8 week blood sugar diet

[TotallyShellshocked]

Hi, can someone please tell me in a nutshell what the difference is between this diet and low carbing (before I order the book which just ends up gathering dust like so many I already have). Does this diet allow pasta and a slice of toast? Albeit not enormous portions of course. Would like to shift a stone or maybe 2, if that’s not a little optimistic in time for summer. Thanks

This is a very strict diet more like a very low calories diet. You only get 800 cals a day. It was designed to help reverse diabetes so to really go and get all that fat around your liver. So that is why it's so strict and people lose weight fast on it. It is healthy but it's tough going. I think you are supposed to have less than 50g carbs a day so you could have a slice of toast which is around 15g or a small bowl of pasta but you would need to watch your carb grams if you do. Michael Mosley the creator of this diet suggested maybe going 5:2 with it if you are finding it too hard long term (his other popular diet is the normal 5:2) but sticking to 800 cals on the 2 days and staying low carb on the other 5 days.

Very interested to hear views on this. I have a lot of weight to lose but more importantly I get reactional hypoglycaemia from carb loading (I’m a carboholic!) I’m not (according to a 72hr, doctor-monitored fast) diabetic or pre-diabetic whatever that means but I’m pretty sure if I don’t get this under control I will be.

I see there’s a thread but it’s jam-packed with regulars and I don’t want to go on it as the newbie asking questions

The important thing to bear in mind is its very tough at first since you will be eating less, feel hungry and getting carb withdrawal but after a week or so you do get used to it. Hunger should reduce a lot and you will feel better. But that initial period is tough.

No toast or pasta alas

How went this diet is easy once you get the first week out the way. I'm vegetarian and don't like eggs much but I manage OK

I'm not hugely overweight and not diabetic but I wanted fast loss in a healthy way. I lost 11lbs in my first week, 1.5 in my second and it'll be 4 or 5 lbs this week

What do I eat?

Tofu, quorn, Greek yogurt, nuts, berries, seeds, veg, dark chocolate , double cream with berries, cheese, hummus, omelettes, salads, olive oil, butter

That sort of thing, it's basically The Mediterranean diet.

I had 2.5 stone to lose and I'm almost half way there in 3 weeks. Download nutracheck or MFP and log food ... I always start my day with 170g Greek yogurt (full fat) , nuts and berries. It's massively filling and that's my first 250 cals taken up.

I might then have a couple of babybels. I'll then have a tofu or quorn stir fry maybe or hummus and salad.
A square of dark chocolate and some berries and double cream

I aim to be between 800 and 900 cals a day and I try and get my carbs to 60g because I feel unwell much under this level .

It's so so easy once you get into the swing of it and weight loss is rapid

But toast is definitely not on plan at all and will derail you. The calories are important but what you're eating is more important and the toast thing goes against the principles and will slow down loss. It's all about high fat and high protein but you don't have to go too mad with either

Thanks all. If a slice of toast is 15g then I should be for a slice of toast for breakfast. Had a quick goodie and looks like 100g pasta is 71g carbs so that would be too high but brown rice pasta is around 40g. I remember rightly brown pasta is not too bad if slightly undercooked.

800 calories sounds though but I might give it a go.

I worry I couldn’t stick to it because I do nightshift and eat on the run most of the time. I’m also on a statin so probably best to check with gp re high fat diet.

Good luck OP. I’d do this for a healthy, fast kickstart providing no medical probs. 👍🏼

Totally .you really can't have bread or pasta, regardless of carbs. The carbs in cheese or veg are different

If you eat bread or pasta then you're not doing the blood sugar diet. You're just restricting calories which is fine of course but it isn't their way of eating at all . If you feel you need the bread then I'd look at another eating plan as it's just a banned food

What I would do is look out for lower carb bread and pasta. It's more expensive but if you stick to one slice a day of bread and the pasta a couple of times a week not unaffordable. www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/297172076?msclkid=7460d40458801b4cf0a28ed59669453d&gclid=CPjJ7Nu-udoCFQT6GwodZXAGgA&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CNfo9Nu-udoCFQUx0wodXmwM2g this is an example of a reduced carb bread Atkins do a pasta www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/atkins-cuisine-penne-pasta-250g/111289/?ladid=uk but look around and you might find others that suit you better. In the cookbook MM doesn't use bread or pasta but he does include porridge and a few sweet treats so I don't see why you shouldn't adjust it to suit yourself.

I don't agree the carbs in veg and cheese are different they are just lower and come with added fibre and water in the case of veg, or fat in the case of cheese that makes it a lot more filling than a slice of bread. So it is better to focus on these rather than bread but I still think you can squeeze a slice of bread in, especially if it's a lower carb one. Also it's best to add some fibre and fat to your bread so something like saluted mushrooms on toast or an egg would be good.

*sauted mushrooms

I am doing this diet at the moment, finding it really easy to stick to. I think this is because it is low carb I am not getting blood sugar dips that make me starving. I think if I tried to eat bread or pasta (albeit under the 800 calorie limit) I would end up absolutely starving hungry.

Ok so will have to live without toast and pasta . What about overnight soaked oats in a little apple juice and Greek yogurt for breakfast. Also happy eating eggs and fish but I don’t eat meat. My “normal” lunches are a salad with a piece of fish. Oily fish is however pretty high calorie so guess that’s out too?

Apologies for the daft questions but I haven’t got a clue. Think it’s worth ordering the book from amazon.

If you are happy to go fairly low carb and stick to 800 cals a day which as I said is quite tough, esp at first then it's definitely a good idea to get the book and have a look at the website and cookery book. I think with fats it's good to have them in limited quantities as they are going to help fill you up and give nutrition which is important on low calories. So oily fish, eggs and Greek yogurt plus some oils and butter but in small quantities and then bulk up with veggies.
Some people find it easier to stick to 2 meals a day so 200 cals or so for your breakfast or lunch depending which you have then leaves you with 600 for dinner so you can have a decent meal. Don't forget to include calories for any drinks you have.

No oats, no bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes.

Get the book and read it. Then you’ll understand the rules and why.

To reiterate you're not doing the blood sugar diet with bread or pasta or their substitutes

Read the book as titty says because that explains the whys and wherefores

If you look at the blood sugar diet cook book you will find recipes for porridge, bread, and sweet treats admittedly he does say set limits on them and suggested cutting out bread as much as possible since many people are too reliant on it and will be better off breaking the habit. But I don't think I'm wrong in saying they are not banned by Micheal Mosley.

He didn’t write the cook book.

The f you join the Facebook group
You’ll find that there are lots of problems with the recipes.

It's not advised to follow the cook book in the first 8 weeks. The crucial thing is to follow the plan in the first book that he wrote

The cookbook is more for life after 8 weeks

My experience was to just go cold turkey and give up bread/biscuits/rice/pasta/potatoes completely. I tried to think of them not as neutral calories but a kind of poison that stopped me losing weight and gave me hunger cravings. It is surprising but it does work.

Oily fish is encouraged, the smoked mackerel frittata (I know it's from the cookbook) is one of my regulars, also salmon courgetti.

I think you could probably go back to moderate amount of healthy carbs once you have lost the weight but if you eat toast/porridge etc it will not be the 8WBSD and may not deliver the results. The book explains it all.