Well done Paula, I would definitely have had to step away from the fridge. Made me giggle! Keep up the good work!

I always weigh myself every day. It’s taught me that sometimes my weight goes up or down a pound or two unexpectedly (fluid loss/retention/loo etc) and that it’s quite natural and nothing to worry about.
If you only weigh yourself once a week, then that weigh-in assumes undue importance, and can cause both undue optimism or despair.

Hi Hercles.
Great it’s working for you.
It is ok to eat bacon and whole egg, otherwise your breakfast might be s bit carby, but with those additions would be more protein and fat, which won’t do you any harm ( unlike what we’ve been told for years) and you won’t get hingry for ages.
Penny

Well, if you have achieved your goals, I think the idea is that we don’t really go back to previous eating habits – keep the carbs as a very…very… rare treat.

We have an “Easy Store” model from Lakeland. After use, it all packs away – handle, blades and all – into a package about the size and shape of a small tin loaf. Works and cleans very well. Cost just over £30 I seem to remember.

Many thanks for the reply. I will have a look into those.

So what happens when the 8 weeks is over? Ease back into moderate carb intake or carry on avoiding “bad” GI carbs as much as possible?

Hi, I’m not diabetic but want to lose some weight before my daughter’s wedding in May. I did the 5.2 successfully 2 years ago by dropping 3.5 stone. A little has crept back on so I want it to go fast.

Did anyone see This Morning, this morning when they made cloud bread? It’s not bread at all. it’s made with 3 eggs – separated. 3TBPS cream cheese or cottage cheese and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar.

you whisk the egg whites in 1 bowl, and the egg yolks with the cream cheese and cream of tartar in the other. gradually add the whisked egg whites to the egg yolk mixture. put dollops on a baking sheet and cook at a low heat 130c for 15 mins. they look like puffs of cloud and you can use them in place of bread apparently.

i’ll make some tomorrow, but they looked good on tv.

I’ve not had the catastrophe “yet” but I’m sure at some point it will rear it’s ugly head. It’s day 6 for me. Well done for getting back on the wagon. My problem is not going to be chocolate or sweet stuff it’s probably going to be savoury like salami, bacon chorizo…..the list goes on!!! I did get a valentines meal deal in M & S today I deliberately bought things that were on the diet apart from the starter which I got anti pasta – which I love, but I know that my husband will happily guard it and eat it before the meal! The dessert I bought, I wouldn’t eat as it’s white chocolate which I hate….they did have my all time favourite dessert Tarte tartain. I can tell you the mental debate over that went on for a good 10 mins.

Hubby here, thank you for the encouragement….in all honesty not felt this sharp for many years…just could do with hitting a magic 8……then a fantastic 7 to know it’s moving in the right direction.

Hi

Welcome to the group.

I finish the 8 weeks tomorrow night. I’d have no problem staying with the 800 calories a day (still got weight to lose), but Dr Mosley suggests (p146/147) doing 5:2. My thinking is I might try 2:5 rather than 5:2 – 800 calories a day Monday to Friday with low -carb Mediterranean at weekends. Trying not to be too rigid as I’ve a holiday in March and residential conference in April so need to work out what I’m going to do about them.

Lynne

Sorry its not been as good a day as you would have liked. Its annoying when things seem to get in our way. But at least you got your coconut flour! My adventurous streak is only stretching as far as quinoa so far. I’m breaking my rule of if I can’t pronounce it I have no business eating it!

You do sound quite low (if that’s possible?). What can you do for a quick pick-you-up?

My testing kit arrived this afternoon (yay!) so I have already done a test two hours after eating which suggested I have normal bs (blooming hurts for such a small hole and so much blood!) and I will do another test in the morning for fasting bs. However, I’m not off the hook as I have two stone to lose and at least three inches off my waist and I know I am addicted to carbs as I answered yes to every question in the questionnaire.

So I’m ready to start tomorrow – I have menu plans done until Sunday. Not surprisingly it didn’t take long!

Have you done any results yet? Have you noticed any changes in clothes yet? You’ll be on day 5 tomorrow, or are you planning to wait a bit longer?

Oh yes – I said a sad goodbye today to Costa (Coffee!) as I will have to stay away for a little while – that will be the real test…

Tomorrow is my first GP appointment since starting the 5:2 plus Mediterranean Regime 3 Weeks ago. I have lost 9 lbs and my average Blood sugar has dropped from 7-5 to 5.0. My BMI has gone from 26.8 to 25.5. I am feeling great with more energy and I’m enjoying the compliments I’ve received about my appearance. It is obvious that this is working for me, but what will my GP say? I would like guidance from her about Medications such as Glycazide, Metformin and Anti-hypertensive drugs that I’ve been prescribed, because of my Type 2 Diabetes. I have already dropped the Glycazide on the Fasting days but think I need to have all my medication reviewed.

I have printed out the Information for Doctors from Newcastle University and have kept a diary of my diet, blood sugar results and exercise for the past 3 weeks, so hopefully she will believe the evidence. Has anyone else got to this stage and how has their doctor reacted? Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Magiek

I’ve been using occasionally lighter life 5 2 shakes. They are 150 calories. You can get them in Superdrug.

Can’t speak for the potatoes – but as for re-heated pasta – it is a well known trick of the trade for us mothers who have Type 1 diabetic children. Whilst the carbs remain the same – it somehow causes less of a spike.

Hi Haining25 welcome

Re read p146 in BSD book. Also Google ncl type 2 diabetes. This is the original Newcastle uni 800 calorie diet to reverse type 2 Diabetes
Read prof Roy Taylor’s Reply on frequent questions asked Read the lot & print out all you need. You need knowledge to succeed & really understand what you are doing.
We’re here to help as much as we can. I don’t think any or many have done 8 weeks yet on this site. Could be wrong & they will post you.

Dr Michael Mosley says ‘ create a lifestyle you can stick to’. Prof Taylor says ‘ once you are at your personal target weight, the critical thing now is to become accustomed to eating approximately 2/3 of the total amount you used to eat’.

So exercise, eat better & really change what you did that got you to the place your at now
Knowledge is power. Pass it on. We can do this. Great to have you on board
Eureka

My children are adult now and do a bit of mothering of me… but I do recall only too well being a busy mum, working half time and coping with some health difficulties, mainly thyroid disease and gall stones, so I admire your guts going into this diet and also think you’re right on to look at ways to make it work that suit you. Don’t forget you can eat protein too not just salad, don’t want you looking like a rabbit! One day at a time dearie, you’re making moves towards your goal already 🙂

I have also been trying alternatives – such as Almond milk and Soya Milk – less calories and less sugar. Interestingly – milk is one of the few things you give to Type 1 diabetics to maintain their blood sugar when they go low – it has a long acting effect.

Hi there – okay day thanks although feeling different to usual. Still low energy/weak and unable to do much other than walk two Border Collies which to be honest is quite challenging. I trekked off to Tesco and they didn’t have a lot of what was on my list so made a detour on the way home to nearest Sainsbury’s and they do stock coconut flour (£5 for a small packet!). I’m catching you on another thread so will look for that and get back to you there.

No problem Olly. The machines do tend to exaggerate calories burned for obvious reasons. I’m just starting the diet myself tomorrow. I have been waiting for my blood sugar testing kit to arrive, which it has done today (yay!) so I have done three meal plans for over the weekend and am really excited to see if it works for me as well as it has for other people.

Wishing you every success!

There you go see! A little slip up, back on the plan and still a kilo down! That’s what I call a diet! Good job Peanutbutty, totally agree with you.

I have a plan and i’m going to stick with it. No doubt i’ll have bad days but i’ve started meditation with head space so i hope that helps.

I have a page set up on FB to track my progress, i’ll post it later. Its called 100 days of change ( the profile pic is my with a load of burgers )

Weird all I had yesterday was mackeral with a tomato onion and celery salad at lunch and a small chicken breast stir fried with Med veg at dinner (I don’t do breakfast) and my Fasting sugar reading was still 7.8 this morning.
This bad boy goes up waaaaaaay faster than it comes down.

Hello all,

My name is Kevin and I’m doing this diet of Mr Mosley.

I’ve put together a blog at http://kevins8weekdiet.blogspot.co.uk/ and a twitter account at https://twitter.com/kevins8weekdiet
I’m using it as a way of capturing my thoughts any interesting things I come across and as a way of perhaps publishing some resources again as I find them.

My latest blog post is about choosing which brands (in particular yoghurt) to buy.

Hope you can join me !

Kevin

Use a meter to check your blood sugar. I felt very fuzzy the 1st couple of days. Make sure you are drinking lots of water. Personally I find it easier to have a shake once or twice a day as a meal replacement. I am a meat lover but now I only eat egg whites and a mixture of spinach,peppers,mushrooms,onions and tomato for breakfast instead of adding bacon for breakfast. I have a weighed out portion of salmon, chicken or steak with salad or spinach/green beans for dinner. I have been diabetic for over 10 years but after less than a week my blood sugar is in normal range when I wake and Ive already lost 5 pounds. Yes I sometimes feel hungry but try and take my mind off that. Best wishes.

I know it varies from person to person but is there a ballpark figure for the maximum grams of carbs you should get in a day? Or what percentage of our calories should come from carbs under this regime? It would really help in planning our meals.

I’m certainly going to be doing this. We tried it on Monday and found that it tasted fine – a bit softer than usual, more like the spaghetti in tins. The article on the BBC website about it said re-cooking results in a 50% reduction in the blood sugar spike – it also said the same was true for potatoes so I’ll be trying it with a small portion of roasties which I’ll cook on Saturday and reheat on Sunday.

Just finished reading the book and will start on Monady, however a little confused on what my calorie intake should be be after the 8 weeks,can anyone help.

Yeah I’m just going by what the machines are saying.

I’ll see how I go and if I feel drained, like you suggest I’ll add extra calories on those days.

Thanks for the reply, greatly appreciated 🙂

Hi again everyone,

Just a quick word of encouragement to those who have fallen off the wagon for a moment/ hour/ day.

Yesterday I knew I would still be vulnerable to self-sabotage and catastrophising after kitkat-gate the day before, so I made a special effort to repeat kind thoughts to myself and stick to the diet. It was a bit harder to resist sugary things than previously but the replies to this thread helped (thank you!), I stuck it out and here I am today, easiest day yet!

One kitkat, one birthday meal, one bowl of rice is not the end of this diet – not unless we choose to let it. So, after the urge strikes you and you fall headfirst into a cadbury’s cream egg, remember to choose not to over eggagerate (geddit?) the lapse. Choose herbal tea instead!

ps. another kilo down!

I think from my understanding of what Dr Mosley says in the book, he is in favour of keeping exercise in your regime. I take your point about the maths and agree with you, it does mean your actual calorie count for those days is super low.
How are you measuring your calorie burn? If you are using the counter on the cross trainer at the gym, I wouldn’t put too much store by its accuracy (tell me to butt out if I am out of line but I have spent a lot of time in gyms and the equipment puts a very rosey glow on calorie counts).
Perhaps you could keep everything as normal for this week and see how the exercise makes you feel. If you feel like you have no energy for exercise, then add a few more calories on these days. But you may feel fine. Just keep up your protein intake as you don’t want to lose your muscle mass.

Hi Annie
Wow! 7lbs in the first week is amazing, well done hubby!
I have just finished reading the bsd book so it’s quite fresh in my mind and the research done suggests that the longer a person has had type 2, the longer it takes to get the big results. That’s not to say they won’t come, just that it might take a bit longer.
7lbs is a fantastic start, just keep going and I’m sure you will soon see real health benefits.

Wow! You are clearly a force to be reckoned with! What an amazing opportunity you have created for yourself. I’m sure you will keep us up to date with your progress and I will look forward to reading about it.

Its often been said that you make your own luck so you will have buckets of it. So I wish you every success between now and 4th April!

Hi there,

So I’m starting the diet on Monday and have a query about exercise.

I’ve recently started going to the gym with my friend (we’re both trying to lose weight) and I’m unsure whether I can continue doing the same routine I have been doing.

We do a 10 minute warm up on the treadmill (slightly fast paced walk) then 40 minutes on a cross trainer (hill interval setting) and then a 10 minute cool down on the treadmill. On average, we burn 400 calories and do this 5 times a week.

My concern is that I will be burning half of my daily calories. Should I just see how I go? Start at a lower intensity and go from there?

Any advice would be appreciated.

By the way, I couldn’t believe the NHS website! It refers to the Mediterranean diet as being good, gives links to the research done in Spain (including the foods for each of the three groups studied), then instead of listing the foods that showed 30% fewer heart and blood sugar problems, they recommend the foods FOR THE CONTROL GROUP! These were the foods shown to be least good and were high carb, pasta, bread etc. with the lowest fat and oil! As a description of the so called Mediterranean diet, not accurate and very confusing. I felt very angry as people read this as advice for feeding their families. Nothing wrong with whole food carbs for healthy active children as a balanced part of an overall healthy diet, but to make them the biggest source of energy and recommending low fat from vegetable oil – it’s a discredited way of eating and responsible for our ballooning waists from ever younger ages! I sent them a complaint email.

Have only today found this website, after reading the blood sugar diet book. I saw your post and wonder – have you heard of, or do you already drink kefir? It’s very very good for your innards and packed with millions of beneficial bacteria, far more than yoghurt and the like. I have been drinking it daily for over a year now. I have some that I can send you to start you off if you like – it feeds and increases in milk, so the first lot should be all that you need, then you’ll be able to pass it on yourself. Best wishes.

Gate of heaven I really enjoyed reading your long post about what you eat. At present I’ve started the original 5:2 (that is, 500cals on two days per week and the rest eat a Mediterranean style diet). But I’m considering switching to the steady 800 Blood Sugar diet as it is blood sugar I’m concerned about and the quicker weightloss should deal with that better. But before I started I spent two weeks getting off hi carbs as I think I’m a little addicted, though it may be that I was craving more fat in my diet as bread and butter/peanut butter, cheese sandwich and savoury cheesy pastry things like quiche are all high fat as well as high carb, and are my chief crave foods. For the first week my sleep was very disrupted but after that things settled so I started on the diet. I plan to go another week at least using 5:2, look at the weight loss then probably switch to 800 per day for at least a month, probably the recommended two. I though 800 was so low I’d never manage it over time but after the 500 turned out to have surprising amounts of food I think adding an extra 300 and doing this every day will be fine.

Yes, I too read about Bulletproof on Dr Mary Eades blog (see ProteinPower.com), sent off for coffee beans and oil. I’m using double cream instead of butter at the mo, plus the oil. It’s really nice, makes a good drink, though not for a fast day. For a low carb, high fat diet Dr Micael Eades is good too. Dr Mosley’s run down of the research is so good in the BS diet book, I returned to it today as a reminder.

Gateofheaven, do you do gentle swimming?

Thanks heaps guys. Today was supposed to be a shopping and food prep day. Got the shopping done and then disaster struck in the form of my bestie losing her most precious horse. So meal prep went out the window and we had a drink to celebrate his life so headache disappeared from the drinks and so calories are sitting about 750 arm so we will try again tomorrow for the meal prep. And to top it off now one of the boys are sick. So we will be off for a Drs appt tomorrow now. But feeling confident that I didn’t go over the calories count so that’s a bonus in my book. The next big test will be on the weekend when we have my grandmothers 80th. But I will strive to stay away from the nibbles and eat salad. Thanks for all your positive vibes. It makes me think that this is worth it and in the end I’m helping myself be more active with my children as they grow up

I’m now in week 4 of the 8 week blood sugar diet. The first 3 weeks went by fine. No hunger and cheap and easy to follow. Lost roughly 2lbs a week. So I was thrilled the weight had started moving.

Now in week 4 I am not at all a happy chappie. I woke up Monday to an horrendous bout of IBS and spent the morning running to the loo. IBS a couple of times a month for a morning is not unusual for me, so I put it down to the over eating of broccoli on the Sunday.

Tuesday I spent another morning barely able to go a few steps away from the loo. A second day in a row is unusual for me but I wasn’t overly concerned, thinking that I must cut down a bit on vegetable fibre, and this day I also starved myself to give my stomach a rest.

Then yesterday, the third day, not only was I running to the loo all morning but it also flared up late afternoon as well. Another day I was scared of eating, so another day of starving myself.

I am lucky with the way IBS affects me, in as much as I am not in pain, I just simply have to stay close to a toilet for a morning. But then last night just before bed I started to get the most amazing pains in my stomach. I spent the whole night alternately walking the floor and laying down with a hot water bottle on my stomach desperately trying to get some relief.

I have never, ever, suffered with IBS like this.

This morning as I sit here I am still in agony and now constipated. I can barely stand up straight with the pain.

I am now worried that I have done my insides up like a kipper with this very strict diet. I don’t mean the 800 calories as that wouldn’t affect me, but the fact that all the fruit, berries and vegetable fibre I have been eating, to compensate for the processed fibre that I no longer eat, has really messed my system up.

Is, or has, anyone else had problems like this?

How are you feeling today Auntylil?

I’ve only lost another 1lb so 5lbs in ten days but the thing is that 5lbs appears to be staying off. Most diets I’ve been on, I weigh myself and get all excited that I’ve lost 5lbs and the next day 2 of those are back on. I also have done NO EXERCISE WHATSOEVER. I have bad arthritis in my knees so walking (a little bit) is about as energetic as I get and with the diabolical wind and rain we’ve had for the last few days I haven’t done any. Today we’re going to Bayeux, which is flatter than where I live, and the sun in shining, so I shall try and walk about a bit. Most importantly my BS has been in single figures since day 2 of this diet, which is fantastic. It sounds as though everyone here are long-term dieters like me and for once this diet seems to be giving people the incentive to carry on. Let’s hope we’ll all be stones lighter (if need be) by the summer.

I run a B&B and we have regular guests who come every May so my aim is to astound them because they won’t have seen me since last year. Although I’ve only lost 5lbs since the beginning of the month I have lost a total of 15lbs since November with the low carb diet, so it should start to show soon. In the past this is where I have lost the impetus (?) because a stone doesn’t even show but now I understand things better I just keep thinking of all that fat that must have disappeared from around my heart and liver!!!

Home tomorrow! We came to collect a special car hubby bought and are going back via the tunnel in the morning. The plan is to never get on another ferry after that awful crossing Monday evening!
Just went to Amazon Uk, found jumbo oats but they wanted £100 to deliver! Looked on Amazon Fr and found the same thing delivers for €9.99. Still a bit steep but am happy with that so have ordered Jumbo organic oats. Will have that for breakfast from the time I get home.
I will not count calories either just try to stick with healthy choices. I have Rose Elliots’ book on order for low carb vegetarian cooking which I hope will help.
I can get lentil, red kidney beans and chick peas in France but will need to hunt for more variety. We have a shop called Bio Co Op that may well have what I want.
Gradually I will make the changes. I did it with moving to clean food so am sure I can do this.

Thanks Penny, yes I need to buy something for that. Hopefully with better weather I’ll be able to walk further without getting soaked to the skin! I spend a lot of time in the garden, 1 acre) so I must burn up some calories doing that too.

PS I nearly always cook scrambled eggs in the microwave!

Hi Aly (when are you home, btw?)

I’m not much of a breakfast eater really…..often go without. I do quite like porridge, I make it with water and add a splash of milk when it’s cooked, however, it doesn’t keep me going and I will feel hungry a couple of hours later. If I eat eggs though (scrambled, poached or an omelette with bacon), that fills me up and keeps me going for several hours. I sometimes have Greek yogurt with berries – nice, but that doesn’t really fill me up or keep me going either. A slice of homemade rye toast is another thing that fills me up.

I guess it depends how strict you want to be…..we’re following the principles of this diet but aren’t being strict about sticking to the 800 cals, in fact I just don’t bother counting them because I know we are definitely eating less calories with our food choices. And we are still losing weight! I don’t see a problem with you eating oats for breakfast (maybe don’t follow it with toast though!), so long as you eat very few carbs the rest of the day. Well, that’s my view anyhow.

Sue

Two other complications….I live in France, I can get a box of Quaker Oats here and although in the UK for a few days and planning a trip to Tesco need a regular supply. Once home will investigate Amazon. My other problem is I have a wood burning oven! It takes a while to crank it up in the morning. Porridge done in the microwave is acceptable, eggs are not! I have a fledgling smallholding with lots to do first thing ( chickens, ducks and geese and bees arriving soon). This is all a learning curve and I will gradually work it out. It has to fit with my lifestyle to work. I am also on a clean food campaign!

I think it will be handy to see how we’re doing and not necessarily focus on weight (I have ishoos!)

I’m pre-diabetic and only testing on a morning:

Day 1 – 6.7
Day 2 – 5.8
Day 3 – 7.0
Day 4 – 5.7
Day 5 – 6.1
Day 6 – 6.1
Day 7 – 5.7
Day 8 – 5.7
Day 9 – 6.8 (I fell off the wagon yesterday and it’s not exactly called the 1 week diet is it!)

Be good when updating to copy and paste the whole list then add the new day at the bottom so people can easily read how things are going on the thread.

I’m only pre-diabetic, but it took 7 days to reach two lower readings (5.7 from a usual of 6.8), and I actually had a spike higher than I’ve ever had on day 3.

Good morning and we have the same dilemma at our breakfast table too.
I think uncut oats are okay, but instead of toast and trimmings, how about bulking out the scrambled eggs? Maybe turn into an omelette with peas and sweet corn, or peppers?

*Janet* Thanks! I don’t tend to take enough credit for myself but I must admit when I started I wondered if I would last a day so this is pretty good.

After yesterday, which when I added up the calories weren’t even as high as my whatever that thing is that is your basic calorie requirements, I’ve a renewed enthusiasm and am back on it. Especially as after two days of morning blood glucose being 5.7 it went back up to the usual 6.8 this morning (I’m pre-diabetic).