Hi all
I haven’t posted for ages because of meeting my new partner two months ago and spending lots of time with him ! My weight loss has slowed down, mainly because of drinking too much wine on dates ! I’m still doing well on the food side of things, and want to lose at least another stone. I originally wanted to lose more than that, but I now think as long as I’m in the normal BMI I will go onto maintenance. I have lost 37 lbs and everyone says I look good. I must say it’s fabulous to wear size 14 clothes and I can reach for anything in the wardrobe and it fits ! If I lose another stone I expect I will need to get Size 12 clothes, but many of my tops, coats etc will be fine.

Well done to everyone here. I’m going to try and get back on track and lose the last stone ! I’m going to Cornwall in 3 weeks so I need to get in with it !

Hi, on my last day of a short break. It was all catered so by dinner tonight I had succumbed to dessert (mini mud cake, cherry sauce and cream). But I didn’t have rice, pappadom etc with my butter chicken.

Still rather pleased that I don’t want sugar in my tea or coffee either.

Back on the wagon on Saturday. I need to bake bread (allowed one slice of home made sourdough a day) and shop for vegies (want to make the cauliflower and capsicum soup).

I hope by my Monday weigh in I will have undone some of the damage from the past 5 days. Three meals a day, no matter how healthy, is too much for my body. I’m quite happy with them, but not the bod.

What stood out for me flowers, is that you just don’t seem to feature in your story with any importance. It’s time to start taking back, because if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you continue to care for others?

I agree that in you situation, you might fair best making small changes initially, however, it can be very empowering taking control and tackling the BSD head on. Whichever you choose, know that you are not alone and that there are lots of people here to offer support and encouragement, help and advise. No-one here will judge you, so feel safe in the knowledge that you can share both your successes and disappointments along the way. Celebrate every little success and let go of the small transgressions, slips and blips. We are all human and there will be many of these along the way.

So, be kind to yourself flowers, it’s time to take something back for yourself and to make changes in your life, to ensure you health and wellbeing.

Best wishes for every success.

Hi everybody!
This will be my second stint on the 8-week BSD.
I lost 20lb first time round in Feb and March this year.
Just back from two holidays and have gained 5lb of that loss so quite annoyed with myself!
I have some motivation – a holiday with a friend for a week 6th September – so I have 9 weeks to make a significant improvement I hope.
Would love to have some buddies along the way!
Starting weight today: 16 stone 7 pounds (age 57)
Nancy x

Hi ladies

Quick update before I get on that aer lingus flight to Knock. There is a shrine there, so maybe I should pray for divine intervention for a bsd friendly break 🤣

Have weighed myself this morning. No loss this week but I’m not surprised given my inactive state, increased calories and whoosh last week! Plus lady pains started today, so I get all the luck!! I’m 144.6lbs. (10 stone 3). I’ll be interested to see what damage the weekend does. 😳✈️😈😱

Wish me luck team

L xxx

Oh and flowers, they will look after you on here. Have courage and faith. You won’t regret it 😘

TofiEm – I have thought about you post quite a bit over the past few days. I wasn’t a tofi because I had 3 stones to lose but I do have a severely damaged pancreas that struggles sometimes even on the small amount of carbs I am eating. I totally agree with what you say that s mall amounts of medication may give your pancreas a chance to rest to allow function to be restored.

I believe that the BSD is the only way for me to eat – for ever – but I won’t rule out a little help from very small amounts of insulin in the future if pancreas starts to struggle more. If this happens I won’t think of it as failure but just a temporary measure in order to preserve my pancreas, eyesight and feet while my pancreas recovers better function again..

Thank you for your post – it is good to have a plan of action for all eventualities. I still have my insulin from last year stored in my fridge. I won’t throw it away now.

Verano
I may be one of the odd ones, size and shape say I should be a diabetic, I have been told a few times by doctors, but I am an anomaly that just seems to keep generating my own insulin.
I have been taking Cod Liver Oil for over 30 years for my joints but some other suggested benefits below, could mean I have been doing my self, untold good without knowing it?

Dozens of studies have linked cod liver oil with the following benefits:
•lowering high cholesterol and high triglycerides
•preventing and treating diabetes
•lowering high blood pressure
•preventing heart disease
•reducing risk for osteoarthritis
•treating depression
•lowering risk for autoimmune diseases
•fighting eye disorders like glaucoma and protecting eye sight
•treating ear infections, allergies and asthma
•preventing and treating kidney disease
•helping to heal skin wounds
•maintaining bone health and preventing fractures or osteoporosis

Hi Mrs Honey there are so many of us here that have grown up with the ‘low fat’ mantra but believe me you can change your mind set. It may not be easy, it’s easier for some than others. Just trust in the book. If you haven’t read it then try and get a copy.

There are so many people on here that can testify that the ‘nonsense’ we were fed about low fat has done nothing but make us yo-yo diet for years. BUT, low carb/healthy fat does work. Just read some of the success stories here…. Captainlynne, KrysiaD, Californiagirl, Esnecca, Mixnmatch and JulesMaigret to name but a few who immediately spring to mind. (sorry if I missed any ‘stars’ out)

There’s lots of support on these boards so my tip would be use the boards, ask questions and give this way of eating a try. Good luck.

Hi flowers I can only reiterate everything that has already been said here.

Well done for ‘putting pen to paper’ you have taken the first, the most difficult and the most important step. There it’s ‘out’ now so you can start dealing with all your ‘demons’. We all have them.

You don’t say if you have the BSD book. If you haven’t read it get please yourself a copy. I often re-read mine when I’m feeling low or forgetting why I’m here.

I think wine is a crutch for lots of people probably because it’s the ‘accepted’ drug of choice in many countries. There’s an interesting thread on here ‘My relationship with alcohol’. Just type the title into the search box and it will come up. Also, there’s a very good book by Jason Vale which I think is call ‘Kick the drink easily’ or something like that. It’s very repetitive, and in some ways basic, but it certainly helps you to understand why alcohol is so accepted as part of life and in fact ‘non- drinkers’ are seen as the oddities. Worth a read anyway.

The support on here is tremendous so make use of it. If you can firstly get yourself familiar with the low carb/healthy fat way of eating reducing or eliminating wine will follow. Don’t try and make too many changes at once because you sound really overwhelmed at the moment. One step at a time and you WILL get to where you want to be.

You may not resolve all your issues in 60 days but there’s a really good chance that within a few weeks you will feel ‘in control’ of your body again, and that in itself will give you more confidence, and then it follows that you will start to ‘glow’.

This is a really great way of eating, as so many will tell you, so very best of luck. One day at a time and keep on posting.

Hi Sumo good luck on your journey.

S-g sounds good on all fronts you just have to keep reminding yourself……. Double Battle, insulin and temptation, insulin and temptation. You know you’ll get there in the end, we all will, if we just keep our eye on the prize.

Well, DAY 4 of 8 for me and I’ve dropped another 0.4lbs of my holiday gain so just 1.8lb left to go. I really hope I can manage that by Tuesday’s weigh-in and then I can tackle a ‘proper’ weight loss over the last three weeks of the challenge.

We went out for a Greek meal last night. I was celebrating, my 1st BSD birthday, and so in true BSD style I just had chicken kebab with some salad and tzatsiki. No wine, but at home, just a small portion of fruit salad with a touch of ice cream. I’m amazed at how easily I’ve slipped back into this WOE after being away for 4 weeks with no weighing or counting. I can only assume that low carb eating is now engrained in my brain. Let’s hope so anyway!

Hope you all have a good day.

Thanks dumptynomore. Don’t we all wish it could all be gone in one ‘whoosh’ but your idea of one brick at a time sounds good enough to win in the end.

Not very fond of green tea but I can see that you wouldn’t need a biscuit with it!

Yes, let’s start thinking about pulling up that chair, it’s possible, just have to ‘keep on keeping on’ and remember that our fate is in our own hands or maybe that should be mouths!

Thanks for your birthday wishes. I’m so pleased I’ve been able to be of help to others along the way but it’s also a two-way street and I’ve had great help from you.

I went out for a Greek meal to celebrate last night and as a good BSD’er had no starter just chicken kebab with tzatsiki and some salad. No wine but, at home, a small portion of fruit salad with a scant tablespoon of ice cream …. well it was my birthday!

It’s always great to hear from the ‘ long term maintainers’ you always help renew my enthusiasm. So here’s to year 2 and more success! Thanks to you all.

Lucia,
Trouble is, you’re supppsed to start from a squat or semi-squat position and that is not good unless you’re pretty athletic

John

And thanks for your positive words of encouragement Sunny B 🙂

Pod that would be a good title for the next 4 week challenge:
“July-August: keep on keeping on no matter what life throws at us” or something along those lines 🙂
I’ve been trying to think of words rhyming with August, but also think we need something positive.
I’m feeling more positive today, the weight I gained during my “off plan”
Weekend has dropped off after 3 days back on plan thank goodness.

Thanks Mixnmatch, I asked the same question just now on another thread, then remembered I had already asked it here. :S

Hmm, what about the advice to increase protein intake when training or engaging in significant exercise?
I recently forgot this advice, and regretted for two days following a particularly active day. ( basically felt like shit and had very little energy for anything)

Verano – happy BSD birthday. What a great achievement to be able to call yourself a true ‘non-carboholic’. I always enjoy reading your posts – you have been a real inspiration to me on this BSD journey. As Nettle said – aren’t we lucky we ended up here.

Lee I agree about the doc, so disheartening, would he ever try the bsd? He sounds more open- minded than many!
It’s really interesting when ‘friends’ do the sneaky sabotage, I think they must panic a bit and feel they need to get you back in the ‘box’, as though somehow you are challenging them or making them look too closely at themselves! A few people have posted about this phenomenon over the months, family as much as friends. It’s a bit shocking because you would presume everyone would be delighted and supportive! God forbid we change the status quo.

Do star jumps in two parts.
Lift your arms up and down.
Then your legs.

You dont have to do the two together?!!!
💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🤸🏼‍♂️🤸🏻‍♀️

Love lucia
Xxxx

Hi john,

What ever is comfortable.
Whatever you feel you can due with a little effort.

Now, there are 173 days to christmas.
do that many giant strides, or minutes walk, or hops, or anything.

Do somethimg different.

How about a more difficult challenge.
173 smiles or laughs or jokes?

Lighten the mood.

Love lucia
Xxxx

I grew up at the height of the low fat diet period, I suspect a lot of people doing this diet did too. Is it a struggle letting go of the “fear of fat”?
Any tips for a first timer? Also, I’m hypothyroid and worried about low blood sugar, interested to know other people’s experiences.

dumptynomore So glad you are feeling chipper. Long may it continue.

flowers_ Welcome to our little corner of the BSD forum, we all struggle with addictions/binging but the bonus of this WOE (I am finding) is that due to the low calories I don’t mindlessly eat, I have to make every calorie count. If you can (and you are not alcohol dependant) abstain from alcohol for the entire 8 weeks. It’s fucking hard but worth it. Your sleep will improve as will your mood…..and the contents of your purse! You are not alone (also buy the book if you haven’t already), try to let go of the shame, shame can you make you spiral even more. You have admitted you want to change…..that is the biggest hurdle. All the best. BTW I started the BSD with a raging hangover!)

Hi flowers – I feel for you – I too only wear the same three things – I refuse to buy any more clothes because youa nd I are not going to be at this weight for much longer – that would be a waste of money! I too spend a lot of time listening to others and it truly can be draining! Be kind to yourself and try and make some me time. Could your husband offer some help and respite withyour mum! You sound like you need to start asking other family and friends for help – this is adversely affecting your health. You won’t be able to help your mother if you are unwell yourself. My OH goes on about my weight too – it doesn’t help! Much as I know it pains him to see me killing myself. I have actually lost a lot of friends through not keeping in touch – just trying to cope with day to day life trying to lose weight.

I say all this to show my support for you. Please look into possible services as well thatmay be able to help

All the best

Evening All – I feel rather chipper- long may it continue (I’m working tomorrow so it probs won’t – 😀 )

Mary – sisters for sure – you and I have about the same amount to lose – let’s buddy up.

EC – We British are equally as obsessive about the weather and tea too – so fire away – love reading about Tasmania – sounds brill.
Sounds like you are coping well considering all activity
I have to make myself go to bed or I’m up till the wee small hours – not good – harder to lose weight (Lee – get those naps in 😀 )

Inka – had a good day today – feeling more in control and not panicking when I have a bit over – great to hear you are having good days too

OImadam
– sounds like you are getting there – keep going and know that you are not alone

Crabbycams – You are so right – the problem with sugar addiction is that we are faced with it all the time wherever you go – and food in general. The good thing is that when you stop eating sugar , the cravings deffo lessen and it’s easier to resist (until the next time I go off the rails – hmmm – I’ll just need to stop going off the rails – watch this space!). That’s a very difficult thing you are coping with. I know if I took my own food I would still be eying up the rest of all that other stuff. Good luck with the final 8 week weigh in and your next 8 weeks.

Lee – I would have had to eat all 10 slices of millionares shortbread – damn my sweet tooth – hope your dad savours them and not eat them all at one go. And a word of advice – get rid of that ‘friend’ 😀

FFBB – good your mum is on board – any support is good support

Canada Liz – Yooo – hoooooo – where are youuu!

Welcome flowers – hope you feel comfortable here with these lovely ladies – I personally resisted for over a year and happy to participate in the banter now and all the highs and lows.

My report – (very boring) not started exercising – I am a very lazy person. Thought I would familiarise myself with the food side of things – it’s been a very good first week – so will start walking on Saturday – the start of my 2nd week. Had a nice vening meal – halloumi cheese , brown lentil curry, red pepper/mushroom/red onion/spinach and coriander stir fry – probably had a bigger portion thanI intended – hey ho. My mother is coming up to spend the evening with me tomorrow- so I will have to brace myself – she is very critical of peope who go on diets – and she can talk! Like a train – bless her! She’s on her own a lot – so the brakes come off when she is with us – doesn’t come up for air – 😀

Another fresh day tomorrow to be as good as gold! Good luck to all!

Hi Verano – I just saw that you are celebrating a birthday – congratulations – you have done so so well – proof that you get there in the end. That actually might be my problem – I just want it all gone – now! Anyhoo, I’ve taken all your comments on board and decided to go for ‘a brick not a building.’ Used to work with somebody that used that phrase all the time – very apt. And ‘keep on keeping on’ a la sunshine girl and ‘bloody never give up’ a la Bloke41.

Already into a nice wee routine, and feeling so much happier! Hehe to biscuit dunker – I don’t dunk either – I think I’ll probably just do without – maybe start with green tea – saw a girl on line who swears her weight loss was accelerated by drinking that.

I see you have a momentous year comng up – wish you all the best with everything and your continiuing journey here – hopefully we can bag a seat in 100 club – that would be dream come true for me! Haven’t been that weight since I was 13 years old! May never happen but I can dream 🙂

Oh Flowers, you are really not on your own. Many people on this forum have suffered or do suffer from low self esteem. Many turn to drink and many to food. You are a little hard on yourself. You are in a difficult and stressful position. Being a carer and in a caring profession is very draining and it is little wonder your hand reaches for the Wine. Wine makes all the problems seem less important.

I read all the posts that I can during the day and they strengthen my resolve. I have used Wine as a crutch for many years and I am confident at the moment that I can cope without it.

Try little steps. It works for some people…try cutting down, or drinking alternate days. For myself, I can’t trust myself, so I am abstaining completely. Others are still drinking, but much less.

We are here to support you. No-one will chastise you if you have a bad day and go over your calories or have a drink. Everyone here is supportive. I am happy to help in any way I can. Feel free to let me know what I can do for you.

Supportive
Joes Nonna

Hi flowers, ouch, a lot on your plate right now and a lot being asked of you. It sounds like you could use some taking care of yourself and some space and time to just breathe out and let some of this overwhelming responsibility go.
As you start into the BSD diet, don’t stress with it — it can take a few weeks (months) for the whole idea to really settle in so just be patient with yourself and let yourself “learn” how to do it — you will get better and better at it as you “practice” it day by day (some days will go better than others) — but just let each step in the right direction be a victory. It works even when it isn’t followed perfectly.
Take care of yourself too — rest, sleep, exercise gently, keep the activities to a minimum until you feel stronger and less overwhelmed. Sending you good thoughts.
We’ll see you here on the posts.

Hi all,
I have been reluctant to send this message as it means relaying my vulnerabilities…*gulps* but here it goes:

I have been struggling the best part of a 2 years with my weight which has namely been because of my personal circumstances. Unfortunately I am dealing with caring responsibilities for my mother who has mental health issues, work etc – as many of us perhaps do. However my coping strategy has been to resort to alcohol and over 18 months my weight has piled on significantly.

I used to be around 8 stone 3lbs, now I am 12 stones and I feel incredibly ashamed of what I have become. My husband has commented so many times that I need to change my behaviour and I absolutely agree but feeling so low in mood has made it difficult to make changes. I am trying to maintain some sense of stable mental health in amongst all the life stressors but it has been hard.

I no longer want to rely on alcohol, I no longer want to fight with my husband over this, I do longer want to shut the world out. I want to live a healthier lifestyle, I want to not hurt my husband anymore, I want to not live in 3 outfits, I want to see friends again – but I feel at a complete loss.

The irony of it is that I actually work with patients providing therapeutic treatments – I give my all to my job and fortunately this remains unaffected but after sessions with patients I am drained and emotional – thus going for that bottle of wine. I am grateful that my work has not been impacted but that’s also because I put my patients first and work so many hours to give the best care that I can – but now I’m crumbling too.

My husbands sister is getting married at the beginning of September and I want to lose weight before this and not feel disgusting and hideous in myself. My confidence has dissipated. I am pretty good at putting on a front because I feel I haven’t a choice.

So…(apologies for that!) I would love to have support to start the BSD as soon as possible, I have about 60 days before the wedding. I know alcohol will be a huge barrier but I am trying to figure out how to manage this. If anyone wishes to join me on a quest and keep one another accountable, that’d be great. If anyone wants to whatsapp support also that’d be great too 🙂

Apologies for this long message, but if you got to the end of this, I thank you sincerely.

Lucia,

I think Star Jumps are a bit beyond me. Would press-ups do instead?

John

Oops! Forgot to post yesterday! No weight loss to report, but no gain either! Eaten a lot of cheese and nuts, had the serious munchies, but no carbs.
NSV. Haven’t resorted to tea and toast, even though I’ve been sorely tempted!
Sorry to read you are in the pits Marsie, be kind to yourself, you’re always so lovely to us all. Xxxx
Let’s all “Keep on keeping on” no matter what life throws at us!!

@canadaliz I have just seen your first post and have been very touched by it – I just wondered whether I could email yourself with regards to some advice? I saw many similarities in your post. I will now catch up with the hundreds of messages on the thread! 🙂
Many thanks.

Had an unscheduled lunch out so I had my usual proper roast ham and 2 fried eggs. I had to guess the weight of the ham as I don’t carry my scale. It was a very generous portion so 200 g seems appropriate. I could have asked them to weigh it but they are not that accommodating.

Finally “came out” to my mum that I was doing the BSD 800 cals for 8 weeks. She wasn’t impressed….at first. I listened to the 5 minute lecture as to how it was too low calorie, that she was worried I’d become unhealthy(!!!) and that quick weight loss never stays off, etc.

When she had finished I explained that I wanted to kick start my weight loss and referred her to the book and website and went into the diet fully. I also stated how many more vegetables and nutrients I was eating. I told her I had quit drinking for the 8 weeks as well, I was sleeping better, my IBS was better and that I was nearing the end of my 2nd week already (to which she replied “that explains why last week your trolley contained the healthiest and most colourful groceries I have ever seen you buy”).

We came to the agreement that if I become faint or my mood becomes low and I feel “the black dog” coming (I have a history of depression) I will increase the calories to 1200 – 1500 per day and slow down.

She is now fully on board.

FFBB X

Mixnmatch is right. As long as you have plenty of fat in your body, not something many of us are short of around here 😊 (and are not ripped – I wish!) once once fat adapted you have fuel for lots of exercise. Far more than the 90mins or so stored in muscles as glycogen.

It is perfectly safe when you are sufficiently fat adapted, provided you are not underweight. The body will provide its own fuel. I played badminton for two hourly sessions every week on 800 calories, around 550 calories burnt each week according to the app, without upping my calories or carbs.

Happy BSD birthday Verano! You’ll be joining us in the 100 clubhouse sooner than you think. Keep on keeping on, and never forget the progress you have already made.

Lee, as the saying goes “with friends like those…….” Glad your dad is enjoying them.

Does Michael Mosley say anything about weight lifting and cardiovascular exercises in relation to the blood sugar diet? I can’t imagine he still recommends 800 calories if you’re doing fairly strenuous daily exercise.

Last round was last Oct to Christmas, as I have kept the 2.5 stone off yo-yoing a bit I now call this my current stable weight, onward and down wards once more, I did lose 3.5 stone last time but not in the 8 weeks, so first challenge is to get back to my lowest weight in over a decade, then down again.

caz – unless you’re working out very hard, your protein is too high. Assuming normal exercise, you should aim for a gram of protein per kilo of your goal weight (not your current weight). Bump up the fat instead. I always recommend this great post from LindaA which explains how to calculate your macronutrients: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/20th-feb-starters/page/4/#post-58403

I don`t use my fitness pal but on the fat secret app you can “go into” the day and see how many net carbs you have consumed in grams, you can also change your macros. I have mine set to sodium, fibre, net carbs, fat and protein. Percentages mean nothing to me on their own. 😏

For example my macros today is fat 37 g (44%) carbs 37.8 g (net cabs 26.4 g/fibre 11.4 g 19%) and protein 70.93 g (37%)

Hope this helps.

FFBB

Good to hear TBB! I will be happy to read about your successes!

Hi Maryschoen — you are going to find out! Maybe you can coordinate with your doctor as you move forward and your experiences/blood sugar readings can be helpful to others — I imagine that this is a very common scenario as steroids are used to treat so many issues — you are probably very wise to use diet to treat the side-effects of the steroids (high blood sugar) as it is never good to have high blood sugar. Good luck and keep us posted.

Welcome back Sumo — I look forward to your posts!

Hi Verano! Wow, a year on BSD — a true milestone! I have enjoyed reading your calm and intelligent posts all year and I wish you continued success as the next year unfolds. Sounds like you have big events, “big” birthday and a granddaughter on the way — just think, you spent the last twelve months preparing for them and you will greet them in a healthy happy body — such great blessings!
Julia

Sumo, I see you have lost 2.5 stones and managed to keep that off despite your injury. Well done, and welcome to another round.

Welcome Sumo, I hope you have the book – the 8 week blood sugar diet – as it has most of the information you need. Just shout up if you need help of advice. You say back on the 800, does that mean you have done it before???

I have an autoimmune disease that affects my lungs. I therefore have to take steroids, and always will. My blood sugars are in the pre diabetic range, but it is not known if this is because of the steroids, or if I am “properly” pre-diabetic. Do you think the BSD will reduce my blood sugars despite taking steroids. Also is steroid induced high blood sugars as dangerous as other causes of high blood sugar?

sunshine-girl

Count me in I need to lose an arm and a leg, but I will settle for an all over trim, to show I can be slim.

Back on the 800 here we go

Hi not been around for a while, I sort of got lost, but managed to stay 2.5 stone lower than when I started, I am just lowering my intake to start a fresh 800 8 week, I saw a knee consultant he was polite but basically said sod off fatly come back skinny? A**Hole, he just does not realise how hard lard is to shift of one’s body, so back into battle I go.
Exercise re gym work et all has be low of late, still walking dogs, have 2 now. But wife has decided to change the garden to be more useable, my extreme exercise has been take down old summer house kin heavy, don’t remember it being that heavy 20yrs ago, it must be water logged? Remove collapsing wall, dig earth back and dig out footing for new support wall, new summer house bigger than old so increase hard base and level out.
Not sure how much I have manually dug out, but I have wheel barrowed over 4.5 tonnes of Sand, Cement, aggregate and concrete blocks into my garden plus new summer house to be built.
Now wife has decided to patio the whole area in front of new summer house16Sqmtrs, that will be 2cubic meters of earth to dig out and god knows how much hard core plus slabs, as I am registered disabled with lower back injury, osteoarthritis of Knees, Ankles & thumbs, it has been a challenge, with very little help from my sons?