Hi carommartin, No I just went with the recipes in the book ( the 8 week blood sugar diet by Michael Mosley) and adapted some recipes to suit myself.
You need to remember to drink a LOT of water/herbal tea etc 2 – 3 litres a day. I like fizzy water with a slice of lemon as well.
Some quick and easy meals: poached eggs with grilled tomatoes or mushrooms, 2 egg omelette with salad, full fat yoghurt with berries. Hummus and veg, grilled or fried chicken/fish/steak with leafy green veg. Home made vegetable soup etc Just don’t eat refined carbs (bread, rice pasta) and try to keep to 800 calories and the weight should melt away. I don’t know if you have looked at the drop down bars – but one has recipes people have uploaded and if you miss bread I could recommend the two types of carb free flat breads on there. In fact I am having home made curry with the chickpea flour flatbreads for dinner tonight. I have made LOTS of them and freeze them so they are handy. You can also use them as pizza bases. The recipe for coconut flatbreads is really good – I have used them for dessert topped with cream and berries when I have people round for dinner! But you can use them as buns for a sarnie etc
Hope that helps – I know some people have started off on the shakes but I just did not fancy them.
Good luck and there is plenty of help from people on this forum 🙂

Yesterday:

Greek yogurt with cooked blueberries and cinnamon

Chicken salad with romaine lettuce, rocket, cherry toms, herbs, yellow pepper, olives, jalapenos, a few sunflower seeds and chick peas, celery and chipotle ‘mayo’ (was actually sour cream with chipotle)

Courgetti with salmon, creme fraiche, peas, garlic, lemon juice and basil, sprinkling of chopped mixed nuts on top

Half a pink lady apple (amazing that half an apple is now a sweet treat!)

One cup of tea and one of coffee with a splash of milk. Endless water!

Well done first off for recognising that you may have a problem and you’ve actually decided to take action! So you’re all set to take the plunge tomorrow ( what happened to today?! ;0) ). Don’t worry, just bear in mind why you’re doing it and what the alternative may be. I presume you’re somewhat overweight? Well one of the advantages of the 800 is usually the rapid result which gives encouragement to stick with it. Do you have a target? It’s a good idea to set one rather than setting off aimlessly, and if you haven’t already, read the book for guidance and further encouragement. Well done again and good luck!
Mick.

Hi hashimoto – thank you for your prompt reply. Did you use meal replacement shakes at all? I can’t imagine being able to think of 3 meals a day without bread!

In the book it says that wholemeal bread is no good as it has a lot of sugar in it. But is it OK to use wholemeal flour? I don’t like the coconut flour, I find the taste lingers for days!.
I bake my own bread any way and wondered if I made some without sugar and only ate a small amount if that would be OK. Any thoughts?

Hi and welcome to the forums
Seriously, the best tip I can give you is to have a read through the forum. There are so many people on here at varying stages of the plan and they are all posting their experiences on a daily basis now.
Also checkout the recipes section for some mouth watering meals.
Don’t be nervous, just go for it, drink lots of water (2 – 3 ltr /day ) and keep up your fat intake to help combat initial side effects.
Look forward to seeing your week 1 results.

Hi,

I have been getting everything set up to start the blood sugar diet tomorrow. I am quite nervous about it as although I am not diabetic, I have developed a ridiculous carb and sugar addiction over the years. This is something I need to do for my health as there is type 2 diabetes in the family and I would be devastated if I developed it.

I just wondered if anyone had any tips? I’m guessing that keep busy to take my mind off it might be good thing! But at the same time, I feel I need to be a bit obsessed with it to keep me focused.

I’m nervous about how I will manage but excited that I will soon be shifting some weight!

Help and advice on starting out would be much appreciated! Thank you

Hi carommartin, welcome to the forums. A lot of us on here have hypothyroidism, I had weight loss failures on other diets but have lost 2 stones so far on the 8 week blood sugar diet. I. Would recommended doing the 8 week programme, you won’t regret it.

I have hypothyroidism and Pernicious Anaemia and also take a few tablets for heart disease. I have found it very difficult to lose weight since I was diagnosed and was contemplating doing the Mediterranean diet to see if cutting out a lot of carbs would do the trick. I’m not diabetic and don’t have blood sugar problems (yet!). Does anybody know how successful this might be or should I go the whole hog and do the LSD?

Yes, I think it will be helpful to compare notes Bill. More out of curiosity really, I’m just keen to know after all these years what’s really going on inside my body.

By the way, the article I have attached above talks about limiting saturated fats in meat and dairy but its worth bearing in mind, that might be the ‘old-school’ thinking on sat fats.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/many-grams-fat-should-eat-day-lose-weight-5597.html

The article above might help you with your calculations for fat. Dr Mosley is not too prescriptive on the percentages but he does say to have a ‘moderate’ amount of fat. There are quite a few other threads in the forums which have discussed the amount of carbs and protein to have. All the best.

Well done Stingle. Like you, I struggle in week two I’m on day 16 myself and have dropped a total of 7lb and 1.5inches from my waist so far. It is can be hard sticking with it, when nothing seems to be happening, but well done for staying with the programme. I’m determined to stick with it and get my weight back under control, so this has to work for me and it sounds like you are equally determined to get there as well. Good luck for this week – and all those to follow to the eight week mark!

Hi Janet
mine should arrive today so it will be interesting to compare notes.
We are all losing weight from somewhere, it seems strange that there is no sign of ketosis going on.
Maybe if others are using this or a similar product they could let us know if it’s working for them

Hi Stingle. Well done on ýour results so far. Its hard to explain this program when people think it is ‘too good to be true’. Really the only way is to let people find out for themselves which is what you have done. Of course, its the great results which spur you to carry on so keep up the good work and keep getting the great results.

Story so far;
I had a very high carb day on Sunday (which I refuse to feel any repentance for) so I thought that Monday would be an ideal time to start measuring my fat burning capabilities using the ketostix to see how long it took to get into ketosis. I had two meals yesterday which came to no more than 500 calories and still was not in ketosis this morning. I have just done a twelve thousand step walk (which I haven’t done in years). I haven’t yet eaten but I have had a latte for 109 calories (that’s where I walked to, the coffee shop!) and still nowhere near ketosis.

So I don’t know when or if it is going to happen but I’m happy to continue with the experiment.

I’ve been type 2 diabetic for exactly 5 years on 4 metformin daily, 20mg Simvastatin and 2.5mg Ramipril. I have an annual diabetic review, my next one due in June. I’m hoping my hba1c will be low by then. I’ve suggested a similar diet to the fast 800 to my GP in the past but he basically poo-pooed it!! I wonder what happens to patients who have lowered their various numbers to the level of non- diabetics, but who are still on medication? I’m hoping for a reduction in my medication at least and then more regular reviews to see if I can stop them.
However my GP might not agree!!

Great to hear stingle, I know you were a bit down last week but wasn’t it worth sticking with it ?
Just imagine how you’re going to feel at the end of 8 weeks !
Saying I told you so is becoming a habit – but in this case a good one.

Yesterday’s menu
B no carb Bircher from book
L peanut butter dip and celery from book
D chick pea curry with cauli rice

Today’s menu
B blueberry green tea shake from book
L poacherd salmon and salad leaves
D home made tomato sauce with bacon on cauli rice

I love cauli rice I have it 3or4times a week, other days I have spiral courgette or veg “couscous” from Tesco.

After posting on here last week after not having lost much weight and feeling a bit sorry for myself I am happy to say “YOU WERE ALL RIGHT – THANK YOU SO MUCH ”
Patience has never been my strong point but I’m so glad I kept at it .
Been on the BSD now for 16 days …………
Blood sugar down from 21 to 10 fasting
Weight dropped 8lbs
Waist down by 3 inches
Hunger – I can honestly say not bad at all

This absolutely does work and after a further 5 and a half weeks I’m hoping to be insulin free – Brilliant

Breakfast :porridge with full fat milk and a little honey
Lunch : Greek yogurt with chopped up strawberries added
Dinner: mushroom omlette and green salad
No idea of calories as do not count them but well below my normal amount!

Brilliant Time4Change! Great stuff indeed 🙂

I am veggie and live in France which adds a complication due to difficulty obtaining some food stuffs. I am coming up to 2 weeks now, have lost 9lbs and am enjoying the plan. Breakfast I always have a bowl of porridge as this sets me up for the day. I try to use jumbo oats as they are better and full fat milk with a drip of honey. Lunch normally I have a Greek yogurt, full fat with fresh berries. Dinner is a selection of veggies, roasted, casseroled with often eggs or pulses. I do a veg shepherds pie topped with cauliflower mash which I have found I love. I am now eating a large amount of vegetables and loving it. Rose Elliot is a good book but she does not always use clean food which is my other passion.
Experiment with veg remembering you can use butter, cream etc. Have a look through the recipes on here, they are tried and tested.

Plain youghurt/blueberries

Tin chicken soup

Slow cooked stewing beef/cauliflower

Cups of tea (7cals each due to milk/sweetener)

Trying to get through my 2L water jug!

Thanks Natasha, I really do feel recommitted, especially after my weigh in showed I’m only up 1 pound from my lowest weight which seems to be the post weekend pattern! Going to get a decent walk in this afternoon and I did a 15 min hiit session this morning, all I had time for but glad I managed it. All the jumping around added 1500 steps to my Fitbit, not too shabby!

Hi Margaret and hubby,
Welcome to the forums. There are quite a few vegetarian members on here and you will find some recipes and threads to read all about veggie food. I can recommend the recipe for the baked aubergine. Give yourself a few days to get used to the idea of eating low carb and low cal and you will soon get into the swing of combining healthy veggie foods for maximum effect. I was also recommended Rose Elliot’s book on low carb vegetarian meals which I find is very good. All the best you both.

No breakfast
Lunch : wild garlic frittata (leaves foraged during a muddy walk on Sunday)
Dinner: is going to be home made beef curry with chickpea flour flatbread

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are just starting the low cal med diet. Day 1 today. We would welcome any support or advice you may have. We are vegetarian but not vegan. And are a little concerned that a large proportion of the meal plans. Include meat. We would love to hear any advice on alternatives.

Hi misssay you and the husband are doing so well. really good to hear
I wish you had posted about the pizzas last week
I made one like you but neglected to put the base in the oven to dry out and it was very soggy when the toppings were added.
Yeah a diary section would be ok if it’s possible, I just use my first ever thread as a sort of diary ATM
Going to try the Besan pasta recipe sometime this week. I have a hankering for ricotta and spinach raviolo 🙂

Hi cherrieanne I. Have definitely gained a lot of energy – it is being commented on by a few people who have known me for years! All the growing is for my son’s new allotment – he won’t get the keys until the council have cleared the rubbish and doesn’t have a greenhouse. Though i will still be growing tomatoes and chillies for myself.
I made a wild garlic frittata for lunch today – the garlic leaves were foraged during a very muddy, hilly woodland walk on Mother’s Day. So there is a small advantage of living in the Uk! I. Have a cousin who lives in Northamptonshire.
39C is VERY hot! My uncle in Perth has been talking a out a lot of days which have been 40C – too hot for me. I hope the shops you went to were air conditioned to give you a bit of relief!
Cas, I forgot to say that when I started this diet I was hoping to lose half a stone but lost 2. Something i could only have dreamed of. Now I know this works for me I want to lose another half stone:)
Cherrieanne I wont be leaving the forums, I’m just finishing the first part of this diet and the next part is like entering the unknown so will still need to all support each other, swap recipes etc. This is for life! 🙂 also i love reading your posts:)

Time4Change – I actually don’t think it’s a bad thing that you went off plan. I can almost feel how focused you are by the way you are writing, and I don’t think you will have a problem resuming where you left off.
These things happen, and your ‘splurge’ will probably be a great learning experience, so I think it’s actually a positive experience.

Good luck.. you can do it!! 😀 😀

Thank, tamznlaws, that looks perfect- for later on! Exactly the sort of thing I want, I’m a great fan of chia seeds. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

Yes I know, Cas, no carbs just yet, but someday, someday!!

MaryR

Hi Cas, thankyou. I ‘m very gluten intolerant so can’t have wheat flour so no wheat bread or pasta for me. The recipe you have posted sounds delicious – I’m sorry I can’t try it. 🙁 The Mediterranean diet Michael mosley mentions is also low carb but those of you who are not gluten free or diabetic will be able to indulge occasionally.

Sadly cherrieanne I won’t be able to have it – gluten makes me ill. I had a mince pie on new year’s eve and was in pain for 3 weeks before I saw gp and was put on antibiotics. It wasn’t the first time something like that happened but it was the last time i will consciously eat gluten. It seems to trigger a diverticulitis attack every time 🙁

Thanks Bill, this new lifestyle is fantastic… I have never felt so well compared to other diets that I have tried.

Hi Alan, Bill is correct the strips are most expensive, I have found that buying on amazon the cheapest.

Hi everybody. I haven’t been around on the forum as much as I would have liked, since going back to work after half term, but it seems to have got a lot busier with plenty going on, and it is good to see more people interested. Hopefully, I can catch up a bit today as I am at home having a new water tank fitted. Well, I’m not actually having a new water tank fitted to me personally, but the house is!
As we are just over half way through the 8 weeks (two days into week 5 now), it seemed like a good time to report in with some progress. I have lost 13 lbs (Oh scales – why could you not give me a stone off? I’m actually very happy with 13lbs, but it’s that elusive one stone mark isn’t it?) My husband has lost 8lbs. Both of us have lost 2 inches from our navel measurements, and I have also lost 2 inches off my ‘actual’ waist measurement, ie: the smallest bit in the middle. I’m not sure I can really call it a waist yet though! We have had a few days where we have gone a bit over on calories, but if we go over, it is usually on healthy, low carb stuff (with the possible exception for me of one Gregg’s sausage roll, ahem!) Overall, we are very impressed by the results. My husband’s BS has halved, and is generally hovering around 6 – 9. o

We have even managed to have pizza for the last two Saturday evenings, after our long cliff walks, thanks to besan flour bases. I fry them like a pancake, then put them onto the greased oven tray and bung them in the oven to dry off a bit more – only for about 5-10 mins, out of the oven to load up wih toppings and then back in to finish off. Voila, pizzas!

I was wondering about the possibility of there being a ‘diary’ section of the forums, where we could report in with how our day/week is going, and also on food we have eaten for the day, or have planned for the days ahead. I know it is possible to do that in a general thread, but I was musing earlier today that on other forums I have had a diary thread, in a diary section of the forum, which encouraged me to log on every day to record food, thoughts, and progress. Does anybody have any thoughts on the idea? (For or against is fine by me).

Hi Alan
you can buy a glucose meter online or at the chemist.
Check out the price for the test strips and go for the meter that has the cheapest ones, all the meters do the same thing and in fact, some chemists give certain models away.
Ask on here about ingredients, someone will know.

Hi Shucks
Hope you are finding the forums helpful. I have found them very useful and supportive. Like you, I would like to lose 14lb – although I confess a few pounds more would be good too. I’m just into week three now and have lost 7lb, most of that was lost in week one. Week two was a struggle, but saw results in the end. The big bonus for me, is seeing results on the tape measure.

I have had some hunger pangs, but only minor – mostly at a level that can be ignored until they dissipate. Occasionally I have needed a small snack, but a glass of water is usually enough to settle things.

This week I am expecting to see slow progress, but am determined to stick with the 800 cals, as at that level, results have to follow eventually.

Good luck for your start on the BSD journey. It’s been a revelation for me, hope it will be for you as well.

Hi, Doctor told me I was approaching pre-type 2, I was surprised as I was doing Michael Mosleys 5/2 diet, so I got his new book and i am just finishing week 1, I have enjoyed the food so far, lovely flavours and textures, I started off at 14s 8lb, and now weigh 14.00.
I have 2 days a week when I have a few beers, and on those days I have ate normally, it dose not seemed to have affected my weight loss, however I must admit that I preferred the diet meals. Energy levels seem good, I do not miss my licorice allsorts or chocolates still have my goody jar untouched.
I am just very impressed how everything is going, having a bit of difficulty sourcing some of the ingredients.
Can anyone tell me how you can check your blood sugar levels at home.
Many thanks & happy dieting
Ally

Hi MaryR
I often make this loaf, It’s very nutritious and has NO flour. It is an acquired taste. It os also quite high in calories, however, it does satisfy my husbands bread craving. It is also quite moist. Made simply from quinoa which is gluten free and has a low GI of 53. Quinoa is also a complete protein which means that it contains all the essential amino acids that the body needs for repair and a healthy immune system.The chia seed pumps up the omega 3 in the bread plus it helps hold it together when it’s baked. The lemon activates the baking soda (bicarb) + helps to alkaline the loaf. –
Makes 1 loaf – The size I used was: 10 1/2 cm wide and 26 cm long

300 g (10 1/2 oz / 1 3/4 cups) whole uncooked quinoa seed
60 g (2 fl oz / 1/4 cup) whole chia seed
250 ml / 1 cup water (use half to soak chia seeds and the other half to combine in the food processor)
60 ml ( 2 fl oz / ¼ cup ) olive oil
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
juice from ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 160 C / 320 F. fan forced oven.
Soak quinoa in plenty of cold water overnight in the fridge.
Soak chia seed in 1/2 cup water until gel like – this can be done overnight as well, but just give it a few stirs at the beginning.
Drain the quinoa and rinse really well through a sieve. Make sure the water is fully drained from your sieve.
Place the quinoa into a food processor.
Add chia gel, 1/2 cup of water, olive oil, bicarb soda, sea salt and lemon juice.
Mix in a food processor for 3 minutes. The bread mix should resemble a batter consistency with some whole quinoa still left in the mix.
Spoon into a loaf tin lined with baking paper on all sides and the base.
Bake for 1 ½ hours until firm to touch and bounces back when pressed with your fingers. Mine took 1 1/2 hours – oven temps can vary slightly – but the bread needs the time to cook and for the quinoa to become tender.
Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes in the tin…then remove from the tin and cool completely on a rack or board. The bread should be slightly moist in the middle and crisp on the outside. Cool completely before eating.
Serve delicate slices only when cold with a serrated knife.
Store wrapped in the fridge for up to 1 week.(yes this can be frozen for up to 3 months)
Delicious lightly toasted on a pan.
Serves 12 – and best served lightly toasted in a pan until golden on both sides.

Notes + Inspiration
Serve topped with macadamia nut butter.
Pump up the protein and add 2 tablespoons of Pure Pea Protein before baking
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds before baking.
The whole seed must be used – please don’t use rolled quinoa or the flour.
Hulled millet can be used in place of quinoa in this r

– See more at: https://www.thehealthychef.com

Great first week results Sabrina77, that blood sugar reading is spot on and 7 lbs is a lot of weight
That is the one thing that really surprised me, I knew I would lose weight (you have to on 800 calories) but the feeling of wellness and the better sleeping came out of the blue.
It’s a major bonus to this new lifestyle I think.

Hi M
Sorry to hear your second week was a negative on weight lose. It seems week 2 can be a bit of a stumbling block – I certainly struggled to stay focused on the goal, when I was repeatedly seeing a lack of progress. I am sort of expecting that to be the case in week three too, so I am not stressing about seeing the scales defying my effort this time. After all, eating just 800 cals a day, has to result in weight lose eventually.

Try to stay positive and stick with it, I’m sure you will see positive results soon. Good luck for week three – especially to those that struggled in week two as well.

Hi , I am one week in today. I have lost 7 pounds ( 68.5kg to 65kg) & blood sugar readings have been between 4 – 5 mmol in the last 4 days. Usually in the evening after dinner I would just blob on the couch & munch on the junk & have no energy to do much. That has totally changed I am now full of energy & finding stuff to do.
I’ m amazed after a week of how well I feel & am so motivated.

Hi, I’m using MyFitnessPal to keep track and am wondering what balance of Carbs Fat and Protein I should be aiming for? Thanks

Hi all
I am just starting my third week after a hard week too! I had been on a diet since January 1st and lost 14 lbs. then 15 days ago I started the 800 a-day.Following it to the letter: I lost 7lb in the first week! Wow!……. and then nothing the second week. 0. Not even 1/2lb.
it has been very good to read the mails above. encouraging to keep going and hold the faith!
good luck everyone for a better week three and four and five…….. M.

Hi MaryR,
The recipe is from the web site of the bread makers. Don’t think we should be earring any simple carbs while on the diet. Wouldn’t be worth spooling it for a slice of bread.

I will try one day baking it but I have purchased pure wheat gluten to mix with alternative flours.

The best thing to do while on this diet is to forget about what we are used to and enjoy the new, forgetting about replacing what we have grown up with. Learn and enjoy the new.

Here one can buy Bread Improver from just about any store. Used it many years ago but didn’t notice any difference in the bread. Can’t recall exactly what it is supposed to do. You can google it.

Hi Fifo,
Could you post your recipe for home made baked beans? If it ticks our BSD boxes of course!

Yes, I’ve noticed huge benefits, the main one being lots more energy- that was after about a week, and has continued since. My skin is much better, (though generally drier) either from giving up sugar or gluten or both, and the blood pressure is coming down gradually. I’m not diabetic or prediabetic, so I haven’t been looking at BS readings. Some other things I’ve noticed are more cramp at night, itchy legs, ( round about week 3, though that’s improving now) and definitely clogged up intestines- though the skinny chilli with all those beans seem to have got things going there! Many people seem to have difficulties in the first week, specially if they’ve been on really high carbs beforehand, with the carb withdrawal stage- feeling unwell. If ts happens to you, don’t despair, there’s lots of great advice on this site on how to deal with it, and it does pass after a few days or so. I was lucky and didn’t have it at all.
MaryR

Hi silver
without doubt I have a lot more energy and I’m sleeping much better.
I’m also reliably informed that I’m a lot calmer than usual (I always considered myself to be reasonably calm anyway but apparantly not.)
If I feel myself getting wound up, I grab my guitar and strum a few tunes while I hum along. (My singing voice scares cats away)
After an hour of that I’m relaxed and the wife has a headache 😀

Thanks for all the feedback folks. I will definitely try those beans you speak of MaryR. So on the weight Shucks. I was concerned with the amount of sugar I was eating and got somenot drastic but worrying news at the docs and so decided that I needed to take it in hand. I started at 66.6k and I am now 63.9k – I would like to lose 11k in total if I can. I was thinking I will start next week ext and then just decided to start that day that I finished the book with what I had in the house. Yes I too look forward to preparing the meals Bill, I am getting so much more enjoyment out of food. Before I would eat – fait healthily to be honest but then spoil it all with too many sweeties afterwards. I know its only a week but it feels alot better! Yes the feel good and the feeling of being in control of your eating is brilliant. Well done all of you – you have great weight losses. Do you notice any other changes in your life since you are already 6 and 5 weeks in MaryR and Bill? Thanks and have a good dat. Just had the scrambled eggs with chives and smoked salmon – a favourite I am finding!