Captain’s Log: Newcastle Diet Diary

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22
Type 2 diabetic for around 20 years with poor control. Keeping this diary to keep me honest. Doctor is not supportive so need hard evidence to sway him.

Nutrition: Syntha-6 protein shakes (149 calories x 3 daily), skimmed milk, decaf coffee, 2L water and non-starchy veg.

Diabetes meds: Humulin I (64 units), Pioglitazone (15mg), Glicazide (160mg x 2)

App support: LoseIt! for calories/water/weight, mySugr for BG, CatchIt for mood.

Initial goal: 8 weeks with target weight loss of 20kg.


Day 1/56
Current weight: 19 stone 13lb /126.5kg
FG 6.1 - Average 5.0 - Deviation 0.8
No hypos
Calories 940 [carbs 71g, protein 108g, fat 16g]

Good first day. Lots of energy to start with, a little cold at night. Hunger wasn’t too bad thanks to post-period timing. Eating every 4 hours has kept BG in the right zone. Woke up (as usual) after 4 hours then back to sleep after 30 minutes. I’ve been restricting carbs but not calories for a couple of weeks to ease me in and it’s helped - a lot.

Day 2/56
Current weight: 19 stone 12lb /126.1kg
FG 5.2 - Average 5.3 - Deviation 0.6
No hypos
Calories 987 [est carbs 52g, protein 91g, fat 17g]

Best laid plans of soup thwarted by unexpected work engagement. Lunch was a foul premade slimfast latte shake. More impact on BG than my usual shake with a reading of 6.2 after 2 hours. Soon settled back to 5s as I was walking a lot - 12k steps. Dinner (3rd meal?) was a Thai salad (no dressing) that the canteen nicely made up for me. Just had my final shake for the evening as I’m having an early(ish) night and thankfully not up at 6am again tomorrow.

Day 3/56
Current weight: 19 stone 10lb / 125.2kg
FG 3.7 - Average 5.4 - Deviation 1.2
Hypos: 1
Calories 1060 [carbs 81g, protein 124g, fat 127g]

Poor start to the day with a hypo following insomnia. I over corrected with 2 shakes, ending up in the low 7s. Finished up at just over 1k calories for the day. Sleepy, quiet day - most of it spent preparing for tonight’s work engagement. I stuck with a side salad and finished with a shake. Hoping for a good sleep as I’m now on the road.

Day 4/56
Current weight: 19 stone 8lb / 124.3kg
FG 7.4 - Average 7.2 - Deviation 1.1
No hypos
Calories ???

Challenging day on the road with breakfast meetings, train journeys, lunch meetings then a team dinner. I’ve stuck to salads and vegetables but finding it tricky to eliminate carbs completely. Hidden dressings and unfamiliar veg means I’m likely well outside 800 cal / low carb. This is reflected in today’s higher readings. I did manage a brisk walk and the fresh air is helping me stay sane.

Day 5/56
Current weight: 19 stone 8lb / 124.3kg
FG 7.7 - Average 6.6 - Deviation 1.5
No hypo
Calories ???

Day 5 was a blur of meetings, not drinking enough water and eating around carbs on a plate. Ended up with a migraine and feeling pretty miserable. Will be glad to get back home...

Day 6/56
Current weight: 19 stone 9lb / 124.7kg
FG 6.6 - Average 9.7 - Deviation 2.5
No hypo
Calories ???

Final day of travel and pretty poor control. My back injury flared up, I was exhausted and pretty close to losing my voice. Multi-day conferences are simply too much strain, so I’ll be avoiding them for the next few months while I work on my health. Despite medication, my pain levels were high and so was my blood glucose. Ended up having far more carbs than I should have on the train home. Fresh start on Monday.

Day 7/56
Current weight: 19 stone 9lb / 124.7kg
FG 10.8 - Average 9.9 - Deviation 0.7
No hypo, 1 hyper
Calories 799 [carbs 54g, protein 102g, fat 19g]

Monday was great! Busy day where I stuck to <800 calories and slept well. BG high all day which might be a) ovulation or b) inflammation from my injury. I’m carefully lowering it with medication and gentle exercise. Upside to Newcastle diet is a reduction in carb cravings I usually get at this point in my cycle. Bloating is still a thing but manageable.

Day 8/56
Current weight: 19 stone 5lb / 122.9kg
FG 9.2 - Average 8 - Deviation 1.4
No hypo
Calories 710 [carbs 27g, protein 75g, fat 24g]

Not a lot to say about Tuesday - enjoyed mushroom soup, a salad and a shake along with several decaf coffees. Tried to avoid aggravating my back while keeping active. Good day overall.

Day 9/56
Current weight: 19 stone 5lb / 122.9kg
FG 7.1 - Average 6.1 - Deviation 0.9
No hypo
Calories 946 [carbs 16g, protein 98g, fat 37g]

Busy 12-hour work day, lots of walking, in bed by 9. Pretty much all I can say about the day is: wish I’d had more water!

Day 10/56
Current weight: 19 stone 5lb / 122.9kg
FG 6.9 - Average 7.4 - Deviation 0.9
No hypo
Calories 1349 [carbs 34g, protein 122g, fat 74g]

Very hungry day! Had some mackerel and didn’t stick to calorie plan at all. Tired with a headache all day. I was glad to have another early night.

Day 11/56
Current weight: 19 stone 5lb / 122.9kg
FG 9.0 - Average 7.6 - Deviation 1.7
No hypo
Calories 776 [carbs 27g, protein 85g, fat 26g]

Much better day - lots of distractions to keep me away from the fridge. My colleagues got a team takeaway for lunch which was tempting but I stuck to my soup and shakes.

Day 12/56
Current weight: 19 stone 3lb / 122.0kg
FG 6.1 - Average 5.9 - Deviation 0.2
No hypo
Calories 811 [carbs 13g, protein 96g, fat 14g]

OH’s sore throat developed into full blown snots, which I’ve picked up. We’re mainlining soup and napping a lot. I’ve noticed I’m rarely hungry in the morning and evening, but lunchtime seems to be it for cravings.

Day 13/56
Current weight: 19 stone 2lb / 121.5kg
FG 6.6 - Average 5.7 - Deviation 0.7
No hypo
Calories 1083 [carbs 25g, protein 83g, fat 54g]

Sore, tired, grumpy day. I napped in the afternoon and spent most of the day in a fog. Blew well past my allowance due to meat and salt cravings. It wasn't a great day.

Day 14/56
Current weight: 19 stone 2lb / 121.5kg
FG 6.2 - Average 7.0 - Deviation 1.3
No hypo
Calories 899 [carbs 28g, protein 92g, fat 32g]

Woke up tired, spent most of the day tired and staring at the screen. I decided to "work from home", which translated to doing some end of project tidying up, catching up with colleagues, and other little tasks that didn't take too much thinking. By Noon, I realised I wasn't going to get a whole lot done! Alarmingly, I was really forgetful and couldn't string a sentence together without losing track. I was out like a light by 9:30.

Day 15/56
Current weight: 19 stone 1lb / 121.1kg
FG 7.2 - Average 6.0 - Deviation 0.8
No hypo
Calories 865 [carbs 48g, protein 106g, fat 39g]

Much better day - no back pain finally after a few days of healing. No headaches either and plenty of energy, so I enjoyed a few brisk walks. T-2 days to my first period on ND and I’m not bloated or sore which is a first! Curious to see if I even have one.

Day 16/56
Current weight: 19 stone 1lb / 121.1kg
FG 5.9 - Average 6.5 - Deviation 0.9
No hypo
Calories 910 [carbs 13g, protein 93g, fat 37g]

Nothing much to report but the surprise period. Early to bed as I was up at crazy o’clock to get to Paris.

Day 17/56
Current weight: 19 stone 1lb / 121.1kg
FG ??? - Average ??? - Deviation ???
No hypo ( I think! )
Calories 859 [carbs 35g, protein 69g, fat 39g]

Other than forgetting my test kit and having a non-stop day of breakfast meetings, pre-meetings,meetings and post-meeting catchups, it was fine! Period is surprisingly accommodating; haven’t had to take ibuprofen even once so far! Marvellous!

*** Missed a few days so just a summary ***

Day 18/56
FG 7.4 - Average 5.8 - Deviation 1.7
No hypo
Calories <800

Day 19/56
FG 5.8 - Average 5.0 - Deviation 0.8
1 hypo (3.8)
Calories <800
Lots of walking, corrected with a shake.


Day 20/56
FG 5.0 - Average 5.7 - Deviation 1.1
No hypo
Calories <800

Day 21/56
FG 9.1 - Average 7.2 - Deviation 1.2
No hypo
Calories <800
Woke up feeling a bit rough with a sore throat. Took the day off and went back to bed. BG in 6s when I woke up. Slept around 12 hours in total!

Day 22/56
FG 6.4 - Average 6.4 - Deviation 0.3
No hypo
Calories <800
Lots of brisk walks, felt rather frisky!

Day 23/56
Current weight: 18 stone 12lb / 119.7kg
FG 6.9 - Average 7.4 - Deviation 0.7
No hypo
Calories >800???
Started off well then developed a migraine mid-afternoon as my BG spiked. Went a little over 800 calories replacing food after throwing up. Dark room and warm drinks are helping but I’m struggling to sleep. I rarely get migraines this bad but work has been pants and my stress levels are through the roof right now.

ND ended on day 23 due to high B12 complications and a barrage of blood tests. If I resume in future, I’ll pop back to the thread.
 
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bulkbiker

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Hello and welcome.
I'm guessing (hoping strongly)you are keeping a very careful eye on your blood sugars as with your insulin and other meds then hypos could well become a reality if you do this. Please be very careful.
 

Guzzler

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The very best of luck to you. It is a pity that your GP is not on board but congratulations for striking out on your own. My advice would be to test more than you would normally and to think about what your diet will look like once the 8 weeks are up. You may choose to extend the period or reintroduce more real food, whichever one you opt for Good Luck!

Welcome to the forum, tagging @daisy1 for her fab intro pack offered to all newcomers.
 

rosco 2

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Hallo DCR, welcome.you say your “doctor is not supportive” of what exactly? It would be helpful to know before commenting. Do you mean the Newcastle diet?
 

DCUKMod

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14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Type 2 diabetic for around 20 years with poor control. Keeping this diary to keep me honest. Doctor is not supportive so need hard evidence to sway him.

Nutrition: Syntha-6 protein shakes (149 calories x 3 daily), skimmed milk, decaf coffee, 2L water and non-starchy veg.

Diabetes meds: Humulin I (64 units), Pioglitazone (15mg), Glicazide (160mg x 2)

App support: LoseIt! for calories/water/weight, mySugr for BG, CatchIt for mood.

Initial goal: 8 weeks with target weight loss of 20kg.

Current weight: 19 stone 13lb /126.5kg

Hello there. Good luck with your journey.

Could I please ask you to confirm what your strategy is for when your blood sugars reduce, possibly dramatically? It is very likely your medications will need to be adjusted. Some have even found their meds can be stopped (although only a few of those were insulin users).
 

daisy1

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@DreadCaptRoberts

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will help.

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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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Yesterday was pea and spinach soup with veg stock, parsley, garlic, a touch of curry and lots of black pepper. All cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot (10 mins on pressure cooker).

OH declared it delicious. It’s quick to make, could probably do it in the microwave, and convenient to use frozen veg and herbs. Making it again tonight.
 
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bulkbiker

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Yesterday was pea and spinach soup with veg stock, parsley, garlic, a touch of curry and lots of black pepper. All cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot (10 mins on pressure cooker).

OH declared it delicious. It’s quick to make, could probably do it in the microwave, and convenient to use frozen veg and herbs. Making it again tonight.
Good luck with your experiment. If you would like to please keep us updated. Personally I'm not a fan of very low calorie but am always interested to see how others do it. You have my admiration for trying!
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Yesterday was pea and spinach soup with veg stock, parsley, garlic, a touch of curry and lots of black pepper. All cooked from frozen in the Instant Pot (10 mins on pressure cooker).

OH declared it delicious. It’s quick to make, could probably do it in the microwave, and convenient to use frozen veg and herbs. Making it again tonight.

The beauty of the IP is being able to lob everything in, when you have a moment, leave it on Keep Warm, and eat whenever ready.

How many days are you into this now?
 
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The beauty of the IP is being able to lob everything in, when you have a moment, leave it on Keep Warm, and eat whenever ready.

How many days are you into this now?

Day 2 of Newcastle here. I’ve been restricting carbs gradually for 14 days beforehand to prep and provide evidence for negotiating lower insulin. So far, so good. It will get tougher, so I’m preparing for that.
 
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Day 3 started with really bad insomnia. Woke up just after midnight and struggled to get back to sleep. BG of 4.9 so topped up with a shake.

BGs under 5 makes me physically uncomfortable, so I aim for 5-6.

Yesterday was really busy and the week will get busier with travel and evening work commitments. Might have to adjust the timings of my medication as tablets and injection at night may be too much. Hard to tell because of more physical activities.

Calling my specialist nurse to discuss how best to do this.
 
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Today’s soup is celery and cherry tomatoes with oregano, coriander and black pepper.

Weighs in at 21cals and 2.2g carbs but no getting away from the slightly metallic tang of celery. Cooked on the hob and blitzed in the nutribullet, it made 2 portions - and used up my fresh veg before I travel.
 
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ringi

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3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Remember that there is no great long term harm from having BG upto about 10 for a short time (few weeks) if it enables you to change diet and lose fat. And that it is you, not your doctor that controls what goes into your body.

It is clearly better to aim a little higher (maybe 7 or 8) so there is no need to have carbs due to hypos. Hopefully your specialist nurse will be of more use than your GP.

From what I understand of the Newcastle diet, a lot of liver fat is lost over the first few weeks and this (along with reduced food) results in a great reduction in inslin requirements. After the first few weeks the inslin requirements will change slower.

Start to think about what you will eat after the 8 weeks, most people on this site (with type2) find that some type of low carb diet is the best long term option, but the Newcastle Diet can be a very good way to kick-start the process of putting type2 into remission.

Given how long you have had type2 it may not be possible to ever come off all drugs, but nearly everyone finds they can get much better BG control while also reducing the drugs they need.
 

ringi

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
@DreadCaptRoberts remember I am not a doctor and it would be much safer to get surport from a GP who believes in controlling type2 with low carb and the Newcastle Diet etc. But I tend to consider "no action" to have a higher risk then taking action, even if someone has to take action without medical surport.
 

DCUKMod

Master
Staff Member
Messages
14,298
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Remember that there is no great long term harm from having BG upto about 10 for a short time (few weeks) if it enables you to change diet and lose fat. And that it is you, not your doctor that controls what goes into your body.

It is clearly better to aim a little higher (maybe 7 or 8) so there is no need to have carbs due to hypos. Hopefully your specialist nurse will be of more use than your GP.

From what I understand of the Newcastle diet, a lot of liver fat is lost over the first few weeks and this (along with reduced food) results in a great reduction in inslin requirements. After the first few weeks the inslin requirements will change slower.

Start to think about what you will eat after the 8 weeks, most people on this site (with type2) find that some type of low carb diet is the best long term option, but the Newcastle Diet can be a very good way to kick-start the process of putting type2 into remission.

Given how long you have had type2 it may not be possible to ever come off all drugs, but nearly everyone finds they can get much better BG control while also reducing the drugs they need.

Could you add a link to that information, @ringi , please, so that others can make their own assessment of their risks, based on their own research. Thanks.
 
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Week 1 of 8 was challenging. Monday to Wednesday slightly above target of 800 calories but otherwise good.

With travel and limited access to plain salads, I struggled to keep on track Thursday to Sunday. I could see my control of blood glucose slipping all the way through.

I’m pleased that despite the stress I only had one major slip up and got back on track this week.

This week will be challenging in a different way. My PCOS usually triggers carb cravings, though touch wood, none have appeared. Instead I’m craving salt. Maybe a side effect of having mainly chocolate shakes?
 

bulkbiker

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19,576
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Week 1 of 8 was challenging. Monday to Wednesday slightly above target of 800 calories but otherwise good.

With travel and limited access to plain salads, I struggled to keep on track Thursday to Sunday. I could see my control of blood glucose slipping all the way through.

I’m pleased that despite the stress I only had one major slip up and got back on track this week.

This week will be challenging in a different way. My PCOS usually triggers carb cravings, though touch wood, none have appeared. Instead I’m craving salt. Maybe a side effect of having mainly chocolate shakes?
If you are craving salt then have some... put some in your coffee..
 
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