Theadora – the chef actually came out of the kitchen to check that the changes he was making to my meal were low carb enough. They were so friendly and the whole place was so clean. We will definitely go there again.
Hope you have a lovely break in rural Dorset.
Hi Yowser- My sincere apologies for not getting back to you sooner.
There are so many interesting new threads at the moment that I
think I may be a bit overextended. I couldn’t be more sympathetic
to your challenges with CFS however, after dealing with it for 17
years myself. It’s been accompanied by fibromyalgia as well. At
one point the brain fog was sufficient to have me finding my cell
phone in the refrigerator, and I once made a quick trip to the market
in my bathrobe instead of a winter coat! I’ve never come across
much in the way of knowledge on the subject, and I was too disabled
by pain and fatigue to conduct a serious investigation anyway…..
My condition followed a diagnosis of Lyme disease, a tick born
bacterial disease that attacks the joints, cognitive and neurological
functions, sleep disorders and a hypersensitivity to noise. It took
at least 8 years of antibiotics, oral and IV, to get rid of the cognitive
and neurological manifestations, and I had somehow accepted that
post Lyme syndrome, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, as well as
a prodigious weight gain were always going to be a part of my life.
BSD changed all that. Now I have returned to the ideal weight I
was 17 years ago, the pain has been reduced by @ 50%, and CFS
is a thing of the past. The miracle took place after I reduced carbs
to <20. I’m very interested in how this might work for you, too!
You clearly know how to lose weight, 100lbs, wow. Congratulations
on that accomplishment! Have you ever tried using ginger, turmeric
or cinnamon for their anti-inflammatory properties, or adding raw, un-
pasteurized kimchi/sauerkraut to your diet, or other fermented
foods? There are also many anti-inflammatory diets circulating
on the internet that might be worth investigating to see what BSD
friendly elements they have to offer. I haven’t been doing any research
lately, but I do remember a Dr. Weil who has published a lot on
this subject, and he’s even created an “Anti-Inflammatory Food
Pyramid”. If you find anything useful there, please let me know!
Best wishes,
Allie
SueSheehy, I can only echo what those above have already said. Your achievement to date is amazing, and you should be congratulated. You must be very proud of yourself (if not, you definitely SHOULD be) for having come this far and made such a difference to your health already. Just keep plodding on, and you will get there, though I know it can seem daunting at times – in the meantime, hoping to see you over on the current “challenge” thread, Remember, Remember….”
Krysia, been bitterly cold and windy here too, but we also had a lovely walk (2 actually) but fortunately no rain. How fantastic that you found a good care which was not only dog-friendly but low-carb friendly too!
As a footnote, I am pleased to say I have held onto that pound I gained yesterday, so maybe, just maybe my body is beginning to adapt. Will be away until Thursday, with no weighing facilities, and may not be able to post either, not sure what the internet situation is like where we are going (exceedingly rural Dorset). But I will be back……………😜
Hi Alibalibee
When I started BSD I didn’t know if I was pre-diabetic but I had a BMI of 32, was obese so most likely was heading towards it! My aim was to have a healthy BMI which I now have. I am a vegetarian and loved pasta. I have not eaten pasta or bread or rice or biscuits or cake since starting this way of eating and am amazed that I haven’t missed them at all. You might wonder what a vegetarian eats on the BSD but actually I have enjoyed all my meals and although I don’t have the same choices as a meat and fish eater I do eat healthy food and the amount of colleagues who comment at lunchtime that my lunch looks nice is amazing, it might be something simple like full fat cottage cheese and walnuts but the food is so filling and I can honestly say, I never feel hungry! . I am the thinnest I’ve been for probably twenty five years and enjoy cream in my coffee with a square of dark chocolate and I never feel like I need a biscuit or a cake. This way of eating is actually very liberating once you get into the second or third week. I hope you give it a go!
SueSheehy – what a tremendous achievement – 4st 10lb lost. Really good advice from Clarinetcathy and SunnyB.
I did several stints on maintenance during my weight loss journey and I think that it did help me when I got to true maintenance because by then I had quite a good idea of what I needed to do to maintain my weight.
Hope it is much warmer in Western Australia than it is here in the UK. We walked along the North Norfolk coastal path around Cley and it was so windy that we almost got blown off the path into the saltmarshes.
Luckily we found a wonderful cafe at Cley called Artemis before the heavens opened – we even had hail stones. Lovely food and really dog friendly. They made me a perfect BSD meal.
Alibalibee – absolutely superb advice from everyone who has replied to your post. If you follow it you will be successful – just as they have been.
Hi SueSheehy – CCathy is so right, you have made a huge difference and should be proud of your achievement. She is also right about making the quest for any further weight loss feel less daunting, by breaking it up into chunks and joining the four week challenges is a great way to do that with support and encouragement. It’s good to set some mini-goals along the way, to give a sense of achievement when they’re realised and to also acknowledge the non-scales successes – having the buy smaller clothes or getting into things you had to previously sideline, being able to exercise more, lowered blood pressure, etc., etc.
Returning completely to our old pattern of eating can only have one result, so we all need a new ‘normal’ to be able to maintain our slimmer selves. That’s doesn’t have to be a negative thing because we can allow ourselves some latitude, but we really shouldn’t expect to consume carbs in the way we used to do.
Finally, I really hope you stick with it and join us on the four week challenges – hope to see you there
Californiagirl, what do you mean, my sleep pattern is old?
It’s true I am old enough to have tried all the standard sleep hygiene advice many, many times, but my sleep pattern has changed so many times this year that I have lost count. Almost none of the standard advice is relevant to my problems.
As for melatonin, I have done a lot of research and personal experimenting, and for me the effects of artificial light is minimal compared to the effects of what I eat or don’t eat. I could go into detail but I don’t think it would be of benefit to anyone posting on this thread atm. If anyone reading this DOES have problems which have not been addressed by the standard advice, feel free to say so, and if I have any relevant experience I will share it.
Verano, until recently I had that same problem, currently I typically manage to get two chunks of three hours with only a minimal break between them but the second time I wake I really can’t get back to sleep. Celery stew makes that into one 6 hour sleep.
As it’s only sometimes, it is quite likely that your problem is diet or activity related, but activity is easy to correlate, so I presume you have ruled that out?
When you say ‘lately’ is that since being on the 800? Are you going to bed hungry*? If it’s not that, then it’s a matter of figuring out what you have dropped or included that can affect sleep and correlates with bad/good nights. If you are keeping a diary of food, it could be useful to look back over previous days/weeks and see if you can spot anything. I could give you lists of good and bad foods, or if it is only since cutting down to 800, you might prefer to just stick it out to the end of the 8 weeks and then recuperate before doing another session.
(*Eating too much of an evening can also cause problems for some people, but I don’t think that’s really possible on 800 cals! 😉 )
If we are going to lose weight and maintain that loss, it’s necessary to understand that this way of eating is for life, because to eat as we used to, will have the same results it had before. We can’t expect to maintain our lower weight, if we return to the old eating pattern. Obviously life happens and there will be special occasions when we will eat things not on plan, but generally speaking even for holidays and such, it is best to stick with the BSD principles as far as possible – definitely no mainlining Christmas cake.
By all means do as many weeks as you can at one go – better to start now than wait – have a break and then get back to the programme. Have you week off, but stick with the principles being sure to avoid the carb laden stuff as much as possible and those carbs consumed, should be consumed consciously – i.e. make a conscious decision to consume the carbs and don’t mindlessly guzzle through loads of high carb stuff, before realising what has happened.
Of course, taking breaks will mean that weight lose happens more slowly, but it will still happen providing the breaks are not a carb-fest. It’s how I managed my BSD adventure and it took time but I did eventually hit target weight and am now maintaining.
Hope your BSD journey goes well, but be sure to use the forum for advise and support – best of luck to you.
Hi SueSheehy
It made me feel sad to read your post because you seem to be so hard on yourself. You’ve lost an incredible amount of weight and should be so proud of your wonderful achievement in a relatively short time. We must have started about the same time. I do appreciate that the constant vigilance can be tiresome but the alternative is not worth considering when you’ve come such a long way. It has been hard for me to lose my weight, well not hard, but slow and at times I felt like you. Why don’t you consider joining the monthly challenge thread and break up your loss into monthly, doable chunks rather than look at the long term goal which I appreciate is like climbing Mount Everest. . There are some lovely people on the monthly challenge and it makes it fun and a little easier if you give yourself a monthly goal. At times I only lost 1lb a month but I enjoyed being part of the group and the encouragement really does help. I have no doubt that if you keep on plodding on you too will see it through to a place you think you can never be. I was one of those people Sue. Good luck with your onward journey, you’re in the best place for advice and support.
Cathy
Allipally, I do (or did before BSC) a lot of low carb baking and really like using the almond flour, but it has to be super fine. If it is a bit coarse and called almond meal, it wont work as well. A lot of the low carb sites call for a tiny bit of coconut flour added in as it absorbs the liquids better and gives a tighter product. I prefer the almond flour and ground flax recipes more.
Favorite sites are Sugar Free Londoner, All Day I Dream About Food, Low Carb Maven, lowcarbology, and I Breath Im Hungry. Lots of low carb baking ideas on those.
My favorite flax seed grinder is this one : the Epica. Nice big bowl and the cup can be removed to wash. Hope these work for you.
“Official” weigh day for me, end if Week 3 and down another 3 lbs, total 13 lbs since I started BSD. For an historically slow loser, I am thrilled. I have started recording my daily weight drop as I find it so curious that it doesn’t drop off say a half lb a day 9 (which you assume is what you are truely, but instead all drops off within 1 or 2 days. For me 1 lb down 3 days ago and then 2 lbs yesterday. So odd. I would love to know what is really going on. But whatever. I will take it.
Since contemplating going on this diet I have read a lot about fasting, and of course watched MM’s Horizon program. I am considering adding in a 2-3 day water fast once a month for the health benefits, as well as extra insurance that the weight continues to come off. I assume even those on the BSD hit plateaus occasionally. I wonder if others have done this and how it went for them. Hoping some of the long time BSD maintenance folks can answer this.
Lunch at your daughters house sounds like fun Mary — I hope your granddaughter is better by now.
Allie, your description of your two Siamese cats made me laugh out loud. I have a funny cartoon posted in my fridge (Rhymes With Orange cartoonist) where two women are sitting at a table drinking tea and a cat is walking around on the table and one lady says to the other “have we reached that point in our friendship where I don’t have to pretend surprise that the cat is on the table?”
Kazz, what is the outcome of your long fast? Looking forward to the answer and hearing how your body responded to such a long fast.
Happy Sunday to all!
https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2017/11/10/30-day-ketodiet-countdown-to-holidays-challenge?
I’ m taking part in the KetoDiet CountdowntoHolidays 30 day Challenge,from tomorrow to 12 Dec
Anybody else Signing up?
Ah right, that makes sense then. I nearly bought one for £40 whilst doing my shopping yesterday but fortunately I had my (far more sensible and patient!) 14 yr old son with me who advised me not to rush into it (he knows me too well!)
I came here having read the fast diet and bought all Michael Mosleys books as they confirmed everything I’d read previously and present it all in a clear and easy to follow fashion. I clearly got the impression that doing blood sugar monitoring was something even non-diabetics were being encouraged to do, just in case they were pre-diabetic etc., but if I’m wrong I appreciate your help as that certainly sounds like a procedure I wouldn’t want to be doing regularly unless absolutely necessary.
Thanks😊
Yes you did miss something very important. The BSD book was written mainly for diabetics and yes they should be tested but not with a home kit. We have a test called the HbA1c which measures the amount of sugar in the blood stream over a 3 months period. It is that test that tells you if you are pre diabetic or diabetic. Home finger pricking can only tell you that you have eaten something too sweet or carby. In a non diabetic the blood sugar goes up and down. Typically my husbands is higher than mine long after a meal but that is because he is not diabetic so not on meds or special diet. The main worry for diabetics on this diet is going too low and having a hypoglycemic incident which can lead to coma. Finger pricking is painful (more painful than my daily injection of insulin) and it causes loss of feeling in the finger tips over time. Even nurses do it wrong by pricking the centre of the tip when they should prick the side of the tip so as not to cause nerve damage.
Having said that, this diet is for everyone who wants to lose weight and improve their health. Just go ahead and use it as a normal dieting plan and forget about the diabetes aspect. Lots of people on this site report other benefits like sleeping better, improvement in skin conditions, relief from arthritis pain, and so on. The body does not need processed carbs or rice and pasta as it can get all the carb it needs from other more natural healthy foods like beans, pulses and of course, veg. Keep posting and let us know how you get on.
Many thanks to both of you. I used to make my pancakes with buckwheat, but will try your idea, Esnecca. I’ve never heard of lupin flour, but I can see it’s easy to buy online. Oat fiber is called oat bran in the UK.
I’m doing the diet for weight loss and general health, and I like pancakes for brunch, so I will invest in these flours, I think.
By the way, I have tried to find a flaxseed grinder unsuccessfully. I have tried an electric pepper grinder and a sesame seed grinder. Do you have any suggestions, Esnecca?
Pancita, I have been doing it as a 5:2 diet and now I do 4:3., And I have lost eleven pounds in just over eleven weeks , so it has been great so far and I have been careful on non diet days not to have bread, cakes etc, but I am now starting to branch out a bit and I’ve made my first loaf of spelt and rye, using the recipe from the recipe book. So looking forward to a slice today, the first in over two months!
All the best to you both for your continued health,
Allipally
Thank you!
I need to lose the weight any way, but I’m going to wait til I get my results back on Wednesday to plan how I’m going to do that. In the mean time, I’m going to try no carbs and no calorie counting until then to get my head around not eating bread and biscuits.
Hi albalibee every journey starts with one small step. Until you are on that road you will never know how you will cope with ‘life ‘ when you are low carb. It does get easier as you go along and, as Esnecca says, you lose your sweet tooth and enjoy foods you never thought you would. There is never a ‘perfect’ time to start. There will always be a birthday, holiday, meal out etc. etc. I guess the most important idea you have to get your head around is that if you have diabetes then this is a ‘way of life’ and not just a diet to stop and start when ‘life’ gets in the way. We learn to ‘live’ the low carb way and believe me you really do enjoy it and you may never want to eat cake again! Best of luck on your journey just take that first small step and you’ll never look back!
A very Merry Sunday Everyone,
Today I am to be waited on for Sunday lunch at my DD. She discussed what she was cooking so that it is keeping with the BSD and also is happy to weigh my food. Lovely!
Allie I have loved Siamese Pussies ever since watching “The Lady and the Tramp.” They are the most gorgeous of cats! Mischievous too! I love animals with personalities. I hope you are feeling better after your Duvet Day? My nighties are like that too! I used to love pyjamas, but for some reason I now prefer nighties. Long gone are the days when Jovis and I always slept naked….whistful sigh!
Kazz…it is lovely to spend time with children. I have always been besotted with mine and now theirs! I have to keep myself in check or you would hear nothing else from me lol.
Back on the straight and narrow now. I am planning a fast from this evening until tomorrow night. Hopefully to drop a couple of pounds before weigh in on Tuesday. I really wish I knew what I had said to drive the others away!
Take care everyones!
Nonna Mary
xxx
So Jackie, did you do a certain number of weeks, have a pause for your holiday and then resume, or just ease of a bit during your holiday but not go totally mad? I suppose I’m worried about not getting the full benefit of having eight weeks off. Is it feasible to do five weeks, have a break of a week and then do another three? And is it ok to mainline Christmas cake during that week off?
It is nothing but propaganda and gets almost all of its ‘science’ if you can call it that, wrong. I would have much more respect for it if it focused on the tremendous harm that factory farming is doing to the planet and our existence but they know that scaring people about personal health is far more effective than scaring people about the nebulous concept of the environment.
Cancer is so complex a matter and there are so many environmental and genetic factors at play that general fear monger it about a specific food type is typically worthless except in the rare case of established ‘poisons’ e.g. trans fats.
If it is in a tabloid paper or new improbable miracle diet (often supported by no, wrong or very poorly executed ‘science’) then it is almost certainly BS since such publications have a vested interest in click-baiting or fooling you rather than informing you. Go for the hard science, if you are interested, in respected journals but even then, science can be flawed… look at the absolute bill of goods that Ancel Keys sold to the world about the ‘heart-diet hypothesis’ and then promoted for 50 years to the absolute detriment of billions while trampling dissenting (correct) voices e.g. UK scientist Judkin who saw sugar for the poison it is decades before it became cool to believe it. Even the ‘healthy fat vs bad fat’ thing has been tuned on it’s head with the emerging science suggesting that saturated and mono-unsaturated are far healthier than poly-unsaturated processed fats.
Good news JackieM! I never ate breakfast years ago but I think since I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011 I started eating 3 meals a day plus because I was frightened of hypos. If only I had been better educated then! But I am now so no more excuses! Good luck with your last 3k.
Good morning ….. just 10 days of this challenge left! Where does the time go?
Thanks on both counts Theodora I’ll be sure to post my results on Thursday after my check up. I must admit I’m not feeling too optimistic so a good result will be great news.
Sleep …. I have no problem going to sleep but when I wake after that first 4 hour cycle I often find it very difficult to get back to sleep.
We have quite a ‘social’ week this week starting with lunch out today. I’ve checked the menu and I think I may struggle to find BSD friendly food but will do my best. Think I may need to break my fast with a little something early today as we aren’t eating till 2pm and that could be closer to 3pm, and I know by then I will be really hungry so need to change things around a little today. I am enjoying not eating breakfast and think I might need to ‘force’ myself today.
Hope you all have a good Sunday.
63kg, lowest yet and 1kg since refocusing! Like you Verano, no breakfast for me is the way forward I think. I eat about 11am. Lots of fluctuations but all below 64kg which is my original target weight. So, 3 more to go and I’m done, I think.
I had gin, soda water and lime last night. 0 carbs!
Alibalibee – I don’t think you have to consistently do 800 calories for 8 weeks. I certainly didn’t, we were on holiday in Francein middle of mine. I lost 10kg during the 8 weeks and a further 3.5kg since following low carb, not counting calories.
I do think you have to be low carb – personally I’m planning on being low carb – very low carb – for ever. Though not quite as strict as during my 8 weeks. I had a bit of carrot in my fish pie last night, and just scraped the potato off, which I wouldn’t have done during my 8 weeks. We don’t have a white sauce with our fish pie, btw, I’ve definitely given up flour.
I think you have to give up pasta, cake, bread etc and feel rubbish for a few days, but eat something else – cream, bacon, whatever – full fat stuff. Then when you’ve adjusted to that start with the calories. The beauty of this diet is its flexible to what you can face.
Was contemplating Christmas yesterday – there’s not a lot of low carb in Christmas other than the turkey! Will have to make sure I eat my sprouts! And dark chocolate I guess. Oooh, though pigs in blankets …. yum.
Hope this helps xx
Back with my end of week 2 update.
A considerably easier week than week one and my gallbladder has settled down a bit as well.
Weight loss this week was less dramatic which is to be expected. I’ve lost another 1.7kg (3.7lbs), making a total loss of 5.6kg (12.3lbs) after two weeks. Very happy with that, and generally feeling much better.
I met with the practice nurse mid week. Not what I was expecting. She recommended re-testing in a few weeks and if HBA1C hasn’t lowered to re-test again in a few months. They wouldn’t diagnose diabetes after a single isolated test. She advocated diet and lifestyle changes as the first approach. She had heard of the fast 800 diet and was open minded to the idea. Here’s hoping I can provide a good example.
Hi Marie. Have always wanted to visit England. My in-laws are from there. In fact my father-in-law comes from Northumberland. Is that anywhere near your neck of the woods? We live in a pretty little valley not far from Hobart. I often do a 3k walk up and down the valley and sometimes a circuit of 5k’s. If I walk from my house up in the hills to the village it is also 5ks.
Way to go Marie! Hope you enjoyed a beautiful walk. That is still something I am struggling to make a habit of. Exercise. When I get out there I enjoy myself but I struggle with energy having a history of CFS but I am getting there! I am impressed your fridge raids consist of yogurt! Not something like. …..the C word. …CHOCOLATE! You are an inspiration and have been off great encouragement to me. If I can do anything to help you lose your next pound let me know. 😊
Yes Kazzee am due for some measurements, will bite the bullet and measure. After this weekend am pretty peeved with myself. But I can and will do this, just settle and regroup. Where can I find your story?
Cheers
Donna
Hi Marie
This is the 4th time I have attempted a reply, each time I have written a novella, then whoop – I get kicked out – really peeving me!!
Glad your trip went well (you didn’t actually say you enjoyed it!) and bummer about the Tikka – sneaky little dish it is – I have made myself what I thought was a Carb friendly butter chick in the past (before launching into the BSD), now I wonder how friendly it really was!!
My village has hosted the annual Music Festival this weekend and boy oh boy did I certainly know I would be challenged – and I was. So I have had some glasses of bubbly and some unfriendly foods and Bg soars to 8.3 and I haven’t got it down low enough or under control yet anyway. Big regroup for me – feeling very weak and hopeless, will try and get past that and remember I am a mere mortal, with a lifetime of carb addiction under my belt!! Oh bummer!!
I also overdid the calories a bit on Wed and Thurs last week – nothing major however, bloods were a bit up also. Have decided to leave them alone again and just get back on the wagon and know that if I am doing the right thing all should be well and on the decline.
How is the exercise plan going – you should end up with the body of a youngster!!! Woohoo!!! Tapped into Panda’s posts and she is doing so very well.
Looking forward to hearing from you Marie – where in the North of England. My maternal Grandmother was from Kirkby Stephen – Westmorland (think that is Cumbria now?) and maternal great grandmother – Geeze can’t remember – but her dad’s family from Ripon – Dad’s maternal grandfather from Somerset. Lot of Pom in there of course being an Australian – think there is a convict in the Irish link – when I finally can retire am going to get researching ancestry.
Have a great week, stay away from the Tikka😀😀. I will get back on track. Go get em all
Donnaxx
Thanks Esnecca – I suppose the reason I’m pussyfooting around at the moment is because I can’t fit in the full 8 weeks before Christmas. I don’t know if it’s OK to start and then have a break for a bit. Also, I’m kind of waiting to see what my blood tests say, although I don’t know why as I’ve decided I’m doing this anyway.I need to get myself organised to take the plunge…
The longer you take weaning yourself off the bad carbs (wheat, sugar, grain, cereal, potatoes/starchy root veg, most fruit) the more painful the process will be and the longer it will take before your tastes adapt. Consider going cold turkey. It’s best for sugar addicts who literally can’t envision a life without their fix of poison, and I speak from many years of experience. Getting rid of my sweet tooth and discovering the high-octane joy of bitter, sour and salty foods has been one of the most enlightening, liberating experiences of my life.
Just go for it. Dive in, the water’s warm!
If you’re anything like me, your estimates are almost certainly wrong, like, by miles. Beans in particular can be shockingly high in carbs and calories. Count first, and that means counting everything that goes into your mouth, ideally before it does.
Muscles don’t deplete with use. They deplete with disuse. That’s what atrophy is. I think it’s true that willpower is similar to a muscle in that sense. You have to work it out to develop it. People seem to think it’s something pre-determined, something you either have or you don’t have, but one thing the BSD has taught me is that willpower is your choice to make. It’s 100% mental. And I say this as someone who sat on her ass for close to 20 years until I was so hyperobese (300+ pounds at 5’2″) that getting up to walk 10 feet to the bathroom was a monumental effort. That was a year and a half ago. This morning I weighed 122.4 pounds.
California Girl, sorry, somehow I missed your post above, but now that I’ve read it, I feel as though the words are coming out of my mouth! It’s really encouraging to hear that your metabolism, like Allie’s and mine, seems to have gone into overdrive.
Just like you, I feel uncomfortably full really easily so I’m in no danger of over-eating. I too sleep (or in fact don’t sleep ) with only a sheet for cover, because I am so hot. In fact, most nights, being hot is what keeps me from sleeping! Heading into winter here and last night I even had to throw the sheet off.
I really do think this WOE is doable for life. I seriously rarely feel hungry (that’s not to say I don’t get the munchies sometimes, but that is definitely only “mouth” hunger and easily overcome) and as long as we stay off the refined carbs which, let’s face it, still gives us an enormous array of eating choices, we’ll all be fine.
Though how on earth you manage between 2200 and 2500 cals a day is beyond me! I’m really struggling to consume between 1500 and 1700 without feeling uncomfortably full.
None of them are low carb. Some are complex carbs and theoretically not as bad for you because they are digested more slowly, but for me quinoa and brown rice cause an insulin reaction just like durum pasta and white rice do. Chickpeas are the same. Very high in carbohydrates, like most legumes, albeit less likely to bring on a blood sugar spike because they’re high in fiber and take longer for the body to digest.
I haven’t tried pancakes because I didn’t much care for them when I did eat white carbs, but I’ve had most success making breads and muffins using a combination of almond flour, flaxseed meal, oat fiber and lupin flour. The lupin flour and oat fiber I bought online. The other two are pretty easy to find in shops these days.
Good luck!
Hi everyone, I’ve been reading but not posting for a while as I try to sort out what’s happening for me. It’s wonderful to hear all the success stories, full of hope and eventual ‘normality’, but sadly I’m not there yet and am finding maintenance a scary tightrope walk with frequent discouragements!
I decided I was at “maintenance”, even though I’m still classed as overweight, because I think I had little hope of losing much more and it had become so slow. Over the past 11 months I’ve shed 30kgs = 66lbs = 4 stone 10lb, feel so much better, and I do enjoy this way of eating, I can’t say I feel deprived as such but I’m really over the constant vigilance! Seems if I have just a relatively normal day – not crazy on carbs – the scales head north again.
I think Californiagirl’s comment “people are being depressed for no reason thinking they will be a lifetime with restricted food intake — I think we lose a lot of people because they fear they will never eat again.” is very true….certainly struck a chord with me when I read it!
I’m not going to give up….I’ve achieved too much and am too scared to quit anyway. But right now there’s not much joy in it. Sorry for the ‘downer’, I know this is meant to be an encouraging place…..
My guess is that in order to experience being able to eat more normally (not carbs, just Mediterranean-style) I’m going to have to lose a lot more, and get out of all ‘overweight’ categories. Maybe another year of vigilance…..which right now sounds like Mt. Everest! I’m also concerned that if I lose much more I’ll start to look really haggard, with way too much skin?!
Anyhow….it does feel better to be able to share all that, and I am profoundly impressed and excited for those who have seen this through to places you never thought you’d be. What a bunch of heroes!
All the best from Western Australia,
Sue
Hi Jackie and Theodora
Theodora – Thanks for confirming you believe it’s the diet. The print-out from the scan is titled Inbody Data Management System – I assume the one you use and this one do a similar analysis. Maybe yours provides more detail but if not, I’m always happy to hear I’m getting a bargain!
Jackie – yes, that is exactly like me – 2 stone to lose – 46% fat and I’m 5ft 2ins. So yes, it’s doable isn’t it.That’s a really good thought for me. Brilliant.
Thanks both.
Marie x
Hi all,
we have almost completed a week and I have lost some weight and I do feel slimmer, but my official weigh-in day is Sunday. I have not been as careful with the 800 calories as I would have liked but I have a considerable amount of frozen chicken and bean stews that have to be eaten or they will get frost damage. I have been estimating a reasonably small bowlful at about 500 calories and the rest is taken up with a good amount of steamed veggies mainly frozen, but some fresh depending on what I have lurking about. I am so glad I have found this forum, it has been instrumental in keeping me on the almost straight and narrow foodwise
One problem I thought that might encounter is that I have cut most of the crap out of my diet a long time ago and that this would make it harder for me to lose weight , but I am hoping that as I had a really bad habit of eating good stuff on a LCHF diet as espoused by many eminent doctors, but far too much of it, but my take was, if it’s good for you more is better. I just love butter and cream but luckily have shunned margarine for years as an unnatural product and it seems that I was right. Even though I definitely had enough to eat during the day, I always had a substantial snack in the evening which mitigated against me losing any weight.
I hope that we have all had a good week and next week will be better, and we all go from strength to strength and lose fat bigtime. 🙂 I will evaluate my progress and lower my calories and watch more carefully what I am eating. I was on a blog this morning and it didn’t fill me with joy making me feel that I haven’t prepared nearly enough for this WOE, but we are all on a steep learning curve. I included a small snippet of the blog below, and have included the web link if anyone wants to read the full article.
Quote
[“According to psychological research, your willpower is like a muscle. It’s a finite resource that depletes with use. As a result, by the end of your strenuous days, your willpower muscles are exhausted and you’re left to your naked and defenceless self — with zero control to stop the night-time munchies and time wasters.”]
I had better end now it’s almost time for bed.
Kind regards, taurusmmuk.
Cheers Pancita – not sure if I’m allowed to call myself a Scot, but I’ve been here for 26 years now, so as good as.
I’ve not started the diet yet,but am trying a few lower carb days anyway and can’t wait til I can pass by a plate of spaghetti or say no to a scone. I’m not even going to think about doughnuts…
Hi Nittinlass,
A sentence in your post reminded me of something I read on another forum.
This phenomenon of “gaining a pound, losing a pound, repeat”, weight going up and down a bit, has a name. “Bride’s nighty syndrome.” I like this name!
Good luck with curing it! xx
Hi there,
I’ve made buckwheat pancakes, not unlike Breton crepes I suppose; they are wonderful, but I don’t think buckwheat is “on plan” if you have blood sugar issues. In terms of “proper BSD” I think all those flours are off limits.
If you’re doing this for weight loss only and have some off-plan meals or days, then a few pancakes of any kind, or indeed a bit of whatever you fancy, is okay once in a while. That’s certainly been my attitude throughout, and although it’s not made me any friends on the Facebook group 😮, it’s still allowed me to improve my health immensely.
Best wishes,
P xx
Hi Alibalibee,
(I’m guessing you’re a Scot from that name!)
I just wanted to say as a fellow sceptic, Can there possibly be life without cake, bread and macaroni cheese?, Yes, there is!
I’d never have believed it. I feel so alive and awake and well. Reducing carbs (though, don’t tell anyone, not completely eliminating them) has been a revelation, and my tastes have changed, I think for ever. My partner too.
I hope you will feel similar benefits.
One day you too may turn up your nose at a Paesano pizza, an iced jam doughnut, a plate of spaghetti. 😀😀
Good luck!
I have had success with this programme before and find the fast weight loss really motivating. I am not great on persisting though and would love some buddies to share the challenges and successes virtually!
I am based in NZ, 45 years old and I struggle with my weight after a breast cancer diagnosis 4 1/2 years ago. I have stages of being really reckless with my eating and drinking, my exercise is either all on or non-existent and I am looking at a new plan for life….not just in the short term. Consistency is key!
I am doing a kind of induction week this week before I start formally. I am dropping all processed carbs, reducing fruit (I love the super sweet options like mango and grapes so will replace with berries) and reducing calories. I am spending the week reading and preparing for a focused start!
Anyone keen to join me?
Thanks Kazzzii and Jackie – it’s really heartening to hear from you both and know that others are going through the same thing. Did you both do the 8 week diet?
I think, my main worry at the moment is how I’m going to live without cake! And spaghetti! And toast! I think I have to change my way of thinking – I don’t need those things. And actually, cutting out all the snacking is going to do everyone in the family good.
Thanks Theodora, it’s fascinating – whole new world and so different from standard diet advice!
Hey there Ali, I am 48 and at beginning of August was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Like you I had size 14 jeans and they still fitted (ish) but I had just given in and bought some size 16 knickers. Approx 4 months later I am not overweight and need a belt for the jeans. Haven’t been retested yet but no longer ache, don’t need a nap in the afternoon, havevstacks more energy and feel so much better. 2 stone gone! Like you I exercised enough. I was also eating healthily – though then adding some really bad stuff on top!
Lots of others on here who have far more impressive stories than mine in terms of diabetes reversal and amounts loss, but this diet totally worked for me and radically reducing carbs is the best thing I ever did.
As they say on here – onwards and downwards!
Never fear, Mary, the nether regions are always covered, no need to
shock anyone with my bony, wrinkled old lady bottom! Or lack of
one, I should say. Yep, I’m a sex goddess, alright. Nothing for
Victoria’s Secret or other lingerie catalog, just an old flannel night-
gown 6 sizes too big that covers me neck to ankle! It’s cold.
I’m so sleep deprived at the moment that I’m indulging in a duvet
day today. (I love that British expression!) I’m feeling extra slothful
thinking about Julia filling her lungs with beautiful clean air at
Lake Tahoe during her hike today, while I lounge about. Everything
isn’t totally sedate, however….As I type this, our male bluepoint, “Rocket”has already walked across my keyboard once, and his sister, Pippiis now drinking water out of my bedside glass. I’m using my elbow to keep Rocket from a repeat performance, but he’s realized I’m
not really paying attention, so he’s now dipping his paws into my
yogurt lunch bowl, and transferring the contents to his mouth.
Shortly they will both crash for @ 2 hrs, using my legs as their
back support, and then we’ll begin the cycle again when I start
prepping the fish for dinner. The 2 of them will be on the counter
within inches of the cutting board and my elbows will be in use
again to fend them off. I’ve tried locking them in the bedroom,
but as you probably know, the siamese breed is very vocal. I’d
rather have the countertop interference than the howling, so I
just accommodate them. (They seem incapable of learning the
concept “NO”!) And yes, they are spoiled……….I never give them
any scraps, but hope springs eternal just the same. Just a little
slice of life from the “House of Lewis” for you today 🙂 I’ll save
their nocturnal adventures for another post. Think mice in the bed!
I’m completely entranced by your lovely day. I’m smiling at the
screen of my laptop. I can see your arms around little Joe,
whispering in his ear. Great news too, about his new and improved
seating arrangements! These are the moments that fill our hearts
to bursting, aren’t they? Sometimes people don’t recognize these
beautiful days til they have past. You are blessed to appreciate
them in real time. Than you SO MUCH for sharing them with us!
I’ll be thinking of you dancing with the stars tonight. Doc Martin
better be on or I won’t be happy. Enjoy your glass of fizz!
Sweet dreams, my lovely,
Allie
xoxoxo
Mary – I didn’t see your earlier post, they must have crossed! thank you so much for your congratulations! I can’t wait to be able to do cartwheels with or without drawers! snigger! Yes, I will certainly join you and aim for the 15s by Xmas. Wouldn’t that be a feather in our caps? We have 6 weeks, so looking at no less that a 2lb loss per week for me. It would have been doable a decade ago but I’m a slow loser these days, but I will try and get as close as possible!
Your afternoon sounded idyllic – I’m a bit envious as all my nieces and nephews (my bestie’s kids} are all grown up now but I used to love reading or telling them stories and watching Toy Story with them. Yes, must go and get comfy ready for Strictly. And then Terminator, Genesys! Love a sci fi!
Bye for now xxx
I’ve tried making pancakes, from the BSD recipe book, with ground almonds and they fell apart. Coconut flour helped, but I wondered about other flours? I went to my local wholefood shop and they have a dazzling array of them, including quinoa flour and carob flour, both of which are low GI, I believe. Does anyone know of any good low-ish GI flours, other than almond, which is way too expensive. I know chick pea flour is low carb.
These were the flours they stock, if anyone has info on what GI they are or whether they are low key carb, I’d be grateful:
Quinoa
Polenta
Maize meal
Soya
Brown rice
Buckwheat
Carob
Semolina
Tapioca
Hi Nittenlass
A superb result for you both, absolutely well done!
You can buy Michael’s The Fast Diet by clicking on the resources button above which will take you to Amazon. This is probably more of a slower way of following the same BSD principles but have two days out of 7 on much less calories. There are many authors that have produced books on The Mediterranean diet so I would read the reviews and pick out the best from there.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Kazz