Looking through the diary posts has inspired me to start on Monday 9th may. I’m going to try the 800 cal approach.
I think by keeping a diary on such a supportive site will really help me. I will measure and weigh in on Monday morning😎😎😎

Welcome to the family Kitty Malne. Looking forward to reading your diary and seeing your progress.

Thanks captainlynne , where are you in your journey?

Hi Kitty Maine

Finished 20 weeks today. Total weight loss to date 52 pounds. I’ve still about 39 pounds to lose. I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic in 2009 and was being threatened with Metformin when I found the BSD. Started it on 19th December. My fasting blood levels are now in the normal range and my HbA1c done in April was also in the normal range.

Hi captainlynne
Wow that really is fantastic 👍I’m pre diabetic with a strong family history of diabetes. I’m 50 and needed to shift 36 lbs. originally started this fab diet and lost a stone then had 2 holidays and completely lost the plot!
Do you have favourite meals? Are you super strict with yourself?
Kitty 😊

Hi Kitty

You should soon lose that 36lbs. 😃

I rarely follow the recipes or meal plans in the book, just making it up as I go along – sticking to 800 calories and cutting carbs.

I find I do need to be strict with myself (that’s just me!). I keep my carbs really low (can’t give exact figures). When starting the BSD I was eating three meals daily (rather than eating all day!). But now find I eat breakfast around 8am then nothing until about 5.30pm – I’m just not hungry between.

Remember I started this before Christmas, and managed to stick to the BSD through both Christmas and New Year. I knew I needed to do it that way, because I’ve I left it to 1st January I might keep finding excuses.

For breakfast I might have bacon, egg and black pudding (if I’m out it might be a 4-item breakfast – 2 bacon, black pudding and either egg or baked beans). Otherwise it might be cooked meat, cheese – whatever is in the fridge! That keeps me going all day.

At night, it might be fish or meat with veggies. Might spice it up. Again, depends on what I fancy (and if I’m going out to a meeting). No desserts.

Managed to more or less stick with the 2 meals/no desserts when I was at a residential conference recently. Breakfast I had what I normally eat. Two nights dinner was much later so forced a slice of meat and a tiny bit of salad down at lunchtime. But then I couldn’t eat the meal that night. Went through the menu we were given to choose from, crossing out the sauces, crumb coating etc. Crossed out the desserts. Because I wasn’t hungry I found I was eating about half the meal – portions were huge (or so it seems now).

Sunday is a bit different because of work. I have breakfast, a meal early afternoon, then a tiny bit of meat about 8pm.

So I guess you could say ‘m super strict with myself. But it’s what works got me. Everyone is different.

Lynne😃

Captainlynne …you say you keep your carbs really low. Are you able to give me a rough idea of how low please? Just started week 2, and I’m planning all my own meals. The first week I stuck to a max of 50g carbs/day, but I don’t know if this is low enough.
Thank you.

Hi MrsG27715

Can’t really answer that, sorry.

I keep under 800 calories but don’t really count carbs. I write everything fiend and don’t use an app that would calculate it.

I mainly eat fresh food: meat, fish (or occasionally chicken) zero carbs. Bacon and eggs, again zero. I don’t eat fruit or root veg (except the occasional carrot or beetroot) so virtually no carbs there. Salad and leafy veg – very few carbs. I don’t drink milk, but sometimes eat cheese or full fat yogurt – some carbs there. I don’t drink alcohol so no worry about carbs there. No bread, potatoes, pasta, pizza, chocolate or other refined carbs since I started this on 19th December. I knew I needed to do it this way to get my health under control. Must make me sound boring, but I’m not – honest😃

I have had to really restrict my carbs as it was the only way to get my blood sugar down. If I want to try something new I check the carb value first. If I decide to eat it I check my blood glucose before eating, then one, then two (and sometimes three) hours after eating to see how it’s affected me.

My guess would be 25g to 30g per day. But that is only a guess. That’s what works for me, and we are all different. If 50g works for you, that’s great. If not, reduce it until you reach a figure that does work for you.

Hope that helps.

Hi captainlynne. Thanks for your reply. I too write everything down and I’ve been a little obsessed with working out every calorie and every gram of carbs! From the sound of it I eat very similarly to you, and have also cut out the bread, pasta, rice etc. The diet has really opened my eyes to the amount of carbs in foods that I used to regularly consume as a snack before a meal! 😳
I am not diabetic …I am on this diet purely to lose weight and be a healthier person. My diet was out of control.
I guess I need to ‘suck it and see’. If I continue to lose weight then I’m at the correct level of carbs for me. If not I will reduce them.
I’m getting the hang of it 👍

Hi MrsG

Glad it made sense.

I don’t know if you buy packaged sliced cooked meat, or supermarket ready cooked chicken. If you do, please check the ingredients and nutritional values on the label

I assumed cooked meat was just that – meat, probably with preservatives and/or salt.

Then I started to notice sugar listed in various forms on the labels of various meat products. I’d expect it on ‘honey roast’ , ‘bbq’ etc. But not plain roast ham or beef. Then I noticed that the label on cooked chickens says ‘cooked in a sugar marinade’.

Just giving you a heads up on this. It’s so easy to pick up a packet of meat as a ‘good’ product. But it’s not necessarily as good are think.

So weighed in this morning at 11.8 & 1/4lb. Couldn’t find a tape measure but I’m a size 16 if it’s a big 16. I’m only 5 ft so need to loose around 2 & 1/2 stone.
Tried to drink as much as possible today ,so far 1 litre approx of water and about 600 ml of green & herbal tea.
B= no carb Bircher
L= hummus with cucumber & yellow pepper crudités
D= 1/2 avocado,1 tomato , 30 g goats cheese ,5 olives, 3 tablespoons of FF Greek you,raisins and walnut pieces( probably about 2 tablespoons)
Feeling tired but so glad to have started