I’ve always had lots of milk (Dad really was the milkman!) and don’t suffer any digestive troubles so I’m going to keep having it. I’d feel really deprived without and give up. I have cut down as I’m no longer drinking it on its own – just in tea.

I’ll get some halloumi next time we’re shopping and try it. We’ve decided to try lots of new low carb things. Maybe we’ll get new favourites to replace some of the carby things we used to love?

Oooh, great results, both of you!

We’ve all been told for years that low fat food is the only sensible way to lose weight and anything else is faddy and because low fat diets are harder to stick to, we expect weight loss to be slow – it’s probably not surprising that this diet seems ‘wrong’ to some people.

Personally I think (and did before BSD) that guzzling lots of cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks with ‘low fat’ printed on the label can’t be healthy. Any diet which is mostly fresh food must be better than that.

Hi all,
In keto circles, dairy is limited because some people don’t tolerate it well and some think that it causes low-level inflammation which can affect weight-loss. I think you need to see how you feel – I still have dairy but I do sometimes wonder if it’s great for me. The sugar in milk is lactose, but it doesn’t affect bg levels – if you have too much though, the calories add up.
Halloumi is great for frying Squidge because it doesn’t melt – it just goes a lovely crispy golden colour – yum!
SSB

Well the results are in and Mr Pacman had lost 12lb since the 4th Jan. He was very happy with that. I lost another 1lb this morning so making me a 12lb loss as well. I had thought he would lose more being a male, but apparently not. I have spoken to a few of my friends about this diet and thay have said it is a ridiculous way to lose weight, but the proof of the pudding is in the results. I have have tried so many diets over the years and have to say this has been the most successful in terms of weight loss and I haven’t really struggled – just the occasional craving for something sweet!

You are right Squidge, half a stone in 12 days is really good and glad to hear the exercise is getting easier. I have been lifting some weights as I am waiting for a knee operation and can’t do much normal exercising apart from walking. My arms are aching, but like you, think it is getting better.

Have a great weekend, I’m looking forward to my fakitos tomorrow!

Another day with no weight loss. I suspect I’m eating a little more than I should be. I’m rather slapdash about the measuring and counting. Must make more effort! Having said that, if I was on a normal low fat calories controlled diet, half a stone in twelve days would seem quite fast weight loss, so I can’t be going too far wrong.

My waist is a little smaller! I’m getting much more used to the exercise too – I mean the idea of doing it. I’m still unfit! My recovering is a little quicker and I’m less achy in the mornings, so I’m slowly getting there.

Still no alcohol. I’m feeling a bit smug about that, especially as we have some nice drinks in the house.

I agree, very hard going this week. Here’s to better things next week

Thank you,
2 days in and my head is full of meal plans, weights and calorie counts but my body is already 3lb lighter, and most exciting, my husband’s fasted blood sugar has gone down from 9.7 to 5.3 (although the 9.7 was post a slice of birthday cake).
The only thing I’m confused with is the calorie counts in the blood sugar diet book, I know product nutrition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and veg weights vary but my ‘actual’ calorie count is vastly different to those in the book.
I’ve made a spreadsheet of the ingredients I’ve used and am balancing around the 800 mark, meal planning & calorie counting the night before then adjusting with actual weights as I prepare it. It seems to be working.
Next step will be to start some strength exercises too.

Good morning and thank you Esnecca and marie123. You made my morning both of you, and strengthened my resolve! I have slightly watery eyes in a good way, you guys are wonderful.

Well done, Granny!

Milk has sugar in it (lactose). I think that’s the reason it’s supposed to be limited. I don’t think cream and butter do, so they’re OK as long as you account for the calories.

I’ve never tried halloumi. Does it not melt when cooked?

Brilliants, stuff Zolou! It’s really good that you’re feeling well and energetic.

From reading other threads, it seems common for weight loss to slow up or stop for a while and then get going again, so if you’re doing everything right, that’s not something to worry about.

You’ve reminded me I hadn’t measured my waist again since starting. Just have and it’s smaller!

Well done everyone, so inspiring and informative to read this thread 👍. Well it’s my 10 day point and I’ve lost 2.4kg so very pleased 😀, my post Christmas bloated tummy is definitely reducing and I feel so much more energetic. I find that’s one of the most encouraging things about the BSD woe – you feel the benefits quickly 👍. I too love halloumi, have only recently discovered it through BSD, and shall definitely try it as ‘bacon’ for my Sunday brunch! On reading some of the articles I’m getting the feeling that dairy should be limited- is this right or am I misunderstanding ? I like single cream in my coffee once a day and I also have sugar free jelly with a deserspoon of single cream as a desert. Have s great day everyone 💪

Hang in, Mariet, this, too, shall pass. Can’t help with the fermentation thing as I’ve not ventured into making it. I do eat lots of kimchi and s/kraut though, love it.

Lots of good steps so far today with OH and grandson in King’s Park … walking … walking … looking out over Perth … walking …

Jande9: I have found the same thing about restaurant eating. We used to enjoy the occasional meal out but over the last year that’s changed….I just can’t seem to make myself interested. Mostly it’s because we eat so well at home…very plainly, but the ingredients are always fresh and good quality. Having said that, over Christmas, we had some fabulous sea bass with a side dish of courgettes sautéed in olive oil with garlic, parsley and pinenuts. Awesome! And easy to replicate…

Good morning all. Well finally finished week 1 and I must say it was hard going certainly not a ‘joyful’ learning experience. If it wasn’t for you making me feel ashamed for not completing I would have given up out of boredom! I also took four attempts to answer the protein question Esnecca. I think it’s the question not us!

I’m off to finish week 1 of my Liver Disease course now but here’s to week 2 and let’s hope the new course is more exciting.

That’s fantastic Zolou, keep looking at the non-scale victories and I’m sure the weight will soon follow. It’s great just to have more energy isn’t it. Keep smiling.
SSB

Good morning. Great news Nonna Mary! It’s great when you get into ‘remission’ but for me I then lost my impetus to lose more weight. However, today I have hit my top ‘trigger weight’ so no more messing around otherwise I will become one of the ‘returners’ and I’m not going there!

JM I think I need a dose of your self control! Not that I think I would need much control to refuse jellyfish! I don’t think any airline is BSD friendly but I’m sure you’ll manage, it’s just one day.

So yesterday ……
1. I was taken back to another time in my life when I was often asked “How can you live without potatoes and bread?” I was asked the same question yesterday but just ignored it. Partly because the person asking has an OH with diabetes who neglects himself, and I didn’t want to cause an argument. Cowards way out maybe.
2. Almost finished my book, Catherine Alliott “About Last Night”, not as funny as her other books but a good light holiday read.
3. Finished the first week of the Science of Nutrition course. Hopefully it will get better in week 2!

So I’m off now to have my first half litre of water and plan my menu for today then I can report a successful day in tomorrow’s post. Have a good day!

Morning,

today -0.1lb.

Keep on everyone

x

Linda and Natalie – I did the drink once. Never again. Although it led to diagnosis of insulin resistance, it really does seem bizarre to load an ill person up with what ails them. You don’t get offered that on the NHS, just a blood test. Which is infinitely less disgusting. Presumably the drink is a more sensitive test, or at least a more expensive one? 😳😉

Thankyou NonnaMary, learning fast here! Informed anectodate very useful. What a terrrobel experience for your husband. Illuminating thought about the liver, thankyou.

End of my second week today. Here are my results:

Steps: Hit the average 10,000 steps target (in fact it was 12,900 because of yesterday’s adventures).
HIT: Did my 3 days of 3 HIT sprint bursts
Strength: Still doing daily yoga
Weight: Lost 3.2lb (Current: 156.6; Start of BSD: 167.2; Target: 133; Overall loss: 10.6)
Waist: Lost 4″ since beginning – didn’t measure last week (Current: 40″; Start of BSD: 44″; Target: 33″ – half height)

Overall, weight stalled at this point, but still feeling confident in the programme and good – sharp and energetic – and loving the food.

Hi Marie
Your Galway experience sounds about right. Us Galwegians love visitors and are very proud of our town! You are more than welcome to join our growing party….😀

Woke up tired as usual. Roll on Monday, when my weekend starts. I hate on call weekends!

L x

Mine are about self control and good choices.

Went out for a meal with clients in China last night.
1) No rice or noodles – just one “good luck” dumpling.
2) No booze – stuck to a fabulous range of local teas
3) Ate lots of sensible proteins – lots of fish (whole and steamed), great seafood (including the unfortunately named “Penis worm” – Fat Innkeeper worm for those who eat Korean) and jellyfish and loads of fried and steamed veg.

After 22000 steps yesterday, I may have destroyed today’s calories count but still think I’m onto a winner. The challenge will be the flight back tonight – Air France is not really renowned for its BSD friendly menus.

You never know!

I got into tea to replace wine during my first BSD800 and it satisfies the need for a variety of beverage tastes and a nerdy level of knowledge.

You had me at “raspberry fields.” 😀 I’ve long had a dream of a big ol’ BSD party where we get together and indulge in a sumptuously low carb feast with a little something for everyone. LTC do I recall correctly that you’re in the northeast somewheres? If there’s any way to make this happen, we should get to work on it. Open invitation to all our BSD brothers and sisters across the world, it goes without saying. Just imagine coming the US and not having to deal with the horrors of making judicious choices in the post-apocalyptic strip mall landscape that is so hard to avoid here.

Here’s a reliable source for defatted peanut butter powder, Allie: http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-staples/low-carb-peanut-butter-powder . It weighs very little, so you get a lot more bang for your 2 Tblsp buck than you do with intact peanut butter. That same site, btw, is also my primary source for inulin (high fiber, natural sweetness http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-staples/inulin-fiber ), glucommanan/konjac powder (high fiber, instant thickener http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-staples/konjac-glucomannan-powder ) and these unbelievably delicious gems that, I discovered today, are AMAZING ground up with tamari almonds to make a butter: http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-baking-essentials/toasted-coconut-chips-unsweetened . They also sell the best coconut cream I’ve ever had ( http://www.holdthecarbs.com/low-carb-staples/coconut-cream ). It’s so lush and thick it’s basically like eating ice cream before you do a thing to it. No need to refrigerate it to solidify the cream and separate it from the water. There is no water. It’s all cream. This is the secret weapon in my chia pudding.

Thank you, LindA for the links that you have posted. Since o/h has done
so well on our plan, I haven’t thought about doing additional research
on sat. fat. However, I’m always interested in keeping well informed
on anything and everything that could have an impact on my husband’s
long term prospects, so I appreciate having access to more information.

Best wishes,

Allie

Hey, Judy! I’m rather glad that you started this thread, because now I always
know where to find you 🙂 You sound like you’re off to a very good start,
and aren’t finding any of this too difficult. Whereabouts in the midwest
are you? It’s been frigid here (CT) too, and a real impediment to walking
outside, earlier in week. I never noticed the cold when I was morbidly
obese, so this winter has been a shocker! A 10lb loss is an impressive
start. I am curious about one thing, however. Did I somehow miss why
you are opting for the 5:2 instead of the Fast800?
Please keep in touch,
Allie

Linda I have that 2 hour glucose tolerance test every year (because I had gestational diabetes 11 years ago) and not only do I have to drink that disgusting sugar but I have to “carb load” for three days beforehand to get accurate results. Apparently a lot of clinics don’t do carb loading any more, but mine does. Someone asked why I have the GTT and not a HbAC1 or whatever it’s called and I have no idea. I will discuss it with my new doctor when it comes around this year. My fasting bloods are always fine, it’s only the bottle of sugar that makes me spike and feel very ill.

Congrats JulesP!

‘Evening, All! Thanks to the gastronomical geniuses around here, my
interest in re-engaging in creative cooking has been peaked. I think
it’s time to seek additional fat + fiber options beyond avocado and
seeds and nuts. On the outer threads Essie was talking about defatted
peanut butter power (sugar free). Any ideas for sources, anyone?
Or recipes? I’m a very respectable cook, just haven’t done much of it
in a few years because prior to the BSD I never had the energy and
couldn’t stand long enough to have it be an enjoyable activity. Nothing
is fun when you’re in pain every day 🙂 I’m more interested in the savory,
not snacks or treats. Any ideas or recipes would be much appreciated!
My current fantasy is to find Essie and Luv together in a kitchen creating
a one of a kind meal, and the price of admission could be to offer my
skills as a sous chef, and chief stork for retrieving items residing on
upper shelves out of their reach! Oh yes, and tour guide to the
raspberry fields….Not sold yet? I can probably think of a few more…

Allie

JulesMaigret when I visited China I went to a tea tasting. I don’t recalled what their weight-loss one was called but it smelled like manure-filled stable straw. I’m not in a position to compare the two tastes as I’ve never had a brew of stable straw, but didn’t like the tea. Maybe you lose weight because it puts you off eating?

That’s interesting about marinara sauce, in Australia it definitely means it contains seafood and Aussies overseas get very disappointed if that is not what they get when they order it!

Hi Esnecca,
It’s not so much about being filled up or feeling full. It is more about hitting those buttons in my brain that say “I’m really satisfied.” I also use pure peanut flour. Its annoying that a PB2 adds sugar but at first that was all I good get.

Jan

As a tea geek, an interesting point, the Chinese drink Pu Erh when they want to lose weight. This is a “red” tea which has been left to mature and has quite a rich taste, so an option as well as Green Tea.

VictoriaM – I can completely relate to the whole chocolate bar scenario – I used to love milk chocolate but hadn’t had a piece of chocolate since August, and was fine about it. I’d read on here about people having 1 or 2 squares of Lindt so bought some for Christmas. For some bizarre reason, I assumed I’d respond differently to dark chocolate – hmm, that now sounds a bit like Esnecca’s Twix tale – but nope, ended up wolfing down most of it in one go. So, now you’re no longer that person and neither am I !

Btw, am I the only person who finds the idea of a dirty little assignation in a pay-by-the-hour motel strangely appealing? I’ve often wondered, Esnecca, if you write, either for a living or for pleasure.

Verano – I think we’ll just have to agree to differ on the blood glucose monitoring

JulesP – great news about getting into the 9st’s…. I’m still at 10 stone but I’m hoping to get there by Tueday’s weigh-in.

I’m away to a surprise birthday party from tomorrow. It involves a 3 day hotel stay but it’s only bed and breakfast so I’ll be fine. It will also give me a chance to go for a few long walks which, as a previous couch potato, I’m genuinely looking forward to.

Have a good weekend everyone

Also on the quarter-pound thing, remember that scales are not that accurate and will vary on their own internal temperature, angle of pressure on the load cells etc. I paid about £10 for my scales in a UK Supermarket and I have no delusions that they have the cheapest load cells and converters on the market so I stick to the round pound number which is likely to be near the mark.

Hey there all.. just checking in on this thread I started. I’m hanging in over here in the frigid U.S. A week in and I lost approx 10 lbs.. Of water weight I know, but that’s okay. My knees are thanking me anyway! I say “approx”, because I couldn’t bare to weigh myself on day #1. It was a number that would freak me out totally and I didn’t want to start the week depressed.. So, I weighed a couple of days in, and that number was expected.. And, then a few days later I was 5 lbs under that. So, I’m thinking between 8 and 10..

I’ve yet to do an 800 calorie day. My attempts have come in at about 1,000.. which for a larger girl like me, is pretty good. I’m trying not to get down on myself.. if I have to ease into it, so be it. Hopefully next week I can get a few solid 800 calorie days and do the BSD 5:2 as intended.

I’m making good choices both at home and when out.. so, no complaints here. I hope everyone else is doing well! Thanks again for the support!

Judy

I think Bulletproof coffee makes it more of a fasting mimicking diet rather than a true fast, although I stay clear of dairy on my FMD so would have to use another plant based oil as well as the coconut (maybe Walnut? I might try it next time) I do find the bulletproof coffee very satisfying for a long period.

Great work, now you just have to keep it off and keep that blood sugar under control. Congratulations on reaching this stage of your ongoing journey to a healthier lifestyle. 😀😀😀😀😀😀

I agree that quarter of a pound is totally insignificant, in fact my daily variation at the moment is mostly in the more than a pound bracket which is much more noticeably water, but quarter of a pound of fat is about 800 extra calories over TDEE, if you just look at what ‘fuel’ you have had extra on that one day it was far from that much. Keeping on keeping on myself at the moment, and finally starting to drop some of that water, about 4 pounds down this morning.

Just to complete my update…

Made it to week 8 and beyond 🎉I have enjoyed a good few high calorie treat days over the Christmas period but I’ve now settled on approx 1200kcal day. Still loosing weight although I’ve not got much more I can afford to lose. I never thought I’d be saying that 😀.

I’m down to 76kg making it a loss of 16kg (35lbs) with my BMI at a healthy 24.

Hopefully tracking my BSD journey here (..yes there is a typo in the title!) will motivate new starters who are now, where I was only a few months back. It flys by so stick with it and reap the rewards is my only advice. 👍

Jules, congratulations! Way to get back into single digits. I’m so pleased you found the Slotin analogy useful (to the point of research, no less!). Long may the thought of accidental atomic annhilation keep your dragon at bay. Now on to the next mini-goal and the next until the endpoint and maintenance and a lifetime of real liberation instead of being stuck in a loop of old patterns and self-harm. It’s a beautiful thing. Pat yourself on the back!

Same goes for you Victoria, Laska, everyone. We so easily fall into the trap of berating ourselves, punishing the parts of us that seem to be actively undermining our goals. But those are just fragments. Every one of us, taken as total humans, have accomplished great feats of strength. It’s so important that we well and truly feel the steel in our spines and take vocal pride in our successes and achievements, be they mental, emotional or physical.

I use goats milk butter in the absence of grass fed. It has a distinctive flavour that I like very much. Readily available in Waitrose. NB I’m off to buy a cauli tomorrow

Hard to imagine that black coffee can break a fast when green tea doesn’t. Must confess I tend to use Marvel in my drinks, because I just have not been able to acquire the taste for black tea or coffee. The amount I use, especially for tea, is minimal. I find that I really don’t like the taste of fatty milk any more and wet milk both goes off before I can finish it and makes tea cold.

Laska, you rock. Good for you for staring your dragon down, recognizing that he lives inside of you and has spent decades honing his ability to use your most painful memories and fears against you. My dragon was paralysis, depression, a certainty that any success I’d had as a youngster was sheer dumb luck, not drive or intellect or ability. I would tickle his tail by miring myself even further in the quicksand. Good thing he turned out to be the laziest dragon in the world. He couldn’t do shit to me once I cut the sugar, found real energy again and simply got up and walked away from him.

He’s probably still there somewhere, snoring throatily and farting in his sleep. I wouldn’t know, of course. Not one step backwards.

Hi Kat…

I started the fast 800 about 11 weeks ago and have had some amazing results. post here: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/new-t2-tacking-my-bsd-fast-800-journey/

I too had similar concerns as I typically burn between 2500-3500kcal a day, so 800kcal was a huge deficit. I keep strict track of calorific intake via my Fitbit. Looking back at my records I would say most days I was at around 900cal with even the occasional 1000kcal. I lost 15kg (33lbs) by the end of week 8 and I am in a healthy BMI range (24). I also felt very lethargic and lacking energy for the first two weeks and carb flu hit hard. I struggled to exercise at normal intensity levels, which to be fair I expected to be the case. However my body did soon adapt. I don’t think upping calorie intake just a little will do any harm for somebody active like yourself. I suspect you would still get greater losses and find it as tough (or tougher) than somebody less active on 800kcal.

Good luck with your efforts. I know everyone says this, it really does get easier the further along you get. 👍

That’s the spirit, Victoria! You are nobody’s cheap date, least of crap chocolate’s. It amazes me how easily we bond to things that are objectively terrible — grainy third-rate chocolate, high fructose corn syrup, chemical flavorings. I deserve the honeymoon suite at the Ritz, a massive bouquet of long-stemmed red roses and a filet mignon with a side of asparagus and hollandaise. Here’s to knowing your worth, owning your life, standing your ground no matter what or who comes at you and never again having to settle for garbage!

I had a weakness for mini Twix bars back in the dark days, which I managed to fend off until Halloween when I told myself I was getting a couple of bags for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. In 5 years, no more than a half-dozen kids ever knocked on my door. Those Twixes were always destined to go down my gullet one after the other, let’s face it.

I knew things had changed radically for me when my OH bought something like 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and I didn’t eat a single one. They stayed in the cabinet for MONTHS. I kept waiting for the day I’d crack, but it never came. He finally brought them to work and his office mates polished them off for us.

Mary – That’s brilliant news. Bloody well done! you must be rightly thrilled. It also makes getting to 15st 7lbs by your birthday so much closer. Go for it.

Leelee – if you don’t mind me calling you that – reading about Galway made me smile. We were there many years ago for a weekend. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast. Wherever we went the B&B owner would insist on calling her brother, who lived 15 minutes away, and he would come over and give us a lift – neither of them would take a penny from us for it. Can I come, too? Hope the blood tests help.
Cheers
Marie
x

Sorry about that, Jim. The good news is you can make the butter lake caulimash yourself whenever you like. 😀

At 50 grams of carbs for 100 grams, chickpea flour is a big screaming no for me. There’s no reason to destroy your numbers for the day just to thicken a soup. You’d be far better off using a fat (creme fraiche, heavy cream), plant fiber (guar gum, xantham, konjac powder) or animal gelatin (collagen). There’s no downside I’ve found to low carb eating. From my perspective, it’s all upsides as far as the eye can see.

Dr. Fung acknowledges that any calories ingested break the fast. He just doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal depending on what you’re eating. I don’t recall him advocating bulletproof coffee during a fast, just normal coffee. BPC has an enormous amount of calories so it doesn’t seem like much of a fast to me if you guzzle hundreds of calories worth of butter or coconut oil every day. If you eat nothing else, I suppose you’d be doing a form of IF. A sort of 24 hour fast, if you will.

Thanks, LTC! We’re going to have to team up to write the BSD fanatics recipe book. 😀

I keep a supply of defatted peanut butter powder in the house. I add it to sauces for a satay sort of thing, sprinkle it on my square of unsweetened bakers chocolate with flaked sea salt for dessert, and occasionally reconstitute it with yogurt or hemp milk and eat it by the spoonful topped with cacao nibs. Very delicious. You have to be careful with the brands, though, because the most popular one (PB2) adds sugar. I get mine from an organic shop and it has no additives whatsoever, not even salt. That’s fine by me. I have a half-dozen gourmet salts in my pantry and I’d much rather add my own to my liking.

Jande, it is not a coincidence that peanut butter comes close to filling you up. Guess what’s in it? Fat and fiber. Your meals sound great, but stir fries, no matter how vibrant, don’t really check all the boxes when it comes to feeling full. They’re light. Since you’re in maintenance, you can afford to ramp up the calories every once in a while and enjoy a plate full of healthy fats and high fiber veg or seeds.

Hi MnM, I wouldn’t call quarter of a pound noticeable weight – as I usually say it is only a poo or a wee away from sticking. I have been hammering the water and feeling bloated so it could even be that. Really it is a matter of jumping on the scales daily and seeing the fluctuations you wouldn’t see if I weighed weekly, so I dont get upset about it or change my mind set. If we want to be academic about it in a non-scientific way just by using previous observations I can report that this morning I had a big drop in blood glucose reading and a small increase in weight. I have noticed in the past that this can happen as can the converse – or is it obverse) that if I have a big weight loss my BG can go up – I just see it as my body making its own adjustments to a changing situation. Tomorrow or the next day the weight loss will start again. Isnt that what we tell newbies who are having a stall and it is true. I still think that when we are on such low calorie plan (or any reduced calories) the body soon gets used to it and detects even small increases in that allowance. Which is why people regain weight if they return to ‘normal’ eating. I will report my results tomorrow as usual, good or bad, I know I am sticking to it, I just need my body to catch on too. 🙂