Blood Sugar Diet thread 11

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Here’s the new thread for the BSD followers. Everyone is welcome to join us. Here’s a quick recap!

The BSD is a low carb, Mediterranean style way of eating, with the primary aim of stabilising your insulin response when you eat. You achieve this by: eating fewer carbs, cutting out sugar and sweet tasting foods including most fruit, and by following a low calorie plan that reduces your visceral fat meaning that everything functions more effectively. Less insulin means less fat storage (in a nutshell, although more info can be found on this online). The diet was designed to reduce T2 diabetes symptoms (or even reverse it entirely) but can also be used for weightloss.

Eat:
Meats and fish
Oils
Eggs
Full fat dairy products
Nuts, seeds
Pulses/ beans
Veg that grows above ground
Limit fruit: apples, pears, berries- in moderation, with meals, with fats

Occasional alcoholic drinks allowed (spirits, red wine are preferable to beer, lager, etc)
Tea and coffee, herbal tea etc.
And water- drink lots of water!

Avoid
sugar, sweets, and ‘naturally occurring sugars’ such as fructose, maltose, honey, agave, puréed dates etc....

Potatoes of any variety
Pasta
Rice
Breakfast cereals (occasional steel cut oats are ok)
Breads/ flour based products

Exercise:
Michael Moseley recommends HIIT workouts to increase calorie burn and help to tone up, and recommends walking more (increasing your steps weekly until you hit around 10000 a day)

Mindfulness
MM also suggests a programme of mindfulness, meditation, practised for a few minutes each day.

How to follow the plan:
8 weeks BSD- 8 weeks, follow the guidelines above- 800 calories a day. You don’t need to count carbs grams because the diet is naturally self limiting.
BSD 5:2- for a more leisurely weightloss journey, or as maintenance, or once you’ve done an 8 week stint, you can play around with a combination of increased calorie count, ‘free eating’ and fasting days (800 cals) until you achieve your goals. Many of our long standing members now follow this approach.

bear I totally agree with you that people can be odd about diets. When I started low-carbing 4 years ago my family were aghast and would say things like 'pony won't want any potatoes, she's on a mad diet'. My mum seems a bit put out that I have steadily lost weight while she has steadily put it on, but won't entertain the idea of trying it, preferring to go with Slimming World etc. She has been on a diet my entire life and I can lay a lot of my food issues and emotional eating issues at her door. So I don't talk to her any more about food!

The worst is the comments about depriving the children! You’d think I’d caged them up and fed them dog food! My in laws are the worst for it, wonderful in so many ways, but this drives me bonkers. I’m currently getting lots of comments about not losing too much weight, you don’t want to get too thin

I politely explained that a) my bmi is 23, so hardly too thin, and b) I run 40km a week so clearly can’t be that malnourished and c) I’m probably the healthiest person in pretty much any of our family and definitely the fittest. It particularly annoys me that people comment on what I’m eating usually while tucking into big portions of puddings and that they do it in front of my children. But, I think people see it as a fad, a crash diet.

Well that's it! I need to go to Asda on way home from work early as office too hot to work in by 3
So the microwave gastro fish from a couple of days ago, the no dough pizza
Anything anyone found that's tasty?
Normally use up my leftovers if not cooking myself but need some fast freezer stuff other than veg/cauliflower rice concoctions

If you’re going to Asda then they have an offer in the Young’s fish products- the calamari is absolutely delicious (not exactly BSD friendly with the batter, but still very tasty, you only need a couple of pieces!)

Also I’ve just bought their morrocan salad dressing from their extra special range, and that’s really lovely too (only 10 cals per 15ml). Although also does contain a very small amount of sugar. They do a range of ‘Mens’ ready meals (not labelled as such, but high protein/low carb, in very manly black packaging not like the delicate low fat ladies offerings!) which I’ve had before and are often in the reduced section.

It’s very hard to find completely sugar free things! The manufacturers are clearly cottoning on to the fact that people want it, plus the sugar tax is creating a social awareness of if, but everything’s stuffed full of sweetener! I do check lots of labels when I’m there, anything marked as high protein or sugar free, but they very rarely actually make the grade!

Not an amazing day, but better than I've had in a while: 990 cals, 80 gr carbs.

Lovely dinner of salt and pepper prawns with broccoli, with a bit of fresh raspberries and ricotta for dessert. Felt so good to have lots of green, lots of lean protein, and then some cheese and a wee bit of very tasty berries. A whole day of pretty, colourful food.

Day was on target and even managed to keep eating window between 11:30 am and 6 pm, in an attempt to try a hint of IF along with the BSD.

In fact, it was all great except that a very sweet student gave me a thank you gift of Milk Tray which I shared with others but still ate too much of... Still, not bad. Tomorrow will be even better.

And in future, food gifts go straight in the donation box, as soon as the giver is thanked.(In my defense, today the chocs would have melted in the donation box so that didn't seem a great idea!)

I've typed 3 long messages and they've all disappeared because my phone keeps freezing.

In a nutshell - excellent day today. I began round two at 13 stone 13.8lb. I'm really up for it.

Well done very and amazing

Closing the kitchen on 880 cals, 30g carbs, 15k steps (6km run). That’s a very good start for the week for me. I really notice it when I actively cut the carbs to lower than 50g!

Closing the kitchen here (I hope!) at 843 cals, 68g carbs. Struggled a bit today though so trying to distract myself. Going to try and plan the rest of the week to make it easier and stretch the calories further.

Closing the kitchen at 795 cals 71g carbs. Am now in bed so I can avoid temptation.

Start of week 2 and I struggled today, did all my eating in quite a short space of time. I'm blaming working from home. Thankfully back to my desk tomorrow. Still under though 685 calories and 40g carbs.

Morning - lots of focused BSDers last night! Well done everyone. I am back down to my pre-holiday weight, still not down to my lowest recoded weight yet but I am lower than my first target. I would be happy to bobble about here for the next few weeks so I just need to keep maintaining.

Box of chocs was my downfall yesterday too. Head is all over the place at the minute. Not in the game at all plus eating bread and choc yesterday has really upset my stomach. 🙈

Hello!

On Day 2 of my first go at the 8 week plan. Didn't get anywhere near 800 cal yesterday, but I did eat a lot less than I would have done otherwise, and kept carbs pretty low, so I'm happy.

Welcome choochoo!
Choc hope you’re feeling better today?

Ponygirl read a book review in the times and realised where your name comes from!

I’m having a reasonable day today, although last night was in rather a lot of pain with a trapped something in my hip/thigh/butt cheek area, not from running, but from carrying my temper tantrumming toddler up the hill yesterday as he refused to walk. So this morning I didn’t run although I probably could have, just thought I’d rest myself.

Had a lovely lunch of prawn tails, avocado and moroccan dressing. Dinner tonight is Spanish meatballs in tomato sauce with veg.

Closing the kitchen on 1200 today, and a whopping 86g carbs- do not know how as I have only had on plan stuff, maybe a little more veg than normal but still! That surprised me to the point I actually checked I hadn’t entered something twice. Maybe something had been entered wrongly? It just shows doesn’t it how easily these things can creep in as I genuinely thought I’d be low again today. Nonetheless, I count that as a good day (we don’t technically count carbs here anyway as long as they’re the good ones!)

Tomorrow is my last day of being 34 and my last day before weigh in, so I’m going to make it count by getting loads of protein in, running at 6am, and getting the carbs back down low. I’m quite excited to weigh in now as that’s 8 pretty good days on the trot so hopefully I’ll see a reasonable loss and be a step closer to target (although as it’s my birthday I will probably regain some/most of it anyway with cake and wine consumption!)

Not a great day for me. Staying at my dad's tonight and had pasta bake for dinner. I managed to share mine bit for bit with the dog so ending day on 54g of carbs and 745 calories

Closing the kitchen at 842 cals and 68g carbs. I did try on a shorty wetsuit today as DH very keen to teach me to paddleboard. Motivating but not in a good way

First day of the eight weeks, came in at 765 calories and 17g carbs, I think - difficult to be too accurate, because DH does all the cooking and doesn't weigh anything.

I'm starting at 11st7lbs, but I'm bloated after eating half a loaf of Tesco bakery three cheese bread yesterday - I was 11st2lbs a week ago. Target weight is 9st7lbs.

I have a wedding to go to a fortnight on Sunday and currently the zip on my dress stops doing up about an inch below my bra strap. I do have a reserve option, but it's not really smart enough, so hoping I can shrink enough in 19 days to get into my first choice!

Better day today: 861 cals, 49 gr carbs. Did a bit of walking too. Breakfast was poached eggs with chard, dinner was a good bit of beef and roast veg on salad, in between was some cheese and two bigger-than-snack-size helpings of yogurt and strawberries with dark chocolate grated in. And two almond milk cappuccinos, because it was that kind of day.

Getting back in the groove, slowly.

Welcome Kevin!
Very that sounds like a good amount of food for the calories. I’ve never tried an almond milk latte- I’ve managed to wean myself off sweetener in my coffee and I’m gearing up for weaning myself off the milk now (just drinking it black) but maybe I should try almond milk?

Bear I looked at my calories and carbs in all the tea/coffee I drink and other than 2 cups of tea first thing, I just swapped to tissane /fruit tea stuff. I was surprised how easy it was and I soon found myself looking forward to one like I would a normal cuppa
I like honey and chamomile as don't always fancy a mouthful of hot fruit taste especially in the morning (doesn't taste much of honey imo and not keen on honey)
Also some amazing concoctions in Asda like Apple crumble/rhubarb and custard which I like
It's v convenient in the workplace as if I move places, I only need hot water not scrabbling about using other people's milk

Bear One reason I have occasional almond milk cappuccinos is because I drink a lot of black coffee in the mornings, so at some point if I want more I need to switch to a stomach-friendlier option. They definitely need to stay in the treat category though, as it becomes so easy for me to drink up all my calories (Exhibit A: wine).

I like them because the almond milk is usually slightly sweet but not oppressively, as I find 'real' cappuccinos made with whole or even semi-skimmed milk to be. It's definitely not the same as a 'real' coffee drink, but good in its own way. However, not that many cafes have almond milk, although lots of places do have oat and coconut milk. I'd say it's worth a try, but as a treat not a regular.

I also find almond milk works very nicely in cold/iced coffee, but is not so great in hot coffee. That could just be me though, as I don't like milk in hot coffee much in general.

The other tough one right now is fruit: there is so so much lovely fresh fruit available right now, usually on special offer to make it more tempting. I've been trying to stick to berries to stay low on carbs, but have definitely been having a lot of fruit. You can eat a lot of berries and Fage for not many calories, thankfully, but the carbs can add up easily.

But on the good side I seem to be back down to my pre-chaos low scale number, so now I just need to stay focused focused focused.

And finally (because I seem to be spamming this thread) agree with abit about going for fruit tissanes/infusions, as they are naturally sweet without being cloying. But yeah, gotta lay in a base of coffee/proper tea first.

Very i agree about the fruit, it’s so delicious and cheap right now that we seem to have peaches, apricots, melon etc everywhere at home. My kids are like chimpanzees, they eat bucketloads of fruit, so it’s very tempting. And I think our bodies naturally crave fructose when we lose fat % (I’ve definitely read somewhere about how we eat autumnal fruit/harvest fruit and it lays down fat stores for winter, that’s the main purpose of fructose in our diets) so it would figure that when we’re losing weight and there’s fruit everywhere our bodies can’t resist! I think the key is not to have too much, and to eat it with fat.

Thanks for the advice about the almond milk. I drink semi skimmed but I have 4 coffees a day, there’s no way I’m doing that in 100 ml. Almond milk has a quarter of the calories, so I was tempted to switch, but I really i should just either cut down on the coffee altogether or try and cut down on the milk.