Hi everyone, I’ve been skulking here since I started on 27th September, I’ve lost 7lbs and its not even a week! I would like to say I’m super pleased, but I want to lose 4.5 stone so 7lbs is drop in ocean and total seems such a long long way away.

I am trying to get my head around carbs and calories, having done the no count with WW it seems slightly confusing as I’ve never calorie or carb counted. I am currently using online recipes and from the 5.2 book. Haven’t got the new one yet. I am eating brekkie and tea only, this has not been very hard as I love shashouska and it is really filling so a few times a week, although I usually have an egg based breakfast.
I really hope to keep to this successfully and I am shocked that I have not really felt ill not eating sugar or bread. I have no cravings at all, very little hunger, its usually just boredom calling me to fridge, apart from nibble of coconut I’ve been super strict.
I do think, no I know, I will struggle never being able to have coffee and walnut cake again. I have absolutely no restraint and once I’ve broken through.and started eating poorly again I’m like a crack addict.
Any support or advice in coping techniques when you just need a coffee and walnut cake much appreciated. I would say, at the risk of over sharing, pmt cravings are really difficult to cope with.

Hi Willbeskinny. That is a great result so far and every pound gone is a step in the right direction. They will quickly add up! On the cake side I agree tough to think it is out of reach for now. From what I am reading, you may just find you no longer crave it as the carb addiction gets dealt to so well on this WOE. Hoping that is the case anyway. Be strong and go well 🙂

I always used to say I’d never met a cake I didn’t like! I drooled over recipes, GBBO, made lots myself, bought them in cafes. But I haven’t had a cake since I started this way of eating, back in May. I’m maintaining my weight now, having lost 2.5 stone, and I can honestly say cake holds no attraction for me any more. Nor bread, rice or pasta. And lord knows I’m no saint. The desire just fades away with lack of use!
Stick with it, all will be well.

I’m another former cake fan. But now I’m not even remotely tempted😱

Even just walking past a bakery, the smell of the cakes is just sooo sweet it makes me feel ill😳

The longing does pass 😃

Thanks everyone, I hope I can eventually as restrained. The problem with me is that sometimes i overeat and I actually know I am not enjoying it, but i carry on and its left me v overweight. I guess I need to tackle the boredom element, kids in bed and hubby working away I usually plonk myself down for another episode of mad men / game of thrones…

Also, when you meet up with friends for coffee, how do you manage when they are all tucking into food. Do you find people a bit judgemental / uncomfortable if you sit there no plate?

I have started taking my children out for dessert after dinner, we live abroad and late nights in cafes very common. I can honestly say I feel soo overweight that I would be, and currently am, far too embarrassed to order an ice cream or pudding. I usually watch them wolf it down whilst sipping coffee, but I know that, despite not at all wanting it, if the same dish were served at home i would be wolfing it down with them. I know that i am one of those eat for the sake of it people.

Hi Willbeskinny

I’ve found that when I’m with others, whether for a meal or for coffee, they are usually too busy eating to worry about what I am or am not eating.

If a comment is made (which is rare) I explain what I am doing. In Italy I was with some friends and was taken to an excellent ice cream cafe. There were no sugar-free options, so I had black coffee. I was offered some strawberries and cream off one of their concoctions but refused with thanks. Afterward I realised that the strawberries and cream probably had sugar in anyway!

Best wishes for your progress.

Hi captainlynne
I think you are right. I wonder perhaps if people notice more when you are the fat one eating large portions and pudding, rather than the one abstaining.

Also, just wanted to say, saw the daily mail article, congratulations! I had the 5.2 book about 2 yrs ago, I found it tricky at the time and gave up, can’t believe that now. However, the article, with yours and the other amazing stories in it, spurred me on. Thank you!

Hi Willbeskinny

I think slim people often are the ones not eating dessert, or sharing one between two or more people. And they are more careful with portion sizes as well as the actual food that is on their plate.

I’ve sat at tables with people who say ‘I’m diabetic, so I shouldn’t be eating this’, but they are eating it. And, yes, they did need to lose weight! Or the diabetic who had the cheeseboard after two other courses. As well as the cheeses, there were grapes and cheese biscuits. The amount of food he ate after the other two courses was more than I could eat in a whole meal! But he ate it, because he could – after all, there was no sugar in it😱 Errrrr ….. what about the grapes, and the carbs in the crackers?

Once I was away at a residential conference and one of the organisers asked why I wasn’t eating dessert ‘because it had all been paid for’. I should have said ‘ok, I’ll order it then you can eat it’ – but I was good and didn’t LOL

Good to hear that he article has inspired people to join in on this journey 😃

Hi willbeskinny

7lb is less than a week is a great start – and it’s half a stone – so if your goal is to lose 4.5 stone, that’s exactly 1/9 – more than 11%
It’s unlikely that you will continue to lose at that rate, so it will probably take more than nine weeks – but it’s not exactly as if you’ve only lost a pound.

If you think about how long you’ve been lugging all that extra weight around, and how many years it took to get there, it isn’t going to disappear overnight. Why not have a few weeks of going for walks instead of cafes and deserts?
Go back to making desert at home, where you are control of what is it – and use full fat yogurt instead of ice cream

Hi Frog, thanks for the positive comments. I know it’s a big loss, but I really wish I hadn’t allowed myself to get there in the first place. Its soo embarrassing to be the fattest person in the group. I think i’ve kidded myself for a long time that I am not huge which is really stupid! Maybe I wish someone had taken me to one side and said something as I really haven’t seen myself as massive, but I clearly am.

Re cafes and desserts, just to clarify, I don’t eat the puddings / ice creams I haven’t either touched for two weeks now and not craved it either which is surprising. When we got out I usually have a coffee while the children indulge (i’m ok with their indulgence as it’s not regular and they are soo healthy – clearly got their ability to say no to junk from their dad!). Also, we usually walk / cycle there and back – I guess we go as it’s where families and friends meet up for an evening.

As I have limited resistance to temptation I am avoiding all desserts in the hope that other posters on here are right and I will, eventually, be able to sit there unfazed when I see others tucking in.

Captainlynne, Sadly I think I have been one of those fooling myself that these grapes and cheeses are ok to eat, whilst not totting up the sugar content in grapes (i’ve literally scoffed punnets of frozen grapes each night whilst doing WW with no thought to the sugar effects other than to my teeth – how silly!) or the crackers accompanying the cheeses. Oh well, it was my last payment to WW this month and I am super relived as I was not losing anything and hadn’t really been successful for years. I could have gone on great holiday with the amount I have paid to be a member. I have to say I find following the recipes that someone else has calorie checked so easy, fingers crossed it stay that way !

Hi Willbeskinny
wow – sounds as if you’ve been a WW member for ages!
Bear that time in mind, and see how close you are to your goal within that time period using BSD eating principles 🙂 – or how many weeks/months sooner you achieve your goal

Hi Willbeskinny

I remember those frozen grapes 😱 Like you I was a member of WW on and off over many years. And SW. And just about any other slimming club you could name!

I don’t know about a great holiday, I darent imagine how much money I’ve spent with them over the years – not only on membership fees, but also on books, gadgets and products. Plus their ranges of frozen etc foods!!! Probably could have bought a car or flat!

All those years – I’be been on diets since I was 11, and now I’m 66😱 But now, thanks to Dr M (and Prof Taylor) and the BSD I’m at (well, under) my target weight and it’s only taken 9 months 😃

Ah Frog / Captainlynne with the membership fee being £12.95 per mth and after 4 yrs of little losses and little gains I have been virtually the same weight for years (give or take a stone) I could easily have afforded nice hol / car, thankfully not a flat 😉 but I absolutely know what you mean!

Yes, Frog I think with WW you aim for a 1 or 2lb loss a week and that is supposed to keep you motivated, sadly failed me everytime, this time I feel far more positive, not just with the speed of loss (impatient devil that I am I want it all gone now!), but with the support network online I am really enjoying hearing other loss stories and reading the recipes, I have just seen your anchovy and courgette one sounds lovely and I will be trying that this week -thanks!

Willbeskinny – the other thing is the way WW seem to change their plan every year. So you need new books, often a new points calculator etc

I know, I really always thought I was being so good, buying their own brand products along with copious amounts of grapes and fruit to munch rather than crisps / biscuits of an evening. If I allocated myself £ 25 p/wk for WW products it becomes shameful that I didn’t give up sooner. I tried to stick to the points system, but really alarms bells should be ringing when you can carry on eating McDonalds and count it in your daily points, it’s not even promoting healthy eating so small wonder it can’t be stuck to long term. I wonder if anyone has ever looks at diabetic rates in long term WW users??

I truly hope this works for me, there is so much inspiration on here, along with a couple of pairs of never worn very small jeans in my wardrobe, that is keeping me motivated. I am giggling at this as I type because it’s not even been a week lol.

I think that there are lots of former WW and SW members on here. It does take some re-thinking after we’ve been brainwashed for so many years with the low-fat, high-carb and/or “eat all you want off the ‘free’foods” mantra. But the full-fat dairy products are so much nicer😃

Please keep us informed of your progress.

just back from Diabetic Cookery Club; 1:1 dietary advice for me today – very very good, but quite high in fat! – explained the principles of BSD again 🙂

Captainlynne. I am loving the cheese and yoghurt, although I haven’t really partaken yet, too many other good recipes I am trying out! It’s nice to know I can eat it. Re the progress, well tomorrow is my official first weigh in (I have been on scales daily so won’t be too much of a surprise;), but yes, I will post, perhaps joining the newbies site to share on there.

Frog – OMG it is really bashing your head against a wall isn’t it. I am little surprised at the lack of info medical professional have re this as it’s such a big issue (no pun intended). But maybe over time things will change, here’s hoping.

Hi captainlynne.
Thank you so much for your truly inspirational log of your BSD journey.
I’m relatively new in this road to health…. In week 3 and down 14lbs. I’m using the MFP app to log my calories and carbs etc. Like you I’ve done SW and WW and low GI and various others.
I’m happy with my progress so far and feel in control of my eating etc. I’m intrigued to know if after the original 8 weeks you just carried on with the same 800 fast diet? Also it seems you dropped steadily but quickly ( I read your profile- it seems you dropped about a stone every 4-6 weeks). Did you have a consistent loss ie 3lbs per week or did you plateau and then have bigger drops?
So far this week I’ve plateaued but I’m not disheartened I accept its possibly my body just stabilising.
I have a long way to go still 40lbs but am feeling like I will get there…..at some point…… I’m aiming for another stone by the end of week 8.
Also wondering if the rapid weight loss causes excess skin issues…………. This is a worry for me…………….Any advice would be gratefully received. Well done on your amazing transformation….. I bet people don’t recognise you when you pass them!!

Kjandtheboys 🙂

You asked if the rapid weight loss causes excess skin issues.

Does anyone know??

PLUS …. would say 80 pounds of weight loss over the period of about a year cause excess skin issues??? I am worried about that …. so after 8 weeks i’m going to do 5:2 for a little while … just so i don’t loose the whole 80 pounds too soon … i am hoping to be up to more exercise by Christmas.

Hi Kjandtheboys 😃

Thanks for your comments. I’m glad my ramblings are still helping people.

After The first 8 weeks I decided to just continue on the 800 calories and low carb. It worked, I felt fine, and I had lots of weight to lose so I just carried on. I was seeing my diabetic nurse monthly for several months so she could see I wasn’t doing anything I shouldn’t!

I’m away from home for a couple of days so don’t have my notes to hand. From memory, I had one small gain the first time I went abroad. That disappeared in less than a week. The next time I had a hotel stay I stayed the same, with a loss the following week. (I weigh daily, but my official weighing day is Saturday). Apart from that, I saw a loss every week during the weight loss stage. Even during a holiday in Italy. Since reaching my original target and working to maintain, I’m still losing overall (another 7 pounds) but some weeks a small gain, but then a loss of 3 pounds in one week. This is just my body adapting to this new phase.

If you stick with the plan you’ll get to where you want to be. Like me, you’ll have heard “the plan works if you work the plan”.

Excess skin – a little. But nothing compared to some folk I’be seen in the media. After two Caesarean sections I was never going to have a flat abdomen anyway. And at 66, not many people are going to see it anyway. I’d sooner have a little excess skin rather than run the risk of amputation, kidney problems and eye problems related to diabetes.

I met a friend yesterday who hadn’t seen me since I started the BSD. We were meeting in a cafe. I rang her to say I had arrived, then she rang to ask where I was. I told her and she said she’d been there but not seen me! So I told her what I was wearing, and looked different to last time she’d seen me. When she walked in, it was “where’s the rest of you?” She wants to lose weight so was asking about the bsd😃

I’ll be seeing some colleagues today who haven’t seen me for dome time – be interesting to see if anything is said and to see their reactions.

The weight loss is only part of it. I’m wearing very different clothes, back in heels, wearing makeup again, and started wearing contact lenses again!

Best wishes for your BSD journey. Please keep posting and let us know your progress.