Heaphster – that’s fantastic too. Wow – it’s amazing how much we all losing collectively. And thanks for the tip on ‘Fixing Dad’ – I’ll try to watch that this weekend.

I also want to say I’m very thankful to this forum – lots of support, interesting and useful stuff to read and it helps me feel like I’m not alone. Plus it motivates me to drink lots of water, do my steps and not exceed my calories because I want to be able to report back each day that I survived another day!! I don’t know that I’ll be able to sustain such ‘goodness’ but I’m certainly going to give it a try.

Gerald, Dr Mosley doesn’t ‘kind of follow the Mediterranean low carb type of diet’. That is the diet. The 8×800 is designed to reverse T2 diabetes and for many of us it has. This may be diabetes in remission or completely reversed. Time will tell. Each of his 3 Mediterranean diets have evidence of lost weight, lower BGLs and in most cases lower readings on other medical markers such as BP and cholesterol. The rigour of the science of this was debated endlessly on this is in December. Search it maybe, but at the risk of opening another ferocious debate I don’t get why people come on this site which is funded by the developers of this diet and then question it. The BSD does work if followed.

Hi all.

Well done Heath that’s great.

I have just reached the end of week 1 and I too have lost just over 12lbs. I am amazed by this, given that I have not been seriously hungry on the low carb food at all and I have really enjoyed what I have been eating. I have stuck to 800 or less calories and just below / just over 50g of carbs per day. Next week I go back to work in the office, which will be more challenging I’m sure, but I am up for that challenge.

My other half has been a great support and I am sure Tesco’s are totally baffled by our new shopping lists 🙂 My OH has lost 4lbs this week, so we’ve lost over a stone between us, which we are really pleased with.

I have a fasting blood glucose test on Friday morning, ahead of my first meeting with the diabetes doctor next Thursday. I am really hoping that my blood sugars will be in the normal range and that they are happy for me to stick to the BSD, as I have no intention of taking Metformin until I have given the BSD the full initial 8 weeks. Fingers crossed anyway.

I also watched the documentary “Fixing Dad” that’s mentioned in the BSD book. It’s on YouTube and I found it truly inspiring. Not only is it a lovely story of two sons helping their 62 year old Dad regain his health and, more importantly, control over his health, it’s also an inspiring individual story for anyone embarking on this journey. If you haven’t watched it, I can throughly recommend it.

Finally, can I say that I have found all your posts encouraging and really supportive, as it’s great to know that there’s a bunch of us going through this together. Please keep them coming

All the best and onto week 2 🙂

Day 3 completed apart from feeling really tired going well. Haven’t felt hungry yet, feeling really positive doing the BSD. I’m thinking of it as change to healthy eating not dieting. Had a headache today, but having read lots of the posts on here I have upped my fluids and taken some paracetamol. Looking forward to weigh day on Monday. I have found all the advice on here very helpful.

Viola, topcac has hit the nail on the head re: simplifying things. This was the way I approached the fast 800 for 8 weeks.

I just picked a menu from the recipes in the book, bought the foods and prepared my meals for each day in line wth the menu.

Sometimes the recipes needed a tweak or weren’t practical for my work arrangements so I’d only eat them on the weekend. You’ll find what works best. I know that you’ve never been on a diet before but you have to put your foot outside the door to start a journey.

Snoop, around 7 to 8 hrs on average, though for some reason not much sleep for last 3 nights, bloody frustrating. .

HI. Been away from the computer for a wee while. Had plateaued around 76, but last few days have noted a drop again with the scales reaching the amazing number of 74.9!! I cant remember the last time i was at this end of the scale. I sat down with friends for dinner last night and had a roast chicken dinner. Did note though that i ate a lot less to reach my 8 (thinking of a scale of 1 really hungry— 10 stuffed full) than previously. And hubby has started quietly adjusting his meals and is very proud of his progress.
Good luck to all. Hopefully we are heading in the homeward straight now!!

Heath – that’s amazing on all accounts. Well done!!! And great news re: blood pressure. Mine also seems to be improving although wasn’t as high to begin with – around 135/95 and now around 119/85 on most days.

It just goes to show how great this diet is on all fronts!!

My understanding from the fantastic Gary Taubes book “Why We Get Fat” (and what to do about it) is that the amount of carbs you eat directly impacts how much insulin you produce. As one researcher put it, “carb drives insulin drives fat”. As insulin is the “fat storage” hormone, it drives your body to quickly pack away all you eat into the fat cells, both locking up your “fuel” source and leaving you with lowered blood sugar which drives further hunger/eating. The process is amazingly fluid and active and fat is being stored and un-stored all the time/every minute. The low carb diet lets your body access the fat that is stored because it lowers insulin.
As I understand, the liver “packages” extra calories in the form of fat onto triglycerides to transport them to your cells for storage. The triglycerides are created from carbohydrates. This is why low carb lowers your triglyceride levels.

My HbA1c was 8.2, now 5.9, cholesterol total was 4.1 now 3.7, triglycerides were 1.50 now 1.21. Doctor is worried when I tell him I eat full fat everything so I am being retested when I have my next HbA1c in March. Will report back then.

Hi Predhaynes, sorry I missed these replies. Well done on the fantastic result and glad you are feeling better!

I am happy with this, particularly as I had a big cheese baguette related slip up on Sunday. I had a couple of days where I was very tired earlier in the week but otherwise my energy levels have been OK, hunger hasnt been a major issue – especially when im busy. I have 2 meals a day based on the recipes from the book, I would never have believed I could hold off breakfast until 11.30 with the power of a coffee with double cream alone but im fine not having breakfast as long as I hydrate with water in the morning. I havent had any sleeping issues which was my biggest worry.

Ive been back in the office this week and have found that whereas my body temperature usually runs pretty hot im the one complaining of the cold in the office. Yesterday was a real pain, it was a slow day in the office and I was so bored, I wasnt really hungry but all I could do was think of my stomach and going and foraging for some food, I got through the day without cheating but I have been quite grumpy the last 2 days – something I would usually treat with a big bowl of carbs or sugar! Ive grazed some unnecessary cheese and meat from the fridge today but must stop myself slipping to much and find a cure for my grumpyness that isnt food.

All in all, its been a positive week. Quite hungry but not gnawing my own arm off stage. A slip up but nothing too crazy. My focus this week is staying on track but increasing my vegetable intake and also looking to reduce the cost of the food Im buying, Im hoping this will be possible as I got a few store cupboard staples for the first week.

I hope youre continuing well, let us know how youre getting on

The food was wonderful, a new place we tried. I asked for salad in place of the chips but they brought chips (no salad) so after eating a couple of mentioned it to the waitress. Low and behold, they brought us 2 glasses of champagne as an apology – like that is going to help my diet. Still, I couldn’t refuse when they had been so kind.

Pit – got viral pharyngitis. My voice disappeared last Thursday night. Inconvenient to say the least.

Peak – it’s given people a laugh. And my voice is slowly returning. Resting both voice and body as much as possible.

Hi everyone. Great seeing all your posts/ advice/ encouragement. Hectic few days so not had much time to reply. I weighed in / measured on Sunday which was my day 6. I was staggered by my weight loss 12lb + 2in off waist but even more pleased about my blood pressure which had been a very scary 167/104 (does having a heavy cold push your blood pressure up?) and had dropped to 141/92 – still room for improvement, but hugely improved in 6days. Not got equipment for testing my blood sugars, but hoping I can get checked by GP practice in a few weeks.
Realise improvements in terms of weight, waist etc will probably be much slower now, but great motivation to keep going……without a doubt good for health!!

You don’t say whether you are vegan ,vegetarian,pescatarian or omnivore.Just avoid the ‘Pure,White and Deadly’

Welcome back, sunshine-girl. Hope you had a good break.

Hi Seasidenana and Harleysmum,
Thanks for your replies. I love reading the forums and it’s great to feel a part of it. So motivating.
Seasidenana I have been using Myfitness pal and it has been really useful – I like the way you can type in the ingredients for a whole recipe and hit “go” and it works it all out. So I use it to work out how I can tweak my existing recipes to be lower in cals.
I have found however that since going back to work after holidays and having the family to care for etc etc that I just can’t seem to find the time to sit down and type in everything I eat. I think the compromise I’ve arrived at is that after the first week I have gained a general idea of how much I should be eating of my favourite protein and oily foods and like you Harleysmum I go heavy on the right kind of veg to go with them.
I am still avoiding carbs like the plague (I am almost phobic in case they bring back my insatiable hunger!) and sugar is out. I have a bit of 85% chocolate if i need a treat (I do weigh that! 10g) and this seems to be working. I am still feeling pretty good and have lost a total of 3.7kg in just shy of 2 weeks.
Harleysmum I love the sound of your fry up with eggs. I am going to give that a go this weekend for sure! BTW I have a son called Harvey so our stories are sounding even more similar!
All the best everyone….

Hi Gerald

I had no appreciable symptoms of NAFLD, although I had been experiencing fatigue, but that may have been my blood sugars. It was detected on my over 50’s MoT at the GP. I had to take the doctor’s word for it that I had it. However after losing about 15% of my body weight, the blood results came back in the normal range. According to the GP, as you say, non-Chronic NAFLD can be reversed by losing weight and losing it quickly is most effective.

My Cholesterol went from 5.2 down to 4.6. My HBA1C went from 68 in July to 54 in November to 35 in January. Blood pressure has also fallen into what is apparently “fine” (official medical description) for my age.

For full disclosure I have increased my level of exercise so that may have had an effect also.

Happy birthday sun-shine girl and I hope you enjoyed celebrating with good food, fizz and wine. I always feel better if the tastings are worth the calories – but if not, well then I am misearable!
X B

Reading Snoops posts, I wont go on about food today except to say that after 5 days totally off the diet and just eaten my 4 course birthday meal, my BG is 4.5. And I had a glass of champagne and 2 glasses of rose and an apero of white wine and cassis plus I ate a slice of bread (small French granary) and 2 very fat chips and tisamisu. Can’t work it out but I will probably be paying for it tomorrow but I will be back on the plan then.

Apparently if you reduce 10% of your weight you can reverse your fatty liver (probably depending on the severity), what symptoms did you have of fatty liver disease? I was diagnosed with Gilberts syndrome in my 20’s, you’d know this cause bilirubin levels are higher than normal, I think it means that detox phase II is sluggish.

That sounds great, do you know your number pre and post BSD? My Glucose is slightly high I think 39mmol which I think converted is 5.7 for the usual reading, Triglycerides and cholesterol high and have fatty liver and gallbladder polyps and want to heal from all these dieases.

Like Sunshine-Girl

As my weight and blood sugars have dropped my cholesterol has dropped well into the “normal” level. My non-alcoholic Fatty Liver disease symptoms have also been reversed. I don’t claim to understand the relationship between carbs, weight and cholesterol but another data point.

My cholesterol and triglycerides have both come down dramatically since starting this diet, in fact, I was tested after I had been on it for just 6 weeks, also my BG is down.

What a fantastic response, thank you all so much! It’s been so helpful, I will research more but I think also listen to my own body, I feel this “diet” is really working for me. I don’t like calling it a diet as such, as I would rather it became my way of eating for the future. Once again everybody Thank You!

GetyourCarbon –

I probably wasn’t on pages 1-4 as I started on 9th Jan, and I wouldn’t call them slip ups personally, as I did always plan to adapt this WOE to work for me from the beginning. I am at the top BMI end of overweight and wishing to beat the sugar/carb addiction that was threatening to take over!

But I would agree with the sentiment that as I have progressed through the initial weeks I have relaxed even more.

Having now got to 2 days into week 5 and I am now (back to) the same weight as this time last week, I totally agree that if I want to continue the great progress I made at the beginning, and not regain all I have lost each weekend, then I need to be stricter.

we can all do it, long term or short, we are in control. I am back to drinking lots of fizzy water, just 2 coffees with milk per day and the rest chamomile tea, also 2 brazil nuts taste amazing when you are starving, only have 2 max per day though!

thanks all for the comments, it is great to be part of a group all experiencing this at the same time.

Jmarie, what a fun packed programme. No wonder you needed all those lovely new clothes. Have a wonderful time celebrating with family!

Yes, the vegan high carbers like McDougal and others are saying that lipogenesis de novo isn’t a concern, i.e. carbs being converted to fat in the liver, this is one of my concerns seeing as I have fatty liver, I think if that is true then there must be other mechanisms at play here, when I do the high carb no oil/fat diet HCLF within days my visceral fat shoots up from 14 to 15.5, I go back to low carb Mediterranean type diet and back I am to 14, this is without exercise, just change in diet, so maybe the carbs convert to visceral fat/adipose tissue, I dont know but its going someplace.

Hello my name is Gerald, I’ve known about Dr Mosley for years and watched all his documentaries and have his book,, nice guy.

Vegan high carbers online such as Dr mcDougall say that carbs don’t convert to fat in the liver (Lipogenesis de novo) or the conversion is slight, its fat that is the culprit in diabetes, cholesterol etc.
Dr Mosley kind of follows the Mediterranean low carb type of diet, which I agree with more.

So, who is right? Carbs don’t convert to glucose to fat in the liver or they do or there is another mechanism at play here.

topcac~ sounds like you are back on track! Nice avoidance of those “works of the devil” foods at work. It is not always easy to do that!
Sorry to hear about your OH’s problems at work. I’m sure you already know this but you just being there to listen to her is the best way to help her. So glad you have each other to lean on during the low times in life!!! I hope things improve for her soon.

Angela~The stomach bug is one of my most miserable illness’ to come down with. Your poor granddaughter! So glad to hear she is recovering and I sure hope you don’t come down with it.
Your weight loss efforts are really paying off. How much have you lost this second time around? Congratulations on losing more.
I’m really happy for you. :–)

I am about 7 lbs. from my goal but haven’t made any progress during this second go round! My weight goes down a couple pounds then up, then down and the pattern is repeated.
While I’m figuring out how to reach my goal, I am also thinking a lot about maintenance and my “all in or all out” thinking. I for sure don’t want to regain all the weight I lost and I know that ultimately I have to learn to maintain my weight.

My goal for the weekend in the Carolina’s is to not go overboard on any food or drink! If I can get back home and weigh the same as I do today, I’ll be satisfied with my effort. I’m going to be thinking about my plan of action. The BSD is for sure, the right way to go!

PEAK: Slept well last night! I’m pretty much packed up for my trip except for a few things I need this morning to get ready. Excited to see my daughter, son in-law and granddaughters in North Carolina! My daughter and I are going to go have our hair washed and styled on Thursday, then we’ll all go out to celebrate her 38th birthday on Thursday evening, and on Friday my husband, brother in-law and I will start our drive to South Carolina. We are staying in Charleston. There is a pre-wedding event Friday evening and the wedding is on Saturday. We’ll drive back to North Carolina on Sunday to stay one more night with our daughter and family and then I’ll fly home with my brother in-law on Monday. My husband will fly to Florida for business on Monday. He’ll be gone until the weekend.

PIT: I’m not really looking forward to the wedding in South Carolina, as I’m not a real party person, but it will be fun to see the “Boone Hall Plantation” grounds where the wedding and reception are being held. It is where the movie, “The Notebook”, the ABC mini series, “North and South”, and the movie, “Roots”, was filmed and I hear it is beautiful! Also sad my husband will be on his business trip on Valentine’s Day :–(. We’ll celebrate late this year!

Hi All, Snoop thanks for the support ,well done to everyone who is still getting results. A chat with marsie yesterday about the measurement of butter.weigh the whole pack and then weigh again after removing your serve.when I tried it, I discovered I was underestimating by more than half , so most of my calorie counts have been completely in accurated. Today BGL 5.4 and weight is 84.5 KG so that is better. the stomach is not so well today but I ate better.cooked the corgettes from my garden they are small but much tastier than anything from the supermarket. Back to work tomorrow so plan to drink lots of water from my new drink bottle.
to all those struggling keep posting as it will get you through the tough times.Cheers to all

It is confusing indeed. It does help to remember that carbs turn into sugar once inside us though. Its the sugar I think, that deposits itself along your blood vessels, creating the cholesterol problems.

I too have the same problem with elevated Trigycerides and pre diabetic along with fatty liver and gallbladder polyps, its so confusing online so many vegans say high carb diets won’t make you fat as long you avoid fats, low carbers say the opposite – confusing indeed.

Topcac: commiserations on Monday. It happens to us all but at least by Tuesday you were on top of things and kept away from the works of the devil! I hope your OH’s problems will be quickly resolved. Sometimes just being there is support enough.

Theodora: which coastal path are you walking? I’ve been researching some trails to do in the Summer but am aware I need to notch up the fitness a bit.The exercise alone should surely offset some of the wine! And your meal sounds absolutely delicious especially the crab. Good luck with the walk.

Jmarie, you were so fortunate to avoid an accident and returning home was really a sensible thing to do. And what service! Where you live sounds wonderful with the free wine and then free tyre service. That’s some customer service. Bon voyage for your trip away. I hope your daughter’s well and that you enjoy your new clothes.

Reasons to be cheerful…my weight plummeted this week 2.3kg and a further 300g overnight. So pleased. I stopped the fast till lunchtime and reinstated a modest breakfast composed of a few spoonfuls of the leftovers from the night before. I’m a lot happier and can manage my hunger and carb cravings easier. My granddaughter is recovering from a vomiting virus that has felled most of her school. Just upto now none of the rest of us has caught it. Fingers crossed.

Pit….none!

Have a good day everyone!

Had a quick search online too and there certainly seems to be evidence out there, that sugar intake affects cholesterol levels. Think you will find several folks on the forum, who have reported a drop in their cholesterol levels too, which would seem to bear out this opinion. Like Baristagirls, I’m not a medical expert, but I would say keep doing what you are doing with the BSD and in all likelihood you will probably see an improvement in your cholesterol.

Hello James, I echo SunnyB – the plate looks a bit empty to start with but soon you realise you are not hungry!
The jewelled feta pepper recipe in the book is lovely.
Also do you like beetroot? Can try beetroot salad. Or butternut squash salad.

Hello SuzieSuzie. I’m not a health expert. However recently, I read that sugar affects your cholesterol levels. Healthy fat does not! Contrary to what I’ve always been lead to believe. Now I know there’s lots of things out there to read and it gets very confusing as to what is true and what isn’t. But this makes complete sense to me, having known people who consume a lot of sugar and have a bad heart….
I just googled to see what I can find, and have pasted a little below… I suggest you look into it and see what you can find also.

People also ask

Can sugar affect cholesterol levels?

This new research syncs with decades of data on how sugar causes insulin resistance, high triglycerides, lower HDL (good) cholesterol and dangerous small LDL (bad) cholesterol. It also triggers the inflammation we now know is at the root of heart disease. And fats, including saturated fats, have been unfairly blamed.

Suzie,a person’s blood glucose levels and lowering their cholesterol are not mutually exclusive. More info would be needed to fully understand what the nurse means, but many people on here have found their cholesterol decreased on this diet. The principles of BSD can still be followed if you believe small quantities of saturated fat are not conducive to lowering cholesterol (it’s hard on 800 calories to have large quantities). Maybe read some more on both the BSD and what is being recommended to you by the nurse.

Hi James – I’m guessing you are looking for something to replace the potato/rice/pasta element? My suggestion is to get used to having meals without a substitute for these – so just have a protein element and plenty of above ground veggies. Making this a habit, means that it becomes easier when eating out, as there is rarely courgettie or cauli-rice available on such occasions. You can have lentils, chickpeas. etc., but best kept in small quantities as these are high in complex carbs.

If you can tell us more, like if you are a vegetarian or vegan, or if you eat meat, eggs, etc. I’m sure there will be lots of suggestions coming in for you.

Way to go!! Keep at it and let us know where you are at the next weekly weigh-in, I’m sure it will be good news!

I have totally fallen into a pit. it was so large that there was no getting out of it – so that was Monday.

PEAK – Yesterday was slightly better – I did manage a good workout at the gym and managed to stick JUST to the food I had planned despite the temptations of apple pie at work yesterday and all sorts of mini muffins, cookies and other works of the devil at work today!

PIT – not food related but my OH is having real problems at work and I’m struggling to be able to help.
It’s miserable for her right now 🙁

Thank goodness you were sensible jmarie – flat tyres are a flipping nuisance at best and very dangerous at worst so glad you got that fixed.

Hope your mum is continuing to improve too and that your granddaughter is on the mend Angela

Theodora – enjoy – it sounds like you are well in control which is great to hear.

Hi Viola – this is obviously getting you very confused so I would suggest the following:

Pick a breakfast recipe from the book
Pick a lunch recipe from the book
Pick a dinner recipe from the book

Cook them. Eat them.

Repeat.

Do not worry about carb levels or calories or what you can’t have or measurements – just start – and spend some time on the forum. It will get easier.

I’ve done this diet for 4 weeks now and have lost 5lb, not excessive but feel better that I’ve felt for many years. The problem now is that I’ve been told by the diabetic dietitian to concentrate on my cholesterol more than my sugar – is there a way I can adapt this diet to accommodate this?

WOO HOO!!!!

Need food inspiration

On the subject of salmon, here’s my lunch today:

Poached salmon fillet – 65g
Leafy salad – 30g
Mixed seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
Chives – 1g
Cucumber – 146g
Fat-free vinaigrette – 10ml

Calories = 258
Carbs = 5.6

So perfectly good and tasty too.

Plus fish is so good for you and I love it. Best thing about being on the Med is eating fresh fish every day.

*fantasises being back in Crete snorkeling in a much more flattering swimming costume one day*

Re the salmon fillet and smoked salmon, I often incorporated this into my 800cal. Whilst I found salmon fillet high in calories, it was so delicious that it was well worth it.

I know exactly what you mean Shanshu, I bought things on too many whims and got tooo big. Nowadays, whilst it sometimes looks tempting, I just have to think, if I don’t buy it, I can’t eat it. On the other hand, for those times I might think I will cave and eat the wrong foods, I need a few BSD friendly whims in the fridge!

😀

Hi LindaA
Thank you for your reply. You’re so lucky your skin is so good.
Just had delish garlic mushroom 2-egg omelette for breakfast/brunch 200 cals.
Nancy x