Michael Mosley blood sugar webchat Thurs 10 March 1-2pm

14kg in 8 weeks is a deficit of nearly 2000kcal/day, is that safe? I read a study by Sours et al which suggested that such extremely low calorie diets risk sudden death from arrhythmia.

Re: low carb, the FSA recommends 35% of total calories from fat and 50% from carb. In 2008 my fat intake was 35% and I had a Xanthelasma, but by 2011 I had reduced my fat intake to 25%, and the Xanthelasma had gone, with a cholesterol level of 4.48. Since then my fat intake has crept back up to 30%, and my cholesterol is now 5.26.

It doesn't seem that my interests would be best served by a high fat low carb diet. (My free sugar intake meets the recommended 5% limit.)

I have a lot of time for Michael Mosely and the book follows on nicely from the latest series of Trust Me I'm a Doctor which gave details of ground breaking new research about dieting, sugar and sweeteners.

My question is

I'm already trying to follow the 'Swedish Diet' i.e. Low Carb Healthy Fat (dietdoctor.com), but I really struggle with a sweet tooth and miss eating a couple of pieces of fruit every day. Have you any tips for healthy snacks other than nuts?

Michael I'm afraid I find it hard to agree with your statement that it is a myth that slow and steady weight loss is healthiest.

Anyone (considerably) overweight could crash diet and lose a stone or two in a short space of time although chances are they would not be able to keep it up. By cutting out a lot of alcohol, sugary drinks , sweets, biscuits, cake, crisps etc. the weight would drop off very quickly but pile back on as soon as the "normal" diet is resumed.

Surely the best kind of weight loss is to train yourself over a longer period of time to eat healthier.

This book advocates leaving out a whole food group. Gorilla breath anybody?

Why do the reviews of the book say, for example, "two weeks in and over a stone lost"? And what happens after the eight weeks?

And how can he be so sure the widely accepted advice that slow and steady weight loss is healthiest, is a "myth"?

Perhaps it is well timed for Gransnet because there has been discussion of food high in sugar and carbohydrate levels?

Why is this book "timely"? Is he running out of money?

Oh heck. Now I do have to bite my tongue.