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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 16

996 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 21/08/2019 21:26

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

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

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=caliberstrong.com/how-whooshes-impact-your-weight-loss/" target="_blank">information about the ‘whoosh’ phenomenon

OP posts:
Thread gallery
37
thenewaveragebear1983 · 26/08/2019 19:52

Family bbq today and while food was excellent and I drank only water all day, I ate rather a lot of the spicy green tomato cake that I made, meaning today is pretty much a write off!

Big relaunch tomorrow though, off to the seaside with my boys and my mum, but I'm back on track and ready for a month of being good!

OP posts:
maddenlightfoot · 26/08/2019 19:57

I've inadvertently done really well today calories wise - 866 for the day (as long as I don't eat anything else tonight!)
I held off brunch until 11:45am (but did have a few mugs of tea with full fat milk) - mackerel, spinach and cherry tomatoes
Snack of a lump of cheese with some olives and gherkins around 4pm and dinner was a bowl of chickpea tagine, minus the buckwheat tabbouleh.

I've had lots of water and a few mugs of herbal tea.

I feel good, not hungry but not not hungry iyswim!!
Eating two meals starting with a big brunch works well for me but is impossible when working. I either have to eat early or on the run. I'm planning on taking soup which I can drink from a flask - hope it keeps me as full as mackerel seems to

FastAway · 26/08/2019 20:49

Good day for me too..... Greek salad for lunch and pulled pork, red cabbage, broccoli and a small corn on the cob for dinner. Definitely not weighing now until 13th sept as it’s really preoccupying me.

FastAway · 26/08/2019 20:50

@maddenlightfoot if you like soup the broccoli one from the book is lovely with the rocquefort.

PhoenixMama · 26/08/2019 21:00

Not a great day here (not bad food wise, more booze) but walked more than 10km! I don't think I've gained lbs over the last month or so but I think I've gained inches. Too scared to measure! 🤦‍♀️

maddenlightfoot · 27/08/2019 08:53

I love soup! Broccoli and blue cheese in particular 😁. 10 st 7lb this morning (Blush think most of that loss is from not boozing last night)

PhoenixMama · 27/08/2019 09:28

Well I've maintained again which is great. I'd does amaze me how I can maintain (within 3ish lbs) regardless of what I'm eating, but I guess I maintained my heavy weight for years so that shouldn't surprise me that much but it really does.

I've decided no more booze till our housewarming on Sept 5th, so that will help me kick things into gear.

I know I have another stone I want to lose so that will be my focus when Sept hits.

I've decided to do 30 days of yoga in September, loosely following Adrienne's Yoga Camp (on running days I won't do a regular session I'll do one of her running yogas or one for Soas as mine plays up too much). Who else fancies doing a September activity challenge?

MozzchopsThirty · 27/08/2019 11:07

I need a slap ladies

I ate well until Friday and was at my lowest weight of 60kg

Since then I've eaten chips, dominos pizza, large amounts of lager, Chinese food
No exercise

And yes I feel rubbish

I need to get back on it
Need some motivation.

Maccalenny · 27/08/2019 12:09

Phoenix I continue to try to be motivated to move more! I will join a 30 day challenge...I think my aim will be to clock up 2 hours exercise a week for those four weeks. I know it does not sound much compared to the amount some of you do but it would be progress for me!

Riddleofthesands · 27/08/2019 12:25

Hi everyone, I am visiting relatives on a remote farm without wi fi. Will catch up on thread later in week. Lots of animals and fresh air. No weighing scales. Brown bread baked every day and they make their own cheese. I’ve gone back in time! I am eating sensibly but not BSD and am curious to see what I weigh when I get home on Friday.

Up for an exercise challenge, will think about what I can do maybe starting Friday.

Mozz just pick it up again, try to think hurrah can’t wait to drink water/herbal tea and my favourite salad/veg rather than dwell on the pizza. When I’ve done this I find a good shower where I give myself a body scrub and de fuzz if necessary makes me feel a bit less yucky. I am off to help move animals from one field to another Smile.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 27/08/2019 12:53

I will be up for a September exercise challenge; I'm training for this race so mine will be a combination of training runs, recovery runs, hiit and rest days (or adriene days!), and I thoroughly expect it to be gruelling and horrible especially as I've had such a laid back August!

OP posts:
maddenlightfoot · 27/08/2019 19:15

Riddle I'm certain that a diet harking back to earlier times would see us all super-slim (and I'm sure bread and cheese making burns a fair few calories!)
My calls have come in fairly low again - 837 - I'm hoping I'm using Nutra-Check correctly.

Today I've had a small portion of chickpea tagine at lunchtime, which only came in at 150 cals. Then for dinner I had two slices of a pea and mint frittata (kind of from the book but used red onion and didn't have asparagus).
Q: I still had 200+ calories to get me into the 800s so I did use them up with some oatcakes and cream cheese but I could have skipped this as I was full from the frittata but wanted to finish eating by 6pm. Would you have done the same or just seen it as a lower calorie day?

FastAway · 27/08/2019 21:57

I would have eaten them because I couldn’t have had the cals unspent, but that’s probably why I am fat.

Another good day, mackerel pate with crudités and a couple of seedy crackers around lunch and chicken with goats cheese and courgettes and tomatoes with salad for dinner. Feeling good and no problems sticking to it.

maddenlightfoot · 28/08/2019 07:10

Fastaway I'm glad I did as I felt much less hungry at bedtime than the night before!

Maccalenny · 28/08/2019 07:44

Madden - the odd day below cals is not a problem, but not as a regular thing as it is hard enough to get all the nutrients in on 800 cals.
But I think you would be better to eat enough during the day to avoid feeling hungry in the evening....which it sounds like you did.

PhoenixMama · 28/08/2019 10:20

I agree that if it's more than say 100 cals it's Def worth eating them but I would do so with high protein or fat but not carbs if that makes sense?

I'm still hovering around where I was. Ended up going to the theatre with DD last night but we ate at home rather than going out which def saved cals.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that I want to lose another stone but this will take around 3 more months I reckon as the weight is coming off much slower now, gone are the 1lb off a day days! Feels harder to motivate myself. Hoping the yoga challenge will connect me to my body again and that might help but I don't really know how to motivate myself when the losses aren't that noticeable!

Mazig · 28/08/2019 11:05

I'm feeling quite disheartened today. Sunday and Monday were both difficult - social events where I couldn't control the food. I managed to remain almost entirely on plan at least in terms of what I ate. I ate a slice of french bread and three breadsticks on Monday. I also had a couple of glasses of wine, with diet tonic as a spritzer. So I stuck to low carbs, but went over 800 calories on both days. I've ended up gaining a pound and a half which is still there today even though I was perfect yesterday.

It makes me really worry that there is no prospect of maintaining if I don't eat 800 calories a day for the rest of my life.

PhoenixMama · 28/08/2019 13:05

@Mazig I know that feeling but that weight will almost entirely be water weight and you'll be back on track in no time, just stick with it. How long has it been for you?

If it makes you feel better I've been averaging around 1500cals (at least) a day for the last 6weeks and have been fluctuating within 5lbs - I haven't gained insanely even though my carbs have been way higher than when I was doing Fast800. It's definitely doable! Hang in there!

Maccalenny · 28/08/2019 13:11

Mazig I find that if I eat any high-carb food, I will be 1-2lb up for 2-3 days, then it drops back down. So do not be disheartened....it will decrease and you will continue to lose.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 29/08/2019 06:55

Morning all,
Mazig I agree with the others, it's very unlikely that you'd eat enough to actually gain a pound of fat overnight; it's a combination of water/glycogen stores being replenished and water retention. I gain about 4lbs after a carb fest usually, and it does go, just needs a few days focus and lots of water!

I'm away at the seaside with my boys so haven't been counting, although my meals have been good and I'm not snacking at all as we have been so busy (although I did finish a piece of fruitcake that one of them left st a cafe because I couldn't bear to throw it away!) I did 25k steps yesterday as well!

Today I'm going to go for a run, then we will get one last play on the beach so more of the same today hopefully.

OP posts:
Target10 · 29/08/2019 16:07

Hi all, I’ve been trying to follow the Fast 800 for the past 2 weeks. The first week went really well but the past week I keep cheating and I’ve only lost a pound. I think I’m going to try next week for 800 calories Mon-Fri and allow myself a little - though not too much - leeway at the weekend. I’m really struggling with lunches and I wondered if any of you have any advice? Dinner’s not so bad really but I find packed lunches a bit dreary at the best of times after they’ve been jumbled about in Tupperware. I’m seriously lacking inspiration. No crisps to perk it up, no baked potatoes, no bread. Any ideas?

Maccalenny · 29/08/2019 16:31

Hi Target, well done for making it through the first couple of weeks. It does take quite a shift of thinking to get used to the new range of foods. Are you able to use a microwave at lunchtime? If so, anything that you can make extra of can be reheated. If that is not an option, you can take the ingredients of your lunch separately so your salad is not a big mush by lunchtime. I usually have a bag or tub of salad, then add my fish, or eggs etc, and any dressing I want, when I’m about to eat it. You could add seeds for a bit of crunch if you are missing crisps.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 29/08/2019 17:07

Keep anything vinegary or salty away from your salad or it will turn to watery mush, so any dressings in a separate pot but also anything like tuna in brine or ham etc. I love salads so I am really happy with a big salad and buy lots of bits for them: sugar snaps, different tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, grated carrot, sauerkraut (my new fave), mayo. I buy these cute mini tins of tuna with lemon and pepper oil, they are 80g each and have a ring pull to open on the go. One of my recipes for next week to try is a low carb scotch egg, made with egg, seasoned turkey mince and rolled in lentil flour, which will be good for lunches. Also those mini crustless quiches are really good for lunches. My other current favourite is a Mediterranean seed salad topper from Tesco, it adds a nice texture and a tbsp is about 40 cals.

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MozzchopsThirty · 29/08/2019 21:16

Oh I'm loving the salads at the moment
I'm putting all sorts in there, like @thenewaveragebear1983 said havesome fun with it
Pointy sweet peppers
Different leaves
Beetroot
Goats cheese
Parmesan
Avocado
Grated carrot
Sweet corn
Raw mushrooms

Buy a nice fat free balsamic dressing or vinegarette and it'll be fab

MozzchopsThirty · 29/08/2019 21:18

After my weekend of binging on booze & carbs I weighed 1kg heavier than last week

Then miraculously this morning 2kg has dropped off and I'm down to my lowest weight in years of 59.6 🙌🏼🙌🏼

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