Hello folks, I’ve bought the book and I’m feeling motivated. I’ve been trying for the last 3 weeks but have only lost 5lb, although I have been finding it hard to keep to 800cals. So I think I’m going to have to try the meal replacements to kick start things.
My main problems are being a dairy intolerant pescatarian, I find getting sufficient protein really difficult.
I have Fibromyalgia, ME, chronic fatigue, arthritis, Elhers danlos hypermobility, pernicious anemia and bronchiectasis. I take MST (morphine) morning and night to control the pain and have to take Oramorph before doing anything vaguely strenuous. I love, love, love swimming and go 3 times a week. I also really like the gym and finds doing light weights controls my hypermobility.
I think the medication slows my weight loss down and obviously I can’t do the cardio exercise or HIIT like others. I can barely walk, and can’t walk without pain. If you have any ideas for a response to “helpful” people telling me to do 10k steps, I’d appreciate it!
I’m desperate to lose 3 stone and think that would have a really positive effect on my pain.
So wish me luck, all advice gratefully received!

Hi Chicarizada, I am not sure that anyone has picked up on your post, so first of all, welcome to the forum. The description of your medical conditions is daunting for you, and also for anyone offering advice. I don’t think any of us is medically qualified, so clearly your GP should be your first port of call. All that said, you say you have been sticking to 800 calories and have lost 5lbs over 3 weeks. Weight loss does of course vary by person – and in particular how overweight you are and the type of diet you were on previously. Early large losses tend to be for people who have been eating high carb.

I would not worry about low level of exercises (in fact your swimming sounds like more than many of us do already!). If Allie sees this, I am sure she will comment on how a significant weight loss is perfectly possible with no, low or moderate exercise.

So what might you do? I would stay stick at it if you need to lose weight. Maybe you will be one of the slow and steady losers. If you lose nearly 2lbs a week, then you will still get to your goal. But there are a few tips that might help:
1) Weigh everything rather than guesstimate.
2) Plan and log what you eat so that you keep proper track. I use SparkPeople, others Fatsecret. You can search on the site, since there is quite a lot of discussion.
3) Keep a close eye on carbs. Most people here try to keep under 50g a day, and quite a few aim for 20g. It depends a bit on the person where the trigger is for going into fat burning mode (ketosis). It is low-carb, not no-carb. But you will find that there are some traps to avoid – apples, tomatoes, as well as the obvious sugary fruits. dietdoctor.com offers some very good guides on the better and worse choices.
4) Drink plenty of water – and avoid artificially sweetened drinks, which may raise insulin levels and inhibit fat burning.

I’m afraid I can’t help with advice on the protein sources for your dietary needs, but dietdoctor may be able to help. And perhaps check out the web’s recipe section and google vegetarian – JGwen has had great success on this diet and may have advice to offer.

Anyway this is a first stab at an answer. Maybe others will be along to comment! Best wishes to you.