BIG NED fab result! Well done,you must be feeling like youre walking on air!
Total respect for doing what youve done in very difficult circumstances xx so sorry for yr loss xx
Another big hug X

Thanks for the kind words folks! Not walking on air, more like shuffling spasmodically, but the sentiment is nice, lol! As for support, well to be honest I’ve always been pretty singular when I set my mind to something and knuckle down. After my paralysis I gave up a 60 a day cigarette habit without patches or suchlike, and stopped drinking altogether (I was in the pub nearly every night of the week) a couple of years after that as the quack said it was killing me. That was hard as well, but I’ve been smoke free 7 years and dry for nearly 5 (May 29th is that anniversary!) It’s surprising what you can do when you set your mind to it.

I started the BSD diet after the doctor said my diabetes check up in late September 2016 showed my blood sugar levels had risen almost 70% since I was last tested. Then 4 days later there was a Panorama documentary on the rising problem of diabetes here in the UK that showed a guy getting his foot sawn off, and a lady losing her leg at the hip. It frightened me to death because his circumstances were being mirrored by myself, and I knew that it was going to happen sooner rather than later to me.

So, I took a few days to get into the right frame of mind whilst I waited for both of Michael Mosley’s books, the BSD and 5:2 diet ones, to arrive from Amazon and then got cracking. I’ve found it remarkably easy so far, any time I’ve felt like relapsing I just re-watch the Panorama doc, or Michael’s ‘Eat, fast and live longer’ programme, and that put’s me back on track.

I will next likely post when I have the results from my new blood test which will be in the next few weeks. I’m hoping that the diabetes will be going south towards me becoming free from it, as that is my biggest concern rather than the weight loss, which of course is great in itself as I feel so much better already for it. Until then, take care people, remember, it’s a mind thing, and that can be controlled if you try hard enough…..Or so I keep telling meself!

You have had great success to this point Big Ned – ‘so just keep swimming!’!

At the end of my first week yesterday, I have lost 3kg. (6.6lb) Very happy with that and I have settled into an eating pattern which does not leave me hungry and which also got me through work days.

I am useless at calorie counting. downloaded an Ap but it is just too generalised ( I don’t weigh food often either!) I may need to tighten up in the next few weeks, if and when things slow down!

Feeling good and my goal of 10kg in 8 weeks is still the target. Fiji, here I come!

best wishes to all those heading into week 2 – it seems like a long road but reading posts really keeps me motivated too.

Well done big ned, amazing results, very inspiring to the rest of us!
Keep fighting the good fight!

Hello everyone,

I’m one week in and have lost 2.8kg. I started out at 80.5kg which is not great for my 164cm height and I aim to get down to about 65kg, a weight which I have not seen for many years. I don’t have diabetes but I borrowed a friend’s tester and found my fasting reading was at the top end of normal. Also my blood pressure has been on the rise and I have generally been feeling a bit average with niggling health issues arising. At 48 years of age I just felt that now was the right time to do something about my health.

To be honest, I have felt guilty about not taking better care of myself for years but most diet or exercise regines I have ever tried are just too hard to stick to. I picked up a copy of the book without any real intention of following the 800cal diet but by the end of reading it I felt I could at least give it a crack!

So far I have found the diet very easy and am so surprised that I don’t seem to feel hungry. All the food I do eat tastes incredible and I seem to have more energy and am more emotionally stable too. It seems too good to be true so far and I am almost scared to say that I think I can actually do this! No other diet I have ever been on has felt this good or this do-able long term.

Reading your stories, especially those as inspiring as yours bigned, has been instrumental in helping me to get in the right frame of mind. Please keep posting and telling us about your progress and any hurdles you encounter or tips for how to stick at it when the going get rough. It’s great to go on this trek in such good company, I look forward to hearing about how you are all going.

Forgot to say Abbado – look at My FitnessPal app – it is very useable and adaptable. Lots of people on these threads have recommended it. Spend some time getting to know it – it is worth it. I hate counting and weighing too but this app makes it pretty easy. It’s intuitive so it learns what foods you eat regularly and which foods you combine and even prompts you based on that. Entering recipes is really easy too.

Just reporting that currently I’ve been 21 weeks on ‘maintaining’. From 9st 6lbs (original goal weight) on 10th September I’m now 8st 6lb today.

For the last 6 weeks weight has fluctuated between 8st 8lb and 8st 6lb on official weighing day. This week I saw numbers on the scale not seen for decades, dropping down to 8st 5lb and 8st 4lb.

CAPTAINLYNNEyou continue to amaze us! X 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Ive lost twelve pounds so far this year,,despite upping calories. Just shows watching the carbs does the trick!
I have always had 50 g per day which isnt too punishing,but seems to work for me

I literally have no trousers now..the only pair that arent too big have shrunk in the length in the wash and are at half mast!
One pair i left too late,tried them on and theyre massive…shame coz v nice ones xx

Ps well done MUNGBEAN! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Hi Yowzer *waves*

Good to hear from you. Seems ages since I saw one of your posts.

Great news that you’ve lost another 12 pounds this year. How much is that altogether? And how much more do you want to lose?

I think I’ve given up on trousers. At least for now. I do have the pair of jeggings I bought a few months ago that still fit ok. My last pair of jeans is almost on the way to a charity shop, following every pair of jeans and trousers I possessed. My struggle with trousers seems to be that the legs are just too wide! And now I’ve got nothing to sit on, trousers don’t seem to look good anyway!

So it seems it’s skirts for me at the moment. Or, if I could find one I like, a dress or two. I’ve a few pencil skirts and a few blouses/tops so I do have options. Regular visits to charity shops is on my list of things to do!

Shame about your nice trousers. Hope you find some new ones.

Howdy CAP’N! Ive lost five and a half stone in 31 weeks,wdnt mind losing another stone and a half but will see how it goes
I wish i could wear skirts! I’ m waiting for appt to oedema clinic coz i have swollen knees and ankles..doc thinks it could be oedema 🙁
used to just assume it was just fat…legs look a bit at odds with body now. Hope it isnt oedema coz as far as I know,theres no real treatment for it,apart from diuretics and compression bandages helping…
Bandaged legs not a v glam look eh! No mini skirts or hotpants for Yowzer!
Charity shops a good idea for bargains.i ve had lots of tops from them,but not sure i fancy secondhand troosies!
Think i’ll have to invest in a few new pairs. Nice to know all our old ones are making themselves useful in that travelling circus tho hehe!
Your pencil skirts sound very smart and from seeing the DM pic,you look good in dresses so go for it!
I noticed somewhere else you said about you needing to be careful with yoghurt and nuts..me too..theyve become my vices! XXX
Ps my local cat rescue shop has received a lot of my pjs,tops,jackets recently…hopefully nice cheap bargains for someone and always good to help out the pussycats! XX

Hi Yowzer

Five and a half stone is a great result so far. Congratulations.

Could you wear opaque tights to cover the bandaged legs? Just a thought.

At 5′ 1″ it’s easier to find skirts (and easier to alter them if needed) than trousers. I’m trying to get out of the habit of wearing midi length skirts, as well as full skirts. My preferred skirts are currently knee length pencil ones.

Charity shops are a great hunting ground. Sometimes I’m lucky, other times not. I’m more prepared to try something different at those prices – if it doesn’t fit, or doesn’t look right, it goes back to a charity shop. No problem. I’m trying to be adventurous! My jeggings were from a charity shop but looked almost new. I’m reluctant to buy shoes there though.

The travelling circus has certainly done well out of us. All that equipment and props that we’ve provided LOL

I really must try to get a more current photo! The DM photos are a stone away.

Not much in the local shops (regular or charity) that I like at the moment. I did see a dress I really liked in a charity shop, but it was sleeveless so I left it. By the time I worked out how I could wear it, it had gone 😢 Lesson learned!

I need a shopping trip, perhaps to York or London but no time in the next few months. But I’m off to Italy in March so will look there – Cremona has lots of small shops as well as clothes shops in the out of town shopping mall (if we can get there). Have made a note of size conversions just in case.

It’s nuts and cream I have problems with. *sob*. They seem to affect lots of us. Who’d have thought it?

I don’t have much sleeveless stuff myself, those flappy wings left behind just look wrong to me, but I did buy a skater style sleeveless dress in a charity shop the other week because I’d always wondered whether the shape would suit me (pear shape, so pencil skirts rarely fit), and it was only 99p in the sale. It looks brand new and the shape does suit so I think i will have to learn to get artistic with a decorative shawl or something. I don’t have a problem with nuts or cream, but cheese has to be very tightly controlled.

Someone suggested a shrug over the sleeveless dress I missed out on. Probably easier than a shawl.

The skater dress sounds great. I’ve wondered about them myself. Great buy at 99p.

Would individual portions of cheese help?

Individual portions helped a lot when I was doing 800 calories, but I have a lot of variety of cheeses in the fridge all the time traditionally, most of which don’t come packaged like that (Waitrose deli cheeses are what I mainly have a weakness for). I have got better at judging weights, and now I am on more calories it doesn’t matter so much if I am a few grams over, but I could happily tear into a whole cheeseboard every day. I will look out for a suitable shrug, black might do it.

CAP’ N ….opaque tights are a great idea,and cream,yeh me too..bought some whipping cream today but the cal count is whopping so i must go easy!
and MIX i wd love a skater dress! What a bargain you got! AND youre still losing! There are some incredible folk on this site..i think htey shd make a documentary about you n CL xx

Yowzer – as long as the documentary isn’t like the one I just watched. All about the ‘super slimmers’ and following up on their progress. They’d all lost huge amounts of weight, some at slimming clubs, others on meal replacement programmes. Some had done punishing exercise regimes.

All except one had regained most, if not all, of the weight within 3-5 years.

The exception still exercises for a long time each day. He eats Haribo sweets – lots of them – then exercises to offset them. But he’s kept the weight off.

Interestingly, the people interviewed all seemed to talk about dieting then eating normally. A lesson for us all?

I saw that one to, it did shock me especially the man that said he would rather be fat then have the baggy skin! I am looking at the BSD as healthy eating and changing your life style. I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to weigh yourself every week once you reach you target and that is something I will aim to do. I have a long way to go before I get to target, ( I have 8 stone to go) but my 10lb first week will keep me motivated.

I am still weighing daily at the moment but after June plan to switch to monthly. I am at target, but aware my body may not wish to stay there, gain a bit or lose a bit more, either way is possible and I hope that another few months will have me at some sort of equilibrium like that enjoyed by Krysia and Captainlynne.

If I had ever thought about skin removal surgery the sight of all those scars would have put me off.

I still weigh myself daily when at home. I’ll see how I feel about it in a few weeks when I get home from Italy after a week there. *thinks* – I always used to weigh daily when at slimming clubs – don’t seem to like weekly weighs!

So – might stay with daily, might not. Not a problem either way.

I think I will need a break from the constant weighing and planning by then. I won’t be making any drastic changes to what I eat and drink even after that, why would I when everything tastes so good, and I feel fantastic, but there will be occasions when I indulge. Thankfully I am comfortable with moderation after testing myself over the last few months. I am moving towards a kind of 5:2 but more like 5:1:1 with one ‘free’ day a week. I don’t have to indulge on my free day if I don’t want to, and I figure it should be balanced by the 800 fast day every week. Occasional glasses of wine will be allowed on the 5 days as well, but not going over my TDEE. I found a diet called Slow Carb diet which used a BSD friendly low GI diet and a free day for those people like me who aren’t happy if they try to exclude things permanently, but I will never put this all back on again. I can’t even imagine going back to eating all the rubbish even on a free day, it will be more for social occasions and the occasional (not too sweet) dessert..

Hi Can I join you ladies.

I just completed my second week on Fast 800. I lost 12lb in week 1 and 5lb in week two. Starting weight was an embarrassing 18stone .7lbs. Bmi 46. Got a looong way to go but heading in the right direction.

My fasting blood sugar started at 6.7 then week one was down to 5.5 but this morning it was back up to 5.8??? Not really sure why. I’m drinking plenty. Sticking to 800 calories and always under 50g of carbs.

I don’t mind though still lower than my starting results and weight loss is great.

Well done everyone on your fantastic losses too.

Hi Maccy

It’s quite common for blood sugars to do what you describe. But then they go down again and stay down. Mine started at 10.9 but soon dropped to normal and stay there. No medication at any point.

Stick with it and you should see results.

Hi Maccy, BG jumping from 5.5 to 5.8 is about a 3% increase, hardly worth mentioning. Our bodies are not exact sciences and fluctuate here and there depending on lots of things. I sometimes find when I have a bit of a whoosh and lose 2 or 3 lbs my BG goes up as if it doesn’t know what has happened or what to do about it. I don’t worry any more as I know if I am sticking with the plan it will even itself out again. Don’t forget that HbA1c is an Average over 12 weeks so takes into account ups and downs. Just keep on keeping on…

Another pound off. Weight today is 8st 4lb. For the record, that’s a total loss of 110 lb since I started the BSD.

Just joined this forum and I need a bit of encouragement! End of Week 7 and have lost 26lbs (which I am thrilled with!) but have plateaued, despite sticking absolutely to the ‘no carb’ rule. I have to admit that I don’t weigh everything , but have not had one glass of red, or anything ‘naughty’. To be honest, the cravings for those things have gone completely and I am loving the range of foods in the recipe book. Flavours are heightened and I never feel hungry. This is the only diet I have ever felt I could continue forever! Granted I still have 4 stones to lose but at this rate it is doable. I’m 62 and not able to do very much exercise due to arthritic knees!
It’s really helpful reading everyone’s stories. Thanks.

GranniAnnie

Wow what a fantastic weight loss you have had in seven weeks! I am just starting week 7 and I have lost 14 lb. I have noticed that in the last two weeks my weight loss has slowed right down too but I am an avid reader of this forum and it seems that everybody suffers from some slower weeks from time to time and then suddenly there can be a surge! Like you I have not had any alcohol since starting the diet and am sticking to the plan rigidly with absolutely no cravings which I think is the key to being able to do this diet for the long term. Stick to what you’re doing- you’ve done brilliantly. Have a good look around the forum and you will be inspired. I certainly am.

Thank you so much ClarinetCathy. That’s just the sort of thing I need. Will definitely be a regular reader from now on!

Wow ! That’s amazing 😉

Hey guys relative newbie here. Just started this a week ago and already 7 lbs down. Started at 191lb now at 184 lb which I haven’t seen in ages! So motivating. How does everyone find the second week of BSD I’m not sure what to expect.

Hi,
Its Day 1 for me and my starting weight is 14 stone 13 lbs. I’m 5ft 10 ins and need to get to 12 stone 7lbs for a BMI of 25 and a good stone lower than to be middle of the healthy BMI range.
x

Hi Lilybean – I was 193.5 lb when I started on 1st January. Now just over 7 weeks in I have lost (as at last Saturday – I don’t weigh every day) 21.5 lbs. My first week I lost 5 lbs, then 2nd week 3.5 lbs, 3rd week 4 lbs….fairly steady loss but not as quick as some on the forum. It has slowed down the last few weeks averaging 2 lbs a week for weeks 5, 6 and 7. To answer your question, second week was fine, I was so motivated by the first week’s loss and it wasn’t a huge struggle for me. Whilst I have not succumb to any alcohol or sweet things in the seven weeks, I have not religiously counted carbs or calories, nor have I exercised enough, so that is my next challenge to help the weight loss along.
I had planned a celebration at the end of the 8 weeks but it will probably be a very small one, as it looks like I will still have around a stone still to lose!
Good luck with everything!

Wow chunkyd that is amazing! If I could loose anywhere near that I would be thrilled! So motivating to see how well everyone has done

Lilybean – having lost 7 lbs in the first week, as long as you stick to what you have been doing I am sure you will see results. Remember to drink plenty of water and take exercise (which I am failing to do!!) to optimise the weight loss.

Hi Lilybean – second week was fine, especially spurred on by a great first week loss! I eased myself into it gradually over 2 weeks, gradually cutting down on carbs. Hope you find, as I did, that the cravings for your favourite ‘stuff’ disappears by the end of Week 3. My tastebuds have definitely changed and the thought of a great big serving of ‘pudding’ is not appealing at all! Keep it up.

Hi I am on day three and finding the recipes amazing !!

I feel the need to share! Day 51 – 2st 1lb gone!!! Just the other 4 stones to go now. Onwards and downwards!

Well done GrannieAnnie from another Grannie.
X B

Hi there I have been on the diet since week last Sunday with my friend and we have both lost 6 pounds each ! So thrilled and the recipes are delicious lots of energy and lots of exercise !!

And here are the result from the swedish weigh in: just weighed in after my third week and I’ve lost 7kg and 8 cm on waist. Too bad I can’t post a picture of my chart that is helping me stay on board. On the horizontal axel (right word?) I have weeks and on the vertical kg and cm (waist). I will mark the milestones with a red pen and let me do something extravagant each time I pass one. I think the diet is a bit of a struggle. But not too bad. And watching the curve drop on the chart is fantastic! Good luck everyone. And thanks for all the encouraging posts.

Hello all my name is Doreen, i keep my self on diets and i lost about 15 lbs in about 1 year of diet, for me its a verry good result i have to keep my self on diet couse i am diabete category I ! but have to go through! 🙂 have a good day!

Just reporting that still maintaining within the boundaries I’ve set myself. Today I weight 8 stone 4 pounds. That’s about 35 weeks and a loss of a further 16 pounds since I hit my original goal weight.

Have posted this elsewhere, but thought I would add it here, that I have lost 1.5lb this week, bringing me to within 1.5lb of my goal weight. Very pleased with this result and hoping I might see that goal weight at the end of this week – just need to keep control of things and hopefully will be post success next Monday.

Good luck on your weigh-ins everyone!

Hi friends x ! What a fab positive thread this is..so many great results..we are all doing ourselves a great favour looking after our health!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Well done SUNNYB LYNNE and everyone..and welcome Doreen,CAPPEN85 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Ive lost 80 lbs now in 34 weeks..well, that was according to a late night weigh in at DDs last night after eating lunch and dinner..hoping to weigh again later this morning for an even better empty tum result!
Onwards and downwards we go! xxx

Yowzer49: Wow that’s a great weight loss for 34 weeks. Because of you and a few others here I have finally gotten back on track and stopped sabotaging myself every time I hit a new low. I have lost over 10.4 pounds since I restarted.

Ahhh so glad HIW! Good to know youre on track again! X
Yes deffo,all keeping each other going on here,same as on the good old 5:2 forum.
All in the same boat and rowing along as best we can! Xx keep up the good work! Onwards and downwards!x

Thought I would do a little check in, I’m 4 weeks in and 11lbs down which I’m super chuffed with especially after a difficult 3rd week!

Not been on here for a while, so good to see so many ‘new starters’ and ‘keeping goings’ posting such positive results! I’m keeping going with the 800 for now (Day 70 – today!) as I’ve lost 37lbs – that’s just under half of what I need to lose – aiming for 80-85 altogether. As an unfit 63 year old with creaky knees, a wonky pelvis and arthritis I figure it’s all going really well!!
Keep up the good work everyone.

That’s a great result, GrannieAnnie! Many of us are still soldiering on and managing to report losses along the way. Seems like you really have the whole 800 thing sorted and at this rate, it won’t be long before you are posting hitting your ultimate goal.
Keep going and good luck!

I’m blessed by having a very supportive hubby, who does most of the cooking around here! Not sure I could do the 800 if I was still teaching …. I needed my biscuits and wine back then! The brilliant thing about this diet is that it is family friendly (just add carbs in for the kids!) and it’s not boring!

Yowzer: I got your private message on the 5:2 forum and sent you one back when I saw it.