# My diet latest



## zuludog (Sep 2, 2020)

To remind you, I started a rapid weight loss diet and I said I'd let you know how I got on after about a month.
It is based on 'Life Without Diabetes' by Roy Taylor

Breakfast is an MRP = Meal Replacement Powder = a diet shake drink

Dinner is a cup soup, a diet bar, and natural yogurt; Greek or otherwise, sometimes with a bit of fruit in it

Tea is a Step 1 Meal from the book and more fruit and/or yogurt

The MRPs are either Exante or various types from local shops & supermarkets
The diet bars are Exante

On 3rd Aug I was 89,3 kg. Now, 2nd Sept I'm 86,6kg
That is 0,68kg or 1lb 8oz per week
Maybe not dramatic, but it is downwards
My first target is to get below 85kg, and if I can get down to 80kg, so much the better

My blood pressure varies around 130 to 140 over 60 to 70. Pulse 60 to 70
It's probably too early to tell if there has been a reduction or if there is just natural variation and wishful thinking, but at least it's not going up, and hopefully will start to come down
I continue to take Lisinopril

I usually take one tablet of Metformin daily; 20 units Novorapid with each meal, and 25 units of Glargine each night
But think about it - as I was eating less, especially carbs, I had to adjust these doses
I had a couple of hypos, especially in the late afternoons, and a few high BG results till I got my BG right
Now I take the Metformin as before, but have halved both types of insulin, but I continue to monitor

The first 3 or 4 days were the worst for hunger; then the next week I was peckish, but I've settled down now and don't really feel hungry at all

I've never been a breakfast person so usually I just have a couple of cups of coffee then have my MRP about 10-30
When I've been very hungry I had one or two oatcakes with a scrape of Marmite and a cup of tea; or yogurt; or half an avocado. But that's becoming less & less as I've got used to it

Those MRPs are usually very sweet
I make up the powder in the shaker jar with a spoonful of natural yogurt. This reduces the sickliness and makes it a bit thicker


----------



## Vonny (Sep 2, 2020)

1lb 8oz a week is excellent @zuludog, I'd be happy with that!


----------



## ColinUK (Sep 3, 2020)

I find that the Exante shakes all tastes much better blended with a fairly large amount of ice. 

I also know how tough this is so kudos to you for sticking with it. And your weight loss is great!


----------



## trophywench (Sep 3, 2020)

It's a sensible amount to lose per week, weight doesn't usually increase by half a ton ay a time, so it doesn't come off  like that either unless you deliver a baby or chop off a limb!


----------



## Toucan (Sep 3, 2020)

Well done @zuludog 
There is renewed interest in this style of dieting - even the government is promoting it!
I'm sure that sharing your experience and particularly overcoming those first stage hungry days will be a great encouragement to others who may be starting on this route.
I hope you will update us again soon on how it's going.


----------



## zuludog (Sep 3, 2020)

Here are some more comments. I suspect they will be a bit rambling but I hope you find them interesting or useful

I've tried dieting recently, without much success, so I thought I'd try this method.
I was inspired to do it by ColinUK's reports, and that a friend has lost 2 st over Lockdown this way

Once you look into it, there are loads of these schemes, just Search t'Net, YouTube, and Amazon Books, but I think the original and main proponents of rapid weight loss to control diabetes are RoyTaylor, Michael Mosley, and David Unwin - Search accordingly
Since then there have been many more - I could say jumped on the bandwagon, but perhaps that's just me being cynical

I chose Roy Taylor's method because it has proper food for the evening meal, even if that's a bit restricted
After you've made a few you realise that they are just simple vegetarian meals, and can bring in your own variations and substitutes, as long as you don't stray too much

You can find MRPs in local shops & supermarkets, I know ASDA, Tesco, and Sainsbury have them, but they are usually tucked away in odd corners, like next to the jam & marmalade or at the end of the cosmetics aisle, so ask
 Also Boots, Holland & Barret, and Superdrug have them
Slimfast is the most common, but there are others
Often there are offers like BOGOF or discounts on starter packs

These MRPs are all very similar, being based on skimmed milk powder or soya protein, with added vitamins, minerals, flavourings, and a sweetener, usually Sucralose
I've bought a few of these, thanks to my initial enthusiasm, plus some protein bars
I wasn't too sure if the protein bars were actually for slimming, plus there weren't many of them, so I thought I'd get a proper scheme

Search t'Net for 'meal replacement diets UK' and there are several available
My friend used Optifast but I chose Exante partly because of ColinUK's reports (thankyou) and partly because their website was easy to use

I bought a 2 week pack to see what they were like........ and to get a shaker!

The MRPs are OK as these things go, but I didn't think much of the soups. 
They didn't reconstitute very easily, and didn't taste of much, so I just use ordinary cup a soups that you get in a supermarket, which are cheaper too
The Exante soups probably contain vits & mins but I don't think I'll die without them. Besides, I've started having a multivitamin tablet every couple of days
The meals were OK, but I thought they were a bit fiddly and pointless for what you ended up with
I'll stay with the diet bars, but perhaps if I get bored I'll try a meal again

As I expected, once they've got you they send marketing emails, but not too many
Exante might seem a bit pricey at first, but most of these emails are offers, so if you shop carefully the overall cost comes down
For example, I've settled on using their diet bars, which are £2-50 full price, but recently there was an offer of 50 for £50, and that will keep me going till about the end of October

Space out your meals and the courses, such as they are, so that you don't get that hunger gap, especially late afternoon
Typically I'll have -

MRP about 10-30
Cup a soup 12 to 12-30
Diet bar 1-30 to 2
Fruit & yog about 3-30
Tea about 6-30
then there's a bit of a gap till I have a dry oatcake or a sugar free digestive biscuit and a cup of tea just before bedtime
If I do feel hungry I'll have a small snack as I've described

Besides tea & coffee I have a pint glass of water, 3 of those a day; morning, afternoon, & evening

The Exante scheme is a bit pricey at first till you get into the system and start to get offers, but to compensate for that I'm hardly buying any food or booze, just nat yog and some fruit & veg
So although I haven't costed it properly, I think I'm saving money, or at least staying about the same


----------



## grovesy (Sep 3, 2020)

I did not think Dr. David Unwin was a propent of the method his twitter handle is Low CarbGP.


----------



## zuludog (Sep 3, 2020)

grovesy said:


> I did not think Dr. David Unwin was a propent of the method his twitter handle is Low CarbGP.



Yes, I've just checked and I think you're right

The problem is that there are quite a few of these sort of schemes, and low carb is similar, so it's easy to get confused


----------



## travellor (Sep 3, 2020)

Congratulations on the first half of your journey.

I did the original Roy Taylor procedure back when he has just discovered it reversed diabetes in his original study of 11 people nearly a decade ago.

I'm pleased to say I'm diabetes free still, and eat anything I want to again.
The only restrictions i put on myself is no more overeating, I do that by simply watching my weight.

I used supermarket shakes, and salad in the evening.

I used the shakes because it was a method to ensure I got the proper amount of nutrients and minerals, it seemed athe easy way to sort it all out.

And as you say, many have jumped on the bandwagon, touting untested alternative versions, which may work, but I decided I'd only need to do it once, so like you, chose one with some track record.

I hope you get equally good results.


----------



## zuludog (Oct 3, 2020)

YIPPEE!......................84,7 kg

That was at 07 - 00 this morning, with nothing on (don't let me put you off your dinner)

So I've reached my initial target of 85kg
It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but I had a blip in the middle of September when I had a cold, and ate a bit more than the diet
I didn't exactly pig myself on pie & chips, but I put on about 1kg. Oh well, I'm here now

So what next?
80kg was my ultimate goal, but for the moment I'll aim for <82kg


----------



## Bloden (Oct 3, 2020)

Great work @zuludog. Good for you!


----------



## trophywench (Oct 3, 2020)

Slow but sure @zuludog - so what if it isn't instant?  Well done!

Patience really IS a virtue!


----------



## Vonny (Oct 4, 2020)

Bravo! Fantastic work @zuludog


----------



## MarioMora (Dec 17, 2020)

What an interesting diet you have. I also want to lose weight, I work out, but so far it is difficult to combine this with my diabetes and digestive problems. I'm looking for just a new diet that could not harm me and help me achieve my goal. I drink apple bite vitamins, which can improve digestion and reduce heartburn over time, to improve my digestion and help my stomach. This is a natural product with no additives and my love it. The link to them is here: https://fitnessclone.com/goli-gummies-review/ So I'm ready to start a new diet. I will definitely read this book and hope to combine your information with the book and do something of my own.


----------



## Drummer (Dec 17, 2020)

You might find that starting a new thread will bring more attention than tagging onto an old one - Maybe let us know what you are eating and what problems you have to get a discussion going?


----------



## adrian1der (Dec 18, 2020)

I just had a look at the slimfast shakes - the chunky chocolate has 14g of carbs per 100ml of which nearly 8g is sugar!


----------

