Diet Chef - really????

[carrots]

I've often seen ads for these diet plans and thought what an over priced con because you still have to add all the fruit and veg, (no mention of the other stuff in the small print on the screen, or if they do it vanishes so quick you can't read it) which let's face it should be the bulk of any healthy diet.

Sadly I'm in a group of people that have piled on the weight as a side effect of medication. I did try 1200 calories a day for about 4 months and in that time lost a grand total of 2.6 Kg. The rule about calories in and calories out just doesn't apply when it's your Thyroid at fault.

I'm now eating what I want - just less of it. No more low fat options as they are packed full of sugar. Not loads of carbs either, just small amounts because so many of these turn straight to sugar. Hopefully if no food type in outlawed then I won't crave it and then overdo it........ I did manage to make one bar of dark chocolate last a week by only eating 2 squares at a time - and I was chuffed to bits.

 

[Autumn]

I think Diet chef is way over priced however i do think its a good but expensive way of teaching people about proportions , I think the range is more designed for the people that are busy and want to lose some a stone or two in weight , its not designed for people that want to lose alot of weight. I think its a good way to lose some weight if you can afford it and like it otherwise nothing can beat a healthy cooked meal and some exercise.

Having never tried it before, like most of us .It would be great to hear from some members of ST who have lost weight from this product

 

[Ellaaa]

Anyone concerned about their weight shoukd make an appointment with their friendly practice nurse (me!) We have a wealth of knowledge and access to resources about how to lose weight the correct way and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.

You'd think its obvious how to do it, but you'd be amazed how misinformed people are out there (and how much people underestimate the quantity of food and drink they put in their mouths and overestimate their activity levels).

Yes this diet chef may be ok for portion control, but the salt content (I imagine, don't quote me) would be high in those things, so losing weight in the short term would equate to increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term. Far from ideal. But it's a quick fix and sadly it's what people will reach for. If these things worked - weight watchers, slimming world etc then they would go out of business as everyone would lose the weight and never return.

 

[AmethystRox]

I have found the GP and staff usually useless in really offering any realistic help about much of anything. After 5-7 minutes all they want is for you to leave their office and go home. They have been useless for my husband's problems. Only advice regarding his condition (blood clots and spinal stenosis) was to go home and rest ... gee thanks! So my confidence in the medical profession is very low regarding this and weight loss. I think if Diet Chef helps people to achieve their weight loss then it's the user's decision. And a 1200 calorie diet is very common for women, very common in most diets like Weight Watchers, etc. That amount will allow for a wide variety of vegetables, fruit and protein along with low-fat dairy. You just need to use your imagination if you want to set up your own diet guide. Something most people don't want to bother with or they wouldn't have a problem to start with. Weight issues are usually emotionally/psychologically based unless there is a medical situation. It's tough to lose weight and to keep it off. It's a lifelong commitment and not always easy to keep.

 

[Ellaaa]

Sorry to hear you have had a negative experience, but it's something we take very seriously at our practice. There is no set guidelines on what services GP's are bound to provide in this area so resources will vary from practice to practice.

 

[MinxyKitten]

I don't agree with any 'diet' that is peddled but I just have to say that 1200 calories is about right for a woman. Usually, anything under 1000 is considered too low. Cut 500 cals a day off the average amount you are 'meant' to eat, move around a bit more and voila! And I agree with Louise, if you want a piece of cake, have it! Just don't have it in addition to your daily calories! Over the years, I have found that between 1000-1200 cals a day and increased exercise is the best way for me to lose weight.

 

[DrJude]

If like me you have a normal basal metabolic rate then you will lose weight without the need for exercise if you stick to a 1200 cal diet. And in my opinion and personal experience that is the value of these types of plan if like me you are a lazy shopper and lack imagination to plan and shop for your meals. It is an expensive option and of course it would be cheaper to do it yourself and if you like cooking and are organised with shopping etc you could probably put together more tasty and nutritious meals than those on offer. But in following Jane Plan for just over 4 months now it has been an incredibly convenient way of having my meals all planned out for me though you acn choose exactly the meals you want. I have not used Diet Plan so can't comment on their meals but most of the Jane Plan ones are really nice and to be honest I am enjoying my food much more than I did before as I was a lazy and unimaginative shopper and cook. So it has by no means been a chore and now I have lost the weight (just under 2 stone) am continuing with the plan but mixing in my own meals here and there and keeping the weight off. This is now my lifestyle. By the way I do not work for Jane Plan and have no vested interest in promoting the company...

 

[boffy]

thus far the diet industry is here to stay i'm afraid.. i am a product of yo yo dieting.

 

[Marina]

There are also a few tricks of the trade - drink a glass of water ten minutes before and after each meal, chew your food to a pulp, eat what you want but with less fat and sugar, not no fat and sugar. Don't snack in between meals unless it's fresh fruit and vegetables and don't eat late at night. You lose weight slowly but steadily this way, your food bill goes down and you don't spend a fortune on slimming products.

I'm currently skipping my dinner and replace it with fresh juice that fills me up because it's got the nutrition in it. The downside is washing the juicer otherwise so far so good, the weight is dropping down slowly, but it's only been a week. And I'm never hungry during the day with my last meal being at lunch time and I juice at around 6 pm and drink the juice until about 9 pm. There's a theory that cravings are due to not being nutritionally furnished.

I also favour the idea of alkalising and a good book to read on it is The PH Miracle by Dr Robert O Young, the book is available in audio format as well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0446556181/?tag=shoppingcom03-21

And he's got some videos on YouTube. He is 62 and looking great.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+Robert+O+Young

 

[SallyMc]

Oh my goodness...........

***Guilt***

I never even THOUGHT of giving it to the Avon ladies brother in law who used to know the dinner lady at my kids infants school.....20 years ago!!

I bet I am crossed off their Christmas card list now!!

:mysmilie_15:

Sally, you mean that you didn't "gift" the rest of the set you didn't use? That lollipop lady is missing out. Move over DB Flint I'm gunning for your job!

 

[Bettyboo]

Yes less food intake and more excercise as told to me by my practice nurse and doctor. Obviously lots of people don't believe in this type of lifestyle and think the quick fix diet is the answer. These 'Fad' diets are a waste of time and money and the food in the Diet Chef package looks awful.

 

[Vienna]

Nurses and Doctors are human too and much as they are trained to give great advice, they don`t always follow it themselves. When I last had a stay in hospital I saw quite a few very overweight nurses and equally as many standing outside with coats over their uniforms and having a crafty fag. I used to buy a coffee from the cafe and there`d be a queue of staff buying bacon sarnies, cakes and Mars bars. I`m not saying they shouldn`t, far from it, bless them they do a fantastic job but quite often it`s a case of do as I say and not as I do.
My hubby once visited his Doctor ( years ago ) and the Doc asked hubby did he smoke, OH replied yes he did and the Doc said oh good, can you lend me a cigarette because I`ve left mine at home lol !

 

[Bettyboo]

I agree health service workers need to practice what they preach. I remember years ago going to the doctors and he would have a cigarette lit in the ash tray. Thank goodness those days are long gone.

 

[Boris Bear]

Nurses and Doctors are human too and much as they are trained to give great advice, they don`t always follow it themselves. When I last had a stay in hospital I saw quite a few very overweight nurses and equally as many standing outside with coats over their uniforms and having a crafty fag. I used to buy a coffee from the cafe and there`d be a queue of staff buying bacon sarnies, cakes and Mars bars. I`m not saying they shouldn`t, far from it, bless them they do a fantastic job but quite often it`s a case of do as I say and not as I do.

I agree you do see some overweight nurses and I wonder if it's because it's hard to eat healthily when you work non-standard hours and you're shattered when you finish work. As you say they are only human like the rest of us.

 

[DrJude]

Yes less food intake and more excercise as told to me by my practice nurse and doctor. Obviously lots of people don't believe in this type of lifestyle and think the quick fix diet is the answer. These 'Fad' diets are a waste of time and money and the food in the Diet Chef package looks awful.

Can't comment on the diet chef plan but the plan I've been on has by no means been faddish - proper food which to honest has been morenutritionally balanced than what I had been eating. Whether it turns out to have been a waste of money only time will tell but so far its been money well spent. I think the problem with a lot of diets is that when people have lost the weight they go back yo how they were eating before and put the weoght back o. You also need the bear in mind that the lighter you are the lower your basal metabolic rate so you need to eat less to stop putting the weight back on particularly if you lead a sedentary life...

 

[May]

Michael Mosley 5:2 diet fella now says that only short bouts of excersise are necessary to keep healthy according to new studies ...can't thing why the big change unless the studies totally compelling of course ....i always found that when I went to the gym ( horrible , germ ridden places in my humble opinion ....) I did I more effective and energetic session for 40 mins than for an hour ...if I did an hour I was totally demotivated so in some ways I can see the reason why the short quick bout would be better and probably more sustainable ...I mean how many gym memberships go to pot by February ? ....i honestly hated the gym ....staring in to space on a tread mill or eliptical machine was so should destroying even if there was a tv there or my own music on .....the place drained me ...i walk as much as poss and do my zumba DVDs as I love dancing and walking and that for me is sustainable .....it keeps me on an even keel ...where i used to work they used to do a boot camp once a week ....never went near it ....torturous ....no fun ...no incentive ....for me personally ....I could walk for ten miles and have a great time ..but .....boot camps ...jogging ...gyms ....:dull::yawn::down::mysmilie_492:

 

[Whatsgoinon?]

I should imagine there's a fair few on here who succumbed to the DC hype...I did myself 4yrs ago and happy to say I lost 2 stone and 2 dress sizes and for one was a very happy bunny in doing so, it was convenience on my part because OH was away most nights and cooking for one didn't inspire me, plus the fact that the meals were free of additives (look at the ingredients now). I stopped buying because the quality went down as they expanded in to Europe and had a beef meal that had more offal than meat which turned my stomach. I complained and said as they were 'chef prepared the quality of the meat should be a lot better than it is' etc, etc...got a refund and carried on with just chicken and veg meals.

I stopped DC because I was overrun with the damn things and ended up throwing more away than I was eating and had an accident which meant I couldn't exercise, so piled on the weight again...just eat healthy fish and chicken, lots of veg and fruit (watching out for the fruit sugars, bananas are the worst culprits) and gentle exercise. :mysmilie_59:

 

[Ellaaa]

I agree you do see some overweight nurses and I wonder if it's because it's hard to eat healthily when you work non-standard hours and you're shattered when you finish work. As you say they are only human like the rest of us.

As someone who is a nurse and has done the early/late/night rotational shifts I can confirm if is difficult to eat at regular times. That said, I've never been overweight since I was a teenager as I eat sensibly and exercise, so I do think it gets used as a bit of an excuse by some shift workers if others can manage it. I would've loved to reach for junk food at the end of every shift, but it's no good doing it all the time as you put on weight, so I just didn't do it! It's all about conscious decision making and willpower, and within health professionals - just as any sector of life - willpower varies

 

[Vienna]

Two years ago I bought a labrador pup who is from a trial dog champion. Right from being young she was unhappy unless she was out in the field, trained to a gundog whistle and doing her "job". Consequently she needs a hell of a lot of exercise and since buying her I`ve lost over a stone and a half. Some days when it`s raining sideways or freezing cold, I wish I`d bought a chihuahua ......

 

[cheesecake]

LOL Vienna, or some tropical fish