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After the Newcastle Diet.... Update

Chook

Expert
I managed to get through ten weeks of the Newcastle Diet - it was a struggle but I think I might have achieved something. Not sure what as I don't know where to go to be tested to see if I've reduced my visceral fat but my waist is much smaller.

One really positive thing is I have noticed that I am able to eat more carbs than I used to so I've done a bit of careful experimenting and I've successfully eaten various things that pre-ND would have spiked me unacceptably high. These things do still raise my BG but its back down to acceptable levels within two hours. So far I've tested, baklava, a small portion of fish & chips (and mushy peas), buttered Lidl walnut and fig bread, a slice of gateau (shared with Mr Chook) and baked beans (200g portions). Some have gone better than others - I've tested every 30 minutes until back down to or below my pre-meal BG and I definitely won't be having baklava or the gateau (they were both far too sweet)

I think I prefer my low carb diet but it is nice to know that those 10 ND weeks were worthwhile.

Has any of the recent ND-ers been experimenting?
 
That all sounds very positive @Chook , just watch the scales while you experiment.

I'm personally delighted baked beans (small portion at the moment) are back on my menu, and also one of those small bags of crisps from the multi-packs eaten with a salad once in a while, not as a snack.

Well done for completing the whole 10 weeks. Not something I could ever have done - a day would have been too much for me!
 

I've decided my way forward (at the moment) is the two weeks on / two weeks off diet approach recommended by Jason Fung in this recent blog entry of his https://idmprogram.com/eat-fast-break-fast/ - I will keep to low carb all the time because I love low carb food but also restrict calories during the dieting two weeks.
 
Your waist is much smaller therefore your visceral fat will have reduced.

It is very likely you have removed most of the fat from your liver and hence it can now take up glucose a lot faster from your blood. The risk is that whenever we ask that our liver does so, it also gains a little bit of fat. But as you know from Jason Fung writing, intermittent fasting removes this fat.
 

Congratulations @Chook - sounds like it was worth the effort!

Very interested in the two weeks on/two weeks off approach. Think I might try that out with my one meal a day experiment. If I keep fasting until the end of this Friday, that will be 2 weeks of one meal a day so can then look at what to do for the following 2 weeks.
 
Thanks for posting that @Chook I had missed it somehow.. very informative indeed. I imagined the great man reading it out in his own unique way!
 
Brilliant result, @Chook.

Seems you have also carefully planned future regime too. Well done.

Just caution you to beware that you don't get a taste for those addictive high carb foods.
 
Re the Fung piece, I find it very frustrating that I cannot even try IF because a couple of drugs I take are food dependant. My maximum fast would be 12 hours which it seems just wouldn't cut it. Oh Poo!
 
Guzzler said:
Re the Fung piece, I find it very frustrating that I cannot even try IF because a couple of drugs I take are food dependant. My maximum fast would be 12 hours which it seems just wouldn't cut it. Oh Poo!
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How much food do you need to consume for these food dependent drugs? Is it a full meal, in which case you can't do it, or is it a small snack involving a few mouthfuls, in which case you possibly could do it. Stupid question really, I imagine you already have worked this out for yourself!
 
Guzzler said:
Re the Fung piece, I find it very frustrating that I cannot even try IF because a couple of drugs I take are food dependant. My maximum fast would be 12 hours which it seems just wouldn't cut it. Oh Poo!
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It depends on the drugs, for example, I have no problem taking Metformin without food, and you can get 99% of the benefit of a fast even if you have some green salad with your drugs. (Dr Fung covers these issues in his book on fasting.) A chemist will be able to tell you for each drug why it is recommended you take it with food, once you know that you can make sensible chooses.
 
Both need a little more than a few mouthfuls but I am tinkering with my meds in an effort to reduce them so.... never say never, I suppose.
 
Also, consider what is the real risk of stopping the meds while you did a 3 day fast...... If only it was easy to get access to a GP who could advise on this sort of thing in a positive way.
 
I still take metformin but I can also take it without food as I don't get an upset tum from it unless I take it in the evening. I've chosen to carry on taking it for the other benefits its supposed to have


Pipp said:
Brilliant result, @Chook.

Seems you have also carefully planned future regime too. Well done.

Just caution you to beware that you don't get a taste for those addictive high carb foods.
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Thank you - no problem with me getting a taste for high carb foods - I know they slam the pounds on me very quickly and I never want to go back to how I used to be. I think the extra carbs will be a special event thing - like maybe a small slice of Christmas pudding.
 
That is great, @Chook. I only mentioned it because my own post ND experiments with high carb foods a few years ago led to me craving more. Despite thinking I no longer had a taste for them, I started to have cravings for them, and a short experiment of a few days led me to several weeks trying to detox.

Certainly not taking anything from your achievement. You seem to have your follow on plan sorted. In fact I am almost inspired to have another go at ND.
 
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