starting newcastle diet on 2nd jan

I started 6 weeks ago on slim fast plan 2 shakes with 250miles of soya milk, and up1 600 colaries meal a day anothing else. I went onto slim fast website and checked out recipes. I chose to get light choices meals at tescos they range fro 300 to 450 calories,. To the shakes I have added sometimes during the week some frozen fruit ..... Tescoes do name brand fruit for £1,29 and I always got 2 and then 6 bananas. As I am on benefits for health reasons, money is tight.

It has worked so far 4lbs a week weight loss so 20lbs in total. I have had dinners out and just have had 2 shakes for that day and no fruit added, no snacking andI havechosen all means from light choices range low fat and low sugar. Some of meals are Moussaka,
perei peri chicken with couscous and other vegies, prawn paella, chicken tikka masala, I only ad a small amount of fresh mushrooms and frozen pepers and that is it.

Now as the cold weather has come I am missing porridge as that used to fill me up ther same. At the momemnt it is working, I should have mentioned I am on 3 Metformin a day.

Just a quick note to previous comment I do not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, only vise I did have was the food, so if this is the only way for me I have to try it.

Six weeks down with only two weeks to go. Well done. I did the ND earlier this year, and am now doing it again, but with a twist as I don't have enough weight to lose to do it like I did first time, ie properly. Keep going, the last two weeks will fly by and you will feel so proud of yourself, I know I did. I lost over 50lbs and felt so much better.

What positives have you found so far?

SOOOO good to hear from you. Hope you can motivate me AGAIN. I've put on 10lb and lose a little then put it back on. I am doing more exercise. I am finding it hard to motivate myself and I think I'll try a little and keep below 11 stone (10 13 as I speak) but begin the newcastle diet proper on 2 Jan. I have had veg soup about 11.00 so far today, I've cleaned the windows (exercise) and done the family accounts (depressing) and now I'm going to have a lovely strawberry asda drink.

Just been in hospital for a minor op and my blood sugar when I came round to notice was 12.6 and a little later 10.6. I showed the nurse how I do the finger prick (from above (ie vertical) rather than from the top of the finger) and she thought it was a good way. My BG at home before I went was 5.1, in hospital it was 6.3 (stress?)before I went down for the op. I'm supposed to be going to an exercise class tonight but the op was on Tuesday so I'll see how I feel. We go to Tesco and Co-op on the way home and get the bargains, I'll have to not buy the carbohydrates but keep to lettuce etc.

Great start, Geordie90. I doubt if I'd ever have the willpower, so more power to you

Thanks for the thought, Geordie, but I was at normal weight before I heard of the Newcastle Diet. My BG is mostly in the "ideal" to "satisfactory" range recommended in Australia, so until that changes I'll continue with lower carbs and eating to my meter

Hi All No-one posting on here, I hope you are still on the diet Geordie, I can't seem to motivate myself, so will wait until after Christmas but not go too mad at Christmas.
Unfortunately I have to go in hospital in January or February, so not sure it is wise to start the diet on 2 Jan as I was going to do. But then, knowing hospitals and how slow they are, I could have done the diet by the time I go in. (I had breast cancer in 2004. the implant moved recently after I lost the 4 stone, and that was OK, but the minor op about a month ago found out it had also ruptured, so I am having it replaced, in the right place, as soon as possible. If I could lose the stone I have put back on before the op it would be the wise thing to do but I cannot motivate myself. The good thing is in 2004 I was scared it might come back, over time I know it hasn't.
I think I have talked myself into going back on the diet (after the quiche I have just had for my breakfast). The stupid thing is the diet was EASY, it was the mindset that I had then I haven't got now. So - soup for dinner (home-made veg soup - how I get fed up of it). I can only try, and I will fall off the diet at Christmas, but until then, watch this space.

11st 3lb this am.
BG 6.9 half an hour after quiche.(that's higher than expected).

Well I didn't restart the diet, but I haven't put on weight after two xmas dinners and two buffet style parties, I'm still 11st 3 lb.. So - don't watch this space until January as far as I'm concerned. It was a bit silly really thinking I could. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Hi all. I did the Newcastle diet and completed it in on 28th Feb 2012. I lost 30lbs over that time and stopped taking the Metformin. My HB1ac had dropped to 45 in June and all seemed well. However about that time I went for my annual retinal scan and was diagnosed with R1 retinopathy and was asked to return in 6 months. Just been for anther scan and was shocked to be diagnosed with maculopathy. After some research i find that a sudden improvment in blood sugar control can trigger a rapid advance in retinopathy. In fact this is noted in Prof Taylors notes to doctors re the Newcastle diet:

5. Diabetes complications.
It is most important to consider the individual’s microvascular complications before embarking upon major dietary change. If there is no retinopathy, or only early changes (scattered micro aneurysms with few blot haemorrhages) then no additional precaution is required other than an annual screening. However, if moderate or more severe retinopathy is present then arrangements should be made to re-screen the eyes within six months of achieving a substantial improvement in blood glucose control. The reason for this is that the sudden normalisation (reduction) in retinal blood flow associated with the return of normal blood glucose control can disadvantage areas of the retina in areas of marginal circulation with resulting deterioration in retinopathy. This effect is entirely restricted to individuals with pre-existing moderate or worse retinopathy. (Arun CS, Pandit R, Taylor R.. Diabetologia 2004; 47:1380-84. PMID: 15309288).

So the diet should not affect anyone who hadnt got advanced retinopathy also research suggests that HB1ac control would need to improve by 3% before it would affect the retinopathy - I do not fall into either group. So my question to you all is has anyone else had this experience after completing the Newcastle diet or is the deterioration unrelated???
Cheers

Greetings from a brand new forum member in the United States.

My sister steered me to this site and, in particular, this thread, because my husband has type 2. In July, he had a heart attack, and while he was being treated for that they discovered that he was diabetic. His doctor had been telling him for a few years that he was "pre-diabetic," but he never made any lifestyle changes. He's overweight and has a really huge gut. He's a EE and sits at a desk all day. Never exercises. So this was a huge wake-up call for him. He had to have a stent in one of his coronary arteries five years ago. This time it was a different artery--nearly 100% occluded. And the diabetes, of course. All very scary.

In March I moved from our home in New Hampshire to Colorado to take care of my parents; my father had leukemia and has since died. My mother is in poor health. So I am staying on for the moment, which means the hubby is back home by himself. He has NOT been good about staying on his diabetes program. He has managed to get off insulin during the day but is still taking the long-acting insulin at bedtime and is on two oral meds. I am desperately worried about him. I don't think he'll get a third wake-up call.

My sister's husband also recently found out that his FBG numbers are very high. Their son has type 1, and it's not quite clear just yet whether my BIL will be diagnosed with type 2. But it's very clear that he and my husband both need to do something drastic (my BIL is also overweight). My sister is a little overweight, and I'm quite overweight (about 70 pounds). So we have all decided to do the Newcastle regime together. My husband is here with me in Colorado visiting right now; we're going to wait until he gets home to start the program, since it's just too difficult now while we're visiting various family members and they're feeding us.

I want to thank Geordie and everyone else who has posted on this thread. It's incredibly inspirational. My labs are always very good (no sign of diabetes, good cholesterol, etc.) but my blood pressure has been slightly elevated recently. I know it's only a matter of time before my obesity catches up to me. So I'm looking at this as a preventative measure as well as a weight-loss method. For my husband, it's life or death. I'm 58 and he's 61, so we have no time to lose.

We use a different scale here in the US, so your FBG numbers don't quite make sense to me, although I can clearly see the changes. I will try to post my hubby's numbers at the beginning and end of the program. I just hope he can stick with it and stay motivated when he's by himself and slightly depressed. I plan to phone him every evening so we can encourage each other and see how we've done that day.

Thanks again!

Welcome to the forum
To convert the UK readings to US figures just multiply by 18.
Hope this helps.

Thanks, Daisy!

Just an update, on the newcastle diet I didnt get rid of my diabeties, BUT last year at this time I weighed 10.5 stone, and my HB1c was 44mm. I've been for my results today, a year on, trying and mostly failing to get back to that weight (I'm 11.8 today) my HB1c is 45mm. and I am over the moon. So I'm still diabetic but not on tablets thanks to the newcastle diet, and managing it very (well mostly) nicely thank you.

My diet is still lots of veg, NO carbohydrates (well sometimes chips if I order a meal and they come, but I never make carbohydrates for myself) and some protein, but not a lot. I went out the other day and had ribs, chips and salad and white wine and didnt feel guilty. Another upside is my husband who is fit for his age but was getting middle age spread is doing the two day starvation diet and it is helping me, he is 12.3 and there is no way he is going to weigh less than me again.

So on this note of hope, don't keep taking the tablets (obviously with your doctors permission).

Where can you buy the Optifast sachets? Is there a website?

I buy optifast from my chemist, I thought you would need a prescription, but you can just buy it over the counter, it's not cheap however, £28 for a box of 9 shakes.