Habitual total diet replacement

[springtome]

Hi, looking for some support and advice.

I've started today on the diabetes remissions program and total diet replacement.

Has anyone else done this?

I'm sat trying to eat a bowl of the soup but it's making me retch. The texture is so wrong. It's sliding off the spoon which soup shouldn't do.

Does anyone have any advise on how to make it more palatable please? I am determined to do this but this but I need to get past the food. I had the porridge this morning and a shake and they were ok. It's just this soup I'm struggling with.

What is this?

My OH has type 2 and managed to get his into remission some years ago by low carbing but stopped doing it and never went back.

It's basically a low calorie diet using meal replacements so porridge, shakes and soups. You do it for 12 weeks then introduce meals back into your diet over the next 6 weeks. You also get weekly coaching.

If I can stick to it, it is proven to put diabetes type 2 into remission. I just need to get over the gag reflex to swallow the products 🤢

Can you not stick to shakes if you don’t find the soups palatable? Can you supplement with bone broth for a savoury warm drink perhaps?

The problem is you get a months worth of the products in one go so I've got loads of the soups 😕

I'm vegetarian so no bone broth. I did add more salt and pepper but it's not the taste but the texture that I couldn't stomach. Will have to try more water to thin it out maybe.

Are you paying for it? Can you swap the products you don't like?

No its via the NHS. So I have 4 weeks worth now, when I come to order month 2, I can not get soup (unless I can find a way to make them less slimy!)

If I was you I would buy some of the shakes from a rep near you. You need to sort of enjoy it.

Is it the Cambridge plan?

Try it chilled? Or from a cup instead of a spoon?

It's called habitual. A box is quite expensive. Will try thinning it down and adding Tabasco maybe tomorrow.

There is a Facebook group with tips. I used to add extra water to soup and less to the porridge. Trial and error adding spices and flavour to soup. On that group people often will swap products and just cover your own postage. There’s tips on there to air fry soup mix etc too. Good luck phase 1 was my favourite

I've just finished the 12 weeks and lost over 2 stone and feel great.
Add fresh basil chopped up in the tomato and pepper soup and fresh Coriander to the spiced carrot.
The green soup is definitely gloopy! My least favourite.
Chop up celery really, really small and add to any of them. You need to break up the texture a bit.
I added chilli powder to them too sometimes.

I found the shakes very tasty, but not filling enough.
The porridge made with less water is more satisfying.

Bake stodgy porridge to make biscuits.
Freeze a shake to make an ice cream.

I realise there are other ways of losing weight, but this programme does offer ongoing support and an initial fast weight loss and I'm really glad I took up the option.

Hang on in there and good luck.

Sorry I thought the NHS used Cambridge.

I think the tip of having it in a cup is good rather than eating with a spoon. Good luck with the rest of it.

Thanks for support - cup did help, although I still couldn't quite finish the soup but did better than the last time 😀

I came here looking for a thread about this diet, I'm due to start next week, but the brand I've been given in altralife. The soups in that have a weird texture too, but I'm going to buy a mini whisk and hope that helps.
There is no porridge on my one though! Only soup and shakes.

I've now done 8 weeks so if you have any questions just shout. Make sure you join the private Facebook group as it's really useful. Some people say it's better to cook the soups out on the hob others say don't add the fibre to the soups. I just gave up on them and swapped them with other members for shakes.

It's a great program though. I've lost 19kg in 8 weeks.

I'm not on Facebook but thanks for the advice about the hob.
I wonder what the difference between different brands is.

I think that might have been the previous provider. Some who have been on the programs before said the previous provider was better. I've only used habitual products so don't know what the difference is.