‘I wanted a rapid result, and I got one’, says successful UAE dieter

German expat Mark Newhouse lost 17 kilograms through two 10-day cycles of the Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition diet.

ABU DHABI // Mark Newhouse, 40, a German expatriate, is a Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition (Ken) convert. He lost 17 kilograms in two 10-day cycles, and said he had a new-found confidence.

It was when Mr Newhouse, an engineer from Dusseldorf, moved to Abu Dhabi five years ago that his weight began to creep up.

“Over the years I noticed I was easily gaining weight but it was very difficult to lose it,” he said. “The food is so good, and you don’t have time to do sports.”

When his weight reached 105kg, Mr Newhouse, who is 1.88 metres tall, began to investige quick weight-loss regimes. He heard about the Ken diet and decided to give it a try.

“I wanted to look for a good solution without having to wait for a year or two to see results,” he said. “I got to hear about Ken and became convinced about the concept.”

Mr Newhouse said the most difficult part of the treatment was the “slight annoyance” of walking around with a tube in his nose – and also avoiding a natural urge to eat.

“You have to set your mind that you do not eat for this set time,” he said. “The only thing you can have is water or tea and coffee without any milk, sugars or sweeteners … but once you get used to that, it is OK.”

He felt a “constant slight hunger” during the treatment but noticed results within days.

“By the third day, you feel something is happening. You feel like your body is losing weight. You start to notice that your clothes all of a sudden become wider and bigger,” he said.

By the ninth day, he said, the results were obvious.

In the first 10-day cycle he completed in October last year, Mr Newhouse lost 9kg and in the second cycle in January he shed a further 8kg.

"I would absolutely recommend it, but would say you need discipline to do it," he said.

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