Hi Squidge, I saw your question about fasting and thought I’d take a stab at answering — it seems like a fasting thread might be a good idea as there are so many new BSD’ers!
Yes, you are right, fasting helps keep your calorie intake down and that is very helpful but the real benefit to fasting (as I understand) is getting your insulin levels under control.
The old, and now probably antiquated, model for weight loss is the “calories in calories out” mantra that we all grew up with — if you eat fewer calories than your body needs every day you will lose weight.
We’ve all tried it and we’ve all failed at it or we wouldn’t be here on this site. The problem with that model is that it usually fails, leaves you starvingly hungry and is rather slow.
Since that idea developed, there has been a lot of new research around the effect your hormones have on weight loss — specifically insulin which is called your “fat storage hormone”. Insulin is important, it keeps us alive and helps us store calories for all kinds of emergencies but with our current diets loaded with carbohydrates and sugar we are developing permanent high levels of insulin in our bodies.
Our bodies are not designed to have high insulin levels all the time. The high insulin levels actually cause damage and for us BSD’ers they make us fat. And keep us fat EVEN WHEN WE EAT LESS CALORIES.
That last bit is crucial. If you have high insulin, you can actually gain weight on a low calorie diet. No matter how much you cut your calories your weight loss will be slow and hard to maintain as long as your insulin levels stay high.
How does that work? Well i like to think of insulin as a little sheriff, locking away the calories I eat in their little fat cell “jails”. And keeping them there, even when I am hungry and I NEED those calories (fats).
I can be literally STARVING on a cellular level (and I am starving) because I cannot access the fats I have stored in my fat cells. They are locked in the cells by my insulin-sheriff.
So how do we get those insulin levels down? First, cut the carbohydrates and sugars absolutely out of your diet. This is where the 20 grams of carbohydrates per day idea comes from.
Secondly, fast. Fasting helps lower and very importantly, reset your insulin levels in your body. When you stop eating for 15-24 hours at a stretch your body’s insulin levels will plummet. While they are low, you will freely mobilize your fat stores and you will rarely feel hunger because you are being FED, on a cellular level.
Your body is designed, beautifully designed, to do just this! It’s so amazing because it truly works. I’m now two years maintaining about 50 pound weight loss and I think my insulin sensitivity is still getting better and better as I continue to add in more fasting.
Thank goodness some researchers kept looking for answers!

One more thing, if you are diabetic and on medication, fasting can lower your blood glucose to possibly dangerous levels — so be aware that you must watch this carefully.

Squidge – a brilliant and concise explanation from Californiagirl of the benefits of intermittent fasting. I am doing 16/8, 18/6 and 20/4 fasts to improve my insulin sensitivity. Because of my extreme insulin resistance it may take many months but it does look as though things are moving in the right direction.

I agree with Californiagirl that if you are on meds that fasting could lower your blood sugar to dangerous levels. I absolutely would not have done intermittent fasting while injecting insulin. So I waited until the BSD and lowering carbs had worked their magic and I was off the insulin before trying intermittent fasting.

Thank you for these very helpful replies, Allie, KrysiaD and Californiagirl.

I realise we’ve rather hijacked the I Have a Plan thread, so I hope it’s ok, I’ve started a new thread, Life in the Fast Lane.
https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/life-in-the-fast-lane/

Good morning!
Thanks for that information Sunny, it helps. I will try cooking them at 180C fan and keep my eye on them.
Californiagirl thank you for such a comprehensive but concise explanation of fasting. Can I ask you a question please? What makes you think your insulin sensitivity is improving? How do you measure it, or know that, or is it just ‘a feeling’?
Gill never mind but be happy. Four pounds is still 4lbs loss in a short time. Just stick with you plan!
Well, my plan flew out of the window yesterday. I had planned on having a kipper for brunch but I made some fresh salmon pate for my OH. I couldn’t resist, so the kipper went into the fridge and out came the Finn Crisp ….. ahh …. and I guess there lies the answer. I had too many carbs early in the day to break my fast and then my day went into free fall ‘craving’ and ‘mindless’ eating took over! It’s amazing how just putting ‘pen to paper ‘ can clarify things. At least I know where I went wrong.
So it’s Friday and thoughts turn to the weekend and relaxation. But…. today is a new dawn and a new day…. today I DO HAVE A PLAN ….. and I WILL stick with it. Hope everyone else is still on plan. Have a good day!

Thanks for the info re fasting. I’ll go comment on the new thread.

Hi friends. Well…. I had my Friday peek on the scales this morning, confident I would see a loss as I have been text book since Monday and guess what, a 3 lb gain! I can only put it down to fluid retention! My ankles and calves are swollen in this heat! I shall persevere as I know it will right itself probably by Tuesday and particularly as the temps will be returning to “normal” over the weekend so I believe!
Ellem, LOVE the name of the Fast thread! Particularly as I’ve always been an Eagles fan and so can now hear that song running through my head! Probably for the rest of the weekend too! LOL.
Well I’m hoping to see the lunar eclipse tonight and the moon turn red! Any other star gazers amongst us? https://www.space.com/41007-blood-moon-2018-longest-lunar-eclipse-guide.html
Kazzeexx

Arg Kazz, thats frustrating for you, but as you’ve been on plan, at least you know it’s water. Hopefully it goes in a whoosh 😄
Yep, love The Eagles too 🎶🎶

Kazz, Elle – Goodness, haven’t thought about The Eagles for years. I saw them in the early 70s when they toured the UK as support band to Neil Young – anyone remember him? Anyway they were excellent live.

Kazz – yes, I thought I might give the lunar eclipse a go. I usually give these things a go – well, if there’s limited effort required I do. Thanks for the link xx

Hi Verano — I believe my insulin sensitivity continues to increase because I am becoming absolutely free of hunger between meals, even if I stretch it to a longer fast of twenty to twenty-four hours.
The longest I have fasted is 24 hours but I never have low blood sugar symptoms at all.
I have completely lost the desire to eat carbohydrates — just not interested anymore and sugary things taste horrifying.
All of these are 180 degrees from the “old me” — I was a complete sugar addict, and I suffered a lot from low blood sugar symptoms. I was compulsive in my eating and I binged all the time — ALL of that is gone.
I don’t think about food. It’s just part of my day.
And best of all, I can eat pretty much what I want, to appetite, and I am holding my weight steady. If I eat a lot of calories, it doesn’t stay with me — it just seems to be burned.
I think the mental AND physical changes are because of increased insulin sensitivity. It is a whole new world!

Kazz, yep I was looking forward to the eclipse – the longest lunar eclipse of the century – and it’s total cloud cover! 😑 After weeks and weeks of clear skies, not a cloud in sight, then a major eclipse comes along, and it’s cloudy! 😏

Californiagirl, that is very encouraging reading about your experience with fasting. I too was wondering how you knew your insulin sensitivity was improving. Thanks for all the info.

Californiagirl thank you so much for your reply. So now I know what to look out for. At the opposite end of the spectrum ….. carb cravings, they are still a problem for me but sugar is something I dislike. I stopped taking sugar in drinks when I was 7 because I thought it was ‘grown up’! Sometimes I take one taste of something and I can taste the sugar immediately and it’s not pleasant. Strangely enough I have found when tearing lettuce that my hands are ‘sticky’. Who would have thought there was sugar in lettuce!

Kazz that’s so disappointing but don’t despair. Next week will probably show a double loss! Thanks for the link will take a look at that. And ahhh yes The Eagles my OH adores them, along with ELO, and I quite like them too. He is going to see ELO in concert in the autumn

Good morning!
Hope everyone has a ‘plan’ for the weekend. I know I will struggle a little as we are having an Indian takeaway with friends tonight but I do know how to cope with that …….chicken tikka and salad with a yogurt dressing so not too much harm there. And tomorrow is Sunday lunch out which may be more of a struggle. Anyway I will do my best.
Hope you all have a good weekend.

Thanks Verano – good to be prompted on the plan! My aim to move more was a bit scuppered by the silly temperatures. Returned from a choir practice last night at 2145 and it was still 35 degrees. Still good news is that it is a lot fresher today – so back on track with walking our newly-arrived “holiday” dog and getting the house straight for guests. Best wishes to fellow planners!

Good morning folks!
Californiagirl, thanks for the description of insulin sensitivity. So that is a good thing, sounds like.

Verano, you have a good olan for the get together.

It was 100 degrees here in Florida yesterday, Caron. Lots of swimming!

We have some rain here in the SW of England, after 50 days of hot dry weather. It’s still quite warm, but my body is still running on Turkish climate, so I’m quite content with the warmer weather at the moment.

Well done for thinking specifically about planning for the w/e Verano – wish I could say I have been so efficient. Had an evening out sprung on me yesterday, but managed to keep things BSD and the scales gave me a small reward again this morning, so at the moment things are headed in the right direction. This morning was a little more carby than usual, but planning to balance that out by being strict for the rest of the day. Making cottage pies for this evening, but will top mine with mashed celeriac rather than potato. Celeriac still a little carb heavy, but I’ll be sure to use as little as possible. No alcohol this w/e – shelving Cocktail Saturday until I have my weight gain sorted.

Hope everyone will have a good w/e and manage to stay on track with the plans for the duration.

Caron, that’s a shocking temp. for the UK! How is everyone managing? In this country, only relatively
new construction has central air conditioning…Those of us in older homes use window units in
our bedrooms, to at least insure a good night’s sleep! I’m no fan of summers in New England…It’s
my least active time of the year 🙂 We live on salads with protein thrown in.
I’ve heard of cottage pie, shepherd’s pie, and fish pie….Sunny, what’s in it? I’m curious!
I’ve been staying on track for the week…No libations, except letting up Sunday night when I’ve got
some pasture raised and grass finished filet mignon for dinner. Wine creep is always hazardous to
the scales for me, so I’ve been towing the line this week. I hope everyone else is in a good place 🙂

Allie

Hey Allie – cottage pie is made with minced (ground) or finely diced beef with veggies (onion, carrot, mushroom etc.) and gravy, swap that out for lamb for shepherds pie and fish pie is usually made with a selection of fish in large chunks, including a smoked fish and sometimes some large prawns all in a white sauce. All of these pies are topped with mashed potatoes and sometimes topped with grated cheese. However, these days when I make these dishes, I make two separate pies, one with potato mash for OH and one with either cauli or celeriac mash for me.

The filet mignon sounds delicious. I refused wine this evening, so OH is having a cider rather than opening a bottle of wine. Was suggested that we open a bottle of wine from our friend’s local vineyard, but I resisted temptation – maybe next w/e if the scales continue to progress in the right direction.

Enjoy your little indulgence tomorrow, Allie – I know you have plenty of wriggle room, so one day of easing up a little can’t do much damage.

Morning all. I’ve been reading all the posts to get inspiration. I’ve had a week of two halves. Got to the gym 3 times. Was on track Monday to Wednesday. Had a bad morning at work Thursday so dealt with it through carbs. Continued into Friday. Saturday was a mix bag. Today I’m back in the zone. Cooked up a storm yesterday for meals during the week. I’m the same weight I was last Monday but I’m in this for the long haul. Thanks everyone for your guidance and stories x

Good morning and Happy Sunday!
I just checked back to the beginning of the week and my ‘plan’ was to count carbs and nothing else. Well so far I’ve succeeded very well at the ‘nothing else’ but the carb counting has eluded me! Looks like I need a far more detailed plan of action for a second week, if we carry on.
Now that our warm weather has been replaced with rain I think it’s time for me to ‘cook’. So I’m going to try Sunny’s almond crackers and Marxistfood’s cheesy meringues and air fried courgettes. I will let you know how they turn out. My other job is to tackle the growing mountain of ironing. You can’t iron in the heat, well that’s my excuse, but now I really do have to make a start. So hands kept busy should mean no mindless eating!
Have a good day.

Thank you Sunny! At last I can conceptualize what these “pies” are! We have something similar called
“pot pies”, but rather than mince, small cubes of meat or poultry is used, and instead of potato
and cheese topping, a layer of pastry is used…Same gravy concept though! It sounds lovely for
a cold winter’s night! I’m deeply entrenched in salads at the moment, and very fortunate that
my O/H will literally eat anything put in front of him 🙂 The beautiful heirloom tomatoes have just
started to come in, and we live in close proximity to farmer’s markets. I just love eating locally…
the produce is beautiful, and is harvested daily. The only things that I need to go out of my way
for are wild fish and organic meat/poultry.
Enjoy the much needed showers, everyone! You’re having a very unusual summer… It seems that
this year you are experiencing the climate of New England, right along with me!

Allie

Morning Allie, Verano, Sunny and Doodle and all from Florida!

I need to ask a question to all. I am having a hard time getting at least 20 grams of fiber without raising my total carbs to 30-32 grams daily. Can you share your numbers in this area and how you approach your daily carbs and fiber grams. When you talk about esting 20 grams of carbs daily, do you really mean carb-fiber? How the heck are you doing it?

Allie, sunny, skinny, or whoever suggested I use almond milk in my coffee, because I can’t digest cream, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! I love it!!!

Verano, I have put off ironing too, although we do have central air. It has reached 100 daily here so anytime outside is definitely in the pool. Happy Sunday!

Really glad that you are enjoying the unsweetened almond milk, Violinist 🙂
My fiber formula is as follows:
1T chia seeds: 5.5
1/4 c raspberries: 4
1/4 large avocado: 3.7
8oz frozen leaf spinach: 7.2
1/2c broccoli: 1.5
All comfortably under 20g of carbs…Good luck!

Allie

Thanks Verano, but what about the rest of your days food, or is this a whole day?

Ah, Verano, thanks for the almond milk suggestion!!! Ok, I will go look at my daily menu to see where I can adjust my carb grams in other things

Violinist your thanks should go to Allie not me! And sorry but I’m useless when it comes to macros so can’t help you there or with fibre.

Thanks Allie and Verano! I am glad this is mot an exact science!

Sorry I can’t help with the macros question. I’m sitting now to read the book again. Cover to cover. I think my head is all mixed up. Thanks all.

Good morning!
Hope everyone had a good weekend. We have arrived again at another Monday so the last day of this weekly challenge. I hope everyone managed to stay ‘on plan’.
I shan’t be starting a new challenge so maybe somebody else can pick up the gauntlet.
Have a nice day!

I said I would try the Bodyweight app and I’ve done 3 days this past week. No improvement on the plank though, so Skinny retains her title.

Good morning all!
Verano, apparently I missed some big upset with Maggie in the subject of fasting?
Allie, wow, you have been married for almost 50 years? Is that right? I am on my second hubby for 23 years. First one for 14 – although very alcoholic.
Who actually monitors this website?
Anyway, down to170 today. Thank you for all the advice concerning carb and fiber counting. I see by some of the examples you gave me that we definitely have different programs counting differently and probably different products.

Have a hreat day folks.

Hello All – well, one week down and a drop of 2.2lb (1kg). I found it very useful having a one week plan and somewhere to check into as the week progressed and I suspect others did too, so I will start a new Week 2 thread, so that those who wish to continue with a weekly plan can continue for another week.

Hope to see lots of you there ….

Good morning. Well done to everyone who made ‘a plan’ and stuck to it. I didn’t stick wit mine but have managed to maintain. Really pleased to see you have started a new weekly thread SunnyB and well done for getting back on track and into your holiday weight loss.

Reporting a loss of one pound – so well on track. Thank you Verano for running this thread.

SunnyB well done for your 2.2lb drop. See you on your new thread.