Do you remember the F-Plan? It was released in 1982 – the days when diets were not so prolific. The “F” is all about Fiber – lots of it. Author Audrey Eyton has just followed this up with the F2 Diet. According to Amazon it’s a:
…ground-breaking diet for the 21st century that will revolutionise the eating habits of millions, “The F2 Diet”, where: F2 dissolves excess fat at a faster rate than any other diet based on the same calorie intake;
These are very bold claims – who ever heard of fat dissolving? At least it’s not melting.
The F2 plan is all about eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, grains, and pulses – and avoiding red meat and fatty foods. There is nothing revolutionary about such a concept – in fact it sounds a lot like… the F-Plan…
Nutritional guidance is so completely and utterly polarized – that I find it to be mind-boggling. How does the average person in the street (who doesn’t spend lots of time reading about nutrition) find all this advice?
Audrey Eyton’s F2 plan says “eat lots of grains”. Dr Mercola says “eat no grain.” Who do you believe, who do you trust?
I believe the best place to start is always with a moderate approach. Any time you start completely restricting entire food groups, you are taking an extreme approach – many people often become derailed when trying to sustain such eating over months or even years.
Sustainable weight management is so much more than yet another nutritional approach.
i would say i fat unit is about 3g of fat. just have a lock in the f plan
When eating out and trying to follow the F2 plan:
Choose dishes with potatoes as opposed to pasta, rice, or bread (because they won’t usually be wholegrain)
Choose fish / seafood, or vegetarian, and if not chicken or small portion or other meat.
at Indian restaurants, you can often get Chickpea curries. (or lentils) Choose curries with tomato based sauces. Roti seems to be brown flat bread so would be a good alternative to rice or naan.
For Chinese, noodles tend to have the higher fibre content (compared to white rice). Spring rolls aren’t too bad I think as well.
If you’re getting takeaways, you could always cook your rice (brown) yourself
Puddings – fruity ones
I followed this a couple of years ago. It was very good– a helathy giet and I was never hungry (in fact I struggled at times to get through what you are recommended to eat). I also took up regular excercise (power walking, short bursts each day). If I told you how much weight I lost and how healthy and fit I became you would not believe me! highly recommended.
Hi there, did you lose weight on the diet? Thinking of giving the jigsaw slimming another go. Got called a stupid fat cow by my troubleable son which cut me deep to be honest and I think has been a good kick up the butt for me. Just throught I would ask if your still on it and if not if you did get to goal or lose any weight:) Nikola
hey i am really interested in the fat diet to and really want to do it but cnt find the book anywhere, cn i aske where u got urs from? x
hi everyone
I finished reading the f2 diet book for the first time last week and it sounds like good principles to me. I can’t see myself sticking to any diet exactly to the letter, but I believe that if it’s real food and processed as little as possible, then it’s got to be a worthwhile lifestyle change that can’t hurt. If I can end up feeling more comfortable with myself,then hooray for me! Thanks to all for your comments as I enjoyed reading them all.
I can’t say enough good things about the F2 diet, I have tried many other diets and nothing has worked so well or been so easy to follow and left me feeling as satisfied as I do on the F2 diet. I find lots of the recipes delicious!
At about 12 years old I was diagnosed with a fatty liver even though I wasnt overweight but later in my teenage years put on weight slowly and always had trouble getting it off, i tried low fat, counting calories, low carb, nothing worked for me.
After 4 weeks on the F2 diet I had lost 9kg (nearly 20 pounds!!) and have been eating plenty of food. I feel good, have more energy and my mood is great, I will definately stick with this diet. I also exercise 4 times a week, nothing strenuous, usually a walk or running around at the park with my son, and I am sure this has contributed too, however even on other diets exercising the same I have never had these results.
Hi Nikola! Sorry I haven’t been back in touch before now. I’ve got that book too – think it was written in the 70′s!! Tomorrow I am starting the jigsaw slimming’s unit diet, there’s lots of nice recipes, esp with pasta etc because it’s low in fat. I think it is the old fashioned fat unit diet in disguise! Hope the run went well and that we catch up again soon!
I am today starting the fat unit diet as I have the Race for Life in July and I need to lose some weight and I know this diet will do it. I recently brought a book from ebay called Slimming Magazines complete dieting revolution and its full of brilliant ideas and recipes. Has anyone else used this book? I am seeing if I can convert my favourite recipes into fat unit counted one to see if I can still use them. I am sure I can with some of them. Any one can any quick and easy recipes I can try with this diet??????????????????
hi debbie, i am from Australia amd i am having trouble getting any information on the unit diet, was wondering if you could help me out, i have tried the web you sugessted, but only comes up with the f2 diet and you guys talking to each other, i really would like to try this one but need some help please, thanks Anna
hi there would love to chat with you about the fat unti diet. If you are still interested then please contact me and we can have a chit chat about the diet and help one another with our diets. I am back on it again as to be honest the weight has piled on again and I have been a bit lazy of late. But please get in contact and we can support one another. Bye for now take care and good luck from Nikola Bailey xx
Hi Cheryl
I am in NZ and I have the same issue, the food list in the book is limited and is very UK-centric. The key issue is that the fat units do not translate directly to fat grams. That’s because (I think) Audrey Eyton has applied a formula which takes into account the different types of fat, see F2 pages 133-135. In other words, a certain food could be high in monounsaturated fat (good fat) but have a very low fat unit score. To give me a larger reference base I use the following website http://www.ntwrks.com
It has a chart with a wide range of foods with info on cholesterol and saturated fat (bad fat) content.
Sorry, this has been a bit lengthy but hope it helps.
Good luck, Ian
I am writing in response to Nikola Bailey and her comment about the fat unit diet. I too lost loads of weight on this diet about 15 years ago and would love to start doin it again with some support. Unfortunately I don’t have the book anymore but I have started the Jigsaw Slimming Unit Diet which is similar but it would be great to chat – hope to hear from you. Not sure when you wrote your comment, there are no dates!
I have been following the F2 plan for three weeks now and have lost a stone. I am 6ft 3in and was 15ST 2LB when I started. I have kept to thr plan reasonably well but could have done more if I hadnt enjoyed the odd social pint at the weekends. However I feel its the lifestyle change that the diets helps you with that makes the biggest difference. I feel fitter than I have in a long time and also have lostthe bloated feeling i constantly had. So I guess its a thumbs up from me. I’d like to hear from anybody who has left the plan and hear of how their body reacted. i.e did you pile the pounds back on after.
Hi, I have just bought the F2 Diet book, and have read it right through. I think this must be the most ‘realistic’ diet I have seen so far. I am so looking forward to starting. I have cleared out my kitchen food cupboards, and I have made a preceise shopping list to avoid any temptations. I have read all of your comments on this diet-blog which has given me great encouragment and I am ready for action.Just a thought for those of you who have said you gained a little weight sometimes whilst on the diet. I did read that muscle weighs heavier than fat, so perhaps with the inclusion of excersise, you may have developed muscle to replace the fat ;D I look forward to my new journey, and will enjoy reading all your comments and feedback as I go along. Cuddly Hugs (for a while anyway)…Lynda in Penang Malaysia
hi,
did you get a answer from dee? i to used the fat unit diet years ago and found it was the best diet to be on. unfortunatly time/age/ middleage spread and eating too much has meant i am now 2st over weight! and would like to try it again but i dont have my little book anymore and i dont find the f2 plan has enough info re the unit system.
regards
lynn
Can you provide me with a daily sheet of what you eat as I have been on this diet and it is not doing much, not even going to the toilet more than usual, very disappointed. It might help to know what I am doing wrong
Hi Dee,
I too followed The Dieting Revolution (fat unit counting) from Slimming Magazine. It worked brilliantly for me too. I don’t suppose you can still get the little magazine with the fat units in now can you? I wouldn’t mind doing that diet again as I felt so good, best I’ve ever felt in fact.
Regards,
Jayne
Hello Jane,
Can you tell me how you are losing weight as I see to be eating more than on normal diets and thought that eating a lot of fibre would make my bowel work more but it has not. Have seen no weight loss at the moment. Can you let me know what you eat for a week – diary sheet and then I can try it and see if this helps
I would like to know did you do the meals that are in the book or did you design some yourself. If possible please could I have a diary sheet of what you ate for a week so that I may lose too!
There are 3 grams to every fat unit.
When losing weight you can consume between 7 fat units (21grams) and 10 fat units(30 grams)
IM FAT
ARE YOU STILL FOLLOWING THE FAT UNIT DIET? I HAVE JUST BROUGHT THE TWO BOOKS BY AUDREY EYTON THE F2 DIET AND I HAVE FROM YEARS BACK THE FAT UNIT COUNT BOOK OF FOODS DRINKS ETC, YOU KNOW THE A TO Z OF BASIC FOODS. I REALLY DO FIND THIS DIET THE BEST EVER AND MUM AND MANAGED TO LOSE A FAIR BIT ON IT WHEN WE WERE ON IT A FEW YEARS BACK. I WANT TO TRY AND DO IT AGAIN BUT NEED SOMEONE TO SUPPORT ME WHO KNOWS THE DIET. WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN HELPING ME VIA E-MAILS ETC.
It is a a low G.I. diet which I like and find it easy to stick to. Don’t worry too much about fat units – just be sensible.
I have been following this diet for about 2 months. I don’t feel hungry, my sugar and starchy food cravings have completley disappeared and i’m feeling really alive and not tired and drained as i did. I’ve had comments from everyone about how much weight i’ve lost and how my skin is glowing. I’ve lost 8kg in the 2months and its just falling off.
I have been on various diets over the years, and not one has seen me loose the average 1lb a week!! In fact, the reason I think I have been unsuccessful is because i haven’t so i stop. Anyway, quitting smoking, and after 2 major operations in as many years, I am now determined to loose the excess 34 pounds I have put on as a result.
I find this diet amazing in that like someone else mentioned, I am not craving sugar and I am not hungry. I am not sticking wholly to this diet, I am doing a low fat (50g or less a day), low calorie (1100-1300 a day), and high fibre – not sure if I will ever reach 40g a day, but am more regular than ever!! In the evening, if i do crave a bar of chocolate, I reach straight for my Options, and have a hot chocolate instead, and that seems to do the trick immediately.
In addition to the balanced diet, I am also briskly walking 5 miles a day. 2 miles in the morning (6.15 – 6.45am Groan!!!), and then in the evening, about an hour or two after tea another 3 miles in 45 minutes.
The sweet potato soup is awesome, and the carrot salad too. Have tried almost all the recipes, except the fish as I have an allergy – (not good on a diet) and can say they are simple, easy to follow, and amazingly enough, they actually taste good too!!
So far I am loosing between 1 – 1.5 pounds a week – a first for me, so I will carry on with my adapted version, and keep the balanced diet going for as long as I possibly can
Cally x
Hey, i new to the F2 DIET, can someone just explain the rules to me. im not sure what is meant by theres no calorie restriction, so how many calories do you consume, please help, is there a safe number of calories, or can you consume as many fat free ones as you want. Also how many grams are there in one fat unit.
I’ve been doing this since the middle of January and have lost a stone and a half (21 lb). it’s coming off at about a pound a week now, but that’s a sustainable weight loss and I figure it’s my eating plan for life now (backed up with a few recipes from Carol Vorderman and a couple of others that I’ve adapted). You do have to be organised in terms of preparation but it’s stuff that the whole family can eat without feeling in any way deprived. I don’t actually count the fat units – can’t be bothered – but I feel as long as you stick to the basic principles and don’t deviate too much, it should work fine. Another plus – I can’t drink anywhere near as much wine as I used to. Drunk on 2/3 glasses – saves money too!
i have just started the F2 diet this week. i would love to loose a stone in weight post baby fat i think!!
overall i think the health benefits, lower cholesterol and steady release of sugar in the body for everyone would be of benefit considering the diet of most of the uk in particular the north east where i am from !!
basic foods with preparation is all it takes, i am shocked at people not cooking from scratch anymore, we are living in a fast food / ready meal world. people need to stand back and think about foods in a whole new light if they want to make a difference to their overall health.
fingers crossed for weight loss x
I’ve been on the diet for four weeks now. I’ve lost about one kilo (about 2lbs) for every week and have to admit that I seldom feel hungry while following F2.
It does require a bit of effort in terms of preparing the soups and salads, but I feel healthier, the foods tasty and it seems to be working.
A long way to go yet though. I want to shed another 15 kilos, but I’ll be happy if I can achieve that by June.