Hi, unfortunately that’s a big problem for me I really don’t drink nearly enough, I am trying adding fruit to water, I’ve got a soda stream so I’ve fizzy water on tap, but I just don’t like water (previously I’d have orange squash, such a bad habit!!). I limit myself to one cappuccino (made with skimmed milk) a day now and have herbal tea, so any recommendations to “jazz up” water would be appreciated👍
On the milk note, I’m not sure I should be having it although it’s only half a cup?

Sarah you will be amazed but soon you will lose the need for sweeet things – honest
It depends on what facilities you have at work but if you have a microwave or some other way of heating food the possibilities are huge.
I’m just polishing off an omelette that I made this morning and reheated. Over the last few weeks I have used meals that we cooked up, portioned, and froze. Chicken broth, lentil soup, home made curry etc.
I’ve also use cottage cheese or humus with celery and pepper dipping strips, tinned mackeral with salad etc. Your diet is bound only by your imagination
Inka keep on with the discussions, we love it on here.

Hi guys
I’m going to ask you all something but I’m not holding out much hope of a successful resolution as I haven’t managed to achieve that in more than 30 years!

Ever since I was 10, I get terrible stomach pains (and I mean in my stomach, not bowel or kidneys, but right up in my rib cage). They almost always start after eating and go on for hours. Paracetomol and codeine are the only painkillers that have any effect on it. I have had many explorations done, lots of theories from period pains (!) to indigestion. The doctors have been useless (if we have any doctors in the forums I’d love to hear about any other possibilities). The only thing I can get any correlation with is eating fatty food – cream always sets me off the worst. But I have had an ultrasound for gallstones (which I had to beg for) and that came back clear.

I have done ok so far on this programme, perhaps because I have stuck to mainly unsaturated fats. Until yesterday that is, when, in my quest for ketosis, I had scrambled eggs made with butter (even my dog was salivating) and then salmon with veggie mash with butter. Boy, did the pain come back with a vengeance! I eventually fell into a codeine-induced sleep at about 2am.

As this is the biggest and most diverse group of people I have ever had the privilege to communicate with, I thought I’d ask, is it just me? Or do other people have a similar intolerance? I have never met anyone else like me (no surprise there) but 30 years of the same undiagnosed pain is getting a bit boring now. Are there any nutritionists, doctors, healers of any kind or fellow sufferers out there who might be able to shed any light?

I’m thinking I might have to try sticking to unsaturated fats so butter and other dairy fats may still be off the menu for me. Shucks.

Here I am describing all about Mediterranean Diet Plan.

Mediterranean Diet Plan accentuates eating foods like:

>>Fish
>>Vegetables
>>High-fibre Bread
>>Whole Grains
>>Nuts and Olive Oil
>>Cheese
>>Meats and Sweets

These foods are the rich source of monounsaturated fats, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Along with these, all you must follow the below given also.

–Eat Fish like salmon, tuna, lake trouts and herring at least 2 times a week.
–Eat a moderate amount of poultry and eggs weekly.
–Limit the Intake of Red Meat to only a few days in a month
–Limit the sweet dish to only a few times of the week.

>>Mediterranean Diet also includes Red Wine with 1 glass every day for women and 2 glasses for men.

If you need to know more you may visit: http://www.healthenigma.com/mediterranean-diet

Hi Denise47 Jones
I’d be really interested to hear how your shift goes, 12 hours is a long time when you have to try and fit in low calorie meals. If like a lot of us it is easy to ‘grab’ something to eat but often not good and on this diet it is likely to be totally off limits! My habit of a handful of grapes to help when I want sweet things has to go!

Thanks everyone, for your friendly Welcome. Regarding the media campaign you think should start. After reading all about the bad things which could happen if one develops diabetes, and often does not know until one has symptoms which can’t be ignored, I became more interested in what the medical researchers, scientists and scholars have to say about diabetes and how to treat or cure it: It seems that the jury is still out with many advocating for medication and not so many who suggest life style and nutrition changes only. It seems that this diet is viewed as controversial even though research and numerous medical trials indicate that diabetes is reversible with a low carb diet like this one. It does not make sense to me that so many doctors seem to want to prescribe a pill rather than supporting a patient’s life style changes? Michael Mosely states in his book more than once that many GPs are reluctant or sceptical about this diet. If it makes you better and healthier, than why not support it? I am not a medical person by any means, but common sense tells me that any improvement with minimum intervention is good, right? I understand that anyone on medication who goes on this diet should be monitored by a doctor because their insulin levels change which will have an effect on dosage, it would be nice if doctors would be more willing to embrace innovation in medical science as long as it does not harm anyone, of course. There are some who will support it, and I hope more and more will see the benefits especially when they see the results in their patients. Anyway, we all know why we are doing what we are doing and I whole-heartedly wish everyone a safe and successful weightloss journey! We all need this to get healthy,, and I, like all of you have embarked on this challenge, not because I want to join another diet fad, but because I want to be healthy and enjoy life again. I am not that old, but because I am so overweight, I often feel like I am 100, and to some extend disabled, because I cant move the wsy I ought to….. and I am sick of huffing and puffing when I have to change the linen on my bed :-(… Thanks for listening, just tell me to shut up if I get too annoying … I like discussions :-0

Hi fluffyslippers

I was stuck for almost the entire week last week, but right at the end dropped 2lb and an whole inch from my waist. This week, I am not worrying quite so much about not seeing the scales progress downwards every day, as you can’t fail to lose the weight eventually, if you are sticking to the 800 cals. Stay with it, as the collective wisdom is it will happen and plateaus have to be expected and endured – good luck!

Hello Denise47 Jones

Welcome, I have just started today, and sorry to say I don’t have any answers for you but appreciate your difficulty. I have just posted, (First four hours!), and will have a similar problem when I return to work in a few days time. So like you would appreciate any ideas people have.

Good luck!

Hi Larpent,
You’re off to a great start. Welcome to the forum. There’s another member, Aly, who also lives in France. There’s a few gluten intolerant members too.
As most of us are avoiding the easily digestible starches you’ll find lots of recipes using alternate flours, that would be beneficial to you.
There has been much discussion about counting carbs, some people do, others don’t but are still experiencing success following the recipes in the book.
The consensus seems to be around 50g of carbs per day , or under is the way to go.
Your sugar cravings will disappear on this diet. It has surprised many of us that it happens, and usually very quickly.
Keep posting, everyone loves to follow other people’s achievements, it inspires and encourages the next person.

Hi All, I am new to the forum and only started the diet on Monday this week. My starting weight was 🙂 96kg and this morning it was 94.2kg. I am amazed at this result on day 3! Invested in electronic scales which automatically send my weight readings straight to my fitness app. Which is really good, because sometimes my recollection of what I weighted in the morning until I have time later on in the day, to tecord it, gets a bit hazy. … But with my new scales, no room for error any more :-). Wishing everyone the best results ever! I am really glad that I started this and that I ssem to finally have found a diet that works and will make me feel better and healthier… Have not told my family what I am doing…. They want me to loose weight and be healthy, but I had soooooo many new “5starts on Mondays” that they no longer believe me that I will stick to this diet. So I will just show them. 🙂

Anyone else doing this that works shifts? I do 3 x 12 hour day shifts (7.30am – 7.30pm) and a 12 hour night shift (7.30pm – 7.30am), and then have four days off. Today is my first day doing this in work, but my 4th day on the diet so need coping strategies! It doesn’t help that there is a buffet here today for a leaving do – but I will resist!!

Hi Onamission
I started this on Sunday as I too am not diabetic, but have serious issues with Carbs and Sugar too. I already feel better – I suffer with indigestion and hearburn and this has already improved, and my energy levels are better. Today is my first day in work though (12 hour shift) so we’ll see how today goes!
Good luck

Welcome to the forums Inka! I felt the same when I did the diabetes assessment. I know how horrendous diabetes can be as I have a friend with renal problems and the renal ward usually has a lot of diabetics who have lost limbs and are often blind as well. It certainly scared the life out of me – I really don’t want to get it – so I am eating this way for life!!! Bill is right – there really should be a lot more media coverage about this and a massive campaign. I really hope it happens fast.
Good luck on this journey, we’re all in it together! 🙂

Hi GiCo, I’ve had friends round and managed using the diet recipes. One suggestion:

starter: either the grapefruit ,avocado cheese dish or avocado bacon lettuce cups or veggie soup

Main : home made curry with chickpea flour flatbreads or cottage pie with cauli topping

Dessert: yoghurt with berries or coconut flat breads with cream and berries.

I’ve tended to save up my calories and had very small portions OR I skip the starter and use the excuse of frying the flatbreads fresh so they are hot to have with a curry. For dessert I’ll have just a few of the berries.

People have really enjoyed these kind of meals – they don’t even notice the lack of carbs!! If one of your guests is diabetic they will feel a difference!!
Good luck!! 🙂

Hi Inka you bring up a good point
For years the public has had no understanding of the disease. When I was a kid if you knew someone who had it you said “oh he’s got sugar” and that was it.
It wasn’t until a friend of my dad’s who had it died after having various body parts amputated that it hit home just how serious this could be.
Sadly I know only too well how bad retinopathy can be, neuropathy and gangrene are also major risks apart from little personal effects that you don’t mention. The old adage “a diabetic wants to die with both eyes and both feet still intact” rings true
It’s about time that there was a massive media campaign in the same way as they do for cancer to inform people not only about the disease but to suggest ways of putting it right.
After all this is a world wide epidemic now and it needs to be dealt with ASAP
They say the human race is destroying the planet, we’re not doing too shabby a job on destroying our health!

Hi
I thought in the book it said you could store your info on this website, weight, measurements etc. (can’t remember which page). Anyone has any ideas please?

Worst ones will have a clickable link, others just a product name.
You can report if you wish, I did notice the last diet pill quack had their post removed.

Welcome Inka, those are impressive results 🙂 you are certainly taking the right steps to prevent any future issues with diabetes.

Well I’ve been blissfully ignorant about all that, thank you Bill for explaining. Devious means of promoting their own interests. So do we report those posts, ignore them, and how can you tell it’s a backlink? Is it just that they mention a diet or product?
So glad you’re on the ball Bill 🙂

Yes, I have. Started on Monday. Was 96kg and this morning I was 94.2kg. Cant believe this seems to be working. I must have just about tried all the diets under the sun to no avail. Its early early days though, but I am determined to loose. I have not been diagnosed with diabetes, but after reading all the indicators about pre-diabetes in the book, this could be me. My waist circumference and BMI speak volumes. Pretty scary what diabetes can do to you! I am looking forward to sharing my progress with you and hear about yours 🙂

Hello Everyone

I’m a great fan of Michael Mosley and got his book yesterday, haven’t read it all yet, (I will) but I wanted to get started today so the first day or two will probably be a bit of a traction time as I adjust my fridge content!
So far today I’ve not eaten anything yet…. normally by now, (10.30am) I will have had my homemade muesli and possibly be thinking about a snack to keep me going until lunch, I have drunk lots!
I’m at home for a few days so can make some of the recipes which look great so thank you for those and I will aim to freeze things that I can.
I am concerned about when I return to work, I work in a hotel restaurant and we get fed, which is great but…… some of the shifts are long and one or two days a week you may not have access to food for 4 – 5+ hours, (always have drinks available). On those days I fill up on a large breakfast at work, understandably I want to change that but it is a very hot and busy environment and I can’t afford to start feeling lightheaded etc. The other issue is you can’t eat the same time each day because of times you start work. In the past when time is short I have used milkshake replacements, (a very famous slim….t diet company). Will it still be okay to use these sometimes or will it defeat the object of the diet? I love veg, raw and cooked so will still be able to eat those at some point during the day and can get the protein from meat and fish etc… it will however be rather difficult to know how many calories I’m getting, hence the milkshake replacement would help me to count the calories.
Thank you all for being here with your suggestions and great support of others…… I’m off to get breakfast now!

thank-you 🙂 an yes, I was bouncing off of the walls yesterday when I did my weigh in yesterday. I was even more shocked when I went to get changed later in the day for a meeting and found what I had planned to wear was too big – and I got into some ‘motivation buys’ from the sales that were meant for the autumn and are a full dress size smaller! Although not prediabetic, by blood sugar was high and about to get into that range, yesterdays FBS was 5.0 mmol/day. This really does work!

Hi olisue
one of the posters on here , captainlynne contacted the team about this and they said that it’s ok to continue past the 8 weeks if you are feeling ok. I know hashimoto is continuing and so will I when the time comes as I have more weight to lose.

He he
the body does play some strange tricks doesn’t it ?
Your weight can vary by up to 4 lbs either way on any given day due to reasons only known to itself. That’s why I weigh just once a week same day same time. I haven’t quite got to that desperation point where I empty my pockets and virtually srtip off in the chemists before getting weighed 😀

Love getting new ideas from this.
Today’s plan
B blueberry green tea shake
L Cheesy beans
D ginger lime soy salmon with spiral veggies.

So here’s a thing. Lost 10lbs in first two and a half weeks, then nothing, up a pound, down a pound. Fell “off the wagon” at the weekend (week5) and had a couple of glasses of wine and two chocolates (could only manage 2 they tasted so sweet!) weighed myself this morning and I’m down two pounds! I walked more as we had sunny but cold weather. Go figure as they say

Good luck Polly! It’s my first day today too. Really didn’t need my youngest getting up at 4.30am and not going back to sleep! Still, so far so good but it is only 10am!

Hope it goes well. Great that your husband is doing it too.

Hi everyone. I’m 6 weeks into the diet and I’ve lost 22lbs so far. I have to confess that I’m not diabetic or even pre diabetic but since turning Vegan 2 years ago I have relied too heavily on carbs and gained a lot of weight. Anyway i’m made up with my weight loss so far and I’m actually really enjoying this diet.

I want to lose more weight. 4 stone in total would be ideal. I plan to take a couple of days off the diet at the end of the 8 weeks (I won’t go mad, just not count calories for a couple of days) and then start another round of 8 weeks on 800 cals a day. This is not what is recommended in the book so I would love to know what you all think and has anyone else done a lot more than 8 weeks?

Thanks in advance xxx

Hi everyone. I’m 6 weeks into the diet and I’ve lost 22lbs so far. I have to confess that I’m not diabetic or even pre diabetic but since turning Vegan 2 years ago I have relied too heavily on carbs and gained a lot of weight. Anyway i’m made up with my weight loss so far and I’m actually really enjoying this diet.

I want to lose more weight. 4 stone in total would be ideal. I plan to take a couple of days off the diet at the end of the 8 weeks (I won’t go mad, just not count calories for a couple of days) and then start another round of 8 weeks on 800 cals a day. This is not what is recommended in the book so I would love to know what you all think and has anyone else done a lot more than 8 weeks?

Thanks in advance xxx

Best of luck Pollyjones
Don’t be nervous, the diet is a breeze after the first few days when you may experience some mild side effects which are easily combatted.
You have the extra support of having your husband as a diet buddy but if you need any help at all just shout.
The BSD forum is full of willing helpers.
Be sure to keep us informed of your results as you move through this exciting new lifestyle.

I guess not!

I found a website yesterday called Diet Doctor, he’s a Swedish feller. It talks about ketosis and about the low carb high fat diet. He’s from the same school of thought as Saint Dr Mosley and his discussion of exercise made me smile!

Hello, I am starting the diet today, I am lucky that my husband is doing it too. I have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. I am determined to do something about it. I have all sorts of anxieties about keeping to the plan but the fridge and cupboards are clear.
Please wish luck.

😀
You see my aim wasn’t too bad
Not too shabby for a 62 year old 🙂

Last 3 months reading had gone up from 62 ( last year) to 71. I had put on 3 kilos due to being less careful following a bad ankle injury which limited my mobility for 4 months. Cholesterol is good (3.00) On pills for Blood Pressure after stroke 8 years ago.
I started 2 weeks ago, and have dropped from 77 kilos to 74 kilos Fasting sugar measurement this morning 64.
Am now resting doing a 5:2! Am looking quite thin! (5ft 8ins 11.6 stone in English!)
I have in mind 70 kilos but am not getting encouragement from a family of medics!
I have felt weak and a bit distant especially on my mountain bike adventures…typically 25 kilometres 200 ft of climbing, so usually stick to 10,000 step walks.
Tend to stick to same breakfast Bircher, and Cheesy Beans lunchtime. Mix it up for Dinner!
I think that I will get back on it ‘properly’ when the weather improves.
I am encouraged but need the sun on my back for the next bit! Not felt hungry on this but could do with a Glass of wine!

I’ve been on the BSD for 9 days now and have lost 3 kg. Very pleased by that loss. Enjoying the diet and have had some very tasty meals. Not even missing bread (my greatest weakness). However, we invited friends round for a meal at the weekend and I am struggling with what on earth to cook that will be nice for them and OK for me.

Morning Bill,
Yes, I finally have ketosis! Just0.5 which, according to my chart is a trace so I hope to see that improve with time and some tweaks to my diet. Your reading is medium on my chart which is about right for the number of carbs you are eating. The higher numbers come from a diet of 20grams of carbs or less.

Wow Orchid those are fantastic results for just over 4 weeks. You must be so proud.
There are a few veggies on here who have been posting recipes so maybe a bit more variety for you now.
Really looking forward to seeing your 8 week results Well done you !

Not easy to explain cherrianne but I’ll try
in order to get high rankings on google (page 1) a website has to have good content but it also needs recommendations from other sites. These come in the form of backlinks, either a URL or a product title published on another site will do it.
You now have a situation where thousands of so call SEO people (Search Engin Optimisation) are trawling the net trying to get backlinks for the sites that are paying them (and it is VERY well paid)
The best links come from sites that have the same general interest factor as the site you are getting the links for, hence we get them from the diet pill quacks and now pushers of alternative diets. Unfortunately, forums, especially unmoderated forums are seen as fair game.
that is a very brief nutshell version but you will get the idea

It’s so sad, Bill, that these type of trolls and leeches ( you’re right there. Cherrieanne ) can infiltrate our positive forums. As my mum would have said ‘fore warned is fore armed’ so glad you are knowledgeable about these things Bill

chubbypenguin, this is a fab post you started, but where have you gone since?

Breakfast (today) – small gammon steaklet with grilled tomato and baked beans (reduced sugar and salt)

Lunch – don’t have.

Dinner, smoked haddock with something or other.

Fluffyslippers be VERY careful, especially if you are diabetic. I once followed that diet and it did me no favours, and I put on more weight. If you hanker after bread try the two flat bread recipes in the recipes tab on this forum. This isn’t just an 8 week diet -it needs to be a way of life! 🙂

Cherrieanne until I read your post i assumed back link meant bill was referring to the fact the guy had mentioned his own interest (book). So i googled it too. I’m shocked. I’m obviously too naive. Thank god we have Bill on our side!

Breakfast: coffee with milk
low carb protein powder mixed with water, 1 dried apricot, 1Tbs wholegrain rolled oats (raw), 3 cashews
snacks: latte, 2 fruit teas, 1 black coffee, 1 black decaf, small piece Edam cheese with fresh apricot
Lunch: chicken and feta with green salad, lots of grated carrot, cider vinegar, 10 cashews
Dinner: lentil curry with eggplant, carrots and broccoli, full fat cottage cheese
Night time snack: small glass of milk with 3 cashews

No hunger pangs at all – it feels so weird! I’ve felt hungry all my life, until now. 778 calories.

Thanks Judith and Bill 🙂 I’m not planning to leave either. I’ve never been one for forums before but I’m really enjoying the common goals we have on here. Everyone is quite open about their struggles and so supportive of each other. Considering how many people have joined there have been very few negative/ destructive elements.
How do you pick up the back links Bill? That’s the second post you’ve picked up on one. I didn’t have a clue what it was so I had to look it up. It makes sense that people try to link such a popular site with theirs, they’re just a kind of parasite really ( like intestinal worms or leeches lol)!!
I’m so not tech savvy!! I’ve never seen anything about diet pills either. Good on you for being so astute Bill.
There don’t seem to be any moderators on here. My husband belongs to some forums where they have them and they can remove posts which are inappropriate.

I was excited to see that recent studies show cooking, cooling and re-heating pasta, bread, rice and potatoes binds the starch and makes it less digestible, lowering the GI rating of flour products. I am keeping off these products in my initial 8 weeks, as they are still quite dense and carb rich, but I hope to put them back into my diet in small quantities once I’m off the strict stage.

Hi,
like you I am vegetarian and was disappointed in the lack of vegetarian recipes in the book. I did find more on the Newcastle website http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/documents/StudyRecipes.pdf, and have used the soups a lot. I decided that I would start using meal replacement shakes and for week 1 replaced two meals with them and the third meal was a stir-fry or soup or/and eggs. The second week I went down to one replacement meal and the third week I stopped them completely. I also followed the Newcastle approach for the first 2 weeks and was looking only at the 800 cals and not so much the amount of carbs I was eating. This all gave me time to adjust to 800 cals per day and get organised for what I could eat (no parsnip/beetroots/squash at the height of their seasons was a blow) and make a lot of soup.
I have got a bit sick of eggs…. so have greek yoghurt and blueberries plus 3gms each linseeds, pumpkinseeds and sunflower seeds for breakfast some days. Lunch is usually soup plus a salad – cucumber, tomato, spring onion and feta cheese is a good standby for this.
I have just reached my main goal to get my BMI down under 30 in 4.5 weeks losing 8.5kg, losing 2kg most weeks.
Other recipe books to look for Rose Elliots vegetarian low GI, and ignore the rice/pasta etc works for me.
Good luck.

Are there any pony mad triathletes out there?!! I am trying to start the 8 week bsd because I have been training for a triathlon, I weigh 11 stones and am only 5’3″ tall, I can swim ok and cycle well but I feel like I weigh a ton when I try and run. So I need to shed a couple of stones before May! What I want to know , is anyone else out there training? And is it still OK to use 800 calories? Yesterday I ate 1700 and did two hours of training, I felt shaky and week, should I up my limit a bit? I don’t want to drown or fall off my bike or my pony!!! Or should I stick hard to it and reduce my training? I am a trained nutrition teacher although as I trained in the eighties, most of what I learned is now wrong!! So I know a bit about eating….
However I think I am an emotional eater and use food for kicks ( I need to get out more!) I am also 51 but see this as just a number…
Ps. I am also extremely hungry/famished/starving…!!

Thanks for the replies – really helpful. I must admit allowing myself a full fat greek yogurt (rather than a 0% fat) for the first time in years was amazing. Even tastier than chocolate 🙂 Thanks again.

Welcome to the forums hytane! Good to read about your fantastic results so far:)

Thanks stringbreaker and good luck.