I once tried one of those diet ‘shakes’ where you mixed the powder with diet lemonade. After one of those I couldn’t eat for days and had to force drinks corn my throat. Never again.

When I heard about the Newcastle Diet, I investigated meal replacement shakes and found that most of them have high amounts of sugar in them. Not good for me as I was diabetic.

I have a busy life and have just finished 21 weeks on the BSD, just using real food. Keeping easily prepared foods in the fridge helps. Boiled eggs, cooked meat, salad, even cheese. When I get home too tired to cook something like that keeps me on track.

This is the best start to a Monday morning I have had for ages….now under the 14 stone “bar”…only by a smidge but who cares lol! This morning I am 13, 13 and a quarter pound. so in total one stone and a smidge of a pound lighter in 4 weeks. I can feel the difference in certain areas and jeans too loose. Feeling positive.

Hi Bloodsugardaddy
Never thought of eating the calories back and I’m going to an Indoor cycling class this morning and playing a doubles tennis match this afternoon. I’m 63 and still a stone overweight. I’m on my 15th Week of BSD and have lost over 2 stones.
Mostly good about sticking to 800 calories a day but I have strayed a bit when I’ve been away on holiday or for special occasions.
For me personally exercising on 800 calories seems ok. Initially I struggled in intense classes near the end but think that was BS related.
Hard to advise anyone else.This is very individual but if you cut calories even a bit you will lose weight anyway.
Igorasusual I always add 300 extra pretend calories as snacks in myfitnesspal so it will calculate my potential weight loss in 5 weeks.
The exercise you do in a day certainly shows a big difference in the results it calculates.

I use a meal replacement shake for breakfast because it suits my lifestyle and I’ve never been a fan of breakfast. In Australia we have a brand called Optifast VLCD which is believe was designed for people to lose weight quickly prior to surgery. They are low carb/low cal and great. There is no way I could have one for dinner though, I need real food!! Good luck.

Lol I forgot to push the notify button on this post. I meant, I try to fish drinking all my water at least 2 hours before bed. Drinking all that water at once would be suicide.

Oh Eureka didn’t realize how blond I was becoming……must stay away from those hair dye bottles for a while.!?!?!

Your calculations are astounding but I think I understand that you are over half way to your May Marathon, so that is brilliant.

It is halfway through May and I have done 60 fitbit miles so that is over 2 marathons but that is just the machine counting all my steps.
Nearly made the 70 mile Emperor Penguin Migration again…..yay;-0 Perhaps I can get to the South Pole and back again in May????

However if I separate the actual walks I’ve done I calculate I’ve done about 14 miles so far.

Anyway all good. Keep up going everyone.

BTW hope no blonds were hurt in the writing of this post……???? 😉

Hi Bloodsugardaddy. I’m going into my third week. A little background on me – I lost 30 lbs through diet, walking uphill and weightlifting before I started this diet. I’ve lost an additional 10 lbs in two weeks on this diet. Week one I was strict at around 850 calories per day and somehow I still had the energy to walk 20-30 minutes 4 times and lost 7 lbs. Week 2 was rough for me. I struggled to stay around 930 calories and I didn’t have the energy to exercise at all and I only lost 3 lbs. I asked the same question about this diet and exercise when I first started because I just couldn’t see myself going 8 weeks or more without working out. Hopefully I’ll regain that energy this week and I’ll try to walk at least 3 times this week. I believe exercising helped get me those great results week one. If you have the energy do it! I didn’t eat those calories back and I saw great results.

Hi
The daily mail has an article on slim women who eat junk food and keep their figure.
I wonder if they are tofi. Thin out fat inside.

Would love to find out
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Great results! I’m starting week 3 in the morning and I’m glad to put week 2 behind me. Keep going!!

I see. There’s a vague logic to it, but I would have thought it would be more realistic if one continued on the diet one normally eats, low carbs, ‘normal’ carbs or high carbs.
Still, we all have to do what we all have to do! Greetings from a sunny South Wales morning, by the way!

Ok I just had a poke around on the Net. The idea is that if you usually eat low carb then suddenly have the glucose liquid for the test, your body can’t deal with it and you are more likely to get a big spike and a “false positive” for diabetes. If you eat more carbs leading up to the test, you get a more normal result. But this belief is disputed and some now think the effect is minimal.

Sooooooo,
How are we all this morning?
Looks like rain, means more exercise for me.
Probably go puddle bashing tonight on the way home from work.
Garden looks nice, hoping the stock give an evening perfume,
And the nasturtium leaves and flowers may end up in my salad.
Ate a lot yesterday, so just having an apple for lunch.
I don’t want to get into the habit of eating bigger meals. One offs are okay.
So lunch will be smaller.

Have a lot of friends wanting to meet me for coffee, I have arranged all of that for next week. And going to the pub for a drink. So I want to be extra good this week, ready for next week.
Then it is the bank holiday. Yeeeaaaaaa!

Love luciaXxx

That is really interesting that they don’t do it in the UK. Hopefully they get rid of it here, if it’s not necessary.

Forgot to say…

Bluberry gram pancakes for breakfast today

Scotch egg for lunch

soup for dinner

chickpeas for a nibble.

morning everyone and yes, thankyou for the cauli pizza info! Might give it a whirl later in the week.

Yes Happy, fitbit set up is fairly easy 🙂 Really like using it! expensive pedometer really but I love it!

Today dawns the final day of week 4. The midpoint of 8 weeks. So what do my scales do today? go up an lb. They had come down yesterday grrrr!

Maybe I had more gram flour pancake than I thought, or too many tomatoes in my salsa (which was unplanned but so nice!) my calories sat at 900 last night and carbs at 74. both higher than usual, but it was a one off. I have to conduct my little experiments during the weekend as I don’t have time during the week. I’m not overly worried. I shall continue to do the BSD-thing and the weight will move when it is ready to go.

The next 7 days are all planned out foodwise (although I may make a cauli pizza substitute) so I am well organised for the week ahead. Lets hope it’s a good one… wish me luck as I head off to wake the small one!

Have a great Monday fellow Life changers 🙂

Hi Emmie,
In the book, one of the case studies is MP Colin Beattie, who lost 44lbs in 8 weeks using meal replacement shakes – he also had a busy lifestyle.. As for which plan to choose, there does not seem to be ‘one right way’. The main rules in the book seem to be (correct me if I’m wrong):
– average of 800 calories/day
– avoid simple carbs
– drink lots of water
– fibre is good

Slimfast shakes would fit within those rules, I think? I say give it a try, and don’t forget to post and let us know how you go.

As a nurse in the UK I can only speak from my experience but I have never heard of the idea of carb loading prior to a GTT. We certainly wouldn’t suggest it! I’ll be interested to know how you get on, let us know. Good luck and hopefully you can get back on track afterwards.

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll give it a shot! (Well, not a shot, obviously!)

Dear Katinka56. That sounds rough, I do sympathise. perhaps it might be a migraine which I think some others have had in the early stages of the diet. Hopefully it will go and not return! I have reactive hypoglycaemia, which means I over produce insulin in response to raised blood sugar levels. I am lucky that I haven’t had one episode since starting this diet. I guess if the blood sugar levels don’t go up, they can’t dip too low. The symptoms for me are a sort of tunnel vision, disorientation, giddiness, heart palpitations. Are you drinking enough fluids? Maybe breaking the meals into smaller portions, more often, if that makes sense. Stick with it though and good luck!

I’m supposed to do three days of carb loading but I got a bit over-excited about being given permission to eat lots of carbs and started two days early, so I’m now in the middle of day four. I enjoyed the first couple of days, especially bread smothered in butter and roast potatoes. But today I had to force myself to eat toast for breakfast and add a bread roll to my lunch. It wasn’t appealing at all. I feel heavy and tired and headachy. I had to have a nap after lunch while my son watched Big Hero Six. I’m still looking forward to crispy potatoes with dinner, but how am I supposed to fit in several other serves of carbs in what is left of the day?

I’ve been struggling with sticking to the BSD but I guess most days I did better than this. I can really feel the contrast. I am not a diabetic (hopefully, that is what the test is for) and I’ve been testing at home after meals and I still seem to be in the pre-diabetic range after carb-heavy meals. So it’s not only diabetics who are negatively affected by a carb-heavy diet. I can hardly think straight.

Hi everyone,
I’m hoping this information will help people reading this that want to stop adding sugar to tea/coffee. In October 2013 I made the decision to stop using sugar or sweeteners in my coffee (I’d rarely added it to tea). It took me 6 weeks to enjoy drinking coffee again. It was worth the effort as I’ve never gone back to added sugar in beverages.
…a word of warning on some flavored teas – I recently purchased a peach/mango variety of black tea bags (didn’t check the ingredients)and got home to see that sucrose is among the ingredients……best to check them in the store prior to purchase.
Best wishes on your BSD journeys.

Hi ChrisBroster, like you I added back in about 50 percent of my big workouts. I think you almost have to because otherwise you will probably just get too hungry. Also, I think the extra protein (which is what I invariably wanted and what I tended to supplement) is good for retaining muscle mass. I’m week 10, lost over eight inches at my waistline — what I did not lose is muscle, which is a first for me on a diet. It’s been a perfect outcome and I also had a lot of energy for workouts (no freaky low blood sugar days). I’m a skier, bicyclist, swimmer, cross-fitter.

Well done Scandigirl
That’s a great all round result😀Keep it up, it gets even easier the longer you go on!
Linda

Hi everyone,

Thought for the day…….for those who are following the BSD….doing all ‘the right things’…..possibly a bit disappointed with their progress……TRY MINDFULNESS MEDITATION……it will de-stress you….and then your cortisol levels will reduce…..and then your efforts will be rewarded.

Hi ChrisBroster,
My interpretation of the book is that for BSD800 it’s the 800 calories. BUT I don’t run 2-3 miles. I regularly walk 2-3kms.
Take a good look at your stats and consider things like how you feel after your run, have you been losing weight on the 1000kcal? Look at the whole package – you know your body better than anyone else.
I know from the various threads that there are people on the BSD that run. They should be able to help.

Lunch grilled shrimp over a salad

Dinner- grilled pork medallions, cauliflower mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables ( squash, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes)

I had an iced coffee made with a cup of almond/coconut milk

I have one week behind me with great results. I lost 7 pounds. My fasting blood sugar started out at 180 and today was 117. Blood pressure stated out as 134/81 today it was 114/67. I have not measured my waist yet. I have found this diet pretty easy but have to plan the night before and really prepared. I had a couple of days of no energy and being weak but it passed. I am drinking lots of water and walking 45 minutes each day. Can’t wait to see where I am in eight weeks.

Week 3 day 3
13 lbs down

B – 2 oz salmon
1 cup berries
L – 2 T peanut butter
Celery
D – 1/4 lb roasted shrimp (garlic
Parmesan Recipe I found online)
1 cup asparagus
I am short 160 cal so will add something else to dinner but not sure what yet.

Long time BSD friends please keep posting – it means so much to me and others as we see our future in you.
💜

Week 3 – Day 3
Weigh same as yesterday but I feel smaller.
Today is a quiet day! I like it!
Put on a pair of long pants and they are very big on me. Also threw away all my too big undies now that I bought ones two sizes smaller.
I posted on FB yesterday about my transformation so far and 12 friends have now gotten the book and will be starting soon!!
I feel great except still tummy issues – hoping it resolves since I lowered the fat percentage I am eating.
💙💜

Thanks to all for the cauliflower crust tips!

Izzy did you set up your new Fitbit??

Hi all I am 2 weeks into 800Kcal BSD and have lost 11 pounds which is great. Currently I am running every other day for 2-3 miles which ‘earns’ me 200-400 Kcal ‘back’.
So far I have only been adding back 100-200 Kcal when I think I really need it. Never gone over 1000 kcal total.
Is this right I’ve Net kcal must be 800 or less , or is the BSD a finite 800 kcal regardless of exercise?
Thanks Chris

Hi thepolly, Eureka and Switzerland,
Thanks for your replies and best wishes. Oh I’m so so ready and with support like this who knows I might even enjoy it. Let’s hope my wig doesn’t come off whilst on the Roller coaster Eureka!
Thanks again, Slimchance x

Hi Julia 18 to go.
I find that soot, or salt wards off slugs and cats.
Plus I have a fine mist spray to gently discourage them. I don’t aim for them just in their paths as they don’t know that that particular piece of dirt is mine not their mums.
But it does get smelly and dangerous when they leave donations and I use my gloved hands to garden with.
Onion skins too ward them off.
Love Lucia
Xxxx

Hi Tracy22677
We’ll done both of you. You will soon sort your food out.
Your HbA1c report will give your blood profile over the last three months. Get a printed copy & explanation from your GP. Google , explain my HbA1c, too.
It’s the next blood profile that will tell you how well you have done on this diet. Keep copies from now on.
Good luck

Hi Beth
You must be running around like a chook with its head cut off!! So hectic!
There’s a show on Foxtel about an English first response team in various parts of the U.K., I think it’s called ’24 hours to live’. I love watching all that stuff.
You should sleep well tonight, you must be exhausted, don’t be tempted to grab something quick and junky, are you able to plan ahead and cook some food in bulk?
How about Australia coming 2nd in the Eurovision Song Contest! What the hell were we doing there in the first place!!!!
We’ve got another lovely day predicted for today, 24 deg c and sunny. I’m going to walk the dog up to Mum and Dads (60mins there + back), then come home and do some gardening.
Hope you had a great day!

Hi fiftyfifty and Julia18togo,

Just wanted to contribute to your cauliflower pizza discussion……I don’t microwave it, simply combine all ingredients, form into the ‘pizza’ base and slow bake (160C) for 45 minutes – I then add the toppings, increase the temp and bake until the topping is cooked. No soggy base even when it’s reheated the following day.
My method was born out of trying to make the whole process a bit easier.
I use the recipe for cauliflower pizza from BSD recipe page on this site.
Happy cooking.

thanks Lynne
I was diagnosed as diabetic about 18 months ago – but despite harassing my Father about sensible eating before he died, I’ve been really lazy about applying the same knowledge to myself.
I did start a low sugar diet in January, but looking back at the spreadsheet I only kept to it really well for about six weeks – although the plus is that I’ve “only” put 1kg of the 4.5kg that I lost, so it wasn’t a total failure!

I was looking at spiralisers on Amazon today – I’ve had a couple of packs of pre-spiralised courgette from tesco, but TBH I’ve probably left them in the fridge too long & they’ve been a wee bit on the slimy side!
I can’t bear fruit tea, but have bought a no-sugar pink grapefruit and lemon squash which is really nice. Thankfully I can’t bear sugar in tea or coffee, so i’m not too worried about cutting out tea – that really would be a step too far!

Just finishing off a rather nice bottle of port though! (BEFORE I START BSD!!! – I know, I know!)

DO have a brilliant holiday

Hi Trees
What can I say? Your plate is overflowing! I sincerely wish you and all your family the best.
You have found the strength to help yourself in the most adverse conditions and dramatically succeed. Very well done indeed. Please treat yourself to a new fitted outfit & enjoy wearing it.

Keep us posted when you can. Do see your GP now. Register with a new one ASAP if your moving away from the present one. You need all the help you can get with your family & help must be available for you all at this time. You are juggling the impossible & can’t do this without help. The NHS is ment for times like these, get that help. Insist on it! Don’t undo all the hard work you’ve put in.
Take care all of you. Best wishes
Eureka

Hi
I am a bread-a-holic and have recently discovered Farinata (Socca) which is an Italian bread/pancake that satisfies my bread cravings. It is made from Besan (chickpea) flour and is low in carbs fat etc. You can add all sorts of things to it like Rosemary and onion. Some people even use it to make a healthy pizza. Here is a basic recipe.
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/05/farinata-italian-chickpea-pancake-recipe.html

I am jealous Lucia – all that garden planting! I have to shift another tonne of pebbles before I can let myself get planting. Delivery Tuesday so hoping for good weather then. What do you do about cats digging up your freshly planted stuff? My neighbour’s cat treats my beds as her personal toilet. Can’t get cocoa shell mulch now 😕
Cauliflower base pizza for my tea was good. My turn for mushrooms tomorrow.

Hi Odette C
Thanks for your support.

Make sure everyone knows how to test properly with the monitors. Jenny Ruhl at http://www.phlaunt.com is a very knowledgeable person. American, see her book — Blood Sugar101, second edition. See (Painless testing of blood sugar) described on page 135 in Diet 101 the Truth about Low Carb Diets which she also wrote. I really recommend her books. She’s a recognised & respected writer ( she’s Type 2 Diabetic). She reads, understands & evaluates published research papers & trials to do with Diabetes.

Also watch livinlavidalowcarb.com. The LLVLC show ( Episode 486) Jenny Rhul The Low-carb Diabetes Strategy. She has customised her diet to eliminate the carbs she can’t handle & so sustain her weight loss & good blood sugars on a very low carb diet. I think I have to go there too. Read , mark & inwardly digest what she has found out!!
The more info you can get the better for your project. Knowledge is power. Keep on keeping on. Up the Revolution, we want change!! 😃 ✌🏻

Hi, so it was a good day today.
Ate as if there is no tomorrow. 😗😗😗😗😗
Walked the legs off myself, tried running.
Bought some aubretia , red hot poker, anenomies , stock and other bits, then exercised my back, digging and planting. ( my spell check is having a fit)

Should I say I am looking forward to the peace and quiet at my desk?

Loved the mushrooms with omelette.

Seemed to drink more water today, maybe the fresh air and exercise.

Half way through may already,
Love Lucia

Xxxx

Very pleased to have found this thread. i am on day 9 and have had a horrible day, woke to nasty visual disturbances and then a headach which has been with me on and off all day. Painkillers don’t seem to touch it. have been surfing the issue and think I may have hypoglycemia. Really upset as i have been getting on so well with the diet. I don’t have diabetes but am very obese, I have drunk a glass of juice and it seems to be slowly getting better. Do you have any advice?

Hi fiftyfifty – thanks for the link. Will try it. However mine worked without squeezing moisture out. I just let the ‘dough’ rest a wee while and gave it a good bake and was pleased it didn’t go soggy. Maybe it worked because I didn’t have much egg? The mix did seem reasonably stiff.

Hi Julia & Izzy,
It seems to me most of the recipes for cauliflower pizza crust involve cooking the cauliflower first, followed by squeezing out all the excess moisture to ensure the crust won’t be soggy. I tried this method the first time and was disappointed that the base was still soggy in the middle, in spite of my best efforts to squeeze out moisture.

I’ve since discovered another recipe with doesn’t involve cooking the cauliflower first, and works perfectly every time. I’ve made this probably once a week since I started eating this way, and it’s a lot less fiddly!

The recipe is here (I have only made the base, and used my own topping):
http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/green-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-base/

It makes 2 good medium size pizzas for me. You can also keep one base in the fridge for another day. I believe they freeze well too but I haven’t tried that myself yet, althought I am thinking about making and freezing individual size piza bases….

Apologies for the epic length of the previous post!

Ok so I just finished clearing up after a late dinner. The actual taste of the cauliflower base pizza was good but you have to tell yourself you are not eating pizza since it is never going to compare with fresh baked dough. It tastes fine, just different. I also had the 2 girls theatrically turning up their noses at the smell while I cooked the cauli rice in the microwave beforehand (admittedly the upstairs smells pretty yuk still!). They all loved their real pizzas. I always make my own dough, so in fairness what I was eating must have seemed a desecration to them, whereas if compared to shop bought frozen pizza my cauliflower version probably would have stood up fairly well!

My verdict is that I would definitely make it again for several reasons. The recipe I chose permits me to eat a whole pizza loaded with veggies so I really felt full (sorry – the purists and those more cultured than me will disagree, bit I think that the whole point of pizza is that it is the ultimate comfort food! I find it hard not to want to stuff myself when eating pizza, although admittedly less so than pre BSD). I reckon my whole pizza was within 400 cal so good if you have brunch then that for dinner. I chose a recipe simpler than the one you mention Izzy – I saw a similar one but didn’t fancy blowing so many calories just on the base. I didn’t add them up but it seems to me that ground almonds and mozzarella as well as cream cheese in the mix probably adds significantly to the count before you have even thought about toppings. Mine made a good sized pizza and I was sure to bake it well before adding topping and it did produce a pizza you can hold properly. See recipe here http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/39229/gluten-free–sugar-free-pizza-base.aspx
I used a tub of Tesco cauliflower couscous which I think was 330 g. I steamed it in the microwave then let it cool and then added 1 egg and a big handful of grated parmesan. It worked fine just pressing the dough onto the silicon sheet with my hands and I let it rest till I was ready to bake it. Some complain of a soggy base but mine wasn’t. I loaded it with tom mozzarella onion slices etc and really liked it.

Your crackers sound good though – might try the recipe for them!

Hi Slimchance,
Welcome to the forums. You’ll find all of the diet buddies and support you need right here.
Just a thought – there are many causes of thinning hair – if you haven’t already done so, mention it to your GP next appointment.
Oh, and the turning fifty thing……life begins at 50!
Best wishes.

Well, just completed my first week on the BSD and was pleasantly surprised. Myself and my husband both lost 6lbs! The big thing I struggle with is maintaining focus, but I managed to conquer it and avoid biscuits and potato crisps. I am stunned. There was only one day I was hungry, but I would say that was my fault as opposed to there not being enough content in the food I was eating (long story). That aside, am feeling nervous about my visit to the docs for my HBA1C results on Wednesday.

Have a great week everyone!