Jmarie, your schedule is really punishing. That’s quite a commute. On the plus side good news that the job is becoming less stressful.
Re. your mum. Old age is tough, isn’t it? My mother said to me that even at the end at 87 years old, she still was 18 inside her head and she always had a shock when she saw herself in a mirror wondering who that old lady was!

Topcac…loving the idea of the woolly hat in the office. Perhaps warm indoor clothing could be a business opportunity as the number of BSDers increases.

My peak…I’m glad to be able to walk in pleasant surroundings with nice company so I continue to count my blessings there.
My pit is the 500g I have put on this week. It’s time for me to knuckle down and start weighing and measuring portions again, stop buying chocolate, no matter how dark and leave the cheese in the shop! I don’t know why I have drifted off plan…but I need to start being accountable again!

I wish you all a pleasant Tuesday!

My advise would be to try and ditch all bread, rice and pasta as these will not be doing your efforts any favours. Try spiralised courgette or cauliflower rice or mash instead and gem lettuce leafs make a fair compromise for the bread – or make some almond flour pancakes to use if you need something bready. If you eat cheese and eggs, these are a boon on the BSD as they add fats and protein, but very little in the way of carbs.

The BSD way of eating takes a little thinking outside the box, but once you have it pegged, it’s really simple. I do not miss bread, pasta etc. At Christmas I allowed myself one small roast potato and one small roast parsnip and found that actually, they are something I really don’t enjoy anymore. Our pallets definitely change on this regime.

Sarah good luck for your Thursday interview 👍🍀🍀
Smart trousers & a jacket also looks good with high heels & is respectful in a Muslim country?
Margaret xx

I seem to have made it through day one back on the wagon, assuming I keep my mouth shut until bedtime! But I have been so hungry all day.

I saw two (unrelated) news items today; firstly that the Med diet also helps relieve depression – diet was more effective than support groups – and secondly that Australia has just had its hottest January (summer here) on record.

Mixnmatch, what a result. Eight stone is amazing. Thanks for the inspiration. I feel like I’m doing really slowly, so it’s good to hear other people’s stories.

I checked in earlier, but my post seems to have got lost in the ether. Sorry if this ends up as a double post:

Weight: 78.4 kg
Down: 1.4 kg over the week, but some of this isn’t for real as I’m pretty sure my starting weight was a false high.
Total loss: 10.8 kg

Hello, I started on 30/1/17 also. Mind if I join? I started yesterday as I have a week off work and wanted to get the carb flu out of the way. Im quite tired this morning which a cup of coffee hasnt resolved but will push on anyway.

I didnt want to ‘diet’ but think the fast weight loss will help me stay motivated and the strictness will help me stay honest and then hopefully reset my constant hunger so I carry on with healthy eating as described in the book. It would also be great to get down to my target weight to prove to myself I can do it……..I dont have to stay borderline overweight as my best option.

I usually can fend off over eating weight gain with fairly high levels of exercise but recent injury has stopped that, ive probably only gained a few kilos at the moment but it is noticable. Im in the middle of the ‘overweight’ on the bmi scale and has a 38.5 inch waist. Just measured this morning on day 2, in the morning, so often I would be more bloated/bigger than that. I would like to get into the middle of the healthy weight category which means I need to lose just under 20kg – that has been my target for 4 years – the closest I got was 74kg….10kg over, in the borderline overweight category.

Im following the recipies from the book, Ive made errors, such as forgetting that prawns I used in my luxury fish pie were already cooked so I cant reheat it – got cold fish pie leftovers now!

Im sure I will get hungry and will push past it, my biggest worry is not being able to sleep, this has happened before when I was exercising a lot, I would have to get up, have a bowl of cornflakes and go back to bed, if I didnt do that I just wouldnt sleep! Im intending to follow the brunch and supper model so I eat a fair amount in the evening, Im usully a big breakfast eater though.

Hi Carb Addict,

It sounds like you’re getting your mind in the right place. The job hunting sounds like it’s going well. I was reading an article (I think it was in the Economist) that over 60% of corporate appointments are never advertised and are filled through personal contacts and networks. So open discussions with potential employers sounds the way to go. As I always say, “impressions get you interviews, experience gets you the job”. So just remember, don’t undersell yourself.

Your mail was timely as I have been running my own one-man-band business for the last four years after 25+ years in the corporate world. I met with a client yesterday for whom I am doing a restructuring project in their global IT function (not a HR person but how hard can it be?). I am drafting the role description for a new senior role and, out of the blue, the client asked me if I wanted to take it on. Fortunately he’s out on a world tour for the next couple of weeks so I have some time to give it some thought.

Like you, I believe things happen for a purpose, but this one has got me really rattled.

Best of luck in your pursuits.

JM

Well done Mixnmatch.I find stories like yours very inspirational,you have stuck at it for 2 years!Eight stones is an amazing amount to lose,you must be looking fantastic!First weigh in and 5 pounds lost so pleased with that.My goals this week are to have 50g carbs a day,I was well over most days last week but kept pretty much to just over 800 calories.Also to do more exercise.I managed the gym twice last week and took the dog on longer walks but need to do better.Hope everyone can do well today and be motivated.

Good morning fellow challengers, I only started my personal four weeks on Saturday, but thought I’d give a quick update at my halfway point on the challenge official weighing day. I have three days of walking to report for my challenge of increasing my exercise, and two of them made over 10,000, the other one over 5,000 so really pleased with that. I have also started a new exercise of holding a plank for a minute every night which was recommended as a way of developing my core muscles. My weight is currently stable at my lowest weight since my honeymoon 25 years ago, 10 stone 13 pounds, which is now only two pounds away from my wedding weight and eight stone lost in two years. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like I will quite get there before my two years is up tomorrow morning so as I move into my third year I am now so close to my target, and hopefully getting to grips with my future way of life. Onwards and downwards.

Hi bloke41, yes, honey tastes different throughout the year because it depends on the type of flowers the bees have been collecting from. The best person to ask is your current supplier because he’ll know about your local flora and harvesting season(s). To be honest, though, keeping bees is an expensive proposition (I want them for pollinating purposes, not just the honey). If you have a prize-winning supplier already, unless you want the bees for other reasons (pollination, contributing to bee preservation, etc.), you’re probably better off just buying the honey. I live right out in the sticks, so no neighbours to worry about and all the local almond farmers would be very glad for swarms to go off in search of new homes, ideally in all the abandoned hives dotted about the place.

You’re going great guns on the weight loss. You were saying a while back that 99 kg was looking a long way off. But it is definitely getting closer. You’ve lost a heck of a lot more than you still have to go. Congratulations. I’m a long way away from reaching that stage. But, so long as I’m still progressing, that’s good enough.

My weigh-in today: 78.4 kg.
Down 1.4 kg on the last weigh-in, but I suspect some of that was a phantom upwards blip. Very glad to be going back down though.
Total loss: 10.8 kg – not much overall I guess, but better than nothing!

Good morning January starters,

well done to all losers and a big hug to all those on a plateau!. We’ve got the first month under our collective belts, just another 4 weeks to go.

I personally am gutted and yet unsurprised that I’ve put on 500g. I had a wonderful loss last Thursday and since then I have gained and lost the same few grammes every day. I take full responsibility for them; I haven’t been able to keep out of the fridge and old habits have reasserted themselves. I have grazed my way through the late afternoons: squares of dark chocolate, walnuts and so much cheese.

I need to refocus on the WOL and go back to weighing everything. The discipline is the only way for me to keep myself accountable. I’m also going to plan a walk late afternoon which is my weakest moment and when I should be nowhere near food! There are still habits to break!

Good luck to everyone sharing this journey.

Hi predhaynes! Well done on your weight loss, and on starting the BSD journey (oh no the “j” word!). I hope you’ll find lots of support and encouragement on these forums.

I have reached maintenance now but have clear recollections of my first tentative BSD steps. I think many on these forums will agree that the first couple of weeks on BSD are by far the hardest. I found that after the first week I was ready to give up, I felt hungry, grumpy, tired and so on. Then somewhere around day 10 (it’s different for everyone) as if by magic, I woke up feeling absolutely awesome! I honestly feel 20 years younger than I had before (I’m almost 62), bright, clear minded, bags of energy, positive outlook etc etc. If you continue to feel hungry all the time check to make sure you are eating enough fat, it’s so counter intuitive to those of use used to the low-fat myth, but it does make a big difference.

All this to say keep going, keep pushing through, the rewards are immense. All the best to you. You can reach your goal sooner than you imagine!

lets have a national laugh day today.

Chuckle muscles workout.

Make sure you warm up and stretch.
And wear your sweatbands.

Love Lucia
Xxx

We started January 17, my birthday was on the January 16 and my husband’s on March 15 so about 8 weeks between. We are going great guns! My hubby has lost 8 kilos and 12cm off his waste. I have lost 4 kilos and my bloods have been really good. I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but have had normal bloods at last GTT.
Our three sons have taken it on as well as they live with us. 25, 24 and 22 year olds, two could do with losing some weight and the middle son has a serious sweet tooth. Didn’t push any of them, just told them that we were making some changes and they jumped on board. I’m very proud of them. We had Australia Day off but still pretty much stuck to the diet except for Pavlova and a couple of low carb beers.
This is week 3 and we’re loving the meals. There is usually 7 of us for meals as a couple of girlfriends usually join us and it is often difficult to work out calories( we are using Fitness Pal) and quantities, from the books. It would be very handy if the books said a cup of soup (not a bowl) or cauliflower rice or curry or two meatballs and two tablespoons of moroccan tomato sauce etc.
Also having a little bit of nausea particularly when I do the crunches. Is anyone else getting this? It’s not major and it does pass with a lot of puffing and doing them slowly.
Anyhow, keep it up!

I like.
Wet paint, this is not a command.

Ha.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Good morning BSD ers.

It has been two weeks since I reached my goal and my weight is maintaining well. I’m eating what feels like TONS of food and often feel I have overeaten! I have actually lost a little weight this week (less than a lb) that’s ok but I don’t want to go below 8st 10lb – that’s where I begin to look very gaunt (I only did that once, many years ago).

More important than weight, other health indicators are good too including my Blood pressure which is staying nice and low even though I’m only taking half the dose of BP meds I was on before.

I am making progress in increasing exercise and activity. Walking more is my main aim, I’ve dusted off my mp3 player and updated my playlists. What a difference walking to music makes when I’m on my own! Of course there’s my trusty rebounder; as well as using it for my HIIT exercises, when I’m at home I set a timer every hour and I get on my bouncer and do 50 jumping jack’s!

Even now I’m still amazed by the tastiness of BSD friendly food. Today I’m having pork belly slow roasted in the oven to create perfect crackling! I notice Verano has started a new thread for recipe ideas. I also find Pinterest a great resource.

Happy BSD ing everyone.

I have been on the BSD for 3 weeks.by the end of the first week my mmol/L was down to “Normal” levels, even dipping too low so I reduce and by the end of week 2 stopped my Gliclazide. Start of week 4 and nothing has changed in my diet, still simple carb free and my morning fasting blood sugars are late 6 early 7’s.
Any advice from anyone??

Hi there K8 getting thin – I love Norfolk but I’m on the other side of the world in Melbourne/Australia!!!

I’ve just got to do some hunting I have a lovely local organic fruit shop that sells masses of health foods but I think I need to go a little further afield – I like to be loyal there and support them but …….

I’ve just started week 2 and today is the first day I think I’ve been really properly hungry – like right now – but instead of stuffing myself – I’m making a herbal tea – cos I know this is probably in my mind.

k8 you’ve done really well – that is so fantastic.

Thanks Salma! Just weighed myself and it looks like I have already lost over 2 kg in a week. I am hungry though….

Thank you both. I’m doing okay and It’s nice to be in control of my food again. I’m focused on the ‘trinity’ of quality food, exercise and sleep in the knowledge that as long as those are balanced it gives you strength to take on the more challenging aspects of life.

I have been trying on my ‘work wardrobe’ and it’s given me another reason to stick to the Fast800! I started my own company from home in May last year and was in Saudi for seven months before that (in the traditional Saudi dress which is not fitted) so I haven’t worn my ‘proper’ work clothes since late 2015. And I now REALLY can’t get into them!! I used to spend a fortune on my wardrobe for work due to my then-fancy job – and I really love all my fitted colourful dresses, silky shirts etc – so given that I may well be going back into the corporate world again quite soon it’s yet another incentive to keep on. Horror of horrors, even my work shoes are tighter. At least my handbags still fit, lol.

I already have my first interview booked in, for Thursday, with a well-respected global company. That has boosted me a bit: there’s no particular job vacancy but they want to meet to talk possible opportunities. Now of course I am hoping these see past my size (a side 16 in UK terms but I’m short so I look like a barrel) to look at my skills and the value I could bring to them. I think the Dubai office is all men too, so it could be interesting!

I was thinking this morning how I have so many, many reasons to lose the weight and not a single one to stay at the size I am, and yet how hard it is to apply logic in those moments of weakness when all you want to do is stuff your face with crisps.

I’m a firm believer in (most) things happening for a reason and everything being a opportunity to learn more about yourself. I’m hanging on to that at the moment and recognise how blessed I am in life even with this current turbulence. My challenges pale into comparison alongside those faced by so many. So we push forward. x

We can do this Predhaynes!!!!

Hi everyone,
I’m an ‘old timer’, been on the BSD since April 2016 and now on maintenance after losing 33kg and have successfully kept it off, even over Christmas!
I’ve been reading your posts and just thought I’d butt in with a few tips if no one minds as I can see a lot of people have questions:
Some tips:
– Read the book from cover to cover. Then read it again.
– Drinks AT LEAST 2-3 litres of water a day. I drink more.
– Eat full fat everything, no low fat or lite foods. You need fat in your diet to keep you satiated. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll lose faster if you go low fat. You won’t.
– Read the labels on everything you buy, sugar/starches are unnecessarily added to a lot of processed foods which is why most of us eat and cook predominately real food.
– Most processed foods have either added sugar or polyunsaturated oils added. Don’t buy them. I now make my own mayonnaise and basil pesto and hummus.
– Count, measure, weigh and record everything you eat. Some do this manually but most use an app. I used EasyDietDiary but a lot of others use My Fitness Pal or FatSecret, once you get into the habit, it’s easy to do.
– Carbs hide in virtually everything and it’s important to keep under 50g of complex carbs per day, lower if you have T2D or insulin resistance and/or you’re not losing.
– Stay clear of bread, rice, pasta, sugar (including honey), potato etc
– I went cold turkey on all sugar (including most fruit) and all refined carbs. The only fruit I eat are strawberries and blueberries.
– Be warned, you may experience symptoms of what we call the ‘carb flu’ for the first few days. Headaches, aching limbs etc. just take a Panadol, drink more water and be kind to yourself. This will pass.
– If you cheat, it’s entirely possible that you will go through the carb flu again.
The fear of this meant that I didn’t cheat and I continued to lose the weight pretty quickly!!!!
– Plateaus are normal from week to week. Don’t panic, just keep on the plan and you will keep losing.
– Try to do at least 10,000 steps every day. Schedule it into your day so you don’t find a way of saying you’re too busy. I get up earlier now before work so I can fit it in. Take the stairs instead of the escalator, walk the dog after dark, park further away from where you need to go or get off the bus a couple of stops earlier to/from work. I tend to park the furthest away from the entrance to the shops in the carpark.
– There are some that haven’t been able to do the steps at first and they still lost weight and others, like Lucia, started very very slowly and worked her way up. Search for her name in the search box at the top and you can read her story.
– Read the forum every day, you’ll pick up lots of tips and there’s always someone around the world to answer any questions you may have. It will also keep you motivated.
– Don’t cheat. Every time you cheat with some simple carbs or sugar it sets off your hormones to expect more sugar/carbs and it will set off cravings. All carbs convert to glucose. Approximately 56% of protein that the body doesn’t need converts to glucose so don’t go overboard on the protein (I eat around 60-90g per day max). Only 10% of fat converts to glucose. My research indicates that you need approximately 1 – 1.5g of protein to 1kg of your IDEAL body weight (not your current weight) per day.
– Table sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. Fructose is evil! It does really bad things to your body and is one of the reasons you keep putting weight back on as it can’t be metabolised by the body like glucose can and will go straight to your liver. This can cause non alcoholic fatty liver disease and creates your visceral fat. This is exactly the same fructose that you find in fruit, so that’s why I stopped eating most fruit as your body metabolises it the same way as table sugar.
– Your body can get all the nutrients it needs from vegetables (be careful of consuming vegetables that grow under the ground as they have way more carbs, as do peas which is technically a legume). Strawberries are fairly low in fructose, hence carbs. Apples, bananas and pears and sweet tropical fruits are very high.
– Eat saturated and monosaturated oils, like butter, lard, tallow, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, avocado and macadamia nut oil. Stay well clear of all highly refined seed oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut, soybean oils (also known as polyunsaturated oils). They have very high inflammatory properties and do bad things to your brain and heart. Along with sugars, they are also thought to contribute to the growth of cancers.
– Put salt on your foods. When you cut out processed foods, you don’t get the added salt that they provide and you need salt for the electrolytes.
– Eat nuts or a cube of cheese if you hungry, but remember to measure and weigh as they are high in fat and calories will add up quickly. Macadamias are the best as they are very low in carbs and high in fat (4.5g/100g carbs), cashews are the worst – they are technically a seed (28g/100g of carbs).
– Stay clear of all artificial sweeteners, but particularly aspartame. It can cause a huge amount of side effects. In Australia it’s 950/951/955 and possibly other numbers. Not sure what they are in the U.K. and the U.S.
– It has been reported that having drinks and food with artificial sugar can also spike a release of insulin once your tongue ‘tastes’ the sweetness as your body thinks it needs to metabolise the sugar it thinks you are consuming. Perhaps use them to help you wean yourself off sugar, but in my opinion, it shouldn’t be something you consume long term. The jury is still out on stevia, but I don’t take the chance as it hasn’t been around for long enough for long term studies.
My goal was 60kg, and once I reached it, I decided to keep going with more fat in my diet to see where it took me (I did not increase my carbs) I now seem to have settled around 56-58kg. I still do not eat refined carbs or sugar because as soon as I do, my weight will go up and believe it or not, the cravings are gone. I haven’t had chocolate or ice cream since before April! A miracle for me! The fat I consume triggers the hormones in my body to send me the ‘I’m full’ signal and I no longer count what I eat, but I know others continue to do so once they get to maintenance, it really is an individual thing.
We had friends over for a BBQ a few weeks ago and one brought a box of chocolates as a gift. I politely asked him to take it home with him as I no longer eat sugar and he was happy to do so! I’m sure he thought I was bonkers, but I just don’t care what anyone thinks anymore because my health is more important to me!
The restriction of 800 cals per day is just to get the weight off quickly and keep you motivated, it is easy to do and don’t let anyone tell you that it is too low or that your body won’t cope or you will get sick. It’s bunkum. Also don’t let anyone tell you that your body needs sugar. Your brain does need glucose for energy but it can make it from complex carbs (I eat predominantly vegetables, not grains or legumes) and protein and fat. There are such thing as essential proteins and fats as your body can’t make them, but there are no such things as essential carbohydrates!
Give up alcohol for the 8 weeks. Hard, I know, but it’s better to eat your calories that drink them and it tends to make you want to cheat. Most are also high in carbs. Once you’ve lost the weight, you might want to reconsider, but I’ve found that other than the odd 1/2 glass of red wine, I don’t bother and don’t miss it. Beer is full of carbs!
I also listen to a lot of health podcasts, either whilst I’m walking or cooking and that is a huge motivator. I just didn’t realise that I didn’t know what I didn’t know!
Here’s an example:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ask-the-low-carb-experts/id495159994?mt=2&i=114095842
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/ask-the-low-carb-experts/id495159994?mt=2&i=165093383
There’s are heaps, just search for low carb or Keto.
If you haven’t started yet, start by clearing out all the crappy foods out of your cupboard, work out what you’re going to eat for the first week and go shopping.
The recipes in the book are pretty good, I’ve made a lot of them but be careful with the cals/carbs etc as they are not always accurate.
You’ll also find a lot of low carb and Keto recipes online.
See http://www.dietdoctor.com
I took about 25 weeks to lose my weight and I did not have a break at all. CaptainLynne checked with the ‘team’ and they said it was ok to keep going after the 8 weeks. Lynne has lost over 100lbs in just under 12 months.
Ask me anything you want, I’m happy to answer any questions.
Good luck. This is the best thing that I’ve ever done for myself and I no longer let other people tell me what’s good for me, including my doctor as most of them are not up to date but the science backs this up.
Good luck everyone.
Cheers
Linda

Hello, I am starting tomorrow..I have researched the BSD and now found this Forum and delighted to be able to join in so that we can support and encourage each other.
I turned 70 yesterday (you know the saying 70 is the new 50) well thats me ….. I don’t have Blood issues but after a bout of Breast Cancer 6 years ago and the following treatments my normal 70kgs ended up being 84kgs and have been battling and trying to lose this excess weight ever since.. Even though I am very careful what I eat the extra kgs just love hanging around with me. So hoping this program my be the answer..
So Shashu, as you say heres hoping it will work and we can drop a few dress sizes.
I am in Perth West Australia and its summer here now so at least that is a help.
Good luck all..

Well this diet is amazing after 45 years of dieting, bulimia, and starving myself nearly to death, giving myself stomach ulcers on the grapefruit diet and suffering constant bullying as a child by being called fatso for years, I am now slimming down, thanks to the diet. My GP is so pleased I am no longer border-line type 2 diabetic. I have so far lost 5 kilos in 5 weeks; last week was a very difficult week of food and more food. My exercise routine is mainly walking with the dog. I have increased my salt intake, drinking a lot more sparkling water, take 1 magnesium tablet in the morning and 1 at night to stop my legs cramping, and to occupy myself (to avoid eating too much) I am knitting and recovering the cushions on the sofa. The evenings are always the worst time for me. Now into week 6, this week I have planned to make lots of meals from the cook book which look delicious. Good luck everyone you are all doing wonderfully well and you are all amazing.

Hi everyone, I’m enjoying reading where everyone is at on this. sunshine-girl and LindaA I’ll get over to those sites and start reading. Thanks for the tips.

topcac~ it’s okay with me if you wear woolly hats at work! I love that!!! It has been cold at our work too and people are wrapped up in blankets. I bought myself a little portable heater! Today the facilities finally turned on the heat and I got so hot, I had to take off my socks and boots. Too funny!
Your dogs sound great and they are sure good at getting us to get our steps in. Congrats on the weight loss!

Angela~ your walk on the promenade looking out over the blue sea and sipping coffee on the terrace of a lovely restaurant sounded so nice. I am envious!

Back to work today for me! Got up at 3:30 am but also woke up a few times during the night. Seems when I eat eat low carb I also have to pee a lot at night. ugh! TMI. . .it is just irritating sometimes. I really want to stay in bed and sleep! It’s also so cold to have to get up during the night. I did stick to my plan yesterday and kept to fairly low calories and did my workout too.

PEAK: Work went well! I saw students and got a lot of my work done too. I’m feeling less stressed about it all1
PIT: My mom decided to put her house up for sale and move to our city but within 2 days changed her mind and is now upset that no one is caring enough about her. I think she is just struggling with her age, her chronic pain and the long, cold winter. She needs some TLC!

Dropped 7lb week one, so feeling pleased. Need to drop another 3lb to bring my weight back to where it was before xmas…
How’s everyone else doing?

LizV
Forgot to mention that stress can raise cortisol levels which can halt weight loss by raising insulin levels which will kick you out of Ketosis, so even more important to find ways of de stressing.
Cheers
Linda

Hi Finding Me – thanks for sharing. It is very encouraging to hear about other people’s success. Whilst my main goal is to reduce my blood sugar level, I would greatly like to lose a lot of weight.

I used to be slim up until I was about 21 and then i just steadily grew larger over the next 16 or so years. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 12 but it didn’t start to really affect me until my second year of university when my triglycerides shot up and I started putting weight on. Even though I have never binged or massively overeaten on a regular basis, I have just become a huge tub of lard! I eat pretty healthily too (or so I thought – now I realise that all those ‘healthy’ pasta salads were evil!!

So anyway I’m hopeful that this will work and I’ll be able to drop a few dress sizes.

Hello All

I started last week so today is Day 9 and would love to join in – my first time in a forum.

I’ve only ever been slim when I’ve been really sick and the last time was nearly a decade ago. Ive also developed a fat filled tummy since menopause and it’s only getting worse. I will turn 60 at the end of October and two weeks ago hit my highest weight at 92kg (203lb) so have a good goal to aim for, a new healthier slimmer me by then. I’m aiming for 75kg initially and will see how I feel if I get there. No, WHEN I get there.

I bought the BSD cookbook and have got all my meals from there. I’m really loving them so far and for the first time in many (many many many) attempts to reduce over the years (take some off, put it and more back on), Im surprised to feel like maybe I can actually stick to this way of eating.

I realise I have to plan a few days ahead to help me succeed so I write it all out, breakfast X meal and the calories, lunch Y meal etc. For me it meant Im then ingredient prepared, plus I picked out the ones that most appealed to my tastebuds, and once when I was tempted to eat some rubbish between meals I looked ahead and saw a yummy meal coming up next so was then happy to wait another hour for that. Surprised and proud of myself!

And so far it’s going good. I’ve been under 800 calls (according to the book anyway) and shed 3.0kg (6.6lb) in my first week even with some red wine and also a “definitely not on the plan” Australia Day feast. I guess it’s mainly water loss but it still is good encouragement to keep me on track.

Thanks for the water reminders, I’ve not drunk enough the past couple of days. All the best to everyone . . . We can do this 😀

Hi LizV
Since April last year, the only exercise I’ve done is average 10,000 steps per day and yoga twice a week. I’ve noticed that my moods have really evened out and I no longer get incredibly stressed or depressed and I’m able to handle life’s ups and downs without too much drama. As for any other exercise (other than team softball) I’m just not interested so I decided to stick with what I enjoy as I’m likely to continue doing it if I enjoy it.

I don’t know what my fat % was when I started, but I’m now at 26.7% (size 8 from a size 16) BMI is now 20.9. Whether 20-25% is possible, only time will tell, but I suspect not unless I decide to take up weights.

My motto is “Don’t worry about what you can’t control and worrying won’t help if you can control it, action will”
There’s always going to be something that you can say is causing you stress, best just to stick to the plan which you can control and get on with making you the best person you can be.
Good luck
Linda

I just found this great article that explains a lot of the basics of a low carb high fat way of eating that may answer a lot of the questions for those not familiar with this way of eating:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/fears#cholesterol

Cheers
Linda

I have been trying to stick to 800 calories for my first week but tend to be just over.However my carbs are way over 50g,so this week will concentrate on keeping them down.I’m eating mostly vegetarian food which tends to be high in carbs compared to meat so think it’s all about meal planning.I haven’t been eating much bread,rice or pasta,a tablespoon or a very thin slice of rye bread.I’m also missing fruit which is high in carbs ,a 100g of mixed berries is 13g!Onions are surprisingly high,I use them a lot.

Just found these articles on cholesterol that were interesting:

http://cholesterolcode.com/a-simple-guide-to-cholesterol-on-low-carb-part-i/

http://cholesterolcode.com/a-simple-guide-to-cholesterol-on-low-carb-part-ii/
Linda

Hi FightingT2, One comment, you are just a bit low on water if you don’t have lots of other drinks unrecorded. The water is really an intrinsic part of the diet and helps the process a lot and you should try to be over 2 litres every day, I usually aim for 3. Good start, and welcome to the forum. I am sure someone with more knowledge will be able to answer the blood test query, as I do not have diabetes.

Hi Fighting T2!

Welcome aboard! I have no idea if your BSL goal is realistic but aiming for the exact same levels (from the same high) so let’s hope so.

I’ve finally finished for today – went out for a post dinner brisk walk in order to hit my step target.

Today’s summary:
Calories: 706
Carbs: 15g
Water: 2.75L
Steps: 13,338

Hi everyone,
I’d like to join you all… I too started today, after starting and stopping for a few months. I’ve never completed 8 weeks, and really need to do so – as I have a blood test at the beginning of April. I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in October 2016 and haven’t done much about it. My HBA1C was 7 in October and I would really like to get it to 5.5 in April. Is that realistic?

Today’s summary:
Calories: 782
Carbs: 21g
Water: 1.5L
Steps: 11,012

Not bad at all. Felt a bit hungry in the evening – but was a busy day at work, so didn’t get a chance to think about food!!

Wow Linda good article – thanks for that. Will definitely be upping the salt!

Hi Chrisula83
Natalie’s spot on.
Here’s a link to salt that I posted on another page:
https://www.ketovangelist.com/salt-the-prize-jewel-of-keto/
I was out walking recently (hot Sydney weather) and actually collapsed. I had been drinking enough water so put it down to the heat and lack of salt. I have now increased salt significantly and really listen to my body when I’m out and about.
Cheers
Linda

You don’t say if you’re a diabetic. Those of us who had diabetic blood sugars when starting the BSD often reduced our carb level to around 25g per day with no ill effects but with good results on blood sugars.

There’s a part of me says that if you are eating say 800-1000 calories a day then even if a larger proportion is fat, it is still a relatively small amount in absolute terms.

My experience is that, despite butter, cream and cheese, my cholesterol has consistently dropped on BSD, so there may be something in the theories that there is no automatic or direct link between dietary fat and blood cholesterol.

So I’ve been on my fist run tonight, only did 2.5miles and took it really slowly but it’s a start. Have to say I felt much better for doing it. Not had the cravings tonight either. So a good day. Had a great lunch and dinner, have come in at 880 calls but 30 g carb so that’s near enough for me.

Snoop thats awesome, wouldnt mind doing something like that, but no idea how to go about it and not to sure how the neighbours would be about it. Lucky enough l ended up finding to local suppliers, which one has won a award for his raw honey. Just wondering, does the honey tasted different during the year?

Welcome back 1960smp.

Best wishes for your new start. Keep us posted.

Natalie I hadn’t even thought about salt but it’s quite possible you’re onto something. I have salt with my breakfast eggs (just a small bit) but not really any other meal – I think I’ll do some research about how much salt you need a day!
Also makes sense as I live in the tropics so sweating is a constant thing! 🙂

Hi there, anyone can do the course just log onto http://www.Futurelearn.com and search through the courses. Any that have already started you can join at any time. All the courses are free. I have done The Diabetes Epidemic and now The Science of Nutrition. Today it was the ideal plate of food, i.e. the chart that shows you the proportion of carbs, proteins etc. They are still using the old one rather than the Australian model which has fruit and veg as the largest portion with cereals and other carbs further up the scale and eating less of. I just have to accept that not everyone would find BSD ideal.

Michaelmas daisy I think my doctor is worried about butter and cheese because he thinks maybe I am eating loads. Truth is, if a cant have bread or potatoes I have nothing to put the butter on but I do use a bit for cooking, but mainly prefer rapeseed oil. I can sometimes eat cheese too often (I brought 2kg of Cheddar back from UK but it is to last until May) so I have to watch myself. I think he is just being cautious. I am just glad he is taking this seriously and looking out for me. Lets hope my good results continue. I will be tested 1st week in March.

Just don’t tell Lucia that the paint is wet.

Chrisula83 could it be not enough salt? If you’ve stopped eating processed packaged food you’ll need to start adding salt to your food. All mammals need it, other animals will lick it off minerally rocks. Humans usually get more than enough from salty processed junk food – but not on the BSD.

Careful, the plate’s extremely hot”

*immediately touches plate*

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I made lasagne last night, half with zucchini/courgette instead of pasta for my daughter and me. After my share I decided I wanted a little bit more and there was only “normal” lasagne left. I only had a couple of bites. Even with all the cheese and meat and tomatoey sauce it seemed so bland in comparison! And an unpleasant texture. I found it so odd that I didn’t like pasta anymore, I used to love it.