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

Bye everyone, have to run. Do visit thebloodsugardiet.com , a friendly website, lots more info etc

"starvation mode" is a myth, or at least you have to lose a lot of weight before it kicks in. The reality is that when you lose weight, by any method, your metabolism will eventually slow down, simply because you are carrying less weight around. It is particularly important once you have lost weight to do more exericise (walk, swim, cycle) but also do strength exericises. These help maintain muscle, and muscle burns calories even when you are sleeping. In The Blood Sugar Diet i describe ways to do this.

migs

I agree with that Anya and also with the science and reasoning behind it. But...800 cals is very low and I struggle on less that about 1200 a day. I just don't see how I could cope on this for any length of time. I'm sure you get used to it eventually but I think that I wouldn't be able to cope with the first few days. I am another who gets very queasy when I haven't eaten enough and I have too much on to be able to take to my bed while my body learns to cope.

Which makes me think of another question for Michael actually

I was reading a piece by Jenni Murray about her gastric surgery yesterday and she talked about how she had tried all sorts of regimes and then as soon as she went back to normal the weight piled on because eating very low calorie for any length of time means your body goes into starvation mode and so when you eat normally afterwards it lays down fat quicker than it would have done before. Is this true? And what happens after the 8 weeks then?

WilmaKnickersfit

Anya I am asking about something that's not covered in the book, but it is related and he should know what I'm talking about. Although scientists found out about resistant starches in the 80s, it's only more recently that their potential has become relevant to low carb eating. Yes, the basic principle is eat less carbs, but there's ways to do this more efficiently being developed for every day eating. Michael is one of the 'faces' promoting this lifestyle.

I am a big fan of resistant starches. As the name implies, these are starchy foods that are more 'resistant' to being broken down and absorbed by your body. They are, in many ways, more like fibre. They pass through the stomach and either pass straight through or help feed the 'good' bacteria in your large intestine. Vegetables are a good source of resistant starch. As we recently showed on 'Trust Me I'm a Doctor" it is possible to make pasta more 'resistant' by cooking it, cooling it, and then reheating it.

jinglbellsfrocks

So, does animal fat clog the arteries, like butter, full fat milk etc?

There is mounting evidence that the sort of fats found in dairy are not harmful and may be beneficial. People who eat full fat yoghurt, in particular, seem to have lower rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes. I don't think that the sort of fat you get in a meat pie is the same as the sort of fat you get in butter. Just as there are good carbs and bad carbs (ie the sugary sort), there are good fats and bad ones. The worst sort are the transfats, mainly found in processed food. I would much rather eat butter than margarine any day

marissa

I am another who struggles on very low calorie diets. However I am keen to do all I can to avoid diabetes, having previously been told I was at risk of prediabetes.

If I can't follow the 800 cals a day diet what else can I do to help myself? Are there foods (other than the obvious sweets, chocolate, biscuits, refined carbs) that I should limit or cut out altogether?

In the book i suggest three different approach. The fastest is 800 calories a day. A more gradual approach is 5:2 ie 800 calories 2 days a week, eat sensibly (ie a Mediterranean style diet) for the other 5. The third approach is simply to go for a lower carb Mediterranean style diet. This means reducing easily digestible carbs, such as pasta, bread, rice, and replacing with more veg, quinoa, complex grains. The book goes into this in greater depth.

pollyparrot

If I lose weight slowly, will it have the same effect?

Yes, it doesn't seem to matter if you lose it fast or slow, but for most people it will require substantial weight loss. There is a common belief that it is better to lose weight slowly, though this is not what scientific trials have shown nor what most of the obesity experts i have spoken to believe. The evidence is surprisingly strong that losing weight fast is more motivating, you are more likely to stick to it, and you are no more likely to put weight back on. In the book i include a big section on how to keep your weight down once you have lost it. This is tough (i speak from personal experience) but by no means impossible

BBbevan

I went to the doctor last week for my annual medication review. My blood sugar reading was up. Never happened before, no symptoms and no family incidence of diabeties. I was a bit shocked . Logged on to Gransnet after tea and the first thing I saw was the message about the Dr. Moseley web- chat. Read that and immediately ordered the book. It came on Saturday and I have started thr regime. Very timely for me as I refuse to become diabetic.

Do for you. It is far better and easier to knock this problem on the head before it becomes entrenched. The reason i got interested in the first place was because 4 years ago I discovered, by accident, that i was a type 2 diabetic. I lost over 20lbs (10kg) doing the 5:2 diet and have been fine since. My hero is Prof Roy Taylor, who has been doing careful research in this area for over 20 years

BBbevan

Just diagnosed with T2 this morning. Feeling a bit shocked as I have no symptoms.Started diet 2 weeks ago but only lost 3lb so far Help

You need to keep a very careful and detailed diary of everything you eat and drink. If you are on an 800 calorie diet then it is literally impossible not to lose at least 3-4 lbs a week

pollyparrot

Two questions for Michael.

I have a fatty liver, caused by having too much fat around my middle. Will your diet address this for me?

Am I at risk of having type II Diabetes?

Thanks.

The problem with abdominal fat (the fat you put on round your middle) is that it floods over into your liver and pancreas (think of a bath). We all have our own personal fat threshold where this happens. As your liver and pancreas fill with fat they become less able to talk to each other. The result is rising blood sugars and failing insulin. If you have a fatty liver then going on the 800 calorie diet i recommend in the Blood Sugar Diet will certainly help. The fat in your liver is the first to go. If you don't do anything about it then you are at greater risk of permanent liver damage and type 2 diabetes. Do go to thebloodsugardiet.com for more info. Let me know how you get on

WilmaKnickersfit

princesspamma Mosely's latest book is aimed at pre-diabetics, those with T2 diabetes and anyone concerned about their blood sugar levels. The clue is in the title. Losing weight is not the primary reason for this book, it's lowering your blood sugar levels.

The diet dovetails with the 5:2 diet, they are not exclusive.

The primary aim, as you rightly point out, is to reduce blood sugar levels and reduce your risk of dementia, heart disease, liver disease etc etc. Unfortunately, if you do have raised blood sugar levels this will almost certainly mean losing a lot of abdominal fat. If are a pre-diabetic (blood sugars raised but not yet in the diabetic range) then losing 10% of your body weight will cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by almost 90%
There are lots of different ways to do this, from the turbo-charged 800 calories a day for 8 weeks approach , to 5:2 or simply a lower carb approach. I also have a detailed programme on how to keep the weight off, which involves stress reduction and exercise