Exante VLCD

[unhealthy2healthy]

Hello, I'm not sure if there's already an Exante thread, but I thought I'd create one to share how I'm finding it (4 days in) and keep people updated on this 12 week journey.

I'll try and log weight loss weekly, and products I like, plus anything that I find helps keep me on track . Hopefully it'll encourage and give people some insight into what 12 weeks of 600kcal a day feels and looks like.

I currently need too loose 4 stones - hoping by the end of the 12 weeks I can loose at least 3...

Well done @unhealthy2healthy and @feellikezerobucks!

I'll have my end of week 4 weigh in on Monday- I'm 17lbs down so far. I've done 2 shakes and a 200-300 cal high protein low carb meal since the start.
I know that's not how you are meant to do it but it is working for me so I'm happy with that!

@unhealthy2healthy, yeah, got straight back into it, but fees like day 2 again now re. Will power etc!

@DdJames I think your approach is sensible...I'm doing this for my hols, but know I will have to watch myself on holiday so I don't pile it all on again!

Hi, can I join you all.

I did exante last year. Lost 5st 3lb
I finished at Christmas, planned to enjoy it and boy did I indulge.
I had meant to get back to it in January but just couldn't get back in the swing of it again.
I've gained 1st 4lb of my original loss now and it's time to try and recommit myself.

I found the threads really useful last time.

Well done to everyone on your losses.

Wow @MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting that's an incredible weight loss!

Welcome aboard

That's what I did all along DdJames 2 products and a 200 calorie meal.

My problem is I havent been able to figure out a new normal. I'm either eating rubbish (although less than before) or dieting. Cant find middle ground.

Going to focus on re-losing what I've gained first then figure out maintenance later.

Welcome newbies and well done on all the losses.

I'm back from our hols and, I'm 4lb up and unfortunately even though i didn't overeat, I did enjoy the food. I'm still 1lb down which I'll take. I can only imagine how things would have been if I didn't lose those few pounds before I started. So I've got 18 lbs to go.

Back on the TS today, and as predicted, it's been tough. I'm hungry and tired but still determined. I have a few mini goals which I'm going to put down here for accountability:

July 6th - 8lbs to go (We have a party to attend) and start proper exercise

August 6th - goal and start toning

August 24 - maintain goal weight with food (a wedding to go to).

Fingers crossed!

@winterisstillcoming 4lb is fine! Did you enjoy your holiday? X

@winterisstillcoming a 4lb gain is fantastic as the plan is so restrictive to begin with so well done.

I was doing so well, but then fell off the wagon on Sunday and ate what I wanted (which didn't taste as amazing as I dreamt!) and even more frustrating as I tried my clothes on on Sunday morning and felt incredible, now I feel bloated and sluggish again 😔

I went to Alton Towers yesterday and had a bar for brekkie, but after going on the nemesis 3 times in 10 mins I felt so sick I needed something to settle my stomach and ended up with a maccies 🤦🏽‍♀️

3 weeks tomorrow I go on my hols and I just want to feel good about myself.

I have 2 off track meals (but will do protein and salad) but my plan is to stay 100% apart from those. I wanted to lose another stone before I went away but need to accept that that isn't achievable, but not planning on weighing myself until 3 weeks tomorrow 🤞🏻

feellikezerobucks how much have you lost so far?

I was really pleased this morning, the sticks day I'm in ketosis now. 👍🏻

@MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting I lost 8.4lbs I my first week and haven't dare look at the scales since!!!

I remember you from last time (I was also doing it)....how did you find being off plan?

feellikezerobucks not great. I finished a few days before Christmas which meant I had no time to try and figure out how to maintain first, put on approx 12lb over Christmas and then couldn't get back into the same head space.

It's been a battle not to put too much on. I hadn't actually planned to restart, I just woke up Friday and felt like it was time. All my life I'm either on a diet or binging, it's a cycle I need to break.

I want to lose 1 to 1 1/2 stone this time

The holiday was amazing @WellVersedInEtiquette. I've returned well rested and really motivatied.

@feellikezerobucks I think you could get quite close to a stone off, just don't panic, take it day by day.

@MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting - you hit the nail on the head when you wrote about finding a new normal. That's going to be my real challenge as life can be very varied for me, and I am a real foodie. I think long term I'm just going to have to pick a quiet month every now and then and do Vlcd. As I'm high risk for diabetes, it may help for me to fast anyway.

So day 2 of the restart and I am moody and hungry. I'm also straight into my usual horrific PMS and I have also had the worst day at work today than I've had for a good few years. I'm emotionally defeated. But still on plan. Im determined that at least that's going to right today.

I've also decided that all the meals are crap,apart from the noodles. So I've ordered 3 weeks of noodles, shakes and bars. I had the almond vanilla shake today which was really good.

I've got a few hurdles this week that I need to negotiate. Brunch on Friday and a meal out on Saturday. I'll try to be good. Other than that I should stay on track.

Hope everyone is having a good week. I'd also like to hear of those non scale victories you must be enjoying. I'm sure they'll spur us on.

I meant to ask you feellikezerobucks you said you haven't weighed in since week 1, how long have you been doing it in total.

Congrats on you week 1 loss. I can't seem to stay off the scales

winterisstillcoming I didnt like the meals either, found the bean pot and Dahl pot ok but would rather have a 200cal salad instead.
Its shakes and bars for me all the way.

I've said to dh that I think I'm going to have to try and incorporate this into life going forward, even if I stick with bar for lunch and increase calories for the evening meal for when I get to the maintenance stage.

So this morning I post with shame again!
Didn't stick to it yesterday and I have 3 weeks to go! This should have been the start of week 3, instead I'm on day 1 again and having a look on the scales this morning I'm only 2lbs down from when I started, so the last 18 days have been a waste due to what I ate during 4 days off plan.

I'm 35 in November. I'm an adult and I should have this shit sorted, instead my life revolves around losing weight and me feeling rubbish when I fail...I don't want this to be my whole life....

Anyway...moving on from the pity party, I have 21 days of 100% apart from 2 meals. I have given myself a new (hopefully realistic) target of 11.9 (this morning I am 12.6.8), I will exercise everyday and I need to accept that not all my "holiday clothes" will be coming on holiday with me this year....I will try my hardest and accept the results....

@MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting and @winterisstillcoming my plan is to do ww after my hols to keep me on track. I've done it before and it has worked for me, but interested in your ideas for maintenance as what I like about this plan is the fact you don't need to think about food!

@feellikezerobucks, keep going! You can do this. I've been where you are and the best thing is distraction. You're also right about the not having to think bout food thing. This is the first time I've done meal replacement and the best thing about it is that I'm not obsessed with what I'm going to eat, logging it, shopping for it, making alternative meals for myself etc etc. It's actually freed me up in terms of there's less overthinking and less time cooking and eating, so more time for exercise and beauty.

Long term, if I do reach goal, I'll just have the meals/bars/sachets when I'm on my own or at work to save time and maintain.

How is everybody else's week going? Mine is hopefully getting better as I'm off tomorrow!

feellikezerobucks keep going, I understand why you're frustrated but 2lb is still progress. I find it hard to get into the right head space to do this diet.

Re: maintenance, I havent figured it out yet. My current plan is that I'll do 5:2 so still use the meal replacements on the fasting days but its going to depend on what amount of calories I can eat after this to stay steady.

I lost 5 lbs in week 1.
Week 1 is 6 days for me because I started on a Friday but want Thursday to be my weighing day as it's the day me and dh sometimes go out.

Thanks for your kind words @MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting and @winterisstillcoming.

I stuck to plan yesterday (super proud of myself) and I'm 2.6lbs lighter this morning, which is great, but what is even better is that I feel so much more positive again now!

Hoping to get to 12.1 by next Wednesday (which will take me to where I previously got to) and just keep pushing on from there!

This time in 3 weeks I'll have just landed on my hols....I only need to really focus for 3 weeks so I'm hoping I can do it!

I just find that the first 1-4 days I keep thinking of food I want to eat, and then by day 5 I'm ok as i know it's weigh day soon, then the cycle starts again 🤦🏽‍♀️

I've totally gone against what I said yesterday and will weigh in each Wednesday and have a sneak peek on Sunday (to keep me focused on Saturdays!)

How was your weigh in today?

How was your weigh in today?
Was ⬆️ that to me feellikezerobucks

If so I lost 5lbs this week.
Want to lose between 15.5lb - 22.5lb

Week 2 is notoriously difficult for me, got to keep myself focused.

Sorry @MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting yes, that was for you and great weight loss!!!

Keep me updated with how you're getting on x

It's so hard to stay on track sometimes isn't it. I'm still plugging away- 5 weeks in and 18.5lbs down. I don't do TS though but do stick to 600-800 calories a day.

If only I hadn't have let myself get so fat I wouldn't have this battle to get rid of it! I'm really missing cheese and carbs right now.

@DdJames that's a great weight loss!!! I was meant to do it for 5 weeks, but only 3 weeks left and on day 2 again 🤦🏽‍♀️

I just wish I was as fat as I was when I thought I was "fat" (1 stone lighter than I am now)

Great losses @DdJames and @MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting. I've caved a bit today and had a few biscuits at a corporate event but I'm carrying on.

I'm not weighing until Sunday as I have 2 meals out to deal with over the weekend. I've decided that if I'm going to have them then I'm going to enjoy them and then get right back on it. I need to learn how to do this long term.

Thanks.

I've managed to kick myself out of ketosis, eating strawberries I think. I know we're not meant to have fruit, I had a real craving for them.

Having a weak evening. I just feel like picking.

I'm on a weekend off. It's my bday and wedding anniversary. I'll be doing two full weeks after this though so I'm hoping to get another ten lbs off.