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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 19

999 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 10/05/2020 22:25

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.

Time restricted eating/TRE :
In addition to the fast800/ BSD plan you can incorporate a strategy of time restricted eating. Put simply, this means only eating between certain times each day to maximise your fasting time. TRE has shown to have positive results for weightloss, even if there is no calorie restriction, and increases insulin sensitivity/reduces insulin resistance. At first, try for a clear 12 hours without food each 24 hours, increasing to 16:8 as you get more adept at fasting.

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

information about the ‘whoosh’ phenomenon

OP posts:
Thread gallery
35
mumoflittlemice · 05/06/2020 22:55

@thenewaveragebear1983 inspired by your humble beginnings in 2018, I forced myself onto our cross trainer, just for a gentle 15 mins this morning. I have such a sense of spending 8+ hrs per day on my very uncomfortable as it turns out, kitchen chairs, on my backside and barely moving! So it felt good to just move my limbs frankly. Perhaps if I can make a little habit of it, as I have done before, I can build up that fitness over time...

Today things have gone slightly south after a promising start of fasting till 12.30 and then tucking into 2 egg, 2 dry cure bacon rashers and a tomato all fried in a teaspoon of coconut oil with half an avocado - really gorgeous. Around 4pm I decided I would tuck into some strawberries and some gorgeous Rodda's clotted cream, thinking yes, I am 'allowed' this and it's fiiiine... blissfully unaware until after spooning a fair amount of it into my chops before adding it into MFP (not an error I usually make!) and discovering the calorie content. Sweet mother of God!! I ate approx 45g of the delicious stuff with my strawberries and this equates to, brace yourself, 264kcals!!! Blush

This pin pointed where my day hit the skids I feel Grin

Following this I didn't have much leeway for dinner, could probably have had a slice of ham and called it a day to stay in the calories, but I really wasn't feeling up to that option. Snaffled a few oven chips from the family dinner while making mine, I mean it was literally maybe 4, but still.

Actual dinner: other half of lunch time avocado, king prawns in my mayo/ ketchup prawn sauce, sliver of cheese & bacon quiche and a fish finger. Basically a random selection because I'd totally derailed myself by eating the most calorific substance known to mankind, as a snack. Confused

And 4 squares of green and blacks dark chocolate with ginger. Tomorrow is another day I guess. Did I mention I went on the cross trainer? Grin

thenewaveragebear1983 · 05/06/2020 23:40

Well I did run 12km this morning, but then I've eaten a lot to compensate. Haven't counted cals, my foods been on plan, but just a lot of it!

OP posts:
agteacht · 06/06/2020 00:38

@Justasecondnow well done 2lb in week 3 is brilliant!! What's your next goal and your final goal?

bluepixie · 06/06/2020 07:18

Right just remain on plan today!!
Had a glass of wine and then decided take away a better option than my planned stir fry!
Will not drink at all today!

Bestbees · 06/06/2020 07:26

Sangria helped the weightless!
2lb down this morning. Plan today
Lunch: tumeric root veg soup and a boiled egg
Dinner: dhal and roasted cauli
Lots of water!!

fufulina · 06/06/2020 08:14

👋 quick check in. Great chats over the last few days. @thenewaveragebear1983 I thought your posts about why we eat - the deeply entrenched emotional reasons were fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

The last five weeks seem to have shifted my mentality. I have a really messed up attitude to ‘self care’; that people who look after themselves - eating well, prioritising themselves and their health, wearing ironed clothes (!!) are somehow flawed - what makes you so special?? To my eternal shame, this also extends to not wanting to use an umbrella because “it’s only rain and ffs why do I think I’m so special?”. I know. Really messed up.

I think it’s a deeply held belief that I wasn’t worth looking after. And self care was somehow indulgent. Well! Not anymore. I’ve discovered Beauty Pie. I’m eating well, taking vitamins properly (not just taking one when I remember). I seem to be actually prioritising my own health and self for the first time ever. If I don’t, no one else will. That’s been a lovely revelation and something I want to instil in my DDs.

In other news, watermelon, feta and mint salad is delicious. Chinese takeaway (even the ‘healthiest’ thing I could find!) make me feel bleurgh (half a kilo on overnight, now gone again). Will stick to Indian. Possibly neither of those are actual news.

Onwards and downwards!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 06/06/2020 09:24

@fufulina that's interesting about your self care feelings too. I think a lot of women (mums) feel very guilty taking time for themselves to do 'luxury' activities like self care. When I started running and basically put my foot down and said i am having 30 minutes a day, every day- oh my, I couldn't believe how suddenly I was aware that in years I'd never given myself that time. Not that I wasn't allowed it by dh, but that I'd never allowed it myself. I think sometimes as well we do actually know where our issues lie, but when we approach them it's a dilemma as in: do we actually pick apart the things we've been holding together and risk it all falling apart? It can be very difficult, can't it? But doing all these little 'exercises' and reflection activities really help me, and they also help me see my mum in a different light because most of my food issues come from her. I feel sad for her that she has spent her entire adult life at the mercy of food and has never had respite from it. But I also feel desperately angry with her that she passed them all down to me and my sister and didn't give us any emotional tools (except dairy milk) to deal with them. Anyway- you can always talk through these things on here. Like I said, it can leave you a bit raw when your crutch is taken away, and we've all experienced it in some way.

Once you've been through it yourself you'll begin to hear it in other people when they say 'oh I couldn't go without my chocolate' and your BsD sleuth will say.... why? What's eating you? I am on a Facebook group for the brilliant secret slimming clubs podcast, and while I love the podcast, I'm going to leave the Facebook group because it's just a lot of 'dieters' posting pictures of all the crap sweet food they've been eating and the voice in me wants to challenge it but it's not the done thing. The irony is, I see these gleeful posts about desserts and cheesecake and actually think they must be very unhappy and are seeking solidarity.

Anyway, ignore my musings.... have a great Saturday everyone! Grin

OP posts:
bluepixie · 06/06/2020 11:47

Glad ur looking after urself @fufulina

I’ve managed to plan my day despite waking up feeling like I couldn’t be bothered to focus on counting cals and cooking and feeling some background hunger (I feel hungry on 800/900 even all these months on despite doing low carb and high protein/fat) suspect this is because I have most weekends off plan and so find the weeks though but doable.

Anyways decided that no one else is going to look after my health. Do i want a take away and cake Which I might enjoy for 10 mins or a slimmer healthier me who feels great all the time and fits into my wardrobe.
Chosen the latter. Need to keep choosing that. I just find it easier to choose that in the week than the weekend!

So anyway today so far
2 eggs and spinach brekkie
Tofu and mixed veg stir fry with soya and chillis
Salmon salad tonight

Babybel snack and 50 mls milk for 2 coffees.

Must focus! But I feel weak at weekends!

agteacht · 06/06/2020 12:16

Really positive reading for a Saturday morning!
Spurred me on to do some batch cooking :)

Justasecondnow · 06/06/2020 12:36

NathanNathan thanks for sharing that chart. It’s really helpful to see and remember weight loss isn’t always linear. And thanks Postmanbear I hope what NathanNathan was describing is going on for you so you if that makes sense? And also thanks kimlek I thought I’d seen something like happy scales mentioned .

I must confess though I really do deserve a plateau now... Reread my optimistic post yesterday - just a crispy cake and a low carb takeaway she says. Ha!.... Then I had a glass of wine... and well, I was having a relaxed day so had a small slice of kids pizza, a few oven chips... and after that may as well have rice and naan with my takeaway and half a bottle of wine!

Still it was fun, not mindless emotional eating and I enjoyed every bit! And today was offered a macdonalds (my junk food of choice) and said no. Unheard of when slightly jaded. I might have one next weekend though. We shall see!

Oh and thanks agteach my goal is 9’7. When I do diets I often get to about 10. Having lost a stone to a stone and a half depending on how far I let my weight creep up. So big thing for me will be under 10.

Really enjoyed reading everyone’s musings this morning and def helping with right mentality. I also know to avoid clotted cream! I actually had thought of some with some strawberries as a treat. Not now!

Sorry this post is so long!

bluepixie · 06/06/2020 12:51

@Kimlek gonna make those chineese drumsticks. Do u do with skin on? Or off? And oven bake? Wots it best served with - salad or is the cucumber pickle worth it?

NathanNathan · 06/06/2020 14:28

@Justasecondnow glad it was useful. I didn't even really realise until I looked at the chart. Keep going all plateau-ers (including probably me this week!)

Kimlek · 06/06/2020 14:33

@Cream123 I left the skin on but scored quite deeply and actually marinated overnight & cooked on BBQ but recipe is in the oven. We had bbq peppers, courgettes and corn cobs but wherever veg you fancy. I didn’t do the pickle as didn’t think it’d work with the bbq. Stir fry veg would work well. If you think a child will just have one... think again! They were delish!

Kimlek · 06/06/2020 14:56

@mumoflittlemice your post made me laugh, sorry. Cross trainer = yeah! Well done!! Rodda’s clotted cream = X X (family fortunes whaaa whaaa noise)
@Bestbees so pleased the sangria evening went well AND had a result on the scales!
@fufulina I found your post interesting as I also don’t iron or carry a brolly.... made me think. Now off to google ‘Beauty Pie’. What’s the watermelon, feta, mint recipe please? Weather due to warm up after Tuesday so thinking ahead...
It’s drizzly today and quite chilly so leftover chicken tagine for lunch and tacos for dinner except I’ll have lettuce rather than the corn taco shells.

ilovemydogandmrobama2 · 06/06/2020 14:57

Really interesting discussion about self care and totally agree - it's more and more difficult with the DCs here all the time and working from home to get out and do something for myself. I'd like to do yoga or pilates, but really just want the time to do it away from home

DH suggested last night to get an Indian and managed to resist.

Menu planned and am doing batch of pasta sauce for the DCs for rest of the week, although use it for things like chillis, lasagne, etc.

Having salmon tonight, rice and veg for them. No rice for me.

Oh and weighed in this morning at 10st 2lb Smile.

Just a pound to go before I can claim not to be overweight - at least according to the NHS BMI calculator.

Kimlek · 06/06/2020 15:48

Wow!! Well done dog & obama
Has anyone tried the mackerel frittata? Or something similar - trying think of things to make in advance for salad type lunches.

Bestbees · 06/06/2020 16:41

Kimlek I love to make these to go with salad:
Half aubergine, score deeply, run in 2tbs pesto roast, topping with cheese for the last bit
Portabello mushroom grilled with blue cheese
Whole tin of mackerel in spicy tom sauce dumped on leaves
Bean burgers
Courgettes stuffed with olives and goats cheese
Boiled eggs
Salmon that has been done in the oven with pesto/soy, ginger, chili/ garlic and lemon
Salad of tinned lentils, feta and roast veg.

I like to have bits to hand in the fridge ready portioned to bung on salad!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 06/06/2020 17:15

I like to make a big tub of med veg roasted, just cut into chunks squash, peppers, mushrooms, herbs, cherry toms etc slow bake, add some garlic and olive oil and fresh basil. Store it in a Tupperware in the fridge and add a scoop onto a salad. It's lovely, and actually nicer after a day or two. Goats cheese makes it extra yummy. For recipes like this I would add the whole amount, weigh the final quantity and calculate eg. 60g worth or whatever I add.

We're having tapas tonight, all homemade, so it's deliciously bsd friendly although I have massively over prepped and cals will be high. I'm back on fast800 from tomorrow, I really need a few good 800 days as I'm feeling very bloated and horrible after sugar this week (bloody Zelda cake).

I've just done a freezer recce so can menu plan a few days worth of meals, and I plan to do a 24hr fast from after dinner tonight until dinner tomorrow. I'm going to focus on my food next week and that might mean I need to be less focussed on my running, however I could do with a bit of a rest week due to injury flaring up. I will do gentle recovery runs and hiit workouts instead I think, for a change.

OP posts:
Postmanbear · 06/06/2020 18:41

@thenewaveragebear1983 and @Bestbees those salad suggestions sound amazing! I need to do some prepping ahead. I had cheese stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon tonight with roasted veg and it’s put me over. I’m doing a zoom night tonight so I’ve now thought of living a little so I’ve logged 1/2 bottle of prosecco and that puts me on 1300 and 35g of carbs which feels like loads but that’s just because I’m in the 800 mentality.

collywobble · 06/06/2020 19:42

I've had a really hungry day today I'm heading into week 4 tomorrow and I think it's because it's that time of the month coming up. My weight loss is still slow but it's slow and steadily on the downward trend and the most weight I've lost while always trying. I managed to power through until dinner which was a homemade crust less mushroom quiche and rhubarb with Greek yoghurt . I feel really proud of myself that I didn't give in to the hunger and I'm rewarding myself with a glass of non alcoholic Prosecco wishing it was the real deal . Have a lovely Saturday evening everyone and thank you for your ongoing support .

Kimlek · 06/06/2020 23:15

bestbees and bear great suggestions thank you!! collywobble all in the right direction which is the main thing!! A hungry day coupled with fasting til dinner - ouch but well done. What’s the non-alcoholic Prosecco like? It’s it low calories too as some non-alcohol drinks are still loaded with sugar. I’ve made that mistake!

mumoflittlemice · 06/06/2020 23:19

We had a family Zoom quiz tonight which was our first, a bit late to the party and was so fun. Our DC have worked on it all week and I was so proud of them. So a late check in for me.

Thank you for the insights and sharing, it really does help as I like to analyse things and understand why we do what we do.

Was working and juggling all sorts today and actually ran out of time for eating properly so closed on 802kcals 29g

Lunch: cottage cheese, roasted pepper humus, cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes, half avocado, prawns, olives

Dinner: 2 sausages, half a tomato and a few dabs of mayo (all snaffled on the hoof, in the kitchen mid Zoom quiz!)

Oh and this post is back to front, I know, but I had lost 0.6lb this morning taking me to 10st 12.4 lb. Yay!

G'night lovely people Smile

collywobble · 07/06/2020 00:07

@Kimlek it's certainly not as much fun as Prosecco but it felt like I could survive a Saturday of no alcohol with it . It's 28 cals per 100 ml so not as bad as the alcoholic version . I find if I have one tipple it leads to the munchies and lots more alcohol so I think it's keeping me on the straight and narrow for now . I often try the lindemans carver net as that's quite sharp not too sweet at all and 17 cals per 100 ml . Morrison's do a lovely elderflower presse that's nice in a wine glass which has zero cals and is very refreshing in the nice weather to stave of cravings of something stronger. I do find this is the hardest part of the fast800 . I always want to kick back a bit and enjoy myself at the weekend and the association of food and alcohol comes into play then .

Bestbees · 07/06/2020 07:41

Morning. I have really enjoyed all the self care emotions chat too. Really working on not stuffing my face when I am angry! Having some portioned up fri and boiled eggs in the fridge helps as at least if I eat those then I am still in the principle and the don't cause me to crash like bread and butter.
How long did it stop people being hungry! I am doing 16:8 or 18:6 depending on timings and I am going to bed hungry and hungry all morning! It is bearable but not nice!
Also I find I am so cold! Slept under two duvets last night! Anyone else get this?
Plan for today:
Lunch pesto roasted aubergine and salad
Dinner tofu stir fry
Snack of an egg

Algiz · 07/06/2020 08:11

Hi all! I’ve been following the thread for a little while and would love to join if I may!

Some background on me - I weighed in at my heaviest in 2017 at 22 stone 4lbs. Miserable, ill, wheezing walking the quarter mile school run. Knew I needed to change my life or lose it.

Put myself on a calorie restricted diet and bought a recumbent exercise bike, lost around a stone a month for 9 months. In that time I started to up my exercise and felt amazing! I got to the point I could happily run 10 miles up the Lake District fells!

2018/19 was really up and down for me - I maintained weight within a stone of where I was (13-14 stone) but I injured my foot badly so was out of a lot of the exercise I’d grown to love and also controlled my anxiety with, so was a bit of a rough time for my mental health.

2020 and my foot is healing at last, I’m back on couch to 5k from the start and over the moon I can ‘run’ again. Have been following the online Fast 800 plan for 6 weeks so far and have lost nearly 2 stone! I plan to follow the fast 800 for 6 more weeks, then 5:2 until my goal weight. I’m currently 2 stone exactly away from my goal of 10 stone 7lbs (5”7 tall) so fingers crossed 2020 is my completion year! Sorry for the essay, it’s nice to meet you all!

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
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