G'day Everyone!

[sld]

I'm a 35 year old SAHM mum of 3, and engaged to a wonderful 34 year old man who is about 40 kilos overweight. We hail from the Western Sydney area (Penrith).

3 weeks ago my DH started on the Tony Ferguson Plan. It was then that I started reading into Ketosis (as this is the crux of the plan) which lead me naturally to Low Carb WOE. I have been browsing (hate the term "lurking" - sounds a bit weirdo) through this forum, Empower Foods forum, LC Dave's forum, over to Sherrie's blog, back to Jimmy Moore, caught up with the Eades website and read their book and even paid a visit to Anthony Colpo. Phew! All that in 3 weeks. I even got myself confused by venturing into "Low GI" territory.

Now, before you go beating me about the head with the "Fad Diet" stick ;) , I have to say that the more I read about the TF Plan, the more I became convinced how completely wrong it is. How on earth can something restrict the carbohydrates in the food on the plan but then go load you up with almost 30g per shake??? Surely, those carbs would be better gained from whole food? And so I had my epiphany, the plan was all about flogging a product. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, by the time I had had my epiphany I had already made Mr Ferguson even richer to the tune of well over $150. :(

The plan has been going okay for DH. He only has one shake in the morning as breakfast (rather than the 2 that is recommended) and has protein and salad for lunch and protein and salad or veg for dinner. Because he is male he is allowed to have two serves of protein per day as are women with a BMI over 40. He has lost over 5 kilos already and what has made me the proudest is that he is finally motivated enough to use that damn treadmill we spent a fortune on last year for him. Hooray! Exercising at last! :D

My aim is to move DH away from the TF shakes (and flog what's left on ebay). My problem is, that these are a really convenient breakfast for him. For a man who never consumed anything until lunch time, I think it's imposrtant that he gets something into him in the morning to help prevent a carb binge later on. However, I am at a loss for a suitable substitute. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated! I have been looking at the Atkins shake powder and Protein bars. The bars would be slightly more expensive than the TF shakes and the Atkins shake powder would work out at half the price of TF. What are everyone's thoughts? Obviously I know that real food would be best but I'm trying to make this weight loss journey as easy on DH as possible. If he has to start making his own breakfast every weekday he will quickly become unmotivated (and it has taken me sooo long to get him motivated)! After all, babysteps!

Even though the Atkins powder doesn't come in convenient sachets, I have already thought of a new use for my 2 year old son's Tommee Tippee formula dispenser for when DH is out in the field with work :D

Anyway, that is our (brief) story so far. All opinions and advice is greatly appreciated!!!! :)

[luv2bslim]

Welcome :-)

that's a true ephinany if ever I heard one..LOL

It's great to see you join our forum, please keep us up to date, and pop into the diary section and start one up there too :-)
Tracy

[Sherrie]

Welcome sld :)

I am glad you are looking into moving away from TF. I never found mention on their website about males or BMI over 40 having two protein meals, do you have more info on that? I would like to keep my TF thread accurate and unbiased though I dare say it will still be too low calorie.

I would highly reccomend grabbing an Atkins or PP book for him. I wouldn't worry about the no fat side of TF either.

Regarding the shakes, I would forget the Atkins brand stuff and go straight for a low carb protein powder but look for one that doesn't contain aspartame (951) or soy. Any bodybuilding type store will have lots to choose from. Is he fussy with the taste? Also buy a shaker aswell, you can put a scoop of protein powder in there and he can add water to it when hes about to drink it. When hes home for breakfast get him to add a tablespoon of flax oil to it aswell to up the calories a bit.

[melvan]

Hi sld :)

You could also put a cup or so of natural yogurt in with the shake, with or without fruit. I used to do this a lot - just mix it all up in the blender & away you go :)

[sld]

Thanks for the welcome everyone :)

Sherrie, here are some links for you. I got them from the Questions for TF Staff Forum.

Women with BMI over 40

http://forum.tonyferguson.com/Topic157523-8-1.aspx?Highlight=male

Extra protein for men allowed with lunch. I thought I had read that all men could have another serve of protein but perhaps I was wrong on that. Oh well, can only help DH not hurt him :)

http://forum.tonyferguson.com/Topic136369-8-1.aspx?Highlight=male

Extra protein allowed for women who are exercing a lot and feel fatigued.

http://forum.tonyferguson.com/Topic136943-8-1.aspx?Highlight=exercise

Thanks for the advice on the Atkins powder. I tried doing searches yesterday on the different protein powders but just got myself all confused. I don't think he is too fussy about taste but I haven't tasted the TF shakes to say if they are nice or not. He seems to prefer the Mocha and Espresso flavoured ones. Are there any protein powders you could recommend? He already has a couple of shakers, one at work and one at home. If he's away for work for a few days he would normally take his shaker and a few sachets. That's why I would recycle DS's formula dispenser (although it only holds 3 serves worth) if I have to buy a tin (or tub) or protein.

I agree about the low cal part. Originally the program was 800-1000 cals per day and 400 of that was in 2 shakes alone!!! Now it is a bit higher around 1200 cals per day. It also is based on 50-70 carbs per day yet 57 of those come from the 2 shakes (which is why I moved DH down to one). I calculated that DH's BMR at his height (6'4) and weight 130kg was 2600 cals just to sustain his body during sleep!

http://home.iprimus.com.au/mannum/ozekoala/play/fitness/bmr.htm

I have the PP Lifeplan book and loved it as I am a sucker for knowing the science behind things. That's one thing I dislike about the TF Plan, not enough info. People on the forum (whilst absolutely lovely, they are all very supportive and nice) just don't understand the hypocrisy of being on a 50-70 carb restricted eating plan (hate the D word) but getting 57 of those carbs from 2 shakes. :confused: That is marketing at it's best, when your customers are completely fooled! Hmmm, on reading over maybe this post would be better suited to POH's TF thread. Feel free to move or copy some of this over.

Anyway, if you or someone else could recommend some good protein powders that would be great :) I will reread the PP Lifeplan book and have a good look at the PP Plan although I think it would be safe to say that, at this stage, we would be Hedonists :D

Cheers, Sharon

[Sherrie]

You know what the worst thing is about those shakes. They are not even a real protein powder but simply powdered milk and that is why the carbs (and lactose) are so high.

It is a huge contradiction to the ketogenic diet.

I like you, you think very much like me, I hate hypocrisy/fakeness, always gets up my goat!

We did have a small recent discussion on protein powders here (http://www.apinchofhealth.com/forum/vbb/showthread.php?t=4351&highlight=protein+powder)

A few years ago alot of us used to have protein powders but not so much now so they have changed a bit. I havn't used one for a few years now.

Brand like red back and aussie bodies arn't the best. Optimum nutrition has always been a reliable brand. Vital Strength which TC reccomended in the link above seemed good apart from the ones targeted for ladies.

Don't worry about any fast acting ones if the sales man tries to talk you into one. You are fine with a simple whey protein concentrate as that will take a little longer to digest, next one up from that is a whey protein isolate which is a little faster acting but if he was lactose intolerant (which he obviousely isn't) then that would be the one I'd reccomend. Alot will be a mix between the two which is okay.
Hydrolysed ones, forget them, its just more processing to make them faster acting for a much bigger cost and it is not neccasary for a meal replacement.

Casien is a slower acting one again, bodybuilders take this one at night to feed their muscles while they sleep, I guess it could be okay for a breakfast shake if needs something that will last longer again? Might not have a good carb count though. There are some cottage cheeses out there that are low carb and full of casien, one called Pauls continental cottage cheese if memory serves me correct was around 0.8g per 100g. But, beware alot are high in carbs where diary is concerned.

Incase you want to have a look around at whats out there online, I used to buy lots of stuff though I stopped when I fell pregnant a few years ago so I am out of touch. But one I used to find were really cheap for protein powders and swisse multivitamins were: CityHealth
(http://www.cityhealth.com.au) They are based in Newcastle.

Another that I havn't used as I have only known about them since I stopped but they send me emails and have always looked cheap is Ultimate Physique
(http://www.ultimatephysique.com.au/)
Another one I have seen mentioned on bodybuilding forums is Vitamin King (http://www.vitaminking.com.au/)

[sld]

Okay now I am thoroughly dazed and confused. What is your take on these two? I had a search through this site and it appears that Cazza recommended the first one to another member.

With the second one, I was concerned about the Guarana.

http://www.cityhealth.com.au/shop/product.asp?pID=4729&cID=20

http://www.mrsupplement.com.au/australia/maxs-ultra-lean-hydroxyphase-mochachino-125kg.html

It's so hard to know what is genuine and what's not. I've already been duped once! All I'm after is a relatively filling shake that DH can use as a meal replacement during the week, that doesn't taste too gross and possibly might come in a coffee flavour (as out of all the TF flavours this is the one he seems to prefer particularly in the morning). *there endeth my tantrum* ;)

[Sherrie]

Guarana is caffienne so forget that one.

Max's is okay but I am not the keenest on the sweetener they use now (950 Acesulphame K). Its a fast acting protein so he will definately need to add fat to it to slow it down. Goliath is another one that makes a coffee flavour, I think they use the same sweetener.

I found another coffee flavoured one but theres no nutritional info, found the carb, protein etc breakdown but not the ingredients. I emailed the manufacturer, will let you know but no idea if the brand is any good. http://www.cityhealth.com.au/shop/categories.asp?cID=146

[sld]

Thanks for that Sherrie, much appreciated. I will talk to him and see if he would consider maybe a chocolate flavoured one instead. Might may it easier to find a good quality powder then.

[Alies]

The Max's Caramel flavour is really nice. I went from the powder to the bars. I'm actually off to order some more now. I really have to stop snacking and half of one of these really hits the spot.:)

[pegasus]

Hi all

Can't say i am a fan of shakes very short term solution and not always successful.

When i was overweight i tried some shakes but quickly dropped them. I was hungry and didn't feel satisfied.

Now 50kg lighter i can say i didn't miss the shakes at all.

Cheers
pegasus

[Sherrie]

I found another coffee flavoured one but theres no nutritional info, found the carb, protein etc breakdown but not the ingredients. I emailed the manufacturer, will let you know but no idea if the brand is any good. http://www.cityhealth.com.au/shop/categories.asp?cID=146

The sent me the info this morning:

Following is the nutritional information for Top Nutrition Premium Whey

Per 30gm serve Per 100gm serve

Protein 25.7g 85.5g
Fat 0.45g 1.5g
Saturated fat 0.24g 0.8g
Total Carbohydrates 0.45g 1.5g
Sugars 0.18g 0.6g
Calories 108kcal 361kcal
Calcium 0.25g 0.83g
Potassium 0.11g 0.38g
Sodium 0.05g 0.17g

Ingredients


Hydrolised Whey peptide Isolate, Instantised Whey Protein Concentrate, Enzymes(Betaine, FOS) , Vit A, Vit B1, Vit b12, Vit C, Vit D, Vit E, Folate, Niacin, Selenium,Zinc,Sodium, Potassium, Calcium , Magnesium,Iron, Manganese, Copper, Sucralose, Flavour

[sld]

Thanks for that. Will look into it. :)

Cheers, Sharon

[LC_Dave]

Welcome to A pinch of health! (Just stickin my head in now!)

[Sherrie]

Sharon how is DH going?

[sld]

He's going well so far, thanks for asking! He is struggling a little whilst at work, mainly when he is out in the field doing surveillance and he only gets 10mins to go thru a drive-thru or something to get some lunch. I think I found that Subway do a couple of low carb wraps which he could probably incorporate into his daily allowance for times like this.

He lost 1.1kg the week before last and 300 gms last week (Sunday morning is weigh-in morning). He was a bit disheartened with the 300gms as he has been doing more exercise now than he has in a long time but I think he could just be starting to muscle up a little. However he renewed his resolve and we went for a 30 min walk before dinner last night. Then, whilst I was blobbing around on the lounge watching TBL2 after dinner, he went for a walk/run on our treadmill for 30 mins. So I must say how very, very proud of him I am at how motivated he has been to exercise this time around!!! :)

[Sherrie]

Hey Sharon :)

Can he take an esky with him in his car? Things like mini quiches using muffin pans would be quick and easy if he could keep an esky in his car.

That is great that he is exercising!

[Prothvar]

Hi Sharon I'm just poking me head in to say hi :)

I have just started my Hubby on low carb in the last two weeks and he seems to be doing really well.

Sounds like your DH is very motivated and determined - good on him for making the changes!

[sld]

Hi Guys,

For some reason email didn't notify me there were responses to my post otherwise I would've been back sooner.

That might be a possiblity Sherrie. I will check with him and see. Would certainly help the household budget, he tried one of thise Subway wraps, it was tiny and cost over $7.00! He said it was really nice though, just small!

Hi Prothvar - how is your husband going? How much does he have to lose (assuming he is LCing for weight loss)?

[DOINGIT]

Don't know why but email notifications often dont happen - even from my diary so I just check in and see what is happening.
Make a diary!!

[Moonie]

Yep I prefer to just checkin, and read all the new posts..I found when I was getting the email replies , I would read them, and think I would answer them later and not get back to them..

[sld]

DH weighed in yesterday morning. Down to 126.0 kg.

[Sherrie]

Good stuff!

[sld]

Just checking in quickly. We have all been down last week with a severe bout of Gastroenteritis (my 2 girls brought it back from their father's house - nice of them!). DH was hit hardest and lay in bed all weekend. He got plenty of exercise bolting from the bed to the toilet, though. Broke the land speed record a few times too! ;) Managed to get him on the scales and he's down to 124.4kg which is not surprising as he barely ate although he did well to keep his fluids up which he really needed. He's on the mend now (but not 100%) and we're hoping to start walking the dog again soon.

P.S. When he is down to under 120kg I am going to take him on a date to our favourite restaurant in Sydney (The Malaya) as a reward. YUMMO, can't wait!

[Sherrie]

Glad things are getting better! I was only just wondering how you guys were going then I loaded up the page and here you are!

[DOINGIT]

The Malaya

Is it still in Noreth Sydney - just loved the place!!!

[Sherrie]

Hey Sharon hows hubby going? did he get through easter okay?

[Sherrie]

Hey Sharon hows DH going?