Hi everyone,

Reading everyones posts is so motivational, how can we not succeed with such great encouragement, sorry really rubbish at posting, but used to just be a lurker so this is a great improvement :D.
Day three and bounded out of bed, I was so surprised as usually I have to prise myself off the piller. Sneaky peek on the scales tells me I have lost 2.4 Lbs (delighted), I started on 10/10 weighing 165 Lbs (height 5ft 2inches) and would like to lose 2 stone. I have decided to stick to two meals a day (this is usual for me anyway), Breakfast has been 2 eggs scrambled, Apple in the afternoon followed by an evening meal, day two was Sirloin steak and cauliflower rice (love it mmmmmm), for this evenings meal I plan on having the No pasta beef lasagne using cabbage leafs instead of pasta sheets (will let you know how I get on with this) making up a big batch of the sauce (Easy bolognase) to freeze and use when I dont have so much time to cook.

Good luck and hugs to everyone (wherever we are in the world) we can do this 😀

Granny,

I made my usual Bolognese recipe:

750g 5% lean mince
2 tins of tomatoes
2 stick cubes
half an onion

then I had courgette spaghetti and parmesan on the top.

I have recorded all the cals and carbs but it is in my notebook at home. I think it will give me 6 or seven servings!

Was a truly luxurious meal!

We can do this

Sarah

Def going to try that one sarah, thanks, if you can let me know the carb count later that wud be great👍. Are stick cubes what we call celery??

REN65 … Congrats!!! I am sitting here with my morning coffee and cream also!! 🙂 HUGS

BUSYbee … Good morning!! 🙂 HUGS

GRANNY … Good morning!! … You can just google the food with the words “calories carbs” for those counts OR use a site like MyFatSecret. If it’s a recipe … you just look up the ingredients and add up the counts … you might need a small scale and some measuring cups of various sizes … at least til you get used to what the amounts look like …. I figure out all the foods i normally eat and write them down so i don’t have to look it up again. I now know what 2 oz of ham looks like … and it’s not that much 🙂 HUGS

SARAHJOY74 … hi there in the Isle of Man …. it’s more about health and even just weight loss 🙂 HUGS Thanks for your recipe

FIONA 1611 … yup it is lots of preparation but you really do get used to it after a while … in 8 weeks it will be second nature i think 🙂 HUGS

NATALIE … Congrats on 3 good BSD days!! good luck with the fibroid removal on Friday! 🙂 HUGS

LADY VALIENT … Congrats on the weight loss … it’s actually very good because you don’t have tons to loose 🙂 HUGS

At least my chicken drumsticks didn’t go bad when i did not make them yesterday. They are in the pot now … just wanted to get that done.

Just having coffee and cream so far … and planning the day. Spent about 200 calories and 8 carbs on coffee and cream yesterday.

Just one day and it’s working (mind you this is my 2nd go-round at it) … i felt a little sick yesterday, a metallic taste in my mouth … and hungry … but nothing i couldn’t handle. The first few days are a little rough because the body just isn’t used to such a big change.
Was hungry when i first got up … but i had to put out the garbage so i just had some hot water with bouillon powder …. and it’s cold so i actually went back to bed for a warm up!!

I roasted up some baby parsnips today in tsp of coconut & olive oil – only to realise they are high in both sugar and carbs – whoops!
They won’t got to waste but will eat sparingly.

I also made a feta cheese, potato & sweet red pepper frittata which I portioned into 4 pieces. There was only a small piece of feta in it and 3 new potatoes sliced up + 3 eggs. Was very nice with a green salad!

BONNIE11 🙂 HUGS …. sounds delicious.

So I am pretty excited about losing 4.5lbs since Saturday. I was already off sugar so no headaches or anything. Just ate a drained can of Bumblebee Smoked Trout for breakfast — delicious! Will get plenty of veggies at lunch & dinner. My plan is nice salad with a little cheese for lunch and some skinny chili from the 8-week BSD book for supper and more veg or apple if I have calories to spend. Bought new athletic shoes/trainers yesterday and walked a mile this morning. 1 1/2 hrs tai chi at the YMCA this evening.
Good luck today — we CAN do this!

Wendybird24421 🙂 HUGS
Congrats on the weight loss and the activity plan ….. Smoked trout in a can … never heard of it! I’ll have to check the grocery isles!!

Thanks!

Thanks Shalimar! – *Slight correction it was 4 eggs. Nice to think I have the leftovers 🙂

Wendybird4421 – that is a great loss! Enjoy your tai chi later!

Thanks — it was a thrill. My family has supper together and my daughter lost a
Pound just from using our leftovers to pack her next-day lunches and eating the dinners. She only wants to lose 10lbs so she does her own morning smoothie and adds some snacks.
I think this is the plan for me. I want to drain that fat out of my pancreas & liver and keep it out FOREVER!

Me too!!!

😄

Day 4 for me today and feeling blurgh! No energy, tired, grumpy and a headache! Really hoping this will pass tomorrow as from what I’ve read these first few days are the toughest as my body adjusts to fewer calories and carbs.

BLUEMOON …. HUGS … so sorry you are feeling yucky!!! Hope things get better pronto!!

Hi all nearing the end of day 3 and feeling a bit more confident about recording carbs/calories, the myfatsecret app has really helped, thanks Shalimar😊. Good luck for Friday Natalie, hugs and hope all goes well.

Made chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta for my dinner, recipe from Pinterest and it was yummy, 380 Cal’s and 3g carb, lots of crunchy stir fry veg so it was nice and filling😍.

Hope you’re feeling better Bluemoon, keep strong fellow 10/10’s, we can do it💪

Oh I don’t think I posted yesterday. Had a blip. Was treated to dinner last night. Actually felt dreadful afterwards. Didn’t sleep all night. Nothing to eat today until lunchtime. I had homemade pea and broad bean soup with bread and butter. Supper was salad, super grains, hard boiled eggs. Stuffed now but in a good way. Drank plenty of fluids today and even got some exercise in. Went swimming and had a morning walk.

Total cals consumed today 819.
Mangetout are those flat pea pods.

Have a great evening, everyone.

Hi everyone – sounds like everyone is making their way. I think it depends on how you were eating just before you start this plan as to what effects it has. As I had done it before and I am mainly decaf I think I sort of slid into it with out going cold turkey on anything.
I’ve had a good day 3…. A bit peckish but had healthy things available at work if I needed them. As well as the lunch thing I described yesterday there is an honesty tuck shop too!!!! I have relocated my business for some building work to be done to a local community centre and these are the temptations of being around other people!
Breakfast – protein shake
Snack protein bar
Lunch yummy chorizo sweet pot carrot soup
Supper chilli and cauli rice + yog strawberries.
Went to the gym after work and actually had more energy that usual!
Do others count their exercise calories against food or take them as a bonus? I tend to just maybe add another 100 or so on the day if I’ve used about 500 calories.

I’ve noticed quite a few people are using bread in their daily record. I thought that bread was really off the plan in at least the first 8 weeks as there are too many carbs? What does everyone think?

Lesleyp 🙂 ….. i don’t think everyone is doing the same thing …. yes bread, even whole grain, is on the AVOID list (see the book on why).

NO EXERCISE DOES NOT OFFSET CALORIES OR CARBS … You are expected to do reasonable exercise within your calories/carbs … unless you are climbing mountains and such.

Sometimes i see posts where people are not loosing weight, hitting long plateau times, etc. Although your body needs to stop and take a few days to breathe every once in a while … and people don’t loose even while still being within their calorie and carb limits.

But a lot of the time people are kind of winging it … diet-wise.

Really … for most people … you need to count 800 calories or pretty close … and 50 carbs or less (this 50 carbs or less is not from the book … it is what people here on this site have learned through experience).

My diet today :

3 very small chicken drumsticks, no skin (i actually weighed the chicken meat on the scale … it wasn’t even 2 oz.) of meat …. i looked around for calories/carbs … i allowed 200 calories 0 carbs.
Coffee with cream : 60 calories ; 2 carbs
Cauliflower soup (bit of celery too) … 25 calories ; 2 carbs

Salad with grilled chicken … some egg, cheese, pecans, bacon bits, chopped tomato, bit of ranch dressing, salad greens …. ate 1/2 of everything and took rest for tomorrow … 300 cals ? 20 carbs? …. i will have to hope this is reasonable.

Chia tea

That’s what I thought.
I’m sticking to the book myself, although if I’ve worked out hard like tonight I do allow the 100 cal protein snack.
So are people here just doing lo- cal and not BSD? I find it confusing reading all the interpretations tbh.

I find it confusing as well.

I think people use the term BSD very loosely and they mean different things by it.

I’ve been reading posts on this site since approx. Sept 1 … and i tried the 800 for a few weeks but didn’t succeed most days, got sick, gained weight back … so i’m going with the plan that seems to work for most. I am doing this to reverse diabetes and get healthy … it’s a must for me.

I am doing 800 calories and 50 carbs or less. I’m sure i will fail sometimes.

I’m trying to make sure i get some fibre every day … helps with constipation.

I am also going to try and reduce my coffee/cream. I tried to just reduce the cream … but i don’t like it so i am going to try more tea drinking … i don’t like just water usually.

Mind you … even though it i confusing everyone can work the program in the way that is best for them and i wish that however it is done it works wonderfully for everyone!

HUGS

Good morning Day Four!

Plan for the day:
B: tasty cheese, half an orange (decided a whole one was too carby), half a cucumber, tiny baby carrot
L: cream of chicken soup, leftover roast veges
D: spicy pork and sage casserole with cauliflower rice

Cup of tomato soup if needed, two cups of tea with milk, lots of water with lemon.

I’m heading out for a walk to mail a letter in a minute.

I weigh myself each morning and I was up a tiny bit since yesterday but I think that is because of the time of the month. Still more than a kilogram down after first three days.

I’m a bit nervous about how well this is going. Usually I would have given in to chocolate cravings by now, then given up entirely. What is different this time? It hasn’t seemed hard at all (no, universe, I am not trying to get you to test me! Be nice!) even though I am dealing with that time of the month, my fibroid issues, the headaches, and some bureaucratic hassles. Oh well, I’ll just enjoy it! Trying to be prepared for when it suddenly gets hard. I hope I’m truly in the groove by then.

Lesleyp different people are def doing variations. I don’t like it when some seem to lay down laws that are NOT from the book. I mean, do whatever works for you but don’t claim it’s BSD canon! I am generally following the book but I don’t use those recipes at all and I do count carbs. The book only talks about cutting out processed and unhealthy carbs, it has plenty of lentils and the like. Some people have been shocked at the carb counts from the recipes when they work it out, but nowhere in the official diet does it say you have to stay under 50g. I am, because that works best for me. I also don’t each much fish or exercise enough or meditate, so I guess I’m not pure BSD!

I think if I hit a long plateau, as some do, I’ll have one day where I eat more calories and carbs (not really bad ones) to “shock” my body and also reassure it that there is still food in the world! But actually I’ve been feeling pretty full so far with all these
veges.

My goodness I do ramble on, don’t I! Off for my walk.

Hi everyone! I also started BSD on 10/10 and hope you won’t mind me gate crashing your party 3 days in.
There are some great posts here and it’s so good to see all of the positivity and support here.
Glad to report that I have stuck to the 800 calls per day 100% and strangely for me I’m not even tempted to break out.
It’s been a little repetitive so far due to working until 8pm this week so I took the easy option and prepared meals together.
Breakfast has been alternated between Greek yogurt with nuts, seeds and berries, and scrambled eggs with mushrooms.
Lunch a Sirt superfood salad which I regularly have, only to make it in line with BSD calorie load, I’ve left out the avocado and Medjool dates.
Evening meals have been the Easy Bolognaise with courgetti which certainly doesn’t make you feel you’re on a diet.
Today I will be trying the egg muffin for lunch and the carrot, lentil and avocado salad in the evening.
All recipes (except Sirt salad) are from the BSD recipe book which is wonderful for providing lots of choices.
Really looking forward to see how we all do over the 8 weeks!

Welcome FabMand! The more the merrier.

I popped into the supermarket on my walk to buy more vegetables, I bought an enormous amount on Monday but apparently it wasn’t enough to last a whole week! The person in front of me at the checkout had a jawdroppingly “perfect” collection of food. Brown rice (instant), gluten-free pizza bases, coconut flakes, kale, low-fat yogurt, protein bars, low-fat cream… (yes I stared a bit). All that stuff we are told to eat. And nearly everything processed. I was smugly looking at my collection of fresh vegetables and wishing I could tell her she’s got it all wrong, but then I looked at her. Thin and fit! Could wear yoga pants in public and look good! Can you imagine a fat lady telling her she’s the one making bad food choices? Lol. She was young though, I hope for her sake (and everyone else’s) they change the official rules soon on what we should eat.

Ooops …. i fell over the cliff!! I finished the other half of my Boston Pizza salad … and then i couldn’t resist trying a new brand of yogurt!! And i was going to go for my tests tomorrow. I may wait until Friday!!
Didn’t exercise either. I’m pissed off with myself!! Will try and do better tomorrow!!

Hello again!
Big test for me last couple of days as I’ve been away on business, not ideal this early in the plan.
However *polishes halo* I helped myself by choosing a hotel with no restaurant (hence no temptation) and chose breakfast and dinner from a local supermarket instead. Berries and yoghurt, salmon and pre-packed salad.
Lunch was a buffet at host organisation with chicken, cheese, ham salad sandwich options so I ate the fillings only and a few grapes.
I remembered a tip from last time I was on the low carb 8 week induction that I’ll use next time, which is to tell your hosts that you need a gluten free lunch – usually results in a salad while others get bread.
One slight wobble on train home when out of complete habit I asked for a biscuit with my coffee! Put it straight in my bag out of sight and handed over to husband for his coffee time treat tomorrow.
I see people here are struggling a bit with the counter-intuitiveness (is that a word?) of this way of eating, and it is hard to understand sugariness of some veg and most fruit, and things like avoiding milk and embracing cream, avoiding ‘diet’ versions of anything – fat is usually replaced with carbs in such products. Google low carb veg lists and just choose from there, rather than checking out your faves and trying to make them fit, is my advice. Plenty of choice!
Anyway…. Three days in and I just feel …. Lighter . In spirit, and sort of digestively, iykwim. Fasting bloods have been awesome – under 5 every day this week which is fab for me – usually 6.8 to 7 (medicated), and post main meal have been 9 – also good, usually 13.
Plan to weigh tmro morning but won’t be derailed whatever the outcome!
Plan for day 4 is

B 2 slices bacon, half a tomato
L Feta and cucumber salad
S. Celery sticks and home made mackerel pate (lots of celery, 1tbsp pate)
D small piece of lean chicken, cauliflower roasted with cumin,and tiny bit of olive oil

Exercise will be a 20 minute brisk walk and if I get time, a swim or if busy, my ‘lean in 15’ quick workout .

Happy Thursday everyone – halfway through the first week of the rest of our lives!

Maharani kitten 🙂 …. Congratulations. I will help you polish your halo!! I’m so glad you are feeling wonderful and light. HUGS

Also, tip re using tomatoes for sauces- tinned tomatoes are pretty carby, but bouillon powder, water and tomato purée less so, and makes tasty Ragu or chilli with lots of uses, MKx

I have 2 cans of tomatoes to use up … but i should write that down for later. THANKS 🙂

Thanks Shalimar, Natalie and Fabmand. Nice to see how you are following it,
I am around 800 cals and lo carb, will probably save the 50g rule for if (when) I hit a plateau. I do exercise quite a lot ( who says “healthy” girls can’t be fit?) so those days I wouldn’t go 50g.
Don’t worry Shalimar……today is a brand new day and yesterday is gone. These things happen and I’m sure it’s on the cards for us all at some point.
I don’t think 16g per can of tomatoes is too bad when it’s absorbed into a recipe, and they are so nice.
Have a good day everyone.
X

Morning everyone, just love catching up with how everyones coping with all the BSD throws at us! Dony worry Shalimar, sure it will happen to us all at some point, todays a new day💃🏻. Feeling ‘lighter’ at the start of day 4 but nervous bout my first weigh tomorrow😳. Cant believe i dudnt think to google ‘low carb veg!’ 😂, thanks for the tip. Good luck today everyone, we can do it! I’ve never been this motivated before so thanks for all your support 👏

Yep, Lesley P, 16g for tinned toms isn’t bad. I’ve just got used to avoiding them even on low carb maintenance as an easy way of saving a few carbs here and there. Intend to ‘go for it’ on the low carb front for the first 8 weeks to get into new habits for later.
Day 4, and I’m down 4 lbs ( I know it’s mostly water) and FBS this morning is 4.8. whoop, whoop!! It works!
How often are people weighing?

I started just yesterday – 12th October – so two days later than all of you but hoping that you’ll accept me for some support 🙂

Day Four completed! 795 cal, 35g carbs. I’m so amazed with myself I hardly know what to think! Four days!

And btw my dinner tonight had a tin of tomatoes in it (not all in my serve) and I’m still only 35g carbs for the day. It all depends what you want to spend your carbs on, I suppose. I haven’t been having any pulses or beans etc, just lots of veges.

Hi abbv213, of course you are welcome!

Found out times for tomorrow’s day surgery (uterine fibroids removal), I have to fast from 7am for op at 1:30pm! Hmmm, I usually get up at 7:30 but that would mean missing breakfast and lunch! Don’t think I could cope with that. I’ll have to get up early so I can have breakfast, and only miss lunch. The only other time I’ve had general anaesthetic I felt quite sick afterwards, so I don’t know if I’ll be having dinner either! We’ll see.

Hi all
I’ve been sooooooo good! 4 days almost down and I haven’t had my usual glass of wine while cooking dinner, or run into the bakery for a quick fix when hungry during the day, or wasted my calories on a flat white coffee or eaten all my birthday chocolates I’ve hidden at the back of the cupboard!!! I am weighing myself every morning and it’s looking good.
I find that snacky stuff & wine my biggest downfall. I’ve had 2 pots of tea instead of my usual flat white coffees in cafes this week. I’m probably also making more cups of tea at home than usual but that’s all Ok. I also enjoy a “herbal ” tea at night. I love the Licorice one but have a bit of a collection to choose from as my evening “treat”.
I count my calories but don’t stress about counting carbs too. I just follow the BSD guidelines rather than making it any more complicated. Im enjoying the low carb food and love looking at new recipe ideas to try……so many 200 calorie low carb meal ideas out there in cyberspace!

Have fun with it everyone!

Purple, you sound like me! Although iif I knew I had chocolate iin the house, I’d have to eat it. I like your idea of having a herbal tea “treat” at the end of the day. It’s something I endure, but thinking of it as a treat will definitely work for me, especially if I imagine I’m at a health spa! I have a vivid imagination…

Breakfast today was scrambled egg with smoked salmon and coffee.

Lunch will be soup of some description.

Supper will be salady.

Have a fab day, everyone.

Wow just been catching up since my 1st post on Monday (and 1st day on BSD). I’m more a reader than poster but am with you all in spirit – keep going. I tell myself its only 56 days 🙂 I’ve actually found the 1st 3 days ok – I’m following the plan in the book as I hate making out menus. I even had the beetroot falafels, which were delicious and I can’t stand beetroot! I drew the line the sardine dip though. No snacks between and no headaches/hunger so far. Got on the scales and lost 5.5lbs in 3 days – big smile. I expect I will fail some days but I think my mindset is that it’s ok as long as you carry on the next day.

Have a great day and best of luck to everyone 🙂

I’m following the book very strictly but trying to make low carb choices when they are there because I know that limiting carbs is best for diabetes control and has always worked well for me, weight loss wise, better than anything else. I don’t really like counting so I find it easier to follow a set plan and give myself a carb advantage if I can, within the plan.

So here’s a thing. I really hate food. All food. It’s been my enemy for so many years. I wish I could change that mindset and see it as a nourishing, good thing, but as a lifelong bigger person (not huge, but almost always 15% -20% more than I should be despite having a much more careful diet than my skinny sister and brother) I associate it only with guilt and shame. My mother could never understand why the same food input led to a chubby output and fed me separately to my siblings so I could have salad and fruit and they would have chips and puddings! So food has never been a friend, a comfort or a treat to me….

How do others view their relationship, and why?

Good luck with the surgery, Natalie, hope all goes well.

It’s a dreicht morning here in Edinburgh – cold, wet, misty-moisty – time for a rhubarb tea!
MK x

Hi guys, just been reading Michael Moseley’s 8week BSD recipe book and he states “as a rule of thumb, be wary of carbs with a GI over 50, or a GL over 20, such as pasta, bread and processed cereals.”

I can’t see anywhere in the book where he says not to eat more than 50g of carbs.

He says “minimise or avoid the white stuff” the odd slice of rustic wholegrain bread with my soup is not going to ruin my diet.

I can’t see anywhere where he says to consume cream, or to eat a pat of butter with peanut butter on top.

Ultimately, as long as we stay within 800 cals, eat a rainbow of veg, include some fruit, 40-59g of high quality protein and healthy fats and oils, we can’t go too wrong. And, it’s only for 8 weeks.

Good luck to all of us on our healthy journey!

Hi and welcome to the newbies👍. Finding the myfatsecret app very useful and not too time consuming 🙂 surprised to find that ryvita (dark) contains so many carbs 🙁 so decided to only have 2 instead of 3 for lunch! The beetroot hummus recipe is yummy and filling.

No, you won’t go far wrong! Very good habits. However he did also advise that quick weight loss is the encouraging way to go as opposed to myths, and people have found this works better when they keep to 50g carb or below, but we’re all to find the best way for us

Just to be clear – not suggesting chugging cream or gorging on butter and cheese as some low carb diets advocate. Or that below 50g carbs is to be recommended in any way. And completely agree that it’s the right rainbow veg/protein/fat mix within your 800 a day that’ll keep you feeling satisfied while you disappear.

Just saying that for myself, I’ll take the lower carb route when there’s a viable alternative . I happen not to enjoy the taste and texture of pulses and will avoid bread at all costs because I find it bloating, even whole grain. But I’ll have porridge (made with water and zuzzed up with two teaspoons of cream at the end) But that’s me. We all have to live with this according to what suits us, our lifestyles and preferences. As long as we stick to the right path and what we do is on track we’ll all get there, albeit with slight diversions.

Make good choices today, everyone! MK X

One adaption I have to make is to have soup a lot. I know it is recommended anyway. But I can’t have lots of raw veg and a lot of cooked ones even, without digestion upset, so have to find ways round it.

Well the good news is that with only 800 calories to “use” every day, you probably can’t stuff down that much butter anyway!😜 the best part of this diet is its re-training effect — you’ve got to eat wisely to meet the daily calorie allotment and quality protein and veg goes a long way to help that. I would say though that there is good/medically sound research on low-carb diets — as long as you are eating high quality protein and vegetables and good fats and yes, even butter and cream in small amounts. I know that I’ve said it before but I recommend the book “Why We Get Fat and What to do About It” by Gary Taubes as it is an excellent and clear discussion about the role that refined carbs have on the increasing obesity epidemic worldwide. At the end of the book is an example of low-carb diet used by the Duke University Lifestyles Clinic (I think I have that right) for weight loss and it limits carb intake to 20 grams per day. Obviously there is nothing wrong with whole grain bread with soup and other more complex carbs in very small portions but the evidence does support a faster weight loss when you eat less carbs, refined or otherwise. I think it is really critical to work out for yourself what your sweet spot is — for me it is very low carb (I stick with 20-30 grams most days, even now on maintenance after seven months). Everyone is different and some may tolerate more carb than others so try different combinations for a few weeks and see how it affects your appetite and weight loss — controlling carbs can often help alleviate hunger — and that can be the final help we need (the reason this is true is that carbs drive your insulin output and insulin is your “storage hormone” so it shunts blood sugar into your fat cells and leaves you feeling “starving” because now you have low blood sugar. We aren’t actually starving but our bodies “read” it that way so we are driven to eat to bring up the blood sugar level. It is a viscious circle).

Thanks everyone.
Because i have a huge constipation problem i was just wondering if i should/could increase my consumption of carbs vis a vis beans! Beans are so high in carbs – complex ones but still high. My body is used to beans because i like them but heck i could eat a whole can!!!
I did reserve the Taubes book at the library … the one you mentionned Californiagirl.
Thanks … good comments everyone! 🙂

Hi shalimar , try chia seeds…