Newcastle Diet -

[Windy]

with a reading of 108

Hi @showmethenumbers it's a measure of HbA1c, which is glycated haemaglobin, so it's how much glucose is attached to the outside of part of your red blood cells. To get a diagnosis, you need to get over 47mmol/mol.
Well done on your excellent weight loss, better BG readings and discovering Roy Taylor's work, I'm also a fan of him and his team's work (which was funded by Diabetes UK).
Best wishes, Sarah
PS others have got their HbA1c down from higher than yours, and I've got mine from 80 to 42 since October, so it's hopefully doable, and you're doing the right things.

 

[Weekender]

Are you going through a bit of a stressful period at the minute Weekender? I find that my blood sugars are massively affected by stress no matter what I eat so this may be a cause for your recent high readings perhaps?

I also want to add that your thread has been a massive help and source of wisdom to assist me starting out the Newcastle Diet this year so thank you! 🙂

Well thanks KayAnne, I'm really pleased the thread has been a help. I was inspired to try the Newcastle Diet after reading @ColinUK thread back in May 2021, so its nice to pay forward. I thought the stress angle was very interesting. Work was getting to me. I compared weekend days and workdays, but there was no correlation unfortunately. My contract ended last week - so I may start to relax a bit (before I start looking for more work)
I read this article on stress and diabetes. Very informative. I suspect my habit of drinking a lot of coffee, and vaping constantly (even when I wake in the middle of the night) might be a factor. I will have a go at knocking this on the head.

 

[Weekender]

Hello everyone, thought I would share my story on this thread. This thread has been and still is a bit of an inspiration to me. Diagnosed with type 2 in Sep 2021 with a reading of 108. That seems quite high to me, [ can anyone tell me if that means it will take longer to get my BS under control.]

Prescribed gliczocide and statins for high cholesterol. Given a diet sheet for foods to avoid but I didn’t really know what I was doing. Was still eating wholemeal carbs , fruit, drinking wine, my fasting numbers although now under more control would be 8 or 9 in the morning.

After Christmas done some research on reversing and discovered Professor Taylor and Newcastle diet. Currently on week 4 and have lost just over 7kg. I’m still on my meds but average blood sugar in the morning is now 6.8.

Will keep it going I started at 93 kg and trying to get to 78 kg. Easier during the week when at work, weekends a lot harder.

Hi @showmethenumbers that all sounds really promising, you must feel pleased with 7kg lost in 4 weeks. There are so many different diets and opinions. I think the Newcastle one has the advantage of being very simple. I think weeks 4 - 5 were quite a challenge as weight loss starts to slow a bit, and the novelty is wearing off. Please stick with it though, as you will have a much stronger belief in your ability to make changes if you do. The 8 weeks are hard, but I found I had a strong resolve not to blow it further down the road

 

[Weekender]

Week 38
I was going to talk about the data and lack of progress putting on muscle and losing fat.
But reflecting on the encouraging posts from @KayAnne @Windy @showmethenumbers I thought I would step back and look at the bigger picture stuff

Number 1 - I have stopped drinking beer (anything) at home. This took a few months, but I really resent drinking empty calories and value staying on top of my health more than drink. This was never something I expected - being a beer drinker was part of who I thought I was, but the Newcastle diet and this forum have changed that.

Number 2 - I never buy cakes, chocolate or anything sugary - I always used to have a cake if I bought a coffee in a cafe - I wouldn't dream of it now.

Number 3 - I never eat bread as a snack, and only a fraction of the potatoes I used to

Number 4 - I have been doing weight training twice a week for 20 weeks - again, I never went to gym before.

Number 5 - I've gone from a 42" to 34" waist and, most importantly, have started buying trousers that fit - which means I have faith that I will stay this size

I think all of this was a consequence of making that initial commitment to the 8 weeks on 800 calories and not wanting to undo the hard work



So I think I have recovered from Christmas, and levelled out from the food poisoning - I was below 80kg this morning Blood sugars are lowering since my work contract ended

 

[showmethenumbers]

I have just finished week 7 and into week 8 and thought I would share a bit of an update.

I have not been a complete puritan the last couple of weeks. Maybe have a shake for breakfast / lunch and a low calorie dinner , no carbs. I have also been having a sneaky vodka or two at the weekends but not going wild.

I am still definitely around the 800 calorie mark a day through the week , sometimes probably lower , maybe push up to 1000/1200 on a Saturday/ Sunday occasionally.

At the end of week 7 I have lost 9.5 which I'm really pleased about. I look visibly slimmer , people comment on my weight loss although it is not information I have shared. Clothes feel better and I've went down a couple of notches on the belt.

So far so good, it does work , weight is coming off but slowing down.

I feel a bit guilty as I have not strictly followed the diet to the letter recently.

There has also been a few family events in there which I have had to negotiate without undoing all the good work.

My weight loss has slowed down the last 3 weeks , I have only lost 2.3 kg in those weeks which doesn't seem much compared to the earlier weeks.

I will stick with it meantime and have built the low calorie intake into my lifestyle.

Does anyone knowing about weight plateauing , could that be happening here? or is it just I'm eating too many calories?

Fasting blood sugar has stabilised and scoring 5s and 6s most mornings. Still on the medication and due a blood test this month I believe.

I have another 5 / 6kg ish to go but it is definitely going to take a bit longer .

I have been hovering around the 84kg mark for a couple of weeks without the continued loss I would expect.

 

[Weekender]

I have just finished week 7 and into week 8 and thought I would share a bit of an update.

I have not been a complete puritan the last couple of weeks. Maybe have a shake for breakfast / lunch and a low calorie dinner , no carbs. I have also been having a sneaky vodka or two at the weekends but not going wild.

I am still definitely around the 800 calorie mark a day through the week , sometimes probably lower , maybe push up to 1000/1200 on a Saturday/ Sunday occasionally.

At the end of week 7 I have lost 9.5 which I'm really pleased about. I look visibly slimmer , people comment on my weight loss although it is not information I have shared. Clothes feel better and I've went down a couple of notches on the belt.

So far so good, it does work , weight is coming off but slowing down.

I feel a bit guilty as I have not strictly followed the diet to the letter recently.

There has also been a few family events in there which I have had to negotiate without undoing all the good work.

My weight loss has slowed down the last 3 weeks , I have only lost 2.3 kg in those weeks which doesn't seem much compared to the earlier weeks.

I will stick with it meantime and have built the low calorie intake into my lifestyle.

Does anyone knowing about weight plateauing , could that be happening here? or is it just I'm eating too many calories?

Fasting blood sugar has stabilised and scoring 5s and 6s most mornings. Still on the medication and due a blood test this month I believe.

I have another 5 / 6kg ish to go but it is definitely going to take a bit longer .

I have been hovering around the 84kg mark for a couple of weeks without the continued loss I would expect.


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Hi @showmethenumbers You are doing really well, 9.5kg is a great result. I had lots of moments when I broke the rules, beer was a real problem for me in the first months. Plateauing is normal, the metabolism adjusts itself to the new calorie inputs. It's worth bearing in mind that we evolved (as apes) in an environment where calories are scarce, and so we are designed to slow down when food is scarce, and store fat when extra food is available.
You will continue to lose weight if you eat less, but just at a slower rate.
You may find your energy levels dip for a bit, while your metabolism recalibrates, but this picks up after a few weeks


Here are my week 1 to 10 numbers. I'd got used to losing 1 to 2 Kgs, then by week 7 its more like half a Kg.
This is normal, and sustainable - if you lost half a Kg a week for 20 weeks = 10Kg
I think I got down to about 78Kg at my lowest weight (I'm 6'1") , which was still reading as my body fat was too high. But I did look a bit too skeletal. I now aim for about 80Kg.

You are right, you are now entering the 'long game' which brings a new set of challenges - mainly being consistent. patient and not getting down hearted when you have periods of loss of control.

 

[Weekender]

I was on holiday from 22-Feb to 2-Mar and then it was my 60th Birthday party on 6th March
So I haven't been on top of my diet or taking my readings.
I'm pleased @showmethenumbers posted on this thread yesterday as it nudged me to scrape the data together for an update and step back and take a look at my behaviour.
I had been letting things slide.
For the ten days before the holiday my average weight was 80.5kg and fasting blood sugars 5.3
The averages for since 2 March are 82.5kg and 6.4
Last night I ate 3 KitKats (my daughter had left laying around) and [horror] 3 slices of toast before bed :-(
I also skipped my gym session yesterday.
So. I will get a grip. Back to 80.5 in the next two weeks.
It's a marathon not a sprint

 

[Leadinglights]

I was always told that initially when you change your diet by reducing calories, carbohydrates the weight loss is quite rapid mainly due to loss of fluid as carbs tend to make the body hold on to water but cutting carbs results in fluid loss and 1litre of fluid weighs 1kg so even day to day weight can vary because of how hydrated you are.
If you have ever eaten something like celery or fennel which is a diuretic and spent all day dashing to the loo and find lo and behold you have lost weight.

 

[ColinUK]

Do you manually chart your stats or do you download them from an app?

 

[showmethenumbers]

thanks @Weekender appreciate the wisdom and goodwill. Your spreadsheets are fab by the way!

 

[ColinUK]

Got my HbA1C back today and it’s gone up more than I’d expected.
I was ready for it to be 42-43 but it’s 45 so that’s made me more determined to drop the weight I’ve picked up over the last 12 months.

 

[Rekhaw]

@showmethenumbers you are doing great. but you know you can do it, you have so far already.

 

[Weekender]

Do you manually chart your stats or do you download them from an app?

Hi @ColinUK - a bit of both, I can export my weight from my Etekcity electronic scales, I type in my blood sugars from my Contour app, and import my activity data from my FitBit - but there is a lot of faffing about in Excel to populate the graphs.
I started a new job 6 weeks ago, and got out of the routine. Today being bank holiday Friday, I'm catching up.

I just looked at your Half Marathon page - Well Done!!!
I've enrolled for a half marathon June 14th, and your successful completion is an inspiration 🙂

 

[Weekender]

Hmm - 9th of March: 'Back to 80.5 in two weeks'
I've actually put on another 1.5kg since then.
A combination of working full time and drinking more beer.
I have registered for a half marathon on 14th June, so hopefully this will help motivate me.

I've not been recording my fasting blood sugars, I will request an Hba1c to get a handle on this.

 

[Kreator]

@Weekender, looks to me like you're doing really well - 1.5Kg gain in just over a month is nothing, enjoy the moments of celebration, and during the non celebratory times, go back to normal - a beer or 2 won't hurt so long as it's not everyday - same goes for snacking etc...

It can be difficult at times, I know...hang on in there mate, you're doing just fine!
😉

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Hmm - 9th of March: 'Back to 80.5 in two weeks'
I've actually put on another 1.5kg since then.
A combination of working full time and drinking more beer.
I have registered for a half marathon on 14th June, so hopefully this will help motivate me.

I've not been recording my fasting blood sugars, I will request an Hba1c to get a handle on this.



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I found doing the Newcastle diet reversed my diabetes by losing the weight, specifically internal body fat.
But it did seem to be the last to go, so I persevered, and finished up looking positively ill, but I got there.
However, it doing appear it's not the first fat to come back fortunately.
I have put a bit of weight back on, I didn't like the skeletor look, and I'm not rigid even now, my weight fluctuates.
But my BG numbers are good, my BP is good, so I'm not worried. 🙂

 

[cockburn]

I feel like I want to post a picture of my hand-drawn 'blue peter appeal' style chart that I use to colour in each day! More akin to a toddler's toothbrushing reward chart than your project management tools. It does really help though doesn't it, as does blogging for me. It looks as if you are really turning your health around and getting a great deal of satisfaction from it too. I agree that Roy Talyor's book is so helpful and sensitively written. A tricky thing to pull off when at times it feels as if I have just been a bit silly. There is definitely an aspect of that for me to becoming overweight and he handles that with respect and without being patronising which I really value.

 

[showmethenumbers]

Bit of an update for me. I am on a Newcastleish diet and have been sort of following it since Mid Jan.

Mon - Fri when working i will have shakes for breakfast and lunch. I will have a high protein dinner usually chicken and ham salads, vegetables , soups. Dont eat much bread or carbs anymore. At the weekend I am not as strict with myself will have eggs / sausages / curry. Have stopped drinking beer unless its a night out which are few and far between.

Anyway have lost 11k from start and probably I'm not being strict enough with myself to loose that last 4k.

Seem to sit at the same weight of 82 the last few weeks.

Diagnosed at 108 in Sep , then i was 50 something HBA1 Dec.

Had my bloods last week and i was 31 HBA1. Nurse was quite surprised.

Has told me to stop taking glicazide and if i stay below 42 for next year have reversed my type 2.

So my query is should i keep going and try and loose the last 4kg of weight, the target was loosing 15kg.

Started at 93 now 82 kg.

Or seeing as my HBA1 is good, just maintain the weight I am at and stick / develop the healthy lifestyle habits over the last few months.

 

[Eddy Edson]

Bit of an update for me. I am on a Newcastleish diet and have been sort of following it since Mid Jan.

Mon - Fri when working i will have shakes for breakfast and lunch. I will have a high protein dinner usually chicken and ham salads, vegetables , soups. Dont eat much bread or carbs anymore. At the weekend I am not as strict with myself will have eggs / sausages / curry. Have stopped drinking beer unless its a night out which are few and far between.

Anyway have lost 11k from start and probably I'm not being strict enough with myself to loose that last 4k.

Seem to sit at the same weight of 82 the last few weeks.

Diagnosed at 108 in Sep , then i was 50 something HBA1 Dec.

Had my bloods last week and i was 31 HBA1. Nurse was quite surprised.

Has told me to stop taking glicazide and if i stay below 42 for next year have reversed my type 2.

So my query is should i keep going and try and loose the last 4kg of weight, the target was loosing 15kg.

Started at 93 now 82 kg.

Or seeing as my HBA1 is good, just maintain the weight I am at and stick / develop the healthy lifestyle habits over the last few months.

Brilliant work!

I'd say that losing some more weight would probably be good for general health, and would give you some "margin" against weight regain.

 

[BeeBusy]

I’ve just completed Week 2 and thought I would add my experiences so far.

Background
I’m 59 and was diagnosed Type 2 three weeks ago. I was 101kg. My GP didn’t mention my blood glucose HbA1c levels, and they lost the second test results. I used my wife’s Contour monitor (she’s hypoglycaemic) and recorded my fasting blood sugars as 8 and 7.5 the first 2 days. I’d been drinking a lot of beer during lockdown and snack a lot in front of the telly.

The Newcastle Diet as it had been in the paper recently. I read the stories from people on this web site who had succeeded with it on this forum. I decided to buy Prof Roy Taylor’s new book, and downloaded info from the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre website

To reduce weight by the 15kg in 8 weeks (to clear fat from my pancreas and reset my insulin responses) I started the diet of 800 calories from 3 meal replacement shakes and soups (I’m using Optifast and Exante) + veg. To ‘turbo charge’ it I’m limiting my intake to between 12:00pm to 6pm and jogging and swimming in morning.

Observations
The first three days were challenging, I felt hungry and unsure if I could manage it.
After this though, my body had got used to using my fat stores for energy, and I don’t feel hungry at all hungry in the morning and can exercise. I feel peckish after I have my first meal replacement shakes and soups.
I feel quite hungry and tempted to snack an hour or so after the final 6pm shake and vegetable meal. I often also really fancy a pint of beer. Going for a walk distracts me.

Fasting Blood Sugar
The level dropped from 8-7 to normal after week 1

Blood Pressure
This has dropped in line the weight loss and is in the normal range by week 2

Ketone Strips
I bought some ketone urine testing strips and got encouragement in the first week seeing that I was in ketosis and burning fat.

Energy Levels
The reason I went to the GP was that I was very lethargic. I thought I had a thyroid problem – but it was obviously Type 2 diabetes. Within a few days of starting the diet I am 100% more energetic and my mood is great. My family are all pleased with the change.

Water
The literature states ‘drink 3 litres of water’. Converting fat to energy uses water. I found when I go for a jog around 9 am, I grind to halt without water. Once I have some, I perk up instantly. The same applies when I’m swimming.
If I feel tired or grumpy, a glass of water fixes it pretty quickly.

Sleep
I have an enlarged prostrate and am not on medication yet. The increased water consumption for fat oxidation has resulted in very disturbed sleep due to frequent trips to the loo. I will be seeing the prostate clinic to accept their offer of alpha blockers as soon as I can get an appointment.
My sleep is reduced (Fitbit data) and deep sleep has almost disappeared. I don’t know if this is an effect of the fat metabolism – I can’t find any literature on this.

Bowel
Constipation is a known and obvious effect of not eating solids. Despite eating the prescribed salad and vegetable meals, the first week ranged from rabbit pellets to diarrhea ☹ . I bought some psyllium husk capsules and week 2 is better.

Data Tracking
I used to work in project control and like with playing spreadsheets and data so have set up trackers for blood sugar, blood pressure (I have a monitor), weight (I have a smart scale) and activity (via fitbit). I enjoy my morning data collection and updating graphs - I’m happy to share the mechanics in the unlikely event any else is interested.

Weight data can fluctuates +/- several pounds for a variety of reasons, and the ‘I put on weight days’ are discouraging. Many people recommend only weighing yourself weekly for this reason. However, you will still get a potential +/- several pounds on the day – so I like to keep a running average to forecast the trend. 15kg in 8 weeks = 267g (quarter kilo) or 9.5 oz a day. I'm averaging 295g per day over 10 days - so I'm well on track.


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This is so very inspiring! Thank you for sharing!