2019-06-01_Healthy_Food_Guide_UK_(2)

alargeamountofweightinsuch
a shorttime.Andthisis crucial,
becauseresearchis increasingly
revealingthatit’snotsomuch
thetypeofdietwefollowas
ourabilitytostickwithit that
determineshowsuccessfulweare
inlosingweightandkeepingit off.
Betterstill,there’sevidenceto
suggestthatlosingweightrapidly
whenyoufirststartcanpredict
howsuccessfulyouwillbein
maintainingyournewlowerbody
weight.Inonestudy,obese
womenwholostweightquickly
inthefirstmonthofa six-month
lifestyleoverhaul,followedbya
yearoffollow-upcare,werefive
timesmorelikelytoachievea
10%weightlossattheendofit
than those who lost weight slowly.

Whatabouthunger?
Anothersurprisingpositivefor
VLCDsis thatmanypeopledon’t
sufferasbadlyfromhungeras
theymightexpect,especiallyafter
thefirstfewweeks.Thesediets
aretypicallylowincarbohydrates.
Thismeansdietersquicklyuseup
thebody’scarbstoresintheliver
andmuscles.Theirbodiesthen
switchtoburningfat,producing
ketonesthatthebrainusesfor
fuel– a stateknownasketosis.
Whilethismaycausesome
undesirablesideeffectsatfirst
(seeThedownsidesonp37),
there’sevidencethatketonesdo
helptosuppressappetite.
Havinga breakfrom‘normal’
foodmayalsobehelpfulfor
some,especiallythosewhohave
lostsightofsensibleportion
sizes,grazeconstantlyorfeel
outofcontrolaroundfood.It can
beaneffectivewaytohelp
peoplegetbackintouchwith
whathungerfeelslike,too.Meal
replacementproductstakeaway
theneedtomakeanydecisions
aboutwhat– orwhatnot– to
eat,andinvolvenocooking,
measuringorcaloriecounting.
Thebiggestadvantageofthese
diets must be that they bring the

Mealreplacementproductsare

generallyusedbecause:

●There’snoneedtothink

aboutwhattobuy,cookoreat

●There’snocountingcalories

●Specialformulationsgiveyou

allthenutrientsyourbody needs

●Theysavetime.

Obviously,havingthesame

shakesandsoupsforweekson

endcanbecomemonotonous,

butDrMichaelMosleybelieves

it’spossibletoeat800kcalof

normalfoodforupto 12 weeks.

Hesuggestsfollowingthiswith

800kcal of meal replacement

ThismenufallsshortofprovidingUKrecommendedintakes

forsomevitaminsandminerals,includingcalcium,potassium,

copperandiodine.Asa result,takinga multivitaminandmineral

supplement alongside this type of meal plan is advisable.

Total 794kcal

A TYPICAL DAY ON 800kcal

BREAKFAST

Porridgemade

from30goats

and200ml

skimmedmilk

with80g

raspberries

202kcal

LUNCH

Tunaniçoisesalad

madefrom1 handful

mixedleaves,

1 tomato,60g

cucumber,1 boiled

egg,80gsteamed

greenbeans,160g

cantunainwater,

drained,and3 olives

254kcal

products,orcarefullycrafted

meals,ontwodaysa week.

Bearinmind,eatingregular

foodstillmeansrestricted

choices,andmealswillbemuch

smallerthanyou’reusedto.

You’llneedtogettogripswith

weighingfoodandcounting

calories.Reducingfoodintake

to800kcala dayalsomakesit

incrediblydifficulttomeet

nutritionalneedsforvitamins

andminerals.It’sadvisableto

takea supplementcontaining

multivitamins,mineralsand

possibly omega-3 fats.

CAN YOU FOLLOW

A VLCD THAT’S BASED

ON NORMAL FOOD?

AccordingtoDrMichaelMosley,author

ofTheFast 800 (ShortBooks,£8.99),

youshouldbeabletoeatregular food

on a VLCD for a limited period

DINNER

Chickenstir-fry

madefrom2tspoil,

ginger,garlicand

chillitotaste,100g

chickenbreast,

1 smallcarrot,

½pepper,80g

cabbageorbroccoli,

80gbeansprouts,

1tspsoysauceand

1tspsesameseeds

338kcal

❛It’snot

somuch

thetype

ofdietwe

followas

ourability

tostick

withit that

determines

success❜

JUNE 2019HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 35

Weight loss