Thank you TraceyH31 ! Sugar free chewing gum is my friend at the moment – it helps me gnash out my angst.

I know you are 100% right about the meal planning but I am on Cambridge shakes at the moment – in a few days they will just become automatic rather than my having to make the right meal choices. My main problem is that no matter how much I know, learn and understand what is right for me and my health, my weak willpower/mental demons, call it what you want, is so powerful that the struggle is SO much harder.

I have been following Michaels meal plan so I hope their is enough protein. I am currently training for a half marathon. I feel happier on a 5:2 style diet

Ooops! I see in my previous post I wrote 9am instead of 9pm. I do so wish we could edit these posts on returning to the thread. I have made several spelling/typing mistakes in other posts too that I would have liked to corrected.

Thanks Lisa.

@vicky. If you decide to join myfitnesspal then do friend me. I keep my food diary open for all to view – That of course goes for anyone else as well. I would love more friends on there that are actually actively dieting.

I have to say though that my meals are a bit of a mixture of things because I live alone and hate cooking, so I bung all sorts on a plate just to make sure I get all the food groups.

Hi Loobylou – are you eating enough protein in your 800 calories as this what keeps you fuller for longer. Also if you do feel hungry try a hot drink and find something to keep you busy. I like crafting and this keeps me absorbed for ages and not thinking about food.

Jane H you haven’t blown it and well done you for starting day 1 again. Once you have been doing it religiously for a week you will be motivated! It’s not easy when your family are tucking into carbs around you but hey ho I’ve decided my health is more important at this stage than a dollop of mashed potato! I’ve tried to adopt some of our regular meals into the plan so for example where we would have salmon, veg and spring onion mash – I’ve just given up the mash. I’m also weighing the salmon and the veg now so that I can get a more accurate calorie count. The secret is to plan your first week out – according to your lifestyle, use an app like my fitness pal to enter everything you eat (you can enter meals in advance and you can scan the bar codes of the foods you eat to make it even easier) and then stick to it for one whole week. Measure and weigh yourself first and weigh yourself every day – you will be inspired and motivated by the weight loss on the scales each day. Good luck – I look forward to hearing your progress.

I’ve started on the BSD this week and, whilst some of the recipes in the book are fine, I would like a lot more choice but still know that they fit with the diet.
Anyone help with this please

Thanks zandranna you have been really helpful, just jotted down your food list 😀

I am struggling with 800 calories to be honest I feel hungry so I have dropped back to the 5:2 but on the other days I am aiming to eat 1500-1600 calories

Hi Lisa
Having just looked at a few GI sites, it seems long white, brown and basmati are all about 55. But of course brown rice has other nutrients. It’s important not to have a lot. Wild rice is listed as very high at 87, short grain white high at 72.
Penny

I feel the same way- at first I thought I’d die if I ate 800 calories but it’s actually really easy to maintain and today, even though I know I’ve gone over, I’m not thinking of throwing in the towel (and I’m a holy terror for stopping and starting different diets once it’s been broken!). Good luck Chris- fingers crossed the damage isn’t much 🙂

My word! That’s brilliant! I’m so pleased for you.

Thanks Cazzowary, I’d rather hoped it’s mainly water, but didn’t want to kid myself. Time will tell how much damage I’ve done, but unlike previous diets, I don’t feel the urge to go on a chocolate (or worse) binge just because I’ve broken the diet. My acceptance and resolve to carry on is a revelation and a massive change in previous behaviour. I’m beginning to feel this is the right diet for me and one I can live with long term.

Wow that’s wonderful!! What a great weight loss

Wow well done you! 🙂

To put on 8 lbs in actual fat in a week is unlikely since that would mean you’d overeaten by about 28,000 calories! A lot of it will be water weight since carbs and water go hand in glove (I can’t remember the right words for it but water molecules are attached to carbs when it is stored in the body).

After a few days the real effect will be apparent – I had a similar day today when I couldn’t control the food I had access to and I ate what was there so tomorrow I’m going to drink a lot of water and return to eating 800 calories. After a few days the weight should sort itself out and the real amount of possible weight gain, if any, will show up.

There’ll probably also be a lot of peeing! (sorry, but it’s true- that water has to come out somehow!).

I am still giggling about eating cardboard with chilli 🙂 I have only tried the wild rice mix that was mentioned in this thread. Is the “solo” product easy to get right when cooking, only it seems really hard when I have tried the mix so I obviously have not cooked it correctly? Thanks.
Ps I too always used brown rice, and was quite disappointed to find it does not have a great GI score. Penny, does that mean a mix of brown and wild is still ok then?
I agree about the honey. After 8 weeks I bet you would not like sweet coffee! 🙂
Apologies as I seem to have posted twice, but I cannot delete the duplicate on my phone, sorry!

I am still giggling about eating cardboard with chilli 🙂 I have only tried the wild rice mix that was mentioned in this thread. Is the “solo” product easy to get right when cooking, only it seems really hard when I have tried the mix so I obviously have not cooked it correctly? Thanks.
Ps I too always used brown rice, and was quite disappointed to find it does not have a great GI score..

Hello, I’ve been T2 for 4 years, fairly well controlled with diet and Glic (Metformin doesn’t agree with me), but weight was creeping up, as was my fasting BG. Found out about this diet 2 weeks ago, read up on it and bought the book, been on the diet for one week now. Weigh in this morning, plus fasting BG check – I’ve lost 9lbs and my fasting BG has gone down from 8.3 last weekend to 5.4 today. To say I’m happy is an understatement. I’ll monitor my fasting BG and if it stays down consistently, will talk to my specialist DB nurse to see about reducing or even coming off med. This diet is the first one I’ve seen that actually makes sense for diabetics. Thank you Michael.

Hiya! This is not really helpful (sorry) , but slightly related if Quorn is not allowed 🙂 My partner is veggie and when he moved in, I switched to being veggie too(about 95% of the time) as it was easier. However, Quorn doubles me up with stomach pains, so I can’t touch it. I seem to be able to eat the soya mince, but i find it has a weird taste.I am not keen on tofu either.
I don’t know if Quorn is allowed, but I personally ( and I am not suggesting that everyone would agree) like the idea and challenge of trying to use less processed ingredients. I quite like the idea of myself being more imaginative with fresh food, as for many years I really didn’t like most veg and ate with very limited ingredients. I have trained myself now to like most of them, and instead of making a Quorn curry, I will do a vegetable one with lots of ” meaty” mushrooms, but add some seed and nuts for protein, along with quinoa ( I think this is a complete veg protein? ) i then use the leftover quinoa to make a tabboulah type salad for work the next day too.However this is more time consuming and I have not yet done a calorie counted version. I was going to add ” and not as convenient for sandwich or burger fillings” but you won’t be having any of those (sandwiches) lol.

I have several stone to lose, and bought the BDS book for myself at xmas. I was so excited to get started that I didn’t even wait until 1st Jan when everyone traditionally starts a regime; all went well and I was losing weight, my blood pressure dropped and I started to run up stairs instead of puff up them. That was until this week, when I had to deal with my husbands birthday (my 13 year old daughter made his very delicious cake), and I had a business trip where the selection of food on offer was mainly buffet style lunches and high calorie dinners. As much as I tried to minimise the damage, after the one small slice of cake, sandwiches and unhealthy carbs, I gained 8lbs and I’m once more craving bread.

Has anyone else had this result over just a 1 week period? I know I have to just accept it and start again today, but falling off the wagon had a far more damaging effect on my plan that I had anticipated. I guess the lesson here is plan better!

I am pre diabetic harassed mother of four (although as I have actively ignored the GP requests to do the 3 months retrospective blood sugar test, am pretty certain it would confirm Type 2). I have fatty liver disease, am in the perimenopause (just started bio-identical HRT) with 5-6 stone to lose. Fabulous!

Day 1 Friday, Day 2 – blown, new Day 1 today! I am using Cambridge Diet meal replacement shakes (is anyone else?), although for how long I am not sure as I have to get to grips with food again at some point. Where possible I follow 16:8- any other 16:8 people, do you do this all week? Or should I give it a rest once in a while?

I am a huge fan of all things Michael Mosley and am fired up and determined but have the strongest inner saboteur. Here goes . . .

Thanks. The strips do seem to cost a lot in some cases!

I am an overweight vegetarian trying to work out if this diet will work for me. Is it ok to replace meat and fish with quorn if I make sure I stay under the 800 calories or would it be better to replace with pulses?

I’ve found a few paleo recipes that contain arrowroot or tapioca (also in gluten-free recipes). Just wondering if it is considered any better or worse than regular flour from a BSD perspective?

Hi Luis
Brown rice doesn’t spike your blood sugar because it takes longer to digest even though it’s the same calories as white rice. Re honey- it spikes your blood sugar. It may be after 8 weeks you won’t want sugar in your coffee!
Penny

I stopped having white rice some time back, I have been eating a brown and wild rice mix. Having said that Tilda do a wild rice but it is not cheap, which is why it has been a treat up to now, it is high fibre and supposedly has a low glycemic index so now I am following the diet have it where it is a rice option.

It freezes very well and as my wife doesn’t eat rice at all it lasts (or at 2 tbsps. a meal will last) for a long time.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is not actually rice but a grass but whatever it’s origin it is has a lovely taste. After starting that sentence I googled and it is indeed a grass.

I put up with quinoa, but in truth would rather eat cardboard with lots of chilli sauce.

I didn’t get a sugar crash, and I haven’t read anywhere on this forum of anyone else getting one either, so you should be ok. Don’t forget you will still be eating sugar, but in a more natural form. We are still getting sugar from the food we are eating, especially the fruit. If you really get a craving for something sweet then do what I do and mix a heaped tablespoon of raisins up with some plain unsalted peanuts and have that as a snack treat.

I do that in the evenings when I start fancying nibbles. Obviously I count that in my 800 calories though.

Zandranna, thank you for the tips, will give it a go and see how I get on. I’m worried about the sugar crash thou 😁

Yes, I don’t find it hard to stick to 800 cals at all.

What I have been doing is posting all my next days meals ahead of time on myfitnesspal. That way I can make sure that all cals add up to 800 before I even start eating anything.

If a recipe is going to take me over the 800, I will work out if perhaps eating only 3/4 of that meal will bring the cals down to where I want them. Or if I want to have a fairly high cal evening meal that day I will look to see what I have chosen for breakfast and cut that down.

For instance, today I would have gone over my calories, but I was able to juggle it by only having half a greek yogurt and flaxseed for breakfast instead of a whole one.

I think the secret is planning what you are going to eat for the whole day and counting the calories ahead of time. It’s 9am here now and I am just about to go to myfitness pal and fill in everything I intend to eat tomorrow.

I started today. I have read most of the book. I took my blood sugar and at 4.7 I think that is ok. Hope I am right. I have 5 stone to loose so I need this diet plan. It will inspire me if I can drop some weight quickly also walking every day. Good luck everyone and keep posting diet tips and blogs..

Oh and just to add – stew is great on this plan. I’ve had both chicken and beef stew. Thing is, once you’ve added up the calories in the ingredients you don’t have to keep doing it if you make a note of what you added and keep quantities the same every time you make it. Yesterday I made a beef stew that was 360 calories for a pretty big portion – 200g of beef, carrots, leek, onion and some stock – and it was great. Plus it meant I had another portion for today (I made it with 400g of beef).

Meat and two veg is fine, actually – perfect in many ways. Eggs and bacon would presumably be another thing he’d like, with maybe tomatoes and / or mushrooms? Eggs are about 90 calories each if boiled, and around 130 cals or so for fried or scrambled with a tsp of butter.

The key is simplicity – you don’t actually have to cook complicated recipes. If he’s into ping meals make that work for him by buying prepared veggies that can go in the microwave – you know, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, leek and cabbage etc – anything like that, as the calorie count is on the bag. Can be served up with chicken breast, lamb/pork chops, 4oz steak etc. If he likes tea with milk, a drop of milk in a mug is about 20-30 cals.

Hi zandranna
Are you managing to stick to the 800 a day? I’m going to use the recipes in the book but most days they are about 900 to 920 calories ?

I’m pleased the list helped Vicky.

I seem to be losing almost a 1lb a day at the moment. I’ve got a feeling though that for me, that may slow up to 4lbs a week. I would be over the moon with that though.

Michael says in his book that he has reversed his diabetes. Does this mean you can be “un-diagnosed” if you succeed in getting your blood sugar levels consistently within the “normal” range? Would Your GP be prepared to agree to this? Or is the view taken that once a diabetic always a diabetic, a bit like alcoholism?

Hello, just wondered what weight loss you are all achieving?? I’m committed but a little apprehensive , thanks vicky

Hi,

Try ‘code free’ on Amazon. The monitors and strips are fairly cheap and they usually do a deal on the monitor and test strip package.

Beans and pulses are great – as Cazzowary says they contain complex carbs and a good amount of protein.
There is a bit of confusion about carbs as this is not a very low carb diet, and it certainly isn’t a low fat diet. We encourage you to enjoy a moderate amount of healthy fats, including full fat dairy products. Will be writing a post for The Blood Sugar Diet about the recent research in the area.

That is great advice, and the list really helpful many thanks x

I have started today and so far so good. Have read the book twice. This morning I had cottage cheese, pear and walnuts for breakfast. Surprisingly enjoyable and filling. For lunch had the mushrooms with goats cheese, and I added a poached egg which was delicious. That was really enjoyable too. Have had lots of drinks, although need to drink more water. Have Type 2 diabetes, which is the bane of my life, hence starting this diet. Do feel a bit hungry. what do people do for snacks? not sure what/how much to have. I need to make sure my blood sugar doesn’t go too low or the diet will go out of the window in a blink! If you cook the meals in the books, can you add more above ground veg to your dinner, without counting additional calories?

I am still drinking as much tea as I usually do but have gone from semi-skimmed to full fat. I measure the milk in the cup each time and that milk counts towards my 800 cals. I”m also drinking coffee but with no sugar of course. I’m also having my night time cup of cocoa made with water and a little milk if I have enough cals left over at the end of the day. All that adds up to 7 fluid ounces of whole milk.

To stock up on the basics I have:-

Vegetables all grown above ground. Along with sweet peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onions etc.
Tomatoes, cucumber and a bag of mixed lettuce (love those ones with baby spinagh
Berries (strawberries, blue berries, raspberries)
Oranges and Apples
Lemons
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Unsalted peanuts
Flaxseed (mainly for me to mix in with yogurt)
Eggs
Ryvita crispbread

For the Fridge:-

Butter
Cheese (chedder full fat)
Humus
Quark
Full fat milk
Greek style natural yogert

Tinned food:-

Pilchards
Tuna
Mackerel in olive oil
Chopped tomatoes
Plum tomatoes
Heinz baked beans

What I need to cook a daily main meal I figure out the night before what I want and then nip to the local shops the following morning to buy anything special I need for it.

Hi Vicky if you also click on Newbies under forums there are other posts where people are asking questions so might be worth having a look in there.

What I believe is that we can’t trust anything on the web at the moment because all the old information tells us to eat low fat or fat free. Even some of the 5 – 2 diet websites are giving recipes using skimmed milk and specifically listing low fat ingredients.

I think it’s going to take a while before information starts slowly changing around the web as more people realise that fat isn’t bad for us but sugar is.

Hi I am also trying to work that out !I am guessing that its a good idea to follow the guide in the book as they have worked out how many calories are in each meal and also what things you need to eat to make sure you have the correct proteins, minerals etc.
I have just been reading back through again and can’t find anything that says you can do your own version if you keep to the 800 calories a day though

From reading the book i think one cup of coffee a day is ok but mainly herbal teas or water. but need to drink 2-3 litres of water a day.

can’t find anything about milk, so not sure if you can have that. Fruit is rationed, but if you have it go for strawberries, cherries, blackberries and blueberries.

stick to leafy veg broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, lettuce, kale, chard, and cauliflower, peppers and mushroom also good. eggs, fish, chicken, nuts, eggs and spinach.

I guess if you are able to work out a menu plan for yourself using those ingredients to value of 800 calories a day you should be ok.

Im just going to go through all of the menu plan as there are some things I don’t like too. So Im going to pick the meals I do like and they have already given us the calories for them meal and I will make up a plan that way.

Don’t know if this has been helpful !
think it may be a bit trail and error to start with, but one of the key things is making sure you drink the 2 – 3 litres of water to prevent headaches and constipation.
Good luck!

Hi everyone, I too have read the book and intend to start Monday, although I am a little confused as what exactly to buy, I know there are the recipes to adhere too but can I produce my own recipes as long as they are within the same calorific value?? Also I am a little unclear to exactly what foods are allowed ?? Can anyone help please ??

I haven’t been following this slavishly, but have lost 4kg since starting a few days before Christmas, albeit with a huge blip over New Year when I was totally floored with cold/cough/temp for 2 weeks, and consequently my self control was at a very low ebb! I am now back to exercising (mainly running) and think that will shift things faster. I had a diabetes check last year at 41 and was told all was fine, but loads of family members have type 2, going back through generations before folk were as overweight as we tend to be these days, so I was keen to do this to reduce my weight to healthy levels (at 86.6kg I am still 16.6kg more than I was in years gone by). I managed to lose 20kg 10 years ago, but put it back on when a family member was very ill. I am now older and wiser to the risks of regaining weight and determined to keep it off this time. I find the menus are not complicated – if you stick to the right weights of protein, you soon get to know you can eat a fair bit of veg, and breakfasts for me are simple with either natural yoghurt fruit and seeds or an egg on red pepper or mushroom ‘toast’.

Some posters comment on their dislike of natural yoghurt. I find that natural yoghurt seems to cary hugely in taste across different brands. I can highly recommend Pakeeza live set natural yoghurt which I found at the orange supermarket!

To bean it is then. There are very mixed messages, as you would expect, on the WWW.

I made a chilli using 5% minced beef and kidney beans so I’m hoping that’s OK. I’m definitely losing weight but its early days as I’m in my first week – day 7! What I’ve done is make meals, use only complex carbs, lots of green veg, lean meat, lots of spices and herbs. Perhaps I should stick to the meals in the book?

I too am eating beans. Next week I plan to make a 3 bean casserole. As far as I can make out when reading Micheal’s book, pulses are an important part of the diet. They contain good carbs and also protein.

How about subbing seeds for nuts? Pumpkin and sunflower should work…