Would anyone be interested in a Slim Fast Christmas challenge?

[Gemi33]

Hi everyone,

After reaching my heaviest weight ever I am considering giving Slim Fast a go. I know it's not for everyone but I've tried it in the past and I think it's quite good for a kickstart. I also think taking choices away in terms of food and keeping it simple is good for me. I have a particularly busy time at work over the next few months too and often miss lunch but a shake is easy to fit in so I thought that it might be a good fit for this time of year.

Is anyone already doing Slim Fast and how are you getting on? Would anyone be interested in giving it a go and supporting each other to see how much we can lose for Christmas?

xx

[Gemi33]

Anyone?

[AliBingo]

I'm doing Cambridge which is similar, involving lots of shakes etc.

[Rejectedwoman]

Yes happy to start this Sunday until Christmas . I am real heavy. Just come home from the school run and done a packet of biscuits and a huge bar of chocolate I am doing this every day needs to stop. So doing this together would really help. X

[HollyBollyBooBoo]

Don't di slim fast, its horrible manufactured ingredients. How about just eating fresh, natural, unprocessed foods.

[AliBingo]

I would love to join you but I'll be on Cambridge not Slimfast, although I sometimes use Slimfast stuff too. How much have you got to lose? I would like to lose a couple of stone before Christmas at least, but am starting quite high at 15st3.

[Gemi33]

Hi everyone

Thanks for the replies - in total I have about 4 stone to lose :( On Monday it is 12 weeks until Christmas exactly and 9 weeks until I go on holiday. I am so upset that I am going to be huge for my holiday and so much bigger than I have ever been before.

I'm going food shopping today and then I intend to start tomorrow on the first - really hope I can lose a decent amount - I need to see a good loss to keep me motivated so I hope I can do it.

xx

[AliBingo]

So hopefully 2 stone by Christmas and a stone and a half by your holiday. Maybe 2 stone by holiday! Good luck, keep checking in here with progress.

I'd be interested to see how you get on with the Slimfast products and regime.

Also - 12 weeks until Christmas - argh!

[Gemi33]

Thank you - 2 stone by my holiday would be amazing! Would love to hear how you are all getting on if you are doing Slim Fast or the Cambridge diet.

I'll weigh myself and start properly tomorrow so I'll update then too xx

[Gemi33]

So I weighed in this morning....12st 12lbs :( :(

I'm only 5ft 3in so that's huge and the heaviest I've ever been, feel like it's going to take ages to get to an ok size :(

So far today I've had a shake and feeling ok - not hungry.

xx

[Rejectedwoman]

Weighed. 15 and a half stone. I am tall though. First shake done. Water being drunk. Pray for me

[AliBingo]

I weighed in this morning and 2.5 lbs off. 8.5 last week so 11lbs altogether. Going to have my first product soon...

[Gemi33]

Well done, 11lbs in 2 weeks is great!

Rejectedwoman good luck! Did you start yesterday or is today your first day? I started yesterday but then wasn't very well so didn't actually stick with it - trying to decide whether to still weigh in on Sundays and accept that this week will really only be 6 days properly on plan or whether to weigh in on Mondays.

xx

[Gemi33]

AliBingo can you explain a bit about what you did to lose the 11lbs? How did you find it?

xx

[AliBingo]

I have been doing Cambridge which is 3 or 4 products a day, either shakes or you can get cup a soup things and dried pasta meals. I have just stuck at it religiously but I think the first week loss was just because it was the first week - probably mostly be water weight. I did Camb before though (back in June, until school holidays) and found I could lose 3 or 4 pounds most weeks.

I mostly haven't been feeling hungry but have had to have steely willpower to stick to it!

[Gemi33]

That sounds really good - I did look at the Cambridge plan but can't really afford it at the moment. I think because I have put on a lot of weight in quite a short period of time I struggle to get motivated if I just lose a pound here and there, I need a reasonable loss to motivate me. I'm wondering about using slim fast and also healthy soups to see if that works.

xx

[AliBingo]

I have been doing the Tesco or Asda version of Slimfast/Cambridge some weeks as it's cheaper, they do their own version of a bar as well. Cambridge does work out quite dear. The Tesco etc Shakes look similar nutrition-wise when I compared packets.

Yeah I am the same, need a reasonable loss so trying to really go for it. I've done ok with SW and WW before but it's sooo sloooow!

Good luck!

[Gemi33]

Thank you - are you just doing the meal replacement products and no 'normal' meal on Cambridge? How many calories is that daily? Just wondering if I could try to recreate something similar with slim fast and healthy soups?

xx

[AliBingo]

I am doing three products a day on Cambridge, I could have done three or four and teh consultant said it doesn't make a lot of difference.

Each product is pretty much bang on 200 cals so it's either 600 or 800 cals a day.

I must admit I do cheat/modify the plan; I found it too depressing so now I add 80g of vege to the evening meal and a 4 calorie jelly pot and a 70 calorie cereal bar. So usually I have just under 700 calories a day.

I am sure you could do similar with Slimfast or the supermarket own products.

I find it really motivating to get the weight off fast.

I did read somewhere you shouldn't follow a very low calorie diet for more than 12 weeks so I plan to have a break after that time and do 1200 a day for a week.

I also take a multi vitamin just in case I am missing out on anything.

[Gemi33]

Thanks, that's really helpful. I have had a bad couple of days and haven't really stuck to it - I have been very well and had a really stressful day yesterday and ended up eating rubbish. I feel like such a failure. I prefer to weigh in on a Saturday and don't really want to change that but I guess that means that this week is a bit of a write off - since I haven't even really started properly :( Ugh, I think I need to sit down and make an actual plan.

I agree about the fast weightloss, I know it's better than nothing but if I only lose a lb here and there it doesn't motivate me to keep going. I can't believe on Monday it will be 8 weeks until my holiday, I feel like time is running out - it's unlikely I will lose enough to make a real difference now - so annoyed with myself that I can't seem to stick with anything and just feel really rubbish.

Are you exercising as well or just following the diet?

xx

[AliBingo]

Don't wait until Saturday, draw a line under it now and start straightaway. Stop procrastinating! (Says the Queen of Procrastination ;) )

8 weeks until your holiday, you could get 2 stone off in that time on a v low calorie plan.

I'm in holiday Monday 30th October and am hoping to lose another stone by then.

We can do this!

[AliBingo]

Not exercising at the moment, I read it's 90% diet and 10% exercise so am concentrating on diet at the moment. How about you?

[Gemi33]

I would love to lose 2 stone by then - I don't know why I can't believe that I can - I just keep feeling like I can't do it! I think I'm going to stick with weighing myself on Saturday's but try to be good until then - I know I'm unlikely to have a loss as I've messed around a lot this week but then it will be 8 weeks until my holiday and I can really buckle down. I'm also really not feeling well at the moment so hopefully I will feel properly better in a few days.

I keep thinking I should be exercising but I am constantly exhausted at the moment (as a result of a long term illness) and really struggling - I wonder if your approach is right, to concentrate on the diet first - sometimes it's really difficult to try and change everything at once,

xx

[AliBingo]

Yeah diet first for me, the weight still comes off and so exercise can wait a bit!

It's hard to get in a plan when you're feeling crap.

Definitely believe you can do it, 21lbs at least in 8 weeks if you're strict I reckon and could easily do 2 stone. Let's keep posting our progress here to motivate ourselves.

Where are you off to on hols? We're going to Tenerife so I desperately need to lose some!

[Gemi33]

I really am feeling terrible, it's got worse through the day. I think I might have a bug :(

I'm just going to Centre Parcs for a spa break with a friend - I usually really look forward to it but last time I went I was more than 2 stone lighter and I just feel so self conscious.

xx

[AliBingo]

It's the fear of the swimsuit! We'll have to remember that when deviating from the plan.

Hope you feel better soon x