Yeah I’ve had loads of full fat humus but I would check the label on the one you want, caramelised usually means sugar.

Hi Christi

Sorry to hear about the arthritis. My hands suffer with it too😒 That’s why I change crafts around.

Don’t know the type of area you’re in. Different things go better in some areas than others.

Last year I dried some lavender and made lavender bags and sachets. Keep thinking about some fabric boxes I made early last year – they fit a chocolate orange but can be made different sizes.

Or pin cushions, draught excluders, cushions, aprons, bags, purses, pencil cases

I’ve been doing patchwork until recently, both machine and hand-stitched. There’s a simple pattern for a small patchwork dog that seems to go down well.

Currently making cards, like lots of people. Not necessarily good for fairs, but my craft group sells them to raise money the church. Also make cards for special requests.

Hope it goes well.

Hi ruby when i was satisfied with my weight i increased my calories but I still don’t eat starchy carbs.
A typical start to the day was FF yoghurt with berries or 2 egg omlette

Lunch a salad or soup with a dollop of cream cheese

Evening but be chicken or foil baked cod and veg or a curry

So pretty standard BSD food plan 🙂

Hi tibetan, I would suggest start now and if you need to, on your holiday, eat healthily but miss out starchy foods like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. That way you will lose some weight before you go and find it easier to continue the diet when you get back 🙂

I only have one three year old, so with two you are doing brilliantly! I think this is carb flu for sure.. I think I’ll do an extra 200 calories today ( in fats and veg) and back to 800 when my brain has returned.. Rather that than give up! Keep up the good work 🙂

Hello,

Today is day 3 for me and I’m only down 1.8 lbs since this morning. My starting weight was 193 lbs. and I am 5 ft. tall. I have about 40 or more pounds to lose to where I would feel comfortable in my body again.

I feel good so far on this diet, a little tired but no headaches. I’m hoping the weight loss picks up by the end of the week. Any motivational words would be much appreciated! I really need to stay on track.

Thank you!

My motivators are fed up of being tired ,aching joints, not being able to feel comfortable in my clothes. I am hoping to lose the brain fog as well. All my family have succumbed to cancer!!!
Thanks got that off my chest.

I feel hangry lol. I can definitely tell that I can be sharp with people and snappy, although I can’t believe it’s already been 3 days. It’s the worst about a half hour before my next meal. I am finding that my calorie tracking app is helping me pace my meals and control my intake. Sometime during the night I record a rough draft of what I’ll eat the next day. It helps me not have to think about it. I don’t have that sort of will power when I’m in the midst of my day. I have 2 toddlers age one and two. I’m just trying to survive!!! Lol

Ok so I am a sandwich short of a picnic but I’ve done it sort of!! I started bsd800 on night duty, yes 12 1/2 shifts. I have not had any ‘norty’ carbs for the duration. I am craving them like mad but the feeling of not having them is good, so why this constant internal dialogue.
Looking back I may have drifted from 800 but high protein low carb , med style food has prevailed. This for me in very reduced portions has occurred ye ha!
So now the challenge of returning to day duty and the jet lag which leads most of us shift workers to the carb craving. I am applying as many mental mantras as I can. Do any of you have any go to grabs from the fridge which may help my mouth hunger at my points of weakness.
By the way the posts from you all are marvellous and inspire and make me laugh and feel less of a failure for being in this position in the first place.
Thanks

That’s a great idea.. I definitely need support and forums are a great way of helping each other out 🙂 today has been a struggle, not so much with feeling hungry but my brain is not working.. I cannot hold a thought ( if I’m lucky enough to get one in the first place!) and just feel like my brain has disappeared.. I had to have a mid afternoon nut butter snack and that was good but now ready for dinner and bed 🙂 I don’t know if this is normal or not.. how’s your brain doing?

WEll done on 30lbs lost, that’s amazing! I’ve just had my MRI on my spine results back all clear so with a bit of physio I can start more exercise again.

See you on here soon 🙂

Hi can relate to all of your feelings. I’m ready to start 100% tomorrow. My motivation is
Being sick of being addicted to / obsessed with sugar
Fed up pigging out on sweet food only to then berate myself and feel dreadful etc etc etc to begin the cycle again
Having a serious health scare and operation last year
Very overweight parent with peripheral arterial
disease
Father who died youngish of heart attack
Phew, feel I really should just get a grip of my life and do this, do I really need anymore reasons to get healthy!
How are you all getting on?

Thank you Polly and Napangardi

Hello All,

I’m on my 3rd day of the 8-week diet and I’m feeling pretty good. I weighed myself this morning and I’m already down 1.8 pounds. I have about 40 lbs to lose, and thinking about that is very discouraging. I don’t have diabetes or any other health problems, just really need to get this weight off. I’ve struggled with weight my whole adult life, and have become addicted to carbs an sugar. This diet is my last hope as I’ve tried every diet imaginable. I need all of the motivation I can get! Please share your success stories with me so I can get inspired and stay on track.

Thanks everyone!

Totally agree. You have to be able to manage the odd celebration/treat as part of a balanced diet, without then going crazy and falling off the wagon. Slim people are careful 90-95% of the time I would say (judging by my slim sisters) and allow themselves a lovely treat on special occasions but just go back to their usual healthy habits immediately afterwards. I know one of my sisters would never dream of eating pizza/fries/cream etc. more or less ever, but if we were out for a meal or if I made her a meal, she would eat it all, including dessert (she still wouldn’t take cream though!). But she’d never eat dessert at home, or choose an unhealthy meal if eating out. She’s just careful most of the time and tends to eat a lot of fruit and veg. Other sister eats plenty fats (avocado, cooks with coconut oil etc.) but makes loads of veg curries etc and always has brown rice and when she bakes makes things with bran and fruit and avoids full on sugar carb loading. I don’t think she even thinks about it that much. She just doesn’t binge. I need to be more like them!

Just wanted to let Lucia know that she is inspiring. Read forum today and I am feeling excited about trying this low carb diet. Thank you all.

Agreed. To succeed I hope to be far nore careful with my eating in the future. I certainly don’t want to go back to eating the bad stuff, although I accept that after the first eight weeks I might let myself have a few carbs. However I’ve got several spare tyres to shift.
Recently I’ve sat and felt guilty every time there has been anything on the news about being overweight / eating sugar / drinking too much wine and finally the penny dropped that I just have to change what I was eating and take more exercise.
Life would be dull if we couldn’t all look forward to and enjoy the odd celebration. I for one will be trying hard not to go over the top but enjoy these things.

Thanks Bill1954. There was a dash of olive oil to cook the omelette and then avocado in the salad, which I thought would fill me up. But it was a pre-prepared salad and they were very stingy with the avocado! I should have made my own or had half an avocado with egg or something instead. Will try eat more fat tomorrow and see if that helps.

Thanks Ziggysmum. I kind of want to not rely on willpower. I just want to find a way to eat that is sustainable long term and not be worrying/thinking about food too much. I find 5:2 is doable and sustainable, but what I need for it to really be so is to kick this crazy fat/carb/sugar binging habit I have so that I do two fast days but then the rest of the week I eat normally and healthily (i.e. don’t use the fast days as an excuse to then binge on the other days) and only have the occasional treat. And let it be a treat. Not a binge! Even though the 5:2 was working in terms of weight loss (fairly slowly but consistently 1-2lbs a week), in order to try and shift my bad habits/negative mentality around food, I decided to do this diet for eight weeks (albeit with a planned ‘blip’ in a few weeks for a major celebration I will be attending, not planning to go too mad but want to have a nice meal and some drinks and not worry about it) and hopefully it will help shift my mentality so when I then go back on the 5:2 I will eat more healthily on the non fast days. That’s the plan anyway. I had such a hard time today, was hungry from 9-3 but once I’d had a few strawberries I am now okay again. It will bring me over 800 cals but better than cracking and eating something like toast I think!

Hi
What an inspiring thread am really enjoying reading your posts. Not yet started the plan. But need to as have about 26kg to shed.
May I ask a few questions?
Do you need to count carbs?
I’m on holiday in 3 1/2 weeks for 7 days. Is it ok to make a start then resume on my return? Or better to have a full stretch at it?
Many thanks from a very nervous and apprehensive newbie

PS hope you are feeling better Brazilnut

Oh I agree about the sugar / carbs / fat combo. I think if I hadn’t chanced upon the BSD book I could well have ended up like Monty Python’s Mr Creosote. I knew I needed to do something but couldn’t decide what and used that as an excuse not to.
I also feel daunted, any ingrained habit is difficult to crack and my eating habits have been exactly that – a bad habit.
I smoked for years and was bet I couldn’t give up, but I did because I wanted to and twelve years later have not had a puff since. I now look back and think ‘you fool, WHY did you smoke?’ and the answer is because I liked it and I’d got into the habit, exactly the same with food for me.
I’m feeling determined to get slimmer and fitter and I guess exactly the same self-discipline and commitment as my stopping smoking is all that is needed for any of us to achieve our goals.
Hoorah keep it up everyone.

on MFP that should have said !

Or can anyone tell me what i should be putting in as amounts for carbs , fat and protein please ?

Hi Lynne,
I’m just trying to catch up on my emails, I have done a bit of sewing this session for the sale, I usually do some crochet too, however my fingers have had an arthritis flare up and crochet is a bit painful at present,. What sort of things do you make, it might give me ideas!
Christine

Need to keep track of calories consumed ! And how much is in what , especially carbs .

Hi eureka,
I have got an afternoon fairly free so I’m catching up while I can, my daughter who lives with us isn’t a very good baker, she is a good gardener though, the other daughter hasn’t time or energy to bake at the moment, I should do some, however as I’m so busy organising my stall, ( I run a craft club each week at church) I’m on the committee for the fund raising, so I’m busy on two levels, the good news is it will be over by teatime on Saturday, until the next sale which is in the autumn, thank goodness.
You never know I might find time in the next couple of days to do a cake, even if I can’t eat them!
Christine

Brilliant thanks for advice, I’m going to order a spiralizer: woohoo! The kids might well love it too.
And chickpea pasta sounds yummy, I’m defo going to look into that.
By the way can I just check if any of you are eating full fat humous on the BSD? I love a good caramelised onion version, I can probably survive on lettuce, tomatoes and a few daily dollops of that, if its allowed, I’m still haven”t got my head fully around what is and what isn’t. The sugar looks very low on the tub I’ve got in the fridge.
Hawke that is brilliant you haven’t wanted a day off, I am kinda thinking I can do the same as I have no diabetes issues, my goal also is the weight loss.
Feeling positive, and willing the sugar and flab to disappear.

It does get easier – much easier but looking at your food intake for today their doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of fat in there.
You must eat healthy fats to replace the carbs and get into fat burning mode without the hunger.
The 2 – 3 litres of fluid per day is also very important.

You’re seeing amazing results already. I am still at 3 lbs down. I’ve lost 30 lbs through diet and walking uphill and weight lifting and I’ve plateaued. This diet has already gotten me over the hump. I walked uphill about 20 minutes yesterday so I look forward to tomorrow’s weigh in. Best of luck to you as well! We should keep in touch. I’m trying to lose at least 20 more pounds by my midsummer vacation.

I decided to weigh daily. Started yesterday and it seems I am a lb down today. 12st4 to 12st 3. I am really struggling today. I had the pea and spinach omelette for breakfast, then a quinoa/avocado salad for lunch (230 calories) and chicken for dinner later, but I just had 8 strawberries as I was so hungry I couldn’t even concentrate on work. Please reassure me that it gets easier!

Napangardi, I’ve been drinking rosehip tea and hot water with lemon. Nicer than plain cold water.

Hi Lucia,
Sorry I haven’t done any kind of excercise for over a week, unless you count dashing about getting ready for our church spring market, on a positive note, I have found a Pilates class, the bad news it’s on a morning I can’t do, yet!
Christine.

Thanks Nysilver. I do usually microwave the Cauli rice as I found baking it in a conventional oven labour-intensive and messy. I will try your suggestions.

Hi Lynne,
I’ve also found I need smaller shoes, we were going out for a meal and had to dig out an old pair of ‘wedding’ shoes, needless to say they went straight in the charity bag when I got home, the leather had flaked off, I’m now in need of at least one good pair of going out shoes, I normally wear flats too!
Christine

I weigh daily 🙂

Shaz don’t look for a stress free 8 weeks or you will not do it

Read the book, sort out some recipes, shop for what you need and just start .
It can only do you good 🙂
.

I notice that you mention eating the broccoli rice raw – are you doing the same with the cauliflower rice? I like to season it with garlic salt and pepper, throw it in the microwave for about 3 minutes and then add it to stir frys. I also add some coconut aminos in place of soy sauce and find it quite addictive. I also add it to “crack slaw” a dish I discovered when I started following a low carb high fat way of eating. If you don’t have a microwave, you can always season it and then steam it. Hope that this helps.

Hi,
I have just started the second week of the BSD and I still feel really tired all of the time. Has anyone else had this experience?

I think my main problem is internalizing stress, so I become very calm on the outside but obviously a roiling mess of stressed out hormones on the inside! I think this is a direct reaction to growing up in a house with very volatile temperaments…hey ho, cat is back and and helping to reduce my blood pressure by sitting on my lap and allowing me to stroke her!

I have just ordered the books and need to find a stress-free 8 weeks that I can plan for. I am not obviously overweight but 16 kg over on the scales (must be inner fats). I am a diagnosed Type II (was gestational with kids, and father is also Type II). Struggle with blood sugars – fasting sugars are always above 10 so have no idea what is going on. But I know carbs have never been good for me, and the only time I ever lost weight was on low carb diets. I also used to be quite fit but stopped exercising so much when I became a full-time student. Looking forward to getting fit again, and I have a Fitbit which I must use! This diary is inspirational, and I will take notes as I find most of the hard work initially is in organising the pantry so it is easier to stick to things. Thanks for all these notes. 🙂

I would probably have too many during the day but I will try and have warm water.

Hi Rachel, I have started using the fitness pal and it has helped me with the carbs. I am still going slowly but this is just me. I do however struggle with water… It is cold and I just don’t want to drink. Tomorrow am plan to drink 500 mls whils I drive to work and then another on way home.. I will keep thinking of ways to up it.

Hi Neohdiver – thanks for the advice, and also everyone else, it is appreciated.

I have now written up my preferred menus, just got to calorie count them now, but I won’t do the carbs also then, as I could end up making it a full time job, which I haven’t got time for.

Wow, three stone! Congratulations!! May I ask what you eat on an average day?

I have stuck to the BSD for three weeks now. I am unable to walk / stand so must lose weight purely by restricting my food intake. I have no high carbohydrates in my house at all. I have bought a George Foreman Grill and use it for most of my cooking, especially of asparagus and mushrooms.
I believe I am not eating enough fats as my skin has erupted in dry patches especially on my back but my major concern is ‘cauliflower rice’ – I am beginning to loathe it!
I have just seen a recipe on line that mentioned ‘broccoli rice’ which is no doubt just the florets blitzed in the food processor and then eaten raw.
I wonder do any of you have any further suggestions for similar ‘rices’ and herbs / spices to liven them up.
I do love the aubergine & minced lamb dish, the vegetable curry and portobello mushrooms which have recently entered my diet.

Tippytwo,

Many people choose to count carbs, but it isn’t part of the BSD. If you want to count carbs, you can use an online nutrition database to help you count. I use myfitnesspal, but there are a number of different options.

Hi
Just found this on ebay
I can’t quite make out the carbs from the packaging but any carbs in there will be the complex type
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Really-Healthy-Pasta-Organic-Chickpea-Fusilli-250g-Pack-of-3-/262361990899?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

Does anyone else weight daily? I am to impatient to weight weekly!

Day 1 – 77.6kgs
Day 2 – 76.8kgs

I completed 2 weeks on the BSD and lost 5.2kgs. but…. I had a relative coming from overseas to visit, I live in a region of wine, chocolate, cheese and all things wonderful so I decided to give myself 2 weeks off with them and start again once the visit was over. So on first weigh in day I was really surprised to find I had only put on 2.7kgs. Thanks to knowing how easy the BSD was to keep to and how quickly I saw results the 2.7kgs didn’t phase me at all. I feel so ready to start again. I am at the end of day 2 and that sugar monster is knocking at my door but I know if I get through the first few days I will feel great. Also on the plus side I weighed in again this morning and lost 1kg. If this was any other diet I would be so disheartened and down but I’m not at all. Bring on the next 7 weeks and 5 days 🙂

So don’t beat yourself up over one weekend!

Hi Cherrianne

Many thanks for the reply. It is interesting to hear others’ views. I am gradually introducing the diet into my day…… before I was diagnosed I was an avid 5:2 follower. I have not taken any insulin during the day for a number of weeks now and take the metformin when I eat my main meal. The only insulin I take regularly is the long acting at bedtime.
I figure if I don’t eat and don’t give myself any insulin and my levels are under 10 then I should be doing ok!
Watch this space, maybe the wrong diagnosis for me is what I need to get myself back on track!
TBH I am finding it difficult to sustain as I don’t seem to be losing any weight/inches at the moment – I just need to remember my fasting BS at 35 when I was diagnosed!
Will keep posting as it helps me continue to get healthier!