Hello all!

I got my veggie spiraller and was wondering what you all do for portions.

One medium zucchini = one serving? two?

I’m looking to make my lunches for work next week and would love some guidance on this.

Many thanks!

Deb

Pandora – I’ll be making cauliflower rice this weekend – I skipped the recipe previously but will give it a go on your recommendation

Hi Willsmum,
Check out the Herman Brot bread website. Might be the solution to your toast and peanut butter craving. 2.3g carb per slice and 111 cals 🙂

Hi CaravanSue, My goodness, scales would be a (necessary) luxury. When you get to a town my thoughts (for scales being available) are with hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, ? stock suppliers, vets, maybe a kind stranger on an outback station?…….depending where you are I do realise all of these may be 100’s or 1000’s kms away.

If you have a ball of string or wool (or a belt) you could record your shrinking waist line by tying a knot at your current position and then knot it each time you measure yourself with the length of string (and have lost weight.)

At least by being in a remote part of Aus there are less temptations around. Well done for doing the ‘travel’ version of the BSD. We’re looking forward to reading of your progress.

I really feel for you, the waiting is the hard part. Fearing the worst but hoping for the best.
Your higher blood sugars are only to be expected with all this stress. Disappointing for you after all your hard work.
You are a strong, proactive woman though, more than capable of negotiating your way through this. I do wish you didn’t have to though.
Thoughts and prayers are with you.

Well done to you all, great responses backed up by evidence.
Could you be cheeky and suggest that with the savings anticipated, they could look at a scheme similar to the NDSS in Australia to supply test strips and diabetic supplies at a heavily subsidised price. We are issued with a card and can access supplies from participating chemists. There is a limit but I have never reached it. Most diabetes nurses can issue free meters and the manufacturers often will provide them ( via their website or through promotions in chemist shops), free of charge because they are guaranteed to recoup their money from sales of the test strips.
May I suggest sending the link to the petition too?

I started this diet on Monday (11/4) and I’m into day 5. I must say I am travelling and don’t have a set of scales to weigh myself but I can see from the size of my belly that I have lost weight. I’m hunting around for a set of scales to actually weigh myself (we are in a very remote part of Australia at the moment) but I am feeling much better. No light headedness/dizzyness and there is enough food for me to not go looking for it. My BGL’s are up and down but I expect that untill my body reacts to the change in diet. Woo hoo

Hi Janec and Janet
Brown rice has complex carbs so is ok in moderation. A tablespoon of cooked brown rice, some onion, cheese and tomato and mushroom makes a great stuffing for a small baked red pepper. I’m vego too but haven’t found the BSD too difficult, just replaced my previous reliance on carbs with more protein, fat and veg.
Have you seen my zucchini ‘lasagne’ recipe? Has the same texture and just as filling.
I use halloumi cheese a fair bit to give that satisfying chewy texture to meals.
Frittatas are filling and good hot or cold with steamed veg or salad.
Mushrooms and lentils go well together and form the base for curries and bolognaise type sauces. I use the gram flour flatbreads with curry, instead of rice and courgetti instead of spaghetti.
Also the mushroom lentil combo with some extra veg and gravy or tomato based sauce in a heat proof dish, topped with cauli mash makes a great shepherds pie substitute. I’ve posted a harvest pie recipe which is quite filling.

Hi Bill1954
Ding dong!
Thanks for heads up. Just sent my email off. Got reply from my MP today. Sort off.
Will post what I said later. Off on family hol today. Was packing but had to stop to email APPG while the pen was hot
Eureka

Hi Pookie, and welcome
One of the other forum members has experienced improvement in neuropathy since doing the BSD.
I’m sure some weight loss will help, but hopefully your GP is following up on this, especially as you aren’t diabetic?
Keep posting and let us know how you get on. You need to eat from a wide variety of foods when on calorie restrictions to make sure you get all the nutrients you need. So it is important that you eat regularly, even though your appetite will reduce. In the long term it will ensure that you stay on track 🙂

It sounds like it John, don’t think it’s a toy boy at any rate lol 🙂
Although she could do with one to shovel away the snow and let her car get out 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi Juliet,
There’s nothing wrong with what you are feeling, your body is just demanding carbs. It wants easy to digest sugary foods like it is used to. It doesn’t want to burn fat for fuel so it’s trying to make you provide it with the quick solution!
Only you’re not going to, you know what is best for it in the long run. I used to go to bed early too. It does help in the first few days. So does saving some calories for a healthy, fatty snack. So a hard boiled egg, a 20g slice of cheese, a 50g serve of full fat plain yoghurt sprinkled with cinnamon. Eat slowly and put your food/ spoon down between mouthfuls. Allow the food to kind of dissolve in your mouth rather than just simply chewing and swallowing. The extra time gives your body a chance to realise it’s eaten, and you get a chance to really taste and enjoy your food.
The carb cravings will pass so hang in there, it’s worth it 🙂

That’s good news 🙂
It’s so encouraging when you see progress. Well done on those blood sugars too. Great results!

Biopsy and genetic screening today. Results in 5-10 days – pathologists should really work weekends. 🙂

Just tired. BG still higher than recently – definitely stress.

Lucia, that is exactly what happens to me lol 🙂
I invent new recipes, notice a cobweb, remember I need to sew up the hem of middle girls school dress ( she picks at them while sitting on the mat listening to her teacher), write shopping lists, wonder about re painting the kitchen walls and how to talk an already busy hubby into it.
Penny called it ‘ monkey mind’ very apt 🙂

Thank you, hashimoto! Lovely to see so many kind, encouraging and enthusiastic people on this website. Good luck with your weight loss. You seem to be doing very well. I have only a moderate amount of weight to lose but no diet I’ve ever been on has been so easy or so delicious or successful 🙂 I have lost 4kgs in two weeks. Another 4kg to go. Confession: I am still drinking a glass of wine every night, and occasionally I have an ice cream.

Hi David,
You can expect to see some erratic results in your blood sugars for a couple of weeks.
I wasn’t on meds but it took about three weeks for my blood sugars to normalise. Now I’m always in the non diabetic range.
It was quite alarming when it first happened as I wasn’t expecting it, so I did a bit of research as it was also happening to other people.
I decided to celebrate the increased sugar levels, taking it as a sign that my liver was getting rid of stored fat. Once I realised that I was addressing the cause and not the symptoms ie; overcoming fatty liver and insulin resistance rather than just focusing on lowering blood sugar, it was just a matter of waiting for results.
To keep your post prandials within reasonable limits you may have to restrict your carb levels a fair bit while the process unfolds.
I kept mine to 50g a day total carbs. Once my blood sugars stabilised I was able to increase this. I aimed for 15g per meal fairly consistently, not 5g for two meals and a big blow out for the third. Then I had a spare 5g to use for snacks etc.
If one meal came to 10 and another to 20 I didn’t bother too much, but I was aiming for consistency. Our bodies do like stability, all our systems aim for it. I didn’t want to put my liver and pancreas under too much pressure while I was making efforts to shed the stored fat.
Unfortunately your two slices of bread will blow your carb budget!
This advice is purely based on my experience of what worked for me, and the research I did. Please keep posting though as your experience will add to the body of knowledge generated.
We are a much larger, more diverse group of people than the original research group, so have come up with some unexpected results. We can use our experience to help others, it’s all grist to the mill.
Best of luck with those post prandials 🙂

Hi Sue,
Hopefully your family will settle down a bit now and give you a chance to really get into a more regular eating pattern.
You’ve really had a tough time since starting the BSD, and no chance to sit down and relax it seems.
I really admire the way you’ve just soldiered on through all the worry and turmoil. It’s no wonder your blood sugars aren’t coming down. It’s as much about stress levels as what you eat.
Keep up the good work Sue, you will get there in the end 🙂

B- BSD green tea and blueberry shake

L- salad with avocado and olives

D- chickpea and tomato curry with yogurt

Lots of water and a soy cappucino 🙂

I will do, thanks.
I’m thinking that gram flour is going to be my friend! Pakora, pancakes etc.
Thanks for your help 🙂

Day 54 weight 10st 5lbs
Blood sugar 9.6

Nearly at the end of Week 8 – still 11lbs lighter and 2 1/2inches smaller around the waist but my blood sugar is not showing a consistent reduction. Felt a bit fed up tonight so had two squares of reduced sugar chocolate egg. 😕

Mum finally out of hospital and I’m going down tomorrow to see how she is coping at home and to do some housework for her.

Hi Cherrianne,
I’m interested to hear what you say about the meds stopping the liver releasing sugar. I didn’t know that. Would that mean that my post prandial BGLs would tend to be higher now that I have stopped all my meds?
I’ve been off them for 4 days now and fsting bloods have been below 5.5 (which is the opposite of what I experienced when taking my medications) but yesterday all my measurements 2 hours after meals were high.
Should I expect my post prandial BGLs to normalise after the fat is gone from my liver?

Thanks for your tips about the Slendier products. We’ll try your suggestions and see how we go.

David

Very interesting, I’ve not heard that before. I like that about checking your stomach! I definitely sleep better with fewer carbs. I blamed coffee but I think its carbs. Which is great as I prefer coffee to carbs.

You’re two weeks in so your body is still adjusting. Its quite an extreme plan, this one but very worth it. I have found out that the lack of carbs is definitely made up for by the welcome inclusion of fat instead. And I’m going to go to Morrisons tomorrow to see if I can get some of those barenaked rice/noodles as the website says they stock them. They might help fill the void a bit.

Hang in there Jane, it does get easier. Have you had a look at the ‘what have you eaten today’ thread. Might be some more veggie ideas on there.

Both really. My idea is to adapt what you have both said in order to create a general health message. Could do it myself but you have both stated the cases beautifully. But maybe I would be muddying the waters now I think about it.

Both really. My idea is to adapt what you have both said in order to create a general health message. Could do it myself but you have both stated the cases beautifully.

Hi gang,

Just did a bit of meditating befor coming onto the site.
Just lying on the bed, relaxing everything then focused on my breath, in, out, in ,out
When I naughty problem popped into my mind, I gave it a hug and sent it away.
Then back to the breath, in. Out. In. Out.

It isn’t easy, I tried to do my shopping list, made a mental note to dust the ceiling lampshades,

Then breathing. In. Out. In. Out

Then thought, if I move the suitcase from the top of the wardrobe , I could store some blankets in the case, and put it back.

Then breathing. In. Out. In. Out

Baby steps, but at least I have started.

I am hoping it helps me to stop getting so intense about everything.
Love luci a

Xxxxx

Hi everyone, 2 weeks in and 3.5 kgs down. No change to waist measurement in the past week.

I hope so, but finding it hard at the moment 🙂
Eggs are the only really satisfying food for longer than a couple of hours. Though sometimes my head thinks I’m hungry but when I check my stomach it’s fine.
One unexpected bonus is that I now sleep through the night. I’ve been waking at 3am every night since my perimenopause kicked in (I’m pretty sure that is linked to the diabetes, I was fine before). Chinese medicine says that’s when the liver is working- very interesting.

Hi Jane c, yes that’s something I struggle with too. I enjoy fish but not really any meat, I can face chicken sometimes. But the veggie options generally all have more carbs in them than meat and are not particularly filling. I get away with Quorn but I find it quite salty. I eat a lot of eggs but I think I’ll get bored of them eventually!

You did really well to get your blood sugar under control without any support. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said carbs are insidious. Its a bit of a downward spiral; the more of them we eat, the more we want to eat and so it goes on. That’s what the world is dealing with, its just most people haven’t woken up to that yet. But we have, so one day at a time we can find better things to eat. Our future looks bright doesn’t it?!

B – Yoghurt with strawberries and blueberries

L – crudtite and dips (salsa and sour cream)

D – Chicken and butterbean hotpot

Hi Janet,
I do know what you mean, as I got my blood sugar back to normal in 3 months after a diabetes diagnosis 2 years ago (I’d not heard of this diet then, just did very low carbs and more walking). But my weight and blood sugar crept back up again a bit last year, even though I’d reduced my carb intake and only ever ate wholegrains. I hadn’t realised how insidious carbs are, so addictive. I’m 2 weeks into the BSD now and getting hungry some days, so guess I’m scared to think about no carbs in the future. It’s very hard being vegetarian on this diet.

Two beautiful arguments captainlynne and bill. I think they will have a real impact on the team requesting them. A few more would really add some clobber.

B – full fat yogurt and berries

L – left over chicken & veg stir fry

D – 2 sausages, broccoli, green beans & gravy

S – 25g nuts

I am midway through week 3 and have halved my Metformin and plan to stop in another week or so.

Hi Jane c,
It depends what you mean by ‘some’ carbs. Dr M’s vision is that people will continue with the med principles for life so still low carb. The reason why so many people put the weight back on is because they go back to their old habits. Also, as soon as you reintroduce simple carbs your appetite will begin to return, meaning you will want to eat more than you need.

Hello SteveT,
My GP once said to me “you’ve got high blood sugars, so what! Tablets will sort it”.
I get no support from him so like you am doing some DIY! ! (Have now gone to half dose with good readings so far).

I’m just starting the 5:2 diet and wanted to know what ratio of carb protein and fat I should program into the app as my daily goal for the five days I’m heating the M plan. I need to have that measure so I know whether I’m on target or not. Thanks for your help!

L – Feta salad
D – Veg chilli with cheese, guacamole & creme fraiche
Yogurt & berries for later

Tomorrow night it’s on those scales after five big days
Not been hungry at all in the day but 9pm it’s nail those cupboard shut time mr nibbles is out
Got over it by spoon of yogurt or nuts which I fear could be my downfall ,I’ve never seen such a tiny amount of food so high in calories !
Not buying anymore wil stick to listening to my tummy rumbles !
Alan ( starting his journey )

Update on 15-04-2016
Weight – 96.9 kgs 2 days in a row my fasting Blood Sugar is 5.0.

Steps 13-04 was 15000+
Steps 14-04 was 17000+

After weight gain 2 days ago I am back on track to bring my weight down. Eating healthy and staying active is the motto I am following. Yesterday I had a set back with a tummy bug in the morning so I changed my all day diet to smoothies and soup also went for little longer walk. I am feeling refreshed this morning ready for new challenge.

I’ve emailed the ‘Powers that Be’.

I’m in the last bit of week 2 and my FBS readings are varying from 4.5 to 6.5 – lower then they were pre-BSD. Hurrah! My plan is to drop to half my metformin dose at week 4 and monitor. If everything stays the same I’ll stop the last two tabs too at the end of week 6. Without meaningful support from my GP I feel that a bit of DIY is called for.

hi Leeanne, there are a number of apps that take you through a mindfulness session. I posted some links on another thread, and Jackie WilsonSaid has posted a few as well. The headspace app I use has a free section and you just pick the first one an sit inform of the PC, or plug in your phone and listen. It is easy to follow and might be enough to get you hooked!

Yesterday I decided to stop the package on focus I was working through, yes I do realise the irony of stopping that one 🙁 and had a look at the one of creativity. I also set it for 10 minutes not 15 minutes.
I went well yesterday and the visualisation I had to do came more easily to me than the ones in ‘focus’. I did it late afternoon and that worked. I am not a morning person and I was rushing this morning to get out the house to join the beginners running group so there was no way I would fit even 10 minutes in during that rush.
Did another one on creativity this afternoon and it went well. Will continue with this for a while.
I have an essay I need to get written over the weekend, I am hoping this will get my mind in the right place for writing!

Hi SOS Are you asking Bill or myself?

A small amount of brown rice with lots of veg should be ok shouldn’t it? After the 8 weeks anyway. I’m hoping I’ll be able to eat some carbs in the future.

Agreed Lucia
In these situations, you have to ask yourself what would Dr Mosley do? He believes in moderation so he’d say have the ice-cream – while on holiday!

I would like to edit this as a non diabetic but overweight and unhealthy middle aged woman (that was I hasten to add) and send to my MP. the low carb diet has positive ramifications for many illnesses so if you give your permission for me to reproduce in an edited format I would like to fly the diet”s flag? What do you say?

Hi karra – you can get them in Sainsbury’s as well. I got a pack a couple of weeks ago, but not really been feeling a need for rice, so unused. Glad to hear they are good – they did not look very appetising in the bag 🙁

Hi, today was a bit more disappointing. Went for what I thought was a walk/run for beginners, but it was a lot more than that and included a lot of running up and down hills – something I had not expected for a few weeks so that I was sure my Achilles was not going to play up again. Still was out for 45 mins, I left the rest of the group doing hill runs and jog/walked back to the car – so I still got a good amount of exercise. So far Achilles not playing up – tomorrow will tell. Beginning to feel a little stiff, just enough to know I’ve had some exercise! Good job tomorrow is an aqua class and yoga!