Thanks for the good wishes and advice re jacket. Have tried it on again with better bra and slimming slip and if I’m honest, it’s slightly roomy with a thinner jumper – although it looks great. I do really love it, perfect for Spring and Autumn, or milder winter days, smart, but looks great with jeans.
So am going to keep it, in case it goes out of stock, (this is always happening with LTS), send for a smaller size and compare then decide.
I’m like the little engine that could at the moment – I think I can, I think I can…. It feels almost scary to believe I can truly be the slimmest I’ve been as an adult – and feel so healthy. I’ve never been this shape, either. I have a thigh gap. My stomach is flat. I have a waist! I’ve never had a waist! What a lovely birthday present! MKx

To Anna from Tyrefighter. If you stick rigidly to the “no pasta, bread, rice or potatoes” regime you will find it fairly difficult to fit your meals to this but it can be done and it is well worth the effort. I found that I lost ten pounds in the first two weeks but then my rate of loss became much lower so I gave it a rest for a week and then started again with some success.
Use the Mediterranean diet as set out in Michael’s book, cut out all the snacking, have just one bottle of wine at the weekend, weigh yourself every day.
Bon Voyage!

To Inka from Tyrefighter. Hi Inka! We are going very well, thank you. On our members’ individual record sheets I put the first weight reading of 2017 in red inka to act as a datum for the year. I told them –
Write down your target weight and put it where you can see it.
Write down your target date and put it where you can see it.
Write down the number of weeks to your target date and put it where you can see it.
Write down how many pounds per week (or month) and put it where you can see it.
Use mental imaging for five minutes when you get to bed each night for about three weeks. Imagine that you have actually reached your target. Picture the clothes that you will be able to wear – they have been sitting in your loft for God knows how long. Imagine friends you haven’t seen for a year or two saying that they didn’t recognise you and how fantastic you look and how did you manage it? This will give your subconscious the job of making sure that you do achieve your target. Read the book “Psychocybernetics” by Doctor Maxwell Maltz. I bought my copy in 1960 in Oahu and I have lived by it every since. It is not a religion! You can still get it on Amazon at a reasonable price.
You ask about my time in Australia. In fact the last time I went there was flying some freight to Maralinga while I was in the RAF. It was a four-engine piston aircraft and it took us over a week to get there – Malta, Tripoli, Khartoum, Aden, Karachi, Ceylon, Singapore (day off) Labuan (Borneo), Darwin, Adelaide, Maralinga. It took us 13 hours to get from Darwin to Adelaide!
Hold fast to the faith!
Tyrefighter

Hello Anna Hope you get off to a good start. I have found today a ok but am wondering how I will cope during the evening which is my bad time. Haven’t had any bread and feeling good even though I keep running to the toilet as I am trying to drink a lot. Keep in touch and we will support each other. I think the forum is brilliant.

I’m just the same – like walking, but need it to have a purpose.

After just 3 hours sleep last night have done nothing more strenuous than (necessary) admin, so no walking today. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow, and I’ll have had a good sleep tonight. Then I can get some walking in.

Hi All,
Rolling into week 2 and feeling much better. Lost 6 pounds during the first week and looking forward to a few more this week.
As so many have said, planning really helps!!! My biggest challenge has been dinner planning and keeping the carbs down. It feels odd to be eating such whole rich foods. Sometimes the whole fat dairy and all the eggs are so rich it makes me nauseous so I tend to stay away from it and have moved to 2% cottage cheese and am cutting back on my eggs and other cheeses. It’s just too much. Never thought I’d say that! I love cheese and rich foods!
Onward into Week 2!
Good luck everyone!

Happy Birthday Maharani kitten, hope your day has continued to be ab fab! The jacket sounds gorgeous given one you love. I too would swap for the smaller size. I bought pants recently, that I loved, and figured I would lose the weight to fit and sure enough, they are perfect now. In fact they are going to be too big soon, way this programme works. If you are on a mission to lose that stone then you will and a stone represents a size smaller, more or less. xx

The tube strike today meant I got my 18000 steps in today. Like Krysia I don’t like walking for its own sake, I like to “walk with a purpose” as my first boss used to say.

Major unplanned victory.

I was presenting at a client’s conference today in a nice hotel in central London.

Firstly due to the tube strike I walked to and from the hotel (18,000 steps) and secondly the buffet lunch had poached salmon, courgetti and caponata as an option – Big Win!

Captainlynne – that’s exactly what I have been doing lately. I have just walked from work to a cafe in a garden centre – I would have taken the car before and can’t think why I didn’t do this before as it is only a 15 minute walk.

I also like to walk somewhere with a purpose rather than just walk to get my steps – which I have to do a lot.

Today I had an absolutely full diary – no time for any breaks – but luckily it unravelled with clients not well – which is why I am relaxing in the lovely new restaurant with my cup of coffee and reading Saturday’s ‘I’ which I haven’t had a chance to read yet.

Hi Frog, Thanks for your advise. I’ll investigate what’s around and do some YouTubing. Anna

This isn’t an easy one and I can understand why you are in a quandary. I would say be cautious with the porridge, as this is high carb. Some people use porridge though, just keep the portion small. I would suggest trying something that includes some olive oil or nuts – something with a good fat content, as this will help you feel full for longer. Are you able to take a salad with you and some French dressing perhaps?

Hopefully someone who has experience of running the BSD with nightshifts, will be able to give you a better response. Good luck.

Hey Libbyohno – firstly welcome onboard. Secondly, sounds like you have made a good start – well done. And thirdly, you do not need to stick to the meal plans rigidly, you can pick and choose and even go off menu and create meals of your own design. The key to the BSD is keep the cals and carbs low, so as long as you calculate and record what you are consuming, that’s all you need to do. So limit your calories to 800 daily and watch the carbs – most of us aim for 50g or less a day.

Check out the recipe section on the website, as there are lots of meal options on there as well and of course, there are lots of low carb cook books out there too. Really, if you think in terms of a protein source and plenty of green veggies as main meals you won’t go far wrong.

Good luck for continued success and we’ll look forward to reading your positive results soon.

Hi Rebecca,

Yes it’s easy. I had a 2 eggs omelette for breaky. Same for lunch (still full now) and having Chicken Satay for tea with fresh cauli rice. total is around 700 calories and around 20G of carbs.

Satisfied!

Ooh – Sarah – we are all dying to know how you’ve got on – let us know when you weigh in !!!

Hi Seahorsesal – I feel your pain, the menopause did the same to me too and I ended up the heaviest I had ever been, excluding pregnancy – although it was close! Make sure you include good fats in your menu, as this helps to make you feel full quicker and for longer, which might help if you seem to be much hungrier these days.

Good luck with it and keep us posted on your progress. Be sure to shout if you need support or advise, as there are lots of great people on the forum and they are great at offering help and useful tips.

Hi Everyone!
Week Two, Day One. Feeling much better. I have lost 5.4 kg (12 #) and two inches around my waist. I took Sunday off from exercise, but most of the other days I got my cardio workout (just from walking) and my 10,000 steps. Several days my exercise burned more calories than I ate, which was amazing because I felt fine. Not too tired after the first couple days. I’m going to add in the resistance training this week. One thing we weren’t expecting was how much we love all the food we are eating. Food tastes better when you are hungry. 😀 Good luck to all. I hope you have a great week.

That is a trick I have recently learnt as well Granny, although I usually have a chai with cream, rather than coffee. Another option is a few nuts or a small cube of cheese, but I have to say I think the creamy hot drink is more satisfying.

Great advice TC, one thing i’ve found useful and feels luxurious……if youre feeling tempted mid morning and lunch seems a way off then have a coffee with cream, low carb and cals (surprisingly) but really helps fill the gap.

Hi Maharani

I had the same problem as Krysia – totally unworn suit currently sitting at home, a size too big, only bought it end of November. Bite the bullet!

Hi updating on my progress. Just finished second week
lost 7 pounds first week
lost 4 pounds last week
so far feeling pretty motivated.
Amazing to hear everyones stories the ups and downs. Lovely being part of the group.
anyone who has doen this longer did you ever get a red rash on skin because of eating so less carbs? woke up with a rash today. wondering if anyone has experienced it

Hi All, Happy Birthday Maharani Kitten. hope you have fun. I’m feeling good today, I have eaten too much but its all BSD friendly. ‘Im focused on my behavioral goals and I have managed to exercise for the last 3 days which is a first for me.It seems like every day I learn more about food and calories and carbs and just when I think that I have it mastered I over eat. fasting sugar is still too high but after today’s walk it was down.I lost.4 KG last week so its not much but at least its a start.I’m surprised to see all the new posts it seems like the secret is out and everyone is taking action.lets all keep it up, as we know it does work. cheers

Good advice topcac – thanks for the inspiration!

I’m inadvertently finding myself doing a 16/8 simultaneously, so having a late breakfast and not eating after 7pm whenever possible. I generally work from home so it’s easier to manage and get in the flow.

I agree, planning ahead works best to avoid a kneejerk panic when it comes to meals.

Definitely a lifestyle eating plan – and not a diet.

All the best,
Jacks

Hi Nettie58, I”m also in Perth, G’day, At first I just tried to follow the calories ,I use the S health app which comes with my samsung, Then, when I was not doing so well I started tracking the carbs.If I’m really disorganized I have 100gms of meat and a salad.Its not perfect but its better than eating a heap of carbs.what suburb are you at?would you like to get in touch?

Good luck blondebob

I started in September 2016 so, although I’m not as experienced as some on here, I do still remember my first week and because you don’t have the book yet some things may take you by surprise so here’s some tips I found useful:

Be kind to yourself in the first few days – the carb detox (also known as carb flu) will probably hit today or tomorrow. You may feel headachey, sick, dizzy, miserable and bad tempered. It’s perfectly normal and anyone who switches from burning carbs to burning fat will get it to a greater or lesser degree. It totally floored me at the end of day 1 and I had to take to my bed – having thrown up my dinner. I had the worst headache. This does not mean that this will happen to you LOL but just be warned that you may feel a bit off for a few days. Some ways to combat it are drink loads of water (for me this meant upwards of 3 litres – include tea and coffee in that) and to add salt to your food. Sounds weird but works 🙂 and rest and don’t be afraid to take a couple of painkillers either!

Plan plan plan – make sure you know what you are going to eat and shop for it – make sure, where possible, that you can rid your house of naughty stuff that may tempt you when you are feeling a little vulnerable in the first few days. If you do have the urge to snack make sure you have high fat/protein snacks like nuts around but remember that not all nuts are created equal – go for the lower carb ones like walnuts or macadamias

Don’t plan any exercise in the first few days – you may not feel up to it and you really don’t need the guilt! If you do feel OK, just have a walk.

Something that I also found useful was to try and wait as long as you can for breakfast. I now only eat in about an 8 hour window – so breakfast at 11, lunch at 3 and dinner around 7. It really helps the hunger pangs. Also, hot drinks suppress hunger pangs so if think you are hungry, have some tea!

Don’t just weigh yourself, also measure your body, especially chest, hips, tummy and thighs – later on in the diet, on those weeks that you may not lose as much, or anything, this will be a godsend because you will probably have lost inches – plus you can come on here and brag about it!

Lastly, if I’ve made it sound really crappy, I apologise but it is really only very temporary – by the end of week 1 you will feel fantastic! If you are really on it you should begin to see a difference on the scales in 3 days or so, so if you are lacking motivation just jump on and see what has happened.

That’s all I can think of for now – best of luck!
TC

Oh dear – those kinds of experiences don’t give you much confidence.
Lynn – I just tracked down your post about your colour day. It sounds fascinating. I have always fancied doing it but became doubtful of my local practitioner because she seemed to be adding a new business every week.
Not too sure about a great new start to the year (BSD wise) – I’ve been mostly good but there have been lapses! Nearly back to pre-xmas weight though and I’ve started running! I am surprised that it is rather enjoyable – who knew! Early days though – I’ve always been a bit skeptical about the benefits of high impact activity, but we’ll see. I have always enjoyed walking, especially long walks but I just don’t have the time in the winter. Re-reading the book for inspiration and ….carrying on!

Thank you granny for your reply, I really wasn’t about to jump ship. Honestly! Some fab losses coming through and I am hoping come weigh in Wednesday I will see a decent loss.
Wow people being advised by their doctor to do this too!!

Hi
I felt really washed out the other day but it passed. I agree with Mixnmatch – drink plenty of water to ease the headache.

Re the proteins – it is tricky for vegans. I find it hard to get enough protein (can’t get soya yoghurt and firm tofu until I get back to the UK next week) so I have been looking into this myself. I can make any number of sweet tasty recipes with silken tofu (which I can find over here ) but they all need sugar or maple syrup which I am now off obviously.. After advice on this thread, I tried using some silken tofu to boost my protein intake – have to admit it was awful. Today I came across a rare box of strawberries so tomorrow I might try them blended in to the rest of the silken tofu. Really I want to get away from desserts and sweet things all together so might just eat the strawberries on their own……

My husband’s favourite salad dressing is Goddess Dressing which I make from tofu so that’s an idea too. It certainly makes you think doing this plan as a vegan doesn’t it ?

Here’s a link to a page I came across which gives 25 sources of protein for vegans.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/vegan-sources-of-protein/
There’s a couple in there that were news to me – peas ??? I’d suggest you have a look at some of the recipes in the links on the webpage too – it’s a bit unwieldy but it made me think of other options and there are some interesting recipes like
MUSHROOM MUTTER MASALA: INDIAN MUSHROOM AND GREEN PEAS
and
MISO SOUP WITH GARLICKY LENTILS, KALE, AND MUSHROOMS.

I don’t know what you have tried with lentils ? I have friends who hate them (and beans) in any form. Personally I love them now – all colours and in many dishes but before I went vegan over 5 years ago I’d only really used them in my Mum’s chicken soup ! Lentil burgers go down well with non vegan/veggie friends, red lentil soup is a staple in the winter and one of my favourites for ease and taste is a casserole made using the large brown lentils cooked with onion, garlic, celery, carrots, tin of tomatoes, a little dried thyme, some hot smoked paprika and a little organic bouillon stock powder. It’s really tasty and warming.

Hope you feel better very soon.

Thanks SunnyB – I have a meal out this weekend too so looks like we will both be trying the ‘sensible’ route. I really thought that the last few pounds would be harder to shift but I lost fairly consistently thorough the whole 16 weeks that I was trying to lose. I put on a couple of times but there was always a reason and I firmly believe the reason I’m not there now is Christmas!! With that out of the way I’m sure we will both see further success

Onwards and downwards 😀

Hey TC – Well done on the 2lb drop whilst on maintenance. Will be good to have someone else on the final push – look forward to reading your posts along the way.

It is my birthday this Friday and we will be dining out, so I’m expecting a blip over the w/e, but I’m determined to keep it as sensible as possible.

Need to increase exercise levels, as this is always something I struggle with and know it’s a serious failing. Think shifting these last few pounds could depend on getting that sorted.

Good luck on hitting your final goal too.

Hi Matilda

I agree with the others, unless you have a blood sugar issue, and they don’t continue to drop, then just keep doing what you are doing. Also some people like to log everything that they eat but I don’t often have time for that. When I started BSD (starting week 17 now but trying maintenance) I just chose a breakfast, lunch and dinner from the book to start with (or use the meal plan in the back) and that seemed to work fine – I lost consistently – I don’t know how many carbs it’s based on but a lot of people have success with that too. Once you are more familiar with the plan you can strike out on your own a bit but for now, to make it easier, that’s my advice.

Good luck and well done on your losses so far!

Hi all – well today is day 7 of week one and I have to say I feel great!!

The hunger on the first couple of days was really hard but I had got so used to not getting hungry and topping up throughout the day, that actually I wasn’t “starving”, I was just letting my tummy rumble as it should before a meal. I have found sticking within the 800 calories surprisingly easy however I do put this down to planning ahead and planning a menu and doing the shopping in advance.

Last night we had the cottage pie from the recipe book and Wowsers!! It was absolutely lovely…. Had it again at lunchtime, (there are 3 of us at home, served 6 so all had some last night and some today for lunch)…. Will definitely be adding that to the repertoire! Looking forward to trying the fish pie next Sunday night..

Weigh in tomorrow morning so we will see what the morning brings, however I know that I have lost so just got to keep going… 1st week done, 5 to go (I’m doing 6 weeks on the lead up to a fortnights holiday and will then do a further 8 weeks when I get back).

I am so much sleeping better, and when I wake up, I am actually awake… I feel more alert and not as sluggish and I can see the difference in my skin already…

Lets keep going people – everyone is doing brilliantly!!! Whoop Whoop!!!

Much Love,
Rebecca xx

Hi and welcome blondebob71. How lovely your doctor has suggested this way of life.
Its not easy but there is always someone to answer your questions.
Planning, shopping and more planning and shopping is the key.
My husband and I do a meal plan and shopping list for about four days at a time. It does change depending on what we are doing. We also manage to ‘bank’ a few meals in the freezer which is really useful.

Onwards and downwards

Hi Mat – welcome aboard! Great results already – wonderful!! If you are losing, may be just keep doing what you have been and if you get stuck, you can then look to push the carbs down. Most people try to get carbs down to 50g or less, but if you continue losing at a good rate, I wouldn’t panic at the moment. Give yourself a little longer to get used to the 800cals first and tackle the carbs later.

Good luck and keep posting on you progress.

GOOD LUCK!!!

I am playing around with maintenance as I only reached goal this weekend (which was 9st 2lbs) – but am thinking a couple of extra pounds might be a good idea for some wriggle room (birthdays, holidays can’t be ar*ed days) and am looking at 8st 10lbs too. Currently 9st dead as of this morning so maintenance hasn’t worked so far!!.

Happy to join you

TC

I think the book concentrates more on the 800 calorie aspect and assumes if you are not eating devil carbs you will be okay. Some people on here have come up with levels that suit them and help with the weight loss and usually that is around 50 grams which is quite doable. For me I wouldn’t want to go any lower simply because it became too much planning to get it under 50 and meant cutting out too many other things I would have eaten, like apples, quite high in carbs but I allow myself a Ploughmans Lunch once a week with half an apple. You can go too low and this diet is set at a good balance.

Have in effect, been maintaining since September, as we took a long break in Turkey from Sept to beginning of Nov and then there was the run-up to and the Festive Season. Have been managing to maintain at between 9st 3.5 and 5lb, but now it is time to push for the last final goal. So I am starting the Fast 800 again properly from today, with a start weight of 9st 5lb this morning. I am logging all carbs and cals etc. – the full Fast 800 again. I have until April 9th to shift these last few pounds, to get me down to 8st 10lb, so please wish me luck.

Would love to hear from anyone who is also tackling their last push to achieving their final goal weight. If that’s you, please post so we can support each other to the finish line.

Hi I’m new to this site and after visiting my doctor today she advised me to start with this diet plan. Any help or advise would be greatly received. I have ordered the books from Amazon today, so I have some reading to keep me going for the next couple of days. I have looked at a few of the recipes on here and have zoomed off to Aldi to get the ingredients I need for the next couple of nights meals. Wish me luck !!

Hi everyone, I have started today too and aiming to loose 12kg in the 8 weeks. Going through the menopause so I put on lots of weight very quickly and now much harder to loose 🙁 and much hungrier than before. So I am really going to give this a good go!! I think water is key so will be drinking lots. Good luck everyone.

the diet is in the Sunday Express yesterday, mainly talking about Fixing Dad but with mention of Prof Taylor and a short piece by DrM. The word is spreading.

HI Everyone

I’ve started the 800 calorie diet today but have been following the principles of the diet WITHOUTcalorie counting since last Wednesday and as of yesterday had lost 8lbs! I was so happy as I have a lot of weight to lose and am a type 2 diabetic with high blood sugar readings, not only have I lost 8lbs but my blood sugars have dropped drastically, still not low enough but almost there.

I feel better already and when I am hungry its controllable, I used to binge eat carbs like you wouldn’t believe!!!

I still have one question, I read the book from cover to cover and cant remember seeing advice about how many carbs you can have a day. My meal plan for today says I will consume 76g, is that high? I did have an apple and pear at lunchtime as I was not very organised and when I looked up the calories it wasn’t enough, I’m in work so have to go for what was to hand.

Could you guys tell me how many carbs you aim to eat in a day.

Thanks
Mat

Hi Striving Mum – think Snoop is right here. Not all calories are equal and it is important that those the children are consuming are good quality, giving good vitamin and mineral content too. Try to wean the children off the sugary carbs and ‘junk food’, but still allow sensible portions of complex carbs – for instance green vegetables, whole grains and foods made from them, such as oatmeal, pasta, and whole-grain breads, potatoes, corn, and pumpkin, beans, lentils, and peas. It’s a good time for them to learn about sensible healthy eating, so well done on helping them to make a start.

Maharani kitten – in August I was 10 stone 7lbs and absolutely not confident that I would lose another stone so bought some lovely jeans and tops that fitted perfectly. The tops are now all at the charity shop – they were very pleased with the unworn clothes. Luckily a dressmaker was able to take the jeans in.

I never ever thought I would go down to 9 stone 6lbs – which is why I didn’t buy smaller sizes -but the BSD is not like any other way of eating as it really does work. So – I really wish I had bought the smaller size in the first place.

Thank you everyone for the posting so quickly. I feel that I am not alone and am happy to be part of a team all on the same journey. I am certain that we can all do this!

dusdavi

well done!

zucchini bread – much nicer to make and eat and lasts weeks. NO yeast etc so does not suffer from mould.

Corgette spagetti from tesco 3 for £3 lovely!

Hi everyone, yes I let myself down again over the weekend. I must learn to control myself. First I had a bad disagreement with my best friend which sent me to the wine, just a couple or 3 glasses. Then on Sunday I said what the hell and poured myself a vodka and tonic. Hubby was having red wine with our steaks so I had a couple of those too. That is really my only downfall, I do like a glass or two of wine.

Anyway it is in the past now and I have still lost weight though not as much as I could have. My weigh in is tomorrow so I am being super good today. My BG is back down to 4.3 and I will be dropping the insulin back down to the pre Christmas level of 22 units – I put it up to 24 just to counter the odd naughtiness.

Verano, I think we are very much on the same track. I too am doing the Science of Nutrition and I am learning Spanish in time for a trip to Alicante at Easter. I only want to be able to be polite and ask for a table in a restaurant so I am doing Duolingo. I still use this for a daily French lesson which takes around 10 mins but just acts as a reminder of things like spelling or where the accents go or is it masculine or feminine, then of course I do the advanced French class every Tuesday at a local college. I am retired and in winter there is very little to do here in rural France and it is too cold to be gardening and the ground is solid, so I spend my mornings shopping and exercising and my afternoons at college or at the computer learning something new.

Have a good day everyone and keep on keeping on…

Wow thats amazing cowpat well done! Welcome madmare and gd luck on your journey, i’m old school too so can associate with your blog😂

Hello! I’m starting today too, aiming to lose 13kg in 9 weeks or less. Should be totally possible, I’d love to do it before the 9 weeks are up! I’m working at home today which makes things harder I think (for me at least) – I have had a few little mouthfuls of nuts to keep me going!!! Need to stop snacking and just eat at meals or when I am actually really hungry. I’m determined to do this and to be healthier forever. Go team!!

Happy Birthday Maharani kitten. Hope you have a lovely day

Hi JulesMaigret

My GP – who I’ve never seen – put it on my records that I was being over treated. Great – but I wasn’t on any medication!