Hi

My cookbook arrived yesterday. Lots of lovely ideas.

Had wine at the weekend, and overdid the calories but not the carbs when out for lunch with friends yesterday. So…..scales show the damage this morning! Back to the straight and narrow today.

I feel for all you Australians suffering from the heat; it’s cold and wet here in the UK, makes comfort food very appealing!

Week 3 here I come!

Well here we go!

Good luck everyone!

I’ve had PMR for a couple of years and now the prednisolone together with the weight have caught up with me and my blood sugar is high. I’ve had a fantastic first week but would love to buddy up with someone who has a similar range of issues.

Jmarie: super blood results. I’m so pleased that they turned out fine especially as you were so concerned about them. And keeping within the BSD framework as well it all deserves a celebration…some nice clothes? a manicure? pedicure? Time for a reward!

These days it seems that it’s not just the weekends that go quickly…I just wish time would slow down a little, I never seem to have enough.

JulesMaigret; the 26 miler sounds impressive. I’m really pleased I signed up for the 1,000 mile walk because it gets me moving but my daily walks are still in single figures. The tax? well, what can I say, it’s one of the two certain things…

My peak for yesterday: a super wonderful walk along the promenade finishing with a coffee on the terrace of a lovely restaurant. The sun was warm and the sea blue.

The pit: I’ve become reacquainted with the 300g I lost the other day. And I know exactly why. I have to, really have to track my calories. I don’t know why I don’t…just laziness, I suppose. I must be accountable. (need to write that 100 times!)

It’s Monday, the beginning of a new week….have a good day!

Hi Julia …… no IV antibiotics are no fun especially when thy wake you up at 1am to give you another dose!! Amazing what a bite can do! No idea where mine came from just glad it’s on it’s way out now. Really pleased though to be back in my own bed which I’m sure will help with my recuperation.

Sunshine-girl …. I am taking it as easy as I can!! To be honest the antibiotics I’m on now are knocking me out so not much choice but to take things easy! Funny how, even in hospital, I was aware of BSD eating!! It must be so ingrained now that I was making reasonably good choices when I could. Just pleased to get back to ‘real’ food again. I’m going to try the ‘pork in a mustard sauce’ that you speak of but use chicken instead. Sounds like a nice easy recipe. Need inspiration at the moment. I think I’m in a rut eating the same few meals over and over. May start a new thread!!!!!

Actually on the Weds night 25 days in I felt very weird and a bit anxious in bed about midnight
I was restless and couldn’t sleep and knew I was low on calories/salt/sugar or all
I had to have a slice of bread and butter to settle me
It was quite unsettling
The next morning i had a 400 cal breakfast and felt a lot better

Have to be careful drinking and getting enough salt and at least some carbs I reckon

I’m not T2 or Diabetic so not sure how that affects me

See how we go this week by Friday

Hey hey
Some advice from the dark side:

Avoid Wineries on a hot day on Australia Day as they lead you to commit many dietary sins

Basically I have gone mad and had a 3 day wine and socialising binge

My weight went up 0.6kg on my great 7kg loss the previous 3 weeks
Big Oops but I can assure you that 3 days of wine and merriment can put on 1.5kg

That’s my last social planned and Feb diary empty so Fasting February here I come

Just near the end of Monday and had 400 cals but still full from the weekend lol
I got complacent and paid the price

Onwards and upwards

Hi,
Just discovered this great website, so much great information.
It is still January.. by one day so hoping to join this convesation 😃.
I started the BSD on the 2nd Jan and had the 4 week weigh in today and have lost 8kg and fasting blood sugar is down from 7.0 to 4.8, so happy, this is the best weight lose diet I’ve ever done and I’ve done a few!
Was really interested to read about the salt loss, thank you for adding the link LindA. Have noticed a bit of leg cramping the last couple of days and some eye floaters which I can now sort out.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
Cheers Kate

Hi Linda – we are down to 29.5 here but for you I would be doing exactly as you – in and out of the pool – 40 feels like a furnace!

Yes dried fruits – oh dear I ate prunes (in need) lots of calories. Dried unseeetened cherries are ok from Costco in tiny amounts it seems. I used them to make the flapjacks for visitors.

You’ve done brilliantly on your weight loss journey – 33kgs in 6 months is fantastic. You must feel like a different person and healthy the most important achievement.

Right everyone, I’m just checking in to let you know I am still alive.

Since I last posted life has not been easy. In short, I’m paddling very hard under the surface with my new company but it’s proving hard going (economy wobbly here with oil crisis/ Trump etc) and I’m not certain how much longer I can viably (financially) keep up self-employment. It seems it’s just the wrong time to do it. Even just yesterday I was warned that my client in Saudi, who wants to renew my contract, might not now be able to – and that contract is my largest and pays my rent. So my anxiety levels have soared, leading to comfort eating, insomnia, general miserable state etc and it’s been a real fight to keep going and face forward and not down.

On top of that, my brother has been diagnosed with a fairly rare cardiovascular condition (to do with blood lipids) that affects 1 in 10,000 people and raises dramatically his risk of early heart disease, stroke etc. That’s bad enough, except it’s genetic and both my little brother and I now have a 1 in 2 chance of having it too. I am having tests on Thursday which should confirm it either way; my little brother is refusing to get tested. The condition’s progress can be slowed down but it would mean a pill every day for the rest of my life if I have it and there’s consequences to that too. I don’t ‘do’ conventional medicine as a first preference. I am relatively comforted by the fact that a recent cholesterol test came back with excellent results (4), whereas my brother’s was 11-15 (which is how he was sent for more tests in the first place) but apparently this does not mean that I don’t have this condition. My little brother burying his head in the sand is a source of worry for us all. My affected brother’s doctor has not really given him any nutritional advice except to not drink alcohol daily (which he does not) and lower his intake of processed foods (which he lives on). I find this insubstantial and am sure there is more he could be doing.

Oh, and The Chef and I broke up. Not nastily, but I can’t build a relationship with someone I never get to see!

So I have regrouped and taken some decisions. Among these, I have started job-hunting (which might take me anywhere in the world), give up smoking (which I only started recently) and I am back on Fast800. It turns out that a combination of a low-fat Med diet with no meat or dairy, which is what I was originally doing last year, is the best nutritional plan for my brother’s health condition. He won’t follow it but, whether I have this condition or not, it is now going to be my life.

I’m hoping that my anxiety levels reduce too as more stable job options (hopefully) open up and that the effect of the BSD starts to help build back up my self-confidence levels which has taken a small recent hit.

So I’m still here in the background but am focused with my head down on resolving the current stresses and moving forward positively. I believe February will be much easier!

Love to everyone, congrats on the losses, commiserations on the disappointments and happy recent birthday PatC.
Sarah x

Thanks for the link Linda – that’s really great. I have retreated to the air conditioning – 38 here. Don’t think I’ll be doing the flapjacks – they don’t sound like me at all!
Best wishes everyone
Chrissie

PEAK: Stuck to my calorie goals and ate only BSD friendly food. Got an hour walk in outside.
PIT: Wishing the weekend wasn’t over so quickly! I’m not ready to get back to work.

JulesMaigret:You really racked up the mileage! Nice!! Impressive that you got that in, in the rain. That’s dedication!
Sucks about the taxes–we too owe every year–no fun!
Hope you find a good discount on the boots :–)

Hi SusannahD
I’m in Sydney, it’s 40 deg in my backyard at the moment, but I’m lucky enough to have a pool, so I’m staying cool jumping in and out as not a work day today.

Before BSD, I was a massive overeater but after losing 33kg from April to October last year (now on maintenance) have found that my appetite has significantly reduced. A lot has to do with the fact that I have not increased my carb intake, only my saturated/monounsaturated fats (stay away from the polyunsaturated fats, they are really bad for your health).
Take care with the dried fruits also as they are particularly high in fructose and carbs and most of us don’t eat them.

Hi Chrissie63, hope you’re doing ok.
Check out this link for low carb high fat recipes on the diet doctor website, they are adding to it all the time, so if you want a change from the recipes in Dr M’s book, there’s plenty to choose from here. They also do some great articles.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes
Cheers
Linda

Not savoury but excellent!
Hate to disappoint but they are seeded flapjacks with dried cherries dates goji berries and oats plus mixed seeds and nuts.
When you bake them can you tell me how on earth to cut them so they don’t crumble into granola!!!

Hi Sue126 and everyone
I too was a massive over eater – that switch in the brain that is supposed to tell you when you’re not hungry did not evolve!!!!
I’m hopeful that the BSD will teach me and I’ll learn not to just keep on eating and “feel” the hunger!
Hope you’ve still got sunshine – I’m English but live in Australia.

Ok, now I can’t wait for the cookbook to arrive! Not really interested in chocolate but dying for bread so flapjacks sound good.
Congratulations on the rain – I’m so jealous!

Hi there Chrissie – I feel for you up there in Newcastle – dreadful heat – so far we’re nowhere near our 35degrees and it’s pouring!! I wish you good air conditioning.
You’ve done incredibly well – that’s a fabulous weight loss – and the most important part is those readings – you must be so delighted that it’s working for you so well.
I’ve bought the cookbook and I can recommend it! I’ve got both the 5:2 and this BSD – thought 2 were even better!!
I made the flapjacks recipe yesterday – too delicious!

I had people for afternoon tea and made cupcakes for the children and any adults (that was tempting) but I resisted. And made the flapjacks – which didn’t look so good but really were – hard to cut into 24 – I got about 12 and crumbly “granola”! I made the guilt free choc brownies which only went down well with my 3 year old granddaughter!

Dear toby1 – what a fantastic weight loss you’ve had – and only 4 weeks in – you must be feeling very positive about the BSD and its so good to read your journey so far! Look forward to reading the next post by you.
I’ve only done one week but I’m optimistic and determined!!

Hi Susannah,
I’m in Newcastle – pretty hot here today! I’m just starting week 3 of the BSD. I’ve lost 5kgs and my BSL and blood pressure are both down considerably. Much more happy with the readings than the weight loss although that’s awesome too. Diet is not as hard as I feared (after the first few days which were hideous!) although I’m starting to struggle for recipes so I’ve just ordered the cookbook. I have needed to supplement magnesium as well as add more salt to things -which feels really weird!
Welcome aboard and good luck
Chrissie

Hello I live in Melbourne – I’ve just completed the first week on the BSD – one minor minor headache caused by me – didn’t drink enough water on a terribly hot day! Where are you from – how’s that heat?? Melbourne’s doing its usual – what a weird weather day!
Drinking more water seems extremely important- to prevent headaches.

I’m really happy with my first week’s weight loss 1.6kgs but what I’m really pleased with is that I’ve not been ravenous or even hungry!! Must be eating more protein &!loads of vegetables and being determined too.

Can I join the group of January starters – great idea.

Thanks for posting the salt link too, Linda, it makes perfect sense and has reminded me I really need to up mine!

Good luck! It does seem overwhelming at first but you’ll be surprised at how easily you will slip into this way of life.

Theodora,
I wouldn’t worry too much, Like Krystal and Mixnmatch, I was also cold in the beginning but things seem to have normalised now and I’m fine. Although, like Natalie I’m in Australia too and 37c where I am today! (Hi Natalie!)
I’m sure your body will do the same, it’s probably still in shock and trying to get used to its new fuel source!!
Delicious sounding dinner by the way 🙂

Hi,
Tried to unwind this weekend but having no sucess.
Walked and walked and walked.
Made sure my carbs are down.

thinking of putting a pound on the lottery.😬

Now for all those who have been reading everything in the blogs but not knowing when to start, how about today. It’s Chinese New Year. New you, new lifestyle. Come on the waters fine. Take the plunge. Don’t forget the website isn’t just for perfectionists but they are welcome, it is for human beings. Or as I used to say when I was little …. human beans

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I MJ49, good luck with your reaching your goal. I started on Jan 26th and so far so good. Am trying to stay off the scales until week end on Thursday but did sneak a peek this morning and all looking good! 2kg down. Getting quick results in the first week, while I work out what foods/meals work for me, is a great motivator. Good Luck

Crikey, Esnecca, well done you! 🙂 You must be so proud of yourself – I’m proud of you 🙂

I have probably blown my 800 calorie allowance this evening – though not actually totted up yet (normally do the sensible thing and tot up BEFORE I eat) – I had 2 courses, consisting of a small portion of smoked haddock, with a dollop of greek yoghurt on top, followed by a sprinkling of grated cheese, baked in the oven (was delicious), followed by roast lamb, gravy and mint sauce,, roasted cauliflower, tenderstem broccoli and sugarsnaps, so all within the boundaries of BSD, but maybe a higher calorie content than I have been allowing myself. Let’s see if I feel any warmer for it. 😉

Natalie, hot baths are great, but I do like a steaming hot shower – my o/h can’t even put his hand under my shower water and cannot believe how hot I have it.

Mixnmatch, thank you for your contribution, I am encouraged to think that this may soon pass.

After today’s blowout, I will go back to a strict 800 cals for another week, as it is forecast to be much milder this week, and see how it goes – it may have passed by then. If not, I will try increasing my calories a bit, Thank you everyone.

Hi Sanshu
I am a fairly recent convert too. Got my formal diagnosis of T2 on 17 January, with a fasting blood glucose of 12.1. To say I was upset and freaked out is putting it mildly! I’ve been following the plan and walking after my evening meal and have lost 9lbs and already my number is down to 9.3. I’m drinking about 2.5 litres of water a day.
Good luck to you! We can do this, because this time we are not “on a diet” for aesthetic reasons – this time it is for the sake of our health. I’m rather attached to my feet (excuse the pun) and would quite like to keep them! 🙂

Sunshine girl
I feel I am not qualified to have an opinion on the low blood sugar levels as I am not diabetic myself, but for what it’s worth I was heavily involved in nursing my type 2 diabetic dad during his final few years (not overweight due to low carb management – my mum had long ago worked out the NHS advice only pushed his readings up!). He was on glicazide, metformin and insulin (long acting one injection each night). The first thing to go was the glicazide when he started eating much less during his final illness and readings were getting too low. As soon as the glicazide was stopped he stopped going so low, with reduction of insulin to match reduced intake of food. Cannot of course make any recommendations as that would be foolish, this is just our family experience.

Hi Sanshu, welcome to the family, everyone here is here to help you on this plan. The first thing you will find, if you are blood testing, is that your BG will go down fairly quickly, this is normal, this plan works. Good luck.

I have just finished a course on Diabetes the Epidemic and there was a mention of honey being the only true vegetable glucose molecular food as it is processed from the bees collecting pollen from plants and has no process involved. It is pure, but like all sweet things, needs to be used in moderation. I thought all sugars were pure from plants i.e. cane and beet, but when you learn about the processes they go through, they are not pure or natural.

Hi – I start tomorrow for the first time after a recent diabetes diagnosis. I have been prepping for the last two weeks but am still a bit overwhelmed by it all.

I made my own meal plan because I needed something a little less complicated and cheap especially as most of my meals are for one. Hopefully I’ve calculated it well but will be using MyFitnessPal to track calories.

Anyway am definitely looking for support and friendship throughout this and happy to give others the same.

Good luck everyone xx

Please can someone tell me what the bought low sugar drinks are that is mentioned in the book!
Trying to support my husband and think these may help when he’s at work .

I find a hot bath warms me down to my bones! Showers just don’t have the same effect.

I’m about to get strict again with BSD, in my previous round in winter I felt the cold a lot too, but this time it’s heatwave summer in Australia (38 today) so I’m not worried! Maybe these peri-menopausal night sweats will finally stop.

Hi Cazza633, i make sure to only take raw unheated, unpasteurized and unprocessed honey, l only take one table spoon each morning with my ACV. Only taking it for the health benefits, hasn’t seem to affect my weight loss journey to date. Must say makes the ACV little more appealing, comparing the mixure l take before dinner without the honey. cheers

Also starting today so happy to join you. I am T2 diabetic and I need to lose about 8 kg

Hi, I’ve found this site tonight, ordered the book and I plan to start tomorrow. I log my food, exercise and weight on FatSecret. I have 5 stones to lose, so it’ll be more than 8 weeks for me! Good luck, I hope we can all stay strong with each other’s encouragement.

Hi Gillykins and all, hope ok if I join you too. I am planning to start tomorrow and determined to keep on track for full 8weeks. But know I would definitely benefit from some support to stick with it. I have got about 70lb to lose, so need to achieve healthy eating approach for longer term.

I started today, any support would be gratefully received. I have tried various weight loss programs before but always fail long term. I feel totally inspired by the science behind this one – it all seems to make total sense! Good luck everyone else who is starting over the next couple of days.

Hi everyone, yes I’m starting tomorrow!!!
I have had success with this before but didn’t stick to it!!
Anyway determined to do it this time 😎😎😎

Seconding Krysia’s observation, I have also gone from really feeling the cold in the early stages when losing lots of weight, to a metabolism that keeps me generally warm all the time again, which was my previous pre-diet norm. The one exception are my hands which still get really cold. I think the building of lots of muscle has helped with this, along with the adaptation to efficient fat burning. Of course like Krysia I am now on more calories so this may not be directly relevant.

2-3 litres of water is fine, that is the figure recommended in the book, some additional uncounted water may also be present in your food of course. It is important to hydrate properly to get the weight loss happening and minimise water retention.

I stopped taking metformin 500mg 3x daily in October when I started the diet. My hba1c came down from 57 in September to 39 in December. I didn’t bother telling the GP I had come off it. The patient information leaflet tells you not to take it if having less than 1000 calories per day.

I am hoping it will be ok to join you tomorrow would it be possible ? Could do with the support as over 50lbs to lose and a bit of a sugar fiend!

Well done everyone! Some really positive results here and excellent tips. Thanks SunnyB for the “mini goal suggestion” – will definitely take that on board. Am aiming for 11 stone by Valentine’s Day – and somehow another pound has come off today despite my little lapses this weekend 🙂 So only five more to go to reach that mini goal.

LindaA that article on salt was really helpful and a real eye-opener. On my second full week on the diet I had bad headaches and also a kind of tingling in the head, combined with a general feeling of weakness. I also had a bad cold at the time so not really sure what was what, but I do think I was suffering from lack of salt. I now add a bit of salt to any food I cook from scratch – totally against everything I have been told over the last few years but I do feel much better,

Here’s wishing everyone a brilliant week!

MK the only problem is the doctor might say it is the fault of the diet. See my post just above yours. I have been have very low readings, in fact I keep getting warning messages from my machine. 3.1, 3.6 and so on….. Yesterday I reduced my insulin by one unit and my glicazide by half a tablet, 15mg and I am around 3.9 today, still very low but funny thing is I dont feel like I am going low, not dizzy or numb lips or blurred vision, nothing, just noticed when I did my test. I too have been having snacks in the afternoon, usually nuts or cold chicken or both but I am still running low at 7pm just before dinner. Maybe the diet is working, isn’t this what we are aiming for but keeping ourselves save at the same time. I will keep a careful check on my BG and if I feel necessary will reduce either insulin or glicazide. I spoke to my doctor about this and he told me to try to get rid of the insulin if possible but I am sure it is the glicazide that causes the afternoon/evening lows.

Congrats toby101, great all around loss.

Keep it up for the remaining few weeks and you’ll sit in a tidy result.

Sounds like we were similar starting sizes. After 8 weeks, I upper my calories to 1000-1200 for 7/8 weeks to see what effect it had.

Congrats on the mini-goal and getting below upper end of BMI range RozyDozy.

I’m optimistic about my weekly weigh in tomorrow, today I weighed in less than my pre-Christmas low and have controlled well today. I had a 3lb whoosh overnight!

Strange how you can spend months within a tight 2lb or 3lb range and then bam! Overnight change. It goes to show how we must persist through those tough times.

Fingers crossed I didn’t experience a scale blip! 😳

Thank you for the idea, I think we’ll give that a try. And I’ll have a look at the posts by sunshine-girl. 👍

Ohhh well then, no wonder! With such a small amount of weight to lose, it seems to me like you could easily up your calorie intake to 1000 a day. Just keep the carbs as low as they are now. A 25% calorie bump might go a long way for you.

Try not to fret about your lack of movement on the scale this week. I didn’t start weighing myself until week 4, and that just so happened to be a plateau week, up and down with the same pound or three for 8 days. It was troubling, to say the least, but now I know it’s just the way our bodies are. They like to regroup when confronted with a new reality. As of this morning, I’ve lost 71 pounds since I first stepped on the scale on August 25th.