Interestingly an article in Times today focussed solely on the reduced calorie element and didn’t mention low carbs at all. I don’t know if that’s because the Prof’s shakes aren’t low carb or if the paper just decided not to focus on it. For me the low carb thing is more important than the low calories (though I did have to do 800 cals to get started). I also confess to not reading the original papers, only The Times and the BBC articles. Are they misreporting, I wonder.

So much for stabilisation – another pound gone this morning. ☹

I can only put it down to the fact that we had a family crisis yesterday, and I guess stress can lead to weight loss? The only good thing is that, in the past I would have reached for a glass (or 3) of wine, and/or comfort ate. Yesterday I did neither, literally didn’t feel like eating or drinking anything (except the panacea of a cuppa, certainly drank plenty of those). In fact I had to force myself to eat, but I did manage my full complement of calories, give or take a few! Amazing how our relationship with food changes on this WOL. Really need to put a few pounds back on – can’t even believe I’m saying that! Who’d have thought it one short year ago?.

Feeling shredded this morning!

Hey ArticFox, sorry you’ve had such a crappy week. When my son got admitted to hospital (suspected appendicitis – it wasn’t, thankfully) I ate sliced cheese and ham straight out the packet as there wasn’t anything else. The fat gave em the comfort bit. I have to say I’m off ham now! Sliced beef has no added sugar, either. When you need an instant, tear open the packet type experience that’s what I tend to go for. It’s not necessarily healthy or cost effective but at least it’s quick and filling and BSD friendly. As opposed to many other options which are none of those. I also used sliced meat as a kind of bread, for spreading other stuff on (mayo, cream cheese, avodaco etc)

Back on the wagon and best of luck xx

Thank you for your kind comments…
Esnecca, the steroids are indeed a wonder drug but the side effects are horrible. Fortunately the large doses are now being reduced over time as the TAB was negative.
Marsie, well done to you also – we both have had our ups and downs over the last few months, but seem to be on a roll at present.
Keeping on………
X B

Loving being back in the wagon again and delighted no carb headache after my 2 week carb fest, my body just seems to want to get straight back into it. My energy levels are up again, during carb fest all I really wanted to do was curl up and watch TV and old medical problems reappeared such as painful knee and blocked sinuses, knee already better, hopefully sinuses will follow. Fingers crossed for a good loss this week. Keep on keeping on!

Well, never mind a slap on the wrist for me, I deserve a proper rap on the knuckles! I’m back up to 11,5. Too many small transgressions, and I have no off button when it comes to cream, and especially squirty cream. It may well be BSD friendly, but cream is my downfall.
That and not having decided beforehand what I am having for my evening meal. I get really hungry about 5 o’clock, and if I don’t already know what I am going to have for supper, so I can simply start preparing food, I will grab whatever is to hand while checking out what I have available and deciding what to have for my meal. Personally I wouldn’t have cakes etc. in the house, and I can usually avoid Mum’s stash, but my son has a habit of bringing rare examples when he visits, and these have a tendency to be left in full view for all to share . . .
Still, my power to resist cakes is far greater than my ability to resist cream, and squirty cream is just too easy to dispense. :S

Hello 👋🏼 …yes it’s nice to know that you…*fairyface and Inka mixandmatch* are still here. I have been on and off the wagon over the past few months but back on now and enjoying the benefits. I sleep so much better when doing BSD. We have no Christmas food in the house…usually I start hoarding it weeks leading up to Christmas😱 and then have loads of it left over in January. Last year I didn’t buy mince pies cakes crisps etc until a few days before. Which helps. I have to have a proper Christmas for a few days! It got me thinking back to christmases as a child and everything that came into the house a couple of days before Christmas was such a treat. The only time you could buy a tin of quality Street was at Christmas. Now it’s available all year. 😔 it’s no wonder we have an obesity crisis.
I have put on some of my weight lost last year but not all of it. My work uniform started to feel tight and that was the trigger for me to get back on track. I REFUSE TO ORDER A LARGER SIZE!!😂😂😂
Anyways……I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 and I hope that we all post again in the New Year!!

MIss ZIggy ☃️☃️☃️☃️🎅🏼🤶🏻🍸🍹🍻🥂🍾🍺🍷🥃🎄🌲

Hello,
One of life’s disappointments is that you don’t live close enough to come shopping with me, Esnecca 😉. Those boots you posted….to die for!

Even though I’m nowhere near goal, this thread is an inspiration to me. Thank you for making my day more interesting. Angela

Articfox, your week sounds so stressful and we all seem programmed (some less so now) to reach for the high-carb comforter when in the same situation. When my head is really in the right place and I don’t have time to cook, I don’t. I try to have BSD friendly snacks as my meal; nuts, small amounts of cheese, avocado, etc. Almost certainly over the recommended calorie count, but following principles. I hope things improve for you and your situation soon.

Well done, everyone! Some super results for this week on here; I’ve loved reading all your posts. This morning, the scales registered a 5lb loss from last week. Extremely happy about that as it included a Christmas meal (where I chose carefully, but still somehow expected it to sabotage my efforts) and big Sunday lunch at my parents. I’m imagining lots of that was water loss that the carb-creep of ‘maintaining’ had brought, but it’s a loss, nonetheless, and brings me within a hair’s breadth of achieving the goal I set myself for this challenge. Looking forward to seeing the ’10s’ by next weigh day!

Hi all, I was down a full kg this week, meaning I was down to 81.7kg. I’m not expecting to stay there though, as I’ve had a couple of really horrible days. My horse had a very severe relapse with his illness on the weekend and I have been working very hard with the vet over the past few days to get him stabilized. In spite of this, I managed to fast on Sunday, but I just couldn’t face it on Tuesday as I was already feeling very tired and run down. That wouldn’t have been tragic in itself, as I could have just put fasting off for a day or two, but as I have been spending up to 6 hours a day nursing my horse on top of working all day, I have not been organized with food and that ended with me chosing to eat high-carb convenience foods on Tuesday. The only good thing is that it tasted disgusting and that is motivation for getting back on track as quickly as possible. How have others coped with high stress situations where you have little time to plan and are so tired that you can’t think straight, making it hard to make good food choices when you are eating on the fly?

Morning all,

today -0.5lb 😀 still 1.5lb higher than lowest so far but trying to manage my frustration about that.

Things are getting back on track. Today, hubby and I have an evening planned of meal review and online grocery shopping, Yay, living the dream baby!

Really enjoying the posts here, hurrah for clothes that now fit, enjoy those trousers Flick as I wonder how long they will continue to fit as you continue this WOE. MaiseMouse – I could just imagine that loose size 10 dress, brilliant.
VictoriaM- I also have a cold station platform that was a real point of temptation for me (usually resulting in a snickers) so well done on your planning.
Marie123 – 2lb loss, great news and echo Alliecat’s sentiments, for finding healthy ways to process emotional distress.

Have a good day x

That’s it, Theodora. I was thinking Dave Irwin, but then realised that was an old friend of my husband’s.

Hi guys

I’m starting the 12 week BSD (with a cheat day locked in for my partner’s birthday and no other deviations). Anyone else in the early stages? Would be keen to motivate each other. Am hoping for ~15-20 kgs in the 12 weeks and 30 kilos overall. Have had T2 Diabetes for 20 years (was diagnosed very young). Have basically been terrible with control. Am hoping this will give me enough remission to bring things under control and arrest the damage already done.

Hi Miss Ziggy nice to see you!! I’m still plodding along here too, hope you’re doing well xx

So, 61.6kg this morning. That’s better. 400gm down on yesterday.

Challenge today is a x2 course, set menu lunch. I think I’m going to need to limit by portion size as there won’t be much that is BSD friendly. I’ll concentrate on the wonderful ladies I’m lunching with.

Busybee, I’m loving reading your posts. Enjoying the good place you’re in at the moment, I’m happy for you xx

One day at a time ……🙆

Hi Allie,

I’ve said it before – you’re such a lovely person.

I can handle the practical side of BSD – I’ve lost the weight, I’ve reduced the blood sugars, but every now and again I’ll get this surge of emotion – like a whack in the face – that catches me completely unaware. Today, it wasn’t about the actual diabetes course I attended although I’m going to do things differently next week.

I spent most of my career in the NHS and today was the first day I went back into a building where I’d worked, albeit only briefly. It reminded me of the years of sheer hard slog, the hours I put in, then coming home exhausted and comfort eating, comfort eating, comfort eating. I told myself I was doing well (I was doing well) and that the workload demanded it (maybe a bit, no, a lot) but the reality is I worked so much because I felt if I slowed down, worked any less, I’d be found out. To say a lot of our disastrous eating patterns are linked to internal insecurities is to state the bl**ding obvious, but my goodness those things run deep.

Anyway, for a usually calm, self-contained English woman I find all this emotion exhausting. I’m going to stay at home tomorrow and quietly tidy the house.

As for sharing any recipes, I’d happily share, but I really was the workaholic in the family, so when I say I’m no cook I really am no cook. The reason I enjoy making soup, apart from eating it, is that you just pretty much throw it all in the pan and let it do its own thing. So, I’ll be pinching the recipes from on here…… including yours, Allie.
Marie x

I shall be the very soul of modesty. At most I’ll them in a festive bow under my neck. 😀

Good for you, Marie. Hopefully you’ll make some converts.

BTW I think the gp you mention is caled Dr David Unwin.

Hi Luvtcook

Yes, I’m planning to do something similar. Today, I went to the first of a two-session diabetes self-management course offered by the NHS. (You get referred in on diagnosis). It was actually quite helpful, enjoyable even chatting to the other group members, but the diet advice was pretty stock NHS dietetics advice e.g. the importance of carbs, you can eat everything in moderation etc. There was no discussion of possible alternatives. I mentioned Michael Mosley’s book but after I came away I wished I’d shouted up more about the BSD. So my plan is, next week, to take the info on Roy Taylor’s findings, along with the BSD book, and do just that.

I’m also going to bring them, to go along with my Hba1c results, when I have my review with the Practice Nurse. When I next see the GP I’m going to give her a copy of the book, my Hba1c results, Roy Taylor’s findings and some info about the Southport GP (can’t remember his name) who saved his practice £40-45,000 from their drugs bill through treating his Type II patients with diet.

Marie

Haha, ladies, your approval means a lot! 🙂 I’ll definitely be pulling the trigger now.
Esnecca, I’ve had to go back decades to remember how to execute my runway pivot/
turn, but I’m improving daily. I barely “lurch” anymore! Skinny pants and stilletos, definitely.
I have to RELY on the legs, being boobless and bumless as I am 🙂 🙂 🙂 Please give me
a break on Sat. night, and don’t go crazy with the decolletage. Just kidding, of course.
Remember that my partner has a weakened heart!

Yes, thanks to everyone here for advice and encouragement. Over the past twenty years, I have gained 18 kilos in 3 x separate inexplicable episodes of putting on 6 kg in a fortnight despite doing nothing different, and then that becomes my new “stable weight” which refuses to budge in either direction until the next 6kg spike…??!

At first I dared to hope that this eating plan may actually be different to the numerous ones I’ve tried (strictly and at length) before (even spent a year under regular supervision of a dietician who was mystified why I lost no weight at all after the first month). I ate 1500 calorie for years on end – I lost no weight. I went on a six month holiday, threw all caution to the wind and ate and drank on average 4000 calories a day while getting little exercise : I gained no weight. (I suppose that bit could be considered good news…).

Now I’m starting to suspect that this will turn out the same as before and naturally, feeling disheartened. But despite it all, I’m going to keep on to the end of the 8 weeks and re-evaluate then.

Solid gold advice from sunshine-girl, Tasberry, on olive oil and every thing else! I would
only add that there is a learning curve associated with this WOL, and the very best way
to expedite that is to forget everything you imagined you knew about dieting, as well
as to join in an active challenge where there is a large population of successful
maintainers, i.e., Busy, Busy.. We are all passionate about this WOL and there is nothing
that makes us happier than sharing the knowledge and wisdom we have acquired to
make us successful. Very best wishes to you on your journey to health and wellness,
and welcome to the forums!

Allie

Some footwear is all about making the impact, a grand entrance, a pose or two, a lap around the room, then you sit your ass down until it’s time for the grand exit. I have a pair of peep-toe candy apple red patent leather platform heels gifted to me by my style guru friend. Those were the ones she me told to use for practice because I teetered on them like a drunken clown on stilts. She also told me they were not dance all night shoes or even stand for a few hours at a cocktail party shoes. They were go out to a fancy dinner and then commit unspeakable acts with your OH when you get home shoes. 😀

Allie, I LOVE that crimped faux fur vest. With your height and legs up to there you could totally pull it off like gangbusters. Since it’s got some volume up top, be sure to wear the skinniest pant or jean you have on the bottom. And high heeled boots, of course, but you can assume that’s my advice in any given scenario. 😆

Now there’s something to work towards, Allie😁

Sadly I don’t think I’m going to be tearing up Henri Bendel, Saks, or numerous boutiques wearing the blue boots, though. They are not actually that comfortable – look good though😉

You have said you used to only eat around 1500 cals per day so your body was already used to this plan and like any other diet it will only give big losses for a short period. The first week being 3lbs of water (average) and you lost 2.6 lbs so you probably didn’t have much water to lose, the second week you have lost 2lbs so still a good average. Now no loss but the week is not yet over. Not only that many people hit a plateau around week 3 or 4 when the body needs time to adjust and it will start losing again. Just stick with it and have faith. Like me you started with just over 3stone to lose, for that reason it will be slower than some. Can I just say that one person who lost 10lbs in week 1 and 8lbs in week 2 and so on, in fact had over 100 lbs to lose. That might put it into perspective. Just keep at it.

HappyLife, that is so interesting. I am also on thyroid meds (about 5-6 yrs now). Am hoping the same holds for me after I get more weigtht off. I abhor medication….they all seem to come with undesirable side effects. This weight loss program seems to affect so many aspects of people’s health, all in the right direction.

Hi sunshine-girl 🙂 Yes, my diet has been including small daily amounts of EVOO, and on some days, some butter, some cheese, nuts, oily fish or avocados, all in strictly weighed and counted portions. I’ve been sticking to the less sugary fruit Michael Mosley recommends – grapefruit, rhubarb, peaches, berries.

I’ve been averaging 780 calories, less than 20g carbs per day. I have not eaten a morsel of bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or any other starchy thing since I began this diet. I lost 1.2kg the first week, 700g the second week and for the four days of this week so far, I’ve lost no weight at all. Drinking plenty of water, getting heaps of exercise….I’ve lost no cms either. It is difficult to understand how this can be the case when I have spent the past month eating less than 1/3 of my previous daily calorie count and getting around an hour’s exercise a day. On 3000+ calories a day and very little exercise for the past several years, I have neither lost nor gained any weight, and everything I have read suggests that I could certainly expect to be steadily losing weight on 2000 calories a day less than that?!

Anyway, there seems to be little more I can do except just keep on and see if anything changes with time :/

Wow, so many great results this week! Courageously looking forward not back, weight losses, size 10 dresses, careful forward planning for tricky situations, hunger settling down!

Hello JulesP, how is your week going?

My big NSV for Week 3 was my .5cm reduction in waist measurement. I was a bit dismissive of this until I received a well deserved poke from Esnecca. Spurred on I spent a bit of time trying on a couple of items in my ‘should fit soon’ pile. I am so thrilled to report that a pair of trousers in this pile, my favorite ones, fit! Size 14. No strain, no elastic. Woohoo. I have my first serious challenge meal out tonight so I will wear these trousers as a private little reminder of my Week 3 triumph.

I also find that I have made an error in my first challenge report. I only counted 6 instead of 7 diet days. I won’t bother correcting it here but will sort just add the extra day in next weeks report. Turns out I’m not only a pretty poor typist I’m also rubbish at the quantum physics required to accurately count the number of days in a week!

Sunshine Girl/Theo/Marie 123: thanks so much for posting this info and the link to the BBC article. Very exciting. As you said, hopefully the health services and GPs take notice. I am taking a copy of it to my GP at my next visit in the Spring. Hopefully by that time I will have lost enough weight for her to take notice. Am now down 22 1/2 lbs since mid Oct (big loss the first week like everybody else….about 2 1/2 lbs per week since). If I can keep this up should have at least a 45 lb loss by the time I see her. This diet sounds so scarry to those who haven’t tried it….you only wish they knew how easy it is after you get past the first week.

Wrote on the wrong forum instead of this one.been one of those weeks anyway made some cloud bread from BBC good food low carb menu . Took them to work & had wafer thin ham & spinach in them. Absolutely gorgeous!

Victoria, it should be a snap. Low carb baking with almond flour isn’t as fussy as “real” baking. No whipping of egg whites and fancy folding, etc on this one. The only way you could mess it up would be to overbake it and dry it out too much (although the triffle should wet it down a bit anyway).

And the cake/sponge part should freeze very nicely so you can make it a week ahead…sample a small cube of it to confirm you are happy with it….and freeze the rest until you are ready to assemble the triffle.

You could also add some brandy to the cake ingredients if you like instead of the vanilla as there is no liquor in it otherwise, and the alcohol will bake out and only the flavor will remain.

The other thing you could consider would be some mascarpone cheese and reduce the sour cream. Thicker and less tangy. Good news you can play with that as you go and get a taste you are happy with.

Good luck! Hope it does the trick for you for Xmas.

Not childhood good food auto keeps changing it sorry

Made some cloud bread from a recipe from http://www.childhood.com which only has 0.2g of carbs. Took them to work with wafer thin ham & spinach in. Really enjoyed them. I haven’t been good at the weekend so I have some catching up to do.

Hi Mixnmatch and Miss Ziggy. Good to be back.
I think I am just plodding along and need to get my ideas into gear again.
Taken loads to the charity shop this week. So thats a nsv.

Hi Lucia.
I found it hard, very hard and it took me at least 10months to not think about food morning, noon and night. I still have days where I could eat my left arm down to my elbow and head for the nuts!
I have had lots of support from my husband. We have done it together. He has done the shopping mainly on his own. |We have sat down together for weeks and weeks menu planning. Cooking was and still is a joint effort. I am so lucky. He has lost more weight than me. Typical man.
I have not felt this well for years and years. But with my back problems now I need to work on my mobility. I have started Tai Chi classes and try and walk as much as possible.
Neither of us worry about going out for meals now. We eat whatever is put in front of us if we have no choice. Or choose wisely if we have.
I find it difficult to keep up with people on here so don’t contribute very much. But hey ho. I can be found mainly on the 1st October starters group.

Thank you, Theo! I think it would be spectacular if you accompanied your daughter(s) and
SIL on their next medical meeting/buying trip to New York. We could tear up Henri Bendel,
Saks, and numerous boutiques in Manhattan to our hearts content, and to the detriment
of our personal finances…….I’m still thinking about those classy blue boots with the
the ankle bow. So elegant!

Hi everyone! I am still here😮😮😮😮😮

Looking good, girl 😃 Wondering if it’s available in UK? 😉

Of course it would look even better with my mate wearing it xxx

Hi, Theo, just a test here to see if this link to a faux fur vest will be successful?!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/via-spiga-collarless-faux-fur-vest/4412767?origin=
coordinating4412767-601676.

If you get to see it, what do you think???

Hi fairy face,
Do you think your steps are too big to handle?

I couldnt go from junk food to bs diet.

I had to do baby steps.
I changed one meal – lunch for one week. I had smaller portions.
The next week, changed chippy chips for sweet potato chips etc
The next week, i changed evening meals.

I had to change from takeaway food, to cooking takeaway food at home,
Then i changed the potatos for veg.
I changed the pork chops with the thick bit of fat rind, to grilled medallions of bAcon.
Then i changed to more veg, less carbs.
Bit by bit.

My biggest shock, was, i thought i could not live past breakfast if i didnt have cereal.
I would explode, or my arms and legs would drop off.
But, do you know what…… i survived.
Wow!
Then i chAnged little bit by little bit.

I admire those WITH the will power to go cold-turkey.

I cannot cope.

I could not just start at the gym, i had to walk around the living room.
I changed bit by bit.

I changed my frame of mind.
My blogs on here were a letter to myself.
It was a love letter in disguise.
In the end, i loved myself. A faulty, flabby, human being.

So take it easy, set small tasks, do small changes.

Keep happy, keep going,

Love lucia
Xxxx

So, clicked on the above link and he’s apparently given the presentation so hopefully we might get to see that at some point.

The Lancet article pretty much describes BSD but with the Newcastle diet shakes etc – and uses the word remission/reverse – which people on here have achieved – not cured. The different impact of varying levels of weight loss on blood sugar was interesting as was the bit about participants being on the programme for 3-5 months, (I’ve been on the 800 cals/20g carbs for four months). I’d like to know more about how they managed the ‘stepped re-introduction of food’.

The best thing about this for me is the potential to change GP/Primary Care thinking for future patients. Let’s hope.

Marie

Welcome back Lucia, I am so glad to hear things are going well for you. I have a non-electric bike that I must get out on more often next year when it warms up a bit. Good for me and saves money, what’s not to like?

Welcome back 😀 I’m mostly cheering from the sidelines but I am sure you won’t be alone in here for long, as I am sure people will want to shift a little more before the new year.

Wow luvtcook that looks great, thanks I need to practice th3 spong but only 800/20 at the moment so I’ll have to find a willing victim to try it for me.

He’s due to talk at an international conference on his findings within the next few days so hopefully we’ll find out more after that.

Good to hear you are still loved up, Bissell – and 2.4lbs down on last month is a great position to be in as the silly season approaches. Well done on the baring all in the swimming pool and looking good. Would be good to see you on the What Next and / or the Phoenix threads too.

Linda, great to see you over on the maintainers’ thread, really good to hear your maintenance continues to go well – we can all benefit from your 15 months maintenance experience, I’m sure.

On 1st November I weighed in at 6lbs under target, at 8st 1lb (51.25kg). On 1st December, I weighed one pound less. But as of this morning I have dropped another 3lbs, so am at 7st 11lbs (49.44kg) for no apparent reason, but guessing just normal fluctuations. The only difference yesterday was that I totally ODed on Greek yoghurt – Fage of course, my all time favourite, totally addicted to the stuff as, sadly are my dogs. I really need to buy them a cheaper version!

Was just coming on to post about this too! Liquid diet it says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-42241072/how-i-beat-type-2-diabetes-with-a-liquid-diet

X

Hello all – lovely to see all the ongoing successes!

I haven’t been weighing myself recently, but I do keep a close eye with clothing fit.

So I can say I am still well within my size 26/27 jeans, and size 10 and S and XS everything else, which is encouraging. Some considerable expense in buying small size jackets because my wardrobe used to contain only L size.

Maintaining a close eye on carb content of everything, and never eat rice, hardly ever potatoes (though the Xmas roast spuds will be on the table as usual), and lots of varying veg as well as live yoghurt for the friendly gut bacteria!

Also usually eat just 2 meals a day (after my two flat white type coffees in the morning), usually don’t eat till 2pm, so have a good fasting period daily.

Can’t see anything ever changing, really – enjoy what I eat too much!!

Good luck to all, whether starting, enduring or maintaining……

Hi,
I was on the same dose for 25 years and last year they had to lower my dose twice because I’d lost so much weight I guess or my thyroid just started to work more. After 25 years!