My besan flour was from Asda, the world foods isle, under £2.00 for a kilo I think.

I’m on Day 5 of Week 3 following the Fast 800, and so far have lost 11.5lb as well as two inches off my waist – which I am more than pleased with! However, I have my first real challenge tonight, a (probably boozy) night out at an Indian Restaurant. Having avoided alcohol and all carbs for almost three weeks, I don’t want to undo all my progress in one evening…

My plan was to go for a chicken tikka dish (no sauce) and vegetable curry side, avoid rice / naan / poppadums, and have a couple of glasses of red wine. I just wondered if anyone had any better meal suggestions for the principles, and also if one night off the wagon is likely to derail me significantly? I have been trying not to weigh daily this week as I don’t want to see the reading on the scales go up, but succumbed this morning to see another 1.5lb go since Monday – hope I don’t regret that come next Monday lol!

Hi Donno, it sounds as if you are doing really well!

I know Bill and Cherrieanne sufferd bs rises part way in the diet which stayed high for a while before dropping but as yours has gone back down after releasing retained water your experience may be a little different. I’m not diabetic so I can’t offer advice

Hi Judith. Some folk went home with vomiting and diarrhoea. Not sure if it was food or virus! Two dinners were much later than I normally eat so I had a little cooked meat and salad at lunchtime. Of course by the time we sat down to dinner I couldn’t finish what I’d ordered. Unheard of for me! Started week at 12st 7lb, back yesterday and weighed this morning at 12st 7lb. Again, unheard of for me! Made best choices. On the journey down we stopped at a burger van. I had a bacon and egg roll, sat in the car and ate the bacon and egg before putting the bread in the rubbish bin. Breakfast: bacon, egg, black pudding. Lunch: on two days, slice cooked meat with tomato and cucumber. Dinner: Monday – chicken Caesar salad without croutons followed by hake fillet with beurre blanc (no crumb topping). Ate chicken and anchovy, little lettuce and tomato, then half the fish with a little broccoli and carrot. Tuesday: fillet of trout with pea and lettuce salad and almonds followed by loin of pork without the sauce. Ate the trout and lettuce, then half the pork with a few cauliflower florets and a spoonful of ratatouille. Wednesday: had nothing at lunchtime. Dinner: duck rillette, spring onion and cucumber (no bread and sauce) followed by cod and asparagus (no sauce). Ate the duck and cucumber and about half the spring onion followed by most of the cod with a few bits of broccoli and one piece of carrot. No desserts. No biscuits at break time.

Quite a few people crossing out bits on the menu. Mainly for gluten free or allergies.

Wednesday night 3 of us who were sitting together had no desserts and we were told they had been paid for! The night I left the pork, the waiter asked why, was it ok! Just said I was full. Then he said I was saving room for dessert – pointed out I wasn’t having any😃

Must go for now. Need to iron tunic ready for funeral later.

It keeps on snowing and raining today. Think I might need thermal vest on😱

That’s brilliant captainlynne! Real proof that you are not ‘on a diet’ but that you have a lifestyle that just doesn’t include all those carby things. I hope I can follow your example in the long term!

Hi lynne, if you’ve not put weight on while at the conference you really have this taped! 🙂

Hi collie, welcome to the forums!
Sounds like you are well organized! 🙂

Hi lucia sorry to hear about your cold.

Stock up on lemons again – or even a bottle of jiff lemon juice. The sugars in cough syrups don’t help with coughs. Try some ginger root and/or chilli with the lemon.

Hope you’re better soon 🙂

Peggy if you think you may be tempted take a BSD snack with you – a few nuts or seeds, small piece of cheese and plenty of bottled water 🙂

Hi christine, i get mine from sainsburys or the independent health food shop or the local Londis (owned by Asians so lots of cheap spices) or an Asian supermarket! I’m spoiled for choice!

Stomach still bad, that brownie has triggered a bout of diverticulitis 🙁

Lesson learned.

Bill, have your blood sugars stabilized after your chappati?

Hi everyone. Just a quick check-in. Been away at residential conference near Scarborough from Monday, back yesterday afternoon. Weighed Monday morning at 12 st 7lb. Weighed this morning at 12st 7lb 😃 . Proper weighing day is tomorrow but just wanted to see how I’d done – at the hotel it’s 3 cooked meals, plus biscuits at coffee breaks. Weather and timetable meant no chance to go walking. Lots of crossing out on the menus we were given to choose from!

Hi Christine. Got home yesterday and sorting through post found booklet from travel agent. Norwegian Cruise Line are doing a 14 night cruise: fly UK to Chicago, 2 nights Chicago, train to Memphis, 2 nights Memphis, train to New Orleans, 2 nights New Orleans, then 7 night cruise, then back to New Orleans for flight home.

Hi alan,
Apart from meat and fish everything has some carbs. So you have been eating carbs but low amounts of complex carbs which are not rapidly turned to fuel like the simple starchy carbs. So simple starchy carbs are rice, breads, pasta and potatoes.
Complex carbs are found in the salads, veg and fruits you eat.

Look at your days food and use calorieking to find out how many carbs you are having today.

If you are in the uk deduct the fibre from the carb value to get the correct figure.

You won’t run out of energy because you are still eating some carbs and the reason you are losing weight is because your body is burning your fat for fuel!

Don’t eat starchy carbs or you will go back to square one!!!!!

I’m not near any Asian stores, so got mine at Sainsburys – £1.30 per kg, so probably more expensive. They had 3 types online.

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries/ktc-gram-flour-1kg

Hi Rubyswallow, my average day meal plan is all over the place… I started a blog to keep track of what I’m eating: http://bsdfast800.blogspot.com.au/. Mostly I am eating familiar meals and foods. It is interesting to see what adds up the carbs and calories. I’m slowly learning which foods I really do need to avoid!

Hi Dave I get Lidl Greek Milbona yoghurt – large 1 kg bucket is about £1.30 I think.

Or http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=256612431 £2.40 500g

search these forums, and you’ll find loads of ideas on what to add to it.

Hi! I get my chickpea flour from the tiny, local independent Health Food Shop, but I know you can buy it online (same with coconut flour)

carbohydrates question

I read articles saying we do not get many carbs from veg
But I’ve not eaten carbs for three weeks l a stone and half yet don’t feel hungry or tired yet more alert and fitter than ever

Where is my body getting all the energy from will it run out and do I need to eat some ?
Alan

I can get Jalna biodynamic pot set plain yoghurt from Australia here in Hong Kong. Hands down the best yoghurt I’ve had. We also get Barrambah Organic, also from Australia, is a close second.

Alan, fanbloomingtastic! Well done, keep going, you must feel amazing after such a great achievement – think how good you’ll feel when you reach target! Woohoo!

Hi 🙂 where are we all from? Certainly different time zones. I’m in Scotland and despite it being spring today it’s snowing!

My experiment was making a kind of lasagne using courgette strips instead of pasta and it turned out quite nice.

I used to do yoga and enjoyed it but due to my kids here and my husband working differing hours I couldn’t go regularly 🙁

Since I’ve started this I’ve committed to the 10000 steps per day which is double what I used to do. I have a treadmill so I have no excuses on the nights my husband is out.

Gotta go but I will be back later.

You can get a lot of the health food stuff, including the chickpea flour on Amazon. Might be more expensive £8.50 with Amazon prime, but comes in 5 x 200 bags so presumably will keep longer.

I too have been having sweet things again, but after the weekend I’m going to get back to basics. I don’t have diabetes luckily but do feel the difference when staying off the carbs etc. Keep well folks. J

Hi bill1954,
Ok thanks bill, will swing past one today on the way to the hairdressers, I’m hoping my weight will drop a bit more after the haircut! I wish!!!
Christine

Hi Christi
the best place for the flour which is also known as Besan flour, is an Asian foodstore.

Hi Lucia,
The good thing about cold food is, you burn calories to bring it up to body temperature before your body can digest it, so it’s a double whammy!
Christine

Hi skywalker. I have decided to take this week as my experimental week of what works and what doesn’t for me. I have enjoyed the food etc which is great but probably need to be a little more concious of how much I am eating. I’m happy that although not many pounds lost I can actually get into my jeans! Not bad for a hell week! Happy days.

Hi Judith,
You have my sympathy, I used to be like that regularly with foods I couldn’t eat, I hope you re feeling better soon.
I have been having trouble getting the chickpea/ gram flour, where do you get yours?
Take care, Christine

Day 4: I’ve lost 2.5lb and 2 inches off my waist! I’m so pleased! Thanks for all the kind words and support.

I’m off to the cinema tonight though, so I really need to have iron willpower! I may get myself some minty chewing gum just so I’m not tempted by sweets.

Hi just do it,
Oh I used to love yoga, I can’t do it now cause of a back problem, ironically yoga makes it worse! If I twist I trap nerves! Not good believe me.
On the up side I have found a Pilates class, the downsize, it’s on a morning that I can’t do, yet, I’m hoping I can giggle things around and try and make it.

Hi Lucia,
I hope you will feel better soon, and that you can have a bank holiday rest? Nothing worse than being up in the night coughing, you have my sympathy!
A bit of medicine is not going to impact on your weight loss that much, you need to keep yourself dosed up!
On a totally different point, I am 1lb/£1 nearer my sparkly bracelet.
Christine

Four weeks in and 10kgs lighter. Happy. Now for the next four weeks. I’m hoping to lose another 10kg. 🙂

Eureka
Ooh Yes…..just spotted. 10,000 steps = 5 miles …oops!
Easier than I’d hoped for. Perhaps we should Eddie Izzard…….on second thoughts….no:-)

Hi I have been watching the forum and I am about to go for it. I think I will try the menus for the first week so now planning for Monday – all diets commence on Monday don’t they ! Thank you all for your post they have helped me in my decision making.

Hi Eureka
The Penguin March is the distance the Emperor Penguins do on their annual migration, I think.
So hope I can waddle another 70 miles in the not too distant future.
Here’s to waddling forward if not jogging……yet!!!

Hi caramba
10,000 steps is 5 miles! 2,000 is 1. No way I could run – knees rubbish. But am seriously thinking could walk it?
Love penguins so not childish at all. Who said childhood belongs exclusively to kids anyway!! 🙋
I really need to move now. 70 miles is fab 👍

Hi all,
Just wondered if anyone has found that peanut butter causes blood sugars to rise?
Just 3 days from the finish line for me and for the last few days my FBS has been in the 9’s!!
I’ve put this down to peanut butter. Not as a meal but as a crafty hunger pang stick my finger in the jar sort of thing!! Obviously a bit too often. Had anyone else found this or is it actually something else.

Hi Cherrianne, Hashimoto, SteveT and FoFi,

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement. Yesterday marked the end of week two. the time has flown and I’m really enjoying it. I’m not strictly calorie counting, but as I did before the program minus snacking, a daily glass or two wine, or an evening meal. I start the day by testing blood sugar abd blood pressure. I have two tbsp of biodynamic plain full milk yoghurt, a daily tonic that predates my diagnosis last June but has given the best functioning intestinal tract I’ve ever had. Then I have a small bowl of all bran (30g) with a few nuts and seeds, strawberries and blueberries and 160ml of whole milk. Some days i have instead wilted spinach, two free range eggs and two slim slices NZ smoked salmon, which is incredibly satiating. on my to work i stop by the salad bar and get a large salad of rocket, baby spinach, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and grated carrot, and small servings of kidney beans od chick peas, jalapenos, olives, some feta and chicken breast or roast beef. No dressing. That’s eaten in two servings at work, half for lunch and the rest before I go home, then nothing for bedtime. i do this every day, and I love it. it offers a wide range of ingredients but also a constant I can measure fluctuations in BS etc against.

This morning my FBS was 4.2mmol. Blood pressure 124/69. Weight dropped 1.5kg in the past week. BS spiked unexpectedly in the past few days, up to 6, for unknown reasons. Then last night I passed a lot of fluid, and felt remarkably well after. my BS dropped straight away to 4.4mmol. has anyone experience anything similar?

Yes Bill – you are right, Jacqueline, roll the fruit around to loosen the seeds (this is vital!) cut the pomegranate in 1/2, cut it in half, or score + tear it in half, hold it cut side down over a large bowl + tap/whack it with a wooden spoon, use a little pressure with your hands to squeeze – result!

Don’t wear anything pale when doing anything to a pomegranate….

Ref sizes, I go for a medium sized anything, chicken we tend to eat as 250-300g portions, fish about 250g, aubergines (goes to weigh one) are 250- 300g.

Hope this helps!

Hi Kris, which week are you at now?
Some of us started getting sugar spikes at week 4 to 5, this was explained as being caused by excess glugose being flushed from our internal organs.
It seems to stabilise again after 2 to 3 weeks.

Hi Eureka
Yes if 10,000 steps is a mile this is really doable. Should be straightforward if it is fast walking.
Not sure if I will actually join the official My Marathon for May with the British Heart Foundation but I think I will accept the challenge and send a donation.
My favourite new toy ( my Fitbit ) has this morning sent me a ‘ March of the Penguins’ badge….70 miles covered so far.
This is all very childish I know but we need motivation from somewhere and even if it is silly it made me smile at least.
Good Luck everyone and is anyone else ready to get moving more????

As far as I can remember, the trick with pomegaranites is to cut them in half, turn the half upside down, and hit it several times with the back of a tablespoon to release the seeds.
I may be wrong but someone will come to confirm that, I’m sure.

Had a cough right through the night, so slipped cold water and had to take cough mixture to ease it.
I know there are a billion calories and a ton of sugar on each teaspoon, but I needed to sleep.
I had run out of lemon and honey with hot water.
I am okay if I put weight in with this cold, I know how to eat correctly, it is not going to make me give up.
I am ready fir e bump in the road if I hit it, and how to land on the other side of it.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I will tell you the argument about temperature.

Salads are cold and chilly,
Chocolate melts in your mouth at body temperature. This is not fair.

But as summer is around the corner, okay, okay, around the block a and down the road a ways……. Salads will be cool and yummy. Chocolate will be a horrible brown puddle, smudging onto your fingers and going everywhere.

Salads win again!!!😇😇😇😇😇

Love Lucia
Xxxx

In my first week I said, it’s a lot easier and quicker to make butties for my lunch every day.
And I believed it.
But then I did a test.
I buttered two slices of bread at the same time I opened a Tupperware box
On the bread I put salad, in the box salad
On the bread, chicken , in the box chicken,
On the bread I had to put sliced tomatoes which made the bread soggy, in the box I put whole cherry tomatoes.

I gave the butties to hubby ( crafty eh?) and I took the box.
My salad was not like a squashed butty, it was nice and crisp.

So, i told you so. Butties are not faster than a boxed salad, the extra times is the buttering if the bread.

I won!!!.

Love Lucia
Cxxx

Thanks Hashimoto
I’ve been following your journey and you’ve been so inspirational, thank you so much for encouraging all us newbies.
Hopefully you know how much it means to us.😊 I’m going to keep posting and encouraging too and hopefully we can all encourage more to follow this new lifestyle, as that is what it is!
Linda

Hi Switzerland, woo hoo, that’s excellent, well done. Keep it up😀

Hi
I will tell you about the argument I had with myself and who won.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I’m preparing my shopping list to start the Fast 800 on Monday. I want to follow the recipes I have found in the book which have also been published online in some articles about the BSD. However, I’m finding some of the ingredients or quantities puzzling:

Pepper with jewelled feta (seeds from a pomegranate)
I love pomegranates, but they are considered a treat here (Western Australia) as they are mostly imported. The recipe calls for ‘seeds from a pomegranate’. Fortunately, it is the season for them here (to be imported) so I don’t think I will have any trouble getting them. However, I have never bought them to eat as ‘food’, only as a ‘treat’. Which means taking absolutely ages to peel and eat and getting very messy. Is there a way to prepare a pomegranate to obtain the seeds quickly? The meal is for a work lunch and I will be preparing it the night before, but obtaining the pomegranate seeds seems unsurmountable at the moment.

Aubergine (Eggplant), lamb & pomegranate (2 aubergines, halved lengthways)
More pomegranate seeds, but it is the size of the aubergine/eggplant each that is puzzling. Eggplants vary in size considerably see http://results.diggers.com.au/search?w=eggplant . It is the long purple or slim jim varieties that are available the shop. Is the recipe for two big or little eggplants?

Beetroot falafels (4 mushrooms)
What is the size of an average mushroom?

Sardine dip (2 tbsp soft cheese)
Does it matter if it is brie, camembert, cottage, or cream cheese?

Spicy chicken and lentils, Harissa chicken (chicken breast per person)
I’m sure size matters here. Currently, we buy free range chicken breasts and they are ~ 400gm each. Should I look up serving sizes on some of the health sites to find out what is a serving size?

For me, following the menu plans is easier apart from the questions I have about the recipes above. Hope you can help.

I have searched for ingredients online, but all of the pages I was able to find quickly were to do with portion sizes of raw vs cooked fruits and vegetables.

Hi Beverley,

Thanks for getting back. All good tips! I think I may be making this too complex. I just want to eat the same things pretty regularly to begin with. What does an average day meal plan look like for you?

I’m not really doing this in the hopes of coming off medication, as I’ve been taking it for something like 15 years or more. I’ve been trying to lose weight for all that time, had a bit of success with Weight Watchers but was continually hungry and lost weight painfully slowly if at all.

I hated being so overweight, clothes shopping was a nightmare that made me snap at my poor husband when he kept pointing at displays in shop windows, saying they would look good on me. I knew the sales people would secretly have a good laugh if I went in and asked if they had them in my size! I always came home from clothes shopping sessions in a grumpy mood. So my strongest motivation is extremely shallow. I want to buy nice clothes in regular sizes, and feel good when I wear them.

This is the first diet that I’ve been able to stick to, that is actually working. I’ve lost kilos and a good inch from my waist, so I’m on the way to my goal. I can’t say I feel any healthier or more energetic than before, but the lower carbs help stop me from getting so hungry between meals. Seeing the scales go down so fast and feeling my clothes that bit looser is all the motivation I need.