Which drink product - Newcastle Diet?

[PerfectStorm]

Well I have been to the GP today and discussed the ND with him - he didn't seem to know anything about it (the email I sent him last week hadn't been forwarded to him!) He said that they couldn't endorse it but he was happy for me to give it a go and was pleased that I am taking control of my diabetes and the progress I have made so far with weight loss and blood sugars.

He warned me to get in touch if I start to experience diabetic symptoms, to keep monitoring my blood sugars (prescribed me more strips) and to make sure I keep water intake up. He wished me luck! I guess this was the best I could hope for really.

I'm hoping to get started in the next day or so as my husband is going away with work so it will mean not having to be faced with food so much for the first few days.

Anyway, I am trying to work out which meal replacement product to get. I am leaning towards Shake that Weight or Exante because they both deliver to home on next day delivery. This will make life easier for me as it saves me having to get out to the supermarket whilst I'm meant to be working from home or with my 1 year old in tow!


Shake that Weight only has 130 calories per serving whereas Exante is 200 calories per serving x 3. The carbs in Exante are higher than shake that weight, presumably because it is a smaller serving. With 3 x Exante drinks per day, I will be consuming almost 60g carbs which is much more than I can tolerate whilst keeping my blood sugars within normal range. Is this OK? Should I just ignore the carb amounts and my post meal (drink) blood sugar results whilst I am on the ND? Is it best to test blood sugars just first thing in the morning for the duration of the ND? I'm worried that I will get a bit freaked out if I see high readings after consuming the drinks.

Shake that weight has a smaller number of carbs (approx 12 per serving) which may be better for my blood sugar results but 3 of these only equates to 390 calories per day. Is this OK or too low?

I'm a bit confused - any thoughts on my ramblings would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Elthea]

Hi PerfectStorm
I've just completed the ND diet. I used the Slimfast Shakes which are 35g carbs and 31g sugars per serving! Like you I was worried about how this would affect my control as I can't tolerate carbs, but it had no adverse effects at all. Maybe cos we're not eating anything else?
I would recommend continuing testing as you have been, and see how it goes.
With regards to the calories, I think 390 is too low, and you risk your body going into starvation mode, so maybe have 4 shakes a day? You need to be aiming at 800 calories a day (200 of which should come from fresh salad and/or non starchy vegetables)

Good luck and let us know how you get on x

 

[Pipp]

Well I have been to the GP today and discussed the ND with him - he didn't seem to know anything about it (the email I sent him last week hadn't been forwarded to him!) He said that they couldn't endorse it but he was happy for me to give it a go and was pleased that I am taking control of my diabetes and the progress I have made so far with weight loss and blood sugars.

He warned me to get in touch if I start to experience diabetic symptoms, to keep monitoring my blood sugars (prescribed me more strips) and to make sure I keep water intake up. He wished me luck! I guess this was the best I could hope for really.

I'm hoping to get started in the next day or so as my husband is going away with work so it will mean not having to be faced with food so much for the first few days.

Anyway, I am trying to work out which meal replacement product to get. I am leaning towards Shake that Weight or Exante because they both deliver to home on next day delivery. This will make life easier for me as it saves me having to get out to the supermarket whilst I'm meant to be working from home or with my 1 year old in tow!


Shake that Weight only has 130 calories per serving whereas Exante is 200 calories per serving x 3. The carbs in Exante are higher than shake that weight, presumably because it is a smaller serving. With 3 x Exante drinks per day, I will be consuming almost 60g carbs which is much more than I can tolerate whilst keeping my blood sugars within normal range. Is this OK? Should I just ignore the carb amounts and my post meal (drink) blood sugar results whilst I am on the ND? Is it best to test blood sugars just first thing in the morning for the duration of the ND? I'm worried that I will get a bit freaked out if I see high readings after consuming the drinks.

Shake that weight has a smaller number of carbs (approx 12 per serving) which may be better for my blood sugar results but 3 of these only equates to 390 calories per day. Is this OK or too low?

I'm a bit confused - any thoughts on my ramblings would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Shake that weight has several versions of a very low calorie diet, which is what a Newcastle diet is. They have info on website, and provide a booklet with details in each order they deliver. If you intend to have shakes and veg to make up your 800 cals you can have 4 shake that weight products a day.

 

[PerfectStorm]

Thanks for your replies.

I have actually ordered some Exante and some Shake that Weight drinks and bars and thought I would see which I prefer the taste of. I will make sure to have 800 calories a day whether it is with shakes or veg. I'm not sure yet but I may well have less shakes and more food on some days - for example perhaps have a veg soup as well as a veg curry. I may also add a little protein on some days if I am finding it too hard to stick to, or so I can sit down and have dinner with my husband and 1 year old son at the weekends.

I know if I do this that it won't be a true ND but Prof Taylor seems to suggest that it is the calorie deficit that is most important. I will however stick to veg and lean protein and keep away from fats.

@Elthea good to know that the carbs in the drinks didn't affect your blood sugars adversely. How was your ND experience and outcome?

 

[Pipp]

Thanks for your replies.

I have actually ordered some Exante and some Shake that Weight drinks and bars and thought I would see which I prefer the taste of. I will make sure to have 800 calories a day whether it is with shakes or veg. I'm not sure yet but I may well have less shakes and more food on some days - for example perhaps have a veg soup as well as a veg curry. I may also add a little protein on some days if I am finding it too hard to stick to, or so I can sit down and have dinner with my husband and 1 year old son at the weekends.

I know if I do this that it won't be a true ND but Prof Taylor seems to suggest that it is the calorie deficit that is most important. I will however stick to veg and lean protein and keep away from fats.

@Elthea good to know that the carbs in the drinks didn't affect your blood sugars adversely. How was your ND experience and outcome?

It is perfectly acceptable to use real food. Check out posts by @Andrew Colvin . He did just that and achieved the desired result.

 

[Elthea]

I stuck with it for 6 weeks, and lost a stone in weight and reduced my hba1c from 109 to 68.

 

[andcol]

So why did you stop and not go further?

 

[Elthea]

I stopped when my step son came to stay with us for half term. He has a poor diet when he's at his mum's (lots of processed and sugary food), and it was important to me to set a good example. It's difficult to encourage him to eat a healthy balanced diet if all he sees me eating is milkshake (in his eyes) and a little bit of salad every day. So decided to take a break while he was with us.

I'm now suffering with shingles, so was advised by dietitian and gp not to continue with ND while my body is fighting the infection, so we compromised on a low carb diet for the time being. I fully intend to do the ND again later in the year to get closer to my goals.

 

[andcol]

Oh dear. Sorry to hear that. Get well soon

 

[RobOwen]

... Shake that Weight only has 130 calories per serving whereas Exante is 200 calories per serving x 3. The carbs in Exante are higher than shake that weight, presumably because it is a smaller serving. With 3 x Exante drinks per day, I will be consuming almost 60g carbs which is much more than I can tolerate whilst keeping my blood sugars within normal range. Is this OK? Should I just ignore the carb amounts and my post meal (drink) blood sugar results whilst I am on the ND? Is it best to test blood sugars just first thing in the morning for the duration of the ND? I'm worried that I will get a bit freaked out if I see high readings after consuming the drinks.

I have just completed 8 weeks on the ND regime using Exante products...don't worry about the carb content. The BG levels settle down remarkably within a few days, literally. In fact, Prof Taylor makes reference to that fact in his summary document, "Although Optifast was used in the study, this is not readily available in the UK unless on prescription. An alternative liquid food supplement of similar calorific content is equally suitable. These are available from most local supermarkets; you should try several brands to find one most suited to your taste. Do not be concerned by the high sugar content as after the first day of very low calorie diet your body is able to handle this reasonably well. Ideally, the low calorie meal replacement would be made up with water; should this be completely unpalatable, then using skimmed milk is reasonable, although the period required to achieve weight loss will be slightly longer."

I tested regularly before starting and during the 8 weeks. This is a snapshot of my pre-diet and early stages readings. I started on 23rd April ... look at the readings for yourself:

 

[andcol]

yes that is pretty good and conclusive. Well done Rob. I have similar graphs that stay flat for months. I stopped testing months ago now as there is little point.

 

[brettsza]

I completed nd on shake that weight as well, they are good, I don't like anything sweet which they are unfortunately but if it's got to be taken then that's it. I used to mix a little coffee in it to make it less sweet.
I think a lot of us are now doing ND. Its great to know that. I really hope nhs take this up on board, it will save them a fortune, I have had no medicines from gp for 4 months now, that's saved something if not a huge amount.
Oh not to forget that water will be your best friend for next 8 weeks, still or sparkling, I used to have sparkling sometimes as it makes you feel full. Dont forget to add oil to the diet to prevent gallstones.

 

[Pipp]

yes that is pretty good and conclusive. Well done Rob. I have similar graphs that stay flat for months. I stopped testing months ago now as there is little point.

I stopped testing for ages after, as I knew what the readings would be, and they remained low.
I started testing again, random tests every few days, when I gained some weigt back after having prolonged inactivity following surgery. As I have had a slight raise in last HbA1c (though still not in diabetic range) I am testing a bit more often. No significant rise after any foods, but a gentle rise if I eat too much carb food.

Not techy enough to do graphs.

 

[PerfectStorm]

Thank your for all your replies. I thought I would update with which shake I decided to go with.......................... neither of them! After the umming and ahhing I decided to go with a real food ND. (Sorry for wasting your time with my question about the shakes.) I wanted to get started on Tuesday as my husband was working away and I was working from home mostly so it seemed the perfect opportunity, except for the fact that the shakes I'd ordered hadn't arrived. So in the morning I had a low calorie breakfast and a low calorie lunch. Once they'd arrived, I had one of the Shake that Weight drinks in the afternoon and realised that although it was palatable I just couldn't face drinking these 3 times a day for the next 8 weeks so I decided to see how I got on with real food.

Well I'm at the end of day 5 of 800 calories and it hasn't been as bad as I expected. I've eaten well, enjoyed my food, drunk plenty of water and although I've been pretty hungry by meal time, I haven't been too bad in between. Nothing a glass of water and a cup of tea with lemon hasn't fixed. It's funny but sticking strictly to 800 calories a day has really made me appreciate my food. I've even managed to have a square (3 grams) of very dark chocolate which has been enough to satisfy my craving for chocolate and have had sugar free jelly and strawberries for pudding a couple of nights.

I am already seeing a bit of improvement in my blood sugars but it's early days so I'll have to see what happens.

@RobOwen thanks for posting your ND blood glucose graph - I keep looking at it to keep me motivated!!