I would love some encouragement. A daunting first day today for me. I am nearly 58, 5ft 8″ and I weigh 14st 4lbs. I am determined to lose 42lbs but know I am going to struggle at the beginning. It is fantastic to see all the encouragement on here and I would really appreciate any tips or help that anyone can throw my way! Thank you 🙂

Hello Hillybob,

It’s my first day too! You’ve already made the best step by deciding to follow the diet. As I’m also a newbie I don’t yet have tons of advice to offer but my suggestions would be to:

Plan your meals and snacks – far less easy to be derailed if you know what you’re having for the day and it’s there and waiting for you in the fridge and/or cupboard.

If you feel tempted to stray off plan, ask yourself, which do I want more – this snack/bread/chocolate/whatever, or to lose weight/control blood sugar/feel happier etc?

Be lenient with yourself! As you get started, every day will be a bit of learning curve. If you go over/under your carb or calorie allowance, don’t stress. It’ll still no doubt have been a better day than previous habits. And you can always start again at the next meal.

Enjoy it! Take some time to try new foods and recipes. You might be surprised at what you like!

Good luck with your 8 weeks. Keep us posted with how you’re getting on 🙂

It’s Day 8 for me – and this morning was my first official weight in – 7lbs gone – and I don’t have much to lose (about 2 stone). My tips are:

Drink lots and lots of water in the first few days especially, as your body is going to be hungry and it’s going to nag you to eat something.
Prepare to feel a little wobbly and a bit rough (some call it carb flu) – I did – some people don’t but it’s best to prepare – it’s just your body switching from burning its glucose stores (which it can only store for 48 hours) to burning fat – that’s when you will start to feel a bit better, day by day.
Can I echo Flash and say that planning, shopping and preparing will stand you in very good stead. I found following the recipes in the Blood Sugar Diet book was the easiest, especially for my first week when everything was so new and confusing!
Take it day by day and meal by meal if you have to – learn to like fruit and herbal teas (if you don’t already) and you will be there before you know it.

Good luck and keep coming on here for help, support and encouragement. There’s always someone around to help out 🙂
Keep us posted
TC

Hi Flash21!

Thank you so much for your reply, support and tips – really appreciated. I had a great first day – sticking to my menu plan and filled my fridge and cupboards with everything I need for the first week. I think you are right, planning is the key. I find it helpful too to have water to hand when those hunger pangs kick in. Feeling very positive today. Can’t thank you enough. How are you getting on??
Hillybob

Hi Topcap

Wow 7lbs in the first week, you must be feeling great and very positive. Thank you for the water in the early days tip too. I am definitely going through periods of feeling really hungry. It helps to know that this will pass and that I must keep going! I agree with you too about the recipe book. I am finding it so much easier to use the meal plans and we enjoyed a lovely Thai Red Curry from the book last night. Can’t believe how delicious it was and just how much we had to eat! thank you so much.

Hillybob

Hello Hillybob,

My pleasure! I really like the supportive nature of the forums so will do my bit to add to that! Very pleased to hear you had a good first day. I was doing ok until I got home and then my willpower evaporated and I ended up having some crisps – grr! However, today has been much better thus far. I think the gap between coming home from work and having dinner is my main problem so I am aiming to fix that by saving a little bit of my lunch to eat just before I leave for home. Fingers crossed that will stave off any desires to lurk at the fridge! How is today going for you?

Welcome HILLYBOB and FLASH!
Some good tips there Flash and also from TOPCAC ( congrats TOPCACon yr first weeks loss! YOu’re so much nearer yr goal now!)

Preparation is important as is becoming aware of trigger points (like the gap between work and home) and finding ways round them
If you’re prepared for whatever this experience throws at you,you’ll cope with it much better x
Don’t forget about measuring yrself all over too..coz there may be times youre a bit disappointed with what the scales say.
When the scales arent yr friends you may still find that nevertheless youre losing inches from yr waist and elsewhere! X

Non scale victory today – I spent about three hours at work…in one go…NOT thinking about food!!! It’s a first let me tell you 🙂

TOPCAC👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 well done! Its great when we can divert our minds successfully from our tums..
Ive just done that for an hour…wanted my tea at 5.15 but was too early..so i bodybrushed,took a long shower,bodybuttered,clean clothes on,sorted out tomorrows stuff. Dont even want my tea now – so i can push it back later xx

Thanks Yowzer – a bit of time for yourself too – not often we get THAT! Just make sure you don’t slide off anywhere with all that body butter 😀

Hi topcap and Yowzer 49 and Flash21

Had a brilliant first two days – must say I can understand that difficult time – for me it is between 5 pm and 7 pm when my husband gets home from work – the first thing we would do is have a large glass of wine and some sort of snack/crisps things. So now I fill a very large wine glass with freshly squeezed lime juice and fill it right up with chilled sparkling water – that does me for the “witching hour”!! Kept to the diet for Tuesday until after dinner where I succumbed to a small spoonful of plain full fat yogurt and some home made blackberry and apple (no sugar though!). I think this will be a regular thing for me to stop me reaching for the chocolate!!

Lovin’ the sound of all that body brushing! I used to do it years ago – you have inspired me to start again!!

Good luck everyone with completing the week.

Hillybob

Hi it’s day 3 for me. Felt really off colour last night and this morning. I think it must be the “carb flu” mentioned earlier. Went for walk and drank more water. Feel amazing now (afternoon) Enjoying the recipes in the 8 week blood sugar book. Good luck everyone

Hey Hillybob,

Really pleased you’ve got off to such a good start! Sparkling water and lime definintely works as a replacement – especially in a wine glass!

Getfit – glad to hear you got through the “carb flu” and are now feeling better!

Keep going everyone!

Can anyone help? I am on day 4 and feeling very wobbly. No energy and when I went for a walk this morning thought I was going to collapse! I have upped my water intake, had three pints of water plus tea already today. I am feeling very weak and hungry (had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast). Is this carb flu?

Hillybob

Sounds like it Hillybob, I felt simply awful for the first weeks but it will hopefully pass quicker for you. Keep going and don’t give in, as you will feel the benefits very soon

I feel for you HILLYBOB,yes its carb flu ..if its any consolation,it does pass like Barista says ..and it shows its working! Lots of us have gone thru this at some stage,very often the first week like you x youre right to get plenty of fluids inside you and eat yr protein and fats. Rest if you can,sleep if you can. Hope it passes soon! Hang on in xx

I think it is as the others have said. But it will pass! It’s a horrible feeling but definitely keep those fats and proteins up and you’ll feel much better. Don’t worry about being too active, especially if you feel weak. I hope you feel better soon!

Poor you – I feel for you and this happened to me – imagine what it’s doing to us if withdrawing is so rough! Don’t put yourself through too much exercise and if you feel weak just rest.. I will get much better very soon. If it doesn’t I would suggest upping calories (but not carbs) to maybe 1000 for a couple of days – eating extra protein and fat (but don’t feed the carb monster!)

Feel better soon
Sending hugs

TC

Hello Hillybob,

How are things going? Are you feeling better now? I hope so! 🙂

Hi Flash21 – so nice of you to ask. Have had some problems with my computer and have now sorted it out thank goodness. Things are going really well – I am on Day 10 and have lost 7lbs so far so I am feeling very positive. I still get a bit weak and tired on my walks (I did 15,200 steps yesterday). I don’t think I can manage on 800 calories a day but the additional calories I am eating are all good. I have resisted wine which is such an achievement and the more I think about the calories I was consuming the stronger it makes me to keep off it! I love Michael’s book. without exception (other than the Miso soup) I have loved every recipe that I have cooked. Feeling so good and am determined to keep going.

Now how are things with you??

Hillybob

Hi topcac

Have taken your advice and eat a few more calories a day, I have been using cooked chicken and occasionally cheese. I did a long walk yesterday and keep drinking on my way round so not quite so weak. Day 10 – 7lbs off. I am feeling better though as I am getting nearer to the two week mark, which I am sure will be a turning point in the way I feel.

How are you doing?
Hillybob

7lbs in 10 days! WOW! You are doing brilliantly! Glad you solved your computer problems so you could come back and tell us this news 🙂 You’re racking up the steps too, which is fantastic. To be honest, as long as you are counting your carbs and still avoiding all the refined sugars and so on, I don’t think a few extra calories really matters. Ok, it may slow your weight loss but so far it seems as though you’re not having too many problems on that front anyway. If I were feeling weak I’d prefer to up my calories a bit and see what happened.

I’ve had a bit of a blip and so have decided to restart properly from yesterday. I am going to try some more recipes from the book and from the ones suggested here. Am trying to be better and planning and preparing too.

Keep on keeping on!!