To scottgran,
Yo skinny, what tips can you give a big girl like me?

Proud of you.🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Love Lucia
Xxxx

wow, that’s brilliant Scotgran, congratulations – especially to keep to it thru a stressful move
definitely deserves capitals!!

Hi I am going on the 800 diet to support my husband , although I do need to lose some weight my blood sugar and pressure are normal , Andy however has high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. I do cook healthy meals but he snacks out on to many crisps and drinks beer . We both work in the construction trade which is quite physical. My one concern is will he get hungry with so little food and working so hard , do we have to stick religiously to the meal plan or can I make more soup etc so he feels fuller but still sticking to the 800 a day . Also what drinks can we have through the day , help would be much appreciated

I haven’t posted for a few weeks. We’ve been moving house, quite stressful, then no internet for a while. However, here I am 4 months down the line. And looking forward to next weeks holiday . AND I AM A SIZE 14 WHEN I STARTED IN FEB I WAS A SIZE 20.

Do anyone know what the correct amount of protein, vegetables, fibre, fat, ect. You should consume in a day if you do not wish to follow the 4 Weekes diet plan? I have read the book but could not find an answer to it.

Well done all of you, I’m so impressed! Mix wish that I access to some scales….but there don’t seem to be any on this small island! You can tell too!! So tonight I’m eating out….I’m having a smal Greek salad, with feta, and a whole 230gr sea bream…and a glass of red wine. I had 92cals for brunch…so I could enjoy tonight.

Well the past few days have been horrendous. I’ve had my first monthly since having my 22 month old and 7.5 month old and I haven’t been able to control myself with the biscuits.

I’ve booked in for a PT session tomorrow as I don’t overeat or eat badly when I do because I don’t like to waste the money and more importantly effort I make to exercise. So tomorrow is a new start and new day and I am not falling off.

If any other ladies could give me some helpful tips for dealing with monthly cravings I would be grateful. It’s been over 3 years since I’ve had to deal with PMS so it’s like starting all over again!

Hello – I finished my first 8 weeks on Monday and am thinking of now alternating an 800 week, followed by a 5:2 week and so on. Has anyone tried this and does anyone have any suggestions for or against this plan?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, Been through few ups and down with EBV . I am back to good vital signs and now I lost 8kgs in 3 weeks now at 70kg . I am not sure when to stop and I am not sure if my Body has enough fat for body to use up ( though I see I could reduce more in my front abdomen) while I am continuing on my 800 cal/day. I feel much better & sleeps well. I didnt crave till now however in the last two days , while I am still loosing wait, i feel I need more energy .. does it mean my body dont have enough fat and all fat has been used up by body in the last few weeks ? Also which is the test I can do to confirm my blood sugar is normal for good …MRI on liver , pancreas ? Insulin resistance test ? Ultrasound etc ? Any inputs be appreciated….

Yes you need more fats and protein until you click back in to using them more efficiently. Have you read the recent report from the National Obesity Forum that caused so much aggro recently, it is a great read and – it is here;

https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Healthy-Eating-Guidelines-Weight-Loss-Advice-For-The-United-Kingdom-Public-Health-Collaboration.pdf

BSD is 30 gm/day ideally. The recent furore about eating fat to get thin is similar to what we are doing. The National Obesity Forum .co.uk home page discusses the new guidance around now since this controversial healthy eating guide – see link – you may have to copy and paste;

https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Healthy-Eating-Guidelines-Weight-Loss-Advice-For-The-United-Kingdom-Public-Health-Collaboration.pdf

So once you reach your target weight and you have had the right amount of fats and protein you can allegedly start to reintroduce some carbs and monitor your self up to a max of 130 gm/day low starch/low GI food.

Thank you all for your comments and good wishes.
I forgot another part of my success was walking, I use a fit bit and aim for 10,000 steps each day .
I usually manage 10000 once or twice a week but most days it is about 7500 steps.
Going on holiday soon I am looking forward to the Mediterranean diet as this is the direction I am going to follow when on the 5:2

Hello the newly released healthy eating guide that supports our way but takes it a bit further can be found here;

https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Healthy-Eating-Guidelines-Weight-Loss-Advice-For-The-United-Kingdom-Public-Health-Collaboration.pdf

Read report as a PDF document or downloaded and/or print it. it is a riveting read and trashes the NHS guidance that we have been complaining about. It suggests that carbs may be reintroduced if low GI and low therefore low starch in some measure even up to 130 gm/day! but only once we have had our daily fats and proteins that stop us feeling hungry. For me it is a next steps document and makes sense more than the previous guide that I have commented on before.

The National Obesity Forum page re the report that caused the furore is here; http://www.nationalobesityforum.org.uk

Congratulations and well done for completing your 8 weeks 🙂

Thanks for posting your story!

Hallelujah the scale moved back down to my lowest weight so far on this plan. Yesterday on our travels we were at a friends house all day so drank a ton of water and didn’t have to eat out much so it clearly helped!!
Yeah. Yippee. Back in the right direction.
I will be glad to get home and eat exactly what I want and know what’s inside each recipe rather than eating out and not really knowing what’s included.
We did great on the 18 days of travel and did even lose weight but this last week we were both stuck it seemed.
It’s a great day to head home knowing I am moving downward again.
I also have to mention the one cute tanker I bought for the trip that did fit when we left is too big now. My friend kept pulling my shoulder back up because its slipping off and the body portion is also big. It literally fit perfectly 18 days ago. Not anymore.
Guess I will donate all my even bigger clothes this week once I get home. I am NOT keeping them!!! In my profession I know doing so sets up our subconscious to believe we will go back to that size in the future and our subconscious can then have us move toward that direction. I do not want that so am getting rid of them. Period. 😍
Have a great day everyone!
💜

Thanks Izzy and Weescotty for explaining the stone circles!
Have a great day everyone and Izzy hope lunch went well!!

Congratulations Robion on a fantastic result, you must be really pleased to see so much success, and reduction of your meds, with presumably the potential of your coming off Metformin too, if your great progress continues.

Thanks so much for posting, it makes a huge difference to people just starting, or perhaps having a bit of a plateau.

🙂

Who keeps moving the I and the c in my name all the time.

Please stop it.
Thanks

Love
Lucia
Xxx

Many people here try to keep good carbs between 30 and 50g per day to see fat burning.

I have relatively little to lose in terms of weight and am keeping mine to 20g per day which is working well for me, but could be too little for some people.

It is a good idea to focus on fat – which is good and filling – and protein, with carbs at the lower level I mention. My target levels are at 10% carbs, 50%fat and 40% protein, which is 20g, 45g and 80g respectively. I use MyFitnessPal to keep me on track.

Hi
I don’t know of a max amount of carb but I have just finished my 8 week and I had between 80 and 95 gm

Hi all
This is the first time I have put my experience on the forum although I have been reading a lot of comments and have been inspired to go on. I am 66 years old type 2 diabetic and have been since July 2007 and pre before that. I was 116.4 kg before I started on the 800 calories for 8 short weeks and now I have arrived it didn’t seem that long. I have lost 13.7kg about 30lbs. during the 8 weeks. I have stopped my simvastatin, Gliclazide , Linagliptin , and reduced my Metformin all with the knowledge of my GP.
I now believe that the hard work is going to start and that is to keep my carbs low. I am looking at potato, rice, bread, and pasta as a person with a nut allergy would look at nuts, because if I eat them my blood sugar will go up (an allergic reaction) although I will have a little on rare occasions I must say after 8 weeks I don’t crave them. I am now on 1000 calories and finding it quite hard to reach as my thinking won’t let me eat the wrong food strange but true I hope this feeling lasts.
Week one was very challenging but very rewarding with a loss of 3kg
Week two I was quit hungry but pushed on I found that if I had 3 meals of about 200cal each and 3 snacks with the rest I could cope better. Some days I went up to 850 calories.
I had a problem in week 4 with my bowel this can still be a little erratic but no problem. I was also a little depressed as I was on a plateau for about 4days although my bloods were ok with reduced meds. I weigh myself every day straight out of bed.
Week 5 I pulled myself together and started to lose weight again back on a high.
Week 6 and 7 they just flew past still losing weight and good blood sugar.
Week 8 this was a long week with ups and downs with my weight but finally arrived
I believe that if I go back to eating starchy food on a regular basis I will need to increase my medication even though I have lost weight
I am now going to start the 5:2 or even 4:3 using 800 calories and keep monitoring my weight and sugar.
Good luck and stay in focus you can do it and you will do it and reap the benefit of your hard work

Hi, can anyone tell me the recommended maximum intake of slow release carbs on the 800 a day?
Thanks

Hi weescotty! Perth is only about an hour away from my home. The nearest stone circle to you I think (of the recumbent type that are special to this area) is in Dundee but I’ve not been along to that one yet! I think it’s the only one I know of that is really near houses, most are quite isolated.

Polly I don’t fancy contact lenses but I know what you mean about the reflection. I’m sure your guy won’t think you sinister haha.

Well it’s been a nice day so far, got my daughters glasses ordered and went for lunch I was determined to stick to my plan and did (mostly)

My daughter had scampi and chips, and I had a gammon and cheese salad. I stole ONE chip lol. I also had a lovely herbal tea. Hannah had a rocky road cake and I had ONE small bite of her leftovers. Left the rest behind so I couldn’t be tempted. I also bought a twisty hazel bush. I’ve always wanted one I love the corkscrew branches. need to decide where to plant it now! We also went for a walk before home.

I’m off to catch up bye for now!

Hi sandie,

I got there before he opened up the shop,
I hung round like a groupie!

Want to come with me next week?

Love luica
Xxx

What do you mean you don’t quite understand?

Let me explain.

There is a to series called Mrs browns boys.
It’s a man dressed up as a women’s.
He plays the mammy.

I saw a postcard with her on.
She said….
I used to say. Fe@k off , but now I say.. That’s nice!

But I can’t go around and swear at people.
I just say that’s nice.

They accept it, they think I am loopy.

But I am laughing inside as they tell them what I think!

Love luica
Xxxx

Hi Switzerland.

Love that you are now blogging and finding a song in the blog.
It lightens the spirit. Isn’t it great?

I think because we are now an official family or group or gang, we are all standing up for ourselves as we have the backing of the gang.
No more am I apologising for eating differently than people around me.
No more am I taking the cake or bread or spuds because someone else, oh go on, it won’t do you any harm.
No more am I keeping the peace.
No more am I tolerating people asking me about my diet then telling me I am wrong. I defend myself
No more am I tolerate people telling me I am harming myself eating 800 calories even if I didn’t ask their advice or opinion.
No more am I making the excuse I have an allergy or intolerance or something else.

The worm has turned !!! And a cute worm at that.

I just reply…. That’s nice !!!! Ha. I told them didn’t I.

Love luica
Xxx

Hi frog,
Great idea, thanks for passing it on.

Scrambled egg and cottage cheese between the layers, they would bind together and keep the layers of mince apart.

I am feeling summery.
I bought a dress from Asda. It is navy blue covered in tiny white flowers with red middles and red leaves.
It is to the knee.
It has sleeves that are loose to nearly the elbow.
The back has a lovely detail of a triangle piece of blue lace.
Elasticated waist, so I can wear it as I lose weight.
Something like £16
It gets me out of black, and trousers. Feeling feminine in it.

Love luica
Xxxx

Just been out and picked some more lily of the valley to have them near where I sit in the living room.

I also cut two rose buds facing the fence.
They are a beautiful strong pink at the tip but does into a peachy orange colour near the centre. The roses are on the fireplace, in front of the mirror so they now look like a full bunch.

All of those flowers smell wonderful.

Love luica
Xxx

It all depends on whether you think of this as a ‘diet’ or as a ‘healthy way of life’. Syb, its not just that your diabetes means you can’t process carbs; diabetes is caused by refined carbs, so you really don’t want to reintroduce them. We have all seen everyone around us lose weight and then put it back on again because they went back to their old habits. What makes you think this programme would be any different? You are losing weight because you are not eating that stuff so if you want to keep it off, the change has to be for life. That’s not to say that one sandwich or one plate of pasta will destroy everything, it won’t, but they really do have to be few and far between, exceptions to your new rules.

Hi glevesque
I’m no expert by any means but I can’t help but think you’re not doing yourself any favours by reducing your calorie intake below 800 (and even 500!!!). I can’t imagine you’re able to get the recommended amounts of nutrients by dropping that low. Your body needs fuel, in this case in the form of fats and protein, and this is the key to the weight loss and reduction in blood glucose that this diet results in. If you’re not giving your body the correct amount and balance of this fuel then it can’t burn off fat effectively. I may be wrong but I don’t think you’ll see a sustained weight loss on this number of calories, and I would also worry about your long term health if you were to continue with this number of calories.
Best of luck xx

I’ve worn glasses since I was 7. Skint at the moment so can’t afford contact lenses which I like for skyping my bloke as then you don’t get the monitor reflection on the glasses. I think it looks sinister lol.

I’m VERY short sighted but glad I got diagnosed with type 2 as I’m not able to work towards correcting that and not letting my sight degenerate any further – yay.

Been trying to find ways to stop the quarry buying up the land me and my friend walk her dog on. It’s beautiful. Maybe I should start a blog. I found this site http://www.plantlife.org.uk/wales so will contact them and ask for advice. It’s possible that there are some rare plants there and that would then stop the quarry going ahead. there are definitely a few meadows and diverse woodland so there is hope. Apparently the cost to nearby human life is not a problem and the local council are the ones that both own this land AND get to decide whether or not to sell it – vested interest, anyone?

I bought The KetoDiet Cookbook this week and it just arrived. Going to make the slow cooker beef korma from it possibly tomorrow as I need to defrost the meat first.

Glad everything’s going well with you and you got some precious ‘me’ time in x

I haven’t – but does the problem occur when just when you get the hard copy , or does the print preview look messed up too?
If the print review looks OK on screen, you could try ‘printing’ that to a PDF file, then printing the PDF.

56 days today.

about a stone and seven and half pounds down

blood sugar seems to be on a downward trend

not needing to get up for the toilet in the night as much

mostly doing more exercise including more walking with friends

a bit better mentally but I think that’s due to making myself go out and meet friends for my walking

clothes a bit looser and others have commented on my weight loss

That’s about it for now

Polly

I spent the morning manning closure barrier at our local street market..next to the French baking stand!! No free samples and kept my purse in my pocket! Thankfully it wasn’t the tartifellete stand. That would have been my downfall but even better I took the bacon out of my free bacon roll and gave the bun away! Happy Saturday.

Izzy. I’m in Perth, just picked an image from t’internet that was a good explanation for HappyLife. I have the ingredients for the ‘silver dollars’ pancakes. However I really should finish Spring cleaning the kitchen first. Would be good if I could do both. Sorry you have had such an expensive week. “Things can only get better ” as the song goes.

Yes it is. I have mild IBS and was a bit worried about the dramatic change. At this point it hasn’t improved it but it also hasn’t made it worse, I’m hopeful in time it might help.

Being prepared is the key for me, I have made soups and recipes from here and my freezer is stocked, there’s always now something I can have rather than convenience food.

I did my food shop this morning and there’s now probably a third of the supermarket I don’t even go to where the bread, biscuits, sweets and crisps are!!

And I should perhaps have added that some people have reported eating refined carbs after a period of avoiding them, and finding there were after effects which, on consideration, they felt weren’t worth it – for example, sleepiness after eating a sandwich etc.

I’ve given up sugar (all those wasted calories!!!) and haven’t used sweeteners as they can have an equivalent effect, and I can’t see myself ever going back to that.

I think the trouble with refined carbs (as opposed to the low GL carbs we’re recommended on the BSD) is that they can be addictive, and so when you eat them, the body craves more, and you can be sucked back in.

MM in the book speaks about his yearning for toast, which he tries to keep under control as an occasional treat, not a regular option. My family has been discussing the ‘roast potato conundrum’ especially at Christmas, when I try to cook ‘too many roast potatoes’ for the family, as they are so lovely to eat. I won’t be changing this target this Christmas, so I will be really interested in how I feel about it by then.

I suppose it’s being aware of the likely consequences of eating refined carbs, and guarding against them being first of all a treat, then a regular treat and then no treat at all but just what you customarily eat – which got us all into this in the first place.

Does anyone else have problems printing the recipes from this BSD ? When I try to print in the normal way the letters come out all strange like a different language. Thought it was my printer at first, but relieved to say it’s O.K.
The only way, short of handwriting it out, is to copy and paste….this works fine, a bit tedious but better than nothing.
Just wondered if anyone else finds this strange phenonomen.

thanks everyone!

Just a warning to you all if you are experiencing colds and bronchitis at the start of winter in the southern hemisphere.
I have a miserable bout of bronchitis and decided to get a new bottle of my usual cough medicine. Came home, immediately took my first dose. It wasn’t far off mealtime so when it was time I took my BS reading……and what a shock I received. My BS read 12 !!! I haven’t been taking my insulin since the first day of the BSD because I was so close to being normal. Now, this medicine says sugar-free….my own GP looked up her great tome of medicines to make sure I was not getting any sugar. I had not noticed this before because my readings were quite often all over the place. So I decided to examine the box and found it has maltitol and sorbitol. You guessed it……alchohol sugar !!
My GP will be devastated. I have taken it for the last few winters when required. I googled alchohol sugar just in case
this had a different effect, the powers-who-be suggested that it was not as bad as ordinary sugars but still bad for insulin dependent diabetics. Could perhaps be because of the quick way we are losing weight and our bodies haven’t quite accepted it yet.
Anyway, thought I would pass this on to you all, better be safe than sorry…as the saying goes !

jillyB

Not sure – I’m focusing on this phase for now.
I did start looking at low carb bread in a supermarket, but didn’t buy it because I really want to use this phase of BSD to get to my goals (40-50kg in all, so I’m assuming BSD for longer than 8 weeks) to get used to eating without automatically adding carbs to each meal – for the same reasons, I use stevia to sweeten things occasionally, but only maybe two or three times a week, and tiny amounts.
I haven’t read the follow up stages of 5:2/Mediterranean diet etc, but I imagine the answer is yes, but in huge moderation.
If your diabetes is reversed and your blood sugars are back in normal range, you should be able to have them occasionally, but if you revert to having them with the same frequency/quantities that you did before, I guess there’s a danger that the blood sugars start rising again.

that’s fantastic Butterfly – well done
If you’ve the patience to stick with SW for a few years, I’m sure you’ll find this plain sailing when you have great results to spur you on

Hi Happy 🙂 I’m not minding the idea of glasses as I do sometimes get headaches so if they help with that I will be happy!

WeeScotty are you local? I’ve been to that circle you posted it’s a really nice one. I was at tyrebagger yesterday and Binghill last week but those aren’t as well known.

Hi Brisbane, welcome to the BSD! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my diary. I do it for myself really it helps keep me on track but I’m happy that it helps anyone along the way. I’m so glad I stumbled across the BSD. It is changing my life and the changes will continue as I’ve a lot still to lose!

Today I’ve had yoghurt and fruit, planning chicken coated in crushed almond crackers for dinner later, with some curry sauce.

Lunch will be a minor challenge… I’m taking my daughter back to the opticians to choose her own glasses as she couldn’t see properly yesterday (eye drops) and she has requested a girly lunch. So we’re having lunch out. I don’t know where we are going or what I will eat. I will not be having bread/pasta/potatoes in any form though – that much is decided 🙂 my friend may join us and we may have a walkie too.

right gotta go as leaving soon.

Have a great day people 🙂

I am just over half way through the fast 800. So many people are saying how wonderful they feel and how they want to continue on. I do feel ok and I’m loving the weight loss

But

I miss carbs. I miss potatoes, fresh bread, the ease of sandwiches and rice. Will I ever be able to add them back into my diet or has diabetes killed my ability to process these for ever?

I’d love to hear more about how others have coped with the transition.

Thanks

Hi, I started the fast 800 on Weds 1st June having struggled to lose weight for the last few years on the Slimming World eating plan. In common with many people on here I have been surprised at only experiencing a few hunger pangs in the last 3 days – I expected to feel really hungry with such a dramatic reduction in calorie intake. I decided to take MM’s advice and weigh myself more than once per week – today was my first weigh-in since I started and I’m delighted to say I’ve already lost 4lb!!!! That’s more than I’ve lost at Slimming World for months. To say I’m over the moon would be an understatement. Hope everyone else is having as much success 😊

Good Luck you guys 🙂

I’m in week 7 of BSD and I love it. I love that I’m losing weight, I’m NOT hungry, I love the food, the new discoveries that I have made, the friends I’ve found here… there is nothing not to like! I’ve become excited about food again trying new recipes and experimenting with stuff it’s really great. I’ll stick to these principles long term now and I’ve never felt that way about anything I’ve tried in the past (I’ve pretty much tried everything out there…)

As for advice… well some people like to just have two larger meals/day. Personally I like to have 3 smaller ones and sometimes a snack. The choice is really yours and you may need to experiment a little to find your preference.

Be organised. I like to plan my weeks eating, although in week I will sometimes be flexible if something comes up or if I’ve forgotten to take something out of the freezer. I’m not religious about it sometimes I’ll plan chicken for dinner without deciding yet what meal I’m making but at least I know I have the chicken bought in. Nothing worse than suddenly realising you have nothing really that suits the BSD when it comes time to cook dinner. Although eggs are a good backup…

Buy full fat things like yoghurt (fage seems most popular and rightly so it’s lush) as these keep you feeling fuller.

Some people like to follow the recipes in the book, others like to just make up their own. I’d recommend experimenting and looking for ideas to BSD-ify anything you love. Ask here if you want ideas, surf the recipe section.

Enjoy the (hopefully lighter and healthier) weeks ahead 🙂

Hi Izzy
I am new to the forum and have read your forum in entirety! It’s wonderful! Your depiction of village life makes me want to move tomorrow!
Keep up the blogging, your words are inspiration for others.
Kind regards

Lordy, it probably is the reaching rather than the breathlessness but it is so scary! Funny how along the way the aim of being healthy goes from looking good aka must be slim, to wanting to be healthy for longevity, children and general life. How have you been going with the programme today? I have decided on Thursday because I have some unavoidable work commitments in the next few days, but I don’t want to leave it until next Monday (as I have done in the past) as I do a bit of “last supper eating”

Hello Brisbane67,
I too am 49 and perturbed that my body is no longer bouncing back when I over do it.
Socks are an issue for me too – it’s the reaching rather than breathlessness.
Here’s to healthy, happy 50th birthdays,
wobblebottom