Hello fellow diabetics if I may call you that , I am on the verge of beginning the 8 week blood sugar diet , i have opted to do the 3 shakes and some low carb vegetables for the 8 week duration , as many of you will be aware we are a little limited as to which shakes we have access to in this country , so i have opted for slimfast, has anyone used anything other than dairy milk for these shakes as the guidelines for this particular diet are fairly strict on the question of dairy produce saying that dairy milk should be avoided even fully skimmed milk which is what is generally used for slimfast shakes , any ideas please ?

I don’t know about that. The way I read it Michael recommends ditching the semi skimmed milk and using full fat instead.
What do the directions for the shake say ?

Thank you hashimoto for your message. It sounds as if you have been having a tough time of it so any changes/improvements are always good to hear. Yes, I’ll keep you posted but this is only day two……. thought sugar would be an issue, it isn’t at the moment but I am getting hungry!! Good news…. I did loose a pound over night!

Hello Tezryo, welcome!
I started yesterday so am very new to here but I’m also interested in using milk shakes for part of the week due to work commitments. I don’t know if this is okay but could unsweetened soya milk be used instead? Do you know why milk/skimmed milk isn’t used on the diet?
Anyone got any thoughts on this please?
By the way, I lost one pound over night…. I know it is probably only water but still a great motivator…. especially as I’m feeling rather hungry!
Thanks

Hello Bill
I’m also looking to use milk shakes sometimes due to work commitments, I also know they keep me going for about 3 hours without feeling hungry. On the can it recommends skimmed milk so one portion will = 230 cals. This would go up when using full fat milk but as I was keen to get started I haven’t as yet read all of the book so don’t know what Michael has suggested but am keen to explore more.
Thank you for all the great advice and responses you offer to people.

Michael Mosley advises full fat dairy – it helps to keep you fuller for longer and seems to have other beneficial effects. I know it’s hard to get your head around, it took me nearly 2 weeks to ‘dare’ to eat full fat yoghurt, and 3 weeks to come off skimmed milk and switch to ‘normal’ milk – but it does make a difference and those full fat yoghurts are delicious! You could take one to work with some fruit and nuts for an easy fuss free meal!

Hello Sarah
If we can’t help each other then we have no hope – old saying but rings true.
The amount of advice and support I see on here every day makes me genuinely proud of this forum. I’ve been a member of, and even moderated quite a few forums over time and this one is very very special.
Read the book thoroughly, you may be able to knock up something much better and nicer than a shop bought shake.

HiSarah111 I can only say the ‘past is another country’ I have felt great since starting this diet. Last year my peak flow was around 270 – 320 with 4 puffs of fluticasone twice a day but for the last two weeks on reduced inhaled steroids (2 or 3 puffs twice a day) it is between 350 -400. A massive improvement!
I can’t help wondering if inflammation on high carbs could have made my asthma worse – I’m hoping Cherrieanne can cast some light on that for us! I had actually reduced dairy products to almost zero before this diet because of excessive mucus production – but now I am having a tub of yoghurt a day with no absolutely no ill effects!
I think this diet can do a lot more than help diabetics and people like me with hypothyroidism. It will be very interesting to see what happens to people who start this diet with either no health problems or ones which are different to diabetes and hypothyroidism. Like I say, I am keen to see what happens with your asthma 🙂

Thanks hashimoto
I know what you mean about the full fat bit…. I also struggled to fine full fat yogurts in my local shop yesterday but it is one of the luxuries of this eating plan!! I’n off work at the moment but do get fed at work which is a bonus but I will need to be very careful as I have no control over how it is cooked just how much of it I eat! The other problem is one – two days a week it could 4 – 5+ hours between meals, I have access to drinks, not food so hence the milk shake would be very useful
Thanks again

Tezryu, if you don’t have Michael’s book I would recommend looking at the thread ‘what did you eat today’ as there are so many helpful post of people’s daily menus on there.
Good ideas for meals to take to work:
Dips such as hummus with plenty of celery, pepper and cucumber crudites ( I like raw broccoli too)

Full fat yoghurt pots with fruit – either berries or an apple or pear

half a frittata

salads with either chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, cheese or any thing else you can think of

Soups in a flask – or if you have access to a microwave any stew or curry.

A chunk of cheese (calorie counted) or tub of cottage cheese with some salad or an apple.

Hope that helps, real food will taste better than the shakes – and be cheaper! 🙂

Finally look on the recipes tab as you may find ideas there

Hi Sarah111 – would you be able to put a few nuts in your pocket as a ‘tide me over snack’?

Your news sounds promising hashimoto, you also have my sympathy as to what you have to deal with. My lowest peak flow was 250 whilst I was pregnant many years ago, at the moment it is just over the 400 but I would like to get it back up a bit higher. I think I’ll check it weekly to see how it goes.
I also think you have something about the inflammation, yes it would be good to hear if someone has a thought about this.

Good idea…. possibly, I work in a hotel restaurant at the moment so you have to be very careful.

Very true Bill
I do plan to read the book properly and it would have been sensible to have done that prior to starting but I didn’t want to loose momentum. I also have an awful lot on at the moment….. timing not good but thought it better to start before returning to work to get used to reduced cals and break the habit of eating sweet things. Desserts are available everyday at work….. due to my job at the moment it isn’t easy to avoid seeing them but I’ll just keep reminding myself why I’m doing this!

Oh, I can see your problem re food at work, Sarah 🙁

I use a peak flow chart I googled a few years ago – I didn’t like the one given at asthma clinics in the UK. It’s an 8 week peak flow chart I found on the Australian asthma council the chart is from ‘2006 Woolcock Institute of Medical Research’. It is so much easier to see the long term results/triggers on the 8 week spread.

Hello Hashimoto thanks for your reply i do in fact have the book but was looking to follow the 800 calorie diet as used by Newcastle university, one of the options was to use a mixture of shakes and vegetables which would be more convenient for myself , i have read in the book of drinking full fat milk and yoghurt’s etc but was intending to follow this advise once i had completed the initial eight week weight loss phase in which i would be trying to bring my blood sugars down to normal or as near as possible my aim if possible is to try and come off my medication after my diabetes nurse and doctor have told me i am now on the maximum dosage of metformin and have now prescribed another medication in addition , does anybody know if i would be able to use full fat milk for my shakes as i would still find this more convenient ?

Thanks, I’ll take a look and try that.

yes go to full fat, old advice to use low fat

Thank you Mosleyfan but I’m now a little confused. I’ve just posted a new message with a link from Prof Taylor; Anyone interested in – Meal replacement info from Prof Taylor

Has the info been updated since this article was published do you know?

Tezryu
the general idea is to get your body into burning fat instead of carbs. Thats why full fat is recommended, it keeps your digestive system busy and keeps you feeling fuller, and it works, ask anyone on the forum
Give it a try, you could be amazed at the results.

Thanks Bill i will do.

Hi everyone. Full fat is recommended as it keeps you fuller for longer as many have said already. Also, low fat yogurts have sugar added to make them taste better…even natural yogurt in some cases! I have always been a butter, full fat milk, yogurt and cheese kind of girl. It’s been the sweet tooth that’s been my undoing. I have had another good day and not been hungry at all, or craving anything.

Struggling giving up the coffee though! 12 hours shifts require coffee!

Hi Denise

I understand the full fat bit which is great, it’s like going back to a natural diet…. I also understand by using the shakes you are keeping the calories down so will loose weight but for those who are diabetic doesn’t the sugar in the shakes affect them?

Good luck with your 12 hour shift…. I drink my coffee black and sugar free so have decided to still have my couple of cups in the morning and if I’m struggling during the evening for food I have a decaff. Both have few cals.

Help! I’m on day three and have had hideous headaches every day! I’m drinking plenty. Did anyone else have this? I feel like my brain is shrinking!

onamission
lots of folk have, it is a carb withdrawal symptom and goes away in a couple of days or so
Most just use paracetamol to help. At least it proves that you are doing things right.

Thanks bill. I must be a proper carb/sugar addict as it’s awful! Proves how much I need this eating plan I guess!

I did, onamission, I just took paracetamol x

Any ideas how long the headaches will
Last? This is not fun!

How long for?

Hi onamission mine lasted for first 4 or 5 days 🙂

Thanks hashiomoto. It’s terrible! Lightheaded, dizzy, tired. On a plus note, just had beetroot falafel from the book for lunch and it was delicious. Just told friends about the diet and they think I’m insane!

Hi onamission once the headaches, lightheadedness etc go you will feel a million dollars and you will be thinking your friends are insane for not trying it – though they may change their minds when they see the changes in you 🙂

Hi Bill tried my shakes with whole milk certainly tastes better, and does seem to fill me up more , thanks for your advice.

Nice to hear Tezryu, just remember to count the milk in your daily calorie allowance.

Hello to the forum, not sure how to start a post from scratch so i will start here , today is the first day of my 8 week blood sugar diet though I have been supplementing some of my meals with shakes for the past 3 weeks during which time i have lost approximately 7 lbs , starting weight 15 St 10 lbs . today i am starting with the intention of doing 8 weeks with no alcohol though I don`t drink a lot anyway , I am going to be following the guide lines as set out by professor Taylor from Newcastle university which also means no meat or fish or dairy products for the duration of the 8 weeks . My main aim after being told by my diabetes nurse that i am now on the maximum dose of metformin and have been prescribed yet another drug is to try and lose enough fat from around my waist so as to hopefully enable my pancreas to once again produce enough insulin so that i can do away with medication , I know this may be a bit optimistic but at worse I will at least lose some weight and feel a bit better within myself.
Like many diabetics I was a little surprised when i was originally diagnosed as I considered myself to be reasonably fit and healthy at the time playing football going to the gym and doing karate twice a week I didn’t consider myself to be particularly overweight , but in hind sight I obviously must have been .
one of the things that has surprised me is how readily my doctor was to write me off and put me straight on medication , this was approx five years ago and it is only now that I have stumbled across the book for the 8 week blood sugar diet that i have realised that I may be able to do something about it .I did in fact mention the low calorie eight week program as laid out by prof Taylor to my nurse about 1 yr ago but she simply told me i wouldn’t do 800 calories a day for 8 weeks , i now hope to prove her wrong and see how my efforts pay off , so wish me luck and i will try and keep you posted of my progress over the next 8 weeks. Terry.

Hello again Bill thanks for the tip I was assuming that my shake made with skimmed milk which is supposedly about 216 calories would be about the same with whole milk but clearly the whole milk will have more calories do you think i should water it down or just calculate my daily allowance using all milk with my shake ?

Hi Teztyu
no one guarantees anything but I will say this.
Stick to the plan and you will lose weight and your sugar readings will decrease. can’t give a time scale as my sugar readings have had a strange 10 days or so but still losing weight.
This time next week we’ll be celebrating the fact that there’s less of you to go round
To start a new topic, just look under the “Welcome to BSD” title just to the right and you will see the “Start a new topic in Welcome to the BSD” link. Just click on that and post away.

Hello have just weighed after 1 week on bloodsugar diet have lost an amazing 9lbs so am very pleased.Not found it too difficult I did read the book thoroughly and have found the recipes and forums very helpful.So now into 2nd week have huge incentive to continue. Also my fitbit has been clocking up the steps

That’s marvellous lulalinda
Yet another name to add to the growing list of success stories. Well done and keep it up.

Thanks once again Bill its great to be able to share my questions with people who are doing the same program , never taken part in a forum before, finding it very supportive and a great source for finding answers to my many questions.

Hi all, my husband and I have started day 1 of the BSD today as we are both high risk pre type 2, unfit, overweight but up for it. I see this as a prescription for the rest of our lives and aim to get within a healthy BMI but have a longggggg way to go! Reading the forums gives us both hope and some good ideas, thanks all.

Welcome Catgirl,
You’ve taken the first big step, pretty soon you are going to start feeling amazing. After the first few days as your body adjusts to your new way of eating, you will notice way more energy and a new sense of well being.
Keep reading, and posting, lots of threads on here will inspire and encourage you. There are so many on the forums who are wiling to support and advise if you need it.
I’m sure we’ll be reading of you and hubby’s achievements soon 🙂

Hi Catgirl

I’ve been using the forum since starting the BSD and have found it invaluable – especially when things get tough and you need a little support. There’s lots of useful tips and info on here, so make good use of the threads and if in doubt ask the question, someone will respond.

Welcome to the BSD losers! Good luck to you both.

I want to wish all the new BSDers a hearty welcome, I’ve been ‘off the radar’ for a few days and will need some time to catch up with you all 🙂

Hi lulalinda, fantastic results in one week! Looking forward to your next weeks posts – and the week after….:)

Hello forum members just a quick update on my progress , only day 4 of my 8 week program although as mentioned in an earlier posting i did start the slimfast program about 3 weeks ago i am now sticking to a more strict program as outlined by professor Taylor from Newcastle university , as i am using whole milk in my shakes i have cut it back to two shakes a day and an evening meal of mixed vegetables which i have found a little bland but will search through some recipes to try and come up with something tastier any ideas ! .
The main reason for this post is that i just wanted to share with you how quickly you can go from being disheartened to being quite pleased with yourself , i weighed myself at the weekend 15 st 3 1/4 lbs then again on Tuesday after some exercise only to find myself at the same weight despite hardly consuming anything but shakes and mixed veg , found this very disheartening , surprisingly i weighed myself this morning and found myself to be 14 st 12 1/2 lbs its been a while since ive been under 15 st so feel pleased with myself this morning , just shows that you have to perceiver and the results will come , approx a month ago i was weighing in at 15 st 10 lbs so am very pleased up to now looking forward to the end of the 8 weeks to see what the final outcome may be , i have found that 8 weeks seems a little daunting so i am just taking it a week at a time im sure it will pass quick enough .

You’re right, the time will fly past.
I’m coming to the end of week 7 and it seems like only a few days ago I started out on this strange and winding path.
You have lost almost a stone in a month …. that’s an execellent result and yet more proof of how well this diet is working.
I hear that the book is selling out everywhere. We could just be at the start of an eating revolution.

Tezryu – so pleased for you. Amazing progress!
Could you add some soya and root ginger to your veg? Chilli? Garlic?
🙂

Hi Hashimoto thanks for the tip i will give it a try just to make it more palatable , yes im very pleased with my progress so far no doubt there will be times when i dont seem to be making much progress and i will just have to persevere , got my birthday coming up next week so may treat myself to an omelette and possibly a glass of wine though i am not suppose to drink alcohol for the 8 weeks of the program so will maybe not bother with a drink .

Hi Tezyru, I did confess to having had a very tiny glass of wine on two occasions since New Years Eve (think a small shot glass) but you are right, it is not advisable – better to replace the wine with a bit of cheese on your omelette! I find Janet1973’s suggestion of a mock mint julep very satisfying. I add a sprig of fresh mint, a slice of lime and icy cold sparkling water. It looks mint – pun intended. You can also make it by dipping a mint teabag and a squirt of lime juice – whatever floats your boat!
🙂