Firstly I want to say how amazing the posts are. I’ve just read the daily mail article whilst in Marks & Spencer cafe with a large “skinny” latte and a fruit iced bun after a sugar craving I Walked over to WH Smith and bought this amazing book.

I confess to being a sugar addict. I get light headed and shaky when I have went too long without food or sugar. I find myself hunting for some sweet grapes or jelly babies!!

I have very high cholesterol (12.8) and I weigh 14 stones. I am not even five foot but say I am lol I have attended Slimming World on and off for years and to be honest I have went from a 22 to a 16/18. I am sick to death of pasta rice and potatoes which are all good on SW along with digestive problems that come with it.

I am sure that this is the plan I need but I have no idea where to start. I am not good with eggs salmon or oily fish but I am keen to try. I like the idea of the shakes as I am a very lazy eater.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I go on holiday too in 7 weeks and even if I lost 7 pounds I would be ecstatic. I feel I have been brainwashed to eat low fat yogurts, fry light? Rices and as much potatoes as u can eat.

I am going to read the book over the weekend and I am going to stop eating carbs! I have downloaded an app to track my carbs too.

Good luck to everyone. The results are amazing on the forums and I hope to one of them soon.

Welcome Carola, you should be easily able to lose 7 pounds in 7 weeks on the Fast 800 or even one of the variants that include some higher calorie days, I think from your description though, you may get hit quite hard by the ‘carb flu’ withdrawal symptoms so just know in advance that if you keep on keeping the carbs low it will go and then you may well enter the most amazing period of weight loss you have ever experienced.
Although I never joined any of the slimming clubs I have tried many diets over the years, having my best successes with diets with a ‘detox’ period following a similar sort of diet to this, the wheels always came off when the diet said “now reintroduce the bread and potatoes”.
The cravings I used to have are completely a thing of the past. I can walk through an entire bakery unmoved, have just a small piece of chocolate, or a single scoop of ice cream without finishing the whole bar/tub, and generally feel that I am in control rather than food being in control of me. You will also probably find that your tastes change a lot, some of us can’t imagine not eating this food we now love so much and intend to keep eating like this for the foreseeable future, so even if you feel you don’t like something, just try it occasionally to see if you still don’t. I only started low carb at the beginning of June, and have had some weekends, or even weeks off when life intervenes, but I always come back, and in fact looked forward to coming back even as I ate the birthday cake. Full fat yoghurt and cottage cheese are amazing when all you are used to is the watery low fat varieties. Off to tuck in to tonight’s pudding of full fat fromage frais and strawberries☺

Wow mixnmatch thank you so much for the reply and everything you have said I know is correct. I know it is against everything I have ever done to have a full fat yogurt but I am so looking forward to it! I am going to wean myself off the carbs but I know it is going to be difficult but I am looking forward to the weight loss!! My husband is very fit and runs most days he never has anything ‘diet’ and has always said how bad low fat is for u and has a little of what he likes now and then.

I am unsure still about what I can and can’t eat and I am doing lots of research and reading the book. I think it is going to take me a while to adjust but I am 50 now and need to get a grip going to a diet class every week is tearing my soul. Saying how much I have gained or lost every week is so humiliating. So onwards and upwards. Looking forward to the challenge.

We usually use onwards and downwards here (for the weight of course) ☺If you need support when it gets difficult or need some advice, just post here and someone will be able to help.

Hi Carola
You should find everything you need on these forums and in the book.
I’ve only ever stuck at slimming clubs and stuff for one or two weeks – hated that “ra, ra X has lost 2 oz this week, lets clap” approach – esp when it’s processed thru at about one a minute – ghastly.

One thing I did a few years ago was find a local nutritionist who acted as coach/nutrition information and advice – and seeing her for an hour a month 1:1 was cheaper than weekly visits to WW/SW etc. It was’t exactly a match made in heaven personality wise – but it was beneficial, and there are things that I learned from her that I still rely on – must be at least 14-15 years later.

Recently I’ve also found my local community centre is running a diabetic cookery course – it isn’t BSD, and I was very sceptical at first, but now that I’ve explained my diet to them, they are quite happy for me to modify the recipes to reduce the carbs, etc. It may be worth looking to see what is going on close to you.

Using FatSecret UK or My Fitness Pal – or one of many similar options out there – will help you learn quickly what nutrients are in different foods – and weighing everything will get you understanding what a portion size is, even if it seems tedious to start with. I’m pretty good at guessing with food weights now, be it veg, cheese, fish or meat (I prepare what I think is a portion, then weigh it to check).

good luck

Heya Carola! I always recommend the book “WHY WE GET FAT” by Gary Taubes as a perfect primer on the research around low -carbs and a fantastic discussion of how to eat low carb. His approach is the one used by Duke University — less than 20 grams carbs per day. He also wrote a longer, more detailed book that is very insightful –“GOOD CALORIES BAD CALORIES” if you feel like a big read.

Welcome Carola – another newbie after reading the article 😃

I’m 66 and have been to both WW and Slimming World many, many times – without success. I’m 5’1″ and weighed 16 stone when I began the BSD last December, with a target in mind of 9st 7lb. I stayed on the 800 calories, and 38 weeks later reached 9st 6lb. Now, a few weeks later, I weigh 9st 2lb and (after conditioning at slimming clubs) am going for the 100 pound loss. Then it’ll be party time on the forum. 😃

For too many years we’ve been brainwashed by the low-fat brigade, but the tide is now turning – you’ve got all those full-fat products just waiting for you 😃

You’ll get lots of support and advise on here – don’t be afraid to ask for help. And let us know how you’re getting on.