This is Day 1 for me and as my fridge/freezer is already full of stuff (mostly healthy, thankfully), I wanted to create my own menu and log the calories in My Fitness Pal.
But I can’t seem to find any guidance on exactly what ‘low-carb’ in this context means. Is it best to keep it under 100g? 50g?
Any ideas about fat/protein ratios?

xx

I never imagined I would part of a cultural health revolution at the age of 54! The sugar and drug industries will find it difficult to deny the existence of the army of melting people! In the book it talks about this approach as being as revolutionary as the stomach ulcer experiment that eventually won the Nobel. I am telling everyone who I think it can help and these days that is almost everyone!
Hope your own journey to a healthier you is smooth.

Hi, Nat and everyone else. I have taken the plunge and started today too! Like you, I am not diabetic (or pre-diabetic as far as I know) but I have a 44inch belly so could be heading that way! I look 9 months pregnant (with a gestation period of an elephant BTW). I have 3 stone to lose and I, too, have spent years being brain-washed by the low-fat brigade, but now I am the biggest I have ever been.

I have read the BSD book and have been avidly reading these forums and seeing how wonderful you all are, getting really inspired by your successes and super-excited to start.
I had been in a bit of a dilemma as whether to start now or not as I go away on a river cruise (where the food is meant to be amazing) in 3 weeks time. But, I figure, it’s better to start now for a boost (and hopefully my dresses would fit a little better and I won’t feel so self-conscious on holiday), otherwise I might just get back from the cruise in an even worse place.

So, here I am, and looking forward to getting to know you all.

xx

After doing the 800 calorie diet for 1 week, my blood sugars went from 5.8 to 4.6 after losing just 4lbs in weight, My diabetic partner had readings of just over 15 and 1 week later and 5lbs weight off down to 4.4

Great to hear you are off to a good start Nat. Make good use of the forums, as there is a lot of information and support out there. It’s really helped me – in week 2 I hit a plateau and found it really hard to stay positive and motivated, but the forum posts have helped to carry me through.

Hope you and all the others starting now, will soon be seeing results. Good Luck to you all!

I have certainly experienced a reduction in appetite and whatever the reason for that, I am grateful. Previous diets have had me reaching for snacks to stave off pangs, but there’s none of that on the BSD – at least not for me. I’m well into week three now, but still on a bit of a plateau – only dropped a pound so far this week. Determined to stay with it though, as I am feeling so much healthier on this diet and don’t want to screw it up.

Hi Sue1234 – it’s very strange this thing about weight and bowel movements! You don’t weigh any more or less if your bowels are full or empty. something to do with physics – your bowels are sort of suspended in your body. Try weighing yourself before and after and you will see what I mean – I heard this on QI a few years ago, can’t remember the comedians name but he is occasionally on The Sky at Night type of programme 🙂

The exercise debate sounds interesting. I will keep an eye out for any findings. N

Hi, thanks all for your messages of luck, encouragement. I have never used a forum before but I can see the benefit of this already, we can certainly support each other along the way. A good start with a lovely breakfast (yoghurt, apple, mango and hazlenuts), it seems a surprisingly large portion. I think my biggest challenge today may well be the steps. I am working from home, which is small, and as I have been meeting the 10k steps for more than 6 months now I have decided to increase this to 14k. Good luck everyone. We can do this. N

Good news about FBS and I love the analogy of the car and petrol! 🙂

Interesting thought, that, Bill, slow transit is supposed not to be too good for you. I think I will up the nuts and seeds in my diet now 🙂

Jeff and Lucia, wonderful posts from you two!! Both so positive!
Lucia I felt the same about the full fat yoghurt, I can’t believe I have been missing out for years by eating low fat sugar laden junk ones!!
Can’t wait to hear the posts about the weight coming off and the wonderful energy you will feel!!

Good to hear it worked for you zebbie and julia18togo. I don’t mind the american accent on the one I’ve downloaded (from zenlabs), because it allows me to set my own playlist from the music on my phone. I’m not sure that any other app would mix up Motorhead with the Jackson 5…

😀 😀 😀
Well done Sue
Tell me, how did you get that thumbs up emojie ? I tried the usual (Y) but it doesn’t work.

Hi Barry
Like Janet says try the 800 and see howit goes, you may well be very surprised at how well you cope.

Thank you SunnyB.

Day 20 weight 10st 8lbs – hallelujah!!!!! Weight finally going down again. Even though I replaced two coffee’s with milk for sugar free cola and fruit tea yesterday, because I failed to ‘go’ to the loo I didn’t think I would lose any weight. Ecstatic 👍👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀😀😀
Blood sugar 11.4
Total weight lost 8lbs & as a bonus I tried on a pair of trousers one size less than normal yesterday and they fit.😀

Hi Marinecole
I think everyones appetite has lessened
If you make your digestive system work hard on the fats and complex carbs in the diet, it doesn’t have time to make you feel hungry.
Best of luck on the maintainence plan, let us know how you get on.

Hi teej
if you are really worried about calorie intake and you are struggling to eat veg, you can give the calorie intake a boost by adding a couple of teaspoons of olive oil (about 105 cals per tsp) or a little butter to your food.

Great to here mrscrimbo
Another testimonial to how well this lifestyle works.
Honestly speaking, are you even thinking about, never mind missing, carbs and sugary things now?
One day the world will listen and that will trigger a huge revolution in eating.
Remember it’s not just the drug and diet companies that will have to readjust, it’s the whole food industry that has been feeding us slow acting poisons for years, there will be a lot of (very well funded) opposition when the word gets out.

This is the way I’m seeing it now.
Compare your body to a car, it’s been running happily on 4 star petrol but everything gets clogged up with carbon. You have a can of unleaded in the boot and you run out of fuel.
Put unleaded in and the car may stutter a few times but as it gets used to the new cleaner fuel, performance gets better as the carbon deposits melt away.
The high sugar readings are the result of your body getting rid of those carbons (stored sugar) and once it’s gone, performance will improve.
Simplistic perhaps but it works for me.
Oh BTW 7.1 fasting reading this morning so hopefully the start of a downward trend again.

Agreed, lots of above the ground veg, use below the ground veg (swede, turnip, parsnip, carrots ets) sparingly as they do tend to have more carbs and sugar.
Cauliflower is very versatile and can be made into mash for pie toppings or cauli rice. Celeriac, I find, is a very acceptable substitute for swede. Add herbs and spice to vary your menu’s.

it’s really what works best for you
I never eat breakfast so I tend to go 200 for lunch, 400 dinner, and 200 late night snack.
As long as you are cutting out the carbs and keeping the fat intake up, along with drinking lots of fluids, you should be ok.

For me 3 small meals works best as if I leave it too long I start to get a bit shaky and light headed but that may be in relation to being type 2 diabetic. However I always have my tea at 5pm latest and don’t eat again until about 9am but that seems to be ok, seeing as for most of that time I’m in bed asleep!

You’re well prepared Nat, now go for it.
This time next week you will be a happy bunny (mustn’t use that phrase at the end of the month)
It’s nice to see how the new starters are starting to team up with each other and Lucia is already proving to be a great poster, that kind of support really does make a difference if you have a wobble along the way.
Best of luck to you two and everyone elsr starting the journey this week.

Thanks for the thoughts and good wishes guys, scan today so we should know something soon.
Todays Fasting sugar readings down to 7.1 so heading in the right direction again.
Thought occurred to me that I hadn’t been to the loo much this week, until last night that is. I wonder if that could have anything to do with it.

Hi Holoso
the sweet tooth is an obstinate animal to get rid of, but it has no staying power. 2 or 3 days in it should go completely.
Until then, if the monster rears it’s ugly head, try a few mixed nuts with a couple of raisins or some full fat yoghurt with berries to take the edge off.
You have taken the first big step, it just gets easier from here on in.
Be loud about this with your daughters, tell them how good you feel and how much weight you are losing, if they are like most girls, once they start seeing your success, they will become very interested.

Welcome JB,

I don’t think it especially matters when you have them either. Having said that, the 5.2 (original) diet shows that the longer you fast between meals, the more fat you burn.

But it’s entirely up to you how you do it. There isn’t a wrong way.

Morning Bill (and welcome FiFIP)

I’ve just read the above about your daughter. Healing vibes being sent from West Yorkshire that everything will be well today.

Glad also you’ve had reassuring news from the team here.

xx

I don’t think that it matters. I usually miss out a meal, normally breakfast, or occasionally lunch (not both) and then have a larger dinner with the family. Missing breakfast I find very easy and I usually have something high fat for lunch such as greek yoghurt or houmous. If I’ve missed breakfast I sometimes have a snack when I get in from work (normally an apple or some yoghurt).

I am finding this reasonably easy to keep up and I am losing weight.

Bill hope all goes well for your daughter your must be so worried. Keep your chin up. Big hugs xx

Hi guys
don’t worry too much about the carbs in chickpeas as they tend to be more of the hard to digest complex carbs than the bad simple type.
A lot of us have been using chickpeas and especially chickpea flour for making flatbreads and even pasta (thanks hashimoto) with no ill effects

Hi lucia
isn’t it amazing to try stuff that you thoght was forbidden to you and find you enjoy it so much.
You will also be amazed at how good you feel by just changing what you eat without ever feeling hungry
Your whole attitude to this new lifestyle is great and I just know that we are going to see some very positive posts from both you and and you too Jeff.
Looking forward to watching you both progress through this journey.

Hi boog 23,
Thanks for your kind words but the good thing is, I can SEE the damage I was doing, I can identify the rut I was in.
I have turned the page as it is a big day tomorrow, the Start of BS800.

I had another weird experience, I tried one tablespoon of Greek full fat yoghurt and an apple for breakfast. I thought the yoghurt would taste like flour and water paste, but it wasn’t, it was really tasty and filling.
Crazy that you are scared to try new things because you already know you won’t like it. It’s taking that step into the unknown. What a surprise I got. It’s great. Everyone should try it.
For lunch I am having salad and two tablespoons of cottage cheese because I fancy it.
My evening meal will be fish done in the oven with a squeeze of lemon and a few herbs, and broccoli.
(Listen to me! I wouldn’t recognise myself!!)
Thanks to everyone for getting this far.
My next questions will be how many calories are in ……
Love Lucia xxx

Hey woofmum, welcome to the forums.
It’s so good to see that you have a supportive GP.
A lot of folk have experienced the opposite reaction from their GP’s so it’s nice that you have one with a more modern outlook on things.
I would give the fast 800 a try first. You may have a couple of early side effects but they go within a few days and after that you shouldn’t feel hungry as your body gets used to a new way of eating.

Hi Bella, eat as many green, leafy veg as you want! Veg like cucumber and celery is also very low calorie so add some of that to your meals where appropriate 🙂

Hi Cherrieanne, it’s a comfort that Bill had feed back from the team on this, it must lessen the worry. It does seem to be a pattern so far in doesn’t it? This is such new territory for all of us, even the non-diabetics with other health problem. I think you will be right about the body readjusting. 🙂

Hi Bella I think the book says you can have unlimited streamed green veg.
I drizzle mine in olive oil and cracked Black pepper. Tastes delicious.

Hi Linda, I have just seen your post, I have hypothyroidism and for the first time I have found a diet which has helped me lose weight – in fact it has just fallen off!
I have a GP appointment next week as I will need to have a new blood test to check my thyroxine levels as I have lost over 2 stones.
Cherrieanne is right about keeping in touch with your GP, I am reducing asthma meds under supervision. The less weight we have usually the lower doses of meds we need – but that is not true of every med. Only tests will decide that.
It must be so hard having the combination of bipolar and hypothyroidism. Keep with the diet and shout if you want support, we will all be rooting for you 🙂

WOW – recommended by your GP – that is VERY good news, it means others in your practice will get the same great help.
Personally I found the 5:2 difficult, not because I didn’t control what I ate the other 5 days but because it was like starting the diet all over again on the other 2 days. On the fast 800 the first 3 or 4 days I felt a bit ‘woolly’ but after that the hanger pangs go, the amount of food in 800 calories feels normal and the weight drops off. If you’re diabetic you should see improved blood sugar readings. However, we are all different and you must choose the option which suits you best.
Last but not least, welcome to the forums Woofmum – they are full of lovely, kind people who will offer help and support.
Good luck on your new journey and download the daily mail articles (8 week blood sugar diet) recommended by Cherrieanne. 🙂 I still use mine even though I have the book!

Hi I’m not vegetarian but usually have veer towards . I’ve found all the meat suggestions too much so incorporated tofu in either scrambled with mushrooms for breakfast, roasted veg and tofu bake but you need to add some fat to it. I’ve also used chickpeas but all legumes also have carbs so you need to balance that out with your daily target. There’s a mushroom and quinoa soup on this site which is lovely and the stuffed peppers with moong dal lentils are good( I would replace some of onions with mushrooms). I usually have some soya milk and yoghurt for the calcium but your choices would be ok in small quantities . I think a lot of meat replacements may have carbs in but if you use fitness pal or other sites you can work out your carb content . Hope that helps

Thoughts are with you and your family Bill xx

Good news there, Mrs crimbo! 🙂

Thinking of the three of you today and hope all goes well x

Good morning Bill, hope you and your wife are travelling better today.
Praying that your daughter gets the all clear very quickly so you aren’t waiting on tenterhooks for long. xxx

Thank you Janet. We have a vitamin tonic in the medicine box so I will take some of that I think. I really do need to get some coconut flour and try those flatbreads when I feel well enough 🙂

I love full fat greek style yoghurt. “Tim’s Farm’ is my favourite brand, or M&S. Squidgy, I did like the Easiyo one but I had a few failures and gave up. Maybe I should try again as we eat so much of it now.

It is wonderful! OH and I are in week 4 and he has lost 20lbs . I, quite unfairly, have lost 18lbs. As he is a bit of a bear the protein keeps him happy and satisfied. Thank goodness for that as we both have so much to lose. (not as much as we had to lose though) Hope the diet is working well for you too!

Hi woofmum,
Welcome and great that you’re ready to take the first steps to better health.
Have you looked at the quiz on the home page of this site? That might help you decide which diet is right for you.
It would depend on how much weight you need to lose and whether you are diabetic. If you have a lot to lose and have blood sugars that are very high I would suggest the fast 800. It also depends on how much self control you have. If you need more structure, then again I’d recommend the fast 800. There have been members who’ve commented that they fasted ok on the two days and then couldn’t control their eating on the other 5, with the 5:2 diet.
You could try downloading the 8 week blood sugar diet series of articles from the Daily Mail UK website. I read those and started the diet before my book arrived.
All the best…

Hi Linda

I just started this week too – and also on day 5… and also 2kg 🙂 !

OP

Hi Linda,
2 kg in only 5 days, way to go 🙂 !!! That’s a great result. Even better is that you’ve had no symptoms this week. Looks like you’re on the way to good health in body and mind.
Also great news your doctor is on board, it always helps to have a supportive GP.
Can’t wait to follow your journey to success.