Hi All – After a great start in the first week, I too had a plateau in week 2 and have been assures on other forums on this site, that this is normal and often happens week2/3 – and indeed for some, in later weeks too. It was disheartening not to see movement on the scales for a few days, but then I dropped a pound at the end of the week. Again this week – my third – has seen nothing in pounds lost so far, but some how, when I last measured I was missing 1.5 inches from my waist.

Think the secret is to accept that as your body adjusts, there will be time when the pounds don’t drop as readily as you’d expect, but you have to stay positive and committed to the process. Remember that success is partly in the head, don’t allow yourself to self-sabotage because progress is not what you expect and you feel discouraged – there’s plenty of support on the forums when you feel like this, so use it. As for goals, there’s no reason you can’t adjust those to something more attainable – if you think 16lb is realistic, set that as your new target and if you hit it before the end of the eight weeks, you can set a new goal.

I’m almost at the end of my week three and right now, I have no idea what I am going to do at the end of the 8wks on the 800 diet. Thought it made sense not to try to plan that far ahead, but to concentrate of the here and now. Once I get into week eight and have a better picture of how much I have lost, I’ll be better equipped to make the decision, but I do know that I would be prepared to stay on the 800 if I decided it would help.

Remember, be kind to yourself, don’t beat yourself up because things are not happening as fast as you would like – at 800 cals a day, the weight loss WILL happen.

Good luck everyone.

Well done on low carb while on holiday!

Yes you could take sealed packs of nuts but again you can buy them in a supermarket over there. Just a note re buying lunch. Supermarkets and in fact all shops don’t open til 10 or 11 in the morning but are open until 10 or 11 at night so if you have a fridge in your room buy the lunch the night before. To augment your lunchtime salad, you can easily buy cooked chicken in supermarkets and again keep in fridge overnight. Restaurants open up and close down at a rapid pace in HK so don’t rely on web sites. Open rice is a good restaurant review site and it does post in English. Be aware fish will come complete with head and tail and you may have to select your live one from a tank. For coffees, there is of course Starbucks but I preferred a chain called Pacific Coffee. Outback is a chain of Western style chicken, rib and steak restaurants and they do salad and coleslaw as a sides option. They also bring a loaf of delicious malty bread and you are on holiday………

Bill I type this on my tablet and I have lots of different pictures I can add. 🙈🙉🙊
Spoke too soon yesterday
Day 21 weight 10st 10lbs (two pounds have gone back on 😭)
Blood sugar 10.5

Weight going on means that I am taking more calories in than I am using. Therefore will make my shakes with a higher proportion of water tomorrow to see if that makes a difference. Also I need to move more so I plan to do some housework tomorrow as well. 😱

Thats brilliant captainlynne, you did really well with the food, I am sure you will soon get the weight off. Worth it any way, does you good to get away.

Thank you so much for your post it is really helpful and I am so pleased that there are a few options for me. I had assumed that everything would be with rice. Brilliant idea to take salad to stadium will definitely do that. Can you take food into Hong Kong? Am going to see if I can take pre packed nuts or snacks. We have wanted to go to sevens for years but could never get tickets so decided to bite the bullet and go with a Gullivers Travels package which includes tickets . My husband is now 70 and if we dont go soon we might never get there! Still deciding on fancy dress but will be getting something. Hope you are doing well on BSD.

I am almost at the end of week 3 and barring the odd hunger pang and hitting a bit of ick a plateau, it’s been much easier than I thought to stick to the diet. Make sure to use the forums, as there’s lots of tips and support out there.

Good luck everyone!

B variation on blueberry green tea shake, made it with lemon ginger tea and added strawberries.
L lettuce cups with bacon and half an avo from the book
D small steak and I’ll,make the creme fraiche peppercorn sauce with pink peppercorns. Salad. As its Saturday I’ll have a gin and tonic and a glass of wine. Ooh what a devil I am.

Thank you Purplepenguin and Janet 1973. There is so much info out there re diets and in the past I’ve read about Atkins and how it’s not good for you so I worry about the fats. Added to which there are lots of calories in them so it’s difficult to reconcile a high fat/low calorie diet. It’s just something I have to get over.

I am only slightly overweight so I think that also makes it less easy to lose it. I would love to be able to lose half a stone in a week like some do.

After drinking four pints of dark ale last evening on top of an Aduki bean chilli with a small portion of brown rice. (That certainly cleared the pipes!)
I decided this morning as the scales had remained stable, I would make some coconut flour pancakes. Which I had with blueberry’s and a little peanut butter (palm oil free, got to look after the Orangutans!) That was at 9am when it was still foggy in the UK.
After a walk into town (Lewes) with the dogs to pick up my boots from repair shop, and a visit to the hardware store. Came home and ate two spicy bean burgers (recipe from the book) with some chopped Celery Tomato and Cucumber drizzled in homemade Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar dressing. Also knocked up a vegetable soup for work on Monday, to save throwing them on the compost heap.
This evening the wife wants to treat me to an Indian meal.
Will probably have Tandoori Chicken with some Brinjal bhaji (Aubergine) & Bhindi bhaji (Okra) also know as ladies fingers. And a glass of wine.

Hi,
Guess what…. I hit the 10,000 at 2:20pm today. It’s that a big milestone!
Went to Costa and instead of a toasted sandwich or lemon cake, I just had tea.
I felt hungry walking back from the shops so had the salad when I got in.
Hubby is having the same food ( whether he wants it or not 🙃) I looked surprised when he said he had lost two pounds. Sssshhh dont tell him what we are up to.
So I am now going out to Hoover and wash the car instead of driving it for someone else to do.
How are you all doing this weekend?
Love Lucia xxxx

Hi carommartin
Here is a link re ketosis
http://www.m.webmd.com/diabetes/what-is-ketosis
So one of the most important things is the fluids you must drink (I think it’s two to three litres, )it’s a lot but it flushes your system through especially when you do achieve ketosis.
I use myfitnesspal but watch out for some of its suggestions as it told me that cinnamon sticks were over three hundred calories and cayenne pepper six hundred.!!! But that was me entering a recipe from the web.
I know how difficult thyroid problems are, I only have had a prob for three years with my thyroid and I have struggled loads but I was already very overweight and a diabetic.
You can do it really you can x

Yes that’s it exactly, carommartin. Have a look at a website called diet doctor and search on there for ketosis, there is some really good stuff there. I don’t have full fat milk as there are still a lot of carbs but I have greek yoghurt, olive oil, butter, avocados and especially coconut flour and oil. Also seeds like linseeds. It’s made a real difference to my weight loss this week.

That’s interesting Janet1973. So if I cut down on carbs only, that won’t work? It’s quite difficult to get out of the habit of eating low fat. I don’t even like full fat milk any more. I shall have to read up on ketosis.

Ketosis is essential to anyone wanting to lose weight, not just diabetics. When our bodies are in ketosis we know it is fat we are burning and not other things like muscle, glycogen or just water loss. We achieve ketosis by restricting carbs but keeping fats high.

Yes Purplepenguin, I saw the chat about ketosis too but I don’t really understand it. I wasn’t sure if it just applied to diabetics which I am not. No I haven’t been using an app this time for calorie counting. Can you recommend one? Also I don’t think I’m drinking enough water really and am trying to address that. I weigh myself every day. I don’t really believe I can do it as I’ve tried before since being hypo and nothing seems to work except starvation!

I always said I wouldn’t mind putting on weight on holiday if only I could lose it again just as quickly afterwards. Of course, that was in the WW days when it would take me months to lose what I put on in a two week holiday – if at all. This is where the bsd is different. It helps you limit the damage while you are away and you know those two pounds will be gone within a week. I think your residential will be easier as you will be in the same place every day and can probably get the caterers to give you extra of anything you need. You will also be able to keep your water consumption up. All the best for this week.

Well done captainlynne, it sounds like you did everything right! I’ll bet those 2-3 extra pounds just melt away in a matter of days, and may well kick start a better drop over than the next week than it might have been if you’d been home!
MaryR

Hi carommartin
Oh that is disappointing. I have also been on it for a short time day six today but am only going to weigh myself once a week. Are you drinking all that water? There was also some chat about ketosis I think it was Bill1954 ( hope I got that year right!) and are using one of the many apps for calorie counting? Keep at it you can do it 🙃

hello iv been reading up all weekend about the blood sugar diet. I was going to start Monday but iv just been shopping and bought lots of lovely fresh veg and meat etc and I’m ready to go as of tomorrow 🙂 my exercise bike has been looked out and dusted off and is now ready to go lol . cant wait till my pants start to fall down haha 🙂

Well done on keeping control of your diet whilst away. I’m sure now you are home and back to the 800, you will be back on track in no time. You have seen great results so far and I’m sure you will be seeing more soon.

Thanks for the supportive message Cherrianne. Not seeing progress on weight loss can be very disheartening and it’s tough staying focussed when nothing seems to be happening.

ChannelK – I understand your frustration. I had a couple of days last week, when the lack of movement on the scales left me feeling flat and struggling to stay with it. The trick is to shift your mind set. You know you are doing the right thing with the diet and that weight loss eventually has to happen at 800 cals a day. So somehow you have to find a way to accept there will be days when nothing positive seems to be happening; to make up your mind that you are on the right track and stay determined to see it through – and actually, what is the alternative? Is that any more attractive an option?

Have you tried any mindfulness exercises? This could be the time to use something like that, to help you to stay focussed on the journey you are on.

Good Luck….

Hi *waves*. I’m back. Yippee!

Hello to all the newbies this week.

After an interesting week away (letter of complaint just emailed) – long story, I’m catching up with everything.

So how did I do? I did manage to eat low-carb, leaving the carbs which were served with meals.

At the first hotel, the breakfast buffet included hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced cooked meats and cheeses, as well as scrambled egg and frankfurters. So that was ok. When I changed hotels, their breakfast buffet included the same, but also included fried eggs and baked beans. So a good start to the day.

Lunch. Monday was at the airport, so my usual – all-day breakfast but no toast or any other carb items.

Tuesday – TGI Friday (don’t ask!). 8oz steak, steamed broccoli and seasonal vegetables. Couldn’t finish it, so took half the steak back to the hotel for later. Also bought some mini Babybels (hotel 1 in bad area so didn’t venture out at night).

Wednesday – morning sorting out change of hotels. Lunch in Czech restaurant in shopping mall. 1/4 roast duck with red cabbage and white cabbage. Served with bread and dumplings, which I left. Passed a Subway on way back to new hotel. I didn’t see their salad bowl sign until I was leaving, so bought a 6ins Italian BMT with some salad. Back at the hotel I ate the meat and salad, but left the bread.

Thursday. Lunch same as yesterday. Had booked an early evening concert, so it was Subway again (price & convenience). But today I bought a salad bowl, eating the meat & some of the salad.

Friday. Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the airport. Landed back at Manchester and just wanted to get home so didn’t stop to buy any food. Had to change trains at Huddersfield, and needed something to eat. Best choice was to buy a sandwich (BLT). So I ate the B and some T, throwing the rest away. That kept me going until I got home. I’d made sure to leave food in the fridge for when I got home, so that was ok.

Weighed today. 3 pounds on from last Saturday, 2 pounds on from Monday when I travelled. Bad

Blood last night 5.2. Fasting blood today 5.4. So not bad.

Although I kept low carb, I should have paid more attention to portion sizes. But at least I didn’t go for the ice cream or desserts. In the past if would have been ice cream or other street food, especially while I was trying to sort out the hassle. So I suppose I didn’t do too badly. And I did do lots more walking than usual 😃

Today I’m back on 800 calories until 25th April when I go on a 4-day residential conference.

Thanks Purplepenguin. I have been doing the LSD for 5 days but no weight loss. I can only think that it must be the wine.

Hi Lucia et al, a lovely thread, and the very best of luck to you over the next 8 weeks! Well done for getting started. I’m just starting week 7, 20 lbs down, another 10 to go and feeling fantastic, amazing energy, brain fog lifted, skin much clearer, sleeping better. And I haven’t really taken on board the exercise aspects yet (off to the gym this afternoon though!)

I’d just say, to anybody starting out, don’t be discouraged in the first few days if you feel lousy or are getting big cravings- that all passes in a few days.
AND it seems to be very common, if not inevitable, that there are plateaus in weight loss, or even fluctuations in weight by a pound or two, for no good reason- it’s easy to think its all going horribly wrong. Don’t get discouraged, it all comes out in the wash and if you stick with it it WILL carry on going down.
What has helped me here is using Cronometer, (app and on line) which tracks everything, and as well as the actual weight loss shows the trend, so that you can see that you are on track, even if there are a few blips!
Please keep posting so we can all see how you are doing, it’s so helpful and encouraging for everyone 🙂
MaryR

Hi everyone – back from holiday and letter of complaint emailed (long story).

So – how did I do?

Managed to stay low-carb. Which is good.

Weight today – 3 pound gain from last Saturday / 2 pound gain from Monday when I travelled. Which is bad.

Checked bloods last night, bedtime 5.2
Fasting blood today 5.4. Which is ok.

What have I learned? It is ok to leave the unwanted carbs that come with a meal. To watch portion sizes more closely, especially when away from home.

It was a stressful few days for the first part of the week, but I did my best not to revert to the comfort eating old me. Rather I wandered round the supermarket trying to find something Low-carb I could eat.

Interestingly, there was a distinct lack of sugar-free drinks. Either Diet Coke or water.

But I did not snack, no ice cream, no desserts. 😃

So – now I’m back on 800 calories for the next month or so.

Thanks Cherrianne…not sure what happened, yoghurt was 125 cals! Will try again…x

Not quite sure exactly what is you are asking for, your question is quite wide. However, if you are considering exercise for weight loss, there is growing recognition that exercise doesn’t really contribute anything to weight loss, its all down to diet. However, for general well being, exercise is good. So what do you fancy doing? Walking is considered as useful as anything these days, can you get out on nice days? Or do you prefer things like swimming or cycling? Anything that makes you feel happy would be good but you really don’t have to be doing anything that is uncomfortable.

Michael mentions in his book that if you are going to drink it’s better to have spirits in small amounts but preferably not at all! I have always found that it stimulates my appetite. If you are asking from a thyroid point of view I have not found it a prob but I hardly drink at all. The inspiring Hashimoto mentions she had a few glasses while doing this and she has had great success.
Good luck 🙃

Has anyone experienced a change in blood pressure while following the 800 diet?

A general question for hypothyroid people. Would having a couple of glasses of red wine with one’s meal completely sabotage any weight loss?

I use almond milk which is really nice and quite low calorie. Of course it should be the unsweetened one which is not quite so nice!

Hi Meisha, I have a Thermie and love it.
I’ve made some of the BSD recipes from the book with it, and it’s worked really well, saving a lot of elbow grease, such as the beetroot, apple and cannelini bean soup. When I first did this recipe, without the Thermie, having grated 500 g of raw beetroot by hand, I has sore red fingers and didn’t need to go to the gym that day! But next time, using the parsnip soup recipe in the Fast and Easy Thermie book as a guide, it was dead easy and delicious.
Another one I’ve adapted is the Guilt free brownies- blitzing the dates and the cacao nibs first, (actually the Cacao powder from Lakeland worked best) then adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing for about 30s. Doubling the quantities in the same size baking tin gives a nicer thicker result, just have to cut into smaller pieces to keep them to 120 cals each.
It’s good for the almond butter, for hummus, the celariac topping for the fish pie, and I would use it for making the meatballs, but haven’t got around to those yet. You could easily do the Bolognaise and Arrabbiata sauces in it, but personally I prefer those done on the hob, because I feel the lower cooking temperature of the Thermie doesn’t allow the flavours to blend and concentrate as well as conventional methods.
Loved that video! There’s lot more YouTube stuff on the Thermomix on line, for anyone interested. If I had a fire and had to choose one bit of kit to save, the Thermie would be it!
MaryR

You could try a protein snack mid afternoon like a boiled egg, some nuts or a piece of cheese to keep you going until dinner.
Being a bit spacey in your work place wouldn’t be too good, I’m assuming you’d have some rather sharp power tools etc there. Losing body parts wouldn’t be the best way to drop weight lol 😉

Hi Cuffsue

Its not so much the calories in root veg but the carbs that are the issue. Dr Mosley would probably say use them in moderation. But if you decide to count carbs (and there is no compulsion to do so) you would probably want to replace below the ground veg with above the ground veg.

I took a leaf out of your book today Lachlanh, and didn’t measure my fasting blood sugar. It would only make me worry if it was even higher. I didn’t feel like it was high, still had good energy levels so I’m just going to stick to the plan and see what happens Monday.
Let’s hope we all get over this soon, like you I’m really missing those lovely low readings. I was so proud of them 🙂

Well done Pete, great to hear another success story!

Hi Pete,
You’ve certainly painted a word picture there lol!
How did you manage your week in Aus? You obviously managed to stay away from the vino and craft beer if you’ve lost 7 kg in 2 weeks. Congratulations 🙂

I’m interested to know if anyone has any views on soya milk? I know there is an ongoing debate about the safety of soya products, particularly for thyroid sufferers. I have always liked soya milk but am now having a lot more with tea and coffee as it is less carbs than cow’s milk.

I am still in ketosis at 4, but I have put on half a pound from yesterday. Surely that means it has to be water retention? I didn’t stray from my 50 carbs yesterday. Its quite normal for me to do this, to lose some then gain a bit so I am relatively happy that as I am still in ketosis, its nothing to worry about or anything I can even control.

Hi Matrika, if you have an apple device you can download the Australian easy diet diary free. The icon looks like a blue spiral bound notebook with a pear on it.
You can track your weight loss and energy goals on it, enter recipes, look up food values and keep a daily record of your meals and snacks.
It’s quite easy to use once you’ve played around with it, and tried all the features.
Very useful, I would find it hard to keep track of my cals, carbs and protein without it.

Tried a great chicken recipe I found on Tip Hero for a Slow Cooker. It was equal parts (about 1/5th pint each) of Olive Oil and Lemon juice with (1 TSP) Oregano, Garlic, Onion Powder stirred together as a marinade and then poured all over the chicken, throw in some veg (their recipe used potato) I used Carrots, peppers an leeks. Cook on low 8 hours, high 4 hours. Ate half the chicken (1 breast) and blended the rest into vegetable soup for lunch the next day.

Was feeling the need to indulge slightly this morning after a lean day yesterday.

1 x Portobello Mushroom
2 x Slices Pancetta
1 x Poached Egg
1 x sprinkle of Cheddar Cheese

Calories = 358

Bring on Soup for lunch and Salad for dinner.

Hi blue plummy,
My calculations come out at 135 cals. Working off 50g blueberries = 23 cals,
2 tblspns yoghurt (30g) = 39 cals
tblspn almonds (approx 6raw) =43 cals
tblspn flaxseed = 30 cals( ground seeds) or 50 cals ( whole seeds)
Don’t know where mfp has gone wrong, I use a different app. Quick check on the internet showed a minor difference up or down in another calorie counter but roughly around the same. Hope this helps.

Thanks Penny – that is a good tip and will definitely help with time issues in the evenings. Feeling more positive about it all today so here goes..!

Thank you PMShrink, thank you Hashimoto, buckwheat is now in the bin!

Hashimoto – your weight loss is brilliant, what a result & what an inspiration. Do hope that your son gets better soon, Norovirus is doing the rounds down here too. Grim.

Hi Lolo, Sunnyb and Channelk,
It seems to be quite common that weight loss plateaus somewhere in weeks 2-4. Lots of people posting on other threads about it.
Then a week later they’re posting losses again. So hang in there and just keep going. You’ll soon see the pounds melting away again.
Milk in your tea, or extra fat than usual won’t hurt if you stay within your allowance. If you’re eating 800 cals or close enough and keeping carbs low, you’ve got to lose weight sooner or later. 🙂

Can I ask if anyone has tried to log the green tea blueberry shake on MFP? Just tried to put in as a recipe and it logged 360 calories not 130 as in the book! Can anyone advise? 😕

I have decided to do the BSD after losing two stones in weight following a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in November. My blood glucose is down to nearly normal and I’m controlling it with diet alone after coming off medication. So feeling pleased with myself but still want to continue on a sensible diet to maintain bs levels. Please can you tell me if my favourite root vegetables such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, etc are okay to add into the blood sugar diet? Or are they too calorific?

Lol and Sunnyb, me too! About to finish week 4 and 1lb loss in the last week. Frustrating as I’m sure that must just be the calorie deficit rather than any fat burning stuff going on. I’m trying to work out what I might be doing differently to others. I’m not eating any starchy carbs, am eating veggies and berries, yoghurt, fish, chicken, eggs, all the right stuff apparently and pretty strict. Could it be that I’m still having milk in my tea, could it be that I’m now eating too much fat, not enough water, not enough generally? Aargh.. On the plus side, I feel well and haven’t generally felt hungry (although have had a few hunger pangs in the last few days) and blood sugar is fine (thankfully ). I’m starting to wonder how I’ll be able to maintain the weight loss if I’m not particularly losing weight on 800cals. Generally I’ve thought just keep going one day at a time but today feels tougher. Hm.