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Weight loss chat

A space to talk openly about weight loss journeys and challenges. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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Original poster

Crash diet programme/meal replacements

48 replies

Gemi33 · 03/06/2018 08:55

Did anyone see the programme about crash diets last week? I am thinking of trying meal replacements as a kickstart as I think I need to take food out of the equation completely for a bit. Has anyone else done this? How did you get on? What are the best meal replacements to use? I don't have much money so wondering if it's affordable,

thanks

OP posts:

Mooey89 · 03/06/2018 09:00

Honestly I thought that programme was irresponsible.
Meal replacements are expensive. Cambridge etc where you get the support of a ‘consultant’ is £60 + per week
Slim fast etc is slightly cheaper but stil £££.

You will gain the weight back again.

The only place these diets have is if you need to lose weight very quickly, temporarily.

Don’t do it.

HeyMicky · 03/06/2018 09:06

A friend has done this, twice. Both times lost loads of weight to make conception easier but then gained it all back.

It's just a VLCD, 800 cal a day. It's simple for her to do as she doesn't have to think about food, just have the shakes and bars.

But it doesn't change eating habits. You could eat perfectly well at 800cal a day, with lots of salad and eggs and lean protein, but it requires planning and a whole new way of eating.

makingmiracles · 03/06/2018 09:10

I don’t know, I think they have their place. I think they are helpful for people with a lot of weight to lose eg over 4 stone. I’ve been trying exante (v similar to Cambridge but less expensive, works out approx £20 a week) and some of the stories on there are people who’ve lost 8/9/10/11/12 stone and kept it off. Like with any diet they only work if you change your eating habits long term, there’s no good doing it then going back to your previous diet once you’ve lost the weight as inevitably you will regain. The bonus is you see results very quickly as it’s a Vlcd but it isn’t easy to stick to, it is hard and requires substantial willpower! Many people have had good results with their blood sugar readings and cholesterol in very short amounts of time being on the diet.

Melliegrantfirstlady · 03/06/2018 09:11

Try exante. Joint their fb page lots of support etc

bethw3101 · 03/06/2018 15:31

Hi Gemi33 - I saw the programme and have decided to follow a VLCD shake programme. I have at least 2 stone to lose and going the VLCD route I am hoping will be a great kick start to shift the first stone or more over a 8/9 week period. After that I plan to move to reduced number of shakes and incorporate one meal a day until I reach the weight I am aiming for.
I have never done this type of diet but after the medical evidence it seems a good option. I have ordered a weeks supply from a company called Shake the Weight should arrive in next day or two then I will be off.
Would love to get some moral support from you and anyone else out there doing a similar thing, think it could really help keep us focused and share the ups and downs to come.

Heartshapedfairylights · 03/06/2018 17:56

beth I’m doing the same. I thought I would use Tesco Ultra Slim but have switched to Exante.
The shakes are lovely and because they induce ketosis, i’m not feeling hungry.
I saw the programme and thought it was very interesting. I have about 3-4 stone to lose. My bmi was 32 when I started. I’m on day three now and feeling pretty good.

bethw3101 · 04/06/2018 09:53

@heartshapedfairylights - that is great news, with Exante do they have a network community for support or do you just buy the products and go it alone? I have gone the buy it product so looking for others to share the experience with, interested?

Oliversmumsarmy · 04/06/2018 10:00

At the end of the 2 months they cooked a low calorie low carb meal and I thought that was to replace their evening meal and they were not coming off the shakes and soups completely.

I think it was to retrain their taste buds and habits gradually.

Like every diet unless you change your eating habits from those that got you fat in the first place you are going to end up fat again

Kokoloco · 04/06/2018 10:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bethw3101 · 04/06/2018 10:39

It was a programme on BBC 1 called The Crash Diet Experiment, should be able to find it on iplayer

EchidnasPhone · 04/06/2018 19:19

I have done crash diets. Slim fast, forever living, Tesco shakes. I think they only fed into my very bad eating habits. So hard to maintain the weightloss & not a great example to set for my kids. I’m on week 10 of quitting sugar & processed foods. 1350 calories a day gentle exercise & I’ve lost 22lbs of the 70 I want to shift. I feel amazing. The inches I’ve lost have been immense but more than that I’m esting actual food & not feeling deprived.

Buffymum · 04/06/2018 19:25

Kokoloco - how are you getting on ? I started skim n save last week . So far so good - weeing a lot !!

Kokoloco · 04/06/2018 21:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

londonista · 04/06/2018 21:44

I think the issue with VLCDs is coming off them. You've got to commit to a different lifestyle at the end - you just gradually increase calories for a transitional period. You need longer to retrain your habits.
But agree it's harder to manage maintenance after a VLCD because it's so restrictive, it feels like a bit deal/release coming to the end of it.

QuimReaper · 04/06/2018 22:32

I agree, it's life after VLCD which is the issue. I personally think you'd be better doing a VLCD with actual food, as you'll discover sustainable ways to eat fewer calories. It takes a bit of trial and error to work out what works best for you (in terms of what foods to avoid, what times of day to eat etc.) but you'll know a lot more about how to trim calories in the long run.

Original poster

Gemi33 · 05/06/2018 08:25

Hi all,

It's really good to see all the replies. I'm not too sure what approach to take to be honest. I think for me taking food away for a bit might be a good thing but I also think if you're going to do something like that you have to completely stick with it and a week on Saturday will be my birthday and I think some of things organised (not by me) may make that impossible! Also I wouldn't want this to be forever but a kickstart, maybe for the first 8 weeks or so and then gradually introduce food so I would then think it's especially important to follow it to the letter in that 8 weeks. So I'm not sure whether to plan to start properly after that or not. Also, I'm interested to hear about the plans people are following. I've had a quick look on the exante website which looks quite good but I don't have much money and worry about spending a lot and then not liking it or it not working so for those of you who have started already I have a few questions -

Are you just using the shakes - looking at the website there seemed to be all sorts of products including meals, desserts and pancakes - what have people used so far?

What are the shakes like? I'm a bit worried because I've tried the slim fast shakes and find them so sickly I can't drink them so wondering if this will be the same? There also doesn't seem that many flavours but maybe that will change.

How are you finding things generally? I expect it to be a challenge but hope it's doable!!

Thanks

OP posts:

Heartshapedfairylights · 05/06/2018 23:50

Hi beth definitely interested. On day five now and feeling great. No real side effects, plenty of energy and have been busy teaching today and yesterday. Drop me a PM if you like. Good luck!

Gemi the Exante shakes are really nice. Obviously some are better than others. I am yet to try the other items on offer. I think they have certainly improved since I tried them a few years ago. I find they are fairly reasonable in price compared to Cambridge. £35 for two weeks isn’t too bad. As I said above, i’m feeling good so far. I have a pretty full on job and have plenty of energy to get me through the day.

Itsmeaga1n · 06/06/2018 03:14

Is that £35 for all your meals for those two weeks Heartshaped?

MsJuniper · 06/06/2018 04:19

I lost 6 stone on Lighter Life when it was really the only VLCD around and a serious option - you had structured group therapy and a slow induction back into eating based on low carb. Despite following the plan to the letter (food packs only for 6 months, reintroducing food over 3 months) and feeling like I had completely reset my mindset around food, I still only kept the weight off for a couple of years and then it slowly crept back up and up (although this also coincided with a period of severe depression). So it isn't always a case of putting it back on as soon as you finish or going straight back to old habits. For me they slowly crept back in.

Having said that, I am now thinking of starting again. When you have 5+ stone to lose and a fucked up relationship with food, taking food out of the equation for a period of time feels like the most realistic option.

Heartshapedfairylights · 06/06/2018 10:08

Yes Its. I have supplanted the three meal replacements with three eggs in the morning. That’s it!

Heartshapedfairylights · 06/06/2018 11:36

supplemented! Ha!

lurkingfromhome · 06/06/2018 16:20

A friend did this, gained it all back very quickly and also had the services of a "consultant" who was morbidly obese and said that she had done the plan twice and had put all the weight back on both times herself. How exactly you're meant to avoid this when you start eating real food again if you haven't actually changed your relationship with food I have no idea.

Itsmeaga1n · 07/06/2018 01:37

Anyone else tried shakes? Which are the best? Do you only have shakes all day long? Or just replace one meal with a shake? My eating seems to be totally fucked up and I don't know how to change it but I can't go on like this.

Itsmeaga1n · 07/06/2018 20:45

I've ordered a sample pack from Purition .. they seem to contain the least nasties, fingers crossed. I'm going to start by having one for breakfast each day.

Original poster

Gemi33 · 08/06/2018 09:38

Really interesting to read all the replies - I still can't decide what approach to take and if I order something it will take time to get so really need to get my act together!

How much have people lost in the first few weeks?

OP posts:

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