Newbie considering 8 week diet

[TheDeano]

Hi I have been diagnosed type 2 since 2013, however I suspect looking back at some medical symptoms I may have been borderline for a while. For the first couple of years I cut back on carbs, tested after every meal and became a bit confused over what sent the levels high. My weight dropped a little and I noticed I wasn't as tired etc.
This year after my annual test my 3 month average was back at 57, (definitely due to lifestyle, meals out with work, hotel food and working late, I am allowed to claim a substantial meal allowance if I work or am late home so it is easier to call in the local pub and order a meal than cook). I mentioned to my Doctor about the ND or 8 week low carb and he totally dismissed the idea, almost said it was a fad and the results are unjustified! He then wrote out a prescription for meteor in (1 x twice a day 500 mg and a statin). I was due to go skiing the following day so I asked about side affects, was told none! I stubbornly said I would start on meds when I get back off my hols as if it was important to get me on the medication you would have prescribed them after the blood results not wait a month, was feeling a bit cheesed off at the time.
The following week I skied every day, some days I did 15km others up to 24km, I ate the wrong food and drank beer, some of it was wheat beer, however by the end of the week I did not feel any ill affects for my indulgence other than aching legs! So I am convinced the exercise helps . while on Holiday I read Michael Mosely's book as was very motivated however I I still had in the back of my mind the warning from my doctor that as he said (I have had a good innings, just accept you are diabetic and take the meds) I also asked at the time if I could be tested to see if I am low output of insulin or don't respond to insulin, was told no tests are available!i left feeling a bit down to say the least.
I am keen to try the 8 week diet, without the backing or support of my GP, I have one or two concern about the recipes, a lot of the recipes include cucumber or courgettes, both I appear to be allergic to if I eat them they may an appearance about 30mins to a hour later! A shame because I actually like the taste.any ideas what I could replace those ingredients with? Secondly I have quite a high fibre diet, did have IBS a few years ago and I am concerned that I won't be regular, I often have to take a fibrogel drink to keep things moving! How would that affect me? Sorry for the long post just needed to get things written down!
Dean

 

[13lizanne]

Hi Dan, have you considered the low carbohydrate high fat (lchf) way of eating? Lots of us on here follow that lifestyle. I myself came off of all meds which I'd been taking for almost 10yrs Metformin Ramipril and Simvastin after finding success on lchf and lost a lot of my surplus weight too. If you are interested this is a good place to start www.dietdoctor.com. There is also masses of info on the various sub forums here. I've also tagged @daisy1 who will be along shortly with some excellent information. Good luck @TheDeano

 

[Liam1955]

@TheDeano - Hello and Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Finsky]

It is sad to notice there is yet another doctor that is not up to date what type 2 can do to improve their situation before resulting yet another lot of 'pills and potions'.
I think you are right to explore your options and ignore the doctors attitude...at least until you know better. One cannot even be sure that the new meds he prescribed will work you....so altering the cause of all the trouble is surely first thing to do!
As for the recipes....the ingredients are not 'set' and you don't have to do them exactly. You can replace any veg to something with similar carbohydrate content to you liking. I'm not familiar with those recipes..but you could use green peppers and mushrooms to replace courgettes and cucumbers...explore the recipes and make them tasty for yourself
As for the 'flow of things'...well, it is not unusual to experience change for regularity for anybody who does change their diet...but this could also improve your 'output' naturally as you are treating your digestive system more gently anyway.
Again...try and see what happens, give some times first your guts to think and response naturally....and if things come to standstill and you are uncomfortable...then use some added 'ingredients' to flush it all out.
I take couple of teaspoons of bran with my yogurt for a 'help' when in need for such a thing

 

[Finsky]

And to add...I'm doing LCHF diet with added longer fasting hours every day, ....and now trialling total fasting to see what effects that will bring (if any).....but nothing stopping you doing 5;2 and trialling something else...it is still better option than more meds.

 

[Hiitsme]

Welcome @TheDeano
I will tag @daisy1 who will post a general information pack for newcomers. Worth reading.
You say you used to test after all meals. Are you still testing? If so what sort of numbers are you getting?
Do you need to lose weight?
When diagnosed I asked my GP about the Newcastle diet and he hadn't heard of it so no encouragement to do it. I decided to reduce calories to 500 less than what I was burning and used my meter to check foods. I cut out the ones my body couldn't cope with such as rice, pasta bread etc. If the 800 calorie diet had been around then that would probably have been my choice. I managed to lose all the weight I needed to and got my HbA1c down from 95 to 33 and now I can eat small quantities of some of the carbs I gave up initially. What really helped me was testing and although I don't test as often now I still test.

 

[nelibonsai]

Change your Doctor. I would never trust him again. He is not up to date.
Low carb+exercise+regular testing is the way of life for millions of diabetics. Medicine helps a bit only. Be serious, because D is a progressive disease and people end on insulin if they ignore it. It is only up to you how much you will allow it to progress.
read a lot from reliable sources, and log in here every day so you are motivated.
It is not easy lifestyle but you get used eventually.

 

[daisy1]

@TheDeano

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. In particular it gives a lot of detail on carbs and also contains a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help, as you have already seen.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hello Deano, and welcome abroad. Well done on taking the reins to re-grasp control of your T2.

If you are looking to change your way of eating, it's worth looking around the forum for a while. There is lots of information. Many posters have tried Dr Mosely's diet with varying, but generally decent success, and many follow a general reduced carb route.

The following thread links to the Diet Doctor site, where said Diet Doc (who is a Doc) outlines his way of eating succinctly. That concept may be easier for you to follow, given your long working hours and habit of ordering food to eat in or pub meals.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-explained-in-60-seconds.98116/

Good luck with whichever route you decide upon.

 

[SunnyExpat]

Hi I have been diagnosed type 2 since 2013, however I suspect looking back at some medical symptoms I may have been borderline for a while. For the first couple of years I cut back on carbs, tested after every meal and became a bit confused over what sent the levels high. My weight dropped a little and I noticed I wasn't as tired etc.
This year after my annual test my 3 month average was back at 57, (definitely due to lifestyle, meals out with work, hotel food and working late, I am allowed to claim a substantial meal allowance if I work or am late home so it is easier to call in the local pub and order a meal than cook). I mentioned to my Doctor about the ND or 8 week low carb and he totally dismissed the idea, almost said it was a fad and the results are unjustified! He then wrote out a prescription for meteor in (1 x twice a day 500 mg and a statin). I was due to go skiing the following day so I asked about side affects, was told none! I stubbornly said I would start on meds when I get back off my hols as if it was important to get me on the medication you would have prescribed them after the blood results not wait a month, was feeling a bit cheesed off at the time.
The following week I skied every day, some days I did 15km others up to 24km, I ate the wrong food and drank beer, some of it was wheat beer, however by the end of the week I did not feel any ill affects for my indulgence other than aching legs! So I am convinced the exercise helps . while on Holiday I read Michael Mosely's book as was very motivated however I I still had in the back of my mind the warning from my doctor that as he said (I have had a good innings, just accept you are diabetic and take the meds) I also asked at the time if I could be tested to see if I am low output of insulin or don't respond to insulin, was told no tests are available!i left feeling a bit down to say the least.
I am keen to try the 8 week diet, without the backing or support of my GP, I have one or two concern about the recipes, a lot of the recipes include cucumber or courgettes, both I appear to be allergic to if I eat them they may an appearance about 30mins to a hour later! A shame because I actually like the taste.any ideas what I could replace those ingredients with? Secondly I have quite a high fibre diet, did have IBS a few years ago and I am concerned that I won't be regular, I often have to take a fibrogel drink to keep things moving! How would that affect me? Sorry for the long post just needed to get things written down!
Dean

The Newcastle diet is basically 3 shakes a day, and 200 calories of veg.
You can eat the veg any way you like really.
I couldn't comment on how 'regular' you will be, but the fibrogel appears to be low calorie, or add roughage to the shakes, as some have on here.
It does appear the the very low calorie diet may have a good effect long term, so it's worth investing 8 weeks in.

I had a similar problem, business lunches, hotels, on site catering.
When it's free, it's hard to go for a small salad, but that's the only option you will have.
However, it's now time to bite the bullet, like me, there wasn't a free lunch, but I turned it around on low calorie, (admittedly with real food, but careful to keep the carb ratio the same as the shakes, mainly by eating salad, which may be high to many people, but seems to work). You need invest in a meter, so you can check your BS as you go.
Good luck.

 

[Dexter&dottie]

Hello to everyone, I m a newbie too and wondered how to access the Newcastle diet? Many thanks

 

[TheDeano]

Hi,
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal.htm
Is the web site for details of the Newcastle diet.
Regards Dean

 

[streetm]

Hi. I am a recently diagnosed T2 and am going to try the Newcastle / Blood Sugar Diet approach. The information so far from these forums has been terrific. My experience so far is that a low carb approach seems to improve my numbers. Does anyone have any experience of exercise on these low calorie diets? Normally, I wouldn't eat back the exercise calories, but on 800 calories, 30 minutes of decent exercise could absorb half of that leaving very little. Should I be compensating for the exercise calories?

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

Hi. I am a recently diagnosed T2 and am going to try the Newcastle / Blood Sugar Diet approach. The information so far from these forums has been terrific. My experience so far is that a low carb approach seems to improve my numbers. Does anyone have any experience of exercise on these low calorie diets? Normally, I wouldn't eat back the exercise calories, but on 800 calories, 30 minutes of decent exercise could absorb half of that leaving very little. Should I be compensating for the exercise calories?

It depends on how you feel, dont it? The point of the diet is to lose weight fast, not necessarily eat 800 calories everyday. And for me depends a lot of what I eat. If I ate 1 kg of potatoes, 670 calories, I could probably do lots of exercise and still be satiated, but eating 1.5 bars of my favourite choclate would give me 750 calories, but not make me fit for exercise without feeling more hungry later so it depends!

 

[streetm]

Thanks Roy. I had suspected that it might be one of those 'your mileage may vary' questions... I'll go for a gentle trot and see if I'm chewing the lino later...

 

[Dexter&dottie]

Thank you Dean I will take a look

 

[muzza3]

Hi @TheDeano

Great to see you being proactive in dealing with your diabetes. I can't comment on the Mosley diet as I did the ND with shakes and veges. It was extremely successful for me.

I would suggest that if you are not self testing that you get a meter and start self testing before you start the full on diet. While preparing a few weeks on LCHF (see the Low Carb Forum) might be a good way to go while you gather more information.

Either way good luck with your progress and post how you are going or any questions or problems you may have along the way

 

[muzza3]

Hi. I am a recently diagnosed T2 and am going to try the Newcastle / Blood Sugar Diet approach. The information so far from these forums has been terrific. My experience so far is that a low carb approach seems to improve my numbers. Does anyone have any experience of exercise on these low calorie diets? Normally, I wouldn't eat back the exercise calories, but on 800 calories, 30 minutes of decent exercise could absorb half of that leaving very little. Should I be compensating for the exercise calories?

Hi Streetm
I stuck with the 800cals during the eight weeks and I have seen no references to adding calories to cover exercise. If anything if you find you don't have the energy to maintain your exercise you might be better to reduce the exercise. Good luck it was a hard but successful diet for me

 

[TheDeano]

Test strips and lancets ordered, should be here by Tuesday, so a week of testing to work out an average now I am on the metformin, Then plan the diet. Thanks for all the info and support so far. In the past I never tested my fasting sugars in the morning, but always after food. I also found that if I had breakfast and then took the dog for a walk 30 mins after eating I then had better numbers than if I walked the dog then had breakfast. What are the advantages of a fasting test? A lot of people also discuss the spikes soon after eating. It's been a few days since the initial posts as the app would not let me post, had to log out delete the app, reload and log back in again.

 

[muzza3]

Test strips and lancets ordered, should be here by Tuesday, so a week of testing to work out an average now I am on the metformin, Then plan the diet. Thanks for all the info and support so far. In the past I never tested my fasting sugars in the morning, but always after food. I also found that if I had breakfast and then took the dog for a walk 30 mins after eating I then had better numbers than if I walked the dog then had breakfast. What are the advantages of a fasting test? A lot of people also discuss the spikes soon after eating. It's been a few days since the initial posts as the app would not let me post, had to log out delete the app, reload and log back in again.

Hi Deano
Great news re the strips. When first diagnosed I used to exercise (light exercise walks usually) after every meal; and it always reduced my highs. For me the BFG is a daily health checkup and shows any trends in my levels eg: getting better or worse. It was particularly important while I was on the ND as the improvement helped keep me motivated