Hi MBee
I don’t envy you juggling this diet with three young children, elderly mum and a job, but you are already ahead of me, as you seem to have the exercise sorted – big motivational issue for me. The BSD does take a bit of planning, stick with it though, because it will give results for sure. With the daily calorie allowance being so low, it will be hard to save any for evening snacks, but if you are careful during the day, I guess it might be possible.

Good luck with the diet and let us know how you get on.

Same to you elgordo, after all, we’re all on the same journey, just for different reasons.

Hi, I’m a newbie. Got the book at the weekend. Have started halfheartedly in the last couple of days, but need to get a good grip on calorie counting. I’m mid 40s, 3 young children, job, elderly mother, been overweight for 10 years since my eldest was born. I’m pretty active – can run 5k and do an hour and a half’s ashtanga class without passing out – but can’t seem to shift the weight, increasingly round my middle, and determined to do something before it’s too late and becomes a medical emergency. Evening snacking is my nemesis.

Hi Vickitum – glad things are progressing well for your too. Know what you mean about the drinking thing, it is one of my downfalls too – having to make a conscious effort to drink plenty as well. Have found I can get by planning meals on the day, although I have an idea what I’m going to have for breakfast each day, before I go to bed – yogurt and raspberries have feature quite prominently though.

Overall it’s not been as challenging as I thought I might be.

Hi CheesyPeas, I think it would be interesting to see how many calories you are burning on your walk to and from work. You could probably make up what you are burning with extra food/fuel/energy. This may help with your fatigue!

Hi Malkay
That all sounds perfect! I am now reading another book by Jenny Ruhl called ‘diet 101: the truth about low carb diets’ which is the book ‘low carb problems solved ‘ is distilled from. Really interesting so far.
I’m fairly stalled at the moment I think also not exercising enough. I’m averaging about 5000 steps. Only doing Pilates once a week. I think Jenny Ruhl says a lot of stalling is caused by not enough exercise or gradually having a little bit more carb here and there. I have had to ban my partner from offering me cake!
Penny

Me too Jane 🙂

blacklab, could just be a plateau as your body adjusts to this new lifestyle.
You have done really well up to now, just keep doing what you’re doing and, like others report, the weight loss will start again.

I’m always reluctant to watch additional programmes because they can often spew out all the old research and just confuse the issue.
I’ll stick with Dr Mosely’s research as I feel so good on it.

Adam – agreed

Bill – the very best of luck to you.

Hi All
I have been on diet for 4 weeks, lost 5.6 kgs. I am absolutely thrilled and feel so much better. However, weight loss,my main purpose for the diet, has slowed this week.

Felt a bit miffed about this so increased my exercise on the rowing machine in the hope of kick starting the weight loss again. I am counting all that I eat, using fit bit app and do not cheat. Well done everyone for your successes and I would value any other advice to maintaining the weight loss.
Regards all,

Every one is different in the way they look at things and each to his own.
In the past I have followed weight watchers (other weight loss companies are available) diets to the letter without anywhere near the success that I’ve had using this diet. I used the recipes in the book initially to see what kinds of food I could eat and then adapted them to my own use. If I ever get hung up on calories I’m big and ugly enough to do my own research.
I hope this diet works for everyone regardless of their points of view
Elgordo, correct, this is not a diet exclusively for diabetics but it IS called the BLOOD SUGAR DIET.
Losing weight may be your prime objective, mine is to lower my sugar levels and try to reverse this debilitating disease. I’ll never reverse the damage to my eyes but at least I may be able to stop it getting any worse.

Wow I’m so impressed these weight loses.
I chose not to weigh myself but only to measure every week.
I get really obsessive about scales and the smallest move in the wrong direction can send me off into the doldrums for the whole and/or I will keep going back to the scales every couple of hours. At least this is what happened to me several years back and I really don’t want to go there again .
So after the first week I had lost 5cm from my waist, 2cms from my chest barrel, 2cm from my lower belly and 1cm from my hips.
I’m now on day 11 and starting to feel myself moving more easily and my trousers are certainly getting looser. Yah!
I am waiting for the Rose Elliot Low Carbs for Vegetarians as I find the veggie recipes in the book are few.
I have successfully adapted quite a few but would rather have a wider selection.
My husband is also on the path with me and he lost 3cm from his belly. He’s a man who loves his potatoes and bread and he is doing amazingly well.
Onwards and upwards.

These are not the only forum post that show concerns about the recipe content/information. Most recipes published show a nutritional breakdown and individual calorie content however these do not. The book has left itself open to criticism and I would have been concerned if this subject wasn’t discussed.

I only use the book as a guide and for the foods used. I agree with elgordo, they are misleading and ambiguous.

I have lost 13lb in nearly 4 weeks. If I had stuck to the recipes in the book I wouldn’t have continued. I’m please that it is working for you.

This is not a diet exclusively for those with diabetes. I am not diabetic.

The diet is great and hats off to the team. The criticism is aimed at the misleading, ambiguous and inaccurate information on some of the recipes in the book, which I have read carefully from cover to cover.

Didn’t see it but my partner did and she said that someone was saying that it only works for newly diagnosed sufferes.
To me that’s old data, there have been loads of studies since then using patients of different ages and stages of diabetes.
Won’t be long before the career dieters get hold of it now, you all know the type, size 8 with 2 lbs to lose.

Just for an example, for lunch I’m having red pepper humus with celery and pear dippers.
It’s delicious but I don’t know how many calories are in it, just that it’s good for me.
hashimato, you are disappearing slowly, don’t forget to wave goodbye before you vanish altogether 😉

Hi Loopey21
not exactly like you, I’m 62, starting weight was 16st 9lb but I did set myself an initial target of losing 3 stones.
I’ve lost 15lb in 3 weeks and my blood sugar readings have almost halved.
My advice would be to start the diet, ditch the shakes, and see how you have done after the first week or two.

I’m with Bill on the calorie counting, I have pretty much followed the recipes in the book and have lost 23 lbs in a month which gives me a BMI of 24 so I don’t think it is worth getting concerned about the precise number of calories in a meal. I only count if I am making a recipe not in the book. So just keep on following the plan and see the amazing results you will get and enjoy the ride. All the best

No you became overweight and diabetic by eating too much of the wrong foods.
If counting calories works for you then great.
Please don’t throw criticism at the diet though, it’s working well for hundreds of people just as it is.
How long have you been on it and how much weight have you lost ?

That’s excellent Christopher, keep it up
Personally I haven’t had tinned soup since I started this diet, all home made, delicious, and I know exactly what went into it.

The 800 figure comes from the original Newcastle diet research where the guinea pigs were fed 3 x 200 calories meal replacement shakes a day plus 200 calories worth of green veg.
The idea being to promote the sort of rapid weight loss that those who have had weight loss surgery experience.
If you haven’t read the book it really is a good investment.
I don’t suppose increasing to 1000 calories would do too much harm but there are loads of folk on here sticking to the 800 quite happily, active or not.
As has been mentioned try increasing the amount of fat in your food to give that fuller feeling, the hard to digest carbs should be keeping your digestive system so busy that it doesn’t have time to feel hungry.

Full fat for everything.

He He
peeing like a horse ? Try an elephant 😉
It’s all down to the amount of fluids we drink. I quite like the idea of peeing the weight away.

Cherrianne

I think the idea is to do it for 8 weeks and then just eat sensibly thereafter! I don’t intend to count out calories for the rest of my life. The point is this is sold or promoted as a plan – to have a plan you need to work off accurate information, otherwise the plan tends to fail.

Well done you and I get the spirit of what you’re saying and don’t disagree entirely, however if you read the book, which i’m sure you have, you will note reasons for sticking to 800 calories and that is the figure that is used from start to finish.

We are all doing this for different reasons. I am only marginally overweight (26 BMI) but my waist should be slimmer to be healthy as I get older, so for me it is about shifting that internal fat and not losing weight so much, although that will likely be a bi-product. So for me, keeping the calories to a minimum is important.

Further to the above; call me old fashioned, but I like things to do as they say on the tin!

BTW is everyone peeing like a horse too????

Many of the people are on here due to over consuming the wrong foods. I agree, lots of experimenting in my kitchen because the recipes that are included in the book are mainly dull and take lots time to prepare. I spent most of my time cooking. I often say to myself ‘thank god that I haven’t got children or a full time job’. I couldn’t do the diet if I had.
I have a few meals that I rotate because they are within my time and skill limits

Just looking through the contents of a Skinnylicious soup carton in Waitrose and they’re 113 calories per half carton with the second ingredient SUGAR! By comparison, New Covent Garden wild mushroom includes cream and wine, no sugar, and just 81 kcal per half carton. You have to be on your guard don’t you?
1 week in, 7lbs lost, 3″ off waist, only hungry when I’ve been to my mums, where fattening food is EVERYWHERE. Otherwise all good.

Hi Janey

What I do is to drink LOADS! I am majoring on fruit tea and fizzy water which seems to keep the hunger pangs away mostly. Make sure you’re eating lots of leafy green veg as well and you fat intake is very important, as fat triggers the Leptin response that turns off the “I’m still hungry” false message. Also it does seem to get easier after about day 3, so stick with it!

Good Luck!
TP

Sensible advice from Bill. The BSD is going to become a way of life for you and it isn’t feasible to count calories every meal for the rest of your life.
Often people don’t stick to diets because of the weighing and counting calories involved. I can imagine it would be frustrating if that’s the kind of diet that suits you best, but give it a go because it has made such a radical difference to my blood sugar levels and there are so many others on this forum who report the same changes and weight loss.
Like Bill, I watch my carb intake and stick within a range that I know will suit me.
It is more the principles of the diet we need to learn, and the recipes are a guide and example of the range of foods you can eat. Many people are experimenting with healthy, unprocessed foods for the first time, so it’s good for them to see what can be done.

How do you quantify a ‘handful’ a ‘sprinkle’ or a for a variation in food product size? I gained weight and became diabetic due to my over food portion size. I noticed that gradually I was adding more on this diet and therefore needed to weigh food before adding it to a meal. Everything has a calorific value and for this diet, they should have been calculated before publishing the book… for those that need to stick by rules. I’m sure that most people who are on this diet are taking it very seriously and want to tackle their diabetes.
I wouldn’t say being hung up about calories is a bad thing. Even if it retrains people to be aware of how much they are eating for years to come.

Hi – my blood sugar diet has started today. I am a busy mum of two on a teacher training course – and want to lose weight and sort out my blood sugars prior to my 40th birthday which is a big milestone for me in three months time. I am on day two and to be honest really hungry! I don’t know whether 800 calories is just too low for me or if I have just got into the habit of eating too much nd am used to it hence feling really hungry now! Any advice appreciated!

I hope this isn’t a daft question, but is the 800 calories important for any other reason other than it’s a low amount so will help us lose weight? Would eating slightly more calories but sticking to the principles of the diet have the same beneficial effects, albeit slower, as sticking to the 800?

The reason I ask is I’m on day 6 of the diet and surprisingly I’m not finding it too bad at the moment and am not overly hungry on it, but I’m feeling really knackered for lack of a better word. I have quite an active day including a daily 10 mile round trip walk to work, so I was thinking I might feel less drained if I upped the daily calories a little? I don’t want to do this though if the 800 has other benefits.

Alternatively, any advice on getting more energy would be appreciated.

Thanks

Steph thats a fantastic start, well done you !!!
It is amazing how easy this diet is to adapt to and the fact that you don’t really ever feel hungry.
You do need to have fat in your diet so full milk won’t harm you as long as you count it in your calorie intake.
Personall I stick to semi skimmed.

Hi Aliba,
Thank you so much! Sorry it’s taken me so long to respond.

Your words have been very helpful, I really appreciate the response. I am on day 4, and according to my scales have lost 8lbs already!! and I am finding it so much easier than I thought!! I even had a big steak with rocket and a big mushroom for dinner last night, yummy!

The only thing I’ve found hard is not drinking lots of coffee, I used to drink loads. But I’m trying different herbal teas, in between a couple of coffees. Ooh, I didn’t think about the full fat milk- I’ve been drinking skimmed, do you think I should switch to full fat? Isn’t that loads more calories? I suppose I would use less?

I’m the one rambling on now!! Sorry.
And thanks again!!
Steph

oh dear,
your body is just readjusting to processing the harder to digest carbs and probably extra fibre in your diet.
I had this week 1 but it settled down after that

I think you’ll find that most of the recipes were found elswhere on the web and replicated for the site.
Is it just me or are people getting too hung up on calories ?
The theory is that fast weight loss due to not eating the wrong kind of carbs will lower blood sugar . I don’t count calories but I’m losing weight and getting good sugar readings.
Cut out the bad carbs and see how you do, ifyou don’t get good results, then worry about the calories.

Firstly were you hydrated when you started your session. Some BP medications work by decrease fluid in the body. Also cutting calories and starchy carbs has a dialectic effect. Secondly, warm up for 20mins at a low intensity. Give you body a chance get get the fat metabolism going. The pt session should take in consideration your nutritional plan. If you haven’t all ready I would get clearance from your GP.

Five chips !!!! go and stand in the corner and wear the carbo hat !!
Ok you had a slight fall, today climb back aboard and continue the journey … Simples 😉

Oh no this is not good news.

I’m just past week 2 and losing weight pretty consistently, but I’m repeating the same meals in week one as I like to use up all the ingredients.

Is My Fitness Pal the best place for checking the calorie content of individual ingredients?

I wonder if anyone has contacted Michael Mosley and his team about this?

Do you have confirmation that it was a hypo, ie a blood sugar reading ?
It could be other factors that made yopu feel like this.
On the occasions that I have had a hypo it manifested itself with profuse sweating, a headache and light headed feeling.
I keep a packet of glucose tablets handy for these occasions.

No calorie counting here, just using the right foods mixed with a generous portion of common sense.
15lb loss in 3 weeks and blood sugar reduced from 9.8 to 5.6
Cut our the carbs first and then worry about the calories if you don’t lose weight.

Yesterday I suffered a major hypo – never had one before. I had taken a BP tablet immediately prior to starting my session with PT and not eaten as I read it would be OK. Its definitely not! Had to break the BSD and eat carbs. BP was low and pulse just 45! Nervous now about continuing this diet although I have lost10 over 3 weeks. Do you think it would be better to include a little carb like porridge or is this likely to have been a one off? I am not diabetic nor as far as I know pre diabetic but do have fatty liver, my main reason for this diet.

Adam

Agreed. It comes over as careless and unprofessional.

Onwards and upwards – just have to count it all out individually and treat the recipes with caution.

Maybe the recipe author was tired at the time??

I agree – only on week 1 but last night I found the courgette prawn was grossly inaccurate and ambiguous. Lots of confusion around served 2 but the calories did not nearly add up and I double checked with my wife, who is infinitely better with numbers than me. We also used a few different calory tables as source info.
It’s disappointing as this for me, is the most time consuming and confusing area for the whole diet. I will now count it all myself.
Maybe the recipe writer was suffering from low blood sugar??

This has also been my experience with the recipes and calorie count elgordo. I have counted the calorific value of several of the meals which has left me confused and I am now counting every calorie when making up the recipes. This is very time consuming and frustrating as the book should give exact weights and grams of each ingredient..after all, we are dealing with nutrition and an overall balanced diet for people with a medical condition.

I have lost weight but I found out in week one, that I would use the book as motivational sauce and guide rather than an accurate measurement of my food intake.

I wish you well on your diet. I have lost 13lb in 3.5 weeks, so it can be done. I just wish the recipes were weight and calorie counted for me and not so vague.

I stopped loosing weight in week 3 so I started logging all my food on mfp although still following the recipes in the book. The recipes with nuts are the main culprit – a handful of nuts etc so I have really cut most of the nuts out of them and just snack on a few nuts (weighed and logged) if I feel hungry. The portobello mushrooms with pine nuts did log the same cals on mfp so that one is OK. Now I have put the meals into mfp, it is quick to log the meal again as I eat it and check what adaptations I have made to keep the calories where they should be. I’ve had a couple of tricky weeks with family meals out etc where I have just stayed the same weight wise but happy to report the weight is coming off again.

Thanks for the tip. It is weak, but when it’s the only ‘coffee’ taste you can digest, you settle for it! However I haven’t touched it since starting so I’ll stick to my fruity infusions for now.

Glad to hear that – things are very unpredictable at the moment so I’m looking forward it settling down a bit. I’ve been on the plan for a little over a week and despite eating so much less I feel a bit bloated and peckish at the same time!

Wow Sue 4 and a half tablespoons of coconut flour ???
I followed the recipe exactly using one and a half tablespoons and my mixture was a thick paste rather than a batter.