I’m hoping to start this diet, I’m just wondering if it’s attainable by just sticking to a fairly simple meal plan. Omlettes, scrambled eggs. Meat and veg dinners (eg broccoli, carrots, peas and some kind of seasoned chicken breast) Fairly basic stuff.
I suppose I’m a bit of a fussy eater because very few of the recipes in the bsd book appeal to me. Not only that I work 60 hours a week so don’t have masses of time to prep and cook more complicated meals.

So what do you think, can it be done?
Is anyone else in a similar boat to me who can suggest some good snack ideas (for when I’m at work)

Thanks

Hi flatline, many of us here dont bother with the recipes and what you describe is a sensible approach to the plan. Eat the food and meals you like, leave out the starch and add lots of veg. I personally like a lot of the recipes but have been ‘dieting’ for so long I have become pretty good at making adjustments to any recipe. Good luck and shout up if you have any more questions.

Hi Flatline
I am in the same position as you. I can’t be bothered making complicated recipes. My diet has been pretty much what you take, although I am also eating quite a few salads.
I have lost 4.6 kg in a week. Incidentally, I find kg less depressing than pounds and stones!

I never used any of the recipes, although always intend to do some of them when I get some of that free time as they do look tasty, and reached my ambitious target successfully. The important thing is to keep enough variety of vegetables in the diet that you get a good amount of fibre and trace minerals to keep you healthy. Trying to add some of the other book ingredients like chia seed or flax seed helps the fibre content as well, as helping avoid constipation. At it’s simplest the diet simply tries to cut out over processed and sugary food and limit quantity and timing of meals. Avoid the ‘white stuff’ anything with added sugar and snacking and you will be most of the way there. You will have to weigh and measure everything though to make sure you are sticking to the calories.

Thanks everyone,
Glad it’s not just me. I will stick to what I know but cut out the pasta, potatoes, bread etc. And load up on other veggies.
Today is my fresh start after failing miserably with the recipes on Saturday. I guess meal prep is key here as well.

As a vegetarian I couldn’t follow the recipes anyway. – I started by cutting out all the “big whites” bread, pasta, rice, etc. Then moved on to just using myfatsecret app on my mobile phone. Using it to enter what I was thinking of eating to check what the carb impact would be and tried to aim for around 30g of carbs a day.

JGwen .. I too find it difficult to follow the recipes as sooo many of them are meat, fish and egg based and I dont eat any of these.
As a vegetarian Ive given up the bread, potatoes etc but dont know what to eat to go low carb.
Would you mind sharing what do you eat to keep carbs as low as 30g a day?

Hi Rose,
I do have a ready supply of eggs from my own hens, so scrambled eggs, or Spanish omelettes are a couple of my fall back meals, as well as hummus and radishes or celery. I also like stir fries with tofu, or stick some veg in a casserole dish, cook lightly in the microwave and then melt cheese over them. Or baked cheese with veggies.

Once I got rid of the big whites my appetite started to drop and after a while it became easier to have just a couple of eggs scrambled for a late lunch and save all my carbs for milk in coffee and the main meal of the day.

Wow, how do you stick to 30g carbs? I have an apple for a snack later today, I just checked MFP and it says its 22g carbs. How is this attainable?
With the apple, a veg frittata and a chicken (100g) and veg lunch I’m at 50g carbs already and I still have 300 calories to eat.😮

Hi flatline, and welcome! I’m another of the crowd of experienced BSDers here. A great many of us never
used the recipes in the book, kept our meals quite simple, and stayed <20g carbs a day. By doing so I
was rewarded with fast and consistent weight loss, ultimately losing 10 stone over a 10 month period.
That was 21 months ago, and I’ve kept it off by never returning to bad white stuff. This way of eating is
miraculous and life changing 🙂 In terms of carbs, we achieve the low carb numbers by avoiding all fruit
with the exception of a small handful of berries, and all vegetables that grow below ground. Try to avoid
snacking, and only eat 3 meals (or 2, if that suits you) a day. Aim for 2-3 liters of water each day..it really
facilitates weight loss! Best of luck to you 🙂 If you have any questions or concerns, just shout out and one
of us will come running!

Allie

Thank you JGwen, for some great suggestions … Ive just done my online shopping and ordered cottage cheese, tofoo, and hummus… aswell as lots of veggies 🙂

Alliecat … Wow! Congrats on your awesome achievement, thats a very impressive weight loss. Well Done!
I like your tip on keeping meals simple, I shall take this on board.
Did you find it easy to lose weight on only 20g carbs?

I DID, Rose! I arrived at 20g of carbs after experiencing an 18 day plateau, with nothing showing on the scales.
I did more research, and adjusted my levels downward to <20g. Once that occurred, I immediately went into
ketosis, and experienced the most wonderful surge in energy! From that point on, I reliably lost .5lb. a day, or
3.5lbs per week, from beginning to end. The few occasions when I included wine over a weekend. the Tues.
weigh in showed a gain of 1.5lbs, so I quickly gave that habit up for the duration. Everyone of us reacts
differently however, so what we each have to share is purely anecdotal. I’ve been posting for a fairly long
time on the forum, and I’ve come to the conclusion that a loss of a stone a month is fairly average for those
who choose to be strict with the carb counting. Those that don’t will get to the finish line too, but perhaps
not as quickly. The very best to you, Rose! I’ll be following your journey!

Allie

Ooh Allie, you’re such an inspiration!
So you’ve been posting on the forum a long time … I’d love to read about your journey and your food diary… did you post these on the forum too ?
I cant wait to get that surge in energy too, I’ve been so stuffed with carbs for years I could do with a new lease of life!
Sorry for so many questions but can I just count the daily carbs and make sure theyre about 20g or is it important to count calories and fats also?
Do the carbs in veggies count towards the 20g?
Rose x

Rose, I’m assuming that you’re in the UK, so a very good morning to you! I’ve noticed that you joined the
community previously so welcome home. Being a vegetarian makes management of the carbs a little
trickier, but there are many of you here that are highly successful using 30g. Look for posts by JGwen,
who is a lifelong vegetarian, and has lost @ 100lbs. in the past year! Hooray.
Just some general info on the basics of this way of life. What we are doing is a low carb, moderate protein,
high (healthy) fat style of eating. On the Fast800 you do indeed need to count calories. Low carb is generally
interpreted as less than 50g. Some of us who are insulin resistant soon learn that we have to go considerably
lower than that, however. It varies from individual to individual, and by trial an error you will soon learn how your
body responds.Within the framework of 800 calories, once you establish your carb levels, the fats more or
less take care of themselves. As fat is calorie rich, you can’t really go too crazy when restricted to 800 cal.
per day. Post often, so we may share your successes and challenges. Oh yes, the carbs in everything “count”,
and that includes vegetables 🙂 Try to choose those that grow above ground, and severely limit fruit. I don’t
think anyone enjoys leaving fruit behind, but it’s really a small sacrifice when vibrant good health and energy
are your reward, down the road!

Allie

Hi alliecat, thanks for the welcome.
So good to have people here who are well versed with this diet/way of life.
I think I’m going to aim my carbs between 30 – 50 as I’m not insulin resistant (as far as I know) and see how I get on.

Have you continued to only eat 800 calories per day, even after the 8 weeks or can you up your intake afterwards?

Also, am I right in thinking that this diet is basically the keto diet?

Good morning, Flatline! I began this lifestyle change in June of 2016, and have been in maintenance since
April 2017. I carried on eating 800cal. and 20g of carbs straight through a 10 month period until I reached
my goal of dispensing with 50% of my body weight. I liked the symmetry of that number! Anyway, 140lbs….
Many here do the “reverse diet” when we reach our target, which is a plan to slowly up the calories until
you find the caloric intake that begins to effect the scales. Same with carbs! These numbers will vary from
person to person, along with total daily energy expenditure. There are online calculators for this, when
you get there. It is known as TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure. With practice, we learn our own very
personal “tipping point”, and today I eat @1600cal. and 35g of carbs. to stay effortlessly at goal weight.
Long term success for me means never returning to the white carbs or sugar. Over time, tastes change,
and none of that appeals to me any longer!
I’m no expert on keto. When I began all of this, I researched that diet, but just couldn’t handle all the
meat and animal fat. I did “borrow” the carb guidelines, however. I prefer the BSD because it allows
for more servings of vegetables. It is possible, making careful choices, to still keep carbs under 20g.
I would probably say that what I’ve come up with is a hybrid of the two. I hope this helps!

Allie

Thank you alliecat, most helpful indeed. Its great to hear your success story, it really is motivating. I’m only on my second day, but I’m feeling confident that I can do it.
I think I do need to find ways to make my veg more interesting though. Or alternatives to veg. Is brown rice considered OK or is that full of carbs too? Although I can cook fairly well, I find I’m not very imaginative in the kitchen.
Trial and error I guess.

Flatline, the brown carbs, i.e., oats, quinoa, brown rice, are almost as bad as the white carbs. Some here get away with
small portions, but it caused a real stall in my progress, so I just eliminated them. Much can be done with courgettes,
broccoli, brussel sprouts, napa cabbage and sauteed greens, and I usually ate @ 1 1/2 c. of assorted vegetables
with a dinner of lean chicken breast or wild fish. There is a thread here called “101 ways with cauliflower” which
has wonderful ideas on what to do with this versatile vegetable. There is a great preparation called cauliflower rice,
and it’s a fantastic stand in for couscous or rice. Have a look!

Oh yes, don’t forget about stir fry vegetables either…red peppers, mushrooms, matchstick courgette, green onions,
etc. It’s colorful, and keeps things interesting 🙂

Brilliant, thank you for the tips.
I completely forgot about stir frying. You here fry, you automatically think bad. That will definitely help add variety.

Yes, flatline! Any combination goes, and is only limited by your imagination. If you blanch some broccoli or
green beans, you can throw those in too, along with some grated ginger and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and or
Thai fish sauce. (doesn’t taste like fish, more of a savory substitute for salt) Just have fun!!!

AS others have said, adapt the diet to suit your tastes. Do consider trying some of the ingredients which arent familiar to you, when you have the time and inclination to experiment. You might find some new favourites. I was a bit sceptical about all the chick peas, butter beans and other pulses, but surprised myself by really liking them (even more surprising my husband does too).