I’ve been keeping track of my BP and it seems to be rising. It was always within normal range but last couple of days higher although the pulse figure has gone down. Bit worrying. Anyone else experienced this? 9 lbs lost in 2 weeks.

Hi Monkeyescapade
Great name!
If you find yourself struggling or tempted add more fat to your diet. ( so then its are good) That’s what s lot of us have done and it really helps. Hard to do at first as we ve been taught fat is bad. But it stops you getting hungry.
Good luck on your trip to Thailand. I’m off to India on Wednesday. So Hopi GI can stick to the low carb there. No rice!
Best of luck
Penny

Welcome innermonologue, love the name.
Why not measure out 100 mls of milk and keep it in a separate jug in the fridge? Add it to your count, and see how many cuppas you can get from it? No need to deprive yourself of milk. Some of the herbal teas taste nice cold, like peppermint, and lemon & ginger, rosehip etc.
I agree with you about the plastic bottles, does anyone in your circle have a soda stream you could borrow? Fizzy fruit teas would make a nice change now and again.
Well done on the 10lb loss. Great result 🙂

So sorry to hear this news. Sending you positive thoughts

Sue

Hi GwendolinAnne
Welcome!
I m sure you ll do fine. Everyone on here thinks it’s the easiest diet ever. Occasional glitches but there’s ways to sort them out.
Lots of help available here.
Best of luck
Penny

Hi Bill
Really really sorry to hear that.
Thinking of you all.
Penny

Welcome Catgirl,
You’ve taken the first big step, pretty soon you are going to start feeling amazing. After the first few days as your body adjusts to your new way of eating, you will notice way more energy and a new sense of well being.
Keep reading, and posting, lots of threads on here will inspire and encourage you. There are so many on the forums who are wiling to support and advise if you need it.
I’m sure we’ll be reading of you and hubby’s achievements soon 🙂

Lucia you are amazing! No more to say x

Hi Busybee,
First of all welcome, and congratulations on your achievements so far. A 5lb loss is still a good result 🙂
There are a couple of members who have medical conditions that just might require steroids at times. Hopefully they’ll see your thread and advise you.
The prednisolone will make it a bit harder for you to manage your appetite at first. As you’ve discovered it certainly makes you feel hungry. You can still do this and lose weight. We will support you through it. After a surprisingly short time your appetite and carb cravings will be under control.
You might well end up being a pioneer and help other sufferers to manage their PMR through better diet.There is increasing evidence into the role that nutrition plays in managing these nasty inflammatory conditions.
Maybe for the first couple of weeks you could try counting your carb intake but not your calories. Ease your way into the fast 800.
Try and get the maximum amount of food for 50g carb or less per day. So lots of leafy green veg and salads, make sure you add fats and oils, cheese, oily fish ( oily fish is supposed to help inflammatory conditions too), to satisfy the hungry steroid monster. Keep your fluid intake up as this will help curb your appetite too.
Steroids can increase your blood sugar levels, so even more important that you get on top of this now. Every pound you lose will benefit your health; both your PMR, your general well being and your sense of self esteem 🙂
You can do it! Just have a quick browse through some of the other threads for inspiration, and you’ll see how many of us there are who are winning the battle. All the best…. Can’t wait for you to post your achievements over the coming weeks.

I’m so pleased to read this thread and the article. I had been getting lower morning figures down to 5 but for a couple of weeks they have been going back up. I had stopped taking glicazide as figures were so good but went back on it. I am coming off again after reading this. I had a 3.8 reading today after work which was a bit scary as I have never had a hypo before.

Bill
Just wanted to add my good wishes. Thinking of you all. x

Good luck with that me I have to move more,need to get some sort of pedometer I think. Anyone got any recommendations.

Hi bill1954,
Ah thank you so much, I feel better tonight, I feel warmer, and we walked into the village today, did some shopping and walked back, 45 minutes so hopefully I will have lost a bit more, now it’s getting lighter nights and (hopefully) warmer too I can get more walking in, hope alls going in the right direction for you too?

Bill

((hugs))

Yes it is! Into week 5 now and I’ve lost 7 and a half pounds. I had a stone and a half to lose so I’m happy with my progress. I never imagined I could live without carbs – I had no favourites, I loved them all equally. But its been surprisingly easy. And I’ve really enjoyed being involved in the forums. I’ve learnt a lot and the people are great and quite funny sometimes

FTR, Ive just completed 6 weeks and lost 17 lbs so far (having lost 12lbs in Jan on the 5:2). BS not an issue for me as far as I’m aware, but with the excess weight I was carrying it might just have been a matter of time.
Can only agree with all the previous posts which say that this is going to be so much easier to use as a way or life than I could ever have believed – it knocks all the other “diets” into a cocked hat (whatever that is).

Thanks for the encouragement Bill1954. I was very sorry to see the news about your daughter on another forum. Like many others, I wish there were more I could do other than offer long distance support to you and your family. Every day now becomes very precious for you all. I hope for better news once the MRI scan comes in. Take care, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

I have been lurking around here since January and am not having much success, though I must admit I am not putting my all into the BSD. I am taking Prednisolone for PMR and I wonder whether I am falling back on the excuse that the meds are stopping me tackling my huge weight problem. On my last visit to the doc told me that my blood sugars were raised but he thinks this, and my weight gain are due to the steroids! I told him I was startingthe BSD and, as expected, didn’t know anything about it. However he did say to give it a go but didnt think I would do well on the diet. He knows I am upset about my weight gain and I was determined to lose a lot of weight and show him the result on my next visit. Well, that is tomorrow and I will have to confess that I have only lost 5 lbs!

I would like to know if anybody has lost weight whilst taking Prednisolone as this may encourage me to try a bit harder and stp making excuses!

Bill,
Have been following this great thread but not posted to it yet.
Thanks for all the great posts.
Reason for posting now is to add to the good wishes, and as our local Fr. used to say, “I’ll send one up for you”. (And your family)
SB

Hi bill,
Nope, you are going to have to cope with day 4, 5, and 6 before then 🤓
I am enjoying this different path, it looks nice, there is lots to see and to do. Pity I missed the previous signposts for this path, along the way.
Chicken salad for lunch. Yippeee !
I am going to weigh myself tomorrow, I have been putting it off, as previously, (years ago) I could only manage 1/2 pound a week.
So bill, what happens on day 7? Don’t tell me that I change from a middle aged lady to a 20 something, slim stunner?
NOW, I am looking forward to day 7.
Love Lucia xxxx 😊

how are you doing yourself? hope its positive

That low number of carbs should be enough to get you results without cutting your calories any further. Fingers crossed for you.

Sounds sensible to me. I wish you every success 😉

thanks for that Janet
i do intend to go to 1200 to 1400 for 2 weeks on the same med foods
see the result of that after 2 weeks and take it from there

Well I have just finished my calculations for my last meal of the day – and hence totals for the day – and calories have topped out at 798.5 and carbs at just 15.23. Had originally planned to keep the cals lower today, but I have been hungry for some reason. Will see how I feel tomorrow and hopefully drop the calories down a bit then. Will be interesting to see how the carbs go tomorrow as well.

Thanks for all the info and support.

Ragingbull,
Well done on your progress so far, you are steaming ahead! I’m no expert but your plan sounds like a reasonable one on the face of it as you are giving your body a bit of breathing space in between bouts of concentrated effort. I think on your two weeks off you will still need to steer clear of the carbs, just be less strict with the calories. The lesson I am learning here is that we can never go back to our old carb laden ways. There are also lots of other low carb programmes you could look at that don’t involve such a low calorie count if you find the 800 is too low to use for a prolonged time, or maybe just simply raise it to something like 1000 calories by including more meat, veg and fats.

Hi all, my husband and I have started day 1 of the BSD today as we are both high risk pre type 2, unfit, overweight but up for it. I see this as a prescription for the rest of our lives and aim to get within a healthy BMI but have a longggggg way to go! Reading the forums gives us both hope and some good ideas, thanks all.

Bill, so sorry to hear about your daughter ournthoguht and prayers are with you and the family biggest hug x

Hi Sunnyvale
Watch the diet doctor videos. He says low carb means 20g per day but no more than 50g, no fruit for woman and 16:8 fasting. He doesn’t state how many calories per day but to incorporate natural fats into your diet and eat ONLY when you are hungry. Hope this helps.

Hi SunnyB
You can go as low as 20g if you want to but I have managed to get into ketosis at 50g and have been there since last Tuesday. On the website, there is an article with three plates which show you what 20, 50 and I think it was 100g looks like. The interesting thing is that meat, fish, eggs, butter and oils don’t contain any carbs so you are only looking to count from veg and pulses. So if you can manage on 30g go for it. I also lose weight very slowly. I lost three pound between Monday and Friday but nothing since. But it seems quite a common pattern from the other posts I have read. I am also using coconut oil as part of my experiment, I have been logging my progress in another thread called ‘ketostix’. I’d like to think that its helping with the weight loss but I need to continue a bit longer to be sure. There’s a recipe on the diet doctor site for something called oopsie bread which I thought I might try.

My book gives the calories as 100! Very confused now?

Congratulations Bob. Fantastic result. Look forward to seeing you the other side of 8 weeks.

I sometimes put a little cheese into cauliflower and mash it.

Sorry to hear your news Bill. Thinking of you and your family.

Hi Janet1973
Luckily I am not diabetic or pre type 2, but I am over weight and have been for too long – hence my determination to shift some as soon as possible. I’m sort of doing 16:8 I guess, as I don’t generally eat after 8pm and rarely have any breakfast until after nine. I have started counting carbs from today, as I my weight has been pretty much static for almost two weeks. I don’t think I am eating much in the way of carbs, but I figured if I don’t count them I’m not going to know. I was thinking to keep carbs around 30g daily, is that too low? I had a quick look at the diet doctor site and couldn’t see any advice on that front. There are some nice looking recipes on there though, which I’m sure I will be trying soon. I’ll post progress as and when I have any success.

They sound delish. Will try them this week.

I find there is conflicting information regarding calorific values on the internet so I am sticking with MFP for now. There is a good website called Fat Secret which also gives the Cal,Carb,Fat,Protein breakdowns but no way of tracking.

I made them but asked google how much a tablespoon of butter weighed. I think it was 14g – which made about 75g for the whole recipe, and they came out fine. I’ve had to hide the spare in the freezer as they were so moreish!

Hi SunnyB
I’m still on the 800 well, sort of, I’m in week five but last week I started counting carbs instead of calories so I am eating two to three times in my 8 hour window, as much as I need to not be hungry but no more than 50 carbs. I would echo Bill’s concerns if you are T2. I’m not so I don’t know about that. However, There is a website called diet doctor with a specific area for diabetics and I get a lot of information from that, including on the 16/8 so maybe that might help you too. Let us know how you get on.

Hi, everyone. I hope you don’t mind if I join this thread? I started the BSD around the same time as you all and I was hoping to share progress & tips with people who were on the same journey (rather than boring my other half and friends with it all 😀 ) I’ve lost weight successfully in the past but it always seems to gradually creep back on again, and the thought of spending months losing 1/2lb a week (I’m a slow dieter) made me want to cry… Anyway, so far I’m 25 days in and I’ve lost 10lb! So, so pleased and motivated to keep going!

The one problem I’m having is that I can’t stand drinking tap water and herbal tea just isn’t as nice as a proper cuppa with milk. Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping hydrated without using milk or drinks with artificial sweeteners? I really like fizzy mineral water but it feels so wasteful to get through loads of plastic bottles every week… ! Thanks!

Hey Christi 16 pounds weight loss is nothing to be upset about.
Reading through the forums over the last few weeks it looks like it’s all a bit stop / start, ie no weight loss for 3 days then 3lb gone or no reduction is size for a fortnight then suddenly you have dropped a size or 2
You know in your own mind that if you keep the carbs down and stick to 800 cals a day then you have to lose weight. Hoping your next post sees you feeling much happier.

If you’re going to try this 16 / 8 thing and you are T2D keep a close eye on the blood sugar levels. This could put you in hypo territory.

Hi Winston, click on fast 800 then scroll down the page until you see the thread
I have had the same problem. sugar levels suddenly shot up and took almost 3 weeks to stabilise.
It was explained to me as stored sugar being released from my liver.

Hi Janet1973, how many calories do you eat on the 16:8 plan? I’m not at maintenance yet, but I’m wondering if I might have the odd 16:8 day while I’m on the 800 diet and see how if it boosts my weight lose.

how do i find this thread entitled rising fasting blood sugars

B- plain yog/3tbsp fruit cocktail
L- 2 hard boiled eggs/salad
D- chicken breast/1oz feta/salad

Cups tea plus water

Today I have had:
B – yogurt, raspberries and ground linseed topping
L – gem lettuce, spread with crab pate and topped with a sprinkle of mixed seeds
D – two small chicken thighs (roasted), cavo nero and green beans
Plenty of water and herbal tea.

I know what you mean about walking with a purpose, or needing a reason to be walking somewhere – other than to take a walk that is. But then really no one knows if you are just walking for the sake of walking, or if you are walking to somewhere for a purpose. Today I spent all morning our shopping, banking and so on, so definitely got plenty of steps in today. I need to get a pedometer really, to understand how much (or little) I’m actually moving. Can anyone recommend on – NB I only have a basic mobile phone so connective solutions aren’t an option.

Hope you are seeing here, that we all stumble Linda. The secret is not to focus on beating yourself up for it, but on getting on with eating the right things again. I too messed up this w/e, as we ate out with friends – twice! My stumble included red wine, whisky and churros with espresso and caramel dipping sauce. Yes I am annoyed I didn’t exercise more self control, but to be fair it was my first transgression in almost three weeks, so I’m going to forgive myself and refocus, in the hope of seeing some good results this week.

Stick with it, you’ll get there!

Yeah, I won’t pretend it feels normal but I don’t really like using it for cooking so I’ll persevere this way.

As for your result, I think all sorts of things could kick you out of ketosis – not enough water, just enough carbs, stress probably. I’m sure your ketosis mojo will be back soon enough.

Thanks for your help earlier. All the best.

Thanks Purplepenguin. Having a little encouragement will help me stick with it. I’m planning to keep cals under 800 on at least two days this week and on 800 the rest, with carbs around 30g if I can. Hopefully I’ll be posting good news this time next week.