Hi all, weight today is an 8llb loss which is not great as I have been around 7lbs for ages but it is around 1lb per week since I started on 5th Jan. Seems unfair when you lose 3lbs in week one then none and then the odd one. But then you have a quiz night then a birthday so life goes on. Still a good average. 3 weeks to go so should reach 10lbs.

Margaret, these were not skinny jeans, they were the new fashion of wide legs and for me they were just baggy. I will be shopping for slim fit in the next week. We will be taking the car in for service in a couple of weeks and the garage is slap bang in the middle of the shopping strip just outside Bergerac so will have an excuse to spend a couple of hours in all the shops.

Hope you are all doing well and keeping on keeping on…

Very well done S-G on your weight loss & going shopping for new jeans especially slim legged ones 👏👏 I am pear shaped so do buy the wide legged ones 😂
Tulip I live in West Sussex & it took us seven hours to drive up to Yorkshire including a stop for some lunch. The weather was mostly kind with staying dry & a little rain. It is always awful driving on the M25 around Heathrow & I think smart motorways are really dangerous with not enough safe stopping places if you break down 🙁
I forgot to weigh this morning after our away weekend where rubbish food carby food was only available so getting back to more nutritious low carb eating now! I will weigh tomorrow to see what my weight gain will be 🙀
Margaret xx

Hi Sue, I’m pleased your IBS symptoms have reduced since starting the programme. I’ve been taking an optibac capsule daily for about a year and I think it probably has helped a bit but not as much as how I’ve been eating these last few weeks has. I’ve also just realised I’ve stopped getting heartburn which I was getting almost daily before I started the programme , not sure why it’s taken me until now to notice I haven’t had it for weeks! Well done for getting so much walking in., I am going to start trying to walk more over the next few weeks. I didn’t do any of the programmes daily exercises last week but started them again today.
Dawn X

Dawn – I have IBS too with the same symptoms you have described – luckily I know my “trigger” foods so it’s usually manageable without medication, although I always carry it on me in case it flares up while I’m out. I’ve found a daily probiotic capsule seems to help. I’ve had a huge reduction in symptoms though since starting the Fast 800 program, it’s nice to feel ‘normal’!

Cathy – in the past I’ve found Magnesium helps (I found out accidentally when taking magnesium for leg cramps!) so that may be worth a try if the fibrogel doesn’t help.
The walking pad sounds good, and a convenient all weather option 🙂
I was out in Sydney with my family on Saturday, it was very hot, about 34 degrees, but I still managed to walk almost 13k steps. It helped counteract the off-plan lunch I had!
I’m back on track today though – have walked 11k steps, completed the week 3 day 1 exercise routine and had 3 tasty meals – Quinoa porridge, Tuna salad and the beef tacos (in lettuce leaves) I enjoyed those as I was able to serve them to my family as well, they had regular soft taco wraps instead. I wasn’t keen on the Quinoa porridge to be honest , I added a small amount of cream and a tiny dash of pure maple syrup which helped! I didn’t want to waste it after going to the trouble of making it.
Hope everyone else is having a good Monday, and I’m glad you got to enjoy a bit of sunshine in the UK – thankfully it was overcast for most of the day here, and a little cooler, although still very humid. I’m counting down the days till the end of Summer now… Autumn is so much nicer 🙂

Hi everyone,
Cathy I hope the fibogel works, I have IBS which usually gives me the opposite problem, following the food plan has reduced the amount of trips to the bathroom to probably what is considered ‘normal’ but I can imagine that I would be struggling too if I hadn’t been too much the other way in the first place if you know what I mean! I’m pleased you’ve been on your walking pad and hopefully the dizziness will cease once you are used to using it. Yes the Baked Oats with Pear and Walnut recipe is definitely not very low carb and, because I used whole milk instead of almond (as I didn’t have any in)was also pretty high in calories(I had to adjust my lunch to a half portion to make up for it!) but it’s definitely one worth a try once you’re off the Keto 800. I look forward to having it in maintenance with maybe some Greek yoghurt and berries every so often.
I’ve weighed myself this morning and have lost a pound (not much in two weeks but I think I had probably gained at some stage during those two weeks so am happy to have lost at all) my waist is another inch down though and that has got it to under 40 inches for the first time in a good while I think so I’m over the moon about that😀
I hope everyone has a good day, it’s been sunny here in Newcastle this morning but is extremely windy🌬️ Dawn X

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Hope everyone has had a good weekend. Sorry if it’s too much information but I’ve been struggling with constipation since doing the keto 800. I’ve never had this problem before. Maybe because I’m not eating a lot of food. I have upped my water and ordered some Fybogel. It’s strange because the food is really healthy with lots of veg. I added some flax seeds today to my yoghurt . Anyway, apart from that I am following the plan 100%. I had mushroom stroganoff tonight with broccoli and cauliflower and sugar snap peas and it was delicious . I don’t feel very hungry this week and I think it’s because I am now in ketosis and burning fat. I have been craving an apple! I can’t have one til I’m off the keto diet. Made some kale crisps last night and they were lovely and crispy. I had a 20 minute walk on my walking pad yesterday – it’s felt different to walking outside and I did feel a bit dizzy when I got off but it could be adjusting to the motion. Because the sky was blue today I went out for a proper walk and it was so lovely. It’s been a dark grey and wet winter.
Dawn, your breakfast sounded so lovely. I looked it up but it’s not keto friendly so I’ll look forward to that when I’m on a different plan. I’ve been printing off some of my favourite recipes and keeping them in a folder. Such a lot of lovely food.
Have a good week everyone. I am hoping for a 1lb loss on Friday. It feels good to be back in the 150s and creeping towards the 140s.
Hope everyone saw a bit of blue sky today- it definitely makes us feel a lot better.

Hi all, seems I have been absent for 5 days. Weight is dropping so I am BACK to the 7.5lbs loss and still aiming for 10lbs or more before we go away on 19th March. Doctors on 16th so need to be better than last time at 74kgs and need BG down below 7.0.

Bought 2 pairs of jeans and spent 2 afternoons altering the length. I did try them on in the store but only to see if they would button up, really long so they looked baggy. Tried on again after altering and I have never seen such rag bags, backside hanging out, too big on legs. They have gone straight in the charity bag. 2nd pair just a bit different but fit better around the rear end and upper legs. Never done that before, bought something and then thrown it away although I do have a couple of dresses that I have never managed to get into. I think it is the new fashionable style of baggy jeans. I will stick to my skinny legs. Much more flattering.

Everything is fine here, rain has stopped and we avoided being flooded, we live next to the river Dordorgne. We have temperatures of between 18 and 21 now for the next couple of weeks so it will all dry up. Might be able to get out into the garden before we go away.

No more news so have a good weekend.

Reported the 2 Australian Student posts on another thread so you dont have to.

Just popping on to say I think I had my nicest breakfast yet this morning from the online food plan, oven baked oats with pears and walnuts. It reminded me a bit of a bread and butter pudding! Dawn X

Hi everyone,
I’ve just been catching up on posts, Sunny hope you have a lovely holiday. Heidi, I’m thinking of you and sending hugs. Sue that’s a great loss this year so far! Cathy congratulations on your loss and I hope you enjoy the walking pad. DCT I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the meals on the online plan and well done on the weight loss so far. I feel as if I’ve just got back properly onto it in the last few days so haven’t lost any more weight since my first week but, hopefully, will have done by next Monday’s weight in. I’m also really enjoying the meal ideas, I do swaps too to ensure the meals mainly include ingredients I know I like, I had cinnamon cooked apples with yoghurt and chopped walnuts (I’m not usually keen on walnuts but these were toasted a bit and went really well with the apples) this morning and it was lovely. It’s one I will definitely add to the My Fitness Pal app when I’ve completed my twelve weeks. Like you, I realise that, for me, this is a long term thing, once I’m down to my goal weight I will need to continue to meal plan as much as I can if I want to keep the weight off. It’s great that the online plan is giving me new ideas which will hopefully ensure that I will have a big catalogue of recipes which I know I like and plenty which the family can also enjoy. The free month maintenance at the end of the twelve weeks will be interesting and at the end of that I will decide whether it will be worth the £12 per month to continue with it.
Yowzer, I hope you’re keeping well and it’s lovely to see a quote😀
Dawn X

Well done DCT on your incredible weight loss pre New York. I have a good feeling that you will achieve 150 next Friday. I think most of us who have struggled for the last few years have realised that this is it now. We can’t keep struggling. We have all learnt the hard way that losing and gaining is difficulty. Let’s get to goal and learn how to maintain long term.
This morning I am 155.6 lb and I started at 166.4lb. I am 1.4 lb down this week and I am really pleased with that. It hasn’t felt too difficult this week. I had 3 apple and cinnamon muffins for my lunch again yesterday! Very indulgent but totally keto.
My walking pad has arrived this morning so I’ll look forward to opening it and seeing if it is something I’ll enjoy. I have to be mindful of my toes but I’ll make sure I’m wearing my glideride trainers which have been an enormous help. I’m talking to the orthopaedic surgeon next week and will be hoping to avoid surgery. I can’t wear nice shoes but the trainers are great. I have oofos sandals for the planter fasciitis which I wear in the house and that is also under control.
Hope everyone else is well – sending Heidi love at this difficult time.
Yowser – please keep posting your wonderful and uplifting thoughts – they’re lovely to read and inspire.
Have a good week everyone…. Here we go again!

HEIDI lovely to hear from you. No pressure to post, but I hope you know that we’re all thinking of you and are here for you in whatever small way we can be X

Great to catch up with all other recent posts too. NEWBIE it can be confusing! What started out as the plain and simple BSD has now multiplied into so many different variants. But basically they all have in common the two principles of creating a calorie deficit and keeping carbs low, so that the body needs to burn fat stores for energy rather than just relying on carbs. It sounds like you are doing really well, so don’t get hung up on definitions, just do what works for you!

SUE and CATHY, I agree about the meal plans on the paid programme. I’m loving them. One of the reasons is that you just don’t have to think any more about what meals to make : it’s all there for you. And I use the Swap facility a lot to make sure that there are meals I like the sound of and also will use up ingredients. BECCA I remember you saying that buying all the ingredients for the recipes can be expensive and I agree that can be true. But what I’m finding very quickly is that some ingredients can easily be replaced by other similar things, and some end up just being for garnish or topping anyway so not strictly necessary. So I’m learning to adapt as I go to cut costs and reduce food waste. But it’s definitely working for me. I’m delighted to weigh in at 151.6 this morning, which is almost 5lb down since I started the plan 2 weeks ago. I’m not saying the plan is essential, not at all. In fact I probably wouldn’t have considered it had it not been mentioned on here and at such a good offer. I just think for me, I’d got into a bit of a rut and was losing my way in terms of the WoE. So it’s helped to give me the big kick up the backside I needed. My original aim had been to get to 152lb before going to New York and I’m now daring to hope I might just be able to hit 150lb (though I know not to count my chickens!!!). Will report back next Friday . . . .

Talking of the plan, DAWN how are you doing? Thank you so much for mentioning it and I hope this week has gone a bit better for you.

MARIET I think you’re right in that weight management is a long-term thing. I hate saying that, as I have this ideal dream that once I get to a weight I’m happy with everything will be fine. Which I have before, and it was for a while, but as the years have gone by I’ve just slipped into bad habits and it’s started to come back. But right now I don’t mind that it’s a long term thing as I’m feeling well and positive, and enjoying lower carb/cal meals. Once I reach maintenance stage I’m just going to be more mindful of not overdoing eating and drinking too regularly so I don’t end up in this situation again.

YOWZER thanks for your inspiration as always, and I do hope things are looking up for you? SUNNY have a great holiday!

ARCTICFOX how are you doing? And I hope our other newbies – PATSNOTCARB and FIGHTINGT2 – are still hanging in there?

Hope you all have a restful weekend X

Hi Margaret…where in the country are you living? i.e. how long is the drive up to Yorkshire? I’m in Wiltshire so it’d be quite a trek for me! xx

Hello everyone & my husband & I are driving up to Yorkshire today for the my husband’s cousins 80th birthday gathering tomorrow. Our youngest son is also coming & we will meet up at a service station on the way for lunch. I will weigh when we get back on Monday to see what the weekend effect has been 🤔. I must admit that I’m not looking forward to the drive because of the rain, wind & heavy traffic & we will take our time on route.
I hope you all have a good weekend & my plan to lose lots of weight after Christmas has not been very successful 🙁Oh well I’m sure that I will feel more focused & motivated when the weather improves & hopefully more sunshine will appear🤞🤞
Margaret xx

Enjoy your holiday Sunny, I’ve only been to Turkiye once, a long time ago but it was fascinating.
Sure Blue congratulations on your wonderful results! Young and Cathy are inspiring, the way you just don’t give up no matter what life throws at you.
Today is Friday 20th Feb, my 9th BSD anniversary. I remember saying to myself when I hit my goal weight eight years ago, I’m never going to let this happen again. And here I am.
Still, 9 years ago I weighed 86kg at 158cm and now I am 68.8 (and only 156cm 😳) so not as bad as it could be but for me it is I think a life long… struggle? Concern? Something I must always be aware of in any event.
Heidi, I can’t imagine the difficult time you’re going through at the moment. So hard to lose beloved family at any time but to lose them so close together is cruel. I hope peace comes to you soon.

A quick weight update for me too, as it’s Friday and my regular weigh in day, another 600g down, I’m sure it would have been more if I hadn’t gone off plan on the weekend, and on the 36 degree day this week – but still happy as I’ve now shed 4.9kg, or 10.8lb since the beginning of January 🙂

Newbie – BSD and Fast800 are not the same as such, but share the same principles. So the Blood Sugar Diet books were published around 2015-2016 from memory, then Fast800 came out a few years later, and the Fast800 Keto after that.
All of the books have variations of the diet – you can do 12 weeks of 800 calories, or 5:2 or more or a way of life approach, which is slower and also used for maintenance. The books explain the science behind the diets really well, as well as the various approaches.
I started with BSD in 2017 and lost about 11kg from memory, over about a year – I took a flexible approach rather than sticking to 800 cals. I sort of maintained the loss for a few years but then during the first COVID lockdown I gained weight, so made a more determined effort in 2021/22 and lost the gains plus more, so around 17kg from when first starting BSD. I sort of maintained over the next year then went up and down quite a bit, which is why I’m now doing the online plan. I’m 60 now and really don’t want to be keep having to lose weight going forward, so my aim is to get down to my goal weight this year, then stay there by weighing myself weekly & measuring monthly to reverse any gains.

Heidi – thinking of you and sending much love – take care of yourself, I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it is right now xx

Hope you arrived safely Sunny.

Positives are a bit difficult at the moment but I think that’s because of the miserable weather. Anyway here goes ….

🫒🫑🌶️ Doing really well with my 30+ a week. I’ve been logging now for five weeks and am finding I make the 30+ but I do have to think about it and make sure I add in the odd new vegetable here and there.

👁️👁️ ‘New’ eye is doing really well. Now just wearing a lense in the other eye.

☀️☀️ Some sunshine today and my daffodils are almost in bloom. So looking forward to spring.

Just popping in to say ‘Hello’ . I’m still here just plodding along.
This week I have started my meditation again and am finding it really grounding. Hopefully this week will see some real loss rather than my yo-yo pattern of the moment.
We will see.
Wishing everyone well with their goals

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Sue and Yowzer thank you both for the explanations, so BSD800 and fast800 are the same thing? I’d seen people talking about TRE and wondered what it meant, now I know. OK so I will stick to the BSD800 for 8-12 weeks then switch to one of the other ones, I’ve read you try and consume 3/4s of the calories recommended on non fasting days but that to me seems like quite a lot, well I’m nowhere near there yet so will worry about that at a later date.
Heidi, I’m so sorry to hear about your father and your husband, thinking of you and sending you healing wishes xx

Just sending a wave and cheering you all on. Thanks for the call out DCT, I am still on the sidelines, but finding it impossible to focus on anything at the moment. Six weeks since my husband’s death and 100 days since my father’s death. A very tough time. But I am trying to eat sensibly and that’s probably the best I can do at the moment! Wishing you all lots of health and success. xx

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!