Thanks for the answers guys! I (nervously) hit 899 last night BUT got up this morning (day 6) and was down FIVE lbs! Delighted, very encouraged and feel like its all starting to make sense! Thanks for the support!

Hi Natalie,

I know exactly how you feel… something happens on day three! Being an emotional eater and having lost about 4 stone from my heaviest, i’ve had to conquer this (even before i started BSD). I find if i can just distract myself for a moment, or force myself to do one action i can get through cravings. For instance, I’ll literally throw something in the bin half eaten, or make myself get in the shower, or boil the kettle, leave the kitchen and come back and make a green tea, or send a text etc – anything you can do which halts the frantic need for something. It empowers you, and you feel in control. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.

Best of luck with it all, its all a learning curve!

Hi all, started back on bsd on Monday, fasting blood sugar up and down 7/7 yesterday and 8 this morning I’m not on medication as I’m hoping to get it back down to the 5 range after the 8 week plan, I couldn’t resist hopping on scale this morning and I’m down four pounds so very happy, should I worry about the rising fasting blood sugar. I love all the support on the posts, thank you.

Great attitude Anthony,
Once you get into the swing of things you’ll find there is no effort involved at all.
As your body gets rid of the carbs and starts on burning fat, you will feel and sleep better and the weight will start to melt away. Check it after 7 days, you may shock yourself.
Be sure to try to keep carb intake at 50 grams or less per day and keep the fat intake up. this will definitely help with any feelings of hunger.
Looking forward to your first week results

Penny
replied 🙂

Can I just say the chilli beef is to die for!!!

Today made my own breakfast

Debbie and Andrew sausage ( bad I had 2)
Scrambled egg
Mushrooms and tinned tomato

Not sure where I stand but yummy. I’m not bursting for being to full but comfortable

It was nice to have a breakfast like that.

I do miss the toast.. I have promised myself 2 stone goal is a slice of proper bread .. Toasted with butter.

Hi Bill
I’ve resent
Penny

Bill, all the positives keep rolling in for you!!
I had a similar experience last night when a friend dropped in ( she hadn’t seen me for a fortnight) she said I was unrecognisable and looked like I had knocked 10 years off my age 🙂 She has borrowed my book for her and her daughter to look at 🙂

Hi Steve
That is such a disgraceful attitude.
That doctor is paid a fortune to come out with that sort of Rubbish.
Be assured you are not alone- we are all here to support you. Good luck on Monday.
Penny

That’s great Bill1954, nice that your OH made this comment and a big success for you. …. Wow, 2 new holes in your belt? Holes are a couple of cm apart right? Thats so great…. I have a favourite jeans jacket, I still sometimes wear, but I cant button it closed, so I leave it open. The two sides were at least 10cm apart ( I really shouldnt have worn it then) but when I put it on the other day just to see if there is some difference, I was pleasantly surprised that the buttons on one side and the holes on the other are coming together :-). Still cant do them up, but at least the two sides of the jacket nearly meet each other now. Sometimes this type of measuring, and not always the scales, can be just as effective a tool to monitor my progress. If you lost this much, you must have had to buy new clothes…. this alone would be nice and a further signal, that you can leave your old fat person world behind. My hat off to you :-))!

Steve take a look at my results in the over the 800 line thread.
That’s what a GP should be acting like, TBH yours is a disgrace. Next time you see him just ask him how much his practise would save if all the T2D patients could reverse the disease.
The best way to shut him up is to do the full 8 weeks and then go back with your weight and sugar results. I found that handing over a copy of the notes printed from this site and handed over at the start of the conversation helped.

There is also a useful app for those who have an iPhone or iPad. It is called the Australian Easy Diet Diary. It is free, and will track your daily intake, your weight loss,it also has a list of foods and their nutritional info. You can scan barcodes or enter your own foods and store the info. Type in recipes and it will work out cals/ carbs etc per serve.
The icon looks like a blue spiral bound notebook with a picture of a pear on it.

I dont know if male skin differs any in elasticity to female skin, but I can say that after losing 5 inches and counting from my waist measurement (had to make 2 new holes in my belt this week) I dont notice any more flabby skin than normal.
Had a top moment last night, walked into the OH’s bedroom (we have to have separate rooms for medical reasons ) without a Tshirt on.
She took one look and said “by I knew you were losing weight but your stomach has almost gone”
Just a small comment but a huge reward for me 🙂

You are right Hashimoto, your wise comment brings things into perspective again.
I still have a fair way to go and being healthier and being able to DO things again, not feeling frumpy and to some degree “handicapped” anymore because I cant move properly, being able to buy clothes which dont resemble tents ( I get really angry about the price they are charging for tent-clothes – not talent or work involved to sew down a couple of straight lines) should be all I should concentrate on. Thanks again.

Hi Ros,
The app is a great tool. You can also enter the ingredients of a recipe and how many serves it makes. The app will tell you how many carbs, cals etc is in each serve. The icon looks like a blue spiral bound notebook with a pear on it.
Somebody told me that Big W had copies of the book but I had already ordered mine online by then. This was a couple of months ago so not sure if they’d still be there.

Steve T I’m sorry you had such a discouraging reaction from your GP. You will show him the error of his way when he sees you in 3 months time. You will be slimmer, healthier and hopefully reducing your metformin by then. Look at Bill1954 ! That is all the. Inspiration you need to begin this journey. The forums are full of helpful friendly people who will support you and just shout if you want any advice, there is always someone somewhere in the world who is awake and ready to help.

I cant help noticing it is april fools day. I think your GP is the April Fool lol

Welcome to the forums 🙂

Thanks, Neohdiver, interesting read.
My two sons and my husband know, I have not told me daughter yet. She lives in a different city to us, but I will be visiting her in a few weeks. I dont want to spoil the ” wow, mum, how did you do that?” kind of expression. Well, hopefully it will be that way. Have until mid-May and if things keep progressing the way they are at the moment, I should be able to get rid of a few more pounds.
My sons, they are both uni students, were horrified when I told them what I was doing,. They noticed that I had stopped eating “Mum’s favourites” and then the younger one saw that I was watching a YouTube presentation by MM and “That Sugar Film”. They tried to dismantle the arguments about why this diet might work demanding to know on what peer reviewed scientific study the basis of this diet relied on….. They now look at labels, at least they look now,. Standing in front of the open fridge door, with my plain pot set greek yoghurt in one hand and a can of coke In the other, they tried to tell me that both products had the same amount of sugar in it…. and one of them said: ” How do you think they get the milk to ferment to get the joghurt? They need sugar for that!” I gave up at that point, but must say, I snug back later to check myself: The joghurt has 4.8g per serving (100g) and the coke has 9g per serving size (also 100g). The joghurt is lower, but I must say, I was surprised. I had expected the joghurt to be much much lower….. So maybe, next time I eat the joghurt, maybe I should 1/2 my portion. This experience made me a bit sceptical about some of the low carb recipes and I will pay greater attention to the sugar content of the ingredients, which until now, I did not really scrutinize, because they long have been perceived as low or even no sugar anyway….
Natalie, my OH, is somewhat indifferent and has a similar attitude to yours.
He no longer believes me, too many Monday Starts! I told one friend and she is supportive. She is doing the 5:2 and is doing quite well on it. She cant handle cutting out the carbs. So we have a bit of a friendly competition between us and often compare notes to see what works best for each of us. When I reach my goal, and knowing both diets quite well, I might do a mix of both of them, so I can sometimes “have my cake and it it all”. 🙂

Hi
how long have you been on the diet ?
It’s usually within the first week that you get the sugar cravings.
They can be offset (believe it or not) by eating a small piece of cheese, a few almonds or walnuts, or my personal favourite, I have a couple of packs of frozen berries in the freezer so I just throw a few in the microwave for a couple of minutes to mak a sort of khuli and have them with some Greek yoghurt.

Hi
the long fast isn’t an intentional thing, it’s just that the only time I ever eat breakfast is while on holiday.
My normal day is lunch at about 12:30, dinner at around 7, and if I decide to have a snack that would be at around 9:30.
Others have noted that an extended overnight fast does help so why not give it a go ?

Thanks everyone! When you visualise it in packs of lard/sugar whatever, it is a lot.

Well done too to Bill.

I had a real urge for something sweet yesterday evening. This was extra to my planned eating as I don’t often want anything sweeter than fruit. I did Google for sweet options that would fit in, but without finding anything I fancied. I finally settled on 1 square of 70% dark chocolate and that did seem to do the trick. Thinking about it now I could have tried adding a sweetner to my final cup of coffee. But has anyone got a better option?

I’m starting my 8 week diet on Monday. I went to see my GP today – I was slightly nervous about the reception I would get but hoped that I would get some support. I was right to be nervous. All I received was a homily about “we doctors” not being in favour of faddy crash dieting, especially when people taking them up expected “us hard-working GPs” to monitor their progress and health weekly. I’m feeling too disappointed to recount the last part of the conversation.

I told him that I was going to do it anyway for me as I wanted to take responsibility for my health rather than relying on pills. I could see that I wasn’t going to get any help or even moral support so am going to go it alone. And that includes making sensible decisions about tapering down Metformin from my current 4x50g tabs a day and closely monitoring what happens. He said he’ll see me again in about 3 months if I’ve managed to lose any weight. That was encouraging – I wonder why he became a doctor?

Fch I do hope you will like the yoghurt – did you get the Fage brand? I haven’t found another brand that tastes anything like it. I second what hashimoto says, it’s really filling and I don’t feel at all deprived when I have it for breakfast (I have it with fresh raspberries, which I probably will have to switch to frozen berries soon for budgetary reasons!!)

Nice to know the mini ice age I experienced yesterday wasn’t just me or a cold coming on. I had to resort to an extra layer, two blankets and a hot water bottle. Oh and I had a pot of tea plus a couple of my pints of water were swopped to hot water instead of cold. My late afternoon chicken broth was welcomed too. It lasted a couple of hours. I did warm up after that. Nice to know if exercise makes a difference because I cancelled my walk because of the cold. What was amazing though after 1 day plus 2 meals on the diet, I lost a whole half lb at my weekly weigh in, after a terrible Easter weekend including a takeaway, a biscuit binge, a toast supper and loads of chocolate and marzipan. All foods I wouldn’t normally have. Do others find that cutting carbs works so quickly?

Hi everyone
Today was my second weekly weigh-in and I’m now finding myself getting more and more interested in the debate between using only shakes or eating real food.
In the first week I had 3 shakes per day plus the 200 calorie top up of good, fibrous veg. Using these particular shakes I was having around 63 g of carbs per day plus whatever was in the veg. In my first week I lost 2kg and 1 1/2 inches off my waist. As I only need to lose 10 kg I was really pleased with this, though more importantly I needed to lose around 7 inches off my waist (I’m a real apple shape!)
The second week included Easter which gave me more time to go for long walks and to introduce real food into my diet. In this second week I have lost 1kg and 1/2 and inch off my waist. Not nearly as exciting although I do realise that water could have accounted for a lot of my weight loss in the first week.
So on the face of it, the shakes win, however as you always lose more in the first week I intend going back to the shake only regime for this next week which should provide a more reliable comparison.
It’s all going the right way but what really counts is the blood sugar levels and I haven’t checked those yet. As a pre-diabetic trying to head things off at the pass, I was keen to monitor this, but my doctor did not approve of my going on this diet (gave all the reasons that Michael Mosley said she would) and told me that there was absolutely no point checking my blood sugar as this would not tell me anything. And so I need to wait until November for my annual check-up unless I invest in a blood sugar monitor myself.
Have other pre-diabetics found this useful?
Until next week folks with the update on the meals versus shakes experiment.
Hargsi

You’re right grumptoglam – and I have missed the window of opportunity for some practically new stored clothes. They were just too big for me! 🙂

That’s really interesting, Cherrianne. Smoke smells can wake me up in the night as well.

I didn’t see the Madame Flavour tea when I scoured the shelves of the Health Food shop. They had a variety of liquorice teas but didn’t fancy the additional spices some had in them. The one I got is Clipper organic liquorice. A friend came over last night and she always asks to have a spoon of honey added to her herbal tea ( she thinks it isn’t a sugar) but she found the liquorice tea sweet enough! 🙂

Cherianne, thanks and a big well done to your mum too!

Karra, thank you – so many people are saying “if I can do it so can you…” now I’m starting to believe them!

Bill, I feel very different already, I’m “walking taller” as someone else on the forum said (sorry can’t remember who!) and although I’m having lapses that other people are managing to avoid, I am doing well enough to be making a difference, and it’s such a good thing that my 3-month check up came now, as it’s a great push to keep going.

Thank you so much to everyone for all the encouragement, kindness and support. What a lovely bunch you all are!

Bill, there was something on sky news this morning about a 13-hour fast being a way to combat breast cancer and other ailments. They didn’t mention diabetes, but I think you were saying that you do a long fast? I am going to try to increase my fasting time now too.

Inka – one question. Do you want to be healthy and have a longer life or to be a slightly prettier corpse?

Don’t worry about your skin – it won’t be on show to the whole world! If you think about it, people with big belly’s, as they get older, end up with it sagging whether they stay the same weight or slim down. Nothing you can do about it.

I’m 63 and I have got to say that my belly was beginning to sag a bit anyway – even in the mirror it looks a lot better than it used to – and clothes look much better on me now that I don’t look 5 months pregnant!!!

Just enjoy the fact that you are a new and healthier you! 🙂

Bill, amazing!! I bet you still look twice at those readings!! You should happy dance all day 🙂

Spirit – 1 stone 6lbs!!! That is a lot of weight! 42 half pound packs of lard to be precise! Bet you couldn’t even lift that amount!! Like stringbreaker said – you still have some time to lose more! 🙂

Fch I think you will love the full fat yoghurt, it’s creamy but not sweet, and very filling! I like a few seed and milled flax on mine along with a few berries! 🙂

Porridge, Greek yogurt, rhubarb
Soup
Mackerel salad.

Gram flour scones, yogurt, rhubarb
Chicken salad
Pulled pork, no sauce, green salad, avocado

Too true hashimoto! I am fitting in clothes I’ve kept for aaages hoping to fit in them one day…. Just never thought I’d be wearing them all at once! 😃
Can’t wait for summer now. Hoping to loose another stone by then. Normally I’m hiding in the shade covered up because I don’t want my arms/legs on show and I get too hot too quickly… Recently been told by doc that I’m vit D deficient which isn’t surprising! This summer however, I’ll be soaking up the Rays and hopefully ditch the thermal vest! 😅

2st 9 is amazing btw! That’s got to be numerous clothes sizes down and a whole lot of energy up!

Hi Sue, 5 bags of sugar is a very sizeable chunk to lose – and you have done it with so much going on in your life.:)

Hi Nikkioaks, if you have lost all those centimetres off your waist something is definitely happening. Perhaps it’s your visceral fat disappearing! Listen to Cherrianne those kgs will follow soon 🙂

I definitely lost my Carb craving a few days in, haven’t eaten bread, pasta, potatoes or rice for 20 days now. The sugar craving is harder to beat. Lentils, eggs, avocado, beans etc are all good to have with meals, it just takes time to ‘see’ meals looking different – we’ve become so accustomed to ‘something’ with pasta or rice etc but with this diet you have much more variety on your plate I think. And fresher foods. Last night my family had jacket potatoes with various fillings. With them, I had shredded pork, homemade coleslaw, green salad leaves, peppers, avocado and some halloumi cheese. No potato. Was very full, didn’t eat between 6pm and 8am this morning.
I do buy ready made courgetti now and again, no flavour but quick and easy if you don’t have time for an alternative. Also good if you don’t fancy a cold salad as a side and need something warm.

Hi Lucia I suffer from night cramps as well, you would not believe the contorted shapes my feet and toes make. It used to be all over my body, to the extent that I had to roll myself off the bed and onto the floor. Nothing worked for it until the doctor prescribed quinine sulphate – they can have some bad side effects so I was told to just use them for 4 or 5 nights and then drink tonic water with quinine in. It’s the only thing which works for me. Every now and again I have to take them for 4 or 5 nights. If night cramps are a regular feature I would speak to your doctor. BTW salt and all the other remedies for cramp had no effect on me, I was told to try lots of remedies since I was a kid. I got to 60 before I was given the quinine!!

Like Bill said, take care of that blister. Australian blister socks (you can send away for them) are the best protection for feet which blister – mind you they might not look too fetching with normal shoes!!

Sounds like you have a busy weekend ahead! The push bike might save your blister from more damage while you still get exercise.

Hope you get that ‘early’ finish at 7pm x

Hi nikkioaks, 5cm off your waist is pretty impressive. 🙂 and the kilos are bound to drop off soon. Obviously things are heading in the right direction. Hopefully the coming week will bring better results.

Spirit,
-20lbs is a great result (and there’s time to go)
But the great thing is that the weight will keep coming off even if you up the kCals a bit.
John

Thanks Cherrianne. I didn’t know about those apps. I’ll get my daughter to help me get and learn to use it. I don’t use apps much with the i-phone. But this is worth it. Thanks for advice regarding the full fat yoghurt as I was confused if that was after the 800 diet. I love my skim milk’s taste and really don’t like the full cream version. But I can switch cheeses etc. I’ve watched Dr Mosely’s TV programmes, read articles and this website. I need to get the book. My head’s still fighting with the contradictory ideas of my old (unsuccessful) dieting lessons and this one.
I’m happy I’ve started this because I’ve paired it with finally going back to the gym. Together, they’re making me feel better.

Hi Annie
I’ve had mature cheddar, goats cheese, and feta on the diet, all ok as long as you count them in your calories, remember fat is good.
My top tip with cheese is to grat it as fine as you can, a little goes a long way then and it seems to be more than it is.
18lbs gone in just 19 days, almost a pound a day, well done you, picture that as 36 packs of lard, that’s what has gone from your body.

James you definitely have it all worked out, and are on the right track. Look forward to following your progress.

Hi Lucia,
Night cramps are nasty things! I take a magnesium tablet at night. A couple of glasses of sparkling mineral water also help when the cramp strikes.
Buy the Ali Baba pants: set your inner hippy free 😉 they are such comfy things and very versatile. I wear them, and the fishermans wrap pants all the time. I don’t have an inner hippy lol, it’s on show for all to see.

Hi thank you for the messages(apart from the spam!).
Well i’m on day 19 and I’m down to 19-11 so that’s 18lbs, so far, which I’m so pleased about……….but I have a lot to shift so it’s only a small dent but I’m feeling really good. Still get lightheaded every now and then but not too bad.
I have a question. I love cheese……a lot. I had a bit of feta over the last few days and it was lovely. Is there any cheese anyone can recommend that I can have in moderation because it’s the only thing I’m missing. I have no cravings for anything sweet at all which is so good!
The weight loss has really slowed but I’m looking at the bigger picture and I really think I can do this.
Thank you to everyone who has replied…….as time goes on I will get more involved with other peoples posts etc, this is the first time I’ve joined a forum so it’ll take a while to get into the swing of things.
My children are going away today and I have a whole week to myself and I must admit I can’t wait……I love them dearly but I’m looking forward to the quiet!
Fridge is full of healthy stuff and I’m going to up the exercise.
Thanks for reading xx

What an inspiration you are Peteinthebayou. You are living proof that you learn from the BSD800 (you picked yourself up and got back on track after your relapse). Congratulations on your weight loss.

Hi Ros,
If you have any Apple devices you can download an app to your phone/ iPad whatever. The app is the Australian easy diet diary. It will help you with calorie and carb counts. You can pick foods from the list on there or scan barcodes and it will save that info for you. You can monitor your daily intake in carbs or calories. Whichever is easier for you.
Have you read the book or the Daily Mail articles? They will explain the principles of the diet.
The advice usually given to newbies is to drink plenty of non sugary fluids, 2-3 litres a day. Make sure you get full fat milk, yoghurt etc. as it will help your body convert from carb burning to fat burning and will also help to curb hunger. Most people aim for 50g carbs per day for weight loss and blood sugar control.
Keep reading the posts for inspiration, and ask for help if you need it. There are lots of people ready to support you or celebrate your successes.

Thank you Cherrianne. Getting towards the end of day 1 and doing O.K.

Hi Fch53,
Great to see another newby! I’m inspired to get the book and study MM’s ideas properly now. Thanks. Have you tried sprinkling over the oats a generous amount of ground cinnamon (great for diabetics) ? Have it with either yoghurt, milk or pureed apple… Yum. Especially with toppings. I make my own with packets of chopped almonds, pumpkin & sunflower seeds and sultanas (are these allowed?). Mixed and then just store in a handy container to dip into all through the day as either nibbles or toppings.
Good luck.

You have to be happy with those weight and sugar results Pete, that’s an excellent set of 4 week results.
Sensible of you to realise that the weight loss will slow a little but that 7kgs looks very achievable
Well done and keep us posted.