Hi, after many months, I’ve read the book, and Monday I will be starting.

Company would be great, even if you are a few days ahead or behind.

Is there somewhere on the BSD website where we can track weights and measurements?

Hi Gillykins
Welcome to the forum and well done on choosing this new way of eating.

I started on 16th Jan, so am 12 days in, but happy to offer you support. A lot of us use Fat Secret website / app to log our progress. It’s a very easy site to use, and you can log everything you eat each day in it’s Diet Calendar, and it will give you a breakdown of nutritional values of the foods, and a total for the day, so it makes it really easy to work out how many / few carbs and calories you are consuming. You can also log your dally exercise.

Others use My Fitness Pal, I believe, but I have no experience of that one, but assume it does the same thing.

Hope this helps, and good luck on your journey.

My friend and I are starting 1st Feb, committing for the month of Feb to each other and see how we do. I am hoping that we will be spurred on a month at a time.

In November I had some tests as my blood sugar is high and they have established that I am not diabetic however it is the weight that I am carrying that is causing the high blood sugar. In between tests I went sugar free found it remarkably easy and did reduce the sugar count and lost a few pounds. Then went on holiday to Florida with my husband and when I returned had quite a few hideous (work wise) weeks in the run up to Xmas. Have not managed to get back on the wagon.

However, one of my work colleagues, who was recently diagnosed Type 2 told me that after dry Jan people were switching to Fab Feb for sugar free. Thought I would give it a go.

Hi Gillykins
I am also starting tomorrow 30.1.17. I have dabbled with the BSD in the past but am determined to complete the 8 weeks! I would welcome someone to buddy up with although I know the forum members here are all good with advice and recipes etc.

I have been doing the BSD for a week now, lost 4lbs in my first week…quite pleased with that and considering I am a long term “chocaholic”, “you name it and I’ll eat it aholic”!!!! I haven’t felt too hungry… have gone over the 800 calories a little some days but weight still seems to come off and I am loving trying new recipes and eating foods I have never eaten before….feel better in myself too. Good luck with your journey and look forward to hearing how you are doing….

Hi Gillykins

I’ve started the BSD once before, last summer, and lost around 10lb before gradually drifting back to my old eating habits. I’m keen to restart (and this time, stick to it!) so I’d like to join you on 30th January – hopefully having a buddy or two will keep me accountable this time. I was just thinking I wasn’t quite ready to start yet, need to shop, etc, but realise that I have enough stuff in to get me started and so NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

Off to look for a suitable app to help, thanks Theodora for recommendations…

Hello all

I’m starting too on 30 January. (Actually, I’ve been trying to start all year.) I have managed a few days at a time and have then sort of fallen by the wayside. I did a good eight week stint before Christmas and managed to lose 10kg. I’ve still got a way to go, so need some help getting some momentum going. Let’s see how we do.

Hi Gillykins, I’m starting on 30th Jan too and happy to buddy up with you and anyone else!
Alexandra

Great, looks like we’ve got 4 or 5 of us starting tomorrow, with another two on Wednesday.

Somebody suggested “Fat Secret” to log weight and food intake, so I’ll be doing that.

What is the recommended water intake? I was going to aim for 2-3litres. How does that sound? Any other tips??

I am hoping it will be ok to join you tomorrow would it be possible ? Could do with the support as over 50lbs to lose and a bit of a sugar fiend!

2-3 litres of water is fine, that is the figure recommended in the book, some additional uncounted water may also be present in your food of course. It is important to hydrate properly to get the weight loss happening and minimise water retention.

Hi everyone, yes I’m starting tomorrow!!!
I have had success with this before but didn’t stick to it!!
Anyway determined to do it this time 😎😎😎

I started today, any support would be gratefully received. I have tried various weight loss programs before but always fail long term. I feel totally inspired by the science behind this one – it all seems to make total sense! Good luck everyone else who is starting over the next couple of days.

Hi Gillykins and all, hope ok if I join you too. I am planning to start tomorrow and determined to keep on track for full 8weeks. But know I would definitely benefit from some support to stick with it. I have got about 70lb to lose, so need to achieve healthy eating approach for longer term.

Hi, I’ve found this site tonight, ordered the book and I plan to start tomorrow. I log my food, exercise and weight on FatSecret. I have 5 stones to lose, so it’ll be more than 8 weeks for me! Good luck, I hope we can all stay strong with each other’s encouragement.

Also starting today so happy to join you. I am T2 diabetic and I need to lose about 8 kg

Please can someone tell me what the bought low sugar drinks are that is mentioned in the book!
Trying to support my husband and think these may help when he’s at work .

Hi – I start tomorrow for the first time after a recent diabetes diagnosis. I have been prepping for the last two weeks but am still a bit overwhelmed by it all.

I made my own meal plan because I needed something a little less complicated and cheap especially as most of my meals are for one. Hopefully I’ve calculated it well but will be using MyFitnessPal to track calories.

Anyway am definitely looking for support and friendship throughout this and happy to give others the same.

Good luck everyone xx

Hi Sanshu, welcome to the family, everyone here is here to help you on this plan. The first thing you will find, if you are blood testing, is that your BG will go down fairly quickly, this is normal, this plan works. Good luck.

Hi Sanshu
I am a fairly recent convert too. Got my formal diagnosis of T2 on 17 January, with a fasting blood glucose of 12.1. To say I was upset and freaked out is putting it mildly! I’ve been following the plan and walking after my evening meal and have lost 9lbs and already my number is down to 9.3. I’m drinking about 2.5 litres of water a day.
Good luck to you! We can do this, because this time we are not “on a diet” for aesthetic reasons – this time it is for the sake of our health. I’m rather attached to my feet (excuse the pun) and would quite like to keep them! 🙂

I MJ49, good luck with your reaching your goal. I started on Jan 26th and so far so good. Am trying to stay off the scales until week end on Thursday but did sneak a peek this morning and all looking good! 2kg down. Getting quick results in the first week, while I work out what foods/meals work for me, is a great motivator. Good Luck

Good luck! It does seem overwhelming at first but you’ll be surprised at how easily you will slip into this way of life.

Well here we go!

Good luck everyone!

Good morning everyone and good luck to Gillykins, nmulcahy, pennant, heath, Kitty Malne MJ49, Ren65, juju68, ciaobella and Alexandra uk and all those starting today (like me).

I have raging tonsillitis today so not feeling in the best of moods. On the upside the thought of eating is currently filling me with dread so that may help me on my first day.

Today’s fasting BSL: 8.7. However yesterday it was 7.7. I may not have fasted as long or as well – I can’t remember if I took strepsils in the night so not the best reading probably.

I also want to lose a lot of weight as I have a *lot* to lose so will be tracking weight loss on a daily basis and centimeter loss on a weekly basis.

However, primary and immediate goal here is to follow the plan like the doc suggested so I don’t have to go on metformin, statins and more. The more I read about diabetes, the more I can see how it’s been affecting me for the last year and I know I will feel better once my BSL drops into a normal range.

Good luck everyone. Here’s to us all achieving lower blood sugars, blood presssure and healthier futures.

Better blood pressure definitely a goal. Mine was ridiculous this morning (140/94) but it’s not normally that high so maybe that’s because I’m not well?

I’m starting today too…
I managed 4 weeks last year( losing 13lbs) then had to work away from home for a while and found it too hard to stick to this in hotels
I now have a clear 8 weeks and gonna see how well I can do… needless to say 6lbs of the weight I lost has gone back on… but I know in a week that will disappear.
I’m following the meal plan set out in the recipie book… saves me counting stuff 😊
Good luck all xx

Morning All.

Am starting today as well. Followed this last year and did well but didn’t view it as “way of life” so fell off the “diet”. I say it’s time to take stock and begin again. Any help, support, advice will be most welcome!

So how are we all doing at the end of day 1 (or day 1-ish)?

I think that i have had quite a good day. I was working from home, so I could choose what I ate. We have a small cafe at work, and usually i eat there (food of varying quality and good choices not always available), but this evening I made something to take with me tomorrow. I will be away for work from Wednesday and Thursday, so am a bit nervous about my food choices.

Overall though, I think that I had a good day. I kept within the 800 calorie limit and am feeling good on it. Lots of water and lots of peppermint tea.

How did you guys do?

Hey Ciao Bella – that sounds really positive. I also worked from home today (and tomorrow which has helped a lot) but tomorrow I’m going to need to make up meals for the rest of the week.

Am just eating my meal tonight. So far, so good. Being ill means I haven’t really been hungry (am struggling to eat dinner because my throats hurts so much). Despite counting my sugarfree strepsils (10 calories each), I’ve come in 100 short. That may change later depending on how many strepsils I need.

Hi all
First day going well. Under 800 cals and 50g carbs. Drinking plenty of water but still feeling a bit of a headache! Think an early night is on the cards! We can do this!x

Hi All, my first day gone well too. Although helped hugely by fact I am also full of a cold and not feeling like eating. Drinking lots of water with help of WaterMinder app. Hope everyone doing ok. Roll on tomorrow.

I don’t know if it’s of interest to anyone else but these are the apps I’m using on my iPhone to help me track changes (in the hope that this will help motivate me). All are free to download:

Fitbit (connected to my Charge 2) – this tracks my steps, exercise, stairs, active minutes and resting heart-rate throughout the day

Sync Solver (synchronises Fitbit with Apple Health daily

MyFitness Pal (I love this app) – I track all food and water here throughout the day (really easy to keep an eye on calories and carbs). I have the Pro version but there is a free one

1byOne – this links via Bluetooth to my 1byOne scales and so I can easily track my weight daily. It also does BMI, BMR, body fat percentage, water percentage and visceral fat (although how reliable that is I don’t know)

Sleep Cycle – tracks my sleep daily

Progress – here I record my current measurements (neck, waist etc) and can save and overlay photos of myself to see if there is any difference

Apple Health – most of the captured data from the above apps updates to this one app. I add my daily blood pressure, pulse and fasting blood glucose here. This then sends updated info (with my permission) directly to my GP via the Patient Access app

Health/Ren65 – :-))

Good start. Hope headaches go soon.

Hi everyone,
I’d like to join you all… I too started today, after starting and stopping for a few months. I’ve never completed 8 weeks, and really need to do so – as I have a blood test at the beginning of April. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in October 2016 and haven’t done much about it. My HBA1C was 7 in October and I would really like to get it to 5.5 in April. Is that realistic?

Today’s summary:
Calories: 782
Carbs: 21g
Water: 1.5L
Steps: 11,012

Not bad at all. Felt a bit hungry in the evening – but was a busy day at work, so didn’t get a chance to think about food!!

Hi Fighting T2!

Welcome aboard! I have no idea if your BSL goal is realistic but aiming for the exact same levels (from the same high) so let’s hope so.

I’ve finally finished for today – went out for a post dinner brisk walk in order to hit my step target.

Today’s summary:
Calories: 706
Carbs: 15g
Water: 2.75L
Steps: 13,338

Hi FightingT2, One comment, you are just a bit low on water if you don’t have lots of other drinks unrecorded. The water is really an intrinsic part of the diet and helps the process a lot and you should try to be over 2 litres every day, I usually aim for 3. Good start, and welcome to the forum. I am sure someone with more knowledge will be able to answer the blood test query, as I do not have diabetes.

Hello All

I started last week so today is Day 9 and would love to join in – my first time in a forum.

I’ve only ever been slim when I’ve been really sick and the last time was nearly a decade ago. Ive also developed a fat filled tummy since menopause and it’s only getting worse. I will turn 60 at the end of October and two weeks ago hit my highest weight at 92kg (203lb) so have a good goal to aim for, a new healthier slimmer me by then. I’m aiming for 75kg initially and will see how I feel if I get there. No, WHEN I get there.

I bought the BSD cookbook and have got all my meals from there. I’m really loving them so far and for the first time in many (many many many) attempts to reduce over the years (take some off, put it and more back on), Im surprised to feel like maybe I can actually stick to this way of eating.

I realise I have to plan a few days ahead to help me succeed so I write it all out, breakfast X meal and the calories, lunch Y meal etc. For me it meant Im then ingredient prepared, plus I picked out the ones that most appealed to my tastebuds, and once when I was tempted to eat some rubbish between meals I looked ahead and saw a yummy meal coming up next so was then happy to wait another hour for that. Surprised and proud of myself!

And so far it’s going good. I’ve been under 800 calls (according to the book anyway) and shed 3.0kg (6.6lb) in my first week even with some red wine and also a “definitely not on the plan” Australia Day feast. I guess it’s mainly water loss but it still is good encouragement to keep me on track.

Thanks for the water reminders, I’ve not drunk enough the past couple of days. All the best to everyone . . . We can do this 😀

Hi Finding Me – thanks for sharing. It is very encouraging to hear about other people’s success. Whilst my main goal is to reduce my blood sugar level, I would greatly like to lose a lot of weight.

I used to be slim up until I was about 21 and then i just steadily grew larger over the next 16 or so years. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 12 but it didn’t start to really affect me until my second year of university when my triglycerides shot up and I started putting weight on. Even though I have never binged or massively overeaten on a regular basis, I have just become a huge tub of lard! I eat pretty healthily too (or so I thought – now I realise that all those ‘healthy’ pasta salads were evil!!

So anyway I’m hopeful that this will work and I’ll be able to drop a few dress sizes.

Hello, I am starting tomorrow..I have researched the BSD and now found this Forum and delighted to be able to join in so that we can support and encourage each other.
I turned 70 yesterday (you know the saying 70 is the new 50) well thats me ….. I don’t have Blood issues but after a bout of Breast Cancer 6 years ago and the following treatments my normal 70kgs ended up being 84kgs and have been battling and trying to lose this excess weight ever since.. Even though I am very careful what I eat the extra kgs just love hanging around with me. So hoping this program my be the answer..
So Shashu, as you say heres hoping it will work and we can drop a few dress sizes.
I am in Perth West Australia and its summer here now so at least that is a help.
Good luck all..

Hi everyone,
I’m an ‘old timer’, been on the BSD since April 2016 and now on maintenance after losing 33kg and have successfully kept it off, even over Christmas!
I’ve been reading your posts and just thought I’d butt in with a few tips if no one minds as I can see a lot of people have questions:
Some tips:
– Read the book from cover to cover. Then read it again.
– Drinks AT LEAST 2-3 litres of water a day. I drink more.
– Eat full fat everything, no low fat or lite foods. You need fat in your diet to keep you satiated. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll lose faster if you go low fat. You won’t.
– Read the labels on everything you buy, sugar/starches are unnecessarily added to a lot of processed foods which is why most of us eat and cook predominately real food.
– Most processed foods have either added sugar or polyunsaturated oils added. Don’t buy them. I now make my own mayonnaise and basil pesto and hummus.
– Count, measure, weigh and record everything you eat. Some do this manually but most use an app. I used EasyDietDiary but a lot of others use My Fitness Pal or FatSecret, once you get into the habit, it’s easy to do.
– Carbs hide in virtually everything and it’s important to keep under 50g of complex carbs per day, lower if you have T2D or insulin resistance and/or you’re not losing.
– Stay clear of bread, rice, pasta, sugar (including honey), potato etc
– I went cold turkey on all sugar (including most fruit) and all refined carbs. The only fruit I eat are strawberries and blueberries.
– Be warned, you may experience symptoms of what we call the ‘carb flu’ for the first few days. Headaches, aching limbs etc. just take a Panadol, drink more water and be kind to yourself. This will pass.
– If you cheat, it’s entirely possible that you will go through the carb flu again.
The fear of this meant that I didn’t cheat and I continued to lose the weight pretty quickly!!!!
– Plateaus are normal from week to week. Don’t panic, just keep on the plan and you will keep losing.
– Try to do at least 10,000 steps every day. Schedule it into your day so you don’t find a way of saying you’re too busy. I get up earlier now before work so I can fit it in. Take the stairs instead of the escalator, walk the dog after dark, park further away from where you need to go or get off the bus a couple of stops earlier to/from work. I tend to park the furthest away from the entrance to the shops in the carpark.
– There are some that haven’t been able to do the steps at first and they still lost weight and others, like Lucia, started very very slowly and worked her way up. Search for her name in the search box at the top and you can read her story.
– Read the forum every day, you’ll pick up lots of tips and there’s always someone around the world to answer any questions you may have. It will also keep you motivated.
– Don’t cheat. Every time you cheat with some simple carbs or sugar it sets off your hormones to expect more sugar/carbs and it will set off cravings. All carbs convert to glucose. Approximately 56% of protein that the body doesn’t need converts to glucose so don’t go overboard on the protein (I eat around 60-90g per day max). Only 10% of fat converts to glucose. My research indicates that you need approximately 1 – 1.5g of protein to 1kg of your IDEAL body weight (not your current weight) per day.
– Table sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Fructose is evil! It does really bad things to your body and is one of the reasons you keep putting weight back on as it can’t be metabolised by the body like glucose can and will go straight to your liver. This can cause non alcoholic fatty liver disease and creates your visceral fat. This is exactly the same fructose that you find in fruit, so that’s why I stopped eating most fruit as your body metabolises it the same way as table sugar.
– Your body can get all the nutrients it needs from vegetables (be careful of consuming vegetables that grow under the ground as they have way more carbs, as do peas which is technically a legume). Strawberries are fairly low in fructose, hence carbs. Apples, bananas and pears and sweet tropical fruits are very high.
– Eat saturated and monosaturated oils, like butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado and macadamia nut oil. Stay well clear of all highly refined seed oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut, soybean oils (also known as polyunsaturated oils). They have very high inflammatory properties and do bad things to your brain and heart. Along with sugars, they are also thought to contribute to the growth of cancers.
– Put salt on your foods. When you cut out processed foods, you don’t get the added salt that they provide and you need salt for the electrolytes.
– Eat nuts or a cube of cheese if you hungry, but remember to measure and weigh as they are high in fat and calories will add up quickly. Macadamias are the best as they are very low in carbs and high in fat (4.5g/100g carbs), cashews are the worst – they are technically a seed (28g/100g of carbs).
– Stay clear of all artificial sweeteners, but particularly aspartame. It can cause a huge amount of side effects. In Australia it’s 950/951/955 and possibly other numbers. Not sure what they are in the U.K. and the U.S.
– It has been reported that having drinks and food with artificial sugar can also spike a release of insulin once your tongue ‘tastes’ the sweetness as your body thinks it needs to metabolise the sugar it thinks you are consuming. Perhaps use them to help you wean yourself off sugar, but in my opinion, it shouldn’t be something you consume long term. The jury is still out on stevia, but I don’t take the chance as it hasn’t been around for long enough for long term studies.
My goal was 60kg, and once I reached it, I decided to keep going with more fat in my diet to see where it took me (I did not increase my carbs) I now seem to have settled around 56-58kg. I still do not eat refined carbs or sugar because as soon as I do, my weight will go up and believe it or not, the cravings are gone. I haven’t had chocolate or ice cream since before April! A miracle for me! The fat I consume triggers the hormones in my body to send me the ‘I’m full’ signal and I no longer count what I eat, but I know others continue to do so once they get to maintenance, it really is an individual thing.
We had friends over for a BBQ a few weeks ago and one brought a box of chocolates as a gift. I politely asked him to take it home with him as I no longer eat sugar and he was happy to do so! I’m sure he thought I was bonkers, but I just don’t care what anyone thinks anymore because my health is more important to me!
The restriction of 800 cals per day is just to get the weight off quickly and keep you motivated, it is easy to do and don’t let anyone tell you that it is too low or that your body won’t cope or you will get sick. It’s bunkum. Also don’t let anyone tell you that your body needs sugar. Your brain does need glucose for energy but it can make it from complex carbs (I eat predominantly vegetables, not grains or legumes) and protein and fat. There are such thing as essential proteins and fats as your body can’t make them, but there are no such things as essential carbohydrates!
Give up alcohol for the 8 weeks. Hard, I know, but it’s better to eat your calories that drink them and it tends to make you want to cheat. Most are also high in carbs. Once you’ve lost the weight, you might want to reconsider, but I’ve found that other than the odd 1/2 glass of red wine, I don’t bother and don’t miss it. Beer is full of carbs!
I also listen to a lot of health podcasts, either whilst I’m walking or cooking and that is a huge motivator. I just didn’t realise that I didn’t know what I didn’t know!
Here’s an example:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ask-the-low-carb-experts/id495159994?mt=2&i=114095842
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ask-the-low-carb-experts/id495159994?mt=2&i=165093383
There’s are heaps, just search for low carb or Keto.
If you haven’t started yet, start by clearing out all the crappy foods out of your cupboard, work out what you’re going to eat for the first week and go shopping.
The recipes in the book are pretty good, I’ve made a lot of them but be careful with the cals/carbs etc as they are not always accurate.
You’ll also find a lot of low carb and Keto recipes online.
See http://www.dietdoctor.com
I took about 25 weeks to lose my weight and I did not have a break at all. CaptainLynne checked with the ‘team’ and they said it was ok to keep going after the 8 weeks. Lynne has lost over 100lbs in just under 12 months.
Ask me anything you want, I’m happy to answer any questions.
Good luck. This is the best thing that I’ve ever done for myself and I no longer let other people tell me what’s good for me, including my doctor as most of them are not up to date but the science backs this up.
Good luck everyone.
Cheers
Linda

Linda, that is such an illuminating and helpful post – pity we can’t make it a “sticky” for everyone just starting the BSD WOL. 😉

Useful links, too – I’d already discovered the great site that is DietDoctor, and will try and find time later to listen to the suggested podcasts, assuming they will work in the UK? Thanks.

I’m on week 3, day 2 and your suggestions / tips will be very useful to go back and refer to now and again, so thank you.

Hi Linda,

Some great information there, just a quick query….
I thought apples and pears were ok to eat??? Along with berries?? Is this not correct then?
Also please can you tell me which brand of yoghurt she you buy, I’m a bit unsure which are the best regards to sugar etc..
Thank for your help

Trina

If I might dip in here, you need to be aware that all fruits contain sugar – i.e. carbs – so have to be approached cautiously. The secret is moderation of course. Yogurts need to be full fat and most contain carbs around the 3g to 5g per 100g mark, but you can check on the nutrition panel – think a lot of us use Fage Greek yogurt or similar. Lidls do a very nice Greek Style yog for approx. £1.40 for a litre.

Hope that helps a little.

Thank you for that, I’m not fully understanding trying to get my head around it to help support my husband, so if I’m looking at packets are we best to avoid carbs more than 5g per 100??

Getting to grips with the BSD low carb thing can be a bit mind bending initially, but it gets easier. However, unfortunately it’s not as simple as drawing a line in the sand and not having anything over a certain carb value per 100g, as it also depends on the quantity of the item that’s going to be consumed and what daily intake of carbs is being aimed for – a lot of folks on here aim for 50g or less a day.

For instance, I personally try to keep my carb intake below 30g a day. A couple of days ago I have some roast tomatoes containing 8.2g carbs per 100g, but as I only had 28g the carb intake from these was only 2.296g. Similarly with walnuts, which I use often as a yogurt topping, or blitzed in a smoothie – carbs content 13.7g per 100g, but as I only have approx. 16g at a time, that’s just 2.192g to included as carb intake from these when I use them.

Try to make it a habit to read nutrition panels when shopping and think about the quantity of the item is going to be eaten as a portion, so if the carb value is 30g per 100g, but it’s something that say 20g will be enough of as a portion, this would be fine, but if a portion size was going to be 100g, you’d probably want to avoid this. What’s important is getting rid of simple carbs from potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cakes, biscuits, sweets etc. and get used to weighing and measuring, so that you understand what a sensible portion of certain things looks like.

I hope this helps in some way – keep asking if you need more help though. Lots of lovely people on here will offer help and support.

Hello, I would like to join this thread please. I started yesterday too, Ive posted in the 800fast section, I didnt notice this part.

I felt quite weak and dizzy whilst waiting to have my brunch at 11am this morning but it has mostly been ok. I did have some not planned for greek yog this afternoon to keep me going, I wont beat myself up but couldve probaby got through it with just a herbal tea so will try harder to be more disciplined tomorrow. Im hungry now so have made a herbal tea and refilled the water which I havent had enough of today. I have a headache, I think that is from listening to the news too much today though.

I am not at work this week, hopefully this will help me manage the low carb flu. Its suprising how often I just open the fridge even though Im not going to eat…its just a habit – would usually indulge in a bit of cheese… for no particular reason.

Im cleaning the house and found a mini snickers bar in the cupboard, ive hidden it out of sight for my husband to have…I very nearly gobbled it!

Hi everyone,

Had intended to check in every day but last night I was absolutely pooped by 8pm and asleep by 9! Feel tired and have had a bad headache all day, but know this will pass – have just kept drinking plenty of water. Decided to use shakes for the first week or so, with one meal in the evening, before expanding my menus when I got over the initial flu-ey symptoms.

Made the cauliflower cheese featured in the Mail article after googling for a BSD version, but it worked out as 737 cals a portion using the Fatsecret app so was 168 calories over yesterday despite only having that, one shake and coffee all day! It wasn’t too bad though as I tend to fast til about 3-4pm if possible, as find I just feel hungry all day if I have breakfast…

Thanks Linda and Sunny for tips, and hope everyone’s having a good second day (or whatever day you’re on ☺). Might just have a little snooze… xx

Hi Trina, apples and pears are definitely diet friendly but in very small doses, along with plums, apricots and (for me though not strictly diet approved) small green bananas. I have some lovely ones of the latter at the moment at 55g apiece which means they don’t blow my carb budget. What you can individually get away with will depend on how your body reacts to carbs, and very careful watching of portion size. The diet book itself uses apples in a few recipes.

Hi Lampy – I find a cup of coffee or tea, with 7.5ml of whipping cream or coconut milk (not water), both of which have a good fat content, but not much in the way of carbs, helps to stave off any mild hunger pangs. If you are struggling to get to 11 for a brunch, why not have a small portion of yogurt earlier and then have a late lunch? A small cube of cheese is fine, as long as the calories are counted and because of the fat content it is sating and can get you past an urge to eat less friendly things. Well done on not eating the snickers and I hope you will be posting positive results soon.

JuJu68 – don’t worry about being over on the calories, it will all balance out over time – there will be days along the way, when you don’t have the full 800 (I know, unbelievable isn’t it?) and there will be days when you go over, but it will all level across the weeks. More important is not over doing the carbs. It’s not unusual to feel tired in the early days, while your body is adjusting to the new regime, but once it adjusts, you should see better energy levels. Good luck on positive results when you weigh in.