Becca I hear you regarding treats! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth usually but sometimes crave sweetness. Last night after dinner I ended up having 3 frozen grapes!
There are some treats in the recipe books. One of my favourites is the Beetroot Chocolate Brownies, from the BSD recipe book I think. I used to make a batch and then freeze them so that I wasn’t tempted to eat more than 1. They are quite rich and satisfying.
The berry chia “jam” recipe in the same book is good as well. I make it when I have left over berries usually, but you can make with frozen ones too. It makes a nice topping for porridge, I used to spoon it over a warm brownie and to me it was (almost) like Black Forest cake, especially with a little bit of whipped cream 🙂
Another sweet treat I used to make was a version of stewed apple – you sauté chunks of apple in butter and cinammon, then when the apple is coated then the heat down and add some water and cook until just soft, but still keeping the chunky shape. I then kept it in the fridge and had it on porridge, or as a “dessert” with yoghurt after a meal.
Other favourites of mine from the BSD recipe book are
– Pecan chia porridge
– Apple and cinnamon porridge
– Roast pumpkin (squash) soup – can’t remember the name but you roast the pumpkin/squash and some red capsicums then make the soup – it’s delicious. I make Haloumi ‘croutons’ to have in it sometime too (just cut into cubes and bake with the capsicum for 10 minutes).
– Red cabbage and beetroot salad

There’s a Beef Rendang recipe, I think it’s in the Fast 800 recipe book that’s really delicious. The vegetarian bolognaise is good too.

I’ll have to dig out my books again as there’s loads more I used to regularly make 🙂

Here is the halloumi fajitas recipe – this is for one portion – 400 calories 25g protein. 12.7 g carbohydrate. 25.9 g fat. Fibre 6.4g
1/4 red onion
1/2 red pepper
1 portobello mushroom sliced
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
25 g plain full fat Greek Yoghurt
1/4 lime zest and juice
80g Halloumi cheese sliced
1/2 baby cos lettuce

Toss the onion peppers mushrooms in the spices with half the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the vegetables. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking mix together the yoghurt! Lime juice and zest with a pinch of salt.
Remove vegetables from pan and heat the remaining olive oil. Add the Halloumi and cook each side for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy.
Return the vegetables to the pan and warm through with the halloumi.
Scoop the mix I to the lettuce leaves , top with lime yoghurt and enjoy.

amazing

Ooops, sorry I got you mixed up, Sunny and Dreams! I’m relieved to hear it, though. Hope your holiday is going pleasantly, Sunny, and hope your holiday will be pleasant when you go, Dreams.

You are right about the need for strictness, Cathy. I had one tiny sweet thing last night, and even with still being under 20 total carbs for the day, my weight was up almost a pound today. Just crazy. I feel torn at times between wanting so much to stay disciplined, but also feeling like life is short (especially now that I’m in my 70s), and a little pleasure is called for, too. I know it just comes down to balance, but that balance means the scale tends to go up and down.

Thanks in advance for the recipe recommendations! I’ll look for the mushroom stroganoff and the haloumi fajitas. Not sure I’ve ever seen haloumi in the stores – but will look for it!

Cheers, everyone! Onward and downward. –Becca

Hello everyone
DCT- I was hoping it was the end of this week that you were travelling to New York . That’s fortunate and hopefully the snow will be gone and the sun will be shining . I’ve enjoyed a few sunny but cold trips to New York. I love it!
Don’t be too annoyed with what has happened this week. This is the teaching we all need to learn. This is the teaching that has got us back here time after time because we don’t learn. We really will have to be so strict and disciplined going forwards. It’s going to be tough. It will be water weight and so it will whoosh away quickly and with a few strict days you’ll be back nearer to 150 again. Enjoy your holiday and when you get back you can continue to chip away. I am planning to allow myself holiday time going forward but the lesson is to get back on track straight away and not get back into this situation ever again ( I lost 42lb and put back 32lb)! Your little lesson is teaching us all DCT. I reckon by Friday you will reach your original target of 152. I think smaller goals are more realistic. Anything more is a bonus and a boost.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
BECCA- I will post some recipe ideas too later. I’ve particularly enjoyed mushroom stroganoff and Halloumi fajita this week. Mine are vegetarian keto but they’re still really yummy!

Hi BECCA and SUNNY. Yes it’s me going to New York but thankfully not till next week. It looks like the snow will be on its way out by then 🤞

I’m a bit grumpy today as a bit of weight has crept back on over the last couple of days. Totally my fault : I went off piste on Sunday with friends round for lunch and then last night at another event. l got down to 150.6lb by Saturday and my original end Feb target had been 152lb : so I boldly changed that to 150lb but am now nearer 154lb. And yes I know it’s most probably water weight (like you BECCA, it comes back on really quickly) but I’m just annoyed!

Anyway, still 4 days to go so let’s see how we go!

BECCA I will trawl through my online recipes and send you a few that I recommend

Hi to everyone else too and hope you’re all doing ok?

SUNNY enjoy the rest of your holiday X

Thanks for the concern Becca, but think it’s DCT who was going to New York, I’m currently in Turkiye where it’s chilly but no snow thankfully. Hopefully DCT is doing okay despite the weather issues in New York.

I’m back next week and so will be back on the thread properly once I have done my weekly weigh in on Tuesday.

Sunny – so sorry that your vacation coincided with a week of record-breaking snow and blizzard conditions in New York. Hope you are able to have some kind of fun, and safe travels home next week. Thinking of you!

I haven’t posted much lately – did well the first two weeks of February, lost 8 pounds, and then gained the 8 pounds back during the 3rd week, due to Valentine’s Day sweets and daughter’s 40th birthday celebration. I didn’t even eat all that much, but eating carbs piles the water weight back on me with frightening speed. Fortunately, I’ve lost them during this last week of February and have even managed to get down to a new low, though not by much.

Best wishes to everyone, hope you’re all doing well, those on the online program and those on their own! I kind of wish now that I’d signed up if only to have an inexpensive look at it all again, but that’s okay. Would be great if some of you shared the names of your favorite recipes, though, because I have all the recipe books! Nothing like a recommendation from someone who’s already tried out a recipe!

–Becca

PS – Sorry for the misspelling, I meant Cotswolds, of course.

Just want to add… how much I would love to see the beautiful areas that you all seem to live in or visit. I have wanted to go to the UK and France for my whole life, but have never gotten there. Wish I had been more adventurous when I was young. Lots of people seem to get all excited about coming out to the Los Angeles area where I live, but aside from the nice weather and maybe the beach views, it’s really not pretty here. I would love to be where it was greener and more open, with more of a sense of history.

My daughter and her husband and little girl will be going over in June, at the invitation of her husband’s parents. Clearly, they have a lot more money at their disposal than I do. I’m happy for her, though, and asked her to please take lots of pictures. If anyone has any tips on places to visit in the Cotswalds, pass them along — that will be their main visit area, plus a few days in London near Buckingham Palace.

-Becca

Hi, everyone, I have been bad about posting, although I have been here reading! I have been frustrated by the up-and-down of the scale along with some of you. I did well the first two weeks of February, then the third week was gifted Valentine’s chocolates by my daughter which I could not resist (chocolate is my nemesis, no question), plus it was daughter’s 40th birthday that week, and even with moderate eating I put back on what I lost the first two weeks. I know a lot of what I lose and regain is water from when I eat or stop eating carbs, because it goes and comes back so quickly. Anyway, doing better this week, down now to a new low, though not by much.

Verano, I just found out a few days ago that my cataracts have gotten worse, and am trying to decide whether to hold off or just have the procedure done now. Would love to know more about your decision and your experience with that. One thing that might push me to do it sooner is that my eye pressure is up a little bit, and I don’t want to end up with glaucoma.

Thanks for sharing how close we are to the time change! Oh, how I look forward to those longer days of sunlight. : )

Good luck, everyone! –Becca

Hi Stuart, our bodies are a mystery and can go up and down with a glass of water. Sometimes when you have been strict and had good losses your body can hang on to its resources the following week and give a very disappointing loss. Then it can catch up again giving good losses. I hope you dont mind me saying but you do have a lot to lose so you must be doing really well and shedding as would be expected. It will slow down unless you are seriously undereating. What are your calories and carbs per day. BTW if you dont like some of the food then swap it out although it is good to follow the suggestions to start with until you get used to what is what and how it affects you. Eat what you enjoy or you wont stick to it, as long as you avoid the obvious white, starchy carbs.

You dont say if you have any particular problems healthwise. Just keep doing what you have been, it will slow down.

Well I am certainly no angel and had an increase this morning. Thinking about it I had a snack late of a Ryvita with a slice of ham and pickle but I was starving. I went without breakfast on TRE and it always seems to catch up with me. Then I had a very bad night with restless legs and still awake at 3am so I got up and made a comforting mug of low calorie drinking chocolate. So maybe they both gave me a small gain. Hopefully, it will melt away by tomorrow 🙂

Hate to brag but it is 22 degrees here in France but only for a couple of days then it goes back down to 18 / 19 so we are on our way to summer. There is a bird that signals the coming of true Spring in France, called a Grue, they are actually cranes and they fly back to the north as things start to warm up. They came in small skeins of around 10 early on to test the weather then they somehow get messages back to the rest of them and they start coming over in their hundreds, it is a brilliant sight to see and so noisy. They are flying over right now and will for a couple of weeks. Always love to see and hear them.

Had my feet done today so feeling light as air.

Well done s-g ….. keep on keeping on ……. You will go to the ball 10lbs lighter!
Margaret , sorry to hear about your gain, your year is sounding very familiar, mine’s just like being on a roller coaster too!
Anyway, the sun is shining here, the spring flowers are abundant, the days are getting longer and just 32 days before the clocks spring forward! Today I feel re-energised and hope this will help me towards more healthy eating.
Have a good week everyone.

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Hallo! Ich schreibe gerade an meiner Masterarbeit, schaffe es aber wegen meines Jobs zeitlich kaum. Kennt jemand seriöse Services, die beim Schreiben oder Lektorat helfen? Wichtig ist eine hohe Qualität ohne Plagiate. Ich bin für jeden Tipp dankbar!

Good morning & I bravely weighed today & have gained 1.75lbs but I am hoping a lot of that is carby fluid gain. I now need to start again recording what I am eating because I feel my energy levels & focus have improved probably because of the brighter last three days. I will be walking in the village to a friend’s house to play Mahjong this morning.
I hope you all have a good week.
Margaret xx

I’m now 3 weeks into the BSD. Have to admit I’ve really struggled to eat a lot of the foods listed in the book but have adapted the diet to suit me whilst still remaining low carb. My ideal weight is apparently 12st 7 and at the start of this I weighed in at a hefty 19st 7. I lost 10lbs after week 1, 5lbs after week 2 and now another 10lbs at week 3. Usually I would say that is great but a bit confused about some of the sudden weight loss. During week 3 I weighed myself on Wednesday and I had lost 2lbs, by Friday another 1lbs so 3 in total but by official weigh in day on Monday I had somehow lost another 7 pounds taking it to 10lbs in a week. Ordinary I would put this down to a great week and great progress but unsure how I suddenly lost half a stone in 3 days when still eating the same as I had previously. Does anyone know if there could be some explanation for this?.

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!