Newcastle diet - daft question but..

ladybird64

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..I'm asking it anyway. I'm guessing a fair few of those that go onto the ND do it for weight loss, as well as better bg control, or even "reversal". I'm curious how people manage psychologically as well as physically, how do those who overeat a lot get the willpower to eat so little? It must be a massive jump, and if the willpower isn't there to just cut down a bit, how is it there to undertake such a low calorie diet?
As someone who has problems with binge eating, I'm genuinely curious how people manage it?
 
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Borzoi

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Hi Ladybird,

I can only explain it from my own perspective. I've had the condition for a few years now and treated it loosely to say the least. I worked out sometimes, ate relatively liberally and really didn't pay much attention to the condition or test regularly. I felt fine, but in time my body started to act up. I would get sick more often, my vision would blur and after deciding to visit a doctor I found myself with an A1C of 12. Alarming to say the least, but it got me thinking about my future.

In the last few years I've lost a grandparent to the condition, a friend who passed suddenly to uncontrolled T2 at the age of 29 (I'm 30 currently) and had another friend commit suicide due to emotional instability, a side effect of his uncontrolled T1. These events started to weigh on me as I took a much more proactive approach to doing my best to lower those numbers. Working our regularly, a much healthier diet and an occasional treat here and there. In a few months I was down to a 6.1 A1C.

What really got me though is when a doctor I was consulting with optimistically mentioned how I 'probably won't need insulin for a few years,' as if it was supposed to get my spirits up. It struck me how the medical system assumes you will degenerate with such a condition and always have to be medicated, that there's no getting better.

So for me that was a bit of a psychological turning point. Once I discovered the theory of the Newcastle diet I realized there was a possibility, a sliver of hope to make things better and undo mistakes of the past. I was fed up with the amount of medication I was on and my reliance on it-And had nothing to lose as my future depends on it. I'd had my fun, but the weight of fixing my health became far heavier than the satisfaction of that errant slice of pizza or slice of bread.

I won't deny it's an extremely difficult diet. It'll test you and tempt you-But if you're fed up enough and keep the possible end result in mind, the potential for some normality again it will keep you on track. I went from eating a normal diet of 2,000 cals to 800 overnight and with some difficulty was able to adjust.It takes time but all you need is to power through and your body will get with the program. In my case, I just needed to be fed up enough to go the Newcastle approach.

I'd seen improvement through other means but nothing resembling a reversal-And about 6 weeks in now I'm off 75% of my meds and seeing some real results. Will it pay off long term? I'm not sure yet, but the results so far are very encouraging. That's just my perspective on the matter and I hope it helps.
 
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AndBreathe

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Ladybird - I think for many, including myself sometimes "moderation" isn't a helpful concept. Have a it less or eat a normal portico means wholly different things to different people. So, for some, a diet like the ND with very few food choices (I.e., only the 200 calories once shakes are take into account) reduces the chances of choosing fatigue. By that I mean those moments whence stand I front of a full fridge but don't know what to have.

I didn't do the ND, but can understand the plethora of reasons folks would find it an attractive option.
 

captainlynne

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Hi Ladybird. I'd got into really bad eating habits after a stressful year. Anything between two slices of bread was fine with me. Then I realised how bad I was feeling, not enjoying my food, not thinking clearly, always tired. Then an HbA1c that I wasn't happy with, and the GP mentioning Metformin. I've never got on with meal-replacement drinks so was looking to go back to low-carbing when I saw a book called The 8-week Blood Sugar Diet. I looked at it, decided I could do anything for 8 weeks, discussed it with my Diabetes Nurse (who was very supportive) and now am nearly at the end of the 8 weeks. I've lost a lot of weight, my fasting BG has dropped below 6 normally, my BP is down and I feel better than in ages. It seems like I had to reach rock bottom before I could make the necessary changes.
 
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muzza3

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Hi @ladybird64

@Borzoi wrote " I just needed to be fed up enough to go the Newcastle approach." and @captainlynne wrote "It seems like I had to reach rock bottom before I could make the necessary changes." And beneath it all I am sure my motivations were the same fed up and at rock bottom. At that point I am researching and come across a a diet that is claimed as a "cure", "reversal" of Type 2 diabetes
Well I have to say if a diabetic who has been told they have a condition for life that is progressive comes across a "cure" that is supported by ongoing studies that are supportive of these results I have to ask why every other Type 2 isn't giving it a go.

So being fed up and at rock bottom with a solution on the horizon gets you started on the ND. Once started the results for me both BG and weight-loss are so significant by the end of week one they propel me forward. This continues each week and keeps me on track. I have to admit if after 2 weeks and no changes I'm not sure if I would have continued

And yes I did fit your description I was an over-eater with a philosophy of See Carb Eat Carb.

Physically I have been tired and somewhat irritable but also feeling another sense of improving wellness and I have been able to fall back on the BG and Weight-loss when those moments of weakness have kicked in

7th Week ND
Weight-loss 29.6 lbs
BG Average last week 4.9
 

andcol

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FEAR is a great driver o_O
 

Brunneria

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In many ways, going cold turkey, fasting, severe deprivation, is a heck of a lot easier than less extreme, slower, options. I can understand, because when my reactive hypoglycaemia was at its worst, i was the archetypal binge eater - glutting on carbs, then starving till my control failed, and i fell into the next binge. For exactly that reason, i am very wary of the ND, but i appreciate the appeal, and recognise it works for some of us.

Besides, you can do anything for 8 weeks, can't you?

I think the ND offers a lot of very attractive options; the promise of a quick fix, a set timescale, a 'proven' formula, the hope of reversal, a sense of deprivation=earning the goal. In addition, if people test their bg, they get to see those lovely numbers going down to 'normal' levels. That's the best motivation of all.

All of those work together to help to stay on the programme.

From what several people have posted on the forum, the real struggle starts when the ND ends.
 

ladybird64

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Hmm, interesting answers, thanks folks. Just to clarify, I'm certainly not saying it's a feasible option, anything but. I guess I'm coming at it from a rather closed minded point of view, that of someone who has had a lifelong eating disorder, and who wonders how someone can go from eating tons to eating very little - that's all. It's not something I would ever consider doing, not really wise for me, but as I disengaged from the medical profession before they had a chance to give me the "progressive" ****, it may have been easier.
That's personal to me, but I guess maybe the reason others don't do it is the deprivation aspect, if they can bring the numbers down by other less stringent means, they will try that instead. As for fear, it doesn't work for me, and I think that goes for many people, again, I have my own reasons for this. But isn't that the same with people that plaster their food with salt, drink to excess, smoke..if fear were really a great driver, I don't think anybody would do these things. I admire those who can do the diet, and congratulate them on what they have achieved, but assume they will return to a lower carb or calorie way of eating after they have finished?
 

muzza3

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Thanks ladybird64
Great thread for me as it made me think about where I am at and why. You have found a way that works for you, in your circumstances, which in the end is what we are all after and you should be very proud of that.

I agree about fear as a motivator.I think fear demotivates more than motivates
Fear of Failure
Fear of Change
Fear of Risk
 

andcol

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fear of losing a leg and going blind and dieing was my motivator...
 
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muzza3

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ladybird64

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fear of losing a leg and going blind and dieing was my motivator...

Respect your point of view Andrew but that kind of thinking doesn't work for me. Normal eating, low carb or lower calorie, will need to be returned to afterwards won't it? What kind of eating happens post ND? I guess the bit that I find difficult is if "proper" eating has to take place afterwards, why not just follow that rather than deprive oneself. Again, really not knocking it, but trying to get my brain to understand it lol.
I do see that the all or nowt approach could work for some, and in fact does. Ive got to try and shift my 6/7 kg by different means though, luckily bg's aren't uncontrolled - know I'm lucky with that.
 

Brunneria

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There is quite a lot of evidence that the faster you lose the weight, the more likely it is that there wll be rebound weight gain.

Off the top of my head (I will have a look for a tragically amusing article I found a while back, that gives some of the stats):
Something like 90% of diets never achieve target weight.
Only 5% of dieters maintain the weight loss for any appreciable length of time.
Only 2% of dieters have not regained by 5 years
and
most regain ends up with the dieter becoming heavier than before they started the diet.

Heartbreaking, eh?

The most sustainable weight loss appears to be a modest loss that can be maintained over time, and slowly built upon.

Although these stats do come from the non-diabetic population, so I guess diabetics have more motivation, better tools (if they test) and more understanding of the consequences of weight re-gain, so I would expect better stats for diabetics than those quoted above. Plus, low carbing is going to help with avoiding carb frenzies and cravings, which are a major cause of weight gain.

Of course, the flip side is that weight regain is terribly easy for people with insulin resistance, and most of us start at a disadvantage - glucose and carb sensitivity

Anyway, I still like the ND for the opportunity that it offers, because when it works, it works brilliantly, and it is a lot more 'sensible' than most VLC rapid weight loss diets, but I think we should all be aware of our own tendencies and food habits before starting any diet - and factor those in for both during and after.

Me? I have spent 30+ years discovering my own body's reaction to food intake control, and I am DEFINITELY a the-slower-the-weight-loss-the-better kinda girl. :)

I rather like this article - except that he is, of course, selling his own Solve Everything Diet. Yawn.
http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/05/26/5-reasons-diets-fail-succeed/

Edited to add: just revisted that Cracked.com article, for the first time since the ND became so fashionable. Interesting snippet in one of the quoted links! Apparently very low cal diets where the dieter loses significant amounts of weight are statistically more likely to maintain more weight loss over a 3 year period! Go ND! Very low calories diets saw 29% of total weight loss being maintained, compared with 17% for the 'Balanced' dieters. That means that both groups regained more than 60% of their weight loss within 3 years. :( Also, since this data is from before Low Carb diets became so popular, there is no comparison with them... We obviously need more data!

Edited for clarity
 
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nothing56

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Fear was a driver for me and the feeling of taking control.

After that i found because of how extrem the diet was it reset my perception of what being hungry and portion size really meant.

In my head i now always think, i survived on 800cal a day for 2 months. When my body tells me its hungry i know i dont need to feed on all that much to state my hunger.
 

andcol

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Respect your point of view Andrew but that kind of thinking doesn't work for me. Normal eating, low carb or lower calorie, will need to be returned to afterwards won't it? What kind of eating happens post ND? I guess the bit that I find difficult is if "proper" eating has to take place afterwards, why not just follow that rather than deprive oneself. Again, really not knocking it, but trying to get my brain to understand it lol.
I do see that the all or nowt approach could work for some, and in fact does. Ive got to try and shift my 6/7 kg by different means though, luckily bg's aren't uncontrolled - know I'm lucky with that.

So after my weightloss I returned to different diets. I slowly raised the level of carbs up to a normal person and was eating a normal diet and had normal BG levels. I have also eaten (and I am at the moment) a lower carb diet. I also do regular fasting (24-48 hours).

Interestingly my fasting and resting levels are lower when I eat more carbs. What the low calorie diet has given me is the freedom to choose how I want to live. That to me has been my success story.

I am sure you can get there on a normal calorific diet (many examples on this site). However, all the time you have elevated BG levels you are doing harm so why not bring them down fast and then settle into a low carb lifestyle. Most find that BG levels normalise within a couple of weeks (that is the hard part) and you will probably be deep into ketosis by then.
 

Time2Change

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I think what is important is that there are "options". Its defined as a CHRONIC condition by the establishment which I think most people accept on diagnosis. This term I personally interpreted as irreversible and can only be "slowed" with handfuls of pills etc.

Reading some of the stuff here I have learned that there can be another "option". The disease isn't really rocket science for me

Carbs + Sedentary = T2

Everyone is built differently and with some of us predisposed to onset and its affects. I also understand that what will work for some might not work for another but you have to try!

I have no will power tbh and love my food but I really wouldn't like to look back and think "I should have given it a go".

My thought process is now "8 weeks" ...... "8 weeks" ....... "8 weeks" ..... *** if I cant abstain and change things for "8 weeks" ..... then I only have myself to blame for the side affects of T2.

If after this things aren't resolved or significantly improved I will need to just accept that I might need to start medication ..... but I will not go down that path without a fight first.
 
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