[Food] Very Low Calorie Diet

800 is too low you will lose fat as well as muscle and a very good chance of putting that weight back on when you stop the diet.

Have a look into https://www.musclefood.com/choose-your-plan?goal=lw&gender=m&age=1
1600 calorie diet along with exercise it really does work and you don't feel staving while doing it.

No one is born obese, we all get in to bad habits and thanks to all the junk food being pushed at us it can be dead easy to end up overweight.

If you go to a Tesco Express or Sainsburys local you can see that there is never a shortage of Pringles, Doritos, pizza, coke etc.

Apologies, not sure if this has been answered, when fasting, I'm doing 9 p.m. until 12 noon, can you only drink water or is tea without sugar, of course, OK?

Only black tea or coffee. No milk.

A good start, cook from scratch, no snacking, limit alcohol to when Albion win, get out for a walk every day for 20 mins....

Tim Over Whelmed said:

What happens when you reach your weight goal? Do you have to continue on Keto? I've also read that once you stop the weight returns quickly, but is that right or just a lack of discipline?

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My wife said last night she hasn't lost any weight for 8 weeks now - so I assume shes "burnt off" the fat reserves that the keto diet is aimed at. Shes happy eating the same food, & with her new lifestyle, so will just carry on as she has done the last 13 months.

ShanklySeagull said:

Only black tea or coffee. No milk.

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Oh billhooks, I had semi skimmed in my tea, OK water from now

nicko31 said:

A good start, cook from scratch, no snacking, limit alcohol to when Albion win, get out for a walk every day for 20 mins....

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Dry 2020?

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!

Also just saw this in my paper today. It looks right to me.

Is vegetarian (or keto, or . . . ) the best way to eat?

In any given group, the subject may be "keto" or "the Mediterranean diet" or "vegetarian", and the answer is always the same: There's not one best way to eat. We are all different, and it would be impossible to choose one plan that would be right for everyone. The best plan for you is the one that meets your medical and nutritional needs while also being affordable, accessible, enjoyable and something you can stick with for the long term. Sometimes that may not be clear, but seeing a dietitian can help you figure it out.

Reading this reminded me to drink more water. I normally just drink about 4 cups of tea a day which is not enough.

I’m in pretty good shape, relative to my own standards, but really wish to push on and be in good shape by anyone’s standards. So am looking for the next ‘push’ so to speak to get me there. I had a work pal who, one day a week, went on a water fast (nothing but litres of water a day). Got them from being pretty average, to pretty lean with about 3/4 months. Anyone else who’s tried similar and has any advice? Would ask them but I’ve since moved away and fallen out of contact. On the one hand it seems a bit extreme, on the other perhaps focusing on just one day (whilst not over compensating the other days) seems more manageable than another form of lifestyle which is more 24/7.

BrickTamland said:

I’m in pretty good shape, relative to my own standards, but really wish to push on and be in good shape by anyone’s standards. So am looking for the next ‘push’ so to speak to get me there. I had a work pal who, one day a week, went on a water fast (nothing but litres of water a day). Got them from being pretty average, to pretty lean with about 3/4 months. Anyone else who’s tried similar and has any advice? Would ask them but I’ve since moved away and fallen out of contact. On the one hand it seems a bit extreme, on the other perhaps focusing on just one day (whilst not over compensating the other days) seems more manageable than another form of lifestyle which is more 24/7.

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That would naturally lose you around a pound a week just based on a simple average calorie equation and assuming all other things equal (one day of 2,000 or so net burn), so in 3-4 months would drop a stone off. Guess it’s similar to the 5:2 regime a lot of people seem to be using (5 days normal, 2 days 500kcal) - plenty of websites with info on the latter.

Rogero said:

Reading this reminded me to drink more water. I normally just drink about 4 cups of tea a day which is not enough.

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Looked this up before, and apparently the "tea is dehydrating" thing is a bit of a myth/misnomer, although it is true that too much caffeine can have an adverse effect on your hydration.

4-6 cups of tea is as hydrating as 1 litre of water, apparently. We're told we should drink 3.7 litres, which feels high.

dazzer6666 said:

That would naturally lose you around a pound a week just based on a simple average calorie equation and assuming all other things equal (one day of 2,000 or so net burn), so in 3-4 months would drop a stone off. Guess it’s similar to the 5:2 regime a lot of people seem to be using (5 days normal, 2 days 500kcal) - plenty of websites with info on the latter.

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Cheers, yeah seems a good rate without being unhealthy. Think I’m going to give it a shot starting on Monday (my day off so easier to fit in). I’ll continue using this thread to update and hold myself accountable

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

It sounds mad but the more you look into it - the more you realise that sugar and carbohydrates are what makes you fat and not dietary fat.

I'm diabetic and have lost 25 lb so far and come off one of my diabetic medicines through LCHF and intermittent fasting 1-2 times a week. My diabetic nurse also follows the LCHF/keto eating practice.

A couple of starters to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S6-v37nOtY&list=WL&index=29&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lww5WH7INI&list=WL&index=34&t=0s

Mannakin said:

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

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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?

Mellotron said:

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?

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I do a mainly ketogenic diet and snack on olives, Brazil nuts slices of avocado and cured meats, you could also have cheese if that's something that you like.

pishhead said:

I do a mainly ketogenic diet and snack on olives, Brazil nuts slices of avocado and cured meats, you could also have cheese if that's something that you like.

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Olives - boo
Brazil nuts - nice
avocado - fine
cured meats - nice
cheese - yes

Thanks.

Mellotron said:

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?

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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)