New You Plan

[FluffyWabbit]

Well, I can't see that these VLCD type diets are being talked about much.

Probably has a lot to do with the injections that people favour these days.

But, I find this weight loss journey that I'm on kind of surreal and a little lonely.

Everyone knows I'm doing it but we don't talk about it much.

Don't get me wrong. I have all the support in the world, all of the encouragement and even a mini-me that is on this plan with me but we kind of just do it and get on with things.

I started a Penzu journal as a way to keep myself focused during this diet, but no one can see it or comment on it, so there's no one to share it with and no one who can learn from it but me.

I like to process information and I like to share things so I'll probably just talk to myself here.

So, I have lost just under 4 stone this year. I'm on the final stretch of this diet. My BMI is hovering at just around 25.1 down from 34 in January. My aim was to get to 21/22 BMI but I think I've fallen off the wagon a few too many times to get there with only 4 weeks left.

That's ok!

Jean size went from 12/14 to 6/8.

Comments are crazy.

My hairdresser calls me 'tiny' and even the neighbour commented on my weight! I don't ever talk to the neighbour and he's a man! He out of the blue told me he'd noticed my weight loss (WHEN WAS HE LOOKING AND WHY) and then told me he started injections for weight loss.

Very strange but also funny to me!

I started my weight loss journey 20 something years ago and weighed over 25 stone! Not good for someone who is just 5'2"!

Tons of excess skin. Not overly happy with what's happened under my once plump and youthful chin but what can I do?

This post is pretty long. I might make it my second accountability journal, along with Penzu, but we'll see how things go.

Feel free to say HI or ask me stuff or make fun of me or whatever.

I don't mind the company!

Hi OP, I have used the New You plan on and off before but never managed to stick to it long term. Your weight loss sounds amazing! Can I ask, have you done one shake, one soup, one bar and one meal every day, or done it another way? And what’s your plan for coming off the diet? I always found that I put weight back on as soon as I stopped.

Hi there!

Exactly that: 1 breakfast, bar, shake and meal. Occasionally, I will have a snack from the plan but try to make this rare, if possible.

Coming off the diet, I intend to just figure out my new TDEE for maintenance and eat to this amount. Monitor and adjust after a couple of weeks or a month or so and adjust up or down, as needed.

I have never gained weight back that I've lost, in 20 years of losing weight (I weighed 25 stone in my early 20s!), so this method works good for me.

But, it does mean I will probably calorie count for the rest of my life but better than gaining it all back, I guess!

New You is very good, we had a big thread in the Weight Loss Chat a few years ago. I lost 6 stones in 6 months but sadly have gained it all back after a bereavement.
Well done on your loss

Wow, 6 stone in 6 months is amazing!

I'm hoping for a stone this month but might be too ambitious being this close to target weight. We'll see, though! I'm determined for this to be the last year of fat loss so I can go back and build some muscle in the gym!

This is encouraging! Maybe I’ll try it again

Well, let me know if you do and I'll support you as much as possible!

You can also try Shake that Weight. The calories on their program is slightly higher with less keto focus. I was on that for 8 weeks this year, too, and found the prices reasonable and the food better, if I'm honest!

My schedule of eating my four meals a day is 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

This seems to keep the hunger at bay since I only have to not eat for 12 hours a day!

Todays menu: rice pudding, strawberry crisp bar, chocolate shake and Bolognese.

Yesterday was a struggle. I was sooooooo hungry BUT that was my own fault because I freaked out on my stash of VLCD bars and had EIGHT OF THEM the day before yesterday. I was hungry and thought it was better to have my meal replacement bars than go completely off the rails.

TMI: too many bars and you end up with the toilet being your besty for a few good hours. That's all I'll say about that............

Think it messed with my glycogen, though, and so my carbs had to be burned off again so I was starving.

Anyway, I am debating on whether or not I'll weigh daily, as I was doing. I don't know what the point is, really, because I'm committed to the program for 31 more days so the weight will be whatever it ends up being!

I need to get back on it. I have literally hundreds of shakes, brownies, soups and bars.

I have been inspired and am having a chocolate shake for dinner!

Good for you! I love your cup!

Well, today is 31 days until the end of the PLAN!

I stayed up most of last night and drank tons of coffee from 8 p.m. until about midnight (because I am a very intelligent person) 😯 woke up at 1 a.m. and then stayed up until noon. I then 'napped' from noon until 4 pm!

Lesson: black coffee is great as an appetite suppressant but not so much for sleep.

On that note, I have had my final meal today and now having black coffee for dessert!

I do not anticipate sleep to be kind to me this week due to the heat.

So, my plan is to draw a hard line and not eat after 6 p.m. - 6 a.m. no matter if sleep cooperates or not.

I will stay busy by waking up at 5 a.m., cooking any dinners for the family that require the oven before the heat of the day starts, get chores out of the way and then go to work.

Currently drinking around 4L of liquid a day which includes 3.2L of water and 8-10 cups of coffee!

I'm not sure if my insomnia is coffee, hormones or this diet. Could be all of it!

Anyway, debating whether or not I should step on the scale tomorrow morning.

Let me know your thoughts on this or, if you don't care (which is fair), I'll just update the ether about what I did because, as I've mentioned before, I like to talk - ha.

It's a Meoky from tiktok shop, I think it was only a tenner and keeps the shakes freezing cold for hours.

Yes, keep us updated and maybe switch to decaf? I had to when I did NYP 1st time. I have taken myself to bed so I am not tempted.

Went to bed at 10 p.m. and woke around 3:30 a.m.

My target awake time was 5 a.m. but I'm not mad. This result is pretty good for me. So, all I have to do now is try really hard to not nap and maybe I'll have managed to sort my sleep schedule out.

Sleep has been the biggest struggle for me on this diet.

I have restless legs syndrome (RLS), which was exacerbated earlier this year when I did a DIY VLCD. I figured I was missing out on some key vitamins/minerals so signed up to Shake that Weight (STW) and then the New You Plan (NYP).

Even though I moved to these plans, I could never sleep and feel rested. I was exhausted, fatigued and napping all day for survival after having 1-3 hours of sleep in the night. RLS and muscle cramping was killing me.

This lasted for about 16 weeks!

I went off plan about 8 days, since April, trying to self medicate because I thought more calories and whole food would make up for whatever vitamins/minerals I was lacking.

Still struggled up until about 2 weeks ago when DH found me some electrolytes and it was like I was CURED from RLS within 2 days!

I really wish I had known about electrolytes before I sabotaged my diet a few times because I would have been much further along in weight loss.

Each 'blip' set me back about a week, at least, in progress.

Hindsight 101 and all that.......

Hoping today isn't too much of a struggle.

Muesli, which is a cold cereal which I just add water to, is my breakfast and it really never keeps me full like the porridge. But, I have to be strong!

I've 31 days left of this diet, which includes today, so I am crossing my fingers I will lose a stone in this time!

I AM WISHING MYSELF LUCK!

Morning!

How are you doing today? Have you decided to restart? Did you banish the snack demons from last night? lol x

Babysitting granddaughter today so opted for a low calorie count day, shake planned for dinner though.

Day 31 is a wrap!

I did sneak a weigh in today because I wanted to see what all of my unplanned eating days did, as far as damage, and I'm up half a pound which means I'm really up about 3 pounds because I'm playing catch up now.

62kg. Goal weight for the end of this 4 weeks is 56kg.

I won't be mad, whatever happens, because I've tried my hardest and I will have to have a break due to upcoming holiday etc.

Over and up!

Well done, today was a fail as far as vlcd goes but a win on low calorie healthy eating. Granddaughter goes home tomorrow evening so will try again!

Up at 3 am today! Wow! 2 coffees in and it's 4:30a.m.

Yesterday went to plan.

Scale stayed the same.

Chocolate porridge, dark chocolate bar, blueberry and apple shake and vegetable risotto on the menu today.

I think it's supposed to be hot so I mixed up my shake and froze it for an ice cream moment.

Might have been a mistake but we'll see!

ChatGPT argued with me and told me I'd lose half a stone, at best, in 4 weeks because I don't have much to lose.

Hope to prove it wrong but......darn it!

NSV: ordered some jeans/trousers and could not fit in any of them last week.

Was possibly swollen due to heat etc because today I fit in 3 pairs that wouldn't even button up before!

I'll keep them for a couple of weeks to see if further weight loss changes how they look on me but I'm pretty happy that I'm consistently in size 6 trousers now.

Well done!

Down again to my lowest weight, which I ruined by binging last Thursday, so just goes to show how long one extra calorie day takes to correct.

The internet would have you believe that 'real weight gain' doesn't happen when you have a day of high calories but I'm here to tell everyone that it does happen.

I've been doing this VLCD since February and since that time, I've gone off plan 8 times, and each time it's taken me at least a week to go back to my previous weight of the week before. Yes, I've still lost a great deal of weight over all but I could have been further ahead. In fact, I could have been done by now.

I'm not saying I have regrets or anything but if anyone learns from my experience, great.

Non-realistic expectations for weight loss is a big reason, I think, so many people 'fail'.

We're told dropping 500 calories a day will result in weight loss. Yeah, I guess if you want to hit a normal BMI by the time you're 90 years old, that's 'realistic' and 'sustainable'.

People, understandably, get impatient or think things aren't 'working' when they're told they should lose a lot more weight on a set calorie reduction that works according to 'science' or 'math'.

I read a pubmed publication about how antiquated the calorie math is and how they were considering mass change because people aren't being told the truth about how long it can take to lose weight using the current formula.

Anyway, on to more pleasant things.

I had an 'omelette' for breakfast, yoghurt lemon bar for lunch, cinnamon shake for 2 pm (what meal is this?) and spicy noodles for dinner.

It's gonna be a hot one!

HYDRATE!

Hi I am on a journey where am traying to watch what I eat and count my calories. Am trying to juggle my work plus home life and gym.
Over these summer holidays it has been hard nd tough. Still I don't attend to give up.
Its the plans we make but sometimes had to stick too. But am sure new dy new start and wee need to keep on going.
Never give up.

Hi am on a similar journey need to shred 3 stones. With summer holidays and work life and home life to balance its been hard to stay on track but I always tell my self new day new start keep on going.

100%!

You have to live your life and do the best you can, as often as you can, and just keep going!

You can do it!