Setting up the new thread is always difficult – thinking of new things to say and new titles. So this months is courtesy of my husband, he has his uses.

The weather is getting cold but it can be a wonderful time of the year with beautiful autumnal colours of oranges, reds and golden browns. It is a time to look back on how we have done with our goals and plans through the past months and also a time for planning for the upcoming season of celebrations – Thanksgiving in America in November, Christmas in the UK and all parts inbetween.

Lets set some new goals – or continue on a successful path – and look forward to the rest of the year with optimism. Come and join us if you want somewhere to start, no need to struggle alone, or to continue with your efforts and reach higher goals.

Everyone is welcome, no pressure, no guilt and no preaching, just care and whatever help you might need.

Sunshine-girl/Wendleg/SunnyB

Starts Tuesday 1st October. See you here.

Sunshine-girl

Thank you for such an ‘optimistic’ post s-g.

Even though I won’t be here for the start of the month I’ll definitely keep in touch and I’m really looking forward to the ‘positivity’ generated by the group.

Let October be a wonderful start to to autumn.

OK, so one month at a day … or one day at a time! And YES – I am optimistic and tomorrow is October – so I am bringing my start date forward and starting tomorrow instead of Wednesday – read the book, found this link and hopefully someone in the forum remembers how it was to start this programme and those first few days, weeks and the anticipation of turning around what has gone wrong in life to get me here.
Who else is starting October and following the Optimistic October thread?

I have so much to lose, but thought from reading the book this was a good place to start – tune in soon for an update

Starting October in a really optimistic mood. Thanks S-G’s husband for the title of this thread.

Mistehippos, I started the BSD in mid June, and am delighted that I have lost 4 stone and taken my BS count from diabetic back to pre-diabetic! Not that long and still going. I have another stone to come off…and intend to do it! I think it is not just a diet, but a way of life! I have been extremely strict, counting calories and recording everything I eat in a diary. I am a bit obsessive…I have even been weighing lettuce leaves!!! 🥴 BUT it has paid off. I have slipped on occasions, but picked up again immediately! There are people on this forum who are incredibly supportive and helpful with advice, whether you are just looking to lose a serious amount of weight and or tackling diabetes. They are brilliant, you cannot have found a better site for encouragement and understanding. I take it one day at a time….and that suits me. (I weigh every day, as I need to know!! But plenty of people weigh once a week)

Good luck…stay positive and keep going, it is worth it!!!
K.x

Hi! I’m on day 4 of the fast800 and I have printed out a tick chart for my fridge for 10 weeks. I really need to lose 2 stone (28lbs/12.7 kg) to get down to a non overweight BMI.

The first three days I have found ok, I think excitement that I’m actually doing something has spurred me on. This morning I woke up a little hungry but I downed 800ml of electrolytes to stave it off a bit and I will have my morning almond milk latte when I feel like I need it.

Plan for lunch today is chicken breast, bacon and a chaffle with some salad. I am leaning a little more towards keto as I have managed my hunger with v low carb many years ago.

I hope you don’t mind me joining this thread, I have a nagging feeling I could do with some encouragement before I get to the half way point!

Trying to enjoy the non foody things in life at the moment, like candle/soap scents and gentle autumn walks.

Have a great day, everyone. 🙂

Thank you S-G for setting this up for October & your husband for the optimistic part👍
Pootle your weight loss is very inspiring & encouraging & emphasises how this low carb way of eating supports good health. I will certainly try to do better with my weight loss this month but have a challenge this next weekend of a family gathering in Yorkshire & staying at a Premier Inn with eating out but will choose as much protein & vegetables as I can locate 🤔😀
Welcome Mistehippos!
Good luck everyone for the next month & stay optimistic 👍🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, well I have started the month with a mis-step – forgot to get weighed. I am so used to weighing daily when I switched to only a couple of times a week I sort or forgot what day it was. By the time I was half way through my boiled eggs, glass of vinegar water and homemade lemon, ginger and mint tea, it suddenly struck me. I will do my weight tomorrow.

Everything seems to be going t-ts up right now. Went to the cinema on Sunday to find the internet was down and our particular film was not showing – nothing else we wanted to see so came home. Yesterday took an hours drive to a big DIY store looking for a new oven and hob and hubby forgot the dimensions – we know they are standard but he wanted to be sure. We had already spent half a day at a more local furniture store and seen what we liked but he wanted to check out a bigger range. When we got there the stock was so poor we would have been better ordering on line and the prices for ovens were twice our local store. So, I am having a break today and will do some French, do some exercise and get back out shopping again tomorrow. Anyway it was a nice drive out.

Mistehippos, yes I certainly remember my first few days, I wrote a journal on another site and, because they were closing down, I cut and pasted everything into this site and you can read my journey – or at least the first few days of total fear on a thread called 5 Years of BSD – A Blog of Memories. Come to think of it, even posting that was 3 years ago. I have been on this plan for 8 years, not because it doesn’t work but because it does. I am diabetic and I can never go back to a life of eating carbs and ruining my health.

JeannieP, great to have you with us, particularly as you are diabetic – I do read everyones profile – and this diet will go a long way to getting your numbers under control. The most important thing for you is to get rid of the carbs. It might take a while to get used to going without but once you do your body will thank you, both in weight loss and better numbers.

Hope you all have a good week and we can continue with a successful month.

Hi again, just reading through my 5 year blog and was quite amazed. My BG went from 180 to 107 by day 7. I remember getting into a panic and posting ‘what are we doing to ourselves’, I thought something terrible was going to happen but only good things have come from this diet.

I also remember, and this is for newbies – when you tell people about the diet you will get some disbelieving comments. You cant live on 800 calories, your brain will shrink, you cant live without carbs, you cannot sustain this diet (thats funny after 8 years doing it), so many people had opinions. I based my diet on facts learnt from Dr Mosley and Prof Roy Taylor and it has done me nothing but good. If anyone asks don’t tell them too much, they will only mock or try to put you off. Keep the faith, it does work.

Welcome JeannieP & gosh you already sound very well organised & I hope you have a good week👍🍀🍀
Margaret xx

Hello Pootle

Thank you for taking the time to write to me with encouragement even though you have been here done that …

… it is really appreciated to know that you were successful in June and congratulations on achieving such an amazing result, well done.

I’m with you on a weigh everything basis – it gets weighed AND written down before it gets eaten – so I am hoping that with that and my countdown calendar on the fridge the next 8 weeks will go by and I too will see results – then I am hoping to switch to the 5:2

Thanks again, fellow weigher 🙂

Just logging in to say ‘hello’ as I’d like to receive the posts on this thread.

So in Barcelona at the moment. Enjoying tapas, anchovies, pimientos padron, gazpacho and wonderful fish. So far just a little ‘rustic’ bread. I realise if you need to eat bread make it the ‘best’ you can find not a ‘ slice of white’!!!

Just one ‘treat’ a couple of teaspoons of ‘Salvador Dali cheesecake’. Came in the shape of Ruby red lips and was as light as a feather. Still full of sugar so just had a ‘taste’!

In fact try to make all you eat the ‘best’ you can find!

Hi all, back after my weigh in and not too bad at 1.5lbs for the part month, still got a week to go and need another 1.5lbs to reach my goal. Got no plans, no meals out so should be able to reach 3.3lbs by 8th. Fingers crossed.

Hi Verano, glad you are keeping up with us and enjoying your trip. If you get the chance to see the cathedral Sagrada Familia do so but dont bother to go inside, it is just a building site. We are doing Barcelona on our own (i.e. no excursions booked) so any advice would be useful. Also, don’t bother with Picasso museum it is all his early work and I don’t think he knew how to paint then 🙂 You are probably long gone from there now but it will be interesting to hear of your travels.

Hope our newbies are getting to grips with things and getting any help and advice they need. Shout out, there is always someone who has been in your shoes.

After my wasted trip to the DIY store to buy oven and hob we are going to buy it on-line (from a different store) and will get it delivered to the store where we can pick it up – 20min drive away. Then we have to get a gas-fitter to put the hob in – know a man who can just down the lane.

Have a very happy self-care week.

I am looking forward to a weekend off cooking! I will be staying in a hotel, so will have to relax my calorie and carb watching for 3 days. I now know that I can get back on board again when I get home on Monday as I have succeeded before, having ‘fallen off the wagon’ a couple of times. I also know to avoid anything ‘bread-like’ and potatoes etc as far as possible. Possibly I won’t be able to resist a banana if there is one on offer! 😂 I am very much more relaxed now I know the BSD way of life is achievable and works for me!

Well done S-G & I like you Pootle will be having a few days away from chopping & cooking with a long weekend at a family gathering in Yorkshire.
Well slightly shocking news for me after seeing a private consultant surgeon today & being X-rayed. I have NO cartilage left in my right knee & now urgently need to have replacement knee surgery. So much for thinking I just had meniscus damage as told by a physiotherapist. Thank goodness I went privately to get a correct diagnosis & my husband & I will be using our savings to pay for my surgery because my GP would probably only add me to an NHS waiting list🙁
Margaret

Hello Sunshine Girl

Sorry if it seemed I was ignoring you, my computer wouldn’t let me send a message the other day.
What a lovely thread – thank you and thank you for messaging me with a welcome too..
Day 3 and dinner just eaten, I am managing OK at the moment – with between a 12 and 14 hour fast (usually 14).
So think I am in the right mind-set and coping at the moment.
It is a case of undoing everything you have been raised to do, but simple enough to follow
Who knew I wouldn’t be hungry on just 800 calories and probably mainly as I am not using “diet” foods but full fat – and finally my meals have some taste – hahaha
I hope this works, will be back in touch soon

Hi all, lovely sunny day but a bit cold, just hung out a wash load.

Mistehippos, I didn’t think anything of your silence. We are all busy doing other things, as the person who set up the thread I like to keep an eye out for people, newbies, questions etc. Don’t expect you to jump when I respond – take it easy 🙂

I think people underestimate how fulfulling and nourishing 800 cals can be. A breakfast of say a bowl of cereal, a slice of toast with jam and a glass of orange juice can total just under 450 cals and you will get a sugar rush and swift drop so will be hungry again in 2 or 3 hours. Whereas 2 eggs scrambled with a bit of creme fraiche in butter comes in just under 300 cals and will keep you full for longer. So you have saved 150 cals straight away. It is the quality of the food we eat that counts.

On the subject of quality food, I have been watching a webcam by Ocean Robbins and he talks about meat eating and its effects on the body. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat, but I would like to eat more vegetarian foods and cut out maybe 70 of my meat. I won’t give up eggs and dairy and buy my eggs straight from a farm where I know they are free range. Problem is when I look for recipes they are so full of carbs I cannot see to find a balance. I don’t mind beans and maybe a nice butternut curry but the addition of rice or pasta in order to make it a decent meal is difficult. I probably thought this with BSD and no carbs and manage by adding more of the veg or meat or add a salad when everyone else is having mashed potato or making cauli rice etc. Guess that answers my own question as long as the main event is not mainly carbs. Anyone recommend a site or a book that is veggie and low carb.

Had a bit of a whoosh moment this morning but not taking anything for granted until weigh in on Tuesday – end of my monthly goal.

Have a good weekend.

Thanks, sunshine girl and thank you for the welcome wendy1947. I feel a bit like a fraud now, as I’m not diabetic yet, although I did write in my profile that I’m trying to control my blood sugars. I will go back and edit the profile for clarity. I have been worrying a bit about them rising as I had gestational diabetes a while back, my father is diabetic and I am approaching 40 whilst overweight. I believe all these factors combined make me more prone, so I want to get on top of them.

Wendy1947, I am a bit obsessively organised when it comes to things I know I could easily fail. I have to take the thinking out of it and just be able to follow a list I’ve made when I’m calm/not harassed/hungry.

1 week DONE! Yesterday was a bit tougher as my body likes to aggressively remind me that I am still fertile but I’m really chuffed that I stuck to my plan and got through it.

My proudest point this week was making oat and raisin cookies for my husband and children and managing to resist having any myself.

Yummiest meal this week might have been one I had to throw together in a hurry. It was sort of a pot noodle/stir fry thing using konjac noodles. Struggled to eat it all but it felt like comfort food, which is so nice.

Today the plan is a chaffle based ham and mushroom quiche with a nice leafy salad. I’m going to have to see how much cheddar I can sneak in without it hitting my calories too much.

Onward through week 2 for me. 🙂

Hi all, well my whoosh downward has stayed so not a fluke and makes me even more determined to reach goal by Tuesday. Lips sealed so as not to jinx it.

JeannieP, don’t mind me, I am sort of diabetes obsessed so latch onto any newbies with problems. Your BS was the first part then weight loss, so got the wrong end of the proverbial stick:) You are right to presume you are prone to diabetes as you have 2 red flags, gestational diabetes and a family member. In following this diet and cutting down on carbs and completely cutting out refined carbs you will avoid falling into the diabetic range.

Doing my research there are 4.4 million people in the UK with T2 and another 1.2 million undiagnosed. My wish is that everyone would follow a lower carb diet, just smaller portions or avoiding ready meals, pies, sausage rolls, not eat so many cakes etc and most people would avoid ever getting diabetes. We eat high carb because meat was expensive after the war and wheat and potatoes were cheap and plentiful and we were encouraged to eat this way but we have so many more choices now. I guess I am talking to the converted here as it is a low carb diet but maybe mention to friends and family – they might bite your head off but it might help just one person from getting a diagnosis.

As for my diet, daughter is vegan due to health problems and she has inundated me with the batch cooking she has done today such as black bean mole, carrot and squash soup (great for winter) and a butterbean and lentil curry. Now just got to incorporate meat for hubby but that should be easy if he doesn’t mind grilled everything 🙂 She has also put me on Instagram and recommended 2 brothers with a site called BOSH. TV (put in space to stop it coming up as a site). Now to get rid of what is in the freezer. If I can do veggie 5 days out of 7 I will be happy and so will hubby when we still have a cooked Sunday brunch.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Hi all, turned out my whoosh must have been a fluke as my weight then went up and up. Was down to 71.6 and now 72.1 and for absolutely no reason. Been having homemade shakes made from almond milk, spinach and frozen berries with a few seeds and keeping to under 800 cals. Thinks my body needs a shake up.

Anyway, my 3.3lbs goal has been missed and I have lost 2lbs for the month. That is a total of just under 6lbs so still worth having and every month will be different. This is a long term project with my final goal on 7th February next year. I am still going to stick with it but we have a meal out planned for Friday, I could get down to goal by then, I don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. Meaning, just because I didn’t reach goal doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying.

Someone mentioned sober October (on TV I think) and I suddenly remembered I usually do it. But these days I am sober most of the time and not had a drink since around 2nd week of September so not really bothered. It used to be a good re-set time but neither of us really bother now unless we are out somewhere. I will probably have a couple of glasses of wine on Friday.

How are you all getting on.

Anyway the challenge continues and I will follow my own advice and keep on keeping on…

I watched an interview with Dr. Benjamin Bikman yesterday about weight loss and Ozempic (Wegovy etc. GLP 1 agonists). It was actually pretty scary — reminded me that a healthy diet is the ONLY way to go long-term for health. Ozempic users regain weight after they stop using the drug so they STILL have to learn how to eat properly, which is what the Blood Sugar Diet teaches you in the first place.
In addition, Ozempic users lose a lot of muscle mass (a serious problem) and even worse, Bikman states that it appears to permanently affect their rate of metabolism — it goes down and never recovers.
He reiterates the usual important points — prioritise protein, limit carbs, increase fat.
If you just google Bikman and Ozempic it should come up.

Hi Californiagirl. When the drug first became talked about in the world of diabetes (7 or 8 years ago) I asked my doctor about it. A friend was on a similar drug called Byetta and he lost 4 stone in 3 months, he started at around 24 or 26 stone so was at high risk from other morbidities. My doctor said he wouldn’t prescribe it for me as I was (at that time) about 3 stone overweight and he was unsure of the long-term side effects. I didn’t want it to lose weight but to stop the weight gain from insulin. Anyway, around that time I discovered BSD and took the right track. I now just wish I had never started on insulin but I couldn’t tolerate the side-effects of Metformin and other oral meds. I have asked to go back onto oral meds but he says it is too late for me to change. I ask if there have been any new oral meds over the years but he wont consider it while I already know that the insulin is working for me – except for the weight gain or inability to lose weight.

I got a bit cross last month when I had my regular appointment for diabetes check up and I said to hubby, why does he weigh me and make me feel bad if I have gained when he is giving me the drug that is causing the weight gain. But hubby said he always weighs him as well and is happy to see loss or maintenance and tells him to watch out if he has gained, and my husband is tall and slim. He said I should be grateful I get a full work over i.e. weight, pulse, blood pressure, lungs and heart all checked on every consultation. So I didn’t make a fuss when I saw him although I do say I don’t like the weight gain aspect of the insulin. I once got down to 12 units a day and he said if I got down to 6 units I could have the discussion again about stopping. But I have never reached that level.

Hey ho, I keep trying. I will watch Dr Bikman but I don’t want injections for weight loss and should be grateful to my doctor for not giving in to me.

I think you dodged a bullet sunshine girl! There are a lot of other side effects to Ozempic than I mentioned above in my first post.

Hello All

How is everyone doing that started October following this thread? We are 7 days in and so how did you find the programme?
For me it has been enlightening and I am still waiting to get hungry (800 calories) and not – WOW!!! Certainly had time to reflect, on diet and by limiting carbohydrates, I seem to have found my nemesis – who knew. I am so amazed and happy.
Concentrating on quality of food to work within the 800 calories and I think the key has been (apart from the carbs) higher fat Greek yoghurt at breakfast – and all of a sudden my food has taste too.

Bonus was the weight loss in the first week, which I know would be more due to water loss, but at least I didn’t start this and not get some reward at the end of week 1.

Thank you to everyone that messaged in the first days, with your stories and advice – lovely to know I am not in this alone.

Here is to first day of week 2 down…

Hi all, glad you are still doing well and looking forward to another week.

I don’t quite know what is happening with me as I am up another blip today so from 72.1 on Monday to 72.2 yesterday and 72.3 today. No reason, except maybe hubby always make something on Tuesday and it is not always in calories but he has learnt to cook without carbs. He did pork sausages (high in calories) served with a melange of onions, red peppers, mushrooms, half an apple, carrots and peas all in gravy.

Still not giving in and waiting until Friday to have a meal out and a couple of wines. Maybe it is what I need to get me back on track.

Just come back to quickly say, I am also doing more exercise with 30 mins aerobics Monday and again today.

I’ve been reading “UPF People” by Chris Van Tulleken — UPF being, of course, ultra processed food.
Very interesting read — a couple of takeaways that really resonate with me:

1.) Ultra processed food does not satisfy your body, and so after eating it, you are quickly hungry again. The research is fascinating — your body is actually LOOKING FOR NUTRITION and when you feed it junk (low quality UPFs) , it keeps looking for nutrition, thus driving you to eat more and more. It is not clear to researchers whether this is your own “self” driving this or it is your micro-biome in your gut that is driving this but maybe the distinction is academic because the end result is the same. Eating UPFs is nutritionally deficient and so you eat and eat and eat to get the nutrition your body demands. Your body KNOWS when it is getting full nutrition and when it does get it, it feels “full”.

2.) A huge part of your physical pleasure and the “full-from-eating” response to food comes from the act of CHEWING. It is very important to eat foods that need a lot of chewing — think quality sourdough bread vs white Hovis — one requires a lot of chewing, the other turns into a gooey mess. Think crunchy vegetables and fruit, meat with sinew vs soggy vegetable lasagna — nuts and seeds vs basic breakfast cereal. At every meal it is vitally important to have a chewing experience.
I read recently that a Swiss clinic for weight loss tells patients to chew every bite 60 times. I have tried that, and it really slows down your eating — I have started to eat so much more slowly!

So read the labels (ha ha, for me that means take my reading glasses to the grocery store) buy organic if possible (organic tends to have less or none of the UPF ingredients) — if you wouldn’t have one of those ingredients as a regular everyday ingredient in your kitchen then you should not eat it! Especially avoid food colourings, weird emulsifiers like lecithin and carrageenan etc., preservatives etc.

And, as a win, if you cook for yourself, you will not have to worry about this!
Anyway, a good book if you want to delve more deeply into UPFs.

Oh, I forgot one thing — don’t eat seed oils!! They are classified as UPF by their very nature. They have been chemically extracted and then refined and deodorised in a nasty chemical stew.
This includes palm oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, corn oil and soy oil (especially corn and soy as they are also usually GMO — genetically modified organisms).
Use extra-virgin olive oil and butter, avocado oil — cold expeller pressed sunflower oil.

Hi Californiagirl, I am in total agreement with you on UPF and in my own cooking I cook from scratch. About the only thing that comes out of a tin or tube is tomatoes and tomato puree. I use fresh veg in most cases. Unfortunately, if I want to have a couple of nights off I have to allow hubby to make something he is capable of like ready meatballs or sausages. Not the healthiest but when I get into more veggie cooking I might be able to get him to come up with healthier recipes.

I am just re-listening to The Food Revolution group with Ocean Robbins in the revolution summit – 2 and half hours, the first in the series is called Beyond the Deception about big pharma, big food producers and all the other things we think are good for us. One thing they talk about is what you were saying, if you eat ultra processed foods you wont get the sensation of being full, then even if you do, you will still have room for sweet foods as they give a different chemical reaction which open up different receptors to make up want to eat more and more. Big companies know this and prey on our vulnerabilities.

Just thinking about UPFs and what I have in my cupboard. There is a big difference between processed foods and ultra processed foods. Many foods go through processes, think of cheese as an example but it would still be milk if it wasn’t churned and maybe added rennet and left to mature. Even olive oil is processed as it started life as an olive and had to be pressed to make it into oil. Ultra processed to me is when it is not recognisable as an actual food. If you need a degree in chemistry to read the ingredients then it stays on the shelf. Back to my cupboards, I always have canned tomatoes and apparently the process they go through increases the lycopene which is good for men and helps prevent prostate cancer. Canned beans and lentils and chickpeas, tuna, sardines etc. As long as they are not stored in sugar or salt. Frozen fruit and veg are really good for you and only go through washing, picking off bits, then flash freezing.

So not all processed foods are bad for you, just don’t eat anything that doesn’t resemble real food of or has more chemicals than food.

My stupid body has had a drop down in weight this morning so I have nearly reached my goal. Not feeling quite so bad about it although we are out for a meal tomorrow. Hey ho, life is for living. We are at the cinema tonight and there wont be any popcorn 🙂 The French don’t do snacking and the snack counter is only open when it is a childrens show so they can get popcorn and coke.

I totally agree Sunshinegirl. Many processed foods are excellent — canned tomatoes and tomato paste are perfect examples, as are beans in water, other vegetables etc. And extra-virgin olive oil is processed, but in a way (cold pressed, raw) that protects the quality.
I think the UPFs that Chris Van Tulleken was talking about is the stuff that we can neither pronounce nor could find in our kitchens. And even good sounding foods, like canned beans with sauce, can be full of those!
So important to read the labels — we work so hard to get and stay healthy — hate to ruin it by eating bad stuff.
And yeah, popcorn at the movies is for children!

Hi all, weight is still at its downward level of 72kgs but we are out tonight. It will be just one night but I intend to enjoy it. Saying that, I find firstly I am not interested in carbs except for the breadroll but will use glucose goddess hack of eating veg or salad first. Secondly, the French do not do many carbs so no mashed potatoes or chips, not big on pasta or rice either. WIll look at the menu in a minute and will be careful with the dessert I pick but I am sure I will have something even if it is just to have a taste.

Went to cinema last night and can highly recommend Lee (Miller), true story of a Vogue photographer who managed to get herself on the frontline of WW2. Hate leaving cinema still crying but it was so moving. I can see Kate Winslet getting an Oscar for her performance.

Just picked my started which is a pate then the main of confit of lamb with creamed mushrooms, roasted pumpkin with a soya foam(?). The desserts aren’t listed as it is a daily choice. But if I have a starter and main I probably wont bother with pud.

Well done S-G you are reaping the reward of perseverance 👏👏
I am pleased that I have rebalanced from last weekends family gathering with the awful food on offer at the restaurant next door to the Premier Inn where we were staying. I have lost 2.75lbs despite being more sedentary because of my rather disorienting knee diagnosis that made me feel more self protective 🤔.
My husband & I are now recovering from colds & I hope this won’t prevent us from having our flu jabs today!!. Our own mortality felt rather close to home yesterday when an elderly neighbour was taken by ambulance to our local hospice where he will receive excellent end of life care. It showed me how important it is as especially being regarded as elderly now to keep as well as one can & eat well.
Margaret xx

Californiagirl, that’s a really interesting bit of info. I have tried to slow down and chew more, putting my knife and fork down between bites, but I don’t think I could get to 60 chews! I can see how it would give the body time to respond to having been fed, though. Also great to know to avoid seed oils. Thanks!

Sunshine-girl, thanks for keeping an eye out for us newbies. You talked about a whoosh– are there any other signs of whooshing other than the weight just suddenly disappearing from the scales?

Well, I am now on day 15, which means I have crossed the two-week mark. I’m pleased because I haven’t deviated, even when I was at a party and there were all sorts of very yummy things to eat. I had planned ahead for it with a bacon salad with mayonnaise and happily, because I haven’t been hungry, it wasn’t so difficult to tell myself to eat the salad.
I’m finding that the stricter I am with myself, the easier it is. I’m (unfortunately) not the sort who can have one yummy thing and then resist eating a whole packet so I have completely avoided sugars, chocolates, fizzy drinks, breads and potatoes. It has been surprisingly ok– not having the excuse of hunger has helped.

I have sort of accidentally been just having a cup of tea for breakfast and then eating most of my calories at lunch. My blood sugars have been nicely controlled these last two weeks since I started (in the 5’s) so I am going to stop torturing my poor fingertips now I see that this way of eating is helping there. I will test again in a few weeks now, I think, or if something comes up I can’t avoid eating.

I haven’t weighed myself, I will do that next month though. Not stepping on the scale has helped me look for other signs I’m getting more comfortable in my skin. So far:

I can bend over (and straighten!) without grunting.
I found myself running up the stairs the other day, which I haven’t done for a while.
The waistband of some of my clothes no longer flip over under the strain.
…and perhaps best of all, my mood is so much lighter. That’s been the best sign so far, the one that will really help me keep going. I don’t say I have been depressed, but I have been very low and stressed for the last year. The causes of stress haven’t gone but I really do feel so much happier, even when dealing with it. I feel like me again, which I haven’t felt for a while.

So today I am having an extremely low carb day– a yummy one though, with chicken wings. Next week will be a challenge as my Mum wants to go to a restaurant for her birthday. I have already scouted the menu and think I can manage to stay in calories with an omelette if I am careful the rest of the day.

Hoping that I can stay on track as week three approaches. The longer I do this, the less likely I will abandon it because I hate wasting effort/ time.

Have a fab week, everyone!

Hi all, back from my night out and not feeling guilty at all. I changed my mind about my starter and had a tarte fine a la tomate – tomato tart. The pastry was paper thin hence the ‘fine’ and I scraped off the tomatoes and sauce and hubby ate the pastry. The next course was lamb confit wrapped in the thinnest of filo pastry on a bed of creamed mushrooms. I only ate half of that too. My appetite is so small now I find myself getting full every quickly. I did have room for the dessert which I chose chocolate mousse because it was a very dark chocolate. Gained 1 lb which will soon go but my BG was up from a normal 70 to 140 – now that serves me right.

Glad you are enjoying the diet JennieP, you are in the honeymoon phase and very enthusiastic and motivated. Keep it up. You asked what else there was about a whoosh. Unfortunately, it usually starts with a couple of weeks of no loss, just when you are getting fed up and thinking of giving up along it comes, whoosh. That is why we just have to trust in the process and keep on keeping on…. as I always say.

One thing I noticed was I couldn’t drink very much and had a bit of a hangover this morning. I used to be able to drink a lot and bounce out of bed the next day, friends said I was annoying when they were all nursing bad heads. Maybe I am not used to drinking any more or maybe I am just getting old. I’ll be that little old lady at the Christmas dinner table nursing one glass of wine all night 🙂

Have a good weekend and keep on keeping on….

Good work JeannieP! You are already experiencing the incredible benefits of eating well! As Sunshinegirl says, just keep going!
And, on an interesting note, here in the US we have had a Kennedy running for President this election cycle — RFK’s son, Bobby Kennedy. He dropped out of the race a couple of months ago and endorsed Trump — Kennedy’s focus is very much on health (he runs the Children’s Health Defense) and he has spent a lot of hours recently giving interviews about all things health, specifically how to eat right and the damage being done to Americans by poor diets high in UPFs and simple carbs and GMOs and pesticides.
It is amazing to see it all become mainstream conversation — the Trump MAGA movement (Make America Great Again) has morphed into MAHA (Make America Healthy Again). I hope that whoever wins the election, we keep the focus on health — it is a welcome change!

Hello Wendy, sorry to hear about your neighbour and your bad knee – my knee and back feel your pain, after a fall downstairs. You survived the food at a Premier Inn neighbouring restaurant – WOW! I agree the food is awful – no matter where you stay. But Yorkshire is beautiful – I have many family living there – and love the countryside.
Nearly 3 lbs lost, fantastic – I must be mirroring you as I write I am shivering from a cold – but hope it is a reaction to the flu jab this week.
I am nearly at the end of two weeks in – how long have you been following the programme?
Good luck with the week ahead

Good Morning all,

I am delighted to say I am back on track with calorie and carb counting, and it seems that a few days away hasn’t actually done any harm. (I had eaten between 648 and 910 calories with carbs of 38g – 59g for 4 months, so yesterday’s 706 and 52g is back within range) I am static in weight.. stuck on 11st 4lb, but I am not worrying about that. (Considering I weighed in at 15st 7lb on 12th June, I am so pleased that I have managed to lose so much!) I wasn’t happy at being unable to accurately count the carbs and calories in the food I ate, and came home ‘hungry’. BUT I am optimistic that my goal of 10st 7lb is within reach, and I am hoping that I will certainly have achieved this before Christmas! (and maybe a bit more, so I have some leeway!) My major worry is my diabetic numbers…having achieved the ‘claw back’ into pre-diabetic from newly diagnosed diabetic, I want/need to keep it that way.
Like you Margaret, the available food was ‘disappointing’. Other than breakfast…a yoghurt followed by bacon, mushroom and egg…there was very little on offer that suited the BSD. My major disappointment was “chicken and chips with salad”….I thought I would eat the salad and chicken and a couple of chips..When it came, it was fried goujons of chicken in breadcrumb, with the salad heavily covered in a very strong mustard dressing! Yuck…definitely UPF!!! I consider myself very fortunate that for most of my life, the meals I have eaten have been prepared from scratch. I love cooking!!

I have put on another thread…I had 2 very interesting conversations whilst away.
1: Person was concerned about diabetes…pre-diabetic and trying to lose weight. Extremely interested in the BSD…looked up website whilst talking and ordered the book. We spoke at length on how I have achieved the weight loss and back to pre-diabetic. Yay, I really hope it works for them! 😀
2: Person has been type 2 diabetic for a few years..not prepared to change eating habits in any way….has already lost a toe and sight becoming a problem. Listened to my experience with the BSD then said, not for them….they like their white bread and jam! 🤷‍♀️
Back to preparing lunch…Low carb hotpot from the BSD cookbook! (Missing out the pepper!!)
Keeping on!

That’s a very positive and upbeat post Sunshine Girl, considering we are but a few weeks away from dark evenings, doom and gloom etc…. Let’s not go there!!!
I would really appreciate a community of fellow 800 deters… Its always good to compare notes and discuss the myriad of subjects this diet is associated with.
I started the diet last week. I have high blds, low BMI and visceral fat. The rub with me is that I also have Barrett’s Oesophagus so no eating in the evenings. So it’s a bit of a double whammy for me…
And I have been monstrously hungry.
Would love to hear anyone’s experiences or thoughts on this. 😊

Thank you Mistehippos & I have lost two stone in weight & mostly following this low carb way of eating since Michael Mosleys 5:2 diet was televised & his book written because of my husband who is a Type 2 diabetic and rather more successful at losing and maintaining his weight loss than me. We continue because we know this is the only healthy way to eat with no very processed food, low carb meals prepared from scratch and; lots of fresh veg and protein. I am not diabetic but still have two more stone to lose since the Tamoxifen I had to take twenty years ago caused me to pile on weight and feel then as though I was hugely pregnant. I have since then in total lost four & a half stone but it is a slow process for me but I battle on and importantly my husband stays well 😀
Well done Pootle also surviving the fast food experience you really wouldn’t think that steaming or boiling a variety of vegetables is beyond the capability of a chef? But unfortunately I suppose the general population is not protesting the lack of vegetables in restaurants 🙁
Oh well keep on going everyone it’s worth the effort even though my knees don’t like me standing for long chopping veg😂 lunch today is chicken kiev with ratatouille, green beans and a small baked potato that we very occasionally eat plus stewed apples and cinnamon for pud. Home made spicy butternut and almond soup for supper!
Margaret xx

Hi everyone, weight is still going down and nearly lost the 1lb gain. BG is back down in the 70s after one night of increasing insulin so will bring it back down to 18 units tonight and hopefully back to 16 by Monday night.

Welcome to BunterCS, we are all here to support each other. You will find those of us not on maintenace are still doing 800. I have been on the diet for 8 years and it has greating improved my diabetes, not yet off insulin but gone from BG of around 200 with 44 units now down to BG in the 70’s on around 16 units, so much better although I would love to be able to stop completely, have to be grateful for what I have achieved. Especially as doctor keeps reminding me that it usually gets worse with age and the passing years. I also have lost 2 stone with 2 stone to go but not in such a hurry as long as my BG is good, that is my main concern. Although I am on a mission to lose another stone by February.

As for being hungry, I think we all were in the beginning but your body soon adjusts. As you have a low BMI weight loss will not be your main goal so you can help the hunger by increasing fat intake – not lard but good fats like avocados, full fat yoghurts, nuts and seeds. I don’t think the Barretts Oesophagus will be harmed with these types of fats and it seems you know what your triggers are. As you don’t eat in the evening you can take advantage of time restricted eating or short term fasting. This gives your body more hours to clear out the glucose and start using up the fats. Shout out if you need help or support.

Another week coming up and I have another night out on Wednesday, life is for living. No point in getting slim and never going anywhere, besides we do have periods when there is nothing on the calendar so going to just enjoy the now.

I have a recommendation —
Google Dr. Pradip Jamnadas and check out his videos on his main page — you can also sign up for his newsletter.
He is Yale trained heart surgeon in Florida who is very interested in your microbiome. I found his comments to be very motivating!
You have 10 times the amount of bacteria in your body than you have human cells in your body and each of those bacteria have their own DNA! He states that we have basically “outsourced” our health and immune system to our microbiome.
When you change your diet for the better (no UPF, more finer etc) your microbiome changes IMMEDIATELY, literally overnight.
He has many videos to select from but I enjoyed “Eating for Two, Nourishing Your Microbiome”.
The more information you have, the more you will be motivated to stay healthy!

sorry, typo in my post above, it should be “fiber” not “finer” — but maybe I spelled it wrong for the UK site, “fibre” is probably correct there and spellcheck changed it to “finer”

Hi all, confession time. My slackness on the diet dipped over into Saturday night when we shared a bottle of wine. Yes my weight has gone up but I am not focussing on that, just getting it back down.

Bought a plant based recipe book which is a 3 week guide to eating vegetarian. Will see how that goes but there is a lot of carbs in some recipes like lentil cottage pie – lentils and potatoes – so that will just be like a bolognaise dish without the potatoes. Might allow some quinoa or couscous for the fibre but going to have to look carefully for recipes that suit my low carb life.

Having a bout of nice weather, was 26 yesterday and 25 today. Got out in the garden and cut back the lavendar and my bay tree.

Have a good week.

Still don’t know what my body is up to as I am back down to 72kgs. Started on veggie regime yesterday and had eggs for breakfast, homemade smoothie (avocado, spinach, pineapple, seeds), then did lentil bolognaise. I was going to add some kidney beans for a chilli style but it came out at 90g carbs, without it was 70g. Still high for me but I lost weight and my BG is right back down.

Hubby is cooking tonight and we are having meatballs. All I can say is they are handmade from the deli counter so no rubbish in them, just meat, onions and herbs. To make up I had vegetable soup for lunch made from a bag of scaps in the freezer.

Been to chiropodist today and turns out I just have athletes foot when I was worried about the strange sensations, itchiness, pain and burning. She has given me some more cream.

Just want to mention something I found quite disturbing this morning on the news. The government is suggesting that people cannot work because they are obsese and they want to offer them the fat jab. This will cost the government a few billion and guess who is going to benefit. I also don’t like using medication to solve a none medical problems. I know some people do have things like thyroid disorder or like me, insulin resistence topped up with insulin, but I think most of us here are testement to good healthy eating. Do they want the whole population medicated.

Also an ad on TV for Numan which is a medical organisation – again big pharma – the ad shows a woman of average size saying she deserves to be able to get medication to help her lose weight. It then shows her eating pizza. The medication they prescribe is Orlistat which is the one that makes you poop your pants without realising it has happened – my daughter was on it years ago. Also, if you look at the list of foods you are not allowed to eat you are going to be on a very strict regime so might as well just diet. They include :
High Fat Foods to. Avoid. Meat/
Alternatives. Lean meat, soya, tofu.
Meat. All visible fat on meat. Skin on meat, crackling.
Fish. White fish such. as cod, plaice,
Fish. All oily fish e.g. kippers, pilchards, sardines, tuna.
Eggs. Egg white. 1 boiled or.
Eggs. Fried eggs. Scotch eggs.
Dairy Produce. Skimmed milk. Semi-skimmed milk.

Sorry but I do get triggered by these sorts of things. Opionions welcome.

I get triggered too.
I have a lovely young niece, age 40, mother of two young daughters — she is and has been a powerful Cross-fit enthusiast — won several awards for weight lifting at Cross-fit competitions — I saw her last Christmas and said to her “you look absolutely perfect, fit, strong, gorgeous”.
Saw her again in July this year, OMG, she was a cadaverous thin bean pole. I was so shocked I literally could not say anything. She was so clearly proud of her weight loss and I was speechless — I almost forgot to give her a hug. I did not comment on her weight loss because I was afraid of what I might say!
If you really need Ozempic, and you have no other solution, then it is probably the choice for you. But you still need to learn how to eat properly because you cannot use Ozempic forever, and some “side-effects” are literally life-threatening so why would you use it unless everything else has failed?
The most important thing, in my opinion, is that you lose so much muscle mass with this drug! We know from all the research that muscle is crucial for health, in fact there is a great study out of Japan that “thick thighs save lives” (muscle on your legs is good for your health).
My niece says that she can no longer do Cross-fit because she has lost so much muscle.
Ultimately you still have to learn to eat the right foods. If Ozempic helps with that by making it easier at first, I suppose it is fine. I wonder though how many will make that jump to proper eating.
And a final thought — what are her daughters learning by watching this?

Hi S-G, I have been listening to all the news bulletins today…. I am horrified at the proposal that unemployed, obese people of working age should be given a drug to get the weight off, so they can get back to work!
We all know that losing weight is extremely difficult…but keeping it off is even more difficult. So are they suggesting that these people should remain on the drug for the rest of their lives? I understand that some people will be overweight because of medical problems, but I do wonder where this push to get everyone on medication for something will end. Side effects can surface much later!

I have also been watching the Numan advert with incredulity. I am lost for words!! 😢

Not optimistic about this plan at all!

The only people to benefit will be the drug companies. They want us all to be on drugs. It probably started with statins when they said everyone should take them even if they didn’t have cholesterol problems – just to save them from possible future problems.

Im not sure who it is on here, maybe Californiagirl but they will know who it is that says why do we not treat a food problem like diabetes or obesity with food and instead just pump people full of drugs. Probably from a Ben Bikman lecture video.

We’ll just finished packing for the last leg of our trip sat down and read all your posts.

I absolutely agree with everything said so far. One of the things that bothers me more than anything is that each week we hear of another ‘wonderful’ reason to use these drugs none of which have anything to do with weight loss. Big pharma at it again!

How will ‘they’ decide what determines ‘obesity’? I also wonder what will happen when the ‘unemployed’ who are no longer ‘obese’ still don’t have jobs. What/who will be blamed then?

I’d love to see the research that shows that ‘obese’ people are unemployed because of their weight. Doubt if such exists!

Whole thing sounds like a way of diverting our attention away from some very serious, nasty shocks in the upcoming budget.

Hello & I agree with everything you have all written about the crazy idea of medicating people for weight loss. As usual a government is looking for a news worthy quick fix no doubt supporting the pharmaceutical firms. Education about proper nutrition is what’s needed with medical support & monitoring in place of what the patients are really eating & not the highly processed rubbish food with people thinking they don’t need to change their eating habits. Also the comments on exercising to lose weight is misleading it does help with getting larger muscles group moving to maintain muscle tone but with also eating adequate good quality protein to not lose it. However you can’t lose weight just be exercising but also by reducing carbs & monitoring the number of calories etc but you all know this!
I know it’s hard going eating well with daily food prep to continue eating fresh food with enough fibre, protein, & good fats! but promoting quick diet fixes & being medicated with weight loss drugs that have bad side effects as the answer to quick & sustainable weight loss is dangerously misleading when promoted to people who may have poor nutritional knowledge or an understanding of how fast highly processed foods impacts on our bodies. Nutritional education needs to start in school & I despaired when cookery & home economics classes were cut back & of course medical schools also need to educate more on the importance of good nutrition & the positive effect on health.
I also despair about the impact social media has on people with all the misinformation out there promising quick instant fixes to health problems without any effort needed by an individual to take personal responsibility for their own self harming actions. Thank goodness we have this site supporting self help, good information & common sense!!
Margaret xx