Such a lovely day here in Belfast 🙂 I hope it’s lovely where you are!

My three things:

1. Sun shining on my bike ride to work with a refreshing wee breeze, so I cycled with a big grin on my face
2. It’s FRIIIIIIIIIIIDAYYYYYY
3. Like JillF, I’ve had tummy issues for years…but on this diet…no probs (such a relief!)

Have a lovely day and weekend folks x

Hi

You may find it helpful to get an app like MyFitnessPal which will tell you the nutrients of what you eat.

Tesco Coconut yoghurt is shown as per 100g = 495 calories, 15g carbs (of which 14g are sugar), 4g fat.

This looks to me to be too much sugar, and therefore carbs. Ideally minimise sugar if you can. You can check the components of your favourite coconut yoghurt in the shop, or if you get MFP you can enter it and see what the nutrients are.

Hope that helps.

Onwards and downwards it is 🙂 I have noticed some downward changes for sure but don’t want to pre-empt things till I step on the scales on Monday. But the scale seems to be moving in the right direction so hooray!

I take it the weight loss in the first week, a lot of it is water weight though…so I don’t expect it to be as dramatic every week…

Food has been good last few days – have enjoyed my meals. Still getting used to the less/no snacks between meals (but not hungry so that is a bonus)

Wednesday
Omelette with avocado
Lentil dahl and a flatbread
Turkey chilli with 2 tacos (delicious – I added cumin and chipotle paste to the turkey mince and tomatoes)

Thursday
Greek yoghurt with berries
Frittata slice and salad
Salmon burgers (home made) with broccoli and carrot and cucumber salad

Friday (today)
Scrambled eggs with chorizo and grated cheese
Frittata and salad
Chicken curry with lentils

Felt less tired when I woke up this morning, so that’s a plus. Will see how yoga class goes tonight 🙂

Oh no!! My Fitness Pal was my oracle 🙁 thanks so much – I did not stop to check the packet, that is a blow – fewer of those then!
Jill

You gotta love kids for telling it like it is! Or not!

My Jawbone has had problems syncing sleep data this morning – had to restart my phone. Seems ok now but think it might have lost some detail (which I was interested in!)

Boss is taking me for lunch today – late birthday present. I have found a swanky gastropub which means a. NO CHIPS b. (hopefully) tiny portions of pretentious food. Heaven knows how I will input that into MFP to calc!! Hopefully Homer’s Mumu will not be required 🙁

I think it’s going to be a BFZ today – Bake Free Zone. Unless Tokyo dons her ‘Butterflies’ apron again!

😄😆😅😀 xx

I don’t want to rain on your parade Jillf, but they are 38 cals and 7.6g carbs each, according to Mr Tesco. 😥

Can anyone tell me if i can replace the dairy yoghurt with coconut yoghurt please.? I am just starting out on this plan and want it to work so my facts have to be sorted. I do not do dairy of any sort usually and cannot tolerate soya milk products. Thankyou to anyone who can help.

I am new to the diet, but did not know about the time limits. I had diabetes for 20 years, controlling with diet, exercise, and metformin. Then I ended up in hospital with a stroke, sepsis, kidney failure, and a ruptured. I am putting myself back together now that i can walk and talk, etc, but my blood sugars spiraled out of control. I started 5/2 4 days and have decreased my blood sugars to almost normal levels and lowered the insulin that i take by several units. Is this diet not supposed to help me if I have had type 2 for so long?

Hi Daniel,

You seem very disciplined with your eating.

It sounds as if you had to be very very strict with your ketogenic diet for the epilepsy treatment when you were younger – that must have been tough! Hope that is fully resolved now?

Going ‘to the lake’ for the weekend sounds lovely…enjoy!

Imogen🌻

Thank you and I’ll try it. Sometimes things are difficult to get hold of in Thailand.

I just wanted to share two positive things..the first is not huge but hopefully helps – flat peaches (yum) have 20 calories and no carbs according to mfp. They have become my chocolate biscuit of choice!
The second is amazing if the diet has caused it. I have been taking omeprazol for acid reflux for about five years now and have taken none now for a week with no ill effects. I have lost a stone but not sure that is why, as I was this weight when I started taking the tablets – so it looks like the absence of carbs has changed the constitution of my tummy for the better …fingers crossed but a great side effect of the BSD if it lasts.
Jill

Thank you everyone for your advice.

I’ve been using My Fitness Pal for years but have reset it now with 800 and going to make a clean start.
Yesterday went ok, although I caught my kids cold on the same day, so now a big sniffly mess. It turns out I had 100 spare calories yesterday so maybe I was too strict, could have had a chocolate (ha ha).

I have a headache this morning, which could be the cold or this diet. I have been drinking loads of fluids though.

My head was playing lots of games yesterday, trying to say that ‘one snack’ will be ok, I have a feeling the next few days will be tough. I find planning ahead difficult too, but really need to sort that out so that meals are ready, rather than my usual chaotic approach!

Three good things yesterday – I started on this; I did some painting; Played Monopoly with my littlest.

Hi
Thanks for your advice. I’m doing the Shrewsbury triathlon, well, I’ve opted for the Quadrathlon which has an added kayak bit 🙂 I did a tri in Chester this month too. I stick to the short sprint distances, I never have enough time to train for the longer distances :/
Good luck for the Blenheim, how far is that one? Sounds like a fab setting.

Thanks for clearing up the carb issue, that makes sense. I think I’d got it in my head that I couldn’t have any carbs, arghh!

Cheers

I’m going to try the garlic mash tonight with roast chicken!

One more recipe:

Cauliflower and Red Pepper Soup
Approx 6 servings

1tbs olive oil
1 medium/large head of cauliflower, cut up
4 red peppers, skin removed & chopped (grill/roast/flame leave in sealed polythene bag to cool, skin)
1 large onion, chopped
2 or 3 sticks of celery, chopped
2 vegetable or chicken stock cubes
1.5 litres water
1tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and celery together in olive oil until soft.
Add smoked paprika and cook for 30 seconds or so.
Add cauliflower, stock cubes and water and cook for about 20 mins.
Add red peppers and cook for a further 20 mins or so.
Whizz with stick blender/liquidise.

Makes a really lovely creamy soup.
About 80 cals and 10g carbs per serving.
I haven’t tried freezing this yet as we ate it all in a couple of days! Think it will freeze well though.

Oh my GOD – I have to tell you all this, Yowzer just broke it for me with her Simpsons reference. I don’t know if you remember me rambling on a few days ago about finding an old photo of myself, verra verra thin. I was only a teen. And I was, imo, very beautiful. I looked lovely and happy. And I’d thought about how, the bigger I got over the years, the lower my personal ‘goals’ became, for example. When I’d gone up to a size 16 and I dieted, my response was ‘I’ll be happy if I can get down to a size 12’. When I’d gone up to a size 18 my response was ‘I’ll be happy if I can get down to a size 16’. When I’d gone up to a size 22, my response was ‘I’ll be happy if I can get down to a size 18’. And so on. And I’ve thought about how I’ve sold myself short all these years. I wouldn’t have been happy at all with the weights/sizes I was aiming for. I was just aiming low and settling for what I thought I may achieve, because I never believed that I could ever get down to the size I want to be. Too much hard work. Too many years away in the future. Until now. So, if you remember, I pinned the photo up on my kitchen cupboard, for inspiration.

Anyway. Night before last, 12 year old. Autistic. Extrovert. Very dry sense of humour. Makes some cereal, sets bowl down, and comes through to the kitchen.

‘Mum? Who is that in that photograph? On the cupboard door? Is it you???’ he asks in amazement.

I sit in my chair, with a beaming smile. Wondering what he would say when I said ‘Yes!’. Would he say ‘Wow Mum, you were really beautiful when you were younger! You were so slim…’

I nod at him. He cocks his head to one side and says… and says…

‘Why is your hair like Disco Stu’s?’

I thought someone had set my husband to ‘vibrate’, the way he was violently juddering in his chair, behind his newspaper.

Curse you, dodgy 1990’s perm. Curse you.

I may or may have had a one hour walk, Janey. Needed to walk off some frustration, I didn’t plan on doing an hour to be honest, it shocked me when I moved my speaker and looked at the timer. Paying for it this morning in pain though 🙂 And I am soon to be dragged out, in the pouring rain, with a child with birthday money to burn… so I may get a few steps in there too…

We shall finally lose it Janet! However old it is. We don’t need it as a reminder, do we?

I was in bed not long after 10, I didn’t realise how early it was until I heard my son whinging that ‘it was only early’ when his father told him to close down his computer. I couldn’t keep my eyes open! UP reports nearly 9 hours of sleep, and more of that was sound than light – vast improvement.

I feel the same Yowzer, this place is keeping me sane and in fits of laughter! Ok, there have been a few crap days, for most people I think, if they’re honest. But mainly me lol. I really don’t like seeing the scales going up. At. All. But we all do a good job in talking the other down. If I’d been in WW or SW and seen weight fluctuations like this, I’d have cheated. Definitely. I do feel accountable to you guys, especially so the more weight I lose, I don’t want to be the one who cocks up something that is – essentially – so simple. The weight loss has never been so simple for me. From WW to cabbage soup to the lemonade cleanse thing – I’ve tried it all. I don’t want to throw away this weight loss when I know the struggle and I know the desperation that some people are feeling when they look through these forums wondering ‘Should I do this? Is this finally the answer?’. I don’t know if that makes sense, I’m not trying to hold myself up as some sort of… example I guess, but in a way, I am an example, especially to the larger ladies amongst us. Week 8 starts tomorrow and I’m 31 and a half pounds down. Can’t argue with that, or feel disappointed with it. It can be done. It will fly.

Oh that made me laugh, Homer’s Mumu… I loved that episode. I think that needs slotting into the glossary somewhere, how about for days where we’re feeling the bloat?

Homer’s Mumu – a day where nothing, absolutely nothing you possess fits you. ‘At this rate, I’m going to have to borrow Homer’s Mumu for the wedding…’

In other news… 0.6 kg of the 0.8 put on over the last two days has disappeared. Yes, I know. Yes, you all told me so. Yes, I knew it would. I’d have been happier if I wasn’t re-losing already lost once weight, but there we go. Better than nothing.

Tokyo, no baking today, ok? That is all.

well done GreenJanet! we can make it through another day too I’m sure !

Michaelmas Daisy – I keep forgetting about that, I’m going to watch it NOW. My son is busy cutting the grass in the lounge with his toy hoover lol so I’m sat here with my herbal tea.

Thankyou Switzerland, I know you empathise with how it starts to feel for us tired people! I think I’ve just been carried away lately with getting the loft all done. I was thinking that when I go up there I should set a timer on my phone – decide before I go up that I want to be in bed by 2200 for example, so set my timer to remind me because once I’m busy with a project I don’t notice the time.

I need to be generally more disciplined with myself I think.

Midweek weigh in shows my weight the same at just under 11st, so pleased to see a 10 at the start still lol. So I will keep moving forwards. Less than 2lb’s to my next mini target (which will be 2st lost on BSD)

My son has sooo much energy today! I will need to take them out later I think! I don’t like taking them shopping but we still need to get my daughter school shoes and also some new stationery for school so I might take them out and go for those things and maybe a park on the way home. Or we could take the train… my son likes the train. Hmmm decisions decisions… and in town there is a Hobbycraft… haha I’ve spent soooo much on craft stuff! But if I take the train it will be a deterrent as I will have to carry what I buy and I will get more steps too…

might have a look at the train times and decide after breakfast.

I was thinking about the whole 800 calories thing. In my previous eating I was probably eating 800 of the good stuff and 1000s of the rubbish so I haven’t really reduced my calorie intake just got rid of the junk!

See what happens when I get up early and use my brain. …

Have a good day everyone

So are you ready for another question?

Tom cruise or Russell Crowe or George Clooney?
Sorry…. Where was I?

Broccoli. Lettuce. Carrot.

There you go.
A thought for the day
Xxxx
Love Lucia

Ruth – I forget to say that, as well as my feet shrinking, I can now wear heels again after many years of wearing flat shoes 😃

I enjoyed that
And celebrating all our achievements.

For those that don’t think they can do 800 calories a day.
How about doing it every other day?

It’s still doing it right, and if you cut those carbs….. Well you have it in the bag
Xxxx
.
Love lucia

Thanks for a really helpful post Frog 😃

Hi Ruth

Yes, feet shrink too! I’ve had to throw away shoes that are now too big, including my favourite pair of fitflops 😱 From taking a wide fitting, I’m now in a standard fitting.

I’ve recently been told I’m an inch shorter than I’d thought, which makes a slight difference to my healthy BMI. Top of range now 9st 7 pounds instead of 9st 11pounds, but medical professionals have always said I should be 9 stone 7 pounds!

At 66 years of age I think I’ll go with how I feel (and look) before settling on that final target figure.

Hi Ruth,

Yes!! All my shoes are an inch too big and I had to buy things you put in the heels so they stopped slipping off! Not sure re gravity as I haven’t measured my height yet.

Good thought though!

💜

Hi Jan, still going. HappyLife such fun about the bracelet. I have a question for you, Captainlynne and any of our other superstars – Bill? Do one’s feet get smaller? or does the effect of age/gravity counteract weight loss? I am hoping to find out – no rephrase that – am going to find out for myself but it will be a while yet.

Ruth(::

Ah i think all you guys here have gone bobos..sweet dreamz zzz everyone x LUCKY i hope you get a peaceful nights
sleep!
Just thinking,never felt so happy before on a weightloss plan! Thank goodness i found BSD and this place…
If i had left it much longer, i wd have had to wear a mumu like Homer Simpson,coz everything was getting so very tight!

Anywhere that does all day brekkies is good as a lunch option..i had a lovely omelette and a bit of side salad last time i had lunch out 😋 Was scrummy.

Had a great walk today, but wasn’t great with the carbs. It’s tricky, isn’t it?!

My totals for today are:
Kcal 849, Carbs 66.3g
12088 Steps

On another note, i wonder if others are having odd conversations with friends. I’ve a couple of very slim friends and they are being very supportive (which is great) but giving me tips and advice that don’t seem to be particularly healthy, and are even a bit concerning. Just wondering if it’s just me?

Oh this is taken from Prof Taylor’s paper on restoring normal glycaemia by use of a very low calorie diet in long and short duration Type 2 diabetes

“In conclusion, in people with Type 2 diabetes of > 8 years’
duration, a therapeutic trial of a very-low-calorie diet may be
undertaken with a 50% chance of achieving non-diabetic
fasting plasma glucose levels, without any other antidiabetic
therapies. For those who do not achieve non-diabetic plasma
glucose levels, general health, blood pressure and lipids will
be considerably improved. These insights highlight the
potential for use of a very-low-calorie diet in long-duration
Type 2 diabetes and carry implications for everyday clinical
practice”

Oh a text version of the recipe for the Spiced Cauliflower Steaks is to be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07l5fx1
I haven’t counted carbs, cals or anything yet so forgive me for that

Hi Izzy,
So pleased to read that Thursday was a better day for you and you’re focused on the BSD…….and you’ve got 3 whole days before you have to face work again. Well done.

Hi greenjanet – yes, I’ve not got into apps on my phone yet! I know that’s rather luddite – I did have a look when I went away recently and forgot my pedometer, so I might look at that again (I have a motorola rather than an iPhone)

Good Luck with your second attempt Michaelmas Daisy! Oddly, I usually have pretty good skin, but I’ve had lots of spotty outbreaks since I started BSD – I had a facial the other day, which seems to have help it clear up, but I was moaning to the therapist that given the amount of veg and water I’m consuming, I ought to have amazingly perfect skin.
Maybe it’s the hot weather, and sun cream being gloopier than usual moisturiser.

Thursday July 28 2016

Breakfast: NONE

Lunch: 11:45
4 Eggs Spanish Omlette

Snack: 3:15
1 Peach
1 Cup of Almond Milk with 4 tablespoons of Flax Seeds

Dinner: 6:45
Chicken Breast Stir Fry…. Made enough in wok for Lunch tomorrow

Walked 20 minutes. 5 Minutes with kettelbells.

Did not eat the 4 prunes this morning. Kind of sluggish a bit today compared to when I eat them. They are 100 calories, yet make sure the job is done with much more ease. They have lots of Carbs in them though. Should I eat them for digestion or skip for sugar content? these are tough questions on life as always.

Tomorrow I go up to the lake house for the weekend. The weather looks fantastic this weekend.

I ate more veggies today. Let’s see if the more fiber in veggies has better effect tomorrow when I skip the sugary prunes. All these trial and errors are always making things happen by chance. I guess we have to throw 12 darts to get the bullseye.

Hi

I second cafe rouge, lots of options there, and not just salad.
Prezzo have some great salads – there’s one with rocket and steak on top, and that’s it. They also have a ‘special’ that always seems to be on the menu of fish with a ratatouille type accompaniment – even their light pizzas are OKish – a salad with pizza on a small thin flatbread.
Strada have an excellent antipasti plate that’s low carb, plus several salads.
Pizza Express do a great dish that’s basically aubergine & cheese (hot & oven baked, I adore it) – and some low carb salad options

Tapas restaurants are usually a good option if you choose carefully and if you’re with a group, avoid sitting too close to the patatas bravas. I went in one recently and had a plate of Boquerones, always my favourite tapas (anchovies in vinager) and another of asparagus – delicious.
Greek/Mediterranean restaurants – ask for crudites instead of bread for hummus and babaganoush, and there are often fairly plain fish options. Another option is halloumi – a local restaurant grills halloumi freshly, and serves it in a pita bread with tons of salad – and pita bread is pretty easy to ignore & throw away.

Itsu have low carb options with no rice – from memory options include chicken or salmon with avocado & poached egg, and a tuna and salmon tartare, and there’s a small protein pot thing too. Their online menu is great for seeing nutritional values of stuff.
Non ITSU sushi places – go for the sashimi.
I was in Ikea the other day – really good value on a plate of smoked salmon with a green leaf salad.
Lots of independent cafes do omelettes

I was in a Tesco the other day and they had a brilliant range of ‘pickboxes’ – small servings, many low carb. I think they were 4 for £5, and enough got two meals from that. I had a bean salad thing, and one box that just had a small portion of chicken. I haven’t seen those in my local branches, so they may just be stocked in metro branches that have a big lunch trade.
Waitrose do a nice Greek salad, that’s only 6 carbs for the whole box

Hi Vixter,

Glad i came across as lenient as my mum thinks i’m very strict with her! We stick to the meals in the book, but allowing a few more calories here or there wont make that much difference, especially when you spread it over the week. I think it says that in the book, not to get too caught up in the 800cals thing, one day we have 690 cals, the next 890 cals. If the Dr recommended 1000 cals, stick to the 800 cals for food but any treats like the milk in tea or the biscuit with the pills will take you up to that.

I struggled with my mums pills as she needed to take them at night with food but all at different times so i have ended up giving her cheese or some peanut butter to take them with, something low carby. I did give her a biscuit to begin with but have got her to have the cheese instead now.

My mum is not mobile at all on dry land, so it is a miracle she’s lost the weight she has and that is all due to the diet. She’s planning on trying to go swimming again once she has the rheumatoid arthritis under control, as she can move far more easily in the water. If your mum is active around the house that will stand her in good stead – reminds me of the Horizon programme on recently that Michael Moseley did about exercise talking about HIIT but also just being active in your everyday life and moving more, not necessarily exercising, worth a watch.

I told my mum of all your supportive and kind words and she was made up, but still looking forward to her treat meal tomorrow! She’s a cheeky monkey!

Summer sales…. I’m looking forward to being comfortably back into my own size but am not yet. Actually, I’m back to another attempt to eat ‘low carb Mediterranean’ as an everyday way of life, with some ‘no starchy carbs days’. I had some success when I first tried it early this year, had more energy and ‘zip’, a waistline, and better skin all over – and then got into bad habits and was rather haphazard, so now I’m trying again. But both my husband and I have experienced some of the effects/benefits of a different approach to food and exercise, so that’s encouraging!

Many thanks for all the practical suggestions for upping my water intake.
So, today’s summary:

Total: 870 calories, 53g carbs
Water: 0.5L
Steps: 10,276
Active Minutes: 44

Calories and carbs crept up today!!

I’ve just watched Fixing Dad on the BBC I-Player. It was down-to-earth, funny and inspirational.

Hi, wholegrain basmati rice is good – a small portion, perhaps around 25g dry weight, is nice. It takes about 25mins to cook it but it only needs a small saucepan.

Sue
Apologies for not posting sooner. I thought I had written and in fact nothing up there – here I am at last to add my best wishes to you along with SunnyB. Life is rarely simple but I am so impressed with how you have stuck with the diet in spite of the discouragements along the way. Those size 10s must look brilliant! Congratulations! Hope the new blood sugar meter is proving more reliable for you. All the best to you for an easier few weeks.
Julia

You could download the pacer app if you have an iPhone, I use it, and it’s very accurate.

Portion sizes are an important factor, as you say. After holidays in France I find the amounts of carbs served in the UK are often crazy! I think some places like to fill the plate with cheap carbs. I like your comment about going into Patisserie Valerie though!

Thanks for the tips about Pret a Manger and M&S. I sometimes have a salad with meatballs at Subway, but it’s not always satisfying without any additional carbohydrate, or in rainy weather. I agree, it’s a good idea to make your own lunches, and I think I’ll try that.

Ermahgerd! 8st 12! You are a champ Igorasusual!

Well Im only down .5lb this week but its all a loss. I have to start thinking that 9st something can be a reality or it wont happen. Or that it wont happen by itself 🙂 I knew it would be a bit of struggle this week after the prior weekend but this thread keeps me accountable and I have been mindful of calorie counts this week. And man have I been in tempting places this week. Wednesday night I was invited to a work cocktail event (brand launch), all free booze in a very cool flashy place. Not one alcoholic drink passed my lips, on the sparkling water all night. There was so many fancy cocktails and lots of my fave sparkling wine, I promised future me that I could have all the sparkling wine I would like/need when I reach my goal. The canapes were a little bit on the carby side but there wasnt a huge amount going around so it was easy enough to be good.

This weekend I have a fitness/charity/eating event. I am climbing the stairs of a very tall hotel building in the city and at the top we are treated to a buffet breakfast. Im thinking/hoping that they will have lots of good veggie sides for brekkie and mayyybe I will have a little pancake treat if they have them. After 37 flights I can probably allow for it!

Have a great weekend everyone. Keep on keeping on!

Oh ditto I’ve also got 35 year old pregnancy fat, it’s a malicious joke I think, pesky fat pixies.

Weeeeeeeeeeee weeeeeeeee yes us BSD ers do a lot of that at the beginning. Ha what a laugh.

I’m out of breath now all that running around, if I wasn’t on the BSD I wouldn’t be running, I wouldn’t even have got up. Hehe

Waving can you see me👋👋👋👋

Big pat on the back, you will feel better when you wake up knowing you have a good day behind you. I have also battled a bit today, carby things kept jumping out at me, blinking family not eating their food, but managed another 800 day and 51 carbs. Yeaaaaaa bit waves in the air, ooh I’m easily pleased.
Goodnight.💤💤💤