I mix the protein shake with full fat milk but skimmed or semi skimmed would be OK. On the instructions it says mix with water but it tastes 100% better with milk and I am a great believer in enjoying what you eat. Hope this helps.

Fran.

Hi Bernie, just started week 2 today. Lost 8lb last week, coping quite well with diet and enjoying differnt range of food eating.
This week will be fine but next week going away and staying in a hotel with breakfast and evening meals. I want to enjoy my break away but want to do the best I can in a situation I don’t have full control. Breakfast should be easy enough but not looking forward to making difficult choices. If I have another week of good weight loss that should be a great insentive. Need to be able to enjoy life while not going crazy. Let me know how you do, we can compare strengths and weaknesses!

Thanks Eureka, Lovely post 😀 I’m going to order the Inspiralized book right now as i’ve bought a spiralizer and can’t wait to give it a whirl!
You did so well on the 5:2 wow! So is this you just starting the BSD or have you been doing it a while?

Thanks for the tips, to all of you! This forum is SO helpful!!

Hello again, I’ve made these and they came out well.

Spirit – yes, I do miss cereals in particular, I was always a great one for porridge and raw jumbo oats. I’m not missing bread nearly as much as I thought I would. I find it easier not to eat it at all rather than just eat a little bit.The only time I’ve got really hungry is today, when I didn’t plan ahead and was home later then intended.

Metta – I lost a lot on the 5:2 about 3 years ago, but it came back (it went to pieces when I took my daughter on holiday), and I found it really difficult to get back on it.

Really pleased so far, 5lb in 6 days, and I cycled over 50 miles yesterday (I did allow myself a banana and some raisins before I tackled the last hills on the way home!)

Hi Natasha 😀
Thanks for your bio. Wow, you’ve really been at all parts of the spectrum there, so you know you can do it and you WILL do it again 🙂
It just goes to show how huge an impact trauma has on our health doesn’t it 🙁

I’m an emotional eater too, and grab all the very worst things. It was like reading my own daily eating diary reading your post there.
This BSD has come at just the right time for so many of us it seems.

Big hugs! How has your day been? xx

Hi Snackerlady et al glad you are all on board
First make a list of all foods you like, then eliminate what’s not recommend in the BSD book. Think about what you can have & be prepared to try new veg
I did 5:2 diet when first diagnosed t 2 three years ago. Too low for me then but looked at carbs , I knew were harming me eg potatoes, pasta , white rice & bread! Lost 28 lb over 6 months. But put it back on when mum very ill. You know the stories re stress.
I knew calorie count & weight of all my key foods then , so have used that knowledge now. Not used the recipes yet but certainly will. Been hunting the net for low carb vegetarian & also came across vegan scrummy ideas
I’m NOT failing this time. This is for keeps. Not missing bread etc.
Do try Cauliflower rice. It’s versatile & carries a sauce/ curry well. I got a Nutri Ninja Auto – IQ for shakes & soups (will get years of use) & a spiralizer for making veg pasta. They work for me.
Can recommend Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci , tasty recipe book
Don’t be daunted, your answers are in the BSD book or with the people on the same journey as you
Keep going
Eureka

Hi
I have the book. Where do i find the recipe?
Ta!

Hi Natasha, welcome to the forum. Most of us seem to be new to this and are learning together. It helps to hear everyone’s experiences and tips for managing. You will succeed on this diet because you learn to make the changes as you go, and you feel in control of your food choices right from the start.
Metta is right, there’s a lot to get your head around, especially when some of it goes against current advice. Science and current research backs up what Dr Moseley is saying and when you read the stories on here you can see it works. The CSIRO here in Australia have done lots of studies on obesity/ diabetes and their findings have begun to get notice in the media. The most recent study supports the theory behind the BSD.
I’m like you Lola, I am 5’2 and weigh 53kg. Always been a vegetarian and healthy eater so it was a huge shock to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. I am so sensitive to carbs I have to stick to around 50g/ day to keep my FBGL in the healthy range. Unfortunately for me this means I rarely get to eat the sourdough bread, sweet potatoes,cous cous or brown rice that I love! I’ve had to wave a fond farewell to crisps and crackers too. My biggest downfall is fruit. I could easily eat 3 or 4 pieces a day, sometimes more. It isn’t worth it though if I want to stay healthy. I grabbed a smallish nectarine the other day and ate it without thinking. When I entered it into my food diary I was horrified to see it had over 12g carbs. I had to radically alter what I planned to eat the rest of the day to make allowances for those extra carbs.
I dread to think how many carbs I was eating previously without realising.
I can only manage by using a food tracker app and planning my meals ahead to stick within my carb allowance.
You will need to weigh your food Lola and use some sort of food tracker to find out what the carb content is and to keep count of how much you’ve eaten. I think being organised and planning ahead is the key so you aren’t grabbing something at the last minute. Being mindful of everything that you eat is a challenge at first, eg my nectarine, but quickly becomes habit.
This week I made vegetarian lasagne for my family. I love lasagne but the pasta is too high in carbs for me. I had some zucchini which had hidden under their leaves and grown into marrows so I sliced them lengthways into thin slices and layered them into a lasagne for me. It worked well and had a similar texture to pasta and came in at around 6g carbs per serve.
I’m sure you’ll learn to be inventive too. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Hi Paul
Soup.
Marmite drink.
More water
Coffee.
It goes after 2 days usually
Penny

I bought a spiralizer to make ‘veg noodles’ to have instead of pasta. I’ll be making them for tomorrow night meal so i’ll report back- i’m a newbie to spiralizing so can;t really comment yet.
Do a search for ‘spiralizer’ online and you’ll see some great ideas! Loads less calories and LOADS less carbs 😀

Metta, you could be my twin! I’ll check out the documentary too.

Fi and Queenvix, glad your bread turned out well. I’ve still got a fridge full of stuff so not needing to make any just yet.

Hi Janet 🙂 It’s good to hear from a former leader of WW (other slimming clubs are also available 😉 ) I have been a member of them all at one time or another and I know they get very concerned when the weight comes off too quickly. It makes sense if that’s how they’re trained then they mean well, but nutrition training is such a mess across the board- right from our gp we’re told ridiculous things that are backed up by old and flawed ‘studies’ that became part of their training. It’s a scandal really. We need a food revolution, one where common sense is employed!
This ‘mustn’t lose weight too fast’ myth is one of the worst as it leads to everyone getting completely despondent and giving up. Only a rare few can see it through to the end, and then the relief of eating again puts it all back on again, i’ve been there!
I’m in a slimming club right now – i paid for a 12 week block after xmas.. *d’oh! My class leader is adorable but she is really really overweight and has been for a long time (years!), this tells me that the diet ‘doesn’t work’!! I go tomorrow evening for WI so the result from 2 days BSD shouldn’t be too shocking and I will slip under the radar hopefully 😀 < angelic smile! Next week however will be another story, lol!!

Fran7 do you mix the Bulkpowders shakes with water or milk please?

Having just bought sixteen packets, I hope so!
I think they are ideal as they are mainly fibre and water. I’ve been having them with the bolognaise… Recipe in book. Great filler.

OMG, I am so happy lost 10lbs in week one and my blood sugar reading is down from the 9’s to the 5’s. I have found the diet quite easy and am looking forward to another week. 😀

Hello,
Just joined the forum but completed my first week of the diet yesterday……..weight loss in the week was 9lb. I’m beyond thrilled. I’m realistic enough to know that it’s unlikely this kind of loss will continue every week but it’s a very pleasing start. I’m definitely encouraged and looking forward to week 2.

A tip when felling hungry – Drink water – fill a bottle up and have it handy or measure out 2 litres or more of water in drinks bottles, store in fridge if required but always have water at hand. In that way you get your 2ltrs+ a day. Should stave of those headaches and constipation as well as hunger pangs. Regards Mark

4 weeks today
25 lbs lost 🙂

Well done! You’re welcome to the swede!

Hi Vals, like you I was very keen to get start but I think it’s worth taking two or three days to read the book, get in your supplies and plan your first few days menus.
Being prepared is sure to help avoid little slip ups! Better to grab a carrot stick and homemade dip than a biscuit!
What I decided to do was clear the decks of all commitments for the first week and organise to catch up on some crafting hobbies to keep me occupied without being totally food obsessed.
I haven’t left too many physical tasks for this week, just in case in feel a bit weak whilst I’m getting used to the reduced calorie intake but I will be doing more cardio workouts at home as well as the strength building exercises recommend in the book.
I’m coming up to the final meal of today and I already realise that this is going to be a ‘one day at a time’ exercise with an eye on the end goal, to be rid of my T2.
I feel more tired than usual and have a bit of a headache, probably haven’t drunk enough but at least I don’t have to organise menus and go shopping for a few days I can be totally selfish thanks to the support of my family who are behind me all the way.
In short I am hoping that preparation is going to be the key to my success!
Off now to make my aubergine and minced lamb 😊

Hi it’s my 1st day, not done bad up to now, but really starving now and getting a bit edgy Any tops appreciated thanks in advance

Hi Missay,

I really enjoyed the cauliflower rice, it takes a fair bit of seasoning but worked really well with the veggie curry. Trying the chicken with basil and pine nuts tonight with steamed courgette and asparagus. Also making another batch of soup……makes it easier if you know you have things ” in the bag” so to speak! The kedgeree sounds good.
All of the breakfasts I’ve tried have kept me going until lunchtime, far better than my normal breakfast of porridge!

Hi All,
Just started on the diet. Day 6 and around 2.0-2.5kg down, although I appreciate that is mostly water as waist size has not reduced.

I have a question whether he 800 eaten calories per day is supposed to be Gross or Net?
If you do around 500 or 1000 calories exercise on the day, then should you increase your daily intake to 1300(800+500) or 1800(800+1000) calories?
It would seem a more sensible approach to do so but it is not clear in the guidelines for the BSD diet.

What are your views?

Hi Jo,
Well done on a 9lb loss – that’s great! Did you like the cauliflower rice part of the curry meal? I have tried cauli mash in the past, but am not too keen. We are planning on trying the cauli rice in the book’s Kedgeree recipe this week. Hopefully with plenty of spices and the strong taste of the mackerel it will be OK. I’m pretty boring with my breakfasts – greek yogurt with blueberries for most of last week, but I am on holiday this week, so I’ll probably try a few different choices.

Hi Liveinhope/Mark
Thanks for the welcome. Hope your first day is going well.

You may need to take a multivitamin or tonic.. X

Snackerlady, thank you for mentioning about ww, I thought the same but didn’t know if I dare say it. Tuesday, I think you might have to consider giving up your ww membership if your weight loss continues like this because your leader won’t be able to explain it to the rest of their members and it could be quite uncomfortable for you all. (Don’t think you can sit in her meeting with you bsd book in your hand, it would cause a riot!) Also, this fast approach does not fit at all with the current ww philosphy and your leader has a duty to tell you that what you are doing isn’t healthy (I was a leader and its part of the training). I re-joined ww just after Christmas with their new programme and lost 3 and a half pounds in 4 weeks. I had resigned myself to thinking it would take me a year to reach my goals – again! I only started this progamme three days ago and have already lost a pound and a half. I won’t be paying ww anymore! Tuesday – clearly, this forum is more than happy to be your support network!

Thanks Bill, Wise words indeed. Regards Mark

You know, I think what a lot of folk are forgetting is that the foods recommended in this diet are the foods that used to be a part of everyday living at one time.
Then up stepped all the companies with their processed foods and E additives and now we have a diabetes pandemic on our hands.
For me the diet works and for the first time evr on a diet, I haven’t felt hungry. There is no peer pressure (I have known WW advisors who turned into fascists when I didn’t lose weight this week).
In reality, this diet is pure common sense, it’s just that in this modern day and age, we needed someone to stick it under our noses, just the way the food companies have been doing for years

Auntylil, that’s brilliant news! Really well done on 6lbs and an inch lost. That answers my question of whether we can do this with an underactive thyroid!

Yeah, that’s quit an expensive couple of courses, isn’t it? But I’m sure you will really enjoy the social side of it. I hope you have a lovely evening. I, too, am already feeling a bit egged-out but I’ve discovered chick peas and they are nice and filling and I tried your cauliflower rice last night which was also great so there’s hope of not starving yet. Oh, and also, yoghurt and strawberries for supper has been lovely and has stopped me going to bed hungry.

So what sort of exercise do you fancy? Walking? The gym? A class? A home dvd? Or just a couple of rounds of squats in the kitchen while you cook your tea? (stuff like that makes your dogs come to ask what you’re doing, hilarious!)

Thank you for the blessing, I have already lost a pound and a half since Friday and we still had a night out on Saturday! Well chuffed with that!

Hi, Day 1 of week 1. Thanks for posting recipes and what tastes and works for you. Fortunately I like most foods (maybe my problem in 1st place) I agree Forum is very positive and supportive. Determination, positivity, planning ahead and support from family and friends is crucial. Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit. Al the Best Mark

I found it to be dry and unpalatable so I added more garlic and copious amounts of lemon juice
Much better.

I’ts like I said to the wife before I started. (She was saying I would never stick with it)
My eyes are in a complete mess because of retinopathy with all the associated treatment and ops.
My feet, while not numb have a certain loss of feeling.
Next will be my kidneys.
The NHS answer to all this (tablets and Exanitide injections) is not helping enough.
I told her, “If I don’t try to do something about this now, diabetes will kill me within 5 years”
I WILL stick with it I WON’T give up, and any know it all healthcare “professional” who tries to tell me I’m wrong is going to have an argument on their hands.
Luckily I have a medical practise which is very diabetes orientated so the support is there should I need it.

Hi,

I am one week into the bsd and I’ve been feeling really down and depressed over the last couple of days. .

Does anyone know if this is a normal feeling in the bsd, and has anyone experienced the same feeling?

Just wondering if this may be a symptom of ketosis?

I’ve noticed that I also barely have an appetite.

Any thoughts about this would be great.

Hi, I’ve just started week 4 today.

Week 1 lost 10lbs, Week 2 lost 7lbs Week 3 6lbs – so rate is dropping but 23lbs in 3 weeks isn’t to bad.

On a useful note – I was having headaches last week but I’ve upped my water intake and today is better.

Hi all, Great to see so many people positive and starting today. I am 56 yo Male T2. Diagnosed last Sept. Just got book today but have been reducing Carbs since Diagnosed but still need to lose more weight. I have lost 21lbs so far but GP wants to put me on more drugs. NO WAY. I am on SR Metformin. Sill need to lose another 25lbs according to my BMI Index. Shocked to be told i was Diabetic after a UTI infection and am so determined to reverse my diagnosis. I do feel I could use help just like you guys and girls. GP not open to this approach but hey, I can`t weight for trials to finish. Seems to me there is enogh evidence to support this diet. I just want to wish all you new starters all my best wishes on your new life. Heads up we can do it together. Mark

Hi Missay,
I’m also starting week 2……9lbs loss which I’m incredibly pleased with!
I’m not diabetic but do have high blood pressure and high cholesterol so it was quite possibly the next step, but not if I manage to stick to this!
I found it very easy to stick to and even though I’m the only one in the household that needs to lose weight my family have eaten the same food but with more carbs.
I’d like to lose at least 2 stone, but the reality is that it’s probably 4 that I should lose……I’m 5’5″ and now weigh 13stone 8lb.
Some of my meals have been the veg curry with cauliflower rice, yummy! Also the foil wrapped fish, turkey burgers. Lunches have been the tuna and avocado, chorizo and chickpea soup, really delicious and no carb plough mans. Breakfast I found a bit trickier but have enjoyed the mushroom dishes with both cheese and eggs, also the various fruit/yoghurt options. Lots still to try.
Keep me updated with your progress.
Lots of luck.

Hi Vals, it’s just a case of going through the recipes. I chose the first couple days meals and just shopped for those initially……it seemed a bit daunting attempting a weeks worth! Second week in and I found it much easier to plan the whole weeks meals. I like to know what I have to look forward to, stops me slipping into bad habits!
Good luck!

I Have used contact us too clarify… Will update if I get a reply

Yes, it was only about 2 tablespoons… ??? I was planning on having the rest tomorrow but not sure now….

I had Sunday lunch yesterday, roast lamb with all the veg and gravy, but no potatoes or yorkies 🙁
I did include 6oz of boiled swede mashed with butter and pepper. (I know I know)
Reason being I had sugar issues last week because I didn’t have enough fat in my diet.
Reading this morning was 6.8 so no real harm done.

Hi to you all, is there a easy list of shopping needed for the first week or do you need to go through all the recipes in the book (only got my copy today, so I haven’t looked through it yet, but keen to get started

Hi. Today is day 1 of week 2. I’m not diabetic, but I do have over 8 stone to lose. My husband is T2, and we know that lower carb eating helps with his BS levels, although he doesn’t need to lose more than about 10lbs. I’m looking for the quick losses, and he is looking for the BS control, so hopefully we will both be happy! We’re enjoying the food so far. The only times I have been hungry is a couple of evenings, when it is time to eat anyway, and on Saturday night, when (by prior agreement!) we had some ‘ordinary’ pancakes. I was starving within about an hour. Should’ve known better really, as I have a sensitivity to wheat, so I paid double the price!

Evening meals have been: Stuffed Mushrooms, Ginger Pork Stir Fry, Mince Stuffed Aubergines, Garlic Chicken and Lime Stir Fry, Salmon with Spiced Orange Sauce, all with a variety of veg, the Pancakes (oops) and a Valentine’s Dinner of Steak with Peppercorn Sauce, Garlic Mushrooms, Peas and Tomatoes, followed by Spicy Poached Pear with Crème Fraiche. I made a home-made Ginger and Lime ‘Syrup’ with a little xylitol, to add to fizzy water for a treat drink to go with it. OK, it wasn’t quite wine, but it was a bit more special than water!

I haven’t done many of the book recipes as I have been using what we have in the cupboard/freezer and making what I know we will like, but I have just had the Poached Egg and Salmon Stack from the book for lunch, minus the pine-nuts. Very tasty!

This seems a very friendly forum, so I am looking forward to getting to know some of you.

(Should say at weigh in this morning I have lost 7lbs, so very happy with that. It may be mainly water weight, but it’s my (ex) water weight!)

Hello Ladies, this is day one of week two for me and amazingly I lost 9lbs in my first week! That has certainly made sticking to the diet so much easier. I’m 5’5″ and started at 14 stone 2lb…….at 51 years old I really am determined to become fitter and healthier and I’m hoping that the principals of BSD can help me achieve this…….that and the encouragement of the forum!
I don’t have diabetes but I do have high blood pressure and high cholesterol so I am aware that my future health is in my hands!
The diet has been very easy to follow and some of the recipes really tasty, not too many hunger pangs either! I have been weighing each day and to see the scales drop each day quite significantly has been so encouraging.
Good luck to you all, keeping each other motivated will hopefully keep us all focused. 😄

lawnmower29 I am too impatient to be preparing so I dived into this Blood sugar diet this morning having read half the book and the recipes. Feeling a strange sensation that I know normally I would have filled with carbs in my stomach (hunger?) is now getting a lot of water poured over it. So I really think you are being intelligent preparing. I know I am so motivated I will read the rest of the book and will plan a few days meals in advance as soon as I get a chance. Feel really happy to find others on the journey to healthier lives.

hi all, waves back!
Helen, thats great, congratulations on the success! I at a slice of bread yesterday and again today I must admit, after 4 days I was still light headed from the diet and this morning I had a 4.5 hour grammar class to attend, so it just wasn’t going to work without a level of concentration. Not totally sure about pounds any more, we stopped using them in Australia a few years back, but I think I’ve lost about 3 too so far, even hovering around the 900 cal mark. I guess this is where the catastrophic thinking comes in, as we are both getting great results even with a bit of tweeking and treats, albeit not as dramatic as the most reported case studies.

snackerlade, glad your first 30 mins have been great!! Hope you continue to feel well on the diet and get the results you need, I’m thinking I will stick more strictly to it on days when I’m not trying to learn German, otherwise I find myself rocking in the corner muttering why is it so convoluted? WHY??? 🙂

Hello Bruce,
Nice to find another Aussie into this, been using my kgs to stones calculator to get what stones are. I have done the living in Germany with not so many supports number so really relate to where you are coming from. Im not diabetic, but family history and falling into bad habits with food. I think the pyschological prep is important, and somehow catching the wave of ones own inner motivation seems crucial. I feel really excited to have found this forum while I try and work out how best to organise myself on this journey. Today is day one and my stomach is growling, great to hear how many appear to find that settles down. Good luck on your journey.

Hi. That’s how I read it but I’ve had some adverse comments elsewhere so just wanted clarification. I’m now on week 9 of 8 😃

Hi, I read the book ten days ago and started the diet last Wednesday. I have had an under active Thyroid for more than twenty years. I have always struggled to shed weight. I have lost a pound a day despite having a dinner party on Saturday night. I know they said wait until you have a clear two months to throw yourself into but for me that was never going to happen. Can’t believe the difference and I am not hungry.

Hello again, just getting used to how this forum works so I hope my previous message didn’t come across as impersonal :-/

Hello Loftbabe and snackerlady (I love the names!),

Both of your stories are really encouraging, and you sound so motivated and positive! It’s great that you are taking action.

I am 43 and although I don’t have type 2 diabetes, I have been locked into a very dysfunctional ’emotional’ eating pattern for the past 2 and a half years.

My diet has consisted of good nutrition and appalling nutrition (more appalling than good). For example my daily diet has been a couple of family sized chocolate bars per day, a family sized bag of crisps, a croissant or pastry (and often) toast for breakfast, a large shop-bought sandwich, lots of grazing, a big dinner (pretty healthy and balanced) accompanied by delicious bread and butter, more chocolate to follow, then at bed time (around midnight) I’d often have a packet of crisps and more chocolate or sweets.

I am definitely a secret eater.

I used to be a size 8 weighing around 9.5 stone, and after 2.5 years my weight has now reached 12.5 stone and I’m a large size 16. I also look 7 months pregnant, I am that bloated.

After hearing so many reports about the recent epidemic of T2D I became extremely scared. I also saw a photo of myself taken at Christmas and was shocked. I hadn’t realised I had got so big, and that was the wake-up call I needed. My skin is also terrible because my body cannot cope with the sugar I have been consuming. And I feel tired, sluggish, unmotivated, depressed and irritable nearly all the time.

I had to face up to the fact that I was a ‘food addict’ and extremely addicted to sugar and carbs, and I knew that if I didn’t take immediate action I would end up with T2D – all self-inflicted.

Like you both, I knew I had to do something NOW before it got too late. And I am so glad this diet exists and I am really looking forward to being part of this supportive and encouraging community.

By the way, I used to be a weight-management and nutrition consultant who was super-fit, but after a difficult life-event I reverted back to my old eating patterns – I was obese prior to 2007 and lost 4.5 stone on rosemary conley’s GI Jeans diet. The fact that I have regained almost all the weight felt very upsetting and embarrassing. I want to put an end to the yo-yo dieting pattern.

Hello Spirit and Fatcat! Its my first day today and like you looking to loose some weight, especia,ly from arou d my middle. I am 59 yrs old and in recent years started to feel more and more unfit and gained weight that I lost a couple of years ago doing the 5:2 diet Dr Mosley wrote about. This information just got me inspired. Especially after seeing a great documentary from New Zealand called “Is sugar the new fat?”
So wonderful to see all of you sharing your experiences and wisdoms. Good on you all!