Bluetit1802
Legend
That is remarkable! Fingers crossed you can keep temptation at bay over Christmas, but with those results you will have plenty of motivation to keep going.
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Doing the Newcastle
- Thread starter AlcalaBob
- Start Date
Week 2 Day 13 Saturday 23rd December. FBG 5.5 Weight 102.5kg
Very slight rise in BG this morning, not a surprise since I reduced my insulin again yesterday but it's well within a normal range so I'm pleased with that. I'll maintain the reduced insulin dose for a few days and see if my blood returns to the 4s. Weight is moving at the speed of continental drift of course but not my main concern at the moment. Almost two weeks in now and it's been a lot easier to follow the diet than I thought it would be. After the first few days, I haven't felt hungry at all. It's been cold here in Southern Spain so we haven't been going out which means not being in the bars. At this time of year, there are wonderful villancicos, lively flamenco carols, in the bars and lots of food handed around so I'm fortunate (and unfortunate) to have missed a lot of that. These little things require a little bit of forethought just to minimise the risk - it's no big deal but useful in keeping your psychological antennae working. We're looking forward to losing our coughs now, they've overstayed their welcome this year.
Very slight rise in BG this morning, not a surprise since I reduced my insulin again yesterday but it's well within a normal range so I'm pleased with that. I'll maintain the reduced insulin dose for a few days and see if my blood returns to the 4s. Weight is moving at the speed of continental drift of course but not my main concern at the moment. Almost two weeks in now and it's been a lot easier to follow the diet than I thought it would be. After the first few days, I haven't felt hungry at all. It's been cold here in Southern Spain so we haven't been going out which means not being in the bars. At this time of year, there are wonderful villancicos, lively flamenco carols, in the bars and lots of food handed around so I'm fortunate (and unfortunate) to have missed a lot of that. These little things require a little bit of forethought just to minimise the risk - it's no big deal but useful in keeping your psychological antennae working. We're looking forward to losing our coughs now, they've overstayed their welcome this year.
Week 2 Day 14 Sunday 24th December. FBG 5.1 Weight 102.5kg
Looks like the FBG is very stable even at the reduced insulin dose. The highest FBG in the last week has been 5.5 and the lowest was 4.6 so I'm delighted with these levels. I read yesterday that some people, those with long-standing diabetes, have had to be on the ND for more than six weeks before they saw any weight loss and for some it took several months. It seems the experience of weight loss varies a lot between people and Taylor says the process is not yet well-understood. I'm in no hurry so I'll just stick to the plan and enjoy the very normal blood levels. That's the first two weeks done then. Merry Yule everyone.
Looks like the FBG is very stable even at the reduced insulin dose. The highest FBG in the last week has been 5.5 and the lowest was 4.6 so I'm delighted with these levels. I read yesterday that some people, those with long-standing diabetes, have had to be on the ND for more than six weeks before they saw any weight loss and for some it took several months. It seems the experience of weight loss varies a lot between people and Taylor says the process is not yet well-understood. I'm in no hurry so I'll just stick to the plan and enjoy the very normal blood levels. That's the first two weeks done then. Merry Yule everyone.
Week 3 Day 15 Monday 25th December. FBG 5.1 Weight 101.4kg
Another very good blood number so after three days on 40 units of insulin I've dropped it again this morning, this time down to 35 units. That's down from 56 units exactly a week ago. Intellectually I know what's happening and why but after thirteen years with this steadily worsening condition, it still seems a bit hard to believe what I'm seeing. I even did a second test just in case... I've been told so many times that the condition will continue to deteriorate over time and that I'll never recover good control without a gradually increasing load of insulin. Well, this looks like good control to me and, having completely cut out vildagliptin and metformin, I'm effectively on less than half the meds I started with... so perhaps the orthodox view might not be quite right... I might not recover full pancreas function after all this time and this is still early days on the ND but this is a very pleasing sight. And the weight seems to have inched down a little too so all good. Nice little Christmas present.
Another very good blood number so after three days on 40 units of insulin I've dropped it again this morning, this time down to 35 units. That's down from 56 units exactly a week ago. Intellectually I know what's happening and why but after thirteen years with this steadily worsening condition, it still seems a bit hard to believe what I'm seeing. I even did a second test just in case... I've been told so many times that the condition will continue to deteriorate over time and that I'll never recover good control without a gradually increasing load of insulin. Well, this looks like good control to me and, having completely cut out vildagliptin and metformin, I'm effectively on less than half the meds I started with... so perhaps the orthodox view might not be quite right... I might not recover full pancreas function after all this time and this is still early days on the ND but this is a very pleasing sight. And the weight seems to have inched down a little too so all good. Nice little Christmas present.
That's a grand achievement, @AlcalaBob, and one of the best Christmas presents you could have given yourself. Hope you enjoy a superb day !!
Week 3 Day 16 Tuesday 26th December. FBG 5.6 Weight 101.4kg
I took the blood level 90 minutes later than usual so I'm not at all surprised it's a little raised but it's still within the normal range so no worries. At 5.6 it's actually the highest FBG in the last nine days but the fact it's in the 5s speaks volumes. A small rise also occurred when I first reduced my insulin to 40 units but then it settled down again so maybe it's just my metabolism adjusting. I reduced the insulin to 35 units yesterday so I'm sticking with that today. All pretty reasonable. I feel as though I've settled in completely to the routine, don't ever feel hungry and have plenty of energy. I thought I'd be flagging after a couple of weeks but I think the clear positive gains keep me focused and positive. All good.
I took the blood level 90 minutes later than usual so I'm not at all surprised it's a little raised but it's still within the normal range so no worries. At 5.6 it's actually the highest FBG in the last nine days but the fact it's in the 5s speaks volumes. A small rise also occurred when I first reduced my insulin to 40 units but then it settled down again so maybe it's just my metabolism adjusting. I reduced the insulin to 35 units yesterday so I'm sticking with that today. All pretty reasonable. I feel as though I've settled in completely to the routine, don't ever feel hungry and have plenty of energy. I thought I'd be flagging after a couple of weeks but I think the clear positive gains keep me focused and positive. All good.
Providence 62
Well-Known Member
Brilliant! just read your postings. I am going to try the Newcastle (along with the husband). Will set up a similar thread to this one, keeps me on track if I do that.
You must be delighted with the results - you have also done a great job of motivating me. Thanks.
Good for you. Great decision. Doing it together will surely help you as long as neither of you cracks. For me, I just decided that if it's not on the diet it can't be considered as food. After the first few days, not a problem because you really don't feel hungry. And once you see the numbers coming down, as you surely will, that will be very strong encouragement to continue. Good luck. It's well worth the effort.
Week 3 Day 17 Wednesday 27th December. FBG 5.5 Weight 101.4kg
We went out to friends last night and had a few beers, the first in weeks, so I wondered if it would affect my FBG but it seems OK, still in the 5s. Since the carbohydrate is in the form of alcohol, it doesn't get metabolised directly to glucose so it won't push up blood glucose, but... it does get metabolised to something called acetyl-CoA which feeds into the metabolism of fatty acids, hence that will have an effect on the liver. It causes the build up of triglycerides which can result in fatty liver. But obviously not in a single day, on a single occasion. What Taylor is addressing is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease caused by the disruption of normal lipid metabolism. So the bottom line is that I wasn't too worried and didn't expect much of a change. The FBG of 5.5 is still a little raised but then I have reduced the insulin to 35 units so no big surprise really. Nothing to worry about at the moment but I'll wait a few days before dropping the insulin again. Can't rush these things.
I just noticed that my gut measurement has gone down four inches since the start of the ND. That was quite unexpected, but very welcome. I had noticed that clothes were getting a little looser which prompted me to find a tape. I thought maybe an inch or so. All good.
We went out to friends last night and had a few beers, the first in weeks, so I wondered if it would affect my FBG but it seems OK, still in the 5s. Since the carbohydrate is in the form of alcohol, it doesn't get metabolised directly to glucose so it won't push up blood glucose, but... it does get metabolised to something called acetyl-CoA which feeds into the metabolism of fatty acids, hence that will have an effect on the liver. It causes the build up of triglycerides which can result in fatty liver. But obviously not in a single day, on a single occasion. What Taylor is addressing is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease caused by the disruption of normal lipid metabolism. So the bottom line is that I wasn't too worried and didn't expect much of a change. The FBG of 5.5 is still a little raised but then I have reduced the insulin to 35 units so no big surprise really. Nothing to worry about at the moment but I'll wait a few days before dropping the insulin again. Can't rush these things.
I just noticed that my gut measurement has gone down four inches since the start of the ND. That was quite unexpected, but very welcome. I had noticed that clothes were getting a little looser which prompted me to find a tape. I thought maybe an inch or so. All good.
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Don't worry @ringi. Thanks for the very good advice to keep an eye on it. But no chance of me undoing the work - last night was very much the exception. A couple of cans of beer pushed my calorie count up to around 900 for the day. Alcohol is also a carbohydrate of course and in the case of these lagers, the vast majority of the fermentable carbohydrate is turned into alcohol and there's hardly any carbohydrate remaining. It's almost never 50-50 for lagers - in fact it's typically 95-5 - though the proportions can vary a bit for different beers so it's worth checking. Low alcohol beers have higher residual non-alcohol carbohydrates and can therefore affect blood glucose values and can have higher calorie counts. The calories in my couple of beers were sitting in the alcohol rather than in any residual unfermented carbohydrates. That's why I mentioned the metabolic pathway the alcohol goes along, turning into acetyl-CoA which is then used to make triglycerides, the depositable form of fats. Alcohol generally tends to lower blood sugar rather than raise it, but long term alcohol consumption will definitely affect lipid metabolism in the liver. I totally agree that it's important to understand the biochemistry of this stuff and take it seriously. This issue has been debated a lot on diabetes forums over the years and I guess the best advice is to read the labels, do the sums, check the data and keep the consumption low if any. And be sure to understand how alcohol is metabolised and how it's different from glucose. Regular beer drinking of course isn't really an option.
If that's all the rise was - to 900 cals, then your control and progress with the ND must be brilliant!
I don't yet quite have the courage to do it for myself, but watching you and others who have tried it, I'm beginning to think just maybe it might be possible ......
Thanks @Salvia. I've tried to be very self-disciplined and simply rule out anything not on the plan so I don't consider eating anything that would exceed the limit. The first couple of days I felt hungry but not at all since then so it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it would be. Once you're in the routine, it doesn't take a lot to follow the ND but I think you have to have a very clear commitment to the goal. For me, it's firstly controlling the blood glucose level effectively and secondly getting enough weight off (a total of 20kg, 19%) so that I give myself a really good chance of recovering liver and pancreas function. It might not come out exactly as planned but I know it won't be for lack of trying.
I've lived with this nasty bag of tricks for thirteen years and one way or another it's dominated my life. I've tried all sorts of low carb diets with very limited effect but this one is the first I've seen with totally solid science and evidence and clinical data behind it. The scientific arguments and the patient experiences put it well out in front for me. I'd like to get the control back and this is the first time it's looked really plausible, even probable. The numbers I'm getting now already justify the effort so I'd totally recommend it. If my experience is typical, even a few weeks will show you what's possible and you won't want to go back.
I agree about needing a clear commitment to the goal. In my case the goal would be to reduce, and if possible eliminate, whatever fat is in my liver and pancreas. Plus lowering my BS levels. I just need to internalise that wish sufficiently to lead to action. (and ensure the fridge is empty before I start, to avoid "I have to eat this rather than throw it away" syndrome!)
A couple of months ago I tried longer fasting by eating only one meal a day. I found it it wasn't too hard but almost from the first day my BS readings went into the 7s, even 8s a couple of times - which frightened me to death. I stopped that trial and went back to 2 meals a day, but I've not got back routinely to numbers in the mid-5s, which I had been for months before.
I agree about the science, even though the numbers are small; but process does seem to have merit, as those on this site who have done ND have all benefited from it (as best I can remember)
A couple of months ago I tried longer fasting by eating only one meal a day. I found it it wasn't too hard but almost from the first day my BS readings went into the 7s, even 8s a couple of times - which frightened me to death. I stopped that trial and went back to 2 meals a day, but I've not got back routinely to numbers in the mid-5s, which I had been for months before.
I agree about the science, even though the numbers are small; but process does seem to have merit, as those on this site who have done ND have all benefited from it (as best I can remember)
Providence 62
Well-Known Member
Starting on Thursday 28th December 2017, wish me luck!
Not me. Although it must be possible, it's sure to be some work to cover all the bases - vitamins, minerals, accurate calorie count, protein composition, etc. I took the lazier route and used SlimFast.
