Hi not sure if anyone can offer me some advice please? My husband is borderline diabetic and his doctor suggested the BSD diet. I have decided to do the diet with him in support. He is doing fantastic 6kg weight loss and blood sugar has come right down so has visceral fat and blood pressure. The problem is I am really struggling! I am starving all the time and craving sugar and carbs, have no energy, headaches etc. I am not overweight (22.5 BMI) and haven’t lost weight doing the diet which we are both sticking to religiously. I still want to support my husband but wonder if anyone has any advice on maybe how I could tweak the diet to suit me rather than give up on it completely and have to cook separate meals?

Hi Kimberley, it is great that you are supporting your husband with this diet. You dont say how long you have been on it but if it is only a short time i.e. a couple of weeks, the hunger and lightheadedness should go fairly quickly as should the craving for carbs and sugar. I think you have given an answer to your own question and that you could tweak the diet maybe by eating a little more than hubby. It might be best to keep away from the carbs in front of him though. I do this diet for my diabetes and my husband has never really followed it with me but I still cook the same meals just without the carbs. Over time he has stopped asking for rice or pasta and only occasionally wants a potato like last night with our roast dinner. It is something you get used to going without and if it is for the good of someones health. On the other hand he does regularly have half a pizza (about once a fortnight) and eats it in front of me and I hardly even notice. Rather depends on how tempted your husband would be, have you discussed it with him. That would be a good place to start. If he decides he would rather throw in the towel at the first sign of you waivering then maybe you might have to stick with it. How you could tweak it would mean something simple like making more for yourself or adding the odd slice of bread but away from him. For example, my husband usually has a sandwich for lunch while I have the same thing but without the bread, so today he had a turkey burger in a roll and I had the turkey burger on a pile of salad veg. Just on the subject of your still feeling the hunger, are you getting enough fat in your diet, it helps to fill you up for longer. Also, try to have a small snack available for yourself but keep it BSD friendly, like some nuts or a square of cheese – again, good for the fats.

Hi Kimberly,
A couple of suggestions.

Our bodies have to store water to help process carbs, and when you reduce the carb intake the body releases that water. – When it does that the kidneys also release electrolytes which causes the “carb flu” of lack of energy and headaches. If you increase your salt intake it should solve that problem.

The gut bacteria which digest carbs have the ability to signal to our brains and urge us to feed them. – The longer you stay low carb the more they will die off and the urges to eat carbs will fade.

Hope that helps.

Hi Kimberley, great you’re supporting your husband but if I’m being honest at a BMI of 22 I don’t think you should be doing it, you may get used to it and feel better but you don’t need to and if your already healthy I don’t see the benefits of a VLCD (or Atleast doing it for more than a week or two). You could support by staying low carb but having more calories, and not eating treats in front of him. My wife has also been eating healthier probably around 1500 per day losing a bit of weight but most importantly not eating chocs, chips, crisps in front of me. Hopefully your husband has seen enough results already to be able to survive on the diet without you having to do it.