Hi Captainlynne
Of course – you are right, it is the dreaded ‘dawn phenomenon ‘ that messes up the fasting blood sugars. I haven’t had the ‘dawn phenomenon ‘ once since 7th September so I am assuming that once your blood sugars are in the normal range you no longer get it. Have you found that this is the case?

I loved your ‘after’ photographs in the Daily Mail. I am sure they will encourage so many more people to start the BSD way of eating.

Hi Sunshine-girl, well done for your weight loss and for tweaking your days food to get in a piece of 75% chocolate. I have enough carbs but not enough calories.

Thanks for the info sunshine girl I thought 40g was abut too much to eat

Thanks everyone, I hope I can eventually as restrained. The problem with me is that sometimes i overeat and I actually know I am not enjoying it, but i carry on and its left me v overweight. I guess I need to tackle the boredom element, kids in bed and hubby working away I usually plonk myself down for another episode of mad men / game of thrones…

Also, when you meet up with friends for coffee, how do you manage when they are all tucking into food. Do you find people a bit judgemental / uncomfortable if you sit there no plate?

I have started taking my children out for dessert after dinner, we live abroad and late nights in cafes very common. I can honestly say I feel soo overweight that I would be, and currently am, far too embarrassed to order an ice cream or pudding. I usually watch them wolf it down whilst sipping coffee, but I know that, despite not at all wanting it, if the same dish were served at home i would be wolfing it down with them. I know that i am one of those eat for the sake of it people.

Hi Pamela1602 to add to the porridge comments the book recommends that you have 25 grams of oats is you really want porridge for breakfast. If you look on the recipe in the book for Medium oatmeal porridge containing 25g oatmean, water, 75ml semi sk milk, coconut oil (why??) cinnamon and 1 fig, you are looking at 31 grams of carbohydrate. If you leave off the fig you get 25 grams of carbs, that is half your days allowance if you are doing the full BSD which recommends 50 grams per day. Working on that calculation your 40 grams would give you 40 grams of carbs (i.e. oats is all carb). Something to think about maybe.

Just a little P.S. 40 grams per serving is what they want you to eat so you finish the box quicker, it is not what you should eat. A bit like the shampoo bottles that tell you to wash your hair twice so you use twice as much shampoo and then, because your hair is stripped on oils, you have to use their conditioner. Savvy marketing.

Me too . This sounds a fantastic recipe, so I’m replying as much to ensure it gets saved into my personal posts. I love a crunch!

Morning everyone
I had already decided to start my diet after the excesses of French country living for the last three months when wine at lunch and dinner becomes the norm and those empty calories really help to pile on the weight. A reality check on the scales this morning !!!!!
So now having green tea making my recipe plan and shopping list then off to supermarket to stock up
Later planning a walk along the seafront and a glass of sparkling water xxxxxx

Thanks @sunnyb – loving it so far … have lost 4kg since I started, and have a lot more energy than when I started off. It’s amazing seeing physical results so quickly which is motivating. I’ve had a few slip-ups, as I’m the resident baker for work … but they were only small slip-ups and it was straight back on the horse again afterwards. Feeling great! Just not too sure what to do at the end of the 8 weeks, as I’ll be nowhere near by goal weight by then obviously. I presume I have to come off doing the fasting days for 7 days, and maybe move to the 5 days off and 2 days on?

Thanks for the support and advice 🙂

Hi everyone, happy Sunday.

I have logged all my food for the day and will be coming in at:-
610 calories
23 carbs
My weight today is:-
74.4 kgs starting weight 75.4, so have lost 1kg or 2.2 lbs

I am having Coq au Vin tonight but not quite from the recipe book. That comes to 510 calories and 10 carbs. My version comes in at 350 calories and 15 carbs. Cut out half the wine and throw in red pepper and courgette which are not in the book one. If I had followed her recipe to the letter I would have had 840 cals and 13 carbs for the day and I don’t quite like that balance. At least I have some calories left for a snack tonight and a piece of 75% chocolate (1 carb 58 calories).

Really pleased to have lost weight so far into any diet as we are into the half a pound a week zone but this still works no matter what week you are in and it is not even weigh in day yet.

Keep on keeping on.

Thanks for that , didn’t read it closely enough !

It did sound good – in hindsight I think it was probably the green tea that I wasn’t enjoying … I’ll try it one more time with coconut water instead and see how it goes – I need to amp up the bravery, though, first 😉

Hi Heleliz

It says on page 9 of the new book that calorie counts are calculated for a single portion (rounded to the nearest 10)

At 66 years of age I’ve lost nearly 7 stone on the BSD since last December. I was never going to have a flat stomach after 2 Caesareans. So the little extra skin around my abdomen isn’t a problem. I watch ‘Obese: a year to save my life USA’ and most go for skin removal surgery, but I am nowhere near needing that.

My arms and legs have a degree of loose skin, but I’m an old lady now LOL. Having said that, unless I was in a swimming costume would anyone see it?

So – the small amount of loose skin I have is certainly not a problem for me. If anyone else thinks it is, guess what? It’s their problem!

And thank you too Plumptious. I had forgotten about (dairy-free) pesto – I used to make a delicious one too! I was thinking about getting a spiraliser to make courgetti so you have just given me the incentive. Thank you!

Thank you so much. Love the lasagne idea in particular and will try it! I guess my my challenge will be learning to eat pulses in smaller amounts than I am used to (to comply with the daily 800 kcal) but seeing as this is all a journey of learning it will be good to revise my idea of a ‘portion’ in this regard too! Thanks again.

Day one yesterday was okay. I went to bed early last night because I was a little bit hungry.
Day two today and poached eggs on spinach with pine nuts was not to my liking. But this is what I expected, not to like everything. Trial and error. Will make sure I drink plenty between now and bed time.
I will loose weight this time. This diet makes so much sense I feel as though I am going to stick with it, with the help of this forum.

I’m another former cake fan. But now I’m not even remotely tempted😱

Even just walking past a bakery, the smell of the cakes is just sooo sweet it makes me feel ill😳

The longing does pass 😃

Hi happy to join this starter group I started yesterday. 54 year old female with roughly 6 stones to lose. I have never joined a forum but reading the posts it sounds really friendly and supportive. I have just ordered the recipe book to help out. Day 1 wasn’t too bad weighed myself this morning 2lb off already minor headache but I can live with that will drink more water today. Good luck everyone

Hi Lichfield 65

On that page (p18) it says ‘we have marked with asterixes the items we use a lot’.

On page 23 under ‘What do I do once I have achieved my goals?’ It says ‘So for maintenance we recommend the BSD Way of Life*’. The footnote says ‘*For more advice and support we recommend you join the active and well-informed community at thebloodsugardiet.com’

Hope this helps

Hi, I am starting tomorrow, would like to do 800 calories, but not sure so it may be 5.2

I never thought of my fasting bloods as meaningless. For me it was an indication of what was happening to my body. I could never get that reading below 7 prior to the BSD, but during the day the levels dropped only to rise the next morning. The dreaded ‘dawn phenomenon ‘. The day I started the BSD my fasting reading was 10.9.

What I found was that as soon as I dropped the carbs, even my fasting bloods dropped. Now all my blood tests are in the normal range. I was not any any medication for diabetes, although it was threatened, now they can’t say that anymore!

Mrs C has lost 1st 2lb and 3″ off her waist! She’s looking fabulous (as ever).

Hi *waves*

After 3 years of swimming lessons at school I still couldn’t swim. A friend taught me many years later – but I’be completely forgotten how to swim now! What I did learn is that I pull myself through the water with my arms, my legs didn’t do much work at all😱

I was once sent for physiotherapist in the pool at the hospital, but they bared me after two sessions – I was so tense I was aggravating the condition they were supposed to be helping😱

It seemed so much trouble, all the getting undressed and dressed! And I should admit to being scared of the water. I love being by it, or on it. But in it😱 My grandmother drowned when I was small. So perhaps that had a subconscious effect on me. Plus, while I could swim, I was swimming in a square pool with a 10′ deep centre. Going across it. When a man with a fierce crawl swam at right angles, leaving a huge wash behind him. I mistimed it, got caught in the ‘waves’ behind him and dropped like a stone. Fortunately my friend grabbed the straps of my costume and dragged me out. Needless to say it put me off! But I know it’s good exercise. Now it’s not the size of the costume, it’s the ‘old lady’ arms and legs!

I’ve not venture too far away from what I was eating. Hopefully I overestimate many portion sizes now, rather then underestimate them.

For me, it helps that I only eat morning and evening. It makes me less anxious about being faced with food situations during the day. And I always have something BSD friendly in the fridge to grab the minute I walk in, if necessary. Like you, Plumptious, I think my local takeaways have gone out of business!

My official weighing day is Saturday.

Hi Igorasusual *waves*

I think that after they sub-divided the original four seasons some of the colours changed slightly. My work blouses are white – although now there is a ‘mid-week blouse’ that’s pastel blue😃 (Love it!) – but my cardigan and jacket are navy.

Somehow I’ve never got into the habit of wearing a scarf although I know it’s a good way of putting a colour near my face.

Hi Verano *waves*

It felt strange to be in a dress. For far too many years I’ve lived in separates (whether skirts or trousers). Partly because it was difficult to find a dress that fitted properly and partly financially- I could get more use/variety out of separates.

It seems that the more I write on here at the moment, the more I realise how much I’ve changed over the last nine months. Ok, I’ve seen my weight and shape change – that’s the obvious part. What I’d not thought about is the way my attitude towards clothes etc has changed. After many years, I’m interested in clothes again. I had completely lost my way regarding what I wore. I’d had my colours done and a style class and tried to stick with what I learned. But at my starting weight it seemed pointless. I’d stopped wearing any makeup years ago – why bother! Now it feels the right time to start to change things.

One advantage of waiting for the make-over is that it’s an incentive (if I needed another one) to keep the weight off. So it’s baby steps for now.

First – see about the contact lenses. Start wearing makeup again (in easy stages so I don’t shock anyone LOL).

It seems reasonable not to invest much money in clothes at the moment – until my weight/size stabilises. And so I don’t make any expensive mistakes. I’ll aim to get the makeover appointment for early next year – then it will be time for shopping 😃 I might even go down the ‘personal shopper’ route.

Hi
Just reading the recipe book and on the cupboard essentials pages there are asterisks next to many of the items.
It then says later join the community for more info/advice.
What do these asterisks mean then?
Thank you in advance

I am not strictly veggie/vegan but eat a lot that way by natural choice. I think this way of eating really does lend itself well to this vegetable fest.
I also use a teaspoon of Whole Earth PB when I am getting very hungry or past a time when I usually have lunch and forgotten the time. This or the three almonds and glug of water takes off the pangs for me.
It is amazing how little tiny bit of home made pesto can taste up courgette too. Plus adding handfuls of either spinach leaves or kale and experimenting with a few spices can be made into a bowl of food.

I have just liked what I believe to be the official Facebook page ‘the blood sugar diet’, and found a link to the mail articles. Such brilliant before and after pics – you all look amazing!

Hi Rozydozy and Captainlynne!
Hugely well done both of you. I don’t know how to incorporate icons etc otherwise I would do!!
Ah the swimming…used to pose a lot of problems for me in the past . I am able to swim but never enjoyed doing it as I felt people were staring at me…I couldn’t pull myself sedately out of the water up the little steep metal steps at the sides to get out and can only imagine the frankly dreadful sight of very large posterior to anyone unfortunate enough to catch an eyeful from water level EEEEkkk.
The cozzies are limited in choice and frumpy for big girls and as I need one with a mastectomy type pocket in it ,cost a mortgage, so even though I forced myself to go earlier this year I can’t say it was wonderful. However I now have a different way of looking at it….yes, I have wobbly bits, yes, will never have the figure of Daisy Lowe, but guess what- I totally accept that YES! I am a granny, YES, I am as fit as a butchers dog, and YES there are lots of folk in the graveyard who would willingly swap places with me, so I have to get on with it and see it as a positive thing and investing n my own future health, wellbeing and the most thing of all – long term independence.
Captain Lynne you don’t have to ask to join us ….you are automatically most welcome. (So is anyone else reading this….the more the merrier!)
How is the recording of food but not necessarily the exact calories going….I am guessing your brain and eye are good at perceiving the portion size?
I find myself automatically looking at the calendar to see where we need to be out at events/church do/appointments away from our locality and plan those days more closely “food wise” to ensure we don’t come unstuck. Also I freeze a few portions of things such as the cauliflower and cannellini bean soup so that if we do have unexpected changes to daily routines or delays getting home we can just pull something out and do “defrost & ding” meal.
As you say Lynne it’s now a healthy way of life and not a diet. Quite a statement from me ….someone who loves Marks & Spencer food hall and Indian takeaway food. I think our old fave restaurant may have gone bankrupt lol!
I am going to use Sunday morning weight as a weekly benchmark and I will post either Sundays or Mondays. This week sees a further 2lb drop….so now am 10 st,3lb.
When I told my beloved I was over the line a few days ago, he replied…”No love ,you are definitely under it!”

Oh, not good re the allergy. Don’t do weight loss that way 😉

No problem in substituting any other protein source for the fish in recipes.

However as you may know, fish is surprisingly low calorie for the amount of protein so you will probably need less weight of meat to hit the calorie count

Are you weighing/logging on an app like MyFitnessPal to check the nutrient content of your food? Also really helpful in planning.

Hope that helps 🙂

Oh Lynne. Why would anybody be “sniffy” about ANY forum which tries to support others? Which this does, in spades.

Humans are odd in dividing into cliques and clans, aren’t they. 🙁

Not a vegan but just to say, I would continue with the pulses for protein but in as many inventive ways as you can.

Just for example:

Lentil lasagne with aubergine rather than pasta
Pulse (whichever you like) “shepherds pie” with cauli mash
Curries – did a fab green lentil and cauli daal myself yesterday. Loads of potential combos there
Chilli – lentils and red kidney beans

I also did a wonderful fried red snapper on a base of green lentils from a slightly modified James Martin recipe the other day (sadly no red wine to hand so the lentils were just cooked in stock, but nonetheless really really good)

So I would just look at all the possible recipes and think pulses. Not too many as they are very carby, but they are also very filling. The recipe above, for example, said 70g of dried lentils per person with the fish and I did 25g and all agreed that was the right balance.

Hope all that helps! 🙂

11 days completed. Bit of a glitch on Friday night with wine and cheese tasting but no bread or crackers passed my lips. Weighed this morning – 8lbs down but my waist has reduced by 4 inches! Bra is on the middle not the last fastening and my legs are also noticeably slimmer. Still very energetic and driving Mr BB mad.
Aria – I’m in Arundel. Very busy over the next few weeks but will try and arrange a meeting, complete with buttonhole for identification, in a couple of weeks. Shame that there is not a pm facility on this site.

Day 2 for me and I’m off to see a friend. I think that I’m going to struggle at weekends being 100% BSD, the lack of structure yesterday meant that I got in late and ended up with beans on toast!! I was sleepy soon after (it was only 8) so in some ways I think the odd carb heavy meal will keep me focused on the the benefits for me and how much I can be affected by my food choices.

This afternoon, I will be prepping and batch cooking for the next few days so dinner is ready when I get in from work. I usually take my purse to work and inevitably pop to the shops or someone picks something up for me, so I’ve decided to leave my purse at home. I’ve got a 2 litre bottle of water on my desk, again drinking enough at weekends is something I struggle with.

Most excitingly I bought a spiralizer yesterday so I’m looking forward to making meatballs and courgetti for dinner tonight!

Hope everyone has a good day

Verano – I wonder if the fasting blood sugars are meaningless until we get rid of the visceral fat and then they are stable and in the normal range. Until then they seem to yo yo madly. Mine were between 5.9 and 7.8 but as soon as I no longer needed insulin the fasting levels dropped and stabilised at 4.7 (today at 4.3). So I think your dropping numbers are a good sign that the visceral fat is going but they still may fluctuate until it is all gone.

We have an actifry and were going to try cauliflower in it – so thank you for posting that it is a total disaster in the actifry

I measured my waist yesterday. It has gone from 35 to 31 on 3rd Sept to 28 1/2inches yesterday. When I looked in the mirror the fat around my middle, waist and tummy has virtually gone. I actually have a waist. It was so funny – I felt much more emotional about that than when my pancreas started working and my diabetes went into ‘remission’ . Though of course it could be that I have finally won the 40 year battle to get rid of the tummy fat and that is pretty momentous. Even if I lost weight before on one of the million diets I tried over the years it never seemed to get rid of the waist and tummy fat.

Yesterday 25.42 net carbs and 787 calories. Today I am trying to tweak my planned meals to include a square of dark chocolate.

Hi Lynne

Although the skirt and blouse are very nice I think the red dress is stunning! Must be nice to wear a dress as well when you wear skirt and blouse every working day!!!

Hi there!

First of all, one of the things about BSD is that it helps your body change its hormonal response to burn fat cells for energy rather than refined carbs. This will mean that even without refined carbs (and you will get plenty of other carbs from all the allowed vegetables) you will find you have lots of energy.

I understand about the bread – mmmmm – but I really recommend giving it up for the 8 weeks as even small amounts of refined carbs make it more difficult to give up the rest.

Why don’t you give it a go and find other things to put your breakfast eggs on – portobello mushrooms? Baby spinach? – and see how your energy levels are still fine, if not better.

Then you can go back to your bread at the end of the time.

I know other experienced BSDers will agree that little compromises can lead to more damaging ones if you’re not careful.

I also exercise and found no issues with energy levels after giving up refined carbs – indeed did my BSD on 20-30g of carbs (the good ones) per day.

Hope that helps! 🙂

I’m also Winter, Lynne, and therefore should be able to have both white or pale pink next to my face.

However for some reason I think neither helps my face/hair combination – don’t feel comfortable – so try and have both colours but with a darker jacket/piece of knitwear – or conceivably scarf – as contrast.

I also think you look good in the skirt/blouse, but perhaps the very pale pink would feel better with darker cardi?

Love the sound of your colour analysis treat! 🙂 🙂 🙂

just a quick question do you make your porridge with water to keep the calories lower? Conscious that 40g Scots porridge oats is 142 cal without milk, not sure i would be able to eat 40g but that is the serving size on the box

Morning Team October/November,

It is Day 2! My Fitness Pal tells me I was over by 150 calls yesterday as I added hummus and feta to my dinner. I am not going to be discouraged but this shows me I MUST plan meals ahead carefully to avoid this kind of thing happening in future.

Breakfast was eggs, salmon, avo and tomatoes.

It is a beautiful Autumn day here in England so I am going to take a walk with the kiddos to an apple harvest event. Happy Sunday all xx

I’m not diabetic or pre diabetic.

I’m a healthy weight and run for 60-120 minutes a week as well as 60 minutes of strength excersies.

I’m doing the low carb/fast and enjoying it but I make my own bread and I’m wondering could I have a slice a day ? I’ll keep carbs below 50g a day but I love making my own bread and I’ve seen low carb versions but I want to still make my own. I know it’s high in GI terms But if I keep it to a minimum and as I’m excersising as much then I should eat some carbs.

Hi , I have the book and am on my second day.. I just wondered if you think the nutritional values down the left hand side of each recipe is per serve or for the whole dish ?? Also does it say anywhere how many grams of protein you should have each day ? Many thanks.
Helen

Hi all, read the book yesterday and I’m going to start the 8 week bsd today. I want to be 9stone (I’m 5′ 2″) so I have 3stone to lose. I have a second grandchild arriving at Christmas so I want to be able to push the double buggy up the hill without collapsing. A perfect storm of laziness and menopause got me here so I’m determined to get it sorted. I know checking in with all of you will keep me on track and we can encourage each other. Let’s focus and get this done . I’m off to scramble some eggs. Love to everyone from NeNe in Ireland.

Thanks Frog

All this talk of yogurt – I’ll have to explore the shelves when I’m back in Italy in a few weeks to see what is available there. I’m waiting for another shopping list from my son. My list includes more good Parmesan 😃

After reading comments I’m starting to change my mind about the skirt and blouse! But I did like the skirt on the day – it was just the colour of the blouse 😳 Seeing it through the eyes of others has helped. Many thanks everyone 😃💐

Hi all
I want to tag in to your group too, I started yesterday , I am 39 year old lass from Lancashire , when I was in my twenties I never had to worry about my weight but in my thirties I have blown up , I am now going to grab the bull by the horns I will not be fat and fourty!! Good luck everyone. We can do this !

Buoyed by a successful five days following the BSD principles, I am today embarking on the 800kcal/eight week programme. I have 70lbs to lose thanks to a lifelong serious carb addiction. (Am in my early 40s.)

Here’s the thing though: I don’t eat meat nor eggs or dairy. I do eat fish and shellfish but try to do this occasionally and mindfully rather than every day. But in the last five days I have found myself relying on fish more and more to mitigate the hunger pangs, to the extent that I’m sometimes having it three times a day! I don’t want to do this and would ideally prefer to remain 90/95% vegan as I was before. (Just without the accompanying mountains of pasta and potatoes!) In my head though, veggies just do not fill me up.

I look at the veggie recipes and so many contain eggs. I know that some veggies (such as mushrooms and broccoli) contain good amounts of protein, as does tofu, but does anyone have advice they would like to share please? Am i destined for a lifetime of lentil soup and tofu frittata?! Are there any vegans out there on this programme? How are you coping? I’m concerned that I’m going to be really hungry all the time, or get bored fast, and that this will lead to failure! Thank you so much.

As an aside, I also have fibromyalgia, an autoimmune condition, PCOS and endometriosis: all of which have contributed to my weight issue. My hormones are up the creek and my mobility sometimes too. If anyone with these conditions has had any positive outcomes using the BSD, or advice, I’d love to hear from you too – thank you.

Hi HappyLife *waves*

Welcome back. Congratulations on the weight loss so far😃💐

Earlier this year some of us joined a Facebook BSD group but left very quickly. Interestingly, of the five women featured in the Daily Mail article last Saturday, four of them knew each other from one online group – I think it was on Facebook. I have to say that the two I met were a little ‘sniffy’ when they heard I was from this forum 😱😢

Hi MIxnmatch. Thank you for your reply, 6 stones! lost is an amazing achievement. really encouraging to read at the start of the journey on BSD. How long has it taken you to lose the weight? Any tips ? I have 3 stones to lose. Also relived to hear you answer on skin bounce back. I also hit the 50 club earlier this year.

Have you tried making seed crackers? They are my new favourite snack. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made these since discovering the recipe. It’s from a book called ‘Real Meal Revolution’ by Tim Noakes et al. which follows the same principles of the BSD / LCHF way of eating.

50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
50g sesame seeds
30g flaxseeds (aka linseeds)
1 1/2 tablespoons psyllium husks
1/2 teaspoon salt
200ml water

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add water, and leave to stand for 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius.

After 15 minutes the seed mixture will be all ‘gloopy’. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper, divide the mixture between the two baking sheets, and use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture as thinly and evenly as possible.

Place trays on the middle racks of the oven and set timer for 1 hour.

After an hour rotate trays and turn them around, then set timer for another 20 minutes.

After an hour and 20 minutes they should be nicely browned and crisp. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and break into cracker size pieces. Store in an airtight container.

These are very yummy and moreish! Nice with cheese, avocado, olives and cherry tomatoes. Good portable emergency snack. I’ve even grabbed a few of these and a babybel cheese for a quick breakfast on the run and found it surprisingly satisfying.

Day 1 yoghurt and cherries, Caesar salad with chicken and a glass of rose! Under 800 😊
Just 6 days left this week x

Hi all, newbie here. Just got my books and getting stuck into reading them. i have skipped ahead to meal plans & see they’re full of seafood – as they often are :(. I’m allergic to fish, and whilst death would be a good way to lose weight, it’s a bit drastic. I can’t see anywhere in the books where is says what to do if you can’t eat seafood. I know you could just simply substitute the fish for another protein, but given fish has particular nutritional qualities, with which one? What have other non seafood eaters done? Or if the moderator is reading this can you please point me in the direction of Michael’s professional advice? cheers.

Sunday morning weigh-in stats:
Height: 70″ (I’m not expecting this to change!)
Waist: 39″ (1″ gone, 4″ total)
Waist to Height Ratio: 0.56
Weight: 14st 4.4lb (another 3.2lb gone, 16.6lb total)
Heart rate: 63 bpm
Blood pressure: 119/87 (coming down slowly)

Week 3 done!

I want to get into the 13st bracket this week but we’re going away for the weekend (mother-in-law’s 70th) and I can’t guarantee being good all the time. So next weigh in will be Saturday morning, with a check-in on Tuesday to record the damage.