Do you have questions about weight loss and dieting? Ask the Second Nature experts

[CeriMumsnet]

We all know it’s important to take care of our health, but with so much contradictory messaging out there around weight loss, dieting, and exercise, it can be really difficult to work out the best approach. That’s why we’ve invited the experts behind Second Nature, the weight-loss programme that’s been used by the NHS for over 7 years, to answer any questions you have around losing weight and creating new healthy habits.

Everyone who shares a question by Friday 23 May will be entered into a prize draw to win a free 6 month subscription to Second Nature for either their medication or non-medication programme (depending on the individual winner’s eligibility) T&Cs.

About the experts
Mike Gibbs - Cofounder and COO at Second Nature
Mike co-founded Second Nature over 10 years ago out of frustration of the status quo of the weight-loss industry: calorie counting, fad diets, and misleading nutrition advice. Mike has a Masters in Pharmacology from the University of Cambridge and is Second Nature’s leading health and nutrition geek. He’s had overall responsibility for the science behind Second Nature and health coaching for the last 10 years.

Rosie Carr - Head of Health Coaching at Second Nature
Rosie is an HCPC registered dietitian and has clinical knowledge and experience in remotely delivered weight and diabetes management services. Rosie has worked as a clinical dietitian within the NHS and in New Zealand, before joining Second Nature in 2019 to oversee the delivery of remote health coaching services. Rosie’s key areas of expertise include obesity and diabetes prevention and management, digital healthcare solutions and patient-centred care

Robbie Puddick - Content Lead at Second Nature
Robbie, a registered nutritionist who specialises in public health and behaviour change science, has been working with Second Nature since 2018. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Health Science from the University of Brighton in 2011 and his Master's degree in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Westminster in 2017. Robbie has delivered and developed lectures for several universities, such as Greenwich, UCL, and Winchester, and holds a voluntary role with Sheffield Hallam University, supporting the development of their nutrition programmes.

Any tips for menopausal women where weight loss is slow ?

Hello! I'm a late 20-something girl who regularly goes to the gym and does weight training 4 x week, pilates 1 x week and cardio 2-3 x week. I eat quite clean and healthy (no processed food, lots of protein, dairy, veggies, fruit etc - little heavy carbs e.g. bread). I also take Juice Plus supplements, magnesium, creatine and Juice Plus protein. I have no health problems and have always been quite healthy, I've had a pescatarian diet since I was about 13 and I eat fish for lunch and dinner every day.

Since committing to the gym and my health more in January, I've so far seen some results in muscle mass, but where I've been quite an average size my whole life (I have a BMI of 22) I feel like I am not losing fat mass and I would like to lose a little to tone up some more. For reference, body fat % last year was 18.6% and last week it was 17.8% which seems very low considering I've been upping my training.

I don't like the idea of becoming obsessed with tracking calories, and probably already eat quite low calories as it is! But what do I need to be doing differently and why am I not seeing weight loss? Should I be in a calorie deficit but remain high protein? I probably do need to up my cardio admittedly, I do 20 minutes stairmaster or incline walking after my weight training sessions (which is all I have time for) and find it difficult to get my steps in as I work an office job. I do want to try and get into running as my partner is a runner and wants to do this with me.

Any advice would be really helpful ! Thank you

I have a holiday coming up, what is the fastest and most sustainable way to lose weight within 1-month? I ideally want to lose 1 stone - is this achievable?

What about when your mobility is severely restricted?

My brother for example is a (T12) paraplegic from waist downwards unable to toilet in normal way and he is only getting larger and has been terrified of diabetic complications. He has tried the weight loss injections, shakes and could not tolerate them.

One of the main problems that I have had with managing to implement lasting change is not having enough "mental load" capacity and time to focus on my own health after dealing with my children and family's needs. This is exacerbated by one of my children have SEN and needing more input than the average child.

I think that I don't have the time or mental energy to spend the amount of time and focus that programmes like Second Nature, Noom, etc etc require of you. Is that ever considered when creating these types of programmes? I would want a programme to take away mental load not add to it, if you see what I mean.

What are the statistics and evidence for how many people can maintain the weight loss after they have completed the programme

My question is how to lose weight healthily when menopausal and taking hormone blocking medication.
I'm worried by weight gain when being as active as possible and eating a healthy, pescaterian diet with no processed foods.

How does your programme help with emotional eating? I eat when I'm not hungry but feeling stressed, sad, low...

I constantly see adverts to reduce cortisol because of fatigue,round face,belly weight etc so do these so called products to add to what you drink actually work.

Is it suitable for T1 diabetics who use an insulin pump and also menopausal?

I'm a menopausal primary teacher who is recovering from skin cancer. I don't have much energy but I need to loose weight. Any tips on how I can boost my energy levels to get me going and shed some pounds?! Thanks

How do you build willpower? I've tried every diet going but always slip up. Snacking is my downfall.

Are weight loss injections the only way for some people to loose weight?
Or around 20years I've been a yo-yo dieter. I've tried all typical routes to loose weight and have had slow and inconsistent results, resulting in lots of mental stress around food and meal planning.
I don't want to have to think about food anymore...

I cant seem to stick to any kind of healthy eating plan...by Friday its gone AWOL and I over indulge at weekends. Also menopausal so have stacked on 2 stone (already 2 stone overweight) and its a real struggle to lose it. I feel like I have to eat tiny tiny food portions to see the scales budge!

How do i stick with it?!

I'd like to know why Second Nature sneakily took another £70 out of my bank account, after having sold me my first Mounjaro pen for (allegedly) £129.

Did you think I wouldn't notice?

And yes, I've now cancelled my subscription.

Does “Fast Diet 5:2” work?

what's the correct way to calculate your daily calorie requirement

How can I develop and improve my mindset to help stick with healthy eating and motivation to exercise? I feel that I have knowledge around what to eat but struggle to stick with things. I usually get fed up of having to track everything I eat.

I wonder about how easy it is to wean off these injections and stay at your maintenance weight long term? Thankyou

I would love to know whether weight loss injections will have any effect if you are already eating a healthy low carb diet combined with fasting.

How do you stop binge eating? I eat well all day then binge at night. I’m not overweight, but I’m very unhealthy but I can’t seem to stop, but saying I have an eating disorder seems unlikely when I’m not under or over weight

I've just turned 50, have MS, fibromyalga and an underactive thyroid. Also pre diabetic. Due to the medication I take it feel like I'm losing the battle.
Do you have any advice that could help me to lose weight? I've tried many fad diets but just can't shift it
I'm sure there has to be .more disabled people struggling

There is conflicting advice for menopausal women, especially those who also have PCOS. Do you have any advice or tips to help with not only losing weight but also keeping it off. I am tired of the endless yo-yo weight struggles. Thanks

Thanks @TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne, Mike from Second Nature is keen to help resolve your issue:

'Sorry to hear about this; this sounds like either a mistake or a misunderstanding. The first month of Mounjaro with Second Nature is indeed £129, but there shouldn't be any further charges as it’s an all-in price for the medication, programme, and dietitian support. If you could email [email protected] and ask them to forward your email on to Mike (re: Mumsnet) then I’ll have a look into this to explore what happened.'

Thanks also to everyone who has contributed to this thread so far, there are some really great, interesting questions. If there's anything you'd like to know about weight loss, dieting and living a healthy lifestyle don't hesitate to share a questions with the Second Nature experts! They are here to help, and everyone who posts a question by Fri 23 May will be in with a chance to win a free 6 month subscription to Second Nature!

If you are eating very little and still not losing where can you turn for help?