Hi all im really struggling to stick with this diet with every food i.ve ever liked on the banned list and pretty much everything i can eat is on my detest list. I.m not a fussy eater but years of eating exactly what i want has culminated in me being diagnosed as pre diabetic, 2 weeks ago and im determined to stick to this diet. Im eating scrambled eggs for breakfast (missed that this morning and had an atkins diet bar as it was all i could find with no carbs and low sugarbut quite high fat) various fruits and nuts for lunch and chicken with a few black beans for dinner.

i just had an episode out of the blue of severe muscle cramps in my gut right hand side below my ribs. so much so it froze me instantly. i tired to move and it lessened. if i press on where the pain is it cramps again . i’ve been doing 700 -850 calories a day for 6 days and not felt bad until now. any adivce??

Hello Yippee! Extending a hand for you to hold onto as you begin your travels 🙂 It is a lifestyle change . . . and maybe cold-turkey one day to something different the next is a hurdle but not one which cannot be surmounted with patience and being kind to yourself. 🙂 Im retired and at home most days . . . so the fridge and pantry are always there – (sometimes not a good thing!!! BUT Ive managed to cull ALL THINGS which had carbs – thus lessening the choices 🙂 While most sugar had already been eliminated many years ago . . . I found tastebuds changed in a relatively short space of time. I listened to what my body was demanding and gave it something else! Usually feta cheese, spinach dip, coffee with cream – i.e. a fat treat! Initially I probably ate more than the 800 calories . . . but I kept the carbs were way way down as much as possible . . . Think I may still be doing a few more than 800 (cals) some days but it is mid-winter here and cold is cold! And body needs warmth and food provides warmth! That seems to have been managed now MOST of the time! I also discovered if I needed “something” at odd times . . . doing my best to stretch out the distance by finding a task – taking a shower, preparing meal boxes – doing a load of washing . . . ANYTHING which didnt require sitting reading/watching TV – thus allowing the mind to wander to food . . . all helped. AMAZING how long you can sit here and read posts! I have no idea of your discomfort cause/reason . . . though I can assure you in 6-7 weeks, my menu is a complete opposite to what it used to be – (and that wasnt considered bad by many who scrutinised it!!!) – the spices Ive discovered have turned me into a masterchef . . .(well in my eyes anyways!!) – my BSL’s are now in good single figures . . . Ive discarded 2 stone have more energy and have found some amazing and supportive friends here on the Forums 🙂 Please ask away and there will be someone who has experienced what you are discovering . . . although if I were you . . . where pain is concerned, Id maybe check in with your medico 🙂 Please stay in touch 🙂

Just found a thread here regarding cramps 🙂 May give you some insight. All the best 🙂

thank you woodDuckie,

i fed the cramps with my first deviation form the diet ( and hopefully the last) as being honest i haven’t researched what i could and couldn’t eat and couldn’t carry on with the cramps so grabbed first thing i saw. A beef pastie!! i also ended up drinking 4 litres of fluid in a uk climate without the sun shining all day (nothing new there in BST)

i had a few twinges from it last night in bed and another this morning so i do believe it is liquid related as i haven’t drunk anything after my meal replacement at 8pm the night before ( im working away from home right now and )

tomorrow is end of my first week.i was on hole 2 of my belt just and am now on row 4 comfortably so it has blatantly had an effect. yesterday is the only time i felt down on calories , a bit week after the cramps started but soon cleared up with my sin!!

thank you for your advice .

You really do need to take plenty of fluids (and not just with this way of eating) as your body is made up of a high %age of water and it needs replenishing regularly. Your gut can’t “move things along” 😊 without fluids. As you’ve found the cramps could be due to lack of fluid but if they persist or you’re not sure, then I echo WoodDuckie and think you should see a dr.

It would help you if you researched more about what to eat, it may surprise you. There’s a recipe thread and a good eats thread on here (and WoodDuckie often posts her delicious meal ideas/recipes) and the Diet Doctor website has loads.

Don’t forget good fat is your friend so no need to eat low fat – full fat yoghurt (adding things like berries, nuts, seeds turns it into a great breakfast) is a revelation after years of the low fat high sugar type. If you don’t like yoghurt do give it a try; Fage Total Greek yoghurt is divine (other brands available 😀 although most are Greek style). The large 500g tubs can look to be expensive but 1 of those lasts me 5 days and so doesn’t work out too bad.

In his book, Dr. Mosley talks about a person on a very low calorie diet of less than 800 calories a day in a trial having to drop out due to developing “acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder) which may have been due to the diet” (p. 97).

I don’t wish to put a damper on your weight-loss efforts, but don’t disregard the pain if it returns. See your GP. Gall bladder problems are not unheard of with rapid weight loss.

Yippee . . .Youre most welcome 🙂 After reading your latest post . . . . . from the days when I was using them, maybe the meal replacement – (Im assuming its a mix with liquid sachet or similar) – could “thicken” – by drawing liquid from you system – and later on . .constipation issues – (which I had regularly until I figured it out!!!!) I used to mix mine – (and leave it sit sometimes if I was distracted etc) – before consuming . . . I was amazed at how much it “thickened” – Im guessing by (the continuing process of) – the powdered ingredients absorbing the liquid it had been mixed with . . . but could see how THAT process would make me feel FULL for longer as it expanded . . . BUT I needed MORE liquid to satisfy the “powder’s” needs AFTER I’d consumed my “meal” ! Glad the belt size has changed – visual evidence for you there is “movement at the station . . .”! Good work!

Thank you Annie! Compliment received noted and Im most grateful 🙂 Here is another creation for Dinner-Supper tonight – Curried Turkey Breast pieces. (Im fortunate enough to live near a poultry processing plant and can get some GREAT bargains at their cash only “excess store” open once a week). You will need . . . Coconut oil – (I discovered this in solid form in a jar at the supermarket and the subtle flavour is SO GOOD) – curry powder, an onion cut in half and pieces sliced like crescents. Chicken or turkey pieces . . . coconut milk or cream . . . cauliflower and broccolini. Melt the oil, add onions, curry powder and poultry pieces. (Add a littl water or extra oil if things are a but dry but not too much 🙂 ) Toss about/steam gently until turkey pieces are white all the way through . . . Now add half the can of coconut milk – (the rest will keep in a jar in fridge for 3 days) – . . . stir THEM all together gently . . . too and fro . . . then top off with a quantity of cauliflower florets and broccolini – steam for just a few minutes so broccolini are not too wilted – and serve! I made enough for three meals 🙂 Two are in the freezer 🙂 Hope someone like this 🙂

thank you snoop, your reply came moments before a friend advised me the same thing as she had lost a lot of weight quite quickly and whilst maintaining her reduced weight she was hit with similar spasms. I still think mine was water related and perhaps a little too little calories for my system to take and it coincided with the day after having my first meal replacement shake.

i’ve upped my water intake which i think at the time of the “attack” was actually lower than a litre all day, im currently hitting 3.5-4 litres a day.

I.m now at the first day of week 2 and determined to see this through and educate myself in what food i can eat as i am very close to an atkins diet but with low calorie fat and zero sugar other, than fruit.

i really need to understand how the insulin cycle works, and my meal timings. i missed breakfast for the 2nd time in a week this morning and got through to lunch with no dramas or faintness. thank you all for your responses.

Hi Yippeekayay, glad you’re feeling well and no further recurrences. I’m not sure about the notion of low-calorie fat. This diet is not high fat, but it is what I would call real fat. So no low calorie yogurts or even skimmed milk. If you’re eating dairy, the fat in whole milk helps your body to extract maximum vitamins and minerals from the milk. So skimmed or low-fat dairy produce is in fact counter-productive in that sense.
Anyway, best of luck. Glad you’re going great guns.

All the best with your resolve! Ill be following any comments re the insulin ride and eating timing with interest 🙂 I sometimes am up late/sleep late – dont eat for maybe 1-2 hours after getting up . . . then it is make a decision on two or three meals and cant help but wonder if this is part of my reason for see-saw BSL’s sometimes.