Hi Dawn
Good idea to defer your weigh in. Those pesky scales can easily derail us. Your forthcoming 60th birthday is a fantastic motivator. I am 65 in June so wouldn’t it be nice to be in a healthy weight range for us both.
In other news, I’ve ordered a walking pad so I can get some steps in at home. It was an impulse buy but I think on days when I don’t want to go out in the rain and ice it means I can get some steps in to help my weight loss. I’ll see- it might be a bad decision but hopefully I will get some use from it. It wasn’t expensive and had great reviews on Amazon so I’ll report back when it arrives. I am not weighing til Friday and not peeking at the scales. I am not expecting a big loss this week because I’ve done so well over the last couple of weeks. If I lose 1 pound this week then I will have lost 10.6 pounds since January. My plan was to lose 5lb by the end of February!
I’ll look forward to seeing your news on Friday Dawn. We’ve got this!

Hi Newbie. I’m no doctor but your HbA1c at 112 or 16 was very high which is why your doctor probably put you onto medication straight away. ‘Normal’ HbA1c is considered to be 42 or 6.5 or lower. Yours has come down really well.
I don’t recall having any symptoms before I was diagnosed and I get the impression that most people don’t. Although there apparently are symptoms. I think ‘low blood sugar’ causes more symptoms.

Finger pricking….. well I’m just a bit hung-up on finger pricks unless you are using insulin when they’re essential. There are so many factors that can alter a finger prick test that they really are only a very, very rough guide. The HbA1c, test which measures your blood sugar over the previous 8 to 12 weeks, the life cycle of a blood cell, is far more accurate.

Just be mindful of starchy carbs, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta in all their forms and fruits such as pineapple or mango and obviously biscuits, cakes, fizzzy drinks and sugar etc. and you should be ok. A really good ‘visual’ can be found on the Dietdoctor website. You’ll be amazed at some things that in the past we thought of as ‘healthy’. Fruit juices are not your friend!

It takes time to get into a routine but you will and when you do it becomes second nature. Carby foods aren’t banned forever but once your BS is back in the normal range they have to be treated as an occasional indulgence rather than a staple part of your diet.

Hi everyone,
I’m putting my weigh day off until Friday so that I can have a few more days of sticking to the menu plan under my belt as, after my first week of really sticking in, too many things went a bit awry last week. Welcome to Newbie, these forums have been really helpful to me and I’m sure you will find the same. I’m turning 60 in May, I think I first discovered the Fast800 early 2019 and lost 18lbs in 6 weeks (didn’t get down to my goal weight but think I was only about half a stone away) and felt much better for it, then unfortunately put that back on as went back to unhealthy eating and have been trying to lose the weight again (and keep it off) since then. My downfall always seems to be going off plan once then thinking ‘well I might as well continue’ instead of thinking, ‘well that was just one meal which won’t make too much difference if I get straight back on plan’ !!!! I would love to reach my 60th birthday in a much healthier state so that is my aim at the minute. There are lots of lovely recipes in the various books and the website so hopefully, along with ideas from the forums, you will find a nice variety of meals to help you😀 Dawn X

CATHY and NEWBIE2026 there is a recipe in the 8-week BSD recipe book for parmesan crisps. I’ve made them before but not for a while and remember them being very tasty. If you have the book they’re on page 76, but basically it’s 100g each of grated parmesan, grated cheddar and ground almonds and you just mix everything together, divide into 8 portions and bake in the oven for 2 minutes. The macros given for each portion are:
Calories 180
Protein 10
Fat 15
Fibre 1
Carbs 1
Hope this helps if you are overwhelmed by the munchies! But they are quite high in calories so I guess it depends what else is on your menu for the day.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Newbie- my weakness is crisps and salted nuts. I’ve got some lovely bags of crisps in my cupboard and I’ve resisted them since January when I started my weight loss journey yet again! I think about them in an evening! My plan is to work hard for 12 weeks or however long it takes me to get to my target weight and then I am hoping that I might be able to incorporate some of the things I enjoy back into my diet. After losing 42 lbs in 2017 and gradually gaining weight to 166 lb – (I started at 175 lb) I have kicked myself for not staying in control and that is something I am determined to do when I reach my goal weight again. I will definitely give myself a 5lb tolerance so when I do go back to eating crisps and things that are not on plan and I see the weight going back on then it will be time to get back on track. I can’t go through this again! I’ve spent five or six years trying to claw back my weight! . When I lost weight in 2017 I did maintain my weight for at least a couple of years and did eat crisps and things I enjoyed but then I became complacent and have paid the price. I think anything is allowed once we lose weight but we have to be sensible – we cannot go back to the amount we ate that got is here in the first place. Like you, my plan is to lose weight, stabilise my blood sugar and get out of the pre diabetes cycle.
It takes a little while to trust the process and when I started I simply cut out bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, biscuits etc and then tweaked things. I am vegetarian and am currently doing vegetarian keto so hopefully I will be burning fat.
As DCT said, you’re in great company on this thread.

Thank you both Dreamscometrue and SunnyB for your backgrounds, you both sound like you have taking on this way of eating for a few years and know your what works for you, hopefully I will get there in time and be able to keep at a steady weight with a good stable blood sugar, my weakness is crisps and although I have managed to resist them they are a constant niggle in my head, please tell me they can be allowed at some point 😢

BECCABSD your HBA1C level is in a different format to mine (i live in the UK), is yours in the % format? Just curious. So on NYE mine was 112, with a blood glucose reading of 16, and ketone of 1.3, thankfully my average fasting reading has dropped and is now 8.64 and my bedtime is averaging about 8.93.
VERANO I have reduced my finger pricks to morning and bedtime and feel so “free”, its nice actually not knowing during the day. Should I be aware if my levels change drastically as I havent had any symptoms at all so don’t really know what im looking out for.
SUNSHINE-GIRL wow thank you for all the info, i will definitely be lokking into all the resources you mention – thank you. I wonder if they panicked as my levels were quite high they just wanted to put me on medication to help bring it down, but I’d halved my levels by the first 3 weeks and the Metformin hadn’t really had much time to take affect, they really didnt push me on the diet side of things, I left feeling quite deflated and alone, but not now I’ve found you all. I’m so pleased you all seem to have positive stories to share, I know there will be many downs but hopefully more ups than downs.
Have you all just adjusted your diets so much that you don’t miss the “naughty stuff” anymore or do you sometimes allow yourselves to slip a little bit every now and again, I know low calorie and low carbs will be my life from now for a better healthier longer life and I’m all for that, I’m just curious as to how you all cope with it all.

It might be one positive V, but it’s a really good one. Hope there will be plenty more positives for you to share soon.

Mine for today ….
🌻🌻 this weekend has been one for family … had a visit from eldest DD and SIL; visit to youngest DD and to youngest son too, so have caught up with all offspring but one.
🌻🌻 good long phone chat with Dad today. He was upbeat and shared lots of news.
🌻🌻 lovely valentine date night with OH on Friday.

Hope others have had a weekend of positives too.

My relationship with the BSD is on my profile, but here’s a quick summary …. started the BSD way of eating February 2016 as a way to rid myself of stubborn menopause gain and over a period of time dropped 3st (42lb). There was a decent period of time where I managed to maintain within 7lb of target weight, but in the past year or so, realistically that figure has crept up and up.

Having hit a full stone above target and gained a dress size, I recently returned to basics to get myself back in the half of my wardrobe I can no longer wear and back in touch with target weight again.

Can sympathise with your self sabotage DCT, alcohol and roasted nuts are a big temptations for me. My problem is too easily finding excuses to allow myself to go off track … it’s been a stressful day/week, etc. etc.

Anyway, on Tuesday we’re heading to Turkiye for 10 days, this means sticking to plan will be challenging, but my plan is to try to make mindful and carefully considered choices, whilst accepting there will be some off piste eating and drinking. Will report in on Tuesday morning with my final weigh in before our trip.

Hi NEWBIE2026 just to say yes we’ve got your back! This thread – and indeed any thread on the BSD forums – has lovely people who are just like you : wanting to shed weight and/or fat for all kinds of reasons. I’ve found most people to be really friendly and supportive, and completely non-judgmental. We’re all trying our best, and can help each other through life’s ups and downs.

So you’re in a good place!

A quick intro to me. I’m now mid 60’s and live in the UK. I started the BSD in 2017 not expecting it to work. I was 175lb which at 5ft5 is overweight. I stuck to it rigorously for the first few days and found the pounds quickly started to come off. I was exhilarated and just kept on going. The weight loss slowed but by early 2019 I was down to 135lb. I couldn’t maintain that, but spent a couple of years at around 138/139lb. Then the weight started to creep back on and I went up and down until the middle of last year when it started to shoot up and I started this year at 158lb. I’m now down to 154lb and hope to get to 138lb by the end of this year then maintain that. 🤞. My main downfalls are wine, salty snacks and bread. I find if I avoid all those I can pretty much stay on track. But I constantly have to fight my strong tendency to self sabotage.

Good luck and keep at it. You’re in a safe place here with fellow travellers!

DCT I have those books so I shall have a look and see what they suggest, I’ve been sticking to the same breakfast and lunch combos as I know they are low carb and low calorie, and my dinners we have had the same few on rotation, just wanting to do everything right so we havent strayed too much. I’m enjoying what I eat so that’s good, broccoli thankfully is my favourite vegetable along with celeriac so hopefully getting some fiber from those, I’ve heard of psyllium husk but havent been anywhere to get it, today purchased sunflower and pumpkin seeds to use as toppings.
SUEBLUE thank you for the AI list I like a lot of the things on the list so it shouldn’t be too difficult to add them in, maybe I will up my intake to 900 every other day to get enough, or would you guys not recommend that as I’m trying to get my sugars down?
Hope you are all having a lovely weekend, I will get up to speed with you all and your backgrounds please don’t think I’m rude I’m just getting to grips with this all. Thank you all again for your encouraging words and support, the first time I’ve felt like someone has my back and knows what im dealing with x

BTW s-g our next trip is both! Cruise from Rome to Lisbon then a few weeks in the Algarve seeing the family.

S-g it really was ‘easy’. Despite the whole appointment taking 2.5 hours with being admitted by a nurse, drops and more drops, waiting and waiting, pre surgery nurse, post surgery nurse, the actual procedure took about 5 minutes! It wasn’t at all what I expected, although I’m not sure what I did expect. I felt nothing except water running down the side of my face. Certainly I wouldn’t put anybody off. I had mine done in a private clinic on the NHS. The NHS farms out most cataract ops here .
Ok. So the first night was a bit uncomfortable and I took a couple of paracetamol but haven’t needed anymore since and now, on my 5th day post surgery, I see perfectly well with a contact lense in my un-operated eye and have no issues! Biggest issue is having to put three lots of drops in every four hours!
I can live with the that …. the gain has been so worth the negligible ache!

Just wanted to say to Verano, great news about the cararact operation. I think I will need that in the near future and it would have terrified me having surgery on my eye. You made it sound so easy. Keep going girl…

Hi everyone, back in the swing of things. Diet going well and back down to that half a stone loss which is okay in 6 weeks. Always think it is going to be great when I lose 4lbs in first week but then it slows down or goes completely haywire. Someone said I am an inspiration in persistence, no I am just bloody minded. Hopefully back on track and still got just under 5 weeks to hols. Talking of hols, where are you going this time Verano. Another cruise or back to Portugal.

I am not being cruel as Izzy was more hubbys cat than mine, but in her last months she did come to me more and more, anyway, last night I had the best sleep in a long time. No screaming in the middle of the night and no getting up to a mess in the morning – and thats just me 🙂 joking. I just have a sense of relief and it was seriously affecting hubbys health and mental state.

Newbie2026 thank you for the additional information. It is a shame doctor put you on meds straightaway but as you said, it is easier for them. They seem to think they can do nothing for diabetes so why bother. He should at least have suggested change of diet but in fairness he/she would have had no idea what diet to put you on. They just tell you to cut down on biscuits and stop using sugar in your tea/coffee. Anyway you have found us now. I personally have been following this plan for 10 years and I am in a much better situation medically, reduced meds, better health no complications (yet) so I will be sticking with low cals low carbs. It also seems you medical adviser is open to this diet and already cut your meds. Hope they will keep a close eye on you and you should, if you are strict with yourself, very soon beable to get off the meds completely. But it is not easy. My problem is I was started on insulin very quickly (meds gave me diahorreah) and once on it is difficult to get off. You might be interested in my blog called ‘5 Years of BSD – A Blog of Memories’. Just type it into the search box at the top of the page. This was started 10 years ago on a different site and gives a day by day report of what all this meant for me. Remember this diet was part of a revolution 10 years ago. It might help you understand what faces you. If you are wondering about what faces you as a diabetic there are lots of YouTubes about it and it is not pretty with all the symptoms and complications. Too much to discuss here. Try looking at Dr Ben Bikman (a bit dry) or Dr Jason Fung. The first thing you should watch is a Ted Talk by a doctor called Sarah Hallberg – that would be my first point of choice. I could go on but you cannot learn everything in one post, I am 20 years in and still learning. But we are always here whatever you want to ask.

Talking about still learning. I am slowly getting through the Dr Fung book The Diabetes Code and a revelation. You know when you have been really good and low carb and your BG suddenly shoots up and you cant work out what you are doing wrong, here is the answer in short quote -It is known as the Randle Cycle. The body can either burn sugar or fat, but not both at the same time. So when you are really low carb or TRE or fasting your body is in fat burning mode but if you start to eat a small amount of carbs the body needs a bit of time to switch back to sugar burning and in that space of time you cannot handle the glucose load and blood glucose levels will start to rise. This is normal (Phew!), the BG will drop as the body switches back to sugar burning mode. Our bodies are bloody marvellous. End of lesson.

SG, what a terrible week you’ve had….so sorry about your cat….we have 3 but they are relatively young- I can only imagine. We had a terrible scare with one (the daftest one) disappearing last year for 3 weeks….I was beside myself.

xx

Oh S-G I am so sorry to hear that you had to say a final goodbye to your cat & make the decision to go to the vet. The same happened to me with her having dementia symptoms & also in the end a partial loss of using her back legs which was a kind of heart failure. In both our cases I’m sure it was the kindest thing to do with the loss of quality of life but still devastating like losing a member of our family.
I weighed today & my weight loss is again bouncing a pound up & down with me regaining the half pound I lost last week & thank you Becca. I know the grey weather is affecting my intake of comfort eating carbs but today for the first time in many days the sun is brightly shining here in West Sussex & I already feel more upbeat😀🌝
By the way Happy Valentines Day everyone & a good excuse for a glass of wine & a nice meal 🥂🍷
Next week I will try to do better weight loss wise 🤞🤞
Margaretxx

Newby26 – I asked CoPilot (AI) to suggest which foods are low calorie, low carb but higher in fibre and I got this list:
– Leafy greens: Almost zero calories + low carb + decent fibre
– Broccoli / Brussels sprouts: High fibre per calorie, low carb
– Raspberries / Blackberries: Very high fibre, low net carbs
– Chia seeds: Highest fibre density; low net carbs
– Flaxseed: High fibre, low net carbs
– Avocado: High fibre, very low net carbs
Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone for your kind words 🙂 Day 6 is now done for me, I’m having a “day off” tomorrow as am going out with my husband (planned months ago). I won’t be recording calories but On the plus side I will be doing a lot of walking. Then I’ll be back on plan on Monday. I have already shopped for the groceries, so will definitely be sticking to plan (I hate food waste!)

Newby26 – I was advised by a Fast 800 health coach to aim for 20-30g fibre daily – I’m following Very Fast 800 High Fibre plan. To achieve this though you may need to go up to 900 calories. I just checked my macros in My Fitness Pal (which I’m using as well as the Fast 800
App), and my daily fibre is usually 16-20g, however I don’t always record low calorie veggies (spinach, lettuce etc), so actual
Fibre may be a bit more. I don’t really monitor it to be honest – I mainly focus on keeping carbs under 50g and protein at least 60g.

Cathy – well done on your results this week 🙂 I did the Low Impact Pilates exercises in the app today – it was only about 13 minutes and all done sitting down on a chair, with no equipment needed.

Mariet – welcome back! I’m sure you’ll enjoy the plan.

NEWBIE26 just another thought. I’ve heard Psyllium husk mentioned on this forum before. It’s a supplement in various forms which you can add to food to add fibre. Not used it personally but may be worth checking out?

Hi everyone, great so see so many wonderful results!
I am back from a fortnight camping and on weighing this morning I am unchanged. So now to get into the Fast 800 and see if I can stick to it as well as you are all managing to do.
I must have unticked myself from the thread and haven’t received any emails for ages. Looking forward to seeing how everyone is getting on.

CATHY what great progress! I’m really pleased for you. And, like you, I’m feeling very positive and motivated at the moment too 🥳

NEWBIE26 a really good question about fibre. Being honest, I don’t focus much on numbers and haven’t given much thought as to the amount of fibre involved. But you’re right, it’s important. And yet another thing to fit into the 800 calories! Hopefully the list I posted above will be of some help, and I’d also recommend using some of the recipes in the BSD and Fast 800 books as I find their macro balance pretty good and I’d expect them to factor in fibre too.

The other thing – which I’m sure you’re already aware of – is to remember to drink plenty of water. This helps in all sorts of ways, as well as keeping your body well hydrated and your digestive system functioning effectively.

Good luck! And keep us posted as to how you’re getting on 🤞

Hope that everyone has a good weekend X

S-g so sorry to hear your miserable news especially about your cat. Yes I’ve been there a few time too. It’s very sad but, yes, the time did sound right. Chin up things can only get better!

Hi Becca, thank you- don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere……I’m also on the fast 800 app and we have a cohort that started together….so, perhaps as I’m now trying to remember to post on 2 sites- or 2 strands of a site….that could be enough for now 😅😊

xx

Welcome to you, newbie, and I wish you well. I can’t give you as detailed a response as you might get from others, but I can tell you that the low calories plus low carbs brought my HBA1c down quite a bit (7.5 to 6.0) and I’m hoping to even get it below that.

Sunshine, my heart goes out to you and your husband at having to say goodbye to your dear kitty. Having been in that position several times, I understand so well that empty broken-hearted feeling. Sounds like it was definitely time, though.

Wendy, please don’t feel discouraged, as 1000 is still very low. Bear in mind that even with having lost 40 pounds now in the last 4 months (since mid-October), it’s largely because I have SO MUCH to lose — still have 130-140 pounds to go.

Tulip, sounds like things are going well with the program, in spite of you having to cater to so many family members’ tastes, so great job! One of the other forum boards (the 2026- We’ve Got This! one) has several people who just started the online program together about a week ago, so might be fun for you to check in there (but stay here, too, of course!)

Have a good weekend, everyone, and I wish you all the best. –Becca

thanks for help!

Thank you, Ive spent my evening reading all your posts from the beginning of the year and trying to take everything in. I need to learn and know what im dealing with so want to absorb all the advice you have to give, currently watching MM “Eat, Fast and live longer” as mentioned, ive watched a few other health programs aired this year which were good.
I’ll cut back on the finger pricks and just do first thing and bed time – that will save my fingers.
I’m currently on 500mg metformin 3 times per day, they wanted me to go to 4 tablets but after my 3 week review they had seen improvement in my BS levels that I didnt need to up it, and I told them I was starting the 800 diet so seemed ok about it, HBA1C blood test beginning of March so trying to make as much progress as I can, I know its all steady pace, but just want to prove to them I can reduce my BS level with diet.
So pleased to have finally found some support with like minded people all who want to live healthy lives and improve their health with eating the right foods

Hi all, I am still around but been a bad couple of days. Yesterday we were without electricity from 10pm the night before to around 8pm yesterday. Surprised at how boring it is after reading, playing cards, getting on to mobile data on my phone, visit from neighbour and made her a hot drink then gave her a thermos with boiling water for more drinks. She brought it back an hour later and I tried to explain the water would stay hot all day. Anyway, we are back on now but intermittent on and off, hubby just cooked dinner by candlelight and managed 20 mins to put his chips in the air fryer. This is why we insisted on a gas hob, can cook soup, boil a kettle etc.

Worst of all, we took our oldest cat to be put down this afternoon and it is a very sad time, especially for my husband as she was always his cat. It had to be done, dementia type symptoms, wandering around the house lost, crying all through the night not to mention the mess she was leaving behind her (poop and pee and vomit). It was time.

I will come back on tomorrow – electricity allowing – and answer any questions and give a greeting to Newbie 2026. Yes, stop testing so often and let me know what meds if you any are on so I can tailor my advice.

See you all tomorrow.

Just one for me…. eyesight is feeling really good!

Newbie …. first thing I can say to you is ‘relax’!
Please don’t drive yourself mad testing 4 times a day unless you are using insulin and if you are I’m sure sunshine-girl will jump in here.
Finger pricks at best are a ‘rough’ guide. Maybe first thing in the morning before you eat? They really are a very rough guide and you should take them as that. You will work out what your own rough average is. If mine first thing is in the fives fine, in the sixes I need to be careful, in the 7’s cut way back! You will get to know how your own body reacts to food.
Don’t worry too much about fibre now just concentrate on one marker at a time.

Thank you Verano for your response, im managing to keep my carbs to under 50g per day, I was never really a fan of bread, potatoes rice or pasta before all this so I don’t feel im missing them which is good. I know everyone is different, but can anyone tell me what my bsl should be approx, I still test 4 times a day although the nurse did say I could reduce to 2 (fasting and bedtime), I just need to know if im going the right way and doing the right thing. Im struggling with getting enough fiber into my day whilst still on 800 calories, how does everyone else do it? Ive got the list of fiber rich food which is helpful, but what do people eat in an average day? Im sorry for the stupid questions, im just at a loss

S-g hope you’re well?

Thanks for your good wishes Becca and Margaret. Promise I’m not missing one ‘drop’. My telephone stop watch has never been so well used!

Well done Becca and Tulip keep on keeping on…….

Welcome Newbie2026 and well done on your great loss so far. Yes this way of eating can be quite confusing at first. Can I just mention that weight loss per se is not the secret to keeping blood sugar in the normal range but rather carbohydrates. You may have heard of TOFI’s ‘thin on the outside fat on the inside’, being thin isn’t the secret to not being diabetic. Carbohydrates are the real secret. If you were to check your daily carbohydrate intake of your old ‘normal’ diet you were probably eating in excess of 300g a day plus even without ‘junk’ food. A sandwich, a packet of crisps and an apple could easily be over 125g and that’s just one meal! Just track your carbs with your diet at the moment and then try to stay around 50g or less if you aren’t already. That doesn’t mean you can’t have an apple, roughly 19g of carbs, or even the odd high carb ‘treat’ but try to average your carbs out over the week. Most people try to stay between 20-40g a day but you will find your own sweet spot to keep your blood sugar in the ‘normal’ range without medication.
I’ve been medication free since 2017 and my HbA1c has been within the normal range ever since. I’m not as strict now but I don’t eat cereals, bread, potatoes, rice or pasta apart from on a really odd occasion and that seems to work for me. Good luck and as Ben Bikman says…”… Control the Carbs, Prioritise Protein and Fill up with Fat and Fibre ( don’t fear fat)!

Hi Margaret, thank you:-)
Sounds like you are sticking to plan really well- and 1000 cals not much more than 800? But I appreciate the finer details make more of a difference to some more than others, and at different stages of the WOE etc. I know I could go faster with dropping cals a bit more (and am working on it too!), but if I continue to gradually and fairly consistently go downwards I’m quite happy. I’m thankful I can exercise fairly often as well at the moment so that is helping too.
🙂 🙂

Sorry me again, does everyone hit their fiber target daily? 800 calories doesn’t seem a lot when you have to get a lot of fiber in, I think my foods are all a bit wrong 😅

Wow Becca & Tulip1 very well done to you both losing weight so well. Sadly I have still not been able to stick strictly to 800 daily calories averaging 1000 but am still trying to do so and still doing TRE eating lunch at 1-0pm & then not after 7-0pm. The sun has been shining a little in the last two days but the grey rainy days have been getting me down 🙁. As the days get brighter I know that I will be able to get back on track 🤞
Welcome Newbie2026 and you have been doing so well losing two stone & starting the BSD. Have you bought Michael Mosleys Blood Sugar Diet book? he explains very well the whole reasons for eating low carb & the positive effect on our bodies 👍😀
Keep on going everyone 👏👏
Margaret xx

Thank you DCT, very helpful information, I shall make them my go to and alter my fitness pal accordingly so I can aim to hit the targets every day, very much hoping these forums will keep me on the right path and motivate me to carry on, you all seem so supportive of everyone’s achievements 😀

Hello everyone
Some great scores on the doors this week! It’s great to see that we have all got off to a great start for 2026. What a result for you Sue- I’m so happy for you. Dawn I am sure you’ll see some progress when you weigh on Monday. I have weighed myself and this morning I am 157 lb. 3lb more off! Woo hoo! So far since January I have lost 8.5 lb. I started off at 165.5 lb so I’m happy to be in the 150s! My plan was to lose 5lb by the end of February. I’ve found it quite challenging to stick to 800 calories but not found it difficult to skip breakfast. I had felt hungry so I think I probably need to eat a bit more salad or veg with my meals. My difficult time is evenings when I dream of having a packet of crisps and a G&T!! It’s psychological of course and I have admitted to being a crispoholic. I will have sparkling water with lemon. There will be no crisps passing my lips. I reckon my body wouldn’t even like them after such clean eating. I am going to be rigid with this WOE for the 12 week plan because it’s working and I’m determined to stay strong. It’s great to have support from my friends on this thread and it’s exciting to feel positive too. I’ve not felt so positive about weight loss for quite some time because nothing seemed to be happening! I obviously have to go quite low in calories to lose weight!
Looking forward to more scores coming in. Looking forward to warmer spring weather- winter has been difficult this year
My plan for the coming week is to start some exercise and I aim to lose 1lb a week until I reach my goal of 144lb. I know things will slow down and I am not going to let that scupper my plan. My hands are definitely less puffy.
Have a good week everyone. We’ve got this!

SUE what amazing results. Well done! Hope everyone else is doing ok too.

Just a quick welcome and response to NEWBIE26. You’ve done really well to lose 12lb since the beginning of January. That’s fantastic! As you say, with losing 2 stones last year there’s not far to go now. And your BMI is so nearly in the normal range too.

I think on the 800 cals per day you should aim for 50g carbs, and then protein at a ratio of 1 gram per 2.2lb of your body weight. I think healthy fats is around 30-40g : can anyone confirm/correct this?

As regards fibre, I took a look on the Fast 800 site. They recommend at least 30g of fibre every day, and there is a long list of fibre-rich foods which I will add at the end of this post. Hope that helps!

Best wishes, DCT

Fruits
Blackberries – 6.1g per 100g
Raspberries – 5.6g per 100g
Pears – 3.6g per 100g
Avocado – 3g per 100g
Strawberries – 2.5g per 100g
Apples – 2.3g per 100g

Vegetables
Cooked Celeriac – 5.5g per 100g
Brussels sprouts – 4.5g per 100g
Spinach – 4.1g per 100g
Carrots – 4g per 100g
Broccoli – 3.7g per 100g
Cooked Pumpkin – 3.4g per 100g
Cooked Jerusalem artichoke – 3.2g per 100g
Kale – 2.7g per 100g
Asparagus – 2.5g per 100g
Cabbage – 2.4g per 100g

Legumes
Kidney Beans – 6.5g per 100g
Cannellini Beans – 6.4g per 100g
Lentils – 5.2g per 100g
Edamame – 4.8g per 100g
Chickpeas – 4.7g per 100g

Grains
Raw Whole Rolled Oats – 9.7g per 100g
Cooked Quinoa – 3g per 100g
Steamed Brown Rice – 1.5g per 100g

Nuts and Seeds
Chia Seeds – 34.4g per 100g
Pumpkin Seeds – 10.5g per 100g
Sunflower Seeds – 10.5g per 100g
Sesame Seeds – 10.1g per 100g
Pistachio – 9g per 100g
Almonds – 7.4g per 100g
Walnuts – 6.4g per 100g

Other
Dark chocolate (85% cocoa) – 0.5g per 30g serve (depending on brand)
Air-popped popcorn – 3.2g per 20g serve

Crikey! I didnt get notified,so Ive missed loads of posts.
Looks like we have some great losers ( in the nicest possible sense! ) this month. It really does look like this is going to be our year! 🥳
Keep it up kiddoes! Progress not Perfection is a good mantra to bear in mind!
❤️💜💙🧡🩵💚 Happy weekend and a very happy Valentines/ Galentines tomorrow! ❤️💜💙🧡🩵💚
DCT a trip to New York!? How wonderful! Its somewhere Ive always wanted to go,I might have to jump into your suitcase! Xx

Morning all, so I’m new to here and to diabetes, I was diagnosed NYE 2025, a complete shock to the system to be honest. Ive been trying the 800 BSD for the last 3 weeks, but events keep getting in the way, i have lost 12lb since the beginning of Jan, with a bmi of 25.1, i lost 2 stone last year so nearly 3 stone down with surely not much left to lose I don’t think 😆. Just a quick question, how does everyone get enough fiber in per day, I have veggies and fruit every meal but still not eating enough. Can anyone advise how many grams of protein, fats, fiber and carbs we should have daily on the 800cals, thank you

Sue that’s a brilliant loss since Monday, well done. It’s helpful to see the response you got from the Fast800 team regarding calories. I have had a couple of days this week when I’ve gone totally off plan but there is hopefully still plenty of time to get back on track before I weigh myself on Monday. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Dawn X

I reached out to the Fast 800 team to ask about calories and they sent a really helpful response –
It was along the lines of – The Very Fast 800 approach is designed to provide you with the best nutrient ratios within an 800 to 1000 calorie range.
Because the plan uses real food it is difficult to get an exact 800 calorie count, but having calories in that range averages out over a week. An extra 50 or 100 calories here or there doesn’t usually hinder progress.
So my main takeaways from this and the article I read yesterday is I’m going to keep my calories around 900 at most, and importantly not snack!
Today is Day 5 for me and I’m feeling great. I’ve been doing the exercise routines, incorporated HIIT into my morning walk – and best of all have shed 2.6kg since Monday 🙂

Hey everyone, so I’m new to this, diagnosed NYE 2025 by pure fluke no symptoms no nothing. I feel like I’ve kind off been left to research and get on with life, been told to take medication as that was the easiest thing for the GP, however I’m wanting to reverse my T2 diagnosis. I started the 800 calorie BSD officially 3 weeks ago but had dropped my calories down since the beginning of the year, having lost 10lb so far, but already losing 2 stone from last year, so approaching the 3 stone mark, I’ve lost a lot of my visceral fat which is great, but how much more should I be looking to lose, my BS levels are still a little over the place, I haven’t been told what I should be aiming for, its all a bit hit and miss. I saw some of the forums you guys are on and you sound friendly so just thought I’d message on here as I’m a bit lost with it all. I run 3 times a week with a long distance run at weekends, and im still trying to keep to the 800 calories, just want opinions if im doing it right, sorry for the waffle, mmmm waffles 🧇 😅, anyway TIA 😊

Becca, that’s fab! 🙂
And everyone else keeping on keeping on…SG, you are an inspiration in perseverance.
I’m very happy….feeling good on the Fast 800, weight loss has slowed, but then I am eating over 800 cals as a rule, but the nutritious marvellousness of the food is making me feel great.
Also, I’ve lost a total 8lbs and 2″ off my waist in 5 weeks since I started, so I’m happy with progress 🙂 🙂
Plan- Just under 2 and a half stone to be comfortably into top of normal BMI for my height.

xxx

.

February 12 today, and I am happily down 6 pounds since February 1. I do some 800 days and some higher calorie days. The up-and-down seems to help keep things moving. Staying very low carb, too.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Becca

Thanks, its very useful even for me!

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CATHY it sounds as if you are doing really well and I hope that today is easier for you. But if you are struggling why not consider changing plans sooner rather than later. Perhaps to a three meals a day one or a less intensive one? I.m doing the 5:2 plan so there are two days at 800 calories and the rest are higher, around 1400-1500, but still with low carb count. So far I’ve found it easy and haven’t felt hungry – but bear in mind you’re a week ahead of me! And I’ve lost a couple of pounds which is great.

Whatever option you choose, we’re all cheering you on and wishing you well. You CAN do this!

Hello to everyone else too, especially those who have not posted for a while. Hope you’re doing ok, particularly two of our newer posters PATSNOTCARB and FIGHTINGT2. Do drop in and say hello if you get a chance.

HEIDI if you see this just want to say we’re thinking of you and hope you are getting through this X

CATHY – please ignore my advice/opinion about snacking!
I’ve just been reading some of the FAQs in the app and snacking is NOT recommended as it can increase insulin levels and also increase hunger!
Instead they advise adding more low calorie, non starchy vegetables to meals to prevent hunger.
If you search ‘snacking’ on the FAQ page you should be able to read the answer in full 🙂
Thankfully I haven’t needed to snack at all today (not even on a couple of almonds lol), it’s day 4 for me and I’ve only been hungry on 2 of those days, but I’m definitely going to start adding more veg in to prevent this.

It’s exciting to read about the group of you doing the online plan together! I considered joining, but actually did the trial about a year ago and remembered that the recipes seemed to require quite a few ingredients and perhaps a fair bit of prep time, and at the time I opted out and decided I’d rather just work out a more simple way to eat, with fewer groceries to buy and ability to buy according to what’s on sale, since I live alone and am on quite a tight budget. Still working toward that end! I also am trying to learn to listen to my body, have a little snack if I need one, and maybe alternate a bit between the low calorie days and some that are slightly higher. Am convinced that moving calories up and down a bit is helpful in keeping things moving. Weight loss is progressing — down 5.4 pounds so far in February, and very pleased with that. Also staying very low carb, which helps some with the cravings.

I’ve been using liquid pure allulose sweetener in my coffee and tea that I got off Amazon. Tastes very nice. The label says 12 gm carb, but have read on several medical sites that they aren’t actually carbs that the body can digest, so net effect is zero, and supposedly it even has some potential benefit for diabetics and those trying to lose weight. “Studies suggest it may help reduce fat storage in the liver, reduce abdominal fat, and increase GLP-1 (appetite control).”

Will be checking back to read about everyone’s experiences! Best of luck to all. –Becca