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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 15

999 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 23/05/2019 07:34

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 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)
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 at 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.

Some useful links:

Previous thread

Blood Sugar Diet and Fast800 thread 14 http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/3532374-blood-sugar-diet-and-fast800-thread-14

Meal planning ideas thread
Blood sugar diet recipe thread and menu planner 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
57
Ohyesiam · 26/05/2019 18:56

Well after a brilliant week of working away and being cooked for where I negotiated a narrow path really well( including if there was nothing for me i would just have salad then nip back to my room for a pouch of jamie Oliver Lovely Lentils) and managing the stress of guessing , not weighing my food. I returned home to be told we were going for a pub supper, and there was NOTHING vegetarian/ pescatarian that would work on the menu, so I HAPPILY chose a smallish portion of fish and chips, chocolate cheesecake and a glass of fizz....

I am now wayyyy to scared to weigh in tomorrow, the start of week 3.
I’m also a bit pre menstrual, which for me means fluid retention.

But a NSV, I fitted into some shorts yesterday which 7 or 10 days ago were uncomfortably tight.

So today i thought I’d be really hungry, but I’m back on it, as well as cycling3 miles to the pool, doing 45 lengths, and cycling home.

I need to read back through this new thread properly, but well done everyone, and lndn sorry to hear about your health news x

StarJasmine · 26/05/2019 20:11

Meals today
B: Veggie sausages, egg, mushrooms & tomatoes
L: Spinach, raspberry, goats cheese and walnut salad
D: Soy & chilli salmon with beetroot wedges and broccoli
798 calories

ohyes sounds like you’ve done well this week and all that cycling and swimming - don’t think it matters what the scales say tomorrow, that’s all a massive achievement anyway! Does your scales do body fat %? Mine do and interestingly even when I’ve ‘gained’ on daily weigh-ins, the body fat % has slid down by 0.1-0.2% every day.

White bean mash..... I think the only issue with it on Fast800 is it’s still quite calorific, especially mashed down so it takes up less volume. Will have to have another side as well to make up for it.

Lndn hope you’re doing ok this evening Flowers

Blood sugar diet and Fast800 thread 15
Blood sugar diet and Fast800 thread 15
Blood sugar diet and Fast800 thread 15
PhoenixMama · 26/05/2019 23:34

Omg. I'm so pathetic some times. Out for dinner tonight, everyone having pizza but I actually wanted the pan fried salmon. Had the pizza to go along with everyone else. What is wrong with me? I am clearly not able/ready to go away & not have complete control of my food. So I've eaten over 1600 cals today & am absolutely dreading getting on the scale again. What a write off of a week. So very, very cross with myself.

Lndnmummy · 27/05/2019 07:35

Morning all, Phoenix, draw a line under it and move on. Today is a new week! Let’s go!

Thanks for yesterday everyone, I’m abit more resilient today. Spoke to a friend GP last night who went through my numbers. He said that my numbers were in the “prediabetic” range and so therefor I should be able to reverse it and that my thyroid levels were “not too bad”. He said that his greatest concern were the cholesterol which is really very high and iron levels. Anyway, it is what it is and he also said that one sets of blood work never tells the full story, we need repeats in a few weeks.

I wonder, how many of us are here as a result of always always putting our self care needs at the bottom of the priority list. I’m with you on your soapbox bear, waving that flag with you!
So this is my wake up call. I have always booked some cbt sessions, I need to get to the bottom of some of these emotional issues that control my eating. Interestingly, now that I have a different purpose with the diet ie “blood sugar control” and on a mission to reverse the numbers, it feels somehow easier to stay on track. It’s given me another focus than the scales so maybe that will help with me staying on the straight and narrow.

Have you guys seen the fab recepie food idea thread that bear created? Please share your ideas on there so we can collect them all in one place. Bear that’s such a good idea, thank you for everything that you do. Star I was wondering if you could post some of your lovely meals on there? I tried your chia pudding last night and it was yum. I made with grated green apples and cinnamon (reduce impact of insulin). It was yum!

lasttimeround · 27/05/2019 09:23

New week!!! Let's get cracking. Phoenix be gentle. Observe it, but don't bear yourself up. Maybe set it as a goal rather than an expectation that you make your own food choices. Dont see social conviviality as negligible it isn't. We are social animals we need some of that fitting in stuff too. Not always but it's not pathetic. Maybe set a time window and observe when does it feel possible to swim against the stream, when doesn't it? Why? What of that needs to change, what doesn't?
Lndn - you sound in a much better headspace. I'm glad your gp friend was so constructive.

Its interesting how health numbers and other goals seem to make many of us approach things more rationally. Sad also because it indicates a huge level of being emotionally screwed up around appearance/weight.

lasttimeround · 27/05/2019 09:29

My chart over 2 months. I was feeling a bit down that May hasn't gone so well. Ive been on a d off this plan and only now back in saddle. Then I realised I haven't measured for this month. I haven't exercised last 2 weeks either so am all soft (could be water before next whoosh too) so wasnt expecting it to be a great experience. But... I'm down an inch at almost every measuring point this month - I measure lots of places. And my hips and bust will be under 40 inches soon which is one of my Big Goal goals. I'm really pleased and that dip will just be part of an overall downward trend soon enough.

Blood sugar diet and Fast800 thread 15
MelanieCheeks · 27/05/2019 09:31

Right, having caught sight of myself in the mirror over the weekend I look like a pot bellied pig. And my thighs are starting to chafe. So I'm back with renewed determination to do this properly.

11 stone/ 70 kg this morning, would like to be under 10 for a family do in mid-August. I'm going to buy myself a naice diary to record food and feelings, but I'm already feeling a bit brighter by doing something about it. Will spend some time today doing out a meal plan I can get excited about - the batter for chickpea flatbreads is already underway.

Ohyesiam · 27/05/2019 09:45

Phoenix, don’t be so hard on yourself, it’s not pathetic, we’re social animals.
I worked with a therapist once on making friends with that bit of myself. It turned out she was a tiny little girl, really fearful of putting a foot wrong and being judged or punished for not toeing the line. She was so vulnerable, I couldn’t hate her.
I think the theory is that small parts of us stay young ( often through trauma, which can be quite mild) and pull our behaviour/ feelings around till they get their needs met.

I would just every now and then remember to acknowledge her just by imagining she was walking beside me down the street just for a second. Sometimes I’d say goodnight to her as I drifted off to sleep.
I decant remember what sort of therapy it was , maybe psychodynamic? And I imagine the “ inner child” thing is a metaphor, but it works. It got me out of addictive dodger relationship patterns, and much more.

I didn’t mean to write so much, or make any presumptions about your situation. But I want to show solidarity, something about the way you write about yourself touched me.

But draw a line under the pizza( like I’ve done with my fish and chips!) we can fear the scales together!

StarJasmine · 27/05/2019 10:06

Morning Fasters! Hope everyone is feeling positive about a new week. Mid-week 2 for me with a planned long weekend ‘off’ at the end, as long as I don’t start next week right back at square one I’ll be happy!

Lndn good to ‘hear’ you more upbeat this morning. You can almost definitely reverse prediabetes with diet. My cholesterol was high too (LDL over range and total just within standard range but higher than the lower target for people at high risk, which I am due to family history). At the moment I plan to recheck it in maybe 12 weeks when hopefully I’ll have lost a good portion of body fat and see where it is then. I’m also taking vitamin d, b complex and iron supplements and will recheck those in 12 weeks as well. I plan to continue the vitamin d supplement ongoing as I’ve been deficient in the past and suspect I’ll always need to supplement; the b complex & iron I plan to take for 8 weeks and then stop, the idea being to increase my stores and then see if they maintain, and consider further if they don’t. I don’t think there’s much point in rechecking levels whilst still on supplements unless I plan to take that supplement for life.

Phoenix stop catastrophising! 1600 calories is still probably under your TDEE, do you have a Fitbit or similar to track that? Don’t beat yourself up - you need to be your own best friend on this! Accept yourself, and then you can move forward.

lasttime that’s a nice graph and brilliant overall loss and great result with the inch losses. I haven’t measured much as I’m so disgusted/disconnected with my body I just didn’t want to know, I just checked my waist size and that is needed for some health indicators I wanted to track.

Melanie hello, back on it! What chickpea flatbreads do you make? I’ve been looking at recipes for besan ki roti for example to go with curry maybe.

What recipe thread, btw? I searched but very confused. I don’t really have recipes, I just google & wing it mostly!

teta · 27/05/2019 10:21

This is the start of a new week everyone.
I've stayed more or less the same for the last seven days.Its been a very stressful week but now I have to get back on it. I have a social event in a months time and I want to lose at least 8 pounds before then. So absolutely no alcohol and exercise every day.
Good luck for a successful week!

Laniakea · 27/05/2019 10:30

Hello 👋🏻 New starter here - well day 5 anyway. I’ve done 5:2 pretty successfully since the new year but weight loss has slowed down & I just fancy a change!

I don’t weigh very often - whatever the scale says I always find a way to feel crap about myself - but am focusing on health which atm means getting my waist measurement below 30. I measured on day one & it was 34.

I was pretty low carb & calorie aware because of 5:2 so it has been okay so far. I’m still doing IF so I’ve having a coffee & shake at lunch time (250 calories) then the rest at dinner. I have really boring meals because the less I care about food the less I eat! I also have horrendous IBS so am on a restricted diet anyway - no pulses/beans, lots of fruit & veg I can’t tolerate. I basically eat eggs/fish/yogurt/cheese/nuts, green leafy veg/small amounts of tomato & berries/olives.

MelanieCheeks · 27/05/2019 10:53

Chickpea flatbread:

P183 of the BSD recipe book.

250g chickpea ( gram) flour.
Mix to a thin batter with water.
Leave to sit a couple of hours.
Whisk in 1 tablespoon of oil, and fry like thin crepes.

Flavour each one as it is cooking with rosemary, chilli, fennel or caraway seeds.

Makes 8, 110 Cal's, 6g protein, 16g carbs each

Can be frozen.

Use as wraps, or as a pizza base.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 27/05/2019 11:34

Star there's a link to the recipe/menu thread in the opening post of this thread

OP posts:
teta · 27/05/2019 11:45

Melaniecheeks those sound good. I must look at my recipe book again.
Laniakea have you found this diet has any effect on your food intolerances ? I have IBS too and have several foods high in Fodmaps that I'm sensitive to. But i've been able to eat them whilst on this diet. Food like Advocado, Asparagus and mushrooms. I'm still a bit careful with beans, chickpeas and lentils though. I've also discovered I love Halloumi and am fine if I stick to 50 g. of it.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 27/05/2019 12:07

Ohyes that's really interesting about your 'inner child'. I had some hypnosis to help with my bingeing behaviour and hypno asked me to visualise myself bingeing- but I couldn't. All I could see was my teenage self (at a time when I was very unhealthy, chain smoked, drank too much, took recreational drugs and socialised with, I realise now, horrible druggy friends who were really quite unpleasant) and I straight away could identify that the bingeing on chocolate etc was just a throwback to being that really unhappy, vulnerable, quite lonely and needy girl I was then. It gave me such clarity, I saw myself in a way I'd never seen before.

We're enjoying our holiday. I'm resolutely sticking to 3 square BSD meals, and no sugar. I did have a few Doritos last night though, and have been drinking red wine! So not 100% but certainly not too terrible, and I'm not succumbing to ice cream and donuts and sandwiches/bread rolls at bbqs etc. We are out for a meal with my bil and sil this evening though, so depending where we go, it may all go wrong!

OP posts:
Laniakea · 27/05/2019 12:32

Tera this was my second time with 5:2 - first time around it was miraculous & I could eat pretty much anything. This time it hasn’t worked so well, I’ve really struggled the last few months.

QRCode · 27/05/2019 14:09

Hi all, just checking in. Saturday's weigh in was the same as the Saturday before, so I went off plan in a grump just for a few hours and am now trying to undo the damage. Just ran 8.5km so that's got to help.

ldn sorry to hear your news but sounds like you are handling it well, considering.

Hope everyone has had a good bank holiday weekend.

Ohyesiam · 27/05/2019 16:30

I know what you mean bear I have often referred to food as my last addiction. Drugs are “ easy “ to give up because you can avoid them, where as food..... well as we all know you have to build a better relationship with it.

Ohyesiam · 27/05/2019 18:45

Bloody hell is it just me or is this WOE twice as hard when everyone else is at home too?
No peace and quiet, endless questions about the bleedin obvious and endless negotiation around everything. Arrrrrgh! ARRRRRRRRRRGH!

Or maybe I’m just unsociable and should go and live up a bloody mountain somewhere. That really speaks to me right now.
Is it normal to find loved ones so low level tricky? I mean they re a lovely bunch, but blimey I long for solitude.

I’m on about 900 cals and am determined to keep it that way.

Send me strength!

Feelingfortyisntfun · 27/05/2019 20:21

Thanks for your honesty bear and something I can relate to and hard to kick... that hug that food brings. I think I’m finding it easier by just having veggies and protein - 2 things that I find it easier to limit.

Like you guys some more questionable days in my youth and realised then I had an addictive personality so quickly left that scene and folk that came with it.

Interesting as I’ve heard food addiction “can’t exist” but something it’s very challenging.

Maccalenny · 27/05/2019 20:28

Ohyes i think any plan is so much easier if you are on your own! My kids share their tine between me and their dad and the week they are not here, it is so much easier to stay on track. Not only due to planning meals....just generally living around people makes it harder.

Feelingforty - i think everyone on here would agree that carb addiction is definirely a thing!

JeanieJardine55 · 27/05/2019 23:39

Ohyes I am so with you. I love dh and the kids to bits but they can be really hard work to be around. And they keep wanting fed!

This is the start of my week 6 (of 10) of fast 800 so half way.
Week 1 - 5lbs
Week 2 - 2lbs
Week 3 - 2lbs
Week 4 - 4lbs
Week 5 - 3lbs
16lbs all together

I’m off to read the recipe thread for inspiration.

Lndnmummy · 28/05/2019 06:50

Jeanie, fantastic result! Oh yes, it is so hard when everyone is around. My amazing and lovely dh this morning came in to tell me that “surprise, I’m working from home today”. I nearly cried. It’s noise everywhere, mess everywhere. Why can’t the man do anything without making noise? Of faff? I can’t take it anymore. Blush.
I’m off to my gp surgery today to follow up on my blood tests so look forward to getting her view and a plan of action going.
My dh has also booked me a few sessions with a personal trainer so I’m meeting him tonight too. We can’t afford a lot of sessions but I’m excited to get something in the diary. At the very least it gets me out of doing bedtime once a week Grin! It was a lovely thing of dh to do, he listened when I said I can’t continue to put everyone else’s needs above my own health. This was his way of showing me that he listened. I appreciated that a lot. So, I have decided that this is my week 1. I’m starting over. With my new health numbers and awareness as well as mindset I’m resetting. I’m doing 10 weeks starting now. Weighing in at 71.7kg, was 76 at my heaviest. Goal is 58kg. Let’s go!

boldlygoingsomewhere · 28/05/2019 07:53

That’s great that your DH is being so supportive Lndnmummy. Good support makes such a difference when you’re trying to eat this way.

It’s week 5 for me this week and I’m going to try and follow a 5:2 approach. It will be interesting to see how it works.

PhoenixMama · 28/05/2019 08:03

Well apparently I've put on 5lbs which is frustrating but is down to being away & not being strict so need to get my head back on straight. It's going to be tough this week as I've got lunch out today, lunch & dinner out tomorrow and then away with DD thurs-sat. I think I need to be realistic about results, which is hard, I want to be losing all the time.

These little blood also really make me worry about moving off 800cals. As soon as I eat normally/increase my carbs I gain fast. That's scary!

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