Hi Lucia

I am on Week 10 as of today, I am still feeling good MOST days. I did have a bit of a dip in energy last week and started to think CALORIE DEFICIT…but it passed and I am like Tigger again. I took hubby out on a walk today, he’s the fit thin one, however I felt his pace was a tad slow and we didn’t go far enough! That is so different to 10 weeks ago it is mind bending. 🙂

Hang in there. The feeling will pass. I often reflect back on Day Three when I felt rotten, really rotten and warned my diet buddy who was going to give it a go NOT TO…now I feel bad because she has yet to start while I am out buying littler clothes. I have lost 9kg so far and “kilometres” from the waist.

Cheers Nettle

Hi celeste, welcome to bsd. Well done for sticking to your resolve, that’s half the battle won right there! I’m on day 4, (for the second time, I started in January but then fell off the wagon big time) and yes have been irritable and touchy, like a bad case of pms!! I was very weepy yesterday too, for no particular reason. But I put it down to carb withdrawal, it can definitely make you emotional. Hang in there, I’m sure it will pass once we get used to not having so many carbs.

Christine – will catch you another time ! Will be praying that Saturday’s visit is a blessing to the parents and also to you in spite of the difficult circumstances.
Take care
Julia xx

Can I come too??!! I can sing!! 🎤

Hi Switzerland,
Well done 👍🏼
I am also at the end of week 7 and have lost 7.1 kgs in total 😃
I am feeling so much healthier and so many of my clothes are too big!!
I have heaps of energy which is just as well because I have just had a really rough couple of weeks with the death of my adored sister in law at the age of 64yrs. She had Lupus and was in renal failure for the past few years needing twice weekly dialysis. My home has been the gathering place for family members who flew in from interstate. Still with all that I only weakened my resolve a few times especially after the funeral when a couple of gin and tonics were consumed.
The moral of this story everyone? Live every minute that we have! Look after the body we have been given so that we can enjoy our lives and not be trapped in negative thoughts and past bad habits. I think of sugar as poison now and I am in control. It does not control me! Happy Friday to you all. After another night shift tonight my husband and I are heading to a Bluesfest at the Gold Coast to find some joy in music and try and lift ourselves out of the sadness of the past couple of weeks. What are all of you up to?

hello frog, climmer & californiagirl! thank you for such a warm welcome! i haven’t participated in an online forum for ages but i thought this one seemed so supportive & this journey promises to be interesting!

day two:

weight: 203.1 (diff: -6.7)
calories: 786
carbs: 35
breakfast: black coffee
lunch: sautéed purple cabbage, onion, garlic & chicken sausage
dinner: tossed green salad, sashimi tuna, purple cabbage
snacks: small glass red wine

whoa! difference in weight was quite significant for one day – 6.7lbs, which is 3kg. didn’t feel particularly ‘light’ but that number was certainly a very nice surprise! on the other hand, my mood was AWFUL today – i was so irritable & i couldn’t pinpoint a reason. had to hold my lips shut at work just to make sure i didn’t say something i’d regret later on!

heading to bed slightly early tonight – mostly because i’m grumpy & want popcorn. not tonight, céleste, not tonight.

i didn’t feel hungry or deprived – anyone else have major mood changes?

céleste x

Hi Jennsem, I wonder if it’s just one chain of pathology clinics that does the carb loading? Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but I think this is the right diet to reverse it.

I got my results today. Last year I was 10.8 mmol/L (11.0 is diabetes), this year I am down to 8.9 mmol/L. Still in the diabetic zone but much better. Looks like the BSD is working! I look forward to even better results next year.

Also hello to climmer — our postings crossed

Welcome Celeste and Frog!! It’s wonderful to have you on board! You will find lots of support here so don’t hesitate to ask — we’ve probably gone through the same things that you might find coming up as you move forward. There’s only one rule (and I am unanimous in this) — don’t quit!! Every one who sticks with it (and many of us struggled) has success. Looking forward to your future posts!

Hi everyone
I’ve been following the BSB diet for 4 wks now. I don’t have a lot to lose but have been diagnosed type 2 doctor wanted me to go on tablets. I found the first week I was hungry but now I’m feeling great and my sugar levels have dropped to 5.5. I only check the levels first thing in the morning.
I have followed a lot of the recipes in the book and found everyone easy to make and tasty my husband has also been enjoying the food and has also lost weight.

Hi Celeste – welcome, I’m new too – today was day 3.

Not just me then – thanks for the link Zandranna, that was reassuring.
I suppose it’s logical that any drastic change in what you’re eating is probably going to impact on your digestion. I’m not going to worry about it too much unless it persists – a couple of Imodium seem to have done the trick for now, and I’ll avoid caffeine for a day or so.

I’m not deliberately cutting out fat, but having a lot less than usual – no bread means pretty much no butter either!

hi everyone!

just wanted to say hello! have been reading the forums for a bit & find you all quite inspiring! starting your journey is so brave!

my name is céleste & despite being quite athletic i have put on substantial weight this past year. with my wedding coming up at the end of august, i really wanted to find something that would help me feel & look my best! though neither diabetic nor pre-diabetic, my father has T2D & his whole family has struggled with weight & heart issues. i don’t want to follow on that path, & so decided a diet that focused on this aspect of health would be the best one for me.

looking forward to interacting & sharing with you all.

celeste x

Hi Julia and welcome to the forums.

Read the book all of the way through so that you really understand the 3 principles of the BSD, then launch into it.

When you follow the BSD you’ll find that your grazing behavior will go away because you’ll not be hungry between meals. N.B. this doesn’t happen immediately but if you can persevere through the first week you’ll feel so empowered. It really is a great feeling not being hungry all of the time.

Look at the BSD as a time to get ‘kitchen savvy’ – there are BSDers around the globe with helpful words of wisdom. Just reach out, there’s always someone reading the forums.

Enjoy your BSD journey Julia.

Hi Tallyhoo

Thank you for your reply.

I agree, even 4 weeks in, I feel so much better, I felt exhausted and run down and feel great now.

I just want to keep going, I am still a long way off my goal, but every day it gets closer.

Hi everyone,
End of Week 7 weigh in: down 1.1 kgs this week, total loss 7.9 kgs. Waist down a total of 8 cms.
Still learning heaps about low carb meditteranean style eating and tweaking my lifestyle to incorporate regular exercise and mindfulness meditation.

Hi Stewart – I’ve just graduated to the 16 week vets group! Several people have asked about this and the consensus would appear to be yes………I’m 3 lbs away from my goal which I set back in January which I didn’t really think I had any chance of achieving but I’m so close now. Once there, I’ll set another goal, once there I’ll ease up and do the 5:2 to maintain my weight – at least that’s the plan but the important thing for me is to lose the weight at the moment.

I feel fitter and healthier than I have for many many years so why would I stop at the moment??

Hi Smith………How exciting for you just starting! I’ve just graduated to week 16 and still think it’s brilliant! Have lost 44 lbs I think it is now. My advice – follow the recipes as much as you can and discover ones you love. I spent hours writing down the ingredients I would need for a whole week and buying all that food so I knew I had everything at my finger tips and no reason to stray from the straight and narrow. Now I still use a lot of the recipes and truly see this as a new way of life not a diet any more. Had a major blip over Easter but went straight back on and dealt with it! Have had a few plateaus which is hugely frustrating when it happens but you just have to persevere.

Good luck with it!

I have been amazed at how easy this diet is, having broken the back of the carb cravings I am finding I can eat a good and varied diet sticking to 800 calories.

I have been on the programme since the 26th April and have lost 27lbs.

Is it safe to continue on the 800 diet for longer than the 8 weeks to keep the weight loss going?

Hi Christine

Don’t know if your travels ever bring you near Durham. If they do, we could meet up. Just let me know 😃

Will be thinking of you on Saturday. Hope your visit goes as well as it can under the circumstances.

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener sold in the U.S. under the brand name “Splenda.” I use liquid sucralose in my coffee – trying to wean myself off. Since artificial sweeteners can raise glucose levels in some people, you’ll need to test yourself if that’s a concern for you. Dr. Mosley recommends that we use no sweeteners if possible.

Hi Igorasusal,
My waist measurement has gone down a little and some of my clothes do feel looser. I have felt a little grotty the las few days. Not sure why.
Hopefully I will manage to lose a couple of lbs this week. I do log my food on My Fitness Pal. It is a great help. I can manage lower carbs, it’s the calories I’m having difficulty reducing to 800.
I will report in as soon as those bloomin’ scales show a favourable weight!

Hi Bumblebee, welcome to my moan post!
😉

Hi Julia,
Ah what a shame we are off first thing in the morning from kenmore, we have to get to Dumfries for lunchtime, it would have been great to meet a fellow bsd ‘er’!
It has been wet all day today so we decided to stay relatively local, Pitlochry and aberfeldy, then a meal at the local hostelry in kenmore, steak and salad. We ‘did’ Edinburgh a couple of years ago, I love Scotland as long as I come before the midges I am ok, I react to any insect bite so have to be careful later in the year!
We will be up again in August to look after the two youngest grandchildren in Dumfries, not sure if Edinburgh is too far for us with the boys?
Thank you for the invite though, I will email you. We also have to go to see our relatives on Saturday on our way home to the Midlands, (the parents of Helen who died) it’s not too far from our daughter in Dumfries, they are such a lovely family it’s going to be heartbreaking seeing them, however it’s about us supporting them so we will do what we have to do.
Christine

7.9 two hours after my carrot n swede mash with slices beef !
Maybe it was those pea nuts I had after?
Seems I get a little over confident at times
Alan

Christine if you are anywhere near Edinburgh it would be lovely to meet up. Feel free to email me if you would like to and are able to! juliabsd18@gmail.com
If not no problem. I’m in Perthshire Saturday afternoon and evening but Edinburgh otherwise if that helps!

funny – 5:2 is how I lost most of this weight, too
but it is also when the bad reflux began
and although I have done no fasting for about a month, it is still not right
I agree I prefer this way of eating, although I liked the other way too
trouble is I am currently trying to do this AND avoid grains/gluten AND avoid reflux causing foods
which clearly isn’t working

well done you on loosing weight
also weird as I also have that ‘reverse’ psyche – as in I forget how fat I am until I see myself in a photo or a shop window
and all I see is an old fat woman – horrible

haven’t reached the dizzy heights of 85% choc yet
this was 50% coop with orange
the rest I have is ‘divine’ 70%

I understand there are new labeling rules in the UK that require net carbs , rather than gross carbs, be shown. So your fiber has already been deducted from total carbs on that label. Gross carbs=23.7; net carbs=5.6.

Well, dark chocolate IS better the. The Wispa multipack. I hope it was Green & Black’s 85% because not only is it gorgeous, it’s also pretty difficult to eat any great amount because it’s so rich. But anyway, enough of those daydreams.. You’ve lost a phenomenal lot of weight this year..bravo! I think I’m also deemed to be ‘obese’ although I must have reverse body dysmorphia because I think I look ok! But size 16 jeans don’t lie I suppose..and they were getting tight again. I lost a couple of dress sizes on the 5.2 diet, which I persevered with for 18 months even tho it was hell on earth compared to the BSD. But new boyfriend on the scene meant it was too difficult to persevere and a few too many nice dinners have taken their toll. I hope your reflux had settled down a bit tonight and the salmon was ok. Tomorrow is a new day..chin up!

Thanks! Will check out their website now. How is it all going for you? X

Sounds like great progress Catonamission!
I have that cookbook Hemsley and Hemsley sisters and loads of good ideas in it👏👏 they have a blog too with more too, really good.

Though had chicken and pesto from Michael’s book this evening and it was soooo delicious!😝
reading about a few pieces of green and black chocolate ummmm,🙊

Don’t worry about it – it is one day in 366 days this year 🙂 Start tomorrow as if it did not happen.
What I did if I found I was going to go over was to adjust the meal to the lowest carbs I could – but still made sure I had a meal that would fill me, if now the next day started with me starving and out of control.
The salad sounds a good idea, I don’t eat meat so I would have had a salad with eg feta cheese which has negligible carbs. Depending on how the chicken was cooked, it should have been the same zero carbs (ie it was not marinated in a sugary marinade) – s good choices!
The main thing to take away is that you will still have these episodes and you need to start on strategies to help you through them. Have you tried Mindfullness at all? There is a forum about it. When a stress situation erupts, a 5 minute ‘intervention’ concentrating on your breath can really help bring the stress down and then you can make less emotional food decisions.
Another trick – keep some snacks – eg nuts or cherry tomatoes with you. The tomatoes worked for me as they are quite sweet without being too sugary – keep them out of the fridge as they have no taste when eaten from the fridge, if I needed to chew on something – a few nuts helped.
Don’t beat yourself up – you have been doing well and will do so in the future.

Been totally back on it since Monday. Total off now is 9 pounds. So feel pleased I’ve managed to get back on the wagon and lose the weight I put on last weekend and then some.
Feeling good again but today very tired. Can’t believe I’ve nearly done week 2….1/4 of the way! X

Thankyou 🙂

I’ve had my dinner, I was thinking of making some carrot crisps and salsa for tonight as I’m home alone once the kids are in bed, but actually after my dinner I’m feeling pretty full. I’ve been tired today so I think an early bed and a movie perhaps is in order.

In other news… my bra’s are feeling too big lol.

hi everyone –

i have been reading the forums without posting but have decided to jump in! you’re all very inspirational!

quick little back story: five years ago i gained 50lbs; four years ago i lost 50lbs and kept it off for 3 years – in this past year, all 50 have come back & a bit more. my doctor & i have struggled to identify a cause as there have been no significant changes in diet or activity level. i am not diabetic or pre-diabetic; all my numbers are good save for weight, BMI & waist circumference. i have struggled with losing it again – despite trying the same things that worked 4 years ago. i am getting married at the end of august & really want to feel (& look!) my best. i had done heaps of reading & had decided a VLCD was my best option, and then found the BSD. read the book in one sitting & now here we are…..

day one:

weight: 209.8lbs
calories: 857
carbs: 57
breakfast: black coffee
lunch: sauteed purple cabbage, onion & garlic with chicken sausage.
dinner: ground beef with broccoli & bean sprouts
snacks: popcorn

yesterday was my day one & it went pretty okay! i felt great, but i struggle on day one of anything because i frequently think ‘i could just start tomorrow’. my living situation isn’t ideal right now and i don’t have much control over what food in the house – so temptation was everywhere!! my fiance was having a couple of beers & i would have loved one. when i finished dinner i was still really low on calories & so had some plain popcorn with coconut oil. it actually REALLY helped with the beer craving – carby but not a lot & very satisfying with the coconut oil.

the biggest thing was that i did it – i didn’t throw in the towel & say – i’ll just start tomorrow.

will check in later with today (day two)!

Hope you are enjoying your trip Happy, glad your husband is being supportive too 🙂

It’s brill. 2hrs post dinner and mine’s 11.8!! I had a veggie burger and a small bag steamed veg. I blame carrots!!

So before my dinner 6.8
Stopped all pills is this high what ?
Alan week six

OK, I had a bad day today. In other words, 975 calories instead of 800. This is partly because I had a coconut bite and a croissant this morning, because I was stressed about something, then relieved. So I know what did it. However a question: is it better to eat some protein in the evening and go over 800 calories, or not to eat in the evening at all if you will go over? I chose to eat chicken and salad because I know from past experience that if I’m hungry for a couple of hours, I will break out and eat the fridge empty. So it’s the lesser of two evils.

Anyone got any thoughts?

Just checked the milk and it has 0.1g of sugar per 100ml.

Thanks JuJu68 I managed to resist and just ended up eating the strawberries instead, one battle won!

I might buy some of that when I next go shopping, the problem comes when I’m bored at work but I’m sure I’ll get there with time.

My starting weight and goals are pretty similar to yours, well done for your amazing results, really hope I can report something great in due course lol

Hi Frog
That’s just Greeky on the strawbs! 🍓🍓🍓
Like it. 👍 😀 Hope you’re drinking plenty of Frog wine (H2o)? 💦 💦

Hi julia18togo,
I find it a useful excercise in mindfulness to think of others and being positive, it has just taken me some time to get there!
I have been in Scotland this week, while I have been wandering around various towns and cities I have wondered if I have sat next to or passed a ‘friend’ from the forum! It is another example of me taking myself out of the quandary of grief that I found myself in!
Fergus our grandson, had his last exam yesterday, history too, Callum who is 18 had his last exam on Wednesday, I’m not sure what that one was I think English? We are hoping to get back to their house at lunchtime tomorrow and take them out for an end of exam lunch.
You never know Julia we might have passed you and never knew it, or even sat next to you in a cafe or restaurant?
I hope your garden in looking lovely, you sound like you have been working hard on it, while trying not to stress about exams.
Christine

hi janey and thank you for your support
yes I am in my second week – as you no doubt guessed!

hope the chicken topping doesn’t fail, I am not very good with flavourings as cant take strong tastes

I had chocolate
not loads, nothing like an 8 wispa binge
just some dark chocolate
but my stupid reflux is playing up, is not happy with the cucumber I had for lunch with tuna mayo
can you believe it – it was ok with the chocolate later
I hate this I have never had so much trouble with throat reflux, not ever
and as soon as I find ways to lose weight this happens
not to mention my stupid head which is …….. anyway

having salmon and veg for tea with some avocado which I am hopping will soothe throat a bit
the urge to binge on rubbish is still there – especially as that ‘rubbish’ seems to cause less throat problems (I seem to be contrary to the rest of the world in this)

today is just – well – another one of ‘those’ days that I get quite a lot off
even though I am pleased with the weight I have already lost and feel better for it physically
I am about 2 stone lighter than I was at my heaviest in 2014, and 1 and half of that has been lost since jan this year
I am terrified of going back up there
I am now back to what I was in 2012 – still ‘obese’ (what a really horrid label that is)

glad you are on the same journey
it is nice to have company x

Hi !
I am about to start the 800 diet has anybody got any tips/advice etc they wish they had known at the start?

Hi Amanda I am starting monday as well as I have to cater for a family event on Sunday.
Just now trying to figure out what the shopping list will be !! i have 70lbs to lose! yikes!
you seem very prepared – I really want to start Monday so a lot to do in the next three days!! I will be checking in here for sure – so good luck !! I am a little apprehensive but really looking forward to it!!

Check the almond milk ingredients list. All those I’ve seen have far more sugar than almonds in them, so you might be having more of it than you’d realised.

Hi all, I am adding 1 tablespoon of Linwoods milled seeds at breakfast.. On the back of the latest version (flaxseed,almonds, braxil nuts, walnuts and Q10) it lists in 100 gms it has 5.6g carbs, and fibre 18.1g.. So subtract fibre from carbs to get net carbs which is minus carbs…..surely this is nonsense??? How should I be calculating??? Thanks Tofa

There was no change at the end of last week. That’s because, for a variety of reasons, I didn’t avoid carbs. I’m back on track again now and hopefully will start losing again soon.

Hi Rachel,

In my experience, there’s no such thing as one biscuit, so the strawberries are still a better bet lol! I have a tub of Fage Total Greek yoghurt in the fridge and when I get cravings I have a couple of teaspoons out of that – put some strawberries in it if you need to – but 50g of the yoghurt doesn’t add up to many calories or carbs, and the fat helps as it makes me feel satisfied. Not particularly helpful for now if you don’t have any in, but it may be useful for future reference.

And the cravings do go away if you can resist them for the first couple of weeks. Can you go out for a quick walk until the craving passes? Otherwise a hot drink might help?

Good luck – I started at 185lb and want to reach 160lb, and at five weeks in I’ve lost 15lb, 10.5 of which were in the first two weeks. The weight loss is static at the moment but I’ve lost 4″ from my belly, and 2 from hips and waist and previously tight clothes are becoming too big now. Keep going, it works!