Hi All

Great to see everyone doing so well. I’ve just finished week 3 and total lost to date is 10.7lb which is my lightest in years!

BMI has dropped from 29.6 to 27.6 and I’ve lost 2 inches off my waist.

Unexpected benefits – my blood pressure dropped from 127/79 in week 1 to 113/ 75, and resting heart rate dropped from 88 to 77.

Only slight disappointment is my fasting blood sugars are creeping up after stopping the gliclazide – I’ve had a 2 or 3 readings above 8, but through the day they are usually between 5-6. I’ve been diabetic for 8 years so I don’t expect an immediate improvement.

Roll on week 4!

Happy to have been of assistance Cherrianne :0

Hi Bill1954- it wouldn’t be so bad if my target was 10kg but my target was the 15-20kg that are so often referenced in the book as the amounts lost (and I’m 125 kg/275 lbs to start with)- I’m happy to have lost weight but think the numbers in the book raise unrealistic expectations for some people- and because I’m so much fatter to start with, the slow-going is painful to me. Thank you though for your positive outlook – something lost if better than something gained in this situation 🙂

Hi Rico
Sounds like progress!
I think Michael says sugar free gum is fine to use. I think he might even use it.
Re drinks- I always have a marmite drink at bedtime.
Penny

Hi fitjacq
Sounds like a good idea.
Penny

Hi Swaby
That’s great news.
Down 1/2 lb today.
Good luck
Penny

Hi everyone,

I have just logged in and I’ve been reading the posts. I really like the feel of this group!

I also like how keen everyone seems, even if it’s all feels a bit overwhelming. I agree, with support and encouragement we can cheer each other on.

Thanks Snackerlady, my day has gone well re the bsd. Today is my 8th day and I had Cheesy Beans for breakfast and Sirloin Steak with Peppercorn Sauce for dinner.

I find that the meal plans have been so expertly devised that I’m not at all hungry in between meals – in fact I don’t even think about food. This is a total miracle!!

I am not working at the moment and money is a bit tight, so affording all the food in the plans was a bit of a worry at the start. However, I’m comfortable with repeating the same meal plans until all the ingredients are used, or else I’ll be buying ingredients, only using a small amount and then not using them again, and spending loads of money on new stuff that will go to waste if I don’t use them.

Just wondering if anyone else does this?

Hi. I move around the country a lot so have seen gps in different areas. Occasionally they’ve prescribed test strips but always discontinue doing so. It’s easy to get a free meter from the manufacturer because they know you’ll need to buy their strips. Let’s just say I’ve had some ‘interesting discussions’ with gps and diabetes nurses about this over the years. My current diabetes nurse says she’s hearing from lots if type 2s now that they should be given the strips and that the practice should listen. I’m not holding my breath!

Wow that’s an amazing loss claire_cruik !! I’m the same I love carbs but I can’t really eat them. That’s great that it works for us PCOSers- thanks for letting me know that it will work- that’s will keep me motivated!

Agreed Reynards. I’ve been to many slimming clubs over the years (without much success) but find the support on here great. And it’s 24/7. And no cost. It’s win/win 😃

Hi Helen
That’s really good.
I’m down 5 1/2 lb in 14 days.
2 1/2″ off waist.
Penny

Hi ladies, I too have PCOS too but not diabetic/prediabetic (have diabetic parents) and thought I’d try this diet. The standard healthy eating plan I was given by the dietician required 6 portions of starches/carbs to be eaten each day. I love carbs but they really don’t love me as just looking at them makes me pile on the weight.
I’ve done this strict 800 cal low carb diet for one week now and lost 4kg, which is unheard of. I’m not craving bread/potatoes, just chocolate, but hey, nothing new there!
All the best ladies, what have you got to lose, other than weight??

Hi GrumptoGlam
Have you measured your waist? It’s datusfying if it goes down even half an inch!
down 1/2 a lb this morning. – it’s something!
Penny

I’m only 8 days in but I know I had to be sure to drink plenty of extra water in the first couple of days, it really makes a difference and helped me to get past the foggy brained, headachey stage (which only lasted an evening). All the best to both of you for a very successful experience with the diet.

Thanks Reynards. I’m staying outside the main tourist area but it looks like there are lots of different types of restaurant in the area, hopefully I can find something. Otherwise the market/supermarket and smuggle something back to my room.

Hi Louise, wow, 14 lbs is amazing! Well done! Just a thought… have you got some interim goals, i.e. something between this stage and the 3 st you’ve still got to go? Just to give you something to aim for that is in sight… I’m just starting week 2, I’m 7 lbs down and feeling very inspired, still got 28 lbs to go and I’m absolutely determined to stick with it. This is the healthiest, most manageable and effective diet I’ve ever done and I’m so pleased to have stumbled across it. I do hope you get your motivation back, the thought of not progressing at this stage… the alternative is – for me – not worth considering.

I’m new to this and only just done my first week, so I can’t help you with your question, but I would just like to say that reading your post has inspired me and I just want to say well done.
Maybe knowing the positive effect you have on other people may help you get your motivation back.
Good luck and keep at it – you’re doing so well

Charlie x

Prague is wonderful but when I went there was lots of goose and dumplings! Suggest you take some nuts with you.

HI, Mrs S. It was the other way round for me, I bought a monitor then asked them for strips. I think if you look on the diabetes uk website there is some info about getting strips from your doctor. They are I think supposed to give you them. I think I told my doctor that monitoring would help me with my control. A yearly test really isnt good enough, especially with the diet they recommend.

Cancelled my ww membership today. Wasn’t happy trying to explain how I’d lost 6 lbs in a week when previously it had been 1 off a week and a half pound gain the next. I’m convinced this forum will be a greater support than a once weekly weigh in.

@loftbabe re your self diagnosis of fatty liver disease. I would definitely consult your GP as my Mrs had exactly the same symptoms you described. Pain under the ribs etc
She had a scan last year and was diagnosed with a gall bladder stone!
Very painful at times, she is still awaiting for it to be resolved.
It may turn out your self diagnosis is correct, but I would want to be sure.
Wishing continued success with your journey to improved health and wellbeing.
Kind regards Shrinky.

Hi everyone, I’m coming to the end of my third week on the bsd. I’m pleased with my progress so far – lost 14lbs, and I’ve managed to stick to 800 cals a day everyday with virtually no cravings. However today I’ve felt really down and pessimistic about this diet. I feel like the next week is going to be a struggle, not because I want to eat junk food, but because I feel like I’ve lost the initial motivation and I still have so much weight to lose (another 3 stone).

Did anyone else feel like this and did it pass?

Louise
x

Hi catlady, and nettyrim 😊 didn’t think I could get hypos when only taking Metformin?And I agree Nettyrimm about not knowing how food is affecting me, it seems common sense to test but apparently not to my doctor. When pushed I was told they would supply a monitor but I would have to buy my own strips does this sound like your experience?

Hi all,
Me and the better half have started today.
Neither of us has blood sugar problems, yet, but are fat where it isn’t good!
We are planning on trying to be really strict for 4 weeks and see how things are going.
I would just like to be healthy again and be able to do up my laces without holding my breath!
Work is hard enough without carting 3 or 4 extra stone around too.
Salad & steak for dinner, bulgar wheat and feta for lunch and eggs and mushrooms for b-fast. Hope my tummy shrinks quick, won’t feel so empty then!
12 hour shift tomorrow, fingers crossed I can go the distance on my planned food.
Will try to hydrate a lot. Any advice from anyone further down the track would be appreciated.

Brilliant news Tuesday!! She sounds lovely and understanding 🙂

Tuesday, that’s a great idea and outcome, well done 😊

H every one . Well I did go to my WW meeting tonight .i asked to speak to the leader privately she was very nice I explained briefly the book which I showed her .i all so said that the diet had been recommended for controlling my diabeties she was fine she promised not to mention it in the meeting .so I will keep going for now .

Well done captainlynne-this is so inspiring to read-10 inches off your waist…I hope I achieve something like that, it would be smaller than my hips then! Enjoy your holiday , and congratulations.

Good luck all newbies. I would recommend drinking lots of water as it keeps everything moving! I haven’t felt hungry at all. I have however now got much better morning readings and was getting some low readings at end of day so have reduced my glicazide. Also my blood pressure has dropped so am taking half a Losartan tablet for a week then may drop completely. I have lost 5 pounds and 2 inches off waist. Very pleased

Just starting week 3 and have lost 12lbs so far.

Hi Bill1954

How’s the eye? Improving hopefully. Well, you are doing great. I’ll join you on the belt but only one notch this first week. More to come we hope
Yep Michael reckons the liver will drain that fat first, then the pancreas kicks in later. I’m going to do the two week review ( p140 BSD book) at the end of this week & see where I’m at. Believe I need to go all the way to 8 wks

Keep the faith, June’s not far away!
Eureka

Hi. Well done on starting the diet. I test several times a day because otherwise I don’t know how foods are affecting you. The diet has helped my fasting glucose drop from 8 to 5.2 this morning. I would recommend buying one and trying to get the strips from your doctor.

Hi Mrs.S, I’ve just started the diet too, and haven’t tested my bloods for years, but I think I will start , just so I know when they are falling so that I can start to reduce medication. My yearly readings are between 7.5 and 8, last one was 7.9 earlier this month, so my control is quite good, I do worry about hypos though. Do you know your signs for when you are going low-(confusion, sweating, mild panic or whatever)? Perhaps if you are aware of these, you can estimate drops? I’m so new to this diet, I’d be glad to hear what other people think as well x

Today was my first day on the BSD and so far so good 😊
I was wondering though, how many of you test your sugar levels daily. My doctors claim it’s not necessary if I’m only taking Metformin and not on insulin. The only support I have is a yearly clinic and blood test with fasting. What are your experiences. My yearly readings are usually between 7 and 9.
Look forward to hearing from you x

Hi everyone, I’ve just started today too-ok so far.
I’ve had omelette for breakfast, hummus and veg for lunch, and chicken stirfry for tea, plus an apple and a pear-I think I have had about 12 a day, but I am determined not to be hungry, so would rather eat more than 800 calories(I suspect) to get myself into this, or else I will just give up and be disappointed.
Do any of you eat more veg, or are you being really controlled in your portion size?
I would love to hear from you, we can all support each other!

Hi Snackerlady
Today is start of second week. I lost 8lb in first week , so did my husband! He’s on board, & his bloods normal now, but he was pre diabetic with his readings. Don’t know if my blood sugar will reverse BUT got to give it a fighting chance. This BSD diet gives us all a chance to help ourselves

Try & get your GP or nurse to be there for you & tell them what you are doing if you are a type 2 diabetic. Pass this info on to any diabetics you know. There is hope

This Mediterranean diet seems full of good food & better health for us all. Simple carbs make me ill. I will gradually reintroduce the complex carbs that don’t spike my blood sugar. Get informed & learn as much about you & the foods you can eat that are good for YOU. We all have an individual carb threshold & if you overload it , your body stores it as fat for fuel. Exercise , as the BSD book says , burns that fat
I’ll maintain my goal weight with the Med diet & the 5:2 way of eating when I reach it. It’s tasty
Go for it
Eureka

Brilliant- lawnmower29 I’m going to start tomorrow so I’ll look out for your posts!

I haven’t made them but six eggs sounds like way too many! Possibly three might be enough so could you add the same amount of the other ingredients again to get a better consistency?

The way I read the book, you do 800 calories as well as the exercise.

Snackerlady, your last post made me chuckle and agree with all of your points. Probably the hardest thing I had to do as a leader was try to come up with reasons why people hadn’t lost weight when they thought they should have. The training didn’t explain about weight loss, metabolism, insulin resistance, etc. In fact, some of what they taught was based on the same old wives’ tales we, here, are now disproving. I do wonder whether the big name diet groups will ever embrace this approach. I saw a programme last year where one of the top chiefs of ww admitted that they actually wanted people to keep coming back after re-gaining the weight!

Has anyone made the Cheesy scones? Not sure if the recipe is correct on kindle version…..75g coconut flower, 6tbsp butter and 6 eggs? No “shaped” patties for me to bake, it was more like an omelette! Has anyone else had this issue and found a solution? Thank you!

Great tip Cazzowary. I’m really missing bread so I followed that link. So happy to find it’s sold fairly near to me. I’m going to grab some today. Yay!!!

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.