That’s brilliant Rosyapple, please for you. This way of eating has so many benefits as well as the weightless. Sounds like you are doing great. Everyone’s body is different and you may not need to drop as low as 800 calories.
I Dabbled for quite a while without going as low as 800 calories and really felt the benefits, but didn’t manage to loose a significant amount of weight. I’m now on day 12 of 800 calories and feeling good and down 7.5lbs. I have discovered what I need to do for my body and mentality. I think I allowed too much calorie creep so I need to be strict with myself as “approx 800 calories” turned into “well 1000 is still good” then if have something extra and something extra and realistically calories were out of control.
I now record everything. Lol. I need to be accountable.

Joe on the wagon Arcticfox, loads of room and delighted to have you back.

Timetochange – I’ve considered one meal a day but I think I’d struggle. I’m enjoying my light lunch and finding it more achievable this way. I do think some folk do one meal a day tho so if you think it would be easier then give it a go, see if it works.

Hi everyone. ArcticFox, I’m not surprised you’ve been stressed! I’m so sorry the week has been so tough and hope you can take really good care of yourself over the weekend. My mouth is watering thinking of your palak paneer.

Great going, RosyApple! Those early changes are so motivating and a taste of what is to come. Although I always stuck to the 800, I’m confident it was zapping the carbs that made such a difference to how I felt physically and mentally.

Hi TimeToChange. Some days I eat lunch (though it tends to be quite light) and some days not. Some days it feels quite natural and comfortable to wait for just one meal, but I don’t ignore it if I feel genuinely hungry earlier in the day. I’ve heard/read various experts suggest it’s no bad thing to keep your body guessing a bit and not be too rigid in routines. Maybe give it a whirl and see how it feels?

Wishing everyone a good weekend. It’s a special day in my world. My mum’s birthday! She loved the e-card I sent and I am hoping the sun will shine for her.

Morning everyone …. sounds like you are all still focused and determined to stick to this WOE.
EC – thanks for the reminder about tahini. It’s one of those ingredients that had dropped off my radar.
Rosy – well done on putting together a menu/meal plan for next week. Sounds like you are seeing good results, so keep doing what you’re doing.
Gattina – being so organised will definitely help in the days to come.
Patricia – hope you’ll soon see the demise of those 3kg.
Puddy- well done on cracking the 24hr fast.
Timetochange – like some others, I mix it up and I know some folks regularly do OMAD. Often I just have a dollop of yog around 2.30pm and then eat my main meal around 6pm.
Arctic – hope your asthma settles soon. Meanwhile please be gentle with yourself.
Julz – like you, I know if I want to drop pounds, I have to be at 800/20 and accountable.

On a personal note, I continue to maintain on or around target with no big fluctuations, which I am content with at present. For now, I’m just applying BSD principles to what I choose to consume day to day. At some point I will go back to accounting for everything, so. I can claw back some wriggle room, but maintenance is the current focus for me.

I’m sure Wendy will drop by soon, but I know she’s been snowed with school related stuff over the last few days, so please be patient 😀
Have a great w/e everyone.

Hi all and Happy Saturday!
About bread. I don’t really miss it in the day to day life. Was not a big bread eater even before BSD. But I also find it hard to think that I can never have bread again. I think of it more like a treat, something a for a special occasion, but should not be part of my staple foods. So when I eat it, I want it to be really really good, to make it worth while. Like today – I baked heavenly levain sourdough bread, started already yesterday morning. I had 2 small slices with veg soup for lunch, and the family will happily finish the rest. One and a half day of baking for two small slices may seem too much work, but this is the way I would like to see bread now. Something that takes time and effort and that I will only do occasionally.
It is part of my way to make this WOE sustainable in the long run.

Hello everyone !
I was feeling so guilty not being able to check in ….school has been taking up a lot of my time and I have been ringing parents and pupils to see how everyone is getting on. The idea of going back to school on the 18th is causing a lot of anxiety and apprehension for parents .
Anyway I really need not have worried because I see you are all doing just fine. It’s great to see that everyone is supporting each other,sharing experiences and keeping the momentum going !
Everyone is so focused and positive and working their way through the programme, experimenting and questioning ..it’s brilliant !

At the last count there were 18 people contributing to the thread since it started on Monday and I am sure there are still a few who have not found time to check in yet ( Birdy, Scottishgal, Amz, freester, NikkiiA2307 …..)
Lots of great advice circulating and I can just sense the excitement and motivation so just keep going everyone. What I would add is that you do have to give this time and not get despondent if things slow down. Long term habits take time to change and we all have different issues and challenges to address.

I switched off from school today and made a body scrub with oats that have been languishing on the shelf for a while. They will never get eaten and I was pleased to find a ‘recipe’ for something useful. Oats, brown sugar , coconut oil and olive oil ! It made my hands feel really soft !
I also made a tray of nettle crisps !
My experiments with fermented veg continue ! Today I made ‘curtido’ which is sauerkraut with added carrot, onion, cumin and oregano ! I find it all fascinating as once you have learned a few techniques to avoid producing a mouldy mush, it’s really satisfying ! It’s something that Esnecca was very fond of although she was a lot more adventurous than me with all sorts of exotic ingredients.

Just before I post this I wanted to mention that Gary Taubes has a new book out called ‘ The case about keto, the truth about low carb, high fat eating ‘ Back in 2018 when I started out his book ‘ Why we get fat and what to do about it’ was an absolute eye opener and set me off on a reading frenzy ! JGwen have you had a look ? I will be interested to see if anything new is covered ?

Bryla, thinking of your Mum….and hoping you can all focus on the day you will be able to celebrate her birthday properly .

Articfox, I had to look up Lysol and understand it’s a disinfectant.I hope people can be considerate to you at work to avoid any further issues . You don’ t need more stress right now.

I haven’t addressed everyone directly but I have read all of your posts and I don’t feel a need to nag anyone at all !! Only joking !
Let’s just keep going and remember if there is anyone reading this who feels in the need of support right now, just pop in to our thread and say hi.
Have a great weekend everyone !

Hi all – hope you all had a good day. I’m plodding on nicely – if feels like I’ve eaten loads today but kept to 800 calories. It’s funny how quickly my stomach adjusts to taking in less food.
SunnyB – well done on maintaining, that is a real achievement. I look forward to that day 🙂
Wendleg – good to hear from you. You sound very busy – I can imagine how difficult it must be to keep things going when nobody is actually attending school. I’m sure your pupils and their parents are grateful for your hard work. Your fermentation experiments sound interesting – I look forward to hearing what else you make.
Olive1 – That’s a good plan for the bread. If we cut out everything that we like to eat then this woe would be impossible to do long term. I’m sure it’ll work for you.
Rosyapple – you’re doing brilliantly. I’m impressed with the digging 🙂
Timetochange – I try to have 2 or 3 meals a day and maybe try and squeeze in a snack too. I have done 24 hour fasts with only one meal a day but that’s not something I do very often – I have found it a good way to get back on track if I overindulged. Like Bryla I mix it up a bit. I guess we all need to find what works best for us.
Good night everyone 🙂

Hi Wendy and all the busy posters. I haven’t been posting lately, but I do read the forums everyday. I am at much the same place as I was a month ago. But I have reeled in some of the CV comfort eating. I do mostly 14/10 each day, but do manage to get to 16/8 some days each week. Still swimming to get in a bit of exercise.
I mentioned in my last post that my brother has moved in with me (I’m 63 and him 65). He has high blood pressure and his weight has crept up over the last few years. I was hoping to perhaps sway his eating habits while he was staying here – but have not had much luck with that!! 🤣 I don’t feel I can preach BSD or LCHF to him – and don’t want too! – but interesting to see how many carbs he puts away. He would probably say he eats healthily – but comparing his breaky of weetbix, milk and orange juice at around 60g carbs with my mushrooms, bacon and fetta brunch of under 4g – I just remember those days of high carbs and how much better I feel now. And he eats sweets all the time!! 😡But I mustn’t scold him – perhaps I could get Wendy in to do that 😁😁😁 Anyway I just needed to rant about that. I know from reading here and all the literature, that he could really lower is Blood Pressure by changing his foods, and I feel sad that he can’t make changes to improve his health.
Otherwise things are good here – some wet weather has kept me a bit indoors – doing lots of genealogy!
Dinner is done ready for tonight – beef and lentil pasta bake – with mushrooms instead of pasta for me.
Good to read of all the gardening, interior designing, sauerkraut making, birthday celebrations and breadmaking going on🍓🌷🌺🌼
Keep safe!

Good morning all! Day 8
It’s been a chaotic and upsetting weekend. Consequently, my best intentions got a little sidelined… I’ve not been so focused and I have been indulging in dark chocolate (PMT!), toast, cereal and crisps and no proper meals at all yesterday. Even though I took my own food along to work (childminding at a neighbor’s) I did succumb to my usual high carb breakfast there 😐
On a good note, I did do a couple of hours digging on Saturday and my 800cal meal plan and shopping list are in place for the week ahead. I also weighed myself earlier and I have lost 3 llbs over the last 7 days, which I am pleased about.
I am looking forward to the arrival of my 800cal diet book as I do feel I need more information.
Have a good day everyone 🌹🍏

Lovely to hear from you, Wendy! So glad you have made time to look after yourself a bit over the weekend- I’m sure we all understand completely about your work pressures. You are the lynchpin of the thread and we can’t do without you, but don’t worry, we are looking after each other while you take care of essential business.

Hi MerryMelba! I sympathise with having to bite your tongue. It’s tough seeing loved ones eating things that won’t help their health problems once our own eyes have been opened. And I agree that getting preachy is not desirable or remotely effective.

Rosy, I’m so sorry to hear you had such a tough weekend. It sounds as if you are doing a great job of focusing on your next steps, rather than dwelling on your food wobble. There is never any benefit to us beating ourselves up over going off track and it is so easy to fall back on the food-related coping strategies that we have had for most of our lives when challenges crop up. My experience is that it does get easier to establish and stick to alternative strategies over time. It’s a new week and we are all here to support you. You can do it!!!

I’m going to be more productive this week. I miss work terribly and have had a real slump in motivation lately. I’m pleased and relieved that I haven’t been tempted to find comfort in carbs, though. I can make choices and be proactive and I will! Not going to try, just going to do it.

Happy Monday everyone
Monday is my weigh-in day and my scales are playing tricks on me this morning – but in a good way 🙂 Not quite a week since I restarted this woe and my scales show a fall of 9lbs since last week – woo hoo!!!!!! I know it’s all water weight and last week my stomach probably still had the contents of my over indulgence from Sunday – but I’ll take it…
Stats are: 15 st 11 lbs BMI 40.7 Fat % – far too high!!!
Since January I’ve had periods of being very strict with myself and then letting go, but I’ve pulled it back and not put on too much so my weight, although fluctuating, has stayed within the same range. 15 st is a bit of a milestone for me – that is always the target I set for myself and I never quite get there – I get close but then lose control. I realise it’s a barrier I’ve built up for myself that I can’t break through… so far…
Bryla – I love your positive attitude – just do it! It is easy to get despondent when things change around us, but you’re so right, we can still be proactive and make choices – we all can.
Rosyapple – you’re doing so well 🙂 we all have blips along the way, it’s only human. But as the song says, pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again.
MerryMelba – you’re right not to preach, it’s not helpful. I haven’t appreciated it when people have, kindly, nagged me to lose weight. But you can lead by example, you never know, your brother may be inspired by your healthy habits.
All the best everyone – have a lovely week

hi folks
today is end of week one back on plan for me and has mostly been pretty good
Although as a health indicator I’m not against wholefood carbs, I’m acknowledging that even they may be an issue at least in the short term if I’m insulin resistant
well done to those with great result with the scales (Rosyapple and Gattina)-and Olive_1 I love your approach to only quality re bread
Merry Melba-I personally find reading inspirational so maybe leaving a copy of the BSD book about may get your brother onside?
It’s late autumn her in the far south and we’re enjoying crisp walks and I’m re-discovering hot baths (which I can really only do in the cooler months)
Looking forward to week two in your company and more resolve to stay on track!!

Thanks for the many replies regarding the possibility of having one meal on some days. It’s really useful to know the experience of other people. Just picking up on points about change and habits, I’m reading an interesting book which others may know called Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. It’s fascinating and turns aspects of behaviour change theory on its head. I have certainly been using some of the overarching principles such as kindness to oneself. If you’ve not come across it and find the subject interesting, I would recommend it.
On a food front, I have a sweet tooth and I am finding that having a very small amount of dark chocolate after my evening meal does what’s needed and I have avoided biscuits etc which I would usually have. While it’s working I’m sticking to that. I don’t have any blood sugar issues but didn’t want to develop any either. Working from home during the lockdown was initially a huge challenge from a food perspective and it’s why I returned to this approach, as I was feeling really tired and knew I was reaching for too many poorer quality carbs. I definitely have more energy. I’ve done 2 weeks of 800 calories and lost 10lbs. I would like to lose a further 14-20 lbs and may now move to 800 calories 3-4 days a week and just healthy Mediterranean on the other days. I’ve had a view of one day at a time so we’ll see.
Would be interested to know if more people stuck purely to 800 calories for longer . Thanks all and have a great day !

Hi All

Thanks for the birthday wishes had a lovely day. Managed to catch a few of the posts but haven’t had a chance to read through the entire forum since I posted as work has been manic. Everyone is doing so well and I love the support from everyone. I weighed this morning and have lost 5kgs in my first week. I was very happy with that considering I had a Chinese on my birthday and a slice of cake. We had planned since the start of quarantine that we would have a Chinese if we couldn’t go out on my birthday and I was in two minds for most of the day but we had it and I really enjoyed it. For the first time I actually felt like I was in control and I could have a birthday treat without falling off the wagon. I also didn’t bother to buy a birthday cake as such because since there is just two of us it makes it more tempting, instead we brought a small Thorntons cake which is about the size of a large muffin and had that to share then all my other meals remained the same. The hunger finally subsided so I felt like I had turned a corner. Brought myself a couple of small plates as well and that really works too as look they are nice and full compared to if I used a regular one. Anyone else had any good results?

Georgie x

Hello good people.
Nice to see so many updates.
Georgie that sounds like a nice and controlled birthday – good work!!
Timetochange that is great results, taking it day at a time seems to be a good approach. my intention is to get to 8 weeks…..but I’m just looking ahead in little steps. Each day is feeling ok and I’m contented, long may it continue!
EC – week one complete – thats a good marker. Keep at it. we got this!!
Gattina – for sure take it! Go you!! keep and it and hopefully you’ll keep seeing the results and feeling the benefits.
Rosyapple – I do believe every step is a learning opportunity and youve taken some good steps forward, learned a few things and made progress. Thats great. I’m managing to be strict but it has taken a lot of dabbling and learning to make it to this point(And I’m only 2 weeks in so by no means expert!)
Others and regulars – great to see you and thank for the continued support!! knowing we are not alone and being able to share our accountabilities is fab!
So this is my day 14 of sticking to plan. I was a little bit over calorie wise on Saturday due to a couple of glasses of red wine and raspberries & single cream for pudding, but I’ve been on plan apart from that! Keeping exercise up (mostly walking) as well. I’ll weigh in tomorrow- fingers crossed. Always nervous in case no loss derails me……! I know its not essential i loose every time and there will be plateaus, weight isnt everything etc but….
However, I am starting to be able to see changes. I boldly tried on my size 12 jeans which are waiting for me and a wee target….. and they go on, do up and are more comfortable than i expected by this point! They are a little stretch so I’m trying not to be too excited but I do feel I’m making progress. Each day is a new opportunity and today will be a good day!!

Take care

So that’s the end of my 8 weeks. 1st 12 lbs lost, over 10% of my body weight!! The only one who know this is my husband, as I’m hoping to emerge to my friends after lockdown as a big surprise. It’s easy to just show headshots on Zoom and WhatsApp!

I now have 4 more weeks I’d 800/20 to get to within normal bmi and then start the slightly scary maintenance. I’ve read lots of other threads here, and learnt a lot, but I’m still struggling a bit with the idea of more than doubling my calories (slowly) but not increasing the carbs. I’m sure I’ll get there but it’s a bit daunting at the moment. Good luck everyone for next week

Oh wow! Well done Puddy! Thats seriously motivational! Well done you! The idea of emerging from lockdown a good bit leaner is very appealing!! Good luck on the next stages – having got this far I’m sure you can handle the changes, although i do understand the anxiety or increasing, keeping control and not undoing all the work. Youve done the hard bit though!!

Thanks WindyJulz

Puddy thats Fab!! Well done 😀

Sorrrrry ! Late checking in . Monday ‘at school ‘is hectic !!!!!!!!!!!
About to set up the new thread !!!
See you there everyone !
Wendy

It’s up and running , folks !!

ONE WEEK AT A TIME BEGINNING MAY 5TH 2020

See you there !!

Wow, folks! Great results coming thick and fast. Really well done, and an equally big cheer for those of us with nothing big to report right now.

Timetochange- I did 800/20 for 14 weeks strictly until I reached my target. I believe lots of people do it for much longer, but I think the official line is that we know it’s safe for12 weeks. I don’t see why anyone shouldn’t experiment wherever they want to, but I wonder why you are keen to increase calories at this point?

Puddy- a few weeks ago I was looking at maintenance like it was a terrifying wild beast waiting to attack me! I think I made exactly the same comment about the seeming impossibility of doubling my calories over time. Well, I don’t have the answers, but so far it hasn’t been traumatic at all. I know some people add in 50 cals per week but I have surprised myself after being so rigid (some might say obsessive) and just relaxing a bit! I’ve stopped weighing and counting everything and think I’m just having a spoonful extra of everything here and there. A bit more veg (still the low carb variety), yoghurt, a couple more nuts or a smidgeon more cheese etc. A few extras quares of dark chocolate might also have featured!So far I have been bobbing about 2-4 lbs under target weight. Definitely not at 1600 cals yet, but I haven’t wasted away, or gained unwanted weight, so I reckon it’s going okay. I had felt like there must be a’right’ way to enter maintenance, but I’ve concluded it’s much like every stage of this WOE and we find our own way. That’s not what i wanted to hear a few weeks back, but I hope it might be reassuring. Relaxing a bit has not led to me wanting to eat everything in sight but nor have I been standing in the kitchen wondering what on earth I can eat. I was equally nervous about both those potential outcomes. You can do it, Puddy!

Wow that’s amazing what an achievement! You must be thrilled. I’m only two weeks in. 10lbs down so far. Congratulations for such a brilliant weight loss.

Just popping in to say Wendy has set up the new weekly thread, for those who would like to join us there for another week. Hooe to see you all checking in there soon 😀

Thanks Bryla, that’s very reassuring. Onwards to the next week that Wendy has set up. I need to focus on finishing and getting to target as well. It’s so much my nature to want to move on to the next thing before I finish this one! So I’ll think and plan a bit for maintenance, but try to stay focussed on getting to a healthy bmi before I start making changes.

Well done everyone- I’ve been amazed at some huge losses this week. Great to see so much enthusiasm and determination. I have been 100% focused and committed this week. I have stuck to the regime, done extra walking and did a 24 hour fast on Sunday. I am, therefore, disappointed to report only a 2.2 lb loss over the last 10 days! I had a feeling i was going to report 4lb for this week. I am still keen to keep that curve going down and so will be continuing on the next thread as I am determined to get into my white jeans for my birthday in June. See you all on the next thread
For what will be week 2 of my BSD reboot.

Hello everyone
I’m a little late to this thread but I started BSD800 on 28th as well. It’s so fab to listen to everyone’s success stories as well as challenges which means I’m not alone!
Bit about me, I’m 32, 5’5 and thanks to lockdown eating tipped the scale at 79.3. I also have PCOS with a family history of T2 diabetes. I’ve tried this diet once before but only lasted a few days however today was day 8 and I weighed myself today and was 75.6! I lost 3.7kg or just over 8 pounds in a week which is unheard of with PCOS. I’ve been out for a couple of walks and currently doing NHS Couch to 5k. I quit previously because of the headaches and flu but I’ve increased my water intake and after the initial couple of days – I’m no longer hungry and pretty content and satisfied with my food. Keeping it 800 calories and under 50g carbs but most days it’s around 30g.
I’m hoping to lose around 10-15kg to get me back into a healthier BMI. Fingers crossed 🙂

Hi Sim, welcome and a huge woohoo for such a brilliant result so far🤸‍♀️. You’re sounding really focused and I’m confident you’ll realise your goal. Just a heads up, that we are moving across to the new weekly thread, which has 5th May in the title, so please come and join us there and we’ll happily share in yoir journey and offer advice, support and help you celebrate your wins. Will look forward to seeing you there☺