Hi Gray246 and toby101 – firstly, good to have you onboard!

I have never used the recipes/meal plans in the book, but have always created my own from scratch – not as time consuming as you might think. Most days I use full fat yogurt as a base for breakfast and then add seed, nuts, berries etc and then enter the weights to calculate overall cals and carbs – values come out around 140cals and approx. 5g carbs. Of course, if varies depending on what toppings I use.

Other meals tend to be protein and green veggies or salad. This lunchtime was a whole gem lettuce, some prawns and avocado. Tonight will be a lamb steak, a little gravy and lots of green veggies.

I have found it really easy to put together simple meals and use herbs and spices to help ring the changes.

Good luck to you both, hope you will be posting some great results soon.

Well only day 2 for me, but I was so chuffed that I had lost 3 pounds when I weighed in this morning, totally given me a boost.

So although the scales tipping over into 13 stone territory last week was the kick up the bum I needed to get me onto this WOE I am glad that the extra Xmas pounds are going and I am on track to lose the 2 stone I need to lose in the next few months.

Exercise needs to be my next goal, I only managed 7000 steps yesterday and nothing else, but am hoping that by the weekend I will be ready for something more structured on that dept.

Does anyone have any recommendations for any good ready meals? I need stuff for work as I won’t always be organised enough to make salads! I used to eat lots of fresh soups but don’t know if any fit into the plan?

I have tins of sardines in tomato sauce so far, this is not really enough!

Cheers and congratulations on all your losses

Hi bal17

I tend to just amend my normal meals to meet my calorie target (aiming for 800, achieving around 900) and less than 50g of carb. Mixing and matching is important as I believe you need to like what you’re eating for this to be sustainable. Personally I ditched completely the bread, rice, pasta etc. as fitting them into the carb limit just isn’t worth the hassle.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Great to see so many people joining up for the final push – welcome on board everyone! Having a support group for these final pounds will be invaluable to me and to others I hope.

Know what you mean about the last bit having somehow morphed into something huge in my head. We all know the BSD works, but I can’t help thinking I’m asking too much to drop another 9lb. Having others in the same phase along for the last push, will definitely help me stick with it and I’m sure we will all get where we want to be, with determination and encouragement.

Like Cassandra, the sweet stuff didn’t tempt me over the festive season, but I too have been eating quite a bit of cheese! Getting that under control again now.

Well done on shifting the Christmas weight Topcac and I’m sure you will be at ideal weight for your big day in June. Good luck for your HBA1C test CleverBlond73.

I’m feeling pretty positive right now, but know there will be tough days when the scales aren’t kind. Right now though, the day is going well and I still have 420 cals left along with 30g plus carbs, although it’s my plan not to use all of those carbs. My weekly weigh in is Monday, but as of today I’m 9st 4.2lb, with 8.2lb to drop.

Good luck everyone. Keep posting !!

Thank you for replying, I think I might have to ditcham the menu in the book and make my own meals up with the basic raw ingredients.
Do you have any tips that a total newbie would find usefully?

I am one week in and found this also. It is a little bit annoying as I had hoped I could follow the books menu plan to the letter and not have to think about it myself!

Today weigh in down 2 pounds for the week.
Wow congrats to everyone who has lost or maintain their weigh so far. This thread has give me so much encouragement that I feel I will be able to reach my goal in 2017. It’s amazing how fast the 4 weeks are going by.
Thanks again Verano for starting these 4 week threads.

Hiya ! I started bsd yesterday and like you am on a budget.
I am looking to picking out meals that I fancy from the bsd recipe books and including some of my own or from other recipe books like Anthony Worrall Thompson’s essential diabetes cookbook…
Got to be ok to mix and match as long as you keep to 800 and low carb and easy on the bread. My only concern is getting enough daily protein …..

Hi Sunny B.
Thank you so much for the information. I have taken all your points on board.
Peace and love.
Lulu

Thanks Nettle. 😀

I’m in shock today – in a good way!

Wandered around this morning in the hope of finding something to wear. In Marks and Spencer’s some ladies were commenting that the buyers should be sacked! Needless to say I left empty handed.

I was also doing the round of charity shops. In the last one I found ….. two skirts! That might not sound very exciting or interesting. BUT they were both size 10 (I still feel I’m taking a risk even looking at that size). Not only size 10, but one was Next (knee length, patterned and floaty) while the other was Jacques Vert (fuchsia suede, midi length). AND. They both fit. AND The two together cost £3.96!!!!! Think I can call that a result 😀

My problem now is deciding which to wear tomorrow – a day conference with colleagues. Think it’ll probably be the shorter skirt. Sitting all day in suede may not be a good idea.

Hi Everyone

Would appreciate a little bit of guidance, after reading the book I went out a bought my first weeks shopping and started the diet today.

In the book it is mentioned that low fat alternatives are high in sugars. So I bought the standard full fat yoghurt and basic humus.

Long story short I started to input the ingredients in a recipe app Nutracheck and the figures are way higher than what the book mentions.

Example for today
Blueberries and green tea shake 100 cal but after inputting the ingredients and measurements in the app I get 142 cal
42 cal is not a big deal but when I look at my lunch the quick Mediterranean platter book suggests 220 cal but the ingredients in the app with weights comes to 409 cal which is a big difference. Does this mean low fat with low sugar alternatives must be used ?

Any help will be appreciated

Hello everyone, just finished week 1 of this years diet and lost 2lbs – technically only 6 days but I want to get back to Tuesday weigh in. I increased insulin from 22 to 24 units to help with Xmas stuff and put it back down to 23 last night as I have been running at around 4.2 in the morning and 3.5 just before dinner. This morning I was 5.4.

I am supposed to be at my French class today but we (me and hubby) are both full of cold AGAIN and I won’t be going swimming tomorrow. In fact, I am being very naughty and having a hot chocolate drink. It is Cadburys Lite so only about 25 calories plus milk but against my clean eating philosophy. Hey ho.

Just read your profile, keep going and I am sure you will exceed your weight loss goal in 8 weeks and, as a T2, will see some amazing results there.

Mauricem, the problem with diet drinks is that the are chemically sweetened and the body does not know what to do with it, secondly it reinforces the need for sweet things. My view is a little of what you fancy etc as long as you are not drinking it every day. I occasionally have a vodka and tonic with slimline tonic, I know I shouldn’t even be drinking the vodka but I am only human.

I am 7 days and 7 lbs down although somewhat perplexingly no discernible difference to my belly!

I am finding it surprisingly manageable except for very strong hunger pangs in the night that I think actually wake me up. I tell myself they are just the feeling of the weight coming off – like aching after exercise is the muscles rebuilding stronger…

My only diversion from the strict diet is Saturday nights when I will allow myself a bottle of wine with friends and family and perhaps a slightly bigger meal.

I struggle to drink loads as my fluid intake is restricted due to heart failure. What is the role of water in this diet? I am unclear. Is it only there help with hunger or what else?
Thanks.

what is wrong with Pepsi Max??
although i am addicted to it, i lost 6 kg in the last 3 months, in spite of the pepsi.
may be if i understand the problem, i can then change my habit.
please advise
maurice

Thanks for all your replies, I don’t feel so concerned about it now and as I said I think it was more to do with the lack of planning on my part and having to top up my lunch with two pieces of fruit.

Glad I got through my first 800 cal day, am doing 1000 cals today and back to 800 tomorrow, just to ease myself in gently 😉

Thanks
Mat x

on day 2, have had no issues with hunger, feeling pretty good so far, still a long way to go. we will see

Its the basic low carb mediterranean that you follow all the time for maintainance. In the book it says you can start at level 1 which is 800 cals a day for 8 weeks or level 2 which is 5:2 of 5x low carb med and 2x 800 cals or level 3 which is just low carb med. He recommends starting at level 1 then going to level 2 if too tough then level 3 for maintenance, but we are losing quite well on level 3 so far and will go up the levels as weight loss slows down. See what happens!

Thanks for the info Candoit, I made cauliflower rice on Sunday which was delicious, trouble is all 3 of us had gas, the dog wasn’t amused! Great to know that Woolworths has spiralised zucchini, fed up with mine turning to mush, can anyone recommend a good spiraliser? In the meantime will buy some from Woolies.

Hello orchid.

Thanks for your thoughts on soya. I’m going to continue eating it, it’s a vital protein for me.

I love hemp powder.
I stir it into almond or soya yogurt every morning, I have done this for several years now. It did however take me a while to get used to it, it certainly does have an earthy taste. I also sprinkle it on salads, roasted broccoli, sprouts etc. Such a great protein for us vegan/veggies.

Day 4 for me. Feeling lighter and brighter.

Hope all going well for one and all.

Well done Everyone. – great losses and very inspirational.

Day 4 for me too K8sgettingthin. Feeling brighter and lighter. Glad you are noticing improvements.

Trying my best to think of all the lovely food that I can eat rather than obsess about what I must not eat.

Sorry, spiralised zucchini is sold in WW😜

FYI : zucchini and caulifour rice are now sold in Woolworth stores in Australia, although doing it yourself is so cheap and easy.

Hi Everyone!!

Well day 1 week 2…. Weigh in this morning and I’m 5lbs/2.2kilos down.. Yay!! I’m so pleased….

Easier week for me this week as although I am eating out, it is at a local pub so I can have steak and veg so a really easy meal to calorie count…. Apart from that I have no plans so all meal are organised and food bought. Lovely!

I feel really good in myself which I think is a combination in the change of diet and also giving up alcohol. I feel less lethargic and more alert. I also used to have an ache in my left side which I’ve had for a while, I’m not diabetic however I have had a bit of a research which I know can be lethal, however that is where the pancreas is so maybe my body was sending me warning signs. Well this ache has all but gone….. This can only be a good thing right!!

Onwards and downwards people… yippee!!

Much Love,
Rebecca xx

Quite so, JM. Would love to lose 25% of starting weight in total, which seems unattainable sometimes until I read of people who have lost loads more than that % in a relatively short time. Think I’d look very odd much under 160 lbs but tbh, never been there, so who knows? It’s great to hear about people who are determined enough to smash their own barriers, mental and physical. Keep going, you’re all amazing. MK x

Hello! I started 3 days ago although I gave the booze away on the 1st Jan. This gave me a week to detox from that before I started. Headaches are pretty good now but last week detoxing from alcohol was pretty tough. I enjoy preparing the food as counting calories helps me keep my mind off food. I am a teacher so I am fortunate to be on holidays at the moment which has helped as I have been able to start a fitness schedual as well as relax at the beach.
I have lost 2 kilos already.

Good luck to us 👍😜

No problem – but if Pepsi Max is your downfall you might want to think about keeping it in – at a vastly reduced amount I might add – until you get really into the swing of things. I still have the occasional soft drink because a) I like it and b) it’s nice to have when you are out with friends – just don’t count it in your daily fluid intake!

Day 2 for me too and I can honestly say that today was much easier than yesterday. I have been much better on drinking my water today and don’t feel nearly as hungry as I did yesterday. I did weigh myself this morning and was thrilled at a 0.4 kg weight loss already. Thanks for the tip about the tea, I will add that to my shopping list. Hope everyone else is feeling great too.

For me, when I’ve plateaued I have a bowl of porridge, the cab surge seems to reset the weight loss process. Don’t necessarily recommend it to everyone, but it works for me.

Hi Lizcuz

I read the book over the Summer and it is now on its fourth daisy chain lend (sorry about the royalties DrM.) so am not too familiar with the details – but what is level 3?

Hi Seadog

There is no doubt that some of the recipes in the book are more carb heavy than others. BNS is carb heavy, as are apples so having them both in the same day may affect things. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have them but have a look at the back of the book to see what MM has normally teamed together. I am now in the maintenance phase but when I was losing I just chose a breakfast, lunch and dinner from the book and I lost quickly and consistently (with a couple of blips!) for 16 weeks. If you are losing weight following these recipes then just continue to do so but if it’s affecting your BS or weight loss just have a look at less carb heavy dishes for at least one meal of the two and you should be fine.

Our personal favourites are the quick platters for lunch (medi and mexi) and anything with chicken for dinner! (unless you’re veggie in which case…maybe not 🙂 )

I’ve got to admit it’s the percentages of weight loss that people have achieved that astounds me.

MK…it is indeed wonderful that there are those that have lost these impressive and massive amounts of weights….it can be done and it shows the power of mind over matter and the willingness to want to follow a healthy way of life and eating…. FAB to all of you xxxxxx

Hello Seadog. 79g carbs does seem rather a lot. How many grams of butternut have you recorded? I found the best weight loss for me involved having less that 50g carbs.

Happy Tuesday everyone! And well done all of you! I was aiming to start yesterday but Life got in the way!!!!!
Drank too much wine, ate smoked salmon Christmas left overs ( but in 3 low carb wraps ) and generally felt s..t !
Have to see the Doc on Thursday ( received a letter post blood tests) I know my cholesterol and triglycerides and possibly my blood sugar will be raised …….I’m a nurse used to managing my own clinics and advocating good health etc etc…..so I think I have a destructive addictive gene! I’m ordering my shopping on line and am reading the BSD book and recipe books and other great sites that really have great creative recipes on them , Diet Doc, IHIB ( I’m human I breathe is excellent and fun) so there is just NO EXCUSE!!!
My dear hubby has gone back to work overseas and is doing a million times better than I am …….using the recipes that I created for him…..he’s just so focused and he’s saying he’s feeling so much better and alert……..he could also not believe the calories in a baked potato, a lowly tomato, a handful of rice……So he’s cut it all out!
ValerieRobb, you can buy Low Salt and add a tiny bit to your meals….on this way of eating we excrete more salt….so our electrolytes ( chemicals) can go out of sinq…..causing headaches, cramps and dizziness ..it might be also worth upping your magnesium in the form of spinach, pine nuts, almonds and you can buy magnesium oil for the bath which helps and is absorbed!
Tesco’s sell spiralised courgette…it’s great !
The Hba1c blood test is a more accurate way of measuring blood sugars over an 8-12 weeks period ….rather than the one if ‘ snap shot’ of a fasting blood sugar ….blooded sugar do have peaks and troughs throughout the day so this is a better indicator …normal levels should be below 42 mmols………
I’ll keep you posted after my visit on Thursday. Good Luck peeps!

Aren’t people doing brilliantly! Loving these tales of 4, 6 and 7 stones lost, and under 10 stone weights now from 16 before, and great to hear about stable blood sugars too. So motivating for those of us still on a longish path. We WILL get there. We WILL stay there. Because we are standing on the shoulders of those who’ve led the way. MKx

Hello everyone, Count me in. I started BSD in October, after my HBA1C went up again and I was threatened with Gliclazide in addition to my metformin, No way! I thought and told the nurse that. I see the nurse again next Wednesday for the new HBA1C results, so counting down!

I am now 9 stone 11lbs, so 1 stone 5lbs down and aiming for 9 1/2 stone goal weight (perhaps a couple of lbs under for wiggle room) I don’t know how others feeling but these remaining few pounds, seem to have morphed in my head into some huge target, so am looking forward to sharing with others and keep myself on the right track with a positive frame of mind.

It took me longer to get back in the post xmas swing than I had anticipated but back to normality now.

Morning all,

I’m just checking with the experts out there..but I’ve just logged the food for the Tuesday meal plan in MM’s book. This is –
B’fast – egg and avocado
Lunch – No carb ploughmans
Dinner – Vegetable curry

As you can see below, the apple from the lunch, and the butternut squash make this day fairly carb heavy ?. I’m just checking, but is this OK ?.

Calories
778
Fat
43 g
Fiber
23.4 g
Carbs
79.3 g
Sodium
1117.4 mg
Protein
29.7 g
Water
1850 ml
Daily Calorie Composition: 39% from carbs, 47% from fat and 14% from protein.

Your advice is spot on. Thanks. And I’ve been putting off increasing my water intake from the start. I’ve been focusing on drinking lots of coffee with milk and, sorry, but…Pepsi max! Lots of it! I’m going to take your advice from right now. Herbal teas and water. Thanks again. I needed the kick!

Thank you so much Linda A for all that information, It’s really helpful and answers a lot of questions I had and maybe was saving for a bit later. Day 4 for me today and I notice that the crepey skin on my arms is much improved and a pea-sized hard lump on my arm is disappearing! Exciting to see what happens next!

Thank you sunshine-girl they all sound delicious. I will give them a trial run before the picnic.

Best of luck Davidh – I also found increasing water intake helped – I plateau-ed twice – once in Week three when I gained a pound (IMAGINE!!) and then Weeks 7/8 – I increased my water from 2.5 to 4 litres for a day and dropped 2lbs overnight. It stayed off too and got things started again – I continued the increased water but at about 3 litres – as 4 is just ridiculous on a regular basis lol

So I’ve managed to lost the Christmas weight – officially 5.25lbs off in a week – my second biggest loss so pleased with that. Have 4lbs to get to my ultimate goal which may be slightly low but I will see. Back on BSD proper for 5 days a week and a slight increase in calories for 2 at the weekend….reverse 5:2 I guess!!

Have two meals out and a wedding in the next two weeks so it may be hard going but I have the ultimate goal of my own wedding in June so I have to maintain this loss at least!

Three weeks in and 10lbs lost. Hooray!
Then ‘plateau!’
Several initial lessons learnt, at least which seem to apply to me and possibly explain the stall:
1. Portion sizes – better to weigh any ingredients, foods, rather than my way which is to guess!
2. Red wine: I talked myself into believing that I could drink relatively freely. Say a bottle a week. But those calories really mess things up
3. Cheese. I’ve been eating too much, again believing its OK to eat freely.

If I can nail the above, then I should be on my way again!

I started on 2nd January. By Wednesday I had a headache and felt pretty rough but by Thursday I felt great and so far feeling good. The 1st 48 hours are hard.

Morning all – 5.25lbs off for me this week. It’s just half a pound shy of all the festive weight I piled on but since it is 2lbs under my original target I’m going to claim a victory!

I’m looking at maintenance now and am looking keenly at Krysia’s post, the last couple of days I added an extra egg, cheese, nuts and seeds but my favourite addition at target had been a homemade cappuccino (extra 50 cals and 5g carbs) from my newest ‘toy’ that my parents bought us for Christmas, a Nespresso machine with a milk aerator – loving it. Not every day but may become a regular weekend thing 🙂

Great to hear of everyone’s victories this week, long may it continue! Have a good day all
TC

I am on the final push too. Weighed in at 11 stone 8 yesterday, want to get to 10 stone 7 by the end of April. I started out at 14 stone 9 during the summer so I know it works and quickly but I still cannot get my head around the fact that I am my new size. The biggest change for me was that I had no interest in anything sweet over the Christmas. There is still a tin of Quality Street on the coffee table, a year ago this would have called my name every time I walked into the room. That said I did overindulge on the cheese and crackers so my big change this week is getting the carbs in order. I have even risked looking at bikinis for my summer holidays, the last time I wore one I was 3, 37 years ago! Best of luck with the final push

Hi everyone, just joined this forum. Me and my diabetic partner (I’m not diabetic) have been doing the level 3 version for a week and have both lost 3 lbs. We also did about 10 days before xmas and lost 6lbs of which 5 lbs went back on! However, overall weight change over xmas was -1lb so my point is don’t wait for a ‘suitable time’ just get on with it and deal with holidays and trips off by doing level 3 for a few days. we’re retired so do a lot of tripping off and holidays. We need to stop thinking about these trips as excuses to eat! My birthday this weekend so we’re off to London and Rochester for the weekend BUT will still be doing level 3. Its very easy to do whilst eating out we’ve discovered. Looking forward to reading how we all get on. Good luck to all!