Many people have came to this diet to control their blood sugar. Many others used it as a good way to lose weight.

Now that we are at our goals, is there a difference in the two groups’ way of eating to maintain what we have achieved?

I am a blood sugar person in maintenance for about 11 months, and I still eat low carb, medium fat and medium protein and I still watch my calories daily. The main difference is that I allow myself a treat occasionally, like a glass of wine on Saturday night, or a sweet treat every couple of weeks, plus two slices of whole wheat bread fresh out of the oven every week, just to check the bake :).

Do the weight loss people still keep their carb intake really low, or have they gone to a more balanced diet, medium everything?

I have gone for a more balanced diet certainly, as someone with no diagnosed medical condition but a lot to lose. It took me a long time to get to the shape I am now, at the start of my fifties, and I know that I need to keep control going forward but I am a great believer that a little bit of what you fancy does you good, and for me this does include many foods that are on others banned lists. I use as a rough guide 60-70g protein a day and try to keep carbs generally low without specifically counting. Nutritionally I think anything below 150g is regarded as low carb and I am almost always well below that and often at around the same level as the protein. I don’t log day to day anymore except when on reboots etc.

Good morning, Jande! You will probably get as many different answers
as there are maintainers here 🙂 Congratulations on 11 months of having
achieved that goal. I’ve been in maintenance for @ 8 months, after losing
147 lbs. What constitutes “balanced” for me is 50-55gm protein, 20-35gm
carbs, and the rest is healthy plant based fats. Now, if I don’t eat up to my
TDEE I continue to lose weight, and I’m too thin to want to do that. I don’t
have any blood sugar issues and took on this WOE for weight loss alone.
I no longer see bread or other bad carbs as treats, so not eating them is
easy for me. My tastes have completely changed, I do allow myself
wine on occasion, but only if it doesn’t push my calories above where
I want them to be. I’ve eased up the weighing and measuring of every-
thing, but won’t hesitate to get right back to it if I start to see any “creep”
on the scale. Please let us know your plan, as I’m always interested in
how others manage maintenance!
Allie

Hi Jande, well done on 11 months maintenance.

Like Allie, I embarked on BSD purely for weight loss and to feel healthier, and have no BS or any other health issues and I too have been in maintenance for 8 months. I agree with her that we all find our own ways to maintain, which is essential as we all live different life styles and this WOE can only work if we can adapt it to our personal circumstances. I too drop pounds far too easily if I don’t eat to my TDEE, but I am a little stricter with myself Mon – Thurs, and then relax a little from Fri – Sun, purely because we tend to have very sociable weekends, out to dinner with friends most Friday and Saturday evenings, and invariably either host a Sunday lunch party for family/friends, or go to one. So on a Monday, I am generally a pound or two up, and by Friday I am down again. Since entering maintenance I have never come close to going over my target weight (8st 7lbs), and invariably sit approx. 6 — 7lbs below, although at one stage I was 13lbs below, which was far too thin. If, however, I ever do come too close to my target (after holidays etc) I will have no hesitation on going back to BSD800 for a few days – haven’t had to do it yet, although we have been away several times, , but do have a rather nice “all inclusive” holiday planned in the Spring, so I may even do 800 for a week before we go, to give me the extra wriggle room to accommodate a little over-indulgence, rather than upon our return.

I eat approx. 55g protein a day, and keep my carbs between 20 – 60g, which seems to be working (lower end during the week, upper end at weekends), which probably averages out to much the same as Allie’s daily allowance. I rarely eat refined carbs (although I have been known to pinch an occasional chip from o/h’s plate) as they really don’t overly appeal any more. I do, however, indulge in wine every Fri/Sat/Sun (which definitely contributes to the extra carbs at the weekend), and did so every single day over the 12 days of Christmas – some days far too much – without too much damage showing on the scales (put on 2lbs during that time). However, I may not drink alcohol at all for the next few weeks as o/h always does “dry January”, so I may join him, but that will entail increasing my calories from other sources if I don’t want to drop pounds and as I am already eating to satiety, that may be difficult, as I really don’t want to increase my appetite again. So I shall see how it goes.

I will be interested to read other maintainers’ strategies.

Hi there

I was diagnosed as insulin resistant at 76.6kg in August 2017, bMI 30. I am now 60kg (lowest 58kg when ill on holiday before Xmas) and seem to go up and down the grams according to what i’ve Eaten. This seems to be my default weight now, BMI about 23, but it’s where I sit without measuring cals or carbs (but keeping on the low carb end of the spectrum, barring accidents like chestnuts – who knew! – well, probably most of maintainers on here actually!) I do find out how many carbs in 100g of whatever and try to keep below 15g (so 15% of total intake carbs, I figure). Not v scientific, but scales are not fluctuating much and if they do I will reign back.

In the early days I definitely noticed some foods made me slump after eating them – generally when I thought I’d gone low carb when eating out but there were hidden glazes etc. This scared the life out of me, so it keeps me honest in relation to high carb stuff. I haven’t drink alcohol much for ages it makes me sneeze, but have the odd glass of champagne or Gina and soda water (0g carbs) when I feel the need.

I am waiting to hear whether my BS levels are back to normal. I have decided to eat more veg than I was doing, to keep my fibre up, including some medium starchy veg, and am monitoring effect this has on weight. So far OK, especially now I’ve stopped eating peanuts (too many peanuts!).

I suppose the main difference is that I’ve started to bugger up my pancreas, so it probably isn’t ever going to be as efficient as someone who hasn’t done that. A bit like an alcoholic whose buggered their liver will always have to be careful around alcohol. Or maybe they do self repair? Does anyone know?

Although I initially started the diet to help with my pre-diabetic blood sugar levels, I also needed to lose some weight. When I started the diet my fasting blood sugar level dropped very quickly and then stabilized at a good place so after 2 months I stopped testing it, and then just concentrated on the weight loss.

I have now been in maintenance for many months but I still am not happy with how I eat, which is low carb throughout the week, and a bit of a splurge on the weekend. I find my weekday diet to be unsatisfying and I too often snack on cheese or other low carb items. I miss that feeling of fullness you get after a big feed of pizza or spaghetti, and I haven’t found anything else that can give me that. The closest I’ve come are dishes with lots of lentils or beans. I have become leery of all carb foods even from whole grains or brown rice, because I am worried about starting on the slippery slope leading to weight gain and blood sugar issues.

However, I am probably eating a more healthy diet than before, with plates full of vegetables and minimal sugar and alcohol. I just wish it was more satisfying.

Hi Jande! Have you taken a look at Luvtcook’s “Good Eats” thread? It’s
full of exciting low carb recipes and links that might seduce your palate!

Best wishes,

Allie

You need more fat and fiber. Not as a general rule, but in dishes. When you want to fill yourself up to bursting in the way you miss from when you gorged on carbs, that is the winning combination. Cheese and flaxseed crackers, konjac noodles with sausage cream sauce, 6 oz grass-fed sirloin steak, compound butter (butter with herbs and/or cheese) and a side of broccoli rabe or spinach sauteed in olive oil. You wil find it far more satisfying and long-lasting than the brief sugar high of carb binges.

Hi Jande I know what you mean, although I don’t want pizza or spaghetti I do sometimes feel like I fancy something but there’s nothing to eat that I fancy! Mind you, I wasn’t all that on pasta or pizza before I was diagnosed as insulin resistant. Biscuits, on the other hand, or bread … but I don’t want those now either.

If I’m honest I went hell for leather on (some of the) 8 weeks and did that with a lot of cheese and ham. It worked, but now I’m moving into lots more veg, have gone off processed meat and am not as mad on cheese. I find Greek yoghurt and chia seeds surprisingly moreish, together with green veg fried in butter. I think it’s keeping the fat up that helps me feel satisfied. I drink coffee with double cream for some of the day (have stopped feeling the need to glug cream straight from the tub).

When I was diagnosed the doctor said I had to start seeing food as functional, not for pleasure, and I think that probably true. It’s why I admire people without insulin issues who follow this WOE, there’s no way I would have done it initially without the threat of diabetes. It’s still enough to keep me in line, although I don’t find it hard anymore.

Hi Jackie, I know that this is probably a foolish question, but I keep
coming across this British expression “moreish”. Can you translate it
for this silly American?
Thanks 🙂

Allie it means something you want more of when you have some! More-ish.

Yes, Allie what Natalie said. How funny it’s British expression only, not foolish to ask at all. We’ve both learnt something! Xx

Thank you, Nat! Like full fat greek yogurt! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi Jande9 it could be those ‘splurges’ at the weekend that are stopping you from losing the need to feel really full to bursting. You don’t say how long you have been eating this way. I also started to control my T2 which is now in remission without drugs but I have been eating this way for 18 months. I have never been ultra strict but have eaten low carb even if it’s been rather high calorie wise at times. I think it takes quite a long time before your taste buds change and you lose that feeling of ‘hunger’. I get ‘full’ after a salad with eggs or tuna or smoked salmon with a tablespoon of mayonnaise and half an avocado! I think you do need to eat healthy fat to feel full but to be honest I don’t think I would like that ‘full to bursting’ feeling after a high carb meal again. I also think you should take a look at Good Eats thread maybe you are just ‘bored’ with your diet and it needs a bit of a shake up.

Allie I have difficulty with the American language too! Especially food ingredients when you guys post recipes. Often things we don’t have here in Australia or else call by a different name.

Natalie, just curious….what foods are we in the US calling by different names (other your biscuits are cookies to us, and our chips are what Brits call crisps….on the other hand, your chips are our French Fries. And there is the whole courgette / marrow/ zucchini thing. Cornflour vs cornstarch. Icing sugar vs powdered sugar. And pudding as a whole course vs our “custard” dessert. At this point I have used up all my food translations (we will leave the boots vs the trunks, lifts vs elevators, holiays vs vacations for another day).

Have to admit, I am a British TV junkie well beyond the standard The Great British Baking Show and Downton Abbey. The US is currently gripped with both The Crown (Amazon’s homage to QE II) as well as Victoria for the moment. Just finish bing watching Doctor in the House. Loved it. Also get some wonderful Aussie crime series. I do think TV is helping us shrink the world a little bit and allows us to get to know each other a little better. These types of global forums certainly help. Luv em.

LtC, broil and arugula are pretty common ones. I always have to look up broil.

Oh kosher salt – not idea what that is and green onion. Are these shallots or spring onions? Actually I think shallot and spring onion are often mixed up here.

That’s funny because I had to look up “turn the grill on” just today in a recipe….for us grill is either the BBQ outside or a grill pan with ridges that is a stovetop thing that mimics it leaving “grill marks”. What the recipe was telling me it to put it under an overhead flame…..broil to us in the US.

Kosher salt is a medium grain “pure salt” that has no additives (no iodine added to prevent goiters in the thyroid) and is coarser than normal table salt….not so coarse that it needs to be put in a salt mill….but coarse enough that you can keep an open tin or ceramic jar of it next to the stove and gab a pinch of it to season things and see how much actually landed on the food. It was originally used by Kosher (Jewish) butchers to treat/ salt down raw chickens to draw out the blood per Kosher law. Also used to make Kosher pickles, and the perfect thing to top freshly baked soft pretzels.

You have every right to be confused by green onions. Too many similar members of the same family of onion. Green onions are also called scallions. Lowest in carbs of the onion family. Spring onions are similar but not exactly the same because they do have a small bulb at its end, and the spring onions will grow full bulbs at the end if allowed (turn into real onions) and the scallions / green onions do not. But when they are young, they are used somewhat interchangeably.

Shallots are a whole different thing and worth getting to know because they are WONDERFUL. They look like a small spring bulb covered in brown “paper” from the nursery that you are meant to plant (like a tulip bulp or narcissus). Often come as a compound bulb that you can pull apart and use in halves. They are sweeter than an onion but allas, also are higher carb than regular onions, and a good bit higher than the scallions, which are the lowest (and least sweet) of the lot. The shallots are usually used in fairly small quantities finely minced to flavor a sauce, and almost never used as an identifiable vegetable in a recipe. But they have the most lovely taste and make a great vinaigrette when minced and added to oil and vinegar. The French love them.

Arugula…same thing as rocket for you, roquette for the French. I think arugula is the Italian term, and the US has inherited the term from them.

Oh we call shallots eschallot – these are the often double bulbs with brown coloured skin and thai shallots are similar but red skinned. I was very sad to discover their carb rating as I often substitute them for red onion. A more complex, softer flavour. Although I did use sparingly on those wonderfully dressed oysters. Oh that reminds me ….

Well my pet peeve (not used on this forum that I’ve seen) is when people from the US call a sauce ‘marinara’ when they mean tomato and there is no seafood present. Marine means the sea!

But a quick scan of the cooking thread got me beets (beetroot), cilantro (coriander), skillet (frying pan?) and ground beef (beef mince). They are all pretty obvious though, I couldn’t find one I didn’t know.

There’s also jello (jelly) and jelly (our jam) which I’m unlikely to see here.

The whole onion family is a weird one, shallots mean the non-bulb green onions in my particular state NSW but not elsewhere in Australia I believe. Eschallots are the little brown skin ones. Green onions are young bulbs with the stem still attached. Step over the border and it’s all different.

Marinara in the sense of tomato sauce is a reference to it having been the preferred sauce of sailors in the Bay of Naples. Immigrants from the area carried the coinage with them to the US and the name stuck even though in Italy as a whole it’s not commonly used to describe tomato sauce (the simple “sugo” or “al pomodoro” are far more widespread). Carbonara has a similar origin as a dish named after the people who popularized it (coal burners, ie, poor people) rather than the ingredients (eggs, pancetta).

In the US, cilantro is the leaf and coriander the seed of the same plant. I’m very glad it’s a distinction we make lexically because I quite like coriander and I abhor cilantro.

Jello is a brand name that has entered the lexicon as a general word for day-glo colored, fake flavored, aggressively over-sweetened gelatin molds typically served in hospitals, to our eternal national shame. Jelly is fruit that has been cooked down, strained and gelatinized with natural pectin to create a smooth spread for toast. Jam is different because it isn’t strained. There are still fruit chunks in there.

Hi,

My struggle with US recipes is measuring by volume. I can manage dry goods by volume and have a set of cups but never worked out how to do half a cup of butter. Now I have a converter easily available on my iPad and use my trusty scales instead.

Interesting discussion! I’ve been defeated by a ‘stick’ of butter. How much is that?

Hi, Mariet! Something I can actually answer 🙂

1 stick = 1/2c = 8Tbs

Esnecca……you must write a book or get your own column. You absolutely have a gift for writing. Your description of Jell-O is priceless. I love the addition of “typically served in hospitals, to our eternal national shame”. Still laughing.

VictoriaM: ditto on conversions. My Mac computer has a “dashboard” with a converter app on it that I am wearing out with gm to oz and ml to cups. Not sure the history about how the US ended up being the oddman out on measurements. Seems funny we measure things is pounds (sounds rather English to me….but yet now isn’t). We made a feeble attempt go go metric in the mid 70s and failed miserably without any real effort put behind it. So we have a metric monetary system (money is all in units of 10) but still goofy inches and feet, and ounces and pounds. And as much as I cook I still have to mentally convert cups to pints to get the quarts. Oh well.

A stick of butter is 1/4 of a pound here in Canada.

I am very happy with the control this way of eating has given me over my weight and blood sugar, but sometimes I feel I have been sentenced to a lifetime of denial. We eat very well, and our food is full of flavour, but I have yet to find a food that triggers my satiety hormones the way carbs do. Peanut butter comes very close, but it is very calorific. I am experimenting with dry peanut butter that has most of the fat removed, and it may be part of the answer.

We are retired and spend a lot of time planning and preparing our meals, and we use a large variety of herbs, spices and sauces to help make our meals special. We started this to help make the BSD easier to follow, and we have continued this way of cooking after we went into maintenance.

One side effect is that we find ourselves less satisfied with dinners out. A nice meal that we would have enthused over a few years ago now seems rather ordinary.

We went out to a high end Vietnamese restaurant last night that we loved in the past. I realized that the dinner was as good as it always was, but really it wasn’t any better than what we regularly have at home. We often have stir fries full of fresh ginger, garlic, onions and soy sauce and it is hard for any restaurant to improve on that.

I keep a supply of defatted peanut butter powder in the house. I add it to sauces for a satay sort of thing, sprinkle it on my square of unsweetened bakers chocolate with flaked sea salt for dessert, and occasionally reconstitute it with yogurt or hemp milk and eat it by the spoonful topped with cacao nibs. Very delicious. You have to be careful with the brands, though, because the most popular one (PB2) adds sugar. I get mine from an organic shop and it has no additives whatsoever, not even salt. That’s fine by me. I have a half-dozen gourmet salts in my pantry and I’d much rather add my own to my liking.

Jande, it is not a coincidence that peanut butter comes close to filling you up. Guess what’s in it? Fat and fiber. Your meals sound great, but stir fries, no matter how vibrant, don’t really check all the boxes when it comes to feeling full. They’re light. Since you’re in maintenance, you can afford to ramp up the calories every once in a while and enjoy a plate full of healthy fats and high fiber veg or seeds.

Thanks, LTC! We’re going to have to team up to write the BSD fanatics recipe book. 😀

Hi Esnecca,
It’s not so much about being filled up or feeling full. It is more about hitting those buttons in my brain that say “I’m really satisfied.” I also use pure peanut flour. Its annoying that a PB2 adds sugar but at first that was all I good get.

Jan

That’s interesting about marinara sauce, in Australia it definitely means it contains seafood and Aussies overseas get very disappointed if that is not what they get when they order it!

Jande9: I have found the same thing about restaurant eating. We used to enjoy the occasional meal out but over the last year that’s changed….I just can’t seem to make myself interested. Mostly it’s because we eat so well at home…very plainly, but the ingredients are always fresh and good quality. Having said that, over Christmas, we had some fabulous sea bass with a side dish of courgettes sautéed in olive oil with garlic, parsley and pinenuts. Awesome! And easy to replicate…

Jande9: if you want “hit the luxury button” try some asparagus or broccoli with Hollandaise sauce. Or top a good steak with some compound butter (with blue cheese in it is very good). Make a sugar free cheescake. This is not stuff you want to be eating daily, but once a month it is kind of nice to have something that is luxury.

Initially I felt as you do that I was going to have to live the life of an ascetic and have nothing yummy ever again. But other than having cauliflower rice instead of jasmine rice, and satisfying my Italian food urges with eggplant parmesan or eggplant rolatini instead of a plate of spaghetti, I am finding I am missing nothing.

If you invest a bit of time on line you can generally find a recipe for something that comes pretty close to what you are hungering for. Plus a plate with a grilled chop and two veges seems pretty normal to me now.

I sounds like I eat heavy creamy fattening things all the time the way I go on, and in fact, just the opposite is the case.

But when I want something rich, I build it into my calorie allowance and the carbs are usually low anyway if it is based on cream or cheese. One of those every two weeks generally does it (with a bit of uncured bacon for breakfast now and then). I am now happy to give up carbs for the luxury of fats which had been skimping on for decades pre BSD.

I find low carb to be more work because you have to make whatever you want….just can’t buy much of it off the shelves . Some things like low carb breads / bagels/ pita / tortillas are available on line. It just take a bit more planning. All doable.

Hi Luvtcook,
Thanks for your answer.
It isn’t about missing the luxury button or living the life of an ascetic. We eat incredibly well and our food is full of flavour.
There is something about a big carb hit that gives me a visceral, hormonal satisfaction that I don’t seem to get from other foods. If I could replicate that feeling without carbs I would be a happy man.
Have you tried the noodles made with konjac root? They have 0 calories and actually are a pretty good spaghetti substitute. They tend to have a fishy smell when you open the package but a good wash gets rid of that. They are one of the few “substitute” foods that I am happy with.
Jan

Jande9 I know EXACTLY what you mean. We all love those carbs, which is why most of us now find ourselves on this diet. I think its the texture that is so hard to replace….the great al dente of good pasta, cruchy baguettes, dumplings etc.

I guess what I was trying to say is you may have to trade that particular zing for another. It pushes a different button….but at least you are pushing “a button” and walking away satisfied.

And yes I have used the konjac noodles. They work for me in soup and to a lesser extent in Asian dishes, but they don’t do it for me in Italian dishes. I am fiddling with a homemade konjac noodle/dumpling that shows some promise. Giving tweek #2 a go this evening in a Hungarian caulflower soup for supper. Will let you know how it goes.

Another thing that has worked in some recipes is to use a pasta replacement for 75% of the dish and real pasta for 25%. Made a wonderful Mac and Cheese with 75% cauliflower and 25% maccaroni pasta which had the mouthfeel that I was looking for. It seems I only had to hit a bite of pasta every now and then to make the whole dish feel more substantial. But even that has to be kept to a minimum or will blow your week. If the homemade konjac noodles work, that would be a good place for them….filling in between the cauliflower.

I also find that something like Eggplant Parm (with low carb breading) scratches that itch….it feels substantial, has the cheesy goodness, and the tomato sauce punch.