Hello UK! Newcastle Diet from Texas progress thread.

[Jamrox]

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/47psga/iama_hi_im_newcastle_university_professor_roy/

 

[Borzoi]

Happy Saturday everyone.

Just updated the last few days of charts. Numbers are maintaining, and I've actually gone to the movies twice lately (Some great movies out!). Had a medium bag of popcorn as a treat twice with monitoring, blood sugar went down on it's own. The main thing I'm trying to do as the diet slowly winds down is permanently adopt new standards on portion control.

I used to eat large servings of carbs and I think going forward I'll adjust to a mindset of less is more. This diet has taught me to enjoy things for what they are, not for how much I get of it. I take my time and savor it and appreciate this second chance as I move forward to the new diet in a few days time.

The kelp noodles have been an incredible source of fun for me. Been experimenting constantly and I've been able to get them just right twice out of about 4-5 attempts. I think the key is to let them slowly cook in a sauce to reduce any crunchiness, about 10 minutes of simmering..It is possible to make them completely spaghetti/noodle like.

My latest lunch was a pad thai. I replaced one of my shakes to create a low glycemic version of a peanut sauce using organic peanut butter (Just a tablespoon!), ginger, garlic, lemongrass, a few sesame seeds and some sriracha. Turned out really good! Just missing the green onions and some water sprouts.

As of the last week I've tried boiling them, cooking them on their own and then combining with sauce..Seems like the best approach is to simmer them with sauce for the best results. These will be in my pantry for a long time to come, probably the best diet discovery I've had in years (In my opinion).

Anyways, 2 days to go. Test results are being processed as we speak. I gave my doctor quite a fright when she saw me-She was concerned that I was not eating at all. I reassured her that wasn't the case. Look forward to sharing the results, praying they are good! Cheers and onwards.

 

[Debmcgee]

I think I measured ingredients correctly but who knows?!!! C

 

[Borzoi]

Hello again!

So the Newcastle Diet phase is done! Woke up to a nice surprise. A slice of frittata, a nice coffee and a congrats for making it through the process.

Sure enough the final results are in, close to 30lbs down- Average fasting of 4.8 and I've pretty much eliminated 90% of my medication from my daily routine.

Now I'm still waiting for my results from the doc (A few days still till that), but the work is not done. As of now I'm starting the tricky process of transitioning to a low carb diet..And guess what, normal food is no longer easy to consume. It's going to take a bit but I'm looking forward to transitioning back to working out (Now that I have normal calorie intake again).

My observations are that even if you wanted to, you wouldn't be able to go back to a normal diet immediately after concluding this diet. Either way I'm really happy I was able to actually willpower through it, and posting daily on the forum, the encouragement from you guys and keeping myself accountable with my chart definitely helped me get through these 2 months. I'll be sharing my results in a few days following the doc appointment for concrete results.

On the plus side, everything tastes absolutely incredible after this diet. Had a quarter chicken last night and it was ridiculously good. As of now still carb shy (Something @muzza3 mentioned, which I now understand) as I don't want to shock my system. Will be back with an update shortly!

 

[muzza3]

Hi @Borzoi

Congratulations Its been a real pleasure being on the same journey and your wonderful posts and support have been inspirational.
I look forward to comparing notes on the next "phase"

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

Congratulations, you have done a very impressive piece of work! This is one of the best newcastle diet Threads of all time. The finely gathered personal data, with the readings and dates, surely will be of inspiration to all the people contemplating the diet, and the numbers shows it, it works!

Good luck in the future and may your readings continue to be as good, congratulations with all your hard work!

 

[Borzoi]

Hey guys! Getting my results tomorrow. I just wanted to offer an update on post Newcastle diet:

The main thing I'm going to stress is to transition off this diet slowly, haha. I went to low carb too fast and my body was actually converting protein into glucose...Which was completely out of wack and not a good state to be in. I transitioned too fast and my body didn't know what to do with it. I saw my blood sugar spike for a day or two mysteriously with no carb intake, and after adjustment its back to normal levels I've seen it at as of late.

So this is my transitional diet at the moment, as you might notice it still has a lot of elements from the newcastle diet with a few sources of protein and fats sprinkled throughout. Too much of a rapid transition seems like it could shock your system. Good to know now.

My meal plan at the moment is like this:
Breakfast: Protein shake or eggs & bacon/sausage with flax roll
Meal 1: Salad with avocado/nuts
Meal 2: Multigrain wrap with chicken and a handful of pretzels
Meal 3: Protein Shake
Meal 4: Salad or crackers with cheese
Meal 5: Kelp noodles, chicken or other proteins, salad

A lot of small meals throughout, but the structure is good to build my nonexistent energy levels back up. Easing back into working out, lost a bit of strength but not as bad as I thought it would be. Weight is consistent, gained about 3 pounds back but it's stable at 170.

Results tomorrow!

Hi @Borzoi

Congratulations Its been a real pleasure being on the same journey and your wonderful posts and support have been inspirational.
I look forward to comparing notes on the next "phase"

Thank you man, hope the transition has been relatively smooth for you. I'm still learning new things post process.

Congratulations, you have done a very impressive piece of work! This is one of the best newcastle diet Threads of all time. The finely gathered personal data, with the readings and dates, surely will be of inspiration to all the people contemplating the diet, and the numbers shows it, it works!

Good luck in the future and may your readings continue to be as good, congratulations with all your hard work!

Thanks! I really hope it helps folks get an idea of what the process might look like. Will be trying to keep updating from time to time to keep track of the long term results. Thanks so much for helping and encouraging throughout the process, you've been a great help.

 

[muzza3]

@Borzoi
yes the transition has been a learning experience for me as well. Adjusting diet as I go along but very much LCHF. Lost just over a pound in weeks 1 & 2 but on track for a bit more this week. BG's have been great. I look forward to seeing your test results
Cheers

 

[ron77]

Hey just realized, been a while, any updates? Hope all is ok!

 

[jennarose93]

Update 2/23:

So I've been missing for a few days. Had a small family emergency so I was out of town for a few days. In preparation for this I actually took a cooler filled with my shakes as I didn't know how long I would be gone. This was a great test considering the amount of restaurants we went to during these days. Didn't stray one bit, and found things in the menus to work with.

So step one: Weight update-

Down to 169 lbs/12 stone, loss of 3.4 pounds / .3 stone from last week. Weight loss picked up again!
Numbers are as stable as ever, even after spending a weekend out of home. The log has been updated so please check the original post.

Did my bloodwork near the 2 month point today, will know results in about 10 days.

Food Update:

Some great breakthroughs in the last few days. Had to go hunting for some of these ingredients but I was pleasantly surprised (And disappointed I hadn't discovered these earlier)

So while I was in Houston for the family emergency, I basically had shakes and grilled veggies from restaurants I went to for 4 days. I even went to a steakhouse and had a blast just eating some sides: Wilted spinach, grilled artichokes (Delicious) and a side of cooked mushrooms.

The greatest discovery in the last 2 months came in the form of Kelp Noodles. That's right, noodles made from Seaweed basically. I WISH I had discovered these 2 months ago instead of floundering with other substitutes that were decent, but not quite the same. These will be in my diet for the rest of my life, but be warned: Do not pay heed to what the packaging says..These are not ready to eat out of the package. As a matter of fact, they are awful if eaten as such.

Please take note if you can find these, your life will be amazing under the Newcastle diet. 0 calories, 0 fat, >1 g carbs and when prepared correctly, delicious. You need to run these noodles under hot water for about 5-6 minutes, add a little vinegar and salt to wash out some of the bitter flavor and then pan cook it with whatever tomato sauce as they absorb flavor. After about 10 minutes of cooking the texture is nearly identical to spaghetti, and just as filling. I cooked them with a tomato sauce, mushrooms, onions and green olives and was amazed.

These are a great substitute to Shirataki/Miracle noodles which are much more artificial and require a ton of preparation to make them taste decent.

And no, it's not bunk. My numbers didn't even budge after eating a massive portion for Sunday dinner, even my wife thought it tasted just like spaghetti. Truly amazing stuff. My life is changed after discovering this! Just remember, do the prep or you will regret eating this as the default texture is crunchy.

As for tomato sauce? I found that Rao's is the best brand money can buy for low glycemic. No artificial additives, no added sugars..Just a good, clean sauce that I found at Whole Foods market. A little pricey, but the quality shows. A lot of the grocery tomato sauce brands are filled with a lot of added sugar and nasty preservatives. Read the label or regret it later!


In Conclusion:
Last week of the diet. Everything has remained stable, weight is still going down after a minor plateau, feeling better than ever. Looking forward to transitioning to the next diet with a little more variety of food. Thank you all for the support as usual and I hope this helps someone.




You're right, after some discussion with my doctor I realized that was the case. The carbs came as a shock but my body ultimately regulated it quickly. So far so good! As for the readings they've been stable over a week since last posting.

The cookie recipe is here:
http://theprimitivepalate.com/2015/02/02/keto-soft-batch-cookies/

Intended for a low carb diet so mind yourself. My wife only used erythritol and stevia and subbed in 85% dark chocolate instead of the substitute chocoperfection bar recommended here and they turned out just as delicious.



I did contact Roy Taylor under your advice, unfortunately he's quite busy and his nurse responded on his behalf. Basically, the results are good and keep up the good work. I hope this can inspire others as the results have been well, beyond my expectations so far. I'm already starting to transition into my low carb diet for the next phase. My doctor has been supportive, with the exception of some initial skepticism. Explaining the diet she warmed up to the idea.

As for the condition being incurable, I wouldn't call this a cure as I doubt I'll ever eat the same again but it's as close to a reversal or second chance as you can get. However if you do stray off course I'm sure you'll have the same symptoms knocking at your door in a short time. The long term maintenance will determine how effective this treatment has been. I'd say I still have a few months to go before I can make a call on efficacy. I am off all my meds though, so that in itself is something I was told would never happen.




Hi Galja! So in terms of the popcorn test, I simply went to the movie theater and asked for nutritional information. Our local theater (The Alamo Drafthouse) had some available so I went off of their measurements seeing that I wouldn't be able to accurately predict the carbs if I made a batch myself.

As for the dog, yes I do have one and her name is Bianca. She's been a great source of support throughout this process, although she's not a Borzoi after all but a Shepherd Husky mix. :0) Here's a picture from the day before I started my diet.

Cheers.

Your journey thus far has brought me to tears and is giving me the strength to do it - just two months I am telling myself. I had been staying between 30 to 60 gms NET carbs and had great results, my caloric intake was 1200 on an LCHF but after two years of feeling starved with little to no weight loss and small achievements in lowering my cholesterol and triglycerides.I was very frustrated. I cannot get below 250 (mostly in my belly - no butt, slim arms and legs - the potato head frame) and still have to have some insulin which makes it an uphill battle. I found the Newcastle while looking for a safe way to do a 3 day yogic fast and came across an old fast (early 1900's) that, as a medical professional, made sense. except for the vodka every 2 hours - which would explain low fastings and while I like vodka, the plan stated it allowed for the patients to relax.. So I decided I'd create a model for myself then I saw the Newcastle. And then I found you, a fellow American.! I am making out my shopping list - using your recipes as inspiration.
Kelp Noodles are the bomb! Ditch the Miracle Noodles and get the refrigerated NaSoya Pasta Zero Shiritaki Spaghetti (I find mine in Publix), they do not stink, I rinse them then remove the moisture with paper towels then nuke them for about 5 minutes, will get all the excess water out. I order fantastic sauce from Netrition.com (they have lots of great low carb and no carb options) Bella Vita Low Carb Pasta Sauce, Spicy Tomato, add a few mushrooms, onions and some pepper. Ok just described my dinner I also have an account at Linda's diet delite for other items, they have lots of low carb breads but I only eat the bagels, toasted and with the insides removed (the texture is way too chewy, flax makes it a little slimy) and stuff it with a low carb protein or veggie - it's a great sandwich when you complete your regimen.

 

[Roytaylorjasonfunglover]

Goood luck!

 

[shinebright]

Hi just came across this thread. It seems like the diet worked. Although I don't see if you posted your final test results from the doctor? How are you doing now? Is your diabetes gone/cured? I would truly appreciate it if you could get back to me. I have just recently been diagnosed with type 2 and am thinking about doing this diet before I have to go on medication. Thank you in advanced.

 

[Indy51]

Hi just came across this thread. It seems like the diet worked. Although I don't see if you posted your final test results from the doctor? How are you doing now? Is your diabetes gone/cured? I would truly appreciate it if you could get back to me. I have just recently been diagnosed with type 2 and am thinking about doing this diet before I have to go on medication. Thank you in advanced.

You may or may not get a reply from @Borzoi - he last logged on here nearly a year ago.

 

[shinebright]

You may or may not get a reply from @Borzoi - he last logged on here nearly a year ago.

Thanks yea I saw that. I wonder why he didn't post his results when he finished the diet? He seemed to be doing great.

 

[eddie07]

Why not try the LCHF diet. It has helped me to reduce my HBA1c levels from 7.3% lab tested on 23rd of February 2017 down to 5.3% tested yesterday 30th of May 2017. Mostly down to the LCHF diet.
Good luck.
Eddie

 

[Petaluk]

Thanks yea I saw that. I wonder why he didn't post his results when he finished the diet? He seemed to be doing great.

I hope he’s okay

 

[ickihun]

His hba1c should have been great with those results, if they are steady throughout his day.

I hope he didn't over do the gym before his body was ready.

Out of experience the ND has to be maintained to keep its benefits up. He may had had to return to his dropped Januvia med if his increases were high, especially if injured from gym sessions when his body wasn't ready.
I feel for him when protein starts being converted in carb absence. Lower protein combats this but your muscle mass deteriorates. Only positive is weight loss. Weight from the muscles.
The heart started complaining on me doing low carb, low protein. Chest pains.

 

[Petaluk]

His hba1c should have been great with those results, if they are steady throughout his day.

I hope he didn't over do the gym before his body was ready.

Out of experience the ND has to be maintained to keep its benefits up. He may had had to return to his dropped Januvia med if his increases were high, especially if injured from gym sessions when his body wasn't ready.
I feel for him when protein starts being converted in carb absence. Lower protein combats this but your muscle mass deteriorates. Only positive is weight loss. Weight from the muscles.
The heart started complaining on me doing low carb, low protein. Chest pains.

How do you know if you are converting fat into energy rather than protein/ muscle? Thanks!

 

[Hansenguy62]

Your journey thus far has brought me to tears and is giving me the strength to do it - just two months I am telling myself. I had been staying between 30 to 60 gms NET carbs and had great results, my caloric intake was 1200 on an LCHF but after two years of feeling starved with little to no weight loss and small achievements in lowering my cholesterol and triglycerides.I was very frustrated. I cannot get below 250 (mostly in my belly - no butt, slim arms and legs - the potato head frame) and still have to have some insulin which makes it an uphill battle. I found the Newcastle while looking for a safe way to do a 3 day yogic fast and came across an old fast (early 1900's) that, as a medical professional, made sense. except for the vodka every 2 hours - which would explain low fastings and while I like vodka, the plan stated it allowed for the patients to relax.. So I decided I'd create a model for myself then I saw the Newcastle. And then I found you, a fellow American.! I am making out my shopping list - using your recipes as inspiration.
Kelp Noodles are the bomb! Ditch the Miracle Noodles and get the refrigerated NaSoya Pasta Zero Shiritaki Spaghetti (I find mine in Publix), they do not stink, I rinse them then remove the moisture with paper towels then nuke them for about 5 minutes, will get all the excess water out. I order fantastic sauce from Netrition.com (they have lots of great low carb and no carb options) Bella Vita Low Carb Pasta Sauce, Spicy Tomato, add a few mushrooms, onions and some pepper. Ok just described my dinner I also have an account at Linda's diet delite for other items, they have lots of low carb breads but I only eat the bagels, toasted and with the insides removed (the texture is way too chewy, flax makes it a little slimy) and stuff it with a low carb protein or veggie - it's a great sandwich when you complete your regimen.

Ketogenic meal plan is,the answer to so much. The poison is in the normal everyday food. Fast foods. Etc. I went from 6.5 to 5.4 in 3 months. Lost 23 lbs and never loked back. Good luck u can do it

 

[ickihun]

How do you know if you are converting fat into energy rather than protein/ muscle? Thanks!

Your bgs go higher if protein/muscle dumping(glucose) needs converting by insulin too. Rather than fat. Energy from fat reserves in any starvation diet but energy from digested fat if no starvation diet (diet with all 3 components not only 2).

Insulin which is of poor quality or not available enough to cope with insulin resistance doesn't help.