Good morning,

I’ve been reading the posts and taking motivation from your BSD journeys and successes. However, while most BSDers state an improvement in sleep patterns I haven’t had the same experience. I have at least one bathroom visit per night and if that happens after 4.30am I don’t go back to sleep leaving me as tired and crabby as a two year old. I woke this morning at 4.35, had breakfast at 6.30. It’s now 10.30 and I’m so hungry I could eat the table leg….

Any ideas on how I can manage the hunger? I’ve already had a few nuts and a piece of gorgonzola and I really don’t want to go crazy and eat anything and everything but that’s how I feel. Tiredness saps my will power everytime!

We need a little more information about your journey, how far into the 8 weeks are you? How do you distribute your calories during the day? There are some people who fasting is exceptionally difficult for due to elevated hunger hormone levels and it may be that you are one of those. If you are more than four weeks in and still having trouble, then I would suggest switching to a 5:2 version and seeing if that helps, or perhaps try intermittent fasting so you take all your calories in the afternoon and evening, to try to help you go to bed satiated.

Thank you for replying, Mixnmatch.

I’ve just started week 7 and lost 9.1Kg. I eat three meals a day: greek yoghurt for breakfast with berries and the calories divided between the other 2 meals. I usually eat around 850 – 900 calories a day but am always under 50g carbs usually I come in at 25 -30g. I’m not diabetic, my blood sugar was on the high side of normal when I started so my objectives are weight loss and a change of lifestyle.

I have always had sleeping problems but I do find that when I’m tired like today managing hunger caused by spaced out meals is very difficult. I’m looking for an easy fast very low cal soup recipe to get me over the humps at 10 ish and 4.30…

Try for a couple of days just moving everything back, I do this to help me in the evenings, but if you compress the time in which you are eating you are effectively performing intermittent fasting. Try what I do on my work days. Drink only (non calorie) in the morning. Yoghurt etc. at 12:30 pm, lunch at 2:30, tea at 6:30. Snack before bed, usually cheese, occasionally chocolate or sometimes biltong if I am a little low in protein and high in fat say. This isn’t strict intermittent fasting with the bedtime snack but definitely seems to work for me.

Thank you for your input, Mixnmatch…the trouble is I’m really not good at fasting..I keep a reasonable amount of hours between meals but I don’t seem to be able to miss one. Today i cracked at 4.30 after a lovely walk and ate a bowl of coleslaw I made yesterday so not so bad really. I just hope I’ll be able to catch up on sleep tonight.

Have you tried Miso soup for those in-between meals hunger pangs? There seem to be quite a few types around that you can just make in a cup, works out about 20 calories, although lots of salt.

Hi there Angela06

There is no doubt that lack of sleep badly affects willpower and, make no mistake about it, there is a big element of this in the success of BSD, especially in the first 8 weeks. I am, and always have been, a terrible sleeper and was filled with joy when I read that this may cure my sleep problems into the bargain. It didn’t. I sleep for about 4 hours solid at the beginning of the night and then I’m restless for the rest of the night, regularly not sleeping after 4:30am.

I’ve just finished Week 13 and have lost nearly 15% of my body weight so it can be done. My tips for having a better night and staving off hunger whilst feeling knackered and cranky:
1. Learn to let it go – so many nights I would lie awake and just get more and more annoyed that I couldn’t get back to sleep. Of course, that is counterproductive. Then I went on a flight and the entertainment package had one of those ‘meditation’ programmes to help you sleep on planes. I was away in 20 minutes and have used that technique since then – it does help – if only to concentrate your mind on something other than not sleeping! Also keep a notepad by your bed and write down all the things that are keeping you up – may work – intermittently does for me
2. Live with a routine – go to bed at the same time, do not look at your tablet, smart phone, laptop for at least an hour before you want to sleep – blue light is the devil
3. Drink as much water (tea, squash, herbal tea etc) as you can before you have anything to eat – I drink 1 to 1.5 litres before 10am (I’m up at 6am), half of that is between 6 and 7. It fills you up and staves off hunger, especially a hot drink which is better for curbing appetite.
4. try to wait as long as you can before eating breakfast. Some of the other posters have alluded to this already but condensing your eating window really does make it easier (personal opinion only). From what I’ve read on here is makes very little difference to weight loss but it may help the hunger pangs mid afternoon/evening. My eating window is 11am to 7pm (ish). Some days I am starving at 10:50 and willing the hands of the clock to move a little faster, other days I don’t even think about it until midday. It’s just our bodies, everyone is different. And drink drink drink.
5. Find something to occupy that time before breakfast – I don’t know if you work but if you do that’s fairly easy – otherwise, exercise, housework, catching up on your favourite TV etc?
6. Think about upping your protein and fat for breakfast – yoghurt and berries are yummy but I find they are my least satiating breakfast. I cope much better with omelette or scrambled eggs and bacon – experiment with different things and see what you think.

I hope that some of this is helpful – you’ve done 6 weeks of this and lost over 9 kilos which is fantastic, but it shouldn’t be this hard and I’m sorry that you’re struggling. Reading about how others never feel hungry must be very frustrating so hopefully you can find a solution. If any of this advice sounds like I’m teaching my grandmother to suck eggs I do apologise – I have no frame of reference as to what you have already tried 🙂

Best of luck
TC x

Angela I too am a poor sleeper and the diet hasn’t really improved that. I’m afraid I can’t give you any advice on what to do when the lack of sleep makes you tired, cranky and starving – because my strategy tends to be to eat! Haven’t curbed that habit yet. I wobble a lot which is why I’ve only lost 5kg in 9 weeks. But hey, it’s still 5kg. Still going down, it’s just going to take me longer. Sorry I can’t help, but know you are not alone. And if you do slip, it doesn’t mean it’s all over. I’m still here after many a slip. (But it’s probably even better if you don’t.)

That’s so kind to have written all that. Last night I slept well so am feeling more in control but have still started grazing again, a nut here, slice of parmesan there…I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way now. Oh well. I will try to concentrate my meals, see if that helps. And I intend to go back to charting my meals which I gave up a week ago. It’s amazing how that works to exert some discipline over my chaotic eating habits.

Tomorrow is another diet day.

I’ve also struggled with excessive hunger when I’ve tried to stick strictly to the 800 calories and felt a little envious of people who seemed to find it so easy after the first few days. Keeping my carb count to below 30 has helped a little, but I was interested in Mixnmatch’s post about some people having elevated levels of hunger hormones.

Consequently I’ve been starting and falling off the diet so often, losing and regaining the same kilo or so. This time around I’ve decided to accept that it may be a slower journey for me. Traditional diets allow me 1200 calories to lose weight, so I now plan for 800 calories for my main meals, but allow up to an extra 400 if hunger gets the best of me. I still keep to around 30 carbs as regular higher carb diets put my hunger levels way out of control. So far it’s working well.

Sleep is another issue entirely. I know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night, starving, but as I often have problems getting a good night’s sleep regardless of dieting, I don’t regard this as something specific to a low calorie diet.

I’ve come to the conclusion that just now the 800 calories regime isn’t working for me…to be honest I was usually over, more like 850 – 900 but I have never gone over the carbs and I’m usually under 30g which I consider a win given how my life has been driven by my sweet tooth!

So I’ve decided to rejig my meals. This morning I had 25g porridge, Jordan’s organic, with water and a splash of milk, I’ll have soup for lunch with a square of lindt 70 per cent and this evening chili con carne. I haven’t yet worked out the calories but I’m hoping to come in around 1000. I hope I’ll be able to include in a bowl of soup round 5pm as I’m teaching a late class so dinner is scheduled for 8pm and it gets embarrassing when the students can’t hear what I’m saying for my rumbling tummy!

Mixnmatch, is there a way of telling if you have elevated hunger hormones? I’ve always had a huge appetite and could easily eat everyone under the table.

Angela, I have always said why would anyone want to be on 800 calories if they are not diabetic or seriously overweight, it is a seriously challenging amount. You seem to have adjusted the diet to suit yourself and you have cut down on starchy carbs so are bound to be doing yourself some good. Also, I note you are still sticking with a plan of some sort and not just bowing out. Well done to you. Keep on keeping on…

Can I qualify my words by saying I am diabetic, I am sticking with 800 calories and 50 grams of carbs and it works for me but my motivation is very high. I am not dissing the BSD800 it is amazing.

I’ve just had a look at my day’s calories….so without trying I managed to come in a hair under 800 calories; the carbs, however, were just over at 52g! The largest carb item was the leeks! I guess I should have known as I like them so much! But I didn’t have that gnawing hungry feeling so that’s a win as far as I’m concerned.

Sunshine Girl, I’m not diabetic but I am overweight, was obese, every time I have a blood test my blood sugar is a little higher and I was fed up with being defined by my weight; It was time to do something about it and though the regime is challenging it’s do-able. The fast weight loss is very motivating. Today has been a good day!

Hi Angela06 and TrishaDawn — I am a good example of managing hunger on the BSD and still losing the weight — I never really stopped being hungry but when it got to be too much to bear, I ate more food. And still lost everything I needed to within about 24 weeks. So if you are just plain hungry, eat, but eat the right things — it is absolutely crucial for constantly hungry folk like us to eat as low carb as possible because we likely have elevated background insulin levels. Insulin is what makes you hungry and the reason it does that is that it is the “storage” hormone. It shunts your blood sugar off into your fat cells (loads ’em up and moves ’em out). So you are left with no blood sugar available to your body (it’s all been stored). Our poor brains do not distinguish between true starvation and low blood sugar caused by overactive insulin — our brains respond the same way and pump out adrenaline and cortisol — that’s why you get sort of panicky when your blood sugar drops too low. And actually there is plenty of food (our fat) but we cannot access it because the insulin is keeping it locked away. There is only one way to lower your insulin levels and that is to eat low carb and that will allow your body to start unlocking your fat stores. The recommendation is 20 grams or less carbs per day (that is net carbs, so you subtract the fiber from the total carb count). If you cut down to this level, it will absolutely help you control your appetite. As time goes on, and you start to lose the weight, you can add back in more complex carbs like beans and pulses and a bit of root veg (not potatoes) and figure out for yourself your own carb sweet-spot. If you want to read more, I always recommend Gary Taubes’ book “Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It”. But to control the hunger, you must control the carb count.

Lots of good advice here. One other thing to remember is that dietary fat is your friend on this diet. It along with protein helps satisfy your cravings and keeps you feeling full. A little butter or olive oil on your mashed broccoli/cauliflower and other vegetables does wonders to fill you up. I always add 2 tsp. of olive oil to my food diary (80 calories) to account for this.
Often if you eat some carbs you will experience a big spike in hunger an hour or so later as the insulin they triggered is still in your bloodstream after the carbs were cleared, and that extra insulin is stimulating your hunger.
Bathroom breaks in the middle of the night seem very common on this diet. My theory is that this is the point when your body has used up the carbs in your supper and has now transitioned back to burning off your fat. I missed those trips for a few nights and the next mornings my weight had actually gone up a touch.

Thanks Californiagirl. I haven’t been able to get my carbs down to 20 yet, but am working on it. I’ve come round to thinking it’s better to stick to the low carb aspect of the diet, but accept that I’m finding the 800 limit a bit too low for me, at least at the moment. Maybe if I can stick to the lower carbs for now, but still keep the calories below 1200, it WILL get easier for me. Better that than getting too hungry, eating off the plan and then having to go back on it again when I’m fed up with putting back the same few kilos I’ve managed to lose. I really appreciate the support we all get and give on this forum.

Yes thanks California Girl. I’d read that somewhere but hadn’t really understood how it applied to me! There’s understanding and really understanding! So that would explain exactly why I’m always feeling hungry, dieting or not dieting.

I’m now waving goodbye to my morning porridge somewhat regretfully as I love it but at 14g carbs I can’t afford it. Keeping the carbs under 20g is achievable , I ve done it already but I think I’ll be just a touch more relaxed about the calories. I’ve lost 1.2 kg this week so I’m still very much on plan but I’d have liked to have lost a little more as I only have one week left and my goal was 10 per cent (am 1kg short)

Have a good day everyone.