Hi, I’m just about to start. I have high fasting bsl and lots of issues with eating fats. I’m on statins, and have cvd. I’m not overweight but I am tubby round the tummy. I tried the Atkins diet some years ago and my overall cholesterol went to 16. So I’m cautious about eating too many eggs or fats. Possibly familial hypercholesterolaemia!
My challenge is how to adapt the BSD to suit me. I’d like to eat a bit more complex carbs and a bit less fat but follow the general principles. GP has advised against fasting due to my family diabetic genetic load. She felt my metabolism would not react well and blood sugars would go all over the shop.
She did recommend I looked at the BSD. So here I am. Not quite sure where to start but determined to get 7kg down and 10cm off the waist

It would be worth clarifying with your family doctor exactly which type of fasting they are advising against, and exactly what about Dr Michael Mosley’s ‘Blood Sugar Diet’ they are recommending.

Dr MM and his wife Clare Bailey suggest consuming around 800 calories a day, lower carbohydrate Mediterranean-style, on the current version of both the BSD and the Fast Diet. IMO your needs are a good fit for their current plan, The Fast 800.

Important in healthy cholesterol levels is the type of fatty acids consumed, inc. more long chain omega-3s (oily fish) and inc. fewer omega-6s (some nuts and seeds, some vegetable oils). Fats from pastured/ grass fed/ organic outdoor/ wild game birds and animals have a healthier fatty acid profile than intensively reared birds and animals.

A lower carbohydrate Mediterranean-style diet limits low nutrient, extracted or processed animal fats (cream/ butter/ lard/ processed meat products) whilst retaining more complete, nutritious sources (oily fish/ whole organic eggs/ Greek yogurt/ traditional cheeses).

HTH!

My Dr said not to do intermittent fasting, ie one day low cals. She felt my blood sugars would rise due to the genetic predisposition. She was looking at the BSD in terms of complex carbs and reduced calories to lose weight and to reduce insulin resistance. I’ve looked at the recipes and feel there is too much fat for my hypercholesterolaemia. I’ve decided to follow Jennie Brand Miller’s low GI diet. That will allow me more healthy fats than I currently consume but also more complex carbs than in the BSD. I didn’t realise it was a keto diet. I have carotid artery stenosis from a keto diet when the cholesterol went to 16.
I wish you well though. Just this BSD diet isn’t good for my genetic predisposition. Lost loads of weight and got great hb1ac from being a low fat vegan. Bloody hard diet that one though.

Jenbes, I too have familial high cholesterol and was running at 8.2 before this diet and on 60mg of statins. When I moved to France I was diagnosed with T2, still very high cholesterol and high blood pressure. My cholesterol levels fell a little due to diabetes medications but still running at around 6.0. 3 months into this diet my cholesterol was 4.8 and statins at 40mg. Now cholesterol is 4.2 and no statins. This diet does a lot more than reduce BG and my doctor couldn’t believe it when I said I ate full fats and kept testing me every 3 months along with my HbA1c. The fats we eat are not fatty meats or chicken skins or high fat processed meats like sausages and bacon. They mainly come from good oils (Olive Oil, Rapeseed Oil) for dressings and cooking, oily fish, avocados, nuts etc. I no longer have low fat yoghurts or low fat cheeses but full fat Greek yoghurt and full fat cheeses. The cheeses are eaten in moderation and I also use butter having given up on the margarines that promise to lower cholesterol – they dont work. Even being allowed to have the fat stuff I still eat it in moderation and, for example, as I dont eat bread I therefore dont spread butter, I dont eat potatoes so no butter there either. I use a small amount to scramble eggs but that is about it. So saying this is a high fat diet is not strictly true, it is a diet that allows good fats.