I have porridge as an occasional breakfast too, but only use 20g oats or buckwheat and 10g of milled nuts and seeds to bulk it and provide fibre. Chia or linseed give a very good bulking/thickening effect. Makes a huge bowl full that kept me full for ages, and lower carbs. I was never keeping to the super low carbs though, usually around 35-55g as a non-diabetic was good enough to keep the ketosis going.

One idea could be to try the smaller portion sizes than you are used to, and see if they are sufficient to keep you full. Another is just to allow yourself a little more time to see the effects of the whole 8 weeks.

I don’t really understand all the blood sugar values, but they are obviously both true reflections of what is happening in your body. The dawn effect means that the fasting test can be less reliable and some diabetics, including a long term poster now at maintenance called Bill, if I remember correctly, stopped using fasting blood tests at all until he lost the 15% or so and dropped below his personal visceral fat threshold to the point where the fasting bloods were normal again.

Had the same reaction this afternoon , dull headache , lay down for a while and tried relaxation as I was getting uptight about it. A cup of coffee helped and a walk for about 15 mins. Bitterly cold here so it was quite a feat…..I might even have had the heating up to high.
A case of what works for us individuals ……. as long as we keep going.

Hi Mixnmatch. I think my excess weight is going to take two years to go! It is coming off very slowly.
I started on the 1st October and have now lost about 17Kg. I could get disheartened but I am trying very hard not to.
You and others have done very well and I congratulate you all.

The book doesn’t actually mention a specific carb target. If you want to go for a carb level in the 25-30g range then it’s going to be difficult, nigh on impossible, to have porridge for breakfast, I’m afraid.

I have porridge as an occasional breakfast but also go for egg breakfasts, yogurt with berries, mushrooms etc

Hey Chelle1981, Coffee with milk is fine as long as you count the calories in the milk. Some people measure out their milk allowance in the morning and just stick with that.Quite a few people on here still drink coffee and lose weight so it doesn’t seem to cause issues and it didn’t for me when I did this plan the first time around. The last thing you need to be dealing with is caffeine withdrawal headaches so you’ll be better off drinking some coffee if that’s your usual thing but keep it to as few cups as you can get away with and keep going with the water. If you can swap one cup of coffee for a herbal tea then that would be great but, honestly, what you’re doing sounds great so don’t worry too much.

Wow, I am totally amazed and in awe of how well the January starters have done this week. I started week 6 yesterday after a very disappointing quarter of a pound loss in week five but after reading all the wonderful weight losses this week it has made me even more determined to stick with this diet and keep positive. Thank you for inspiring me to keep going. I have two more weeks to go after this week before the eight weeks are done and there is no way I will be at where I want to be by then but I am determined that this year I will lose three stone and so until that time comes I will be doing the BSD 800. Thank you for the positive vibes coming through – they have made me so determined and focused. Well done everyone who has had a great week and be inspired those who,like me, haven’t lost what they had hoped this week. Onwards and downwards to us all!

Hi NGUTT. Have you taken painkillers? No reason not to. Also keep fluid intake up. You could try a salty drink, I used marmite in hot water, or soup would work, even just a pinch of salt direct would do. Because if you are drinking plenty of water (as you should be) you can be washing the salts from your body which can also cause headaches quite apart from the carb flu although I think it may be a bit soon for that but we’re all different so could be that too.

Hi LindaA, not too much help as I can’t remember the full details but – I used to be on another forum and the subject of weight gain in excessive heat came up and apparently it is “a thing” and humidity also has an effect. As I seem to be saying a lot lately Google it. I just put in excessive heat causing weight gain. I would post a link but my tablet is saying no (maybe I should google that😀).

Survived day 1 …
Having severe headache , had it almost since mid of day 1.
Day 2 today… hopefully will get better.
How was the day for others who started around the same time.

Thanks everyone for the support. I was inspired to do the diet. Y a colleague at work who lost 4 stone in 4 months. I set myself a goal of 2 stone off in this first 8 weeks which I’m desperately hoping I make. I keep saying I’ve got 4 to lose-I need to start saying I’ve got 2 and a half! I really need to work on self motivation talk 😆
I have been very careful about sticking to 800 calories bar on 2 occasions. 1 was a spectacular fall off the wagon, the other last week on a work trip. Very stressful day and no good choices in hotel restaurant. After both of these, I’ve tried really hard to come in at 650 calories or less for a few days to offset the calorie excess. Perhaps that’s why it’s working? I am expecting a plateau soon-so nervous every time I get on scales! I’ve decided to just stay on the 800 calories until I’ve lost 4 stone in total. Then I’ll review where I am-if I look too thin in face or starting to get loose flappy skin and ultimately what the blood sugars doing. I cannot believe how great this WOE is. If only I’d found it years ago!!!

Thanks Molly- I do love fruit and grapes- I used to eat a banana for breakfast thinking I was being healthy but now realise this was probably my down fall as about an hour later I was always starving- after breakfast I wasn’t hungry-

Is it ok to drink coffee with milk- think this may be my downfall- I’ve had 3 cups today but 2l water

I’m sure I’ll get into the swing of things

Hi Chelle1981, that sounds ok to me except maybe for the grapes which can be little sugar bombs. I think, if you stick to berries, apples and pears and only have small amounts then you should be ok. It would be a different story if you were having lots of banana and pineapple for example. I seem to remember from when I did this last year, the advice was to stay away from tropical fruits. Everything else you’re having looks great in my opinion. Varied and not too high in carbs. Good luck with it.

Hi all – I have started today too but I am not sure if I am doing this right and eating too much fruit?

For breakfast I had 2 heaped spoons of full fat Greek yoghurt with 10 blueberries and 5 rasps and a 15g flaked almonds

Lunch I had home made red pepper and squash soup followed by 16 grapes

When I got home from work I was hungry so ate an apple

Dinner making the easy bolagnaise and having with a small amount of butternut squash spaghetti ( dividing Bol into 6 portions) followed from book minus the purée and Worcester sauce

Am I eating too much?

Missed your zippedy do dah post Verano – that’s absolutely brilliant news.

You’re fabulously, wonderfully …normal. That must feel amazing – enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

*MK puts on happy pants and does a happy, happy dance for Verano*

I think that I am beginning to suffer from information overload. Mosley’s book says porage – plain – is OK and that, together with some fruit – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, about 40g – is what I have for breakfast, which is why I find it difficult to see how one can can achieve 25-30 g of carbs daily – that breakfast gives some 20 g of carbs before the rest of the day kicks in. Are you all saying take the reading before eating – whihc is what I used to do before learning of the ‘dawn rush’? Given the considerable difference in the two readings I had today, 7.1 at 6 a.m before eating, 5.9 around 11-11:30 after eating – which is the true reflection of my BS state?
I do exercise – I have an unpowered treadmill which I use for 20 minutes 6 times a week – it’s the equivalent of walking fast up a 1 in 10 hill, quite hard work for a 79 year old!
I really only have myself to blame for the current situation, after years of being borderline – 18 months ago my disabled wife nearly died and somehow I just slipped into an ‘Ah, sod it!’ mode and just stopped worrying about what I was eating and drinking – a big mistake which I am now trying to rectify
Thanks for all the help and advice – it is much appreciated.
Mike

Hi Sumo, I made the eight stone off in exactly two years, with my anniversary date of 1st February being the actual day I first hit it bizarrely enough. Life is rarely so tidy. I had three stone off in the first year, but between June (my birthday) and Christmas put a stone back on so you are already doing better than me. The other six went between January last year and first of February this year at an ever increasing rate as I got better and more focused on what I was doing. I didn’t start BSD until the end of April last year, which is when things really started happening, and have only had one fast 800 8 weeks session with the rest being variations of 5:2. (4:3, 2:5).

I plugged my weight and height into the keto calculator kindly provided by Martin Ankerl (Google it if you want to try it, or there are some links on earlier threads) and worked on 40g carbs, 77g protein and 35g fat as a rough target for my average weekly values, and that seemed about right. If you are doing a lot more exercise then you may need to up the protein and drop the carbs a bit further, but the fat is quite important to keep up for satiety.

Hi j p s cloud,
You have made the best decision.
To be right here amongst family and friends.
We all know how hard it is. We walk with you.

Just coax yourself little by little. You won’t feel the change then , and you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I’m starting today too. I did it successfully almost exactly a year ago but then I binged on bad stuff as soon as the 8 weeks was up and quickly regained the 24lbs I lost. I’m trying again and planning not to make the same mistake this time. Good luck lovelies!

Really inspiring xx

I’m starting today . Did try last year but gave up , but really need to do something and like the concept of this diet so giving it another go with four and a half stone to lose and pre diabetic according to doctor x
I need support so good to have others starting the same time x

Week one weigh in lost 10.lb so happy and feeling really positive about my lifestyle change to healthy eating. Thanks for all the advice and support from everyone it is much appreciated
Sharon

I agree with sunshine-girl.

I was always told to test first thing after waking. My experience has been that this particular reading, which never dropped prior to the BSD has now been in the normal range for several months.

And my HbA1c has also dropped into the normal range.

Yes Michael, you should do the test before eating, even if you do eat at 5am. I used to have to get up early when I worked not you cant drag me out of bed before 8am. The snack should be something small like a piece of cheese or slice of cold meat and of course allowed on the BSD, no bowls of cereals like my nutritionist recommended.

Oh – and I hadn’t heard of the pre-bed snack – I’ll try it tonight
Mike

>>Michael Rolls, I am probably to blame for you getting up at 5am. You don’t measure your BG at 5 am – I repeat, your liver pumps out glycogen at AROUND 5am, but it could be 3.30 or 4.00 or 6.00, it depends on lots of things, like your weight, when you last ate, what you ate. Just do your BG at your normal time but make sure you have had a very small snack before you go to bed to help PREVENT the liver pumping out glycogen.
Enjoy a good nights sleep tonight.<<
I’m pleased to say that it’s not your fault – I’ve been up and about around 5 a.m. for 40 years or more!
It’s just the way that I am – dates back to the days when I had to be up at 5, on the road by 6 to get to the office for 7. Never shaken off the habit even though I have now been retired for over 20 years.
I read your comments on another thread about the early morning rush. Had always assumed that it would be logical to take the BS reading early before eating, as I presumed that it would be affected by what I ate, which could differ from day to day. Interestingly, having taken the DS reading at about 6 this morning – it was 7.1, after reading you post, I took it again at about 11:30 and it was only 5.9 – now I’m really puzzled. Obviously both readings are ‘correct’ for when they were taken – but which one reflects where I really am in relation to being over/ not over the D2 limit?
Mike

Thank you everyone that is very helpful!!! Have a great day!

I don’t add sugar to anything – the ‘added sugar’ is the description used for items whihc aren’t just natural sugar (like an apple or a parsnip or whatever) as opposed to sugar which is part of the manufacturing or production process. It’s not something that I can control other than not eating the products concerned – for example a 100g of Greek Yoghurt has 5.3g of sugar in it. A single Rich Tea biscuit has nearly 2 g , and and so on.
Mike

Great news Verano. *does happy dance for Verano*.

Hi katb

Some diabetics on here have dropped their carbs to around 25g daily to normalise blood sugars. It’s an individual thing – you’ll find your level.

Michael Rolls, I am probably to blame for you getting up at 5am. You don’t measure your BG at 5 am – I repeat, your liver pumps out glycogen at AROUND 5am, but it could be 3.30 or 4.00 or 6.00, it depends on lots of things, like your weight, when you last ate, what you ate. Just do your BG at your normal time but make sure you have had a very small snack before you go to bed to help PREVENT the liver pumping out glycogen.

Enjoy a good nights sleep tonight.

This can’t be true, a shortage of courgettes and other veg. I heard it was because of flooding in Spain but I can still get as much as I like here in France and there have been no problems in Spain. Do you think the EU is trying to tell you something, although starving Brits of salad like vegetables would hardly bring them to their knees. Present company accepted as we all love our veg.

One day at a time MK. That’s all any of us can say or do.

Well done for today.

Good for you MK. Isn’t it funny how people think you are judging them by your food choices. Someone told me I was trying to be superior by not drinking and making them feel bad. I don’t care what they eat and am trying not to look so I don’t get tempted but I certainly don’t think I am better than they are.

Hi katb
Not sure about amount of fats and proteins, but I am certain that just about everybody is trying to stay under 50g carbs each day. If you follow the recipes then you will be getting the right amount of fats and proteins. Some say you need 1g of protein for each kg of what would be your IDEAL weight.
As for the 800 cals – yes, you must stick to 800 calories or under each day. So if your energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate sums to 2,500 cals a day that is a deficit of 1,700 cals a day and you should lose half a pound (8oz) of body fat each day.
Nancy x

Welcome Katb, you are in the right place to reverse your diabetes and you are lucky enough to have found this plan so early after your diagnosis, though not lucky to be diagnosed. I assume as you are newly diagnosed you have not been put on medication but have been given the chance to control with diet.

Others will come and tell you the percentages you are looking for. I just stick with 800 calories and keep to under 50g carbs but absolutely no white starchy carbs – I’m sure you know the list.

The calorie total of 800 is all you get, doesn’t matter if you exercise or not. In fact, you might find exercise a bit of a push for the first couple of weeks. If you have to slow down this won’t stop you from losing weight or reducing your BG. If you find you are flagging at 800 or feel weak for shaky after exercise try to snack on something BSD friendly, I find a couple of prunes and some Greek yoghurt (a couple of spoons) will bring the BG back up, just keep a check on yourself. Before BSD I used to think I had to eat something sweet or carby to avoid low BG but all that did was stop me from losing weight. Eating more to compensate for exercise didn’t work for me then and I don’t do it now.

Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is sometimes quicker for you if you do a search first by putting your question in the Search box at the top right hand of the page. If you don’t find what you want, then ask away.

Funny old day today, and sort of chimes with theme of ‘going back to a ‘normal’ diet post BSD.
Was out with a work group who ordered panini, chips, pudding, with a glass of wine each while I chose a smoked salmon salad and coffee with some fizzy water.

Usual ‘ooh, she IS good, making us look greedy but we’re only doing this for a treat’. They’re all size 10 and gorgeous, o’course! I didn’t rise to it but I do sometimes wonder why women do this to one another.

Anyway, not so very long ago I’d have tucked in to the communal fries with my salad and been relatively ‘good’ for lunch – but would then have had a cake to be sociable.

Today I really didn’t want what they had, and I can’t imagine wanting it again. All I have to do is think of that diabetic foot…..

I’m sure that one day a carby treat will wink enticingly and I’ll give in, but not today. Not today. MKx

Well done Verano, although I don’t know how much better than ‘normal’ you can do. I want to be ‘normal’ but without meds and that is a way off for me yet. Here’s hoping. You just keep on keeping on, whatever you are doing.

End of week 6 weigh-in:
Down 30 pounds today. Did my monthly measurements: have lost between 2.5 – 4 inches everywhere, waist, belly, hips, chest, even arms and thighs lost 2.5 inches.This week I did better at sticking to the 800 calorie limit. Am close to hitting the 12.5% goal. I still have sixty pounds to lose to get to a healthy BMI. Only 2 weeks left on the original 8 weeks! We’re probably going to extend the 800/ week for at least a couple weeks, if not longer.

Whoopeee, Verano, what fantastic news. As JM says, above, a real Zippity-doo-dah moment 🙂

It is so wonderful to share in people’s triumphs, as well as their pitfalls.

Now dying to know what your GP says when you tell her about BSD!

Sounds like a double Zippity-doo-dah moment to me!

Hi! I am brand new to the program. Diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a week ago. Watched Dr. Mosley’s video online and have been trying to follow the basics for a few days. Recieved the book yesterday and ready to start full on Fast 800 today. Have read the book but i still have two questions to which I cannot seem to figure out the answer:

1. What is the percentage of fat, protein and carbs you should have daily? I have been trying to stay under 45 grams of carbs daily since diagnosed, however based on some of the posts I read is that way too many?? I am juicing a lot of veggies and a few suggested fruits and pretty much all of my carbs are coming from that. I am also eating protein with every meal. Would appreciate a specific guide as I will not be able to only eat the recipes suggested in the daily menu.

2. Are the 800 calories “net”. Am I supposed to adjust my caloric intake for exercise, ie: if I burn 200 calories exercising do I need to cosume 1000 calories that day?

Thank you in advance.

Just wanted to share my news.

I had an HbA1c at the end of October and it had come down from 44 to 37, normal! My next one is due at the end of April but I had a strange ‘turn’ in hospital and my BS was down into the 4’s (in old money) which is unheard of for me. So, when my doctor decided to do a blood test last week I ask for an HbA1c as well. Results are in …. 38 , so almost the same as last time despite the fact that I have not been as strict with carbs as I had been for the three months prior to the last one.

She was ecstatic at my results saying how marvellous it is that I’m ‘normal’ . It was lovely to find that my BG has stayed low but also that she was delighted. I’ve not spoken to her about BSD yet but I will. I was waiting for my April test before discussing reducing my metformin. Now I will go ahead and have the conversation in April if I’m still on an even keel and there’s no reason that I shouldn’t be.

Also, somebody actually noticed I’ve lost weight!!!! Yiiipppeeee!!!!

At the moment it’s all looking worthwhile and very positive.

I’ve had multiple bouts of nausea, some of which lasted a few hours, others dragged on for a week. The last bout was around Christmas and I actually vomited (we had guests over for dinner, so that was fun). I felt much better afterwards and haven’t experienced any nausea since.

Since I find it almost impossible to eat when I feel like throwing up, I have little food advice to give you. I stuck with mugs of chicken broth dusted with a grating of parmesan because my mom used to make that for me when my tummy was upset as a kid. Also, I found that a tablet of Dramamine helps. It works just as well when you’re stationary as it does when you’re being jostled in a car or boat.

There are courgettes around in some supermarkets. Morrisons have them but they are really pricey. Not sure about the other stores.

Angela, any old full fat plain yoghurt will do for cooking, as the taste is lost amongst the other ingredients, but it gives the same sort of richness as cream.

Prior to BSD, I always used supermarket’s own (generally Asda Greek). I only use Fage because it was recommended on here, so I tasted it and it is soooo delicious that I now have it for breakfast, with berries, every morning, so I always have it in the fridge. Plus it is a bit lower in carbs and calories than other plain Greek yoghurts. For example, 125g Fage (which is my breakfast serving) contains 6.25g fat (Asda’s 11.75), 4.75g carbs (Asda’s 8.25), 11.25g protein (Asda’s 6.38), and 120 calories (Asda’s 156) And, let’s be honest, on BSD800, every little carb / calorie saving helps 🙂

Mind you it is a lot more expensive so I guess I ought to really keep a carton of supermarket’s own for cooking with, and for the dogs for that matter, who get a portion each as a treat a couple of times a week, and also love to lick the cartons out as and when I finish them.

Butternut squash is pretty high in carbs are 11.3g per 100g and not sure how cucumber would fair. Rather than spaghetti style substitute, how about cauliflower rice/couscous or mash?

Kelp noodles! Some people hate them — they come out of the bag crunchy and smelling like plastic — but I’m their greatest evangelist. You just have to put in a little effort in prep to get the texture and taste right. Once you’ve done that, they are incredibly versatile replacements for spaghetti or long noodles of any kind. Most importantly, a 12 oz bag of them has a grand total of 24 calories, 4 grams of fiber, zero net carbs. You could literally eat the whole bag and it wouldn’t even register on the calorie/carb log. That gives you all kinds of leeway to make delicious creamy cheese sauces and other calorie-rich toppings like a real Bolognese.

The trick is to thoroughly rinse the noodles in a colander, threading your fingers through the strands to unwind them from the block they’re in when you open the bag. Then soak them for an hour in a bowl of hot water (I use a kettle-full) with the juice of a half a lemon or lime. Drain and rinse again and set aside until they’re ready to be mixed with the dressing/veg/sauce/whatever. The acid in the citrus and the heat of the water soften the noodles so they lose that plasticy-crunchy texture and can be twirled on your fork like proper spags. They also clear away any weird flavors from the brine and bag.

I posted my recipe for shrimp lo mein using kelp noodles in this thread: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/fab-food-for-february/#post-55215 .

One of my two go-to brands of kelp noodles is available on Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sea-Tangle-Noodle-Company-Noodles/dp/B00CPQ1C54/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1486998875&sr=8-1&keywords=kelp+noodles

Day 13:
Somebody today mentioned chicken skin improving. I too have noticed that the skin on my arms is looking quite alot smoother and younger looking – is it because we are better hydrated?

Hi Shanshu
I’m used to drinking quite a lot of wine, most of friends like a drink too and social meetups are usually quite boozy – probably how I got this fat in the first place (start: 17st 8lb).
You are doing brilliantly getting your steps in. I’ve managed to crank it up to walking for a good hour each day which I think is about 6,800 steps.
Race you to the bottom!
Nancy x