Hi all – is anyone else suffering from broken sleep from having to go for a wee in the night? The problem I am having is that I am really struggling to drift back to sleep again. I used to have this on fasting days for the 5:2 but it is every night on this diet.

I can’t think of a way to stop it but would be nice to know I am not the only one 🙂

Thanks Bill. I enjoy cooking, which I think has helped, but even so, I am amazed at how well we can eat on 800 calories a day.

I made the pancakes quite thin, and drying them out really did work well. They even cut into wedges with our pizza cutter, and were firm enough to pick up. They were very thin and crispy, but that is how I like my pizza bases anyway. Give it another try, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

I like the sound of the Besan flour pasta, I think I’ll have to give that a try too.

Green tea and blueberry smoothie ,capsicum and jewelled feta both from book then 80 g tin tuna in water 1 tbs baked beans large salad of lettuce mushrooms toms broccoli etc ie non starchy veg 9 cups water or tea

Thanks again Bill

Try a fatty snack before bed, full fat yoghurt or a piece of cheese.
It keeps the digestive system working and helps stave off the hunger.
The vast majority of folk don’t have a problem with hunger on this plan so maybe keep an eye on your fluid and fat intake.
What did you eat today ?

So hungry I can’t sleep . Completed day1 week 1 . Not expecting tomorrow mornings breakfast to make me feel much better . This is why previous diets have failed the hunger gets steadily worse until willpower collapses . How long am I likely to feel so bad .? Headache stomach ache in spite of lots of warm drinks ( teas )

No carb bircher for brekkie; mushroom omelette for lunch; and will be cooking the chicken with spring onions and coconut with lime from the book for dinner 🙂 yummy.

Much better thanks. Antibiotics finished but still a residual cough. Been struggling with the eating plan the last few days as not much appetite.

Hi Onamission – try the recipes even if you think you may not like them. I have been surprised how tasty most of them are. The smoothies are great, there’s one I really dislike but my husband loves (I won’t tell you which one), so always worth a try ! Good Luck and keep with it. It feels like a lot of work at first but after awhile it gets a lot easier (or seems to).

Hi – I got flaxseeds (Linseeds) from Amazon – a kilo was only £5.60! I then put them in an electric coffee grinder and store them for use in the mornings . No carb Bircher is definitely the best breakfast as it keeps me full until lunch time. I have to use dairy free yoghurt. I’m doing this more for weight loss than to watch blood sugars. I’m sure I read in the book that the allowable amount of carbs per day was 17g – or I could have dreamt that bit up ! I have crohns disease and distal colitis and I have found since starting this way of eating my symptoms have reduced dramatically !

A quick google tells me that it is an enzyme that helps digest carbohydrate so I suppose, yes it is blood sugar related but I would imagine that more is good if it helps get rid of carbs.
The doc should be checking you for an inflamed pancreas, just in case.

Hi there – I wonder if anyone before starting has been told that their amylase levels have been a bit raised? I am going to get a retest next week and wondered if anyone else has any experience of this? Is it blood sugar related? Thank you

Hi Penny, it’s bizarre isn’t it – we’re talking about a diet and all eating really yummy food! 🙂

It is a revelation isn’t it! Top tip on dry skin – use coconut oil – your skin feels amazing . Just put on a little like a moisturiser. healthy inside and out 🙂

Hi Aly, how is the chest infection? I hope the antibiotics are pulling you through 🙂

I am just a week in – first 2 days were hard in terms gof thinking about sugar. Like you i don’t have any BS probe (as yet) but I have a mega sweetie addiction that I had to break. Good news it gets much easier – much. I had a wee wobble today but didn’t buckle but thats the only one this week. Whats interesting is that i identified it as about to be emotional eating. So if I feel i need sweetness I use all spice in my food. The courgette and apple muffins are great and also peppermint tea is a great. The recipes are all delicious and I have really been enjoying thinking – okay what’s for today! Good luck Onamission! Oh yes I have also lost 5lb this week- so just imagine how you will feel next week. Feel the fear and do it anyway 😉 !

Stingle – brilliant results on your blood sugar readings! 🙂

Hi, I reached my first goal today and that was to get my BMI down to below 30. I am doing this for weight-loss to avoid issues, but having taken my blood sugar at the beginning was surprised that it was heading very close to being prediabetic. I have lost 9kg and fasting blood sugar is now 5.0 mmol/l.
I always intended to take the decision whether or not to move onto the 5:2 when I reached the BMI target. Given I have not found it hard to stick to, I have decided to keep going for the next 3 weeks – then move to the 5:2.
I also tried the 5:2 last year and found my work life was too unpredictable to manage. I was also staying in hotels for variable amounts of time so getting a regular 2 days a week was not possible. The days I did manage it I was eating breakfast, but an apple or two at midday then meal at night. I also kept going on drinking black coffee to try to not think of food. This time it is 800 calories for the two fast days, the extra 300 calories make a big difference.
For this diet you do need a period where you have control – I would hate to try it if I was not cooking my own food. No hidden sugars or carbs, I know what I cooked. You also need to be prepared to weight and record everything and really plan ahead. An App in the phone or PC really help to keep track. Some are managing without, but I find I am always surprised with just how small a tablespoon really is – especially oil!
good luck.

Missay – good idea that cinnamon!!! 🙂

It is slightly better than white flour because of the extra fibre and complex carbs content but still not the best.
Shrove Tuesday I had a wholemeal flour pancake with berry khuli and I suffered for it with a high blood sugar reading next day.
Look in the white flour thread. One of the regulars has posted a list of flours and their calorific and carb values.

Hi Sue 1234 – ALL wheat flour is off the menu on this diet as it is a low carb diet – i.e. no refined carbs such as bread, rice and wheat pasta. I would recommend looking at the chickpea flour flatbread recipe. Also you can make chickpea flour pasta (haven’t tried yet so can’t tell you what it is like) sorry to put a downer on your bread baking plans 🙁

Hi onamission, welcome to the forums! Like Bill said drink LOTS of water, herbal teas, fizzy water with lemon or lime even try hot water with lemon as it is comforting, you need that amount of liquid on this diet but it also helps with any hunger pangs in the first 3 or 4 days.
You’re doing the right thing – starting this diet before you get heath problems, there are many of us on here who wish this had been around years ago – before health problems began.
Good luck on your mission – I’m sure it will be accomplished!

Hi carommartin, No I just went with the recipes in the book ( the 8 week blood sugar diet by Michael Mosley) and adapted some recipes to suit myself.
You need to remember to drink a LOT of water/herbal tea etc 2 – 3 litres a day. I like fizzy water with a slice of lemon as well.
Some quick and easy meals: poached eggs with grilled tomatoes or mushrooms, 2 egg omelette with salad, full fat yoghurt with berries. Hummus and veg, grilled or fried chicken/fish/steak with leafy green veg. Home made vegetable soup etc Just don’t eat refined carbs (bread, rice pasta) and try to keep to 800 calories and the weight should melt away. I don’t know if you have looked at the drop down bars – but one has recipes people have uploaded and if you miss bread I could recommend the two types of carb free flat breads on there. In fact I am having home made curry with the chickpea flour flatbreads for dinner tonight. I have made LOTS of them and freeze them so they are handy. You can also use them as pizza bases. The recipe for coconut flatbreads is really good – I have used them for dessert topped with cream and berries when I have people round for dinner! But you can use them as buns for a sarnie etc
Hope that helps – I know some people have started off on the shakes but I just did not fancy them.
Good luck and there is plenty of help from people on this forum 🙂

Yesterday:

Greek yogurt with cooked blueberries and cinnamon

Chicken salad with romaine lettuce, rocket, cherry toms, herbs, yellow pepper, olives, jalapenos, a few sunflower seeds and chick peas, celery and chipotle ‘mayo’ (was actually sour cream with chipotle)

Courgetti with salmon, creme fraiche, peas, garlic, lemon juice and basil, sprinkling of chopped mixed nuts on top

Half a pink lady apple (amazing that half an apple is now a sweet treat!)

One cup of tea and one of coffee with a splash of milk. Endless water!

Well done first off for recognising that you may have a problem and you’ve actually decided to take action! So you’re all set to take the plunge tomorrow ( what happened to today?! ;0) ). Don’t worry, just bear in mind why you’re doing it and what the alternative may be. I presume you’re somewhat overweight? Well one of the advantages of the 800 is usually the rapid result which gives encouragement to stick with it. Do you have a target? It’s a good idea to set one rather than setting off aimlessly, and if you haven’t already, read the book for guidance and further encouragement. Well done again and good luck!
Mick.

Hi hashimoto – thank you for your prompt reply. Did you use meal replacement shakes at all? I can’t imagine being able to think of 3 meals a day without bread!

In the book it says that wholemeal bread is no good as it has a lot of sugar in it. But is it OK to use wholemeal flour? I don’t like the coconut flour, I find the taste lingers for days!.
I bake my own bread any way and wondered if I made some without sugar and only ate a small amount if that would be OK. Any thoughts?

Hi and welcome to the forums
Seriously, the best tip I can give you is to have a read through the forum. There are so many people on here at varying stages of the plan and they are all posting their experiences on a daily basis now.
Also checkout the recipes section for some mouth watering meals.
Don’t be nervous, just go for it, drink lots of water (2 – 3 ltr /day ) and keep up your fat intake to help combat initial side effects.
Look forward to seeing your week 1 results.

Hi,

I have been getting everything set up to start the blood sugar diet tomorrow. I am quite nervous about it as although I am not diabetic, I have developed a ridiculous carb and sugar addiction over the years. This is something I need to do for my health as there is type 2 diabetes in the family and I would be devastated if I developed it.

I just wondered if anyone had any tips? I’m guessing that keep busy to take my mind off it might be good thing! But at the same time, I feel I need to be a bit obsessed with it to keep me focused.

I’m nervous about how I will manage but excited that I will soon be shifting some weight!

Help and advice on starting out would be much appreciated! Thank you

Hi carommartin, welcome to the forums. A lot of us on here have hypothyroidism, I had weight loss failures on other diets but have lost 2 stones so far on the 8 week blood sugar diet. I. Would recommended doing the 8 week programme, you won’t regret it.

I have hypothyroidism and Pernicious Anaemia and also take a few tablets for heart disease. I have found it very difficult to lose weight since I was diagnosed and was contemplating doing the Mediterranean diet to see if cutting out a lot of carbs would do the trick. I’m not diabetic and don’t have blood sugar problems (yet!). Does anybody know how successful this might be or should I go the whole hog and do the LSD?

Yes, I think it will be helpful to compare notes Bill. More out of curiosity really, I’m just keen to know after all these years what’s really going on inside my body.

By the way, the article I have attached above talks about limiting saturated fats in meat and dairy but its worth bearing in mind, that might be the ‘old-school’ thinking on sat fats.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/many-grams-fat-should-eat-day-lose-weight-5597.html

The article above might help you with your calculations for fat. Dr Mosley is not too prescriptive on the percentages but he does say to have a ‘moderate’ amount of fat. There are quite a few other threads in the forums which have discussed the amount of carbs and protein to have. All the best.

Well done Stingle. Like you, I struggle in week two I’m on day 16 myself and have dropped a total of 7lb and 1.5inches from my waist so far. It is can be hard sticking with it, when nothing seems to be happening, but well done for staying with the programme. I’m determined to stick with it and get my weight back under control, so this has to work for me and it sounds like you are equally determined to get there as well. Good luck for this week – and all those to follow to the eight week mark!

Hi Janet
mine should arrive today so it will be interesting to compare notes.
We are all losing weight from somewhere, it seems strange that there is no sign of ketosis going on.
Maybe if others are using this or a similar product they could let us know if it’s working for them

Hi Stingle. Well done on ýour results so far. Its hard to explain this program when people think it is ‘too good to be true’. Really the only way is to let people find out for themselves which is what you have done. Of course, its the great results which spur you to carry on so keep up the good work and keep getting the great results.

Story so far;
I had a very high carb day on Sunday (which I refuse to feel any repentance for) so I thought that Monday would be an ideal time to start measuring my fat burning capabilities using the ketostix to see how long it took to get into ketosis. I had two meals yesterday which came to no more than 500 calories and still was not in ketosis this morning. I have just done a twelve thousand step walk (which I haven’t done in years). I haven’t yet eaten but I have had a latte for 109 calories (that’s where I walked to, the coffee shop!) and still nowhere near ketosis.

So I don’t know when or if it is going to happen but I’m happy to continue with the experiment.

I’ve been type 2 diabetic for exactly 5 years on 4 metformin daily, 20mg Simvastatin and 2.5mg Ramipril. I have an annual diabetic review, my next one due in June. I’m hoping my hba1c will be low by then. I’ve suggested a similar diet to the fast 800 to my GP in the past but he basically poo-pooed it!! I wonder what happens to patients who have lowered their various numbers to the level of non- diabetics, but who are still on medication? I’m hoping for a reduction in my medication at least and then more regular reviews to see if I can stop them.
However my GP might not agree!!

Great to hear stingle, I know you were a bit down last week but wasn’t it worth sticking with it ?
Just imagine how you’re going to feel at the end of 8 weeks !
Saying I told you so is becoming a habit – but in this case a good one.

Yesterday’s menu
B no carb Bircher from book
L peanut butter dip and celery from book
D chick pea curry with cauli rice

Today’s menu
B blueberry green tea shake from book
L poacherd salmon and salad leaves
D home made tomato sauce with bacon on cauli rice

I love cauli rice I have it 3or4times a week, other days I have spiral courgette or veg “couscous” from Tesco.

After posting on here last week after not having lost much weight and feeling a bit sorry for myself I am happy to say “YOU WERE ALL RIGHT – THANK YOU SO MUCH ”
Patience has never been my strong point but I’m so glad I kept at it .
Been on the BSD now for 16 days …………
Blood sugar down from 21 to 10 fasting
Weight dropped 8lbs
Waist down by 3 inches
Hunger – I can honestly say not bad at all

This absolutely does work and after a further 5 and a half weeks I’m hoping to be insulin free – Brilliant

Breakfast :porridge with full fat milk and a little honey
Lunch : Greek yogurt with chopped up strawberries added
Dinner: mushroom omlette and green salad
No idea of calories as do not count them but well below my normal amount!

Brilliant Time4Change! Great stuff indeed 🙂

I am veggie and live in France which adds a complication due to difficulty obtaining some food stuffs. I am coming up to 2 weeks now, have lost 9lbs and am enjoying the plan. Breakfast I always have a bowl of porridge as this sets me up for the day. I try to use jumbo oats as they are better and full fat milk with a drip of honey. Lunch normally I have a Greek yogurt, full fat with fresh berries. Dinner is a selection of veggies, roasted, casseroled with often eggs or pulses. I do a veg shepherds pie topped with cauliflower mash which I have found I love. I am now eating a large amount of vegetables and loving it. Rose Elliot is a good book but she does not always use clean food which is my other passion.
Experiment with veg remembering you can use butter, cream etc. Have a look through the recipes on here, they are tried and tested.

Plain youghurt/blueberries

Tin chicken soup

Slow cooked stewing beef/cauliflower

Cups of tea (7cals each due to milk/sweetener)

Trying to get through my 2L water jug!

Thanks Natasha, I really do feel recommitted, especially after my weigh in showed I’m only up 1 pound from my lowest weight which seems to be the post weekend pattern! Going to get a decent walk in this afternoon and I did a 15 min hiit session this morning, all I had time for but glad I managed it. All the jumping around added 1500 steps to my Fitbit, not too shabby!

Hi Margaret and hubby,
Welcome to the forums. There are quite a few vegetarian members on here and you will find some recipes and threads to read all about veggie food. I can recommend the recipe for the baked aubergine. Give yourself a few days to get used to the idea of eating low carb and low cal and you will soon get into the swing of combining healthy veggie foods for maximum effect. I was also recommended Rose Elliot’s book on low carb vegetarian meals which I find is very good. All the best you both.

No breakfast
Lunch : wild garlic frittata (leaves foraged during a muddy walk on Sunday)
Dinner: is going to be home made beef curry with chickpea flour flatbread

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are just starting the low cal med diet. Day 1 today. We would welcome any support or advice you may have. We are vegetarian but not vegan. And are a little concerned that a large proportion of the meal plans. Include meat. We would love to hear any advice on alternatives.