Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Here’s the new thread for the BSD followers, plus those following the Fast800 plan. Everyone is welcome to join us. Here’s a quick recap!

The BSD/fast 800 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 blood sugar 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) although alcohol is calorie heavy and can influence your appetite
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:
Fast800: follow the plan above, sticking to 800 calories every day for 2 weeks. Ideal to give your weightloss a real kick start, plus improve your insulin function and reduce your sugar cravings.
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 or 2 weeks of Fast800, 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.

You can stop 800 calorie days at any time once you achieve your goal. It’s advised to limit yourself to 12 weeks maximum of 800 calorie days, but you should get excellent results in 8 weeks. Depending on your weightloss goals, you can do further ‘rounds’ of either the 8 week BSD or the Fast800. We recommend you take your measurements before you begin, not just your weight. A target pair of jeans in a smaller size or even a photography or two can be very motivating!

Some useful links:

previous thread

meal planning thread

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=healthyeater.com/important-tool-weight-loss" target="_blank">TDEE calculator to calculate your daily calorie requirement

information about the ‘whoosh’ phenomenon

Good luck today bear.
macca getting your BMI under obese will be so good. And looks like it's closer than you thought

I've had a weird slow week. Yesterday cals at 1000 but carbs under 30g. Feels like I'm inching my way back to the right mindset. Anyway weights holding steady but I have the teeniest bit to lose before my first landmark. Sigh it's like the landmarks make it harder.
Welcome new folk. I highly recommend really sticking to it for 2 weeks. Just feels amazing and really good for you too.

It's as much mindset as it is 'diet' though don't you think last? I find getting my head on plan is by far the hardest bit. I'll be brutally honest and say I've struggled since Christmas really, and have felt that I'm in a cycle of being 100% and then crashing out in a binge. Considering the hundreds of miles I drag my body through, and how hard I work to do it, it's testament to the amount of crap I eat that I still haven't lost those 3lbs (to take me under 10 stone!). I've been deluding myself, but when I think about it, before this week I can't actually remember the last time I was properly sugar free for any length of time (and by that I mean more than 3 days)

All this thinking has been prompted by a very interesting and enlightening thread running currently, it's called the 'secrets of overweight people' and, while it started as a comedic 'oooh I eat a whole jar of Nutella with a spoon while cooking healthy meals' kind of thing, it's actually descended into a rather sad snapshot of the desperation people feel and the excuses we all make to ourselves to justify our choices. What's really apparent though is that 1) most people who overeat, do it with carbs and especially with sugar, and 2) most people who are doing this feel rubbish about it, but don't believe they can stop, so continue to stay trapped in this cycle. It's not exclusive to overweight people though- I'm a size 8 and I do it. (And I would very quickly become an overweight person again if I didn't keep it in check)

I think it's so important to regularly remind ourselves that we can do this, we want to do it, it does work and we're in charge.

Nice wee pep talk bear! Good luck for tomorrow and enjoy your pasta.

Hi can I join you all?

I’ve just completed my first week of Fast800 and have lost 6.8 pounds- am so thrilled it’s quite sad! I would like to lose between 1 and 1.5 stone more.

I’ve found it surprisingly ok apart from 1 day which was hell! It is true what they say that protein stops hunger. I have awful skin and noticed this morning it was definitely looking better - hopefully this is not a one off!

My plan is to keep going with 800 calories a day for at least another 3 weeks and then see where I’m at.

Welcome kitty, that's a great start to week one, well done!

Welcome Kitty.

Bear I will have a look for that thread, if I’m feeling strong enough! I guess most of us have tried many diets, succeeded on a few, then returned to a way of eating that we know will cause us to put the weight back on.
I think it is still very socially difficult to choose not to eat certain foods, particularly those regarded as treats or celebration foods. I work in an office with very understanding and supportive people, but still feel bad when someone brings in cakes for birthday or cooks a nice cake to thank us for something. But I really do think that our bodies respond to carbs like an addiction, and with my mindset, I’m always going to struggle with having a small piece of a ‘treat’ food then getting straight back on plan. It is a million times easier to stay quite rigidly on track than to wobble on and off.
It does make me a bit sad to think that for me to manage my weight long-term, I’m unlikely to ever be eating a typical diet. I can’t see there ever being a happy in-between for me....it has always been over-eating on all the wrong foods, or strict on-plan eating. But I think I do have to accept it, otherwise I will continue to yo-yo.

On a more cheerful note: very good luck for the race tomorrow bear! I’m sure you will be amazing.

Macca I agree, I think that I'll be low carb forever (or at least until I stop caring what size I am). Society changes though, when I first started this there was a lot less positive press about low carb diets and a lot of negative reactions to it. (I think partly because Atkins spoiled it for everyone!), whereas now it's more common. Even the big diet groups have at least acknowledged that too much sugar and carbs isn't great (eg SW doesn't allow certain fruit on certain plans etc). Think how alien it must have seemed when the low fat revolution started, and yet now it's commonplace. Plus I think because the fitness revolution has exploded too, (ie. a lot more people do gym classes, running, races, weights etc than say, 5 years ago) then protein is being pushed as the 'healthy' macronutrient (and by default, lower carb is creeping in)

Macca, it’s also the conclusion I’ve come too. Each time I’ve fallen off the wagon, it’s been an overconsumption of carbs - specifically bread/potatoes - which has been my downfall. I’m able to moderate intake of chocolate - never been one of those people who can eat a whole box of chocolates - but bread is my gateway drug. I cannot stop at a slice or two a week.

Any tips to get rid of belly fat??

I am about 5.5 weeks into the fast 800 and have lost just over a stone in that time - one more stone to go.
I also do the 16:8 & HIIT exercises 3-4x per week.
I have lost inches from my belly but there is a stubborn bit of lower belly fat, which doesn't seem to be shifting & I know it's not good to hold fat around there.

My typical daily intake is:

• black coffee
• brunch: 100g full fat Greek yoghurt with 100g mixed berries, 10g flaked almonds & chia seeds
• lunch: 100g roasted chicken (no skin), couple of sweet peppers, 20g cherry tomatoes, green salad (no dressing)
• dinner: mushroom & chorizo omelette (my portion would be approx 3 eggs) with green salad or smoked mackerel with grilled beetroot, red onion & salad

Brunch & lunch are approx. 400 cal & dinner another 400 cal.
All relatively low carb.

During weekend I may have some toasted rye bread, which is higher in carbs,

Any tips on how to shed the belly fat??

Hi kitty that sounds like a great first week!
nowork I think you cant spot reduce. It's just the crummy truth that belly fat shifts last.
bear from my experience with bingeing I wonder whether if you upped your usual calories the occasional bingeing will go away? Given how much exercise you do maybe your body tries to recoup by bingeing. I have had problems with binge eating in the past and stopped it by an extended period of maintenance. That worked for several years before my weight crept up again in the last 6 months.
On that front I'm wary of keeping this up too long and worrying about maintenance. Its sobering to see the posts by you and macca of a lifetime of limiting carbs. I hate the thought but am also aware that my recent weight spiral was preceded by eating toast again. I love toast but it's like a gateway drug for me.

Anyway I'm a pound down this week. That makes 5 kilos in 5 weeks. I'm a quarter of the way to my goal. I'm halfway to a healthy weight. Its certainly not massively quick weightless in my case. At 800 cals I'm losing on average 2lbs a week. But it's always a loss every week. I'll take that over losing and regaining weight any day.

nowork I've fouund jillian Michael's dvds good for the stomach, currently doing 6 week 6 pack.

And I've ordered myself a treat as a reward for getting this far! Perfume. 5 more kilos and its shoes. Each time something frivolous so it's really an extra rather than punishing myself by withholding something until I deserve it.
I'm determined to spend next five weeks reveling in new scent samples and reminding myself that it feels good to lose weight.

Thanks onanother and lastime -they belly fat is a bugger. I feel like I am in the skinny fat zone.
I am doing the 30 day shred at the moment. Made it to level 3 but I am doing it on alternate days as I find it pretty tough on my upper arms (lots of planks/push ups).
Will definitely check out the 6 weeks abs.

Amazing weight losses by PPs - well done!!

Definitely agree that low carb feels like a really normal way of life now. They only thing I ocassonally crave is lashings of marmite on buttered toast so may be when I get to the 5:2 stage I can have that as a Sunday morning treat.

Good luck marathon runners - I am in awe!

Last definitely I agree. I think specifically, it's not enough protein overall, and when I successfully manage to stay in plan it's a combination of cutting out the sugar, keeping calories low (because by default that keeps lots of other things in check, plus all the healthy habits like drinking water and weighing portions etc) but getting enough protein in to repair my muscles. I think also I need to separate 'having more calories' from 'eating like a 5 year old at a birthday party' because the two are not the same. When I increase my calories, I do notice that the quality of my food decreases significantly whereas actually I should be having more calories of good quality food.

It's a learning curve though, even after 3 years.

I did my half marathon this morning, 1 hr 58/59 minutes (waiting for official times but that's my Fitbit time)- so I am very pleased with that. And actually really looking forward to a nice 4 weeks eating really cleanly before we go on holiday.

Well done bear

Congratulations @Bear! That's amazing on the half marathon!

I just caught up on all your messages - really interesting conversation. I have had a weekend of excess, my food on Friday wasn't too bad but there was a fair bit of alcohol involved. My party was lovely yesterday and that was the reverse - not much alcohol but loads of crap food. I'm hungover today, despite not drinking too much and I think that's down to the sugar!

For the last two weeks I've essentially been doing 2:5 and while I don't want to find myself being miserable at big celebrations, I've also hated that in terms of weight loss the weeks have been a write off of gain/lose/gain/lose just to get back to where I was. At the moment I can't see how I can ever NOT restrict cals, especially carbs, going forwards. I'm actually quite terrified of what will happen in 6 weeks time when I hit the 12 week mark. I've got 12lbs to my first big goal and 24lbs to my goal weight. I need to get a move on!

Written my menu for the week and my exercise/rest day tracker, and shopping list ready for tomorrow. Trying to do 3 fast800 days a week and the rest I will allow more calories, but (and it's a big but) I want to do 4 week (well, 3 weeks and 6 days- sugar free 100%) and I really must keep the carbs low.

I dread to think what the scales will say tomorrow after a fairly disastrous April, but I am determined to go away at Whitsun with a weight starting with a 9!!

bear well done on the half-marathon! And on your forward planning for the week.

phoenix - you mentioned about feeling or not feeling miserable at the big celebrations...that’s what I was thinking of really, when I was saying about what is/isn’t socially acceptable. If it is your birthday, and there is cake, you might really not be bothered about having any but half the people there might think it really odd if you don’t. Similarly, if you go out to a pub, but don’t want alcohol and don’t drink soft drinks, you look a bit sad with a glass of tap water all night. So many of our social situations are based around food and drink, and most of it unhealthy.

last i love the idea of perfume or shoes to mark your weight loss progress.

I went for an unplanned trip out with my dd today...was a bit short notice so no time to pack a lunch of suitable stuff. She was quite happy with cake in the cafe, and I was fine with a large coffee. I do love the reduction in hunger with this way of eating - when I’m eating carbs, if I go more than three hours without food I’m shaky and faint. Today I barely noticed the missed meal.

@macca I see what you're saying. I think I meant more that I do want cake on my birthday & I do want to drink lychee martinis with friends to celebrate their birthdays and there is (should be) nothing wrong with that. It doesn't make me or the food bad. I need to be careful that one celebration doesn't turn into days/weeks/months like that but if I can't have cake on my birthday or toast my friends I'm going to want to rebel.

I'm going to be really strict now for 2 weeks, because I know I can, rather than feeling like I have to atone for some silly sin. The more I feel like there aren't bad foods the less I can get hung up on me doing/being bad and more focused on the choices I make to be healthy!

I think the key is that if you want it, have it. Don't have it because other people are having it, or worse, because you not having it makes them feel bad. When you're sitting on the beach in your swimsuit you won't be thinking 'oh I feel shit, but at least Janet didn't feel bad eating that cake'

And actually, most of the time, we don't really want it. Saying no, and not having it, and staying on track feels much better than a piece of cake we don't really want.

bear that is exactly what I was trying to say! If i choose to eat or drink something, I want it to be my choice for my reasons.

Ideally I need to sort my mindset out, so my decisions are not based on my carb addiction or whether I will feel deprived if I don’t eat that sugary carby thing that I know will make me feel ill anyway. I agree with what you are saying phoenix about wanting to rebel if the criteria are too rigid....I would love to get to the stage (may never ever happen) of really not wanting those things, not based on whether they are ‘bad’ or ‘good’ but purely because they don’t suit my body. In the meantime, before I miraculously turn into that person with no carb addiction or food issues, it is good that this way of eating lends itself so well to the occasional off-plan choices, then getting back on track.

Well done on the half marathon bear!! I think from my running days (squints into misty past) that's a great time too? Brilliant. Sounds like you've come a long way.

Eating is so bloody complicated, despite being so simple. Social expectation is tricky. But in a lot of ways the person I struggle with most is me. Particularly on rigid regimes I rebel almost compulsively. Sometimes it's like I'm trying to prove the rules don't apply to me. I get like that with some people being 'good demure women' or feeling like they expect me to be one- it makes me act out as 'bad' by eating and drinking aggressively. Maybe it's that weird ladette thing from the 1990s when drinking beer was somehow feminist as in "I'm not a dainty sweet girl". Stupid really.

Also stupid to think the rules of biology and physics don't apply to me. If course they do - if I eat too much eventually I store it as body fat.. The associated social guff had me thinking for years that it was totally two faced. Acting like I have no concern with my weight when in fact my increasing size did bother me. I feel bad about wanting to be slim and admitting that.

And then theres the carb addiction. I went to some OA meetings once and they call it abstinence and use the AA 12 steps approach. So the first step is acknowledging you are powerless in relation to certain foods so you abstain from them. I'm not sure about it all but I do recognise eating is massively easier without the insulin responses.

What an essay! Have a good Monday everyone, let's start the week.