Hello BSD’ers. I have a one in every third weekend caring responsibility but a. Back. Some fab, inspiring posts here. 11.7 is my target so am excited to see people approaching that – it can be done! However, after losing every week I fear I’ve hit a bit of a plateau – nothing off this week but I reckon it’s down to NO exercise AT ALL while I’ve been poorly. That starts again tomorrow so fingers crossed for better results next week. BS seems to have settled again, so I’ll take that!

I’m planning on doing 8 week induction x 3, is it OK to do that? Now I’m in the swing I’m not finding it too hard, though stress is usually the enemy in terms of cravings, HOw long have others stayed on the 8 week plan? MK x

Hi everyone
Last day of Week2 tomorrow, be interested to see how I’ve done. Can see ( sought of) a reduction in size of my tummy at the top. Think my back fats reduced slightly too!! Bra bit more comfy. Struggling to keep fibre intake up – vegetarian but trying not to have too many/any pulses. Sticking to quorn, egg, cheese etc for protein. Anyone got any ideas? Still loving the food- not hungry. All is good in BSD here.hope you all are having a good week too

18% in a female would be very athletic

I am a very slow starter and am hoping by the end of Jan to be on course, I have emptied some stuff out of my cupboards and am slowly replacing them with GOOD items

I’ve looked at the Tom Kerridge book a few times but decided against it. It was the number of servings that put me off rather than anything else. I live alone and most of the recipes seem to be for 4 or 6 people. That, and the number of ingredients in many of the recipes.

I accept that I could probably make the quantity and freeze the extra portions. But that tends not to work for me – it just seems to sit in the freezer for ever.

But many of the recipes look great, so I hope you enjoy using it. Just not for me, though.

I am using the current body fat estimate from a Boditrax scan at this weight of 22% (Which may not be ultimately accurate, but has to be better than my Salter scales that still insist I am over 34% fat). I am using this to make the judgement that I need to be fairly cautious about losing more as I don’t want to go below about 18%. I think i have worked out why the Salter overreads so much, I am what is known as a ‘pear’ body type, so bigger legs and bum, and the Salter electrical measurement only goes from one foot to the other the shortest way, so my fattest bit. The boditrax used hand electrodes as well so includes Arm and Trunk measurements. Of course it is still only an estimate, but seems to match what I actually feel better than the 34% estimate. I gave up on BMI when I was obviously slimmer than I had ever been, even in my 20’s and still being told I was technically overweight. I also look at a measure called Smart BMI which has a different scale and alters with age.

i was wondering if it was possible to use soba and udon noodles when on the diet to fill out some soups or meals , I wondered how different IF ANY they are from what we cannot have on it such as pasta and rice, without sounding racist you don’t see many large Japenese people

I wish I was starting from there!

Good point well made JulesMaigret! I think my hunger is mainly early evening. Getting ready for supper. So I should go with it!
FANTASTIC though to hear it passed altogether after a few weeks. Very encouraging to hear. Thank you.

For the first few weeks I did have some hunger, but mainly in the run-up to meal time. It took a while for the penny to drop, but it dawned on me that I was actually supposed to be hungry before meal times. Up until then I was eating so much that I was only eating at set times out of habit rather than the need for a meal.

The positive thing is that this passed after three or four weeks and I currently seem to eat such a small amount and still feel sated.

Hi Way of Life
That’s interesting. I have lost my carb cravings but definitely still have hunger. I could eat cheese or nuts but don’t have the cals left in the day for them! Am hoping this subsides. How were your carb cravings today? It could be we are experiencing the same thing, just interpreting it differently…
Thanks Jande9. I know you are right, it’s about finding the right fit for yourself. Sometimes you just don’t know where to begin though. In my case I have done so many diets over the years that I have probably tried most of the possible ways (in terms of weighing often, not often, not weighing, measuring only, using a tight item of clothing etc.) but as a result of all this I have just lost confidence in knowing what is ‘right’ for me, as those diets have ultimately failed.
HOWEVER on on, I will find a way this time, one way or another. Not sure I have the willpower of Way of Life to only weigh-in at the end of 8 weeks, but I think I realise I need to be less hung up on the scales generally. I need some weigh-ins for the success (hopefully!) which will ultimately motivate me to continue.

Daisiesmum …. 11 stone what can you say apart from WOW!!!! Proof off the pudding!!! Thing is where will he be in 6 months, 12 months etc! Not that I wish him any mallice but how many times have we all lost weight in the past only to put it back on ++++++

I watch the ‘Weight Watchers’ adverts at the moment …. eat what you want and lose weight…. think we have all been there, done that, seen the film, bought the book,and up until BSD, were still wearing the T-shirt!!!! It really does have to become a life plan not just a ‘quick fix’.

Quite a bit of red meat to be honest, including a section on mince, but a few soups, omelettes, white and oily fish. Might not be too good a fit and definitely not one for the vegetarian/vegan peeps on here.

Just done it and it comes out at 21.66% – much better than I thought so 15% sounds like a sensible target

Thanks again

Will do,

Thanks

Hi Jules

How meat concentrated is his book? I really eat very little, maybe once a week or even less. I’m a fish/chicken person. How do you think his book would be for me??

There are formulas available via googling US Navy body fat % . All you need is a dress maker’s tape measure. After large amounts of weight loss it’s more accurate than calipers and it’s free.

Hi Donnyman

Fellow former prop here, although 6ft3 (I played a lot of league as well as union) and have a big frame (9″ wrist) – I hadn’t thought of the body fat percentage but I think I like the idea. How do you measure it? I read somewhere on here that the standard scales that claim to measure aren’t very accurate – any thoughts?

I’m also still carrying a lot of muscle and likely to gain as I train for a SuperVets game later this year.

I haven’t worked that out either. I’m short with broad chest and hips and having played prop forward and lifted heavy weights have huge thighs. I was thinking of going for a particular body fat % perhaps 15 ish using the US navy method.

I’ve been working in the health service for 30 years, I am a specialist in my field and therefore feel fully qualified to have opinions on differences between care provided by generalists and specialists.

Well done Margaret. You have done well.
I have struggled with food today. I had no breakfast because I pigged out on cheese last night teaching the grandsons to play Kaluki (not sure of the spelling) lunch was a small feta cheese salad made by my husband. Dinner tonight was Cod cooked on a bed of fennel and chorizo out of the book. Absolutely yummy and I have just had a couple of spoonfuls of greek yoghurt and a couple of walnuts because I feel as though a gap needs filling! Really struggled to drink 2 litres of water today and with the weather being awful here I have not been out for a walk.

Onwards and downwards

I’ve bought the new Tom Kerridge recipe book, which is essentially low-carb and BSD friendly and he has lost over 11 stone in three years – and the recipes look fabulous. And he has a serious respect for pork scratchings…..

Welcome back Verano. I think one of the (many) great things about BSD is how adaptable it is, each one of us seems to have found our own way. Sticking to the principles is more important than fast weight loss, especially if your markers are normal.

As an aside, I’m not sure what diet he followed, but a friend of mine, who I’ve only known as very overweight indeed, has been losing weight following some big health scares and said this morning that he’s lost ELEVEN STONE!!! I’m pretty sure he just did an all things in moderation approach with lots of exercise, but we’ll done him, eh?

I could not agree more. However, I found that my low opinion of these medical practitioners resulted in a very aggressive attack from another poster, so watch out! Apparently to criticise them is to be boorish.

“Most NHS personnel stick rigidly to the party line, and advise consumption of a large amount of carbs, with the resultant high blood sugar leaving us feeling helpless ever to get our bs levels down. Can’t really blame them for that, because if anything were to go wrong they would be in trouble if they had deviated from instructions.”

I don’t think that’s the reason. You need real expertise to form a professional clinical opinion rather than relay guidance. Very few have it.

Hi everyone

Sunshine-girl my sentiments exactly!!! We do have to have a life as well! I also understand that for some there is no such thing as ‘just one’ or ‘only a taste’ so we each have to do the best for ourselves.

For me, although I do need to lose quite a lot weight, I have lost more than 10% and my HbA1c was ‘normal’ at the last review. So I’m happy to ‘go slow’.

I’ve been really busy the last few days, but would love to make the ‘last’ week of the challenge the one where I really get back properly into BSD. I’ve followed the principals of BSD for the last three weeks and have lost 3lbs in total but we have a four week trip coming up and I so need to be back fully into the swing of things before we go. Otherwise who knows what the outcome will be!!!!!

Sorry I’ve not really caught up with the thread but hope you are all doing well. Looks like quite a few more people are approaching ‘maintenance ‘ which is brilliant! Just go for it …. Lynne is managing really well so, so can all the ‘new maintainers’ . It is possible!!!!

Verano put together a list of foods and their carb rating, I have a print on my fridge of all the low carb and high carb veg. Look at http://www.thedietdoctor.com and search for low carb foods.

I agree sunshine girl, I have enjoyed quite a few tipples along my BSD journey but I’m being extra strict at the moment to get to my goal (also the reason why I’m weighing myself expectantly every morning) 😉

Thanks a lot for your help.
I will try to put together my own simplified bsd.
(Have to re-read my book ;-))

Hi Daisiesmum, I am not at maintenance yet but have been on the diet for over 6 months so have to try and have a normal life, mainly stick with the calories, always stick with the no bad carbs but sometimes human.

Well done sunshine girl! I must try the celeriac/horseradish combo, sounds awesome. I had intended to have roast duck leg for lunch but neglected to check the use by date and when I opened it the smell was so putrid – straight into the wheelie bin! Note to self: use by the use by dates 🙂 My salmon lunch was delicious!
Mmm, vodka and tonic sounds nice! I plan to include an occasional tipple once on maintenance (hopefully starting later this week!).

Well done rosebery, cruising can be a feasting minefield, well done for choosing mindfully. Hopefully you will be suitably rewarded.

Oh, mixnmatch I just read your post about pulling your size 12 jeans off without undoing them, tee hee! That’s amazing.

Keep going, we are all closer than we were at the start 🙂

Yes! Victory shall be ours! <tries hard to convince self>

Well I’m not going to give up. 8 weeks or bust. And that’s just my trousers…

I think your experience is pretty much par for the course. Practice nurses (at the risk of sounding boorish) are not likely to be competent diabetes specialists. The NHS solution to high blood sugar is to increase insulin which in turns leads to an increase in weight. Impossible to get on top of this high carb, high insulin cycle. Most NHS personnel stick rigidly to the party line, and advise consumption of a large amount of carbs, with the resultant high blood sugar leaving us feeling helpless ever to get our bs levels down. Can’t really blame them for that, because if anything were to go wrong they would be in trouble if they had deviated from instructions.

I was originally misdiagnosed with Type 1, fortunately I seem to have the reversible version. Currently I take metformin, which fortunately does not seem to produce any side effects, and have been able to stop the glicazide for the most part. It should be borne in mind, I think, that GPs are paid very handsomely to deal with diabetes sufferers. I wonder if they are so anxious for you to attend their clinics because of the ker-ching factor? It would be very comforting to think you would get the best advice there, but I know that my previous compliance with their advice did not lead to an improvement in my condition. At present my BS varies between 5 and 7

Not at all stupid and one I spent a lot of time considering. My initial thought was to use BMI, but then saw that normal for me was around 13 and a half stone, which isn’t realistic. As I am diabetic, my overall plan is to use this until it works, but for a more practical approach (and to give my diabetic nurse and me some targets to talk about, I decided initially to go for seven stone off as that would take me to 16.5 stone. Then very unscientifically, I reduced the target weight by two pounds so the overall loss would be 100lb.

I know I will aim to get under this level to give me some wriggle room, but I will also be looking at the effect on BS and BP and if I have to carry on, then so be it.

Sorry not much help, but I’m not sure there is a aone-size fits all way of calculating the target.

Rosebery sounds like you are making good choices, even in those tempting surroundings 🙂

sunshine-girl, dinner sounds delicious!

Monday here and the weather has brightened, forecast for sun and heat finally. Time for ‘work face’.

As the book says, there is a lot of “conventional wisdom” around diets and weight loss, but there are very few rules supported by actual studies. You need to listen to other people’s ideas and then figure out what works best for you.
The book suggests a weekly weigh-in. Some people weigh themselves less often, while others weigh themselves more often. Whichever schedule helps you the most is the right one for you. There is no right way or wrong way, just your way.

Thanks so much – Way of Life, Mixnmatch, Jande9 – for your suggestions ! Will definitely look into seeds/nuts/pulses/beans and Skyr…
My week is up tomorrow and it is my first weighing ! I can honestly say that week 1 has been fine. I just find all the calculating for food portions etc irksome. But have just installed FatSecret and it looks promising. ..hope all of bsd followers are doing well… keep up the efforts !

This is probably a stupid question but how do you work out your Target Weight?

On p23 of the Recipe book it states ‘once you have reached your target weight……..’ but I’ve obviously missed the section saying how to calculate it

I’ve looked in the Contents & Index but “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

David

Hi kiddo, I lost 7 pounds in the first 6 days and nothing in the last 8 days so don’t think you’re alone. We just have to persevere. The body can’t hold onto the fat no matter how hard it tries, we will win 😄

I have never seen a diabetic specialist but mainly due to not having the language skills when we first came here. Now I don’t need one. My GP is always going off on courses and learning new things plus he really listens to me and if I tell him about something like this diet he will research it for himself. I did go an see a nutritionist about 2 years ago and she nearly killed me, I told her I couldn’t eat all the carbs she wanted me to and she made me promise to follow the diet for diabetes control and weight loss. 6 months later I had gained 5 kgs and my HbA1c had gone from a regular 5.7 to 8.2. I couldn’t get it down no matter what I tried and then I found this diet and I am now back at 5.9. So that’s one professional I would never trust.

Hardest thing for me today is making my husband a portion of sage and onion stuffing to go with his chicken so just done my BG to remind myself why I am not allow it, 4.8 happy face. At least he didn’t want any roasted potatoes with dinner although I am doing him mash. I am having left over mashed celeriac with horseradish sauce in it. It is delicious.

I will be allowing myself a vodka and tonic a bit later and maybe a glass of red wine with dinner. Life is for living.

Keep going everyone.

Most people in uk who have diabetes don’t see a specialist diabetes nurse. Instead they see a practice nurse at the GP surgery. Most with diabetes are diagnosed by the General Practitioner who is very much a generalist and some of those are reluctant to refer atypical cases to specialists, as each referral has a cost.
I see mistakes in our health service every day. As I told my sister recently “for God’s sake don’t just trust us!”.

Kiddo, you sound similar to me, I am a 44 year old woman, needed to lose just over 2.5 stone, it’s what I have gained over the past 2 years when I stopped doing 5:2. I’m 5’6″ I have now lost 9 pounds first week (but think some of that loss because I finished my period), am trying out doing 800cals during the week then not cal counting over the weekend. But still strict low carb (except the 3 glass of wine!) I may knock that on the head if I plateau for too long at any point, but am hoping in another 5 weeks I can switch to the 5:2 version as calorie counting long term will wreck my head!

Fingers crossed your scales show good results on Tuesday!

Ps I find when I have cravings I just eat a couple of Brazil nuts and they go away again

Thanks you two! I’m a 42yr old woman; 5ft 9 with two stone to lose. I know I won’t get the dramatic losses that some will but was going for something steady.

Tbh my period is 12 days away so maybe that hasn’t helped. I didn’t take any measurements apart from weight because I hate my body I can barely look at it let alone be confronted with measuring it… 😕

I am determined to continue. Tuesday is my proper weigh-in day so maybe I’ll have had some results by then.

On the plus side, I’m loving the food and am beginning to accept that mild hunger is the new normal.

I’ve not experienced cramps, but could this be salt related? Because the diet allows so little processed food and so much water is drunk it can deplete electrolytes. Just a thought.

You are experiencing a plateau. It is totally normal if a bit frustrating, but if you are sticking to the 800 calories, you are burning fat. What happens I believe is the fat cells do not collapse until they have emptied completely and they replace a fat molecule with a water molecule. This means that you will lose weight in whooshes, where a whole fat cell gives up the water at once and your weight can change by 2-3 pounds overnight. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, some people have reported that upping their intake to 4 litres can help, add a little extra salt to your diet if you are not already doing this, and it can help reassure you that the fat is going if you use measurements rather than weight during a plateau. Are clothes feeling looser? Has your belt gone in a hole or two? Water takes up less space than the fat so many people report these things happening while their weight does not change. Search for plateau and whoosh on the forum to see just how common this is 😊

Thank you Miss Ziggy & Fairyface I did kick my butt today doing 20mins of Jane Fonda exercise with light weights😇🏋🏻‍♀️🏋🏻‍♀️
Margaret xx

Hi Kiddo, to be honest I am totally expecting the same kind of result for myself this coming second week, I have lost so much this first week (9 pounds in 6 days) that I know my body and it tends to have a big initial reaction and then stalls, I just think you need to hang on in there in the absolute knowledge that it will restart, I don’t know enough about the science to be able to tell you why, but I have watched enough diet programmes (notably Biggest loser) and had enough of my own experience of dieting over the years to see this happen frequently.

Are you a man or woman? If a woman could it be hormonal related? I gain weight (water retention?) before my period. Or maybe it’s possible to retain water for men too?

Could you try a burst of exercise? A brisk walk up a steep hill and see what happens tomorrow? It is disheartening though when the scales aren’t showing numbers that encourage! Have you measured yourself at the beginning? Are you tracking that too?

point taken Donnyman but you can see from what you said, it was a difference between Type 1 and Type 2. I am sure when David sees the diabetic nurse it will all become clear and it is a good point that he should be referred to a diabetic specialist. Isn’t everyone. I don’t live in the UK so am not familiar with the process. In the case you quote, someone made a mistake, and it happens. As for the slim part, I was not at all overweight and I exercised regularly and was aged 53. Another reason for giving T2 different names, more people are getting it younger, so they call it early onset or later called latent onset and so on. I don’t know how old David is, don’t think he has said.

My point to David regarding getting the diagnosis checked was really because Type 2 is unusual in slim fit people – not unheard of, but often other forms of diabetes are misdiagnosed as Type 2. A colleague got her diagnosis at the same time as I did (type 2) and collapsed in the office 6 weeks later as she was a slow onset type 1- we were all surprised as she was 42 years old.