Ok, so just a quickie to update on changes I’ve made since the 8 weeks were up and a few numbers to show results.
My first goal with the BSD was to normalise blood pressure and blood sugars (TICK!) and get a BMI of under 30 – i.e. Overweight, not Obese

Measurement history to date:
Start of 8 weeks – Jan 11, 2016
108.9 kg – Waist 122 cm – BMI 34.37

End of 8 Weeks – 6 Mar, 2016
98.2 kg – Waist 111 cm – BMI 30.99

End of 10 weeks and 2 days 22 Mar, 2016
95.9kg – Waist 109 cm BMI (still maddeningly) 30.27

Diet – added some carbs in the form of a piece of fruit and a glass of milk and a couple of slices of homemade wholegrain bread for week 8 and 9 as I was experiencing tired legs rather than the amazing spring I had in my step a few weeks into the diet.

Exercise – Started regular walking around week 8 – 3.5 km 5 days per week. I have really bad feet and ankles so walking has never been attractive, yet I really wanted to exercise (what?), so I’ve gone to a podiatrist to get help with orthotics so I can walk without the pain in my feet all the next day. Waiting for next appointment as I bought the running shoes he recommended, but feet still ache.

Week 10, felt that weight was coming off veerrrryyyy slooowwwwly, even though I was still at around 1500 kcal / day with my extra carbs so…..

Added 9 minutes of High intensity cycling to my exercise days ( 2min light pedal, 20 secs sprint against resistance, repeated 3 times and a 2 minute warm down at end), but now only exercise every second day to give my decades-ignored muscles some recovery time. So I spend 9 minutes on the bike and go for my 3.5 k walk.

Diet – basically BSD around 1000 kcal per day on the exercise days and 1500 kcal on the recovery days.

Legs still feel tired in the afternoon on the exercise days ( and I exercise in the late afternoon), but I have the springy step when I wake up the next morning and for the duration of the day on the recovery days. The addition of the HIT exercise seems to have bought back the energy in my legs, so hoping that as I continue to lose weight, this will stay around for longer.

Final note, weight loss and waist measurement reduction speeded up immediately following the HIT introduction.

Cheers

Great idea misssay.

Several pairs of trousers disposed of before they caused me considerable embarrassment in public.

Working my way down the smaller sizes in my uniform. Fortunately I kept them as I grew out of them. Down two blouse sizes, one skirt size. Funny how skirts get longer when you lose weight!

New tops and underwear bought in a size that doesn’t begin with a ‘2’. And from a regular shop, not one that only caters for ‘big people’.

Persistent cough gone. Cold-induced cough gone.

Blood sugars down. Blood pressure down.

Thinking clearly. Better concentration. More energy. Things don’t irritate me like they used to.

Sure there will be more later.

Hi all
Great result Trees and congratulations.
I too am planning to stay on after the diet after the 8weeks are up, I am on week 5 now. I also have about 8 stone to lose. I plan to do the 8weeks again and your over the line post are all so encouraging and helpful to read. It feels so strange I don’t feel like I’m on a diet I’m having such lovely food I can honestly say I don’t miss the bread, potatoes, rice or cakes but still have to keep telling myself I don’t like chocolate!!

Hi all, well finished my 8 weeks on Friday after loosing 20lbs. Very pleased but a bit dissapointed that there is limited advise on moving forward? Been back into the book but again a bit vague?
As usual I rely on you guys with all your amazing posts! Did my first fast day today but did 500 calories. It seems that we need to stick to med diet for 5 days but without calorie counting, then 800 for 2?
Can I ask how any of you are getting on?
I had a big weekend with concert, birthdays and day out so put on a whopping 5lbs. Need to ensure that my regular eating does not have that effect!! Happy to work hard for the 2 days but worried that the 5 days without counting will spiral out of control.

I have tea and coffee, one or the other, or both some days. Quite a few forum members do. Coffee is sometimes with a splash of cream to get the fat in, milk in the odd cup of tea, or two! I’m in the UK, so just off to bed in a minute, but there are several forum members from Australia who’ll be around while we’re snoozing!

Bill, Judith, Penny, Lynne and Cherianne and others that I might have missed, special shoutout to you for all the help you give people. It’s truly inspiring! I love dipping in once or twice a week to see what is going on. I think that one of the things that stands out about this forum to me is that people are honest about what they are experiencing as they go through the 8 weeks. On one hand, it seems to be an especially easy diet to follow in terms of satisfaction and lack of hunger after the first couple of days, but on the other hand, people experience challenges and differing responses to the diet along the way. My comment about honesty is that it’s important that people know what to expect and the early-adopters have started, seen off the challenges and emerged out the other side ( cue beautiful butterfly image).

For example:
1. Rapid weight loss first week or two (yay!) and then a marked decrease in progress for a week or two ( sad face) and then back to sloughing it off ( double yay).
2. Blood Sugars – after a few weeks, Fasting BG drop to normal ranges, and then spike up again for a week or two, then return to normal ranges. ( I had two of these spike periods – one around 4 weeks and again at the end, but all back to normal now so…. yay!)

Those are a couple of the biggies which a lot of people struggle with in terms of fear and doubt, but you guys are there to encourage and give a little helping hand, so cheers from down under!

I’m going to do a separate reply on some of the changes I’ve made post the 8 weeks to help in shedding the kilo’s towards my goal.

Gez

Hi missay
Thanks for that – I am sure it will be fine – I was expecting them but not as soon as that! I guess I am experiencing sugar withdrawal with not having any carbs etc. I do have a coffee in the mornings which I know is not on the schedule, but I find I can cope with that and believe it or not I really look forward to it now and savour it. Before it was something to have with my morning tea! By the way I am in Australia!

Hi Libby and welcome. It sounds like you have made a good start there. Keep going through the headaches. It does get easier, and the results are worth a short term investment in the paracetamol companies!

Great results Trees, fantastic loss. I will be continuing past the 8 week mark too. I have a lot to lose, so I will have to switch to something with more calories later, 5:2 or 4:3, I suppose, as realistically I cannot see me sticking to 800 calories to lose it all (around 8 stone altogether.) Having said that, I believe I am eating a better variety of food, with more nutritional value than I was before, even on ‘only’ 800 calories a day.

Hi Hallie
I started the diet just over4 weeks ago starting weight just over 20 stone, I lost 16lb the first 3 weeks nothing week 4 and so far this week have lost 2lb. I will be doing the 8 week then we are away for two weeks to Dominican republic. I will still be doing low carb but will have a few drinks, once back I am going to the 8 weeks again as I still have lots to lose.
The diet really works and you CAN do it. I had a lot of pain in my knees and back, they are both so much better now.
The first 2 weeks were the toughest, make sure you keep your fluids up 2_3lt .
AL the best and I look forward to hearing your results.

Hashimoto and Catgirl, if was very good. I was going to include a small picture, but apart from the recipe section I can’t see any way of adding a picture, for example as an attachment to a post?

Catgirl, the calories tonight were 275. I used one small Tesco frying steak and just over half a tablespoon of each of the two flours, less than half an egg, plus the veg etc. and a few squirts of olive oil to start the frying. I would usually use more fat to fry, but calories were a bit tight today! I have just notice I typed ‘tomatoes’ in my post – that should have said ‘tomato puree’ – a teaspoon each.

Swamp water, hehe, just as long as it isn’t Swamp Thing!

Hi to all the new members,
I totally agree with everything Bill, Hashimoto and CaptainLynne have said.
Keep posting because you will get lots of support, advice and encouragement. We all love staying in touch with each other and helping where we can. We have members in different parts of the world so there’s usually someone awake somewhere. Although most of the action seems to go on while I’m asleep, I wake up and find all these hilarious or inspiring posts on here. Great start to my day 🙂
This way of eating is the best gift you will ever give yourself. So start unwrapping it as soon as you can and enjoy the surprises in store for you. All the best.

I never thought of my self as a ‘trailblazer’ but this is important you have my support and I’ll keep posting my progress.

It sounds fabulous will also be trying it, any idea how many calories for that meal please? ,
I’ve made the melon, spinach and blueberry shake for breakfast, it looks like swamp water but smells ok, proof of the pudding will be in the morning!

That’s very sweet guys! I know the first couple weeks will be toughest, so just going to try to put the head down and get through it. Great to have knowledgeable people to ask advice from if I need it :).

Most people in the bsd are either aiming for 50 grams of carbs a day (which includes sugars from all sources) or for maximum weight loss results, 20 grams per day.

Missay I like your idea of chilli beef. I’m going to try it 🙂

Hi hallie.

I agree with Hashimoto, please keep posting. We look forward to watching your progress, and to the day you join this veterans club.

I thought a thread for non scale victories (NSVs) might be interesting, for us to share our non scale achievements on the BSD 800. I’ll start the ball rolling with a few of mine:

Sinus problems: 95% GONE

Two pairs of jeans now un-wearable (in public, anyway). One pair of stretch jeans now look like jodphurs around the thighs, so, although I didn’t measure my thighs, I must have lost some inches from there too.

One roll of fat less between bust and waist – the landscape there is now pretty flat down to my stomach wodge.
I can easily put on socks and boots, and tie trainers, without needing to sit down (and the hopping around must count as a short burst of high intensity exercise, surely?)

More active weekends – out shopping all day Saturday, and on Sunday I spent two hours in the garden with OH, which included lifting and moving some pamment slabs, completely spring cleaned and tidied the bedroom, did three loads of washing and putting away, cooked dinner and still had some energy left for some intelligent conversation! No, really!

There are some more, but that’s enough for now. Do share!

Bill, I’ve been called a lot of things but never ‘guardian angel’. Thank you 😃 *blushes*

Janice, you are very welcome. We are all in this together, and if those that have been on it longer can help the newbies, we are happy to do what we can.

Going well, georgiarose. The BSD is truly amazing. Keep letting us know your progress.

Well I started the program yesterday, weighing….well more than I should be and blood sugars…..well enough sugar in my body to start my own fairy floss factory!
My thoughts – well I had a mindset that I was going to achieve this (as I really needed to) and after chatting with my GP yesterday had a realisation that although I was mentally prepared for this – it isn’t going to be easy. Makes me more determined because it is now or never and I don’t want to live my life obese and rattling full of pills.
Thoughts – food not too bad, although I was unable to finish lunch. Dinner was so yum that my family wanted more (minus the eggplant!)
Today I will be reducing my Apidra two units each for lunch and dinner, and I already reduced my Lantus 5 units last night.
Just goes to show how eating the right food makes all the difference and eating the wrong foods is toxic to some bodies.
Got the dreaded headache yesterday and today – so make sure I drink plenty of fluids yesterday.
Oh the weight …… yes I did weigh myself this morning just out of curiosity……..great start!

I think those of us who are staying on past 8 weeks are going one week at a time. It’s uncharted waters for us, so we are trailblazers (or pathfinders). All our results (and the data we are collecting) might one day be used to convince the medical profession and even (dare I say it) policy makers in government, that this is the best way for folk to . Out with the low fat, in with the low carb.

Keep posting Trees, letting us know how you’re doing.

Bill, your comment regarding carb cravings is so true. I obsess about them and food in general, and as a person who loves to cook and bake, and only has one other person to feed, that is not good! Cutting out carbs and having starve days has really brought home to me how often food is on my mind, and how often I use it as a distraction.
I am on an antidepressant that increases appetite and is documented for causing weight gain. When I went on it, this side effect was discussed with me, but the alternative was definitely the greater evil. It has been very effective at treating my depression, and gaining weight was not nearly as bad as feeling suicidal all the time! I am grateful to my psych for finding a drug that really helped, (after trying 6 others.)

Today:

Breakfast: One egg, cream cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, raisins, microwaved until set, with a spoon of sour cream and a sprinkle of xylitol

Lunch: Cream cheese dip with 3 celery sticks, 4 cherry toms, Greek yogurt with cooked raspberries,

Dinner: Stir fry with ginger, garlic, red pepper, mange tout, courgette, shallots, lemongrass, basil, coriander, tomatoes and a squirt of lime juice, plus chill beef strips, (fried with chilli and then dipped in beaten egg and a mix of coconut and besan flour, with salt, chilli powder, black pepper, oven baked until golden and crispy)

I was trying to achieve something similar to a chilli beef-strip dish that our local Chinese does. The taste was great, although the coating was a bit dry, but once tossed in a bit of lemon juice and mixed into the stir fry, it moistened up but didn’t go soggy. Delicious!

Snacks: One slice beef with gherkin, half an apple

Drinks: water, two teas with milk, buttermint tea, one coffee with cream

Cals: 856. Carbs:49g

In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn’t hurt. The book even recommends it. However, we will see in the near future what the verdict is about the effect sweeteners have on blood sugar levels. I don’t like gum myself as sweeteners make my teeth more sensitive and the gum pulls on one’s fillings! Sometimes though, you have to choose the lesser of two evils. If you need something then gum is a good no cal substitute. One final point, at the start of the diet most people don’t know how they will cope with so few calories. But I have observed many people who say they are not actually hungry a couple of weeks in. This is because carbs and particularly sugar give us false feelings of hunger. Once we stop eating them, we realise that we really don’t need to eat as much food as we used to. I understand, chezza, you have the added layer of quitting smoking in all this too. More power to you, you’ve made massive changes to your lifestyle. At this stage, if you want the gum, have the gum. If you have blood sugar issues you might notice if it affects you or not. If it doesn’t, keep the gum. wishing you continued success.

Ha ha, I’m not quite skinny jean material yet! I _am_ very close to not having to shop for clothes at larger size only shops though, so once that is the case I will be treating myself. I have been punching new holes in my belt, and look forward to each new one. The budget won’t reach to new clothes for all the sizes I have or will go through.
Others will have to wait on a sudden reveal to see the change.
One of my objectives is to get back to horseriding, which I used to do for exercise and fun, but they have an upper weight limit at the riding schools, so that isn’t doable for another 10 kg.

Diabeties is in my blood line, I’m still fairly young so i still don’t know if it will appear later in my life which attracted me to this diet but also I love the weight loss side it’s great 😄 Just worried that it’s stopped is all.

I will try to quit sugar, I just am not sure how much detail I should take, cut out completely? or is it ok to have things like almond milk as an alternative to all the other milks? Also in stir fry sauces and fruits? Or should I just cut out the obvious ones?

I do understand that muscle takes up less space than fat but given the low calories and exercise I just don’t see how my actual weight could go up?

My shakes have arrived will start it mon after iv done a week cutting down on the carbs and finished the meal plan and do a shop.

Hi hallie please, please don’t wait 8 weeks to post again, there are so many of us on these forums who would love to support you in your goal.

Your comments about energy, concentration and poor sleep resonated with me. You could have been describing me BEFORE this diet. Less than two weeks in and I was a new woman. You will be too.

I found my first week a bit difficult – hungry, headachey and light headed. I took paracetamol to cope. After 4 or 5 dsys things began to change.

Your current weight – forget it, it will soon be your ‘can you believe I used to weigh….’. weight

Please post every day, we would love to hear from you and you can just give us a shout for support or advice

Really am wishing you all the best x

Hi cuff sue, I found a fabulous guide on the diet doctor site about how many carbs in veg, essentially things that grow above the ground are fine but those that grow below have about 3 times more carbs, Eg sweet potatoes 17g per100g v’s cabbage at about3g, try the site as it was a revelation for me

Thank you captainlynne

I feel that I’m going into uncharted waters!! —beyond 8 weeks.
But I have had a good weekly weight loss for 9 weeks now and I don’t want to go back to eating all those foods that were making me unwell. I can’t believe I don’t get Hungary on so few calories and also the family are used to me eating the BSD with out question as they can see my rewards —so I’m going to take it one week at a time and see how it goes —Thank you Michael for writing the book.

Hi woof mum, my hubby and I started the BSD on 13th March, it was weigh in day today and I have lost 10lbs and hubby 5lb, we have both lost inches from waist and hips, we are not diabetic but both high risk pre diabetes due to excess weight and lifestyle, we started on the 800 cal Mediterranean diet, it is working really well so far so good luck and keep us posted.

Time to join in as I’m on week 3 now…

Yesterday :
Yoghurt with summer fruit berries
Mackerel in tomato sauce
Liver & bacon with cauliflower, sprouts & broccoli

Today :
Yoghurt with summer fruit berries
Frittata (bacon, kale, onion & peppers)
HM chilli with cauliflower, sprouts & broccoli

Hi denise, there should be plenty of choices:steak and salad minus the chips
Fish minus potatoes
Bolognese witbout pasta
Curry without the rice
Burger without the bread and chips

I now have no shame asking for a sandwich without the bread! In fact you tend to get a lot more ham,beef, prawns etc cos they feel bad giving you a sliver with leaves!

Good luck with your celebrations, after 22 years you deserve to enjoy it ( and feel holy about your food choices atthe same time!) 🙂

B no carb Bircher
L small packet(20g) cheddar, handful mixed unsalted nuts half a kids pack sliced Apple.
D Heck burger on portobello mushroom, salad.
To drink, lots of water 1black coffee 2 tea with milk.
Total calls 725 Carbs 26

It’s great to hear about about people doing well on it. I was curious if you could extend it if you have more weight to lose. I’m on day one and feeling hungry :).

I was 19st a few years ago and I’m pretty sure I was pre-diabetic. I was utterly shattered and taking loads of painkillers because of pain in my hip. I started doing the 5:2 and without changing much of the rest of my diet I lost 3st, the pain in my leg cleared up and I generally felt much better.

However just before Christmas last year, I suddenly started to feel really tired, listless, low mood, poor sleep. I stopped doing the fast days, stopped exercising, and ate whatever I could for energy. My memory and concentration started to go as well which was pretty scary because my Dad started to slip into dementia at the same time (caused by his diabetes). I figured I was starting to get diabetes myself, but then after my arm went numb I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency, which explained my symptoms and more besides.

My doctor’s great but lots of reading about B12 have me suspecting the guidelines for treatment are inadequate, so I’ve been following the protocol from the Pernicious Anemia/B12 Deficiency Facebook page and started self injecting myself regularly. As with this diet it feels a bit strange to be going off the beaten track of received medical wisdom but very quickly the fog started to lift and my mood began to improve. Such a relief to be feeling better mental but physically I’m left a bit of a wreck. Back to 19st, hip pain, shoulder pain, tired and terribly breathless (from the deficiency). It would be great to think I could make a significant difference in a few months. When you have so much weight to lose it seems like an unrealistic mountain to attempt to climb. With my injections, pills, glucose monitor, and now this I feel like my own one woman science experiment :).

Sorry for the marathon post. Just curious to see if I can make it to the veterans club. I’ve taken all my measurement and weight and I’ll post again in 8 weeks time with how I got on, if I manage to stick it out. Fingers crossed!

Thanks Hashimoto! I am so pleased and can really feel the difference. Wedding anniversary tomorrow and we’re going away for a couple of days so am a bit nervous about finding places to eat that aren’t full of carb loaded foods. I am going to treat myself to a glass or two of the red stuff though – I deserve it after 22 years of marriage 😂😂😂

Hi Janice and all,
Another tribal elder here 🙂 Week 3 for hubby and me and have hit a plateau the last few days with weight, but my BS finally hit the high fives 🙂 fasting and post prandial. The first two weeks the kilos fled, but now time to get serious and recommitted! The good kitchen scales and the EasyDietDiary (Apple app) make calorie counting very easy, just need to keep my mind off snacks and feel good about feeling hungry before eating. Amazing to actually feel full after a small plate of food! Indeed, it has taken many years for the accumulation of all that visceral fat challenging my pancreas. It can’t be lost without real commitment. Good on you, everyone for sharing and caring.

Yesterday :
B: greek yoghurt with sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and milled flax seed and unsweetened apple sauce
L: bacon and avocado lettuce cups
D: fritatta (onion, chilli, sweet pepper and cheese ) with green salad

Today
B: yoghurt with flax and pumpkin seeds and a few raspberries
L fritatta (other half from yesterday )
D: baked salmon with chilli,garlic, ginger and soy sauce served on courgetti

Hi Mosleyfan
What an amazing app that is. I have downloaded it, put in everything I remember that I’ve had today (hopefully not too much left out) and am delighted how easy it is to use. Only thing – is it going to have a go at me when I don’t reach my daily calorie target as set by the app? I was using My FitnessPal but I found that it’s not always in agreement with the calories/carbs shown on the packaging of most foods. I don’t have a lot of stuff from a package but it concerns me that if MFP doesn’t agree with the manufacturer (who I’m guessing should be right), how accurate is it when I put in veggies, or meat, or fish which doesn’t come out of a packet!
I’m guessing you’re a newbie Christi1948 and if your name is anything like mine, I think we could be twins!
Keep on keeping on…..

I do apologise, I don’t want to be a smarta**e. Its just the ex WW leader in me. I can’t tell you how many times I set up that demo of all the packs of butter or lard and said ‘this is your weight loss’. These days I would be saying ‘right, now tuck in!’

Hi mosleyfan,
I have downloaded the fat secret app today, I have found it really good for tracking my food and excercise so thanks for the heads up, still figuring everything out so watch this space!

Sorry Janet1973, I was one of the guilty parties there. It was lazy language and you put it so much more succinctly than the rest of us.

Wow, reideen you are very well prepared for your first 8 weeks. I am really looking forward to your posts! 🙂

Since giving up smoking in October I have been chewing copious amounts of sugar free gum to try and stop me eating all manner of rubbish. Can it cause problems with the diet or am I ok to continue with it. I dont want to start smoking again and I dont want to gain anymore than the 1/2 stone that Ive already gained. Any advice/comments gratefully received!!

Thought I’d post on this thread again, to bring it back into circulation, so that it those just starting out might see it.
So anyway, today I had:
B – yogurt, raspberries, blueberries and chia and flax topping
L – a deli platter of smoked salmon, chirizo, chicken, olives, and a small piece of Italian cheese (name of which escapes me)
D – a stir fry of bacon, chicken, baby sweetcorn, spring onion and kale, good dash of lemon juice and a hefty sprinkle of hot paprika

I have my grocery shopping done with all healthy food that’s on BSD so I’m all set for tomorrow, I have a weeks menu all set so I’m ready for the big step, I have even cleaned out kitchen of all time he unhealthy stuff. Onwards and upwards. Chat tomorrow😀😀😀

I’m sorry to contradict but I keep seeing the same untruth being written again and again. Muscle does not weigh more than fat – a pound of anything is still a pound. It is a question of volume. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it takes up less volume than fat. The effect of this is that a pound of muscle is smaller in volume than a pound of fat but they are both still one pound. The effect in human terms is that the pound of muscle makes us look more toned and smaller, even if the scales have not changed The pound of fat makes us look bigger and more wobbly.

Bill
This is another old-timer here determined to lose the weight that has appeared from I know not where over the past 15 years. It’s like that game where one child faces the wall and all the others creep up slowly behind him/her and if he/she turns and catches another child moving they are out, but the careful very cautious ones, get to touch the shoulder of the one facing the wall and they win. That’s how the pounds have piled on – slowly and stealthily, they’ve finally tapped me on my shoulder, and now I am going to chase them all away. I’m just starting week 4 and have decided I need to be a bit stricter with myself cos I’m not seeing the weight loss massively. Having said which my trousers are loose round my middle, and the crotch is heading towards my knees, so I guess some has shifted. In fact I went trouser hunting on Saturday and managed a whole size down, and I didn’t even have to breathe in and hold that breath to get them done up…..
Good luck to all the newbies on here and a million thanks to you Bill, Captain Lynne, Hashimoto and all the other inspiring crew.
Janice

Hi Shyvarn you need to remember that muscle weighs heavier than fat and if you are toning your muscles that is likely where the extra weigh is coming from. If everything else is smaller i.e inches and looking smaller then youre on the right path keep it up.