Newcastle Diet Programme

fieldsforever

I am to start a diet and though I am excited, it is rather costly for the liquid supplement called Optifast and it is a Nestle brand. I don't support Nestle.

What are more affordable alternatives to Optifast?

jive

fieldsforever wrote: »

I am to start a diet and though I am excited, it is rather costly for the liquid supplement called Optifast and it is a Nestle brand. I don't support Nestle.

What are more affordable alternatives to Optifast?

Fruit and veg, liquid diet is a total waste of time

DontThankMe

fieldsforever wrote: »

I am to start a diet and though I am excited, it is rather costly for the liquid supplement called Optifast and it is a Nestle brand. I don't support Nestle.

What are more affordable alternatives to Optifast?

I would try to be eating whole foods or actual food as opposed to using liquid supplements. It's a short term solution to a long term problem. Would you be able to afford the liquid supplements if your current income was reduced by half? Try and find a solution that you can use for the long term.

Alf Veedersane

Are you looking to do this diet because you're diabetic?

Have you consulted with a professional about doing a diet that involves 600 calories a day for 8 weeks, like is suggested?

Optifast is just a shake with calories. More than likely with a relatively high protein content.

silverharp

going from below it seems like an 800Calorie diet , 600 coming from the shake and 200 from other veg , if you are doing this for Diabetic reasons have a look at Dr Jason Fung , there are more sustainable ways of hitting the same goal and it would be a lot cheaper especially if this stuff is expensive.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/newcastle-study-600-calorie-diet.html

The diet was predominantly based around:

Optifast meal replacement sachets, which provided 75% of the calories (600 cals)
The other 200 calories came from non-starchy vegetables

phildin

All of what I write below is pulled out of my *ss; I've no qualification in this area and your doctors advice overrides anything that I say.

With that out of the way, there's something I heard that would seem to ring true: you will put weight back on about as quickly as you drop it off. It's not a biological fact but a good rule of thumb for evaluating your choices. So something like optifast will probably allow you to drop weight quite quickly but as you as you return to your regular diet, you'll return to what you were on prior to starting your weight loss. You might even overshoot which could lead you to giving up on the whole idea of losing weight. Unless your doctor has given you a specific reason for losing weight quickly, I would be inclined to stay away from these products (same goes for fat binding pills).

On the other hand, if you change your diet permanently to include more fruit a veg (frozen veg is fine), you should see a slow but sustained reduction in your weight. It shouldn't be about going hungry or eating food that you hate, just about rebalancing your diet. It would be worth taking notes of what you're eating for a few days and talking to your doctor about this; the chances are there are certain things that are having a disproportionate impact on your weight. You might also consider going vegetarian or vegan, I couldn't do it but it works for some people.

With all that said, you might consider Huel if you're definitely are going down this route. I've never tried it but it seems a least a plausible proposition and isn't owned by evildoers. There seems to be quite a community around it so there's plenty of people that you can ask questions of.

Good luck with your weight loss, don't forget to follow your doctors advice (and challenge it when it doesn't make sense to you) and ignore the ramblings of strangers on the Internet:)

fieldsforever

Yes, it can do wonders for diabetes and PCPCOS(insulin can play a role in PCOS) and yes, it was recommended by a specialist. For those saying it is not beneficial, I advise looking up the Newcastle diet program and the effects before saying it does not work. That isn't me recommending you to try it; I am only gonna do it due to my circumstance. I never wanted to go on a liquid diet before, never thought of doing it, but it has been advised medically and well, it is only 8 weeks to kickstart things.

I don't want to get into what I've tried, what hasn't worked, how long I exercise, etc because I understand me eating strictly veg and fruit yet still gaining sounds absurd. As I get back to my normal self/find the time, being active on a weight loss support forum on here may be nice but for now I would like to start the journey.

I am just trying to get an idea if there's something just like Optifast, but of a different brand. I'll follow the advice of the dr, but I am thankful for the input so far.

Scraggs

"Specialists" in this country do not recommend people with diabetes undertaking this diet solo. You will be referred to a Dietician and closely monitored by your Diabetes team. It is dangerous to undertake this type of diet without medical supervision. If you have not been referred speak with your GP and your Endocrinologist.

fieldsforever

Scraggs wrote: »

"Specialists" in this country do not recommend people with diabetes undertaking this diet solo. You will be referred to a Dietician and closely monitored by your Diabetes team. It is dangerous to undertake this type of diet without medical supervision. If you have not been referred speak with your GP and your Endocrinologist.

You do not know who I have seen, which doctor has suggested this, my conditions, what other medications I have been prescribed. Really, I would prefer an answer to the question rather than pretending to understand a situation that they know nothing of.

Scraggs

Obviously I don't know your situation but I am aware of the relevant guidelines for this type of treatment.
You are here asking for advice on alternative options rather than discussing with your healthcare providers. As I'm sure you know, it is an extreme treatment and I was just trying to relay that doing it your own way rather than how prescribed may have an impact on your health. I'm trying to be helpful, it's up to you how you read it.

Mellor

phildin wrote: »

With that out of the way, there's something I heard that would seem to ring true: you will put weight back on about as quickly as you drop it off. It's not a biological fact but a good rule of thumb for evaluating your choices. So something like optifast will probably allow you to drop weight quite quickly but as you as you return to your regular diet, you'll return to what you were on prior to starting your weight loss.

There's actually no biological pathway forbthat to happen. Weight you lose, is gone. The mass has been metabolised. If you go back to the same diet that caused you to gain weight in the first place. You'll gain weight again. That's not a response to the very low 600 cal diet, it's simply weight gain from a bad diet, twice.

fieldsforever

Optilean is a great alternative and I got it for so much less through a buy one, get one for a penny at Holland and Barret. Thank you all for suggestions on alternatives to Optifast. Feeling fabulous so far.

SozBbz

Mellor wrote: »

There's actually no biological pathway forbthat to happen. Weight you lose, is gone. The mass has been metabolised. If you go back to the same diet that caused you to gain weight in the first place. You'll gain weight again. That's not a response to the very low 600 cal diet, it's simply weight gain from a bad diet, twice.

Well thats as may be but whatever the reason, those low calorie meal replacement diets don't seem to offer long term results.

I have a friend who has done them at least 6 times over the past 10 of so years (a few different versions, but all shakes as meal replacements) and she always puts the weight back on.

Its like shes addicted to the quick losses those diets can achieve and therefore thinks they're great. Thats blinded her to the fact that if she has to keep doing them over and over again then theres something not right.

We both wanted to loose about 3 stone at the start of 2017. I lost 2.5 on Slimming World and she lost over 3 on New You shakes.

Long story short, I put back on 1 stone but only in the past few months when I had a 2 month period out of work on gardening leave where frankly I ate all around me. She however has put back on all the weight, if not more. We met for dinner recently and was actually struck by the extent of her gain.

I've now lost 5lbs of that stone and am tracking calories with MFP and feeling good. Not every day is perfect but I'm holding myself accountable. I want to be back to my full 2.5stone loss before Christmas and think that should be achievable.

IMO the difference is that I at least picked up some good habits and practiced moderation in how I lost my weight. While I don't do SW anymore, I still enjoy a lot of their recipes as midweek dinners. I use real olive oil (was never a fan of frylight, muller lights, mug shots etc even when I did SW) but now I use the 2cal spray instead of free pouring from the bottle. I've switched from full fat milk to the 1% protien milk. I'm conscious of my portions. I also weight train 3x per week. I have a little digital scales in the kitchen and I'm always weighing things so I'm conscious of my eating.

If you loose weight using shakes, theres nothing of that approach that can be carried forward into normal life once you've lost the weight. IMO it just creates a cycle where your weight will always be up and down.

I understand that the 600 calorie diets work from a scientific point of view, but unless underlying habits/behaviours/attitudes towards food are addressed, they will only ever be a short term solution. A lot of peoples weight problems are in their head as much as anything.

bladespin

SozBbz wrote:

I understand that the 600 calorie diets work from a scientific point of view, but unless underlying habits/behaviours/attitudes towards food are addressed, they will only ever be a short term solution. A lot of peoples weight problems are in their head as much as anything.

Very true, no matter how you do it, the real key to maintaining the new weight is understanding the food you are eating.

Grab All Association

Know a few people who have completely including my sister who reversed her T2 diabetes. It’ll stay reversed as long as you change your diet/eating habits completely. You also don’t need to restrict yourself to 600 calories! Just eliminate carbohydrates to less than 5-10% of the GDA and live on proteins and fats instead.

People I know complain about T2 diabetic as a drain on resources etc but it’s really due to the poor outdated advice and treatment provided by the HSE.

https://youtu.be/da1vvigy5tQ

Mellor

SozBbz wrote: »

Well thats as may be but whatever the reason, those low calorie meal replacement diets don't seem to offer long term results.

There is no weight loss program that offers long term results. Energy balance works on an almost day to day level.

If you read my post again, you notice I didn't advocate super-shake program or anything like that. I was pointing out that how fast you regain weight is not caused by how fast you lost it.

You example if your friend proves that. Both lost similar weight. But she regained at s much bigger rate.

molly09

fieldsforever wrote: »

Optilean is a great alternative and I got it for so much less through a buy one, get one for a penny at Holland and Barret. Thank you all for suggestions on alternatives to Optifast. Feeling fabulous so far.

Hi

Can I ask do you take this 3 times a days as a meal replacement or are you also eating other food.

Does the shake keep you feeling full for a number of hours?

Do you find it easy to drink, I got the PhD formula one recently and it was very difficult to drink.

Would love to hear how the plan is going for you. Please feel free to pm me as I know these type of diets can get a lot of back lash for various reasons .

Dtp1979

molly09 wrote: »

I know these type of diets can get a lot of back lash for various reasons .

Here’s 3
Because they are a lazy alternative to hard work.
Because they are robbing people of there hard earned money by handing them a lazy option that nearly never works.
Because they are not good for you.