Newcastle diet - outcomes.

[Fleegle]

There is a lot of activity on the forum around the Newcastle diet, in particular a thread containing a video by Roy Taylor himself saying he will be presenting some of his data from the large scale trial this December. Exciting stuff it seems.

My question here is about people who tried the ND diet and what their outcomes were. It would be good to know what technique you used (shakes, soups, real food, vegetarian, vegan), the outcome after 8 weeks in terms of BG control (FBG) and whether you define yourself as better control, reversed, remission. Just as interested in what didn't go well after tried.

I ask because I am probably not going to wait until December and embark on it myself in early September and want to give me my best chance of success. Having already lost 15% of my weight, got my BG under control and being quite close now to normal weight, BMI, H/W etc I am still unable to tolerate anything but a smidge of carbohydrate.

Thank you.

 

[Incyb]

I did it in January when I was diagnosed. FBG was 12.4. I lost a lot of weight in 8 weeks doing keto(under 20g carbs) 800cals, and after 12 weeks my first A1c test resulted in a 39 so GP agreed to allow me to continue without medication. I now eat LCHF, don't count calories, but only eat in a four hour window. I'm now down 100lbs. I have to keep carbs under 40g to keep my bloods good.

 

[Fleegle]

I did it in January when I was diagnosed. FBG was 12.4. I lost a lot of weight in 8 weeks doing keto(under 20g carbs) 800cals, and after 12 weeks my first A1c test resulted in a 39 so GP agreed to allow me to continue without medication. I now eat LCHF, don't count calories, but only eat in a four hour window. I'm now down 100lbs. I have to keep carbs under 40g to keep my bloods good.

Brilliant - did you use shakes or real food when on the diet.
BTW your outcomes were excellent and you must be really pleased with the weight loss - well done.

 

[Peerless67]

I did it in January when I was diagnosed. FBG was 12.4. I lost a lot of weight in 8 weeks doing keto(under 20g carbs) 800cals, and after 12 weeks my first A1c test resulted in a 39 so GP agreed to allow me to continue without medication. I now eat LCHF, don't count calories, but only eat in a four hour window. I'm now down 100lbs. I have to keep carbs under 40g to keep my bloods good.

That is awesome

 

[Incyb]

I ate real food having done a vcld (Cambridge diet) years ago, I couldn't face the "shakes" again! Meat fish veg, salad, greek yogurt, nuts, lots of water ☺

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

It would be good to know what technique you used (shakes, soups, real food, vegetarian, vegan), the outcome after 8 weeks in terms of BG control (FBG) and whether you define yourself as better control, reversed, remission. Just as interested in what didn't go well after tried.

My approach may be considered to be half hearted but by having a shake (for breakfast or fasting, then Mediterranean vegetables for lunch and finally vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, cabbage, mushrooms etc) for dinner I did straighten out what had been very erratic BG levels despite being low carb (40gms).

That had been the main aim so I was happy after 6 weeks and have added meat back into the regime which has thrown a little spanner in the works. I'm not back to where I was but have to be very careful. Even a yoghurt will send my BG up and I'm thinking that it's because those carbs are more readily available unlike carbs in vegetables.

 

[DCUKMod]

I didn't use this myself, but I know @andcol did a real food variant, although I couldn't swear how many carbs/cals he may have had.

It's interesting how things go in cycles. At one stage the forum was awash with ND threads, then it went to LC, then Fat Fasts, the IF, then the 800 cal/Blood Sugar Diet, and now back towards an interest in the ND.

There indeed many ways to skin this particular diabetes cat.


(No animals were harmed in making the foregoing statement.(

 

[ickihun]

I await his findings in December.
I'll be very disappointed if nothing there any different to what he has already stated and I back him 100% as I did the milkshake diet when I was 15yrs old to lose 7stones.
I needed something severe and only that reduced my weight, even then. It took me 2yrs to start adding weight again so something oositive happened.
Maybe my beta cells flipped into the right pathway but when i added weight and a higher cals diet than 600cals it blocked the pathway again.
If only you guys were around in the 80s!!!!

I think it is too late for me but my last attempted is a restricted diet for life (bariatric surgery).
I just haven't the lack of distractions for ND to work for me currently.
At least I know what's needed and my lifestyle cannot support that way of eating, even for a short period, unsupported medically. Soon it will be engineered in such a way I can do 600cals and not get hungry with added monitoring for my bgs and medical support.
Any change of diet for me causes so much illness, I need at least that.
I'm delighted for the many who can do it adhoc.

Even just going low fat at mo has caused a few upset tums and insuffiencies which are now being supplemented. No matter what diet I had/have illness.

 

[AloeSvea]

Yes - there must be an enormous amount of information from many folks in this forum on the ND - including the priceless follow-ups, and some for many years. (Thinking of Pipp, who posted recently about her many years after situation.) But you could spend a good few days to a week reading up on ND experiences in this forum, I am sure.

I did mine with real food, and a slightly higher calorie intake for half of it (800-1000 second month, from 600-800 cals first month) to get me through subarctic weather conditions I was living in at the time. I didn't do low-carb low cal, which seems so bizarre to me now, but there you are (there was a time when I didn't count carbs! Goodness!). I basically see it as my having eaten tiny portions of a wholefood paleo diet for two months.

I did get down to HBA1c of 40 (from 49 before the VLCD) - the lowest I have been since diagnosis. And I was lean to skinny at the end of it. So much that I was asked more than once if I was a type 1! hohoho. I gained back the weight though, after a few months to normal weight, and also my HBA1c rose with it to prediabetic levels where I have remained. (The most consistent HBA1c I have had is 44.)

So, I would say - take very seriously the idea that you need to maintain most of the weight loss made on a ND! To maintain the non-diabetic levels. (As I was at the upper-end of the non-diabetic levels, it makes sense my time there was so precarious.)

It was interesting that what happened with me fitted in completely with Prof Taylor's theories, and supports his idea of the personal fat threshold. My understanding is that this personal fat threshold is key. (And differs enormously between individuals.)

I do talk about trying it again, and this time seeing if the LCHF/Keto way of eating I do now maintains the lower weight and the probable lower HBA1c. My partner groans and leaves the room when I talk about doing it again! As it was a long two months for both of us. I have since had many experiences in intermittent fasting, so wonder if that part of it will be improved. For me - doing the ND was to be hungry for two months - but this again differs hugely between individuals - and I would say has to do with the appetite hormone differences in people, which stands to reason.

 

[OrsonKartt]

I did the shake thing. I found that slim fast tasted the best but asda was cheaper if I was feeling broke. This was the first diet I'd been on and I found that after 4 weeks I became week but I got by. My sugar levels dropped almost instantly. ... After the diet I found this site and went low carb. It's been a year and I find if I binge out on cream , cheese, meats etc after a few weeks my morning sugars creep above 6. At that time I'm having a few calorie restricted days and they are back to what is considered normal. I still test my sugars several times a day. I find this keeps me in the loop as I'm still learning. Wishing you well and btw there are some truly fab food things out there to explore which are low carb and delicious. Good luck !!

 

[Tannith]

I'm doing ND now. Real food. About 900 cals not 800 though. I'm very much hoping that if I lose the weight my diabetes/prediabetes will go away and I shall be able to eat normally again as long as I don't put the weight back.After all I wasn't diabetic before I put the weight on about 5 years ago. I'm on day 19 but I am getting weary of it. Nevertheless I shall persevere til I have lost 10% of my weight, possibly 15%, despite feeling pretty downhearted at the moment.

 

[Kristin251]

I have never done it but I probably only eat 900-1000 cals a day now.
I could never live on veggies alone.

I would find it very easy if I could eat an avocado or 1.5 and an egg or some small amount of protein. Veggies would leave me ravenous. A wedge of avocado a few times a day would be simple for me. 2 large avocados would only be about 400 cals. Plenty of room for an egg and a handful of lettuce. Not too far from my normal diet but I don't eat two large avocados a day and I eat more protein than one egg and some nuts. I would do much better with a fat fast than a veg fast.

I haven't read the book so I don't know his stance on the macros, just the calories. What's the protein element ?