OMG PT has given me this diet

[JoshGrobansFurryHamster]

Does this not sound a bit..insane? I’m gonna try it (need to lose a stone) but my face is currently

This doesn’t seem to be a terrible lot of food..especially factoring in exercise

CUTTING DIET

Breakfast should be clean and fresh

Breakfast

1 Weetabix & 2 eggs

250mls grapefruit juice

500mg Vitamin C

1 dandelion root

Snack

Apple/orange or pineapple

Lunch

170 gram turkey/chicken & 90g basmati rice/sweet potato

Dinner

140 grams chicken or turkey or 140 grams red meat or oily fish

Supper

2 x rice cakes with light soft cheese/peanut butter

500mg Vitamin C

1 dandelion root for water retention

4 litres of water per day

Try not to add salt to your food

You can add seasoning like pepper, chilli, garlic etc

[WildBluebelles]

OK, that makes more sense. My guess is that your base number of carlories has been affected by you dieting down from a morbidly obese size and as a result, your body doesn't need as much food to maintain weight. I would personally hate to be in that position because if you gain weight again (and from what you say, that could happen if you eat an extra couple of apples a day), you will surely have to go even lower than your maintenance calories to lose it again?

I also think a similar thing happens to gastric surgery patients. They can now only eat a small amount of food for the rest of their lives, but they usually go down to a 'normal' rather than super skinny size and their body maintains there.

For people who have not been through that diet-journey though, 900 calories is not a sensible or sustainable diet. It just isn't. I was watching a programme about the Biggest Loser contestants in the US. Nearly all of them after losing huge amounts of weight, have gone on to regain the majority of the weight. One guy said that the low calorie diet they were given completely screwed up his metabolism and he now has to eat below 1000 calories just to maintain (which is similar to you). He couldn't stick to that in the long-term (although he did do it for a few years) so the weight piled back on.

I am not super-sedentary (walk about an hour and do daily vinyasa yoga) but at the same time I am not lugging bricks for a living or anything. I can definitely eat 2000 calories and maintain, so the 900 cals for life diet fills me with dread. But I accept that when you have come down from a very high weight, that is the payoff and it is good that you have managed to keep it up. It's not a universal fact that 900 cals is good though.

[theredjellybean]

I was morbidly obese once.
I lost weight when I woke up to the fact many obese people are that way because we eat too many calories.
I am happy the way I am, and like others on this forum, know that around an average 900-1000 calories is what I need, anymore I gain weight.
Most of us are quite sedentary, and so if we calculate what our daily requirements are and want to lose a lb a week, we have to have a 500 calorie PER DAY defeciet, we don't need much...
I am sorry this seems to upset people so much but bottom line, I am now a healthy weight, my bloods show I am physiologically healthy, a recent bone dexa scan showed my bones in excellent health for my age.
So I cannot see why people feel they can criticise so freely.

[potatoscowls]

Can I ask... what on earth is wrong with weetabix?

[WildBluebelles]

You said you were a size 10-12, thered, not morbidly obese. Why do you need such a low calorie diet then? If you honestly think it's healthy and sustainable, keep eating like that. For most people it won't be healthy or sustainable though, so it should not be promoted as a healthy way of eating, especially when doing exercise.

Also, most doctors have not studied much nutrition. If you said you were a dietitian, I might take more notice. I would be surprised if you recommended to your healthy weight patients that they should eat fewer than 1000 calories a day.

[theredjellybean]

Actually I am a doctor.
The original 5:2 diet was devised by a doctor.
NICE does recommend very low calorie diets for weight loss in obese patients as first line.
And my diet, well actually I am nit on a diet... I just eat like this because I like it and I am full at meal times and genuinely hungry for my next meal.
But my 'diet' is full of veg and salad and protein, so I am not missing any minerals etc... Thanks for your concern.
My recent bloods show I have excellent liver and kidney function, I have good iron stores, and my hb1ac is in healthy range.
I have never been healthier... And will hopefully never be a burden to the NHS with obesity or life style related health issues. So next time you want to 'paste' someone perhaps ask for the facts first

[VivaLeBeaver]

It's a waste of money isn't it?

You'll lose weight but that's not a sustainable diet. So the weight will likely go back on after you stop the diet.

[Bunnychopz]

Is the egg eaten with the wheetabix?

[Bunnychopz]

Hilarious. Vitamin c tablet but no real veg!

[Bruceishavingfish]

But again. Previous dieting may not be the cause.

When i eat low cal, i also feel better. TMI ALERT - when i eat a normal amount of food even when its all healthy, loads of veg etc, i have stomach problems. I dont go for a poo for days. I get stomach cramps, my skin starts looking bad and dull, i get bloated.

When i eat small amounts, i go to the toilet every day and feel great. I look better too. Eating less than the usual recommended amount, agrees with me. In many ways.

[OldWitch00]

There is a series (USA documentary) called The Weight of the Nation. Extreme obesity aside, they mention how low cal dieting leads to the body being forced to become more fuel efficient and leads to a permanent decrease in caloric needs. At the time of the production the research showed that the body never returned to a higher metabolic rate.
So if you have dieted in the past, indeed your requirements may be that low and will remain that low for life.

[Cakelesswonder]

Please please be careful drinking that much water with no salt on your food and taking a diuretic. That could seriously mess with you electrolyte levels which can be fatal in extreme cases.

[JonSnowsWife]

Unless you really are an Olympic sprinter!

No chance I'm afraid I can't run a bath never mind a race! 😂

But principle remains, people need energy to keep active enough on a fitness regime (I used to go running 4x a week, zumba classes 3x a week and body pump etc) I lost the most weight when I started eating the right things whilst also doing the exercises etc and keeping a lower, but not too low calorie intake.

The OPs PT telling her to have Weetabix doesn't sound right at all.

[WildBluebelles]

I do wonder why people are so scathing of lowish calories diets

Um because for a normal person there is no way in hell they can sustain that (and I am not sure how you can basically live off a salad and one meal and still do loads of running yourself but I will give you the benefit of the doubt). Doctors do not recommend a diet as low in calories as the one you were promoting plus it will be lacking in essential vitamins and minerals.
The reason you got a pasting (deservedly so) so was that you kept saying that people don't realise that in fact we don't really need much food at all and could all survive on 800 calories. If you want to starve yourself- go nuts but don't try to push it as being healthy in any way.
I lost 2 stone through eating around 1800 calories a day by the way.

[cathyandclare]

JonSnowswife presumably you'll require fewer calories to lose or maintain weight too then? Unless you really are an Olympic sprinter!

If 1200 is maintenance then to lose around a pound a week. I'd need to drop to 800, which is depressing. I'm not endorsing the PT's diet, I'd cut the Weetabix and add in a load of lower carb veggies and some healthy fats too. I agree that some of the Joe Wick's meals are great, but I definitely have to cut the portion sizes significantly.

[JonSnowsWife]

cathyandclare I'm 5 2.

[cathyandclare]

The depressing truth is that shorter/smaller people need fewer calories. My maintenance calories count on the TDEE calculator is 1200 a day. I have a BMI in the healthy range- but at the moment it's nearer 22-23 than 20-21 where I feel best.

To get down, I need to low carb and reduce calories. If i stuck to the calorie counts that everyone talks about on some of the weight loss boards I'd gain loads!

[JonSnowsWife]

I do wonder why people are so scathing of lowish calories diets

Because it's fine as a kickstart but it's not sustainable, especially when paired with things like high cardio workouts.

Your car won't go very far very efficeintly without much fuel in it and its the same for a human.

An Olympic Sprinter wouldn't get far round the track with their best performance on that diet.

[M5tothesouthwest]

Gosh. That PT hasn’t a clue. Weetabix is not ‘clean’ food and there is a shocking lack of veg in that diet. The calorie count is fine for a weight loss programme but you should be eating lean protein, lots of green veg and a few balanced carbs like sweet potato, brown rice etc. The dandelion root is a diuretic so you lose weight quickly via water-loss rather than burning fat. Not good.
You’ve been had!

[MyOtherProfile]

Fill up on veg. I'm really shocked that he's presenting that as a clean and healthy diet without loads of veg. It's not sustainable. I'd go light on carbs and fill on veg.

[JonSnowsWife]

Re the Joe wicks book yes but if you're short of money for a recipe book for £10/20 or whatever they are these days.

He does youtube videos of a lot of his recipes. They're free and quite easy to follow.

[icklekid]

I'd highly recommend Joe wicks books for good recipe ideas for healthy meals. Some post workout with carbs and some less so. All got calories etc listed to help. I also suggest following slimming world or similar actually does help follow a healthy life style (as long as don't just eat the processed stuff like Miller lights etc) and good eating habits. The exercise will help with toning but diet is what you need to lose that stone which I think you know! Is possible by Christmas if you wanted to!

[kalinkafoxtrot45]

This PT sounds awful. You might lose weight on this but you'll rebound. Cutting diets are meant to be short term in any case.

[JonSnowsWife]

I used to do clean eating. Never was Weetabix ever on my menu.

Your PT is having you on and enough of your money too by the sounds of it.

[Bruceishavingfish]

Another who only loses weight when they eat very low calorie.

It is true for some of us. Weight loss is near impossible, unless i eat less than 1000 cals a day.

[JigglyTuff]

JoshGrobans - you might find the blood sugar diet is what you're looking for. 800 calories a day and low carb. You're only supposed to do it for 8 weeks though. So no good for the anorexics