My husband has been type 2 for 12 years and his entire family all have it. I have only recently been diagnosed as type 2 but not on any meds. You would think I should know more about type 2 because of hubby but he has never gone low carb or watched his sugar intake with the exception of Pepsi Max! Reading the BSD was a bit if a revelation. As I have only just read the book (finished last night) I have been making adjustments to our meals already, cutting out the ridiculous amounts of bread, rice, potato and pasta we normally gorge on. It will take a little time for hubby to adjust but he is determined to get some control over his eating as do I. The next grocery run is going to be very different!

It is great to have this forum to bolster you while you are on a life changing journey that will have good and bad days. As I have to lose half my body weight, I am worried about the long term – what I will do at the end of the 8 weeks, how will I stay motivated and on track? I am hoping the contributors here will be able to help me with advice and coping mechanisms for the long haul.

there are many stories here to draw from, my own experience is that once I got started it’s been much easier than I expected and the time has flown by.

I’m in week 8 myself and many people choose to continue beyond the 8 weeks. I’ll probably do that myself but allow a day here and there where I will have more calories but still stick to lower carb foods.

My advice would be to plan your meals, use an app to count your calories and carbs, search for recipes on here and elsewhere that you might like to try. I’ve really enjoyed some of the new things I’ve tried and it keeps my food interesting.

Good Luck to you both, I’m sure you will do well.

My first time on any of the forum threads, although I’ve read through many of them and will look to be inspired when I need it.

I’ve had a couple of false starts, but feel this is the time that I will persevere. I don’t have Diabetes, am overweight by around 8-10kg, but have reached a point where the way I look is less important than the way I’m feeling…bloated because I’ve eaten too much.

Now that we are into winter, I feel that soups will be good, but will need to be mindful of my bread “addiction”.

Latish at night here, so breakfast tomorrow is the start.

Best wishes to all…Marsie

Hi and welcome to all the new BSDers!!!

Soon this will all be so,so easy… I am in my eighth week already🙌… not stopping now, am going on until I have left behind every wobbly, stubborn unwanted pound ( or stone, kg, etc)…for good.

Will be looking out for updates on progress from all you guys!

Enjoy your day

Imogen🌻

I’m on day 4, and I’m defo posting a picture of my 6 pack once I’ve finished!

What wonderful support and good advice from this community! Thank you so much.

I have started this week and really tried to keep to 800 calories but I have symptoms I would assume be hypoglycaemia. I am not diabetic and not on any medication and have been really careful about no carbs but I wake up starving and anxious, then been dizzy confused and feeling faint and really hungry between meals. I have topped up with more water and raw cashews but that has taken me up to 1200 calories. Anyone else struggling with hunger and confusion? I have managed the 5/2 for a few months on less calories before but not sustained it as it has felt harder and harder as time goes on. Any advice appreciated.

Oh, rocky, very rocky! I’m such an emotional eater. OH to emergency this afternoon. First, hopefully last, TIA. While he was driving us on the freeway, so 100kph, took quite some doing from passenger seat to get us safely stopped. Luckily, he was coming good, so able to assist more, and I decided it would be quicker for me to drive him to hospital than wait for ambulance. Worked out ok but what did I do when I’d finally left him on the ward (hours later) and drove home? Ate and ate AND ATE!!

Tomorrow will be better…….

Its my first week too Fatnurse. – have you tried having oats or quinoa for breakfast? Not all carbs are bad – when you say no carbs do you eat oats, pot barley, lentils, beans? You need them to keep you going. I also eat yoghurt, seeds and small amounts of brown rice. Hope you feel better soon. X

I did it for 3 months (not a Angel on all days), I’m now 5 months on and love the recipes so I still use them (I’m still losing weight, slowly). My taste buds have changed and my favourite bought carrot cake, that I treated myself to last week – went in the bin after the first couple of mouth fulls (the sugar/taste was horrible) never to be seen in the house again. It all about tweaking and adding more recipes you like to your list

Really everything changes you won’t want to go back to old ways – its all about changing what you want to eat, not just cutting the calories. It a body re-programme.

Hi I am disabled and unable to do all the walking, sit ups etc (can do gentle swimming). Has anyone else got the same problem? Have you been able to lose, I assume at a slower rate?

Sassie,

It’s 80% about the food & 20% the exercise. As long as you are doing some exercise and trying to increase it a bit at a time then it will help, but its not the thing that will make you lose the weight, its about what you put in your body. The exercise is about not losing muscle and strength only.

Thanks that is reassurring

Thanks Bubbles. I had porridge and felt loads better but still couldn’t manage to keep under 1000 calories. Today I am not trembling and have had lengths of time not thinking about food.
I found protein pots in a “healthy” takeaway place. Such a relief to find something to eat while out that was not a sandwich and nice and also interesting not to be craving cakes while there. I could look at them and not feel like was missing out. Although strawberry and custard French pastries took quite a lot of willpower in the market today

Hope you’re feeling better fat nurse!!

I’ve just reached the end of day 2 after a previously aborted attempt at this a few weeks back.

I am currently pissing for England, in bed at 10pm, been on verge of a headache all day (but at least learnt from previous failure &paced myself through the day with paracetamol this time!).

It feels a bit extreme given its only 48hours since last ate carbs, but on the other hand I practically inhaled them (and very little else) on a daily basis, plus I went to the gym yesterday and swam today which might have an effect?

If I can make it through tomorrow that will officially be the longest I can remember going without chocolate (3days). Go go go go go!

Fat nurse, even at 1000 calories you will lose weight. People normally eat over 2000, so you still eating only half of what you are used to!

Keep trying 🙂

This is Day 1 for me after a few false starts. I’m not diabetic, but having read the book and watched related TV programmes I’m convinced that this is a good way to shift the 20lb I need to get rid of, and the summer is a good time to do it. I’m 64 yrs old with an expanding stomach which is probably hiding a multitude of problems, current or potential. My danger points are carb cravings, particularly in the afternoons, and the lure of alcohol in the evenings. Nice to meet other newbies here, and good luck everyone 🙂

Marsie that sounds terrifying! Both for your husband’s TIA (mini stroke) and then you having to stop the car from the passenger seat. I hope he is ok now.

Thank you Natalie. Yes, luckily for us it was indeed TIA and not a full-blown stroke. He is home now, only one night in hospital, but with a couple more tests as an outpatient. He didn’t sleep well last night, blaming the interruptions and noise on any tertiary hospital ward, but I’m sure the experience was on his mind. As it was on mine – every time I closed my eyes I saw the very close shaves we had. Must have given other motorists severe cause to pause!

Thanks again, Natalie. I’ve probably given you way more information than you needed.

To the point of these forums, I’m hanging by fingernails today – over the 800 before evening meal, but not a real binge as it was last night. Again, tomorrow will be a better day……

Hi FN don’t beat yourself up – 1000 calories is excellent, you are still going to lose more weight than you would at a fat club and lower your blood sugar. The first week is a killer and your body needs time to adjust to less food and carbs. You are doing really well and 1000 calories is an amazing success.

Good luck Steve, yes you don’t need to be diabetic and its all about a healthier lifestyle and you have chosen a brilliant programme to achieve it.

I had to attend a diabetic education programme today. Well I learnt only one new thing which was quite depressing; according to the diabetic nurse, apparently you can go into remission and reduce or completely stop meds but eventually you will need them! That was a shocker.

What they are teaching dieticians advising Type 2’s .. well when they tell you that it doesn’t matter whether you eat brown or white bread/pasta/rice and that if you are eating a sweet potato with a white potato then the sweet potato is treated as a vegetable, not a starchy carb – the 13 other people on the course were so confused.

The podiatrist nearly put me to sleep and all she talked about were the revolting cases she had to deal with – passed round a TOE NAIL! ( in a perspex box) which I refused to look at up close as from across the room it looked disgusting and massive!

I was younger than most of those who attended and only one had been Type 2 for more than a year, but I was surprised at the lack of knowledge – of things I would have thought they would have bothered to check – no one had been diagnosed less than 2 months ago I would have thought they would have taken an interest into the illness.

I did mention the BSD and several people asked me for the details but I tried not to undermine or question the dietician even though I found the whole experience rather condescending, uninspiring and learnt nothing new. Has anyone else been on one of these?

Oh dear – I went to one of those about eighteen months ago – are they still telling you to eat lots of low fat muck?

Yes I went on one 5 months ago and had just started the BSD diet that week. Half the group left after 2 hours, it was a all day thing and I learnt nothing only that they used to tell people to avoid eggs and now they are good. They practically laughed at me when I said I wanted to reverse it. Complete waste of time and money – not impressed with the NHS, the Doctor would have been better handing out the BSD book.

On a separate note Newbies, you have the experience to look forward to that I had yesterday. I’m 5 months on and 3 stone lighter than my all time high last year and more importantly no longer a Diabetic. 4 people said I looked great but probably needed fating up and not to loose anymore weight or I would look ill!!!!! I am a stone and a half within the bottom of the NHS guidelines for my height and feel fantastic, but would like to go a little lower. I remember reading someone else on this forum saying they had experienced the same thing and thought well that will never happen to me.

I find it amazing those people wouldn’t have said last year ” You look a little fat, maybe lose some weight” so why is it acceptable to comment the other way around on my weight? Maybe they think its a compliment to say you will look ill!!!!

Congratulations BSD on your great results! 3 stone lighter and now not Type 2?!!!

I think people suggesting you are too thin are those who’d like to lose a bit of weight themselves, don’t know how to do it, and are envious.

My OH is concerned that ‘his face will look too thin’, and I’ve been saying that when you feel fit and healthy, you look great and the perceived ‘thin-ness’ of your face doesn’t mean anything – you look slim and happy and healthy! He’s very happy to have got into a Medium shirt (used to be XL) and a pair of 34″ jeans (used to be 36/38) and to be honest that’s made him look much fitter anyway!

Adding my congratulations to BSD. Your journey and results are inspirational. Congratulations also to Igorasusual and your OH.

I believe you are right Igor in that looking happy and healthy outdoes any perceived thinness in the face. My observations suggest that body shape during weight loss seems to follow the line of gravity i.e. first lose around the face, chin, shoulders, and so on downwards….I’ve had some experience with that WW company and I observed often that once weight loss settled at a reasonable goal weight, after a period of time the body seemed to “regularise/stabilise” (for want of a better word) and facial thinness was not so noticable.

I hasten to add these are my own very amateur reflections, and I don’t think my short stays at goal level ever allowed my poor body to stabilise. Maybe this time I will be able to join so many of you at your 5 weeks, 8 weeks and so on….

Hi everyone.
Newbie from Australia here on day 4 and soooo hungry – when does it ease off? I am eating balanced carb, fats and protein according to what works for me and certainly wasn’t eating large meals before but sheesh the hunger is gnawing away at me and really trying to get my attention. Have 45kg to lose (sorry dont know what that is in lbs other than crikey thats a lot!). I have water or tea or hot water and lemon but it helps for only 10 minutes or so and chewing gum makes it worse.
Glad you are all here.

Hi Sooshie22,

Hang in there it does get better…sounds like carb withdrawal maybe?…drink loads of water…increasing the good fat in your diet may also help or a low vegetable or miso soup can help to fill you up without adding too many extra calories.

Hi Sooshie
I’m not too much help as I never really got a feeling grotty/hungry phase at the start – but as Imogen says, drink lots.
I read somewhere that drinking hot drinks is more filling – no idea if there is any foundation to that!

To help you understand so many people posting about lbs and stones , a kilogram is 2.2lb, and a stone is 14lbs

so your 45kg:
45 x 2.2 = 99lbs (yeah, less than 100!)
99lbs 14 x 7 = 98lbs, so 7 stone 1lb

about the same as me when I started – 4 weeks in, only six stone to go now!
Metric weights were being introduced when I was growing up, so I tend to think in both – more milestones to celebrate!

Good luck, hope you feel better soon, stick with it

Hi sooshie. The hunger does ease off. Steer clear of caffeine and keep going with hot drinks. I am only on week 2 but already amazed I can stand in the queue in the canteen and not be interested in the cake. Nuts are good for emergencies.

Hi Sooshie 22,
All good advice in the preceding posts. The only thing I did differently is I’d have nuts and seeds, only 30g, in a container for emergencies.
I also find 25 – 30g slice of cheese or a boiled egg great at keeping hunger at bay. If you’re doing Fast 800 remember to count the snacks in your daily 800.
Best wishes.

Week ten
Nothing moved in last three weeks
Up a pound down a pound up two etc
Gone off track a little but not terribly
One thing this does show is how easy it is to put it back on ,even the odd snack puts the pounds back
Amazing I wasn’t 40 stone with the foods i ate before !
Going away in two weeks so I tend to drop half a stone for when I go,it’s only a caravan holiday so I can control my eating there easily (I think)
Alanhypno struggling onward !

Hi Alanypho
that must be frustrating – but at least you know where you’ve been off track – I guess it indicates you will be able to sustain target weight when you get there.
Do use the two weeks before you go away to start getting back on track though, rather than thinking “I’ll start again in July” (sorry if that sounds preachy, but I know I’d be tempted to do that!) – set yourself a mini target of how much you think you can lose before you go away!
Good luck

Alanypho,

After my 8 weeks of sticking to the diet 800 without fail, I moved to a 8 week between 800-1200 and did the same as you up a 1lb down 1lb etc. However slowly it stuck down and then I went a bit further down and then up/down again and then the same all over again. Basically if you go off track it will still work, just more slowly and less consistent. 5 months on I am now starting an experiment of 500 for 1 or 2 days (that’s hard) and about 800 for 3 days and weekends not thinking about it at all (that’s also hard).

Everyone I think just needs to work out what will keep them on the straight and narrow for the future – I am still in that phase and paranoid I don’t want to go back or be labelled Diabetic again

How great it is to come onto the forums and see so many people offering support and advice from their own experience. Love you all.

Alanhypno, how annoying for you, and difficult to maintain focus. Is this going to be the sort of holiday where you will be walking more than usual. If so, you might find that to be a trigger for better results. I’m too new in this programme to offer any advice other than stick with it. Good luck.

Sooshie22, from another Aussie on day 4 and noticing hunger for the first time. No good trying to ignore the tummy rumbles, I’m trying to imagine them as ….oh I don’t know. ..music to dance to??? Best wishes with it as we plug on.

Cheers all,
Marilyn

Mr Frog
Thanks for those tips and yes I shall give myself a small target for my hols in two weeks.
When I reach it I WILL be two and half stone lighter than been in twenty plus years !
So hopefully it’ll be a lighter holiday
Cheers folks alanhypno

Re hunger pangs
Several years ago I had a hypnotherapy practice and I remember some of words I used in therapy were
Remember hunger is your friend
You will soon realise these feelings of hunger mean your are successful
Those feelings in your tummy between meals mean you are reaching your goals

This wasn’t meant as starving is good but the wording still sticks in my mind today,hunger pangs are rarely felt when you are overweight are they !
Alanhypno

Hi Alan glad you’re still going like me, it’s been about 10 weeks now and I feel I can stick with this long term, but acknowledge there will be times I eat more/off BSD a bit.

Interesting to know you used to practice hypnosis. I had some sessions many years ago, and although it helped in the very short term, once I stopped going, it didn’t last long. It was good in that she realised I had low self confidence/moral, and was trying to get me to feel better about myself.

I have got used to hunger pangs (previously unknown to me) I mentally welcome them, and say to myself it means this is working, and just somehow put up with them!! Which is just what you were suggesting.

Good luck with loosing another chunk of fat before your hols.When I went away recently I did go off BSD, but not half as much as my previous way of life. I am really trying now to say no to “bad” foods offered unless I decide i REALLY want it. Eating mindfully I suppose.

Thank you. Day one today. 🙂

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Have made a pot of vegie soup, have upped my herbal tea intake, having half of my lunch and save the rest for mid arvo snack, and am changing my attitude towards hunger (hello friend!). Had one day of about 1200 cals and find hunger isn’t an issue on that amount. But. It defeats the purpose of this for me.

Marilyn, which side of this huge island do you live on?

Hi Sooshie22, I’m in WA, Sorrento, one of Perth’s northern beaches. You?

Just back from a week away and have dropped weight have now lost 13kg in my first month – that is 2 stone!! I have a huge amount of weight to lose so probably losing a lot initially because of that but am so pleased. I fluctuated between 800 and 1200 calories per day while I was away and on the odd occasion up to 1400 calories but still lost. Hubby disappointed as he didnt lose any weight. I am delighted with the results so far and I only find it tough if I try to stick to 800 calories every day, so I vary it. It is important to weigh and measure what you are going to eat as the eye is a deceitful scale. Don’t try to guess on your carbs and fats.

SO well done, Bubblesdevere. Congratulations.

Thanks Marsie.
Some days are better than others. After 4 weeks I find I don’t crave sweet carbs as much but sometimes craving for salty snacks which is a huge change for me considering I ate a couple of cup cakes and other crap every day! Hubby feels hungry all the time but he has a lot more muscle mass than me and is quite active. Soup, boiled eggs and bean salads keep us both going. Being disabled doesnt help but so far so good.

Hi again Marsie. I am in Success, down the Kwinana Freeway 20 minutes. My email is sooshie22@bigpond.com. Would love to have a local buddie if you feel like chatting.

Thanks Sooshie22, I’ve just sent you an email.