HI everyone .Here we are in JULY 2024 , and hopefully feeling optimistic about warm, sunny days and summer breaks ?
Wherever you are at the moment , this monthly thread is for anyone who is available , wanting to keep in touch and stay accountable maybe before any holiday or family gatherings ..or just have a chat .

For me it’s reboot and refresh time after a couple of trips away and needing to regain a bit more control in my usual environment .Life is precious and for enjoying and that means allowing some flexibility but I can career off piste very easily if I don’t watch myself !!

So July is my start point but if you are well on track and happy with your progress , please pop in and share .
As I suggested in the title it’s about DOING OUR BEST !!!
Take care everyone !

Wendy, sunshinegirl and SunnyB

Thanks for setting up the new thread Wendy. Even though I won’t be around for most of the first half of the month I do find that having the odd post drop into my email helps to keep me from totally abandoning the principles.

Anyway being in southern Europe I hope to be eating lots of salads and plenty of fish. We’ve not visited Portugal in the summer for many, many years and I’m just hoping that sardines are in season… I love sardines bbq-ed on the beach! Simple tastes really.

Anyway, hope July is a good month for everyone.

Hi Wendy, Thank you for setting up the monthly thread. I am in for the July reboot. New resolve and a new user name for privacy reasons. I have been on the forum for a while, but lately very much in lurking mode. I am looking forward to a healthier month and wish us all well with our personal goals.

I’m in need of a reboot and would be grateful to join. Thanks

Hi
I NEED help
Struggling without support of family
I am only saying this number once 220 pounds
All clothes are extremely tight and uncomfortable – can’t and won’t buy the next size up so will feel like a trussed up turkey until I lose some blubber off me
In mid 60’s so if not not now when?
Sooo bruised after falling off the wagon soooo many times , I seem to do great then after a fortnight I wander off and through the night someone adds another layer off blubber on me so I give up.
So with that being said….
Aim for today 1/7/2024 is walking somewhere anywhere. Stop grazing so eat only at breakfast lunch and teatime. No chocolate no biscuits so sweets in the house do let it stay that way.
Use a side plate not a dinner plate so portion control .
Don’t sit idle and allow cravings to control me… potter in the garden, brush the path, hoover, write, draw, sew
Finally … only for research purposes.. find a handsome young guy on you-tube showing me how to exercise. I can exercise with him, alone in the living room, catch my breath on the settee, swoon over him as I run out of breath. And for co-ordination learn how the hell to do Jane Fonda grapevine steps. My legs always get in a tangle and I give up, this should keep me quiet for hours.
So as you can see I am at my lowest mood, I come open handed needing all your help, giving myself small doable goals. I KNOW that if I eat it , I know I have to burn it off or watch those seams burst open. But ( big but and big butt) I don’t seem to last more than a fortnight. So I ask you all for your help, patience, love, firmness, and one bloody big cheer if I am still going on 30th July and have lost ANYTHING even if it’s a pound. Me and my trousers will thank you.
Love Lucia xx

Hi
Okay so there are 31 days in this really looooooong month not 30.
31st is a Wednesday this is my target … just to be here on that day, with you all.
Love Lucia xx

Hi All,

Ready for another month!
I’ve lost 9.5lbs of the 2 st 7 I needed to lose to get to top of normal BMI again…..so, I need to keep going with it! I’m not sure yet if I’ll get back into my beach/ swimwear by my hol so may need to get a slightly bigger size and possibly some shorts, but not sure yet, and at least I’m going in the right direction.
If I can organise it I try to cook the sunday roast at lunchtime so I don’t then need to eat again…giving a longer overnight fast- this worked yesterday, hooray 🙂 Unfortunately with work/ cooking for the fam, this usually doesn’t work on the other days of the week, but I am trying to keep low cal, with the longest stretch overnight I can manage and sticking well to MM med diet also.
Hope everyone’s ok, lovely to hear all news and resolve etc.
Welcome Lucia and welcome (back) Heidi.
Love to all,
Tulip xxxxx

Wow Tulip very well done with your weight loss.👏👏
Thank you Wendy for the new thread & I am on holiday in Devon & not actively dieting but trying to eat fairly sensibly. The cottage has limited cooking utensils etc so I will do my best. Stir fry in a small frying pan or a large saucepan? 😂
My low carb eating will return after I am home in two weeks!
Well done everyone keeping on track or getting back into this WOE👍
Keep on going!
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, thank you for the new thread Wenday. A month will be well long enough to get yourself back into the swing of healthy eating before your next lot of visitors. Summer is for enjoying after being hunkered down during a long winter.

Managed to get below my pre-cruise weight so quite pleased with myself. (72.4) Although not complacent as I have a night out for a quiz which includes a meal which is never very carby but there will be wine.

Welcome to new faces and some not so new and returners. Hope you have a successful July and it brings you everything you would want it to.

Hi
It is a total reboot for me.
It’s the end of day one . I decided that today when I am hungry I would have a drink instead and see if I was hungry half an hour later. So I have had about six decaf tea with semi-skimmed milk. I have had one meal today. So my goal tomorrow is to drink water and not tea.
My mind does go to the ideas of meals , treats etc so I say have a tea and DO something with my hands and take my mind off food.
I walked today or should I say waddled 🦆. Not fast, just at my own speed. About two miles , not bad.
So I am off to a good start.
I have my eye on the 14th and in the distance the 31st.
Thanks for listening
Love Lucia xx

Hi all, thanks for the welcome Tulip and sg, and a special call out to Lucia. Your first post made me smile in a sad way. We have all been there. It sounds like you have had a very determined start today. Which way of eating are you following? I am going to do the Mediterranean diet and aim for 800 calories a day. When I did this last time, I genuinely did not feel hungry after the first few days. As soon as you get some control of the carbs – particularly the sugar, flour, rice, potatoes – you genuinely feel better. http://www.dietdoctor.com is a good source for healthy recipes, as are the BSD books of course. I am preaching to myself as much as to anyone else! Very best wishes.

Hi
Great news for me 217, I don’t care if it’s water or wind it’s a loss. That means I have stopped adding to my blubber. And I am back here for my health and sanity .
Yesterday I was going to eat three meals a day so I stop the grazing and snacking. But I had a drink of tea when I was ‘hungry’ and I ended up my eating one meal. That means I have started not to rely on putting food in my mouth ALL the time.
I also took myself out of the house for a walk. Lockdown seemed to have stopped me going out the door and it cut me off from the world. When it ended I was still in the pattern of staying indoors so I am trying to do small changes, I feel a bit scared or weary of going out, this is all in my mind but I can’t change overnight so baby steps.
Today I am going to have water when I am hungry. I am finding that video to exercise to. I am going to try and have one meal today. I am not going to stress out.
I am also looking to change what I eat by the end of the week. I need to swop good for bad, I am taking all of this real slow so it sticks or lasts as it is a way of life.
Heidi24 – bless you for your reply. Please keep sending nice warm slimming thoughts over to me, I will take ANY help I can get. Please cope with me as I feel using this space as a diary or confessional may be the biggest help. Thanks also for the menu suggestion , I will look at it today. I am not a person that can just do 180 degree turn around. I am more of a three point turn.
14th and 31st – looking forward to smashing you both
Love Lucia xx

Hi all, Lucia 3 lbs is great no matter what it consists of. I have had an inevitable gain (food and wine) but know it will be gone in a couple of days. Because I just don’t like the taste or small of fish I tell restaurants I have an allergy. Good thing as the starter last night was fish and seafood terrine – I got half an avocado fanned out on a small salad and topped with cream cheese and a sprinkle of chilli flakes – it was delicious. Any tips on stopping avocados going black, I always leave them too long. There is a frozen food store here that sells avocado quarters frozen in a bag. Maybe that is the answer.

Before I go, my snack food now is olives or carrot sticks with homemade hummous so no oil. So easy to make and I keep batches of it in the freezer.

Another dull day but just nice and comfortable. I won’t be swimming again as the pool has dropped to 21 degrees.

Have a good week.

Good afternoon all. So nice to see others jump in and join us.
I have spent all afternoon planning a menu for this coming week as hubby now wants to join me which is pretty awesome! I forgot how many lovely recipes there are in the MM BSD books! I actually feel my mojo making a good appearance….YAY!
This month is busy with birthdays but am sure I can plan food around these events..
SG, would you mind pointing me in the direction of your homemade hummus? I might have a go. I love the fish pate ones in the recipe books,
We CAN all do this, I am telling myself this as I trip so easily but once am rolling I roll….( not literally haha )

I must get out the recipe books, 1960smp, you sound inspired! I have had a good first day – and am posting now to make sure I don’t blow it… mushroom omelette for breakfast, greek yoghurt, strawberries and some almonds for lunch. That is it, Have poached some salmon for a riceless poke bowl tomorrow. Both dishes today looked lovely so not feeling at all deprived.

How was your day 2 Lucia?

Hi 1960, I have cut and pasted to save time – Enjoy

I have just made the best ever hummous using the recipe by Phil Vickery. Smooth as silk and lower in calories. The secret is to use some of the water from the chickpeas rather than olive oil and whiz for a long as possible – 10 minutes – although that would have burnt out my nutribullet so had to do it in spurts. Also, one hell of a job to get it out so might use a proper mixer next time. Recipe:

one can (400g) chickpeas or fresh soaked overnight and cooked for 15 mins – plus some of the aqua fava
lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic and 2 tablespoons tahini. Whiz and put into serving dish. For serving use a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

If it is too thick add some more aqua fava or a bit of water. He says to serve it warm but I’m not sure how to do that without causing it is split or go crusty, so cold for me with lots of carrot sticks. If you are missing the olive oil you can pour a little on top of the hummous and sprinkle with some cayenne pepper or paprika to make it more authentic.

Hi
So I am doing ok. Water or decaf tea to replace meals.
One meal at 5pm chicken wrapped in bacon with baby carrots. I am fine with carrots, it’s my baby step to the right foods. Steamed baby carrots instead of a takeaway is a step in the right direction.
Been doing stretching exercises etc which is better than couch potato.
Feeling mentally ok and know my weight will plateau or go up soon, I just have to get past it. I think if you know it WILL happen you can handle it better.
I have found a sandwich shop that does salads for £4 that has lettuce tomato cucumber onion grated carrot sweetcorn beetroot olives celery spring onion gherkins boiled egg and a filling like ham cheese chicken etc
So if I have a daily salad with topping as my meal each day it’s giving me another nudge towards better food and £4 x 7 days = £28 cheaper than takeaways. As the meal is just for me, I think it will be cheaper than buying it from a supermarket and it won’t turn stale and bad.
I may try it for a week
14 and 31 coming soon
Love Lucia xx

Hi
216.8. It’s still a loss but I think the hump is coming soon , when my weight doesn’t move and I think about giving up.
These blogs/diary entries are mainly for me so I can say out loud to the universe I will have a dip but I know about it and will recognise it when it happens.
I’m typing it here then later re-reading it , I can chew it over (wrong expression) and tweek the day to give me all the tools , tips, hints and affirmation of releasing the blubber.
I think after a week of salads and fasting and drinking water…. I hope to have broken the pattern of not looking after myself
There is no bread , no cake , no biscuits, no chocolate , no sweets in the house. I am locking the front door and sellotaping the letter box down do they cannot get in again . If I want them I have to go two miles on foot for them, (nearest shop) in this case I am hoping I AM tooooooooo lazy to go get them.
Looking ahead, after the salads , I think I will start using a free app on my phone called life. It has i timer so i can see how long my fasts are
Also there is a free app called carb manager. I can enter all my foods and it tells me the calories and carbs I have had so far that day. I know it won’t be accurate but a guide line is better than nothing. You have to be honest with them as if you don’t put all the food down…. Then what’s the point? I am hoping that before I put anything in my mouth I enter it on the app. It’s is surprising how you can turn a blind-eye to all sorts of bits eaten (lease forgive the expression) I can then focus on carbs, making sure I don’t overdo them.
As you can see , I am feeling a little stronger in my will power to do this WOL ( way of life as the other one -,way of eating spells out WOE). Positive thoughts !
Love Lucia xx

Hi everyone, my house is going to be turned upside down tomorrow as we have the plumber/electrician coming to fit a mascerating toilet and new sink units into the bathroom. We really need a second toilet with family coming out but it will be handy for us when one of us is reading the newspaper 🙂

Lucia, you are doing so well and have lost over 3lbs in as many days. Yes it will slow down but it shouldn’t go backwards unless you are like me and take the odd day off. When I first started I stuck to it religiously for a full 8 weeks and lost 1 stone – I am slow because I am injecting insulin daily as it adds on the pounds. It is really worth it to getting a really good start. Not sure what you mean by 14 and 31 coming soon, though. Make sure your salad is dressing free, it can really pile on the calories but good for you in making alternate choices in your life.

Hope everyone else is super motivated and finally enjoying summer (if you are in the north).

Amazingly the plumber has almost finished, just vaccuming the house now.

Weight dropping down again but not too bothered as long as my BG stays steady at around 90. Not much else to report so I won’t witter on.

Hi all July-ers,
I’m new to this site and forum but am reading the BSD book and am on week 3 but am losing weight so slowly that it’s depressing! Perhaps if I share what I’ve done, you’ll spot my pitfalls – I removed all bread, crackers (my absolute favourite) pineapple juice, crisps, rice, pasta, potatoes etc, you get it… BUT I cannot give up my coffee with almond milk and 1 small tspn of zylitol (up to 3 a day) or Coke Zero (never more than 1x 330ml can a day)
I am eating more “good” vegetables than ever, adding salads with homegrown tomatoes and lettuce to all of my lunches, have made some amazing keto bread which is very low carb and have felt full, am sleeping better and am not fixating on food when I go into the kitchen, so why the slow weight loss? I also do 3x 1 hour classes of aerobic exercise a week. I am also not diabetic or even pre-diabetic with blood sugar levels of 5.4!

Do some of us just adapt slower to the changes or do I seriously have to weigh out and count everything I eat?
Thanks so much 🙂

Hi all, day 2 went well. Didn’t post because I went to bed early to avoid temptation! Lucia it sounds like you have made a great start. There are plenty of good things out there to eat, so try to think of those and not the carbage as Wendy calls it. Even if the weight loss slows, if you eat healthily you will be doing yourself a huge favour. That said I had a major wobble this morning at coffee with friends, so will have to be very strict for the rest of the day!

SaffaSam, can you give a bit more detail? Do you have a lot to lose, or just facing the last few pounds? Are you drinking enough water? Maybe tot up one day’s consumption (and check portion size), so you have a better idea of the calories you are consuming. If they are way out, then maybe weigh for a few days so you get a better eye for a sensible plateful? Just some thoughts.

Well the plumber has gone and I have the job of putting everything back that went into a rather large double sink unit. Now we have a single sink unit with two large drawers underneath but nowhere near the size of the old one. To compensate we have bought a columb cupboard which is standing at the side and I can put in all my shampoos, conditioners, etc etc etc. I know it will all fit but just didn’t realise how many towels I have, so some are going to the charity shop and some are going in my swimming cupboard for when the kids come out. It will get sorted.

Saffsam, I can only agree with what Heidi24 has said. Maybe cut out the Coke zero as it cause an insulin response, how about 3 a week. Nothing wrong with coffee with Almond Milk and the sweetener although that could also give an insulin response, just count the milk in your calorie allowance (whatever you are doing). The only reason I mention insulin response is because your body will be expecting sugar and might be hanging on to calories when it doesn’t get what it wants. I can’t preach as I have one coffee per day with a quarter teaspoon of stevia (one of the good sweeteners with no insulin response). Sorry but also no shop bought keto bread – it is not a real thing, it is still bread – are you logging your carbs on an app to see how many your are getting – you should be looking at around 50g per day. Tell us the keto bread brand and someone here will probably have tried it. There are some good recipes if you must have bread and they can have around 2g per slice which is good.

Besides that, a lot will depend on some of the things mentioned like your current weight. How long is it since you were last on a diet. Yes weigh and measure everything, at least for the first week or so, you can kid yourself so much and not realise how much you are actually eating – also, finally how many calories are you on – 800 is the norm at the start of the BSD or the Fast800. It is very low but you soon get used to it.

Keep posting and don’t get disheartened.

Hi
216.2 okay another tiny tiny loss but surely I can lose a stone a day ha ha if only!! No , seriously I will take any loss.
Today I drank water or tea when I got hungry and had one meal BUT I had my meal early do I am prowling around wanting to graze. So my mental note is to eat at 5pm .
I also walked today.
So feeling good.
After the week of salads once a day I will then start one the official 800 fasting way.
I couldn’t go ‘ cold Turkey ‘ ( why is it always food?) so this first week was me slowly nudging myself in the right direction . I am nearly there. And hopefully it will stick. I am hoping that the weight loss knows it needs to get itself organised.
Question: when you get the munchies or cravings what do you reach for please?
Love Lucia xx

Hi all, well done Lucia on taking your time, slowly so it is not too much of a shock. When I get the munchies I try to have some cold meats, chicken breast and just have a bit, maybe some cheese (20g square) although my latest is olives and also the hummous with carrots to dip.

I am giving myself a break for the weekend and will then have a 3 week run before the family come out. I just seem to have had so much on with gardeners, plumbers, appointments – I just want to relax and not have to worry about food. I know I wont go mad but might just open that bottle of Cremant. If you don’t know what it is, the Italians have Prosecco, the Spanish have Asti, the French have Cremant – in place of champagne and much smoother and less acidic and only around €7 a bottle.

Enjoy the weekend.

Good evening!

Just want to say ‘welcome’ to our new posters and welcome back Lucia and well done!

I’m away at the moment and after two days of ‘holiday eating’ I’m back to low carb! Bread, a few potatoes and a chocolate mousse sent my finger prick bloods into the 7’s! Bad news. So today lunch of mainly salad and dinner fillet steak and salad. Hoping tomorrow BS will be in the low 6’s at least.

For me at the moment it’s not a ‘weight’ thing per se but rather blood sugar control. Will just see how it goes..

Have a good weekend everyone.

I’m about the start the blood glucose diet on Monday 8th July and just joined the group. I’m going to do my best each day. I’ve recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and on meds. So I’m aiming to reverse it and stay there. I know it may be a challenge and need to lose weight but I’m going for it, one day at a time.
Good luck to you with tweaking things and doing your best, enjoy! Samana

Hi all, well it is sods law, yes I had a couple of glasses of the fizzy stuff last night but in all my diet is on the right path with scrambled eggs breakfast, a shake for lunch and pork schnizel with charred courgette and carrots for dinner, lost half a pound. This diet is so ingrained that even when I relax a bit I still can’t bring myself to eat the carbage crap. Today had 1.5 eggs scrambled, roasted halloumi salad and hubby is cooking some sort of stew tonight which will be one meat and the rest good veg, so still on the right track.

Welcome to Samana, sorry about your diagnosis. Do you know what your numbers are and what meds you are on. I am diabetic and can help you on your journey. First advice is get rid of the carbs and sugars. Don’t try to replace them with what is known as ‘dirty keto’ or foods that are slightly better like brown rice, brown bread, brown pasta – they are still rice, bread and pasta. Dirty keto are foods that producers try to kid you are good for you like keto bread which is bread with slightly less gluten or weight watchers replacement foods. They are ultra processed so, just for that reason are not good for you.

You might get what is known as carb flu as you withdraw from carbs and your body still craves them. Yes they are addictive, mainly because the give you a feel good high but that drops very quickly making you want more.

Enough of the preaching for now but let us know if you need any help or advice. So 3 questions, what were your numbers that make you diabetic, has your doctor told you, are you testing your BG first thing in the morning before food and what meds are you on,

Good luck and good for you.

Hi, I am new to the diet and group. I have been using the 8week blood sugar diet books for 3 weeks now and have cut out bread and potatoes completely. Following the advice and adapting the recipes (I cannot stand spicy food so chilli is definitely off the menu) I have been eating well and losing weight. I really hope that when they next do a Hb1Ac test in September I will have reversed the 1 point from pre-diabetic to diabetic, and 🤞 even lower!!
Please is there anyone out there who can share a success story with me?

Hi Pootle, I guess I am a successful member of this group and have been on the plan for just over 8 years. Yes, for me it is for life. I have not reversed my diabetes but I was a long term diabetic and had already been using insulin. My story is that before this diet I was running at around 200 BG and using 44 to 46 units of insulin, plus on other meds as I have high BP, high cholesterol. At around 3 weeks of being really strict my BG was down to around 120 and I had cut insulin to 24 units. My first HbA1c was 14.0 and my next one after 3 months was down to 8.0 now usually around 6.0 so still diabetic. Also cut out some of my other meds but over the years these have crept back in as I get older. Currently I run at about 80 BG in the morning and using 16 units insulin. Although not a total success I really believe I would be in a much worse state of health without the diet.

Verano is another success and has reversed her diabetic diagnosis although most doctors don’t believe it is possible. It is more of a state of remission and we know if we go back to our old diets the condition can quickly return. That is why Verano and I are still here after all these years and mainly still sticking to the very low carb diet although not always having to count calories unless we want to lose a bit of weight for a holiday etc.

If it was just for weight loss many of our members have lost a lot of weight, Wendleg who does this thread is one such person. Unfortunately, lots of people leave the site when they succeed and we don’t usually here how they are getting on. Sometimes people come back when they have regained some of the weight knowing this plan really works.

Hope that give you some encouragement.

Hi
I am the same weight … no movement on the scales . 😳
THE plateau . So I am embracing it. Smothering it in kisses and hugs so it will soon get bored and leave me alone!
I am focusing on my mind today . Sometimes I think I am skinny and I look in the mirror an see how wide I am or have problems hitching up my trousers. Other times I think I am big as a house. Aren’t brains weird?
How easy it is to give up… but… I knew I would plateau so it’s marked on the diary, all I have to do is ignore it and carry in. It will soon go, then I have to get to 14th then 31st
I am fixing my squishy bits eg my heart, liver, kidneys, veins, arteries etc etc making them healthy and shiny again.
Not far now
Love Lucia xxx

Thank you Sunshine girl. That really is encouraging.

I have been being very strict over the last 3 weeks, and lost over a stone. But I do think that is mostly due to losing water retention from wrong meds. Now I have had a correct diagnosis for the old problem and had meds changed, I am up and running again…BUT the new diabetes diagnosis has knocked me for 6!
I attended the diabetic clinic yesterday…and found them very condescending and patronising! More or less telling me I was doing all the wrong things by following the Blood Sugar Diet, and treating me as if I was a child, who had to be ‘gently bullied into behaving myself’!
I have cut out all bread, pasta and potatoes. Eating much more healthily than I have since Christmas. I have always eaten a good variety of food and it is only in the last 4 months that I have become inactive and indulged my sweet tooth!
Watch this space…if I can reverse it I will! I am extremely determined! The only part I am finding difficult is the evening. We eat about 6pm…by 9pm I am desperate to nibble!! Sparkling water helps but I am losing that battle, and started eating a 38 calorie Ryvita Thin!

Sunshine-girl we missed our birthdays! Here’s to a successful ninth year !

Pootle I wrote a long response to you but lost it! Suffice it to say carbohydrates are the key to reversing T2. Bread, pasta, rice and potatoes are the real ‘baddies’. Weight per se isn’t the whole story. You have probably read about TOFI’s, thin on the outside fat on the inside, you can be thin but still be diabetic. So, my one recommendation to you would to just become aware of the carb content of all the foods you eat. You will be surprised by some foods such as apples. If you feel like nibbling maybe a square of 70% plus chocolate will do the trick and may be more satisfying than a Ryvita thin with probably similar carbs.

There are lots of good websites and one I would recommend is dietdoctor.com which has brilliant graphics of the carb content in most foods. Wonderful to see at a glance which are the better fruits etc. Best of luck with your journey. It is possible to beat T2 , s-g and I are just two of the many who have succeeded.
Low battery will come back later!

Thanks for the encouragement Verano. I will try the 70% chocolate…I do like dark chocolate!
Thanks also for the info about carbs other than in the obvious! I will look up the website. I was shocked today to read the label on a pack of 2 sweetcorn …16.1g carbs of which 6.2g sugars!

Pootle if you like dark chocolate go for the 85% or 90% I’m sure you won’t be able to eat a whole bar of that! I once tried 100% but that was one step too far for me!

Lucia I love the idea of you ‘embracing’ your plateau. We all have weird body images but maybe you should just concentrate on the positive at the moment. You’re doing really well.

Samana I can only repeat what I’ve said to Pootle, carbs are the secret rather weight loss per se. Take a look at the graphics in dietdoctor.com you will be shocked at the carb content of some of the foods we have always considered as ‘healthy’ in the past. My only other tip is to stay away from processed foods as much as possible as they often contain lots of sugars but by other names … fructose, glucose, lactose etc. etc. Best of luck.

Well, I’m sat in the shade looking out over the ocean relaxing whilst ‘they’ are watching football! Hard life!

Hi V, yes it was the 27th June 2016 that I started. 8 years ago and it saved my life. Makes it sound as if it doesn’t work if we are still here after all that time but it is quite the opposite. It works so well for diabetics that I don’t ever want to stop using these methods and being here reminds me not to slip up – we both know how easy that is.

On the subject of dark chocolate it should be 75% or over and ONLY ONE SQUARE. Not a bar. Take care with healthy breakfast cereals, they are the devils food, full of salt and sugar. Also, never eat something that claims to be low fat or sugar free as it will have been pumped full of other things like low fat yoghurts with rice powder to give it what is known as mouth satisfaction. If something is naturally low in fat like certain yoghurts then that is okay. Also, no fruit yoghurts – they are not a real thing. I could go on and on about the don’ts but just try to eat real, natural, homemade foods with no added nasties.

Hubby made corned beef hash for dinner and of course it means a weight gain for me but if I complain then I will have to do all the cooking. It is nice just to have a break a couple of nights a week. I did try to convince him to do a chicken stir-fry or a curry. I will have to stop having things in the house like corned beef but I guess I buy them for the times he has no idea what to make.

I think the weather is in for a change for the better. France has not been having such good weather but Monday predicted to be 30 degrees, hope the UK follows us.

Corned Beef hash sounds great…but maybe not until I have sorted myself out a bit and can contemplate the maintenance diet! Sunshine-girl you are very lucky to have a husband who can cook…mine is not safe to be left on his own in the kitchen!! His only repertoire; “sardines on toast and sardines on toast”, not ideal when I have stopped the toast! I am trying to persuade him that the sardines on avocado mash will be just as easy to prepare!!
Today I have skipped breakfast because I just wasn’t hungry. (naughty me)..a glass of fizzy water at 12.00…and I was still not desperate, but I am having Smoked Mackerel pate on sliced cucumber for lunch. Love this recipe from the book, but missing out the horseradish as I intently dislike ‘hot spicy food’. (No curries for me) Tonight I am trying out Michaels ‘easy roast chicken’, but have added a couple of pieces of butternut squash (50g=6g carb-1g sugars, 20 cal) to replace ‘roast potatoes’. It is Sunday!!
Verano, many thanks for the recommendation about the diet doctor site…amazing how much carbs in things you just wouldn’t expect!! Think I may find it difficult to get my head round what I should be eating, what I may eat in small quantities and what I really must avoid! But I will try! I was at 15st 7lb at the beginning of June and this morning was 14st (but lots of it was water retention). However it isn’t all about losing the weight, it is also about eating to control diabetes! I hope I am now on the right track! GP told me HbA1c test results should be 41 or less for normal and 48 or more for diabetic…with 42-47 being pre-diabetic. My previous reading was 43 and latest 49. She sent me to the diabetic clinic…after I had already started on the blood sugar diet…the nurse was so dismissive of the low carb approach and was insisting I should follow their diet…lots of low fat things with bread , pasta and rice! Having read the book, it seems very logical to me and it is great to get some support!

Pootle, Just having lost 21lbs will have greatly improved your BG numbers. I really feel for you with your problems with the diabetic clinic. I was sent to a nutritionist and she gave me a diet sheet and a list of all the foods I should be eating. Breakfast was water, a carb with butter (ie bread, wheat cracker etc), a yoghurt and some fruit (ie 1 apple, 3 clementines, 4 prunes etc) or a glass of juice, 10 nuts and a green tea. That was just breakfast. In total I was to eat at least 5 portions of carbs. When I asked why she told me it was so my blood glucose didn’t get too low. Then I take insulin and glicazide to lower my blood glucose. Doh. Why not just miss out the carbs and lower the meds but I didnt know better in those days. I stuck to her diet for 3 months and my weight went up by 5 kilos and BG went through the roof. They have no idea what they are talking about.

My doctor said he couldn’t eat that much food in a day – 3 meals and 3 snacks.

Stick with this diet and your results next time will be much improved – are you having 3 monthly tests or longer gaps.

BTW why is it was say it is fluid when we lose weight but blame ourselves when we have a gain – surely that could also be fluid. You were not carrying 21lbs of fluid even with retention issues.

Sunshine -girl the nurse told me it was important that I eat ‘good quality carbs’ like granary bread, potatoes with skin on, whole grain rice and pasta at each of the three meals in the day, so I won’t run out of energy!! I am more convinced by the BSD than their diet. I am a 64 year old woman and object to being treated like a child!

I know I am very lucky that I am not long term diabetic. My Mum developed Type 2 at about 55 and really struggled with diet and a cocktail of pills. I wish Dr Michael’s diet had been around then..I am sure it would have helped her!

S-g you are so right about staying here to stay mindful and keep ourselves in control. My birthday was July 5th. Welcome year 9!

Pootle just a quick summary of my journey to give you some hope. I was diagnosed with T2 in 2011. In 2016 I was on the highest dose of metformin and was being threatened with more medication. I have to tell you that my BS was never that high. Generally in the high 6’s low 7’s before metformin and that brought it down to the low 6’s but then I was still eating carbs, following the now ‘old fashioned way’ of dealing with T2. At the same time a friend who had uncontrolled T2 had a toe removed. The thought of escalating medication and threat of amputations made me start to research. Lo and behold I came across Michael’s book and was converted almost immediately.

Over the next three months I followed this way of eating and my BS became normal. I was guided by the GP and just reduced my metformin by half after 6 months and then after a further 6 months I became drug free and have been ever since. If I were starting again now I would have dropped the medication sooner. If I had just been diagnosed as T2 or pre I would have asked for three months to follow the BSD without starting medication.

Anyway, I hope my story gives you some hope. As you can see s-g has also done amazingly well especially given her starting point. There are many who have reversed their T2 but who no longer post so we can’t know how they are doing. The one point to keep in mind is that this is a Way of Life’ rather than a quick fix before reverting to old ways. In saying that it doesn’t mean you can never touch potatoes, bread pasta or rice again but they have to become a ‘treat’ for the odd occasion rather than a daily ritual. You will get there and your BS will become normal just have a little faith in the diet and don’t worry if your a little overwhelmed at first it will all slot into place soon.

Just a word to Pootle about doctors / nurses and treating us like children. Yes they assume they know better but their training is so out of date. It is not their fault they can’t see beyond what they were taught even 10 years ago. But hopefully the training will have changed. This new way is not just Dr Mosley but people like Jason Fung, Dr Unwin, Dr Bikman and a lady called Sarah Hallberg who does an amazing Ted Talk on YouTube – please watch. Also the glucose goddess on YouTube who is a neuroscientist and looks into how food affects us. Another worth a watch – arm yourself with all this knowledge.

Back to the children thing – when you get to a certain age doctors don’t think we are capable of looking after ourselves so they want us to have high glucose levels so we don’t go hypo and fall over and cause them problems. Yes, you might go a bit low, I sometimes do, but it is all part of learning about your own body, knowing how you feel, when you are not well and what to do about it. Not wrapping ourselves in cotton wool. As Verano says, if you can follow this diet you might not need Metformin at all but doctors just want to fob us off with a drug and go a away so they dont have to worry. They need to realise they will have worse to deal with when we need amputations, have heart attacks, go into kidney failure, and more which they will have caused. Medication and insulin doesn’t cure diabetes, it hides it in every cell of our bodies so it loooks like it has gone away. It hasn’t and it will still come back. This diet does get rid of it. Rant over.

Hello everyone I’m still on holiday in the cottage in Devon & will definitely need to get back on track when I get home to low carb eating & lots of fresh vegetables. I know from past experiences that the moment I eat carbs my weight goes up due of course to some fluid retention but also the ease with which it’s easy to return to eating calorific carbs when dining out with not enough vegetables on offer & of course drinking alcohol. I’m lucky in that I don’t have diabetes but still need to lose my excess weight after losing two stone last year following this WOE & my body is now in an odd maintenance mode that I will need to kick start again with keeping to 800 calories & daily TRE . I don’t usually eat breakfast but have had porridge, high fat organic Greek yoghurt with fruit & smoked salmon with scrambled egg & one croissant . I have caught a head cold with a streaming nose & sore throat which is very irritating so I’m taking it easy watching lots of tennis. The weather is rainy & showery so not very summery which is disappointing but it’s nice to be away from my usual schedule.
Keep on going everyone 👍
Margaret xx

Thanks Verano and Sunshine-girl. You are both brilliant, I am so pleased to have come across this site!
I have watched the videos….very helpful! I am really keeping my fingers crossed (and anything else crossable..lol) that when they retest me in September, 3 months after last test, it will show progress in holding this Type 2 at bay! Unfortunately two of the meds I am now on for asthma saw they will put Blood Sugar levels up!
I am now very distrustful of Drs and the medical profession, and very reluctant to take their advice as being the best way forward.

My reasons; the blood pressure meds they prescribed my husband (which should have been monitored very carefully and wasn’t), caused a seizure in the middle of the night and if I hadn’t done CPR on him, he would be dead! (I wasn’t home the night before and would have been away the next!!)
Then in February this year, I had a cough, they diagnosed COPD, told me it was my fault for smoking for too many years (although I am no longer a smoker) and prescribed an inhaler….over 4 months, 5 different GPs and 2 different inhalers I got steadily worse, until I could hardly breathe, and just couldn’t DO anything. Eventually, as a last resort asked to see a specialist….had to scrape together some money…but Boy was it worth it! I have asthma, not COPD and the inhalers said not for treatment of asthma. 24 hours on new inhaler and I am back to normal…except I am now diabetic! I have now lost the stone I put on during that 4 months… but still need to get 4 more gone!
I feel for you Lucia…I have now plateaued…14st for 3 days running….but with perseverance we will cross this barrier and start to see some loss again.

Hi all, hopefully I am back on track starting today. I feel bloated and I have gained weight over the weekend. Thankfully that is not my prime motivation on this diet – it is my blood glucose.

Just had a text from the central medical unit reminding me I have an appointment at the cardio on Wednesday. Lets just hope he doesn’t find anything else wrong with me. You sound a bit like me Pootle, high blood pressure, now diagnosed with asthma after they thought it was COPD, now I have glaucoma. So not very happy. I am 71 and every year seems to bring a new illness or problem. That’s the trouble with going to see doctors, they always find something. At least I am being treated.

When you say you have plateaued that usually means going for several days or more than a week. What is happening is your body is settling down to its new weight until it feels comfortable. It refuses to let you lose any more because it thinks you are starving and it worries it might not get any more food over a period of days. Once it sees you are still giving it food it will relax and start losing again. The body is a marvellous thing and its one job is to keep us alive so it tries to protect itself. Stick with it, it will pass.

Because I have been off plan for a couple of days I know I will have a good loss in the first couple, fluid first then settle down to losing fat. I am hoping to swim later today – now it is tooooooo hot at 32. 3 weeks before family arrive so I have to get serious so I look my best but also because we have so many meals out planned, I really cannot afford to start from a high number and go even higher.

Have a great week everyone.

Hi
My weight is just being naughty, it’s still the same. Typical …. But it’s about now I give up on the various diets and ask myself ‘after all that effort..is it really worth it?’. Previously I would just walk away and stuff my face. Today, as my weight doesn’t want to play, I am focusing on other things.
I have been occupying my mind by sorting out the kitchen, anything I shouldn’t eat has been binned, also I have been stretching and bending as I empty the cupboards, clean them and rearrange them.
I have sorted my clothes out. I wear my clothes until they disintegrate with old age….. I used to cry in the shops changing rooms when a size 20 was so tight on me,, that I grew to hate shopping. I Don’t have that many clothes . I have sizes 18, 20 and 22. I have grouped them together . Stretchy pants and tops that are so big you can use them as tents!
My aim is to drop down in size and buy a pair of trousers with no electric but with a zipper and button.
So I am keeping busy as well as focusing on other things.
As this is helping to educate me on this forum….
Question:
What is your most successful breakfast, lunch , dinner meals please?
Many thanks
Love Lucia xxx

Lucia, you are definitely worth it. So good for you in persevering. It does get easier as you get into the swing of it. I sometimes think what a scandal it would be if we were forced to go around with sumo suits on. So why do it to ourselves??

I’ve been quiet the last few days with a rough case of Covid. Probably thanks to that as well as better eating, I am down 2.3 kilos – or 5 pounds. Very pleased with that, although it will probably bounce up a bit next week.

My favourite breakfast is mushroom omelette with rocket. Favourite lunch or dinner, tray baked ratatouille, sometimes roasting a chicken leg or piece of fish on top later in the process. Any left overs get whizzed up as a kind of ratatouille soup.

Sg I saw you had had glaucoma diagnosed. Did your doctor mention iridotomies as a possible solution? Far less trouble than drops, although perhaps not suitable for all cases. x

Hi everyone, Lucia great to hear you have found the secret to making this a success. My catch phrase is ‘keep on keeping on…’ So you never give up even when you are not losing or even if you have a small gain. It will work, just wait and keep with the plan. The worse thing is to think you can do it on your own, then you think maybe you can have toast for breakfast, then you add juice and then you are off the diet and getting nowhere.

I am a bit up and down myself at the moment and not practicing what I preach. My excuse is that I am not on this to lose weight but to keep my BG down. However, I have come to realise that I sabotage myself when I get close to a goal. So my goal for family visit is to be just under 72kgs but when I reached 72.3kgs I decided to take the weekend off – sort of treat myself for doing so well. What happens, I am up by over a kilo so not really a treat. I do accept I am not perfect but I should be more balanced in my choices. Like when things are going well don’t relax, the time to relax will be when the family are here and I can eat fairly normally with them on restaurant trips. The thing that gets me down is the diabetes so I cannot chose to be on or off the diet, I have to be on it so I compensate with some wine – never food, it is always low carb low calorie but for some reason I don’t count wine. That’s me giving myself a prep talk, I know what to do.

Saying that, I have lost 1lb since yesterday. Although from now I am not going to think about what I weigh just keep on keeping on…

Heidi24, yes I am newly diagnosed with glaucoma and also signs of cataracts. We have not discussed other treatments besides the drops as I have to have more tests. First I have to have a brain scan to make sure I don’t have an injury, then I have to get new glasses as my sight has altered, then I have to have a second field of vision test – not too soon as I have to see how the drops work. I do have a problem with the drops and one eye is red a crusty in the corner. I will speak to the pharmacist when I pick up my meds at the end of the week. One step at a time, they have to be sure what is causing it first.

Cardio tomorrow and, as I have already said, please don’t let him find anything else wrong with me.

I swam for 30 mins yesterday but I have a very upset stomach today, taken 2 imodium but still having to dash so we have a no pooping in the pool rule I will have to abide to :):)

I was also going to answer Lucia on meal choices. My breakfast go to is nearly always eggs. 2 scrambled with a pinch of chilli flakes, 2 boiled or one poached with some grilled mushrooms. On other days it depends on the seasons so it can be yoghurt and fruits – I always have frozen berries in also nuts and seeds. Tomorrow because I will be having an omelette for dinner I am making 3 apricots chopped and marinated overnight with lime juice (or lemon), cinammon and olive oil – these will be microwaved then left to cool and served with yoghurt. One favourite lunch is from the BSD book Spanish chorozo and chickpea soup. I double to quantity and find it makes 5 lunches so plenty for the freezer.

Thats all folks.

Lucia I try to do two meals a day so usually miss breakfast. In saying that if I’m hungry I eat brunch around 11am. When I have breakfast it’s usually Greek yogurt, walnuts and berries. If I have brunch it’s usually eggs, scrambled or boiled and/or smoked salmon or smoked mackerel with salad. Or salad with fish/eggs/cold meat. Or a bowl of soup. Lots of choices depending on how you feel.

I find that I eat most ‘main meals’ but just substitute green vegetables for potatoes etc. Even when I have a curry I use tenderstem broccoli or green beans or asparagus as a base for curry instead of rice. I think it may be just having to think out of the box.

You will get there just don’t be too hard on yourself. At the moment your head seems to be in the right space … just keep going!

I’m jumping onboard from a thread I started today so you can read about me there. I’m new to this, need to lose weight, drop blood pressure and reverse diabetes.
Struggling with hunger at the moment. But have been good so far. 4 days and counting
Thanks

Lucia, a great idea to sort through your kitchen…I find that if I am busy doing things, I am not thinking about food. I have also found that drinking sparkling water, (rather than flat) helps, as it seems to satisfy more. Evenings are my testing time..we eat at 6pm, then I walk the dog and do a couple of ‘outside jobs’ before sitting down to relax before bed. Then I start to crave…S-G and Verano suggested a square of 85% chocolate, which does help a lot! (one Green & Blacks square is 3g ) Going to bed early is not an option at the moment, as I have a couple of “Molly lambs” to look after, and they need a bottle at 11.00 (3 feeds a day at 8 hour intervals) but we will be weaning them in the next week.
I have only been on the diet for about a month and am finding that I am just not hungry in the mornings, so a brunch. (boiled eggs with green bean dippers, soup or smoked mackerel pate on cucumber slices or with celery) is suiting me best. I have tried a number of the recipes from the fast 800 and Blood sugar books for supper and enjoyed most of them! It is taking much more thought and extra work, as I am having to think outside my comfort zone of well used recipes that I know so well!
Thanks to you all for the support! When I gave up smoking I had a mantra for when the craving threatened to overwhelm my resolve… “It is just not an option”, I am using this again! I just wish I could test the diabetes before September, as if I could see a result (like losing a pound in weight) it would be encouraging!