ZOE NUTRITION NEW THREAD- anyone want to join in?

[LisaLovedUp]

I've started a new thread as my previous one was titled for techie stuff.
If anyone is fairly new to this please join in and we can share!

I am now on Day 4. All tests done and now recording my food each day. It takes me ages as my phone is slow (needs replacing) and some things I eat aren't listed (it relies a lot on packaged foods.)

eg yesterday I made a veggie curry and the only options were branded readymade ones so I just had to pick one I felt was close enough, rather than itemise every veggie in the one I made.

I noticed this as some 'negative' feedback on another platform.

Has everyone/anyone done the advanced health questionnaire? I started it but gave up. I felt it was more for their data gathering (which is fine to an extent) but also very intrusive and I didn't want to give my personal medical history when it may not be 100% safe from hackers.

I'm going to feedback on this to them.

My blood sugar readings so far are in the 4 - 5.4 range mainly although on a couple of mornings it was below 4. The highest was 7.3 after a sweet dessert ( a one-off for me - out with friends) plus ice cream.

Any tips from more experienced users welcome!

I filled out a questionnaire a couple of weeks ago but have heard nothing since. Do you think they still might contact me or do you think I’ve missed the boat? I’m SO interested in this having been Keto a couple of years ago and feeling amazing.

Potatoes seem a bad move for me too.

I had half a dozen oven chips (literally- big fat ones) and fish fingers (3) and my score was high 7s.

As high as with a mince pie.

I think the carbs in spuds must be very easily digestible.

Don't forget your baked beans are carbs and the tomato sauce will have sugar (quite a lot) in it too.

There is a waiting list and my invite was about 4 months after completing the questionnaire.

If you ask on here, there may be some referral codes around that mean instant access.

I’ve just clicked the link and seen how much it costs. Which one are you doing?

I'm not sure what you mean?

The basic price is £259 (ish) and then after that there is a minimum subscription of one month for coaching - which is another £50-ish.

If you choose more coaching, the price per month is less.

I've paid for the tests and 1 month.

Does this help?

It says ‘choose your membership’ then the suggestions are 4 months, 12 months or monthly. Then there are different one off costs of £139, £299 or £59.99. Does that sound right?

Unless something has changed since I paid then no, that's not the same.

from their website and FAQ

How much will the ZOE programme cost?

There are two costs associated with ZOE: (1) testing (2) membership.

Testing: The total cost of the test kit is £299.99 and can be paid up front or in installments.

This includes:
Gut microbiome test
Blood fat test
Standardised test meals - muffins!
Real-time blood sugar sensor (CGM) if opted in to our science study
Gut health report
Personalised insights report

Membership: This phase turns the insights from your report into positive, long-lasting behavioural change. Week-by-week support retrains your body into eating according to your unique biology.

There are three different membership options:
1 month, 4 months, or 12 months. This is charged the day you receive your results, and auto-renews at the end of each period unless you reach out to us to cancel.

1-month plan - £59.99 per month
4-month plan - £34.99 per month
12-month plan - £24.99 per month

@rudsyfarmer I paid £299 for the test, then £139 for the membership for 4 months.

Knowing what I know now, I would probably go for the 1 month membership and then renew after for a further period if I am still finding it useful. I went for the middle option as I just wasn't sure but not sure if I want to commit to all of the app lessons and logging for that long. Maybe Ill be super motivated when my results come back, who knows?

If friends access Zoe from your link you also get an extra month of membership and I believe you have to renew to benefit from this.

Just ate my breakfast muffins. I found it doable but not pleasant. Thanks to the poster who said have them with coffee or tea. I also heated them one at at time before eating. They're definitely more palatable warm.

well done!
I found it very hard going. I did use 'chat' with the team and found out afterwards that you can just eat 1 or 2 but have to note it on your log (for them to see.)

It's little things like this that should be in the app or somewhere for people to see.

The lunch ones are lighter and not so bad but I was desperate for real food by the time I'd done the blood test.

Found the lunch ones harder than breakfast, but at least it was only two. Really looking forward to some veg😂

@SallySailor It's funny how we all crave real food.

Just an update as my BGM is about to run out soon.

BLACK GRAPES
I tested grapes today- just 4.
This was after a bowl of homemade chicken and veg soup.

BGM shot from 4.6 to 6.2 with 4 grapes.

I knew they had 'form' for being high in sugar so this proves it.

In contrast I saw a 'spike' of just 1, when having an apple for my 'desert'.

This is interesting. This confirms my reasoning to leave most of the grapes for DH, while I demolish the blueberries!

Blueberries only score marginally better than grapes for me (45 vs 42 - both in the moderation category). Apples are 71...

Do you mean 4.5 against 4.2 (or are you using a different measuring scale?)

I seem to be fine with blueberries as they only raise mine by 1. (from 4.5 to 5.5 as an example, eaten with plain yoghurt.)

Oh, sorry, I have had my Zoe results back, so I am quoting my Zoe food scores (which are all algorithmed against my personal results). Once you've got your results back, all foods are scored and you aim for a 75 average over the day.

I had grapes for breakfast yesterday and didn't have a massive spike, but ate them with cheese which I wonder may have moderated the impact.

Today I had a fair old spike from a banana, but still not as much as a mince pie 🎄

I tend to be a real bore with lunches on workdays. Soup, salad or leftovers. Today's salad (with extra creamy coleslaw) barely registered on my blood glucose even with a bag of crisps on the side. Let's see what the soup does tomorrow.

Those who are a bit further on than me, what did you choose for your food challenges? I have gone for bread and cheese as I thought at least I'll get cheese on toast on day 3!

ah okay! Mine won't be here for another week or two.

Is the report a hard copy or is it emailed or what?

Don't tell me you have to read it all on your phone!

@Wazzzzzuuuuuuup I found the new challenges hard as I am somewhat dairy and gluten intolerant, and not keen on ham/bacon.

I chose the bread but not 3 slices. It does say you can adjust the amount.
And I reckon that gluten free bread is not very healthy (even with seeds in.)
I had a big spike of up to 7 and a bit with one small slice of bread.

I was reluctant to repeat it, but did - with almond butter and there wasn't much difference. (I reduced the amount as well.)

I seem to have had confirmed what I thought anyway- that refined carbs aren't good for me, even when mixed with fat/protein , but I'll wait for my results.

I know my spikes have been less than some I'd read about here (my highest has been 7.9) and that was after a small roast dinner and homemade gravy (with very little starch to thicken it.) Unbelievable!

The reports come as two .pdf files attached to an e-mail.

I didn’t do any of the challenges 🙈. They came at a busy time and I didn’t have the right stuff in (and I wanted to eat normally those days since I was so busy). I read they were optional so I didn’t feel too bad about it but would have been interesting to experiment.

Thank you!

I didn’t do any of the challenges 🙈. They came at a busy time and I didn’t have the right stuff in (and I wanted to eat normally those days since I was so busy). I read they were optional so I didn’t feel too bad about it but would have been interesting to experiment.

You can always buy the Libre BGM again if you want to do your own tests.

I didn't do many tests as I felt they were going to muck up my eating patterns. (I am always low carb and put weight on easily as I'm very petite and old(er) )

And having some food intolerances, the choice of test foods was limited.

I'm doing my first test today. I went for the oats / almonds option as I knew I had them in and they were foods I would usually eat.

I'm definitely going to get more of the bg monitors though - I'm finding it fascinating !