Well folks let me introduce myself, I’m Karen, I’m 46 and I live in Belfast. I started the blood sugar diet today – for the second time – the first time I wasn’t really committed and kept having weekend ‘cheat meals’ and unplanned snacks the like and threw in the towel a few weeks in after an admittedly half-assed attempt. This time I’m determined to be more rigorous, I really need to do something – I weigh (whisper) 17 stone 4 and I know it’s way too much, it’s just crept up over the last few years. My dad has type 2 diabetes, all his family have too, and he has different complications through his diabetes and every time I see him he goes “have you started your diet yet” as he doesn’t want me to go through the same struggles as him. I’m not diabetic yet but given my family history and weight I’m fairly high risk…so I want to take myself in hand now (and hopefully get healthier in the process!)

I’ve been lurking on the forums a while and it’s really interesting reading people’s stories, and inspiring too, I only hope I can do half so well 🙂

So today I started, I’ve done up a menu on MFP for the week, ordered the healthy groceries, and I have a plan! Today I had greek yoghurt and berries with some flaked almonds for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and dinner tonight will be sesame salmon with stir fry veg. I hope I stick with it this time. Tired of wearing size 20 and having dodgy knees and I want to be able to run for a bus without feeling like my lungs will burst 🙂

Comhghairdeas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Congrads in gaelic)

You just took a big huge step. What!???? You Have a plan????? Watch this quickie video on your diet and health plan!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwozVKOkzz4

Always give a holler. We all here for you and also ourselves!

Live Long And Prosper,

Daniel

Nice use of Irish Daniel I am impressed 🙂 (given that my own Irish is minimal and I just remember the words for chips, chocolate and ice cream – all the no nos) 🙂

haha I loved the A team growing up 🙂 hopefully my plan does come together, I am hopeful this time around!

Yesterday (my first day) went well. Yoghurt and berries for breakfast, chicken salad (which was a bit bland but OK) for lunch, then sesame chilli salmon with stir fry veg for dinner which was really nice – I used this recipe for the salmon: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/glazed-sesame-salmon (they have a range of 5:2 suitable recipes so worth checking out)

I wasn’t hungry but my big issue has always been more emotional eating – eating for comfort, when upset, bored etc. So it’s my psychological habits I’ll need to work on, to work out what is going on in my head when I reach for something to eat… that will take a bit of work.

Have a good day everyone!

When you overeat or munch on Haagen Dasz I have one thing to say:

I PITY THE FOOL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHt49t6EC_4

Thanks for the salmon recipe. It looks tempting and tasty. I will check out BBC for more recipes. Thanks!

Cheerio (Not Honey Nut Cheerios),

Daniel

I hope your dad is on the diet

Hi Karen.
I haven’t found that I have wanted to compfort eat on this plan, I don’t know why, as that was always my trigger, but I think it’s just that things are easier to resist as my monster appetite is now normal. Hopefully you will experience the same effect.
Great start, plan, enjoy, and love feeling better.
Love jan😊😊😊

Hi karen,you are off to a great start..preparing thoroughly for the week ahead is the key to success!
I’ m not very far ahead of you ..just finished week 2… And i just want to say,you might feel a bit weak for the first few days but it will pass,and the carb cravings will vanish in a matter of days. It should be plain sailing then..(you know all this anyway,youve done it before!)
this is so much easier than people expect!. I dreaded starting but i couldnt be happier now with my progress so far! X

Hey there sunshine-girl, yeah I really wish I could persuade my dad to go on the diet but he is incredibly stubborn and hard to persuade 🙁 I am hoping that if he sees me getting results and losing weight it might persuade him to hopefully give it a go, or at least switch to low carb mediterranean food. Fingers crossed…

Greenjanet that is fab you haven’t wanted to comfort eat! I know I haven’t been hungry at all, I just get that wee demon occasionally in the evenings saying ‘ooooh something sweet would be nice’…it’s not a hunger voice it’s a boredom, ‘what will I do now’ voice I think. So I need to keep myself more occupied in the evenings 🙂 Off to the gym tonight for a quick HIIT session on the bike (and then a nice steam and hot tub after, ahhhh, makes it all worthwhile!)

That’s great you are on week 2 Yowser49! How are you finding it? Good to know that the tiredness/weakness should pass. I woke up this morning and could barely drag my weary limbs from the bed lol. I just need to be consistent this time and keep going. I like the forums on here, it’s great to have a community of people to talk to with advice and encouragement 🙂

Anyway nearly 3 days in, am going to have to find some new lunch recipes, I’m well supplied for dinner ideas but I bring a packed lunch to work so will have to get a bit more creative…today I had the lentil dahl from the Fast Cook book, it was very nice and filling, had it with a small flatbread yum yum!

Onwards and upwards…

haha love Mr T Daniel!!

You really meant onwards and DOWNWARDS! 😀 Downwards is why we all chatting in here.

I speak for all 4 billion members of Men: We are all stubborn and hate others telling us what to do. We go hunt, and women nest (As Jerry Seinfeld once comicly said). 😉 Yeh, I am a Seinfeld and Jay Leno fanatic! Loved seeing them in Atlantic City when I was fattening up my lovehandles from Philly Cheesesteaks!

Live Long And Prosper!

Daniel

Onwards and downwards it is 🙂 I have noticed some downward changes for sure but don’t want to pre-empt things till I step on the scales on Monday. But the scale seems to be moving in the right direction so hooray!

I take it the weight loss in the first week, a lot of it is water weight though…so I don’t expect it to be as dramatic every week…

Food has been good last few days – have enjoyed my meals. Still getting used to the less/no snacks between meals (but not hungry so that is a bonus)

Wednesday
Omelette with avocado
Lentil dahl and a flatbread
Turkey chilli with 2 tacos (delicious – I added cumin and chipotle paste to the turkey mince and tomatoes)

Thursday
Greek yoghurt with berries
Frittata slice and salad
Salmon burgers (home made) with broccoli and carrot and cucumber salad

Friday (today)
Scrambled eggs with chorizo and grated cheese
Frittata and salad
Chicken curry with lentils

Felt less tired when I woke up this morning, so that’s a plus. Will see how yoga class goes tonight 🙂

Thats good news K x hopefully the weak phase has passed! Have a groovy weekend! X

Hi Karen

I hope you find the motivation to keep to the diet, I am on week 7 and have found the sugar free sweets they sell in Aldi and 90% carob chocolate – only one square per day (if needed) have been good to keep me on the diet when I have felt like I needed extra. I have lost 2.25 stones so far and feel much better. I hope to keep going after having one day off on completion of 8 weeks.

Barn Owl thats a wonderful result! And you have answered a question i had..can you have sugar free sweets..well you obviously do and have still lost loads!
Sometimes my jaws just want to munch even tho my tum doesnt feel empty! So far celery has done the trick but i might get some sweeties in for dire emergencies! 😋

Hi Karen, I was a little bit heavier than you starting by 5 lbs, and week 8 starts tomorrow and I’m currently 15 stone 5 lbs. That week 2/3 can be a bit of a bugger, but after a couple of hairy days of carb flu the rest of it has flown. The only way out is through, remember! Good luck!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend 🙂 Barn Owl that’s amazing – 2.25 stones is such a result! And Lucky, if I do half as well as you by week 8 I’ll be delighted 🙂 The sweets is a good idea for emergencies – I will have a look for those. I have a teaspoon of almond butter when I have a craving for something sweet at the moment 🙂

Well I weighed myself this am and I’m 9 pounds down and have lost 3/4 of an inch from my waist. I am very happy with that 🙂 I hope I continue to lose – first week has gone well, no major cravings, fingers crossed that the next 7 weeks goes smoothly 🙂 But that put a spring in my step this morning!

Well done on a fab first week weight loss! I bet you’re thrilled, celebrate it 🙂

haha Lucky I just realised I used 10 million smileys in my last post, I am just so excited! Really positive about the next seven weeks now, and glad it has gone smoothly so far x

You’re well entitled to with that weight loss! 😉

Well done Karen! Great result! X

So halfway (or more) through week 2 and I’m tired out today… I’ve been going to hot yoga more the last few weeks, trying to go four times a week at the mo (it’s not extreme like Bikram – they just heat the room to 30 or 32 degrees and then you exercise in a nice warm atmosphere and get slightly sweaty). But last night the heat seemed much higher than it usually is, plus it was a hard class (all hip openers) and I was wrecked afterwards. I wasn’t the only one – everybody looked knackered at the end 🙂 Then I had to cycle home, make dinner and I was a jelly. Still this morning, my legs are very, very tired – it was hard work cycling to work today.

I’ve been doing some reading and apparently when you do hot yoga you lose electrolytes – so you should be replenishing your magnesium, potassium and sodium afterwards to avoid exhaustion. So I’ve ordered some zero sugar electrolyte tablets and will have one of those after each class and see if that helps. (I drink plenty during the day – I usually have almost 2 and a half litres of water a day – and will drink a 750 ml bottle of water during class, so it’s not dehydration. I imagine it’s the upped volume of exercise (I’ve been doing it for about 3 weeks now) and maybe losing electrolytes, so we’ll see if those tablets help a bit.

Anyway, otherwise going well, although rather than 800 I’m finding I’m nearer 900 each day – but I’m doing a lot of exercise so that feels fine to me. And am still losing weight so I think that works for me 🙂

Yesterday’s dinner was nice – spicy fish stew with chipotle paste, ancho chillis, prawns cod and a little chorizo, although would have liked more fish in it (it was more soup than stew). Might add some vegetables to it tonight so it’s more stew-like.

Have a good day everyone 🙂

Sorry, but I have an opinion about hot yoga and other strenuous exercises like it. You kind of mentioned one thing: you lose electrolytes.

Instead, I find Falun Gong (Tai Chi or Chi Gong) connects both body and soul together. Falun Gong cane to NYC back in 1992 with anti-Communist China protests because of its ban since it is based on Taoism.

Did I mention Kung Fu is based on all 18 basic exercises in Tai Chi? Blood circulation and muscle strength come from preserving (NOT WASTING) your inner strength. Please note it takes a lifetime to master these 18 exercises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ-A6xY47jc

P.S. You might not believe me on what this did for my epilepsy!

That’s fine Daniel – everyone is allowed an opinion 🙂 I’m really glad you found an exercise you enjoy and that has helped with your epilepsy! I’m a great believer in people doing the exercise they truly enjoy – and for me, that is yoga (I like a strong practice where I ‘feel’ I’ve worked out, plus it makes me focus on the moment and I feel really good after). I’m just readjusting to the higher number of classes I think. But it is the only exercise that I enjoy and am likely to do consistently, so I’ll keep on doing it – just as you do your Falun Gong 🙂

See I LOVE strenuous exercise. If I’m not sweating like a bugger after a swim/cycle/run/gym session I don’t feel like I’ve exercised enough.

Horses for courses I guess.

Yeh timmy I guess horses belong on the course. Like I said it is my opinion and experience. Let’s see what the horses have to say about this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PZPpWTRTU

Oh PS i used to love Mr Ed! And still word perfect in the theme tune! X

Well it’s been a few weeks since I posted…

Had some bad news a couple of weeks ago, which sort of knocked me for six. Been a bit knocked sideways ever since… With all the turmoil the diet went haywire very quickly, I just ate anything and everything that would give me supposed ‘comfort’ (gin, chocolate, pizza, you name it, I ate it)

So, started back just this week, trying to get back into a routine again. Amazingly only gained three pounds but am determined to get back on the straight and narrow. More than ever I feel how urgent it is to get healthy so that I don’t store up more health problems for later…I really need to do this for me, my family, and my own health.

So…Greek yoghurt and berries for breakfast today, and may we all have a good day and week. I am starting again week 1 for me – a fresh start…

Good luck everyone

kx

Welcome back on it Karen.

So sorry to hear you have had such devastating news, but this plan is one thing that you can control, now your mind has settled a bit. Also loosing weight and eating beautiful food will help your mind to feel easier. So Bril work on getting refocused, we are all here with you hundreds of us, your big BSD family. Just keep posting, good or bad, let us know and we can support you, I know it’s an old saying but time seems very hard when you are in the moment, but the movement of time does eventually heal, and make things bearable.

So get planning, get eating, and moving, and focus on hour by hour, drink plenty with a little extra salt to compensate for any potential carb withdrawals. You will be fine.

Regards jan🙂

Welcome back KAREN xso sorry you’ ve had a bad time lately. Good on you for getting back on track xx

Welcome back! Here is a video from a doctor to make you feel good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XHcPYorSJw

Now what would Spock say to someone coming back for good health?
Live Long And Prosper!

Thank you for the positive encouragement peeps 🙂

Well last week I lapsed again. I was only following the diet half heartedly, ate a load of rubbish and it showed on the scales.

So, Monday 5th September – officially starting again at week 1. Have half a stone on, which isn’t great, but I’m still 6 pounds lighter than when I started.

I have a food plan for the week, bought my healthy groceries, filled up my water bottle, had my yoghurt and berries this morning and ready to get stuck in 🙂 Hope everyone has a productive week!

Well, ‘week 1 reboot’ going well for the most part…although I did have some bread yesterday which wasn’t on the plan. I find when I’m exhausted/low in mood that’s when I find it hard to resist cravings the most. It feels like a compulsion, and I know that logically I can say no, but emotionally it feels like a huge wave of ‘must have this’ and in a tired state it’s harder to resist….

Need to come up with some strategies for emotional eating as this time round it has been my Achilles heel. Read a piece yesterday about when the negative feelings arise, just sit with them and try and identify what they are, where they are in your body etc and just let them wash over you rather than resisting or trying to make them go away…a bit like meditation I suppose. Will try that next time a binge/eat carbs urge comes up and see. Even waiting 5 mins might be useful.

On positive side, I have done 2 hot yoga classes this week and feel physically better for it – but we did some core work and my stomach is aching today…I have a core like undercooked spaghetti 🙂

Glad to read your reboot going well apart from the bread – but it happens!
I have rebooted this week to and very happy to see a loss of 5 pounds in already
It is hard getting back but am enjoying looking for recipes and the last 2 nights meals went down well with the family too
Keep on keeping on as we will will all see good results