This is the last time I am doing this!
Lord knows, I have been carrying too much weight for most of my life. From the age of about 22 I’ve been trapped in a never-ending cycle of losing weight and putting it back on. Over and over.
I used so many different diet plans and they all worked but, like a diet version of Groundhog Day, the weight piled back on once I went back to normal eating.
Then, one day in March 2024, I stood in my kitchen and just cried.
I wanted something to eat but could not decide what I should have. All the years of conflicting information were just whizzing around in my head until it had become ‘white noise’. I wanted porridge but had stopped myself because I had read porridge was bad for you.
But all the fitness influencers eat porridge, don’t they?
Anyway it’s just about calories, isn’t it?
No, calories don’t matter, it’s the macros.
Don’t worry about macros, you should fast and not eat at all.
No, drink this vinegar – DRINK VINEGAR!!! – that’ll get the weight off.
No, eat intuitively and your body will figure it out.
You know what I mean, right? Of course you do. That’s why you’re reading this piece.
So, I was feeling unhealthy, exhausted, and in complete and utter despair. My relationship with food had become so f**ked up, my body was the heaviest it had ever been and I just knew I had hit a point where my health was going to become a problem if I didn’t deal with it.
I decided then and there that I was going to do the 1:1 Diet plan again.
And that it was going to be the last time. EVER!
But what made me choose the 1:1 Diet Plan? And what do I think about now that I’m 6 weeks in? I think it’s the best decision I’ve made recently and here are the 5 reasons why.
1ST REASON TO USE THE 1:1 DIET = SPEED
Food and dieting had become so emotionally charged for me and emotions rarely are the basis of good decisions.
So, I decided to approach it the same way I would approach a task rather than thinking about how any particular method made me FEEL. I applied logic instead of emotion. This process is made simpler by the fact that I had done EVERY diet out there so I knew the pros and cons of each.
First I decided what my priorities were.
I Wanted the Weight Off Quickly
The sooner the better. Once I got the weight off, I had one less thing to worry about. I knew – because you can feel it – that the amount of excess weight was doing damage to my body. I had worrying health markers. Every time I went to the doctor there was something else I needed to ‘keep an eye on’.
So, I needed to get to a healthy weight steadily and sustainably and with nutritional support.
Any diet plan when followed consistently will bring weight loss. But I had suddenly realised that in 12 years I would be 70 and the feeling that I didn’t have a lot of time to be mucking about.
I Wanted Help to Return to Normal Eating Once the Weight Was Off
Once I was at a healthy weight, then the task would be to return to a way of healthy eating that allowed me to maintain my weight and optimise health.
The 1:1 Diet Plan had a structured plan to build back up to maintenance calories and also one-to-one support from a consultant. Having lost weight successfully so many times before but failed to maintain it, I knew that coming off any diet plan was just as important as going on it. I didn’t need a lot of support to follow the plan and lose the weight but having a relationship with a mentor who could help me at the other end was crucial.
I Wanted the Best Nutrition Possible
Having written articles in the past about my hatred of processed food, part of my thought process had to be about going onto a diet with so much processed food.
I’ve linked my article “How the Food Industry Turns Your Apple Into a Fat-Bomb” if you were interested to read further on this.
For about a year prior, I had been trying to eat better quality meat, and cleaner ingredients and had successfully removed sugar from my diet and ended a 30-year sweetener habit. However, none of this had translated into a change on the scales.
Going back to processed food did give me pause for thought. I had to balance my desire to reach a healthy weight quickly with the fact that I would be eating dehydrated processed products.
But it’s all about risk vs benefit, isn’t it?
It would take approximately 6 months to lose the weight on 1:1 Diet. It would take about 18 months losing at 1 to 1.5lbs per week.
What was going to hurt me more in those 6 months? Carrying all the excess weight or eating some processed food. For me, I knew the weight was harming me NOW and the longer I carried it, the more harm would be done. So, getting the weight off took priority.
Not for looks. Not for what clothes I could wear. But because it was harming me. That’s the difference. It’s the first time in my life that I had embarked on weight loss for the RIGHT reason.
Once the weight is off and I have relieved my poor body from that burden, I can turn my attention back to improving the quality of my food.
2ND REASON TO USE THE 1:1 DIET = RESULTS
I had done the 1:1 Diet before. I knew it worked. Of course, everything works when done diligently and consistently. But the 1:1 Diet had worked quickly for me in the past. I lost 5 stone on the plan 5 years before and so I knew nothing else would work as quickly and effectively in the time I had given myself.
I had 90 – 100lbs to lose and that is no mean feat. It’s like losing a small person. Trust me, you’re never lonely at night when your belly is lying next to you in the bed.
Losing 1 stone per month on certain Steps of the plan is perfectly feasible.
Step 1a is 3 products, Step 1b is 4 products, and Step 2, the Step I chose, is 3 products and a 200 calorie meal. Steps 3 and above are for those who need more calories, are very active, have certain medical conditions, or are returning to normal eating.
At the time of writing this, I am 6 weeks in and 17.6lbs down. Just under 3lbs per week on average.
I had a bit of downtime this week as I had to go out to dinner a couple of times but as soon as I got back on the plan, the weight started coming off again.
3RD REASON TO USE THE 1:1 DIET = CONVENIENCE
I hate shopping. Clothes shopping. Shoe shopping. And, most of all, I hate food shopping.
With 1:1, I don’t have to go food shopping other than to buy chicken and broccoli for my 200-calorie meal. Everything else I consume I buy from the 1:1 Diet. If I wanted to, I could also buy the Step Up meals – beef casserole, chicken curry, veggie chili, and all 200 calories – from 1:1 as well and I would never have to go to the supermarket at all.
The 1:1 Diet products are all very easy to make. You’re supposed to microwave the savoury meals and porridges but I don’t have a microwave – I figure my phone and laptop are putting enough microwaves through my body already – so I pop them in a small pan with some water and just simmer them for a couple of minutes.
Oddly, having always been someone who thought shakes wouldn’t be much of a meal replacement, I have found myself gravitating towards those. I find them enjoyable and filling. There are SO many flavours too.
So, not much cooking and consequently very little washing up.
The only problem I ever run into is that I don’t have huge amounts of storage space in my little 19th century cottage. Finding room for nearly 100 products at a time can be a challenge. But there is an ‘upside’ to not having to store much ‘real’ food. My fridge is practically empty and do you know another name for an empty fridge? A cupboard! So that’s where I keep my 1:1 Diet products.
4TH REASON TO USE THE 1:1 DIET = PRICE
The cost of living has gone up so much recently and prices seem to be fluctuating wildly. This is another thing I like about the 1:1 Diet. You know how many products you will need every month. So amounts aren’t constantly changing and you know how much you’re going to spend every month. Each consultant runs their own business under the 1:1 umbrella and all have their own prices per product – some cheaper than others – and all run special offers throughout the year.
For Step 1b, you are looking at 4 products per day x 28 days = 112 products. Most consultants are around the £3 per product mark so its £336.00 for all your meals. I’m not sure how that sounds to you but I know I was spending more than that on groceries every month before the 1:1 Diet. Plus I always seemed to be throwing things away! With this plan, there is zero food waste.
For me on Step 2, I spend £252.00 per month on 3 products per day then buy chicken and broccoli on top. I tend to bulk buy the chicken and freeze it so make savings there. But I would estimate I’m still below £300 per month.
Knowing that really helps with my monthly budgeting, especially as it doesn’t change month to month.
5TH REASON TO USE THE 1:1 DIET = VARIETY
Now, if you look round the Wild West town that is the internet, you will find lots of reviews of 1:1 Diet products. By all means, read them all. Every opinion is valid. All I can do is tell you how I find them.
Now, I don’t know what’s gone on in 1:1 HQ for the last 5 years but I am having a very different experience this time round. The first time I did it I found everything far too sweet – even the savoury meals – and some of the products were downright horrible. What I remember is an aftertaste.
This time I am enjoying it a lot more. I wish I could tell you what the major difference is but I don’t really know. They just seem to taste really good this time round. Admittedly, due to low-level lactose intolerance, I am on a fairly restricted selection but what I’m having is pretty good. It seems less sweet somehow.
What I Eat In A Day
I have a creamy Cappuccino shake for breakfast with ice and an extra shot. At the same time, I prepare a set pudding made with a chocolate shake and a bit of gelatine. This goes in the fridge for later. For lunch, I have a savoury meal, usually Spaghetti Bolognese or Chilli con Carne. For dinner, its chicken with broccoli, and whatever other veg I have hanging around. I have the set pudding – it comes out like an Aero – last thing as a nice treat with a cup of tea.
What Else Is There?
There are also yummy chocolate-style and crispy bars if you want them. I find them too more-ish so I don’t keep them in the house. Something about them does seem to trigger off that binge reflex in me. I keep meaning to look at the ingredients of the bars and compare them to what I currently have. It may be that something in the bars is a trigger. It would be helpful to know what that is for the future,
But for now, all the shakes are fine for me and there are SO many flavours. The smoothies are also delicious but I find these a bit too sweet. There are also ready-made shakes for those on the go. I haven’t tried any of the soups as soup has never really been my thing. I have though tried all of the savoury meals and its only the Thai Green Style Noodles that doesn’t appeal.
They have recently introduced a rice cereal but I know that’s going to be too tempting for me so I give it a wide berth at the moment.
Any Downsides?
Like any diet, what is missing is crunch. You can have Pop Squares at 100 calories per bag on the higher steps but on the lower steps, everything is pretty soft. Most bad reviews I’ve seen are about the textures but I don’t find them a problem.
Most of us, no matter what eating plan we follow, will end up eating the same things over and over again. I have already fallen into a pattern but, while its working, I’m not going to muck about with it.
SO, DO I RECOMMEND IT TO YOU?
6 weeks in and nearly 18lbs down. It works. There’s no denying it.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, then I wholeheartedly recommend it. Excess weight is so damaging to your body. Despite what the body positivity movement tells you, you are just storing up problems for the future. Loving yourself when you are overweight is wonderful. However, using that self-love as an excuse to stay overweight just doesn’t make any sense. Those health markers will appear – maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but they WILL appear.
The benefits of losing excess weight far outweighs any issues that may exist with eating processed food. If you only have a couple of pounds to lose, then that risk vs benefit analysis might look different. But the speed of the 1:1 Diet Plan does make it pretty compelling.
It is quick, convenient, well-priced and there is plenty of variety.
The new 1:1 app allows you to order directly from HQ and make appointments with your consultant. The level of support you get from your consultant is chosen by you. Some need lots. Some need none. As mentioned before, I don’t need much during the weight loss process. I actually find too much support an added pressure that I don’t respond well too. But I will need more when I move into maintenance and so it can be tailored to fit.
So, why not give it a go? You can try before you buy. They have introduced a Taster Pack which gives you a selection of products to sample. These are available through the 1:1 WEBSITE.
I love the Plan so much that I have now signed up to become a Consultant. This means I can help others whilst still on my own weight loss journey. Once I’m up and running, I will offer virtual consultations UK-wide.
Please feel free to message me for more details. Let me know when you’re thinking of starting and ask any questions you may have. You can get my profile information and contact details by visiting the SERVICES page of this website.
PLEASE NOTE – This is my personal experience of the 1:1 Diet and my opinion after 6 weeks on the 1:1 Plan. I cannot guarantee that you would achieve the same weight loss results as me. this is dependent on your personal circumstances. I am not a medical professional and you should seek advice from your GP before embarking on any weight loss plan.
