I did, BeeGirl. The reason I tried a week-long fast in the first place was that I had been reading about the benefits of autophagy (the body breaking down its own damaged and moribund cells for energy thereby making way for fresh replacements) and an increase in the body’s own production of human growth hormone which spikes around the fourth day of a fast. By then I had been doing 48-72 hour fasts once a month for about 6 months and I had found that I really enjoyed them. The second day energy boost was a particularly fun phenomenon. I could, and did, walk for hours, and I chatted excitedly about a million things all day.

What I found with the week fast was that I experienced a decrease in physical energy the second half of the week but a marked increase in mental energy. My thoughts were very clear and precise and I completed two major writing projects that had been lingering unfinished far too long. I also could very clearly see the effects of the HGH and autophagy in my skin. I looked noticeably younger, pink cheeks, tiny pores, loose skin a little snugger. My OH calls it “fast face.” 😀

Esnecca – that’s really interesting about the 7 day water fast. When I did 5:2, my two fast days were back to back water only days and I often wondered what effect going longer would have. Did you notice any particular benefits from longer water fasts, compared to 800 cals per day or shorter water fasts?

When you say a fast day you mean you eat 800 calories, not abstaining from eating altogether, I gather? How many grams of carbs do you eat a day? I ask because it’s not remotely surprising to me that your energy level is fine. I ate 800 calories a day (with several water-only fasts of 48 hours or more) for 14 months in a row and felt great. If you keep your carbs low enough, your body burns stored fat for energy and it’s a far more stable and dense energy source than the glucose burned from the carbs you eat.

The idea that human bodies must be constantly fed or they fall apart from lack of sustenance is very recent, very post-industrialized Western and entirely unjustified. In fact the majority of human existence was characterized by cycles of feast and famine, and we were doing far, far more exercise then than we do now because from hunting/gathering to farming to trades most people were doing some form of physical labor to live or move or generally go about their business.

As for hunger, assuming you live a relatively normal life instead of experiencing actual famine, it’s a momentary thing, not a state of being. From personal experience I can say that even on a day 7 of a water-only fast the physical rumble of hunger in the belly lasts minutes, no more. The rest is anxiety. “Shouldn’t I be eating? Why am I not eating? I need to eat.” It’s not physiological at all.

Thank you Patricia! I’ve missed the gang, too. I did at last accept antiobiotics, which can be useless, depending on
whether the infection is viral or bacterial. I did add some alternative medicine techniques to my cause, i.e., crystallized
ginger (which I washed most of the sugar off of), as well as oregano oil, applied to the soles of my feet. I weighed
the pros and cons, and ultimately decided it was worth it to use these products to strengthen my immune system,
as well as my lungs. Feeling much better now, and very happy to be back! Take good care of yourself 🙂 The U.S.
is in the throws of a single payer health care system vs. private care too. I don’t know what forces will prevail,
but I’m happy that you have alternatives available to you! Just “resting” your foot doesn’t sound proactive enough
for me, either. As always, JGwen has good advice to share xxx

Hi there,
so I’ve been following 5:2 low carb for awhile now but the last couple of months I could not stay focused on any diet and put on a few pounds.
I restarted with a fast day on Sunday but because I was having a lazy day at home in Monday I decided to see how I felt doing 2 days in a row, and I felt ok. Better than I thought I would.
Today is normally a fast day for me so I decided to carry on for a third day. And I’m feeling good? I would normally be starving and low on energy at this time of the day but I’m not hungry and my energy level is fine.
So I’ve stumbled into the 800 calorie diet without planning to and I think I may now carry on if I continue to feel ok.
It will be interesting to see if I feel good tomorrow after exercising.
It feels really weird that I would expect to be hungry and weak but I’m not.

Thanks for your input too Allie – took so long typing my response I missed your post!

Esnecca, thanks for the guidance. I suspect you’re right that I should try to be on it out of the gate, but I don’t think I can guarantee 50g carb to start unfortunately; I have great concern that if I try to do everything at once, I’ll give up. I find reducing cals to 800, learning to cook and finding things I can take to work pretty stressful and while I’ve recently got my anxiety mostly under control (thank heavens for CBD oil!), I’m wary of trying to push things too far with additional pressure on myself. As far as I know, I don’t have any insulin resistance or pre diabetic issues, so I’m hoping I can work towards mild ketosis over a couple of weeks as I get my head round things. As it happens, today’s macros are looking more like 24\36\40, which is a happy accident, so it may be that it happens naturally. I definitely need to up the fats and protein to avoid hunger, and my intention is to get as close as possible to my ideal 25\30\45 in practice each day, but if I mentally aim for 40\40\20, I won’t feel I’ve failed if I don’t make it. I guess it’s a bit of psychological padding for me!

Addendum: Never underestimate the importance of drinking 2-3 liters of water 🙂 When we begin losing fat from our
fat cells, the space is taken up by water. When all the fat is gone, these fat cells collapse and release the water in what it known as
the “whoosh effect”. The scales can show a difference of 2-3lbs overnight! (enter it into the search box for a more
complete understanding of how this works, or type it into google). Good luck, new friends!

Hi again, Tristar and BeeGirl. It’s great that you have posed the question of macros, as there is a steep learning
curve at the beginning of this lifestyle, and our understanding is severely muddled by the mantra that we’ve all been fed since
the 80’s! The Fast800 is principled on low carb, moderate protein and high healthy fats. Low carb is defined as <50g
a day. Excessive protein gets stored as fat, much like carbs. A good rule of thumb to follow is this formula:
.8g of protein for every kg of IDEAL body weight. If weight loss starts to slow down, then it may become necessary to
adjust your carb load to <20g/day. Those of us who find ourselves to be particularly insulin resistant have had to
take this approach. During my extended period of weight loss, I followed 50g protein, 20g carbs, and made up
the rest in healthy fats, within the parameter of 800cal/day. Rather than work with percentages, I found this approach
the easiest to execute. It’s also valuable advice to get into the habit of weighing and measuring your portions, to learn
what an acceptable portion looks like 🙂 It does become second nature before you know it! I’ve never been a fan of
using shakes, partly due to the amount of sugars and carbs hidden therein, but mostly because relying on convenience
products simply postpones learning how to prepare a healthy meal from whole food. Ultimately, it’s what we need
to do to sustain this lifestyle into maintenance and beyond. It’s such a liberating experience to leave the world of
yo yo dieting behind forever!!! I hope this post hasn’t added to the confusion. The real key is the type of calories
we ingest. Very best wishes for your success! I’ll look forward to reading your posts and hearing about your progress.

Allie

Hi Allie, I have gone for private physiotherapy , as NHS consider the foot is good enough by resting it.
How are you doing? I’m really glad to see you on the boards again.

Was it fermented sauerkraut, avisa? Did it say raw and unpasteurized anywhere on the jar? If not, then it was likely vinegar brined and without probiotic benefits. Check the ingredients. All that should be listed are the veg and salt, no sugar, no vinegar. Good for you for eating it all week. Soon you will become a kraut fanatic. 🙂

Beegirl, your fat is low and your carbs are quite high to put you in ketosis (fat-burning mode). Why not go for the 50 grams of carbs and 40 grams of fat out of the gate? A good formula is you should aim for .5-1 gram of protein per kilo of ideal weight. The carb grams should be 50 or less, depending on how insulin resistant you are or whether you have any other blood sugar concerns like pre-diabetes or diabetes. The rest should be healthy fats like grass-fed meats, oily fish, nuts, seeds and extra-virgin olive oil.

This is very positive news, Patricia! What you refer to as physio, we refer to as rehab over here. I’m so glad that
you were able to access these services. I know it’s hard to feel like your “wings have been clipped”, but it will all
be worth it if you can learn how to strengthen the ligaments in your foot. Just hang in there with it, and the rewards
will be yours 🙂

My favourite noodles: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074SNWZVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried sauerkraut for the first time last week, and had it every day with spinach.l It wasn’t as vinegary as I expected, but chompy and filling enough.

Hi Tristar,
As the others have said, one of the short falls in the book is the failure to give advice on the ratio of carbs, protein, fat. – The consensus by most researchers is that even if you are insulin resistant (and most of us with a lot of weight to lose are in that category) you will be in fat burning mode (ketosis) if you stick with less than 20g of carbs. – It may be that you can get into ketosis with a slightly higher level of carbs, but you would need to monitor to confirm if you are in ketosis to find your levels.
The normal formula for protein for women is 0.6 to 0.8g of protein per kilo of TARGET weight. – Slightly higher for men.
With the balance of calories coming from healthy fat.

Thanks Allie. I’d like to follow the Fast800, using 16/8 time restricted eating. I thought it was referred to as Med Style – but am a little lost to what exactly he is ‘prescribing’.
I started yesterday and was so confused I just had 1 Optifast shake and 1 hard boiled egg… Then waited 16 hours until having a jet another egg this morning. Another shake will be dinner at this rate. Problem is that the shake has 22.5g of carbs and 14g of sugars – so know it’s not ideal. My problem is lack of self control with portions so figured this might help me to start with and graduating on to proper food as a reward for sticking to the shake.
(I intend to buy their shake as lower sugar)

Wow Esnecca and alliecat your success is fantastic, I especially like that you both mention maintaining the weight loss. That for me is the key and what appeals to me most is changing the way that I eat so that once I have lost the weight I can keep it off for good!

Esnecca thanks for the tip, I’ll try that next time we have the noodles x

I’ve just started Fast 800 today. I’m starting on 40\40\20 for my macros, which is about 80g carb, 80g protein and 18g fat I think. I’m sure I read a Mediterranean diet is around this, but can’t remember where I saw it now, so might be wrong.

I’m going to move towards 25\30\45 over time (50g carb, 60g protein and 40g fat). I base my calcs on 1g carb or protein being 4 cals and 1g fat being 9 cals.

Not sure if that’s spot on, so probably worth checking with your own research, but it’s given me a starting point.

Update on ankle injury.
The physio saw me twice, and adjusted the exercises for my improvement.
I have very little swelling, and can walk on rough ground in supporting boots.
I have flexibility exercises that I do 3 times a day, and balance and modified lunge exercises also.
I can use the cycle machine at home, and am doing 20 minutes easily now.

I did strain my ankle by traveling for a few hours over the weekend, and had some short term swelling, so I know not to assume all is ok.

I do feel bored, taking things so gently but it’s for my own good (I keep telling myself that!) JGwen, thanks again from the bottom of my heart for your help, physio really has helped me avoid further injury.

Hi Tristar8 the diet is low carb moderate protein and high in good fats. Most people work out their protein on their ideal weight I am not sure exactly how they do it but I am sure if you put JGwen in the search bar in the top right hand corner she has answered this question. I personally go for 20g carb, 50g protein and 60g good fats. This seems to work for me but it is different for all of us as our bodies are so different at processing it all. For the people with T2 and for those of us that have a lot of weight to discard usually stick to 20g of carbs to stop our insulin spiking. But your macros don’t look too bad at all. A lot of people stick with 30-50g of carbs as this works well for them. As long as you start by cutting out all carbs like bread, pasta, rice and flours you will be on your way to success! Most of your daily intake of carbs will come from leafy green veg. It really is a bit of trial and error to start with so you can tell how your body processes the carbs. But we are all here to help guide you. Welcome to our friendly forum and I am sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly. You might want to jump over in to our weekly thread ONE WEEK AT A TIME, as you will find old and new members there who can answer your questions and point you in the right direction. Good luck
On your journey and all the best Birdy💞🦜

Welcome, Tristar! I understand your confusion, for it’s one of the shortcomings in MMosley’s books. The subject of
macros isn’t really addressed, and most of us old timers have had to do additional research to hone our understanding
of this subject. I can certainly help with advice, but I first must ask if you are doing the Med Diet or the Fast800? You
did mention 800 calories, so if you can share your objectives, I’m sure we will be able to sort it out for you 🙂

Allie

Good afternoon, my lovelies! I’m happy to be back on board with all of you after 2 weeks being sidelined by
pneumonia. Special thanks to Caron, Birdy, Stepping, 6T and others for your well wishes! I really appreciate it. 🙂

BeeGirl and gokinruth, a warm welcome to you both! By way of an introduction, I’m what’s known as an
“old timer” around this neighborhood. I have a very special place in my heart for “ladies with lots to lose”,
since 3 years ago I walked in your shoes. Those were the bad old days, and I’ve been successfully maintaining
a loss of 140lbs for just over 2 years. The BSD is life changing, and I wish you all the best! Losing the weight
isn’t the prize, but keeping it off is the real victory, for me. There is a vibrant community of others here who
have accomplished the same. We’re always delighted to share knowledge and experience, and as Birdy says,
no question or concern is too small. There is always someone out and about, so just shout out if you need
anything. Someone will always respond 🙂 We cover many time zones!

Sweet Birdy has stepped up to take us through the next week…Thank you, my girl!

Have a great week, all! I’m fully back in “the fold” 🙂

Allie

The texture can be improved with a quick dry sautee, gokiniruth. After you’ve rinsed them, pat them as dry as you can, then throw them into the pan you’re going to use for the stir fry. Toss them at medium-high heat until all the water is gone. Remove them from the pan and set them aside on a plate where you can kind of spread them out. You don’t want them to clump together and steam themselves wet again. Add them back in to the dish as you would normally.

Beegirl, welcome to the forum. Like you, I had a lot of weight to lose, over 200 lbs. It took me 14 months. I reached my goal in September of 2017 and have kept it off since. Cut all the obvious carbs — bread, pasta, rice, grains of any kind, root/starchy vegetables, sugar — and check the carb contents of vegetables, fruit, dairy. The reason I recommend you take this approach is that I thought I was lazy too, but my lassitude was entirely caused by insulin resistance. I consider it a carb allergy and that’s how I live my life now. To keep the weight off, the carbs have to stay gone too. Good luck!

I’ve only leafed through Fiery Fermentation in the store, so I can’t say for certain. They have the steps of every recipe broken down very clearly into a 1-2-3 format. It doesn’t look like they have the large introduction that gets into all the full explanation in the way the Fermented Vegetables book does, but I think the Shockeys’ back-to-basics ethos makes fermentation easy to understand and practice even if you’ve never done it before.

I’ll also note that one of the my most successful ferments last summer was a hot pepper salsa from Fermented Vegetables, so they definitely know their hot stuff. I let it ferment the longest of any of my experiments, almost 3 months, and just like Chris and Kirsten said it would, it only got better as time passed. It enhances anything it touches, from salad dressing to collard greens to tuna to turkey burgers. My father, who has a real taste for heat and can take it better than anyone I know, ate it straight out of the jar. The brine turned green and became a hot sauce on its own. I take a gulp of it when I need to wake up or if I’m feeling peaky on a fast. It’s like a shot of adrenaline.

Hello Beegirl and welcome! I too have fair amount of weight to lose (around 115lbs) and I am new to the forums, but I have already received lots of helpful advice already.

Update on the low carb noodle search – I managed to find Barenaked Noodles at my local supermarket. Tried them in a chilli salmon stir fry and they were a hit with the OH. They do smell a little fishy when you open the packet, but a quick rinse helps plus it was a fish based meal so it didn’t matter. I found the texture a little odd to begin with but the OH said he would happily eat them in place of “real” noodles so it’s a win! Thanks everyone for your suggestions xx

Hi all, I’m new here and after listening to the audio book and downloading the Kindle version I am very excited about starting my journey. One question I have (and sorry if I’ve missed it in the book) but what macronutrient breakdown should be followed for the Mediterranean Style Diet? i.e. Protein/ carbs/ fat. I’ve seen some percentages but don’t know how the percentages translate to a proportion of the 800 cals – i.e. if it is 35% fat then is that 35% of 800 cals (280) that can be derived from fat? IT makes it very difficult to get your head around.
Ideally I’d like someone to say have 60g of protein, 35g of good fats and 25g of carbs.
Anyone facing a similar problem?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Welcome Beegirl glad to see you on here. We are very friendly group that is not judgemental in any way. We are all trying to get to same place and live a healthier lifestyle. We have lots of newbies as well as lots of seasoned BSDer’s. who I am sure be along soon to welcome you and help you on your way. I started my first week by cutting out all my carbs and I have gone straight into 20g of carbs a day as like you I have a lot of weight to discard. This thread is a very helpful one as it gets to take each week at a time, as that is all can do. We don’t beat ourselves up if we go off track but we do realise it is easy to get back on track after. A few little tweaks and we are on our way again. You may have noticed the little search bar in the right top corner and all you have to do is write a few key words and it will open lots of threads where most questions have been answered. No question is a stupid one and there is always somebody who can guide you. Good luck on this incredible Way Of Eating (WOE) Birdy 💞🦜

Thanks Essie for the book recommendation, Shockey has also written a book on fiery fermentation. Does this go through the basics also?

Hi to all. Thank you Birdy for starting the next thread. I managed to discard (Ducky where are you?!) 1kg last week, so 2.3 in the last two weeks. Pleased with this, since anything within my BMI healthy range is more difficult to zap. My resolution this week is to drink more water, and keep off the salted peanuts.

Good luck to everyone this week, welcome to all newcomers. Let’s do this!

Hi there, thought I’d drop by and introduce myself. Been reading the Forum for a few days now and have read the Fast 800 book, having previously done 5:2 for a wee while, some time ago. First day on the diet today and for my first week I’m going to try and concentrate on meeting the 800 cal targets, TRE of 12/12 and macros of 40\40\20, which will give me around 80g carbs – I will look to work towards TRE of 16:8 and macros along the line of 25\30\45 over the next few weeks as I settle in to it, to be closer to 50g carbs. I have a large amount of weight to lose (around 130lb), but have done it before (although not on this type of diet) so if I can get into the way of things I’m hopeful I can have some success – and maybe even not put it back on again this time! Hoping to introduce some exercise if I can get my cross-trainer fixed too. When I lost a lot of weight previously, I found the forums associated with that system crucial to my success, so hopefully I can get similar support here (and provide some for other folk) – unless I give up and disappear 😉 . My main challenge is being utterly lazy (husband does all the cooking at the moment as he enjoys it, while I don’t) so I need to get used to prepping my own food and being prepared to take stuff in to work (I struggle to find things I can take to work for breakfast and lunch usually, so tend to resort to instant porridge and microwave rice!). I’ve also bought in some of the Fast 800 shake mix – not something I’d usually go for, but if everything gets on top of me, it’s a quick solution that’ll give me space to get my head together. Hope to stop by regularly – see you later folks.

Hi there how is everyone ? It’s all gone quiet on the BSD front. Just thought I’d share this video on utube with you all. I love the way this man gets right to the point😀
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h6aMN6NLOTQ

MIss ZIggy

Morning guys new week is about to begin! To all the UK guys I hope the your extra day off was great and if anyone had any slips then today is the day to reset our minds and get back on this WOE! I am not focusing on the two glasses of red I drank as I know I am going to be drinking nothing but water, coffee and herbal tea! I AM going to get in my red shorts when the British weather picks up😜. To all our other friends from across the ponds I hope you had a good weekend too. We all here and ready to help each other on another week of this awesome WOE! I am now in my 5th week and a lot more clothes are looser on me. Might even jump on the scales today! Although I don’t really use them to measure my progress anymore as my wardrobe is making me smile now. Have a great week guys! Birdy 💞🦜

Thank you Essie I found and I have ordered it as it said even for beginners 🤣. Can’t wait to make my own sauerkraut! Birdy💞🦜

Hi Amz, My vote for the picnic would be mini frittatas. (Spanish omelette) – You can use the silicon muffin trays to cook them in and it makes it really easy to turn them out. – Grease the trays well, fill each one with your preference of veg or meat, top off with beaten egg and pop in the oven. You could make bite size ones with the little muffin tray or slightly larger ones.

They went down well at a wedding reception I went to where we all took dishes to share.

Kelp noodles work very well as a cold dish. Soften them as I described in the other thread, then toss them with a dressing of toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, fresh minced ginger and garlic. If you like heat, add some sambal oelek or hot chili sauce (make sure to check the ingredients for sugar). Top with chopped scallions, pea shoots or alfalfa sprouts, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. I takes minutes to prepare, is fine left out at room temperature indefinitely and we know your family likes Chinese food, so cold sesame noodles should appeal.

If you’d like to make something more elaborate with the kelp noodles, check out this post for my recipe for fake lo mein: https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/good-eats-the-low-carb-way/page/3/#post-78358

Hi Birdy, is that the Asian Pickles book you’re looking at? I haven’t read it, but my bestie got it for her husband and he loves it. This is my bible: https://www.amazon.com/Fermented-Vegetables-Creative-Fermenting-Chutneys/dp/1612124259/ref=pd_sim_14_3/146-3791292-9249620?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1612124259&pd_rd_r=9534507f-7057-11e9-b82d-3b1b552168eb&pd_rd_w=4iKXo&pd_rd_wg=81Vxf&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=YTSPTS4JJ9BAERSPV2KY&psc=1&refRID=YTSPTS4JJ9BAERSPV2KY
It explains the fermentation process very clearly, going over the basic materials and tools, and is packed full of recipes for fermenting every vegetable (and even a few fruits) under the sun. This is very pure salt fermentation, no vinegar, no whey. It’s the foundation of everything.

Thanks Esnecca, that sounds perfect, I’ll give them a go thanks x

My family had Chinese takeout for dinner so I took the opportunity to avoid cooking and continue my fast into tomorrow ( I started yesterday at 11pm).
Wendy, I hope your surgery goes well. I’m out of the loop but I hope it isn’t something serious. I can take my own food. I was actually thinking about that. I don’t want it to be obvious since I get tired of hearing other people’s opinions on my diet and fasting sometimes so I was thinking of bringing something for everyone and then just eating that alone.
These kelp noodles have caught my interest…. Would they be good in a pasta salad? Maybe with chicken, sliced almonds, feta cheese, Italian dressing? Hmm… I welcome any ideas for picnic friendly food.

Hi Essie ha I spotted you!😜. I am on amazon and looking for a pickle/fermentation books I have found one by Karen Solomon and wondered if you knew it and would recommend it? If not please could you recommend one as I know I can order online but would prefer to make my own. Thank you lovely lady and I hope you are well? Hugs Birdy💞🦜

Zero Noodles (a brand of konjac noodles) look much more like regular noodles than kelp. They must be rinsed and popped in a bowl of water in the microwave for 2 minutes, then drained in a colander in order to remove the slightly fishy smell they have when you open the bag.

My favorite konjac noodle is Zeroodle brand with oat fiber ( https://www2.netrition.com/zeroodle-premium-shirataki-oat-fiber.html ). It does not have that smell and has a much less mushy bite. The “spaghetti” shape is basically indistinguishable from a ramen noodle. Nobody, and I mean nobody, would know that’s not what they are unless they saw you open the package.

Thank you Birdy. I hope to be able to contribute regularly and in time be helping newbies myself.

Does anyone have advice on vitamin supplements? I take a basic daily multivitamin anyway, but should I be looking at anything more specific?

I am glad we were able to help and this is exactly what we hope to do. This forum is like nothing I have ever been involved with before and it really is an amazing and invaluable place for us all. I feel blessed to be part of it. Birdy💞🦜

Thanks Birdy. I am delighted at how much these forums have already helped me – with advice, recipe ideas, motivation and guidance.

Thanks to everyone and I hope you all have an excellent week x

Thank you so much Kafin and Birdy, I’m going to try all of the suggestions. Having something that looks vaguely like pasta, noodle and rice might help the OH stick to the plan too.

Best wishes for the op and a speedy recovery, Wendleg. Thank you Birdy.

Wendleg, thinking of you, and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thanks birdy for looking after us so well.

Yes, Wendy, good luck. Will be thinking of you XX

To help
Old and new navigate this amazing WOE.

Will do Wendleg❤️

Guys it is that time I am going to set up best weeks thread as tomorrow is Tuesday and I want it to be there for us all. I am doing this as the lovely Wendleg is off for her op. It would be great to see you all there and it would be great to keep it going whilst our gracious host is mending. To all newbies that maybe lurking please do come and join us as we don’t bite and we are all here to help each other navigate this amazing WOE. To oldies I am sure you will all be at hand to help us all as you know your knowledge is invaluable and truly appreciated by us all. ONE WEEK AT A TIME BEGINNING 7th OF MAY. See you all there guys Birdy 💞🦜

Good luck with your op, Wendleg. Hope it all goes well. Will be thinking of you