Hi, firstly I must say Im totally inspired by everyone’s success and I have never ever entered a forum and just by reading everyone’s support and success I feel that being part of this forum will help me along the way. Im about to start the 800 calorie daily to start with and depending on how I find it will either stick (hopefully) or go to the next level of 5:2. I have approx. 5 dates, all in diff weeks where I know that I wont be able to stick to just 800 calories and there will be alcohol involved, is it okay to continue with 800 cals daily and on these particular days fall off the wagon so to speak but with caution, eg: not eat a pizza / choc cake etc, do as best I can. I am very familiar with Paleo diet and eat pretty much gluton free so I don’t feel I will miss the carbs, for me its the hunger and the portions (cant get much food for 800 cals!). Any advice welcome, Im starting this Saturday, wish me luck!

Hi Boggis Welcome to a very friendly forum – I’m quite new too, so no expert, but sure you’ll get lots of support..

I have had a couple of days where I’ve “fallen off the wagon” and eaten too many carbs when out with people, BUT tried to keep them in moderation, and was really strict the rest of the day, and the next day. I started drinking soda and lime with ice, which is nice. I am learning to say no, cos I don’t want to mess this regime up for myself. I also made sure I logged what I ate on My Fitness Pal, however bad.

Dink loads of water – it really takes the edge off your hunger. I was hungry at first, I just said to myself that it means this is working.l

I’m veggie and used to eat lots of junk food. Now if I keep low carb, I seem to have lost the urge (so far) to eat bad foods.

The important thing is you start doing it and really look at the thread for what people eat each day, can give you good ideas. Good luck!

Hi, 800 cals sounds ridiculously little doesn’t it – I’ve been doing it for 12 weeks now (except blew it over Easter!) and have got totally used to it and don’t need anything more now. On my ‘journey’ I’ve been away every other week eating out and staying at hotels and have lost weight subsequently as I’ve found mentally, as I don’t know the calorie counts I’ll eat far less than ever before – just in case! I usually just have a starter – protein and salad perhaps – with wine please note!!! And it hasn’t affected my weight loss as far as I can tell – have now lost 2 1/2 stone btw (this week – and it’s only Thursday – I’ve already lost 3.8 lbs – promise you – which is far more than usual – last week it was only 1.8 lbs – hey, I’m happy!). I have to say Iove the food and am so surprised at the variety. There have been many times when I’ve been staying in a hotel when I’ve cursed myself the following morning for having had 3 large merlots – still lost weight! And I’ve had full English breakfast at a Weatherspoons when away – only once a week but without hash browns and toast but had baked beans and extra mushrooms with bacon, SAUSAGE (!) and fried egg – still lost or didn’t gain and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Used to (years ago) have 6 sugars in my tea (OMG – wonder why I got type 2?) then went onto 3 canderel – now sweetener free! Still don’t love the cup of tea but have 2 every day with milk – doesn’t stop me losing!

I started following all the recipes in the menus for the first 4 weeks, then started to relax them and use my own ‘normal’ favourites but following the rules so am now happily adapting.

I am 58, have dieted since I was 30 and have no intention of stopping now. I am no longer on a diet but have found a way of living and eating which I enjoy, is right for my body, which I can sustain quite comfortably and has halved my blood sugars – my doc says they’ll have to think about taking me off meds!

Howzatt – so if I can do it – anybody can as I was always the one who fell off the wagon and never got back on again and ended up at my heaviest at 15 st 2. Starting weight was 14 st 12.6 lbs now 12 st 5lbs – can’t wait to get into the 11st bit………..!!

Don’t be scared of the 800 cals – just try it and you’ll be surprised – btw recommend the aubergine and lamb meal – I have it every Monday night as I just love it and it’s my treat after my (hopefully) good weigh in in the mornig!

Very best of luck!

Totally agree, you can get a lot of the right kind of food for 800 cals.
I’ve been on the plan for 11 weeks now, lost 30lb, blood sugars almost normal now, and I have never once felt hungry.
This is someone who would have a large dinner, packets of crisps, choccy and biscuits every night so it does work
Best of luck for your journey, you’re not alone, we are all here to offer support.

Personally I think starting now and having those 5 days off would be better than waiting 5 weeks to start. Your results obviously won’t be quite as good, but hopefully you’ll see an improvement in that time. For some people there will never be a perfect time to start.

Good luck.

Yes, I’d start now too – and just keep it to a minimum when you go out socially. Also try and log what you eat, and be really good before and after. Having lots of water REALLY helps with hunger. I now drink soda and lime when I’m out. Good luck

I’d also say start now. I was going to start on 1st January, but changed that – starting on 19th December. I knew that if I waited I might change my mind and keep putting it off. I’m still on 800 calories – tomorrow I’ll have been on the BSD for 18 weeks.

I’ve lost over 3 stone (more still to lose) and my blood sugars are now usually in the normal range.

It’s surprising how much food you can eat for 800 calories once you stop eating the carbs. I can’t imagine going back to eat the quantities I did before, or the carbs, because I feel so much better now.

Thank you all very much for your support I’m going to start tomorrow and see how I get on. I’m terrible at drinking water so that’s something I will need to change!

Hi boggis1 welcome to the forums and the BSD way of life! Once you have done this for a few weeks you will find eating out easier than you might think – you just need to leave the carbs and make sure you don’t have too much alcohol on those special days.
I agree that it is better to start as soon as you can and you’ll be a healthier you for those special days 🙂

Love the name, Boggis . Fantastic Mr Fox a favourite story of mine and my girls too. I would echo the comments above. Drinking enough is easy if you find something you like – my favourite is either chai teabag either with or without a dash of milk and for a cold drink it’s fizzy water with lemon (freeze the slices). I have lost over 2 stone despite being the one who has tried and failed a million times to lose weight. Can’t ever see myself eating carb heavy again. We ate Chinese tonight. But instead of a pile of rice or noodles the whole family had a pile of beansprouts another of mushrooms and another one of green beans to accompany the lemon chicken and chicken with spring onion and banana dishes. I was stuffed afterwards as my plate was full. Lots of friendly folk to help you on your way.

Hi julia, my son has a friend with the surname Boggis, so I wonder if Boggis1 is the genuine surname rather than a Roald Dahl. Fan??? Could be both, of course! Boggis1 enlighten us! 🙂

Julia your chinese meal sounds scrummy! 🙂

Boggis….what a fabulous name ! Don’t be worried about starting, the only things that will happen is that you’ll lose weight, need smaller clothes, have more energy (ridiculous amounts sometimes) and if you are on medication, can reduce or stop. I’ve been following the plan for 7 weeks and have lost 21 pounds. I’ve only had two days where I’ve hit 800 calories, the rest of the time calories are between 1100 and 1400 (bosses wedding). I intend to continue with my healthy eating as I’ve managed to re-educate my brain into what is good to eat and what isn’t. There is plenty of help on all sorts of things on here. Stick with us. Once you get the hang of it you’ll love it. Good luck x

Hi Boggis, I meant to say think about some well chilled sparkling water with a slice of lemon or lime and a variety of herbal teas as well as still water 🙂

I am just starting too. Our usual diet is pretty good. Low meat, plenty of pulses, plenty of veg. Take outs very rare, zero ready made meals. We cook all from fresh and I bake my own bread from organic flour. Sadly the bread consumption is going to have to drop, not sure I can cut it altogether. Is crispbread ok to eat or is it just as bad? My blood sugar was ok but the other reading -haemoglobin or something, indicated prediabetes. I could happily skip breakfast most days, it is not my favourite meal. Can I add the calories to dinner? Is wine a complete no, no? I love my evening glass of red. So many questions! Sorry.

Hi Petesuffolk…..welcome ! I’m lucky enough not to be diabetic or pre but 6 of my friends and I started to change our eating habits after reading the book. That was 8 weeks ago and between us we have lost just under 10 stone! I love red wine and have carried on drinking throughout the last 8 weeks as I see this as a lifestyle change and I need to set myself realistic targets. I put all my food and drink onto the my fitness pal app and hey presto 21 pounds lighter. Look on line for meal ideas or on this site as there are loads of delicious recipes out there that are low carb, low calorie and you won’t feel like you are missing out. Good luck 😊

Hi peteSuffolk, welcome to the forums!
Do yoj think you think you could give up bread and wine for, say, 4 weeks and see how you go? You’re likely to get some fant results. 🙂

I started yesterday. I must admit I’m a bit hungry but I guess I’ll get used to it. I’m having headaches from lack of sugar but I’m motivated. Hi everyone.

Hi nicolaann, welcome to the forums!
Make sure you eat enough fat to help you feel full. Things get much better after a few days.
Take some paracetamol for headaches and make sure you drink 2to 3 litres of water 🙂

Thanks hashimoto. I’m afraid of fat lol been buying low or fat free for years. I’m in uk.

Hi nicolaan, I was terrified about eating fat after decades of being brainwashed into eating low fat sugar filled crap. For the first 2 weeks I clung to my low fat yoghurt and….felt hungry!
Recently haf a cholesterol test – guess what? My cholesterol is lower after weeks of full fat!

Go on, be a devil and treat yourself to some scrummy FF yoghurt 🙂

Tomorrow I am starting my BSD lifestyle. I’ll be doing the 800cal BSD and have about 30kg to get rid of (I’m in New Zealand so not sure what that equates to in pounds, but it’s a lot) so I plan to do the 800 for longer than 8 weeks. I have Type 2 diabetes and I get my bloods done tomorrow so it will be good to see the improvement once I’ve started. I sent away for the book and it arrived on Friday, since then I have been doing a pantry and fridge clear out. I’m going to follow most of the recipes in the book however I don’t do very well on beans or lentils so I’ll be giving them a miss. I’ve been reading the forums and there are some impressive results, so hopefully I will do just as well. All the best everyone. Lainey

Hi Lainey and Welcome from another Kiwi. I have started a thread for NZers (search for Kia Ora) to chat and also share any in season cooking ideas, or local product info, so please join in!

Hi Lainey – also welcome! I’m just starting week 13 and still sticking to the 800 calories, blood sugars have halved and doc says may take me off meds! Have lost 2 1/2 stone – which I think by my maths is about 16 kilos. I’ve pretty much followed the recipes in the book and did the same as you, cleared out everything else. Some recipes I really love and I’ve adapted some of my old ones. One tip for me was to painstakingly go through the recipes for the first week and write down a massive shopping list so I had the whole week planned really helped, did this each week. Also my husband was happy to have most of the foods and as a consequence he’s also lost about 8 kilos.

The forum is fantastic and it’s just awesome to see just how many people are achieving incredible results – off to have my fresh raspberries and full fat natural yoghurt for breakfast – yum!

Good luck…………

I will thanks. Do many of you experience hypos?

I had one slight hypo during the 8 weeks when my pre dinner reading had slipped to 3.4 but apart from that, nothing although I have had a couple of readings just under 4

Omg Hashimoto I had a Ff Greek yogurt this morning it was divine. I added raspberries, pomegranate, seeds and almonds it was lush. I’m having a feta cheese salad for lunch and home made beef and veg soup for tea. In your experience does that sound ok. I’m only on day 3 any guidance would be helpful. X

I love when everyone tries full fat yoghurt with real fruit instead of slimy over-sweetened “healthy” yoghurt-like-substance! I remember what that was like. Hey, this stuff isn’t disgusting after all! It’s like dessert for breakfast.

Agreed natalie!

Hi nicolaann, sounds perfect to me!
FF yoghurt is a revelation isn’t it?
Makes me cross that i ate that slimy (good description, Natalie) crap for DECADES when I could have had the yummy healthy real thing!! 🙂

Can’t believe that I’m not hungry at all. Can’t wait to share my first weigh in with you all.

My first day was a day we were invited to a ruby wedding lunch at a restaurant in London. But I skipped breakfast, I stuck to fizzy water at the do, chose the fish as my lunch (it came a small amount of saffron risotto, which was naughty) Only had apple and cheese when I got home in the evening. Today I skipped breakfast apart from black coffee, I am not a great brekky fan anyway so no hardship. I had home made split pea soup for lunch, my wife is brilliant at it and it has long been my favourite, supper was veg curry and cauli rice. I drank fizzy water instead of wine. I am not hungry – so everything ok.

How long you been doing this Pete? Sounds like you’re on the right path? Where in Suffolk are you?

Just started this week. I am in Bury St Edmunds.

I’m on day 3. I go to Woodbridge quite a lot

Hi Petesuffolk, I meant to say welcome to you, 🙂

Hi everyone, what a supportive blog. Excellent. I am still skipping brekky as I have made my own bread for years and breakfast to me is a slice of toast with sliced tomatoes and olive oil! All alternatives just don’t appeal, so black coffee is all I have! An egg without toast, no thanks. An egg on avocado?? Slime upon slime? I love avocado, but smashed on toast! There is cauli rice that is a great rice substitute, but what is a bread substitute?

Hi pete you should make the chickpea flour flatbreads! The recipe is on this site – look for the recipe tab on the toolbar. It is more like a cross between an indian flatbread and a wrap.

I sometimes spread one with cream cheese and lettuce, roll it up a d have it for lunch 🙂

I usually have it with curry though! 🙂

Brilliant, will check them out! Thanks.

Is feta cheese ok and how much
Alan

Hi Alan – yes Feta is fine – pretty much zero carbs so as much as you want within your daily calories. I normally have 20-30g. 20g is 3g protein, 5g fat, 0g carbs, 56 calories.

Thanks so much for that I love feta cheese ,bought a block with about 500 calories in so easy enough to work out .
Alan five weeks in ,three great weeks .one n half stone lost one bad week one pound on .fith week needs a turnaround 👍

Hi Alan, a good standby for lunch are cherry tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, feta cheese and a couple of olives plus a drizzle of olive oil and or balsamic vinegar. That plus a bowl of soup and I am fine till the evening.

Just to say, re breakfast, I also had a conversation about eggs being nothing without bread/toast.

However, this morning I had fresh spinach (little heap of it, well seasoned), with a slice of smoked salmon on top of it, and two eggs on top of that……divine, it was. 270 calories.

Another good one to replace the bread is a well cooked portobello mushroom (or two!), with some cherry tomatoes cooked alongside. Add the eggs on top. Yummy

Just tried feta cheese stuffed into chicken breast wrapped in thin ham lovely oh salad too
Alan,as near to a recipe as I go !