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Nd - 4 Weeks Complete

rdw480

Newbie
Well today I've hit halfway on my initial planned 8weeks of ND. I'm now planning to carry on with it a bit longer but it seemed a good time to reflect.

I've not been monitoring my BG but apart from a rough first week (tired, sweats a couple of dizzy spells) they feel much better. I've got a blood test scheduled at the 7.5 week mark to get an idea of what my HbA1c is doing - I had hoped to see the difference compared to a blood test at 2 weeks but the lab forgot to do that test. Last HBA1c I had was about a year ago and was 54mmol/mol.

Currently on 4x500 metformin a day and a statin. My diabetes nurse has been supportive of me having a go at the ND.

As far as weight loss goes, from a starting weight of 246.5lbs -
Wk1 - 8.9lb
Wk2 - 4.8lb
wk3 - 5.3lb
Wk4 - 2.7lb (disappointing but I've read that there is sometimes a 'stutter' in losses about now)

Hope to lose aother stone before the end of week 8 and then a couple of stone after that - some on ND and then maybe some on low carb/keto.

Physically the diet isnt a problem now I've got into the habit, but I'm looking forward to varying things up after - plan is low carb, not sure if I'll plan full keto or not.

My work life is pretty sedentary (desk job) so I'm thinking of adding some exercise - light cardio. I've got a young kid at home and have been busy with DIY so I've been getting some exercise but increasing it seems like a good idea.
 
bulkbiker said:
Are you doing the shakes or real food but limiting calories?
Click to expand...

Started out exclusively shakes / bars to make it simpler to get into.

I've got an early start for work so shakes are handy for the car but in the evenings I've been branching out into real food a bit at a time.

I think that the longer I stick with it the more towards real food I'll go which should hopefully make the transition to maintenance easier.
 
Can someone please help me. I’m on day 3 of Newcastle diet and on 1000mg metformin twice a day. Today my blood sugars are normalising especially before and after food. I don’t want to take metformin again tonight my blood was 5 earlier after lunch and I have a personal training session soon then dinner after. What should I do about my meds? Back at docs tomorrow
 

Hi @Nicel. I figured that you discussed your medications regime with your doc when you went there a few weeks ago? What did you and the doc decide? I imagine s/he supported you in reducing your metformin dose, which would make sense to me, as it did to you.

I am really impressed that you can train whilst doing the ND!
 

Hiya. Sorry for the late reply. I have been personal training riding and running (ran 5km ) Saturday but made a decision if I train hard then I can increase my cals as long as it’s low carb as I need the extra fuel. I have started week 5 today and I’ve lost a stone. I’ve had a few days of complete failure but I won’t give up and just get back on it. My Hba1c was 72 and dropped to 58 in the first four weeks so that’s encouraging. 1 stone to go and I hit my goal. Thanks for your kind words

Yes my doctor supported me coming off meds and as you can see it worked well as my bloods are better also cholesterol dropped from 5.8 to 5.3 in those 4 weeks. I’m testing my blood many times a day
 
Hey there @Nicel. Good to hear that you got off the metformin a-ok, and your training is being supported by upping the cals.

Lots of weight loss! Which is great, as in keeping in with your goal weight by the end of your low-cal period.

Another thing, in my experience, when doing low-cal diets is fitting in with weather and temperature conditions, as keeping our body temperature warm and healthy is a big part of what food does for us. Sometimes, if it is very cold, as in sub-arctic or arctic, then upping the cals is called for.

Really interesting to read about folks' different experiences with these different dietary (and physical activity) treatments.
 

Hi. It is interesting and encouraging reading about others. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and I’m learning and adjusting my diet at the moment. More cals more exercise and keeping the carbs super low and increasing my fat. I’ve bought a blood keto metre and I’m trying to achieve optimum ketosis which is really hard. I’m reading 0.5 -1.2 m/mol in my ketones by blood but I blew it today as I’m working away and had some cheesecake. Amazingly my blood sugar spiked at 8.1 which is amazing considering my fasting blood glucose was over 10 when I first started the diet. I find I can stick to the diet when I’m at home but when I work away and travel and stay in hotels I struggle. I think I’ve accepted this low carb diet as a way of life and I might occasionally blow it and have some food I shouldn’t I just need to get back on with it if I do. My taste is changing though.
 
@Nicel, I too find low-carb high fat eating, and fasting regimes, very difficult when working out of the home with other human beings, and when staying away/in hotels/family feasts etc. I hear you absolutely on that one.

Basically all food produced in restaurants, cafes, hotels etc has lots of added sugar when it absolutely is not needed (like in all the sauces and condiments, meat and fish marinades), without even hitting the desserts and overtly sweet food. This provides a significant carb-creep for the likes of us.

Basically all people (I'm talking friends and family here) even so-called 'healthy eaters' who are not consciously lower-carbing and minding added sugar in processed foods, and minding processed foods (with refined carbs) in the first place, are eating and providing high-carb food at their tables. It's a minefield for us for sure! Hard to balance the normal behaviour of sharing food and eating food provided for us for social and nutritional-serving reasons, and saving our own lives by low-carbing. And restricted food intake/VLCD/ND over that time period.

Low-cal/significant-food-restricted-over-a-longer-time-period (!!!) eating with other folks I find just plain old hard! If I am travelling and staying away and mixing with family and friends or at the workplace with food and drink, I take time out of really restricted regimes to 'plain old' keto and very low carb. I find it too much to be semi-starving as well, due to what being really hungry does to my temperament. (Not good!)

Talking of which, I spent some time very recently with a very dear very old friend who is on a permanent food restricted diet due to bariatric surgery, and I am quite sure he is not getting nutrient dense food covering all the basics of necessary nutrients, so he is mood disordered, imho. (The mood disorder is being treated with medication. I of course see B12 deficiency and too little healthy fat written all over it.) I have known him a very long time so it is quite easy for me to see it.

What do I mean by mood disordered? Snappy and depressed. I have been there myself when I had wildly uncontrolled undiagnosed T2D (I had an HBA1c of 93 when diagnosed - none of that slightly elevated stuff for me! ), so I recognise it when I see it. Ghastly combo of course! And I don't mean just for us! . I am really talking about with those we are working or mixing or heaven help them - living with.

Being hungry is known to be a bit of a mood changing thing also, for many people (hence the new word 'hangry' which just says it all), although Professor Taylor of the ND does not like to acknowledge this if he in fact sees it himself (he really may not), ditto Dr Fung (re IF and no-food fasting).
 
ps - not just mood around hunger, but having energy (or not) too of course! One needs enough energy to perform work tasks, and to keep warm enough, and to move. This can be challenging when on a food restricted diet, working or mixing with family and friends.
 
Hi @AloeSvea

Thank god it’s not just me who struggles in these situations. I called into the services on my long journey back to get breakfast and had a lovely egg avocado and cheese meal from Tossed which I loved but went to Waitrose to buy lunch and my god there wasn’t anything I could eat for lunch that has no carbs. Even all the salads had sweet potato or something else in. Mine field indeed. I ended up with 0% fat Greek yoghurt some pistachios and strawberries. Best I could do really. I have found my energy ok but I think that’s because when my Hba1c was 72 I was so drained and now it’s lower I’m just not as tired. I have b12 injections every three months for the rest of my life so one less thing to worry about I suppose. I guess if I just do the best I can with what food choices I have then that’s good enough
 
Absolutely @Nicel ! Doing the best we can with the food choices we have as we go about our lives, as you say, absolutely good enough.

Eating keto/lower carb for the rest of our lives, and/or restricting food intake in whatever way that works - is challenging indeed. Yummy! Thank goodness. (Your pistacios and strawberries and greek yoghurt made my tummy rumble.) But oh yes to challenging when it comes to lifelong maintenance.
 
Thanks @AloeSvea I’m struggling this week. Went away for the weekend last weekend and ate like I used to and went back on low carb this week. I can’t get my blood sugar back down fasting is 8-9 at the moment and I’m exercising and keeping my carbs way below 50g a day. I wonder if it’s a knock on effect from the weekend. I did say after I didn’t find the food I had worth cheating so it’s put me off doing so in the future especially if I’m having such a hard time controlling it now. Live and learn eh!
 
@Nicel, a drop from HBA1c 72 to 58 a couple of weeks ago, from low-carbing, and low-caling - is great! Are you still on the VLCD? (if you are, you are in your last couple of weeks, or did you make the transition already?).

Absolutely understand the challenges re going away and food out, and socialising. I am hugely grateful for all-day big (or small if low-cal-ing) breakfasts (bar the hashbrowns and toast and fries, naturally), although it does get tired.
 
@rdw480 - how did the rest of your ND go? How is the transitioning going? I realise we haven't heard from you since the halfway mark... and it's your thread!
 

I’m now aiming for 1200 cals a day and just wanting to lose weight slower. I’m training hard at the gym so 800 cals wouldn’t sustain me. I’ll get on top of the blood sugar. I’ll have to I’ve had so little carbs. My. Body might be adjusting to running weights and swimming maybe. Thanks for the encouraging words
 
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