Thanks for the suggestions everyone – have noticed that it does also depend what I eat as to whether I am having to get up earlier or later. If I eat meals with loads of salad and veg than I have to get up earlier, I guess due to the water content.

Am trying to drink more in the day than night and touch wood it seems to have made a difference.

Hi Mosleyfan
As I understand it, you can test any time of day but you are more likely to find the ketones in your urine first thing in the morning. I have been aiming for 50 ish grams of carbs with a good dollop of fat and have had ketosis yesterday and today.

Sort of Mosleyfan, it gives you an idea of whats going on
I read somewhere the other day that 30 – 50 grams of carb a day will put you in to ketosis.

lachlanh I messaged the team about this, their reply is,
Chances are it is nothing to worry about. Your body is still adjusting and it’s not unusual to see a little fluctuation.

Also, if it’s first thing in the morning, your levels will naturally rise slightly during the night.

Keep an eye on it and I’m sure it’ll get on track again. If you’re at all unsure, consult with your doctor.

Best of luck, keep up the good work.

Thanks Bill i will do.

OK I messaged the team about this both for me and another user and the reply is :-
Chances are it is nothing to worry about. Your body is still adjusting and it’s not unusual to see a little fluctuation.

Also, if it’s first thing in the morning, your levels will naturally rise slightly during the night.

Keep an eye on it and I’m sure it’ll get on track again. If you’re at all unsure, consult with your doctor.

Best of luck, keep up the good work.

2 hours after lunch and the reading is now 7.5
Doesn’t sound like a food thing, just a 1.4 point rise there.
***Pulls on the Sherlock hat***

It will get cheaper as you get more used to buying what you need…try fresh herbs on window sill too?? haha I live in Australia so growing is easy used to live in Manchester so parsley, tomatoes , mint ( its hard here because it loves cold and wet feet) You can buy dried lentils, chick peas etc soak what you need and cook rather than use tins…better for you and cheaper but wait to do that until you are used to it all.

me too..loved them straight out of oven..froze rest individually bagged so can grab one for work, emergency etc. see my photo already uploaded

Glad you are losing weight…day 5 for me no weight loss!!! Strict 800 cals never happened before so postmenopause is a drag

Hi guys joining the chat late…so do i gather that it is good to use the ketostix once daily and you should be in ketosis every day? Im not diabetic just no weight loss day 5 strict 800 !!!

Does Dr Mosley recommend a maximum carb figure please?

Thanks Janet will check that out 🙂

Tezryu
the general idea is to get your body into burning fat instead of carbs. Thats why full fat is recommended, it keeps your digestive system busy and keeps you feeling fuller, and it works, ask anyone on the forum
Give it a try, you could be amazed at the results.

Hi mosleyfan
I have been visiting a website called Diet Doctor which was set up by a Swedish doctor. His plan is almost the same as Saint Dr Mosley’s and he refers to it as low carb high fat. He said that some people may be able to tolerate the sugar in berries but others might not and that dairy products still contain some sugar so if a person is still not losing, it may be because of that. I have really taken on board the low carb high fat mantra and have had a couple of better days of weight loss this week.

Hey Auntylil, how are you doing? Are you too busy for us now you have joined the bowling elite? Or are you wooing?

Well, I hope you are doing both. I haven’t any weight loss to report just now – I gained two and have now lost two so I’m no further forward than last week in that sense. But I’m having fun with my ketostix (less said the better).

I want to tell you about a website I found called Diet Doctor with a very nice Swedish doctor on it – might be worth a look. And I wanted to ask if you have read any of Mary Shomon’s work on underactive thyroid weight loss? I have her book coming as I wondered if there was anything in particular I can do differently from ‘normal’ people.

Going home now to either make some flatbreads or plant some lettuce seeds. Or watch telly.

Try ‘Fat secret’ it is a free App to load in your food drink and exercise etc. I was shown it today by the dentist! We moved on from teeth to talk food.

Look forward to hearing how you go with it…I am just finding my way around it…looks very easy and a great motivator and record keeper.

I downloaded it and went to add a coffee i was having at the shops…up popped the various types of coffee…flat white, cappucino etc..just click on whichever and it adds it to your tally for the day.

Thank you Mosleyfan but I’m now a little confused. I’ve just posted a new message with a link from Prof Taylor; Anyone interested in – Meal replacement info from Prof Taylor

Has the info been updated since this article was published do you know?

Hi there,
I don’t know about testing for glycogen but I am now testing for ketosis which is proving fascinating. I have found that I have needed to really keep the carbs low and the fat a lot higher than I would have thought necessary before. I had a big blip last week where I put two pounds on without any effort at all and four days of 800 did nothing to change it. But since I have gone low carb high fat, I have lost those two pounds again. I like the ketosis test as it seems to give an insight into my body that I am eating the right things.
Its got me thinking though. In all my years with WW, ketosis was never ever mentioned. I think that’s because it would be virtually impossible to achieve ketosis on their carb rich low fat plan. So how exactly did people lose weight with WW? How exactly did I lose weight? I know it was incredibly slow and unsustainable and I would never try it that way again.
I’ve been reading up on a website called diet doctor who is very similar in his views to Saint Dr Mosley.

This is the link to the replies by Prof Taylor to the questions he was asked regarding the diet. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/documents/Diabetes-Reversaloftype2studyJune15.pdf

I have also included an exert regarding milk & sugar in replacement meals.

Optifast
Although Optifast was used in the study, this is not readily available in the UK unless on prescription.
An alternative liquid food supplement of similar calorific content is equally suitable. These are
available from most local supermarkets; you should try several brands to find one most suited to your
taste. Do not be concerned by the high sugar content as after the first day of very low calorie diet your
body is able to handle this reasonably well. Ideally, the low calorie meal replacement would be made
up with water; should this be completely unpalatable, then using skimmed milk is reasonable, although
the period required to achieve weight loss will be slightly longer.

HI, love this thread. I am in week 4 and a stone lighter already. I love to see my fridge full of delicious looking veg and healthy food. I don’t have any health problems at the moment, but have had an incredibly stressful two years and just getting back on top of my wellbeing. I feel so much more well since I started eating like this.
Yesterday
B – scrambled eggs with a bit of smoked salmon
L – leek and lemon soup and an apple with a bit of natural yoghurt
D – baked salmon fillet with sesame pak choi

Today
B – green shake (celery, kale, carrot, apple and ginger)
L – courgette, feta and raspberry salad from the book ( I was sceptical but it was delicious)
D – baked aubergine with tomato sauce and a bit of mozzarella

yes go to full fat, old advice to use low fat

Hi Janet…interesting you mention people not tolerating dairy and berries…maybe that is me…chinese herbalist always tell me to cut right back on yogurt and cheese. Berries I hadn’t thought of as being an issue, can you point me to your info source?
I am not diabetic just want to shift weight post menopause and its not even moving on 800 a day for last five days 🙁

HI Zendi, welcome on board! I’m so pleased you have seen positive results so soon. Good luck with your new doctor and keep posting!

Hi Bill sorry to hear about your daughter..fingers crossed all is going to be fine.
I have only been on here a week and you are such a regular poster you already seem like family…I do have 4 semi adult ‘kids’ of my own so it is a worrying time for you and your wife.

Hmm, it only takes 30 seconds and is fairly unobtrusive.
It just sounded like a hypo so better to know if your sugar is too low especially if taking sugar fixes things.
If it is too low you could moderate the diet to make up for it.

Hi Katrina and Zendo,
Yours is a question people often ask here. Have a look for a thread called ‘how many carbs’. The info isn’t in the book as Dr Mosley is not that prescriptive about it. Proteins can be around 80g and fats as much as you can get into your allowance. Fat really does make a difference.

Thanks, I’ll take a look and try that.

Hello Hashimoto thanks for your reply i do in fact have the book but was looking to follow the 800 calorie diet as used by Newcastle university, one of the options was to use a mixture of shakes and vegetables which would be more convenient for myself , i have read in the book of drinking full fat milk and yoghurt’s etc but was intending to follow this advise once i had completed the initial eight week weight loss phase in which i would be trying to bring my blood sugars down to normal or as near as possible my aim if possible is to try and come off my medication after my diabetes nurse and doctor have told me i am now on the maximum dosage of metformin and have now prescribed another medication in addition , does anybody know if i would be able to use full fat milk for my shakes as i would still find this more convenient ?

Hi Bill,

No, as far as I’m aware I’m not diabetic. I only thought my problems could be caused by fasting hypoglycemia due to a google search.

As I only seem to get this during the week, testing my blood sugar isnt something thing that I particularly want to do at work.

Thanks,
Ian

Following the four week plan in book and on week one with a few substitutions eg pistachios for hazelnuts because I can’t always get all the ingredients . Still it still works . Tonight’s dinner was spinach and pea omelettes. I added a little salad and grilled apricots with raspberries can. Felt fuller than previous nights . Had green tea with dash of apple juice 1/2 teaspoon each of stevia and cinnamon . Very soothing . Perhaps I might sleep tonight 😀

Oh, I can see your problem re food at work, Sarah 🙁

I use a peak flow chart I googled a few years ago – I didn’t like the one given at asthma clinics in the UK. It’s an 8 week peak flow chart I found on the Australian asthma council the chart is from ‘2006 Woolcock Institute of Medical Research’. It is so much easier to see the long term results/triggers on the 8 week spread.

Very true Bill
I do plan to read the book properly and it would have been sensible to have done that prior to starting but I didn’t want to loose momentum. I also have an awful lot on at the moment….. timing not good but thought it better to start before returning to work to get used to reduced cals and break the habit of eating sweet things. Desserts are available everyday at work….. due to my job at the moment it isn’t easy to avoid seeing them but I’ll just keep reminding myself why I’m doing this!

Hi scotgran – lucky you, all that salmon. You can make fishcakes without the potato – chop some onion up and put onion and salmon into a blender with your choice of herbs/spices/seasoning, work to a paste. Then whip 2 egg whites into stiff peaks and gently stir your salmon mixture into the egg whites.
Fry as usual.
Hope that helps!! 🙂

Good idea…. possibly, I work in a hotel restaurant at the moment so you have to be very careful.

Your news sounds promising hashimoto, you also have my sympathy as to what you have to deal with. My lowest peak flow was 250 whilst I was pregnant many years ago, at the moment it is just over the 400 but I would like to get it back up a bit higher. I think I’ll check it weekly to see how it goes.
I also think you have something about the inflammation, yes it would be good to hear if someone has a thought about this.

Hi Sarah111 – would you be able to put a few nuts in your pocket as a ‘tide me over snack’?

Susieq I quite like the white bean mash, use it a couple of times a week wonder if that would work in fish cakes. Reason for asking is I got a great price reduction on fresh salmon and I’ve poached it all, getting sick of the sight, so I froze the rest and salmon fish cakes might do the job of using it up. If it works I’ll let you know.

Tezryu, if you don’t have Michael’s book I would recommend looking at the thread ‘what did you eat today’ as there are so many helpful post of people’s daily menus on there.
Good ideas for meals to take to work:
Dips such as hummus with plenty of celery, pepper and cucumber crudites ( I like raw broccoli too)

Full fat yoghurt pots with fruit – either berries or an apple or pear

half a frittata

salads with either chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, cheese or any thing else you can think of

Soups in a flask – or if you have access to a microwave any stew or curry.

A chunk of cheese (calorie counted) or tub of cottage cheese with some salad or an apple.

Hope that helps, real food will taste better than the shakes – and be cheaper! 🙂

Finally look on the recipes tab as you may find ideas there

Thanks hashimoto
I know what you mean about the full fat bit…. I also struggled to fine full fat yogurts in my local shop yesterday but it is one of the luxuries of this eating plan!! I’n off work at the moment but do get fed at work which is a bonus but I will need to be very careful as I have no control over how it is cooked just how much of it I eat! The other problem is one – two days a week it could 4 – 5+ hours between meals, I have access to drinks, not food so hence the milk shake would be very useful
Thanks again

Ok, time to ‘fess up. The salmon fishcake is a shop bought one and does have some potato in it but they are scrummy and not too bad on the calorie front. I would like to find a recipe so I can make a batch to keep in the freezer, if anyone has any suggestions.

Have also discovered Dandelion, Burdock and Hawthorn tea bags by Heath and Heather – got mine in Holland and Barrett – and they are delicious. They have 10 cals in each, so not cal free, but they have a lovely flavour for a herbal tea.

Thanks for all the lovely messages of support guys, it means a lot.
Pre lunch reading 6.1 and I’ve been mostly stationary at my desk this morning.
Post lunch reading should be interesting

HiSarah111 I can only say the ‘past is another country’ I have felt great since starting this diet. Last year my peak flow was around 270 – 320 with 4 puffs of fluticasone twice a day but for the last two weeks on reduced inhaled steroids (2 or 3 puffs twice a day) it is between 350 -400. A massive improvement!
I can’t help wondering if inflammation on high carbs could have made my asthma worse – I’m hoping Cherrieanne can cast some light on that for us! I had actually reduced dairy products to almost zero before this diet because of excessive mucus production – but now I am having a tub of yoghurt a day with no absolutely no ill effects!
I think this diet can do a lot more than help diabetics and people like me with hypothyroidism. It will be very interesting to see what happens to people who start this diet with either no health problems or ones which are different to diabetes and hypothyroidism. Like I say, I am keen to see what happens with your asthma 🙂

Hi Floradora. That’s great news about your Hba1c results – what a fantastic result in just 6 weeks! I had my usual 6 monthly bloods taken on the 29th Feb so will see my diabetic nurse on Monday for the results. I had only been doing the 8 weeks diet for 4 weeks when I had the test done so don’t know yet how the results will be – FINGERS FIRMLY CROSSED! I know I’ve seen a huge reduction in my finger prick tests and I’ve reduced my insulin from 66 units a day to just 10 now so hopefully my results will be improved. My aim is to come off the insulin altogether and reduce the metformin as well. Will update you when I have the results.

Again – Floradora well done for the brilliant results!

Hi Susieq,
What did you use in the salmon fish cake in place of potato?

B poached egg and half an avocado, sprinkled with chilli flakes, delicious and very filling.
L salad leaves, cucumber and sprinkle of seeds(not had it yet,still quite full, hope it’s enough)
D cottage pie with white bean mash topping instead of husbands potato version. Broccoli.
Really working at the drinks, tap water, sparkling water, green tea, red bush tea.

Congratulations FloraDora! Your results are an aspiration to all diabetics. This is what I’m aiming for at my annual diabetic review in June.

Hello Sarah
If we can’t help each other then we have no hope – old saying but rings true.
The amount of advice and support I see on here every day makes me genuinely proud of this forum. I’ve been a member of, and even moderated quite a few forums over time and this one is very very special.
Read the book thoroughly, you may be able to knock up something much better and nicer than a shop bought shake.

Hi Ian
are you diabetic ?
Are you testing your blood sugar levels regularly ?
I’ve had my fair share of diabetes related eye problems but nothing like that.
It almost sounds like some kind of hypo. When I’ve had one I get shakey with a headache and sweating.

Michael Mosley advises full fat dairy – it helps to keep you fuller for longer and seems to have other beneficial effects. I know it’s hard to get your head around, it took me nearly 2 weeks to ‘dare’ to eat full fat yoghurt, and 3 weeks to come off skimmed milk and switch to ‘normal’ milk – but it does make a difference and those full fat yoghurts are delicious! You could take one to work with some fruit and nuts for an easy fuss free meal!