I have never “done a diet” before so maybe I am outside of the target market but this is all very confusing. How do I know what I can eat and not eat? The rules are so vague! Yes, I bought the book and read it – it just doesn’t tell me me specifically what I can and can’t have. I thought I would be better with the recipes, but no! There are loads of things in them that he has previously said are banned. Are some things allowed in small amounts?

Things I have no idea about…
nutritional yeast
mayonnaise
soy sauce
marmite
hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
mustards (English and french)
vegan bouillon powder
salad cream
Dried onion
Oxo beef stock cubes
Knorr stock pots
Wholewheat noodles
Wholewheat pasta
Red split lentils
Black turtle beans
Maize
Chestnuts
Chickpeas
Nuts and seeds
Tinned tomatoes
Kidney beans
Branston pickle
Peanuts/ peanut butter
Horseradish

Hi Viola
On the BSD, you have to get used to reading the nutrition panels on foods, so that you get to know which are full of sugar and/or high in carbs and so are best avoided. Of the list you gave, I would say the items to avoid completely are: Salad Cream, Noodles and Pasta regardless of whether or not they are wholewheat (any thing with wheat is a no-no as these are high in simple carbs), similarly maize is high in carbs, but a little sweetcorn in a meal is a okay and finally Branston pickle has a high sugar content, so again should be avoided.

Things like nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas, lentils etc. contain complex carbs, but should be consumed in small portions if you are aiming to keep carbs as a low component in the makeup of your 800 calories. Things like onions and tomatoes are higher in carbs than you might suspect, so again, consume in small amounts to keep your carb intake low.

Really, there is some trial and error involved in the early days of doing the BSD and I would recommend that you record everything consumed – both calories and grams of carbs – so that you can track what makes up your diet and can see where adjustments might need to happen.

Sorry if this all seems complicated, but once you get your head around it, it’s actually much easier than it appears at first glance. Basics are, eat full fat and include things like olive oil, nuts etc – these make you feel full and stay that way for longer; drink plenty to keep yourself well hydrated; avoid simple carbs especially wheat, potatoes, cakes, breads, biscuits, pastas, rice (brown and white) and anything high in sugars; weigh and measure what you are having whenever this is possible (at least in the early days) and finally record what you consume and track your progress too.

Hope the above is in someway helpful. I’m guessing although you say you are not a diet person, you are looking to make some healthy choices and maybe lose a bit of weight along the way and the BSD is an excellent way to go. ….. Good Luck!

As a fellow non-dieter, I initially shared some of your concerns. In my opinion the strength of this diet is that there are generally no “forbidden” foods. You don’t say which version of BSD you’re looking at. If you’re going for the 800 then most people combine this with keeping the carbs typically under 50g per day. You are then free to eat more or less what you want.

Whilst not going for a blow by blow review of your list, the pasta looks a bit dodgy as keeping it under the carb limit would probably give you a very small portion. I would also go light on the lentils and beans and take care over some of the sauces as they can be havens for added sugars/carbs.

Nuts are OK in moderation and some people swear by small portions of peanut butter to stave off cravings.

Just weigh and measure what you use – the world is your oyster!

If you are finding it hard you are probably looking at it as a conventional diet. There really are no hard and fast rules, the low carbs allow you to have a super healthy diet nutritionally on just 800 calories a day, which explains why some people have been able to keep the 800 going up to a year until goal with no ill effects. This means that no food is forbidden, but the quantities have to be quite carefully matched to the nutrition you want. If you start with the protein your body requires to build muscle and repair itself, add some extra healthy fats from full fat dairy and other sources to approximately 300-400 calories worth of fat to manage your satiety, and finally add vegetables of all colours, and a small amount of fruit, you will not find much room left for many of the processed foods above, but if they are used in suitably tiny amounts for flavouring they are all permitted. The white stuff is regarded as banned purely due to its effect on blood sugar, if I recall correctly, as it can cause even more extreme spikes than sugar. The pulses, nuts and seeds are all not only permitted but recommended as healthy sources of protein and fat. Some of the vegan BSDers use nutritional yeast, so I can only assume that is okay too.

Oh my goodness, this is so confusing. What is a small portion? What is moderation? I don’t understand how it can be so confusing. Apparently it’s based on studies, but no protocol could be this lacking in detail. I can write everything down, but how do I process this information? What do I do with the results?

I bought the book, the blood sugar diet, and read that twice. I saw a page with a box on which said about eating eggs and full fat and things. Not very clear. What do you mean by the versions? I have checked again and I can’t find the part where it says about 50g of carbs a day. How do I tell if I am typical?

I’m not sure if I had any clear expectations for this diet, but I assumed it would be possible to work out what I was supposed to do. For example, he says no tropical fruit and then some of the recipes at the back call for pineapple! How do I find out my protein requirements?

I suggest you Google Martin Ankerl’s keto calculator to try to get some idea of what your protein requirements are. With regard to the tropical fruit in recipes, I haven’t used any, I didn’t get the books until quite late, but if the quantity in the recipe is very small, then I guess it is just a case of a little of what you fancy does you good.

I believe the protocol in question is the standard pre bariatric surgery diet, given a real food and Mediterranean twist and incorporating optional intermittent fasting.

Honestly it’s not that hard, or I wouldn’t have made it to week three. You do need to use an app to record food as you go though, otherwise you would be doing a lot of calorie counting and faffing. I use My Fitness Pal which lets me scan barcodes to get accurate nutritional info, automatically calculates my carbs and keeps track of calories. I’ve also found a small, accurate digital scale useful for weighing nuts and seeds etc.

* Keep under 800 calories a day.
* Make your 800 calories up from fats (full fat yogurt, olive oil, egg, butter, meat, cheese), above-ground vegetables, and berries.
* Don’t snack.
* Do this for eight weeks – by the end you will feel better and weigh less. Easy 🙂

Hi Viola

You may be trying to overthink this. It is based on previous and on-going research, rather than being part of that study. As such, your worries about the “protocol” may be a bit of a distraction.

Re: the ‘versions’ – there is the eight week Fast800 which is sub-800 calories every day for an eight week period with intermittent fasting
There is also a 5:2 version where the 800 calorie restriction is followed on 2 days a week with a less rigorous diet for the other five.

The 50g of carbs is not in the book, but is a level that a number of people on this forum have found to be effective in encouraging weight loss and improving blood sugars. As everyone is different. you will have to experiment to see what works for you.

It is a bit of work to plan what you want to eat and work out the cals and carbs, but it is achievable and many people have found it successful. I would suggest giving it a go and seeing how you get on.

Hello Viola
I’d like to emphasise ShrinkMe81’s message on my fitness pal. This was my lifesaver.

I hate confusing diets so always try to look at them as simply as possible. In a way, this is the easiest I’ve ever followed. MFP totals up your carbs, proteins, fats, sodium, calories, everything.

So: I just focused on 3 things for the first 8 weeks. 1) 800cal. 2)50g or less of carbs to boost my weightloss. 3)And fats where possible – oils, full fat yoghurt, full fat milk, butter, cream, etc.

To me that was easy and all I had to think about while struggling through those eight weeks. And really I ate what I liked apart from refined carbs and sugar.

Now my life is even easier having reached target. All I think about is – small portions, eat when hungry, eat fats, and low carb. It becomes a habit. And I don’t log on MFP anymore.

I understand it’s different for everyone…… but give it a go and hopefully you’ll be amazed and surprised 🙂

Hi Viola – this is obviously getting you very confused so I would suggest the following:

Pick a breakfast recipe from the book
Pick a lunch recipe from the book
Pick a dinner recipe from the book

Cook them. Eat them.

Repeat.

Do not worry about carb levels or calories or what you can’t have or measurements – just start – and spend some time on the forum. It will get easier.

Viola, topcac has hit the nail on the head re: simplifying things. This was the way I approached the fast 800 for 8 weeks.

I just picked a menu from the recipes in the book, bought the foods and prepared my meals for each day in line wth the menu.

Sometimes the recipes needed a tweak or weren’t practical for my work arrangements so I’d only eat them on the weekend. You’ll find what works best. I know that you’ve never been on a diet before but you have to put your foot outside the door to start a journey.