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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

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Thread gallery
37
Maccalenny · 28/12/2019 04:43

Official Saturday weigh-in - im exactly 12 stone this morning. Thats up 3.8lb on my lowest a week or so ago, but 2lb less than yesterday morning! I’m hoping another couple of lb come off equally easily, then I will feel I have escaped the festive season quite lightly.

Maccalenny · 28/12/2019 04:49

Final graph of the year! The format has changed, I guess because there is too much data to show weekly variation now, so it is showing the variation over each month, plus the trend line. I quite like this version - it does help to show just what a huge amount of variation there is each month! Hopefully that nasty little upward blip at the end there, caused by excessive consumption of dry roasted peanuts and mulled wine, will even itself out over the next few weeks and will be barely visible on my ongoing journey to a healthy weight.

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 16
Kimlek · 28/12/2019 09:14

Oh I wasn’t including coffees as part of the 16 hour fast...oops!!! Not sure how good my morning would be without that coffee & not keen on black. Maybe I’ll start mornings with herbal tea.... I’m loving the spiced ones twinnings do.

Kimlek · 28/12/2019 10:41

@Maccalenny your graph is truly inspiring!! Huge well done you!
I’m still trying to plan meals and am wondering what recipes you all do in advance please?

BuffaloCauliflower · 28/12/2019 11:24

Right! I’m back in! Lost a stone at the beginning of 2019 doing Fast 800/BSD style. Then stalled due to some personal stuff but kept it off. Lost a few more pounds but have put those back on. Want to lose a stone from where I am now, but also TTC (after miscarriage in Nov) so slightly racing that 😂 additional challenge is I really need to reduce our food spending so need low cost and low carb. I’m pescatarian as well... but found this way of eating really suited me physically so keen to get back to feeling that way. Also joining a new, nicer gym.

Maccalenny · 28/12/2019 12:40

Kimlek I always prep main meals at the weekend for the week ahead. I do things like shepherds pie with celeriac or cauli mash, fish pie with same, beef or chicken stew, or chilli. It’s usually something I can do in the slow cooker. Substantial soups are good too. I also do a big pile of boiled eggs for snacks and for egg mayo salad. Crustless quiche keep for a few days too, as do the egg muffins.
I’ve found it useful to cook pulses in bulk too, and freeze them in weighed portions to easily add to meals.

Maccalenny · 28/12/2019 12:41

Welcome back Buffalo. Good luck for your restart!

Kimlek · 28/12/2019 14:13

Thank @Maccalenny - which soups do you find substantial please as I associate soup with a side dish of a ham sandwich! Grin

PhoenixMama · 28/12/2019 15:15

Hey everyone! Just signing back in for some accountability! I'm up 8lbs over the last 2 months of stress & craziness but secretly hoping this is what I need to break my former plateau! Hoping to be back on track after NYE but will also try to be good on days where we're entertaining or being entertained. Going booze & sugar free from the 1st for 2 months (aside from 2 events) so hoping that helps.

Even given all of the recent gain (8lbs over 4 months is far better than previously for me) I've lost 4 stone this year - something I was told would never happen with the meds I was on. BMI went from 36 - 27! I've got 17lbs to go to my goal and I'm determined to nail that bloody number by March!

Look foward to catching up on the thread!

Riddleofthesands · 28/12/2019 15:23

Hi Phoenix Smile welcome back.

DH is still running the kitchen, he has a 3 bird roast for tomorrow and has made 2 large turkey and ham pies for the freezer. It’s not going to be easy until he returns to work. I am craving a tomato salad!

Maccalenny · 28/12/2019 16:13

Kimlek I find any soup with a decent amount of protein or fat will be quite filling. One of my favourites is cauliflower and broccoli, usually with some other veg like celeriac, part blended and then soft cheese stirred in. Served with a sprinkle of cheddar. Also any lentil and veg soup - usually with cheese again, everything tastes better with cheese! Just blend cooked veg and add some cooked lentils and whatever herbs and spices you like.

Phoenix great to ‘see’ you - I’ve been wondering how you are getting on. Well done for minimal weight gain - I managed nearly that much in four days! Hope your Christmas was good.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 28/12/2019 20:27

Hi everyone.
My food has been, in no particular order: terrible terrible terrible! Truly shocking! And I don't even care!

I will care though. I kept reminding myself that I will be reaping the 'rewards' for this come January 1st, but for now I'm quite enjoying it!

I bought my lovely new notebook today so tomorrow I am going to sit and plan my food for the week ahead. Not including New Year's Eve, when Dh are going to stay in with a bottle of Moët and the dvd box set of line of duty season 5, there should be no real hiccups and I'm quite excited for a really good solid relaunch.

I went for a run today; first one for a while. My leg is still a bit painful. About half a mile in we intercepted a horrible scene- a dog fight, and an unconscious and injured elderly lady, and ended up calling an ambulance and waiting with her for an ambulance. So no run today- will try again tomorrow

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Maccalenny · 29/12/2019 06:39

Bear I have been notebook-buying too! I love a new notebook. Hope you are ok after horrible experience yesterday - sounds dreadful.

I’ve just signed up to Adrienne’s 30 day yoga, and treated myself to a new yoga mat as I find my old one is quite slippy. Anyone else hoping to do the 30 days of yoga? I’ve started it about three times, I think the furthest I’ve got is day 15. Hoping to improve on that this year. A nsv yoga-related positive - I realised yesterday that I can do Childs pose with knees together now, rather than apart to leave room for belly, as I started doing when pregnant and was never thin enough to stop!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 29/12/2019 09:05

@Maccalenny I haven't done the 30 days yoga but I have done her runners yoga many times, I love her! I'm going to do a daily hiit session I think as recently I've stopped my regular classes due to my work hours and I really feel it.

Stepped quickly onto the scales this morning and jumped straight back off. Definitely carrying a little holiday weight!

Today: a short run this morning, then lunch at my in-laws with some of dh's extended family. I really could do with something light and vegetable based for dinner so will need to Raid the freezer.

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Kimlek · 29/12/2019 09:26

Thanks maccalenny I love lentils (& cheese obvs) so that’s a great idea!
pheonix you’re weight loss is incredible! 8lbs gain over 4 months isn’t too bad.
bear which Hiit app/YouTube do you use please? There’s so many... albeit I need a beginner one as incredibly unfit!
I’m annoyed that DH poured me a glass of wine last night (he didn’t know not to) which I accepted and then went on to have 2 more!!! At least I didn’t have the pizza...

thenewaveragebear1983 · 29/12/2019 10:20

@Kimlek I usually just find one on YouTube, I like Emi Wong (and she does good ones with no jumping moves too) or just try one and see.

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Maccalenny · 29/12/2019 11:13

I’ve used a shiny new notebook to plan food for the week. I’m making a chicken and veg curry in the slow cooker that will make several meals, and will make a cottage cheese crustless quiche later, for four meals with salad. I’m going to aim to make one new recipe a week - this week will be chickpea patties, which I think are going to turn out like flattened falafel but they look nice on the photo! Other meals will include some pate and salad - still eating Christmas leftovers - and avocado and bacon salad.

PhoenixMama · 29/12/2019 17:02

I'm doing 30 days of yoga too Macca - I love it & it makes me focus on more than my weight!

CaptainBrickbeard · 29/12/2019 20:42

I’m going to give this diet a go! I’ve ordered the books and I have also ordered some Fast800 shakes as I think they might help me get started. I have lost and gained weight so many times now but I am finally out of a very stressful job and will be working at home. I’m hoping this will help me break the habit of comfort eating and make me less tired plus give me more time for exercise. The downside is there will be lots more temptation for snacking all day long!

I feel fat and exhausted after Christmas so ready to have some clean eating and exercise in January. I want to sleep better and feel better. I’m quite ready to give up alcohol for a month or so as well I think!

I hope I can stick to this. I seriously need to lose weight and I need to see results quickly or I will just become disheartened again. I’m just not sure I will really stick to 800 calories a day - is it tough at the beginning?

Kimlek · 29/12/2019 23:43

bear thanks...I’ll check her out.
captain - I’m in the throes of starting & whilst I’m sure it won’t be easy especially with Xmas goodies still floating around & bottles of mulled wine beckoning I think if I plan in advance and then have a strong will/mindset it could be ok! Wine and alcohol in general is my biggest hurdle...

Maccalenny · 30/12/2019 03:16

Captain welcome and good luck with your start. I find it much harder to stick to at home, compared to work, due to the constant calling of the fridge....can you clear out anything that you know will really tempt you?

I think that addressing the emotional/comfort eating is much harder than the physical effects of 800 calories. But it is so worth it - i have been re-reading my diary from when I started back in Feb, and within just over two weeks, I had lost a stone and people at work were starting to notice. I did have a lot of weight to lose! But it was very inspiring and motivating. You will feel hungry sometimes, emotionally and physically, but it is manageable and you will find ways to cope, like distraction, or lots of herbal tea!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 30/12/2019 09:22

Welcome captain, it can be tough at first but actually gets easy quite quickly. In actual fact, it is easier the more strict you are, because it's the carbs/sweeteners/fructose/sugar that actually drives the cravings. If you're desperately hungry and it's making you miserable, have more calories of fat, or maybe a little extra protein to get you through.

I can't remember if I have already posted this but the book 'the obesity code' is a fascinating read, it really thoroughly explains the insulin resistance and the insulin response, in much more depth than the BSD books (although mentions the same studies and recommends the same diet etc) and I found it very readable, not to science-y. I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for further reading.

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Riddleofthesands · 30/12/2019 10:52

I agree with Bear, my experience has been as she describes, carbs make me crave carbs so the stricter I am the easier it is.

Kimlek I have a wine habit too and dry January will be the most difficult part for me, I have lots of bottles of cordials, ginger, elderflower and schloer as substitutes and will move any odd bottles of alcohol into our shed tomorrow. DH really wants to do dry January too.

Maccalenny · 30/12/2019 16:08

I ‘accidently’ had a second breakfast this morning...was shopping in town and was persuaded to a full English. Even by skipping lunch, I’m still at around 1100 today.
Happy this morning to see that I’ve lost 4 out of the 6 lb I put on over Christmas. Just a couple to go.
I am finding it tough to be strict over the holidays, as I always do, so I may go a bit easier on myself over the next few days, aiming at 1000, then get back to 4 days on, 3 days off when I’m at work next week.
7-8 lb to lose by end of Feb to get to a healthy weight by my year’s anniversary.

blackistheneworange · 30/12/2019 20:23

Managed 2 days at 800cals - we're out tomorrow night with friends so I'm likely to go over 1200cals but at least I've made a start,

I feel like I'm in control, which is the first time in a long while.

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