The Glucose Goddess. Starting it tomorrow. Anyone else?

[Bookaholic73]

I wasn't sure where to post this, as there isn't a board for 'feeling like shit and need to feel better'.
Sorry for the long post, but i don't want to drip feed info and want to cover things that i expect people will ask me.

For the past few years I've been feeling worse and worse. Very lethargic, cravings for sugar is through the roof, awful brain fog, lots of other vague symptoms.

I have a very strong family history of Diabetes, type 2.
About 3 yrs ago i had blood tests done because my 'levels' were incredibly low and my cortisol very high. I cant remember exactly what the 'levels' were unfortunately, or what the result of that was.

I've long suspected that it's related to diabetes or something blood sugar related, as I sometimes get very shaky, lightheaded and sweaty if i go for long periods without eating, especially sugary foods. On a few occasions in the past i have been so exhausted that i cannot recall the names of everyday objects in conversation, which i know sounds silly, but i literally could not remember the word 'table'.

No, its not perimenopause. I've had all the tests for this done and everything points to it being a blood sugar issue not a peri issue. I am 46.

Yes I've been to the GP, who says that what I'm experiencing is normal. It is not.

So, after a friend of mine recommended that i look into it, I've ordered the latest Glucose Goddess book, and will be starting that way of eating as form tomorrow. I've also ordered a HbA1c home testing kit from Boots.

I'd like to know if anyone has done this and what the result has been?

Haven't done it, but have read Glucose Goddess and her book Glucose Revolution and want to try putting some of her hacks into practice. I'm in a similar position in that I have a a strong family history of type 2 diabetes, last week I took my fasting blood glucose, every morning it was over 6mmol/L which is potentially pre-diabetes territory. I've been thinking about getting a continuous glucose monitor for a few weeks so see what blood sugars are doing but didn't think about getting a Hb1Ac test at home. Good luck x

DH and I have been doing it for over a year. It's fairly easy most of the time but you have to have enough salad/greens in to eat them before every meal ! The vinegar in water is awful to begin with but you sort of get used to it. We were not and R
are not doing it for reasons related to diabetes though, just wanted to be healthier and avoid tiredness after meals/carbs.

I read the book and started last November. Didn’t do very well with the vinegar water, but did put vinegar on my salads, ate food in the right order, and took the anti-spike supplement. Also tried to do 10,000 steps per day and move after eating. I did feel more energetic, and my sleep was much better.

I lost weight the first couple of weeks, then stalled for 3 weeks so tried a cgm (Lingo). The results were bonkers. Small stresses such my morning alarm, rushing around getting ready, and doing the school run drinking coffee caused large spikes. Also any type of ready made food, even ones that only had fresh ingredients and definitely weren’t UPF. It was interesting figuring out what did work for me though.

I gave up over Xmas and January, but am about to start again, and will try the cgm again in a couple of weeks.

What’s the benefit of vinegar water?

Thank you for the replies, it's nice to know that others have tried it and have had some success. My Alexa says that my delivery will be here today at some point (The GG book) so that's good. I've read a lot about the hacks online, so will start today even if I'm not doing it 100% correctly, then once i have the book i can make sure I'm doing it right.

I've stocked up on lots of veggies for my veggie starters. Does the book come with some recipes too?

@sugarland24 It's nice to know I'm not alone in this. How did you take your FBG, did you buy a monitor to do this?

@ChopstickNovice nice to hear that you get used to the vinegar after a while. Do you use a specific type of vinegar?

@Fluffypuppy1 i really hope to see an improvement in my energy levels, as they are so low at the moment.

https://www.glucosegoddess.com/en-gb/pages/vinegar-guide?srsltid=AfmBOooziHI8Q5TugeT7LnLssghTfri-biINtmVUwP7G2H2XR3prKKOP#chapter1

@Bookaholic73 I just bought a monitor from amazon to finger prick. It was about £20

I can't offer any advice but I am here to benefit from the thread and gather some tips.
Fat fed up and 50 this year!!!!

@Bookaholic73 our favourite is apple cider vinegar. Try different ones, though. Use a straw so the acid doesn't attack your teeth as much.

Following. I am at risk of T2 also (PCOS and had gestational diabetes) so really ought to do more of this. I did manage to keep blood sugars diet controlled during pregnancy so I know what to do in theory but it’s tough!

From memory the main tips (I refuse to use the word hack 😆) to reduce blood sugar spikes are:

Eat the veg first in any meal

Vinegar before a meal (or vinegary dressing on the veg) - think lemon juice is also good but not quite as good??

Movement after eating - I really need to do more of this!

Clothes on your carbs - never eat carbs on their own, have protein or fat with so they don’t get converted to sugar so quickly

Swap high GI carbs for lower GI - eg new potatoes better than mash, whole fruit better than juice, wholemeal better than white, pulses better than pasta, etc

Can anyone add any more?

This is great info thank you!
I vaguely remember watching the tv show about this as I tried the eating veg first.

Thanks for the link @Bookaholic73

Another tip I picked up recently was from the Tim Spector programme. He recommends freezing bread before toasting as that changes 40pc of the sugars to resistant starch a form
of fibre. I did that this morning.
And cold rice, potatoes and pasta also have more resistant starch than freshly cooked. So I’ve started making more rice and potatoes to have cold

OK, the book has just arrived.

The 10 'Hacks' (i HATE using that word too @minipie ) are:

1. Eat foods in the right order. Fibre, then protein & fats, then starches and sugars.
2. Add a veggie starter to one meal a day.
3. Stop counting calories
4. Have a savoury breakfast
5. Eat any type of sugar you like, they're all the same
6. Pick a dessert over a sweet snack
7. Have one tablespoon of vinegar a day before the meal that will be highest in glucose
8. After you eat, move
9. If you have to snack, go savoury
10. Put some clothes on your carbs (avoid eating starchy or sweet foods on their own, 'clothe' them with protein, fibre or fat to slow down glucose absorption.

Thats handy, i almost always freeze bread anyway because i buy the expensive sourdough when on yellow sticker reductions and chuck it in the freezer!

I did it last year to fix my insulin resistance. It was very easy, I lost 3kg very quickly and insulin resistance was solved. I loosely follows the rules now. Except savoury breakfast, but I do have a high fibre and protein breakfast. I'm out of the habit of the vinegar thing but I should bring that back

@Pinkfluffypencilcase I've been watching Tim Spector a lot on the Zoe podcasts. You can reheat the cooled potatoes, rice & pasta, you don't have to have it cold. You will still benefit from the resistant starch

Yes that’s what I’ve done too- put the rice in a stir fry next day. I like cold potatoes though as a snack.

Yes! We cook pasta twice. It takes a bit longer but once you factor it in, it's fine

No, I don't follow new nutritional programmes published by nothing other than a vanity press.

I can't even take the name seriously

Reheating rice is dangerous if not done properly.

@CrouchEndTiger1 Yes reheating rice is dangerous if not done properly. Gov advice is: You should never reheat rice more than once. And when you do reheat rice, make sure it is steaming hot all the way through.
If you have leftover rice you should chill it as quickly as possible, ideally within one hour. Dividing it into smaller portions can help with this. Also don't leave rice in the rice cooker, steamer or pan to cool down.

I regularly freeze and reheat rice and as long as it’s very hot when reheated, and is cooled quickly before freezing, it’s absolutely safe.

I am actually finding the veggie starter the easiest part of the whole thing, as I cook it first and then eat it while the rest of the meal is cooking.

Eating in order (fibre, protein and then carbs) is fairly easy too.
I am struggling with the vinegar 🤢

@Bookaholic73 I still don't like it. You get used to it. It is a necessary evil.

How’s everyone getting on?
ive lost a kg since I’ve been paying attention
I’ve also tried putting in my food diary into chat gpt (I resisted for a long time esp as my dc are ai vegans!)
but it’s a game changer! Holds me accountable and making sensible choices.

I’ve also been reading an old diabetic support thread and looking at their tips. There were positive posts about glucose goddess.