To all you lovely people…..hoping you have room for another newbie on your bandwagon?

Have been following you all for about a week after starting the BSD. As I am 66 I decided I would try if for 3 days, and then go up to 1200 calories for 4, then repeat. As I have been doing low carb for quite a while (lost well on it originally but now it has helped me maintain but no longer losing), I was already over the “off” feeling you get when dropping the breads, pastas and sugar. But was really afraid I couldn’t cut it at only 800 calories.

The first day I had a whopping late breakfast, no lunch, and kept waiting for the hunger to kick in. At dinner time, I still was doing ok….and thought, lets keep going and see how this feels. Ended up skipping dinner as well. Did the next 2 days the same way….did my full 800 calories for breakfast and honestly was AMAZED how “not awful” it was.

I have always been a late night snacker (usually healthy enough stuff….but its still more calories). So that has been the hardest part for me. But I am determined to break what I now see as simply a bad habit. Have read a lot of Michael’s stuff and watch as many of his television specials as I can find on-line (am in the US so not able to see as many on TV). He seems to make the point that you do better without so many snacks to spoil the fasting periods. So out go the snacks.

After my 1st week of partial BSD, and reading all your entries, I feel ready to commit to it for the full 8 weeks, 7 days a week. I really think doing it in only 2 meals is the way for me. Maybe simply be flexible about which one is the bigger depending on the circumstances (do dinner with my son on Wednesdays….so big meal for dinner that night for sure).

Thank you all for all the inspiration. Fingers crossed.

Another week almost done (week 4)and another 2 lbs lost. People are starting to comment now about my weight loss, which I’m pleased about. Two people I know have also asked for the diet.

Michael Mosley needs a knighthood in my opinion. He has transformed so many people’s lives with his 5:2, Mediterranean and BSD diets. A HUGE thank you to him for re-educating me on what exactly a healthy diet is! So often medics say we should follow a healthy diet, but apart from 5 a day, smaller portions and regular exercise, that was it! The recipes in Dr Mosley’s BSD book are all doable with ingredients all accessible in the larger Tesco, Sainsbury’s, etc. I also realise that my 5 a day contained too much fruit, which I love. More veg is the way forward for me from now on.

I also thought that with so many beans and lentils, I was going to have awful wind, but I haven’t, thank goodness. 😌

Welcome from accross the ‘pond’ Luvtcook. Glad you feel inspired to join us 🙂

I agree AngS, to have popularised the research that has proved that diabeties IS reversible and to make it possible for people to do it is a very laudable thing. I am quite evangelical about it – I tell everyone – not so that they can ‘commiserate with me on only eating 800 calories, nor so that they can be impressed by my will power or weight loss, but just in case they know someone who’s health could be improved and who’s life could be changed! I met a lady yesterday who’s husband had reversed his pre-diabetic state doing the same thing.

I had a great day yesterday – I have still only lost 1lb this week, but another inch off my waist . I am still full of energy, so I don’t know what I am burning. I cycled across town twice doing bits and bobs – making 17 miles in all, plus a 30.05 minute Park Run (5km) – after cycling there! I was out last night in town for Halloween – just 1 large glass of red and then water all night, but did not get in until 2am, but which time my Fitbit had recorded 28000 steps and amazingly I still wasn’t hungry and didn’t snack AT ALL. This morning my bloods were a magnificent 3.7 🙂 they have averaged 4.4 ever since I started.

Last day of week 4 and I am pleased as punch. My diabetic bro is visiting today and I can’t wait to share the whole experience with him

Hi, AnneF. To do 28000 steps would take me a week! Apart from my 2 dance classes and the occasional fair-weather walk along the seafront, I’m afraid I don’t exercise half as much as I did when I was younger. Mainly because of my constant back pain, but that’s another story…

I’ve lost 10 lbs in the 4 weeks and we have adapted and chosen the 7 meals we enjoy the most, which will become our weekly meals from now on. David is adding potatoes and extra veg onto his meals, but despite that, he’d lost another pound this morning. Lol.

We went to a lunchtime BBQ today, but had the cheesy beans brunch just before we went, so we weren’t tempted. David did have a huge piece of strawberry gateau, though! For those who joined us recently, I’m on the BSD to try and reverse my diabetes, whereas my husband, David, is doing it with me (with extra portions of the same) to support me. Because he’s not having many carbs, he keeps losing weight too. Lol.

Congratulaitons AngS on your 10lbs. It is reassuring to hear that women are loosing well on this BSD and not just the men. I will be thrilled if I can do anywhere close as well as you have.

Morning All :-). Start of Week 5… Well done AngS :-). How is everyone else doing?

This was my post on Face Book…

4 weeks into the ‘Is it Possible to Reverse Diabetes’ challenge and I would go with a definite and emphatic ‘Yes’ !!! Since 2nd October I have lost 12 lb, 5″ off my waist and my blood has been below diabetic levels EVERY day – and I stopped taking my medication on Day 3 and even eating now 800 calories I have been as full of energy as always and have hardly felt hungry at all 🙂 Know a diabetic … please please tell them it is not necessarily a progressive disease and they may not need to be on medication for the rest of ther lives. Check out this TED talk… https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/obesity-doctor-on-what-she-tells-her-patients-to-eat-492111/

The talk is facinating – the crux is ( and no one has EVER explained this to me) the body needs insulin to move sugar out of the blood to the muscles therefore keeping blood sugar levels down (yes, even I knew that bit!), insulin is a hormone…the more carbs you eat, the more insulin you need (yes again I knew that bit too) insulin is a hormone, it does other stuff as well…it makes you hungry and it stores fat…so you eat carbs, your insulin level rises, so therefore you are hungry, so you eat more carbs, so there is excess and because your insulin levels are high it easy for the body to store fat and put on weight!!! Incredible!!

Hi AnneF AngS

Congratulations on your losses and you are only half way through! Luvtcook may have a point about men losing more easily. In my case I just have far more than most to lose. I am carrying around the equivalent of a sack and a half of potatoes 24 hours a day! That burns a lot of calories. My weekly losses will reduce as my weight reduces.
The ingestion of calories through carbs inhibits the release of fat from fat stores as I understand it. Hence the need for more carbs to provide energy. Calories through fat and protein do not have this effect so demand for energy can be met by release from fat stores. Two ‘bad’ days for me but back on track yesterday and almost back to record low this morning. Hoping for minimum 2 pounds down at my halfway point on Thursday.

Morning Folks !

10 weeks into the BSD today. How am I doing ?

Overall, not too bad : I have lost 25.4 lbs in 10 weeks and my BMI is now poised for entry shortly to the ‘Normal’ category, sitting at 25.4 just now. That’s the Good News. The Bad News is that in this last week I have only lost a miserable 0.4 lbs in weight. A whole week to lose 6.4 ounces ! What’s been going on ?

Well, the unvarnished truth is that I have not had a very good week discipline-wise. I have resorted to nibbling this and that for reasons various. My old habit of ‘finishing leftovers in the fridge’ has been much in evidence. I do hate waste. But relative austerity is the name of the game just now and I must re-focus. Is there a bright side ? Well, I got my protein intake up to an average of 74 gms per day. However, the more I eat, the more the protein figure increases .. along with all the others. So, no, no bright side really.

By all means have a go at me if you wish; I deserve it !

Macloud (the Penitent)

Aww Macloud you are too hard on yourself. It’s tough to change the habits of a lifetime – I totally understand the ‘hate waste / eat it up’ thing. Maybe the option is to eat it up INSTEAD of something, not AS WELL as something. Or to just throw it away – against all principles I know, but if, by keeping it around and knowing that you will eat it eventually and it will do you no good to do that, when it is actually eaten you think of it as actually doing your body ‘harm’ rather than good? So therefore is thowing away the excess ‘harmful’ food the better option? Dunno if that’s helpful – but sometimes a head-shift is all that is needed?

Hi Macloud

Congratulations on that tremendous 10 week result! My bad 2 days began with a visit to the pub to remind myself how good their streak and kidney pie is…not to mention the two large glasses of red followed by a nightcap when we got home. The following day we had friends round for a leg of lamb and I failed to resist the roasties. My wife had made a trifle…again I could have refused but didn’t. I share completely your compulsion to eat up the leftovers. I may turn the lamb into some sort of rissoles which I can have with leftover unbuttered white cabbage. Fortunately, my wife seems to have taken responsibility for the trifle, bless her! Unfortunately I have as many stones to lose as she has pounds!

On the leftovers front, we try to remind each other that whatever it is, it is ‘going to waste’ one way or the other. The only question is, am I going to extract and store the calories, first or am I going to ‘man up’, shut my eyes and bin it?

Keep the faith…as you head for BMI <25 I am getting close to 35. A long way to go but your success my just keep me going…and, I suspect, many others!

Lovetcook, thanks for your encouraging remarks. Let’s hope you can do the BSD soon. It definitely sounds as though you’re ready. This thread is so good, started by our shining example, AnneF.

AnneF, WOW! You’ve done so well. 5” off your waist is a brilliant achievement. I’ve hardly lost any inches at all, but then I’m more idle than you now I’m retired. Although I have been dancing for an hour today, it’s given me backache, so the rest of the day I’ll have to rest it. ☹️ I’m pleased to have lost 10 lbs though, in the first 4 weeks, and am longing to see the scales say 8stone something, instead of 9 stones, as I’m under 5’ 1”. I was definitely more than a stone overweight. That’s 7 bags of sugar!

Macloud, AnneF’s suggestion of making a meal out of the leftovers, instead of having them as well as your diet meal, is a good one. Mind you, I do think only 800 calories for a man is really harsh. My husband’s been having double that (1600) per day and has still lost weight. Maybe try the BDB meals but with more calories, then you won’t be so tempted to snack.

2BigDave, keep at it. Slowly but surely, the weight will come off, as long as you’re good. What would happen if you too ate 1600 calories per day for a week? Would you still be naughty?

To all on here – I think knowing our weaknesses is helpful. Mine is lack of exercise, so I ought to try and walk more.
What do others think?

Thanks for the support folks. I knew I could rely on you all. The problem with leftovers is in abeyance for a while as I seem to have eaten them all ! But your varied advice noted. Perhaps if we had a bigger fridge I would not feel coerced into eating things up, to make way for new purchases ? But I am clutching at straws now, I know.

Anyway, it is a new week : Week 11 ! And I still have 405 cals left for the evening meal. No problem. It would have been 465 cals left if I had not slipped back into having milk in tea and coffee (no sugar). Oops. But start once again as I mean to continue.

There are some very inspiring tales on this forum, especially of those turning around their T2 diabetes. Full marks to you ! T2 is not an immediate threat for me, though I detected it, possibly just in time, as edging closer. So I am extremely grateful to Dr MM for his highly effective BSD remedy that, TBH, is the easiest diet to follow that I have ever come across. And I have done a few …

Onward and downward for us all !

Macloud

AngS: count me in. Am on it. Restarted yesterday and going well.

Macloud: my solution for leftovers is to freeze anything I don’t have specific plans for. They are a bonus when I am starving and have nothing planned for a meal….out comes the leftover roast chicken. Thawed, its fair game for filling for a range of things. Meat bits go in low carb veg soup….etc etc etc

AnneF: thanks for your encouragement and the warm welcome and kudos on your achievement. So great to have such terrific role models and living proof this diet doesn’t fizzle out after the first handful of pounds as so many others do.

2BigDave: I have a sack of potatoes I carry around that sounds a lot like yours. No potatoes in my diet….don’t want any around my waist and hips either. Here’s to lighter sacks for both of us.

Hi AngS
On the exercise front, I think this is important from the point of view of general health and well being, but you do need to do a lot for exercise to have much of an impact on weight. There is a formula which demonstrates this. Basically you will burn 1 calorie for each kilo of body weight (including everything you wear and carry) for each kilometre you walk or jog. So, if you weigh 65 kilos fully dressed, then a 10 kilometre (6.2 miles) walk or jog will burn 650 calories. Remember also that to lose one pound of fat you need to burn 3600 calories. So anyone weighing 65 kilos will have to carry that weight for around 55 kilometres or around 35 miles to burn that pound of fat. So exercise is great for making you feel good and for improving fitness and well being but diet remains by far the best way to lose weight!

Well done Luvtcook for getting down to it again and actually Well Done to all of us for actually taking control of our own health, doing a bit (or a lot in the case of some people 2BD) research and TAKING ACTION whether it’s for weight loss or for addressing diabetise or for just general health.

Never mind that we sometimes have a ‘bad’ day or sometimes feel we have ‘fallen’…it’s how we pick ourselves up and carry on that counts.

Onwards and downwards

Thanks 2bigDave. I found your advice comforting that it’s the dieting that’s best for losing weight.

Have decided that maybe Cajun or other spice – maybe ground chillis – sprinkled on the Harissa chicken, is just as good as the Harissa paste.

Not a great day – less than 5000 steps – 2 hours driving, then all day sat with client then 2 more hours to hotel. Bought a Greek salad for lunch, but was so hungry in the afternoon that I sneaked an apple and some pecans. Dinner was 300 cal (said the menu) prawn salad – which was lovely, but not overly filling plus a small glass red ‘cos I left a wee bit sorry for myself! Still hungry, but it’s not long until breakfast!!

Tomorrow is another day! Should be able to get a run in in the morning and visiting my daughter for dinner in the evening and she is very kindly cooking to my ‘rules’!!

AnneF Don’t feel bad and beat yourself up about today. There are many days in the week when I don’t do more than 5000 steps. You know you’ll be good again tomorrow.

Did you ever see the MM programme about exercise? He discovered that 3 lots of 20 seconds of vigorous exercise a day (cycling or hard running on the spot), was as effective as long runs or walks. Easy to do. I do it in my kitchen sometimes when I’ve had a lazy day.

Onwards and downwards. We are half way through week 5 and doing so well.
AngS

Inspiring story from this morning…my sister in law visited last weekend and was so inspired by my BDS progress that she started it the very next day to loose weight through her breast cancer radiography and chemo. She has lost 12 lbs and 2″ off her waist.

I completely fell off the bank wagon today – client laid on a buffet lunch and I ended up giving up trying to keep to the rules, had sandwiches and even a tiny piece of cake. Be very interesting to see my blood results tomorrow after 6 weeks with no carbs!

My daughter is cooking dinner tonight, so back on track 🙂

AnneF, that’s so easy to do when eating out. Never mind, back on track. Your exercising is to be admired! Great news about your sister in law. What is your daughter cooking for you? Enjoy! We are having the lamb and aubergines tonight. Yum!

I rang the doctor today and my HbA1c results were in. 45! Dead chuffed, as that’s an average over the past 3 months, when we’ve had 2 holidays full of food and wine and only 3 weeks of the diet. Message from the doctor was to keep on the meds for now, but keep doing the diet and another blood test in 3 months’ time. He said if my bloods are still low, he will take me off Metformin. That will include Christmas unfortunately, but indications so far are good. 😄

Hey that’s fab Hb1Ac Results AngS – no wonder you are pleased! Well done, you will be off your Medi in no time. I did wonder what your results were – and after such a short time too!

Also very interested by your ‘hard running on the spot’ mention. Is this another way of doing the High Intensity Training that he has in the book – I kinda ignored it because it said ‘get an exercise bike and pedal very fast’ and that seriously wasn’t for me, but running on the spot I can do – Brilliant ! Thank you 🙂

Well, I think I could possibly properly claim to not be diabetic now – after everything I ate yesterday – small hotel brekki (no carbs, but still) buffet lunch – sarnis (only a couple) and that tiny piece of cake and dinner at my daughter’s – beautiful (but huge!) steak and roast veg – again no carbs, but really an awful lot. This morning my fast bloods are still only 5.2 – not as low as they have been – my lowest has been 3.7 and I have been averaging 4.5. But yup I am really, really pleased. I did loads of steps too – a run in the morning (sunrise over Poole Harbour – just to make you all jealous!!) and an evening walk down to the sea in Bournemouth – (peaceful, moonlight sea!), and I definitely think that helps 🙂

Now don’t worry guys that doesn’t mean I am going with ‘I’m cured, I’m off, I’m back to a carb-filled diet’ !! I know this is a whole life healthier eating regime and I spent a whole chunk of last weekend pouring over all my ‘Diabetic’ Cookbooks for receipes that follow the Mediterranean principles. Like when I was preparing to do this at the end of September, I can’t wait to get started…gonna finish this bit yet tho…always impatient!

Have a good Thursday everyone!

Wow, AnneF, you must be thrilled with your results! That’s brilliant! I long for the day when the doctor tells me I can come off the medication.

We too are hoping to follow Mediterranean principles when we’ve finished the 8 weeks, now we’ve been properly educated on what constitutes a proper healthy way of eating. We may stick to many of the MM meals, as we are enjoying them so much. The 5:2 diet worked for me in the past, as well.

I was another pound down this morning and, although the weight loss has slowed down, it is still going in the right direction. Another few days and my weight should start with an 8. Haven’t seen that for years! Bring it on!

No official diagnosis AngS, just going by my own knowledge – I bought a monitor and do a fasting blood test every morning since starting this malarkey!

Well done on another 1lb down!

AnneF, I’ve been wondering whether it’s worth buying a monitor to check my blood count. If you do a test, then eat, presumably your blood sugar rises, but 2hours later, has it returned to “normal”? Maybe that will prove, like the glucose tolerance test, that the diabetes has definitely gone. Or doesn’t it work like that? Having never used one, I’m clueless. Doh!

Hi all

Just to report that week 4 went well for me with a 4 pound loss, making 21.4 altogether. That was on Thursday. Difficult week now and I am almost taking a slight break. Out for a meal on that Thursday evening…better yesterday but family arrive for the weekend and big local firework with fish and chips today….extended family lunch tomorrow and then a friend comes on Monday to stay 2 nights and he insists on taking us out for a meal. Finally, lunch out with friends on Wednesday. I will try to keep the intake down but expect to gain a little over the week. Following 2 weeks are clear so I should be able to drive down again in weeks 6 and 7. Good luck to all those weighing in on Monday!

I think that’s definitely the way to look at it 2BD – to do what you can when you can and try to stick to the principles, but if you can’t (fish and chip supper case in point…sounds lush!!) then don’t get too hung up about it :-). Life is for living (maybe small chips and just eat the fish and not the batter!!) and food forms such a big part of our social existence it’s too much sometimes not to take part.

The monitor is not a cheap option AngS – I bought it ages ago, but to buy enough sharpes and strips for 2 months monitoring has cost me £50!! I don’t know how insulin tolerance works I’m afraid, I expect there is guidance on the web some place. I just take a fasting level every morning – it’s the first thing I do when I wake up. Keeping a log of weight, inches, blood, food diary and steps / exercise is helping me to track my progress. As I understand it from the Internet to be diagnosed diabetic fasting blood sugar is above 6 and mine has been below this every day of the diet – averaging about 4.5 (without meds since day 3)

Down to my lowest ever weight this morning (since I left school!!) 8 and half stone and 25.5″ waist – don’t really want to loose much more – starting to feel like the disappearing woman – so may not be quite so strict from here on in. Also, weirdly, eye-sight has returned to ‘normal’ glasses on for driving, glasses not needed for text, reading and iPad use. Figure that!!?

AnneF, you never cease to amaze me with your triumphs, even though you have treats! Very well done!
We went out to dinner last night and although I avoided the carbs and alcohol, I had gained a little weight this morning. Not much though, only a few ounces, so it should drop again soon. Having said that, we’ve been invited to the local golf club for a 3 course lunch tomorrow! Oops! Well, it would be rude not to… 😉

Congrats to AnneF. Must feel wonderful to have reached your goal and have your blood sugar down to such a great level.

Well done AngS: hoping you have hit the “starts with an 8” numbers by now.

And 21.4 lbs for 2BigDave… great work.

I am now 10 days in (initital 3 days on first week, and full on the second week) and have lost 9 lbs. This is amazing for me as I typically lose very slowly….usually 2 lbs the first week I start a diet and only 1 lb a week after that. So I am well pleased and just hope its not all water weight and will truly stay off.

Was a little discouraged mid week when the New York Times ran an article about a study on the Biggest Loser contestants finding their metabolisms all went down considerably after their weight loss, never to come back up to pre-diet levels even 5-7 yrs later. Nealry all of them regained the original weight and some went even higher. Only those who exercised very agressively were ablt to keep the weight off.

Bummer.

I finally got my head around it and just decided that if I have to live on some form of partial fasting the rest of my life then so be it, because staying 60+ lbs overweight is just not an option. And like you all have said, this partial fast is really the easiest diet I have ever been on. It just seems easier for me to be very black and white about when I eat…and when it has to be a flat NO. Having been a late night muncher FOREVER, I have been pretty successful at just shutting that door and not eating anything after my late PM meal. Hoping I can still say that 5 months from now.

I also am finding it surprisingly easy to be flexible as to when I have my two meals, depending on the particular demands of the day, and also easy to switch which is the larger one. That is a great relief. Was really worried I would crash and burn if I started changing the schedule a bit, but it seems to be ok. I seem to now be falling in the habit of black coffee only in the morning until I do a late breakfast around 10-11am and then supper around 5-6pm. That keeps all my eating within an 8 hour window. Will see if in the long run that makes any real difference.

Thanksgiving is coming up in the US in just over 2 weeks…a holiday whose sole purpose is to eat eat and eat, and give thanks for the (excessive) bounty we enjoy. Normally I do only low carb foods but plan to have a couple “moderate” carb items on the menu. We’ll see how that all goes. Fingers crossed.

Luvtcook, I am American, so I took a look at the NYT article. I’ve
also seen Biggest Losers. I find that I completely disagree with
the article. I lost 140 lbs. in 10 months, and an additional 6 over
the next 7 months, placing me 12 lbs below target today. This
article does not take into account insulin resistence. When we
reach target and begin to slowly increase calories 50-100/day
each week, we continue to lose because we haven’t reached
our TDEE yet. The decision regarding long term weight loss has
to do with where we allow our carb levels to be. If any of us go
back to carbs, weight gain will be the result. I did my program
on <20, and today the max I allow is 30-35. I’m happy to do that
for the rest of my life, because I recognize the danger if I don’t.
Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, however.
Last Thanksgiving I managed just fine by choosing to only put
turkey and non starchy vegetables on my plate. No stuffing,
no potatoes, no gravy, no pie. Other guests were so busy
enjoying their meal that no one even noticed. Dinner was
served around 5:00pm, and all I ate prior was @ 10 almonds.
Holidays are very manageable.
I also have noticed that Big Losers spend 7 hrs a day working
out. That is completely unrealistic for the average person. Of
course these people regained, because their losses were con-
tingent upon heavy duty training. I was too disabled when
I began to do much of anything, and today all I do is a 30-40 min
brisk walk. I’ve had occasion to stop for a month at a time with
no adverse effect. Please don’t get down hearted. This plan
DOES work!
Best of luck,

Allie

Allie – I absolutely endorse what you have written. I hit maintenance on 10th December 2016. Have had no problems maintaining – and like you my maximum carbs are 30-35. It looks like my metabolism is higher than it was before I did the BSD – with calories often over 2000K. But I certainly could not eat that level of calories if my carb level was higher. I would definitely put on weight. So it looks that my issue – probably because of insulin resistance – is with the carbs.

Allie: Cannot tell you how much I appreciate your response. I was wondering whether the Biggest Loser group had tried to follow a low carb diet….the article did not say.

Your experience has really given me hope. I have been low carbing for 4+ years now after losing about 30 lbs on it. Have found it does not take many carbs for me to start packing the lbs back on ….but if I stay low carb, I seem to maintain just fine. Have gotten to the point where low carb alone would not allow me to lose any more….hense the BSD.

I have about 70 more lbs to lose….and feel I can do that even though I estimate that it will take me 3 full cyles of 8 weeks each. Maintenance was my big worry. But your note has really enouraged me to stay the course. Light at the end of the tunnel!

Again, thanks so much. Wishing you a lovely (and low carb) Thanksgiving. I plan to reread your post early that day…great inspiration.

Great posts from everyone today and so heartening.

We ate well today at our 3-course meal, so I’ve probably gone way over my 800 calories today.. . I had tomato soup, then a carvery without potatoes or Yorkshire pud. Roast pork with cabbage, peas, a few carrot medallions and cauliflower cheese. Then mixed berries with a spoonful of single cream. I even had a sip of champagne today as a toast and a mint chocolate with my black coffee. First alcohol in 5 weeks. Naughty but nice. Back to normal tomorrow.

YES, Krysia! I’m completely with you on the apparent change in
metabolism. It is truly about the type of calories, not the quantity,
isn’t it? If we just accept the fact that we are insulin resistant (for
life) the amount of weight we need to lose is irrelevant. Any goal
can be achieved. It’s exciting that you are so close to 1 year on
maintenance. From what I have read elsewhere the chances of
long term success increase substantially when 1 year has been
achieved. I look forward to getting there myself in april 2018!

Allie – that’s very interesting. A lot of what I do is to teach good movement patterns and posture. It is said that it takes two months to make a movement pattern a habit – but a whole year to make the new habit completely automatic.

I hadn’t thought that this would also be the same when it comes to our eating habits. When I started I had to really work at staying low carb but now it is effortless because I have been doing it so long that it is virtually automatic . That thought has really cheered me up on this cold Monday morning.

I think the problem we have starts with hyperinsulinemia before we get to the resistant stage, and this is the element that is part of us. The insulin resistance, like the type 2 diabetes may improve over time since muscles and other tissue are always being renewed and it is the tissue that becomes resistant.

I have had some success in reintroducing carbs on maintenance, (just over 9 months in and at target again today after a couple of months a few pounds above) but in nowhere near the quantity I used to eat and I am still an almost complete junk food free zone. White carbs and too sugary food wake the carb monster which is the mental manifestation of this hyperinsulinemia as far as I can tell. Your body floods with far more insulin than it needs to deal with the food you have eaten, and this prompts your ‘second brain’ to shout for more sustenance. I think this is also the mechanism behind the effect of sweeteners, raising both insulin and cravings, as the body expects more sugar than it gets.

Whether you remain at keto levels of carb or not this is a super healthy way of eating, and I agree that as long as you stick to generally this way of eating going forwards then the gradual increase of calories up to and even beyond your calculated TDEE is the key to keeping your metabolism fast.

With the Biggest Losers, I wonder how much guidance they are given on the transition back to a less regimented existence? Are they advised to reduce portion sizes to match the lower physical requirements? This would tend to keep the metabolism slower. I have been using the ‘reverse dieting’ transition where your body can adapt to the bigger portion sizes naturally. I have a couple of times done this gradual increase once from 800 calories and once from 1250 calories at 50 calories extra a day and in both cases only stopped when I got to 2500 calories a day, still not putting any weight on, although the earlier losses while still increasing the calories had stopped. Reading about reverse dieting, someone as an experiment carried on up to 5,000 calories and his metabolism just carried on speeding up with no weight gain. We could only manage that by keeping carbs low as the insulin over production would just use excess carbs as a chance to store more fat.

I think if you transition properly, and eat a varied diet with little or no junk food, there is no reason why your metabolism can’t be just as fast as it ever was, maybe faster if you have built up more muscle.

Thanks, Mixnmatch, I’ve learnt something today. As I’m new to this dieting business, to reverse my diabetes, I had to look up what TDEE was. In case anyone else was wondering I’ve copied this:

IIFYM (if it fits your macros) TDEE CALCULATOR

If we eat more calories than our body requires, we will gain weight.
If we eat less calories than our body needs, we will lose weight.This is where our TDEE comes in to play.
TDEE is short for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the amount calories your body burns in a 24 hour period, sleeping, working, exercising, playing and even digesting food! The IIFYM TDEE Calculator is designed to give you your exact TDEE based on a few key factors:

BMR – Basal Metabolic Rate (The number of calories your body burns at rest, with zero activity)
TEF – Thermic Effect of Food (The number of calories burned in the process of digesting food you eat)
NEAT – Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (The number of calories burned in all activity outside of exercise)
TEA – Thermic Effect of Activity (The number of calories you burn exercising (or higher than usually energy output)

Add these all up and we arrive at your TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Wow what a great way to start Week 6, so much information and enthusiasm and inspiration – thanks everyone.

Think I need to check out the TDEE calculator mentioned….I tried to start ‘maintenance’ as opposed to 800 calories and have just eaten slightly more over the weekend, but not added any carbs. I have maintained my ‘normal’ lifestyle as regards living / exercising (though tragically lost my step monitor). Weight – static, waist size – static, blood sugar levels – up to pre-diabetic levels. Hmmmmm 🙁

Back to the drawing board then…back to 800 calories then – hey ho!

Hi AngS,

Thanks for posting info on TDEE. I’ve seen it mentioned a few times and meant to look it up but never quite got round to it.
Marie x

nb Just thought – I’ve also seen NSV used by people. Anyone know what that stands for – from what people have said my guess is Non-Scale Victory but no idea if that’s right.

Marie You were right!

NSV
Non Scale Victory

a dieting and weight loss term for noticing your weight loss success off the scale.
A NSV is getting rid of clothes because they are too big.

Shopping in the “regular” stores is a nsv.
#weight loss#dieting#losing weight#health#skinny

Two more pounds to drop and I will have lost a stone in 6 weeks. So pleased. Lost another pound over the weekend, despite the little slips on Friday and Sunday. Felt hungry last night. I wonder if that’s because I had a bowl of soup and a bowl of fruit with cream?. My body craved more!?! In the end I had a couple of walnuts and a black coffee and lost the hunger pang, thankfully. No weight gain this morning, which pleased me. In fact the scales had gone down another couple of ounces to 9st.0.0 so I’m still on track. Not much inch loss though, which is diisappointing, but I guess the internal fat is going from my pancreas, etc. The nurses have always wondered why I was diabetic, as I wasn’t grossly overweight. So, perhaps I was more of a TOFI than I realised. (Thin on the outside but fat on the inside). My skirts and trousers do feel looser though…

Thanks for that, AngS – and brilliant going with the weight loss!
Marie

Mixnmatch, I think you are spot on with the speculation that the Biggest Loser folks did NOT provide maintenance info and support to those folks that worked so hard to get the weight off. Maintenance doesn’t make for “good TV” so they were probably just given a pat on the back and sent home to fend for themselves.

The problem really is that too much of the dieting “expertise” and advise from the 1960s- 2000 was not based on scientific evidence, but simply some MD making what he thought was a logical guess. It is only recently that science is actually studying how REAL metabolism works and that it is NOT just all about the calories.

Someone in one of the forums had suggested that Michale Mosley derserves a Nobel prize for the work that he has done. I couldn’t agree more….or at least a Knighthood. There has been no one that has worked as hard to educate the public and the scientific community in general to data based strategies for weight loss, exercise and now gut health. Frankly, the man is my hero. If he makes some money of the extremely helpful books he has published, good for him. He deserves it. He is so generous with his time to keep supporting these forums and generally provide encouragment.

And thanks to all of you, especially the ones that have actually hit maintenance to continue back to follow and support this community. The BSD shows every sign as being the big breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. We can finally get rid of the old rubbish advise so many medical schools pedelled for so long based on real research at all.

So downward and onward. And hurray for the NSVs along the way. Spent a good chunk of Saturday weeding through my closet of 3 sizes tossing the TOO BIGS (charity pile) and organizing the FITS NOW and the ALMOSTS.

Have a great week everybody.

Some good results posted above, folks ! And I endorse the suggestion about public recognition for our Esteemed Leader Dr Michael Mosley. ‘Twould be well deserved.

As for myself, well, I nearly forgot to post today, despite it being the end of my 11th week on the BSD. So here is a quick summary of last week’s progress.

I now weigh 177.6 lbs (down from 205.2 lbs on 21 Aug 2017) and this is a 2.2 lbs loss on the week. Satisfactory, but not outstanding.

I have upped the protein intake to a daily average of some 71 gms, at last, and I feel much better for it. Now, if I could only get my carbs under control, in the opposite direction as well, I would be a happier man. I have only stayed below the 800 cals budget one day out of the last seven. A couple of days I was substantially over. Naughty me. Again.

Alas, I also have this wedding long weekend coming up Friday through Sunday this week. A veritable cals-fest, no doubt, but it will not be fatal, I am sure. Public confession in due course next Monday.

So I wish you all a steely determination, wherever the week takes you.

Long Live the BSD !

Macloud

Well done Macloud and AngS on your losses :-). Isn’t it great to see those scales come tumbling down!

I totally agree Luvtcook, to have long term maintenance guys joining this forum to carry on supporting us newbies is brilliant! Such a lovely thing – thank you 🙂

Test of willpower for me yesterday – dinner in fantastic fish restaurant that offers unlimited, refillable chips ( and I have been before and I know their chips are good!). Didn’t even go there…. Grilled fish and salad thank you…it was delicious, I really missed the chips, but they are not my sort of food. ‘I don’t eat that, it’s bad for me, my body does not like it!’ That’s gotta be my mantra – it’s working – fasting blood back to normal levels for the past couple of days!!

Happy Wednesday everyone 🙂

Well done, AnneF. Strong willpower you have. I too love chips, but haven’t had one since starting the BSD. I was a pound up yesterday, but it’s come off again. Still waiting patiently for that magic 8 on my scales. I really need to try to increase my exercise regime…

Agree with the superb support from others. Thanks to everyone on here. It’s the best forum I’ve ever been on. Thanks, AnneF for starting it. This forum has really helped me so much. 😄

AngS, FYI I have often found that when I up my exercise (to the point where my muscles really hurt the next day) the scales show and increase due to the swelling in my muscles. And bingo, happened to me today.

I am doing the eliptical trainer twice a week (walking and Tai Chi on other days) and I raised the resistance setting yesterday a notch. Scales show 1.5 lb increase this morning which I know is just the muscle soreness as have been squeeky clean on my carbs and calorie counts this week. And I do expect that over time I should see some increase from real muscle being added. I wish I had a clue as to how much weight is actually ends up being muscle, but a study found that older adults put on bed rest for just 10 days lost 1 lb of muscle in their legs alone. Also, after age 40, people typically lose 8 percent or more of their muscle mass each decade unless they engage in stengthening exercieses (weight bearing, or resistance). So if you have not actively excercised in a while and now start, you are likely to put back on some of the muscle lost. It should result in faster weight loss down the road….but sure is discouraging when you see it hit the scales and mask your weight loss in the short run.

Yes, luv2cook, I agree and see exactly where you’re coming from. After my dance or gym classes I always seem to weigh a pound more the next day.

Put that in the “ITS JUST NOT FAIR” column.

Sorry if you already know this but exercise causes small tears in our muscles which fill with water during the repair process, hence the almost immediate weight gain which goes away quite quickly. Also our muscles strengthen during our rest days, not when they are being exercised which is why, generally speaking, we shouldn’t do the same exercise everyday. However a rest day doesn’t have to mean doing nothing, just do something different that uses different muscles to previous days exercise. I run several times a week and on other days do strength, stretching or core exercises. Swimming is good too – but I hate it unless in the sea on holiday.

Success! 8st.13.8lbs! First time my weight has started with an 8 for years. As I’m only 5 feet tall, my ideal weight is 8st 7lbs… Now to get rid of my tummy! Have booked into an ab attack class tomorrow before my Young at Heart mixed activity class (for more mature people at the gym).

AnnieW is right. The muscles repair themselves on rest days, so a mixture of fitness activities is best.