The Fast 800

Anyone tried Dr Michael Mosley’s “The Fast 800” diet? I have successfully done two days LOL. It is EXTREME, but I do better with extreme than moderation. I’m kinda trying to “reset” my habits with this diet, and so far it’s actually been not too bad. 800 cals + as many additional non starchy veg as I like is making me opt for healthy food, as I can eat more of it. It’s not marketed for Type 1’s, but I am only trying it out for 2 weeks and I’ll do what I want, so yeah. Just curious if anyone else here has tried this.

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As a rule of thumb divided by 4.2 to get the number of grammes of carbohydrate (in fact the number is exact if the calories only come from carbs.)

There’s a lot of carbs in those, therefore a lot of calories; “non starchy veg” includes all the fruit that are classed as “veg” (broccoli (7%bw carbs, 3% protein), my favorite of course, tomatoes (3.9%/0.9%) etc; numbers from https://healthline.com).

For me 800+all-the-veg-I-can-eat is a whole lot more than 800; I can eat a lot of veg and I enjoy it.

That said (i.e. I just said it’s yet another FAD diet) there is considerable merit in my experience to avoiding starchy veg. I can’t get to the recipes (apparently I have to pay), but there is this screenshot:

Apart from the third item in each case those things can be made with normal carbs (normal means no roots, no rice, no grass no beans). The third item in each case seems to be the carb source; beans in the first case, something unknown in the second (of course Zucchini are a fruit, so there’s carbs there to, but not “starchy”.)

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I think the argument is that the effects of ketosis can be met with calorie restriction, so more carby foods can be eaten for the same effect? I may not have that completely correct, but that’s what I gathered from my first read through the book. I got the cook book too. I am no chef, but was inspired by some of the meals. The “all the non starchy veg I can eat” for me means a cup or two of raw veg throughout the day, some tomatoes thrown in an omelet, a side salad or the most extreme a bag of cauliflower rice. I would normally count every morsel when I’m “being good”, but I’ve just been counting the carby stuff and rounding up a bit and it seems to be working well for me. Probably because I’m on Control IQ now. Anyhow, I’m eating healthier and sticking to meals without snacking, so FAD or not (yes, it is in my opinion too), I’m glad I’m actually seeing good numbers. One thing that I noticed though was my eyes have blurred slightly. Might be the sudden good control, it does happen every so often to me. It’s the distance vision, and when I put on my glasses (which I rarely use) it’s corrected. I just had my eyes tested like 2 months ago and they were great, so I’m not too worried.

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This is completely, utterly, off topic (I’ll respond on topic too) but, weirdly, my eyes have been blurring more as my control has become better over the last few months. My eye doctor observes that I am developing cataracts, but the effect I see is that my vision is blurred in the morning, sometimes, later in the day. It seems to be associated with lower blood sugar (closer to 100 than 180).

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Mine are actually better tonight. I had to wear my glasses to see the TV last night, but I can see without them tonight.

I have a cataract, I was born with it. Apparently it developed when I was in the womb. My doctors monitor it and call it a “snowflake” cataract.

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Absolutely BG levels affect visual acuity. My opthalmologist told me that I should try to have stable and controlled BG levels when I have my eyes examined for my prescription.

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I cook 2 strips of bacon and then pat dry with a paper towel before eating it. How many calories do you think I’m left with? The pan likely has 2T or more of grease. For reference, I buy Maple Leaf Natural Bacon which lists 2 slices uncooked as 200 calories (20g fat, 0 carbs). Anyone smart enough to figure this out for me? LOL

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It will contain a lot less fat than the original; that’s the point of cooking it. The problem with cooking it is the generation of carcinogens; if you just throw it on a hot plate (like a barbie) the fat gets removed but it also gets burned and when it burns it produces lots of carcinogens. Cigarettes and barbies are the same, but barbies are worse.

So the fat you add to the pan is just preventing excess temperatures and therefore preventing the formation of carcinogens; it’s good for you! Look for a high smoke point fat, such as tallow. It allows you to cook the bacon at a higher temperature, driving out the fat and leaving nice, crispy, bacon.

The final result depends on how much you do it; the crispier the less calories per slice (though maybe more per gramme because of the protein that remains).

I don’t think it’s healthy. Prisoners in Auschwitz ate so many calories.