results: 8 week blood sugar diet

The results are in and they are exciting!  It is 8 weeks since I commenced the 8-week Blood Sugar Diet by Dr Michael Mosley and I am thrilled with what I have been able to achieve in such a short period of time.

But first, let's recap quickly.  Australia's first SIBO Summit was held last week in Melbourne and Sydney and I was flat out helping to organise it, so I apologise for not posting about Weeks 7 and 8 before now.

As is the case with any program, after the first few weeks, the gloss starts to wear off and it can feel like your normal routine.  I had eaten enough low-calorie meals to know what an 800 calorie day looked like, so I had become relaxed with my calorie counting (probably to my detriment).

Plus, with the work I was doing in the lead up to the SIBO Summit, I wasn't moving my body enough or sleeping enough; two things that are not conducive to long-term weight loss.

Despite all of this, I was still able to lose weight, with the scales dropping 1.6kg/3.5lbs in Week 7 and 0.3kg/0.6lbs in Week 8.

So where does that leave me at the end of the 8-week program?  Let's check out some key stats.

1. Fat Loss. I have lost 4.9kgs / 10.8lbs fat from my frame
2. Waist Measurement. I lost 3cm / 1.1 inches from my waist putting me back into the healthy waist measurement category for females
3. BMI. I am now just a fraction above my healthy BMI zone, coming down from the top of the overweight category.

All in all, I am extremely happy with this result as I haven't been able to lose weight for several years.  And to have lost that amount of weight in only 8 weeks seems incredible to me.

Check out my vlog below where I talk about my results and what I have learnt from the challenge.

Now, I know that there are many people who have lost double, triple or quadruple that in the 8 week period, and that is wonderful for them.  But for someone who has been chronically sick and couldn't shift a single gram only a few short months ago, my weight loss seems enormous to me.

My naturopath Natalie Cruttenden also conducted a body composition test at Week 1, Week 4 and Week 8, so we could measure how my body was responding to this program.  Not only did I lose the weight on the scales, but it was all fat loss.  I now have 9kgs/19lbs of excess fat sitting on my frame, so I am by no means done with my weight loss journey.  But seeing a single digit (as I work in kgs) that I have to lose seems so much more achievable.

7 key lessons

1. Not afraid of hunger i.e. have realised that i was terrified of being hungry so I ate too much. These days I am not scared of being hungry. It doesn't control me like it once did and in fact I don't mind the sensation of having an empty stomach because I know my system is actually ready for food.
2. I don't need to eat as much. My portion sizes have reduced considerably. I no longer eat large meals and feel full after much smaller servings of protein and vegetables. I also stay fuller for longer now that I eat just protein, vegetables, good quality fats, some nuts and small amounts of fruit.
3. Intermittent fasting feels great. I have incorporated a few fasting days into this challenge. Only eating one meal for the day. I have more energy and have greater mental clarity on the days I fast and also enjoy the break from thinking about what to eat next.
4. Planning and preparation are the key to success. It's true, you do need to be organised to make this work for you. But because you're eating less, you don't need to spend so long planning out your weekly meals. Having a few go-to meals that are easy and quick to make, filling and taste delicious will help you to succeed.
5. It is easy to do. Admittedly the first 2 days were a bit of a challenge but once I'd broken through that psychological barrier of eating less I found the program surprisingly easy. But you do definitely need to do it well.
6. Budget friendly. I have spent considerably less money on food than what I used to spend. I also swapped to eating organic fruit, vegetables and meats so the cost per item went up but because I was eating less, my total spend went down. So, this diet is good for the budget.
7. Get support. My partner was an incredible support throughout this journey. He celebrated the losses, commiserated the gains, and totally believed in me which helped me to believe in myself. He cooked low-calorie meals (even though he is very lean and doesn't need to lose weight) and motivated me to get up and move when I was having a busy day and hadn't hit my steps goal. Finding someone who can help support you through this journey will make it so much easier when you have someone to share it with.

so....where to from here?

I still have excess weight sitting on my frame, so my journey isn't over yet.  I am taking this week off from calorie counting and intermittent fasting.  I have set myself a goal of losing 6.5kg/14lbs by Christmas Day.  I have a wedding in Thailand on 30 December and have set myself a challenge of posting a photo of myself in bathers (or a bikini...eik!) while I'm in Thailand.  That scares the living daylights out of me, so I am using that fear to motivate me to keep going. Do you have something you would like to achieve by Christmas Day? Let me know in the comments below and we can do it together.

I plan on resuming my intermittent fasting two days a week.  I normally fast on a Monday and Wednesday, and given that I enjoy it so much, plan to continue.  I will then keep my calories low on another 2-3 days per week, but will also give myself a little flexibility on 1-2 days a week.  I plan on doing a 4-week 800 calorie a day challenge during November to speed up the weight loss before December.

I hope my experiment has been interesting for you.  If I can lose weight, after suffering from years of chronic illness and disordered digestion, others can too. If you would like to catch up on previous posts, you can read about why I started this journey in the first place here, Week 1 here, Week 2 here, Week 3 here, Week 4 here and Weeks 5 & 6 here.

Rebecca x

I would love to invite Dr. Michael Mosley onto The Healthy Gut Podcast to talk more about this program.  Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you can hear his interview (fingers crossed he says yes!) along with other gut specialists.