Just bought the books so just reading through them now. My main issue is having done every diet under the sun I’m used to “fat free” foods – eg mullerlights & skimmed milk etc so worrying a little about going full fat. Also I like my food (hence the weight). I’ve been cutting out chocolate etc recently which is killing me but paying for PT lessons so seems silly to carry on eating my way through the “nice ” stuff when I’m dying in the gym! Have tried the 5:2 diet before & that was ok – just sticking to it is the issue

Any tips for help would be great – not fantastic with fruit & veg but getting better & also don’ like anything too spicy

Willpower tips gratefully received

Ideally need to lose over 5 stone

Hey preston88 and welcome!

You are in the right place for advice and tips and recipe ideas so keep browsing the forums as you will pick up so much useful information. Don’t be frightened of switching over to full fat. Try to think of it that low fat basically means something that has all the stuff which makes it tasty and filling taken out and replaced with sugars, additives, chemicals and other nasties which are not doing you or your body any favours. Full fat foods keep you fuller for longer, generally taste much more delicious and you don’t need as much of them. You can start swapping things slowly – for example, full fat Fage/Total yoghurt with berries instead of Muller Lights. Then try adding a little cream into your cooking (cauliflower rice with bacon, green beans, a splash of cream and grated fresh parmesan is heavenly!) or putting proper butter on your veg. You will soon start to notice you’re eating better quality food which fills you up AND lets you lose weight, it’s a win-win!

Don’t worry about not liking fruit and veg. Your tastes will change and you will hopefully find that you start enjoying them more. Try to stay away from tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango etc as they are high in sugars. Similarly vegetables that grow underground should be limited (potatoes, parsnips, carrots etc). Berries and citrus fruit are good in moderation. Leafy green veg is great and will also help with fibre content. I’m a huge fan of cauliflower as you can flavour it really easily and it’s quick to cook.

Willpower I find goes hand in hand with preparation, planning and motivation. You know you want/need to lose weight so set some mini goals so that the big figure of 5 stone isn’t too overwhelming. For example, I am hoping to drop a dress size by the end of December. I’ve chosen that so that I don’t get too obsessed with numbers on the scale. Take things day by day or even meal by meal. Congratulate yourself on the good choices you make but don’t beat yourself up if you slip up or things don’t go according to plan. You’re only human after all! But if you follow the plan, browse the forums, are willing to try new and different foods/recipes, you will be onto a winner. That first step on the scales when you’ve been on the BSD for even only a few days will definitely make you want to keep going!

Use this thread to update us with how you get on and to ask for advice. Look forward to hearing from you soon! 🙂

Hi Preston88
I’m new to the BSD too, so just finding my feet, and I don’t even know if this suggestion is a good one or not ?!
But anyway, my thing to cure my chocolate crave is a cadburys highlights bournville sachet. It’s only 39 calories,
it’s much more chocolatey than a milk chocolate version and I only fill my mug half full of water, so it’s much richer.
Hope this helps, good luck. 😀

I agree with Flash – think of it as eating Real Food rather than processed , taking out fat is a process and needs other stuff adding to make it palatable.

It does take time to get your head around undoing the low fat is good lies, but suck it and see – try for a couple of weeks and see how it makes you feel.

Although we eat full fat the amount of it is affected by the calorie count – if that helps you feel better about it.

Veg aversion – well I have always preferred by veg in disguise, in a stew or casseroles etc So if there is a flavour you can have over your veg whilst getting to learn to love them for themselves. (Veg as a child was boiled potatoes, carrots and green beans – still not a fan of those, but spinach, peppers, butternut etc are fab). For me the disguise of choice was always tinned tomato – way back as a student I would have starved if denied tinned tomatoes!

Let us know how you get on

Thank you to you all for replying – much appreciated

The one thing that I will find difficult is that some of the fruit & veg I don’t mind eating aren’t really allowed on this diet – sweet potatoes, carrots, pineapple etc. But like you say suck it up & give it a go

I will certainly be trawling this site for ideas & try not to give into cravings

Hi Preston88

It’s absolutely true what Flash says – your tastes do change on the BSD, a really nice side-effect.

Many many people have posted that they’ve tried stuff that either they hated before, or they’d never tried and have now found it delicious.

I would urge you to use more spices, salt, pepper, chillis as these are particularly delicious. After the BSD, OH and I have developed into marvellous curry cooks – who would have thought?

And other people around us, not BSDing, have discovered with us the delights of – for example – a little side salad of baby spinach leaves, with some feta cheese and baby plum tomatoes, dressed with a splash of olive oil and some balsamic. Deeeeelicious.

Enjoy! 🙂

Just read the bit about not liking spice, Preston! 🙁

All I would say is, just give it a bit of a go – you may find you like it more on BSD than you thought…..

Preston88

It may help not to think “these fruit and veg aren’t allowed”, instead use whatever you set your carb target as as an allowance that you can “spend” on what you want to eat. I have porridge for breakfast about 50% of the time but am trending at just under 55g of carb a day and am seeing a steady weight loss. Pineapple will be a challenge at 10g of carb for 100g, but occasionally on days when the rest of the meals are low carb could be achievable. Sweet potato is probably a no-no.