Which Meal Replacement Diet Should I Choose?

[curlywurlycremeegg]

I know it's not the best way to go about it, but with my BMI hitting 38.5 I need to take drastic action, have tried WW and SW and neither of them have really helped. I am getting desperate and will probably go to see my GP, however felt I should try and kick start things with a very controlled, calorie counted diet first. Any recommendation?

Sorry no recommendations as I have never used them long term [Slimfast is not good lasted a week before I became ill] but I do think you need to go to your GP, demand ask to be referred to a dietician as they will be able to provide you with the support you need and they know which meal replacements work and they can help tailor a diet for when you go back to eating 'normal' meals esp if you have any other health issues.
Good luck

NO NO and thrice NO, that kind of deprivation will only leave you craving 'proper' food even more.
I know it's easier said than done but you can calorie control without resorting to shakes and shit.
As canyou suggested, see your GP or a dietician so that you can follow areduced calorie diet, but with proper food.
Why didn't WW or SW help? Are there other issues than you need to address, perhaps with counselling/therapy?
Sorry, I have managed to make that a really nosey, patronising last sentence all in one.

Thanks for replying, I have no other health issues at present, but feel it's only time before I do, I really struggle to loose weight, always have, in fact the only time I have been within my recommended weight range I lived off one small sandwich with a low fat filling, one "diet youghurt" a day. I am feeling like it's an impossible task and it's really taking over my life, I have had a shitty day with other things but just thinking about my weight going up and up and me not being able to join in with normal activities with my children brings me to tears.

don't do it! sorry you are finding it all so hard.

i am doing ww at the minute and the hard part is realising you do actually have to not eat so much and joining up does not magically mean yuou lose weight.

do talk to your gp adn good luck

Isla, it's not nosey and patronising at all, I didn't like Slimming World, it just didn't fit with my style of eating. WW is a great plan, I just don't loose weight on it, I have no idea what the problem is, I may loose 6-9lbs, but then that's it, even if I stick with it for weeks on end, following the plan, reducing points when needed etc. I am a health professional, so have some background on healthy eating and normal portion size, I really have tried so hard in the past with no success.
I think I now do have other issues about self esteem and confidence, but I think these are due to the weight and not really a factor that is preventing weight loss.

I presume you have eliminated any obvious stuff like thyroid issues? Can you up your exercise evn if you just have to start on a few minures a day, just to get your metabolism going.
I don't know what kind of food you like, although your screen name gives clues :o
What about porridge, with skimmed milk for brekkie, jacket spud, tons of salad for lunch.
Fish or chicken, with tons of veg for dinner.
Apples, and a few nuts for snacks.

had a TFT about 5 years ago which was within the normal range, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have it rechecked.
I do love chocolate, however can do without it if needed. I would pretty much eat what you have suggested, I am not keen on fruit but love veg, don't eat meat and use low fat meat substitues such as quorn and tofu.
I am struggling to up my exercise as I am so busy at the moment, I do walk the children to and from school twice a day (i do a nursery pick up at lunch so do the walk four times in one day), I have four children so am on my feet most of the day running round after them, however in the evening I am sat down a lot as am currently studying to pretty heavy courses so spend a lot of time at the computer.
I feel like my replies are so defeatist, however I really have tried with weight loss programmes and am posting and considering meal replacement as I am so desperate now. I did read on the NHS choices website that people with a BMI over 40 can really struggle to loose weight, I would like to find out a bit more about why this is and if this is why I am struggling.

Can you use your contacts re your profession in Health to find a dietician? I think it's probably worth getting your TFT re done and then getting some specialist help if there is a correlation between higher BMI and slower weight loss.

I will go and see my GP, am on a career break at the moment so don't really want to "call in favours", I am sure they will take things seriously. Thanks for talking things through, I feel so much better :)

Re: TFT ask for the actual results. I have an under active thyroid and suffer from symptoms until TSH around 1. ?Normal? is up to 4.5. Other symptoms include feeling cold and exhaustion. I also have pcos which hinders weight loss. Low GI diet helps with this.

I don?t think meal replacements a great idea. Because even if you do loose it might be hard to sustain afterwards.

With your BMI at that level you should loose weight on a calorie controlled diet say at 1500, but best to make low GI choices and go low carb (although not no carb) to ensure you are not hungry. I allow myself 2 small portions of low GI carbs (generally 40g shredded wheat at breakfast and 2 slices wholemeal bread at lunchtime) and a day plus a couple of apples. Bear in mind that ?normal? weight loss is 1.5-2lbs a week. But even then a pound is 4000 calories, so if you want to loose 2lb a week and your daily requirement is say 1800 you?d only be eating 600 calories a day, which is not sustainable.

I need to write EVERYTHING down, and recommend doing so on food focus/my fitnesspal / fitday (all free). Input that you want to loose 1.5lb a week and see how many calories they suggest. Try for a month writing down everything. Weight loss is cyclical, so it isn?t even, eg you might loose 2lb a week for a few weeks and then not loose anything for a couple of weeks. That?s normal. When I hit my last plateau I did 3 weeks of no carbs (atkins style) which gave me a boost.

A typical day:
Shredded wheat & 30g skimmed milk
Mid morning ? apple
Lunch ? 2 slices wholemeal bread with low fat protein filling (harder if veggie) I like tuna / turkey /smoked salmon. Could do cottage cheese/eggs/tofu (although no mayo) plus 1 fat free (and no sugar) yoghurt
Mid afternoon ? another yoghurt
Dinner ? quorn bolognaise made with loads of veggies, served with chopped up cauliflower (pretending to be pasta). If I did do real pasta would weigh 40g wholemeal pasta. If rice 55g (uncooked) basmati.
Dessert ? 100g fat free greek yoghurt with fruit ? or no dessert but low fat free veggie soup as starter or big green salad with tomatoes and pepper with low fat/low carb dressing.

You do need to find a way to up your exercise though it helps keep your metabolism going, everyone here raves about the 30 day shred DVD.

I may get flamed here, but I did Slimfast for a month a few years ago and lost just over a stone. Seeing the weight disappear helped me lose more once I went off Slimfast and went onto a normal calorie controlled diet plus exercise (haven't regained and continued to lose). I too was desperate. I was over-eating, basically. Slimfast helped me expect to eat less per meal and concentrated my mind on calorie amounts per meal. Basically it kickstarted me and helped me control my appetite. Have never regained - not even after giving birth.

hi, i'm nearly 3 weeks into slimfast and have lost 7.5lbs. finding it really easy - after starting and failing with so many diets over the years. LOVING that the weight's starting to come off and being much more mindful of what i'm eating as i'm writing everything down. useful tool as a kick-start in my opinion. good luck OP

My bmi was a similar amount and I struggled for years. I tried nearly every diet, including meal replacement.

The only diet that worked for me was the Dukan Diet. I lost 4 stone, 4 pounds, was never hungry ad the weight came off quite quickly. It is a restricted diet but you reintroduce food gradually over several phases.

There are a few Dukan threads on here and I found them useful. I also bought the book and read it cover to cover before I started.

I am doig the Dukan and is working well, not for veggies though. In my experience, meal replacement diets don't work because at some stage you have to start eating properly again.