to spend £250 on this?

[TheUpsideDown]

www.dnafit.com/diet/

I'm getting older and fatter. I genuinely eat healthy and currently do 30 mins to an hour of exercise a day (gym, swimming, fitness DVD at home or a jog). But I'm not losing it anywhere but off my boobs! And Ive never had much boobage to start off with so I'm just getting flatter in the chest. But if I put weight on it doesn't go back to my boobs, it just gathers around my middle or my arse. It's really depressing! I'm clearly not eating the right things for my body and not doing the right exercises.

I'm considering this DNA diet (I want the most expensive package at £249 which will tell me what foods to eat/avoid and what fitness programme I should follow based on my genetics) but DH thinks it's an obscene waste of money and unreasonable of me to spend this much on what he considers to be nothing more than another fad diet that won't work....

Has anyone here done this diet. Is it worth the money? Or is my DH right? Is it just a fad that doesn't work?

I mean - a 3lb gain of muscle in a week is powerlifter territory, but even then, I suspect it would be beyond them.

My point really was along the lines of

"I gained 3lb this week and I've been sticking to it 100% working out non stop" and someone coming along and telling you it's muscle because it weighs more, nice to hear but in reality it's not likely to be true.

Yes I agree with this as well.

It's when you're close to your ideal weight (or at it) when it's better to switch to tape measures rather than scales for seeing the effects of diet and exercise on your body.

In fact, I'd suggest popping over to the MN 5:2 thread and asking someone like BigChocFrenzy for advice? There's a heap of advice on those threads.

It'll be way cheaper than £249.

Yes, it's the density.

An arm with strong muscle mass will be heavier but smaller than an arm with large fat deposits in the same way that, say a 2 inch square cube of steak will weigh more than a 2 inch square cube of fat taken from the steak.

I agree with your DH. There is a thing that won't cost you a penny, it's called willpower. The only way to lose weight is to eat less, whatever your DNA.

So not helpful. I couldn't actually eat less or move more than i do with the hours i have in the day. I am still 1.5st overweight (size 12) and under PT and diet control but its hard to shift. I haven't eaten any processed foods for 4 weeks, not that i ate masses before anyway. I go to the gym twice a week, i run up to 5 times a week (have done this for 13months now). I also have 3 horses so i am very active before and after work, i do around 22000 steps a day too.
Yet i have friends who are tiny size 6 or 8's who have never done exercise in their life, and eat anything and everything everyday yet do not gain an ounce.

Sometimes it really grates when people tell me i just need to eat less and move more. Really? So for the rest of my life i am not going to be able to enjoy a guilt free treat just because i look at bad food and get fat?

Admittedly i did used to be a size 16/18, i lost 4st on SW in 2013 but then i was huge and it just fell off changing my diet.

Red What's your body fat % like? You might be one of those for whom BMI isn't too accurate? (I'm guessing your muscle mass is probably high)

I'm not losing it anywhere but off my boobs!

UpsideDown, it's impossible to target weight loss. Every body has a unique fat storage system; when you lose weight, you lose it from the areas and in the order that your body dictates. But you can complement weight loss with targeted muscle toning. If I were you, I would forget dieting, eat healthily and concentrate on Ashtanga yoga - it builds up the chest muscles as well as being an excellent overall workout.

The only person I know IRL who has tried 5:2.... lost some weight. But plateaued, still way too heavy. I suspect it only works for the usual 3-6 months like most weight loss diets. Because most people don't stick it for longer.

StillMaidOfStars not had it tested, we don't have a machine at my gym (its a small gym at work) But i guess worth looking in to going somewhere to can test it?
I have muscly legs but i am really big around my bum, belly and back so that's where the flab needs to go from. I struggle with a few of the exercises aimed at that area though as i broke my spine in 4 places a long while back and i still suffer (although running has helped massively!)

I got down to a comfortable size 10 after SW, with a slimish tummy and no back fat or big bum, then life happened and i put a stone back on. But back then the only exercise i done was horses so no idea why the middle section won't chuck off the weight now i am actually doing more! My clothes are not even getting looser so i cant even say i am toning up

sorry to hijack post OP!

Few things here -
You probably aren't gaining muscle. It's impossible to gain muscle in calorie deficit. Weights etc tone up existing muscle, they don't grow new muscle unless you're body building, for which you need calorie surfeit.

1200 is probably fine for your height and weight, it's not starvation rations. You could eat a bit more on days you do some heavy cardio, get a heart rate monitor and monitor what exercise is the most effective.

You can't choose where to lose fat on your body. There is no magic combination of food and exercise that will make the weight go from your waist rather than boobs.

Lots of myths on here, firstly starvation mode, cmon, you know that's a myth right? You starve you lose weight, think of anorexia or concentration camp or famine victims, you don't get fatter as you're body goes into starvation mode. You get thinner.

Secondly, it's very very difficult for a woman to bulk up doing weights,,kit makes you leaner. You normally have to take supplements and do extensive lifting at a high number of reps to achieve it and even then it's hard. If your sister is bulking up it's because she is eating too much and getting fatter.

Thirdly, you say you stick to 1200 a day, but clearly something is amiss in your calculations, and it could be you're not counting calories at the weekend i.e. Booze or snacks, even things like milk in drinks, or simply you are underestimating your portion sizes and thus the real calorie intake.

The simple fact is you are consuming more than you are expending, so you need to retook at your consumption honestly. Keep a food diary for two weeks, write down everything you eat and drink, everything. Then work it out accurately. Weigh your food if you need to and are unsure of portion sizes.

And no you don't need a faddy expensive diet. Honestly..,

You can't choose where to lose fat on your body. There is no magic combination of food and exercise that will make the weight go from your waist rather than boobs.

Yep, but that's not fat loss. Op is hoping to lose fat off her middle and keep her boobs by this special DNA diet - you know that's not possible.

Try Slimming World first. I've lost nearly 2 stone in a year (and was only a size 12/14 to start with) by following this. I would have said I ate healthily and exercised well before I started too. Most people on SW lose at least 4-5lbs in their first week! It's only a fiver a week so definitely worth trying before you shell out £250 in my opinion.

TheUpsideDown

Yes - I had the DNA test and have done this and I would strongly advise you against it. My view was that it was a total waste of money.

I was expecting some kind of revelation that if I didn't eat XYZ that my weight would drop off. In fact what I got back was a load of generalised crap that said things like (eg) you can tolerate carbs well and the DNA dietician when we went through the report said to me "most people have a problem with this".

The diet plan contained no "revelations" and was basically just a mediterrean diet plan. They also told me I shouldn't eat BBQ or chargrilled food as it was carcinogenic and bad for you (duh!).

I really regretted it. It was an absolute waste of money.

Plus also when you send you DNA sample you have to sign a massive disclaimer about they can pretty much do anything with your sample -including using it on databases etc anonymously. Wish I'd never done it.

Look into weight training for at least 3 months before you waste money on this fad.

I do a lot of strength and weight training and I won a consultation and plan from this exact company:
It's not at worth £250. Was interesting but not practically useful iyswim.
If you're exercising several times a week and not bedridden 1200 calories is crazy. You are almost certainly in starvation mode and probably retaining fat on top of whatever muscle you've created, making it look bulky.
Try the zone diet, free info online and was the one that worked best for me. Lost 9kilos of body fat

lljkk I lost 2.5 stone on 5:2, walking / cycling, and HIIT. And it's stayed off because I have changed my eating habits and still do lots of exercise. It works if you look at is as a new lifestyle and not as a quick fix diet.

Plus also when you send you DNA sample you have to sign a massive disclaimer about they can pretty much do anything with your sample -including using it on databases etc anonymously.

Sinister.

Sorry I haven't been around, busy day. Just catching up with the posts....

Thank you all for your advice. I have decided against the DNA diet

Firstly can I just say, I'm not overweight. I'm just have more weight than I'm comfortable with. This is a result of having my son and losing the time to exercise and grabbing shit convenience food. But he's at preschool 4 he's a day 4 times a week now so hallelujah i have some spare time to get back into an exercise routine and plan meals. In all honesty willpower isn't a problem for me. I enjoy exercising and good nutritious food.

I do keep a very honest food diary (using the MFP App) - there's only me looking at it so I have no need to cheat. BUT no I don't bother with it at the weekends because before I had my son I tended to get overly obsessive about food/weight and I did at one point get stupid-thin. DH has made me promise to go into it this time with a healthy mindset too, and not obsess 24/7 tapping in every little thing I eat into MFP. He's adskjed me to ignore it at weekends +but this doesn't mean I go crazy and gobble endless amounts of chocolate and crisps, drinking gallons of wine. I just allow myself the odd treat or glass of G&T without calculating calories, fretting that it'll tip me over 1200 calories)

I'm going to look more into all your helpful suggestions....

Sorry lots of spelling & grammar errors in my post above! Typing fast

1200 calories isnt a lot. You are starving yourself and your body is trying to protect itself.

You aren't eating anything like enough and your body is clinging onto the calories it has.

This is bollocks.

I second (third, fourth?) Slimming World, DD2's BF's DM (still with me?) has lost FIVE stones in 18 months on it, DD2 lost 3 stone in 6 months.

Even I managed to lose 2 stone, and I'm on high dose steroids, have an underactive thyroid, and unstable brittle asthma and can only walk about 10m before I have to sit down, can't swim either, chlorine sets me off.

If I can lose weight on SW with that lot against me, fucking anybody can.

I really only want to lose half a stone, to a stone at the very most. I'm not actually medically overweight. I'm just not comfortable at being at the latter end of the healthy bmi scale for my weight and height (5ft 2", small petite frame, 8st 13lbs), I'm just carrying more weight than I'm comfortable with. I'm not what you'd call 'fat' but I look frumpy with a thick lumpy undefined middle, chunky thighs and saggy heavy bum. I don't think SW or WW is necessary for me. I think I need to do my research into the foods I should eat and the types of exercises that will achieve the lean look I'm aiming for.

I'm thinking about consulting a nutritionist now... but this will all depend on the cost. I'm guessing a good nutritionist doesn't come cheap?!

All you need to do is eat fewer calories than you are burning. Consulting nutritionists or dieticians is overkill. Take a vitamin supplement if you're worried. Eat less, move more.