😄 xxx

Hi, yes I’m sticking to the recipes and eating great food,I live in Turkey ,so the Mediterranean diet suits me really well,I will stick with it as I’m no quitter and really want to get body balance back to normal,I’ve never heard of carb flu,I will look it up,but think I just need to push through withdrawals because I know i will start to feel much better as I continue the 8 week plan.

APATCH! That made me laugh..feck a doodle do! 😄😄😄😄 x

Hi, yes I’m sticking to the recipes and eating great food,I live in Turkey ,so the Mediterranean diet suits me really well,I will stick with it as I’m no quitter and really want to get body balance back to normal

Hi everyone. I’ve started the BSD today and I’m not sure what to expect over the next 8 weeks. Can anyone give me any advice or pitfalls to look out for? I really want this to work and I want to give it my best shot! What is it like for the first two weeks whilst your body gets used to the reduced calorie intake and what is the average weight loss in the first two weeks?
I’ve already started having to pee more often!

Had a good weekend. Lucky to have gone out to dinner again and pleased to say had fish and veg, treat was 1/2pt cider. Feeling good. I can jump and skip with ease!! (Not for long but up to 3 weeks ago I couldn’t do it without a great feeling of unease and pain round my liver!!) Now it doesn’t feel like an impossible feat anymore! I feel so light, still 3 stones to lose but water retention vastly improved and I feel so much slimmer. Do you understand what I mean when I say that I feel more at peace with myself, happy and vital again? I hope you all experience the highs of this plan, ‘cos as someone commented (sorry can’t remember who it was, have read so many posts this evening!) This isn’t a diet it is definitely a new way of life. Any newcomers, you may have doubts about managing, but eat wisely and you will have plenty to eat, your hunger will be sated and you will soon reap the benefits of improved body and mind. Have a good sleep, and a wonderful start to a new week. xx

Hi!
I have just made this recipe for the first time – I really enjoyed it, but was slightly shocked that the Easy Diet Diary App (in Australia) works it out as 19.6g carbs and 311 calories!! I have found this with many of the recipes in the book unfortunately. I have now been watching what I eat for 8 weeks, but probably only officially tracked for the first 4. I lost 8kg in 8 weeks, which I was happy with as I didn’t keep to the 800 calories. I was mainly concerned with watching my carb intake, as I recently tested as pre-diabetic. Have managed to keep the blood sugar levels fairly steady (other than the odd indiscretion such as my son’s 7th birthday party …)
Melanie

Wow – sounds unbelievable when you put it like that, Yowzer…14 packs of butter! Feck-a-doodle-do!!

Yes, that sounds like carb flu. The only symptoms that some have had that you haven’t mentioned are nausea/vomiting and bad headaches. The good news is it will be gone in a very short time. Just be good to yourself and stick to the plan.

I didn’t get any problems, but lots of people do
use the search box (top right hand corner of the screen) and enter “carb flu” to see previous conversations

Carb withdrawal does appear to be normal ….. are you still eating some carbs? …. i.e. carbs in vegetables, beans, lentils, berries … cream i coffee?
Most people keep their carbs at 50 g. or lower …. BUT if you feel really sick maybe you shouldn’t try to get really low on carbs for a little while…a few days??

Maybe YOUR body needs a little extra leeway on carbs in the beginning? Everyone is different.

I carried around a can of V8 vegetable juice when i was out of the house ….. if i felt really sick.

Its just they are quite carby STACI so they take a big chunk out of yr daily allowance..according to mynetdiary a 6oz red apple has 88 cals and a whopping 23 carbs…came as a shock to me..i used to eat apples freely,now one apple is a weekend treat..or a small pear,narna or orange! Weekdays i just have some berries.like shalimar said,you can have apples but you need to count the cals/ carbs x

StaciB …. you can eat an apple … or other fruit … as long as you count the calories and carbs in your count.

Berries are better.

There are small amounts of apple, pear, etc. in the recipies.

Jan and all hugs from down under. Yowzer one of the first things in MM’s book is watch your BP if you are on meds. If you do not have a machine then get to the chemist or GP nurse. One of my friends ended up in hospital because he took a double dose by accident. Once you are on them they seem to hate to take you off. Get checked down

Lucky write lots!

Are we not supposed to eat fruits like apples? I’ve been eating them all week. It’s my life saver.

I’m back! Great to hear some supportive comments to everyone! Yes, water is brilliant and really helps to shift the weight 🙂

So I dropped of the wagon while I was sick, and couldn’t pick myself up again, but I spent the weekend planning and prepping my mental state, so this morning was right back into it with a berry and turmeric smoothie. I’m excited for my salad and egg today, and am filling up on hot water and lemon before a mid morning coffee.

The scales this morning say 86kg… so in less than a week of comfort eating, I’m up 3 kg, but that’s ok. I know that wallowing in self-pity just makes me eat more.

Keep it up guys, keep measuring, keep drinking water, and well done everyone!

🙂

What is MoS and what is INR??

So I read the book,and it makes so much sense now after dabbling in every diet out there and just getting fatter,I did the quizzes,and checked BMI, so I am moderate risk of developing diabetes,could be pre diabetic ,will check when back in uk and apparently have serious bad carb addiction!!! Full of hidden sugars no wonder my body can’t cope.
I’m now on day 3 of bsd,my question is,will I get bad withdrawal symptoms going cold turkey after having apparently bad addiction to bad carb?
So far I’ve had feeling shaky,sweats and my joints ache and I feel no energy, is that normal

Just an update, and possibly a warning in light of a report in today’s MoS that Michael is conducting a trial around fish oils.

My recent INR test, my 8 weekly on Thursday, showed that my INR level had shot up to 3.6 from 2.2 in August, that was up from the 2.1 for the last few tests. The only difference in my diet are the Cod liver oil with vitamin D capsules I have been taking for the last couple of months.

If Michael reads this blog I would be interested to know his opinion.

Hope you all don’t mind me joining this thread although i will actually be starting/rebooting the plan on Tuesday the 11th …. it is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
I’m 67, a woman, from Canada. I’m at about 240 pounds … i’m guessing because i’ve been sick with sinus/colc stuff so i haven’t been for a weigh in at my gym club.

I am restarting …. because i hardly ever got under both the 800 calorie count and less than 50 carbs …. and to sick to exercise. I just need a fresh start.

Breakfast ideas : tiny amount of chopped ham and onion plus eggs makes a nice denver omelette. Can also add a couple of small tomatoes and/or some sliced of cucumber to fill the plate

Flax …. if you buy whole flax (less likely to go rancid) i keep a separate coffee grinder just to chop them up enough to chip the flax seeds open …. so they provide some fibre … because whole flax seeds just go right through!!

Snacks and or lunches …. a wide variety of chopped/sliced veg. in plastic dish …. love sugar snap peas, small tomatoes, slices of cucumber, green beans, even a couple of sliced carrots … anything you like … i keep it handy when i’ve got the munchies …. it’s also a nice lunch with a bit of cheese

This is a lovely supportive group and so many good results reported already! Good luck guys! Onwards and downwards xx!

SHALIMAR X get well soon x its soooo miserable having a cold….and Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry you had to miss family dinner.
Good luck with yr reboot x
SUNSHINEGIRL welcome back to the uk! Yr outfit sounds such fun! Have a fab time and well done,you WILL get under 74 kgxx
BLUEMOON wishing you all the luck in the world x!
Hi VERANO well done on getting back onto yr minigoals after yr hols x
FITMYJEANS!hope you find youve achieved yr mini goal tomozz ! and talking of jeans..well done on thaoe size 12 s again MIX!
KRYSIA its a shame about yr leather coat,but you can no longer wear it for the best of reasons! 👍🏻
CECILY congrats on yr loss and best of luck with yr next mini goal! X

I know! I have never had that kind of loss before. I’ve lost every week. It’s working out about 1 pound every 3 days now which is still great for me.

Hi Rosie

Yes, I do but more so over the course of a week so daily it varies from about 750-850. Although in the first week or so I found I wasn’t hungry but now I need everyone one.

What works for me is to do a weekly menu so an example for me is

B’fast – feta, green pepper and spring onion omelette with a grilled tomato
Or scrambled eggs, grilled tomato, black pudding (lower calorie version from Bury)
Or porridge with half skimmed milk, half water – I love porridge but have it on lower carb days as it is quite night in carbs

Lunch – salad with chicken and coleslaw or avocado and prawns or salmon
Or courgette, pea and watercress Home-made soup with chicken or gammon on top
Or vegetable soup with chicken breast cooked in it

Dinner
Veg or salad plus chicken, fish or filled mushrooms

Snacks
1 piece of fruit or berries and faje yoghurt and ground nuts

Basically

Eggs for breakfast and salad or soup plus protein for lunch and veg or salad with protein for dinner and ‘a little something of whatever I fancy’ for a snack.

Planning helps enormously with making good choices. I mostly log my food on a calorie counting app in advance so if carbs/cals are getting a bit too high too quickly then I choose a lower carb dinner and snack.

It is very straightforward and you’ll see that after a few days. You don’t have to be perfect.

Elaine

My mini goal is to reboot my 800 calories BSD plan on Tuesday. I want to also reboot my exercise plan by going to Yoga Aquabics Class on Tuesday.

The reason for Tuesday is that this is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada. I missed family diner because i’m still coughing and sneezing and using up boxes and boxes of kleenex …. need another kleenex sale soon.

So …. today is the first day i had non healthy food … kettle corn … and nachos.

I did go to grocery store and bought chicken and cauliflower so i can get back on plan on Tuesday.

Christel/aka shalimar

Thanks. I’m inspired!

Well done all you guys on here! Week 2 kicks off tomorrow…wishing you all a smooth and easy week ahead x
MIX i congratulated you elsewhere but i have to do it again here.. You are a 🌟🌟🌟🌟 x
RANDAM isnt it weird? That an apple becomes a weekend treat! Same here! 😉 X and how fab! 7 lb down! Thats 14 packs of butter x
Get well soon MAJOR MUMMY! X
YORKLASS well done on yr first week under yr belt and on all the exercise! X perhaps you need more full fat/ protein if youre hungry plus using up a lot of cals with all that exercise!
VICTORIR Good luck with yr weigh in x
Well done SEASHELL! KEID! ADELSKI! PRIMADAWN! CARA! APATCH!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
MEFTL I am just like you.. I always want to chuck all the halloumi in the pan! I love it! Its low in carb but quite hi cal.
good luck STACIB and MAURICEM best of luck with losing that tum..nearly 14 weeks and my v substantial tum is far far smaller now! Makes a big difference to how i look! And trouser buttons and zips that always popped open now stay firmly closed! 😄

I’ve been doing 800-900 most days with the odd meal out and 50 carbs or just under. At first I weighed and measured really carefully and now I feel more confident at guessing portion sizes. I’ve had one week plateau but then followed that by a week of careful eating. One week recently I lost more but that was due to pulling a ligament and being in a lot of pain and I think that shocked my system. Until then I was walking daily but only 30 mins and fairly slowly.

I think I’m an example of what happens if you keep plodding on with the BSD it just adds up eventually into something more significant. Also I have a lot to lose about 8st and I’m just passed the halfway mark. It hasn’t always been easy and for some reason I struggled weeks 9-11 but now I’m in the zone and although I definitely take one day at a time I feel for the first time in my life I might just do it.

It’s the forum that’s kept me going and I have learnt so much about my own behaviour over the weeks. My advice would be not to overthink it just keep going one day at a time. Good luck.

Rosieha …. have you read the 8 week Blood Sugar diet book?
The book actually should give you a pretty good idea of what this is all about ….. then you can really know if this does apply to your situation …. and how it applies to your personal situation …. and how and which of the diet plans will work best for you.

We can describe what we do …. but what we do may not be best for you.

Thank you 😀

Hi all, I am new too. LianieUK, do you eat all your suggest in 800 c a day. I am finding it
All a but hard but wondering if I am looking at it too deeply and i should simplify everything ?

The above is a great source of videos and readings! I want to take the entire course … and am preparing to do it …. but the videos and readings are great without taking the whole thing.

thank you all for the positive words and encouragement xxx it has really helped me to get through this week. and it does feel as though it’s getting gradually easier…

Major Mummy – it’s tough going on this thing with a sore throat etc…I had a head cold for most of this week and slept poorly, it was a slog and I really had to resist the carbs too…but i got there 🙂

Btw, I had the thai red curry for dinner tonight with cauliflower “rice”. It was only amazing!

I got my bike fixed today and went cycling (for the first time in 2 years). What is happening to me!! Though, I am partly rejoicing that it’s well into October now and the weather here in Dublin is still well and truly in the double digits…

Hi rosieha
there are several threads on max carbs – but the book doesn’t actually set a max limit (put “Max carbs” in the search box at the top right hand corner of the page to find them) most people here seem to aim for 30 or 50, or find that if you have 800 calories and no refined carbs, they sort of end up being that anyway.

The point of cutting out refined carbs for the 8 weeks is more that that period of time helps you break any addiction to carbs and or sugar that you may have.
If you only have 14lb to lose, that may not be an issue for you, but many people here will attest that you can have a perfectly healthy diet for a prolonged period of time that doesn’t include bread, pasta, rice potaoes et al.

If you are counting carbs, then you will be restricting sugar as well – if you look at food labels, they will state:
Carbohydrate xx.x
of which sugars yy.y

Have you looked at using an online calorie counter, such as FatSecret UK or MyFitnessPal? as well as calories they will track all the major nutrients.

If you had the 8 week Blood Sugar diet book …. buy it or borrow from the library, even interlibrary load …. your questions are addressed …. it’s really difficult to type out everything here, after looking it up.

It really is NOT the Atkins diet …. yes you can eat meat, fish, eggs etc. but you are also supposed to eat non starchy vegetables, greens, lentils, beans, berries …. full fat yogurt … and small quantities (weigh, or measure and look it up) of other fruits, vegetables, etc.

A handful … how big are your hands? …. your can buy a cheap scale … or some small measuring spoons … and look up the carbs and calories of the item … on the internet … on MyFat Secret … or numerous other sites.

The diet is planned mainly to try and reverse diabetes or avert diabetes.

If you don’t have much to loose … and that blood sugar reading isn’t that bad … you may reach your goals before the 8 weeks are up …… you can also do a 5:2 plan ….. read the information on the site …. see top line of this site … Blood Sugar Diet, Get Started, Get Active …. FAQ, etc.

As for things like a “handful”… which are not precise … use what seems reasonable to you … and weigh and measure … and look up that amount.

If you are confused … you most likely to need to read the book.

And ….. when you reach your goal ….. it probably is not advisable to add calories from simple carbs of potatoes, breads and such. Sure … you can add some … but wouldn’t it be better to add carbs and calories from mostly healthy sources????

Carbs counts include sugar.

HI Jan, hope that everything goes well tomorrow.
I’m well and still losing – bit of a wonky day yesterday eating wise – temporary blip. And as I posted (I think on another thread), even though it felt I’d eaten loads, it was only around 1,000 calories.

I found this source on the Mindfulness forum and thought I’d post it on our thread for newbies like me who may not have seen it. Just FYI. http://palousemindfulness.com/

Welcome Busybee.

Thank you all for you replies. I am not pre or diabetc, but my latest health check was a fasting BG of 5. So ,as in my late 60s, I want to address this and loose a stone I need to. However, in practise, I am finding the diet a little hard to understand. I get the 800cals or 5600 over a week, I understand 50 g of carbs daily, but can’t do it and often have 70 to 80g, but should I count sugar?, does it matter if I go to 1000 c at times.Where some of the recipes say ‘ a handful of nuts’ what’s that? . I come from an age where fat was banned so am finding it hard to add. Also, what is different about this diet apart from the 800 c to the Atkins diet where people started to have heart problems I believe. I understand abt processed carbs and white foods, but when I loose that 14 Pounds and BG down a bit, do I need to introduce a bit of bead or pasta etc into my diet or do you eat more of what I eat now.Surely we need some carbs , not going mad of course, in our diet? Sorry about this but I am very Confused.

Yeh JAN on three types bp med,not high doses, but maybe too much now, if my bp has gone down with my weight loss
Yesterday may be just one of those things that happen once and never happen again
Thinking of your no 2 son and lighting a candle now for his appt tomoz and for a happy resolution to his health probs..will light another candle for a good resolution to the other concern too xxx
I hope this bad time passes very soon and your worries are lifted x

BillingeBabe…This Texan just learned that a lost stone equals 14 pounds. So how many pounds are in a lost post? Lol 🙂

Hi Frog and Loopylou – the BSD really does change things, it seems that we can’t eat as much as we did pre-BSD even if we fall off the wagon. Well done on declining the profiteroles Loopylou. In another life I adored profiteroles.

Frog – I have felt really well on coming off insulin apart from the first 3 weeks where my body went into hypo alert every time I dropped below 5.5. Which was quite a lot of the time. That has all calmed down now and all hypo alerts have switched off. My own insulin stops me spiking higher than 6.6/7.0 in that first hour after a meal whereas I often went up to 8 or 9 in that first hour when I was injecting insulin at meal times. So the BSD is really doing a great job getting rid of the visceral fat and helping my liver and pancreas to work. It is not working perfectly yet but I have high hopes it will keep improving as I lose weight.

Hopefully the Hba1c will be fairly close to the normal range.

Hi Yowser
Are you on b.p. Meds

LainieUK…so if a stone equals 14 pounds, you own a three pound weekly loss! That’s incredible and so encouraging to me. “Bunkum” indeed…well said.

Hi Frog.

How are things, kind of you to ask, well no 2 son has an appt at guys tomorrow, so hopefully we will get confirmation of what’s happening, the other problem is still v concerning, but hey everything feels better with a lovely BSD day doesn’t it. So I have committed again on veranos thread. How are you doing. Are you on her thread doing the carb challenge.
🙃🙃🙃

Thanks Frog. I think it will be tough to begin with as I have to learn what’s what but reading through others posts it seems planning and prepping are the key. Off to have a herb tea 😊

You Dazzle, Sazzle50!

Mixnmatch way to go, that’s an awesome accomplishment. I can only hope to get as far myself. I weigh in tomorrow for the week mark and will attempt to work in some additional exercise this week. Concentrated more on the food aspects l last week and still seemed to work out.

Hi Loopulou – Had a few things I shouldn’t yesterday, but the amazing thing was that when I logged them, it was still all around 1000 calories, which is pretty low and half the general RDA! (and a fraction of what I’d have eaten pre BSD, even without cake treats, chocolate….)

Don’t worry about the forthcoming HbA1c Krysia, I’m sure it will be fine.
Have you been feeling well since you stopped taking insulin?

Hi Bluemoon – good luck, hope it goes well

If you think about how long it’s taken to accumulate your extra weight, 8 weeks is tiny in proportion – and once you get used to no carb eating, and feeling better because of the weight that you’ve lost, BSD really isn’t a hardship.
Lots of us have done it for longer – and it is a life changing way of eating, and an end to the never ending cycle of diet-lose weight-go back to eating crap- put weight on again-diet-lose weight-go back to eating crap- put weight on again-diet-lose weight-go back to eating crap- put weight on again-diet………