HI all, just introducing myself, I’m an Australian guy living in Germany and ready to start the 8 week progamme tomorrow. Have had lots of success with various factors of this way of eating and dieting in the past – currently 89kg, at times in the past somewhere beyond 120kg (stopped looking at that point) – so know it will be a success again for the last 15 – 20kg. Have been diabetic for 21 years , currently on long acting insulin levemir and a stack of metformin. Good HBA1C results, cholesterol and BP at the moment but would love to achieve the same with less medication or even fewer medications.
Anyway, love a chat and there is a nice sense of accountability that comes from the support of being in a group, which is not really available to me in person here. Neither are crumpets, which I would dearly have loved to have said farewell to, but there you go. Am very much thinking of this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet, and have spent a week preparing myself psychologically for what that means. See you round.

Welcome Bruce! I’m on day 3 so am new to BSD. I have about 17kg to lose and have tried diets on and off with temporary success but then the weight has crept up again so I’m also looking for a lifestyle change. I’m determined to get to my target weight and then keep it under control. You’re right in saying that support from others helps and I’m happy to share my progress over the coming weeks. I have found it ok during the first couple of days. I try to plan ahead and put my food into myfitnesspal in advance so that I know I’m within the 800 cals. Won’t be weighing in until Monday as I want to give it a full week but will let you know how I get on. Good luck!

Way to go Bruce (is that really your name ? It just seems that in comic sketches all Australians are called Bruce or Sheila :O )
Loads of folk on here happy to chat, I’ll look forward to joining in the conversations.
Don’t forget to let us know how you are getting on with the diet

Thanks for the answers! Helen, sounds like we’re at pretty much the same starting point. End of day 2 for me now and I ‘went nuts’ and ate an apple at 4pm because I was really hungry! Know it will get better and trying to stop the weirder parts of my brain worry about the difference between 800 cals and 817! Had a day off gym today too, but will get back into that tomorrow. Have stocked up on ingredients and want to basically stick the the recipes in the book so that I don’t have to count any calories or think about food too much, in a positive or a negative way. How’s it going for you now, almost at the end of the first week?

Bill1954, thanks man, that made me laugh! Yes Bruce is my real name, and as someone living in Germany and outside my usual cultural reference point, its brilliant to hear from someone who would even think of such a thing. I have no idea where the belief came from, neither does my good friend in Sydney, Sheila, but it seems quite a popular one outside of Aus. I’ve only ever met two or three other Bruce’s in my whole life, so maybe its like the classic Aussie beer Fosters which no self respecting Aussie would touch so I’m told (I don’t drink beer at all, but Victoria Bitter is the way to go to fit in!!)

Ok, about to start preparing the salmon and spinach for dinner tonight, I had thought about white bean mash with that but seem to have used up my quota on the apple hahahaha 🙂 I’ll do a workout tomorrow morning which usually makes me less hungry and at least fills in a few hours where you don’t need enormous mental concentration, which means I’ll do the brunch / dinner combo over the weekend.

Hi Bruce. On day 5 today and going fairly well today. Had a bit of a relapse today and munched on some dark chocolate cranberries so that didn’t help. Averaging nearer to 900 cals over the 5 days so will try to be good t the weekend to get it back nearer the 800. That said, 900 is better than what I was eating before I started. Trousers starting to feel a bit loose so hoping that some weight will have come off when I weigh on Monday. Hope you are getting on ok too.

PS I have a brother Bruce but nothing to do with being Aussie.

Hi Helen, maybe you could say the cranberries were a treat rather than a relapse? 🙂
Yes, I’ve been nearer to the 900 cal mark too, and although its clearly a lot fewer cals than before, on day three I am half a kg heavier, my metabolism is really a wonder! It all goes up and down inexplicably though, so not worried. Its also why I get weighed every day because if my weekly weigh in day was one where I was 2 kg higher than I expected, which happens now and then, it would be really depressing. My sugar readings are really getting amazing though, which you’d expect with such limited carbs. That is really exciting, although I am fantasising about bread LOL
Hope the weekend goes well for you, I’m going to try the beetroot falafel recipe this evening, its exactly the type of thing I’d like anyway so it should be a nice dinner.

Hi Bruce. One week in and 4lbs down! And that was with having some cheeky wine at the weekend as I was away visiting family. I’m hoping I can maintain 3lbs a week minimum loss, preferably 4lbs but don’t want to be over ambitious. How are you getting on?

Hello Bruce *waves*
I have just started this today and so far, 1/2 hour in, it’s been easy peasy haha! 😉 😀 Seriously though, it’s good to read how everyone is finding it and what to expect in the coming days/weeks.

I had a giant crumpet last night as a final farewell (and because it needed using up!) so your crumpet comment made me smile 🙂

All the best for a great week to everyone!

Hello Bruce,
Nice to find another Aussie into this, been using my kgs to stones calculator to get what stones are. I have done the living in Germany with not so many supports number so really relate to where you are coming from. Im not diabetic, but family history and falling into bad habits with food. I think the pyschological prep is important, and somehow catching the wave of ones own inner motivation seems crucial. I feel really excited to have found this forum while I try and work out how best to organise myself on this journey. Today is day one and my stomach is growling, great to hear how many appear to find that settles down. Good luck on your journey.

hi all, waves back!
Helen, thats great, congratulations on the success! I at a slice of bread yesterday and again today I must admit, after 4 days I was still light headed from the diet and this morning I had a 4.5 hour grammar class to attend, so it just wasn’t going to work without a level of concentration. Not totally sure about pounds any more, we stopped using them in Australia a few years back, but I think I’ve lost about 3 too so far, even hovering around the 900 cal mark. I guess this is where the catastrophic thinking comes in, as we are both getting great results even with a bit of tweeking and treats, albeit not as dramatic as the most reported case studies.

snackerlade, glad your first 30 mins have been great!! Hope you continue to feel well on the diet and get the results you need, I’m thinking I will stick more strictly to it on days when I’m not trying to learn German, otherwise I find myself rocking in the corner muttering why is it so convoluted? WHY??? 🙂

Hi Metta, how are you enjoying the summer? I see that its been pretty full on. Yes, I know that when I was a kid everything was in stones and that there are 14 pounds in a stone, but never sure how it relates to KG. How has the second day on the programme gone? I am thinking about easing back to the 5:2 as I’m not coping with the lethargy and just have too much to do at the moment. As long as some weight comes off I’ll be happy, even if its slower. Hope you’re having better success, all the reports seem to show that the dramatic turn arounds come for those who are not yet diabetic, so its a brilliant chance for you to take total control of your health. Its really not fun dealing with diabetes, don’t take any chances now that you’ve got some options!!

Thanks for the encouragement Bruce, yes I am getting a little light headed and have what I would call pangs of something – looking at it I am not sure if its a physical feeling of hunger or a psychological reponse to ‘ not doing what I usually do around food’ – ie eating too much of it. Need to drink more – got that and have already read the recommendations from a few of the forum people how important that is.
Coming back to the forum is going to be great. Still learning how best to do this and finding the planning really does take some time. I was wondering if some of the 5:2 recipes would fit the bill for this. They seem to follow the same principles. I can see I will need to have a few weeks to settle down and get into the swing of the BSD.

Hi Metta,
yes i have been trying to pin down exactly what that feeling is, because I’m not totally sure that it is really hunger. I’ve found sitting down with a hot cup of tea has sort of helped, probably a combination of the warm liquid and the act of doing something. I haven’t fallen off the wagon, but have jumped somewhat, I think I’d need to have a couple of weeks of holiday to manage 800 calories, so am now averaging around 1000 – 1200 I think, which is keeping the weight loss going and allowing me to be functional at the same time.
How have your past few days been?

Hi Bruce,
How are your blood sugars going and are you eating enough full fat products?
A few of us are finding that extra fat/ protein has been the key to feeling satiated and managing our blood sugars.
There’s also been some debate about counting carbs. I have found that just counting calories wasn’t helping because things like your apple, while relatively low in calories is quite high in carbs. A piece of cheese, which my dietician would have frowned on, helps with hunger and has no effect on my BGL because of it’s low carb content. A boiled or scrambled egg would work too. Stick with it because it’s your best chance of avoiding diabetes related health problems.
Someone else put up a link to a site, Diabetes 101, which has some great info.
There is always someone on this forum who can help, or puts up info you hadn’t thought of yet. Everyone is so resourceful and supportive. Hope your uncomfortable symptoms soon pass.

HI Bruce, have to say I fell off the wagon on Wednesday, had a team meeting and our tradition is that we cook and eat together. I avoided most of the carbs like rice, but know I blew the 800 calories, but I also used the opportunity to see how much sugar and carbs others are eating. And how easy it is. So I went home and got back with the plan and I think my pangs are reducing a bit, or I am filtering the experience after yesterday. I can see water and tea really helps. I know I am on a slippery slope with my health and its intetsecting with my age and I really want to have a dynamic and fabulous ” rest of life ” so I am feeling committed to doing this BSD.
I picked up on Cherriannes comment on full fat foods and find that does make a difference for me. I have followed diets before where one weighed out teaspoons of oil. But I think the drizzle of olive oil approach feels less austere and my belly feels less deprived. I can see afterma few weeks one can get a feel for the program. I hoping my weigh in tomorrow gives me some encouraging results.
Thanks for your message, I really appreciate the support, having someone use your name and address you really has power.
Hope you are doing well too, why not look at the fats side of your equation. I know the full cream yogurt makes all the difference at breakfast. Cheers.