I made cauliflower in mine and it was like charred leather scraps! I cooked it for way too long. How long do you cook your vegetables for? What sort of combination of veg to you use ?

Have you made the cauliflower mash, cauliflower steamed with 5 cloves of garlic? That might be a good use for your elephant garlic. Isn’t it milder than normal garlic?

Congratulations Carb-addict, you are doing very well! I have lost 7lbs over the last week, and I’m very happy with that, even though I know the weight loss will slow down in week 2. 1 week down…7 to go!

Hi everyone. I am here for support, information, enlightenment and to pick up some great recipes!

Hi Mixnmatch

Yes the reboot went really well and now pick your carbs is keeping me on track. I’m finding that one week at a time is the way to go for me!

Well done on your weight loss … it’s amazing!!! I saw your post about the bin bags of clothes, dying to have a ‘try on’ but a bit frightened in case it derails me at the moment! Going to hang on for a while because, although I’m losing, I’ve still got loads to lose!

Good luck with your couple of pounds …. great achievement !

Parsnip isn’t nearly as high as the other two as long as you watch the quantities you should be okay, I use olive oil in mine, and a variety of vegetables to roast, but will try the peppers, onions and garlic one soon. I bought some lovely looking elephant garlic yesterday, and will try doing some whole cloves. In fact that might go very well with tonight’s trout fillet, and parsley sauce.

Bit of a late night fridge raid last night (watched GBBO extra slice at 1am) Hummus and cheese, didn’t really enjoy it that much. Have still lost 0.3kg though.
M&S layered vegetables for breakfast/lunch – always been a favourite – have just realised there are potatoes in there.

Hi Shalimar
Thanks for the reply. I certainly need to talk it over.
My exercise level has been 2 days a week 3 hours each, on the weekend, since i work 10 hours everyday.
I have no problem with the BSD, since i love cheese, and am not feeling hungry.
I love the sentence “15 Kilos ago”, which is when i could fit into my pants. (going thru cancer treatment, i lost 15 kilos easily in 4 months)
the gain in weight, and mostly in waist inches, was caused by the special low residue diet that i had to go thru after major surgery in the abdomen. i HAD to eat white bread, and no salad, for six months. that was necessary for the healing process, but unfortunately, i continued with same input even when healing was over. so now i have an inflated belly, which i thought was hernia, until doctor said that it is fat. My target is to remove the fat from the belly, and fit into my pants. that is it. From the posts, people say that they have lost weight the first two weeks. so I thought the new metabolism must kick in. I will try to be patient.
thanks again
mauricem

Healthy fat is good for you not so sure about the high carbs in potato, parsnip of even sweet potato!!

Suppose it depends on how many carbs your having and if you’re T2 and why you are losing weight!

Hi all,
Great to get the results of all these experiments and tips. Helsbels, that is great news about your mum. That panorama programme is on my To Be Watched list, though I am not diabetic. It looks interesting and is called diabetes the hidden killer. It is on YouTube for those of us who cannot access the BBC player.
Sazzle50, the cheese might have been my problem with the cauliflower cheese. My teenagers had eaten all the cheddar so used montego cheese, now that I remember. What cheddar did you use?
Rozydozy, some great tips! Want to try those cupcakes now this weekend.
I tried the seed flapjacks. They were delicious but mine were very soft. Tended to crumble, which meant that (in the interest of tidiness), I ate about 3 anytime I opened the tin, just clearing up crumbs! Let us know if anyone else tries them and manages to make them firm.
Also did Cajun spiced bean burgers- very tasty! Courgetti with pesto, peas and goats cheese went down really well with my gang and was quick to make. Also did the gammon steak and red cabbage, but with pork chops as I couldn’t find gammon in my local shop. I love red cabbage but some of my gang don’t and I think it would go better with gammon. Still some in the fridge for when I find gammon!!
Keep cooking !
Corkie

Well done Verano, that reboot is really doing it’s stuff! 😀 no change for me today, but my BMI is just higher than yours Fit_My_Jeans_Again, at 28.4 so I have a similar next mini-goal, in fact I have a few that may hopefully come up next week. 40 kg lost in a couple of pounds, then under 175 lbs, and after that 6 1/2 stone lost isn’t far away. Bought a few more bargain size 10/12 clothes yesterday for the box of the future in my wardrobe, so I can keep testing my new shape. Will probably try again at the 6 1/2 stone mark.

Hi Stacib

This diet is designed to remove our reliance on sugars and carbs.
Whilst grapes aren’t carbs they are very high in sugar
I haven’t had any fruit all week..
The only recipes I can see so far with fruit seem to be apples.
Kidney beans are ok though.

Sorry that you are struggling
Do you have the books?.. they really seem to help….
And lots of us list what we are eating on here the cals and carb content… to help us keep track.
As you can see some us have had gains too – but persevere- it soon falls off xx
Don’t lose hope hon… keep going xx

High fat is good for you, I thought?

Welcome KatrenaJ, you shouldn’t have any problems adapting your diet to BSD principles, just cut the quantity down of any oatmeal, bread, noodles, rice or sweet potatoes and like MM says, try to think of them as a small side dish, not a plateful, to moderate the carb levels. Looking at your list, probably the easiest and best evening meals are stir fries (keeping the fat quantity down if you need to) using a selection of vegetables you are allowed, with squash noodles or courgetti instead of the grain based noodles, chicken and fish are both staples for me as you can see from this week’s diary. Good luck with your journey.

I too started on Oct 3rd. I lost weight for the first couple of days but I’ve now been gaining weight. I’m still albs down from my starting weight, though. Please, can one eat kidney beans or grapes on this diet and still lose weight?

Good Morning, my husband and I have started on Tuesday (4th) but I have only just found you guys. May I still join?
I am aiming to ultimately shed 30kg but this is going to take time. So for the time being, I am focussing on 8 weeks, which will take me to the beginning of our holidays before Christmas. The next goal is to maintain the weight during the holiday and over the festive period.
Reading all your posts is so encouraging. I sneaked a little trip to the scales in this morning and am down by 3kg, so that is 10% of my goal….hugely motivated 🙂

No movement on the scales today, but still feeling okay. This is where the diet deviates from what I have been doing which was more calories (double usually) at the weekend. I am going to try the same pattern I have been using during the week, so only drinks before 12:00 and after that either brunch or a later lunch and dinner. This seems to be working well so far, and I think the extra mini-fasts should help. Last night just for a change I had chicken, spaghetti squash and spinach, but the chicken breast was a rather spectacularly lovely Rannoch smoked one. Will give chicken a rest for today and go for trout fillet for tea. Brunch will probably be some form of porridge, I’ll get creative again almost certainly and I still have stuff to use up, and a mug of homemade carrot and squash soup which i am determined to make to try to get some of my fridge back from all of the vegetables in it.

Morning all 🙂
End of first week weigh in. WOW I am amazed at what this new way of eating has done for me in just one week. 4.5kg 10lbs in old money lost, my fasting blood sugars down from 17.3 to 9.9 and I have stopped my 2 evening gliclazide and 1 1/2 inches off my waist. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first week and have found the meals very appetising. I have not missed my Carbs at all considering they were my staple diet. All meals planned and shopped for next week I am finding the planning is the key for me, if I know what I am eating for the day I don’t fall off the wagon. Off to see my GP on Tuesday for a meds review, as I have been avoiding him since the discussion for me to commence on insulin.
Well done to everyone on the losses this week onwards and downwards.

Hi Verano- when I’ve had the odd treat – cake, rice, piece of bread, I’ve been a bit ‘mmm, what’ the fuss about’ – not with wine, or good chocolate though. Or champagne (and I am still a bit the same as you with chocolate Loopylou)

I went to a recording of John Finnemore’s R4 program last night, not sure when it airs, November I think, but it has a funny sketch about wardrobe clearing out.
`

Good morning everyone, hope you are all well and glad the first working week is over for most. I managed to resist the vino last night – quite an achievement for me believe me!!! I’m not going to weigh myself until Monday now – 5lb loss since last Monday so far.
Good luck to everyone, welcome to all new members – Have a fab weekend ️xxx

Congratulations Verano! You can definitely lose the next 5lbs by the end of October.

I weighed myself this morning and I’ve cracked the 80kg mark at last! My BMI (for what they’re worth) is now 28.2. So my new mini goal is to get into the 27s. Which is when I’m under 79kg, so it’s another very mini goal.

Good morning one and all.

Well, here goes with the not-so-pretty vital statistics:

Height: 5 ft 2 inches (short)
Weight: 14st 6 lbs (heavy)
Fasting Blood Glucose: 4.9 (good news – I am not prediabetic)
BMI: 36.9 (bad news – I am officially obese)
Waist measurement: 42 inches (I am definitely ‘rotund’)
Target loss: 73lb

As for setting a target, I have looked at the weight ranges on NHS BMI page, and also remembered way back into the dim and distant past, of what weight I have been happy/comfortable at. So my long term goal is 9st 3lb.

With regards to my mini-goals, I think aiming for a stone and a half loss in my first eight weeks is realistic. if I am honest, I would like it to be more than that, based on other people’s results. But let’s not go crazy, and set myself up for failure. So a realistic mini goal of 21lbs weight loss for the first eight weeks. But I’ll be shouting from the roof tops if I can beat that !

Good luck Tapatch for your start day on Monday, wishing you lots of good luck and a positive spirit. Telling people at work is a great idea – it’s also working out were your ‘weak-spots’ may be, and dealing with them before you get to them. If yours is at work, then warning/telling people is great. For me, it is the un-planned binge, so planning my meals and having no ‘contra-band’ in the cupboards/house should help me succeed.

I’ve just had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon – I found the 50g recommended in the book was a little too much for me, because it is such a strong taste, so a smaller amount was just right and meant fewer calories to count for that meal. A nice weekend breakfast – I won’t be eating like that every morning !

Right – off to go and walk those dogs, and go a bit further than normal to get my step count up.

Have a lovely Saturday, everyone BBG xx

OK, I couldn’t resist it: I weighed myself this morning. Back up to 85.1 kg (so up 1.4 kg), but given what I’ve drunk and eaten these last few days, I’m very pleased it wasn’t more. Party today to celebrate but back on the bandwagon for real as from Monday. See you then. Have a good weekend.

Morning all. First official weigh in after seven days shows a 3 kg loss which is amazing considering I have enjoyed the food so much. Probably helps that I can eat salad until it come out of my ears! 2″ off waist. Did not measure rest of body so cannot really say if I have lost anything there but noticeably having to fasten new bra on shortest set of hooks and eyes so imagine something might have gone and also I did notice some the ‘lovely’ muffin effect at back of bra, appears to have gone. The forum is very helpful and I think works to keep us all motivated. More energy definitely and a clearer brain. Hoping that the next seven days go just as well for me and everyone else. Onwards and downwards. Have a great weekend everyone.

Yesterday I had920 calories and 30g carb. I bought some green and blacks chocolate to eat in single squares and then had a bit of a stressful time and it was sitting on the table and I ate half the bar! I am still not entirely in control of what I eat! However I still lost a quarter of a pound today.
Sunshine girl and Frog you really made me chuckle. Krysia you are doing so well, Berano well done on your blood sugars. I have people coming for dinner tonight. I am planning crayfish cocktail, pork fillet in mushroom sauce, pudding which I won’t have and cheese. I will undoubtedly go over my allowances but will keep it med friendly. And I will check out my red wine tolerances.

Hi

Reached my mini goal and am now closer to the next stone down a week sooner than I’d hoped!

Ok … so next goal … 5lbs by October 31st the day of my next diabetic review. So that’s three weeks on Monday and I’m sure it’s doable it’s just a matter of staying on track!!

Fit … doesn’t matter how small the goal might be its a goal and all goals reached are milestones in the journey! Good luck.

Glad you’re all reaching your goals. Hang onto that coat Krysia it will always remind you how far you have come!

When are you away sunshine-girl? It must be soon now? Did you make the 0.1 ?

UK
Start weight 147.4lbs (on 3 Oct 2016) I have come across to BSD from the 5:2 Fast Diet, I did lose weight but I really want the belly fat to come off fast.
Today’s weight 144.4lbs.

Plan for today:
Breakfast: lean eggs and ham 118 cals
Lunch: Tarka Dal 237 cals
Supper: Watercress Salad and steamed Salmon 382 cals
TOTAL cals 737

The remainder will be cups of tea!

Haven’t decided on exercise yet – any tips?

Shalimar what a lovely thought to just be kind & also to just be comfortable with ourselves whatever size we are😀😀
There is not enough kindness in the world at the moment & the news is full of strife, hate & people killing each other. It looks like we need more good things in the news like the whale calf that pushed its stranded mother off the sand bank so they could both swim free & out to sea.
We are all on the path to helping ourselves & this a positive thing that should make us all feel proud of ourselves. So let us all pat ourselves on our backs for the support we are giving each other here & the effort we are all putting into following this new way of eating!

Wise words SUMO and CAPTAINLYNNE x and thats why Lynne has done so very well for so very long….the right mental attitiude means so much when it comes to weight loss and making healthy food choices.
Lynne well done on 7 stone loss! That 3 lbs off in a week was a big chunk down wasnt it! Dont lose any more or yr ringmaster outfit will get too big! 😄😄😄 x

Great news Lynne! How long is it now since you started maintenance ?
How are the contacts going?

Hi Verano – you are right that we seem to be stuck on last week’s carb level. I am aiming at 30g but am struggling to get much above 20g. Yesterday 24g carbs 862 calories and another quarter pound drop in weight.

Your blood sugars are brilliant and so is your weight loss. We are all doing so well.

I have also found that my tastes have changed. Yesterday I had tuna mixed with La Roule cream cheese on a bed of rocket. It was divine – I loved it so much I am taking some to work today. It was far nicer than my square of dark chocolate that I used to adore.

Frog – I used the NHS BMI calculator also and it says that 9 stone 7lb is right in the middle of my healthy weight. At the lower end I am sure I will be too thin. I suppose I won’t be able to tell until I get to 9 stone 7lbs.

If I get a a move on I might be able to get 1 0 mins on the exercise bike before work.

Have a lovely BSD day everyone.

Saturday 8th October & our weigh in after 5 days doing this having started the BSDiet last Monday.
My husband has lost 6lbs & 1% visceral fat & I have lost 5lbs & 1% visceral fat! So it will be interesting how much we manage to lose in the next seven days. I don’t know how accurate our weight scales are in measuring visceral fat but it shows a downward trend.
I hope everyone’s weigh ins go well!

Hi everyone. Almost half way! I’ve lost 18 pounds and am back to a size 14. Yay! Just in the last few days, everyone at work has started noticing which is really motivating. Very proud of myself ‘cos I have stuck rigidly to 800 calories per day. Being flat-out at work has helped but got given loads of chocolate for my birthday which I had to lock away in a cupboard when normally I would have scoffed the lot! Hoping to lose another stone by the end of week 8! Need to try to drink more water now as don’t think I’m drinking enough. Big motivational hugs to everyone! MB xx

How wonderfully uplifting and inspiring to read everyone’s post this morning …. you are all so supportive and full of love for each other it’s heartwarming and I’m proud to be on this journey with you all.

Just checking in with weight today of 9 stone, down 3 pounds from last week. Total of 7 stone now lost 😱

Hope everyone is ok.

Morning everyone.

This ‘old lady’ now weighs exactly 7 st less than when she began this journey. At 9 stone, its many a long year since I was at this weight. Stay with it, it is doable, and sustainable.

Best wishes for your BSD journeys.

Morning everyone. After last weeks one pound gain, I’m reporting in with a weight loss today of 3 pounds, total weight now lost 7 stone (98 pounds), with my weight today being 9 stone exactly.

Great way of looking at things Sumo. I’d not really thought about it but that’s more or less the way I’m doing things. 😃

Last Saturday I’d gained a pound. Today I’ve lost 3 pounds. Weight today is 9 stone exactly. That means I’ve lost 7 stone (98 pounds or 44.5kg) along this journey.

Glad you enjoyed ……i’m having a cup of dry white …100 calories!! 🙂 Cheers!!

I watched the Mindful Eating video with the raisin. Of course i had already purged the house of raisins … i think i ate them!! 🙂

So i did an experiment with a snap pea pod … one of my BSD snacks of choice. Usually i can eat the whole bag …. or a goodly portion of it.

I did enjoy the freshness of the sugar snap pea pod …. i thought i could even taste it’s green-ness!! AND i only ate a few and enjoyed them to the full.

Was my day to have some deep fried wontons. I did not hold the wonton to my ear in the restaurant though …. but i tried them without a ton of plum sauce. I usually cut them in half so i can enjoy them longer.
But it revealed a lot about my eating …. i’m usually putting the next bit in my mouth before i’ve swallowed the previous one. I just looked around the restaurant or out the window at the shivering cold trees …. and didn’t try and read at the same time.

This was a good respectful thing to do … I know the wontons in this restaurant we home made. The mindfulness reading also made me realize that it was a great thing to know how many people were involved in making my meal and day enJOYable … from the farm to the table. And i felt proud to pay and leave a nice tip for the poor tired Yvonne — a lady who is trying to make her business a success …. and has a husband and children to “do for” as well.

One day at a time Carb_Addict …. every meal, every day is an opportunity for a new start.

I’ve been very over weight for a long time …. sometimes i have that feeling of being ashamed of my weight when i’m out of the house, or looking in the mirror. Sometimes i avoid social situations.

I’m retired and i have gray hair now …… maybe it’s 67 years under my belt …. but those ashamed times are less … i’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care about it.

I am doing the best i can …. we ALL are. And now with BSD i am doing what i can about it … and no, i don’t often hit the 800 calorie mark …..BUT …. it takes time and some trial and error … it WILL happen.

I actually have an interim goal of 199 pounds by Dec. 10 …… but i don’t plan on reaching my ultimate goal until next summer. I haven’t set a date …. but i want my body and spirit to have time to adjust to this. One step at a time, one day at a time.

It’s a process ….. i have my eye on my goal … which is to be healthy enough to enJOY my life … my life … what i want for myself … not for anyone else.

Another nice thing about being 67 and retired …. i know i don’t have many days, weeks, years to go …. i intend to enJOY every day along the way to my goals …. and after my goals.

I saw an acqaintance on the bus today … and she again said how cheerful i was … yes i am obese right now … and sick right now … but i count my other blessings … i was out in the fresh air, had some really nice wontons for lunch, and i was on my way to the library to pick up some books on mindfulness … what was there to be miserable about.

p.s. One of the books was with the The mind’s own physician : a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the healing power of meditation / edited by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard J. Davidson with Zara Houshmand.

I do respect the Dalai Lama especially since i read that when asked … what one piece of advice he would give to people, a golden rule if you like, the Dalai Lama said BE KIND.

So ….. BE KIND to yourself, to your spirit, to your body …. and then Be Kind to others.

Sorry carb addict just reread your post and weights etc despite asking in previous mail, !!! Enjoy the bunting and if we do another 5lbs next week woo hoo again, it’s good feeling good about yourself isn’t it?

You can distribute your 800 calories etc. over the day in any way that is good for you. People here do a variety of things … whatever is good for them.

As for carbs most people aim for 50 or less … and most of those carbs are from complex carbs.

I personally only count calories and carbs …. i figure if i am eating healthy food the proteins and fats will fall into line. Frankly counting 2 things is more than enough for me. But if you like counting everything and think it’s useful to you … go for it.

And if i am counting only 800 calories how on earth is it possible to eat too many fats? And if we are getting most of our fats from full fat yogurt, avocado, nuts and seeds, butter and such … sounds good to me.

And since sugars are part of carb counts i don’t see counting sugars seperately … but you can if you want.

@patc: Good to hear that! I’m a little younger (at age 41) and I’d imagine a LOT heavier (although I have the same goal weight as you too ironically). I’m slap-bang in the middle of the obese category for my height in fact (it hurts to write that btw). Growing up with a weight-obsessed, overweight mother who lived on grapefruit, I do not remember a time when I did not feel ‘fat’ (even if I technically wasn’t). I have steadily put on weight since my late teens but things have gotten out of control in the last decade in particular. On the outside I’m vivacious, strong and have a successful career in a so-called glamorous industry. On the inside I’m an emotional eater who has suffered a fair bit of ill health and subsequent chronic pain, and who has increasingly gorged on carbs in large quantities in secret in an attempt to stifle the hard days. I can now see that this has stifled nothing and actually made the situation far worse. I have started to find excuses not to even leave my home because I feel so huge and ashamed. I can’t fit into 99%of my clothes anymore. I’m being very honest and vulnerable about this stuff because I desperately want to succeed this time and I believe that a large part of my weight loss (and ability to keep it off thereafter) will be facing up to why I got so big in the first place and being kinder to myself. For me the 800 kcals is almost the easy part: the hardest bit is believing that I can do this and that things can be different. That I can be different. Right now, every day is a victory over what has become the status quo. So there you go, soul bared to the world, and with that I am off to put the kettle on! Enjoy your day too x

P.S. I had a glass of red last night, included in my allowance, and I really didn’t enjoy it!!!!! I think I must have lost the taste for red wine! So maybe I will try white or champers next time I have an alcoholic treat!

DAY 5 of 7

Well just three days left of this challenge and the strange thing is that most of us are ‘stuck’ on last weeks carb level! I’m finding it difficult Ito increase my carbs and stay within 800 calories.

Yesterday:
Calories 776
Carbs 25.4

Weight loss 0.8lbs just 0.4 to get me to this weeks goal of 1kg.

Blood sugar 5.7 whooppeeeee !!! I think this his actually working. Two 5’s on the run … great!

All this talk about clothes is making me realise that I need to check my wardrobe out too! My goal is to lose another 5lb by the end of the month so maybe I will wait until then!

It’s so good to see that everyone is on track and upbeat! Let’s just keep going or is it
‘Keep on keeping on’

Have a good day!

Hi United Arab Emirates, Carb_Addict, loved your post, putting bunting up as we speak and a victory dance on my way to putting kettle on! It will be very interesting to see what happens next week, are you similar age group and weight, or just been on a diet forever, you are so totally right nearly 5lbs is great stuff? Enjoy your day x

JENNI THAT IS AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS AND GOOD NEWS ABOUT BGLS. I DON’T HAVE THE BOOK YET AND I AM ADJUSTING THIS TO COVER THE LPR MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS. DO YOU KNOW IF THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL ON THE CARBS AND FATS PER DAY. I MADE OUT MY MENUS USING MY FITNESS PAL AND ALTHOUGH 800 CALORIES AND OVER 45 GRAMS OF PROTEIN MY FATS AND CARBS SEEM HIGH TO ME. ONE DAY THE CARBS TOTALED 125 FOR THE DAY AND FATS 22, SOME DAYS LESS.MY TOTAL SUGAR INTAKE RANGES FROM 18 TO 22 PER DAY ALL FROM FRUIT, ONE PER DAY

@patc: Good morning Australia, this is the United Arab Emirates calling. I’m smiling at your comment: I have lost exactly the same weight as you and am over here victory dancing all over the room. Almost 5 lbs is not to be sniffed at – quite the opposite. This is a marathon, not a sprint – especially if you have been grappling with your weight for five decades. Yes, we all hope to be one of those ‘I lost 15 lbs in the first 48 hours’ stories (including me) but 5 lbs is no small achievement. Like you, it is the first weight I have lost, not gained, in many years. So I am hanging out the bunting and throwing myself a tiny party. I do hope you are too.

Good morning everyone. Just did my daily weigh-in and I lost a whopping 700g (1.5 lbs) overnight! That’s by far my biggest single loss so far, taking me to 2.1kg (almost 5 lbs) since I started on the 2nd. So I guess I have to stop claiming that my PCOS stops me losing weight now, lol. I’m so pleased I gave this a go: I was at my all-time highest weight just a week ago, and at a real low. One week later and my self-confidence is on the up and, despite a 30-33kg (70 lbs or five stone) target weight loss which feels overwhelming at times, I’m starting to believe I can do this. I’m managing to eat out frequently and not crack either! I hope everyone else is feeling equally as motivated.

Hi KatrenaJ, you can get to 800 calories in what ever way suits you best within the BSD guidelines. I am completing week 6 and have 3 meals every day and lost 10kgs in total to date. Some days I have built a small snack into it when hungry but then adjusted night meal’s cals. BGLs returned to normal levels after day 2 and have stayed there.