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Newbie trying Newcastle diet.

AndBreathe said:
I'd be inclined to agree with the Metformin statement, although some people have experienced them.

As for blood testing? The sad reason T2s aren't supported with strips by the NHS is purely cost. The NHS just can't afford it. What I find saddest of all is that they can't just tell us that. I mean. Why lie, when the truth will do very nicely?

As the point I was diagnosed, I had the predictable testing conversation with the nurse I was seeing. Her approach was as you have experienced. When I asked her if she were in my shoes, if she would be happy with 3, 6 or however many monthly testing, she went all quiet, avoiding and squirming on me. That told me all I needed to know.

If nothing else, your home testing will help reinforce the impact of what you're doing. Change is hard. Somewhere along the line, we all think, "I just want all this to go away", or "Nobody would know if I had a couple of weeks off........" And of course, they mightn't. But we would know.

If I'm having one of those days, I look back through my old records (I keep them on a phone app), and look at my scores when first diagnosed, and I really don't want to see those again. Avoiding too many carbs and the sugary stuff gives me the best chance of that being the case, and confirmation and reinforcement by my day-to-day blood scores really buoys me up.

It's up to you how you go forward. The costs, using the Codefree meter and strips are fairly modest, and once you have a real handle on how you're doing, you may not feel the need to test every day, but having that ability is really critical to me.
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Thank you I will do a little more research and really consider testing to give me a guide if not everyday. I can now tell what raises my sugar by feel and avoid those foods.
 
Pipp said:
@brettsza
I am not sure how to respond to your query.
You seem to be doing fine with whatever food you are currently eating. Your HbA1c results are greatly improved, in a very short time. I think in your position I would ask the doc if I still needed Metformin.
Are you considering ND to lose weight? Or just to get lower HbA1c?
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Both actually
I am going to see my gp before starting it as I think I really want another a1c to see if it has improved further or not. My only concern is that if I am around late 4 and early 5 and I start the diet I might get hypos.
I asked the doc about metformin last time i saw her she just said keep taking it and if your levels are same then we can look into reducing it in a year or two which sounded strange.
My aim is basically both, weight and reduce a1c but if i am already in the healthy a1c level then I might go for a VLCD like NCD but not take shakes and instead concentrate on having less calories (about 1000 or less a day) by having soups. At the moment i take about 25 to 30g carbs a day and about 1300 to 1500 cals
Although my fitness pal tells me lesser calories but I just add some to it as what if i have forgotten to add anything to it.
I have already reduced my calories intake in preparation for NCD if i do go for it and having soup instead of normal lunch since last 5 days.
My aim is to have a shake in the morning and soup in the afternoon and evening. I dont know if that will work but yes that is what I am thinking of. This will be a low cal diet but just not 3 shakes a day, instead only one shake with some more veggies than are recommended and no pulses protiens dairy, whatever is not allowed. I dont know if this is correct or not.
 
The little white hen said:
I have great support and have spent a lot of time planning asking questions and gathering information. I think the perfect planning thing is true in all aspects of life. I am also not the type of person who puts everything on face book. However, I do believe that when we discuss issues such as this we all help and support each other.
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I am following your blog as well and I am hoping to follow you soon if possible.
All the best.
 
The little white hen said:
Everyone on hear seem to take blood sugars everyday, my diabetic nurse and doctor take blood tests every six months but they think I should be listening to my body not taking readings so I don't have a metre. I would be interested in what you think of this. Also I was told it very hard to have a hypos whilst on metformin. I have only had one since 2011.
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You have been given the typical NHS script then. 'No need to test BG unless you are on insulin' seems to be the current protocol. You could either argue with them that you need it to monitor progress, or buy your own. Most people here seem to recommend the SD codefree (i think that's what it is called) as the test strips are most affordable.

I would suggest testing to see how you are progressing with ND. Hopefully you will be amazed at how BG has become non-diabetic levels within days.
 
brettsza said:
Both actually
I am going to see my gp before starting it as I think I really want another a1c to see if it has improved further or not. My only concern is that if I am around late 4 and early 5 and I start the diet I might get hypos.
I asked the doc about metformin last time i saw her she just said keep taking it and if your levels are same then we can look into reducing it in a year or two which sounded strange.
My aim is basically both, weight and reduce a1c but if i am already in the healthy a1c level then I might go for a VLCD like NCD but not take shakes and instead concentrate on having less calories (about 1000 or less a day) by having soups. At the moment i take about 25 to 30g carbs a day and about 1300 to 1500 cals
Although my fitness pal tells me lesser calories but I just add some to it as what if i have forgotten to add anything to it.
I have already reduced my calories intake in preparation for NCD if i do go for it and having soup instead of normal lunch since last 5 days.
My aim is to have a shake in the morning and soup in the afternoon and evening. I dont know if that will work but yes that is what I am thinking of. This will be a low cal diet but just not 3 shakes a day, instead only one shake with some more veggies than are recommended and no pulses protiens dairy, whatever is not allowed. I dont know if this is correct or not.
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I can recommend 'Shake that weight' products. Only available online, www.shakethatweight.co.uk as there are several plans which include real food as well as their products.

I can't help wondering though, (and don't get me wrong, I did very well on Total food replacement diet, and cannot fault that for my circumstances) why if you only intend to have 1. meal replacement a day do you not just have a low calorie breakfast instead? Some yogurt would do just as well surely?
 
Pipp said:
I can recommend 'Shake that weight' products. Only available online, www.shakethatweight.co.uk as there are several plans which include real food as well as their products.

I can't help wondering though, (and don't get me wrong, I did very well on Total food replacement diet, and cannot fault that for my circumstances) why if you only intend to have 1. meal replacement a day do you not just have a low calorie breakfast instead? Some yogurt would do just as well surely?
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Well I thought that one meal on that would atleast take care of part of the vitamins and all.
 
brettsza said:
Well I thought that one meal on that would atleast take care of part of the vitamins and all.
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Right, I see, but maybe if only 1 meal replacement that would just be one third of the vitamins and nutrients of the recommended?

What about following @Andrew Colvin 's method of ND with food instead if you are not keen on shakes?
 
I am sensitive to my BG levels and can tell (within about 0.5mmol/l what value I am) - currently running at about 3.8 and expect my livver to step in any time now. How do I know; well my ends of my fingers have gone painful, my hands are cold and that coldness reaches half way up my forearms. Additionally my toes are tingling.

When I go high I have warm hands and feet (from about 6). They then get hotter up until about 9. At this ppoint I start to feel my eyes becoming drier and itchy

Before diagnosis I was like a radiator and always had dry itchy eyes.

So you may have just little tell tales but without testing when you get those tell tales you can make an inference.
 
I'm on week 5 of the Newcastle diet and feel great lost 2 stone in weight and am off my meds Gliclazide just taking 1 Ramapril a day to stable my blood pressure but I will come off that too in a months time. I'm not on the large size so not doing it to loose weight have lost 13% of my body fat so all is good just 3 more weeks or so left to go. Just remember to vary the salad and veg you have in the evening and use plenty of spices to liven the food up. :)
 
Flashtash2014 said:
I'm on week 5 of the Newcastle diet and feel great lost 2 stone in weight and am off my meds Gliclazide just taking 1 Ramapril a day to stable my blood pressure but I will come off that too in a months time. I'm not on the large size so not doing it to loose weight have lost 13% of my body fat so all is good just 3 more weeks or so left to go. Just remember to vary the salad and veg you have in the evening and use plenty of spices to liven the food up. :)
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Brilliant, @Flashtash2014 , well done!
8 weeks isn't really a long time when you are investing in health.
Hope you have a strategy for food when you finish the ND. Keep carbs low, but don't be surprised if you gain a little weight in the first week. I really hope you will be another member of the reversed club.
 
brettsza said:
Both actually
I am going to see my gp before starting it as I think I really want another a1c to see if it has improved further or not. My only concern is that if I am around late 4 and early 5 and I start the diet I might get hypos.
I asked the doc about metformin last time i saw her she just said keep taking it and if your levels are same then we can look into reducing it in a year or two which sounded strange.
My aim is basically both, weight and reduce a1c but if i am already in the healthy a1c level then I might go for a VLCD like NCD but not take shakes and instead concentrate on having less calories (about 1000 or less a day) by having soups. At the moment i take about 25 to 30g carbs a day and about 1300 to 1500 cals
Although my fitness pal tells me lesser calories but I just add some to it as what if i have forgotten to add anything to it.
I have already reduced my calories intake in preparation for NCD if i do go for it and having soup instead of normal lunch since last 5 days.
My aim is to have a shake in the morning and soup in the afternoon and evening. I dont know if that will work but yes that is what I am thinking of. This will be a low cal diet but just not 3 shakes a day, instead only one shake with some more veggies than are recommended and no pulses protiens dairy, whatever is not allowed. I dont know if this is correct or not.
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The veg you are allowed on the ND is also restricted, so I would check that out before you started. The reason the shakes are included is to make sure all the vitamins and minerals required daily or achieved. I would not start a really low cal diet without speaking to your GP first as a certain amount of oil is needed in your diet to stop gallstones developing and regular checks are advised.

You could consider the Montignac method, its a way of eating low GI food to first of all loose weight phase 1 and maintain a healthy weight and low blood sugar for life phase 2. I intend to use this method once I finish the ND.
 
brettsza said:
@Flashtash2014 i saw your threads too about you doing the newcastle diet.
@Pipp you are right i am still trying to decide what to do, I want to start by march will update you all
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Talk to your GP and get good advise, do your research before you go in. My GP new nothing about the ND at my first visit and she had to look it up.
 
Flashtash2014 said:
I'm on week 5 of the Newcastle diet and feel great lost 2 stone in weight and am off my meds Gliclazide just taking 1 Ramapril a day to stable my blood pressure but I will come off that too in a months time. I'm not on the large size so not doing it to loose weight have lost 13% of my body fat so all is good just 3 more weeks or so left to go. Just remember to vary the salad and veg you have in the evening and use plenty of spices to liven the food up. :)
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I am currently day three of ND and 5 weeks seems like a lifetime away. Thanks, for the tips I will do that. Good luck getting to the finish line. What do you intend to do when you finish the ND?
 
cold ethyl said:
I think in part because they are supposedly nutritionally balanced with all the right vitamins etc - also they make the contact with real food a minimum so that must make things easier. You know what you are having so there's none of the nibbling in kitchen or eating something while you think about what to cook. That said, Taylor says it's the weight loss not the method that matters - if you can lose about 21/2 st in 6 months he reckons that's enough to mean that you can use a more user friendly diet than the VLCD- I think the latter is best for those that can sustain a strong willpower over a short period of time if they can see instant results or those who have complex overeating issues around food.
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I don't know what VLCD stands for, can you tell me.
 
The little white hen said:
Talk to your GP and get good advise, do your research before you go in. My GP new nothing about the ND at my first visit and she had to look it up.
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I will speak to the GP but I am so sure she would not know anything, she did not even know the full form of LADA
 
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