Greetings fellow BSDers,

Time for my weekly report on my progress, so after my third week:
Loss for the week – 1kg (had a tad loss of will power yesterday and ate too much milk chocolate)
Loss since beginning – 7.3kg

As my target for the month was 6kg loss, I can say I have already hit my goal and hopefully in this last week will surpass it even further, which will be a great victory. I am still enjoying the supper recipes but for breakfast resorted to switching between greek yoghurt and creamy scrambled eggs. Lunch is usually a salad or leftovers from previous night. Still adamant to carry on as I have a lot of fat to drop.

Thanks everybody for your great posts, the ones I get the chance to read are generally very encouraging and it is great to see everyone doing so well.

Be good and persevere

Hi Jane-Elisabeth – glad you have made a start and that it’s going okay. With regard to the bread, I would suggest best avoided if you can manage it, at least for the 8wks. I’ve been doing the BSD for some time now and only get really hunger now, when I have increased carb intake. Try thinking outside the box, use gem lettuce leaves as a vehicle for toppings, make pancakes with almond flour, or try making some Oops! bread – google it there are recipes online.

SusanJG – it does all feel really daunting to begin with, but it is amazing how quickly you get used to the BSD way of eating and it becomes almost second nature.

Shout out both, if you need help or support – lots of lovely folks on here will be happy to respond. Remember to post your results, we love to know how people are getting on.

Good Luck on posting some great results soon.

KrysiaD, that’s wonderful news about the roasted caulirice. When your husband says it’s better than potatoes, then you know it’s a major achievement. 🙂

Hi,
I have started today and feel a mixture of excitement and trepidation!

Lynne – I think I will be joining you and will soon be a baby again also.

Today I took some of my favourite too big stuff to a really good dressmaker to be taken in. She is 82, still does dressmaking and is superb at it, does lots of walking and is a committee member for U3A. I want to be just like her when I am 82. Not the dressmaking bit as I am rubbish at it, but the staying active and involved. At least with the BSD we have the tools to make it possible. Its quite possible I will still be teaching pilates when I am 82 – although hopefully not 6 days a week as I am now.

Have done 8K steps so far and it is so cold here in East Anglia that I have really not enjoyed the walking. The frost hasn’t lifted from the grass and the pavements today. One more walk to get over the 10K. I usually love my walking, but not today.

Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well. I’m enjoying my first week of maintenance, but it’s a very strange feeling to not be so calorie restricted. I feel very uncertain about how much is too much vs how little is too little! Trial and error I suppose (hopefully not too much error!)

As we near the end of this four week challenge, I’m thinking of starting a new thread on the BSD Way of Life forum for new maintainers and those almost there. Haven’t thought of a title yet, but I plan to keep it to four weeks. It’ll start on Tuesday 24th.

Enjoy the rest of the day.

Hi Yowzer49 – how are you getting on?

Hi happyvegan,
Sorry to hear to were ill, especially so soon after getting started. As the others have said, don’t panic and keep going. I noticed many years ago that my weight varies day by day and some of that is fluid retention. As a result I weight myself daily when I am trying to loose weight – I see the progress day by day and if weight in day is high, at least I know that my weight has been coming down, so don’t react so badly to it.
Like you, I would have expected to loose quite a bit having not eaten for few days, but your body could well be holding onto fluids – it is a self-regulating mechanism and will try to keep fluids and salts if it thinks you need them – and if you are ill – you will need them.
Give it a couple of days and weight yourself again. Hopefully you will find it is ok. As others mentioned – most of us hit a plateau at some time in the 8 weeks, mine was towards the end, but many others had it in the earlier period.
Good luck and I hope you are now feeling better!

happyvegan

Really sorry to hear about your dreadful second week. Like you I would have been upset not to have seen a bigger weight loss. From what everybody is saying on this forum, this diet works! Keep focused and hopefully next week will be a rewarding week. I will look forward to reading about next weeks weigh in. I too weigh in on a Sunday.

Sorry to read of you ills happyvegan – that result must have been hard to take. However if it helps at all, plateauing in week 2or 3 is very common on the BSD. I know it doesn’t make it any less frustrating, but you can hopefully take heart from know that the weight will start to drop again soon, if you stick with it.

Good luck at the next weigh-in.

Thanks Chrysalis. Interestingly the BSD book doesn’t list the amount of carbs in its recipes at the end and focuses on calories. I am struggling with energy levels today and feel extremely tired, despite a good night’s sleep.

Hi All,

Just thought I’d pop in and say hi… I started the diet a week ago Wednesday…
My Blood results came back and shows a rise.. Unfortunately pre diabetic. So I am trying to get myself back on track.. So far so good. I am missing bread at lunch time, sometimes.. I usually eat Vogel as it doesn’t have any added sugar, but haven’t had any for over a week.. Would it be ok to eat this occasionally?

Had a dreadful second week – we both got a really severe flu and weren’t able to get out of bed for 5 days never mind fly back to the UK. Nausea was so strong I hardly ate anything until second half of the week then only tiny salads. I consoled myself that at least I should have had some good weight loss and yet on today’s weigh in I’ve lost only 0.2kg this week ! That was really hard to take and must admit I did get bad memories of all those other diets that work well for me in the first week but not after that. Don’t really think that will be the case with the BSD 800 but sure you know what I mean.

Sticking at it as now on normal food again and back on MFP to make sure I can keep a track on the food as I don’t want another result like that one.

Hi Yowzer *waves*

Great results 😀

My busy times start again later today until at least Thursday or Friday. If we need to keep busy to keep young, at this rate I’ll soon be a baby again LOL.

At risk of seeming to endorse a commercial product, my (until now, as a bit carby) preferred recourse was Ovaltine (Ovomaltine to our non-UK friends) with a dash of brandy – great for sore throat and that “bunged-up” feeling.
A more appropriate alternative is ginger tea with a bit of cream and whisky – sounds vile but tastes actually quite nice – but purely for medicinal purposes.

Ok thank you I’m new to this so haven’t fully got to grips with carb counts ! I’m using MFP so I will soon realise what is adding up !

Thanks for your recipe Margaret. I’ll certainly give it a go!
Love its name!!
Alcoholic Horlicks!!
I might change it to Medicinal Horlicks though, just in case people thought that I might be enjoying it!!!!

Bless you

Hi Seasidenana, there is nothing wrong with apples in terms of calories (72) but they do contain around 20g of carbs per apple so if you are restricting carbs to, say, 50 that is nearly half your daily allowance, same with pears. I tend to have one per week in a ploughman’s lunch. Good luck.

Sorry, auto correct does insist on putting spaces between words Iwilldoit!

Hi I will do it, I started counting carbs after reading on so many threads here that it really makes a big difference to weight loss. 50 grams of carbs per day seems to be the general advice. It seems quite late for carb flu as most people seem to experience it for the first few days as the body adjusts, but we are all different and I am no doctor! Make sure you are having enough carbs as well, over time I guess you will work out what is right for your body. Just listen to your body and if it is telling you it is tired then rest😊

Hello everyone I’m only on day two, but thanks everyone for your inspiration and ideas. One thing I learned very quickly, I don’t like plain tap water much so always take a big glass of Robinsons black currant low sugar to bed for sipping during the night. I have now replaced this with cold fruit tea in a berry flavour.

One poster mentioned apples ? I must have missed something as I thought it was ok to eat apples ?

I went out for lunch with my family yesterday for my birthday and there was a halloumi cheese salad on the menu which I was able to have. I was worried about the eating out aspect, I imagine you have to ask for restaurants to leave the carbs off the plate if there is nothing on the menu. I blew out the candles on my cake, but did not eat any. My family said a little piece could not hurt, so I have explained I must stick to this properly all the time for 8 weeks.

Giving up alcohol will be a toughie for me as I love my glass of wine, but it will be an essential part of my plan.

I’m aiming to lose 70lbs, so the 8 weeks is just a start to a long term change of eating habits. I have MS so can’t exercise as much as I would like, this may mean a slower loss, but we will see how we go.

I’ve just discovered this stuff called cloud bread – egg whites, egg yolks and cream cheese. Substitute for bread if hankering for it…….

Currently cooking in oven at mo – ill let you know how these turn out!

Free cycle! Brilliant idea, thank you. The world must be full of unused exercise bikes. Thanks for your help friends.

I just love Greek yoghurt with passionfruit, then grilled mushrooms with a poached egg, and chilli scrambled egg with a touch of cheese. Breakfasts have never been so good since starting this plan.

Hi Anna-Maria and Californiagirl, I too am going to Norway this year, 30th April cruising around the fjords. Brrrrrrr but should be fantastic scenery.

I have greek yogurt with berries and flax seed most mornings, mostly because it’s quick and I’m always running late. Sometimes I substitute cottage cheese for the yogurt. If I have more time I’ll do eggs, scrambled with smoked salmon, chives or with tomato. I also like portobello mushroom caps, broiled with goat cheese, almonds and sprinkled with chives.

Big congratulations on your weight loss Miss FSD and Theodora. I’m a bit worried now that I should be counting my carbs?? I just assumed if using MM book recipes that would all be done?? Advise please?? I have been on diet now for week and fatigue has hit in past day, is the carb flu that everyone talks about? I’m still so motivated as have a loss every day but know this will slow. I also love my yoghurt, walnuts and berries. Tonight’s treat is steak with peppercorn sauce. The meals have been really tasty that all the family have enjoyed, although middle child complains about vegetables! Had the stirfry pork last night, delicious! No courgettes due to shortage though so substituted with bok choi instead. Happy dieting folks!!

Hi Ebs
In sympathy with you with the leg cramps. I’m on last day of week 2 and have been wakened with them through the night, on and off since starting the diet. Really painful and difficult to tell yourself in this case it’s the weight falling off!! I have found though that the days I add a tiny bit of salt to cooked veg or eggs, I tend not to be so bad at night. I would definitely try the salt and don’t be tempted to stint on the water. I seem to remember this happening to me the last time I was on the diet and the cramps did wear off in time.
Good luck x

I like to add either mustard or horseradish sauce to celeriac to take away the celery taste, I like it a bit but it can be overpowering.

Weight is the same today and BG up slightly to 6.4, no particular reason just one of those things. Still alcohol free and Sunday is easier for me, it is when I have opened a bottle of wine on Saturday and feel the need to finish it off on Sunday. Looking forward to Tuesdays weigh in.

Hi everyone! I am so glad to see that you all still posting in this forum. I haven’t been on since Christmas. I’ve been in a bit of a funk…eating of track, exercising less, etc. Maybe it’s the January blues? I finally got the courage to weigh myself this morning and was surprised to be down a pound. I guess that the treats were still far less than what I used to eat and I was still more or less following the BSD for the main meals. I have set a mini goal of loosing 3 lbs to bring my total weight loss to 40 lbs. I hope to find some motivation to get back to exercising. I find exercise to be harder than the diet, for some reason.

So I weighed myself for the first time 2 days ago and I was so pleased that I’ve lost so much weight. You wouldn’t know it looking at me but I guess the scales aren’t lying.

I’ve been pretty good on the diet, alcohol being the main challenge and the few nights out I’ve had I’ve stuck to Gin. Three in total which probably isn’t great.

But not the point of the post today. I work in an office and during the week it’s easy. I’m low cal and sugar all day using miso soup for lunches. And I get a lovely cooked meal when I get home straight from the cookbook. Sometimes I have a larger portion as I have had so few calories during the day… But the problem…. Weekends feel so much harder. Might be because I spend time feeding my little girl but I have the urge to graze, which I know you all know is the fastest way to fail on this diet… I’m fighting the times with water but if I did want to snack… Are there any recommendations? Straight out of the fridge food that won’t eat up too many calories for the day.??

Hello everyone

Have been following the posts avidly since I joined last week. Had my week two weigh in this morning and am happy to report a 4lb loss this week. I have lost 8.5lbs in two weeks which for me is a phenomenal weight loss. I have been careful to keep a check on the carbs and have only had one apple all week- I craved apple yesterday so had it with some yoghurt and pecans for my evening meal! I am finding it a challenge coming up with new ideas but have bought the receipt book and a low carb cook book I saw in a charity shop so I will spend today looking for some variety. Thank you to everyone who contributes to this forum- it is so helpful to read the tips and advice. I still worry that I haven got to grips with the diet but from what I understand it’s about keeping to 800 calories and keeping the carb count down. My husband can’t believe that I am eating all “the wrong things”. This morning I ate a mushroom and cheese omelette for my brunch. Am making the skinny lasagne for my evening meal – it’s delicious. I have been thinking of “jelly tots” this week so I am going to treat myself to a bar of 90% chocolate so that I can enjoy a piece with my coffee as a treat! Have a good week everyone in the January Club.

Thank you Happygirl & I think you can be having a hot toddy because spirits are fairly low in sugar & better than wine & you can include it in your calorie count! My toddy of choice when unwell is hot milk with honey & a shot of brandy or whisky! We call it alcoholic Horlicks👍😀
I hope you soon feel much better.
Margaret xx

Thanks Sunshine-girl will try extra salt, see if that helps

Most fruits contain fructose (fruit sugar) some more than others. If you taste a fruit and it is very sweet don’t eat it, i.e. mango, pineapple, bananas, melon – and for me oranges send my BG up. Dr M says apples, pears and berries are okay but restrict apples and pears when you can counting carbs. I have a freezer full of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants.

Ebs, sounds like you need some salt in your diet. Although hidden salt is not good for you because there is loads of it, if you are not using salt and you are drinking lots of water you will be depleting your salts which the body needs to regulate various things. Have a little real salt on an egg or tomatoes and see how that helps.

Have been suffering from leg cramps since start of diet, anyone else with this problem and any ideas?

Hi
I got an exercise bike on Freecycle for the same reason – my poor sore knees and it seems to be fine so far – no extra knee pain.

Hi SunnyB, the meal was nice thanks. Not too many sins either, the starter had a rye bread and the main had lentils and we skipped dessert. I can forgive the rye bread as it did have nice large grains throughout.

I’m feeling nice and clear today, thanks for the tip on chia seeds, I will give them a go. The thing that blocked me was a protein bar, I should’ve known better as I had issues after eating them years ago. As it was a freebie and only 4g carbs with no sugar, I decided it would probably be ok if I drank lots of water with it. Definitely wasn’t ok! Lesson learned.

With a good day today I should be close to last weeks weigh in, so all is not lost. I’ll report back tomorrow.

All the best for your weekly weigh

Hi All
Week 3 for me and continuing the downward trend which I’m very pleased about.

I can’t believe I’m still losing, as with WW and SW the losses would definitely have tailed off by this stage, I really think I just can’t eat carbs and lose weight – obviously it must also be related to the lower calorie intake too as when I tried LCHF previously I got a bit blase and added so much fat I ended up gaining weight.

I’m super impressed by all the success stories being shared here, Daisiesmum, CaptainLynne, Sunshinegirl, Getyourcarbon, Verano, JulesM to name but a few – you really are helping me so much! I feel a bit guilty ‘lurking’ as I tend to read the posts late evening on my email and then don’t post much myself – I have replies on my head but don’t get round to signing in and posting them. I think my mini goal this week should be to come out of the shadows and join in!!

Thank you all!
Sx

My halo slipped this week too – you are not alone. Work is hard at the moment, had some issues with my son at nursery and I just broke one evening…..

Got back up on the horse and carried on going.

It’s easy to beat yourself up but the important thing is that you mentally let yourself have the slip up and not punish yourself for it. You are only human after all xx

I have a quick question: which fruits contain a lot of sugar?

hi I was the same as you. Been on diet for 13 days..quite a few without weight loss..
All of a sudden another kg dropped off. Measure yourself..I was happy today even though no change in scales for 2 days to see I’ve lost 3.5cm on waist and 5 cm on tummy..just below belly button..search for plateau or whoosh in search function..Don’t give up..this is just the beginning😊😊😊

Thank you so much for the fabulous suggestions everyone.

I’m almost through week one and I’ve given a few of these a try. Yesterday I made my own version of Hueveros Ranchos: 2 poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with chorizo. AMAZING.

Almost through week one – had one fail/wobble day, I’m an emotional eater and this week was tough for a couple of days but I got back to it the next day.

Nobody’s perfect are they?

X

LindaA – I love that word ‘carbage’. How well it describes the rubbish food that we all used to eat.

Good morning everyone
Well done and congratulations Wendy and Fairyface and Miss Ziggy.
In theory as you point out, we are nearly at the half way mark, but in practice, I am no where near it!!!

I have picked up a bit of a head cold so everything tastes like plastic to me!
I have no energy to be out and about but I am still sticking to 800 cals. I am looking at a bottle of whiskey and trying to calculate the ingredients of a hot toddy!!!! Whiskey, carb free?, Water, no problem, lemons and cloves, great, sugar, bad, but could be left out
Calories??
Anyway, I know I could try lemon and honey, but my DNA wouldn’t accept it!
Hope you are all doing well

Cheers

End of third week of being back on the BSD & this week I have lost nearly 1 & 3/4lbs so since 1st January I have lost 6lbs. It’s all rather slower than I had hoped but I have lost inches & continued to lose weight since 1st January.
I hope things are going better for you Sarah & eating over 800 but following lowish carb principles still works although more slowly as I have shown😀
Keep on going everyone we only have one more week to go until the half way stage👍👍
Good luck everyone 🍀🍀🍀🍀
Margaret xxxx

Hi Raintoday

Salsify is fabulous. Blanch it in boiling water (no need to add salt) and then fry off in a little butter either on its own or with dill or even (tin hat on!) a few thin slices of fennel. Lovely with all fish, even meatier white fish.

Well I just thought I would update this post – stepped on the scales and literally overnight it’s gone down by 3lbs. Very happy as that’s my first stone!!!!

Enecca
Thank you so much for the roasted cauliflower recipe. It was a huge success yesterday and not at all watery like my previous effort – husband actually said the cauliflower was better than potatoes. So at last cauliflower has become a part of our diet.

Maharani kitten – what an interesting conversation you had with Professor Taylor. How great that he took the time to answer your questions. He must enjoy getting feedback that this way of eating really works and how nice to hear that he cycled to the event.

Raintoday – how lovely to be in the size 12 jeans. Although we are doing this for our health all the good that we are doing is hidden inside our bodies and as we don’t have our own personal MRI scanners we can’t see all the good we are doing. Smaller clothes are a really good way of measuring how well we are doing and it does feel good to get comfortably into smaller sizes.