I suspect like many others I’ve found myself here after a rude awakening following a routine blood test and the shock of the dreaded word ‘Diabetes’! I say shock but it shouldn’t have been. We’ve all seen the news and stats about this epidemic for years now. I suspect like many others I thought “I’m still young(ish) and healthy enough to sort my sweet addicted diet out before that happens to me”.

Well too late! A HBA1C test result of 49mmol has put me just into the diabetes range. I say ‘just’ but that’s cold comfort. I’ve yet to discuss these results with my Doc or practice nurse but following web research I’m now keen to avoid meds if possible. I’m especially motivated by research claims about ‘reversing diabetes’ i.e. the BSD Fast 800. Sounds scientifically plausible to me but the ‘proof of the pudding is in the eating’…or literally not eating the pudding in this case!  Presumably as newly diagnosed I’ll be retested in a few months? I would love to get down into the prediabetes range or even better if that’s even possible?
In some ways I should welcome my rude awakening, it will force me to adopt permanent lifestyle changes which can only be a good thing. The alternative of continuing on in a blissful state of ignorance while the disease progressed unchallenged would be so much worse. So Diabetes…let the challenge begin now.
Hoping this post which I intend to update weekly with genuine weight loss results, will help motivate me through what looks like a really tough initial 8 weeks ahead. Perhaps I can encourage others along the way, please feel free to encourage me.

STARTING STATS:
40 year old male. Weight = 92kg. Height = 5ft 11 inches. Sturdy build. BMI = 28.3 (overweight). Relatively active either jog, bike or walk most days. Recent dietary habits = terrible with considerable card (sweet) binging in previous few months. HBA1C of 49mmol on initial diagnosis: 25/10/2017
GOALS

• Drop 10kg to 82kg by the 8 weeks to bring BMI to around the 26 mark
• Drop to another 7kg to 75kg more slowly by summer. BMI = 23.9
• HBA1C…wells let’s just see what happens with that in the meantime I’ll remain open minded and positive)

Wish me luck!

Welcome Jimmy.

I’m sure with determination you will reverse you diagnosis – it is certainly possible, as many of the members of this forum have proved. Personally, I have no experience of diabetes (thank goodness) but I have been a successful BSDer since January, lost 50lbs (bit over 22kg) in 2 rounds of back to back 8 weeks, and have maintained for 6 months. This WOE is works for weight loss, and is doable for life! Which, make no mistake, you will have to do – though obviously not the 800 bit.

I think you will be surprised by just how easy it is – well, at least not as difficult as you are expecting. The hardest part is getting your head around the fact that fat is GOOD (at least the right type of fat). Fat also fills you up, which is good. Please remember to drink lots and lots of water, and when you think you have done that, drink some more! Also, all the extra water can wash your salts away, so add a little extra salt to your food.

Be aware that you MAY experience carb flu. Not everyone does, but it can be quite debilitating if it happens to you. It can make you feel weak and headachy for a few days, but will soon pass. If it does happen, stick with it, it is a sign that your body is transitioning between burning carbs and going into ketosis (burning body fat) – initially it won’t know what’s hit it, so give it a chance to adapt.

I would advise that you weigh and log everything that passes your lips, I found FatSecret great for doing this, though others swear by MYFitnessPal – both free apps.

There are so many knowledgeable people on site, so if you have any questions, fire away – someone will know the answer. If you are doing well, we will cheer you on. On the days when you feel like giving up, feel free to have a moan – we are used to that, and can provide untold support. Trust me, we have all been there!

That’s all for now, except to wish you GOOD LUCK!!

JimmyLanger – good luck, but what you aim for is totally achievable on this diet. I’ve just done it, having been diagnosed as pre-diabetic August 8th this year. Now BMI 25 (from 30) approx 13kg loss and that’s based on 8 (ish) weeks strict diet and now just following principles. But you do really have to follow the principles, get your portion sizes sorted and keep low carb. If you do you won’t, in my experience, be hungry. You may be fed up and slightly sad, but that’s the mental stuff, not even MM can fix that. But more than made up for by the increased energy, improved memory and general sense of getting on with life.

So good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Hi JimmyLanger, my OH had a similar shock at the beginning of October. And now we find ourselves completing 4 weeks the BSD today. I’ve joined him on the lifestyle and eating changes, as I need to lose weight and could only be so far behind him on the blood sugar side of things.

The eating changes have been easier than expected. The recipes available are great, but also sometimes I find them too complicated. We’d developed a habit of taking our ‘normal’ lunches and evening meals and replacing carbs with fruit and veg, or in the case of melas like fajitas – just dropping the carb heavy tortilla wraps. I guess like a lot of people we’d slipped into the habit of using potatoes, pasta and rice to fill us up, instead of healthier veggies. And of course portion sizes have been increasing. Breakfast was the hardest challenge, giving up toast and marmalade was offset by the discovery of natural yoghurt … with nuts and berries. It’s delicious.

We have both lost weight, though OH is finding it harder – but then he has less to lose! We’re not sure how we stand with getting another Hba1C test, but OH would like to be retested after the 8 weeks @800 calories, partly to see if it’s working and to see if he can get it down below 42 by then – reversed is the target in our house. Various appointments were booked with the diabetic nurse etc. but OH has cancelled them, as his aim is to reverse the diagnosis … not follow the NHS plan to put him on a ‘carbs with every meal’ diet!

Here’s hoping the science holds up for him, and yourself, as it seems to have done for so many folk on this forum.

Good luck with those targets!

Thanks all for the feedback and advice.

I should say I’m on day 5 now. It’s been hard going but far from impossible. Some early feedback. I’d say I’m in carb flu now alright. Not fun but it’s a good sign. Energy levels are lower which shouldn’t surprise me but my head does feel clearer despite the headaches (day 2). I track everything via my Fitbit down to to mls of milk in my coffee which could be easily overlooked. Ive been staying on 800, my daily calories burned are typically around 3500 so it’s quite a deficit for me. I went for a 5km run pushing a buggy on day 2 and struggled with energy so I won’t be trying to break any parkrun personal bests anytime soon

Very similar position to me rice pasta and potatoes. My OH is vegetarian with fish and has a healthy diet. In general we eat healthily cooked meals. My downfall is the other rubbish I consume before, after and in between meals! Already discovered cauliflower rice (amazing substitute), and spiralized courgettes in lieu of pasta or noodles. So It’s potatoes I’m missing, we had a lovely quorn shepherd pie last night and I had to forgo the lovely mashed potatoes topping 🙁

Emu: As for NHS Approach I’ll be taking a similar approach to you and ignoring any advice that endorses a high carb diet. I have an appointment next week and will attend. I hoping they will be open minded to my approach and retesting in a few months, either way it’s my choice.

Thanks again all.

Instead of ricing the cauliflower, mash it next time. Use a food processor to whip it up with some sour cream, ricotta or mascarpone. I always put in a clove of garlic and some chives too, but for a shepherd’s pie you might to keep it more plain. Your call. Add some melted butter on top for added yumminess and to help it brown nicely in the oven. Just be sure you measure the dairy and keep the additions modest so your calories don’t get crazy. I promise you won’t miss the potatoes at all.

Hi Jimmy

I’m just another testament to the success of this way of eating. I was diagnosed with T2 about 5 or 6 years ago and started BSD over a year ago. I initially lost weight and my HbA1c reduced as well. As I was already having 6 month reviews my first test was after 4 months of BSD and my BS had fallen from 46, on 2000mg slow release metformin a day, to 37. Six months later it was 33 and my metformin was reduced to 1000mg a day. A further 3 months on and it was stable at 34. My metformin was then stopped altogether. My next HbA1c, the first since I’ve been drug free, is next week. So we will see if I’m still in remission!

You are newly diagnosed so you have much better change of reversing the diagnosis. Don’t be too disheartened if the medics aren’t open minded about this way of eating but follow it anyway. Resist drugs if they are prescribed and ask for 3 months to change your diet.

Best of luck and further to Esnecca’s post there is a thread on here ‘101 ways with cauliflower…’ just search in the box above right. You’d be amazed what you can do with a cauliflower! As a matter of interest I’m not that fussed on cauliflower rice and a few weeks ago had a Thai curry served over lightly steamed asparagus and it was really very good. So now I substitute broccoli, spinach, shredded cabbage and/or sliced asparagus for rice and it works.

Best of luck on your journey. This works!

Week 1 done.

The Good:
Weight loss = 3.9kg (8.6 lbs)!! 🙂

The Bad:
The hunger is tough but seems to be getting easier now.

Terrible carb flu, low energy, lightheaded etc. Day 5 and 6 were particularly bad and crawled into bed early. On day 7 I seem to have turned a corner but have picked up a cold 🙁

The Ugly:
Fast 800 seems to be playing havoc with my gallbladder/gallstones. I’ve been in discomfort every evening and night from day 3. I’ve an ultrasound due in 3 weeks but I suspect gallbladder removal is a likely prognosis.

After some research I understand that very low calorie fasting type diets are a known trigger of gallbladder problems particularly if you have a pre-existing condition. The science makes good sense. Unfortunately this could be a showstopper for my fast 800.

I’ll see how I get on this coming week but I may have to be sensible and adjust the plan for a slower loss rate to ease symptoms if possible.

Ease back to 5:2 if you have to and see if that helps somewhat. It may take longer than 8 weeks but the goals should still be possible, if in a longer time frame.

Jimmy

Just wanted to offer my empathy on the gallstones front. I was lucky and got away with only a few gall bladder rumbles and not a full blown flare up when I was on 800 cals but I know how debilitating it is.

I have been following this regime for purely weight loss reasons and appreciate that easing up from 800 calories may not provide the short sharp shock needed to effectively manage your blood sugars. However I just wanted to say that even with a higher calorie allowance post the first 8 weeks this has been for me an effective and sustainable way for me to lose weight, learn to live with much less carbohydrate in my diet and and very adaptable to social situations. If the gallbladder situation gets too much it may still be be worth your while nudging up the calories a bit but eating in line with the principles as the other benefits of changing your diet may still be helpful.

Good luck and I hope your gallbladder falls into line soon!

Smaus
Smaus

Hi Jimmy and well done on doing so well with your weight loss.

Gall bladder pain is murder isn’t it? I had mine removed 30 years ago after being on VLCD…not this type of VLCD…the “Shake” type…like the Cambridge Diet. These are the ones that bugger the gall bladder, something to do with the concentration of the powder. It is more likely to be the increased fat you are having, rather than the lower calories that is causing your pain. When the Gall is inflamed it takes very little spice or fat to make it hurt. I follow this diet plan but still have to be careful not to have too much fat as it causes diarrhoea and acid indigestion (a by product of Gall Bladder removal). I hope this helps.

I really hope you recover from this quickly I know how much it hurts and nothing relieves it. Good luck.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Back with my end of week 2 update.

A considerably easier week than week one and my gallbladder has settled down a bit as well.

Weight loss this week was less dramatic which is to be expected. I’ve lost another 1.7kg (3.7lbs), making a total loss of 5.6kg (12.3lbs) after two weeks. Very happy with that, and generally feeling much better.

I met with the practice nurse mid week. Not what I was expecting. She recommended re-testing in a few weeks and if HBA1C hasn’t lowered to re-test again in a few months. They wouldn’t diagnose diabetes after a single isolated test. She advocated diet and lifestyle changes as the first approach. She had heard of the fast 800 diet and was open minded to the idea. Here’s hoping I can provide a good example.

…back again to report progress for end of week 3, which is another decent loss of 1.3kg (2.9lbs)

Total loss in 3 weeks = 6.9kg (15.2 lbs). Well ahead of target! 🙂

End of week 4 for me. This diet certainly has me shedding the pounds and feeling great. 1.3 stone down! I might have to tweak my goal as I’m ahead of schedule for my 10kg loss for Christmas.

Summary of progress to date:

Week 1: 3.9kg (8.6lbs)
Week 2: 1.7kg (3.7lbs)
Week 3: 1.3kg (2.9lbs)
Week 4: 1.6kg (3.5lbs)

Total: 8.5kg (18.7lbs)

I don’t have much more to lose, so I expect losses will be smaller for the second half of my BSD800. I’d be delighted with to manage a further 4kg loss.

My 8 weeks end on Christmas Eve, and I’m really looking forward to Christmas Dinner where I can up my intake (staying low carb mind!)

Well done and good luck for the next 4 weeks. Enjoy Christmas dinner, it is only one day??????

Update..week 5 now completed. Still losing consistently. Another 1.3kg this week. That’s 9.8kg or 22lbs in 5 weeks!! Anything over the next 3 weeks is a bonus on my target.

Have a blood test mid week. Will be interesting if 5 weeks of bsd800 will have an impact on HBA1C levels?

Have the gallstones stayed calm? It sounds like if they have it was just part of that initial adaptation process we all have to go through to some extent. Well done on your weight loss and getting to your initial target so early. I am sure the HBA1C will have improved markedly after five weeks.

Hi Mixnmatch, thanks for the support. Yes the gallbladder issues calmed down massively after a few days of some real discomfort. A scan has revealed no obvious stones, not what I expected but good to know. It could be that I passed them or it was more a case of gallbladder being inflamed?

Early update after some fantastic blood results today. HAB1C down from 49mmol (6.6%) diabetic to 33mmol (5.2%) well into normal range!!! 😀🎉

Created a separate post. Still intend seeing this through to the 8 weeks and beyond. And will continue with updates. May allow a sneaky treat reward on Christmas Day to celebrate!

Just keeping up with an update.

End week 7. Bigger losses than expected considering I’ve averaged over 900 this week.

Total weight loss is down from 92kg to 79kg. 13kg!! (28.6lbs)

🙂

Amazing progress Jimmy! Well done.

Just to complete my update…

Made it to week 8 and beyond 🎉I have enjoyed a good few high calorie treat days over the Christmas period but I’ve now settled on approx 1200kcal day. Still loosing weight although I’ve not got much more I can afford to lose. I never thought I’d be saying that 😀.

I’m down to 76kg making it a loss of 16kg (35lbs) with my BMI at a healthy 24.

Hopefully tracking my BSD journey here (..yes there is a typo in the title!) will motivate new starters who are now, where I was only a few months back. It flys by so stick with it and reap the rewards is my only advice. 👍

Great work, now you just have to keep it off and keep that blood sugar under control. Congratulations on reaching this stage of your ongoing journey to a healthier lifestyle. 😀😀😀😀😀😀