Hi all!!

Day 2 for me and coming in at 720 calories. So far not so bad…. I haven’t struggled so far but this is my second time of doing this diet. I did 6 weeks at the beginning of the year and lost 1 and a half stone. I have gained some back as I went away for 2 weeks but I am still a size 16 instead of the 18/20 I was. Operation size 14 here I come!!!!!!

Much love to all xxx

We can do this!!!

Hi everyone, wine is my downfall. Apart from bread I haven’t been a big carb easter though I’ve had to change my preferred f&v (potatoes! Peaches! Cherries! ). I used to regularly have at least half a bottle of wine in the evenings and TBH I didn’t think I’d be able to cut it out. At first I didn’t though I reduced it. The past two weeks I’ve made the decision to have some on Fridays and Tuesdays when I go out with friends but not the rest of the week and I seem to be able to stick to that- for now ☺ I’ve got a sad history of not sticking things out for the long haul but I’m trying to change that.

As others have said this is a way of living so it has to be sustainable. For me, feeling constantly deprived is the surest way to failure. Don’t beat yourselves up! Even with blips, consider how much better your diet is now than it was ☺ It might be slower than we’d like but I’m sure we’ll all get there with support!

Hi, I’m on Day 2 too! Diabetes T2 for 5 years, 53 in April. Dad lost eyesight due to T2 and died at 64. Mum 85, has struggled with T2 since her 30s! Feels like a death sentence but I WILL break the curse. Thank you for all the welcomes and support I’ve already received!

Hi there. One week gone, and 10lb down. Feeling tired though. Still, determined to press on. I sat with my family, all of whom are diabetic and me sat there at nearly 18 stone. I thought I’ve got to do something drastic to prevent the same happening to me, or at least reduce the odds in my favour. I’ve been supported by my wife, but most others are sceptical predicting a bounce back when I stop. Most of them have weight problems, and I suspect they don’t want me to succeed because they aren’t doing anything about it. Following the menu plan religiously, and must say I’m surprised at how filling the meals are. My real struggle is the loss of sweeteners in my coffee. Sparkling water’s OK, but coffee is simply not the same.

Hi Folks

I am on Day 2 and so far so good. Still a bit headachy but if I could get an appointment with the GP it would help as I need my medication reduced I think.

Nice not to have a bloated carb belly though .

Shammy don’t worry……….. my GP has kind of dismissed this also.

It clearly works so its up to us to prove the pessimists wrong ……..(pretty sure I spelled that wrong lol)

Hey one thing I learned throughout life – it’s the black sheep and those who are always put in the corner – are the most interesting! just saying 🙂 and that’s what I’d normally gravitate to.
I can’t say I’ve followed this 100% but have tried my best – I don’t follow the advice of keeping the carbs to a certain number – and sometimes its higher and sometimes its lower as well as my calories but at end of each week I do an average and they pretty much fall in line with the book. I know for a fact that if I had not been recently diagnosed as T2 then I would most definitely sneak a glass (or two) of wine – perhaps a piece of toast with lots of melted butter and jam but I also knew that if I didn’t adhere to it then in 5 weeks time I would be put on medication and I would only have myself to blame. This is the first time in my life that I’ve made a clear determined decision on anything (now if I could apply the same to everything else in my life – sure wouldn’t it be grand!) So I’m hoping that I can follow through with it. And if I can – well there’d be no stopping me haha. Although after all I’ve said I’ve a check up tomorrow (halfway point) and if they say everything is going in the right direction – in the back of my head is this little persistent voice saying ok you got this – its working – lets take Paddy’s Day off – and rock the boat – I may leave a drunken post at 4 am – just saying 🙂

Heading over …. !

Lumpyjumper you seem to have this all sussed, I would love to buddy up with you all as Im on day 2 and think the only people who will understand why we are doing this is fellow T2Ds.

Cant believe I’m excited about a diet lol

My name is Kim….. Hi Folks!!! x

Ive started the motivated march’ers on the starting Bsd forum, see you there!

Absolutely! Welcome Phreckles! The more the merrier, welcome to the gang!

SunshineGirl, thank you so much. I’m on 16:8 and 800 cals — been on 2x500mg of metformin daily but unsure as to whether to carry on with this dosage or halve it. My “feeding window” (that phrase still makes me think of a zoo; hope that association will pass!) ends around 8:30 pm so is it okay if I have a bit of protein before bed, around 10:30 pm?

HI Folks!

Really can identify with you all.

I’ve been T2D since daughter was born 13 years ago. It started as gestational diabetes but given my family history, (mother and sister became diabetic during pregnancy), I perhaps shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was when it didn’t disappear after my daughter was born. Having had a trouble free first pregnancy it seemed that genetics weren’t going to be kind after all.

I am overweight at 85kg, and was following all the advice previously given to ‘help’ my condition, (eat a low fat diet and plenty of rice, pasta and potatoes), I wasn’t losing weight and my sugars were erratic. I even joined Slimming World, who again encourage lots of low fat and ‘unlimited’ rice pasta and potatoes. But still no improvement in my condition.

Last week I was in the bookstore and saw the 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet book….. it was that simple. Having read the blurb on the back I was hooked. Started the diet yesterday, not in the least hungry but have felt a little light headed and cannot get an appointment to see GP for a week to inform I am on the diet and may need medication adjustments………..no make that I WILL need the medication reduced!

Lets kick T2D in the bum……. hard! 🙂

Hi Lumpy – I’m a motivated marcher – but I started Thursday, March 2nd, not this week. Is it ok if I join this group?

Hello, a group for those of us who started this week in March whether for the first time or just a fresh start! Moved from a thread in Welcome forum.

Day2 is done, slightly over at 923 cal but 10k steps in the bag today. Still motivated going to weigh in tomorrow before first true test… A meal out with work.

My original diagnosis was 14.2 and I was not given any alternative but medications which soon led to insulin as the meds made me very ill. Good for your doctor for giving you this chance. Although I was not running at 14.2 when I started this diet I was 8.2 and am now 5.4 after 8 months. Do it properly and you will see results very quickly but long term results take longer. If you are newly diagnosed you might be able to get things down fairly quickly. Good luck.

It certainly worked (and is working) for me. I was in the same boat as you but agreed a 12 week “stay of execution” on meds If the 15.8 was a HBA1C test then your starting point was a bit higher than mine but my weight was a bit more than yours!, I’m not au fait with your measures but my HBA1C was 67mmol/mol when I started and was 35 at the last count (normal is below 42).

I got back to normal blood sugar, BP and cholesterol levels in about four months, as well as losing just under six stone and still drifting downwards.

Yes apple I love my fruit too- I am trying so hard not to eat as much but then a crave it- I used to constantly eat fruit and have gone all my life- if I go over carbs it’s usually due to fruit- if I go over cals it’s usually due to cheese- if I’m going to go,over which is better? I know it’s a daft question as really it should be neither!

I am happy at the improvements I’m making and see my love handles ho is a boost so I will keep plodding along and if I have the odd sandwich, or biscuit etc then do be it- I have learnt that I can’t have a great and binge out everyday but there is no point of depriving myself if it makes me miserable- similarly I am not about to eat bad things all the time

Those of you that have the willpower to stick at 800 cals, hats off to you! I’m hoping if I up my exercise I will balance out my badness!

I like this board to offload and get encouragement and be in the naughty corner with the others 😉 lol xx

Marsie, love the title and it will get us past Easter madness. Fortunately I dont like chocolate but will be in Spain with my husband, daughter and 2 grandsons (aged 11 and 8) so there will be plenty of other temptations.

fabulist, as you know about the Dawn Phenomenon are you doing something about it. A BSD friendly snack before bed tricks your liver into thinking it has enough glucose so does not do a dump on you. I usually have some tuna, cold meat or chicken, nothing with it, just as it comes.

You can do it Shammy. Never mind what nursey says. Not sure if you’ve had a look around the forum but there are some awesome, and awesomely inspiring, people on here. Use the search box at the top of the page to find Captainlynne.

Fabulist you can do 800 and 16/8 eating no problem, there is no conflict, unless maybe you are diabetic (luckily for me I’m not) it’s what many of us do (sorry if I misunderstood your meaning in your earlier post). Check out Sunshinegirl and LindaA they have great information in their posts

Lumpyjumper love your name.

I’ll join you in the naughty corner jps and chelle – my 2 day complete blow out in week 2 wiped out my weight loss so we’re now in week 4 and I have only lost 4lb. I look at some of the huge losses people have had so far and think “if only I had stuck to it” All we can do is keep trying 🙂

I’ve decided I really miss fruit so I’m increasing my carbs to 60g a day instead of the 40g I had been sticking to. Let’s be honest, I’m not a fast loser and was hoping that I would lose faster with lower carbs but it doesn’t seem to be happening so this way I can enjoy an apple here and there.

We have all made the decision to keep trying and that alone is something we should all be proud of 🙂

Hi jpscloud,
Never fear, you are not alone – I had a falling off the wagon on Sunday, just had to eat, eat, eat. So I was hardly surprised when I registered a rise in my weight – disappointing because I’d had a run of better weigh-ins the few days beforehand. It happens, even after this length of time – for me it was a raging headache brought on by dehydration and stress at work that reduced me to an eating machine.
We are but mere mortals…

Hi je55icat,
To answer your question – last year I lost a total of 2.5stone (I was aiming for 3st) – had a bit of a relapse over Xmas and I’m still trying to lose that final 1/2 stone!
I understand your frustration with your friends’ splendid results (I’m jealous and I’ve never met them) – however, don’t compare your results with theirs, that way madness lies! We are all different – there are plenty of people who can lose loads and others who struggle. As you said in one of your posts above, as you didn’t have a sweet tooth to start with you may not benefit as much from this plan as someone who viewed biscuits, ice cream, etc as a staple part of their previous diet.
Your existing medical conditions may be playing a part if there are things you cannot eat – I’m sure there are people on these forums who’ve got some relevant experience they would be willing to share.
Good luck with your efforts.

thanks for that je55icat, I should have remembered that as I was looking PA up just last week. My daughter has been having weird symptoms, numbness, loss of memory, holding a conversation but not knowing she is there or remembering it. We thought she might have been going into ketosis due to her erratic eating but blood tests show she is low on B12 and Folic Acid so now awaiting more tests. She already has hypothyroidism so lets hope it is just her diet and not pernicious anaemia.

Jps- I too feel like the black sheep of the group- we seem to be always in the naughty corner!

Today so far I have had yoghurt and fruit for breakfast- lunch I made some egg muffins- bit of onion cherry tomatoes whisked up egg topped in a muffin tin- bit of cheese and into the oven for 25 minsA had with some leaves for lunch- was really tasty!

I know I am doing much better than I was and feel much healthier- I am going in the right direction 🙂

Hello fellow bsd’ers- is there an official name? I started in early Jan and was hoping to have completed the 8 week plan by now – have managed 2 weeks on a bit of time off 2 weeks on and I am ready to get back on! Went to my nurse to get my hba1c today she referred me to the insensitive dr needless to say it didn’t go well, she said I can never lose 4 stone to be my ideal weight – so here goes. I could really do with some kind words I am not on medication but she suggested metformin, I am going to see a kinder dr next Friday to discuss how to manage this. I did ask a few weeks ago if I could run a bsd get together at the practice……..
I am 95kg and need to be 65kg max. i love the bsd diet and exercise and do the bike or stretches. I did some strength training at the gym last year and that helped by cholesterol results. Would be nice to know i am not doing this alone xx

Marsie – I love that title. The demon hot cross buns and Easter eggs are everywhere so it is very topical. The little Lindt chocolate Easter bunnies that I absolutely used to love are everywhere also. I am trying to avert my eyes every time I see them.

Linda – have remembered a bit more about why low carbers have to eat lots more carbs before a fasting glucose test. Because we now only produce the enzymes to process fats and proteins and no longer produce the enzymes to process carbs our fasting glucose test will show a bigger spike than it would if we were carb adapted. So the theory is that we have to get the body back to being carb adapted before we take the test.

So that is why your doctor wants you to eat all the carbs and does make sense. Then you would have a few days of feeling tired after the test until you become low carb adapted and you are producing the enzymes to process fats and proteins.

I feel like the black sheep of this thread with an awful fall from grace yesterday when I didn’t even try to resist the carbs!

My weight has not changed which reflects the erratic way I’ve been. I’m quite disappointed with myself in a way because I’d love to see some weight loss, but on the other hand I’m quite pleased not to have gained.

I will stick around and keep trying!

Hurrah! We’ll follow you over to Motivated Marchers! Yaaay, buddies!!!

Good to get started again Jimbo54. Good luck with it all. Feel free to also drop in on other boards. Lots of support around.

Hello you lovely people, I would love to buddy with you 🙂

Just thinking of starting a new thread under starting BSD board for us to chat? Maybe we call us the Motivated March’ ers ( ie. March starters?) and we can use the board for our conversations? What do you think? Happy to title us whatever you think would be good 🙂

I’ve just been for my 30 minute walk in the fresh air and admired the daffodils. I sit most of the day in a windowless office and tend to be very sedentary so I try to walk a route inside the building every hour when I’m not in meetings. I’ve mapped a route that is 500-700 steps so over an 8 hr day I can get quite a few in. I’m lucky to have an onsite gym so I have a personal training session at 1545 today. It mostly involves stretching as I’ve dodgy knees from being in the RAF and a damaged shoulder and recently injured wrist! ( Gosh, I sound like I’m falling apart!)

I’ve dropped from being a size 20 to a size 14 in the last year but I’ve bought a dress for a wedding in June that is a size 14 and it hugs my curves just a little too much!

Here’s to supporting each other through the temptations and celebrating our successes!

Oh, I’ve just thought of one, have to make a note before I forget it….

… the “Beat the Demon Hot Cross Bun & Easter Egg Challenge” 4weeks ending 18th April.

Comments? Other suggestions?

Thanks

Oh, scream, I’d just finished a long post congratulating, commiserating, explaining my week and my day, pressed submit, and “you are offline” appeared. I wasn’t until then, you nasty little green goblin who lives inside my tablet, brother of the one inside my laptop!!

Can’t do it all again, except to say we’ll done to Sunshine-girl on the test results. Also to Verano, Butterlover, especially liked your week. And hugs to those struggling. ….hang in

For me, my weigh-in this morning showed 63.1kg, i.e. 300gm loss, better than nothing. This week I will concentrate, narrow my focus, outwit my impulsive, compulsive, pick, pick, picking.

Week 4 in front of us. …..go well everyone. 🙆 We’ll have to give thought to the next challenge towards the end of the week

Hi all :o)

I’m very similar – currently 91kg, starting weight was 95kg… I did this diet for 6 weeks in January, early Feb this year and then went on a cruise for 2 weeks so have gained some back – mainly through alcohol rather than food actually… I was a size 18/20 and am now a 16, albeit a larger 16, but goes to show how quickly you can drop the weight when sticking to it. I tended to have a loss, then stay the same for a few days and then have a whoosh of a loss, and then stay the same, and then whoosh…. It’s about learning about your body… I know some days I may show a gain even though I have stuck to it by the letter, but the next day I would show a 3lb loss.

I re-started yesterday and am already getting back into the work routine with drinks and foods etc… Once you get into a routine, then you can get it cracked. I have given up alcohol completely as if I have a drink, I drink the whole bottle of wine, and I have got all my meals planned for the week and even know what I’m having at the weekend. I have a blip in that we are going out for a leaving lunch tomorrow but I will have no breakfast and then avocado and bacon salad without dressing (only choice really as steak is soooooooo expensive!) and that will be my main meal for the day. I tend to have 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast about 11am, then a salad with chicken or tuna or cottage cheese for lunch around 1.30/2pm, and then have an evening meal around 7.30pm… I drink a lot of fluids at work to keep everything moving and that’s pretty much my routine!! I find it easier at weekends to have a brunch (2/3 flat mushrooms with feta and spinach) and then an evening meal so just the 2 meals, but I struggle more with the fluids (and alcohol avoidance) at the weekends.

Lets get this cracked people – we can do this… Here’d to the first whoosh of weight loss for us all!!!

Much love,
Rebecca xx

thanks Av – looks delicious, I’ll definitely try this on the weekend..

Feeling much better today….headache seems to have lifted, thankfully. I’m trying to drink lots and lots of herbal teas (and I did have coffee this morning too, I think need to ease myself into this a little more gently probably!)..

Oh and I test my own blood — it is usually around 120 in the day, but Dawn Phenomenon hits me with readings of up to 144 upon waking. Sorry, I don’t do the mmol/l units that the rest of the UK seems to be doing — I think my units are American.
Ideally, I would be so happy to be in my low 70s or high 60s in terms of kgs. It’s going to take me an age to get there, but I really want to do it this time.

Can we be diet buddies? I’m 52, soon to turn 53 in April and this is also Day 2 for me! 🙂 I would love to be in a trial group of Anything. Out here in Brussels, my slim GP’s eyes glaze over whenever I mention carbs — “Ah, yes, well, some carbs are good for everybody. Why don’t you eat less and move more? Maybe walk 15 minutes a day?” she murmurs, almost looking at her watch.
I am also on 800 but doing the 16:8; not sure one can combine the two regimes.
For lunch I brought to the office a box of sliced toms and cukes and a container of poached chicken with a dousing of Greek yog and mayo swirled together. I LOVE cottage cheese.
Thank you for writing back!

Hello fabulist, great to meet you too.

My understanding is that you cannot fall into a hypo with Metformin, so do not worry. It works on the liver rather than by increasing insulin production so therefore there is no risk of a hypo 🙂 Do check, but I believe that to be the case.

I’m part of a trial group at the local hospital looking at young people ( I’m 47!) with Type 2 and the staff there are experts in their field, unlike my local surgery who still advise filling the plate with starchy carbohydrates! I just wish I could email them and ask questions when I need to do so.

I have done intermittent fasting in the past as well as TRF (Time Restricted Feeding) both worked well for me, however I’m going for the big bang this time with the 800cal day. Today is day 2 and I don’t have the carb hangover I had yesterday which is a bonus.

So far today I have had 2 eggs scrambled with a little (too much) chilli flakes and for lunch I’ve had cottage cheese with peanuts. I have to say, today has been much much easier than yesterday and I’m about to go for a lunchtime walk 🙂 Let’s spur each other on, how much are you looking to lose? Do you measure your blood sugars at all? or just the regular HbA1c?

LJ

No weight loss to report at the end of week 10 last Saturday. Probably not helped by several large glasses of red wine over the course of the previous weekend and a bottle of beer at a gig on Wednesday. Also water consumption needs to improve, along with the exercise as I have mentioned before!

I have decided to weigh daily now so that I can see what effect my eating/drinking/exercise (or lack thereof) has on my weight. Pleased to report 3/4 of a pound loss since yesterday, helped (I assume) by plenty of water being drunk and some exercise yesterday evening, or just my body doing what it wants to do. I am so pleased to have lost 27.25 lbs since 1st January, and now keen to push towards a total 40 lb loss (to be 11 stone). I have definitely been more lax since the 8 weeks were completed, so I will need to get back to the stricter regime to kick start again, or I could go 5:2 and accept a slower loss.

Lumpyjumper, pleased to meet you. Our stories are almost identical. Well, I am currently 95kg, but that is the only difference. I am on the same amount of metformin, have been diabetic for 5 years, and would really like to reverse my diabetes. Are you intermittent fasting? I stopped taking metformin over the last two days because I was afraid I would slip into hypoglycaemia but am not sure that was the best idea. I really don’t want to share this with my conservative doctor — I live in Brusels and the medical profession here tends to be a bit old-school…
Good luck!

Hi rozyDozy thanks for your words of encouragement. Can I ask how much you’ve lost overall now? In the end that’s what counts I guess, even if the journey’s a little longer 🙂 I think I’ve got more discouraged because 2 of my close friends started at around the same weight, are the same height and have both lost 3 stone (42lbs) in 12 weeks. I mean their results are amazing. The difference (apart from different bodies) is that neither of them did any exercise before. One had an awful diet (loads of coke and crisps) but the other one similar to mine. It’s hard seeing close friends doing so well and me going at a snails pace!

I’ll take a look at your posts I think.

Hi Annette,

At least I’m not the only one feeling frustrated. I’m not checking my sugar levels. No need. At my health check a few weeks ago they were well within normal range. I’m wondering if that’s part of the thing for me. I don’t have a sweet tooth so consumed virtually no sugar before and only a few carbs. I’m allergic to dairy and a coeliac so never ate sweets and cakes and things. Just dark chocolate and wine 😉 Maybe there’s just not the big adjustment for me in that sense.

A 10 lb weight loss is great though! And 1.5 inches off your tummy. Well done! I’ve not lost any inches either 😮 I think you’re doing great! I’d be made up with 10lb and 1.5 inches. I think I saw a forum thread somewhere about blood sugar levels not changing – maybe you could search for it? I confess it’s not something I’m really following or bothered about.

I think I’m going to re-read the back end of the book too.

Good luck.

Hi sunshine-girl

Pernicious Anaemia is an autoimmune disease where you can’t absorb B12 because you don’t have Intrinsic Factor. There’s no cure and I have intramuscular injections of replacement B12 for life. I can’t absorb any B12 from food so it doesn’t matter how much B12 I eat through chicken, fish or anything else, it won’t make any difference to me. It’s like being a Type 1 Diabetic. I just felt I needed to point this out because you have to be careful giving medical and nutritional advice if it’s incorrect on these kind of forums and unfortunately your advice there would be dangerous – I think you may have mixed up vitamin B12 deficiency with PA, a bit like some people mix up Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In both cases one can be corrected with diet and lifestyle, the other is an autoimmune disease.

I’m not running to lose weight. That’s just something I do anyway to keep fit. I’m pretty fit and active. I was just making the point that I’m doing exercise and was finding 800 cals not enough on run days. I felt too weak to do anything the next day. Maybe that’s settled down a bit now.

Have already planned no more wine so hopefully that will make a difference. Thanks.

Hi everyone: Congrats on all of your good results this week. And for those who are having a hard time and still sticking with it. I know it will pay off in the long run. Because that was me also and hopefully I have found my groove.

I lost 2.6 pounds this week after my weight going up and down, for a total of 3.8 for the last 3 weeks. I’m hoping for a good loss next week as long as I don’t sabotage myself again like I always do when I see a new low.

How are your sugar readings?

I am 2.5 weeks into the BSD and have been really strict. Sticking to under 800 calories, no cheats at all and have lost 10lbs so far and 1.5 inches off my waist which I am more than happy with.

However, my sugar levels are still so high. I had expected at nearly 3 weeks in to start seeing some improvement or am I expecting too much too soon?

Annette

Good advice

Jimbo, it could be habit, do you normally have an afternoon snack. I did pre BSD because I was afraid of my BG dropping too low, when I got onto the diet and everything was steady, probably because I was eating better food, I still had a 4pm snack until I realised I didn’t actually need it. You could try having something really healthy like a few tablespoons of full fat Greek yoghurt, the fat helps with cravings or a slice of cold meat.

Well done Sg! You have done amazingly to bring your insulin down and that’s the name of the game after all!

SunnyB my downfall is also not enough fluids. When I was ill a few weeks ago I was drinking so much water to swallow down the pills, I needed a full glass 4 times a day just for those. I did lose at a much steadier rate than now. Probably because I keep ‘forgetting’ to drink now. For me I really have to make a conscious effort everyday to drink enough.

My 5lb goal has shrunk to 3.6lbs so all good on that front. Twelve days to go and I’m sure I can manage that if I just stay focused!