There is a recipe for Cheesy Beans in the book so I think you’re ok to eat them (the ingredients list 1/2 tin of baked beans) 🙂 This has made my life a bit easier when I’m in a hurry.

I may be wrong, but I think the original study was undertaken using Optifast shakes and non-starchy vegetables for dinner. They’re 22.5g of carbs per serve!

My tracker (Calorie King) wouldn’t accept 800 as a target! I’ve put in a 1000-1200 range and then it’s ok if you go a bit under.

Hi Everyone…. Type 2 Diabetic with raised BGL and 3 stones in weight to lose. I just bought the book online…eagerly awaiting on its arrival! 😊

Thanks for the replies everyone. Guess we all know when we are stretching the guidelines on recommended foods to suit. So bottom line here is to use common sense and as Michaelmas daisy recognised there are times when a few carbs just hold mind and body together.
Night all, only 54 days to go!
Ax

I started yesterday Greek yogurt and passion fruit for breakfast, peanut butter and cream cheese dip for lunch then chicken, bean mash and kale for the evening. I find my fitness pal doesn’t like you eating that low amount of calories though.

You’re welcome. We’re all in this together.

I stuck with it over Christmas and new year, I wanted to get a good start and needed to break bad habits.

I’ve lost 16 pounds and 7 inches off my waist. Means I’ve dropped a dress size 😃. And my skirt no longer does its best to cut me in half!

My fasting blood sugar was 10.9 when I started. Now it’s always in the 5s. At bedtime it’s either in the 4s or 5s.

I feel so much better. More energy, joints ache less, and a ‘carbohydrate fog’ has lifted meaning my concentration is better, I can think more clearly, and am less irritable.

All that is what’s kept me on track.

Thanks Captain! 👮 I think you are right – I won’t worry too much about eating more calories than usual but avoid sugary, starchy foods.

You mustn’t have too many more weeks to go, best of luck staying with it. Do you feel a difference? Had to move up a belt hole or two yet?

Hi Fit_My_Jeans_Again. I had a business lunch last week. I had to choose menu in advance and chose beef rather than chicken, forgetting the huge Yorkshire puddings they serve. I declined to order a dessert – easier to do at that stage! When the meal was served, I pushed the mashed potato and Yorkshire pudding to one side. The selection of veg served to the table was not great – boiled potatoes, carrots, parsnips and a few shreds of leek, all in one dish! So I just went for the carrots and as much leek as I could find, thinking that the best option. If you know beforehand where you are eating, check out the menu and decide what you will eat. I’ve been doing this since 19th December, so half way through the 8 weeks and didn’t want to undo any of the progress I’d made. I was worried folk would comment about what I was not eating, but they were all too busy with their own plates to notice. Oh, and the desserts didn’t look that good anyway – certainly not worth a surge in blood sugar! Hope this helps.

Thanks for that info. I think it does help me.

To be honest there isn’t an official ‘carb allowance’ or clear research as to what this might be – I’m not sure it is a particularly helpful concept as it utterly depends on what sort of carbs you are eating . The Med style diet differentiates between the high sugar & starchy carbohydrates which put up blood sugars and need to be significantly restricted and the complex carbs found in green veg, pulses, seeds etc that can be eaten more freely. Your absorption of carbs is also affected by what you are eating the carbs with – so it is slowed down by eating it with healthy fats.
The Med style diet is not the same as a very low carbohydrate diet; the principles are described in this web site and there is more detail in the book. I hope this helps. It should make it easier as you are aiming to eat healthy food groups and so hopefully there is less counting needed.

I’m doing the first couple of weeks using shakes and bars (from Exante) as well as a small meal, just so I don’t have to think too much about food at first.

I just checked the package and one shake has about 18g of carbohydrates in total. I’m testing daily to see if there are ketones in my urine and there are, which means my body is burning fat. Don’t know if that helps or not…

Thanks NewDieter for feeding back about the ground almonds. It should be for 12 portions. Interestingly, for almonds and most other nuts, about a third of calories are not absorbed during digestion, probably due to the roughage. So they both fill you up and are also relatively low on calories!

Just had the spicy chicken with lentils, I made it for the whole family and it was a big hit. Never cooked with fennel before, but will definitely do so again.
We are looking forward to the rhubarb compote which is currently in the oven, I’m having it with natural yoghurt and everyone else is having ice cream.
Fish tomorrow yeah!
Good luck everyone.
Hedds

Hi everyone — I started a week ago today and have lost about 5lbs so far, also, for what it’s worth, dropped from the obese BMI category to merely overweight (just!). So I feel encouraged – but already worrying about the weekend as I have to go out for at least one dinner, maybe two. These situations always trip me up and then I never get back on track, even when I’ve been quite into losing weight. Any advice? I’ve already said I’m trying to lose weight so they know…

I’m rereading a bit of the book every evening to stay encouraged.

I have just found another thread about it too – https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/another-question-please/

Someone else has started a similar topic here that might help https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/started-the-meal-replacement-shakes-yesterday-but-have-a-question/

I’m just about to start the 800 cal Blood Sugar diet and I’m wondering if it’s ok to eat things like tinned baked beans or tinned plum tomatoes, or even tinned soup, etc.

Heinz baked beans does not list sugar on the tin as an ingredient. Tomato soup and tinned tomatoes lists carbohydrate of which sugars, so does that mean it’s a carb that’s ok to have?

Does anyone know?

I bought the Blood Sugar Diet book today and have just joined this site so still finding my way around, but funnily enough the question you are asking Robyn was the first one I was about to ask.

The book doesn’t say anything about the type or make of a suggested shake.

Thanks for your answer Scottie. 20g of Sugar sounds a bit high so I too am a bit wary now of buying and starting with those. I hope someone else has some advice for us. I know I will find it so much easier to start with shakes.

Hi Lucretia.

I too have just joined this site and started looking around. Your post is the first one I have read so far. I just wanted to join in to tell you that I have been using http://myfitnesspal for just what you are asking about. You can keep a record of your weight and mesurements, food diary and they also supply a blog attached to your account.

You might find that site helpful to use in combination with this site.

Myfitnesspal was mentioned in the Blood Sugar Diet book too.

I got through OK yesterday – surprisingly wasn’t hungry, but today am finding it harder (probably cos a stressy day at work). I had yesterday omelette for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, then vegetable curry and cauli rice for dinner (burnt the rice a bit – and veg curry needed more texture – but tasted OK).

Bit worried about next few days – am travelling for work, both days not back till about 9.30/10 which is late for dinner. So taking extra snacks and a lunch with me, but I probably will go over the 800 cal limit. But as long as I still have healthy meals I think I can make it – just don’t like eating that late!

Good luck with the next few days guys 🙂

i went with slim fast shakes, but if I’m completely honest I am regretting it. When I’ve finished the shakes I’m going to do real food… It seemed more convenient at the time.. x

I just started the diet yesterday so I’m testing blood sugar levels more frequently at the moment and just taking less tablets than before to compensate for the lower readings I’m getting due to low carb intake. I did see my diabetic nurse today and check with her which of my tablets I should cut out first (I’m on 3 different ones). So far today I’ve only needed 1 of the 3 I normally take!

My Body Mass Index is around 20, and I’m on the slim side. However, I do have a bit of a gut round the middle and very little fat anywhere else. Will the Mediterranean diet help? Part of Michael’s advice in the book is that this isn’t really suitable for those with a BMI less than 20. I weigh 75 kg and am a keen cyclist, but I would like to get back to 70 kg as that’s when I was at my fittest and lightest for climbing Alpine hills on the bike. I’m also 65 years old. I’m reasonably careful about what I eat, but probably drink too much. I have cut down on the booze, though!

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks,

Chris Walker.

Hi, is the 800 a day ok, if for example 5 out of 7 days either a body pump, spinning class and pt session are done.?

Can I ask…which shakes are you trying ? I’m still reading the book and haven’t decided whether to do ‘real food’ or shakes. Are you doing shakes because it’s more convenient ?

I love your attitude Jules! I agree we are lucky to be in a time and place where we have the knowledge to do something about it. There was a period (maybe 1800s?) when diabetics were told to drink lots of sugar to replace all the sugar they were losing in their urine. They must have progressed pretty fast on that advice.

I would interested in hearing the official word on this. I’m averaging around 55 grams of carb per day, according to my tracker.

Pretty sure it’s not anywhere. Maybe they’ll add it later? For my first couple of weeks after getting the book, this website wasn’t even up yet! I’m hoping they’ll keep adding more content like a place to record our stats.

Morning all,
Day two and my BG is down 0.2. I had a good day yesterday, stuck to the diet and came in just under 800 cals. I had yoghurt and berries for breakfast then smoked salmon with eggs and spinach for lunch, keeping the portobello mushrooms with goats cheese for supper. I also had lots of water and herbal tea. I am cooking the whole family a chicken with roasted veg for supper tonight, but making mine separately in a different dish so I can keep control over the calorie intake. I am off work ill at the moment, which is making my life slightly easier in being able to have time to plan my meals. Hope you both have a great day today. 😊😊
Hedds

Hi All,

I started on Monday with the meal replacement shakes

It didn’t go so well, really bad headache and extremely cold, so decided to have a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch with grilled chicken and veg for dinner – I totalled it up and it came just under the 800 calories (is this ok to do?)

Also this morning I was curious as to how much sugar was in the shake and was surprised to see that it was over 20g per serving?
I’m a bit worried, will it have the opposite effect on things due to the amount of sugar?

I’d be grateful for any help please x

I also got the hard copy after reading the kindle version karenv as it’s frustrating looking at recipes on the kindle!

How did you first day go? I managed to get through. My food was uninspiring and I’m going to try to cook some more tasty options later. Difficult when your juggling children and work, but not going to use that as an excuse like I usually do.

Hoping to get some ready made courgette spaghetti today and make a chicken, olive and anchovy sauce. I have a waitrose and a morrisons near me, Waitrose is probably the best bet to get the ready made courgetti.

Good luck for day 2!

Good luck – lots of new starters this week!

Hi Happywife, I just logged on to ask this exact question. I’m pretty much following the menu plan but am making up my own recipes too (I’m a chef and I can’t help myself) and I would really like to know roughly what the breakdown of carbs, protein and fat I should be aiming for each day. Can anyone help?

Hi Sara
I got the book about a week ago, I bought lots of food, nuts, eggs, veggies, that can be used in the recipes from the book, or to just make up my own stuff using those ingredients. I started the 800 days yesterday. My first day was not as bad as I thought it would be! I’m using ‘my fitness pal’ to record food, and because I shift work, and had two meals at work yesterday, I just improvised following the Med style rules for lunch and dinner, with one of the egg recipes from the book for breakky.
We bought in food a few days before starting the 800 days, and just played with making up meals with the Med style ingredients. I hope this helps!

Hey thank you for your reply. I do eat eggs and beef.
How long have u been doing this for? I only picked his book up yesterday
What do u eat daily?
Sara

Hi mysupersalami
What a way to combat depression, gaining 45kg. My heart goes out to you, but I guess you needed the help at the time. Hopefully this journey will get you feeling like your old self (without depression) and looking great too! If you eat fish I think you are all good on this diet, and in some of the other protein sources Michael talks about in his book to complement the fish. Do you eat beef and eggs? I don’t eat fish but can see that I will be able to modify the diet for my own needs using alternative proteins.
Good luck! Looking forward to hearing your progress!

Hi Katy Rose
Maybe you could look at it this way, before you had diabetes you had a predisposition to develop it. Like a lot of chronic diseases it’s a two stage process, firstly you have a predisposition, and a second trigger, usually lifestyle choices. If this diet returns you to the predisposition stage by correcting the lifestyle part, then you don’t have diabetes anymore, just as you didn’t before your diagnosis. The only difference is you now know your predisposition, and if you slip back into old ways you are at risk of developing diabetes again. (You know there is a gun in the cupboard, your choice to load it or not)
This diet is a second chance to take you back to only being pre-disposed to diabetes, as you were for your whole life before you had diabetes. So yes, essentially a cure, but you need to remember that you are predisposed to this disease if you return to a sedentary high carb/sugar lifestyle.

It would have been helpful to have an approximate list of as many of the appropriate foods as possible in the book rather than needing to look them up.

Hi Jules & Michaelmas Daisy, welcome
My eyes are already affected by diabetes. It didn’t take long & can’t be reversed BUT I can try to halt the progress. Do fight for your eyes to be tested ASAP after you are diagnosed, it took too long for me & I wear specs & am regularly tested at opticians.

Reflux isn’t helped by eating chocolate. It decreases pressure in the lower oesophageal sphincter allowing gastric reflux to occur. Ain’t much fun in life sometimes is there!

However, this project is all about self help & encouragement. We can do it. All tips & ideas welcome. Knowledge is power.

We can all tolerate some carbs I think, the trick is, HOW MANY? To find out we have to eliminate them & then bring them back into our diet gradually. If you are type 2 diabetic get testing as you reintroduce carbs & see what elevates those blood sugars!

I know I know about protein portions etc & it’s in my books. Just need time to re read them. I think you can find out good info from Jenny Ruhl web site Blood Sugar 101. She’s American, a diabetic & done loads of research & writing on diabetes. You will find her very helpful & knowledgeable

After diagnosis with type 2 six years ago i moved to Cyprus where a ‘light’ Mediterranean style diet and exercise kept my diabetes under control but moving back to the UK over one year ago saw my weight ballon and readings of the scale. I thought I will try the BSD after reading Michaels book cover to cover several times over the weekend. Highest reading this weekend 12.5, reading after the first day 6.5. Onwards and upwards (hopefully downwards!!!!)

Hi,
I’m from nz and are 45kg overweight due to antidepressant meds for my clinical depression.
I have a very big hangover tyre I guess you could say and hoping this will help reduce it.
I guess I’m worried bout the choices as I don’t eat chicken, lamb or pork.
I eat fresh fish but not prawns etc
Is this still doable ?

Look forward to hearing from u
🙂

Pot bubbling away now with what might be a chilli or a curry. Can you curry barley and cannelloni beans? I was worried I wouldn’t find enough things to eat but my fridge has prawns avocado hummus cottage cheese (NOT low fat) goats cheese celery carrots and much more. Not worried. Day 3 tomorrow.

Hello everyone. I am going to start the diet tomorrow and am feeling encouraged by people saying that they aren’t hungry.. I’m not diabetic, but am about 3 stone overweight and definitely addicted to carbs. I have yo yo dieted for years and always give in to bread and chocolate cravings. I’m hoping that if I see results quickly I will be able to stick to it!

Hello Jules,
I agree a shopping list would be an advantage, it took me a long time to work out what I needed and then do the online shop. On the plus side today I cleaned out my cupboards ready for the new items. I have put a all the children’s food goodies into one cupboard at the opposite end of the kitchen to where I prepare food. This should help me stay away from the chocolate.
It’s good to know from someone with firsthand experience that the BSD does work.
Good luck

Hedds

To be honest for the puddings and crumbles (which are a bit of a treat really) the ground almonds should be fine to completely replace the almond flour rather than as a mixture (the flour often has the healthy oils removed in the process and is probably higher GI anyway). The texture is just a bit more chewy which I quite like. But unfortunately they do tend to be a bit more expensive.

Hi starting blood sugar diet in the morning, i’m a fish eating veggie, any advice on healthy alternative’s to meat?

You can use ground almonds as almond flour. Technically almond flour has some of the oils removed and you can get coconut flour online, health food stores, some of the bigger supermarkets also sell it.

I suppose it all depends if you want to get into low carb baking. I tried the courgette and sppke muffins today but the trick with coconut flour is that absorbs loads of liquid so I think I put a bit too much in as the mixture was a bit dry and not sticky. Therefore you may find that you will have to adapt the receipes when cooking with these ingredients i definitely didn’t need 150g of coconut flour today.

Its also much cheaper to make your own almond and coconut milk as well.

Hi Zelliah,

Some of the recipes in the book and on the website look very nice, but I agree, some of the ingredients look faddy and expensive – I bought hazelnuts instead of pine nuts for one recipe because the former cost less and taste fine. I like the plum pudding recipe too, but have never seen almond flour … unless that’s finely ground almonds as opposed to chopped almonds.

Hi Eureka,

I once tried not eating bread and other wheat products because I thought I was sensitive to gluten, and I’d read the ‘wheat belly’ book and a comment about wheat making acid reflux worse. A blood test indicated that I wasn’t a coeliac, but I did think that the break from bread and pastry helped my reflux problem to settle down. Perhaps it was the fat in wheat products that made it worse. Holidays to France are a bit tricky as bread and cakes are so tempting there – along with chocolate, and alcohol! Perhaps the temptations had better be tiny in future.