New Year Greetings to all ! I am hoping to start on 5th January . This will be my second round of 8 weeks. I lost 16 lbs before Christmas and am raring to go and lose a lot more. Thought I would enjoy the break over Christmas but I feel bloated and uncomfortable. My tastes seem to have changed and all the chocolate I ate was not particularly enjoyable. Had a call from my GP surgery encouraging me to lose more weight as my blood sugar has dropped back into the normal range (just ) so that has spurred me on.
Good luck everyone !

Happy New Year everyone!

I’d like to join you all for this journey. I’m going to weigh in tomorrow and get back on BSD Fast 800. Experimented with it in November/December and despite not being strict and having far too many calories (wine and cheese. LOTS of wine and cheese) still managed to lose 10lbs.

I’m long-term obese with an Underactive Thyroid so previously have found diets torture, weeks of effort undone with a wild weekend. So far BSD has been different, I really did lose the urge for rubbish (crisps) and was far more aware of how “bad” food made me feel (sluggish and unsatisfied). So I think this will work for me.

Look forward to sharing our success stories!

Well done to all for being here – Bravo!

One thing I think TumTumP said.. Vegetables..

I feel bad as I overshot my calories by 30 today as I added some peas into my casserole! (was on 778 for today) but while we are encouraged to eat lots of veg – 100G of peas has 53cal in – so isn’t this being counter productive?

Hi peeps I have started today starting this morning with porridge and spiced pear lunch was a mushroom and spinich omelette and tea was carbonara made.with courgetti all very nice . But I’ve had a nasty headache all day and feel shattered. I’m hoping that this will pass. The other thing I’m worrying about is getting bored with diet. I LOVE sweet things what can I eat in the evenings which is my weak point.

Hi Pcoventry
In what way do you mean it’s counter productive? I can imagine how annoying it is to go over because of peas!!! It’s hardly a bar of chocolate or glass of wine. When I was doing my menu planning I noticed that things like spinach, celery and mushrooms are really low calorie. I’m sure I read in the book about it being ok to be slightly over one day and under others. 30 calories can be pulled back. Keep going – good luck 🙂

Hi LighterLisa – that sounds like ‘carb flu’ which of course isn’t really flu but it is a reaction when you stop eating carbs- especially if you been used to eating quite a lot of carbs. It’s unpleasant but it passes in a few days as long as you don’t give in to carb craving.
As for sugar, try David Gillespie The Sweet Poison Quit Plan – he goes into detail about how sugar affects the body (much like carbs) and then helps with a plan to give it up. Once you lose the taste for sugar you won’t miss it.

Hi ana_m! I’m excited for you starting the BSD. I would love to buddy up with you if you decide you’d like to. I’m not sure how to go about that but would love to to that.
I am starting my 2nd 8 weeks today on the 800 plan. I initially lost 19.5 lbs. and today am down 16 pounds since October 9th, 2016. I finished my first 8 weeks the first week of December and then switched to the BSD way of life plan for the holiday period. I’m feeling pretty good about only regaining 3.5 lbs. since I kind of figured that the last couple of pounds weren’t completely stable yet.
I’m 5ft. tall and now weigh 141.5 lbs. I started out at 157.5 lbs.
My goal is to weigh 129 lbs. by the end of the next 10 weeks. I plan to eat 1000 calories or less each day and start a weight lifting and aerobic routine starting today.
My husband has been really supportive and given me tons of compliments but no one else I know has said a word about my weight loss. Even when I told them how much weight I’d lost, and that I was doing it to improve my health and improve my blood sugar. Both family and friends have not said a word. I know it shouldn’t matter what others think, but it does. This time around, I’m really going to have to let that go and just focus on how I feel and how much healthier I’m getting. I still have to admit, I’m disappointed. Oh well! It feels great to fit into smaller clothes that don’t hide my body.
So today I start again! My first weigh in: 141.5
Wishing everyone a successful BSD start here in the New Year 2017!

I love reading everyone’s post and will try to add individual notes to people! I really feel the support here and know I need it while I get back on track. We are all going to help each other through this. It feels good to know that I can come to the forums and know that I am not alone in this process!

Happy New Year 2017 everyone!

Hi TumTumP

I thought if we loaded the veggies on we loaded the calories on top. I need to re read the book again!

I love my veg. Not stopping eating it until I die!

Hi – count me in with the January starters! Lost 3 stone 3 years ago on low carb and have steadily put it all back on. Carbs are my downfall – I’m like an addict once I start. My parents and a grandparent all had type 2 diabetes, and I’m coming up to that dangerous time of life. I need to get my sugar addiction under control while I’m still pre-diabetic!
800 calories seems daunting in the extreme; on the low carb diet, I didn’t count calories. However, I’m determined to give it my all.

Good luck to all of us!

Hi everyone I’d like to join this group if that’s OK. I’m starting my 2nd 8 week tomorrow, did it for 6weeks before Christmas and lost 13 lbs but put 4 back on over Christmas but looking forward to starting again. Have 3 and a half stone to lose and would like to do that by October as I will be 60. Type 2, under active thyroid, high bp and high cholesterol is not going to stop me. It’s good knowing you can come on here and get the help and support you need. Onwards and upwards!.

Hi Banana Butty!

I find that calorie counting is not as bad as it sounds. I hit 821 today so 43 over my 778 but to me as a 40yr old male 821 is still impressive!, I lost weight last time doing 1000. I’m also taking my metformin just because my doctor said I should, however the label in the box says not to – but i am scared I will mess myself up further with this diet by missing it out.

Need to be sus this out especially if someone drives all day. I don’t want to come off my motorbike because i get light headed.

Better to eat within reason, not calorie count and take meds than to do 800 a day and see what happens? I really don’t know what to do. We’ve just ordered a load of food shopping for the recipes but this is a permanent lifestyle change and so far I am not feeling it. And I did it for a few weeks before xmas.

This website says Type 1 diabetics and diabetics taking medication for their diabetes (other than Metformin) should not do this diet. My doctor says I can do it, but she seems to have forgotten about the Stains,Naxproxen and other stuff she has prescribed me as well as the Metformin. I only take the metformin to be honest, so based on the fact I should be taking it all, should I be doing this?

Have to admit after reading a lot of the threads one thing is common weight goes straight back on and therefore this is a life plan not just a gimmicky fad diet. I think I will need to look at bad carbs and sweet food like they are cigarettes and cause just as much harm, by looking at it this way I may think twice about future indulgence, alcohol has always been my downfall though and stops me thinking logically so have to manage that too. So long as the advantages outway the disadvantages which they should then all the sacrifice is worth it. It’s just the moments of weakness that makes it hard at times. Good luck to everyone in 2017.

Hi all
I am starting tomorrow! Just finished the book and found it inspiring… it describes me to a T. The tips from everyone who has done the 8 weeks is a big help. Shopping tomorrow morning followed by a walk and then prep food for week.
The slow cooker will be out but wanted to know if we can use the dried packet mixes available for slow cooking.
This time next year….so exciting 😊

HI Shelley,

I dont see why not – I used a jar of Chicken tonight spanish med with my caserole tonight and it was yummy and was under goal.

Hi Mick,

Nothing to say Michael didn’t put it all back on again. Also, If I get rid of my diabetes and can the diet it will just start again.

Better to live with it and manage the best possible?

Or better to just eat within reason using the receipe book as a guide? rather than like a bible and starve a lot.

I was looking at the MyFitnessPal just now – wonder can I really survive on 800c a day? (or even 1000) when I work a manual job? Im back next week so I will have to see how it hits me I suppose.

The book was a good investment for life as far as I am concerned. My mum never smoked, didn’t dink, ate 3 healthy meals a day and walked for 30 minutes every day round a pre set route without fail. She dropped dead last year at the ripe of age of 66 middle of 2016 after suffering a heart attack due to a bang to her leg forming a clot.

Linda Macartney spent her life promoting her healthy food, and died of cancer.

So is it all really worth it?

Very true MickGarrod, i too will have to think of carbs as the enemy and make it a long term plan rather than 8 week plan👍. Welcome to the forum, its good to read from a mans perspective😀

I’m starting mid January as well – I need a bit of time to plan out food and exercise before I get going! Feeling excited though!!

Hi – good luck to everyone starting today, 2/2. I am hoping to try and keep myself motivated and accountable by posting here. Biggest downfalls tend to be sugar, sugar and more sugar. I find it easy to forgo alcohol but a slice of cake/chocolate is another story. Also three kids with constant stream of friends through the house needing to be fed does not help, however, no more excuses. Aiming for 15k steps a day and I have 10 kg min to lose, though 15 -20kg would be great, but thought I would try and aim for 10kg as my first goal. Love salads but hate cooked veg and eggs which can make things a little tricky…thankfully summer here in Australia, so that should make things easier….

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, 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 yesterday 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 anymore 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.

I took about 25 weeks to lose my weight and did not 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

LindaA, thanks so much, am restarting the 800 today and this was a fabulous reminder and reinforcement of all the crucial information, really helpful to get my mind firmly back in the zone! Well done on on your achievement, you are a huge inspiration!
I will also listen to the pidcasts you mention, thanks again and all the best for the new year!

LindaA
Great information – you are so right that the craving for sugar and carbs completely goes away if you don’t eat them. I haven’t eaten even one mouthful since May and I absolutely don’t miss them.

Pcoventry,
I am so sorry to hear about your Mum – 66 is far too young and especially unfair that she led such a healthy life.

You asked whether it is all worth it – and I am assuming that you mean following the BSD and leading a healthy lifestyle. None of us know just how long we have left and the BSD isn’t a magic bullet that will guarantee a long life.

However, for me – at 68 with T2, retinopathy and beginning to lose feeling in one of my feet – I did not want to live the remaining years I have left going blind and having my foot amputated. With the BSD the diabetes is in remission, the retinopathy is reversed and the feeling is coming back into my foot.

I don’t miss the sugar and carbs and now absolutely love all the BSD friendly foods – especially being able to eat more cheese and cream now I am on maintenance.

You also mention that you feel that this book is an investment for life and you are so right. You are also right also that if we put the weight back on the diabetes will come back – and Professor Taylor does say that keeping the weight off is so important.

I retrained at 50 and since then have had a wonderful time running my little business. My dream is to keep working and active in my 70s as many pilates teachers do. Diabetes threatened to take that dream away. If my sight got worse I wouldn’t be able to drive and run my business and do all the other stuff I love to do.

We all have different reasons why it is really important for us to do the BSD and I hope we all have a very successful BSD year.

Hi Happygirl and everyone!

I’m already enjoying checking into this forum and taking in all the tips. It’s also really encouraging firstly that many people have lost a lot of weight already using the diet and secondly that many of us are feeling a bit of trepidation about it. But I love the comment from Luv2Danz “So we’ve got this ….2017 we can smash this!”

I chose the username Dreamscometrue in the hope that this will be the year I get my slimmer self back again! I think I’ve been in denial about becoming overweight because for most of my life – apart from a bit of puppy fat as a child – I’ve been slim and able to eat anything. Now that is not the case and the weight has crept on but I’ve always somehow thought it would be ok and just disappear or something. Then on the other hand part of me just wants to accept the middle age spread as inevitable – I guess I’m scared to believe things could actually be different in case I “fail” at the diet. But then I’m also angry at myself for not being strong enough to get my act together sooner and kind of wasting precious time being unhappy with myself: it’s at the stage now where there is no joy in getting ready to to go out anywhere because so few of my clothes fit now – and I tend to choose the same couple of outfits that hopefully disguise some of the bumps!

Just writing this makes me realise how complex the issue of weight is and how much capacity there is for self-blame and self-loathing! But NO MORE!! I want to change and look forward to being part of this group to spur me on when I’m feeing defeated and also to help others get through those phases too.

Good luck everyone!

Thank you LindaA for the comprehensive post, really useful and inspiring.

Good luck everyone.

Hi LindaA – an excellent post, thank you. I think what I like most about it is the encouragement to take this seriously. It’s probably the easiest and most effective eating plan – ever! But it still involves a change of attitude towards health and eating which needs to be long-term and yes, from time to time, it will be challenging. You have to re-evaluate priorities- I was a serious sugar addict and like many ‘addictions’ you end up needing more and more – sugar is as addictive as cocaine. And possibly as damaging! So it’s worth viewing sugar in the same way. I know I mentioned it before but Sugar, The Sweet Poison by David Gillespie is a startling and scary description of the same sugar does to the body.
Linda, have you looked at Mark’s Daily Apple? The Primal way of eating is pretty much the same as BSD and there are lots of really good recipes and tips on this way of life.
SSB

I always make ‘reading the BSD’ posts my first activity of a morning, mainly because I like to catch up with other BSDers around the world and to kickstart my motivation for the day, whilst sipping my first lemon water of the day. And WOW what an inspirational read from LindaA and KrysiaD, congratulations and well dine in you fab weight losses and managing to keep it off! I’m sure I will definately be asking you lots of questions whilst on my BSD journey🤔,……the first one being what are the best veggies to eat? Its confusing as on other diets eg WW most veg can be eaten in plentiful! Thanks for the tip about honey too, I have been putting a small spoon on my yoghurt and berry breakfast, but no more…….

Good morning everyone,

This is day 2 for me and I’ve added in some walking already. Quite a change for me but I’ve got an easy week so it’s simple to add it in. It’s cool, about 12 degrees, but very sunny so I feel I’m topping up my vitamin D at the same time. Can anyone recommend an easy fitbit please?

I’ve cut out breakfast this time and am looking forward to a hearty vegetable soup for lunch with fish and cauliflower rice for dinner.

Granny, there are some nice poster type pictures of low carb and not so low carb foods on Diet Doctor. I keep meaning to print them off..

Thank you LyndaA and Krysia for the informative posts..

Have a good day!

Read this book over Christmas and decided had to give it a go. I know I have to change my lifestyle dramitically, this will be a challenge but one I need to undertake. Started this morning and with the will power it will continue until we mett the goals we require. Good luck to all

Hi 🙂
I bought the BSD book for myself for Christmas because I’m fed up with failing at diets and need a change. The 5:2 doesn’t suit me unfortunately and I love Michael’s thorough, fact based writeups so thought I’d give it a go. I’m going to start this weekend as I’ll have finished the book by then and the weekend will give me prep time for the week after.

Morning all

Thanks for all the tips and advice and a huge HUGE thanks to both Linda & Krysia for their inputs. Really an eye opener. I have just re adjusted tomorrow’s shopping list to include blueberrys and extra virgin olive oil for cooking.

We (my wife is also doing this with me) have noticed that the receipe book is all full fat but we are going to replace anything that says “butter” with olive oil and just see how we go. Just had 2 boiled eggs for breakfast, out the shell into gob, no washing up to do – a million bonus’s there!

Your story Krysia really does inspire me. My eyes have been fine so far and I have been eating meat and veg for my tea for years now. I have bought myself another machine because I took a screenshot in 2013 of my levels being 6.2 (started at 9.7 back in 2012) and if so many people tel me this is normal range? But my doctor says my levels have gone up and then chucks me more pills. She also tells me the home testing kits are unreliable, maybe they are on commission or under pressure to chuck me pills?

Anyway Stuff the Metformin, not going to happen while I am on 800. Even the leaflet says so!. I know this diet will work, You’ve shown me it will work. So I will take the risk and put them in the drawer for now. I have a review in Feb and I will be doing a test at home the same day I have it taken at the docs, and if my machine is anywhere near the reading I get from the docs I will be telling my doctor that she was wrong to discount them.

I am 5 foot 8 and 15 stone 11 at the start of this – so I am not big big but I am also dying to get this fat off my organs, which, if I understand this right, should lower/control/kill my T2D!

Speak to you all again tomorrow – this is my daily internet now!

Pete

Hi guys.
I am coming back to BSD starting today. I did it for 4 weeks Oct-Nov and lost 15 lbs. I found the diet really easy to do and didn’t suffer any side effects and still managed my daily gym work out. Additionally, as soon as I increased my food intake the weight did not automatically pile on. What I will say is that you have to be prepared for plateaus. They seem to happen quite randomly and you lose nothing for days and then suddenly, another 3 lb is gone. Stick with it. I have now gone a bit off the rails over Christmas but hope to be back to where I was within the next 7-10 days. I know it works. Good luck xx

Hi there, I’m starting asap so would be happy to join you. I’m seeing my diabetic nurse on the 4th so that will give me a base line.

Hi Granny
The veggies that I have found are almost free from net carbs are curly leaf kale, mushrooms, celery, spinach, aubergine and lettuce so I tend to make sure I eat plenty of them.

Veggies a little bit higher in net carbs are avocado, asparagus, courgette and white cabbage. But they are not that much higher so I tend to eat a lot of them also.

The ones that are much higher are carrots, tomatoes, leeks and onions – all of which I love, but tend to have smaller portions of them in a meal. I eat absolutely loads of non-starchy vegetables and when I started using fat secret I was quite shocked at how the net carbs mounted up.

Pcoventry
It is puzzling that your doctor says the machines are unreliable. I have two Aviva monitors (from the NHS) and although their readings vary slightly they are very close.

You are right that once the viseral fat goes from around your organs T2D will be history.

In 2000 I was being checked by ultrasound for a possible gall bladder problem. It was flagged up that I had much too much fat in my liver and other organs and told to lose weight but my doctors never mentioned once that I was at risk of T2D nor did they do a blood test to check if I already had diabetes. So probably I did have T2D for quite a long time before I was diagnosed – but even though that might be the case it still worked for me. So good luck on your journey.

Thanks Krysia thats really useful info, I will be restocking tomorrow so will change my shopping list accordingly. I too use the FatSecret App which i think
Is great and yes very revealing about what I thought were ‘good’ choices! Feeling positive.
Pete, your post made me chuckle about the washing up…..never looked at it that way before but very true😂. Good luck to you and your wife. Good choices today everyone😊

Hi all, another newby with a mid January start here. I’ve got a trip to the states returning Mon, Jan 16th and will be starting as soon as the plane lands. I don’t know yet if I’ll be doing.6 or 8 weeks. Good Luck to all!

Hi healthier me and everyone else. I’m new to this too. I discovered Michael’s book this Christmas and am gobsmacked! I’ve started the 8 week 800 cal diet this morning (2nd). My wife is supporting me by having a go too although she doesn’t need to. A family member who is type1 diabetic checked my sugar levels and they were 6.4, too high. I’ve ordered a blood sugar monitor and awaiting it’s arrival.
I hope someone can help with this one. I cannot find anything in the book or on the website about drinks. I like tea and use skimmed milk. I’ve just checked the sugar content of it and it’s not good. Anyone know any alternatives.
Weighed myself this morning 16.5 stones 6’0 tall. Hoping to get to 13 stone.
Good luck all.

Just another data point for Krysia’s comments on fatty liver disease. I had a blood test in July which showed I had high BS and the symptoms of a non-alcoholic fatty liver. I went on BSD in August and started seriously at the start of Sept. I had an ultrasound and full bloods in November having lost about three and a half stone. The fatty liver tests were normal, which the doctor ascribed directly to the rapid weight loss. I have the next HBA1C test in the next couple of weeks so we’ll see what that says….

Epic Post LIndaA – much appreciated! Starting point weigh-in for me is 258.8lb, which at 5ft 2 is not good. Still 8lbs down from starting point in November. “Only” 3lbs on over christmas, and it was not a time of good behaviour and sobriety.

Working on menu plans and detailed recipes today.

Hello all,
I have more than 130 lbs to lose and it seems like an impossible task right now. I have recently retired so have more time to devote to health, but do not want to get into bad habits! I am so happy to see this forum as I need all the help and support I can get. I l keep being told that ‘we need carbs’ and that I should not consider doing a low carb diet. I am determined to prove to these people that this is the way to go. I intend to start my new way of living on 9th January. I am worried about al the loose skin and flappy bits when losing a lot of weight – no one ever seems to mention this little problem. Still one step at a time!

hi Cowpat

Are they sure? I’ve done NHS 111 pathways training and and I can tell you that it’s view is 3.9- is hypoglycemic, 4-7 and normal and 9+ is hyperglycemic.

As a T2D I managed to get mine down to 6.2 once. I never kept it there but it’s considerd to be in normal range as far as mmol/l I wouldn’t take their word for it as 6.4 is too high when it;s in the normal range.

Yes the machine is a good idea. I have also just ordered new one and it’s coming tomorrow.

Pete

Hi everyone, this is an excellent thread. I’m not quite a newbie having already done 8 weeks in the run up to Christmas. The benefits are amazing once you get past the tough days in the beginning. You’ll have no regrets if you stick with it. I did fine the first week, then hit a wall for a few days – (it got tough!) then suddenly I woke up one morning feeling like an entirely new person, so much energy and alertness, I honestly feel 20 years younger ( I’m 61). For more ideas of the hidden benefits I suggest taking a look at the thread called Unintended Consequences, it will raise a smile or two.

I’ve just got back into it following a break over Christmas. I only ate BSD friendly food, just rather large portions and LOTS of snacking (my bete noir). My aim is to reduce or come off meds (under medical supervision) and become an even fitter healthier person.

I wish all first timers the best of everything, I hope that like me you will find this to be one of the best decisions you ever make. Stick with it even if you falter, I’m sure you won’t regret it. And to the continuers or those starting again after a break, keep going, the only failure is to stop because of a hiccough or two 🙂
.

JulesMaigret
That is such good news that your fatty liver tests were normal. I am sure your hba1c will be good also – look forward to you posting your results.

Good Morning All!

This is my first check-in since my original post the other day, and I’m so inspired by the sharing of ideas and experiences from everyone. It’s so helpful to read about everyone’s struggles, reasons for being here, and tips and tricks.

I eased into the diet on New Years Eve and hit it hard yesterday. This morning I’m down 3 pounds!!!! Love it!

I’m 57, T2 diabetic and preparing for surgery to repair a hernia that resulted from a hysterectomy. Failure rates of hernia repair are remarkably high for my comfort level so I’m determined to drop 40 pounds before the surgery. I need to lose 100 pounds to be at my optimum health but I don’t know if I can postpone the surgery that long. I check in with the surgeon again in mid-March and I’d like to be able to show him my weight loss success, and then plan the procedure from there.

When I told a friend about the BSD, she loaned me her Atkins for Life book, and it makes a lot of sense. Very similar to the BSD, with lots of low carb information and food lists. A wonderful tool is their Carb Counter. It’s several pages long with lists of foods and their net carbs. Their website drives me nuts but you can find the carb counter by typing “carb counter” into their search box at http://www.atkins.com

I was surprised by how the carbs add up from bell peppers, onions and edamame. I had always adopted the WW attitude that I never needed to count any vegetables, that they were “free”. But yesterday I topped right up with veggies and hit 30 net grams of carbs from veggies alone. I’d never previously considered asparagus a “carb” veggie. Not really high compared to a potato, but not zero either. Quite the eye opener!!!

I too am reading these posts first thing each morning. What a great inspiration to start the day!

Thanks everyone, and good luck!!!

I have read alot about sticking to 50g or under for daily carbs but cant remember reading what the level of daily protein intake should be??? Can anyone help?

GRANNY, another writer on another forum thread suggests the correct formula for calculating the optimum protein intake is : 1- 1.5g per kilo of IDEAL body weight. Use the middle weight of the ideal range for your height and build. There’s an abundance of websites to help. Hope this is helpful. (Mine works out at around 70g – I’m very short!)

Dam. Tday i’ve hit 900 cals – but I still consider that to be fantastic considering I am 40 16 stone and planned for 1000 to be my worse case anyway. It’s mainly been eggs, stuff for dinner and chicken with veg for tea.

Still had 2 litres of water so far, I find it hard to drink but I am doing it. Getting used to 3 meals a day is also something I am not used to doing!

My first Day On BSD and I feel great. Hade eggs for breakfast a sallad for lunch and quinoa with veggies for dinner. Keeping portions Small to reduce calories. Haven’t been counting The exact numbers of calories but I found a list online and looked up some of The foods I Will be eating so I Have a rather good idea of how many calories I eat in a Day.

Want to loose about 10 kilos but it’s mainly a way to build new eating habits for a healthier happier me.

Hi Cowpat, full fat milk is actually lower carb than skimmed, and cream in coffee has none 😊 the joys of this way of eating.

I’m in… Hard start to the year with lots of work functions but better to start it and do as best as I can then not at all right?!

Hi K8sgettingthin, I have waved goodbye to around 110 pounds in the last two years and the reason there has been little mention of loose and flappy skin, is it just isn’t a problem for me. Possibly because of the linked attention to regular exercise that goes with the way of eating , I have transformed from a size 22 (almost 24) caterpillar to an athletic size 12 butterfly. There is a little loose skin if you look hard, classic wings, and a little on the former gut, that make it highly unlikely I will ever be seen in a bikini again, but I am perfectly comfortable in gym kit, cycling gear, or leggings, or a normal swimsuit. I was quite surprised myself, as I expected much worse.

Thank you Mixnmatch. It’s good to know it might not be a big problem. I do though wonder if age comes into it – loss of elasticity etc. I am 63 with crepey skin on my arms, but perhaps drinking lots of water would help that. Time will tell….
K8sgettingthin