Hi All,

I’m very encouraged by all I’ve read here. I started the BS 800 yesterday and struggled to get down to 800 calories and ended the day at 1200 with 72 grams of carbs. I’m transitioning from a higher carb vegan diet and felt like I’d been sideswiped yesterday, but feel pretty great this morning, and down a pound already. Yay!

My big question is for any of you who have been struggling with T2 diabetes for 10 years or more. Are you having success with weight loss and medication reduction? I’ve had T2 for about 14 years and have tried every diet in the book (sound familiar?), and have fortunately been able to maintain my A1C levels in the 6-7 range. I take 1000 mg of metformin daily and lost about 30 lbs when first diagnosed at A1C 11.9 and nearly 280 lbs. It’s been a struggle over the years to slowly drop and keep off any more weight. Been playing the yoyo game and am now currently 236 lbs. (5’4″, 57 yr old female)

I’m very excited about the research done in Newcastle and look forward to diving into this further. I love the science behind it! I think the next step is to order the cookbook so I can really stay focused on what to eat.

Thanks for any insights and good luck to all!

She’ll probably pop in to say hello herself, k8, but have you checked out Captainlynne’s stats? You can look her up in the SEARCH box on the right, and she says in her profile that she’s had Type 2 since 2009 which isn’t quite 10 years but getting on for it.

And her last post says she’s over 90 lbs lost in the 38 weeks she’s been living the BSD way.

A total inspiration to this forum, I think everyone will agree, so you could look up some of the stuff she’s posted for encouragement! 🙂 🙂

Thanks! I’ll take a look. 90 lbs lost and diabetic for years is very impressive!!!
🙂

You’re welcome

if you have a look at ‘recent posts’ you will see she’s out and about at the moment, posting on her ‘Keeping calm and carrying on’ maintenance thread! 🙂

Hi. Just saw my name! Welcome!😃💐

As Igorasusual said, I was diagnose T2 in 2009, diet controlled. The medics always wanted me on Metformin but I managed to avoid it. I’d always struggled to get my fasting bloods under 7, then ast December my HbA1c was 9.6 so Metformin was again threatened. But I found the BSD book and said I would start it on 1st January. But I started it on 19th December, weighing in at 16 stone (I’m 5’1″). By April my HbA1c was down to 5.5, July it was 5.2. The day I started BSD fasting blood was 10.9. After 13 weeks it has been consistently under 5, even under 4 several times. So my blood results are now routinely ‘normal’

At the end of 38 weeks I reached my target (well, a pound under it), having lost 92 pounds to weigh 9st 6lbs.

Now after experimenting on maintenance for a week I have lost another 2 pounds. Oh – I’m 66 years old.

HI captainlynne,

Thanks for the nice response! 🙂 I’ve been reading through your profile and it’s truly inspirational. I often fall into the trap of feeling like I can’t lose the weight because I’ve been diabetic too long, or this menopausal body is just too stubborn to release the pounds. I refuse to accept that.. it’s simply not true and so my search has continued for some kind of solution. Can’t tell you how overjoyed I am see your response. and success Wow! You’re the perfect example to show me it really can be done!

I haven’t read through all of your posts yet, but did you have a daily carb limit that you aimed for as you aimed for the 800 calories?

Thanks again, and best of luck as you continue your maintenance lifestyle!

You are very welcome k8

I think it was ‘last chance saloon’ for me. I’d tried every possible diet, spent far too much time and money at slimming clubs, having been on a diet on and off since I was 11 years old.

I’ve kept my carbs very low – probably under 25g or 30g. I’m one of those that found I really couldn’t/can’t tolerate many carbs😱 And I did stay at/under 800 calories. And I didn’t increase my exercise. I walk whenever possible and have found that it is a lot easier, I can go up hills and steps much more easily, and walk faster.

Please let us know how you progress on your BSD journey.

Hooray! Day 2 was easier than day 1, but still have not made it to 800 calories.

Lost another pound and feeling good but struggling with keeping the calories down. Yesterday was 1050. I think I’ll take this week as my transition into the BSD 800. It’s a huge mental shift, moving from the high carb/low fat/no calorie counting vegan diet to low carb/low calories. I already feel so much better eating fewer carbs so will continue to adjust and research meals etc. S

Last night was salmon salad on a bed of greens and grilled asparagus spears. Plenty filling! Having a bit of mayo in the slad felt sinful but also very satisfying. Now to continue with those types of meals.

I think one of the reasons I feel so much better about starting this eating style is that the BS diet is a good solid tool to work with, especially for diabetics. It seems that so many other “diet” programs are designed for everyone, and oh yeah, let’s throw in something for the diabetics. This one is completely different and I love it! I have a much better attitude launching into this and feel pretty good about giving myself the week to adjust and wrap my head around all this as I head for the 800 calorie mark.

Today is day 3 and my goals are to eat less calories than yesterday and to give myself permission to eat more healthy fats. Mmmm… avocados…

I’ve been diabetic for 20 years and postmenopausal for 40 (surgery). I’m going to succeed because there is no alternative. I suppose it may take me longer than most that’s all. Stats … don’t care about them because i intend to be an amazing success story.
“They” say 95 % of dieters gain the weight back …. I don’t focus on the 95 … i focus on the success of the 5% as i intend to be in that group.
It’s not a diet i’m going to get off of … it’s going to create new habits and thinking. When i have the results i want i will be happy to maintain.

I am 5 feet 6 inches …. and i started at 246 pounds. Down to 226 pounds.

I

What a great attitude! Your results are very encouraging… just what I’m looking for as a fellow postmenopausal (surgery, too) diabetic.
What’s working for you? Do you regularly target a specific level of carbs and calories?
Thanks for sharing any information!

I’ve been easing into the 800 calorie plan for a month now. Started with just fasting for 12 hours and upping it to 15 hours a day (plan on Dr. Oz show with Michael Mosely). Even on my trip to Toronto i did at least 12 hours. Not much of a lunch but usually a regular supper, mostly fish and sweet potato fries and a couple of drinks. When i got back home around Sept. 3, i started a full day fast … water, coffee with cream, tea, and beef or chicken broth … after a week or so i added a small serving of vegetable juice.
I’ve fasted like this before so i wasn’t scared to do it. I still walked and went to the gym to do athletics. I am starting yoga as well.
Tomorrow i’m going to start to eat.
I’m going to take a container of broth and a can of beans … and mush it up. (After a fast you just can’t start eating regular meals.
I’ve got a diabetic counter book as well or I can use Fat Secret
http://www.fatsecret.ca/
For tomorrow i just used the information on the can of mixed beans and the broth container and added it all together and divided by the number of servings. I bought 8 exactly the same size plastic containers and will use them to give me the calorie and carbohydrates per serving. This batch will have to last more than 2 days because of the carbohydrate count … but i can have some non-carb, or very low carb as well. Since i do like my morning coffee with lots of cream i will have to make room for that.

Eggs only have approx. 70 calories and 1 carbohydrate gram i can have that also …. i can eat raw eggs beaten with just a little xylitol (used to do it with sugar even as a child). I also like hard boiled eggs and can eat those with just a sprinkle of sea salt.

I do like nuts …. and i like them salted … so what i already do at the bulk food store … is buy some unsalted and some salted and mix. Nuts do have carbs. so you can just eat a little.

I have also just about cleaned my fridge and cupboards out of high carb foods … easy to do when you live by yourself.

I love cauliflower etc. so i plan to fill up on low carb. veggies, salads and perhaps spend my extra calories and carbs on something a nice meat or fish dish or a bit of Jarlsburg cheese. I also love cottage cheese with a ton of chives or green onions. I have some chives growing in the front of my house.

Full fat plain Greek yogurt, with no sugar, with my own berries added also seems great to have sometime.

I am extremely stubborn when i make my mind up to something. And i am sick of being sick. I am 67 and determined to enJOY my life. I do not indulge expensive tastes … but i like to travel a bit and i couldn’t even enJOY my Toronto trip as my legs hurt so much.

I fasted because i had a head of steam built up and i figured why not take advantage of my most determined phase. I will keep up the 800 calories / less than 50 carbs. I will splurge a little on Thanksgiving. And if my sister makes Rouladen for Christmas … i’m having as much as i can (since that’s a rolled meat dish it won’t be that bad).

p.s. My The Diabetes Counter by Nolan Heslin …. and My fat Secret site vary slightly on calorie/carb counts. I would always leave a little wiggle room for extra of both. If you are succeeding in lowering weight or increasing energy I would keep on what i was doing … If over a week you don”t feeling otherwise i might try adjusting food or exercise.
Lots of people have some headaches and such so don’t expect to feel instantly wonderful. But do expect to feel more wonderful as time passes.
If you slip to NOT indulge guilt … just get back with the program.

W’hooo!!! My AM blood sugar was down to 96 for the first time in a few years. Very exciting! Also got my calorie count down to 990 and carbs down to 44 yesterday, and lost another 0.6 pounds. And, I feel pretty good! 🙂 Yesterday I had a few wobbly points and again a few today, but nothing painful or alarming. I’ve had this same sensation when my blood sugar was a little lower than I’m used to but I check it regularly during times like this. My doctor mentioned that I’ll feel it as my blood sugar goes lower, but not to be alarmed unless it drops too low. My body has gotten used to living at a higher blood sugar level and now it needs to adjust to living at a lower level.

So today is day 4 and I’m dealing with hunger issues but when I look at my food journal I can see that I’ve had a nice amount of well-balanced calories so I’ve been trying to talk myself out of grabbing another nibble of something. Yesterday I caved and grabbed a few almonds, and still managed to keep total calories under my goal of 1000. Today’s goal is to get under 950 calories.

Shalimar, thanks for all the helpful tips. Great stuff to think about! Good for you for going for it with the fasting. Hope your next few days go well too.

CONGRATS k8!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

This summer i had trouble even keeping my blood sugar much under 30!! Yesterday it was 4.8 and today it is 5.9!!!!
And that’s amazing, especially since i stopped fasting and ate!! I was so hungry! I was pretty okay on the food. Canned tuna and canned salmon don’t have many carbs at all and not even that many calories. I had just a little full fat Miracle Whip mayonnaise and some green relish with the salmon and now a lemon in my diet coke.
Alas i also had some alcohol!! … never mind, will do better tomorrow.

It was garbage collection day so i also pitched some cereal and some raisins!

A few ALMONDS are not bad at all.

I’m going to train myself to eat nuts without so much salt …. i usually buy half salted, half unsalted and mix them … i live near a bulk store … i am going to up the unsalted and decrease the salted in the mix. That’s how i trained myself out of sugar in coffee …. going to have to work on the huge amounts of cream i put in!

I started a food journal too. And an exercise journal …. i don’t have a pedometer though but i can time my aquabics, yoga and to an approx. distance on my walking.

Well done on the great results!

Shalimar – be careful cutting down on salt. On the BSD the high volume of liquid means that sodium is excreted in the wee, so potentially short of salt. Dr MM warns about this. So need to have salt on food to avoid lightheadedness

In fact, some people drink Miso soup or have a stock cube in hot water to add in the salt – you could stick with your salted nuts! 🙂

I do like my salted nuts …. but i eat less of the unsalted because i don’t like them as much. I usually have no trouble with salt …. i’ve occasionally felt sick from the amount of salt i ate (waay to much). I like to treat myself to special sea salts and have a salt mill grinder.

But thanks i will watch out for that!