Hi everyone … Into week 2 and going ok … It’s so rewarding seeing the loss daily . it’s going to be worth it …
Just out of curiosity , on this thread people are saying they are not losing it quick enough .. Just a thought if you don’t have much to lose will it take longer like regular dieting .. That last stubborn kgs/lbs are harder ??

Hi All,

I have just started my journey today for a healthier me! I have a long road as I am 7 stone overweight and very unhealthy – but you have to start somewhere?! Just to say I have read through all your blog post and they are really inspirational, motivating and helpful to a newbie…..thank you for sharing your journeys!

Claire

Feltwicked you have excellent news. Well done, congratulations. Thank you very much for sharing.

Are any of you disabled with mobility issues? I walk with crutches (painfully!) and fall easily (balance issues) MY knees and back are ruined. I can’t get on the exercise bike unless hubby s home as I cant get on without help. What exercises are you doing that overcome these obstacles?

Wonderful news Feltwicked! And great to hear of a doctor who listened to you and gave positive feedback.

Hi Stodge – MM recommends not using commercially prepared oats on the 8 week BSD. For those who are trying to control diabetes, they spike the blood sugars. If you are in that group – then check your BS readings to see if they cause a spike. If you use the search function on the top right and put in ‘porridge’ or ‘oats’ you will get a lot of info on those who think it is fine and others who do not.
What the books says is use with care and use only rolled (uncut) oats, the type you need to soak overnight as these release the carbs more slowly.
Well done on getting to the end of week one and on your weight loss!

I went from 2 normal sweeteners to just 1 stevia for a few weeks and now I drink my tea with no sweeteners at all. I think some of the sweeteners are more sweet tasting than sugar. I count a cup of tea with whole milk as 7 cals. Same with yoghurts. I never thought I would eat Greek yoghurt! Now I have it every day and love it. Tasted my daughter’s Muller yoghurt and it was just too sweet.

Hi Collie,
There was a post from Cherrieanne a while ago suggesting seeds ‘fried’ in Tamari – sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds – dry roast slightly, then add Tamari Sauce to them – they caramelise and all stick together. Once cool – separate and store – lovely snack and crunchy!

Hi Grammie,
The end of week one -well done! I agree with Switzerland – have a look at what you have been eating. The BSD book says do not get too hung up on 800 as some days it will be 750, others 850 and it evens out over the 8 weeks.

What I found to be more important was the amount of carbs and fats in by diet. When I started I used premade shakes for 3 meals a day – they have skimmed milk added to them. I was hungry a lot and it was only that I noticed I was losing weight (no more than I would have expected from a ‘normal’ calorie restriction), but I was losing the weight disproportionately from my bust and hips and less from my waist, that I checked the carbs in the shakes and they were very high in carbs and low fat as I was using skimmed milk. I was taking in 90-120g carbs per day so not getting rid of the fat around my middle.

Once I moved to full fat yogurt, dropped the shakes and started cooking from scratch – the weight shifted at around 2kg a week thereafter plus the cms started coming off of my waist and I now am back to a normal shape.
Personally I found 60g carbs per day works for me – I am veggie so it is hard to get below that and still get enough protein. Most people are going for 50g per day or lower – you need to find out for yourself what works for you. Too low and you may well get cramps. This diet focusses on low carbs and high fat to get the calories you need and full fat keeps you feeling full.

Other tips – allow 50 calories a day for things to nibble on – a few nuts, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, small pieces of cheese or adding milk to coffee of tea makes the coffee and tea more filling. Having them around when you get a hunger pang stops the need to raid the fridge and for me, stops me bring forward by an hour my next meal!

MIndfulness also helped me – see the mindfulness forum for ideas.

Good luck – it gets easier week on week will by week 3 or 4 you forget that you are eating very little and it is the norm and satisfying.

My husband has been type 2 for 12 years and his entire family all have it. I have only recently been diagnosed as type 2 but not on any meds. You would think I should know more about type 2 because of hubby but he has never gone low carb or watched his sugar intake with the exception of Pepsi Max! Reading the BSD was a bit if a revelation. As I have only just read the book (finished last night) I have been making adjustments to our meals already, cutting out the ridiculous amounts of bread, rice, potato and pasta we normally gorge on. It will take a little time for hubby to adjust but he is determined to get some control over his eating as do I. The next grocery run is going to be very different!

It is great to have this forum to bolster you while you are on a life changing journey that will have good and bad days. As I have to lose half my body weight, I am worried about the long term – what I will do at the end of the 8 weeks, how will I stay motivated and on track? I am hoping the contributors here will be able to help me with advice and coping mechanisms for the long haul.

Oo thanks for that link Frog. I tried cauliflower rice with herbs just cooked in a pot already and it was filling anyway… not sure if much else ;-)) Think the baked version might be a big improvement though, will try that one next. I definitely found it tasted a bit better then next day actually – had it for lunch.

I made this pizza base before BSD days so will have to work out the numbers but it was really tasty! Might be worth a go.
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/green-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-base/

Orchid I love spiralising too – courgette so delicious with garlic and lemon and pepper!

Great news! Very well done. I bet you’re stoked, you should be! 🙂

Hi Frog, Thank-you for the BBC link to the Cauli Rice – interesting to see the different ways of cooking it. I have not yet made it from scratch as it always seemed to take too long. I did find some premade that I bought and used – it was nothing special and I would rather do without and have more veg with sauce than use it again.
I will try the cauli rice again from scratch with the info from that link – not adding salt till after plus the difference in microwave to oven cooking is good information. I have also just started using a spiralizer – I was very sceptical that courgette could be made to be interesting. The only think I ever used it for before was to add to Ratatouille – it was not a veg I particularly liked. I had expected to use the spiralizer for carrots which I love grated, but decided to give courgetti a go – it really is a revelation and a quick and easy meal if you just add some flavoured olive oil to it.
Clarissa – glad you got through day 2 – personally I do add in the herbs and spices – but I don’t think it is necessary. I just do it for completeness sake, and also to check I am not getting some carbs I did not know about! I would still use the herbs/spices even with extra carbs as it adds flavour making the food enjoyable, but would know to adjust somewhere else if I was going to my daily carb target!

Hi Lucia,
I hope it rains enough for you to jump in the puddles – great fun!
…..of course ‘voila’ means something to eat that will make you more crazy. Have a great day.

Hi Collie,
I usually resort to peppers, radish, etc for a bit of crunch. Wish I liked celery but I don’t! ! A few nuts here and there.
I have an unopened 100g bag of Waitrose crunchy & spicy ciabatta croutons with black pepper and sea salt.
A quarter of the bag, 25g, is 114cals/15.4g carbs – which is why they’re unopened as I’m type 2!
I suppose a few croutons wouldn’t hurt – you could also break up a ryvita for the same effect. (Week 14 for me and still at it!).

Hi

Thanks everyone – it is a big milestone to get out of the obese category and it has given me a big lift. I tend to be quite strict with the diet Monday – Wednesday which are the days I work and then I am more flexible the rest of the week. I buy the low GI bread from Lidl and have that as a bit of a treat sometimes (when I crave a bit of toast and marmalade !). Yes, no footie and not having to watch my husband eating Chinese take-away will be good.

Thanks for BBC link Frog. I tried once to bake in oven and had to throw away about half as it got burnt at edges. Will try again maybe with cooler oven or smaller tray so layer is a bit thicker. Liking some of the variations ideas in the comments with the recipe.

Week 3 is not my week. I feel iller than usual, more brain fogs than before starting the diet, difficulty passing much despite drinking plenty of water and 2 coffees daily. My legs are often painful, tired or tingly. And I gained weight.

Great news Felt wicked, thanks for letting us know.

Glad to hear the Dr listened and was pleased. I have a feeling we are pioneers on the edge of THE NEW way of treating a few conditions. The medical professionals will have to take notice once the evidence mounts.
Nettle

Hi BSD’ers
I’m craving some crunch in my food any suggestions. Lettuce , cucumber just doesn’t do it. It may be a desire for Norty carbs . My day is ;
Breakfast – omelette
Lunch- Yoghurt full fat berries chia
Supper- protein salad/ veg

Need to mix it up a bit I used to love crisps toast etc I do miss that mouth feel. Looking into changing habits and it can take up to 200 days to change oh my!!!
I like to be inventive but am struggling.
Just bought my first batch of raw whole organic milk. Must be better for us , at least cows have grass under their hooves.🐄
Losing inches first then pounds follow ,feel good ,getting comments on how well I look , I have to try not to be too zealous in telling people. Just cannot believe how much rubbish is in supermarkets bring back local shops please Ie green grocers 🍓🍎🌶🍆🍋🍳
Thanks for your support love Collie 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Hi feltwicked, Wow! You’ve done so well. Congratulations! I’m on week 14 now of the BSD and have an appointment next week for my annual bloods (I’m type 2). Hope my results are as good as yours.

Butterlover, how much meat should I be eating? Your posts are very useful, thank you.

Hi all,

I went to my usual doctor a few days ago and asked for a print out of my HbA1c (Haemoglobin) and other blood/urine tests done over the last couple of years. I also requested a new full blood/urine test for an update.

I got called in to his office this afternoon to have the results explained. He was very pleased as my HbA1c had dropped from 47 (SI units or 6.5%) in July 2015 and 44 SI (6.2%) in Feb 2016 to a staggeringly low 35 SI (5.4%) today June 2016. My Albumine/Creatine count also fell from 11mg/L & 23.3 mmol/L in 2015 down to an amazing <3 mg/L & 9.6 mmol/L at this reading.

I then mentioned about the BSD and that I had stopped taking medication a month ago. He was surprised, although giving a warning about crashing at the end of a diet – about which I reassured him that this is a lifestyle change not a fad diet. He cancelled all further specialist reviews and shook my hand in congratulations, whilst advising me to keep checking my fasting blood.

I’ve also dropped to 93.1 kg (down from 98.4 when I started).

I am so stoked, I had to share with the team of fantastic supporters here – and I’m only in my 5th week of the diet.

FeltWicked

1 week into the diet and I am confused. I have always had a bowl of proper jumbo oat porridge (no sugar but a little salt and pepper to taste) when I get into the office (around 7:45am) and I don’t eat again until lunchtime. I leave for work at 6:30am and can’t face breakfast at that time in the morning.

I always thought that porridge was a good breakfast and being low GI would be OK on the BSD.

Please advise.

On a less confused note – 5lbs lost and really motivated by this new way of life!

thanks Switzerland – I’ll look for the pizza base recipe
I found one for gram flour pizza base that I made on a previous diet and liked – a bit carby, but not too bad compared to standard pizza, but a cauliflower one should be even better.
I need to have a plan B for when I get a real pizza craving!

Lucia, Hi there. Oh yes I am so going for it. Today I have some brown shrimps lined up for lunch. I am about to go to an hour Pilates Class. My weight has been stable for a few days now. I am so happy with how well I feel. A fog has lifted. 😀☺😊😄😇🙌
My favourite word is enjoy.
Enjoy your day.
Enjoy your plans.
Have fun and enjoy.
regards Sandie

End of week three – 96.7kg, 5.3kg gone
I seem to have cracked the plateau problem – regular loss of around 0.3kg a day
If that trend continues through the next few days, I should achieve 1 stone loss by the weekend,
I think I drank a bit less yesterday, probably two litres of water and 1 litre of tea, and a coffee.
but a fair bit of exercise – boat club in the morning, gym in the afternoon and around 8,000 steps
midnight snack of a couple of oatcakes – wonder if t would have been more without them?

I am up and ready to go to my Pilates Class. It lasts for one hour. I do this at different times thrice a week. Each day I dog walk of varying lengths. Usually between a mile and up to 5 miles. Once or twice a week I do a Body Pump class. This class has really helped with body toning and shape; especially around my tummy area.
What ever excersie you do enjoy it and every now and again change your routine so your body gets a surprise.
ENJOY

Hi sandie,
Thank you so much.
Your profile said you are going for it
Are you still?
What have you gone for this week, I need details?

Also, I remember , you are the crayfish tails lady. I thought you were so posh eating that compared to my shrimps 😀

Do you have any hints and tips?
I am always needing them myself

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi Switzerland,
Does voila mean eating something that makes you more crazy and insane?
Because I have, with being slightly dippy, I can forget about boundaries and limits.

Eg
I am excited right now as it is overcast.
And?
Puddle bashing.
I jump from one to the other.
This works my thighs, my feet, my calves and my balance. Oh and my energy.
Isn’t that great?
Something so simple, lighthearted and fun

Love Lucia
Xxxx

My exercise merely consists of Yoga and Pranayam (Breathing exercise). I wake up at 7am and start exercising from 7:30 to 7:55. It is not sufficient I know. I will increase my time duration. I also take health fruits which are very rare – such as Noni fruit, Mangosteen and Goji Berry. I’m sure people may have not heard about these.

What a great start to being back home! Well done on that weight loss I felt quite sure some would come off quickly when you got back 🙂

Your new programme must be great if your clients are snapping it up and it is lovely that they are helping you in their own way too.

Bill mentioned a way to post pictures here, you should post any new fancy clothes you get 🙂

I’ve got a couple of ideas for my first clothes customisation and I think I will go ahead and start a blog. I like to do this whole diary thing haha you can probably tell.

Have a lovely day Happy 🙂

Thankyou both! I’m determined that I’m not going to let tiredness or unexpected things put me off, or at least if they do not much!

using ‘held up’ to describe delays is everyday language here lol.

I’m sitting here waiting for my colleague with a cup of herbal tea. I’ve taken a water bottle and nuts with me and will be home for lunch before working in the afternoon when it will all be back to normal. Well as normal as I ever get lol.

As I had stolen my tape measure back, curiosity got the better of me so I weighed and measured today. I’ve lost 1lb since yesterday! but I’m still saying 0 for last week and this counts towards week 8. I only need 0.8lb to hit 10% now and lost 17 in total. Most of my measures stayed the same this week but I did lose a further 0.5 inch around my waist.

I’m happy enough with that. Still tired but I’ll commit to a few early nights. Spoke a while with husband last night too and things are calmer there now as well. We don’t often argue thankfully.

OK I best go finish my tea.

Have a great day!

Wow great job today Izzy!! You get a superstar recognition!! Wow wow wow!!!
Hugs!

Thanks so much for your kind words Izzy!!! I had no time to get online today’!
It’s been an awesome day though.
-I lost another 2.5 lbs since yesterday! So I down 20.5 lbs and super happy!
-I created a new program for clients and the first two I spoke to purchased them.
-my hubby made my dinner request which was steamed cauliflower and zucchini with 1/4 cup pasta sauce and 1 ounce Parmesan. I didn’t have many carbs left for dinner so had to be careful and I am right on top of the nugers so I am thrilled.
My clients and dentist all noticed I have lost a lot of weight. Once client told me a great place to shop in a town one hour north of us. I love that my clients like to help me as well.
So all is good albeit it’s been super busy business wise since I got back. I kong to be lounging in the pool again!! Ha

Hugs to all!
💜🌷

I have just completed Week 1 and have lost 3.5kg, I am thrilled!
I was vigilant on 5 of the 7 days, a little bit looser on 2….
Im encouraged and soldiering on..
Hunger rumblings most evident when I hop into bed at night

Hi denton and welcome to the forums.
Great results from your first week. I’m really pleased you shared that with us. You have every reason to feel upbeat!
Best wishes.

Hi Frog and Jules2112,
Yes, the cauliflower rice is great. Any recipes pre-BSD that I would have had rice or noodles with I now substitute cauliflower rice.

The other gem using cauliflower is the cauliflower pizza base. Now I can have my Friday night pizza and eat it too!

With both of the recipes I don’t microwave the cauliflower first. With the pizza base I make it (see BSD recipe section) and as it’s quite moist I slow bake the base on a low heat first, then add the toppings and bake the whole thing. Hope you can enjoy these as part of your BSD journey.

Hi Clarissa, I’m pleased to read that Day 2 was better for you.

Hi Grammie,
There is hope……you can stick to 800 calories/day and be satiated. Look at what you’ve been eating – have you been eating sufficient healthy fats? Sometimes one teaspoon of full fat natural yoghurt or 30g cheese is enough if you are genuinely really hungry. Others have posted that a glass of warm water, sipped slowly will do the trick (excellent as it is calorie free).
The great thing is that you’re at the end of week 1 – look at what you’ve achieved.

(I have to say this because it works for me). Have you tried mindfulness meditation. Becoming aware of why we want to eat can be valuable if you’re an emotional eater.

At times the BSD journey can be tricky but myself and many others have found if you persevere the rewards far outweigh the hard work.

Best wishes for your journey.

Whenever I start to feel hungry (not around bedtime) – I drink a whole glass of water.. within a few mins the feeling subsides.

Are you drinking your 8 glasses of water a day?

Cheers

Ending week one and today I am so hungry. Wishing it was bedtime. How to hunger — any suggestions. I’ve been trying to keep at 800.

Hello,

New to the diet and the forums. Been doing it one week now, and have managed to loose 6lbs! Hoping that continues in the right direction.

Just felt the need to share… feeling quite upbeat.

I’ve just watched this week’s HORIZON documentary on BBC Two – “Why Are We Getting So Fat?”
A really interesting programme that covered many areas of research into obesity.

Towards the end of the show they talked about the part different types of gut bacteria play in how fat or thin we are. The upshot was that a Mediterranean style diet, but without the high carbs, can help promote the growth of a wider range of good types of bacteria in the gut, and that these can help you to loose weight.

Full programme is here http://bbc.in/1UnX9di the bit about gut bacteria is around 50 minutes in.

there’s a really good article on BBC Good Food that compares different ways of cooking cauliflower rice – still to try it myself, I found it at the weekend but didn’t have time.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/whats-best-way-cook-cauliflower-rice

Thanks for the reply. I have no medical contra-indications for the diet and have mentioned it to my GP and practice nurse, but I am not sure how convinced they are of its potential. If nothing else, I have lost some weight. I will go back for a HBa1c test again in July and see if there is an improvement.

Great success stories… keep up the good work everyone… One thing i cant see in the book, but im presuming, the more you have to lose the bigger the loss will be……its crazy but i can really feel the difference already…. feeling good

Hi Baristagirls,

I know this isn’t creamy, or even store bought for that matter, but last summer I was enjoying iced tea with a sprinkling of rose water and a sprig of mint. Home made, I would make black tea, put in the the refrigerator until chilled, add a dash of rosewater and the sprig of mint – delicious and refreshing.

Hi Fi and Trees,
Well done in reaching the ‘overweight’ category. All of that hard work and planning pays off.
Best wishes.

Hi Izzy,
My heart skipped a beat when I read the beginning of your post ‘today I was held up in the morning’….I continued to read and….phew (I thought, wiping my brow)….you were running late. Thank goodness it was just a ‘held up’ in time sense.

Despite your out-of-sync morning you did really well with your food/fluid intake. Well done. I mean it. Even 4 weeks ago I know that something like that would have de-railed me.

Hi Liverbird,
Skywalker and Maefly have wise words. Carb addiction is real. Take heed from the principles of the BSD and organisations that deal with addiction and treat the white carbs like that. Remember nobody has willpower when addictions are involved.

Over the past 9 weeks I’ve thought long and hard about celebrations (eg. birthdays, weddings etc) and what will be appropriate to eat.

We all have to make our own decisions. I will share mine.
The one day a year that is my birthday will be celebrated and yes, I will have a slice of cake. I may even have a meal at a restaurant. But that’s where it stops.

I’m attempting to put the simple carbs back where they belong which is in the occasional category. It’s hard work. I’m not always successful. For me the BSD way of life is exactly that – a way of life. I will still celebrate special occasions in a socially appropriate way, but my choice is not to go on a simple carb ‘bender’.

Best wishes for working out what to do.