Weeks 4-12
As described in Day 19, I decided to come off the Newcastle diet early.
To recap, the standard Newcastle diet is:
- Eight weeks on 800 calories or less
- Four weeks transitioning to solid food, gradually increasing calories
- Resume normal eating at a maintenance level
As it stands, I've done three weeks on 800 calories, and lost 10lbs in that time, as well as seeing my issues with high morning blood sugars vanish (thanks presumably to improved liver insulin sensitivity).
However, my energy level became intolerably low. I was falling behind on work, struggling to do anything at all, and becoming emotionally numb.
The wisdom of coming off the diet is plain this morning: for the first time this week, getting up was easy. I feel human again. And my period, which has been trying to start all week but not really happening, has come on full.
Therefor, the plan for the remaining nine weeks is an 1100-1200 a day calorie diet, with some walking. Given my weight, this will still be a big calorie deficit - weight loss should be fairly fast, just not quite as dramatic as on the Newcastle diet. I'll use shakes for breakfast and dinner, but have a substantial lunch.
I am also resuming metformin, at my full 1000mg, as there'll now be slightly more carbs, and enough food in my stomach at lunchtime to (hopefully) cope with the pills.
Stats
I'm unlikely to test every day, but want to see how I go as I switch to this diet. Then probably once a week. I'm going to continue counting from the start of the Newcastle diet phase, as this still feels like one project.
Day 20
Weight: 18st 10lb (I gave myself a night off on day 19, it involved burgers, so unsurprisingly I'm a little heavier!)
Blood glucose
| Time | Glucose in mmol/L |
|---|---|
| Fasting | 6.7 |
| Breakfast + 2hr | 8.9 |
| Lunch + 2hr | 8.0 |
| Dinner + 2hr | 7.7 |
| Pre-bed | 6.3 |
Day 21
Weight: 18st 10lb
Blood glucose
| Time | Glucose in mmol/L |
|---|---|
| Fasting | 5.6 |
| Breakfast + 2hr | 8.1 |
| Lunch + 2hr | 7.3 |
| Dinner + 2hr | 7.3 |
| Pre-bed | 6.2 |
Day 22
After today, I'll be back to checking in every Monday.
Weight: 18st 9lb
Blood glucose
| Time | Glucose in mmol/L |
|---|---|
| Fasting | 5.6 |
| Breakfast + 2hr | 8.3 |
| Lunch + 2hr | 7.6 |
| Dinner + 2hr | 7.3 |
| Pre-bed | 7.0 |
Day 29
Had a good week, but a bad weekend (well, a fun weekend, but a bad one for my weight and blood sugars!) Predictably, my weight is up and my fasting sugars are showing the results of last night's carbs.
Weight: 18st 11lb
Blood glucose
| Time | Glucose in mmol/L |
|---|---|
| Fasting | 8.5 |
| Breakfast + 2hr | 7.7 |
| Lunch + 2hr | 7.8 |
| Dinner + 2hr | |
| Pre-bed |
Aaaaand then I forgot to test for the rest of the day. This is not going particularly well.
Day 36
Weight: 19st 5lb
Fasting blood glucose: 8.8
Yup. One week of terrible comfort eating has undone all the progress. This sucks.
Conclusion
Evidently I have come off the diet!
I am working with a nutritionist at Pixie Turner Nutrition. We're trying intuitive eating. And I'm wrapping up this section of the site.
Final thoughts on the Newcastle diet?
- I saw enough results from the get-go to be optimistic about its potential.
- If you can follow it without losing all energy and ability to function, it may well be worth a try.
- I'm disappointed (deeply), and frankly struggling with the work I'm doing with the nutritionist. But we're aiming to tackle the root of the problem with my relationship to food, and that feels like work that is worth doing.