This 8 week 800 calorie a day thing

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
DaveNN I couldn't do the shakes either.
I love food and need real chewable food lol.
Each to their own and if some are happy with the shakes then I'm happy for them.

Don't know if I'll manage to stick to the 800 today.
I had bacon and eggs for brunch and just had half a slice of bread with a quarter packet of tomato sauce crisps , just a taste as they say . It was enough to squash my crazing and I've added it to my calories .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people

DaveNN

Well-Known Member
Messages
327
DaveNN I couldn't do the shakes either.
I love food and need real chewable food lol.
Each to their own and if some are happy with the shakes then I'm happy for them.

Don't know if I'll manage to stick to the 800 today.
I had bacon and eggs for brunch and just had half a slice of bread with a quarter packet of tomato sauce crisps , just a taste as they say . It was enough to squash my crazing and I've added it to my calories .
Which is perfect...IMHO. The problem with so many diets is that they are simply that...instead of lifestyle changes.
 

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
ImageUploadedByDCUK Forum1455820002.922690.jpg
My tea
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
Eat the rainbow
 

DaveNN

Well-Known Member
Messages
327
That looks perfect. The trick is to keep the 'diet' interesting and tasty.

For me today it was...

Breakfast:
1 packet of smoked salmon ( I didn't even bother with a plate, I just rolled it up and demolished it)

Lunch ( dinner to some...no doubt ... Sorry it's a habit of mine. I'm very Northern and working class but deal with colleagues abroad who don't quite understand that dinner and lunch are the same...like tea and dinner)

2 soft poached eggs
3 sticks of celery
2 tomatoes

Drenched in chilled olive oil.

Dinner ( tea...blah blah blah)

Stir fried chicken breast, in chilli and garlic.
In a bed of
Garlicky sautéed Kale.

No pictures, as just like the radio, you can all create your own picture.

oh...my PP two hours later was 5.4mmol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
Haha DaveNN I like you am northern .Im from the north east and have lived in Ayrshire since 1986 after I met my Scottish hubby in Benidorm !!! Least said lol.
I often wonder when I stopped having dinner and started having lunch , I think it was something to do with the kids packed lunches .
It's always Tea time but we sometimes discuss what to have for dinner.
I couldn't eat as much garlic as your dinner.
I like the phrase eat the rainbow , it makes the food look interesting but I'd kill for cheesy beans still lol.

Also I have decided that a Friday tea/dinner lol is going to be more relaxed , not total blow out just not as strict .
I managed a 1.77 mile walk yesterday and my knee pretty much held up so. It was on the flat along the river path and lovely . Don't think I'll attempt the hill at the back of my home though , walking down hill is to sore yet .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

muzza3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,789
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Cauliflower pretending to be rice and any vegetable pretending to be pasta
One full day left on my 8 week 800 cal a day thing. My final weigh-in is on Sunday Morning (Aussie Time) and I will post my results and thoughts on the process then. It has been quite amazing and potentially life changing for me

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner/Tea (either)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 people

DaveNN

Well-Known Member
Messages
327
Chortle to and with all...... The better half is part cockney ( comes from Cambridgeshire but they all sound the same to me)..if I want an afternoon of heated debate I just remind her that a Tea cake doesn't have currants, but currant Tea cakes do. I try and get out every day and walk about 4 miles on the moors above my place, the hills are tough but worth the effort.
What I can say, slightly more off topic is that the level of knowledge and self awareness with our forum members is very good..on the whole.
I do pop on another forum where members whine that their BG levels are in the 20s and more....and then whine on about how difficult it is to resist Krispy cream poison et al.
Oh, I would recommend a FITBIT to log your food and exercise. I swear by mine and it's helped me lose nigh on 3 stones since mid October 15.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Donnadoobie

Well-Known Member
Messages
147
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Coming to the end of week 5. Weight loss has slowed this week and fasting blood sugars stay stable but really wishing they would shift downwards. They have stayed at 5.7 everyday except today which is 5.8. I have been disappointed that blood sugars have pretty much stayed the same as they were before starting this and feel as if they will go up again when I stop. I have lost 10lbs so far over 5 weeks and that is on top of the 32 I lost last year on 5:2.

I have a weekend away this weekend and although I will low carb, I will not be sticking to 800 but will have a really good push at the last two weeks when I get back.

I am wondering if the blood sugar levels have not changed because I was already low carbing before this, who knows, just hoping that I will see them drop to high 4's or low 5's soon!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6 people

Chook

Expert
Messages
5,095
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People who think they know everything.
I'm a London girl living in a former pit village in rural Yorkshire. At home I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and (possibly) supper but at work I have breakfast, lunch is dinner or snap and dinner is tea. Supper is 'afters'. Bread rolls are breadcakes and the confectionery I call sherbet is called 'Kay-lie' locally.

Time to come clean, I started on the 800 calorie diet with proper food on Monday. It's an experiment as I am going away on holiday next Friday (week from today) but I wanted to see if it worked for me before I go (just so I've got a plan in mind and food ordered for when I get back).

So far it hasn't been too painful ;) maybe because I am continuing with the low carbing at the same time. At the moment I am 4 pounds lighter which is, as Michael Mosley said, probably mainly just water but it's encouraging.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people

Donnadoobie

Well-Known Member
Messages
147
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I am a southerner but Mother born in Manchester, grandmother from Stafforshire and Father and grandparents from Glasgow. Breakfast, lunch and dinner for me ( although sometimes say teatime).
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Jamrox

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,166
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Mushrooms
Garlic bread
Walking up steep hills
When I was growing up only posh people had lunch and dinner lol. Maybe I'm becoming posh haha.

Just weighed myself and I seem to be stuck at 160lb.
Not putting weight on so that's a bonus
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Guthlac

Member
Messages
5
Great results so far - well done. Just wondering how you came up with your target weight? It's basically a 28% weight loss (which might be right for you). I'm aiming for 20% which was my own figure based on past weights and activity levels etc.

Hi EdMac. My target weight is based on my BMI, which to be in the normal range is between 54kg and 72kg so I decided on 70kg as a reasonable ambition. My height is 170.5cm so on the rule of thumb of height (in cm) - 100 = ideal weight (in kg), that figured as well. My weight today is 89.8kg and has slowed up this week and I am at a bit of a loss as to know why. My calculated BMR is about 1650cal so I wouldn't expect the weight reduction to slow up quite as much as it has - my weekly average weight has only dropped 400g. I'll probably notice a surge in the next few days to compensate (I hope).
 

Guthlac

Member
Messages
5
To be clear, I'm not touching the shakes...as I want this 'diet' to resemble real life now and after. When I do eat out I cannot expect Miller and Carter ( other restaurants are available) to blend up a rump steak for me. HOWEVER...this in no means me decrying the shake based diet, nor those who are enjoying ( or will soon enjoy) the benefits. I wish you all well.

I use the shakes because I wanted to stick to the original Newcastle study as closely as possible so I could compare my results with those of the study. I believe the current study that Diabetes UK are funding is implementing the same protocol. Certainly, after the eight weeks is up I will start to move over to 'normal food', guided by Michael Mosley's book - predominantly very low carb, plenty of non-starchy veg, good quality protein and plant fats - and calorie reduced until I reach my target weight. I won't deny myself the occasional treat such as a meal out or Indian takeaway - I'll count the calories and compensate in the following days.

Should have mentioned: I'm on day thirty-three, i.e. half-way through week five.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

FloraDora

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I am just coming to the end of week 4. Like many others I had LCHF previous to switching to the 8 week diet. I feel as though it has kept me more in check. I was doing a lot of low carb baking before, which I am sure was not altogether good for me. A treat now and then is fine, but when you bake a batch of say 8 low carb cakes they just have to be eaten!

Anyway, I have lost a further stone in weight (my husband has also lost 1 stone). My blood sugars are consistently in the 6s now, which is a good reduction. My blood pressure is being a bit more stubborn. Some nice low readings, but also some in the 'high' range. I was hoping to be able to reduce my blood pressure medications, but that does not look like happening any time soon.

So to sum up, very content with the results. A little disappointed that they are not quite as dramatic as some of the examples quoted in the book, but I guess it partly depends on one's starting point. It's only 6 months since I was diagnosed as T2 with BGs of 29. My present BG readings of 6-ish are very consistent and steady and it is my understanding that this is very desirable.

I am booked in for a HbA1c in a couple of weeks, that should be interesting. The DN told me that my last HbAlc reading of 50 was 'quite low enough for someone of my age'!! Cant wait to see her face when she sees the 'new' me!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Drives me bloomin mad when my beloved Mr B says dinnertime (it can be anytime, cos just means a big meal) and Teatime (so that is 4 o'clock then? OK)

It must be a local thing, because I encounter it at least weekly, and they all stare at me blankly.

'OK, but what TIME do you mean?' I say
'Dinnertime'.
'OK, but what TIME do you mean?' I say
'Dinnertime'.
'OK, but what TIME do you mean?' I say
'Dinnertime'.

It could run all day.:banghead:
 

Chook

Expert
Messages
5,095
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People who think they know everything.
Yes! When I was little, though, Sunday meals were different we would have a big lunch but it was called Sunday Dinner then at about 5ish we would have 'tea' which always was a pot of tea, plates of different types of sandwiches, something savoury like pork pie, sausage rolls or scotch eggs then 2-3 different kinds of cake. I hadn't thought about this in years.
 

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,338
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Coming to the end of week 5. Weight loss has slowed this week and fasting blood sugars stay stable but really wishing they would shift downwards. They have stayed at 5.7 everyday except today which is 5.8. I have been disappointed that blood sugars have pretty much stayed the same as they were before starting this and feel as if they will go up again when I stop. I have lost 10lbs so far over 5 weeks and that is on top of the 32 I lost last year on 5:2.

I have a weekend away this weekend and although I will low carb, I will not be sticking to 800 but will have a really good push at the last two weeks when I get back.

I am wondering if the blood sugar levels have not changed because I was already low carbing before this, who knows, just hoping that I will see them drop to high 4's or low 5's soon!

Donna - it is my belief that we each have a comfortable blood range, where, in a decent healthy state we each run. For some the numbers are higher or lower than others, and to my mind, accounts, to degree, as to why some people (usually non-D), just sit in a range, no matter what they appear to do.

I think the answer is that if you are at an accepted healthy weight, and you've got your bloods down into the non-diabetic ranges, then not to stress over it too much. I know that may seem easy for me to say, as I have pretty low numbers, but I can honestly say that my body has taken me there, rather than I have metaphorically beaten myself into shape and tortured myself to achieve it.

These days, a consistent diet and lifestyle; course there are days or meals which are sub-optimal, by virtue of circumstances or things going wrong, helps no end as my body seems to have found some imaginary tracks to run along.

My two most recent Hba1cs had gone up a smidge (numbers in my signature), but for the periods leading up to those, I was in a medically pretty stressful place, followed by surgical intervention and recovery, so I can be pleased with that. I will be very interested to see what happens next time around. My weight hardly varies, although I lost a bit around my surgery, which has naturally come back and stabilised again.

I think what I'm saying is, don't try to push your body to a place it's too reluctant to go to. In my view, it will only try to find its own level again, and you could be entering img a yo yo time, even if only a few pounds up and down. Maybe best to let things settle and see how your body goes in its new and healthy state. It may even recover a little more after you finish this regime.

You've done extremely well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people