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'Newcastle diet' advice

Hi All

I've been lurking here for a while. Got diagnosed about 6 months ago and have managed now to lose 40 lbs in weight. The ND interested me most of all especially here on this forum where people are supportive of getting rid of the diabetes symptoms. Its been my experience that on other forums you can "Never get rid of diabetes". Well I've lost a bunch of weight but I also discovered I've shrunk over 2" inches in height. too so my BMI indicates that I've another 20-30 lbs to go before the nasty side effects go away. I am fortunate in that I am in the process of helping another diabetic (who unfortunately lost a leg to diabetes) lately . Seeing that outcome can really focus the mind.. I emailed Professor Taylor and he encouraged me to just lose the weight. One nice feature is my back doesn't give me nearly as many complaints now I've lost the weight.

My HbA1c was 6.5% at diagnosis in March and last seen in May was 6.2%. I've lost a bunch of weight since then & I've been working out most days or at least putting in a decent walk.. For those folks that have joints good enough mix it up running etc. No good joints? Then biking / swimming & eating right..

Good luck to all.

JM
 
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Just thought I'd pop back in and let you know that I am now 1 lb from my target weight. This has taken me from January. The last bit of weight loss has been because of some other health issues, but it is really worth losing the weight and doing exercise and getting these BS levels down. My GP tells me I am now non-diabetic though it will be 3 years before I can get off the diabetic register. Now in a maintenance phase, and adding new foods regularly to see what they do to my levels. Nothing so far. It is really hard, there is absolutely no denying this, and it won't work for everyone despite their very best efforts, but keep at it fellow Newcastlers, because the overall improvement in our health is the main goal. Very best of luck.
 
Nice to see you Paulins. I hope you're coping in your own way with the current bigger picture.
 
AndBreathe said:
Nice to see you Paulins. I hope you're coping in your own way with the current bigger picture.
Click to expand...

Thank you @AndBreathe. I am doing OK, and as you say getting on with it in my own way. Still on the treadmill every day though I only do 5K but exercise is apparently good for us regardless of whatever else we are facing! I make myself think that sweating is getting nasty toxins out of my bloodstream! Your last HbA1c looks great! Well done you!
 
Thanks Paulins. I seem to have drawn a bit of a lucky straw in the diabetes lottery. I have worked at it, but not nearly so diligently as so many seem to have to try.

In a world where we have to roll with the punches, that's one I'll gladly take.
 

@AndBreathe We all deserve a bit of good luck from time to time. I am in the position at the moment that I have no interest at all in food so am actually having to make myself eat. My doctor told me to eat more protein and good fats so that's what I'm trying to do. Apparently steroids can push up BS levels up quickly to over 20 but apart from one night when it was 8.3 I have been steady in 4s and 5s. Great as I was worried that high levels would undo all the good I have done since January.
 

Fingers crossed it stays that way for your bloods, but I do hope your appetite comes back. It's no fun just eating for fuel.
 

I also would like to praise your achievement. You continue to inspire.
 
Yeah! Reached my target weight this morning! 10st! A red letter day. This took me from January 27th - September 22nd 2014, so 8 months. A long haul! Fasting level was 4.9 this morning, despite the new foods I'm adding into my diet. Will let you know how my BS levels cope with the food I am eating. Next additional food - BREAD! Getting spelt flour bread and will have a slice with cheese! Yummy!
 

Well done, Paulins. Glad this is working so well for you. I think the reintroduction of real food is the difficult part, but you seem to have done everything right.

Can you summarise the method, ie which VLCD products you used, and the exercise regime?

Thanks
Pipp
 
Well done indeed @paulins . Will there be any form of celebration? Please keep posting. I'm excited to hear how the next phase goes.
 

Hi @Pipp - I used Shake that Weight which are ordered online. Newcastle uses Optifast, but we can't get it in the UK, so I looked for an alternative that seemed to have the same calories, nutrients etc. For the first 8 weeks I had a shake for breakfast, a soup for lunch, an afternoon shake then non-root vegetables for dinner (made into curries, stir fries, soups etc). Lots of salad. Then I added some lean chicken two/three times a week, eggs twice a week to the salad (or as an omelette fried in a non-stick pan) and basically did this for the next 5 months. I used the recipes that they gave on the Newcastle site. Now I am adding more foods - more proteins, good fats etc. I bought a second hand treadmill and built up what I could do on it - so up to 6k a day. I was advised that very fast walking was much more effective for fat loss - generally and in organs - (breaking a sweat and being a bit out of breath but able to talk) so I do 3k fast walking then 3k running. I also walk much more rather than take the car, and take the stairs at work. And that's been it for 8 months.
 
Thank you. That is a great help. I knew you had mentioned the shake that weight products before. Looked at the website, but there were several different plans.
The exercise on treadmill sounds good, though I won't be able to do that. Will be going to specialist gym soon though.
 
Hooray for Paulins!!!

 
An amazing achievement, Paulins, well done. Can't help thinking adding the bread back is not such a great idea, how about some more protein/fats like your doctor advised? Too many carbs is always going to be your enemy I think.
 
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