Any Louise Parker Lean for Life fans?

[Katrinawaves]

I’ve just dug out my old Lean for Life books and decided time to get back on the wagon. I followed her plan 2 years ago and lost about 3 stone very quickly and managed to keep it off without too much difficulty until a change in lifestyle (lots more travel for work) combined with a really stressful and shitty year has led to me abandoning her principles and putting on 2 stone.

But I know I feel good using her ways of eating and exercising more, I know it works relatively quickly for me and I enjoy her recipes. I also need badly to conquer the stressors and regain fitness levels so am going to start again. 2 weeks before Christmas may sound insane but as she says there is never a good time to start so why wait. Also I’m off work for 3 weeks from Tuesday of next week so have plenty of time to get some good habits imbedded before I need to get back to long commutes and frequent overseas travel.

So anyone else in - either to do the plan or just to read my posts and give me some encouragement along the way?

Today was more of a prep day as I didn’t really eat any of her meals though I wasn’t too far off her plan.

Brunch of scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with bacon and a cup of tea

Snack americano coffee with milk

Dinner sausage casserole with beans

Lots of mineral water

I also ran (very slowly) for 2 miles this morning.

[Alicay]

Me, me, me!! I’m in. I have had the books for years - in the last few days I feel like I’ve properly read them. I love the idea that it’s a full approach - not just about food, feel so much better for an early night, being a bit better organised. The self-care thing seems to be key (not just fluffy claptrap) it makes a huge difference to how I eat. Have been playing around with it for the last week or so (still had a booze, eaten out etc) and am 4 pounds down!

[Katrinawaves]

Fab result @Alicay

I’m glad to have a buddy. My sleep is awful at the moment due to stress but I’m making a point of keeping bedroom looking nice Nd going up to bed at a good time and the digital detox.

I ended up slightly falling off wagon yesterday (day 3!) because my son surprised me by cooking dinner which was a chorizo risotto so not on plan. But I only had a tiny portion.

Yesterday I had messy eggs for breakfast, Americano for my snack, goats cheese frittata for my lunch with kale, that pesky risotto and no final snack to compensate and because I didn’t need it.

Today I’ve been for a run and had poached eggs avocado and one slice of wholemeal toast for breakfast. Lunch will be soup and dinner is the lemon sea bass and puréed veg from her book. Snacks will be almonds and apple and peanut butter on oatcakes with pumpkin seeds.

As at start of day 4 I’m 3lb down 😀. Mostly water I know but the water weight has to come off first so it’s a step in the right direction.

[Alicay]

Hmmm, you sound a lot more rigorous than me ! Today I have eaten - oat bran porridge w/blueberries, salad with few spoonfuls of scrambled egg & a bit of smoked salmon, homemade beanburgers and salad. Snacks have been a Louise approved smoothie and apple with a few walnuts. That is absolutely loads of food!! I am definitely easing myself in - so far so good for weight loss , but perhaps I am kidding myself that I can eat like this long term & still lose.
10,000 steps done, not done the LP exercises though. (Ever).
Can I ask you how long it took to shed the 3 stone and how closely you stuck to the programme? Any advice?

[Katrinawaves]

It took much less time than I thought it would. I started doing Slimming World at beginning of December and bough Louise’s book on 1 Jan and switched to her plan almost immediately. I’d lost all the weight by beginning of April. People commented on it constantly - my team at work literally watched me shrink before their eyes. I did about one and a half cycles of the transform phase.

[Katrinawaves]

I stuck to the diet pretty religiously and combined it with running 3 times a week doing the None to Run programme (a gentler version of Couch to 5k). I also never did her exercises which looked pretty tough!

[Sondor]

Hello! Could I join please? I picked up her books in a charity shop this summer following the birth of DC3. I did one round of Transform and dropped from a size 16 to size 12. I didn't lose much weight, but I do lift weights so that might have had an impact.

I really enjoyed it, but then had a particularly stressful time and I seem to have permanently 'stepped out of the circle' 😂

Want to get back on it and stop scoffing chocolate!

[Katrinawaves]

Wow. 2 dress sizes in 6 weeks is inspiring! I agree that the plan is great and makes you feel much healthier very quickly.

[Sondor]

You think it would inspire me to stick to it! The baby doesn't sleep and gets up for the day at 5am, so by the time I get to the evening I just want to face-plant into a bag of Cadbury's.

Did you manage to stick to the no-screens after 9pm? That I really struggle with.

[Katrinawaves]

I struggle with the digital curfew too but when I do stick with it for a few weeks it does help. I’m a bit of a chronic insomniac though.

[Katrinawaves]

The lemon sea bass with puréed vegetables was absolutely delicious and really quick and easy to make.

So easy in fact that my husband who does not do much cooking made it this evening as I’m convalescing from eye surgery today.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

Hmm mind if I lurk a bit? I got the books a couple of years ago, but didn't want to eat a lot of meat, went very heavy on pulses and legumes and ended up with diverticulitis! Just couldn't get the food to work for me/the whole family...

[Katrinawaves]

You should have a look at her website, Lonny or her new book. She’s moved more to a plant based diet and there are lots of veggie and some vegan recipes now. I’m a meat eater myself so I liked the original books and recipes. If you eat fish she’s got lots of very nice fishy recipes too.

My favourite recipe is her paneer curry which is veggie but delicious!

[Katrinawaves]

The feel good factor kicked in today. I am starting to feel a spring in my step again. I got cleared by my eye surgeon to run tomorrow so will be back on the exercise bandwagon again then too.

Today on the menu was:

Salmon tartine for breakfast. That was super tasty!

Lunch was a Leon chicken satay box with no rice

Dinner will be chicken chickpea and chorizo stew from her first book which is a favourite with some broccoli and green beans.

I had some rosemary spiced almonds with a tart apple for one snack and I may have some vanilla flavoured youghirt with an orange before bed if I get peckish.

I can see my jeans starting to fit better already 😀.

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

Will have a look at the website, thanks!

[Xiaoxiong]

On the basis of this thread I downloaded the first book on kindle for 99p. I really think I'm going to give this a try as soon as I get home (we are away for Christmas) but there is nothing to stop me trying to put some changes in place even on holiday when not cooking for myself. So today I have had peanut butter toast and apple slices for breakfast, chicken soup for lunch and some kind of fish and veg for dinner. No booze, had less coffee than I would usually have.

Is it worth buying the other two books as well?

[Katrinawaves]

There are lots of recipes in the first book so you could easily do 2 months or so with just that one. I’ve got all 3 and I like the first and third ones best in terms of recipes but I do use them all.

Today I’ve repeated a bit with left overs from earlier in the week

Breakfast was salmon tartine
Lunch was chicken chickpea and chorizo with wilted spinach
Dinner is going to be peppers stuffed with pork and beef ragu. That’s bubbling in oven now and smells amazing!

I’m just having a cup of coffee with almonds and an apple now and feeling zen. Slept really well last night which may have been due to not watching any TV all evening.

[BorisForPM]

Well if it's good enough for the DoC...

[Sondor]

@Xiaoxiong I really like the last one, The 6 week plan. It breaks down the non-food elements of the plan into little chunks so they're more easily implemented.

[Katrinawaves]

One foot out of the circle tonight due to pesky kids eating some of the ingredients I’d planned to use for dinner and a glass of wine

Breakfast was wholemeal toast with honey (also not great)
Lunch spinach salmon and goats cheese omelette
Dinner was Chinese dumplings, lamb cutlet, curried cauliflower and spinach and chickpeas with the glass of wine. (Should have been some smoked salmon instead of the dumplings)

[TeachesOfPeaches]

Hello, I bought her book based on this thread and read through it yesterday. I actually groaned out loud when I seen how small the portions were - one salad is a beef tomato and a QUATER of an avocado.

I liked her spirit through so have just completed an ocado shop for the funky ingredients like Oatbran and Vanilla paste. I'm very fat and a chronic lifelong dieter.

[Katrinawaves]

Welcome @TeachesOfPeaches.

Inevitably over Christmas I’ve been mostly in her outer circle mostly because I’m not at home at the moment so am eating what my hosts prepare or out in restaurants but the aim is to step back in from tomorrow.

I’m also going to start a 5k running programme. I can run about 3k nonstop at the moment but very slowly so the aim is to increase my speed and my distance with a view to start doing regular park runs.

[myohmywhatawonderfulday]

Hello,

I ordered her books second hand from amazon because of this thread. As I want to lose weight and eat food. I have promised myself to never do crazy diets again. It appeared from how you were speaking about this that it's based on whole foods and life style change - so its worth a go from me!

I haven't got the books yet but I have googled her and got some ideas.

[Xiaoxiong]

Teaches I actually had that salad today for lunch! There is also a whole ball of mozzarella with the (large) tomato and avocado. I have a big appetite, I didn't struggle to finish it but I definitely wasn't hungry afterwards. I think it helps that I had a lot of water, and I wasn't massively hungry for lunch as I had already had a Bircher pot from M&S for breakfast and nuts and berries (also M&S, we were at Heathrow) as a morning snack.

I just had my second snack of apple slices with Pip & Nut pumpkin spice almond butter (on a 50% flash sale at Ocado and omg so good...). I did the workout from Week 1 today as well.

Ticking off the boxes...because I know tonight I will "step outside the circle" at a NYE party and then back into the circle tomorrow. I love the idea that there are no failures, you just step back inside the circle and don't beat yourself up about failing to adhere to a strict diet. Hopefully this is a habit I can make stick for 2020!!

[TeachesOfPeaches]

So I've almost completed day 1 and feel good so far. Even did a stretching and beginners kettlebell workout this morning and my legs hurt, managed 10k steps also. Not exercised in a loooonnnggggg time so I'm very happy!

@Xiaoxiong think I must have been in shock and not noticed the mozzarella ball - might give the salad a try!

[TeachesOfPeaches]

@katrinawaves thank you for the kind welcome