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.

I’m coming to end of week two, week one lost 8lb but so far this week just lost 1lb. I admit I quite often go closer to 900 cals than 800cals but I do quite a lot of exercise and I am 3 – 4 sone over weight. I drink plenty of water but my mouth is constantly dry, especially my toungue. I am not a mouth breather and it’s not my medication, I should add I am not diabetic. Could this be ketosis or any other ideas out there. Drinking does not take away the dryness. With regards the weight loss, I know it will even itself out if I keep going although I do get impatient!

Hello
Well I started on Monday too. And so far so good, loving no carb Bircher for breakfast and the French fish stew last night was amazing. Blood sugars 5.2 Monday, 4.8 this morning, I am not pre diabetic but my husband is diabetic so I am hopping that habits will influence him too.
Could not resist the scales and 5lbs down…. Enough to wear jeans today that I felt awful in last week.
It’s early days and a weekend of no wine will be a big achievement, and hard ….. So don’t want to be smug just yet.
Delighted to gear everyone’s experience.
Wendy

Thank you all for your feedback, that’s really helpful.

My partner agrees that we are going to look to go private and see how much it is to get the scans and a second opinion.

My Hba1C since the last time I had it done had reduced by 0.5 – that was just me upping my exercise regime – but that was met with a very patronising ‘well, it’s only a slight decrease’ – well, isn’t that better than it going up!

I do agree about the Hba1C could be the same in 8 weeks and that would just give her the argument she needs to make me stay on meds – thank you for pointing that out! But I’m going to be taking my bs’s religiously and keep a diary to show the day to day readings.

But i will book an appointment with my normal GP (or private) and discuss moving to Exenatide (she did bang on about me might wanting another child – which i don’t – and there being another medication i could take if I don’t – so i wonder if that’s it).

I’ve never had hypos outside of being pregnant but if i’m consistently around 4/5 – i’ll just take myself of glicazyde!

I was told by a nurse that a glass of milk and a banana is enough to get you safely out of a hypo

Thanks all!

Hello just looking to start albeit with a few tweaks. Just recently I have been so busy at work that I have gone all day without food and just had an evening meal. Admittedly carb heavy followed by dessert, usually in the form of a magnum and a bar of chocolate!

What I would like to do is basically fast during the day and they cook up a low carb, high protein meal. Am looking at the use of barley which I love and believe is low carb, beef and barley soup springs to mind. Or a cottage pie with celeriac mash. I love celeriac chips as well. I am more a meat and potato kind of girl and unfortunately do not like fish, so the med diet with oily fish is not for me. Have only started to eat salad over the last few years but usually accompanied by Tesco Finest coleslaw – really is there any help for me.

I have followed the Dukan diet and lost almost two stone but struggled to motivate myself and get back on it. I have a goal though now which is to lose weight for my sons graduation and I have told him, so no pressure!

Essentially my question is it okay to fast through the day and eat in the evening. Filling myself up during the day with the odd cup of coffee and water.

Hi PaulClare
I see you are a PT, can you point me in the direction of any research on diabetes & competitive sports? Whilst I’m 54 and possibly not going to make Rio, I’m entering triathlons this summer and enjoy the competitive element, just have no idea on how to manage fuel levels etc. Appreciate any help.

I’d be really interested in how to manage a balance with exercise and bad, so be really interested to hear more.

I’m training for triathlons and also enjoy 2-3 hour bike rides at weekends in the summer (live in Manchester so use “summer” very loosely!)

How to manage a training regime with 800 calorie/day intake is a brilliant question.

Starting into day 5 here, scales is showing a 4.6lb (2kg or so?) loss so far. Delighted with that. I’ve only managed 1 day at 800, the others have been between 900-1100. Hope to reduce that to the 800 over time as I get used to the lower carb approach. Unfortunately I’m quite constipated but loathe to take laxatives as they have the initial desired affect and then just exacerbate the situation. The other thing I need to get working on is my activity. I’ve managed 1 x exercise DVD which was Hiit style and a big walk but need to get more done before my first week is out. Health and weather are holding me back, have a cold & cough so Hiit is tricky and I could walk but it’s rained the last 2 days here, I obviously won’t melt but getting drenched with a cold might not be the best plan! Anyway sorry for the blah blah, loving the plan, hoping the weight loss continues at a decent rate, I now it can’t stay at a pound a day but a pound every 3 days would be wonderful 😀

Can anyone help me understand my blood sugar levels please. Started diet on Tuesday and blood glucose level 9:2 then over the first 3 days it dropped to 6:2 now it’s 9:4, I’m very confused, have lost 7 lbs which is fab but struggling to understand d blood sugars …. Help please 😊

The chicken with green lentils in the book is easy and really tasty. I omitted the fennel as didn’t fancy it. It’s quick to cook too. We’ve had this twice now and enjoyed it both times. Second time I cooked some very dark cabbage and served it on that.

Thanks for comments guys.

Thanks, Penny,that is very helpful. Today I am feeling more stable, so I guess it holds true.

Thanks Janet. The biggest problem for me is the fact that I’ve had a very sweet tooth all of my life, so the willpower required to keep off chocolate and cakes etc has been the hardest part. Nothing new there for most diets however.

I have been meditating since 1969. And practicing Mindfulness Meditation with Shinzen Young since the mid 90’s. It has helped tremendously. I rarely suffer and am equanamous most of the time. It is wonderful for pain; i used it instead of pain killers the last time I was hospitalized for autoimmune pancreatitis. No small feat as anyone who has had pancreatic pain can attest. And particularly nice for staying present and accepting what is in front of me. So, when Dr. Mosley suggests it, he is right on. It has great merit.

thank you

Have recommended the book to 8 friends now, three who are Type 2 diabetics and others who just want to lose weight. They have all bought the book. Some have just started the diet and others are looking forward to doing so.

Hippo

Day 19 and hubby and I have both lost 16 pounds now ( just another day and we at are at the end of Week 3). Really enjoyed the Skinny Kedgeree, using hot curry powder and putting a little extra of this in – very hot but what a great taste. Tried one or two new dishes this week. We are not following the fixed plans but choosing recipes from the book and keeping within the 800 calorie range, occasionally going just over. Looking forward to trying the Lamb and pine nut meatballs on Sunday, plus for a change for lunch, think we may try making some low carb scones and having one with sugar free jam and a little cream – we’ll see anyway. Also branching out and making different low carb smoothies for breakfast.

Vision still a little blurred but from my understanding this should improve soon.

Got up this morning and actually felt and looked thinner. Hubby said the same a couple of days before.

All being well, after the 8 weeks, I will most probably carry on with this excellent way of life, as I have much weight to lose. Hubby will carry on until he is at his chosen target weight, then aim to maintain this. I am looking forward to my 3 month average blood test near the end of March and am hoping to see lower figures. Was 11.8 when I started.

Good luck to everyone who is doing this 🙂

Hippo

Egg & avacado salad at 3 in the morning… mmm.

Next night shift, still on message 840kc and feel fine. I have energy too.

Starts Feb 22nd Monday – Friday 9.15 am New Tv series Gloria Hunniford & Chris Bavin offer advice about which foods are healthy or harmful

Tuesday Feb 23rd Gloria Hunniford shares her experience of being diagnosed as PRE DIABETIC

Maybe you’d all like to tape or watch it. Now there is a voluble lady who might want changes too!
Eureka

How many carbs one can eat to stay in ketosis varies from person to person. I also just got from the library Keto Clarity by Moore. recommended by my doc.

I believe it is the body burning fat in ketosis that is keeping the hypos away. That kicked in about the 3rd week. (I’m ending week 6 tomorrow). My doc said to be sure to keep the diet – for me- at high fat (although how much fat can one really eat on 800 cal, lol), moderate protein and low carb. And no hypos! Just follow Dr. Mosley’s suggestions. 50 grams of protein. Indulge in full fat milk products. That was a new one for me. I keep the carbs to 50 or sometimes 40 and that keeps me in ketosis. I eat about 1 tsp of fat with each meal, sometimes more if the calories allow it. Eating more of the complex carbs at night helps me sleep better. Think pulses, legumes.

Hi Natasha
I’ve just been reading Jenny Ruhls book ‘low carb problems solved’. She says low mood can happen as your body switches from carb burning to fat burning and will resolve itself as fat burning gets going. Hopefully you ll feel better soon.
One danger is we eat a bit more carbs because we re low and this switches us back to carb burning and prolongs the problem.
Penny

Hi Ruby
That’s about what I aim for. Fats are often higher though, ( I stay within 800 cals) which is maybe good as they stop me getting hungry. Also just read Jenny Ruhls ‘low carb problems solved’ which says too much protein can stall weight loss as the body can convert it into BG. Not fat though.
Penny

Hi sky
Just reading ‘Low carb problems solved’ by Jenny Ruhl(. £3 on kindle)
She says low mood is caused by the changeover your body has to make from carb burning to fat burning, and should resolve fairly quickly as this occurs, especially if you keep your carbs low.
Penny

Hi fever diva
800 would be a huge meal wouldn’t it??!!
Good luck working it out
Penny

Hi Cazzowary
Have a look at this book
‘Low carb problems solved’ by Jenny Ruhl
About £3 on kindle. Lots of technical- but easy to grasp- info on why plateaus happen and all the other problems.
Also have a look on the thread I started called ‘useful links’.
Penny

Thanks FatCat, that’s interesting and useful. Like you, I’m not diabetic, but distinctly overweight. I can stick to 800 kcal with low carb under normal circumstances and don’t want to give up long distance cycling in order to stick to it rigidly. Weight is coming off fast, and I don’t want to jeopardise that. Actual weight loss is mainly water I guess, but I’ve calculated that I’m currently losing 1lb fat per day. If I find any reliable advice, I’ll post it.

Hi Clare
I’ve been doing the Fast800 for three weeks. I ve always suffered from ‘ reactive hypos’ ie low BG attacks which are horrible. But although at the beginning I had to really spread my calories out to avoid the dreaded hypo, now I’m not really having any. I used to have to eat between lunch and dinner or I’d get into a bad state. Today I had some home made veg soup. I was fine.
Throughout the 3 weeks I’ve been exercising as usual.
Hope this helps to reassure you
Penny

Hi happysheryl
You can get a kindle version of Michaels book.
Penny

Thanks for that, pmshrink. I’ll check it out.

Hi Martin
I’ve put a few links on a thread called ‘useful links’. One of them is Jenny Ruhls book ‘Low carb problems solved’
Which explains a lot of interesting stuff about low carb diet problems including hypos. Apparently you won’t faint, your body has a mechanism to give you enough BG to stay conscious, and you shouldn’t eat sugar which will set you off into a high then low pattern again.
I was interested in this because I have ( no meds) reactive hypos and always have. They’re much better now but at the start of the diet it was important to eat little and often.
I agree the doc was way off.
Penny

Hi Charliebee
That was difficult! At least she softened a bit in the end.
At 25.6 your BMI doesn’t worry her- but if you lost a stones worth of visceral fat you d still be at 24 and your sugar/ insulin system would be working better! But I think she doesn’t know this.
Maybe she ll be alright in 8 weeks and reduce your meds. If not, lots of people on the forums have reduced their own meds- you don’t actually need her permission, after all.
Well done for nor swearing
Penny

Hi GofH
I do really admire your determination
Penny ( also known as pmshrink- profession, not a description of what I’m trying to do!)

Hi Reydoncyclist,
I’m interested to know this too. I cycled 54 miles last weekend. I had a variation of the no-carb Bircher for breakfast, and a black pudding and poached egg salad for lunch in a café. I took 2 of the beetroot falafels to eat as snacks along the way, and some nuts. Before the last 5 miles (uphill) I stopped and bought a banana and had a few raisins, along with a latte. I just felt like I needed them, and decided the calorie count cycling, like you, would be fairly high. Had a low carb dinner. Felt fine that evening and since. I’m not diabetic though – just overweight – so I suspect it’s less critical for me.

From Jane

Two excellent books on sugar addiction and how to break it are Sarah Wilson’s ‘I quit sugar’ and David Gillespie’s ‘The Sweet Poison Quit Plan’.

Hi Aly
You could not eat any of the bread while on the BSD then it doesn’t matter how many cals are in it.
Penny

I’m a week into the diet and went for a 66 mile cycle ride today. After about 35 miles, I had to take on extra food in order to continue. Apps suggest that I used 1800 kcal over the 66 miles. Is there any advice anywhere on adjusting calorie intake for high energy expenditure?

Low Carb Problems Solved’ by Jenny Ruhl. About £3 on kindle

Hi Malkay
I really recommend
‘Low Carb Problems Solved’ by Jenny Ruhl. About £3 on kindle
Explains how and why plateaus happen and lots of other stuff. I read the whole book non stop!
Penny

Hi Charlie,

First thing is don’t give up. Michael does mention the huge amount of scepticism from the medical profession in his book. I’m just starting the diet and haven’t yet discussed with my GP … I’m expecting a similar conversation that you had so I thought that I’d loose some weight first.

Your doctor sounds reckless … there is no way that non-Insulin medication should be continued to the point of getting hypos. Hypos are dangerous … if you are driving they can lead to an accident and if you’re on your own and you pass out they can lead to death. Did you tell your GP the number of calories that you are eating?

Also, if you are getting hypos then this is counter productive to the diet. When you have a hypo you have to eat sugar quickly to get rid of it.

Your drugs look a bit strange. For me, my GP had me on the max dose of Metformin (4 tablets a day) before putting me on any other drugs. There is a risk with this as some people find that Metformin upsets the digestive system. I’ve not had any problems.

I found Gliclazide horrible … put on loads of weight and had hypos every afternoon. Consultant took me off Gliclazide and put me on Exenatide. I feel that Metformin and Exenatide are far better options as the Exenatide suppresses appetite and neither of these drugs are likely to lead to hypos … even on this diet.

The problem that you have is that the most important measure for your GP is the Hba1C. But this result changes slowly because Hba1C is an average of your blood sugar over 60 to 90 days. So if you complete the 8 weeks diet and it’s a complete success and your blood sugars are fine … your Hba1C test result might still show a raised level for a futher 8 weeks.

I wonder if you might be better off getting your doctor to agree to stopping the Gliclazide and either increase the Metformin or put you on Exenatide or both.

Hope this helps

Martin

Hi charliebee38, I must say I am somewhat concerned about your situation. You are very young to be so far into the medications. I only reached your stage in my sixties, when my weight was higher than yours. I wish someone with more knowledge could advise you. I don’t know enough but please be cautious in reducing your meds. I know it is very disappointing when others do not share in your optimism, but Michael did mention that there are some types of diabetes that do not respond to this regime. You will need to be patient and make sure you check back with the Diabetic Clinic regularly. Best wishes, I hope it works out for you.

Hi Aliba, I think we are all finding we are worth it! Worth the effort and organising/ planning that goes into eating a healthy diet. We deserve to have bodies that function properly, minds that are not foggy from carb overload and if we happen to look pretty good in smaller size clothes then that’s a bonus too.
I don’t have to lose weight, I’m one of the “thin on the outside, fat on the inside” people that Dr Moseley talks about, but I love to hear about everyone’s success.
It inspired me to encourage my sister to start and she’s lost over 3kg in her first week. She’s not diabetic, but quite overweight and she’s enjoying the food and not feeling deprived at all.

Captainlynne – you’re an inspiration….10 inches off your waist…that’s incredible…Congratulations!

It gets easier gents…..I’ve learnt to adapt the recipes for myself…stir fry with lots of green veg, some protein (chicken, turkey and fish) sometimes a couple of spoonfuls of brown rice spices, chilli, couple of tblespoons of coconut milk, fish or soy sauce or a colourful salad with olive oil, mustard and vinegar dressing, mushroom omelettes and salad or veg, eggs or full fat Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese with seeds and frozen berries for breakfast.
A repertoire of easy things that are tasty, varied, give optimum nutrition and don’t leave you feeling deprived…then things from the book when I have more time.
Best of luck to you both…..it really does work even for those of us who have struggled for years with diabetes and weight gain!

Good advice … thanks guys.

I’ll try out on a couple of sandwiches with some energy gels / bars as emergency backup. Will let you know how I get on.

Cheers.
Martin

Mrsjaffa…..I’m a latte fiend myself so found a way round it…..half full fat milk and half water or even coffee with a dash of cream. I bought some cardboard cups and plastic lids from Amazon and then feel as if I’ve bought one from a coffee shop but saved myself the money. For me it’s been about adapting and finding a way to manage on the plan so I don’t feel deprived…it’s as much a mental journey as a physical one. If you don’t like cold water have it hot or try peppermint tea….it’s as good as water. Hopefully like many of us on here you will find that your tastes change…..all my life I’ve despised broccoli but have discovered purple sprouting and tender stem stir fried with a few chilli flakes and now have it nearly every day and love it.
Thanks Cherrianne – I’m much less,of a slobs than I used to be 😃 I’m as delighted with the BP as I am with the the dress size….well nearly! The dress cost a lot of money…more than I’d usually spend but it looks fab and for the first time in a long, long time….I think I’m worth it 😏

Hi,

Agree with you that the recipes are complicated. I think that there’s a reason behind this. With a low calorie diet it’s important that a good range of vitamins and nutrients is achieved. Hence each recipe tends to have quite a lot of ingredients. It would be ideal to have the whole family on the same diet so that half tins don’t get used all the time. Alternatively, more recipes that can be frozen (that would be the solution for the chilli / curry recipes).

I’m just starting as well and my plan is to do some mass preparations (eg … toasting a packet of pine nuts) then keep them in an airtight storage jar so that they’re re ready for next time.

The mashing / blending of ingredients described is unlikely to be any different from the normal chewing process in terms of GI. The problem with modern processing is that flours / grains are processed using precision steel rollers which gives a far finer flour / product. Far easier to use in baking as it’s much more consistent and gives a finer and lighter product (bread or cake) … but GI is significantly raised with this processing.

Having been diabetic for 14 years I feel that this is my last chance. Just finished day 1 and I don’t feel too hungary so I’m pretty optimistic.

A knighthood … how about a Nobel prize? After all … one was awarded for the research into stomach ulcers … Diabetes is a far bigger issue.

Cheers,
Martin

Mrsjaffa13, as Cherrianne mentioned I seem to be the only one so far to have finished the 8 weeks. It might help you to know that I n that time I lost 27 pounds, 10 inches from my waist and nearly 2 dress sizes. My fasting blood sugars and blood pressure also reduced. I’m continuing on the 800 calories for another few weeks before going away on holiday, then moving on to 5:2 (or 2:5). So far this week I gave lost another 3 pounds.