What I also meant to day was rusting I was your husband I would also increase the glitz back to the pre BSD level while he is unwell.

You are both doing so well – hopefully the blood test goes well even though your husband has had this glitch.

I went looking for information on how the ratio of fiber effects the insulin impact of carbs and came across something even more intense.
Apparently its not just carbs that raise insulin levels, so does protein and fat, but some combinations of protein and carb raise insulin levels more than the effect that white bread has also the impact of combining carbs and protein is greater for T2.
There is a interesting report produced for a phd explaining this and working out the insulin index of 147 foods.
https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945
I am still working my way through it, but have seen enough to think its worth sharing.

Me to – although have never been on metformin I was on insulin. I found that when I was ill my blood sugars shot up enormously – even when I was too ill to eat anything. It is a well known phenomenon and I even had an instruction sheet from the diabetes clinic entitled “sick days” which told me to keep testing and injecting to bring the blood sugars down even when I wasn’t eating.

I know that other members on this forum do adjust their diabetes meds up and down and don’t always go to the doctors to get their approval. I am not medically trained and am only flagging this up. My non-medically trained opinion is that metformin does not cause ultra low blood sugars (unlike the fast acting insulin I was on) so it would be safe to increase it to help the high blood sugars. I would be interested to hear what other forum members thought.

Finished at 72 hours yesterday evening. Very low on energy after being on rocket fuel the previous day, and it felt like the natural time.
Total weight loss over the three days was 2lbs, which was a fair reward I think!
It really wasn’t hard and the big change has been round my middle where there’s been a noticeable reduction in my muffin top which is brilliant. I’m a real apple, very short waisted and don’t have much of a natural waist – l know I’ll have to go way down my healthy weight range to have any shape as any fat goes straight to my middle. I’ve got some scales coming today that measure tons of things but mostly I bought them because I really need to know my body fat % as that’s more important than weight. I know they won’t be accurate but I’ll get an overall picture.
Hopefully I’ve got a boost in my BMR as promised by Dr Fung 😚 The other thing is that I’ve stayed in ketosis despite having a meal which is rather pleasing.
I think I’ll make it a weekly thing. On Jason Fung and Megan Ramos FB page there are weekly fasts of different patterns https://m.facebook.com/groups/821976751327602?view=permalink&id=858638184328125 so l might tag along there and see what best suits me.
I hope there’s something helpful for someone in all of that.
Maggie

My final results for the last 4 week challenge are :- 3 inches off my waist, 3.5 inches off my hips, the mirror and my jeans both show a reduction in the size of my thighs and a weight reduction of 0.6kg. – Yes, you read that right, just 1.32 lbs difference in weight over the last 4 weeks.

For the relative newcomers reading this thread. So often people get disheartened because scales are not moving and forget to look for Non Scale Victories (NSV) – Please remember that our bodies are 55 to 60% water (more if we are overweight). Just ask any professional jockey about the differences on the scales that salt intake and saunas make. As you increase your exercise levels you will not only be burning fat, but building muscle.

For those who have been on the forums for longer. You may recall that a little over a month ago I posted on the Take a look at this thread a link to a podcast by Bikman. – In that the role of l-carnitine in assisting in transporting fat into muscles to be burnt as fuel is described. There is a list of the top 10 sources in our diet, of which for a vegetarian eating low carb the top 9 are off the menu. – When I researched the role of L-carnitine I came across other mention that it was beneficial for people who are insulin resistant. I decided to try supplementing my diet with it for a month. It may be coincidence, but I think this is the reason for the change in dimensions but not scales. I tried to set up new bathroom scales which measure fat levels, I know they are not accurate but should give an idea of trends, unfortunately they are not working for me. They just give an error message which isn’t listed in the manual when I try to get a reading. I suspect that the skin on my feet is too thick.

Thanks KazzUK for setting up this thread. After a productive week last week. I am all set for next 4 week challenge. Cheers to us all.

Good morning Zoomers!
A great start to the end of this 4 week challenge. My loss for this week is 1.5 lbs with a total of 4.5 lbs over the 4 weeks. Looking forward to hearing from everyone else!
Kazzeexx

Hi MrsThompson,
I guess everyone’s experience of carb cravings will be different. I don’t have to cook for anyone else so I avoid that issue.
I cleared out my cupboards and was successful on my first week of BSD in October, then guests staying in my holiday let left pizzas and garlic bread, and bread rolls. I fell off the wagon big time, expecting to feel good from eating high carb dishes and instead realised just how rubbish they all made me feel. So I got back on the wagon again.
Then there was Christmas. I really wanted to step off the wagon for just a couple of meals because I am not diabetic and once I get back to my target weight and size I want to be able to occasionally eat off plan. I so wanted fresh bread rolls with cream cheese for breakfast on Christmas day, but decided instead to buy low carb flour and try to make low carb substitutes. In the end I was so tired with all the work in the run up to Christmas that I slept most of Christmas Day, didn’t feel like eating at all and all the low carb flours are still in the cupboard.
I can’t say there was one day when I woke up and no longer craved carbs, it just got easier with time. I did try a slice of toast a couple of months ago but didn’t get the comfort food feeling that I expected and all the rest of the left behind bread and breakfast cereals went straight to the chickens. – However, that isn’t to say that there wasn’t a case of a mysteriously rapidly emptying jar of left behind branson pickle a few weeks ago. 🙂

3lb weight loss this week. High for me, but after a week or so off plan this is a great start back for me. Looking forward to next 4 weeks.

Good morning. DAY 1 of 7 has dawned again! I hope everyone is fit and raring to go. My goal this week is to again keep ‘paddling ‘ like mad to stay afloat until Friday when I’m home and back to measuring and logging.
Welcome R-not-e hope you enjoy this journey.
Have a good start to the new week.

Hi , I’m gathering information, ideas, recipe’s etc ready to start the Diet.
I’ve come across a recipe for Skirlie (Scottish stuffing). Was wondering if anyone knows if I can i cook this in the chicken cavity like you would a normal stuffing ?? Do i make it as the recipe says or anything different??
Thanks
Look forward to any replies with help

Thanks SunshineGirl, l am not on any medication but randomly take my BGL’s in the morning before breakfast and they are usually high.
As I like my wine (and who doesn’t) I am not having any to see if this will bring the reading down, so I will try the late night snack in my second week if my BGL’s are still high.
Thanks for your reply 🙄

Kaz62 – a very good weight loss for the 4 weeks.

I am reporting a 3/4 pound weight loss this week and a 2lb loss for the 4 weeks which takes me down to 9st 4 and a half pounds which is the lowest i have been since 1969. Keeping off insulin is my goal on these challenges. So another 4 weeks without insulin – I am so happy.

Morning everyone hope it’s ok to jump aboard!
Ok so week 1 day 2…
107kg (16 1/2 st) aiming for below 100kg by the end of this challenge… or is that too ambitious? I want to get back to my old Rugby playing weight of 14st. eventually and ideally before the summer holidays. What do we think guys? Is that too much too soon or am I copping out?? I’ve never had to watch my weight before so I don’t really know what is a good goal to aim for each week/fortnight/month etc.

Looking forward to keeping in touch and for your help!!

Dreams come true you may get a pleasant surprise with your new scales! We can only hope 🤞🏻

Wow zinny well done you for packing your own scales! That’s really hard though to keep going when you’re not in your own home to be able to make your own food.
I was going to ask for advice about eating out…not that I do it often but on Sunday it’s Father’s Day and my family are going to pizza express…my daughter’s favourite…what would you recommend I order? Do you think maybe having half of one of the light pizzas? Not exactly the best low carb restaurant really…

Alliecat that is absolutely incredible! To lose that amount of weight and to keep it off is such an achievement you must be so proud of yourself, well done!
Thanks for all the advice and encouragement…day 1 done…onto day 2! Nushi how lovely you’re starting this too…it will be such an achievement to make it to a whole week…let’s do this!
MaggieBath will check out the app…

Good morning Zoomers I’ll start the final weigh ins with a 1:6lb loss – total for the 4 weeks 7.1lb very pleased it’s slow and steady for me bmi from 27.6 – 26.6 🎉🎉🎉🎉good luck everyone the new thread will take me to my holiday on 6th July but this is keeping me accountable I havent been this weight for 10 months and feel like I’m climbing back up the slippery slope 😀thank you Kazzuk for setting up this thread will see you all on the new one xx

Ah Sunnysandy that is a tough one! Though at least it explains some of the discrepancies. I would suggest some BSD friendly snacks as a starting point. Check the BSD recipe book: off the top of my head I remember making some lovely parmesan crackers from there and there are probably a lot more ideas in there too.

Sorry for short post but am dashing to work in a minute. Especially wanted to say hello to HappyKangaroo and see how you are getting on? Also to everyone else on this thread. I’ve stalled a bit for various reasons but am going to try and nail it these next 4 weeks before I go on holiday so will check in again soon.

Here’s hoping!!

Ok will give it another go. Keep restarting BSD and getting sidelined. But it’s just over 4 weeks now till my holiday and I’d really like to shift around 7lb by then: currently not sure what my weight is due to dodgy scales but new digital ones arrive tomorrow so I will take a deep breath (cry, probably!) then get on the get go.

Good luck everyone!

Hi everyone! I’m back (exhausted) after a frantic week leading up to my daughter’s wedding. It all went beautifully and they are a very happy couple . I did enjoy it but now I’m just so glad it’s over!

I thought I’d chosen food relatively wisely but the scales say different 🙁

I am wondering it it was partly stress as well that’s affected my weight. I noticed last week my fitbit was recording progressively less and less deep sleep and more and more REM, also whereas usually my sleeping pulse is 45-50, the last two weeks it has rarely dipped below 60. Anyway, all done now including the last minute (enormous) flower arrangement for the wedding arch that the florist suddenly couldn’t provide, made by me in my first ever flower arranging effort and attached by my obliging brother. Hopefully there’ll be a downward trend on the scales over the next week or so.
I haven’t had time to read back over all the posts but I hope everyone is doing well and feeling in control. KOKO!

Congratulations to son and have an extra glass of water Marie.

Congratulations sunshine-girl, great news.

I also have one great positive today – my son, who has been out of university for a year and sent off application after application had his first interview today and got the job. I’m delighted and relieved.

Marie
Btw, sunnysandy – completely agree about Allie xx

well here I (we) are back again feel just taking and not giving much back but will post some recipes soon (love to cook ) So week 3 but
last week husband (Im joining him on the diet not diabetic) reduced his metf. and glitz by just half a tablet reading up from 6-5 to 7.5 average. We panicked a bit but with support from you folks stayed with it and they levelled out
. This week up to 9.5 and 10 .5 !!Husband not been well with bad neck several sleepless nights and prescribed co codomal. We are hoping that not being well lack of sleep may be the culprit Definitely stuck to the diet. We have no support from our Doctor so we do get a bit scared !! However he is due to go for his blood test and where hoping to see an improvement from 6 weeks ago when his last results according to the nurse were very poor and wanted to give him even more meds. That’s when I researched and found this diet/programme. Sorry to keep asking stuff but do you think he should start taking the 2 half tablets again ? We are both loosing weight Husband is( almost not always) doing his 10,000 steps. I love the food/cooking challenge too and thus far both coping well.just hope we are not making matters worse.as blood sugars higher thanks folks

Wow you used your luggage allowance to take your scales. Respect!!!

Thanks Maggie, yes it’s on the list to get 🙂

Thanks Sunshine! This is the bit I’m struggling with most as I’m a bit of a coffee fiend (easily 8-9 cups a day) but as I take my coffee with sugar I’ve had to go cold turkey :/

Welcome to the community Vulcan463 andpartner 🙂 Yes, lemon and lime are fine as long as there’s no added sugar.
You might prefer a water bottle with a diffuser – you can get them at most supermarkets – to which you can add quartered lemon and lime. Tastes much nicer.
Maggie

Hi Vulcan463 welcome to you both. I cant see any harm in using the Jif lemon or lime in drinks as it is almost pure juice. However, dont even think of using PLJ. I had used it years ago so decided to try it again and it made my pee glow in the dark, then you know there is something wrong. Good luck.

well done sunshine girl – that’s brilliant news
I’ve not had any blood tests in ages – I had three clear ones and the GP said no need to keep having them. I suspect my blood sugar has crept up again, going to lose some weight first.
2.4 kilos over the last seven days – I expect it will slow down a bit after the initial few days though.
I had to google what a gopher was California Girl – hence my rhubarb being safe.
The other amazing thing with my garden is that I wanted to grow Jerusalem Artichokes, but couldn’t find anyone growing them that had a spare tuber. I found one I’d not eaten at the back of the fridge, that I think had been there for about four months – I planted it anyway, as I’d prepared the soil in a container; nothing happened for a whole, but at the weekend I discovered 3 shoots, all about two feet high.
Another current favourite in addition to Fritatta is baked egg with asparagus, still just about in season here.
I just coat a dish with oil, lay the asparagus in it, I put that in the oven for the dish to heat, season it and break an egg on top, then back in the oven to bake – takes about ten minutes.
The Pioppi book arrived today, I started reading it on the way home – seems very sensible, and I agree that I like his writing style. Non sugary protein bars also arrived – I don’t want to eat them regularly, but after seeing the sugary ones on the dehydrated diet plan I decided they’d make a good standby to keep handy. Dark Chocolate and raspberry – will post what they taste like when I’ve had one.

Dear Mrs Thompson – it’s my first day too so we can cheer each other through these early days! (I have a lot of weight to lose so will be on here for a while I think…. ) Well done for surviving the first day – I suspect the next few days will now be harder but that then things will start to settle down…. Keep busy and it will be Friday before we know it!
nushi

Hi all,
So day 1 week 1 and I’ve got this far, or should that be we as my partner is joining me on this journey too!
I’m a guy who until recently has never had to worry about diet but after a horrible couple of years with a change in homelife along with injuries meaning I’ve not been so active I’ve got to the point that I’m pretty ashamed of my weight gain.

Anyway day 1 has gone fairly well but i just have a quick question that you guys may be able to answer… is it ok to add lemon/lime juice (the bottled Jif type stuff) to water? Not huge amounts, maybe a tsp of both?
Thanks in advance guys

Hi all
Not sure if on correct thread but lost 3 lb according to this mornings weigh in. I am unexpectedly away from home but have brought my own scales with with me!
I can swim here, so am getting up early and doing some lengths. Eating is more difficult whilst away from home but I am being very careful with my food choices and being as I won’t be home until 22 nd June I’m hoping to stay the same till I get back. It would be a bonus if I could weigh in next week with any kind of loss.
Keeping away from bread, and on the plane did not eat the sweet pudding offered!
Down we go!

Welcome aboard,
I have just been on this programme for three weeks and the help and advice I have received has been amazing. I’m away from home at the moment so it’s a bit more difficult but it’s a great way of eating once you get your head around it all. Keeping a food diary is key.
Good luck I’m sure you will do well. Let us know how you get on

Hi Amandalovescharlie
Well…..the first time we followed the 8 week plan I weighed and measured EVERYTHING we ate and drank and I lost almost 2 stone, my husband lost around1.5 stone. The problem was we slipped into old ways when we should have made the no carb way a way of life for good. So, now we are trying to ditch the carbs, keep an eye on calories to make it a way of life forever. Our weight loss will be slower but that’s ok. Neither of us are diabetic BUT both my parents were and my mother in law is, and we feel it’s inevitable unless we lose a significant amount of weight. Made the thai curry again yesterday (from the book) and used chunks of roast tofu as the protein, yummy. I have cleared the cupboards of anything which is a no no, that said the few nuts for ‘occasional nibbles’ have had a bit of a hit so trying to not get dependent on them. Bought a 1l water bottle and having at least 2 a day, it really does keep me full.(And I know where all the public loos are now!)

Hi Allie,
Congrats on you anniversary-hope I am not too late in congratulating you. You are the kindest person who takes time to respond to any query and gives very practical advice no matter what the issues may be. It’s great to have you on these forums where many pof us have the same objectives at the end of the day. Here’s to good health forever.

Happy applause, Mrs. Thompson, for the turquoise swimming costume, and a very warm welcome to our
community! We are probably just a sea of usernames to you today, but you will soon get to know all of us
by posting regularly, and more importantly, we will get to know you 🙂 Out in the day to day world, you will
probably be met with a lack of enthusiasm for your decision to change the course of your life and health by
adopting the BSD way of life (WOL). Ignore the naysayers! All things are possible for you now, and you have
an entire community of new as well as long term BSDers who will be by your side as you travel this road.
Joining the 4 week challenges are the very best way to accomplish the learning curve associated with this
way of eating, so I congratulate you for jumping on board 🙂 I started my journey june 1, 2016. I lost 50% of
my body weight, and have been joyfully maintaining the loss for well over a year. Counting carbs is the key,
as well as the support from this community. Something magical happens on the challenges, and I believe
the secret element is a lively thread, and the participation of members at all stages of the process. I’ll be
looking out for your posts, and I’m happy to know you. Very best of luck to you! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Allie

Well done on the swimming costume! Don’t try and fade into the background, love yourself and be proud of yourself.
Michael Moseley recommends Headspace, tho I use apps that are linked to Alexa.
Maggie

Thank you! I shall try that for tomorrow’s salad!

Very happy today –
1. blood results for cholesterol and triglycerides same (good) as last time
2. HbA1c from 6.0 to 5.9 – tiny difference I know but I have had a total of 6 weeks holidays in the last 3 months and expected bad results
3. weight down by 3lb from last week

Thank you all so much for the encouragement and support today! I can’t tell you what a difference it makes to not feel alone. JGwen that is such a good idea to have an actual WHY rather than abstract number, so this evening I have taken the plunge and bought myself a swimming costume online, which is one size smaller than I currently am, to wear for a girls spa day in 2 months time…not in my safe colour of black, but in a bright turquoise…it’s exactly the sort of thing I would look at longingly in the shop but then just walk past.
Do you remember when your cravings for carbs began to subside? I have been ok during the day but preparing dinner for my daughter this evening after she got back from school all of a sudden I was forced to confront foods which I’d kept hidden during school hours (I made her cheese ravioli which is one of my favourites and then she had millionaire shortbread again one of my favourites…it was really hard!) How have you dealt with having to prepare food for the family?
MaggieBath/anyone are you able to recommend any mindfulness apps?
I really do want to stop being a slave to carbs – all they’ve done is made me large and are really messing with my health. Nothing good has come out of eating them!
Thank you all again for your time 👍🏻

JGwen – that’s an astonishing result for just 1.32lbs! So thrilled for you!
S-G – you too, fantastic results! 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍😁😁 to you both!
I forget about measuring myself. Off to find the tape measure!

Hi Caro – 2 bday parties in one weekend?! Sounds like you did really well with all the that temptation around! Yes, see you tomorrow!

JGwen and sunshine-g well done! Great results all round!
Tuesday to Tuesday for the weekly challenge hence new o e starting tomorrow on the 12th. The same day as the new four week challenge. And oh boy! Am I challenged at the moment! Anyway see you all tomorrow on the new thread/s.

How is everyone today? There have been many recent posts over the past few days, that I’m having a hard time
getting down the list to this thread! I can’t let THAT happen, because just as the kitchen is the heart of the home,
this place is the heart of the forums for me 🙂 More or less a “homepage” of sorts….
We are having an altogether beautiful day here, sunshine, moderate temp. and a wonderful breeze. I awoke
to an intoxicated fragrance today. Roses! I’ve a wooded area at the back of the property, and wild, uncultivated
white roses are in bloom at the woods edge, and have a climbing habit, so are traveling up the low lying brush.
The fragrance is much like aromatherapy, and is being carried on the wind! I’m going to take full advantage
of it, and will be serving a BSD friendly luncheon for 2, al fresco, on the balcony today. Simple pleasures for
a simple mind… 🙂

Positive thoughts, anyone?

Allie

Hi from me too Moon. A lovely start and I like that you’re doing what works for you. Enjoy your new way of eating!
Maggie

Oh well done JGwen! I keep on forgetting the NSV even while celebrating my own. That is a huge change. You must be thrilled !

Congratulations, wonderful news 🤗

Welcome, welcome, Englishrose! Please have a look at JGwen’s post today on “Spring into Summer Wk2”
thread. There are many processes going on even when the scales aren’t yielding dramatic results. Have a
look 🙂
Best wishes,

Allie

JGwen and Sunshine-girl – brilliant results.