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'Newcastle diet' advice

I'm not a great believer in rushing back to the carbs. I'm sure weight loss does help reduce insulin resistance but the damage has been done before diagnosis and I want to preserve what function I have left for as long as possible. Paulins is not on any medication so doesn't have the luxury of the control that affords to BS levels. The OP asked about stalling weight loss whilst not affecting her BS levels and I'm not sure eating carbs will do that. Obviously she needs to test as she tries new things out and I'm sure that she will be able to add things back in - but from my own experience , it was eating carbs that got me overweight and addicted to overeating in first place.
 
I, like @cold ethyl, and suspect most people with T2 would not be able to tolerate the amount of carbs you say you are able to @douglas99.

@paulins has done amazingly well on the Newcastle diet, and her other health difficulties mean that she needs to carefully consider her diet now. To suddenly add a heavy carb load after abstaining for so long could cause BG to be raised again. Particularly as she does not have the safety net of BG reducing medication.
 

I don't disagree.
As I said, small amount, and test.
 

It was over eating anything that didn't move fast enough in my case.
I didn't really mind, carbs, protein, fat, so long as it was slow enough.

(Which is actually a great irony, now I'm a lot faster, but I eat a lot less)
 
Mine was mainly carbs. Bacon sarnie for breakfast, baked spud at lunchtime, rice and naan with my curry. Then bedtime snack of crisps, or French bread. It's a wonder I could get upstairs to bed.
 
cold ethyl said:
Mine was mainly carbs. Bacon sarnie for breakfast, baked spud at lunchtime, rice and naan with my curry. Then bedtime snack of crisps, or French bread. It's a wonder I could get upstairs to bed.
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Oh, don't get me started on food porn.
Cheese on toast, salami, sausages, (hot and cold) bacon, (just the bacon, hot and cold again), cheese cubes, lamb chops with the fat crispy, and pooling on the plate, belly pork, prawns in garlic butter, steak in garlic butter, gaviscon.....(bet their share price has fallen now )
 
bacon in burgen - still one of my favorites. @paulins - as @AndBreathe says, just make your portion sizes a little larger across the board and slow the loss down to a pound a week and then a little more until you apraoch your target by which time you will know what is a sustainable amount of food. At that point you can decide how you wish to change your diet. Don't forget to remove the supplements if you are still having them and replace them with real food.

For the first few days of changing your diet expect to see peaks and troughs whilst your body settles into it and don't be alarmed. You can always squash any peaks on the treadmill
 


Hey @Andrew Colvin - how are you? Good to see you back! Thanks for this advice, I'll try it and see how it goes. Hope all well with you.
 
paulins said:
Hey @Andrew Colvin - how are you? Good to see you back! Thanks for this advice, I'll try it and see how it goes. Hope all well with you.
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Paulins - I was very tired when I responded last night and couldn't quite work out if you still have 7lb or 3lb to lose to reach your target? I'm still not 100% clear. A fabulous sleep has obviously clouded my brain!

If you still have 7lbs to go, then now is the perfect time to start adjusting your diet. If you just have 3lbs, I'd suggest you really get cracking with the changes now. It took me a while to slow up the loss, and still notch down, rather than up, so don't be surprised if your body continues to do what it's used to; i.e. lose weight.

Who ever thought we'd be having these conversations? But, in reality, it's a mark of our success, if somewhat frustrating!

You know, @Andrew Colvin , if you created a rote for the household on the rowing machine, perhaps you wouldn't have to put it away? I'm sure your family will find that a most *helpful/*unhelpful suggestion. (*Delete as appropriate.)
 



@AndBreathe - I am now 10st 10lbs, and my doctor thinks I should stop losing weight at 10st 7 lbs, which would be a 3lbs loss to go to get to a 7st overall loss. I am about to start chemotherapy and they are concerned that I have the physical strength to deal with it over the six cycles. So, I don't want to put any weight on again, but want to eat more to build up my strength. I am also hacked off that the drugs they give to stop sickness are steroids as apparently they can really push up BS levels. I am hoping the increase is temporary though - but it will play havoc with my HbA1c levels! I also do 5k every day on the treadmill, and am anxious that if I can't do this levels will creep up again. So many worries!
 

That's quite a package, and several fundamental parameter changes. Whilst I totally understand your concerns, I would be inclined to try to get myself into a space where I gave myself more slack to cope with some unexpected results. Perhaps someone might be able to give you an insight into their recent experience of this sort of treatment?

There are so many things you won't be able to control, and if the combination of chemo, plus any related steroids pushes up your HbA1c, it feels (from afar, obviously) that that's a slight bump in the road of the bigger picture and the chemo's objective. I'm not being glib, because knowing myself I would be very frustrated too. Maybe you could engage with your medics for a few additional tests with the blood letting you will inevitably have to endure in the course of your treatment? Right now, I probably haven't sorted in my head what that might mean, as I would have to ask myself what action I would take if my HbA1c rose a bit, during chemo. I can't imagine them just loading you up on steroids in case you felt unwell. I imagine they'd wait until necessary before giving you those?

Have you voiced these concerns with your specialists? If so, what was their response, and how did you feel about it? How does Mr P feel about the impending stuff, and have you voiced your concern to him? Mr B would find it very difficult, and I know his response would be to stuff the HbA1c for a while, and revisit later. I might want to kill him at that point.

Sorry that's been a bit of a brain dump on my part. I'm just trying to open my mind.

As ever, you will have support from lots of people on here. If good wishes, and positive vibes could impact on your HbA1C, you'd have no worries.
 
Good advice from @AndBreathe , @paulins

Without wishing to sound as if I am trivialising your concerns, would it be better to put the BG management second to the chemo management? I know I would hate it if someone said that to me.
I have had steroid treatment, for allergies. It didn't push up BG levels. You are amazingly close to your target weight now, are you due to have another HbA1c test soon? That might put your mind at rest. I think the reason the doc doesn't want you to lose much more weight is that the chemo can make you lose appetite. So perhaps your increase in calories could be from cheese, nuts and cream rather than carb.
You are quite naturally anxious about starting the chemo. What about going and having a chat at the support centre?

As ever, you take best wishes of myself, and lots of other forum members with you.
 
Thank you @AndBreathe and @Pipp for your good advice - I do think I simply need to recognise that this is a blip in the diabetes journey and if BS levels go up they can be brought down again. I did talk about this with the oncologist and he said the steroids are short term - a couple of days in each of the six cycles. And it may well be that they have no impact at all. So, fingers crossed that I'm one of the people who doesn't have a reaction to them. Mr P thinks the chemo has to take priority at the moment and that I need to get this sorted in my head - and of course he is right. He suggested that I have a lovely meal the day before and eat whatever I want and drink some wine - as I'm unlikely to want to eat on the day of the treatments and the days following them.
 

Think Mr Paulins is right.
Quite natural for you to have worries in anticipation though. It is the thought of the unknown. Treat yourself when you feel like eating, and when you don't feel up to much, try to have a smoothie. I just tried one. @Brunneria recommends them. She is wise.
 

Of course, Mr P is correct. I might even do as he suggests, before the first one at least, but in your shoes, I'd still want to throttle him for his pragmatism!!

I really hope it goes well.
 
Hi Paulins,

Sorry about the chemo. And I'm sorry I can't contribute anything useful about how to handle your BG during it and the steroids - but I'm sending you tremendously hopeful best wishes.
 
@AndBreathe and @Pipp - thanks for your support. So much appreciated. I am on a BC thread and there are threads for each month when a new group starts chemo. They share their experiences and offer support. One woman had round 2 today, and a couple was having words across from her. Then the husband walked out leaving the wife weeping. This lovely woman gave her tissues and held her hand, thinking it was anxiety about the chemo. But no, he was telling her that after 12 years of marriage that he was leaving her. During chemo! Beggars belief! I never wish anyone ill, but I hope he contracts a nasty case of ... something embarrassing! - and has the indignity of having to get it treated.
 

Hmm, all I can think of is that she is getting rid of a bigger problem than the cancer.

Think serene thoughts though, paulins.
 


OK. I'll kill him instead!!

Sorry to be so flippant, but that is a dreadful situation. Long term, it may be the right thing to happen, but timing!!??!?!?!

Unfortunately, sometimes stress makes us act in ways we can't control. Incredibly sad for both of them. One day, he may realise how awfully he behaved.
 
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