes in the book be aware the calorie and carb count of them is sometimes very underestimated. Also count everything calorie wise that you eat and drink. You need to drink at least 3 litres a day, and add a little salt to your food, this will prevent any carb withdrawal symptoms.
If you have suddenly started walking 10,000 steps a day, then that is probably delaying weight loss, so perhaps tone that down a bit and build it up gradually as suggested in the book, over many weeks. You need to be able to enjoy this plan and feel motivated and excited, it’s not a punishment, and when you start enjoying it you will know you are on the right track.
For some it does take a while to get into the swing of it. I spent 5 weeks preparing before I started this diet, so was fully informed and lost immediately. Just be patient, keep going back to the book, and post on here how you are doing. Just shout if you need help, I will follow this thread and I’m always around. There is also captainlynne who has just finished loosing 90lbs and is now at target, she has supported me, and is always willing to assist.
Im sure things will improve for you, just keep a happy mind, be patient, and motivated.
Regards Jan

If you are up for it, try looking at this website
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com

Enter in your details about age, height, weight, activity level, have an educated guess about your body fat percentage, and then try putting 50g of carbs into the target carbs box.

It will then throw out what protein you should be eating in grams and percentage, and also show you your fat target.

You can then put these targets into MyFitnessPal or whatever app you are using.

You may find that your carbs are still too high a percentage of your total calories. Experience here does seem to show that if you keep it to less than 50g of carbs per day, weight loss kicks off.

Hope that helps. It did me. 🙂

P.S. If you are worried about vitamins etc. Try finding a liquid multivitamin-mineral supplement …. or anything but those hard capsules, which i think don’t really absorb all that well. I think some of the negative research on talking vitamin supplements was done before liquid and powder was available. Don’t think it can hurt!

I myself wonder about eggs (Dr. Joel Fuhrman who has also penned and End Diabetes book is against eggs, for health reasons). But i kind of think the research he quotes doesn’t include free run, or free range eggs.

I don’t think the way we ate eggs in my family was too healthy though …. adding butter and salt to a soft boiled egg … butter melting in the yolk!! Well maybe 1 egg this way is okay ????? 🙂

Hi Shalimar.

Please be aware that you can overdose on vitamins and supplements, or at the very least, all of it will be just shot out the other end of your body, so unless you are pregnant, or of a great age and not eating healthily, they are totally unecessary, so save your money. This plan if followed correctly has all the nutrients an adult requires.
The information about eggs, and butter by nutritionists is also out of date, eggs all types are healthy and a valuable source of nutrition, and can be eaten freely also butter, I suggest you read dr ms book for the latest research evidence from Newcastle, which supersedes previous mis information. I hope this may help.
Regards jan

As greenjanet said on her post, fat is not the enemy on the BSD Shalimar, so an egg with some butter is a good way of ensuring enough fat included in the diet. As long as the calories are counted, full fat is to be recommended, it helps kick start the fat burning process, makes you feel full quicker and stay feeling that way for longer and – for me at least – has improved the condition of my skin enormously, compared to how it was on a low fat diet. Also, a little salt is no bad thing, remember if you are drinking a lot and flushing it from the system it needs to be replaced.

Thanks greenjanet!

I am aware you can overdo vitamin/mineral/herbals! …. I am a somewhat great age, 67 … and love to find out things like Mikhail Baryshnikov is older than moi!! 🙂 and i have been VERY sedentary!

Every so often i take a week or so …. and don’t take any supplements – vitamins, herbals, over the counter meds, even prescription pain meds. Just clean the system out!!

Carelessness has some rewards … cause i almost never remember to take anything daily … i even miss the metformin sometimes!

Yes fat secret

Thank Jan for your advise and words of encouragement will keep you posted❤️

Hi greenjanet, can I ask you about the eggs. I was under the impression that even though the advice for the general population has changed, diabetics are still advised to eat no more than three eggs a week, as research has shown that eating more than three is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks among diabetics. Is that no longer correct? I’d be glad if it wasn’t, as my OH is diabetic and has had three heart attacks. If he were able to eat more eggs, it would be brilliant news.

Hi
I suggest you check it out in dr m book he is the expert in this. I’m sure it’s in there somewhere. Info given by nutritionists are now out of date the BSD plan is current education , and doesn’t agree with current guidelines, hence why it is cutting edge.
Regards Jan

Eggs are a good source of protein and should not be limited. They have no effect of dietary cholesterol which is where the heart attack rule came from, just not true. We need to go back to the 1950’s diet, high fat, low carb and go to work on an egg. Although not to be mistaken with Atkins eating fatty food stuff, just good fats and oils.

Hi sunshine-girl,

Maybe my question wasn’t clear. I wasn’t talking about cholesterol but the risk of cardiovascular events among diabetics specifically. The general population seems to have no need to fear eggs whatsoever, but I was under the impression that that isn’t true for everyone, namely diabetics because they are more sensitive. I will see if I can find out more info because that really is good news. Many thanks.

Snoop

Result of googling “are eggs OK for diabetics to eat”:

Richard Elliott, from the charity Diabetes UK, said the study “adds to evidence that eggs can be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet”. He said: “It’s best to cook them without adding salt or fat, because saturated fat has a greater impact on blood cholesterol levels than the cholesterol found in eggs.”13 May 2015
Eat EGGS to beat diabetes: Four a week can slash risk by 40 per cent …
http://www.express.co.uk/news/…/Birmingham-University-Diabetes-four-eggs-week-risk-Type...

be careful with the salt advice though – it easy to get less salt than you need on this diet if you don’t add salt to anything – combination of no/little junk food, and the large quantities of water drunk flushing salt thru the system.

Thanks, Frog. That’s brilliant. It’s not for me but for my OH, as he’s the diabetic and heart attack sufferer in the household. He’s watching me on this diet with interest and I’m hoping he’ll decide to opt in. Looks like poached eggs might be a good way for him to go.

Hi everyone hope all is well as for me not much of a change only lost 1 kg in 3 weeks bit disappointed but hubby said keep going something has got to happen no motivation though but scared if I go back to how I was eating might put on more weight any suggestions….

Peewee

Yes, but what are the MEASUREMENTS doing?

Did you measure yourself before starting, and if not, do you have some clothes you can judge yourself against?

Many many people find the weight is slow to come off, or the losses plateau and stick- but you lose the visceral fat and your waist gets slimmer (or appears;) )

So have some clothes you are testing against – or aiming for – and see how you are doing. Don’t lose heart – stick with it and you will be rewarded.

DRINK DRINK DRINK and MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi Peewee,
I’m losing slowly in comparison with other people. This last week, I lost very little in weight but 6 cm off my waist, confirming what Igorasusual says. So I’m pleased with that.