Blood sugar diet thread 10

[thenewaveragebear1983]

New thread for the Blood Sugar dieters

Link to our old thread;

Blood sugar diet thread 9 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/3143559-blood-sugar-diet-thread-9

Hi bagel, welcome

Re: lunches- are you at home at lunchtime, or do you need portable options, or lunch ‘on the go’ type things?

At home I tend to have a shake (about 200 calories) which I make with almond milk, peanut butter/avocado (about 100 cals worth), handful of spinach, maca powder and frozen berries. Or I’ll have salad. Or sometimes just ham, cheese, olives as a little platter.

If I was going to be taking to work, I’d probably take mostly salad, with about 150 cals of fat/protein (so avocado, cheese, ham, tuna, halloumi, cooked meat) on it. I always buy a nice salad dressing, there’s some nice ones which are reasonably low carb and really boost a salad.

Or portion up leftovers if you have access to a microwave at work?

This would then leave you 600 cals for any milk in tea/coffee, your pm meal, and probably a little something in the evening as well.

And happy birthday Bridget
(low carb, obvs)

Thanks for the welcome. I have had a good first day of 750 cals and around 25g of carbs. Didn't manage to get out for a walk so will try and remedy that tomorrow.

I intend to do a bit of intermittent fasting and miss breakfast, have lunch between 12-2pm. Dinner is normally around 6pm. I will allow 100 cals per day for milk as I love my tea. Hopefully 700 cals should provide a decent lunch and dinner. We shall see.

This week my main aim is to eat 800 cals per day split into 2 meals and milk for drinks. No snacking. I have some pots of fresh soup and a few ready meal type things in the freezer that I will use up as this will make tracking the cals easier to start with. I won't worry too much about carbs though of course I won't eat anything obviously carby like bread, rice pasta etc. By the end of the week I want to be walking around 60mins a day.

I am feeling really positive about this so lets hope this time I can do it.

I meant to ask a question about shakes. I have some 'food pack' type things lurking in the cupboard that I was going to use up. If I make them with unsweetened almond milk they work out at 150cals and 6g of carbs.

Obviously they are full of sweetners and other nasties but I know the original Newcastle study used meal replacement shakes. I just wondered if anybody here had used them. I was thinking of one a day for lunch and then a proper dinner.

I like having a shake, I find it just takes all the thought out of the food for the day, and obviously there’s less margin for error such as adding extra bits to a salad/meal. I’m not sure about the pre-packaged ones though. I’ve never found ones that are natural, they all have either sugar or sweetener in (even the high protein ones for bodybuilders etc!) I suppose it depends on a) how well you would cope if you had a chocolate shake (eg) for breakfast, would that awaken the carb cravings for you? And b) where that 150 cals comes from- is it from protein, fat, carbs (although if it’s only 6g carbs??)

Would you be able to maybe use only half a sachet, but add more almond milk, frozen berries etc to bulk it out?

It doesn’t seem to say what shakes he suggests to actually use, unless it says on the actual BSD forum?

I can't find anything about shakes on the forum, everything is made from scratch. I'm finding it quite clunky to navigate though, so might have missed it.

Finishing day 1 at 799 calories - including a cup of tea which I didn't think I would manage. 38g of carbs and 5l (!!) of water. I even managed to haul myself to spin this evening. It's been much easier than I expected; I definitely had more energy after lunch than I normally do.

Could I say hello and ask for some advice.

I did the bsd last summer and lost about a stone and a half. Kept it off give or take a few lbs til Christmas but a series of streesy life things saw a good 10lbs coming back on.

I've come back to it to help me challenge bad habits and shift some of the excess. I may not do the full 8 weeks but am playing by ear.

Anyhoo, I am NOT tracking on mfp as one of the things I am working on is trusting myself more around food. However I think I did ok last week and quite enjoyed it. However I have been hungry and lightheaded since maybe Thursday. Last time this passed pretty quick but today I felt properly poorly. Dizzy and lightheaded.

Now it is my first day of my period plus I am suffering quite badly with sinuses and allergies and am stressed at work. I got a snack (as bsd friendly as possible) then had a much bigger dinner than planned although again bsd friendly. Probably around 1300 cals all told

Any tips to keep going. I am taking iron and a multi vit and drinking heaps of water.

Hi Phyllis, welcome back!
Anything ‘health related’ can make you more insulin resistant, so if you’re suffering with allergies that could be making your metabolism of sugar go a bit haywire? Likewise, the fluctuations of hormones during your cycle. I wonder if you’re actually eating very few carbs, so are getting a bout of carb-flu? Depending on your tdee, 1300 is not really that much so maybe (and you may be having less than that?) so it could simply be your body rebelling?
It’s hard to know what to suggest- I quite often don’t count calories and just eat the allowed foods, but I do find I maintain over time doing this, not lose. Perhaps a 5:2 approach would work for you? Have 2 days where you measure/track to 800 and the rest have a bit more of a relaxed approach?

Phyllis according to some research, depending on your metabolism and your allergies, you may need more calories when you're poorly.
As for TOTM, I find my weight spikes just before and then falls again. I also need more salt round about my period.
If I were you, I'd be ok with the 1300 calories because you'll probably eat less as the week progresses, and I'd try to have a little more salt to balance the headaches.

I could’ve written your post Phyllis.

I’ve felt rubbish for a few days now and the Family Beans are all ill. I also had a couple of moments of feeling a bit dizzy on Saturday too.

I felt so sorry for myself on Sunday I had a sponge pudding (syrup) and felt so much better.

I am still plodding away but gym is off the menu until I’m sure this won’t turn into a chest infection. I can’t chance it.

Closing the kitchen most days at ~1000 cals

Is carb flu a real thing???

Legend I think it’s a real thing, as in it’s a collection of symptoms of drastically reducing carbs that can feel like ‘real flu’- so aching, tired, cranky. Remember though that you don’t need to reduce carbs to a ridiculously low level- so if you’re suffering with carb-flu, maybe have something a bit more carbohydrate, like pulses, butternut squash, cashew nuts, dairy etc to lessen the blow?

I spotted this yesterday (apols for DM link ..)
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5619459/Gastric-surgeon-says-breakfast-important-meal-day.html

I seem to manage fine in the morning without food so I'm going to see if I can make it to 1pm to have lunch, then I can have dinner with the boys at 6.30pm/7pm. It's not a totally no carbs approach like BSD, but it is a no refined carbs/sugar approach, so I'm going to try and do a very low carb version of this - trying to stick more or less to 800-1000 cals.

The idea is to get yourself to a zero-insulin state and stay there for a long period to give your body a break.

I think this is a good strategy for maintenance as well.

Anyway, I like 'fenceposts' when it comes to dieting, so hopefully this will help me out.

That’s pretty much what I do anyway! I love breakfast (it’s common joke in my house that my favourite meal out is a hotel buffet breakfast!!) but I have definitely conditioned myself to not have it. I always run ‘fasted’ so usually wait until after that to have food although I do drink coffee with milk in the mornings. It’s definitely true that you get used to it- look how conditioned people can get having a lunch at a certain time, or even babies who are fed 3 hourly very quickly get set in that pattern. Once I eat, I’m then more hungry all day.

It can’t hurt can it, to mix things up a bit and is probably good for your motivation and also your metabolism to vary your mealtimes.

Definitely agree, once I've eaten something that's it, I've woken the beast!

I don't think I would be able to stick to 800 cals if I had breakfast everyday. Awakening the beast is exactly right.

A wee sneaky look on the scales this morning tells me I have lost 3lbs overnight. I know its all water but its still encouraging to see the lower numbers.

I don't know where I read about the shakes. I seem to remember the original group in the study had 3 shakes a day and 200cals of veg. I am going have them occasionally for lunch just to use them up. I won't be having 3 a day as I love my food too much.

Its bizarre isn’t it? Although some diets use that as a reason to eat breakfast, ie. it ‘wakes up your metabolism’. Of course, the first thing you eat is technically your
‘break-fast’, but I think it’s interesting to be breaking away from the idea that breakfast must be within an hour of getting up.

Belinda yes, he does suggest that as a starting point, but as far as I can tell makes no reference about type or brand of shakes, or even a recipe to make your own. I’d continue with yours if you want to use them up and just monitor how they make you feel. They must be pretty balanced with vitamins etc? (Did you say they were from a diet plan?) Do you have a bullet blender? I got mine from Asda, it’s a cheapo copy of the nutribullet ones but it’s brilliant, I use it every day.

Morning all - day 2 here and doing ok. I'm intrigued at the idea of reducing carbs giving people ailments as I find the opposite. I've become aware over the last year or so (and this may be due to increased insulin resistance) that carbs make me lethargic, tired, grumpy. So reducing carbs almost instantly increases my positivity, energy, resilience. Why am I so stupid as to revert to carb overloading when 'stuff' is tough?

DH has made some amazing concoction with soaked walnuts, tahini, garlic, lemon all blended and it's very nice - like houmous but nutty, not too nutty.

Thanks Bear

I think I’m going to have to do this half cocked as yet again I’ve felt dizzy and weird today. I get plenty dairy in me as I’m fond of a cappuccino in the morning, another reason I’m definitely over 800 cals per day.

Considering I used to eat 4000 of the bloomin things a day maybe my body is in open revolt? Either way I am going to have healthy(ish) carbs with one meal, ie whole meal bread, brown rice etc.

Then once I get shot of whatever bug this is I’ll gently drop back down to the magic 800 again.

Either that or the 5:2 diet will be my solution. Not as drastic but very effective if my svelte chum is anything to go by.

special I'm finding I feel much perkier as well. A week or two ago I had been reducing wheat/potato based carbs and then DP and I got a takeaway pizza. I felt sick, headachey, bloated...like a carb hangover. I'm worried I'm still in the honeymoon phase of BSD though, and any day I will turn into a pasta-craving beast.

You’ll be fine, honestly, the carb cravings (particularly the sweets/chocolate) really do subside once you’ve done the first week or so. I find I crave quantity though, I miss having big meals, and I crave salt and strong flavours more than I used to. Those are more manageable though I find, and can be solved in a low carb way which is helpful! I find I get a weird fuzzy headache, not painful but like a dull stuffy feeling when I’m in the carb-flu phase (I have it today, I have clearly been eating more carbs the last few weeks and as I’ve been very good these last two days my body is in shock!)

londonista good call on the article. It totally chimes with my experience - if I awaken the beast (as you say) by eating breakfast, I'm hungry all day. And all night, which is when the bad things happen. Definitely have more success, fewer cravings, less hunger when I eat an early, substantial lunch and a substantial dinner, with maybe a tiny snack (cheese or nuts) in late afternoon. Obviously I can see that might be different for other people, and definitely for growing kids.

Hey struggling newbies, yay for your progress! Things will improve: once I got past the first week to 10 days of BSDing (headaches, dizziness, sleepiness and SO hungry), I found it was much much easier. And I'm someone who would had a very high carb intake and equally high calorie intake. (Apparently feelings are chock full of carbs, and extra delicious with butter on top.) I do crave tastes occasionally, but I don't feel perpetually hungry, which I thought I would now I'm eating 850-950 cals per day.

Going to head off for a shower and get to bed early as I feel a bit hungry and the 85% chocolate is calling. I know that if I stick with this in a few days I will be much less hungry so a few days of being strict will be worth it.

I have had 850 cals today but I had forgotten how carby milk is. 200ml of semi skimmed has 10g of carbs. I know we don't have to count carbs but its sort of ingrained in me.

I don't have a bullet blender at the moment. It must be one of the few pieces of kitchen equipment I don't have so will look into getting one as I can see it would be useful.

Closing the kitchen on 1350 today, and 55g carbs- but I did a ridiculous 25k steps today, including 30 day shred and a 5k run, so that’s ok!

Following from discussion earlier, I had a shake quite early today because I was running this evening, and I’ve been hungry all day- eventually had something at 5pm, then ran, then had a massive salad with cheese and coleslaw! So if my little experiment today is anything to go on there’s some truth in it!

Tomorrow- rest day from running, my ankles need it! Hopefully 800 calories again, as I was going to try for a full week (that lasted all of 1 day!!). But- I’m feeling tired, cranky, achy and generally a little crappy to be honest. So we’ll see!

Thanks for the advice down thread. I actually felt heaps better today. Not exactly full of beans but nothing like yesterday. My period is a muthafuka though (usually have a mean one every 5/6 months) so am putting it mostly down to that.

I had a great day foodwise. Pleasantly hungry but nothing more. I had a broccoli and Stilton soup from Aldi which was cheap, low cal, ok carbs (8g for the serving) and satisfying. Ideal would have been home made but meh, I lard in too much cheese.

DH bought me Total as a treat. It's too expensive to have as our family yoghurt as the kids get some for school most days but I am speeeeshal. I had some for pudding and it was lush!

Interested in the breakfast thing. I massively struggle without something even if it is a tiny bit of cheese or a single boiled egg. In fact most of the time I prepare 2 eggs but just eat one at breakfast to take the edge off then save the other one for mid afternoon as a treat. God I know how to live.........