Thanks shadow 2. 🙂

Hi everyone, I have had high blood sugar for many years and hope to make some real changes by following this diet. My husband has found a supplement he thinks i
should try called Arborvitae. Does anyone know whether it is helpful or where I can get some truthful information about it? Thanks,

Natasha that’s brilliant – and what amazing self control 🙂

Hi Ami, Fofi,
Last week was week 3 for me and what a strange week it was! I put on weight for apparently no reason then today, after a completely off-piste day yesterday (deliberate as I was eating out for mothers day) I find I have lost a pound. Sometimes I think my body is on a 48 hour time delay! If it is, yesterdays nasties will catch up tomorrow!

There’s nothing like a high blood sugar level to stress you out is there? Especially when you’re eating properly, it feels so undeserved! It does seem like you might be draining the stored energy from your liver though. Especially as your levels have been good during the day.
I have a piece of cheese and a drink of milk before bed and that works for me, counted in my carbs as milk is quite high. Bill1954 has Greek yoghurt and berries and that works for him.
You will get there soon though, I have no doubts about that. 🙂

Deep but spot on Pat. Nice one.

Hi all, because we are restricting calories, I try to make sure my fats are in food like avocado and yoghurt so that they are quite filling. I too was worried when I found out how many calories was in a tiny bit of olive oil. I do cook with oil and use butter in my vegetables (cauli mash is my superhero). But I count all the calories. If you like whole olives, apparently they are only 5 calories each I read on here. Cheese is also a food source and quite satisfying. Coconut oil is also a good option but I haven’t tried that yet.

I got my gram (chickpea) flour from Asda. I expected it to be with the ‘free from’ stuff but it wasn’t. It was with the world foods stuff. It wasn’t at all expensive.

Hi Pete, hope you have a great week over here. 5kg in a week is a pretty awesome result 🙂
Can’t hurt to ask to have your food served without potatoes, rice, sauces etc. most places would happily oblige. Choose the fruit and cheese option if you want dessert maybe? Rockmelon and strawberries are a good choice, grapes not so good. Dining out is reasonably laid back here.
The wine and beer might be tough going at a business lunch if you enjoy alcohol. Just take a few deep breaths, think about how much you want to be healthy… And ask for soda water with a slice of lemon or lime.
Anyway, enjoy yourself, I hope you stay motivated and your business goes well.

Hey Janet,

Thank you to you too for your reply.

I have been doing some research on the internet and I read that it can take minimum 6 weeks for there to be a noticeable difference in your skin. If I think about it, I have always eaten a lot of sugar and rubbish, and my skin has always been bad, so I doubt 3 weeks (when I first posted about this) will be enough time for my skin to vastly improve. I reckon it will take minimum 3-6 months to really recover.I think you are right, my liver must be detoxing.

I am not working at the moment but I am rushing around a lot (due to higher energy levels!). The other big thing is that my weight-loss has been bumped in the last few days with a 4lb weight loss in the last 3 days. So I think my body must be very busy right now.

Thank you for your response, you have helped me to feel reassured 🙂

Hi SOS – thanks for your reply.

I wonder if dairy could be the cause. I am having lactose-free milk in my coffee. However, the only dairy I’m having is greek yoghurt, feta cheese, and creme fraiche as and when is required in the meal plans.
I do quite like goat’s yoghurt so I could switch to that. I think that’s pretty nutritious too. Thank you for your input about this, very helpful indeed 🙂

Oh my goodness!!

I have reached the halfway point – 4 weeks today – and I have just weighed myself – I am in shock as I haven’t weighed myself for a week…

I have lost one stone and 3lbs – that’s 17lbs in four weeks!!! This diet is bloody amazing!

Yesterday was my first big test which I had actually been dreading for several days in case I cracked and blew the diet (I have actually been having horrible dreams about having uncontrollable binges). We had a big family dinner in a restaurant for mother’s day yesterday and I had…. 2 bottles of sparkling water and NO FOOD!!!

It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, although the food did look delicious. However, the best menu (in my opinion) was the kids menu – sausage and chips, burger and chips, chicken goujons and chips.. then brownies and ice cream… exactly the food I would have gone for before the BSD. It looked nice but I actually wasn’t that tempted, which, in itself is actually the biggest shock.

To survive the family dinner I had the Cheesy Beans and Steak menu plan; I made the cheesy beans as close as possible to going out for dinner so I would be nice and full, and then as soon as I got home I had the Steak and Creme Fraiche for dinner, and it totally worked out! It didn’t feel that weird to sit there eating nothing. It just goes to show that people are generally too involved with what they are doing to really stress about another person who’s not eating.

The only drawback was the 2 bottles of sparkling water I had.. can you believe that set us back £7.95?!! It’s tap water for me next time 😉

So, this is to say keep up the brilliant work everyone! It is so inspiring and motivating reading everyone’s stories and progress. This is the coolest forum!

Thanks Bill, I’ll adjust my cals to allow for this. I repeatedly asked my gp as to why this rise happens but “he doesn’t know!!”. I’m learning more from this forum about diabetes than I ever learn from the surgery.

Hi Cherrianne

Thank you, that is so good to know. Glad I’m not the only one. I think I may start to increase my calories a bit though still enough to lose weight around my waist. I’m starting a bit of weight resistant training to build up my muscles. Last week started off great with levels around 5.6 and 5.5 but seemed to increase after last Tuesday. Unfortunately the late night snack is still not working for me. I checked my fasting level on sat and it was up to 9.4! I’ll be honest it really stressed me out which hasn’t helped my levels at all though I’ve banned myself from measuring for a few days until I chill out a bit. Part of me is thinking that the high morning levels could be down to the liver getting rid of the sugar I have built up over the last 18 months or so.

Started doing lots of meditation to get my self calm – which is strange for me because I’m known for being a very relaxed person!

Bill, my thoughts exactly. Probably my body depleted of sugar anyway rather than controlling it! It’s a step in the direction that others have successfully taken so I’m heartened by that but am very mindful of what you say, thanks.

I know what you mean, Shika – even good fats rack up the calories! For my part, I limit my tea (up to 4 cups a day with a splash of semi-skimmed). I measure out a few nuts to eat in the afternoon and/or a spoonful of avocado to go in with my lunch salad. Although I cut fat off meat, there will be some within the flesh, and that’s included in the calorie count. I try to eat oily fish a couple of times a week, and compensate with less protein in another meal to try to balance out the calorie consumption. Personally, I cook without oil or butter – I agree they make things taste lovely, but I’d prefer to use the calories on something I can get my teeth into, quite literally. It’s a bit of a juggling act, but I’m determined to get those fats in – like you I’ve avoided fat for decades and now see the error in that. Good luck!

Hi Glam Girl, I am at the end of 5 weeks and looking at how I do the 5:2. I have the original 5:2 books, but they concentrate on the ‘fast days’, not the ‘non-fast’ days. I am vegetarian and my only complaint about the blood sugar book is that there are very few vegetarian recipes.
I have been searching the internet for a book on ‘Mediterranean Diets’ and not been too successful, however found this one at the weekend and having now purchased it can easily see me sticking to this way of life going forward – ‘Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics’ for those who wish to control or avoid diabetes. It has a lot of veggie recipes, but also meat and fish. It is written by Robin Ellis (anyone who remembers the first Poldark series on BBC in the 70’s may recognise him as Poldark). He developed type 2 diabetes 15 years ago and changed his diet to control it. He cooks for himself and his wide who is not diabetic so has to keep them both happy with flavours. http://robin-ellis.net/. He has a couple of other books as well on the same topic.
Good luck.

Hi Time4change. I’m now in week 5 and in week 3/4 found that weight was creeping back up – very disappointed as I was being so careful with calories. Advice on forum was to up fluid intake to 3 litres a day (when I measured my mugs and glasses found they held 300mls not the 500mls I thought!) and to watch how many of my calories came from carbs. Since I sorted these two (have an additional glass of water before each meal) the weight has started to drop again, and things are much easier in the bathroom department too!
Lost 12lbs so far, with another stone to go, but have reduced insulin from 66 units a day to 14. Looking forward to stopping it altogether but have been diabetic for 20yrs this year, and on insulin for 12 of those, so may take longer for me to ditch the meds completely. Finding the forums really encouraging and supportive. Thank you everyone!

Congratulations ay caramba – I dream of being overweight. Things are going in the right direction; 5 weeks in and I’m half way there.

I tell you what – no matter what eating programme you are on, there are always critics. (I must say, I’ve never been a fan of low calorie diets, but I’m now eating my words – excuse pun.) A lot of it is down to lack of understanding: whatever you’re/we’re doing has presumably been researched to our personal satisfaction while others may have no idea at all. Change scares people – even vicariously! Also, beware the Green Eyed Monster! People can get very jealous of the success of others and rather than show support or ask for help themselves, they’ll rubbish their perceived ‘opposition’.

I’ve found it’s best to enjoy the results, smile sweetly at the nay-sayers, and respect their journeys.

That was deep for a Monday morning, eh? I’ll get me coat… 😉

Well done Teej, you made it.
We have to be a bit realistic when it comes to family celebrations but you have proved (PUN INTENDED) that you can have your cake and eat it
Back on the plan now and no harm done hopefully.

Hi Teej. Have just seen this set of postings. Proud of you!! 🙂

Good for you! Welcome aboard 😀

Hello and welcome. Yes, planning is a huge part. Other than that, yes, you need to be kind to yourself, but other than that, trust the process, take heart from all the support and enjoy the results!

Thanks so much bill1954 will get sone on my daily walk.

Leeanne try having some full fat Greek yoghurt with berries as a late night snack (I stick the berries in the microwave for 2 mins and make a sort of Khuli)
the fat contents keeps the digestive system working and helps with those high fasting sugar readings.
Fi 4 lbs loss on week 4 for is superb. Keep it up. 😀

Cherrianne – thanks form the info – the problem is that as well as great food you Aussies have great wine and craft beers – my weaknesses. I have 2 business dinners to attend and a couple of lunches tied in with a conference. I will stick to the 800cals though. Great first week with a 5kg drop, flatlined over the weekend but exercised hard, stayed off the booze and ate well. I think I drink less water at weekends which may be a factor. Refused all booze on the plane down from Singapore but did eat the chicken and veggies and the wee piece of plastic cheese. I wont be weighing now till I get back to Singapore on Friday but I am hoping to have a good week – if anything it will test my will-power.
I was going to hide in my room away from the temptations of the bar but will go for a walk along the river instead…

Well done to you liviebutton and keep up the good work.
Welcome Leeanne its great to have another
Person on board.
I also get inspiration from the success stories.
Nidge

Sounds like you’re off to a great start. Enjoy the ride… it is surprisingly rather an enjoyable experience!

Well done Caramba! Starting my 4th week today and have lost 4lbs this week (but still obese – can’t wait to be ‘overweight’). It was my first time to slip a little this weekend as well – I had a small glass of Prosecco – but I did enjoy it!!

Cherrianne, I’m hearing about loads of people doing the BSD who have never been on the forums.
I get the feeling that we are the tip of a quickly growing iceberg on here and there are potentially thousands doing this lifestyle now.

Besan is chickpea flour Shadow2

Shadow2 Besan is the same thing.
I got mine at the Medina store at the top of Westgate hill in Newcastle beside the bowling alley
hashimoto is a North eastener too. we’re getting quite a little clan going 🙂

Hi Bill,

I wouldnt beat yourself up too much! There are probably lots of reasons for the different results. Firstly on my chart Swede is listed as High 70 – 80 but so is Celeriac. However with further research it seems that while their GI is quite high, their glucid level (sugar) is low and should not significanly affect blood sugar levels. So there are probably other reasons such as having such a late meal and perhaps not doing much exercise after so I wouldnt give up on your swede-eating just yet!

Just put a post on another thread (cant believe how nany threads there are) asking where to get chickpea flour in the north east of england. Can get besan flour but nit sure if that is the same. Hashimoto your spicy baked beans are lovely, didnt miss the toast!

Can just imagine it Bill 🙂
Franash, I’m in the lovely Adelaide hills, probably the closest place you would recognise is Victor Harbor? It’s about 20 mins from me.
I have family living in Gippsland, near the coast. Beautiful place and some great farmland too.

I have chick pea flour on order from Holland and Barratt. If you have a shop near you pay a visit. Otherwise order online.

Bill you are doing so so well you are an inspiration but it is frustrating how something works one week and not another. Does the stored sugar eventually go away after a prolonged low carb diet do you think? I certainly hope so because i probably have a lot stored. Ah … so you and I and captainlynne all from north east, certainly lovely beaches to get the 10,000 steps in. I still havent managed to get chickpea flour, do you have any suggestions where i might get it from please. I went to sainsburys and they had besan flour which i am not sure is the same, desperate to make flatbreads but can get coconut flour at £4 per packet in asda. Had avocado for first time today and quite enjoyed it. Cant believe i am not missing bread and rice.

Well done on your success,that will be an encouragement to others on here. Amazing what results the low carb/ cal diet achieved. Makes you wonder why it’s not taking the diabetes world by storm!!

They are brilliant results Mick but be careful with the sugar readings.
I had excellent blood sugar results first 4 weeks but having slight issues with them now.
I would suggest that you go for 3 weeks of good readings before you think of stopping the BSD and maybe go on to the Med diet but keep an eye on how the sugar readings are performing.

Brilliant week 1 results liviebutton, I bet you’re ecstatic !
Keep it up, we want to see far less of you

Thanks FoFi, I did drop (at last) 1 1/2 lbs the day sfter my post, seems that body has decided to play ball again.

Wow 3 north easterners
By the time we all lose our weight Whitley bay cliffs will rise 6 inches from the sea 🙂

Hooray…. I’m overweight!! That sounds bad, I know, but it does mean I am no longer classed as obese, which sounds even worse. End of Week 5 and BMI below 30.
2lbs lost this week. Have lost 13lbs altogether so I’ve nearly lost my first stone in weight. Feeling quite pleased because the scales showed an increase in weight during the week. What was that about? No change in the diet during the week….bit of a mystery weight gain there.
At the weekend went out for a family meal to celebrate a 40th birthday. Given an enormous piece of cake that would have been rude not to eat, so I felt I had to oblige. Only bit of processed sugary carb I have eaten in the 5 weeks and not very enjoyable at that.
Not too much harm done and I’m not going to beat myself up about it. Social occasions are the most difficult to manage without drawing too much attention and sounding too evangelical about the BSD diet.
Anyway onwards to more weight loss in the future ….and better health. Good luck everyone.

No probs Julia, thanks for the advice, and you too Judith.
Thing is, before lastweek I had been having swede every Sunday with no ill effects, the sugar thing has been ongoing since Tuesday.
I will switch out the swede for celariac this week and see how it goes and keep a very close eye on the sugar readings.
Still under the impression that if I’m not putting it in, then what’s coming out must be stored sugar but why it should happen 5 weeks in is a mystery to me.
Not to worry, I’m sure it will sort itself out.

Good stuff De13, you are lucky!!!
So whereabouts are you Cherrianne? Sounds nice.

Oh no Hashimoto, I didn’t mean you!! I meant me, feeling guilt because in general it would seem that the medical profession views type two diabetics as somehow bringing it on themselves. I am part of that profession so I know how the condition is viewed by some.
Your post didn’t come across like that to me at all. Please don’t feel bad, I love reading your posts! 🙂
I think that pasta and bread has kind of overtaken the true Italian diet. It used to be a small amount of pasta, meat occasionally but more often fish, and the main components were vegetables, beans, foraged herbs and leaves, cheese, nuts and fruit. It’s come a long way since the original peasant style of cooking and eating and is now as carb heavy as any western diet.
Scrolls are a kind of bread or sometimes scone dough which you roll out into a rectangle, spread with Vegemite and sprinkle with cheese. You then roll it up like a Swiss roll and cut it into thick slices. Lay the slices flat on an oven tray and bake. You can buy them in the shops here but they are usually too heavy handed with the vegemite and so very salty. Homemade ones are healthier.
Pizza scrolls are the same principle but spread with a tomato based sauce, mushrooms, olives, capsicum, cheese etc. great for kids lunches and picnics. If I can make them lower carb I can indulge too.
My kids do have a lovely country lifestyle. We have 95 acres for them to run around on yet are only 20 mins from the beach. We have chickens for eggs, home grown veg and used to milk our goats but they’re too old now. We are lucky enough to get fresh raw milk from a friend’s cows. As much as we can we eat fresh, seasonal, unprocessed food. We know how very fortunate we are to live like this, not something I would have thought possible if I had stayed in England.

Just realised Hashimoto was on the case quicker – should have refreshed my screen before hitting the submit button!

About to have dinner on Day 1. Was really surprised that I wasn’t hungry at all today after the avocado and tuna for breakfast and the no-carb ploughmans for lunch ( minus the ham cos I’m not a fan).

Day one for me:
Starting weight: 13st 13lbs
Waist: 35 in
Fasting bloods: 11.0 (always have had high readings first thing).
My aim is to only weigh once a week.
I’m hoping that by keeping tabs on myself on here it will help me!