Quick note on progress for those just beginning the diet: it does work.
Started this way of eating on 5 May 2020 at 90kg. Three months later to the day, on 5 August 2020, am 72.1kg, meaning a loss of 17.9kg (40lbs), or a bit under 3 stone, in three months. Lowest since university days, excluding 71.9kg recorded two days ago. Body fat has gone from 28.6% to 18.0% over the same period, if you believe scales. Waist has gone from 36"+ to 32". Basically have taken a 16:8 approach throughout - eat between midday and 7:30 PM only. Weigh myself daily.
Personal experience is that sticking to the plan and using bona fide low-cal recipes from the book/s generates results. Think it has been important that have not tried to wing it with random "aah, this'll be OK" recipes and that have counted cals properly. Counting/weighing is boring but keeps me honest. Apart from sticking to "approved" recipes, did not pay much attention to carbs.
Have not felt unwell, dizzy, or faint. Have not been hungry either, maybe peckish mid-afternoon once or twice, but a single small apple fixes that (and may have just been "mouth boredom"). Had "disaster" days where totally blew over 800-kcal limit, but very few, maybe half a dozen or so in three months. Even on those days, probably did not exceed TDEE.
However, "it works if you keep to it" may be truism. Presumably many balanced diets would work IF you kept to them. More interesting question is, why has it been easy to keep to this WoE? (Note: have counted/cut calories in the past, but never actually followed a published diet.)
Think there are two main factors.
-
Recipes make tasty, filling food that, despite vegetable-heavy content, would happily eat even if not on a diet. Obviously subjective issue, but note that while I like veg, have no problem eating/enjoying high quality meat and fish, so did not come into this from vegetarian angle.
-
Large deficit means weight loss (and loss of inches around waist etc.) is rapid, which is in turn very motivating, because goal is visible right from the start - just 8 weeks away! In 2017, lost nearly 10kg but took 7 months, felt like eternity and was so hard. Blood Sugar Diet has enabled me to lose about twice as much in half the time.
Am not quite done with diet, as want to get down to 70kg before taking stock. Real challenge lies beyond that: maintaining weight loss!
For maintenance, plan to go 5:2, with two consecutive fast days of 800 kcals each on Monday/Tuesday every week. Have been doing 16:8 for past decade in any case, and will keep to that. Will generally be trying to stay close to 2,000 kcals or so on non-fast days (reasonably active male but in sedentary job). In combination with fasting days, hope this will average out to something close to TDEE, allowing me to maintain weight. Will play by ear.
Intend to keep contributing with maintenance snippets, if that is appropriate for this thread.