Hi MrsPink. If you are interested in fasting it’s definitely worth a go. You can increase the time gradually. Dr Fung’s advice if you feel dizzy or at all unwell just eat something. You can always try again later. I hope this helps.

Hi sjw

Thank you for your advice. I have just taken a loaf out and still have a dished top but it is better than the crater from the first attempts. I used 370 ml cold water (as suggested by my breadmaker instructions) and 1.5 teaspoons yeast. I am not sure where to go from here. I may try adding a little more salt but keeping the other ingredients the same as this time. Let me know how you get on. I’m sure there is a solution to this problem if only we could find it!

😂 I’m off to the gym! Everyone is doing so well and trying so hard, it is great to tell all and get the boost to keep going – thank you all, we can do it!!

Well done Theodora, you are doing great…not to worry…Monday will be here before you know it 😢

New Claire, don’t worry about slipping occasionally. As I see it this is about changing a way of living, and so long as the general trend is low carb and low calorie I really don’t think it will make much of an impact…as Theodora says…onwards and downwards!

PS I can absolutely picture you devouring a piece of gammon whilst trying not to get burned…it’s exactly the sort of thing I would do! 😂

Hi Boston Babe, welcome and well done on finally committing to BSD and your first weight loss.

NewClaire – please don’t hate yourself. Everyone will fall off the wagon sooner or later – we are only human after all – and the important thing is to just pick yourself up and get back on the wagon.

Chrisula, I have been on under 35g carbs all week – lowest was 21 on my first day – but will have a blowout 40 today, as it’s the weekend and I have 2 courses planned for dinner. Daily total will still be only 819 calories though. Will do 2 courses again tomorrow, including a roast, and it will come out at roughly 30g and only 720 calories. As SunnyB says, I think we are all different, and it also takes us all a different amount of time to start metabolising fat instead of carbs. You may have felt tired because you have hit carb flu – happened to me a few days ago, couldn’t believe how weak and feeble I felt, but I persevered (with encouragement on here – thank you) and seem to be shooting through now. So whatever you are comfortable with, as long as you try to stay under 50.

Despite determining not to weigh myself again until next Friday, I jumped on the scales yet again this morning – another pound gone, so 7lbs in 5 days, and my fat percentage has dropped a bit from my starting figure on Monday – was 33.6 and is now 32.9 🙂 and my BMI has dropped below 29 for the first time in years. It has given me the motivation (I think) to try to get through my first BSD weekend without straying too far…………….but oh, what I wouldn’t do for a glass of red (or white for that matter!)

I’m feeling a bit guilty because we were supposed to have some very dear friends (all thin) coming to stay next weekend whom we haven’t seen in ages and I was worrying about sticking to the straight and narrow during their visit, which would have involved feeding them on 2 evenings and going out for dinner on another – and lots and lots of wine. But last evening they rang and cancelled, and they sounded so disappointed, so I tried to sound likewise, whilst in my head I was shouting HALLELUJAH!!! Bad girl Theodora 🙁

Have a good day everyone, onwards and downwards 🙂

Hi
1st post on the forum. I have been on the BSD since September. I have no issues with blood sugar, however a decidedly junky diet has seen me steadily gain weight over the last 3 years. I turned 50 last May and hit the menopause around the same time. Crunch time came when my largest clothes failed to fit me any more & I decided enough was enough … anyway, getting to the point, I read the book & started on 800 calories very successfully, however I found that my brain got a bit woolly, which isn’t good when I drive a lot and have to be quite sharp in my work generally. So I gave up calorie counting and just stuck to the principles (plus slip in a glass or 2 of red most nights – sorry Mike!) and the weight has steadily dropped (10kg in 4 months). I’m staggered…. am never hungry….enjoy every single mouthful of food the I eat …. and I don’t miss the biscuits, crisps and other rubbish I used to trough in abundance. In fact I positively dislike the taste of it now!
So…in answer to your question about calorie counting, I don’t think it’s always necessary. I think that maybe stabilising my blood sugar has made my calorie intake self regulating, thus restricting calories I eat?

Hi
6 days in, 5 lbs down and feeling fine! Blood sugars best they’ve been for a while, even though I was on LCHF.

Just made the Beetroot Falafels for lunch. What a faff! Thank goodness the results were worthwhile. Even beetrootophobe husband liked them. It was he who suggested having a go, since he’s joining me on this journey. Next time I’ll make twice the amount and freeze half the end product.

Good to keep abreast of people’s progress on here. Keep on posting!

Topac I’d be interested to know how you get on too. Please do report back!
I would be slightly worried that I might feel dizzy or faint if I went that long?
As to the eating once or twice a day – I have never eaten breakfast in my adult life ie since leaving school. According to received wisdom and current advice from a dietician I know, that is one of the reasons why I am fat! It’s all so terribly confusing. Perhaps I will buy the Fung book and see what he has to say about it ….

So I had a massive evening of weakness yesterday. I decided to eat poached eggs for breakfast instead of the yoghurt I’ve been eating all week, as I knew eggs would fill me up. I wanted to skip lunch and have a couple of gins with sparkling water and lemon/mint with dinner this evening. Well by the time I was driving home from work I was so hungry I felt sick, I just had water sloshing around in me and I needed food. I ended up stopping in Sainsburys and bought a mini gammon shank from their hot food snack bit and ate that as soon as I got home. I then had a “what the hell” attitude and followed that up with crisps and cashew nuts! Oh, and I still had the gins! I’ve had more than double my allowance of carbs and calories. Went to bed hating myself.

Ive tried to put it in perspective this morning and thought if I end up losing 3-4lbs this week instead of the 6lbs I had lost before yesterday, then it’s still an ok amount. I can never skip lunch again on this diet! So ladies if you need a good laugh, just imagine someone standing in their kitchen eating a big lump of ham off the bone and trying not to burn themselves!

I met Professor Taylor this morning!!! What a lovely, lovely man.
Was at the launch of a new Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall programme for the BBC on obesity in my work guise, waiting to be interviewed, found myself sitting next to him!!!
I shook his hand and told him his diet had all but reversed my T2D in 12 weeks and he was delighted. We had a chat about how low carb is slowly being accepted by diabetes UK who have changed their website.

Anyhow, in the interest of assisting my forum buddies, I asked what he thought was the most important thing for maintenance long term . HE said that to recognise it’s often a harder battle than the low cal induction, and be ready for that, but also that his research shows that those who get wholehearted support from their families and friends are the ones who do best of all. And exercise, regular exercise as a normal pRt of your daily routine. HE’d cycled the 2 miles from his house.

He said it’s only in the UK that people feel a meal isn’t complete without a pile of carbs – spuds, rice, pasta – on your plate, and if whole families could eat four days out of seven without that – just have an extra vegetable instead – and give up reliance on fruit juice and fizzy drinks, there’d be a revolution for the good.

What a kind man, when he shook my hand and wished me well in the future, I felt like I could move a mountain. Which indeed I need to! The HFW stuff was interesting too, but another time. MK x

Thanks for all the advice. I’m stocked up with the basics as the book suggests (I’ve even invested in storage jars & labelling!)

It’s my shopping list app only works once so I’m rewriting each time or scribbling out bits of paper list😏

I suppose I’m asking for the work to be done so I, and others, can use it.

#digitalslave

Hi All,
My first post on here. Had an over 50s health check before Christmas and my blood pressure was 165/130. At least three stone overweight. I had bought the 8 week BSD book months earlier but hadn’t acted on it. On 22nd December, started having breakfast and lunch from the recipe book but regular evening meals and alcohol (too much) to ease into it. Started in earnest on 1st Jan and have weighed this morning – 11.5 lbs lost! Very pleased and looking forward to the next 5 weeks (sort of!). Good luck everyone.

Someone posted about this the other day and referred to the page at keto-calculator.ankerl.com .
You put in your own info and it calculates it for you.
I am aiming for 25g carbs in these early stages.

I find I can run on around 20g carbs a day, but we are all different and you will need to find your own level. To keep the weight falling and the fat burning, it’s best to be below the 50g it seems, but some people manage it on around 60g, so we are all different. If I’m reading your post correctly, it was an energy issue that took you to the rye bread, so maybe you need to have your carb intake nearer the 50g a day level, than the 35g. Think about where those extra carbs come from though – opt for pulses rather than grains as they contain complex rather than simple carbs and so won’t cause blood sugar spikes, which might result in hunger pangs and cravings.

Don’t panic Kathy and don’t let the BSD spoil your special anniversary – this is not a time to be trying to stick to 800cals a day! I have been on the BSD for close to a year now, with two long maintenance periods and am now back to it seriously, to try to get rid of the last half stone. What you need to remember, is that we are in this for the long haul, so you need to give yourself permission not to be perfect all the time. It is inevitable that you won’t hit 800 every day – but some will be up and as you progress, some will be down – it all balances out. As long as you are giving it your best effort, it will be enough.

My advise for you special event is to try hard to stick to the principles of the BSD, so no bread, potatoes, pasta etc., try to avoid the sweet stuff, but allow yourself a little something as it’s a special occasion that won’t come round again. And of course a glass or two of champagne has to be allowed. Don’t worry about the 800 cals, just try to keep your carb intake down.

Once you have your anniversary behind you, you can really buckle down and tackle the 800 properly. Good luck and have a wonderful anniversary.

Hi Chrisula83, I think the aim is to stay below 50 grams carbs, and the lower the better…if you are feeling hungry try increasing the amount of fat eg in yoghurt snack as this should help.

Hi cmawp – exercise is something I’m only recently trying to get to grips with again. We have a decent rowing machine, which I now have set up in the spare room so there is no excuse for not trotting upstairs and doing a bit. Have also recently bought an exercise ball and have found an exercise routine online, which consists of ten exercises. So my aim is to do either some rowing or ball exercise every day and if I’m feeling particularly keen, some of each.

Hope you enjoy your meal out and fingers crossed that you have an agreeable result on Monday morning. My weight has been up and down over the week, but I’m hopeful of registering a loss on Monday when I too will do my weekly weigh-in. The trend is looking reasonably good so far, just need to ensure I don’t blow it over the w/e.

Was it something you ate that blocked you up, or something you had omitted? I had a similar problem this week, but I realised it was due to forgetting to take my chia seeds with me, when I was away last w/e. They really do help to keep my system running smoothly.

Anyway, here’s to good results all round folks … Looking forward to reading lots of positive posts on Monday.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to ask if there is a minimum amount of carbs you’re supposed to eat a day. I know the maximum is supposed to be 50. I haven’t been eating many at all (under 35 each day) and today I was so tired around midday so I decided to have a piece of rye bread with my bolognaise sauce. I’m not too worried about eating the bread but I’m just wondering if I’ve need to make sure to at least eat 50g of carbs a day?
Thanks for all the advice 🙂

Hi Boston babe and welcome 😊 1.5lbs is a great loss and is good motivation for the times when you feel hungry. I found fruit teas and water help to stem some of the hunger pains. It does get easier, eating plenty of full fat foods will help you feel fuller for longer, but watch your carb intake! Check into the forums regularly as they really help keep you motivated. I’m on day 12 and have to say it really does get easier!

Love the word peppiness Carb_Addict.

Weigh day for me

1.10.16 – 114.2
21.1.17 – 98.4

Just 500g down from last week. But I am happy with that.

The weight is coming off very slowly. Still finding it hard I must admit but really enjoying the food and feeling well is an added bonus.

Hi Kathy, don’t let a hiccup stop you 🙂
I’m finding it hard to stick to 800 cals too, and have gone over some days.
It should get easier for you when you are back at work and in a routine.
I envy you going to Curves. I was a member for 8 years until our local one closed down and there are no others near by. I really miss it.
Good luck this week 🙂

Hi Michaelmas Daisy. I think the answer is to eat bread only very occasionally, and eat only the most delicious bread you can find. There cannot be a diet on earth that doesn’t restrict bread, so we should maybe learn something from that. My personal favourite is the ciabatta they sell in fenwicks in Newcastle – not for a few weeks though. I think I remember reading somewhere that we should try to eat only the most delicious food possible and to waste your carbs/calories on a loaf of sliced white …..

Thank you. Back on the Fast800 wagon today, and feel neither happy or sad about it: it is just the way things have to be to move forward in my life. Am sure I’ll get back to my usual peppiness in a few days when my stomach has deflated and I feel lighter. Will tackle the thorny subject of the scales later this week however: would like to get the number down on whatever it is today before for motivational sakes!

Good morning fellow January starters. Just weighed myself at the end of week 3 and I’m 3lbs down, making a total of 13lbs.

I didn’t feel any different in myself this week and thought I wouldn’t loose much, if anything, despite sticking to the recipes like glue. But feeling quite chuffed with that.

Always really encouraged to read everyone’s posts, thank you. To those who are struggling or hitting a plateau, keep focused, keep going.

HAGWE,
Jacks

Ouch, a day yesterday where I kept kind of drifting off plan, tidying up the last of the Christmas food and overdid it a bit, and the scales this morning have been ruthless. Back up to 11 stone 2, just over 3 pounds up on my lowest weight, and almost 2 pounds up on yesterday. I am eating out tonight as well so will have to be extra focused. Not a setback, just part of the learning curve.

Lynne – your days sound really hectic – but you are right – it does keep you out of mischief.
I love my relaxation times also but do wonder if it I enjoy these times all the more because of being busy the rest of the time.

I also wonder if it is being busy helps to keep us young – and you certainly don’t look your age. People say I don’t either. I will keep this in mind to cheer me up today as am just about to leave the house for another hectic day teaching and I would really like to sit and relax and read my newspaper instead.

Summermoonstone i have also reversed my diabetes. I have lost 3 stone since i started in June. I have reduced my Metformin as well. I am hoping when i go back in May they will review this and let me stop taking the tablets. I feel like you and hated the Metformin it made me feel very ill but they changed it to slow release tablets which i now only take one of a day. Carry on i am stuck a bit after Christmas i only put on about 2 lbs but am struggling to lose any more than the 2 lbs.

Good morning all. Thank you so much for your sympathy regarding my back. It’s definitely much better today, yesterday there were moments of excruciating pain. I will keep moving and doing appropriate stretches, hopefully it will soon be sorted.

I am doing well so far with maintaining my weight, but it’s very early days. It remains to be seen if the adjustment in the dosage of my meds makes a difference weight-wise, but I’m certainly feeling much less lethargic and my BP is still great.

All this talk of fennel has whetted my appetite, I haven’t tried it in ages – move over Jules. Meanwhile I’m loving my celeriac mash – yum!

BTW, there’s a great little half hour tv prog on iPlayer from BBC Wales FAT vs CARBS, nothing new to us but encouraging (and slightly amusing) to see someone introduced to LCHF for the first time and the reactions of people to this way of eating, not to mention the medics surprise at the results!

Happy BSD day everyone.

I like normal cauliflower rice but I’ll have to try that roasted one as well, sounds lovely. I do NOT like fennel, you guys are welcome to squabble over it!

I continue to maintain within a kg of my lowest weight, numerous attempts to get serious again since Christmas but I’ve now decided to wait another week. Kids will be back at school, husband back at work, I’ll have a week before my librarian studies start so I’ll be able to establish some kind of routine which I can’t now.

I’m mostly eating Mediterranean but too much of it (actually a perfect amount if I was happy maintaining!), lots of snacking on cheese and nuts. I am eating potato as well, but mostly staying away from the other carby stuff. I had toast one morning and was so hungry the rest of the day! It’s great reading everyone’s updates, we’ll all get there eventually.

Hello everyone in Week 2
I hope you are doing better than me this week. I have already fallen off the wagon. Being on holidays this week has resulted in a lot of social catch ups and eating out. I am not having a good week and stopped tracking on Tuesday. Having a few sweet things this week has returned the craving for sugar. I popped on the scales this morning and was very disappointed. So I am putting the hiccup behind me and am back to being motivated and am staying on track. I do feel physically better than I felt pre-BSD. I have been going to Curves (a circuit exercise place for women) at least 5 days a week and burning more than 300 calories each time.
During week 3 will be my 25th wedding anniversary and we are going away for 2 days before returning to work on Friday. I am planning to stick to as close to 800 calories as possible.
I have read the posts about only eating 2 meals per day and today I really did not feel like breakfast and started with a healthy lunch.
I will keep reading posts in the forums to encourage me.

Great results all! Daisiesmum hope your back is better soon as I imagine the pain is awful.

My goal in this 4 weeks was to get back on track. I was a week late joining but have managed to do so. A way to go yet but totally rapt with all your progress and how much I learn on the way.

Keep the faith xx

Remove all temptations from your home

Ebs here, oh! dear, good start to the evening with braised cod, lettuce and peas, however sitting on my own at 7 pm watching the TV and thought about that packet of dark chocolate maltesers hiding under the tee shirts on the top shelf in the wardrobe left over from Christmas. Well the temptation was too much 25 of those delicious crunchy little balls later and 250 calories, I felt sick, ugh! sugar overload. Beat myself up called myself all the names under the sun for failing to resist the temptation and gave the rest of the family packet to my daughter. Back on the diet this morning with a visit to the local store to buy some soup, without added sugar and low carb.

Oh, plus a little cheese and a small amount of other dairy produce ☺

Hi, I’ve just watched a Horizon programme on the BBC I – Player regarding so-called ‘clean eating’ that suggests that problems with gluten in wheat and other grains containing gluten are likely only scientifically proven for people who are diagnosed coeliacs. So my suggestion that you might read Dr William Davis’ Wheat Belly book now comes with a warning: perhaps we shouldn’t get too obsessed with it.

I enjoyed reading it, and it is persuasive, but after seeing the programme I’m now happy to eat a bit of nice bread again – perhaps it is better to limit the amount, and perhaps it is better to limit pastries and pies, but a very small amount now and again might be okay (except on the 800-kcal a day fast diet). And it seems scientists agree that trans-fats in many baked goods aren’t good so it’s worthwhile avoiding those.

Also, the Horizon programme focused on fears about gluten and did not discuss modification of wheat, or anything about wheat’s glycaemic index even though these topics featured strongly in the book.

As I’m not doing the 800kcal a day fast diet, and am not a coeliac, I think I’ll re-include a bit of wheat (and my husband will be happy). So I’m still aiming for the Mediterranean type Diet with quite small portions of usually wholegrain carbs, not excessive healthy fats, not excessive animal proteins, regular oily fish, plus vegetables, fruit, and nuts.

Hi All,
So I’m hoping that I can join your posting board. I’ve been on the fence about this diet since late last year. I don’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes of any kind, I just need to lose weight. I started my diet yesterday and today my scale moved down 1.5 lbs. I’m very excited but gosh was I ever hungry today. I had a wholesome dinner again this evening and I’ll keep you all posted if that’s alright. I need some encouragement from everyone on here.
Thanks so much 🙏🏻

KrysiaD – yesterday much quieter. Back to busy today. Tomorrow should be quiet – shopping and preparing for Sunday. Then on Sunday another busy day.

Monday it starts all over again. Why did I make a 9.30am appointment to see the Head at a school a few villages away? Wish it could have been later. But still …

Life at the moment seems to be one meeting after another.

Wednesdays are extra busy at the moment. Exercise and well-being class in the morning, after school club in the afternoon, then a faith tea and meeting in the evening. Leave home 9.30ish in the morning, finally home about 9.15pm. A few hours at home in between each event to catch up on phone calls and emails.

Still, keeps me out of mischief 😱😀

I am a runner and frequently do half marathon distance but I also run much further, when training for marathons.
I am after some advice on what people use in water, instead of high sugary items.
TIA

Hi Iwilldoit, and welcome.

Well done on your loss – that’s fantastic in 4 days. Like you, I have never joined a forum before, but decided it may help keep me on the straight and narrow, and it’s great how helpful and supportive everyone is, celebrating each others’ triumphs and understanding and motivating when we fall off the wagon.

For the first time this evening I had the munchies – think it was because usually on a Friday evening O/H goes out and I snuggle up on the sofa with a bottle of red and some crisps etc. Anyway, I checked my calorie intake for the day and discovered I could have a few nuts and still just about squeeze in under 800. I chewed them very, very slowly, and they did the trick – bit odd having them with a cuppa instead of wine though 😉 Now my first BSD weekend to get through……………………

Ah Esnecca – I had heard that there had been a Thunderdome-like-clash at Tesco’s – so that’s what it was all about.

Thank you so much for the oven roasted cauliflower rice recipe. I have copied it and printed it off – it looks as though it will be much nicer than our previous efforts. We are having it for dinner tomorrow.

Hi Iwilldoit and welcome to our group. Well done on your weightloss so far- you sound very organised! Lots of support and motivation here as we are all in the same boat, all looking to lose weight and improve our health. This was the first time I had posted anything, now love keeping up to date with others and it helps me keep focused too 😊

Hi summermoonstone -just to say Fage Greek yoghurt is Total. So you are already using it 😀

New Claire – the recipe says for two – you do d only eat half didn’t you? Having said that, some of the portions in recipes do seem larger than others.

Hi everyone, I’m really impressed by your determination to keep the exercise going. It’s something I haven’t started myself and is an area I have to work on.

I’ve had a week of ups and downs on the scales and in general. I ate something around Tuesday that blocked me up, so I gained 3lb over Wednesday and Thursday. I’m feeling better now so will push on through the weekend.

I’ve got dinner with my other half in a new gastro pub on Saturday. Alcohol won’t be an issue as I’m driving but I will definitely go over on calories! I’d be happy to break even this week when I weigh on Monday morning.

I can’t seem to get enough of nuts lately, almonds especially. Plain, roasted or smoked. The book does say not to have salted as they are moreish but this doesn’t seem to matter to my palate as they are moreish when they are plain!

Hi all. I’m new to the diet and new to posting on forums. I started Monday 16th Jan. I am proud to report I have lost 3.2kgs in 4 days. I have found the food delicious and cook the meals for my husband and 3 kids just adding some noodles, rice or potatoes for them. I’m not diabetic but feel unhealthy and overweight. I have been hungry but have found that I’m close to mealtime and can hang on. The worst is on a night when having a cuppa and usually several biscuits, but no more. I meal plan and write my shopping list. It was hard today in the supermarket and walking through the bakery, I miss my artisan bread! As I said before I don’t usually post but am hoping this will keep me on track.

On the bsd 800 Cals, what percentage of carbs should I set my fitness pal at?

Thank you Carb_Addict.
Holding your hand over the next few days whilst you are trying to get back on track.
Enjoy your evening out at the music festival.

Topcac I would also be interested to hear how your 48 hour fast goes. It’s totally doable if you have the motivation. I know how you feel about missing food though. I love eating especially if there’s chocolate involved!

I, too, have used bones to make stock, but find I prefer stock from raw meat/bones to that from cooked chicken. I just use a couple of chicken thighs instead of a stock cube, and it all blends in once it’s cooked. My go to soup these days is frozen leeks plus chicken joints or frozen lamb leg steaks, with lentils. I like pearl barley too, but need to look at the calorie and carb value before adding too much.

A chicken carcass in a slow cooker with some discarded veggie stems and peels makes an easy stock too, although not a fast one. That’s where the premade broth comes in handy. Since the BSD, I haven’t roasted any whole chickens so I haven’t made any stock. I’ve never made it with chicken parts that had actual meat on them, just the boney leftovers.

If you chuck a few chicken wings in a saucepan you soon have low cost, carb free chicken stock. Boneless chicken thighs with frozen leeks also make a good start for soup. I usually add some lentils, but cauliflower thickens it up too. I also add hot chilli sauce.

Much of the time overcoming hunger pangs is a question of mind over matter, but sometimes it’s very, very hard. I tell myself it’s mouth hunger, not real hunger.