Thank you loopylou, hope you enjoyed those cocktails.. I’d have fallen at them too 😁my head is a bit better today. I think you may be right regarding the caffeine as I have had none! I’m suffering from hunger yet but really missing carbs, rice, pasta, bread and potatoes.. I had curry with cauliflower rice last night and was pleasantly surprised. What does everyone else recommend as substitutes?

Hi
You could try mashed chickpeas or canellinni beans. Just have to check that they fit in your carbs total for the day.

I’ve done roasted cauli tonight. Smother it in Greek yoghurt mixed with the zest and juice of a lime, chilli powder, tiny bit of curry powder, garlic,cumin,and black pepper. Takes about 30-40 minutes at 200c. Having it with 97% pork Harrogate sausages.

HoneyBeeMe it would definitely be a caffeine withdrawal headache I started 2 and a half weeks ago and did not give up my (big) morning coffee or my teas and did not get headaches. Can you have your coffee black or with a dash?. I remember going to a health farm decades ago and having the most awful headaches. Not giving it up again!

i agree with Verano that chickpeas and cannellini beans are very satisfying and cauli has never tasted so good. oldtyke’s recipe sounds wonderful and I am going to do it, thank you

Just had my first real problem. Just two days from the end of my second week and gave into cadburys chocolate!!! Had just 180cals worth but actually just wanted to raid the fridge and biscuit tin and anywhere else for sweet carbs!!!! Had a couple of glasses of ice cold water and have managed to get over my ‘sweet’ urge. Will just keep drinking water tonight and hope I can limit the damage !

Going to try oldtykes recipe for cauliflower. Sounds lovely.

Oooops! Well you’re not alone in transgressing and you’ve calculated the damage (in calories at least), so just chalk it up and move on. Don’t waste time and energy beating yourself up, it’s counterproductive. Just make sure you are back on track from tomorrow and hopefully you will find the damage weight-wise is not huge.

Keep going and let us know how you get on Verano.

Oh verano, I did the same thing only worse! I bought my boys big bars of choc and they were sitting in the fridge. I had some of each (so that I was fair!) and then decided I had blown it so may as well have a carb day! So ate toast and finished it off with a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes. I thought I would be able to get straight back to BSD when I got back from my hols, but clearly needed to re-engage my head! I soooo want to lose this weight.
So today is a new day. I’m not going to beat myself up, just get back on that horse.

Thank you for being there.
I managed to limit the damage to just the chocolate which was great.
Words of wisdom SuunyB. I got weighed this morning and I’m down 0.4lb this morning! Not that I think eating chocolate helped me achieve this!
I’m back on that horse again today with you , loopylou!

I’m so pleased to say my constant headache has gone😊 Eggs for breakfast are my favourite new breakfast food (I always skipped it before and snacked on crisps and chocolate at 10am) scrambled with smoked salmon or poached or an omelette with mushrooms and tomatoes keep me going well until lunch. I couldn’t resist stepping on the scales this morning after only 3 days -5lbs!! Amazing. It has motivated me so much.. Early days but it’s going great!

Hi honeybee
Delighted for you, keep up the excellent work
Regards
Ajn😊

Well done HoneyBeeMee. Amazing how much if a boost losing pounds gives you! Just keep going.

Tonight has been a real challenge!!!
We were invited out to an Indian restaurant! Ok. So sat down before we went and added to my diary. Knew I could stay within the plan with a huge amount of willpower. DID IT! Had one popadom with a little mint & yogurt and chicken tikka, half portion, and salad. So really pleased with myself.
Also, I have walking difficulties and noticed tonight, after just two weeks on the plan, that my walking was far easier. Could walk much further (I walk with crutches). Have only lost 8lbs so don’t think that could make much of a difference.
Has anybody else found that cutting carbs has led to more energy even without extra exercise ?

Hi HoneyBee
Really glad to hear you are feeling better. So much for saying I hadn’t got it this time – yesterday (day 4) and this morning I have the famous headache too 😩 But I know, like yours it will pass and hopefully over the weekend I will get the energy surge. I have loads to lose but at least have the satisfaction of getting 11lbs of so far which is some compensation for feeling wiped out. Good luck everyone. Just had a coffee to try and get me moving but not worked so far …..

Well done Verano that’s amazing will power! I’m not sure I could be that good – I’m trying to avoid any social settings for my first 2 weeks. Me and my OH are going away next weekend – I’m not sure how I’m going to plan that food wise yet.. Oh how I miss red wine

JanieB I feel your pain! 11lbs is fab though keep it up and I hope your headaches pass soon

Hi HoneyBeeMee

I think looking at the carbs and calories of food you might eat when you’re away may just help. Even if it’s only to help you avoid the really bad stuff.

At the end of the day we still have to have a life! Enjoy!

I was reading on another website that you lose a lot of salts with all that water in the first week of a low carb diet which can lead to headaches. A cup of broth i.e. Water plus boullion or a stock cube will cure this. Just a thought for those suffering.
Glad to say I am back on course.
Honeybee check out the calories and carbs in one glass of red wine. It’s not too bad. You may be able to fit it in as long as it’s just the one. Better to have something you really miss than to ditch the whole kit and caboodle because life without red wine seems too hard.
I had a diet tonic water last night with ice and a slice. Didn’t really miss the gin! Now I am sounding like an alcoholic!

Finished week one 3 days ago and lost an impressive 5.4kg. I know Michael say it is mostly water but I’m inclined to think it might also be those bottles of wine I consume daily! Anyway, been feeling great and very determined. Absolutely love the Mushroom Risotto, even if I could have eaten double the recipe. I’ve only felt hungry a couple of times but it passes. I had have my first sugar craving this afternoon (day 10), so much so I was grinding my teeth. I remembered I had some mints in the car left there from a few months ago and to my delight, they are ‘naturally sugar free’. At 3 calories a pop they did the trick.
Josie – I was unaware this diet could help with inflammation. I have arthritis in both knees and my spine. I take anti-inflammatory tablets every night and would love to get off them. The only exercise I can really do is weight training which I do twice a week. I really hope the weight loss combined with the Mediterranean style diet helps with my inflammation.
Keep up the good work everyone.

Well doe China2013. Great results.

Hi China2013

Great result!!! Have you ever tried Turmeric? It’s a great anti-inflammatory. Look it up on the internet. You need a high level of curcumin, maybe 475mg in a 500mg tablet and it also needs bioprene (pepper) to help absorb the curcumin. I’ve been using them now for about 14 months and so has my OH. He has peripheral neuropathy in his legs and has found a huge improvement.
How are you managing without wine? That’s the most difficult part for me!!!!

Week 3. 10.5lbs gone. That includes my 1lb put on as a result of my holiday now lost again.
1 inch off from waist, hips and each thigh.
I am really pleased with my overall weight loss and the fact that BSD is so flexible. However, I have struggled this week sticking to it. I don’t really know why. I am going away again (lucky thing) on Monday but it is self catering with extended family so should be easier to stick to low carb although I will not stick to 800 cals.
Veranso, well done on your will power at the indian restaurant. Very admirable.
China2013, what a fantastic weight loss! Is there something else you can drink that will make it feel special, to replace the wine. I make up a diet tonic water with ice and a slice. It feels like a gina and tonic even though it is not. I think it really helps. I think it stops me wanting the real thing.
Good luck everyone with the forthcoming week. Heres to more weight gone forever.

Well done loopylou.. That’s FANTASTIC!!! I lost 6lbs my first week.. I’m sure a lot of this will be water. My daughter commented on my skin looking radiant so all those nutrients are doing me good.. Feeling positive about my time away and motivated to stick with the plan and maybe a couple of vodka and slime line tonics! X

Well done HoneyBeeMe. Great result. I’m enjoying the thought of vodka and SLIME line tonics!

Sounds really appetising !!!!! Enjoy!

Hello fellow July starters! How are we all doing? Some really fantastic weight losses being reported.
I’m feeling really disheartened. Been doing this for 3 weeks as of tomorrow and I haven’t shifted any weight this week. Lost 10lb in total over the 3 weeks but nothing has shifted from my waist/stomach measurements. Had the odd day when my calories have been a little over 800 but have kept my carbs down to 45 irrespective. I’m not doing a lot of walking but am cycling for 30 mins at least every other day as well as doing HIT every couple of days. I know I’m not getting enough fibre; can only manage 5g (don’t eat nuts) and my diet is pretty regimented. Raspberry smoothie for breakfast, mushroom soup or scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for lunch, varied evening meal but from the diet book. Really hoped I would see a shift this week but haven’t. Feel loads better, am not hungry, no acid reflux at bedtime but the weight isn’t shifting. The only thing I can add for still being naughty is having a sugar in my coffee every other day but I do still count it as part of my carbs.
Any suggestions on where I’m going wrong? Keep up the good work x

Hi I haven’t post for nearly two weeks but have been reading what you have all been up to. I did really well in my first couple of weeks but haven’t lost much since, those scales are being really stubborn but I have lost just over 11lbs and feel a lot better. Tomorrow is our company mid year do with free food and drink so a bit of a challenge but I am going to drive so a perfect excuse for not drinking. Mind you I was bad last weekend and had a few glasses of wine but felt awful the next day so will try to avoid for the time being.

I have noticed my knees feeling a lot better this last week and did wonder if it was anything to do with the diet, let’s hope so as it makes a huge difference to daily life.

Everyone seems to be doing well so keep it up, you’re doing yourself good but you are helping me too x

HI Starcyl – keep at it – I think a lot of people get a bit of a plateau after the initial weight loss – stick at it, and have a lovely day tomorrow- keep thinking about adding to the 11lb when you see anything tempting but carby!

Hi starcyl. Please don’t be disheartened, although I know how you feel. It’s like you are doing pretty much everything you are supposed to be doing , so why is it not working. I too found week 3 showing no weight loss. I was hovering at 10-11 pound loss. Then yesterday I really upped my water intake (that’s all I did differently). Whether it was that or just that the low calories finally started to shift something, but I was down a pound today. I know what the scales say shouldn’t affect my mood but it certainly helps when you see them move in the right direction.
Hang in there and good luck with the work do. Let us know how you get on. After all, we are in this for the long haul.

11 lbs is 22 packs of butter, try carrying that around, although it might melt in the heatwave.

Well I went to the do and had a few drinks, since starting this I can’t drink as much so feel a little delicate this morning! It was a good night and I did really well at the buffet, I ignored the sandwiches and had a couple of very small chicken skewers, a couple of cherry tomatoes with mozzarella balls on sticks and some peppers and cucumber sticks with hummus so feeling quite pleased with myself.

We were on a boat, we were sat downstairs and the food was upstairs so when the desserts came out I didn’t go up to see what there was so no temptation to eat anything I shouldn’t, only a small victory but I feel like I am proving to myself that I can be in control and an added bonus is when I got on the scale this morning another couple of kilo had shifted so I’m now 7.6 down.

Still a long way to go but this is the one time I can visualise myself doing this for the long term.

Well done Starcyl. It sounds like you did really well and the scales are finally reflecting the hard work you’ve put in. I’m off on my hols on Monday so there will be no week 4 result from me. I do have wifi where I am going so I may be able to check in, but no scales.

Hi
Yes that feeling of control is marvellous, I also struggled for many years with an appetite I had no way of controlling, but take out the carbs and sugars and hey the appetite goes amazing isn’t it. Amongst my clients I have a few older super models, and they advocate this way of eating to keep slim, knew just never practised it. What a waste of time huh. Never mind we are all here now and it works.
Love Jan 😇😇😇

I feel in control most of the time – just seems to go out of the window when I’m tired!
i didn’t sleep last night because it was so hot, and at about 6 am had a real yearning for a croissant, which hadn’t gone by the time the Sainsbury across the road opened at 7. Wasn’t even particularly nice – neither was the chunky peanut butter kitkat I ate on the way home!

Just try to hang on to that memory that ‘it wasn’t even nice’ it will help you, being healthy tastes much nicer, get planning with some interesting meals from the back of the BSD book, we are all doing it together .
😊🍓😊

Hi All

Had a really bad 10 days or so. Just seem to have lost my motivation. So … It’s Monday!!! Yet another Monday and yet another start!!

It’s really encouraging to read the positive posts and even the odd one that gives in to croissants etc. Mine was a bar of Cadburys milk chocolate last night!

Anyway, today I cooked. A great tomato sauce from the Mail on Sunday but only used a tbs of oil. Looks really versatile and very tasty. Also made a red pepper and cauliflower soup. Now that is really good and only 93 cals and around 7carbs a portion and it’s really tasty. Think the shops will soon be running out of cauliflowers!!!

So tonight it’s cod in tomato sauce with butter beans, asparagus and tenderstem broccoli.

Just have to get back on track!

Hope everyone else is having a easier time than me!

It’s so important to post on here if any of us are having a wobble. We are all friends, and all in the same boat, together we are more motivated. Get excited about the plan, look forward, plan scrupulously , and enjoy beautiful food that heals our raging appetites, and keeps us well. Keep posting.

Regards jan👍👍👍

Verano, don’t waste energy beating yourself up for the transgression, just set you sights on getting back on track and move on. We all hit bumps like this and sometimes struggle to refocus, but it sounds like you are already planning good meals again.

I agree greenjanet, this forum has boosted me several times, when I have been struggling and lost motivation. It’s great to have people who understand just a few key taps away, to give you encouragement and the occasional reality check, because we can all do this and somewhere deep inside we know that to be true – we just need reminding of it when we stumble.

Thank you! Thank you!

It really helps to have people on the same journey experiencing the same ups and downs! Feeling much brighter today and back on track. My aim today is to have at least1.5 litres of water. I have struggled even with that simple task! I seem to be forgetting to drink, so today I will make a conscious effort to have my full quota.

Thank you again and hope you all have a good day.

Hello folks I am a newbie I thought I’d introduce myself 🙂 I just started yesterday, so far so good, but I am verrrrry tired today, not sure why that is but otherwise feel OK and not hungry which is a plus!

I actually tried this diet a few months ago but had a major wobble, and then fell off the wagon completely. I did well for a couple of weeks though when I did stick to it, so I’m back to try again. If at first you don’t succeed etc (wasn’t that Robert the Bruce and the spider?)

Yesterday’s dinner was sesame salmon from BBC Good Food website, very nice, tonight trying thai green curry and coconut cod. It has to be tasty if I am going to be eating less 🙂

Hope you’re all having a good Tuesday and sending you all good vibes for a positive day 🙂

Welcome karenv

Go for it, we are all here for you, . Enjoy feeling in control and well.

Regards
Jan🍓😎🍓

Hi Karenv good luck!

I’ve kinda strayed off the path but here’s a summary of my July on/off the bsd and some things I’ve learned along the way.

Week 1 – fantastic. A real boost to see the weight going down every day. A bit jittery on day three but otherwise all good. 5lbs lost.

Week 2 – I continued to weigh every day which may have been a mistake for me as the weight loss stopped. Looking on the forum this is common at some point during the 8 weeks so with hindsight I should have stuck at it!! A few slip ups. Ok, a lot of slip ups.

Week 3-4 – oops. Off the wagon… snacks, wine, etc… but meals were still BSD-style in the main as I actually do prefer these now. On the plus side I didn’t gain back the weight lost in the first week. Off on holiday for a week where I’ll stick to the med style eating and will restart BSD in a week. Hope all the other July starters are doing ok and good luck for the next 4 weeks.

Hi EGGBOT..i am a july starter too! Halfway thru week 3!
Enjoy yr hols and report back on yr return! X

Never mind eggbot enjoy your hol and keep on thinking about the plan and try and make good choices. Post when you return. Have a lovel hol
Love Jan

Oh Yowser I am on day 30 so a few ahead of you, we are the miss julys or you may be a mr not sure with these nicknames, interesting to know what they all mean, being the nosy person I am, and eggbot well what would one surmise from that name oooo er think I better stop while I’m ahead hehe.

Thanks both 🙂
Jan, re. username …. I guess I’d better reply to Yowser’s post about that!

GREEN JANET, i am a gal not a guy! I haven’t put that on my profile,so will do so now x

Hallo Julybies, just checking in to see how we are all doing at the end of the month. I have just finished week 2 and overall I am amazed at the early results. Overall I have lost 15.1lbs (most of that was in week 1), my fasting blood sugar this morning was down to 4.3, my BP is lower and heading in the right direction and I have lost 3 inches off my waist. I spent week 1 trying to follow the menu suggestions but having to fiddle with the recipes/quantities on MFP to keep the calories to 800 per day. I had one disastrous day when I went way over the cals due to a recipe disaster and my attempts to cobble together a meal from the ruins. From now on I am adding in my own variations and aiming to keep carbs down to 50g per day. My weight seems to have settled over the last 3 days so I need to try and kickstart my body again. I haven’t found it easy but the longer I keep to the plan the more of a habit it becomes. My days are mixed however and I still have occasional hunger or bouts of tiredness or short-lived cravings which I ignore till they go away (I find sipping chamomile tea helps). I’m so happy to have made it to week 3 – now officially a quarter of the way towards the 8 week goal. Please keep posting everyone. It really helps to know that you are all out there with a common goal and going through the same things. Well done to us all so far – here’s to August and everything we have yet to accomplish! X

Hi fabellie
Bril work, it takes three weeks apparently to bring about a permanent change in any habit, so you are on your way. Yes I am on week four, and the trip to do weekly shopping was hard, this week I really noticed all the things I wasn’t permitted to eat, but for me personally I was so I’ll prior to starting this plan, I was like a dead thing, all I have to do is think of that and then think about how well I feel, I do have weak moments, but all those things seem like they are really not for me anymore, I think about them but that’s it fortunately.
My sister was also doing this plan, and she’s eating toast and all sorts, completely lost it yesterday. But for her she hasn’t made it her highest priority.
I need to keep up this plan, as I had ? SLE a serious immune condition, and I have a complete remission at the moments of all the symptoms. So this plan is giving me my life back yippee.
Keep going, it will be worth it, get something out of the wardrobe you want to get into , and look at it and visualise yourself in it. Works for me. Hope you have a super day
Love jan

Hi fellow July starters from sunny Portugal. It’s hot hot hot here. I am doing well sticking to low carb eating but am supplementing it with some wine , well I am on holiday. Still don’t look great in a swimsuit but hopefully by next year..,,
It’s funny but I just in the main don’t fancy bread or carby things at the mo. I bought everyone cakes from the bakery and bread and am quite happy not to eat it. I nearly bought an ice cream the other day as I was buying them for my family,just out of habit, then remembered and was quite happy to go without .
I feel a little at sea without my scales. I just hope the wine will be forgiving when I get back on them.
Will post my results next week.