Being pre-diabetic myself, I had already been reading the book when my husband was diagnosed with Type 2. He lost 10 kilos by himself and then we started BSD 4 weeks ago together. He has lost 12kg in 4 weeks and I have lost 13kg. He had his check up on Monday and he has reversed his diabetes. His average blood sugar readings are 4. The Nurse was so shocked she wants a cardboard cut out of him for the surgery to show it can happen! The doctor wrote down the website.

I’ve never posted before, only recipes, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their posts (Bill, hashimoto, CaptainLynne AND absolutely everyone else). It makes you realise you are not alone. I still have a long way to go but we are full of energy and wish to adopt this as our lifestyle. It has changed our life in a matter of weeks! Thanks to Dr Michael Mosley.
Lynne

Thanks Jillyb and congratulations on completing 8 weeks on the BSD! There are quite a lot of us who have continued after the initial 8 weeks. I bet your hubby hasn’t eaten as many carbs as usual if he has lost 12 lbs! You have done well by both of you : )

I agree. Pkd124 when eating 800 I dont think heavy cardio like running is advised. Weight training is much better if you want to do the 800bsd and keep exercising, also look at walking, 10000 steps is 6km and 500cals burned.

Or if you want to keep running purhaps look at the 5:2 diet and dont run on fast days.

Hi pkd2004, welcome to the forums.
Amazing achievement in your first week, you must be so happy.
Prof Taylor says exercise is not necessary in the 8 weeks so perhaps you could run shorter distances for a while?
Your body is still learning how to burn fat instead of carbs for energy so you will feel a bit weak doing anything so strenuous at first. I found I was getting a bit lightheaded on longish hill walks in the first 3 or 4 weeks. Once your body has adjusted you may well find you don’t need carbs for energy. A lot of us who have followed the diet for 3 or 4 months (or longer) find we don’t want simple starchy carbs anymore because we feel so much more energetic without them.

Good luck for the rest of your 8 weeks. : )

I read about it on BBC news app. I’m sure my blood pressure shot up due to frustration at the ignorance and idiocy of it. So, they think it is better to risk someone’s life with expensive, scarring surgery rather than follow Prof Taylors ground breaking work which would cost the tax payer how much was it? Exactly £0.00. Well £6000.00 must be cheaper. I had better go back to school and relearn the basics of arithmetic.
Grrrrrrrrrrr

That’s an inspiring post, Lynne! : )

To all newbies on the forums who are British Citizens please sign our petition urging the nhs to encourage diabetics to follow this diet. : )

Fantastic news MJW 🙂

You don’t know the power of the darkside! 70% is great, so long as you regulate your intake. I haven’t seen 100% here in Brisbane, Australia, but I’m a sucker for non-sweet things.

FeltWicked

Hi neohdiver, glad to hear surgery went well. Make sure you do rest for those days!!! As Switzerland said, be kind to yourself, you deserve it : )

Special thanks to Hashimoto and bill1954 for setting me straight in the beginning of my journey.

Warm regards, Jilly

Well everybody,
I finished my 8 weeks yesterday. Pros : lost 16 lbs., no more reflux, no hunger like before, so therefor no uncontrolled eating, blood sugar readings not quite perfect, but pretty good, have not had any insulin since day 1. Cons : sleep no better, energy no better, arthritis, osteoarthritis no better. I am a cancer survivor, had a total hip replacement, partially blind , so I guess the small cons are not that important. I might have finishes my 8 weeks, but will keep on yet for a while, just take it from day to day until I feel confident enough to taste a little more….I suspect the first thing will be a glass of sauvignon blanc with lunch [ we eat our main meal at lunch time ] , have missed that a bit. The funny thing about all this is my husband….he hasn’t been on this diet, but shared most lunches but added some potato, etc., eaten whenever he wished, some junk, and he has lost 12 lbs. !!
I have enjoyed all your posts and support along the way and will continue to read them. I must say that I have never seen such support and encouragement from strangers, although I don’t think of you as strangers anymore, just like a big family.

Hi to our fellow Aussie BSDers. You can add two Queenslanders to the tally – my partner (Saga on this forum) and myself.

FeltWicked

I haven’t weighed myself but my clothes are looser and I can see that some belly fat has gone. I only want to lose 10kgs but really wanted to come off sugar. I could eat a packet of mint cream biscuits a day, loved kit kats and ice cream. This is the third week I haven’t had any of that stuff so perhaps the habit is going, they say it only takes 3 weeks to change a habit.. My treat at night is a couple of the individual packets of air cooked pop corn! I’m eating stuff I thought I shouldn’t – full fat Greek Yoghurt and Flora butter – in small amounts. So for me, it’s slowly but surely. Also saw Michael on SBS here the other night and now eating meals at different times. Might even try main meal at lunchtime which a friend was recommended to do by her GP when her blood sugar had risen. Good luck everyone.
PS Forgot to mention that I found a lovely recipe for Mushroom Stroganoff here http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/dieting/recipes/52-diet-fast-low-calorie-1770918
Absolutely delicious – I cooked as the recipe but added some parsley as well.

Indoctrination is very scary.

I’m a newly diagnosed type 2 and am not great when it comes to taking any meds. Told the nurse that I was going to manage it with diet and she was really happy about it and said it was nice to have someone motivated to try and change things themselves. She wasn’t convinced that this is a reversible condition though – I will prove her wrong.

I think that as well barby, surely it would be cheaper to prescribe the book before weight loss surgery. I thought they couldn’t do bariatric surgery on those that were too overweight anyway.

It’s really funny (in a non-humorous way) that they ridiculed a way of eating one day and then are full on behind surgery the next… there is a lack of joined up thinking sometimes.

Tallyhoo, brilliant. It’s great that there are some surgeries that are impressed with individual outcomes from this way of eating and the effect it’s having on health. It will get out there. I just wish I could sign the petition to government more than once 🙁

Yup, that is fantastic 😀

My tastes have been naturally going towards the dark side as I’ve gotten older. I think that it may actually be helpful for me as it’s not very ‘chocolatey’ chocolate – if that makes sense.

Hi Baristagirls, there is a tonne of evidence that similar diets used to be what was advised pre 1970’s. I recently read Dr Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code and he cites all sorts of research and evidence about this way of eating working done over decades- so take heart – it really is tried and tested 😀

Boo, hope you get some good sleep in. My BS seems to like the long fasts as I had a pre-meal reading of 4.6 which was nice. but then 6.6 two hours later.

Thanks for the link, Frog! ‘The Obesity Code’ (which I love) also says about alternate day fasting and even has an extreme case of a guy fasting for over a year constantly with just supplements – and under doctor supervision/with vitamins.

I may have a stubborn scales but have got into trousers that were stupidly tight before and they aren’t elasticated and are a little loose too.

Izzy, maybe a strategic safety pin would help with the zip in between getting new trousers 😀 I was really weepy feeling last night. but also bleeding at the moment so maybe that’s a factor too.

Dinner was a huge salad with smoked ham (maybe why bs went up 2 post food), blue cheese, celery, little gem lettuce, vine cherry toms, radishes and spring onion with olive oil and cider vinegar dressing. Just ate the last bit of 100% chocolate too

hi stephie63

i am very much the same way – my emotions good & bad i see as a reason for indulgence.
everyone so far has given wonderful advice & thoughts. you have done wonderfully well so far.

something that has helped me…is the ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater’ or reminding myself to see the forest instead of the trees. & by that i mean:

you don’t have to cave, this is not the end. can you satiate with something different? cucumber & balsamic vinegar? veggies with some avocado? a good book? some poetry? a walk? music?
if you cave…cave smaller than you have before. a little chocolate. mindfully enjoy.
if you cave…& it’s big. you’ve done remarkably well to make it to here. you are not a failure. this is not the end. this a journey and on this journey there are fights with friends and bad days – you can choose how you respond and with each time, you’ll get stronger.

all the best.
celeste x

Hi. I’ve just completed day 2! Has anyone experienced low moods in the the first couple of days. Nicky

Hi Stephie 63
Your post resonated with me so much. I have yet to find the magic answer re emotional eating – but I am now honest with myself and say ‘food will not make you feel better’ , if you can resist the urge to splurge on food I do promise you will feel a million times better. I have never known such supportive people as here on the forum. I am still a little wary of slipping back but to be honest feel so much better for ditching the carbs . Hang on in there .

Hi neohdriver,

So good to read that you’re back home. Be kind to yourself.
Best wishes for a trouble free recovery.

Hi Stephie63,

In terms of the BSD, these are the situations where Mindfulness Meditation can help. If you haven’t already started it – have a go – it’s the sort of process that you learn and grow as you do it over time. It’s proven to reduce stress.
If ‘you cave’ you’ll feel worse than you do already. Concentrate on you, your wellbeing and the 3 core principles of the BSD (the diet, exercise and mindfulness meditation).

Back home, and looking forward to being lazy for a few days!

No surprises during surgery. “Peanut” is gone, with clean margins (as much as they can tell by visual inspection) along with three (by all appearances) healthy lymph nodes. With any luck, that will be confirmed by the pathology – which will come back a week from Thursday.

I’m pain free – but that’s probably the narcotics speaking. I’ll give it a couple of hours. 🙂

Hi Lellycancan,
You can do this. When I stopped artificial sweeteners a few years ago it took me 6 weeks to really enjoy a cup of coffee again. It really was worth it.
Persevere and you’ll achieve this.

Hi Lucia,
I love your honesty.
I’m still chuckling about Bill in a minions onesie…..the more I think about it the more I laugh…..the funny bit being that I don’t know what Bill looks like so how can I know what he would look like in the onesie! (All respect to you Bill if you’re reading this. To stop my mind speculating I’m thinking of a James Bond/George Clooney type in a minions onesie).
I hope the roses are smelling sweet Lucia, they certainly are here.

Hello ClairyB
Same boat……. but without the peanuts. Think of how much healthier you’ve eaten today! Let’s do it…

Best wishes neodriver.

Hi ClairyB,

Carb addiction is horrible, isn’t it? You’ve done really well. Surely the few peanuts can’t have done much to your total calories for the day.
You must feel a sense of empowerment having pushed through the hunger.
Best wishes.

Hi Christine

Great news about the weight loss. 😃

There seems to be a lot of those folk around who know better than us😱 But our results will speak for themselves.

Today I took my ladies’ group on a ‘mystery trip’. We went to Scarborough for a fish and chips lunch, then Whitby (they wanted something sweet!) I sat with a black coffee while they ate their fish and chips – the pensioners’ special. I had looked at the menu, but there was nothing I could eat, not even anything I fancied! I was asked how I could sit with coffee while they ate and my response was – “practice!”

In Whitby I went into a cafe with a couple of the ladies and they had apple turnover and a chocolate eclair, while I had – black coffee!

I had bottles of water in my bag and something quick to prepare in the fridge for when I got home.

But on the minibus I was offered sweets with “go on, treat yourself”.

Strangely enough that attitude – the comments and the looks – make me even more determined to stick with this way of life. It’s not that long ago that I’d have been tucking into the fish and chips, cakes and ice cream without batting an eyelid, then suffering the consequences. But realising how much better I feel without all that rubbish, I know it’s not worth it.

I started this thinking I could try anything for 8 weeks. After all, what is 8 weeks! But now I can’t imagine any other way of life😃

I feel like a complete wuss, so I am reading some of your inspiring blogs. Today I have felt, tired, grumpy and hungry!! I’ve stuck within my calories and carbs but did have to eat a few peanuts, hoping this isn’t too terrible? I’m hoping this feeling is short lived and tomorrow is another day and all that. I didn’t realise how bad my sugar, carb addiction was, I know I need to do this!!

I decided I didn’t fancy the pork mince so I’ve had some of my spicy lentil soup instead. I’m suddenly deflated, tired and low 🙁

I think I’m just tired, my son woke up at 4 this morning upset and I hadn’t slept well anyway. I’d like to go to bed early but I’ve arranged a grocery home delivery so I need to stay awake for that. Could arrive anytime in the next 90 mins. As soon as it all gets put away I think I shall collapse into bed and hope I am back to bouncy Izzy in the morning.

Wow..you have worked so hard and got brilliant results.fab.x

Good luck Lellycancan you will get there and realise on the way how much better things taste.

you’ll get there!

As a teenager I drank coffee with a quarter teaspoon of coffee and about three sugars

Now I don;t drink instant (but have had one or two cups of that instant sort with added powdered beans), and can taste it if someone has stirred another cup with sugar before putting the spoon in mine.

Soooo – I’m totally addicted to sweetener in my black coffee. I love the taste of black coffee with sweetener – I even prefer it to sugar. BUT as of yesterday I’ve given it up & am putting milk in instead. Having read the book I realise how my love of sweetener will make my cravings worse. Wish me luck!

Hi everyone.
Well in my last week having lost 32lbs and four inches off my waist. Will not know about blood sugar level until July.
The thing is l am quite comfortable with my diet routine, what would you recommend next?
Thanks
Chris

I heard that too Kathy – they are saying it’s better to spend £6,000 on an obesity operation, rather than keep taking diabetes drugs. It will reduce their blood sugar and hopefully reverse diabetes.

Why on earth would you put yourself through a potentially dangerous and painful operation, without at least trying the BSD way first? Most people probably aren’t aware of the option, and their doctors don’t seem to want to know either. It’s so wrong.

They should spend that money doing big trials of BSD around the country – would be great if they could set up a regular “BSD club” where everyone was weighed and monitored, and taught the BSD ways.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36367691

Hi Lucia,

Me too..and then some!!

You go girl!

Imogen🌻

😃😃😆

I have turned off my predictive text and my typings gone worse???,,!!!

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi,
I am still sulking after Bill 1954 shouted at me for eating one miserable banana.
I should torture him, I should make him watch the minions movie were they all eat bananas.
Ha!!!!
And dress him in a minions onesie.

Ha!,

Feeling better now.

La, la la all 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶la la la🎩🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶la la la.

Love Lucia
Xxxxx

Or should I say, an ounce at a time, because soemtimes it feels like that, doesn’t it?
Love luciaXxxx

Hi team,
I have been asked…. Have I ever lied about my weight?
I replied … Do Bears widdle in the woods?
It goes without saying, yes and…. Hell yes.

When you are a big budgie, you knock about three stone off your true weight.
I was ashamed.
I was embarrassed.
I wanted my weight to actually be three stones lighter in a heart beat.
But as they say, wake up and smell the roses girl!

So, i am working at rrmoving those three stones, one pound at a time.

Love Lucia
Xxx

A pair of chickens walk up to the circulation desk at a public library and say,
‘Buk Buk BUK.’
The librarian decides that the chickens desire three books, and gives it to them. Around midday, the two chickens return to the circulation desk and say,
‘ Buk Buk BuKKOOK!‘
The librarian decides that the chickens desire another three books. The chickens leave as before. The two chickens return to the library in the early afternoon, approach the librarian, looking very annoyed and say,
‘Buk Buk Buk Buk Bukkooook!‘
The librarian is now a little suspicious of these chickens. She gives them what they request, and decides to follow them. She followed them out of the library, out of the town, and to a park. At this point, she hid behind a tree, not wanting to be seen. She saw the two chickens throwing the books at a frog in a pond, to which the frog was saying,
“Rrredit Rrredit Rrredit…”

It’s nice to start with so many recipes and so many posts to read, it helps any questions.
So what were the second coconut flour pancakes like? Or didn’t you dare 🙂
One thing I feel a bit apprehensive about is that there isn’t experience on here of those that have done it and kept the weight off, e.g.. for a few years! That’s my trouble

Started my ,8 week journey last week. Husband joined me as we both need to loose weight he does not have diabetes but I do type two. Diagnosed 1 year ago. Blood sugar does not come down whether I take medication or not it stays the same only altering by one or two points. So thought I would try this.

I lost 7lbs on first week, I stuck to the diet plan without deviation. No exercise first week. Now on 2nd week feel amazing already. Exercise this week because I feel so great. Will not be weighing until Sunday end of 2 me week. Blood count however has no change. So hoping in another week or so on this it will

Hey bumblebee,
Glad to be of help! Things do get easier, trust me. PMS is never going to help – I’m fortunate in that I don’t have that particular problem anymore (don’t have the body parts anymore – I’m not recommending a hysterectomy though, that’s where my weight problems started!).
You carry on planning & tweaking – I like a mug of chicken Bovril occasionally as a change for something to drink.

You mention coconut macaroons… Have you tried the recipe for coconut flatbreads (in the Recipes section)? I have one with a coffee – it makes for a nice little snack (reminds me of something I had years ago that had a chocolate coating on one side).

Be patient & find what works for you. You can do it!

Hi BarrelonLegs,
If you are just entering winter, are you on the other side of the world? Winter is a time for comfort food, no it’s not in your head, the cold does make you feel hungrier. I’m lucky, I’m working my way through my glut of salad leaves!
As for me being amazing for not counting calories – no, afraid not – just too bone idle to bother with it all! I bypassed the calorie counting, and the 5:2 stage, and just headed straight for the “easiest” version of the BSD! Anything too regimented does not appeal so I accepted that my weight loss would be less spectacular than other people have managed. It was more important to me to be able to stick it out long-term. I’ve been BSD-ing since January so I’m at the stage were I’m allowing myself small amounts of the forbidden foods to see if I gain weight or can maintain, or still lose. I know what to do if I need to lose.
Good luck!