The challenge was laid, and accepted – 12 weekends to lose 10kg!
Easy!
Easy?
Yes – if you know Nutridiet Head Nutritionist, Dalia Shukri!
Available in prominent health and wellness retailers across the UAE, including Holland & Barrett, Bin Sina and Boots; to achieve the optimal dieting program, Nutridiet has an expert nutritionist on hand to help clients structure eating routines and promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle.
But, the proof will be in the pudding – so let us really put this to the test: end of June I will report again on this product.
As a butch, off-roading guy I’m not particularly within the target market segment for dieting products: so if it works with me, it’ll work with anyone!
Surprisingly – and by now you know I’m somewhat skeptical! – they taste great!
All I have to do is eat them… easy!
Milkshakes come in strawberry, chocolate, and forest berries.
And basically, you mix the powder with 200ml of cold water, in the provided shaker – easy!
Here is what Nutridiet Nutritionist, Dalia Shukri, was kind enough to explain:
Growing up, I always had a fascination with the human body, how it works and what it’s made up of. I also had a great love for good food. When I got into university, a new trending major caught my interest since it combined these two passions I had – Nutrition and Dietetics. I completed my Bachelor of Science at The American University of Beirut in Nutrition and Dietetics, as well as a Teaching Diploma in Sciences, and went on to complete my Dietetic Internship at St. George Medical Center. I moved to the UAE soon after that where I worked as a Clinical Dietitian at The American Hospital of Dubai with many cases including obesity. My interest in the food production and food service sector grew and I moved into the catering business where I was the in-house Nutritionist at Intercat Hospitality. Currently at Swedish Health, I work in product development on Nutridiet as well as providing helpful tips and strategies to improve your lifestyle and manage a healthy weight.
The concept behind Nutridiet is that it isn’t a “quick” fix nor a miracle product that just eradicates the extra weight you’re carrying with no effort at all. It is a “tool” that can be used to facilitate your path to weight loss; the key is using it the RIGHT way. When I say “facilitate” I mean that Nutridiet must be used in combination with a healthy eating routine and a healthy lifestyle in general, or it will not work efficiently. And this implies that the individual must put effort on their part to follow a healthy plan. Nutridiet offers a soy based low calorie alternative to a meal and does not contain any dangerous active agents. It is easy to prepare and also provides essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that other weight loss products do not contain. The majority of weight loss products you see on the shelves these days carry active ingredients that burn fat or suppress appetite or un-naturally boost one’s metabolism which can all serve to deprive a person from the nutrition they need to sustain themselves and almost always causes a backfire of increased returned weight gain after they have stopped taking these products. In other words, it doesn’t help the individual build a structured plan but only gives them the “easy way out”. In addition to this philosophy, Nutridiet has a strong clinical background with over 22 studies completed in university hospitals over a time period of 25 years, on overweight and obese individuals as well as those with medical conditions improved with weight loss and weight management. This alone provides both to healthcare professionals, such as myself, as well as the consumer, the trust and confidence in Nutridiet.
The most common challenges, in my experience, that most people face when it comes to their diet is calorie control, portion control and maintaining structure. An individual may know what is healthy and what is unhealthy, what he/she should eat and what he/she should stir clear from however may not know how much to eat, or the calorie count of what they’re eating or even how to generally build a proper eating routine throughout the day, especially when running on a busy schedule. This can be frustrating and most people resort to “guesstimating” and unintentionally over eating either by packing on calorie dense foods or over compensating with large portions. Nutridiet conveniently eliminates this guesswork because each serving is calorie and portion controlled: one sachet in exchange for a meal comprises 110 calories. No need to count or measure. This is a saving grace for many people who just need an eating plan that will give them the exact number of calories in an easy to carry package without the headache of calculating.
So, on with the challenge!
Easy?
Today, March 31st: weight 96kg.
UPDATE: Today, June 20: weight 91kg.
Did it work? Well, yes and no.
Firstly, I learnt a lot about NutriDiet. I used it almost daily. I liked it.
As a traditional male, I immediately did not follow the advice of the expert nutritionist – “Of course,” said my wife, rolling her eyes.
What I did is I took it to work to replace my lunch. And that was perfect. Lunch at work means fast food for me, or I pack it from home. Sadly, even though I manage complex projects for a living, I am incapable of the advance-planning and successful execution required to pack a lunch for myself in the morning. “I’m not doing it for you,” comes again my lovely wife’s encouragement.
So, the NutriDiet was a winner in this regard. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s delicious, it’s cheap, and it’s healthier than the stuff I can buy at work. I just took a packet with me, and then mixed it in a bottle of cold water – perfect!
As for nutritious, I’m convinced it is. I was surprised how many people turned their noses up at what they called ‘a fad diet’, ‘unhealthy chemicals’ etc. Basically, what’s in the NutriDiet is dried soya beans, ground into powder. Then they add powdered vitamins so they can show excellent percentages on the daily guide printed on each box. And then I guess they add flavorings to make it taste like Strawberry, or Chocolate. I don’t see how that’s less nutritious than all the other products we find on supermarket shelves. Sure, I understand there’s no real strawberries in it, and it’s much better to eat real strawberries, fine – then take real strawberries to work with you and eat those. They’ll work fine as a diet product, too.
But here is where the problem is. I did drop weight from the very next day, nice and steady, with no extra exercise or doing anything other than replacing my work lunch with a sachet of NutriDiet.
There’s no doubt it works. Each sachet carries about 100 calories, so instead of a massive caloric burger with fries and soda, I’m only taking in 1/10 of the caloric intake I usually do each midday – that leads to weight loss.
But the mind is weak. And that’s why you won’t take fresh strawberries with you to work every day consistently.
Evenings I ate heavily. Weekends I devoured all that would fit on my plate. Still no exercise. Only replacing NutriDiet for lunch at work. “You should have followed the instructions of the nutritionist…”
I did lose 5kg and kept it off. I’m actually happy with that! It’s never happened to me before.
It’s not the 10kg I had aimed for. It’s not NutriDiet’s fault.
It’s my own weak mind.
I’ll keep using NutriDiet for work, and if only I can add a little restraint on weekends, and perhaps even join a gym…