I’m 50 years old and my BMI is 21 and I’m 35% body fat – which is too high. I think I’m a TOFI !
I would like to get rid of my extra internal fat and I did try the 800 fast but only managed 3 days ! I found it really hard. It’s more complicated as I had an eating disorder until I was in my 30s and the fasting made me obsess about food. I know it says not to do this diet if you have had an eating disorder but I also need to lose this fat ! Any advice ?

Hi Sals – little confused, as the BSD is not a fasting way of eating like the 5:2, when you eat normally on five days and fast on two. Yes, it is low calorie and low carb but I guess it asks a lot, especially of someone with an eating disorder in their history. I don’t feel qualified to advise if the BSD is a wise way for you to go and I would suggest discussing your concerns with your GP, both about the possibility you are a TOFI and if you can safely try the BSD again.

Best of luck in finding the best course of action.

Hi Sals, I’m about 35% fat too but according to the fancy scales at the gym my visceral fat is in the healthy range. So don’t assume it’s that! As SunnyB says check with your Dr xx

Thanks for your post.
For me 800 seemed like a fast ! I normally eat a lot more and am very active so cutting to 800 was a very difficult experience.
I have belly fat so I know I need to lose the fat – it’s hard when you have a history an eating disorder – there doesn’t seem to be a way of addressing excess fat once you’ve recovered. Sure I’m not the only person experiencing this though – I don’t hold out much confidence in my GP 😕

Hi Sals,

When I had one of these body scans done at the gym a few weeks ago I was told by the trainer that the normal range body fat went up to 36%. As well as speaking to your doctor do you have access to a good (reputable) trainer who could advise you, also.

Best of luck
Marie

Hi Sals, you probably could categorize my whole life as one big eating disorder until I started on the BSD.
Even if you simply adopt low carbohydrate and healthy fats it will affect your fat deposits and overall health — the research shows that the BSD way of eating protects your body, your pancreas, your brain — literally literally everything.
Why don’t you give it a try for a few weeks at whatever calorie level you want and see how you feel and how the weight shifts?
The more I followed the diet, the better I was able to do it, some days better than others, but ultimately I reached my goal (lost about 50 pounds) so I KNOW you can do it successfully at a more moderate level.
The critical things are: cut the carbs to 20-60 grams per day, eat healthy fat, get enough protein and try to get the exercise recommended.
You can EASE into this — don’t make it too hard — you are going to amaze yourself and feel so good and sleep like a baby. All the research points this direction — you will benefit from ANY level of this diet.

Hi Sals, I have much compassion for you having to deal with an
eating disorder, past or present. There are many of us here who know
this way of eating backwards and forwards, and have been wildly
successful in making it work for us. However, giving psychological
advice that might might trigger your illness would be very irresponsible,
and none of us are qualified to do that. Would you be able to consult
with the therapist that managed your illness? We would be delighted
to help support you if you decide that this is right for you!

Allie

My advice would be to do this WOE at the very simplest level. No calorie or carb counting, simply cut out anything with added sugar, white (or any) bread, rice, pasta and potatoes for a longish period. This will automatically reduce your carbs without hopefully feeding an obsession, and as your palate changes you will probably find yourself moving towards the Mediterranean way of eating as we all did. After doing this for a while you may well be more comfortable with the idea of introducing fasting into the equation, as many of the cravings will be a thing of the past.

Thanks to all who have posted – I have been really encouraged to give a gentle approach to reducing carbs and eating well.

That’s very wonderful to hear, Sals. Welcome from all of us! If you need any help or answers to your questions, just jump in and ask. No question
is too small, and there is much wisdom and compassion here. 🙂

Allie

I’m 50 in January and I’ve just started the diet. I figured if I can start it now before Christmas and my 50th I will have something to celebrate come my birthday! I know it’s hard to do this before Christmas but just think of what an advantage you will have. I normally put weight on over Christmas so just think how amazing it would be for once to say ‘I lost weight over Christmas’. I’ve also noticed by not eating carbs and sugar I have much more energy, so I’m feeling the benefits after just two days.

Welcome Sals, take things gently and as Allie says, shout out if you need advice or support and we’ll do our very best to offer help.

Best of luck with your quest to lose weight over the festive period, Jules. It would certainly be wonderful to report a loss after Christmas. There is no ideal time to start the BSD, but I applaud you for taking the bull by the horns at this point in the year. Really pleased you are already feeling better for doing so and we’ll look forward to reading of your progress soon.