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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder whether my friend's diet is stupid and unhealthy or pure genius?

78 replies

mrscog · 05/10/2013 20:47

I have a friend (who isn't really overweight but wanted to lose a few pounds) who has recently been doing the craziest diet I've ever heard of.

Basically she loves chocolate so much and didn't want to give it up so she has 3 bars of chocolate a day ( none greater than 300 calories) and then two tins of low calorie vegetable soup. So her day looks like this:

Breakfast - cup of tea and a Twirl

Lunch - Tin of soup and a Crunchie

Dinner - Tin of soup and a Double Decker

I am torn between revulsion and admiration. On one hand it's low in nutrition, but on the other it is a low calorie diet and I think it might have worked. She's so bloody super cheery as she tucks in to her 'treats'.

I'm considering trying it for a few weeks but then I remember that I have DC and should maybe be more careful with my health.

MN jury, what do you think? It's over to you!

OP posts:
YonilyDevotedToYou · 05/10/2013 20:49

I think she's bonkers. Crash diets never work long-term and that one will leave her malnourished, constantly spiking and crashing from sugar rushes, and with terrible teeth!

CoteDAzur · 05/10/2013 20:51

YABU for sure to even wonder "if" this diet is unhealthy.

Original poster
mrscog · 05/10/2013 20:51

I hadn't thought of teeth - do you think it will affect them? I thought if you brushed twice a day then that solved most issues.

Yes to the spiking and crashing from sugar rushes though....she is somewhat...erratic!

OP posts:
GobblersKnob · 05/10/2013 20:51

On pretty much no protien whatsoever, and a fuckload of sugar I can guarantee she won't stay cheery for long Grin

CocacolaMum · 05/10/2013 20:53

mmmm salt from the soup and sugar from the choc... be surprised if her hair doesn't start falling out if she keeps it up. Good luck to her!

Original poster
mrscog · 05/10/2013 20:54

Some days she has an extra chocolate bar to keep her 'going' in the afternoon. I mentioned diabetes as a potential issue, but she saw Dr Christian Jesson say on Twitter that diabetes is caused by being overweight, not sugar consumption so she says for the time being that's not a worry.

OP posts:
NuggetofPurestGreen · 05/10/2013 20:55

I'd be hungry if I only ate that and would be sick of chocolate. Why can't she have low calorie healthy food and one bar??! That's what I do and I'm trying to lose weight too. If you're disciplined enough to stick to the low amount of food don't see why you can't just stick to a healthier low calorie diet...

I'm sure it will work as sounds like she's only eating 900 calories or so a day but it's not healthy!

BillyBanter · 05/10/2013 20:55

don't forget the salt in the soup.

can she not make some decent homemade soup.

It's a terrible diet but it won't kill her for a couple of weeks.

And then she can be her desired weight for 3 months until she puts it back on again.

Glitterkitten24 · 05/10/2013 20:55

That sounds like a recipie for disaster, surely she can't sustain that? Chocolate doesn't fill you up, she must be constantly starving!

Not sure that one will be taking off as the next big diet trend!

thenightsky · 05/10/2013 20:55

Be interesting to see how long she can keep it up. I'd bet 3 weeks max.

specialsubject · 05/10/2013 20:55

it is an insult to a healthy body to eat like this. Shame on her.

the correct reaction is revulsion.

Lonecatwithkitten · 05/10/2013 20:56

No fibre, storing up lots of future bowl issues.
No protein, body will be breaking down protein rather than fat.

DoJo · 05/10/2013 20:56

It's not a long term diet, but will probably achieve her goal in the short term.

Dawndonnaagain · 05/10/2013 20:56

Wonder how non overweight people end up diabetic then.
Of course it's an issue. That much chocolate on a daily basis will add to the potential for diabetes, skinny or otherwise.

Original poster
mrscog · 05/10/2013 20:58

Billybanter I suggested some home made soup (as you'd be able to pack in some goof nutrition that way) but apparently 'it's not as convenient!'

OP posts:
Charotte31 · 05/10/2013 21:00

That sounds just like my husbands diet!! Apart from the healthy evening meal I make for him. :)

Beastofburden · 05/10/2013 21:01

Lol is she a student? Give her some iron and multivitamins and wash your hands of her.

hermioneweasley · 05/10/2013 21:04

If she is consuming fewer calories then she will lose weight, regardless of what the calories are made of. It won't do her any good health wise though.

mistyshouse · 05/10/2013 21:06

and she will get really bad skin

although that will be least of her worries!

zower · 05/10/2013 21:07

whatever. i think she'll feel quite ill after a while though. so quite low down on the genius spectrum

LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops · 05/10/2013 21:12

whispers sounds rather lovely though!

LifeIsBetterInFlipFlops · 05/10/2013 21:12

Astrix fail around 'whispers'

SamHamwidge · 05/10/2013 21:19

It sounds awful!

I am completely.addicted to chocolate but even I would be sick of it if it was all I was having apart from a couple of tins of manky soup.

Most tinned soup is rank, anyway.

How she is sustaining this without feeling sick from hunger/sugar overload I do not know bet she is sneaking the odd bit of other food in here and there.

MairyHoles · 05/10/2013 22:20

My sister "invents" stupid diets like this, I often think she does it for a laugh. She never lasts more than a week but quite often loses a few pounds in that week! The most recent examples are 1.only drinking tea all day then having a Chinese takeaway at 5pm 2. Chocolate bar breakfast, crisp sandwich lunch, soup tea, and, my personal favourite, when I pointed out needing various food groups etc 3. as much as she likes all day every day as long as it's an ice pole, banana or crabsticks. She claims she'll be rich someday when she perfects a diet. Her weight has always been average. Your friends diet won't last long.

Iaintdunnuffink · 05/10/2013 22:22

One cup of tea a day! She's mad, crazy mad.