Beginning of day 5 today. Yesterday was not a great day. Had to go home from work with a migraine. I’m not a regular migraine sufferer, in fact I’ve only had 2 in my life and that was 2 years ago. I worked it out that 2 years ago was my first foray into low carb high fat so I think my body is doing some serious detoxing, hormone re-balancing type thing. I’m wondering if anyone else has had similar things happen? Also am not sleeping well at all which would not be helping.
On the plus side, scales this morning tell me 79.8kg. That’s 1.2kg (2.6lb) loss in 4 days which is unheard of for me. Can put up with the headaches for that kind of loss!

We also tried the chicken with garlic cheese and wrapped in parma ham, had it with the simple roasted cauli, was great, easy to do and v tasty, my mum loved it. Would also be lovely with the roast mediterranean veg recipe we had from the book last night with some salmon.

Loving all the new stuff we’re eating!

Keep up the good work Corkie.

Hi Sandors girl. I am currently into day 5 and was interested to know if you have had any issues with migraines so far? My first and last 2 migraines were 2 years ago and yesterday I got an almighty one. Coincidentally two years ago was also my first attempt at low carb so I’m wondering if there is a correlation. Hope you are not feeling too bad, I hear there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Have tried to change to 800 also but haven’t been able to do so. Was wondering how you had done it?

Day 4. Travelling again so packed my yoghurt, nuts and berries for breakfast, and had the tuna, artichoke and Butterbean salad for lunch. (Never bought artichokes before. Not sure whether I really like the tinned version). Still it was a very satisfying lunch. Made the easy bolonnaise for dinner with courgetti. Now bolonnaise is a regular in my house. I found the BSD version was sweeter than my usual (I wouldn’t usually add carrots). Still it was nice for a change and the family liked the variation. I added a glass of red wine and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese!
I have a family event at the weekend and was doing some baking for same – trying out two variations of scones recipes. Reader, I had to test them – well half of both types with some butter, so the old 800 calls went to 1337. But scales were still kind this am 73.3kg, so now down 2.2 kg.
Good luck to all!
Corkie

Yes house all fine, just the gas smell on the way in. She is a very food motivated creature, so unlike the rest of us eh?

Hi Captainlynne
I’m sure you probably don’t know – but nurses are bound by strict protocols and guidelines that come ‘from the top.’ She may well agree with what you are doing but unfortunately her hands are tied unless she wants to get herself into deep trouble. If she endorsed a patient’s experience then that patient became ill, it would be easy for the patient to take her ‘all the way.’

Not sure why she’s asking you for the top of her healthy BMI – she would have access to that info at her fingertips! Maybe she is trying to be supportive to you.

As for her needing to lose weight – we’ve all been there! One day the penny will drop, something will click and she will join our ranks. Let’s hope and pray that happens soon for her- we all know what it feels like to try so hard all our lives and get nowhere!

Come on Captainlynne’s nurse – let your brain click – we are rooting for you!

I went to a funeral recently and the only thing I could eat was quiche, I had three slices and ate the filling with a teaspoon, leaving the pastry.

Yowzer – It’s taking some getting used to! I admit to feeling a little nervous about tomorrow😱 Will be checking the online version when I wake up to see if the article is there. Then going to buy a print copy after breakfast. If it is online, I hope I can not look at the comments people make – they are often so cruel. It’s certainly been an incredible nine months! Oh – I’ve been promised copies of photos after publication.

Avila – welcome to the circus. Hope everything was ok at home !

Well done Verano – I love your guide on how to survive a hotel buffet, wedding or christening.

AFTER DAY NINE
WEIGHT: Still 73.4 kg 😕
Walking: 11, 900 steps

Thanks for the encouragement, sunshine girl ( great news about your diabetes!) and igorasusual.
Well done, mental4ever. That’s a great effort! I think it’s great that you have a plan for your time away. I know that it’s when I haven’t planned that I make my big mistakes. Which reminds me……..
We are off to the theatre today to see Warhorse. Must pack a cut up apple in a ziploc bag and some other low calorie snacks and water.
Hope you have a fantastic day, Tabletalk!

Oh my goodness AVILA?.they can be so naughty but are so lovable..he could smell it,who could blame him for wanting the treats! Was everything ok when you got back! I hope he looked suitably guilty!
Have you ever seen ITs Me or the Dog on tV? A dog trainer visits bad dogs and teaches them better manners!
Its amazing how quickly the doggies respond to her X !
Ps oh yes! Please join our trampolining team !

Impressive week 3results PHLEBAS X! And well done on repairing the damage by getting right back on the wagon!
I can relate to a few things on yr list..my bras fit better..like NORFOLK GAL said, they hook up easier and sit better.
I’ m more cheekbone- y tho i noticed last night a small new crease on one cheek,quite ageing..a friends mum alwatys advises folk not to lose weight as they get older ” you dont see wrinkles on an inflated balloon!”
However BSDand 5:2 fasting seem to lead to shedding weight more on tum,hips,thighs,than on face,fortunately.

I make up any shortfall in steps on my mini trampoline – as I lose more weight I should be able to bounce higher and higher – so that will be my trick for the circus.

I know we are not having performing animals but my dog turned the gas cooker on whilst I was out and trying to reach a tray of tasty drips from yesterday’s roast chicken!!

Another with no gall bladder and no bad effects on the BSD. I feel better than I have done in many years, eating meat and full fat dairy products.

LYNNE HOW AMAZING IS THAT! Fame at last eh! Life has got very exciting between photoshoots,interviews AND a circus to run! 😄😄😄😄😄
Wa- hey ! Thrilled to bits and cant wait for tomorrow..i wonder if it will be online earler…..XX 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻You cdnt have known back last December that you wd change yr life in the following nine months..2016 really IS yr year! X

Oooohhh Me – ringmaster! Sounds good 😃

How about synchronised trampoline artists?

I love markets 😃 Two near me sell huge cupcakes – more icing than cake! Fortunately cakes etc don’t bother me anymore😳

I think I might buy some salted nuts tomorrow!

If you’ve not seen my other post, the Daily Mail are printing a series of articles, starting tomorrow and running through next week about the BSD and the new recipe book. They wanted success stories for the article. I am one of the ‘victims’, had a telephone interview and went to London for a photo shoot. I’ve been told this evening that my story and photos will be in tomorrow’s paper!😱

In theory yes you could do beetroot and carrot crisps – they would be a bit carby.

My recommendation is to give crisps of any kind up – can you try it for 7 days and see how you go? For the same reason as not trying to substitute pasta with gluten free.

This is really a lifestyle change. It’s only for 8 weeks – many people feel so good on it they carry on – but there’s nothing to stop you going back to refined carbs afterwards.

But I would really recommend not trying to replace crisps to start off with.

Sorry I sound such a party pooper.

Go for it – you can do it!

What is your target weight loss? Are you type 2? What’s your overall goal?

Oh well,i’ ll let you off LYNNE – You can be ringmaster instead!! X
i’ m getting so slim and agile these days i might lead the opening parade,going round the ring waving and turning cartwheels! 😄😄
Oh jeepers i went to a big market today ..by where i used to live..good job it wasnt there then!
Huge array of everything edible including things ive never heard of ( anyone heard of jack fruit seeds) ?
It felt strange actually to be holding back from buying a lot of the fruit n veg on display..in the past i’d have felt quite virtuous
The bakery part ..oh my goodness…from the massive birthday cakes to the individual amazing cakes to the gorgeous biscuits and varieties of bread..it made me feel a bit depressed..would i ever be able to sample such foods again? But strangely in another part of my brain, I was thinking..no i don’t even want them anyway!
So something has shifted somewhere somehow in last 101/2 weeks!
I bought a box of pumpkin seed biccies fo DD and SIL ..theyre in my kitchen and theyre not even shouting and jumping up n down at me ..just quietly waiting to go to their new home! 👍🏻 x

Oh no!!!!!! just realised I can’t have crisps…. Nightmare. Anyone know if I can make carrot and beetroot crisps as per Jamie Oliver’s recipe. Slice thinly with mandolins carrot and beetroot (and parsnip but can’t have these) preheat oven to 150 then bake for 2hrs 10 mins…. Not tried them but could be an option 😊

two days back on track. I haven’t weighed but I fitted into my size 14 grannie-knickers quite comfortably 😀 Will have a couple more days of being super strict then way on Monday I think!

Captainlynne, lets hope it opens this up to the wider public and gives it some credibility. I want to tell everyone about.

GREAT!!!!! An inspiration to us all here and now maybe to a load of ‘newbies’ !

Well done you !!!

Great idea thank you so much Igorasusual I have never tried them and will make this one of my first new items to try. Getting my menu plan ready now for the week ahead to ensure I stay on track. Thank you for all your replies, I will update you on my progress and my views on courgette 😋 I am looking forward to beginning this change to my eating habit more and more. Thank you again.

Fame at last 😉 🙂 🙂 🙂

And well deserved too

You are most welcome and good luck with your journey 🙂

By the way, you don’t need to buy a spiraliser at the start if you don’t want to, or don’t know if you’d like the veg that way.
I have really fallen in love with courgettes during the BSD and I just cut them into chunks (about an inch square I suppose) and sear them in a dry saucepan over quite a high heat. If you leave them for five minutes or so, stirring them about with a wooden spoon, they shed their water and go brown, and taste absolutely delicious – you could put a pasta type sauce on them then.

And 150g of courgettes is just 27 calories and 2.7g of carbs! 🙂 🙂

For anyone who is interested (or curious) I’ve just had it confirmed that I’m in the BSD article in tomorrow’s Daily Mail!😱

Thank you so much Igorasusual .. I had just noticed that bacon, salami and sausages are OK a couple of times a week. Thank you for the link too, I will check that out too. Salad stuff is just a thing I have not been able to eat rather than an allergy, so I really am looking forward to changing my taste buds and getting to like new foods. I am a real pasta lover so that will be the biggest hurdle for me. I will be swapping it for veg alternatives as suggested. I will have a look through some of the information and questions that have already been asked, I am sure I will pick up loads there. Thank you again for taking the time to reply. All help and guidance is appreciated.🙂

Thanks for the idea’s everybody out there. Will definitely look at carb numbers etc and also the smaller portion idea😁😁😁

Hi Japanike

Processed meats are fine in moderation, and you don’t need to avoid them. Bacon is great with eggs for a protein laden and very satisfying breakfast – or brunch. All are important in a balanced diet.

You say you don’t eat salad foods – is that because of allergies or do you not like them? The reason I ask is that you may well find your tastes change whilst on the BSD and things you didn’t like before you find are really tasty. Many people here have reported trying unusual (to them) things and really liking it! So be a bit adventurous, before you conclude that things are not for you – you may be surprised!

Pasta is one of the refined carbs and should be avoided, gluten free or not. The thing is, if you try and ‘replace’ some of the refined carbs (sugar, bread, flour, potatoes, rice) with something which imitates them, then you are not really training your palate not to want them.

I can reassure you that you may really fancy a slice of bread, or some pasta, but if you resist (day by day if necessary!) you will find that you stop wanting them so much.

Spiralised vegetables are great pasta alternatives – you will find people here really love spiralised courgettes, cooked briefly, but with a sauce a bit like you’d put on pasta. Yummy – honestly!!

In terms of nutritional balance, I used the following website as I had the same question
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com
If you put in your details, and then add your carb grams – people do find here that 50g or under per day helps weight loss, or you could try a little higher if you like and do 75g – then it will help you work out your grams of protein and fat. (Remember to eat full fat, it’s good for you and fills you up – low fat alternatives have sugar in). I used My Fitness Pal to check what calories I was eating and to log in my meals.

Good luck – try searching (top right box) for any questions you have, there’s probably a thread discussing it already…. and keep asking! 🙂

Hi gang,
Halloween is only around the corner.
Been looking for a really scary outfit.

Found the perfect one……
A Lycra leotard and tights to match.

Should scare the whole street? 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀👻👻👻👻👻👻
Love lucia
Xxx

Ach I knew I was going to get caught out! Carb flu here I come!

Frog

Great news on your bloods and I hope you’re back problem is sorted soon.

Only been dipping into the posts the last few weeks but I thought your reboot was going really well????

I’m starting one next Tuesday …. 13 week post holiday reboot … would be great to have company!

Great wisdom there, Verano, while enjoying your holiday. Cheers

Timmy please believe me there is life after 40!!!!!

In fact the new saying is ….. ‘Life begins at 50’ !!

Enjoy but don’t give up just keep jumping back on the wagon!!!!

Having read the book twice, checked out the recipes on this site and I am halfway through reading the fast exercise book I feel ready to begin my journey. I am unsure of a couple of things though, (maybe I have missed this information in the books) for example some of the recipes show heck sausages or bacon and chorizo. I was under the impression you were to avoid processed meats such as these. Also struggling slightly with variation as I don’t eat salad foods. And last query is whether gluten free pasta is able to be used?? And if I am following my own made up recipe, is there a veg to protein ratio I need to follow or just make sure that I only have 800 calories each day. All help and advice is gratefully accepted 😊 Thank you

I have spent the last few days in a hotel with buffet eating and I have some observations that may just help those faced with wedding, christening or other occasions were you are faced with a buffet.

I have been following this plan, albeit be loosely at times, for the last 12 weeks.

The first thing I noticed were the different ages …. young, middle, older and oldest … of all shapes and sizes. I certainly didn’t feel that my weight was huge in comparison to some, even though I have a lot to lose. I was also aware that people ate vastly different types of food and amounts

Very first meal and we were sat by the dessert table and I have to say it held no interest for me! I think you really do lose your sugar craving after a certain length of time on this plan. On two evenings I had one scoop of mint/dark chocolate icecream and I adored it but one scoop was enough! I felt no guilt or thoughts that ‘I’d blown it so just stuff yourself’! At lunch time I had about 20g of blue cheese and a couple of crackers as my dessert and if was really lovely!

I ignored potatoes, rice, pasta, pizza and bread with no problem. I ate plenty of fish, vegetables and salad with eggs in the morning, hard boiled with lettuce rather than runny yolks that need mopping up with something !

I saw a really large lady having melon, banana and a fruit yogurt for breakfast whilst her partner had bacon and eggs and was satisfied . She, meanwhile ,went on to have a doughnut and two other pastries!!!! I’m convinced that the less carbs you eat the more likely you are to kick the ‘sugar’ habit.

I think there are ways to enjoy a buffet without ‘blowing it’ ….. ignore the really heavy carbs and enjoy the good stuff with a little treat if you need one but above all ENJOY!

Neddsmum, let that weight loss keep you motivated. Yeah, well done

I’ve seen a couple of mentions of wagons, falling etc. My last contribution to any forums was early August when I discussed my 3.9kg loss at 8wks(64.1kg), with slowness attributed to my stunning ability to self sabotage. In past ‘diet lives’ I would have been enormously pleased w .5kg/wk. 5 weeks later, having not only felt dissatisfied, I’ve fallen hard off my little red wagon and taken all the wheels with me, then painstakingly put back a couple of the wheels, I find myself at 64.9kg.
So, mini goals for me in my restart :=
a) STOP with the sweet things for goodness sake!! Going to suffer the “carb flu” all over again…..
b) 5 x 1kg, no set time limit

Best wishes to all on the thread

I’m going to be really bad this weekend unfortunately. Today marks the beginning of the end for a large group of friends. Several of us turn 40 between tonight and the beginning of December (my birthday). That said, I’m going to the gym before the pub to try and counteract the badness with some pre-emptive goodness.

good for you DaisyMay, it is one of the things that keep us motivated, the weight loss.

Day 12 and I’ve lost 10Kg (22lb). Almost halfway to my 8 week target and one third of the way to my goal weight.

I’m realistic that the rate of loss will reduce soon but have been amazed by the rapidity of weight loss so far. I’ve been very disciplined so far with 3 slices of pizza being my only splurge.

I had a carb ‘hit’ for dinner last night with bean burgers from the BSD book. One portion is huge, I can only just finish them!

Hi orchid,
I’m going to try just using oats for one breakfast then oat bran for another and see which I like best, and of course which is better in the carb/calorie count too!
I will let you know what I think.
Christine.

Hi sunshine-girl,
Thanks, I did wonder if it was just bran added, I have been told not to have too much bran as I suffer with diverticulitis and it can aggravate it, also Been told to have more bran! To make my gut work properly?
Might just leave the bran out altogether and see what it tastes like, I might try just oats first then oat bran and see which I like best.
Thank you though, it can be a mine field making sense of all these new recipes!
Christine.

Hi Christine. I saw that as well and was puzzled….. I assume rolled oats had its own bran as it was not so processed :-(. Like you – I have oat bran as well in the cupboard – so do I add it in? I guess I need to do the sums to see which matches closest to their calorie count – let me know how you solve it!

Sunshine-girl – that’s great news that you got the feeling back in both toes. I am sure the occasional tingling will go away as your body continues to heal.

It is a bit scary that the doctors tell us that the side effects of diabetes cannot be reversed and will just get worse. It makes you think that we really are at the forefront of a massive change in how diabetes is managed. No that is wrong – we are not managing our diabetes we are reversing/defeating it and getting back our health.

Hi Nedds mum,
Bad days happen for all of us at one time or another – you are not alone! I stress eat, especially emotional stress, and if that happens I used to head to the nearest large carbs I could find. I’m a lot better at managing that now, although some of the worse of last years stresses (family) are over/in abeyance for now so it is easier.
You need a few strategies to help you through and one will be food related others are avoidance strategie – getting you to do other things. Simple things like a short walk outside, a walk to a coffee shop – but only have a cup of tea or coffee and no cakes. It gets you our, you get something to snack on with flavour. If I could not get out, my favourite food solution was carrots or baby tomatoes. Both are sweet, and a bit carby, but still full of goodness. Carrots grated are very sweet and a half carrot grated, sit down and eat it slowly is lovely!
Another thing to think about is Mindfulness. There is a forum that talks about approaches to using Mindfulness https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/de-stress/ that might help you.
The main thing to remember, if you do end up eating a lot of carbs today – tomorrow does not need to be the same. Forget what happened today and move on. It is one day in 8 weeks – so what if it was not the best one. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Try to see if there is a pattern that has caused it – there may be in which case you can try to avoid it for the future, but there may now be – some days just stink.
Keep going one step at a time, and let us know how it is going.

No, not stupid, you can buy oats with bran, at least from Sainsburys. It comes in big bags of unbranded and, like the unbranded oats, is very cheap (about £1.50 for a kilo). Alternatively you could buy a small bag of bran from any supermarket or health food store and mix it yourself, about 25% bran to 75% oats. Be aware though that there are quite a lot of carbs in it so it is not an every day breakfast – between 15 grams for porridge and even more is you add things to it, like apple or seeds.

Just to add, I have looked at the recipe I think you are referring to, Chai seed bircher asks for rolled oats and bran it is 20 grams of carb, nearly half your daily allowance if you are sticking to the BSD 800.

I can’t believe it, I read the book last weekend, started on Monday and have already lost 4 Pounds, despite having to have 1 night away on business. Even better – I feel great! Being a serial dieter, I know the weekend is always a difficult time with more temptations around but I’m heading into it enthused and positive!

Thank you to both of you.

Even posting on here has helped. It prevented me from reaching for the biscuits.

2 weeks a go I was eating 2 packets a day (yes, I am ashamed) but not a single biscuit has passed my lips in 11 days.

Now that I have finished my salad I feel a bit better too. Just the supermarket to conquer later.

I really appreciate the support on here, it is helping, particularly today whilst I’m have a stressy, miserable ‘fat’ day.

Tomorrow is another day and the positivity will return.

Well done to all of you guys.