Brilliant Yowser – a true reward for your practical and sensible approach to this. I know I for one have benefited from your advice.

What’s next for you?

I have to confess the muffins got the better of me yesterday, after I’d eaten it I felt it really wasn’t worth the calories so lesson learnt there!

Can I ask what you guys are having for your breakfasts please? I need some inspiration… Time is of the essence in the morning (I have a mog with renal failure so have to spend time tempting him to eat).. At the moment I have greek yogurt with seeds, berries or apple and cinnamon, at the weekend I’ll have brunch so a Heck sausage, some bacon, mushrooms etc. I can’t face anything cooked first thing and I’m not a massive fan of eggs. Any bright ideas?

Lee, you are on top of this. I think having a big breakfast is a good idea…I only usually eat twice a day, so this works for me. Have a lovely time.

Mary xxxx

I’m stuffed! Had the full Irish for breakfast. Minus the toast. I’ve calculated 456 calories for the feast. But that’s ok, I will do until dinner now and I aim to stay at 1500 or so for the day.

It’s freezing here in Ireland, as usual! Glad I brought plenty of jumpers!

Have a great day everyone.

L xx

Thanks wendyq and LizV!

Yowser- WOWSER!!! Amazing weight loss- congratulations! You can now join the very elite 100 club. What an achievement! Very inspiring.

Thats good SUMO that youre always so healthy!
To have everything working well is like a great headstart before you even think about losing weight…..
living BSD will mean that none of that changes for the worse over time. Good luck and keep it up. Like you said,its really not that hard a way of eating. I think the fact that we can eat filling foods makes all the difference in the world XXX

Hi there “Hello” gang!
How is everyone and MIXMATCH good news about yr husband..how is he doing now?
Ive just finished week 51 of BSD and am 100 pounds down in weight…thrilled to bits.
Will keep on with this delicious way of eating coz why change,but allow myself treats when eating out/ celebrating
Will be nice to have occasional glass wine/ g and t/ beer, a dessert sometimes,and some more fruit.but will not return to buying cakes and biscuits and bread. Not being smug,am well aware i could still fall off the wagon any day,as ive done so often before..but ive never lost so much weight so easily,and i feel that at last,maybe something works for me and will keep working.
How is everyone doing? X

Thanks Yowzer
I must just be odd, I am morbidly Obese, never had high BP, glucose/Blood sugar always within normal range, low cholesterol

Hi SUMO thats such an encouraging loss isnt it!
I dont think you can beat BSD!it seems to be the only one that works for me
I have just completed week 51 of this way of eating/ way of life,and have just reached my 100 lb weight loss goal..losing about two pound a week on average,tho it worked out differently to that of course..big losses at first,then the occasional ” whoosh” of several pounds down,then about a pound or two each week.
Thenon believers shd gove it a go..weight loss, delicious filling nutritious foods,lower blood pressure,better blood sugar results..whats not to like!

Right back atcha Lee, putting the sweet treats in the outside bin was a good idea. x

Sumo lets just hope that whatever protects you continues to do so!

Just off for my annual diabetic eye test!

I must admit I very rarely feel hungry eating this way but when I do it’s usually because I’ve had carbs. I have a need for ‘crunch’ now and again and my go to foods are digestive biscuits, but not often now, sometimes crisps and oat cakes for my cheese.

I guess the tip that most people would give is drink, drink, drink ……. water ! You cant drink too much water really. I now enjoy some fresh lemon juice with a few ice cubes topped up with sparkling water. There are carbs in the lemon juice but it’s so refreshing and better than lots of other drinks.

Hope Day 2 is as successful for you.

Verano
Doc’s say I am one of those anomalies and should be diabetic, so either its something I do and not aware of? or some luck in my body genetics, but I am losing weight as it may one day chose to change and wam I would be diabetic?

Hi Flowers 🌺 – I am just about to start off on the BSD (again ! Was very ill last year and stopped) – you have a lot going on ! Blimey – but how brilliant you are for doing this ! These forums are great – they are an absolute life saver so many lovely people – I was on everyday – two things that worked for me 1. plan each weeks meals ahead of time 2. When you feel wobbly or not check straight into a forum ! I personally appreciate your openness about your situation that takes courage – it’s so impressive ! Let’s do this together ! What day are you starting ?

Hi Ancient Weaver. Unfortunately you do not have a profile posted so I don’t know how much you weigh or what you have to lose and whether you are doing this for weight loss or Blood sugar levels or both so it’s difficult to ascertain if there is anything to be worried about. My first reaction is probably no, I really wouldn’t worry. I started this way of eating 9 months ago and had about 30lbs to lose. I lost 7lbs in my first week (and many others on here have lost a lot more than that in their first week) so I don’t think it’s too unusual to lose a lot. You say you were following the ‘general BSD’ rules but from experience that only helps me to maintain my weight. The 800 calories kick start it.

As far as naps go, a bad night’s sleep will often cause one to nap beautifully – I wish I could do that at my desk every day! I think a one off is fine – if it happens really regularly then maybe have a think about it. You also say that this is only your third day. I would really give it a fortnight before making any decisions. You will not lose muscle mass in that time, especially if you are overweight – your body burns fat before muscle. Please don’t worry too much and give it a bit more time.

Just my opinion – hope it helps

Thank you Theodora, yes it has been a bit of a whirlwind ! We went to France for a week together and I managed to stick to the BSD food wise, but the wine was very nice and I had too much of it ! I didn’t gain any weight, but I haven’t lost any either. I keep losing and gaining the same pound.

Thanks so much everyone, with your inspiration I will get back on track and lose the rest. I have adjusted my goal, but I’m going to carry on afterwards to get about 5lbs under it for wriggle room, as you have done Theodora. I have sold all my big clothes on eBay so no going back now !

One thing I’m finding a bit uncomfortable. I met my partner when I was already much slimmer. I have lost 10 lbs since meeting him, but was obviously much bigger before we met. He knows I’m losing weight, but he’s never asked how big I was before. The other day we met up with some of my friends who haven’t seen me for ages and they were going on about how much I had lost, and that I used to be twice the size. I felt embarrassed as my partner certainly would not have found me attractive then ! I have explained to him about the way of life and that I will always follow it now, but my old body shape is not an image I want him to have in his head ! I have hidden all photos from that era as well so he can’t see them ! (I gained the weight from 2010 onwards so photos before that are ok!)

Good morning and it really is. I’ve lost all my holiday weight gain plus some! Down 2.6lbs this morning so very pleased that I’ve lost 6.4lbs in the last 4 days. I know it’s mainly water but nonetheless I think that by getting straight back to roughly 1000/40 is the way to go after 4 weeks of ‘normal’ BSD eating. I wonder if the body appreciates a bit of a change in eating now and again to get it working properly again. Who knows?

Sumo, sorry to rain on your parade, but I’ve been taking cod liver oil capsules for as long as I can remember but still got diabetes!! Like you I don’t suffer with ‘fish breath’ though.

So next small step for me is to lose another 1.2lb to get me back to my lowest BSD weight. Would be lovey to do that by the next weigh in on Tuesday but we have a weekend looming.

Hope you had a better result this morning s-g. As you say just keep on keeping on it’s all we can do.

Wendy – are you pre-diabetic/diabetic???? x

Hi flowers
I am more of a reader than a poster but was affected by your post and recognise the emotions you write about.
I am 9 months down this path on the BSD and can offer up bits I found helpful
Your description of shame resonated with me -I have felt so proud of dropping my weight because I was often embarrassed by my body. I am a bit ashamed of that too -my body has produced 2 great kids and survived 2 life threatening illnesses-what was the matter with me .We are brilliant human beings working hard as best we can to live our lives – be proud of the struggle and try not to be ashamed. Recently I read how researchers had linked the hormonal reaction to shame to worsening health outcomes -especially linked to cortisol . This is a steroid hormone which , guess what, makes you fatter . Give it up- shame makes you feel awful and might be contributing to the issue that is causing it. There is a fantastic TED talk by a women called Brene Brown who researches shame,take a look I found it really insightful.
One last thing consider headspace app 10mins mindfulness a day , good place to start .
NN

I joined WeightWatchers when I started the first BSD stint 1st February so that I would have the discipline of a weekly weigh-in on accurate scales. I am still a member of WW and got weighed yesterday morning coming in at 16st 7lb. When I started first time round 1st Feb I was 17st 8lb.

I joined WeightWatchers when I started the first BSD stint 1st February so that I would have the discipline of a weekly weigh-in on accurate scales. I am still a member of WW and got weighed yesterday morning coming in at 16st 7lb. When I started first time round 1st Feb I was 17st 8lb.

Hi everybody!
Narnea – I felt absolutely fine the first few days, not hungry at all – and lost 8lb that first week which was a great start.
I was quite naughty though and was having glasses of wine here and there and I didn’t do all the walking either – but still lost 20lb overall.
This second time around I am definitely going to kick the wine into touch and try to do more walking.
I started the 8-week BSD yesterday and did it properly. Two scrambled eggs for brunch, 120 cals 20g nuts as a snack, half an avocado as a snack, and the delicious BSD recipe stirfry beef with asparagus and mangetout for dinner. The recipe serves two people, so I’ve got half left for dinner this evening so I won’t have to cook tonight.
I was diagnosed pre-diabetic at end of January with fasting blood sugar in the diabetic range. I had the typical symptom of making alot of wee at night, having to get up twice in the night with great urgency. After around four weeks on the BSD first time round I found I was sleeping through the night and just having a little wee in the morning. However after two holidays in the last three weeks I am back to square one I feel, getting up once in the night with urgency and weeing in the mornig with urgency. I don’t test my blood but now these nighttime symptoms indicate high blood sugar levels.
Nancy x

Well this week has been a bit of a non starter, weighed in with a .4 kilo increase. But not surprised, it’s so hard to eat only 800 cals on this plan when you are mostly visiting hospitals and the like, and hundreds of miles from home. But hurrah, my life is now resembling a bit more normality, as all the problems my family were dealing with are beginning to resolve.
So new week, aim 2 kilo loss, I’m poised with my jawbone Up on and the dog is waiting with baited breath for walkies around the village. It’s lovely and sunny, and definitely fate yogurt and strawberries weather hurrah, so fitness pal waiting for a good weeks input.🌼🌼🌼

Hello all, just a little midweek update.

I’ve managed to stay on the straight and narrow for two days now. I consider this a victory given my recent behaviour, especially in the face of a meal out last night where my colleagues both had steak mushroom and Guinness pie with fat chips, rounded off with sticky toffee pudding and cheesecake!

I had a minuscule portion of fish with flaked almonds and olives and a mouthful of mash and then a couple of tiny wedges of cheese and one cracker! It was a fancy pants restaurant so I was never going to leave stuffed but I was hungry when I finished but still avoided the fridge when I got home later. I also avoided alcohol and just had two large glasses of sparkling water.

I know it doesn’t sound much but in small ways it helped greatly to be able to do that because it made me feel like i might just be able to get back in control. I haven’t weighed since Tuesday and I’m not going to until next Tuesday. I have a tough weekend coming up, food wise, my new wife has already said it will be a write off but I refuse to believe that.

Have a great weekend fellow BSD-ers. See you on the other side with hopefully some more non scale victories 🙂

hi all
Back to being a loser again
Not saying I am not trying but it just feels like I am putting on a comfy pair of shoes, just slipped back into BSD with no fuss or hassle, except from the non-believers at home.
7lb this week without trying to hard, hope it stays this easy, I was slowly bringing myself back to start again, so maybe that helped, instead of jumping in the deep end.

Depending on the type and amount of exercise you are doing, remember during “muscle build and repair” the body will hold on to intramuscular water, so weight will remain higher. Hence why most exercise regimes recommend high levels of hydration before and after training. I noticed that when I worked away from home where exercise was more difficult I lost weight a la whoosh, which I assume was the body simply discharging this water.

But if you are fat adapted your body will use your that for fuel before your muscles, once the glycogen is used up for a short period, you don’t use your glycogen for it not to return. You can also eat too much protein and excess turns into fat. There is a post on here, I think from Linda A, which I can’t attach, sorry, giving information on how to calculate the body’s needs in relation to carbs, fat, protein etc. Without wanting to sound rude (written word missing nuances etc) maybe you should be concentrating on the whole picture and not just one, protein, piece?

Hi there!
Is this for fast 800s only?
I’m the same age and goal as wendyq, and am only 6lb lighter (12,11-I just lost 3lb!) but I started the 800 three days ago. The sudden movement of the scales has made me very nervous of yo-yoing or losing the wrong kind of weight, so I’m switching to the 5:2 BSD with today being the first fast day, normal BSD food over the weekend, then 500 again on Monday.
I’ve been doing the general BSD for several weeks now, and my weight had been rock stable lately (until I cut down to 800cals).
If I can go down stepwise, I’ll be much more confident that it’s only fat/glycogen coming off.

Yay! Congratulations!!

Thank you Clarinetcathy for your lovely comment. I am very pleased with how much weight have lost. I can honestly say it has changed my life. I have been battling pcos and all the symptoms particularly irregular cycles for the past 7-8 years and this weight loss has made everything regular like clockwork. My fertility specialist told me I no longer need to see him just hoping for a positive test soon. I would love to conceive soon would be the ultimate reward for all the hard work.
Seasidenana and ccathy hope you will meet you goals on target I’m sure you will if you stick to plan
Must feel amazing to reach your goal and be under it Theodora

Great to hear from you seasidenana and so pleased you are enjoying life with your new man. And also that you are plodding on – though it sounds more like you are walking on air😜

Great to hear about everyone’s losses, us January starters have done pretty well so should congratulate each other. I lost a total of 47lbs – 5lbs more than intended as I still haven’t got maintenance right!! However this past week I’ve been awfully glad of that extra wriggle room as I have been away for 6 days and eaten and drank far too much – no refined carbs but fabulous food in smart restaurants and lots of champagne, wine and port!!!!😱 The inevitable result is that I have put 4lbs back on😱 But at least I am still 1lb under target and, as I have come home feeling sooo overindulged, I really feel like fasting tomorrow and then eating lots of greenery over the weekend – why do posh restaurants only pay lip service to vegetables and salads? They only seem to use them as garnish and I am really craving them after 6 days without 😠

Seasidenana I’m sure you’ll get that dress zipped up by Race Day, and CCathy you’ll see that 3lbs off by 15th July if you stick to plan, no worries 😉

By the way CCathy, I am 68 and my BMI has come down to 21 so age needn’t be a factor if you do decide to aim lower. Everyone says I look great and I feel fantastic – wearing size 8 (uk) now 😜 Never in a million years did I ever think I’d manage THAT when I embarked on this WOE way back on 16th January 😀

Hmm, thanks Mixnmatch, that’s pretty much what I reckoned, about glycogen, but I don’t want to carry one with that level of activity. ( I have a lot of things to do that are more important, and not physically strenuous.)
I don’t want to risk losing muscle mass once the glycogen is gone, so I think maybe I should switch to the 5/2 diet instead. It’s good to know that I can lose weight without going into protein deficit again though. 🙂

You’re doing really well, then Polly – well done! Glad to say I’m sitting here crumb free – maybe just a few sunflower seeds on my desk!!! lol.

I’ve made the mistake of watching a YouTube video last night on the horrors of eating meat in all its forms, and dairy – I’m now seriously considering cutting down on my intake and swapping meals for a few vegetarian ones each week. The only supplement you need apparently is B12. It’s served a bit a curve ball really, I really need to sit down and get my head round it all!

I ended up losing half a pound over the past 10 days – glad not to have put on. I’m reading Michael Moseley’s gut book – well worth a read – there are tests you can have done to find the sorts of food that the biome “down there” would be most efficient at processing the food we eat and thus helping to keep the weight off. I think if I’m managing to stay between 800 and 1000 cals a day and my weight isn’t moving much then I shall send some samples off and see what comes back. I find all this stuff fascinating – will let you know if I go down that route!

Going to start meal planning I think as it worked fabulously well whilst we were away and you can stick to a pre written shopping list and suffer less waste at the end of the week. All in good time! Right, gonna start recording meticulously again to check my intake figures – have been a bit woolly round the edges lately! Have a great weekend!! 🙂

I did increase my protein component, to around 75-77 grams per day or even more on really heavy exercise days, which is significantly higher than many people eat on non calorie restricted diets. My typical exercise ‘fuel’ was, and still is a homemade protein shake ( I tried eating a meal instead but rarely felt able to exercise after eating and my badminton sessions start at my normal evening meal time) with 40g whey protein in it, cocoa powder, 10g carbs in total, and some omega 3 fat and fibre from chia seeds. This was started before my session and finished afterwards, so I had plenty of fuel, even though my daily calories were low. I am a little higher than that now I am on maintenance but have mainly increased fat and carbs (though still mostly healthy ones) to get my calories up.

I am starting to think that when we eat is at least as important as what we eat when it comes to staying healthy, and I am sure that fuelling my exercise like I did was what made it possible for me to continue in the way I did.

I haven’t varied my exercise program much, I was doing the badminton sessions before I discovered BSD, and I vividly remember ‘hitting the wall’ for a few weeks when i went really low carb before the problem just melted away, and I was just as able to keep going as I was on my former carby diet.

My advice would be to keep the protein high for the muscle repair and building, set the fat according to something like Martin Ankerl’s keto calculator to activate the weight loss (Google it, that was my main go to for advice on how to change my macros as my body composition changed) and carbs is whatever is left.

FFBB you have shown such strength today and it just wasn’t your time. You will know when it is xx

OMG!
Arrived at hotel and forgot they provide sweet treats in your room on arrival. Today was a beautiful smelling almond and possibly apple thing dusted with icing sugar and a white chocolate truffle.

I lifted the plate and inhaled. Several times. And then I did it again. I thought, what the hell, I’m on holibobs and they would be great with a cup of tea.

Then I marched down two flights of stairs, went outside and dumped them in an ashtray. It was going to be no good just putting them in the bin in the room.

I feel like crying. I swear I can still smell them 😇🍰🍫🍬🍪🍩

Instead I’m here with nuts 🥜 and cheese 🧀 And about to climb into bed.

Day 1 complete.

L xx

Ah that’s brilliant.

Many years ago when I was a child I remember coming home to find the family cat had rammed its head into the cat food tin and was lying on the kitchen floor struggling to breathe… All was well once dad extracted its head, all covered in Whiskas. I’d had a vision of you in a similar situation covered in custard cream crumbs! How rude of me! I think it’s called transference as that’s likely what I will be doing if I go quiet. You sound like you had a lovely week. I’ve been pushing down my calorie intake but it’s still a bit above 800. No sugar at all.

Warm bread with butter. Mermaid…now that sounds sooo good. That idea has me nearly drooling. I am back on the horse after last week’s overeating on the good stuff. Yes I agree, I know all the rules and ignore them when I’ve gone off piste. I watch those naturally slim people just have a little of what they fancy but that balance eludes me.

Self hypnosis. D’you know I used that to stop smoking and it worked. I know what you mean about the cost, I did once pay a large sum 25 yrs ago to a hypnotherapist to stop smoking. It worked for 3.5 yrs. Then I lapsed. And I found a library book which had taught me self hypnosis and it helped enormously. My mother in law was a hypnotherapist and she taught me a bit but really it isn’t rocket science. I think much of the training is about ethics when practising on other people. You presumably are never going to try to hypnotise yourself to do something you don’t want to do. And part of us always wants hot bread n butter. Just like part of me always wanted a nice ciggie with a coffee. But the cost:benefit balance was poor and I wanted the ciggies gone… am glad for it. I wonder. Somehow never thought about doing it for eating. Hmmm. Thinks! Great idea. Thank you. I’m going to ponder on this some more.

Thanks KrysiaD – I’m glad you agree. It’s clearly such a complex area and looking for patterns can become quite an obsession I find so when your sugar levels react differently to two apparently identical days it can be so frustrating. I expect I may well try some medication to supplement the lifestyle approach but hopefully at much lower levels than I would have done without the BSD. I have struggled with the mental and emotional side of this being for life and saw a video on you tube that really helped – its by Bill Polonsky called Psyching Out Diabetes which I would recommend when it all feels a bit overwhelming.

Thanks for posting Kate,stories like yours will help me to keep motivated as I’ve just started.

Hi Nancy

I’m 56 and have 3 and a half stone to lose,presently at 13 stone 4,started again today after spending a couple of days reading the forums and getting to grips with it all.A lot of the posts are very motivating and inspirational.I’ve started the BSD a couple of times before but fell by the wayside,hopefully this time I can stick with it.I’ve learned from my mistakes though and have realised it’s important to record everything I eat.Sometimes life got in the way and I didn’t record,meals out etc,people over for dinner,excuses,excuses.I have to be really serious with this and keep focussed for longer than 2 or 3 weeks.We’re going out for a meal on Monday,a burger restaurant called the Boozy Cow so I have to go with a plan and stick with it.I really have to make this work,need all the help I can get!

I am on day 19 of my first 8 weeks, not even at the 3 week mark and I’ve lost a stone. More importantly I feel lighter of spirits and happier and instead of boredom or stress eating I’m keeping busy and keeping a diary. It’s not a very interesting diary to be fair 😂

This thing really does work. I’ve only been genuinely hungry twice and I can take that if I’m going to be fitter and healthier.

The cravings disappeared so quickly and I can honestly say cake doesn’t interest me right now. I’d pay good money for a pack of ready salted crisps but keeping that at bay with spicy foods and new combinations and really enjoying it!

If you’re thinking about doing it I would urge you wholeheartedly to take the plunge. Planning, shopping and prepping have been key. Thanks also to all those who post on here. It gives me a boost to read your stories when I need it most.

Hello Nancy,
I have also started today, 10st 4lb, 3 stone to lose!
Seems impossible right now. How did you feel physically during the first couple of days when you did it before?
Anyway, glad to join you 🙂

Thank you Mary. x

FFBB, Well done for not hitting the bottle. I know how miserable it is to apply for a job and be pipped at the post. I was once told I was a “breath of fresh air, but we want someone we can mould”. This was for a Teaching job. Turned out they knew who they wanted all along but had to advertise because of the law.

You have done brilliantly and I am really proud of you.

Well done for the monthly average too. Results all around.

Take care.

Mary xxxx

Thank you! I’ve been surprised that I haven’t been hungry today, it looks like I haven’t eaten much (scrambled egg, feta and lentil salad, skinny cottage pie in the oven) but it seems to have kept bigger at bay. Perhaps it’ll hit me tomorrow.
I’ve got the recipe book but not the one explaining the diet, I’ve just read a lot online. I know the low fat line was a load of rubbish, and probably to blame for my expanding waistline! But it’s not easy getting my brain to override my instincts.
I’ll look out for those people, it’s always good to get some inspiration.

Some of the weight loss in the early days will be glycogen, if you are low carbing, or rather the water it binds to it. This will slow down after the first week so for the rest of the time your water mass won’t change much. Muscle mass will only decrease if you stop exercising them, as there are several stages to go before the body starts to consume healthy muscle and usually you need to be seriously underweight as well as calorie restricted to get to that point.

This will be the third day running that I have managed to get down to around 800 calories, (after weeks of general BSD) and the pounds are shifting, but today I have had to have two naps, and slept soundly both times.
Is this just because I had a bad night last night, or is it because I am losing weight too fast? (2lb in three days) Another possibility is that yesterday and the day before involved significant levels of physical activity, so maybe I should have increased my protein intake, somehow.

More than once in the past I have lost about 7 lbs in a couple of weeks, then either stalled or gone into starvation mode.
I didn’t know it at the time, but back then I wasn’t eating enough protein. This time I have already found that I need to eat around 80g protein, even on a relatively inactive day, plus I have completely ditched loose carbs for several weeks now, and don’t get the munchies any more. I am still worrying that I am going to hit the glycogen plateau or worse though.

How can I be sure that the weight lost isn’t just glycogen, or worse, muscle mass?

Disappointing day life wise. I applied for a job I really wanted. It was with the charity I volunteer for but I didn’t get it. I gave good answers but didn’t give the best answers that they heard so I didn’t get it.

I had hoped (really hoped) I had done enough to answer all the questions in depth but some of my answers fell short (I have requested written feedback but doubt I will get it!) They had a candidate that ticked every box and then some so he/she (don’t know yet) got the job.

I have handled the disappointment well though. 2 weeks ago I would have spiralled and hit the bottle but I think not drinking has enabled me to handle my emotions better. I am taking the positives and dismissing the negatives. I did well in the interview and proved myself and the knowledge I do have.

Stuck to WOE, well actually slightly under to help the monthly average.