Watch out for the Pastis de Belem

Was it SUNSHINE GIRL who mentioned those gorgeous portuguese custard tarts! Ohh They are divine! One day they are gonna be back on my menu! Or was it SUNNYB mentioned them?
LOOPYLOU have you managed to resist? X

T’was me, naughty girl I am. I bought a box of 6 and there were 7 of us on the holiday. Guess who went without – yes me, and still managed to put on weight. Honestly though, they are so similar to English custard tarts but in filo pastry with loads of sugar glaze. Maybe one day Yowzer.

I have resisted and am feeling really proud as I even bought one for my son and one for my brother in law. They smelt delicious though. I have been enjoying lots of piri piri chicken, although not keen on the salt cod. Smells like rotting fish.

LOOPYLOU you deserve a medal!.. i cdnt resist one of those babies! X

Thanks. In the bakery this morning buying supplies for the troops, (not me) and I had to tighten my shorts as they were falling down! Im hoping that is s good sign , not just that the ties had loosened as I had worn them. Fingers crossed.

LOOPYLOU! You are amazing! A) in shorts! i cant show my legs in case i frighten children and horses! B) in a bakery buying for others! Even tho you arent having anything C) said shorts nearly falling down! You rock girl!👍🏻 x

Hi everyone. Thanks so much Yowzer 49, you make me laugh out loud. One of my things to be grateful for (yes Ive been reading Izzy’s other thread).
Anyway I am now back home and my week 5 results are in. I managed to lose a pound whilst I was away, despite the wine. Yippee. So I have now lost 12.5 pounds. I haven’t measured my inches this week.
I had a bit of a wobble yesterday. I’m not sure why, but I was really tired all day after getting home from hols at 2am. Ate some chocolate and two cookies. I was really cross as I have been so good, so I added it to myfitnesspal and despite that my calories only went to about 1000 and my carbs to 55g, so I accepted what I had done and stopped beating myself up. Actually I almost immediately had a bit of an upset tummy. (sorry if that’s too much information) , so perhaps my body doesn’t like those sweet carbs anymore or maybe it was just coincidence. But I also learnt that I have not got to a stage where I can have the occasional treat as I immediately wanted to eat the whole bar of chocolate and had to remove myself from the kitchen otherwise there may have been a binge. i guess I learnt some things.
So here’s to week 6.

I’ve just had a rude awakening!!!

Into my fifth week now and have lost 9lbs which is not brilliant but is still a loss. I thought it was down to the fact that I can’t exercise.

The last few days have been quite carb heavy … out for a Thai meal Thursday and to friends last night for dinner. I managed reasonably well but have also had a few biscuits over the last few days and the odd cracker here and there. I really miss something crispy and a carrot just wouldn’t do the trick!

Ok, so thought I would just check back to see how many carbs I have been eating. I looked back over July and just couldn’t believe how many the ‘odd few’ days of higher than I should carbs had turned into!

I set myself a target of 75 carbs a day and the fact of the matter is that I only managed that for less than half the month. The days of less than 50 were only 5 or 6. The daily average for the month was 91!!!

I’m just so pleased that I’ve discovered how far off the plan I’d strayed. Goodness knows how many carbs I was eating before I started this plan. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

So, today is a new day and it’s back to the plan for me and no more complacency !

Hi Verano
We are all learning, and one thing I have learnt with this plan is you cannot guesstimate, I measure everything, and I use myfitnesspal to track my planned day ahead so I don’t catch myself out. So good for you, go for it. We are with you all the way.
😊😊😊

Hi green jacket

The bizarre thing is that I have weighed and measured but just thought one day with higher carbs would be OK. Problem was the ‘one’ day turned into far too many!!!

Back on track again and will be vigilant.

Thanks for the support.

Hi Verano
Crispy treat – I made another post yesterday about packets of crispy beetroot that I found in Tescos – they’re baked with just lemon juice, and in a bag like a packet of crisps. The pack (30g) is under 100 calories, and 17 carbs, so heavyish, but you should be able to accommodate the occasional bag if you’re aiming for 75g a day.
I’ve now tried the bag of sweet potato ones I got yesterday – truly disgusting, so bad that I threw them away.
They had apple and carrot as well, but they were 23 or 24 carbs, so I didn’t get those.

At least you’ve made a start – and nearly 2lb a week would be considered quite good on some diets.
When I was reading around low carb diets before I was starting, I read that anything below 100g of carbs daily is considered a low carb diet, and the UK Guideline Daily Amount is 230g, so whilst many people here are achieving a lot less, 91g average is still considerably reduced – and as you say, better than your pre BSD diet.

I can’t bear planning out everything in advance – so whilst I may have a vague idea some days, I don’t plan all my meals ahead, but I do track on My Fitness pal – and 10 weeks in (& 12kg less), I have a pretty good idea now of portion sizes, what to choose in restaurants, etc.

Hi Verano
What I have noticed is I only have to make a 190 cal slip up or 20 more carbs and it stops weight loss, it’s very prescise, and I rarely get my carbs below 40 but the big losers seem to go 20 carbs and below, veg and eggs I think, I need to eat a bit more of everyday foods, but I haven’t touched refined carbs since being on this plan and don’t think I ever will now, I’m lucky I haven’t craved bread sweet stuff etc, but it is summer and it’s easier then I think. Anyway onwards we will get there.😊

Hi Frog

Not sure I’m desperate enough for ‘crisp’ to try beetroot crisps!!!! Do love beetroot though.

I didn’t realise 100g of carbs was upper limit for low carb that makes it much more do-able. I really will aim for less than 75 and hopefully will get down to 50. Don’t know how anybody can manage with 20!

You’ve done really well. How many carbs are you averaging?

Must admit I’m like you … not a planner. I see what I have in the fridge/freezer then decide what I feel like and plan the day around that. I do now tend to check the carbs in food before I eat it and must admit I have stopped myself eating some foods and substituting lower carb alternatives.

I suppose really I do know about portions etc after a lifetime of dieting! It’s just getting my head around high fat that’s been difficult but actually I think I’ve come to terms with that now.

Hi greenjanet ( sorry called you green jacket earlier)

Like you I need everyday food. Can’t imagine living on eggs and veg or getting below 20 a day!

For me it has to be sustainable and be a change for life. I’ve done enough ‘diets’ over the years and they don’t work. This way of eating suits my lifestyle so now just have to be strict enough with myself to keep it low cal/carb for the next 8 weeks ….. am starting over again!

You know I don’t miss bread, rice or pasta either and in fact the chocolate biscuits I had earlier in the week didn’t really taste that good! I ate them out of boredom!

Just call me Jan easier, 😊

Thanks Verano

I use the free version of MFB, so can’t download the data (I started off using a spreadsheet, but MFP is quicker)
I just jotted down and averaged the last five weeks of carbs (I started calculating the standard deviation for fun, but realised a bit OTT!), but it was quite interesting to see the overall picture.

I aim for 50 carbs a day
over five weeks, 66.5g, last three weeks a bit more consistent, but still 63g – and the last week – ta da da – 49.3 (49.3 recurring – bit nerdy with stats as Lucky pointed out the other day).
There was within that a completely mad weekend, where I had carrot cake, cheesecake and all sorts of junk, and I may not have recorded everything!

I live within 5 minutes walk of a Waitrose, Tesco & Sainsbury, plus an independent 24 hour supermarket – so not even really restricted by what is in the fridge. (which when I turfed the fridge out last week included a pack of cheese that was best before 2011).

I want something I can live with going forward too – hence not being quite as strict on some people on the forum, and not losing quite as fast, but I still eat out three or four times a week, have the odd glass of wine, and could probably continue with this style of eating indefinitely.

Just head myself on the radio – knew it was coming, but a bit weird!

FROG! Why you on radio! Did i miss something you wrote about this happening? Fame at last eh! How exciting!x

I went to the recording of radio 4’s “Any Questions” last night, and my question was selected – so I knew it would be on the repeat, it was just a bit weird hearing me!
I asked about NHS prioritisation of PrEP

Yes, do tell Frog…was it a scheduled thing…or were you hi-jacked by some ninja radio interviewer👏?

Thanks Frog. Good to hear you are doing so well yet not having to ditch carbs almost entirely.

I use Fatsecret which is similar to MFP but I find it easier to use as it seems to have more options for changing weights. I think I just have a mental block with MFP yet I know there are lots of people here who swear by it.

Fatsecret works out the averages for you so that helps. But as for calculating standard deviation ‘for fun’ !!!! That’s just one step too far!

For those needing crunch, there is a recipe I was thinking of trying on the all recipes website for parmesan coated courgettes, comes in at about 100 calories and 5g carb per portion. Here is the link:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228677/low-carb-zucchini-fries/?internalSource=staff%20pick&referringId=742&referringContentType=recipe%20hub
If anyone tries it before I go and get some courgettes, let me know how it goes.

Also on these hot days, I found waitrose essential fruit juice ice lollies, only 25 cals each and about 6-7g carbs. I decided it was definitely worth it.

I have had a three day off plan binge but back and really trying hard to stick to it. Lessons learnt: I cannot have just two pieces of chocolate (it didn’t even taste that good, but I went straight back into I need to eat the entire bar …. and it was a big bar) Put on 5lbs of those hard fought for lost pounds. Grrrr

I think writing down or inputting in map or something similar is definitely the key.

Great losses Frog and I think I heard you on radio 4!

Hi

Just looked at the Parmesan coated corgette recipe. Looks lovely! Read the reviews and quite a few people complained that they were soggy . I just wonder if they are cooked like fish they may be better. I’m going to try them but dredge them lightly In chickpea flour before the egg, drain well after dunking them in the egg and before putting them in the almond/Parmesan mix. I think that might just make them less soggy. Will let you know . Any new recipe for courgettes is always welcome especially if they’re crunchy too!

Verano – at school I was really rubbish at equations, algebra etc – and generally ignored them on the basis that who on earth needed them in real life. When I trained as an accountant, you had to be able to calculate standard deviation without a calculator or spreadsheet – we all used to ask why, it wasn’t that long ago, and something even then that out of exam conditions you’d just do in excel, I did learn to understand the formula, and master calculating it (well I think I did, I passed all the exams!) but now still use it quite a bit, and luxuriate in chucking it into excel, just because I can.

I once got invited back to my school in my early twenties (to a ‘languages convention’, I’d been living in France so they thought I’d be very inspirational to potential sixth year students, and credit my linguistic abilities to the school. I didn’t and advised them all to go to the local FE college) – anyway, a former maths teacher asked what I was doing, and when I replied that I was a part qualified accountant, he spluttered into his drink and said “you can’t do that, you’re rubbish at maths”. So encouraging!

I used fatsecret a while ago – and got emails for years saying things like “your 30 kilos away from your target” – as I’d put on weight since I’d created the account, it was about as motivational as the maths teacher.

I now have several texts on my phone saying things like “heard you this afternoon, good question” and no idea who they are from!

Hi Frog

Fine! Great to do things ‘just because you can’. Enjoy!!

Amazing how teachers can be so demoralising but good for you for proving your old maths teacher wrong. Teachers have a lot to answer for in many cases by dismissing children as ‘hopeless’ in certain subjects. Many teachers often just nurture the ‘brighter’ pupils maybe because it gives them kudos. Or maybe I’m being unfair.

For me so far so good, no emails in the 5 weeks since I signed up with fatsecret …. terrible name!!

I didn’t hear you on the radio but am interested to know what sort of answers you got to your question? Thought you must be a health professional so accountancy is a surprise, unless you work in the NHS.

Ooh I’m so excited. It’s not officially end of week 6 till tomorrow but today I have officially lost 1 stone! First of several i know but it feels like a good milestone. This is after a real blip. I have been back on track and doing BSd seriously for the last two days (under 800 cals and under 50g carb) and the 5lbs I put back on have vanished plus another 1 and a half. whoop whoop. However, I do feel like I am starting again. I feel hungry and have cravings for sweet things. I actually got the lemon drizzle cake my mother in law made out of the cupboard and a knife out of the drawer before i managed to stop myself and go and do some ironing to keep me out of the kitchen!
But hopefully my success will keep me on the straight and narrow.

Frog, I had a maths teacher who told me I would amount to nothing if I left school to go to the local sixth form college to do my A levels. Several years later when I qualified as a solicitor I stuck two fingers up at her in my head!

very resilient with the lemon drizzle,, well done
I’ve decided that teachers with no ambition or encouragement for their students are probably just frustrated with their own careers!
Mind you, I did go to a school where if you were female, office practice and typing were mandatory, and the careers advice was limited to asking whether you wanted to work in a shop or an office – if you were deemed seriously bright, they;d suggest that maybe you could reach the dizzy heights of being a secretary.
And May is blathering on about grammar schools again. Brilliant for those that do well enough on a given day as a ten year old, less so for the rest!

I entirely agree as one who went to grammar school but sent my boys to the local comp!

Well done LOOPYLOU on getting back on track and reaching that big milestone of one whole stone down ! X

Thanks Yowzer49. Having a whole lot of support from this forum really does help.

Tried the Parmesan courgettes tonight. Didn’t salt them and drain as per the recipe just cut them and dried on kitchen paper. My courgettes were really firm but it they have lots of seeds then maybe they would need treating differently.

Ok, so yes they were crispy but I just didn’t really like the Parmesan flavour. Will have a rethink and try to work on another coating.

Also quite high in calories with ground almonds!!

Thanks verano for being the Guinea pig. Maybe I won’t bother. I made garlic cauliflower mash yesterday and it was delicious. It won’t satisfy your crispy craving though!

P.S. Also made cauliflower with horseradish. Mashed it with a stick blender rather than a masher and it was so much creamier. Will always do it that way in future.

Yes the garlic cauliflower is really really good!

Think I might just try making courgette ‘chips’ with a spray of olive oil and baking just as they are without any coating. Maybe if the oven is hot enough, possibly 200 c fan they will be ‘crisp’. Will let you know!

I have made butternut squash chips – they didn’t turn out as crispy as the recipe promised but they were very tasty. Baked courgettes – halved, seeded and placed in an oven with cheese on top are lovely

Hi Ziggy
Just been reading the 8 week blood sugar diet book, is it ok to eat butternut squash ,as i cant find anything about it in the recipes,

Regards Robert F

Hi Robert

Can be useful to get an app such as MyFitnessPal which you can use to look up the nutritional content of food and log what you eat.

I looked up butternut squash and 100g roasted is 8g of carbs, 1g of protein and 39 calories.

You can certainly have it on the BSD although it helps weight loss if you keep your carbs less than 50g per day.

Hope that helps!

Hi fellow July starters

Gone very quiet here ….. Is there anybody out there ?

Well just had my six week weigh in and have lost 1.2 lbs. Not very impressive but 10.6lbs overall which is still a loss that I wouldn’t have otherwise had.

I’ve been keeping low carb but between 75 & 100 per day and cals around 1100/1200. Certainly not the rigorous regime that lots of people are following but still seeing results.

Have decided to re-read the book. Not sure if the weight loss has to be fast and big to lose visceral fat. Maybe the answer is there. Even if it isn’t hopefully it will give me added motivation.

Hope you are all still following the plan and doing well.

Hi everyone. I am still here and missing my fellow BSDers. Well done Verano, a loss is still a loss. I am stuck this week at 14 pounds , well not exactly stuck, when I stick to the diet I lose weight (in fact last week, when I stuck to 800 cals and under 50g carbs I was losing 1/2 lb a day and then I went away for the weekend, and the people I was with got a chinese takeaway, literally nothing I could eat so I decided to have a cheat weekend and then I haven’t really managed to get back to where I was. After a week I am exactly where I was a week ago. I know this diet works, but seem unable to commit to it mentally. I need a good kick up the backside, but am going away again tomorrow and I know that will be difficult, a week in Norway followed by a weekend camping in East Sussex with a big group which typically involves lots of wine (they do know I ma doing low carb so maybe I will be able to get through it.)
I will try and check in while I am away when I have wifi.

Hi Loopylou
difficult when you have holidays and stuff planned, but just avoid the really carby stuff while you’re away (including too much wine!), and tackle it with a vengeance when you get back.
I don’t know a lot about Norwegian cuisine; I used to have a great Swedish restaurant nearby – lots of salmon . Is Norwegian food similar?
I lived in East Sussex for a while, and often rent a barn on a farm near Sedlescombe – not hugely adventurous, but my cat comes with me & has a lovely time – lots of walking opportunities, enjoy.
To refocus when you get back, why not re-read the mindfulness section of the book?
Have a great holiday

Hi Loopylou

14lbs is a stone and a stone is a stone … great in anybody’s book!

Maybe starting in July wasn’t the best idea with holidays coming up but that’s real life and any plan has to work in the real world.

I just had three days in a hotel and managed to resist bread, potatoes, croissants and Danish pastries etc. BUT yesterday had one of those ‘eating’ days when only carbs will do! Today I’m back on the wagon!

I agree with Frog just try and limit the really ‘heavy’ carbs while away but don’t stress too much, after all it’s a ‘holiday’. Enjoy!

Thanks Verano. And well done on holding off the carbs while you were away.
You may be right about starting in July but if we can lose weight at this time then how much easier will life be when we return to normal.
Off to embrace my inner Viking!

Hi LOOPYLOU etc ..am still here after starting July 13. Plateau’d over the last two weeks but cant complain as have lost 23 lbs in 5 weeks. Wish I had lost 25 lbs as would then be average of five lb per week.!
Have a good hol Loopy and just do yr best,its not easy when in company,but like Frog said,avoid the most carby stuff when you can
VERANO that was good work at the hotel..what i love most in hotels are the carby foods all laid out for breakfast!xx 😛

Wow Yowzer49!! Amazing results! I found when I plateaued that dropping the daily carb intake helped to kick start things. Others have reported that upping the fat intake a bit can help too. Whatever you decide to do to get things moving downwards again, stick with it ‘cos it will eventually happen and you’ll soon be reporting more positive results.

Thanks SUNNYB! I dontwant to drop carbs any more as ivebeen well below 50 g most days,but i like the idea of more fats😛 And in fact am craving them..dont think ive been having nearly enough fat and my body is letting me know.i love how these days i feel in tune with what i need to eat! Thanks for the encouragement,helps me keep going! X

WOW!!!! 24lbs is just amazing. Dropping below 50g carbs each day obviously does the trick. Guess I need to try harder!

I think when I plateau it’s because I’m eating too much! So I certainly know what to do!

SunnyB ….just about got my head around eating fats. Had a kipper one morning when I was away and the lemon butter garnish didn’t phase me at all. In the past I wouldn’t have had it because of the butter! Did have to resist the brown bread and butter though!

I think you’re right Loopylou if we can manage a loss at the worst time we’ll be brilliant come Autumn. Although we are away for most of September and it will be a real test for me. I’m going to have to be really strong and have salads instead if pizza etc. Wine will probably be the hardest to resist …. very hard in the sunshine. Enjoy your holiday/s and report back maybe a few days after you get back ….. time to get back on track!

Hallo Julybies, I don’t often post but I read the forums everyday for inspiration and it helps SO much, so thank you to everyone who takes time to share their thoughts.

Anyway, I have just completed week 5 and the results so far are amazing. I had 8.5 stone to lose, was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure, along with a host of other issues. After weigh in this morning I can report I have lost 1 stone 10 pounds so far, my fasting blood sugar is now well within the normal range and my blood pressure is coming down every week, in fact I am now down in the pre-hypertension range (and that’s all without my BP meds which I stopped before commencing the diet). I have lost 4″ off my waist, 2.5″ off my hips, and 2″ off my chest. Virtually all my GERD symptoms have resolved, I can get up and down the stairs normally now despite my arthritic knees and the BSD has opened my eyes and imagination to how easy it is to cook healthy, low carb food. Once I finish the 8 weeks my next goal will be to start experimenting with low carb baking as I’ll have some extra calories to play with each week.

For some reason week 5 has actually been the hardest week for me so far. The euphoria of reaching the half way mark at the end of week 4 was followed by the realisation I had to repeat it all again to get to the end of the 8 weeks. I had a wobble and succumbed to fish & chips – erm, twice actually (hides head in shame) – but still managed a 2 lb weight loss. I plan my meals, track on MFP and deal with each day as it comes. Usually I can ignore the odd hunger pangs and cravings but this past week was extra hard. I felt super-hungry all the time and a plumbing emergency at home knocked my well-planned routine way off kilter. Enough of excuses though, today is a brand new week and I feel back in control.

Just wanted to add a high five to everyone still on their 8 week odyssey. This isn’t easy, but it’s not as hard as I thought it would be either. If I can do it, anyone can. Have a good week ahead y’all,

Ellie X

Hi ELLIE wonderful results..fab weight loss and even more fab,the health benefits giving you a new lease of life,specially getting up and down stairs like a spring chicken!
I am just a few days ahead of you.day 39 today,and have lost 1st 12 lbs. not seen doc yet,appt in sept, but hoping to get some good bp and blood sugar results from her!
Like you ive struggled more over the last ten days or so but am determined to complete 8 weeks ( having initially started off saying i wd try one week but have 1000 cals)
8 week odyssey! I love that! Keep with it and high fives to you too!👍🏻⭐️ X

Yowzer and Ellie amazing losses and great health benefits in such a short time. I’m struggling to get to my first stone …. need to be more vigilant because it can obviously can be done …. just have to try harder.

Well done both of you.