Anyone doing Exante at the moment and fancy a buddy or someone to chat to about their progress?

[FrenchLimeBlossom]

Hi all, just wondering whether anyone else was doing Exante Total Solution at the moment so that we could maybe keep each other company?

My story is that I've been on the programme since 1st August - so far lost 16lbs which makes me feel great , am about a quarter of the way along as I have 4 stone to lose to get to where I feel comfortable with myself, at about 1/2 a stone lighter than when i met my DH!!!

I was 16 stone 1lb on 1st August, which at 5' 9" with a sadly sturdy frame made me a rather well padded size 18 - now I am at 14 stone 13lb and my size 18 jeans are much more comfortable, size 16 skirt and tops fit me again and i feel just that bit better. I have rewarded myself today with a little splurge on new makeup and I think i'll try to maintain that approach, reward myself with something lovely when i cross each stone off. Spotted some lovely scent today so that might do for 14 to 13. 13 to 12 will be excellent (new wardrobe time i think!) and if i can get down to 11 something I will be turning cartwheels if I don't faint on the spot.

I've found it actually really easy to stick to so far, I quite like the soups and shakes and the bars aren't bad - i've had a couple of lunches out (healthy choices!) and one lovely dinner and even then I seem to have managed to lose over the wee. Hopefully it'll continue to work that way, I like the idea that I can have a couple of bonus nights off over the month, it makes it feel a bit less restrictive. I've definitely found that my appetite is smaller though and I felt full after much less food than I've been used to, and as I'm a comfort and boredom eater having a proper break from food is really good for me mentally too.

I'm planning a food week break next week and then straight back on the Total solution after that. DH might do it with me next month, think he'd like to lose a stone too - which will make it even easier to stick to if he's not cooking tasty meals while I tuck into a soup.....

Anyway, it'd be great to hear from anyone else doing Exante at the moment or any of you ladies who has done it in the past and got a success story to tell

They are definitely a lot cheaper. They had an offer on as well up til the 31st Dec of 2 boxes for £3.50. I went to stock up (wanted to wait until I'd tried them to make sure I liked them, and didn't start the diet until 30th!) and they had none left. Gutted. Even at £2.50 a box of 3 they're still cheaper than exante bars, and much cheaper.

I went on minimims a lot the first time I did it, and learnt lots of "tricks" on there, such as using hot water with the shakes and a sweetner to turn it into custard. Thought I was going to vomit the first time I tried a shake, but now have it hot and the chocolate one is lush like that.

Really really need to stick at this, so going to try and come on here a lot. You can be my inspiration, having started at a similar size!

So now I learnt to look on the "I'm on" to find this thread, how do I find the last post without going manuallly all through them? Any answers much obliged!

Stuff like that is so good to know, it can save you from abandoning it through lack of funds / variety etc.

Day 2 going well apart from having hall and stairs carpeted so can't get near the loo as one is top of stairs and the other at the bottom so having to restrict my fluid intake a bit and cross my legs.

If I desperate I may have to consider using the old potty in the garage

Half a stone off from me in first week, hooray!

Yay thats brilliant - so motivating to hear other people's losses

I started Wednesday so my offical weigh in will be then. I have lots to loose and am very very busy so hope I can cope. Was very good yesterday at Costco, was there for 10.30 and they give you free breakfast, I just had the black coffee.

Am working tonight so am taking a choc orange bar (not had one yet so could be interesting ...)

Bumping for scarf

Thanks OlympicEater- I've learnt a lot today!

I'd never heard of minimins so I've joined there, which lead me to slim and save and the sample pack, and having never done a vlcd the sample pack looked the cheapest option to try. Then I saw the mentions of Tesco so I'm off there now to see what I can buy! May even try the wibbly-wobbly fit-flop shoe things I got last year and never got round to using. I think this needs to be the year I lose the damn weight!

I think the Exante diet is a bit cheaper than slim and save so I'll try that if this little trial goes ok.

I'm witing this having just eaten a plate of burgers and chips- I need to sort myself out! Only 7 stone to go

I'm back.... I stopped just b 4 Christmas and managed to put on 9lbs!
Been on it a week now .......,,
Been ok so far!
I have s medical due at the end of Feb and MUST lose another 2 stones.

Porridge arrived today. Tastes yummy BUT

It's mega runny and lumpy
It's supposed to be mixed with 200ml cold water then microwaved.. Did that bit it never worked out? Any help accepted!

Hi pizza scarf and oinker, good to see you!

Great to hear some more success stories, every little helps eh. Gains over Christmas are only to be expected unless you have such an iron will that you'd hardly need to be doing exante!

2012 is the year we will get to target, all of us. I am sure of it.

I'm having a bit of a crap week at the moment, politics at work have got a bit bad so I caved on Monday and had cheese on toast for supper and then Tuesday had a curry with DH (oops) and some wine . However I weighed in at 13st 6lb yesterday and went for my first post-Christmas run tonight so I am hoping to lose again by next week.

In fact I'm going to get properly back into running this year - I was really into it the year I met DH, traveling round the country to compete at 10k and half-marathon distance etc but clearly let it slip over the years due to preferring to laze around with a bottle of wine and massive supper with DH and latterly laze around with a cuddly baby and/or a box of chocolates.

I don't know though, still using food as a comfort....... not great after all this time. Hopefully the running, fitting into new clothes etc will help keep me focused and I have already bought the scent which is my treat for getting to 12st something but cannot wear it until i get there. So there's plenty on the plus side of the scale, just my weak will and the habits of the last 15 years on the other.

You girls will help keep me motivated though - I suppose reporting in is a little like a weigh in at WW or SW - if I know I have to tell you all my progress it does make me a little more conscious!

Well my first week I lost 8.5 lbs expect that to slow down a little now, dusted off my pedometer and managed just over 10,000 steps yesterday and today

Love the Vegtable soup - could have it most meal times ....

Hi ladies......
I managed just over a week weithout tripping up.
Am loving the porridge...sweet and oaty... Just some advise add the water gradually and there is no way you need the amount stated on the packet (unless u want to drink it!)
Will weigh myself in the morning... Weighed myself 2 days ago and had lost 11lbs

Crikey French you have done brilliantly. Well done you. (have been lurking on and off every time I see this thread in active).

Had the tomato soup today not convinced - but I managed to swallow it without gagging !!

Wow pizza and oinker that is great, really pleased for you both! I am inspired by your efforts to do a proper strict week next week, no milk in tea or coffee even and see if I cannot shift that 6lbs to get to 12st something.

pizza i agree about the tomato soup, by far the least nice of them all, it tends to make me gag a little too. Bleurgh.

I did however go for a run last night and tonight (a pretty paltry 3k both nights) but i feel better for it and I do need to get the fitness up as well as the weight down.

Plus I had the best compliment yesterday (to be fair I was wearing my super smart Hobbs suit and new necklace) - someone in another team said to me in the loo, "oh it's lovely to see you so well French, you always look so glamorous". I was astonished - have never thought I come over like that - well turned out from time to time sure, I think it is part of my job to be well groomed and neat but I was so delighted! - a) what a lovely lady she is to say something like that to a colleague and b) what a confidence boost! Particularly as our major interaction to date other than general chat, as you do when you work in the same office, has been (again in the loo) when I was vomiting quietly to myself whilst suffering morning sickness in the early days of PG with DS and she very kindly went back to her desk and popped back in and gave me some toothpaste and mouthwash afterwards and didn't breathe a word about me being PG to anyone. Yep - always glam - that's me.

But it made me smile all day today! In an effot to live up to my press I wore my new size 14! grey tweed pencil skirt, white shirt, pearls, and black sweater and felt as though I was channelling Joan Holloway wiggling my way around the office.......

PS GetOrf i know will sound like an arse now but I am rather that you have been reading this, I so often read your comments on threads and think "oooh I do agree" - nice to see you. Lurk away - or join in if you like?

Just realised I didn't update my week 2 weigh in. Only 2lbs off, so a little disappointed, but thats the way it rolls sometimes, and hopefully this week will be better.

I lose very slowly on standard diets, think I probably have a slow metabolism which I have then messed up from yo-yo dieting, so I don't lose as fast as others do on exante.

Anyway, week 3 weigh in on Friday. Am still doing 2 packs a day then the 3rd "meal" is something like 2 scrambled eggs and a spoon of cottage cheese, keeping around the 600 calorie mark. Seems to working the same as having 3 packs, and I think by doing it this way I am finding it easier to keep doing. Not affecting ketosis as only eating high protein/low carb food (so cheese and eggs mainly as I'm veggie!). When I've had a hungry day I let myself go to 800 calories, I read somewhere that your weight loss isn't affected whether you have 400-800 calories, so hopefully thats right.

Hi fluffy well done losing again this week, every little helps, right? Your replacements sound great, might try that myself if I get bored of the shakes/soups/porridge combo.

My weigh in yesterday was 13st 3lb, so 3lb loss this week. Slow again but steady anyway - all good. So 3lbs more and then I can crack open the new scent, hurrah. Have stocked up on mint tea for the office to avoid the milk in coffee etc, and we shall see how I do this week - would really like to get to 12st something at the next weigh in. My main focus is to drink a load more water and feel full up.

Also early in Feb we are seeing some friends so I would like to have lost a decent amount again before we get together - we saw them in December and it would be good to be a bit slimmer again. So have set myself a mini-target for then! New tweed jacket to get into, it fits already but will look better if I am 1/2 stone lighter........

Got weighed this morning 7.5 off this week , but will be hard this week - out twice

Over weekend and nothing good to eat

Well done losers! I went to the Boots 75% off sale this morning, so breakfast this morning was 2 linda mccartney sausages cooked last night. Its 200 calories for 2 of them, and they are low carb. Ate one in the car at 8am, and the other after the scrum of the sale around 9.30! Lunch was a tesco bar, and tea will be scambled eggs, so double portions of "normal" food for me today!

Quiet on here! Week 3 weigh in today, and 6lbs off which I am really chuffed with. Makes up for the disappointment of last week.

Anyway, thats 15lbs in 3 week, so my first stone has disappeared and I'm onto the next! Hope everypne else is doing ok?

Oh my goodness well done fluffy that's great! The first stone is such a big milestone, congrats! And good for you too pizza that's great for your first week!

Been a good week in the main although had to go to a couple of lunches with work, not possible to eat nothing but stuck to low carb high protein so we shall see. We have supper with my folks tonight so will have to limit my intake of cheese and wine...... Eeek.

well done everyone!

Last weigh in was 4 days ago and I had lost 1st 10lb
Was totally chuffed with my loss. AND guess what blew it! I stuffed yesterday am so friggin annoyed!
I desperately need to shift this weight and still I keep pissin' about! If I could I would kick myself up the arse!
Am not giving up. This is a mega blip but I have to get over it and move on. Am annoyed with myself though.
I daren't get on the scales.
OK rant over!
Moving on...... I hope!

Oh oinker - don't be downhearted! You absolutely won't have gained 24lbs in a couple of days' excess, if that's what happened. So ok, if you gained a few pounds you did, and you'll just pick yourself up and lose them again. Remember the more recently you gained them the more easily you will lose them right?

You are darned right you are not giving up - everyone on this thread is going to be slimmer at the end of the year than they are now (barring pregnancies of course.....).

Just keep going, i know it seems like a faff from time to time and a boring diet to be on but think how great you feel and how pleased to be losing. You are the change you want to see in your life, you want to be slimmer and healthier, you can do it and you will do it.

Ok enough Obama-impersonating French.

My weigh in for this week was at 13st 0lb - bloody hell. Could i not have lost another 1/2 lb to get to 12 something eh...... But at least I am still going down. Now lost over 3 stone since i started. So whilst I am not yet at target, I think I am ready to start trying to get PG with DC2 - I feel healthier and slimmer, and have dropped 3 dress sizes so I feel it will be easier to stay healthy and lose the excess if I do get PG soon.

I do worry that continuing on a low cal diet might affect fertility so am probably going to switch to the working solution properly from now on to give us a better chance. I will stay on the thread (of course!) but have another focus at the moment

Hello,
I'm thinking of joining you guys! Have got some old shakes that are just about still in date and I'm going on holiday in 15 weeks time. It will be our first holiday abroad with dd and it will be warm so will be nice to wear shorts etc and not worry about my bum getting stuck in the airplane seat! DH is away this weekend so I am wondering whether to make a start then get the tough days out of the way when it's just dd & myself so I am not tempted by anything. Limeblossom and other ladies you are doing so so well. What is it that keeps you going? That stops you from slipping something into your beak as "oh just one one won't hurt"? I know that's my downfall really.

2lbs off for me this week, so 17lbs gone in 4 weeks. Have been poorly last few days, got a throat infection, and a cold is brewing. Need to try and go back to work tomorrow as got so much to do, been off yesterday and today.

lizardqueenie - I have had a few cheating binges, but they've all been on low carb stuff so it won't send me out of ketosis, so at least I can get straight back on it the next day without having the starvation feeling added in! Binges include a whole bag of babybels and a whole tub of philadelphia! Cheese is my biggest downfall, I love it!

Well done fluffy sheep, you're making wicked progress. And thanks for your reply, was starting to wonder if everyone had stopped & I'd killed the thread. I'd all goes to plan I should be starting on mon which gives me around 90 days until my hols!