Not easy not to cut corners when you have kids, I imagine, especially when you’re on holiday and want to make the most of things.

I have a rather unique swimming style too: my OH taught me how to swim and I can only do breast stroke, but with the oddity that my feet come out of the water and clap together. I guess it’s because I’m trying to keep my head out of water (I suffer with ear infections if they get wet inside). But no way can I change. OH is quite pleased I do this: he says if he can see someone with clapping feet out in the water, he knows I haven’t drowned!

Anyway, with the BSD, there’s hope for us all yet.

Thanks Snoop.
We have just had our 5 year old granddaughter for 4 weeks and towards the end we were buying loads of processed food so we could get meals cooked quickly to go off for the day when we would again eat more rubbish as picnics etc. Reading the BSD book I also realised the amount of this food she has been consuming during her lifetime and what the results could be on her health. I will be talking to her parents about this and their food choices when I have completely got my head around most of the information given in the book.
Both my OH and myself have at least 3 stone (I deal in old money) to reach our target weigh and as well as dieting have today started swimming (I think they call my type of swimming ‘floundering’) as I am super unfit.

bit scary – are you sure that they are weighing accurately now?
Try them 10-20 times and just check you get the same result each time

If they are out, but giving consistent results, it isnt too much of a problem.
A few weeks ago I discovered that mine were giving very variable readings (differing by just over 1kg) – so I replaced them.

I once interviewed a personal trainer who suggested house cleaning could be very good aerobic exercise.
I decided it probably wasn’t a good match & didn’t use her.

I have courgetti in several guises – but my favorite speedy recipe is to heat them through in the microwave (60 seconds for around 100g is fine), then stir in some full fat cottage cheese.
The supermarket didn’t have cottage cheese this evening (well it did, but only zero and reduced fat) so got some mascarpone – lots more calories but fewer carbs.

mental4ever, you sound a bit like me. I have a holiday for a few days towards late September then a wedding in early October. But I was keen to get started. I did a few days of around a thousand calories but have dropped to around 800 in recent days. I was amazed how easy it was to adjust. This is an amazingly easy diet to follow, and you only have to look at some people’s results to see how effective it is.

Good that you and your OH will be doing this together. Sounds like you’ve got good motives as well, which always helps motivation.

Good luck!

Well the get active section didnt help but I decided to try the running on the spot again. Did 30 seconds run then 60 rest repeated twice more so did 3 times. Hope to build on it by doing it 4 then 5 then 6 times. Then increase 30 seconds to 45 and so on. If nothing else it will show if I have improved my stamina. I think you do it 3 times a week but might do it every other day. I also swim every day for 30 mins but did 40 yesterday.

That’s a handy visual presentation, Frog. Thanks.

rbbadger, there’s also the option of looking at generalist dieting sites for info on food values. I have an account on fatsecret.co.uk. You can enter what you’ve eaten or propose to eat and get a breakdown of calories, fat, carbs, protein and more. Someone on another thread here recommended it. I’ve found it quite useful for logging food and exercise. You can also start a journal there. They don’t seem to know anything about the Blood Sugar Diet, so it’s good to come here for support. But you might find it useful for tracking carbs.

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/1895/moroccan-chicken-stew.aspx?o_is=LV

Made that for dinner, with a few alterations, had quite a kick but was good.

I didn’t add as much salt, and I didn’t have garlic or celery – I thought I bought a jar of lazy garlic from the shop but alas… I picked up lazy ginger by accident. Anyway no garlic or celery but added a teaspoon of celery salt, and at the end I forgot to add the lemon juice. Clearly I shouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen! it was nice anyway haha.

I’m watching Labyrinth. A bit of 80’s cheese and Bowie in his prime.

Good idea, I think I could try running. Won’t be able to do long to start, but like you I can build on it. Will pluck up courage, give it a go and let you know how I got on.

Trelawny,half a pound isn’t much to put on,I think it varies daily.I know from before when I’ve lost weight,you can break down a week and go up and down but you have still lost at the end of the week.It sounds like you’re focussed taking all your food into work,better than buying snacks.I saw some nice recipes to try during the week.Something I fancied at the weekend when I was feeling hungry and not many calories is an oxo or bovril cube made up as a drink,filled me up for ages when it got later in the day and didn’t have many/any calories left.Goodnight everyone.

Chicken and bacon quiche – 4 lean rashers of bacon, 6 oz of chicken breast or meat from thighs, 8 oz cottage cheese, 4 eggs , Chop and cook chicken and bacon, mix into cottage cheese, whisk the eggs and add to meat, chicken, cheese mix, mix thoroughly. Pour into a baking dish and place in oven at 200C for 20 mins or until set and you have a quiche without the pastry base. Feeds 4 or can be frozen is slices for another meal or snack. Comes to 200 cal and 2 carbs per quarter quiche. Found this on Facebook but cannot acknowledge where from as the site just says free recipes. Just as good cold or cut a portion in half for a snack.

Hi Lynne
What a difference a few months can make. Congrats. How do you feel when you look back on the original pictures?
I’m looking forward to your next stage and the new topic box to follow.

Friday sees the end of my 26th week with no signs of wanting to ditch the plan, it’s been good for me to be watching you out there leading from the front, thanks.
N.

Dinner – Chicken and Bacon Quiche – 4 rashers lean bacon, 6 oz chicken breasts, 8 oz cottage cheese, 4 eggs. Chop and cook chicken and bacon mix into cottage cheese, whisk the eggs and add to meat cheese mix, mix thoroughly. Pour into a baking dish and place in oven at 200C for 20 mins or until set and you have a quiche without the pastry base. Feeds 4 or can be frozen is slices for another meal or snack. Comes to 200 cal and 2 carbs per quarter quiche. Found this on Facebook but cannot acknowledge where from as the site just says free recipes.

Hi, well done Wendyq bet you’re feeling good. And Natalie how proud we are of you. Throwing dessert in the bin, that is commitment! Keep it up.
I’ve had a good day, back at work, so can only eat what I take with me, so control is easy. We have recently moved house, so a lot of planning and work to do, so that helps take my mind off of food. Tuna, cream cheese and crudites for lunch, Heck chipolatas with roasted, pepper,courgette and broccoli, and of course greek yogurt and raspberries, washed down with copious amounts of water and 6! Coffees. Had a nice walk in the evening heatwave (well I think it’s hot!!!), very humid here.
This morning weight was 1/2 lb up. But I know I have you at my back so am not beating myself up.
Have a good sleep everyone. x

🙂 🙂 🙂

Great story Diez66, sorry about the 2kg, but with your determination you will soon knock that off. In fact, with all this cleaning exercise it may go really quickly 😉

Hi Karenv not sure if you’ve cooked the cougetti but I tend to soften them in a little olive oil for a few minutes then toss them in home made tomato sauce. If you’ve cooked them hope they were fine!

Hi sunshine-girl yes we have blips!!! Think we need to look at the broad picture although sometimes it’s not that easy. Think we need to focus on the ‘big’ picture and not get bogged down in the odd blips!

You are obviously doing so well ….. let’s not sabotage our own success!!

Last night we cleaned the bathroom and did a pretty thorough job, it is a tiled floor and the scales have sat here for some time.
When we lifted them up there was a lot of compacted dust that we have not cleaned off for some time and one of the feet, covers, fell off.
So, we cleaned it up, replaced the cover and it was job done.

Next morning I weighed, as I always do. Oh, What! 2 KG up overnight nooooo.
Gave it some thought and wondered if it was anything to do with the cleaning and fluff removal. It does say place scales on a firm floor.
My wife weighed and low and behold, 2 KG up, phew!.

So now I know I was possibly 2 KG more when I started but I have still lost the same amount which is really good.
I took just over a week longer than I thought to get from obese to healthy, (NHS BMI rules) but that is also aright.
It also means I have a couple more KG to go than I thought but again, not a problem.

Gave me a start though, up and 2KG, glad we sussed it but it has reinforced my claim that nothing good comes from cleaning and housework in general. I am told that I am wrong about this by the way.

Just sending my very best wishes. Hope you recover quickly. xx

Suppose you have to look at it like this ….. Someone tells you they have lost 11lbs in two weeks . What would you say!!!!!

Well done everyone!
If you need more support come and join us on the ‘2nd 8 weeks … ‘ thread

Hi Ziggy
Same here. it has been good tracking each other week to week. I haven’t had any medical tests done during this diet but I know that you have had a pretty traumatic time. I think you have done the right thing leaving your current GP. I wish you the best and hope you find a more accommodating and understanding GP.
Cheers.

Hi Yowser49
It is 34lb over 8 weeks. Good luck with your week 8 day 7 weigh in. It looks like you will be close to the 34lb loss as well. That’s absolutely fantastic. Good luck with the future and I hope that you reach whatever goals you may set.
All the best.

Hi
Well the eight weeks has come to an end. I meant to write up the final result yesterday but I have felt really tired over the last few days. The weight loss over the last eight weeks has been 2st 10lb. I am very happy with this.
I would still like to lose another stone but have decided to migrate to a maintenance diet but with the intention of slowly losing the remaining weight.
I will carry on with the Mediterranean diet but double my calories to 1600 a day and see how it goes. This should allow me an healthy regime but also to lose weight over time.
The only other note of significance is an holiday to Spain for a fortnight in three weeks time. This is a case of seeing the Mediterranean but may not be necessarily sticking to the Mediterranean diet.
My holidays are limited and is one of the few occasions when I will doing things like drink alcohol and maybe indulge in more calories than is good for me.
The next holiday after this will be March 2017 so I intend to enjoy myself!.
Best wishes to everyone who has supported my efforts and I hope every one of you hits your goals.

MIDDLEAGE is that 38 lb in 8 weeks?!
* wild applause!*
You must be on cloud nine..thats fab..well done! But get weighed tomorrow morning and it could be even lower!

My week 8 day 7 is tomorrow and i ‘ ll get weighed wed morning..so far have lost 30 lb..hope to have shed another pound or two since last time i got weighed ( 2nd SEpt) xx

Eight week result
05/09/16

Week 8
Day 7

Diet starting weight: 18 stone 6 pound

Weight now: 15 St 10lb (99.79Kg)
BMI: 25.4

Brilliant, Lucia. Haven’t got time to read all your posts but I’ve really enjoyed this page. Have I understood rightly, you’ve got a walking blog? Can you point me in the right direction if so?

Good piece about making incremental changes. I’ve started hitting 800 calories a day, am losing weight, but not sticking to the carb ceiling. But I’ll get there, as you point out.

Anyway, thanks for the inspiration. Just the other day I noticed my toe nails seemed to be closer! Haven’t worn tights in donkeys years mind. I regard them as an invention of the devil. 🙂

Bit disappointed that I only lost 1/2 this week. If l had cheated I would understand it but I didn’t. Though with the pre diet week at 3lb, week 1 I lost 10 1/2lb, week 2 1/2lb it means I have lost 1 stone so feeling a bit better about that. So onward with week 3

Day 1.final week ( 2nd 8/800 ).
Only just got around to updating my thread as I had an appointment first thing and then have been mad busy all day.
I did go to the nurse appointment first thing …..got a positive but lukewarm reaction…..she hadn’t heard of the BSD, book or website.
Piper- Thanks and Hi! How’s your first week gone?
Loopylou- thanks also, there are most definitely a few handfuls of wobbly bits left to go. lol. Hang on in there, its not the falling off ,its the getting back on again that counts.
KrysiaD….yup, those plateaus can be really disheartening…..I doubt there is anyone on this site who hasn’t had one (but if so, lucky them lol! Keep guzzling the water.
Lewisfasters, thanks, and well done for cracking the first week. Looking back I think perhaps that was the worst week for feeling empty and hungry and felt that it was probably going to be a very long 8 weeks. As you so rightly say the positive mental attitude is really important.8lb reduction is great….
Madmare, well done for getting past the first 8 weeks. I think committing to doing the second is an important step….for me it would be no use just thinking “well , if it works it works and if it doesn’t it doesn’t”.The planning, shopping, weighing ingredients etc filling in info on MyfitnessPal/wearing the fitbit are all constant effort and daily reminders to keep bashing away. There is a famous quote…. I don’t know who originally said it but it goes along the lines of “Whether you think you can ,or think you can’t – you are right”. So true.
Hope I haven’t missed anyone out…..big wave and warm wishes to you if I have.
I have only lost a fraction of a pound this week….but glad at least it is something ….I had a massive flat line on my graph every day for almost a full week and appeared to put on a small amount mid week & lose it again…..only water difference I suspect. I knew that it wouldn’t be a good week for exercise as things beyond my control shaped the week. One day I had to go to a funeral, so could not fit in any walking, plus extra sitting down at the event and afterwards, I was dependent on lifts from others as my car was in for repair so couldn’t build in anything such as parking a way away and walking part of the way. It has become very evident that the evenings are drawing in and it has been too dark on a couple evenings to set out after tea for a walk. It was pitch black at 9.40pm a few nights ago. Might have to rethink my routines until the clocks go back in a few weeks time.
I have made a mini plan for this week to achieve 10,000 steps every day this week in the hope of getting to the end of the second 8 weeks in the best possible shape. I do manage it once or twice a week usually.
The green area of the normal BMI scale is tantalisingly in sight but in reality don’t think I will be able to hit it in one weeks time…..but if I don’t it won’t be for want of trying!

Gosh a lot of people just starting out, isnt that brilliant! Good luck to you all and a smooth journey! X

Thinking of you LANGERHANS xx so sorry and disgusted to hear this. You go out each day with the aim of helping people who arent well and it isn’t right youre repaid this way.Take life slowly and get as much rest as you can.
Best wishes to you and yr colleague xx sending gentle hugs and flowers 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸 xx

Yay!!! Way to go, Lucia!!!

All this carelessness! Keep it up!

🙂 🙂 🙂

So after losing a pound last week,
Guess what I have gone and done.
I am SO careless
I have lost another one!

Bit by bit
Inch by inch

We are all, getting there.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Welcome sukhi and good luck!

One thing I would urge you to consider – just try a few more things than you think you’ll like.

I wish I had £1 for all the people on this forum who’ve tried a few things they thought they didn’t like, and found once they’d kicked the ‘carb monster’ that in fact they had new and fresh tastebuds and liked many more things than they thought! I’d be rich.

🙂

Hi Janet

You could use the recipes for inspiration, but modify them to suit your usual eating habits.

Some good meal suggestions would be:

Breakfast
Eggs (how you like them) with mushrooms, small number of baby plum tomatoes – I have my eggs on 20g of baby spinach (yes, odd I know, but taste great). Don’t forget plenty of pepper and salt
You could also do a frittata with some other veg (from the ‘good’ veg list, not root veg) which is lovely. Add cheese to the top and put in the oven to finish

Lunch
Salad, perhaps cheese, tuna, ham, chicken, your choice of meats with plenty of salad leaves. Dress with olive oil as fat will fill you up
I like a couple of slices of Leerdammer cheese wrapped round half a head of chicory. Lots of crunch!

Dinner
Again, roast chicken with vegetables or salad, or whatever meat or fish you enjoy.
I do a salmon fillet with a topping of a small amount of red pepper, spring onions, 3 baby plum tomatoes, with garlic and ginger and a chilli pepper. Fry the topping up first then add to the salmon and cook in foil. Serve on salad.

Snacks
Full fat Greek Yoghurt with a few (not too many) berries
Nuts – again not too many

I have used a lot more spices – inventing curries all the time! – and have really enjoyed food. If you use an app like MyFitnessPal, you can plan out a recipe by adding in your ingredients and then spotting if you’ve got too many calories or carbs.

Can’t do a recipe book in one post, but check the recipes on this site which are all tried and tested!

And of course
– try and keep carbs to 50g or under per day if you want to kick-start weight loss, this is the amount which seems to work for people
– drink lots
– if you are drinking lots, remember you will be excreting salt and will need more on your food
– try a few things you’ve not tried before – you’ll be surprised that your tastes change

Good luck! 🙂

Hi I’m new too and starting today. I’ve read the 8 week diet book and have done some shopping but I am not the most organised of people. Especially with 3 children, nope make that 4 with my husband and a Business to run. I have been diabetic for over 5 years and I have been very Blasé about it which has resulted in more weight gain and blood sugar readings off the chart. I am a very fussy eater (not that you would think so by the size of me…lol) and have looked at the recipes and decided I don’t like a lot of them. However I am inspired by the book and am determined to do this and too make the recipes and enjoy them. Look forward to some encouragement and reading the various blogs which always make me chuckle. X

Don’t know if it helps but as I’m a great fan of onions, both white and red, and they are rather full of carbs, I have been having great success with chopping just one or two spring onions into my food instead. I’ve found them surprisingly oniony for their size/carb count!

I don’t eat meat, but I do eat fish, so that helps with the protein (and a bit with total calories, though not as much as meat would do). My 8 weeks was 20g of carbs, and even now on maintenance I am achieving 30g per day.

You can do a lot with eggs, as Snoop says, and a lovely veg frittata with some feta cheese on the top should give you a good protein hit.

I also found 20g of spinach (a small handful, enough to cover a dinner plate) was a surprisingly filling base for most things, even my fried breakfast eggs.

But in general I’ve found that relatively small quantities of veg, topped up by much larger salads of baby gem lettuce, are quite filling.

Good luck! 🙂

Wishing you well, Langerhans.

Take care of yourself, and let yourself be taken care of by your sons.

And take all the support offered from work, no trying to be brave. This shouldn’t happen to anyone, and most certainly to those people who try and help others. Best wishes also to your colleague, please tell her/him we are thinking of him.

Week 5 finished – hardly any movement on the scales this week. Not my best week as entertaining etc. Average calories for the week were 900 but that included several glasses of red wine – averages: carbs 63, protein 41 and fat 32. I think the moral of the story is it’s ALL about the carbs – most other diets would be pretty happy with 900 calories but the weight loss just doesn’t happen unless carbs are significantly reduced. Wine is definitely not our friend as Janey said above. I need to get more protein and fat (!) but especially more fibre 🙁 I am amazed how little fibre there is (according to MFP) in things like ratatouille. All things considered not too bad as I haven’t gained and clothes are getting looser. Maybe I’ll only lose on even numbered weeks!

Hi rbbbadger

I found these visuals presentations of carbs in veg useful – I have colour printouts of them on the kitchen wall now (thare’s also a fruit one)
http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/vegetables

thanks Snoop

Froglet had urinary tract problems when it was very hot a few weeks ago – it’s hard to tell what the actual cause was, but I was a bit concerned as she rarely drinks (unless it’s Sainsbury’s cat milk). It was probably less that 24 hours between my noticing the problem and the Vet appointment, but he said making sure she did get more liquid had been the right thing to do. He gave her some metacam and she was fine the next day – but when it got very hot last week I was trying precautionary measures, hence being obsessive about her food.
Mostly because I don’t want her to be unwell, but also I can think of better things to do with £70 than a vet visit!

Sorry rbbadger, seems your question got swallowed up (pun intended) in the discussion, hope our little debates proved helpful to you, I still don’t like too much cheese and would stick to a 30g portion 2 or 3 times a week but it is probably because I had an intolerance of all things dairy and eggs for about 2 years, got over it but still think twice. Now I come to think of it, I haven’t had a bad stomach (the D word) since starting this diet.

Oh Langerhans, what a horrible experience…
Please take time to recover fully…take care of yourself…and let your son’s help as much as possible. You will probably sleep a lot over the next few days whilst you recover from the head trauma. I know you are a nurse…and it can be difficult to be the ‘patient’…
Hoping you feel well soon.💐🌻💐💖

Hi langerhans
I think I have a bad day when the laptop doesnt work I feel ashamed.
Look after yourself you do a very difficult job and what happened to you is inexcusable. All prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery

Hi all,
My name is Janet. Haven’t started yet and just read the book. I have been eating low carb on my own for 3 weeks, but would like to at least start the 5:2 or a 4:3, to lose faster. I’m a little disappointed with the recipes even though I have a wide variety of foods I will eat. The recipes are a little fussy, as they have a lot of ingredients and are time consuming. I do a lot of my own cooking so that’s not the problem. I am an American and some of the items like creme fraiche or passion fruit are not readily available. Converting measurements is not a problem. I just need 2 or 3 recipes for each meal.to get me started. I do’t mind eating the same things a lot. Any suggestions from the experienced would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the replies. Plenty of food for thought, if you will pardon the pun. I don’t think I’m eating anything high in cards but peppers, beetroot, aubergine… it all adds up pretty quickly. I am happy to eat plenty of cheese but the diet does say cheese in moderation. I’m sure I’ll get into the swing of it.

Congratulations, Frog, on the continuing progress. Looks like you’re going great guns. On the water front, not much need to worry about how much cats drink and eat. They’re much better at self-regulating than dogs – our cats lose masses of weight in the late spring and them put it all back on in autumn in readiness for the winter. They’re really well sorted in that respect. So long as there’s fresh water available, they’ll drink what they need. If you ever find your cat is drinking lots more than usual, and I do mean lots, that’s the time to worry, as cats are prone to kidney problems and will need to see a vet.

Loved the photos, by the way. Hope you don’t mind – I looked at your profile. Congrats on getting off the Metformin. That really is a big achievement.

Thank you all, plenty to think about especially the foods I have usually considered forbidden. Don’t get me wrong, I have been doing this for 9 weeks, have lost weight and most important got my b/g dooooown but somewhere in the back of my brain I am conditioned to think eggs bad, meat bad, cheese bad and yet these are the things I love about this diet. Need to reprogramme my brain but still don’t like too much meat meat, prefer some tuna with cream cheese or a bit of chicken. Thanks again it has got this thinking outside my comfort zone. Going for a swim now, which is why I needed some calories, scrambled an egg with butter in about 30 seconds flat.

Hi Madmare,
Here’s wishing you lots of fun and success.

It’s one of the amazing things about this diet. Yesterday for lunch I had a two-egg omelette with 20 g of cheddar, cooked in 10 g of butter. Not your average diet food and absolutely delicious with a huge pile of salad. I came in at under 800 calories for the day. If you’ve got plenty of room to spare in your calories, you might consider a full-fat plain or even a Greek yoghurt. A guilt-free creamy treat.

Hi Madmare
best wishes for resuming BSD!

I’ve decided that I need to resume the level of rigidity that I applied to BSD for the first few weeks – I’ve been a bit lax in recent weeks and whilst I’ve not put any on, I need to admit to myself that it’s not really just a plateau – I’m not losing anything!