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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:
Thread gallery
36
Maccalenny · 18/05/2019 18:31

My non-fast day has finished at about 1300 cals and 50g carbs. I loved all of it and may have the same again tomorrow! Last weekend I felt like increasing my calories was a bit of an effort - I wasn’t really hungry and am not now used to eating when not hungry. It’s been easier today, for various reasons I think. Hormonal...TOM, so more food is good! Also I’ve included more fatty things, like avocado, so I’m not eating more bulk and feeling over full.
I’m still quite nervous about this shift to free calories at the weekends. I don’t want it to make the 800 cals in the week feel like an effort as I’ve got a long way to go yet!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/05/2019 18:41

www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/diet-plan

Found this which may be useful. Be mindful of calories because it's a keto plan so the recipes can be fat-heavy, but there's some nice ideas here especially for anyone stuck in a menu rut.

OP posts:
Maccalenny · 18/05/2019 18:50

Bear thank you for the link. Some of the dinner recipes look particularly good. With it being half-term soon I’m looking for recipes my kids will eat - I will be giving some a try!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/05/2019 18:54

I agree macca sometimes I sit with my menu plan and just feel like I'm writing salad, salad, salad every day!

OP posts:
teta · 18/05/2019 19:19

I’ve just made butter chicken curry, Malaysian curry with some minced beef and some tandoori chicken with the legs and wings. I used up a whole chicken, leftover mince and half a tin of coconut milk in the fridge. All the yoghurt was eaten so I used a spoon of Creme Fraiche to mix with the Tandoori paste. Then burnt my Cauliflower Rice in the oven! But it actually tasted nice slightly charred.
I just eat the same as the rest of my family with more vegetables and a carb substitute. I usually rice a whole cauliflower at a time but my food processor has gone kaput and grating it is a pain.
The Chicken has all been eaten but I will make fried rice tomorrow for the kids and use cauliflower rice in mine.

StarJasmine · 18/05/2019 19:35

I have learned over the years that I am not good at meal planning - the whole concept feeds into my MH issues - I obsess and pour over it and then when I don’t stick to it i spiral. So now I tend to take more of a ‘have lots of ingredients in stock and plan the day as I go along’ approach, sometimes when I am more on top of things I can plan the next few days, but a whole weeks meals is way beyond what I can manage right now.

Day 3 for me
B: Garlicky spinach & mushroom omelette
L: Chickpea fusilli with half a can of Tesco meat-free bolognese (soy based)
D: Tomato baked cod tweaked from this recipe

Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14
Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14
Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14
StarJasmine · 18/05/2019 19:45

Along with a sugar-free jelly pot and a square of dark chocolate that’s come up to 787 calories. High on carbs though at 67g, half of that coming from the chickpea fusilli, I hadn’t realised how carby/calorific it was compared to the same weight of chickpeas.

Ohyesiam · 18/05/2019 23:31

You lot are so
Inspiring!
I’ve recovered from my calorie blip yesterday , had about 700 today so happy with that.

StarJasmine · 19/05/2019 01:37

I’m wide awake in the middle of the night as my partner has a horrible migraine, I’ve been keeping an eye/on nurse duty and seem to have missed my falling asleep window. So now I’m wide awake and my instinct/impulse is to go and make some toast or something, which of course I can’t do as 1. Toast bad and 2. in the middle of 12:12 TRE! it’s weird how habits are ingrained. There’s no way I actually need food in the middle of the night, but my brain is jumping straight to ‘you’re awake/stressful situation -> go eat carbs’.

Going to think about meals for tomorrow instead. Mindfully observe the craving and hopefully get some rest.

Lndnmummy · 19/05/2019 06:09

Love reading from everyone, feels like I have made new friends! Especially loving the meal ideas and recepies!
Haven’t weighed myself this morning yet, been a tough one with the baby and my calories were over yesterday I think I ended up on 1000 or so. But I didn’t eat any of ds left over pizza so it will need to be seen as half a victory!!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 19/05/2019 06:55

Morning all. I'm up early with Ds and psyching myself up for my long run today (I try to do a long long one once a month, today it's a 10miler on a new route). My food has been all on plan this weekend, but I've just had waaay too much of it, so not really looking forward to the scales. I have a few Fast800 days on the schedule for next week which is easier because I'm working so just make my packed lunch and that's all I have. I've grazed quite prolifically this weekend so far, mostly on slivers of cheese and ham- but they really add up. I've still had absolutely zero sugar since April 28th though, so 3 weeks today- however, I do have a Sports gel which I think has some sugars in which I was planning to use this morning. I'll 'allow' myself that as it's for training, so won't count it as breaking my 'no sugar' rule, although it will be interesting to see if it does anything to my overall cravings for sugar.

OP posts:
Maccalenny · 19/05/2019 07:17

Hope the run goes well Bear. And congratulations on your sugar-free ‘run’!

Lndnmummy · 19/05/2019 07:43

I am up 2lbs on the scales, an entire kg! I’m so disappointed, why is this? It makes me question myself. Surely in week 1 I shouldn’t fluctuate like this? I was 73.7 when I started bsd last Monday, my lowest (yesterday) was 71.0. I was so happy. Then today I’m 72kg. Why!!!!

Lndnmummy · 19/05/2019 07:44

Good luck on your run @bear, you will do brilliantly!!

Waterandlemonjuice · 19/05/2019 07:58

Hello everyone, I’ve had a lovely weekend but have been drinking wine and had a pizza yesterday. Not even going to attempt to count it, I just need to go back to 800 cals and keep going.

PhoenixMama · 19/05/2019 08:01

Good luck on the run @bear!

@star How did the toast resistance go? I"m definitely worse at starting on track when I'm tired so sending strength!

@ldn I definitely fluctuated up and down in the first few weeks - for me it was all about salt & water but remember it is only week one and you are in this for the long haul. Think of @Macca's chart which does how much variation can exist but still maintain a downward trend. But most of all stay on track today, don't let a little blip derail you!

StarJasmine · 19/05/2019 08:23

Running 10 miles is an awesome feat, as in I am properly in awe. Hope it goes ok!

Morning of day 4 here and another 1lb off on the scale this morning. Exhausted and very thirsty but mentally feeling upbeat. My blood test results will be available online soon (I did a private wellwoman screen) and I’m prepared for them to be awful, at least now I’m doing something about it already.

It’s nice ‘getting to know’ people on here and knowing I’m not the only mad person on this journey!

StarJasmine · 19/05/2019 08:25

phoenix resisted the toast Grin just fell asleep finally dreaming of buttered toast, scones, welsh cakes.....

Shipley · 19/05/2019 10:25

At 800 cals we know our initial losses are water and glycerine stores so the number on the scales comes down but experts will say no genuine weight loss. Then I see pictures like Bears and clearly there IS a weight loss. I'd be very interested to see people's 2 - 4 weeks inch loss vs weight loss and progress pics if anyone has them to share? Thanks!!

Illiantium · 19/05/2019 10:26

@Lndnmummy don't beat yourself up. If you have eaten under your maintenance calories you can't have gained fat its just water. I can fluctuate massively due to this. I recommend using an app like happy scales (iphone) or libra (android) as it will smooth out fluctuations and show a downward trend.

JeanieJardine55 · 19/05/2019 10:32

This is the last day of my week 4 and I’m 12lbs down. I weighed today because Monday morning can be a rush and I’ll forget. I’m happy with that. I’m 55, post menopause and can only really swim for exercise so can’t expect miracles.

I plan to carry on fast 800 until the start of the school holidays (he was a very late baby), then 5:2 through the holidays and reassess. I’m not finding it particularly difficult and not at all hungry but I’ve got a long way to go.

Lots of great results on this thread so it does work!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 19/05/2019 10:34

Shipley I don't think experts say there's no genuine weight loss with a low carb diet. It's one of the most effective ways to lose weight and keep it off. The first few days of any diet are 'water weight' but that's water retention held in fat stores so it is a part of the weightloss journey nonetheless, a necessary part of the process. Also glycogen molecules hold 2 water molecules with them, so as you deplete your glycogen through low carbing you relinquish a lot of water too. It's the same as anything though- if you do this for two weeks then go back to your old diet, you will put the weight back on. If you replenish your glycogen stores (eg with cake!) you will also replenish that stored water, which is what causes these big fluctuations after quite small indiscretions.

Done my run, a good solid 10 miles. The maltodextrin gels definitely help, so it will be something of a test case to see if they affect my appetite for carbs over the next few days. In theory they shouldn't as I consumed 70 cals of sugar and burned 1300 (according to Fitbit) so i should have used it up before it had a chance to 'settle in!'

OP posts:
Illiantium · 19/05/2019 10:34

Weighed myself this morning and I am 6 lbs down in a week. Also measured myself and have an inch off my tummy and hips, half an inch off each thigh and 1.5 inches around my bra band! Got DH to take some photos so I can do some real comparison in a few weeks.

Was cooking a special birthday meal yesterday and knew I would go off the diet so I planned for it instead of cracking and burying my face in chocolate ganache and red wine. Enjoyed my meal and ate just under my minimum maintenance calories. Back to it today although the shred was so hard but I dragged myself through!

PhoenixMama · 19/05/2019 12:24

@Star - super high five for resisting!

@bear - will be interested if the gels affect you. I'm nowhere near 10 miles but I'm starting to think I should go for 10k after I complete C25k.

@shipley I don't have pics but I can share some measurements/weight stats for the first month & now.

Weight Start: 217lbs (15.5 stone)
2 weeks: 201 (14.5 stone)
4 weeks: 196 (14 stone)
9 weeks: 185 (13.2 stone)

Waist Start: 43"
2 weeks: 41"
4 weeks: 39.5"
9 weeks: 38.5"

Belly Start: 46.5"
2 weeks: 45"
4 weeks: 43.5
9 weeks: 42.5

Hips Start: 45"
2 weeks: 44"
4 weeks: 43"
9 weeks: 42.5"

Chest Start: 39"
2 weeks: 37"
4 weeks: 36.5"
9 weeks: 35"

Bust Start: 46.5"
2 weeks: 44"
4 weeks: 43"
9 weeks: 41.5"

lasttimeround · 19/05/2019 13:07

So many new folk and do many brilliant results.
I've had my first real setbacks this week. Its week 8 and I sank into a vat of carbs. Its weird as it's not so delicious really. Nor do I feel good. In fact spent yesterday in bed in carb stupor. Buts its almost the feeling bad or numbed out I crave.
Anyway I decided around midweek that I was just going to cut myself some slack for up to a week. I have weighed in 1.4kg heavier today. Done weight gain I expect as I've overeaten a fair bit but mainly water from carbs. Anyway today I'm back to it.
Understanding there will be the odd period of not managing it is part of learning. I went to do another 7 weeks on plan before the next backside. This does work really well for me