The research being reported in the news is a follow up to research done at Newcastle University in 2012 by Professor Roy Taylor and funded by Diabetes UK. I originally read that Professor Taylor wanted to prove that the success of Bariatric Surgery was down to severely restricting calories. I see that it's now to prove the build up of fat in both the pancreas and the liver. It examined 11 people with diabetes who slashed their food intake to 600 calories per day for 8 weeks.Three months later, 7 of the 11 people studied were free of diabetes. This is where there seems to some confusion as the diet totaled 800 cals, 600 cals from
Optifast meal replacement sachets and a further 200 calories from non starchy vegetables.
I actually used Ultranflamx and Ultrameal 360 food supplements as meal replacement for breakfast and then two meals of non starchy vegetables, I also take supplements like Vit C, Vit D, Vit B12, Magnesium . . . . . The total calories was 800 or less and that might be the only real similarity with Newcastle. There's a very interesting document available at
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwiP6KmI3_TXAhULB8AKHVStDhYQFggyMAE&url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Services/A-Z/DiabetesService/PatientsCarers/Documents/SJH%20NEWCASTLE%20DIET%20BOOKLET2012.pdf&usg=AOvVaw21Mn9O3MHOWbTCaO8E-KP_
Or Google Newcastle diet History. The two supplements I used are expensive (14 servings - £40) although I seemed to get more than 14 servings from the container I have, I may have used smaller quantities, but even Optifast is about £3 a serving, I guess shopping around would find something less expensive.
Personally, I'm seriously contemplating just vegetables next time and perhaps juicing for one or two meals. I might use the Nutribullit in preference to a juicer to keep all the bits in, might make me feel like I'm eating something.
My weight stall had lasted several years, several years of lowering my calorie intake by 500, 1000, 1500 and finally 2,000 to be Newcastle like 800 calories (my RMR is 2400 and BMR is 2,800). I've used several online metabolic rate calculators, they all come out about the same, the one that was ridiculously high I ignored and I always come back to the Harris Benedict calculation.
The very low calorie approach helped me lose several kgs (so did 3 weeks in NZ and I know which was easier) and more importantly straightened out my BG that seemed to bare no connection to the low carb food I was eating before the VLCD.