Inka, If your doctor has given you antibiotics I would take them, you don’t want that sinus infection to get even worse and derail you for a couple of weeks – and end up on a much longer course of stronger antibiotics! Doctors don’t give antibiotics out like candy so she obviously thought you needed them – even if she appeared distracted.

Once you have finished the course you can eat the foods which will promote healthy gut bacteria. Health food shops sell capsules of live probiotics which you keep in the fridge, they’re expensive but if you feel the need it is an option.

Hope you feel better soon, sinus infections are miserable 🙂

Hi Missay
You make such lovely food, you’re an inspiration. I just copied and pasted your menu into my notes!
Penny

Fantastic blood results, Sabrina, no wonder you have a big grin on your face! 🙂

Oh yes but a proportion of that will be fat.
5Kg is not to be sniffed at, imagine how much lard or butter that represents.
You are well on the way, exciting times ahead 🙂

OK people
The Easter hurdle is gone and in the past now, there were quite a few of us who had little slip ups.
That is in the past now, feeling guilty about it won’t undo it, so, like Lesley91 says, lets all jump back on the horse, we have a clear straight run in now to Xmas in the choccy stakes, by which time, I guarantee that most of you reading this today will not even like the taste of the stuff.

Hi Bill1954, thanks for the reply. My GP told me that I have insulin resistance and a step away from Type 2. I guess that I have a lot of sugar bound water to lose as I started the plan at 120kg ( almost 19 stone in old money) and have lost 5kg in just 10 days. That’s a whole bucket of water.

Morning Rob – wow what a post! I’m glad you have spotted that you have always had your meals provided through home, army and fire service. It had occurred to me. One of my brothers would ring at 6 every night to ask a question about cooking his dinner – this was after he left home – it would be things like ‘I want to make a curry but what do you put in first?’ ‘Right, I’m frying the onions and spices but how do I slice a sweet pepper up?’ This was after he got sick of living on a diet of baked beans and cornflakes for months. There is so much to learn when you start out.

As to burger chips cream scone and latte, you already know the answer! The food was completely wrong for you so you put on weight even though you were training!! I know, some people seem to get away with it (they think) just like some people smoke 20 a day and don’t get lung problems (yet). We are not all the same. We don’t all react the same to medicines ( food is a medicine of sorts).

Rob can you list the veg you do like? Then I can work on a plan for you. You would need to ditch things like swede (too starchy) and parsnips (again too starchy) you need to stay at 50 carbs or under. One chocolate muffin has 51.64g of carbs! 1 10″ pepperoni pizza has a whopping 80g of carbs! So you can see the problem!

1 medium egg has half a g of carbs, medium chicken breast has none. celery, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and peppers are low carb. Courgettes are also low carb,
Do you eat fish or chicken? Bacon? (0g) Beef (0g). The recipes in the book are designed to portion the protein so you are not eating too much ( it hinders weight loss)
Do you like soups? If you do then a stick blender is a really useful tool.
You’re right about onions, they are good for the gut bacteria, as are leeks and garlic. If you like sauerkraut that is good for you too ( I can’t stand it). Note to self – look up the carbs in courgettes, onions and leeks! Chillies are good for reducing inflammation ( I LOVE them!)

Your comment about overweight doctors made me chuckle. When I smashed my leg a very obese consultant with a massive beer gut told me I needed to lose weight in a very dictatorial way- I’m 5’4″ and weighed 8 and a half stones! You should have seen the faces of the medical students who were with him! One popped backed in to comment on it!!

Don’t worry about going off thread – a few of us have done that!! What is it about you ex army blokes who love to read academic books? My ex army brother is the same – he can’t get enough of history tomes! But I enjoyed your comments on things, Rob.

Please let me know which foods you like and I’ll do a three day plan, but it might come much later today so eat what you would have done on plan today.
Finally do you eat full fat yoghurt? Cheese? Berries? 🙂

Morning All,

Its week 5 for me & after a call to the doctors this morning I have a very big smile on my face!
Had a Hba1c test last Monday & got the results this morning. In Nov 2015 it was 54mmol & the result today was 44 mmol 😝. Best encourangement ever.
Weight is down from 151lbs to 140lbs…
So have decided to reduce my metformin from 1000mg twice a day to 500mg twice a day.
Had a few slip ups but got back on that horse!!!!

Just need to increase the walking😬

Hi,
it sounds completely normal to me, especially in the first couple of weeks.
Week 1 you would start to lose fluid anyway as the sugars that are bound to water in your cells are rinsed from your body. After that, it’s really just the results of the high fluid intake.
You don’t say if you are diabetic, but high urination in diabetics is one of the body’s ways of getting rid of excess sugar.

Day 38. Weight 10st 7lbs
Blood sugar 11.4

Going back on the shakes today after putting 2 lbs back on in the last two days. 😔

Hi Lostgirl
I was talked into trying a little trifle and cake over the weekend, and the strangest thing happened.
I though they would taste sickly sweet as I have been off sugar for so long, but, they actually had a taste that I couldn’t identify as being sweet. Fortunately, they didn’t spike my sugar either.
That hasn’t happened to me before and I’m wondering if it’s happened to others but I think I can say with certainty that my sweet tooth is well and truly gone.
Just hang in there and take it one step at a time, the benefits will soon pile up.

Hi, I’m in the second week of the plan and have have started to lose weigh, sleep better, wake up feeling more refreshed and no real hunger pangs (so far). The only thing that I have noticed is that I’m having to pee much more than before. Before the diet I always made sure I drank plenty of fluids and have not made any significant changes to the amount I drink. However, I am peeing much much more and also need to get up most nights to relieve the bladder. Is this a result of the diet, has anyone else experienced similar problems. Thanks for any feedback.

Congratulations Newlife, you’re one more person who did not end up in James Cook University Hospital A and E dept suffering from an over indulgence of Easter Eggs!! They even put it on facebook!! Just shows how much we need to get the word out there through our petition!

I must say if it was not for the fact I am gluten intolerant it is the Yorkshires which I would miss most, so well done you for sticking to the plan! 🙂

Good morning all,

How bad was Easter for every one?? ( in the diet sense not the religious )

Eggs every where, hot cross buns…. Nightmare..

Was in Tenby yesterday….and it isn’t until you start your diet or on the diet ( I describe the BSD as the diet to my friends ) that you notice all the bakeries, coffee shops, chip shops, pubs, restaurants , sweet shops, greggs, …etc…they are every where and they were packed with people!! But I was good I bought an apple ( the biggest in the veg shop ) and it tasted lush!

I think I am over the diet urge, as the cravings have gone but I still get the gold fish bowl over the head feeling ( every thing is monotone and I am feel numb )

I read some of the posts and people who are losing the weight and getting in to the trousers/skirts that have been locked away ….excellent ))))

Whilst walking my girls ( dogs in layman terms ) this morning I realised why I don’t understand food,

I never made a meal until I was 26 ( every job I had from 15 and 9 months was made for me ( before that my late mum ) I mean the army,…if they didn’t make it in the cookhouse, then they issued us ration packs , the fire service…a chef! Only late last year I found out there was cheese in cheese cake!!!! Couldn’t believe it ( watched come dine with me) and carrots in carrot cake!!!!

All ,y cooking has been based on stock from a cube, bolonasie from a jar, lasagne from tescos / asda….and when I cook meat i cook it as I don’t know when it is done

Now I know basically how to cook ( from the book the diet ) I kind of love it

Could any one list 3 days of good food to eat ( broken down to breakfast, dinner and tea please ) as I am still head shot thinking the menus are set to help the bacteria in the body ( am I right I just couldn’t eat cheesy beans , and steak every day as my body will need other nutrients ??? I have to ditch the avacardo, walnuts…!!

I used to hate peppers but when they are grilled they are quiet nice

In return for anyone’s help I can offer education on physics…since my operations all I have read is physics and anthropology ….so fascinating ( as an example speed of light is 186,000 mile per second, it is constant it doesn’t get faster it starts at that speed!! And what is a light year!!! It’s 6 trillion miles ) any way if anyone wants to know about the stuff I posted I will happily try and answer ( remember I had my spinal op in April and didn’t know anything about science so I am no expert )

The reason why I kind of brought that up because food is a science …we eat for energy, our core temp is approx 98 and we eat to maintain that ( also to move and live ) so when I see people in the know ( doctors, consultants…which are over weight I think what the ek!!!! They know how the body works and the effects bad food has on the body so why??? It’s like dr Mosley says in the book …it’s like putting petrol in the boot!!

And to me the info I received from yourselves , you know far more that anyone I spoken to…some of my friend shrug the diet of as they know best…but then I get a txt / email asking how much weight I have lost….I tell them and they don’t believe me even though hey haven’t seen me for over a week

Some people thinks it’s ok to eat 1900 cal and you won’t put weight on…is this right ( so if burger and chips…mmmmmm is 1200 and a cheese cake is 500 cal I could eat that and still lose weight??? ) I went through 6 months for a having a latte and a cream scone for dinner!!!! And even though I was training I was slowly gaining weight ….. It just doesn’t make sense !!!

What veg are good for you!??… Onions?? Green peas ( jolly green giant peas) turnips and can I have a bowl of porridge every morning??? The Scottish oats ones and if so how much can I have??

Will finish on a question… Has any one ever thought why the Egyptians are not the top people of the world today ( rem they introduced us to arithmetic, algebra,algorithms …etc…they named 2/3 of the planets !! They ruled for over 2500 years and build the tallest structures “pyramids” that was the tallest for approx 4 thousand years ) it’s ok if I get a telling off for diverting from the topic but this is how I get through the day not eating))

Hi Bill, you ARE going to be very busy, I know what month ends are like in the pharmacy business. Hope all goes smoothly for you despite staff illnesses 🙂

Hashimoto, I think I missed the yorkshires rather than the potatoes but it was still pretty darn good!

Yesterday –
B: FF yoghurt, mixed seeds
L: on the road – peanuts c50g
D: leek+bean soup

Today –
B: FF yoghurt, sunflower seeds
L: smoked salmon salad
D: leek + bean soup (last of my batch so I need to start thinking about tomorrow’s dinner…)

A chocolate-free Easter! Whoop!

Hi , nice figures
LizEgan, got it in one, it is the carbs that are the answer.
What you have thought of as hunger pangs for years were far more likely to be carb cravings.
Once you get about a week into the diet, those cravings go and if you experience hunger then, it’s real hunger, the kind you get when you’re due a meal, not because the body wants sugar !
Keeps your carbs around or below 50g / day and the weight will go.
Skywalker, you made this answer easy by posting just what can be acheived with a little perseverance, well done.

I’m going to be busy at work over the next few days due to staff illness and I have the end of the month figures to do and payments to make.
Once I get through that lot, I’m going to trawl through all the football forums and other niches I’m aware of and drop the petition link in them, should get a fair few signatures
If anyone else on here posts in other forums, please leave the link there, and let’s get this petition moving 🙂

Hi Inka,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words, every other diet I have tried I always just think ‘ oh, I will start again tomorrow’, this is the first time I have stopped and told myself TODAY! And you are right, you can find so many excuses to eat rubbish – when the best reasons are the ones to eat healthy and get fit.

My weigh in day is Friday so I will definitely post it and embrace it!
(Also, pizza isn’t as good as I remember aha)

Thank You! xxxx

Hi Lesley91,
Dont disspair…. you will make it. Most people seem to have a setback at some time, but you have the right attitude … Yes, get back on the horse, and dont cry about yesterday! Dont forget, that your weightloss up to now is fantastic and if you hadnt stuck to your guns up to now, you would not have got that great result! You know that you can do it, you have already proven it. I know how you feel, I have been at that point many times before, not on this diet, but just about all my life, before this. I let it beat me so many times, and I made silly excuses to myself, why it is OK, to stuff my face again! …Really being able to say no, takes time, but once you have done it a few times, you will be all the stronger for it! . just contuinue the great work you already have done…. Let me know how your next weigh-in goes. Dont be scared of it, just take whatever the scale says, as a new beginning, you will be up and running in no time. Chin up… We are all behind you!!!! 🙂

On Week 7 now, was going to have a ‘fat’ weekend after week 8 and go out for a meal to treat myself but we went out over the weekend and I didn’t take a packed lunch. Ended up with a carb heavy breakfast and lunch, finished off with an Easter Egg. Then last night I was unprepared and ended up with a dominos pizza.

Feeling bloated, have indigestion and feel like I have let myself down. Lacking the motivation to get started again but I have prepared my meals for today so no excuses. Whenever I over eat I seem to get into almost a depression – I just give up on everything, no motivation at work…etc.

Going to get back on the horse, I am planning on another 8 weeks anyway as we are getting married soon.
I have lost 2 stone 3 lbs so far but not weighing myself any time soon as it will demotivate me even more 🙁

Caught a nasty sinus infection and had to go to the doc today. while I was there, I ask her to order all the blood tests suggested by MM. Have to wait until I am better and rhen have this done. Have not mentioned the diet, she seemed preoccupied … but will tell her when the tests have to be repeated at a later stage. There are a few chronic med conditions on the female sight of my family, so even if the results are OK, it doesnt hurt to keep an eye on things. Because I feel so lousy , today turned into a fasting day eithout intention. … just a handful of nuts and peppermint tea. The doc gave me some antibiotics to take…. I am worried that, they will kill off any of the good work I have done…. Any thoughts or afvice on this, anyone? Have not started to take them yet…. Cant take them on an empty stomach and will have to wait until dinner is ready….

Hi everyone, I made it through Easter unscathed and that for me is unbelievable. I won’t say I wasn’t tempted at all but the cravings were tiny in comparison to previously and easily managed by remembering how far I’ve already come 🙂

So my second week loss is 2lb, 1st week 8lb. A slow-down but not unexpected from all the experience here.

I feel lighter and happier 🙂

Keep going everyone!

Thanks Hashimoto. Back to work tomorrow – and I a;ways find things easier during the working week.

Hi meinz, you’re not alone in having had a few wonky days over easter. But you are back on track which is the important thing.
The fact that I lost weight from my stomach area first is one of the things I found so motivating.

5 kg is a lot to lose in a couple of weeks 🙂

Wow, Eureka, way to go! That’s brilliant! The chances are that she will know someone with diabetes and may pass the information along.

Thanks for signing skywalker, only 97 but that’s more than there was in the morning! News will be spreading on social media and we have 6 months to run the petition. It would be fantastic if we had thousands of votes. Most people have not heard of this diet yet so I expected a slow start. If michael mosley did a ‘trust me I’m a doctor’ program about it I think there would be a lot more interest.
But up the revolution we are getting the word out there! 🙂

I am just returning to this plan after a wonky few days.

B – Greek yoghurt with chia seeds and berries
L- Egg salad
D – Lemon, mustard chicken thigh with salad and a small serving of feta.

I find the morning and evenings ok – but struggle in the afternoon. Copious cups of green tea help a little.

I have lost 5 kgs so far, really only in a couple of weeks. I struggle with weight loss so am very impressed. In particular losing it around my tummy is very motivating.

Hi Lolo, very interesting reading and some good tips if one must drink alcohol. I liked to have a couple of glasses of wine every so often, but have learned to mostly not to indulge. When I do, I really pay for it with my body protesting vehemently! I now get a worse hangover feeling from only one glass than what I used to get for quite a few more :-(. So, I tell myself, why would you deliberately bring about this horrible ill and achy feeling? .. and so far it has worked and I didnt even feel like drinking any alcohol. If I do have alcohol in a social situation, I have a white, mixed with plenty of soda water…. Tastes OK, makes me feel like I am not missing out on anything, doesnt make me feel sick, is cheaper because my drink lasts longer and best of all, it only has a fraction of the carbs and cals a full strengths wine would have. I also have done a bit of reading on a few health and diet related issues. I was interested how fat cells work and was surprised to find that apparently, our bodies stop producing them at adolescense. When we get older and fatter, they just expand, and they can do so to quite a large size. When we loose weight, they shrink again waiting for us to give them new excess fat to store. Apparently, they dont die and just sit there. Other sources claim that when they reach a certain enlarged size, they are able to devide…. That is a horrible thought…. :-(… For me, the take on all of this is, that these nasty little cells sit there and wait for me to eat bad foods again, so that they can grow again, and they are supposed to be able to do this very quickly, to make me fat and overweight again. I dont want to let them, so knowing their game, I can now be on guard not giving in to their commands. My view might be a bit simplistic, but it helps me imagine what my body does and also keeps me focused on doing the right thing for my body. We only have one after all, it serves us well and it really deserves to be looked after. Wishing everyone continued success ….. and here is to a rapid decline of our fat stores!!!!

I recommend the book The Fix which is an interesting look at addiction and how things are carefully presented in ways that make it very hard to say no or avoid The current fad for extremely lavishly iced cupcakes, is one example.

Hmm, perhaps make a few “crackers” that are purely parmesan. (Have you seen those?You make them by grating parmesan onto a greased or paper lined tray, and baking just till it melts together, then cutting into little crackers while warm. The cheese sets into quite neat little crackers with no carb.) Then decorate the cracker with a couple of slices of apple on top. It’s a biscuit, it’s flavourful, and the apple isn’t apple as he pictures it, but a topping. Pear would work too.

As for it not going with the tea, I can’t comment, as I have never liked tea (or coffee), but tea has a bit of bitterness, which I guess the sweetness of the biscuit offsets, so maybe omitting the cuppa as suggested by Janet is a good idea! 😉
He might get more used to the idea of apple with the tea after having a little dressed up with a cracker or a bit of cheese rather than thinking of it as a whole apple.

Hi hashimoto

Just sent Anna Soubry MP ( she once held a post in dept of health) directions to petition, Newcastle Uni & BSD web sites. Also praised & pointed out the forums support (world wide) for this BSD & that we can’t wait & are doing it for ourselves!

Gave a quick lesson on carb metabolism & insulin production & use of same. Also the fact that HIGH CARBS are TOXIC & killing us!
Asked for her support for LOW CARBS/high fat BSD in the war on diabetes.
Everything crossed!
Eureka

Hello, just signed but only 97 signatures so far.

Helllo, 7 weeks ago I was a typical meat + 3 veg + pudding man but now I have surprised myself just how much I have changed. I never cut carbs out completely although cereals were soon the first to go, followed by milk for the sugar content and then bread but I still enjoy an occasional slice and crispbread. I have lost over 25 lbs so far. I have cut my potato portion from around 200 gms in January down to 70 gms now and make up the bulk with typical British veggies. I have had 6 short plateaus and got quite annoyed but it is normal. I am much healthier and my blood pressure graph is brilliant too. 800 kCals is surprisingly plenty most days. Keep going…

Ooh I don’t mind AT ALL! This is all so helpful (I’ve never been on a forum before!)
Some great ideas there, Hashimoto-that helps a lot! I have an app (My Fitness Pal) so calorie counting is fine, I was unclear on how you count carbs. I’ve just been reading around the forums a bit and found lots of people use a daily figure of 50g. I guess I can see that on the app?? Brilliant advice and encouragement – thank you!

Hi Lostgirl,
I really hope you are getting over the craving for something sweet by now. How awful!! It’s your body’s attempt to force you back into eating carbs. It doesn’t want to kick over into fat burning mode because it’s used to using sweet, sugary carbs as fuel. Bill described that stage once as being like a toddler having a tantrum. That’s a good analogy. We can understand the tantrum but as adults we know what’s best so we can’t give in to tantrums can we? We can comfort a toddler ( or body) through one but we must stand firm.
Next time you are shopping grab some liquorice tea, or if you don’t like liquorice Twinings have a ginger and apple one. Both liquorice and ginger help digestion and the sugar cravings. Strangely enough I found that a slice of lemon in hot water helped ease the need for something sweet.
The cravings should pass soon if you can keep your carb intake low. I didn’t have a sweet tooth, apart from biscuits, before I started the BSD. Within a week though I was unexpectedly craving something sweet. Possibly because I was strictly limiting my fruit intake.
There are many reformed chocoholics on here who will tell you that this stage will pass. You will surprise yourself one day soon when you realise it doesn’t hold the appeal anymore.

*sorted*

Hi HettyB, you are doing great. I consider myself to be premenopausal but haven’t had anything like the severity of symptoms that you have. I only posted this week about premenstrual weight gain making my scales go up instead if down- it’s souls destroying, but I can report that they have started moving in the right direction now! This forum is great too, as I read that plateau-ing is common at weeks 2 and 3, which is where I am at now. Hope you get some answers from your Bloods soon. It may also be a good idea to let your GP know you are doing this diet- if you are found to be anaemic, you may need to get that tarted first- just a thought. Good luck and hope you feel better soon x

Cherrianne

Getting really strict on the carbs here. Do you only allow yourself 50g of carbs in total or just carbs that are sugar per day?

I want yor results!
Lachlan

Great news, Eureka. If we all do things like contacting MPs, posting to facebook, emailing friends etc our voices will be heard! 🙂

Hi Keetz, I hope you don’t mind me jumping in. Some people have smart phone apps which help – I don’t have a smart phone so don’t have an app. I just google calories for a given food and you get all the info on carbs as well. Because I don’t have a smart phone app I have been compiling a list of foods I typically eat with their calories and carbs listed. I also check labels.
When you are away I would just avoid the starchy carbs and choose things like omelette, salads without chips or crisps, curry without rice or breads. You could even have fish from a chippy if you remove the batter. You could have a burger without the bun or any number of combinations just keep of the carbs! 🙂

Weighed in this morning. I lost 1.7kg and my partner lost 2kg in one week. The first week was surprisingly easy. Not very hungry at all and not missing all the carbs. I already found I’m not craving food at all. Is going without the carbs the answer? I bought the book and I’m following the recipes and adapting a few of my own. My partner is not keen on some of the more obscure veggies but has been trying them anyway!

Hi hashimoto
Brill idea, was thinking what to do myself. Great you did it. Signed & passed on. Will contact my MP Anna Soubry!
Eureka

Hello everyone – the more the merrier.
Glad your starting to lose again innermono!ogue. I’ve been losing painfully slowly, but I didn’t increase my exercise – so it’s my own fault really. However the weight does seem to be going in the right direction. I’m not sure if my liver or pancreas is emptying or not and I’m not sure if a lower fast reading or a higher fast reading is better at the moment?

Day 37 10 St 6 lbs – have put 1lb on since yesterday, but I have eaten more yesterday and today.
Blood sugar 10.3

I test my blood every morning, I’m in week 6 and I had hoped for better results by this stage, or is my liver still emptying? I have ordered some ketostix as recommended, I’m not sure what they will prove, but I’ll give them a go. I didn’t manage to drink more today, in fact I did very little. Going to be more active tomorrow – possibly. 😇

Hi 08874, so good that you have reduced your blood sugars so quickly on this diet. YourGP should notice the difference !

Thanks for signing 🙂

This is great to read Leeanne! I am worried that less time usually and a partner who generally doesn’t join in with this (plus 2 young girls) that I won’t always be able to follow the book recipes. How do you check your low carb, high fat stuff? Do you check labels? If so what numbers are you looking at. I’m interested to know how I can adapt especially when we’re away next week.
Thank you!

Same here, I’ve never counted calories.
I just watch the carbs and eat sensible portions.
I lost 25 and a half pounds in 8 weeks.

Thanks col, up the revolution! It was as much captainlynne, we both thought of it and she supported me! 🙂

Thank you very much- these comments are SO encouraging.

Hi rob, a lot of us eat following the principles of the diet, i.e low carb (and most of us count the calories). I. Have made some recipes from the book, but the basic ingredients can be made into a variety of meals. Some recipes. In the book take a long time to make – thinking of beetroot fa!
I do make the fish baked in foil but I do it the way I always have – ie I add some soy sauce, ginger, chilli, onion, tomato and courgette. It’s easy that way and only a plate and cutlery to wash.

You’ll develop ideas as you become confident about calorie and carb content. Keep going – you have already lost a lot of weight.
Get your blood sugars tested as soon as you can or you won’t know the extent of your success 🙂

Totally agree with you laska, I don’t count calories now, just carbs so I add butter to everything and am in ketosis all the time.