# Newcastle Diet diary (to keep me doing it!)



## cockburn (Apr 13, 2022)

week one: Procrastination and Habits
Such a simple notion but hard to keep on a straight line. Professor Taylor's kind and empathic book dedicates its first half to a fairly in depth explanation of the body's processes. I tried to summarise it in my head in ways that would help inspire me. My take homes were:
1.We all have a personal fat threshold so if you are too fat for you - that is what is important. Storing fat around your middle is high risk. I have developed from a very thin young person to a toffee apple with four sticks so clearly I have exceeded my PFT.
2. I have a chance to save the beta cells in my pancreas and if I don't take that chance they will die off forever. This is a time-sensitive issue. It may already be too late.
3. Despite my reservations historically about fad diets and fast weight loss; fast weight loss is crucial here. It is important not to exercise unduly during the first eight weeks whilst you eat very little as exercise may trigger certain fat holding mechanisms and reduce the efficacy of the diet. This is because bodies are very much geared to self regulation and they will make 'decisions' based on what is happening to them to try to keep us safe.

So, today is day 7, the end of my first week.
I was supposed to eat three shakes and a plate of vegetables daily. I did the three shakes but the plate of vegetables was a bit sporadic and was replaced by 3 rich tea biscuits one night - just for a chance to eat something dry and easy (this is in direct contravention of Professor Taylor whose diet requires that all biscuits be removed from the house as part of a first step). I started the week at 12 stone 11 and I am ending it at 12 stone 8. I am watching television with my daughter and it feels as if everyone on the American dramas she prefers is always eating! By effectively not really chewing for a week (most of my food is liquid as prescribed) I am discovering what chewing is for me. As well as a pleasure and a habit, I think what I have discovered this week is that eating was a major prop for my tendency to procrastinate. To make a meal is a task that can be completed successfully and give pleasure without stress. Because of this, I am going to go back to the excellent book on procrastination by Burka & Yuen as it may be something that will sabotage my diabetes reversal when I am off the shake hook. I will also continue to implement habits learned from the Yale Coursera on well being and my trusty bullet journal as I have a fast-paced job and can easily lose perspective and routine. Not eating to survive unlocks understanding on why I do eat - and gives me a chance to reshape that.


----------



## Windy (Apr 13, 2022)

I have the self control around food of a greedy labrador, and I managed to do the three months. So I think you can also do it.
But definitely remove temptation from the house, as the lure of biscuits will lead you astray!
Let us all know how it goes, it's not easy to follow, but you can do it.
Sarah


----------



## Eddy Edson (Apr 13, 2022)

Good start! Obviously you have to work out your own strategies for changing eating behaviour long term, but fwiw these are thjngs which have worked for me for the last 3 1/2 years or so:

- Sleep. If you don't get enough sleep yr bod will make you eat more & the resulting fat build up is risky abdominal fat. My biggest issue - I'm a crap sleeper!

- Exercise. Not while losing weight but for long-term avoiding weight regain. Yr bod will want to make you put the weight back on & you will probably need to increase activity to burn the resulting excess calories. I burn 400-500 cals per day from walking & I think it has been essential for keeping weight off. Also, moderate exercise seems to kill appetite quite often, for some reason.

- No treats - wean off thinking you need them! The idea of rewarding yrself with rubbish food for healthy behaviour makes zero sense & it's just yr sneaky bod trying to subvert you once again 

- Fibre fills. 

- The Internet wisdom that carbs are somehow more fattening than calories from fats or protein is just wrong. Numerous studies & experiments in recent years have toasted this idea.

If you're interested in delving more into recent work on metabolism, hunger, etc, besides Roy Taylor's book I recommend "Burn" by Herman Pontzer and "The Hungry Brain" by Stephen Guyenet. Also publications and lectures by the great Kevin Hall, lead obesity researcher at the US National Institutes for Health.


----------



## Leadinglights (Apr 13, 2022)

cockburn said:


> week one: Procrastination and Habits
> Such a simple notion but hard to keep on a straight line. Professor Taylor's kind and empathic book dedicates its first half to a fairly in depth explanation of the body's processes. I tried to summarise it in my head in ways that would help inspire me. My take homes were:
> 1.We all have a personal fat threshold so if you are too fat for you - that is what is important. Storing fat around your middle is high risk. I have developed from a very thin young person to a toffee apple with four sticks so clearly I have exceeded my PFT.
> 2. I have a chance to save the beta cells in my pancreas and if I don't take that chance they will die off forever. This is a time-sensitive issue. It may already be too late.
> ...


I know what you mean about chewing, I did the Cambridge Diet many years ago and my teeth and jaw became very sore due to the lack of chewing food as everything was soups and soft foods.


----------



## Windy (Apr 13, 2022)

Eddy Edson said:


> Fibre fills


Also, in addition to it being filling, I can recommend eating something with plenty of fibre in to keep you "regular", as the 800 calorie a day diet, er, inhibits throughput! I was quite bunged up for the first few weeks. I can recommend something like psyllium husks/fybogel if you have any problems.


----------



## cockburn (Apr 13, 2022)

Windy said:


> I have the self control around food of a greedy labrador, and I managed to do the three months. So I think you can also do it.
> But definitely remove temptation from the house, as the lure of biscuits will lead you astray!
> Let us all know how it goes, it's not easy to follow, but you can do it.
> Sarah


Thank you Sarah! I think the rest of the family are going to end up healthier too!


----------



## cockburn (Apr 13, 2022)

Eddy Edson said:


> Good start! Obviously you have to work out your own strategies for changing eating behaviour long term, but fwiw these are thjngs which have worked for me for the last 3 1/2 years or so:
> 
> - Sleep. If you don't get enough sleep yr bod will make you eat more & the resulting fat build up is risky abdominal fat. My biggest issue - I'm a crap sleeper!
> 
> ...


That is so helpful thank you! I stumbled across the sleep thing and invested in a really good mattress which was a game changer. Thank you for the reading tips.


----------



## Kreator (Apr 14, 2022)

Great Start @cockburn, you're in for a fantastic journey, you'll come out the other side much for the better


----------



## cockburn (Apr 20, 2022)

Windy said:


> Also, in addition to it being filling, I can recommend eating something with plenty of fibre in to keep you "regular", as the 800 calorie a day diet, er, inhibits throughput! I was quite bunged up for the first few weeks. I can recommend something like psyllium husks/fybogel if you have any problems.


thankyou!


----------



## cockburn (Apr 20, 2022)

cockburn said:


> week one: Procrastination and Habits
> Such a simple notion but hard to keep on a straight line. Professor Taylor's kind and empathic book dedicates its first half to a fairly in depth explanation of the body's processes. I tried to summarise it in my head in ways that would help inspire me. My take homes were:
> 1.We all have a personal fat threshold so if you are too fat for you - that is what is important. Storing fat around your middle is high risk. I have developed from a very thin young person to a toffee apple with four sticks so clearly I have exceeded my PFT.
> 2. I have a chance to save the beta cells in my pancreas and if I don't take that chance they will die off forever. This is a time-sensitive issue. It may already be too late.
> ...


week two: – Through the Looking Glass
Started the week 12 stone 8, ending it 12 stone 7. This week I have been looking to understand what I might use as a motivator beyond saving my own life and avoiding debilitating afflictions, as apparently that alone is not going to be enough . I realised that I do not have a single mirror in my house apart from the mirror tiles glued to the bathroom wall by the previous owner. I have lost connection to my appearance – I work from home and therefore can go several days without actually seeing myself at all. As a young woman I somewhat paid the price for youth in unwanted attention, from catcalling to being chased at night through the streets by three men in a car and worse. This is also completely standard experience too I know but I didn’t enjoy it. As I got older I enjoyed being invisible. Now though, I think I would benefit from deciding what I want to look like and aiming for it. I will begin buying clothes etc for the new me I’m expecting to emerge from this project and stop cutting my own hair with the kitchen scissors. I’m not totally on board – it feels a bit daft - but I sense this might help round out the project goals for me.
On a practical note, has anyone used the slimfast / exante bars at breakfast instead of the shakes? Do they work as well?


----------



## Windy (Apr 20, 2022)

Hi, a pound of weight lost is still a pound less to lose. You'll have some weeks where nothing seems to be happening, and other ones, where you feel like you're making real progress. Keep going with it!

I took photos of myself on my phone to keep track of where I was. I have a photo from late October, when I was 100kg, and I look very podgy, and have taken them each month afterwards, with decreasing levels of podgyness. You don't notice the gradual changes, the photos are something real to compare to. I can recommend taking one of your face and body each month. I found it reasonably horrific at first!

I set goals for myself:

Reduce blood glucose level – reduce the dose of metformin/not need metformin
Lose 15Kg weight initially, reduce 100Kg to 85Kg
Reach target weight of 64Kg
Reduce blood pressure so that I can reduce dose of ramipril/not need ramipril
Daily walk/cycle plus marching on the spot/other exercise
Build up cardiovascular fitness
Increase HDL to NHS suggested level
Reduce cholesterol, LDL to NHS suggested level
Reduce the risk of long term effects of diabetes
and also less measurable stuff like being able to go for a walk or walk up flights of stairs and be less wheezy afterwards.
You need to pick what's important to you, and not beat yourself up if you don't get there. I'm definitely not exercising enough still, though the nicer weather is helping to encourage me out.

I've not used slimfast or extante bars, but I think @Mrs Mimoo used extante.
Sarah


----------



## zuludog (Apr 20, 2022)

Windy said:


> Also, in addition to it being filling, I can recommend eating something with plenty of fibre in to keep you "regular", as the 800 calorie a day diet, er, inhibits throughput! I was quite bunged up for the first few weeks. I can recommend something like psyllium husks/fybogel if you have any problems.


I haven't used psyllium as I've been eating lots of veg, including beans/lentils/pulses, which I've used to cut out a lot of meat in soups & stews
Obviously keep a check on your BG as you do this

Besides fibre you should also drink a lot of water.
I have a pint glass (a legacy of my mis spent youth) and I have three of those full of water each day, besides my usual tea & coffee
Sometimes I have a mug of green tea as well, but that's an acquired taste


----------



## cockburn (Apr 21, 2022)

Windy said:


> Hi, a pound of weight lost is still a pound less to lose. You'll have some weeks where nothing seems to be happening, and other ones, where you feel like you're making real progress. Keep going with it!
> 
> I took photos of myself on my phone to keep track of where I was. I have a photo from late October, when I was 100kg, and I look very podgy, and have taken them each month afterwards, with decreasing levels of podgyness. You don't notice the gradual changes, the photos are something real to compare to. I can recommend taking one of your face and body each month. I found it reasonably horrific at first!
> 
> ...


Thank you, that's a great idea. I'll take a photo each month and set a few interim fitness goals.


----------



## cockburn (Apr 21, 2022)

zuludog said:


> I haven't used psyllium as I've been eating lots of veg, including beans/lentils/pulses, which I've used to cut out a lot of meat in soups & stews
> Obviously keep a check on your BG as you do this
> 
> Besides fibre you should also drink a lot of water.
> ...


Thank you. Luckily I have discovered I actually enjoy a mug of hot water with a slice of fresh lemon so that is helping keep me hydrated. I don't think I am drinking three pints though. I might get one of those old fashioned looking Kilner type water dispensers so I can flavour it with mint and lemon etc. I don't eat meat anyway so that will be fine once I get back to actually eating food.


----------



## cockburn (Apr 27, 2022)

cockburn said:


> week two: – Through the Looking Glass
> Started the week 12 stone 8, ending it 12 stone 7. This week I have been looking to understand what I might use as a motivator beyond saving my own life and avoiding debilitating afflictions, as apparently that alone is not going to be enough . I realised that I do not have a single mirror in my house apart from the mirror tiles glued to the bathroom wall by the previous owner. I have lost connection to my appearance – I work from home and therefore can go several days without actually seeing myself at all. As a young woman I somewhat paid the price for youth in unwanted attention, from catcalling to being chased at night through the streets by three men in a car and worse. This is also completely standard experience too I know but I didn’t enjoy it. As I got older I enjoyed being invisible. Now though, I think I would benefit from deciding what I want to look like and aiming for it. I will begin buying clothes etc for the new me I’m expecting to emerge from this project and stop cutting my own hair with the kitchen scissors. I’m not totally on board – it feels a bit daft - but I sense this might help round out the project goals for me.
> On a practical note, has anyone used the slimfast / exante bars at breakfast instead of the shakes? Do they work as well?


Week three: solid food!

Started the week 12 stone 7lbs, ended the week 12 stone 6lbs (5lbs weight loss since day one). As my slower weight loss might attest, I fell off the shake wagon a few times this week - although not to the point of calorie overload. I just found myself starting to gag as I contemplated drinking more milk / milk powder. Although I tried really hard to source tasty and calorie compliant food I can see that it could be a slippery slope at this first stage so I am going to buy the meal replacement bars from Exante for breakfast as that is the time when drinking a large amount of viscous liquid feels least attractive. Experimenting with low calorie meals did at least give me a sense of what might be possible for the future. I used Lebanese and Syrian ingredients to lift small amounts of fresh food. That type of cooking is beautiful visually as well as tasty so it helps with serving and eating smaller amounts. Sleep was disrupted due to work stress which hasn't helped as mentioned by Eddy. I think I am probably still not drinking enough water. I discovered a note in my diary to ring the diabetes nurse to book a blood test today so the proof of the not eating pudding will be forthcoming soon.


----------



## Windy (Apr 27, 2022)

Sounds like you're doing well, but not loving the shakes.
Could you do the odd omelette for breakfast instead of the shakes for a change? I have 100g of mushrooms, 20g of mature cheddar, two eggs, cooked in half a teaspoon of oil, served with a tiny bit of ketchup and it comes to about 250 calories, and roughly 3 grams of carbs.
Or home made soups? I make red lentil, broccoli and Stilton soup, a litre of it at a time, and have that for three lunches, less than 200 calories a bowl by my calculations (the second column is calories, the final one is grams of carbs):

I put it all in a pan or slow cooker with water, except the Stilton, boil it gently until the broccoli is soft, then I add the cheese, and blend it with a stick blender. There's probably some calories in pepper and chilli, but I only add a pinch of each.

Keep going with it, you're doing well, Sarah


----------



## cockburn (Apr 28, 2022)

Thankyou Sarah! An omelette sounds ideal. I will give it a try.


----------



## cockburn (May 4, 2022)

Week Four – plateau

Started the week 12 stone 6lbs, ended the week the same. This week has seen two things happen at the same time and I am tempted to form a link. An unbelievably busy week at work, slipping behind on tasks on which colleagues are relying led to an inability to fall asleep and stay asleep. I also failed to lose so much as an ounce. Reaching the halfway point at such a state is disappointing but this is about learning and I have surely learned the impact of my job on my wellbeing. I do believe that it is my job that made me diabetic initially as stress is a cause and when I started the role was completely unmanageable. I struggled on for a year working two days a week before someone did a calculation and realised I ought to be on four days a week. The reality has always been that it is a full time job but doing it two days a week was when I slipped into type two (because I also had to hold down another job to earn a living so was working about 9 days a week!). I have met enough adults now to know that so many people are working far more than full time, whether that is a full time job plus parenting, or a full time job plus security, delivery or pub work. I think I was designed to waft about doing not much so whilst I am in awe of what everyone else can manage, I need to be more mindful of my own limitations. I did have a blood test this morning though so by the end of next week I should have a blood score to share. If my blood sugar has improved then that is the main thing! Onwards and (slightly) downwards (weight wise) I hope.


----------



## Windy (May 4, 2022)

cockburn said:


> I did have a blood test this morning though so by the end of next week I should have a blood score to share.


Fingers crossed for a good result for you.


----------



## cockburn (May 11, 2022)

Week 5. I started the week 12 stone 6lb and ended the week 12 stone 5 lb. My HBAC1 (which was 78 on diagnosis) has dropped from 58 at the last check to 50 this check. This is whilst taking metformin though (although I keep forgetting to take it). I have also lost 10cm from around my waist.
I think it's time to slightly increase my exercise as I clearly have a very efficient body when it comes to holding
on to energy. I enjoyed the parable of the two exercisers in the Roy Taylor book as I am a pottering gardener and unfocused dog walker so the idea that a long drawn out period of exercise can be as effective is good news for me. The garden is very busy just now with bulb tidying, vegetable planting, seedling management, potato covering and perennial planting. Dog walks are about keeping our distance from all the lambs and discovering amazing hidden away carpets of wildflowers. I've been replacing shakes with low calorie meals. Rose harissa, lemons, mustard, fresh herbs and garlic have helped make a small meal pack a punch. I've also roasted carrots, butternut and sweet potato and cooked some asparagus so that salads can have a bit more about them. 
I don't think it's unreasonable to think I will complete the first eight weeks very close to leaving the 12 stone bracket and with blood sugar a lot closer to 40. That means it will take me longer than the Newcastle Diet 12 weeks to reach my target weight of 10 stone 7lbs but that does feel achievable too now.  Thank you to everyone for your support. The accountability and the insights are invaluable.


----------



## cockburn (May 11, 2022)

Eddy Edson said:


> Good start! Obviously you have to work out your own strategies for changing eating behaviour long term, but fwiw these are thjngs which have worked for me for the last 3 1/2 years or so:
> 
> - Sleep. If you don't get enough sleep yr bod will make you eat more & the resulting fat build up is risky abdominal fat. My biggest issue - I'm a crap sleeper!
> 
> ...


this is such a useful reply Eddy - thank you. I keep coming back to it.


----------



## travellor (May 11, 2022)

The weight loss plateau is normal.
You have burnt through the easy sources of stored energy, mostly stored in water, then you start on the real body fat, so weight change plateaus, then starts to fall again, possibly at a slower rate.


----------



## Windy (May 11, 2022)

Sounds like you're doing really well @cockburn, keep it going.
Your meals sound delicious, I'm jealous!
I know it's not very exciting, but can you buy a pill organising box with the days of the week on so you don't forget to take your metformin? I only take three pills a day, but I used to forget sometimes. The pill box was about £4 from Amazon, or they do them in the chemists. I fill it up at the start of the week and haven't forgotten yet. Though I did have to get up at midnight to take my ramipril as I'd forgotten to take it at a reasonable time in the evening!


----------



## cockburn (May 11, 2022)

Windy said:


> Sounds like you're doing really well @cockburn, keep it going.
> Your meals sound delicious, I'm jealous!
> I know it's not very exciting, but can you buy a pill organising box with the days of the week on so you don't forget to take your metformin? I only take three pills a day, but I used to forget sometimes. The pill box was about £4 from Amazon, or they do them in the chemists. I fill it up at the start of the week and haven't forgotten yet. Though I did have to get up at midnight to take my ramipril as I'd forgotten to take it at a reasonable time in the evening!


unfortunately, I have an extremely large one - I think it might be for partially sighted people - but still forget. I will go back to posters everywhere.


----------



## cockburn (May 21, 2022)

Week 5. Started the week 12 stone 5lb, ended it 12 stone 4lb.
Rereading Professor Taylor today, I noticed the average weight loss in the first 8 weeks was 15kg. I am on week 5 of 8 and have lost 4kg. I'm not sure where averages get me. Surely so much relies on starting weight, gender, and age - but it is a bit disappointing anyway to be bottom of the class. I'm going to do the plan as designed, introducing meals at week 9, but stage 2 will take longer for me (a year rather than four weeks at this rate). Would it be better to go to stage three for, say, three months and then do stages one and two again?
On the upside, my wardrobe has come back to me just in time for Summer. Trousers I barely remember now do up.


----------



## Kreator (May 21, 2022)

cockburn said:


> Week 5. Started the week 12 stone 5lb, ended it  12 stone 4lb.
> Rereading Professor Taylor today, I noticed the average weight loss in the first 8 weeks was 15kg. I am on week 5 of 8 and have lost 4kg. I'm not sure where averages get me. Surely so much relies on starting weight, gender, and age - but it is a bit disappointing anyway to be bottom of the class. I'm going to do the plan as designed, introducing meals at week 9, but stage 2 will take longer for me (a year rather than four weeks at this rate). Would it be better to go to stage three for, say, three months and then do stages one and two again?
> On the upside, my wardrobe has come back to me just in time for Summer. Trousers I barely remember now do up.


So for me, it took 12 weeks on 800 Cals a day to get to 15Kg loss...

I remember seeing conflicting 8 weeks / 12 weeks info at the time myself, but kept going - once I'd completed 12 weeks, I was reminded that you can still lose weight eating food...

For me, food re-introduction from week 13 was still 2 shakes per day for 2 weeks, along with 'new normal' food, then fully food based at 16 weeks in from start...

So, you're doing great - just keep at it - some weeks will show a greater loss than others...

Keep the momentum and the inspiration, as any weight loss (no matter how much per week) should be enough to keep you going...


----------



## cockburn (May 21, 2022)

Kreator said:


> So for me, it took 12 weeks on 800 Cals a day to get to 15Kg loss...
> 
> I remember seeing conflicting 8 weeks / 12 weeks info at the time myself, but kept going - once I'd completed 12 weeks, I was reminded that you can still lose weight eating food...
> 
> ...


I'll have to sellotape four more rows to the bottom of my chart! Thank you @Kreator. I think the Newcastle team did a few different variations of the programme so perhaps I have conflated two. 12 weeks sounds more likely for me. I will reread your posts to see if you introduced more exercise after week 8 or just at week 13.


----------



## ColinUK (May 23, 2022)

Firstly congrats on what you've already lost as that's great progress!

I'm also on the Exante shakes with some bars thrown in when I don't have time to mix a shake or it's just not convenient for me to have a drink with me.
I've done it before and I'd say make it work for you. If you need to stick in Stage 1 or 2 for longer than the 'official' guidance suggests then do that. Clearly it's not a long term way of eating but as a short term weight loss regime it's phenomenal.

I'll dig out my thread and link to it here so you've got another set of experiences to learn from but you're doing brilliantly!









						Weight loss ups and downs - 800 Calorie - Newcastle
					

Diagnosed last week. In a rather unsatisfactory manner. (See my Bit of a Shock) thread in Newbies.   I’ve been 16st something for a while now and I know I really needed to shift at least three stone... worth noting that max weight over the last four years has been recorded at 17 1/2 stone.  Just...




					forum.diabetes.org.uk


----------

