Does the NHS 12 week plan work? I am ... - Weight Loss Support
Does the NHS 12 week plan work? I am looking to lose aruond 1.5 stones or 21 lbs. Any good tips?
I've just started and I can't say if it's working or not...but I have to lose more then 2 stones ...so I hope it does. good luck .i'll come back and tell you if it's working or not.
I lost the three stone I needed to on the 5:2 Diet after watching Michael Mosley's excellent Horizon programme in 2012, "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" (vimeo.com/54089463) and went from a size 16 to a size 10 by eating 500 calories two non-consecutive days a week. I've been maintaining my weight loss since May by just fasting one day a week - in the past I piled the weight back on as soon as I finished 'dieting'.
I'd definitely recommend you read Kate Harrison's book, "The 5:2 Diet" (tinyurl.com/qe6mz4u) - it really does work and it will save you a fortune (towards your smaller clothes!).
I'd also very much recommend a free app for your phone called MyFitnessPal. Counting calories is very important so you can see how much you're eating and therefore eat mindfully rather than mindlessly. There are excellent videos in the Help section on the app that show you how it works - there's even a barcode reader to scan in branded foods.
It's important you don't eat more than your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) on non-fasting days. You can work that out here fitnessfrog.com/calculators....
You could always combine the NHS Diet with fasting two days a week - it's so much easier than you think and there are support groups on Facebook.
Are you sure you're giving yourself enough credit? You've been running as well as doing the 5:2 diet. Perhaps your weight loss is down to your own commitment, rather than the particular diet you've been doing.
The NHS have assessed the 5:2 diet and they say:
'Compared to other types of weight loss programmes the evidence base of the safety and effectiveness of the 5:2 diet is limited.
'If you are considering it then you should first talk to your GP to see if it is suitable for you. Not everyone can safely fast.'
nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/...
Thanks Pete but I'd already lost two stone on 5:2 before I started running.
I'm nearly 64 and no other diet has ever worked as well. It's a way of life nowand I feel fantastic.
I'm glad it worked for you, but the NHS review suggests that other people shouldn't get their hopes up too much. There doesn't seem to be evidence that it's better, on average, than other weight loss programmes.
Watch the programme first and then see what you think. The NHS are being over-cautious. Thousands are losing weight very successfully on it and, more importantly, maintaining their weight loss.
I watched the programme and gave the 5:2 diet a go but I can't say it worked for me. I have gone back to regular calorie counting using mfp now (and continued running with c25k). I think fasting one day a week, when I eventually reach my target weight, might be more effective for me, but I will have to wait to comment on that one. 
I'm glad you found it worked for you. I always find Doc Moseley's programmes very interesting and thought-provoking.
it certainly does, it would take about 10 weeks of steady weight loss. great advice on recipes, exercise and motivation, good luck
It'll work if you follow it. I need the group so have joined slimming world and their extra easy plan is amazing, and you can eat what you like to eat just following the rules. You're never hungry on it either.
Yes it does work if you follow it - stick to the 1400 cals recommended for women. I started at 15 st 10lbs and am now 14 st 7lbs. It isn't a quick fix and will take time, but that is the recommended way to lose weight. (A year ago I was 16 st 11lbs).
I tend to lose at a rate of 1 - 2 lbs a week. Sometimes there is nothing lost. Yes, I have also gained, which I have normally been able to trace the reasons why (a holiday was a big gain) but then I started following the healthy eating plan again and the weight comes off.
I try to incorporate walking for a minimum of the recommended 150 mins a week.
I use myfitnesspal.com to log all my calories - it is so important to keep track of every little thing you eat, however small, as those small things can make a big difference (as does drink - watch out for hidden calories there). You can customise the goals to suit your own targets. I don't 'eat back' the calories I earn through my walking and see those as a bonus way to lose weight and to be honest, the numbers of extra calories earnt by me re not that high.
This site is also superb for support and motivation.
Good luck with your weight loss journey.
Bispers
The thing to remember is that it is a plan to change your eating habits and not a diet just to lose weight. I have lost weight and as importantly - got a lot fitter. Like weight watchers you can eat what you like as long as you count the calories, although it is obviously much better to eat a balanced diet. As the header to the site says 'your health, your choices'. Because with watching what I eat, portion control and more structured exercise (I have always been active but exercise is more focussed now), people are telling me how well I look, and that helps. I am just about to embark on the 10 minute toning for abs as, although my legs and arms are well toned now, I want to improve the belly.
This site is good for support and ideas but you do need to stick to the calories. Having said that, if I go out for a meal I don't but I still tend to go for healthier choices as I prefer to anyway and my tastes have changes a bit as well.
I use a wee book called pocket calorie counter by Carolyn Humphries which gives most food items and portion size -by realistic servings rather than weight- and a spreadsheet to log my intake.
Good luck, and in answer to your question - it works for me.
Yes it does but only if followed. It deals with not just eating but improving general health and fitness so I have found it good for changing habits for good. I am on wk10 and so far have lost 1.5 st so your goal is achievable but take the plan at your own pace.
Hope it all goes well
My starting weight was 12st8lbs at 5"5 I was overweight. That was on June 4th. As of Monday this week I'm 10st! I still have another half stone to go but I've lost 2.8 which is mind blowing to someone who has always struggled with their weight since early teens'. I did this by downloading the Change For Life App, eating food from there and counting the calories of 1400 a day. (My shopping bill reduced by about £20) definitely look into it. Worked wonders for me!
I'm almost exactly the same as you Rebecca141 .. I am going to follow your lead now and aim to acheive similar weight.. Looking forward to saying this diet worked wonders for me also 
Hi Misscharmed61,
Yes and no.
It works if you use it as part of a real commitment to take control of your weight (via taking control of what you eat and how much and how often) and your exercise/activity levels.
For sure, you may have to adapt it a bit to suit your lifestyle and personal situations. I mean it's just like medication regimes, you're considerably more likely to notice a benefit from a weight loss plan you actually do as opposed to one you don't actualy do and/or keep cheating on and/or keep putting off until tomorrow, etc., etc. So, fine-tuning it to fit in with you is, in my view, quite important.
And no, it doesn't work if you just talk about it, or study it as some sort of academic exercise.
So, my advice is to make a commitment to yourself and your health, for whatever reason it is that matters to you and set yourself a realistic goal and a few mini-goals to tick off on your journey and just get on the weight loss bus. Whether it's 100% perfect or otherwise, the NHS 12 week plan (which by the way I'd remind you is totally free) IS a very good basis / framework for your weight loss efforts. I'd also recommend the huge amounts of free advice about diets, nutrition, diet myths, etc., etc., that you can find on the NHS live well lose weight webpages and on links from those.
Basically, those things were the basis of my weight loss journey and how I kicked my old 'bad' eating habits and lost just over 4 stone in about 6 months. And I feel sooooooo much better in my lighter, slimmer, fitter body.
Good luck with your weight loss efforts.
I second Windswept, the plan is designed to change your eating habits which is critical to achieving and maintaining a long term weight loss. I did not follow the plan myself because it was either not available or I was not aware of it at the time when I lost the majority of my weight, however the changes I made were not dissimilar to those laid out in the NHS plan, which in short involved eating healthy and well balance foods in reduced quantities, aiming to eat 7 'Good' Portions of Fruit and Veg (emphasis on the latter) a day, as laid out in the NHS 5 a day guide at the time.
It's like most things, you'll get the results if you are able to put in the commitment but remember these changes are and need to be for life.
Good Luck with it.
I'm on day 3 of the plan and so far so good though I am struggling to eat all the calories (havent eaten over a 1,00 yet) which is not good. But I need the structure of the plan and the food and activity chart is really focusing me and my goals.
You should try harder to add some additional calories apart from the argument about not eating enough means you are not going to burn enough and the starvation mode theory that some will quote, more so going to low will make your changes far less sustainable over the long run, you'll come to a point where where with even a willpower of iron you'll crumble because you'll be in simple terms starving.
That should be 1,000 not 100!
Thank you that makes sense in terms of sustainability. Up to 800 so far today so going the right way. Thanks again
Calorie counting and exercise using Nutracheck has worked for me
