Hi, I am definitely a sugar addict- I have pretty much always been, and have a very highly sensitive nervous system ( and experienced severe trauma).

I am 5 ft 6 (female, 39 yrs) and my BMI is around 23, which is healthy but I am 10st 9 with a 33inch waist. This is 2 stone heavier than 3 years ago (before the trauma) when I was very fit, active, health conscious and could do pretty much anything. I am trying to connect with others via this forum, as I confess I am quite a loner and not really an on-line person but this diet really makes sense to me. And I have been drawn to is as I have had a really dependant relationship with sugar for years. I cannot move too well these days, I cannot run or do high impact anymore and avoid walking because it is slow and not so easy these days. I mainly cycle to get around instead of walking , and for exercise. And I find sugar and carbs very addictive and use them to self-soothe, and I get very tired with highs and lows.

I have some questions if anyone out there has the time to help me…?

a) I am not diabetic, and there isn’t diabetes in my immediate family, ( my family is very small) but I am sure my existing relatives could be pre-diabetic. And I don’t tick lots of the risk factor boxes I am overweight for me – it doesn’t look good, it doesn’t feel good, and my self-awareness tells me that I could be heading for poor health, but would it still be ‘safe’ to try this 8 week diet? Any advice/feedback?
b) What would be the best bit of blood-sugar self testing kit I could buy myself, to monitor my blood sugars?
c) If I use MYP to monitor calories/ keep track of carb & protein values how should they be distributed through the day for best results. One meal, two, three? What about snacks?
c) Is there a specific place on this forum for support & sticking with it when you are struggling? As I am on my own with this- no partner or close friends to support, especially when I am alone at home, or take myself food shopping!

Thanks so much!!

Hello Sarahdawn,
Welcome to the club!
The great thing about this diet is that while it’s great for T2 diabetics, non-diabetics can do it as well. I wasn’t T2 or pre-diabetic but my weight was going up and, like you, I didn’t feel good at the weight I was at. My weight really started going up after an operation and, like you, I went from being active to having to work up from 5 mins exercise a day! I was too fond of sugary things and what made the decision to go BSD for me was the “sugarberg” drawing which is somewhere on this this website – I realised that I was eating so much stuff with hidden sugars. You can go the whole hog (i.e. the 800cals per day/8weeks) or you can adapt to something that suits you better. So, yes, it’s safe and very maintainable. (I’ve lost about 1.5 stone since mid-January.)

How you spread the calories through the day is up to you. However, it’s worth maybe saving a few calories for the occasional emergency snack/late night munchy if you feel desperate. Keep hydrated – very important. Your body will go through a period of adjustment – you may feel grotty for a few days, you may feel hungry at times (I know I did). You may start off with good weight loss and then things slow – you are NOT failing, so don’t beat yourself up (your weight loss may be slower than others since you are not terribly overweight). You may even fall off the wagon and pig out on off-limit foods – we’ve all done it – you just dust yourself off and resume.

Can’t answer about blood sugar kits – I’ve never used one.

As for a place for support – well, you’ve already found it. Any questions, just post a message – someone somewhere will probably be able to answer, offer support/advice. Lots of kindred spirits here!

Good luck!
Rose

Welcome Sarahdawn,

As RosyDozy says you are in the right place. We are all here to support and guide each other – just dip in and out as often as you feel comfortable!!
The BSDers are a really helpful, friendly and supportive gang – so no reason to feel that you are doing this alone – just post.

You can also use the search topic box to find other/previous forum threads which may give you more detailed information on specific queries…not sure if there is one on blood sugar test kits😕

Wishing you great success,

Imogen🌻

Hi Sarahdawn,

Just checked for ‘blood sugar testing kits’ on threads..just type that into the search box and you will find a couple of replies to an earlier postee….

Hope it helps

Imogen🌻

HI Rose and Imogen- thank you so so much for your prompt and kind replies, I really appreciate it.

I have done some shopping and some planning out of meals, and protein/carb ratios etc. so that I am all set to start tomorrow – Wed 8th. Which for me is important to think about starting properly, and with a good head on rather than just lauching in, in a panic with all and nothing thinking!

Thanks for your share on your journey Rose- it was helpful to hear about your weight loss/time period/ life too-reassuring. And by the looks of the forum and both your feedback this is a good place to get tips/ write about progress and also issues.
So again, thanks for taking the time to write your messages, much apprectiated . I start tomorrow, I’ll keep you posted!!

SarahDawn 🙂

P.s. – Rose- One thought I had when you commented aon how your weight loss slowed was that i have also read about an ‘undulating protocol’ whereby successful weight loss requires often increasing calories the lower your weight goes, to keep weight loss happeneing. And that it is especially important for women to have an ‘eat up’ day once a week to reset metabolism when eating a defecit calories. Don’t know if you know about it- I read up on the ‘Venus Index/ Venus factor’ before finding this diet…..

I started a thread on the Starting The BSD page called “How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?” there’s lots of new folks posting on there, sharing experiences.

Like you I planned, read the book and did my food shop prior to starting so I was starting off on the right foot. The recipe section is great as I’m not much of a cook, I’ve found some great meals on there and the freezer is fully stocked too!

Good luck x

Hi again, SarahDawn,
You sound like you’ve really prepared – that is vital, go in with a plan. You mentioned in your original message that exercising is a bit difficult for you but cycling sounds great (I was too fond of falling off my bike as a kid, so it’s walking for me). Anything you can do to up your activity levels will help.

I’ve heard something about this phenomenon of an “eat up” day… it’s something I have noticed myself, I can have a large meal and it doesn’t adversely affect my weight. It’s successive large meals that cause a problem! 🙂

Really good luck to you – I’m sure you will achieve enough weight loss to get you back to where you want to be. Like I said before, don’t be disappointed if you find things are slow – the people who’ve had spectacular results with BSD probably had far more weight to lose to start with.

Take care,
Rose