Weetabix Diet: Can I just eat Weetabix and nothing else? Stupid idea?

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

I'm currently 18st 10lb & 5ft 10'. I have a BMI of 37.5 and according to the NHS website I have more than 6 stone to lose to get into a healthy weight bracket. I have no illusions; I realise that I have no chance of reaching that weight with this diet, and I get that it isn't sustainable long term. I just really need an kick-start to weight loss to help motivate me into believing I can actually achieve a half-sensible weight.

I have tried WW, along with other various diets and I'm awful at them, I have no willpower. I'm a very picky eater. I hate raw veg, most fruit and most 'healthy' foods. I love carbs, carbs and more carbs, and chocolate too. I am aware how bad this is, but changing is very difficult when I hate practically everything that is in a healthy diet.

The only healthy thing I like is Weetabix, in fact I love it! With full fat milk and white sugar (not so healthy anymore!) If I had to pick just one meal to have for the rest of my life, this would be it.

So here is my question, How long could I realistically eat a diet of 12 weetabix a day, a pint of full fat milk and about 30g of sugar? 2 weeks? 4? Longer? Would I need to add anything else in?

I am happy to take vitamin supplements, and I already eat 4 weetabix a day (and have eaten 8 in a day before) with no bowel problems.

Any dieticians (or anyone really!) out there who has any idea?

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

How do you get an appointment with an NHS nutritionist? Just ask my GP? It was hard enough to get physio for my bad back (probably caused by being so ridiculously overweight) I have serious suspicions that he'd just tell me to eat sensibly...

[Aussiemum78]

If you want to lose weight, you need to change your habits though. You want to lose weight without creating new habits which will fail.

Weet bix with skim milk, some fruit and yoghurt is a good breakfast. Or yoghurt and fruit. Or oats. Or eggs with spinach and tomato.

Do you like any veggies? Can you do a salad sandwich for lunch? Chicken and vege soup? Fish and veggies? Same for dinner.

What fruit do you like for snacks? Or nuts?

If you can even do weetbix for breakfast and find 3-4 healthy meals for lunch and dinner that is enough. Repetitive meals are ok, if you try and get a little protein and a little fruit/vege at each meal. You can eat fish and vege every night if that's the best you can do.

What do you drink? Drinking water will cut lots of calories.

Do you exercise? Even try to walk 10 minutes a day to start.

[Aussiemum78]

Can you name a few fruits salad or veggie items you will eat? I might be able to suggest a few basic recipes.

What do you have now? Every meal has healthier alternatives. Home made hamburgers with spinach leaves, avocado, cheese, beet root, pineapple, onion and tomato on a whole meal roll is one of our meals. Pasta can have grated carrot, zucchini, mushroom in the sauce and barely be noticeable.

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

I liked lots of cooked veg, just not raw.
Veg I really can't stand: salad leaves, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, aubergine, courgette, pumpkin, avocado.
I don't eat nuts at all.

I like eggs - I could eat cooked or boiled eggs quite happily.
I like cooked meat (hot, not cold)
If I have sandwiches it's usually soft or hard cheese, tuna mayo or corned beef (with ketchup - weird I know)
I know my problem is the amount of carbs I eat. I love rice, pasta, couscous and will eat far too much of it.
I have been eating the mug shots pasta as they say less than 3% fat on them. Not sure how healthy these are tbh.

I drink 2-3 litres of water, mostly in the form of no added sugar squash each day. I don't like coffee, I don't drink or smoke.

I literally crave sugary foods, fatty foods and carbs whenever I'm hungry/bored/upset. I know it's not healthy, and I want to change. I know what a healthy diet looks like, but I've completely failed to eat it.

[Milllli]

Weetabix is just wheat so not all that healthy really.

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

Fruit I eat: strawberries, raspberries, sometimes tinned or pre-packaged peaches & pears (but not fresh ones) I am sensitive to quite a few raw fruits (especially melon & kiwi) and get very itchy lips and horrible sore/itchy feeling in my mouth after eating them. No problem with cooked veg tho.

At the moment I eat:
pizza (thin crust - in the vain hope it is slightly less bad than deep pan),
chicken nuggets & chips, occasionally with tinned sweetcorn
fresh pasta with chicken & pre-packaged sauce (except I eat the portion meant for 2 people)
chicken with cooked veg (typically 3 of carrots, leeks, broccoli, cauli, sweet potato, butternut squash, spinach, corn) and either roasted or mashed potatoes. I have learnt to eat the jackets off jacket potatoes, rather than leave it behind (a slightly pathetic achievement).
Those make in the bag meals that colemans and knorr do, where you add tomatoes, rice, onions and chicken to a sachet and cook for an hour.
Spaghetti meatballs in sauce
Rich soups with lots of fresh white bread
Stew (typically from M&S)
Sausages and mash with a veg.

Generally I eat a large portion of the main meal. I also snack, quite a lot, on really unhealthy stuff like crisps and chocolate and toast.

Perhaps I could replace snacks with Weetabix? It's about the only food I really enjoy eating as much as junk.

[Aussiemum78]

Eggs with some cooked veg that you do like is a good meal. If you need some carbs you could add some whole meal toast.

Pasta with chicken, some tomato based sauce and a bit of vege is another meal. Tuna is good here too. If you add vege to every meal, even a little, and try and limit carbs and sauces when you can you are developing a habit.

Small changes, just try and make each meal a mix of protein (meat, eggs, cheese) veggie and carb (brown rice, whole wheat pasta). Make serving size reasonable, carbs try and make it 1/3 of the meal. Try and have less sauce and mayo just to cut down any sugar (ketchup is 50% sugar). Slowly get yourself used to it.

You are drinking lots of water so that's good.

Baby steps op. try and slowly improve your habits. Plan your shopping and try to eat three sensible meals a day, maybe pencil in one meal/day a week that is a treat meal/dessert.

You don't have to feel like diet is a punishment, just take it one meal at a time. One day at a time. Your GP should be supportive too.

[Aussiemum78]

The fruit you like is great on cereal. You could try smoothies also with berries, skim milk and yoghurt as a snack/breakfast.

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

I am really grateful for the help, and I appreciate the ideas for meals.

I know I am going to fall down on the in between meals stuff.

Whenever a diet lists suitable snacks you can be sure that there is nothing on the list that I would consider edible. Any suggestions? I hate that I am so limited with food (partly fussiness and partly sensitivity to fruits & veg that I used to love eating)

[Aussiemum78]

Your second post. Your chicken and vege meal is good.
Soups are good, just limit bread and try whole meal.
The pre made meal is ok, you can usually add veggies to this to make it healthier. Stews are good, try and do them with 50/50 veggie and meat.

Sausages, you could replace with leaner meat, or just limit to 1-2 sausages and increase the veggies to fill you up. I add carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato to my mash, then add some steamed broccoli on the side.

The general theme, add veggies where you can, limit white carbs and sauces where you can and gradual changes are better than ones you can't keep for long.

You just need to find a few healthy snacks that you enjoy, or try to limit food to 3 solid meals a day with no snacking (depending on what works for you).

Your meals aren't that bad, they just need small changes, watch your portions, and change your snacking. You can do it. :)

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

Thank you so much.

I have been despairing as my weight has crept up and up over the last year. It's been a really stressful time for us, and that is only starting to change now.

I am really beginning to believe that I can do this! I am going to print this whole thread off to keep reminding me that there are healthier options I can choose and enjoy.

[Aussiemum78]

Crackers with cheese or tuna?

Miso soup?

Veggie soup?

I find it's easier to fill up at breakky and try not to snack as I end up grazing too much. I have a cup of tea if I feel hungry and try hold out for the next meal. My bad habit is I'm a picker. I don't buy too much snack food for that reason, I'm ridiculous at parties with chips I can't stop! It works for some people to snack though, you could keep a diary to pinpoint your habits.

My other habit is I want chocolate when I'm tired. I need sleep when I crave chocolate.

My breakfast today was oats (could do weetbix), with a small amount of milk, banana (peaches), sometimes Greek yoghurt or honey on top. I have leftover chicken and rice with vege for lunch.

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

I was diagnosed with PCOS before and my GP put me on Metformin for high levels of something. He basically said I was pre type 2 diabetes. This was about 4 years ago and I was trying to get pregnant at the time. I got down to about 15 stone then, and got pregnant. I was really lucky and went straight back down to 15 stone after I had the baby, but then I got PND and gained 2-3 stone in 6 months.

I am now in a position to do something about my physical health, and I really want to succeed.

[Aussiemum78]

OF course you can do this :) take your time and give it 6 months of slow steady change.

Half the battle is mental, don't beat yourself up, be proud of every little change you make and results will follow.

[Aussiemum78]

Keep posting at the same time. Are you still on metformin?

Carby and sugary foods are not good for type 2 diabetes or PCOs. Metformin helps your blood sugars. Your weight loss will help, but it might also be slow.

For this reason your GP should definitely re test your levels and refer you to a dietician.

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

We have tonnes of chocolate here at the moment, easter eggs are everywhere still. I can't help myself. I'm going to tell DH to take them all to work tomorrow and save me from them.

I'm going to make proper meal plans for the next week and just buy the things I need (mental note: eat BEFORE going to supermarket - less junk appears in the trolley)

[CheeseFlavouredDiscs]

Thanks Aussiemum I will book an appointment to see my GP about blood tests and dietician.

I'm not on metformin now (only took it for 6 months approx 3-4 yrs ago) and I was on Fluoxetine for 6-8 months, until about 6 months ago, and actually lost weight whilst on it as it made me feel sick most of the day. I have since gained weight due to other stressful situations in my life.

[Blueskybrightstar]

I think you might have yeast overgrowth and insulin sensitivity - can you get these checked? The diet you want to do is horrendous and seems to just be aimed at eating lots of sugar regularly.

Can you increase your exercise and go for some basics-Weetabix, nuts and banana for breakfast, lean meat and veg for lunch, same plus rice for dinner, lots of water, and a mini choc bar in the evening for a big treat? I guarantee you you'd lose a download doing that.

I don't want to sound harsh but you shouldn't be expecting to love the taste of every single thing you put in your mouth. If you have to lose 6 stone you need to start respecting that...food is fuel, give your body the best, grab an oat cake not a sugary snack and the weight will melt off.

[Blueskybrightstar]

Download?! I meant shedload