Hello everyone,

I have been taking a sneaky peak at the forums and all of your success stories have inspired me to start the Fast 800.

My blood sugar levels were bordering on pre-diabetic in my last blood test. I have been doing cross fit, circuit style exercise since the beginning of March and it hadnt made much difference. I am also hypothyroid and take 150mcg Levothyroxine daily and 15mg of DHEA.

Since Saturday 28th (when I started) I have lost 2.2kgs in 4 days. It took me 3 months to lose 3.2kgs so I am really pleased with the results so far.

I also find 800 calories the perfect amount of food to eat, anything more and I just want to keep eating.

Anyway that’s my story, I just wanted to say hello and thank you and hope to make some friends here.

Gruely

Sat down and read the book today – even downloaded the Headspace app.

I have been on so many diets that I completely gave up. The only diet that truly worked was a VLCD. However, it made me miserable and as soon as I was off it – I lost control. Three years later, it’s been a cycle of binging and using food for emotional gains. I’m paranoid now that I’ve headed straight to diabetes symptoms – tired, urinating a lot. I remember on the VLCD that I had so much energy.

But I feel a bit of imposter posting – I have started this plan from today – but I have a surplus of Jane Plan meals which I need to use up. I’m going to be doing 800 calories a day. However my carb count will be in the 100 realm a day – healthy food, but high carb count.

Not happy about this but I will move to low carb after two months – two months relatively high carb, two months low carb – both 800 cal a day, healthy foods. So I will keep you all updated on the difference in weight loss etc. I’m just eager to start now – even if my food cupboard is against it.

But yes – hello everyone, I’ve been reading your posts and wish you all the best 🙂 it’s very inspiring reading all your weight loss stories !! 🙂

Hi Imogen

It really is a challenge to find low carb food when travelling. Pret showed the nutritional values on the shelf edge which was a big help. Everywhere else it would have been a guesstimate.

I’ve checked out breakfasts ready for morning so I’ve an idea where I’ll head once through security 😃

I like a cooked breakfast – sets me up for the day and I don’t normally eat again until evening. That routine will probably change while I’m away though! No cooked breakfasts for the next few weeks😱

Thanks Igorasusual…really helpful. I can just relax about the Ketostix and keep on keeping on until the dreaded fat has all gone!!

Imogen🌻

Thanks Lynne,

Will leave as we find😃😄😉😊

Good job finding food ‘on the road’, as travelling can prove awkward for meals…really impressed at how organised you are!

Looking forward to hearing all about your holiday. Enjoy your time with your friends.

Imogen🌻

🙂
Thank you so much for the pointer to the keto website. I just finished as you described and reconfigured MFP to be 750cal/day and, in my case, it worked out to 28g of carbs, 29g of fat and 94g of protein. I am not confident on the protein as too much is not good for you. Once I get to my target I will reconfigure MFP for maintain weight. In the Fung book and series his strongest case is made for no (or severely restricted) sugar and no or restricted white flour and essentially no potatoes. However there is a confluence of weight management and diabetes management or reversal. I am going to the reversal target. Could it represent? Sure, and if that happens, I’ll deal with it but, ideally by restricting the worst of the worst, ideally it won’t. Perhaps I will graduate to eating 2 meals a day or maybe even 3 if my a1c drops into the below 6 range, 5.0 +/-. But, independent of my weight, my primary goal is 5.0 +/- say .5. I am highly confident once I am there, the weight issue will take care of itself.

hee hee thank you Happy, but don’t hold yourself up from fun times for my diary lol it would still be here later 🙂

ended up being held up at work grrr but I’m home now.

half way home I entertained thoughts of getting a take-away but thought … NO. Later in the week we may have a take away but it will be planned and although I know I will go over on calories I’ll keep my carbs low. Hubby is off this week so we will try to have a movie and chill out night. I’ve got a recipe to make a low carb naan, so I will make myself one of those to have with a main course from the Indian takeaway.

If I had gone to the takeaway tonight, in a rush as I was I’d be more likely to make a bad choice. So once the kids are in bed I shall be making something with the chicken and that will be good.

My friend who started last week says he has lost 7 lb’s, even though he has had several slips. He knows he has had considerably less carbs than usual (if not as low as most of us) and is trying to make better choices when he does slip. A family friend of his passed away at the weekend so I think he has done really well considering.

my calories are lower today so I may finish my evening with a hot choc later 🙂

quite rewarding to read this thread – I spent ages looking online for a low carb cake recipe for my birthday – I gave up in the end and decided not to bother!
I had a celebratory roast potato instead. No candles!

LOL. It sometimes feels that someone is doing just that😳 Doesn’t matter if it’s a high street store or a charity shop! That’s why I think K need to start making my clothes again!

Izzy I am so happy for you!!! More pounds lost and wearing both skinny pants and a new bra – excellent!!!!
Gotta run now but told my hubby I had to congratulate you before we left.
Major clapping and happy yells for your success!!
💜🌷

Captainlynne – yes, indeed, I work in Fashion Retail, and I am keeping a close eye on your progress and monitoring our out-of-stock position at the same time. (Just joking ;-))

Congratulations on your fabulous progress 🙂

Yes, indeed, I know that the BSD recommends plentiful vegetables. It is also not so much a ‘Diet’ as a way of eating for life, with a period of low target calorie intake to kick start both weight loss and lowering of blood sugar.

I am not trying to follow Atkins, but to be aware of carbs in the BSD for a temporary period, and I am doing it specifically because I do not currently have a BS problem (or at least I hope I don’t – see my earlier post), but wish to ensure my visceral fat is under control, regain command over my refined carbohydrate cravings, and to lose a relatively small amount of weight.

I am limiting myself to 20-30 gems of carbs per day (not 10, or zero), and I will only do this for the 8 weeks of the BSD.

Enjoy the wine!

I think some people are conflating the BSD diet with the Atkins diet. Mosley states green leafy veggies can be eaten a lot. You won’t see this on the Atkins diet as they are a, effectively no carb diet, especially during the induction phase. Limiting yourself to 10g of carbs / day is no easy task. However, to be sure, Atkins does work, right up until it, too, stops working. This phenomenon is covered more fully in Fung, either his 6 part series or the Obesity Code. That I, apparently lost 8-9lbs in 2 weeks would tend to indicate I am successfully losing weight. It doesn’t feel that way. Oh, I should say too, that I generally have 4-8oz of red wine in the evening before bed. At roughly 100 cals/glass it often is used to hit the 700 to 800 threshold.

Hi everyone.

Arrived at the airport hotel after lots of running around in London and carrying case up and down lots of flights of stairs. Had intended to bring food from home but changed my mind after a change of plans for the day. After checking out options at Kings Cross Station I bought a salad at Pret: chicken, pesto and buffalo mozzarella salad. 313 calories and 5g of carbs per salad box ,
without the dressing, which is in a little pot😃

Early start tomorrow, so breakfast at airport.

Bill and Imogen, you’re welcome in any clubhouse at any time. The key is under the mat😃

Thanks Trees

Same for me. If I find or want something, whatever size I happen to be is out of stock😱 Is it a conspiracy?

I read an article in the Express on the train earlier talking about the Newcastle Diet. But then it talked about bariatric surgery being recommended!

Hi Imogen – just spotted your post!

I looked at how important the colour of the Ketostix was! Apparently it doesn’t matter if you are light pink or purple, so long as you are in ketosis. Which is a relief! However, I am trying to do 20gm carb, so you could give yourself a bit of that just to try.

And with regard to the residual fat, I was also told by someone that the body burns the visceral fat first and then moves to the subcutaneous fat. And that the last fat to go is that below the navel.

It b—-dy would be!

On the other hand, I am also enjoying losing some of the fat from the top half of my body. Seems to be a bit more to go there, if I’m honest.

Good luck!

Hi wcorey

I cannot claim to be an expert.

However, I decided to undertake the BSD for the following reasons

– I had noticed that my weight was more than I wanted it to be, but I had been unsuccessful in trying to reduce it.
– I was concerned that I was beginning to eat unrefined carbs (largely bread, but also pastries) because I felt I ‘needed’ them – potentially a sign of mild carb addiction – and I couldn’t seem to stop myself doing this.
– I felt that although 18 months ago my blood tests for both BS and cholesterol were ok, if tested again they might not be.
– I didn’t know where to start to get myself fitter, felt dopey in the mornings, had stopped running etc etc

So I started the BSD, conscious that with only a relatively low level of weight to lose (22 lbs) I would not necessarily see the big losses other people with a higher target weight loss might see.

After a week, I noticed that other people were referring to apps such as MyFitnessPal, and when I started entering what I was eating, I noticed – with some amazement – the carb load of some vegetables within my 800 cals.

I also logged into http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com which supports recalculation of the balance of carbs, fats and protein within a set number of calories (which you can then use to set your target on MyFitnessPal). I invested in some Ketostix (readily available online) which very simply measure whether you are in ketosis or not.

You can then set your targets accordingly, within the calorie content you decide, to optimise weight loss at the level you want.

I have noticed that sometimes my weight stays level for some time whilst I am still in ketosis, and when I am noticing that my waist size (for example) is reducing. I have made the assumption that this may be because I am burning visceral fat (from round my organs), which is obviously a good thing.

My total weight loss after 4 weeks is 11lbs, which is half my target. I am keeping to 20-30 carbs per day, and my keto-calculator suggests the proportion of my calories should be 10% carb, 42% protein, 48% fat. This will differ from person to person because of the personal details entered.

I hope this may help.

Thanks for the encouragement. I am in for the 8 weeks and not giving up. I downloaded my fitness pal and will be more diligent watching my calorie count. Thanks for all help!

Actually, yes I do. Hang on. According to MyFitnessPal I should average 188gr of carbs / day. I think that’s high and I’ve set the balance of carbs/protein/fat to de-emphasize carbs but it does reflect my avg daily intake over the week which is 48 for the last 7 days and 38g for the prior 7 days.

On the ketosis issue, YES, very interesting. I don’t believe the BSD or New Castle or Fung suggested diet will ever allow one to enter ketosis. I had asked this question in the Dr Fung blog and, to my knowledge never got a response. In Dr Fung’s Obesity Code book on pg 239, Dr Fung writes

“4. Ketosis -(one to 3 days after fasting begins) – The storage form of fats, triglicerides is broken down into glycerol, Glycerol is used in glucoseneogenesis”.

However, on a diet where one eats every day are they not oscillating between phase 1 – feeding and phase 2 – post absorptive phase? Well, reading it again, perhaps not as, at least from what Mifflin BMR says I should require a tad over 2,000 cals/day which is substantially more than 800 calories. However, if you look at Atkins, their induction phase limits one to what is it, 10g or 20g of carbs so it isn’t clear to me if 30-50 would trigger that. My initial question about cold feet in the middle of this process would indicate to me my body was trying to lower my metabolism to match my food intake, which should not be occurring when fasting. This was the genesis of my question are others experiencing cold extremities well into this process?

As a result. I am toying with the idea of simply not eating anything beyond water, Omega-3 capsules and vitamin supplement for perhaps a full week. This will clearly trigger ketosis. Again, the difference between either the Fung, Mosley, Taylor diets and Atkins is they all allow vegetables.

Hi Bill

You will certainly get in long before me😄 still something to aim for…am in this for the long haul so hope to see you there in future.
How you doing today? Not long before your holidays…hope you are going somewhere great! Have fun!

Imogen🌻

Hi Jardine18! A lot of that strikes a chord with me. I have also started today (Fast800) and not resisted temptation 100%. Onwards and upwards though! I look forward to following your progress, here’s to a new you!

Tip: try to have a daily treat. Go small and achievable, so 5 minutes of reading a novel, watching some comedy, doodling etc. Very helpful when you’re craving carbs perhaps!

Watching this post with interest. I have been following BSD800 for 7 weeks now and although I am losing weight most of it appears to be from everywhere but my stomach/abdomen!! My weight loss has been erratic and had a prolonged periods of no weight loss. I am keeping my carbs between 40-50g and my calories below 800! Am now wondering if I will need to lower my carbs further…my Ketostix show trace or low amounts of ketones at best… what is optimum nutritional level – can anyone advise please?

Thanks,

Imogen.

It’s got a green door Imogen
I feel another song coming on
Lynne and Judith dancing the night away while we shiver at the keyhole 🙁

Thank you both! Like to think I’m fairly strong-willed, but I’ve had my two shakes and then succumbed to three Oreos (or rather OH-NOs). Nursing a headache, which I didn’t think possible at this early stage. Also feeling incredibly drowsy and irritable. Going to put Cookiegate behind me however and continue tonight with some exercise and a bowl of yummy veg for dinner.

Today’s action: left the work tea club as I always scoff the biscuits (and hardly drink warm beverages)…

Planned treat: first bubble bath in years!

Hi everyone,
As the title suggests, I have read the book, and have been lurking reading the forum posts, I don’t have diabetes, but have about 2 stone to loose, from South Wales in the UK. I have done many diets in the past couple of years, I have had three lovely babies, who keep me really busy but I am addicted to food, (thr wrong kind!) and sugar! … Chocolate, treats, sugary tea/coffee, all which I tell myself I need to run around after the little ones, and I work 3 days a week. Hubby is a shift worker – but is committed to starting this too.
I want to be healthier for my children, and loose some weight and feel happier, more confident again.

I have some nervousness around what to eat, and I think I am just thinking too much into the set recipes, and becoming overwhelmed, and think I just need to stick to the principles of the plan, low carbs, lots of good veg, 800 cals per day, full fat dairy, healthy fats, oils & nuts & seeds, and most importantly… water water water!

I have downloaded the my fitness app and will work from there.
If anyone has any pearls of wisdom .. fire away. and thanks for reading x

This Thursday I will be rolling into my 3rd week.
I’m doing this solo, but encouragement is all around me. I’m down 1 pants size in my uniform at work. I was wondering when anyone would start noticing! All of a sudden everyone was coming up to me, telling me how great I was doing. I had only told a select few that I was attempting this, and the rumor finally spread. Lol.
I haven’t been losing much tummy fat, which is a little frustrating to me . Im losing more around my hips, back, butt, and unfortunately my breasts. 😐. But I am losing inches, more then weight.which is nice.
Going super great with the cravings. I just stay focused on why I am doing this. My sugar levels are really great. Even fasting has come down to 150’s.. (from high200’s ).
I’ve been reading back and realized I am definitely suffering from the angry carb loss syndrom. Lol. Hope I’m easy to put up with now that I am aware….
Going to a baseball game tonight and all ready thinking about french fries. Maybe just 3…. (which I am capable of doing) but I would hate to lose my 3 week streak of not cheating….
Hope everyone is doing great ! Keep up the good work all!

Very interesting wcorey.

Within your diet, do you know how many grams of carbs you are having within your 800 calories? As you say, there is no recommended carb level, but keeping carbs to 30-50gm a day (I am currently trying 20gm for the short period of the BSD as I have less pounds to lose) should kick start weight loss. And are you in ketosis, do you know?

Hello Skywalker, isn’t 300 mg a day 0.3 g or do you mean 30g? sorry, just to clarify as I have been carefully counting my carbs, thanks

Well, there are no essential carbs as there are essential proteins and fats. But, to your question, I do try to eat a lot of green vegetables, be it broccoli or spinach or lettuce/carrots/onions in a salad. I do eat red meat but I can still keep to a 700 +/- calorie intake per day. Honestly, I am not especially hungry. Somewhere I read that the brain is terrible at distinguishing thirst from hunger which is, at least one, reason to stay very well hydrated. It helps with regularity as well. A lot of times when you think you are hungry you aren’t, you’re thirsty. So have 12-16oz of water and if, in 30 mins, you are still feeling hungry have a substantive snack or meal or tough it out as what fasting does is give the insulin levels a chance to dial back. Insulin resistance is caused by the persistent high levels of insulin in your system. That is the flaw in the 6 meals a day (3 meals, 3 snacks).

Goals, absolutely. Last July I set myself the goal of losing 100lbs in 12 months. I was secretly hoping to finish in 10 as that would be about 2lbs/week which should have been do-able. I think I missed it as I am 15 lbs off but close also counts in weight loss. Mathematically I should be good for wrapping the weight loss portion of this journey in the next 2 1/2 months.

Oh, and finally. Outstanding job on your part obese to not obese. I just crossed that threshold as well. I am hoping to cross the next, overweight to normal and then to land at or below a 34″ waist. What Dr Mosley flagged (TOFI) seems to support what I recall hearing ever so long ago, a man should have a waist no larger than 34″.

And with the exercise – start with doing a couple of walks, don’t have to be long ones – ease yourself in, and you will find that you’re increasing your steps without noticing it much!

Coconut flour needs a lot more liquid than the recipe gives. I kept adding watertill it felt right…ie like a normal cake batter.

It is early days and a good start is important, Good luck. We did it here and have new habits now…

Well done, it is difficult to maintain a high loss every week but it is great when you get off to a good start. We re all here from time to time to offer support and our experiences so eat well and stick to the principles and you will be able to replace us as I have been in Week 17 now, got to my target and changed my habits and menus. It really works, 8 weeks only seems like a long time when you are looking ahead rather than back…

Hi, keep going it works for nearly all of us. Daily Allowance for Carbohydrate is 300 mg/day. It can be tough when there are so many sugars and hidden ingredients to count so a ball park figure is all it can be unless you have more time and knowledge than most of us. It is sad that the white foods are so high in carbs but then nuts and fruit are so high in calories too – but it is not for ever on 800/day. Good Luck…

Sounds great, don’t forget to keep up the fats and oils to replace the carbs as you go along. You should be fine, it takes a while to make it second nature but most of us manage to deal with it and succeed. Good luck.

Hi CaravanSue, you don’t need luck just commitment and a good amount of involvement in searching out the nutritional data to make it a permanent memory item so as you will not have to weigh after a short while. The number of attempts don’t matter. Just reducing carbs is enough to get you motivated when you see results that will spur you on to a full blown BSD experience. Happy eating, keep posting.

Nice one Fred – post again when you hear what the Doc says – and have fun with him, draw it out a bit, enjoy…

Hello, welcome and don’t be put off. You will soon be healthier and lighter. I am willing to bet that when the penny drops all the way that you will overtake your boyfriend. Learning a new way to live makes this way of eating permanent. The odd slip-up is no big deal and it is easy to climb aboard again. Cutting right down on the white carbs is hard sometimes but pays early and great benefits. Get plenty of the good fats and oils and fluids and you will be amazed, quite soon.

Hi welcome back, you did it and you are doing it again because you know that these simple addictions have complex effects. Don’t beat yourself up, take a slower pace maybe. We know fewer carbs is good and when replaced by fat and protein we do get the hunger pangs. We all trip up occasionally but we know how to get back. All the best, Just Do it!

Yes it is a good thing and after 120,000 signed up I am surprised that only 80,000 are claiming success. I am having a duvet day today and whilst flicking channels this morning, I caught a fitness trainer preparing a meal, who endorsed HIT but then went on to say how he is not worried about the “white carbs” and how he burns them off – lucky him. It appeared to be a bit of a setup when the advert for the next programme was promoting a woman who was happy – now that she had gained 6 stones and was no longer a size 8 model for the LAD’S mags (that closed down and put her out of work). I am reading more now about carbs and sugar addictions along with metabolic syndrome (being hooked on carbs) and how drugs like Metformin are allegedly helping control blood sugar but keeping the patient diabetic, at the same time. It is about time we took action and this site is doing its bit but I fear it is not as widely known as would be ideal. It seems there are many sheep and ostriches grazing around us. Dr M of course is flying the flag far and wide, more power to him.

Fantastic josephsmum! Posting on facebook reaches a lot of people and hopefully they have already heard about it in the papers and news programs : )

Signed 🙂 294 signatures with mine 🙂 Shared it on Facebook.

Good luck, Just Do It, and welcome back.
Sounds like you’ve got yourself back into the right frame of mind. Have a plan and try to keep to it. I think just about everyone has had their wobbles/catastrophes/AWOL moments, none of us are saints – so long as you admit to yourself where it went wrong and restart you should get back on track pretty quickly. Personally, I feel I need a bit of relaxation with what I’m eating every so often so I can refocus and get things moving again.
My weekly weight loss hasn’t been spectacular, more slow and relatively steady, but it mounts up over time. I just keep plugging away. I guess some of us just have to be patient!
Best wishes for a successful restart!

The news about successful trials based on low carb/low calorie diets reducing Type 2 is being covered around the world. Let’s hope this petition takes off and the government starts to listen.
Let’s keep reminding people we know.

Or, Lucia, keep on with the cherry tomatoes as 16 cherry tomatoes is only 27 calories with 6 carbs only 4 of which are sugar.

In addition, I think you may turn red if you eat that many?!!!

I have to say, cherry tomatoes are my downfall if I get the fruity munchies.

Hi celeste

I’m just starting week three and have lost 5lbs in total although it was 7, I just put a couple back on after a difficult weekend that included eating out, ice cream and chocolate!!
My biggest fear was that it would be the end of my sticking to this, but I’ve decided to just view it as a blip, and simply pick up where I left off. So even while the struggle to change my eating habits forever continues, something has changed in my mindset, and I’m no longer thinking ‘its all over, I may as well give up’. More that it’s just part of this journey, and there will be days when it’s easy and days when it isn’t. Such is life innit?

Hi Lucia

Love your posts they are truly inspirational!

Don’t want to be a party pooper, but do you know that 19 grapes is only 34 calories, but 9 of these are carbs and all are sugar? (I know 19 is a bit of a random number, but that’s the selection MyFitnessPal happens to have for raw grapes).

If you fancy a grape because of the tasty and refreshing effect, maybe fizzy water with some lemon in would be better?

Only a (hopefully supportive) suggestion!

Onwards and downwards!

Hi Switzerland,
You just made me laugh out loud in a crowded canteen. That’s a few more calories burnt off.
Keep going mate, I will soon be slim.

I am feeling fitter, happier healthier.
But my weight isn’t dropping off as much as I would like it to.

So I am changing the things I eat.
Just having my salad now. It’s a big salad.
Lettuce toms cucumber and so on.

Not ready to eat the grapes. I thought I would be thirsty in work with the weather.
(After having all the windows and doors open at home, then back to an air con building is manky)

Oh and cherry toms are annoying. You can’t stab them as they ping to the other side of the room, you can’t put them on a fork, they roll. Being a slob and eating with my fingers !!!

Keep moving, keep losing, keep smiling

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi Celeste, I have read all your posts and like you I too have had 3 ‘bad’ days, saying that they were a great improvement on my pre-BSD days. Sometimes life just gets in the way and it’s hard to stay focused in certain situations. This is my first post ever on a forum but I have been lurking for a few weeks, currently just starting week 3, I started on 12 stone and am now 11.7, not a huge amount but it’s good for me as I am a very slow loser! However I feel so much better and feel as if I’ve lost more than that hence I am going on stronger today and putting the ‘blip’ behind me. I am using myfitnesspal and aim for 800 cal and 50 carb which I have been managing until the bank holiday weekend – back on track today, I’m not counting it as starting over, just a continuation of the journey with a tiny setback and you have the most amazing reason to continue 👰

I started reading Lucia’s posts and have got hooked – I catch up with all the posts daily and have found a huge amount of motivation and support from other people’s experiences, I don’t think I could do it without the inspiration from this forum, the veterans inparticular are just so encouraging and probably have no idea of the lurkers like me that are drawing so much from them and you too who has also just had a little blip like me – so come on let’s put our blip behind us and go forward stronger and more determined!

I don’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes ( had blood tests recently for something else and blood sugar all fine) however I am overweight and after years of SW and WW which were never common sense to me, this way of eating just seems to make sense.

Hope you’re having a good day today – like you I’m hoping this will keep me accountable! 🤗