starting again this week, half stone on but that’s what I expected…here’s to a better week this week for all of us

Thank you for the positive encouragement peeps 🙂

Well last week I lapsed again. I was only following the diet half heartedly, ate a load of rubbish and it showed on the scales.

So, Monday 5th September – officially starting again at week 1. Have half a stone on, which isn’t great, but I’m still 6 pounds lighter than when I started.

I have a food plan for the week, bought my healthy groceries, filled up my water bottle, had my yoghurt and berries this morning and ready to get stuck in 🙂 Hope everyone has a productive week!

Good morning folks,

Am starting again from week 1 so if I may I’ll join in on this thread if that’s OK. Have gained half a stone in the few weeks I was off the diet, so hoping to get back on track, lose that and more. Monday is a good day to start afresh for me 🙂

Sorry to hear about your mum Loopylou – hope she gets better soon!

Going to try courgetti spaghetti this week Verano – I tried it once before and I think I overcooked it, was a bit slimy – 2nd time lucky 🙂

Have a good week all x

Hi Izzy,

Isn’t it great to make time for creativity? Hard to leave that and come back to the day job though! Congratulations on taking the first step towards your on-line business🌻💐🌻
Know what you mean about the way too baggy clothes, yet am still hesitant about wearing tighter fitting clothes as yet…need to get past that😄

I have low blood sugar and I often have dizziness, headache and blurry vision. I’ve bought some dehydrated fruits from Horton spice mills Quality spices. Will dehydrated fruits help me to increase the blood sugar level?? I need some immediate suggestions, because i’m working and after work I have to take care of my family too. I can’t concentrate in anything now. I feel so tired and I don’t know what’s happening around me. Please give me some suggestions to get rid of this low blood sugar. Can you please suggest me some diet ideas to improve my blood sugar. Any suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thank you.

Hi team

Well week 14 and I’ve lost another 4lbs this week making a total of 44!

Am absolutely thrilled as I had thought things might drift down to a single pound a week by now. It looks like my body likes this and is thriving on the BSD. I am careful to drink a lot of water keep under 50 carbs and exercise most days, I can’t do the 10k steps as with my PMR I get whacked at a certain point but basically walk for 40 mins and do strength exercises for 20 mainly focussed on physio exercises for arthritic knees.

I still have a lot to lose but as I said before I would love to be overweight at Xmas but I would need to lose 3lb a week to do it which is a tall order.

Achievement of the week? Making a friend a chocolate birthday cake not eating any and sending him home with the rest. Is it me or does chocolate smell particularly divine when you don’t eat it?

Am off to the surgery this morning the nurse is doing my over50 MOT so that should be interesting!
Have a great day everyone

Everyone is doing so well! Totals for yesterday cals 755, carbs 32.5, steps 11,000+. End of week stats weight slightly up on yesterday 12.2 1/4 loss for week one 10lbs. Waist start 38.5 now 34.5 so 4″ off unbelievable! Definitely had a lot of water weight and inches! Week 2 will be interesting to see how we all get on! Have another good week everyone!x

Hi loopylou

Sorry to hear about your mother hope she recovers quickly.

Well done losing another1.5lbs. I’ve had a big of a strange week too! Don’t know why but I put on a small amount on 3 consecutive days. Today I’m on the way down again but looks like no loss this week for me but we’ll see tomorrow!

I have told him now that my aim is to ditch metformin. Meanwhile he’s enjoying cauliflower 101 ways and courgetti spaghetti !!!! I’m in the Atlantic, Tenerife, hence the name ‘Verano’ …. ‘summer’ in Spanish! Not quite the Mediterranean but still a similar diet!! Will do my best here. Hoping to lose 1lb a week. We’ll see!

Somebody has suggested we keep this thread as not everybody is a 2nd 8 weeker. Seems fair enough.

I’m Concetta Parsons. i’m a newbie here. I have low blood sugar and I don’t have any idea on what to eat and what not to eat. I need help..

Looks like we’re all making decent progress. Well done us. I’ve moved on too.

86.8 kg
– 0.8 kg
– 1.7 kg overall

Yesterday’s food and exercise
778 cals
88 carbs (too many but never mind; including a late-night banana as pulling an all-nighter for work)
25 minutes gardening

Not suffering severe hunger pangs, just a few minor tummy gurgles before dinner, which is probably normal, just not used to them as I used to graze all the time. Am feeling quite well overall, just tired from not getting enough sleep last night. Tomorrow’s weigh-in is the end of my week. Might celebrate with a full-fat Greek yoghurt instead of a banana. Am really enjoying this diet!

Hi Babs,thanks for that but haven’t got a bike and can’t swim!! I need something that doesn’t involve equipment. Sounds as if you are doing really well. Will look at Catalyst ABC.

Hi everyone. You are an inspiration. I’ve had a strange weekend as my poor 80 year old mother fell on Friday night during a trip away to Norfolk, so I spent the weekend driving up and down (4 hours to Norwich at 6.30am on Saturday morning) to Norfolk and hospital visiting. Back home now as children back to school tomorrow, then back up on Wednesday.
I am trying my best with the food but it’s been a bit of a case of what was available. Hopped on the scales this morning and another 1.5 pounds gone. So pleased with that. Don’t think I will make my 10% body weight loss goal this week, maybe next week(assuming no more traumas!).
verano, are you going to come clean with your husband? I can’t believe he hasn’t noticed the changes before now! Where are you off to on holiday?

Hi. I’m new too. Also starting today. Done my measurements. Eek! Shopping later. Excited to be healthier in the future and slimmer. Want to be a healthy mum for my daughter. She runs rings around me at the moment. Hopefully I’ll be giving her a run for her money very soon.

there are 2 threads that might be of use.

starting Monday 29th august anyone want to join me

and

2nd 8 weeks starting Tuesday august 30th

they contain people on ther first 8 weeks, people on their second and all in between. but they show great tips from people who are on all stages of the journey. what has worked want food is good lots of advice, feelings they had etc etc

Dorybach

I think keep the thread here as many are not second 8ers like me

Great news Bloke 41

I’m on the scales after my first week later.

At the end of week 1 I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised.
Total weight loss: 6.2lbs
Waist reduced by 1″
This next week will be the test for me as 7lbs is normally where I get stuck.
Also anticipating this week being difficult as all the kids are back in school (I’m a teacher in secondary school) and therefore I will be much more active.
Good luck everyone!

I’ve been doing cycling HIIT for around 3 months – I downloaded the MM app on this website and adjusted the interval settings as per the Tabata program. There is a an ABC Catalyst program (Australia) on the net that has a lot of information on various intervals etc. Worth a look if you are just starting out.

I do the exercise 3 times a week for 9 mins per time. Quite honestly the 9 minutes is easy to fit in and is so short that there is no excuse.

I did some swimming laps yesterday after not swimming for around two months and my lung capacity was great – I was never out of breath.

I also do quite a lot of walking and my fitness has improved significantly – leg strength particularly.

I did initially consider other types of exercise for HIIT but I think it would difficult to really get the intervals right.

Give it a go – it’s a great option.

Hi all,

First week done and dusted,
weight 155.9
waist 155cm

Starting weight 159.9
waist 158cm

weight loss 4kg

I know most of it is probably water weight, but still pretty happy with result, still managing to stay off the coffee and soft drink, and keeping up with walking and exercise. Hopefully week 2 is not has tough.

Congratulations on the quick BG response!

I’m glad you added the parenthetical about not being the end of it, though! You’ve got control over your BG – which is no trivial thing! But at 1.5 days (or even 9 days) it’s just control – and (as you noted) it’s not the end of it.

I got to 6 weeks before I had to stop, on doctors’ order, to attend to cancer. At that time, I did an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. According to the test, I had moved from diabetic to pre-diabetic. That matched the reality of my BG readings on a maintenance level of calories (still low carb) for the past 3-4 months. My fasting BG was in the range of 5.3 – 5.6 during this period.

I’ve now started back up on the BSD for at least 4 weeks – hoping to move from pre-diabetes to non-diabetic. Again, my fasting BG immediately dropped into the 3.9 – 4.3 range – I’m hoping 4 -5 weeks will get me to the end of it, and I can return to a more “normal” mix of macros..

Started on the BSD 9 days ago still believing this was about losing weight and hopefully getting to a weight that would result in my BGLs decreasing. Feeling pretty worried as drugs were being put forward rather forcefully by my doctor as my BGLs had gone feral. I started looking at bariatric surgery and somehow discovered this eating plan (not a diet). 1 and a 1/2 days in, my BGLs returned to normal. Unbelievable! I have lost 3.7 Kgs and need to lose another 17kgs to get to a 25 BMI. I am no longer counting carbs for now as the calorie limits mean I’m not getting high readings or even good readings for a diabetic. I now realise the weight loss is secondary to the BGLs on BSD.

I am on cloud 9 – technically I am no longer diabetic ( I know that this is not the end of it). Been a diagnosed diabetic for 9 years.

Vegimite spread on very strong cheddar is just thebest snack. You need very little of both to hit the spot. Apple slices work with this very well and together they stop my after supper munchies

Week 3 Day 3:
Breakfast:
Lunch: Egg Salad
Dinner: Scampi/Scallops/Vegetables/wine
Snacks: Cashews
Drinks: 2 tea with milk
Water: 10 glasses
Calories: 803
Carbs: 25g
Steps: 20610 (including 6km walk)
Weight loss: 700g (61.1kg)
Fast: 16 hrs

Week 3 Day 4:
Breakfast:
Lunch: Cashews/Macadamias
Dinner: Steak/Vegetables/Cream Potato/Wine/Meringue with cream and berries
Snacks: Cheese
Drinks: 2 tea with milk
Water: 6 glasses
Calories: 1459
Carbs: 103g
Steps: 19673 (including 5km run and 3km walk)
Weight loss: +600g (61.6kg)
Fast: 16 hrs

Week 3 Day 5:
Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs
Lunch: Cashews/Cheese/Pepperoni/Olives
Dinner:
Snacks: 2 pieces chocolate
Drinks: 2 tea with milk
Water: 6 glasses
Calories: 808
Carbs: 42g
Steps: 30298 (including 12km walk)
Weight loss: 400g (61.2kg)
Fast: 16 hrs

A weekend of eating out – dinner on Friday with other mothers, dinner at a friend’s place on Saturday and Father’s Day on Sunday. Plenty of exercise though so happy with that.

Well done on your 2.8kg Caro. It is good to see the scales moving downwards. I hope you have a good week being back in routine.
I find the same thing with all my old snack foods – I don’t get as much satisfaction out of eating them anymore. Even the chocolate yesterday did not taste as good as usual.

Hi Arty, there is a very good thread by bill1954. It’s called ‘this has to work for me’. If you search for – this has to work for me – you will find it. He also had issues with fasting blood sugars and he found that testing at other times of the day was more helpful. Hope you enjoy your days boating with Lucky.

Hi sunshine-girl

I’ve gained a small amount every day for the last three days! Why? Who knows ! I think we just have to accept that as time goes on we’ll experience a range of different weight and b/g results. If the new readings last for more than 3 or 4 days then maybe you should look more closely for a reason but on just one day maybe you need to relax a little.

Well I travelled today and have tried to stay within the plan and don’t think I’ve done too badly …. scales will tell tomorrow!

My OH only realised a couple of days ago that I’m not eating bread and potatoes … not noticed the rest yet !! But at least now this holiday should be easier!!

Our taxi driver today was telling us he’s ‘reversed’ his diabetes. Well to be truthful he was just over the lowest level at 6.1. Not overweight to look at him but he lost 2 stone and 3″ from his waist and has now reversed his ‘diabetes’ . It really must work, fast weight loss may be best but any weight loss counts!!

This thread has got quite big now should we keep registering here or start a new thread afterTuesday weigh in … 2nd 8 weeks week 2 ….. ?????

That was an interesting read Frog, thanks for the link. Cider vinegar is something I have used in the past and might think about doing so again.

Does anyone out there do HIIT. If so what exercises do you do and how have you found it?Need something for someone out of condition!! Thanks

Hi Lynne,
Not much battery, so,
WELL DONE! Will ‘Speak’ tomorrow.
Christine.

Well done KJ! Any loss is a good loss

MM’s program “trust me I’m a doctor” looked at this last week – debunked some of the myths with using control groups, but it was particularly effective for reducing cholesterol I think
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/38jzBcHNHD1jWpLtVybgj20/is-apple-cider-vinegar-really-good-for-me

the program also looked at High Intensity exercise that was interesting

Day 17 BS 9.6mmol/L. A little dissapointed today that my BS is 9.6. I might go back on Metformin until I lose more weight. Still undecided at present. Apart from that Day 17 has rolled around and I am going boating tomorrow with Lucky.

Hope everyone is well.

I drink at least one 16 oz glass of water with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in it every day. I’ll have one right after working for its electrolytic benefits. (Cider vinegar is high in potassium; in fact, there is literally nothing else in it, according to the nutrional information. Straight zeros down the table except for the 11 mg of potassium.) I’ll usually have another about half an hour before dinner.

There are a lot of health claims out there regarding apple cider vinegar, most with little or no science to back them up. There is scientific support for one claim that is relevant to our interests: drinking vinegar at meal times has been shown to reduce fasting blood glucose levels in people at risk for type 2 diabetes. Read the study here: http://bragg.com/products/PDFs/JournalOfFunctionalFoods.pdf .

Happy Monday! starting weight for this week 130.45. .85 loss. Not quite the 1kg but more than happy with last weeks effort! Didn’t quite get in the walking I wanted, but am working on that. Otherwise, overall I am feeling great!!
Onwards and downwards!!
KJ

For me being lightheaded was a a sign that I am ready to reduce the dose of blood pressure meds as my weight had reduced so the impact was greater taking BP too low.

Then as said there is the effect of going cold turkey on the addictive sugars….

Thanks sunshine-girl. I am completely committed to this new way of eating but I’m finding it hard right now with the hunger and the weakness. I’m hoping that goes soon and I start to get more energy. My intention is to do the 8 week fast and then go onto the 5:2 but follow the Mediterranean diet for life. Roll on week 9!

thank you for all the positivity guys x

Wendyq – I know it’s early days but you will have to find some stonking recipes to feed f+f that fit your new dietary requirements, so that should you feel the urge for more it won’t do too much harm. Our new way of eating is good for everyone as we know. Need to spread the word!! Be strong – 1st day! xx
Hi Flowerpot, welcome aboard and keep strong. I am five days in and am starting to feel much better. Can feel the body changing already and am feeling so much brighter.

Thats fab HEALTHYCHANGE! Can totally understand yr delight..To come back from hols with a little loss and not a massive gain is very good going! Plus youre the lowest weight in a long time..keep doing what youre doing and you’ll make it into the next stone bracket! X

Brilliant news, healthychange. Congratulations. You’ve obviously got strong willpower!

Well done JANEY!
LUCKY ..!! Was in New Brighton today! Resisted ice creams,fish n chips,rock etc etc..the usual seaside goodies..however thats not why i am telling you about New Brighton!
To my great excitement Lucky, i spotted a BUDGENS! It used to be a co op ,last time we were in NB! It had turned 5 pm so it was closed coz it was Sunday,but i will deffo be going back! I Reckon NB is about fifty miles from you?
But then you might fancy a bit of New B air and a walk along the prom some time and a whizz round Budgens..!

To add to the excitement,as we passed Lpool Town Hall,they were filming..an Agatha Christie mystery i think..The Town Hall was transformed into a hotel i think,there were lots of bell boys,and girls in 1920s fashions…looked so fab! and also some gorgeous old cars. We’re used to lots of filming now in Lpool,it gets used a lot for films and tv series,but generally its all closed off..we must have caught them just before they began.!
So all in all an exciting time was had! X

Had a lovely day. The muddy run went very well, the girls did really well and they enjoyed it, something totally different for them. I walked around about 1 mile. For lunch I had cooked beetroot and feta salad with some balsamic glaze, ’twas lovely, coffee and water. Walked home 1 1/4 miles. For tea – brunch peppers from this site. Walked home about 1 mile. Nice relaxing day.
Your deserts sound delicious, so you must chuck ’em in the bin. It isn’t a waste, eating them is a waste, undoing all your good work and strong intentions. Plus, it won’t do your hubby and kids any good either. You’ll be doing all of you a favour!

Hi all,
I have been following this diet for around 6 weeks now, although for about 4 of those i have been on holiday and away from home.
I tried to restrict my calories but it was incredibly difficult with family around me munching crisps and offering me chocolate all the time!
I was more than a little nervous to step on the scale when i got home but to my delight, i actually lost 1/4 of a lb! I know its not much but i had been expecting/ dreading a gain, and this has really motivated me to keep going.
Now at 11st 7lb and lowest weight for 2 years. Cant wait see the scale drop to below 11st!
Good luck everyone!
-Healthychange

My favourite lunch to take to work is hummus (50g) and vegetable sticks.
cals: 219kcal | fat: 15.11g | carbs: 14.68g | prot: 6.06g
Includes: Red pepper, Carrots. Raw, Sugar snap peas, Hummus.
I do the same as Sunshine-girl and just dip the veggies in and scoop it up – lovely.

Thanks for the ideas so far. Want to build a collection of ideas.

barbecued, grilled, roasted, spiralised and so on chip size sliced diced and spaghetti shape, you name it i have done it in the last couple of weeks

Yes, most of us go through a phase of feeling rotten is some way, tired, hungry, irritable etc. Some call it ‘carb flu’, you have been addicted to the sugars the carbs make and your body is rebelling. Do not give in, maybe eat a little more if necessary but something good for you like a piece of cheese (30 grams) maybe a piece of really dark chocolate which makes me feel I am indulging but staying on plan. You will get through it. Fantastic weight loss.

Thanks Ren65

My weight loss is a total surprise but my eyesight is a bonus and an incentive to see what happens after the eight weeks + limit.

Well don yourself. Good on you

Today is day 8 of my fast 800. I have lost 10.5 pounds so far and am delighted. I’m just wondering is it normal to feel totally exhausted and light headed? I’m also really really hungry all of the time. Will these feelings pass? Please say yes! I’m really excited about the health benefits and weight loss with this diet and don’t want to have to give up.

So. The votes are in at the end of week one. 2.2kg lost. This is nuts! I have been trying to do this for the past 6 months and although I haven’t massively changed my diet I am carefully monitoring my portion size. And a WEIRD thing is happening. At the beginning of the week when I was measuring out my paltry meals I would look on in horror, however they are now satisfying me. In fact I have found a really strong cheddar which I only need half the amount of because the taste in itself is sufficient. Similarly, I have a sweet tooth and that is obviously not accommodated I this new lifestyle. Last night I made my daughter blackberry and apple crumble with cream. I had SUGAR FREE JELLY. This is the way to go people! Just one spoon of jelly satisfies the sweetie addict in me.

One happy bunny!!