Hi all,
it’s so encouraging to read about everyone’s weight loss. I’ve just signed the government petition as I think we must spread the word about this way of eating. I’m just finishing week seven and have lost 24 pounds. My husband is at end of week 6 has lost 26 pounds, his hba1c is down to 42 cholesterol 3, all medication greatly reduced, he’s having repeat bloods in two weeks but is thrilled. Waist measurements down by 4 and 6.5 inches too. We are going to continue beyond 8 weeks. Good luck . Much joy

Thanks Patsy

I’ve had some roast beef, broccoli and gravy for tea and I feel somewhat better, going to take myself off to bed and start to read the book again to get back in the right frame of mind.

Tomorrow is a new day, I’m back working 8 til 8, so I’m defrosting a portion of sausage & lentils from freezer and made a curried chickpea salad to take into work with me. Think I’m slightly over the 50g carbs but it’s a whole lot better than the last 3 days.

Have a good week everyone x

Signed .. (and we’ve highlighted the petition on the BSD thread on Mumsnet..). This government ‘health’ advice is seriously flawed, (but then par for the course with this lot sadly).. Its just the Same old Same old..

This is my first day and this thread is VERY useful!
B: poached egg & half an avocado
L: Half tin baked beans on coconut oil-fried portobello mushrooms
D: chicken stir fry in tamari with ginger, & garlic.

3 litres water, various herbal tea

Waaarrrggghhhhh- I’m scared!

Hi Janet,

You could be right. I’m not averse to fats, but I do think I’m being more cautious because of the high calorie count of them. Will just have to try and include more where I can and see if it makes a difference.

Kags

Hey Everyone!
Glad to see everyone’s doing so well still. I hit the start of week 7 tomorrow & am still really pleased with the results of this diet. I’m 17lbs down so far & 3 inches from my waist and hips – so really pleased. I wasn’t pre diabetic – but have tested my blood sugars recently and they are down to 4.8 from between 5.5-6, so again couldn’t be happier.
These forums have been fantastic! Such a great way to keep motivated and get inspiration – well done everyone, really fab to see so much support out there & so much weight loss!
My biggest vice on this diet has been alcohol – I still love a few drinks on a weekend with friends and recently did some research on how our bodies process alcohol. Really interesting to know that as soon as alcohol is ingested your body uses this as it’s primary fuel source. All other food is then stored as fat until all the alcohol calories have been used up. I read on a number of pages that 1g of alcohol equates to 7 calories – pretty hefty amounts! So advice was to eat low fat and low carb on the occasional day you are going to drink alcohol – this will mean that less fat is stored when you do treat yourself. It certainly has made me stop and think about the levels of alcohol consumed & why it makes people put on weight. I definitely will limit the alcohol more because of this – but it’s also great to know the processes your body is going through so that steps can be taken to help your body maintain it’s weight loss. Not sure if this was of interest to anyone – but thought it was worth a share 🙂
Have a great week all! xx

How about just cutting back on the nice biscuits he enjoys having? How many would he normally have? If he has three, try just having one but really savouring it instead of it just disappearing in one mouthful (or is that just my husband?). There aren’t really too many alternatives that do the same job as the biscuit. But maybe if he can see the positive weight loss benefits from cutting back, he can be persuaded to go the whole hog. What really works for me is the volume of food I am allowed to eat. When I look at the one biscuit I could have and then look at the large bowl of yoghurt, fruit and nuts I could have for way less carbs, that is enough for me to choose the yoghurt over the biscuit every time. Or maybe you could ditch the cuppa; no cuppa means no need for biscuits.

You’re welcome, if he wants to ditch sugary biscuits it’s worth working on to get used to the taste – they’re not sweet but biscuity enough to be nice with a hot drink.

Thanks jpscloud. ‘Mr Misssay’ -now there’ s a name which made me chuckle!

Thanks, jpscloud. They sound worth a try.

Jandz, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, but on the plus side it sounds as though you won’t be craving those foods now.

Lostgirl – a bit of nutella wouldn’t be too bad, would it? Not on bread or anything, just a small spoonful and make it last as long as you can. Better than going to the shop and buying a bar and scoffing the whole lot on the way home.

Hi Kags

I just caught the back end of your posts about greens and calorie counting. The calories are so small in ‘leaves’ that they will add negligible numbers of calories to your daily total compared to the benefits you will gain from nutrients and fibre. I think that’s why Dr M says you don’t need to measure. Your half plate might only come to about 30 calories. You said you are feeling really hungry. I wonder if you are adding enough fats to your meals? I am seven weeks in now and am almost having to remember to eat otherwise I wouldn’t bother, and I’m sure this is because, not only have I cut right back on the carbs, but I am having more fat with every meal.

Nairn’s oatcakes (the plain or cheese ones) are actually pretty tasty if you’re hungry. The ones with berries or stem ginger have a fair bit of sugar in, but if your hubby doesn’t have to watch his blood sugars they would be a little more healthy than ordinary biscuits due to the oat content.

It’s virtually impossible to wolf them down too, they’re very dense and satisfying!

My mum is borderline diabetic diet-controlled, and she can eat plain Nairn’s without spiking, she likes them with a glass of milk if she can’t sleep.

Thanks Patsy – well done Misssay and Mr Misssay as well!

Hello, checking in for end of week 1 weigh in! I’ve just been reading posts from people who are half way through the plan and beyond. It’s so encouraging and makes me want to still be here at the end of week 8 declaring a miracle! Anyhoo, down to business; I lost 6lb this week. Despite a glass of red, a glass of white and a modest slice of (my) birthday cake on Sunday :-). Maybe those treats will catch up with me this week, but I’m chuffed to bits with that result. TBH, I felt a bit queasy after the cake so took it as a clear message to stay away. Hardly felt hungry after the first two days so I know it’s possible. See you soon xx

Breakfast – 2 (small) apples. 6 almonds

Lunch – homemade pea and bacon soup

Dinner – homemade chicken sag and a gram flour flatbread (my first time making those and will definitely have them again)

drinks – lots of tea with milk, water, low calorie tonic (we had it already. I won’t be buying more) Think I’ll have hot milk later.

hi Lostgirl – what sunnyb said!!! You will be surprised – a few weeks of this diet and some things start to taste sweet. I now find cashew nuts very sweet. Blueberries now taste very sweet. I’ve had to raid the freezer for blackberries to get some tart zing. I think it was liquorice tea that cherrianne said could settle a sweet craving – no cals, no carbs. You might need to buy some to help you through! 🙂

Thanks, Hawks. I did suggest apples, but he says they don’t go with a cup of tea! Think he’ll say the same about cheese.

I had thought of making flapjack with chunky oats. If I inluded lots of nuts, that would ‘dilute’ the sugar a bit and make them very filling. Perhaps I could include seeds too?

Thanks, Penny. I did a little hunting on Google and found a post from Dr Mosley on here mentioning half a plate of greens and not weighing them. Didn’t say anything about counting the calories though. Had a load over the past two days, so will see if there is any effect on my current plateau. So frustrated right now. Blood sugar seems OK, but I’m so hungry and weight loss is completely stalled.

Hi Janet1973
Ah thank you, she is interested in seeing the book, she is a very fit 40 odd year old runs and cycles every day swims a couple of times a week yet can’t shift her baby belly! They do drink a lot of red wine, her and her husband, so I’m sure she will want to try doing the diet, she is like me tried every diet going lost the weight then gained again plus some, so we might have another convert on our hands.
She also wants us to help her clear a bit of stuff out of her garage, so, a bit of excercise in the mix too, really looking forward to the trip.

End of week 7 weigh in gives me a half a pound loss fhis week – 16 lb loss so far with two inches off navel and waist measurements. That was after a more relaxed couple of days yesterday and Saturday, and a meal out on Wednesday night! Those inches were gone really early on, and haven’t changed since, but I think that with so much to lose, the weight has to come off from all over, so my body is bound to share the loss around a bit!

My OH has lost 8 lbs and an inch and a half from his navel measurement. He has been less strict generally, but he has much like less to lose and, until we ran out of test strips, his blood sugars were looking good, so we are happy enough at the moment.

It is going to be a change for him not to have the sweet treat. Does he like apples, pears, nuts or cheese?
I find that a tiny bit of preparation, such as slicing an apple into small attractive pieces, makes it seem more of a treat. That with a few nuts in a little dish, or a few slices of a tangy cheese that will go nicely with the apple, might satisfy the desire for sweetness and also be filling.
Once he gets more used to the change, it will be more natural for him to just grab an apple or some nuts as they will be more “normal” and more attractive if that makes sense, but while the change is settling in dressing things up a little can really help. It did for me.

Today has been:
B – two rashers back bacon and fired egg
L – zilch
D – a selection of cold meats and cheeses, a dollop of hummus, a dollop of coleslaw and gem lettuce leafs

Finished the day 100cals over, but carbs only at 10.69, so not stressing too much.

Hey Lostgirl
The cravings will pass, but I know it’s the surviving them right now that’s tough. Try a little mindfulness and take a few moments to think about how annoyed with yourself you’d be if you give in. A phrase I’ve been using recently as a bit of a mental mantra, is the well known ‘Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.’.
Stick with it and you won’t need to hate being fat anymore.

B: 2 rashers grilled bacon, 1 fried egg, half tbsp Brown sauce, 1 pickled onion (don’t ask…I like them with bacon !)

L: lettuce, tomato, half tin tuna in spring water

D: oven baked cod fillet (just plain, no batter/ breadcrumbs), tbsp peas

Apple, pear, tea/coffee, 1 or 2 walnuts

I’m sure the book said Quorn was OK. As long as you cut the carbs and keep the caloriesaround 800, just about anything seems fine.

yay im not the only one!! although i dont think i was bad re sugar, i was very good, but tonight i need something sweet!!!

im ready to pull my hair out and go to the shop and get a chocolate bar, all i have in the house is apples and im sick of them! ooh there is nutella but apples covered in nutella really is sinking a new low
already maxed my limit for today, its those bloody cheesy baked beans and mushrooms!

but no matter what happens this weight loss isn’t going to happen over night… baby steps, each mouthful of good food is a victory

thing is i feel full! i dont need to eat yet i want to eat something sweet… arrgh i hate being this fat!

Back on track today with

Brunch: Gammon steak, fried egg, tomatoes, mushrooms and two small bubble ‘n’ squeak type fritters made from mashed sprouts and carrots, salt and pepper, dried onion and besan flour. I formed them into the rissoles/fritters and ovenbaked them. They’ll definitely feature again as the besan flour helped to make them taste like real bubble ‘n’ squeak, and not just mashed up veg!

Dinner: Vaguely middle eastern mix up of chicken breast pieces, fried with ras el hanout spice mix, fenugreek spice, ground garlic flakes, chilli flakes, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaf, served with roasted yellow pepper strips, courgette and red onion (also with the ras el hanout and fenugreek), leftover spiced red cabbage with cranberries (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves), and finally … pomegranate seeds, golden plum and mint salad!

You may have guessed that I’m rather partial to my herbs and spices!

Snack: half an apple

Drinks: Fizzy and still water, one Earl Grey tea with milk, one coffee and cream, three buttermint teas (these smell just like Murray mints!)

Cals: 828. Carbs:48g

I don’t know which is more shocking that people ate enough easter eggs to make themselves ill or the fact that they would waste doctors time at A and E! 🙁

My husband is slowly coming round to this diet, but giving up biscuits would be a big problem for him. He does realise they’re not exactly healthy, so is willing to try an alternative if I can come up with something.

Can you think of anything reasonably healthy which would be nice to nibble with a cup of tea? It needs to be either easily bought, or which I can make in batches and freeze or store. He’s not diabetic and doesn’t have any allergies.

My must move-to selection would include:

I wanna dance with somebody – Whitney
Hi-ho silver lining – Jeff Beck
Let’s dance – David Bowie
Radar love – Golden Earring
Don’t stop me now – Queen

And many more. It’s fun to get up and move to music – must do that more often!

Well done, jpscloud.

Thanks Janet and Sunny 🙂

I tried the gram flour flatbread tonight. I fried it in a splash of olive oil and knob of butter. Really, really nice. Not the same as a naan bread – more like a paratha. I like the way it would be easy to make a bigger or smaller one, depending on how hungry I am. When I make naan, I always make too much – and then we eat it all anyway!

Will be experimenting with these in place of tortilla. As Fofi says, I think they’d be strong enough.

Hi hashimoto – like the sound of that, I’ll definitely take those with me. Think I will get the stix now and see if I am comfortable with them, before deciding on the scales.

jpscloud – Well done on your weight lose, that’s a brilliant result – especially if you managed that with a lapse or two. I hope you will stay focused and have excellent results again next week. Look forward to hearing how you do.

Hi orchid – yes I was thinking of taking ours with me, as we’re driving and so baggage weight is not an issue. I am going to make and take some sesame crackers with me as snacks – got the recipe from the diet doctor website. They are savoury and a little bit cheesy and quite satisfying. Also going to take some seeds and nuts for nibbles and try to find salads and such en route.

janet1973 – Hope you manage to get under the 10st mark before your events – I have just managed to duck below that line myself, but am still short of losing a whole stone. Thank you for the input of the scales – you’re definitely wearing me down! Will see how I go between now and a week Thursday and take a decision then.

Thank you everyone for your encouragement and input – all very much appreciated. Good luck to all for a good week and positive results at next weigh-in, will look forward to hearing how everyone does.

Now that is worrying….how much do you need to eat before needing hospital treatment ?!

Sounds like you’re going to have a lovely day tomorrow. I’m sure your daughter will be thrilled to see you and will give you more protein and fats and less carbs. Dead easy! Have a great day.

Bought a great book Mediterranean cooking for diabetics, delicious dishes to control or avoid diabetes by robin Ellis ( he was the first poldark on tv) not had a good look however if it gives me inspiration then it will do for me, I love books, and I read cookery books like novels! so hopefully will have more meals to try.
Off to our daughters in the morning for the day, (well half a day, she lives two hours away from us) so I am having eggs for breakfast then have got carb free plowmans, then going to just see what she cooks for dinner and wing it from there!
Looking forward to it as haven’t got there since before Christmas, they have a new dog, and have done more decorating to see, also catch up with the grandchildren ( two plus two stepdaughters) will look at the scales with interest when I weigh in on the morning after, haven’t eaten away from home since starting the diet! Eeek we shall see,
Thank you captainlynne will look forward to joining the thread, and losing more weight!

Jandz the local hospital has just announced that far too many people have turned up at A and E after over indulging on chocolate and other easter foods!!! I’ve never heard of that happening before – makes you think 🙂

Excellent news jpscloud! Well done!

Thanks Hashimoto 🙂

Hi lucia, my social calendar is a bit fuller than usual this week. My dad is 90 so I am also going on a hunt for moss for him – for his hanging baskets.
It’s a busy time in the garden – lots of my son’s seedlings ……oh the local hospital has just announced too many people have eaten too much chocolate and turned up at A and E with indigestion!!!!! Glad it wasn’t us lucia!!! I’ve never heard of it happening before, what is going on?

I also need to completely empty my wardrobe and sort everything out – lot needs to go to charity shops. I am finding more clothes that didn’t used to fit. Yaaaay! Xxxx

Those are long hours with short breaks. Good you have been so organised this weekend. Xxxx

Thanks hashimoto….I find it shocking how my body is reacting to carbs so badly so quickly, I’ve only been on bsd for 3 weeks.

I don’t think it’s until you’ve given something up that you realise how damaging it is to your health. However unpleasant I feel now, it is a startling wake up call to what I have been subjecting my body too all these years.

For 3 weeks I’ve been feeling well, sleeping soundly and full of energy, for 2 days I have felt the complete opposite…roll on tomorrow 👍

I have found that Linda MaCartney sausages are really tasty, also I don’t like tofu but the supermarkets own lincolnshire sausages which are tofu are delicious.

Jpscloud, wonderful weight loss. You’ll have a good 2nd week:)

Hi Jandz, tough at the moment but you’re right, you have learnt 3 valuable lessons.
Have a great new working week 🙂

Happy Easter to you too captainlynne! My Easter is two weeks long so it’s not belated 🙂

Well, ok, sunnyb, yes you can buy them if you really really really need to. But, bear in mind, they may give you a different reading to your ones at home. You’d have to give them at least two pounds grace up or down. Thats the ww leader in me coming out!

Its going to take me two or three days to get back into fat burning I think, but next Saturday I am going to a work reunion and Monday is my birthday. I would like to be officially under 10 stone by then but as no one else will care but me, we’ll see how it goes!

Hi Hashimoto,

It’s calm and sunny here now.

Good keeping busy. Previously, I would fall out of bed and sit on the settee until bedtime. Then roll back up to bed.

Have just sorted next few days of meals.

Now sorting out a bag of old clothes. Charity shop will be busy over the next month or two. 😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄
Back working 7:45am to 7pm this week. 30 mins lunch. 😕😕😕😕😕

You planning anything this week?

Love Lucia xxxx

Hi Sunnyb, if you really feel the need for scales, then if possible take your own with you! I know this sound extreme, but buying new ones over there may give a false reading either too high or too low compared with your own! I know I loved stepping on my mothers scales as I appeared to be 3-4lbs lighter than my ones 🙁
The real test is how your clothes feel on you, if they are still fine, then you are fine.
If you already know how you will manage with the heat increase (I retain fluids at least 2-3kg until my body acclimatises), then factor that into your clothes measurements and weight so you don’t panic. I remember coming back from a holiday in Sri Lanka, a still skinny me, many years ago and finding that my stomach was extended by inches and I was 8 lbs up – it was all fluid retention from the flight. When I asked the doctor for tablets for the water retention he refused saying my body was doing exactly what it was designed to do and preserving my fluid levels in extreme conditions. It fixed itself in a week.
Like you I am wondering how I will cope travelling and on holiday at the end of April. I am driving from Hertfordshire via my family in Scotland for a few days then onto Orkney for an 8 day stay and driving back. The holiday in Orkney is full board, and I will just have to manage by not eating the carbs and being sensible.
The driving up and down is going to be the killer – motorway service stations are not exactly well known for their healthy fare! Last time I went up I started buying espresso’s for my caffeine fix instead skinny late’s to cut calories. I was eating packets of mints like there was no tomorrow and crisps as well Now I can have full fat late’s now that will hopefully keep me fuller and alert – and hope their are salads in the shops. What I really want is a plate of soup! I will take a flask with soup for the way up, and the idea of a supply of hardboiled eggs as someone else suggested is a great one. Any other tips/suggestions would be welcome.