Lighter Life diet
Dr Ian Campbell, GP and honorary medical director of Weight Concern, tells us how the Lighter Life diet works.
What is it? Lighter Life
How does it work? You eat only provided soups, shakes and nutrition bars, from which you can chose up to four a day. In addition, you go for weekly weigh-ins and a consultation with a counsellor to talk through the cause of your overeating and to try to change your attitude to food. After your target weight is reached, normal foods are slowly reintroduced over 12 weeks. It costs £66 per week, which covers all food.
Who is it good for? This is only right for you if you have three stone or more to lose or have a BMI over 29. This programme is not suitable for diabetics.
How effective is it? Most women lose three stone within 14 weeks, but you may experience side effects while on the programme, such as constipation, bad breath and headaches.
How can I get it? Before you can go on the programme your GP or practice nurse must fill in a health questionnaire to ensure you are medically suitable to go on the diet.
Dr Campbell says: This is an extreme form of dieting, but it is very effective. However, as it is so low in calories it can lead to muscle loss and even heart irregularities. For most, though, it is safe and effective. The problem is adjusting to a sustained healthy diet afterwards.
Viv Brown (pictured here), 48, a civil servant from Newcastle, lost eight stone following the Lighter Life programme.
“I’ve never been skinny, but after my husband died in 1999, food became everything to me. Within four years, I’d reached 19 stone and was miserable. Tired of crying all the time, I joined Lighter Life in July last year.
I lost nine pounds in my first week and I felt proud of myself for the first time in ages. After eight months I’d lost eight stone. I feel like a different person.”
For more information, visit lighterlife.com
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