I am 50 and perimenopausal. I have read numerous web pages regarding difficulty in weight loss during peri-menopause and have experienced this having tried various diets over the last 5 years. Can anyone tell me whether this diet/lifestyle works during this phase of life. I have read the Blood Sugar Diet book and am very excited to try it out and to cut out the ‘bad’ carbs.
My current weight is 12 stone and my ideal weight for my height is around 10 stone. Most of my fat is around my belly.
Any thoughts or views welcome please.

Hi, Angiipix, and welcome to the forum.Of the different diets
that you tried to date, were any of them low carb, moderate
protein and high fat? How many calories per day? Many of
us here are peri, menopausal and post. We’d be happy to share
our success stories with you in answer to your question, but
a bit more of your history would help 🙂

Allie

Hiya, thanks for your reply.
I have tried weight watchers, Slimming World, but didn’t like the restriction on fat, never had a sweet tooth, fortunately but am a cheese addict. I know its restricted on the diet, but at least full fat is welcome.
I also did Slim fast for 2 weeks and didn’t lose a pound! I had 2 shakes per day plus evening meal which were all low fat ready meals.
I am hoping this diet wil be a little easier to stick to as it includes a lot of the food I like, such as fish, veg, salad etc
Don’t do a lot of excercise except walking for 20 mins a day and some callanetics for muscle strength.

Hi Angiepix – it takes a bit of time to get into the BSD properly, as it turns all we have been told for years, about low fat and high carb on it’s head. With BSD fat becomes a friend and it’s the carbs that are avoided. It sounds like it should suit you, but be prepared for a period of adjustment, both in your approach to what you consume and the way you body may initially react. Even though you don’t have a sweet tooth, you may still have some carb withdrawal symptoms. I didn’t eat cakes, biscuits, sweets etc, but did have potatoes, pasta, rice etc. and still had withdrawal symptoms, although not as major as some people have to contend with.

Once you get used to the way the BSD works, it is very doable and you should find it quite easy to make BSD friendly choices in all situations. Don’t panic about the exercise thing, it sounds like you already have a good foundation you can build on, but you’ll find the pounds should fall with or without the exercise.

Give the book another read, make a plan of action and then start. We’re a friendly crowd and you’ll be welcomed on any thread you wish to contribute to. It’s worth joining a challenge – there’s a new four week one starting next week I think. Keep us posted on progress and shout if you need advice or support.

Hi SunnyB,
Thanks you so much for explaining things. I received the BSD book and the recipe book earlier today, the book is a really interesting read. Now need to get some recipes sorted and do a shopping list, so will be good to start tomorrow.
I will be on the forum again, I’m sure and will posting my thoughts or questions as they come up.

Thanks again,
Ange x

I bet you’ll do great on the BSD, Ange. Your previous diets were all high carb-low fat and Slimfast shakes practically sugar bombs for many years. It sounds like your diet is already BSD-friendly. You’ll probably be able to stick with foods you’re used to making with only minor adjustments.

My one suggestion would be to measure, weigh and tally up the carb and calorie totals for everything you cook. Some of the vegetables and fruit you’ve been used to eating may turn out to be surprisingly high in carbs, and when you have a history of difficulty losing weight, you might need to drop your daily carb intake significantly. I stick to less than 20 grams a day religiously because I’m insulin resistant and all kinds of carbs, even ostensibly “good” complex ones, make me put on weight. A more common limit is around 50 grams a day. That seems to be a sweet spot for a lot of people that keeps them in a fat-burning state. Your mileage may vary, so it’s important to know exactly how much you’re eating of what so you can make adjustments if necessary.

Good luck!

Hi again, angiepix! I stepped out for a few minutes, only to
find that Essie and Sunny have arrived on the scene to echo
exactly what I would have said. Thank you, ladies, very articulate,
as always. Angie, there is an entire community of maintainers
here who have reached their goals, but we are all passionate
about what is possible with this way of eating. We are always
out and about, so give a shout out to any one of us with your
thoughts or concerns. We’re always more than happy to help!

Very best to you, Angie

Allie

Hello to all the ladies that have posted. You have all been very informative and I like Esnecca’s advice about weighing and counting calories. As you may be aware, I last did Slimming World where there is no weighing or counting so I deffo need to get into that habit daily.
I can’t wait to start and hope this one works !

Thanks again to you all 😘

Hi Angiepix, I am in peri-menopause (I am 47) and I do find I lose weight slower than some other people, which of course can be frustrating. But I do still lose weight! I just have to remind myself that everyone is different. You might not have this problem at all.

Hi Ange, Natalie is absolutely right, everyone seems to settle into their own pattern. I’m 60 and pretty much post menopausal and like you carrying weight around the middle. I’m not having any trouble but at an average of about 1kg a week, am in the moderate rate group.

Also it doesn’t come off in a lovely gentle even kind of way. I tend to stay at the same weight for a while and then drop down some. The key is to keep at it, try not to reintroduce carbs to a level that will tip you back out of fat burning. Oh and drink buckets and buckets of water!

All the best …

Hi Angiepix,

I am also peri menopausal. I started the 800BSD on Jan 7th this year and I have lost 14lbs so far. 7lbs was Christmas excess and the other 7lbs gradually crept on between September and December when I was snacking.

The scales are only part of the story. Measurements before you start are very important. I have lost 3.5” off my waist as well.

I use the recipe book that Michael Mosley’s wife has written (Dr Claire Bailey). I also use “The Essential Blood Sugar Diet 15 minute meals”

I have prepared 4 weeks of meal planners that work for the food my husband and I enjoy.

Week 2 was very hard for me as I was hungry. My sister-in-law supported me through that and now I don’t get hungry much.

This week I am not losing weight but I know I’m losing volume and I’m happy with that.

This has to become a way of life in the end. Not weighing everything eventually, but choosing the right food. There is a great thread on here for maintainers if you are worried about what happens in week 9.

I hope this, plus all the great posts above, help.

Jo

Backto25, those are impressive results – well done for sticking with it when things got shaky, it can be all too easy to cheat when the hunger pangs attack. Also well done on looking for the non-scales victories when the weight loss stalls.

You are right, this has to become a way of life and of course everyone is welcome to join us of the maintenance thread when you are ready. Meanwhile shout out if there are any questions or if things get tricky and someone on here will be along to offer support for sure.

Thank you SunnyB. You just made my day! 😀

Hiya Jo,
Yes, your results are very good. Well done!
I am 2 weeks in now and have only lost 5lbs but have lost 4.5 inches off my waist and 2 inches from my chest.
I am not finding the diet too difficult yet, as I made myself a spreadsheet which adds up calories throughout the day and I have averaged 750 cal per day and kept under 20 g of carbs. Weighing food is a bit of a pain but I am getting used to portion sizes now (I realised that I was eating fairly healthily but far too much of it prior to starting the diet)
I am not too concerned what the scales say but more about inch loss and body shape. I talked to my nurse about the diet and she said to ditch the scales during peri-menopause because weight loss is tricky during this period. She also told me that during this phase of life, a woman is losing oestrogen and gaining testosterone, so most of the body fat will collect around the middle and belly, like it does with men.
Thanks for your comments.
Ange

Hi Angiepix – some lovely inch-loses there, very encouraging. I would however, suggest not totally ditching the scales, as it can be no bad thing to keep an eye on how things are progressing, so maybe just weigh yourself once a week or once every couple of weeks. Eating at 20g carbs a day means that weight loss is bound to happen, no matter what phase of life you’re in and once you get to where you want to be, you’ll be pleased you kept track of the journey you took to get there.

For instance, I only measured my waist before I began the BSD, now I’m pretty much in maintenance, I wish I’d taken and kept track of many more measurements. Of course I know I’m much thinner, but I have no idea by how much and it would have been nice to know, so I could say I’ve lost 3st …. and all these inches!