I’m not exactly new to BSD but I’ve been off the rails since before Christmas (actually since my son’s birthday cake, I incorrectly thought I could have one slice and get straight back on the diet) so I’m restarting on Monday (again)! For an extra bit of motivation, my twelve-year-old daughter is going gluten-free for three weeks to see if it’s causing her skin problems. We can avoid bread, pasta, biscuits and cake together! But she will still be eating other carbs.

Just a thought AlanNI – the fibre content of the healthy veggies is such an important part of our diet. I have an expensive juicer that completely extracts the fibre from the juice – you would be amazed how much fibre fruit and veg contains. I had to ditch the juicing when I started on insulin because it was scary how much the juice spiked my blood sugar.

I am glad you posted your question because it reminded me that it is tucked away in a cupboard somewhere. I will dig it out and sell it even though, and I know this is probably silly, it makes me feel a bit guilty selling something that could be detrimental to someone’s health.

Hi gang,

You are stranded on an island and you are hungry and find two things to eat BUT you can only pick one.
A sweet potato and a piece of cheese.

One is a vegetable, we are told all veg is healthy sine we were kids
One is dairy, full fat. We are told fat is bad since we were kids.

What would you go for and why.

Oh and you can only have one as this is a weird island and you will find various food dotted around it.
You are not injured.
There are no canibals so it’s not your last meal.
Yes you want to be healthy and fit into your grass skirt and two half cocunut outfit.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

……oh yes, and who would have guessed. Two of my new fave foods are cauliflower rice and courgetti! 🙂

Hi everyone,
Made a start on bed before. Rubbish willpower. Am trying again. Started 7th Jan. Health is motivating factor but I still find it difficult to hold to resolution. Am keeping a diary this time.

Ahh right! I knew I was removing the fibre, and so would have made a very sweet fruit juice that would send blood sugar’s soaring…. But I thought that I’d be in the clear if I stuck to a veg juice for breakfast, to give me (what I thought) was a low cal boost of nutrients!

Morning losers 😉
It is amazing the boost you get when you are part of a group of like minded individuals. This thread does appear to be very popular and even though I have not read every post there is generally a healthy thread of very encouraging ones.
I have found the last week relatively easy to get through with minimal cravings and not many sugar withdrawal symptoms. Admittedly I am relying on coffee to keep me distracted. I know not everyone has it easy in the beginning so I do feel fortunate.
Had my first post start weight in this morning and lost a tad over 3kg in the last six days (started Monday) so quite happy with that. Most of it was water I am sure so managing my expectations for the weeks to come. My wish is to have a loss of 1.5 kg a week which I believe is feasible.
Good wishes to all you fellow losers (really winners) and a big virtual thumbs up. Let’s make this happen.
Noel

A further note to ‘advertising’ and the role it plays. My daughter works in Public Heath, mainly within childrens’ health. Quite a number of years ago she had a mother who thought that by feeding her child ‘a well known brand of chocolate’ every day the child was getting 1 and a half glasses of milk!! I’m sure you all remember that advert.

The food industry does have a lot to answer for, especially with its advertising, but at the end of the day we all need to eat. It is, however, OUR choice as to what we eat, as several people have already pointed out.

Strangely enough I’ve not really thought of this plan as ‘restrictive’. I think that any diet only feels ‘restrictive’ if you are following a plan that ‘deprives’ you. I have never felt deprived eating this way and in fact I think that as time goes on you just don’t miss the simple carbs anymore. I’m not saying that I’m a saint and don’t eat any carby foods anymore but in general they just don’t hold any attraction for me.

We were out in an Indian restaurant a few nights ago. For the first time someone did actually comment on what I was eating. Why aren’t you eating poppadums? You must be starving you’ve had no starter! In fact I had a main meal of chicken tikka and salad and couldn’t finish it! I enjoyed what I had and the company we were with. Where’s the restriction or deprivation in that?

As has been said, it all comes down to personal choice and not the availability or otherwise of certain foods.

Hi all,
I started on the 6th Jan and have just spent a couple of hours reading this entire thread. I can’t recall who wrote it, but I also put on weight before starting a new diet, and I’ve done it again, putting on 3.5kg (7lb) since Christmas Day! I have 64kg (142lb) to lose. I love food and wine and eat way too much. I’m looking at this as a lifestyle change because if I view it as a diet, then I’ll do what I’ve always done and put it all back on again when I fall back into my old habits when I stop the diet.
Saw this quote on the internet…”I’m not losing weight. I’M GETTING RID OF IT. I have no intention of finding it again.”
I use the ‘EasyDietDiary’ app and find it quite intuitive. Day 3 for me today and I have a migraine which I am guessing is down to carb and/or sugar withdrawal. I have set myself a goal of drinking 1litre of water before lunch and another litre before dinner which has worked so far, but then it has been over 30 the last 2 days in Melbourne!
Good luck everyone and thanks for the inspiring and helpful posts.

DAY 6 … WEEK 2

Good morning/evening

I have made a decision to send my now ‘oversized’ clothes to a charity shop. There’s no point in making them smaller as they will never fit properly and I won’t be needing them again as they are ! So even though some are unworn they have to go.

I think I’ve discovered why green tea aids weight loss …. it’s so foul it stops you eating!! Think may try a ginger infusion instead.

Just two days of this week left and then we’re half way through this 4 week fix. If you’re still struggling to get back on track maybe reading a few chapters of the book again might help motivation or for those with pre/diabetes try and watch the Panorama program on Diabetes screened on 3rd October 2016, which I’m sure is available for 12 months from that date.

For those maintaining or losing … great!

Have a good day.

Hi Verano. The guidelines for the challenge say it’s an average of 2.75 miles a day. Realistically I know there are some days when that just won’t happen so I just do what I can, when I can. In a way, its like starting the BSD. Changes to routine/habits, small goals rather than focussing on the final goal, etc. I walked to the next village to a meeting the other day, rather than wait for the bus. Enjoyed the walk and wondered why I not done it before. Admittedly there normally nothing in that village that I would go to, but the bus passes through it in the way to my preferred shopping destination of Durham. So, although I rarely have the time to walk the 7 miles to Durham, I can walk to the next village and catch the bus there. Been checking out local maps for more ideas. Looks like I may sometimes be walking to the supermarkets (4 miles) but bus back with shopping.

Well done Lynne! Looks like you may manage a few 1000 miles this year. I’m sure I read that it was an average of 2.?? miles a week so you’re now into February!!!

Well I am a long term dieter have been on every diet under the sun since I was 16 and am now 62 and I can assure everyone this one works. I feel full and can have a small glass of red wine every night if I want. The recipes are excellent, except for the muffins which are foul and a disaster, so dont bother. My husband and I started the diet on 27 December, I lost 2 kilos and he lost 3 in our first week. In our second week my daughter, who is 20, and not on a diet joined us, I add potato, pasta, rice or bread to her meals and she thoroughly enjoys them. The food is a little expensive for us that live in Western Australia as most things have to be shipped in and locally grown produce is expensive, but what price do you put on your health. I would recommend planning the weekly menu a week in advance and having some hard boiled eggs handy incase you get hungry, as I did after the green tea and blueberry shake. Also dont forget to get in your 10,000 steps a day, I have a border collie so I walk, walk everywhere. Good luck to everyone and will keep you posted to how much, if any weight I loose next week.

Hi Angela06! I hope your cold goes away quickly!!! It’s no fun to be sick. :–(
I caught the virus that is going around here the exact day the semester ended at the college I am a counselor at. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. It seems I make it through the semester only to finally get a break and get sick. Ugh!

I try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. If I’m busy around the house I for sure get the steps in but at work I have to work at it to make it to 10,000 steps. I usually go for a walk every hour, in between student appointments with me! Then when I get home, I work out for at least a half hour, depending on how many steps I got in at work. I’m not really sure why 10,000 steps is the magic number but I found this article about it on Google: http://www.livescience.com/43956-walking-10000-steps-healthy.html

My first 8 weeks on the BSD I didn’t do much exercise because I felt weak and very low on energy which is not like me at all! This time around I seem to have lots of energy and working out isn’t hard at all. I think it may be because I’m used to the diet now and I’m eating about 1000 calories a day instead of 800.

PEAK: I got the Christmas tree taken down and the ornaments boxed up. The outside decorations have all been taken down and put away. The household decorations are all in the dining room but I am making progress. I might even get everything finished tomorrow and put away. It will be nice to get that taken care of so when I go back to work on Monday, I won’t have it hanging over my head as something I need to still do. I was really busy today and got in 15,000 steps. My IWatch keeps track for me. I put my watch on this morning at 4:45 am when I got up and now it is 9:15 p and I’m just about ready for bed. On Monday, I will get up at 3:30 am to get ready for work so I’m trying to get myself used to getting up early again by not sleeping in on the weekend.
I made 38 containers of chicken vegetable and beef vegetable soup. I froze all of it in 8 ounce containers and will take 1 to 2 containers with me to work each day. The soup really made a difference to me during my first 8 weeks of the BSD because I felt like I needed something hot to eat. It really fills me up! I hope it had the same effect this time around as I feel like I’ve gotten a bit lax on what I’ve been eating while I’ve been home.

PIT: I didn’t stop all day long to just relax! I need to learn to do that more. I wanted to paint an hour or so but felt like I had to much to take care of. Maybe I’ll get the chance tomorrow! It’s going to be raining all day so a good chance to stay home and do something for myself.

Oh Californiagirl that post is worth putting up on the fridge 🙂 Calming the mind has to be key. Thank you for that. So often the self talk is super damaging and leads to all sorts of bother. Will make a point tonight of remembering 3 things that went well today and reflecting on that.

Hi Clarissa,Ive been going through a tough time too .Yesterday I read MM ‘s book again and I had a good look at how bad my eating has been, mostly snacking a lot on BSD foods and wrong food portions.It turns out the missing thing for me was exercise. It took me an hour and a half to force myself out the door for a walk,I have never played sport and I’m really lazy, Usually my active job gives me enough steps but , I’m on leave at the moment.So I did 4000 steps, ate more carefully, still went over on calories but not carbs .It worked this am my weight is down by .5kg. So after a happy dance. my hubby offered to walk with me today,first time in 40 years,he walks a bit slow but we talked about setting goals and getting healthy so its a big win. My fasting sugar was still up so I’m working on smaller portions.The food scale had migrated to the cupboard so I reinstated it in its proper place on the bench. Also I brush my teeth and drink extra water before I give in to starvation urges and it seems to help. keep trying one day at a time.don’t get too upset with yourself. I think that if we are trying to change the habits of a lifetime , its going to take a while to consolidate new habits.

Sounds great thanks.

Oh my goodness Clarissa and Tigs, if I had a dollar for every messed up day… I have succeeded and struggled (on maintenance now) — here’s my “reboot” idea for those super cruddy moments: First, calm your mind, the panic of losing control makes us lose more control, which results in eating, which results in panic, which…. So step back mentally for a minute — take a slow breath — if you gained weight, so be it. It is ok. You’re not going to gain any more. You know how to get the weight down, all those skills you have learned or read about are going to serve you well again.
Clear your fridge, freezer (yes I eat frozen cake), cupboards of anything tempting. Lay in some red peppers, anise, cucumber, olives, nuts, sparkling water for “go -to” snacks. Do not accept social invitations for now (you can see your friends next week) and CALMLY start each day by fasting as many hours as you can, followed by a healthy meal or two. Drink black tea and coffee and water.
I find just one day of calming it all down gets me back in control — but don’t panic if you are above calorie counts — ANY lower calorie count is good because you are retraining your brain. So don’t criticize your efforts.
At the end of each day, write down three things that went well that day (don’t have to be diet related). Keep them in mind as you prepare for bed and go to sleep. You’re doing fine. We are intellectual minds inside of physical bodies that need food to survive. If we get that a bit messed up now and again, it is not surprising. Just don’t quit. Bad days come and go. We are still here.

Hi Cbizzle — no! I seriously believe this is a myth (false facts) and you will experience what I have experienced if you stay on the diet and “reset” your metabolism (which I think really happens) — I started March 2016, reached goal in June and have been maintaining since then. At first my weight loss was slow — I think it finally started to “click” around the 12 week mark — then I steadily lost weight until I hit goal (I lost about thirty pounds). From then on I have kept to a “restricted” carbohydrate diet, about 40 grams carbs per day (on a good day — maybe 60% of the time) but I am rather casual on the calorie count as long as I stayed with the General BSD principles — I can eat enough to feel satisfied and often, too full. I have not gained the weight back.
What I have noticed: my metabolism is on “high” and I am usually warm, full of energy and I have lots of workout energy. I probably go to the gym 2-3 times per week for spin or step and the other days I try to hike or ski or work in the garden.
I still fast for 20 hours or so about once or twice a week. I can’t really get past about 24 hours without serious hunger.
I have become skeptical of the ” slowing metabolism” criticism of these kind of diets — if anything, my metabolism has gone back to my younger years (I’m 60) and I am enjoying the ride.

Hi Clarissa so many of us are in the same boat or most recently have been! It IS a big struggle once we let things go a bit. Not sure if the head or the body is willing and the other is weak…

My approach has been to get rid of absolutely everything with added sugar, all ‘treats’ etc and to plan and log every meal for the day ahead. Once I have logged what to eat, that is it. No wavering. Not that I have been successful every day but that is the intent. Plan and move with intention. And routine, as far as possible. Getting back to some sort of ‘normal’ routine is hugely helpful.

We have been here before and we know what it takes. The first few days are the bit to crack and once we hit about day 6 it should be much easier. Each day, each meal, each thought and what we do with it. Move with BSD intent step by step. Go well and so may we all 🙂

Really struggling after Christmas to get back and stay on the wagon, I have not stopped eating rubbish, I’ve lost 4.5 stone since using this diet and found it relatively easy. And I have never felt better, But since Christmas Eve I’ve put on 9 pounds from eating sweets/chocolates. I’ve eaten less this week but I’m finding it a real struggle to stick to my meal plan and I feel sluggish and tired! Any ideas?

thank you everyone for getting back to me on dropping clothing sizes. I can’t wait until I start dropping sizes too.

Hi all, bookmarking to come back later and see how you are all getting on. Planning on starting on Monday if I can speed read the book and buy enough ingredients for the first week tomorrow! Me and kids all back to school Monday, I have gained 2 extra stone that I Want to shed fast for spring, so after previous success with both Atkinson (pre kids) and 5.2 post kids, I am hopeful this is doable. Have done back to back fasts of 500 cals so how hard can 800 be??!! Eeekkk! Who am I kidding!? 😉

Looking forward to 2 months off the booze though, my body needs a healthy boost! Any old 5.2 peeps around, thought I spotted laska on another thread? X

Hello, I started on Jan 2nd and am feeling good on the diet. I find it easy to stick to. I bought lots of veg and salads and fresh meat, salmon and eggs and check the cal and carb content. I lost 9 lbs in the first 5 days but much to my dismay my waist measurement has increased by a bit each day – now 3 inches more since I started. I started the diet specifically to reduce my waistline. I used to have 10 inches between bust and waist whatever my weight. The difference as of today is only 2 inches!! Anyone else had this?

(I couldn’t work out how to start a new topic on this, sorry).

Hello, I started on Jan 2nd and am feeling good on the diet. I find it easy to stick to. I bought lots of veg and salads and fresh meat, salmon and eggs and check the cal and carb content. I lost 9 lbs in the first 5 days but much to my dismay my waist measurement has increased by a bit each day – now 3 inches more since I started. I started the diet specifically to reduce my waistline. I used to have 10 inches between bust and waist whatever my weight. The difference as of today is only 2 inches!! Anyone else had this?

(I couldn’t work out how to start a new topic on this, sorry).

Did my post-Christmas & New Year weigh in on Friday, almost two weeks since Christmas Eve…..And I was BANG ON my goal weight of 68kg!! My plan of BSD between the Christmas and New Year celebrations worked an absolute treat, together with my buffer of just over a kilo prior to the event means I am heading into the 2017 at goal…..I am so thrilled, love it.

So carrying on again to get a ‘buffer’ before our holiday next week; two BSD meals a day totalling 800cals, with 16:8 intermittent fasting. Good plan I reckon.

Rachel 🙂

Well said. My light bulb moment was the realisation that all of the diets I had previously tried had gone off the rails when they got to the part that said, ‘now start eating like you used to’ at least with the BSD we know exactly why that won’t work.

I occasionally have kefir for breakfast and mix it with flax and chia.

If you use the search function you will find it gets a regular mention on these forums.

Not sure that I completely follow Raintoday’s post, but as part of any “engagement tool” , we have to communicate in a frank and honest way with people. If the comment on ‘restrictive’ is a reference to my post I actually said “somewhat restrictive” and if you are trying to stick to 800 cals and a low carb content for several weeks then I believe that justifies the description.

If I understand what you’re saying I think we agree that we all should decide what we should eat to keep us happy and healthy. Some people can eat Snickers bars (other confectionery is available!), pizzas etc., and good luck to them. Others won’t be able to and for some of them BSD and subsequent maintenance will be a chore and a strain. To try to present it as easy will be demoralising and disingenuous.

I have just been diagnosed with pre-diabetes – I am 46 and I am desperate to get my levels down to normal asap and found the BSD and will be starting today.

I have been drinking kefir daily for over a year and don’t really want to give it up but I don’t see it mentioned in the book and doing a search on the forums didn’t give any useful results.

Does anyone have an opinion on this?

Grateful
Suzy

presenting BDS as a ‘very restrictive diet’ is perhaps not the best engagement tool – however, my engagement tool was “fear” – my former doc soft-pedaled the pre-diabetes for over 4 yrs – “oh, you’re doing fine, all looks good, just eat more veg and eat fewer desserts – maybe you would feel better if you lost some weight” then ! bang! woke up in July w/ a 388 BS and 9.2% A1c. Read a book that was about low-carb and I didn’t care about calories – just feel full and bring down those values. Once I realized I didn’t have to feel hungry to lose weight and feel better, I could focus on balance and then found BSD – much more balanced approach w/ sane amt of good carbs. Some of this is how we use language – this WOE has opened up what I CAN eat to FEEL good and healthy – sure, I want to fit in a GF pizza (already familiar w/ diet limitation, thanks) but I can think it through – yeah, I will see numbers I don’t want to see and feel sluggish and crappy and dull in the brain ….is it worth it ? not so far – GF pizzas been in the freezer for 6 months now. We were sold from tot-hood that cakes and breads and biscuits and Snickers bars were our staples, our rewards, our celebrations – because of a whole lot of complex overlapping reasons – some economic, some political (see sugar subsidies), some cultural (see politics and economics) and some because …. it tasted good and was accessible and we lived in a society that burned more calories to survive. it will take a bit of a shift to start looking at foods in a different way so as not to constantly tell ourselves we are ‘giving something up’ – don’t want to look at my life as perpetual Lent. This is what I like; this is what works for me; I’m good ! I know how far I can stretch the calorie rubber band on some occasions so as not to be a prisoner of my diet. Or give the message to others that being on this diet is a chore or a strain.

My metabolism is apparently now that of someone 15 years younger, I haven’t experienced any problems tolerating carbs, although if I overdo it on carbs for too long like over Christmas I get wind and can feel the carb fog coming back slightly. I have an incredible amount of energy compared to what I had while eating complex food only and have never experienced any weakness or problems exercising. If you have a higher carb day it will simply rebuild glycogen stores, so you may not be able to tell if you are successfully adapting to fat burning. Fat burning is natural for the metabolism, but easy access to carbs tends to mean the adaptation is lost over time.

Thanks for that excellent and detailed explanation, I experienced this when I started eating more ‘normally’ after my 8 weeks finished on 27th November, I wasn’t at my target quite yet but made the decision to wait until after Christmas to continue to allow myself some indulgences. I put on 6 pounds almost immediately even though I was still sticking to BSD food, just not watching the carbs so closely. Another 4 pounds followed over Christmas, probably some of which was actually fat, but today after restarting on 3rd January I am only just heavier than I was just before Christmas, so a large amount of that water has gone again. I will be planning in an overshoot this time as I want end up between 10 stone 7 pounds and 10 stone 11 pounds for the longish term. I may take a little time to sort out how to stabilise my final weight but I am sure it will be worth it. Today was 11 stone 5 so less than a stone to go now.

There hasn’t been many studies on longer term fasting so I wanted to ask those here how they’ve found fasting for prolonged periods of time and eating low carb. When people have come off the diet, have people found they have to eat far fewer calories and have far less tolerance to carbs?

(For info, I’m on the first week and have found it quite tough, mainly the lack of energy. I’m also worried that consistently low calories will damage my metabolism so have strategically eaten more today and had more carbs to give me a boost and allow me to do an intense exercise class tomorrow.)

Thank you for explaining this so clearly (particularly about what to expect at the end of your target…. this would have left me really disheartened if I hadn’t have been forewarned!

the moving down the clothes scale threads remind me of a thread (or multiple ones) about the “perfect window” for jeans.
I don’t really wear skirts – I’ve found the best way to keep in trousers for a longish time is elasticated waists – never had them when in large sizes, but I’ve found them a great option moving down through 16s and 14s.
And I’ve discovered jeggings and very stretchy jeans for casual wear.

Frozen ginger – sounds excellent.
I made my own batch in the summer because I didn’t use it that often, but currently having it every day – initially for my cold, but supposed to be great for digestion too, so I’m planning to continue with it. On one hand, using fresh would be OK if I’m using a lot, but grabbing a cube from the freezer is sooo easy – I’m not that organised in the morning!
Looking at the website, it’s cheaper than fresh ginger, and no additives, so I will look for it next time I go in a big tescos.
On shopping, I don’t have them often now, but switched to using ‘snap pots’ of baked beans, as only 2 portions in a pot instead of a huge tin. Waitrose have them at half price at the moment, including the low sugar variety.

Sunshine Girl – I am so glad I don’t have anyone else bringing food into the house – could not cope with a fridge full of chocolate. That’s not to say I don’t have the occasional un-bsd binge, but I do only have myself to blame!

I juiced for many years — carrots and fennel was my favorite combo — but I don’t think it’s compatible with a low carb way of life. Unless you’re using a high-powered blender like the Vitamix, juicing removes all fiber from fruit and vegetables, making the gross weight of sugars and carbohydrates the net weight. You no longer get to deduct grams of fiber from the carb total, so to all intents and purposes you are increasing the carb count of healthy foods by running them through the juicer.

I did juicing this time last year (before finding BSD) and yes lots of stuff fits into a juice but most of the ones on the plan I followed had high sugar fruits in them. Also whilst I made it through the week the craving to bite something not just drink was huge. As once a day may be ok but be wary as BSD doesn’t really embrace a lot of fruit and prefers above ground veg to the carby roots – at least at the 8 weeks stage.

And don’t try to stay *below* 800cal, we need that much in good nutrients and being under is a bad thing, probably worse than being a bit over.

Have you watched the Michael Moseley pieces on youtube?

Oh,
And there are Easter eggs in the shops already !!!😠😠😠😠😠
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Don’t forget, doing something 70% of the time is better than nothing at all.
So just give it a go.

Love Lucia xxxx

Hi folks! Just started BSD this week. Trying to stick below 800, but wondered if anyone has been juicing as part of BSD?

I was impressed by the juice approach as a good way of getting nutrients in easily, following watching “fat sick and nearly dead” on Netflix.

I’ve been juicing carrots, celery and apples for breakfast! Anybody with any advice or comment?

Hi Way of Life, Mrs TLC and VeganSarah

Sorry I missed your posts until now. Been so busy and every spare minute has been spent getting my head round the change from low fat vegan to BSD 800.

I hope your BSD 800 start is going well and I really look forward to reading about your progress and how you are managing as vegans. I think that being able to share our experiences on this forum will be a great support and encouragement.

Garlic mushrooms ………….. am now craving this ! Roll on Monday’s shopping day.

Wise choice!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. This really seems like a good place to be.

There’s so much to read up on and finding time is a challenge as life is busy right now. I haven’t even finished the book yet but I’m reading posts, recipes and links on this forum and getting it all together.

Orchid – thanks ever so much for your posts on this subject – they are so practical and informative and it’s great to have a veggie/vegan perspective. It is definitely hard to achieve 60g carb limits as a vegan. I’ve been using an online nutrition tracker app and haven’t managed to get them low enough yet but they are much lower than before and as soon as I get some recipes sorted out it should be ok. I need to do some shopping and get some ingredients for my new BSD 800 way of life. Unfortunately where we live for much of the year you can’t buy firm tofu or soya yogurt which sound invaluable for the low carb proteins and my previous attempts at making them from scratch were less than successful ! It will be bliss to be back in the UK for a couple of months and only 10 days til we get back there. Readily available ingredients will make life easier but for now I am making big changes and am nearly there.

I suspect many favourite vegan recipes should be fairly easily adaptable to the BSD 800 plan so I will log them onto the app and figure it out asap.

Thanks for the advice Angela 06 – I made a brown lentil casserole with onions, garlic, carrots, celery red and yellow peppers, tinned tomatoes and some lovely vegan organic bouillon which was only 218 calories per portion but 34g of carbs so quite a chunk of my daily carb allowance. Some adjustments needed to make it BSD 800 friendly….. I’ll look into quinoa as they have started selling it locally now.

The good news is I can feel weight loss already after just a few days even though I haven’t got it all together yet. My jeans are looser and I’m less bloated. Very encouraging. The bad news is I ended up having some raw almonds for my meal tonight as I had used up more than my carb allowance already.They were surprisingly filling and helped with the fat levels too but it did look so tiny.

So, I hope to be able to post something more constructive once I get going properly.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to share experiences and encouragement here. It is really appreciated and your successes are very impressive.

Looks like the online 12 week course costs a lot! Think I’ll stick with the forum!

My daughter works for a famous chocolate manufacturer and when we go see her my husband heads straight for the staff shop where you can get a bar of chocolate for 10p or a cream egg for 10p or 10 for 50p. You get what I mean, some seconds, some getting close to sell by date etc. He comes home with about £20 of chocolate. I doesn’t bother me as I don’t have a sweet tooth but I am human and can be tempted, try to stick with my 85% square of dark chocolate now and then.

Tonight the idiot (sorry but he is, read on…) said, wouldn’t it be nice if we put out a selection of chocolate in a nice bonbon dish so we could just pick as we want instead of having to go and get them from the cupboard. I’ll let you know when he gets up off the floor. Bloody men. Or should I say bloody non diabetic men.

In a former life before 1st October 2016…..Marmite on toast with a fried egg ontop:-)

If I can get splinters in my bum I am sitting on the fence here. I like both, having lived in Oz and UK I think the Marmite has a much stronger taste that can burn your mouth and Vegemite has a more meaty flavour, but I like both anyway, maybe as I have a savoury palate and don’t like sweet things.

Energy is stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles, which is glucose combined with water. When you start the diet, the first thing your body does is burn up your glycogen, releasing all that water. That is where it gets the energy you need when you stop eating sugar/starch. The glycogen is heavy, so you will show a dramatic weight loss as you burn it. You will pee about 3-4 litres extra in those first few days. I was getting up 4 times a night for the first 3 nights.

When the glycogen is depleted, your body will start to burn fat. This is when the real weight loss happens.

You may lose around 8 pounds of water the first week, then settle into about 2 pounds of fat loss a week. If you don’t revert to your previous eating habits, this fat loss will be permanent.

After 8 weeks, you will have lost over 20 pounds, about 8 pounds of water and 12 pounds of fat. Every extra week will mean an extra 2 pounds of fat lost.

If you fall off the wagon and have a high carb day, the only thing you will do is rebuild your glycogen levels. You can easily gain 3 pounds in 1 day, but this is just water. A couple of 800 calorie days and those 3 pounds will quickly disappear.

When you get to your target weight and up your calorie intake, you will rebuild your glycogen stores so you will regain the water you lost in week 1, which is fine and expected. You should overshoot your target weight to account for this.

At that point you need to go on a good exercise program to help prevent regaining the fat you lost. A tape measure is your friend as weight gained by building muscle is good, but you want to keep the fat off your gut!

Although I agree with Jules that we are responsible for what we put in our mouths, I have to say the advertising industry has a lot to answer for. Have you seen how they market high sugar breakfast cereals to families. The kids like them because they are sweet the mums buy them because ads say they are a healthy start to the day. So many more examples like a Mars a day helps you work rest and place, inferring it is good for you. If you have not been educated in health and nutrition you tend to trust what you are told and there is so much misleading information and sometimes downright lies although they have to be careful how they couch the lies. Some breakfast cereals makers have been taken to task for blatantly saying ‘prevents heart disease’ when what they mean is, ‘it is better than a deep fried breakfast’.

When I was training to be a nurse we had to do a nutrition course and the first thing the nurse educator said was ‘this is the most boring subject your will ever study and most of you will fail the exam’. Guess what, she was wrong, it was not most of us failing, we all failed. I passed on resit but yes it was totally dull so we cannot blame lay people to know any better.

I have just done the FutureLearn course A Diabetic Epidemic which started out well talking about Prof Taylor and new research. Then further on in the course it talked about the importance of eating 5 starchy carbs a day. So many people on the course were up in arms about it. I am about to start ‘The Science of Nutrition’ with the same people (Dundee University) so we will see what they have to say.