Starting today…Monday 2nd October.

I have been diabetic 5 years, TOFI or whatever the ancronymn is, I am 9.5 stone and 5ft 2in but I am no longer diet controlled and on my last check up they wanted to increase my Metformin from 1 to 2 per day. I am 49, but still fir enough to run and cycle and this year I learnt to swim, so I have done a couple of triathlons, but my blood pressure is still so high that I keep being threatened with an ‘official’ diagnosis and pills for that too.

My elder sister and brother are both diabetic and of course it is a progressive disease, so I can’t wait to get started and show them progress so they can have a go too!

Hi AnneF !

I would be ‘with you’ but I started 6 weeks ago today .. so I think that rules me out, sort of. Anyway, to encourage you (I hope), I have lost 19 lbs in 6 weeks starting from the much higher weight of 205 lbs (14st 9lbs). I am male, BTW. I do struggle at times to keep below 800 cals and probably have averaged around 850 cals daily over the weeks, but nevertheless progress has been pleasing. The first few days are perhaps the worst (but not that bad) as your body gets used to the sudden change in nutrition but eventually accepts the new regime ! I am quite used to it now.

I run and ride my bike too but not as much as I should (I keep getting injured). Triathlons ? No thanks ! 5K is enough for me (parkrun). But it all helps and I have found my blood pressure has reduced these past 6 weeks from around 140/95 to about 130/88 or so; varies a fair bit. I look forward to being below 120/80. I have been offered statins, but I have refused them.

To set ‘an example’ to your siblings is definitely an incentive. I hope you get to impress them in due course.

Best of luck.

Macloud

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Thanks Macloud, the support means a lot. I have my sibs (and my kids) on What’s App groups so they are being great.

Did you use receives from the book or on this website or others?

I have started today and have done ok so far 672 cals, 18 carb and 19g protein. Need to have more protein so am getting some high protein low carb shakes, they will be easy to take to work as well. I’ve joined another forum as well 2 oct starters. Good luck to you and me x

Wow 672! That’s low.

I am not keeping track so tight, I had mushrooms with goats cheese for brekki, then French Onion soup for lunch then the lamb meatballs with salad from the book. Not at all hungry now and feeling very supported by family an friends.

Good luck to both of us indeed

Keep in touch with your progress 🙂

Hi, AnneF,

Yes! I started the Dr Michael Mosley 8 week blood sugar diet today. The recipes are so do-able. We have just finished supper. I am so weak willed, my husband said he would do it with me. What a gem he is. He’s having more calories than me, but we prepared all 3 meals together today, which really helped, as the preparation of lunch and supper took us about half an hour today. I’m sure we’ll get quicker as the time goes on, but it really helped with us both prepping it together. And all meals were soooo delicious! So satisfying too. Not hungry yet…

I am 71, 5ft 1inch, 9st 11 and have been Type 2 for about 10-12 years now. I controlled it with diet and exercise until about a year ago, when my blood sugar count went up to 53. The doctor then advised me to go onto Metformin. I did feel less sluggish once I started the medication. Apparently it is toxins that make us feel not quite right. The Metformin helps to clear the toxins out of the body. I still go to dance aerobics twice a week and for walks.

Since then, a friend of ours lost the feeling in his toes and they started to go black. That, together with Dr Mosley’s book and the research, spurred me on to being determined to reverse my diabetes.

Like Dr Mosley says, I can probably trace my diabetes back to a couple of family traumas in the same year and I probably drank too much red wine that year! However, my statins had reduced my cholesterol to 4.3 and, despite trying about 4 different ones, they made me feel dreadful with joint and muscle pain, as well as nausea. I came off them, but do wonder if they did any damage? They reduce the good cholesterol as well as the bad and I used to have lots of the good cholesterol…

So, good luck with your diet and let’s hope we don’t feel like eating our own arms by next week!
Stay in touch.
AngS x

Anyone starting Dr Mosley’s 800 calories per day, 8-week blood sugar diet, I recommend you look at the 4 week plans and recipes towards the back of the book. Look up the 3 recipes for that day and add all the ingredients to a shopping list a few days before you start. I added them to a new list in my favourite supermarket, online. My doctor suggested that if I feel faint, to revert to the low carb Mediterranean diet, or the 5:2 diet. All three diets are low on sugar and carbs.

Hello
I’ve used quite a few of the recipes from the book. I do adapt my own regular recipes too. For me being organised keeps me on track. I’ve just restarted seriously but still managed to keep off most of what I lost as I stick to med plan principles. I’m not diabetic but my husband is so I cook for both of us. He won’t consider the BSD so I’m trying to influence surreptitiously! Good luck and there’s lots of great advice on here. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions. Lots of knowledgeable people on the forums.

Good luck with it Ang, hope all goes well for you :-). Keep us posted on how you both doing

Sneaky! But hopefully effective in improving the health of both of you

Thanks, guys. Have both survived Day 1 of the BSD. Will put the human weighing scales away until Sunday, at the end of week 1. I used to weigh myself regularly, so I knew immediately if I had to be careful for a day or two. But I will wait a week now.

For AnneF

Apologies for late reply.

No, I don’t follow the recipes in the book or anywhere else. I regard them as far too tiresome and time consuming for a mere male, who is no chef, to prepare. Alas, they also contain a depressingly high number of ingredients that I do not like or of which I have never heard. This post-war baby-boomer of 72 is a bit stuck in his ways as bread and potatoes man .. and definitely not salad man ! So I concoct my own meals along the lines of the BSD (sort of) that cut out said bread and potatoes (and biscuits, cake, chocolate, sugar in all forms, alcohol, etc). I have severely reduced portion size and, to my surprise, I do not die ! Better still, I lose weight and feel better for it. I should also say that I do try to fit in with the family and have ‘child’s portions’ of what they are having where possible

I look forward to a blood test (yes .. really !) before too long to see the overall effect, not just on blood sugar but all other health markers. But I will see the 8 weeks out first.

Only 13 days to go !

Macloud

Didn’t wake up hungry! And felt so good I went for a run. Delicious brekki of grilled apricot (from the book)

Good luck everyone for Tuesday

Excellent stuff, AnneF ! Just make sure you do not ‘reward’ your efforts with a treat, y’hear !

I cannot get out there myself today as I am waiting in for the gas man for boiler servicing. But I plan to be out there tomorrow for a 5K run.

Macloud

Hi AnneF, I might just join you – I re-started the 800cal last Wednesday, so am fast approaching my first week’s weigh-and-measure… I’m not expecting too much as I haven’t been as strict as I could have been so far, but I do still feel a bit of a difference. I completed the 800cal 8-week diet in April/May this year and found it surprisingly easy once I got into the way of it; I’m not diabetic so am doing it purely for weight and wellbeing reasons, but I lost over half a stone the first time round. Aiming to do the same again this time, as I’ve been very bad and put quite a bit of it back on again… I know it will be harder this time, since the weather is crap, cold and gloomy and all I want to do is eat comforting stodge; and I’m also right in the middle of my busiest, most stressful time with work too, but I intend to stick at it. Hope it’s going well for you!

Thanks Macloud, I will remember that – I do have a bottle of bubbly for the end (cos it’s Stoptober too!) but I shall share it with a big group and I have some (new) very small glasses!!

Live on my own so there are no ‘treats’ in my cupboards – nuts, raisins and olives is the most exciting it gets 🙂

Hope the weather for your run tomoz is as gorgeous as it is here today 🙂

Oh good luck for your check in LynnyP – I had to wait until now to start the programme as September is mad bonkers busy for me work wise – I travel and work away, so needed to be stable before I started.

Hang in there I am sure you will be pleased with the results tomorrow

Feeling hungry, but then it’s dinner time ! I am amazing that I am not ravenous, given the tiny amount I am eating – never weighed my food before. 100g frozen peas to go with single fillet of fish does not look like dinner, but hanging in there, it’s only Day 2 :-). No pain no gain …or rather loss!

Wasn’t hungry this morning. Couldn’t wait until Sunday to weigh myself, as I’m used to weighing myself every morning, to control my weight anyway. Lost 2lb already! It’s only day 2! I was amazed! Hubster is on much more of the same but still lost a pound.

Breakfast and lunch from the book were scrummy. Veg curry and cauliflower rice was so filling. Hubster loves curries, so he enjoyed it more than I did. Preparation was lengthy, so may have to substitute this meal in future…

Had a lovely walk into Broadstairs this morning. Have discovered I quite like black coffee. Zero calories! 2 days down, only 26 to go!

Ooooo well done AngS – and sounds like a lovely walk.

I am actually enjoying the slightly faffy and fiddly coking as its a bit different. Things are really tasty aren’t they and number of different is supposed to be good for you as well

I agree, AnneF. Some of the mixtures of ingredients and textures are wonderful. And perfectly blended, so,no one flavour is prominent. The no carb ploughmans was a hit today too. Not sure about the sardine dip tomorrow (we are swapping Wed and Thursday around, as we are off to Devon for a few days and don’t want to stink my sister’s house out with fish! Lol. ) But we are going to try it.

Hi I’m just restarting so hope I can join you. I lost almost 3 stone in 8 weeks in March and April then paused as I knew I had a tough summer coming up and from June to this week put on 5.5lb. Not too bad but I managed to stay with the principles until the last 3 weeks and want to get back on them and lose another one and a half stone. I aim to lose a stone this month.

I drink gallons of water every day, I weigh every day it’s so motivating to see the scales go down every day – and they do! the book tells you that contrary to popular belief those that weigh daily keep more weight off for longer. I try and keep to 20 g of carbs – sounds hard but is quite easy once you’re in the swing. I used this formula which I got last time – try and keep protein low not high.

Carbs have 4 calories per g. So to stay under 50g that will be 4 x 50 = 200 calories in Carbs
Protein has 4 calories per g as well and ideally you should aim for 1-1.5g x your IDEAL body weight in kg. So for me 11 stone is my ideal weight which is 70kg. So that would be 70-105 g of protein giving me 280-420 calories in protein. (total cals so far is 480-620). This leaves between 180-320 calories left for fats. There are 9 calories in each g of fat so 180/9 =20g – 320/9 = 35.5g.
So if you’re totally bamboozled as I was and it took me a while to get my head round it then with an ideal body weight of 70 kg my percentages would be
upto 200 calories of carbs (50g)
280-420 calories of protein (70-105 g)
180-320 calories of fat (20-35.5g)
However if you are managing to keep under the 50g of carbs then make the difference up in fat and not protein which is a treat in itself!

I didn’t use many of the recipes in the bsd or recipe book. I generally eat the same but dont eat the carbs that I would have done. Eg. chicken curry with no rice or cauli rice. There’s already quite a few carbs in there in the veg without adding rice, or steak and veg and no chips or potatoes.

I totally cut out all potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and root veg and all fruit apart from a few raspberries with full fat total yoghurt for a pudding occasionally. On a Sunday we would have a Sunday roast without spuds but if doing well would treat selves to a yorkshire pudding.

We felt so much healthier! Over the summer when we were being more relaxed we stuck to vodka/tonic or prosecco which are lowest in carbs for alcohol. I read the diet doctor website a lot it has loads of information on being carb/sugar free and is really helpful. I try and do 16:8 as often as possible and the 16 hours fast really accelerates the weight loss and when you get in the habit its dead easy. If I am desperate for a snack I have 10 almonds with a pint of water and that suffices.

The hardest thing for me was forgetting everything i’d ever known about diet! Full fat is good, it fills you up, low fat things generally have added sugar to make them taste good. It took me a while to get my head round this but once I did I flew!! I felt like I’d been conned for my whole life by the diet industry and I honestly believe it’s done to keep you buying diet products. I’ve never lost weight so easily and felt so good and am excited to be be back on it!

Good luck everyone and share losses daily!!!

Good to have you aboard Penidente – you do certainly make it sound complicated…makes the receipts look easy! But if it works for you…

Have a safe journey AngS – hope it’s no too tricky to stick to the plan when you are away

Did you get your run in Macloud? I went for a swim this morning, I had a tiny first breakfast (few teaspoons of plain cottage cheese) before I went and then a 2nd round when I got home,. I am pleased there looks like I am making progress.

Nope. No run for me today, but went out on my bike in the local woods for about an hour in stead. I have a persistent problem with my big toe joints and I find that pedalling is less flexing and testing of the joints than when I run. Effort was probably much the same though. Trouble is, I find exercise makes me hungrier (who doesn’t ?) so I am now cursing myself for breaking the 800 cals budget by an extra 27 cals ! In the Grand Scheme of Things it is a trivial slip, but large lapses I know can quickly result from repeated small lapses that are not curtailed. Must try harder, thus.

BTW, I have tried many diets over the years (with varying degrees of success) and I agree with Pendiente’s comment towards the end of her post above that ‘I have never lost weight so easily’ as on this BSD regime. It has been a revelation. So stick at it folks !

Currently reading Dr Mosley’s other literary creation ‘Clever Guts Diet’. Interesting .. but is not an alternative to the BSD; seems more to complement and perhaps explain scientific aspects of it.

Macloud

Had the grilled portobello mushrooms (which I recommend to grill stalk side up as the skins are so tough, 3minutes wasn’t long enough to,make them hot. We added the chickpeas and spinach, but think we’d prefer the goat’s cheese and pine nuts with them instead.

Sardine Dip was delicious, much to our surprise. Will definitely eat that again!
Fish Pie was equally delicious tonight. Neither of us have felt hungry yet, Which was my main worry. Hubster is enjoying the BSD too, luckily. As mentioned earlier, he’s eating the same as me, but more of it.

27 calories!! I can’t even begin to imagine what you ate that was just that..a single crisp, 1 raisin…what? I’m not measuring stuff to that degree, just one of the reicipes from each section brekki, lunch and dinner.

Weight and waist meansurments are coming down nicely already.

Blood sugar levels have been affected to an extraordinary degree – 7.9 before in started on Monday morning, 5.8, 4.6 on the following morning seemed to be brilliant and then 3.8 this morning which is in the ‘danger zone’ of a hypo! My cupboards are ‘clean’ so I don’t have boiled sweets, biscuits, fruit juice or any of the other things recommended by Google for this unexpected eventuality, I ate a pear, a dried apricot and half a dozen raspberries (wow, I know hard core sweet stuff – I know how to mid behave with food!). I have had a receipe breakfast and put half a tea spoon of sugar in my coffee. After all that it’s back up to 7.2. Phew. So my plan is to continue with the diet (and my active lifestyle) and just give up my Metformin for a few days to see how my blood sugar levels are without it.

Aah .. I see how you have (mis)interpreted my last msg ! By coincidence, my wife has been nibbling a dark chocolate bar this past few days (left to me it would be gone at a sitting) and each square is declared to be 27 cals ! But, no, it was not that; it is just that my day’s total came to 827 and Dr Mosley’s edict is for 800 max. Simples. Actually it was a small apple that broke the budget. TBH, I have never quite understood why 800 cals applies to everyone, no matter their size or gender. Strange. Ahh well. Just plod on, eh ?

Macloud

Macloud, good morning. My hubster has lost 4 pounds in 4 days on double the 800 calories per day that I’m having and his energy levels have risen. He feels much healthier already. I’ve lost 3 pounds and it’s only Day 4.
AngS

Well done to both of you, AngS ! Whatever keeps you on track, eh ? I am sort of used to 800 cals per day now (or a tad more) and, as long as I avoid possibly derailing social events, I feel confident of success. Only 11 days to go until 8 weeks is up now !

Keep the faith !

Macloud

Well that feels rather unfair…this morning I weighed a whole pound MORE than yesterday!

Waist size still dropping and blood sugar level good (4.9), so obviously progress…but where did the 1lb come from???

AnneF, I think females go up and down more than males with weight issues. David lost another pound yesterday, even though he is averaging 1600 calories a day, but I stayed the same.

Day 5
Had Warm halloumi salad for lunch – delicious! Will defo have that one again. But we didn’t have it in kebab form. We just prepared it and put all of it , chopped quite small (except the salad) into the grill pan and grilled it for 7-8 mins.

Looking forward to spicy chicken tonight. Haven’t felt hungry yet…

Yes AngSI really enjoyed the halumi salad and the harrissa chicken I had last night was lush. The reicipes are great!

Amazing that your hubby is eating double and still loosing weight, I think I would put on weight if I ate double!

AnneF I suppose David usually ate 2000 calories a day, so eating only 1600 and no carbs, is why he’s losing so much weight. He’s almost completely lost his tummy already!

Oh sorry AngS I dint mean to imply that it should be easy for him or that it is not an achievement – it surely is…just the portion sizes! I think I would struggle to eat twice the amount that (sometimes) appears on my plate (esp the Medi Platter)

AnneF. Me too! Such a plateful to finish. You’re right, though, it has been much easier than either of us expected, although the prepping takes ages at the moment as we are still trying recipes for the first time.
Spicy chicken tonight was delicious. Neither of us have ever eaten fennel before, nor green lentils, but the mixture was awesome. Yum!
We did the yogurt, blueberries, almonds, etc., without the green tea, for breakfast. That was yummy too. A good day, as the warm halloumi went down a treat too.

Devon is very hilly! We feel we’ve done our exercise each day, with a couple of short walks per day up steep hills! We have vowed to walk more once we get home on Monday.

3 great meals, ending with sirloin steak with a magnificent sauce and a mixed salad tonight. Out to lunch with the family tomorrow. That could be interesting. No roast potatoes for us. 😭

PS Only 2 meals today – brunch (cheesy beans) and the steak tonight. But last night’s chicken was really good too. That’s what I meant…

Oh good luck with the meal out. I travel for work quite a bit and am away 2 nights this week – that’s not so bad cos I’m on my own I can just pick up a salad in a supermarket and some cooked chicken if nothing appears on any menus, but next Sunday my son is celebrating and we are all going for lunch and I will be making a cake!! That might be a challenge.

Still sticking to it even tho I have had busy and strenuous day – cycling, digging at a community garden etc. 27000 steps (but 1400 of them were from last night as I did not get home until after midnight – so they rollover!!). Out 2 nights on the trot too and not drunk a drop!

Wow! Busy lady. 27000 steps is amazing. I think it would take me a week to do that many! Respect to you! Avoiding the cake might be tricky… Luckily, I don’t have a very sweet tooth so can avoid cake quite happily – unless it’s profiteroles! Tea and coffee is proving hard to give up for me. What do you drink throughout the day?

We’re going to have yogurt, blueberries, almonds and flax seeds for breakfast, instead of day 7 brunch, then the lunch out… Will catch up later.

AngS. Yup always busy, sometimes my work can be quite sedentary – drive for around 2 hours each way most days and if not that then concentrated working at my kitchen table on laptop, so the rest of the time I have to compensate!

I have a black coffee in the morning (have always had it black) and then water throughout the day – missing a nice glass of red, but thinking of it as joing Stop-tober!

Very glad I am not doing this as a weight loss – 3 days now and no change!! But waist down by 2.5 inches – so something must be happening to my body and blood sugar is perfect – it’s amazing 🙂

Thought dinner out would be quite easy – just a salad or something, but ended up having steak and salad which was ‘advertised’ as 600 calories. (I am away for work, so in hotels for a couple of days) I think this should be OK as I had a tiny cottage cheese lunch and worked really hard moving a wardrobe from my 3rd floor flat to my son’s 2nd floor flat on the other side of town 12500 steps and lots and lots of those steps were stairs!!

Well done. I expect you burnt off any calories you ate.

Today was the first day I’ve felt peckish. We went out to lunch with the family. We had a carvery with meat and “good” veg. Avoided the roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. Had fresh fruit salad without cream for dessert. Possibly too much sugar in it, but hey… That has been the only hiccup. No wine.

Week 1done. Only 7 to go. Well done to us all!

Yup indeed – well done to us all ! I did think it would be much much harder than it has been.

Good Morning Folks !

I only have one week to go until my 8 weeks is up .. yay !

How am I doing ? Well, the scales today say that I have lost 20.8 lbs since I started 7 weeks ago. (I was 205.2 lbs and now weigh 184.4 lbs). My daily energy intake has been 838 cals average this past week.

This is a bit disappointing for the week’s progress. I only lost 1.2 lbs this past week and my cals intake has stayed static. But I have made no obvious change to what I have eaten. I cracked very slightly yesterday and had just a half a glass of red wine, but I am only an occasional drinker anyway. No other naughties that I can recall .. or potentially derailing social events; been stuck blissfully at home !

Put in perspective, I would have been well satisfied with a loss of 1.2 lbs in a week in previous diet regimes. It is just that I have come to expect more on the BSD ! Greedy for success, I suppose. Ah well .. plod on to the finishing tape next Monday. And then I start all over again with another 8 weeks to 11 December. Oh yes !

Keep going folks !

Macloud

Hey Macloud

That’s actually pretty fantastic mate, 20ib – that’s nearly a stone and a half. That’s a great achievement. Do you feel better / fitter? You must look much thinner and I bet you have loads of clothes that don’t fit!

Remember to treat yourself well, celebrate your loss and congratulate yourself on all the hard work you have put in to get where you are now.

Hi – I started on 2/10 too and am pleased to report I lost 3 lbs as of today. I’m keeping up the good work. Good luck to everyone else!!

Thanks, AnneF. Overall I am very pleased, just irritated by last week’s performance. But I know it’s a marathon, not a sprint and there are occasional setbacks. TBH I don’t feel much different physically. I started a run optimistically on Saturday and pulled a calf muscle after about 300m and hobbled back. I was being fairly conservative in effort too. Annoying. Do I look thinner ? My wife says I do, ‘a bit’. I have taken my belt in 2 notches and will have to retire those favourite cord trousers soon ! My slippers are now a bit sloppy, my glasses keep falling forward when I look down and my washing-up gloves are no longer a struggle to remove ! Little things that show I am shrinking. But I am still too fat round my middle, though perhaps not obviously so to others. Our Beloved Leader MM says waist size should be less than half height, so I have about 10 cms to go on that one yet.

Onward and downward, eh ?

Macloud

Well done PSL68 🙂

Keep at it – it’s so worth it !

Wow waist size to half height seemed a very silly thing until I did the maths!

I am under that and my BMI is now very good, but I shall keep in with this until the end of the month. I am so impressed with the immediate lowering of blood sugar I shall certainly keep going