8 WEEK BLOOD SUGAR DIET AND IT WAS ALL GOING SO WELL HELP!

[mallins]

Hi All.

Well it was all going so well until life got in the way. I managed to get to week 5 on the blood sugar diet and had my sugars down into the normal range. I managed to lose 9lb which was good and then it all went horribly wrong. It started when I had a weekend in London so very difficult to stick to 800 calories when you're out and about so my sugars went up just a little and I put on a couple of pounds not too bad all considered. Anyway got back on the diet then was invited to friends for the weekend no control over food another couple of pounds on! and sugars are now creeping up. Then it was mothers day help! out for more meals with family what's a girl supposed to do. We have just returned from another weekend away down in sussex and another couple of 1lbs on but the worst thing is that my sugars are back into the diabetic range again and although I've started back on the diet the sugars are not coming down this time Help!

I've been getting reading now in the 7 -9 first thing in the mornings with no sign of them coming down. I'm trying my hardest to stick with it but I feel at my age I don't want to put my life on hold and I want to enjoy life and not have to think about whether I should go away for a weekend or not.

The good news is I've lost 1lb bad news is sugars are still in the diabetic range first thing in the morning. I've got my 3 monthly blood test next week so will see what that shows.

Oh god I feel better now for sounding off.

Thanks everyone for listening. Onwards and Upwards as they say!

Mallins x

 

[tonyo49]

Got to sympathise @mallins looks like you are going to find it difficult to find a straight 8 weeks where you can stick to that diet. What about trying the 5:2 version, might be more doable in your situation? You might also have a look at the LCHF which may (or may not!) suit you better. We do need to find which diet suits us as individuals. Good luck

 

[Chook]

I'm doing the BSD diet too and I really don't think I could cope with existing on 800 calories while on a trip away from home or meals out that I've got no control over. I'm doing it now because I've got a reasonably settled 8 weeks - the only thing that might get in the way is a big family dinner over Easter but I've offered to cook it so hopefully no one will notice my smaller meal.

All I can suggest is to change the content of your 800 calories and have less carbs, which should bring your sugars down.

It a hard enough diet anyway but must be awful when you don't get the results you want. Big {{{hug}}} coming your way.

 

[mallins]

Got to sympathise @mallins looks like you are going to find it difficult to find a straight 8 weeks where you can stick to that diet. What about trying the 5:2 version, might be more doable in your situation? You might also have a look at the LCHF which may (or may not!) suit you better. We do need to find which diet suits us as individuals. Good luck

Hi
Thanks. I've tried the 5.2 but that didn't really work for me. I was doing LCHF before the 8 week diet and although I lost weight my blood sugars didn't really come down. When I first did the 8 week diet my blood sugars came down dramatically which did give me a bit of a boost. I've also followed the Patrick Holford low Gl diet which I must admit I've found to be very easy to do so I might just go back on that as it's more a way of life than a diet. I mean I have actually lost quite a bit of weight doing all these different diets (3 stone) so far but it's sticking with it that's the problem my willpower goes out the window as soon as someone suggests a good night out or a weekend away life is just too short. You then find yourself of the yo yo treadmill. I'm just going to have to keep plugging away I guess. I even gave up the chance of going on a cruise in April because I wanted to get the blood sugars sorted out more fool me I'm not going to be doing that again!

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi All.

Well it was all going so well until life got in the way. I managed to get to week 5 on the blood sugar diet and had my sugars down into the normal range. I managed to lose 9lb which was good and then it all went horribly wrong. It started when I had a weekend in London so very difficult to stick to 800 calories when you're out and about so my sugars went up just a little and I put on a couple of pounds not too bad all considered. Anyway got back on the diet then was invited to friends for the weekend no control over food another couple of pounds on! and sugars are now creeping up. Then it was mothers day help! out for more meals with family what's a girl supposed to do. We have just returned from another weekend away down in sussex and another couple of 1lbs on but the worst thing is that my sugars are back into the diabetic range again and although I've started back on the diet the sugars are not coming down this time Help!

I've been getting reading now in the 7 -9 first thing in the mornings with no sign of them coming down. I'm trying my hardest to stick with it but I feel at my age I don't want to put my life on hold and I want to enjoy life and not have to think about whether I should go away for a weekend or not.

The good news is I've lost 1lb bad news is sugars are still in the diabetic range first thing in the morning. I've got my 3 monthly blood test next week so will see what that shows.

Oh god I feel better now for sounding off.

Thanks everyone for listening. Onwards and Upwards as they say!

Mallins x

If you read the Professor Taylor work, on the Newcastle Uni website, including some of the expanded comments, you will see he openly suggests his style of diet (upon which the 8-Week BSD is based) is not suited to everyone for a whole fistful of reasons - social pressures and/or work to mention just a couple.

You have chosen quite an extreme path, so if you're finding it isn't working out so well, then a gentler option may well suit you better.

 

[13lizanne]

@mallins I feel your pain. Your o/p summed up the dilemma we all face. Do we spend the rest of our lives saying "absolutely not" to any deviation from our low carb diet or do we find room for manoeuvre? Celebratory meals are a normal part of life and I, for one, intend to enjoy my life including eating higher carb than normal occasionally. So long as we return to our low carb way of life in between celebrations where's the harm? Your fasting numbers will come down again with perseverance, and your fbg readings aren't even that high at the moment. Best of luck mallins you're doing fine as far as I can see.

 

[mallins]

If you read the Professor Taylor work, on the Newcastle Uni website, including some of the expanded comments, you will see he openly suggests his style of diet (upon which the 8-Week BSD is based) is not suited to everyone for a whole fistful of reasons - social pressures and/or work to mention just a couple.

You have chosen quite an extreme path, so if you're finding it isn't working out so well, then a gentler option may well suit you better.

yeah I think you're right but like a lot of people I wanted the quick fix. I know that sticking to LCHF or Gl will get the rest of the weight off but it's just going to take longer I've only got another stone to go but it seems to be the hardest one to shift.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi
Thanks. I've tried the 5.2 but that didn't really work for me. I was doing LCHF before the 8 week diet and although I lost weight my blood sugars didn't really come down. When I first did the 8 week diet my blood sugars came down dramatically which did give me a bit of a boost. I've also followed the Patrick Holford low Gl diet which I must admit I've found to be very easy to do so I might just go back on that as it's more a way of life than a diet. I mean I have actually lost quite a bit of weight doing all these different diets (3 stone) so far but it's sticking with it that's the problem my willpower goes out the window as soon as someone suggests a good night out or a weekend away life is just too short. You then find yourself of the yo yo treadmill. I'm just going to have to keep plugging away I guess. I even gave up the chance of going on a cruise in April because I wanted to get the blood sugars sorted out more fool me I'm not going to be doing that again!

Mallins - I didn't do the ND, BSD or any other diet, but I did trim my carbs up.

When we are overseas (and I was for 9 months, 3 weeks after being diagnosed - timing, eh?), we are very sociable and there are always dinners, parties, drinks and other things to attend. I have to say I didn't find any of them a challenge I couldn't cope with.

If we were going out to eat, I would try to have a look at the restaurant's website before going to see what might be suitable, rather than spend what could seem like an overly long period struggling to decide and bringing unwanted attention to myself.

When dining in friends' houses, clearly that's different, in thatthey tend not to publish the menu first. So, I used to ensure I never went starving hungry. I'd maybe have just a few nuts to take the edge off any hunger pangs (helped if food was delayed for whatever reason too), and help me make credible portion control and food choices.

My stats are in my signature, and I have to say, I clearly got very lucky with how my body could recover from the higher sugars onslaught, pre-diagnosis, but if it's not working for you then perhaps a steadier path could be more helpful, but if you treat every party as an opportunity to blow out (and you say nothing to directly suggest that), then you're making it hard for yourself.

Sometimes, it makes sense to invest a window of time into a goal, and see where we get to at the end of that? It doesn't mean being sociable is off, it probably means being sensibly social?

To reiterate: I'm not suggesting you are going way "off piste" when you go away, but maybe just setting expectations you could maybe manage better or goals you are almost certain to fail on (if you know you can't "stick with your own self-imposed programme).

 

[mallins]

I'm doing the BSD diet too and I really don't think I could cope with existing on 800 calories while on a trip away from home or meals out that I've got no control over. I'm doing it now because I've got a reasonably settled 8 weeks - the only thing that might get in the way is a big family dinner over Easter but I've offered to cook it so hopefully no one will notice my smaller meal.

All I can suggest is to change the content of your 800 calories and have less carbs, which should bring your sugars down.

It a hard enough diet anyway but must be awful when you don't get the results you want. Big {{{hug}}} coming your way.

Thanks.

 

[AndBreathe]

yeah I think you're right but like a lot of people I wanted the quick fix. I know that sticking to LCHF or Gl will get the rest of the weight off but it's just going to take longer I've only got another stone to go but it seems to be the hardest one to shift.

I've bleated on about this before on the forum, so forgive me if you're bored of it already!

When diagnosed, I had some luuuuurve handles, but getting rid of them was never, ever a goal for me. I had one goal only and that was to bring my bloods into the non-diabetic ranges if I could. By reducing carbs (nothing more - no adding fats or calculating micro-nutrients or calories), my bloods moderated back and my luuuurve handles disappeared.

I do worry about the focus on weight loss these days, almost in advance of blood scores. How would you feel if you reached the end of the 8 weeks and still have higher than desired blood scores? Would it be worth it?

Where we are dealing with the condition we are, being trim is highly desirable, but to me, decent bloods are the primary objective.

That's my personal viewpoint.

 

[mallins]

Mallins - I didn't do the ND, BSD or any other diet, but I did trim my carbs up.

When we are overseas (and I was for 9 months, 3 weeks after being diagnosed - timing, eh?), we are very sociable and there are always dinners, parties, drinks and other things to attend. I have to say I didn't find any of them a challenge I couldn't cope with.

If we were going out to eat, I would try to have a look at the restaurant's website before going to see what might be suitable, rather than spend what could seem like an overly long period struggling to decide and bringing unwanted attention to myself.

When dining in friends' houses, clearly that's different, in thatthey tend not to publish the menu first. So, I used to ensure I never went starving hungry. I'd maybe have just a few nuts to take the edge off any hunger pangs (helped if food was delayed for whatever reason too), and help me make credible portion control and food choices.

My stats are in my signature, and I have to say, I clearly got very lucky with how my body could recover from the higher sugars onslaught, pre-diagnosis, but if it's not working for you then perhaps a steadier path could be more helpful, but if you treat every party as an opportunity to blow out (and you say nothing to directly suggest that), then you're making it hard for yourself.

Sometimes, it makes sense to invest a window of time into a goal, and see where we get to at the end of that? It doesn't mean being sociable is off, it probably means being sensibly social?

To reiterate: I'm not suggesting you are going way "off piste" when you go away, but maybe just setting expectations you could maybe manage better or goals you are almost certain to fail on (if you know you can't "stick with your own self-imposed programme).

Yeah I think I just need a willpower transplant at the moment

 

[AndBreathe]

Yeah I think I just need a willpower transplant at the moment

If you have never been able to work with the rigour of this diet, what makes you think you can now? That's a question for you to think through, not necessarily to answer out load.

If you are committed to doing it, then take steps to add contingencies. I always, still, carry a packet of salted roasted peanuts, so that I always have something I can nibble on if plans go horribly wrong.

I have never, ever declined an invitation to socialise due to diabetes, and I have only told a handful of folks about my diagnosis. If they ask why I'm not eating x, y or z, I just tell them I don't get on too well with certain foods these days, and leave it at that. It worked for me.

I'll leave you to your thinking and planning.

 

[mallins]

One of the main reasons for me trying the 8 week blood sugar diet was the fact that even following a low carb plan my blood sugars only came down from the diabetic range into the pre-diabetic range and I wanted to see if by doing something a bit more drastic I could get them into the normal range which I did achieve with the 8 week diet but alas have not managed to maintain. Also my GP whacked me on another metformin tablet which I wasn't happy about. I managed to reduce my metformin back down to one a day with the 8 week diet. I will have to see what my 3 monthly check reveals next week I might have to bite the bullet and go back up to 2 tabs a day.

Yeah I do realise it has to be a lifestyle change and that all the other socialising has to fit round it but having said that it doesn't get any easier.

I think I'm just having one of those days when I feel like sounding off!

 

[AndBreathe]

One of the main reasons for me trying the 8 week blood sugar diet was the fact that even following a low carb plan my blood sugars only came down from the diabetic range into the pre-diabetic range and I wanted to see if by doing something a bit more drastic I could get them into the normal range which I did achieve with the 8 week diet but alas have not managed to maintain. Also my GP whacked me on another metformin tablet which I wasn't happy about. I managed to reduce my metformin back down to one a day with the 8 week diet. I will have to see what my 3 monthly check reveals next week I might have to bite the bullet and go back up to 2 tabs a day.

Yeah I do realise it has to be a lifestyle change and that all the other socialising has to fit round it but having said that it doesn't get any easier.

I think I'm just having one of those days when I feel like sounding off!

Rome wasn't built in a day, and although I have achieved excellent results in my bloods, it neither happened overnight, nor all at once. My bloods would notch back, the sit there stubbornly for a few weeks, then notch down again, then sit, then notch. You could be the same.

You are dealing with something requiring lifelong changes, whether you like it or not. Professor Taylor states he believes that those achieving cure/remission/reversal/resolved** (** choose the descriptor of your choice) diabetes are unlikely to be able to fully revert to their pre-diagnosis way of living and eating without repercussions in time. Maintaining, which usually involves eating less, or fewer carbs in my case, than pre-diagnosis, so why rush into a quick fix?

A quick uncomfortable fix, versus a period of discovery of more and more delicious reduced carb alternatives, building more extensive menu options makes decision making easy for me, most of the time. I didn't learn about the ND until I was already following my chosen path. Had I learned about it right up front, I can't honestly say there is noooooo way I would have given it a go, but I have no regrets with my own chosen path.

As always with this thing, the choices are yours, but be clear about the reality of the choices you may be making.

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Yeah I do realise it has to be a lifestyle change and that all the other socialising has to fit round it but having said that it doesn't get any easier.

See, that’s the flaw in your thought process that needs to change. Think about it this way: replace the word “Food” with the word “Alcohol” in some of your posts.

You can enjoy alcohol once in a while and in moderation, but when you base your social life around alcohol and drink alcohol every day, you become an alcoholic.

It is the same thing with food. There’s always going to be a holiday, a celebration, or an event to use as an excuse to eat food. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally enjoying a little bit of food, but when you enjoy food every day, you let it run your life.

For me, it's about controlling how I eat food. I have to remind myself that when I go to a restaurant, I don't have to get the tastiest thing on the menu. 9 times out of 10 I can find something that will allow me to stick to my dietary approach. Occasionally, I will indulge (like last Saturday), but they're very rare occurrences so I don't feel bad when I do.

 

[Catlady19]

yeah I think you're right but like a lot of people I wanted the quick fix. I know that sticking to LCHF or Gl will get the rest of the weight off but it's just going to take longer I've only got another stone to go but it seems to be the hardest one to shift.

Trouble is, you are not going to live on 800 cals a day forever, so maybe this isn't the way forward for you. Sadly, in my experience, if you lose weight quickly it goes back on quickly.

What about your exercise regime? Is there any way you can increase that? That may help to bring your BGs down and lose the weight. Bl**dy hard work though!

 

[Catlady19]

What DO you eat Torq? Sounds like you eat nothing but spinach and brussels sprouts every day! LOL

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Kitchen currently contains things like:
Meat- chicken, pork tenderloin, ground turkey, ground beef, and ground pork sausage
Cheese/Dairy- about 5-6 different varieties of cheese; several pounds of greek yogurt
Vegetables- several pounds of broccoli, okra, cauliflower, onions, and other peppers (actually no spinach at the moment as I got tired of it)
Nuts- Almonds, pecans, and pistachios

Yes, I do eat the same things on most days, but only until I get tired of something. I never force myself to eat something I don't like.

On Saturday, I had several thousand calories and around 500g of carbs to celebrate my cousin's wedding. I paid for it all day Sunday (and a little on Monday), but it was a rare occurrence for me otherwise.

 

[AndBreathe]

To be clear from my perspective. I enjoy my food every day, and I eat plenty, both in terms of quantity and and variety. Food is important to me. As a former restaurant owner, food is probably even more important to my OH. We're we met enjoying our food, we would have to take action.

I think your analogy with alcohol isn't a good one @TorqPenderloin , or many nations, like the French and Spanish would be utterly saturated with alcoholics.

 

[mallins]

TP, I take it you're a Glass half empty person....

No unfortunately my glass is ALWAYS FULL!