Hi Judith
Hope yr feeling better.
Yes. That was weird. I thought I asked an innocuous question about where someone was based as she was having trouble finding certain foods and she was enraged- and expressed it.
Luckily there was an immediate chorus of support for me which made me feel a lot lot better!
Thanks for your words of support.
I am now just finishing packing etc- taxi arrives at 4.10 am to go to Paddington station. Exciting!!
Penny

Hi SunnyB

That’s really helpful advice. I obviously need to check out the Kindle properly. I much prefer a book but, being impatient, I couldn’t wait to read what Michael Mosley had to say – I admire him so much, and of course the Kindle delivery is instant!!

I am definitely addicted to the scales and always expect that they will have dropped dramatically, but I understand we both might have to wait for the “whoosh” when we magically drop four or five pounds in one go! Meanwhile I have increased my fat today in the form of goats cheese, and butter on my veg, kept my carbs low and will now follow your advice and stick to the green stuff from above ground. It’s my favourite anyway and having treated myself to a spiraliser I am enjoying courgette spaghetti, and looking to play with some beetroot, although from what you say, maybe beetroot is not such a good option! I felt quite decadent putting butter on the veg but it was quite yummy.

It’s not that the diet is hard to follow. I am certainly eating less and I am not suffering undue hunger pangs. It’s just a bit frustrating……

I will certainly keep you posted on my progress and look forward to reading that you are progressing well. Good luck with week four.

Jan

Sunny b
😊
Penny

Hi, diet soft drink addictions can be really hard to overcome. My vices were Coke Zero and diet tonic water. I tried to cut it out but always gave in after a day or two. What got me off it was a 7 week holiday where I just didn’t have access to a constant supply and as I was travelling a lot, I was grateful at times to be able to fill my water bottle from taps in public rest rooms. Something I never thought I’d be able to do.

Now I’ve learned to love water, and may allow myself a fizzy drink once every couple of weeks. I’m careful not to fall back into old habits. Sorry that you’re going to have to tough it out the hard way, but it can be done. I really enjoy my water now.

Good luck, this is the first diet I’ve been able to stick to for any length of time, and it does work even if you can’t do the exercise part. Just follow the diet and do what you can.

Purplepenguin I have had porridge for breakfast mostly and today for lunch I had scrambled egg and a microwaved large mushroom followed by a pear. Dinner was the chilli from the website (hashimoto’s recipe) with veg. The thing is that if I added all those up calorie wise it would def come to more than 800 and I don’t think I could exist on less. Oh and I forgot the stewed gooseberries with yogurt for dessert. When you say you had soup for lunch, was that all? Nothing else?

B 2 scrambled eggs in a portobello mushroom with spinach
L small chicken wing with soft cheese and mustard coating
D luxury fish pie from book
Snacks 2 squares dark chocolate
Black coffee, green tea and lots of water

Breakfast – Easiyo Greek yogurt, pomegranate seeds, blanched almonds and chia seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Lunch – Cottage Cheese with mixed salad (Rocket, red peppers, mixed cherry tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion, capers, radishes) & 1 tablespoon salad dressing (Lime juice/ rapeseed oil, capers). Small plum
Dinner – Frittata with a little chopped bacon and halloumi cheese, onion, orange pepper, mushrooms and a steamed courgette. Pear
Drinks – coffee (with milk), cinnamon tea, fennel tea, coconut water, water with sliced lime

Please don’t take this as advise, I don’t have any kind of medical qualifications, this is just what I did. For a start, I’ve always had really good blood sugar levels with two Metformin tablets daily. But around 6 months ago I dabbled with the 5:2 diet with variations and started cutting out breakfast and eating less bread.
It didn’t seem logical to take a Metformin in the morning with no carbs for it to deal with, so I cut out the morning one and have been taking just the one in the evening. Now I’m two weeks in to this diet, I’m sticking to just the one and I’m still getting a fasting BG level of 5.8 or so (104 on the other scale). I only cut my morning tablet out because I wasn’t having any carbs at all in the morning, but I made sure I tested my blood regularly.
I’m doing this more for the weight loss than my blood sugar, but when I get down to my goal weight, I’ll ask my GP about trying it without the Metformin altogether. Good luck

Its funny as in these moments I want sugar!

Hi Denice – me too on the energy front and in part that is why I think I was wanting to eat more than usual – i defnatlt went overly 800 today! Maybe there are physiological changes at week 2?

Hi lachlanh – I’m having the same problem – I’m on week 8 and my fasting level this morning was the highest so far (since starting the plan) @ 10.1, and worse than that, when I measured before dinner, normally my lowest point – it was still 9.9.

There’s definitely nothing in what I’ve eaten today that could have caused it – greek yogurt, nuts, chia seeds and pomegranate seeds for breakfast, then cottage cheese salad for lunch and a small plum. My fitbit shows around 8000 steps and I did a body balance class after work which included a relaxation/ meditation session.

My day at work was pretty stressful but I’m wondering if I may have cut my medication too quickly, after the first couple of weeks of really low blood sugar readings I stopped the gliclazide which increases the amount of insulin you produce. So I am thinking perhaps I need to take it for a few more weeks to see if that helps. Only problem is it gives me a raging appetite and I’m fairly sure was one of the main causes of my weight gain.

I’ll have a sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning.

I’m so sorry to read your news Bill, Sending my thoughts and prayers to you and your family. x

Thanks Col. Been craving today, but have kept my head! Let’s do week 2!

I tii am on week two and have been craving today! I weighed myself thinking that would put these thoughts out of my head and not lost any more weight since I weighed on Saturday. This has spurred me on to not giving in. I am lacking in energy though, is that normal?

Oh Bill, this is such worrying news for you all. Thinking of you and your family x

Bill,

So sorry to hear your news. Sending my thoughts to you and your family. xxxx

Hi Bill
So sorry to hear your family’s news, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care.X

Today:

Breakfast: Home-made full fat yogurt with mixed berries

Lunch: Salad – romaine lettuce, rocket, cooked red pepper, gherkins, olives, basil, cherry tomatoes, tuna, mayo/sour cream, chilli, spring onions

Dinner:Slow cooker Morrocan style pork casserole with spices, carrots, mushrooms, onion, green lentils, raisins and tomato puree

Water, teas with milk

Cals: 831 Carbs: 48

Hi I have had a wobbly 3rd week but I will get back on track tomorrow. I have got my husband to hide the grandchildrens Easter eggs so i don’t get tempted again. I have lost over a stone and I know if I give in now the weight will creep back on and that is not an option for me!! I will be having the full fat yogurt and fruit next time not the chocolate, it didn’t even taste as nice as I remember!! Good luck everyone for the rest of the week.

Personally, I weaned myself in slowly, I ate more than 800 calories but cut out carbs mainly and the wait fell off, maybe a little slower but it came off. My blood sugars have more than halved to below10, following the meditereanean approach, I am now on 800 a day after 5 week in traing so to speak, good luck keep going!!!

No problem silver, the forum had to talk me off the precipice last week so I’m just returning the favour! Your nuts are absolutely a better alternative and fruit such as berries, apples, pears are fine, just be mindful of the carbs so maybe only one portion a day. Strawberries are delish!

Hey Gabby67. I have just completed day 3, my hunger seems to have subsided, but have noticed my energy levels are really good. I’m doing 2 shakes and 1 400 calorie meal. Using my Fitness Pal to track everything.

Hi Hashimoto

Glad to hear you’re both improving.

I had food poisoning a while ago, with my young granddaughters staying with me. They had to look after grandma 😱 I still remember how if felt! Hope you are both fully recovered very soon. (((Hugs)))

Thanks Leanne

Thank Janet for your support! I haven’t succumbed I daren’t now as I feel good that have got this far but i have eaten a few more handfuls of nuts than necessary but will start again tomorrow! I have been veering away from too much fruit but perhaps I should eat a little more when I feel like this – wise? Thanks again

Bill

You give so much to folk on here, even when going through this difficult time, it’s our privilege to give you are love and support.

Please keep us posted with the MRI results. We hope and pray for good news.

It could also be that the sugary starchy foods you were previously eating had a bit of a laxative effect. Other posters have noted that their frequent bowel actions ( up to 5 times a day ), have reduced since starting the diet.
Too much sugar can cause wind, bloating and diarrhoea, caused by something called dumping syndrome.
Some of the syrup type laxatives use this effect to relieve constipation.
So if you have been used to a sugary diet you might notice the change. Try adding some psyllium husk to your breakfast. Just a couple of teaspoons, plus a glass of water to drink. Take it each day whether you’ve ‘been.’ or not. If it doesn’t help after a few days add a second dose at night. This should do the trick without resorting to laxatives. Keep your fluid intake up while taking psyllium though.

Hi bill1954,

Love the idea of you practising in the mirror.
For many years, I thought we had funfair mirrors in the bedroom, the ones that make you look wider and shorter than you really are.
Hoping that they change to nice, normal mirrors over the months.
Hope you stay until the summer.
You have a lot of work to do on my mental state. Eg. When I was stressed I eat cake. Bill, explain to me why stressed backwards spell desserts? I can almost hear the theme music to the twilight zone.

Anyway, going into the kitchen to talk to my food scales, they two may wake up with cement boots. I have it in for all my weighing scales today.
Don’t you think I am taking my quarter of a pound gain quite well?
Love Lucia
Xxx

Wow, cherrieanne, re your fasting blood sugars – amazing! That will give hope to others x

One more thing – fruit with full fat yoghurt is really yummy and as someone on the site reminded me, sugar is poison but fruit and yoghurt is food 😉

Hi Hashimoto,
Sorry for the rain where you are, if it was here I would probably grab my wellies and go splashing, I am feeling younger these days.
Spring will be here soon, had an unusual text to remind me the lawn needs feeding at the end of the month. Can believe Easter is at the end of next week, then everything in the garden will be doing crazy things.
Have you watched the blackbirds at dusk. As I walked from the bus stop, they were singing their heads off. It’s all making me feel happy that winter is behind us. You miss all of this in the car.

My poor tights, when I shrink and need the next size down I am thinking of tying them between two trees, they are wide enough to use as hammocks 😎 There is a LOT of material in them.
Love Lucia.
Xxx

Two weeks in means your body is starting to notice you are depriving it of sugar. If you give in to your cravings now you will have to do all that work again. This isn’t about your will power or you being a weak person. It is a chemical urge to retrieve what your body thinks it has lost. But cravings pass, we’ve all been there. You could try the old favourites of sugar free gum, mint tea, fruity teas, etc. Coconut flour makes sweet but healthy pancakes and snacks. Doing stuff is a good diversionary tactic, whether it is exercise, housework, whatever, especially things that involve achieving something. Its not easy to keep your head in the right place all the time but its very worth it and the cravings do ease off with time. Come on silver, we know you can do it!

I’d say it could be any or all of the following; lack of veg for fibre, lack of water, lack of fat, or just simply lack of food – 800 cals isn’t a lot of food so people might notice they are not going as often but actually they have less to pass.

I’ve been working from Lachlan’s theory above, and skipped the morning fasting blood sugar test. Just because it was causing me worry.
I dropped the late evening snack, rather than trying to prevent the dawn phenomenon I thought I’d go with it.
This morning’s fasting blood sugar 4.6!!
Will keep you posted over the next few days as I see what happens.

sorry for the question – but i am interested – what is it with this diet that causes constipation actuallY?

I’d love to hear from anyone who has tried any of these things. I have bought a few from Holland and Barrett, I think meant for weightlifters rather than dieters – at least one of them, and I have just bought a pack of the Atkins bars from the supermarket.

All of them seem to have a (very thin) chocolate coating and I’m worried how well they will travel. Has anyone had anything that might travel better. I’d still prefer it not to contain nuts, but I’ve given up worrying about nuts in the factory.

Gosh I am feeling amazed to be honest that I have managed to stay off the white stuff for 2 weeks but this week is tricky – I wasn’t but now craving a wee bit again. plus i sense a bit of emotional eating creeping in – for a day now. All healthy stuff but i have upped my calories today i know I have. Any tips folks? or anyway further on and been there? Thank you !

Hi cherrieanne, we have both had plenty of electrolyte drinks in the form of small pinch salt and a bigger pinch of sugar in water flavoured with fresh mint – we both prefer it to dioralyte. I think all the probs with his bloods are down to dehydration, and just hope his bloods are ok on monday.
I decided to take a taxi to the hospital as I knew he wouldnt be able to walk from the car park into the hospital (and him a half marathon runner ). I went in fine and dandy and left in a wheelchair! The car would still be at the hospital racking up enormous parking fines if I had driven there myself! Serendipity!
As for protein i have had to steer him away from his favourite wensleydale cheese to something a little kinder to his stomach! He started eating yesterday -boiled eggs and chicken soup (after starting on dry toast). I’m hoping to eat a bit more than a few spoons of chicken broth tomorrow.
Rest and liquids are firmly on the agenda for a couple of days! Thanks for your advice and good wishes
Judith x

Oh dear I know what you mean about 800 not being very much. What sort of thing are you having for breakfast and lunch? I try for soup for lunch filling and few calories then I have plenty of leafy veg or salad in the evening with protein.

Lucia, I will still have quite a bit of weight to lose after the 8 week mark so I’ll be around to bore you for some time yet.
Did you like my attempt at being assertive ? I spent hours practising in front of a mirror. 😉

Well Purplepenguin, a bit mixed really. I start the day full of enthusiasm and have a good low calorie breakfast and lunch but then it goes to pot. 800 calories is not much and I find it almost impossible to finish the day with a very low calorie meal and stay sane.

Guys, I’m lost for words.
The love and support coming from this forum had me in tears.
My heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you.

Lucia I. Love your posts! Grey, gloomy and wet all day here but you inject some sunshine into the day! As for those tights you will soon need a smaller size!! X

No sunnyb, I’m not at all offended, my dyslexic maths is legendary! But no, it is sixteen ounces for someone of my height so I visualise that as a 16oz steak you would order in a restaurant and that’s what I should be having each day (except I don’t eat beef!). That’s a maximum amount apparently, some of the other boffins on that website say to have less. I think I certainly do have less than that really.

Bit annoyed with myself today, as I have managed to go over the 800, finishing the day at 915! The only plus is that I am well below 50g on carbs – under 20g actually, so I’m hoping the excess on calories won’t matter too much. Anyway, today I have had:

Breakfast – yogurt, raspberries and milled seed mix
Lunch – again gem lettuce leafs spread with cab pate topped with a sprinkle of mixed seeds and a small wedge of camembert
Dinner – two small chicken thighs cooked in a tomato and paprika sauce, with cavolo nero and flower sprouts.
On track to have drunk enough, just need one more glass of water and one more herbal tea.

Really hope tomorrow, I will be able to keep my calorie count below 800 and I have been struggling since going off piste at the w/e – wish me luck.

This is a great thread and has given me some inspiration for some new breakfast choices!
Loving the yoghurt, berries and milled seed idea – didn’t even think of it, and I have some in the cupboard!
Have posted on a few other forums – stalled in week 3&4. Now in week 5 & I am definitely starting to feel slimmer. The scales have been stubborn – but I think this week will see a change.
I’ve readapted my approach & reduced the carbs to below 50 each day.
Breakfast – Blueberry, avocado & yoghurt smoothies (with some super supplements)
Lunch – Salad leaves, cucumber, beetroot, seeds, celery & a teaspoon of olive oil.
Dinner – Thai butternut squash soup, poached egg & kale.
Snack – 50ml organic milk (for teas!)

Well done everyone – love the forums, a real inspiration xx

Hi Grandma48/Jan

Sounds like you have made a good start. Using Kindle, you can mark passages in the book, so that it is possible to find them easily again. Anyway, like you I have been struggling with balancing the fat/carb/protein mix to achieve the 800cals and weight loss. Had a good first week, but the last two have been a bit iffy.

I can’t honestly remember the book saying not to count cals in veg, but I would be surprised if this were the case on such a controlled diet. I have been counting the cals in everything consumed, not that it has stopped me plateauing and struggling to get things moving again. I’m into week four now and hoping this week the scales will be kinder, but I’m keeping a very close watch on the carbs this week.

Think if you are struggling to keep the carbs low, it’s probably best not to eat too much in the way of pulses and legume, as these do have higher carb values. Similarly root veg also show quite high on carb, so best to use veggies that grow above ground, as they have much lower and in some instances almost non-existent carb values. Go for cabbages, sprouts, spinach, salad stuff, broccoli, cauli, aubergine, courgette, etc.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with adjusting your diet and if it helps you achieve better weight loss.

Yesterday’s food:

Breakfast: Greek yogurt and cooked mixed berries

Lunch: Salad – romaine lettuce, rocket, cherry toms, olives, gherkins, basil, cooked yellow pepper, beef, spring onions, mayo/sour cream, a small pear

Dinner: Garlic lime chicken stirfry with peppers, courgette, mange tout and onion, garlic, lime juice and zest, onion garlic granules, black pepper and oregano

Water, two cups coffee with milk

Cals: 857 Carbs: 44g

Hi larpent,
I laughed so much when you asked if I have enough fat! You would know I have plenty if you saw me trying to get everything into my tights of a morning. 🙄
I thought I was doing well counting my calories, now I have to look at fat and carbs. That may take a little longer working all that out. I will try though.
I have 800 to 850 calories. Per day.
I thought the full fat Greek yoghurt tablespoon big blob on my apple would cover the fats needed.
I think, maybe my body is in shock , or just stunned. It’s probably saying , what the devil is she up to now? She will get over it and get back to the old routine, I will just wait here for now.

Isn’t it wonderful, the light nights and wasn’t it mild again today? I am walking to the next bus stop to work and getting off a stop earlier both ways. Every little helps… Or is that an advert?

Just off to my sock drawer to apologise to my tights. Didn’t realise the torturous life I have put them through.
Love Lucia xxxx

Scotgran that is fab!!! well done! Love the expression ‘tummy wedge!’ so stealing that one haha xx