Hi gillmap

I don’t think being over the calorie count because of additional protein – in this case steak and cheese – is too much of an issue. If it was because of carbs, it would be more worrying I think. Michael does say not to stress too much about being over occasionally, as over the eight week period it will balance out, as there will be days when you are under the 800 cals, so try not to beat yourself up about not being within the 800 this time. Just get back to the 800 from today and don’t worry about the blip.

Good policy to use water to help stave off food cravings, as it serves to keep you well hydrated and damp down the hunger – double whammy! Drinking enough has been a problem for me, as traditionally I don’t drink as much as I should. Think I am managing to consume enough fluid in water and herbal teas now though.

Will look forward to hearing your results for the end of week one – good luck.

Well, very early days Bill, thanks for asking. I am have some macadamia nuts right now because I have no idea about my calories and I know they contain protein and fat so figure I am safe.

I really do have to get the calorie thing sorted because I need to bounce between an IBS FODMAP diet which precludes some things and also stay on the low end of the natural chemical food charts…so today…challenging. I was shopping from the recipes in the book today but when I checked back with the FODMAP app (it’s brilliant) then I had to keep putting things back on the shelves and into the freezer.

I’ll make it, am just a bit confused today and may eat a bit of yoghurt for dinner after the nuts and hope I can get calorie counting for my substitutions tomorrow. I can’t eat much avocado but I can eat avocado oil (for example) and have quite a lot of these sorts of parameters to work within…so I am trying to figure out what’s good to replace with what still.

I guess I am still in the planning stage although I am trying to get started I think I need to plan more carefully for shopping…not something I am very good at!

Thanks again! I’ve kind of stopped talking about food generally because I have become one of those boring people who have so many “no go” foods but it makes such a difference to my well being that I keep on the straight and narrow all the time now.

Hi Jan

I’m sure increasing the fat and lowering the carbs will help. A portion of beetroot occasionally hopefully shouldn’t be an issue, as long as you are eating plenty of the green stuff for the majority of the time. Like you, I have found the plateauing frustrating, but stick with it and the weight will start to fall again. Lots of people have the same issue around weeks 3 & 4 it seems, so you are not the only one struggling to get things moving again – small comfort I know, but it does give a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure the tweaks will help to get things moving again and you will soon be telling us all of your success.

Scales read 2lb down when I weighed myself this morning, but I’m not celebrating yet – let’s see if the reading is still in the minus zone when I get to the end of the week. Don’t want to count my chickens and be disappointed when it comes to the weigh-in at he beginning of week 5.

I need to make the next couple of weeks count, as we have a road trip across Europe to Turkey planned, leaving here on 8th April and it’s not going to be too easy sticking to the plan en-route – 5 days to get out there. Am definitely planning to do the Med Diet while we are in Turkey though, as the fresh food is so plentiful at the markets it will be easy. Just hope I don’t blow things on the trip out there.

Bez

Hi Lucia
Oooo I didn’t realise that about those two words.
Ok try this, I made it last night and it was delicious.
I made up the recipe for the coconut flour flatbreads but used just 1 tbsp of coconut flour and added a drop of vanilla essence and a pinch of flaked almonds. I still had to add just a drop of milk to the mixture to get the consistency I wanted.
I spread the batter really thin on a well greased tray and baked until golden brown, about 20 mins. The batter spread out on the tray to make 2 good sized but thin breads.
Next I mixed a little creamy goats cheese with some ricotta to give a spreadable consistency spread half of the mixture on each bread, and topped off with sliced strawberries.
Result, 2 nice desserts. It isn’t exactly cheescake but you know if you close your eyes and use a little imagination, it ain’t a long way off.
Give it a try 😀

Great feedback everyone. Week 4 and my fasting is around 8 to 9 and last thing at night as low as 5.5. Only on the 5/2. Much better. Feeling good too. Long walks and lots of exercise biking.

Hi Matrika
hows it going for you ?

Just found my way back here…thanks guys!

Hi Carommartin,
looking at your days food there doesn’t seem to be a lot of fat in there.
I know it can be a scary word but fat really does help, it helps make you feel full as your digestive system is too busy working on it to let you feel hungry and boosts your body into ketosis (fat burning mode)
I know it’s not easy to get much of it into 800 calories but it is a major help, maybe substitute the porridge for full fat yoghurt with berries ?

ResearcherDarwin,
Could you tell me please which app?
That sounds like exactly what I need and I have a brand new Samsung phone with gazillion apps but I’m not very app savvy…well actually to be honest, I am a complete luddite. 🙂

I think I am doing okay…just leaving out the things I can’t currently eat such as peas, so am probably under 800 cals rather than over.

Glad to hear you’re feelng better Judith.
Illness is the last thing you need at the moment, hope you and your son are back to normal soon.

Hi bill, good news again re your blood sugars – I feel such relief for you and the other type2s following this diet 🙂

Oh those Metformin moments, terrible aren’t they.
I have been very regular since starting my new lifestyle up until yesterday.
My wife (bless her) bought me a tiny packet of sugar free mints from Aldi and I had 4 of them last night.
Talk about laxative effect !!! starting at about 1:30 this morning I had to wake and run for the loo, this happened 4 times up until I woke at 6 and then had to go twice again before leaving home at 10 to 7
No more sugar free mints for me.

I definitely seem to be through the sugar level problems.
I posted my HbA1c results yesterday and today’s fasting reading was 6.6
This has taken 2 weeks to stabilise after the sudden rise so stick with it guys, it does seem to be a temporary thing.

When I started this program me I thought that it would be over in 8 weeks. At about 4 weeks in I was worried about sliding back to old habits at the end of the 8 weeks. Now I know that is not an option and I must continue. We are learning as we go. The info coming from the group is so helpful. It’s good to know that what is happening to me is part of the process, not a failure. As Bill says – this has to work.

Sorry, It’s for Australia. Forgot we are such a diverse lot!

I agree that the calorie count is sometimes quite inaccurate.
I use a phone ap which calculates the carbs, calories, fat and fibre much more accurately. It also automatically calculates my BMI. The ap came free with my Samsung phone. It saves everything and tracks my progress. I can look back at any time and it does not use any of my data allowance.
There are heaps of excellent recipes on the internet that you can add to your repetoire. All you need do is Google low-carb-low-calorie recipes. Each recipe will say how many calories etc. I do not like the Mosely food – different tastes – so I must make a weekly menu using recipes that fit the requirements but also suit us. Sometimes I wonder about the iron and magnesium levels, but it is only for a few weeks and then I can be more moderate.

Just thought I would let you know that my fast bloods have been 4.6 and 4.9 for the last two days. Had a late snack of yoghurt and berries. I am in week7 and weeks 5 and 6 were high ones . Up to 9.9 one day.

Hi Carommartin
Yes soup only will give you further info later am off to work

I noticed, Wellman, that the calorie counts in the book are lower than on my phone ap, usually close, but still lower.
I know we are led to think the count is for each person but my experience is different. I have found that if the book says the recipe serves two then the calorie count is for the total amount of food.
I make my own luncheon veggie frittatta with some cooked veggies and one egg. I make it all in the microwave. Quick and hardly any cleaning involved. I use low cal veggies and add plenty of garlic. Tastes great. My phone ap calculates the carbs and calories if I feed in the quantities of veggies I have used.
There are heaps of easy low-cal-low-carb recipes on the internet. And you can find some more in the Recipes section on this website.
Have fun cooking, and I hope you achieve your goal.

Hi missjane, welcome to the forums. Yes, please post your recipes! It is always nice to have something new to try! 🙂

Hi Squidgy,
One of the actions of insulin is to facilitate the storage of sugar. It lowers the blood sugar by storing it in the liver, which is effectively the reverse of what we are trying to do.
We are trying to deplete the stores so that our bodies have less insulin resistance, and can cope with the amount of carbohydrate we eat.
Is it possible you would go with the higher blood sugars for a bit longer and see what happens?
You may need to lower your carb intake even further temporarily until you see those levels coming down.
This is all new stuff to us, I’m willing to try it myself in an attempt to deal with the cause of the higher blood sugars ( which are the symptom not the disease) but can’t advocate for you to do the same. I will continue posting my experience in case it helps others.
In my case I had fasting levels below 5 within about two weeks of starting the BSD, then towards the end of week4 they started getting higher and higher. This morning after a 14 hour overnight fast they were back down to 4.6. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I’ll let you know 🙂

Lucia, you are a shining light!
You will get there, I have no doubt that this is just a little hiccup along the way. So many people post about a gain or a plateau and we can only speculate as to why it happens. The overall weight trend is downwards, and usually fairly rapidly compared to other diets. The upwards direction is for your energy, zest and enjoyment of life. You are noticing blackbirds, and nature and seasonal changes that seem to be making you happier than any chocolate bar ever would.
Keep it up, you are going to come out a winner. 🙂

Yes Calorie King app is only for iPhone, I tyried to get it last night. I have a new android phone and don’t use an Apple computer aso am looking for a good android phone app that I can use…most of my food has no bar codes, don’t eat prepackaged anything much and am having to adapt a lot because I have a few other major health issues that prevent me currently following the recipe ingredients as are, needing to substitue, hence my wanting to find a good Aussie calorie counter for my Oz Samsung. Hopefully in the near future will have less substitutions necessary but at present, not a choice.

I’m not usually into calories and am clueless about them!

Thanks to everyone for the information…invaluable.

Hi all
I too started last week – am 150cm (5’) and 65kgs – not diabetic or pre-diabetic but need a serious kick start to weight loss – did the 5:2 for a while last year but then got slack and put the weight back on. My problem has always been that I’m vertically challenged, love cooking (and eating) and was brought up on a 3 meals/day regime and to never leave anything on my plate (a very hard psychological habit to break). Goal is 5kgs (realistic) / 10kg (ideal) weight loss. So far (day 9) I’ve lost 3.2kg – so I’m stoked !
Not following MM’s recipes as I don’t have the book yet but I’m an avid recipe reader and adapt recipes I like the sound of. I also import recipes into MFP – via URL link – but then have to match ingredients which sometimes can be hit or miss and time-consuming –useful for calculating the cals and if they are too high I divide the recipe into more portions. So far my fave meals have been: Cauliflower/pea/tomato curry + chickpea crispy pancake (socca); zoodles fried in butter + small amount of chicken breast to bump up the protein; creamed lentils + salad; spinach and cheese pie (no filo pastry of course) – happy to post recipes if anyone interested
Has been easier than expected – but a few observations that might help others just starting out.
Log EVERYTHING ! Weigh/measure EVERYTHING (my scales are permanently on the kitchen bench)
Be organised – plan what you are going to eat for the day and if you can, plan tomorrow and log it – then if you start to go over 800 cals you can tweak a portion size here or there or leave out a food
Have a big cookup at the w/end – buy heaps of meal-size containers and freeze individual/meal size portions – a great time saver/emergency meal option.
Any leftover or dead/dying vegs in the crisper go into my “green soup” – with a bit of garlic/
ginger/stock/cream or whatever – taste as you go (small sips of course !) – and freeze in portions
I now skip breakfast and just have a couple of cups of tea before lunch – gives me more cals to play with for lunch and dinner which works better for me. Usually don’t snack but if I have a few cals to spare I can have a few almonds or berries or ½ apple.
Sorry – have been a bit verbose (I’m a newbie to forum life) and taken up a lot of everyone’s reading time – won’t be so talkative next time  Must say that I’ve found some of the posts absolutely inspiring and motivating !

lucpet

i’m trying out the australian calorie king, (with .com.au at the end), and have found it easier to find australian foods with it than mfp. I have also used the EasyDietDiary, and found it was definitely good, but it is only on the phone, and i wanted something to use on the computer. Calorie king also does an app, but again i think it is for iPhone.

I have also been finding that the calorie count on the calorie king site gives different results from those of the recipes in the meal plan. I’m using the ones from the Daily Mail while I wait for the book to arrive. For example, the Blueberry and green tea shake I get 237 on calorie king, while the meal plan gives 100. I’m not going to fuss too much about that – planning to use the recipes on the sheets and see how I go.

it’s a while since your post, but hope this helps if you pick it up.

Thanks captainlynne

However I don’t think I’m eating that much veg to cause this problem I have but thanks for trying to help me Nevblue

Thanks also Leeanne but I’m not on Metformin and as I said not eating too much veg either but thanks for the info Nevblue

Thanks captainlynne

However I don’t think I’m eating that much veg to cause this problem I have but thanks for trying to help me Nevblue

Thanks, SunnyB, all helpful tips greatly appreciated! I had a lapse tonight with my eating as I had dinner with a colleague that I don’t know very well. I did steer clear of the sweet stuff though and just had cheese without the biscuits to go with it instead of the chocolate brownie and ice cream! The problem with this chain of hotels is that there’s nothing on the menu that is not carb heavy. I had steak that was, I should think, quite a lot more than 100 g. Working out today’s calories puts me way over the 800, and I had started well. I was a bit light headed on the second day, but no real hunger pangs. Tomorrow will be better as I will be on my own in the evening so I will get something to take to eat on the train as I will be on the 1841 to Penzance and it will be after 9 before I arrive at the hotel. I feel awash with the amount of water I have drunk – every time I think of food, I drink some water instead!

Hi Carommartin
Maybe a bit too much carbs? If you’re in fat burning mode that feeling should have gone. A lot of people feel their appetite really diminishes. But with the porridge, plus fruit it might be difficult to stay low carb enough so going in and out of fat burning. Then you feel hungry etc.
Hope it helps
Penny

Hi Missay
The pork casserole sounds good. Would you post the recipe?
Penny

Hi Silver
Apparently when you start you first use up the glycogen In muscles including your bowel which is mostly muscle. The glycogen is stored in your muscles with water which is why you lose a lot of water at first. The loss of water in your bowel muscles causes it to be less efficient. This plus less bulk and fibre and especially if people eat a lot of dense foods causes constipation.
I think I got this from Jenny Ruhls book ”low carb problems solved’, which I recommend. (£3 on kindle)
Flax seed can help a lot.
Penny

Just finished reading the book and need to get my bloods down as a no 1 priority any weight loss will be the added bonus. Just spend the evening comparing protein shakes only to finally decide the best then go to check out put in your discount code to find it’s excluded back to choice 2-3 and a coin flip and making a food list so hoping to start as soon as my shakes arrive. Will do a combination of both to see what works best for me.

Hi Judith
That sounds awful. Poor you and poor son.
Glad you’re on the mend.
Penny
PS
I didn’t have it so badly a few years ago, but fainted every time I was sick!

Sorry, a PS to my previous post. I wouldn’t have tried cutting out the morning Metformin if my bg levels weren’t stable and within the normal range.

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