Losing weight is tough, and there will always be times when you encounter set backs. That is why it is so important to have the support of others who are either going through the same thing, or who have been there, done it, and have tips to share. So don’t be shy, join in! We look forward to following your progress.

Looking forward to starting!

I started on Monday and have had a few hunger pangs but nothing substantial. Weighed myself this morning and I have already lost 2.4kg. Delighted. Need to start the exercise now to increase the weight loss.

This is good to hear, the thing I’m most worried about is being hungry all the time!

I started last week and lost 2 pounds but more importantly my fasting blood sugar dropped from 16.8 to 10.2 so it’s heading in the right direction!

I suffer from reactive hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), and need to eat very regularly, approx. every 3 hours. I eat very healthily, but my weight around the middle will not shift. I want to try the diet, but worry about coping with the reduced calorie approach. My doctor has been no help. I would love some advice about overcoming this condition, which I believe to be related to, but different from, type 2 diabetes.

Malkay, you can have snacks with you all the time. The thing with this diet is to have low carbs and get energy from slower burning fats so blood sugar does not spike. So your snacks could be a combination of eg nuts and cheese as well as high carb if your blood sugar is low. My son takes Baby Belle cheese as it is well wrapped and he knows the nutritional content of each portion. Good luck, hopefully you will find a way.

Thank you Arran Granny. I do always carry snacks, and eat mostly low carb, but do often eat oatcakes as a snack, as they help me to feel better quickly if I am getting low. I guess the answer is to not get the lows in the first place. I know I am often tempted to eat too much in an attempt to avoid the lows. I will try the cheese without the carbs, and try to eat smaller portions. Thanks.

We all have to experiment with what suits our own situation. Oatmeal and porridge are recognised as healthy food but oatmeal spikes my blood sugar level – so not for me just now. Just keep trying, Malkay and everyone, you will find what suits you to keep your blood sugar as stable as possible and then get into the “normal” range. I have decided to consider that I have a food intolerance ie carbohydrates. If it was gluten or nuts or anything else we would avoid those foods and would be advised to do so quite rightly. So I am avoiding carbs. In 2 weeks my fasting blood sugar has come down from 9.4 to 6.3. We will all make different progress but progress we will make. If we have a night out then we can go and enjoy it ( within reason and without guilt ) then just work harder to compensate. We are here to make the best we can of what we have got – and we will !

Hi. I’m a 46year old Mum of 3 school age children, who works long hours in another school, and has struggled with my weight all my life, and at 5’4″ and 16 stone, need to get things under control.

I have been following the principals of this diet, since 4th January, and having been very inspired by Michael, with his well researched healthy life style recommendations, since the original “fast Diet” documentary. I have tried this, with some success, but as soon as I ease off, my weight just spirals again.

I totally support and understand the need to reduce / remove sugar from our lives, and limit refined carbohydrates.

I think for me, it will be a 5:2 version, as it will be easier to manage with my busy life – That being 5 x 800 cal days, and 2 sugar free days with limited carbs, at the weekends – As a mum of school age children, how can I not encourage the children to learn / experiment with cooking, and of course, I have to try what they have made!!!! I will encourage them to make savoury recipes, but what child doesn’t want to make muffins!

Wish me luck.
To date, I have lost 5lbs!

I keep embarking on a low/no carb approach, then I will read something that says you shouldn’t do low carb, just slow release carbs, so then I eat slow carbs. I get really confused about what I should be eating, but think I do feel better avoiding carbs. Thanks for the support, I guess there is no ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, just what works for us as individuals.

Since being diagnosed type 2 diabetic 2013 I’ve tried to really educate myself on the subject. Yes, a lot too late I agree! Sadly the NHS & my GP practice are, I’ve found, still as ignorant as I was. I’ve read books & looked at many World Wide Web sites to gain info that I think appertains to me. Promoting the taking of copious amounts of carbs to me was wrong & just made me worse. I knew bread & potatoes gave me gastric reflux & I chewed Rennies every night hoping I could lay down & sleep without the pain & choking. When I cut down or eliminated them from my diet, I slept & NO reflux. Simples! But it took a long time to put diabetes, carbs , cause & effect together! So, get to really know your body & listen to it. It knows what’s wrong even if you are ignoring it.
Find out as much as you can about what you are doing & going to do. READ & understand what your body SHOULD be doing & what it IS doing. Books: Jenny Ruhl Blood Sugar 101 & Diet 101. Dr Michael Mosley & Mimi Spencer The Fast Diet & The 8- week blood sugar diet. (Daily Mail today & nxt week). This is just a sample but The Sample as far as I’m concerned. Get informed & think laterally. You like me got yourself into this mess BUT we now stand a chance of getting OUT of it. There was no hope before Prof Roy Taylor & his findings at Newcastle Uni.
Millions of us are already Diabetics! Get the Knowledge. Do the Knowledge & Pass it on x

I wholeheartedly agree. It can be tough to stick to the principles of
low carbing, but the Newcastle diet and the knowledge that it is possible to put your diabetes into remission,which is provided by the books you mention above , give hope to those of us who are already diabetic.knowing that it is not inevitable to deteriorate into insulin dependence and loose eyesight, a limb or kidney function as I have observed in older relatives.

Hello. Today’s my first day on the BSD. I thought until recently I was diabetic for life. Now I believe differently. Due to back problems I can’t exercise very much but I can do something about my weight. So here goes.

Good luck Rosy! The book and this site have given me the confidence to go low carb, after not being sure it was the right thing to do (after reading lots of conflicting stuff). After a few days, I am beginning to feel better. Early days, but feel motivated to continue. Just impatient to see the weight start moving!!

Hi,
I’m trying to adjust my eating to be much more Mediterranean (although not with large pasta portions!). I initially tried the fast 800 calories a day diet, but not exactly – I might even have eaten fewer than 800 calories a day, for two to three days, and didn’t like it. I added a small amount of porridge oats and 25mg portions of rice to some meals, and these helped me to tolerate the meals without extra carbohydrates. I don’t have type 2 diabetes though. I’ve lost some weight after two weeks, and am continuing to try the recipes like the portobello mushroom with pine nuts (I chopped hazelnuts instead), and creamy goat cheese and some salad leaves – lovely. I’d like to get my waist size below 30″ as it’s about 32″ at the moment.

Hi Eureka,

I once tried not eating bread and other wheat products because I thought I was sensitive to gluten, and I’d read the ‘wheat belly’ book and a comment about wheat making acid reflux worse. A blood test indicated that I wasn’t a coeliac, but I did think that the break from bread and pastry helped my reflux problem to settle down. Perhaps it was the fat in wheat products that made it worse. Holidays to France are a bit tricky as bread and cakes are so tempting there – along with chocolate, and alcohol! Perhaps the temptations had better be tiny in future.

Hi starting blood sugar diet in the morning, i’m a fish eating veggie, any advice on healthy alternative’s to meat?

Hi Jules & Michaelmas Daisy, welcome
My eyes are already affected by diabetes. It didn’t take long & can’t be reversed BUT I can try to halt the progress. Do fight for your eyes to be tested ASAP after you are diagnosed, it took too long for me & I wear specs & am regularly tested at opticians.

Reflux isn’t helped by eating chocolate. It decreases pressure in the lower oesophageal sphincter allowing gastric reflux to occur. Ain’t much fun in life sometimes is there!

However, this project is all about self help & encouragement. We can do it. All tips & ideas welcome. Knowledge is power.

We can all tolerate some carbs I think, the trick is, HOW MANY? To find out we have to eliminate them & then bring them back into our diet gradually. If you are type 2 diabetic get testing as you reintroduce carbs & see what elevates those blood sugars!

I know I know about protein portions etc & it’s in my books. Just need time to re read them. I think you can find out good info from Jenny Ruhl web site Blood Sugar 101. She’s American, a diabetic & done loads of research & writing on diabetes. You will find her very helpful & knowledgeable

I’ve just weighed myself after 18 days and my weight seems to be down by 12lbs. I’m really encouraged. I know a few lbs must be water, but still got to be quite a bit of fat in there! Stupidly didn’t take the advice about other measurements but am sure the big chunk of fat around my middle is a bit smaller.

I’m also really enjoying finding tasty foods I can eat and surprised by how much choice there is.

Hope everyone else is doing well and feeling good.

Week 1 done and I am thrilled. I have had a 3.8 kg loss, my blood sugar is back in the normal range (my sugar levels were pre-diabetic) and I have lost 3cm off my waist.
I have always tired to diet “correctly” and not lose more than a kg a week because of it affecting my metabolism etc and this has meant I have always fallen off the wagon because the final weight goal has seemed too out of reach.
It is wonderful to be able to achieve significant weight loss quickly and not be damaging my body but actually helping it.
There have not been any hunger pangs and it is nice not having the roller coaster of quick energy followed by extreme tiredness throughout the day. I am going to continue this for the full eight weeks.
Thanks Michael – I believe you have saved me from becoming a diabetic!

Well done Rosy for taking the first step! For various reasons I have not done any added exercise – probably walk a mile or two a day max just doing shopping, housework etc, week 3 just finished and I have lost 1 stone so if you stick to it, it will work even without huge amounts of exercise. Do what you can though as exercise is important for other reasons – once you get the weight off it will hopefully make it easier, that’s my wish! Good luck and keep checking the forum as it looks like lots of helpful ad ice, tips and recipes!

Hi everyone
I’ve been reading the book and planning all week and am due to start the 8-week 800 cal plan on Monday. I have to say, I’m really looking forward to it. Although I’ve not been diagnosed with diabetes, I’m currently the heaviest (and unfittest) I’ve ever been and need to lose 4.5 to 5.5 stones to get comfortably in the healthy weight range again. It will be great to shun the usual ‘lose weight slowly and steadily’ mentality and really go for it this time. I’m addicted to sugar and carbs, and am also a fish-eating vegetarian which also brings its own difficulties in terms of planning a balanced menu, so it will be a challenge, I’m sure. Wish me luck!!

Hello everyone. I started the 800 diet 12 days ago , and to date have lost 9 lbs. I am about three stone overweight and this diet is perfect for me. I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic that I know of, but I think this diet is one that seems healthy and balanced and if it prevents me from developing diabetes that can only be good. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s posts, and am looking forward to trying more of the lovely recipes. I am dairy and gluten intolerant and happily these recipes don’t contain gluten, and I substitute soya or nut milk products if required. Good luck everyone !

I have some fuzzy feelings and light headaches in the evenings but nothing too bad. I did yard work for 3.5 hours yesterday and my blood sugar level was great afterwards. I am so sick of feeling the way i do now and taking ever increasing amounts of medication that I am committed to sticking with this for as long as it takes. I am originally from England and my mother sent me the book after hearing so much about it over there. I am so glad she did as the book explained what was going on in my body so well and gave me hope and understanding of what needed to be done. I’m also writing this as a way of reinforcing my commitment. I have had type 2 diabetes around 10 years now along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and,now, problems sleeping. I have 20 to 25 lbs to lose. I’ll post my progress and read other peoples progress to stay motivated! Thanks everyone!

Well…here goes! I love Michael Moseley and yes, I DO trust him! I’m waiting for the BSD book to arrive before I decide how to start. My biggest fear is failure. If I can’t do this, I’m not sure where I go next. There was a 12yr age difference between my parents but Mum died 3mths before her 60th and Dad died 1mth after his 60th. I’m 62 in September and after a heart attack in 2010, I can definitely hear the clock ticking! 😱😏
I was diagnosed T2 at 40 when checking in to hospital for a gall bladder op. The nurse was so excited – she’d never diagnosed diabetes before! I just wanted to run like hell!! I was about 1st overweight and started on diet only, then moved on to Metformin and pee sticks, which went off the scale (black) every time! After following NHS diet advice and gaining couple more stone, I was put on insulin to use in conjunction with the ‘healthy’ diet. So here I am 20 odd years later, 5ft tall and weighing 14st!!
The posts on this forum are inspiring and fill me with hope. It’s so good to see all the support people offer each other. Might need that support as I’m a carbaholic!
So, as I say…here goes! See you all on the other side – in a good way! 🙌🙌

Best of luck MissT. Read through some of the success stories that are emerging on here. If they don’t give you confidence, nothing will.

Hi myself and my husband have been on the blood sugar diet for a week now and we’ve both lost a good amount of weight, I’ve lost 6lb and my husband has lost 8lb. However I would question the calorific values shown on most of the meals, as when we put the ingredients into a calorie counting app that we use, it always seems to give a higher amount of calories. I was just wondering how this can be?

I would imagine it’s because different calorie counters have different values. Personally, I don’t count calories, I just follow the recipes and it seems to work well for me, as it sems to be for you and the hubby, well done and keep it up.

Its day one for me , the object is to lose at least 12lbs and hope most of that comes from the fat around my middle. I don’t have diabetes but don’t want it but my midriff fat is far too high. So hoping to lose 3-4 inches there and with my scales you get a measure of visceral fat (11.5 today), target has to be 8.5 . Like Bill its all about not counting calories but following recipes. I have done hairy bikers diet and lost 25lbs but have now 10lbs back again. So hope BSD pushes it down quickly as my diet isn’t bad except at Christmas.

Diagnosed T2 Diabetic last week and started the blood sugar diet straight away. A week later I am really pleased that I have lost 5lbs already and an inch from my waist! Have done several exercise classes and more walking too. I had been feeling unwell for a while and was a surprised to find I had high BP and Thyroid problems as well. The diet has been a really positive move for me and has kick-started my motivation to take control of myself and my own weight.

My husband is the main reason we started the BSD 4 weeks ago, he is Type 2 on Metformin and insulin; the results are amazing he has lost 15lbs and his waist has gone from 43″ to 37″ and he looks great. I have been following the diet in support as I need to lose weight and get some inches off my waist; at 70 and 5′ 2″” I started at 147lbs and am now 139 with a 6″ loss from waist. We are both doing HIT excersises and trying to walk everyday but my problem is I feel so tired, is the 800 calories a day enough for me as my blood sugar is normal?
Both love the recipes and have had no problems with cravings, struggling a bit with alcohol after having had a Dry January we feel we now need a reward, but persevering. Well done to everybody, Dr Moseley is a star!!

Day one, followed the meals to the letter but have experienced a serious laxative effect! Has anyone else experienced this?!

I have lost 19lbs since starting this diet on 20th January and am feeling great. I have actually found this much easier than the 5:2 diet because I stopped feeling hungry after 3 or 4 days. It always felt like going back to hunger pangs each day I had a 5:2 fast day. Will it be possible to maintain health/weight by doing two consecutive days of 800 calories rather than 2 days in a week of 500 calories?? Now that the weight is falling off I am thinking about how to maintain this when I lose another 12lbs.

That is fantastic!

Hi Rosy, I too have back problems – mostly discs. My GP and physio told me to try a pilates for bad backs class which is run locally by a well trained person. I was petrified at the first class because I could not move without pain but came out with much less pain and more movement. It is worth trying. I do those exercises and the resistance exercises from ‘The trust me I’m a doctor’ series and just try to walk as many steps a day as possible ( I put my pedometer in my pocket as soon as I get up and only take it out when I go to bed) if I feel I am not going to get enough steps in I just walk up and down the stairs a few times and up and down the garden.

Hi Bill, I do the same, I just follow the recipes and have lost 19lbs in 25 days. It’s so encouraging to see such fast results.

Hi all. Bought the 8 week BSD book on Wednesday on a whim. I’ve always been concerned about low calorie diets and the ‘starvation mode’ effect. That said, I’m Type 2 and although my last HbA1c wasn’t terrible (7.9) it’s the worst it’s ever been and I was close to my heaviest ever weight.

Started the diet yesterday and hope to see great improvements over the next 8 weeks, at which point it will be time for a diabetic review. I know damn well I can lead a healthy lifestyle – including exercise – because I’ve done it often enough – it’s maintaining that kills me! For now, though, I’d just like to get things medically under control and feel better about myself.

Hi, I’m pre diabetic. Gearing up to start next week after seeing my practice nurse. I hate oily fish and that won’t change. Will taking omega 3 tablets be sufficient? I can force myself into eating yoghurt but sardines and salmon will not pass these lips 😬 . That aside I’m excited by the chance to change.

Good luck to all starting 👍

HI, I’m type 2 diabetic, two and half weeks into it, I had already started to cut sugar from my diet just before christmas, so have not experienced to many sugar withdrawal systoms. I have lost about 8lbs and my bloods have been a lot lower, also my hba1c. This is the best diet I have tried (and there have been many). I would like to thank everyone who have posted their thoughts, advice, receipes etc, I now spend a lot of the day reading them all, (still beats stuffing my face!!!!!!!!). Keep up the good work and together we will make a difference