Has anyone watched Sugar Free Farm? I found the immediate reactions to lack of sugar quite unbelievable. They even carted one of them off to hospital. The only thing there I would find difficult is no tea or coffee, the rest of the food looked wonderful. Oh, and that dreadful looking green goop of course!

PS. She also told me, when I broached the subject of low carb eating, that I was wrong and too ignorant to be capable of forming an opinion because I lacked her knowledge. In effect, be quiet and do as I say. Consequently my opinion of people like this is not high

Hi Anniflower. When I saw an NHS diabetic nurse, her advice was to eat loads of carbs. She said they were necessary fo energy, and if my blood sugar rose I should increase my insulin. This is the party line in the NHS and is toed grimly by GP surgery nurses who cannot be accused of keeping up with the latest research. So you should be very wary of advice they offer. Don’t forget that there is a reason GPs refer their patients to specialists/experts and your average local surgery nurse is not exactly overqualified.

Unfortunately effective treatment of this disease is still a matter for debate but one thing is for sure – the more carbs you eat, the more insulin you will need and the more insulin you take, the fatter you get.

However, your nurse might be the exception who proves the rule, so good luck

Hi shopgirl0423

Just wanted to say well done with your first weigh in. I too have just completed mine and lost 6.6lbs in my first week. Which really does feel great. I need to lose a similar amount of weight to you so wanted to wish you well. I have never been part of one of these forum approaches but reading similar stories and peoples ideas is really motivational and I am sure willhelp spur me on to stay with it and finally get to where I want to be. I have never done the BSD before but it really suits me so far, with the exception of I am not sleeping well.

Is there anyone out there that can suggest a herbal type of remedy that would help sleep?

That is an excellent result Captainlynne! Hopefully you won’t have to deal with that nurse again for a while, and the rest of the bad week is also behind you.

Lynne
what a wonderful Hb1ac. It is truly normal – but probably lower than the majority of ‘normal’ people who don’t have diabetes if they ever were tested.

It is rather sad that the doctors and nurses in your surgery are not beating a path to your door to find out exactly how you have done this.

I am doing the same on maintenance – eating more nuts and dairy and am hoping for the same impressive results.

Topcac – wow, you have been active this morning. I usually go for an after breakfast walk in the morning but have postponed it because it was treacherous underfoot with all the ice and now we have a snowstorm. So am catching up with the admin this morning and will do all my exercise this afternoon once the snow clears.

Daisiesmum
How wonderful you are so close to your goal. It is great that you are working out your maintenance programme. I used to have 2 modes that I operated in. Either dieting or normal eating. Obviously my normal eating wasn’t by any means normal eating – it was in fact overeating,. I have been on maintenance for a month and have still lost a pound. I don’t mind that because it has given me some wriggle room. I would be happy to drop another pound but don’t want to go any lower.

You can really go off people eh Natalie?

Well done to those getting active this morning! I am home with my little one doing some work whilst she entertains herself with her collection of toys. Not inspired to step outside, I am not a snow fan at all! and being relatively high up, every time there is snow forecast we get dumped on.
I am stuck at 9st 12 3/4 I am going to call it my Harry Potter weight! I only have myself to blame. Am going to aim for a longer fast today with perhaps an early light dinner. Plenty of fruit tea to keep me warm. Hoping it will help me get serious and kick start this last 1/2 stone.

Have a good day everyone and keep warm, to those enjoying UK wintry weather.
Hazel

Morning all – well had another go at rowing this morning – only 7 minutes this time, teamed with a 20 minute run and 15 minute swim. Shoulders are a bit sore but I’m hoping that the 10 mins in the sauna helped! I do like rowing SunnyB and apparently it’s fantastically good for you so keep up the good work 🙂

Haven’t weighed in since Monday (TOTM) and I usually would on a Thursday but I am out tomorrow night so I have to weigh in tomorrow morning to keep me on the straight and narrow. It’ll be the longest I’ve gone without weighing on this plan – scary!!

Have a good day – and stay safe and warm in the weather (Northern Hemisphere only I suspect) 🙂

Morning all – just got to work after the gym – check me out (and thank goodness for flexitime)!

It just so happens that the glass door in the sauna (well it would be rude not to) means you can actually look outside through the main window (only one way I hasten to add!) so I was sitting in the sauna watching the snow – I felt quite Swedish….

Run, row and swim this morning before work – just off to shine my halo…..I have my positive pants on today – hope you all do too!! Have a good one and stay safe xxx

Lovely to hear from you Miss Ziggy & well done with continuing well. I was also wondering where everyone was!
I seem to be stuck at the same weight despite eating carefully & wonder if I am under estimating what I am eating. We had the first snow last night here in Sussex & I am supposed to be going by bus to my history class but feeling rather dubious seeing the ice about walking on the pavement in my village to get to the bus stop. I know it’s exercise & that’s what I normally do enjoying the walk from the bus station in town that takes ten to fifteen minutes but neither do I fancy falling over! Oh well grocery shopping after history with my son & granddaughter coming on Sunday. We are enjoying Thai style food at the moment so it will be fish curry with courgetti for me & egg noodles for them & chicken satay to start with a pud of fresh fruit.
My weigh in is on Sunday morning & I am not hopeful of having lost any weight despite trying to 😿
Margaret xx

I had a cup of tea with the mother of one of my daughter’s friends today. She had two sugars in her tea, confessed to a sweet tooth and love of desserts, and her husband works for coca-cola. Yet she is very slim! She complained of not exercising enough since Christmas as she patted her tiny flat stomach. Maybe she was packing on the milligrams.

Hi

Good to hear of successes here; hoping I’ll be one soon!

I am T 2 on basal insulin, and already eat low-ish carb (but Christmas was a bit of a blip!) I have an appt with the diabetic nurse to discuss the diet next Thursday, but I’d love to start this weekend. (Shopping list in preparation!)

Advice please. Start now or wait until nurse’s advice? Don’t want to risk a hypo

Greetings all!

Have just received the book – plan to read it this weekend – & joined the forum but I’ve got 1 question that I’d appreciate some guidance on.

Is the forum solely for those who want to control their blood sugar AND lose weight or are there any here, like me, who want to control their blood sugar but maintain their weight? (I’m tall, slim, very fit but rather surprised – shocked – to be told I have T2 diabetes)

Thanks, in advance, for any words of wisdom

David

I started on Monday 9th and have come to the conclusion that I really don’t like fish!

Anyhoo …. weighed myself this morning and after 4 days I have a weight loss of 4lb … in 4 days! Isn’t it wonderful to get up every morning and look forward to getting on the scales! I know that they say not to weigh yourself every day but I’m finding it so motivational – together with reading all of your posts.

Off to get the tape measure out ……

I hope you all have a wonderful and nutrient filled day!

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/starchy-foods.aspx

The world has not moved on….This is on the NHS healthy living webpage and a direct link from their weight loss pages (which tell you to increase your starchy food intake to lose weight) – astonishing really.

No wonder people are messed up with so much directly contradictory advice floating around…

Hi everyone🙂For some reason I am not getting notifications of these post via email at the moment even though I am subscribed to them. I thought you had all gone into hibernation!!😮Anyway it’s nice to catch up with you all and your progress. I am still doing okay and by my clothes I am doing good. I can still pull my old jeans off without undoing the zip and button. 👍🏻👍🏻 Yesterday I went met a friend for lunch and we went to GBK. I chose the “go naked” burger which arrives without a bun but with a side salad and coleslaw. Washed down with a glass of wine. I really enjoyed it. Last night we ate oven baked salmon with a salad. I found a recipe online for sweet pepper quiche which is basically quiche egg mixture poured into half peppers and baked. I will we doing bacon cheese and onion mix in mine for lunch. A few weeks ago I bought size ten jeans and was so happy to be able to do them up and can still do them up. Last week I sent off for tankini two piece swimsuit size 12 and it’s way too tight😭Oredered another and it’s too tight. I was so dissapointed then my friend pointed out that i ordered them on Amazon and that were posted from China and in her experience clothing coming from china is always tiny! That cheered me up a bit.👍🏻
Hope you are all doing well….
MIss ZIggy

Granny happy to report another loss of 1kg, that makes a total of 3.5 since 2 Jan, VERY happy with that!! Another 10 or 11 to go but know i will do it this time😀, great support and motivation on this forum! Not happy about cals/carbs being wrong in the BSD book but learnt my lesson and will check and log as you suggest China2013. Great start Cher and welcome Britt and your mum, good luck on your journeys. Good choices today everyone👏.

Ha ha! I spoke too soon about the snow!

Well done Daisiesmum that’s so exciting! You should be very proud of yourself. Especially since you seem to have changed the way you think about food and the triggers for eating the wrong stuff. Enjoy the maintenance phase!
Frog, I was down at my daughter’s in Cardiff when the Tom Kettridge book arrived yesterday so we flicked through it over lunch. I must say it does have quite a few recipes that we will have a try of and has the carbs worked out for each. It makes a nice change to see a recipe book and think ‘I can cook most of the meals in here’ rather than have to avoid 90% like most books. I think she got it on Amazon for £12.50 (ish).
We have approximately 0.25cm snow. Obviously I would take to my bed, but I have 1 tonne of logs arriving at 09:00 that require shifting and stacking. Extra cheese for my lunch, I feel!
Enjoy the day, fellow BSD’ers.

Greetings to everyone. Like FROG I hope you aren’t suffering consequences of wild weather! Where I live seems to be the only part of the UK not to be expecting snow 🙁 .

I am inching ever closer to my ultimate goal – ONLY .8lb to go!!! Only 4 days to my target date!!! I’m working out my maintenance program carefully because I’m so NOT hungry on averaging 800cals that I need to make sure I eat enough.

Tea tasting sounds nice FROG. I have gone off the taste of milk in my drinks since BSD. I used to go through 3-4pts in a week, now I buy in 1pt and it sits there going off! I use fruit teas to flavour my 2-3lts water (just put teabag in the jug of cold water for half an hour or so). I might try some more delicate blends that don’t require milk as my taste buds have changed so much.

Happy BSD Friday everyone, stay safe. Keep warm or cool, depending on which weather phenomenon you are facing in your neck of the woods.

hi Everyone
Newbie here started No Sugar diet on Monday feel fantastic, no sore feet from insulin, no moodiness, no sadness, can actually see the light through the tunnel. I hadnt realised how sugar is so addictive and challenging to humankind. I am loving feeling like my self again however with Energy, Motivation, Determination to kick sugar forever. Thank you for the Blood Sugar Diet read the book and brought another and I have reduced my blood sugar levels from 15+mmols to 8mmols just in five days and lost 1.1kg ooh happy days………………..

Hi Jacks, I use Easy Diet Diary and find it quite intuitive although it is an Australian app so may not be as useful for everyone. I have also found quite a big discrepancy in the calories so I have entered them in my EDD recipe section so I don’t have to re-enter every ingredient every time I use that recipe. I’m sure MFP would do the same. It still takes time to plan meals, write up a shopping list and log everything but for now I need it as I’ve only just finished week 1.
So one week down, 5.9kg (13lb) lost, although when I measured my waist, it was 2cm bigger 😩 I must have made a mistake when I measured my waist last week because that can’t be right! Had another migraine today, that’s 3 this week which is really draining along with headaches every day although they have subsided in intensity substantially over the week. I am hoping the migraines and headaches will be gone for good in week 2.
Britt71638816, welcome and good luck to you and your mum. I don’t have diabetes but was heading in that direction so either way, the program is worth it to at least keep blood sugars under control and lose all that dangerous visceral fat.
Week 2 starts today and its time for a chicken salad for lunch, yum.

Beatthebelly
I think most people lose around 10% in the first 8 weeks. I lost a bit more, but I was pretty hard line and didn’t cheat, walked everyday, drank heaps of water and got as much sleep as I could.
Depending on how much you have to lose will also impact on how fast you lose it.
Good luck
Linda

Lynne, as a vicarious user of the forums for some time, I just wanted to tell you what a huge inspiration you have been to me. Not sure if horrid nurse is a bad nurse or just not a very nice person in general and sadly there are people like this in every profession. Take heart, you have been such a positive influence to so many of us and I am ready and willing to join the team to virtually harangue the nasty peep who upset you!

Keep us posted Bambalone!! 😀

Hi,
I thought I’d share the results of my first week on the diet. Down 3.4 kilos or 7.5 pounds in 6 days. Feeling pretty chuffed that it is working so well. Got another 13 kilos to go and feeling strangely confident. 😊
Have a great day everyone!

Ps — move husband to BSD — much better for his health and brAin and you can cook just one meal!

Do not move off the 800 DaiseyMay!! It is going to get easier and easier as you move forward. It’s like learning a new language — you mispronounce words and use the wrong tense, then suddenly your brain “gets it” and it’s all much easier. You don’t have to be exactly 800 every day — I think most days I messed up and ate closer to 950 but it totally worked. So you don’t have to be perfect to do it right! Aim for 800 but be glad you are anywhere in general vicinity on those bad days! It’s a goal, not a grade!!

Hi I would like to start in January too. I am currently waiting to hear back from my mom since she is waiting to find out if she is diabetic as well. But am looking forward to starting soon too

Still hanging on in there. 6th day successfully completed.
Not finding it easy though. Craving forbidden foods.

Any experienced BSDers that can advise when it is likely these cravings may subside?
This has to be a new way of life for me but it is a struggle at times. I am a positive person but wobbling a bit.

Thx

Hi
hope everyone is well – and not flooded/snowed in
bit of sleety stuff here, it rained earlier and it’s cold, but nothing dramatic

I got the new Tom Kerridge low carb book today – I had a flick through in Waterstones and it has a scattering of non-recipe recipes (ie steak and salad – duur!) but some interesting stuff.
If you go into Waterstones, the book is the full price of £20 – but only £13 on their website. They match the price if you ask – well Islington store did, but I’m sure it’s an organisation-wide policy.

AND – the tea tasting evening tonight! It was really good, I thoroughly enjoyed it – lots of different types of tea and information – and an earl grey gin and tonic and a matcha green tea champagne cocktail. They are planning to run them monthly, so look at Yumchaa’s website if you’re in London.

Day 4 was a killer for me too! I have had carb flu but it’s settling down a bit now but really struggling 11 days in! 6lbs off in the first week now nothing and have had more calories than I am supposed too, not masses but a 100-200 so fell down about it. I might switch to the low carb Mediterranean diet with 2 days at 800 as fed up feeling like this. I am fasting every day until 1-2pm and am having a dry Jan so it’s all going on except in the number 2 dept where nothing is going on !!! I think those of you sticking to your 800 for the 8 weeks plus are amazing, will try again tomorrow, it’s another day ! Guess it doesn’t help my husband is on the diet doctor and I am cooking his amazing food and trying to adapt to lower fat and therefore calories for me. On the plus side I thought I would get my blood sugar tested on a American unit and it came out at 81 which on the internet says no problems with diebetics, just the stone and a half then !! Saw Tom Kerrage on TV today 11stone off on low carb so it works and yes his book looks great. Onwards and downwards. Best if luck to all

So
What happens if you , say, have a bag of chocolate, you know the family bags for a pound of revels or cadburys button or minstrels. And you eat the bag.
The day just goes weird after that. Then you step in the scales and gain one and a half pounds.

Now , let’s just take a step back and loom at the situation.
We have been doing this for nearly two weeks.
We have had a wobble or stumble.
Should we give up and go down hill.
Or should we acknowledge the wobble and get back into the programme?
I know what I always used to do, I would say I have fallen off the wagon.
But actually, I have just caught my toe and stumbled.
I don’t have to pick my self up off the floor.
Now I just have to steady my wobble and watch out carefully for the next few days that I didn’t catch my toe again.

It is SO EASY to give up.

But if you can just catch yourself, and carry on the plan, it would get you to your goals of being of the medication and into size 12 or just less blubber.

You tell me one person who hasn’t had a wobble and I will show you a gazillion who have.

Keep going, keep enjoying .

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Well done! I have exactly the same starting weight and losses as you! How much do you think you will lose in the 8wwks?

I started on Jan 2nd and have lost 10lbs so far. Really pleased with this,.
I’m eating between 800 to 1000 cals per day and going to the gym 4-5 times a week which I assume is helping on those days when I eat over 800.
I need to lose another 3.5 stones to be within a healthy BMI – any idea on how much I will lose in the 8 week period? Thanks

Thanks Mixnmatch, I’m sure you’re right re carbs and water retention.

Had a better day today and my resolve has strengthened :o)

Jacks

It could quite easily be the Christmas cake, although it won’t be added fat. Carbs seem to need extra water so eating very carb rich items like that can cause water retention almost instantly, but the water will drop away again as the diet continues. I can’t help on either MFP or the book recipes as I don’t use either 😊

I’ve just got the Tom Kerridge low-carb cookery book and he has an interesting recipe for chocolate chia pudding.

I think you’ve made the acquaintance of your carb monster. It is insistent that it needs feeding now, but can be ignored as it is not hunger, just cravings. The good news is, after a week or so it hides in a corner and sulks until you eat something it likes, at which point it starts shouting at you again. Don’t give in to the carb monster, it only encourages it.

You could try cocoa nibs to calm the chocolate cravings, or stir a spoon of cocoa into Greek style yoghurt, that worked for me. Bread is more difficult as practically nothing has the same texture, but maybe try half a slice of rye bread toast. It won’t be as destructive as white bread, but you don’t want to do it too often.

I don’t regard any of my breaks from weightloss in this last period as a setback, instead they were an integral part of my learning curve. Previous occasions where I lost 3-4 stone on restrictive diets and then put it all back on again, they were setbacks because I didn’t learn and stopped trying. This time it really is different. I love the food, the carb monster has joined the inner chimp firmly locked in their cages, and I know this is it. When I reach my goal, I will maintain my weight, increase/maintain my fitness and keep on keeping on, even with more regular treats, and if the weight starts to go on I will fast again, because I know now how easy it is. I know it seems odd to say it but this is the easiest diet I have ever tried. It just suits me and felt right as soon as I started. (I was one of the lucky ones who avoided carb flu). If you have one day when you simply must break the diet, do it but remember that nothing is broken. The diet can still be a success, and it takes over 3500 calories over and above your daily expenditure to put on a pound in fat. I don’t think many people could do that in one day after they have been fasting for a while, so dust yourself off, get back on the wagon and call that week a 6:1 with 6 good days and only one bad day.

Janet, what fun buying new, smaller size clothes. It must be such a satisfying feeling. I’m still wearing some smaller stuff from last time I passed by this size but I’m really looking forward to hitting the shops preferably in the UK as shops here tend to cater for tiny french ladies. It’ll be a long time till I get there.

I’m nearly through week 2 having lost 7lbs in week 1. I weighed myself yesterday and have put on 2lbs despite following the recipes religiously … albeit with a very small piece of leftover Christmas cake, which was a mistake but wouldn’t have added 2lbs. I’ll see what happens on Saturday morning for my weekly weigh.

So I started calculating the calorie values to find what others have commented on, that those given in the recipe book are often significantly lower than reality. Finding MFP really annoying to use so resorted to looking at the values on each packet, bag etc and weighing each ingredient which is very time consuming.

Not sure how to feel about this. I do believe BSD has a huge amount of benefits but I want something that I trust and run with confidently. That said, even if calorie values are higher I’m probably not more than 900-1000 cals/day which is still an improvement.

Have others upgraded on MFP or using the regular counter?

Jacks

Brilliant news, Lynne. I’d go for that final review in the summer if it were me – with a view to educating them! Brilliant use of resources – she might just have realised by then that BSD works, and is sustainable!
Julia

Libbyohno; what a shame about the nuts…best to stick with walnuts..

Janet..so sorry for going on about my walks…so frustrating for you especially as you used to be a hiker. Good luck with the knee. I hope the weight loss will help but will that solve the problem?
I am a British expat, live in the South of France, been here for 31 years. The climate is very similar to that of San Francisco, I believe, long periods of drought followed by a lot of rain. At the moment we’re feeling the tail end of the cold air that’s over the UK. It’s cold at night but was around 13 degrees this afternoon so not so bad. I’ve never been to the USA but my brother lives in Palo Alto. We are 4 siblings and between us we live in 4 different countries and on 3 continents. My poor mother really suffered.

Peak today….I managed to go about 17 hours without food..from 8pm last night to 1pm today and if I hadn’t had to cook for others I might have even skipped lunch. Result!

The pit today was that all afternoon I’ve thought it’s Friday…..such a disappointment!

Hope your rain stops and you have a great end of week..Angela

Lara. I am totally with you on the benefits of fasting. I also have the book by Dr Jason Fung and it is full of good information. I am surrounded by food when I am at work. I have accommodation here as I work week on week off. I cook every second week so it is very difficult to avoid food. I am working towards doing a 2 day fast. Probably easier when I’m at home. I have been inspired by your experience to give it a go. Thanks for sharing.

Its on page 61 Bsd recipe book Cyster. Thanks for help everyone, feel annoyed if ive enjoyed a lovely meal but the cals/carbs are wrong!

I’ve read elsewhere that it’s best to check the calories and carbs, that they are often adrift..

Hi Californiagirl and Mixnmatch,
What amazing helpful, kind, supportive people live in this zone out there on the internet. I am bowled over by your responses and kindness, thank you so much.

Caliorniagirl thank you for your welcome. You are so supportive, your positivity and confidence immediately give me strength. I think you – and Mixnmatch – are probably dead right about avoiding the scale. Your emotions go up and down with those numbers daily it becomes a rollercoaster. I started weighing again because giving up the scale is what lead me to put all my weight back on – so I felt I should keep a close eye on it. But I guess if I am doing the BSD there is little risk of my weight going up! So, I will get back to the tape measure / tight trousers! The thing that really helps is when you said “It is not the single day that counts, it is the day-to-day keeping on that works”. That is what i need to focus on, the keeping on. And stopping the critical mind. As you say, we are too quick to evaluate everything – I need to trust in it and go with it. So thanks for that I really needed to hear it.

Mixnmatch thank you so much for that incredibly useful and well informed info. I am not constipated and I am drinking lots but maybe I should try the 4 L for a bit and see what happens – worth a go and I love drinking water (?pre-diabetic?). My carbs are super low (below/around 20) and I am eating fat – wouldn’t cope without. Only problem with fat is that it reduces your quantities as it is so dense in calories, so I find it is a balancing act. I have done low carb before but never on so few calories – that’s what I am hoping will swing it this time, as the diet that actually works! I will definitely do as you suggest and give it 2 weeks without the scale and just get on with it. Thank you again very much indeed for the support and guidance.

It is so good to know there are people out there that can and will help, it’s amazing and very touching. This is the first time I have ever used a forum for a diet. I think it could make a huge difference for me, rather than going it alone. It’s great. I have long bored family and friends about my dieting – they are well and truly done with that conversation!