Diet Chef Advice?

[tvshopper]

i have not seen this prgramme but mkenna also said that thin people eat burgers and chips and chocolate but i suppose they dont eat it in excess. my daughter lost 2 stone in post baby fat and she eats some fast food . what i noticed about her is she eats when she is hungry and stops when she is full. she has so much energy because she is not so tired with eating to excess. overeating saps your energy. you wont go for a walk as your body is tired breaking down the large plates of food. it a vicious cycle.

It comes down to the individual and how fast, or not, you burn energy. And don't go believing all that rubbish about exercise either. There are plenty skinny people who do no exercise, stiff their faces and don't gain an ounce. Exercise is for health, not for losing weight.

I shared a flat when I was 19 with my naturally skinny friend. To save money, we combined money on shopping and ate the same things: cereal for brekkie, packed lunch sandwiches and 2 biccies, crisps mid afternoon and a main meal together. My weight was stable with this. Then my friend started to buy us a choccie treat. She'd get a mars bar and I'd have a twix; hers had more calories than mine, yet within 2 weeks I'd put on 7 pounds and she hadn't gained an ounce. Meh...I give up..

Tvs

 

[yesilkedi]

I thought the Diet Chef programme was vastly over-priced, especially when you consider you still have to buy fruit & vegs & milk. I heard someone say the other day that diets make you fat & the best way to lose weight is to eat healthily and MOVE more, so this year I've decided that walking is the way to go instead of getting in the car and driving everywhere. To think that in my 20's I used to walk back and fowards to the childrens school , which was a mile away, could eat what I liked and never put an ounce on -aaah happy memories.

 

[Capirossi]

Surely it's easier (and cheaper) just to count calories yourself rather than pay for horrid food which someone has printed the calorie content and the word 'diet' on? Simple rule of losing weight is to eat less and move more. Cut 500 cals a day from the amount you need to function and do some exercise. This doesn't mean hours at the gym, just go and move about! Get your heartbeat going somehow, chose something you enjoy. Whole foods are the way to go - brown pasta, brown rice, wholemeal/granary bread, oats, protein, veg, soya....don't deny yourself anything, just show some constraint. If you give in to a doughnut at lunch then have a smaller dinner, if possible, if not don't worry about it!! I don't do this anymore, but I used to have 4 squares of dark chocolate a day whilst eating foods previously mentioned and exercising. It's when you start denying yourself food you are on a slippery slope. Besides, life is too short to deny yourself simple pleasures! A little of what you fancy does you good. I follow the 80/20 principle (good for 80% of the time, not as good for 20% i.e good during the week and more relaxed at the weekend)

And sorry, whoever it was that said exercise is a load of nonsense, are you for real?? Yes you can lose weight just by cutting down, but you need to build muscle to burn fat. That's what muscle does. Best tip I can pass on is log onto some body building forums and check out their food/diet sections. You will gain some serious knowledge about food and how your body works. You do not need 'diet' food or any special plans. In fact, you are better off eating butter than low fat spread and full fat yoghurts etc rather than the diet versions.

Don't get too caught up in numbers either. What you weigh is largely irrelevant. It's more important to go with how you feel and look. I have looked totally different at the same weight, usually feeling better a little heavier than the 'goal' weight. Use it as an aim by all means, just don't kill yourself to get to that exact weight. Bearing in mind how much your weight fluctuates in a single day, battling to be an exact weight is futile!

All you need is a bit of food/exercise knowledge and some constraint. The original poster has shown they can do mind over matter (well done by the way, great effort) so I urge you not to fall into the evil grip of the diet world!! You can do it yourself ;-)

Now, must get off the sofa/soapbox and open my new Zumba dvd....!! I feel all motivated, lol

Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk

 

[Loveinamist]

Ten sachets of chowder!

 

[Seahorse]

I've lost a stone just by calorie counting and exercising a little more. I use an app for my android phone and a website called My Fitness Pal. Lots of foods are listed, you just have to put in your portion size and it works out how many calories you need to be eating per day by using your height/weight and activity level. There is also a barcode reader on the phone app so you can scan the barcode of any packaged foods you're eating. It's free and really easy to use.
To my mind this is a better way because I'm learning about nutrition and the calorie count of favourite foods, the problem with plans like diet chef is that you don't educate yourself about these things so when you start to eat "normally" again, you may put the weight back on (plus more). I know this has happened with every faddy diet I ever tried.

 

[Gemma1]

My method of losing weight is simple- eat less and move about more (typed whilst lying on the sofa scoffing a bar of Cadbury's fruit and nut)

 

[HoodedClaw]

Well now you mention it he is a little tasty ;-P

He always looked a tad greasy to me :wink:

 

[Greg]

I always laugh when I see these sort of diet food product systems and it is no surprise that TV shopping channels are peddling this crap!

1. The food in these systems are really no different in terms of taste and quality to supermarket microwave meals
2. You are being ripped off royally as a consequence by marketing fairly ordinary food as a 'diet food product system'
3. Who really wants to eat stuff like this where everything in it is so uniform and the plan so rigid and unimaginative
4. The likelyhood of returning to your former ways are greater because of the artificial nature of diet systems
5. What is needed is a change to your shopping, cooking and eating habits in a positive way that will have a lasting and beneficial effect. Diet food product systems won't do that for you. It is education and knowledge of which foods are good for you and the way you apply this knowledge through a variety of preparation and cookery skills is the key here, imho.

 

[shopping jenny]

For me the only healthy eating plan that has ever worked is Slimming World . It's a programme of changing one's eating habits for life. It has been modified and updated over the past couple of years and is so easy to follow and it works !!!
I've had issues with my weight all my adult life , which now covers a lot of years ! In the past I've managed to get to my target weight lots of times over the years but always lapsed into the old eating patterns and , of course , the weight went back on. What happens to the folk that do lose weight with Diet Chef after the course finishes ? How do they reeducate their tastebuds , especially when faced with lots of tempting items in supermarkets or if eating out ?
Getting the help and group support at my SW class has taught me about making healthier choices whilst enjoying all that life has to offer.
I am at my target weight once again and ' Maintainance ' is the key word this time around .
From my own experience, I would suggest that each individual person has to find which method works best for them . Every time we try and fail is a rehearsal for the time when we will succeed !

 

[pudnpie]

I do Weight Watchers online. I lost 1.5 stone last year. I still have more to lose and it is taking time but the slower it comes off the more chance you have of it staying off because you have made less drastic changes which need to be kept up. I know people have success with the Diet Chef kind of stuff, but I think what happens when you don't want to use it anymore? You have to relearn new eating habits again to maintain. With small changes you don't.

I don't have any problems having a social life on WW. I get 29 points a day plus you get an extra optional 49 ones a week you can use on going out, takeaways, booze etc or whatever you want. I don't need to save up points (you used to on their old plan). Fruit is free and I don't go hungry. You can also earn extra points through exercise. There's an offer through quidco at the moment which you get the first three months for £1, so worth giving it a try.

If you want to look at the mind part of eating I have just read But I Deserve This Chocolate by Susan Albers. There was so much in there that I recognise in myself. Gillian Riley's books are also very good. I read them a while ago and I have had a much calmer relationship with food since.

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[donna255]

I ordered two umbrellas from Amazon on Thursday which just arrived free shipping too.

Anyway voucher for Diet Chief included. If anyone is interested:

Code: AM112S £40 off your first month's order monthy subscription applies. So if anyone want to use it valid until 29th Feb(oh its a Leap Year)

 

[mollymoo]

The Diet Chef food looks like pet food sometimes. I'm starting Slimming World on Monday - have about 4 stone to shift. It's the only one I haven't done, someone at work has just changed to it from WW as she was always hungry on WW. I got the books from Ebay - can't afford the class prices or online.
Keep reading the books and it looks very simple (ish!!) mainly fruit, veg, fish meat with low fat extras to perk it all up.

I must have lost the same weight and put it back on soooooooooooooooooooooooooo many times am frankly sick of myself. So 2012 is going to be the time I get rid of it for good or I'm going to look like lump of blubber for the rest of my days. Tbh I think some of the older 'celebs' that have been in the papers have probably shown me it's not too late and given me a kick up the backside!!

Fingers X'd x

 

[China Girl]

Good luck Mollymoo :sun:

 

[Paul_s]

OK guys. A lot of good advice in this thread.

As someone who used to weigh in excess of 24 1/2 stone around 6 years ago this is what I did (I now weight around 14 stone).

a) Throw out any crap in the house with high fat/sugar content.
b) Plan some sort of exercise routine - at least 45 minutes a day will suffice.
c) Drink plently of water.
d) Don't eat anything in between - stick with normal three meals a day. (this is the biggest biggest thing that makes a real difference)
e) Moderation - not too much of the same thing - another key ingredient.
f) Leave any treats to one day at weekend with ONE of your meals that weekend. If you don't have one treat a least once a week you will go insane.
g) Alcohol - Vodka = water, Spritzer = wine. If you want to look drunk then your local drama group can help!
h) Soft drinks = Throw them out, no good. Who wants artifical flavourings and rubbish in their body anyway?
i) Hate working out at the gym? Take a friend, join a class with other people (make friends) or your favourite music.

I must admit, it is not easy and I know how hard it is sticking to a routine but the results will make it more than worthwhile. DietChef is only 10% of the solution. A lot of this is psychological as well so you need to get your mind focused and if anything in your life is stressing you then things like that need sorting out first.

If you have a hard time following the pointers above then go and see your GP - ask for help (i did). They are more than willing to help you improve your health. One of the biggest motivation factors for me was being weighed each week, having a target and then seeing it falling off - the nurses offer support and help throughout. You are also weighed on proper scales - the ones from Asda etc are crap and can be out by quite a bit (imo).

You only live once - isn't being happy better than living with regrets and 'what-ifs'? Tell DietChef to sod off and enjoy losing weight without eating the dog or cat when you are craving for food.

Maybe I should write a book?

 

[merryone]

I love the way they use the word Chef!....Chef....My ar$e! Chef inspired maybe, but certainly not produced by a chef as they'd have us believe. Fresh from the factory or straight off the production line doesn't quite have the same ring to it as chef prepared meals delivered straight to your door does it?

 

[janie]

congrats paul - that's a real achievement!:happy:

 

[ringtree]

what do you mean about the alcohol Paul - did you include it a bit in your diet or did you have none at all? I am a bit stressed at the moment but want to diet as well.

 

[Laura L'occitane Earle]

My weight has been an issue all my life - I was always the chubby one amongst a family of skinnies. But I know it was due to comfort eating to fill a big void. During my twenties, my weight stabilized and I really believe it was down to marrying OH and being totally loved up. Now I try to eat sensibly for the sake of the children, but do crave chocolate, cakes biscuits and occasionally have a bit of a binge.

The most weight I ever lost was when I cut soft drinks and biscuits out. Wow! It was like the weight fell off and I finally realized I had a waist and cheekbones.

I agree with a lot of what Capirossi and of the others said - Diets don't work (BTW, have you noticed that the word diet has the word DIE in it) the only way to effectively drop weight is by changing your habits FOR LIFE!

What works for me is simple - I mentally divide my stomach into 3 - one part to be filled with food, the


other part to be filled with water and the third part to be filled with air (aka - empty). As the brain only knows the stomach is full 10 minutes later, I prefer to stop eating before I am full. I have a glass of water before every meal, and also drink water when I feel hungry - if I'm still hungry after that, I will eat something. I don't eat any diet drinks or low fat foods - I prefer to eat real food, only less of it. I still eat chocolate, muffins, cake etc, but it is a once a week treat, and not an every day thing.

I walk a lot anyway, but tone up by doing some simple stretches every day. I also fit in exercise while I am doing routine things like side stretches while the kettle boils, or leg lifts while I am brushing me teeth. Exercise forces me to be aware of my body and eat well - it also makes me feel great.

Good luck to all who are trying to lose weight - remember the 3 golden rules...
1) stop before you are full.
2) drink lots of water
3) get some movement in every day, even if it is only 5 mins here and there.
And mist important of all, be kind to yourself. Whenever you want to go on a binge, give yourself a hand massage, or a facial massage instead.

 

[Gemma1]

congrats paul - that's a real achievement!:happy:

Very, very well done from me too,Pauli. 10 stone plus is a massive amount of weight to lose. You must have willpower of iron.

 

[boffy]

one of the most powerfull tools for weight loss is jounalling. weigh your self regularly and write down what you eat and be honest and thats free