Thanks Janet 🙂 The dratted waistline is still several inches too big, so looking forward to doing it properly and with “malice aforethought!” Mind you, doesn’t it cost a fortune! I know it needn’t – but then there’s all those tempting recipes involving crabmeat and coconut flour muffins – how can I resist? When I start working out my own I’ll post them. Cheers, and thanks again for your encouragement – much appreciated.

Further to my upbeat, positive post, what’s going on today???? After 2 weeks of sticking to the diet (mostly) fairly easily, today I have been starving all day. Didn’t sleep well, woke up at 5 really hungry. Had a 2 egg omelette for brekkie, with a small amount of yogurt and blueberries. That should keep me going till lunch, but by 10 o’clock felt really hungry. Thankfully, still not crashing, but gnawing hunger. Had a small snack of humous and celery, then chicken with onion and fennel in a tomato sauce for lunch. By 3 o’clock I could eat a scabby dog. Just had some cream cheese and almond butter with more celery, but already looking forward to evening mealtime. This seems strange after 2 weeks. Any ideas? Could it be the long awaited adjustment to fat burning????

Hm. No sign of my testing kit yet. Sad.

Swallowedanamazon, why are you talking yourself down? You have every right to be chuffed to bits with your weight loss. I bet that’s never happened to you before but you made it happen. Well done you, keep up the good work and pat yourself on the back, you’ve earned it!

Hi Eureka, hope you enjoyed your hols, I have to wait until June for mine.
I definitely won’t let this put me off, in fact I sort of expected it. I normally wouldn’t have dreamed about having pancakes but I had found a recipe on the net for wholemeal chapatis and the author said that she made them for her diabetic husband all the time so I thought, just a bit milk to add but no olive oil so the recipe should be ok.
I love the way folk are coming together to help each other on here, this kind of thing is always easier when you have some support.
I missed the small print on this site that says if you have retinopathy, getting your sugar levels down can make it temporarily worse so I’m hoping that’s all it is.
I really dont want to do 2013 – 2014 all over again

I would be in the same boat as you ( in fact i’ll be on the turbo later ). I’m back in triathlon training and need to balance my training with calorie in take. It will take a few weeks but lets face it, my belly is a decent fuel tank !

I’m lucky that when i eat little I actually feel like i have a decent level of energy.

Weigh in day, lost 9lbs but due to circumstance & availability things were eaten.

However, I’ve learnt I can do 7 days in a row! Yay! So I can do that again & maybe more!

This is me after catastrophising & yes, a bit of a cry about being a failure in case I sound too perky & positive!

Perhaps the 5:2 might suit you better? Concentrate on a generally med-style menu but with no calorie counting for five days and then choose two days when you’re not cycling as much to do the 800 cal fast. A lot depends on why you chose to do the bsd; was it for your blood sugar or weight loss or something else? How can you still meet your goals while still keeping the sport you love and your buddy?

I’m sure there is room in your life for both – in fact I know there is. But perhaps with just a bit of tweaking!

If you need a blood glucose meter – go to http://www.diabetes.co.uk and they are always offering free meters and there test strip prices are very good ( and have low carb recipes!)

Hi Bill1954

I’m back from hols & started proper Monday. 4 lb down 38 to go!
Sorry about your eye problem do hope all improves for you. You are doing so well. Great positive attitude. It’s my eyes that I’m most concerned about.

My mum & dad were both type 2 & had a lot of complications, so I know the down side of diabetes. Am determined to help myself & that’s half the battle. Of course there will be Oops days. BUT it’s what we do afterwards that matters. Got to educate ourselves & the professionals that this can work.

Great support for & from everyone on this site. Hope this spreads to all shores as diabetes pandemic & I don’t feel helpless any more

Keep on keeping on

Eureka

In ‘trust me I’m a Doctor’ (not the latest series) it was found that pasta as stated above raised the blood sugar considerably less than fresh cooked pasta (which spikes very quickly) and because the chilling and recooking changes the carbs into more complex ones it is also a much more gradual increase AND it acts as a fiber so is good in that count as well.

Is it alright to substitute small amounts of pasta into the BSD Med diet??

You are probably right. My cycling buddie has lectured me to stop this stupid diet before I do myself more damage! He is probably right too!

Hi Rhinorob,
I have to confess my maths is terrible but going on what you have said, a thirty five mile bike ride would burn 1400 calories which is 600 more than you are taking in. That sounds like quite a large deficit to me, perhaps more than is good for you on a regular basis?

How often do you do these long rides? What would be your calorie deficit over a week. I’m not an expert but my instinct tells me that maybe you would want to balance your intake out on the days you ride with a couple hundred extra.An intake of 800 cals a day is already pretty low but I would have concerns about a regular intake of minus 600.
Maybe there are some fitness coach type people in the forums who might know more?

Hi Jessica
On your question about adding a salad. I guess the key thing is do you have the calories to spare out of your 800? You may well do for the salad but maybe not for the cheese. However, my feeling would be that if you feel you really need to go over budget a little, then in these early days, do that rather than snap completely. Its worth remembering 800 calories is a very low cal diet so if some days it turns into 900 you are still going to lose weight. Just keep a good diary of what you have eaten – phone photos throughout the day are good memory joggers if you do your diary when the kids are asleep (its amazing how easy it is to forget the little bits we sneak in!). And obviously, don’t let 900 become 1200, etc.
But well done on your first couple of days, stick with it and let us know how you are getting on, particularly what you think of the shakes.

Hi,

I am a regular cyclist, but on day 3 of the diet, I have just been for a 35 mile ride (a normal ride over 3 hours at a gentle pace) but found I had no energy after about an hour or so and had to stop to eat. I understand cycling burns about 40 calories per mile at a gentle pace, so what should I add to the BSD to ensure that I can still ride over the 8 weeks whilst still completing the program?

Way to go Bruce (is that really your name ? It just seems that in comic sketches all Australians are called Bruce or Sheila :O )
Loads of folk on here happy to chat, I’ll look forward to joining in the conversations.
Don’t forget to let us know how you are getting on with the diet

Great to hear Paula 🙂
That’s what these forums are for, we all have off days where everything gets on top of you and nothing seems to be going right
A couple of comments on the forum can act like a virtual hug to make you feel warm and comfy again.

Good morning Auntylil
These forums are great aren’t they? So many positive people with good things happening. Glad you are finding your shopping mojo, I never need much of an excuse to shop. As well as my blood testing kit and the book you recommended, I am investing in a pedometer, a stopwatch and a food processor. Somehow I got to the age of 42 without needing one! I don’t pay a lot for things though, the pedometer only £2.50!
I am absolutely itching to get started after reading about everyone else’s success but I really want to wait until I know what my current blood sugar levels are like. The kit should come today and I can do my test first thing in the morning before having my first bsd brekkie. I tried out the Portobello mushrooms with salmon and poached egg last night but I tried it with raw mushroom which I am a bit better with. But I didn’t finish it. I think I am going to have to make mine own adjustments along the way.
I hope you find your energy levels rising through the day, I’m sure you will. Have a great day and let us know what you buy!

Hi Jessica. My goodness you have your hands full! I’m now three weeks in and have lost 12 lbs. I think the cook in bulk and freeze option is great advice. The cauliflower rice freezes well and it’s v quick if you add veg / pre cooked meat and then microwave. I use the packs of precook chicken available in most supermarkets. Just add herbs or spices to give either Mexican / Indian / Chinese flavour and it is ready in about five minutes. Eggs are another great option. Less than five mins and leave me feeling full for ages. Stick with it flower! It does get easier 🙂

Good post Janet1973 i love a bit of Rye bread.

I found adding a bit more salt to my diet has cut out the headaches, that and drinking plenty of water and Red Bush Tea.
3 days in have lost 8lb. feeling great.

I,m not diabetic thankfully although my dad was. I do however struggle with my weight so I,m doing this to try to finally get a handle on it. My heart goes out to all of you guys.
I,m currently on week 2. Week 1was fine and Imlost 5lbs. Coping with 800 calories and NO alcohol is not fab but achievable. This week though I put 1lb ON between Monday and Tuesday. Did nothing different other than no walking due to the weather. That 1lb has come off this morning but no more, meaning I,ve stuck since Sunday.
I,ve got around 2stones to lose. Has anyone else plateaued so soon ?, I don’t want to become despondent too soon.
Suzie55

Wow Malkhay, brilliant!

The point I forgot to make is that our Dr Mosley has read all this research, studies and commentary and much of what he writes and says is based on it in part.

Oily fish I find a good hunger queller like eggs. A delicious dip can be made from sardines (canned) or fresh mackerel (grilled first), mixed in a food processor with cream cheese, a hard boiled egg, black pepper and lemon juice, topped with chopped parsley. Work the cals from the quantities you use to make it and then eat a measured portion with salad and green beans. Others not on the diet could have it with toast, so it’s one to share.

Well done you for embarking on this and having those two boys – you’ll have bags more energy to keep up with them because of what you’re doing. I can’t give you solutions because I’m just starting out myself, but I wonder if you could have someone take the boys off your hands for a few hours every so often so you could bulk cook some of the meals for freezing. I made the veg curry and cauliflower rice last night, which is for three, so I froze two helpings. I’m having some headaches too and telling myself they’re good ones rather than the ones I had for eating and drinking the wrong stuff.

Gateofheaven, you clearly have a doctor who has been reading the research and commentary of the last 20 years. I bought Gary Taubes’ book “Why we get Fat, and what we can do about it”, all about the action of insulin in the system, beyond just its transport of sugars out of the blood. Dr David Ludwig has lots to say on this and also Dr Michael Eades. You will get lots of discussion from them by googling the names without buying their books, though the books are really good. The main point besides all the discussion of insulin and other enzymes is that higher saturated fats and avoidance of processed oils are much healthier and have a better effect on weight loss and blood sugars over time than low fat. Lowering fat will take the weight off but because the body needs it you will feel more hungry and the tendency is to go to high carb foods for a quick hit. These then put the weight back on, causing insulin resistance in most but not all people by fuelling the over production of insulin. So as Gateofheaven says, have some fat even if it raises the calories.

I use my own chilli recipe, i’ve used it for years and for this the only changes i’ve made are removing baby potatos and replacing honey with a low cal sweetner.

I’ll glady share if you want ?

Oh and i use a slow cooker ( cooked for 12 hrs, i made a batch last night that works out at 346 cal per portion )

Ah yes, mushrooms. I had one in the veg curry last night and couldn’t distinguish it in that. So often the veggie option eating out is a mushroom with cheese on top of it and they are such slimy characters and I think as a child I must have internalised something about them being poisonous. I have two more Portabello ones lurking in the bottom of the fridge so I need aversion therapy!

Third day today and started off with the no-carb bircher – first time for me eating flaxseed and I quite liked it with Alpro yogurt – had to have that as it’s lactose free and I had two cartons of it already. Now, what to do with a whole carton of apple juice minus 50ml. I think freezing it in an ice cube tray may be the option. I know I don’t need to be completely rigid with the diet but I think if I meddle with it I will lose it. I haven’t been this disciplined since I gave up smoking 12 years ago.

I’m thinking that finding the time to source products and ingredients is part of the attitude shift required for this diet and food changes; didn’t realise how far from thoughtful shopping I’d become. Should I say mindful food shopping.

Wonder if you’ve started yet?

People keep telling me I am getting too skinny. Problem is I was diabetic, and getting told I needed tablets, at “only” 11st 5lbs, but getting fasting BG of 3.9-4.4 now at at 10st 2lbs. So skinny is healthier. Trouble is we have ALL got so big on the “healthy” low fat diet of the last 50 years we have lost sight of what you are supposed to be like.
Quick is good – so motivating.

Coconut flour and almond flour quests today! Thanks for your suggestions. The first vegetarian cookbook I acquired was by Rose Elliot and it’s held together with sellotape now; I delve into her Low Fat Low Sugar one a lot and will be adapting some of the ideas for this diet and for afterwards. Third day today and I’m feeling rather weak and light headed and need to summon energy for some over due housework. I haven’t weighed myself yet, think I will give it a full week before I do. On the plus side I am sleeping a great deal better already and think my face and fingers are less puffy. I like the feeling of having some control over my body. I’m also liking the idea of being part of this community 😉

Hi Kate & Bill,

Thank you for your post. What a difference a day has made! I haven’t weighed myself today and have decided I will wait till the end of the week. However, I checked my blood sugar this morning – the main reason for me doing the diet – and it has gone down to 5.4 so I am ecstatic. I have a fasting blood test own Friday at GP’S so aiming for it to be under 5 by then which I think is realistic.

I found it really helpful yesterday getting both your posts, so a big thank you. I was reading in the book that stress place a part in dieting and I did have quite a stressful day with hospital appointments. I think that possibly focused on the negative. I still stuck to the diet and as I said yesterday if I keep to the 800 cals a day then I will lose weight.

Thank you for your support.

Hi Malkay
That’s fantastic!
Penny

Hi Donna
Have a look at the YouTube TED talk by Sarah Hallberg. Very inspiring!
Penny

Just thinking, you should be able to get multi minerals that are guaranteed nut free, so many people have nut allergy. But most things can be covered by a varied range of foods within the diet, I’d’ve thought. Lots of doctors follow the research that supplements don’t do much away from the foods they stem from. The jury is still out on that I believe, at least within generally healthy people, as so much is just shed by the body. I believe an exception may be vitamins D and B12, though I forget where I read that so don’t know the quality of research. Generally it’s better to eat the foods rather than drop the pills, even though the quantities will be smaller.

Hi guys I’m on my 2nd day on the 800 cal version. I have got Tony Ferguson shakes/soups for my meal replacement because I have 2 year old twin boys and I figured this way would be the easiest way to start. Because it was hectic here yesterday I couldn’t make food and so I had a 4th shake instead of the 200 cal non starchy veg and unfortunately tonight is the same. Here is my conundrum can I make a salad of lettuce tomato onion and cucumber Beetroot avo for my veggie option and could I add a bit of feta or even normal cheese or some cold meat. I need simple to start because other wise I will fail as I have many many times before. My doctor has put me on duramine to try and stop the food craving and I’m having headaches I’m assuming from a Coke Zero withdrawal(up to 2L a day). Any help is greatly appreciated

Sesame seeds have lots of goodness in too, you can add them to all sorts. And tahini paste is nice (check it’s been made in a nut free environment, though)Do you have a problem with pine “nuts”? They are a seed, not a nut, growing between the sepals of fir cones of particular types. Delicious toasted and sprinkled in salad or on green beans.

Hi all,

Here is a rough guide at what i’m looking to put in practice as my diet for the next 8 weeks. Thoughts ??

Breakfast –

Flat mushroom, cherry tomatos & bacon medallions
Scrabbled eggs & beans ( reduced sugar )
Flat Mushroom and poached eggs
bacon medallion & egg baked in the oven
Mushroom and cheesy beans ( reduced sugar )

Shakes instead of cooked breakfast

Green tea & blueberry shake- Chilled green tea, blueberries, greek yogurt, almonds & flaxseed
Melon, spinach & blueberry – melon, blueberries, unsweetened almond milk, spinach leaves & sunflower seeds

Weekend brunch – cause sometimes weekend days mean we can’t eat 3 meals.

The pancakes made with coconut flour & strawberries
A decent omlette, mushrooms, onion, cherry tomato, spinach, worcestershire sauce ( use egg whites and one full egg to reduce cal )
Sausage ( low cal gluten free ), bacon, poached egg, beans ( reduced sugar )
Poached egg & salmon stack – flat mushroom, smoked salmon, creme fraiche, wholegrain mustard, lemon juice, poached eggs, pine nuts
Veg Frittata ( like an omlette ) – red peppers, scalons, garlic, chickpeas, paprika, spinach, eggs ( one full and one white per portion )

Right lunches

Chicken salad – chicken cooked in cajun mix, onion, peppers, sweetcorn, rocket, snap peas, chick peas, cherry tomato
Tuna salad as above but mixed with either yogurt, hummus or avacado ( to be decided after samples to taste )
Add to that

Spanish chickpea and spinach soup, it has chorizo in it as well
Med chicken soup – baked chicken breast, onion, leak, rewd pepper, veg stock, tinned tomato, garlic, basil, oragano.
Prawn Pho, its a soup with bean sprouts, sweetcorn, snap peas etc.
Veg Frittata – as above can be reheated and reduce cal buy replacing 2 eggs with egg whites.

At home –

Lettuce cups –

Crab & Mustard – crab meat, creme fraiche, dijon mustard, lemon juice ( can add onion or peppers )
Chicken & Walnut – As above but with chicken, and some tiny pieces of red apple, sprinkle some walnut pieces on top.

Ricotta, Pear & Walnut salad – ricotta, scalons, green beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic clove, pear & walnuts.
Skinny spicey bean burgers – mushrooms, coriander, cannellini beans, kidney beans, onion, chilli,

Dinner

Our chilli ( honey removed ) – Lean mince, tinned tomato, worcestershire sauce, garlic, chilli, reduced sugar baked beans, onion, red peppers, mushrooms, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, beef stock cube.
Steak with side salad – Leans steak
Bulked up stir fry – prawn/chicken/beef with stir fried veg, coconut oil, soy sauce and low cal sweetner, chilli, garlic, ginger.
Cottage pie with celeriac topping – lean mince, tinned tomatos, onion, mushroom, garden peas, garlic.
Cajun chicken with 3 types of veg
Fish pie with celeriac topping – onion, leek, parsley, mushrooms, white fish, prawns, 1 bay leaf, milk.
Courgetti Prawns – leek, courgette, ginger, chilli, garlic, lemon juice, prawns, cannellini beans
Beef & pine nut meatballs & Moroccan salad – (meatballs) – lean mince, onion, garlic, pine nuts, paprika, all spice, cumin, egg white, parsley (salad ) – spinach, sliced almonds, chickpeas, scalons, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice.
Spicey chicken & lentils – fennel, red onion, garlic, thyme, chilli, chicken, green lentils, snap peas
Crabcakes – crab, sweetcorn, paprika, woster sauce, mayo, scalons, parsley, lemon juice, serve with veg.
Turkey steaks – serve with veg
Spicey turkey mince – Turkey mince, yellow peppers, onion, chilli, garlic, soy sauce. – served with a side salad.

After all my whingeing and anxiety about hypos last week, I thought I would share my current positive feelings. In about 2 weeks (I wasn’t very thorough at first), I have lost 6lbs. That’s great, but much more importantly to me, my blood sugar seems to have stabilised. I don’t monitor it with a monitor (never got round to that), but can tell that I am not crashing. As a result of this, my anxiety has levelled, and I just feel so much better in myself. I WAS sleeping better until last night. At around 5am I realised I was starving, BUT I hadn’t crashed. Progress indeed. However, my waist measurement has not budged yet, but am sure that will happen soon. As I don’t want/need to lose it from anywhere else, I certainly hope so. Keep up the good work, everyone!

Welcome Bruce! I’m on day 3 so am new to BSD. I have about 17kg to lose and have tried diets on and off with temporary success but then the weight has crept up again so I’m also looking for a lifestyle change. I’m determined to get to my target weight and then keep it under control. You’re right in saying that support from others helps and I’m happy to share my progress over the coming weeks. I have found it ok during the first couple of days. I try to plan ahead and put my food into myfitnesspal in advance so that I know I’m within the 800 cals. Won’t be weighing in until Monday as I want to give it a full week but will let you know how I get on. Good luck!

Hi. I’m on my 3rd day of BSD and logging all food on mfp – so good so far. Does anyone know what are the ideal macros for protein/fat/carbs? I’d like to update the percentage split in my app so I can see if I’m getting the right balance. Perhaps someone who’s a few weeks down the line and getting successful results could share their stats. Thanks folks.

HI all, just introducing myself, I’m an Australian guy living in Germany and ready to start the 8 week progamme tomorrow. Have had lots of success with various factors of this way of eating and dieting in the past – currently 89kg, at times in the past somewhere beyond 120kg (stopped looking at that point) – so know it will be a success again for the last 15 – 20kg. Have been diabetic for 21 years , currently on long acting insulin levemir and a stack of metformin. Good HBA1C results, cholesterol and BP at the moment but would love to achieve the same with less medication or even fewer medications.
Anyway, love a chat and there is a nice sense of accountability that comes from the support of being in a group, which is not really available to me in person here. Neither are crumpets, which I would dearly have loved to have said farewell to, but there you go. Am very much thinking of this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet, and have spent a week preparing myself psychologically for what that means. See you round.

Thanks for the information and encouragement Aliba and pmshrink. I’ve downloaded the app now and will check it out this morning. I have had success before by keeping a food diary in an actual book so will have to decide how much advantage the app gives me. I will certainly be putting the 10g measures in, as multiplication is much simpler that division for the most part, great tip – thanks!
OK, tomorrow is the kick off day since I have a big party to go to this evening, looking forward to bumping into people here again!

Thank you. This is the second recommendation I have had for Mindspace so I will look into it. Might be the saviour to get out of this stress fog!

OOPS
2 small thin pancakes made with wholemeal flour and semin skimmed milk with a filling of blueberries cooked in theie own juice for tea last night and this mornings BS reading has gone up to 8.1

That demonstrates to me perfectly what carbs can do to you, even in small amounts.

I started the BSD 2 days ago. I cannot work out if the calorie value of the simple suppers includes whatever I am ” jazzing up” eg a chicken breast or salmon steak or lamb chop or if I have to look up the calorie value of the weight of food being jazzed up and add the calories to make up a bigger total. Advice welcome . Thanks

Yes , I know about the ‘dawn phenomenon’ as I have been monitoring my FBS for a year now. Mine generally stays slightly raised until lunchtime or if I eat. I was feeling positive that blood sugars were dropping but it’s back up to 6.2 today 😥. Not sure this is working for me. Have been very strict and not gone over 800 cals at all.

Thanks for this great tip. I have a number of Rose Elliot’s books but had not heard of this one, so I am off to seek it out! Good luck with your weight loss programme.

Try to keep the fat content up if you can. It really helps with carb cravings. Last week I totally overdid it with bread but the next day I had herring with small slice of bread and butter, since when I’ve had no main carb foods at all or even wanted them. I’ve made sure that I have a little oliveoil or butter wit most meals and it does seem to help.

I really hope so because I only started the diet today and I’ve come to bed with a banging migraine! I’m just hoping it’ll be gone in the morning. And that I won’t get any more this week, but I have a feeling I may well do, as cutting out carbs and sugar is pretty drastic! And my system is extremely sensitive. I have taken some pain killers, so hopefully it won’t prevent me from sleeping. It’s good to be on the forum and have positive comments from other people who have been on the diet longer.