I started my BSD back in late May, and have gone from 14 stone to a best of 12st 3 lbs. My BMI is now 27.5 from 31.5 and BMR is 1500 kcals a day. I am a 70 year old very active male, have lost over 4 inch’s off my waist also I exercise very hard and yesterday walked over 7 miles in 3.5 hours measured on GPS. I play golf 2/3/4 times a week and on non golf days I use a rowing machine and crack out between 5/10 Km a time followed by 100 /125 reclined sit ups and other exercise. My metformin intake has been reduced from 2000mgm a day to 500 mg a day.
On average when not on a hard diet day I never eat more than 1500 – 2000 kcals a day. However I do sometimes have a Chinese lunch / or MacDonald’s / Bacon egg sarni, but I do not pig out or ever eat 3000kcals a day….. Never!
So why have I put on 5.5 lbs over the last 6 weeks. My exercise is the same. Cam somebody please tell me what’s going on with my weight? I am now getting to a point of having no food days etc. This is crazy with the level of exercise I’m doing I should eat at least 2500kcals a day and not put on weight. Please don’t tell me its muscle gain or water retention as I have been a very active sportsman for the past 30 years. Also I hardly ever have a beer or other drink.
What to do please?
Warm Regards ***

Hi there ORION, you have done so well. Over time little things can creep back into the diet (like the McD or sarni) or you can fool yourself on portion control. It is sometimes useful to go back to week one and weigh all your food, measure that square of cheese which has become a slab, and be really strict, just for one week, to see if you get a reaction. Over 6 weeks the gain has been a little over half a pound, maybe it was a quarter pounder at Mcs, too slow for you to notice straight away but enough to make it show after several weeks. No, I don’t go along with muscle weighing heavier than fat or fluid reduction at this stage. I will never have muscles big enough to be able to weigh them and fluid retention comes and goes. I see you eat around 1500 to 2000 calories a day so you are not doing the 800 BSD, what diet are you doing. Maybe you should cut to between 1000 and 1500 if you don’t want to go too low. For BSDers your intake is double what we have, I don’t know about 5:2ers but even they should be on 800 on the 2 days.

You mention having no food days, please don’t, try adding a little more fat to your diet and keep up the protien for your exercise. Just cut out the ‘occasional’ chinese etc. Good luck and let us know if it works. Back to basics and keep on keeping on…

I’ve had two periods of ‘maintenance’ one of ten weeks when I gained nearly three pounds and one of six weeks with a gain of 2lb dead. For me, I know the gains were from eating more calories and more carbs. Since returning to the BSD, in that I have dropped the carbs again, I have lost 1.5lb in a week and that was without counting the cals.

Thin Sunshine-girl is probably right, that the carbs have crept too high and may be you need to take a look at portion size and how you a using your calories. It’s important to make sure you have enough protein and fat, as this helps to make you feel full and stay felling that way for longer and of course the protein is very important for the exercise you are doing.

Once in maintenance, you have to expect some gain and that is talked about in the book. I would advise returning to basics, dropping the pounds you have gained plus a few extra, to give you a buffer for increasing to your desired maintenance weight.

Hi Both
Thank you for your comments and input. The 1500/2000cals a day are just normal maintenance days not diet days. To put Cal intake into prospective when I exercise I use a Polar Heart Monitor that also records cals burnt and the % fat burn (which is never more than 50%). Now it becomes a little techi as you must consider your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR i.e. do nothing cal burn) My BMR at 174lbs is 1518 a day / 63 hour.
So to calculate my actual exercise cal burn I must subtract 63 cals for every hour of exercise. So for e.g. on 25/8 I played golf and recorded cal burn for 8 hrs 30 minutes which came to 2355 cals for 18 holes of golf so 8.5 x 63 = 535.5. Subtract that from 2355 = 1820 cals approx. Which is my exercise Kcals OUT. Now I can add to the Daily BMR = 1820 + 1518 = 3338kcals for that day as Kcals out. (That’s also an under statement as the BMR is totally ‘Do nothing’ figure which in real terms should be about 2200 a day).

Now to get to my point even though I have used at least 3338 kcals for that day if I were to eat more than 2000 cals on that day I will put on weight!!!!!!! Now on Diet and exercise days I eat around 1200 – 1400 cals anything less than that and I get diabetes hypoes with mmo/l readings of less than 4. So I use the 8 week BSD in theory, however I do not eat thick white toasty bread and cut the carbs to a minimum. That works for me. I can keep that up for 3 months every day. Now I do weigh every thing on diet days, I use Baby bel cheese at 74 cals a lump, eat lots of oily fish, fruit and have and follow the fast diet recipe book etc.

To be frankly honest if I want to be free of Diabetes I must stay on this sort of diet for rest of my life………………… No beers, Sunday lunches, Mds, the odd biscuit, no toast etc. and also try keep up my current level of exercise. Now given that I am over 70 now have replacement knees, knackered back and hips, what a miserable life this is going to be. I might make 90 if I am lucky but instead of dyeing from a diabetic related problem I will die of hunger and worn out joints. I will save the NHS a few £1000s on diabetic treatment but what’s in it for me. Oh for a pint at the gastro pub with a carvery on a Sunday…………………..
Any young person reading this take note get your weight down while you are young.
We will keep at it, and now when I think back to those Friday nights in the pub after work, 6 pints of Guinness followed by a curry……… Now its payback time.
Regards ***

Hi orionsbelt – nice nick! 🙂

I too exercise, and I do agree that you need to subtract your BMR/hour from the Polar readings ut then the Polar readings are – my view not reliable. Generally, and I do golf too, I think that a person your weight playing and walking golf will only burn about 140-160 calories extra per hour. If you play 18 holes in 4 hours, you will burn an extra of 600 calories. The extra time at the golf course, you will not burn very much more than your BMR.

I think the reason you have gained lately could be that you spend less time exposed to the sun at this time of the year. During summer, your arms and legs will be exposed to the sun rays, not so much these days… ? If correct – that is an inducement for your body to slow down the metabolism and preserve some fat for the cold season. If you play less golf these days, your muscle mass will be reduced and also your metabolism will be reduced. Plus, like suggested above, you may easily cheat yourselves and eat more calories than you think you eat… 🙂

I am a complete amateur, but I suggest that if you want to maintain or reduce your weight you need to eat at or below you BMR on rest days and at a max of 1800 calories on active days.

I finished the online course last week and despite sticking to the same foods I have already put on 0.5kg. I have read on this forum that it can be the water coming back that I lost right in week one but it could also be down to just too many calories – although the diet does say that after you have finished you should not count calories for at least 4 weeks. I suspect it is the latter as my husband is staying more or less the same and not gaining.

I suspect that we are learning that we actually need a lot less calories than we are being told. I think if I stick to about 1000-1200 then I will maintain but if i go over that (even sticking to on plan foods) then I will put weight back on.

I really don’t want to. I have not been in the healthy BMI range since I hit puberty and I really don’t want to go back into overweight!

There is a possibility that it is water retention/glycogen stores being replenished if you have upped your carbohydrate intake significantly. It is also possible that your metabolism has adapted to the lower calories and needs to be kicked back into normality. I would recommend two things. First, increase your fitness, especially strength work, body weight exercises or simple weights to build more muscle, as muscle is the very best way of improving your metabolism. Second, increase your calories after the 800 phase in a very controlled fashion. I used 50 calories extra a day, leaving the protein much the same as when I was doing 800 and increasing fat and carbs (a little, and only with extra fresh vegetables). After a few weeks I reached 2500 calories and for most of that time I still lost a few pounds a week. I have calculated my TDEE to be just under 2000, and basically average around that now, but I now know that all I need to do if I start putting on weight again is a week or so of 800 followed by this ‘recovery’ process. Logging and weighing in this phase is a must though, otherwise bad habits can creep back in. You need to educate yourself on portion sizes on other foods as you won’t be able to stick to just BSD recipes for ever.

Cut the carbs — you will be able to eat more food if it is strictly low-carb — stick to above ground vegies, good protein, eggs, cheese, nuts seeds and cut out all bread, refined carbs, all sugars and limit fruit intake. You should be able to eat to “fullness” on this regimen.

On the ‘how many calories dooes one need’ – checking the NHS BMI calculator (which does recognise the amount of exercise I normally do anyway) I should be eating 1900-2500 calories per day. I have actually averaged 850 since 1/1/17 and have done so with no problem – even working out the sort of diet I used to eat before discovering BSD it didn’t come to the 1900 level, never mind the 2500, so I don’t know where the NHS dreams up those figures.
Mike

Typo that I have only just noticed – should have said the the NHS BMI calculator does NOT recognise the level of exercise that I normally undertake but stops short of it.
Mike

I’ve just started my second attempt at BSD, and This is a very depressing thread, it confirms what I suspected after reading lots of forums. This woe does something to your body, So that if after losing weight, I try and maintain with some healthy carbs and occasional treat, I’ll put weight on very fast.

If I lost the weight by a low GI diet, or even SW, I think it would be easier to maintain. That’s of course ignoring the diabetes reversal. I an borderline diabetic and have a lot to lose.

I an veggie and Cannot see myself restricted to this for life, as Orion said, what a miserable life. Once the weight is down, with the exercise he does, you’d expect to be able to have the occasional treat, but still keeping control of your food. I’m not sure what to do now.

Hi Barby I think one of the main points of this WOE is that our tastes change over time and you no longer consider cakes, sausage rolls and all manner of simple carbs as a ‘Treat’. So I have to disagree with you that weight lost on other diets is easier to keep off. There are some amazing people on these threads who have lost lots and are maintaining well. Read some of the posts by Krysia, who tried every diet and always regained until she discover this WOE, Theodora who is actually finding it difficult to keep at her goal weight and is always at least 5lb under! Esnecca and Alliecat, who have both lost loads, and I mean loads, and Mixnmatch who has just started a new thread for ‘maintainers’. They are just the successes that spring to mind immediately but there many more.

Don’t think of this in the terms of never having a ‘treat’ again because ‘treats’ become something quite different. Take one day at a time. If you fancy some company take a look at our new 4 week thread, sometimes thinking in terms of smaller chunks of time helps. ‘4 Weeks of Refocusing….’ may just help you to get started as we are all starting over again together. Good luck on your journey. If you never try you’ll never know!

Bread, cake, pasta, these are just foodstuffs. They are not the source of joy in life. People have all kinds of dietary restrictions and standards that keep certain foods off their menu and they life full, rich lives entirely independent of that. As a vegetarian you’ve probably seen many people gasp in horror at the prospect of life without bacon or cheeseburgers. They think you must live a miserable life because you can’t eat animals. Do you?

The truth is these things you think of treats are poison to you, not because of weight gain but because of the mechanism behind the weight gain. The diet does not “do something to your body” that makes you gain weight when you stop eating the BSD way. Your body has a pre-existing condition that the BSD addresses. You and I and Verano do not process blood sugar the way other folks do. This is a fact and it is not changing. Until I confronted this fact and started the BSD, I really was living a miserable life. Morbidly obese, constantly tired, unable to sleep lying down, glued to my couch when awake, staring down the barrel of diabetes with the prospect of neuropathy, blindness, amputations and dialysis not so far in the future. Eating a bag of chips may have felt like a treat, but I might as well have been scoffing arsenic given my insulin resistance.

You are depressed at the prospect of not eating wheat and sugar again because you are addicted to them, not because they are inherently valuable. When you break the cycle, you will find a whole new kind of joy in foods that aren’t actively trying to dismember and kill you. Just take the plunge. Commit. Cut out all the bad carbs and be ruthless about it. Weigh, measure, count every carb gram of the other foods you eat. Don’t dwell on what you can’t eat. Dwell on your many other options and the new things you’ll discover. Not to mention how much you enjoy having feet, fitting into airplane seats and living a long, full, healthy life.

You can do this, barby.

Hi Barby, I reiterate what Verano and Esnecca have said. This WOE (please don’t think of it as a diet) is sustainable, even enjoyable.

Einstein said that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” and this has been my mantra throughout my bsd journey. Why would we want to reintroduce carbs, when it was carbs that made us fat in the first place? Why would we want to lose weight, only to put it straight back on again, and then go on yet another faddy diet? This way of eating works.

I started in January 2017 and lost 42lbs in 2 rounds of BSD – far in excess of what I was hoping to achieve, but I was thrilled. I progressed to maintenance, increasing both my calories and my carbs, and proceeded to lose yet another 8lbs. That was nearly 6 months ago, and I have kept the weight off, despite having non-stop guests staying with us for 3 months over the summer, several holidays, and a hectic social life.

Yes, I stay off the “white carbs” most of the time, but if I truly fancy something, I have it, but I eat it “mindfully” savouring every mouthful instead of “stuffing my gob” indiscriminately (sorry for the rather crude terminology but, let’s face it, that is exactly what we did, pre-BSD) For example, I have been away for the past week celebrating our 48th wedding anniversary and during that time, staying in gorgeous hotels with wonderful restaurants, of course I have been a bit more relaxed. I have certainly had wine every evening, indulged in both a croissant and a Danish one morning at breakfast (one morning was enough, they weren’t even a temptation on any other morning) had a delicious chocolate fondant dessert, served with pistachio ice cream on one evening, and a sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream on another. After 5 days, I had put on 5lbs and I felt so bloated and lethargic that, in self-defence, I embarked on a “water only fast day”. The next morning, I felt totally reinvigorated, had dropped 3lbs overnight, and the other 2lbs came off by the next day, despite dining out the evening before.

I truly have lost my taste for refined carbs. I am not above having some frites with my moules (one of my all time favourite meals) but I find I can rarely finish the frites and o/h invariably comes to the rescue. Of course I indulge in the odd chunk of focaccia, but one small piece is enough. I have a glass or two of wine most evenings since embarking on maintenance, but I don’t think I have had a crisp with my pre-dinner drink since I started this WOE. They no longer appeal. Now my nibble of choice is olives.

So, almost 6 months into maintenance, I still weigh daily and if I put on more than a few pounds, I pull back for a day or two and the weight drops off again really easily. I am half a stone under my target weight, living life to the full, thoroughly enjoying my (largely refined carb-free) meals, and really feel that, after 30 years of yoyo dieting, I have this thing cracked. So could you, if you are prepared to give it a chance. Just don’t look on it as a restrictive diet (which of course it is whilst you are losing) but more as a wonderful, healthy, enjoyable way of eating for the rest of your life.

Sorry, to bang on a bit, but I have become totally evangelical about this – I cannot remember the last time that I looked so good, felt so well and enjoyed food (and wine) so much. Long live BSD is all I can say.

PS As a follow up to Esnecca’s mentioning that people live full and happy lives on restricted diets (vegetarianism being one of them), I would just like to add that my granddaughter is highly allergic to over 50 relative common foodstuffs, so has of necessity, a highly restricted diet. Is she miserable? Not a bit of it, in fact she is probably the happiest, most cheerful, caring individual I know. When I ask her if she resents not being able to eat freely, her answer (she is only just 12, but her answer has been the same since she was not much more than a toddler) is “why on earth would I miss anything that makes me ill?” Out of the mouths of babes……………..

Thanks for your suggestions, I’ll look up those posters.
I think the hard thing is, I want to join in with social occasions occasionally.

I don’t drink hardly at all. I can accept never being able to pig out on crisps and sweets again.

I want to be able to have a jacket potato sometimes., possibly some chips. And a very occasional piece of cake.

Sorry I seem negative. I have been doing a lot of research into what I can eat. Buying new ingredients etc. I feel good I’m doing something. I’m also on a couple of good Facebook groups that give lots of ideas. It’s just hard to think if I have the occasional lapse I could put on half a stone so quickly.

Barby …. one day at a time, one day at a time. We all ‘live’ here. We have holidays, meals out, special occasions by the score and we enjoy them. When people reach their goal, whether that be diabetes control or weight loss or both, they each find the best way to maintain for their own body. Some people just feel that can never eat simple carbs again, or never want to, but many eat chips or a potato etc ‘occasionally’. As with everything in life it’s ‘horses for courses’ it’s not a one model fits all WOE. You will be able to enjoy potatoes again, if that’s your choice, and you still want to, but just not every day.

I suppose as Theodora, or Einstein said, but not quite so eloquently …… if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got!

Barby, re-read my post above! I have a very active social life, and eat out or entertain at home at least 2 – 3 times a week. I indulge in “treats” occasionally and thoroughly enjoy my food and wine. In fact, right at this very moment, I am sitting in the sun, with a glass of white in hand! Yet, 6 months into maintenance, I am still half a stone under target (and that target was a whole stone under my original target) I am 68, 5’4″ tall (5’5″ on a good day😉) and weigh (+ or – a pound) 8 stone, which is only half a stone more than when I got married, 48 years ago. In fact, egged on by people on this forum, I even tried my wedding dress on again recently and, surprise, surprise, it fitted! Now that wasn’t anything I EVER thought would happen again. I really cannot remember when I last felt so well, had more energy or enjoyed life so much.

Wow Theodora, congratulations on the weight loss and your anniversary, quite something!

Your post gives me hope, thanks. Basically if I have a blowout, I must get straight back on it. One thing I have been able to do is not eat until noon most days. Surprising to me.

It’s all a mental thing I have to come to terms with. You’d think I’d know better at my age!

Forgive my moaning. Food was sadly one of my main pleasures in life. I’m definitely an emotional eater. I know I need to fill my life with other things that will give me pleasure, I’m working on it, but it’s not easy. Thanks for your help., all of you. I’ll read your posts over and do some thinking.

Barby, we are not here to nag, just to give you support as and when you need it. Moan away, if that helps – we’ve all been there. We’ve all felt despondent at times, particularly when we hit plateaus, as we all do. That’s when this forum comes into it’s own. There is nothing that someone hasn’t experienced before you, and everyone is so supportive that, if you give them the chance, they will see you through. You are not alone.

If my story can give you even a little bit of inspiration, then I am so happy to share it. Honestly, I used to be an emotional eater too, but that meant, by definition, I was not eating when I was “hungry” or even enjoying my food – it all went down too quickly for that. Now I eat until I am satisfied – I listen to my body – of course, I have the occasional blow-out, but don’t feel guilty, just rein in again when necessary but, most importantly, I enjoy and savour every single mouthful which passes my lips. You can do this, Barby – please hang in there and give it a go. We have your back.

Hi Barby, I’m sorry you are having a difficult time. I was just about
to reinforce what Esnecca, Theodora and Verano have so generously
shared with you. Before doing so I thought to take a peak at
your profile in the hope of understanding you better. I’m not
only stunned but utterly confused to learn that you lost 2 stone
between April and June of 2016, and were a very regular poster
here. I’ve successfully lost 146 lbs with this extraordinary way
of life, so what I offer to you is a recommendation to purchase
a copy of Gary Taubes book, “Why We Get Fat…And What To
Do About It”. Hopefully it will help you to get back on track.

Best of Luck.

Allie

Thanks Ali, I’d forgotten about my profile. Didn’t mean to mislead. I did well initially last year, it was the first woe where I didn’t feel hungry, and lost my cravings for crisps. But then I went on a family holiday, then other social things, and went right off it, back to my old ways. The food has to be prepared. I used to eat crackers and cheese, quick easy food, and junk food. I don’t like cooking, this woe of all about being prepared.

I’ve not weighed since then, until last week. I’d put on 2 stone. I knew I’d never been so unhealthy, I can’t get up the stairs without being seriously puffed out.

So I’m starting again, going to try more variety of food. I’m worried the same will happen. If you eat meat, you can go put for a nice steak dinner, or salmon, prawns etc. Being veggie isn’t so easy.

I haven’t weighed since a week ago, as I’ve felt quite bloated at first. A friend asked me for tea and cake tomorrow, as it’s my birthday soon. I asked if we could go to a veggie cafe instead, as I know they do some nice lot carb things. I’m also eating with family Friday in a pub, I hope there will be a goats cheese salad or similar.

You have done fantastically well. I will look up that book. Thanks all of you for the support.

Hi barby, I am one of the maintainers on here having reached my target in February and am still in the same weight ballpark despite enjoying the occasional cake, bread roll, jacket potato, chips, rice, well you get the idea. I use a couple of strategies that make it easier for me, I try to avoid the ‘craving multiplier effect’ by trying to keep white stuff or refined carbs to once a day only, and based on the advice that you need to eat healthy for 80% of the time I have a fast day every week, and four low carb, though not low calorie days every week. Many of the things I used to love I am now relatively indifferent to, however I still like cheesecake and the occasional ice cream. I wasn’t diabetic so provided I can avoid waking the carb monster I don’t have to worry too much. The problem I have with carbs that caused my obesity hasn’t gone away, but now I am aware of it it is very manageable.

Thank you, Barby, for taking the time to clarify what I found confusing
in your posts. We only want to help and support you in reaching
your goals. Every culture on earth combines socializing with
food, or so it would seem! Though hardly unique, what helped
me the most in the early days was to always travel with a hard
boiled egg or two and 8-10 almonds. My handbag is never
without these trusty staples and they have gotten me past many
afternoons out that have taken an unexpected turn. Some of
us have found that eating our BSD evening meal prior to going
out for dinner and just ordering a salad while friends enjoy
their entree takes the guesswork out of the equation, and no
sense of going hungry or recriminations at the end of the night!
As you become more confident I’m sure you will arrive at what
works the best for you. We do have to enjoy life, after all,
and part of a healthy lifestyle is getting together with family
and friends as often as possible. We can’t live like hermits,
now can we?? 🙂 Keep on posting! It’s the “secret weapon” we
all share. But then I’m sure you already know this. Welcome
back. Everything will come back to you in short order.

Love,

Allie

Barby I guess it must be extra difficult as a veggie, some of my family are and I often find it testing to cook for them.

I have one standby recipe you might like. I make a batch of tomato sauce, fry 2 large onions sliced, a green pepper or 2 sliced, a grated carrot, a few sticks of sliced celery, and 3 or 4 cans of tomatoes. I used canned cherry tomatoes but use fresh in season if you want to. Add salt, pepper, a little sugar or sugar substitute and chilli, if liked, simmer for a good hour or so until thick and gloopy. Blend or blitz with a hand blender. This makes loads. I freeze mine in fairy cake tin size portions and you get a huge amount of servings. Calculate the carbs and calories on an app like fatsecret.co.uk or myfitnesspal etc . I know tomatoes are really carby but the portion you use is quite small.

Then I use the sauce sometimes with spinach to make Esnecca’s shakshuka? anyway, her eggy dish. I put the spinach into a small frying pan and heat it through with the tomato sauce, make two ‘wells’ in the mixture and break an egg into each continue to cook until the eggs are to your liking. You may need to pop it under the grill for a few moments.

I also make courgetti puttanesca. Fry some courgetti in a little oil add the tomato sauce, olives, capers (anchovies for non veggies) heat through and add lots of parmesan. I use the sauce with all sorts of vegetables too. You could make a vegetable bake in the oven with it. It really is very versatile.

I know it may sound like a lot of work but for that effort you have a really versatile base for many dishes.

There’s also a very easy recipe for pea soup here. Just search in the box at the top for pea soup. I add spinach for extra ‘green’ and you could definitely add cheese to it before serving.

Hope this has given you a few ideas.