Hi ChrisBroster,
My interpretation of the book is that for BSD800 it’s the 800 calories. BUT I don’t run 2-3 miles. I regularly walk 2-3kms.
Take a good look at your stats and consider things like how you feel after your run, have you been losing weight on the 1000kcal? Look at the whole package – you know your body better than anyone else.
I know from the various threads that there are people on the BSD that run. They should be able to help.

Lunch grilled shrimp over a salad

Dinner- grilled pork medallions, cauliflower mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables ( squash, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes)

I had an iced coffee made with a cup of almond/coconut milk

I have one week behind me with great results. I lost 7 pounds. My fasting blood sugar started out at 180 and today was 117. Blood pressure stated out as 134/81 today it was 114/67. I have not measured my waist yet. I have found this diet pretty easy but have to plan the night before and really prepared. I had a couple of days of no energy and being weak but it passed. I am drinking lots of water and walking 45 minutes each day. Can’t wait to see where I am in eight weeks.

Week 3 day 3
13 lbs down

B – 2 oz salmon
1 cup berries
L – 2 T peanut butter
Celery
D – 1/4 lb roasted shrimp (garlic
Parmesan Recipe I found online)
1 cup asparagus
I am short 160 cal so will add something else to dinner but not sure what yet.

Long time BSD friends please keep posting – it means so much to me and others as we see our future in you.
💜

Week 3 – Day 3
Weigh same as yesterday but I feel smaller.
Today is a quiet day! I like it!
Put on a pair of long pants and they are very big on me. Also threw away all my too big undies now that I bought ones two sizes smaller.
I posted on FB yesterday about my transformation so far and 12 friends have now gotten the book and will be starting soon!!
I feel great except still tummy issues – hoping it resolves since I lowered the fat percentage I am eating.
💙💜

Thanks to all for the cauliflower crust tips!

Izzy did you set up your new Fitbit??

Hi all I am 2 weeks into 800Kcal BSD and have lost 11 pounds which is great. Currently I am running every other day for 2-3 miles which ‘earns’ me 200-400 Kcal ‘back’.
So far I have only been adding back 100-200 Kcal when I think I really need it. Never gone over 1000 kcal total.
Is this right I’ve Net kcal must be 800 or less , or is the BSD a finite 800 kcal regardless of exercise?
Thanks Chris

Hi thepolly, Eureka and Switzerland,
Thanks for your replies and best wishes. Oh I’m so so ready and with support like this who knows I might even enjoy it. Let’s hope my wig doesn’t come off whilst on the Roller coaster Eureka!
Thanks again, Slimchance x

Hi Julia 18 to go.
I find that soot, or salt wards off slugs and cats.
Plus I have a fine mist spray to gently discourage them. I don’t aim for them just in their paths as they don’t know that that particular piece of dirt is mine not their mums.
But it does get smelly and dangerous when they leave donations and I use my gloved hands to garden with.
Onion skins too ward them off.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi Tracy22677
We’ll done both of you. You will soon sort your food out.
Your HbA1c report will give your blood profile over the last three months. Get a printed copy & explanation from your GP. Google , explain my HbA1c, too.
It’s the next blood profile that will tell you how well you have done on this diet. Keep copies from now on.
Good luck

Hi Beth
You must be running around like a chook with its head cut off!! So hectic!
There’s a show on Foxtel about an English first response team in various parts of the U.K., I think it’s called ’24 hours to live’. I love watching all that stuff.
You should sleep well tonight, you must be exhausted, don’t be tempted to grab something quick and junky, are you able to plan ahead and cook some food in bulk?
How about Australia coming 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest! What the hell were we doing there in the first place!!!!
We’ve got another lovely day predicted for today, 24 deg c and sunny. I’m going to walk the dog up to Mum and Dads (60mins there + back), then come home and do some gardening.
Hope you had a great day!

Hi fiftyfifty and Julia18togo,

Just wanted to contribute to your cauliflower pizza discussion……I don’t microwave it, simply combine all ingredients, form into the ‘pizza’ base and slow bake (160C) for 45 minutes – I then add the toppings, increase the temp and bake until the topping is cooked. No soggy base even when it’s reheated the following day.
My method was born out of trying to make the whole process a bit easier.
I use the recipe for cauliflower pizza from BSD recipe page on this site.
Happy cooking.

thanks Lynne
I was diagnosed as diabetic about 18 months ago – but despite harassing my Father about sensible eating before he died, I’ve been really lazy about applying the same knowledge to myself.
I did start a low sugar diet in January, but looking back at the spreadsheet I only kept to it really well for about six weeks – although the plus is that I’ve “only” put 1kg of the 4.5kg that I lost, so it wasn’t a total failure!

I was looking at spiralisers on Amazon today – I’ve had a couple of packs of pre-spiralised courgette from tesco, but TBH I’ve probably left them in the fridge too long & they’ve been a wee bit on the slimy side!
I can’t bear fruit tea, but have bought a no-sugar pink grapefruit and lemon squash which is really nice. Thankfully I can’t bear sugar in tea or coffee, so i’m not too worried about cutting out tea – that really would be a step too far!

Just finishing off a rather nice bottle of port though! (BEFORE I START BSD!!! – I know, I know!)

DO have a brilliant holiday

Hi Trees
What can I say? Your plate is overflowing! I sincerely wish you and all your family the best.
You have found the strength to help yourself in the most adverse conditions and dramatically succeed. Very well done indeed. Please treat yourself to a new fitted outfit & enjoy wearing it.

Keep us posted when you can. Do see your GP now. Register with a new one ASAP if your moving away from the present one. You need all the help you can get with your family & help must be available for you all at this time. You are juggling the impossible & can’t do this without help. The NHS is ment for times like these, get that help. Insist on it! Don’t undo all the hard work you’ve put in.
Take care all of you. Best wishes
Eureka

Hi
I am a bread-a-holic and have recently discovered Farinata (Socca) which is an Italian bread/pancake that satisfies my bread cravings. It is made from Besan (chickpea) flour and is low in carbs fat etc. You can add all sorts of things to it like Rosemary and onion. Some people even use it to make a healthy pizza. Here is a basic recipe.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/farinata-italian-chickpea-pancake-recipe.html

I am jealous Lucia – all that garden planting! I have to shift another tonne of pebbles before I can let myself get planting. Delivery Tuesday so hoping for good weather then. What do you do about cats digging up your freshly planted stuff? My neighbour’s cat treats my beds as her personal toilet. Can’t get cocoa shell mulch now 😕
Cauliflower base pizza for my tea was good. My turn for mushrooms tomorrow.

Hi Odette C
Thanks for your support.

Make sure everyone knows how to test properly with the monitors. Jenny Ruhl at http://www.phlaunt.com is a very knowledgeable person. American, see her book — Blood Sugar101, second edition. See (Painless testing of blood sugar) described on page 135 in Diet 101 the Truth about Low Carb Diets which she also wrote. I really recommend her books. She’s a recognised & respected writer ( she’s Type 2 Diabetic). She reads, understands & evaluates published research papers & trials to do with Diabetes.

Also watch livinlavidalowcarb.com. The LLVLC show ( Episode 486) Jenny Rhul The Low-carb Diabetes Strategy. She has customised her diet to eliminate the carbs she can’t handle & so sustain her weight loss & good blood sugars on a very low carb diet. I think I have to go there too. Read , mark & inwardly digest what she has found out!!
The more info you can get the better for your project. Knowledge is power. Keep on keeping on. Up the Revolution, we want change!! 😃 ✌🏻

Hi, so it was a good day today.
Ate as if there is no tomorrow. 😗😗😗😗😗
Walked the legs off myself, tried running.
Bought some aubretia , red hot poker, anenomies , stock and other bits, then exercised my back, digging and planting. ( my spell check is having a fit)

Should I say I am looking forward to the peace and quiet at my desk?

Loved the mushrooms with omelette.

Seemed to drink more water today, maybe the fresh air and exercise.

Half way through may already,
Love Lucia

Xxxx

Very pleased to have found this thread. i am on day 9 and have had a horrible day, woke to nasty visual disturbances and then a headach which has been with me on and off all day. Painkillers don’t seem to touch it. have been surfing the issue and think I may have hypoglycemia. Really upset as i have been getting on so well with the diet. I don’t have diabetes but am very obese, I have drunk a glass of juice and it seems to be slowly getting better. Do you have any advice?

Hi fiftyfifty – thanks for the link. Will try it. However mine worked without squeezing moisture out. I just let the ‘dough’ rest a wee while and gave it a good bake and was pleased it didn’t go soggy. Maybe it worked because I didn’t have much egg? The mix did seem reasonably stiff.

Hi Julia & Izzy,
It seems to me most of the recipes for cauliflower pizza crust involve cooking the cauliflower first, followed by squeezing out all the excess moisture to ensure the crust won’t be soggy. I tried this method the first time and was disappointed that the base was still soggy in the middle, in spite of my best efforts to squeeze out moisture.

I’ve since discovered another recipe with doesn’t involve cooking the cauliflower first, and works perfectly every time. I’ve made this probably once a week since I started eating this way, and it’s a lot less fiddly!

The recipe is here (I have only made the base, and used my own topping):
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/green-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-base/

It makes 2 good medium size pizzas for me. You can also keep one base in the fridge for another day. I believe they freeze well too but I haven’t tried that myself yet, althought I am thinking about making and freezing individual size piza bases….

Apologies for the epic length of the previous post!

Ok so I just finished clearing up after a late dinner. The actual taste of the cauliflower base pizza was good but you have to tell yourself you are not eating pizza since it is never going to compare with fresh baked dough. It tastes fine, just different. I also had the 2 girls theatrically turning up their noses at the smell while I cooked the cauli rice in the microwave beforehand (admittedly the upstairs smells pretty yuk still!). They all loved their real pizzas. I always make my own dough, so in fairness what I was eating must have seemed a desecration to them, whereas if compared to shop bought frozen pizza my cauliflower version probably would have stood up fairly well!

My verdict is that I would definitely make it again for several reasons. The recipe I chose permits me to eat a whole pizza loaded with veggies so I really felt full (sorry – the purists and those more cultured than me will disagree, bit I think that the whole point of pizza is that it is the ultimate comfort food! I find it hard not to want to stuff myself when eating pizza, although admittedly less so than pre BSD). I reckon my whole pizza was within 400 cal so good if you have brunch then that for dinner. I chose a recipe simpler than the one you mention Izzy – I saw a similar one but didn’t fancy blowing so many calories just on the base. I didn’t add them up but it seems to me that ground almonds and mozzarella as well as cream cheese in the mix probably adds significantly to the count before you have even thought about toppings. Mine made a good sized pizza and I was sure to bake it well before adding topping and it did produce a pizza you can hold properly. See recipe here http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/39229/gluten-free–sugar-free-pizza-base.aspx
I used a tub of Tesco cauliflower couscous which I think was 330 g. I steamed it in the microwave then let it cool and then added 1 egg and a big handful of grated parmesan. It worked fine just pressing the dough onto the silicon sheet with my hands and I let it rest till I was ready to bake it. Some complain of a soggy base but mine wasn’t. I loaded it with tom mozzarella onion slices etc and really liked it.

Your crackers sound good though – might try the recipe for them!

Hi Slimchance,
Welcome to the forums. You’ll find all of the diet buddies and support you need right here.
Just a thought – there are many causes of thinning hair – if you haven’t already done so, mention it to your GP next appointment.
Oh, and the turning fifty thing……life begins at 50!
Best wishes.

Well, just completed my first week on the BSD and was pleasantly surprised. Myself and my husband both lost 6lbs! The big thing I struggle with is maintaining focus, but I managed to conquer it and avoid biscuits and potato crisps. I am stunned. There was only one day I was hungry, but I would say that was my fault as opposed to there not being enough content in the food I was eating (long story). That aside, am feeling nervous about my visit to the docs for my HBA1C results on Wednesday.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Sunday to everyone sorry that I haven’t posted for a while but I never seam to get five mins to post !!

I have a father in hospital with a fractured pelvis with dementia and have been told that he is unsafe to go home and have to find a care home – a mother at home with Parkinson’s — a husband with kidney cancer with secondaries and now has to walk with two crutches as he had a tumour in his femur which broke one morning getting out of bed– and we are moving house after 25 years and are living with most of our things packed in boxes !!!!

Any way back to the BSD WOW !!! I’m so glad I stumbled soon this book. The old me with what you have just read above would have sent me to the carbs big time — but no I have stuck to the plan for 17 weeks now and I’m not using food for emotional or energy boosting needs. I defiantly see food and need food in a different way now.

I have lost 4 stone in total with another 2 1/2 stone I think to go — and as Lynn said I’m very pleased to be in the ‘over weight ‘ BMI section!!! I wasn’t on any medication for my T2 but my fasting bloods are now normally in the 4s so I have stopped testing. My blood pressure is more often in the normal range than not.

Friends and family all see a difference in me but I have very few clothes that fit as I don’t want to wear my big baggy clothes!! As I use to use — now I like ones that fit!!

I haven’t been to see my GP yet but have seen my homeopathic doctor and he is more than happy to continue with the BSD and says that I’m getting all the right nutrition I need and is happy for me to continue.

Can I say a big thank you to Dr Moseley and his team for writing this book and for giving me the information that I could understand and which above all made sense –giving me my health back.

I will try and post when I can — well done every one and for all your hints and tips and heres to week 24.

Hi Eureka

I’ll check that out, thanks.

Great idea to start a BSD Mole with recipes and hints😃 . Grazie mille.

I drink lots of coffee and decaf (black), but I’m getting better at drinking more water. Trying to match coffe/decaf with water, and carrying a water bottle when I’m out.

I bought my water bottles off Amazon, and have tested them to make sure they are leakproof – I’ve tried so many that aren’t😱 Oh, and also tested with fizzy water😃

The two that arrived today from Amazon do NOT leak😃. They are the Aladdin Aveo 0.6 litre water bottle and the Contigo Rush Autoseal 500ml water bottle. Both a little larger than the 500ml water bottles from the shops.

Ciao e buona notte😃

Hi Slimchance
Welcome to the Wagon. We are going to strap you in so there is no chance of you falling off! Enjoy this ride, it’s the ride of & for your life.
My hair got very thin too. Don’t know if it was the metformin or the worry over my mum’s health. Probably both. I found a great hairdresser who listened & I used kind hair products. I had to stop worrying & I cut my hair short. It’s much better now & the style suits me. Took about a year to improve. There are great wigs if I need one! My mum was Type 2 & her hair went very thin too! Probably the meds. Worrying won’t help, so stop.

Do this for you. Never mind anyone else. Get healthy, get well.

oooh bagels!

I think with all books/articles etc it’s important to just take the bits that are right for you.

In all my experimenting over the years the BSD is the first one I’ve found that seems to target what I need with the ferocity needed lol.

There was a reference made to candida in the BSD book, something about any fungal type like that feeds on the excess sugars in the body, so if you lower the sugars you starve the candida. I may have misunderstood that so don’t take my word as 100% but that is what I thought it meant.

Thanks Eureka,

Keep up your campaign, it is so important – it is astounding it is taking govt. and Docs. so long to catch on to the potential to improve the nations health and save the National Health a fortune!!

Let me know if I can support your campaign in some way.
Progress so far on the first support group meetings near Guildford, I have had quite a few bookings for next week from my new website http://www.8weeks.com.uk and am very excited – I even got a few blood sugar monitors donated, people are so supportive.

Cant wait to get it started. Roll on the 25th.

I did lighterlife a number of years ago, spent an absolute fortune. I did lose weight but here we are, I didn’t quite regain all that I lost but I did regain a lot. I regret spending all that money. It wasn’t worth it.

Then when trying to get pregnant with my son a few years ago I tried cambridge – I credit this diet with my pregnancy however I’m sure it was because it was low carb, this diet with food would have done the same.

Fast forward to now, I’m having such an amazing time creating new foods, and even my kids are begging for some of it. It’s great. I’m not just losing weight and feeling well, I know I am changing my habits. shakes don’t do that.

There are a few recipes for shakes kicking around I think one is in the book and those are the only ones I would try regularly. I see no harm in ocassionally using these shake type meal replacements for occasional breakfasts etc but having ‘been there and done that’ and wore the t-shirt only to have to get a bigger t-shirt again I’ve decided this time it isn’t for me. It’s proper food, and smaller t-shirts.

Thanks for your feedback guys. I suspect our local centre has misunderstood exactly what type of snack should be eaten in the 2 hours prior so I may just have some yoghurt and fruit and see how I get on. Hydration is probably more important. I’ll let you know how I get on next Friday!

It is really, really encouraging and i’m really glad I bought a monitor to test myself 🙂 I was thinking more about the possibility of candida stuff. The Obesity Code is excellent as well and goes through and dispels popular diet myths – all backed up with comprehensive research.

I’ve looked on the harcombe website and one of the forum posters there has really lowered her sugar readings and yes, her meals are mostly protein and fat. Can maybe just omit the ‘bad’ carb stuff.

Going to make bagels in the next day or so, will let you know how they turn out as they are coconut flour/flax seed based. I’m still to have a go at baking with the chickpea flour.

Hi general Lynne
Make a note in the mole – Inspiralized.com with Ali Maffucci. Gives you lots of recipes on the web (Italian ones too). 😋 I’m sure Maddie ( & all the BSD’s) would like them. I’ve got her book it’s very good. There’s also 5:2 & Fast diet recipes on the web. Maddie could start her own Mole. 📔 📝
I’m going to pinch your water bottle idea for my hols too. My flights are 7 1/2 & 9 1/2 hrs long!
Twinings teas are good. I like strawberry & raspberry. ☕️ I don’t like ordinary tea & coffee. 😝
The cinnamon tea is good. I also sprinkle cinnamon on my yoghurt. It’s supposed to be good for diabetics & it tastes nice too
Antonio, walk away from the kitchen! No, grazie!
Ciao

Hi Isabel,

I am at the end of week 2 and I’m down 5 lbs. I’m feeling really good and my sugar cravings are a lot less then they were last week. What I’ve been doing if I crave something sweet is chew fruit flavored sugar-free gum, and just keep drinking water. It hasn’t been easy by any means, I am a candy addict for sure. Hang in there and you’ll see by week 2 it will be a bit easier to deal with.

I’ve been experimenting with low-carb recipes that are really satisfying. I eat eggs every morning so I’ve been making them with bell peppers, onion, zucchini and seasonings. Very filling and delicious! I do occasionally have piece of dark chocolate with 70% cocoa. I’ve been walking mostly, haven’t had the energy to do any vigorous workouts. I do track my food in MyFitnessPal and it helps to keep on track. Some days I’m at 850 or 900 calories, and that’s ok because my body needs the energy. Listen to your body, eat slowly and stop when your full.

My weight loss has been slow and I’ve accepted that now. I was very frustrated in week one going into week 2 having only lost 3 lbs. But I’m still sticking to it and got through the weekend without any slip ups. Very proud of that!

Hang in there and write back about your progress!! Good luck!

Penny, many of us on here have never used any of the meal plans and just eat real food in small quantities with the right balance of stuff by mainly reducing sugars. I only ever counted calories and sugars – worked for me, i lost 40 pounds in 12 weeks.

I am really struggling to drink my coffee without sugar, but have reduced it to half a teaspoon. The trouble is, I can easily drink 5 or 6 mugs a day which equates to 3 tsps. So, today I have been drinking ice-cold flavoured tea. (I find they taste better cold). Hoping this little change makes a difference.

All good stuff of course, but if I have a salad it will always have some lower calorie salad cream on it or it is not a proper salad in my world, but I do work in the calories – or at least I did before I stopped counting in Week 11. I have lost 18%+ of mass now and do not intend to lose much more so salad cream does not even need to be low carb now really.

Hi Tofa, we get through quite a few bottles of sparkling water here, as did/does Dr Mosley. Most fizzy drinks have lots of additives including tonic waters but anything is OK if counted. It might not have any positive nutritional value of course and in time we grow to educate ourselves to behave differently. If you were still drinking more than an occasional glass of alcoholic drink you would not do well on 800 or fewer calories/day. Persevere, once in maintenance mode on 5:2 or similar life is much more like the old days but that could produce its own difficulties. A lot of empty calories is a waste but a few can be sneaked in to help if you are struggling so long as you are honest with yourself and preferably to your diary for future reference.

Janeycoughdrop makes an excellent point. It’s so easy to lose faith when we dont see results on the scales. I’m beginning my 3rd week. Week 1 I lost 8lb, week 2 next to nothing, but I’ve lost 2.5 inches on my waist. Why not take your measurements week to week, as well as your weight. If you see results there it will help keep you encouraged x

I agree that you should ensure you are drinking lots, which will help with your cold, too.

Lrred, not enough information to give you a worthwhile opinion – are you getting the Daily Allowances of minerals and vitamins mostly from food? I guess not. You need to sort out what you are eating and why, I am not aware it is a common or even a rare side-effect of BSD. This BSD needs a commitment and some study to be most effective. You may be lucky and find an expert to reply to you?

Bowl of porridge with semi skimmed milk and a chopped fresh apricot for breakfast. 2 ryvita crackers and a bowl of creamy carrot & lemongrass soup for lunch, 2 salmon fillets with broccoli for dinner.

This is such a fab thread btw – love to see everyones ideas for meals – you are all making dishes I would never have thought about!

I’d like to add that I too am feeling ANYTHING BUT deprived. Can’t believe how full I feel, eating so little! I have always had a sweet tooth and find it hard to resist chocolate, but in 2 weeks, that’s changed. I had a small chocolate bar at the end of my first week (for a treat), and didnt really enjoy it – it was too sweet!

Hi Clairebear, sounds like a bit of either postural hypo-tension or even low blood sugar but if you are worried you should stop and check exactly what you have eaten and drunk compared to your recent habits. I cannot see how one day of reduced eating would cause such symptoms. Stay hydrated, and either go back to what you were doing or contact a health professional if this is the same again tomorrow. Surely, you would be expected to have dome something drastic to suffer in such a way on Day 2! Have you done so?

I agree with the above point that the best advice will obviously come from a blood donation professional, but in terms of the personal experiences you asked about I gave blood 2 weeks in and felt no different to how I normally do. I ate my lunch beforehand, drank plenty of liquid all morning, and took my own Greek yoghurt and strawberries to eat afterwards with my cup of tea.

I give blood regularly and have never been told specifically to eat carbs prior to donation so just checked on the NHS blood donation website and all I can find is advice saying that you should eat regular meals beforehand, and drink plenty of liquid – did you find something saying that it needs to be carbs? I’d be interested to hear if this makes a difference 🙂

Sorry to hear about your prob Xena, my wife has it too and had to give up on the BSD in April but had already lost 8kg. Since contracting a bug and then having 6 weeks of gut problems as a result she got a CT scan and then the diagnosis. She has improved somewhat but is in pain after every meal. She is no longer overweight and is able to eat most things. There is some debate about nuts and seeds but you may know what causes your own problems? Jenny does not like nuts and they are so calorific they cannot easily be included regularly anyway. As for seeds she still eats strawberries and raspberries without major problems. Hope you find a decent compromise, I would expect peanut butter and ground almonds to sneak in easily? Cooked fruit can be strained of course, good luck.

White wine 🍷😋
Urge for a vino
Weird really I was a beer drinker
Could just go half/full bottle
Zero beer five weeks
White wine be good tho
These blinking BS measurements won’t go down tho so ……..
Alan despondent sixth week stone n half.

I read the harcombe diet a few years ago, but I found it too restrictive. Looking back though it may not be more restrictive than this I can’t remember but maybe I just wasn’t ready or wasn’t convinced… Anyway she doesn’t suggest no carbs, only not to mix protein and carbs. either eat a carb meal, or a protein one. So not necessarily best for blood sugar stuff. There will be a good number of protein recipes that would work for here though 🙂

that’s great that your blood sugar has come down that much 🙂

I’m with SkyWalker with this query. I have used meal replacement shakes (many years ago) – I did lose weight but it’s not a lifestyle. I think you are better off retraining yourself to eat the right foods – proper foods – and then it becomes a way of life. I’m not T2 (nor pre-diabetic) – I just wanted to lose weight to head off those kind of problems. I haven’t calorie counted at all, just cut out the extras, kept an eye on portions, made sure I drank enough, and tried to extend my overnight fasting, as well as eating the foodstuffs allowed on the BSD. I read a magazine recently featuring people who had used Lighter Life – that seemed rather expensive to me, as well as being for people who didn’t want to have to think. Proper food, and think about what you are eating, I think is best for the long-term. Ultimately, you have to follow a course that suits your life. Good luck.