Hello to all the newbies who have come across the Blood Sugar Diet and are reading this post, researching and seeking out answers about what it’s like on the diet.
A little about me: 30 year old London lad who has previously had great success with other eating plans, phases of extreme weight-loss at the gym.
I swing between extremely fitness obsessed: 10km runs, Crossfit style HIIT workouts, weights, cardio sessions on the elliptical machine burning 1000 calories in a session… you get the drift.
However, on the flip side I have had many 6 month periods where I have lapsed, stopped going to the gym and you’ll find me eating: entire cheesecakes almost in one sitting, double packs of sainsbury tortellini with half a block of parmesan grated on top, large volumes of white bread with jam, gallons of milk, packs of chewy cookies, pan au raison pastries, blocks of dark chocolate…and everything else you can imagine.
Over the last 12 months of not going to the gym, i put back on a lot of weight.
I became worried about my blood sugar levels when i started having throbbing pains deep in my legs, tingles in my fingers and toes, and on a few occasions I binged on so much sugar on one sitting that I curled up into a ball and was bed ridden for 6 hours, shaky. (it really can happen) I knew without even going to the doctor that I was on the verge of type 2 diabetes. A doctor did end up confirming I am in the pre-diabetic range!
As I have lost large amounts of weight before, I knew that when you stop having white carbs, processed foods and sweets, you drop quite a bit of weight quickly due to water retention, so i was curious to see what would happen on this eating plan.
Starting weight: 102kg
Important to note: I am freelancing from home at the moment, so it has been easier in the sense that I have the luxury of being able to spend time cutting up fresh produce and cooking multiple times a day – when you’re at work, you normally just pop out to PRET at lunch. I would recommend dedicated meal prepping at weekends and night before, or you can easily be tempted in the beginning. I intentionally cancelled all social outings, drinks, even cafe dates as I knew i wouldn’t be able to resist Pan Au Raison pastries.
First few days: fuzzy, constant headache which became quite intense at points requiring me to take nurofen, withdrawal symptoms, intense cravings, shaky, lethargy/sleepiness. (very much like quitting smoking if you have ever been through that)
Hunger wise – Feeling full on the high protein and good fats. Just an adjustment not being able to snack, or constantly self reward with something sugary.
Day 4-5: Headaches eased on day 4, gone by day 5. Enjoying the new relationship with the kitchen and my supermarket shopping experience. Bascially 90% of the supermarket is off limits. And contrary to popular belief it is cheaper to shop and eat this way!
Had to get some products from Planet Organic, for example, tinned tomatoes – they were the only place that had tin tomatoes which didn’t contain sugar. The volumes of sugar in even the most basic things at normal supermarkets will shock you.
Day 6: Noticed I am sleeping better, deeper, no restlessness. No headaches. Only a couple of momentary carvings for bread. But am training my brain to think of sugar as no different to heroin or cocaine. This helps when you walk down a high street, through a supermarket – think of it as shelves stacked with different flavours of heroin and cocaine…you become much more aware of how much bad stuff is shoved in our faces constantly everywhere!
Day 7 – 8: Was strolling down the high street, and suddenly felt this rush of euphoria and endorphins, and I felt like a fog had lifted. I cannot explain it and I am normally cynical and don’t buy into all that “enlightened/elevated” feelings stuff.
But I really did feel like I was really fresh and energised and clear minded.
Day 9 – 10: I became one of those people who started telling people about “the sweet poison”. Felt completely happy and normal with the eating plan, energy levels astounding considering I am consuming 1/3 of my normal daily calories. I don’t get hungry between meals and sometimes 5-6 hours passes before I remember I am supposed to be eating – this is unheard of for me.
Drinking as much water as I can (I really hate drinking water) I have been using sugar free squash to help.
Day 10 – 14: Felt stable enough to get back to the gym, I was initially worried about passing out. I have not attempted weight lifting as with barely any carbs and with such an extreme calories deficit I don’t think it is safe at the moment. You can do a lot of weight lifting style variations using your own bodyweight. But I was able to do HIIT workouts and hit cardio machines hard for 1 hour. No change from the sugar days, this is great.
Final word: I honestly feel fantastic. Psychologically and physically. I really feel clarity and focused. I feel happy (and comfortable) with my new shopping routine, food prep has become easier and i am being more creative with making things. My diet is more diverse and I am never starving or craving anything. Sure, I still see cakes in shop windows and know how great they will taste, but I just keep telling myself it is basically cociane and it is killing us all. I have made it a game to avoid the “drug dealers”.
On a side note, other unexpected things I have noticed: My skin is better, not as blemish prone, more even skin tone. I am not sweating as much as normal (I know thats a weird thing to notice) and my natural body odor is much softer?
I also noticed that I have zero traces of smelly feet, even when I am wearing shoes for 12+ hours (I wasn’t really bad before, but now there is zero scent) the whites of my eyes look brighter (my partner commented).
Weight loss: I am down to 96kg. 7kg lost in 2 weeks. 15.5lbs! I know that some of that is water retention loss, and I must admit that my measurements of my chest, love handles and legs are exactly the same. So it is most likely visceral fat inside my body.
I am convinced if I keep this up for another 2 months, I will see dramatic losses. Including in body measurements.
The only down side I will comment on: My labido has decreased a lot. I don’t have “the urge” at all, which is not normal for a man of my age. I have read quite a bit about how this is normal when you dramatically cut calories, particularly carbs. And this is something I can deal with to get my health back.
If you’re thinking of starting, do it. It’s a revolution. After 2 weeks you won’t want to go back.
Top tip: Holland and Barrett health food stores have these fantastic “zero” noodles and pastas. Made from some kind of plant. practically zero everything, and most importantly, zero sugar. They are great with chicken and home made pesto! it has really saved me! Of course the texture is different, but once you add meat and make a sauce, it’s really good. And no bloating/carb naps!
Koala x