[Food] Very Low Calorie Diet

[Mellotron]

Boiled eggs are great.
Almonds
macadamia nuts

Anything you can batch cook in one go, divide and keep in the fridge is good:

Chicken bites - just cut up chicken and apply a spice rub, oven or pan fry
Frittata - literally just chuck a load of whisked eggs and whatever herbs + protein you want in a pan and oven until its coocked
Kofta Kebabs- mince, egg herbs +oven
Kedgeree + smoked Salmon (gets expensive though)

Thanks, these are good. I'm really not good at batch cooking and need to improve.

 

[BrickTamland]

Completed my first 24 hour water fast yesterday. Ate a normal dinner at 6pm on Sunday then only drank water till 6:30pm on Monday. Other than a short burst of hunger around midday it was really easy and I felt pretty good. Too early to tell if there will be any real effects (positive or negative) but time will tell. Plan on doing this each week, for at least a month before making any real judgement. It was nice not having to go to bed hungry so would recommend that time frame over another.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Any words of wisdom out there?

I'm a mid forties fat lad and my GP has waved the diabetes red flag at me. I have a chance right now to begin to reverse it with 12 weeks of 800 calories a day and some exercise. I've ordered a 4 week box of meal supplements recommended by the doc. I've oiled the bike chain and fitted some lights.

Have any of you done this or similar? Is there already a thread (I couldn't find one)? Maybe one of you has a hollywood style success story for Tom Hanks to get evangelical about.....?

Much appreciated

A very apprehensive jonnyrovers

Not sure it’s the best fitness idea. You’ll struggle to do any amount of fitness on 800 calories a day. I mean that’s my breakfast.

You’re better changing what you eat, when you eat it, being consistent, measuring your portions and aiming for something sustainable long term with clear fitness goals to help keep you on track. And get a buddy to help you do it.

 

[jonnyrovers]

Not sure it’s the best fitness idea. You’ll struggle to do any amount of fitness on 800 calories a day. I mean that’s my breakfast.

You’re better changing what you eat, when you eat it, being consistent, measuring your portions and aiming for something sustainable long term with clear fitness goals to help keep you on track. And get a buddy to help you do it.

Yeah I'm with you there. My plan is to do this for 12 weeks to get the bulk of my weight off then do exactly as you've suggested. For exercise I'm just going for easy rides on the bike and walking plenty.

I've completed my first week and lost half a stone. Probably a lot of that is water. I hope to be under 15 stone after 12 weeks (started at 17 & half) so I can exercise without breaking my knees! Got a buddy lined up too.

Thank you for the advice

 

[Billy the Fish]

Yeah I'm with you there. My plan is to do this for 12 weeks to get the bulk of my weight off then do exactly as you've suggested. For exercise I'm just going for easy rides on the bike and walking plenty.

I've completed my first week and lost half a stone. Probably a lot of that is water. I hope to be under 15 stone after 12 weeks (started at 17 & half) so I can exercise without breaking my knees! Got a buddy lined up too.

Thank you for the advice

Good work!

You're probably right about the water but stick at it and everything after that is the squishy stuff.

 

[Weststander]

This is great, thanks. I have a PT who has set me goals of 35% Protein, 35% Fat and 30% Carb. Find getting carbs down the hardest bit by far, as you say fat gets a bad name due to obvious connotations to the word, but I know carbs are my enemy number one.

Welcome any high fat/high protein meals/snacks you (or anyone else) really enjoys?

Porridge is an amazing source of slow release carbs for breakfast. Even my kids say that they don’t get hungry at school until lunch after starting on breakfast, but they do with any other cereal.

With skimmed or semi skinned milk, next to no fat.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Yeah I'm with you there. My plan is to do this for 12 weeks to get the bulk of my weight off then do exactly as you've suggested. For exercise I'm just going for easy rides on the bike and walking plenty.

I've completed my first week and lost half a stone. Probably a lot of that is water. I hope to be under 15 stone after 12 weeks (started at 17 & half) so I can exercise without breaking my knees! Got a buddy lined up too.

Thank you for the advice

I know not everyone is keen, but you’ll actually do better doing weight work long term. If you can see a personal trainer I’d highly recommend it so that you do everything properly (most people in the gym don’t because they’ve never been taught properly!).

If you’re an endo, as it sounds like you may be, cut the carbs and switch for quality fats too, as I’m sure some have recommended.

 

[jonnyrovers]

I know not everyone is keen, but you’ll actually do better doing weight work long term. If you can see a personal trainer I’d highly recommend it so that you do everything properly (most people in the gym don’t because they’ve never been taught properly!).

If you’re an endo, as it sounds like you may be, cut the carbs and switch for quality fats too, as I’m sure some have recommended.

Sounds like you know your stuff?!

I can live easily without much carbohydrate. When I've been fit in the past I've enjoyed a small bowl of porridge & honey in the morning with protein & veg rest of the day. I've avoided fat in the past so that's a new concept to me. In my thirties & early forties I was always 'half marathon fit', running 30+ miles a week. I'm not an endo (5'9" with short legs!) and I prefer the downs to the gym. How does yoga etc compare to weights?

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Sounds like you know your stuff?!

I can live easily without much carbohydrate. When I've been fit in the past I've enjoyed a small bowl of porridge & honey in the morning with protein & veg rest of the day. I've avoided fat in the past so that's a new concept to me. In my thirties & early forties I was always 'half marathon fit', running 30+ miles a week. I'm not an endo (5'9" with short legs!) and I prefer the downs to the gym. How does yoga etc compare to weights?

Yoga’s excellent at what it does although it’s something I don’t have tons of experience with - I enjoyed Pilates more which is excellent for your core.

If something more cardio is your game, maybe look at someone like Joe Wicks - he’ll keep it interesting, mix it up and people seem to be results. Plus he’ll direct you with food.

 

[mune ni kamome]

I started following the Pinch of Nom Facebook pages last January. I lost two and a half stone by July. I Bought their recipe book. I can honestly say I’ve never had such large, varied and tasty meals. As has already been said, lots of use of eggs for snacks instead of bread

 

[jonnyrovers]

Great thread and sorry it has taken me a couple of days to get to a computer for a longish reply.

I'm in a similar position to a few people on here and are very pleased to be able to say I have lost four stone over the past few years, at a pretty consistent rate of a stone every six months. I'm now 16 stone (and 50 years old).

As usual on NSC there is lots of great advice on here, with Mellotron's early post covering all the main points.

At the end of the day it simply comes down to one thing. Will you consume less calories than you expend each day. If you do, you will lose weight.

The most valuable tip I got was from a dietician my doctor made me see. She said she didn't believe in using too much willpower to lose weight, as willpower is a limited resource and best used elsewhere. So you need to find a way to restrict calories that doesn't use too much willpower. And you really should be looking at a way to make a permanent change in lifestyle that you will be happy to live with, rather than just a short term diet. A 12 week ultra low calorie diet might be great for your diabetes, but isn't sustainable longer term.

One way to reduce the use of willpower is to make "the decision" up front e.g. to go keto, or to do intermittent fasting, or to do some other diet. Despite what some of the zealots claim, at the end of the day they are all just ways to limit calories, and they work well for many people because you have made the decision in advance rather than every time you see some food. You need to find what works for you.

What worked for me was simple food substitutions. After my first meeting my dietician just asked me to keep a food diary (use an app like my fitness pal) for a month. I'd recommend this as it makes you a lot more aware of what you are eating. At our next meeting she examined it and told me she thought I could eat just as much food, just as enjoyable food, but cut out up to 1000 calories a day. All through simply substituting one food for another - most of the time. The biggest one was replacing chocolate with berries and other fruit. Replacing pastries for breakfast with bacon and egg rolls. Eating yoghurt instead of ice cream. Eating high protein snacks (meat!) instead of dips and chips. Replacing potatoes with other vegetables. And using cauliflower rice at home instead of rice. And although I didn't start using these for weight loss, we often buy the pre-packaged "fitness" meals that are good for portion control, have around 500 calories and are high in protein (which does keep you feeling full longer).

At the same time, I had to have a knee operation partly caused by my excessive weight. There I got a great tip on the exercise side of things from my rehab physio.

Again to start with, you want this to be a permanent lifestyle change so find a form of exercise you enjoy and/or fits into your schedule with a bit of multi-tasking. Chasing a ball, travelling through nature, commuting to work - find something that improves your day and you look forward to. The big tip I got from him is that regular, long-ish, moderate intensity exercise burns far more calories than irregular high intensity exercise. It is also far safer for your older, out of shape body. Going for a one hour walk six days a week is far better (uses more calories) than a 20 minute jog or high intensity interval workout three days a week because you need a day off between each session to recover.

For me I joined a gym to do moderate intensity (heart rate around 120 to 130 for a 50 year old) low impact cardio training. Walking uphill on the treadmill, elliptical cross trainer, stairmaster or bike all work. I've bought extra data on my phone and stream shows I used to watch anyway on the couch and enjoy music I don't get to listen to at home. I also do try to do a few weights every second day. As others have pointed out, it will make you burn more calories when you are resting.

One side benefit of the exercise is it does help you to avoid temptation. When a pie starts to look like an hour on the treadmill, it is easier to say no if you aren't really hungry.

And finally, I do record my weight every day. It is just a reminder and helps to stay disciplined.

The best thing is - this is forever. So it doesn't matter if I have a day off for some reason.The next day I am am going to start losing weight again.

Good Luck!

This is excellent thank you. The long term plan will likely be intermittent fasting or a keto type lifestyle. Once some my bulk has gone I'll start running again. I'm keen to find a weights solution that doesn't involve a gym, maybe free weights at home but I wouldn't have a clue where to start!

 

[jonnyrovers]

Look into Low Carb, High fat diets (LCHF).

Fascinating! I could 100% live on this regime. Thank you!

 

[jonnyrovers]

Yoga’s excellent at what it does although it’s something I don’t have tons of experience with - I enjoyed Pilates more which is excellent for your core.

If something more cardio is your game, maybe look at someone like Joe Wicks - he’ll keep it interesting, mix it up and people seem to be results. Plus he’ll direct you with food.

Joe Wicks??

 

[Withdean11]

There is plenty of bad advice in this thread. Unfortunately, when it come to fitness/nutrition everyone seems to have an opinion they are convinced is right, based on something they have read. Same with everything i guess..

The best thing you can do is invest in an PT/Coach - There are plenty of online coaches which will tailor everything (training and nutrition) to your needs. Without that, and without knowing any of your details and lifestyle, it's best to follow the basic rules of thumb;

- Increase daily steps
- Daily Calories = 10-12 x body weight in pounds
- Daily Protein = 0.8g - 1g x body weight in pounds
- 3 resistance training sessions per week (weights)
- Look to losing up to 1% of body weight per week, any more is muscle.

And definitely ignore Joe Wicks.

 

[Weststander]

Not the 800 diet, but I'm trying this:

We have various goodies in the house for our kids, but we graze on them too when peckish eg crisps and chocolate bars. I've bought some plain rice cakes and every time that I would have eaten the 'overload' food, I have one of the rice cakes instead. Still eating three healthy meals a day of normal size.

Also, on most days I'm going a brisk walk or a short bike ride on hills.

I still have the occasional treat eg a Penguin bar.

In just a couple of weeks I've lost half a stone.

 

[BrickTamland]

Second 24 hour fast done. Found it easier second time round, didn’t even realise I past 24 hours and could eat, so was more like a 25 hour fast whereas last week I was looking at the clock waiting! Since starting I’m 2kg down without changing anything else (includes a few beers over the weekend too). So far only been drinking plenty of water, but the more I read black coffee seems to have no negative effect, so depending how I feel next week I might have a lunch time cup for an energy boost.

Going to try and keep bouncing this even if just to keep myself accountable.

 

[Lush]

Not the 800 diet, but I'm trying this:

We have various goodies in the house for our kids, but we graze on them too when peckish eg crisps and chocolate bars. I've bought some plain rice cakes and every time that I would have eaten the 'overload' food, I have one of the rice cakes instead. Still eating three healthy meals a day of normal size.

Also, on most days I'm going a brisk walk or a short bike ride on hills.

I still have the occasional treat eg a Penguin bar.

In just a couple of weeks I've lost half a stone.

This is a great idea. Changing habits is the only real way to lose weight AND keep it off,

 

[paulfuzz]

This is excellent thank you. The long term plan will likely be intermittent fasting or a keto type lifestyle. Once some my bulk has gone I'll start running again. I'm keen to find a weights solution that doesn't involve a gym, maybe free weights at home but I wouldn't have a clue where to start!

I found that walking with a weighted belt:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RP210Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and hand held weights:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ResultSpor...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

and do exercises involving upper body as you walk. I found that light weights with lots of reps is best for toning and weight loss.

 

[jonnyrovers]

There is plenty of bad advice in this thread. Unfortunately, when it come to fitness/nutrition everyone seems to have an opinion they are convinced is right, based on something they have read. Same with everything i guess..

The best thing you can do is invest in an PT/Coach - There are plenty of online coaches which will tailor everything (training and nutrition) to your needs. Without that, and without knowing any of your details and lifestyle, it's best to follow the basic rules of thumb;

- Increase daily steps
- Daily Calories = 10-12 x body weight in pounds
- Daily Protein = 0.8g - 1g x body weight in pounds
- 3 resistance training sessions per week (weights)
- Look to losing up to 1% of body weight per week, any more is muscle.

And definitely ignore Joe Wicks.

You sound like you know your stuff too. I'm intrigued by the claim that greater than 1% weight loss per week depletes muscle. What's the mechanism there? If your body has to become more efficient at converting fat deposits in to energy why would it take the (very long) time to break down muscle?

I'm on week two of my GP led plan and I've lost 11 pounds and a few centimetres each from waist and belly.

I need to see who this Wicks character is....

 

[jonnyrovers]

I found that walking with a weighted belt:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RP210Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and hand held weights:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ResultSpor...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

and do exercises involving upper body as you walk. I found that light weights with lots of reps is best for toning and weight loss.

So I buy the weights, but other than bicep curls I wouldn't know where to start..... Head to YouTube?