Marks and Spencers Diet?

[SuzyK]

I was looking at the M & S "Feel Fuller for Longer Diet" today and I am not sure if they are being honest.

From what I have learned, carbs are a big problem with losing weight and they are saying cut down on them and fill up on protein but they are stil offering sandwiches as part of the diet. I thought bread was one of the big no, no's.

Is anyone doing this diet and if so how is it going? I am guessing once you add it all up it will not be cheap either. Lovely as M & S food is we do pay for it!

Just my thoughts but I wondered if anyone else felt the same.

 

[IrishMum]

Carbs can be a problem with losing weight- but they are also necessary. Nutritionists nick-name it 'brain food'. The problem arises when the carbs eaten are processed & refined cr*p like white bread, pasta, rice etc.
The advice is to make better choices when having carbs, and try to have them earlier in the day so theres time to digest/work them off, and to choose unrefined, less processed carbs like wholemeal/wheaten (or granary) breads, pasta & rice. Most food has some carb content- some veg can actually be pretty high carb as well! So avoiding them is very difficult, unless you go a route like Atkins? My dietitian actually recommended I follow a high protein, low carb diet. I have problems with carbs (bloating, feeling nauseous etc.) and the 'extra' protein would leave me feeling fuller and benefit my body (protecting/rebuilding muscle) more than another kind of diet. I'm doing this and it's not working out expensive, but then I'm not eating M&S food! LOL!

 

[KD]

From what I have learned, carbs are a big problem with losing weight and they are saying cut down on them and fill up on protein

Carbs generally aren't a problem. Look how well people on SW green days do, and that is a pretty high carb diet.

For the vast majority its just calories in vs calories out, but there's no doubt that some people who are more carb sensitive do better on low carbs than other on low carb diets (IYKWIM)

Protein is satisfying though, and many carb foods tend to be eaten with high sugar or fat (think pasta sauces, cakes and biscuits etc) which tends to be more of the problem

but they are stil offering sandwiches as part of the diet. I thought bread was one of the big no, no's.

Not at all Bread has something like 15 to 20g (depending on which brand). If you are on a low carb diet, along with everything else it could push the boundaries, but for a moderate carb diet it's fine....add protein with it to help satiety and it's a great choice Even low carbers eat carbs..or they should anyway. Hard to ignore them completely as carbs are in so many foods and great macronutrient.

Is anyone doing this diet and if so how is it going? I am guessing once you add it all up it will not be cheap either. Lovely as M & S food is we do pay for it!

I haven't seen the details of this. I knew they had some feel fuller products. You haven't got a link to the actual diet have you? I can't seem to find one on a quick search.

 

[IrishMum]

but there's no doubt that some people who are more carb sensitive do better on low carbs than other on low carb diets (IYKWIM)

Thats me!! And it took a LOT of time, effort & research to work it out! LOL!

 

[SuzyK]

I know we need some carbs as the diet I am on is also low carb, high protein and this has put my body into keotisis I just dread to think where I would end up if I added bread again.

When I am ready to maintain I am sure I can have bread in moderation but because it was such a big part of my food intake in the past, (sandwiches every day) it did not help with my weight problem! That is why I was so shocked to see sandwiches as part of the diet.

 

[KD]

I know we need some carbs as the diet I am on is also low carb, high protein and this has put my body into keotisis I just dread to think where I would end up if I added bread again.

When I am ready to maintain I am sure I can have bread in moderation but because it was such a big part of my food intake in the past, (sandwiches every day) it did not help with my weight problem! That is why I was so shocked to see sandwiches as part of the diet.

But it's mainly the head stuff that makes people avoid bread...and usually, not the bread at fault but what we put on the bread. They'll be one or two that confess to bread being a problem, (as in a trigger for a binge), but it's rare that just plain bread does it.

I could happily munch through a whole loaf of bread without a thought once upon a time, but dry bread with nothing on doesn't quite have that appeal Now I've learnt to control my binges and overeating habits, I can have a couple of slices of bread with additions without it causing a problem.

Can even eat pasta which has about the same amount of carbs per portion as a slice of bread.

Not quite sure why people are more scared of bread than of pasta mind you...other than the psychological part...easy to eat, find, prepare, making it more likely to become a habitual trigger food.

 

[SuzyK]

I don't like pasta at all so it has never been something I have to think about but bread...... I could eat it dry very easily, although it is nicer with a bit of marg. Of course when I am having this little bread fantasy it is white and thick cut, not exactly healthy I know which is why this fantasy is just in my head!

 

[KD]

Of course when I am having this little bread fantasy it is white and thick cut, not exactly healthy I know which is why this fantasy is just in my head!

There's worse foods out there. Well, perhaps not with the marg

I have butter. More natural and wholesome IMO

 

[SuzyK]

After all those years of growing up being told marg is heathier it will take a while to convert to butter. Hubby will be happy though as butter is his preference.

 

[KD]

Butter could be better for you than marg, and marg could be better for you than butter. Depends what you read.

Personally I have a theory that the best has to be 'real' foods rather than modified foods. Not saying I always eat unmodified foods mind you, but when I'm thinking to eat properly/normally/healthily, I'll go for unmodified every day....especially when it actually tastes better.

Besides, once you have all the 'in moderation' bits sorted a bit of butter on my bread is unlikely to kill me...I hope

I was adamant that my sons would get butter over margarine from when they were 'tots' as I was a bit manic when they were younger by all the additives and extras put in food.

Happy to say they are both healthy, slim and with a great relationship with food

 

[SuzyK]

KD are you just trying to confuse me even more......?

My preferance is marg, it doesn't rip the bread and I find most butters are too salty, which is something my taste buds seem to be really sensitive to.

Marg is what I have always given to my two youngs sons, does that mean I now need to change them to butter? Not that they have it every day (like I did) they only have it on sandwiches and the occasional slice of toast.

 

[KD]

My preferance is marg, it doesn't rip the bread and I find most butters are too salty, which is something my taste buds seem to be really sensitive to.

I use a butter dish that keeps my butter cool, but not cold. You can also get unsallted butter, or slightly salted butter

Marg is what I have always given to my two youngs sons, does that mean I now need to change them to butter? Not that they have it every day (like I did) they only have it on sandwiches and the occasional slice of toast.

Nope. Give them what you believe is right, but sometimes we assume that certain things are right, because we take other people's word for it too often, rather than checking it out ourselves.

For instance, when you've been in the UK dieting lifestyle for a long time, you can easily believe that we all have to follow a low fat lifestyle. Of course, we shouldn't eat too many fats, but the government guidelines for healthy eating is about 30% which is waaaayyy more than most diets. Not saying it's wrong for diets to be so low fat, but if you get into that mindset, you could easily assume 5 to 10% is the healthy guideline for all.

Sometimes it pays to check how some foods have been processed to make them low fat. What has been added to improve the flavour.

Take yoghurt for example.
Plain yoghurt
Ingredients
Whole milk, skim milk.

WW yoghurt
Milk Fat and Non Fat Milk, Fruit Base (Strawberries, Bananas, Crystalline Fructose, Inulin Fiber, Strawberry and Banana Flavor with Other Natural Flavors, Food Starch - Modified, Citric Acid, Sucralose, Potassium Sorbate as Preservative, Red 40, Blue 1)Inulin, Whey Protein Concentrate, Food Starch - Modified, Kosher Gelatin, Sodium Citrate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cultures, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3. contains Live Active Yogurt Cultures Including: L-Acidophilus and Bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium Longum and S. Thermophilus.

Which sounds best. For me it was the first one. If they prefered the taste of the 2nd one, I might go for that.

As it is, your children aren't eating much of the marg, nor would they the butter...so it makes little odds really.

Rambling, but it's just about thinking outside the box a bit sometimes

 

[SuzyK]

Thanks KD, certainly food for thought, if you'll excuse the pun!

Looking at your comments on yogurt I am glad I am now on natural yogurt and adding my own fruit, (as part of my diet with Go Lower).

You are right that my boys don't have alot of margarine so for now I will stick with it for them but I may have to consider changing to butter when I am start maintaining.

By the way you are not rambling, you are just sharing your vast knowledge on dieting and food etc that I have not really thought about in the past. Now I can assure you I am learning!

 

[Purple_Star]

Very interesting KD, thanks!!!

Suzy, don't forget the M&S diet is very general and aimed at the general population. I imagine its aimed at peops with plenty of money (lol) who tend to eat convenience food anyway, and can just buy the relevant products, bung them in the micro and not give it any thought. I doubt many people will follow it strictly, I reckon people will just buy some products from the range assuming them to be healthy - like a lot of people buy ww food even tho they aren't actually following the plan.

Nice to see you are doing so well on your plan.

Nicola xx

 

[SuzyK]

Nicola

you are right being M & S, lovely as their food is, yes you would need money to stick to it.

I am one of those naughty people who can't cook, won't cook so the few meals I have cooked for hubby over the last 9 years have been from M & S, that is why it has only been a few because it would probably be cheaper to have taken him out to eat!

That is also why the diet I am on is so great for me as I only have to put the meals (which have already been prepared) into the microwave and ping..... my dinner is served! Sorry I digress.

When I first looked at it, (as since being on Go Lower I want to know about all the other ones that are out there) I was thinking what does it offer to actually help you lose weight. I think you may be right. People will probably use it as more of a crutch to lean on than an actual diet.