What rubbish was Rosemary Conley saying that "we don't need oil" That is very misleading. We need eg.fish & nut oils to have healthy bones skin etc

I didn't see the show, but I would imagine what she meant was that we don't need added oil. There is a tendency to use quite a lot in cooking, and then there is the drizzling of oil over foods as well these days. It does all add the dreaded extra Calories. Shae is of course the low-fat Doyenne isn't she.

saw the show and i must say it did niggle me a little, its the same old thing everyone to their own, everything in moderation, she did admit to likeing icecream, crisps etc but only to be had at weekends as a treat, then be good for the rest of the week.And yes there are essential oils that we need for healthy bodies and bones.Im almost certain that she said, as she doesnt use oil in cooking, that she has now grown to not like the taste of oil in food, mind you she also admited that she likes and eats chips on occasion. I did chuckle because you could see Simon Rimmer looking a little , i dont know, niggled maybe because Rosemary did say more than once that she doesnt use or like oil, trying to make a point, i dont know, interesting to find out how others who watched took her comments on board...

Rosemary Conley niggled me too. Of course you need some fat and oils in your diet to be healthy, some vitamins and minerals are only available in fat. However I could understand how you could grow to dislike the taste of fat if you ate such a low fat diet as Rosemary appears to do.

People like R. Conley who earn a living out of the diet industry always end up eating virtually nothing what ever they try to tell us, she seemed really uncomfortable at the thought of eating any food. Her whole body language seemed to say please don't make me eat.

Well I haven't had much to say about Rosemary since I watched some of her recipes being demonstrated on one of her diet shows on some obscure channel a few years back. I just sat there watching her cook and thought, what a sad a miserable life we would lead if we ate like that all the time. Her food looked so unappatising that I would rather go hungry, perhaps she would too, tee hee.

Well on the show, she had her favourite foods in front of her which were, chips and crips, she also said she loved ice cream. But whilst I agree with her that these foods should be eaten in moderation, I had to laugh at her conception of "moderation". Yes eating ice cream only at weekends is ok but the crips that come in tubes that she was referring to, she said she only eats when she's on holiday. Sorry but I had to laugh, especially as I only go on holiday once in the blue moon. Presumably she must go at least once a year or she must be really daft to consider crips one of her favourites if she virtually banned herself from ever eating them. Even then she says she only ever buys the short tube.

Can you imagine it... I'm just going to pack for my holiday, passport, crips, sun cream......

I too found Ms Conley somewhat stiff and not really willing to join in...why go on a foodie program like GFL if you are not willing to join in wholeheartedly?

I have recently been told that my cholesterol level has risen in recent months (now I am not surprised, as I have been under a hell of a lot of stress and I have not been very careful with what I eat), so naturally I asked my doc what would help. I'm not stupid by any stretch of the imagination, I understand the danger of fatty foods etc. but what I found really baffling was her telling me that I shouldn't eat cereal as it's really baby food, and not to drink any milk as milk is only for calves...AND most devestating of all, she told me not to eat pasta!!!! No pasta????? How does one live without pasta????

Whilst I do admire you Carol for your being able to only use oil rarely, I am the same, but I think that the old 'obese nation' stuff sounds a bit political. Sorry to offend if I have, but that's just my opinion.

A little footnote to this is, that my doctor has lank hair and grey teeth!!

Oh, I have to rant. Sorry, resisted it for days but can last no longer...

No offence at all meant to Richard, when he said that Rosemary Conley looked 'well', I realise this was out of good manners/ politeness/ hostly behaviour etc. But the snag is, I thought, no, she doesn't look 'well', she just looks 'thin', which in my book don't equate to the same thing.

Humph! Sorry about that...



I too thought the pringles bit was laughable, Mammachef. I like to think of her a having a suitcase crammed full with mini tubes of the things!

i always think that Rosemary looks strained and tense even when she is smiling. Being healthy doesnt mean thin just as not all well covered people are unhealthy.
I agree why go on a food programme for food lovers if you dont love fod. i mean they do a rehearsal so she must have had a clue. its not like he cooked her confit of duck with chips is it.
No point in being the skinniest corpse in the box go on have a bag of crisps!

Our bodies require many things to make them work well and, unfortunately for some, this includes oil. I had a friend who restricted, no banned, fat of any kind from her diet. In the end she used to absorb her face cream like a sponge and realised that all was not well. If I had to face a life without my extra v. olive oil (by choice) I would be miserable.

Totally agree, Carol137.
I've been quite ill for a while now and suddenly lost loads of weight before being diagnosed. At first I thought, hurrah, (well, most of us who try to shift a bit would, I think) but then I really did start to look, as you say, haggard.
Now I'm getting on the mend and looking much better too. Of course I'd now like to get rid of a bit, but that's partly down to my condition and medication.
I've never liked really fatty foods and like you try to minimise oil in cooking, dressings etc. I've got a nice little spray dispenser I find invaluable. What tricks have you got?

So, no, I'm not enormous but I'm not tiny either. I reckon I'll do (but don't let my husband hear me say that or he'll hold me to it when I'm moaning next!).

As i pointed out in my previous post she looked terrified she might have to eat something, she was only on to plug her books and dvds etc. Mousee, it seems to me that everyone who is told that they have high cholesterol is told they they are eating something different that is causing it, my doctor put me on statins and after about a month i realised i felt ill, i have stopped taking them and feel much better i drink one of those drinkes each day to try and help, but can something that made me feel so ill really be doing me any good?

I have to add my little bit, even though I didn't see the show this time....

First though, I'll temper my snarky comment with this: Her Hip & Thigh diet does actually work if you use it to kick start shifting saddle-bags from that area (worked for me anyway), but that's a whole different thing to starving yourself of food & a lot of the joy in life.

Now for the sanrky bit: I once read an interview with her in the run-up to Christmas and she said that on the day itself she and her husband would be enjoying a steamed turkey breast & baked potato!! On Christmas day! I'm glad I don't get invited to her house!

Thin does not necessarily equal happy & healthy Rosemary!!

My vice has to be cooked cheese for me in any form. I have tried the reduced fat cheddars and the like but found they have no taste (and in some cases don't melt properly which spoils all the fun of melted, slightly stringy cheese). The best I can do is to use very mature cheddar so at least I don't need so much of it to make it taste!

I absolutely love cheese too, foodiejess!! A hangover from university days, my love is a hot plate of chips with cheddar melted over them - bliss!! And, as I'm pregnant, I feel completely justified in having it every now and then

Thanks for your kind thoughts, Carol. I'm like you in my oil uses, only when really necessary etc...

I'm a bit of a sweet tooth, myself. Into cakes quite badly at the moment, but preferring home-made. Quite ashamedly I also like the cheap and rather cacky angel cake you can get at supermarkets, also their pale and squishy hot cross buns, oh and cheap and nasty lemon curd from the jar from the fridge.

Shameful I know, but what the heck!


Mind you, I do quite like the thought of a pork pie...but not that jelly!

Tell you what, FoodieJess and Mum-to-be, as I'm not one for cheese you can have my share, guilt free!

Rosemary Conley had a good cooking programme a few years back. She really knew what she was doing she cooked all her own dishes, and was very good at the hygiene aspect as well.(See Flakie's e-mail) She did not use any fat contents,but her dishes were fantastic!
Saying all that, I think she could put a bit more weight on, as she looks nackered, with all her exercising!