Couscous is coarsely ground wheat (also called semolina) – and you can get ordinary couscous (like white bread or white flour) or wholemeal couscous, which is not quite as readily available. However both versions couldn’t be classed as particularly good if you’re trying to avoid carb. White couscous has about 23g of carbohydrates per 100g and not much fibre. I experimented with cauliflower “rice” a few days ago and that’s certainly a good substitute for couscous – especially with strong-tasting things like smoked haddock or veg curries.

Great post thanks

My weight loss has been slower week 2 -anyone else?

Nothing more frustrating than 1-2 weeks of no weight loss, yet you are sticking to the 800cal’s!!!

I use an app. and count the cal’s but luckily it also counts the carbs/fat and protein as well. After 2 weeks of no weight loss I decided action was needed – far too depressing to keep going without results being rewarded. When I analysed the food I had been eating I realised the carb’s had creeped up in relation to protein and fat – so although yes I was OK on cal’s, where the calories were coming from was becoming more carb orientated. i don’t mean bread and cake and pasta etc, i mean carrots, kumara, pumpkin, beetroot & fruit. Lot’s of recipes from the book – like beetroot and carrot salad, a favourite of mine, were seemingly curbing my weight loss.

So I reined in the carb’s – only allowing one plum per day, going back to eating mainly green veggie’s and lot’s of raw salads with protein. I have a little carrot or beetroot for colour and taste, but it is a sprinkling, not the whole salad. The scales have started to reward me again :).

So my advice is don’t give up, try the following:

Firstly – are you using an app to count the calories? Highly recommend you do. Use one to count not only calories but your carbs, protein and fat as well. Using an app and adding EVERYTHING you drink and eat means you can’t fool yourself. Then you know you are around 800. Even cucumber has calories! I weighed everything in the last 3 days, even lettuce and cucumber!

Secondly – have a look at where the 800 calories are coming from! Maybe you store carbs as fat as well as I do! I now aim to keep my carb’s below 30g each day – the nearer to 20g the better for me. Creep up to 50g and I don’t lose any weight. I weigh myself nearly every day so I can really see what is happening.

Anyone else got out of a plateau? – any tips for someone struggling?

Oh yes veg mash – didn’t think of that. I just had the beetroot falafels with a bunch of steamed broccoli and basil – and the dollop of yogurt. But mash is now in my sights… thanks Janet

now i am confused….can anyone help please…..low carb med diet says wholegrains are allowed….but couscous and quinoa are wholegrains but NOT allowed????

Hi gillmap

I think even staying in hotels, it is possible to make menu selections which will fit the diet as far as the low carb aspect goes – portion size might be more difficult though and is a pit-fall to watch out for. It’s important to start to get a handle on what 100g of meat looks like for instance. I now keep my food scales permanently on my worktop and weigh everything when I am at home. Doing this is giving me a realistic idea of what a correct portion looks like and has given me more confidence when eating away from home.

Captainlynne is right about keeping a good stock of appropriate foods at home, so that you have things that don’t necessarily need much preparation, for those times you don’t feel like cooking. Make extra portions of things when you do cook and freeze in portions, ready to zap in the microwave – I did this with a lentil dish and a moussaka. It means you have something filling for those times when you don’t have the energy to be creating something from scratch.

Good luck with your journey. Be sure to make the most of the forums for support and to post your progress.

Hi Hetty – it’s worth pointing out that lots of us on the BSD diet experience plateaus during the process, where the scales resolutely refuse to budge, even though we are religiously sticking to the letter of the diet. I have has experience of this myself during weeks 2 and 3. Elsewhere on the forums, the conventional wisdom is this is absolutely normal and that if you just stick with the regime, the weight will start to fall again. Of course, it is worth reviewing what you are actually eating, but if tweaking this doesn’t work immediately, don’t be disheartened, if you are sticking with low-carb 800 cals a day, the weight loss will eventually start again.

Well done on progress to date and all achieved under particularly difficult circumstances as well. Stay focused and make the most of the forums – there’s lots of support and encouragement out there. It’s certainly helped me.

Hi Janet 1973 I am doing the diet that was in the daily mail its gives you all the meals for the for weeks re-doing them for the next for weeks, I have had no carbs at all for the five weeks that I have been on the diet, the only thing I have had that is not on the diet is a sugarless tea morning and last thing, ( still don’t like it but it’s warm!) also have to take certain medication. On the subject of thyroid I have had it tested a couple of times and the only thing the doctors have said is that it’s just ok! Whatever that means, my mum had thyroid problems, so I feel I need to keep an eye on it, especially as the doctor is a bit cagey? about my thyroid, one doctor two years ago said it was on the cusp? As you can imagine I am a bit suspicious about the results.
I do seem to have trouble losing weight, before this diet, I hardly ate any pasta, rice, potatoes or bread, however give me a cake or chocolate and I was sunk, even though we tried to restrict them to weekends, so I am my own worst enemy, on the plus side most of the meals are really tasty even hubby and daughter enjoy them, (they are also losing a bit of weight) thanks for the advise etc much appreciated

I have looked but I haven’t really found anything perfect and I have no idea what they taste like. Most seem low in fat and so I was hoping for some feedback on whether or not people felt full.

I bought a couple from holland and barrett and I might try a few from exante.

Ate out both Friday night and Saturday night, but kept calories during both days very low, to allow for extra calories in the evenings. So net result was, having totted up calories consumed each day as best as I could, there was an over indulgence of 200 calories over the 1600 cals for the two days – i.e. had consumed 1800 (well just a smidge under, but I’m rounding up). Have to say I am reasonably happy with this, but the scales will give me their verdict tomorrow (didn’t brave them this morning!).

Biggest sin was two churros, which I feel really guilty about because essentially they are all carb, plus two small glasses of red wine and a whisky. Just hoping I’m not going to be too heavily punished when I weigh myself.

Back to it properly today, bacon, fried egg and canned toms this morning and nothing until dinner tonight, which will be a pork steak and veggies. Although I have to say right now, I’m not hungry at all!

Finally, I too am using psyllium husk and it really helps to boost fibre and improve bowel issues on this diet. Be sure to drink plenty of water with it though.

Hi Sue1234

Like you I’m more sedentary than I should be and for me, motivating myself to take serious exercise is really tough. So my attitude is that making more of an effort to be mobile and active – even in minor ways – has to be a plus. Since starting the diet, I have made a point of being active in some minor ways everyday – a short walk, standing whilst sending emails, walking up and down stairs at home a few extra times etc. And actually, since starting the diet I have felt more vital and more like I need to be moving about.

Hi Christi

Just wanted to pick up on your comment that you are always cold and hungry. Have you had your thyroid tested? One of the symptoms is being cold all the time, as is difficulty in losing weight. Are you sticking to the low carb element of the plan? I ask because hunger is something that typically dissipates a lot on this diet due to the restriction of carbs. Are there any foods you could be eating that you don’t realise have more carbs than you thought? Also, maybe after five weeks of having virtually no sugar you might find your taste buds have realigned and you could face a hot drink of some kind without sugar?

Another way to look at this kind of diet (when you have finished the 8 weeks) is to count the carbs rather than the calories. By doing this, you can eat more of the things that don’t have carbs in them such as meat, fish, eggs, oils. A website I found that offers this kind of plan for people with diabetes is called diet doctor and the principles are the same as for the 800 diet.

Hi Col,
Thanks for the motivation.
So you are into week two. Do you have any tips to help me and everyone reading?

I am trying to eat normal plain food. Such as chicken and veg. It’s what I am used to ( but a lot smaller portions).
I will keep doing this until I get bored, then I will try the recipes here on the website.
I am trying to move about more.
And I am trying to stay away from the food and quantities that made me into a blob.

Just watching the start of the sunset out of the living room window. ( what, not glued to the TV? Another change for the best 📺)

Keep going!

Love Lucia xxxx

Thank you captainlynne, I am going to try and eat a low carb Mediterranean type food while on holiday then when I come home eat some 800 calorie days and some ‘normal’ Mediterranean days having read your post and sleeping on it. I feel I need to get back to drinking tea and coffee, however can’t stand either without sugar, would truvia sugar substitute be ok? I also have a lot of skimmed milk in hot drinks, I also have osteoporosis so feel I need the extra calcium.
Can anyone who has done the eight weeks and gone back to eating normally, or 5-2 tell me if they put any weight back on and if so how much? I think I am still a bit worried about putting the weight back on!

Hi Wellman

On page 183 of the book it says that all the calorie counts are for one person. However, there are a couple of other threads on the forums you might want to check out discussing the same thing. Generally we have concluded that for accuracy, you are better off doing your own calorie counts using and on-line calculator.

All the best to you.

Hi Col

I agree with you about the ketostix, any level of bat burning is fine by me, especially if I don’t feel like I have had to work that hard to get it. I definitely think I can eat the coconut oil straight from the jar, probably in teaspoons rather than tablespoons though. And also today, I have tried it in decaff tea and also fruit teas which are both fine. So I think that will be the way to go, to have it with my tea and no milk. That means I can go back to cooking with butter and olive oil/linseed oil.

Unsweetened soya milk has long been a favourite of mine but I have read some disturbing articles about how it affects the function of the thyroid, particularly in those who already have a weakened thyroid (that’s me) but for those who don’t, there are less carbs than cow’s milk so its a good alternative.

All the best for this week Col.

Hi,
So before I came to my senses and came aboard the BS800 I have mentioned I ate Chinese food, chocolate and fizzy drinks a lot. So for one evening meal I would eat 3355 calories. That is not per day, that is just for one meal.
Can any one see how I put weight on?
Today I have ate 216 so far, ready for a nice evening meal.
Boy, have I turned a corner. 😇
Guess who is having fun working out calories in various foods.
Is there a good, simple website for accurate calorie counts?

Today, I have been for a walk. Enjoyed a little trip to the garden centre where I used to get a huge, beautiful cream cake, – rocky road, lemon cake, scones, chocolate cake mmmmmmmmm! What did I have today? A cup of tea 😄
Bought some primulas. Reds, oranges, lemons, lilacs – beautiful colours, then I put them in and watered them. If ever I bought plants they would be put somewhere for weeks before I could find the energy to pub them in.
Today it was 13 degrees, sunny and calm. What a great day Two so far.

How is your Sunday going, mine is going swell…
Love Lucia xxxx

Hi Col
Thanks for that am type 2 and also hypothyroid, blood sugars are fine maybe I’ll just have to take it easier for a few days. Not giving up tho this is goin to give me life back! 🙃

Hi Purple,

I wonder if you are are eating little and often? For the first few days I tried that to avoid the kind of spacey feeling and it worked well. Have you tested your bs, are your levels too low etc? I am in week 2 a and while my energy may not be as high as I would like it is ok and can go for walks etc and not feel lightheaded.

You don’t mention if you are T1 or 2….. Hopefully there will be someone here with more experience who can offer something more constructive. Hope you can hang in 😀

Day 22 weight 10st 9lbs (again)1lb off from yesterday.
Blood sugar 10.5

Started making my shakes with 50ml semi skimmed milk and 200ml water. Made more of an effort to sort, tidy & clean the house today. I’m not an expert on calories, I just feel I am making an effort if I move around instead of sitting on my bum. Once the warmer weather comes I will feel more like going outside. My plan for this week is to do some baking and meal preparation and write some Easter cards and walk down to the post box with them. I have to “walk with a purpose”.👣

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to use tofu and make it interesting? Have used it in a vanilla smoothie and that was good, filled me up for few calories…..but have not had great success with it in other ways, would love to hear if anyone has any suggestions as finding meat less attractive of late.

Thanks a lot 😀

Day 7 and my energy has no bounds!

Been up since 7.30 and I’ve done a load of washing, ironing, hoovered right through house, cleaned the bathroom, cut the grass.

Made soup for lunches next week, lamb tagine in slow cooker as I type.

And to top it off I’ve just come back from a 6 mile walk along the coast with a friend, tracker says I did 12874 steps!

Sunday is normally spent sitting on butt watching tv and eating!

Loving it!

Hi Lucia…..you can certainly have a ‘go girl’ from this old girl! Love reading your posts and you and all the others here are keeping me on track as I am moving through week 2.

Interestingly we are about the same height and bmi so I really am reading your progress with great interest.

Here’s to us all 👌😀

Hi Janet,

I have used ketostix in the past and you reminded me….good to see that I am ‘in the pink’ too! Have read somewhere that if you are showing even a low level then it is ok, no need to push it into the darker colours so looks like you are doing it just right!
I do still sometimes indulge in a soya latte but it is always the unsweetened variety, find it takes the place of a meal and so is worth the carbs.
On the coconut oil front I am kind of on the fence, tried it in cooking and like you am not too keen taste wise…have you tried it from the jar yet and if so what is your opinion?

Great going into week 5 😀

Hi All you brilliant people, Day seven and am feeling so lightheaded and no energy. Have been completely fine up until now, anyone experienced similar symptoms. Have to say not enjoying them one little bit. Drinking the water eating as much fat as poss in 800 calories. Very annoying as the sun is shining and I want to get on!!!
Purplepenguin x

Under Brunch, on page 192 the Veg Fritatta states 320 calories and the recipe serves 2.
Is the calorie count for the entire recipe or for one portion – I.e. Half the recipe?

Oohh. Chicago. Been there 😊 Good plan to stay in apartment! I know what you mean about turning into a cave woman LOL.

Well done on your 10 pounds. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures and your continued progress. 😃

Hi – seems the secret is to leave the mixture to stand awhile, to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture. But my bug about the recipe was the measurement for the butter being in table spoons, which is not the normal way of measuring butter, surely it should be in grams – or even ounces if necessary. I did manage to get a usable dough and quite enjoyed the result, but I wasn’t convinced they were just 180 cals each, given the iffy butter measurement. Would make them again though.

B: yoghurt/3 tbs tinned fruit cocktail
L: 3 sl roast lamb, 3tbs kale, 2 tbs peas,
3 tbs gravy, 1tbs mint sauce
T: 600ml knorr crofters veg soup
Cups tea, cups twynings strawberry tea and water

Hi. Lots of folk have reported similar spikes, but then the levels drop. Seems to be the body reacting to all the changes, but then settling down.

Presumably you have checked what you have been eating? Have some extra carbs crept in, or perhaps you have not eaten enough fat? Drinking enough water? Exercise?

Let us know how you get on.

into my 5th week and suddenly my blood sugar levels shot up. this has been very dissapointing even allowing for such things as the Dawn Phenomenon. i am 63, pre-diabetic and quite active ( i run about 25 to 30k per week). i started with a normal (just) BMI and not really too worried about my weight as i knew it was inevitabe. I was more concerned about my Blood levles and lowering blood pressure. the blood levels fell gradaully for 4 weks with occasional spikes…then this ,3 days with a huge spike upwards almost back to where i started! anyone who has experienced this as well could they let me know if its worth continuing as this was the reason i began this journey int he first placed..

Hi Susieb!

A tablespoon of psyllium husk in some water or coconut water before breakfast or last thing at night will give you a fibre boost. Holland & Barrett stock it as Regucol and it’s on offer at the moment in store.

: )

Off to Chicago, staying in apartments so I’ll have cooking facilities if I get desperate, but mainly planning on eggs as breakfasts which should be easy there and meat for the rest of my meals (feel like I’m turning into a cave woman)
Love nyc too but had been 5 times so fancied a change. Starting to get excited, delighted I’ve shifted nearly 10 pound before going. I’ll report back on my adventures 😉

Oh, and keep up your fluids during your fasting time, that’s really important!

Hi Anita

Well done on successfully negotiating the corporate event. You were clearly very mindful of what you needed to do and it worked for you. The great thing is a pound is neither here nor there on this programme, it will be gone as quickly as it came.
I just wanted to say that the 16/8 is a way of life for me and I find it incredibly easy. I stop eating between 7 and 8 in the evening and don’t start again until after 12 noon, quite often not until 2pm. Its as if my stomach doesn’t wake up until my first meal so the longer I postpone eating, the longer I don’t feel any hunger at all. It also makes food choices a lot easier as I am not looking for ‘breakfast’ type stuff. Even after these 8 weeks, I plan to continue with the 16/8 for maintenance.
Give it a try and see what you think. You might have to persevere for a couple of days but I hope you find it as easy as I do.

Yesterday:

Brunch: 2 medium eggs, microwaved scrambled with 20g dollop of smoked salmon Philidelphia, 1/2 medium (90g) tomato

mid-pm snack: 100g greek yoghurt, 62g blueberries
1 coffee with 2 tsps whipping cream
small amount of homemade coleslaw for something to crunch

Dinner: 150g trimmed sirloin steak with 100g butternut squash ‘oven chips’, pepper sauce made with 1tbs creme fraiche, and a little beef oxo cube and dijon mustard and 50g mushrooms and 1/2 grilled tomato (90g)

Totals before the wine: 746 cals, 43g carbs
250ml glass Rioja: 190 cals, 3g carbs

Only 11g of fibre, though. I’m really struggling to get the fibre in. I can get 20g in within the 800cals with beans, veggies, but not within 50g carbs. Any tips, please?!

Hi Fofi

I suspect there has been no response from the forums as no one knows of any bars which are nut -free. Have you tried asking uncle google if such a thing exists and where they are sold? Could you also try shakes or soups that you just add hot water too? I’m sure there is something out there that would work for you, all the best.

Yes definitely Silver, fill your boots! Most above ground veg are low carb, low cal, high fibre and full of vitamins and minerals so great replacements for the things we are now avoiding. My personal favourite is any kind of veg mash with butter – great comfort food!

Thanks for posting your total calories and carb grammes, Missay – that’s very helpful!

Ketosis is remaining steady at a dark pink 4. I’m chuffed about that. I suspect I could push it up to 8 or 12 if I went really low carb, ie 20g a day, but I don’t feel too inclined to do that at the moment. So I am nearly 4 and half weeks in to the bsd and have lost 7 and a half pounds. Week three was the worst where I gained two pounds back, partly self induced partly not. Like the half pound I gained yesterday but is gone again today.

I have had to abandon some dearly loved things like soya and sweeteners (the carbs were much easier to let go of!) but I am now drinking full fat latte with no sweeteners – I never thought I’d see the day for either of those! I have spent the week reading about soy and ifs effects on people with thyroid problems and have reluctantly concluded that it probably isn’t good for me. So I’ve had my last soya latte.

On the plus side I have discovered coconut oil. I’m not sure if I believe everything it is claimed to fix but this week I think it has helped keep me in ketosis and lose three pound in 5 days so I am going to continue to experiment with that. I can only wonder if everything in my life has to have a coconut aroma in the background from now on. Its lovely but I prefer my savoury things to be savoury. Maybe I’ll get used to it or plan b is just to eat it neat from the jar. Oh how decadent!

Week five here we come!

Hi all
It’s great to hear other people’s progress and thoughts on how you have tackled personal challenges.mlots of food for thought!!
I cut my calories dramatically early part of this week because on Thursday I had a corporate event at posh London hotel and didn’t want to restrict what I ate. In total I had 8 glasses of champagne over 10 hours (my old self could drink a lot more), for afternoon tea I had four finger sandwiches, a mini scone and for dinner I ate all my halibut starter, quarter of the beef fillet and only a teaspoon of the pudding. My old self would have eaten everything!! For breakfast I had a protein packed full English no carbs which kept me going all day. Both days went to the gym for interval cardio and some weights. After all that I have only put on a pound when my actually weekly weigh in is tomorrow. I am now back on 800.
This week (week 6) I will try 16:8 fasting every day and see if that accelerates the weight loss and inches off the waist. I’ll let you know how I get on
Trishadawn, I will heed your advice re constipation and fifo thanks for the info re fruit. Spirit many many congratulations on your dress fitting… That is fantastic news.. Just the sort of encourage you need to keep going to not only loose the weight but adopt a healthier life style for the longer term.
Swatsrswirl and hettyb keep going … You have both made great progress
Let me know how you all get on this week. If you are struggling… Post it here … Let’s see if we can help
Here’s to eating pears but getting rid of the pear shape 😀
Anita xx

Hi Silver, it does say at the very end of the recipe ( on the facing page) to serve with a green salad. So go for it 🙂

Hi Bill
Sincerely mope you and the family are ok. Wishing you all well x

Great results flump. Well done.

Thanks Silver. Hope your trip goes well.

Hi,
Many thanks for the replies.
To tell you the truth, I didn’t think anyone would read my ‘stuff’ and I was just going to use it as a Dear Diary.
Day one was good, my weight was 14 st and 3/4 pound. I had 967 calories. So I have to have more salad and less fish. No worries.
I have now entered Day two. Feeling good. Better half has threatened to go for a walk with me …. Little does he know we were going anyway.😚 Especially as I hit the 10k steps by lunchtime yesterday.
Going for two meals today to see if I can emotionally cope.
I was surprised to read that some people had headaches etc in their first few days, glad I did the prep week, it gently set me up for the 8 weeks.
Maybe that is the way to go if you are totally alien to the diet system.
When I think of the takeaway then huge bag of chocolates then crisps, pop etc, to what I ate yesterday, wow, is that a big change to my body, I am sure I would have got a headache too.

Thank you to everyone reading my weird ramblings. Come and join me on the eight weeks. Leave me a comment or even a go-girl!
Love Lucia xxxx
Ps have now got over the shock of the cold metal tape measure used on belly circumfrence. 😆

Thanks Time4Change. Where are you going in the US? I usually stay with friends in Texas, but we have done lots of trips together. I love NYC. When I was there late 2001 nobody could believe how far I walked – fuelled in those days with hot dogs!!!!!!

Probably one of the hardest things for me to do this last week was to either leave food on the plate (the bread & dumplings that came with the duck and cabbage) or to throw it away (the bread from Subway and on the sandwich at the station). All those years of being told not to waste food – and I’ve paid for it. But I had to think of how far I’ve come on this, and not want to undo any of it.

Hopefully you’ll be staying somewhere that provides some protein for breakfast, rather than wall to wall carbs like many places I’ve stayed over there. I found other meals easier most of the time (except one town where just about everything came deep-fried 😱).

Sounds like you have a good plan. Enjoy your trip and I look forward to reading about it when you get back.

In some of the recipes it says you can have a salad with them, and then in others it doesn’t stipulate. But I was dreaming of having the steak and I can see in the photo in the book it is with a green salad is to okay to add do you think anyone? Many thanks

It’s good to read about other people’s journeys on this plan – keep em coming!

Well I plucked up courage this morning and after my shower I tried on (for the first time) my mother-of-the-bride dress. I’d tried on the larger size in store and bought the size 12. So I’m happy to report that it fits!!

Still going to continue to lose even more though…

Thinking of you and your family Bill, hope you are ok.x