Thanks Janet – thanks for all the encouraging suggestions.
I am definitely going to try and moderate my eating on all of the days and definitely going to make low carb choices where I can.

It is this psychological battle with dieting that I have struggled with for years i.e you eat something ‘bad’ and think you’ve blown the whole diet – logically I know that isn’t the case and I really want to work on the beating myself up if things go slightly astray. I really want this diet to be a lifelong change to the way I view food.

I am on week 2 of the diet and haven’t faltered at all and feel really great on it and am losing weight which is my main goal – your encouraging comments have made all the difference to how I was viewing this holiday.

Thank you Janet1973! The moderation approach makes sense and the fact that there are no forbidden fruits is god news. See how it works out 🙂

Hi EIM

You are right, there are recipes that seem to contain forbidden foods but they are all limited to quite small amounts and would only appear two or three times across the week. I think the menu plans aim to give a wide variety of foods and nutrients but still in moderation.

Hi I am just about to embark on the Fast 800. Having read through the outline of the diet, I see nuts and seeds are encouraged to help you feel full and get vital nutrients.

I am allergic to hazelnuts and some other nuts with husks on and cannot eat seeds due to a digestive problem. Will I compromise my health if I leave these two elements out? Are there any alternatives?

Thats amazing Tuesday, very well done! If you have any tips for keeping hunger at bay, we’d love you to share them. Keep up the good work!

Hi Swabybrown
I’d say try not to despair, there can be all sorts of reasons for not losing weight and everyone is different. Are you keeping a food diary? Is there anything you are not writing down? Have you done a waist measurement and has that changed at all? Are you clothes feeling any looser? Do you do your own cooking? Do you have an underactive thyroid? How much water are you drinking and do you drink anything else? Are you eating plenty of protein and some fat? Lots of questions, the answer could be in there somewhere or maybe not. You may have to give it a few more days before you start seeing results.

Keep going for this next week and keep us up to date with your progress.

Hi Bernie
I hope you have a lovely time while you are away. I’m curious though, you said you are booked into restaurants for two days so what about the other three days? You may have decided to just let the diet go for the five days which is fine but if you want to try to limit the damage, there are some things you could do. You could stick to 800 cals the other three days. It may well be enough to balance out the other days and you could still lose weight. Only have one course in the restaurants or if its not possible, choose low carb or leave the carbs – the restaurants might customise your dishes if you ask. Keep an eye on your alcohol intake (if you drink alcohol), it not only adds calories but reduces will power too. Avoid any bread if they offer it. Don’t starve yourself before you go thinking it will help with the calorie count as you are more likely to be like a kid in a sweet shop and eat everything!

Of course, its only five days and we should make the most of holidays as we don’t get enough of them. Decide beforehand whether you are going to be semi-dieting or not at all and don’t beat yourself up while you are away. Its a chance to re-charge your batteries ready for a big push when you get back. Enjoy!

Hey all,

Newbie here. Been on this diet for 5 days now and feeling pretty good. Need some advice though. I am overweight but have never had blood sugar issues to date.

I got a Blood Sugar Monitor from my chemist yesterday and tried it yesterday 2 hours after lunch. It was a very reassuring 5.8 and my wife was a happy 4.9. Although very relieved we decided to monitor it for a few days to see if there were spikes.

Imagine our surprise this morning when, after a 13 hour fast I tested 8.2 and my wife tested 10.2. Are these ranges possible?
I’m using a FreeStyle Optium Neo, is this reliable?

It looks like I am not allowed to attached the link so you have to take my word for it.

If you don’t mind making the bread yourself, I can recommend a genius recipe which works delicious and is super healthy at the same time. I found the original in the book YumUniverse by Heather Crosby then slightly adapted it depending on what ingredients I had available at the time:
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten free in necessary)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 sunflower seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup chickpea flour (Besan works well, available in the Indian section of a known supermarket)
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbs coconut or olive oil
2 cups water

Method:
Preheat the oven to 325F, prepare two baking sheets. Place the sesame seeds, oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds and toast them on the oven for up to 10min. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients, mix well, cover and let sit 10-12 hrs – best overnight.

When ready, preheat the oven to 325F, line a loaf baking tin with parchment paper allowing the top edge of the paper to exceed the edge of the tin by an inch. so you can lift it easily out later.

The mixture will be very firm. Transfer it to the baking tin and using a wet spoon, a spatula or even year hands, press the mixture into the loaf tin.

Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven. Lift the loaf out and onto a baking tray. Now, flip the bread over tucking in the 0.5 inch of paper on each side underneath. Bake for another 45 min. Allow to cool and enjoy. This is incredible.

I have found yet another version of the same bread on a different blog – just have a look at the photos:
http://ohsheglows.com/2014/11/12/heathers-toasted-super-seed-power-bread-from-yum-universe-vegan-gf/

Hi Jennie
Is that NZ as in New Zealand? Welcome to the forums, Auntylil and I have both just joined this week too. I’m sure you’ll find these forums great fun.

I’m a total pepsi addict so one of my biggest challenges is switching to something sweetener -free. So I have been drinking fizzy water with cherry and apple tea bags, which remind me a bit of cherry coke and apple and cinnamon which smell like Christmas! I have to say it is more the smell than the taste that counts as I find all herbal/fruit teas don’t taste as strong or as sweet as they smell. But I have surprised myself that I have been able to enjoy them just fine. Mint and chai are my other favourites but I haven’t tried them cold or fizzy yet.

How are things going for you? What brought you to the blood sugar diet?

I’m away for 5 days in Cornwall at the end of Feb – not looking forward to going off the 800 cals but can’t see that I will be able to do this easily as we’re booked into fancy restaurants for two of the 5 days. Going to try and limit the carbs all the same and will be doing loads of walking so just hoping the weight gain won’t be huge – will be back on the diet as soon as we’re back.

Sounds like the tide is turning.
Let us know how you get on. I’m away at the Lemon festival in Menton this weekend and hoping I don’t succumb to the pastries!

I have been on the BSD for only 5 days and already lost 6 lbs . This is the best way of eating for me . Only been hungry once. I am going to keep this up . Can’t wait to see what 8 weeks will bring !

I’ve just finished reading the book but got a bit confused when I got to the recipe section. Michael advises to limit the tropical fruits whilst berries, pears and apples are fine. However, the very first breakfast recipes include fruit such as mango, melon, passion fruit and raisins… Can someone clarify please as I do love my fruit.Thank you 🙂

Well I made the muffins last week and popped them in the freezer ready for yesterdays day conference where I knew the lunch would be sandwiches, samosas crisps etc… I can’t say they were moist like a blueberry muffin, they were much more crumbly – but they weren’t too bad – not sure if freezing them released more moisture from the courgette and apple.

Hi Suzie
I’ve plateaued from the start! I’m on day 12. So far lost 2.5 lbs, one inch off waist despite doing 1000s of steps every day., and sticking to the diet. My sisters the same. It’s strange. But I am sleeping better and feeling better so I’m carrying on with fingers crossed.
Good luck
Penny

Thanks Nettyrim.
If your body behaves like mine (and everybody is different?) than you will notice a marked change in your blood pressure if you follow the diet. There is no doubt the foods suggested in the diet have a marked effect looking at the numerous reactions to change of diet. I think the other comments elsewhere on gut bacteria are illuminating and my stomach rumbles told me something was going on!

I was on 5mg Linisipril and after the first significant change in blood pressure reduced my dosage to 1/2 pill ie. 2.5mg. When the BP readings continued to stay low (I also felt a little giddy from time to time) I felt it was worth trying without and have felt better for a week now.
I monitor my BP regularly anyway (3-4 times per week) and my readings have dropped from 130/70 on the 5mg dosage to 108/68 on none.
Let us know how you get on with the Glicazide.

Has anyone else had this happen? Am active lady over 60 go to the gym and need to loss 16lbs, bought the book and started the 800 cals and no carbs diet Monday and really stuck to it but no results?Jumped on the scales expecting great things and disappointed lost zero, nothing! Am dreaming of carbs and missing bread like crazy but don’t feel hungary and found first 3 days really hard and thought it will all be worth it. Wonder as I am not a diabetic or if anyone else expereinced this.

I have my diabetic review next week and anticipating a negative response. I tried to raise a low carb diet last year after reading about the Newcastle research. I was just signposted to the usual website UK Diabetes as she didn’t recommend a low carb approach .. I’m a nurse myself and was disappointed in such a closed mind. This time I will just inform them I am on the programme and invite them to monitor my progress and be involved if they wish . I have 2 friends who are mature onset diabetics who now have blood sugars in the normal range. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Hi Bill1954. Today is my last day of the 8 weeks and it has certainly worked for me. Fasting BG at start was 10.9, now usually in the 5s, with occasional 6 (yesterday it was 4.9!!!). Always struggled to get it under 7 previously so delighted with that 😃. Weight down 27 pounds so far, meaning I’ve lost about 12.5% of my starting body weight. BP down BMI down from 40.9 to 36.2. Down nearly 2 dress sizes. Began this journey on 19th December but managed to stick to it over Christmas and New Year. Was at a day conference, with lunch. Pre-booked the beef lunch but no dessert. Ate the beef, carrots and the few bits of leek I could find, hid the mashed potato under the Yorkshire pudding and avoided roast potatoes and parsnips when the veg dish came round. The waitress did think it strange I wasn’t having dessert! But they honestly didn’t look that great.

I feel better, have more energy, think more clearly, better concentration. Less joint pain. Even lost a cough I’d had for ages (found out it could be a reaction to the bread I was eating).

I’m 65, in a stressful full-time job, and I’m so glad I found this book when I did. I’d gone back to bad habits after a particularly stressful year and was being threatened with Metformin so knew I needed to do something.

My diabetes nurse is monitoring me monthly because of the speed of change. I gave her a copy of the book and she is very supportive. Her friend is doing 5:2 and she was familiar with the work of Dr Mosley and Prof Taylor, which helps.

Sorry for long reply. Any more questions, please ask. I’m glad to help if I can.

I think you are right to be cautious. I have a family history of high cholesterol and have not adjusted my statin dosage until the surgery confirm my blood test results (at least). Nonetheless I think it worth reviewing going forward and if I can get off the medications completely that has to be better, providing there are no side-effects.
I will be interested to see your report-back including the GP’s response.
Good luck

We now have a bread making machine languishing at the back of a cupboard after being a daily use for 6 years. I used to make full wholemeal, on nurses advice, until I actually tested!
I miss the smell in the morning, but the lower blood results are welcome.
Some ideas of recipes for a low carb bread would be welcome for after the 8 weeks. Something on the lines of Burgen, or Lidl high protein rolls. Loads of linseeds etc. but some flour replacement might be necessary.

Hi Bill
Could it be that you’re not eating enough? I don’t really understand the science but maybe it’s worth trying some full fat cottage cheese and doing what you did before. Doesn’t the liver release sugar? I remember reading that sometimes people need to eat later so their liver doesn’t dump sugar overnight.
Worth a try because last week your level were better.
Good luck

Hey captainlynne, so, as the first to post that you’re approaching the end of 8 weeks, how has it worked for you ? BS and weight both down ?
I really hope so.

I sympathise Meggy, I tried coconut flour pancakes and fairy cakes and they too went to feed the birds.

I’m having trouble getting my head round this. If anything I’ve been stricter with the diet this week but my sugar level this morning was 8.1. My total food yesterday was zero fat cottage cheese with celery for lunch and a small steak, of which I left half, with mushroom and onions for dinner.
It’s almost as if the diabetes is fighting back.
Well it had better be in it for the long haul coz I ain’t giving up !!!

Hello!
Just joined from NZ. I drink a lot of water so got a tap filter which improves the taste. Putting bubbles in with a Sodastream improves it more. But it can still be boring. Would love to know more about cooled herb teas that people have tried. Some are good with fizzy water. I like lemon grass and ginger, and lemon verbena makes a nice lemonade without the acidity of lemon (and went down well with the family.) Taking the trouble to serve it in a pretty glass helps too.

Liquorice tea seems to help with craving for sweetness but I’m told it can speed up the heart. Doesn’t for me. Haven’t tried it cold or fizzy. Might do that 🙂

Hi Kevpartner welcome

Carbs are complicated! There’s good & bad ( not so good ) ones. The daily amount or reference intakes as they are now known, are a mine field to decipher on lots of web sites. I can’t take many carbs as they spike my blood sugars. It took a long time & years before type 2 diagnosis for me to recognise this
Here goes.

Diabetes uk diabetes.org.uk daily CARBS
Women = 230g. Men = 300g. Varies according to age, weight & activity levels. Carb consumption = major factor in glucose control therefore portion size important

NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk. Average size woman doing avg amount physical activity Reference daily intake
Energy – 8,400Kj/2,000 Kcal. Total Fat 70g. Saturates 20g. CARBOHYDRATES 260g. Total Sugars 90g. Protein 50g
Salt 6g

USA. Institute of medicine. iom.nationalacademies.org. Adults should get calories from – 45% – 65% from CARBS
20% – 35% from fat & 10% – 35% from protein. At least 130g of CARBS per day

UK NHS wants us to conform to the eatwell plate!

45% – 65% CARBS of 800 calories daily is between 90g – 130g of CARBS daily

The original SHAKES used in the Newcastle uni diet with Prof Roy Taylor were Optifast (an Australian based company , hard for us to get hold of same). Optifast.com.au. This is a breakdown of their SHAKES
VLCD = very low calorie diet. 3 shakes a day + up to 3 portions of non – starchy veg each day for fibre content to provide another 200 calories. Original 800 calorie diet
SHAKES = Energy Kj 870. Energy cal 207. Protein 17.5g. Fat 4.5g. CARBOHYDRATES 22.5g. Sugar 17.8g. Dietary fibre 3.6g. Gluten NO. Lactose YES. GI 24 – 33
Three Shakes a day at 22.5g is 67.5g CARBS daily + CARBS in the Veg. This was a controlled experiment with 800 calories under strict medical supervision Google ncl type 2 diabetes. Print out what you need

50 – 70g of CARBS daily is low enough to produce Ketones. Ketosis burns fat! Be very careful of this especially if you are Type 1 diabetic on insulin. We want to burn the fat off BUT safely!

Lots of info for you to check out yourself & make suitable decisions on. Read Going Low Carb BSD book by
Dr Mosley p 80. Check the GI value & CARBS in your food & try & stick with the Mediterranean diet. It’s only 8 weeks of your life, but it could save it
Best of luck. We’re here to help
Eureka

I would really like more info on this too. Some sites suggest aiming for 15g carbs per meal, max of 50g/day for type 2 on a low carb diet. I’ve found I really need to be vigilant and use a diary app to monitor my carb intake, otherwise I can eat low cal foods but still have a high carb intake. By keeping my carbs to 45-50g a day I can maintain a fasting blood sugar under 5.5, and under 7 after meals. This works for me. I think you have to see what works for you by doing a few days of blood sugar monitoring at different times of the day, and keep track of what carbs you ate so you can see your body’s response to them. Good luck kevpartner with your healthy eating, wishing you success

Hi Chloee
Michael says weighing often is better, people do better if they do. I weigh every day and measure my waist every day. If I’m not down it motivates me to try harder, if I am down it motivates me and cheers me up. I used to hate waiting all week then being disappointed. Much better to be disappointed sooner and sort it out sooner!
Penny

Although I didn’t mind omitting the Glicazide, I would be more cautious about the BP meds until I have the OK from my GP. There is a history of diabetes and linked cardiac events in my family, so better safe than sorry in my case. I’ll check it out tomorrow and report back to the forum. Magiek

Hi Niffer
Keep going, it will get better.
Penny

Hi Paula
Those meats won’t spike your BG so you ll be alright!
Penny

Day 8 update, fasting bs 7.2. I am honestly amazed.

Today was the first day I haven’t been starving by lunch 🙂 so much that I didn’t actually WANT lunch! Had skinny bolog for tea and wasn’t even tempted to dessert. Did have a glass of red wine 🙂

My chocolate is in the fridge ; )

Thanks for the tip on the cauliflower and I’ll let you know how the muffins go

I have been on the diet for 10 days and already feeling the benefits, lost 8lbs in weight, 1.5 inches from my waist, sleeping better, much less moody, more energy… – until I made a mistake today! I was at a conference and forgot to ask for a salad for lunch (they only offered saandwiches) and had to rush to M&S for something. Quickly picked up a harissa chicken with cous cous (harissa chicken is in the book right)? I glanced at the ingredients, saw 5.2g sugars and thought ‘not too bad’ rushed back, wolfed it down and carried on with my day. Tonight I feel super bloated, irritable, shattered and generally yuk so thought I’d better take a closer look at the ingredients of my lunch on my fitness pal – there’s over 32g carbs (5g sugars)! Is this why I feel so rubbish, does this mean I can never eat carbs again!? Scary!

I know that walnuts are really good in the diet but what of other sorts of nuts?

Almonds I know are good, pistachios are also supposedly in the frame too but what of these:
Cashews
Brazil Nuts (lots of Selenium v. good) lots of calories
Macadamia nuts even more calories
Hazel/cobb nuts
Pecans?

Nuts make good snack food but with some at over 700 kcal per 100 grams you could easily blow an 800 per day limit even on a small handful.

I would think if your pasta was too soft cook it less the first time _ instead of 4 say 3 min

The reason I understood from the tv program was that it changes the carb from a simple on which is harder to convert and becomes additional fiber!! but you can google the episode of Trust me I’m a doctor and watch !!

This diet is absolutely worth doing. I started on 26 January, my blood sugar reading has gone from 19.1 to 5.4, I’ve lost 11lbs. I’m going to see my GP in the morning to see if I can reduce my Metformin (on 1500mg pd).

Superred it is not a good idea to stop your medication without talking to your doctor, especially if you are on insulin. You have to be on the diet for a while until your readings start to change.

I hope your doc will be pleased with your results and help you sort out your meds.

I have reduced my glicazide first as I was getting very low by end of the working day. I think my blood pressure is coming down too so may play with that next. Interesting that you found your sugar came down when you stopped taking some of your
meds

Have tried a couple of recipes that have turned out to be food for the birds… Anybody made something nice to enjoy with a cup of tea..

I bought coconut and almond flour.. Have tried to make the pumkin seed muffins from the book… Obviously did something wrong. The mixture was really dry and ended up going to birds …… Any suggestions would be appreciated…..maybe try the brownie mix next ….

Hi Magiek

I was interested to read your posting as I too have been concerned about the response of the practice nurse and GP at my surgery, who are not in favour of the VLCD.

I am in the 3rd week of the diet and for the first time today my fasting blood sugar has dropped 1 unit below any of the preceding results. Hoping this is the turning point. I have also reduced my hypertension medication steadily and finally gave it up the day before yesterday. Then the next blood sugar reading I take has dropped by the 1 unit to 4.6. I’m wondering if there is a connection?

So I follow your thinking that it would be good to have a thread that tracks peoples experience of the EFFECT OF OTHER MEDICATION on their blood sugar level.

Stay tuned….

Thanks Penny I have to say I am quite enjoying it so far! Felt a bit too hungry tonight after the steamed fish and went swimming which burnt it off. Have had to have a few almonds and a square of dark choc. Get me, pushing the boat out! Lol

Ddraig I did the cauli rice in the oven for a bout 12 mins. Much nicer that on a previous diet when I did it in the microwave.
Please let me know how the muffins go as I am tempted with them.

Had the mushrooms and goats cheese this morning and could have eaten tons of them very tasty!

Soooo tempted to stand on the scales tonight but resisted until Monday. Hope I am not disappointed

I found coconut flour at Waitress – expensive but a fairly big bag

I’m not diabetic or pre, but doing 800cal BSD as there are three diabetics in family. You say keep off the white stuff (bread, pasta, cereals or rice), does that mean there are some breads, rice I can eat? I have only been on diet four days and kept off all these foods, lost 5lb so far. Also is sweet potatoe ok, In the book I think it says can be eaten but Not sure I should.

My husband makes his own bread and I am trying to work out if he can make a low GI bread that I could occasionaly have, maybe on a Saturday. He loves making bread and I actually feel guilty stopping him from his much loved hobby.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sounds idyllic, where you live. I bet your dogs love their walks. I have an underactive thyroid too, taking 75 mcg a day but I think having it makes it harder to lose weight. Its one of my big questions whether I can lose weight as quickly as the others here. I’m glad you’re enjoying a glass of red and music is great therapy. I’m less worried about you now! I can’t drink red wine myself, it all tastes like vinegar to me but I see that as a blessing really. Coffee is a different story but I love a sweet latte and there just isn’t room for the calories. I do intend to have one once a week though, which I hope will be a carrot to keep me going. I must look for these TED talks, I’ve heard there are all sorts of interesting topics covered.

So my husband is rolling his eyes at the thought of me starting yet another crazy diet and thinks I fall for anything. Absolutely hope I can prove him wrong with this one!

Have a lovely evening!