Hi Auntylil,

Thanks for starting this post.

I am a pesco-vegetarian and have been vego/vegan in one guise or another for 33 years. It was only when I became vegan at the age of 24 that I gained 10kg! I believe it was due to the shift to eating a high carb diet (albeit mostly wholegrain and low GI) where 55 to 75% of my calories came from carbs (including vegetables and legumes). Whenever I reduce my carbs dramatically, I lose weight.

I started eating (sustainable) fish a year ago in order to combat the number of carbs I eat. I also started eating a handful of nuts a day and upped my consumption of cheese. I’ve always eaten full fat products as I’ve never subscribed to the low-fat doctrine, which thankfully in recent times, has been turned on its head (e.g. The French Paradox).

I have been substituting all of the chicken recipes in the book with Quorn fillets which works well.

Thanks to a suggestion from another BSDer on another thread, I have purchased Rose Elliot’s The Vegetarian Low Carb Diet and Cookbook and also Celia Brooks’ Low Carb & Gluten Free Cookbook and her 5:2 Vegetarian for maintenance once the 8 week ends (Brooks is a fan of the 5:2 diet).

Cheers.

Hi all, here I am on the end of my first day !. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster today, mainly as I had to get up for work at 4am and then cycle to work, but all in all, I’m doing OK. I’ve had some strange emotions today, must admit I’ve been a bit irritable and at one point around lunchtime I got a little anxious which was unsettling !. Around 4pm I had a really bad headache, but that may just be tiredness !.
I must admit, I haven’t been hungry today, not once ! My brain has tried to trick me a few times, (the cheese looked rather appealing when I was making the kids lunches earlier on !),but I haven’t given in.
So, I’ve had three meals today and no snacks, this is a rundown,

Breakfast – Green juice with Kale, Spinach, frozen berries, nuts and seeds, half an avocado and some coconut water.
Lunch – A green salad with a boiled egg and sardines
Dinner – White fish and steamed vegetables

I’ve also drunk 2 1/2 litres of water today as I’ve been particularly thirsty.

I’m going to check in every day with a mini-blog, mainly for my own satisfaction, but also to help others .

Tips so far ? I’ve found chewing some sugar free gum is great for getting rid of a hunger pang, also practicing mindfullness, that is distracting myself away from silly and unhealthy food choices. I also know that I may slip up from time to time, but I’m in this for the long haul !!.

I weighed myself this morning, and after getting over the shock !! I have the following results –

Wt – 261.4 lbs

And my fasting blood sugar was 6.7, which means I’m pre-diabetic !. If ever something was going to spur me on it’s that !! Jeez, I’m only in my forties, and I’m pre-diabetic !!

The plan is to weigh myself twice a week, and check my B/S weekly.

Anyway, that’s it for now, all the best

Kev
.

Thanks very much for your replies Cherrianne, Bill and Bizibee. Twelve days into the diet, the physical exhaustion has now subsided thanks in part to drinking half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water before my workouts. Upping the (lost) salt intake really helps and as I have low-normal blood pressure, salt isn’t an issue for me.

Hello Ella. I’m dairy and gluten intolerant but substitute soya products and have still lost weight. I do always check the sugar content, but the one I use has very similar amounts to full milk .

Hi, keep at it ! I’m on my first day today and have coped ok, but have actively made a point of keeping away from food (other than what I’ve allowed myself to eat).I had a major headache earlier on, but I think that is more to do with getting up at 4am for work !!
How about we both check in whenever possible, and offer some advice !!
Good luck and keep at it !! You can do it.

Kev

Hi Amanda
I agree. With nangemac
Fat stops you being hungry. Michael specifies full fat dairy plus plenty of olive oil and butter.
Penny

excellent 🙂

It is fabulous reading all your fantastic and some of your posts Bill1954 have been particularly helpful. With such a different diet it great to get support. Can anyone tell me how many grams of carbs we should have each day please? Are carbs in vegetables excluded from this total. I use fitness pal to record all mine which i find really good.

My weight was down again this morning and hopfully my blood sugars will show a bit of a drop in the morning. In common with everyobe else I gave to succeed with this eating plan.
Bill1954 hope your eye is improving.

Hi All
Well done on your weight loss…I’m in week four and no weight loss this week but still 12lbs down since I started this. Have slipped a bit this week so must get back on the horse rather than keep eating it!
Have just had a call from my Doc with blood results down to 50 from 79 last time so pretty pleased with that…I think. Anyway a big improvement and had been on the diet less than 3 weeks when bloods were taken so still room for improvement.
Vitamin D was normal and I really feel much better after that was sorted out.
Good luck to you all.

Totally down with you on the flax and chia seeds Hawkeye! LOTS of fibre needed here! lol xx

Hi Oscarbelle
Yes you sound like you’ve got too much to do. It’s so tempting for some of us to eat when we need to rest. I’m trying to switch it to a small coffee just to get me through.
I think you’re right about the raisins and apple juice. I’m surprised they’re in there. More yogurt is a much better idea, maybe more seeds as well.
Good luck
Penny

I use sweeteners in my tea/coffee instead of sugar. Whilst I know it is probably better not to, is this okay to continue with and, if so, what is considered to be the best brand (I currently use Splenda).

In addition, are ‘no added sugar’ cordials ( diluted orange squash) okay to occasionally drink?

Hi Ella, Yeah I think Soy and other alternatives are absolutely fine. I think you just need to check the carb content & also whether they have added sugar – if not all good 🙂 Good luck xx

Hi Nidge
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling good. It’s a difficult lifestyle to stay healthy on. So glad you’re tackling it.
I had 30 lbs to lose and have lost 6 in 3 weeks. Which is lower than most but I’m ok with it. I’ve lost 4″ off my waist which is great. My three ‘vital statistics’ ( do people still say that? ) were all the same ( ! ) so 4″ less in the middle is great news. I worked out that given you need a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of flab it is about right for me to have lost 6. 21,000 calories I haven’t eaten! About a 1000 a day deficit which makes sense.
Hope we all continue to tackle our difficulties and succeed.
Penny

Thank you..

I definitely think you’d need more calories with that much daily activity. It wouldn’t hurt to up your intake a bit and see if it makes you feel better – I’m pretty sure you’d still be losing weight.
I haven’t been calorie counting, just eating the Mediterranean style diet, and despite not being very active atm (due to a foot injury I’m getting sorted out), the weight is still falling off me. Once my foot is better and I start walking long distance and running again I’ll add more calories back in, even specifically carbs because otherwise I feel like I might find it hard to get enough calories because I’m already eating plenty and still losing weight!

Yah,
Absolutely Bill. I think there are a lot of here feel ‘this has to work’.
I know I do and at 60 I am so fed up battling with my weight. I’ve been doing on and off all my life and I’ve had enough.
All the more upsetting because I’m not a junk food eater and really believed I was eating the right things to take care of myself but now I know better.
As an extra boost I’m doing the sponsored Giving up Chocolate for March in aid of The British Heart Foundation.
A few sponsors behind me might give me an extra incentive 😊

Ah thanks TP – taken on your advice – I do feel very very tired but also on ‘the right track’ so pressing onwards ….. ☺️

Hi Hadimoto
That’s great. Time for a belt! I just bought some trousers and have to send them back. Too big!
Penny

Hi Bill
That’s great news!
Penny

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.