I can’t have coffee – neither the normal nor the decaffeinated variety. Is it OK to have barley coffee?

I’ll type that bit of the book for you.

It’s attributed to the fact that people eating very low carb diets are burning ketones some of which are eliminated via the lungs. Dieters believe it’s something they have to learn to live with. Wrong (I’m paraphrasing a bit here).

Some people advocate drinking more water or use breath mints or brushing your teeth. None of those things will work because it comes from your lungs not your mouth.

That supposed ketobreath is not coming from burning fat. It’s almost always from eating too much protein. Low carb dieters tend to overdo the protein than what it should be which is a high fat diet.

If you detect also a strong ammonia smell in your urine, this is a sign too.

So she says what needs to be done is cut down on the protein a bit.

Hi Salky. Looking forward to it 😃 We all need all the support we can get.

If you want to read all the gory details, check out my post on this forum ‘Over the 8-week line and after’. You’lll be joining me on there next week – getting a bit lonely!

Just thinking – my family won’t know me when they see me after Easter, not seen them since last autumn! *waves*

Hi,

I’ve not encountered this yet, BUT, on Penny’s recommendation in the useful links thread, i read just this morning the book called Low Carb Problems Solved by Jenny Ruhl, It’s about £3 on Kindle.

It tells you all about the why’s and what to do in there – along with lots of other useful info.

Well yes and no as i live in the village of that name.

Thanks liveinhope, that’s exactly my worry. Is your username a nice pun?

Hi guys, Interesting.
I live in the Peak District so hills out and back when you are cycling are obligatory. I also run over the fells. Since i have been on the low blood sugar diet i have defiantly hit the wall when out. I too am interested on whether taking on board extra added carbs will cock up the diet. I was climbing at an indoor wall on Thursday and after about one and a half hours i was totally pumped. Losing the weight though at about 1lb a day so don`t want to blow it. Keep the discussion and experiences going. Mark

Thank you captainlynne, we think very much alike. Yes, replies on the forum will be lovely.
Looking forward to our little project very much.
Just for the record, you’ve said how much you have lost, brill again! I’m on a 20lb loss, waistline down around 5in. And a blood reading of 53 after 7 weeks.
Let the battle begin!! 👍👍

Thanks Mrsjaffa13. I do feel so much better. Less joint pain, more energy, thinking more clearly & better concentration. Only problem is trying to find something to wear LOL. Wardrobe rapidly shrinking and can’t find anything I like in the shops! On the plus side, the charity shop is doing well – have to look there when I take my old clothes in 😃

Hi Salky. Happy to be your diet buddy and compare notes. It should keep me on the straight and narrow 😃 Posting on this forum?

Welcome Blackfriar. You’ll get lots of support on here.

Hi

Thank you all for your responses.

I am not diabetic but I guess could possibly edging towards pre – I was in hospital last year for a suspected heart attack, angio confirmed not and clear arteries. They then thought it might be gall stones, I have it seems three large ones that aren’t going anywhere but possibly has a little one that slipped away and caused the problem. Whilst in hospital they said that my blood sugar level was 5.6, they weren’t unduly worried said it was just a little high.

I always use olive oil in cooking, frying etc. Although if for example I am making a chilli or spag bol I do not fry my mince in it, I dry fry the mince. But for all other types of frying I use it.

I think I will actually find it easier to not eat during the day than try and have three low cal meals. I would rather save up and have a decent evening meal.

Way to go Mrsjaffa! You are so going to do this….there may be a few tough moments, lots of us have had them but it gets better….can’t wait to hear your successes.
Bill…you’re a shrinking man…..great news!
Welcome Blackfriar….you’ve come together right place…best of luck to you.
Have just posted my first recipe!

Thanks for that mountainman. I think energy gels are a very good idea, they saved me yesterday when I could feel weakening beginning. I’d like to find a solution that doesn’t involve taking on carbs so much. I’m reading up on making adaptations to using fat stores to a greater extent, but I think that this requires time and careful planning. Good luck with the walk on the 28th.

Hi Bill, I am starting on Monday this week. Got to do something. Have been a diabetic for 10 years, no retinopathy but had a cardiac scare at Christmas resulting in a stent insertion. Good luck to you.

Hiya aliba thank you for the fantastic coffee suggestions, have just ordered myself some coffee cups from Amazon, and will try your ideas, if I don’t feel deprived am much more likely to stick to it!

Captainlynne your loss is amazing, and two dress sizes sounds a fantastic achievement, you must feel amazing, keep those positive thoughts as you journey into your next few weeks.

Bill 15lbs in three weeks is fab. I struggle to exercise, usually manage my 1000 steps a day running after my 7 year old and taking the dog out, but will never be a gym person, and feel need to lose weight before attempting some of the exercises in the book. I do also have an exercise bike and go on twice a week but nothing more than that! I love my Fitbit as if haven’t done enough steps will do a night walk with the dog, or up and down the stairs a few times!!

Day 2 for me, and so far not hungry or tempted! 😇

Yes fat…eat more of it with the protein and veg….coconut oil, a little butter, full fat milk, full fat cottage cheese…you have to recondition yourself…..it improves your mood, your skin and keeps you fuller…listen to Bill he’s a man of wisdom!
Jahooly…I’ve lost 12lbs in 3 weeks on the 800, a total of 30lbs in the last year (before this tried the 5:2 and cut back on sugar) feel healthier and happier than I ever have on this plan but believe me I haven’t been a saint on this and have gone over 800 at weekends or I might have lost more. But the principles of it are very sound.
Every time I read a post on here I think…yes, that was me or I’ve been there and know how that feels…some of it is just getting your head in the right place like Dr M says. The Headspace App that he recommends is good and worth a try. Good luck…7lb weight loss is magnificent!

Oh captainlynne, you have done sooo well. I’m like you, once I’ve got my little granddaughter’s birthday party out of the way next weekend, off I go again just like you. We have exactly the same aims ( except I won’t be needing new dresses, me being a Mike ). 😉
The book suggests finding a diet buddy to help you along, so if you would like to compare notes over the next few weeks I will be up for it.

Jahooly I had exactly the same thing week 2.
Someone on here suggested that I wasn’t having enough fat to prevent my liver releasing sugar into the blood overnight.
I added more fat to my diet and the sugar levels fell quickly.

Thanks Aliba, you’re right, need to be kinder to myself and less stressed, will take your words of wisdom . Sounds like you’re doing well

We went to a Wetherspoons and I Had a steak with salad. All calls are given at the side of the menu. With a shake for breakfast and some salad for lunch I was still inside the 800. Until I had the wine but that’s another story.

Thanks captainlynne did just that thanks, very inspiring and a brilliant t achievement for you , congratulations….. Great to have the support of others

Hi Jahooly…Martin’s right. Testing only tells you what is happening at one fixed point and it is so so easy to become obsessed…..been there myself so stopped testing and now rely on HBA1C results.
You’re doing the right thing trying this way of living so better to give yourself a break and relax…stress makes blood sugar go wild sometimes so a bit of mindfulness and being kind to yourself might help!

Jahooly, if you go to my thread “Over the 8-week line and after” on this board you’ll get my full story.

Hello there,

A pretty big observation and revelation..

Before I started on the bsd, one of my biggest worries was bad breath when the ketosis phase and fat burning kicked in. I searched Google and it seemed inevitable that no matter what you did, it was an inevitable fact that you would get halitosis.. badly. I read horror story after horror story about how those on very low or no carb diets had become social pariahs.

In anxious preparation I went to my local newsagents and spent almost £20 on chewing gum (sugar free of course), mouthwash and breath fresheners (I can recommend an excellent brand btw).
I also prepared myself for turning down social events over the next 8-weeks, including meeting up with friends – all because of my breath paranoia.

The story so far is that I am almost 2 weeks into the bsd, ketosis and weight loss (10lbs so far) has definitely kicked in, and…. I have never had such fresh breath .. EVER! Literally no trace of the gorilla, dragon, dog, cat or ANY rancid-breathed creature, just fresh, pure and lovely breath. Even after the veggie curry there is no trace of any of the ingredients I used.

I have not needed even one stick of the chewing gum I bought or one squirt of breath freshener ,and I can talk to people and breathe heavily into their faces while standing just a few inches from them. Ok, I don’t really do this but I’m sure you get my point.

I can only put this down to the fantastic meal plans that have been devised, and also drinking lots and lots of water every day to flush everything through.

Finally, I wonder if a high sugar snd high-carb diet are responsible for bad breath. I know my mouth hasn’t been this fresh – ever. And, dare I say it, even ‘morning breath’ now seems to be a thing of the past.

I hope this post hasn’t been too disgusting and gross.

I would be so interested to hear from others whether they have had a similar experience.

Hi guys,

I asked the same question in my post “Endurance Exercise – Munro Bagging”. To save you going to this … on mountain walks with my walking club I’m typically burning over 4000 calories in a day (last walk was 800m climb over 6 hours and my fitbit said that I used 4500 calories for that whole day). Just started the BSD. Next big walk is 28th Feb so I’ll let you know how I get on. Planning to take some emergency back up gels etc just in case.

Cheers

Hello Martin, thank you for that, and taking time to google it that is very kind ……. I think I’m becoming a little ott with the testing, my results and emotional state are up and down like a yo yo……… I’m not in medication yet but think they will be looking at that at my review which is why I’m trying this , Have you done well with it ? Have to say that I am now enjoying it, headaches have passed and I’m not feeling hungry

Thanks again for support

Thank you captain Lynne good to know it s not necessarily something I’ve done, glad that yours has now stabilised more…. How long ha s you been doing this ?

And dvpeace thanks for response I was feeling a little stressy this morning before doing it, I just have not got my head around this yet and even when I read up on things it doesn’t stay in my head ….. Thanks for the support

There is lots of evidence that fasting works well for T2. When diagnosed I was told to snack and terrified not to but in reality fasting for a period is good…..I don’t snack anymore allowing my body to recover between meals and try to leave as long as I can between evening meal and following days breakfast or sometimes miss out a meal and it really hasn’t been an issue.

A Canadian, Dr Fung runs a diabetes management system which involves very long fasts 24 hrs + (bit hard core for me) but on this site is one of the best videos about why we have diabetes and lots of examples of people who have fasted

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/category/lectures/type-2-diabetes-lecture-series/

Hi Jahooly,
I did a quick Google search but couldn’t find anything. Here are my suggestions for things that might cause errors in your BS results.
– timing of your testing … are these results all morning (fasting) results or were they taken at different times?
– sometimes if you don’t wash your hands before the pinprick then you get a false result.
– time you take your drugs compared to the time you did your BS tests … particularly if you are not using the slow release version of Metformin
– one thing I did find on Google is that even the smell of food can trigger release of insulin … was someone making a bacon sandwhich before you did the pinprick?

I agree with Captain Lynne. I’ve been diabetic since 2003 and I actually stopped self testing my blood sugars. I got a lot of variance in the results and I couldn’t get good correlation with my HbA1c. Don’t get upset about individual results … stick with it. The objective is to fix your blood sugars for the rest of your life … 3 individual results aren’t that important.

Cheers
Martin

Also – thank you for your support! I hope the bsd is going great for you too!

Penny – thank you! This seems to be just what has happened! I felt weird snd disassociated for several days and now I can feel myself and my mood levelling out.

Thankfully I wasn’t tempted to a carb binge. In fact, I completely lost my appetite – which I think was better than craving carbs because a blow out Iit can really knock you off track.

I will have been on the bsd for 2 weeks on Monday and have lost 10lbs. This alone has boosted my mood!

Thank you for the book recommendation , I will definitely look into it.

Congratulations Anon Pilot….that’s a great result. Wish I’d had this diet plan and support from this forum when I was first diagnosed 5 years ago…it’s shock to find out you’re T2. I’ve spent years feeling ashamed and thinking it was my fault but it’s not, none of us caused this to happen…if we did then thin people wouldn’t get it.
Hope the wait falls off!

My thanks also captainlynne.

It is important to understand that many things affect blood sugars, stress, mental activity, illness, hormones etc. Therefore, i think it would be better to look at the average – rather than daily readings. Are you sickening for something?

IF you are actually Type 2 Diabetic I would have thought that fasting all day might be a bit risky. For myself I have found that I need to follow the three-main-meals-interspersed-with-two-snack pattern and drink lots of water in order to feel my best. If you feel well on it then I suppose it might be ok.

Thanks for the suggestions. They sound simple and helpful, I will be giving them a go. After 5 days have lost 5lbs, as advertised so to speak. With the regular exercise as well (2 x 16m on my cross trainer) I am feeling better than I have for ages.

I second Spirit in saying you need to get more of your energy needs from fat than all protein. Try adding olive oil to your dishes 🙂

Last year the consultant endocrinologist I saw tested my Vit D levels and found them to be very low and started me on a supplement (it can be bought at the chemist for a £1 I have since found out). The consultant said that she tested all her diabetic patients for Vit D deficiency as it was common.
I’m pretty convinced that the increase in my levels has made a difference and there is circumstantial evidence and research of the link between Vit D and T2 diabetes and other conditions. Particularly of note is the fact that to absorb the Vit D we have to eat fat. This slide show gives some very brief info:
http://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/ss/slideshow-vitamin-d

A friend who asked for a Vit D test after cancer treatment was told by her GP that she couldn’t have one because it Was too expensive…go figure compared to the cost of her chemo, radio etc. however it is possible to get a test kit and do it yourself for £28 from this company: http://vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html

rapeseed oil also has health benefits and apparently doesn’t degrade at high temperatures so can be used for frying.

It was suggested that I start this thread for those who finish the 8 weeks to record their success and future plans. Thanks Bill1954 for the idea. So here goes!

For those who don’t already know (with apologies for those who do) I started this on 19th December 2015 and so finished the 8 weeks on 13th February 2016.

A quick introduction. I’ma 65 year old Type 2, diagnosed in 2009. Diet controlled but being threatened with Metformin just before I started this

At the start fasting BG was 10.9, finished at 5.3. Day by day most fasting readings between 5 and 6 with occasional between 6 and 7. Previously struggled to get it under 7.

Weight started at 16 stone, down to 14sr 1lb, a loss of 27 pounds.

Down almost two dress sizes.

Waist – a loss of 10 inches.

Blood pressure down hoping to come off medication – have already halved it.

BMI started at 40.9, down to 36.

This week I have lost another 3 pounds, total of 30 pounds.

At the moment I am still following this. I checked with the team who said that was ok for another few weeks so I will stay on it until 7th March when I go to Prague for 5 days. I’ll do my best to stay low carb for that week and see what happens. Then I’m thinking of going 2:5 – two days low-carb and 5 days of 800 calories. It will be trial and error for a while, finding out what suits me and keeps the weight coming off. I’m only 5ft 2ins when stretched and have about another 56 pounds to lose!

I have a 4-day residential conference in April so will probably do 800 calories daily for the week before and after, doing my best while there. Low-carb is possible there, it will be portion control!

If it works for you, why not? I find I don’t need to eat much before noon and sometimes don’t start eating before two. It means I can eat later in the evening as I can’t sleep if I am hungry. Hunger pangs in general aren’t nearly as bad as I expected though.

Thanks for that suggestion Bill. You’re doing really well, congratulations.

*off to start new thread*

Many thanks captainlynne!

Hello Kazd,

I don’t see any reason why not, check out the 5.2 forum. I used to do the 5.2, or 3.4 actually and lost 3.5 stone this way 2 years ago.

As per the book, you actually need a low carb, high fat diet with some protein.

there are lots of links on here especially in the fast 800 forum.

Good luck and welcome!

Once again Penny talks sense. Just read the book myself and it has answered a few questions i’d had.

Hi FatCat. If you scroll to the bottom of the Home Page, in the bottom right hand corner you can click on ‘contact us’. Someone from the team will email an answer to your query. When I did this the answer came the following day.

Hi Jahooly. A similar thing happened to me, and I’ve seen lots of comments from different people on here saying the same. Sorry, I don’t know why – just that it seems quite common on here. But stick with it. My fasting blood when I started was 10.9 and now it’s normally between 5 and 6 with the occasional reading between 6 and 7. Previously I struggled to get it under 7.

Great to see the way new members are welcomed and encouraged on here. That in itself is worth as much as the book.
Lynne can I suggest that you create an “over the line” thread in the fast 800 forum. Then, as people finish the 8 weeks, they can post their results and future plans.
Done correctly it will become the most inspiring thread on the forums.
So, week 3 weigh day and after my worries about lack of exercise, I,ve shed another 4 lbs for 15 lbs in total.
Sugar reading this morning was 6.4 which I’m really happy about as I cut out the fatty snack last night and instead had dinner an hour and a half later. I’ll try it again next week and see what happens.

I’ve been thinking about this a bit:

a) is there a facility through this site to ask Michael what he thinks?
b) I’m booked to ride a hilly 75 miles in early May, so I need to get some serious training in. Despite what I ate that day (and I’m not counting calories strictly), and 2 lattes that weekend, I am down 8 lb in 10 days since I started. My feeling is that, if I eat ‘correctly’ for the diet on non-cycling days and listen to my body on cycling days, I should be able to fuel my body with carbs during the rides without taking in excess for storage.

It would be good to know if there’s any research out there.