Latest forum posts

  • posted by  Baristagirls on How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Hello Beeswax…. day 3 was very hard for me!

    Thanks Igorasusual, I guess because I stopped feeling hungry I thought it would continue – I did have a babybel mid morning which was lovely but didn’t seem to have the desired effect 🙂
    I’m too pleased at my looser clothes to give in though…

  • posted by  Igorasusual on How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Hi Baristagirls – daughter

    You’re in week 2, aren’t you – did you have a good breakfast? Well you’re only in the start of kicking the carb appetite monster, so perhaps not surprising you’re hungry.

    Keep on with the water – perhaps some hot water, as for some peculiar reason it seems to be more filling, or a cup of tea/herbal tea?

    Or have a snack of some kind – I find those little Babybel cheeses are nice to taste, surprisingly filling, and only 60 odd calories, no carbs.

    Keep with it!

  • posted by  Baristagirls on How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?
    on in Starting the BSD
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    Hello it’s the daughter here…. I’m truly hungry and a bit confused as to why. I know it’s about lunchtime but my stomach has been making fearfully loud empty rumbles all morning. I’m sure I have had enough fats and my water intake is as high as ever.

  • Thanks for your input SkyWalker,
    I think you are quite right, I have been so busy looking at the calorific value of the foods I have been eating that I have failed to balance them out, I will follow the weekly menu plans in the book from now on until I feel more confident with my choices. I have had no problems with the fluid intake and sleep side of things and have cut my two a day banana habit to one a week. Keep posting I will.
    Lellieteapot

  • posted by  Gina2555 on Gina's blog
    on in Fast 800
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    Thanks Lillieteapot (love that name), I have since realised I was sick and I have a urinary tract infection. Bless that awesome husband of mine, he looked up things that can affect your BGLs ! Am now on antibiotics but not making a lot of progress, but don’t worry, I’m not giving up! Gina

  • posted by  Syb on newbie
    on in Fast 800
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    I’m another that hasn’t tried all new recipes. Yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, salad and meat of some sort for lunch and meat and veggies for dinner. There is a recipe for egg muffins that are my lunch variety. Basically eggs, mushrooms and either cold meat or cheese with cottage cheese. Really nice warm, freeze ok and ok cold. With kids who aren’t big veggie eaters they often have rice/potato or pasta and I just have more veggies.

  • posted by  Stacey on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
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    Good luck at your party!

    Ketostix $22 but $43 for postage on amazon…hmmm maybe not!

  • posted by  Igorasusual on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
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    If it’s of interest, my carb average over the last 16 days is 35gm per day (couple of difficult meals in there!) and my fat average is 48 gms per day. So far, up to today, which is halfway through my 4th week of doing the BSD properly – with MFP, targeted calorie breakdown, and measuring whether I’m burning fat – I’ve lost a total of 12 lbs which is 8% of my starting body weight.

    My overall target for the 8 weeks is 22lbs, or 15% of my starting body weight. Fingers crossed and onwards and upwards – off to an evening party tonight, there will be wine!

  • Yes, I recognise your experience. Changing from sugar to fat can leave one feeling a bit jaded at first until the protein/fat/carbs/fibre etc balance is right and with plenty of fluid and lots of good sleep. It works though, so the concern may not be about calories but more of food group combinations and quantities. Keep posting and good luck. The search box will find others with similar issues/interests.

  • posted by  Stacey on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
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    I’m in australia and I find many amazon sellers wont post to me.

    Looks like I’m not far off, that website suggests
    70g – P
    50g – C
    35g – F
    and if I look back over MFP weekly averages that seems to be where I am at so I’m going to have that little square of cheese or spoon of yogurt and enjoy the small taste of yummy fat. Its not a bar of chocolate like it used to be!

  • posted by  SkyWalker on Water retention and pms !!!!!
    on in Welcome to the BSD
    permalink

    Hi there, sorry nobody jumped in to your post to reply. If you have had success then this is what the forum is about – sharing knowledge and giving support. I guess people can be a bit squeamish when talking personal issues. There are lots of natural diuretics out there even normal tea has an effect. Many of us have found improvements in different areas of our personal health once we got into fasting and sleeping properly once we had the calories and sugar sorted. Hope all goes well, we have relatives in Oz near Brisbane but have never got over there yet. Good luck, this scheme works so in your parlance “No worries mate!”.

  • Thought it was high time I came in and said Hi to everybody,
    I am halfway through week 4, I have my head held high and and my stomach held in…….. and breath. Start weight 88 kg now 85 kg, I have lost 2.5 ins from chest/waist and 2 ins from hips. The first two weeks went very well, I was bouncing about like a ping-pong ball. Last week however was a real struggled feeling tired, having no energy and a constant light headedness made me wonder if I would be able to continue. I decided to up my calorie intake to a 1000 a day over the weekend and that seemed to work. I am now feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed again. Bring it on. I shall return.
    Lellieteapot.

  • posted by  Igorasusual on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Hi Stacey – got mine from Amazon. Very swift delivery, plenty of sticks and not too expensive, I thought.

  • posted by  Lellieteapot on Gina's blog
    on in Fast 800
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    Hi Gina2555,
    I think it could be a week three thing,I am half way through week 4, I felt amazing for the first two weeks, then halfway through week three I was totally floored. I decided to do a few days on 1000 cals as in the 5:2 diet and have managed to regroup. Don’t let it get you down. I am not on any meds so am not sure if that could be a factor.
    Hope this will be of some help.
    Lellieteapot

  • posted by  Stacey on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    wonderful information. Thank you so much. I have been trying to get hold of ketostix but nowhere has them in stock. My chemist said there seems to be a problem getting them in and I’ve even tried ebay with no sucess!

  • posted by  Igorasusual on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com

    Hi Stacey – you could have a look at the website above, where you enter your stats, and your target calories. You then say what level of carbs you want to do – 50gms looks good – and it calculates the fat and protein for you, and then gives you the percentages (and a table of your likely weight loss over time).

    You can then enter the percentages into MFP (My Home, then Goals), and it will recalculate for you. I think your fat looks too low, which might explain why you’re yearning for more. My target for fat, fyi, is 45 gm, or 50% of my calories.

    This is what I did – I also bought Ketostix, which measure if you are fat burning in a very simple test, so I can see if I am in ketosis with lowish carbs.

    See what you think!

  • posted by  Stacey on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Hey Igorasusual I’m am all over MFP and I have my levels set as

    Protein – 80gms
    Carbs – 50gms
    Fat – 30gms

    I made these up myself. should I lower protein and up fat?

  • posted by  Igorasusual on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Wow, Jill 177 – first week 5 lbs is absolutely great!

    It may be a good idea to check your calories – I use MyFitnessPal app on iPhone and laptop, but there are other apps if you look – and you can check stuff easily as well as break it down to carbs, fat and protein.

    It’s worked for me to keep a good eye on the carbs – many people here try to get between 30gm and 50gm per day, try it and suit yourself. But really important to keep the fat level up as it’s that which makes you feel fuller, and it does help burn the residual fat round your organs and round all the other bits, that we’re trying to get rid of!

  • posted by  Igorasusual on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Hi Stacey – maybe this means you are not building enough fat into your calories? The fat does fill you up and it’s not bad for you, as many of us have been told for years.

    If you use something like MyFitnessPal, you can enter your food and see what the breakdown carbs/fat/protein is. Possibly you are having a bit too much vegetable carbs/protein, and not enough fat?

    Going a little over the calories isn’t too bad – meant to be an average 800, not spot on each day – and if you do it with good stuff, like you say, then you should forgive yourself!!

  • posted by  Igorasusual on my journey (from week 2)
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Hi keeptrying

    I think the scales can be the enemy here, we all get invested in those pounds/kilos.

    My OH weighed himself the other morning and said he was a pound up. Then he measured himself again later and was 2 pounds down!

    I decided not to worry about the scales but concentrate on the losses round the waist, thighs, etc – test by clothes and belts as MM suggests – if you are feeling looser clothes, then some fat is going from somewhere, even if it’s round your organs.

    If you are keeping your carbs low, measuring your calories well (and checking on the calorie load of sneaky stuff like a bit of olive oil for frying), and drinking lots, then THE WEIGHT WILL GO!

    Please don’t get discouraged – put the scales away for the moment and concentrate on feeling good and if you can doing a bit of walking.

    Good luck!

  • posted by  SkyWalker on How important is the water??
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Is that because CO2 + H2O = HCO3 carbonic acid? I suppose it will be that there is always some bad news and especially if fizzy water was previously seen as pretty acceptable – that’s life. The warning may be helpful and I would prefer to drink tap water but here in the east it tastes like disinfectant so we limit ourselves to filtered tap water that helps a bit but still use sparkling frequently. Oh to get back to Yorkshire Water supplies…

  • posted by  Beeswax123 on How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    I’m on day three. I’ve had breakfast three hours ago and took my eye off the ball and it came it at a whopping 473 calories. It’s two hours to lunch and I feel sick with hunger which hasn’t been the case with a smaller calories count in the last two days. I think I’m going to have to go over today just to feel well enough to work. My testing kit hasn’t arrived yet. Apart from this blip this morning it’s going well and I’ve lost 1lb. Is day three normally the tough one?

  • posted by  iq200 on How important is the water??
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Carbonated water is better than no water. However, plain water is best as carbonated water can erode the enamel on your teeth so be careful!

  • Thanks JCH187 going to need something new besides tea and water. Online food shopping today so fizzy water, lemon and lime on the way.
    BARISTAMUM – thanks for your candid post, I hope you’re feeling better today.
    I’m still struggling with this headache, feel weak like I don’t want to move. I hope this passes soon.

  • posted by  Stacey on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Week 4 and 6.1kgs lost and feeling good about myself.

    But OMG a few days into week 5 and I am craving fat so badly. I find myself having little squares of cheese or a spoon full of greek yogurt on top of my 800. Anyone else find this?

  • posted by  Jill177 on 'Weigh in' thread
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Newbie here!
    At the end of the first week, I have lost 5 lbs.
    I’m quite pleased with that. I was hoping to lose more after reading some of the posts on here. OTOH, I can’t remember the last time I lost 5 lbs in a week. 🙂

    I think I need to actually be more accurate at counting calories. I have been having a bircher (?SP) for breakfast, half a tub of humus for lunch with salad, then some some meat and veggies (usually a stir fry or some salad ) for my evening meal with perhaps an apple as a snack, during the day. and water. Lots of water! I have had 1 glass of wine during the week. But I haven’t actually recorded amounts.

    I do have a lot to lose, but I’m sure I will get there.

  • posted by  Willf on Over the 8-week line and after
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Got everything crossed for you Nysilver but I know you’ll get the results you’ve worked so hard for!
    Kathy54 – that’s fantastic! My goal eventually I hope, although my BS is still higher than yours. I’ve been type 2 since 2008 ( it’s in my family) but even if I can reduce to 1 metformin a day, the BSD will have been so worth it!
    We’re all BSD veterans now, we’ve all achieved so much and we’re all going to stay well and (hopefully) diabetes free – or at least well controlled!

  • posted by  Izzy on Izzy's 8 week diary :)
    on in Starting the BSD
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    Morning all 🙂

    I had forgotten about the breakfast bars I made at the weekend, so I’ve just had one of those for my breakfast. I have soup for my lunch and I’m making courgetti bake for dinner 🙂

    Today should be a quick day. I have a job planned for the morning that will take up most of my available time, then I have a two hour meeting – where I think lunch is provided but I managed to avoid it last time. I’ll eat my soup before I go in and just drink cups of tea. Then there will only be a few hours left of work and my working week will be over.

    Tomorrow I’m getting my eyes tested and then I’m meeting my niece to spend a little time with her. She is nursing a broken heart 🙁

  • posted by  captainlynne on Over the week 23 line
    on in Fast 800
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    *waves* from Italy

    Quick check in. Had breakfast yesterday at a Wetherspoons at Heathrow. Egg, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms and tomato. Ignored sausage and said without the rosti (or toast as substitute)
    Avoided the ‘snack’ on the plane – ham croissant and orange juice.

    Friends amazed at weight loss and how much better I can walk around. Asked what I can eat and did I want to go to supermarket 😃

    Bought sliced cooked meats and cheeses. Last night they had a veg curry with couscous. I ate Mortadella, Gorgonzola with mascarpone and cherry tomatoes. Yum!

    Today is a public holiday and apparently we’re visiting a famous gelato shop😱 Friends say he might have sugar-free! Will let you know later.

  • posted by  Nettle on Being accountable for once in my life !!
    on in Welcome to the BSD
    permalink

    Hey Bianca

    Well done you! The benefits of this new way of eating and THINKING will keep you positive. With age comes wisdom…here’s a gem for you as a tip: my daughter is 41 years old, when she thinks back to her childhood she recalls me always being on a diet and the rigors that came with that. Make better memories for your little people, this is far better than any “diet,” it’s a license for a healthy life.
    This week I read a lovely sentence which hit home for me. “Do it because you love your body, not because you hate it.”
    Be kind to yourself, the bad patch you had is now behind you, onwards and upwards, ooops, no, when it comes to scales DOWNWARDS please.
    I miscounted today because time has passed so quickly I have completed 12 weeks. The change in my health is amazing.

    Nettle

  • posted by  Aussiechick88 on My eight weeks….
    on in Welcome to the BSD
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    Good afternoon ;

    Our whole family has had a complete overhaul with me and my partner doing the BSD , he got type 2 diabetes after we had our second child in 2013 and his sugar gradually went up to 19-20 and was erratic even on metformin : he now goes to the gym 5 days a week after work and his sugars are around 4-6 depending what time of the day he tests ! He has lost 8 kg as well since starting .
    Our little ones have always been better eaters than us fruit and veg wise but it’s nice for me and the 2.5 year old to sit together at morning tea and lunch and try new things ! She loves cruskits with hummus and cherry tomatoes as does my 8 month old slobbering away on the cruskits with her little toothy pegs coming through ! my 5 year old is at school but has a really well packed balanced lunch to keep her going for the day ! At her school at 10 am the whole school stops what they are doing in class and sit down together to have fruit snack / veggie snack ; it’s apart of the get healthy kids program they are doing and has become a state wide thing !

    Bacon, eggs and mushrooms 😍😍drool ; love that stuff same as you , although I have been smashing the kebabs at lunch with pieces of zucchini , haloumi cheese ; capsicum and mushrooms ; they are Devine and addictive ; I have to find something else as my favourite soon though haha !
    I wonder how many people would be following you sniffing your aftershave haha funny thought !! Mmmmm bacon !

    Hope your having a great day today :

    Xx bianca

  • posted by  wg16 on Protein shakes
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Hi, I’m just starting my 2nd week of the BSD and I would like to get a protein shake for when I’m on the run and to stop me punching the kids’ lunches 🙂 Can anyone recommend a good one (with good macro / micro nutritional values) in Australia? TIA

  • posted by  Californiagirl on First day
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Hi Grammie! Good to see you on the posts. The first couple of days can be hard — I remember being SO hungry in the first week! It gets much better as you go forward. You can always find support here on the posts — best wishes for your success!

  • Hi Imogen ,

    Thank you for your reply !
    Being here is super encouraging seeing so many people on the same path to help control or rid of their diabetes and also to loose weight that are heading that direction if action wasn’t taken ASAP !
    Congrats to you sticking to it for 7 weeks ; I am planning to stick with it same as you 😊

    Hope your having a great day !

    Bianca

  • posted by  Californiagirl on False start
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Actually, you can have chocolate on the BSD! Just have the good kind: dark, 72-85 percent, and not too much! It’s pretty low carb and it’s good for you!😄 and, from 13 weeks vantage point, I can assure you there is chocolate in your future! I am finding it possible now to eat a few more of my favorite things and am still slowly losing weight. I struggled a bit in the first six weeks, but the habit of eating less is getting stronger everyday and even when I blow it (it just happens!) I am able to get right back to it the next day. That seems to be the key — just start back up again. Do it badly. Do it kicking and screaming. But just do it! I am proof it works brilliantly and I was no poster-child for doing it perfectly😜 Hang in there!

  • posted by  Grammie on First day
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Did fine all day. Now almost bedtime and I’m starving , even though had 1/2 cup of yougart. I really want to make this work.

  • posted by  Isabel on Four weeks, no chocolate
    on in Welcome to the BSD
    permalink

    Thank you SkyWalker! but I’m certainly not depriving myself, just changing a bad habit – I mean a whole packet of Choc Mint biscs in a few hours in not good. I’m thriving on new regime and not missing ‘rubbish’ at all.
    Just wondering – I’ve seen that you post a lot, are you a member of the ‘team’ or just a poster like the rest of us?

  • posted by  Just do it on Back from the dark side
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Thank RozyDozy and SkyWalker. Yes, the BSD is really easy to get back into again and in just one day I’ve lost half the weight I put back on during my two week blip, amazing. My carb addiction is clearly still alive and kicking but with time I’m sure I will conquer it or at least keep it under better control.

  • posted by  SkyWalker on Four weeks, no chocolate
    on in Welcome to the BSD
    permalink

    Sounds like you are being very hard on yourself. There is room for an odd piece of dark choc on 800 cal and 30 gm carbs and even an odd crispbread and even potato has some fibre. A new habit has to be sustainable or we can drop back into the old ways. We need to change the foods we eat not just deny ourselves everything. Good luck with the will power, you are sounding very tough .

  • posted by  Scandigirl on Stuck 2nd Week
    on in Fast 800
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    I think we just have to patient because if we continue to eat this way the weight will have to come off. We didn’t gain weight over night and we want lose it over night. It is slow but steady. The weight might be slow but the health benefits are fast and that is what’s important.

  • posted by  Isabel on Four weeks, no chocolate
    on in Welcome to the BSD
    permalink

    I’m nearly at the end of my 4th week. I started this because I wanted to break the habit of not eating sweet things. I think I’ve done that because I haven’t had chocolate, biscuits, cake, ice cream, low fat stuff, nor bread, pasta or potatoes. I haven’t weighed myself but clothes are looser. I can safely walk down confectionery and biscuit aisles without buying. I will continue this for at least 8 weeks and then continue with the M diet. Good luck everyone

  • posted by  glevesque on False start
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    Oh, I’m so sorry this happened to you. Will be interested in hearing if you lose the weight more quickly this time. My thinking? This “fall” disrupted your body’s momentum, and maybe it will realize that this “new” weight doesn’t belong. Here’s hoping! You did it before, you can do it again! I have to ask…just one piece of cake ruined it? I’m wondering if carbs are so dangerous that I won’t be able to eat any again? I’m not sure I would want a life without some carbs…Someone – PLEASE – reassure me this isn’t the case…PLEASE!!! I’m sticking to the diet by telling myself that someday I WILL be able to eat a chocolate bar again.

  • posted by  glevesque on How Are My Fellow New Starters Doing?
    on in Starting the BSD
    permalink

    This may sound horrible, but I felt very happy to hear of the problems and possible solutions offered. I, too, am rarely hungry, but dang it, I miss chocolate and bread. I’ve just finished my first week to a 2 kilogram loss of weight. I want it to come off faster as I have become MUCH more active and have cut my caloric intake to below 800 calories a day – in fact, some days below 500 calories. I have determined that I MUST increase my water intake…starting as soon as I finish writing this. I suppose the more weight you need to lose, the faster it comes off? Maybe my metabolism is slow to change? Baristagirls, how lucky you are to have your bloods falling in the normal range! Believe me, I plan to get mine down and I am planning to follow the 5:2 plan if I ever get to my ideal weight. Sigh…Has anyone else ever felt it was falling off too slowly? Am I simply too impatient?

  • posted by  Frog on Stuck 2nd Week
    on in Fast 800
    permalink

    Me too ! I lost a lot in the first three days, but ever since (I’ve just finished week two) I’ve been see-sawing around the same weight – but my trousers are lots looser, and I’m wearing tops that were previously too tight.
    I was away for a week, but the friend I was staying with was great at cooking without carbs. We ate out on my birthday, and I did have a roast potato and a glass of wine, but the day overall was around 100 calories and within 50g of carbs, so not wildly excessive.
    I’m not overly concerned, but it is frustrating,