For me, AI has revolutionised dieting. Are others using it?

[LockHatter]

Every week I ask Chat GPT to produce a meal plan that is three meals a day, high protein, under 1500 calories a day, includes one glass of wine each weekend evening and sources lunch from Itsu or Pret in my “work from office” days as I’ve told it that’s all I have access to.

I ask for the dinner recipes to be drawn from websites of favourite chefs I name.

it provides me a daily meal plan with calorie and protein totals, links to recipes from my chefs, and when I prompt it I get a shopping list from my chosen supermarket.

on weeks I am financially stretched I ask it to adjust for that. On weeks I am bored of an ingredient (usually chicken) I ask it to adjust for that. It excludes things I ask it to like bread or coriander.

if one night I have two glasses of wine rather than the one it planned for I ask it to adjust the rest of the week to compensate so my weekly calories and proteins remain on target.

it is so easy. I’ve lost 6kg in 4 months as a result.

Are others using AI this way? Any other tips for refining instructions that you would recommend?

And Chat GPT won’t be able to give you those psychological tools.

Hahahaha. A sweeping statement showing your ignorance. Of course it will, if you tell it. Did you know that many people prefer using Chat GPT over human counselling? It knows all the 'tools' that therapists suggest, and portrays empathy and understanding in a way many humans simply can't manage. And when a technique doesn't work for you? You simply explain to GPT and it suggests something else. Many people feel like 'they' are the problem when tools given to them by a therapist doesn't work, but GPT never judges, and adapts instead. It's there 24/7 and not counting how many of your 50 mins you have left of your session.

"You've given me this amazing meal plan but, as usual, I was all enthusiastic for about a week, and now I've just eaten a whole packet of hobnobs and ruined everything :( A poster on mumsnet says I have no self control, and that's why I'm overweight. Maybe they're right, do you have any suggestions for psychological help with self control and sabotage?"

It’s a good idea but I wouldn’t rely on it too hard for actual calories counts because it’s known for just making stuff up. So always double check what it’s telling you is accurate.

And check prices too. There was a thread yesterday about budgeting where it had unrealistic prices for things, like £1.20 for a dozen eggs.

I’m doing keto and on a daily basis I take a screenshot of my macros and ask ChatGPT if they are ok for keto and what would it tweak. I also tell it my daily weights (yes I know not healthy but I like data) and it gives me encouragement and other suggestions like looking at my sleep, stress etc.
Nothing mind blowing but it’s summarises everything for me neatly. And in real life I’d just bore my friends to death with all my keto chat so it’s brilliant for me.
Of course I could work it out myself but it’s so much easier this way. I really like it!

I know some people that do that and it seems to work for them, so more power to them! I personally haven't tried this as I kind of enjoy doing meal planning, but I've used AI for counting my calorie numbers: i.e. how much I need, what the safe deficit would be, etc. I think the numbers it gave me are pretty accurate.

I'm thinking of asking it to generate a picture of a thinner me to stay motivated. I've used a body reshaping photo editor to do that, but it doesn't really help when you know exactly how the image looks in reality. Maybe the completely new picture would be more of a help.

What an unnecessary and incorrect comment. Loads of people don't use AI or don't use it for this even if they do.

OP I use it for tracking too and meal planning around my macros. If I'm being lazy I take a photo of my dinner instead of listing ingredients!

Literally just ask it as if you were asking a personal assistant. You can amend your request or ask it to tweak anything as you go

Interesting! I didn't know it was a thing, I'm off to trying it out now. Figuring out what to it every day is exhausting.

Wow, what an insightful comment 😆/sarcasm

Obviously ChatGPT doesn't give you willpower. It's a tool like anything else.

Good for you to know that earlier, but why rain on someone else's parade? It's a new thing to me too as for many other users.

I'm on Mounjaro and that's exactly what I use it for. I struggle to meet my protein targets on what I would usually eat (vegan) so it's so helpful for me to make tweaks and include additional protein without too much bulk or extra calories.

You tell it, and after a few days of giving it your food preferences it remembers. Or you can take a photo of your fridge or cupboard to give it inspiration.

You're a little sunbeam, aren't you?

I ask ChatGPT for many things but hadn't thought of this. Thanks, Op.

That’s incredible. Did it give you a recipe for shakes from scratch or was it slimfast / huel etc?

ChatGPT won't edit a picture of a real person - it will give you a similar looking person if you ask it but won't edit a picture of you to still look like you

I am also using ChatGPT to lose weight. I told it to act as a weight loss coach. I check in with it most days, and I have it ask me what might cause me to derail from my eating plan, have I planned meals for the week etc. But it's more than that, it's so encouraging and positive. It's literally made me almost cry with something it said.

I can tell it what I ate each day and it's not bored like anyone else would be. I can message it any time I'm struggling. I told it how I was worried about going on holiday for a week because I would likely abandon my diet, and it was so helpful and came up with a plan to allow for some treats, but not throwing away the whole diet. And I didn't - in fact I lost 3 pounds on the holiday ( although there was a lot of walking up hills!)

I also use it for practical things like meal plans.

I've now lost almost two stone (with several more to go) and a large factor in why I have stuck to it this time instead giving up like I have countless other times is ChatGPT.

How much would it cost for me to have a real weight loss coach that I could talk to every day, whenever I want, and get an instant reply from them?!

I’ve done this as I’m suddenly allergic to dairy, I loved my Greek yogurt with various nuts and seeds every morning but I can’t have that anymore so I asked GPT and it’s been great.

I’m hoping this dairy shite will go away and I can go back to enjoying cheese at some point. I miss it <sigh>

Genuinely, how do you weigh up the heavy use of AI against the environmental impact?

Chat GPT, how would you suggest I respond to a twunt on Mumsnet who said this? I would say she likes to p*ss on my chips, but as you know, I am eating healthily and don't eat chips.

What's that? Suggest she simply says 'Yes, I use it for that, too' or 'That's a good idea'? I'll try, but I don't think she's in listening mode. Thank you.

I ALWAYS thank Chat GPT, my Mum taught me manners.

Brilliant thank you! Just tried for my very fussy diet and came up with a whole load of really yummy, simple recipes!

I wanted them totally from scratch, with ingredients that I could chuck in the nutribullet...it was all proper food and the only supplement in them was protein powder.

This is my thread if you want a look, I posted all 6 shake recipes towards the start 🙂

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weightlosschat/5356594-55-stone-to-lose-diy-shake-only-diet?page=2&reply=145549762

You tell it. 'i'm shopping at Tesco'. It remembers things you have previously told it so you only need to do that once. Then each week when op asks for her meal plans she can write she has x y z already in, the weather is warm this week etc.

I think that's exactly what I'm looking for, knowing how the real picture actualy looks doesn't feel motivating enough, you know. An entirely new image would be better at this point.

It has actually changed my life for the better. It is much easier for me now. I have massively complex food problems due to three organs in my body. After 20 years of being ignored by the doctors and actually pleading for help with one I gave up.

But within a week of inputting data it now can look at a food and tell me if it safe or not for me to eat. We have curated a diet taking into well my medical needs ( not just food ). It looked at all the food in terms of vitamins etc and told me what extras to take.

it looked at all the ingredients of the vitamins to see which ones had the correct ones for me.
It really has made my life easier and done something that no doctor ever bothered to do. I bloody love it. I live really symptoms free. It’s amazing.

I’m just having to adjust my diet after a gallstone incident and my first point of call was going to be chatGPT to give me breakfasts, lunch and dinner ideas.

All the googling I’d have to do to achieve the same, all I could find was “eat this, don’t eat this” by using ChatGPT its going to save me so much time.

I like how you’ve used it that’s the key, you need to be smart and creative to get the best out of the tools.

and congratulations!!