Hi Carmella, I suspect the reason there are not many baking recipes in the book is that we need to train ourselves away from baked goods, containing as they do flour & sugar (if you want a decent cake)! Unfortunately, I find that any diet alternatives, while meeting a need for a pudding & suchlike, just are not in the same league as the things we have got used to eating, pre-BSD. As you say, not wowed!
Coconut flour is all very well but it’s not a straight substitute for ordinary flour – you’ve got to increase liquids, and the texture is different. I have an ordinary recipe for a coconut cake – I adapted it to use coconut flour – while the end result was acceptable it wasn’t a patch on the original. I may have another go and try it with a mixture of coconut flour & ground almonds. No idea what that might do to the calorie count (I don’t count calories).
I think I might just bake “normal” recipes but only very occasionally, and slice things up and freeze some rather than hogging it all over the course of a few days.
Regards, Rose

Kia Ora from Palmerston Northj

I have been on the programme for 4 weeks now and have lost around 7kg
I did a big stir fry yesterday with cauliflower, zucchini, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and a red capsicum. I also sliced up some previously cooked corned beef from the weekend. This made up 5 meals in those Chinese takeaway dishes. One was for last night’s dinner; the others are in the freezer. I don’t need to say that the fry up was done in olive oil with black pepper and a touch of salt. During cooking, another glug of olive oil over the top.

I can think of two reasonably safe takeaway meals – Egg Foo Yong, and Pita Pit. The latter can be purchased in a waxed cardboard box rather than the unleavened bread wrap.

Kia Kaha
Jim

Hello Just Do It, in spite of your slow weight loss you have quite an impressive list of positives! So stick with it. Our bodies don’t respond consistently, at a set rate. I’ve been on the BSD for 3 months now – I didn’t go for the whole 800 cals/day, rather I just adjusted my eating habits (leaving out the “extras” helped considerably), tried to eat my evening meal by 6pm/7pm to extend the overnight fast. My weight loss has been slow compared to others, it’s averaging just over 1lb/week. I’ve had the occasional blip, most recent one was last night – I’d not been feeling great, stress at work, was dehydrated – I downed 1/2 a carton of orange juice, kept snacking on anything I could lay my hands on, and had a great big dollop of honey (and I enjoyed it). So don’t be disheartened by giving in to temptation with chocolate & biscuits – it happens. My weight loss tends to be 2 or 3 days of losing, then it goes up, then plateaus before falling again (imagine a ball bouncing down stairs). But I calculate in this past 3 months that I have lost 10% of my original starting weight. I’ve still got a way to go before I’m in the “healthy” part of the BMI and I expect it will take a while. Just got to keep plugging away. Good Luck, Rose

Absolute promise of Michael Mosley; BSD would reprogramme my eating habits is spot on and discovering new foods, enjoying cooking from scratch is great. Healthier, more energy, looking better – he certainly is a star.

I do like a chip. Before BSD, I would’ve happily have scoffed a plateful.

I am on day 8 today of this journey.
I am, too, keeping a diary of sorts to track what and how much I eat, as well as my blood sugars.
Yesterday skipped breakfast, went out for lunch with a friend, and had vegetarian lasagna (with zucchini in place of noodles) for dinner.
I, too, get slightly terrified when knowing that I will be eating a meal out at a restaurant, so, I had been looking up a menu at the restaurant I plan to visit ahead of time. That way I can make my best choices, see what I need to skip or ask for “on a side” to make it less stressful for myself and to not feel rushed while placing my food order.
Love this topic.

Hi Lucyjane & Meredex
You are both trying hard. It is disappointing when real effort is so poorly rewarded.
Many of us ( more each day) have decided to ditch the carbs & follow a much healthier life style. Some, like me Really have to continue, no matter how fast or slow our results are. I’m type 2 diabetic.

The Mediterranean diet is healthy & tasty & good for you. 800 calories is tough to get your head around but worth it. You can & do lose weight on that kind of calorie count.

Too much salt can make you retain water. Too much exercise likewise. Too many hidden carbs can mess up your carb counting. All this & much more is explained by Jenny Ruhl in her book : Diet 101 The Truth About Low Carb Diets. It’s very informative & worth a read. Her first book is Blood Sugar 101, second edition. See : http://www.phlaunt.com

Do hope you both persevere & get results soon.
Eureka

Hello Carmella, I am in week 10 now and have also lost >15 kg. I only counted daily calories and sugar. I am averaging 850, and <30 gm/day sugar. So when in a couple of weeks I switch to maintenance mode on 5:2 or similar I will not be frightened to have the odd slice of bread and the odd chip. I used to eat 200 gm of mashed potato but tonight I manged with 35 gms of boiled in skin with lots of broccoli, carrots, cabbage, green beans and gravy with some reformed ham. You won’t find that in the recipes. I have not used any of them being a plain eater. I have extended my variety and reduced or eliminated certain things but not finding it hard. I think the changes we made will be long lasting but we will need to up the calories to stop the shrinking! I am close to my top end of normal so not worried about diet anymore. I am healthier, fitter and better suited my old clothes than elasticated trousers. All in all a great success and Dr Mosley is a star. Good luck with your approach just don’t worry because a few days on 800 would sort out any upward trend I think.

Apologies if I’m being thick but… Can I have artificial sweetener whilst following BSD?

So day four gone discovered shouldn’t be eating oats !
And I bought box rolled oats too.
Not one tiny bit hungry which leads me to believe I’ve eaten too many nuts !
My afternoon readings which are 4/5 hours after lunch have come down each day and now are 6.4 ,not sure if that’s fasting or what though
Morning reading staying over 9
Tomorrow I WILL reduce calories
Cheers folks any pointer really really welcome Alan

1 egg omelette and 10g cheese?
20g cheese and half an apple?
Have you any sausages?

Hi Orchid, I’ve just worked out the average over the last 3 week is 40g carbs (use myfitnesspal). Fat is always the biggest percentage, I drink 3l of water and fast from dinner to lunch most days, got into the habit on 5:2.

Hi Just do it, do you know the number of grams carbs per day? It may be your carbs are too high and a small adjustment there (downwards) will sort out the weight loss.

I was up in Lancashire at my mums, who is diabetic. She gets GI bread from her bakers. She has one slice per day (it’s unsliced, baked on site) and I have to say, it’s lovely. I have no idea if it’s sold as low GI …it might be no good on this. As there’s no ‘packet’ I couldn’t find out.

Today:
B: Yoghurt, flax seed & oil, berries
D: Bolognese and courgette

Looking for a yummy snack- I’m peckish and have 100 calories & 12g carbs left. I often have nuts and cheese but too calorific today…any ideas/inspiration??

Hi Lucia, what are you looking for re carbs?

Hi catfish
A fellow puddle splasher. ,!!
🌂🌂🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂👢🌂🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧☔️☔️☂🌤☂☂🌤☂🌤☂🌤☔️☂☂☂☔️🌧☔️🌧☔️🌧☔️🌧☔️🌧☔️💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💧💧💧💧💧💧

Keep splashing for me.
If anyone asks you what you are doing, just say I sent you….😀😀😀😀😀😀
I like the sound, the youthfulness of it.
The silliness of it,
the what’s the point of it, nothing?. Oh of it
I love just getting wet too.

And
It keeps us all young
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi call me Deb.
Didn’t John legend sing about I love all your perfect imperfections?

Oh I feel another song coming on🌝🎼⚽️🎼🎼🎼🎼🎤🎹🎹🎹🎼🎹🎹⚽️🎸🎸🎸🎸🎼🎼🎼
How did Bill 1954 s foot ball get into my singing.

La. La lalalalalala. La lalalal

Love Lucia
Xxx

Hi all, I sympathise completely. I’ve started to think I’m an exception to the rule of this diet too. I’ve been on it almost four weeks now and today gave in for the very first time and had chocolate and biscuits as I’m just so disheartened with the slow weight loss, I thought I may as well deserve it as it’s happening anyway. So far:
week 1 – lost 4lbs
Week 2 – gained and lost the same 1 lb
Week 3 – revised meals, ate from book and under 650 cals for 3 days in a row and lost 3lbs then back to 800 cals and gained 1.5lbs
Week 4 – gained and lost same 2lbs
So over all ended up losing about 1lb in the last 3 weeks – torture! I know that until today I’ve done it right. I did MM’s original 5:2 diet Dec – Feb and lost a stone using occasional 500cal days. I think maybe I should have less than 800 cals some days, maybe nearer 600 as doing that brought me the 3lb loss? Crazy though that I need to go that low.
However, in spite of today’s rebellion I’m not giving up. Positives:
Lost 5lbs
Lost a few inches all over
Asthma seems to have disappeared
Osteoarthritic knee better than ever
Sinus probs disappeared
Feel slimmer and energetic (when not sulking over scales)
Damage limitation now, no dinner, loads of water instead and going to yoga class. Fridge stuffed with med food. Bought keto sticks. From tomorrow will alternate 800/600 cals for a week. What does everyone think?

Hi cherriNne,
Yup, a 12 is mine.
Don’t tell anyone,, sshhhhhhhh I have tried a 12 on, can’t quite get trousers past my thighs. Dress I can’t zip up yet, but technically I am nearly in it, except for the bits hanging out of it.
😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅🙂
Lucia xxxx

Hi Hashimoto,
I wish we had a but of a chart for carbs on the website, it would have saved me a whole heap of time.
Love Lucia
Xxx

Hi,
I went to tesco’s last Sunday and bumped into a few work mates,
Normally I could hide the whole trolley behind my junk in the trunk.
But Sunday, I wasn’t ashamed of its contents.
Instead of loaves, pizzas, pasta from the deli, fizzy pop, ice cream, tons of chocolates, crisps, cooked chicken smothered in coatings.
My trolley looked as if it was straight from the garden.
A little sliced, cooked meat, my yoghurts, can I say, I was PROUD?

I left the trolley in front of me on show.

Love Lucia
Xxxx

Zendo
My Dr. had heard of Michael Mosley and remembered the documentary, but doesn’t believe in testing fasting blood sugar so I will have to special request an extra Hb1Ac after the 8 weeks. I don’t want to do home made testing. Interestingly my Dr. appears, ahem, very overweight in appearance. I am seeing the diabetes nurse soon to see if anything’s on offer, but judging by the telephone appointment chat she doesn’t approve of anything remotely Fast in a diet… we’ll see.
I think the knowledge on here might be more helpful and supportive.
My big concern is getting the diabetes diagnosis reversed to accompany what I *know* will be a lower and thus normal reading. Probably. I don’t want to be a diabetic when it comes to travel insurance etc on the strength of a reading which followed a long illness.

Spirit,
Thanks for adding – I’ll bite – tell me about #9 if you would.
I got as far as working out that you refer to Fage Greek yoghurt.
I see EasiYo have simple and cheap yog makers like a thermos, but haven’t Googled enough to work out how to get to the Greek and not Greek style.
Tell me it’s an extra easy step please or I’ll be worrying – I am shocked to see that I have been enjoying mere Greek style yog from Tesco. and not the real deal!

Janet 1973

From the supermarket. Quite a large chain of them here Tegut. I know that his particular bread probably is not available outside of Germany. BUT someone will be making something very similar…just wanted people to know so they look out for it… I was bored and reading the spread packaging and wondering if i would ever eat it again… and I found this…. so its worth a gander….

That’s really interesting Fatty, where did you get it from?

Hi karra
Very pleased you are making progress on many levels. Your persistence has been rewarded.
Eureka

B – Greek yog/strawberries ( after reading about Fage brand on here I gave it a go, oh my! It’s SOOO creamy)
L – egg salad
D – spring greens/peas/ minced beef/gravy

Teas/coffee
Apple

So weighed for the first time today.. beginning of week 5.. down 9kg (19.8 pound) from the day I decided to do this… happy with that…since I have cut back to one quarter of my diabetic meds as well…Thank you to everyone for their support… its half over!!!!!

Hello Everyone… just wanted to share with you that I found a bread today that is 2,5% fat, 6.2% Carbs, 11%roughage 24% protein 1% added sugar, and 1.3% salt…. and it tasted Great. so 100g was just on two slices… and it was just like eating a really good grainy bread …I toasted it..coz thats what I have been missing. I have googled the ingredients because they are listed in German.. and it is made mostly with egg whites, a sour dough base and seeds of all sorts…. It is called Protien Brot. Made by Tegut. Hoping some of you may be able to find it or something similar… think it will really help me feel more normal…

Lucia, it seems obvious that eating lots of junk food is a bad idea, but somehow it can be difficult for us to connect what’s on our plates to the way our clothes seem to shrink when they’re in the wardrobe!

Went shopping today. More than 3/4 of what we bought was fresh veg. In front and behind us were very overweight and unhealthy looking people with a trolley full of cakes, biscuits, ready meals, desserts, cereals and fizzy drinks. I feel super smug.

221 signatures. Let’s keep it rolling folks 🙂

Hi captainlynne

Be careful , same to all with bad backs! As you lose a lot of weight your body has to realign internally. Where the fat was, your organs are resettling & now have ‘breathing’ space. Your/ my muscles can be in permanent spasm protecting the damaged area. 32 years later my hips are twisted & one is higher than the other! It is a permanent fatigue.

Think before you move or lift. I Knew how to do both but still circumstances did the damage! Look after this new, improved body, after all we want to spend on it. Summer wardrobes beckon
Eureka

Desperate, I don’t know how or why I keep typing dirt for diet! I’ve usually spotted and corrected the typo – not this time lol 🙂

Food Blackouts are like an out-of-body experience aren’t they? You’re aware of what is happening, but detached.

I do find that since starting the BSD I am more mindful of what I am eating. Not just because I log everything, but because I am paying attention while I am eating it. Mindful eating – it’s a bit of a revelation, lol.

Yesterday was uneventful. Except for the snow, then hail, then rain… People wonder why Canadians are obsessed with weather. Let me tell you the forcast for this week.
Today: Low -2C Hi 6C Mostly Cloudy, Very Windy
Tomorrow: Low -1C Hi 4C Cloudy
Thursday: Low 2C Hi 7C Sunny
Friday: Low 4C Hi 8C Sunny
Saturday: Low 6C Hi 12C Sunny
Sunday: Low 9C Hi 17C Sunny

Seriously – This better be right – I want to go hiking and want the snow to be gone (and the ground to dry a bit).

Fingers Crossed!

Make today a great day!

Cheers,

Deb

PS Eureka – I thought it was funny 🙂

Hi all newbie vets
Well done. Now the fun starts!
Thought I’d blown it after busy week & irregular eating. But, 2 lbs down & 1/2″ off waist. Blimey Riley!
Away Friday for a family hol & lots of big bdays to celebrate. Do my best to stay focused. Intend to start exercising every day now, will swim all week. Swam for my city once-upon-a time! What happened to that? I was too heavy for my knees & back to cope with exercise during the 8-weeks BSD. Did as Prof Taylor said, concentrated on diet. Still a way to go. But the future’s (orange) lot brighter anyway.

Bill great your off meds. If only… !

Me & bread a complete no go there. I think it’s the genetic manipulation & increase in Gliadin in the Gluten. Makes sense to me.
Eureka

Good news on the flatbreads, Lostgirl! If you miss out the stevia and spread them with yoghurt or cream and some sliced strawberries I think you will find them sweet enough:)

I make a triple batch so I have plenty to freeze. I use them as dessert with cream and fruit on top when I have friends for dinner.

Try the chickpea flour flatbreads, they’re delicious with a curry 🙂

Hi john
Thank you 🙂
Christine

Hi newlife
Thank you 🙂
Christine

Hi Barby, Like you, I generally prefer to stay away from these foods, but I have tried two different sausages. I used them in a vegetable stew – so lots of veg and sausages cut up in the stew. It made 4 portions so I must have been 2 sausages per portion.
The ones from Cauldron worked well and added flavour and texture to the stew. I will use them again. The ones from VegiDeli were no so successful – they went into ‘sausages with red cabbage’ and were ok, not memorable. They were much higher calorie as well. Maybe they would have been better just grilled.
I have bought some mushroom & garlic veggi-burgers (Dragonfly) 19 carbs 292 cals per burger. It was a bit of an impulse buy – I wanted some thing to have in the fridge for days I had little in the freezer or came home very hungry and needed to get some food going fast. I may try them at the weekend, I certainly need to plan the whole days food around that one item as it is high for the amount of space it takes up on the plate!
Beware of some of these products – sausages and pates often have potato as the base!
I will be interested in your thoughts about any of the others you try.

Hi bill
Thank you, got some really good sun glasses to stop the glare.
Christine

Hi Janet
Thank you🙂
Christine

Hi Polly!

Welcome to the forums! Whilst I cannot answer your meds question. I can recommend the diet! Congratulations on your weight loss! Since you’re already low-carbing week one should be mostly pain free.

Good luck and keep us posted. If you have a question, just ask – the wonderful people on this site are amazing helpers.

Cheers,

Deb

Lucia, isn’t it wonderful to be in the b group? 🙂

I’ve said before that the first two weeks I didn’t get the idea of full fat. It was several weeks before I started to understand carbs . I’ve only just got my head round the techno stuff – but not all of it. I’ve got to say if all the techie stuff had been on the forums when I started it may well have discouraged me. I basically followed the idea of the recipes and I have got to say the weight just dropped off without me understanding a lot of stuff.

Whatever you are doing it’s working, Lucia, so as someone else said – just keep on keeping on!:)

I’ll kick a ball with you tonight 🙂 xxxxx

Catgirl, purple!! Brilliant! Xxx

Hi Judith
Thank you 🙂
Christiine

Hi eureka
We are back and sat by the pool, we got the 10 am bus, had a three quarter walk, got some good sunglasses, had a coffee and strawberries and cream, then walked to McDonald’s! ( an hours walk) I had tuna salad, then another’s hours walk back to apartment, just had a swim, now for a rest!
Will look for a pedometer when I get home, thank you for the good wishes
Christine

Lucia you are an inspiration. Perfectly Imperfectly Human.

You let us all into your world and fill it with bubbles and puddles.

Thank you for my daily smile.

Deb

Same happened to me Stingle, it’s such a wonderful moment ::

Thankyou FiFiP – really good to hear you’re feeling full now. I look forward to leaving the years of sugary treats behind me and finding other ways to ‘reward’ myself.

Thankyou for your support : )

Veggie Burgers/ Sausages. Has anyone tried a ready made supermarket burger or sausage they can recommend please? Or possibly other ready meals?

The Linda Mc Cartney Rosemary & Red Onion sausages are 132 cals for 2 and 6.3 carbs. I would love to have a fry up, with eggs and sausage and tomatoe. I could also chop the them up and have in a stir fry.

I know it is best to cook everything from scratch, but If I am to stick with this regime, I know that in truth I will not last doing this long term. I need to find some ready made things I can grab and cook sometimes, not just omlettes all the time.

I am trawling the supermarkets to look at their own too. I am not mad on the quorn ones, I prefer something that doesn’t try and taste like meat, but more veg and pulses.

I have also found the Cauldron falafels which are 134 cals for 2 and 12.5 carb for 2. These would be lovely cold with a salad.

There must be a huge market for healthy veggie food that is low carb and low salt, in the UK.

Finally, hello Pinklady 🙂 nice to have another veggie aboard, good luck, and hope you have some great losses.

stingle – you are my hero! Well Done!

Juliet, your motivation for change is spot on! The cravings will alter and you will get to the stage when you wonder why you ate the wrong things – husband and I cannot believe how quickly we feel full these day and the thought of ‘sweet-treats’ is a non-starter.

Good luck!