Hi guys

I’m starting the 12 week BSD (with a cheat day locked in for my partner’s birthday and no other deviations). Anyone else in the early stages? Would be keen to motivate each other. Am hoping for ~15-20 kgs in the 12 weeks and 30 kilos overall. Have had T2 Diabetes for 20 years (was diagnosed very young). Have basically been terrible with control. Am hoping this will give me enough remission to bring things under control and arrest the damage already done.

Hi blah, welcome. This diet can reverse T2 but it only appears to happen in people who are newly diagnosed (3 years or less) or pre-diabetic. That is not to say this wont give you amazing improved results in your blood glucose reading and many other benefits to your health. I have been diagnosed for 12 years and dont expect to be ‘cured’ any day soon but I have gone from a HbA1c of 8.4 to 6.2 (or was it 8.2 t 64 no matter). Cholesterol down from 6.2 to 3.6, blood pressure down too. Insulin reduction by 50% and other meds by the same. Oh and you will lose weight. Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Thanks s-g. Hoping to get control over BSLs and PCOS more than anything else. Let’s see what comes of it at the end of the process.

For accountability’s sake:
Current:
Weight: 79.1 kg
Waist circumference: 103cm
Height: 160 cm
BMI: 30.9
Pulse: 104bpm (82bpm resting heart rate)
Fasting BSL: 15.9

Target:
8 weeks: (2/2/2018)
Weight: 64 kg
Waist circumference: 80-85 cm
BMI: 25
Pulse: 70-75 BPM (resting)
Fasting BSL: 4.0 – 5.1
Range: <7.8 post meal

12 weeks: (2/3/2018)

Weight: 56 kg
Waist circumference: 69 cm
BMI: 21
Pulse: 67-70 bpm
Fasting BSL: 4 – 5.1
Range: <7.8 post meal
HBA1c: <6.1

Hi blah
I’m 4 months in but wanted to wish you good luck. You’ll see from the posts that this way of eating helps a lot of us regain control of our eating and get positive results. Good on you for starting before Christmas. Keep posting – if no-one else is starting right now you can also join in on the other threads.
Marie

Hi Blah, Welcome. I’m 3 weeks in. It’s going well so far – some carb flu in the first week, some mourning for a few of my previously favorite things but despite a couple of mini plateaus, my weight is dropping nicely. More surprising to me, I feel much better, steady level of energy during the day and sleeping well (unheard of for me). No raging hunger.

There is a terrific December challenge thread ‘Busy, busy with Sant’s elves …’. Just a week in so not too late to join. Wonderful support there, lots of experience and a great place to vent or celebrate with new friends as the day requires.

All the best, I’m looking forward the sharing this journey with you.

Hi there! I am starting out today and wish you the best of luck!

Thanks for the heads up and good wishes. Will get into the Santa’s elve’s thread. As it turned out, yesterday was an unmitigated disaster. I’m still calling it Day 1, because otherwise, the temptation to keep restarting the clock is too great.

Day 2 is off to a good start. I liked Lucia’s approach of breaking it down into short blocks. I’m going to start with half hour blocks of don’t give into temptation.

Hi blah,

Are you putting pressure on yourself calling it day one, day two, back to day one?

How about monday exercise day

Tuesday stretch or yoga day

Wednesday take it for a walk day

Thursday laugh or tap dance, or sing or look at the cartoons or watch a minions movie (stress buster day)

Friday grateful day, thankful for the week so far, the effort put in, or the calories burnt up or happy to have another go day

Saturday, shopping trolley race day, how fast you can push the trolley past the sweets, bread, and carbs race

Sunday, rest you body, pamper day. I wanted to paint my toe nails when i first started off. You should have seen some of the positions i got onto trying to reach those pesky pinkies. Or just soak your feet in warm water, or cleanse your skin, see , i am not giving my self a treat with food!?

I know its nice to have a graph or chart with a line sloping down to the right. But what if we cant achieve that? It puts more stress on yourself. Just handle today, not day one, day two etc. Just break the day up into quarters, just control a few hours.
I couldnt handle the chart zig zaging up and down and up. So i said, sod it! And tried to do little pockets of exercise.

If this helps your frame of mind, you understand what i am trying to say.

I came here to this website because i was totally rubbish , really rock bottom at coping with ME.

Maybe i am crazy, or childlike, but doing it in baby steps, i was able to be successful.

Keep going, keep wiggling, keep giggling.

Love lucia
Xxx

Lucia, reading your posts really got me going. I was going really well til 3pmsies. Then went haywire. Tomorrow morning is a new hour of power. I like your baby steps approach, and the way you bring joy to the whole endeavour. Thank you!

Hi Blah! It sounds like you are starting to wrap your head around this! I wanted to just say that it’s ok to stutter-start as you begin to learn how to do the BSD — Lucia puts it perfectly, just a bit at a time — it will work for you.
My experience with this way of life is that I had to LEARN how to do it and there was a lot of trial and error and messed up days before I finally caught on and got it really into my thinking patterns.
There is some interesting research that says that perfectionist type thinkers (I’m not saying you are, but if you read these posts you will see many people are) often struggle with weight and weight loss, because it is black or white/ on the diet perfectly or off the diet catastrophically. Lucia’s approach is wonderful because it takes that on/off/black/white paradigm and refuses to let it derail the efforts.
My experience is that even a little bit of BSD every day will grow to more BSD every day and then to weeks of BSD and ultimately to changing your entire point of view and life.
So no matter how it goes, just don’t quit. Start again and again and again. Do whatever small steps work, like Lucia, then add in more and try more until you find your personal path here.
And can we call you “no-longer-blah”? You don’t sound blah at all.

So, here it is.

You can only pick one and be honest with yourself.

Which one can you do straight away, health wise?

A. 10,000 baby steps in a day
B. Get to the top of a mountain

We all go for a. But they are the SAME.
To climb a mountain, it takes, guess what….. a step. NO! Shock ! Horror ?!?!!

Yup, string a gang of them together and what do you have?

That bloody mountain, in a day.

Love lucia
Xxxx

Hi

So here is another one.

If you cannot give up the bread.
What is the bread with the lowest carbs You can BUY EASILY.

Answers from you all below.

Love lucia
Xxxx

Oh, its just baby steps…..

Hi blah,

We all sag around 3pm , isnt that weird.

So we can do a few things, have a few grapes in a tupperwear tub.

Not the whole bunch.
You got the sweetness,
The moistness,
The crunch or bite-a-bililty.

You havent eaten the whole pack of hob nobs.

Do we have a game plan here team?

Carrot sticks, celery, apple, anything that you can bite and feel you are seating something.

Just saying…..

Love lucia
Xxxx

Or some cheese or slice of meat (if you eat it …) that fills me up. For real naughtiness I grate cheese and melt it in microwave … if you do it long enough it goes crispy – and a little goes a long way …

Just to provide an alternative perspective from someone who also has PCOS, I don’t sag in the afternoon, nor did I take baby steps. You don’t have to fall back into the habits that have kept your blood sugar readings in the stratosphere for two decades. Given your diagnosis, how long your BGLs have been dangerously high and your stated aim of controlling your diabetes and PCOS symptoms, I think it would be very much worth your while to cold-turkey this. Otherwise the carb craving cycle that stole your first day will just ignite all over again every day. In a lot of ways, I think it’s easier to be strict than it is to keep reintroducing sugars/grains/cereals etc. into your system.

Look at how great you’ve done already, dropping your carb count by a third to below 50 grams a day. All it took was knowledge and effort. Don’t underestimate yourself. You haven’t had it easy and you’re still here fighting. Trust in your competence and courage because you’ve already shown both in spades.

Hi blah! I’m new here and new to all of this too! I started 27.11 and I’m going well. Yesterday I had the 3 pm thing. Ist time. Just shows when I thought I was settling in bam! Anyway back to it this morning and my over indulgence meant I decided a late start with brunch today being Saturday here. I busied myself with chores before and didn’t feel hungry anyway. I’m having fun with the recipe book . It’s my new hobby trying different recipes every day!
I love everyone’s comments above and
Lucia’s day names. My weight goal for the 8 weeks is just as much as possible . My first mini goal is to get off insulin . After 1 week I had halved it. My Endocrinologist said I’d get off if I lost weight. I’ve only recently gone on it.
So that’s No1 goal. I’m also facing at least 3 major surgeries in2018 and a planned kidney transplant so whatever I can do to be successful to give myself the best chance is where I’m at. Idk y it took me til now but I’ve made a mental shift finally and on my way. Wish you every success as we change our lives!

Hi everyone, I’ll add as I approach the end of week 2, my bp has dropped and I’ve come off 10mg minipress daily. I’ve seen my cardiologist . I asked him about the diet and he’s happy I’m doing it. I’m at dialysis 4x a week so nurses are watching me record my nos daily and checking w my Drs. I’m so excited about the immediate results! Also throughout this week 4, yes 4 people commented on how good my skin looks and how my colour has improved. This is something I’ve never been told in the time I’ve been an ESRD – end stage renal patient! (About 3 years) Only 1 was a nurse. She’s not my daily nurse and I said is it the new dialysis regime now I’ve been in haemo a month after being on peritoneal dialysis since 8.8.16. She said no it’s be the diet!! I can’t express how excited I am about my results.just hoping I can sustain it. Some Drs I’ve spoken too are not very confident about sustaining it longer term. I’m determined and finding the forums and wonderful people and stories I more determined than ever! Thanks everyone here. I might by post that regularly as I do get extremely tired but you have all given me extra energy today😊

Hi Milalin! I’ve read your profile, and you certainly have a lot of health challenges ahead
of you, and a beautiful spirit in seeking the best way ahead for yourself. You mentioned
on this thread and multiple others that you want to give yourself every chance to succeed.
My sincerest, heartfelt advice to you toward achieving your goals is to seek out the maintainers
here who have been wildly successful in weight loss as well putting T2D into remission.
One such thread is “After Reaching Target..”, and another is “Busy, Busy..” I know it
may be more comfortable to chat with other newcomers, and the list of user names
can be somewhat overwhelming, but we maintainers are passionate about this way
of life, and nothing makes us happier than to share the knowledge and wisdom that
we have accumulated along the road to success. I have rid myself of 10 stone in
as many months, so I understand where you have been and more importantly, where
you are capable of going. I wish you every success. Call on me anytime if you have
questions, I’m always out and about! For other newbies, the same message and
welcome extends to you as well. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Best of luck to you all!

Allie

Managed a day without blowouts! Thanks all for your encouragement and ideas.

Weight this morning: 77.6kg
Cals: 677
Carbs: 48gms

Thankyou alliecat! I’m a bit overwhelmed with how well I’m going and finding the forums and different threads, I’m so happy but I haven’t been able to keep up yet. I definitely appreciate your advice about the maintainers being really valuable too! Thankyou for your kind words and offer of support. A quick update- today I was driving through the hospital boom gate when I saw my endocrinologist walking past. We both waved and then I wound down my passenger window and told him I’d halved my insulin. Then I told him my nos and he told me to reduce it more!!! Best consult ever! No $ either haha
I’ll be off it in no time. This is only 2 weeks in!

What uplifting news, Milalin! And a cost free consultation, on top of it! 🙂 In this neck
of the woods we call those NSV, i.e., non scale victories 🙂 🙂 🙂 There will be lots more
if you keep going. This really does work…Let us know how you go as you prepare
for surgery!

Allie

Thanks again Allie. I’ll have bloods done on Thursday so I’ll be looking for another NSV then! Meanwhile I’ve successfully managed to maintain the spirit of the programme but a few too many nuts have creeped in over the weekend, I’m onto it though. 😊

That’s only a “minor infraction”, Milalin! Healthy, plant based fats, not starchy carbs
or the dreaded “sugar”… I still measure out my nut quota for the day, usually 8-10
raw almonds and put them in a small plastic bag. When they’re gone, I’m done with
it for the day. The bag remains out of sight in the cupboard! 🙂

Good news is I dropped the insulin by 2 points morning and night and I’m still between 5-8! Also organised my nut snacks thanks Allie!