VLCD/ Meal replacement diets/Slimfast for medical reasons

[Spidey66]

Before anyone criticises me, I need to point out this is in no way my diet of choice. It's imposed on me.

I'm waiting on my gall bladder to be removed in just under 2 weeks. As I'm a lard arse, I've been told I need to shrink my liver in preparation as this makes the op easier to carry out. I've been given strict instructions to do this by following Slim fast to the letter for 2 weeks. So 4 shakes, 800 cals and just calorie free drinks e.g. water, squash, diet coke, herbal tea.

There is a scientific basis to it so I have to go on with it, I understand it. However I'm now on day 2 and already bored shitless and feel I'm stuck inside except for work to avoid temptation. I'm on leave (back to work Monday but in fact not for long due to the op and having to self isolate to be covid free). The hospital want evidence of my start weight so yesterday I went to Boots to weigh myself and get a print off. It seems everyone was eating and I wanted to snatch the food out of their hands and shove it in my gob!

I know I'm only doing it for a fortnight (though I'll probably continue with more "conventional " weight loss methods after the op) but please tell me it gets easier!!

And if anyone has done this for similar reasons, were you able to eat anything? I was think that surely fruit and veg that are mainly water would be ok e.g. cucumber or watermelon just to have solid food?

@Reallyreallyborednow I imagine it's because the shakes are balanced in terms of nutrients. You would struggle to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals etc., from eating 800kcal of real food.

It doesn't have to be Slim fast, they suggested Tescos or Asdas own brand vlcd. In case I get bored.

Each bottle has 200 cals (204 to be exact). I've had 2 today. Im supposed to have 4. I have one at dinner and 1 at bedtime.

I'm only wanting some grilled chicken, a small baked potato and some salad. I'm not going to mainline a family size bar of dairy milk and a doner kebab.

I think PPs have been trying to help, not patronise or condemn you, why would they do that?

I've done VLCDs before and personally found that to start-stop-start is very much harder than start-keep-going-come to the end, even if the days are longer.

I know you're hungry and it's very hot but if you think that what you're proposing is fine why not check with the hospital and perhaps they'd agreed with you that it is?

As somebody with disordered eating patterns who can self-justify/sabotage/rinse and repeat with the best of them, I'd say not to do it. Your body is already used to a liquid diet after 5 days and to introduce solids will just set you back. That's my opinion anyway.

Hope your surgery goes well.

Nobody has jumped on you at all. They just haven't said "Yes, definitely go and eat some proper food!" like you presumably wanted them to. It's 14 days OP. Your operation is more important than having some grilled chicken.

I get it. I had to have my gallbladder removed and had to go on an extreme low fat diet for 8 months while I waited for my surgery date. Literally if I had more than a few grammes if fat I would be in agony. I know that's not the same as only hbeing allowed shakes etc, but it was for 8 months not 14 days!

The first few days are hardest, and if you deviate it will be harder again for a short while , in my experience ( which is not from vlcd, but water fasts and omad)

I think they tell people to avoid food is that they can easily add in too many calories. Plus the shakes have all the vitamins you need.

The reason you shouldn't eat anything other than the vlcd shakes is because if you are on 800 cals a day you will be in ketosis. After about five days you will stop feeling hungry though you may still sometimes crave a certain food. If you can stick with it and not give in you will lose weight faster. It's important to drink plenty of water and no sugar in anything. I did it for 12 weeks and without a doubt the first week was hard however I lost 8lbs in the first week so it felt worth it.
I hope your operation goes well.

I’m not talking of stopping though. Nowhere have I suggested that. I’m replacing 2 disgusting chemical filled shakes with a healthy meal of similar calories. That is all.

Jeez. I’m not shooting up heroin, or even having a fag. One meal out of 57, that is all. Then I will be back on it I’m time for the op.
If you guys think that’s terrible of me we’ll I can live with that

Why did you post? I'm genuinely wondering what you got out of it because you're determined to do what you want to do... why not just get on and do it then?

I know myself how I could slip-slide into bad eating habits; many of us know how that works. If everybody was perfect then nobody would have a BMI a hint over what it should be, but some of us do.

I recognise your language, the justifications that you're using and I'm sorry that you feel people are having a go at you, nobody is but that's what you're hearing. I'm hearing somebody who's craving reassurance of something that isn't sensible to do, not when so much rides on this; your operation.

I think you're making it so much harder for yourself if you do this but you really don't need to ask permission or receive validation to eat what you want to, it's up to you.

It's not a judgement of you as a person either, why do you think that? Are you seeing or speaking to somebody about how you feel about this?

Oh for crying out loud.

I originally posted when I started saying I was finding it hard, but was willing to stick to it for the 14 days the hospital wanted to shrink my liver, at which point I would revert to a more conventional diet to shift the remainder ie WW or similar.

I do not like VLCD. I think they’re processed junk that fail to teach healthy eating patterns. On top of that for long periods they actually cause gallstones which is the reason I need the surgery in the first place.

However I have gone along with it on medical advice.

I was told to do it for 14 days only. Not 19 days. 14. Today the hospital has changed the date and the op will now be starting 14 days from tomorrow so imho I am still sticking to their advice.

I really can’t see the big deal. I am only doing this vlcd on medical advice ie to do it for 14 days!!!!

I wish I hadn’t said anything now.

Ps I know I’m a lard arse. I will be continuing to follow a healthy eating plan after the op. But I will only follow a vlcd for the amount of time I am told to. Which is 14 days and which I will follow for 14 days.

I appreciate the advice but I am a grown woman of 55 and if I want to replace 1 of 57 meals with a healthy meal rather than processed rubbish of similar calories well so be it.

My last word on the matter.

The hospital actually advised me only to start 14 days before the op, because it is difficult to stick to and falling off the wagon too close to the end is actually more risky, as the liver can recover from the shrinking very quickly. By starting tomorrow, I AM doing it for 14 days.

Look at it this way.....im doing as they asked, but have had a head start.

I will now not be returning to this thread. It has upset me greatly.

With all due respect, your posts are reminding me of the "you're not yourself when you're hungry" ads. You are sniping at everyone who is replying to you. No one has actually called you a lard arse or said you're never allowed to eat again, those were your words. People with experience of having to do VLCD have shared their view that it would be better and easier to stick with it.

I am exactly the same as you when I'm hungry. No need to jump down people's throats though: you asked and people answered. Your posts are extremely defensive, which to me reads like you know people are right. Just remember that you don't owe anyone an explanation but yourself and you don't need people's permission to have "proper" food. Would suck if you couldn't have the OP though... Are they planning on doing it laparoscopically? Is there a risk they will have to convert to open surgery if your liver hasn't shrunk enough, or will they not be able to do it at all? I had my gallbladder out when I was 22. I'd been sent from pillar to post for 18 months because I was so young. By the time it came to surgery everything was infected and I woke up with a 6 inch wound because they weren't able to do it through key hole. The recovery was not fun (I've since had two sections and they were much better), so I'd do anything to avoid that personally.

In your OP you say:

'I know I'm only doing it for a fortnight (though I'll probably continue with more "conventional " weight loss methods after the op) but please tell me it gets easier!!'

The longer you do it the easier it will get. That's just fact. The first few days are the hardest and then you adjust. You've already done the hardest 5 days.

Having a cheat meal after day 5 won't help. In fact, kindly, it will probably make it more likely you'll crack again.

Good luck though, I hope you achieve your 14 days starting tomorrow and I hope your surgery goes well too.

OP

My friend was on one recommended by the medical team but he had to extend his 'shakes only' weeks by 1 week (the dietitian's daughter was ill) so they said use slimfast/ASDA/Tesco he bought Slimfast - he thought it was disgusting, he's spent 12 weeks on the chocolate shakes (I will ask him the name) but SF almost broke him.

If you feel you need food can you have the soup?

Another friend told him to get rid and get ASDA own brand.

I bought this book for ideas for my friend

www.abebooks.co.uk/9781908261205/Carbs-Cals-Low-Calorie-Recipes-190826120X/plp

It has plans of 800 cal a day of food.

Please talk to the hospital team again and ask for a referral to a dietician.

You are an adult and can make your own choices but, have a serious think about things.

I'm assuming you ate yesterday so you are back on the diet today. How do you feel? Are you disappointed with yourself or do you think you did the right thing?

Either way today is a new start, try a different shake, if you need to eat buy the book, it has recipes for everything but the soups and smoothies are 100-150 cals.

You can do this and you will.

Wow I did not expect the thread to go that way.

The reason fruit isn't allowed it is relatively high in sugar and carbohydrates.

When I started I found days 4-6 the absolute pits. But by day 7 ketosis had kicked in and some energy came back.

If you are having an 800 calories diet then rather than 4 products drop down to 3 and have some vegetables. The cob dip in the website I linked is devine as is the cauliflower steak.

I will say this a birthday on VLCD sound bloody hard. My partner had his birthday and I baked him a carrot cake and made the carrot cake in the opticook website. But it was still pretty sad.

The more weight you lose before surgery the better. You know this and the team know this.

You can do this. It fucking sucks but you can and you will come out the other side of the surgery better than you are today.

Right, so I'm back.

Apologies about my rants yesterday, combination of feeling hangry and the heat. I know people were trying to help, but I did feel got at.

Yes I ate last night. A bit of chicken and a small amount of pasta and a couple of teaspoons of pesto and some salad. Do I feel guilty? No. I enjoyed it, and as I'm back on plan today and doing it for the next 14 days I am still sticking to advice given. Like my husband said, I'll have done the 14 days with a head start. I'm still peed off with the hospital because by delaying it I didn't have a brilliant bday.

I got up for work today but gave contacted my manager to say I am WFH. The reason for this is I have just spenr a very uncomfortable and painful 40 minutes on the toilet (im sure i dont need to go into details why). Another reason why this damn diet is not sustainable long term. Obviously I have taken some lactulose and lots of water, but I really need some fruit and veg for the fibre!

Actually I think I may well be slightly dehydrated due to the diet and the weather. Aside from the above i didnt sleep well last night as I kept getting cramp in my feet. I have a tendency to cramp when I've had a drink (I didn't have a drink last night) but i think it all ties in.

If it is 800 cals a day - 4 shakes? Could you not swap that for 2 at 200 each and a 400 cal meal? and still stick to it I mean.

If you want more of a change in products you could try Exante perhaps, I'm doing that recently. If you get a 4 week pack there is a code for £20 off bringing it to £49.99 for 84 products if you google.

I thought this was good value and a bit better than Slimfast. I hope it gets easier OP

@Orangesandlemons77

If it is 800 cals a day - 4 shakes? Could you not swap that for 2 at 200 each and a 400 cal meal? and still stick to it I mean.

If you want more of a change in products you could try Exante perhaps, I'm doing that recently. If you get a 4 week pack there is a code for £20 off bringing it to £49.99 for 84 products if you google.

I thought this was good value and a bit better than Slimfast. I hope it gets easier OP

Huge thank you for the heads about the exante offer @Orangesandlemons77 I only have a weeks supply left and you have just saved me a fortune.

The offers on exante are good and worth knowing about - thanks!
if you fill in the box to get sent offers they will send you any new ones- a recent one was 99p for most things, for example. It's well worth doing.

@Spidey66

Actually I think I may well be slightly dehydrated due to the diet and the weather. Aside from the above i didnt sleep well last night as I kept getting cramp in my feet. I have a tendency to cramp when I've had a drink (I didn't have a drink last night) but i think it all ties in.

It's meant to be good to drink lots of water on these shake diets, around 2 litres a day I think. There are some threads with people on these diets on here like this one if you like to join, people are supportive and kind.

There's an exante thread for example which is similar

@Orangesandlemons77

If it is 800 cals a day - 4 shakes? Could you not swap that for 2 at 200 each and a 400 cal meal? and still stick to it I mean.

If you want more of a change in products you could try Exante perhaps, I'm doing that recently. If you get a 4 week pack there is a code for £20 off bringing it to £49.99 for 84 products if you google.

I thought this was good value and a bit better than Slimfast. I hope it gets easier OP

That's what I did @Orangesandlemons77 but it was breaking it

It's not just the cals but the carbs and fat to shrink the liver, all to do with releasing glycogen. I understand it, im not good at explaining it.

I spoke to the hospital the day after, the doctor said I can stop after the original 14 days, but originally told as the liver is very good at healing itself, if I break it too soon before the op, it can start repairing itself. (One reason why if I was going to break I out, i wanted to do it early on. ) But I got the rearranged appointment today, said I need to keep it up until the day of the op. So I'm getting conflicting information! However I did get "permission " to eat small amounts of fruit and veg. I had to beg for this as its making me very constipated . The other day I sat on the loo for 45 minutes and it was painful! Yesterday I had some cherry tomatoes. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed them lol.

I've got lots of bottles of Slimfast atm. Although the bottles are more expensive than the powder, the ready mixed ones are very convenient especially for taking to work. They're £10 for 6, and I have 4 a day.. It sounds dear, but only what I'd b e spending on food, a bit less really. But I'll have a look at others when I start running low.

Although I'm going to continue with a weight loss plan post op, I'm having serious cravings for a chippy tea and I'll allow myself one after the op. With this diet and the gallstones being triggered by a chippy tea, i havent had one for a year.

Although I'm feeling better than I was the other day, I still hate this diet. I feel permanently hungry, irritable and deprived. I really wouldn't recommend this.

I seemed to have lost 4lbs in the first couple of days but nothing since, which has annoyed me, but I think I'll go to Boots to weigh myself tomorrow as that was the original place I'd weighed myself.

@orangesandlemons77
I am drinking loads of water, for the diet and the weather and to fill me up! I've been drinking sparkling with a drop of lime cordial which is refreshing.

Have a look at Fast 800, there's a group on Facebook
They steer away from anything with sweetener as they can trigger an insulin response and are very protein based at 800 cals