Sounds like they didn’t butcher you this time Judith?

Bill, somehow I am not surprised by their response. They are stuck in past decades. They probably still don’t believe it works judging by the Diabetes Australia bloke on the video. Good thinking on your part to send the link to them though!! Hammering at them might get them to listen eventually! 🙂

Twills, first the very fat jeans, then the fat jeans soon it will be normal jeans!! Keep on keeping on!! 🙂

Janet, my asthma nurse says there are some patients you simply can’t help because they won’t help themselves. It comes to something when you really have to say that about your nurse!!!

I had my bloods (again cos phlebo messed it up) done yesterday – for my thyroid function and cholesterol. Looking forwards to the results!! 🙂

I had my blood taken this morning just to see what 9 weeks of hard dieting has done for my underactive thyroid. The nurse was putting a big bag of jellied sweets in her drawer when I arrived. When I told her about the diet the first thing she said was what happens when you go back to eating normally and having 2000 calories a day. I told her I can never go back, this is a new normal and I was never able to eat 2000 calories a day anyway. Then she said its not a balanced diet. I told her a diet of man-made carbs isn’t a healthy diet. She said we need carbs. I said I get carbs from vegetables and pulses. She said she couldn’t imagine eating chile con carne without rice. I gave up.

Hi All,
There are a few new Aussie BSDers so we need to keep this thread near the top so it doesn’t get missed.
Pecans are a good low carb nut I have discovered. 1.0g carbs and 142 cals per 20g of nuts. I buy the pecan pieces from the baking/ dried fruit section of the supermarket. They are cheaper and the smaller pieces make you feel like you’re eating more. 🙂

Another 1lb off this week, which considering it was my birthday at the weekend is pretty impressive! I’m really not finding it that difficult to stick to very low carb eating and I’m sure I’m eating less calories than previously but definitely not less than 800. We’re away on holiday in 10 days and I intend to keep low carb while I’m away (self catering which makes it easier) and I might have another 800 calorie week when we get back.

I haven’t measured myself but am wearing a size smaller jeans that I dug out from th back of the wardrobe (to be fair they are what I call my fat jeans, as opposed to my very fat jeans I have been wearing!)

Hi David,
You will be a diabetic in remission very soon. Many of us have now proven that it is possible to eat your way to better blood sugar control without recourse to medication.
You have made a great start to the BSD and your weight loss and blood sugars are very good. Be aware that you may experience a temporary spike in your blood sugar levels once your liver really starts to shed that stored fat. There is a thread called rising fasting blood sugar levels on which a few of us posted about our experience with this. Hopefully the stories on there will help anyone else experiencing this to understand that you do pop out the other side with even better blood sugar results.
Stay in touch. Everyone loves to hear about each other’s progress. This is a very friendly and supportive forum. 🙂

Sounds like a feast! I will get there – just need to plan to cook new things and not fall back on some of the easy family favorites like pasta and risotto! Thanks for the support.

I walk with hubby 5 times a week, 2.5 to 3 miles at a fair rate. It takes us about 35 mins. Through the forest, some hills, etc. I surprised myself recently as a quick trip around Sainsbury’s clocked 1.8 miles on my pedometer!

Just looked and I got a private tweet from Diabetes UK after asking them to sign the petition.
It reads
“Unfortunately do not sign up to petitions, but we wish you all the best with your campaign”
Wouldn’t you think that something like “sorry we do not sign petitions but we will publish the link on our forums to let the members know about it” would have been a much better answer.
Are these peoiple getting salaries and protecting their jobs ? I would have thought that what is now a proven method of dealing with the disease would have excited a lot more interest than that.

Beetroot is fine, Dr M uses it in some recipes. I am not a fan of squash, so would always seek a substitute.

Rule of thumb is that if it’s a veg that grows above the ground it’s fine.

Below ground, with exception of onions, treat with more caution.

Some sites say sweet potatoes are better than ‘normal’ spuds, on the diet, as opposed to maintenance they should both be treated with more caution.

That must feel really good… Well done.

Hi all
I made an interesting observation today after my birthday meal yesterday.
Yesterday evening before we went out I had a glass of prosseco, we were given two! Bottles from the management because it was my birthday,
We then went out for our meal, we decided to splash out a bit, so I had warm avocado with scallops, prawns in a Thermidor sauce with cheese and baked in the oven, then salmon in champagne sauce with carrots and green beans. I was stuffed, I could not have had a pud even if I had wanted one, I also had one glass of white wine.
When we got back I had a coffee with some 80% dark choc, as a treat,
I was very sleepy so went to bed, I slept till 4am went to the loo slept till morning, however I was stuck to the bed feeling sluggish and not wanting to get up!
I finally roused myself got up and ready for another day, I didn’t feel great though, so was it the two hours plus walk I did or the two glasses of alcohol? I don’t normally drink just the occasional glass with a meal, or was it the two course meal, I have no illusions that it was low carb, or ‘good’ for me, I did however think that being lots of protein it might! Be ok. Oh yes forgot to,say, I had to take a tablet for my hiatus hernia as I had terrible acid reflux, I haven’t had that since before the diet!
So for the rest of the week I will be back to my sensible eating regime!
I have found it enlightening that going off piste for one meal can cause such intense reactions to my body.
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, was it worth it though? I just thought it was interesting enough ( for me) to put it out there for others to read and digest.
Christine

Hi Alice
Oo a carrot on legs!!
You planning on getting a fake tan ?
😀 😀 😀

Thanks Bill1954, I’ve been following low fodmap diet since Aug but keen to tackle weight loss now. Yes, there seems to be lots of ingredients I can’t have esp. pulses. I seem to be ok with dairy though ( thank goodness!) Might just take a bit more planning. Thanks for your help.

The FODMAPs in
the diet are
:
F
ructose (
fruits, ho
ney, high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS
)
, etc)
Lactose (dairy)
F
ructans

(
wheat,
garlic,
onion,
inulin
etc

First problem I see is the dairy stuff. We are encouraged to eat full fat dairy on this diet. onions too are a main constituent of my meals. Perhaps consult the team, you can find their contact info at the bottom of any forum page

Hi! I use soy sauce – a low salt varient in many of my vegetable stir-frys.

Not sure on Oyster sauce, am assuming yes if both sugar + sweetner-free.

Hi Hashimoto,
Thanks, I’m hoping to be more of a carrot with legs than an apple in a few months time 🙂
I love BSD

Hi, just wondering if anyone has started the Fast800 diet but also following a low Fodmap diet ( for IBS, Crohn’s etc). I’m looking forward to starting the Fast800 but combining both diets are going to be a bit trickier. Just wondering if anyone has any tips? Thanks

It really interests me but have yet to begin. I bought “The little book of mindfulness” and in it there’s a 10 step beginners guide to meditation. Even just reading it all makes me feel more relaxed!

Brilliant Bill!

Such a significant achievement!

It is amazing Bill, well done 🙂

Bill you are working wonders with those blood sugars!
You must be so pleased you are off all the meds. Proud of you and your fantastic achievements. 🙂

orchid,
Any meditation is good it seems.
Not sure if you have the time in the early morning, but it’s the one time of day which by definition is quieter and welcomes meditators – other preferences are available of course.

Well done on stopping the tablets Bill. That’s fantastic ! !!

Thanks Jim for posting that. Great programme. 🙂

Buck passing is sooo annoying! It means neither of them know enough to advise you!!! Bill took the risk so I would follow his advise if I were you 🙂

Your meals sound lovely boomboom 🙂

I would really like to know more about the inulin effect before trying it. We could do with an answer from Michael on this one!! I am growing chicory plants this year – but it was to add the leaves and flowers to salads – and they’re pretty to look at!! 🙂

Fantastic news Kingdoone!!! 🙂

Marcus, that’s an amazing weight loss in just 1 week. Really looking forward to your future posts!!! 🙂

Hi AliceinSwitzerland, an arrow will pierce that apple and make it disappear! The arrow is the BSD diet!! 🙂

Congratulations on your weight loss! 🙂

I bet you look and feel like a new man! What a success story!

This thread is great, it’s fantastic to see how well everyone is doing.
At the end of week 1 I am 2.5kg lighter and have lost 1 inch off my tummy ( I can’t call it a waist when I look more like an apple with legs! )

Oh believe it!!!
No more of those embarrassing Metformin moments or sticking injections into my stomach twice a day.
For me getting off the meds and the sugar down was by far the most important part of the lifestyle, the weight loss is a major added bonus. 🙂

Hi Bill, thanks, I think I’ll go to half dose for a week and see how it goes. Bet you’re glad to be rid of the drugs!!

Leeanne I cut my dose in half at first and monitored my sugar readings for a couple of weeks. Last weekend I stopped them altogether and TBH I’m not seeing much, if any, change in my levels to when i was on them

Hi,
Week 6, day 3 for me. After a blip in FBS readings in week 3/4 they now seem to have come back down, so much so that I’m tempted to stop or reduce the 2000mg daily (4 tabs) of Metformin, without my doctor’s say so.
As an indicator my FBS readings over the past week have ranged from 7.5 to 5.4 with other times in the day being 6.9 down to 5.6. Can reducing or stopping do any harm? Thanks in anticipation!
(P.s. Having now lost 10% of my starting weight, I read up on the health benefits of 10% loss and apparently this figure has the same effect as tablets on blood sugars. Encouraging for me!)

Dinner tonight, thick sliced aubergine & courgettes griddled them in a skillet, chopped them into bite size pieces tossed with a couple of spoons of chickpeas and feta, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of dukkha
Meanwhile overnight I had marinated strips of chicken in a marinade of buttermilk & chipoltle peppers in adobo sauce, I rolled these in panko crumbs and baked in the oven until crispy, serve chicken strips over warm salad …yum, haven’t worked out the calories yet
Had to work through lunch break so only had time for a small time of tuna……..not a bad thing 🙂
Been drinking heaps of water , can’t believe how many times I have been to the toilet…still helps with the 10000 daily step target

Hi Barry
the only mention of eye problems in the book (and one which I did experience) is that, if you already suffer from retinopathy, it can make it temporarily worse. I did get a bleed after the first week but subsequent examination show the retinal blood vessels to be in a much improved condition.
Hope that helps.

Having seen my GP, who said he would support me on the Optifast diet, as long as I saw a dietitian first, I had the meeting with a dietitian yesterday, who said she would support me on the diet if my diabetes doctor said it was OK.
All passing the buck it would seem……….

What worried me though, was that the dietitian said that doing the diet could cause me eye problems, does anyone know if this was just scare tactics or is a real possibility.

Hi there 🙂 I also watched Angela Ripon’s piece on Inulin and Visceral fat. I thought it has to be a good thing and immediately got to work researching. I didn’t fancy sprinkling it on foods, so have gone the natural root. I have added Chicory salad to almost every meal and have purchase Chicory root. If you read about the health benefits I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I am not a diabetic however so do not have to monitor Carbs etc. I am 49, have healthy cholesterol levels, liver kidney function good too, but cannot seem to get my blood pressure down. So am trying like billy-oh to do it with food before Doc intervenes 🙁

What a beautiful and inspirational thread this is!

It’s so easy to get stuck in the cycle of feeling tired, demotivated and flabby – then reaching for the same foods that caused it in the first place.

Just completed week 1 and have dropped from 224 pounds to 209.

For the first time in a long while I really want to go for a run – happy days!

My first 7 days has gone very well .
I am here because I am obese and am heading for diabetes if I don’t gain control over my large waist !
Happily I have lost 7 pounds this week and reduced my waist by 1 and half inches .
A way to go , but I feel very encouraged.
I am very interested in your posts and progress .
Keep em coming 😄

I know desperate, I. Want one for visiting Australia and keeping in touch! 🙂

Brightspark, that’s very good news!:)

Hi Amp511, the first thing I would do in your situation is invest in an insulated food box (can’t think of the proper name ) I would freeze a couple of bottles of water (as potable ice packs) and take some made up salads, some top quality ham, some boiled eggs, prepared avocados(skin off, stone out, sprinkled with vinegar or lemon), some full fat yoghurt and berries. You could also take some little packets of nuts. Get a wide necked flask and take some home made soup for your first day.

Hope that helps 🙂

Ooooh, clotted cream!!! Think I’ll buy some next week 🙂

I’m so pleased you are getting your ‘whooshes’ ! 🙂