Advice on Newcastle Diet for smaller women

[catherinecherub]

. I was diagnosed type 2 about 8 months ago. Didn't do much but started to monitor glucose about 3 weeks ago. Panicked as I was averaging around 10. I already knew about Newcastle diet but I'm a bit confused. Went to see GP who has referred me to diabetic dietician as she'd never heard of Newcastle diet . I really want to do this diet but I am 4 ft 11 and overweight (BMI 27.5) and just a 'normal' diet recommends 800cals ie not a very low cal diet. Do you think this diet is ok for me or would the calorie level be so low I'd collapse. Any ideas etc really appreciated

You could email RoyTaylor with any queries that you have about the Newcastle Diet.
Other forum members have emailed him and he has always responded.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/medicalsciences/research/groups/profile/roy.taylor

 

[Kristin251]

know that the issue is smaller portion size for weight management but for reducing BG I need something more radical than just low carbs

Meal size matters a LOT to me. I big meal regardless of carbs will always spike me. In fact the size of the meals is one of the most important thing for me. I do eat 3 meals a day but they are more snack size. 1/2 an avocado and celery, a small piece of lettuce with a swipe of mayo and mustard topped with a small portion of protein and dinner is another lettuce wrap or small salad topped with a little more protein. IF I need snacks it's 2 or 3 olives or a few pumpkin seeds. I have always been more of a grazer and becoming T1 really messed that up but I am figuring it out. I agree, 3 normal meals and I would be ginormous!
I wanted to lose 10 #'s to bring me back to 122 and I have lost 6 in 2 weeks.
What type of foods are you eating? (other than cheesecake haha) Are you eating lots of fatty proteins, lots of cheese, butter etc?

 

[zand]

@Naomi425 cutting carbs is the way to lower BGs. Exercise helps too.

I am seeing you make the same mistakes I made and I am getting out of this thread now because I am finding that upsetting. I know what it is like to keep cutting calories to lose weight. Eventually I got to the point that I had flu and ate nothing for 5 days because I was too ill to eat, then I had around 300 cals for a further 6 days. My slim teenage son lost 11.5 pounds during this time as he was ill with flu too. I lost just half a pound. Then I realised that to keep cutting calories was madness. There had to be a better way.

I would be interested to hear what Professor Taylor says to you if you email him.

 

[Naomi425]

Weekdays I'm eating 2 slices low carb bread (hi lo you get from sainsburys) with quite a lot of benecol spread as its dry, half a soup carton (posh tescos or Covent Garden but the Lowish carb ones), stir fried leeks and cabbage or spirallised courgette. At the weekend I'm eating meat with veg eg asparagus cabbage green beans with a sauce and the zero carb rice/noodles you can get at ocado plus maybe a couple of slices of the hilo bread a day as I'm hungrier at weekends (they are 9g a slice ) . Idiot boyfriend made a cheesecake this weekend . Still need him to understand what a carb is (thought sugar was something different )

 

[Naomi425]

Oops I forgot I also try to eat 2 portions a week of high omega 3 fish week days

 

[Naomi425]

I will email Newcastle in a minute . Don't mean to upset anyone with this chat

 

[Kristin251]

Some of the foods are a mystery to me, haha. However one thing I see is a lot of grains, low carb or not grains and dairy can be a huge weight staller for many. You may not need to cut cals further if you ditch ALL grains and dairy. Rice, gluten, wheat, barley, rye, potato etc. Perhaps for 1 week eat just LC veg, moderate amounts of proteins and some healthy fats such as EVOO, avocado, olives and nuts in small amounts. No grains, toast etc. I know, you love them, we all do but you should decide if you love being thinner or the toast haha. I don't know a single person that stopped eating grains and dairy and didn't lose weight. You may feel bad for a few days as your system detoxes though but you will feel much better in the end. If I ate one piece of bread a day for a week I would gain 7 or more pounds, truth be told. YMMV but perhaps worth a shot?

 

[Naomi425]

Thanks that's a really good idea. Need to get my brain round it but will aim to start a no grain week next Monday

 

[Kristin251]

I think you will be very pleased with the results. Most people I know who have ditched grains and dairy lost 8 #s in the 1st week. No grains means NO grains though. A little DOES matter.

Good luck on your new endeavor! Keep it simple with just salads and veggies with EVOO and some proteins and perhaps guac or sliced avocado or a few nuts. It doesn't need to be complicated.

 

[Naomi425]

Just hope idiot boyfriend doesn't decide cake is carb free next week

 

[Indy51]

No point in going below 800 calories: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/setting-a-reasonable-calorie-level-for-weight-loss.html

 

[Naomi425]

That's actually less convincing as if my basal calorie intake is 1300 for weight maintenance and I need to do a VLCD then I should take 800cals off that which would bring me down to 500 Cals a day. Remember I am lots smaller than the average. And yes I do exercise 3x a week . Anyway let's see what Newcastle/ dietician says and if the no grain diet next week has any impact on my BG. They do all say diabetes is different for everyone so I guess I'll just have to see what works for me

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

I also would highly recommend ditching made from grains, along with the benecol and other fake food. Butter is much more nutritious (i.e. healthy) than margarine.

You should check out the Diet Doctor's protocol for losing weight and reversing type 2:

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

It worked for me and it is not a starvation diet. I lost 50 pounds eating this way and normalized my blood glucose levels.

 

[Indy51]

That's actually less convincing as if my basal calorie intake is 1300 for weight maintenance and I need to do a VLCD then I should take 800cals off that which would bring me down to 500 Cals a day. Remember I am lots smaller than the average. And yes I do exercise 3x a week . Anyway let's see what Newcastle/ dietician says and if the no grain diet next week has any impact on my BG. They do all say diabetes is different for everyone so I guess I'll just have to see what works for me

Why would you need to take 800 calories off 1300? I don't understand your reasoning.

 

[Pipp]

@Naomi425
The Newcastle diet was originally conceived as an alternative to bariatric surgery for obese people, particularly those with T2 diabetes.

From your profile you are not morbidly obese, and have medication for other conditions. I am not sure Newcastle diet is the way forward for you.

 

[zand]

That's actually less convincing as if my basal calorie intake is 1300 for weight maintenance and I need to do a VLCD then I should take 800cals off that which would bring me down to 500 Cals a day. Remember I am lots smaller than the average. And yes I do exercise 3x a week . Anyway let's see what Newcastle/ dietician says and if the no grain diet next week has any impact on my BG. They do all say diabetes is different for everyone so I guess I'll just have to see what works for me

Yes, it's the diabetes you need to concentrate on, not your weight. It's hard when the media tells us it's our fault we are T2 because of our weight/waist size. I believe it's the other way round; our weight/waist size increases as we become T2. From what you have said about your diet it's the bread (albeit low carb) that has been keeping your BGs higher than you would like. Mine would be like yours have been if I ate bread.

If you follow LCHF calorie counting is not necessary, in fact it can hinder progress. I gave you a link to my fat fast. I lost more weight over 5 days at 2300 calories than I do with my normal 'maintenance' diet of 1300. At 5' 4" I am a little taller than you, but to lose 6 pounds in 5 days whilst consuming so many calories - that proved to me that calories have very little to do with my weight loss.

There is no quick fix. The fight against diabetes is lifelong. Even the few of us who have found the 'cure' still have to work at it so that they don't slip back into their old ways.

 

[Chook]

I've just been talking to a friend who is 4ft 10 and on the Michael Mosley 8 week Blood Sugar Diet. She is doing the same as me (we are diet buddies) we are making sure the 800 calories per day are strictly low carb calories. Both her and I are doing fine - losing weight from the right place and BG going down slowly. It is HARD though. 800 calories isn't much and I've found myself going to bed hungry.

 

[Chook]

That's actually less convincing as if my basal calorie intake is 1300 for weight maintenance and I need to do a VLCD then I should take 800cals off that which would bring me down to 500 Cals a day. Remember I am lots smaller than the average. And yes I do exercise 3x a week . Anyway let's see what Newcastle/ dietician says and if the no grain diet next week has any impact on my BG. They do all say diabetes is different for everyone so I guess I'll just have to see what works for me

Are you thinking that you have to deduct 800 cals from a weight maintenance diet? If so then you've misunderstood - it's fixed limit of 800 calories a day - irrespective of age, height, weight, sex. Have you read the book? I thought Dr Moseley made it very clear as did the foreword from Prof Taylor.

 

[Naomi425]

Hey guys really didn't want to get people frustrated. Seems to be a consensus now that 800 Cals would be fine for me (and I can't find anything specific on new website or Moseley book about smaller people ) but happy to go with this when I see dietician presuming that I don't hear anything different in reply to my email that I sent to Newcastle. Hope that's ok with everyone

 

[Pipp]

Hey guys really didn't want to get people frustrated.

I am so very sorry if we have made you feel bad.
You are a new member, @Naomi425 . Some of us have been around a long time, and it is easy to forget how scared and lost a diagnosis makes you feel. Take your time, stay calm and ask questions, but take heed of the replies too. We really do have each others best interests at heart. (Most of the time).
Good luck, and keep posting about your progress.