Hi sunshine-girl

When I was writing my post this morning I was thinking about you as well. I know we are both struggling a little at the moment but just look at your BG, which is what it’s all about really. You have done amazingly well in that area …. and surely that should be the main focus!

Like you I have made a plan for today. Back to Fatsecret for logging, breakfast was total, strawberries and 10g of walnuts. Lunch will be salmon with salad and as we speak I have a huge pan of tomato sauce bubbling away to have with my courgetti tonight. I even feel excited to be back on track.

Now I’m going to sit down and read through the recipe book for inspiration. Think I’ve just got into a rut with my food and it has all become a big boring…. but Desormais … I’ll be the new Nigella!!

Have a good day.

Hi All, Not having much time to spend during the day collecting fresh ingredients, I was wondering if anyone had used frozen foods instead and does it make any difference. I purchased a bag of Mediterranean vegetables and had a small piece of cod with 200g of the frozen veggies (With extra garlic). Although it was enjoyable, I was informed frozen was not a good option. Also half of the things I have to eat I do not like too much, so may stick with what I like. Has anyone stayed on the same diet. Lost nearly 5lbs in just two weeks, just want to make sure I am getting my nutritional amount from the food I eat rather then supplements.

Aw, sunshinegirl, don’t lose heart – I was alarmed by how much time it took me to get back in the groove after Christmas with my weight continuing to go in the wrong direction. I DEFINITELY benefited from having a shorter term goal. Putting myself under pressure for yesterday’s Dr apt worked wonders and paid dividends! You can do it!

Thats very useful Daisiemum. Congrats on reaching your goal.
I will get together a menu for the week today. I can cook and i like it but if there is to be variety i figured there could be waste. I usually have eggs for brekkie every day so i might just stick to that. For starters. I could freeze soups and good point about the tins. Thanks

Hi Sgw

Thank you very much for your reply. Please let me know how you get on. I have tried all the other suggestions but without success. My next plan was to reduce the yeast but maybe I’ll try reducing the water instead.

Hi everyone, all the best for your appointment Cleverblonde. Don’t forget to let us know the results, i’m sure you wont.

I have had my worst result since starting the plan. I have in the past gained a pound or stuck but even during holiday I have never gone over the pound, then Christmas and New Year I put on 4.5 lb quite acceptable considering I can usually gain half a stone. When I came back I set about losing the 4.5 and lost 4 lbs in one week. Yeeee. And now I have put 2.5 lbs of that back on this week. So my weight loss for 2 weeks is one pound. It is still a loss. But now for the future.

Something is going wrong so let’s take a look. 4 lbs in one week was probably quite a bit of fluid, then alcohol, maybe half a bottle of wine on Saturday and a vodka and tonic is maybe 600 extra calories, say the same for Sunday – that means I have been having 1400 daily over the weekend. There is the answer but I can also say I have restarted an afternoon snack (only needed it if I was swimming) that’s about 100 calories and my evening snack which is planned has probably not been measured so instead of weighing out 2 oz of chicken I have just grabbed a leg or a thigh or a handful of breast (ohhh missus). There you go, on really bad days probably having 1400 cals and on good days around 1000. Problem solved.

There is a lovely French terms, a word I love – Desormais (also a song) which means ‘from now on’ and that is going to be my watch word. Today I have had scrambled egg breakfast, ploughman’s for lunch and having pork in mustard sauce for dinner. I have swum for half an hour, so I am getting back into the routine. I think many of us are finding it hard to make the transition back to everyday life after the excesses of the holidays.

Motivation. I have just looked at the calendar it is exactly 8 weeks to my next HbA1c – I can do this. I want to lose 7lbs too. I was planning too far ahead to my next holiday with 3 months to get to a goal, it is too long, needs be closer and serious.

Lets keep on keeping on….

Still here and end of week 2. Another 2 lbs lost so that is 6 lbs in 2 weeks. Good I reckon as had already been doing 5:2 Fast Diet. Some great losses going on so congratulations to all.

Don’t be too hard on yourselves! You lost the weight once, which shows the plan works for you, and you have the willpower. Maintenance is always the problem, on any plan! As a low carber for more than seven years, it’s definitely the way to regulate weight gain – so many nice things you CAN eat so eating that way soon becomes a way of life ‘cos you’re not feeling deprived. T2d diagnosis and meds put 3 stones on me in 6 months, but doing this since October, blood sugar is normal and I’m 38lbs down. Good luck this time!

As a not-at-all natural exerciser, I learned very early on in my journey that if I don’t like it, I won’t do it, and if it’s not easily accessible I won’t do it even if I like it,. I hired a rowing machine for £30 a month (which was about what I spent on a posh gym membership 3 miles away that I never used) installed it in the spare room and now do 20 mins on a high intensity programme, morning and night,, while watching Breaking Bad, and in the summer, I ride my bike on a traffic free 3 mile circuit 100 yards from my house.. On Sundays I swim after church – a six mile drive I don’t have time or inclination for in winter. A diet buddy friend took up an adult ballet class at 18 stones and she loves it, so she goes twice a week. She’s now 12 stone 10. Just say in’. What do you love? Salsa? Do that! MKx

Thanks Toby101 – I love this idea and am going to try that tomorrow 🙂

Hi KatiePlod. I had exactly the same problem with this recipe – good rise then total collapse.
I suspect that the reason is because the amount of water in the recipe seems very high. Looking at other bread machine recipes, the % hydration (100 x water/total flour) is typically 72%. The recipe in ‘the 8-week blood sugar diet recipe book’ has a hydration of 82.7%, which seems unusually high. (100 x 430 ml water / 520 g flour = 82.7%)
I have experimented with a hand-mixed dough at 55% hydration and this worked well. In bread-making terms this was a huge change in hydration – going to the other extreme – but was inspired by another spelt bread recipe and the fact that I was mixing by hand, which can be easier with a lower hydration.
I plan to try the recipe in the bread machine again, at 72%. The only change to recipe will be to use 375 ml of water rather than 430 ml. Directionally this should be better, and should not be so dry as to overload the motor in the bread machine. I will report back.

Wow – that is totally inspirational – well done Wpepsi – Size 8!!! Don’t turn sideways or you’ll disappear 🙂

Thank you for posting that, it has made my day – when I saw this thread and that you started it in June I thought – oh no – what happened – but wow….just WOW. You reached for the stars and got the moon as well, chuffed to bits for you. And now you’re evangelising about it too – saving lives no doubt – simply wonderful 😀

Oh, and I hate exercise too! There MUST be a way of getting to love it :-)!

Good morning all. I think a daily weigh in can become a bit addictive and I am going to try to not let it become a habit – easier said than done. I am on day 3 and after an initial loss yesterday morning , no loss this morning, 🙁 which was a tad discouraging as I have been really, really good with food and tried to up my “steps” a bit too – I achieved 7,845 yesterday, and 5,813 so far today (11am).

However, my new all singing and dancing scales said that, since Monday, I have lost 4lbs, my BMI is down to 28.8 (from 29.4) and my fat percentage has dropped by 0.2%, so something is happening 🙂

I am feeling a bit weak today, on our morning walk, I got wobbly legs going up hills I normally stride up. But I am sure that will pass. Other than that, I’m feeling fine.

Julygirl, welcome and well done on your results so far. it will be very interesting to hear if your eyes have actually improved – good luck and don’t forget to let us know.

Welcome Chrisula83 – think we may be kindred spirits. I’m not diabetic either, would like to lose a similar amount to yourself (approx. 12kg and more if possible) and my weaknesses are wine and bread (and cheese of course, but I can have a little of that, but not the same without the wine and good bread 🙁 )

Hello……………………….. Sorry, realise this is getting boring, but this is the link to the spiralizer I have (on Amazon) in case you need to see what I’m rambling on about.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lurch-Spiralo-Vegetable-Spiralizer-Green/dp/B002USUAH8/ref=sr_1_77?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1484737946&sr=1-77&keywords=spiralizer+machine

Hi Laska!
You could almost be writing my story, it’s so similar to mine! I really do understand the way you’re feeling right now. What stood out for me in your post was how very hard you’re being on yourself- I do think that what might really help is to be kinder to yourself, and get that this is NOT your fault, it is not a matter of will power, it’s this sugar/carb addiction which so many posters on this site have discussed, and that although handling the addiction is hard, it CAN be done- I know, I’ve done it three times before- Atkins, Dukan and then the first BSD- (A variety of other forays too, over the years- lo cal, Cambridge, WW, SW, etc etc!).

I want to get down to 9st or thereabouts- another 35lb to go. I’ve just started my second round of BSD; like you, I lost 20 lb last year, and have gradually put it back on by returning to the carbs- I do love them, and after all, one piece of toast (or two) can’t hurt can it? 🙂

I’m two weeks in now, and have lost 9.5 lb in 16 days, and I feel great; a couple of days of carb flu and then the lifting of the brain fog, returning energy- BUT this time I really have taken on board that I need to deal with sugar and carbs the same way I dealt with the nicotine addiction 34 years ago- that I AM addicted to them and that I CANNOT return to using them when I get to goal weight. One cigarette or one piece of cake will not kill me, but returning to the old ways will, in time. So maintenance really will be the key, and I realise that I have never actually recognised this before. This time, I’m not being so rigid with the calorie count, but focusing more on the carbs, aiming to keep below 50, which means staying largely off beans and pulses and checking the carb content of fruit BEFORE I eat it, not afterwards! This WOE is so flexible, as we can see from all the forum posts, finding what suits YOU best, if it’s working, is the way to go.

It is hard to get back on the BSD programme, but once you do , it is not difficult to follow, and I know you know that because I’ve checked out your brilliant posts from last year! Go back and have look at them.

What really did help me to understand the addiction angle were the books by David Gillespie, mentioned elsewhere on the forum; Sweet Poison, and Big Fat Lies.
Keep at it!
Mary

Me again

Spiralizers

Do be careful of the blades – I have lacerated my finger once – once was enough! (I hope). Now treat it with a lot of respect.

Good morning everyone,

CysterBSD800 and Ebs – Spiraliers…. I love mine and use is several times a week. Mine is not a sideways one though, They use one of those a lot on TV programme Sugar Free Farm and I notice it leaves the central core so you don’t get much from a carrot for example apart from a few shavings and the central core. Mine has the handle on top so that the spirals come out of the bottom and you change the grating part (choice of three). Sorry I can’t tell you the make as the name has worn off it, I got it from Amazon (tried going back through my history but it only goes back 6 months…) I decided that the pencil sharpener variety would be a bit difficult with harder veg and you can’t get a butternut squash in there!

A lot of folk say they find Courgette slimy etc. I toss it in a little melted butter for a couple of mins or less and it’s fine. Otherwise as another person mentioned, the heat of the sauce is probably enough. Or, if for instance making meatballs with tomato sauce, you can put the courgette in the sauce and heat it for a few mins.

Thank you to all who commented on the recipe book as I too have been considering it.

Fingers crossed for you Cleverblonde!

Hi Rhodie, I weigh in twice a week, Monday and Thursday. I think my weight would fluctuate a bit much to do it every day, but twice a week is far enough apart but close enough together to keep me motivated, if you see what I mean!

I did it when I hit 30kg and it is heavy.

Hi Julygirl, welcome 😊

Hi New Claire, well done on your wieightloss. It defies our logic to imagine we can lose so much weight so quickly, but it’s true. Whilst some of it at the beginning is water, it is amazing how fast the weight can come off through this way of eating. Changes in mood can also be pretty normal, but keep going as it does settle down! Lots of recipes in the books if you have them if you are short on ideas, but the recipe section on here is a good source of info as many have been posted on by forum members.

Faraday_au and Chrisula83 welcome, great you to have you along😊

Re spiralisers, I bought the OXO handheld spiraliser for courgetti (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ2ebcKl0fM). Then I thought I’d want to spiralise other veg and bought a more sophisticated (but not electric) spiraliser. In the end, I’ve still only done courgetti. And for that the OXO handheld is better: much finer results, so they cook better, and a lot less to wash up.

Hello All
I thought I would join in too.
I hope all are well.
I am on day 8 of the 8 week plan and am getting along ok. It has taken a bit of getting used (especially portion sizes) but am enjoying it so far. I invested in a new set of scales that does weight, fat percentage, water percentages and BMI. I have lost 6lbs so far in week 1 and my bloods seemed to have stabilized. My bloods before were around 10.2 first thing they are now between 5 and 5.8. Also I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but my eyesight seems to have improved. I am going to hospital for my diabetic eye check this Friday so will be interesting to see if they notice any changes.
Good luck all.

Cleverblonde – best of luck to you for this afternoon’s appointment – hope to be doing a happy dance for you later too!!! Let us know how you get on – we’re all rooting for you!! xxx

Welcome Chrisula83 and good luck! Rhodie well done on your 3 lb! I might try to get out of the habit of weighing every day, I think at the beginning it’s probably natural as everyone talks about losing weight quickly initially and it keeps you going. But after that I might try to leave it for a few days, easier said than done perhaps.

I always feel so positive reading through everyone’s achievements be they long term goals, or small step by step changes. I have felt my head hasn’t been in the right place since new year. I haven’t really gone hugely off plan just a little here and there but this last week the focus has returned and I now weigh in at 9stone 12lbs just 5lbs from final goal weight.

This afternoon is my visit to the nurse for my HBA1C results, when I came in at over 9 in October and the doctor wanted to add Gliclazide in addition to my metformin, I said NO and that was when I started my BSD journey. Feeling nervous and excited! but buoyed by everyone elses good news

Welcome NewClare and Faraday_au and SueBlue.

NewClare – what an exciting time for you and great motivation too.

We’ve all got different “numbers” to get to….. but for the time being I’m trying not to focus on the bigger picture (ie the 50lb loss) – just going to take each lb loss and celebrate that. Think I might treat myself to a little something (non food of course) for each 7lb (3kg). What is everyone’s thoughts about weighing every day. I have been weighing daily and it’s a 3lb loss to date – but just wondering if weekly weigh in’s are better?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading everyone’s posts and thought I’d join in – nothing like moral support to help encourage us all along! 🙂 I’m three days into the 8 week program and have to say I’m really happy with it. I tried awhile ago the 5 :2 diet with only 500 calories a day and while I found some benefits, really struggled. This is just feeling right!
While I don’t have diabetes, I do struggle with my consumption of wine and bread, something I see is quite common in this thread! So glad I’m not alone 🙂
I”m hoping to lose 15kg. Looking forward to being able to see how everyone goes and be able to get some moral support when needed.

Hi all, thank you everyone for your kind words and congratulations, I am definitely doing the happy dance!

VERANO yes it is easy to get singularly focused on weight loss when there’s so much more to living la vida healthy. The weight loss payoff gives us a real boost, but a gain or even static scales can send us down in the dumps if we’re not careful. For all my successes I still have a way to go in the area of fitness. I have lost my focus there completely and the occasional walk or HIIT is not where I want to be. So my goals for this next phase are to set a regular exercise routine and focus on fitness. I think it is especially important if I want to come off my bp meds altogether! I’m hoping that being able to eat a few more calories will give me more energy; that combined with my higher thyroxine dose!

I’m off to dig out my exercise gear… now, where DID I put those leg warmers…

Hi bal17,
there are a few ideas in this thread https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/needed-800-diet-ideas-to-help-vegetarians-and-vegans/
good luck.

Hi Jande9,
As Esnecca says, some veg is very high carb. If you are currently losing and comfortable with your progress then carry on, but if you find progress slowing or stopping, then definitely weigh everything for a few days and count the carbs – they are more important than the calories. The veg to watch out for are the root veg (unfortunately for the winter soups 🙁 ), but salads, green leafy veg etc are fine to just eat – watch out for tomatoes, they are higher than you think.

Hi Way of life,
It happens to us all and what is important is you realise and get back on the wagon – which you have done – well done!

So a quick update, I started on Monday and by Tuesday saw a loss of 4 lbs – I didn’t trust that I’d lost it so quickly so I’ve bought new scales! My weight tends to fluctuate by a few lbs at various times of the day so I have to weigh myself at the same time on this diet. From his morning I’ve lost 6 lbs. The new scales arrive today and I’ll be more confident on the figures with them, I’ll also check my waist measurement tonight and see if that tells the same story.

I found Day 1 very difficult, I was moody and felt a bit lost, didn’t see how I would keep going if it’s that bad. It didn’t help that I had the courgette carbonara which was tiny! Last night I had steak and made the red cabbage coleslaw and it was so good, feeling optimistic now.

Thanks Granny, Dreamscometrue and Angela have just put in an order for the recipe book, so looking forward to more variety in the diet.

Hi everyone

Daisiesmum that’s really great news. Amazing how we now see a ‘celebration’. Wonderful isn’t it !! Reading through your post made me realise that I’ve lost my focus.

When I started BSD 6 months ago, it was because I have diabetes and a friend of mine , who also has diabetes, had lost one toe in 2015 and was having a problem with a second one. So I started to research and found and read ‘ the book’ and decided that I needed to lose a minimum of 10% of my body weight in order to control my diabetes and with the eventual aim of coming off metformin.

Today, I seem to be more concerned about the weight itself than the reasons for losing it. In part, I think this is because my HbA1c was ‘normal’ at my last review in late October. Since then I’ve stuck to the principles of LCHF but have only lost a further 5lbs!!! I still have lots that I could lose but seem to be on the 1lb on/off merry-go-round.

I need to get back to weighing food, logging and planning but keeping my main goal in focus …. controlling, or even reversing, my diabetes.

Have a good day.

Wow shadynook – those are awesome results and I bet that half the population (without T2) don’t have BS results of 39 – that’s amazing – well done!! And the weight loss can’t be bad either – you should feel extremely proud of yourself.

And Daisiesmum – I feel a bit like I’ve been waiting for this appointment with you, following your journey to target, wanting to get there before yesterday – and you did!! And it paid off in spades – doing a happy dance with you 🙂

My 2lb gain over the weekend is stubbornly sticking around – it will not derail me, it will not derail me – don’t think about the two boxes of chocolate in the office cupboard….do NOT think about them….

Hi Lynne

I hadn’t realised, but as far as I can remember, that was the first time I’ve eaten any bread in over 6 months!!! Equally I’ve not had any rice, potatoes or pasta. So I suppose I am really sticking quite well to the ‘principles’. I have to be honest and say that I very rarely miss any of those carbs just very occasionally when my OH is eating something carby!!!

My main ‘downfalls’ are oatcakes and red wine. Also, I think I’ve become so used to ‘guessing’ the weight of food, apart from breakfast which I weigh every morning, that I’m now completely out of the habit of logging my carbs and calories.

I will start logging again.

Glad to hear you’re keeping busy hope it’s not too busy!

Still can’t work out why it’s such a roller coaster even when you are doing it properly! Miss Ziggy you are s lovely x

Hi everyone

Mixnmatch the mind ‘boggles’. Is it even possible to carry 50kg?????? You have done really, really well. A slightly easier way to help you remember where you’ve come from maybe to measure out a piece of ribbon the size of your waist at the start of BSD and slip it round your ‘new’ waist …. the ‘slack’ will be amazing!

It’s so long since I last thought of mini goals. I’m ‘treading’ water’ at the moment, staying with the same couple of pounds. Think maybe I should decide on a mini goal …. I just need to lose 2.5lbs to drop into the next ten … so that’s my goal.

Wow! What a difference BSD makes! Well done everyone.

Non scale victories for me include:

Dr cut my blood pressure meds by 50% to be reviewed in a few weeks with a view to reducing further or even stopping altogether!

No more sensitive teeth! I have even stopped using sensitive toothpaste with no ill effect so far (2-3 weeks).

Before Christmas I made myself a perfectly fitted front buttoning jacket, now having lost only a few pounds more I have had to turn it into a crossover front!

So many other non-scale surprises like energy levels, overall wellbeing etc etc! Keep posting everyone, these triumphs are really encouraging!

Hi everyone. Only just got back on this site since Christmas and happy to see so many familiar names from Verano’s last forum.
Also happy that Christmas didn’t make a lasting impression on my weight – I’m lower now than I was on 24th December.
My next mini goal (I have LOADS of them!) is to get my BMI under 29. It’s currently 29.1, so not far to go.

Well done, MIXNMATCH – you’ve done fantastically well. An inspiration!

Hi SEAVIEWJOY, I have been BSDing for about 3months and living on my own most of my cooking/food prep is for one. In terms of variety my freezer is my best friend. I usually buy fresh meat, fish etc that has the snowflake symbol, I don’t overload the freezer, so get through it reasonably quickly. I sometimes buy fresh veg in larger quantities and freeze. For me freezing in portion sizes is the key, I just have to remember to get stuff out of the freezer ahead of time, but I have found that with BSD forward meal planning is a massive help, so I’ve become used to it now. Occasionally I use food from the frozen section in store, but I prefer to see what I’m getting before I buy. I usually have a few tins of sardines, mackerel and tuna in the cupboard.

Fresh veg and salad always fill my fridge, green leafy stuff for the first few days after weekly shop and more hardy veg like celery, cucumber, tomatoes for later in the week.

I have just reached my weight goal and am well on the way to my health and fitness goals. I have come to adore the BSD way of eating and I hope you find it helpful and beneficial on your journey. All the best to you!

Some brilliant victories posted there. Very inspiring. Congratulations everyone!

Hi ebs, yes i would highly recommend the recipe book, i’ve only had mine a week and am finding the recipes very filling and easy to do once you stock up on the cupboard essentials. I bought it on amazon for £7.99. The only thing i would say is that the nutritional value is not always correct, and other people have commented the same. So now when i use a recipe i put the individual ingredients into my app (fatsecret) so i can double check against the book. It is a bit of a pain but once the info is entered i can save it for future teference. Agree totally with dreamscometrue re portion content and trying new foods etc. Cyster – was thinking about wether to buy a spiraliser too then discovered that morrisons and tesco do spiralised veg and aldi now sell cauliflower rice! Really good to hear everyones story, keep up the good work guys and good choices today everyone.

I have a spiralizer! Mine is rather like a huge pencil sharpener, it’s not one with a stand. Does the job. Personally I use uncooked cougetti and the heat from the sauce cooks it enough for me.

I’m also considering the recipe book…

Today is day 3. Blood sugars are good, but I’m resisting the scales and the tapemeasure till day 7!

Hi Ebs just to say I bought the book and would really recommend it! I was a bit dubious about it as I tend to buy cookery books on a whim then never open them, but I use this every day! I don’t eat red meat either but most of the recipes in there don’t include it anyway (or if they do you can substitute quorn). There are some really good recipes in there and I’m discovering lots of new flavours, ingredients and combinations, and it also gives you a clear breakdown of calories/carbs/fats per portion. As a newbie it’s also helping me to get a gut feel (pardon the pun!) for calorie content and portion sizes so then makes it easier to concoct your own recipes.

Everything I’ve made from the book so far has been really delicious and it’s given me a positive spin on the diet ie looking forward to trying a new recipe each night rather than feeling restricted by what I can’t eat. The only disaster has been the hummus which broke my blender but I think that was probably user error 😉

Well done Pat👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👌👌👌👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽🍾🍾🍾🍾
MIss ZIggy

Veggies can be surprisingly high in carbs. If you’re anything like I was when I started the BSD, your estimates are likely to be way off. You might consider weighing and measuring at least once so you have the facts at your command.

Since most veggies are very low calories I have just been estimating them. I only weigh the proteins. I am steadily losing weight so that seems sufficient. I have pointed myfitnesspal at the on line recipes to estimate their calorie content but I don’t cook too many complicated things.

Jan