Hi Stringbreaker
The figure of 50g comes from diet doctor.com, an interesting website on low carb diets.
Re the white rice/ lentils etc. Yes, the GL is the thing, but you don’t really need to go into that if you just avoid the obvious ones like white rice , bread, pasta, sugar.
If you’re sticking to 50 g you will get that much from other sources anyway.
Penny

The key to ketosis seems to be carbs rather than cals and 50g is around the limit to achieving it. Some of us in the forums count carbs instead of cals and do test for ketosis but neither of these things are the priorities for Dr Mosley in the fast 800. His objective is only to help people lose weight quickly and, for people who are T2 ir pre-T2, to start correcting blood sugars levels.

Hi captainlynne
I have Mary Berry and Dehlia’s cook books, plus lots of others too, unlike you I have to make cakes when the family come, our eldest is coming tomorrow with three of the boys, she is an expert at doing cakes, she makes them for all her friends birthdays, so I have made a chocolate cake, ( one of my favourites) will do scones in the morning, I don’t think I will be able to resist the occasional cake! However until I finish this diet I will resist.
Don’t think I will ever be free of the sugar addiction, not sure either how to combat it, do I treat it as though I’m a junkie!
My son lives in the Fulwood area of Sheffield, they moved recently and are having an extension, so have had to move in with our daughter in laws mum and dad, good job they don’t live far away, unlike us!

Just looked up for my groceries list and fage is the brand name on total Greek yoghurt. Been buying it for years and I never noticed. Got to buy full fat now though. Seems so wrong.

Oh, the carton says ‘fage total’ on it for both varieties

Its a brand name of a real Greek yoghurt rather than a greek-style yoghurt so its even lovelier. Ican get it in Asda so I’d say the other biggies will have it. Be careful to get the full fat and not the 0%.

Missay- Sounds great! Don’t work too hard!
Penny☺️

Hey Christi
Thats excellent news and right in front of the doctor too! I’m glad you had a great time with your family. I’m in Rotherham so not too far from your grandchildren in Sheffield.

I’ve done my second day on my treadmill (only half an hour not the whole day) and achieved my best ever fat burning result with the ketostix tonight. A lovely dark pink number 8! Celebrations all round!

Bill,

I had blood tests taken at 3 months post-diagnosis. My A1c is normal (as is my lipid panel) – but it is normal only because I strictly limit my carb consumption. Anything that makes it climb out of the non-diabetic normal range has been eliminated from my diet. My BG numbers have been non-diabetic normal since 3 days after diagnosis (the first time I was brave enough to test) – before I lost any weight, and before the Metformin (500 mg ER/day) would have had a chance to make a contribution.

I also periodically retest foods I’ve tested earlier, to see if my carb tolerance has improved – and there has been no change (even with 49 lbs of weight gone). So I can clearly (at least at this stage) completely manage my symptoms by eating low carb. But I’m also clearly not altering the disease course – my hope for this change in eating!

What I’m eating isn’t really changing (aside from dropping the top-it-off fat content I have to do at 1200 calories), although I am adding slightly larger quantities of pulsies. What is different for me is the quantity and timing – which is why I tightly monitor my calories.

I’m all for sharing detailed information about whatever works – I managed to put my daughter’s chronic disease in remission for 2 decades because of a relatively random thought someone shared in a forum very similar to this one for her disease, about some small discovery they had made.

I need some help with something, have been catching up with the posts as have been busy for a couple of days, can you please tell me what ‘fage’ yogurt is and where do I get it?

Hi Meredex
There is no mention of ketosis in the book, and I am not sure it the calories are low enough. No expert as I am day 3 as well, but think the aim is to reduce your blood sugar by only eating slow release carbs and even limited those this getting your liver and other organs concerned with the processing of food to work properly. The concept is we eat way too many easy digestive carbs these days, bread, sugar, pasta, etc and it is making us ill.

How are you finding day 3?

Spiraliser arrived this evening, but after I had cooked tea so it will have to wait till another day. Had stir fired veg with paprika chicken. The rest had wedges but mine was tasty even though I didn’t add any sause, just a little Olive oil and garlic.

Had and odd day today. Had very little for lunch but wasn’t hungry once. And I am starting to feel strangely well, plus got so much work done as I felt so …. awake. Anyone else felt like this?

It would be good to have a thread for carb and calorie content of common foods 🙂

Hi Janet 1973
Still getting my head round the 50g carbs a day, however I have lost one and a half stone now, when I got up Wednesday morning I weighed myself as I was at the doctors later in the day, I was 20lb down on the diet, I got to the doctors and got on the scales and I had lost another pound I was 21lb down! Well pleased with myself, hopefully I can carry on losing if I concentrate on 50g carb thing, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Catgirl i agree re james martin! And with his love of butter hes half way to being a BSDer lol

Thanks justdoit. As sunnyb said, keep at it things will improve and you have made an excellent start 🙂

Congratulations on day 6!
That is a great idea, going through the cupboards and purging anything that would tempt you.

Regarding going to the toilet infrequently, maybe this diet will help. I am assuming this refers to the bowel!
One thing worth trying is eating kiwifruit. It can be very effective, not just because of fibre, but also some enzymes and probiotics that help, too.
Don’t add it to a smoothie made with a very high speed blender blade though, as this can smash the seeds and give a bitter taste.

NellieBones, they’ve always said experience is the best teacher! You will never want to eat certain things again! 🙂

Stick with it Just-do-it, it will come right. I didn’t do well in week two, but I’m into week 6 now and hovering on the brink of reaching a stone lost, but not counting my chickens yet. Be sure to keep your fats up as well as the water, as this helps to get you body burning fat. Be sure to let us know how you get on and shout out if you need advise or support – someone will respond for sure. Hope you have good results at the next end of week weigh-in.

Dear Lucia, so glad to hear your news about your new size 12 and getting into your trousers, you must be so pleased. Discovering a whole new wardrobe without forking out must be such a thrill.

Sorry but Jack Sparrow does nothing for me, still like the silver haired Richard Gere, shame we don’t have James Martin on Saturday Kitchen now as he was a good start to the weekend!

Just a note on the pencil sharpener ones, I bought one but hadn’t appreciated that my wrists just couldn’t work it….. they aren’t the strongest part of my body! I am in my late 50’s but gave up + bought one with a handle etc off Waitrose because at that time they were cheaper than Lakeland.

I just love it, works a treat + has 3 blades for different styles : )

Hi Meredex
Have you looked on groupon, £4.99 +£1.99 postage for a hand held spirilizer, I nearly bought one however decided to wait a bit.

And I signed the petition the day it went live, number 20!

Hi everyone, I’m another delurker, thought it was about time I introduced myself, wanted to ensure I could stick with it first. I’m in Cheshire, UK, female, 51 years young. Not diabetic as far as I know but certainly overweight , really need to lose a couple of stone. First week was great, lost 4.5lbs, not as good as most but I’m pleased, felt fabulous, bouncing off the walls with energy. I weighed myself every day and weight reduced a bit every day – was wonderful to see. End of second week final weigh in today and I’m disappointed as I’ve gained half a pound (mid week it was 2lbs gain). Defies all logic as I’ve eaten so much less than normal, been really careful, not touched a bad carb (only had a bit of swede and parsnip one day) drank loads of water. I use myfitnesspal and worked out my daily averages over the 2nd week – 810 cals and 35g carbs. I’m not letting it put me off though as I’ve seen it works wonderfully for all of you so just hoping to get results nearer week one’s again soon. Thanks for being here all of you, your posts are inspiring 🙂

Evening All, it’s my first post (taking the plunge). Day 3 for me. The fog has lifted at last, thanks to plenty of water. I have followed a low carb diet before (it rhymes with fatkins). This diet seems very similar. Is the aim of this diet to get into ketosis also? I can’t find a mention of it in the book? Thanks x

I fell off the wagon over Easter too. However, since Tuesday I have been back on fast 800. What amazed me was how awful I felt on Sunday/Monday after just a few days back in the bad old ways! Headachey, fuzzy headed and drowsy – these have cleared already after a few days’ worth of good eating. If nothing else it was a useful reminder of how rubbish I used to feel- not to mention a super incentive to carry on with the good stuff! Keep going, friends, it’s good news all the way!

If you can ignore the foul smell as you rinse them, these noodles can be great when you are hungry and don’t have many calories left. I really like courgette spaghetti but it doesn’t quite fill you like these noodles. They are high in fibre and water and not much else, hence the low calories. Best used with a strong sauce like the arrabbiata in the book or a stir fry they are nothing like pasta or noodles as Sunny B said.They can seem expensive but I always buy them when on offer.

Hi lucia it’s great to suddely have more trousers all of a sudden

Monty Don is on at the moment……he’s a bit of a dish when he’s working in the garden. I. Could do with him in mine to do the spring weeding for me!!!!!
🙂

Penny – I’ve been cleaning the cupboards for the utility room. I’m an avid Freegler, and found these last year to (nearly) match our wooden fronted kitchen cupboards. The utility room is through the breakfast room and not next to the kitchen, so they will look good enough, especially in a few months, when we are painting the whole lot to match. Anyway to return to the scrubbing – they had a pretty good layer of grease on tops and bottoms, and had been stored in our shed since November, so they were delightful! I must have used up quite a few calories though! Two left to do tomorrow.

Loving your money diet idea! I’ve been browsing spiralisers today, I just want a simple one like a pencil sharpener for courgettes but the one from Lakeland was out of stock. Will have to invest after your glowing recommendation x

Thanks for the info hashi – if I can find out any more I’ll post it. Might even try the “contact us” on the website it we don’t get very far on our own.

John

oh mand my fabulous news is.

I AM A SiZe. 12!!!!!!!!!

Just found out that the USA sizes are two down from ours.so in the uk I am a 16
In the USA I am a 12.
😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏
Looked for an emoji with a smug look. These will have to do.

I am so happy…………

I could go to a size eight… Give Kate moss a run for her money.

Ha ha ha

Love Lucia xxx

Sorry, just sitting here thinking about captain jack sparrow and that cheeky smile.
I used to like Richard Gere before he went white haired, liked him in pretty woman, and in Chicago where he sang.

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm one of those please
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Still feeling slimmer, but the heel came off my shoe at lunchtime when I tried to walk 2 miles in 25 mins and still have five mins to eat lunch.

More shoes to buy, rats ,!,!,

It’s sunny here, a lovely day today.
Bet it changes for the weekend.

Trousers that were tight, I have worn them to work. So I now have a pair of jeans and trousers.

Love Lucia xxx

Evening All, it’s my first post (taking the plunge). Day 3 for me. The fog has lifted at last, thanks to plenty of water. I have followed a low carb diet before (it rhymes with fatkins). This diet seems very similar. Is the aim of this diet to get into ketosis also? I can’t find a mention of it in the book? Thanks x

Hi sunnyb, I nearly bought those choco/chilli teabags today but as I had just picked up some liquorice and some rosehip teabags I thought I’d leave them for another day. I might get some now 🙂

Hi Missay
Thanks for the clarification- that really helps.
What have you been scrubbing?!!
Penny

Hi Molly, ketostix are indicator sticks, and yes, you test your urine, if you are fat burning the indicator will turn anywhere from rosy pink to purple. The colour chart is on the side of the tub. You can order them online or get them from a pharmacy 🙂

Hi stringbreaker, I’m not an expert on the 50g of carbs or under. I am going on what Cherrianne has said. She is a district nurse and diabetic so she has a much better understanding of it all than me. I have only just started googling carbs in various foods and it is quite surprising. Meat and fish have no carbs but quarter of a cucumber has 2.7g!! I’m starting to collate a fact sheet with the foods I eat most often. I’m sure some of the others will give you much more help on this than I can.
I know what you mean about preaching!!! A friend has just left with my BSD book as she and her daughter are interested.
Very good news for you at the hospital. My blood pressure dipped a lot for a while but now it has settled.
🙂

Definite vote for cauliflower mash. Here’s what I do:
1 kg of cauliflower boiled and mashed. Add butter to your taste (50-100g) and cheese (pecorino for me). Finish off with salt and white pepper.

I think I can survive on this alone forever 😛

Hi Penny,
Re the carbs/net carbs, if I remember correctly, from my brief voyage into Atkins territory a few years ago, in the UK the fibre is already shown separately – as on your label, so there is no deducting of fibre carbs to do. In USA, the fibre is included as part of the total carb count, so your label would show something like:

Total carbs: 3.8
Of which sugars: 0.4
Of which fibre: 0.9

On UK labelling, the deduction of the fibre carbs from the total carbs is already done for you, and shown separately. I do hope that makes sense, my brain is a bit addled – I have spent all day scrubbing! 😉

Hi Hashimoto,

A technical question on the carbohydrate ration – which I see has just come up on this thread.
I searched the book but could not find the figure, but you have helpfully come up with 50g. If that’s from the BSD book, I wonder if you could advise me the page number.

However, I imagine a simple figure isn’t the whole picture – I suppose it’s more acceptable to eat 50g of lentils, than of white rice, differing so greatly on the Glyceamic index.
Am I right in assuming that it’s really the Glycaemic Loading which is the critical figure?
It’s all on pp 88/90 but MM stops short of giving a daily loading as it’s all “a bit complicated”.

During the 8 weeks we kept it simple by using the dinner recipes from the book and ate obviously good choices for other meals. Now we’re branching out into other recipes it would be good to know how to calculate what is a sensible daily ration/loading.
Can you or anyone else help?

Incidentally, the “Carbs & Cals” App is quite useful – you can make up different ingredients into a meal and it totals up the carbs, cals, protein, fat etc.

And, Mollytopmarx, I share your current frustration with the scales. However, I know it’s really just a matter of time. Trouble is, we all like to set deadlines – I’m an inveterate graph man, I currently have about 5 graphs on the go for this (final?) spasm of weight loss. It takes me about 20mins to fill them all in when I lose a pound. 🙂

Final bit – went to the eye hospital today for my monthly test/jab and BP was reduced to 115/69 – they said that was “very good but I don’t want to go much lower”. Better see my quack. (Incidentally, isn’t it hard not to preach? – I must have told about 3 or 4 people about the BSD – all seemed very interested and wanted the name of the book.)

I tried the noodles ages ago, and they’re pretty rank IMHO! Slimy worms spring to mind!
Try Courgetti or cauliflower rice instead 🙂

TP

Have to confess to having a 40 cal options chocolate after my meal……….better than a Mars bars I guess!!!!

Hi hashimoto, again helping me out 🙂 I have to admit I don’t know what ketostix are. I guess it’s something you test your urine with(?) I am pretty low carb – perhaps too low, I have 1 1/2 ounces porridge for breakfast and one shake at tea time. Otherwise, I am pretty low carb – protein and salad or vegetables (not starchy veggies). I’m not getting enough fat for Atkins, I’m just sticking as well as I can to the 800 calories really. Ooops, just realised you mean my fat lol, what a nana!!!

Also, thank you for your support Bill, very ecouraging.

Molly

Sorry you had a bad time over Easter, but great that you are back on track. Don’t beat yourself up for the lost week, just concentrate on the way forward. Good luck at next weigh-in.

I’m tending to be around 900 on my best days, so I’m working on being more careful. I do have the occasional day under 800 but you two put me to shame!

csmcnevin, I think it all depends on motivation – I’m sure you can do it and not let the calorie creep get the better of you! All I can say is this “diet” (in inverted commas because I intend to follow a version of BSD for the rest of my life, maybe 5:2 when I am happy with my weight) has done something no other has ever done for me… allow me to stop gaining and start losing again before I regained all the weight I lost last year.

These products are made with konjac – a plant corm – sometimes called elephant yam. I have eaten them in the past (not on this diet) they are nothing like pasta/rice though, with a completely different feel and texture, but I don’t see why they would be a problem on this diet if you needed them. Think Janet1973 is right though, if you give it a bit longer, you will probably find the cravings die down and your tastes change completely.

If you take the eight weeks as a whole, you are bound to have days when you eat less than the 800cals and some when it is more, but over the eight week period, it will balance out. My advice is not to stress, you have been quite decently under on you cals so far, so for today, allow yourself a bit extra – even at 1050 it wouldn’t be a complete disaster. If you are hungry and you need the extra cals I would go for it – you have had an exceptional and stressful day so be kind to yourself.

I try to stick with the 800cals, but Monday it was 907, Tuesday 702, Wednesday 744 and it looks like today will top out at around 850 – if I add those up and then average it out over the four days it’s a fraction of a calorie over 800 per day.

Hi all, I’m only in the second week of the BSD, but my results are very good. I know this is probably due to increased exercise and some better food choices, because it’s a reflection of the past 3 months, but I’m doing the happy dance anyway!

HbA1c down from 53 to 46
Cholesterol down from 6.4 to 5.7
Weight/BMI the same (meaning I have lost the stone I’d gained over Christmas/January)!
Blood pressure NORMAL!! for the first time in about 15 years!

I’m very happy with those results and confessed to the DN that I have been using butter and good fats instead of the recommended low fat spread/low cal fat sprays, and started the fast 800 diet (my dr already knows). She is very happy too.

It’s a really good motivator for me to continue with the BSD – I have struggled today and lapsed a little bit but am right back on it now.

One of the great victories about this is that the BSD has allowed me to do something I’ve never done in my life before – arrest and reverse weight gain after previous weight loss, before I gained it all back and more. That might not sound like much but to me it’s like having climbed Everest.

Edit: I celebrated by going for a mile walk around a country park 🙂

🙂 happy me 🙂

It’s a great driving force isn’t it? I’m off at the end of next week, but we’ll be in our own apartment in Turkey, so will be trying to stick to the BSD as much as possible even while I’m away. There’s bound to be a few glasses of wine though!