Hi Tippytwo,
Welcome to the BSD. It is fine to swap recipes around as long as you stick to similar calorie counts. If there’s anything you didn’t like, don’t make it again. You can look at the recipes on here for ideas, or use your own recipes. You just need to avoid the potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and starchy veg mentioned in the book. Stick with the 800 cals and low carb foods, making sure you choose the full fat dairy options.
Ask for advice on the forums if you are unsure, and you’ll always get help from the lovely friendly members here. 🙂

Hi
you can eat anything you like that falls into the low carb medium fat regime and around 800 cals.
There are some great recipes in that section and the “what have you eaten today” thread has loads of yummy suggestions.

I’m in India right now and I love Indian food. Chicken Tandoori has been the meal of choice but today in a moment of weakness I had a small bowl of homemade mutton biryani one of the ladies in the office had brought in. It was sublime! I did go heavy on the mutton and light on the rice though. Salad for supper…although it’s mango season right now and apparently I need to try an alphonse mango; I never knew there were so many varieties.

I’ve seen my BP fall into the 130/80 to 125/75 range since starting on the BSD. I take Exforge for my high BP and will be asking to move to a lower dosage on my next check-up as I do sometimes feel light-headed and tired. I monitor my BP morning and evenings with an Omron wrist monitor and take an average of 3 readings. The mornings are always higher – my specialist told me this is because of our inbuilt “flight or fight” response – when we wake up we don’t know what to expect and are physically ready to swing a few punches or run away! Apparently this takes an hour or so to dissipate.
Hopefully after a few more BSD 8 week blocks I can come off the Exforge completely – another great side-effect!

Thanks, Barby! I’m going….

Alan I have heard it all ‘you only feel good because it is sunny’ OMG
Check the weather forecast and try and get an appointment during a spell of bad weather and bounce in like Zebedee on speed and shout ‘It’s raining and I feel great’ ! 🙂
You need to explain to her there are carbs in fruit, veg, yoghurt etc! She clearly doesn’t know as much as you 🙂

Hello again Bill1954,

All replies are gratefully receive thanks and I am sorry to read of your retinopathy.

No I haven’t noticed anything odd with my vision and on a recent visit to the opticians he also gave me the all clear, no pun intended.

Best regards,

Nigel.

Good for you Alan, keep on in there, you do get carbs (under 50gr admittedly), but they are complex ones, not the nasty simple ones in white bread, pasta + white rice!

Once you hit your target weight + stabilise your BS you’ll be able to introduce more, quality carbs into your diet!

Wretched medical profession, you’d think they would be over the moon at ‘people doin’ it for themselves!!’

Fantastic Alan, what a result!

ingred:
– 3 large eggs (room temperature)
– 1/2 cup almond milk
– 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
– 1/2 tsp. sea salt
– 1/8 cup + another 1/4 cup beef drippings

Hello Keje,

My most recent HbA1C test was 58, this is in the new digital format I believe?
It’s all relevant to me and makes me think longer and harder to get some form of resolve to this problem.

Kind regards,

Nigel.

Because of various other issues I have 3 monthly full blood screenings. My Uric Acid levels are normally around 400 umol/l and if I’ve had a lot to drink and too much of the high life (like after Christmas) they can be around 550umol/lt. My last blood test, 4 weeks into BSD showed levels up at 730umol/l. As you can imagine after 4 weeks of BSD I had not been living high on the hog and had not had a drop of alcohol for the entire time. I have my next blood test at the beginning of July and I’ll report back then. In my experience the BSD can can raise Uric Acid levels (and there are several web references to this) I do have a family history of gout (father and both brothers) but I don’t have any symptoms yet

Go Fatblaster – you’ll be living up to your name in no time 🙂

Hello – I started the Fast 800 on Monday and I am doing – oookkaaaay. However, due to work commitments and forgetting a couple of key ingredients from the list last week, I have had to have the same lunch three times from the sample week 1 menu in the book. I am assuming this is okay. There are definitely some things I like and some meals that I don’t think I can face again, with this in mind for week 2 do you think it is okay if I swap out some of the meals if I don’t think I am going to like them with a preferred option from the book, or should I stick rigidly to the menus?

Thanks duckstrained (what a name :)) That was my first thought. She is understanding (and has been cutting down herself) so if I ask her beforehand , she’d avoid the fruit/sponge when dishing up, and keep it small. I’ve never wanted to be an awkward person to have round for a meal as a guest, it’s hard enough being veggie.

I don’t honestly know if I’m in ketosis, I don’t measure anything, but no doubt that would take me out.

I also have a family holiday coming up in about 6 weeks, when we’re sharing a rented house in New Forest with sister and brother and partners. So there will a lot of cooking and eating out going on.That will be an even greater challenge, but I’m going to plan ahead with own food, and just do my best when we eat out. Being a veggie eating out is hard, but I can’t bring ,myself to eat meat again.

Hello Judith,

Yes they have made excellent steps these days in medication and will continue to do so.

Definitely believe in thinking positive and having goals to achieve, never be down and look froward to good times.

Thank you again,

Nigel.

Hi Nigel, yes I really admire your determination in taking control of your own health and hope your GP is helpful. I’m not an expert but believe physiological insulin resistance is nothing to do with type 1 but a phenomenon that can affect anyone on a low carb diet (whether diabetic or not) and actually seems to indicate more efficient fat burning. Maybe you need to ask for a HbA1c test which appears to give much more accurate assessment of where your blood sugars are at. My apologies if this isn’t relevant to you and just confuses things more!

Nigel, as a long term retinopathy sufferer, unless you have noticed black streaks in your vision, I wouldn’t worry too much about the eye tests.
If you have been recently diagnosed then it will be a preventative measure.
It’s much better to catch these things early while they are treatable with laser rather than having the op

Thanks for all your help getting my one stone off in two weeks.
Surprising how negative some people can be though even medical profession
I simply show my BEURER app with blood pressure reading at optimal and graph of BS right down argue with that!
Oh you need carbs and you’ll put it back on or you only feel great cos it’s sunny (that was a nurse)
Alan onward and upward (or down !)

Calling all British Citizens! Please sign our petition. 240 signatures so far 🙂

hi Izzy, welcome to the forums! You won’t be alone in beginning the diet with careful preparation – my neice and her husband have spent a week preparing to start on Monday and others on these forums have done the same. Lucia springs to mind! 🙂

Hi Nigel, my friend has done very well considering she had her transplant so many years ago when the drugs used were not as good as they are today. She is a positive person – as you sound to be – and that contributes to a healthy long life post transplant.
Wishing you the best possible outcome
Judith

From what I remember it’s 75g……. Hmm it was on a low carb paleo diet website

Good morning Hashimoto,

Thank you for your valuable advise.

On a separate issue it’s great to hear about your friend, please pass on my congratulations.
My Transplant was in November 1999.

Yes my Consultant is a great person and very forward thinking, so I am very lucky.
I really can only see good in this BSD and will take medical advise first.

Best regards,

Nigel.

I have read that gallstones can be associated with a very low fat diet. Your gall bladder releases bile to digest fat. If you eat little fat then it doesn’t empty itself regularly and stones form. Or something along those lines 🙂

Fatblaster, lots of us have had that strange experience of putting a pound on one morning – then 1 or 2 days later losing more than 2 lbs so don’t let it discourage you.
Keep on keeping on and it will all come good. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.
🙂

Thanks, Barby. Your tips are REALLY helpful. It is too easy to assume portions are all right, when you’re a wee bit out. On 800 calories that is a big difference. I also didn’t drink so much, so that might be another thing. Going to cut down weighing myself to twice a week and keep going. Feel SO much better, and that is good in itself.

End Of Week 7 – Some Reflections…

Hi all, am now 98.8kg and always between 3.8 and 4.6 in the morning – primarily affected by how much exercise I’ve done.
My target is 95kg but I am happy that I am fast approaching 20kg’s lost. I can’t begin to describe the changes in my life…
I had some incredibly slow weight loss including a few days of weight gain in week 5 but, thankfully, no rising BSL as others have reported. I fell off the wagon the week AFTER Easter, having done so well on holidays with everyone drinking and eating… I’m going to add one week to the 8 as a result. I find that my body latches on to certain weight milestones for a few days and then goes down again. For me they were 110, 105, 100kg. The initial fast weight loss had to slow down and I think between 1 and 2kg a week is about right for me. I fell into the trap of not using MyFitnessPal to log food and realised I had started creeping up in kcal per day… I buy myself milestone presents, size 42″ waist now a loose 36″ means some nice new clothes. I marked 100kg’s with a new watch to remind me never to slip back into my poor lifestyle/eating habits. I had bad non-acidy indigestion for couple of weeks, like a pressure on the throat kind of thing which I put down to shrinking stomach putting upward pressure on the system? It is really hard to get the 10000 steps in if you aren’t careful and brutally honest with yourself. I now do 80 minute sessions on an elliptical trainer (1300 steps per ten minutes) to make sure. I have noticed a huge increase in cardiovascular fitness. I sweat heaps less too. I have been amazed at how little food I need to operate. I have been so productive building stairs, renovating kitchen etc but I have had to learn how to do these things differently now that I am more relaxed in my nature – everyone has been commenting on how laid back but productive I have been. Is this cause i don’t have so much cortisol flooding my system. I once took an ant-depressant called ‘Pristique’ and the change in my head since blood sugar and weight have come down is very similar. My whole experience of life is changing. I am a singer songwriter and it has affected my singing, guitar playing, and song composition. I have been thinking a lot about my post-8 week regime. I am thinking that I will do the med diet at 1500kcal per day, four days a week, and 800kcal 3 days a week to start. I will monitor my weight and make sure that I don’t continue to lose. Anyhow thanks for all the support on this and other topics and good luck to everyone – you will have ups and downs but if you learn not to punish yourself and be honest with yourself you can do it!

Thanks, Izzy! One of the best things is this forum. Stops me boring my partner! And keeps me going. Restored and renewed!

Good morning Keje,

Thank you also for your helpful advise too.

Sorry my fault but as I previously pointed out I am a Type 2 Diabetic and not Type 1 insulin dependent.
The other reason I am concerned about my levels is because I have now been referred to Hospital for retina eye tests and am keen to try and sort this out.

Having said that your info gives me lots of research to catch up on.

Best wishes,

Nigel.

Keje I totally recognise what you are saying. I didn’t realise how much guilt I held about my weight until the day I bought 2 new frocks and wasn’t cowering in the corner of the changing rooms and making a very fast dash for the exit 🙂

Personally I would skip breakfast and have the lunch (sensible portions, filling the plate with veg rather than the carbs) and a little bit of trifle (just say you are full and ask for a small portion) and a small tea as you have said. If you are serving yourself from serving dishes you can put whatever you want on your plate and no one will probably be watching what you are eating unless you are drawing attention to it. However, if she is dishing up then have a quiet word with her. If she is a good friend she will support you and won’t announce it to the world. Perhaps ask if she can set aside a little bit of the fruit and cream from the trifle for you. Maybe think of it as having one day following the med diet option rather than the 800 kcal option?

kes, that is a fantastic double goal!! 🙂

Thanks guys and yes I think the alcohol is the main culprit and my hope is that the first stone will be a huge spur to push harder for the next stone.

I’m looking at it that I needed to lose 4 stone to be in the lower half of the ‘overweight’ section of the BMI chart, so I’m a quarter of the way there today. The next stone will take me to the cusb between ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ and that will be a double goal.

Good morning Bill1954,

Thank you for replying to my initial post.

Fortunately I booked early this morning to see my GP so my appointment fits in well to ask about the BSD.
As you kindly point out I too can’t see why this wont fit in well my my current problem of trying to lower my BS levels.

Thanks again for your advice.

Best regards,

Nigel.

I have to say for me the obvious health benefit to me is weight loss and a 10cm smaller waist. However, I think the improvement to my mental health/ way I perceive myself has been a massive benefit. I now feel free of the previous feelings of guilt and incompetence at being bigger than I liked despite exercising loads and seeming to eat less than skinnier friends, this setting up cycles of extreme dieting followed by extreme binges. After years of trying to loose weight, losing and regaining the same stone on too many occasions to count and believing that I’m just greedy and will never get my binging under control, this really is a revelation. Realising I’m insulin resistant, not incapable of self control is a revelation. I’m almost having to rethink my whole perceptions of the way I (and others)have labelled myself over the years. To be free of binges and snacking now and find I can go hours without eating and being hungry is amazing. It’s not that I’ve learned to control binging/snacking it’s the fact that I just have no desire to do so. This has been so freeing and I feel so much calmer and happier, even ecstatic at times. The low fat propaganda has really been quite damaging to me over the years.
Also, have to say being able to eat cheese and the occasional red wine completely guilt free (while still losing weight) is a benefit I will forever be grateful for!!!

Bill, arrowroot is very high carb!!! Unless it is just a teaspoon I would be wary

Hi Nigel, unfortunately I haven’t heard of anyone on the forums having the identical problem so can’t point you to a suitable posting.
I have a friend who had a kidney transplant over 30 years ago but she hasn’t followed this diet as she does not have T2.

I hope you have an understanding GP/consultant who is prepared to think out of the box. Dieticians seem to mostly churn out the low fat/high carb stuff but you may be lucky enough to find one who will take this diet seriously.

I know, from my friend, that once you have had the transplant and not having the dietary restrictions of dialysis that all food, other than salty food and alcohol, was on the menu.

I can’t see a problem with cutting out starchy carbs but would seek proper medical advice first. As Bill says, there are people on these forums who have seen dramatic reductions in their blood sugars and you don’t want T2 on top of the meds you take to maintain your transplanted kidney.

Hoping for good news for you 🙂

I will find it X X X

mmmm will have a think. For some reason I’m reluctant to “come out” but maybe I need to as this is going to be a long term new way of life. I may say that I’m just trying to cut sugar out. I could always bring a small cheeseboard/celery with me, as a contribution, and also have a quiet word with her. Good idea on the cheese, thanks both.

Well done lostgirl, good to see things happening for you now 🙂
Could you actually post that yorkie recipe please, your link goes to a dead page for me.

Hi my wife and are new to the BSD world however we have been thermomix owners for a while.

Lynette you mentioned you had a few recipes, or any one else, I have a TM 31 and would be very grateful for any thermomix recipes.

We have converted a couple of BSD recipes however if someone else has done some that would be great, I like easy.

regards ash

Improvements in my retinal blood vessels condition
Cholesterol in normal limits
Sleeping better so feeling more alive and active

Bill, the cheese is a good idea. We must have been writing at the same time!! 🙂

Hi Barby, personally I would explain to my friend that I was doing this diet and say I hope you won’t be offended if I don’t eat carb rich foods but I will still really enjoy the dinner you cook and your company even if I don’t eat the carbs.

There is less chance of causing offence that way. 🙂

Barby the roast dinner minus the potatoes will be ok. About dessert, could you tell her that you have high blood sugar readings at the moment so would she mind if you had cheese instead.

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but have seen a few references to physiological insulin resistance on other low carb forums which may explain some people’s higher blood sugars. It appears that this is actually a good thing, if the explanation I have copied below (lots of other references come up if you google it)is correct. It looks like you need to get your HbA1c tested to more reliably tell you if this low carb way of eating is benefiting you.

Physiological Insulin Resistance is better called “Adaptive Glucose Sparing”. Why would your peripheral tissues be primed and adpated to remove glucose from blood if… there isn’t any glucose in there to speak of?

No, those tissues adapt. Glucose transporters fold back inside the cell from the surface, instead the cell becomes more adept at taking in fat which is circulating. You literally become adapted to sparing glucose for use by those cells which absolutely require it. Some brain cells, red blood cells and testes require glucose because they do not have mitochondria!

Yes, FBG can easily rise above 100 mg/dl. But: FBG is a metric which is useful for day to day and hour to control and monitoring of blood glucose in diabetics. If you have physiological insulin resistance, you are literally at the opposite end of the risk spectrum to a diabetic:
•You will have an extremely low HbA1c value
•Your liver and kidneys will be very sensitive to the effect of insulin, even though muscle tissue isn’t
•You will almost never suffer hypoglycemic events

It takes a few days of eating carbs to return to the normal state for healthy people. This is why the term is “physiological” and not “pathological”. It is not a disease state, it is a healthy response to carbohydrate restriction.

My improvements are:
Massive improvement in my asthma.
No acid reflux on the 15 weeks of BSD
Less osteoarthritis pain.

Hi so many of us are noticing improvements in pre existing health conditions I thought it would be useful to have a thread where we put our name and which conditions have improved for us on this diet. It could be useful to Prof Taylor and Dr Mosley for their research.

Lostgirl, So pleased to hear about another three pounds off!

Those containers are a really good idea! 🙂