Hi Indi,

I stick to the low carb veg and ate 5 serves/day while on BSD800 and continue to do so on BSD5:2.
I think it’s an individual thing as others have posted that they consume less.
Try the amount of low carb veggies you want while staying within 800 cals and monitor how you go.

Hi Slimmingmayya,

Welcome to the forums. There are many people who have started their BSD journey feeling like pioneers (read Bill1954, Captainlynne,Hashimoto, Cherrianne) to name a few. You are a pioneer for doing the BSD while fasting for your religion.
I have no experience of this. If you are simply ‘flipping’ the hours that you eat it makes sense that it would work.
Jason Fung in his book ‘The Obesity Code’ makes reference to religious fasting – but mainly to point out that usually few less calories are consumed overall.
I feel like I haven’t really answered your question. There will be other BSDers reading this that may have more definitive answers.
Keep posting so we all can read how you’re progressing.
Best wishes.

Some advice please.
I am at week 15 (after my first 8 weeks I decided to continue for another 8 weeks.) I have lost 28lbs (plus another 14 that I had already lost beforehand.)
I want to lose another 42lbs (so half way there!) what do you think would be better to keep going for another 8 weeks on the 800 or take a break for a while (how long?) and go on to the 5:2 but low carb or……………..?
All thoughts gratefully received.

hi everyone and it is so encouraging to read everyone’s stories.
Some advice please catainlynne & anyone else who has been doing the 800 for a while.
I am at week 15 (after my first 8 weeks I decided to continue for another 8 weeks.) I have lost 28lbs (plus another 14 that I had already lost beforehand.) I want to lose another 42lbs (so half way there!) what do you think would be better to keep going for another 8 weeks on the 800 or take a break for a while (how long?) and go on to the 5:2 but low carb? All thoughts gratefully received.
(please note I have also posted this in a separate topic so I will hopefully get replies from people not reading this thread.)

Hi all
I’m just 2 days into the fast 800, and I notice that the recipes in the book don’t include much veg. Is it ok to eat more low carb veg so long as I stay within the 800 cals?
(I’m surprised how Un hungry I am!)
Indi

the positive is that you have lost a stone is six week, MrsG, so that’s half of what you wanted to loose before your holiday – and if that’s five weeks away, you could be well on the way to the second stone.
For me, it isn’t just about the weight, I want to feel better too – I haven’t lost as much as you yet, but I am starting to notice that I can walk at a fast pace for longer without getting tired and slowing to a creeping pace, and climb stairs and escalators more easily.

Cost aside, I’ve always thought it best to follow diets with ‘normal’ food – hence I’ve never done the Cambridge Diet, but it seems to be based on packaged food and supplements.
As a long term solution, BSD may get you to your target weight a bit more slowly, but it’s also building the foundations of a more healthy relationship with food when you attain your target – and stay there long term.

Good luck

Hi,

I am so excited to start, I have a question though I will start fasting for my religion from tomorrow or Tuesday and I wondered if it would still work if I done the plan at the time I break the fast which will be between 9.40pm to 2.40am I am planning to eat lunch and brunch at Sohor which will be by 2.20am and lunch at 9.40pm, I am not diabetic but I have lots of weight around the belly and it is really tiring me out, another thing I know that date is not really good to have in this diet but would be ok If I have one with the brunch as it makes me feels less hungry after a full day of fasting. Thank you very much .

I am going on holiday in 6 weeks time and was hoping to have lost a total of 2 stone or more in that time. I will have been doing the BSD800 for 11-12 weeks by then. I am disappointed to realise that I am unlikely to have lost that much weight by then, going by the last 2-3 weeks. I think I had gotten my hopes up too high from reading how much weight others had lost on here in such a short time.

If I don’t continue with this diet I have no idea of what I will do to lose weight. This has been one of the very few diets I have managed to stick to (up until last night!), and have not felt hungry. The only thing that has worked for me in the past was the Cambridge Diet some 5 years ago. Unfortunately I am not in the same financial position I was in then, and so am not able to afford it now.

Okay 4stonetolose, I agree to give it a bit longer too 😊👍

Welcome! Lots of success here and also good advice and support.

For me I would say it is a great idea to use an app such as MyFitnessPal to check your calories and the breakdown of them into (good) carbs, fat and protein, because the values can be really surprising. For example I gave up sugar in my coffee after noticing I could have a fillet of salmon at dinner time for the same calories and how much better was that for me.

If you can keep your carbs below 50g per day, then the BSD will be even more effective.

Hope that helps.

(Ps I am 4 weeks in and 12lbs down of my target 22 and did not have too much to lose. Have really enjoyed it. My breakfast this morning was delicious – raw baby spinach, baby plum tomatoes, whole avocado and scrambled eggs. Mmmmm)

If its the slim rice made form Konjack – there’s quite a lot on the web about side effects, some good, others not.
One I saw just now included “slowing the digestive processes’ – I also read that it can also absorb a lot of water, so maybe you need to increase your water intake when you have it. But absorbing the water and slowing the digestive system combined could explain the weight increase.
I have several packs in the cupboard, but haven’t used it yet.

It must be incredibly frustrating, but hopefully only a temporary blip.

I seemed to be on a plateau in weight terms for ages though I could see and feel that I was thinner via my clothes.

I also use Ketostix which test if I am burning fat, so knew it was going from somewhere – likely from round my organs which after all is what we’re aiming for.

I was told fat goes from the visceral areas first (probably explains why waist measurement can go down fairly quickly – going from inside) and only then from subcutaneous fat (the bit you can see).

And the last bit of subcutaneous fat to go is the bit under the navel (the belly wodge). It would be!!

So don’t despair, don’t give up hope. It does work and will.

Good luck

And please DONT PANIC it may not be as bad as you think.

Weight varies so much – oh was 2lbs up first thing in the morning and then after his coffee and a shower was 3lbs down again (so net 1lb loss).

How are your measurements doing? Focus on that and don’t stress (appreciate that’s hard)

Good luck!

If you are indeed badly affected by dairy, you could still do the BSD.

I think the biggest miss you would find is cheese, which is high in fat and protein but low in carbs, which is where we are aiming. Milk (in coffee and tea) and yoghurt are optional of course.

If you get an app such as MyFitnessPal you could check your 800 calories with the food you like to eat.

Keep carbs to 30-50g, if you can, and then protein and fat need to be added within your calories to get to the 800 target.

Hope that helps

Switzerland, thank you for your good advice. You are absolutely right, I do need to exercise more. I started off really well, but have got a bit idle recently. I am recharging my Fitbit as I type. I haven’t tried the mindfulness side of things. I didn’t think I needed it, but as I’m struggling, I will definitely give it a go.

Mrs G, I’m really sorry that you’re struggling too. I do think your loss has been pretty impressive though. 17lbs in only 6 weeks! How about we both give it another couple of weeks? 😀

My weight is falling slower than I’d hoped too – 4kg in two and a half weeks, and lots of hovvering up and down
It’s frustrating, but I just keep reminding myself that it’s been there an awfully long time!

The days when I’ve put weight back on, or not lost anything, do appear to be days when I’ve made less effort to drink lots (water, not red wine) and been more sedentary.

If weighing daily is frustrating, have you thought about weighing yourself less frequently – maybe weekly?

I’ve also found a more healthy snack than chocolate for those late night ‘frustration binges’ – tiny oat and seed cakes with a teaspoon of cottage cheese. Occasionally takes me over the 800, but I figure it’s better than diving into chocolate or sweet biscuits – and I am making sure that it’s an occasional treat, rather than routine.

On the positive side 4stone, at least you felt unwell after the biscuits – incentive not to do it again! I know the biscuits you mean, and pre BSD I could easily wolf down an entire packet (and they were so often on BOGOF deals!). If you haven’t already, maybe don’t weigh yourself today, it won’t change what’s already been done.

Good luck with it MrsG & 4Stone

So I bought the 8 Week Blood Sugar Book just after OH was diagnosed as Type 2 but actually want to do the diet for myself more than he wants to. I’m a 45 year old hefty Yorkshire lass (20 stone) and although my blood sugars are well within the normal range, I know I’m heading for trouble if I don’t act now. I’ve tried WW and SW without any real success but reading this book it seems to make sense to me, plus it’s all food I love (hubby much fussier with food so might have a battle on my hands).

I’ve just taken delivery of 4 various Fast Diet cookbooks and am eager to get started, so what’s the best advice for me as a new starter to this diet?

You might have the will power to do so but why would you unless you are lactose intolerant for real. I reckon that you would have to consume more of olive oil and other fat to keep the fats and oils intake at high enough levels.

With a normal BMI which diet plan are you following, Fast800, 8WBSD 5:2 or are you just changing your style to being more Mediterranean I wonder. Shift work can play havoc with lifestyle and I did it for many years. Good luck anyway..

Salt helps retain water, water is heavy, soup is mainly water, weigh again when you think you have “used” your day’s liquids. Did you also drink tea, coffee, juices etc they can really add up and give you a shock – it has happened to me. Can rice be slim absorbing as much water as it does will add weight?

I can sympathise completely 4stonetolose.

I am just starting my 6th week. I weighed myself last Thursday and to my delight I had lost another 3lb this week – making a total of 17lbs. I then weighed Saturday and the 3lb was back on!? So disappointing. I am keeping track of everything I eat; rigidly sticking to 800 cals, and 25-30g carbs/day. I don’t understand how it works so well for some, but not so well for others.

Yesterday I was seriously considering giving up. The weight just isn’t coming off quickly enough to motivate me. I was so fed up that last night, I ended up drinking a bottle of red wine, eating some bread and biscuits! I suppose I do feel a little guilty this morning, and have no intention of stepping on the scales!

If I don’t sort myself out and get back into this diet, I fear I will completely undo all the hard work I’ve already done, and quickly regain the stone I’ve lost. But my head does not feel in the right place about it anymore. I’m disappointed with the diet and have lost faith in it.

Hi Tallyhoo,
A suggestion – have a look into the ingredients of the slim rice and see if it’s something that may cause water retention (before it makes its way through your digestive system).
Best wishes.

Hi 4stonetolose,
We’ve all been there.
It sounds like you’ve had a tough week. Be kind to yourself.
If BSD800 is too much for you at present there is always the options of 5:2BSD or low carb med style with no calorie counting.
My guess is that you’ll be determined to get back into the BSD800 to complete your 8 weeks.
Have you been incorporating any exercise or mindfulness meditation?
I’m a huge fan of both now. I walk daily (weather permitting) and do mindfulness meditation…….have a bit of an exploration and if you haven’t tried them, find something that suits you. They are just so beneficial especially when life throws you a curve ball.
If you find you’re not bouncing back your GP would be a good person to discuss this with.

Welcome! You’ll get so much great advice on these forums.

I’m just finishing week 7. I’ve lost more slowly than I’d hoped, just under a stone so far, although I really have stuck to it, mainly using the food plan in the book, but hey ho, some people’s bodies are slower than others.

I had something very stressful this week though and took 3 days off. Shouldn’t have been a problem if I’d been sensible, but I was straight on to the sugar eg I ate a whole packet of the chocolate covered German biscuits yesterday. I felt really unwell last night, I feel guilty and I’m dreading standing on the scales today. I was an idiot!

I know I should just forget it and get back to plan today, but somehow I feel a bit down. I’m desperate for this diet to work, it makes such sense. I just wish I was better at it.

Sorry for the winge!

Sorry, meant to add that BG readings in the 6-7 range would be wonderful news for many diabetics Tofa, so don’t be too discouraged. Apart from expensive scans, weighing machines which give visceral fat amounts are in a lot of public sports centres or you can buy a more modest version for £30ish. On mine it gives a healthy range of such fat as 1 – 12 and unhealthy as 13 – 69. A month ago my reading was 20 and after 4 weeks of average of 12.5g per day of inulin had dropped to 19. Now on 25g per day with daily target of 30 from next week so hope reduction will now be quicker, but apparently have to allow 6 months for dispersal. We will see.

Friday day 104 weight 9st 12lbs
Blood sugar 10.3

Saturday Day 105 end of week 15 weight 9st 12!bs
Blood sugar 6.9 (under 7 for the first time) 😀😀😀

Today Day 106 weight 9st 12lbs
Blood sugar 6.4. WOW 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

My blood sugar is finally getting markedly better. Hopefully the is the start of the home straight! 😇

I was delighted yesterday morning as I had officially lost 3 1/2 stone YAAY! So my official weigh in day is Monday morning of course, which means I knew I had to be very careful yesterday and today to maintain that result (or lose a bit more possibly) before weight in tomorrow. I weigh myself every day because I know there are fluctuations and I like to see these during the week so I have no big surprises on a Monday – my kind of logic!

I had my usual breakfast of raspberries and full fat yoghurt, for lunch I had a bowl of minestrone soup (no pasta obviously) as a recipe on the forum which I have had many many times before, with a sprinkling of mozarella and for dinner home made vegetable chilli with new (for me) slim rice (7 carbs in it only). Total 700 calories……….. drank 2 litres of water and spent the day on my feet walking everywhere

Can somebody please explain WHY and HOW I can possibly be 3 lbs heavier on the scale………..I know it isn’t fat but I also know it’ll take me days – probs a week to see a difference on the scale…………Really annoyed

I have signed. If people keep with “the same old” then they will get “that same old”. A lot of people are so resistant to change.

Thank you for the link Skywalker. I found it very encouraging that healthcare practitioners will be better informed. An elderly parent has just developed Type 2 and the advice she was given hasn’t been anywhere near MM’s book guidelines. If she’d been given the advice in this leaflet I would have been happy.

Has anyone read about ‘Banting’ or Real Meal revolution? I listened to a really interesting lecture by Prof Tim Noakes on how industry engineered the low fat, high carb diet messgae in the 60s/70s. I can’t link it here are it was in a subscription based site. Google videos by prof Tim Noakes.
https://vimeo.com/136374130

He had to face a hearing in South Africa for his advice. Big companies (Pharma & food) really don’t like to have contradictory ideas voiced.

Fourth day numbers: weight 12st 2lb (stayed the same) 502.5 calories plus the unmeasured food that I had at my sister-in-law’s 11 water 1 peppermint tea 4 coffees and 2 glasses of wine. Exercise, I walked 3.52 miles. It will be interesting what the scales read in the morning.

I have survived the evening out including 2 gasses of wine. This morning I weigh the same 12st 2lb and that proves that I can go out and eat well and not pigout

Congratulations Jean. Here’s to the next 10kg

PeterPerkin, wishing you a very happy birthday to a healthy new you. I raise a glass of water to you, cheers.

So well done Scotgran 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 must feel great 🤗

Hi Lonnie24…I haven’t had any hair loss or leg cramps as such but early on my period came a week early ( back to normal so far ) and definitely feel much colder ( unheard of for me previously as I have high BP!) such an unusual feeling as I was always complaining of being hot 😂

Dear Peter,
Many happy returns of the day….don’t have too much birthday cake
/ champagne !!!

I, too, have just finished 10 weeks, but not the dramatic loss you have achieved, but I am quite happy. Like you, I am wondering if I can sustain the loss but feel that I have more knowledge and willpower this time round.
Drink to that [ for both of us, and all the others ] .
jillyB

Hi Peter Perkin,
Great results – well done. Happy Birthday.

I am quietly optimistic that I have seen the end of my symptoms but realise I may be just having a Menopausal Holiday. Anyway I feel great and can sleep again at night . Heading into week 3 of the diet plan which I followed almost to the letter, energy great, minimal hunger, slow weight loss(I was in the normal range for BMI when I started)…coping well with the rigours of shift work.

Just crossed the eight week line
Bought the book, read it from cover to cover the same day and started the diet the next day. I could just fit the eight weeks in before my 66th birthday (today)
Total weight loss = 28 lbs / nearly 13kg
Didn’t use any of the recipes but ate things that I like, limiting to 800 cal and 50gr carbs as best I could.
Did cut out bread, pasta, potatoes and white rice.
Found that I was quite often hungry but just put a positive spin on that.
Walked a lot and did light exercises – also doTai Chi, which I believe is very good for the body and mind.
Weight loss was dramatic at start but with plateau in week four with no weight loss at all.
That can be a bit discouraging but thankfully a lot of positive comment on this forum raises the spirits.
I set out with the goal of losing about 10kg so I have exceeded my expectation and am very happy. The challenge is now to keep the weight off. I will probably try 5-2 and monitor the situation.
The diet not only teaches you about food but teaches you a lot about yourself. I now have the confidence that I can manage my weight.
I am due for annual checkup later this month and keen to see if there is any difference in blood test results.
To anyone thinking of doing this diet, I thoroughly recommend it. Follow the guidelines as best you can, don’t beat yourself up if stray or have a bad day. You will succeed.
Thanks Dr MM and thanks again to all of the positive comments and support on this forum.
PP

On the BSD can you experience hair loss, leg cramps, halted periods and feelings of coldness?

Thank you all for your input. Janet, I think of it as both I guess. 800 calories a day and no bread, pasta or rice is not I feel sustainable. With diabetes I had already cut out most potatoes, eating low gi ones and I had mostly cut out white bread, replacing it with multigrain or other low gi versions. I am still finding it very hard, particularly at lunch when I have spent most of my life, 40+ years! having sandwiches.

I believed a large part of the fast 800 was to clear the fat out of our internal organs, particularly the pancreas?

I am curious about how full on carbs will affect us and whether despite being back at normal blood sugars they will still create a diabetic spike?

Can I do this diet dairy free?

I’m going to be honest, if not PC here, because it might help someone else. I have had hunger for all of the thirteen weeks I have been on BSD, but not all the time, maybe every four or five days when it really has been tough. The rest of the time I am fine, but hunger has never really just disappeared completely and I was very careful with carbs. That said, on the days where I was just starving, I ate a bit more of fat and protein and that was immensely helpful. I especially ate chicken or beef and cheese when I needed more calories. I am 13 weeks in and 9 full inches off my waist — I am down to a U.S. Size 10 — so it has truly worked. A fantastic outcome for me BUT it isn’t fair to say that no one will get hungry. I think it is important to say you MIGHT get hungry, so here’s a good way to deal with it. It is still a low calorie diet — listen to your body — catching hunger early and feeding it a bit of good food can keep you from falling off the wagon later.

Hi Butterfly…You are probably correct. Yesterday, I thought – oh, to heck with it and I had a bit of cheese and instead of having my brussel sprouts with nothing, I added a bit of butter, some home made bacon bits and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and felt happier. I have been rather crabby lately. I even had a few handsful of popcorn last night and this morning, I show as having lost weight! Ha! Maybe I was overdoing it. Will NOT give up! Yay!

BTW, love reading others’ happy and rewarding stories. I find them inspiring, so thanks to everyone!

Hi everyone. Just finished my eight weeks and so happy with the results. 9.15 kg lost and 13 cm off waist. Found I was never hungry. Also, incoporated some intermittent fasting in the last 2 weeks as I seemed to hit a bit of a plateau on week 6. Still have another 10 kg to lose so will carry on with the 800 cal and intermittent fasting. Going for blood tests tomorrow. Have not been diagnosed with Diabetes 2, but triglycerides and LDL were on the rise last time. Best diet ever.

I was diagnosed as T2 two years ago and immediately went low carb so no bread, spuds, pasta, rice, etc for me since then. I still want to get my a1c down – 6.0 after my eight week stint, and still have weight to lose, which is why I’m looking into the feasibility of alternating weeks.

Thanks for your response.

Hello again Siar, glad ypu’re over the EBV crisis. If you have reached your target weight you will be able to increase your food intake. If you have little body fat you may still have fatty deposits around your vital organs. You should ensure that you are eating enough good oils and fats and few starchy carbs and plenty of protein. We need a good balance of the main food categories to stay healthy and weight stable. I think you need to do this under supervision of a medic from what you have posted so far. Stay well, Happy Eating…

Hello again Siar, glad you’re over the EBV crisis. If you have reached your target weight you will be able to increase your food intake. If you have little body fat you may still have fatty deposits around your vital organs. You should ensure that you are eating enough good oils and fats and few starchy carbs and plenty of protein. We need a good balance of the main food categories to stay healthy and weight stable. I think you need to do this under supervision of a medic from what you have posted so far. Most folk buy a blood sugar monitor from their local pharmacy or online but beware some of the auction site devices are poor quality (I sent one back for refund myself). Stay well, Happy Eating…

Hello, if you have completed the 8 weeks you likely will have changed your eating habits and cut out many white/processed/starchy foods. If this is the case you will be able to reintroduce certain foods to prevent your weight loss continuing. Once stable you will have “Won”. I am nearing end of week 17 now. I do not count sugars or cals now and have changed what, when and how I eat. It seems to be working but I do miss many things. In the early days I included some slices of bread occasionally but it was not worth it in nutritional terms. I have been able to eat nuts again but apparently the raisins are not so good that I like to have with them. I intended to do 5:2 but I am not doing it formally at present. If my weight starts to increase I now have the knowledge to know easily what has caused it and more importantly, how to deal with it. I suppose it depends on whether you are at your target weight and what your eating habits were prior to 8WBSD.

If you choose to eat real food within the limits of 800 cal and 30 gm of carbs/day you will soon learn how much of each you can eat when you study the nutritional data of the foods to keep you within the limits. The idea is to reduce sugar and carbs while increasing protein and fats to compensate. Fasting is a key part and 14 hours or more is suggested. The % or weights of the various macro-nutrients (Fat, Protein carbs) are not specified by Dr Mosley as following his rules it is not critical. Mediterranean foods are low in starchy content and have low carb values. If you ate a diet without bread, rice, creeals pasta and branded “low-fat” foods you would succeed like the majority on here. Good Luck…