MM-Blood-sugar-diet-Part4

[Not2bObvious]

Shiny new thread for the BSD'ers. Best thing you can do is first read the MM bsd book do you get a full grasp of what the rules are but in a nutshell:
800 calories a day
No bread/pasta/potatoes/rice
No processed food, no alcohol
As close to no sugar you can get
Full fat, no low fat
Protein to keep you full
2-3 litres of water a day
10,000 steps a day (work your way up)
HIIT if you can 2-3 times a week

It's Monday! 800 calorie strictness starts here. Are we all in????

Yep, I'm in

Not sure if I'm in anymore 😞 The rigidity of the plan isn't working for me, I'm good Mon- Thurs and then lose the plot on the weekends. It's driving me crazy, and I just need the odd slice of bread - there I've said it. I honestly don't know what to do. It was only meant to be 8 weeks, it's been 6 months and I still haven't even kept off a stone. After my weekend I would say I'm 11.8-11.9
So, after giving it some consideration I think I'll step away from bsd. I'm not obese or prediabetic, I'm just greedy! I have 9 weeks until my next holiday so going to work on sticking to 1200-1400 cals a day, a bit more at weekends. I reckon if I don't deprive myself too much during the week I won't be so gluttonous on the weekends.
Wishing you all the very best of luck, I gave it a shot but I don't think I gave it my all - time to move on and see how I fare! 😘

Not2 it will be a shame not to 'see' you on this forum, but if that's what's best for you then that's what you need to do. In my long history of dieting I can recall many times when I follow a plan so long that I learn exactly how to tweak it to my disadvantage. I have definitely found the rigidity of BSD unworkable at times during the last few months and perhaps you are right that you need a break. Do pop in and see us all though and let us know how you are getting on
I had a good day yesterday, one shake, one salad and pm meal of chicken and veg. Today I have had a shake for breakfast and am having mushrooms and salad for lunch. I'm feeling hungry today though. If any of you have a b&m home near you I saw today that they have big tubs of shake powder, I didn't check the cals/protein etc but they were much cheaper than the Atkins ones I bought.

Not2b we will miss you. Still pop in if you want to (luckily no-one checks our BSD credentials at the door or we'd all be turfed out at different points)
This isn't meant to be a long-term eating plan so I think that's why it's much harder after the 8 weeks. Not just in being difficult to stick to but also in achieving visible results.
Thanks for all your fab posts

Not2b I totally get you but hope to see you coming back one day.

I had a terrible two weeks with problems and suddenly lost my way. This was to be my 7th week but I blundered it all and gained 2 kg!!! 2 kg and it is not totm or anything..so please please bear count me in
I am in I am in I am in.....

Not2be you have prob kept going longer than anyone. No reason not to step away for while if its not working and maybe trying something different and then doing another 800 8 week stint at some point. You could even move to the med diet rather than low carb med as not pre diabetic and see how it goes. I was reading this book (aimed at people in their 60s and over - I am in my 30s but who cares) and it has a plan that might work sod it eat well

ps I only paid about £3 from book people for it and added it to an order for ds birthday to qualify for promo codes and free delivery etc not because I am addicted to diet books or anything

Gone a bit off piste today, probably hit tdee, but sugar free all day which is a big change from recent days.
Tomorrow: shake for breakfast, then not sure about the rest of the day as I desperately need to go shopping! Hit me with your lunch and dinner ideas (I am a reasonably skilled but time-poor cook) so I can write my shopping list!

Thanks all, you're very kind to reply to my moaning. I'm just a bit fatigued by the plan and let's face it I haven't been making the best stab at it. I've actually had a great day food wise would you believe after all my moaning, just over 1000 cals in. I've reset mfp to 1200 a day and I'm going to stick to that as much as I can. Made up a good plan for the next few days on paper, going to have some normal carbs and see how I feel. I definitely need a break from my obsession, hoping it will help curb my weekend binges as that's been derailing any effort I have put in. Will keep a beady eye on y'all, hope that you keep reinvigorated and successful😉

Well done on sugar free new average, I am at the moment really into super douper quick pre packed stirfry veg with things - whisked eggs and a bit of cheese for an omlette, or a tin of mackerel in tomato sauce, or chicken breast and cashew nuts for an actual stir fry (with some drops of chilli sauce)

Two days were quite easy, but this evening I had a bit of a 'this is going to lead to calorie obsession' type panic, and started talking about not even trying to do 8 weeks.

Then someone sent me some photos of me on holiday a couple of weeks ago. OMG!! I'm totally back in the zone.

Just popping in to offer an idea that's worked well for some on the 5:2 thread - it may help. And that's to have one day a week when you relax the rules.

From the beginning of my 5:2 experience (over 4 years, now), I've always included a 'feast' day once a week. So you build in a couple of days below TDEE, then have them on the feast day. I rationalise this by thinking that hunter/gatherers would always feast when they made a kill, so it's nothing our bodies wouldn't be used to.

I realise that this may be difficult if you're sticking to 800 cals daily. However, the 5:2 recipe thread is full of filling, low cal meals. I have a recipe on there for a

Pfrench do you have much weight to lose? The reason I ask is, with regards to calories and obsessive counting, with this plan the key especially in the early days is to keep the carbs low. You can definitely factor in days when you can go over 800 cals provided that you keep your carbs under 50g. I have been doing this 3 ish months now and have lost a couple of stones, and I haven't done many days at 800 and certainly not several consequetive days. My average is about 1000-1100 a day. But, if I ignore the last few weeks where I've been like a toddler at a birthday party I have largely remained low carb and sugar free. In the early days I cut out pasta, rice, potato, bread, starchy veg and all sugar for 8 weeks. If you do this, after the initial cravings subside, you will find it so much easier to stick to 800 cals or low cals anyway.

Consecutive
Would you believe I'm an English teacher?

I liked your consequetive spelling. I read it in a comedy French accent
This week is shaping up to be both busy and stressful but on the plus side that usually means I eat less.
Pfrench I think worrying about calorie obsession is a common fear with dieting but tbh I know I had to count calories at the beginning to get better at both portion control and recognising when I was full.

Creeps back in.....
Sorry to hear that Not2. But completely understand. A break maybe? This thread will always welcome you back, anytime, if you want to return?
And what a good and nice suggestion from Bread&Wine re feast day.

I am in a similar situation to Not2. I feel very similar. I don't know what I'm doing st Trev moment, but I'm all over the place. Is this really working for me? I too started in Jan, so have been here 6 months. I lost 1+3/4 stone, but still had a stone to go. I've put back on atleast half a stone recently. I'm finding it too restrictive,
I'm on holiday for 2 weeks in a few days.
Maybe I'll try not to go overboard too much.
And then return with vengeance beginning of September?

I think we all need to aknowledge that keeping this up long term : me, not 2, bear, other posters who have been here a long time, it's not manageable long term?

Mosley's idea was a quick blast. Them Mediterranean for maintenance. But if you still had more weight to lose , after the 8 week burst? Not sustainable?

Oblomov I'm not entirely sure what Mosley suggests for those of us who still had weight to lose after the 8 weeks. Even if we all switch to a med diet, are we supposed to eat TDEE? or between TDEE and 800? or 800 but not low-carb? or TDEE but low-carb? There are so many variables.

I can't remember couch. But I know we have talked about it on some of the threads. I'm sure one of the more knowledgeable posters will give us s re-cap, hopefully.

Well, if you eat your tdee every day you won't lose weight. You'll maintain. You need to eat under your tdee to lose, and 3500 calories a week under to lose a pound. I think the key is to find your tdee, knock a bit off for generous estimates (eg I have put myself as inactive because I don't exercise, even though I am busy with the kids etc), and then plan your week accordingly. So for me, that's most days at about 1100 (my tdee is 1800) plus a couple at tdee. Ideally low carb and sugar free. It doesn't always happen.
Treat days just do not work for me because I can eat so much in one day- large appetite plus very sweet tooth (still!), and I found them rolling into treat weekends. If you can work them then hats off to you, but it doesn't work for me.
I've definitely struggled after the 8 weeks, and have tried various approaches- resulting in maintenance really, which is ideal once you're where you want to be. I have taken the attitude that if I maintain for a few weeks until I'm ready for another blast of strict 800-1000.
We all know the plan works if you work it. But we can also all identify the tweaks we've made to fit it into our lives (eg treat days, 2 squares dark chocolate,) and those are the things that creep in after a while because the book plan is restrictive.

Really struggling at the moment. WI yesterday and I'd stayed the same as last week. Any sensible person would have carried on determinedly but I was stupid and spent yesterday eating chocolate and crisps. Back on the wagon now though and hoping I haven't done too much damage. Sugar cravings are back with a vengeance.

Sorry for my double post! I wanted to check the book.
MM suggests a med plan way of eating after the 8 weeks unless you have a lot to lose. So, good fats, some carbs (he uses the phrase 'a taste'), meats, cheese, full fat yoghurt (bear in mind the carbs in dairy from lactose) and lots of 'above ground' vegetables, lentils and legumes, not so much fruit. He doesn't 'advocate' treat days, rather he uses the approach of being forgiving to oneself should we, occasionally, transgress. It's a lapse not a relapse etc.
Now, I'm absolutely not being preachy here and I am only talking from my own experience but.....if you're having treat days, lots of carbs, low fat dairy to save cals, starchy white carbs, sugary foods, excessive alcohol- you are not following the plan. You're having a day off. If you do the med plan properly, your appetite will naturally curb, so you don't need to calorie count obsessively (maybe a few 800 days a week on a 5:2 style) but just trust it to work for you. But as soon as you introduce sugar and 'white carbs', you will override your satiety and appetite. That lovely 'off switch' we created will be disconnected. In this sense, this is an all or nothing plan.
I don't want you to think I'm preaching- good lord I am one of the worst for cheats and treats! But I am quite realistic about my expectations- I know I can't avoid these things forever so I have to negotiate them into my life. I think we have all struggled along the way with maintenance and there is no one size fits all solution; I think the key is to always bear in mind the med plan foods and eat more of those, rather than see treat days as a 'free day', which in the long run will be detrimental to weight loss but also to the protective aspect of the low carb lifestyle which strengthens our resolve against more carbs.

Thanks bear. It's good to have a reminder. I think part of the problem for me is that I don't want to maintain yet. I want to lose another 10lbs so probably have to stick to 800 cals until I get to my target weight. Then I can try the med diet for maintenance.