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.

Thanks for the help folks! Will be popping into this forum every day I reckon cheers and good luck to you all x

I too have been struggling for a couple of weeks with little to no progress after having lost 5lb in the first week. Have decided this week, to up my fluid intake and keep track of carbs as well as calories, in the hope of kick starting things again. It is important to count calories drunk as well as eaten – I know this from previous diets – so make sure to record the calories in your full fat milk Chrissie.

Hope we both have a better week this week!

Ugh I couldn’t do that Janet
Weird result for me this am, in fact I did the test twice to confirm.
There was no change at all in the colour of the test strip, even paler than the “0” result. I don’t know what’s happening there.

Thanks everyone for the comments on soya milk. I’m going to avoid it for a while as I think it might be making my own symptoms worse.

I had a few more carbs than I planned for yesterday – nothing naughty just too much gram flour in my courgette bajis but they were very nice and I will be making them again with less gram flour next time.

So ketosis was 1.5 this morning but back up to 4 this afternoon. I can now confirm that eating the coconut oil neat from the jar is doable. Its a bit like ramming 10 bounty bars in your mouth at once but I’d describe it as different but not unpleasant. I am putting it in my mouth and slowly swallowing it a bit at a time and even drinking at the same time. I know it sounds a bit weird but its ok!

You can do it SunnyB

It’s tough staying positive, when I am starting week 4, exactly where I started week 3. If I’m honest, I know this is actually a bonus, as I had two meals out at the weekend, including churros and red wine, so I’m actually damn lucky I didn’t register a gain this week.

So, I have to redouble my efforts this week, as I really want to see some more positive results soon. That means this week, I am going to keep track of my carb intake as well as calorie intake. Hopefully this will mean I’m keeping control of both and I’ll be seeing results again soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hi folks,
I’be just weighed in for week 4. Only a 1.4lbs loss.
Guess it’s just not linear. It’s still 18 lbs in 4 weeks, so I shouldn’t complain.
Will maybe give the vin rouge a miss this week 😱

Ha ha that would be something 🙃

Hi, the BSD isn’t as strict as that. I think that part of the BSD is to get us used to the 800+ weeks after the initial 8. Perhaps the study said no dairy so that they had the most constant set of data possible, or perhaps they later discovered that it wasn’t necessary. I don’t really know.

I have been following the book and have lost about 2kg per week so far – I am very obese, but I’m not diabetic, and I do understand that if you are diabetic you want to maximise your chance of reversing it.

The optifast shake are mix with water not milk so a different product.

Congratulations Bob! I hope I do as well as you’ve done.

Incidentally the link that i posted earlier for the professor Taylor diet plan was a link in the digital copy of the 8 week blood sugar diet by Michael Mosley this is where i have become confused same question applies if anybody knows the answer is it okay to use milk in the shakes ?
The guide lines actually say that Optifast milk shakes where used so presumably milk was also used.

I use an app called MealPlan, I entered the ingredients for all the meals in the book, which took a little time I won’t lie, but I thought if I’m going to do this, I’m doing it properly.
Now all I have to do is slot the meals into the menu and hit the shopping cart, you can even add other items to your shopping list, and email or print.
If it’s on you iPhone you can walk round the shop with the list in your hand, and as you get each item you tap it on the screen and it goes. I couldn’t do without it.
By the way, I’m not connected with the company that developed the app, but its so useful I just thought I’d tell you.

Hi munchkinsnan, I am on my sixth week and that is the one thing that I found really hard to do, make a list of all the food you need for the first week, it was even worse the second week for me! My mind seemed like it was addled, it does get easier like Lynne says, you have an expensive week first then it gets easier, the shopping that is, good luck.

Apologies i have been getting confused between this diet plan and the diet plan as out lined by professor Taylor from Newcastle university .http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/documents/StudyRecipes.pdf if you go straight to the link you will see the plan as outlined , this is the plan i am following hence the mention of no dairy produce.

I love both cauliflower rice and cauli mash, also butter bean mash. They all work for me in place of potatoes. I’ve said it before, but if in the UK do try Tesco 3 for2 tubs of cauli rice veg couscous and spiralised carrot squash or courgette. Honest I don’t work for them, just really love these handy tubs.

Sorry to hear this Bill. Thinking of you at this difficult time.

Thanks FoFi and Cherrianne,

I wonder whether the answer may be in the fluids I have been consuming. I have been really strict writing menu plans etc from the book but have been less so with drinks. Before starting the diet I would drink 10-15 cups of tea or coffee per day with one spoon of sugar in each cup and milk. Obviously I have stopped having the sugar and tried to substitute with the odd herbal tea. I have also swapped my semi skimmed milk for full cream milk. Do you think increasing my water intake (a glass before having a hot drink and trying to increase otherwise) will help?

Chrissie

Thanks bill, I know I will lose the weight eventually, I think I feel a bit down too because I tried on some of my summer clothes, which I had saved as they are a size smaller, and nothing fit! I have lost 16lb and seven inches off my waist, however nothing anywhere else, I know that’s where the fat is supposed to drop off first plus the bad fat round your organs, I’m just being grumpy I know, it’s just a bit demoralising when nothing seems to be going your way! Thanks for the support though, very much appreciated

Yes it is a lot to face, not something you ever want to consider for any member of your family. Such a scary time for all of you.
I think you are being amazingly brave considering everything going on. I’m really hoping, and praying, that the MRI brings better news and a more optimistic future for her.
You know that so many people on here, all around the world, are caring about your situation and wanting the best for you. You seem to have inspired a lot of love and friendship in a very short time. Make sure you let your wife know that she’s included in this love and support too. All the best x

I think you’ll probably find that slimfast is a low fat diet product hence the no dairy rules

Nothing in this diet (BSD) says anything about no dairy. Full fat yoghurt and butter along with a little cheese (can’t have that much on a 800 kcal diet) seem to be constant features. Do you mean slimfast says no dairy? I have no knowledge of slimfast.

Hi Chrissie, and welcome. That is very disappointing for you.
Are you following the menu plan from the book or counting calories of your own recipes?
If you are doing your own recipes, it might be possible that they are higher carb than you think. The other possibility is that you aren’t having enough full fat in your diet. You do need it to help your body make the switch from carb burning to fat burning.
Also keep up your intake of unsweetened drinks. You will need 2-3l of fluid a day.
If you read through some of the other threads you might get some ideas of how to tweak your food intake a bit.
Please keep posting and let us know how you’re going. There are lots of people on here who will be able to advise. 🙂

Welcome ChrissieM,
Are you keeping a record of everything you eat? Is there anything you are forgetting such as a coffee? It might just be one of those things and your weight starts falling soon, but it might be worth being even more careful for a few days and measuring the oil you cook with, portions of things like oats and anything else which has some flexibility in the interpretation. A few others have reported similar problems and then have gone on to lose weight. Are you drinking 2-3 litres of water per day? It is worth reading through a few of the threads on here.

Good luck.