I read somewhere here that you are not supposed to use instant oatmeal. I like to use a brand of instant organic oatmeal that comes in packets. There are no additional ingredients at all. You can taste that they are just plain oats, no sugars added. Calories are 150, with 27g carbs, 4g fibers and sugar is listed as less than 1g.
I add chia, flax seeds, PB2 and a tsp. of almond butter for a total of about 250 calories.
I’ve lost 10 lbs. in the first week and tend to alternate between oatmeal and eggs for breakfasts.

Is it okay to go ahead and use these instant oats?

What’s your daily carb limit? I’ve chosen to stay very low at 20 grams net or less per day. A lot of other BSDers aim for 50 grams. At 27 grams per serving, instant oatmeal is a significant splurge for this diet. It is manageable if you have 50 grams to play with.

Blood sugar issues are a whole other ball of wax. Are diabetes or insulin resistance issues for you? If so, instant oatmeal is very easily digested and thus very likely to spike blood sugar. You’d have to test to be sure.

Thanks for the explanation. I understand the implications better now, and will adjust accordingly. Looking back, I have been at about 50 carbs per day, but have tended to go over that on oatmeal days. I may be moving toward insulin resistance, which is why I wanted to try this diet. I had hoped that the seeds, peanut protein and almond butter would decrease to an acceptable level whatever blood sugar impact the oatmeal might have. Thanks again for the clarification.

I also use the 27g sachets – but only use 18g from them – whihc has the added benefit of getting 4 for the price of 3! With seeds and nuts added to the mix I find the 18g is an adequate helping
Mike

Oh, and my maths was wrong – that’s 3 for the price of 2 – even better!
Mike

I think the problem with the instant oats is that as they’ve been processed more the body digests and converts them to sugar much more quickly, which alters blood sugar levels. Eating the same weight of rolled oats would give us the same carbs, but wouldn’t create that spike.

That’s my understanding Patsy, the less processed they are the better. I’ve been using either rolled oats or steel cut (pinhead) oats, which are both slow release carbs. What I love about them is I can have a small bowl at 6am and am not hungry for a good 7-8 hours afterwards.

I am on the first week of this Fast Diet and I am just getting into it. Not hungry though which has been my downfall before! I do miss my porridge though as I’m not into eggs etc.person in the morning! If I get some rolled oats and use full fat milk with water? Any good recipes and quantities please.!

Ginnie, try making your porridge with water and only use 25 grams of oats. Then add a little milk if you want (I do), then add some berries like raspberries – I buy frozen and always have in. You will find it is quite high in carbs and will have to watch what else you eat that day and try to limit porridge to just a couple of times a week. Other days you can have yoghurt and fruit, maybe egg once a week if your not keen, try it scrambled with a pinch of chilli and a small grating of cheese. What about some grilled bacon and mushrooms. I have a Nutribullet and once a week I have a smoothie made with fruit, seeds and almond milk. The trick is to try to have something different each day to keep it interesting, unless you find something you love (not porridge) and have as a routine.