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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

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35
thenewaveragebear1983 · 16/05/2020 20:42

@waterproofed how can you (one?) estimate your body fat percentage? To be honest I've toyed with them because considering I do so much exercise I rarely lose much weight, but I often wonder if I'm gaining/losing muscle. plus anyone who follows this thread long term will know that I have an almost superhuman ability to store water (I think the most I've lost overnight is about 5lbs!)

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NathanNathan · 16/05/2020 21:06

@RedLipsAndRosyCheeks I felt like that too, it was very odd!

@waterproofed I'm really really hopeful that this way of eating is retraining my brain. I really think it is, and I want it to last so much!

tyrannid · 16/05/2020 21:13

Oh thank you! My DH uses MFP so I've downloaded that as then he can be my tech support Grin

waterproofed · 16/05/2020 21:26

DH just told me he used this website to calculate his body fat: www.calculator.net/body-fat-calculator.html I can’t tell you how the percentage he got corresponded with what my new scales would have told him as he refuses to use them. Our marriage is otherwise functional, honestly Wink.

For me, the results are quite different and I think the scales give a more accurate picture (pics attached for comparison). I also found a helpful picture on legion athletics showing women’s bodies with different body fat percentages.

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
thenewaveragebear1983 · 16/05/2020 21:43

@waterproofed thanks that's interesting. Are both those pics your actual stats? You have pretty low body fat already! I reckon from those pics I am around a 24/25% but will try your Dh's method tomorrow!

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waterproofed · 16/05/2020 22:05

Yes, they are and yes, my body fat is low already which is probably why I’ve lost so little weight over the last couple of weeks despite sticking to the plan. I’m pretty happy with how I look, just using this now as an opportunity to get more muscle definition and kick the sugar habit for good. Like @NathanNathan I hope for a good rewiring of my eating habits so that chocolate does not become my main food group again.

Whattheladybirdsaidnext · 16/05/2020 22:33

I have struggled today and finally cracked and had some dark chocolate. So in the end finished on 1296cal and 32g carbs. Not great but could have been so so much worse. Going to bed...

agteacht · 16/05/2020 23:39

I similarly cracked tonight and ate a load of dark chocolate! My worst day on this way of eating yet... halfway through week 7. Not even sure what triggered it, need to give myself a talking to tomorrow.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/05/2020 09:38

Morning everyone.

Had a few drinks last night, although ditched my usual red wine for a few gin and slimline so feel much less hungover today. Sat up listening to 90's indie classics and "educating" my dd....yes I was quite tipsy

Food was ok yesterday but not perfect but considerably better than recent weekends so I'm taking that as a win. Today, salad lunch and dinner will be pulled pork with salad.

I'm going to make my coleslaw (I've been making a pot and portioning it out) and maybe roast up some veg to add to salads during the week. I always plan my meals on a Sunday for the week, and found a nice sounding red Thai chicken traybake on the Tesco website. Plus the highly recommended beef rendang. I fancy a bit of variety this week !

I'm not running today but I will do my yoga and may whack my punchbag a bit this afternoon if I get the urge...!

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ilovemydogandmrobama2 · 17/05/2020 10:05

@newwave - love how you have food organised so it works with the family! I did manage to sit with the rest of the family and eat, albeit with small portions. I did chicken tandoori, rice and salad for them, and think it's important that I try to not make a big deal of dieting as DD (13) is starting to be aware of her body, which hasn't helped being in lockdown where she is spending far too much time on Tick Tock etc.

Weighed in this morning at 10 st 7, so a loss of 5 lbs this week. Smile

I need to get better organised though, so along with trying to juggle everything else, will give menu planning a try...

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/05/2020 11:36

@ilovemydogandmrobama2 we do tend to eat the same protein at each meal (eg chicken) but I have salad and they have potatoes or chips or microwaved rice. They are so used to it now. Maybe 1-2 nights a week they'll have freezer food/ pasta and dh and I will have something less child friendly

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thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/05/2020 15:45

Just tried out that body fat calculator @waterproofed. I guessed almost right from the pictures you posted, Grin

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
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waterproofed · 17/05/2020 20:33

Just guessing from the pictures is surprisingly accurate, isn’t it @thenewaveragebear1983?

My halo has well and truly slipped today and I had a proper binge after supper. No guilt as AF is due in a couple of days and this is my first binge in four weeks, so I’m letting this one slide. I’ll be back on it tomorrow. For now I might have a cup of tea to settle my poor abused stomach. Anyway, I’m halfway through my 8 weeks and so far so good.

Hope your weekend went better than mine, but even if you had a bit of a blowout, tomorrow is a new day!

Whattheladybirdsaidnext · 17/05/2020 21:26

685cal and 25g carbs
It’s been an odd day, but I haven’t really been hungry. Strange how that happens, a few weeks ago the idea of eating so little would have seemed ridiculous.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 17/05/2020 21:34

My day has been not great but overall the weekend has been better than recently. Although still not perfect by any means.

I'm going to try a longer fast tomorrow, so not eating til dinner if I can manage it. I've eaten far too much today and feel bloated and yuck.

Made my salads and planned my menu ready for the week. I'm absolutely exhausted so I'm going to go to bed and try to catch up on my zzzz !

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RedLipsAndRosyCheeks · 17/05/2020 21:45

I did another fast today. It was sort of because it fit with my plans for the day and also because I ate a lot of takeaway last night.
End of week 3 weigh in tomorrow morning but if it's not great that because of the takeaway so I'm not fussed.

You are so right @Whattheladybirdsaidnext , I can hardly believe that I've had two days in the last week that I've not eaten for 24 hrs! It's like I've had a personality transplant.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 18/05/2020 08:10

@thenewaveragebear1983 - Good advice. We had a BBQ last night, and the kids and DH had various meats. I did salads, and ended up with small portion of salmon and an eggplant salad which had tons of red chilli.

Good luck to everyone - am going to try fasting until dinner and see how that goes...

RedLipsAndRosyCheeks · 18/05/2020 08:47

2.5lb off in week 3 so pleased with that.
Feeling a bit bloated today because AF is on the way.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/05/2020 09:14

@ilovemydogandMrObama salad keeps surprisingly well I find, so things like coleslaw I will make a big batch and calorie count it, or just 'interesting ' mixes that can then go on the usual lettuce,Tom, cucumber combination, they will then last 2-3 days /4 portions. This week I have this roasted med veg combination, which is around 50 cals for 1/4 of the pot. I also have some pulled pork left from yesterday, so my lunches are sorted for a few days (after today, I'm fasting today!)

Blood sugar diet and fast800 thread 19
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thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/05/2020 09:16

Another one that's really nice is curried cauliflower- if you have any leftover cooked cauliflower or brocolli from a meal, chop it roughly and add some curry powder and a bit of oil/butter, a chopped onion, sauté in a pan, then add it cold to a salad. Really good with mayo and hard boiled eggs.

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user1481837070 · 18/05/2020 09:25

Hi everyone, I’m starting the fast 800 today. Please can someone advise what the % goal of fat/carbs/protein should be on 800 calories? I’m 5’3”, weigh just under 12 1/2 stone and want to lose 2-2 1/2 stone in total.

I’ve read a few threads on this but is there any quick advice on how to make these first few days easier? Thank you 🙂

Lndnmummy · 18/05/2020 09:49

Morning everyone! Day one. Scales were shocking at 80.2. Shocking. That’s more than after I’d had my babies. Dreadful.
Writing it here for accountability. I also realised how crucial monitoring of diet is. My healthy snack of a tiny apple and some peanut butter is 350 calories and 27g carbs. That’s half my allowance!!
Quite obvious how I got so fat🙇🏼‍♀️.

Will be catching up on the thread for motivation. It starts now people! X

thenewaveragebear1983 · 18/05/2020 09:52

Hi @user1481837070 there's no set amounts really. Assuming 50g carbs or less, on 800 calories, that would be 200 cals/25% carbs. I try to get fat higher than protein in the remaining 75%. However, some will aim much lower for carbs, and have more protein. If you're veggie or vegan, your carbs will usually be higher by virtue of not eating meat. As a rough guide a lot of people do say 50g carbs or less per day as a starting point, but it's not a hard and fast rule as such

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user1481837070 · 18/05/2020 10:15

@thenewaveragebear1983 - thanks for that.

@Lndnmummy - day 1 here too! Good luck.

SomeBunny · 18/05/2020 10:51

Just dropping by to join in if that’s ok? I have some baby weight I want to shift before I go back to work. My job is about 50% behind a desk and 50% running around like a headless chicken, so I think I’ll find it easier to address while I’m home with the baby and my activity levels are fairly stable.

I have the book arriving tomorrow and I’m dispatching my husband to Tesco first thing tomorrow with a shopping list. In my youth I was a national standard athlete and most of the nutritional advice I received centred around carbs as ‘slow burning fuel’ so the beige stuff is a real dietary staple for me. I think limiting them to this extent will be tough, but definitely worth it to get my weight down and to feel less lethargic. I stopped expressing milk last week (baby is nearly 8 months) so I’m feeling ready and motivated!

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