I am on day 8 today, and have lost 3cm off my waist and 2.8kg, so very happy so far. The first few days were tough, finding a routine. I combine it with 16:8, and even found I did 2 fasting days accidently, so happy about how things have changed. Sure, I am craving sweet things, and have already thought about Easter, lol, but its just 8 weeks, and things will get better.

For meal planning, I found this website: https://www.eatthismuch.com/
I normally have used MyFitnessPal, but this one has been lots easier to use, and it breaks things down.

Regards
Nessie

I am 5 days in, and so far quite enjoying it. Am looking forward to some interesting recipes. Thank you for this site and for the book, which I have read cover to cover at least 5 times!

Ditch the carbs! Write down what you like & what new foods you are willing to try. This is your new shopping list. Herbs & spices are fun to try. Surf the recipes & adapt to you. Try out your food on family & friends they may want lots more. Alcohol is empty calories, I Stopped drinking for 6 months & pretended tonic had gin in it! Don’t beat yourself up if you want to drink just be mindful ok. Just make & eat the filling for sandwiches not the bread. Ask restaurants to replace chips & potatoes with other veg or salad. They do. This is a change for life & if you fall off the wagon just get back on down the road.

Hi Lousie
I am only at the end of week 1, so can’t speak from experience about finishing the 8 week plan, but unless you go back to the way you were eating, it would be hard to add the weight back on.
All the best

Hi, I’ve read the book and would really like to start this. If I’m going to plan my own meals, is there a ratio of fat/protein/carbs I should be aiming for? I’m not keen to do loads of cooking but I don’t really fancy the meal replacement shake route either so was going to rely on things like covent garden soup and ready-made bags of stir-fry veg where you can easily see the nutrition information.

Eureka, I’m really similar, mum has type 2 diabetes; I lost a lot of weight on 5:2 and piled it all back on during family illness. I think part of the problem was that while I was eating well (i.e. protein and plenty of veg) on the fast days I never properly addressed improving my diet on the non-fast days. (And the less said about the fast day when I ate my entire allowance in Krispy Kremes the better) (2 1/4 original glazed in case you’re wondering).

Good luck everyone and looking forward to hearing how you all get on!

Thank you Arran Granny. I do always carry snacks, and eat mostly low carb, but do often eat oatcakes as a snack, as they help me to feel better quickly if I am getting low. I guess the answer is to not get the lows in the first place. I know I am often tempted to eat too much in an attempt to avoid the lows. I will try the cheese without the carbs, and try to eat smaller portions. Thanks.

I am a bit of a carb addict so I am expecting to struggle a bit

I don’t have type 2 diabetes but I do have a fatty liver, high cholesterol, one of my blood test was once prediabetic but after retesting it was normal. I do have ovarian cancer and have been living with cancer for the last 5 yrs. i don’t think diet can cure cancer but I just want to be the healthiest version of me that I can be. I don’t want any more illnesses

Hi everyone. Am so grateful to Michael ,Prof Roy Taylor Newcastle Uni & all associated with this venture. Hav been waiting a long time for this info & support. I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic 2013. My father & mother the same but I missed all the text book signs! And I was a nurse!! I lost 28lb in 5 months after reading 5 : 2 diet & modifying it for me. BUT the stress of family illness blew the lot & now I hav to start again. I will succeed & it will be tough but I must do this for ME. I want to support others & see if I too can reverse or greatly improve my diabetes. It’s mind over matter. I mind & it does matter to me & my family. Let it matter to you all & be mindful of the good we can all do to & for ourselves. Best wishes to you all & pass on the good this info & support will do

The best thing I bought is a cross trainer – its great for short bursts – even waiting on the kettle boiling

Malkay, you can have snacks with you all the time. The thing with this diet is to have low carbs and get energy from slower burning fats so blood sugar does not spike. So your snacks could be a combination of eg nuts and cheese as well as high carb if your blood sugar is low. My son takes Baby Belle cheese as it is well wrapped and he knows the nutritional content of each portion. Good luck, hopefully you will find a way.

I have had a fitbit for a few years now. I prefer to use my fitness pal although I am not so keen since it was taken over by underarmour. I have more recently been using fat secret and lifesum.

There are some apps that can help. I like Nutracheck which is easy to use. However it shows calories not carbs but was a good starter. I have just got a Fitbit activity tracker that also has an app for meals but need to get to grips with it yet

I suffer from reactive hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), and need to eat very regularly, approx. every 3 hours. I eat very healthily, but my weight around the middle will not shift. I want to try the diet, but worry about coping with the reduced calorie approach. My doctor has been no help. I would love some advice about overcoming this condition, which I believe to be related to, but different from, type 2 diabetes.

I started a cople of days ago love the receipies do struggle as love carbs and have cheated a bit. I do exercise quite a bit so on balance I have achieved 800 calories most days. That was something I wanted to ask I am training for a half marathon on days I train I tend to eat back the calories I burn

I started last week and lost 2 pounds but more importantly my fasting blood sugar dropped from 16.8 to 10.2 so it’s heading in the right direction!

5 days in I am finding it fairly easy. You do need to be organised with food planning for breakfast and lunch particularly. A useful tool for the book, or indeed this website would be shopping lists. It took me a while to figure out the total of everything I needed. However it was worth it as the meals I have had were tsty and filling. Thank you so very much for writing this book. I think I have finally found a way to lose weight and keep it off!

This is good to hear, the thing I’m most worried about is being hungry all the time!

I started on Monday and have had a few hunger pangs but nothing substantial. Weighed myself this morning and I have already lost 2.4kg. Delighted. Need to start the exercise now to increase the weight loss.

Looking forward to starting!

Hi – I’m starting this diet on Sunday or Monday. Looking forward to seeing an improvement in my weight, and the sluggish feeling I have currently. I have read the book and changed my thoughts on vlcd’s, which I have always thought of as very bad for you.

I am a little worried about putting weight back on after the 8 weeks so will be interested to hear of other people’s experience with this!

Many of us overeat because we are stressed, and stress also leads to the release of hormones like cortisol that will help make you fatter. Stress also means you sleep badly, which then feeds into more weight gain. So it is important to find ways to de-stress, which should include exercise but also trying out effective stress reduction approaches, such as mindfulness. And don’t forget ways of eating mindfully too! Enjoy!

We all know that we should exercise, but many of us find it hard to find the time. I think the best way to ensure you do stick with it is to build more activity into your life and also to aim, as I do, to do regular bursts of brief exercise. This means not just aerobic exercise, like cycling, but muscle building by doing resistance exercises.

However unfit you may be, simply moving more and gradually increasing what you do is a great way to start. Do get advice on starting a program if you are not sure. Flushing out the sugar stored in your muscles helps keep your sugars down, so it’s well worth the effort!

Once you have lost weight and reversed your blood sugar problems it is critical that you don’t undo all that good work by going back to your previous habits. That’s why I have also created a programme which incorporates exercise and stress reduction, as that is the best way to ensure you stay on track. Maintain the benefits so you are healthier, feel better and live longer…

Simply changing to a Mediterranean style low carb diet and by watching your portion sizes, you will make an impressive difference to your sugars and weight. Essentially this means cutting out the sugar, starchy carbs and the white stuff (white bread, pasta, processed cereals and rice), and boosting consumption of fats like olive oil. See how others are getting on and share what works for you. Good luck!

We are all different and no one diet is going to suit everyone. That is why I have included a the 5:2 approach to doing the Blood Sugar Diet. It involves cutting your calories down to 800 calories two days a week, while eating sensibly (a low carb med-style) on the other days.

It will obviously be slower than doing 800 calories a day, every day, but it is also likely to be more flexible and less challenging. You should, none-the-less, see rapid weight loss and significant improvements in your blood sugar levels. All the best with the 5:2 intermittent fasting approach to the Blood Sugar Diet.

Starting any weight loss regime can be a bit intimidating. It involves change, and change is hard. The advantage of doing this 800 calorie diet is you can be assured that it has a proper scientific backing and that many others have been there before you. The important thing is to make sure you are in a good place, mentally, before you get going, have contacted your doctor (if you need to) and that you are ready for the first week or so to be challenging. The changes will be worth it! Best of luck! Let us know how you get on and do share any tips.

Losing weight is tough, and there will always be times when you encounter set backs. That is why it is so important to have the support of others who are either going through the same thing, or who have been there, done it, and have tips to share. So don’t be shy, join in! We look forward to following your progress.