Soup and shake diet

[Christelle]

Oh my word - NO!

"The programme has taught me moderation."

I do not know how you can have your addictive foods in moderation.

[Gilli]

The article on this in the Times online yesterday was followed by many comments recommending low carb, keto, David Unwin etc. The knowledge is out there but the media is ignoring it.

[roseymary]

This has been all over Facebook with Aseem Malhotra and others decrying this initiative.

[grumbleweed]

No...no...NO!!!
All this low calorie malarkey is a step back.
Yes, it may work to reverse diabetes...but at least base it on real food. Not liquid mush. The problem is that Joe public gets a hold of it and it's back to counting calories and starvation diets to lose weight fast.

[MrJDW]

There is research that suggests losing weight very quickly is what confers the benefits for those with T2D - benefits over and above simply losing the weight (at whatever rate). I'm not in a position to say whether that's right or wrong, but I think that's why it's soups and shakes and not real food. I can also understand somebody being diagnosed with T2D wanting to just deal with it as quickly as possible, though I agree they need help with the next step as well if they're not just going to regain.

[Christelle]

I found that when I tried Herbal life shakes as meal replacers that it didn't work for me. I used to have a breakfast shake and then went looking for some proper food to eat. It was as if my body did not see the shake as a meal but rather a drink and wanted food afterwards. I agree to an extend that if you are diagnosed with T2D that it might just compel you to stick to the eating regime but how long will you last on this? I know I would not be able to do this for a year. When OH makes chicken soup and we eat it for the next 2 days, by day 2 I am looking for food that I can chew

[grumbleweed]

I skimmed the DM report, and had the impression that the liquid, very low carb was for 12 weeks. That seems to be the norm with these medically supervised diets. But even that can be too long for many. Very low carb/cal is certainly possible with real food. But that can't be supervised in the same way as sachets of powder.

[Christelle]

In this article, they are definitely mentioning a year, not 12 weeks

Some NHS patients have already benefited from the year-long diet and exercise plan, which is why NHS England wants to expand the scheme to more people.

[grumbleweed]

From the DM...

" They will be told to swap out food for blended meal replacement shakes and soups for three months.

For the rest of the year, they will be coached by nutritionists, who will help reintroduce ordinary, nutritious meals into their diets and increase their exercise levels. "

[ChristineJ]

Nutritionists and the eat badly plate, here we go - again.