Lovely losses, congratulations!

I’m just back from my weekend of indulgence and it was sort of okay. I definitely went over the calories for 2 days but managed to avoid the bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and desserts so that’s something. A single glass of red was had…
Tuesday is my weigh in day so we’ll see!

Re my fitness pal, I log my eats in there but don’t press the complete diary, that’s one way to avoid the annoying “you’re starving” notifications. Completing the diary doesn’t really do anything anyway.

Marvelous, Amarela! It sounds as though you practiced what we refer to as “mindfulness” here. It’s wonderful to learn
that navigating social situations is a manageable with this WOL, because we all have to make this work long term, in
weight loss phases as well as maintenance. See you Tuesday! 🙂

Allie

Hi All, well day 4 and have been having hot sweats all day my BS are stable at 6 so it’s not that….has anyone else had these symptoms. I’m sticking to 20mg carbs and around 750 -800 cals…..im drinking lots of water…….any suggestions???
Mandy

Mandy, do you mind telling us your age, or if you have any hormonal issues? Or any other underlying health conditions?
Thanks!

Allie

Hi Alliecat
I’m 52 on the 2nd May and have been going thru the menopause for the last 6 years. Had hysterectomy and ovaries out 6 years ago hence fairly early menopause. I’ve not had hot flushes for the last 3 years!!!! I don’t take HRT, never had due to family history of breast cancer…..
Mandy

Mandy, the first 2 weeks of this way of eating throws our bodies into deep confusion…they don’t know what we are
doing to it, and it takes awhile for everything to settle down. Some experience tearfulness and emotion, others experience
headaches symptomatic of “carb flu”. When your body switches over to fat burning, instead of using carbs for energy,
all of this straightens out, and a new level of energy, better sleep patterns, and a sense of wellbeing usually ensue. I
know from speaking with UK friends (I’m American) that you’ve had some warm weather this weekend. Let’s hope that
that is all that is going on with you! Try not to worry, keep on with what you have been doing, and let’s hope everything
settles down soon.
Very Best to you,

Allie

Thanks for the advice and support Allie….I’m thinking it is prob my body getting rid of all the crap I’ve been feeding it for years……I know it will get better I’m already sleeping better no full stuffed sluggish feeling after meals 😃😃
Mandy

Aha, I see what you mean arcticfox! I hope you start to feel well again soon and get your vitamin levels right.

Hi all – happy Monday to all you 4-week challengers
I’ve had a very busy and fun weekend so haven’t logged into the thread. So rather than respond to individual posts can I just wish you all well – those feeling unwell I hope you feel better soon. Those doing well – keep at it.
I’m feeling full of the joys of spring – but dreading going into work. Had a stressful day Friday morning before heading off for my weekend away – will have to pick it up again this morning, but at least I’m refreshed and energised to do so.
Danced all night on Friday night to 1980s music – Such good fun I think I should do it more often. Then long walks on Saturday and Sunday covering over 25k both days. blood glucose low this morning – back down to 5.
Have a lovely day all
x

What a joyful, happy post, Gattina! It has made me smile. Very suitable for the “Positives” thread, too 🙂 Remind me
of the biggest hits of the 80’s! For some reason, I’m drawing a complete blank on it. So happy that you’re really enjoying
life. Living in gratitude is the very best place to be!

Allie

I’m late starting this challenge – but better late than never, eh?

Gattina, dancing sounds like a great form of exercise !

Hi Allie,
I am in for May challenge.
I have been reading this book and taking the main points out of it. I am so convinced with this approach that I feel like giving it a go.
My weight is 82kg since last 3 years(when my baby was born). Since then it didn’t came down drastically.I want to try this and loose at least 15 mg. I started my 800 calorie diet on 21 April 2018 with 30 min walking . I am just confused about the carbs intake as my total count of calories is 800 but do I have to limit the carb in it? As my average carb intake is 80g each day so is it ok? Being an Asian, we eat whole grain Chappat with food which increase carb amount. Kindly guide me that overall 800 calories will work or I need to reduce carbs as well?
Thanks
Nady

Good morning!

I’m a newbie to this but not to dieting, sadly. I did 5:2 a few years ago and it worked really well. But I struggled with 500 and found 800 relatively manageable. Looking forward to seeing how I get on with this.

B: coffee and whole milk, 2 x eggs
L: ? Maybe a tiny tuna salad and a mug of bouillon
D: chicken curry with cauli rice, broccolli, and s/f jelly (more veg than anything else)

so I’m down 1lb at 10 stone 12. Slightly iffy weekend but nothing too bad. Looking for 2lb this week, keeping strict and walking in my lunch break.
Good luck everyone.

So this was my first weekend doing this and very surprisingly, I managed, but did go a little over on calories fri/sat, but still made mostly good choices. Before when I’ve been doing SW or WW I would reward myself (binge) at the weekend and start again Monday. I like that you have your calorie count and that’s it – no saving points, extra syns etc.

And it’s great to read everyone’s weight losses and updates, and encouragements.

Have a good day.

Hi Nady,
Just jumping in to answer your question. Yes you need to restrict the number of carbs as well as calories. Most people start off by reducing the daily limit to 50g, and if they don’t loose weight at that level then they drop them down further. – (Some people find they need to keep carbs down to around 20g a day to loose weight.) You need to carefully log the carbs in everything, from the milk in your tea or coffee as well as the carbs in every ingredient in your meals.

If you use google “low carb Chapati” brings up recipes published for using almond or coconut flour, both of which are lower carb alternatives. Thank you for raising this question, I like indian food myself and it gives me an idea for options when I reach maintenance.

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I will restart my 800 calorie diet once again with carbs less than 50g.I will try to avoid Chappati but it’s like a must item in our menu , I will try to use your ideas for low carb chapati. It’s really hard to leave something,you have been eating from childhood.
Will start again with low carb 800 diet.
Thanks
Nady

Welcome back Squidge, and best wishes to newcomers Nady and primallass. Onwards and downwards! Congratulations mylastrolo on your virtuous weekend. Best wishes to all for the weigh-in tomorrow.

Good morning, everyone! I’m 5 hrs behind you all, so it’s great to wake up to more new members each day 🙂 A very
warm welcome to Nady and Primallass! I see that jillie (JGwen) has already addressed the carb question, so I’ll just
add a few remarks to what has already been said. Nady, carbs trigger the insulin response, and it is our fat storage
hormone. We each have different levels of insulin resistance, but <50g per day is a good starting point. Most of the
long term maintainers here have found that we need to go lower than that to achieve an acceptable level of weight
loss each week. The very best way to summarize this way of eating (WOE) is to define it as a low carb, moderate
protein, and relatively high fat (the healthy kind) eating style. It becomes a way of life, not a simple plan for quick
weight loss. I’ve been in maintenance for a year, and although I have increased calories, I still keep a careful eye
on carbs, and have established a trigger point which I need to observe in order not to experience regain. As long
as I do this, maintenance has been relatively easy. I think we all have specific foods that have been part of our diets
all our lives, but when you keep them off your plate for a long enough period of time, something miraculous takes
place…You lose your taste for them! 🙂 Best of luck to you ladies! Very pleased to have you join us. We are delighted
to share our knowledge, so don’t hesitate to ask questions 🙂

Allie

Hello everyone – it’s been an up and down week for me. Over on a couple of days but dancing the night away at a concert on Saturday night sees me 1lb lighter this week. Had a bad day, get straight back on it the next day is my suggestion.
Good luck to everyone!

Thanks Allie – I have turned a corner. I was feeling sorry for myself a few weeks ago so it’s good to be out of the duldrums and back on track.
80s hits: As a young teenager I was a “whamette” which meant I liked the band Wham – their hits were Wake me up before you go, Young Guns, Last Christmas, Everything she wants – to name a few.
Other hits at the time were Culture Club – Do you really want to hurt me, Karma Chameleon
Duran Duran – Wild Boys, Reflex, Girls on Film
Human League – don’t you want me
Frankie went to Hollywood – Relax, Two tribes
Michael Jackson – Thriller, beat it
A real trip down memory lane…

I was an 80″s girl too. Now I am with my teenage girls at concerts – the Vamps on Saturday night. Not really my kind of music – but they were rather good and danced the night away.

Haha, Gattina! I DO remember about 80% of these! I used to practice the moon walk with my best friend’s daughters,
6 and 8 at the time, to Thriller 🙂 🙂 🙂 And of course Duran Duran. Thank you for the memories! Sounds like you had
a marvelous night, and of course it’s SPLENDID that you feel you’ve turned a corner. Carry On, you’re doing great!

Allie

Another note on Taubes, I found this https://youtu.be/u3fk0ZjkTf4 on YouTube yesterday and decided to listen whilst getting on with some cleaning. I imagine it sums up the first part of the book (haven’t finished the whole video yet though) and the fact I think he sounds like Owen Wilson is a bonus 😂
Might be a better way for some people to absorb the info. (Posting in 2 threads)

Thank you, Nicki, for this link! Everyone knows that I’m positively evangelical about Taubes work, and credit it with
changing my life, so I won’t belabor the point further 🙂 This is a great introduction, and I hope everyone will find the
time to click on the link! Much appreciated, Nicki!!!

Hello all,
It seems very familiar….guess why? I’ve been here a couple of years ago and then bu77ed off to put some weight on …
Now coming to my 40th birthday in June I’m desperate to be what my nick name says.
I’ve got a skirt I bought donkey years back and I would love to wear it for my birthday for the first time.
I’ve lost about a stone since the new year but each diet I’m doing is not agreeable with me because there is always something that one needs to avoid -> e.g meat, eggs, dairy, fats etc. you know the gist…
I’m here coz I need to get rid of the tyre that spills over my trousers and to get that @rse of mine to be smaller too.

I am looking forward to your support and encouragement.
thank you.

Hi this is my second time round lost 45lbs in 2016 kept it off, end of 2017 into 2018 lost the plot completely too many excuses but stress mainly from everywhere and got to 14st 9. Just completed week 8 down to 13.2 just lost 1lb this week after 4 of yoyo even though sticking to the plan!! BS improved dramatically (got myself a monitor unlike last time) then the steady rise to 8’s!! Stopped taking it (not on any medication as doctors want a second test, since 2016!!) I have a headache most days, slept slightly better this week, but I am up for the challenge. I am due to measure on the 1st of may weighing day is Thursday already behind my revised-revised spreadsheet but would love to loose 2lbs a week but if not I will not deter from the new way of life!! Denise

Dear Denise,
I’ve now 12st 12lb and am desperately lose about two stone (ideal) but would take a stone with my both hands and be grateful for them.
How did you manage and how long have you ben on 5 2 when you lost 45lb? that sounds like a dream such weight loss ….
I can just imagine….
Thank you for your response.

Welcome back to the forums, skinny-to-be! Whenever I don’t know a previous poster I generally look for a “profile”,
and in the absence of that, a previous posting history, in the hope of identifying past challenges that have been a problem
previously that we might be able to help with. In June of 2016 there were a few posts that covered a period of 2 days.
This is a lively thread with many maintainers participating, and I know your time must be limited caring for a 5 year old,
but it might be a real help to you in achieving your goals if you found value in posting more often 🙂 Additionally, you
have also mentioned that on other programs there was “always something that you had to avoid”. The Fast800 is
no different in that it’s simple carbs/sugar this time….As with all new concepts, there is a learning curve that must
be overcome. However, the knowledge and support can be found right here to help you accomplish this, so dive
right in. Ask anything that you have on your mind, and someone will be along with an answer or a suggestion. In
total, this community covers 3 continents, so there is always someone who is awake and posting. We all look forward
to getting to know you, and following your progress 🙂
Very best of luck to you!

Allie

Hi All
Allie you were right!!!! Had much better day today with hot sweats…..BS still stable at 6……for the first time in years I have loads of energy and was able to get loads of marking done today at college without headache, lethargy or wanting to scream at my students….!!!! I’ve now stuck to 20g carbs having reduced from 40 to 30 to 20 since last Thursday and it isn’t as hard as I thought it would be think it the eggs and extra virgin olive oil on my spinach..!!!! looking forward to weighing in the morning rather than my usual dread of weigh-ins on previous diets 🤞
Mandy

Hi skinny to be, I lost the 45lbs between April and August 2016 on the 800 cal. I did this in 2 blocks with June as a Maintance month in between. I managed to keep this weight off till December 2017 when I stopped weighing and lost my way. 1st March 2018, I began the 8 week 800cal and got off to a blazing start but the last 4 weeks have been very slow, often not losing anything but that has made me more determined this is now a way of life. I do spreadsheets and set dates and goals which can be unrealistic. I want to be slim & healthy tomorrow when it takes months and years! a marathon not a sprint. Each month I want to be lighter than the month before. If I am on plan then I will weigh only once a week as I was getting obsessed!! 26th April 2018 is the end of my 8 weeks but I am going straight on for hopefully the rest of my life!! 12.12 was where I wanted to be this Thursday so let’s see!! Not holding my breath that would mean 3lbs average for the 8 weeks and over the moon. Bring it on!!!

Hi all, welcome to all the newcomers and old timers 🙂
I’m feeling a bit despondent today, though I am still maintaining within my target band. Only just; 100g up on last week but during the week I have been half a kilo higher.
I’d thought that with a bit of back to basics, not in calories but in sticking more closely to 18:6, good food and drink choices I would drift back down to lower in my comfort band after last weigh in. When that wasn’t happening I went back to weighing and measuring, mainly to be sure that my portion sizes hadn’t increased and caused my difficulties because I am still avoiding refined carbs- after a year it’s ingrained behaviour. I’ve done that for the past week and though not trying to stick to 800cal, I am naturally eating around 850-950 per day and carbs 20-25g. It seems that any increase in calorie intake is showing as an increase in the scales. I’m still drinking 2.5-3L water a day.
I don’t know what to do, other people seem to be able to eat more and maintain, I don’t know why I can’t. There’s no way I could contemplate gradually increasing to my TDEE, just increasing to 1000cal a day has seen an increase. It’s looking like I am going to be on 900cal a day for life 🙁
Sorry for the downer, everyone . I do hope you all have a good outcome today and wish you all the best.

Hi Everyone. Well done to those having success and stay strong to those who are struggling.
Im happy to report that I have turned a corner .Ive been struggling to eliminate all the white stuff from my diet fir sevetal months and Ive finally had a good week lost 0.7kg.My calories are usually above 800 and Ive been eating big portions of meat.
So this week Im aiming to weigh all my food and reduce portions.The weather here in Perth is now turning towards winter and my back is starting to ache.the advice of my chiro rings in my ears “the best way to treat your back is to loose weight”this will be my mantra for the next week.best wishes to all. KOKO

Morning lovely people! And welcome everyone.

Well I stepped on the scales first thing today and I’m down 1,2kg/2,6lbs which I know is good considering I was away for the weekend and ate too much for two days but can’t help being a little bit disappointed since I have so much to lose…

But on the non scale victories, I sleep more and better than I have in years and absolutely love waking up naturally before my alarm, feeling refreshed and ready to go!
Also after 3 weeks on this way of eating I’m noticing that carbs and sugar don’t really appeal to me much. Which is a huge thing to a sugarholic!

For next week I would really like to lose 2,7kg which might be a bit ambitious but would bring me to a milestone weight… bring on week 4!
Unfortunately the weather here in the back ar$e of Northern Europe has taken a u-turn for more winter weather so that might shorten my walks a bit. Must look into exercise dvds or YouTube videos for some indoor action, any recommendations?

Good morning. No progress for me to report this week. I have spent far too much time ‘reading’, too much time ‘talking’, too much time ‘analysing’, and not enough time ‘doing’.

Why am I here? I have diabetes. I have diabetes because I’m fat. I’m in remission. How? By following ‘The Blood Sugar Diet’. Why am I looking for something else? Is there something better? I don’t know! But I do know that I have found my ‘way forward’. So time to get back to basics, back to Michael Mosley and David Canavan.

See you next Tuesday with a better report. Have a good week everyone.

Hi All this is my first week on BSD and after a rough weekend with hot sweats and aches I weighed in and have lost 7lbs. Verano I too am here because I am a fat diabetic but am also here to prove to myself and my diabetic team that there is light at the end of that dark tunnel of despair and that I can regain control of my life. The support that I am getting here is more than I have ever had and the words is wisdom and even the words of woe from newbies and oldies alike gives me the belief that any hurdle can be overcome. So a massive thank you to all stay strong we can all do this 👍😃👍😃
Mandy

Good morning all 4-weekers, end of 1st week, hope you are all doing well😃
I began our week at 60.2kg, this morning at 59.9kg. So a small loss but the graphs looking like the usual mountain range – at least on a downslope 😌
Well done Butterlover, catch up with you soon, I hope.
Hi Mariet, I’m sorry you’re feeling downcast and wish I could help. I understand why you are sad and puzzled but as I’m not in maintenance yet (on purpose, that is) and very unstable in my ups and downs I hope someone else can. Bound to be someone on soon.
Welcome to all the newer posters here. I haven’t been so active on here lately but I’ll catch up with everyone as we go along.
Hoping there are many positive weigh-in stories here today.
MFODAAT xx

Mandy well done on your first week loss. Keep going. My diabetes has been in remission for probably 15 months now and I’ve been medication free since last August. I decided to let my medical team take me off medication rather than do it myself, so I was probably on it longer than I could have been. Anyway, there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you stay with low carbs it will come faster than you can imagine.

Marsie downward slopes are great wish I was on one at the moment but hey there’s always a new day, a new dawn and a new start…..

Some posts have appeared while I was slowly tapping away and submitting.
Verano, there’s the nitty-gritty, right there. This worked for you while your focus was there and your journey so far has been admirable. Sticking with the programme that allowed your success would seem sensible to me and any adjustments, from your reading and talking, would hopefully complement your basics i.e. small additions not wholesale changes. I hope you don’t mind my reflections, Verano, having”talked” to you for quite a while now. And I guess it comes down to whatever suits each person’s intellectual and emotional comfort zone, doesn’t it?
Best wishes always x Marilyn

Well done, Sadteacher and Amarelo. 👏👏

Thank you Marilyn. Sometimes it’s good to get other people’s reflections on your behaviour. I think maybe I was little bored and started to look at other theories. I read Gary Taubes. I’m sure that if you came to LCHF via his book you were attracted by the word ‘fat’. I came via MM because I was attracted by ‘blood sugar’. We all ended up with a similar eating plan but with different motivation and ‘science’ backing up this WOE. I guess I’m guilty of trying to combine a sort of ‘Weight Watchers ‘with ‘Slimming World’, if you know what I mean, so neither work! Always looking for the magic bullet when I’ve actually already found it! Thank you for clearing my head.

For a change I have some good news to report this week. After a large whoosh at the beginning of the week and a steady drop since I am down 1.9kg against last Tuesday. Which means I am just 1.1kg from my initial target. – I am still going to be trudging on though as I still have a 2 dress size spare tyre to get rid of.

mariet I am so glad I read your post this morning. It is exactly how I feel. The same thing is happening to me. I joined in the challenge last week and felt so positive and motivated. I’ve walked lots and been hula hooping and sticking to the BSD principles. When I got on the scales yesterday I had put on 2.8 lb over the weekend. I am wondering if it could be related to the hot weather we have had because I actually had a flare up of my rheumatoid arthritis and felt very swollen. I have got 0.6 off overnight but like you I will never be able to up the calories without the scales showing a gain. I think we need to keep positive, we know it works and keep focused. Any top tips for maintenance from the long term maintainers would be valuable for us mariet. It just goes to show that even the experienced BSDers are not out of the woods and we need guidance as much as the new starters.

Well done to everyone working hard towards their goals.

Mariet – I honestly don’t know why you haven’t lost weight with such a modest intake of calories and carbs and why you gain if you eat only a little more. You might find this resolves itself over time. Well done though for staying off the the bad carbs.

Have lost 2.25lbs this week. Blood sugars last night 5.2 – this morning 4.6 which I think is probably lower than most people who do not have diabetes.

Hi everyone! It’s 2:30am my time, and I’m struggling with sleep, AS USUAL (nothing new, just part of a sleep disorder
that I’ve had for almost 20 years). I’ll be back to catch up on all the 1 week reports later 🙂 ….Mariet, your post has me
thinking…….What would I do when confronted with such confounding results. Perhaps you have already done
this and I simply missed it, so please forgive me if this is the case 🙂 If it were me, I think I’d be anxious to obtain
an appointment with an Endocrinologist to see if he/she might have an answer? You are doing everything right,
and it must be frustrating to not have any answers! I never expected to repair my metabolism, surely damaged by
yo yo dieting, but it is now possible to eat to my TDEE, as long as I keep the carbs low. I want this for you, too,
so please keep in touch and maybe together we can find the solution!

‘Night All

Allie

Morning Ladies – whilst I have good news for my week 1 I am 7 lb down from when I started , most of the weight loss occurred at the beginning of the week and I haven’t lost in 3 days now ( although weekend away was fab , but I was frighteningly good!) reading the threads Inknow that the weight loss can stall – can anyone advise how many days it usually lasts – I am still very motivated and know that I have lost some inches – silly me should have measured before I started. Gattina I am also an 80’s girl and you made me put that music on ,reading your songs ,just have to say Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls does it for me. Let’s all keep going Ladies we are all doing fab! Have a great day xx

Good morning everyone
Well done to those who have had a successful week and to mariet and clarinetcathy , I feel your pain. Im basically where I was this time last week, despite a scale reading of .2 kilo down on Sunday. What I struggle with is I have stuck religiously to the plan. No cheating, exercise, water and more water and low carb. I have worked so hard. I’ve read a post on here (read so much I can’t remember exactly where and by who) but it echoed perfectly how the scales readings have the power to make or ruin the day. So very true. My husband has just asked me if I’m ok as I’ve been so very quiet today!!!
Again, apologies for the down tone of my post. Those numbers took the wind out of my sails. However, I’ll just keep KOKO
Love to all
Miranda x

Hi Verano,
I think its logical to read around the subject, Dr MM didn’t come up with his program out of a vacuum, he looked at the research that existed and put it together in a general program that works for most people. By its very nature his book will be a simple summary of the research and reasons for his recommendation.
Going back to the more detailed publications on the research to help you understand what tweaks to make to fit your own personal circumstances makes sense to me.
There are new techniques for understanding how Insulin works in the body, and research on insulin resistance is coming to light that would not have been available at the time Dr MM was coming up with his program. Keeping abreast of those can be helpful especially when considering the step over to maintenance.
However, everyone is different and that is one of the benefits of this forum, all the different angles on a topic. I was one of those kids who’s favourite word was Why, and I have never grown out of that stage.

I’ve got good news. I’ve lost 5.5 lbs most at the beginning of the week as I was not very good over the weekend! I don’t measure or count calories, just cut out most carbs that aren’t veggie based, and sugar. I d have the frittata from recipes as my take to work food – it cold or hot! Good luck to everyone else.

Morning all!
Well done Butterlover, Amarela, Mandy, JGwen, Marsie, KrysiaD – anyone else I may have missed – chuffed for your losses this week 🙂
Mariet – ClarinetCathy – Miranda – I’m joining the club 🙁 I feel so despondent this morning. Despite being on a plateau last week, this week I have gained 1lb 6oz. I have stuck hard to the plan and weighed and measured foods. Carbs – 20 – 30g. Water – litres and litres! I had an icecream on the beach with my friend last week but I can hardly believe that totally tipped the balance as I was good otherwise that day and I was already on a plateau.
Help – has anyone any suggestions?
I think I may have lost an inch of visceral fat since I started 4 weeks ago and I am clinging onto that thought for dear life – I don’t want to go under and I don’t want to throw everything overboard – this diet worked so well for me last time.
MillyMoo – well done – and why don’t you join my measuring club thread? No harm in measuring yourself now albeit after you’ve started, and then maybe again in a fortnight to see the difference…
Wow pkd2004 – just seen your post pop in – fabulous weight loss!

Last minute whoosh and 2lbs down this week. Think the water consumption made the difference.