I haven’t bought the book, mainly because I’m 95% vegan (with some fish) and so I have assumed that most of the recipes just won’t fit my needs. So I’m sticking to basic foods and then planning my own meals – but I like to cook so it’s not that hard for me (so far anyway!). What has been the eye-opener so far is the calories in some foods which I never thought about before – namely olive oil. I made a salad dressing for my lunch salad a few days ago and blew a quarter of my daily’s calorie allowance on the olive oil that went into it! Not sustainable…So I now work out my daily meals using MyFitnessPal in advance first thing in the morning to ensure no nasty surprises. Essentially I log my food for the day before I eat it. Yes, a bit of effort and time has to go into it, but for me I think it is the only way I will succeed.

O sunshine isn’t that so kind!!

Am really into this lemon lime and fresh mint infusion, preferring it over hit drinks too

To be honest I have been rebooting each morning and finding by tea time just losing it to the temptations of picking at foods taking me over my daily allowance which I know am doing and isn’t good ….so by then I think start tomorrow so may have something later like a bag of crisps (chips) or worse we had a pie from chippy last night!!!

I am finding it hard to stay on the roll but can’t say why other than easier to give in

Being Coeliac and requiring gluten free food as well isn’t that hard to adhere to on this way of eating so I need a real life check at potential damage am doing to myself…plus, the medications am on sending me west and so feel proper sorry for myself at mo😭

Well, today is anew day and new start
Here I go again!

If you think that’s bad, you should see what I drank last night!

Talking of vodka, and not that I want to encourage vodka drinking, but…. if you are going to have one, I have read in another book about clean eating that grey goose has the fewest impurities than any other vodka. So whilst it’s not good for you, it’s less bad!

It’s also expensive too, which might help to limit consumption!!

Hi MINX and Keid…welcome to the group!

Just wondering – is anyone else finding it difficult to keep to 20-50g of carb? I think I can manage to keep to the 800 Cal, but I’m finding that even when I think i’m eating really low carbs, they tot up really quickly. Can’t imagine what you’d eat in a day to keep it as low as 20g…

Victorir – sorry to hear about your headache 🙁 hopefully it’ll lift soon..

Hi, can I join in ? My husband and I both started on 800 cal BSD on Monday. I have approx 1 st to lose (doesn’t sound too much but it’s just not shifting !), while my husband has at least 2 st to lose. All going well so far. We are religiously sticking to the meal plans in the new BSD recipe book which I think is helping us focus. No time spent with head in the fridge, pondering what to cook for dinner…..Loving everyone’s enthusiasm and support for each other.

Hi there, I announced my carbs and calories yesterday and came in at 730 cal 26 carbs – then I decided I really deserved a vodka and tonic which turned into a couple. Lay in bed this morning thinking, silly moo you deserve to have put on weight then I got up and got weighed and did my bg.

Lost 0.1 kg b/g 3.6 or 66. I had reduced my insulin for the last 2 nights but might have to drop it again tonight. Just by one unit at a time, nothing too drastic.

Logged all my food for today and coming in at 720 cals and spot on 40 carbs. It would have been higher on the carbs but when I saw where they were hiding I cut them out or brought them down, i.e. 1 apple with my ploughman is now half an apple and the chutney has gone from 20 grams to 5. Scary how they can creep in. Tonight I am having the Chicken and Mushroom ‘pie’ but my calculations are different from the recipe book. She says 250 cal 9 carbs, mine say 350 cals and 10 carbs. I do have a bit more chicken than it says so that could account for the extra calories.

Thanks sunshine-girl and shalimar, I guess I’ll start with the prescribed recipes and branch out from there.

Hi Everyone, just starting day 4 and sticking to the 800 calls. Reading all your stories and experiences is keeping me focused. Finding the recipes easy to do and delicious.
Struggling with the water intake so having headaches and woke lightheaded this morning. I had a pear & a cup of tea followed by the spinach & raspberry shake which was lovely. Totally rallied after that and ready to face the day. My favourite so far is the crab cake but would have had double the amount. Going to do the veg curry and cauliflower rice this evening. I don’t eat meat so sticking to the fish & veggie options.
I have a wedding at the weekend so food & wine will be amazing & flowing. Determined not to sabotage myself even going so far as to bring my own food. I need to lose this weight more than I need cake & wine. I’ definitely feel I’m down a few pounds since I started so that will motivate me. I’m not looking for another wedding outfit feeling like a barrel in every dress I try on. 5’2″ height & 12 stone & 54 years is not a healthy profile. I know I can do this, we all can, can you imagine how we’ll feel at four weeks in??? & then 8 weeks. Keep it up everyone, I need you.

Love from NeNe xx

When I go to my hairdresser, because she knows I only drink green tea, she goes into her garden and picks mint and citronella leaves, sometimes a bit of camomile and makes me an infusion with a squirt of lemon. It is lovely, and lovely of her to do that for me. She works from her home.

We pretty much all do what we want.

I’m not a cook …. and my stove is broken anyway.

I just try and eat meat, fish, chicken, non-starchy vegetables, berries, full fat plain unsugared yogurt, some nuts and seeds, a bit of cheese, a little bacon, eggs, lentils, beans… I just count it up.
I can and do make soup with mainly vegetables …. and maybe add lentils, beans, meat. Make a big pot …. count up the calories and carbs and divide by number of plastic containers to get a number per serving.

Like most people i try and keep the carbs under 50, even though it’s not really in the book.

My weakness is cream in my coffee …… although i am expanding my fancy tea consumption.

We do what fits in with our life, work, family.

I don’t always make the 800 calories or 50 carbs …. but i am only a couple of weeks in ….. it’s a process that i hope to perfect.

You can google calories and carbs …. or use a site like MyFatSecret…… it’s probably never going to be exact because of thousands of brand names, types of preparation, etc.

My advice : Have some patience, don’t expect a ride without it’s ups and downs. Do the best you can …. and even when the scale doesn’t seem to move … enJOY fitting your clothes better!!

Hi Verano.

Yes sorry thought I said yesterday, must have forgot. Yes I am doing 800/40 I struggle to get carbs below that, especially as I am into tomatoe, chilli and pulses soup now it’s so chilly. So I use my carbs on the onion, and pulses mostly. But yep day 2. Bit of a worrying appt with no 2 son today at the hospital, so soup ready, as a go to emergency must eat for compfort. Lol but eating I can control, everything else, I can’t at the mo. So onwards and at it.
Hope your day is also going okay. 😊

Hi Swann, for me it is a combo of both but because I love the recipes in the book I tend to use them quite a lot. When I started counting carbs seriously on a Reboot I discovered on day one that some foods have a lot more carbs than you would believe, such as apples so I have adjusted some of the recipes myself. Find yourself a good way of calculating the calories and carbs and give yourself a limit and try to keep to that.

Hi Linda

Bril on your continued maintenance. Yes I get rid, and someone else goes shopping again. Good training for my mind in controlling spontaneity. Lol

You lost 9 pounds in 1 week!!!! You gotta give your body and spirit some adjustment time!

Hey … i lost almost 20 pounds in about 17 days fasting …. gained 10 back … but my clothes still fit better … and frankly most days i didn’t hit the 800 ca. goal. It’s a learning process. My goal is still to be at 199 pounds by December 10 ….. and it WILL be accomplished but it is very unlikely to done without it’s ups and downs. If you get discouraged and quit every time you hit a down turn …. you won’t be there to enJOY the up turns.

I often think we just expect too much and too soon. Patience is a good thing!

Right now i have a bad cold …. yesterday i hit my 800 calories because i didn’t have the energy to put together a meal … today??

Right now i just want to get over this cold and feel like even getting minimally active again.

First time I’ve posted. I need to ask do you all follow the diet as laid out in the BSD book or do you make up your own Mediterranean diet up to 800 calories per day or a combo of both?
Thanks

Hi folks, I started Monday too – but only just joined the site, hope it’s ok to join you. Im trying to lose my baby weight but as my youngest is now 2 I’m thinking I can’t really call it baby weight anymore. After reading through I wish I’d weighed myself this morning, would have been a boost to see even a small bit of loss. I’m finding it hard to stick to 800 cals but hoping that as long as I’m not much over and I’m sticking to the principles it’ll be ok. kei x

Hey Caz,

From what I’ve read, I think it’s quite normal to see a little gain/drop/gain pattern as you progress through the 8 weeks. Try not to worry about the gain as hopefully by the end of the week it’ll have disappeared – along with another couple of lbs. Someone else posted that our bodies do tend to readjust after a big weight loss. If it makes you feel any better, I ate waaayyy less than I would normally do yesterday and was v v low in carbs, which I thought would mean another loss when I got on the scales this morning but there was no change at all. Like you, I think I am going to try to restrict myself to only a weekly weigh-in as otherwise I’ll be too fixed on the numbers and then get stressed, which is not helpful.

Tightening straps and finding your clothes are baggy are definite measures of success though! I think it is Igorasusual who mentions that whilst you may not see a downward movement on the scale, your visceral fat is still melting away so measuring yourself, either with tape measure or a test garment or two, might be a much better indicator of the way your body is changing.

Don’t forget, we’re all hanging in there with you! 🙂

How do the calories and carbs compare to dairy? You can look it up in an app like fitness pal

I have completed week 2 today (8.5lbs down) and have not dropped a pound in the last 4 days. However I can get into trousers I couldn’t wear 2 weeks ago, I am full of energy, sleeping well – no constant trips to the loo and drinking water for my thirst. These things mean more to me than the scales. Oh and I no longer have swollen ankles – and my legs are slimmer! There must be other positives for you jimjamz. Focus on them and carry on. It will happen.

I like tonic water …. with or without gin 🙂
I like diet Coke …. an 8 oz glass with 1/2 lemon

Although i try not to drink diet or regular soda pop or juice …. sometime i just want a coke with lemon.

Apparently the diet drinks fool your body into expecting sugar energy ….. and when the body doesn’t get that energy it tends to make you go grazing for food!! But once in a while …..
I don’t know if you get Dr. Pepper where you all are ….. but diet Dr. Pepper is quite good because it has lots of unique flavorings

5 stones in 4 and a half months is amazing!! It took me about 2 years to lose that much through a slimming club! Thank you for sharing.

Morning to all you fellow BSD followers. I started on 3rd October too. I’m 5ft 2″ and weigh in at 169lbs, which is not good for a small girl! Being single (maybe an excuse) I find I was bored in the evening and kept eating. The more I ate the more I wanted. A vicious circle. This has gone on now for a few years. I go to the gym and swim, but counteract all that with my overeating. Well not anymore from Monday, I have stuck to this BSD and feel fine. In fact I feel quite positive as I am forward thinking to losing that 2 stone in 8 weeks. I have had eggs for breakfast as I feel they do fill me up. As a vegetarian I normally add quite a bit of cheese for added taste to my meals, but now I have used a small amount of goats cheese in a omelette with spinach. It was lovely. I have done the skinny spicy bean burgers, they again were quite filling. I am surprised as I do not feel hungry or have that craving where I need food. As of today to heighten my positivity I have lost 4lbs from Monday, it may be water but my clothes as less tight with just that off. It’s the best start to any diet I have been on.
So good luck to everyone let do it together and get some weight off. x

Frog – tonic on its own is horrrrrrible! Much better with gin 🙂

I’m also a fizzy drink fiend. I used to drink A LOT of diet Coke but found it gave me terrible migraines. Switched to non-diet drinks but the amount of sugar in them is scary so am trying to switch to sparkling water flavoured with either no-sugar squash or at a push, a tiny drop of juice.

Yowser …. it is good to remember things like that!!! Even day to day stuff like having plenty of hot water ….. my water heater broke and fell partly though my porch floor …. so i boiled water for a couple of years until i could afford to fix the floor (and walls and ceiling in the back porch).
It is nice to have enough retirement money for home repair and a few extras. Thank Canada for the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Pension …. those combine to cover the basics. Since i don’t cultivate expensive tastes … i should have enough to pay my bills, have good food …. and even have a vacation now and then.

My extra good things today:

I think my cold is getting better

Had some lovely Hawaiian Hazelnut coffee and cream this morning

The Toronto Blue Jays won the 1 game playoff to advance in the baseball playoffs …. i’m way to emotional to watch … so i tape the games and watch if they win. It’s a very relaxing few hours …. and it’s still 5:30 in the morning here.

Shalimar – a buttery egg? I think I may have just found heaven! Will definitely be trying that.

Sometimes I have diet 7up as caffeine free but I think it can make me crave sweet things. Now the colder nights are here, if I have calories spare I have Green & Blacks dark hot chocolate made with 200ml whole milk.

So sorry about that meeting!! Been there, done that!! Retired now!! …. Hurrah!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey … love a recipe that makes it easier to peel the shell off an egg.

I want to try pho …. we do have a restaurant near my house that serves it. I am not too impressed with miso …. i usually put some miso paste in soup. But at the Tokyo House the miso was practically tasteless.

A really good way to eat eggs (from my childhood … we had a large garden and raised chickens) … is a fresh 4 minute egg … break off the cap and put in a dab or 3 of fresh farm butter … add salt to taste 🙂 🙂 🙂 …. maybe that’s regulation BSD now???? 🙂

Dying to try kippers … never had one but i do like smoked fish.

I’m such an anglophile here in Canada …. i live in Northwestern Ontario — and if you are outdoorsy, love fishing, camping, canoeing, boating and skiing … this is the place for you!! Surrounded by lakes and forest … we even have bear warnings!!

Thank goodness for PVR taping of Television and Acorn TV …. love myself both British and Australian TV. I love old movies …. when i’m feeling sick i even watch old Margaret Rutherford Agatha Christie movies (did that last night). We even have BBC Canada tv channel.
Couldn’t watch the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team last night (1 game playoff) …. but i PVR’d it and since i’m vertical, it’s approx 5:30 a.m. here … well at least sitting up … i’m watching the game now (*they won).

Hope your work day it better!!!

Well done CarbAddict on getting started so well you are inspirational to me because I had a rough night last night. I’m hoping as you have found that I will see some weight loss & that as we get stuck in we will feel energised & well. Hope you have a good day.

Wow well done everyone! A really good positive start to the day!
I weighed this morning, lost 2lbs since starting Monday which I’m pleased with, definately motivated me seeing that to carry on.
I’ve got a real headache today, thought walk would help. I’m upping my water today, might be from lack of sleep too.
Interesting to hear some you have also had changes in sleep pattern, phew I’m not alone!
I had yoghurt with Apple mango and hazelnuts for breakfast was v tasty and I’m not hungry at all since. 😊
Have a great rest of the day x

You must have a crystal ball Flash week 2 is not going so well for me. I’ve somehow gained 2 lbs in the last couple of days. I’m hoping it’s just a temporary glitch – and it’ll disappear again as quickly as it appeared. I know what I’ve eaten wouldn’t have caused it – so I’m sure it’ll all sort itself out. I suppose 10lbs in a week was a big shock to the system – at my body is just adapting to what is happening now!

I’m trying (and I mean I’m really trying) not to focus on the scale number too much at the moment. I have to tighten my fitbit strap a notch this morning as it was annoying me flopping loosely around my arm on the setting I’ve always worn it – and the top I wore last night definitely looked baggy on me – when it didn’t before.

I definitely want (and need) to see the scales move – but until they do, as long as I can see progress then I’m hanging in there!

Hello all, I have joined you quietly too. I started the BSD diet a few days before month end to adjust my stomach/ get through the carb detox (!) and then started the 800kcal on the 2nd when I felt ready to crank it up a notch. I am not diabetic but have insulin resistance (thanks to PCOS, endometriosis etc) so losing weight has been a major struggle for me in the past – but if I’m being honest it’s because I went on diets which had unrestricted pasta etc and I took advantage of it. Not this time! I am (controversially I know) now weighing myself every day because I want to understand how my body reacts to this. It’s risky on the motivational front I realise. I didn’t lose a single gram on just the low-carb BSB so started to get a bit disheartened, but am thrilled the scales are now moving since I started 800kcal. So far I am registering a loss of around almost a pound/ 300g a day, which is amazing and very motivational at the moment seeing as I have substantial amount of weight to lose (70lbs/30kg). I know it will slow down. I’m planning and tracking like a ninja (thanks to MyFitnessPal) and can’t quite believe a) how well I have adapted to 800kcal a day or b) that I am managing to stick to it! Early days yet but so far so good. I’m sick of fighting with myself every day over my weight and food, and determined to make long-term changes. Hope everyone else in the group is feeling equally strong!

JulesM
Instead of that level of punishment, wait until you reach you gaol, then see, very carefully if you can lift the weight you used to carry around on your frame?

Hello everyone
New to this diet but keen to understand more.
I have purchased Michael’s book & will be reading it over the next couple of days.
Looking for some feedback from those in the same situation as myself…..
I have gastric stapling from about 25 years ago – lost lots of weight initially but eventually worked out how I could ‘cheat’ and so the ‘easy calories’ (totally addicted to chocolate – how does a human body remain sustained with that lifestyle ?) has meant that my weight is back on plus more (at age 58 years, now heavier than i have ever been).
I have had some advice re reversing the stapling but the risks of complications are very high & Im not keen to go there. I have a gastric stricture which means that on a regular occasion the muscle at my oesophageal opening will spasm resulting in extreme pain usually associated with vomiting (usually runs for about 12hrs then settles).
My problem : eating a healthy diet is in fact very difficult as its the foods which are high in nutrition which are actually the more difficult to swallow – even after much chewing.
Soups are a great choice but Im not sure if that is well suited to BSD.
Is there anyone else who is in the same situation that I can bounce some ideas off ?
TIA

That sounds really refreshing! Haven’t tried mint with lemon or lime yet. Will do tonight!

Hello I’m a newbie too! I received my recipe book yesterday but waiting for the diet book but I thought I’d start anyway – there’s a 8 week diet programme in the back to kick me into touch and a list of necessary ingredients … so off to tesco I go!

15 stone 3.8
Breakfast..40g cheese which turned out to be 2 x cheeses strings as I made the packed lunch for the kids. Not ideal..but maybe better than toast!
124 cal carb 1g
Lunch planning my fave: crated carrot and beetroot with tuna. Really tasty and filling.
Tea: lamb and veg.
Today I will stick to 40g carb and 800..even though it’s my son’s birthday.
I am trying to be militant. 😈😈😈
Will log back in bedtime.

Great work everyone!

And I agree – it’s great to have this little support group, with so much encouragement, information sharing and positivity. So…thank you all 🙂

I weighed 3.5lb less this morning too – BUT a few seconds after I jumped on the scales the battery went flat, so now I’m not so sure how accurate it is. On the plus side, I do think I’m feeling better on the inside already, after having light and fresh foods and very few carbs the last couple of days (I used to eat lots of bread and pasta, and sweet treats before). It kind of feels already as though I’m running on cleaner energy, if that makes sense.

All the best for today! x

Thanks for the ideas Flash21. I love cauliflower rice but haven’t made it for ages …. we get into a rut at times.

Love celery so maybe celeriac is one to try. Need to look through a few cookery books I think!

Hi anjiejag no exercise. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong. Since I put on this weight energy level has dropped but reading posts I realise now that exercise is as important as diet.

Hi Phlebas

Good to have you along but just for 1 week, actually six days now please pick a number of carbs as your target. A specific number is much easier to stick to as an average is a bit woolly and we all tend to end up at the top end!!!

You don’t have to of course but it may just help to concentrate the mind!!

Good luck!

Probably best….I’m not sure the ribbed look is good! Although catching a rabbit might come in handy….

Oooh late night shopping – now there’s an idea! I think that might be better than online shopping as they always seem to give you the dodgy stuff that goes out of date the next day….And no baking smell would be ideal 😉

thanks Verano 🙂 I’ve been averaging 25-35g so far but last week had a couple of 50/60g days … think that must’ve had an effect. Will see how I get on!

My weight loss has slowed down at the 2 week point, lost half a pound since Saturday, but am feeling really well & motivated. Two glasses of wine last night (book club!) but under 1000 calories in total for the day & drank a lot of water alongside the wine. Am being very strict with myself most days & not letting the very occasional ‘off piste’ day affect my motivation. In the past I admit to wanting to say ‘sod it’ when I have deviated. Will try to stick to 600 calories today to balance out the week. However have a big night out tomorrow. Am secretary of my local festival (voluntary) and we have been nominated for best festival in Sussex award so might end up with a glass of champagne!
Am very impressed by oldbluejeans weight loss – I would love to see size 14 again. Now in size 16 trousers but couldn’t get those on 2 weeks ago. I think measuring success by weight loss is not always the best way – the ‘trousers of truth’ are more motivating for me than the scales. But most important to me how my energy levels & sleep pattern have dramatically improved. I really did feel very unwell most of the time and although, at almost 70 I expect the odd twinge, I really wanted to feel the best I can.
Aria – hope the foot pain improves and keep in touch. I hope you are going somewhere lovely.
Off now to do some more declutttering. Kitchen cupboards yesterday – how come so much stuff was out of date?

Celeriac is great! You can mash/puree it or make coleslaw by finely slicing it along with a little bit of apple and mixing some mayo, mustard and a squeeze of lemon.

My other favourites are cauliflower rice – great fried with a little onion, bacon, garlic and chilli then stirred through with a splash of cream and some grated parmesan. Have just discovered broccoli rice too so thinking up some flavours to try with that. Cabbage is great as per loopylou’s suggestion or also just with some chilli flakes. I don’t like aubergine or fennel so will not be going down that route! Stuffed courgette/marrow is good. And peppers roasted in oil and salt. The good thing about most of these veg is that they take on other flavours really well so you can use them in lots of different ways. Good luck experimenting!

Well done loopylou 3.5lbs is great!!! I think if you tackle holiday gains immediately with a short sharp shock they just disappear!! Mine did last week!

Have seen your vegetable suggestions and JulesMaigret’s, thanks, but think I’m probably just not a veggie person. Love cauliflower and broccoli, hate cheese sauce!!! But like cabbage. Not a great meat eater so will just fry it with butter and pepper I think.

Don’t like aniseed!! But a suggestion for your cauliflower mash. Someone, can’t remember who, posted cauliflower steamed with 5 cloves of garlic …. sounds a lot but isn’t …. and mashed. Really good and would make a good topping for shepherd’s pie.

Maybe I’ll get some mangetout or greenbeans getting a bit fed up with asparagus!

Are Alpro soya yogurts acceptable replacements for full fat dairy yogurt in recipes and breakfasts?

I know lol they are pretty ridiculous, I have a small amount only so it’s ok 🙂 I log it all on mt fitbit app. I have about 15 raisins in my tub which is only 6.2g carbs, there is more in the nuts!

yesterdays calorie count was a bit high at 926 but the carbs for the whole day was 44g, day before was 830 calories with 42g carbs so as long as I don’t add too many raisins it should be ok. I won’t have nuts every day though because the calorie count for them is high, it’s just trying to think of things that can be eaten out and about without too much effort.

Had a very depressing two hour lunchtime meeting. The kind that results in actions that will never be fulfilled and even if they were they’d be pointless. Two hours of my life that I won’t get back!

On the way back to my desk I snaffled three chocolatey bites that someone had left out on a table.

I made the mackerel salad for tea. Mackerel and beetroot are two foods I can eat but I’m not very fond of (too fishy, tastes of soil respectively). The salad from the book though is delicious. This may have been because I bought boneless mackerel encrusted in red pepper, and the beetroot was cylindrical beetroot (from the Abel & Cole veg box). It may have been the way that the beetroot was roasted in a cm of water under foil. Or it may have been the zesty orange dressing and oranges. Whatever it was I would gladly eat it again!

Avocado and egg
Prawn pho
Three chocolatey bites
Mackerel salad

@shalimar – hope your cold clears up soon. It’s probably the same virus that’s doing the rounds over here in England. A good alternative to bacon is a nice ripe avocado – creamy and delicious. I like it with a semi-hard boiled egg. Put an egg from the fridge directly into boiling hot water, cook it for 6 mins then get rid of the hot water and fill the pan up with cold to stop it cooking. It’s easier to peel the shell off that way too. One of the best ways to have an egg IMHO!

@julesmaigret – does rhubarb in hot water actually do anything? I imagine it to be stubbornly inert!

My new fave veg is fennel. I’ve had it sliced in salad with halloumi, roasted it with garlic and had it with salmon in five spice (look up the Jamie recipe – easy and tasty) and even dropped a slice or two in miso for variety. This assumes that you like aniseed. And I have noticed that I have developed a taste for stronger flavours since going on BSD. It’s also selling off in Morrisons at the moment.

Next challenge – celeriac. I mixed some with cauliflower to top a shepherd’s pie – a bit dull to be honest.