Hi Natasha
My pleasure!
I don’t think you ll go back because this diet is so different. The others were so hard, slow, effortful and wrong!
Penny

Apologies Penny. As i said im not too sure where to write! Thank you for your message of support Bill.

Hi kinsman
There is a thread already for people who ve had a binge!
Penny

Thanks for the great tips Penny!

I actually think I’d be happy to follow the book for 6 months to a year following the 8 weeks. My fear is losing the weight I want to lose and then slipping back into old patterns and going back to square one.
At the moment I cannot imagine that happening, but I’ve said this before on other diets. I’m determined not to let this happen again!

Thanks Squidgy. That is a fascinating article about the dawn phenomenon and now so much makes sense to me.

I am still getting higher results in the morning despite trying the late night fatty / protein snack but I figure I need to try it a few more times yet to make it work. However, I’m feeling very pleased at the moment because my levels overall are most definitely down. Yesterday my pre dinner level was 5.6 and tonight it was 5.5. I think I might actually be on the road home! But I’ve had disappointments before so holding back the celebrations till I’m sure it stays that way.

For three days now not been able to go to the loo. Drinking lots of water and Red Bush tea.
Eating plenty of green veg and salad. But nothing’s moving!
Anyone else experiencing problems?
Advice please……

It’s my weigh in day. I’m dead chuffed as I’ve lost another 5lbs. Have felt quite tired today which surprised me, as I’ve been feeling great on the diet up till now. Think I’ll be drinking more water…
Can’t get on with Greek yoghurt for breakfast while I’m doing the 8 weeks. For 200 kc it’s just sooooo small. Tastes amazing, berries or tosted seeds on it etc, but it’s tiny! I’m going back to breakfast salad with smoked Mackrell tomorrow. It’s nice to have something on my plate which takes a while to clear. But I’m not a gluten. Honest.

Hi Penny
You can download kindle on your smart phone
Penny

Hi Anita,
I’m avoiding starchy carbs while I’m doing the 8 weeks.
After, knowing what I do now, then I think I will use /make polenta, Bulgar wheat, sweet potatoes jacket spuds and the like. But for now, it’s only 8 weeks. So I’m avoiding it all. After they will be on the plate but never the main event.
I’ve been eating loads of fishy things, in salad. Mushroom omlet, fried chicken (see my recipe, it’s not as bad as it sounds), etc etc all with loads of salad or veg, and drinking water like it’s going out of fashion.
There’s loads of good things to eat on the shelves without looking for a way to add carbs back in, yet
Good luck on your journey.

Hi All – great to see everyone doing so well.

I”ve just finished week 5 and really pleased with progress. Dropped 15.5lb so far, over 10% of my starting weight. BMI down from 29.6 to 26.7, 4 inches off my waist and really feeling a difference.

One unexpected benefit is my resting heart rate (measured with my fitbit when I’m sleeping) has significantly dropped – was between 95 -100 the week before I started which is awful, and between 75-80 now which is definitely going in the right direction.

My fasting blood sugar levels are still on the high side but the rest are fine, and I have reduced my medication.

All going well, but ironically I’ve been quite hungry today, most unusual for me, and I’ve been having some cravings for naughty stuff! I’ve had a few much seeds and a little cheese and I think I need an early night so hopefully it will pass!

I’ve tried a few, but wasn’t happy with any of them so have gone back to writing everything down! I love technology, just not for this.

You could always try it and see how it affects you. As Squidgy says, not the instant sort. If you’re diabetic you might want to test to see how it affects your blood sugar. I find they spike my levels, but my son can eat them! We’re all different 😊

Hi Hashimoto. I’m writing down everything I eat anyway, so will take my notebook with me and do my best to record everything I eat. I don’t drink so alcohol isn’t a problem.

Sorry to hear about your infections, hope you stay well and get to Australia.

Know what you mean about the sandwich without bread! Years ago I asked for a burger without the bun. Now that seems quite common, but then it was almost unheard of LOL. And my friend is allergic to cheese, so asks for pizza without cheese. That’s fun anywhere, but we went to Italy! She really struggled at lunchtime.

I’ll let you know how I get on in Prague when I get back. Won’t have much internet access while I’m away though.

Hi all, i got started properly today, took my fasting blood sugar level (5.3 so I’m not pre-diabetic, which is good to know) and then searched on the site for a tracker similar to the one on the 5:2 site, to record my blood sugar, weight etc.

I couldn’t find one – are there plans to provide a tracker as part of the site, or can anyone recommend a handy site to record all that (including blood sugar)?

Yes it does, its just that it doesn’t appear in the menus or meal plans, so was wondering if its OK?

Hi Elgordo

The book says “oats are good as longs they aren’t the instant sort”.

I occasionally have a small portion (30g) of chunky oats for breakfast with blueberries and chia seeds.

Good luck

Hi captainlynne, I am now 6 and a half weeks in so it won’t be too long before I join you in eight week line and after. It will be good to hear how you get on in Prague. I’m hoping to go to Australia in a few months but won’t make definite plans as I have only been free of repeated chest infections since I was put on antibiotics three times a week in late December. I want to be sure I am consistently well before having to cancel another holiday last minute! The freedom from infections has given me the energy to go with this diet and I feel like I am going from strength to strength on it. All this weight loss may just give me the confidence to don a swimsuit and get in the water! So far if I have had lunch out I have asked for a ham sandwich without the ham, left the chips and eaten the salad. The request of a sandwich without bread does cause some bewilderment lol

Hi ally, just wanted to say stick with it! I had awful headaches and achy all over for first week but now well in to week two and am feeling brilliant, more energy and sleeping like a log. I was definitely addicted to sugar , so stick with it , I did take paracetamol to get me through when I was feeling really bad and had one day feeling really tearful! A bit of time and strength and you will get there. 😊

Hi Penny
Diet doc is much more strict VERY low carb. No fruit, no beans. Did you see the first shopping list? A mountain of meat!
Penny

Porridge doesn’t appear in the BSD book recipes at all. Is this acceptable in this diet?

Thanks Kimgall. No, family don’t know! My son is type 2 on meds, eats carbs. The twins say what they think, so it should be interesting when they see me after Easter LOL. If comments from my son and daughter-in-law are repeatable I’ll put them on here.

Off to Prague next Monday. Checked out eating places at both airports, so gave an idea what I can get there. Should get lots of walking done 😃 (Especially trying to find something I can eat!).

Lynne

Hi Yorkshirelass – well done on your achievement, 5lb is 5lb in the right direction and you can see the positive in the blood sugar level as well, so you have every right to feel pleased with yourself. I too carry weight around my middle, but luckily, have no serious pre-diabetic concerns, however, I felt it was definitely time to get serious about getting my weight under control.

Like you, I am finding the diet surprisingly satisfying, given that the portions are much smaller than I would normally eat. It’s been fairly easy to stick to and so far, I haven’t had any real cravings for sweet stuff and have only had the odd hunger pang. Haven’t tried the blueberry and green tea shake yet, but it’s on my list. Think tomorrow, I’ll be making a veggie soup, with whatever is in the fridge that hasn’t much longer ’til it’s only fit for the bin.

Anyway, hope you have a good week and an excellent result at the end of it. Good luck.

Eureka : Hi all Type 2 Diabetics

Re: broadcast Public Lecture by Prof Roy Taylor. To find :
Go to ncl.ac.uk Reversing Type 2 Diabetes. See, Information for people with Diabetes. Public Lecture on reversing type 2 diabetes ( 4 th November 2014 ). Can be viewed ( press) here

This is how to find this really important information for type 2 diabetics. Listen to the whole thing including Q&A’s at the end. I also took mob pics of the slides off my iPad Don’t know why I missed this from my first posting!

Anyone not type 2 would find this helpful too. It’s’ all about his first trial & findings , which has inspired this BSD diet we are all now on!
Eureka

HivSpirit
That book sounds interesting. What s it called?
Still waiting for the whoosh effect myself!
Did you mean you only ate 340 cals in all and did loads of exercise? I suppose it’s safe if it’s not for long as people literally fast and don’t eat at all.
Penny

Thanks, Sharon … 16lb is brilliant in 3 weeks. I am sure your grandchildren will thoroughly enjoy a more healthy and agile grandma!! 🙂 I just want to be able to keep up … even a little bit would be good!!! 🙂
Kim

Hi Ruby
You could try Floradix for iron – doesn’t cause constipation!
Penny

Hi Natasa
I think calorieKing is accurate.
Re MFP. You can put in one teaspoon for example then have half a serving ie .5 of a serving. That’s what I do. Though usually grams. ie I put things in as 100 or 10 grams or mils then have multiples of them. ie I have 200 mils of soya milk every day so it’s 2 servings etc.
Good you’re getting to grips with everything in such a detailed way. That’s what I like too but I do t like to be tied down to those recipes.
Penny

Lynne … thank you … and very well done!!! 31lbs … amazing!!! Good on yer!! Do your family know what you’ve been doing, and how much you’ve lost? They will be so very proud of their grandma/nan!!

You going to Prague this week? I hope you have a wonderful holiday … you’ll have fun looking for different foods!! 🙂

Kim

Monday weigh in, starting week four and 12 lb down – 8lb week 1, 2 3/4lb week 2, 1 1/4lb week 3. Happy as away last week Monday to Friday in a hotel with delicious food which I think I managed quite well. Did have a treat a taste of my husbands deserts two nights, but only a tiny taste. I went to the gym before breakfast (husband stayed in bed), swam and we walked miles so that helped. Really enjoying variety of new recipies.

By carbs in the evening, i mean legumes with veggies. Sometimes a kiwi. Always with fat. The pulses (legumes) are protein.
This afternoon i added a small mandarin orange because my blood sugars were 71 (i have never used meds for the pre-diabetes).

Hi Hashimoto and Kim. Good to see you. Looking forward to you joining me on here – getting a bit lonely.

Opps that should of said Kimgall

Hi I’ve just completed week1 I have lost 5 lb in 9 days-which isn’t a vast amount I know but having done slimming world diet before, I had already cut down on carbs and never ate sweets apart from dark chocolate(1 small square a week).

I thought I would miss rice, toast and pasta, but I have loved all the recipes that I have tried and they have been quite satisfying.
Normally I would be waiting to have lunch bang on 12 but today managed a rugged 4 mile walk with the dog and easily waited until the homemade soup was ready well after 1pm, having had spinach and pea omlette for breakfast.
I particularly liked the blueberry and green tea shake, portobello toast with goats cheese, pepper with jewelled feta.
My blood sugar has come down from around 6 plus to 5.6.

As a person with mother and grandmother who were diabetic, being a low birth weight baby 3lb 9oz(also a risk factor), having given birth to 2 largish babies nearly nine pounds, and carrying any extra weight around my middle I feel this diet is my best chance of not becoming a full blown diabetic.
I am to become a grandmother in June and hope to welcome the new addition to the family in great shape, THANKS TO MICHAEL AND CO.

How long did this feeling last for everyone? I’m on day four and the low carb flu has well and truly gone and I’ve never felt as good in years! I know I’m fortunate that the feeling horrible bit didn’t last long for me. (why does the flu stage last so long for some people, and not for others?)

I assume I won’t always feel like superwoman on this diet?

Welcome Kimball,

I am on week 3 and lost 16lb so far, I too have grandchildren to thank for getting me to start the journey to lose weight. I have found this forum to be so helpful and there is always someone to offer support and advice. Good luck for your first week all the best Sharon.

I agree Bill. This has to be the easiest ‘diet’ to follow, and I’ve been on diets for over 50 years! After spending a fortune on various slimming clubs, learning their different systems, this is so simple. And effective. Not a ‘diet’ but a new way of eating that’s sustainable long-term.

Hi Kimgall. My fasting BG when I started this was 10.9. Today (afte e 10 weeks in the plan) it was 5.3. Diagnosed type 2 in 2009. Wishing you every success, and many happy years with your grandson. My family haven’t seen me since before I started this – they’ll have a surprise, lost 31 pounds so far 😃. Wonder what my 8-year old twin granddaughters will say LOL.

Thanks, Bill … I have to say that your posts have been an inspiration, too!!

Kim

I am very concerned when i read that Spirit is only eating 340 calories. I have a motto: take care of body first, diet is second.
My doctor told me that he only wanted me on the 800 calories for 8 weeks. He said otherwise my thyroid function would go down. We tested it last week and it has gone down; it’s low normal, down from high normal (i take thryoid). I am on day 2 of the 8th week.

To keep things moving, I have worked myself slowly up to 3 Tablespoons of ground flax seed, drink lots of water, add extra salt. On 3 occasions I have added xylitol because it causes ummm, things to move. It is ok’d by Dr. Mosely, although he doesn’t suggest it because we are trying to ease away from sweets. I find it startlingly sweet now. But, sometimes I just need it. Greens help a LOT.

When i went out to lunch one day i had what i thought was the perfect meal. Pho soup – a beef broth based soup with veggies and small slices of beef. It tasted sweet, so sugar must have been in it. It slowed my weight loss down for days. So, since i was only doing this stringently for 8 weeks, I no longer go out. (i’ll start the 5/2 with two days of 800 and the rest normal eating – i want to succeed in the long run and at my height will need to lose 90 more pounds) i do make special things at home. This mornings 2 egg omelet cooked with 1 tsp coconut oil, garlic, asparagus and chevre cheese. A special treat that will keep me feeling full for hours.

I did have one full week without weight loss. I am counting every calorie (including greens, although Dr. Mosley indicates we don’t have to). I am writing everything down. I stay very close to 800 every day. a couple of days were 50 over. I keep my carbs to under 50 a day and adjust them if necessary. Low carb PLUS fat = fat burning. My sleep was being disrupted and my doc said to put some carbs at the end of the day and that did the trick. I always eat fats and proteins to stabilize the blood sugar before I add the carbs.

Due to a back injury, i cannot exercise. My guess is that many of you are also building muscle which weighs more than fat.

I started out at 240.2 pounds. 54 3/4 ” waist. Today I am 213.8 pounds and 50 1/8″ waist. That’s all I’ve measured. But they are now using the regular sized blood pressure cuff at the doc’s! yea! My blood sugars went down from around 112 to low 70’s. My blood pressure is down.

Dr. Mosley did some good research to back up his suggestions. Please follow them! My family doc has a nutrition and endocrine background and sees that the program is good. I also have a health education background and have years dietary knowledge that frankly didn’t help me until this program.

I know the urge is to lose as much as possible, but i think some of you may actually be sabotaging your weight loss accidentally.

I am 65!

Wishing you all the very best.

Good luck!

Hi Reynards, I had my asthma review today and asked if I should see the dr and ask for a fasting blood sugar test. Imagine my surprise when she searched my records and found I had had a reading of 8 back in 2011! Though a later one was 4.5. The dr had written on my notes ‘normal. hypothyroidism’. I had no idea about that until today. I hope all you hypothyroids on this site get your sugars tested now if you haven’t already – and ask what the reading was if you are told it was ‘normal’.

Welcome Kimgall by the way you owe your grandson a present, he has given you the final push into a new healthier lifestyle.
In fact he has even given you your first target, you need to lose enough inches to let him get his legs around you again.
Loads of people on here to talk to and question, we’ll look forward to sharing your journey 🙂

Hi hummingbird I have hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and am now six and a half weeks into this diet. Can only say it has been the best thing I have ever done. I think it will improve your metabolism rather than hinder it considering how much more energy I have since I started. I have now lost 1stone and 13lbs and have a BMI of 23.6. It was 27.8 when I started. So go with it and enjoy the improvement to your life!!!

Use less than you would think Kazd, it does absorb an awful lot of liquid.

Hi all!

“Nanny, your tummy is too fat for me to get my legs round” says 4 year old grandson yesterday, as I was carrying him! So, the 8 week blood sugar diet book I have been reading this last week, and your fantastic stories I have been engrossed with, and my ratbag of a grandson have finally convinced me I need to do this!!! Although right now, in the middle of the afternoon, feeling tired, becoming obsessed with my next meal, and what I have already put into my body today, I know I might NEED to do it … the question is, CAN I??

Fasting blood glucose this morning? 10.8!! Ouch!
Test at 1 pm today, before lunch? 5.6!! Can’t have been there for a long time cos I was definitely shaky!!! Now I know that’s no hypo, but I also know that the reaction is because my body is not used to not having loads of sugar in its blood!! 🙁

Yes, I’m afraid I am one of those long term type 2 diabetics (15 years diagnosed) that no matter what I do, may well never totally reverse my diabetes, however I know that with this lifestyle change I could very well reduce a lot of medication and go on to see my ratbag of a grandson (and his brother and cousin) go on to become gorgeous young people … and maybe even plague the lives out of them for a long time to come. Here’s hoping!! 🙂

It looks to me as if the answer is in my hands!!

Thank you, one and all, for sharing your trials, tribulations … and many successes … because those have helped me to come to the decision to try and do something about the situation I am currently in!!

So, looking forward to continuing to read your stories, but no longer from the side lines … but as a fully paid up member of your club!! 🙂

Thank you Bill1954, I have made do with regular flour today but will add coconut flour to my shopping list.

Congratulations CaptainLynne! Brilliant effort and great results from your 10 weeks, looking forward to joining you in the ‘8 week’ club some day!!

I think the chickpea flour goodies are a winner.
Thanks Bill and it’s really great reading everybody’s stories.
I’m due for my measure in tomorrow. Now the flu symptoms have gone I am feeling good. Still drinking loads of water and am in this for the long term.
Life style choice now.
Jane

Hi Humming bird
I am on 150mg. Have been on diet 2 weeks and have lost 12 pounds. Most noticeably I have soooooo much more energy and not too many cravings. This is not to say that I wouldn’t like to dive head first into a vat of Cadburys Dairy Milk because to be honest I would love to ..but the feeling of being able to fit into clothes more comfortably and having more energy, plus feeling incredibly pious as I load my trolley at the supermarket with nuts, seeds, natural yoghurt et al is a great buzz and so I have to remember that when I feel a bit peckish ! I asked my GPs about going on it and they didn’t say no so I am doing it for 8 weeks and seeing if this can be the change I need. It took me 5 months of blood and sweat at the gym and diet to lose one and a half stone last year and had truly thought that I would never lose the weight I had put on thanks to my underactive thyroid, but this has given me hope, so as long as your GP is OK with it and you have no other health issues I would recommend it. I was diagnosed a pre-diabetic last month and this was enough to make me get my life sorted out..the BSD is step one !! Best of luck if you do it.

Hi Bill, I’ll take you up on posting recipes! So far I haven’t remembered to photograph anything. On a completely different note I had my annual asthma review this morning and took my blood sugar diet book and my file of recipes with me as well as an excel spreadsheet of my daily weigh ins, number of steps and BMI. As soon as I walked in the nurse was amazed – she could see instantly I had lost a lot of weight and looked full of energy instead of dragging myself in. She said there is diabetes in her family, she made a note of this website and book title and said she is going to be on board with this. Hopefully this will filter through to other staff and diabetic patients. I said I had booked an apptmt with a GP to ask about having a fasting blood sugar test done. She searched my record and it showed that there have been spikes in my readings between 4.5 and 8!!!!!!!!! as far back as 2011. Classed as ‘normal’ because I have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism! The reading of 8 was back in 2011 and I had put a lot of weight on since then so God only knows what it was before this diet. I should definitely have waited to start the diet til after it was done. Now I know I am sticking with this way of eating for life!
My file of recipes contains the recipes in the book but I googled ‘daily mail 8 week blood sugar diet’ and printed of the pages with the recipes. I find it easy to open up the file, look at the pictures and make what takes my fancy. I often change the frittata recipe to have more veg, no chickpeas, and sometimes a couple of rashers of grilled bacon chopped into it.

Hi there,

I’m also hypothyroid, on 150grm of Levothyroxine. I’ve been doing the 5:2 (2 day ‘fasting’) for nearly a year and have lost 10 Ibs, but struggling now with the last stone, and have not really been very motivated since before xmas. I’m toying with BSD, but concerned the calories are so low it will mess up my metabolism, anyone else have those concerns?