I would be weary of eating too many Carrots, as they have a high sugar content. As do Parsnips and Swede.

Hi James,

I’d love to join in! I just discovered the blood sugar diet today and plan to start straight away. Good luck to everyone!

Doing great, Teej!
Penny

Hi Natasha
You could work them out by googling the ingredients. Then you d know…
Penny

Hi Malkay
Sorry- I’ve recommended it to all and sundry so couldn’t remember. It’s so great having the facts, really helpful probably you would do better being more accurate for a while.
Where are you getting your carbs?
Mine are just non tropocal fruit plus veg, so I just check on the ‘Nutrition’ bit of Myfitness pal to see how they’re working out. Today it was 29 grams. That was one small Apple , one orange, kale, lettuce, carrot, beetroot. Plus tiny bits in just about everything.
Penny

I have had the blueberry and green tea shake, chicken with butter beans and walnut salad a d crab cakes for 3 days in a row (tomorrow is my last day!!).

This would present a problem if I didn’t love crab lol

I’m completely intent on sticking to the menu plan too, so I totally understand where you’re coming from lol xx

Ps, omg I love the Bircher too, so delicious.

Hi Penny.
I did read the book you recommended. It’s really helpful, particularly the bit about going above the ‘ketogenic boundary’. That may be my problem, as I’m not measuring my carbs very accurately, but I’m not eating any starchy carbs at all. In the book, Michael doesn’t actually talk about ketosis, so I wasn’t sure whether we need to worry about it. I was trying to avoid having to weigh everything and be too strict, but maybe it’s just time to up my game and get a bit more serious!

Think I’ll leave the crab cakes Natasha, Not a huge lover of crab ….. Lol. But so Intent on trying to stick to the menu plan…..must learn to lighten up 😍😍. Ha
Good luck all, tomorrow is another day on this journey ……
Ummmm dreaming of no carb bicher tonight ..😊

Yes it all helps us. The more info the better.
Penny

Hi, yes a buddy would be good , on day 8 and 12 lbs lighter , feels good and most imif time not hungry but when it hits find it hard to resist but so far other than a few olives and squid I e kept to it and. It does it work ……. Have another 5 stone to lose which seems like a mountain to climb but help and support from buddies would be good ……..

Catch you soon And good luck this week

Hi Che
Great isn’t it. Very empowering to know facts. Once I d read the book I could see people on the forums struggling because they don’t know this stuff. ( so of course I tell them about the book !)
Penny

Yes I really like that site and quite inspiring to read the case studies.

Videos!

Aliba- have you seen diet doctor. Com? Interesting stuff with good vudeos.
Penny

Hi Aliba
Us and millions of others!
Now we know- but most people still don’t, and the low fat message is so engrained…
Penny

Thanks Penny, really interesting, especially the bit about fat being needed to regulate blood sugar. I’m totally convinced of it after eating low fat for decades, ended up nearly 5 stone overweight and diabetic!

Seems like they have… But Michael also says it’s ok to have slightly higher one day slightly lower the next. But I think we need to check the calories ourselves in any recipe.
Penny

Marvellous Natasha!
Penny

Good Nic. ☺️

Aliba- I love your list! Mine would be similar but soya instead of dairy. Also some red meat to cook delicious stews in the slow cooker. And pears and occasionally a bit of watermelon, and oranges.
We re so Lucky to live in such a well- provided society!
Penny

Hi FatCat,

Thanks for your response.

I have measuring spoons and level off portions with a knife by dragging it over the top of the spoon.

I think they should state that in the book, that regular cutlery tablespoons are totally different to a tablespoon size a measuring spoon gives.

I am losing weight pretty fast since I started 2 weeks ago and have had the Bircher several times, so I **think** the calories are correct. I hope so anyway!!!!

That should have read ‘ the bad effect’!!

Hi Malkay
Did you have a look at this book?
‘Low carbs problems solved’ by Jenny Ruhl.
(£3 on kindle)
If you haven’t it might help you.
Penny

Hi, I said my no carb Bircher came out at nearer 300 cals (not 180), but it’s a recipe that’s given in tablespoonfuls – so the size of the spoon (tablespoons vary, I don’t have a measure), whether they’re heaped or level, makes a big difference. So in my case, I think it’s my measurement error – I need one of the ‘official’ spoon measures I think.

Hi Aliba
Interesting stuff here about the bad ever take of low fat dairy.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-skim-milk-will-make-you-fat-and/
Penny

Hey there,

I just saw in a thread that some people on the 8 Week BSD have complained that the calories in some of the recipes in the book have been incorrectly stated.

Does anyone know if this is definitely true?

I’m really worried as I am being absolutely precise with my weighing and measuring and would hate to think the calories are not accurate.

Would anyone happen to know and be kind enough to specify which recipes have the incorrect calories so that they can be avoided?

I know there will be many who would be absolutely gutted going to all this effort and expense for it to be wrong

Hey Cherrianne,

Thanks for asking, my weight is going down. I need to lose 35lbs and have lost 11bs in the first two weeks

I am not diabetic – I tested my blood sugar when I started the diet and my levels were in the normal range. However, with the diet I had been consuming for the past couple of years, I was on a fast track to getting T2D.

What worried me the most was my stomach; with no exaggeration I looked at least 7 months pregnant. I also felt constantly tired with very low energy (often sleeping until 4pm and not wanting to get up), very irritable and depressed and my sugar and carbs cravings were off the scale uncontrollable. knew these were serious danger signs, and that is what motivated me to change.

I had watched all micheal mosley’s TV programmes and am a huge fan. I also really trust his research.I thought the 8-Wk BSD sounded absolutely amazing, so here I am!

I am not as organised as your sister, and cook my meals 3 times a day. I will, however, always make sure I have my next day’s ingredients the day before so I am not caught out. This also helps plant the seed in my mind that next day is bsd day, and so on.

I also like to follow the daily meal plans and recipes to the letter. I’m pretty obsessive about it and won’t substitute meals or ingredients or do my own thing and use guesswork. I don’t trust my judgment lol. I need to know this is going to work by following everything exactly what it says in the book. So far so good with the results.

I’m so jealous you get to grow your own veg AND you’ve had gorgeously hot days! Your homegrown zucchini and tomato recipes sound delicious.

Yes, I loved the Aussie lifestyle and you are a friendly lot! I’m hoping io visit Melbourne again in the not too distant future.

How are you getting along?

I meant to post my reply too – along similar lines:

I would recommend taking it easy initially while your body adapts to the lower carb intake.

Your body can use fat as an energy source during exercise, instead of carbs, but it takes time for your body to adjust. Indeed, if you are type 2 diabetic, it can take even longer for your body to adjust to the different energy source.

The catch 22 is that you need to do exercise with low carb intake to help your body adjust to a different energy source.

You will know your body better than anyone and you should listen to it and how you feel. If you feel able to undertake the exercise then you should be fine but don’t overdo it if you’re not sure you’re ready.

Good for you Malkay 👍

Thanks Penny 🙂

Thanks for the encouragement, Aliba! These last 2 days I have been working, and although I have taken lunch, I have snacked a bit in the afternoon. However, I am at home tomorrow, so I shall be gentle on myself. I’ll get up in the morning with a renewed sense of positivity, and make sure I keep to 800 cals. I’ll report back at the weekend!!

Forgot to add – apples and frozen berries!

Thanks Cherrianne, that makes sense and is reassuring. I’ve given blood and had it taken a lot without a problem. Will definitely drink more water to avoid my embarrassed apologies to the surgery nurse next time. It’s the first time I’ve felt woozy since giving up wine for this diet 😀🍷.

Hi GinDibs,
That all sounds delicious, I’ve yet to try them. Can’t wait!
I have my calculator at the ready to work out for the bigger dishes what I would need when making 1 portion.
It would probably make life much easier and be far more time-efficient to cook as in the book and divide the dish into portions and freeze them as you are doing.

Malkay it might just be that your body has to adjust – I didn’t notice the weight loss from my waist until the end of week three (I’d also lost 18lbs in the last year before starting this using other diets and no reduction in waist size) please don’t be despondent….7lbs is a magnificent achievement in just three weeks. Give yourself a few days sticking more closely to 800…perhaps until the weekend and see what happens. Sometimes we plateau for a few days and then lose more.
Who hasn’t done slimming world, lost four pounds and then put it all back on and even more a couple of weeks later….this is about complete re-education. Be kind to yourself and your body…you can do this….you know you can! X

Pmshrink – re calories….. no way 😮😮😮😮😮

This is not good news.

According to today’s meal plan of green tea and blueberry shake for breakfast, chicken, butterbean and walnut salad for lunch, and crab cakes for dinner, the total calories for these 3 meals is 810 calories.

Have they miscalculated the meals?

Hi Nic,
Feeling lightheaded and like fainting happens to a lot of people when having blood taken or injections. It’s called a vaso- vagal response and quite surprisingly it’s usually the big burly rugby player types ( in my experience) that it happens to. Of course they are the ones I didn’t have a hope of catching if they fell lol!!
Don’t be embarrassed because you have no control over it. Just make sure next time you have blood taken that you are well hydrated before so it’s easier to find a vein. You can drink a litre of water before a fasting blood test. Lean well back in the chair while you are having blood taken and flex your calf muscles/ rotate your ankles to keep good blood flow in your legs. It will all help!

GREAT NEWS!!!

The recipe is OK and it worked out this time.

I made the crab cakes again tonight and this time I made the crab mixture in the morning so it had all day and evening to chill through in the fridge.

I only added a quarter of a lemon – half is way too much and makes the crab mixture wet and useless.

I was more generous with the flour and I used a smaller non-stick pan with a little more oil than yesterday.

I flattened the entire crab patty so it filled the circumference of the frying pan. This also thinned it out so it became more like a fritter.

And voila!

DELICIOUS and money hasn’t been wasted!

I guess some of the recipes are trial and error

If you try making crab cakes again, let us know how you get on 😊🦀🦀🦀🦀😊

Hi Natasha
Good idea.
Jahooly- a lot of the recipes have the wrong calories. I’ve read people complaining about it.
Penny

I have done 3 weeks, and lost absolutely nothing from my waist. I lost 7lbs in the first 2 weeks, but not sure where from. The last couple of days I have become a bit demotivated due to seeing no change. Although sticking to low carb, I know I have gone over the 800 cals. Its much harder to stick to when you’re not seeing the results that everyone else seems to be getting. I find it very difficult measuring the exact amount of carbs etc., but I work on the principle that if I’m eating no starchy carbs, and eating considerably less than I used to, I should be losing weight and inches. I need a bit of a kick up the backside, and a bit of reassurance. Especially as my friend has just lost 4 lbs this week at Slimming World!!!!!!!

Pmshrink that’s a simple but clever idea. Think I’m going to adapt and give myself gold stars 😀

Well done Jahooly, that is fantastic! It makes all the hard work worthwhile 🙂

Hi Natasha,
Just wondering how you are doing with your weight/blood sugars. You sound like you have got all the planning and organising under control. My sister also does a weekly plan and has her week’s meals and snacks sorted on Sunday afternoon. She cuts up her cheese allowance and boils eggs, weighs out nuts etc. and puts stuff into zip lock bags in the fridge or freezer ready to grab on her way to work.
Glad you love Aus, it’s a great place to live and a great lifestyle for families. There are lots of things to miss about England but lots happening I’m glad I’m not there to see!!
It’s definitely moving into autumn here although we’ve just had two days of 35+ degrees as a last burst of summer. Back to cool and rainy today. I have a million zucchinis and tomatoes to eat up from my garden so am madly making ratatouille, zucchini soup etc and freezing it to use them up. Good job it’s a Mediterranean diet.

Hi Volly and welcome…glad you’ve got a start date in mind. It is a bit daunting as its a complete change for lots of people so I understand how you feel in terms of wondering how to shop.
I do a sort of variation on the recipes using what I enjoy, keeping it simple and making sure I can prepare something easily when I get home from work or need to take lunch. It might be a bit unadventurous but I find that it works for me. I can tell you what My shopping list is – obviously I don’t buy all this every week but have a vague idea for meals and keep chicken/Turkey/salmon in the freezer:
Whole Milk – for coffee/ tea
Greek Yoghurt – full fat – good for breakfast with a very few seeds/almonds/ raisins/ground flax (they sell packs in Aldi/Lidl)
Coconut oil – for cooking
Olive oil – to make salad dressing with mustard and vinegar (only use a v small amount but keep in fridge)
Coconut milk (use for stir fries but only a tbls or so and keep the rest in jam jar in fridge)
Chilli flakes, fish/soy sauce, bottled lime juice – use for stir fries
Full fat cottage cheese – make the simple egg muffins in the recipe section so sometimes add a bit of feta, ham or bacon – good for breakfast/lunch
Eggs -boiled, scrambled, omelettes
Chicken/turkey breast – for stir fries or to have with veg
Salmon or other fish to serve with veg and/ or salad
Smoked mackerel/ tinned sardines/tinned tuna – good for lunch with salad and a few chickpeas
Mushrooms -button and flat – good for breakfast
Chickpeas- to make hummus, chuck in a salad etc
Brown rice – I buy packets of ready cooked and just use a couple of tablespoons and keep the rest
Green veg – broccoli, cabbage, pak choi, green beans, courgettes etc- whatever you like for stir fries, steaming etc
Salad veg – cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, peppers, red cabbage, spring onions, watercress, rocket , lettuce etc
Sirloin steak – about once a fortnight
Sorry this is such a long post but hope it helps – I’ve done three weeks and am 12lbs down- all the food looks expensive but it’s not really because not buying all the usual extras I find I actually use everything with no waste.
Good luck and hope it goes well for you!

I had these for tea today and they are yummy! They are easy to do but we’re really tasty and filling. I could easily have stopped eating half way through but was low on calories today so needed to eat it all. I NEVER thought I would see the day when I felt this way about ‘diet’ food. My very sweet tooth it getting a good beating and has retreated for the time being. 3 days in and I haven’t been hungry once, unlike anything else I have ever tried. Looking forward to Day 4!

I agree I love the full fat Greek yogurt, I add blueberries which I have putility in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them saucy.

Just so excited, just did blood sugar and was 5:4 , I know it s likely to change but feels sooooo good …… Just wanted to share, 😊😊

Mine were a disaster too, no substance as nothing to bind them together …. Expensive mishap and couldn’t understand why they were so high in calories either as mine didn’t add up to what he said …… Glad it wasn’t just about my cooking 😊😊

Full fat Greek yoghurt…..a couple of heaped tablespoons keeps you full

Are you eating enough fat? Such as full fat yoghurt, coconut oil/milk, full fat cottage cheese etc? This is the only diet that has ever shifted fat off my stomach and has given me back my waist and I’m convinced it’s due to giving up all the low fat stuff including skimmed milk which I have had for years and eating more fat. I can’t remember the science but there is something about eating fat with protein that works….worth a try