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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14

999 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 13/03/2019 19:48

Here’s the new thread for the BSD followers, plus those following the Fast800 plan. Everyone is welcome to join us. Here’s a quick recap!

The BSD/fast 800 is a low carb, Mediterranean style way of eating, with the primary aim of stabilising your insulin response when you eat. You achieve this by: eating fewer carbs, cutting out sugar and sweet tasting foods including most fruit, and by following a low calorie plan that reduces your visceral fat meaning that everything functions more effectively. Less insulin means less fat storage (in a nutshell, although more info can be found on this online). The blood sugar diet was designed to reduce T2 diabetes symptoms (or even reverse it entirely) but can also be used for weightloss.

Eat:
Meats and fish
Oils
Eggs
Full fat dairy products
Nuts, seeds
Pulses/ beans
Veg that grows above ground
Limit fruit: apples, pears, berries- in moderation, with meals, with fats

Occasional alcoholic drinks allowed (spirits, red wine are preferable to beer, lager, etc) although alcohol is calorie heavy and can influence your appetite
Tea and coffee, herbal tea etc.
And water- drink lots of water!

Avoid
sugar, sweets, and ‘naturally occurring sugars’ such as fructose, maltose, honey, agave, puréed dates etc....

Potatoes of any variety
Pasta
Rice
Breakfast cereals (occasional steel cut oats are ok)
Breads/ flour based products

Exercise:
Michael Moseley recommends HIIT workouts to increase calorie burn and help to tone up, and recommends walking more (increasing your steps weekly until you hit around 10000 a day)

Mindfulness
MM also suggests a programme of mindfulness, meditation, practised for a few minutes each day.

How to follow the plan:
Fast800: follow the plan above, sticking to 800 calories every day for 2 weeks. Ideal to give your weightloss a real kick start, plus improve your insulin function and reduce your sugar cravings.
8 weeks BSD- 8 weeks, follow the guidelines above- 800 calories a day. You don’t need to count carbs grams because the diet is naturally self limiting.
BSD 5:2- for a more leisurely weightloss journey, or as maintenance, or once you’ve done an 8 week stint or 2 weeks of Fast800, you can play around with a combination of increased calorie count, ‘free eating’ and fasting days (800 cals) until you achieve your goals. Many of our long standing members now follow this approach.

You can stop 800 calorie days at any time once you achieve your goal. It’s advised to limit yourself to 12 weeks maximum of 800 calorie days, but you should get excellent results in 8 weeks. Depending on your weightloss goals, you can do further ‘rounds’ of either the 8 week BSD or the Fast800. We recommend you take your measurements before you begin, not just your weight. A target pair of jeans in a smaller size or even a photography or two can be very motivating!

Some useful links:

previous thread

meal planning thread

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=healthyeater.com/important-tool-weight-loss" target="_blank">TDEE calculator to calculate your daily calorie requirement

information about the ‘whoosh’ phenomenon

OP posts:
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Bythebeach · 16/04/2019 19:03

I’m not losing very fast and am wondering if it is because I’m so small? My calculated TDEE is 1250 if sedentary or 1400 if light exercise so I’m wondering if 800 calories is too many for me? Also totally killed by walking up hill when walking dog when it’s usually no issue which makes me suspect my body hasn’t switched to fat burning mode 😢.

Last 3 days I’ve had:
735 cal, 30g carbs
745 cal, 24g carbs
727 cal, 47g carbs
Today I’ve cut it back so 648, 36g carbs

Any advice welcome!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 16/04/2019 20:22

Frou I aim^^ for alternate day fasts, but in reality I probably do 2 a week, with 3 days at around 12-1500 cals, and then a few days where I don't count at all but bear in mind I'm at target so my aim is maintenance really, and currently I'm training/running hard because I have a big race next week. According to Fitbit my daily calorie burn over the last year is 2600.

Once my race is done, I want to get a further half stone off (just so I can afford to regain a few lbs over the summer) so I'm going to really cut back the carbs again as a lot more have been creeping in, and will need to be a bit more focussed on my calories and carbs. I'll probably do alternate days at 800 and around 12-1500 on the other days. I actually feel really unhealthy at the moment because of the carbs I'm eating and feel quite out of control around them, as if every day is s challenge to avoid them rather than it being easy to say no so I'd like to get back to that nice clear headed BSD feeling.

OP posts:
thenewaveragebear1983 · 16/04/2019 20:29

By i wouldn't cut the calories back, I'd eat to 800 calories but eat fat or protein (or both). This will swing your percentage macros so you're eating a smaller percentage of your total calories as carbs. If you consistently go below 800 you'll not get the nutrients you need. Unfortunately if your tdee is low, then yes, you're not getting the same calorie deficit by doing so, but there are ways to increase your calorie expenditure (ie. increasing exercise in cardio to burn calories or building muscle through strength/hiit/ weights which mean you'd burn more calories all the time)
How long have you been doing the 800 calories?

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lasttimeround · 16/04/2019 21:20

Decent day for planned steak dinner with red wine and a square of chocolate later. Red wine turned into 2 glasses. Chocolate into more than 1 square. All ok really but in bed with a distended stomach. Overindulgence doesn't feel as good as it used to. Huh.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/04/2019 08:11

My holiday bloat is gone, I'm back in my safety zone of 10.3!

It's interesting because by having no kitchen, I have realised just how often I dip into there and graze. By having someone in there, judging me I'm just not doing it and definitely am eating much less. So that's what I need going forward- someone to sit in my kitchen and judge me!!

Today: various jobs this morning, dd has another dental op, then go for a run early afternoon in the sunshine. Lunch is salad, dinner will be a fish pie ready meal (so not low carb, unfortunately) but with salad it should be ok.

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lasttimeround · 17/04/2019 10:54

Hooray I'm a pound down. I'm now in the weight zone I spent ages bouncing up and down in over the last couple of years. Curious whether it will prove hard to break through or if I'm on a roll and will just breeze past what felt impossible before. It shouldn't really be hard I'm still overweight.
The longer this goes on the more determined I feel to not allow myself to gain this much again.

PhoenixMama · 17/04/2019 12:09

Well done @newaverage - you're so great at getting back to it.

@lasttime hooray on the pound! Any downward movement is good downward movement!

Got invited to an impromptu dinner party last night & they had risotto. Even with that & a glass (or 2) of wine I was still.under 1000 so happy with that. I need to be able to live with this diet or I'll just end up giving up!

Seem to be losing around 0.5lb a day now, as opposed to the 1lb a day of the first 3 weeks but that still works out to a stone a month and if I get that over the next 2 months I'll be at my lowest weight in 11 years!

Maccalenny · 17/04/2019 18:02

I have had my planned meal off today...fish and chips while visiting the Blists Hill Victorian town with mum and daughter. Really enjoyed it....but managed not to let it lead into ice cream and cake as well! It’s given me hope that I can plan a meal off and get back onto it afterwards.
This week I’m on plan but not counting calories, while I have visitors staying. Still 1lb down, but expecting that to be up a bit tomorrow. It’s weird not counting, after 7 weeks. It’s tempting to start nibbling on things when cooking, snacking between meals, eating when not hungry, when I’m not really focussed on that 800. I think it will feel easier next week when I return to 800 mon-fri.

PhoenixMama · 17/04/2019 18:18

Well done @macca! Must be strange not counting cals but def good on you for not giving in to ice-cream!

Bythebeach · 17/04/2019 20:22

Anyone else getting worried about ignoring the Easter Eggs. 3 kids and therefore house has usual eggs arriving for them for Sunday. DH usually gets me a fancy egg but won’t this year. I think I need a non-chocolate treat to distract me! Any ideas?

onanothertrain · 17/04/2019 20:47

I bought an egg for my OH but have left it in the boot of the car, it's been really sunny here so I hope it's not melted.
He has never bought me one before but apparently he has this year. Bloody typical!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/04/2019 21:03

I'm sorry, but I'm having an egg! Just a small one. I think it's easier to plan it in, calorie count it, and feel like I've stuck to it, than the inevitable stealing bits of the dc's eggs with no way of knowing how much I've had of how many calories. Sorry, I'm a very bad influence I know Grin

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Bythebeach · 17/04/2019 21:29

Oh bear Envy

whitehalleve · 17/04/2019 21:29

I've been ignoring two that ppl have got for me for the past two weeks! I've relegated them to the spare room, but I'm sure I'll have a bit of one over Easter. Smile

onanothertrain · 17/04/2019 21:44

Mine better be a milky bar one Grin

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/04/2019 21:52

Sorry, sorry....

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PhoenixMama · 17/04/2019 21:53

I'm having an egg too. I'm going to have 2 days over the 4 where I'm not going to be strict, and 2 I am. It's actually my birthday on Friday and DD and I have a tradition of making some amazing cake - this year it's a chocolate cake with malted chocolate buttercream and a toasted marshmallow frosting. Needless to say - won't be counting up those cals!

onanothertrain · 17/04/2019 22:02

phoenix calories don't count on your birthday. It's the law.

PhoenixMama · 18/04/2019 20:25

@onanother Thank you! I look forward to obeying that law!

lasttimeround · 18/04/2019 20:33

Bah Easter bane of diets! I shall regroup. Good luck with managing the long weekend everyone.

purplespring · 19/04/2019 08:21

I’m feeling positive about sticking to it over Easter. There’ll be lots of chocolate in the house, I will probably get at least one egg myself but I’ll just save it. Going to go out for a family walk on Easter Sunday rather than a food focused get together.

I need to stick to it for the full 8 weeks and see what I can achieve.

Maccalenny · 19/04/2019 09:09

I’m also avoiding the chocolate. I feel it could lead me down that slippery slope....
I’m not counting calories this week, but other than fish and chips on Wednesday, I’m still low carb and on plan. However, I’m noticing that my subconscious seems to think I’ve ditched the diet and it is prodding me towards self-destruct carb-fest mode. It’s making me aware that I have a long way to go before this becomes an embedded way of life and I can relax at all.

Bythebeach · 19/04/2019 10:35

I feel the same Macca. I’ve managed 11 days so far but very worried I’ll tip into a chocolate fest if I have one Easter egg....or one anything carby really. I don’t know how to change my mindset from carb based foods being a ‘reward’.
DH flying back from NY tomorrow so thinking I should demand something luxury and non-food based from duty free....but my mind can only think of chocolate. Any ideas?

Maccalenny · 19/04/2019 14:13

Perfume? New bag/hat/scarf? Jewellery? If you trust his taste!

Bythebeach · 19/04/2019 16:31

Hmmm I’m partial to scarves and bags and he should get those right. Jewellery a bit risky....will need to catch him before he leaves.