Linda A, Me too! I just had my 40th on 26th.

My goal for 2017 is to get as much weight off as I can, be more active and “try” to cure my type 2 once and for all. I hate taking Metformin, I am constantly on the loo with it – My doctor told me to carry on taking it as well as the diet but the med leaflet says to stop if on 1000 or under cals a day.

I risk my diabetes going to the point of injection BUT if this diet is anywhere as good as it claims, then I will be going the other way without any metformin at all.

My last remaining relative died in June so I figure worst that can happen is I die too, in which case I will embrace it and not be scared of dying!

Wow some of your stories sound so familiar! I am 13st7 and feeling rubbish about it. Lots going on in life and food / wine is a comforter. No longer. Now it’s time to find me again. Can’t wait to get there and lovely to know there are lots of you right there with me. Bring on 2017!! Xx

Hi Nedds Mum,

I was inspired by your story and I wish you luck also. I am starting tomorrow but I started to drink my water a few hours ago after we ate.

My wife does the diet too.

So firstly, Happy New Year!
Can you believe 2017.

So, what shall we do?
I think we need to break this BSD situation down.

Fitness, how about walking until I get puffed out, pause, catch my breath then walk back.

Eating, how about I write down truthfully everything I eat and notice how much are carbs.

Mentally, how about finding a nice painting or statue on the internet. Put it in front of you, and look at it for ten minutes.
See what you like about it, what you don’t like about it, is it real. Is it abstract. How would you change it. It doesn’t matter if you understand it. Just look, look at the outline, look at the colour, look at the texture.
During these ten minutes you have quietly meditated on a piece of beauty.
You can be smug now. You are now officially an art critic. Ha!

Have a great day one.
Here we go…..

Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Thank you LainieUK. Hope your dad continues to recover well.

FLASH!
SARA MCK
SNOOP

I’ve posted on starting 2017…anyone? thread as I’m attempting to restart tomorrow (1st Jan)
Hope to see you all over there.

Happy new year to you all. X

Greek style yogurt and Skyr have a lot more protein compared to regular yogurt and are also low fat. I find them very satisfying. They do have some milk sugar though.

Hello again to all

Not a great few weeks but that’s in the past.

I’m restarting tomorrow. Have been trying to think differently and change approach. Last time I took a day at a time (good move) but kept telling myself that come Xmas and at end of 8 weeks I would stuff myself again with high sugar foods. That’s what I did.

This time I have to see this as a way of life from now on. I’ll still take a day at a time but not look to a time in the future that I can lapse. When thinking that I obsessed about it every day planning what I’d eat and I went mad and ate enough for a family of four….truly i did!

So tomorrow it’s all change.

I’ll post when I can but will try not to obsess about doing that too. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl and this hasn’t served me well in the past.

I wish everyone well on the BSD journey. I look forward to reading about how you are all getting on.

Have a fabulous evening and happy new year.

Hello 🙂

I stopped the diet for a few weeks whilst I clarified something with my doctor. None the wiser I am starting it again as of midnight and doing the full 8 weeks. I only got a headache for about 1/2 a day and then I was fine. I still drink my coke zero and it has zero effects on my weight loss.

We have a slow/pressure cooker and we use it to make porridge every day – we have home made soup for dinner and some meat and veg for tea.

You can just by slimfast or weight watchers stuff for the 2 weeks if you want. I pigged out on a WW meal the other day and felt bad, only to find out it was nder 1/2 the daily goal so I had a treat instead. Left feeling stuffed and still under 800 calories!

Hi Pompom
LUNCH ON THE GO:
M&S and Tesco both do a protein pot with boiled eggs and spinach. About 150calories and you should be able to find one or the other at service stations. A bag of almonds, banana are good to have in the car. As is a punnet of cherry toms or bag of sugar snap peas and Tin of tuna. Good luck

Hello, I’m starting in January too. I’ve got about a stone and a half to lose and have lots of diabetics in the family so I’m wanting to lose some weight and get myself into shape a bit more and keep diabetes at bay. I’m 60 and, although I don’t have any medical problems, I’m starting to have aches and pains and to feel old and fat! I’m not quite sure which day I’m starting yet as I’ve got family staying for another week but I might go ahead anyway and let them do their own food! One particular problem for me is lunch as I’m in my car all day and tend to eat ‘on the run’. Any portable lunch ideas would be great. I’m looking forward to some mutual support on the site. Good luck to everyone and happy new year!

Later than planned joining this challenge, so here I am on 1 January after 10 days off (mostly off sugar though so that was a win).

The hurdles continue with summer BBQs and general socialising and I will have to work my way through it all. So, round 2 of 8 weeks with another 10ish kg still to lose.

Happy New Year one and all xx

Well, that’s another notebook completed.

Tomorrow I’ll start recording everything in my new page-a-day diary. If I’d known at this time last year what I know now, I’d have used such a diary. But I didn’t want to waste money on something I might not keep going. So I’ve got 4 notebooks covering my BSD journey to date.

So, tomorrow my new (decorated and sparkly) diary comes into use.

Some information to be copied across (will do that shortly) then I will be recording weight and food eaten, as I have been doing all year.

Plus -.I’ve posted elsewhere that I’ve signed up for a challenge, to walk 1,000 miles in 2017. There is a progress tracker to go on my fridge door, but I’ll be recording how far I walk in my diary too. I do like to keep things together – just to see the impact of different variables. Most folk doing the challenge seem to be using Fitbits or similar. But, like I’ve kept my records on paper instead of using an app, I will be using a pedometer instead of anything more technical. I could use my iPhone to track mileage, but it’s not always on me – so, pen and paper it is.

A very happy, healthy 2017 to everyone. And great BSD success.

Hi Julia,

They sound like great ideas, particularly the ginger as I’ve bought some for cooking.

Thanks for the advice and happy new year all!

Andy

Hi Everyone
I’m starting on 3/1/17. I knew I’d gained weight after a couple of ops this year but when my GP said I needed a fasting glucose test I knew it had hit crunch point. The test has been repeated and I’m waiting the results. By getting started now I feel reassured that no matter what the result shows I CAN reverse it.
I’m a vegetarian too. To prepare, I sat down and wrote out 10-15 meal recipes that I calculated the calories for. I based it on things I like to eat, reduced the carbs, bulked them out with veg etc. Then I drew a grid of meals for every day next week and fitted in meals based on keeping to 800 calories a day. I started on evening meal and worked backwards- no meal has more than 450 calories and if I had a higher calorie evening meal, I looked at lower calorie lunch and breakfast. I’m hoping it works!! I travel a lot for work but have figured out where my nearest Tesco and M&S are as I know they sell a few things I can have. No more cooked breakfasts!
I also did some rudimentary calculations on how many calories it takes to lose a pound of fat. I reckon I can lose up to 45lbs in 8 weeks!!! THAT motivates me ( spaniels ears boobs not so much!!) What happens if you aren’t at target weight at the end of 8 weeks? Do you just carry on?
Support buddies gratefully received- please say hi!!

1.10.16 – 114.2
24.12.16 – 100.5
31.12.16 – 100.2

300 grams lost this week. So pleased with myself . Thought I had posted this earlier.

Happy New Year to you all.

Been a while! I did not finish the 8 weeks due to birthdays blah blah which is no excuse I know. However I have stuck to the principles and the weight has stayed off my thighs and tummy quite well and can get in everything except that it was noticeable yesterday that a skirt was less than comfortable, Eating more fish and enjoying coming up with interesting soups and salads. Today has been signalled as the last shout. Today we have had yoghurt with apple, lunch was a glass of a traditional Jeropiga as an aperitif, followed by ginger and parsnip soup – it is only this year that I have seen them here and I know they are naughty but the joy of parsnips is something else – followed by a salad of roquetfort, with pear and walnuts and a satsuma with a glass of white wine. Dinner is going to be minestrone soup and possibly later a gin or two and crisps and so looking forward to being back in line tomorrow. Although I have not posted since probably November, I have read the posts and I congratulate everyone on their success. Every bit off is a bit less of us. I know we will do it. For those of you starting to feel guilty about whatever you do tonight – don’t. It is just the last blast! We will be watching TV and having an early night being bth haters of the false jolity of NY but I hope everyone has a fab time whatever you are doing. Onwards and downwards on the scales!

I’ve now done my first week’s food shopping ready to start Monday! Tomorrow I plan on a low carb day (but no calorie counting) making a slow ease in ready for Monday.
Feeling very excited to get going and also nervous about being hungry – I have a few no calorie drinks and very low calorie snacks in mind (celery anyone?)
Happy new to you all!

Happy New Year everybody 😀😀
The last guest has been catered for & now trying to deal with the leftovers of two lunches of roast beef,roast potatoes etc & then Thai fish curry with sweet potatoes & Jasmine rice & sweetcorn so not exactly BSDiet food. I am so fed up with the abundance of food & a cupboard full of chocolates & tempting cheese biscuits. It seems so wasteful to throw them away so perhaps my husband can have small rationed portions as part of his maintenance diet as well as the strict BSD food I am planning to eat from tomorrow! I have had a generously pleasing amount of wine today & the fish curry was really good so could have that again tomorrow with more vegetables, courgetti & a very small amount of rice? I suppose the beef will have to become something such as a stir fry, or curry? Oh dear it’s making me fed up just thinking about it.
I weighed this morning & have gained 1 & 3/4 more pounds so that should quickly be lost. So it’s cold turkey tomorrow ha ha! no alcohol & much reduced carbs to start the new year & lots of water & coffee.
I am optimistic that we can all do this for another eight weeks! By the way my given name is
Margaret & since we are all going to be in this together please use it!
Margaret xxx

LOL!!! Definitely good to have a plan!!! We have a similar NY to you. Enjoy!

Happy new year all! There is a new book out by Gary Taubes — “The Case Against Sugar”. Just published.
For those of you who are working on reducing your simple carbohydrate intake (including flour, potatoes, corn, rice, agave, syrup, pasta), Gary Taubes’ books (he also wrote “Why We Get Fat”) are the very best explanations of how carbohydrates trigger obesity and diabetes. They are also “good reads” and interesting — not boring, not dry.
I HIGHLY recommend them for an intellectual understanding of how critical it is to control your simple-carbohydrate intake. (A critical step)
I also like his first book “Good Calories Bad Calories” which is a bit of a doorstop (thick) but fascinating history of how we got to the point where health authorities were recommending so much carbohydrate and why they are wrong.

jmarie41 – Avila posted about it elsewhere. The link is http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/walk1000miles/

That will explain it all😀 There seem to be a few of us on the BSD signed up!

The aim is to walk (surprise, surprise!) 1,000 miles in 2017. There’s a Facebook group for those taking part.

Have the most awful cold – so achey that exercise will be a distant dream for next couple of days.
Some way to start a new year – am in bed with some hot water and lemon and a hot water bottle!
Happy new 2017 everyone – here’s to a year of good choices every day. MK x

Andy – re nice stuff to drink, try fizzy water with fresh ginger and lemon slices. Or mint leaves. Or fruit tea bags infused in it.
Julia

Wishing my BSD friends both old and new a very happy and healthy 2017. And, of course a successful BSD new year.

Happy new year everyone.

Joining you in getting extra pounds gained off again ASAP! Thought I’d gone up 5 kilos in month of December but stepped on scales just now and horrified to find it’s more than that… working in kilos not pounds. Back to 86.5 from 79 at lowest in summer. This is not all Christmas food as meds started in Dec cause weight gain and I stupidly thought I would get away without logging food. Paid the price for that decision but as others say we have the tools. Go folks, go! And happy BSD friendly year to all!
Julia

Sounds like a great goal captainlynne! How does the challenge work?
Happy New Year 2017 to you.

Janet :–)

Not exactly a mini goal – but a goal nonetheless.

I’ve signed up for the 1,000 miles walked in 2017 challenge I saw a post about! Reset my pedometer last night – being a dinosaur I don’t have anything more technical 😱 LOL

Wishing everyone a very happy and health 2017. And, of course a successful BSD new year.

I used black soybeans as a replacement for beans in soups, hummus, salads, chili, etc. because they’re so high in fiber their net carb count is extremely low. They taste like nothing at all, which makes them very versatile because they suck up the flavor of whatever you put them in. They’re hard to find dry (I get them online), but the canned beans are widely available in health food stores and my local farmers market, at least in the US.

Midspur I can voucher for seeds/nuts working on 10k runs. I haven’t gone as far as 10 miles but haven’t felt dizzy with just nuts. As long as hydration is maintained, of course!

Happy New Year to all of you in places where it is already January 1st, 2017.
Here is the USA, it is New Years Eve morning.

Wishing you all a great start if you are starting today. I’ll be joining you tomorrow!
My twin sister has decided to try the BSD so I’m really excited about that.

Janet :–)

I just ordered the book and plan to start January 7th. Looking forward to getting to know other BSDers!

Well, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I braved the scales and I only gained one pound. I must say that I am surprised since I have been drinking wine, eating chocolates, etc. I will be back on track after New Years Day, but still trying to be careful over the next 24 hours.

I forgot to mention, while we were in the restaurant we booked for Christmas Day next year!!!!!

Even though am not back on it I have still been very careful and my weight was down again this morning, back to my original pre Christmas weight. Out shopping for things to take back to France and daughter said mum and dad you have paid for everything let me treat you to lunch at Miller and Carter, so we did, first time ever in 6 months I had a dessert of raspberry crème brulee and enjoyed every mouthful. Up side is we dont do New Year so it will be chicken casserole and a couple of glasses of champagne tonight and in bed by 11. Have a good NY everyone and best wishes.

Happy New Year everyone!

Day 4 for me and down 2.5lbs which I’m very happy with!
11.5lbs to go to my first target (holiday on 31st January).

We have a large family gathering tonight at an Indian restaurant. I have already decided what I’m having from the online menu, entered it into MFP and after a saintly lunch I am smack on target with calories and macros for today! Yaay, go me!

For the very first time, I really think I can do this!

Hope you all have a great evening and all the very best for 2017! xxx

Thanks. I’ll give it a go over the next couple of months and see how I get on.

I hope everyone has a safe New Years Eve, for those you are out driving, traveling and out and about. Be safe…….

Happy New Year Everyone

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have also signed up to do the 1000 mile challenge. It looks quite manageable, even in a west of Scotland winter!! I’m also working up to 18 hour fasts. It’s easier than counting calories.😊

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope 2017 brings good health and whatever else you desire.xx

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone and a happy healthy 2017.

Over Christmas I have been totally on the BSD way of eating and tomorrow would have done 8 straight months without having a single mouthful of starchy or sugary carbs. This time last year I wouldn’t even have thought that it was possible to have done this for even a month.

Have allowed myself some treats over Christmas – mostly a generous serving of cream in my many coffees, more nuts than I would normally eat and much more stilton than normal. Not surprisingly the calories do mount up. Have got back down to between 1000 and 1200 calories a day (thank you Verano for starting this challenge).

As well as sorting out my health issues I have found another powerful motivator – the fact that I don’t have any of my larger clothes any more. I don’t know why I never thought of taking them to the charity shop when I lost weight before but I always packed them carefully away in case I might need them – and I always did. Now I know that there is absolutely nothing in the house that will fit me if I put on weight – that’s quite scary and does help to keep me on track.

Am now off to dig out Peapod’s recipe for courgettes soup which I want to make for lunch.

Elaine

three meals, yes – I need to feel like I am eating! This morning has been good so far. Breakfast was of necessity a spinach, coconut flour and chia seed pattie – with a small slice of black pudding. Meds side effect is constipation – don’t think that would be my breakfast of choice otherwise. Wind blowing a howling gale up here in Edinburgh, but am going out running shortly anyway. Will get some endorphins released which is always good. Fixing kitchen first as the family seems to think it just fixes itself and I am still the only one up – honestly, the sooner we get back to non-holiday routine the better!

All the best to you today! And for tonight… we are spending it with friends but I already volunteered to be the driver so that will help the calories. Happy New Year – here’s to a healthy 2017 to one and all!

Julia

Well it’s also good to know that I’m not the only one that has gained over Christmas, but like you all mention we have the tools and knowledge to re boot and make 2017 our year :).
I’m actually excited about it….because I know I can do this.
It’s good to hear those who have gained over Christmas have not dwelled too much on it, and have got straight on it, enjoying walks (positive steps always helps to make you feel better hey).
Let us know how you get on over the coming weeks….

Yes, I’m trying – again!
Been a member for years and fooled myself that being a member and liking the science would in some way work. Well I know it wont and so trying again. I have a huge amount of weight to lose that will take years – but on 5:2 before I lost 20 kilos and felt great.
I really need to succeed so happy to start again in a group. I’m veggie and I know that doesn’t help but doesn’t make it impossible.
Looking forward to being in a bit more control. Going to use My Fitness Pal for calories as well as carb totals.
Going to try for 50-60 carbs.

Hi to you all, soooo glad i found this thread as lots of hints, tips and encouragement. I’m starting tomorrow so doing my ‘prep’ shopping today. Although i am not on meds for diabetes but am in the ‘at risk’ category and as someone has already pointed out, reading the BSD book is a real eye opener and its all about getting healthy rather than fitting into a size 10! So roll on tomorrow virtual family!

Good morning (or whatever time of day it is wherever you are 🙂 ) and happy New Year’s Eve to you all.

Day Four (yesterday) of this challenge has hopefully set me back on the right exercise track. I did a walk (albeit a fairly short one) and the HIIT on my rebounder along with a 10 minute pilates-with-resistance-band session from an old exercise DVD that I dusted off, I also spent some time on my rebounder which I keep next to my couch! Food wise I did a partial fast – I will continue the BSD with a 5:2 approach, 5 days around 1000cals and 2 at 500, I find sticking too 800 every day way too tough for me (snack-a-holic that I am).

Today’s exercise target is similar to yesterday but without the HIIT.

The 1000 mile challenge looks interesting, I’ll check it out later. I had a dog a while back and I worked out that over the course of his lifetime (14 yrs) I walked at least 10,000 miles with him!

Loving all the chocolate talk! A lovely relative, trying to be helpful, gave me some 70% lindt for Christmas, I found it WAY too sweet preferring 85% or higher now. Celebrating the small victories!

Happy New Year to everyone. Here’s to our healthiest, fittest year ever!

Here’s to a happy, healthier and slimmer new year for all
All the best Carianne 😘

Hello folks! I’m planning on re-starting the diet from the 2nd of January, and it looks like I’ll be in good company 🙂

In total, I’d like to lose just over 40 lbs, but I know that’s a long-term goal and not something to fix in 8 weeks!

I’m also vegetarian but cook for my meat-eating husband so meals need to be quite adaptable for us both. He’s been doing the conventional 5:2 for the last few years so we’re used to slightly unusual diets 🙂

I’ve got the 2 ‘official’ books, but I’ve also recently bought ‘Low carb, gluten free and vegetarian’ by Celia Brooks and there are some super recipes in there. The things that woman can do with an aubergine!

All the best to you all 🙂

I’m still here … Seasons Greetings everyone! Yes I’ve fallen off the wagon but despite this I still feel true to BSD and I will be back following the diet that makes me feel so good and alive! I haven’t blown it completely … just small amounts of the bad stuff but it was enough to scare me off the scales. So here I sit, after throwing away all temptations in the bin, making my weekly menu, shopping list and feeling excited to get going again.
Maybe some of you will be feeling the same as me … I hope a lot will …. onwards and upwards everyone 🙂 🙂