Newcastle Diet survivors - where are they now?

[Indy51]

I'd also add a soup like bouillon or broth - the saltier the better. During the first week or so you're likely to be losing lots of fluids. Or take an electrolyte drink. Will probably also aid with your headache.

 

[Moondance]

Second day, love the Atkins shakes - chocolate and strawberry, finding drinking water much easier than I thought, and paracetamol rocks!!! I have a Freestyle BM machine that I use with my patients - I will start taking my BM and let you know! Slept for 6 hours last night, might have woken due to all the water that I am drinking!!! Loads of energy, husband came home to a sparkling house today, after I left for my late shift - too busy at work to be hungry - currently on a break sipping water!!!

 

[Brunneria]

Second day, love the Atkins shakes - chocolate and strawberry, finding drinking water much easier than I thought, and paracetamol rocks!!! I have a Freestyle BM machine that I use with my patients - I will start taking my BM and let you know! Slept for 6 hours last night, might have woken due to all the water that I am drinking!!! Loads of energy, husband came home to a sparkling house today, after I left for my late shift - too busy at work to be hungry - currently on a break sipping water!!!

Ah, Atkins shakes - nicely low carb.
You might want to look at Almased too. It's a powder, but I think it has a lovely, natural, earthy/beany flavour, that goes excellently with cocoa powder. It didn't blip my BG at all, and seemed more filling than Atkins, as a meal replacement (cheapest on eBay, rather than from Almased). Also fewer sweeteners or flavourings...
But if Atkins is working for you - go for it!
Glad your energy levels good.

 

[Pipp]

I feel a bit cheeky being on here, but am on my sedond day of the Newcastle diet - am trying out the diet before I recommend it to patients, to see how you feel on it, and am also trying to reduce my risk of getting diabetes, as I have auto-immune disease and am overweight. My husband has type 2 diabetes, so although he is very dubious about such low calorie diets, and is refusing to try it himself, so hopefully this will inspire him as well!

Busy day in a minor injury unit on the first day of the diet yesterday, woke with a headache today, which I know is normal for the diet - does that last long?

Not sure if my experience helps, as I was diabetic when I started on Newcastle diet. I admire your proactive stance though to avoid becoming diabetic.
I didn't have headaches, but felt very cold for the first two days. My normally calm and relaxed persona changed a bit to a snapping dragon, but the irritability left after day 2, and I felt extremely well and had lots of energy.

I would emphasise the importance of:
Drinking plenty of water
Checking blood glucose
Following guidelines in research documents from Newcastle university, prof Taylor et al
Having support of GP, nurse, or pharmacy
Best wishes

 

[Pipp]

And giving up coffee

I had forgotten about the giving up of coffee. That was necessary with the first, successful, Newcastle diet I completed 3 years ago ( using Lipotrim). Some VLC diets don't require you to give up tea and coffee, but I had more success with total food replacement.

 

[Pipp]

I have spent the last week trying LCHF. It is not for me. I have felt nauseous, vomited on one occasion, and feel bloated with lots of water retention. Strange because usually have water retention when I overdo carbs.
I don't think it wise for me to return to full on Newcastle dieting, as that is not meant to be long term. So, I intend to do, low carb, lowish fat. Mainly eating fruit, veg, nuts seeds, pulses, yogurt and some eggs and lean protein. If this fails I may try to have two low cal meal replacement drinks and one meal of veg and protein a day.

I will have to watch portion size and step up the exercise to start shifting my excess weight.

 

[AndBreathe]

I have spent the last week trying LCHF. It is not for me. I have felt nauseous, vomited on one occasion, and feel bloated with lots of water retention. Strange because usually have water retention when I overdo carbs.
I don't think it wise for me to return to full on Newcastle dieting, as that is not meant to be long term. So, I intend to do, low carb, lowish fat. Mainly eating fruit, veg, nuts seeds, pulses, yogurt and some eggs and lean protein. If this fails I may try to have two low cal meal replacement drinks and one meal of veg and protein a day.

I will have to watch portion size and step up the exercise to start shifting my excess weight.

Pipp - I couldn't get along with the high fat element of LCHF, so sort of created my own hybrid, but using the principles. Frankly, the thought of bullet proof coffee, butter spread on cheese, and the like makes me feel queasy, even before I might try to eat it! Now I happily have fat, and like almost everyone else, I avoid low fat products, and thereafter sort of eat to my meter.

As a result, I have some fruit; curiously mainly local tropical varieties, rice, noodles potato - all in moderation, and my bloods flatline at 3.5 - 4.5, provided I'm not an absolute horse.

I've never tried meal replacements. They don't appeal too much to me; although I do get their convenience factor at the very low calorie end of things. Those would have been a real challenge to me, if I had tried the ND. I might have (mentally) struggled with the transition back to "proper food".

It's really not easy wrangling this thing into some sort of shape, and I don't pretend to have arrived at my own lifetime solution, yet.

 

[Pipp]

Pipp - I couldn't get along with the high fat element of LCHF, so sort of created my own hybrid, but using the principles. Frankly, the thought of bullet proof coffee, butter spread on cheese, and the like makes me feel queasy, even before I might try to eat it! Now I happily have fat, and like almost everyone else, I avoid low fat products, and thereafter sort of eat to my meter.

As a result, I have some fruit; curiously mainly local tropical varieties, rice, noodles potato - all in moderation, and my bloods flatline at 3.5 - 4.5, provided I'm not an absolute horse.

I've never tried meal replacements. They don't appeal too much to me; although I do get their convenience factor at the very low calorie end of things. Those would have been a real challenge to me, if I had tried the ND. I might have (mentally) struggled with the transition back to "proper food".

It's really not easy wrangling this thing into some sort of shape, and I don't pretend to have arrived at my own lifetime solution, yet.

Thank you, AndBreathe
I should be grateful that my blood glucose is not the problem. I just need to lose the weight to prevent diabetes levels returning. I am trying to find a way to do that, but the LCHF (albeit without the lashings of cream and butter) has not helped this week.

 

[Pipp]

On second thoughts, perhaps I will ditch the meal replacement products and have yogurt, fruit and veg in their place. I do not like processed foods, yet am grateful for the result in using the meal replacement ones previously.
Need to do something to lose the weight though.

 

[AndBreathe]

How many average calories are there in your usual replacement meals? Perhaps, based on the calorific content, you could come up with some food based meal replacement meals? I'm sure some of us might rise to the challenge if you started a thread? Or, if you use a food diary, which is calorie counted, you may already have some very low calorie meals you have eaten in the past?

Was it purely the fat element of the LCHF that you couldn't get on with?

 

[Pipp]

Meal replacement around 200 cals.

Yes it was the fat that I found difficult in LCHF. That and being weak willed when it comes to eating nuts and cheese, which are delicious and calorie dense!
I am sure I will work it out, just aware that if I am going low calorie to lose weight I need to get all of the minerals and vitamins etc. i was going to have mainly vegetables supplemented with some lean protein, beans, eggs and low fat dairy. I also have food allergies (verified by allergy consultant, not just a faddy eater), so have to be careful with ingredients.

 

[cold ethyl]

I like the low carb element of the LCHF and that I can eat cheese and meat etc but lashings of butter and cream and a liberal souse of coconut oil are not for me, so I've continued with skimmed lactofree milk, low fat yogurt ( it actually has same carbs in as full fat version in the brand iI like) and no cream. I like fatty meat so am happy to eat belly pork and rib eye steak but cream and butter weren't on menu before I started diet and haven't appeared yet. I think you have to do what is best for you and your preferences. I can live without pasta and bread but hope to be able to have the odd spoonful of rice or potato when I have lost more weight. I find a lot if overeating is through the eyes so I choose low carb veg like cauli and green beans to fill over half the plate then whatever else we are having like curry, or stew etc. it seems to be working as blood sugars pretty stable and weight coming off reasonably steadily. I think there's a danger with the HF element of forgetting that in order to lose weight, you do need some calorie restriction once the initial stages of dumping the carbs has passed. Hence I've not tried all the almond flour, coconut butter baking either as I know that overeating is just overeating, whatever it's makeup.

 

[andcol]

Hi Pipp have you looked at the diet I eat in my HBA1c thread and my increasing the carbs thread. I am now at a fairly stable diet and weight (have to exercise to make the weight go down) and I am eating fruit, nuts, normal evening meal with the family, sandwich, cereal, veg and of course chocolate

I have gone for the don't have much of any one thing but have a little of many things for variety in taste. It is funny I really enjoy my packed lunch much more than the evening meal which is less varied. I increase the daily calories or decrease them if need be by adjusting the nut intake (they are very calorific)

 

[Pipp]

Thank you cold ethyl

I have, since completing the first stint of Newcastle dieting, late 2011, been eating a diet similar to the one you have described, and in the main, have maintained the weight loss apart from a few kg. Blood glucose levels do not increase with carbs, but I do gain weight if I eat more than a minimal amount. I tried Newcastle method for 4 weeks recently, and lost 5.5kg over that period, but still have a lot of weight to lose, which I want to do so that I am not in danger of diabetes levels of blood glucose to return.

I am probably being very impatient as I have only just managed to start exercising after a break of 18 months due to illness. I am fortunate that blood glucose does not seem to be a problem now, just that the weight loss has stalled

I agree that the cream, butter, etc is not the way to go for me, but will keep plodding on with the low carb and minimal fats.

Many thanks for taking an interest in this and for your advice.
Pipp

 

[Pipp]

Hi Pipp have you looked at the diet I eat in my HBA1c thread and my increasing the carbs thread. I am now at a fairly stable diet and weight (have to exercise to make the weight go down) and I am eating fruit, nuts, normal evening meal with the family, sandwich, cereal, veg and of course chocolate

I have gone for the don't have much of any one thing but have a little of many things for variety in taste. It is funny I really enjoy my packed lunch much more than the evening meal which is less varied. I increase the daily calories or decrease them if need be by adjusting the nut intake (they are very calorific)

Thanks Andrew, i will have a look.
You rumbled me, I think it was the overindulgence in almonds that snookered me.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi all, I'm not going to suggest that 'high fat' is going to work for everyone, but I would suggest that introducing any fat (even low/normal) after weeks of a VLCD is something to be done with EXTREME caution. One week would never be enough to wake up your gall bladder and make the necessary adjustments.

I fasted for a week once. On day 8 I had an egg. Shocking reaction. Didn't even make it the bathroom before vomiting. Should have started much more gently!

And I've always been puzzled by the LCHF label. It isn't necessarily high fat. It is enough fat. All you should be doing is replacing carb cals with fat calories. Swapping say 100 g of carbs with 45 g of fat. Spread that over 3 meals and maybe 2 snacks that doesn't mean mainlining tablespoons of lard. It means a dab of butter on runner beans, two tablespoons of double cream on strawberries, the skin on a chicken leg, 15 cashews and maybe 3 squares of dark choc.

The only people who ladle butter onto cheese are either long distance runners, or underweight, or idiots.

 

[Pipp]

Hi all, I'm not going to suggest that 'high fat' is going to work for everyone, but I would suggest that introducing any fat (even low/normal) after weeks of a VLCD is something to be done with EXTREME caution. One week would never be enough to wake up your gall bladder and make the necessary adjustments.

I fasted for a week once. On day 8 I had an egg. Shocking reaction. Didn't even make it the bathroom before vomiting. Should have started much more gently!

And I've always been puzzled by the LCHF label. It isn't necessarily high fat. It is enough fat. All you should be doing is replacing carb cals with fat calories. Swapping say 100 g of carbs with 45 g of fat. Spread that over 3 meals and maybe 2 snacks that doesn't mean mainlining tablespoons of lard. It means a dab of butter on runner beans, two tablespoons of double cream on strawberries, the skin on a chicken leg, 15 cashews and maybe 3 squares of dark choc.

The only people who ladle butter onto cheese are either long distance runners, or underweight, or idiots.

Thanks Brunneria

I don't have a gallbladder to take care of. I think what I did wrong this week was to perhaps have a bit too much cheese and almonds. Butter and cream and fatty meat I just cannot tolerate.
I have probably been trying too much too soon with the exercise too. Going to have a rethink of it all tomorrow and sort a sensible achievable plan.

 

[Brunneria]

Thanks Brunneria

I don't have a gallbladder to take care of...

Aha! My keenly deductive mind may have spotted the problem ... enough fat for you, isn't much at all, is it?

How are your kidneys? Can you up the protein?

Good luck. And keep us informed, eh?

 

[Pipp]

Aha! My keenly deductive mind may have spotted the problem ... enough fat for you, isn't much at all, is it?

How are your kidneys? Can you up the protein?

Good luck. And keep us informed, eh?

Thanks, Brunneria

I'm not sure I can increase the fat, but will try to increase protein.

 

[Allig]

What is the Newcastle Diet?


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