I’m starting the diet tomorrow (30th Jan) and wondered if sticking to 800c is very difficult or does the diet curb hunger? I have 2 children, busy life and feel tired a lot of the time so wondering if a modified version better? Maybe I’ll start with 800c and see how it goes but don’t want to crash into a basket of bread…

Reading your profile you don’t have diabetes (yet, and I only say that because of family history) so this is a weight loss plan for you. The theory behind the 800 calories is that it shocks the body into losing visceral fat (internal fat around the organs), particularly around the pancreas and liver. This is important to diabetics as it helps the healing process and improves blood glucose with a view to reduce or reverse diabetes. In your case such a harsh diet is not necessary and you could lose weight on more calories, say 1000 although I would say one of the things that makes this diet work is the elimination of starchy carbs like bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and cereal and of course, sugar. Try it and see and if you find the calories difficult to maintain add in some good calories as snacks like cold meat, tuna, cheese, a boiled egg. Something that will give you a boost without spoiling the plan.

Good luck

Initially it can be difficult but once the body has adapted correctly you may notice two things. Hunger is almost a thing of the past, and even when you fast a considerable length of time is infinitely bearable since you have an alternative source of plentiful fuel, for example your body fat. It almost catches you by surprise when your tummy rumbles loudly. The second thing is you begin to tell the difference between hunger and cravings, and once your carbs are low enough cravings subside to the extent that they are (if you are careful) easier to spot as the interlopers they are and they can be eased by diet friendly alternatives. Peanut butter, a little bit on a teaspoon is a good one to get rid of biscuit cravings, and cheese, a small piece, is always good at making the cravings go away. Thirst is also commonly mistaken as hunger, but if you are drinking the recommended 2-3 litres should rarely be a problem.

I spent my first week looking at my meals and going that will never fill me up – week 3 and I find 800 easy to stick to and am often full.

In my experience variety really helps – good luck.

Thanks sunshine girl, mixnmatch and fib for your replies. I shall give the 800c a go. I’ve never cut back on carbs before so it will be interesting to see the effect. I think my tiredness is linked to my diet and craving for carbs and given so many people in my family have diabetes, I need to get ontop of overall health…

Hi AlexandraUK – some excellent advise here. I’d just add that good hydration is very important – as has previously been stated – and making sure that there is enough fat in your diet, as this helps with the feeling make you feel full more quickly and for longer. Controlling the carbs really helps, as I find if I eat too many, these cause hunger pangs to follow later on.

Hope you get to grips with the 800cals – let use know how you get on, good luck.

Sticking to 800c is incredibly difficult if you are getting those calories from carbs, but if you are getting those calories from fat and protein, it is surprisingly doable.

Eat lots of veggies, sauteed if possible to up the fat level, plus a decent lump of protein and you will feel full for a long time. Veggies are great because you can eat as much as you want, and I do.

The key is managing the hunger and everybody does that differently. I have a couple of eggs at 11am, supper at 6pm, and nuts and Greek yogurt at 9pm. I like fasting during the day. You will probably be different so find what works for you but remember that eating simple carbs will trigger a pretty intense urge to eat a lot more, so don’t!

The only downside is my family is getting sick of me obsessing about food but it’s been three months and it has been amazingly easy!

Jan

Hi AlexandraUK, I found the first few days really hard, but it definitely got easier after that. I stick to 800 cals probably 50% of the time and other days go to around 900 and sometimes on the weekend or when entertaining I’ve had around 1000 cals. I make the same meal for everyone in the family, but for example if we are having bolognaise then I’ll have mine with zucchini instead of pasta, and my family have garlic bread whereas I don’t. I’m up to almost the end of week 3 and have lost around 3kg. I find that sparkling water, herbal tea or a cup of white coffee help when I get hunger pangs between meals. I also carry around a small bag of almonds – even having just 3 or 4 of these has helped when I’m hungry on the way home from work for example.
Planning ahead is a must – I make extra servings where I can and freeze them, make my lunch the night before etc.
Good luck 🙂