My goodness skinny secret agent 0012 – I wondered what you were doing – measuring cheese – none of us get to be skinny secret agents 00anything without measuring cheese. Isn’t it tricky, especially block cheese.

So, set the scene, a dangerous mission is ahead. We may not come back alive.
You have to get th correct combination.
A bead of sweat appears on my brow.
I reach for the lethal substance, I only need a small amount, too much and I could blow this whole building sky high.
Easy does it, little by little, the needle points to the red , danger area, omg, another bead of sweat. Will I be able to complete this mission. So much depends on it.
Carefully now, my hands start to shake, just a little more, the needle is among touching the red, just one more tiny amount. My mouth is dry, my hands shake a bit more, I wipe my forehead, with a tissue. I think I can make it.
Yes, just a tiny bit more.
Phew, all done , the danger is over.

Anyone else having problems weighing the right amount of cheese?

Love Lucia
Xxxx

I hope so Cherrianne.

Day 55 weight 10st 5lb
Blood sugar 10.4

Went down to Mum’s at 7.30am and worked until 3pm only stopping to have 2 cuos of coffee and 2 shakes. Had my pills with me but forgot to take them. The house isn’t spotless and the washing isn’t fully up to date, but it is a hell of a lot better than when I arrived! Came home and slept on the sofa for an hour – I am by no stretch of the imagination a domestic goddess and my husband did the ironing I brought back with me. I’m back down on Sunday to tackle a large amount of paperwork – much more my thing.

I felt ravenously hungry tonight, I made myself a bowl of popcorn to try to quell the temptation of the remaing chocolate from the egg that was calling my name – very tired as well so hopefully will have a good sleep tonight.

Been invited to the Young Farmer’s Advisory Committee meal out next Friday – me and my husband have had several challenging years and this is the first time we will have been able to go for a long time – looking forward to a good catch up.

Hoping everyone is still going strong – losing weight, inches and sugar from your blood. Keep going. 😇

Hi gang,
I now love plateaus, they give me a wonderful kick in the pants. Then just when your bottom lip comes out, it happens.
It’s just like being put into a brown paper and given a good shake.
I love it.
Do you remember the bags of crisps and the salt came in a blue paper twist? You had to undo it , empty it into the crisps and give it a good shake. Well that’s how I feel about plateaus.

This damn computer just said I liked platipus. I may like them, I don’t know any personally.
Have I gone off on another tangent?

Glad you all think I am sane.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Lucia I just LOVE LOVE LOVE your writing. I cannot tell you how big a support it is reading your posts. Even though I have been following this way of life for 4 months now I am no expert and still have days when I am just hanging in there or being downright NON BSD. But you keep me sane and never fail to give me perspective. All of which has helped me to keepisode on losing. I was told tonight that 12.5 kilos is a pound off 2 stone.
Have a brilliant weekend😊

Hi April – there’s something about this diet that makes you feel good almost immediately! I felt different after a few days – more energy, more motivation, determination not to let anything drag me back to old habits. I’ve had the odd blip but shrugged it off and carried on. As you continue it gets better and you feel less inclined to let what you have achieved slip away. The physical difference for me was obvious after a few days and that was amazing for me after years of dieting and failing to make much difference. This diet makes sense to me and I now know what my body is doing when I eat so I am less inclined to do anything that ruins my day. Stick with it, it works and you will feel encouraged to change what you eat so it’s not a diet, it’s a way of life that makes sense!

I love it, Lucia! You really should be a writer, a novelist, you have a unique and witty way with words and ideas 🙂

Imagine the scene.

My name is Lucia, skinny Lucia. (In a James Bond tone)
Well, doctor strange-scales, we meet again.
You think you can play your mind games on me.
You think you can throw me a plateau, just when I am feeling happy.
Well, I have news for you, you and your plans are toast. (Carbs pun)
I have a a bid on a new set of scales, so you will be a thing of the past.
(The skinny secret agent 0012 , glides gracefully over to doctor strange-scales, in one stealth move, grabs him and tosses him out of the bathroom window, a crashing sound below)

I will take that hot water, shaken, not stirred.

Love Lucia
Xxx
What do you mean, I should get out more 😎

Just 5 days into the Blood Sugar Diet, I feel transformed! I’ve spent the past few years gradually feeling more and more fatigued as my diabetes progressed. Even last week, all I could manage at the gym was half an hour of light exercise and that would leave me exhausted. Today, I flew! On the cross trainer with my old man rock music on, I was almost moved to happy tears; I felt so good! What a relief! So I did 20 mins on there with a couple of sprints, then 20 mins on the treadmill and another 20 rowing. I burned 1140 calories! I had to smile to myself as I got dressed because I noticed my skin was pink instead of its recent grey! And I’ve lost 9 pounds in 5 days. Dead chuffed!

Thank you Sabrina

Can you tell I have got info on carbs?

Love Lucia
Xxx

Do you know how long it has taken me to understand that my brain washed idea that
I need carbs for breakfast eg cereal,
I need carbs for lunch eg butties,
I need carbs for dinner eg pasta or potatoes.
Is not true

Do you know the sun actually rises if I don’t have carbs.
WOW! That’s a biggie.

Have go, at reducing them, try and do without them, but they are little sneaky – weakys. They will get into your food no matter what.

Do your best, have a try.
I feel better without them.
It just take a long time for my brain to understand this.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi all, I make my own wholemeal bread (with glucose powder not sugar) – is this still out in the first eight weeks?

That’s fantastic captainlynne, keep up the great work. Your achievements are very motivating.

Hi lemu
You are about to start on a exciting 8weeks.
I stumbled upon BSD book while I was waiting for my husband to come out of a meeting and I took refuge in a library to warm up and have a sit down and as I walked in it was on display by the door. I found a chair and read it for an hour and it just made so much sence — on the way home I found a copy of the book in sainsburys and it was the best £2.45 I have ever spent.
I’m on week 13 and have lost 3 stone 4lbs and have about another 2 1/2 stone to go — but after years of yo yo dieting I now feel I understand food for the first time— I am now in control of my food not the other way round.
Keep posting your progress.

Weight loss is perverse.
I’m raising calories at the moment and so weight loss is naturally slowing – I’ve stagnated for about 10 days.
Went back to The Smoke last day or two to tune a few old friends’ pianos.
Stayed with Son, Daughter-in-Law and Grandkids. All great except I knew dinner would be carb rich. Son had kindly asked if I wanted to bring my own food to fit in with the regime but that seemed a bit self-obsessed so I went with the flow.
Dinner was a great pile of mashed potato with chicken pieces in sauce with nice veg. I must say I really enjoyed it.
On returning home I hopped on the scales just to give me an inkling of the horrors awaiting me tomorrow morning.
(Mid-afternoon is always my worst time of the day for weighing)
I expect you can guess what’s coming …….. Down a pound.
Crazy or what?

Hi Christine Denise,

Janet1973 is correct the recipe is on the website. You can make them thin or thick depending on your preference or what you are going to eat them with. I’ve used them as a wrap & they taste really good.

Thank you Janet, will try them

B- fage yog/berries
L- 2 rye crispbreads, 50g hummus, 3 cherry toms
D- one piri piri chicken thigh, small salad, tsp chilli sauce
Teas to drink

Great news Bill 😃

Hi Lemu. I’m 65 and been on and off duets since I was 11.

I started the BSD on 19th December with between 6 and 6.5 stones to lose. I have completed 16 weeks on BSD and have lost just over 3 stone to date.

You’ve made a great start. Keep posting to let us know your progress.

Hi Barby, that’s interesting thank you, I’ll look out for it.

I think the chickpea flatbreads are the gramflour flatbreads in the recipe section. Its a batter you make up like pancakes, very quick. Also called besan flour sometimes.

Hi Janet I’d never heard of Tamari, but apparently it is like a Japanese wheat and gluten free soya sauce. There is one on Waitrose – Clearspring organic tamari, with 196 cals for 100ml and 34g carbs. You probably just need a dash of it added to add flavour.

Hi Sabrina are you still going? Where do you get chick pea flatbread please?

B boiled egg, one ryvita with butter
L Minute steak and mushrooms, one plum
D Ostrich Steak, cauliflower rice flavoured with Tahini, green beans, sugar free jelly and berries
Will have an apple later

Hi barby
Sounds lovely. What’s tamari?

B Greek Yoghurt with cherries & blackberries warmed, + teasp chopped nuts & seeds, & linseed

L Restaurant, Instead of my usual veggie burger and chips I had Shepherdess Pie which was green lentils, carrot swede, black beans in tomatoe garlic and tamari gravy topped with creamy caulifower and potato mash, and cheese, with brocolli and cabbage and roast potatoes! It was absolutely gorgeous and I left 2 roasties.

I’m sure I am over my daily limit (cannot guess the amounts) so just strawberries tonight, I should have stopped earlier when full but confess I ate it all. I am going to get some tamari now, it’s a lovely taste for veggie gravy..

Hi Gabby67,
From time to time I have also felt hungry and had cravings. Orchid has made several useful suggestions to tweak things. I also find it useful to have a hot drink (peppermint tea, for example), or just up your liquid intake – it helps keep you warm, and fends off dehydration (which will fool you into thinking you are craving something). I’ve sprinkled some cinnamon in coffee – it makes for a different drink and the cinnamon is supposed to help keep blood sugars level. Just doing something will help take your mind off things – if you are focussed on something that interests you, you will forget your stomach’s demands. I’m sure you will find something that works for you.
Best wishes, Rose

Thank you Janet, our post is very helpful. I’m still finding my way but seeing good results and honestly not feeling hungry at all. Most of my protein comes from eating eggs at breakfast and prawns or chicken for dinner which I love. I was surprised that fruit in particular, excluding sweet fruit like pineapple or bananas, is so high in carbs? I’m not diabetic but realise that I need to control my sugar intake in particular and of course lose some weight to stay healthy as I’m now retired.

L – Veg frittata & clementine
D – Avocado & tuna salad

Now off out with the girls, so may be a prosecco or two too come!
Happy Friday everyone 😊

Lizzy, you are not misunderstanding, there is nothing in the book which specifies how many carbs to eat other ‘low carb’. The 50-60g range is normally enough to get most people into ketosis or fat burning mode. Grandma48, I’m not aware that there is a lower required level. If you are still getting your five a day fruit and veg, then you will automatically have as many carbs as you need.

You can get your fats from other sources too, for example the fat in meat is fine to eat, olive and other oils, nuts and seeds. Oily fish of course and avocado

What a fantastic way of describing it Lucia – you are a born teacher!! 🙂

I’m so pleased for you both Bill 🙂

Well done Bill for getting your stepson on the straight and narrow! What could he achieve if he really put his back into it?!

My stepson and business partner, after seeing how I was doing decided 2 weeks ago to cut out the bread pasta rice and potatoes as he was 17.5 stones.
He still enjoys a couple of beers every night but in week 1 he lost 7lbs, great but we know about week 1 losses. Today for him was weigh day 2 and, incredibly, he lost another 9lbs.
16lbs in 2 weeks and he isn’t doing the full diet.
Carbohydrates are evil things.

B- BSD Bircher

L- vegetable soup

D- Portion of Cherrianne’s Harvest Pie from this site

snacks- half an apple with red leicester, 2 lemon roasted asparagus wrapped in quorn chicken slices.

I’m on the 8 weeks, 800 cal B.S.D, 6 days in and 6 lbs off which is amazing. However I am also confused about the amount of carbs allowed. I thought it was a max of 60g per day?? I find because I enjoy veg and apples that they tend to be higher in carbs than oils fats and protein. So stir frys, which I love, really ramp up the carbs and I end up eating fewer calories a day because I’ve reached my limit for carbs for the day.
I think I must be misunderstanding the rules for the 800 cal B.S.D. Can anyone help please?

I also do as Janet1973 does as some of the recipes in the book didn’t appeal to me and wouldn’t work in my family when sorting meals.

The aubergine meatloaf sounds very hearty indeed. I like my cauliflower mashed with butter, some salt and pepper and quite often some cheese!

Hi Kate_Is,
when I first got my Garmin Vivofit, I used to be out every Sunday night about 11pm walking around the garden to reach the target it set me – not that large a garden, goodness knows what the neighbours thought! Having said that – the only thing I seemed to disturb were the foxes.
Now I am starting jogging again, I go our early mornings to the park (7am’ish) or to places that are empty (NT properties at 9am) so I can plod round in peace. I am a couple of months off of going out Sunday mornings 11am!

Hi fatblaster, personally, I find the meals in the book too fussy so I just stick to my old favourites with moderations to cut out the carbs/calories, it works just as well.

The ‘fitbit charge’ I ordered arrived today and has already gone back. My cacao has also arrived today, lets hope I do better with that!

Hi Caramba. wow thats an amazing amount of exercise in one day!! One activity a day is all i can muster.

I have tried using myfitnesspal to create a food and exercise diary. Not getting on well with it, it doesn’t like setting the daily calories to 800 a day and just keeps telling me I’m not eating enough. But i haven’t really focused on the exercise part of it so will be interesting to see.

With regards the jogging, admittedly it is around my garden. Any one who sees me must think I’m pretty crackers. Definitely not ready to leave the garden and hit the road!

Hi, have you looked at the recipe section on the website – there are a lot of recipes there that do not include dairy or tomatoes, or you can leave them out. Other fats that are okay are oils – olive, rapeseed, coconut in dressings. If you have only ever tried fat free yogurt, it is worth having a try at Greek full fat yogurt – that is a very different taste to other yogurts.
good luck starting

Hi, MM does say to up your exercise by 10% each week – he suggest walking. He also says you can increase your activity easily by getting up every 30 minutes and walking around a couple of minutes – I am not sure if that is possible for you or if you already spend a lot of time on your feet – but if you do not – that may help and can be done now.
Other than that – keep an eye on your carb intake and make sure it is not above 70g per day, most people are aiming for 50g per day and under and if you have a plateau, that my help move things along.
On cravings – are you using the menus of the recipes? I used the book recipes fro guidance only – I am veggie so many are not relevant. What I did notice about the recipes is that some are aimed at the 5:2 and maintenance phases, not all are suitable for the 800. Also, I always check the calorie and carb counts of any recipe as a ‘tin of beans’ can vary a lot depending on make, and 3 carrots can vary from 100g to 300g easily an that is a lot of unaccounted for carbs.
I tried various breakfasts and found 60g Greek Yoghurt, 30g berries, 3g flax, 3g sunflower seeds, 3g pumpkin seeds plus 3 chopped almonds and a good pinch of cinnamon works very well for me for breakfast and keeps me full longer than eggs. If you find one that works for you – use it every day. Likewise, homemade soup (I add in a tin of beans to the soup for protein) for me is the most filling with either a hardboiled egg or a salad (tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, dressing). That will leave you around 300 cals 20 carbs to play with in the evening.
If you are still getting cravings – take 50g off the calorie allocation per day for ‘snacks’ – that way you don’t go too far over the limits.
Good luck.

Hi all, have just read the book and want to start asap, I get its the ‘fats’ that keep you fuller for longer, only thing is I hate all things dairy especially cheese which a lot of the recipes are based on. Does anyone know of any alternatives..? Also hate tomatoes but will eat everything else…

I seem to be having a great deal of trouble reaching 20g carbs per day. I know that ideally we should be between 20g and 50g daily, is it a problem if we don’t get to the 20g? Is this a minimum figure?

great analogy Lucia 🙂