ALIZONNE!

[Beccie77]

Hello all Alizonners out there, starting a new thread as the old one is full to bursting, and I still want to know how everyone is doing and any tips.

Welcome on board Brigidwasp!

You seem to be doing really well... it took me two weeks to lose 2.5 kg so you should be proud.

Which clinic are you attending?

Hello @Dolores1980, thank you! I know I should be proud, I guess I'm finding it so hard that I forget how awesome is that. Hopefully it will get better after a few more days, and more experimenting with the sachets.

I am attending the Edinburgh clinic.

@sandyxblog, well done! the first day is quite difficult, I was in for a shock the first time I took all the supplements!! how are you coping with that?

I also feel nauseous most of the time, and I hate that, but I didn't get any headaches or anything else, so I guess it will pass in a few days. We have to get used to it and stick to the plan, it's going to be so much worth it.

In my clinic they didn't ask me to have my photo taken, thankfully.. I do think it's mostly to show you the big change you made, and .i don't think they will show anyone unless you give your permission. Hope it goes well and you don't find the treatments painful.

Thanks for recommending those sachets, will definitely give them a go. (and avoid the tropical!) Oh and I am planning to try the curries this week.

Hey thought I will share what I just discoverd. I was trying to make the chocolate biscuit in the recipe book (which states that you can use any chocolate sachet) but the only one I had available was the dreaded pear and chocolate dessert, I struggle so much to eat that one. So I decided to give it a go. Added the 100ml of water, mixed it and placed in a baking tray forming 6 or 7 blobs. Now I don't know if it's because this sachet is different (not a choc drink, but a dessert) or if it's because I didn't leave enough space inbetween them (I think I did), but the blobs got much bigger and morphed into a massive single one. I baked for 10 mins, then let it cool. And The result was a bic g chocolate crepe. I sprinkled a tiny bit of sweetener, and rolled it. I swear it's the first time I feel I'm eating the real thing! the flavour I didn't like changed into a perfect chocolate crepe with perfect texture. Let me know if you give it a go.

I thought I will purchase a vanilla sachet or similar for the filling, and will eat in 2 servings.

Feeling way more positive today, will start experimenting a lot more with the sachets and mixing them. It will take a while to find out what works best, but this is a whole new prespective. Yay! :)

Forgot to mention, This morning I was down another 0.6kg! a nice boost to start the week.

Hi I'm on day 12 and have lost 12lbs... I'm still amazed!

Sandy I know what you mean about the tropical drink it's vile... I went on a night out with work wasn't bothered about not having wine but didn't want to drink fizzy water all night is I took out the tropical drink.... It was revolting, worst thing was I had to finish it lol! I'll never criticise fizzy water again :o)

Hi!

I've just finished my first week of the diet (London clinic) and did my weigh in last night and have lost 2kg. Quite happy, hope it continues! The first few days were tough but I do think that your taste buds genuinely change and you start to weirdly enjoy some of the sachets. The oatmeal has grown on me. I think the mushroom soup and hot chocolate remain the clear winners though. Picked up some new sachets yesterday to try some other things and see what I can come up with.

Good to have some other people to chat to who are going through the same!

@Ginnywhizz wow that's a really good loss is 12 days, well done!

@nicketynack hello! 2kg the first week is awesome. I also had a few tough days, specially last Sunday, but mainly because I only bought 5 food boxes and I didn't like a few, but had to eat them anyway, it was a bit of a torture. I bought the mushroom soup today after reading your post. Will try it soon.

I had my first weigh in today and I lost 2.6kg in 6 days. Although I always check at home before breakfast since day #1, and it was 3kg down today.
I've been exercising 30 minutes a day x5 a week, maybe that speeds it up a wee bit?

Does anyone else feel nauseated for a while after taking the supplements? it lasts about a hour.

By the way I was very pleased to find out that in only 6 days my blood pressure is much closer to normal. (still a bit high).

Well done Brigidwasp! That's really good. Great to see weight loss and also an improvement to your blood pressure! I don't have any scales at home which I think is helping me to not think about the weight too much / compare my own scales with those at the clinic. Throw them away!

I haven't experienced any nausea. Have you told them at the clinic? Maybe you're having a bad reaction to one of them in particular? Do you get it in the evening as well? If not, that might rule out the salt and the quinton.

They advised me to buy 7 boxes for my first week in case I didn't like a couple. I bought 6 for the second week so I can experiment a bit.

I'm starting a new job in a couple of weeks so all my colleagues want to throw me a big send off next Friday. How to not drink?! Would one glass of champagne really hurt?!

Hey @nicketynack thanks! :) Yes I was really happy about the blood pressure. I can't wait to see the next blood test results in about 2 weeks. I hope my liver levels are better too. That worries me a bit.

I told them about the nausea, the therapist wrote it down, probably will need to discuss it with the GP in my next appointment soon if it's still happening. (it doesn't happen in the evening.)

Today after the last few bad days hating my sachets and not having many options, I went a bit over the top and bought 9!!! bit expensive but I guess next week I will only need a couple more, it will be easier once I figure out what I like the most.

Hmmm about that, I understand how tempting it may be, but I honestly think you should completely avoid it. I am not sure how bad it would be, but I would maybe ring the clinic to ask what bad effects could one glass of champagne do.

Yeah you're right, after the first week (which ends tomorrow for me) I plan not to weigh myself at home anymore and wait for the weekly weigh in. Because I am aware weight loss is going to slow down a lot and I don't want it to demotivate me.

@bridigwasp if the nausea is bad I'd leave a message for the GP and ask them to give you a quick call so that you don't have to wait. They could be aware that some people sometimes have a funny reaction to a certain supplement and might be able to suggest an alternative.

I think it's better to have too many sachets than to end up stuck with things you don't like! I ended up getting two boxes of the hot chocolate yesterday so I can have them twice a day as my snack. They actually taste good and don't make me look too abnormal at work! I think the mushroom soup + salad is pretty much going to be my lunch staple too. Will try to vary the dinners a bit more as slightly over-reliant on the omelettes at the moment. They don't taste too great on their own but smothering them in vegetables seems to make them quite tasty and the texture is quite good.

I think you're right about the booze. Just had a weak mental moment! I went to the pub this evening and didn't touch a drop. Just fizzy water and lemon, and it was fine.

@nicketynack I also bought 2 boxes of the chocolate one, but now I make a choc crepe with it, and I fill them with home cooked rhubarb. Or vanilla dessert made a bit thicker. Big improvement, and real crepe texture. Makes me forget I'm on a diet! I also tried making the chocolate eclairs and the bounty delight in the recipe book. They're not too time consuming, and it's more fun than eating them as they are.

By the way I loved the cream of mushroom soup, thanks!

I did the same in the pub last weekend with the water and lemon, it's not too bad, if you avoid it you will feel very proud afterwards. :)

How is everyone doing by the way?

Great ideas Brigidwasp!

I am 'going slow' just losing 1 kg a week. Due to time and facilities I've been drinking 3 capuccinos a day
Did you also cook the vainilla dessert?
I will be away at the weekend and was wondering which 'supermarket salads' everybody could suggest as I won't be able to cook for 3 days.

@Dolores1980 I oven bake the chocolate dessert for 10 minutes at 200degrees (i add only 100ml of cold water to the mix and spread it on baking paper) and then for the vanilla, I add very little cold water at a time, until I get a thick cream texture. Then when the crepe has cooled down, I spread it inside and roll it. Cut it in two and you have 2 portions. Sprinkle a little bit of sweetener right before eating makes it better too. Or maybe add a bit of cinnamon.

I don't know about specific supermarket salads, I just grab the green ones with mixed rocket, watercress, baby leaf, spinach etc, and then another bag of crunchy mix like lettuce. I don't buy the ready made salads because most of them come with things we can't eat, so I find it easier to prepare them at home. Maybe you can just prepare several salads in resealable bags or tuppers with a little bit of towel paper inside to keep the salad from getting soggy too quickly. Don't add spices or oil until right before serving. Bring some diced tomatoes from allowance, and spring onions and or cucumber with you in a separate tupperware so you can improve the salads too. I like adding a few diced gherkins too.

I can't wait for phase 2 to be honest...

@Dolores1980 but 1 kg a week is not so bad! they say that usually it should be more or less 1 stone a month. That is 6kg. 4kg is not too far away from that. And anyway a slow progress is better than no progress :) keep going and you will get there! how many more you have to lose?

Thanks for your support Brigidwasp

10 kilos to lose to jump to phase 2 (I have already lost 8) What worries me is that I will be working in summer school for 5 weeks in July/August and won't be able to attend the clinic on a weekly basis...I won't be able to cook and have to stick to the veggies served at the canteen and will have to choose my sachets thoughtfully because of timetables and kitchen facilities

On the other hand, I am really happy with the results and it is worth the effort.

@Dolores1980 Hey! I've also got lose 10kg for phase 2.

If I had to skip several weekly sessions what I would do is to buy a good cream, anti-cellulite or similar would work, and twice a week massage vigorously (before the cream) the areas you're more worried about. I would use one of these massagers (3options for different budgets. The more expensive one has this vacuum effect too). It's not very pleasant, but in a way it would replace the treatment. Not as effective, and you wouldn't have the ultrasound, but probably better than nothing. Why din't you ask your clinic if they think this would be a good idea for the weeks you are away?

Yes I believe it's worth the effort. And we still haven't seen much as we have a lot to lose, so it can only get better!

I'm liking the sound of the crepe idea! Maybe I could treat it like an omelette and put less water in and stick it straight in the pan...

I bought a few bread-based things this week as I hoped I might be able to use them to help things from the book which make me feel vaguely normal, but they all take ages to make. Might have to make up a few sachets in advance as I don't usually have 20-25 mins in the morning / after getting in from work (at risk of keeling over at that point) to spend. Anyone done this? Do they keep ok?

I've got loads of rhubarb in the fridge. Going to make it up tonight. Thinking of trying the giant mushroom take on a burger this evening...I'd recommend the aubergine dip from the book. It's delicious with some chili and garlic powder. I could smother it on just about anything.

@nicketynack I tried to make pancakes using the chocolate mix and it didn't work for some reason. Not sure if it's just me maybe doing something wrong or maybe just added too much water that time, but it was a total liquid disaster. And instead of solidifying it started to melt and boil. Weird.
Maybe it could work though if you make 50%chocolate 50% bread or pizza mix? just an idea, might not work

Yes I'm doing that, preparing several things so I don't waste too much time during the day, but I only prepare breakfast and 2 snacks for the day after. For lunch, making the soup and salad is quick, and then when I have more time in the evening, I make the dinner, plus next day breakfast and 2 snacks again. They always keep ok. Haven't tried to keep them for longer than one day though. I must say they need to be in the fridge, otherwise they start getting weird.

I made ice lollies using the Peach and mango drink, and they are lovely! :D

You can cook all the rhubarb, because it's ok to freeze it if you make too much.

Thanks! I will try the aubergine dip, probably this evening! I'm making the swede chips and nuggets so it will go well together. yay. Can't believe how things have changed, the first days I was dreading the next meal because I hated most of them, and now I'm really enjoying this!

Hello all,

Wow a lot is happening on this thread, i will definitely try the chocolate biscuits.

I have just come back from my week 8 treatment and i am now down to 110kg from 130k, it is a good feeling to lose 20kg which is bang on target based on my chart.

I am getting a bit impatient as I long to get to 104.8kg (phase 2) so that i can taste some meat, it has been a good journey so far, the only down side is the clinic not having my favorite banana drink.

Dolores,Sandyxblog, Ginnywhizz, Bigant and Brigidwasp, keep up the good work and thanks for all the advice and tips

I got a free treatment today, i was told it is for being consistent over 7 weeks (i dont know if it is standard or just my clinic but it was a good feeling) , i only had to pay for food and supplements

20kg down, 16kg to go

@jafojo Hello there! It's amazing isn't it, 20kg in 7 weeks!! You must be feeling so excited! how long did they tell you it would take to get to phase 2? Not much I guess as you're about to reach the target!

Free treatment! that's really nice! I hope it's a standard thing, hehe

I also miss the meat/fish and this is only my second week, but it gets better as you experiment in the kitchen and find the right sachets. Right now my fav ones are the potato pie (mixing it either with veg or with the goats cheese sachet), chicken nuggets, cream of mushroom soup, chocolate drink (to make it into a thick pudding, or chocolate crepe), and the peach and mango drink (ice lollies). I think I will stick to these for a while. I also like using the pizza mix but for sweet dishes mixed with the chocolate and vanilla ones. I never managed to make a nice normal pizza out of it. wayyy too bland.

Thanks Brigidswap

It is actually my 8th week,didnt attend the clinic last week because my therapist was off, I am on my way back home do I should be able to play around with some menu. I have been on drinks and salad for 3 days while in Glasgow

@jafojo well 7-8 weeks, it's a real good weight loss anyway : )

Drinks and salad for three days? I would've struggled, I am a chewer, hehe also 2-3 litres of water a day for me is way too much liquids already. Do you manage with the 3 litres? I'm still struggling to finish the 2nd one. (I do though)