As you say S-G I also feel that the longer we have been dieting the more used to operating on lower calories our bodies become! I have just weighed & have only lost 1.5 lbs but know I still haven’t managed to keep to 800 calories each day but have increased my step count although I suppose still rather sedentary with my replacement knee becoming sore when I am doing too much. I know I must tweak what I am doing to try to speed up my weight loss & now I am worried about my husband who over the last three weeks has lost weight when he should really be gaining some. He is six foot tall & has now dropped to 10 stone 13.5 lbs. He has Type two diabetes & has always had very skinny legs but I have suggested he contact our GP for a consultation because although he eats the same lunch & dinner as me he usually has seeds Greek yoghurt & kefir for breakfast & more fruit than me. He is now prescribed Empaglifiozin which reduces any excess circulating glucose which may also be having an effect & is the only obvious change to his diet or meds? I know we lose muscle as we age & he says he doesn’t feel any different but I think he should weigh 11.5 stone! He has very obviously kept off the two stone weight we both lost with the Blood Sugar Diet six or seven years ago👏👏 but I have regained some since then🤔
Oh well I suppose I just need to keep going & plodding away recording what I am eating & keeping track.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend 👍🤞🤞
Margaret xx

Hi all, my Renpho bodymass calculator has stopped working. I have tried to reset it without success but I am useless with tech so will disconnect and try to reinstall.

Becca you did so well that your body has had a shock. Normally we plateau or have a week with no loss after 3 or 4 weeks when our bodies decide it needs to work out what is going on. After 13lbs it has decided to do this earlier. Keep going as you are and it will see you are not going to starve it and the losses will return.

I like the way some of you are talking about being short. Well I am 4’11” and 72 years old. I am only likely to get shorter as my body shrinks.

Accidently did 40 mins exercise yesterday. I put on a different YouTube video which was supposed to be strength training for oldies and she was so boring I got fed up after 10 mins and we hadn’t even got into using the weights, so I put on my usual HipHopAbs with Shaun T and did a further half an hour.

I am finishing my after lunch coffee and going to do some cooking. Making my favourite soup – Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo and also making some courgette and parmesan crisps.

5 ft 0″ here too 😅

Re the conversation about weight in menopause, it was ‘the fast 800 menopause guide’ which I read that mentioned 200 calories less for maintenance after menopause- I got it from an advert on facebook- comment if you’d like to be sent this guide sort of thing- which was free- but of course highlighting the fast 800 as an approach (which we all like any way, obvs).

🙂

Hi everyone, considering the conversation on 200 cals less in menopause also reminds me that ‘they’ say older people need around 200 calories more. Funny thing is I often find I sit down to a meal and then cant face it.

Got my scales working. Went through uninstalling, reconnecting to bluetooth – it was always connected, and many more techie solutions. Then I came across someone who said take out one of the batteries and leave for 5 mins and replace. Did it and it now works. A bit like turn it off and turn it on again.

Anyway, because I got on to reset it I had a peek preview of my weight and it is looking okay. What is not looking okay are my body composition results. Nearly all are high or average although muscle mass is high but in the green, I assume having high muscles mass is good. The one I really dont like is my metabolic age at 79 when I am 72. At least I have a starting point now.

I am chatting to a prospective housesitter later today so fingers crossed. Although I have a further 2 lined up.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Thanks for the info on menopause calories, Tulip. I’ll see if I can find that booklet on The Fast 800 website to read it.

Sunshine, good job getting the scale to work again. I’ll remember that battery trick. Funny that you mention the metabolic age on the scale, because I have the same, showing 78 years old when I’m 71. I’m not surprised that I have it, being so overweight, but yours seems strange, since you are at a good weight. People often say not to trust or pay attention to all those things on smart scales, since they’re likely inaccurate, but I agree that it’s disconcerting to see that kind of thing.

It’s interesting how many of us are in our 70s and of short stature. : )

I’ve been working on formulating a menu plan that I can eat on repeat for those days when I just don’t want to have to come up with ideas or work out calorie math. I think it will be helpful for me. Low carb, lots of protein, just moderate fat, and foods I keep on hand.

Hi. Just joined and starting the 800 bsd from tomorrow. Excited and nervous. Welcome any advice. Thanks

Welcome JaneA, you have come to the right place to lose weight. I see you have no health problems besides limited mobility but that should not stop you losing weight. The diet is the main thing, exercise is a bonus.

You will find this diet has good quick results if you stick to it and the main thing is to cut out the white, bad carbs like rice, potatoes, bread, breakfast cereals etc etc. You will start to lose a lot of fluid and may even find yourself having to get up during the night, this is normal. Drink plenty of fluids to replace what you are losing. You might also want to add a little salt, just a taste on the tip of your finger if you dont eat any or have some on your eggs etc, it will help replace the electrolytes you are losing with the fluids. Yes, you will be hungry but try to use techniques that help you ignore it. A week or two in you will feel pretty grotty, this is known as carb flu and your body starts to crave them, don’t give in. Do treat yourself well and not expect to do too much during the early days, just relax.

So much more but that will do for now and you can expect lots of advice from the rest of the group. Good luck.

Hi everyone and it is time for my weekly weigh in. Lost 1lb, disappointed as that is not what I had lost when I caught a peek yesterday but hey ho, it is what it is. So 6lbs down. Also my BG was quite high at 6.5 (no not high high) so thinking about what I ate and all I can think is the readymade coq au vin in a jar. Looked on the label and it is all natural, no sugars, only chemical as such is aminodan. Could be that all the onions create a sweet base for the stew, just like onion soup is high in natural sugars. Still keeping on…

Saw someone the other day say they were doing the paid Fast800, for some reason cannot find it, but I just wanted to say that you can still use this platform and we would be interested in your experience.

Found a housesitter. It is a man on his own although his wife sometimes sits with him, he rides a motorbike and his wife is going to meet him in Spain as she wont get on the bike. They used to live in France and returned to the UK so there might be some scope for discussion, comparisons etc.

Have a great week.

Hi Sunshine Girl- it was me- just really needed an injection of something new and a planned structure-

I am LOVING THE APP!

Which is why I’m posting here more too as I’ve found that bit of extra motivation I was lacking- each week you get a full meal plan, and what’s particularly great for me is because I cook for a full variety of between 1 to 5 people, you can just quickly change the number of people on a recipe and it calculates all the quantity changes for you….you can also switch meals in and out from the recipe store, and of course if you’re already used to the Fast 800 you can do your own thing too for some, just sticking to the principles.

I’ve lost 3lbs week one and 2 lbs week 2- so I’m thrilled. I’m not a super-fast weight loser and I generally tend more towards 1000 cals per day- I’ve also caught a cold so I’ve been adding things like freshly squeezed orange juice, ginger and honey tea, and some unwanted but necessary throat sweets, but I’m sticking to great healthy choices, whereas often a cold would knock me right off the wagon- and other than the cold, I have lots more energy and feeling better because I am eating better again.

The app also has exercise videos of various levels and different learning each day- of course you’ll be familiar with lots of the info already but I do like the refreshers- and I exercise any way but I have been trying to incorporate some of theirs in too.

So, if it gets me back to a good weight, I’ll consider it a good investment- health comes first, and eating well and feeling good also make me hugely more productive in everything else too 🙂

Hello.

Tulip glad you’re finding the app useful. I may take another look myself. This week started well got lost in the doldrums in the middle but back on track at the end…. the result… an uninspiring 1lb loss! Anyway, will keep on keeping on…..

S-g glad you’ve found a sitter that must be a weight off your mind. You’ve done really well overall with 6lbs, thats almost half a stone! I keep forgetting this is a three month thread so am still in the mindset that we have just over a week to go before a new reset. But no that won’t happen! Need to get the head in gear!

I’ve been here for so many years but still finding ‘new’, well to me, ideas. I eat mashed cauliflower often. I tend to use fresh cauliflower and steam it. Occasionally I throw in some frozen broccoli florets and last night I also threw in some frozen spinach. Amazing, it makes a completely different dish and of course it gives me three of my 30+ a week all in one go! What’s not to like!

Hope everyone has a good week.

Hi all, been a bit quiet for a few days. I dont have much to report, I weigh daily and seem to be around the same as when I weighed on Monday, just a smidge under.

I too looked at the app and actually started to fill in the application for a 7 day free trial then reduced monthly fee (£29 I think) for 3 months. Then I realised it was the week before Christmas so not worth it. Having got back on the diet I decided I can do it myself and lost 7lbs in 2 weeks and I still follow a lot of the recipes and try to stay around 800 cals, low carb and TRE most nights, also exercise 3 times a week (mostly). Not only that but it was only 11 weeks to my cruise so I didnt have 3 months to spare. I might look again when we get back in April but I think I am still following the plan so closely that I can manage on my own. Good luck if it helps.

I put on YouTube to exercise and looked at a slightly different programme. Still ShaunT HipHopAbs but a 40 min workout instead of my normal 30 mins. Well it nearly killed me 🙂 . I had to stop after 30 mins and my only cool down was collapsing into the chair for 10 minutes.

Have a good weekend and I will try not to have a drink, been 18 days of sticking to the diet properly and saving a drink for my birthday.

selling post reported!

Also, SG- courgette and parmesan crisps sound exciting- do you have a recipe? 😊

Good morning everyone & a great weight loss Tulip & S-G & pleased you have found a house sitter & welcome Jane A.
I have just weighed & have lost 1.2lbs similar to you Verano. I am rather disappointed with how slowly I am losing weight now but I suppose I do need to become more physically active again. I thought that I had done so well last well doing TRE & fasting one day. I have now cleared out all carby temptations from my kitchen & am back to cooking from scratch which I admit is taking time to prepare, amend & plan shopping & daily meals. My knee is coping better with standing in the kitchen chopping & cooking which is good & I have been forcing my right knee to climb up & down stairs rather than continuing to rely on my left leg. I think it has taken me seeing a tv programme on health & pain speaking about how our brain can continue to use pain as protection when actually our body can be used through it as my physio said that I can’t break my replacement knee using it 🤔😀. Anyway my knee is more flexible & less sore now.
Oh well onwards & downwards everyone & I have one month until my family gathering now that I want to be slimmer for.
Good luck everyone for next week 🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Hi Margaret….

I always think that any loss is good- I think mine is just faster as I’m at the start of the diet again- the body is like, woah that’s different! It’s not that I was doing *none* of the WOE (breakfasts I kept to mediterannean: plain greek yog, berries, chia- or on weekends, pinhead oats porridge with apple and cinnamon, or berries and dark choc, with a bit of plain greek yog….although even then I had started to melt some 85% choc into every yoghurt breakfast)- but I was well off piste in other ways, especially as I built up into a frenzy of Christmas eating 😅 😅, and just feeling dreadful, tbh. I’m hoping that this feel-good factor will continue, because I do feel healthier and more energetic physically and mentally.

Hope your knee continues to come on in leaps and bounds, or possibly steps and larger steps 😉

I was off most exercise for a week as I had a cold but I managed a good walk yesterday and I am goimg to try a very gentle walk/ run (I’m doing C25K programme, but very very gradually)

xxx

Hi all, just had a sneaky peek at my weight as I felt thinner. Not declaring but it is looking good. Would have loved a couple of drinks last night but resisted and more determined now and will keep going until Monday and hopefully beyond. Not got eating plans until 2nd Feb.

Did 16 hour TRE.

Courgette crisps – thinly slice a courgette put in a bowl with a small amount of oil, sprinkle with garlic salt, lay out on a baking tray and place in oven. Good idea to put on a greased baking paper. Cook on a very low heat (150) for 15 mins until starting to crisp up then sprinkle with finely grated parmesan. Voila. So moreish. I also do it with sliced aubergine. When I am making aubergine (in place of pasta) lasagne I slice some about the thickness of a pound coin and stick in the airfryer or oven for 10 or 15 minutes. I do this because the dont always cook right through when layered up in the lasagne. What I have left over I slice a bit thinner and do what I do with the courgette but with oil and cumin or a bit of chilli powder. Yum.

Thank you- sounds delish! 🙂

Tulip, I forgot to say, after you sprinkle with parmesan you put them back in the oven for the cheese to melt. Stupid of me to forget.

Got my usual Sunday morning upset stomach. Always hope it means I will lose more weight as been on the loo 7 times already. Sorry if that spoils your brunch.

Cant wait for next Sunday when I am going to try on my holiday dresses, see if anything needs taking up, which I can do myself unless it is a lot on my sequinned dress as it is possible the sequins will start to unravel without professional care. En verre (we will see).

Afternoon all,
Just touching base as I am, once again, struggling!
I have lost half the weight I put back on over Christmas, which is great…BUT….
When I started the BSD back in the summer of 2024, I managed to cut out all the bad carbs, with husband’s full co-operation! So no temptation in the house..and after the ‘onset’ cravings for sugar and carb didn’t have a real problem sticking to the diet.
Having relaxed my strictness over Christmas, and with husband wanting to eat the ‘bad’ things, I am really struggling with the cravings!
I have slipped every day in the last week, compounded by having a very bad cough, so feeling very sorry for myself! I have been unable to resist slices of toast, or porridge, or( the worst) yesterday I demolished half a box of Border Boscuits! Husband doesn’t hide his food!!
Without the motivation of needing to lose loads of weight and get shot of diabetes, I need to find strength or I will slump back into diabetes and weight gain!
Sorry !! After all the support you gave me, I need to find even more motivation!
Xx
I hope you are all doing ok and moving forward into 2026!

Hello.

For some reason I don’t get the notifications on this thread! So I just pick up the new messages as and when.

S-g fingers crossed for Tuesday. BTW what’s so special about Sunday mornings that mean you have an upset stomach?

Pootle the first round is always the easiest partly because the ‘health issue’ is a huge motivator. After that it becomes a little more difficult. Don’t despair. You’ve lost half of your Christmas gain. You don’t have to lose the other half in a week or even a month. Just pace yourself. Leave the really carby stuff alone and you will lose you extra pounds without too much effort.

My week had been better than last week which is all I can ask for. Tuesdays weight in will be the real test of how this week has been!

Hi, all. have been hesitant to post because, although I am still working on weight loss, I haven’t been sticking to the 800. My daily calories are cycling up and down a bit, within a range of 900-1250, still low carb. I’m feeling better with a few more calories, and the weight loss seems to be slowly progressing as long as I stay consistent about tracking my food. It’s an interesting learning process.

Since I’m not really sticking to the 800, not sure if I should continue to post, as I don’t want to be a distraction to those who are keeping to the straight and narrow. Then again, I suppose some of you others aren’t really staying rigid with the 800, either, but just figuring out what works best for you.

Anyway, best wishes to all! Not much left of January!

Becca

Hi Becca- truthfully I rarely only eat 800 calories….I run at totals similar to you- the weight loss I guess is slower- but it’s all super healthy food so I know it’s good for my body-
so definitely stay, we all have to find what works for us 🙂 🙂

Becca, if everyone who exceeding the 800 cals was to leave I would be here on my little lonesome, and even I would have to leave on some days. We dont care what plan you are following or whether you are able to stick to it, just being here keeps your thoughts on the right track. I am pretty sure the 5:2 allows unlimited (within reason) calories on 2 day and some people who cannot manage 5 days of 800 then switch it to 4:3 or whatever suits them. I know you wont mind my saying but I think your body can still lose weight on around 1000 or even 1200 – that is still a big reduction in what most people eat who are not on a diet. If you think some of us are angels and always behave, then think again. I must say that I have been ridgedly strict since 5th Jan and around 8 to 900 cals and no alcohol for 21 days (a miracle for me) but I have such good reason trying to get my diabetes under control. I would rather you tried your best and slipped up or went a bit over than not post which will lead to you giving up. So no more talk of not posting. Finally, as you have ditched the carbs you are already cutting pointless calories and eating a healthy diet.

It was my weigh in today and I have lost a measly 2/3rds of a pound. Verano, I puzzled at your wishing me luck for Tuesday but I read on and think it is because that was always our weigh in day. Maybe I will go back to Tuesdays and let you know my weight tomorrow 🙂

You asked about Sundays and my stomach. I have no idea but every Sunday while I am eating a brunch of 1 egg, canned tomatoes, either bacon or sausage and grilled mushrooms, I start with diarrhea. Then it would start even before I sat down to eat and it lasts all day. It is nothing to do with my Saturday diet as that is always different (chicken curry this week – steak and salad last week etc) and the only thing that stops it is 2 Imodium on Saturday night. BTW I also have the same effect when I do my supermarket shop. As soon as we start walking round I just have to go. It could be psychological in that if it happened once and then again my body then expects it to happen. However, it is a bloody nuisance. Great way to start the weeks discussion.

Have a good week everyone and, just for V I will weigh again tomorrow.

Reported Heleena

Thanks, Tulip and Sunshine, I appreciate the understanding! I’m still going to try to gradually move the calories down, and try to insert at least a couple 800-ish days a week.

Sunshine, I thought the 5:2 was only two very low calorie days and five maintenance calorie days? I remember first learning about it after Michael Mosley’s documentary called, “Eat, Fast, and Live Longer.” Always wondered how he put his diabetes into remission and lost 20 pounds after just a couple months of doing that plan, especially since he wasn’t even doing a low-carb diet.

Speaking of surprising results, was also surprised that Dr. Roy Taylor had such great diabetes remission results in The Newcastle Study using the Optifast shakes, since they are not low-carb, either. Apparently his belief is that it comes down to calories more than macros.

I was keeping my carbs under 20, but now I’ve changed that limit to more like 30-40. It has helped me to allow a small slice of thin whole grain toast each day – I use Dave’s Thin Powerseed Bread, which has 12 gm total carb and 3 gm fiber, so 9 net carbs. That’s in the US, so not sure where else it is available. I had also tried the low-carb tortillas, but they messed with my stomach, and to be honest, I don’t quite believe that you can just add some extra fiber to a high-carb food and suddenly make it low carb. I would think the fiber has to be naturally present in the food.

Have also been mixing a low-carb protein shake with a little tub of unsweetened yogurt for breakfast, blending them up together. Very satisfying and satiating, and 42 gm protein. I’m aiming for quite high protein, and that drink helps a lot.

I haven’t been eating fruit, and do miss that, so may add back a little bit when things come more into season, like plums and apricots. Vegetables, I don’t get enough, and need to work on that.

Would love to hear what kind of a food balance everyone else is eating.

Oh, one final thing, S-G, I’ve been working on getting the A1c down, also. I was up to 7.5 (US numbers) this time last year (diabetic), and most recent test I was down to 6 (prediabetic), so hoping I can keep lowering that with weight loss, and get off the metformin soon, which also messes with my stomach. : /

Thanks again for welcoming me to stay and post, it means a lot to have this support system and friendship! –Becca

You are right Becca, I have never looked into 5:2 but thought it was 5 on 2 off but it do think the 5 days are around 800 and the 2 days drop down to 500 cals.

Glad that you have mentioned you are diabetic. Makes it all the more important to keep the carbs low and 50g is a good level to aim for. I personally can manage 20g for one day then run out of ideas of what to eat. As for fruit, I usually stick to berries or apples/pears but unless you are eating something really sweet like mango, I dont think some fruit does much harm, might just put your carbs up for the day. I have had some pineapple chunks today and, although they are not considered bad for BG they are very high in carbs. A little of what you fancy as they say.

Ah Becca, so glad to hear you feel reassured and will stay with us! My aim also is to get some days nearer 800 but it takes me a while to work down to it.

Becca/ SG….as I understand it, the original 5:2 was 5 days of eating healthy diet but not calorie counting and 2 days of 500 calories for women and I think possibly 600 for men….over time MM realised that 800 was some kind of sweet spot: still great for a fast day but more sustainable than 500- so then you got the new 5:2 (2 days of 800 calories, which actually I believe can be 800-1000) and also the BSD/ fast 800….

hilariously I did try the original 5:2 back in the day, but only skim read the book- really really must have skim read the info as I was doing 500 cals but just not really thinking what and then the other days eating to my usual appetite and style- i.e. eating like a horse- I actually managed to gain instead of lose weight 😅😅

It wasn’t until the even greater weight gain and onset of pre-diabetes post-covid illness in 2020 that when the diabetic nurse suggested the BSD- I actually properly read that book before starting and realised that what I was eating was as important as the lower calorie days…..I have rarely felt as well physically and mentally than when I stick to this WOE.

🙂 🙂 🙂

Interesting about your 5:2 experience, Tulip – I never actually tried it because I knew I’d likely eat too much on the 5 days, especially if I wasn’t tracking. I’ve finally learned over the years that tracking is pretty much the only way to keep myself accountable. Otherwise, my tendency is to just graze all day and night, and that historically included a great many carbs, especially sweets, hence my extremely overweight body and the previously high A1c. Not sure if it was actually diabetes or just a reflection of all the sugar floating around in my blood from whatever I’d been eating.

I have read that some people have a lot of success with 5:2, though.

Sunshine, you were right in what you pointed out about how even if I’m eating 900-1200 calories, I’m still eating well below what most people on the calorie-counting boards consider to be healthy, even though I’m an older, shorter, very sedentary woman. I don’t know who created the line about “never go below 1200 calories,” but I’d venture to guess that most of us on this board are getting far better nutrition than a lot of those mainstream higher-calorie dieters, and thus will probably do just fine staying under 1200. I know I’m eating a lot more protein now, for example, than I used to in my more abundant-eating days.

Speaking of protein, though – I MUST cut back on the cheese. I’ve been overdoing it, and it won’t be doing my cholesterol any good.

S-g yes that sounds really odd maybe as you say it’s psychological!

Well almost the end of January and I have at last had a ‘good’ week. I’m back to doing 30+ a week and it’s forcing me to add variety to my meals and also adding much more fibre to my diet with nuts and seeds. I’ve found a lovely mix of seeds with dried goji, cranberry and blueberries. So I’m having two meals a day and on my ‘yogurt’ days I add a passion fruit, maybe 4 walnuts and a teaspoon of mixed seeds and a teaspoon of seeds and another fruit. I find that keeps me full until dinner. I must admit I’m really enjoying adding fruit back into my diet. I missed it very much.

Hope everyone is keeping motivated and hope you have a good week.

Well V, looks like weighing on a Tuesday makes no difference, still weigh the same today. If I remember right, being in France the shops are shut on a Sunday so in order to top up my ‘diet’ cupboard/fridge I did a big shop on the Monday and therefore didnt have the right foods in to start until Tuesday. Now I always have the right foods in so I just got over the weekend after New Year and started on a Monday. Really feeling like having a little cheat but will try my hardest not to 🙂

I dont know who remembers but I started drinking Yerba Mater tea as it is supposed to mimick GPL-1 (the ozempic effect) and I said I would report back. Well I have thrown it away, it tasted awful and didnt seem to do anything. Just another hype, although I am disapponted as the tip came for Dr Ben Bikman.

Sorry s-g but guess we just pick the day that suits us best to weigh. I think Tuesdays go back to my WW days in the dim and distant past. Tuesday was my ‘club’ night.

You know when I think about it ‘Twiggy’ has an awful lot to answer for! Stick insect wearing mini skirts who we all wanted to look like. Never in a million years would I have looked like that but it started a lifelong ‘diet’. Although I do weigh daily and still keep a weekly log I realise that ‘feeding’ my body, good healthy, unprocessed food, with lower carbs, is what I really need to do now to stay healthy. Yes, I do need to lose weight but it will be secondary to ‘feeding’ my body. It actually feels quite liberating

S-g BTW do you journal?

I started to use ‘notes’ on my iPad to write down everything I eat, time of day etc. and weight the next day. Sounds obsessive but I find it helpful. I think if you ‘fancy’ something that’s not exactly on your plan, because you have to write it down, you’re less likely to go completely off plan. Writing down 1 biscuit, 1 or 2 glasses of wine etc. helps to stop a binge…. 8 biscuits is really hard to log!!! Also it gives you a little non-judgemental ‘treat’ which I really don’t think does any harm in fact I think it helps to keep to your diet generally healthy.

Hi Verano, I have kept a journal since July 2024. I record my daily weight (I have to weigh every day or I tend to think I can get away with too many treats) my fasting BS, taking asthma meds and blow test as well as everything I eat and time eaten. Also BS 2hours after food occasionally! For about 14 months I also measured all foods and recorded the calories, carbs, etc. It really kept me motivated.
At the moment I have a really bad flu like bug despite having the jabs, so I have decided to restart when I have recovered!
I won’t measure everything but I will cut out all bread, pasta, potato and rice again as, I believe, that was instrumental in getting the diabetes under control.
I am 66 this year and 5’ 4” tall… still a size 12/14 😄 down from size 22/24 …😄
Hope everyone is doing ok.
K xx

Hi V, no I tried to journal in the blood sugar book by Jason Fung and found I wrote the same things everyday and was soon bored. I do however log my daily weight, BG, insulin and exercise but just as numbers not with a journalling type story.

When I am back in the healthy eating weight loss zone I write everything into the ‘my fitness pal’ app- it’s not perfect and I don’t have the paid version so I do get some ads, but I’ve been using on and off for quite a lot of years- maybe as much as 8 years…so I have a lot of saved bits in there. When I decide it’s time to get back on it I start logging whatever I eat and agree with Verano- that is already a deterrent and usually quite a shock as to how much and how many of the wrong things I’ve been eating (as well as some good stuff- my breakfasts have stayed pretty much on plan in terms of the right foods throughout, altho portions tend to go up a bit).
I also do daily weighs to keep on track like Pootle (and when I have been off plan and not weighing I lose all sense really)- I record in fitbit app and at the moment also in the fast 800 app- and weekly into a journal log on phone notes and currently also done waist measurement and goals for that and weight in my log and in the fast 800 app, and I always have a goal set in fitbit and myfitnesspal apps anyway- they sync with each other even tho one does food and one does fitness tracking and weight. Strava also syncs to fitbit so if I run (or run walk) and record that on my watch- it records in both fitbit and strava. Absolutely love tracking stats, I find it hugely motivating 🙂

I have just remembered that I did a very long blog which I guess is what is called journalling. I used to be on a site called Sparkpeople and they were closing down the non paying contributions, so I copied what I had written over the time on my diet from day one and reproduced it here. If you want to take a look it is called 5 Years of BSD- A blog of memories. It should be especially of interest to newbies – just how scared I was on day one and the promises I hope for with so many scammers offering ‘cures’ for diabetes I was so unsure that this diet would work. Hence, coming up to 10 years I know it does.

I also log on Myfitnesspal.

S-g I just re-read your blog.

WOW it resonates!

It was really good to re-read your blog. How far have you, we, come!!!! I’ve even copied one of my responses to remind me of why we keep on keeping on ……..

I just think to way back when we were ‘guinea pigs’! Yes we took, in my opinion only a small chance, but nonetheless a chance on a new possibly ‘crackpot theory’. But hey it worked.

If nothing else the BDS, plus other findings, made me rethink my entire diet. I now try to eat no UPFs, only grass fed beef, organic chicken and lots of vegetables together with some fruits and pulses a few legumes each week. I don’t find it easy. It’s so much simpler to go to the freezer and grab a, b or c but I don’t.

I have to say I think, but can’t know, that my health generally is much better now than it would have been if I’d just kept eating a ‘normal’ diet.

Yes V, it really takes me back. Most people now come on this site and do the BSD like it is accepted and that is great but when we started no one had ever been so daring as Prof Taylor and then Michael Mosley to even suggest that diabetes could be put into remission or reversed. I remember reading all those ads that pop up, an island in the Pacific where they never get diabetes because they eat this berry or that root, this cure or that cure that I knew were all lies – all a load of rubbish. It used to leave me crying thinking no matter what I try nothing worked. Well this does and we are proof of it.

You have managed to reverse your diagnosis and be med free. As for me, I am in a much better situation than 10 years ago. Medically I should now have failing kidneys, eye problems, degenerative diseases. I look at the time when I lost the feeling in my big toes and my doctor said that was it, once its gone its gone. Not any more, only a couple of months of this diet and I have no neuropathic problems. Also on much less medication even though I am still diabetic – I just dont have to staying power to go without everything forever, because that is what it can take. I am always low carb, do TRE and exercise mostly 3 times a week. For me it is the insulin that keeps me diabetic. Remember that, anyone whose doctor suggest insulin as a simple answer – it is not, it is forever for most people.

Hello everyone & I have just weighed & unfortunately gone up in weight gaining 1.2 lbs which I find very disappointing. However S-G your last message is very inspiring how the Blood Sugar Diet has helped you. I have just asked my husband who has Type 2 Diabetes if his toes have recovered feeling but unfortunately not although his medication, not on insulin, has changed & reduced & he has maintained his weight loss over six years & he is well with no other health problems.
I realise how I still need to reduce my daily calories to achieve any weight loss which I am struggling with at the moment & it is frustrating because I have only lost two pounds since Christmas 🤔
Oh well I will keep trying & plodding on & am back making homemade soups which are delicious!
I hope everyone has a good weekend & next week.
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, jumped on the scales this morning and I am still the same as last week. That is good as I had a weird day yesterday. Had very low BG during the night so got up and ate some pineapple chunks and a werthers original. Had very little sleep so stayed in bed until 10am. I had to have breakfast as I was still running low but couldnt face lunch but made myself a tuna sandwich – yes, real bread, only one slice. Later in the day I still felt shakey so I had another slice of bread with the rest of the tuna. Friday is fish night as we had bought shop made (hand made by the shop not mass produced) cod in batter, so I had that, minus the batter with a salad. But I kept snacking on cold meats through the evening. So I was glad when I weighed the same. Anyway, I guess these things happen.

Margaret I am sorry you are having such low weight loss. I dont know if you can work out if it is something you are doing – keeping a food diary etc. Glad you hubby is keeping the weight off. The fact he still has neuropaphy in the toes is not good but without the diet and the effort he has put in he (and me) could be without those toes or even lost a foot. We are doing this for our own good.

Tomorrow I am going to try on 3 new evening dresses, not for fit but for length, so I want to still be good tonight and maybe lose a bit more just so they look better.

Tried on 3 dresses. 2 look quite good, need to be a bit slimmer. But one just shows too much back-fat. Dont even think losing another half a stone will make it any better. I could wear it with a little bolero jacket but not on its own. Hey ho, Ill just add it to all those other clothes that dont fit. Good news is they dont need taking up.

Happy February, everyone.

Denise, that’s a bit scary about the low blood glucose. I’m glad you did what you needed to do. Glad it went well with your dress try-on, too.

Margaret, I understand the frustration with the scale. I have no loss to show for the last 3 weeks, so my loss in January all came from the first week, aside from one additional fraction of a pound. I had mentioned previously that I was staying between 900-1200 calories, which certainly seemed low enough to continue losing, but apparently not. The mathematics of weight loss is mind-boggling.

At the end of 2025 (October 15 to December 15), I lost 30 pounds in 2 months by sticking close to 800 calories and staying low carb. I was motivated by my upcoming labs, and it paid off with good labs and a huge weight loss that very much surprised me. I really didn’t like losing that fast, though. My skin got extremely saggy and wrinkly-looking, more so that normal.

Over the last 2 weeks of December I did not go crazy, but did take a break from tracking calories and allowed myself carbs, and weight went up 10 pounds in 2 weeks. Again, didn’t really make sense math-wise.

That weight gain must have been largely water weight from the added carbs, because when I restarted low carb on January 1, I lost 13 pounds that week.

Since then, even though my calorie level should have had me losing almost 2 pounds a week (per a supposedly very accurate calculator that takes all my details into account), my weight has zig-zagged up and down and basically stayed the same.

Now, with my annual physical 3 weeks away, I’m wondering if I need to go back to 800 calories and 20 gm carbs until I get more weight off. I’m starting to really believe that 1200 calories may be my maintenance level given how sedentary I am (and short, and in my 70s), and that I’m extremely insulin resistant after all these years. I may let myself have one maintenance day per week to reassure my body and keep the weight going down rather than stalling.

Will report back on my February progress or lack thereof. Continued good luck and best wishes to everyone.

Tulip, meant to ask, how are things going with the app?

Hi Becca, I’m still loving the app- it’s giving me lots of new cooking inspiration and making it easier to plan 🙂 Bonus also lots of vegetarian/ vegan meal ideas and as I have one lactose intolerant young adult and one vegetarian teen to feed along with the usual (plus my hubby is doing a low fodmap diet)- it’s helping with those things too. xx

Thank you Becca & I am also having trouble lowering my calories & am averaging around 1100 daily calories over the week but went a bit mad over the weekend having more to eat & wine plus puds with my meals. I am recording my calories on Nutracheck which suggests a minimum calorie count of 1200 daily calories which is ridiculous for me because I seem to inhale calories just by looking at food 😂. I must obviously really try to cut back to 800 daily calories & reduce my carbs although I am not diabetic but of course carbs encourage fluid retention 😢 I am playing short mat bowls today so some exercise & increased step count😀
Oh well keep on going everyone it is worth it 🤞🤞🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Hi all, sorry I have been awol for a few days. What has been going on. Well I ruined the weeks diet by having a few drinks on Sunday and gaining 2lbs the next night I went to the quiz night and had a meal and a few glasses of wine and lost 1lb, btw we won again.

Monday I decided to look for an appointment for my mammogram (every 2 years) and had a heck of a job understanding the computer instructions – one, they are in French, 2 I dont do computers. I had tried ringing for an appoint but it just directed me to website. Anyway after a few false starts and managing to scan and download my ‘prescription’ I got directed to the wrong radiographer, one several miles away. Tried again and the only appt was for Tuesday 3rd Feb. I thought it must be a mistake as there were no other appts available until October. Finally booked it so yesterday was a booby squeezy day. I could see why no appt till October as the clinic is being demolished and rebuilt. I must have found the one and only appt possibily a cancellation. Thats that done for another 2 years unless I move back to the UK where they stop at age 70 – here it is 75.

Tonight we are going to the cinema to see Hamnet – hope it is as good as they say. And yes, my weight is down again but it is a zero loss from last week. I have 47 days to the cruise so just under 7 weeks – still hopeful but have to get my birthday out of the way first.

Hope you are all doing okay.

Denise, glad you got an appointment and have that out of the way. Sounds like it was a confusing mess for you trying to get it, though. I have to get my mammogram in a few weeks, as well. It’s not quite as scary as it was back in 2012 when I had a tumor (tumour) removed, but does still make me a bit anxious. I’m not sure how long they continue to offer mammograms here in the states.

Tulip, I truly don’t know how you manage to create all those different types of meals. Hats off to you. Hope they all appreciate it.

Margaret, sounds like you and I are in the same position with needing to go below the calorie level that is deemed as “safe” in order to take weight off. I truly wish someone would do a study and write a book geared toward us shorter, older, sedentary women, especially those of us like myself with a great deal of weight to lose and unable to do much exercise. Anyway, I’m back to aiming for the lower calories this week and will see how it goes.

ah Becca- finding a meal that fits all 5 family members’ requirements and that we all actually like it….the holy grail 😅