My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Fasting / 5:2 diet

blood sugar diet thread 5

999 replies

yumyumpoppycat · 15/10/2016 17:12

Continuing thread for Blood Sugar Dieters:
Phase 1 lasts 2 - 8 weeks and involves restricting calories to 800 a day. Eating healthy fats is encouraged as is limiting carby foods (no specific guideline on this but some people aim for under 50g), small amounts of complex carbs are allowed but should be balanced ideally with green veg, protein and fat to lower the glycemic load and reduce the effect on blood sugar.

Tips
You may get headaches at first so drink lots of water, possibly try mixing a teaspoon of marmite into boiled water and having that to replenish salts etc
Exercise: aim for 10,000 steps a day and ideally consider adding in resistance training and some HIIT workouts.
Fasting some people find it helpful to have an eating window e.g 14:10 – 14 hours fasting and 10 hours to fit in the 800 cals. Avoid snacking and grazing - split your calories into 2 or 3 meals for potentially better weightloss.
Use the menu plans in the book or plan ahead on My fitness pal app

Foods to avoid
Sugar, sweets, milk chocolate, biscuits, cake
White bread, pasta, rice, chips etc
Processed Junky food with added sugar
Alcohol, fizzy drinks, juice etc
Diet foods, artificially low fat foods
High sugar fruit

Foods to eat
Full fat Natural/ Greek yoghurt
Fish in particular oily fish, Meat, eggs, nuts seeds
Non starchy veg, cauliflower, leafy greens, avocados, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli etc
Olive oil, coconut oil, rapseed oil
Berries and low sugar fruit (2 portions or less)
Lentils, beans etc

Foods to include in small amounts and be careful of
Full fat dairy is fine but some people do better with less of this
Starch veg such as sweet potatoes and squash
Wholegrains (quinoa, buckwheat etc) limit to 2 tablespoons
Low carb crackers and breads made with coconut flour, almond flour etc

Phase 2/ 3
for more sustainable continued weight loss and then maintenance add in some days with higher calories but still lower carbs, and have 2 – 5 days at 800 calories. Continue to avoid processed simple carbs like white bread, chocolate etc but possibly add in small amounts of dark chocolate and red wine or less sugary alcohol if you wish to.

Useful links:
My fitness pal
[[https://www.amazon.co.uk/8-Week-Blood-Sugar-Diet-Recipe/dp/1780722931/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476547726&sr=1-1&keywords=blood%20sugar%20diet&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 Bloodsugar diet recipe book
BigChocs Fasting exercise thread]]

For full recommendations and lists of those who should avoid this diet please see the BSD forum

OP posts:
Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 04/03/2017 16:31

I usually have about 14 hours between tea one day and breakfast the next, so I think that angle is ok.

Maybe I need to look again at my carbs, 50g is sodding difficult! You'd think even without that though, you'd see weight loss on 800 calories.

Report
Scandicat · 04/03/2017 20:57

First, I think the 50g carb limit really helped me. I've always stuck to it, pretty much. Something that helped me was using unsweetened almond milk instead of normal milk. Its basically carb free and I like milky lattes. Cheese omelette also a good option. Basically no carb, so if you have that for lunch, it means you have most of your 50g allowance left for dinner.

Place - I'm planning to do 4 more weeks. I'm hoping that will get me pretty close to my goal, so then I'll work out a plan for maintenance.

Report
wrinkleseverywhere · 04/03/2017 21:01

I am annoyed, disappointed & frustrated. This week I have put on 2lbs! Yes I had the best part of a bottle of wine last Sat, yes I ate a big bar of choc on Monday when I got my period, yes I had to have a baguette for lunch on Monday as it was the only option & no i haven't done any exercise as I just haven't had the time but, other than that, I have eaten veg, veg, more veg and a good portion of protein and I have constantly been on the go.
I have just had beans on toast for supper in protest. I couldn't face yet another bowl of leaves & other rabbit food.
Four weeks until holiday...

Report
thenewaveragebear1983 · 04/03/2017 21:58

That's a shame wrinkles but please don't be disheartened. Your totm might have made you retain some water, plus the body does weird things - you might find next week you lose more than you expect. We all have weeks like this, but keep going because you will see results. Like anything, it works if you work it. Plus, like Scandi has proven, if you 'sort of' do it, it sort of works. If you really do it, it really works.

I've gone a bit off piste today. My meals have been good - cooked breakfast, soup and fish for lunch, and dinner was chicken beast, salad and a small portion of Mexican rice and beans. But I had (actually finished ds's) a piece of chocolate cake, and am now having a glass of wine! No other misdemeanours but as I had decided not to count today I have no idea how many calories (good or bad) I have had.

I do think I'll have an overall reasonable loss this week though, if and only if I claw it back with a good day tomorrow. Going for lunch at MIL's and that should be ok provided I don't have pudding. I need to get my water bottle back in action as well as I have slipped on that a little this weekend too. So many ducks need to be in a row on this plan don't they? I need a checklist I think!

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 04/03/2017 22:52

My basic day, every day this week has been: boiled egg for breakfast, homemade tomato soup for lunch, something like a piece of fish and a veg/lentil stew with it for tea.

Genuinely don't know what I can change here, anything glaringly obvious??

Report
RueDeDay · 05/03/2017 07:49

First what kind of veges are you having in your stew?

Scandi those are amazing stats... Well done! Very inspiring for me on day 5!!

Well my win of the weekend has been to make banana bread for visitors but not eat any myself!! Went slightly over to 900 due to snacking on nuts instead but am so pleased that I didn't go off plan!! And (almost felt like the reward!) weighed in 0.6kg down this morning, so am just over 3kg down in 5 days. Really pleased!

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 05/03/2017 07:56

Rue mainly mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, mixed greens and onions. Sometimes a bit of carrot but not much, maybe one in the whole pot of soup.

Report
RueDeDay · 05/03/2017 08:11

None of those seem problematic to me! I regularly eat carrots as snacks so can't imagine one in a stew is your issue! Maybe use My Fitness Pal too check the carb content of your soup and stew??

I often find my weight plateaus before my period, then I lose more after it... Could it be that?

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 05/03/2017 08:29

I do use it already. See, it's baffling isn't it?! Maybe next week I'll see a super-duper double amazing loss and my jeans will fall down in the street. Grin

Report
APlaceOnTheCouch · 05/03/2017 09:56

First it does seem odd. Are you checking your portion sizes?
If it was me, I would swop out the tomato soup because I find it's either sweet or/and creamy and I can only have small portions of sweet or creamy foods on BSD and still lose. I have no idea why. It's just something I've noticed over the months.

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 05/03/2017 10:16

Oh really? Dammit. I am already missing cherry tomatoes so much!

It's the only soup I can make, haha! Maybe boring old broth will have to do.

I'm not feeling the BSD love today. Sad

Report
APlaceOnTheCouch · 05/03/2017 10:37

Cauliflower soup is good from a BSD pov, easy to make (just through cauliflower in a pot with some garlic, salt and pepper, onion, stock) and it has a creamy texture. You can also add cheese in the final stages can you tell it's one of my favourite soups? Grin
I completely relate to not feeling BSD love. I have averaged over 1000 calories all week. I calculated yesterday that to bring my average down to 800, I would have to eat only 400 cals on Saturday and Sunday. Obviously that isn't going to happen.
I'm going to menu plan for the week ahead in the hope of getting back on track.

Report
Scandicat · 05/03/2017 10:50

First - agree re tomato soup. When I've bought soups, I was going to buy tomato and it is far more carby than chicken soup. I do agree with Bear - my stats are good but I literally did not slip at all for the first 6 weeks. Not once. And I did dry January and carried on for half of Feb. I was lucky that I had a boring 6 weeks with no social occasions to negotiate. The last couple of weeks have been much harder.

Just came on to say that I really, really, really want a hot cross bun. Shock

Report
IWillGoToTheBall · 05/03/2017 11:56

Epic fail - as my 15 yr old would say! I have downloaded the new, improved MyFitnessPal app onto my tablet but I can't work out how to use the bloody thing. Help please - how do I just add a simple drink to my daily dairy? I have managed to create a couple of recipes but I can't add a sodding drink!

Report
APlaceOnTheCouch · 05/03/2017 12:19

First I must admit that Scandi makes a very good point about being very strict for the first 8 weeks. I slip quite regularly now but I have been following some sort of BSD since April last year and have reached my target weight (give or take a few pounds). I'm probably a poor example for people starting out Grin

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 05/03/2017 12:39

I hadn't slipped at all until last night when I thought sod it and had a bag of crisps.

That's good advice about the soup though; I'll make chicken soup or something instead.

Gahhh!

Report
Bogburglar75 · 05/03/2017 13:03

Not sure who mentioned tea with almond milk? I'm just drinking a cup of it and finding it surprisingly acceptable.

Report
yumyumpoppycat · 05/03/2017 16:52

Is it just me who is still confused about portions? For instance my cauliflower gave a good 800gs so 10ish portions but on nhs it says 8 florets of cauliflower is a portion and that would be a lot more than 80g? On some of the bagged leaves I get it says 2 handfuls would be a portion which is less than 80g surely Confused

Had a bit of a fail yest and fri, did have a little victory in that when I was thinking oh soddit I am having pizza I reigned it in and supplemented with veg though, ripen at home avocados are so useful, I put them on a dark windowsill and forget they are there but they have saved the day a few times.

Think I will meet 10 today thanks to roast dinner.

OP posts:
Report
yumyumpoppycat · 05/03/2017 16:53

Sorry that was for the 10 a day thread - ignore my ramblings Grin

OP posts:
Report
thenewaveragebear1983 · 05/03/2017 20:37

Well it's not been a terrible weekend although I've not been on plan, it could have been worse. Feeling hungry now and could raid the kitchen but I'm trying to resist.

Yesterday obviously on plan mostly but then had some cake, plus one glass of wine. Today, no wine, good roast dinner at MIL's with no potatoes, lots of veg etc....but then had meringue and ice cream and then for tea had a cheese and ham toastie! So not great. I'm hoping that my weigh in tomorrow will reflect my good days not so much my bad ones!

Unfortunately such is life that we have social events every week pretty much. MIL's again next week for a birthday party (so sandwiches, wine, cake....). I have planned out my menu and calorie counted it all so I feel prepared for the week, plus have my 2l bottle ready in the fridge with my daily water- it really helped me last week, but definitely goes by the wayside at the weekends. I'm going to aim to keep my bsd head on until Saturday this week , and treating the party as one meal out of 21. The rest can all be excellent and on plan.

Report
FirstSeemItThenBeIt · 06/03/2017 08:38

Right, gameface back on today!

Breakfast: boiled egg
Lunch: hot and sour chicken soup
Tea: yet to be determined :)

Report
Justonemorecupoftea · 06/03/2017 08:40

I'm so chuffed. I know week one is supposed to be a big loss but I'm still amazed at 8lb! Ive got loads to lose so this is a great motivating start.

I think this week might be harder as my willpower historically isn't good. I have a regular breakfast meet up with a good friend tomorrow and I can have a small fry up without the toast if I have bowls of steam for the rest of the day. It's the toast that's going to be hard, I bloody love toast Grin

I made a massive pot of veg soup yesterday so it's that and some cauliflower muffins today made with eggs from my chickens and ducks who have finally started back laying after a lazy winter.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Oblomov17 · 06/03/2017 08:42

Salad for work today and tomorrow:
Fajita chicken, edame beans, feta, sweet corn, cucumber, spring onions, tomatoes.

blood sugar diet thread 5
Report
Bogburglar75 · 06/03/2017 08:52

Justone that's fantastic, well done!! It is hugely motivating to see the lbs dropping isn't it. I know it may slow down a bit but I'd settle for enjoying the dramatic bit while it lasts.

Low carb Brew

Report
Bogburglar75 · 06/03/2017 08:56

Is anyone else tracking waist measurements? I dared to measure mine for the first time today and it's 32in. Meaning that my efforts to convince myself I'm still a size 12 have been a triumph of hope over reality Blush

I'm also noting that over the last week some of the clothes I was convinced had shrunk are significantly more comfortable (double Blush).

Motivation to continue: to get comfortably back into size 12 and avoid the mysterious shrinking clothes monster!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.