Eat to beat diabetes and week by week watch the weight fall off! (2024)

You have decided to go for it. You’ve talked to your doctor, cleared your kitchen cupboards of sugary snacks and now you’re ready to embark on the radical eight-week Blood Sugar Diet I’ve been describing in the first three parts of this series.

Yesterday, I outlined menu plans for the second week. Today, you’ll find suggestions to take you through week three. Once you’ve reached week four, the menu plans for weeks five to eight are simply a repetition of weeks one to four.

As I’ve explained previously, this strict, 800-calorie diet can make dramatic differences to blood sugar levels. If you are pre-diabetic (your blood sugar levels are abnormally high, but fall short of the diabetic range), this diet can stop you developing full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

If you’re already a Type 2 diabetic, then this diet can reverse the condition, returning your blood sugar levels to normal.

As you will soon discover, the diet isn’t quite as tough as you may fear. Though you will be living on 800 calories a day for the next few weeks, your body should adapt reasonably fast, but what changes should you expect along the way?

The first two weeks

These are likely to be the toughest, as your body adapts to fewer calories, but you will find that you begin to lose weight, fast. Some of it will be fat, but initially you will also be passing a lot of urine. It is essential that you drink at least two to three litres of calorie-free fluid a day or you are likely to become constipated and suffer headaches.

If you are not keen on tap water, try disguising it by adding a squeeze of lemon or lime, or fresh mint and cucumber. I love fizzy water with lots of ice and lemon.

Or drink plenty of fruit tea and the occasional coffee (but with only a splash of milk).

Some people drink just hot water and, oddly enough, there is evidence that heat alone can soothe hunger. Have zero-calorie fizzy drinks if you must, but not fruit juice or commercial smoothies.

Weeks two to four

By week four, your blood sugars should start to stabilise at close to normal levels and your sugar cravings will, hopefully, be much reduced.

You will have lost a lot of weight, with much of it coming off your waist, judging by the results of the research trials that inspired me to devise this diet.

These were carried out by Roy Taylor, professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University. In one trial, 11 volunteers lost an average of 22 lb by the end of four weeks, most of it fat. They also lost nearly 3 in from their waists.

But a note of caution: when Professor Taylor did a follow-up study with people who were older and had been diabetic for much longer, the results were mixed.

Those who had been diabetic for fewer than four years did really well. But those who had been diabetic for more than eight years and were on lots of medication were less likely to see rapid improvements in their blood sugar levels.

That said, everyone reported feeling better, sleeping better and being more active. Blood pressure and cholesterol levels also improved across the board.

After eight weeks

By the end of the eight weeks, if not before, you will see some big changes in your body shape and biochemistry. You should be sleeping better and feeling a real sense of achievement.

Perhaps you need to buy new trousers. Maybe you stop and look in mirrors to admire the difference.

Pull out those old photos. Take new ones. Post them on Facebook or Twitter. Take time to celebrate what you’ve done with family and friends. Getting this far is a real achievement, but you don’t want to undo all the good work by reverting to your old lifestyle.

Your main preoccupation should now be: ‘How am I going to stay in this shape for the rest of my life?’

keep your good habits

As I’m sure you know, many people who diet end up regaining some, if not most, of the weight they have so painfully lost. But this is not inevitable. You should create a lifestyle you can stick to.

If you try to avoid all your favourite foods and run 20 miles a day, then you’ll fail. Be realistic.

I lost 22 lb three years ago and occasionally I put a couple of pounds back on. But I can rapidly lose them again, and I’m sure the main reason I’ve succeeded in keeping off the weight is because I’ve gone from gorging on sugary carbs to following a Mediterranean-style eating plan. That, and a few other things you might find useful, too:

■ I try to sit at the kitchen table for every meal. If you eat on-the-go or in front of the TV, you will eat badly and beyond the point that you would normally feel full.

■ It takes time for food to reach the parts of your small intestine where cells release a hormone, PYY, that tells your brain: ‘I’m full.’ That’s why if you eat slowly, you will eat less.

I regularly put down my knife and fork and try to wait for 30 seconds or so before picking them up again. I also leave food on my plate when I’m no longer hungry. It goes against everything I was taught when growing up.

■ I avoid ‘diet’ products as they are usually highly processed and often contain sugar and/or sweeteners (which may not turn off hunger signals).

■ I drink soup a lot. It is satiating, cheap and practical. I make large quantities, often out of leftover vegetables, and keep the unused stuff in the freezer.

■ If you are drinking wine with your meal, leave the bottle on the other side of the room. Similarly, leave food serving dishes in the kitchen. I find that I am less likely to refill my glass or help myself to seconds if I have to get up from the table.

■ Keep tempting foods out of the house or out of sight. My children sometimes sneak in chocolate and biscuits, but know better than to leave them anywhere they can be spotted.

■ My weakness is toast. I did suggest to my wife that we throw out the toaster (I would rarely bother to use the grill), but she refused. Instead, I keep unsalted nuts by the toaster, so when I am tempted to snack on toast and marmalade, I eat nuts instead. Mostly.

■ I weigh myself several times a week, despite the widely held belief that you should only get on the scales once a week. This is contradicted by a recent trial that followed 40 people on diets. Some weighed themselves daily, others weekly, monthly or hardly at all. The more often people weighed themselves, the more weight they lost.

■ When I go out for a meal, I make sure the bread basket is never left on the table or I would just help myself. I stick to one course, with lots of vegetables instead of rice or potatoes. I rarely have a dessert and, when I do, I always share it. Research shows that a small amount of something sticky and tasty is just as satisfying as a large amount.

■ I try not to go shopping on an empty stomach and aim to fill half the trolley, at least, with healthy stuff. I used to kid myself that if I bought cake or a packet or biscuits I would only eat a small amount. I know that’s not true. For the same reason, I never buy large bars of chocolate, however much of a bargain they may seem.

■ My family got a dog, Tari, and she barks loudly if we don’t take her for a walk at least once a day. This is great exercise for humans, too, but is perhaps not the most practical tip if you live in a city — or prefer cats.

■ Keep busy. Take up a new hobby that will keep your body and mind active. I started dancing. It got my heart going and was mentally challenging.

■ every day I acknowledge ‘three good things’. This is based on an idea devised by the U.S. psychologist, Professor Martin Seligman. At the end of the day, think of three things that went well and why they did so. It doesn’t have to be much, perhaps someone complimented you or you saw a beautiful sunset. It focuses your attention on the positives and boosts your mood.

■ Most weeks I try to fast. For one day I attempt to go at least 12 hours without food. I do this by having breakfast, skipping lunch and eating a light evening meal. There are health benefits from short periods of fasting and it reminds me that I can control hunger and it does not control me.

■ I think it is sad how many people stand on escalators when they could be burning a few extra calories by walking up them. I normally try to run up them. And that’s just part of the simple fitness regime that has helped to keep me healthy.

I’ll talk more about that in tomorrow’s Mail, introducing you to one of the biggest breakthroughs in sports science in a decade — a cardio programme that takes just a few minutes per week, but can significantly improve your aerobic fitness, boost your mood and make following the Blood Sugar Diet easier.

My GP says I've added TEN YEARS to my life

Julian Porter, 53, a photographer, lives with his wife, Sue, who is also a photographer, in Southampton, Hampshire. Julian was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2012, but no longer needs medication after following the 800-calorie diet. He says:

My wife and I do a lot of wedding photography and for years I was always the short jolly chap who ate all the canapes. Then, back home, I’d unwind with a couple of beers and a bag of crisps. I was always snacking and eating takeaways.

At 5 ft 8 in, I weighed 18 st 7 lb, giving me a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 39.3, ‘severely obese’. But I didn’t worry about it and just covered up my growing waistline in sharp suits.

Then, at a routine check-up, I was told I had Type 2. It hit me hard, as the previous week I’d done a photoshoot for the charity Diabetes UK with a man who’d had both legs amputated owing to complications from Type 2. So I was very aware of how dangerous the condition could be.

I was already on statins for high cholesterol and blood pressure pills, and was at high risk of a heart attack, and now I was being put on the diabetes drug metformin. I immediately decided I had to lose weight.

I came across research into the 800-calorie diet and worked out that if I did a lot of exercise, I could increase the calories to 1,000 with the same results. (I also checked with my GP that it was safe for me to follow this diet.)

Every morning, I got up early and walked for an hour on a treadmill. For breakfast I had porridge and berries, for lunch, crispbread or an open sandwich and in the evenings a good dinner — usually a combination of vegetables, protein and carbohydrates, for instance, salmon and pasta. I never cut out carbs, as I needed them for energy to exercise and I ate nothing after 6pm until the next morning.

Amazingly, I didn’t feel hungry, and in four weeks I lost a stone. I began to exercise more, as I had more energy and wanted to speed up my weight loss — the weight dropped off even quicker, and in five months I lost 7 st. I couldn’t believe how great I felt.

When I went back to my GP for a blood test, my sugar levels were completely normal. My GP couldn’t believe it and sent the results back to the lab saying they must be wrong.

But when I was retested, the results came back the same. My GP told me he wasn’t sure it was even possible to reverse diabetes, as I had — but it was!

Now I’ve come off the metformin and even the statins. My high blood pressure is hereditary, so I still need the pills, but it’s a lot more stable now.

I got down to 10 st 7 lb and when I turned up for weddings, people I’d seen the previous year didn’t recognise me.

I’ve since put on a stone, as I was told I looked too gaunt, and I’ve stopped counting calories, as I can now gauge the right amount of food I need. My golden rule is never eat at weddings!

My BMI is a healthy 24 and to maintain my weight I have started running outdoors — I’d always been too embarrassed to be seen in running shorts before, but now I look fine. Most days I also cycle about 40 miles.

The best thing about it all is that my GP says I’ve added ten years to my life.

Simple kits to test your blood sugar at home

Whether you’re checking your blood sugar levels for the first time or have already been diagnosed with Type 2, here are four of the latest DIY tests.

TEE2, free from spirit-healthcare.co.uk, or call 0800 881 5423.

This is a pin-prick blood-test kit. Using the lancet provided, you take a blood sample and put it on a strip, then feed the strip into the monitor to get a reading. A figure will appear on the screen.

The kit is simple to use, gives results in just five seconds and stores up to 500 readings so you can track your results. Replacement strips cost £7.75 for 50, but some local health authorities will fund them.

The device is also available from some pharmacies and GP surgeries.

Accu-Chek Mobile all-in-one system, £29.99 for device, £27.99 for testing cassette (a cartridge with tape for 50 tests) plus £4.59 for lancets, available from most pharmacies.

AN all-in-one device that integrates a finger prick lancet, a cassette with testing tape and a monitor to give you a reading.

You open the cover, prick your finger on the lancing device to get a drop of blood and apply the drop on to the tape in the testing cassette — your blood sugar reading appears as a figure on the screen within seconds.

Other, more basic devices, require separate lancets and test papers, but this one doesn’t — a strong selling point as it can be used when you’re out and about. May be available on NHS prescription.

iHealth Align, £17.99 for device, £18.99 for 50 test trips, from Alliance pharmacies and amazon.co.uk.

This small monitor comes with a smartphone app that you can use to track your readings and see if your blood sugar is well controlled or on an upward trend.

Using the lancet provided, you prick your finger then place the blood on the test strip paper and feed it into the monitor; within seconds your blood sugar reading appears.

The monitor can be plugged directly into a smartphone or a tablet through the headphone jack, and instantly uploads the blood sugar information to the iHealth Gluco-Smart app (free from the Apple App Store and Google Play) so you can create a graph to track your blood sugar levels over time. May be available on NHS prescription.

FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitor, £159.95, available from freestylelibre.co.uk

ThE kit consists of a waterproof sensor, about the size of £2 coin, which you wear on your arm. The sensor continuously monitors the glucose levels in the fluid under the skin.

To take a reading, you pass the ‘reader’ device, which comes with the kit, over the sensor, and the result will appear on the screen.

It is for designed for diabetics who take insulin and is not available on NHS prescription.