My name is Lyn and I am a youthful 65 years old . My weight was 94 kilos 4 or 5 years ago, the weight had been piling on and I really did not notice until one day I got on the scales . Time to take stock and do something about it so I set to work with exercise and reducing calories and I lost 12 kilos, then I needed something else to re motivate me and saw your documentary on the 5:2 diet. I was inspired have lost another 10 kilos with 5:2 ( now 75.5 kilos). In between that time the doctor said my blood sugars where high and I was pre-diabetic 6.4 and my Cholesterol was getting higher. I said I did not want tablets and would control it by diet, and she was very happy with my decision.

However with social events ( our sons wedding) and to be honest possible not so much commitment as before ( I am an emotional eater) have let my 5:2 slip a little. Also if I want to do exercise I have to do it at 6 AM before I go to work as I work 4 days a week. It does not take much Dr Mike to skip it! The result being that my Cholesterol was higher and she advised me to go on statins.

It went back and had a chat with my husband Dave and our eldest son, he said that sometimes although I had done well it might just happen anyway because of many factors and he did not want me to have a stroke. I have taken Atorverstatin for 3 months now.

However I looked on Google to see if you had written anything more about diabetes and I found the 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet. Well it is absolutely my next step to take, as the quickness off the weight loss will really encourage me. ( What all woman want !) I have read your book, twice and digested it, a lot as you say to take in. I am a very organised person and determined to get this under control and not be walking on egg shells!

I am going to start this on the 15th September ( you may ask why are you waiting so long ?) It is when I have a good 8 weeks reasonable free.

However I have a few questions I would like to ask.

1)      My children are going to be very skeptical about this Diet as my children & their wives are medical professionals – they will not like it ! ( Although they will support me I am sure) any suggestion as to how to approach them please?

2)      I do not like Yogurt ( although I can cook with it) Its the texture and it makes me wretch, can I substitute it with porridge or any low carbs good GI perhaps, any suggestions ?

3)      I am not sure of the maintenance program, when I have reach the end of the 8 weeks . Is it my understanding that I revert back to 5:2 but do 1 or 2 days with 800 calories?

Could you explain the best way to continue with maintenance please.

4) Dave and I have very busy weeks beside working and I am happy to see people socially but then have to say I am only eating 440 Calories tonight (then I will have to explain why) I can bring my own food with me its not a problem. ( I might get fed up after the 20th time of saying it!)

Well-

1) I have ordered the Fitbit – its arrived

2) blood sugar monitor – its arrived

3) Booked and appointment with my doctor – going on the 12th August ( I think she will support me and track my progress.)

4) cleared out my cupboards

5) taken my waist measurement ( 41″) Ugh ! that is where the Fat is for me Dr Mike.

Am doing the real food, as I really enjoy cooking.

6) Mixed and matched your menus with a few of mine own.

Now just need to go shopping nearer the time.

Thanks, Lyn

Lyn,

I am proof it works, just stick with it, ignore what anyone says (especially doctors – they are so out of touch)and even if the weight doesn’t come off as fast straight away, stay with it. Just think its 8 weeks of your life, you have nothing to lose only the weight. I promise it will be all worth it and it will change you forever (it has me). I eat porridge and quite a bit adding honey/berries, just get the best quality. Maintaining, I’m in my 4th month and go up and down a few pounds, but stay around 10 stone. I do 1 day 500 calories (which is a killer), I don’t count any other day, but as I have been doing this since Feb I know how much roughly is in what. I have days occasionally of pasta or sour dough bread, so I haven’t banned everything for ever, but its about keeping treats as treats. I still use all the recipes in the BSD & 5:2 and just been adding to my own list, I am still experimenting and my taste buds have changed forever.

Good Luck

Lyn
Re medical background, we also have medical expertise in the family as well as an inclination to explore medical information on our own to check what we are told.

There is considerable research on the subject of reversal of diabetes as well as that quoted by Dr Mosley regarding Professor Roy Taylor’s programme at Newcastle.

I am sure that your relatives are very capable – as indeed are you – in exploring this. Many of the people on this forum have done the same.

Individuals do have individual results, but you have a plethora of examples of success here that your relatives can also review. I suggest you and they explore via the SEARCH (top right) the various posts.

I wish you well in your BSD journey.

Hello Dr Mike ,
On the 12th September 2017 I started the BSD and I gave you my progress after 2 weeks. I am sorry it has taken so long to get back to you with my results. One i am not good at forums and two , life just takes over. Anyway let me recap, at the start my weight was 76.40, waist ( over belly button) was 41″ , height is 168 , B M I was 26, Cholesterol was 6.3 and Blood sugar was 6.9.
I finished my 8 week BSD on the 6th November 2016 , then had bloods taken and then saw my Doctor a week later for the results.
She was very skeptical about the whole thing but warm to me more and what I was trying to achieve as time went on. She was overwhelmed with the results . Weight was 67.00 kilos ( did not make 65), waist was 35″ , height is 168 , Cholesterol was 5.9 , B M I was 23.75 and my Blood Sugar was 6.00. Yippee ! She could not believe how god the results were.
You are my ( Guru) Dr Mike

I have been maintaining the weight at around 69 kilos but my Sugars have risen slightly to 6.4 and my cholesterol was 5.9 – My Doctor wants to see me at the end of July. I am struggling a little with the maintenance, I know by now roughly what I can eat but I should be able to put my own food together without having to have yours or your wife menu’s. Will I always have to think ahead and prepare in advance? I enjoy cooking but sometimes fall off the rails with the cheese! Have you any suggestion as I would like to try and keep the BS to 6 and my weight to 65 kilos most of the time , as I do not want to take Statins or Metformin if I do not need to although my Cholesterol is a little high.
I am now doing a lot more exercise and feel I should be eating about 1200 calories most days with say a few days at 800 or 5.2 ? Do you have any suggestion please. i do not seem to have a system that works as yet and feel I like a Gin & Tonic and I like a glass of wine. ( I have been weighing it to 60 ml but feel I want to move on now)
Hope you are please with the result as the BSD really works , I am hoping I can maintain it.
Many Thanks
Lyn 1950

Lyn 1950
Whoops made a mistake – I started BSD on 12th September 2016 ( not 2017 as said in my last text )
Lyn

Hi Lyn, I do not have it in front of me so I cannot share at the moment, but we got the BSD recipe book and there
is a lovely recipe for porridge involving pinhead oatmeal (low GI) and grated apple and semi skimmed milk.
The apple beefs up the volume so you use way less oatmeal.

I’ve always been someone who undoes any goodness in porridge by having to have a ton of brown sugar or honey in it,
yet I find this absolutely lovely! It may be because we started eating it about 6 weeks into the BSD and by then an apple
is very sweet. My wife who is a traditional porridge fan also loves this recipe.

From memory it is 25g of pinhead oatmeal soaked in water overnight.
Sieve off the water.
Mix with a full grated apple and 100ml semi skimmed milk.
Simmer for 5 min.

Perhaps someone can correct me if I’m wrong. Otherwise I will try to remember to do so this evening (not a regular forum visitor!)

Good luck!!

PS. The one tip I can give as someone who has had reasonable success on this diet is…

If you do need to break out temporarily it is much better to eat the wrong amount of calories than the wrong types of food.

I’ve been to friends houses for Sunday roasts with wine and skipped the potatoes but had loads of calories.
On other occasions I’ve also had cake / bread etc.

It was so much harder to get back into it after the latter!

Martymonster, the recipes seem to use rolled oats except one which uses pinhead, this is because of ease as, you are right, pinhead either takes longer to cook or needs pre-soaking. Your version looks even healthier than the book as you use 100 ml of s-s milk, you missed out the cinnamon which helps with blood sugar control.

Hello to all on this thread and to Dr Mosley.

I’m charting my blood sugar for my doctor who is very interested to see what this diet can do, not just for me. Also charting a load of other information including what I put in my mouth every day.

However, post prandial blood sugar is supposed to be 2 hours after you start eating as far as I am aware. But since I do it in the evening which is when I have the closest to a main meal, and I’m a grazer, the ‘meal’ can last 4 hours: usually something wildly healthy and low carb with protein, then after an hour or so I’ll have my daily dose of smoothie, which includes my calcium ration, chia seeds, probiotics etc, and then sometimes a coveted slice of my homemade sourdough bread so I don’t go to bed hungry.

My question is, does it make sense for me to take the blood sugar test when I have not finished eating for the meal? And probably not eaten the highest calorie value either.

Would I be better off to just take the BS every night at the same time, say 10pm to get a fairer reading of what is going on in the body.

Of course, I do a BS fasting in the morning too.

So hoping someone has some definitive instruction for what is best for me to measure and chart.

Thanks for all the posts too everyone, most interesting.

Crabbycams

Thanks Sunshine girl for the update. You are right. I forgot about the different oats.
I think I started making the one with pinhead oatmeal and then switched to the apple recipe which uses rolled and still had pinhead oats to use up!

Yes, I forgot about the cinnamon. Which does add to the taste massively. Although we’ve been using mixed spice of late instead. That being said while both of us need to lose weight and kick carby habits neither of us have existing blood sugar problems so if cinnamon is there for more medical reasons then perhaps best to stick with that!

I may have got the milk quantity wrong. I will have to check!

Lyn – I can thoroughly recommend this way of eating/life. I’m in Week 22 – I don’t count the calories or carbs, I don’t measure but let my clothes do the talking, but I do weigh every day or so and keep a record so that I can see the numbers going down. Yes there have been plateaus and slower periods but on average I’ve lost 2.5lbs per week and today celebrated a 4st loss!! I still have another 2st to go (after that I’ll decide about that extra 0.5st!!!). I’m 63, relatively inactive but busy. The whole family love the recipes, feel better for eating only home cooked stuff and having cut out all the ‘stuff’ that has been causing the pounds to pile on. Gut health is much improved all round and no-one is ever hungry. The 800 is a good start and very encouraging for the first 8 weeks. After that we’ve just gone with the principles, stuck with the guidelines in the recipes and upped the water intake. Sounds as though you are in the right ‘head’ space for this. Wishing you every success.

Lyn – Ooops – I was fooled by the date – Ha ha …. thought you were just about to embark!!

Right, I finally have gotten round to checking that porridge recipe.
I was a bit off when typing from memory. This is one I each a couple of times a week. I scale it up for two, but here’s the original for 1.

25g rolled oats (I use pinhead – more later on that)
1 apple grated
175ml semi skimmed milk (i did get the quantity wrong sunshine girl)
1/2 tsp cinnamon.
(as said earlier I use mixed spice but cinnamon may have better medical qualities. I used 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp mixed spice this morn and that was lovely)
A pinch of salt.

So if you do use pinhead oatmeal you need to soak it in water overnight. The book says in 150ml of water and I presume that is supposed to be enough to totally soak as they don’t mention draining. I just soak in loads of water and drain in a sieve.

Basically mix all together, bring to a simmer and simmer stirring for 5 minutes. That’s it!