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Altra Life NHS Total diet replacement

A

Ace Rimmer

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Having been recently diagnosed with border line Type 2, my GP in his infinite wisdom has sent me some shake samples to taste and select . On looking at these samples there is 25g of sugar in each pack of a 52g shake. Now I am overweight and obese and have worked all my life in an manual capacity 99% of the time, I eat healthy and been on beta blockers since 2004 for A/F. I digress, could some one advise me on this diet plan if you have taken part in it, would love to hear the Pros and Cons because I'm a great believer nowadays that GP's don't diagnose you anymore they just look at you and ASSUME.
 
Hi and welcome. Did your GP tell you what your HbA1c result was? And when you say you eat healthy, what do you mean? I found that what we are encouraged to eat (ie lots of carbs) is just about the least healthy option for me.

Well done on reading the labels. Personally, 25g sugar in a 52g shake is not something I'd ever consider eating - that's over my daily target for carb in one go. It follows that I've no experience of this sort of thing, but I am sure others here have.
 
I tried using Tesco shakes recently, with a very small meal, and found my HbA1c went up - I think because the carbs were easily digested and I usually eat veges and salad.
It was only a few numbers, but it took me back to 48, which is in the diabetes range - just.
 
My mistake, it was 12g in every 52g sachet , but if they want you to have 4 x sachets a day that's still 48g of sugar and that's without the soup.
 
Sounds an extremely weird strategy for someone who is "borderline diabetic". I would prefer to eat real food and aim for between 20 - 40g of carbs per day. These carbs come from salads and veggies only. Has he suggested these franken-food sachets because they are calorie counted and he has suggested reducing calories to aid weight loss?
 
Yes that is correct, I have met a doctor once in 2 years, the last person I seen was a nurse who actually listened to me and not just look and assume. The Type 2 has just been diagnosed so I'm totally new to this situation. But they have asked me to go on this 12 week diet, 4x shakes and 1x soup with each sachet having 12g of sugar in so there's 60g in a day. I've been on beta blockers for A/F for 20 years along with blood thinners so I'm a bit dubious to say the least .
 
12 grams or 25, I'd still find it to be a bit much... Carb restriction often works better than caloric restriction, when it comes to diabetic control... I think you'd better look at your current diet, which may be perfectly healthy for someone who doesn't have a metabolic condition, but might not be ideal for someone with insulin resistance/sensitivity issues... I mean, lots of good stuff in a potato, but due to the starches I have to give them a wide berth, they spike my blood sugars. Similar problem with most fruit: lots of vitamine goodness in there, but sugars, too. So, check your diet, and see whether it is healthy for your situation specifically. https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html might help a bit there.

Also, get yourself a meter if you don't already have one. It'll tell you whether certain foods are good for you or no. Whatever comes next, good on you for checking the nutritional information!
Jo
 
Have been back in touch with the surgery, found out my HbA1C is 49, that's why I'm dubious of going on to there crash diet of shakes and soups every day. I know I'm overweight, 60 year's old , but I feel I can lose the weight myself alter my eating daily, which by the way isn't a lot. I had past on to them nutritional diary's which I've been doing for years, times, quantities, etc. I need to starting walking more but the sometimes it hurts but that's what you get with 24 yes in an Infantry regiment, but hey ho , onwards and upwards
 
Hey @Ace Rimmer - welcome to the forum...
The good news then is that an HbA1c of 49 really isn't that high (mine was 155 when I was first diagnosed) - so small changes now may be all you need.

The bad news is pretty much as your first post suggests. For lots of well-meaning reasons, the advice you are often given seems to include lots of sugars, which just seems wrong.

24 years of service should put you in a place of having discipline that most of us will only dream of.
It sounds like you are well familiar with the "calories in - calories out" routine. It's a dogma that doesn't really stand up to inspection - if it was the military, it would have been scrapped decades ago, simply because it so often fails. That isn't opinion, just statistics.

However - in all the medical texts - you can read for yourself that the world and his dog knows what we used to believe - that sugars and starches are fattening. This is what drives insulin up, and that's what drives insulin resistance, and that's what drives up blood glucose (when your ability to cope with the need for more insulin starts to lose the battle, to keep stretching the metaphor).

So - for someone just diagnosed with the hormone imbalance known as type 2 diabetes, the simplest way to think about it (or was for me) is "lets get that insulin back in balance" - how do you do that? reduce the sugars and starches. You may find that you don't need to do much more than that.. though be prepared to be surprised at how much sugar and starch is hidden in food...

If you can do that, you may be surprised to know that adding fat back to your plate can actually be good for you - but one step at a time...
 
Many thanks, for your input much appreciated. I have acquired a book by Jessie Inchauspe and it's called " The Glucose Goddess Method" and to be honest it's a great with a hell of lot of insight into meals, ingredients ect, so I'll be giving this my undivided attention. My NHS diet isn't due to start till Jan 22nd anyway, so I feel I'll see some difference beforehand.
 
Jessie Inchauspé is a hell of a good start - she was one of the first sources I remember reading. You're planning on going ahead with the NHS diet though?
 
In 2 minds really, I have my 40 min consultation by phone on Wednesday 18th Dec, but I will ask them some relevant questions pros and cons etc, but it least if I do it myself I'm answerable to myself and not some GP who clapped eyes on me once
 
Try the new weigh total meal replacement it’s only available direct or from a pharmacy after you fill in the online medical questionnaire and receive a 20 minute phone call. It cost £55 a week delivered.
 
I was diagnosed as prediabetic, then diabetic and after some chasing from my GP, agreed to undertake the diabetes remission programme using Altralife shakes and am about to reach the end of my year on this diet. I believe my HbA1c was around 69 and I high had slightly high blood pressure when I started. I have always exercised moderately, walking a lot, some running and cycling etc and for me, weight and poor diet was the problem. I followed the plan to the letter, eating nothing but the diet shakes for 12 weeks with support from an app called Oviva. The app tracks your weight, blood sugar from finger pricks, mood etc and provides an online coach and diet/lifestyle tips.

For 12 weeks I ate nothing but the shakes, 4 times a day whilst drinking water and sugar free drinks. I dropped my weight by 30 Kg during this period, losing weight almost every day. It was tough in the first couple of weeks but got easier. Energy levels remained good and I was able to continue walking/running even though I was only consuming 800 calories per day.

Fast forward to today and I have managed to keep the weight off by good diet choices and continue to exercise. My blood pressure has dropped significantly and if anything is a little low. Have to be careful sometimes when standing up or everything starts to go dark. My last blood sugar was 39 so I am now officially in remission. Still have to be really careful what I eat or the weight can quickly increase. My partner says I no longer snore so she's happy. Its a huge boost to your mental wellbeing. I do feel the cold more now and had to replace my entire wardrobe so a little costly from that perspective.

With regards to Oviva coaching system, this has been near useless. At the start, there was some personal contact and encouragement but hey had some internal changes and then could never make contact with anyone, just received these annoying automated messages. The app has some useful diet and lifestyle tips but nothing you cant find elsewhere online. If you cant get referred by your GP, just go online and purchase the shakes from Altralife directly.
 
Ace Rimmer said:
My mistake, it was 12g in every 52g sachet , but if they want you to have 4 x sachets a day that's still 48g of sugar and that's without the soup.
Click to expand...
The shakes are 3 per day plus 1 soup (a total of 800 calories a day) so the shakes are high in sugar in order to maintain your energy levels and prevent blood sugar going too low. I lost 2 stone on my own in the 3 months before starting the nhs tdr, just by educating myself about the sugar and calories in foods, and also fasting if I had slipped off diet. But Altra shake is helping me lose weight more quickly, so I'm prepared to put up with any negatives.
 
I have been in shakes 4 times day and have done nearly two weeks. First weight I lost 4kg but that’s because after 4 days I couldn’t drink 4 shakes a day and have now gone to two as they make me feel sick. I drink plenty water but am really struggling.
Has any one else had this.
If I cut out all sugar and carb I would lost this amount weight anyway.
 
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