The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet: Lose weight fast and reprogramme your body (The Fast 800 series)

I lost 30 pounds on the 5:2 diet in 2014 before my wedding. Since then, I have dabbled in doing fast days but only lost back to this 30 pounds. I know it works but sometimes, when you have been doing something on and off for a while you need to try something new to get results.I need to lose another 15-20 and wanted something that would give me a kick start. In the past Weight Watchers failed, Slimming World failed and although they worked up to a point I cannot afford the 'diet' fat reducing pills any more (they did work but at £50 a month I cannot do that)!When I saw Michael had written another book I thought I would read it. At £3 I can't really complain, so I downloaded it on my kindle app on my iphone rather than the book as it was out of stock at the time.It really shocked me. I know I need to get rid of these pounds but as someone who is always thirsty, needs the loo all the time and has the horrid diabetes in my family - it was a true wake up call.The big part for me wasn't just the food - it was the booze. I love a glass of good wine, a gin and tonic, a cider, a beer basically I love my booze - not huge amounts on a Friday and Saturday but a couple of glasses a night. On this you really should try and avoid so I have done for the first week. Its not easy - fasting and low calorie meal planning I have done and can do, this is much more of a lifestyle change than I ever had to do with the 5:2 - with that I just didn't drink on my fast days. So far its been pretty easy to do this. I bought one of those waterbottles with a fruit bit and often have a mint and cucumber version going so I don't miss it. I also love fizzy water so try to make sure I have a bottle in the fridge as I like it cold.I tend to avoid breakfast during the week as I am so busy in the morning I don't miss it. This means I tend to fast Monday to Friday at least until lunch. I then can have a really great lunch (normally avocado based so feels like a treat) and what I feel is a more 'normal' dinner - without having to cook separate meals for the family! I do this by having the 'protein' and veg and cooking separate carbs for my husband. I tend to keep these to things I am not that fond of so I don't get tempted, such as boiled potatoes and oven chips which he loves. It also means, as I go to the gym 4-5 times week, I can have a lovely lunch afterwards. At the weekends it works a little differently as I do like to have breakfast when I have more time. This means, I tend to have something egg based for a 'brunch' type meal, as suggested in the book. I then might have some soup lunch time and then proper meal. Sunday, traditionally we always have a roast. So what I do is just make it so I can have some version of a roast - using most of the time 600 of the 800 recommended a day and eat it around 3. This is what has worked for me and just an idea of how I make this diet fit around me rather than the other way around!At work I am normally 'good' because I am busy and can't just nip out to get something - but I do ensure I have a few nuts (literally 3-4) always on me just in case as I sometimes have to do lots of driving and I worry about feeling the hunger and a little 'shaky'. This doesn't happen often honestlyI think thats a good thing. I've lost 6 pounds in my first week. Second week in, after the weekend which I found much harder than the week, lost a total of 10. This doesn't cost huge amounts of money, doesn't take huge amount of preparation - just a bit more thought.Third week - thats my stone gone!So I have just reached my 4 week review. Now I am not going to lie - this has been tough at times. I struggled this week as I felt that I wasn't losing weight. However - I stuck to it and only had one very small glass of wine. I am still a stone down in 4 weeks so really happy with that and feeling positive for the next 4! Just to say - it is tough but I know its for the best for my body. I even made coconut flour pancakes this week so I didn't miss out. They were yummy.So 5 weeks in and I have lost 15 pounds and week 5 has been much easier than week 4, almost as though I 'hit the wall' and have made it through the other side. Its worth sticking to and has made a huge difference for me and my health as well as finally starting to get my confidence back, I finally feel I might have the courage at Easter to try my wedding dress on again!Further to this - I went off plan over Easter (and my birthday) and did gain a bit of weight but starting again with renewed energy and I am SO happy with this book. Best 'diet' book ever.I think even if you don't stick to everything - taking on board most of the lifestyle guide Michael offers will benefit your health long term and if you lose weight too - Fab!Highly recommend especially if you know Michael's 5:2 idea works for you.Please feel free to comment if I can help I would love too as I know how hard ordering online can be! Dieting is such a difficult and complicated subject. If you found my review helpful please click that button if not give me a comment as to why it wasn't so I can try and help in the future.

I have been overweight forever and as I approach 50 I was desperate for solution. As I approach this milestone it makes you think about health and with a brother and parents all diagnosed with diabetes in later life I didn't want to go the same way. I had generally been an advocate to weight watcher as lost 4 stone on that 9 yrs ago but never got down to a target weight but oh so close and a stone had crept on. I tried their new system but it didn't work for me and I have bounced about up and down all year, I needed something new. I also got diagnosed with IBS last yr which made me think about reducing my carbs as they always left me bloated and in different levels of pain. Over the summer I read an interesting book about leptin resistance and then a friend recommend this to me, it was similar in principles i.e. low carb, eat good fats and eat in a structured way, plus had seen Michael Mosley on many a programme and his science always made sense. I started the plan a week ago. Eating full fat yogurt etc was alien as spent the last 30 yrs being brainwashed into the low fat, which is in fact high sugar principles of weight loss. I have completely changed my approach to food, cereals are gone and replaced with tasty greek yogurt and fruit or eggs and smoked salmon, no more big plates of pasta but a great steak instead. I have not been hungry at all, I feel like I have more energy and importantly to me no IBS pain. So at the end wk1 I got on the scales today and I am in shock, I have lost 10lb. I just had to write a review to say thank you, this is life changing on every level.

This book serves as a wake up call for most of us. People choose to change the way they eat for all sorts of reasons, some more superficial than others. The Blood Sugar Diet highlights the dangers of playing havoc with our own bodies' ability to process sugar and the far-reaching implications of not regaining control over our eating in the long run. I'm in my late 30s and my (admittedly anecdotal) private observations totally confirm what Dr Mosley is trying to convey with this book- that T2 diabetes has become a massive health issue for many of us. The amount of 30-40 and above year-olds I know with T2 diabetes is truly scary. Coincidentally they are all overweight/ obese too. And it is not just a UK problem. Having just been on a holiday in Thailand, I was truly taken aback at the amount of overweight/ obese people of all ages from around the world the resort and the tourist spots we visited.I have always been a believer that what we put in our bodies plays a big part in how they age. It is very refreshing to come across a scientifically supported eating plan that aims at eating less and eating a varied diet that does not exclude food groups. I have taken a star off as I reckon the word 'diet' and the stress on the 800 cal restriction is a bit too 'diet- book' for my liking. Having been very interested in nutrition after a spell of anorexia in my early 20s and eventually making the full circle to eat intuitively (without excluding food groups, or counting calories, just relying on my body to tell me when and how much I am hungry), I have suspected for some time that the daily dietary guidelines of 2000 cal for women and 2500 cal are simply too much for most regular people. Around half of that is a lot more appropriate for most people to achieve and maintain healthy weight without feeling deprived. Make calories count by choosing nutritionally dense foods and you will not feel hungry or deprived, will sleep better and feel more energetic.My vice is wine and although I eat really well, I have become partial to drinking most nights. Out of pure interest in how valid The Blood Sugar Diet's theory about raising sugar levels is, I purchased a blood sugar monitor and conducted the following experiment. I ate a carb-y dinner of a jacked potato with beans and cheese, 2 mini chocolate chocolate fondants and drank 2-3 glasses of red wine. On the following morning I measured my fasting blood sugar and guess what- it was in pre-diabetic range. Two days of eating healthy Mediterranean diet of fish/ chicken, eggs, lots of veggies and a little fruit and nuts and my blood sugar was back to normal range.The biggest hurdle with this way of eating is taking the leap and realising you most certainly can survive on smaller portions of food. We have become so used to oversized plates, glasses and cutlery, snacking has become the norm, that most of us no longer know what a standard portion of food looks like or what it feels like to be hungry anymore.The biggest revelation of eating nutritionally dense food is how much less we need to feel full as compared to junk food. Our bodies are amazing at responding really quickly to an improved diet. In the past few days of ditching the alcohol and sticking to eating well I have sleep so much better, my skin is glowing and I look around 5 years younger, I have more energy and naturally want to stay more active. I am within a healthy range of weigh but have already lost 2kg without feeling deprived one bit. Given my previous eating disorder history, I have chosen not to obsess over calories and would say that roughly I consume around 800-1000 cal a day. The point to be made is that if you have a good understanding about nutrition and portion control, counting calories is probably something not to worry too much about. If you don't- spending some time acquainting yourself with portion sizing would be hugely benefitial. Trust your body to know how much it needs and don't obsess about hitting the rigid 800 cal mark every day. Ultimately if you rein in portion sizes and choose to eat mostly varied foods that are nutritional, the results will follow soon.I did like the fact that the book stresses on the importance of eating tasty foods, full of flavour. The recipe section at the back offers a variety of easy to prepare and delicious recipes. My top tips are: have a good supply of colourful vegetables, stock up the freezer with portioned off fish and lean meat of your choice, use microwave packs of lentils/ quinoa/ brown rice, some fruit and nuts,eggs, full fat yoghurt and oatcakes. If you have a sweet tooth, have some dark chocolate at hand and experiment with using xylitol for your home baking. I use lots and lots of spices, chilli and fresh herbs to make meals really tasty and cook mostly with olive oil and a little butter. Eating out should not be a issue either, simply choose the protein you mostly like off the menu and aim to fill up on veg and be careful with the carbs, avoid dessert.Lastly, stop kidding yourself and be vigilant about the little treats of a chocolate here and a biscuit there throughout the day that add up to unnecessary and zero-benefit food consumed. I find a protein based breakfast and lunch to be very filling and great for keeping my blood sugar levels stable over the course of the day. Drinking lots of tap water, sparkling water, teas and coffee help with keeping you full and hydrated. For those who are used to eating larger quantities of food- keeping yourselves busy at the start of this way of eating could help a lot as you will have less time to obsess food and give your bodies a head start in readjusting to smaller quantities of food. I tend to eat dinner quite late too -around 7pm or later as I find this way I avoid ending up peckish by the time I go to bed. In the same way I am very happy with a very small breakfast or even skipping breakfast on occasion without feeling deprived. Tailor your meals around your body's natural peak times to avoid feeling deprived or 'on a diet'.Finally, to me this is not really a diet, it is a way of living that is sustainable and flexible enough to allow for the inevitable times in life when we are going to overdo with our eating and drinking. I can see myself eating like this for the majority of time and not worrying too much when I end up indulging on occasions. The book offers a great holistic approach to diet and increased physical activity. Increased exercise in the form of walking more, standing up more, doing some simple and non-time consuming full body workouts as well as meditation go hand in hand with adopting a better way of eating. There is nothing exotic or fancy about any aspect of the eating or exercise, no miracle ingredients or outlandish forms of workout. In fact it is refreshingly simple and inexpensive and a true example of the impact that a number of small lifestyle changes can have on our overall wellbeing.

Book arrived on time, in good condition which is down to good packaging

Nice!

As usual, Micheal Mosley produces a book that’s a great reference book. Such value for money. Always realistic… and tried and tested. Humorous too. Great.

Mangio il decimo del zuchero che mangiavo prima. Questo dottore (ma non solo dottore) spiega molto bene il metabolismo del zuchero. Non dice di non mangiare mai del zucchero. Dice che ci sono delle situazioni nelle quali non si deve propriomangiare zucchero. Non toglie speranze ma dà buone ragioni. E quello che dice si può verificare nel benessere che si sente. (Non sono diabetica e dunque il mio problema non era drammatico come il suo però non riuscivo a controllare il zuchero. Adesso la situazione è sotto controllo quasi sempre.

This is a must read book , it has helped many people who I know to get back good health by following this diet

Easy to read with plenty of scientific articles to back up the author's claim. I will definitely give it a try at this diet.