Well said, cherrianne 🙂

Fantastic, stringbreaker! 🙂

As well as signing the petition I also emailed my MP to let him know I’d done so.
Just had an automated reply saying he will respond.
I’ll let you know.

Hi folk, I thought it might be easier to post the petition as a separate thread to reach as many of us as possible.

Just click on the link below, you will need to give your email address and post code then you will receive an email to click on to confirm your signature. Your email address and post code do not get published.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125704

Thanks so much my friends
You know what Cherrianne ? Something struck a loud chord in me when I first read the book. It just made sense, but not just that, it was telling me to do just about the opposite of everything I knew about diabetes. The knowledge that I had based my life on, given to me by professionals and which wasn’t working and I was getting worse. My train of thought was that if I did the opposite of everything that was giving me bad results, then just maybe I could get opposite results.
Didn’t that work well ?
Two months ago I was confident that I could achieve something good.
The reality has been beyond my wildest dreams.
I also have the added bonus of meeting some of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever known on these forums.
Long may it continue.

Brilliant stats Bill and good to have you over the line! 🙂

When we were nippers,as daft as this sounds, bread was different – it was made from older varieties of wheat. We won’t get that back. I often wonder if it has also contributed to the increase in gluten intolerance.

Hi Bill
Id consider your 8 weeks as a total success. Your achievements in that time are pretty awesome. Totally agree with Judith! Read back on some of your posts and you’ll see what huge changes you’ve made in your health and well being in such a short time.
Would you ever have dreamed two months ago that you could achieve all you have already? For once I have to disagree with you, you are remarkable and should be proud of yourself !!
Consider yourself ‘told’ man 🙂

Bill I am delighted for you – what an inspiration you are to the rest of us. It’s so much harder to lose weight when you are older, but you have shown it can be done. Be very proud of your achievements.
Janice

Hi jillyB
Follow the advice on the forums and shout if you need help.
This way of eating will make you lose weight and it will be easier than you could ever imagine.

Best of luck on your journey, let us all know how you progress.

Hi all, I’ve just signed the petition and sad to say I was number 49, for the number of people posting on the forums this is really bad, we need so many more to sign up pleeeeze! I,ve posted it on my Facebook page to try and drum up support so come on folks, this is so easy. Instead of spending millions on dietitians, free gym passes etc lets get the word out there, it’s all about changing your shopping trolley and mindset.

Preaching over, everyone have a great Easter weekend and keep up the good work.

Still on half dose metformin and todays FBS was 6.6
If this stays the same for the next week I’ll stop them altogether

Bill your results have been amazing – thats nearly 2 stones! The lightest you have been for 25 years is a real achievement. Then there is your lower blood sugars, improvements in your eyes . . . And I could go on.
You truly are inspirational. 🙂

I just signed – yaaay, number 50! I’ll share on Facebook.

Denise, I’m another Welshie who can’t sing. In fact, I’m positively banned from singing in my household! Lol!

Finally I get to join the veterans 🙂
Briefly I started my 8 weeks at 16 stone 9 pounds. I’ve seen an overall loss of 25.5 pounds for todays weight of 14 stone 11 and a half pounds.

My FSB on day 1 was 9.8, it’s now under 7 with other readngs taken over the day within normal limits.
I have been able to stop my Exanatide injections and cut my Metformin dose in half with a view to being med free within a month.
My first weight target is 13.5 stones by June and I’m confident of reaching that.
I’ll be staying on the BSD until I hit that weight and then have another think about it
I know I haven’t had the incredible results that others have but, this was the last chance saloon for me and I couldn’t be happier at the way things have gone.
May I just throw this out there.
Rice, pasta, bread and potatoes have been the worldwide staple diet for tens of thousands of years, some races survived on little else, but the diabetes epidemic is comparatively recent.
Do we need research into whether these natural carbs are really as dangerous as the processed muck they have been adding to our food over the last fifty years ?

FANTASTIC Bill you are such an inspiration – big hugs and well done!

I’m the opposite to you Hb – I am in control when I’m with people (so weekdays/term time at work are fine) but I live alone these days and have always been a secret eater – now a secret binger. I find it very hard to maintain control in the holidays and at weekends.

I do feel I’ve turned a corner with embracing the blood sugar diet and feel like I am making progress towards health.

Happy Easter everyone, and thanks for the lovely support on these forums!

Since you posted its 49 orchid.
Good idea, was planning to give it to my asthma nurse next week.
Perhaps others will take up your suggestion, the more proactive we are the better!

Up the revolution! 🙂

Morning BSD’ers
Week 8 weigh day and another two and a half pounds gone.
That gives me an 8 week total of 25 and a half pound weight loss and a 4 inch waist reduction. Under 15 stones for the first time in 25 yeas. People who know me say my face is thinner too. (I never knew I had a fat face 😉 )
Not as remarkable a loss as some but given I’m older than some and long term T2B I’m delighted.
I’m going to stay on the plan until I hit my first target weight of 13.5 stone and re evaluate then.
Best of luck to you all for this weeks results and, as always.
Onwards and upwards.

That’s hilarious cherrieanne, poor lad. In my ditzy defence there was only a narrow lane cut through the hill side and it happened on a sharp blind bend. It just never occurred to me someone might be there, it hadn’t happened before.

I’m still laughing at the image you have planted in my head! X

Hi, the petition is now up to 47 and the distribution across the UK pretty uniform – fun to look at the map.
Suggestion. A few people have mentioned that their GP or nurses are supportive and or buying the book. If you remember, and feel happy doing it – take the petition number into the surgery or clinic next time you go and tell them about it. If they believe this works they may be happy to add their name to the petition, after all they will have all the work to role out the ‘new initiative’ so would probably prefer to be rolling out something they agree with and or at least have the choice in what they prescribe!

I, too, am an Australian. I have been an insulin dependant diabetic for 15 years and overweight all my life, so am not sure how this diet will work for me. I have done a stint of 5-2 diet, lost some weight and then it all went back again. I am about to start BSD next week, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
jilly B

Hi Judith,
At least his face is only imprinted on your memory and not the front forks of your bicycle lol.
I used to cycle home with two friends, one of whom was well known for being ditzy. She would be so busy looking across and chatting, she’d never watch where she was going. One day she ran into a teenage boy from behind. I can still hear the ‘oof’ noise he made as her front wheel went between his legs and lifted him back up over her handlebars.
Still laughing as I type this after all these years. Luckily didn’t do him any permanent harm.

Yayyy Bob Fox – up the revolution!!! 🙂

Pete, the most encouraging thing is that you recognise ‘the science’ of why you gained 2kg and know you can reverse it. Here’s to a positive week.

Hi Leeanne,
I think your results are showing that you’re on the right track. Yay 🙂
The long fast overnight, and diet during the day is encouraging your liver to get rid of stored sugar. So you can expect your morning levels to be higher for a while. I used to worry about this, I was so conditioned to treating the symptoms of diabetes instead of the cause, but now I’m in the non diabetic range consistently.
Your post meal result is great, shows that you aren’t eating more carbs than your body can cope with. Exciting times ahead, keep posting your results!

Thankyou Cherrianne, a wonderful message that we all need reminding of. Happy Easter to you and all our fellow BSDers 🙂

Just signed and shared on Facebook. Up the revolution!!!!!

Janet, that’s great advice for Sue 🙂 Janet I didn’t read your first post in any other way that it was great advice, and to be honest, a lot of people just can’t eat much at funerals, they’re pretty emotional occasions. You often think you will be able to eat until you are there -and you can’t. I would think there will be a few people who find their appetite is dulled.

Sue, I hope it goes as well as these things can. Like Janet says we all know you are a caring person 🙂

Hi Pete, well done for changing your state of mind. I think part of the reason why you don’t feel the need to abandon everything is that its actually quite easy to repair the damage. On other diets, we never had that. It was a slog to lose the weight in the first place and then a slog to do it all over again. Because, once you’ve accepted the principles of this program, it is incredibly easy, the idea of having to do that bit again isn’t nearly so daunting. That’s how I think of it anyway. All the best.

Hi stringbreaker, it’s fabulous to get a year older but be able to do more!! It’s almost against the laws of nature! Thanks for putting somerset on the map! 🙂

Jpscloud – the half pounds of butter is an even better way of visualising fat loss. I’ll follow your lead 🙂

Thanks so much Cherianne. Woke up this morning in a slightly more positive frame of mind. Love the idea of setting myself an Easter treat limit this weekend and thinking of it as a 5:2 week. I am really enjoying the food on Bsd and feeling better for it but I think I need to be more realistic about how my brain and life works. I think it will take me longer than 8 weeks to get there because I am doing it mixed in with the odd social event at work/ weekend or travelling at weekends to see my boyfriend who is not doing bsd and loves foodie treats. This lifestyle means I tend to stick more to the plan during the week. Frustrating but the reality. When I only have me to think about I can maintain control. When I am with others I am easily influenced. Slowly slowly I will get there I guess. I want to improve my health and body image and get my confidence back and this is definitely the way forward but perhaps just not as quickly as others. Right, pulling myself together now and heading out for a walk. Today is a brand new day. Loving the forum for support and reading about others’ experiences. Keep going everybody!

Hi Moyjos
Welcome to the forums, you will find loads of support here and good advice when you need it. I’m always interested when people say they have been watching their weight for years. It probably means you’ve been following the advice they gave us about low fat, high carb, exercise, etc, etc. And yet our weight has still crept up. Their answer to this – you didn’t try hard enough, you didn’t have enough will power, bla bla. Our answer to this – it was the wrong advice! You are spread finding out how wonderful this program is, long may it continue for you!

I know Cherrianne, the picture of the bishops face is firmly imprinted on my memory! I don’t think the principal was too pleased either – lucky for me that he was a fellow Yorkshire person ! 🙂 It certainly wiped the grin from my face as I was hurtling down the mountain lol 🙂

Annaandalfie, welcome to the forums and thankyou for posting your wonderful success – 2kg in 5 days! Wow! A lot of people are allowing themselves a little easter treat this weekend – it’s much easier for those of us who have been on the diet for some time. It’s amazing how you lose the urge to eat any carbs after several weeks.

You used a very useful tactic by eating slowly and savouring your food and you have learned you can control what you eat! Fantastic.

A group of us have started a petition ‘NHS to encourage diabetics to follow a low carb diet..’
The link is below if any of you who have already done so would like to sign

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125704

Hi Mairead,
This post also popped up on another thread, over the 8 week line, and I’ve answered it there

Hi Mummytummy,
I wondered how you were going. We haven’t heard from you since your trip to London I think.
The book does just stick to the term low carb, I think to keep things simple. The general consensus here seems to be that people are trying to keep to 50g carb per day. Works out at 15g per meal with 5g to spare. Some people are going lower, but you will lose weight and get good blood sugar control on around 50g.
Hope you are getting success on the BSD, keep posting. Everyone’s experience might help someone else who might be reading but hasn’t had the courage to post yet.

Hi PeteintheBayou,

Firstly, well done on getting back into the diet straight away. I did the exact same thing- had great weight loss week 1, then went on a weekend reunion with old friends. Like you, I ate healthily but the booze put 3lbs back on. I too have had a ‘mental shift’ with regards to this diet in that like you, I refocused straightaway. Ordinarily, this probably wouldn’t hAve happened if you didn’t have those 2 occasions to go to. For me, this was a one off occasion- of course I was going to celebrate. The main thing is, you are back on it and you’ve gained new knowledge about yourself. I’m sure more people have done this too and as MM says on the book, it’s ‘best not to drink’ during the 8 weeks. Further down the line when you have completed the 8 weeks, and achieved your goals a glass of red now and then is allowed on the med style diet. Good luck!

Totally agree Cherrianne, how often do we tell each other that its not so bad but we berate ourselves for not being perfect.

Hi All,
As much as we need encouragement and support from others, we need to encourage ourselves. The forums are great, so much care and concern on here. We need to show ourselves the same care and concern.
We are constantly bombarded with subliminal messages about food. Aromas deliberately piped into supermarkets to make us buy more. TV ads ( count them, and be shocked at the frequency in popular shows), billboards, magazines, big signs advertising ‘specials’. We don’t consciously note them but our brain gets the message. Is it any wonder that we are tempted?

Again, we have subliminal messages about how we should look and what the ideal body should be. How many of us can measure up to an airbrushed ideal?

So the negative self talk begins, we are tougher on ourselves than anyone else would ever be! Yet our body is an amazing creation. It serves us so well and is worth love and nurture, no matter what shape or size we come in. So let’s feed it the fuel it deserves, accept our frailties when we lapse, and show ourselves the same care we give others.
Happy Easter everyone

Food tastes GREAT now!

Great victories everyone 🙂

My favourite way of visualising weight loss is packs of butter – one pack is half a pound! When I feel disappointed with only a pound loss, I think of the two packs of butter it represents and suddenly it seems a pretty big achievement.

Hi Mairead,
12 is a bit high for a fasting reading. I can understand you stopping the gliclazide but do you think you stopped the metformin a bit soon? Were your levels lower before you stopped it or have they always been high?
Maybe you should wait until the blood sugars come down a bit before reducing it.
There’s another thread called ‘rising fasting blood sugars’ with more info.

Hi Sue
I’ve just re-read my post and I made a terrible gaff. I should have said that its not about having to explain about you being on a diet. I’m sorry, what I wrote sounds a bit callous, we already know that you have so many people in your life to look after so you are not a me me me person at all. My point was really just that I think you will be hoping to attract as little attention as possible while staying on track as much as possible and I think you can do both.

Sorry about your sad news, Sue. If I were in your position, I’d have just a couple of mouthfuls of each course. That way, if anyone says why aren’t you eating you can say well funnily enough you don’t really have an appetite. Its about grief then and not about you isn’t it. There arent many times I would make an exception but funerals and high tension situations would be the times for me.

Hashimoto,

You bet – I cycled up a hill yesterday that I haven’t climbed since last year, and really appreciated the sack of potatoes I wasn’t hauling up!

I’ve just signed the petition (42 signed up now) and have put Somerset on the map (you can see the geographical spread of people signing)

Lol Judith, I can just picture that 🙂

Newbie here too, done a lot of lurking too! Nearly at end of week 1 and a sneaky weigh after 5 days was 2kg – yayyy. My downfall is bread so have cut it out until yesterday when I had a hot cross bun. Only 1 instead of 2 and eaten deliberately slowly with a knob of butter. It was fabulous and afterwards realised that I really only did want just 1. Major step forward!
Thanks for all the comments that get posted they really are helpful and encouraging, looking forward to getting more involved😀

Hi Lucia,
Diet whey is a protein supplement, usually used by body builders and people who use the gym a lot to build muscle. Whey is quite high in carbs because it is milk based, the diet one is lower but still has a fair few. It is usually a powder added to smoothies.
If you wanted a protein supplement to add to smoothies, a legume based one will be lower carb. I am vegetarian, but definitely no gym bunny lol, so I add the legume type one to my morning smoothie.
Hope this has helped. Happy Easter

Funkydoofamily, that’s a very good result, especially if you have been eating off piste, so to speak! 🙂

Just to keep it in view for those who don’t yet know about our petition re asking for the NHS to encourage diabetics to follow the low carb diet . The link is below 🙂

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125704