Today
—
Fasting glucose
Not logged today
—
7-day average
Needs more readings
—
Weight
Not logged
0g
Carbs today
From your food log
🍳 Today's meals
✅ Today's habits
✓
✈️ 5BX done
11 minutes, before anything else — saved to your log
✓
💊 Metformin — morning dose
With breakfast or brunch — never on an empty stomach
✓
💊 Metformin — evening dose
With dinner — food reduces the stomach side effects
🩸 Today's blood readings
Four slots through the day. Fill in whichever you take — none of them are compulsory. The "before" boxes are optional, but filling both halves is what tells you how a meal actually went.
1 · On waking
Before eating or drinking anything
mmol/L
2 · Meal 1
2 hrs from your first bite
Fill in both to see the rise for this meal.
3 · Meal 2
2 hrs from your first bite
Fill in both to see the rise for this meal.
4 · Before bed
Optional — explains a high morning reading
mmol/L
Blood pressure
Sit still 5 min first, arm supported
mmHg
Enter as systolic/diastolic, e.g. 128/82.
Weight
Same time of day, same conditions
kg
✓ Saved
Wash and dry your hands before pricking — food residue on a fingertip reads falsely high and is the most common cause of a baffling result.
💧 Water — target 2,500ml
0ml
2,500ml to go
Tap as you drink — each one is timestamped below, so you can see how it's spread across the day rather than just a running total.
Drunk today
Why 2.5L rather than the usual 2LKeto increases fluid and electrolyte loss, and high glucose makes you urinate more — the two compound each other. Being behind on water is also the most common thing mistaken for hunger, which is exactly why step 1 of Before You Eat is to check this number.
🍴 Food log — tap what you ate
Everything below is from your own plan. Tap to log it — carbs are added up for you.
Mains
Snacks
Drinks
Eaten today
🏃 Movement today
The one that always worksA 35 minute run took a 13.0 mmol/L reading down to 6.8. When a reading is high, movement is the fastest lever you have. A 10–15 min walk after your largest meal blunts that meal's spike.
Tempted to eat off-plan?Open the "Before You Eat" tab and run the four steps. That checklist exists precisely for this moment.
🩸 Daily Log
Log every day so patterns become visible over time rather than judging single readings. A spot reading tells you about one moment; a fortnight of readings tells you whether the plan is working.
—
7-day waking avg
mmol/L
—
30-day waking avg
mmol/L
—
7-day BP average
mmHg
—
Avg meal rise
Needs paired readings
—
Weight change
Since first entry
—
Avg daily water
Target 2,500ml
0/7
5BX this week
11 min every morning
0
Days logged
Keep the streak honest
Add or update an entry
Saving twice on the same date updates that day rather than duplicating it.
Pick a date and anything already saved for it loads in, so a blank box can't wipe it.
Before eating or drinking anything
Optional
Whenever it's checked — not daily
Target 2,500ml
11 min, every morning
✓ Saved
History
✓ Copied — paste into a message or spreadsheet
Useful before a GP or diabetes nurse appointment — a fortnight of real readings is far more use to them than one number on the day.
⏱️ When to take a reading
🧪 You are not doing five tests a day
The list below is situations, not a daily quota. The important thing to understand: on metformin alone you aren't testing for safety — metformin doesn't cause hypos. You're testing to learn which meals do what to you. So it's a front-loaded learning budget, not a permanent routine.
📅 Weeks 1–4 — while you're learning
Waking
Every day
Paired meal test
Most days, 1 meal
Roughly
2–3 strips/day
Purpose
Build the picture
✅ After that — maintenance
Waking
2–3× a week
Paired test
New food only
Roughly
Under 1/day
Purpose
Spot drift early
Once you know that steak and eggs barely moves you and the protein shake adds 2.5, there's no information left in re-testing them. Stop.
You'd only use all four slots in one dayif you were chasing something specific — typically an unexplained high morning reading, where a before-bed number tells you whether you went to sleep high or rose overnight. That's a one-off investigation, not a routine.
1
On waking, before anything at all — not even coffee. This is your baseline: what your liver did overnight, with no food involved. The single most informative reading, and the one worth doing every day.
2
Two hours after the first bite of a meal. Timed from when you start eating, not when you finish. Shows how that particular meal was handled.
3
Paired testing — the one that actually teaches you something. A reading immediately before a meal and again 2 hours after. The rise between them is the real information, because it isolates that meal from everything else. This app works the rise out for you whenever you fill in both halves.
4
Before bed. Mostly diagnostic — it explains an unexpectedly high morning number by showing where you started the night.
5
Before and after a run, for the first few weeks, to learn your own response. You already have one striking data point: 13.0 down to 6.8 after 35 minutes.
6
When you're ill, and any time you feel shaky, sweaty, confused or suddenly hungry. Test rather than guess.
The highest-value tests you'll ever doPaired-test each of your four mains once, and the protein shake. That's five paired tests total — ten strips, spread over a fortnight — and at the end of it you know exactly what your entire regular diet does to you. After that the plan stops being theoretical.
Get a clean readingWash and dry your hands first — food residue on a fingertip reads falsely high and is the most common cause of a baffling result. Don't test on a finger you've just wiped with alcohol and left wet. Use the sides of the fingertip rather than the pad; it hurts less. Rotate fingers.
Reference ranges — general, not personalCommonly quoted UK figures for type 2 diabetes: waking 4–7 mmol/L · about 2 hours after a meal, under 8.5 mmol/L · a meal rise of roughly 2–3 mmol/L or less is generally considered well tolerated. These are population ranges. Your GP or diabetes nurse sets your targets, and they may differ.
On test stripsIf you're on metformin alone, routine daily self-monitoring often isn't funded, because metformin doesn't cause hypos. You're making a large dietary change though, which is a good reason to ask your nurse for strips explicitly rather than assume the answer is no.
Know the low-blood-sugar signsMetformin on its own rarely causes hypos, but low-carb eating plus exercise changes the picture, and it matters more if any other glucose-lowering medication is ever added. Shakiness, sweating, confusion, sudden hunger, pounding heart. Treat it, then tell your nurse. Don't wait for the next appointment to mention repeated lows.
Not medical adviceThis app organises the plan you built with your clinicians. It doesn't replace them. Medication changes, target setting and interpreting a run of unusual readings are all conversations for your GP or diabetes nurse.
🍳 Keto / Low-Carb Meal Plan
Built for managing type 2 diabetes on metformin, aiming for fat loss and better fasting glucose. Every item below is food you already said you'll actually eat — nothing has been added that wasn't on that list. That's the whole reason this plan survives contact with a real week.
Metformin timingTake it with meals — pair the two doses with breakfast/brunch and dinner. On an empty stomach it's far more likely to upset your stomach.
🥩 Mains
Steak & 3 Fried Eggs
~0g carbs
Steak · 3 eggs, fried
Chicken Breast & Green Beans
~5g carbs
Chicken breast · green beans
Chorizo & Eggs
~1g carbs
Chorizo · 2–3 eggs, fried or scrambled
Steak & Green Beans
~5g carbs
Steak · green beans
🥦 How to cook the green veg so it actually tastes good
Why this mattersBoiled green veg is the reason low-carb plans get abandoned. These all fit the same rich, salty flavour profile as the rest of the plan — so the vegetables stop being the bit you endure.
Fry hard and fast in butter with garlic, salt and pepper
Sauté in the leftover chorizo or bacon fat after cooking the meat
Grate parmesan or hard cheese over the top while hot
Roast in olive oil at high heat until the edges crisp
Finish with lemon zest or a splash of vinegar to cut the richness
Add chilli flakes — works well with the garlic butter version
The one thing to avoidBoiling. It goes flat, grey and joyless, and then you don't eat it.
🧀 Snacks
Ham, Cheese & Boiled Egg
~1g carbs
Ham · cheese · 1 boiled egg
Salami & Cheese
~1g carbs
Salami · cheese
Boiled Eggs (batch-cooked)
~1g carbs
2 boiled eggs
🥤 Homemade Protein Shake ~18–20g carbs
3 tbsp
Greek yoghurt
200ml
Full-fat milk
1 tsp
Flax seed
1 tsp
Chia seed
1 tsp
Peanut butter
3 tbsp
Frozen mixed berries (raspberries, strawberries)
The only non-keto item on the list — the carbs come mainly from the milk and the berries. Good post-run recovery option, and the protein, fibre and fat should slow the carb hit. Worth testing a post-shake reading to see how you personally respond. Treat it as occasional rather than a daily default, given the rest of the plan is near-zero carb.
☕ Drinks
Bulletproof Coffee
~0g carbs
Coffee · butter · double cream
Previously helped with concentration — reintroducing it.
Black Coffee
0g carbs
Water
0g carbs
Target 2,500ml a day — track it on the Today tab.
📅 The week at a glance
| Day | Morning | Meal 1 | Snack | Meal 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Bulletproof coffee | Steak & eggs | Ham, cheese & egg | Chicken & green beans |
| Tue | Bulletproof coffee | Chorizo & eggs | Salami & cheese | Steak & green beans |
| Wed | Bulletproof coffee | Boiled eggs | Ham, cheese & egg | Chicken & green beans |
| Thu | Bulletproof coffee | Steak & eggs | Salami & cheese | Steak & green beans |
| Fri | Bulletproof coffee | Chorizo & eggs | Ham, cheese & egg | Chicken & green beans |
| Sat | Bulletproof coffee | Steak & eggs | Boiled eggs | Steak & green beans |
| Sun | Bulletproof coffee | Chicken & green beans | Salami & cheese | Chorizo & eggs |
🛒 Stock list
The point of this listKeep these stocked and batch-prepped weekly so there is never a moment where there's nothing to eat. An empty fridge is what actually breaks the plan — not willpower.
Fridge & freezer
Meat
Steak · chicken breast · chorizo · salami · ham
Dairy
Cheese · butter · double cream · full-fat milk · Greek yoghurt
Other
Eggs · green beans · frozen mixed berries
Cupboard
Keep in
Coffee · flax seed · chia seed · peanut butter
Batch prep — weekly
Do it once, coast all week
Sunday
Boil a batch of 6–8 eggs at the start of the week
Freezer
Portion steak and chicken into single-meal packs before freezing
✋ Before You Eat
This is the actual anti-deviation rule. Run through these four steps before eating anything that isn't already in the plan. It takes about fifteen seconds and it is the single highest-leverage habit in this whole app.
1
Check today's water. Behind target? Drink 300–500ml, wait 15 minutes, then reassess. Thirst is commonly mistaken for hunger — and on keto you're losing more fluid than usual.
2
Still want to eat? Check whether it's a genuine meal or snack time — or just something that happens to be in front of you.
3
If yes, choose only from the list. Anything on "Always OK" below, or from Mains or Snacks. Nothing outside it.
4
If it isn't on the list, it isn't a snack decision. It's a "not right now" decision. That reframe is the whole trick — you're not refusing yourself food, you're just not eating that food at this moment.
✅ Always OK — the only rule you actually need
The anytime ruleIf you don't want to check the day plan, this is the only rule you need: any 2–3 items from this list together make a fine meal or snack, any time of day. You never have to be stuck — just grab from here.
Steak
Chicken breast
3 fried eggs
Boiled eggs
Chorizo
Salami
Ham
Cheese
Green beans
Bulletproof coffee
Black coffee
Water
⚠️ Occasional — not a default
Protein shake — the one item with real carbs (~18–20g). Fine post-run or a few times a week, not daily.
🚗 Out and about
Why this section existsBeing away from a stocked fridge shouldn't be a reason to deviate. All of these are widely available.
Boiled eggs
~1g carbs
Many supermarkets and garages sell these pre-packed.
Cheese snack packs
~1g carbs
Portion packs travel well and need no fridge for a few hours.
Sliced ham / cold meat
~1g carbs
Any supermarket. Pair with cheese and you have a meal.
Pork scratchings
Effectively zero carb
Salty and satisfying. Genuinely fits the plan.
Rotisserie chicken
~0g carbs
Supermarket hot counter. Skip any glaze.
Plain nuts
Small handful
Only if there's genuinely nothing else available.
🍟 McDonald's UK — the bun-free order
Ask for any burger without the bun
Staff are completely used to this request. Removing the bun cuts out the vast majority of the carbs — the bun alone is around 28–30g. This is the difference between a service station derailing your day and it being a non-event.
Quarter Pounder with Cheese
~5–7g net
No bun, no ketchup
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
~7–10g net
No bun, no ketchup
Cheeseburger or Big Mac
Low
No bun, no sauce
Grilled chicken salad
Low
No croutons · dressing on the side or skipped · add mayo or mustard
Breakfast
Low
Sausage and egg without the muffin, or bacon and eggs on their own
What to avoidThe bun itself (~28–30g carbs alone) · ketchup and Big Mac sauce, both meaningfully sugary and added by default unless you say otherwise · anything breaded — nuggets, hash browns, pancakes.
📅 Your Week
No gym. Everything here is running, walking, and home equipment. The structure is deliberately light on rules — the two things that move your glucose most are the post-meal walk and the runs, and they're both in here every week.
The weekly non-negotiables
Run
2–3× per week
- ProvenA 35 min run dropped a 13.0 mmol/L reading to 6.8. This is your most reliable lever.
- StructureNHS Couch to 5K gives you the progression if you want one.
Post-meal walk
Every day
- 10–15 minAfter your largest meal of the day.
- WhyBlunts the glucose spike from that specific meal. Small effort, disproportionate effect.
Home strength
2× per week
- ~20 minSquats, push-ups, lunges, plank — plus your home equipment (see the Train tab).
- WhyBuilds muscle, which improves insulin sensitivity over time. This is the slow-burn lever, not the quick one.
5BX
Every morning
- 11 minBefore anything else. No equipment. See the 5BX tab.
This week's tracker
Tap each one as you do it. Ticks reset when you reload — this is a within-the-week nudge, not a permanent record. The Log tab is where the permanent record lives.
Every day — 7 days
Non-negotiable
✓
5BX routine
11 mins · before anything else · no equipment
11 min
✓
Walk after the largest meal
The single most effective 15 minutes of your day for glucose
10–15 min
✓
Fasting glucose logged
First thing, before eating
1 min
✓
Both metformin doses taken with food
Breakfast/brunch and dinner
—
✓
2,500ml water
Higher than usual because keto increases fluid loss
2.5L
✓
Daily mobility flow
After 5BX · hips, hamstrings, calves, ankles, spine
8–10 min
Across the week
Spread them out
✓
Run 1
Build gradually — time on feet beats pace
25–35 min
✓
Run 2
25–35 min
✓
Run 3 (optional)
25–35 min
✓
Home strength session A
Lower body focus — see the Train tab
20–30 min
✓
Home strength session B
Upper body focus
20–30 min
✓
Boxing bag — stress outlet
Optional but it does two jobs at once
15–20 min
✓
Batch-boil 6–8 eggs & restock the fridge
The admin task that prevents every deviation later in the week
20 min
✓
Weigh in
Same day, same time, same conditions
1 min
Free resources worth using
🏃
NHS Couch to 5K
Gives the running a structure so you're not guessing at progression. Free.
🚶
NHS Active 10
Tracks the walks, including the post-meal ones. Free.
📺
Fitness Blender (YouTube)
Free bodyweight and resistance-band routines. Good when you want someone else to count.
📺
The Body Coach / Joe Wicks (YouTube)
Free home workouts, short formats.
🏠 Train at Home
No gym. Everything here uses the equipment you already own, plus running and walking. For diabetes specifically the priority order is simple: walk after meals every day, run two or three times a week, and lift twice a week to build the muscle that improves insulin sensitivity over the long run.
Equipment list — to confirmThis is built from the kit already referenced in your plan: spin bike, weights bench, dumbbells and a boxing bag. Send the photo of your setup and I'll rewrite these sessions around exactly what you've got — including anything not listed here.
Your equipment
🚴
Spin bike
Your best indoor cardio tool. Hardest-working piece of kit you own for glucose control — big muscle groups, easy to control intensity, zero weather excuses.
🏋️
Weights bench
Unlocks bench press, supported rows, step-ups and split squats. Turns a set of dumbbells into a full gym.
💪
Dumbbells
Everything in Sessions A and B below. Progress by adding weight, adding reps, slowing the tempo, or shortening the rest.
🥊
Boxing bag & gloves
Cardio and stress outlet in one. See the Boxing tab for rounds and combinations.
🏃 Running — your most effective glucose lever
The evidence from your own readingsA 35 minute run took 13.0 mmol/L down to 6.8. Nothing else in this app has that kind of same-day effect. When a reading is high and you're able to, this is the answer.
🏃 Build-up runs (weeks 1–4)
2–3× per week · 20–30 min
Run/walk intervals are completely fine — run 2 minutes, walk 1, repeat. Time on your feet matters more than pace. NHS Couch to 5K structures this for you if you'd rather follow something.
🏃 Steady runs (from week 5)
2–3× per week · 30–40 min
Conversational pace — you should be able to speak in short sentences. This is the bread and butter. Resist the urge to make every run hard.
💨 One faster run (optional, from week 6)
1× per week · 25 min
After a 10 min easy warm-up, do 6×1 min faster with 2 min easy between. Improves fitness faster, but only add it once the steady runs feel routine.
🚶 The post-meal walk
Ten to fifteen minutes, every day, after your largest mealWorking muscle pulls glucose out of the bloodstream without needing much insulin, which is exactly the mechanism that's under strain. It doesn't need to be brisk and it doesn't need kit. This is the highest ratio of benefit to effort in the entire app.
🚴 Spin bike sessions
🚴 Zone 2 steady (start here)
30–40 min · conversational
Easy sustained effort where you could hold a conversation. Excellent for insulin sensitivity and it's the session you can do on a day when running doesn't appeal. Do this before touching the HIIT protocols below.
⚡ Beginner HIIT
20 min total
5 min easy warm-up → 8 rounds of 30 sec hard / 90 sec easy → 5 min cool-down. "Hard" means you can only say two or three words. Start here once steady rides feel comfortable.
🔥 Intermediate HIIT
25 min total
5 min warm-up → 15 rounds of 40 sec hard / 20 sec easy → 5 min cool-down. The 40/20 ratio is harder than 30/90 because the rest is shorter, not because the efforts are.
💥 Peak HIIT
30 min total
5 min warm-up → 5 rounds of 4 min hard / 3 min easy → 5 min cool-down. This mirrors the Norwegian 4×4 protocol on your own bike. Maximum fitness stimulus — once a week at most.
💪 Home strength — twice a week
Why lifting matters for diabetesMuscle is where most glucose gets stored and burned. More muscle means more places for glucose to go, which improves insulin sensitivity over months. This is the slow lever — it won't change tomorrow's reading, but it changes the baseline.
🏋️ Session A — Lower body
20–30 mins · bench + dumbbells
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift 3×10 → dumbbell split squat 3×8 each leg → step-ups onto the bench 3×8 each → single-leg glute bridge 3×12 each → plank 3×30 sec. Leave 3–4 reps in reserve on every set.
💪 Session B — Upper body
20–30 mins · bench + dumbbells
Dumbbell bench press 3×10 → dumbbell row, bench supported, 3×10 each → dumbbell shoulder press 3×10 → bicep curl 2×12 → tricep kickback 2×12 → dead bug 3×8 each side.
🏠 No-equipment fallback
~20 mins · nothing needed
Squats, push-ups (incline on the bench if needed), lunges and plank. Three rounds. This is the version that survives travel, a busy day, or not fancying it — and doing this beats skipping.
Progressive overload without machinesYou control load by adding dumbbell weight, adding reps, slowing the tempo, or cutting the rest. Aim to progress one of those four things every week. Write it down — memory flatters you.
⚠️ Exercising with diabetes — worth knowing
Check before and after at firstUntil you know how your body responds, take a reading before and after new or harder sessions. You're building a picture of your own response, which is more useful than any general rule.
Carry something for a lowMetformin alone rarely causes hypos, but low-carb eating plus a hard session changes the maths. Know the signs — shakiness, sweating, confusion, sudden hunger, pounding heart — and mention any repeated lows to your diabetes nurse rather than waiting for the next review.
Check your feetDiabetes can reduce sensation in the feet, so blisters and rubs get missed until they're a problem. With running volume increasing, look at your feet after runs and get properly fitted shoes.
Stop and get checked ifYou get chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or an irregular heartbeat during exercise. That's a same-day GP conversation, not something to train through.
✈️ Royal Canadian Air Force 5BX — Daily Morning Routine
The 5BX plan was developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 1950s and became one of the most effective minimal-equipment fitness programmes ever created. It takes exactly 11 minutes, requires no equipment, and is done every single morning before you do anything else. Start at Level D− and progress only when you can complete all reps comfortably.
The golden ruleDo this EVERY day — run days, rest days, travel days, holiday days. 11 minutes. This is the daily habit that holds your baseline together on the days when nothing else happens.
Exercise 1 — Stretching (2 minutes)
1
Toe-Touch Stretch
2 minutes · Slow and controlled
Stand feet shoulder-width. Reach arms overhead, then bend forward and reach toward toes. Don't bounce. Return to standing. Loosens the entire posterior chain — back, hamstrings, calves. Modified: bend knees slightly if lower back is tight. Repeat for the full 2 minutes.
Exercise 2 — Sit-Ups (1 minute)
2
Sit-Ups or Curl-Ups
1 minute · As many as comfortable
Lie on back, knees bent, feet flat. Curl up to sitting position. Modified version, recommended if the lower back complains: partial curl-up only — lift shoulders off the floor, hold 1 second, lower back down. Don't yank your neck.
Exercise 3 — Back Extensions (1 minute)
3
Prone Back Extensions (Superman)
1 minute · Slow controlled lifts
Lie face down, arms by sides or extended overhead. Lift chest and legs off the floor simultaneously. Hold 2 seconds, lower slowly. Strengthens the lower back, which pays off for everything else. Don't jerk — slow and controlled every rep.
Exercise 4 — Push-Ups (1 minute)
4
Push-Ups
1 minute · Use incline version if needed
Standard push-up position. Lower chest to floor, push back up. Modified: hands on the edge of your bed, the weights bench or a chair — still effective, much easier on the wrists. Build toward full push-ups over time. Quality over quantity always.
Exercise 5 — Running on the Spot (6 minutes)
5
Running / Marching on the Spot
6 minutes · Build pace gradually
Start with marching on the spot, knees up, for the first 2 weeks. Build to jogging on the spot. From week 5, add high knees and alternate with 30 sec at a faster pace. This is your daily cardio stimulus — nasal breathing only for the first 4 weeks. The 6 minutes is what makes this genuinely effective.
5BX progression — how to advanceThe original plan has levels D− through A+ across 6 charts. Start at the easiest level, D−. Only move up when you can complete all reps comfortably within the 11 minutes. Don't rush the progression — the point is that you still do it in six months' time.
👑 The King Charles connection
The 5BX plan was widely reported in 2024 as part of King Charles's morning routine — a 12-minute variation he's kept up for decades. It's designed to be the minimum effective dose: no gym, no equipment, anywhere in the world.
🧘 Mobility & Joint Health
Returning to exercise after years away means flexibility and joint mobility need rebuilding alongside strength and cardio. Stiff knees and reduced hip flexibility respond well to consistent gentle work. Worth knowing too: diabetes is associated with stiffer joints and tendons over time, which makes the daily flow below more important, not less.
📏 Section 1 — The Sit-to-Rise Test
🧪 Sit-to-Rise Test — Your Benchmark
Lower yourself to the floor and stand back up using as little support as possible. Start with 10 points and subtract for supports used:
Each hand or forearm used for support
-1 pt
Each knee or side of leg used
-1 pt
Any loss of balance
-0.5 pt
Score your result
8–10Excellent — strong baseline to build from
5–7Good — typical starting point after a break
< 5Needs work — this tab is your priority
This is a research-backed indicator of strength, balance and flexibility — but a trainable signal, not a verdict. Retest every 4 weeks and log your score below.
🔄 Section 2 — Daily Mobility Flow (~8–10 mins)
Key principleShort and daily beats long and occasional. 8 minutes every morning after your 5BX is enough to transform your flexibility over a few months.
🧎
Hip Flexor Stretch
60 sec each side · Daily
Lunge position, back knee on the floor. Push hips forward gently. Tight hip flexors are a common cause of lower back pain, especially with desk work. Hold without bouncing.
🦵
Hamstring Stretch
45 sec each side · Daily
Seated single-leg: reach toward the foot, keep the back flat. Or standing: hinge at the hips with a soft knee. Tight hamstrings are the most common cause of lower back tightness when walking.
👣
Calf Stretch
45 sec each side · Daily
Hands on the wall, back leg straight, heel pressed down. Then the bent-knee version for the deep calf. Tight calves are the primary cause of ankle stiffness — and matter more now the running volume is going up.
🧎
Deep Knee Bends / Gentle Squats
10–15 reps · Comfortable depth · Daily
Bodyweight only. Go to whatever depth is comfortable without pain. The goal is to gradually increase range of motion over weeks, not force depth immediately. Hold a doorframe if needed.
💫
Ankle Circles
10 circles each direction, each ankle · Daily
Seated or standing on one leg. Rotate the ankle slowly through its full range. Simple, often forgotten, and it keeps the ankle happy as running volume increases.
🌀
Thoracic Spine Rotations
8 reps each side · Daily
Seated in a chair or on the floor, arms crossed over the chest. Rotate the upper body side to side, keeping the hips still. Improves posture, breathing efficiency, and reduces upper back tightness from desk work.
🦵 Section 3 — Knee Strength (2–3x per week)
Why knees matterStrong quads, glutes and hamstrings take load off the knee joint itself. Downhill walking in particular hammers the knee if the surrounding muscles are weak. Fold these into your home strength sessions.
🪑
Sit-to-Stand from Chair
3 × 10 · No hands · 2–3x per week
Sit toward the front edge of a chair. Stand without using hands. Slow on the way down, about 3 seconds. This trains the sit-to-rise test directly. Progress to a lower surface as you improve.
📦
Step-Ups
3 × 8 each leg · Bodyweight · 2–3x per week
Use the bottom stair or your weights bench. Drive through the heel. Add dumbbells once bodyweight feels easy.
🪵
Wall Sit
2 × 30–45 sec · 2–3x per week
Back flat against the wall, thighs parallel to the floor, knees at 90°. Hold. Builds quad endurance specifically — the muscle that protects the knee. Build toward 60 seconds.
🦵
Gentle Squats
2 × 12 · Comfortable depth · 2–3x per week
Bodyweight. Keep knees tracking over toes, heels on the floor, chest up. Go only to comfortable depth — over the weeks, comfortable depth increases on its own as mobility improves.
🧘 Section 4 — Floor Practice
🧸
Floor Sitting Practice
5–10 mins · Daily when possible
Spend time sitting on the floor instead of a chair — cross-legged, kneeling, legs to one side. Practise getting up and down in different ways without using hands. Trains exactly what the sit-to-rise test measures, plus the small stabilising muscles around hips, knees and ankles.
🧘 Section 5 — Pilates & Yoga at Home
Which to choose — and why both
🧘 Yoga — flexibility & range of motion
Best for opening tight hips, hamstrings and thoracic spine. Stick to gentle Hatha or Iyengar styles to start. Avoid hot yoga or vigorous Vinyasa — too much load too soon. Plenty of free follow-along sessions on YouTube; you need nothing but floor space.
🪂 Pilates — core strength & knee support
Best for core control, posture, and the hip strength that protects the knee. Very low joint load. Mat Pilates needs no equipment at all — a mat on the floor and a video is the whole setup.
They're complementary — ideally one of each per week. Look for beginner or clinical classes given the knee stiffness.
⚠️ When to see a professionalPersistent knee stiffness, swelling, pain that worsens during exercise, or morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes is worth getting checked by a doctor or physiotherapist. A physio can tailor these exercises specifically to your knees — one session to get a baseline assessment is money well spent.
🥊 Boxing & Stress
Hitting a bag triggers a cortisol dump then forces parasympathetic recovery during the rest period. One of the most effective physical stress-relief tools available — and stress itself pushes glucose up, so this is doing two jobs at once. Combine with box breathing after every session.
Bag session — 5 rounds
🥊 Standard session
1
Jab only — find your range & rhythm
2 min / 1 off
2
Jab + cross — power shots
2 min / 1 off
3
Jab + cross + hook
2 min / 1 off
4
Free round — move your feet
2 min / 1 off
5
All-out — empty the tank
2 min / done
Boxing formHands up by the chin always. Breathe OUT on every punch. Wrist wraps and gloves are essential, not optional.
The basic punches
1 — Jab
Left lead hand
Straight out
Snap back
Quick and straight. Sets everything up. Breathe out sharply. Don't telegraph.
2 — Cross
Right rear hand
Rotate hips
Power shot
Drive from the back foot, rotate the hip. More than half your power comes from legs and hips, not the arm.
3 — Hook
Left hand
Elbow up 90°
Pivot foot
Swing from the side. Pivot your lead foot as you throw. Don't swing wildly — the snap comes from rotation.
4 — Uppercut
Right or left
Palm up
Drive upward
Drop slightly then drive upward. Great for close range. Add it once the first three feel natural.
Combinations to drill
Combo 1 — The Classic
1
2
Jab + Cross. Drill 100 reps every session for the first month. Foundation of everything.
Combo 2 — Power Triple
1
2
3
Jab + Cross + Hook. The hook engages the obliques for extra work.
Combo 3 — Stress Buster
1
1
2
3
Double jab + Cross + Hook. Good rhythm combo for flowing through a full round.
Combo 4 — Four-Shot Burner
1
2
3
2
Jab + Cross + Hook + Cross. End with the power shot. Go-to when you're really wound up.
Stress protocol when really wound up5 min hard bag work → 5 min easy walking → box breathing, in 4 / hold 4 / out 4 / hold 4, for 4 rounds. Worth doing on its own merits — and lower stress tends to show up in steadier readings.
🥗 Nutrition Principles
The Meals tab is the specific plan — what to eat, on which day, from the stock list. This tab is the why: the handful of principles that make the plan work, and the ones that matter most for glucose control rather than just calories.
The principles that matter most
🥩
High protein — 1.6–2g per kg bodyweight daily
Protein has the highest thermic effect of all the macros — your body burns 20–30% of protein calories just digesting it. More importantly it preserves muscle while you're losing fat, and muscle is where glucose gets stored and burned. Your steak, eggs and chicken approach already nails this. Don't skip protein at any meal.
🚶
Walk after the meal, not before it
The single most effective nutrition habit in this app isn't food at all. Ten to fifteen minutes of walking after your largest meal pulls glucose into working muscle without needing much insulin — which is exactly the mechanism under strain. Costs nothing, needs no kit.
🥗
If carbs are on the plate, eat them last
Meal order genuinely changes the glucose response. Protein, fat and vegetables first, any carbohydrate at the end. Mostly academic on a near-zero-carb plan — but it's the rule that saves you at someone else's dinner table, where refusing the potatoes isn't an option.
🌊
Hydration — 2,500ml, higher than the usual guideline
Keto increases fluid and electrolyte loss, so the standard 2L advice is too low for you. Dehydration also reduces performance and gets mistaken for hunger constantly. High glucose makes you urinate more, which compounds it. Track it on the Today tab.
🌙
Don't eat within 2–3 hrs of bed
Late eating keeps insulin elevated overnight and tends to show up in a worse fasting reading the next morning. It also disrupts growth hormone release during deep sleep. Finishing by 8pm is one of the easier wins available — and you'll see it in the number.
🧂
Salt and electrolytes are not the enemy here
A lot of early keto fatigue, headaches and light-headedness is simply sodium, potassium and magnesium loss rather than the diet failing. Salt your food properly. If you have high blood pressure or kidney issues this is one to raise with your GP first rather than act on alone.
📈
Test your own response — you are the experiment
General carb counts are a starting point, not a prediction. Two people eating identical meals get different readings. Take a reading about two hours after anything you're unsure of — the protein shake is the obvious candidate — and let your own meter settle the argument.
🍎 Snacks — what they actually cost you
Hard boiled eggs
2 eggs · ~140 cal · 12g protein · ~1g carb
Batch cook 6–8 at the start of the week. The single best grab-and-go on the plan.
Cheddar cheese
30g · ~120 cal · 7g protein · ~0g carb
Pair with a couple of slices of cold meat and it becomes a meal.
Cold chicken or meat
100g · ~165 cal · 31g protein · ~0g carb
Leftover from dinner. Zero prep, highest protein per calorie here.
Salami or chorizo
30g · ~140 cal · 7g protein · ~1g carb
Keeps well, needs nothing. Salty, so drink alongside it.
Pork scratchings
~1g carb · effectively zero
The service-station saviour. Genuinely fits the plan.
Protein shake
~18–20g carbs · ~25g protein
The one item with real carbs. Post-run, not a daily default.
Protein is the one target worth hitting every dayEverything else on this plan is permissive — eat when hungry, from the list. Protein is the exception. On a calorie deficit you cannot out-train the muscle loss caused by not eating enough of it, and losing muscle makes glucose control harder, not easier. Work out your own figure: 1.6–2g per kg of bodyweight.
How this plan differs from ordinary "healthy eating"Standard advice would have you eating wholegrains and fruit at every meal. This plan deliberately doesn't, because the goal is glucose control rather than general balance. That trade-off is worth being explicit about with your GP or diabetes nurse — it's the reason the cholesterol check on the Health tab matters.
Worth saying plainlyA near-zero-carb diet alongside glucose-lowering medication is a combination your clinicians should know about. It works, but it changes how your numbers should be read and can change what medication is appropriate. Tell them — it's on the Health tab checklist for a reason.
What is VO2 Max & why it matters
VO2 max is your maximum oxygen consumption during exercise — the single best predictor of aerobic fitness and longevity. It also tracks closely with insulin sensitivity: as your aerobic fitness improves, your body generally handles glucose better. It's a slow-moving number, which is exactly why it's worth building.
Heart rate zones — based on ~175 max HR
Zone 1 — Recovery
Very easy. Warm-up, cool-down, post-meal walks.
<105 bpm
Zone 2 — Aerobic Base ⭐
Conversational. Most important zone for fat burning and base fitness.
105–130 bpm
Zone 3 — Tempo
Comfortably hard. Don't live here.
130–148 bpm
Zone 4 — Threshold ⭐
Hard effort. Where 4×4 intervals live.
148–162 bpm
Zone 5 — Max Effort
Unsustainable. Short bursts only.
162+ bpm
A note on that 175 figureIt's an age-based estimate, not a measured maximum. Treat the zones as a guide and let perceived effort — can I talk? — be the real check.
Most effective protocols
🏆 Norwegian 4×4
Work interval
4 min hard
Recovery
3 min easy
Rounds
4 rounds
Target HR
85–95% max
The most evidence-backed VO2 max protocol there is. Use it on your spin bike or on a run. Once a week at most, and only once steady sessions feel routine. You shouldn't be able to hold a conversation during the work intervals.
⚡ Spin Bike HIIT — progression
Starting out
30s / 90s ×8
Building
40s / 20s ×15
Peak
4min / 3min ×5
Location
Home bike
Your home spin bike is a VO2 max machine. Move up a level only when the current one stops feeling hard.
Boxing counts as VO2 max training3-minute rounds at real effort land you in Zone 4–5. That's why bag work earns its place — stress relief and aerobic fitness from the same 20 minutes.
Zone 2 is the one that matters most for youHard intervals get the attention, but the steady conversational work — runs, walks, easy spins — is what builds the aerobic base and does the most for day-to-day glucose control. Most of your week should be here.
🔥 Most Efficient Calorie Burn
Not all exercise burns calories equally. The most efficient methods combine high intensity, large muscle groups, and EPOC — the afterburn where your body keeps burning for hours after you stop. Ranked by total calorie impact.
Ranked by efficiency
1
HIIT — Spin Bike
~15–20 cal/min · Afterburn up to 24 hrs
Effort
85–95% HR
Session time
20–30 min
Where
Home bike
Total 24hr
~600–800 cal
The most time-efficient calorie burner you have. The afterburn means a 25-minute HIIT session can burn more total calories over 24 hours than a 60-minute jog.
2
Boxing Bag Work
~12–15 cal/min · High afterburn
Per session
~400–600 cal
Time needed
30–45 min
Stress bonus
Cortisol drops
Muscles
Full body
3-minute rounds at effort hit Zone 4–5. Full body, big burn, and cathartic with it.
3
Running
~10–14 cal/min · Best glucose effect
Ranked third for raw calories but first for what you actually care about — it's the intervention with a documented, dramatic effect on your own readings. 13.0 down to 6.8 after 35 minutes.
4
Dumbbell Strength Work
~8–10 cal/min · 48hr afterburn
Modest during the session, but each extra kilo of muscle burns roughly 3× more calories at rest than fat — and gives glucose somewhere to go. This is the long game.
5
Walking
~6–9 cal/min · Zero recovery cost
Don't underestimate this. A 45-minute walk burns 380–480 cal with almost no joint stress, and can be stacked on top of everything else. The post-meal version punches far above its calorie weight.
NEAT — the hidden calorie burnerAll movement outside formal exercise — walking to the car, stairs, standing. It can account for 300–700 extra calories daily. Get your steps to 8–10k a day. Don't sit straight down after a session.
A daily estimate5BX (11 min): ~80 cal · home strength session: 200–300 cal · HIIT spin: 400–550 cal plus afterburn · boxing bag: 350–500 cal · 35 min run: 350–450 cal. On a full training day with NEAT included you're burning well over 1,000 calories above your resting rate.
Worth keeping in perspectiveAll calorie figures like these are estimates with wide error bars — they're useful for ranking activities against each other, not for balancing a ledger. Your fasting readings and the scale are the honest feedback.
🧖 Sauna & Cold Exposure
Use hot and cold as recovery support, not as the main event. Because you have psoriasis, start conservatively and monitor how your skin responds. Do not treat sauna as a psoriasis treatment.
Progressive protocol — build slowly
| Stage | Sauna | Cold | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | 5–8 min | 30–60 sec | Twice per week max |
| Weeks 3–4 | 8–10 min | 60–90 sec | Twice per week |
| Week 5+ | 8–12 min | 1–2 min | 2–3x if skin tolerates |
Suggested sequence
Step 1Finish your training session completely.
Step 2Sauna for the target time. Sit quietly, breathe slowly.
Step 3Step out and cool for 2–3 minutes outside the heat.
Step 4Cold exposure for the target time — a cold shower works perfectly well at home. Breathe, don't hold your breath.
Step 5Rest and warm naturally for 5 minutes. Repeat once only if still feeling good.
Diabetes-aware rules
Heat and hydrationYou're already losing extra fluid on keto. Heat compounds it. Drink before and after, and count it toward your 2,500ml.
Heat can change how you feel a lowThe flushed, sweaty, light-headed feeling from a sauna overlaps with the warning signs of low blood sugar. Don't go in straight after a hard session on an empty stomach, and get out if something feels off rather than assuming it's just the heat.
Check your feet before and afterReduced sensation means you may not feel a surface that's too hot. Worth a deliberate look.
Psoriasis-aware rules
Keep showers warm, not hotHot water strips the skin barrier and worsens psoriasis. Lukewarm is better.
Moisturise immediately after showeringWithin 3 minutes of drying off — that's when skin absorbs it best.
Monitor skin responseIf skin feels tight, dry, itchy or stingy after a session, shorten the next exposure. If heat repeatedly worsens the psoriasis, treat sauna as optional rather than essential.
Skip the cold ifYou feel faint, ill, or unusually run down. Never go into cold water with an open psoriasis wound.
The benefits when your skin tolerates itReduced muscle soreness · lower cortisol · better sleep · cardiovascular benefit from hot/cold cycling · mental resilience. Worth the effort on good skin days.
🩺 Medical Follow-Up
This part doesn't live in an app — but it's part of the full picture, and it's the bit that quietly slips. Everything below is a conversation with your GP or diabetes nurse, not something to sort out alone.
Don't let these slip
1
HbA1c recheck at around 3 months. This is the one that shows the overall trend rather than a spot reading. Your daily log is the perfect companion to it — take the CSV export with you.
2
Cholesterol and lipid check. Genuinely worth doing given the amount of saturated fat in this plan. Better to know and adjust than to assume it's fine.
3
Tell your GP or diabetes nurse you've gone low-carb / keto. It changes how they read your numbers, and it can change medication decisions. This isn't optional if you're on glucose-lowering medication.
4
Revisit GLP-1 eligibility on the diabetes pathway — not just Wegovy — if metformin plus this plan doesn't get you far enough. Worth asking about explicitly rather than waiting to be offered.
🩹 Blood pressure — the one that's easy to neglect
Why it matters as much as glucose
Diabetes and raised blood pressure compound each other — together they drive cardiovascular and kidney risk far more than either does alone. It's one of the standard annual checks for exactly that reason. The difference is that it's a periodic check, not a daily one, which is why it isn't in the daily log.
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You can get it checked free, without a monitor. Most UK pharmacies do walk-in blood pressure checks — in England it's a funded NHS service for over-40s, no appointment needed. Your GP annual review includes it too.
💰
A home monitor is about £20–30 if you'd rather have your own. Get an upper-arm cuff, not a wrist one, and choose from the British and Irish Hypertension Society's validated list — plenty of cheap monitors simply aren't accurate. Sit still for five minutes first, arm supported at heart height.
📉
This plan will probably lower it. Both low-carb eating and weight loss reduce blood pressure. Worth capturing, because it's a real marker of progress that the scales don't show.
The one thing to watchIf you're ever put on blood-pressure medication, that same downward drift from low-carb eating and weight loss can tip into dizziness or light-headedness on standing. That's a GP conversation about adjusting the dose — not something to push through.
Commonly used targetsFor adults with type 2 diabetes, clinic readings below 140/90 are typically the aim, or below 130/80 where there's existing kidney, eye or cerebrovascular damage. Home readings are usually judged against a slightly lower bar than clinic ones. As with glucose, your own target is your GP's call.
The standard annual diabetes checks
Worth knowing what you're entitled toRetinal screening for eyes · foot check · kidney function (urine ACR and blood) · blood pressure · cholesterol · HbA1c. If any of these haven't happened in the last year, that's a reasonable thing to chase.
Ask about these at your next appointment
Questions worth writing downWhat fasting range should I personally be aiming for? · Given the low-carb approach, does any medication need reviewing? · What would make you want to see me sooner? · Is a continuous glucose monitor available to me?
When not to wait
Contact a doctor promptly ifReadings are persistently very high or very low · you get repeated symptoms of a low · there's a foot wound, sore or infection that isn't healing · you have chest pain, unusual breathlessness or an irregular heartbeat · vision changes suddenly · you're vomiting and can't keep fluids down.
Sick days matter more with diabetesIllness pushes glucose up and changes how medication behaves. Ask your nurse for their sick-day guidance now, while you're well, rather than trying to work it out mid-flu.
Not medical adviceThis app is an organiser for the plan you and your clinicians have put together. It doesn't diagnose, it doesn't set your targets, and it can't account for the rest of your medical history. Medication changes, target ranges and interpreting an unusual run of readings all belong with your GP or diabetes nurse.