Hi all, I started the 5:2 diet on 11th August and need to share the following with you: This followed a visit to my well man clinic so figures are bang on.

August 2014
Initial weight: 104kg
BMI: 32.8 (obese)
Blood Pressure: 140 over 89
Cholesterol: 5.6
HBa1C: 68 (this had gone up in previous six months from 61 and put me squarely in the Type II diabetic range.

December 2014
Weight: 89kg (lost 15kg!!! – so far)
BMI: 28 (just overweight now but looking good)
Blood Pressure: 120 over 64
Cholesterol: 4.4
HBa1C: 42 – almost in the safe range and my nurse reckons she has never seen a turnaroud like this.

This is the best diet ever and now a way of life for me, I haven’t been so healthy in 20 years, and its easy – the NHS should make this compulsory.

Dr Michael – you’re a star.

I have type 2 diabetes, diagnosed about six years ago. Was on Metformin for about 4 years until I developed an intolerance for it; am now on Actos. (I live in US and so names may be slightly different.) My weight began creeping up so I tried Nutrisystem which had worked for me before. This time I wasn’t losing until I found the 5 2 diet which kicked my weight loss in gear. I eat three small meals on fast days and watch my blood sugar readings. My dr. has stressed importance of protein and limiting carbs so a typical fast day is breakfast: Kellogg’s high protein cereal with skim milk; lunch is 3 oz. water packed Albacore tuna with 2 c. tossed salad and low calorie dressing; dinner 3 oz chicken cooked with 2 c. stir fry vegetables; 1/2 c. sugar free Jello. I’m 79 and just wish I could have used this diet in years past; perhaps I wouldn’t have some of my current health problems. Main message from me is that someone with type 2 diabetes can successfully use this diet.

We’re all different, but I can tell you that my blood glucose readings are doing well on the 5/2 diet. But I take one Actos pill each day and have been adapting to a diabetic diet for about four years now. If you are pre-diabetic, your doctor probably wants you to lose weight and start an exercise program which may prevent the disease.

As to blood glucose readings, it may be WHAT you are eating rather than how many calories you are consuming. For instance, fruit doesn’t have many calories but is high in sugar. To help keep my glucose levels steady, on fast days I break my 500 calories into 3 small meals with protein at each one. So my (very unprofessional) advice would be: don’t skip meals, even on fast days; eat some protein at each meal every day; find out how many carbs you should eat on non-fasting days; try to do at least 15 min. of aerobic exercise as many days as you can–and don’t get too fixated on your glucose readings (unless your doctor has given you other directions.) They can fluctuate a lot, particularly at first when you haven’t settled into a good routine of diet and exercise. You can find good advice on the American Diabetes Assn. web site. Your doctor probably told you that losing 10% of your weight can make a big difference, and the 5/2 diet will help. Good luck!

My Hba1c (IFCC) 42 mmol/mol
HBA1c 6.0%

So in the top normal range. Not taking any medications now for diabetes…today my GP finally gave the tick to no more Metformin.

I have had to go a bit harder than just 5:2, I’ve been doing some longer broth fasting but it has worked!!! 🙂

Thanks Purple Vegie Eater,
Well, the good news is if I can do it, anyone with type 2 can do it…cause I am not able to exercise at the moment and can only hike up and down a hydro pool and am not a picture of health at all!

I have proven to myself fasting definitely reverses insulin resistance for anyone willing to try it and keep adapting the food input according to the BGL numbers from a meter. If my BGL was up, I didn’t eat, I drank water or broth, that was how I eventually got it knocked out.

Someone is bound to “prove it” with some research soon, however…it is do-able right now, no matter your age or your fitness level.

All you need is determination and a bit of stubbornness and willingness to try it out and a bit of scoping around for more and more and more information if you don’t have enough yet to be confident. 🙂

And my very overweight diabetic type 2 neghbour is losing 1 kilo a week now she is off insulin…going like a freight train now she knows it’s possible.

Hi Matrika
Absolutely. And having the guts to find a GP who is willing to go along with you. So many doctors (and nutritionists) are intimidated by their patients taking control of their own lives.

Hi Simcoe. The Dr Fung video you referred us all to many, many months ago re fasting and insulin resistance shows the research he has been doing in this area. Trouble is, it takes many years, and someone to make money out of it for the general public (and medicos) to pick up on it.

5:2, as a diet, has now reached mainstream as women’s magazines and book publishers realise there is a buck to be made out of it.

All strength to Dr M for being the first to promote it through mass media.
Keep healthy, both of you. P

Yes. Understood Simco. Will check it out tonight. Cheers P

Hi Matrika:

You are the heroine. You have constantly searched for knowledge. You have preserved when your doctors and other experts have given you incorrect information. You have tried unorthodox things when common knowledge has said you are wasting your time. You have assumed responsibility for your health rather than letting the experts tell you what is the correct, accepted thing to do. And because of your efforts, and your efforts alone, you found simcoeluv and his links to Dr. Fung. And hopefully they will continue to help you in your efforts to become more healthy.

You are my heroine.

Thank you!

Blue cat,
I’m so interested in what you are saying….. I see by the dates that this is two years ago…..I am starting the 5:2 today (6th April 2015) and I’m desperate for info about 5:2 and diabetes…. Your meds are similar to mine Metformin,Gliclicide and Lantus I’m a bit wary of not taking them but am encouraged by your posts ….. So I will start today and hope for the best….. Not sure if I can reduce the insulin safely though… But your post has helped me ,thanks! Anybody else out the that is following the 5:2 and is insulin dependant?

I have this thread from the beginning to the end. Well done on all of your journeys here. It sounds as if you have either had fantastic results or heading towards them. I am a typical candidate for diabetes if I don’t lose the extra weight. About 6.5 stone still to go. I have lost 1.2 on 5:2 since January. My form of exercise is the Wii. This way I can do little and often.

If you are exercise haters this may be a thought for you. I have started a thread. My 10 week weight loss week by week and I am on two other threads. Mid fifties and for ladies of a certain age.

I wish you luck on your journeys and it seems as if you are getting lots of help, tips and points of reference from research.

I will pop in from time to time to see how you are doing. I have people close to me who I have told about 5:2 but are just going with doctors advice. I shall recommend this thread to one of them as I hope that when they have time they might read it.

You all need to be proud to have taken your health responsibilities into your own hands but with consultations with doctors etc.

I have had terrible reactions with prescribed medication and have changed it, I have a very supportive doctor. I think I know my own body best as I know somebody else has said. Maybe Matrika.

Ginette

Hi All

Interesting article by Michael Mosely

All about why a some fats are good for us. Good news for butter cream etc bad news for margarine etc.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2695030/I-wrong-feasting-FAT-says-The-Fast-Diet-author-DR-MICHAEL-MOSLEY.html

Ginette

How many days have you fasted and how many calories do you eat on non-fast days? It’s better to eat food containing these vitamins than pop pills. You only need to take Vitamin D if your blood levels are low. If you do not have low blood levels and you take vitamin D, you can make yourself ill. Vitamin D is toxic at high levels. So is vitamin A. I do’nt know what coq 10 or chorella is. Listen you can’t fix yourself with pills, even vitamin pills unless you have a deficiency. You need to address your weight and your diet. I guess the glucosamine is for some joint pain otherwise, why would you bother. And even for joint paint, the jury is still out.

If you are feeling weak, its probably because reduced carbs. Reducing carbs is good generally but you need either carbs or fat for energy. So if you’ve run out of carbs, then your body is probably burning fat but it may not be that efficient at this point. It comes down to what you eat and how much.

Re your vitamin D, you should do what the doctor tells you. It’s not something you should be guessing at.

I think everything you are doing sounds like wild guessing. It’s all very random what you are doing as far as your telling it.

I would get yourself to a doctor and then to a dietician. Otherwise you will be a) wasting money on needless or even potentially harmful things and b) possibly not doing anything much for your diabetes situation.

I looked up chlorella. I can’t see how it would help diabetes or anything much to be honest, if you are already getting enough nutrition. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-907-chlorella.aspx?activeingredientid=907&activeingredientname=chlorella

I recently started taking calcium tablets becuase i’ve just gone vegan. However with research i learnt that calcium supplements can increase your risk of heart attack so calcium supplements aren’t recommended. It is better to get it from fortified foods. I’ve just started drinking it soymilk and rice milk smoothies for this. I also put silken tofu in my smoothies for the protein. And to maximise uptake of calcium from food you need vitamin D, phosphorous and other minerals found in vegetables.

I take it your gp aunt is not overweight? If you are significantly overweight, it seems inconceivable that you would avoid joint problems.

Are you saying you got back to a healthy weight and still your condition did not improve?

What i was trying to say was in order to be able to say that the other things did not work to resolve your diabetes, you’d have to be at a lower weight. Or did you just mean that you they didn’t work to help you lose weight. I suspect that is what you meant.

You know, i have experimented around with a few different diets since i started my weightloss journey at hte beginning of 2014 – including this fast diet and low carb. What i conclude is that these are fun, useful and worth experimenting with. But in the end, you need to eat healthy food. A healthy whole food diet is what will work best for anyone in the long run.

If most of what you eat is vegetables, fruit and smaller amounts of all other high calorie foods, then you will lose weight.

But most people who lose weight seem to go about it in all sorts of wrong ways. They cut their calories too severely. They refuse to correct the content of their diets. They don’t want to cook or they refuse to give up baking cookies. They try to eat nothing and then allow them selves to get too hungry and end up binging. They don’t work on the mental aspect of weight loss. They keep sabotaging themselves. They don’t bother doing much research instead they run with any going fad. They think that exercise is the key element. And on it goes.

There is also a degree of genetics involved with diabetes 2, even if its not the case for most people. There are a few variables so no one can say what weight you must be or how long you must be at that weight to resolve the diabetes but i think we all know your chances are better when you are in the healthy weight range and I understand that exercise is quite important for helping with diabetes but i don’t think you have to do a lot.

Dear PJBR,

I have just started following Dr Fungs regime since yesterday. I only found out about it because some wonderful person posted it on this forum. And like you it was Dr Mosley who opened my eyes to all this. I am only doing 19/5 at the moment but I anticipate doing longer in a few days. Just made the bone broth today so that I am well prepared for a longer fast.

Please do let me know how you get on.

Hey PJBR (fellow Funger),

I live in london (wanstead). How about you?

I have not been officially diagnosed with Diabetes but my last blood test showed I was Borderline (6). Both my parents had it and have passed on now due to other factors that may have been exacerbated by the diabetes. It is possible I have it but I know the GP will try and put me on tablets. I want to try and deal with it myself because once you are labelled as Diabetes, that label is permanent even if you have reversed it.

I am really struggling with the weight loss. the scales hardly budge and I am hardly eating anything!

The challenge I have is drinking enough water while I am out and about because I am reluctant to use public toilets. When I am at home it is fine. the water keeps me really full and I am surprised at the lack of hunger pangs.
I am planning to do my longest fast starting 10p.m. today for 36 hours (and possibly longer). I am all prepared with the bone broth and cleared my diary.

I am very impressed with your 7 day fast. Perhaps I should work up to that. It is a challenge socially because I usually visit family on the weekends and I don’t want to mention the Fast until there are more results to show.

What do you eat when you are not fasting (apart from chickarinos)?

I am sleeping so much better because of the fast.

BJPR,

Thanks for the tip about Bulletproof coffee. I was wondering what it was. I have googled a few health places that do it but they are quite far from me. However I am going to try it out before I make it at home so that I know what it should taste like. I did try Tibetan Tea once when I was travelling in the Himalayas but I could not get my head round the buttery tea. Do you make your own or buy it at a coffee shop?

Its 9.40 p.m here in London and I am nearly 24 hours into my fast. I have had two mugs of Bone broth and loads of water. I am looking forward to eating something tomorrow.

My general food intake is fairly healthy. Mainly stir fry veg or salad, which is the most convenient. Like you, my carb intake is very limited, no rice, pasta, bread, potatoes (although I did have half a baked potato at the weekend). It is incredible how difficult it is to budge the weight when one is diabetic, even though I eat fairly healthily.

I can do chicken and fish but still shy away from red meat. My favourite discovery is Kale chips which are so easy to make and it feels like such a treat. I also really enjoy Mackerel Pate, made with Full fat cream cheese and eaten with celery sticks. I also have emergency 70%dark chocolate and one small piece is usually enough to kill any craving.

I don’t think you need to worry about not having a regular regime, so long as you do it. With something as strict as this kind of fasting, it is important to have the flexibility. I am going out for a Turkish meal with Family on Saturday so I will indulge then (a bit) and my fasting has been planned around that. But that is my only indulgence this week.

How long is your current fasting period? are you aiming for 36 like me or longer?

Why do you think turkish food is an indulgence? I think its good healthy food from what i know of it. Just because its delicious doesn’t make it an indulgence.

Indulgences to me are things like chocolate, icrecream, pudding, maconalds (if you like that sort of thing), deep fried anything pretty much.

Alia i read a post on mfp which I wonder if it describes you and i think you should read it in case it is pertinent. That said, there is a significant difference – the person referred to in the article is not diabetic. You really should read it since if you are eating very low low calorie, it might show you where you have been going wrong. If, when you read it, you find it does describe the way you eat to some extent, then I would suggest you reconsider what you are doing in the light of it and the fact that you are diabetic, since being diabetic does indeed make losing weight slower but it may not be the only thing in play.

Now gosh, i need to find the article which i don’t feel like hunting down right now so if you want to look for it, go to myfitnesspal.com and look in the forum under general weightloss i think that’s the part of the forum. Then look for a thread that starts of with an article about someone who eats very little but doesn’t lose weight. Almost all the responders bag the article but i think they have’nt much of a clue. I would be interested to know if it is a close approximation of you since you would then be proof of the arguement in the article. When i go there later, i might try to dig it up but it might want to look into it sooner.

You are quite right Pattience,
compared to other foods Turkish is relatively healthy. It is just I have been bread free for over a month and I love their bread so I have pre-planned that I will have a single small piece, possibly 2. Grilled Chicken is ok and their salads are great. The rice I am happy to skip so I should be ok, if I stay focused. However, it is so easy to become distracted when chatting and eat mindlessly.

I had a look a the MFP site and the general weight loss site. Have not found the bit you are referring to but I am still looking. It is incredible how bloated I was yesterday considering that all I had all day (in accordance with the fast guidleines)was 2 mugs of bone broth, tea, coffee and loads of water. It has never happened on a virtually empty tummy. Plus (pls excuse me for this) I have been constipated since Wednesday so I am wondering if this is the reason.

I know you said you have tried different diets.Have you done longer fasts as well.

I’m almost embarrassed to say I “discovered” what I was doing wrong. My weight had plateaued so I started cutting down on my non-fast days, and no matter how much I cut back, I couldn’t lose. Then I had my aha moment–the idea is to cut down to about a third of what you’re eating on non-fast days. Since I was down to 1,000-1,200 calories a day, I needed to go below 500 calories–or go up on non-fast days, which seemed like a lot more fun. So I’m back in the groove and my weight is slowly going down again, plus I’m enjoying life a little more even tho’ I feel like I should be wearing a dunce cap!