Rachel & Christine – yes have not been motivated for a few months. I need to get myself together. I am pleased that my weight was not increasing although I put a pound on last week. Off on holiday soon and will be doing our own cooking most of the time so should be able to be good. Exercise will increase and I’m pretty sure that will get me started again. Won’t have my scales with me but I’ll find a way to weigh 😊

Keeping in touch via this forum definitely helps. Lots of people doing fantastically well and drastically improving their health which is the main thing.

Keep up the great work x

Well done, you will definitely reach that target Bill. Really pleased for you! Keep up the good work – you’re an inspiration x

Hi GEORGIANNA
Congratulations on your fab weight loss.
It’s concerning you have had the chest pains. Do hope all tests clear you of major problems. Please keep a paper daily diary of all you eat & how you are feeling. This is good health evidence for you & more importantly your GP.
It would be a good idea to monitor your own BP for a while. Talk to your pharmacist re best machine etc.
Keep those fluids up & if you feel really tired, rest & maybe up the calories a little for a while too. Your overall health is of prime importance always.
Enjoy the diet but keep a very good eye on yourself.

Oh Kerri I also meant to say I also don’t have a gallbladder. Much to my relief I had it removed last year… I’m mid way through week 3 of following this and I haven’t suffered any ill effects.

after 20 months of trying to get pregnant with my son (pcos sufferer) I eventually conceived when I was on the cambridge diet (a very low calorie low carb diet) it was costing me lots of cash and ultimately in retrospect… I think the BSD would have done just as well. Excess insulin can cause the ovaries not to function as well, so personally in my (very un-medical) opinion, anyone trying to conceive might benefit from going lower carb. I definitely think the BSD way of life could help your friend.

I didn’t know about Hashimoto’s I just thought it was a funky name. It was interesting to read that, and impressive results you have had Hashimoto!

Today I’m feeling super positive. I’m going to be a BSD success story too 🙂

Hi Zeus

I tried the 5:2 diet before BSD but had to quit for awhile because of chronic constipation. I tried every remedy everyone suggested, but ultimately the only thing that worked was psyllium. You can either get it at the health food store and mix in water and drink or buy it under the brand name metamucil. I now use metamucil in capsule form daily, which a bit pricey but more convenient (and the texture is way less gross!). I have checked with my doctor and she says it is fine to use daily, it is not a chemical laxative, it just absorbs a lot of water.

I’ve said from day 1 that I wanted to get to 13.5 stones by my holiday on June 9th.
Todays weigh in shows another 2 pounds lost so I’m 14 stone 2.
That’s a total loss of 2.5 stones and 9 pounds to lose in 5 weeks 😮
Just need to push a wee bit harder, wish it would warm up, I lose weight faster and eat less when it’s warm.
Had the odd erratic sugar reading this week, not too bad but thinking back, I think I let the fluid intake slip during a very stressful work week so that’s something to watch this week.
Good luck to everyone for this weeks weigh in and, as always,
Onwards and upwards 😀

Hi Hashimoto thanks very much for replying. Unfortunately I have a long history of stones and have lost one kidney so am very conscious of my water intake. I have in the last couple of months had surgery to remove one in my remaining kidney and am a little cautious about eating more meat but am really enjoying the results of the diet. Hope your journey goes well.

I’ll echo Patsy’s post as that’s exactly how I did it from day one.
Just hit the 2.5 stone lost mark so yes, it does work.

You know I can’t remember if I’m on week 13 or 14, getting old 😉
Anyhow another 2 pounds gone to put me on 14 stones 2 pounds, just over 2 pounds to go until my weight starts with 13, and another milestone reached, 2 and a half stone gone 😀
I may not reach my 13 and a half stone target by my holiday in June, but I’m going to get close to it 😀

Hi ay caramba
Love that name 😃 ( visuals of Sombreros Mexicanos 🏜 & el Dia de Muertos 🌼 Wrote a story about that!)
Excellent stuff you are doing ( & with knee too. Well done). Move over Eddy! Love bluebell woods ( ours, not so much aggressive Spanish invaders).
Today I be mostly ironing! Then a bbq 🍗 🌽 🍆 🍤 Yum yum! Going to my baby granddaughter’s christening mid week so got to get packed – it’s Way down south ( East Grinstead) for a few days with her & her 3 yr old sister, lovely. I’m cooking so diet all good.

Any bbq ‘ers out there try this:

Spiralize then rice ( by pulsing veg in food processor ) 1 raw beetroot, carrot, courgette. Add tinned sweet corn ( or cook it on bbq & cut it off husk & add to veg) & halved cherry tomatoes. Season with fresh ground black pepper & salt. You could add some fresh chilli if you want. For a dressing/ dip : I mashed ripe avocado with lemon juice, ground salt & black pepper & two dessert spoons of sour cream stirred in. You could sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top for added crunch. You will have to calorie count etc. Serves four as a side dish. Enjoy
Eureka

Have hit my first plateau at week 9….bloody hormones have a lot to answer for!!

Wouldn’t mind if I hadn’t been active all week rather than the usual sitting on my butt all day at work

S – cleaned the kitchen within an inch of its life
M – walked round shopping centre for 5 hours
T – did 10,000 steps, all the ironing, then painted the hallway
W – gardening for 4 hours then 1 hour walk
T – heavy gardening for 6 hours
F – 2 hour walk

Well I completed the course. While I feel like it may have been a success the blood sugar readings are not convincing.
I will persist with lower calories but I am now so thin I need to eat. The energy levels are slowly returning but not the strength yet.
So the blood ranges from 7 ish to 9 ish and back to 5 ish. Inconsistent is the best description. But I believe more regular meals is better. Missing lunch is just as liable to produce a spike as a drop. Exercise produces variable results, if I have not eaten it may go up or down. Have been walking 5km a day and now switching to the standing bike to try to get some leg muscles back. Pull ups, dont even mention that I can manage almost 4…..that has to improve.
The problem is that I have no reference base. Dont know what the blood did pre diabetes so no benchmarking. Anyway it is lower than it was and the war is not won……yet.

Hi Bre123 welcome to the 800 club 🙂

Lucia, welcome to the veteran’s club and the over the 8 week line and after! 🙂

Hi Kath, I’ve googled this and from what I can find is that if you don’t go lower than 20g carbs a day and keep WELL hydrated you should be ok. The carb number most people aim for on this diet is about 50g a day. There don’t seem to have been any clinical trials on this subject – just opinions.

The hydration level is very important in this regard so please make sure you drink your 2 to 3 litres of water a day.

I don’t know whether you have a history of kidney stones but if you do just keep yourself well hydrated.

Wishing you the best 🙂

Oh captainlynne I so wish I was in Switzerland (because it’s beautiful and if I’m there I’m on holidays!) Born, bred and living in Australia.
That’s why I was 38 minutes out when sending your SURPRISE 20 week good wishes (I really thought I’d done the maths properly, oh well). Looking forward to reading about your progress for the next 5 lbs. Have a great day.

Wow, Willf, that is fantastic news. I have still lost a bit of weight and improved my health doing what you are about to do Willf.

BTW welcome to the veterans club now that you are over the 8 week line : )

Hi Kerri, I started in Mid January and lost 2 and a half stones by week 8. Since then I have increased my calories and still lost another half stone!!! I can actually eat more calories now than I could prior to the diet without putting weight on. I think your friend would benefit from just a few weeks of the BSD if she didn’t want to go on for longer. Cutting out all starchy carbs would also help her even if she did nothing else. But I think overall, a few weeks of 800 would do her the world of good 🙂
Perhaps she could be your diet buddy???? 🙂

The fast 800 is easier to do than the 5:2 and carries the health benefits that didn’t occur for me on 5:2 🙂

Well done DemiMondaine.

My ‘today’ is over here in Australia 💤🌙 And tomorrow is Mother’s Day here- so Monday it will have to be for d- day

And I’ve lost 5kg. In the previous three months, I’d lost 5kg too. So 10kg lost altogether this year.

I’m so pleased.

Wow Hashimoto that is a big loss and such a remarkable improvement in your health. How long have you being doing it?
My friend did the 5:2 and lost quite a lot but I will pass on the information you have mentioned as she is also trying for a pregnancy.

Hello all! LAST DAY TODAY! Has been very successful apart from the glitch with the rising bs levels! I have lost a stone (I’m a fat insider!) so this was great for me but more importantly I’ve lost 4″ around my middle and my BMi is down to 22.1 – in 8 weeks fantastic!! Morning bs is still a little higher than I’d like 6.4 this morning but testing 2hrs after eating my reading was 5.4 – can’t ask better than that! I feel great, mentally and physically. I’m going to stick with it but not count cals so rigidly and allow myself a few carbs. Can’t wait to go back to the doctor and poke him in the eye for scoffing! My goal is being achieved – I’m down to 2 metformin instead of 4 and next week I’m going to cut it down to 1 a day. Not sure whether I should take it in the morning or at night though. Anyone know which would be better?
My advice to anyone starting or losing heart – STICK WITH IT WE CAN RID OURSELVES OF DIABETES!
I’ll keep you all posted, meantime good luck to all of you and thanks for all your support and advice!

Calling all British Citizens wherever you are! Please sign our petition! Thanks : )

Kerri, like Izzy, I say just start it! Today is as good as any other 🙂

JSR How did your party go? I have shopping and lunch out with friends tomorrow and they like a bit of wine. I’m a bit worried!

Hi kerri, you’re not prying, I do have hashimoto’s, hence the moniker. At the time I joined the forums were mostly filled with T2 or pre diabetics – as you would expect for this diet. So I thought I would declare I wasn’t. There are quite a few of us with hypothyroidism on these forums.

Diabetes and Hashimoto’s are both metabolic diseases. No matter what I did I piled weight on. This diet was my last chance saloon. Following this diet is as beneficial for sufferers of Hashimoto’s as it is for diabetics. Clare(michael’s wife) explained in a post to me that my health improvements were due to reduced inflammatory markers in the body as this diet reduces insulin resistance.

I have lost 3 stones, have a BMI of 21.3. I have reduced my massive doses of steroids for my asthma and bronchiectasis. My acid reflux has gone. I sleep better. I have my life back as I am in better health and have much more energy.

You really should persuade your friend to follow this diet as it will prevent her from getting more health problems and improve how she feels now.

You really must warn her that a lot of people with Hashimoto’s develop gluten intolerance. Mine led to diverticulitis as I hadnt realised I had become intolerant of gluten and suffered awful symptoms for years. It is also possible to become ceoliac when you have hashimoto’s.

Wishing you (and your friend ) all the best 🙂

Bongo, well done!
My weight fluctuates by 3 or 4 lb throughout the day so I always weigh at the same time. I’m on day 7 and have lost 4.5 lb but I really struggled last light as it’s traditionally our pizza and sweets night! I spent the evening roaming the house for snacks which is not a good idea. Cottage cheese and celery sticks worked well for a while but I was still very grumpy. Must be even more addicted to sugar than I thought. Feel better this morning though.
Thanks for the recipe suggestions – I’m going for the harissa chicken tonight.
Hang in there – everyone says the first week is the worst! We can do it.

You guys have had some awesome first week losses well done!! My first week was 6 but that’s stI’ll a lot so I’m still happy 🙂

Georgianna I hope your health is ok and those pains don’t return 🙁

And welcome KerriB 🙂 don’t put off starting just do it! The quicker you start the quicker you will see the benefits!

Many of those who’ve done it a while like Hashimoto are great support to the rest of us and lots of tips if you read around the forums. good luck 😊

Congratulations and well done. It’s amazing how much better food tastes isn’t it? Almost like when you stop smoking (if you’ve ever been a smoker).

Oh don’t be silly- not worded badly at all😉
I suspect you are right about the followers. I hope I am not prying but you have hashimotos? One of my best mates does too.

Thanks for your posts and good luck with your diets.

Now at the start of day 5 have just done the morning weigh in and have lost so far a total of 5 3/4 lbs. I was actually prepared to have inched back up this morning as when I weighed last night I was nearly 3 lbs heavier. Lesson learned, weigh at the same time every day and no other!!!

I really, really can’t believe how much I’ve lost and am prepared to plateau at some point as some of this is obviously water.

I’ve discovered two book recipes that are delicious, the lamb and pine nut meatballs and the harissa chicken and today am branching out into my own recipes so am prepared for a lot of weighing and calorie counting.

I really hope I can stick to this for the full eight weeks.

🙂

Great job! I concur with all your sentiments. I be lost 6 lbs in 5 days. I remember lurking on this website for a couple days before I actually took the plunge and finally I came across a post that seemed to be talking straight to me. The poster said, ” I know you’re reading this contemplating jumping in. Just do it!” I started that very next day and I’m so glad I did. Let’s keep going!

Oh, I worded that badly kerri, I know you weren’t looking, just making an observation. I can’t imagine a man joining ‘chit chat’ but they do exist on the forums. I’d like to bet more follow than post as well! 🙂

You’re doing great Izzy 🙂

Just wondering if anyone has successfully had a cheat day on this diet that didn’t derail all their progress. My hubby’s birthday is tomorrow and Mother’s Day brunch is Sunday. Yes this is basically a post about cake lol.

Disclaimer: I’m a newbie. I am on the program solely to lose more weight. I’m not prediabetic or diabetic. I’ve lost 6 lbs in 5 days on this program. I walk uphill for a half hour a day 5 times a week. I have had 2 babies is two years. I’ve lost 30 lbs through diet, walking and weight training. Before I sin I’d just like to hear about who has honestly had a cheat day and lived to tell the tell. I don’t want one tiny piece of cake to ruin my progress.

Thanks!

One week down and 7lbs gone forever! 😃
Haven’t even felt like I’m on a ‘diet’ as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve eaten, and have not felt hungry once.
To be on a diet and not feel hungry is a huge plus for me as it’s the dreaded hunger pangs that have caused me to fail time and time again on other diet plans.
I’ve weighed and written everything down …kept to 800 cals/day, and 50g or less of carbs. Not followed the diet plan at all, just developed my own menu. Given up my beloved diet coke, and developed a new liking for sparkling water with a slice of lime. I only drink 1 cup of tea per day, and whilst I still have to have a couple of sweeteners to make it palatable, I am slowly reducing the amount I have.
Funny to think of how daunting this diet seemed just 1 week ago, and now it’s almost second nature already.

Oh I am not looking for them!! 😳 – just find it curious that the forums are often predominantly women. Now that I think about it, the title of this one – chit chat – probably scared all the men away.

That sounds great happylife! My husband uses some shakes but his are high calories. He has an oat shake every day that is 800 calories by itself lol. He needs the carbs and calories though. He trains a lot and is very lean, he has never been able to gain fat his body just works too fast. Jealous? Me? Yup lol.

I’m yet to decide on the days menu… hmmm

Hi kerri, welcome to the forums and the BSD way of life!
This is easier than 5:2 and your body quickly adjusts.
There are some men on the forums!!! But you may have to look at other threads to find them.

Good luck with your BSD journey. : )

Hi Tallyho, fantastic weight loss!

I do my own version of fast 800 since I hit the weight I want to be – i just eat the BSD way with more calories and no starchy carbs at all. I haven’t had to rethink what I eat – just slowly added more until I was happy I wouldn’t put weight on. My GP was happy with the weight lost and how I lost it 🙂

Sounds like we had the same weight to lose! I lost 3 stones too 🙂

Hi everyone
I am from Brisbane, Australia and I haven’t started yet- start Monday. I am trying to get psyched by reading all your posts and this thread seems like a lovely thread full of supportive people.
I have read through all your previous posts and can relate to little bits of most of your stories. I work full-time and have a Mum who I help care for outside of that – she had a catastrophic stroke a few years ago and my sister is her full-time carer. ( she has very high care needs) Her illness triggered a major depressive period for me – I stopped working and functioning. A lot better now but just very keen to get strong and lose weight. I was on a diet earlier this year which was along the same principles as this but much higher fat – made me very sick because I don’t have a gall bladder – so I will be going easy on too much fat on this diet.
I am married, have two teenage stepchildren and many animals 🐱🐔🐶. Also keen on art and painting but not much through the hard times – when you just feel like doing nothing.
I did the 5:2 just before my mum got sick and it was successful but just can’t seem to get back into it again so going for the full immersion diet this time. Have also bought the fast exercise book and have started the HIIT training.
I am worried I will give up if it gets too hard so I am going to keep checking in here for inspiration.

P.s where are all the men?

Hi Eureka/ Marcia and everyone else who is trying to do a bit more exercise than they normally do!!!!
Well done Eureka on your step count for the Marathon.
Understand a bit about having a dodgy knee as dislocated my knee and completely ruptured the posterior cruciate ligament. After an MRI scan was told that, simply put, all the ligaments had been damaged. End of my sporting career then……joke!!
Definitely want to try to avoid the replacement route…..said no to further surgery myself. Did masses of strengthening exercises to make the knee stable and that has worked for me. I am 63 and able to exercise and play tennis…..badly!
Take care then and listen to your body a bit. You certainly don’t want to risk a fall on uneven ground. But controlled exercise must help.
My physio friend, helpful,friendly and fearsome as she is; told me not to worry about noises coming from my knee when she was dishing out free and evil advice to get me moving again after my accident and op.
Despite a couple of long days in the car have according to my Fitbit nearly walked a Marathon distance. Should do that today so that will be just over 6 days walking=Marathon distance.
Happy days. Fantastic sunny walk through beautiful bluebell woods by riverbank last night. Have to appreciate being able to do that.
Keep moving everyone.

Hi Actionmum, welcome to the forums and the BSD way of life!
You are not alone on these forums full of friendly, helpful people on the same path as you. There is always someone to support you and laugh or cry along the journey 🙂

Congratulations on what you have achieved so far! 🙂

Like most people, my motivation is two fold. As in the past, it’s vanity, I want to look better and be more confident. But this time I also want to improve my health. I’ve got reactive hypoglycaemia which means I overreact to insulin, dropping my blood glucose too low after eating carbs. And I’m finding not eating carbs means the BS doesn’t rise In the first place, so no overproduction of insulin and no hypos. Brilliant! I’ve got arthritis too, had both knees replaced which are now fine, but all the rest is crumbling a bit! So carrying around less weight has got to help. All positives!

If you are a British Citizen please could you sign our petition? Thanks 🙂

Hi georgianna, bissel and HappyLife, you are doing so well! Congratulations to all three of you. It won’t be long before your clothes feel loose! 🙂

Sorry to hear about your scare, georgianna, hopefully it will turn out to be ‘ just one of those things ‘

Hi, I’m glad you are getting an Aldi soon 🙂

Hi Chongololo Very good idea – Actually that was one of the things I was investigating, I’ve been doing a lot of reading over past 2 weeks.

I haven’t ever taken vitamins on a regular basis before, but now am taking a good multi. and some spirulina I already had. I’ve ordered vit D and also iron and B supplement yesterday! So I’ll be rattling soon. Let’s hope they make a difference. No weight change again for third day.

How are you doing now, have you managed to avoid the carbs so far? I hear you live in Perth WA? My son lived there till very recently, we went out for his wedding taking place in the Botanic Gardens one February, and boy was it hot! Amazing but so hot. Hope you shrink soon , and thanks.