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.

Hi Penny, cheers for the gram flour tip. I’m going to try the scones recipe. Sounds a good option!

I lived in Hong Kong until last year. You could eat the soups that all small restaurants sell, just leave the noodles at the bottom of the bowl.Most local restaurants don’t actually bring rice as a matter of course. It is usually served at the end as a filler if anyone is still hungry. Just order the meat fish or chicken and some veg dishes. Look for Western supermarkets like Taste, Great, Jason’s Marketplace, they all have salad bars where you could buy a prepared bowl and take it into the stadium for lunch. Buy a cheap insulated cool bag from Japan Home Stores( bright yellow shopfronts) because it will be hot. Korean restaurants with built in BBQ s in the tables let you cook your own meat and you can have veg and not order rice or noodles. Dairy is harder to find, but again the Western supermarkets all sell yogurt and to a lesser extent cheese. Well done on getting sevens tickets they are like gold dust in HK! Don’t forget your fancy dress outfit!

Great results Jandz100! Well done – all the best for next week.

Well today is day 6 but it’s also my weigh day soooo….

4 lbs off
2 inches off my stomach
2 inches off the bit between boobs & belly button 😂

No hunger pangs whatsoever and no sugar cravings so far, and energy seems to have increased. For instance, finished my overtime last night, came home had a cuppa and then started doing housework! Normally I come home and do nothing on a Friday night as I’m too tired and that’s after a week of normal shifts never mind 3 hours overtime a day!

Well done hashimoto on your weight loss, over 2st is fantastic.

I am going to Hong Kong in 3 weeks time to watch the Hong Kong 7’s (rugby) and as I think a lot of dishes are served with rice I am wondering what I can eat and not spoil 7 weeks of healthy eating. I have a seen ew restaurants, on net, which serve low carb meals but dont think some of them are too near where we are staying. I do like fish so maybe that could be a starting point. We just get breakfast at hotel and will be at stadium for 3 days and eating out rest of time. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

This explains what a TM is 😉 (if you don’t mind occasional strong language)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yr_etbfZtQ

Hi,
I have been officially on the BS800 for al full 41 minutes, do I look slimmer? I think so. 💃🏼
Today I am 14 stones 1 3/4 pounds.
So I am focusing on the 3/4 of a pound , I am going to make time for me. I am not going to look at the 14st 1 pound.
Sounds crazy but I am quite excited as last week before I started my prep week it was 14st 8lb.
My aim is to get to a size 12 but more importantly I want to have energy, do things, get away from the sofa.
I am going to walk to my local shops about 2 miles away. I am not panicking as it is a bus route so I can always get rescued. There is a mist in the air, the snowdrops and daffodils are out, it’s calm. As I walk, I will be nosey and look at the front gardens along the way for ideas for my own garden. You can’t do that when you are driving along.

To everyone who is starting the Bs800 , come on in, the waters fine!
Let’s do it together.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Excellent decision! I am one week in and my pants are getting loose already.

You won’t need luck 🙂
OP

I am 2 weeks in to this now and I noticed today that my socks are no longer leaving big rings around my lower calves. I used to have ankles that would make a hippo proud. They are not quite gazelle-like yet but certainly looking so much better. 2 weeks in, 7kgs down!

Hi Lynette
I’m in Australia

Hi Leanne,
There is a bit of info in the book about good food choices. I think what most of us do is check out the carb and calorie counts of food and decide if we can afford to use that much of our allowance on them. Bear in mind that the beans and bean flour are high in carbs but they are the good, low GI kind.
You’ve got the right idea with the zucchini soup and lasagne. Try to find meals that use the same ingredients so that nothing gets wasted. Even if you have to swap ingredients in a recipe to use something up. There are 7 of us in my family so I’m always on the lookout for bargain priced seasonal fruit and veg. Then I make the biggest variety of meals I can think of with the same ingredients. My freezer always has a couple of meals and soups for those busy days or when something unexpected happens. Or to allow for the ‘can’t be bothered to cook’ days 🙂
I’m sure you’ll soon be cooking up a storm, and once you start tasting that delicious fresh food you’ll be hooked!

Stated the 8 week BSD component today. Lets see how we go! Good luck me, good luck everyone

Wow that’s great, so this really does work, just started today so fingers crossed.

Hi Everyone
I am on the wrong side of 55…:) a breast cancer survivor, have a left sided physical disability. Have approx 20 kilos to lose after looking at my BMI. Had gestational diabetes 18 years ago…any ideas regarding exercise?

Hi, I am new and am totally clueless about calories.
Loved the nic chubbypenguin!

today i am going to eat brunch at 1 pm
2 beef sausages that are gluten free and made by my lovely grass-fed-beef only butcher around the corner.
fried with coconut oil
1 red pepper
one large tomatoe

For dinner I’m having greek full fat yoghurt with blueberries and rhubarb and cinnamon. No added sweetening.

I have no idea about the calories and am not sure where to find them but will go looking.
Here it is insanely hot (we are having a heat wave in Sydney) and I can barely think, let alone plan what I will eat. 🙂

I’m new. My blood sugar is always high on waking and I don’t eat til it has come down, usually after 1 pm and some physical activity in the morning.
There is a name for the early high blood sugar reading…apparently it is to pump us up for the days activity…(!)

Hi BexM
Welcome!
Re easy dinners. I’d suggest getting a slow cooker if you haven’t got one. £19.99 from Crockpot on Amazon.
At lunchtime you chuck in meat, veg etc and a small amount of water and leave it on til you get back, when it’s wonderfully cooked. It uses the same amount of electricity as a light bulb.
I make chicken with Mediterranean type veg, or lamb or beef stew. It’s a wonderful invention!
Penny

By tailor I mean eat more of the 800 in the morning and at lunch – smaller dinner 🙂

Hi Lolo
You could try counting your carbs ( you can do it on Myfitnesspal) if you’re not because it’s the low carbs that makes the waist reduce. Maybe you need to go lower?
Good luck with it.
Penny

Hi Rach19c
There’s a book you could look at. Jenny Ruhls ‘low carb problems solved’ (£3 on kindle). She deals with plateaus and everything else that goes wrong.
Good luck with the diet. This is just a blip.
Penny

Thanks Cherrianne, I don’t expect the weight loss to continue at that rate – I remember 20 years ago doing Weight Watchers with my mother and losing a similar amount in my first couple of weeks. The drop in blood sugar surprises me though. Gives me hope that I can actually reverse the Type II. Only adverse side effect is that I am a bit spacey towards the end of the working day (I teach in a design/woodwork workshop). I may have to tailor calorie intake to give me a bit more during the day…

Thanks cherrianne. Yeah I think that’s what I’m going to do. Iv got the zucchini lasagna and the chickpea chilli in my meal plan. Never had any of those b4. Suppose it’s just trial and error. Going to make a pot of the courgette and tomatoe soup too. Iv just realised there is also a Facebook page so hopefully that will keep me on track too. Do you know if there is a bit were I could get a list of allowed foods ?

Hi carsong, over 6kg down in one week and nearly halved your fasting blood sugars!!
You would just about be walking on air with those results. Fantastic success for week one. Well done 🙂