Hi fatty (I feel sad writing ‘fatty’) welcome to the forums! I would get the tape measure out, you will be able to measure changes from this point – and there WILL be changes! And those clothes will soon be too big for you!

Take some paracetamol for the headaches, they won’t last long! 🙂

Coconut prawns were YUM!! Had some I didn’t use for dinner last night, so decided to have them for lunch. Dusted them with coconut flour, a little hot paprika (a personal fav) and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Fried them off in butter – delicious with a squeeze of lemon. Will definitely be doing those again. Thanks for the idea Bill.

Rico61 3 stone!!!
That is incredible, you must be really proud of yourself, well done.
If any new starter needs any motivation, this is the only post they need to read.
I only hope I can emulate you eventually.

Brill, Lucia. Well impressed!

Just found this – inspiring and new ideas springing off the screen. Thanks.

3 stone lost. Several more to go.

B – 2 eggs, spray olive oil, 30 gms broccoli, 3 button mushrooms, hot chilli pepper, tomato omelette
L – miso soup, m& s mini tin of Alaskan salmon + sauerkraut
D – chicken breast, broccoli, fine green beans, cherry toms, beetroot, cucumber lettuce – dressing of mustard & balsamic

Lets hear it for herbs and spices!!!
They can make even the blandest food seem interesting and should be used liberally.
Take a well full credit card, it’s one of those shops where you can spend much more than you think, but most of all enjoy it. It’s all part of your new lifestyle.

Don’t panic ChannelK, stick with it and it will come right. I had a difficult w/e last week, eating out twice and drinking a couple of small glasses of wine. Please to say I didn’t actually gain any weight, but I certainly didn’t lose either and it took a couple of days before I saw any positive movement.

Secret is not to waste time beating yourself up for the transgression, but to stay focussed on the task at hand – remember that you need to keep your head straight to succeed, so don’t self-sabotage by expending energy on the negative. You will soon be losing pounds again – keep us posted.

Daz I know the venue you mean in Herefordshire, I used to do Kielder twice a year but the retinopathy put an end to that.
Now I just drag the scope out on the odd clear night if my eyes aren’t too tired from staring at a computer screen all day.
I suspect we may have met online before, probably on SGL
Anyhow, keep posting the results, they all add to the motivation factor for new starters.

Can’t wait, they seem to have a load of ‘healthy stuff’ I will wear my glasses and go for a read, see if there is anything I can use and enjoy.
Problem is , I am so used to plain and ordinary food, that it is a cultural shock for me to add even pepper. Yes, you already know how weird I am.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

posted by Tish_ren
on 17 Mar 2016 at 11:49pm

Congrats to all of you keep up the good work.
I can’t wait to feel slimmer.

SunnyB mixing in some spices sounds like a great idea. I love Thai food so this is worth a shot. Bill coconut prawns, sounds good.

Think you will be fine with those providing they are the tea bag type and not the granule type – which of course is basically flavoured sugar. The bag sort are made with tiny pieces of fruit and herbs, so essentially you get the flavour and not much else. I checked and on one of the boxes I have, it actually shows no cals and no carbs for the finished drink. The others just show the ingredients, but are very similar, so I’m pretty sure the cals/carbs would be the same.

Think you can be reasonable sure these are not going to undermine your efforts.

Might just try that for lunch Bill!

I’m thinking coconut prawns – lots of them, oh dear I’m hungry now.

Hi RPN
you will only know from experience
We are about the same age both T2D but I have more weight to lose.
I did feel slightly light headed for a couple of days right at the start but you have to look on that as a good thing as it’s carb withdrawal symptoms.
I’d say go for the fast 800, then if you start getting any serious side effects go to the 5:2 but bear in mind, if it is carb withdrawal symptoms, it probably won’t make much difference.
Best of luck and remember to keep us all informed of your progress

Holland and Barrat ? Beware
I can’t walk past one of their shops without thinking of Harry Potter and fear, if I enter, I’m going to come out with a wand or even a Snowy Owl (wonder how many carbs in one of those)
Still loving your whole attitude to this Lucia, long may it continue.

Hi Scotgran – sounds like and interesting idea to me. Why not add some spices or herbs to the flour before coating the fish? I’m thinking maybe sumac, crumbled dry tarragon or dill, hot paprika or even a pinch of ground cumin and coriander. Coconut and fish works – think Thai cuisine. If you do try it, let us know how it works out – might even trying for myself.

What do you mean you thought the last one was the final one.
Walking to the bus this morning I noticed birds called starlings. They have oily, shiny feathers that glisten a rainbow of colours in the sun. They remind me of Teddy Boys 😎
Have you listened to their song?
They impersonate all sounds around them, one sounded like a phone!!!!!

Find out yourself, take a walk on the wild side ( but stay on the path).

Love Lucia

Xxxx

HaHa – thanks Bill1954!

I’m going to weigh myself tomorrow (day 5) and see how it’s going. I’ve been a diet controlled type2 for 4 years but I am now finding it increasingly difficult to control. I eat full fat dairy and try to limit the simple carbs as much as possible.

I’ll update tomorrow with my results 🙁

I have seen it mentioned somewhere as a coating for fried food. Perhaps try a small piece first ?
I love the flatbreads, especially with cream cheese and strawberries 😉

And finally,
Do you want my top tip for losing weight?
The one item that will make you shed pounds…..

Monkey nuts, or that’s what we called them when I was a kid.
Red peanuts but still in their brown , hard, shells.
I CANNOT get into the damn things to get the nuts out 😤😤😤😤😤
I tried half a dozen last night. Nearly went into the garage for a saw. !!!!!!!!

Thought I would share that top tip as I am now an expert in losing a quarter of a pound.

Keep going, keep losing
Love Lucia

Xxxx

Hi hashimoto and amazedbanana ,
Thank you to you both, I was a bit worried that it would be counterproductive, however now you have told me a bit about them I shall look forward to opening my present. I hope to continue losing weight for a little while after the eight weeks by doing a few more days on the eight week diet. I have more than 28lb to lose, at this moment I have lost 18lb, so I think I am on track than you once again.

Hi SnowWhite

Welcome to the BSD family. It’s absolutely fine to tailor the diet to suit your likes and dislikes, as long as you are not eating sugars and starchy stuff. You said no fish, but I’m assuming you eat meat(?), if so you’re fine with that and veggies you do like, but do try to avoid root veg, as a lot to these are starchy – try to opt for those that grow above ground. A lot of people seem to be deviating from the menus in the book and devising tasty dishes for themselves, some of which they post here, so take a look at the recipes on the site, there might be something on there that you like the sound of.

I’m sure you will soon be seeing positive changes – keep us posted on your progress and good luck.

I would’ve thought it would make it sweet. I tried the bread it was awful. Nearly a full bag going to waste

Hi Bill
Many thanks! Yes, I was like a little kid at Christmas this morning! I’ve just ordered some more test strips so I can keep a proper check, and will also be recording waist size as well as weight…

Our weekend away was a star party in Herefordshire – saw some stars even if technology let me down again!!! Haa Haa!!
When we get our garden sorted, I will have a dob on the patio while the camera does it’s thing in the obsy!!

🙂

Hi team,
Thanks for your kind words, yes, if, no , when my weight starts with a 12 we won’t need the website, you will hear me cheer from the bathroom. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
Regarding my speech, I may do a gwyneth, and blubber for ten minutes. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Having my salad with feta cheese today.
I haven’t had feta since I was on holiday ten years ago. But I thought, let’s go for it.
As I am now living dangerously, I may venture into the unknown….. Holland and Barrett. I have looked in their windows, but their customers always seem so skinny. So now that I am 13 something (yes, a large something, but who cares), I am of their clientele now.
Love Lucia xxx

Has anyone tried using coconut flour as a “dressing” for fish? I’m thinking dipped in egg, dusted with coconut flour then fried? Just a bit tired of steamed poached or baked fish. I’ve got a big bag I bought for the cheesy scones which were horrid so I need to use it up some other way.

Hi, advice please. I’m a 59 year old male, I have been a Type 2 diabetic for around 5 years and am 2 stone over weight. I still can’t decide if I should go straight onto the 800 calorie diet or start on the 5:2 diet, the reason I’m unsure is that as I work full time I’m concerned that if I start on the 800 calorie diet would I experience headaches or giddiness which could cause safety problems while at work? Any advice/tips would be welcomed.
Many thanks
RPN

Hi gang,
Yup, I was delighted. I looked at the psycology of it all, worked through my emotions, fought a big fight with temptation and got through it.
Do you know what hubby said?
You put on 1/4 LB -? I doubt it. I think the scales are faulty, probably a bad reading.

You know the noise a balloon makes, when it deflates? A raspberry?
That’s what I replied with.
Could I have skipped all this emotion?
Just goes to show
Love Lucia
Xxx

Good stuff Chezza1961 you’re not doing things in halfs are you!!!. No idea on the comparison of pork to chicken, i’m sure you could look it up somewhere, I know you can get extremely lean pork, it can be the leanest of all meats.
Welcome Snow-White. Not sure about that. Hope you find some vege combinations you like soon.

Things are going ok, I’ve finished 2 weeks now, just starting my third. I’ve lost 4 kgs and just sitting stable on that. My grand plan is to lose 9 more kilo. Sorry, I’m in Australia, gotta love metric measurements. I’ve been Type 2 for a couple of years, no meds so far. I’ve just had a Hb1A whatever its called so will be interested to see what it is, as my starting point. I’m pretty sure the stomach measurement that the Chronic Disease Management CDM Nurse does is changed, so will need to find out what that was too. Good luck everyone. keep it up. Remember we are all human too. This is the first concerted action I have taken since having Type 2. Hoping I continue to get positive results. I must say the food I think is so tasty. I forked out and picked up the book for $19 today. Prior, I had been using the menus I could find off the internet, daily mail site. Think I will need to photocopy the recipes and put in plastic otherwise they will not be looking quite so clean. Ah well off to bed, week 3 begins. Yeah!!!

Hi Daz
what a good start. If someone told you that the weight could drop off without trying you would find it hard to believe. Of course for you, as I, it’s the blood sugar readings that are the most important and the fact that you can see regular reductions in both is massively motivating.
Keep it up, and soon, there will be a lot less of you under those midnight stars (I dabble, got a 12″ flextube dob)

Hi

I only drink fizzy water or herbal tea. Recently I’ve been drinking more fruit tea’s than anything. Are they allowed because they are quite sweet ?

Hi Snow-White
I was so tempted to say “don’t eat any red apples” 😀
The most important thing is to cut out the simple carbs. Keeping carbs down below 50g a day will start the weight loss and blood sugar reductions.
Veggies are fairly important as they give you complex carbs which are hard to digest and keep you feeling full, just eat the ones you like. Remember to use olive oil and full fat dairy to keep your fat levels up.
I would suggest starting off by cutting the carbs out first to give you a kick start and then worry about the calories, I, and many others are doing it that way with great success.
Eat the stuff you enjoy as long as the harmful stuff isn’t in it
This time next week you may just have surprised yourself.

Thanks Penny pmshrink

NO SOCIAL LIFE ? IN EAST GERMANY ??
OOF we used to sit in the pubs till the early hours, loads of bierfests happening, in fact all kinds of stuff was going on. It must have changed a lot.
Doing it alone can be difficuilt but that’s where the forum comes in. You now have a worldwide family that has exactly the same goals as you !
99% of any problems you may encounter will have been overcome already by others, if you need any help at all, just shout out. It’s awesome, help can arrive faster than an ambulance and possibly from the other side of the planet.

I use mine to quickly roast cauliflower. I cut it into small florets and the give it a quick spray of oil. 15-18 minutes later. Yum!

Hi All,

I’m also a newbie to this diet! The main problem I have is I am a really fussy eater and don’t like most of what is in the menu plans. I don’t eat fish or many vegetables 🙁 Is it ok to eat what foods I do like but limit to 800 calories a day (obviously not eating many carbs)?

Also, can anyone advise how long it normally takes before FBS starts to drop?

Thanks

Thanks Bill,

We are in Jena, down near Weimar. YES of course the pharmacies will have scales… thanks for that. Already blood sugar levels are allowing me to cut back on meds… and this in only day four… so all good. Thanks for the support. It is hard but also in some ways easy to do it alone. No meals for others to prepare, and NO SOCIAL LIFE!!! hahahaha.

This week is a planning week – we were away last weekend for a long-planned get away with friends, and openly admit to not being the healthiest of breaks!!
So, the plan was that this week, we would start planning the next two weeks of meals (wife is doing this with me 🙂 ). However, I was keen to start and try some of the recipes, so on Tuesday I did just that!

Tuesday breakfast was porridge made with coconut milk, and dinner was a stir-fry based on the pork and ginger recipe
Wednesday breakfast was pea and spinach omelette and spicy turkey burgers for dinner
Today’s breakfast was just a protein shake, as I have some left over burgers for lunch! Dinner will be a steak and salad

I need to increase my water intake, and I have yet to (re)start some exercise, but already I am down just over 2lbs!!

I measured my sugar on Wednesday night before dinner – something I was dreading after the weekend. It was 5.2!!! I was gob-smacked!
I measured again this morning – 8.5! OK, still high, but my morning readings (when I do them) are usually way above that!!

Wow!!
If this keeps on (and I am soooooo determined to ensure it does), I will be in much better shape in 8 weeks time!!

P.S.
I’m using MyFitnessPal to track my food – feel free to connect with me, AstroDaz 🙂

Definitely have the fish. If you ask they will do one without batter for you.
Can’t have you coming to my neck of the woods and not enjoying the local delicacies can we ?
Nip a couple of miles down the coast to Craster and get some delicious kippers and don’t forget the luscious fresh crab!

Hi I spent some time out in Leipzig a few years ago, I’m sure all the pharmacies in Germany have scales, the motivation from seeing the weight go down is a great help so try it out
The headaches are annoying but at least they prove that you are doing things right.
Stick with the plan, shout out if you need help and soon you will be seeing very favourable weight and blood sugar results

He He
I well remember holding my arms out while my Mim and Gran unravelled old knitwear and rewound it on my wrists, ached after a while.
So can I trump you with this ? – Mat frames for clippy (or proggy) mats.
At night the frames would come out, the adults made the mats and us kids used to cut up old coats etc to make the clippings
OMG I’m getting so old.

Hi Cherrianne
I thought I was through it so hopefully this is just a blip.
If the spikes are down to more stored fat and sugar being released then bring it on!! I’m well up for that 🙂
I quite fancy having a liver that hasn’t any fat. There’s never a dull moment with this mind, it’s as good as a brain trainer 😀

Hello Everyone,

I started this journey four days ago, so far so good… well under the 800 calories each day, feeling a bit headache prone but know it is the sugar/carb withdrawal. Have just read through this thread and you seem to be supportive but sensible so I thought I would introduce myself. I am an Australian, living in East Germany for my husbands work and really find it hard to live here, so decided to do a really positive thing for myself and shift some of my excess weight. While in Aus recently I had a visit with an endocrinologist and then found this diet of Michaels, they absolutely line up together with recommendations and understandings of what I must do to get ahead of my type 2 problem… SO I have been following faithfully for four days… couple of problems I can see arising that I want to get my head around…. I don’t have a set of scales here…. and I did not measure before I started… but I should do that now shouldn’t I??.. so I can measure loss…. How else do you all stay motivated??… not a prob at the minute… but reading this thread I am anticipating a rough week next week… just want to prepare not to fail… I need to complete this expedition successfully.

Cheers

Hi Cherrieanne, all I have apart from my pc and a very basic phone is an old blackberry playbook – manufacture ceased july 2014, I think, so the browser is not fully supported and gets worse by the week!
I think it will soon be time to join the more technologically advanced world! Especially before I travel to Australia!
37C is still so hot! Unless it drops to below 17C I won’t need a jumper!! I’m from North East England!
I’m hoping to travel very light – I might buy new clothes out there and if necessary ditch my old clothes and travel back light! My meds take up a lot of volume so I know I will need a bag to go in the hold. See, Bill, there is method in my madness of wearing my more than ten year old jumper!
When my mother used to unravel wool I had to sit in front of her with my arms outstretched while she wound the wool round them! Those were the days! Now you see people throwing away good clothes because they don’t have the skill (?) to stich up a hem or sow a button back on!! I bet your nanna had a lovely button tin too! 🙂

Hi Bill, don’t chuck the linseed!!
You didn’t eat much as you said, so your body had to burn fat for fuel. Hence the ketosis increasing. Nothing to do with the linseed ( poor thing getting all the blame), but high blood sugars due to liver pumping it out.
Try having your low carb fatty meal for lunch after a high morning reading, and your next one might be lower. It’s been working for me recently.
You too must be nearly through this phase of blood sugar spikes. I really hope so. 🙂

Hi Judith,
Do you have an iPad you could put one on? It saves me looking up nutritional info on each item every time. As I’m a bit of an experimental cook, it’s a good tool when I’m trying to pick between ingredients for the best low carb option.
I don’t worry about the calories just the carbs and I also keep an eye on my protein intake. Not obsessive about it but just because I’m vegetarian.
You are doing a great job already though! Impressive weight loss and improvements in your health.
BTW 37C here today and it’s supposed to be autumn!!! It will be cooler in May when you arrive so bring your jumper. I did get your reference to unravelling old ones. My Nanna used to do that! She’d unravel it, steam the wool and use the back of the chair to wind it round to straighten it until it dried. 🙂

MaryR, the plateaus resolve themselves so stay with it – I know you will as 20 lbs down is fantastic! Only 1 lb of a stone and a half! Go gal, go!!! 🙂

Cherrieanne, I am beginning to think I need a smart phone to be able to use these apps! After reading your posts I think I need to think about carbs a bit more carefully! Thanks for the heads up!
Judith x

Chezza, way to go! The BSD and giving up smoking! Will you be recognisable to your family soon?? A big welcome to these forums and looking forward to your future posts!
Regarding food, if you like mince I can post a recipe for you. Do you like spicy food?
Omlettes, fritattas, dips etc are all good protein foods. As are bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. If you count the calories you could have some lovely brunches!
Can you post the things you do like to give us all a clue regarding suggestions?
Good luck 🙂