Picking up on an old topic – I saw an M&S ad today that if you have a bra fitting (before 24 September), you get £5 discount from bra purchases.

It’s something I’d been thinking about doing anyway – I took a spare bra with me today, but grabbed one that was way too big & ended up putting the sweaty sports bra back on.

AMAZING! you give hope to the hopeless!

Actually, Gael Monfils winning today only 15 minutes ago is a great sign of hope! Not been in Semi Finals at US Open in 6 years! What happens tonight, Tsonga or Djokavich will be his opponent! Tough!

Well, Lee there are 4 words of wisdom you followed well:

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!

Cheers,

PrincetonianStud

This is wonderful news for you, Lee – and holds out hope for other people following the BSD.

OH has now had two liver ablations and his time on the BSD has reduced his blood sugar so he is off Metformin. He’s now on maintenance but keeping carbs low and I know is hoping that this way of eating is also helping his liver. There is some evidence that low carb helps prevent tumours growing.

So pleased for you, you must be thrilled – and you’ve not done the whole 8 weeks yet! 🙂

Well did 10 mins HIIT, jumping jacks, high knee runs and running. Longest I managed was 1min running, then rest. Did manage 30 secs of jumping jacks, very impressed with myself! Revived sufficiently in the 90 secs to carry on, so was able to do 10 mins total. Your swimming is fantastic, keep it up.

Hi SusieB and welcome. We are all in the same boat, all have ‘what ifs’ but that is all in our past. This time we succeed! Today is the first day of the rest of our lives! And just for today we are going to do the best we can!
Jackieppp – I think planning is the key, as they say ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail!’ I am having low carb ploughmans for lunch, bacon and courgetti frittata with salad and GY&B.
I am feeling much less bloated which makes me feel more able to do things. Didn’t have a walk today as blisters on balls of feet, didn’t want to make them worse. But did do HIIT exercise. A mixture of jumping jacks, high knee running and running, and lots and lots of gasping for breath, lol! 10 mins as recommended.
Well off to bed, sleep tight everyone xx

To any one who’s interested on how the diet can improve fatty liver.

I had an ultra sound last Friday, rang the doctors for result appointment and they said I don’t need an appointment and my liver is showing no signs of fatty liver. That’s after 6 weeks.

Fabulous weight loss triumphs everyone.

Have got myself in a silly place as struggling to stick to the guidelines even though I know they work…so as a consequence am giving into my flesh too easily but I am determined to get through as I know from the first week on BSD it works!

So thank you for sharing your successes as it really helps those like me!!

Welcome to the BSD Seadog and STAR56,
Wishing you born well as you progress towards your goals – keep us posted on your progress😊

Welcome to the family Seadog 😃

Really pleased to hear that your GP is being supportive, and that you’re taking positive action now, rather than later.

You’ll find lots of support on here. Any questions, just ask. And I look forward to reading about your progress.

Great results Yowzer 😃

WOW!!! Well done Mixnmatch!!!! Take your time with the next goal …. you have done amazingly well so far!

Hello Seadog

I’m from Brazil, I’m 56 years old, two years ago weighed 127kg and Lowcarb and fasting decreases almost 25kg, always had problems of hypertension and swelling in the legs and feet.

Today I do not make use of any medication, perfect health!

I want to reduce more weight will try blood sugar diet, to get a better result.

I’ll start next week because I will travel, home of my mother, lots of food and drink.

No exaggeration because I’m already adapted without alcohol and without bad carbs.

Once again I company to you.

Brazilian hugs.

Excuse me! I write to Google translator

Hi all
Welcome Susieb. Had the grandchildren round today (it’s what I do). We made do-nuts. Guess who’s been eating some – not one just one. Grrrr. Lost 1lb this whole 1st week so 36 to lose now. Kids back to school tomorrow so going to get back on track now. Can’t do much exercise unfortunately except for these fingers which are getting super slim now ha ha. Going to have blueberry yoghurt nuts in the morning and avacado egg for lunch if I plan the day before that might work better for me. Is this what others do? Wish I was a bit more disciplined cos I know it works when my mind’s on it. Love reading everyone’s posts keep it up girls (any men around you’d be welcome too) bfn

Great to have you onboard Seadog. Fantastic news that your GP has recommended the BSD and even more fantastic that you have decided to take action. We will all be interest to hear about you progress and this is definitely the place for advise, support and encouragement. Look forward to reading your posts in future.

Depressing? Seadog, this is a great post and inspiring both from your point of view and from your doctor’s.

Fantastic the doctor took the time to give you that slap, and congratulations to you for taking it on the chin and deciding not that you were going to stamp your foot and deny it all, but that you were going to set about it and get your health back 🙂

Keep posting, there are loads of people here as you will know who will give you the best advice, based on their own experiences and research.

And give yourself a break – you have started on the path which will end in more life and more enjoyable life 🙂

Thanks for sharing.

Success, as of this morning I am 5 1/2 stone lighter than I was and my BMI is 29.9! Next mini goal to follow when I have worked it out 😀

Hi all, I’ve hijacked Bill1954’s original post name, as he has inspired me to get on with this life changing lifestyle. I’m feeling rather gloomy today as I went to the GP yesterday with a health concern. I’ve noticed fluid around my ankles, and shooting pains in my Achilles tendon. The GP was a young guy, well younger than me anyway (I’m 47) and was very honest. He told me in no uncertain terms that the fluid build up was caused by being overweight, and should not be seen in someone my age. My BP is also very elevated, around 180/90. He looked through my medical records, turned to me and said ‘Your father died at 62, you’re going the same way’. Yes, you could say he had no right to say that, but I actually appreciate his candour, maybe at long last I will finally realise that I cannot go on like this. I’ve had my blood sugar checked, and I’m still OK on that, not pre-diabetic at the moment, but…I’m sure if I carry on abusing myself I will be. Anyway, he has put me on medication for the raised BP, and then said that if I continue to not look after myself, my list of medication will increase year on year.
Then, here’s the thing, he said have I ever heard of the blood sugar diet ?, yup, a GP who believes heart and soul in MM and Prof Taylors hard work !. My 10 minute appointment turned into 40 minutes, but it appears that I was the last appointment of the day, so he was giving up his own time for me. He wants me to go back in two weeks time, and then once a month after that where he is going to monitor me and my progress on this plan. He has done me a huge favour, taken his gloves off and given me a hard slap round the face (metaphorically !) . I’ve known about this plan for quite a while now, but I’ve now had the short and sharp shock I needed to get on with it. I’m on my third day now, and starting to feel the benefits. Apologies for quite a depressing message, but I know there are plenty of good people on this forum who can help me along. I also had a chat with my wife last night, who has always been fantastic and understanding, but when I told her I was now on BP medication, she said that I must now take action.
I’m about 3 stones overweight I guess (18 Kg), 18 Stone now and want to get to 15 stone.
Thanks all.

I applaud your doctor for being honest. That reality is the reason I’ve never entirely relied on doctors for care of our medical zebras and unicorns. (Diabetes is just a horse – but the principle still holds.) Doctors have hundreds of patients, with many more conditions (depending on their specialty). I’ve got three. That reality means that I (and my family) will get far better care if I do the basic research and not rely on the doctor to know everything.

My goal, whenever I meet a new doctor – or have a new condition – is to be able to anticpate everything they will discuss – and for them to be familiar with anything I bring up. If, at the end of the visit, they are on a different track than I am, chances are pretty good they will not remain my doctor for long. It annoys some doctors (one fired me this year – after I’d already fired the rest of his team), but any doctor I’m willing to have treat me appreciates it – or at least is willing to work with it and recognizes anything I ask about, even if they don’t agree with it.

Good luck tomorrow loopylou.

Spiraliser wonderful all sorts …. Electric, salter type (see on Amazon) and hand held. I’ve just bought a hand held while I’m away but not successful! Others do have success with them.

Try Longley Farm full fat cottage cheese … completely different texture almost like cream cheese!

Well done to all losers. Those of us still trying …. just keep going!

It’s incredible to be consuming that amount of sugar and carbs in something that actually doesn’t fill you up and is more a habit! I only drink tea (with 1 sugar) so I’m going to try and avoid it as much as possible whilst reducing the amount of sugar when I do cave in to it! You’re right Caro-it’ll be a work in progress for me too. I also struggle with not finishing off my son’s meals or ‘tasting’ it as I cook. I’ve realised I do it without even realising I’m doing it until afterwards! Not had the best day but will finish off with a feta and avocado salad to try and redeem some of the bad points! I bet you’ve lost more weight than you feel Caro-sometimes I feel bloated and full around my time of the month but actually it’s not weight gain.

Galleyslave, I guess from your name you do the cooking. If you are serious about going on the diet with him, how about going on it without him like Igorasusual did. Look at the recipes and make nourishing meal similar to what he might normally eat and (like with children) sneak in a few good carbs and slowly leave out the potatoes, pasta, rice etc. My daughter said our (grand)son would not eat chickpeas, I was eating the spanish chickpea and chorizo soup (in the book) and he asked if he could have some, he loved it. Try making stews using pumpkin or butternut squash (not the best carbs but better than potatoes). I think you might get the idea.

On a cheering note, my husband is not overweight, not diabetic and has nothing much wrong with him. He does have high blood pressure so has an annual MOT with blood tests and a cardiology visit. Since I have been on this diet he eats pretty much what I do and I add the devil carbs like some chips with the veggie fritata or rice with the stir fry. More and more he is saying, don’t bother, I’ll do without. So he is half on this diet AND he has lost half a stone (just to smooth out the podge) reduced his blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and been told he shouldn’t really be on blood pressure tablets, which is to be reviewed soon. So just by dipping into my diet it has done him a world of good.

If he really doesn’t care or understand the implications of going on insulin ask him how he would manage sticking a needle in his stomach or thigh every day, sometimes more often and is that better than giving up certain foods. It is awful and it still makes me cry sometimes – not from the pain of doing it, from the hopelessness of it.

I do hope he comes around. I can guarantee if he goes on this diet for 1 week he will see improvements straight away and maybe that will be enough to convince him. Make a bet with him. I am running out of steam here but I feel so passionate about this.

Good luck and take care of yourself.

Well done krysia and 54 and sunshine girl. Great results. My weigh in is in the morning. Fingers crossed I do as well as you.
My mum broke her hip but after surgery seems to be improving. I am back up to Norfolk tomorrow and Thursday for visiting the sick!
Keep up the good work everyone.
Talking of courgetti would you recommend getting a spiraliser? I usually just use a potato peeler and have courgetti ribbons.
Frog I HATE cottage cheese. It’s a texture thing I think. I won’t tell you what it reminds me of.

Fantastic figures Yowzer, onwards and downwards!

1st Feb 2015 I was at the heaviest I had ever been and decided this had to stop. I was having difficulty showering, out of breath walking up the stairs and so on. I started on a local leisure scheme where they lent you a “pebble” movement measurement device and encouraged you to get into sport and activity without having to join a gym. I started with a back to fitness course that mixed yoga, Zumba, step etc. for really unfit people and a few weeks later started playing (very badly) badminton on the same scheme. Since then I have been experimenting with different diets and variants of diets and am now really happy that I have an approach that will take me right to whatever my ideal weight proves to be. I also have got much better at badminton. 😊

Hello, Trelawny, Natalie and Wendyq,

I hope you don’t mind if I join you in this thread one week late? I see we have similar stats! I’m 52 years old, 5’5″ and around 13st – I will have my official start weigh-in tomorrow!
I need to lose about 42lbs. I have dabbled in this diet a few months ago (Oh, what would I have weighed now, I wonder, if I had stuck to it!) But – I must focus on the Now and not the Past.

I look forward to joining you on the next 7 weeks!

wel done on the weight loss that is truly amazing

Ay caramba, – thank-you for that! I was having miso soup at lunchtimes, and the dizzy turns were nearly all in the morning! I had been intending to dig out my vegemite as I found some lovely oatcakes ( 2 are 16g so 7.6g carb) that I was having some days for breakfast as well as my normal muesli – I love oatcakes and vegemite/marmite with a bit of cheese. I will definitely try that with celery as well. 🙂

Just calling by quickly to say its day 56 and ive lost 34 lbs..2 stone 6, 15 kilo..whichever sounds best
Average of just over 4 lb a week for 8 weeks! 👍🏻 x Donning the Cape of Smugness..
best decision i ever made to try the BSD..all thanks to my friend Nutty on the 5:2 forum x when i saw how well she did on it,i decided to give it a go,tho I never thought i wd do it for more than a week,and intended to allow 1000 cals a day -but i didn’t go over 800 once and many times was under. onwards and downwards now! X

Igorasusual is right, if you can persuade your OH to check out some of the threads here – especially Bill1954’s and captainlynne’s – it might inspire him. I have to agree with your OH about the ‘happy clappy’ stuff at ‘slimming clubs’, I loathed it too and to be honest, their whole approach is now thrown into question by the BSD and similar approaches.

There is nothing like showing someone how things can change, so if you can make a start yourself, may be he will be willing to follow.

Hope it comes right for you both and that you will soon be posting results, instead of pleas for help.

Good luck.

Hi ay caramba,
I’m impressed that you have got rid of the bingo-wings. I look good in clothes, but without them I have bingo wings, still got a bit of flab on the stomach – some of which is loose skin so probably will never go now, and likewise in the thighs. With only a couple of kg still to go I am not so worried now about losing that as improving the muscle tone overall. Might try the body pump after the marathon is over and see if I can fix the bingo wings etc.
As you say – get out and try to do something – every little bit helps and suddenly you find you are doing even more than before.

Well done, Orchid, you are an absolute star, fantastic achievement.

Just one thing I wanted to add – if you are getting dizzy turns, have you thought that you might not be getting enough salt? I know we’re all recommended not to have too much, but if you’re drinking loads and peeing loads, you’ll be washing it out of the system and this can indeed cause light-headedness. You can help by

adding more salt to food
drinking miso soup or perhaps a stock cube in boiling water as a drink
marmite/vegemite on a celery stick as a snack

Hope that might help you, it’s important and not always appreciated that lack of salt can have poor effects

Yowzer!!! great stuff, well done, that’s fab! Bet you feel on top of the world! 🙂

Hi Elaine, I was going to do an update today so here goes!
I did the long walk that I planned, but the temperature was even hotter than forecast. I left the car I the shade and it recorded 30 degree plus at lunchtime. It was 32 degrees plus at 5pm when I left! I only did just over 13 miles, partly because I got a bit lost in the morning and kept stopping to get my bearings so lost time; but mainly it was just too hot. By the afternoon my back was really tired and it was a struggle to keep going. I did finish the half marathon distance and although my back ached a lot of the way, my legs were fine – only a little tired. That is a big improvement on when I did the Shine half marathon walk 2 years ago and at the end my legs were dead, there was nothing left in them and they were the same next morning!
Last week I went back to the same place having identified routes I could do that meant I walked about 2 hours then had a short break to eat, then back to the next 2 hours loop then break and out for the third one. That worked well and I did 19.6 miles. I started at 10am and finished at just before 5pm, so roughly 3 x 2 hours walking with two breaks for food and toilet of 30 mins each. If I can keep that up, I can get through this marathon in 10 hours. The challenge will be the food, as I looped back to the car each time so was not carrying anything with me.
The 13 miles walk, I had a pack on my back which was an extra 4.5kg. The 19.6 miles I ditched the pack and had a bum-bag with a phone, money and nuts with me plus water attached to my belt. That worked well and although my back ached a little early afternoon, I walked through it and it was my legs that were beginning to complain near the end. It was a lot cooler – 18 degrees in the morning and 23 in the afternoon.
I am planning one more long walk either this week or next to get to 22 miles so I know I am able to do it.
On the actual walk there are lots of pit-stops for water and if it is the same as the other one I did there will be lots of bananas to take on route. On walk days I do not stick to the low carb – I try to have at least 20g carb for breakfast (I added 10g toasted oatmeal to my normal full fat yoghurt, blueberries and seeds breakfast) plus a Portobello mushroom and cheese (10g). After 2 hours I had miso soup, an egg, cheese and salad cream filling with a besam flour flatbread plus black coffee. Next break was a salad with oil, two small plums and black coffee. I had a peanut bar with me in the bumbag that I ate 2/3 of towards the end of the day. That worked fine, but was well over 100g carbs. I still need to work out how I do the actual nights fuelling – that will be the things that makes or breaks it.
I am concentrating on back strength for now to stop the backache and possibly be able take some food with me in a back pack on the night. I also need to call Cancer Research to make sure they are providing the same foods as they did last time!
I was getting dizzy turns last month, mainly in the mornings when I bent down to pick things up. I was doing archaeology fieldwork and was on my feet all day so decided my carbs needed to go up a bit and also to make sure I did not bend down and back up too quickly. That helped, and I also had a square or dark chocolate in my bag with water in case it happened again. I suspect I will need to stop the diet completely the week before the walk especially if the overnight food is bananas and health bars!
I’ll let you know how it goes and what I found worked and what did not.
Good luck with your training, make sure you do a lot of work on your back strength, my core strength is quite good, but you are on your feet for 8-10 hours at a go with short stops and your back works as hard as your legs do!

Just calling by quickly to say its day 56 and ive lost 34 lbs..2 stone 6, 15 kilo..whichever sounds best
Average of just over 4 lb a week for 8 weeks! 👍🏻 x

Thank you so much for your brilliant posts – what a success story and you were so well disciplined and organised!
My main problem with the diet (I’ve been stopping and starting again for months) is that I lose focus and become bored with my meals. I find it so time-consuming logging every single tiny little thing into MFP, although I will do it but then I get bored with the food.
I would be so intrigued to see your 2-week menu plan from your spreadsheet – are you able to share?

Again, very well done! I am re-inspired!

Hi yes silly me a Dexa scan it is suggested in the tests. I dont think ill bother though.

Do you mean a Dexa scan but that is for bone density, do tell what it is.

You will find lots of support here and by the sounds of it you have managed very well before, a stone in 2 weeks is great. I’m waiting for a stone and I’m in week 9 but I am a slow loser. My excuse is the insulin holds me back and my doctor agrees but says it can be done.

Join in when you are ready but in the meantime there is lots to browse through. Good luck,

You are absolutely right that we all differ, neohdiver, and one size most definitely does not fit all.

It seems that our hormone reactions to different nutritional elements within our diets vary, and what suits some people really well will have much less positive effects for others. Whether it will in the end prove possible to research and define ‘most likely to succeed programmes for the majority of the population’ remains to be seen. However, I am convinced that reducing at least one refined carbohydrate, i.e. sugar, is likely to be generally beneficial to most people.

Part of the difficulty is of course carrying out large enough tests over sufficient duration, and then long-term follow-up research. One can only hope that such experiments are in course of action, whilst we continue not to teach doctors or nurses much about nutrition, even that there are alternatives which may be worth trying.

On another thread here I described how on a routine visit to my doctor I described what I had been doing, and told her about the research being carried out by Professor Taylor at Newcastle, which lay behind the BSD. I said that it might be worthwhile her investigating (especially as OH has now been able to come off metformin) and she held her hand up to stop me, saying “I might recommend it, but I simply don’t have time to investigate it”. I greatly regretted not taking her up on that astonishing statement, and asking whether she and the rest of her partners did not have sufficient Type 2 patients to investigate (either personally, or via their nominated Diabetes specialist) what might be a possible treatment for them. One of those wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night moments, kicking yourself for not saying what you should have done.

But very best wishes to you for your ongoing (and well-researched!) journey.

Hi Orchid

I”m doing the Walk the Walk Marathon next May so read your post with interest. I did 16 miles this year and the biggest problem I had was that I got dizzy about 3 miles from the end. I had been low-carbing for a few weeks and my friend who is personal trainer thought I sounded as though I’d just run out of energy. I also found that there was so much standing about, stopping and starting that we got cold as well. I’m starting my training now and was interested to read about Spin and Pilates. I’m not fit enough for Spin right now but I will definitely add it to my list of exercises.

Good luck with the Walk and do say how you got on.

Elaine x

Hi Dotty

Sorry to hear about the horrible behaviour at work. I’ve had a few work issues in the past and what has helped me is to:

1. Speak to someone I really do trust (outside of work) who can give you some perspective. My hubby is great at this.
2. Write down how you are feeling – get it all out. Then either keep it somewhere safe (not at work) or shred it. It’s amazing how it can help.
3. Do something acitive – even a short 20 minute walk can help.
4. And most recently I have started using a mindfulness app which really helps me – ‘Headspace’.

I know it’s easier to make suggestions and I’ve been an emotional eater for many years. When I got low all I wanted to do was eat and sleep, but if you can take some positive steps, not only will it help you manage the emotional eating but also it may give you some strength to deal with the work situation.

Keep strong! Everyone has a horrible time at work at some point.

Elaine x

Thanks Igorasusual!

That’s most of the stuff I found within days of diagnosis – including the limit on the duration of the research, and the cautionm, “More evidence and long–term studies are needed to assess the long-term cardiovascular benefits from the weight loss achieved using these diets.” Still waiting. Still nothing published that I have found that assess cardiovascular – or other – safety years out.

That’s the primary reason I’m chasing remission, rather than control. (Control is what I do by limiting carbs; remission means I can eat a more balanced diet that includes reasonable quantities of complex carbohydrates.)

As for weight loss, I personally lose weight just as easily – and at about the same rate – with either low calorie-low fat or low carb – moderate protein (which inherently includes a fair amount of fat). My longest stretch of maintenance, to date – around 5 years – was on a way of eating that was low fat, moderate complex carbohydrates.

We all differ – and my body is not particularly well-suited for long-term maintenance on a very low carb diet. Not having complex, grain-based, carbs on a regular basis is one of the things that creates cravings for me. So if I have to stay on this diet to control my diabetes, I will constantly be at risk for binging – and with diabetes, binging on carbs is particularly dangerous. Maintenance will be easier for me if I can get diabetes in remission and include occasional moderate amounts of whole grain bread in my diet.

Well done dottyeel! Onwards and upwards! And downwards, of course.

Just a quick non-BSD comment, you are sure that the email can’t be read another way, aren’t you. I have sometimes got incredibly cross and angry at an email, but then after some ranting and stomping about (and air-turning-blue swearing, often in front of other people), re-read it and seen that it can be read a different way. Only a thought.

Turn your back on those cheesy chips! 😉

So if ever I needed confirmation that I reach for food when I am upset it’s just now.
I’m at work and it’s been a good and productive day so far. And then in comes the email and I realise that a colleague who I have always considered to be fair and reasonable and a friend is just playing the game and has just betrayed my trust. Totally a ‘WTF?’ moment.

So I am now feeling hurt, confused and angry and all I want to do is EAT EAT EAT, preferably carbs, lots and lots of carbs. My first thought after reading the email was ‘I want crisps’ followed by ‘I want pint and cheesy chips’. (That’s ‘I want some potato chips followed by a pint of ale and some fries with cheese melted on top’ for you guys in the USA!)

*sigh*

I won’t eat the wrong foods though. I’ll sit and finish this post and then do a mini-meditation, draft a email reply saying what I really feel/think and then delete it and then send the politically safe reply while avoiding the office biscuit tin (cookie jar).

I have always known I eat for emotional reasons but on a kind of intellectual level. Sometimes all it takes is a single incident to crystallise your understanding of an issue. In my case negative emotions have led to bad choices and I need to be very aware of my mood when dealing with my diet.

Okay, moan over. Back to work and writing a polite email and moving on.

well done, sunshine-girl! Planning is everything, isn’t it.

I bought some butternut squash today under the mistaken impression it was relatively low-carb. Wrong.

So have already warned OH that he will be having a tiny taster of it, otherwise my life will be hell as he puts his carb count into MFP this evening……

😉

Hi Caro, good thinking.

Just to check you are also measuring and looking at your shape with target clothes, aren’t you? Because weight often stays still whilst measurements change, and that can keep you going when everything seems to be at a standstill.

I don’t know why this is – because visceral fat round the waist must actually weigh something, surely – but I had several periods where my jeans were perceptibly getting looser whilst my weight stubbornly stayed the same.

re the Sugar Monster – I had never managed to get off the sugar before, but then I looked at how many calories my 2 teaspoons in, say, 6 cups of tea or coffee per day were. (I like 3 cups of coffee in the morning, say a cup of tea at lunchtime or tea time, cup of tea after supper and perhaps another before bed)

30 calories and 8 carbs each time I had a cup (let alone the milk, leave that out for the moment) so 6 cups per day was 180 calories and 48 carbs!!!! Aaaaaaaaaargh. So for a week of 7 days of this was 42 cups @ 30 calories and 8 carbs each = 1260 calories and 336 carbs in total. A whole day’s worth of calories and the carbs????? aaaaaaaaargh.

So each time I had a drink I remembered these sums. It did make it easier, although I kept ‘noticing’ I wasn’t having sugar for 6-8 weeks. However, I really enjoy coffee now, can actually taste it!

You could do it, too, if you think of these numbers……. 😉

Welcome Liz,
Week 1 was good. Dropped 2.4kg. Week 2 only 400g lost. Had my period with awful fluid retention. Day 4 of week 3 and I haven’t been very successful I fear. Haven’t got on the scales this week. Need to learn to deal with stress without reaching for food. The other thing I struggle with is not finishing the kids meals. And constantly clock watching to see when I can eat again. I sound desperate I know. If you can exercise, just walking even, I think that is great for distraction not just for exercise itself.
Some tips from others that have worked for me,..
1) know what you are eating each day
2) drink lots of water
3) distraction distraction
4) if you have a bad day food wise don’t catastrophise. You can start again tomorrow.
5) the cliche “one day at a time” is so relevant in the first few weeks. Don’t look at the 8 weeks but rather shorter term goals.
I post on “I need to be accountable” also.
Igo – kicking the sugar monster is a big challenge for me. It is a work in progress. I wish I had your willpower.
Caro

Hi healthy, SunnyB and everyone else, well done to you all. I know I post my weight and my losses but, as I keep saying, it is the massive difference to my blood sugars that count most for me. I am so proud to have lost 9 lbs. Little story. Every time my daughter ends a visit (I live abroad, she is in UK) we always work out how long to meeting again and how much we want to lose. Up to now neither of us has ever reached our little goal and I am going back 6 years. Usually we lose a pound or two. Suddenly I have found BSD and lost 9 lbs and she has found paleo and lost 33 lbs. She found paleo about 5 months ago so has a head start on me. It is so nice to talk on Skype and exchange our successes.

So I will see her in 6 weeks when we will both be slimmer and healthier. Guaranteed.

Keep on keeping on.

Hi Neohdiver

See below for your interest. This is an extract from a post here from sunshine-girl on ‘And So the Conflict Begins’ which you may not have seen regarding various reviews of low fat/high protein diets, although fasting isn’t mentioned. Many thanks to sunshine-girl for pointing it out to me and the forum.

“Next time you see your diabetic educator (now there’s a misnomer) show her a page printed from the Public Health Collaboration on Healthy Eating Guidelines and Weight Loss for the United Kingdom. The site is phcuk.org, an official government site for public health.
Conclusion on page 24 said in 2008 “Evidence from this systematic review demonstrates that low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets are more effective at 6 months and are as effective, if not more, as low-fat diets in reducing weight and cardiovascular
disease risk up to 1 year. More evidence and longer-term studies are needed to assessthe long-term cardiovascular benefits from the weight loss achieved using these diets.” That was in 2008
Finally, in February 2016 the fourth specific analysis was published in the British Journal of Nutrition finding that “Compared with subjects on low-fat diets, subjects on low-carbohydrate diets experienced significantly greater weight loss, greater triglycerides
reduction and greater increase in HDL-cholesterol after 6 months to 2 years of intervention.”
So between 2008 and 2016 the medical advice on nutrition has changed from thinking low carb might be a good idea to 2016 concluding it is a great idea. They go on to say that they are concerned that NICE are not taking up this advice and, in particular, still advocating high carb, low fat diets when it has been shown that low fat leads to fatter people. Apparently NICE are waiting for trial to end so phuk have carried out their own trials and their final final conclusion is:
In light of this scientific evidence the Public Health Collaboration recommends thatthe guidelines for weight loss in the UK should include an ad libitum low-carbohydrate-high-fat diet of real foods as an acceptable, effective and safe approach,
Sorry if that goes on a bit but it is quoted verbatim and I did not want to chop it about or be misleading. Print off the last few pages, give them to your educator and show her where to stick her advice. (Sorry, getting cross now, need a lie down)”

Getting better at carb counting, only had 9 today so well within 50. Dinner gives me 30 but that is because it has butternut squash, still under the 50. Only 350 calories, so again looking for something to eat later. I have some ham left from lunch and will make a dip of tuna and cream cheese plus my usual 10g of v dark chocolate. Total 45 carbs.

Hope this works – it’s copied from MFP, and I hope the stats are also correct as sometimes they’re a little odd.
If it distorts, the figures are just calories/carbs/fat/protein/sodium/sugar as always shown on MFP

This day I had my usual three cups of white coffee, and treated myself at breakfast to half an avocado, which was just under 50g when I took out the stone.
I made a 2 egg mushroom omelette to have with the avocado.

For lunch I had two Leerdammer cheese slices, each wrapped round half a baby gem lettuce half.

For dinner – which was quite large – I had a cod fillet fried in olive oil, dusted with just a little almond flour. I served this on a salad of baby spinach with some baby plum tomatoes and some feta cheese cut into little cubes, and also treated myself to some courgette cut into chunks and dry fried until yummy (!) and some steamed broccoli to which I added some butter.

Doesn’t include my ginger tea (no milk, no sugar) or fizzy water which I drink throughout the day.

All these can be increased easily for more than one person and also if you’re eating alongside a non BSDer, you can add toast or potatoes. But I think anyone would be happy with the dinner as it stood. Plenty.

Food calories carbs fat protein sodium sugar
White Filter Coffee, 3 Cup 42 4 2 3 0 4
Portobello Mushroom, 69 g 15 2 0 2 3 1
Avocado Pear 47 grams 75 4 7 1 3 0
Omelette – 2 Eggs, 2 eggs 140 1 10 13 188 1
Olive oil 1/2 tbsp 10 0 7 0 0 0
total breakfast 282 11 26 19 194 6

1 Little Gem Lettuce Heart 15 2 0 1 0 0
2 Leerdammer Cheese Slices, 140 0 11 11 240 0
total lunch 155 2 11 12 240 0

Fresh – Fresh Courgette, 100 g 21 2 0 2 0 0
Baby Plum Tomato, 6 tomato 16 3 0 1 0 3
Baby Spinach, 20 g 5 1 0 1 16 0
Cod Fillet 180 g 133 0 0 33 216 0
Almond flour – 1/2 tbsp 20 1 2 1 0 0
Olive oil 1/2 tbsp 10 0 7 0 0 0
Greek Feta cheese 30 g 124 0 12 3 300 0
Tenderstem Broccoli, 80 g 30 1 1 4 0 1
Salted Butter, 2.5 g 11 0 3 0 23 0
total dinner 370 8 25 45 555 4
grand total 807 21 62 76 989 10

I hope this helps and shows it can be done. I confirm I am following the BSD principles (now on maintenance having lost nearly 2 stone on my 8 weeks, down to 8 stone 10 lbs, as confirmed this morning) and not eating refined carbs. I am now allowing 35 carbs per day, which I find ok to do.

Good luck with your further weight-loss, and blood sugar kick! 🙂