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Newcastle Diet: Well here goes folks!!

Hi from me after lurking here for a while to take in as much info as possible.

I've been inspired to start the VLCD regime after 5 years of ignoring the warning signs and accepting the disease progression and increased medication. After the last GP's visit 2 months ago I began serious research and decided the Newcastle Diet route is what I wanted to try. My wife wanted to shed some weight too, so we decided to use Exante products - her on 1200 calories me on 600.

I had a regular blood test with our pratice nurse last week and started the diet the following day. I've already lost 9lbs in 6 days, BP is lower and more stable and BG usually settled to between 4.3 & 6. I invested in an Accu Chek Aviva BG monitor (£10 at Asda) plus their analysis software and took a shed load of evidence to my GP this morning who confessed to being "mightily impressed" by my research and determination. He agreed dropping my gliclazide was appropriate and also placed test strips & lancets on my repeat presription list, so a financial bonus for me too.

Came out of the GPs smiling for the first time in a few years. Just got to keep it up now. Roll on the next 3 month blood tests.
 
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Well done Rob and great that your GP is on board and giving you the test strips and lancets on prescription. Keep us updated with your progress.
 
Hi Biffa, can I ask you what is the Newcastle diet is please. I don't have to loose too much weight but seem to have come to a stand still. I've been following your progress and I think I would like to try it.
 
Oh and we'll done for your progress.
 
Well, 1 week into the ND and have dipped under 16st (224lbs, just under 102kgs) this morning for the first time in several years. Fasting BG 5.4. Not as good as it could be, but much better than it was. I know week 1 usually shows the most extreme results, but its a great psychological boost, for sure.
 
FBG of 4.7 & now 15st 12.5lbs this morning....I'll carry on posting in the older ND diet thread rather than introductions area, but thanks for the incentive that you guys have all generated for me. I look forward to a better future as long as the willpower persists.
 
You are doing fantastically well Biffa! Keep it up!
 
Good luck with you Newcastle journey. My husband was diagnosed with type 2 a year ago. I immediately started to research and came across the Newcastle research. Like you we could not get doctors to give any encouragement about this diet or the potential to reverse type 2 and as my husband had already started to lose weight eating a good healthy Hugh carb diet we wondered if this diet would work for him. So I contacted the doctor who was conducting the research for his advice and to my surprise he did respond, positively. The key it would seem is rapid weight loss over a 3to 6 month period, Good luck with you Newcastle journey. My husband was diagnosed with type 2 a year ago. I immediately started to research and came across the Newcastle research. Like you we could not get doctors to give any encouragement about this diet or the potential to reverse type 2 and as my husband had already started to lose weight eating a good healthy high carb diet we wondered if this diet would work for him. So I contacted the doctor who was conducting the research for his advice and to my surprise he did respond, positively. The key it would seem is rapid weight loss over a 3to 6 month period, with a healthy diet with a good balance of carbs, oils and protein is much more sustainable in the long term. The actual 'Newcastle' diet is not so important and by that I mean, it's not about cutting out carbs or using shakes. My husband's diet was fairly low calorie, probably around 800. - 1200 calories a day but we used natural foods. cut out all processed food, no sugar, no alcohol, ate only whilewhol egrains, drank lots of water, added pulses to our diet, lots of fruit and vegetables steamed. He began to walk, daily and soon built up to 5miles a day and then 10. I am pleased to report that after 3 months with a healthy balanced diet and lots of excercise, not only has he lost 5 and half atone in weight, dropped from an xxl in clothing to a medium but he is free of diabetes. His blood sugars are completely normal and doctors no longer consider him to be diabetic. There are a lotof cynics of the Newcastle research but I wholeheartedly support it and know from experience at can work if you adopt a healthy lifestyle. Good luck with your diet and remember, it's not a diet a change of lifestyle for every. And one last point, my husband worked full time in a high pressure job throughout, all you have to be is committed!
 
Keep going with it you've already seen a drop in bs I've only been a diabetic since December but my fasting bs reading are slightly higher than the rest of the day and also go up slightly after walking might just have to become an insomniac couch potato but seriously I think the hardest part is committing to a diet although with your youngster on board you'll be fine
You can do it
Love
Jan
Hugs to your son as well
You weight loss is fantastic
 
Well done @Biffa1965, you're doing amazingly well.

I've been following this thread with a lot of interest, I read up on this diet a while ago but could not get hold of the "optifast".

What brand of meal replacements do you use?

I've had a look at a few brands but they seem to have a high sugar content, does this matter?
 
Hi all I've been following the ND for 15 days and have dropped 12 lbs, reducing fasting level to 4.2 this morning. I've had to reduce the meds as went down to 2.1 at one point. I hope I can stick with it as it really does seem to work and I feel much better in myself too.
 
Hi I use either shake that weight or slim and save shakes, both only around 130 calories per shake. They both have websites and also sell on eBay. Then I have a low carb meal, keep my calories as low as possible. All going well so far
 
Hi everyone, I'm wanting to embark on the ND, but I'm really confused about which shake to take. The ones I've found seem high in sugar. I'd be grateful if anyone can recommend a low sugar meal replacement shake. Many thanks.
 
Since optifast is not available OTC or online here every one uses different shakes, slimfast, exante, shake that weight (I used this) so its really upto you and what shakes if any your GP suggests.
Do you have GP's approval to go ahead.
 
I was very interested with what I read. However, I am type 1 and my Dr nearly had a blue fit when I asked if I could go on the diet and have shakes etc. I refused to just give up and devised my own diet. I have dropped 4kg in 3 months I am pleases with this. I still have carbs but limited. My glucose levels are in single figures between 6.8mmol to 5.2 mmol. I thank you because had I not read your article I would not have thought I could lose weight as insulin puts weight on you. I do wish I could have the shakes etc. Good luck to all who are on the Newcastle diet
 
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