Newbie – my understanding of the fasting in Fast 800 or Blood Sugar Diet is that the days you keep to 800/900 calories are regarded as ‘fasting days’. There are different versions within that, so 5:2 for example is 5 days of higher calories and then 2 x 800 calorie days which are the fasting days. You also have the option of keeping to 800-900 calories every day for 12 weeks, so every day is a ‘fast day’ then you transition to a higher calorie
Intake.
Then there’s TRE or Time Restricted Eating which can be part of all this where you eat your calories in a specific time window and then Fast (no eating at all) for the remaining time. So a 16:8 fast is where you eat your calorie allowance in 8 hours and then you fast for 16 hours, so if you are on the 800/900 calorie allowance you are essentially fasting within your fast 🙂 The books explain it in a far more technical manner, but that’s my understanding of it all! I used to find 10:14 days suited me, so eat within a 10 hour window and then nothing (except water, black coffee or tea) for the next 14 hours – which as it was overnight was easy to do, I’d just have my dinner earlier and have my breakfast a bit later than usual.
With the recipes I’ve mentioned, they are from the Fast 800 app, but many of them are based on recipes from the various books (Fast 800, Fast 800 keto etc), and you can also find many of them online by just Googling “fast 800 recipes”, there used to be quite a few on the Fast 800 website that you could access.

Yowzer – lovely to hear from you and I always enjoy your positive quotes 🙂

Hi NEWBIE! Fast 800.. its a long time since i read the book or followed the diet but if I remember rightly,there was no element of fasting in it..it was just a very restricted diet for a period of time..maybe 8 weeks? Though I did it for much longer. If you wanted to do it as a fast day some days you could do for example,16:8 ..16 hours fast,eat 800 cals in your 8 hour eating window.
Your body gets time to rest when not digesting,or gets on with other necessary tasks like repairs.
I might be wrong but think the word fast in the title is a little misleading..I think it just refers to losing some weight fast for a while before settling into a routine where you are watching your protein and fat intake while keeping the carbs on the downlow.
Oh chinese food! I love it! Yummers! My favourite cuisine 🩷XX

Have a lovely holiday SunnyB.
Cathy sounds like you are focussed and on it with the Fast800, sounds good to be able to switch recipes around and still allow yourself treats of yoghurt to top up your calorie total. The kale crisps sound lovely and easy to make so another recipe I shall be trying out. You’ve got good will power Cathy I’m not sure I can cut crisps out completely, I’m having less “needs” for things and getting used to not having them, but not sure I can do that for crisps just yet.
SueBlue thank you, I think I know the popodums you mean, I may get some to go in the retired treat cupboard. I love pork scratchings and were pleased to hear I could still have them, although in moderation. The recipes you speak of are they on the fast800 plan or in a book?
Yowzer49 I love that quote, I may have to borrow it 😄. Is the fast 800 diet as it sounds, 800 calories but you only have them within certain hours of the day so you fast the rest? Is that more successful than normal BSD800?

My friends went out last night to celebrate Chinese New Year and I declined to go, but they sent me pictures of all their yummy food (at my request as I’m such a foodie), but I think it was a bad idea as it made me miss Chinese food even more 🥲, I’m hoping I will be able to go out and celebrate it at a later date and just be careful with what I order.
Hope everyone is having a good day, either in the sunshine or the cold x

Hi gang! And a very big welcome to NEWBIE! XX
And CCATHY youre doing so well,and you deserve to,you never give up despite some hard times youve been through healthwise xx
Good to read that so many here doing well on Fast 800. I kept to it for many weeks back in 2016 but I dont think I ‘m made of such stern stuff these days.
I cant find my fast 800 book,but Im getting my fast 800 Keto book out to have a look through..one cheering thing i remember from the last time i read it was MM says,dont count the carbs on any green veg.
Which helps,one less thing to worry about!
unless I just dreamt that😄…will check in book.
Spring will soon be here for many of us..I love this Lady Bird Johnson quote…
~ 🌸🌸⭐️🌸🌸⭐️ “ Where flowers bloom,so does hope “ 🌸🌸⭐️🌸🌸⭐️ ~ xxxxx

Hello everyone
The crispy kale was really nice. Will definitely make again . I followed a BBC recipe.200 g Kale, 1tsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 120 degree fan. Toss the kale in the olive oil with a pinch or salt then transfer to baking trays. Bake for 15 mins and the shake the tray and then return to oven for 10- 15 minutes.
Today I’ve had apple and cinnamon keto muffins for my lunch and they were really yummy. Tonight I’m having sag paneer. I am eating so much lovely food.
This is strange because I actually feel really guilty for having the Apple and cinnamon muffins even though they’re part of today’s menu plan. There is no sugar in them but because they felt like a “treat” I feel bad for eating them. Says a lot about my mindset!
Looking forward to weigh day on Friday but am being realistic and expecting only about 1lb a week from now on.
Thank you Sue for the poppadom suggestion . I’ve not seen them in the shops but I’ll keep a look out for them. To be honest, I am trying to wean myself off “wanting” crisps as I think it would be a good life hack for me. I’ve managed to eradicate biscuits totally from my “needing” and I can easily never eat chocolate. I will still keep nuts in my repertoire but unsalted. These are things I am working on so that when I get to goal I won’t make the same mistakes yet again! I really can’t go through trying to lose 2 stone ever again after this. It’s been a really tough lesson.

Newbie – another crisp alternative is those mini pappadams you can cook in the microwave – I can’t remember the exact calorie/carb count but they are quite low, and used to satisfy my cravings to some degree. Another thing, if you are not vegetarian or anything is pork crackling.
Cathy – you are doing so well! The walking pad sounds good 🙂 I had one some years ago and got into a really good routine where I would complete a 30 or 40 minute workout every day without fail. I had a soundtrack I would listen to, and I knew that when it got to a certain song where I’d be up to time wise! My favourite was St Elmo’s fire as so many of the words were fitting! You could easily incorporate HIIT too – this week I’ve been walking fast for 20 seconds, slow for 40 seconds and repeat another 2 times, so all up only a few minutes of my walk.
I’m REALLY enjoying the meals! Yes it can be a bit of faffing about sometimes, but worth it. Yesterday I made the Chicken satay salad – this would work well with Tofu I’m sure. The sauce is delicious! My husband devoured his in record time and asked for seconds 🙂 I had my serving exactly as the recipe (with spinach leaves and tomato) and I served his on a bed of rice, so it was more of a stir fry meal than a salad (just added more liquid). Anyway, one I’ll definitely make again! Our other favourite is the Halloumi kebabs, so I’ll definitely try the fajitas.
I can recommend the chocolate porridge too – just chia seeds, cacao powder, oats and almond milk. It was really filling for the 180 calories. I made 2 servings so going to try it cold (like a Bircher) in the next few days.
I’m finding it easier to cook extra and repeat some of the meals. I make 4 servings of dinner, I have 1, husband has 1-2 (depending if my daughter is having the same meal or not) and then I keep another serving to use as a quick meal on another day. So tonight I’m having left over spinach and lentil Dahl – glad I’m not having to cook as it’s 36 degrees here!
I wish I could send you all in the UK some of our sunshine and swap it for some cooler weather! I really detest summer here, and am counting down the days to autumn!
Hope everyone is having a good week so far 🙂

* I looked up the nutrition info for the mini pappadams I buy and they are about 30 calories and 4.5g carbs for 10g (the box has 100g in it). This works about to be around 1/2 the calories of crisps and slightly less carbs – plus I think it would be difficult to eat a lot of them, plain pappadams aren’t as more-ish as crisps!

Have a wonderful holiday Sunny. We will all be here to share your journey when you get back in March. Please bring some sunshine back with you. This winter has been relentless.
Newbie- I’m going to make some Kale crisps today so I’ll report back. I’ve made them before and remember them being really nice. Thank you DCT for the Parmesan crisp idea. I’ve never tried them but I’ll give them a try too. Forgot to buy Parmesan today when I went shopping!. My veg fridge compartment and the bottom tray of my fridge is full of vegetables and my shopping bill is definitely cheaper since doing 800 keto. Just a faff weighing everything out and making two different meals each evening but I’m loving following the plan to the letter.
For anyone doing the fast 800 online I sent in a question as I had swapped a couple of recipes on the plan and my total calorie count came to less than 700 for the day and I asked if I could top up with yoghurt and raspberries to make up the difference to 800/900 and the answer was yes. We need to keep our calories to 800/900.
My lunch today is Greek Salad and tonight I am looking forward to trying halloumi fajitas in lettuce wraps. My husband is vegan and doesn’t need to lose weight so we usually have different meals but we do sometimes have combined meals and he gets more and usually rice or chips!
I’m not feeling as hungry this week it’s more of an emotional hunger but I am so strong with willpower when I get going.
Keep going everyone- we’ve got this!

I’ve tried something close to a 1200-calorie low-carb meal plan, and it can work well if done sensibly. The biggest benefit I noticed was better portion control and reduced sugar cravings, especially when meals focused on protein, healthy fats, and vegetables instead of refined carbs. That said, it’s not for everyone—energy levels can dip in the first few days, and planning meals becomes important to avoid nutrient gaps.

What helped me was keeping meals simple (eggs, paneer/chicken, salads, nuts) and staying hydrated. I also tracked my routine online while browsing different platforms during breaks, including sites like https://91clubsapps.com/
, just as a way to stay engaged and relaxed without stressing over food all the time.

Overall, a 1200-calorie low-carb plan can be effective short-term, but I’d recommend listening to your body and not treating it as a one-size-fits-all solution. If anyone has tried it long-term, I’d be curious to hear how it worked out.

Just a quick pop in to report on my result for the past week, which unfortunately is zero … no lose, no gain. Guess I’ll take that as a win, but a bit disappointed not to have made any further headway before our trip.

Anyway we set off today, so I won’t be checking in for a couple of weeks, but wish you all great results I that time. I’ll be back at the beginning of March, to get back to my quest for target weight.

Hi everyone 😊

I’m thinking of trying a 1200-calorie low-carb meal plan and wanted to hear your experiences. Did it work for weight loss or energy? Any tips for staying satisfied?

Here’s the plan I’m looking at:
https://kefirguide.com/proven-1200-low-carb-meal-plan-grocery-list-2026/

Would love your thoughts!

Looking to share and discover delicious low-carb meals that are easy, satisfying, and fit into a 1200-calorie plan.

Thank you Verano for your message, i’m certainly staying clear of all the obvious starchy carbs etc and learning where the hidden ones are and trying to avoid those too. We cook from scratch so not too many UPFs in our house to be consumed so that makes it easier. I now understand what you mean about the finger prick testing, it gives you a reading of the here and now but 2 minutes later it could be different, so I’m happy i’ve reduced it. I do however keep a spreadsheet of my readings and a daily/weekly/monthly average so I can see progress, like you say Sunshine-girl it gives me that motivation to keep going. I’ve watched a couple of Sarah Hallbergs youtube programmes this evening, they are really good and informative thank you, I’ve saved the rest to watch. My Dr was not at all interested in me changing my diet, I told my diabetic nurse I was doing the diet and checked if there was a reason why I shouldn’t, and she couldn’t come up with one, so here I am. Diabetes for Dummies and Diet Doctor are next on the list – thank you both, information is power!!

Thank you Cathy, Dawn and DCT for your messages, I weigh almost daily but hop on the scales quickly then hop off again, my official weigh day is Friday so I take that as the real reading but just like to know if I’m heading in the right direction, it’s silly really.
A walking pad is a good idea as you can easily get the steps in when it’s wet outside or whilst you are watching your favourite tv show, I need to do more strength training but one step at a time, I run 3 times a week and on my feet for work so cardio is sorted. Cathy that will be more than double your goal, well done, you must be really chuffed with that.
Dawn its so easy to continue another “off the wagon” day once you’ve had one, my family seem too good at planning celebrations around food and that derails me alot but I’m trying to stay focused and making better choices and resist the temptations they have to offer. I’ve tried lots of lovely recipes that surprise me with just how tasty they are but also how low in calories, certainly makes me think how much I over ate last year!
DCT thank you so much for the recipe I shall certainly be making those when I have a few calories to spare, maybe a weekend, they sound delicious 😋
Hope everyone has had a good Monday, albeit a wet one in the UK

Thabks for joining in here, V. Yes, we’ve seen that round shiny thing in the sky a couple of times recently too, Verano! Have also noticed that the days are noticeably lengthening, which is so heartening.

Today’s positives for me ….
🌷🌷 the spring flowers are beginning to bloom in my garden … mini daffs, crocus, and mini iris too
🌷🌷 only the last minute things to go into the luggage now
🌷🌷 have been enjoying using my new rebounder for exercise snacking

Hope others will post a positive or two soon.

Sunny looks like you are the stalwart keeping this thread going. Well done!

☀️☀️☀️ Today we had sunshine! In fact we’ve had sunshine at some part of the day for the last three days.

☀️🌤️🌝 Added bonus it’s 4.36pm and still light … yes really … it’s still light and possibly will be until way after 5pm. Less than 10 weeks before the clocks spring forward. More than half way through the short days now.

👫👫👫 Grandson and girlfriend came for lunch. Lovely! But gosh feeling old!!!!!

Happy hols and safe journey Sunny.
Hope everyone has positives and even if you don’t post then at least savour them.

Hi all, not good news on my weight but not bad either, a stuck week.

Newbie2026 I think Verano has explained things very well. I too was put straight onto Metformin and one other drug as my first reading was nearly as high as your at 14. Dr said I must have had undiagnosed diabetes for a very long time to be that high. You say no symptoms and this is often the case. For me I was drinking loads of water and actually enjoying it whereas before I thought it was tasteless, as a result I was peeing more which you think okay one leads to the other. But I had other symptoms like blurred vision and tingling in the lips and fingers. I actually went to the doctor with a list of symptoms and a newspaper cutting and, guess what, he gave me antidepressants. When I move to France I was eating salads daily and swimming every day so when my weight went down I was thrilled. It was only when I signed on with a permanent doctor here in France and he did a full blood range and it came back diabetic.

The finger pricks are a bit hit and miss and depend on so many other factors, like weight, what you ate before testing, hormonal fluctuations, even stress. However, because you are hoping for a big drop it is a good idea to have some indication as to whether or not the diet is working. It will probably give you some motivaton to carry on. The main test will be when doctor does the HbA1c test and he will then regulate your medication. I would just watch out for going too low. You will get some of the symptoms I mentioned like blurred vision, tingling, sweating, anxiety, shaking. If this happens do a quick test and if it is very low have something, even the dreaded orange juice, to bring your BG back up. You can also show your doctor how things have been going but dont overdo it, I am on insulin and test once a day – first thing in the morning before food. Even that can be a bit hit and miss – if you read what I said about the body being fat burning and not burning sugar at the same time, can make your sugars appear higher until the body switches. I only learnt that last week so it is a journey for us all. Please watch Sarah Hallberg, unfortunately she died quite young but the more people watch the YouTube you will help keep it on their listing or it will fade away and that would be a shame.

BTW you are lucky to have a doctor who is okay with you going on this diet. We hope it becomes more accepted but some doctors (including mine) do not agree with it. Dont forget to look at dietdoctor.com and search for visual guide to carbohydrates.

Also, one thing that helped me in the early day was a book called Diabetes For Dummies – giving lots of information in simple terms. Yes, it is in the Dummies series with the black and yellow cover.

All for now, back to being careful and no more messing up at the weekend.

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.
🙂 🙂