If it helps to be with others in the same boat, then go for it - peer pressure is a useful mechanism for bringing about changes in behaviour. Having said that, changing your eating habits doesn't have to be difficult as long as you're eating enough to feel full. I have a friend whose mum went to SW for about 18 months: although she did lose weight, she tended to put it back on again fairly quickly and began to despair that she would never keep it off. Some months ago my friend asked me to provide her mum (in her 70s and recently diagnosed T2) with eating advice based on my own experience, along with an idea of what I eat, which I duly did. She's been following it for 5 months and has lost nearly 3 stone without putting any weight back on. She's also off meds. It might not work for everyone, but for what it's worth, this was the advice I passed on:
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AVOID (or minimise) consumption of the following:
- drinks containing sugar – lemonade, cola, mixers, etc (occasional glass of wine/spirits okay, but not beer). Avoid fruit juice - drink sparkling water or eat the actual fruit instead
- high carb foods – eg all bread, pasta, rice, cake, biscuits, confectionery, breakfast cereals (though unsweetened porridge oats are fine). I have to say that now and again I have a slice of toast with my porridge to prove to myself that I'm not a Puritan
- sugar in tea/coffee (or anything else!)
- sweets, chocolate (other than small amount of dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids)
Typical meal choices:
Breakfast
These days I usually skip breakfast (just have tea/coffee) to give myself a short period of fasting and maintain weight loss, but I didn’t while I was losing weight. The following have tended to be staples:
- Full fat Greek (or Greek-style) yoghurt (3-4 tbsp) with a variety of berries – eg blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries – and a sprinkling of linseed mix (available in Aldi, in the breakfast bit)
- Porridge (not instant varieties, though) made with half milk/half water. I add 1 tbsp of yoghurt (which gives a creamy taste) and more than a sprinkle of salt. I put berries in that, too (and sometimes grate some nuts). Occasionally I have 1 slice of toast and butter with it.
- Boiled egg (2) with some Ryvita Dark Rye crackers with butter and marmite
- Mushroom and tomato omelette (2 eggs)
- Bacon, egg, black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms (not baked beans - packed with sugar, and I hate them anyway). If frying, use extra-virgin olive oil
Lunch
- Tin mackerel or sardines (preferably in olive oil), mixed with bean salad (Sainsbury’s 4-bean salad is my fave)
- Green/red pepper (cut into strips) and/or carrot sticks with full fat houmous. An apple goes beautifully with houmous, too.
- Omelette or bacon & eggs, as above (but not if I’ve had them for breakfast)
- Slices of chorizo (or similar) and cheese with an apple/pear
- Smoked salmon with soft-boiled egg and pepper strips as above
- Prosciutto with pear or apple (good combo, and pears/apples have more fibre than melon)
- (Full fat) Mozzarella and sliced tomato drizzled in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with chopped oregano and basil
- Soup (there are tinned low-carb varieties out there – Duncan’s is a good brand for tinned soup if you can get it, but we usually make our own)
Dinner
I usually try to have a smallish portion of (unprocessed) meat or fish (for the protein – and leave the fat/skin on) along with a selection of veg (sometimes roasted in olive oil) or/and a salad. For salads I add some nuts, berries, apple, avocado or anything to make it interesting (even diced anchovies) and only use extra-virgin olive oil as a dressing. If I haven’t had it for breakfast, I tend to have Greek-style yoghurt with berries, as above, as dessert. (The Alpro brand does a full fat yoghurt with coconut flavour, which is great if you like coconut. Avoid the other flavoured ones, though, as they tend to be sky-high in sugar).
Also, quinoa is a good low-carb substitute for rice, so will have that with chilli con carne, Bolognese sauce, curries, and anything else that you’d normally eat with rice or pasta. Home-made veg soup is a good filler, too.
If we're having a Sunday roast, I load up on the vegetables and only have 1-2 small roast potatoes, if any. Sometimes we all have steak and salad instead (which our kids prefer, as they feel full but not bloated afterwards)
Snack
Try not to snack. If you must, have a handful of nuts (I keep bags and bags of them) or a hard-boiled egg (keep a few in the fridge for emergencies).
Other tips:
- Drink plenty of water, and try to have a glass about 30 mins before a meal. I prefer bottled sparkling water with a slice of lime/lemon, as it fills me up.
- Don’t eat after 8pm
- Read the content labels on everything – focus on the total amount of carbs per serving figure. If that’s above 10g per 100g, I don’t buy (note – a slice of dry toast is 23g of carbs)
- Don’t buy anything labelled ‘low-fat’, ‘fat free’ 'light' or 'diet'. Odds are it’s full of sugar
- If possible, do some gentle resistance exercises 2-3 times per week to keep muscle tone and burn off fat . I’ve worked my way up to 40 press-ups each morning, and I also use 4-5kg dumbells for about 5 minutes. If I have time I'll do some gentle yoga (Sun salute, etc) and/or a few 'planks' as well
- Take the stairs rather than the escalator
- Try to walk for at least a couple of miles every day - more if possible, and within an hour after eating
- Use smaller plates
- If not preparing the food yourself, just eat/drink smaller portions of whatever’s on offer
- Realise that sugar is addictive, but that - like all addictions - it will fade away if you don't feed it.
I don't advocate this for everyone, and you should certainly check with your GP if you have any existing medical conditions before trying it, but variations of this have worked for lots of people I know (and for many who post on this site, too). Good luck.