Hey everyone!
I'm new here. I've been on my weight loss journey for 4 weeks and am please to have lost 9lbs by following a calorie controlled balanced diet.
However, I am finding that including dairy, as advised on the "healthy plate" by my nutritionist is making me bloated and (excuse me if too much info..)...I'm farting LOADS 🙈 I suspect it's the dairy as this happens after I eat it.
My question is: what can I replace dairy with to keep my diet fully balanced?
Xx
Hi and welcome - have you tried soya milk etc?
Please note we are not medically trained or dietitians, we are all here to help and support each other through our weight loss journey 
Take a look at the Pinned posts section to the right of your screen (bottom if you're using a mobile), or in the drop down on the 'Posts' page (it says 'arrange by'). Read the Welcome Newbie thread, then move through to the challenges, where we hope you'll find at least one that will appeal to you.
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Have a look at the NHS 12 week plan, as many people have had success with it. Also use the BMI (can be found in the pinned Newbie post) to find your target calories, it's important to eat enough. This was a major turning point for me, realising I could eat anything I wanted as long as the calories are accounted for 😊
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Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey
Thank you! X
Well done on your weight loss so far - what day do you weigh in? Join us on that day in the weigh in thread which you will find in Events, it is posted the night before for the next day and closes at 10pm at night
have a look at the Daily diaries as well as they will give you an idea what others are eating
Thank you I will do! I weigh in on a Wednesday so will check it out next week! So lovely to find a nice support group x
I avoid dairy just because of the fat content . Just have the odd low-fat yoghurt to satisfy a pudding craving .I never think about balancing the deficit -but calcium tablets might do it ? Well done on the 9lbs!
Thank you! X
Hi
Dairy can be a problem for a lot of people. It can be the lactose (natural sugar) or the casein (protein). If you want milk in some form, you could try lactose-free milk to see if that suits you, or try the alternatives like soy or nut, but make sure it does not have a lot of additives or sugar in it.
If you need to go lactose free, foods like natural Greek yoghurt and hard cheeses have lower levels of lactose. If you are worried about getting enough calcium, there are several alternatives foods to dairy, just have a google. Better to get your calcium from food rather than a tablet.
Hi cstattygirl, I attempted giving up dairy after reading about dairy farming but I have to say that I have not yet found a suitable replacement. I tried all the different milks, oat, cashew, almond, soya and couldn't really find one that I liked. I do take a wee bit cashew or almond milk over my porridge but just couldn't find anything suitable to put in to tea and coffee. To combat this I stopped drinking tea and coffee and now only drink fruit and herb teas.
I couldn't find a yogurt either as the only one I like is Tesco Greek yogurt and all the non dairy ones just didn't come up to the same standard or were flavoured and sweetened.
Then cheese was my next problem I love cheese and I'm afraid the dairy free vegan cheese just didn't do it for me. So I am as yet not dairy free but I do limit the amount that I consume. Good luck with your search, I hope you find something suitable.
Thank you Dipper - I was considering trying all of the milk and cheeses. I tried soya milk and it was NOT for me! I think maybe limiting the amount might be the way to go for now!
Hi I'm dairy free since following a trial and error exclusion process while I was losing weight and realising I'm dairy intolerant. You can't exactly replace dairy. But a few replacements that work for me are:
Tesco sweetened soya milk (uht) in tea/coffee, pancake mix etc
Blue Diamond/Alpro unsweetened almond milk in porridge (I also add ground almonds and a touch of honey)
Cashew butter swirled into pasta sauce (makes it creamy like tomato and mascarpone)
Engevita Nutritional Yeast - sprinkle on pasta /mix in to omelette to get a cheese-ish flavour - get it from health food shops - great source of B vitamins plus protein
No acceptable yogurt substitute found yet but am experimenting with kombucha (again from health food shops) to get my probiotics
Chickpeas are an unlikely but good source of calcium - more info on things like this available on the Vegan Society website
NB vegan cheese is not on my list - no good vegan cheese has passed my lips yet! I'm sticking with cashew butter for now
There are lots on nut milks available, I often make my own cashew nut milk, it is delicious.
Does this happen with fermented dairy too I.e. Yogurt?
It doesn't seem to happen with yoghurt. Also thank you all so much for these tips xx
Sounds like lactose intolerance then, rather than dairy intolerance.
I feel like a whale ! 
What am I doing wrong?!
An extra special reason to stick with the programme 
Crunched my first stone 😀
So far so good... I think !
