Blood sugar diet thread 7

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Here's thread seven for the Blood Sugar Diet followers.

It's 5 weeks and 5 days until school breaks up (may vary by region!) so let's get those bodies lean for Summer!

Continuing thread for Blood Sugar Dieters:
Phase 1 lasts 2 - 8 weeks and involves restricting calories to 800 a day. Eating healthy fats is encouraged as is limiting carby foods (no specific guideline on this but some people aim for under 50g), small amounts of complex carbs are allowed but should be balanced ideally with green veg, protein and fat to lower the glycemic load and reduce the effect on blood sugar.

There are lots of us who have been here for a long time:

Bear
Couch
Flighty
YumYum
Oblomov

That's only a few of us. We've all been here for over a year, nearly 2.

So lots of 'oldies' to help and support 'newbies'.

Perdy I add dry red lentils to my veg chilli when it starts cooking - they thicken it too. And I never soak lentils.

Chickpeas - tinned for most things, Napolina are the nicest, really big and soft, though for hummus I'll use a supermarket basic. For falafel I use dried ones which are soaked and then used. No pre-boiling for falafel!

All others switch between tinned or dried depending on time and how good my pre-planning has been.

Jiggly - NOOOO don't go over to the dark side.

Do you have much weight to loose? Is your BMI low?

It's a steady loss and your learning about real food. Real food that fills you up, portion control and counting calories.

WW & SW promote processed food & ready meals and all that low fat crap. And that eat as much as you want bollocks!

Oh that's a shame jiggly - have you got much to lose? I think if so the weight won't come off as quickly.

So are you "oldies" maintaining at the moment? How much weight have you lost?

Just had the blueberry and green tea shake from the book for my breakfast. Didn't taste of anything really. Had to put a teeny bit of agave nectar in there, I can't be doing with zero sweet.

x post with Jiggly.
Well, this WOE MAY not be for you... but because you jump over to the dark side lets have a good look at what you have been doing. to see if we can offer some advice.

Tell us some more info on what you weigh, what you have been eating, what mfp says etc. I'm sure we can help.

It pissed me off, MAJORLY, that I was really trying and getting nowhere. And then I had a huge whoosh....???

Feeling down this morning, not only have I not stayed the same but I've put on 0.5kg! I'm sticking to 800 calories and following the plan so don't know what else I can do. Hoping for a big whoosh very soon! I have lost another 7cm from my waist so I know it's working, just wish the scales corresponded.

Jiggly - I know how frustrating it is, I'm on day 26. Stick with it if you can, I'm hoping that this is just a blip. Did you measure at the start? I seem to be losing cm but not kg. .

Well done on the loss Bear

Moomin, I think Couch is maintaining. But Bear and I are still on the main programme, yet again, because we never did reach our ideal weight.

I lost 1 3/4, but then put a bit back on, which I then lost again, but I still need to lose another 1/2 stone, or maybe even 3/4 of a stone, to get to ideal weight. So I've never actually tried maintenance.

Flibberty, have faith, keep on going. Your'll get there!!

I am going to stick with it - because I'm bloody minded and it's pissing me off. I'm feeling a bit 'fuck you diet - you won't win' at the moment

Also I don't want to go back to my old way of eating/drinking because my blood pressure has dropped significantly so I'm definitely healthier, even if I'm not lighter!

I'm on day 23 and I hit one stone off this morning. I'm so pleased and motivated, never seen results this consistent before although I did lose 17lb on the LC boot camp a couple of years ago. I'm a control freak so I find the calorie counting is better for me, I can't deal with the frustration of going up and down during a diet and not knowing why. I've been lurking around the threads and thanks to whoever recommended the 68 cal/slice bread. I was worried it might impact my loss but it hasn't and having a slice here and there has had a very positive impact on my digestive transit

Moomin I did the first 8 weeks over a year ago, and lost 21lb, then another 6 or so lb in the following few weeks. I went from 13.3 (post pregnancy) to about 11.5 ish which is the top end of my 'slim weight' and felt fantastic. Then I sort of fell off the wagon, regressed into eating the old favourites. We moved house and had a very stressful 6 months and to be honest I just regressed back to my old ways. I then rejoined the threads, tried a round 2 and again failed miserably. This is technically my round 3. This time I'm just not putting the pressure on myself so much, although perhaps I should be! There's so many changes I could still make, such as I don't exercise, I still use sweetener in my coffee - but then I also feel this time I've made other changes I didn't do last time such as no grains, no potatoes etc (before I would allow them within the 50g carbs). My weightloss is slower this time but I feel like it's 'better' and more sustainable. I honestly couldn't tell you when I last ate bread, potato, porridge, it was that long ago. It is just simply not a part of my diet anymore, in the same way as sweetcorn, raw mushrooms, mussels and any other foods that I despise with a passion don't eat don't tempt me. I think this is as close to maintenance as I can ever get really, but unfortunately I don't want to maintain, I want to lose at least another stone. My plan for the remainder of my 8 weeks (think 5 weeks left?) is to cut out coffee or cut down to 1, and to do 3-4 days at 800 calorie rather than just one or 2.

I've been reading the fasting book and I think that might be my strategy, following med style but doing 2 days at 500 calories like in the 5:2. I also think I need to do something actively to retrain my brain around weekends because, like happened last week, if I balls up on Thursday then my whole weekend is written off. I am a terrible catastrophic thinker and spend lots of time alone (well, with a 20 month old feral child which is worse) and also a terrible sleeper, which the three combined do not make for good dieting!

I must be doing something at least partly right though- it was my wedding anniversary on Sunday and so 6 years ago I weighed 11.5, today I weigh 11.10. In that 6 years I have had 2 giant pregnancies (yielding 9lb babies at 37 and 38 weeks respectively), gained 4 stone twice as a result, and yet only a total gain of 5lb which means I've actually worked bloody hard and lost nearly 8 stone if you think about it!!?? I should maybe be a bit kinder to myself!!

You've done really well bear, better than I've ever done! Pre pregnancy I was 10st4 so only just overweight (for my height my maximum healthy weight is about 10st2) - a comfortable size 12. Was never happy about it if I'm honest but it was never so bad that I had the incentive to stick to a diet IYSWIM. Then I put on 4 - yes, 4 - stone while I was pregnant with DS. A lot of it was fluid but I was still 12st4 two weeks after I gave birth. Am now 11st2 so have lost some but would really like to get into the 9s now and get rid of some of my big belly and c section overhang.

I just had a nice lunch - plate of peppers and celery alongside cottage cheese, houmous and guacamole. I only have 200 calories left for dinner so I expect I'll be over today but I've found previously if I come in at less than 1200 calories I always lose weight.

Bear when you write it like that, that's an amazing loss!

Maintaining is the thing I have never ever been able to do. Not when I lost 2 1/2 stone on weight watchers, not when I lost 4 on low carb. With the LC I understand why. I couldn't and didn't want to accept I'd never eat a French fry or a pizza again but I feel perhaps somehow with this diet it has given me a tool to use to step on the breaks if I indulge a bit too much - have never been able to do that either. Just keep going, and eating!
I have got 3 stone to lose which would put me into a healthy BMI just but I'd be more comfortable in the mid range of the healthy BMI with more 'wiggle room' so that is actually a further stone. 4 stone!!
But I'm down 11lbs already so it's not impossible. Right?!

How has your way of eating changed?

I started this new woe on May 8th. Before that I would have 2 slices of toast and egg for breakfast and sometimes toast and marmalade most days.

For lunch I would have a sandwich.

For dinner I would have variety but usually with potoato, rice or pasta.

I would drink wine most nights.

Since starting I have Greek yogurt and berries for breakfast with chia and flax,
great for this time of year. Omelette for lunch, varied on plan dinners.

Since starting I had a glass of wine on my son's 18th birthday and a slimline g&t to get through election night. It was fine to drink alcohol but I wasn't fussed or intoxicated This is unlike me!

Plus we used to go out to eat once or twice a week. Never thought I could stick to this.

I'd love others to share.

^I think Couch is maintaining*
Oblomov that made me laugh because that's how I feel too! There's lots of days where I suddenly wonder if I'm kidding myself and I only think I'm maintaining but secretly I'm slipping into bad habits and I'm going to have a massive whoosh in the wrong direction one morning!
Moomin I started last April about 13.3 stone, size 16, BMI obese. I'm now about 10.6, size 10 (depending on the store!) BMI healthy. I've been hovering around 10.6 since January (after I lost my Christmas binge weight). I fluctuate by about 3 lbs depending on the week and where I am in my cycle.
I don't do any exercise except walking.I reintroduced fruit and some bad carbs (eg I have risotto about twice per month) but I still aim for 50g carbs. I still log everything but if I'm on holiday or at a party, I decide if I'm going to stick to BSD or if I'm going to eat and drink what I want. I tell myself I am aiming for 800 cals and 50g carbs but realistically there are days where I am way over but I know I'm choosing to go over on those days iyswim and I try to get back on it quite quickly.
I lost 3 stones once with Rosemary Conley but gradually put it all back on. I tried 5:2 and spent 6 months losing and gaining the same half stone. BSD is working for me. I'm feeling much healthier on it. I've also realised I probably need to log for the rest of my life because it's too easy for me to slip back into bad habits otherwise. My aim for the rest of the year (well, after the summer) is to start exercising again and see how I can manage exercise and BSD.

I've just been to the pub and had half a lager. I was going to have soda, but they had Moretti on tap and that is one of my absolute favourites! It's amazing how far half a pint will go, I feel really quite tight!

Anyway, I'm making myself a fat head pizza for supper www.ditchthecarbs.com/2015/04/23/fat-head-pizza/ I've made half quantity to see what it's like, and if I only eat half I should come in around 800 or so.

I'm trying to future plan how I see this working for me. I'm staying on for 12 weeks - the length of the course you can buy on the BSD website - by which time it will be nearly summer holidays. Then we'll see.

That pizza base sounds nice, have you made them before? Are they good?

It's...ok. Slightly weird, the coconut flour is too strong I think and the bit about only wanting 2 slices is A LIE!

TBH, I think I'd rather have a small amount of normal pizza, it's not a very frequent thing for us anyway!

Only 2nd post for this thread,today I weighed and have lost 2 stone, the last time I did this was 25 years ago!! Really thrilled with this as I don't count calories, but just really stick to the principle of no carbs. Through the week for breakfast I tend to have a spoonful of Greek yoghurt with either, berries, nuts or seeds, but this week I forgot it in my shopping, so not really having any breakfast, my mid week weigh in and I've lost 4lbs I don't like eggs, so what else can a busy mum who works have?

After my weekend lack of control I gained 4 pounds and have since lost it so now I'm back to where I was exactly a week ago.

I've taken to having an iced coffee (no sugar) at breakfast and nothing else. The heat helps and skipping breakfast has been much easier for me than trying to stick to 300cals at dinnertime.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-crust-pizza%3Famp

You could try this instead? It uses cauliflower instead of the coconut flour- I have heard mixed reviews. I read somewhere that you have to squeeze the water out of the cauliflower in a clean tea towel to get the best results

I was thinking of trying the fathead pizza but with almond flour, might try it at the weekend. I'm off to hospital tomorrow, haven't seen my specialist nurse since dietitian started me on BSD so hope they are happy with my progress. Looking forward to celebrating my half way point on Saturday. Can't quite believe I've made it to the end of day 26 - feeling happy I've survived so far.

Oh Bear, I've made the cauli one, it was HIDEOUS!

I've yet to see a good replacement for pizza dough.

Was it? That's a shame. It was all part of the great low carb cauliflower revolution I think, but yes I agree with oblo. If cauliflower tasted like pizza, we wouldn't be fat would we??

My best pizza sub is pizza toppings on flattened chicken breasts or those thin turkey steaks. I've seen mini peppers stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella and wrapped in prosciutto as well which have a pizza vibe. My slimming world days have put me right off 'substitutes' and I guess the ethos of this plan is to have a very small amount of the real stuff. You could use mini whole meal pitta breads or some sort of flatbread I suppose, and at least it would be easily measurable and self limiting.

Day 18 for me today. Woke up feeling ravenous, which I have been managing to contain. Most days i don't eat til 12, but today I feel peckish. I am going to channel my best BSD head and say no as if usually makes me more hungry if I eat early. I have been drinking lots of water in the heat but now it's dropped ten degrees I wonder if I'll be able to keep it up?

Have a great day everyone!