I’m so disappointed with this book. Maybe my expectations were too high but was really hoping to use it as a stand alone guide with no added thought or work needed. Don’t get me wrong, there are some lovely, tasty recipe ideas but the book itself is really badly edited. Rather than give exact measurements for the ingredients (which I really need if I am to keep to 800 calories a day) you’re presented with recipes that list “a knob of butter”, “half an avocado” , “4 tomatoes” ,”an aubergine” etc. I know how easily you can go over your allowance especially with high calorie items like avocados if not tracked exactly. While I’m presuming that the lack of specific weights means you should go for medium sized fruit and veg I would much rather work with actual weights. Servings are for 1, 2, 4, even up to 6 rather than a standard 1 or 2 servings. Meaning you need do the maths as you cook. The recipe don’t include all the calories. For example, the recipe for cauliflower cheese includes an optional 50g of fried bacon but doesn’t say if this is included in the calorie count and if not what the bacon calorie count is. So something else you need to look up separately and calculate for yourself. From the reviews and book cover blurb I really thought that this cook book would be a stand alone guide that you could follow for the 8 weeks no muss no fuss. Instead its just some useful cooking suggestions. I expected more from an endorsed companion guide and hope they will do a better editing job on the next edition.

I get what you are saying, one recipe is for a small tin of sardines, what is a small tin, is there such a thing as a large tin. I live in a hot country so my courgette or red pepper and half the size again than the ones my daughter gets in the UK. A garlic clove here is about 3 times the size of the UK ones. I think you just have to use a bit of common sense and maybe some trial and error. I can say that if something is an add on or ‘serve with’ the calories are not counted. In defence of the book it is not meant to be a recipe book is about the science of diabetes and controlling blood sugar, which includes losing weight, the recipes are a bonus, added to that, many of us have followed the recipes and menu plans and managed to control our Blood Glucose and lose weight, if the calories are out or not included it is not by much.

Kallowness my husband and and I have been using the recipe book since 1st October 2016. We have both managed to reduce our weight following the book. I cook to the instructions and don’t have a problem. If the meal is six portions this means four go in the freezer. If it says one aubergine I use one aubergine, knob of butter is one knob of butter. I don’t stand over the scales measuring four tomatoes or half an red cabbage, or even worrying about how many calories in a tomato! Just enjoy the cooking and the food. I would guess at 800 calories more or less will make a difference to your weight compared to what you have been eating.
This way of eating has totally changed my outlook on food. I don’t need the sugar, flour, pasta, rice, potatoes and feel so well since I have stopped eating them. Give the book a chance.
Just got the Hungarian Goulash in the oven for later. Portions will be frozen and taken with us next week if we can get away in our motorhome. Along with the butternut squash and pepper soup also anything else in the freezer we want to eat.

sunshine-girl, I believe Kallawless is talking about the companion cookbook written by Dr. Mosely’s GP wife Dr. Clare Bailey, not MM’s original BSD book, so it actually is meant to be a recipe book.

Kallawless, I didn’t get the recipe book precisely because the recipes in the back of the BSD book were too approximate for my taste, both in measurements and in calorie/carb count. I got plenty of ideas from them, but then I went about it my own way, measuring and weighing everything and calculating the count totals in My Fitness Pal. Scientific repeatability with no surprises is my goal. I know it’s not the no muss-no fuss scenario you envisioned, but it quickly becomes second nature.

Hi All,

I have bought a book from ‘Carbs&Cals’ which has been really helpful. It gives portion sized in grams and also has clear photos to match. It has the Carb and Cal nutritional info as well as protein and sugars etc. All very clear!

I got the Index version (list of foods) but also have the Salads version which is brilliant!

Enjoy!

I’ve only been at this for a few days, but I’ve found the recipe function on MFP to be invaluable. I weigh and record all my ingredients and save the recipe, giving me exact calorie counts for my actual meal. I can easily edit it if I change the ingredients next time. And it’s there for me to add quickly as I’m eating the portions.

I have the recipe book and have found it to be invaluable – I agree compared to what I have been eating this is an amazing journey, I plan a weeks meals at a time, so when I go shopping I only buy whats on the list. I don’t measure out veg and stuff, I use a large handful of kale, when I steam it it shrinks anyway. nutrionally even if its more in weight than it should be my goodness its nothing compared to eating a couple of slices of bread ! don’t worry too much about it. 2 tomatoes are 2 tomatoes etc. I have cooked some lovely meals out of this book and it has changed my way of eating, not felt bloated once, lost 6lbs in my first week, currently in my second week. surprisingly not craving the sweet stuff. ( can that be real) I am committed to it though and am very motivated to a cleaner healthier diet and hopefully a slimmer body over time.

Kallawless, I think your expectations of weight loss in general may be too high.

You need to think about what you want to actually achieve by posting in a forum where people are following the plan. Perhaps your post would be better sent to the editors of the book? Rather than people who are actively and successfully losing weight by following the principles of the book.

It takes dedication and determination to lose weight over a period of time. You have to be willing to put effort in, to expect it to be no mess and no fuss is very short sighted.

You could probably triple the portions in week 1 and still lose weight versus your diet today, so splitting hairs over a cherry tomato or a tomato the size of a basketball is a moot point.

Every journey starts by putting your foot outside the front door. Know where you want to get to and just try it. Worry about the small stuff later. I have never counted a single calorie on this diet and have lost 67lb/30.2Kg in 20 weeks. Others log every morsel that passes their lips and guess what? They lose weight too!

If that type of flexibility on approach isn’t no mess and no fuss then I’m John Major, playing an air guitar on the back of a rhinoceros in Cuba!

When I first started I was a bit surprised that the calorie counts in the book were not always accurate. To be honest though I think the only real mistake is attempting to allocate precise calories to meals at all. 800 Calories can be no more than a guideline – the point is that you need to cut down your calorie intake to about 35 – 40% of your maintenance level (which is 2000 for the average women, slightly more for men) and restrict your carb and sugar intake. That is what this diet is really about. After a couple of weeks it has became quite apparent to me what 800 -1000 Calories a day looks like and what sort of food I should and should not be eating. I now use the recipes for ideas but don’t look at the calorie counts – counting calories is simply unnecessary once you get a feel for it.

I’m going to have to disagree, toby101. Maybe some people can reliably trust the accuracy of their estimates of weight/volume/serving size, but in my experience, it’s far too easy to be way, way off, no matter how long you’ve been counting or what kind of a “feel” you think you have for it. I’ve been on the Fast 800 since August, and despite months of practice, I know for a fact that if I don’t weigh and calculate, I will not stay within the parameters of the diet. I suspect the number of people who are really good at guessing weights and counts are a tiny minority, and when you’re dealing with high fat foods like nuts, cheese and oil, an ounce worth of an error can cost hundreds of calories.

Granted, I’m on the far left of the bell jar when it comes to weight guessing ability, but it’s not just me. My bf is quite good at measurement estimates when it comes to things like DIY, and he discovered that he was regularly miles away from accurate when he started measuring in the kitchen. There are also a myriad posts in this forum from people who stopped weighing assiduously and then found to their horror that they were regularly doubling the 800 calorie limit.

To each his own and all that. If you’re confident that you don’t need to count calories anymore, then all the more power to you. I’m sure the scale will let you know if you need to make adjustments. As a general rule, however, I don’t think you can say that counting calories is unnecessary after a couple of weeks. For must of us, I believe it is necessary.

That is all entirely fair enough esnecca truth is for me at least I am happy to be around 1000 cals and low carb and weight is flying off – but I think it is largely psychological – some people find it very motivating to ascidiuosly measure and record calories I find it off putting – I know in broad terms what I should be eating and don’t want the fuss accuracy requires.

As you say – each to their own!

I completely agree with you regards to the recipes in the book that was the reason I signed up to this list to ask what weight people used for their meat, chicken, etc. There is a vast difference in weights of ‘small chicken breasts’.

Esnecca – I am exactly the same as you – I am totally unable to judge the weight of food and have to weigh all the high fat foods. I don’t weigh the green leafy stuff.

This really didn’t work for me until I started weighing – which is why it took so long to lose the weight. I started in May and am still not in a position where I can accurately judge the weight of food. Luckily I can do it very quickly and it doesn’t hold up food preparation at all.

Also I don’t mind weighing the food as I have always weighed food when following recipes from various cook books pre BSD.

I have never been a fan of weighing food Kysia – even when following a recipe – prefer to do it by eye. That might be the difference.

But I repeat I do not claim to be able to measure calories super accurately by eye but my belief is that I don’t have to. 800 calories can only be a guide as it defies sense that this should be the optimum for everyone regardless of starting weight, exercise, metabolism. It think it is used as an easy to understand target for the average person to illustrate the kind of quantities you should be eating.

I do understand though that many many people find it much easier to have a very defined goal each day and stick to it rigidly – good luck to you all.

If I might ‘weigh in’ on this one, speaking as someone who has been on the BSD for almost a year and started from a place where I thought I actually wasn’t eating much, I think weighing and measuring is important in the early days, as this helps you to understand what the right amount of something looks like. Once you have a grasp on this, you’re better equipped to sensibly gauge by eye. It also helps you have confidence when eating out, as weighing and measuring will help you to understand what the right portion sizes for you looks like.

I think the truth is that as large active man I cannot actually do a strict 800 calorie diet without feeling unbearably hungry especially over night but seem to manage on around 1000 with weight (8.4 kg in 26 days) and blood sugars (I was pre-diabetic now in low normal range) still coming down nicely – hence my belief that the 800 can only be a guide – in other words, sub-consciously I know that I slightly underestimate calories by eye – but that is ok for me…

In a rare instance of seeing both sides, I reckon the answer is people should do what they feel comfortable with. I used to weigh everything because I genuinely had no appreciation of portion sizes. After 24 weeks, I rarely weigh anything now but fully understand why some people feel the need to.

I have to agree with Toby on the 800 – it’s a catchy marketing number but I reckon that it cannot be a one size fits all “magic number”. However, if it works as a target for some people then that’s great. I eat between 900 and 1000 calories and BSD works for me (however I do keep below 50g of carbs).