NHS liquid milk diet. Cananyone help - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Dalaney · 10-09-2014, 07:13 PM

Hello I am on my4th day of my liquid milk diet and really struggling. I have been out on it by the Addenbrookes hospital obesity clinic in an attempt to avoid surgery. I have to drink 4 pints of semi skimmed milk a day for 8 weeks then the next 8 weeks it's milk and a small meal from a restricted diet plan then the final 8 weeks is a restricted diet plan. Six months in total. I know it's early days but I'm struggling. Has any one else been on this program or any thing similar ? Would love some support to help me through. I live alone and didn't realise just how structured my days were around meals now I'm just floundering. Any advice or support would really help. Six months seems like forever

JohnP · 10-09-2014, 07:21 PM

My advice would be to get on a different diet plan. I can't imagine a more difficult diet than one than includes nothing but skim milk for 2 months.

I hate to say it but the only way this makes sense to me is if they want you to fail so they can do the procedure.

If you need to reduce weight rapidly for medical reasons I would talk to your doctor (not the doctor who put you on the stupidest diet I've heard of) and see how he feels about a PSMF diet. There are many versions. My favorite would be Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle Mcdonald. It is a very restrictive crash diet but you at least are eating real food.

sunarie · 10-09-2014, 07:28 PM

I would second what John P says. Definitely get a second, maybe even a third, opinion. Try and find something that you think you can do, and that seems to work for you. I tried to Google liquid milk diet to see what information there was on it (and in what scenarios it would be recommended) but couldn't really find anything. There are liquid diets that include milk, but nothing I saw where it was just skim milk. That sounds like it would be incredibly hard to stick to.

Dalaney · 10-09-2014, 07:38 PM

Hi thank you both. Not exactly the support I was hoping for but I respect your opinions. However I do trust my consultant he is very well respected in his field and the diet is backed by research. It's not easy getting on a NHSprogram and I have had to make some difficult decisions. The clinic is very hands on and I can ring them any time but I just wanted some support from anyone who has done a liquid diet themselves not to be talked out of what I'm doing.

Jesslan Rose · 10-09-2014, 07:40 PM

I third JohnP's comments. I have never heard of that diet. Something else you should consider is that only drinking milk for 16 weeks could easily and very possibly cause you to develop a milk allergy. Please consider getting another opinion.

Dalaney · 10-09-2014, 07:54 PM

I don't want another opinion I want done support !! Are you all doctors ? I dint want to be rude I won't judge your diets please don't judge mine. I am being well monitored I am taking vitamin supplements I am not ill just wanting support from ANYONE who has done or is doing a liquid diet. Thankyou

sunarie · 10-09-2014, 07:56 PM

Dalaney, I apologize if it was not what you wanted to hear support-wise. I am familiar with the NHS program, at least if this is the one you're referring to http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweigh...ng-weight.aspx
I just was not aware of the milk only diet with the exception of perhaps a pre-operative milk and yogurt diet to shrink the liver, and even then it's only about two weeks. I would be interested in reading some of the research behind the diet, as I truly have never heard of a milk only thing. Do you happen to have any links to information regarding it?

4 pints of milk a day is only a half gallon, which would normally be around 600-700 calories. The only time I've been on a diet that low in calories was when I did HCG and fighting hunger was a daily battle. If you can't add other foods that give you a full feeling, perhaps you could try a supplement like vitamin B12? I didn't have luck with it, but it is suppose to help reduce appetite.

Dalaney · 10-09-2014, 08:07 PM

Thank you I appreciate your reply. I will dig out the research and post a link. It's actually not that low in calories it's semi skimmed milk and works out 1200 calories. I am allowed to eat sugar free jelly and a cup of bovril but don't always fancy it on top of milk. It's about going into ketosis and the theory behind liquid only is it takes away the problem of choice and keeps it simple.it is backed up by behavioural support and an exercise program however they don't recommend exercise in the first two weeks. It's a multi disciplinary team of consultants psychologists and specialist dieticians sometimes I feel you have to put your faith in the specialists and addenbrookes hospital is renowned for its ground breaking research and clinical excellence. I know it's extreme but it's been a long time of failures getting here and due to health issues it's the last attack before weight loss surgery which I would really like to avoid.

sunarie · 10-09-2014, 08:20 PM

Ah, liquid diets I am a bit familiar with, it was more the milk only that threw me off. Usually when I hear liquid diet I think of juicers doing veggie drinks and all that. Thanks in advance for digging up some research for me

I try to stay as educated as I can.

One other thing I use to do when I was on the HCG diet to avoid eating more was distract myself. I'd take a walk, play a game, start reading something that I knew I'd get absorbed in.. eventually the craving would pass. Being bored was never a good thing.

People on here do mean well. I think we've all been through our own extreme stuff, and a lot of us hit a breaking point, that's why we're here. Many of us have also tried a ton of diets, and read up on a lot of things.. so when we see something that looks like it may be unhealthy and we aren't familiar with, the reaction is to give opinion based on our personal experience. Which isn't always the best thing, as you saw.

Jesslan Rose · 10-09-2014, 08:23 PM

I was writing my post when you posted your second one. I didn't see it until after I clicked 'post reply' and it took me back to the page. Sorry for adding to your frustration.

Dalaney · 10-09-2014, 08:50 PM

Please don't think I'm ungrateful I really do appreciate all your comments and I should have explained myself better. Sunarie I couldn't agree more about the boredom thing and on the plus side my house has never been cleaner I spent all day today sorting out all my kitchen drawers my utensils are sparkling! I am off work this week as a social worker out and about all day I struggle managing any diet as most lunches are taken driving to my next visit so i Wanted to give myself a fighting chance starting this program so took the week off. Plus I knew I wasn't going to feel great the first few days. I need to do this I have diabetes arthritis and hate the way I look but want to avoid surgery at all costs if I can. I sometimes wonder how I ever got to this state when my nickname in my youth was boney maroney I was so stick thin lol

JohnP · 10-09-2014, 08:59 PM

With the additional information you've provided I can see how this diet plan is designed for people like yourself. They are breaking your patterns and will rebuild new ones. Truly this is a diet of last resort.

I don't understand how you'll get into ketosis on 100g of sugar a day but then again I don't know what is in this "milk" either and since there are many experts involved you have to trust their judgment.

I can tell you that a friend of mine did a water fast for 78 days straight. Nothing but strained vegtable broth in the morning and water after that. He said that after about two weeks he wasn't hungry any more. So stick with it. You can do it!

Better?

Palestrina · 10-10-2014, 07:30 AM

I have a friend that did a juice fast - drank ONLY juices for nearly days! He lost lbs and then started reintroducing food slowly back into his diet. He struggles though, it's a constant thing to manage when weightloss comes from liquid dieting. So he starts to eat food, gains lbs and then goes on a 10 days juice fast again. He repeats this pattern over and over again every couple of months. He seems very happy with it and I support him but it seems like a miserable way to conduct the rest of his life imo.

I can maybe kinda sorta see the sense in milk since it does provide a combination of some protein and carbs and I think as far as dietary choices you must have tried a lot of things to get to something so drastic. We have to put our trust in someone and if you've found the doctor that works for you then best of luck with it.

I don't know how the doctors plan to reintroduce food into your diet but when they do you'll be faced with the same challenges you had before the diet, except you'll weigh less. If someone is overeating for emotional reasons and is exhibiting signs of disordered eating then those issues have to be addressed. Emotional eating does not go away with weight loss, it's what causes the weight gain to begin with. The weight is just a symptom of it. It's something to think about.

Dalaney · 10-10-2014, 08:54 AM

Thank you Wannabesskinny and JohnP And I am aware how extreme this sounds and last night i was at a real low point (UK time) I have struggled so hard with this milk diet as I actually dont like milk which is making it so much harder. As for behavioural changes that is all part of the process and I have to attend the clinic every 2 weeks to talk about progress and address emotional eating. I am only 5 days in so its all new to me but I am struggling and i dont know if i will sustain this but I will try and will keep you all posted thaks for your comments and support

Palestrina · 10-10-2014, 10:22 AM

We've all been there, when our choices seem limited and we've exhausted our options.

One thing I will say about liquid diets is that if it works like it's supposed to it may get your mind off food for a while. The advice I can offer you about the emotional bit is that when I started treating my eating disorder I was petrified of hunger. I was always feeding myself and even eaten when I wasn't hungry just so I could avoid hunger. I suspect you will be dealing with a lot of hunger in the next few weeks. If you're like anything like me, hunger brings about a lot of emotions - for me it's mostly anger, sadness, frustration, anxiety and fear. They will all have to be dealt with otherwise the hunger will feel overwhelming and scary. When you begin to work on these things while trying to discern between true physical hunger and emotional hunger then things will start to fall in place. Physical hunger is surprisingly easy to sit with and extremely easy to address. Emotional hunger is complicated and scary but it CAN be managed by finding the tools to deal with the emotions that drive you to food in the first place.