Feel Great, Lose Weight: The Doctor's Plan

Disappointed that there were no recipe, eating plans to follow to aid the advise

I don't disagree with anything in this book and some might find it useful. It is a big book but once you really get into it you realize that the same information is repeated in different ways with lots of adverts for the author's podcasts.... And LOTS ( and I mean lots!) Of photos of the author, mainly of him in his PJ's lounging about his house... which is great if that's your thing, but not very useful!Overall I think it could have been much more succinct and I just wish he'd had the courage of his convictions... Every section seems to end with a paragraph saying 'this might not work for you, in which case ignore'. Rangan comes across as a really lovely man who doesn't want to upset anyone by saying anything even slightly controversial but in doing so he dilutes his message, which is a shame.A bit disappointing, not as good as his first book which I would recommend.

Working in the NHS through the pandemic, I knew I was putting on weight (and felt the spare tyre getting bigger and bigger). By October I was going in and out of phases of anxiety and depression. December was the last straw, by the first week in January I was stressed and felt OLD (I'm 39). That was when I thought this year I'm 40, something has to change!And it did. I've lost weight before by cutting back on added sugar, and that was my plan this time. When I was out in my local supermarket I came across this book (we were in lockdown by this point), having read and enjoyed his other books I ordered this one.Now, people will tell you weight loss is all about calories in and calories burned (which is complete pish). For over fifty years the food industry has brainwashed the world and its doctors with the story that fat is the villain while adding more and more sugar to our food. This is because when you take out the fat, food tastes awful! Now, this isn't news to me, having read Taubes and Lustig, and I've lost weight this way before. However, these books are weighty tomes and can be difficult to understand (I have two degrees, and I found them difficult.) Dr Chatterjee takes these heavy scientific facts about bliss points, insulin resistance and putting your body into ketosis (fat-burning mode) and turns it into something everyone can understand (as a good GP should).What I liked about this book, is that it also tackles things like motivation (for me that was my physical and mental health), eating as little processed food as possible and exercise (little and often). I started out doing about 10 minutes of exercise a day and built up to 10 minutes of strength training in the morning, then after work 10 minutes of cardio and another 10 of strength/flexibility (yoga). I've just started taking 30 min walks now that the light nights are here.The result? So far I have lost 2 st in weight (my BMI has gone from obese to overweight), I feel better than I have in years and I'm fitter than I was aged 20 (I actually outpace my younger colleagues). The best bit (of course!) is going out shopping for new clothes a whole dress sizer smaller. My target was to lose 10% of my body weight and I've done that. I would love to lose another 2st, but I know it will get harder and taking it half a stone at a time. The real hard work is making sure I don't end up back at 17st again.Calorie counting doesn't work. Hard work works. When I started this journey, several other work colleagues went on calorie-counting diets (i.e. starvation) and all failed after a couple of weeks. I'm still here three and a half months later.

I've woken up with my weight on my mind every day for the last twenty years. No amount of willpower (and I've really really tried hard) was able to curb my hunger, lack of satiety, afternoon crashes or cravings for calorie-dense foods and I've steadily gained 6 unneeded stones. I knew I should be "eating less and doing more" as much of the next person, but the daily tiredness and lethargy meant I could only muster the energy for self-loathing, not all the exercise and calorie counting I believed I should be doing. And the shame was overwhelming.I saw a doctor last week and it became clear that an ailment I have is made worse by all the excess weight. She listened to everything I described above and recommended this book to help me. I read it immediately (I'm always desperate to find "the answer" but usually just encounter more willpower-dependent 'solutions') and this book has given me a breakthrough. One critical review on here says it's all general knowledge and, to be honest, I did already know lots of what is stated. However, it's written with no judgement and an abundance of understanding for what it's like to be trapped in fatness. And also, it's what's NOT included (all the ins and outs and rules and principles of every diet I've ever tried) that makes this clear and sustainable.In the last week of focusing on core 'real' foods and a restricted eating window (usually 8-10 hours), I am now falling asleep naturally and quickly when I go to bed at a sensible time each night. I'm sleeping through the night. I'm waking up feeling refreshed (what on earth is in the 'blissy' foods that interferes with sleep so much?) and feeling energised throughout the day. I'm no longer chasing food throughout the day to counterbalance all the horrible feelings (physical and emotional) that I was experiencing. And I'm naturally exercising more –– not because I have more motivation or willpower –– but because I want to move and moving is fun when you don't feel constantly exhausted.It's not been long enough yet to know if weight loss will come but even if it doesn't, for the first time in years, I feel like I'm not being controlled by food. I'll update before Christmas.