# Blood sugar diet?



## 13yayabo (Nov 2, 2016)

Hi been reading some threads, just joined today. Where can I find the blood sugar diet? I have 'the 8 week blood sugar diet' by Michael Mosley arriving by post. Is that is? Or is it a do it yourself low blood sugar?
Thanks


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## PinkGrapefruit (Nov 2, 2016)

Pretty sure it's Dr Mosley's book folk are referring too.

I follow the general advice (no potatoes, pasta, bread, rice) and try to keep carbs low as possible. But 800 cals a day is too low for me. The carb deficit is enough deprivation without permanent hunger!


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## Marsbartoastie (Nov 2, 2016)

800 cals is tough, but if you're determined you can do it.  However, after 8 weeks you'll need a healthy eating plan that you can follow long-term.  This is still a work in progress for me and I've found lots of useful recipes and ideas on this forum.  Good luck and remember to give us updates.


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## Martin Canty (Nov 2, 2016)

I'm not a fan of these so-called named diets, I find it better to think of my diet as a "Way of Eating" (WOE)..... It got me into a mindset about how I plan our meals.... Now it is pretty rare that I prepare any kind of starchy food & my FBG is pretty constant at about 5.0


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## ChrisSamsDad (Nov 11, 2016)

I started following the diet in the book, but couldn't stick to the 800 kcal per day for very long, but as the weight fell off and my blood sugar went down to normal levels within  a few days, I stuck to the general principles of avoiding carbs, but eating as much as I needed so as not to feel hungry and after 3 months had lost 10kg, 3 months later another 7kg, and my last HbA1c was 38, so very happy with that.

I liked the book a lot, as it explained what was going on with the diet and it all made sense from a scientific view. Like previous posters, I'm not a fan of fad diets, without scientific research and evidence behind them. I wasn't really going for weight loss when I started it, just to bring my high HbA1c (66) down, so that I wouldn't have to go onto insulin. I thought that would take a while, but as I was measuring my glucose levels they kept staying between 5 and 8 - that was just after a week and I was convinced.  I'm something of an evangelist for it now and several members of my family and work colleagues have asked about my dramatic weight loss and have taken up the diet to more or less extent, many of them non-diabetics.

I must say it's likely that your health care professionals will be dubious - it goes against the NHS advice and the little bit they know about nutrition - they always say that your cholesterol will go up, as that's the received wisdom, but there's no evidence for that as long as you're eating enough good fats. I'm going back for my first full cholesterol panel tests in a couple of weeks since I began - I just had the simple total cholesterol one 3 months in, and it was only slightly elevated over the low value diabetics should be at, but in many ways I consider myself not to have diabetes anymore. I didn't actually tell my diabetic nurse what I was doing before I started, but just came back after a level of 66 with my non-diabetic level of 38 and then she asked. She couldn't believe it and was very happy for me and told me to keep it up, but that they'd monitor my cholesterol. I'm fine with that, though given other factors - my BP has come right down, so much I've had to reduce my medication dramatically as I was in danger of passing out when I stood up. My resting heart rate is about 48, and I run 5k almost every day. As a side effect of the weight loss my hiatus hernia has gone and so have my knee problems. I won't be so indelicate as to go into details but my sex life is also much improved (nothing like bad knees to cramp your style).


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## PinkGrapefruit (Nov 11, 2016)

+1 to the above!

When I get home I will dig out the paragraph from the book which I have adopted. In essence it is avoid pasta rice potatoes bread, keep fruit low (I have a little most days) and just a few berries. Snacking to a minimum and nuts and olives and such like. I love my pepperamis and babybel.

Also, and this is a big one for me, I drink lots of water. I try and drink 2-3 litres a day. Water helps to flush out your waste, and essential for kidney and liver proper function.

Finally alcohol. I have had 3 glasses in the last 3 months of wine and that is only recently. Giving your liver time off is a good thing.


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## PinkGrapefruit (Nov 11, 2016)

I just want to add. I'm not convinced about the HF bit of LCHF.

I use olive oil and butter, but I don't drown things in it, or make bullet proof coffee or anything like that. Fat is calorie dense, and I have my doubts that I could lose weight if I let this get out of control. So I would say I am, Low Carb Quality Moderate Fat Lean Moderate Protein

LCQMFLMP


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## PinkGrapefruit (Nov 12, 2016)

Ok so I took a look at the blood sugar book and the bit that really chimed a chord was on page 82-83.

This is a diet sheet advice by a Dr Unwin.

After some digging about I found the full sheet online. Here is a link to it:

https://diabetesdietblog.com/2014/1...re-the-box-of-chocolates-they-got-as-a-prize/

I think it's pretty solid advice.

The needle was caressing the underside of 13st marker this morning. Come on!


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## Radders (Nov 12, 2016)

Interested to read that apples and pears are ok. I am reluctantly having to conclude that apples are really bad for my levels. I always try and get small ones, but despite this, eating them after protein and fat and pre-dosing, my lunchtime apple nearly always gives me a spike. Trouble is of all fruit it travels the best! I am going to experiment with pears next week as according to my carb bible they are a bit lower in carbs so we'll see.


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## Mark Parrott (Nov 12, 2016)

I have the book & have tried some of the recipes, but don't think I could stick to it.  Now, though, I don't need to do it, as i'm losing weight nicely & BS is at a reasonably good level.  I just need to up my exercise a bit.


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## AndBreathe (Nov 12, 2016)

PinkGrapefruit said:


> I just want to add. I'm not convinced about the HF bit of LCHF.
> 
> I use olive oil and butter, but I don't drown things in it, or make bullet proof coffee or anything like that. Fat is calorie dense, and I have my doubts that I could lose weight if I let this get out of control. So I would say I am, Low Carb Quality Moderate Fat Lean Moderate Protein
> 
> LCQMFLMP



When I was trimming up, I found I didn't need additional fat, aside from converting from low fat products, such as yoghurt or proper butter.  Once I was quite slim enough I found I did have to increase my fat intake to balance the ongoing weight loss.

Nowadays, I have to maintain my increased fat intake, even though I am able to tolerate more carbs than earlier on. My dietary tastes have changed and I simply don't care for bread or more than minimal (though I do have some - particularly roasties) spuds any more.

As my signature suggests this condition is a work in progress with tweaks and changes happening along the way.

Good luck with it all.


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## Debbie444 (Nov 13, 2016)

Marsbartoastie said:


> 800 cals is tough, but if you're determined you can do it.  However, after 8 weeks you'll need a healthy eating plan that you can follow long-term.  This is still a work in progress for me and I've found lots of useful recipes and ideas on this forum.  Good luck and remember to give us updates.


Hi

I'm PD well so far until my next visit as my bloods have went up.

This sounds exactly like IF or 6;2 it's essentially the same only a little more flexible it's the same advice only those 800 klaus if you add up the deficit it should give you a day or 2 days where you are eating zero calls.

But what good about Robert skinners boot and Michale Mosley dine this too I think is that it's 2 days b2k on IF or 2 ransoms days on 6:2 where you don't eat any more than your bmr. So say it's if Diet I do 2 days together say TF and in those two days I have no more than 600 each day one rule you can't break it up into no more than 2 meals or a 600 one . I found it very easy if I was busy and they rest if the week you do the sugar diet only not as strict brown bread whole meals pasta rice etc and meat diary et pretty much mormalaslong as your strict in those two days or donit over 2 separate day but the kals are lower 500 or less depending on.  So essentially you are cutting 4000 kals a week just not everyday suffering but the best part of it is what it does for your health the research is amazing it started with breast cancer patients in Scotland it actually starts to reverse your damage it eats up the free radicals in the body and all Sorts of miracle changes.  I don't eat right anyway I would go all day with out eating anything then grab a  sugarly snack late at night....if 800 kals every day is depressing I love to give this another thy:


The IF Diet https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0957043740/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5T8jybK749J16

Debbie

30kg to loose
Boarder line T2

Asking to go back on metformin


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## John Froy (Nov 14, 2016)

ChrisSamsDad said:


> I started following the diet in the book, but couldn't stick to the 800 kcal per day for very long, but as the weight fell off and my blood sugar went down to normal levels within  a few days, I stuck to the general principles of avoiding carbs, but eating as much as I needed so as not to feel hungry and after 3 months had lost 10kg, 3 months later another 7kg, and my last HbA1c was 38, so very happy with that.
> 
> I liked the book a lot, as it explained what was going on with the diet and it all made sense from a scientific view. Like previous posters, I'm not a fan of fad diets, without scientific research and evidence behind them. I wasn't really going for weight loss when I started it, just to bring my high HbA1c (66) down, so that I wouldn't have to go onto insulin. I thought that would take a while, but as I was measuring my glucose levels they kept staying between 5 and 8 - that was just after a week and I was convinced.  I'm something of an evangelist for it now and several members of my family and work colleagues have asked about my dramatic weight loss and have taken up the diet to more or less extent, many of them non-diabetics.
> 
> I must say it's likely that your health care professionals will be dubious - it goes against the NHS advice and the little bit they know about nutrition - they always say that your cholesterol will go up, as that's the received wisdom, but there's no evidence for that as long as you're eating enough good fats. I'm going back for my first full cholesterol panel tests in a couple of weeks since I began - I just had the simple total cholesterol one 3 months in, and it was only slightly elevated over the low value diabetics should be at, but in many ways I consider myself not to have diabetes anymore. I didn't actually tell my diabetic nurse what I was doing before I started, but just came back after a level of 66 with my non-diabetic level of 38 and then she asked. She couldn't believe it and was very happy for me and told me to keep it up, but that they'd monitor my cholesterol. I'm fine with that, though given other factors - my BP has come right down, so much I've had to reduce my medication dramatically as I was in danger of passing out when I stood up. My resting heart rate is about 48, and I run 5k almost every day. As a side effect of the weight loss my hiatus hernia has gone and so have my knee problems. I won't be so indelicate as to go into details but my sex life is also much improved (nothing like bad knees to cramp your style).


Hi Chris, I adopted this change to my lifestyle about 5 months ago and as well as loosing over 2 stone my cholesterol has halved, it is now LDL 2.4 and Triglycerides 0.8. I have experimented a little by including a few potatoes and cheesecake desert just at weekends and have proved that it is carbs that are the problem. I put on about 4 lbs over the weekend but by Thursday I have lost it again and I am back to my target weight.


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## ChrisSamsDad (Nov 15, 2016)

John Froy said:


> Hi Chris, I adopted this change to my lifestyle about 5 months ago and as well as loosing over 2 stone my cholesterol has halved, it is now LDL 2.4 and Triglycerides 0.8. I have experimented a little by including a few potatoes and cheesecake desert just at weekends and have proved that it is carbs that are the problem. I put on about 4 lbs over the weekend but by Thursday I have lost it again and I am back to my target weight.



Yeah, it's scary how fast you put the weight back on when you take a break from low-carb. I went to Rome for half term a couple of weeks back, and well, just try low-carbing there - pizza, pasta, gelati, it's a whole city full of temptation. I managed to put on 2.5kg in a week.

Apparently the majority of it's water, as the glycogen stores in your muscle and liver bind to water molecules, I think in the ration 1 to 2, so when you lose those carb stores, (which if you keep under 100g of carb per day you will) you lose 3 times the weight. This does mean that you can lose the weight almost as quickly as you put it on. I'm now back pre-holiday weight without taking any extraordinary measures.


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## ChrisSamsDad (Nov 15, 2016)

PinkGrapefruit said:


> I just want to add. I'm not convinced about the HF bit of LCHF.
> 
> I use olive oil and butter, but I don't drown things in it, or make bullet proof coffee or anything like that. Fat is calorie dense, and I have my doubts that I could lose weight if I let this get out of control. So I would say I am, Low Carb Quality Moderate Fat Lean Moderate Protein
> 
> LCQMFLMP


Yeah, I think it's a unfortunate name, I prefer to think of it as low carb / normal fat. It's just a case of not avoiding fat. Having said that, fat does make the food more interesting. I can eat salad all day every day with a decent amount of dressing or mayonnaise, vegetables with butter are far more tasty than without - and greasy, finger-licking chickens legs with skin on is far tastier than steamed skinless chicken breast. One of the biggest problems of the low-fat diet is the almost puritanical nature which leaves you far less satisfied after a meal than if you ate a mostly protein/fat based meal. 

Having said *that*, I'm now at the happy point of trying to maintain my weight, and as I've got a serious gym habit (I sometimes burn up 1,000kcal in a session and go every day), I do now have to make an effort to eat extra fat - mostly cheese and nuts.


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## John Froy (Nov 15, 2016)

ChrisSamsDad said:


> Yeah, I think it's a unfortunate name, I prefer to think of it as low carb / normal fat. It's just a case of not avoiding fat. Having said that, fat does make the food more interesting. I can eat salad all day every day with a decent amount of dressing or mayonnaise, vegetables with butter are far more tasty than without - and greasy, finger-licking chickens legs with skin on is far tastier than steamed skinless chicken breast. One of the biggest problems of the low-fat diet is the almost puritanical nature which leaves you far less satisfied after a meal than if you ate a mostly protein/fat based meal.
> 
> Having said *that*, I'm now at the happy point of trying to maintain my weight, and as I've got a serious gym habit (I sometimes burn up 1,000kcal in a session and go every day), I do now have to make an effort to eat extra fat - mostly cheese and nuts.


I am with you Chris, fat is what gives food its taste and it is because of the low fat fad manufacturers put so much sugar and salt in things.
With regard to salad dressings Asda sell Pizza Express House Dressing which only has 2.2% sugar and it is delicious.


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## PinkGrapefruit (Nov 15, 2016)

A dietitian said on the radio the other day, that there is no sweet + fat in nature.

We humans combine sweet with fat and make a dynamite combination. Which tastes great but is really bad for us!


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## ChrisSamsDad (Nov 15, 2016)

PinkGrapefruit said:


> A dietitian said on the radio the other day, that there is no sweet + fat in nature.
> 
> We humans combine sweet with fat and make a dynamite combination. Which tastes great but is really bad for us!


Yes, that's absolutely true. Well apart from in milk. And Coconuts. And Almonds And most other nuts. And Doughnuts.


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## Martin Canty (Nov 15, 2016)

ChrisSamsDad said:


> Yeah, I think it's a unfortunate name, I prefer to think of it as low carb / normal fat. It's just a case of not avoiding fat


100% agree..... I eat very well, just avoid carbs & use quality fats..... In fact we are switching to organic food wherever possible. There is a program that delivers organic produce to our community once a week for very reasonable prices, downside is that we have to order ahead for the next week.....


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## ChrisSamsDad (Nov 16, 2016)

Martin Canty said:


> 100% agree..... I eat very well, just avoid carbs & use quality fats..... In fact we are switching to organic food wherever possible. There is a program that delivers organic produce to our community once a week for very reasonable prices, downside is that we have to order ahead for the next week.....



Personally I NEVER buy Organic if I can help it, it's not healthier or better for the environment, does use pesticides like all farmed food, just larger doses of more poisonous ones like copper sulphate, does use fertiliser just the same, is more prone to be contaminated with bugs and as it takes so much more land to grow it, so we'd have to convert wild land to grow enough for everyone.


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