My experience is the opposite of yours Squidgy. I always used to get the dawn phenomenon but in the last week or so my bedtime reading equals my morning fast read and there’s been the odd day where the morning fast has been lower than the bedtime read. I’ll get the occasional outlier reading, ie, a high morning fast reading, but my readings seem to have settled in the 5.5 to 6 range in the mornings. They were 10+ when I started the BSD. Given I’ve been a diagnosed diabetic since 2002, that’s very impressive. I’ve been on the program for about 4 weeks now and don’t necessarily stick to the 800 calories but I haven’t had a starchy carb, bread or pasta since I’ve started. I have a lot of weight to lose (8 stone) and its coming off but all I really wanted to achieve was the stabilisation of my BSL.

I’ve just got my latest HB1AC test result today and it was 8.2 and my GP was just about to add Gliclazide to my Metformin but I showed him my spreadsheet of my BSL readings since I’ve started the BSD and I’ve got a reprieve. He switched me over to Metformin XR a few months ago which apart from the side effects didn’t seem to work as well as straightforward Metformin. So I’m back on 2000mg of Metformin a day and will re-test everything again in late April by which time I would’ve done the 8 weeks and be on maintenance and hopefully see the improvements (and cross fingers a reduction in my medication).

Interestingly for me Squidgy, I get a higher BSL reading after exercise than I do before, so not sure if this is impacting your results too. I’m doing a water based exercise program here in Oz where I live specifically tailored for diabetics so I’m in the pool 3 times a week and try and do my 10000 steps the other non-swim days.

Thanks Pesco. I’ve just come from my GP and told him about Dr Mosley (even showed him the copy of my book) and told him to watch SBS on Tues night. He’s heard of Dr Mosley, so at least I didn’t have to educate him about that part of things. I’ll be recording the show just in case I can’t watch it live.

Thanks Pesco,
Will definitely be looking out for that one.

Hi Shadow,
Welcome to the forum, there have been quite a few people asking for more guidance on carb counts. All carbs count, including fruit, veg and any juice included in the recipes. As you are measuring your blood sugars and monitoring your intake, you will soon get a feel for how many carbs your body can handle. My advice would be to use the eight weeks to learn how your body responds and then use this information as a guide when you start eating the low carb Mediterranean diet that follows on from this. That should help you to maintain the good results you’ll achieve on the fast 800.
There are a couple of helpful threads too.
One thread is in the fast 800 forum called something like “how many carbs in the fast 800”. There are also a couple more in this forum but I don’t remember the name of the threads. Someone has quoted from a website giving advice on carb counts for people with different levels of activity. Another one has calculated the carb counts for the various recipes in the book and has said they come out spot on for the carb levels used in the Newcastle Zuni research. You might have to scroll through a few threads to find them.

Hi Landrews22
I also like a sweetened cuppa, so have done quite a bit of research on sweeteners. You are right that it is better not to use them, and to train your taste buds not to want them. However, this is one thing which I am finding difficult, especially as a sweetened cuppa can both fill me up, and hit the spot when craving something sweet.
Anything which contains aspartame is a definite no no for me, (just do a quick google if you want all the reasons), so I would advise against ‘no added sugar’ cordials as they nearly all contain it. For tea/coffee, I think xylitol is best. It is a natural product, not a chemical, and it does not raise blood sugar levels. The downside is that as it is not absorbed in the gut, it can produce gas, and have a laxative effect if you have too much. However, as one of the side effects of this diet for some people is constipation, that may be no bad thing!!! Stevia is another option, but most stevia products are mixed with erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, and stevia on it’s own (if you can find it) has an unpleasnt aftertaste. Good luck finding what suits you best.

I think it probably is to do with production. The body will reduce its supply of breastmilk if calories are too restricted – which is bad news for a baby which is relying on breastmilk for sustenance, but wouldn’t be such a big deal for a toddler. The toddler may complain a bit is the only problem I can foresee!

Hi, pmshrink, it’s wonderful to be happy about clothes being too big, isn’t it? I’m going to delve deeper into my stored too small clothes and see if I can find some smaller sized trousers! When I reach my goal weight I am going to treat myself to some new clothes as a little reward! Hope you get replacement smaller trousers back soon!

Maybe it’s the coconut flour I got?! It was far too runny with just the 1 1/2 and I used proper measuring spoons. I got the flour from Holland and Barrett it’s called coconut flour frenzy.

I tried the cake things and they tasted alright. I used the same flour, so maybe if a different flour was used you would need less.

5 tablespoons of coconut flour frenzy ( 5 x 15ml)
1 dessert spoonfuls of granular sucralose sweetener (10ml)
1 teaspoon baking powder (5ml)
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil (15ml)
1 egg
Decent splash of vanilla essence

Fan oven 180 C

Mix all the ingredients well.
Put teaspoonfuls onto very well oiled baking tray.
I put 7 1/2 separate blobs on the tray

When golden brown take out of oven and use spatula to get them off the tray straight away and onto a cooling rack.

I don’t know what the calories are, but I didn’t think one would hurt.

This morning’s stats. Weight 10 St 13 lbs, blood sugar 11.6 (stress? Or my body releasing glucose into my system). Biggest surprise is Waist measurement it’s now 37 1/2 inches – it has gone down a whole inch.

I call my cakes “Sue’s coconut cake thingys”

Hope everyone is keeping going. I have felt hungry today, but I am keeping going, if I can do it when I’m stressed then how much easier is it going to be when the current oldie problem is sorted ☺

I’m doing the diet with my husband and we’re both getting on well, especially my husband, my loss slower. The recipes in the book are great guide, but unfortunately I have to work out the calories for each one myself after finding quiet a few discrepancies. The main one so far is the ‘Skinny Chilli’. It’s says in book serves 8 and 460 calories per serving. I’ve worked it out twice and, without the unspecified amount of Greek yogurt, it’s more like 270. No wonder my husband is losing weight fast, he’s not been having enough calories!,

Hi auntylil – I’m not vegetarian but I do have quite a lot of meat /fish free meals. (not vegan though)

For breakfast I enjoy avocado or grilled portobello mushroom & poached egg, or yogurt and berries with chia seeds, scrambled eggs , omelette etc
For lunches I make a lot of soup – todays was Brussel sprout and Butternut squash which was surprisingly good (I used to make this with chestnuts which are too high carb now so swapped for Butternut squash), but also tomato, spicy butternut squash, carrot and courgette, spinach, beetroot, lentil etc. I tend to make a couple of pots at the weekend, then divide into portions and freeze. That means I can mix up and have a different kind each day – either in a flask or a clip mug if I have access to a microwave. Other options are cottage cheese or hummus with salad – I make sure I have lots of variety in salad including peppers, radishes, capers, gherkins, olives etc.
In the evening I’ve had veg frittatas, spicy bean burgers (from the book), veg chilli, ratatouille etc. Feta, goats cheese or mozzarella is a nice addition if you can eat cheese.

I like the look of the mushroom risotto in the book – made with cauliflower rice but I haven’t tried it yet.

I’ve discovered coconut water which I love as a treat and have been trying soya/ almond milks as a change from dairy, not too keen on them so far. Good luck

Good to read your post – I’m also a fan of Rose Elliott. Lots of what you write I can relate to.

I find food a bit of a challenge for various reasons – we all do I guess – for me it’s that I can’t do dairy as I was born lactose intolerant and I don’t seem able to digest fat too well. Mushrooms, Miso and Soy Sauce have given me some problems too but although I’m not rigidly adhering to the diet it has lead to me eating sensibly and more healthily and I hope to resume soon. I’m resting on 1000 calories approx. this week and next as my blood pressure dropped and gp suspects pernicious aneamia to complicate matters. Perhaps the 5:2 diet will prove more suitable.

As I’m not pre- diabetic or diabetic I have to work things out re: adapting the diet. I aim to lose 3 stone. Buying a bread-maker last year was my undoing. Last week I got a copy of Peace and Parsnips and wholeheartedly recommend it if you haven’t got it. I like Quorn fillets too and I will eat fish occasionally, usually salmon.

I am disappointed I couldn’t sustain the momentum of the first two weeks, I was very happy at first. It seems to be working extremely well for a lot of people and I wish for you a happy & healthy outcome – it takes guts to treat our guts this well!

Sorry elgordo, I realise it wasn’t clear what I meant. The fast 800 is the starting point to lose weight and lower blood sugar levels. It is also the start of learning a new way of eating, cooking and thinking about what types of foods make up a healthy diet for someone with type two diabetes.
After the eight weeks we will still need to follow a low carb Mediterranean diet to maintain those results. We will have to adjust the calories upwards once we reach a desired weight. For most of us who are type two, this has to become our lifestyle or we will end up back where we started.

Hi – yes I too have found that I get quite different results when I use a calorie counter such as Nutracheck. Almost always the results are higher than quoted in the book, sometimes by quite a lot.

I usually go for a chicken breast around 140g. which is around 150cal

Hi All – I’m over 4 weeks in now and weight loss is going well – just over a stone down, 10% of total body weight, and within 9lb of my target of BMI < 25. I’m sticking strictly to the 800 calorie count, avoiding alcohol, sugar , carbs.

My main issue is that whilst my blood glucose levels through the day are great – generally between 4.4 and 7, my average fasting blood glucose has steadily risen from 6.3 in week 1 to 9.2 this week.

The previous day I’d had avocado and poached egg for breakfast, homemade butternut squash soup for lunch, and salmon green beans and swede for dinner, and a few nuts (809 cals) . I’d also completed over 10k steps and a body balance class. So waking up to BG of 9.6 was a bit of a shock.

I’m fairly sure it’s the dawn phenomenon – I have in the past woken up and tested my blood sugar a few times during the night and it seems to spike around 4am. Just not sure what I can do about it, if anything.

I stopped gliclazide after week 1 in agreement with GP as some of my levels were on the low side through the day, so I guess it’s possibly just related to that but I think if it goes above 10 I’ll probably have to think about restarting the medication which would be disappointing. I’m still on 2000mg metformin which I was hoping to cutback too, but not until I’m a bit more stable.

Anyone else seeing sugar levels going the wrong way?

For anyone in Australia (and possibly everyone else as you may be able to watch the program live or later via the website), Michael Mosley will be one of the guests on this week’s Insight program ‘Beating Diabetes’. Professor Roy Taylor from Newcastle University and Lara Jarzabek, a fellow BSDer (and who may be on this forum) are also guests.

SBS1 TV
Date: Tuesday 1 March 2016
Time: 8.30pm

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/beating-diabetes

Just out of interest. I have a friend who had gestational diabetes and wants to lose weight, but she’s breastfeeding a 1 year old toddler. What’s the reason for not doing this diet while breastfeeding? I could understand if it would affect the milk she produces, but her toddler eats normal meals so it doesn’t matter if her milk production goes down.

Can anyone shed any light?

All the best with your 8 week journey Kev. I’m 12 days into the diet and all is going well. I lost 2.5kg (5.5lbs during the first week). For the first 10 days or so, I felt very tired and weak, especially following my gym workouts. I was drinking plenty of water but I discovered that drinking half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water beforehand, helps enormously. Thus, I’m now feeling fine. In fact, I’m about to drink that salty water as I’m on the way to the gym.

Keep us up-to-date with your progress.

Cheers.

tbh I measure the blueberry, green tea shake. The book states it’s abt 100. It was 178 so had to jiggle everything

If i was you, I’d use my fitness pal or a calorie counter and just weigh it. That way you’ll get the exact count.

Hi Janey76 I’m on day 4 and I’m not to hungry today. However, yesterday I could’ve eaten anything. I’m trying to drink fizzy water every time I get a hunger pang. Seems to help. But stick with it, keep your mind busy and goodluck

That’s great news Pat! How has week 2 gone? I lost 2.5kg (5.5lbs) in week 1. I’m now 12 days into the diet and going well.

Hi, well back today and INR is on the way up. More Wafarin, up to an average of 4.8 mg from today.

@nana not sure that the veggies are a problem, I have not taken to eating the bad guys for Warfarin any more than I did before, I love my greens but have been assiduously avoiding them for years. Just have to live with it I suppose.

Hi everyone, just to say first week down and lost 5lbs which for me is amazing! Was on weight watchers for 8 weeks before this and had only lost 5 so really impressed. No more chips this week and have broken the latte habits, no if need coffee have with skinny milk and water half and half as was kindly advised . Looking forward to next week.

Hi Auntylil,

Thanks for starting this post.

I am a pesco-vegetarian and have been vego/vegan in one guise or another for 33 years. It was only when I became vegan at the age of 24 that I gained 10kg! I believe it was due to the shift to eating a high carb diet (albeit mostly wholegrain and low GI) where 55 to 75% of my calories came from carbs (including vegetables and legumes). Whenever I reduce my carbs dramatically, I lose weight.

I started eating (sustainable) fish a year ago in order to combat the number of carbs I eat. I also started eating a handful of nuts a day and upped my consumption of cheese. I’ve always eaten full fat products as I’ve never subscribed to the low-fat doctrine, which thankfully in recent times, has been turned on its head (e.g. The French Paradox).

I have been substituting all of the chicken recipes in the book with Quorn fillets which works well.

Thanks to a suggestion from another BSDer on another thread, I have purchased Rose Elliot’s The Vegetarian Low Carb Diet and Cookbook and also Celia Brooks’ Low Carb & Gluten Free Cookbook and her 5:2 Vegetarian for maintenance once the 8 week ends (Brooks is a fan of the 5:2 diet).

Cheers.

Hi all, here I am on the end of my first day !. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster today, mainly as I had to get up for work at 4am and then cycle to work, but all in all, I’m doing OK. I’ve had some strange emotions today, must admit I’ve been a bit irritable and at one point around lunchtime I got a little anxious which was unsettling !. Around 4pm I had a really bad headache, but that may just be tiredness !.
I must admit, I haven’t been hungry today, not once ! My brain has tried to trick me a few times, (the cheese looked rather appealing when I was making the kids lunches earlier on !),but I haven’t given in.
So, I’ve had three meals today and no snacks, this is a rundown,

Breakfast – Green juice with Kale, Spinach, frozen berries, nuts and seeds, half an avocado and some coconut water.
Lunch – A green salad with a boiled egg and sardines
Dinner – White fish and steamed vegetables

I’ve also drunk 2 1/2 litres of water today as I’ve been particularly thirsty.

I’m going to check in every day with a mini-blog, mainly for my own satisfaction, but also to help others .

Tips so far ? I’ve found chewing some sugar free gum is great for getting rid of a hunger pang, also practicing mindfullness, that is distracting myself away from silly and unhealthy food choices. I also know that I may slip up from time to time, but I’m in this for the long haul !!.

I weighed myself this morning, and after getting over the shock !! I have the following results –

Wt – 261.4 lbs

And my fasting blood sugar was 6.7, which means I’m pre-diabetic !. If ever something was going to spur me on it’s that !! Jeez, I’m only in my forties, and I’m pre-diabetic !!

The plan is to weigh myself twice a week, and check my B/S weekly.

Anyway, that’s it for now, all the best

Kev
.

Thanks very much for your replies Cherrianne, Bill and Bizibee. Twelve days into the diet, the physical exhaustion has now subsided thanks in part to drinking half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water before my workouts. Upping the (lost) salt intake really helps and as I have low-normal blood pressure, salt isn’t an issue for me.

Hello Ella. I’m dairy and gluten intolerant but substitute soya products and have still lost weight. I do always check the sugar content, but the one I use has very similar amounts to full milk .

Hi, keep at it ! I’m on my first day today and have coped ok, but have actively made a point of keeping away from food (other than what I’ve allowed myself to eat).I had a major headache earlier on, but I think that is more to do with getting up at 4am for work !!
How about we both check in whenever possible, and offer some advice !!
Good luck and keep at it !! You can do it.

Kev

Hi Amanda
I agree. With nangemac
Fat stops you being hungry. Michael specifies full fat dairy plus plenty of olive oil and butter.
Penny

excellent 🙂

It is fabulous reading all your fantastic and some of your posts Bill1954 have been particularly helpful. With such a different diet it great to get support. Can anyone tell me how many grams of carbs we should have each day please? Are carbs in vegetables excluded from this total. I use fitness pal to record all mine which i find really good.

My weight was down again this morning and hopfully my blood sugars will show a bit of a drop in the morning. In common with everyobe else I gave to succeed with this eating plan.
Bill1954 hope your eye is improving.

Hi All
Well done on your weight loss…I’m in week four and no weight loss this week but still 12lbs down since I started this. Have slipped a bit this week so must get back on the horse rather than keep eating it!
Have just had a call from my Doc with blood results down to 50 from 79 last time so pretty pleased with that…I think. Anyway a big improvement and had been on the diet less than 3 weeks when bloods were taken so still room for improvement.
Vitamin D was normal and I really feel much better after that was sorted out.
Good luck to you all.

Totally down with you on the flax and chia seeds Hawkeye! LOTS of fibre needed here! lol xx

Hi Oscarbelle
Yes you sound like you’ve got too much to do. It’s so tempting for some of us to eat when we need to rest. I’m trying to switch it to a small coffee just to get me through.
I think you’re right about the raisins and apple juice. I’m surprised they’re in there. More yogurt is a much better idea, maybe more seeds as well.
Good luck
Penny

I use sweeteners in my tea/coffee instead of sugar. Whilst I know it is probably better not to, is this okay to continue with and, if so, what is considered to be the best brand (I currently use Splenda).

In addition, are ‘no added sugar’ cordials ( diluted orange squash) okay to occasionally drink?

Hi Ella, Yeah I think Soy and other alternatives are absolutely fine. I think you just need to check the carb content & also whether they have added sugar – if not all good 🙂 Good luck xx

Hi Nidge
I’m glad to hear you’re feeling good. It’s a difficult lifestyle to stay healthy on. So glad you’re tackling it.
I had 30 lbs to lose and have lost 6 in 3 weeks. Which is lower than most but I’m ok with it. I’ve lost 4″ off my waist which is great. My three ‘vital statistics’ ( do people still say that? ) were all the same ( ! ) so 4″ less in the middle is great news. I worked out that given you need a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound of flab it is about right for me to have lost 6. 21,000 calories I haven’t eaten! About a 1000 a day deficit which makes sense.
Hope we all continue to tackle our difficulties and succeed.
Penny

Thank you..

I definitely think you’d need more calories with that much daily activity. It wouldn’t hurt to up your intake a bit and see if it makes you feel better – I’m pretty sure you’d still be losing weight.
I haven’t been calorie counting, just eating the Mediterranean style diet, and despite not being very active atm (due to a foot injury I’m getting sorted out), the weight is still falling off me. Once my foot is better and I start walking long distance and running again I’ll add more calories back in, even specifically carbs because otherwise I feel like I might find it hard to get enough calories because I’m already eating plenty and still losing weight!

Yah,
Absolutely Bill. I think there are a lot of here feel ‘this has to work’.
I know I do and at 60 I am so fed up battling with my weight. I’ve been doing on and off all my life and I’ve had enough.
All the more upsetting because I’m not a junk food eater and really believed I was eating the right things to take care of myself but now I know better.
As an extra boost I’m doing the sponsored Giving up Chocolate for March in aid of The British Heart Foundation.
A few sponsors behind me might give me an extra incentive 😊

Ah thanks TP – taken on your advice – I do feel very very tired but also on ‘the right track’ so pressing onwards ….. ☺️

Hi Hadimoto
That’s great. Time for a belt! I just bought some trousers and have to send them back. Too big!
Penny

Hi Bill
That’s great news!
Penny

Hi MBee
I don’t envy you juggling this diet with three young children, elderly mum and a job, but you are already ahead of me, as you seem to have the exercise sorted – big motivational issue for me. The BSD does take a bit of planning, stick with it though, because it will give results for sure. With the daily calorie allowance being so low, it will be hard to save any for evening snacks, but if you are careful during the day, I guess it might be possible.

Good luck with the diet and let us know how you get on.

Same to you elgordo, after all, we’re all on the same journey, just for different reasons.

Hi, I’m a newbie. Got the book at the weekend. Have started halfheartedly in the last couple of days, but need to get a good grip on calorie counting. I’m mid 40s, 3 young children, job, elderly mother, been overweight for 10 years since my eldest was born. I’m pretty active – can run 5k and do an hour and a half’s ashtanga class without passing out – but can’t seem to shift the weight, increasingly round my middle, and determined to do something before it’s too late and becomes a medical emergency. Evening snacking is my nemesis.

Hi Vickitum – glad things are progressing well for your too. Know what you mean about the drinking thing, it is one of my downfalls too – having to make a conscious effort to drink plenty as well. Have found I can get by planning meals on the day, although I have an idea what I’m going to have for breakfast each day, before I go to bed – yogurt and raspberries have feature quite prominently though.

Overall it’s not been as challenging as I thought I might be.

Hi CheesyPeas, I think it would be interesting to see how many calories you are burning on your walk to and from work. You could probably make up what you are burning with extra food/fuel/energy. This may help with your fatigue!

Hi Malkay
That all sounds perfect! I am now reading another book by Jenny Ruhl called ‘diet 101: the truth about low carb diets’ which is the book ‘low carb problems solved ‘ is distilled from. Really interesting so far.
I’m fairly stalled at the moment I think also not exercising enough. I’m averaging about 5000 steps. Only doing Pilates once a week. I think Jenny Ruhl says a lot of stalling is caused by not enough exercise or gradually having a little bit more carb here and there. I have had to ban my partner from offering me cake!
Penny

Me too Jane 🙂