Hi California girl
Yes on it and so nice to see names I recognise.
Hope everyone has a BSD friendly weekend I’m of to have a reconciliation meet up with my 2 nd sister, I’m completely okay but I think she will be very nervous as it’s her anger that has sustained a 15 year division, but she’s suddenly realised life’s to short, so after decades of trying to bridge the divide I will be doing so this evening 😊 as she is finally happy to do so 😊😊😊
So of to have a shower and a omelette 💃💃💃

That’s the spirit, Libstar! One meal at a time, if that’s what you need to do 🙂 It’s still early days for
you, but it’s all a learning curve, for everyone. The BSD is very forgiving, and you CAN DO IT! And we’re
all here to help….Enjoy your camping trip! I hear that fantastic weather is on tap on your side of
the pond 🙂 🙂 🙂

Green Janet I know…. so many carbs!!! But 90 calories and accounted for. Plus I burned 600 calories on my run 😇😇

Hubs on his way home, yay!

It is so good to see you back Greenjanet and with a fire in your belly! Sounds like an alien invasion on this thread!

Hi Flashf — to start with you can just keep the focus simple — ditch all the simple carbs and sugars and grains/flours/breads/crackers/fruit juices/milk/alcohol (ha ha, that doesn’t sound simple, does it? Don’t worry it will be!). Eat moderate protein, high “good fats” and 20-30 grams of carbs per day. Later on you can work out your personal sweet spot for carbohydrate intake.
Increase your exercise and get some good long sleep.
This will immediately get your blood sugar down.
As a “not-fat” person with high blood sugars, there is good research that suggests you should work hard on gaining muscle. Can you add in two or three weight lifting classes or gym days per week?
If you are working out with weights, make sure you eat ADEQUATE protein to help build muscle — so the more you lift weights, the more protein you eat. Eat high quality proteins like wild fish, grass fed beef and eggs.
All the other stuff can be sorted out as you move forward.
There is a lot of information that you will have fun reading and sorting through in the future, but the starting point is very easy!

Thanks for the advice, I’ll look at getting that book. Gonna power through!!! Really want to rid myself of the sugar addiction. With so much going on it’s hard to stay on track. Worth in the long run. I had the ‘1 week at a time mindset’ but maybe I need to think ‘1 day at a time’ for now 🙏😉

Crikey 27 carbs in a banana, no wonder they aren’t on the plan. 😳

Libstar,this has happened to me before,once you sat you can’t stop,then you feel so bad afterwards.Now these things like cake etc don’t really bother me but I love dark chocolate and if it’s there I sometimes can’t resist having a bit.The best thing is not to have the things that tempt you in at all but it’s difficult when you have a family.In time the cravings will go and you’ll be tempted by nuts and greek yogurt(that’s me)or something else that isn’t high in sugar.I can empathise with people who are addicted to alcohol and cigarettes,it’s definitely not easy to give anything up but if you’re determined you can do it.

I read the Gary Taubes book as well,as several people suggested it on these forums,although I haven’t seen his lectures yet.It really is a fantastic book,I’d recommend it and I learned so much.Low carbs is definitely the way to go.

My suggestion for the weekend is whatever you decide to do get stocked up on low carb food ,be strong,you can do it.I’ve been amazed at my willpower,so has my hubby and he’s also eating less off the rubbish as well.It’s so easy for everything to go to pot at the weekend,just get in the right frame of mind and you’ll be fine.

I don’t always post on these forums but often read them and get inspiration.If other people have done it,so can I.My weight has been the same for a few weeks now so i really need to focus and try harder.Once I’m losing again hopefully can keep going and will soon be looking for smaller clothes.

That is really interesting Bissell — and goodness, spoonfuls of golden syrup — that is too funny from our new BSD perspective.
I forgot to mention what you did mention, I did the 800 calories per day too but I was notoriously bad at it so probably came in most days around 950. It still worked perfectly especially when I learned how to add in 18-24 hour fasting, which took me a bit of practice!
I really believe it is the low carb part that helped with the weight loss and the on going weight management — I do not actually count calories anymore.
Keep us posted on your outcomes StressedOut!

Yes drinking loads of water helps so much! Just went for a run and was no slower (still slow lol!) than before the diet so I must be adapting a bit, although I did have a banana before to help me through… theblackspot…. I agree! Keep on keeping on!!

Sunny morning, beautiful avocado for brunch now a headache… Drink more water! Note to self.
Keep on keeping on people!

Hi Libstar, I’m sorry to hear that you’re struggling a bit. I think your sugar binge is a good indication
that you’re fighting an addiction, and like all addictions, it can be powerful! The longer that you
abstain, the easier it will get. I wonder if you might consider your children as the extra motivation
that you indicate you lack? In ridding your house of things like chocolate, chocolate rolls and
cake, the little ones will be learning healthy eating habits for life, as well. Childhood obesity is
an epidemic in my country (USA), and sugar and refined carbs are the culprit 🙂 I’m unsure of what
you mean by “relaxing over the weekend”, but I think that you already know the answer to that one….
Have you read Gary Taubes book “Why We Get Fat..and What To Do About It”? It’s an excellent
companion to MMosley’s books, and I found it incredibly useful in understanding the effects of
bad carbs/sugar on the body. You can also find his lectures on you tube, if reading time is at
a premium in your busy life.
There is wonderful support, wisdom and knowledge on these forums, and we’re always happy
to talk about the BSD. Best to you,

Allie

Can you not get rid of the things that tempt you? None of them are easy to resist if you’re feeling weak. You said in a previous post that you find it hard to motivate yourself – having these beartraps in the house would cause anyone difficulties. Are the family prepared to cooperate?
Maggie

It was going sooo well, I had no hunger, the lbs were dropping then I tried a little chocolate and before I knew I’d eaten a lot of c#*p! We’re talking spoon in the Nutella jar, chocolate rolls, cake! Feeling so disappointed as I know I’m better without. Don’t know if to relax for the weekend (camping) or refocus and power through. Help ….

Glad there are other 👽 aliens out there, so chuffed for us all
KrysiaD it sounds like your mitochondria are amazingly happy, brilliant work. What a difference that will have made for your life span 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Happy day all

Hi Skinny to be I usually sip the coffee through the chocolate…. very lush! Glad you managed to keep busy yesterday. Paperwork has kept me busy all morning with lots of shredding and moving papers from one pile to another! But at least it looks tidier now I just have to go through a pile of magazines. That should keep me busy for a few hours but maybe I’ll do that sitting in the sun. Off to have soem courgette soup now.

Whoa there, I didn’t say stop the insulin, where did I say that. If you ditch the insulin you will get even higher readings. The Dawn Phenomenon is something that happens to everyone who is on a restricted diet. As for snacks the nuts are very high in calories and probably not easily digested at night. I have something like a slice of ham, a piece of chicken or a boiled egg, sometimes a bit of canned mashed tuna and my favourite is to save some frittata when I have had it for dinner and just have a small slice at night.

I reiterate, I didn’t tell you to stop the insulin, that has nothing to do with the Dawn effect.

Good morning zoomers! Lots of positivity and good stuff here this morning! So glad you’re all doing well. It is fabulous weather today isn’t it, so am taking advantage and going for a walk – will enjoy the Scenery and help blood sugars too so double win! Hope everyone has a great Friday xx

Morning, everyone! JGwen I, meant “Nobel” prize, not “Pulitzer”! Sigh…What a dunce! Only 6:30am
here, but I shall return after I mainline some coffee 🙂

Well done on your achievement DiH.
Its good to share news of successes both to support those you know personally who will have had a ring side seat on how you are thriving after making this change to your eating habits, and to people through the forum.

There is a thread on the forum where people who are in maintenance share tips. – After reaching your target what next. I am sure that some of the people who have been on the forum longterm keep an eye on that thread and will be there to help you answer any questions you have.

The other day I saw the emotion on Jason Fungs face when he explained in a podcast just how rewarded he felt when he received letters from people who have successfully used the free resources he provides to turn their lives around. – I thought it would be a nice idea if we could do the same for Dr MM, but I don’t know of an address that can be used to post correspondence direct to him, and I don’t know how well monitored the forums are. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we could do this?

JGwen, thanks very much for the detailed reply … no need to apologise, but the whole thing is very confusing. At your suggestion I’ve been on to a site and calculated my TDEE and I will take that information forward. I’ve also looked at a couple of the articles you refer to, but I find the whole subject tangled with science, jargon, conflicting opinion, contradiction, and very little clear, unambiguous, straightforward advice – though I know it’s unrealistic to expect that in this area where opinions seem so divided, and sometimes polarised.

For instance, I’ve just read through “How much protein is excessive?” hoping to find some answers and I thought it was coming to the conclusion that only a huge amount of protein would actually do damage – but the writer right at the end quotes a doctor saying
“today, it is perhaps more important to restrict protein than to restrict carbohydrates“. What? Why? How? I’m sorry, I’m not going to watch a 34 minute video on a nice sunny day to find the justification, which may or may not be there.

But I WILL keep searching, and I do appreciate your time in replying to my query…. MaggieBath, same with you, thanks.

Good morning all,
V, the ‘barely to cover the courgettes with the water’ is to ensure it’s not too watery once you blitz the soup. It is always easier to add water at the later stage. I’m glad you like it and finding it ‘lovely’ 🙂 because you’re right it is lovely.
I also need to tell you after reading your response to my boredom eating, you should see my garden bushes today. I spent about 1.5hours (and also with the little ‘un) in the garden and would say that it has started looking good. I have been given a beautiful rose bush in a pot which is standing at the end of my patio and the orange colour brightens the place a little bit more. Now with the rest of it trimmed I’ll go and to the bottom of the garden. It got me to move away from the kitchen and that’s all that matters.
Once I got in, to keep me occupied I got to the basket with the washing and was pairing socks, folding the stuff and prepping shirts for ironing. Watched ‘Vera’ and then hit the pillow. As a ‘practise’ run, it was good although I wasn’t struggling because it was my fasting day I’ll see whether i’ll be equally strong and productive I was yesterday.
Also, how do you do the 90% choc an coffee, do you put it into the coffee and melt or you get a piece of chocs in the mouth and have a sip of coffee and melt that way?

KrysiaD – it is lovely, quick, inexpensive and low cals/carb. Put any twist you can think off if you want to ‘jazz it up’ Like a sprinkle of cheese or bacon or else. Let me know what you think.

Have a wonderful (the first ‘shorter’ 🙂 ) day and a weekend ahead if I don’t get to speak to you.

All the best,
Skinny to be
xx

Seems to be a theme of gains. I dont know what is going on but I have gained 1kg since Tuesday – that’s 2.4lbs. I know I was out for a meal on Wednesday but I had two small pieces of chicken and a large plain salad (toms, lettuce, cucumber and yellow pepper) I was so hungry I had the chocolate mousse – it was milk chocolate. I swam for 40 mins. When I got home I had a piece of chicken. Yesterday I had a very low BG at 3.8 so I ditched the idea of having a blueberry and spinach shake for breakfast and had 2 eggs scrambled with about 30g of Cheddar cheese. Lunch was homemade butternut and red pepper soup, then dinner was chicken breast wrapped in one slice of parma ham with a tomato, pepper and mushroom sauce. Snack was 2 chicken wings. In the afternoon, after swimming for 35 mins I took a reading and my BG was 2.7 – dont think it has been so low, and I had a bit of a panic and ate 1 Werthers Original, then a chunk (about 20g) of cheese, then a boiled egg. This got my BG back up to 3.5 and I was having dinner very soon after. All in all I dont see how this has contributed to 2.4lb in 3 days. I am going to take Dr M’s advice in the Mail on Sunday and have a 2 day break and relax about the diet – still no carbs – and not count the calories. I think I have to get myself used to the heavy exercise and get my timings right but it was too hot to go out straight after lunch so I went in around 6pm which was getting close to my mealtime. BG this morning was 4.7 so I will be reducing the insulin again, that might do the trick. Bless my husband, he said maybe I am developing muscle – 2 swims in 2 days, I dont think so.

Have a good weekend everyone and I will try not to do too much damage – at least I will know the reason.

Hi all. Just back from a lovely holiday in the UK. Three positives
1) Lovely to be away and lovely to get home. I find I appreciate the house and garden even more after a break away.
2) After 10 days of no weighing, some (mindful) carbs (who can resist Eton Mess?), combined with 16:8…..I stayed at exactly 71.4 kilo. 🙂 🙂
3) Enjoying catching up on all the lovely advice, discussion, and success stories on our website.

Happy Friday.

Good morning zoomers, lovely sunny day here in Wales as well, and it looks set to be nice for the next few days.
I am with you guys on being surprised with the change in how I feel. – Its normal for me now to have a couple of coffees in a morning while I do the work on line and then head out to do other tasks without eating. I probably have an extra hour a day to get on with projects because eating in just a 4 hour window each day, and I don’t feel deprived at all. – I wouldn’t have believed anyone who said this change would happen. Even during my second round of 8 weeks I was still looking forward to going back to eating carbs once I had lost weight.

Morning Greenjanet
Isn’t it glorious here in Norfolk. I know exactly what you mean when you say that it feels like you have been swapped by an alien. Yesterday I was thinking “who is this person who is never ever tempted by the bad carbs, eats a stunningly healthy diet and has boundless energy”. I think I am very used to the food part of my new way of life – but suddenly last week I began to experience that I had masses and masses of energy which lasts right through the evening so I sail effortlessly through my evening classes. Muscles suddenly feel stronger also. I really don’t know when I last felt like this – probably 50 years ago.

Blood sugars have mostly been 5.5 two hours after a meal – which probably means that I am losing the insulin resistance. So will carry on with the intermittent fasting as it really does seem to be working.

Have also upped my water intake which probably had a lot to do with it.

Hi FlashF and welcome to the community. As JGwen says, it’s carbs that is the issue. As you aren’t looking to lose weight I’d say totally ignore the calories and concentrate on the refined carbs- they have to go, it’s non-negotiable.
I know it’s hard to break the mindset of a lifetime of calories being all that matters, but you’ll get there!
Maggie

Hello everyone,hope we can all stick to our plans this weekend.I’ve got out of the habit of writing down everything I eat so as a result have probably been eating more than I should but have been keeping off all bread,rice,pasta etc .I’ve been trying to keep to between 20-30g carbs each day but the only thing that has made me go over is the delicious berries that are out at the moment.Calorie wise I’m not too bad (although I’m not measuring exactly) but they do make the carbs go up.I’m actually tempted for a change to stick to 800 calories and not worry too much about the carbs,won’t eat any of the “bad” ones.What do you all think?

Morning all! I’ve been reading your posts all week but guilty of being too quiet from here so thought I’d pop by with a progress report! Especially for alien Jan :))

Well, I started on Monday so on my weigh in on Tuesday I’d only been doing it 1 day so didn’t post, and I’d gained 0.1 kg!! Which is nothing, obviously, but didn’t feel worth reporting on one day!! Since then though I’ve lost 1.5kg since Tuesday, which I am sooo happy about. My hubby is back from his trip today and so I feel really pleased to have had this start by myself and that I can now continue now he’s back… Janet I know how you feel, I also just had some mange tout for my lunch yesterday and lasted until dinner, which was so strange! I thought “is this what normal people with normal hormones feel like??!!” It feels very freeing actually, and I’m already happier. The next challenge is keeping it up. I haven’t been so strict on 800cal but have been under 1000 I think each day and have also been doing some running so needed a little extra…it still works even in a more relaxed way!

I’m so impressed by everyone’s commitment and support here, thank you so much!

My mum and dad are coming for the weekend Saturday – Sunday so I’m planning things with “separate carbs” for us to eat so I can avoid them! The worst is when you get served something like lasagne I think, then you can’t just pass on the potatoes lol! But I never like “dieting” in front of people as it feels like they might think I’m judging them for snacking (which I’m not) or I feel a bit vulnerable that if it doesn’t work then people will see my failure… But I know I need to get past that and just crack on, as this is too important. Any tips? Not sure if anyone has read any Brene Brown, or watched the TED talks? I’d definitely recommend, they are all about vulnerability and shame, which is sooo helpful around diet/body stuff I think, although it doesn’t address it directly.

I’m looking forward to my waist shrinking like you all say, I need it!! Any weekend/social time tips much appreciated! Thanks again to you all for your support and encouragement on this group. Have lovely weekends all xx

Good morning all. The sun is shining here and we are almost half way through this week. So, still time to catch up if there have been any rough patches. I had an odd day yesterday feeling really picky for some unknown reason. So out came the cheese and crackers, twice, a small packet of crisps and then not feeling like the salmon I had planned for dinner, we went out for a Thai meal. So way over my calories and carbs! Anyway today is another day, new start, clean slate.

Skinny-to-be I made my soup in a medium size pan and the 500 or so mls of water barely covered the courgettes. But I have to say they were no where as ‘watery’ as I had imagined. Maybe they were under ripe. Who knows, anyway it is lovely. Next I have to make seeded crackers. I have two recipes, one from Kazz, I have all the ingredients now I just have to make them! Maybe later. At least if I have a cheese meltdown it will be with BSD friendly crackers!

Hope the sun is shining on you. Have a good day.

Hi green Janet. I can totally relate to what you are saying. I’m in my second airport of the day and I’m resisting buns and other carby offerings and just having a coffee. Earlier I at my boiled eggs in airport number 1 and on the plane just ate the toasted hellim cheese and tomato out of the panini. Previous to this I would have scoffed the lot ,and looked around to see I could get a second one.
So yes I’m in a strange place as regards the blood sugar diet. I brought my scales with me on this trip so I know I have lost 2 lb and seeing them in the room every day and night certainly gave me food for thought.
Early morning swimming was great, I shall miss that pool ,but looking forward to being home tonight. I have instructed husband no chips if he makes dinner!
By now I would have given in to temptation, and said oh sod it ive had the wrong things so I’ll just give up. I really feel that I might be able to stick to this way of eating, so let’s enjoy the strange feeling of enjoying being on a new way of eating!

Hi Flashf,
It is carbs, not calories which is the main driver for blood sugar levels. I would suggest starting by working out your TDEE – the daily calorie intake for your size and activity level as a base for working out how many calories you are burning each day. (you can find plenty of different websites which describe the formula)

I am sorry if our discussions yesterday confused you.

The thread you are talking about seeing a post about protein levels is one of the podcasts I posted a link to on the Take a look at this thread. –

I posted 2 links to podcasts yesterday, the second one talking about the “fine” detail of the calculation of the amount of protein we need comes out of the need of those of us who have a lot of weight to loose to discuss the ways of avoiding loose skin by triggering Autophagy. – But there is a lot of research going on into Autophagy at present as it would appear to be the key to a long and healthy life.

I would suggest you also look as some of the other links posted yesterday on the same thread. There is one which is very helpful in explaining why it is carbs, not calories which effects insulin. Also watch the first of the two videos I posted yesterday, because it covers research that shows the difference between protein combined with carbs against protein on its own.

What an inspirational post DiH, and now committed you are to regaining your health and living life to the full.
Your grandchildren must be thrilled with the new you and I’m sure friends have taken a second look at their lives and realised it doesn’t have to be a life half lived as you get older.
Congratulations, stick around and those who’ve had experience with maintenance will share their knowledge, and I’m sure you’ll bring ideas of your own.
I don’t know how far you’ve researched around the low carb way of eating, but have a look in the thread Take a Look at This for some useful resources.
Again, endless congratulations for turning your life around 🤗
Maggie

I am 70 years old in December and back in January I was waiting to have a knee replacement following a fall and having arthritis. I weighed nearly 90 kg and am 160cm tall, so was extremely overweight. My mother had type 2 diabetes and my brother had type 1 diabetes. I had high cholesterol and was finding it very difficult to mind my little grandchildren and was unable to make any travel plans owing to the pain in my knee.
A friend suggested I read The Healthy Gut book but my local bookshop did not have it in stock but they did have the 8-week blood sugar diet, so I thought this would probably suit me better.
On 1st February I started the diet and today I have lost over 25kg, no longer require surgery on my knee, and have just returned from a trip to southern Spain where I was walking approx 20,000 steps a day.
I am about to go to my GP and have blood test done again.
I have not been hungry once during the past 5 months and am eating better than I have ever eaten previously.
I am about to go on the maintenance diet, and am a little scared that I might put on some weight, but to all of those people who are struggling, it’s never too late, life is wonderful, so keep up the good work and then you can live life to the very fullest.

Morning zoomers
How are you all doing this is a quiet thread at the mo. I’m feeling extremely unnerved by my weird behaviour of STICKING TO IT , the last time this happened back in 2016 I felt like I’d been swapped by an alien you know beamed up. It’s such a odd feeling to not recognise your own behaviour. LOL
But I’m hoping this grown up responsible way of being for my health way of thinking is with me as my new persona now as I love it. I’m clinging on like a limpet.
And yes still constantly chatting to myself. Happy day everyone
Alien 👽 jan hehe

I’m 67 and now quite skinny – though 73kg is well in the range of 60-80 normal – but I’d like to beef up a bit because I’m fed up of people telling me I’ve lost weight. But I need to get my blood sugar down – last Hb1Ac was 82. I’m a bit confused how calorie intake relates to glucose levels in the blood: Is it a straightforward relationship – more calories = more glucose to dispose of so higher blood sugar reading? Or is it just more carbs = higher blood sugar, therefore just concentrate on reducing carbs and don’t worry about calorie count?
I’m trying to build muscle with weights exercises and eating more protein, but I saw somewhere on forum yesterday (and can’t find it now) that protein can interfere with insulin production. Any advice on that please?

Morning Stressedout, likewise, happy to help if I can.

I first noticed my reactive hypoglycaemia when I was about 40, I guess. I worked around it by eating spoonfuls of golden syrup and lying down for 20 minutes, not exactly ideal! My diagnosis was finally confirmed by a glucose tolerance test at my local hospital, where they give you 50g glucose after fasting and then test BS every thirty minutes. My BS rose as expected and then crashed to 2.6, where ‘4 is the floor’ , or so I was taught as a nurse. Anyway, I continued to manage it badly, not really thinking it through, until I tried the BSD. To answer your question, yes, I stuck to 800cals per day. I kept my carbs below 50 and made sure I drank loads of water and kept my salt levels up. I feel the salt thing helped with my BP, which went quite low to start with. And I stopped getting hypos more or less straight away. Maybe I was just lucky.

Nowadays I just avoid any obvious carbs and I’m really well. Weight is stable, BP is fine. I haven’t taken my BS for ages, but it was always 5-6. Last lot of routine bloods about 6 months ago all were fine too.

So best of luck with everything, I hope it goes well.

I hope this helps.

Oh, thank you! Its really comforting to hear your story. One doesn’t feel so alone, and that there’s a way out. And thank you so very much for the recommendations I will definitely follow them through.

Once again – thanks!

Hi Stressed out — don’t worry about questions, it’s what we all do here! My hypos started in my adult years although now that I think about it, probably I was suffering since I was younger but just didn’t connect the dots. It got worse and worse through my forties — I’m thinking it was because I was developing higher background insulin levels and still eating too much sugary food.
I used to get them BEFORE exercise, and they would actually improve after twenty minutes of exercise — seems odd but I think the exercise mobilized fat and glycogen so that was why.
I do not have diabetes but at 60 years old I was steadily gaining and NOTHING was helping no matter how hard I tried. As a sporty type, I had relied my whole life on exercise to control my weight but it wasn’t really working anymore.
It took about two weeks into very low carb dieting (20-30 grams carbohydrate/day) to stop them from occurring — and as I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve only had two in two years now — both traceable specifically to a high sugar food eaten on a mostly empty stomach.
I stayed very low carb for about four months, then started to work out how many carbs I could eat without gaining or triggering more low blood sugar. My “sweet spot” is around 35-45 carbs per day which sounds low but honestly I’m just so automatic about my food choices now I don’t even think about it.
My body is obviously very happy on protein and fat and I’m just trusting how I feel (wonderful).
I really recommend that you get a copy of Gary Taubes book “Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It” — it became my most important companion book to the BSD — it has the best description of how insulin and blood sugar relate and why we even get low blood sugar (your insulin is acting as a hyper-active sheriff and it’s got all your blood sugar locked in the fat-cell-jail).
Also I like Dr. Bikman’s podcasts (utube) — his area of research and expertise is insulin.
Hope some of this is helpful!

Thanks for your reply. So would you suggest I stop The insulin & just stuck to a snack at night? I have been having a small amount of nuts before bed at night – which for some reason has increased the slow weight loss I was having – but will this be enough to stop the dawn phenomena? – or could you suggest other snacks that might help?

Also, to CGirl and Bissell, can you tell me how your Reactive Hypoglycaemia started? Was it gradual, did you have it all your life, or can you trace it back to a particular episode in your life?

Apologies for all these questions, just very interested in other people’s experiences and if there’s some common threads. There doesn’t seem to be enough research on this area of blood sugar problems, and a lot of local GPs just don’t know much about it, or in some cases even ignore it.

Allie,
I run my Pilates business as a limited company and you would not believe just how much admin it involves so it is so good that I have so much help from my friend and my sister.

You are right that there is really no way around our dependency on technology. I had a break from teaching this afternoon and went to a nearby garden centre that does lovely coffee. I was reading this thread in the sunshine and typing my post when husband rang to say a client had arrived at the venue to find I wasn’t there. Had to leave my second cup of coffee that I had just bought and dash back to see my client. In all the chaos caused by the broken computer I had managed to completely mess up my diary.

You are doing really well with your fasting. Are you doing the 18/6 a couple of days a week – or more often?

Hi Alliecat, I am just passing on the breadcrumbs I come across in my own search for the answers. – Not doing anything special other than wanting to learn.

You mentioned about dealing with loose skin. This is an area of research which is quite new, so a lot of the answers I have found are just educated guesses at present, rather than firm advice.
They know that autophagy is a process controlled by hormone levels, not insulin this time, but mTor. One of the controls of mTor is the availability of amino acids (protein) in the diet. – So to keep it simple, the body creates new cells from the protein in the diet, if it can not obtain the resources it needs from the diet it scavenges for the materials to build new cells from old cells. How long do you have to go without eating protein to enter autophagy? Guestimates by the experts range from 12 hours upwards, and it appears that exercise may decrease this, but people are not sure. They do know that as soon as you eat protein you drop out of autophagy.
The researcher who was awarded the Nobel prize for work in this area recommends a fasting mimicking diet for 5 days at a time where you have 800 calories a day, 400 from complex carbs, and 400 from healthy fats and nuts. Obviously if you eat this diet you would have some protein, because he suggests having nuts which are not zero protein.
A different researcher who seems to be highly respected gives this interesting talk about protein including a section on mTor and autophagy. https://idmprogram.com/how-much-protein-is-excessive/
I have gone round and round in circles on this one. Most days I tend to eat 20:4 simply because it works best for my normal day, and if the guestimates on when autophagy kicks in are true that means that I will not hit the maximum levels (supposedly at 36 hours) but will benefit from some level. On my last shopping trip I also bought ingredients so I could try having a few days in a row when my diet is mainly veg and nuts to shake things up a bit. –

Yes. I first saw it on an episode of “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” where they found that rapid weight loss can ‘cure’ Diabetes Type II, so I then hunted around and found the book and tried the diet. That was about a year ago. My first attempt at the 800 cals/day was harrowing. So, then I increased it to around 1000 to 1200/day, as described above. This was the only time in the past few years that I have been able to lose weight, but even after a month the intensive symptoms never went away. It kind of puts you off more attempts. So, I have been doing all the other things since then and basically ‘content’ with no weight gain – at this stage. I want to try again, which is what brought me to this forum.

I have a question for you and Bissell: How long after being on the BSD did your hyperglycaemic episodes go away? And were you on 800cals/day?

PS: I don’t have diabetes. My blood sugar ranges from very low to normal.

Bit carby (5g in 50g of berries), but I had some gooseberries with the cod – most recipes had them with oily fish like mackerel, but I’m going home tomorrow, so using up whatever’s in the fridge.
I found recipes for a sauce, but I just topped and tailed them, rolled in a half teaspoon of stevia and baked them in foil with the fish – tasted really good, and also compensated for not having any lemon, as still a slightly tart taste.
I still have a big bag of them, so I’ll try it with mackerel when I’m home tomorrow.

Hullo metoo – congratulations on the progress you’re both making. As Mariet pointed out more fat would make you feel fuller for longer. You seem to be eating sweet things – the jelly and the hot chocolate will spike insulin and make you feel hungry.
It might be an idea to read the BSD again to see whether you are adhering to the principles. I think you’re making it hard for yourselves by not including fat. Remember, it’s a low carb, high fat and moderate protein regime.
A bit of tweaking should do it.
Maggie

Definitely not OTT, Blackspot, just exploring the ways that will work for you.
I don’t think there’s the least problem with taking vitamins, but isn’t it possible to take it in your eating window?
Maggie

Me Too, ketostix are not always accurate I used to get concerned about it too but now I’ve put it in the Oh Well category! I lost 3 stones eating this way and I reckon I only showed ketones quarter of the time. It’s working, I wouldn’t worry. There are other signs that I rely on now, the thirst for water being the main one.

Congratulations on the marvellous results! I’m delighted the sugars are coming down, it mustbe such a relief for you both. I don’t know what quark is, never seen it in Australia but your diet looks fine to me. Is there a reason you’re choosing the low fat option? Only because healthy fats keep you feeling fuller longer and your body needs them.

Well done to you both and keep on keeping on!

Does anyone have any idea if with restricted eating windows I.e. 16:8, if vitamins would take you out of fasting?
By asking this question am I admitting that I’m getting a little bit ott with this?

Answers to both on an envelope please…

so safely into week 4 / last weeks rise in Husbands sugar seems to be righting itself numbers slowly coming down . (many of you said it would !!) Our weight loss continues and Husband’s waist size reduced by almost 5 inches. Pretty certain we are sticking to 800 cals but my husband’s monitor has never said he is in ketosis. Bought some test sticks shows nothing for either of us. Does he need to be in ketosis for the diet to work and hopefully but his type 2 in remission ? Any help / advice please eg of food day
breakfast 6 strawbs. 12 blueberrie large tablespoon low fat quark
lunch 2egg omelette and salad
dinner chicken breast .cabbage. cauli. brussels. carrots ; pud low sugar jelly tablespoon quark
4 tea tiny amount skim milk snack if feeling desperate half an apple
options hot choc (38 cals)
wondering if I’m misjudging/calculating carbs ?? thanks very much