to think that Lighter Life is a big gat waste of money!

[macdoodle]

One of my colleagues has just signed up to this and has gone off in a huff because I have said she is wasting her money!

FWIW I too am overweight and I know the only guaranteed way is to eat less and exercise more - I have done it before I got pregnant and yes its bloody hard work but this is one area where I am pretty sure there is no quick fix!

Also FWIW I am a GP and she is one of our nurses

So AIBU anyone prove me wrong??

big FAT waste obviously - bah when will I learn to previews!

I think it works, but then if you don't eat anything solid for weeks, you are going to lose weight!

what happens when you stop drinks and start eating real food again? or do you never eat again?
no don't think YABU but perhaps a little tactless.

Not unreasonable but maybe need to read "How to win friends and influence people"!

Seriously, you are right- but people always want an easy fix, no personal responsibility and someone else to "hand them a diet". They don't want to change their eating habits- too much hassle!

It is the same with the Special K diet- the idea that if you replace a meal with Special K you will lose weight- well, the odds are that if you eat the same number of calories as in a bowl of Sp K for one meal ( say 250??) you will lose weight. But your replacement meal could be more nutritious than a bowl of Sp K.
eg you could have 2 scrambled eggs on 1 piece toast, then an apple.

I think it depends on what your goals are. If you want to lose weight then LighterLife will work (if you stick to it). It is 500cals a day isn't it?

If however you want to lose fat and generally be healthier then LighterLife is a waste of money.

People are desperate though, just have a look at many of the attitudes towards people who overweight here on Mumsnet (and everywhere) and you can see why people will try anything.

I know people who have lost a lot of weight on LL. I think the fast results give people the incentive to continue. I don't see anything wrong with it.

oh dear yes maybe a bit tactless - we are actually quite good friends and discuss our diets and weight quite a lot
I am a bit disappointed that someone who is educated and sensible is willing to waste spend that amount of money when really she knows the answer !

I'm liking the word gat..should be used more

i think it is a waste of money, and i imagine alot of folk pile the weight back on.

Its £66/WEEK!!!
Its 500 cals day of milkshakes and soup and some "cognitive therapy"
Of course you lose weight quickly if you can stcik to it - I am yet to meet anyone who jmaintained it for any lenght of time after stopping - anyone here to prove me different??

interesting aticle in the times about it

morloth- I am confused by your post.
If you want to lose weight...well weight equals fat usually.

Though crash diets like LL mean you will also lose a lot of muscle which in turn makes it harder to lose weight/control your weight as muscle mass burns more fat, simply by being muscle, even if you are just sitting down all day.

500cals a day! That is ridiculous. It would be very intersting to see how many people keep the weight off after a LL diet- and how many just yo-yo.

Why bother with LL_ why not just eat 500 cals a day and take a multi vit as well, and save yourself the hassle?

I know several people who have had good results with LL. There is actually more than one way to lose weight. It may not be your choice but it is hers.

I think if you're morbidly obese and need to do soemthign drastic to kickstart a change in your ife then it's great
but surely a doctor has to recommend it to her?
I take it your not her doctor?

Why not make your own soup, and live on soup and salads for a week and save yourself £66!
crazy- but people want it easy.

I have an aunt who has done lighter life and the one thing it isn't is easy. It is a waste of money and, as a lardarse myself I can appreciate wanting something to take the lard away and fast, but whatever else it is, LL is bloody hard to live with.

It is unbelievable that people are paying so much to just drink water. It seems a con, like you hand over all that cash and they give you the magic powder to drink.
My SIL's been doing it. She also has to pay GP a sum every so often to sign a certificate that she is fit for it.
Many of the people in her group say they know it works.....'it did last year'. They're doing it each new year......then put the weight back on (of course, because there's no learning how to eat), then doing it again the next year.

My really honest opinion- it's for morons. There, said it. For people who cannot or will not calorie count, for people who are too lazy to take responsibility for their own eating habits, for people who want some kind of quick fix that cannot be sustained.

You cannot live on 500 cals a day for very long without losing a lot of muscle mass. It is unhealthy.

I find it obscene that people eat so much in the western world, and are so greedy with their food that they have to pay for this rubbish, when half the world's population are near starvation.

YABVU, and completely unsupportive. I'm surprised given you are a GP that you wouldn't know the benefits of a monitored VLC diet and the success rates of LL.

How much healthier for her to be a healthy weight, both psychologically and physically.

Are you sure you're not just shitting on her parade because you are also overweight and she's actually doing something about it?

She will take you're comments to her group and will be told, quite rightly, that what you have said to put her off her goal says much more about you than her.

I lost 4 stone 18 months ago on LL. I put a stone of it back on, but that is now coming off again due to more conventional dieting.

Do you know the success rates of dieting without a proper support programme (which LL has?). It's something like 3% of ALL dieters, no matter WHAT diet they do, put it all back on and more in the space of a year.

LL is the only diet I have done where that has not happened to me. The ongoing couselling which I still commit to every week is invaluable for re-programming my brain around food.

Your colleage is doing something really proactive and you are being destructive and cruel to be so outspoken.

The success of LL for people significantly overweight is great. Psychologically the rapid weight loss spurs you on and keeps you committed. The absense of ordinary food shocks the hell out of you when it becomes crystal clear that previously you were reaching for food because you are tired, upset lonely, stressed etc. It forces you to deal with these feelings head on, rather than bury them under food.

Grrr, you're OP has really irritated me. ESPECIALLY because you are a GP.

The money is nothing when you consider you aren't buying any other food whatsoever. And you pay for the counselling and support. Finally - what price your health and happiness?

Howtotellmum - Interesting view you have their. I gues IMO people with views like yours are morons.

Well said Sycamore, totally agree with everything.

OP I think you should go and find out a bit more about VLCD's and how they can change peoples lifes forever. Armed with a bit more knowledge perhaps you could find it in yourself to support your colleague and may even find yourself tempted to recommend one to your patients, as they really can save lives.

howtotellmum weigh is made up of all sorts of things, muscle, water, fat, organs etc. Just losing weight is no guarantee that you will change your body composition to less fat more muscle.

I am very heavy for my size (I fluctuate between 65-70kgs) but I where a size 8-10 My BMI is averaged at about 27ish - so actually in the overweight category (I am 163cms). My DH likes to comment that I am dense.

If you don't eat enough calories (whether they be carbs, protein, fat) your body will canibilise itself to stay alive, and it will hold onto your stored energy until it must let go or die. At 500cals a day (assuming no exercise) you will indeed be burning up fat, but you will also be sacrificing muscle and organ health. It isn't worth it.

I lost all of my fat by cutting right down on carbs, eating lots of protein to build muscle mass and dietary fat (even saturated!) to provide energy to protect my organs.

By howtotellmum Mon 01-Jun-09 11:24:51 Add a message | Report post | Contact poster
My really honest opinion- it's for morons. There, said it. For people who cannot or will not calorie count, for people who are too lazy to take responsibility for their own eating habits, for people who want some kind of quick fix that cannot be sustained.

that's bollocks.
I am a well educated, sensible person and seriously considered LL to break the habit of over eating and eating the wrong stuff.

To remove food completely would break the habit of having to choose healthy food intead of that microwave meal.

I haven't done it though as I can't afford it - I am going to sort my mental health issues out on my own and diet from the back of that instead.

Howtotell - Yes, I'm a moron with a 1st degree and work at a management level at one of the biggest media companies in the UK.

Because of course it's as simple as eating cottage cheese and salad. OF COURSE! You KNOW you should, so whey bloody don't you?

ERM, because there are EMOTIONAL issues going on with people who are properly overweight. And that is LL's target market.

How dare you post so rudely? Would you say the same about someone who is addicated to alcohol or drugs? Fucking hell - it's the same thing. You are the moron if you can't understand that.

I can calorie count you condescending arse. Just like a fricking alcoholic and measure a unit.

Thanks sycamore I did want to hear the other side
As a GP I am very aware of the success rates and after a year LL performs NO better than conventional diets but costs lot more/is unpleasant IMO/ and if I am honest I feel is unsafe (and it BLOODY ANNOYS me that LL expect the GP to sign saying it is safe for the patient )!!
I am not shitting on her parade and I wish her the very very best, I would prefer she did it the healthy sensible way and not spend a lot of money

But I have just apologised and said of course I support her and I really hope it works and will say no more negative (to her) - I am back to the gym and my healthy diet today (1 June ), so we shall see how we both do