After eating the BSD way for over 21 months I now find both my motivation and resolve are wearing thin …. wish I was too! Anyway, having just managed a one week reboot, which I found really useful for getting me back into a routine, I feel that ‘One Week at a Time’ is the way for me to make more progress.

So, while I’m also joining the new 4 week challenge I’m setting this up for anyone who wants an added dimension. I find, as a ‘last minute’ person, that at the start of a challenge I feel that I have all the time in the world to meet my 4 week target, I relax for the first few weeks, then feel pressure and then end up wasting the whole 4 weeks. So I’m hoping to break that cycle with this approach.

My aim then for this week is to improve my water intake which has been a bit erratic to say the least. So this week I will have a minimum of 2lts of water/green tea a day and hopefully I will manage 3lts a day. So here goes … I’m already on my second cup of green tea today !

My goal for this week is to lose just over 1lb – which will keep me focused on my 4 week goal of 5lb. Feel really motivated.

Hello Verano, I will join you, thank you. I’ve been here for approximately the same length of time as you and, while knowing I would be worse off if I hadn’t stayed connected to the wonderfully supportive people here, it does feel stale at times. That’s when the extra elbow joggle in the ribs is needed. I’m smiling also as, in contrast to your pattern, my tendency in the 4 week challenges is to go full steam ahead for the first couple of weeks then tail off. So I will try and use these OWAAT efforts to steer me through the 4 weeks.
Goals:
:Staying hydrated as our weather cools will be an issue so therefore a goal. Minimum 1.5l water, topping up with my usual cups of green and herbal teas.
:Only Mediterranean Diet friendly foods, as per the M Plan from the book. On a small plate to be aware of portion sizes.
:I’ll weigh and track everything on at least 2 days/week. I get so tired of doing it that I know now that I’ll never do it every single day, but I will endeavor to eat as though I were weighing measuring tracking.
I won’t set a weight goal here, that will better suit the longer challenge, I think.

So, here we go again. ODAAT->OWAAT 😃

Hi guys
Verano thx for setting this up. May I join you I’ve been doing this if and on for 22 mths, and need to get a strong grip.
Going week by week is just the thing, so weigh in today 111.8k aiming to be 109 by his time next week, and train my moral discipline to stick to my plan. 😊 got to catch it yet hehe what a life huh, my husband John of 40 years his weight is exactly the same as when I met him practically, I’ve got the bad weight karma 🤐
Good luck to us all

I’ll join you guys for this week, but will also sign up for 4 weeks. I find the week to week approach may be best for me. 3lbs last week, but I am more of a 1-2lbs girl. I definitely need to increase my water uptake- only about 1- 1.5litres.

Hi guys – I’d like to join you.
I’ve signed up for the 4-week challenge and committed to 14 lbs so this 1-week challenge will help me break it down. My challenge is to lose 7lbs in this week.
I’ve lost my way recently and I’m re-doing the 8-week bsd so this will be like my first week again so I hope to get a good loss.
best foot forward everyone and good luck 🙂

Good to see our little band expanding. A special welcome back to greenjanet our little ‘rubber band’ because you never give up just keep bouncing back! This one together with the 4 week challenge will have you back on track before you know it!

I think there might be a joint 2nd anniversary on the cards soon so let’s all ‘look’ our best for the party. It’s amazing that so many of us still following this way of eating after so long so I guess we really can say this is now our ‘way of life’.

A particular welcome to our newer members as well. The wealth of information on these boards is staggering and it can be so useful.

Let’s make Week 1 a week to achieve one goal, no matter how small. It will at least be a step forward towards our ultimate goals.

Hehe verano
Your description little rubber band made me chuckle, well I’m loving and visualising the little bit hehe but yes I am the old retainer possibly the longest serving on here, I never see the names I started with, and this year is going to be the year we all get it gone 💃💃💃💃💃💃
Yep visualising that as well in fact it’s what keeps me going remembering how I felt slimmer
Bring it on.
Having my fav this evening chicken breast with 50g cream cheese with a rasher of bacon wrapping it up, from the big BSD book.
🙋 jan

Good morning ‘One Weekers’ I hope day one of these new challenges was good for you. I managed a little less that 2ltrs yesterday. Who would have thought it would be so difficult to drink just 2 ltrs of water. Anyway I will definitely make at least 2 today.

Hope you enjoyed your chicken last night Jan. I made some cauliflower with garlic and if you didn’t know you’d have thought it was mashed potato. It was so smooth and creamy which I think must be from the addition of the steamed garlic. When I look back to the early days of BSD I realise that I was eating far fewer meat meal and many more vegetable based meals. Think I’m in a bit of a rut when it comes to cooking. Looks like it’s time get out the recipe books again!

So Day 2 of 7/28 and we can make it a successful one …. after all it’s just one day!

Morning all Well here we are day 2
It’s beautiful spring weather here all of a sudden in peaceful fenland Norfolk, and I am doing my usual spring ritual yep getting out the summer clothes, but oh my also with that comes the summer clothes wishful thinking, we have moved a lot and I have been hoarding my wish to get intos for donkeys years. Anyone else do that. Because I had a dress shop I have a lot of stuff. So I’m sorting it in order of what stage I can get into it, Size wise, and photograph all the bags of stuff as a reminder if one of the reasons why I want to loose my fat.
Confession I’ve been overweight since I was 17 I’m now 60 and despite dieting all that time LOL I’ve only put on 8 stone.
So this spring my mantra is b…..well get on with it and get it all gone and start feeling well
So I’ve upped my moral discipline to follow my plan, and using visualisation to help through the hungry times.
Now I’m of for a sip of tea and get my clothes of the future sorted 💃💃💃 hope the suns shining where you all are
🙋 jan

Good morning all one weekers – hope your day is going well so far. It’s a beautiful spring day in London and I’m stuck in an overheated office desperately trying to focus on my work…unsuccessfully as I’m posting here instead, ha ha…
Verano – I’m happy to be part of your rubber band – but in my mind its a shrinking band in a very attractive hourglass shape 🙂 I like the cauliflower mash too – I hadn’t realised how versatile cauli could be until I started this – cauli steaks, rice, cous cous (cold in salad), mash… And the trusty old cauliflower cheese. As a veggie my choices are limited so I have to get a bit creative with the foods I make.

Jan – I can relate to your post – I’m a hoarder and had kept clothes for years. I had a massive clear out last year and got rid of everything that didn’t fit except for a few key items. It does mean I have very few clothes to wear now – and I’m realizing that my clothes are not very flattering – for years I bought clothes which fit and not because I liked them! Well no more! Here’s to a lovely new wardrobe… in a size 10… maybe…

Hi, everyone! I’m not signed into this challenge, although I think it’s a marvelous idea! Verano has had many other thread
ideas, and they are always inspired. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you on the 4 week challenge, as well. I
don’t think I know you, greenjanet, but we’ll soon change that 🙂
Gattina, your discussion of cauliflower used creatively in salads just sung to me! I had to give up my favorite summer
salad in the summer of 2016 because of the carbs…not working for one who is as insulin resistant as I am! It never
occurred to me to attempt to recreate it with cauli and black soybeans, instead of quinoa and black beans. Kale
in it as well, and a dressing using sambal olek, (chili paste). I’m inspired now, although it won’t be “dinner salad days”
for at least 2 months. If it turns out to be a winner, I’ll post it for new and old veggie friends. Thanks for planting
the thought in my head 🙂 I’m not vegetarian, but I like the idea of eating 2 veggie dinners a week to offset the expense
of serving fresh wild fish 3 x a week.

Good luck, All!

Allie

Good morning …. DAY 3 of 7 of our first week……

Allie you certainly don’t need the extra ‘oomph’ of a weekly challenge to add to the 4 week challenge as you have absolutely found the secret of this WOE. However, we mere mortals need that extra push!

Talking cauliflower I will bring the ‘101 Ways with Cauliflower’ thread back to the top especially for all the new starters. I think we all get into a rut from time to time with food. I tend to find a dish I enjoy and the eat it day after day until I’m sick of it. I really need to add some variety and I know that will become easier as the summer arrives.

Marsie I like your idea of only committing to measure/log a few days a week it certainly takes some of the pressure away. I think I may try doing that.

Talking about clothes I think it’s time for me to have another clear out now that I’m back on track. I’m still wearing things that are way too big and they are anything but flattering. I also need top get my ‘top of the future’ out of the wardrobe again to remind me of just why I’m doing this now. Vanity is a close second to controlling my blood sugars.

I seem to still be on track at the moment with just two meals again yesterday. I really find that works for me especially if I can put off breaking my overnight fast until after 11am. This morning I will have a couple of poached/boiled eggs with some left over asparagus which I know will keep me full until this evening. Hope you have a good day.

Had another really good day yesterday. The one week challenge really works for me and keeps me focused for the whole week and it looks much more likely that I will hit my 4 week goal this time.

I am trying to get my head round what is happening to my blood sugars. Morning blood sugars 4.6 or lower and before meals around 4.3. After meals no higher than 5.5. They have never been so low – either on the BSD weight loss phase or since December 2016 when I started maintenance. Did the dropping calories and carbs kick start my pancreas to work more effectively, or after nearly 2 years of carbs most days staying below 30g has my pancreas been very slowly regenerating and is now suddenly working much more efficiently. I just don’t have a clue what is going on. It’s really weird.

The other strange thing is that my energy levels have suddenly increased and I seem to have boundless energy. Very useful as work is particularly manic at the moment.

Hi one-weekers – hope all are well
Allie – your salad sounds nice. let me know how it turns out and I’ll give it a go.
Verano – who knew there were 101 ways with cauliflower!? I’ll have to check out the thread. I’m sure that your top will help keep you focused – a clear out is always therapeutic – it can be so depressing wearing clothes that don’t fit properly, big or small.
Krysia – Amazing readings for your blood glucose – proof that this woe does work at curing T2 diabetes.

I’ve just had an interesting conversation with a GP – I work with healthcare professionals and I was concerned that he hadn’t gone to lunch with the others in his meeting. He explained that he rarely eats lunch and often tries to go from tea-time to tea-time only eating his tea. He’s from the north so his tea is my dinner 🙂
He was singing the praises of eating a low carb diet and periods of fasting. He hadn’t heard of the bsd but when I explained the principles he recognized it was based on the Prof. Roy Taylor research and agreed it would cure diabetes. He used the word cure! I’ve always been reticent of using that word – in my mind you can’t cure diabetes only put it into remission but he definitely said cure!

He was critical of organizations like the British Diatetic Association and Diabetes UK who have not changed their recommendations and still advise people to eat complex carbs at every meal. It’s so good to know things are slowly changing – there are people in the NHS who recognize the benefits. It’s just a shame things move so slowly that people who would benefit don’t have the information that would help them and it seems that it’s only by chance that they come across the MM book/Newcastle diet/Gary Taubes or any of the others advocating low carb eating.

Hi all! I meant to join this at the start as I’m also in the 4 week thread. I’m aiming for around 2.5lb loss per week. At the start of this week I was 149.6lb, I’ve dropped a pound since then but didn’t have time to weigh myself again today! Fingers crossed for the rest of the week x

Hi Gattina,
What an interesting conversation with that GP.
I have been wondering if there is anything that those of us who have found the benefits of this WoE can do to help others? I am getting within touching distance of my initial target weight which was the weight my GP recorded when I first joined that practice. They know I have been trying to fight the weight growth for years and the ups and downs from counting cals.
I have been wondering if there would be any advantage in writing to them once I hit my target and including in the letter recommendations on the books including isbn numbers so that they can look into the principles further along with a copy of the most recent article in the Sunday Times reflecting that’s an idea gaining ground within the NHS. I finally came to the conclusion that it would make me feel good, and maybe it will help tip the balance.
Jillie

Hi Jillie
That is a good idea – and I hope it helps. I didn’t see the letter in the Sunday times – what did it say?
I have been working in healthcare for many years now – I’m not a healthcare professional myself but work with them – and what happens is that clinicians talk to other clinicians and rarely listen to guidance from lay people/patients. Getting lay representation on some of the projects I’ve worked on has been a battle as clinicians are only just beginning to see the value.
Having said that – it doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Your own practice is a good place to start and maybe linking in with the patient participation group as a way of identifying how your letter will be taken seriously and not just filed as a nice letter.
Maybe talking to organisations such as the British Diatetic Association would also have value. It feels as thought there is a germ of something growing here – not sure what it is but let’s keep it alive…

Oh, drat, was just checking whether any new posts had arrived while I was slowly tapping out my contribution. Managed to hit the back button which took me off the page – lost the lot😑
Summarising, a couple of small dips, too small to be called a whoosh, I think. Tomorrow may be different. School holidays/Grandson/movie/burger lunch. A so called very low carb chickenburger (bun made from almond flour, coconut milk, egg etc). Checked nutrient panel online when home: 400cal, 20g carb, 18g fat, 39g protein. Wow. Didn’t it all, but still…. small salad for dinner tonight.
Thanks for the reminder re the cauli thread Verano. Must re-check it for some ideas.
BTW, it’s nice sharing a thread with KrysiaD again. Always valued your posts Krysia and your Blood Sugar readings look wonderful☺
What an interesting conversation, Gattina, a real boost for you. JGwen, it’s good information and could well help. Luckily, my GP seems to be on side with the low cal but is silent about low carb.
Good evening, one weekers, from this side of the world.

Hello everyone been quiet for a couple of days as it is rather hectic with building work in the house. But going ok – meals working out and increased my water consumption. One pound down and hoping I see another. Good to read everyone’s posts and interested in the 101 ways with cauliflower 😉

Hi everyone today is day 1 of fast800 and so far so good…..I’m a type 2 diabetic and was wondering how many grams of carbs should I be aiming for…today I have stuck to just under 800 cals with 48g carbs is this about right??

Hi Gattina
Curing pre diabetics from personal experience is just a temporary cessation of high blood sugars, I reversed my pre diabetes also symptoms of S.L.E. Using the fast 800 but due to including refined carbs again all my bloods reverted back again.
Now I’m back on strict 800 my symptoms of SLE are abating again and in a few weeks my bloods should be reversed back again this time for life.
I consider myself a carb addict and I never assume now I am cured, my monster appetite is always lurking to get switched back on again.
In time it will be recognised how the anti inflammatory effects of this plan and the gut diet, are revolutionary
I’m so relieved I found it and have all you guys to share it with 💃💃💃
🙋jan

Hi sadteacher
I personally aim to keep below 50 g of carbs and 800 cals. I loose very quickly on that approx 500 g a day on average, but I know some who are insulin resistant will have to drop to 20 g carbs to get the weight to shift
Also medication can interfere with weight loss like metformin I believe, but others who are on it would advise better as I’m no to up on stuff I’m not involved in
But welcome to this happy band, this is the plan to be on for a very healthy future. Keep posting good or bad we are all here for all of us 💃💃💃
🙋 jan

Good morning ….. here we are almost half way through our first week but still half left to go to make some headway, if like me, you’ve hit a plateau …. three days and the scales remain the same… think this calls for more water!

Krysia it’s so good that you are staying focused. Who knows whats happening to your blood sugar but hey at least it’s going in the right direction. I wonder if the occasional ‘jolt’ really does wake up the body.

Gattina you sound as though you have a very forward thinking doctor. I reversed my diabetes and it was only at that point did I mention what I’d been doing to my practice nurse. She didn’t seem overly surprised that I’d been low carbing but there is a certain amount of scepticism. After all, diabetes can’t be cured!!!!!!

Welcome sadteacher. I think most people do well with 50g or less a day. But some people do have to drop lower to 30g or even 20g to lose weight. I reversed my diabetes with around 30g a day but, as greenjanet says, you cant go back to eating refined carbs and expect you blood sugars to stay low. Many of us who have been eating this way for a good while feel that it’s the refined carbs that do the damage, rather than the overall number of carbs once you are in remission. So I guess once you have reversed your T2 you can eat more carbs but they have to be the ‘good’ ones not the simple ones like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta etc. as they cause faster and more numerous blood sugar spikes. I also think it’s a case of trial and error and you will find your body’s own level but it will need to be under 50g a day.

So another Friday and another weekend looms which I know adds pressure for some of us. Lets try and keep the carbs under control but if they do feature more heavily at the weekend at least let’s make them the ‘good’ variety.

Morning happy Friday day 4
And it’s serious jockin day on radio 2 so we can be serious BSD ing 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉💃💃💃🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Hi
Am new here but please can I join your 4 week challenge?
Have been on the 800 calorie diet for a month now. 1st two weeks had 7lbs loss but nothing for last 2 weeks 😩. Having said that my fasting blood sugar has steadily fallen from approx 10 to between 5 and 6 so that’s fantastic.
Is this lull in weight loss normal? If not, I’d love any pointers as to what to do to get the weight to shift.
Many thanks Nellie

Krysia have you started the Gary Taubes book yet? I’m a fifth of the way through and I must admit I’m finding it rather tedious. I’m hoping he will soon get to the point!!

Nellie lots of people experience a plateau from time to time so just hang in there and the weight will move down again. You don’t say how many carbs you are eating. Many people go for less than 50g a day but the majority find 30g is needed for steady weight loss. But, some people have to drop to 20g or lower. Not everyone loses weight either in a straight downward line or at the same rate. This way of eating does work. Well done on bringing your blood sugars down just keep away from the simple carbs and you should be able to keep your blood sugar in control. Enjoy the journey!

Hi Nellie,
We all go through plateaus at different times, remember that weight loss isn’t linear, the body doesn’t just empty one fat cell at a time. You may need to tweek the level of carbs, or eat only in a smaller time slot each day, but If you stick at it, the weight loss will happen.
In the meantime its best to have a whole range of None Scale Victories you are monitoring. Measure inches (and not just around the obvious waist/hips locations, there has been much laughter about our bodies choosing to remodel our legs and arms before starting on the spare tyre.) Check the fit of favourite clothes. How easy it is to go on a favourite walk, or do physical jobs. All reasons to celebrate as you go on this journey.

Hi Jan thanks for the advice, I’ve come off my meds and blood sugar this morning was a little higher at 8 but feeling ok …. hopefully it will calm down over the next few weeks. Has anyone else had an unhelpful GP….. mine thinks this diet is a gimmick and had told me that I will be a type 2 diabetic all my life!!!…,.sure is the incentive to keep going!!😳😳 apart from the weight loss amd health benefits
Sadteacher- Mandy

Happy Friday everyone
This is a flying visit. Madly busy this morning with work and catching a train this afternoon. Really looking forward to my 1980s themed party this evening 🙂 There’s a set menu and I’ve added it to mfp – a bit too high in calories and carbs – so I will just have to dance that bit more to work it off.
Sadteacher – your GP should read the results from Prof Taylor’s research – s/he might learn something!
Nellie – great news with your blood glucose
Greenjan – you sound like you’re having a party 🙂 good for you! I’m glad your symptoms of SLE are reduced. The cure vs remission argument continues… I guess we all have to do what is best for our own bodies – we know them best.
Have a lovely weekend everyone
xx

Hello one weekers.
Busy day today, at least it seemed so, but a lot of it consisted of sitting waiting overly long times in crowded waiting rooms for very short appointments. Dentist for both OH and self, new photo for driver’s licence renewal – that took 57 minutes of waiting, 2 minutes of doing. Heavens, I’ll be 83 before I need a new photo for DL. Wonder what I’ll look like then …… Other stuff, then visiting sister still in hospital. She was most indignant today, hadn’t had anything solid to eat for 11 days and was 3kg heavier today than pre-op😮
Left the house mid-morning after getting 3 loads of washing outside into our beautiful autumn weather, not home again until after 7 this evening. Knackered. Was tired and hungry by mid afternoon, can you behave deliberately and thoughtlessly at the same time? Bought ice-cream (large serve), didn’t satisfy, felt awful. Haven’t done that for ages, will really avoid doing it again. Enough.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I think we’re all in lovely times of the year, especially in the garden or walking – spring in the northern climes and autumn down here☀
MFODAAT xx

Oh Marsie, what a long day!! “Waiting” is always exhausting. I’m sorry your sister is having a bad time. My
husband had surgery for colon cancer last year, and post operatively, he blew up with fluid in his abdomen
and arms and legs. He had a whole host of complications, and when we returned home 3wks later, he started
losing weight at the rate of 1.5 – 2lbs a day for weeks. Of course I don’t know your sister’s case, but I wonder
if the 2 experiences are typical? Take good care of yourself, Marsie. This is major surgery and takes awhile
to recover from.
Hugs,

Allie

Thanks Allie. You and your lovely OH have certainly been through a lot together. And today sister and I were laughing about the whoosh she could expect anytime soon 😌
Have a great weekend x

Hi Sadteacher

My GP was helpful in that she squeezed in a very early morning appointment the day after my Hba1c blood test back in August 2017 to confirm I had Type II diabetes. I haven’t seen her since but have met with 2 different practice nurses, a dietitian, been on a Diabetes Education programme and I have received so many mixed messages about what I should and shouldn’t be doing, including being told not to do the BSD as it is a starvation diet and that I should eat carbs with every meal, etc.

I did the BSD anyway as I’d read on here the results of those with Type II who had followed it and I trusted MM and Roy Taylor’s evidence. At my 3 month follow-up Hba1c in Nov 17 my result was back into the normal range and it was the same at my second Hba1c follow-up this month (and on my initial diagnosis my Hba1c result had been high). You’re doing completely the right thing by following this diet but you will find a lot of NHS staff sceptical and unsupportive. Having been on other Diabetes websites our experience isn’t unusual, I’m afraid. I’m glad you’re sticking with it.
Marie xx

I am a bit late posting today because I have spent most of the day engrossed in the Gary Taubes book as I travelled to London today. Verano – I agree that up to page 86 it is heavy going – but he asks on page 86 – “how should we approach the problem (of why we get fat)? How do we have to think about it to make progress.” That is what he answers in the remainder of the book. It was so interesting that I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it this evening.
Gattina – what an interesting conversation you had with that GP. Very interesting that he used the word cure! I’ve also always been reticent of using that word – because I have also felt that you can’t cure diabetes only put it into remission. But I am beginning to change my mind.
From reading Gary Taubes book I have realised I have a genetic predisposition to end up with diabetes if I ate the sugary and starchy carbs (which I certainly did). He says in his book that reversing the damage caused by the carbs may take a few months, or even years and I think that is the case for me. At the end of April it will be two years without the bad carbs.

Since reading the Taupes book – this is what has been buzzing around my head. The BSD will not cure me of the genetic predisposition to end up with diabetes if I eat the bad carbs – but if I don’t eat the bad carbs and my BS are consistently in the normal range without injected insulin – maybe I am moving towards the diabetes being cured. Of course I would need to stay off the bad carbs as the genetic predisposition for the bad carbs to cause diabetes cannot be cured – even though I may have cured the diabetes. Does this make sense? This morning BS 4.3 – at 7pm, 2 hours after dinner BS 4.4 – no injected insulin. BS staying In a very narrow range between 4.3 and 5.5 at the moment. In fact – all the time I injected insulin it never worked as well as that.

Marsie – thank you for your kind words. It is so lovely to be a part of this forum of like minded people all working towards the common goal of improving our health. I think you did brilliantly stopping at one ice cream.
Verano – am in London as I am on a course tomorrow and have planned the days as two meal days. I cannot believe it has taken me 2 years to realise that you don’t actually always have to eat 3 meals a day.

Another very interesting thing in the book was that he says that there is no one size fits all prescription for the amount of carbs we can eat and still lose weight. We have to learn for ourselves. Actually – that is just what we have all been doing on this forum. Some of us have found we can only eat 20g (me included) but some of us do well on 50g (sadly not me).

Hi all
Many thanks for your advice. I’ll start counting the carbs and try to stick to 25-30g a day for this next week and see how things go. Also note that fluid intake seems important and certainly haven’t been drinking enough.
Hopefully these two changes will pay dividends….. will keep you posted
Many thanks
Nellie

Mellor – sounds like a really good plan – do keep us posted with your progress.
Blood sugar 4.4 this morning. Am really really really happy.

Head has been mulling over everything I read yesterday. Had noticed over the past 6 months that my food intake had really crept up (2700 cals a day at least with blood sugars staying higher than ideal. A real puzzle as carbs were never higher than 35g. Not so puzzling was the 5lb weight rise that resulted.

On starting the one week challenges i had to cut down on something – and the 3 things I that had got seriously out of control were cream, nuts, yoghurt and kefir. All very healthy foods. But on cutting them drastically down blood sugars and weight plummeted on 1200 calories a day.

Was stunned to read in Gary Taubes book that – some people – although not many – have an abnormal insulin response to cream and nuts! I did note he puts yoghurt on the banned list of food which I actually don’t agree with!. So if I eat these things in excess it sends me down the diabetes road. On the challenges I cut nuts to 10g, cream to just a splash in my coffee, kefir to 100g and yoghurt to 25g as a topping to my kefir, flaxseed and blueberry breakfast sprinkled with 10g flaked almonds. No cravings – awesome BS and very decent weight loss.

Have noticed on this forum just how good we are at tailoring the BSD to work successfully for us – and how we are all continuing to learn – which is just what the book says. We are all different – we are all genetically predisposed to be affected by the carbs but there is no one size fits all.

Apologies for my ramblings – just trying to get my head round this new info and to mull over my new status. Diabetes ‘cured’ or reversed but still with a genetic disposition to have an abnormal insulin response to starchy carbs but also some other foods that do not cause most other people problems. So will always have to keep off the starchy carbs and limit the nuts etc to stay diabetes free. You wouldn’t believe how good I feel now I understand what is going on.

Sorry Nellie – I didn’t notice my tablet auto corrected your name.

Good morning and welcome to DAY 5 of 7…..

Krysia I really appreciate your posts over the last two days. Now I really have food for thought. According to my kindle I’m on page 111 and still finding it tedious but maybe I will have my lightbulb moment soon!

Reading your last paragraph I started to think of diabetes in a completely different light. I’m not sure about diabetes ever being ‘cured’ but I am sure ‘remission’ is possible. Well both you and I, and many others, have proved that we can be in remission. I guess if you have a predisposition for diabetes, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will always become diabetic, you can maybe only ever ‘control’ it rather than ‘cure’ it. What did come to mind were people with coeliacs disease. They can only ever ‘control’ their condition by staying gluten free so maybe the answer for us really is just to remain free of simple carbs.

As you say we are all very good at tailoring this WOE to fit our individual circumstances and we keep learning. There is nothing quite like shared knowledge to help us understand, and control, diabetes. We are the lucky ones who are ignoring conventional wisdom and finding a new path tailored to our individual needs.

Haha, Krysia! It’s just 4:30am here and the house is dark and quiet, but if it wasn’t, I would let out a loud YAY for you!
Everyone knows that I’m a “Taubes Woman” too, and I couldn’t be more delighted that you’ve found his book
useful. I am nothing short of relentless in recommending it, and there is no doubt in my mind that discovering
it very early on made my road far easier than some others. The clouds parted, the sun came out, and at last
I understood the mystery of being liberated from ever struggling with my weight again. In a manner of speaking,
it was like being handed your first pair of corrective lenses when you’ve been hopelessly nearsighted all your
life!
Krys, you’ve been empowered! Help californiagirl and I spread the word. You’ve put a large smile on my face,
and my day hasn’t even started 🙂 Have a great weekend!

Allie

Hi all! My response to Gary Taubes’ book was like Allie and yours, KrysiaD, just like a lightbulb had been turned on.
I agree, one of my takeaways was that my body is unique in its own levels of insulin and my body isn’t like other people’s bodies so I can’t treat it with generic diets. I had to understand that the body I live in needed a different approach.
If generic diets worked, I would have been thin years before the BSD came out! I dieted, exercised, ate organic, low fat — you name it, I tried it. My family is full of thin and active people so the pressure was always on not to be the little piggy of the family. I think you could say I was “motivated” but nothing, nothing worked for long or very effectively.
Now I understand that I was struggling against the tide all that time and I do sometimes regret that I didn’t find all this earlier and save myself years of grief.
But, once I understood how insulin works and how my insulin levels were clearly abnormal it just made sense.
I had started following low carb, based on Taubes diet in the back of his book, about two years before finding the BSD and that had already helped me lose weight AND most importantly at that point, stop gaining MORE weight — it seemed like I couldn’t stop gaining and I was just panicked about it and at the same time practically resigned to just becoming an old, obese person, I mean, there seemed to be no way to stop and I was exhausted trying.
Then I found the BSD and the combination was just exactly the answer for me! The best part might be that suddenly I wasn’t starving all the time and I felt like a normal person who wasn’t constantly thinking of food or wondering where my next “fix” was coming from.
The part in Taubes book where he explains how ACTIVE our fat stores are was so exciting for me — you mean, all that fat and calories I had stored, was SUPPOSED to be in and out of the cells all day and night, fueling me, feeding me, nourishing me? And my fat is stuck in prison behind the iron bars of insulin? Well let those suckers free! Hey that stupid insulin-sheriff needs to be fired!
So I “fired” my insulin-sheriff by lowering my carbs to Taubes suggested-level — which by the way is part of the Duke University Lifestyles diet).
And I set myself free.

Hi Marie123 I’m glad to hear that you have had a similar experience with the diabetic teams as me and pleased that you ignored their advice re the BSD and proved it works this has given me the confidence to carry on and prove my team wrong as well. It is a real shame that these health professionals appear to be giving wrong advice based on flawed evidence. I am next at my clinic at the end of May and will print out and take with me the evidence from MM and the Newcastle study as both are really thought provoking and these with evidence of changes to my weight and BS should hopefully encourage them to view this as a positive rather then the view that I am destined to be a diabetic for the rest of my life……
My BS today have been stable at 6 ..,, off meds and this is only day 3😃😃😃
Mandy

Am just pulling out of Kings Cross on my way to Norfolk. The course was very good – but so much information to take in. The hotel was lovely and I got an upgrade to a kingsize room.

Verano – hope you are getting on better with the book. You are right – the answer for us is to stay free of simple carbs (and to work out how many of the good carbs we can tolerate).

Allie and California girl – I only wish I had bought the book when you very first mentioned it on this forum. The combination of the BSD and the Taubes book is exactly the answer for me also. I’ve fired my insulin sheriff as well. The Taubes book answered lots of questions for me. The bit about active fat stores was a revelation for me also.

But how sad it is that the truly ‘bonkers’ nutritional advice over the last 50 years has sentenced so many of us to years and years of struggling with our weight and all the health issues that the bad advice has caused. Not least is the mental anguish it has caused.

Mandy – yes – please do carry on and prove your team wrong – we are all behind you.

Can I ask which Taubes book you are all discussing ????
Mandy

Hi MANDY! It’s Taubes book “Why We Get Fat…and What To Do About It” 🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks I’ll have a look on Amazon!! 😃😃
Mandy

Good morning everyone and with just two days of this first week left I need to be a little more mindful of my diet. But still two days to make an impression at the first week weigh in on the 4 week challenge. Hope you are all meeting your goals.

Mandy please persevere with the book when you get it, it really does improve. It was chapter 11 for me before the ‘lightbulb’ went on. Certainly a very interesting book.

Krysia yes!!!!! I now see the light!

Californiagirl I was in a similar position to you in that I felt as though I was on a ‘runaway train’ and could find no way to stop it. Then I discovered BSD. As you say ‘If generic diets worked, I would have been thin years before BSD’. I couldn’t agree more. I think so many of us have tried SW, WW, and a myriad of other ways to lose weight, but even if there was a loss it was always regained, plus more. Maybe for people without insulin resistance these diets do work but once you have an understanding of the mechanism of ‘fat stores’ I think it just reaffirms the notion that, for some of us, carbs are ‘poison’.

So I’m going back to the drawing board to concentrate on getting my carbs down to 20g a day. I know how to do it I just have to put it into practice!

Verano – I knew you would love the book once you got through the first part. Yes – I agree that it does reaffirm the notion that for us carbs are poison. The freedom of knowing that we are now allowing insulin to do it’s work properly instead of forcing it to lock up our energy stores in a maximum security prison is so liberating.

My mindset was that you must eat these meals a day to keep supplying the body with energy. Now I know that all you need is to keep the carbs low and your body has access to endless energy from your fat stores. While I was in London I did 2 meals a day – and kept carbs ultra low. Yesterday evening I still had the energy to race from Euston to Kings Cross with a massively heavy back pack. My brain was so sharp during the day that the notes i took on the course were the best i have ever taken.

I only had one problem though, even though I drank copious amounts of water – this morning I had toilet problems from lack of fibre – I won’t go into details here…… So next time I will take my ground flaxseed and inulin powder with me.

Last night blood sugars 4.2 – this morning 4.3. My HB1aC test next week should show an improvement. These numbers are firmly in the free from diabetes range.

The one week challenges, the Taubes book and my good blood sugars readings have given me a massive boost. I am re-energised.

Krysia I agree it really is ‘liberating’. When I think about this forum with its many different threads there are definitely two themes that are constants. Lots of people remark on their higher energy levels despite eating many fewer calories and the second is that many if us have seen our cholesterol levels drop, all consistent with low carb eating. Although until reading Taubes I thought it was mainly due to eating ‘more healthily’. Now I realise it’s due to eating low carb.

I have been giving really low carb some thought and I think I may experiment with just counting carbs and not calories but staying at 20g or less a day. I may be wrong, but I’m assuming that at <20g a day the calories will take care of themselves or maybe the calories really don’t count after all! A concept that may take some time to internalise!