Thanks for that, I glad that muscle wastage should not be affected long term.@izzzi
The short answer is, yes short term.
Any calorie deficient diet will force your body to use protein and fat. Protein is easier to burn, so the muscles will suffer.
This diet is heavily deficient, so I do expect to suffer short term.
The first week I felt washed out half way through, but I expected that, so made sure I wasn't doing much.
I certainly wouldn't have liked to have been underwater!
It's got better, I am exercising again, and it's a short term diet, so muscle wastage shouldn't be bad overall.
I also intend to up my protein when I come off my diet, (no kidney problems), and again target the gym and exercise.
At the moment I'm not overly outwardly fat (anymore), (XXL to M) I do have reasonable muscle tone, but I want to have a go at the hidden internal fat, so even though I probably look 'healthy' I intend to push it a bit, in fact I reckon I'm going to look very skinny when I lose the 7kg I'm targeting. (But if I have any internal fat then, it's never going to go)
And then I intend to target how it goes back on, as I will be back to increasing muscle weight, so I reckon the 7kgs will be back, just not as any fat.
So long term I think I will be in a better overall condition.
Just out of curiosity, I washed hand and tested. 7.5 then walked back to kitchen washed hands again then with new needle etc; retest revealed 8.1.The weight loss has slowed slightly, but is still continuing downwards.
I really am surprised at what must have been my normal routine with food though. as I tended to eat on a little and often pattern, now I haven't got the snacks, I feel like I should be eating between meals, but then realise I'm not really hungry, it's habit.
That's not to say I don't still get hungry sometimes, I'd be lieing if I said I didn't, even after two weeks, but it's manageable to put it off until the next meal.
My fasting levels seem to have taken a turn downwards, 3.8 this morning, now they regularly seem to be in the high 3's, low 4's.
Now this is really odd though, as it's noticeably repeatable.
I'm testing my reaction to the shake after half an hour, as it's a reasonable, if not excessive, amount of carbs.
First reading, 8.8
Walk to the kitchen, wash my hands, 7.4
I've had the same sort of result on previous tests, with exactly the same circumstances.
So, I wonder what's going on?
I doubt it's contamination, especially today, as I was careful beforehand.
I can't be catching a falling peak everytime, as I'm not that accurate to the half hour, and it's about 2 minutes between test and re test.
It's no great exercise to walk the few metres to the kitchen.
So I've repeated the test, again washing my hands and it's 8.3.
Now, I know some people will be thinking that's too high, but I'm not stressed by that number, as it's not a food, or an amount of sugar I'll be eating again, (normally) and it's a very small spike above the 'normal' range, for minutes, and it's an instant hit of pure sugar in liquid form. It's also way before I should be testing anyway for the two hour mark. It's the pattern that surprises me.
If it was a one off, I could say it's the meter/strips accuracy.
But it's repeatable.
I'm high,
I move, and the reading falls, and it has been of similar figures each time, and of the same magnitude for the decrease.
Also, it doesn't seem to matter where I start, I peak into the same region, in the 8's, so I seem to have a ceiling, not an uncontrolled surge, or a constant rise of a set number of points from where I started at.
Then I fall into the 7's as soon as I move.
Then, oddly (but this is the first time I've done it), I seem to rise again.
So the simple act of standing up, and washing my hands seems to be enough to decrease my BG by about a point or more, then sitting down increases it again.
I have noticed the first part before, and mentioned it in my 'blog' with other foods. I put it down to the simple exercise, but not I'm not so sure.
So, I am at a loss really, there does appear to be a bit of see sawing going on, I need to get that see sawing down a point overall, if I want to polish the 1//2 mark a bit.
As previously though, while sitting down, typing that, after an hour, I'm at 7.1, so that spike, was really only a few minutes, well before I should have been testing anyway, so then again maybe everyone wobbles like that, there's is no real data on it that I can find, (and I'm going to stop testing for a while, as I am starting to look like I've had a bad encounter with a cactus).
DouglasNo, I don't know to be honest.
I am at the top end of my BMI, but I do know I have a big frame, I am heavy boned, and quite muscular.
But I also still have areas of fat on my body, so I am carrying some.
My BG was reasonable before, greatly improved on diagnosis certainly after my last diet, but not 'perfect'
I went past the 15% weight loss, in fact it was about 25%, but didn't see the reversal.
I can see my effort with the Newcastle diet as somewhat of a contradiction in what I say my philosophy on my approach to diabetes is.
I don't want to let diabetes dictate what I do, but seem to have given up my life to reversing diabetes at the moment.
But really, I see the Newcastle diet as one more tool. I want to use it.
I planned it into my schedule this year, and it was always going to slot nicely into this 4 week period, as I figure if I haven't lost any remaining fat in that time, it's either not there, or it''s staying forever.
Other things are coming along in December as well, so it's got to draw to a conclusion before then.
If it doesn't work, I was happy before, so I haven't lost anything, if it does show any improvement, it's more information, I can, indeed, we all can use.
I won't make any great change in my diet either way, but I have learnt that this diet, while not sustainable, has enabled me to stop the diabetes medication, which will be good information down the line, if I do need to consider increases to it, and I know a change of diet will give a positive response.
So I am empowered by it.
(I'm also looking forward to the Christmas food, which I suspect will be starting early, and I have a nice bottle of Saint Emilion waiting in the kitchen for the weekend when I finish)