Hello! I’ve been lurking here for a couple of weeks now . I’m now on W2D2 of the Fast800, I’ve lost 6 lbs so far 🙂

To the best of my knowledge, I’m not diabetic, and don’t have issues with blood pressure or cholesterol. But I am about 3 stone overweight, so those issues are hanging around in the shadows. My father was T2 diabetic and on insulin, and he made very little effort to manage his condition himself (from what I could see – he might have thought he was trying REALLY hard). He died in January from heart issues (related to the diabetes, I think), but I’d seen his feet a week or so before that and it was only a matter of time before he’d have lost one or both. Honestly, I’m glad for him he went when he did. He also had macular degeneration and was generally pretty unwell. I don’t want to end my days like that! Equally, I don’t want to put the pressure on my OH that my mother has been under for the last few years.

It was actually my OH who heard an interview on the radio with Dr Michael Mosely about the BSD, he was so impressed he ordered the book straight away, and took it along on holiday with us (all inclusive, all you can eat …). I read the book in an afternoon, and was convinced!

So anyway, I’m one week in – a couple of days in the first week were pretty desperate, but overall I haven’t suffered too badly. I have gone through a bit of a grieving process over my friends, chocolate and biscuits, which used to keep me company during my days (as crazy as that sounds – but I’m self-employed and work from home, so don’t have a lot of access to real people during the working day!), but hopefully I’m over that now too. In fact, today I didn’t even have breakfast until 11 am (dinner was 7.30 pm last night) and I was only just starting to get rumbly then 😮 Shocking – I used to be a “can’t do anything before my brekkie or I’ll faint” sort of a girl!

I’ve also put myself on a “no non-essential spend” 8 weeks too – I don’t want to swap my sugar and carb addiction for an online shopping habit … I’m hoping I will save some money to replace my wardrobe when the time comes 😉

Sorry for the long post! I’m self-employed and work at home, so any chance for human interaction is grabbed with both hands 😀

Bless you!, sounds like you’re doing really well. It is really hard when you’re at home and have got into bad habits…grabbing biscuits to make yourself feel better. I have 3 young children and am also at home a lot….so I have to try to distract myself!!! I started the diet 8 weeks ago…got 4 weeks in….had a night out…few too many glasses of prosecco and went back to my old ways. Hugely annoyed with myself as had lost 1 stone and felt great….I too need to lose about 2 and a half stone…so started again today…..I had out half stone back on but I guess still half stone down from 8 weeks ago overall, so that’s a positive. Just seen a mate of mine who has stuck to it religiously and she has dropped 2 and a half stone and looks great….so…..despite the fact I have enough Easter eggs in the house to feed a small nation…..let’s stick at it and have a big summer wardrobe update in 8 weeks…..when hopefully the sight of me in swimwear will become more palatable!

Stick with it!

We will all have off days, ups & downs, it is natural, with support from this wonderful network we can all do it! I also work from home, alone, gone are the days of a noisy, busy office. I started to get into bad coffee habits on my (almost) daily walk – a large latte 5 times a week is not good, so I have canned that & when I go out now, I walk a different route, avoiding the coffee shops. I now allow myself 1 small cappuccino a week – not perfect, but a fair compromise, even if it takes me longer to lose the next 1.8st.

I do miss the buzz of an office and have tended to go rather OTT when I socialise with old chums, it’s not the food, I can eat Mediterranean easily, it’s the blasted booze…… So now I suggest cinema or a gallery or something (anything!) as opposed to immediately plonking my large bum on a bar stool & shooting the breeze over a bottle BEFORE the meal & more wine. Again, not perfect, but it’s getting me there.

I have jettisoned my size 20’s – took the lot to a charity shop & like you Bully & SaraB – I shall be going shopping over the summer, now that my weight is getting where it needs to be!

No longer will we displace water when we swim, we shall glide elegantly through the waves/pool in our pretty cozzies without our bellies making us look like whales!

Onwards we go, hand in hand over the Ethernet battling the fat & defeating the sugar!!!

Hi Sara!

I know what you mean about the isolation. I may work in a busy company, but my office is isolated and too often I’ve found myself going through bags of chips and chocolate mindlessly.

I’m still in desperate days, but can see the light 😄

Good to know you!

Cheers,

Deb

Thanks All! 🙂 I love working from home – I’ve always been happy in my own company. It had just never occurred to me that my relationship with the “treat” food might be anything other than food, albeit comfort eating! Or perhaps more accurately, boredom eating 😉 I guess there’s lots to learn about ourselves along this journey!

Hi
Just started this diet on Monday although failed a bit on choices that day, by not realising that risotto was in.the stuffing of some stuffed peppers I ate. Oh well. Tuesday was very hard. Bad headache all afternoon. Don’t eat dairy much so am having to come up with my own adapted recipes. Have over, hate to say it, seven stones to lose. Did weightwatches in 2009_2010 lossing 6stones and getting to my b.m.I. Kept to ideal weight for two years but then became ill had one operation after another and am still suffering from endometriosis. Weight piled back on, but am now determined to do something.

My grandfather had type 2 diabetes, so I need to get my weight under control before I follow him. I have high blood pressure and have tried the fast 5:2diet before, but I soon fell into fasting tomorrow where tomorrow never came. I am hoping eight weeks on this will start me down the right path. This is day two and starting to feel better.

Unlike the others I work away from home and am still finding myself a little light headed at work, plus my rumbling Tum was noisy today at a meeting, but I can do this. Have a family so dinner is the hardest meal to sort. So far I have substituted veg or quinoa for pasta or rice, but have ordered a veg spaghetti maker to give me some more alternatives. Definitely not an easy diet when you are the only one on it. Plus have to be carefully as my daughter has luckily inherited her father’s metabolism and we have been told to get her to eat more so she gains weight. Good luck everyone and sorry for the long post.

Good luck to you too, Fch53! I bought a spiraliser to make courgette spaghetti and it is a revelation 🙂 There are lots or recipes available online for it too – not all are very useful for the BSD, but they give good ideas.

One thing I have noticed, a week on, is that I’m no so, um, windy as I was before {blushes} Not that I was horribly windy before, you understand, but it is now noticeably less! (And thank heavens, the same can be said for my OH LOL) Who knew? We always assumed it was the largely veggie diet we had, never for a moment thought it might be the carbs/sugar!

Fch53, very best of luck with your weight loss, it’s a fascinating journey we are all on and we are all learning new cooking techniques as well as food ideas. I got a spiralizer do-dad as well, & yes SaraB, it really is a revelation isn’t it!? Once I got the hang of it & recovered from piercing my finger (oops) it has made life a lot easier to see something that looks familiar on the plate taht’s tasty and won’t cause weight-gain!

You can still cook same food for family ie chili, spag Bol, stuffed peppers, but make the healthy BSD versions, & make sure your families have larger portions if necessary, including relevant carbs, it doesn’t feel so bad if you are eating nearly the same as them. I have my hubby on the BSD too, so it’s slightly easier

I also agree on the windy-bum front, incredible isn’t it…… carb-bum

; )

Loving your money diet idea! I’ve been browsing spiralisers today, I just want a simple one like a pencil sharpener for courgettes but the one from Lakeland was out of stock. Will have to invest after your glowing recommendation x

Hi Meredex
Have you looked on groupon, £4.99 +£1.99 postage for a hand held spirilizer, I nearly bought one however decided to wait a bit.

Just a note on the pencil sharpener ones, I bought one but hadn’t appreciated that my wrists just couldn’t work it….. they aren’t the strongest part of my body! I am in my late 50’s but gave up + bought one with a handle etc off Waitrose because at that time they were cheaper than Lakeland.

I just love it, works a treat + has 3 blades for different styles : )

Spiraliser arrived this evening, but after I had cooked tea so it will have to wait till another day. Had stir fired veg with paprika chicken. The rest had wedges but mine was tasty even though I didn’t add any sause, just a little Olive oil and garlic.

Had and odd day today. Had very little for lunch but wasn’t hungry once. And I am starting to feel strangely well, plus got so much work done as I felt so …. awake. Anyone else felt like this?

Woop! I lost nearly 4 lbs overnight, bringing my total at Week 3, Day 2 to just about 10 lbs 🙂 Week 3, Day 1’s results were no change in weight after the first brilliant week – but I wasn’t too bothered, as my whizzy new bathroom scales informed me that my %body fat had decreased by 1.7% from the start, and %muscle had increased by 0.8% (%water has also been increasing). So I figured things were going the right way. But I was much happier this morning, when that weight finally dropped off!

Hi saraB
Well done Sara, we all have times when the weight doesn’t shift, keep on keeping on.mchristine

A question for the ladies (gentlemen: look away now LOL)

I’m coming up to the end of week 4, and have an incredibly heavy period 🙁 For the last few years, thanks to the mini pill, I’ve had next to nothing, so this is unusual for me. Having Googled, it seems that it can be a side effect of a low carb diet – apparently, the fat cells can also hold oestrogen, so when the fat cells go the oestrogen is released, flooding your system (quite literally …) and causing things to go a bit haywire. Now, it’s only been nearly a week so I am willing to try to stick it out a bit longer, but towards the end of the month I have some trips planned which I couldn’t even contemplate at the moment! I’m not sure what I should do, as it could take months for things to stabilise on their own (although that’s only a guess). I think my options are: (1) stick with the 800 and see how it goes, or (2) start increasing carbs, maybe with things like butternut squash (rather than bread and cereal). Option (3) is obviously go and see my doctor, but she is probably going to say ditch the diet, which I don’t really want to do because it is working!

Help!

Hello All
Have read some of your posts and you are all amazing…..for a couple of reasons, the health improvements and secondly the weight loss!
I am a newbie, just about to start, had a false start last week while waiting for my book to arrive, have read it and now have a much better understanding of the science behind the diet.
Although I am not diabetic, and without the aid of a crystal ball I see it in my future, I was diagnosed as insulin resistant about 10 years ago and followed a strict low GI diet, lost some 15 kg, but have since put it all and some back on. The low GI was a long and hard slog, nearly eighteen months…….I was so over it!
I am aiming to loose about 30kg, this has got to help with general health as well as the severe OA I now have in back and hip, along with moderate in one knee. I have lost most of my mobility…..and I need to get this back……I am too young to turn into a vegie on the couch!
All you BSD’ers are setting a high standard, so hope I can keep up!
Cheers All

Hi SaraB, I am in very similar situation to you (mini pill, but now having heavy bleeding). Did your bleeding settle down?

SaraB, I just read this post and me too! I had no idea it was anything to do with this diet. I did 8 weeks BSD just after Christmas, took a month off the diet, then doing it again now for a month. I didn’t connect that with the fact that my last four periods (ie since I started the diet) have been the heaviest of my life. Is this problematic long term? I also had one period that lasted three weeks. I assumed it was just me approaching menopause. I’ll do a bit of research now.