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 🙂

Hi Scotgran,
I’m using the app as a learning tool. I have the same one as you ( I’m in Aus),
and I use it to type up recipes of meals that I would normally make. Then I check the carb count per serve, this gives me the chance to change the serve size or add/ swap ingredients.
I also use the daily tracker for my carbs so I can see at what amount they start to affect my sugar levels ( up or down).
I think if you plan your day’s eating and enter it into the app in the morning, you can check the tally and add extra to your meals if you’re under. That might stop you feeling free to ‘fridge raid’ at night.
I’m planning ahead for my life after the 8 weeks when I have to know what size serves are ok and how to be more mindful of what I am eating.
Hope this helps 🙂

Hi Bill

I’ll look out for it next time I’m shopping.

Day 26 Weight 10st 7lbs
Blood sugar 11.3

Just spent 40 minutes on the phone to 4 different people in an Indian call centre regarding a simple request. I knew exactly what I wanted but they didn’t understand and couldn’t put me through to someone in the UK. I am normally very laid back and calm, but I ended up swearing and putting the phone down on two of them. It’s a good job I”m not on s blood pressure monitor, I would have broken it – the mercury would have come out of the top!

Cortisone is released when you are angry, so my weight might be up tomorrow. 😠

Hi Tezyru, I did confess to having had a very tiny glass of wine on two occasions since New Years Eve (think a small shot glass) but you are right, it is not advisable – better to replace the wine with a bit of cheese on your omelette! I find Janet1973’s suggestion of a mock mint julep very satisfying. I add a sprig of fresh mint, a slice of lime and icy cold sparkling water. It looks mint – pun intended. You can also make it by dipping a mint teabag and a squirt of lime juice – whatever floats your boat!
🙂

Hi All another newbie here been on 2 days so far. Got thye headache but thats because Ive stopped eating the biscuits sweets and chocolate. Ive already lost 8 stone over the last year but then gained a half back because of stopping smoking. I have 1 stone 7lb to lose to get me at my ideal weight. The recipes on here are great Except I dont eat chicken and very little fish although I do love prawns crayfish and crab. I eat very little bread – prior to starting this diet I was only eating a couple of slices of wholemeal a week. Any ideas please. Can anybody tell me if swapping pork for chicken is a similar calorie and low carb count??? Good luck to everybody.

Hi Hashimoto thanks for the tip i will give it a try just to make it more palatable , yes im very pleased with my progress so far no doubt there will be times when i dont seem to be making much progress and i will just have to persevere , got my birthday coming up next week so may treat myself to an omelette and possibly a glass of wine though i am not suppose to drink alcohol for the 8 weeks of the program so will maybe not bother with a drink .

Hi Ditzidora, I think when they see you, after a couple of months , they will have to think again!! Especially if they have read the book (and the forums) before they see you. Two months of this diet can have a massive impact on the body shape/dress size! 🙂
Hope you enjoy your holiday – you could have the fish, but not eat the batter or chips! Filling and yummy!
You may not have any ‘sins’ to report if you choose wisely you can still eat what your family have – just minus the bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. So chicken korma minus the rice
fish and chips minus the chips
Bolognese sauce minus the pasta
etc
Enjoy 🙂

Thanks Scotgran, will read your piece.😊

Great news Lucia, it’s those milestones that motivate and sustain us. 🙂
We’ve had people on here celebrate being overweight!! The rest of the world may not get it, but we do. To move from the obese to the overweight category is a great achievement.
Getting under the 14st mark is worth a round of applause from us all. Keep knocking those pounds down!!

I’ve just posted a piece in Fast800 about calorie counting apps. Before I had one, I just ate three meals from the book. After I got one, I started making changes, eating in the evenings to “use up” the calls I had left. My weight loss has stalled. I’m going to stop counting and rely on what I was doing before, just three meals a day from the book.

What Bill said! Though personally, tracking the calories does help me to stay on track. (Cronometer is the one I use) I’m a bit of a control freak, so micromanaging works for me, but I don’t freak if the count is up a bit, as long as I’ve been sticking to the principles. (6.5 weeks, and 20 lbs down- though on a plateau right now- more research needed!)

I thought getting a calorie counting app was a good idea.Ive even recommended it to Lucia. But now it’s got me thinking. Before I downloaded it, I ate nothing but three meals from the book. I lost weight and didn’t feel hungry. Now, in the evenings, I look to see what I’ve had and how many calories I have left and I’m back to fridge raiding. A piece of cheese here, a few almonds there. I often now go to bed feeling too full as I’ve crammed in all the remaining calories in the evening when I don’t take exercise. Also, I was alarmed at how much a pear in the evening increased my carb content. So my weight loss has stalled and I think that pear full of carbs last thing at night is doing bad things to me overnight. Any thoughts? Should I ditch the app?

Thanks hasimoto, I did actually mention the BSD to them a couple of weeks ago when I was prepping to start, but they weren’t keen as it contradicted the diet they have been given to follow! Think I might send them a copy of the book to see if that helps. Am due to see them in a couple of months (I live at the other end of the country) so hopefully my results will speak for themselves!

Hello fellow BSDs, I’m a newbie, week 1 day 4. At this stage all ok and not doing too badly. I think it was helped hugely by giving up chocolate, biscuits and cakes, (4lbs lost on this change alone)which killed my extremely sweet tooth but I know one taste and I’ll be straight back there!! Bread, pasta, rice and potatoes are my other nemesis but when I realised how much of the carb content was sugar I was keen to ditch.
I was finally convinced to give it ago after a colleague lost 1 stone in 3 and a half weeks. I have 2 – 2 and a half to loose.

This morning decided to give the Almond Butter with, Apple, mixed seeds and goji berries ago. I thought the calorie count (110) seemed a bit low considering the Almonds. 25g of Almonds, 2 tsp of seeds (10g) and an apple came to 287!!!!!!! It will now have a significant impact on the rest of the day.
I don’t feel too bad as heading off to the gym in a mo, BUT what about the other recipes???

Any thoughts?

Morning Leeanne
you’re right, I think it’s best to take all this in a relaxed manner, if I tried to research everything that has cropped up on here over the last 7 weeks I wouldn’t have time for work.
The bottom line is what I’m doing is working, everthing else is just numbers really.
My surgery is online but I don’t bother looking, they may say something bad about me 😉

Thank you , yes very happy with first weigh in, Bill. Yes it might all be just water but still I’ll take it as a win!

Booked a last minute Self catering weekend away, so last night was spent planning food to make sure no cheating!
Hubby thinks its great cos he gets steak tomorrow night! Will do chips for him and the kids, just green stuff for me.

They’ve all asked if they can have fish and chips on sat night…. as where we are going (Northumberland Coast) is famous for them….. Any ideas? I was thinking maybe I could have a chicken Kebab no Pitta with chilli sauce only?

I do find when on a diet i get a bit obsessive, then get exhausted with the effort and fall off the wagon – then catastrophic thinking – then guilt. I think if I added up all the pounds I’ve ‘lost’ over the years I should be the weight of a newborn.

Will promise to write on Monday and confess any sins, but am determined to be able to post another loss.

Tezryu – so pleased for you. Amazing progress!
Could you add some soya and root ginger to your veg? Chilli? Garlic?
🙂

Hi ditzidora, welcome. You have already proved this IS working for you, keep going and you will be even more amazed! You should be able to persuade your parents and brother to join you on this journey when they see what it is going to do for you.
All the best and looking forward to your future posts!!! 🙂

Hi susansilver – don’t worry about the odd weight fluctuations. My own most bizarre one was putting on two and a half pounds after, wait for it……
My son and I set off on what we knew to be a particularly arduous hill walk. UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!! There was a light amount of snow in the hill village when we parked but it got deeper the further we went. Then we completely lost the narrow track which meanders up a hilly forest, between boulders etc. I knew the general direction we needed to head in so wasn’t concerned (I had done the same walk many times). Then we were virtually rock climbing but reached a point where I thought I would rather descend – until I. Looked behind me errr. We continued…I was exhausted….we hadn’t come out at the bit of moor I expected but a high chicken wire fence topped with barbed wire. Did we walk an extra half mile to the right ( we needed to be heading left)? My son could vault over the fence,but not me. What to do? I. Ended up face down in the snow, wriggling on my belly to slither underneath a damaged bit of fencing. Did my son congratulate me on my valiant effort? His response was ‘It’s a good job that BSD has worked for you or you would never have got under there!’
That was just the beginning of that epic, never to be forgotten walk…..at one point my son’s leg disappeared down a hole (nothing visible under the thick blanket of snow) … It was a badger sett – and what was more, when he extricated his leg and looked down the hole he was eyeballing the badger. The adventure continued withanother 7 miles to go this was going to be the toughest walk of my life. I. Was having to lift my knee nearly to my chin to climb up the snowy slopes……was my GP right 5 years ago when she told me with arthritis setting into my badly damaged leg ( the consultant told me 21 years ago never to walk more than 50 yards) and my asthma so difficult to control my hill walking days were over??? Too late to think about that now……I was staggering like a drunk with muscle fatigue……

We fell into a pub at the end of the walk and I ordered a ham sandwich with no bread.bewildered looks. They had also stopped taking orders. The waitress gave me a close look and said I’ll ask the chef if he’ll make an exception. He did.
BUT. 2 and a half pounds extra weight the next morning????! WHAAAAT???? HOW?

The day after that 3 pounds came off.

I don’t understand it but strange weight gains followed by a sudden loss do not seem so unusual when you read a few of the blogs!

So, chin up, Susan, you WILL lose the weight and get that feelgood factor 🙂

A great set of results for Bill. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not but my surgery has gone on-line and I’m able to view all my test results from home, however every little anomaly is making me have to research it!! Perhaps not a good idea!

You’re right, the time will fly past.
I’m coming to the end of week 7 and it seems like only a few days ago I started out on this strange and winding path.
You have lost almost a stone in a month …. that’s an execellent result and yet more proof of how well this diet is working.
I hear that the book is selling out everywhere. We could just be at the start of an eating revolution.

I’m not going to worry about it Judith, as I’ve said before, I know I’m not putting sugar or bad carbs in so what’s coming out has to be stored fat and sugar. If so it could be that the fat is starting to drain from my liver and pancreas and the strange up and down readings could be down to a combination of more or less sugar and insulin being released into my bloodstream. The fact that I seem to get ketosis on the days I get higher sugar readings could also be significant, ie fat released burned up as sugar shows as higher sugar readings and the remainder shows up as ketosis.
It’s a theory but all facts start that way and I’m probably wrong anyway.

Hello forum members just a quick update on my progress , only day 4 of my 8 week program although as mentioned in an earlier posting i did start the slimfast program about 3 weeks ago i am now sticking to a more strict program as outlined by professor Taylor from Newcastle university , as i am using whole milk in my shakes i have cut it back to two shakes a day and an evening meal of mixed vegetables which i have found a little bland but will search through some recipes to try and come up with something tastier any ideas ! .
The main reason for this post is that i just wanted to share with you how quickly you can go from being disheartened to being quite pleased with yourself , i weighed myself at the weekend 15 st 3 1/4 lbs then again on Tuesday after some exercise only to find myself at the same weight despite hardly consuming anything but shakes and mixed veg , found this very disheartening , surprisingly i weighed myself this morning and found myself to be 14 st 12 1/2 lbs its been a while since ive been under 15 st so feel pleased with myself this morning , just shows that you have to perceiver and the results will come , approx a month ago i was weighing in at 15 st 10 lbs so am very pleased up to now looking forward to the end of the 8 weeks to see what the final outcome may be , i have found that 8 weeks seems a little daunting so i am just taking it a week at a time im sure it will pass quick enough .