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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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maddenlightfoot · 29/08/2019 21:33

Ooh nice lunch ideas! and Mozz that's my kind of diet Wink!

I've stuck to around 800cals and tre 12-6pm so far this week and it's been ok! As I'm not 'officially' starting til Sunday (just practising atm!) I may have some wine at the weekend.

I've just meal-planned for the next week - so hard to cater for everyone and keep budget down without relying heavily on pasta and potatoes!!

Target10 · 30/08/2019 09:08

Thanks for all the lunch ideas! All good sense. I had a rebellion last night and drank several large glasses of wine and ate chocolate. Woke up this morning feeling rotten and far worse than I normally would after such bad behaviour. I fear this diet may have taken my tolerance to alcohol. Or maybe that’s a good thing, can’t decide. Anyway I also did an online shop which I collect today. I’m hoping that despite my wine fuddled state I’ll have got a load of things to help with lunches. I absolutely agree about the challenge of feeding the rest of the family as well without blowing the budget/cooking different meals. Going to do a bit of serious planning today and get back into this properly. DH has lost over a stone in 2 weeks on this and is pretty motivated so I don’t want to drag him down and I also need to actually lose all this fat!!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 30/08/2019 09:42

Target I broach the family meal issue as looking at it as components, (sort of like those compartment plates!) and while we all eat based Upon the same main components, different family members will have different bits. So: spag Bol for example- I'll have the mince and sauce, with salad; Dh will have mince, sauce, salad, pasta. Dd & Ds will have mince, sauce, pasta, cucumber and little Ds will have plain pasta, sauce, cheese. I make it with meatballs now for convenient portioning as well, plus Make double sauce and freeze one batch, plus double meatballs and freeze one batch (raw). So two (at least) meals with one lot of effort, and everyone's eating 'the same'. It's easy enough to do with pretty much any meal if you add baked potatoes or rice to theirs but not yours, just takes a bit of planning ahead (which is why I always sit on a Sunday and write my list and my menu for the week). For me it's a major factor in a week being successful or not.

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maddenlightfoot · 30/08/2019 18:37

Bear thanks for the meal planning tip! I've tried to put that into practice for next week's meals. Was already planning bolognaise for tomorrow so il serve along similar lines.

Target wine is my weakness (and at least 30% of my body weight 😂). I've decided not to have any over the weekend and carry my abstinence on for a few weeks at least as I know I'm terrible for not being able to have 'just a small glass'

I am over calories today. Have stuck to 18:6 but have just had a pretty big dinner of sausage casserole (and a small portion of mash) - approx 1100 cals for the day. I wasn't particularly 'hungry' it's just that leaving a bit would have been a waste. I have to stop that mentality - I am not a human bin!!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 30/08/2019 19:35

I'm drinking tonight and tomorrow and then I'm going dry for September (at least until 28th, dh's bday weekend) as part of my 'stop dicking around' relaunch/ training schedule.

I did a quick step on the scales when I arrived home today and I don't think I've incurred too much damage while I've been away, although this weekend might put paid to that. I will do bootcamp tomorrow am and a long run Sunday, but it's the last weekend of the summer and it's my dniece's birthday tomorrow and, well, excuses excuses. But I will try. I promise.

Sunday, however- new month, new goals, new focus. I always love a relaunch, so I am actually oddly looking forward to throwing myself into it wholeheartedly, really watching my food and concentrating on my running. I am beginning to feel rather unhealthy and a bit wobbly despite only gaining a few lbs over the whole summer, so I'm eagerly anticipating the lovely clean light BSD feeling when I'm properly on plan.

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Mazig · 31/08/2019 09:45

I’m still persevering. Tuesday, Wednesday and yesterday all 800 and no more than 50g carbs. Thursday I was out for the day so I tried but didn’t get the carbs right. I’m still up on last week, just a little bit, but feel really sad to have made no progress.

I’m struggling too with finding the food boring. Need to find a good recipe to cook over the weekend to give me some enthusiasm.

Hope everyone else has a good weekend.

thefemaleJoshLyman · 31/08/2019 10:03

Good morning all, I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and have begun the Fast 800 today. Aim to do at least two weeks of the Fast 800 before going to 5:2 and Mediterranean style diet. Need to lose 10kg and lots of inches! So then need to keep it off. Had two black teas for breakfast and have a meal plan for today. Need to be really disciplined with exercise too, I need to lose weight to improve my running.

PhoenixMama · 31/08/2019 11:49

I'm not doing great, we got some bad news re: dd and her new school (we're 3rd on the waitlist for the school we want but there's only 2 places so we're getting offered a crap school instead), I didn't get a couple of jobs I went for and I'm still struggling with exbf and whether we should get back together or not/being friends. Honestly I just want to go to sleep and not wake up for 3 weeks until things are more sorted. I'm in that place where I'm eating badly but then also getting down evety time the scale doesn't go down. Not sure how to get out of it and probably just need a serious shake.

Maccalenny · 31/08/2019 14:27

Phoenix everything is really happening at once for you Flowers. Have you appealed for your dd’sschool place? Its worth doing if you havent.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 31/08/2019 19:49

Menu for the week ahead and shopping list written. Today's been an unmitigated disaster, loads of sugar. I'm due on, plus in combination with that 'last supper ' feeling before I start again tomorrow, and a toddler's birthday party- well, it was never going to end well was it?

Can't believe tomorrow is September 1st! Where has the summer gone?! I need to get out of holiday mode though, and I'm quite looking forward to it. I love autumn, plus it makes running so much easier when it's cooler.

Some old classics on the menu this week, but I'm also going to make some oxtail bone broth and freeze it in portions, plus attempt some lower cal scotch eggs using seasoned turkey mince instead of sausage meat which will be good for lunches (if they work!)

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thenewaveragebear1983 · 31/08/2019 19:50

Forgot to add my pic

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 16
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Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 08:30

Welcome thefemaleJoshLyman. Hope the rest of your day went smoothly. Keep planning....it is the most useful thing you can do to be successful.

Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 08:44

Mazig - you can make lower carb and cal versions of most of your old favourites, or just try lots of new foods. Bear might post the link to the recipe thread if we ask her nicely! It gave me a lot of inspiration. I also get lots of ideas from pinterest. I’ve tended to settle into a routine of meals as i don’t mind a bit of repetition in my diet, as long as I’m happy I'm getting all the nutrients in there. Typically, in the week, I will have one meal egg-based, one fish-based and one meat or poultry-based. So tomorrow I will have turkey chilli, crustless quiche and mackerel, all with a bit of salad if I feel like it. I prep at weekends so I have something ready to eat when the hunger hits after work.

You will find a way that works for you.....and it WILL work.....just keep experimenting to find the method that suits you.

The best tip is planning - as Bear shows with her weekly plan. Otherwise we all end up starving and staring blankly into the fridge, before eating something inadvisable!

thereinmadnesslies · 01/09/2019 08:57

Morning! Can I join you? I restarted the BSD on Tuesday. I followed it for 10 weeks last year and lost 2 stone. Then stupidly I’ve managed to put about a stone and a half on so I’m starting again.

I was 12.9 on Tuesday, I’m 12.5 today and I would like to get to 11 stone something or even 10 stone something ...

Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 10:15

Welcome back therein! You have made a great re-start there.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 01/09/2019 12:31

Welcome back therein!

Here's the recipe thread, I always forget about it!
Blood sugar diet recipe thread and menu planner http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/fasting_diet/3325444-blood-sugar-diet-recipe-thread-and-menu-planner
Please feel free to post any recipes on there, or any on the go things you find that are useful on the plan.

1st September weigh in and I'm a few pounds up overall after the summer, weighed in at 10.9, about 6lbs above my lowest ever weight, 10lbs above my vanity target weight, and about 2-3 above my start of the summer weight! So yes, it could be worse, but yes, 6 weeks of reinventing the plan to allow wine, cake and other treats is definitely showing!

Dh is out playing football this morning, so I am pottering about doing jobs although I have a stinking headache. I am hoping to run later, but that depends on my headache going (and it's not carb related, certainly not carb flu!)

I've cleaned out my fridge and my cupboards and rejigged my menu for the week a little bit to use up some store cupboard things. I have a tin of jackfruit so I'm going to do a slow cooked vege Moroccan tagine with chickpeas for tonight instead of lamb. I also have multiple bags of red lentil pasta so I'm going to make a tuna pasta salad as well. Those two will bump the carbs up a little today, but it might be good to ease in gently into the low carb way again

Posted this on the recipe thread in error!

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PhoenixMama · 01/09/2019 13:01

Hey everyone, well Sept 1st weigh in had me back to my lowest weight so looks like I got away with my sh!t summer!

I'm still super stressed out, anxious & depressed and I know the next 2.5 weeks are going to be equally bad (I'll find out on the 13th if a project of mine is getting funded & if it's not I'm out of a job! Plus DD's school. Plus breakup, plus moving stuff still not sorted) I really don't know how to deal with this, my go to is comfort eating, which I'm turn makes me feel bad so it all becomes a vicious cycle. I've tried meditating but I know I just can't do it when my anxiety is bad. Any ideas?

After about 3 hours of procrastinating I did do my first 30 days of yoga with Adrienne though.

Haven't meal planned yet for this week, DD isn't starting school this week so will def need more thought about what we're going to do & eat. I am planning on trying to stay on plan. Fingers crossed.

Riddleofthesands · 01/09/2019 13:50

Hi all, will weigh tomorrow and set some goals. Won’t have lost as I have been eating carbs. Roast chicken and lots of veg today.

Excited it’s September! Am going to try and do a dry September like Bear. Also going to do couch to 5K, a friend of mine has just done it. Not sure when I can start, kids not back in school until end of next week. Curious to see how hard I will find it. I use cross trainer occasionally for 30 mins but running outside on uneven ground is going to be a lot harder. Nearly forgot, I am doing a 3 day egg fast starting tomorrow. I love eggs and have always wanted to try this. Hoping it will reset my body a bit.

PhoenixMama · 01/09/2019 14:22

What on earth is an egg cleanse?

Riddleofthesands · 01/09/2019 14:35

Hi PhoenixMama egg fast, eat lots of eggs scrambled in butter in my case. Someone does it on another thread occasionally and I said I would join them on Monday. Can’t see the harm, I am home for 3 days, DH away so it’s perfect timing. I really don’t know any more about the science/reasoning/rules behind it. I will switch to Fast 800 on Thursday. I love eggs and generally lunch is scrambled eggs anyway. Do you think I have gone mad Grin?

Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 15:14

Happy September everyone! Even though I’m a teacher and am back to work tomorrow, I still quite like September. It feels like a time for setting goals and new beginnings. I’m at my lowest weight, 12st11.2, despite a fairly flexible summer, so that’s an achievement!

I’ve cooked a turkey chilli and a chicken casserole today...just crustless quiche to go. I’ve done a couple of hours gardening, but will join Phoenix in the start of 30 days of yoga as well. Do you know which year you are doing Phoenix? I’ve started it in January for the last three years. I think day 16 is the furthest I’ve got so far!

Phoenix, you asked for thoughts on how to manage your anxieties with everything you have happening. I have to ask if you’ve been to the doctor for some advice? Given the amount of different stresses you have going on, it might be time if you haven’t. You also mentioned struggling to meditate when stressed....have you tried guided meditation instead? There are loads on youtube, I use them if I’m struggling to sleep sometimes.

Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 15:15

Bear thank you for the link! I will put a few of my regular things on there.

PhoenixMama · 01/09/2019 17:52

Hi @Maccalenny Thanks for your thoughts. I'm just changing gp's but I do have a psychiatrist & an EMDR therapist, I can't afford to see my therapist right now though but this isn't the worse I've been anxiety wise, I guess it's just a flare up so to speak, and it's being prolonged by the waiting. I'm still taking my meds & trying to get outside everyday, and the lower carbs definitely help.

I did try meditation for a while, I have a mixed relationship with guided meditation, I did it for a while when I was having fertility treatment to get pregnant on my own but I felt it set me up to be calm & positive and thinking about good outcomes, only for me to be destroyed when I didn't get pregnant as I was so sure it would work because I'd been focused on the positive. I've really struggled to go back to meditation after that, maybe I need to find something new but I'm definitely cautious after my last experience.

Weirdly I know I do better when I'm focused & restricting calories, maybe because it makes me feel like I have control? Or maybe because I don't have the carbs messing with my body?

I'm hoping the 30 Days of Yoga help ground me into my body a bit. On that I'm doing the one that's called 30 Days of Yoga (I've done the last couple & my favourite is Yoga Camp) but this one is mostly workouts around the 30min range so I really have no excuse not to find 30 mins a day!

Maccalenny · 01/09/2019 18:21

Hi Phoenix - sounds like you are trying or have tried lots of things to help. If guided meditations did make you calm and positive before, even if you were not successful in ttc, maybe they would be worth a go.

I’ve done the first day of 30 days of yoga too - the 2015 one. I’m so unfit that although it is very gentle I can still feel it! I hadn’t realised how tight my lower back was feeling so it is already doing me good.

maddenlightfoot · 01/09/2019 20:39

I've just done a Day 1 Adrienne yoga - had no idea there were different years... do you have to follow the same one for it to make sense?

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