Hi, was wondering if the diet works best if i follow the menu plan exactly, or can i replace some meals with other recipes from the book?

Hi Bunga, welcome on board. If you find the menu suits your palate, then it is an easy way to do the diet as it is all planned out for you. If you use the recipes in the book, make sure they are using ingredients that are used in the 800 cals per day and also don’t up the carbs too much. Some recipes are more useful for the 5:2 or maintenance phases – eg ones with dates. Also – for the recipes double check their calorie counts. You may need to adjust the portion sizes for the 800.
There are people on the forum who have followed the menu’s and others who have adapted the principles to recipes they enjoyed.
Have fun!

Hi Bunga
make full use of the recipe section and check out the “what have you eaten today” thread for loads of ideas for yummy meals that fit into this diet, or get creative and let us know what you are eating.

Thanks everyone 🙂
I want to get this right!

Bunga,
I would use the menu plan as it saves thinking; you will already need to spend time buying healthy stuff and preparing different meals anyway. I started with calorie restriction using food in the house and avoiding junk and alcohol. Then switched to looking at the pictures in the book and thinking that was the first week and bought random other ingredients after flicking through the recipes later on. I finally realised at the back of the book that there’s 8-weeks of carefully planned menus, starting on a Monday and onwards that can be easily followed!
The great thing about them is that you have to try different things. Eating yoghurt and e.g., stewed rhubarb, for breakfast was a scary concept but was a revelation. Tasty and it fills me up. I was a lifetime ‘toast and porridge with fruit and nuts’ kind of a guy, which is reasonable, but carborific and calorific.
I love the BSD but think that the book could be better organised.

Hi Bunga, welcome to the forums! I second what Bill said. Not everyone has the time for some of the recipes in the book – I have some firm favourites from it – but use a lot of my own recipes too. It gets you away from being afraid to eat out as you have got used to calorie and carb counting and can easily make sensible choices.

Find the recipes you like in the book at first to break you in gently! 🙂

Welcome Bungalow,

I am starting week 5 today and am 1 stone 2 lbs down with 6 inches off my waist but have a long way to go, I am certain this will work for you. From day one I have used the recipes but haven’t followed the menu plans, I have downloaded the myfitnesspal app which is great to track your calories and carbs. It takes a by of navigating for a technophobe like me but you will get there.

My tea tonight I am doing a chicken breast, about 200 cals with a boursin garlic and herb cube of cheese inside at 65 cals and wrapped in 2 slices of prosciutto at another 65 cals, having courgetti with it and perhaps another veg.

Our favourite form the recipes at home are the harissa chicken and beetroot falafels.

Good luck.

Love the sound of that chicken Catgirl 😃