Brand new shiny VLCD thread...LighterLife, Cambridge etc

[Cheesyslice]

New thread as the old one is now bursting at the seams.

hello pulledapart. Nice to have you with us.

I also have 6 weeks worth of shakes, which I refuse to let go to waste. I think when I get through those I'll give Xante a try, I'm hoping to stick to it for 12 weeks. Are you going to try to cut down on carbs today ready for tomorrow, or have a blow out day? I insisted we all went out for Chinese at the weekend before I started.

I've had a busy morning so I've only just had my first shake, caffe latte. I feel quite full now.

Afternoon alleypalley and thanks for the welcome :)

I had a bit of a blow out yesterday with KFC so today I'm preparing myself today a little bit. Have got a party/BBQ at DD's nursery so it may turn into a blow out day after all

Enjoy it!

Did your packs arrive today pulledapart? How's your first day going?

Hi alleypalley

No sings of packs yet :( But I have been eating a loss less today then usual so the brain is somewhat getting ready for the diet I think.

How is ur day going?

I've lost 20kg since November so about 2 and a half stone. Just a few more kgs to go until I'm my target weight!

I started to put on weight when I had my DD1 and thought I really should start eating properly ie 3 meals a day, so porridge for breakfast, lunch (carbs, protein, veg/salad) and then dinner (more of the same). But for me this is too much and the weight started to creep on until I couldn't stand it any longer.

So I looked at how many calories I burn each day - walking to school, taking a shower, washing up, shopping - made a realistic calculation of my calorie output and then made sure I only ate that amount (roughly - didn't measure. I would also fast for 1 or 2 days (depending on how much I'd eaten) by drinking water all day then having a light meal about 5.30pm.

Also I'm only 5'0 tall so 1200 calories a day is too much for me - I need more like 800-900 calories. I work from home so am sat at my laptop most days although I try to stand as much as possible, but I'm not very active so therefore don't burn as many calories as I should!

Good luck!

That's a shame pulledapart. I hope you get them soon, you seem in a very good mindset to get straight into it.

Congrats HeeHiles, that's a good loss. That's the problem with the recommendation that women should have x amount, and men y amount of calories. We are all different shapes and sizes, and have different levels of activity through out the day. It's important to have a more accurate idea of what calories you do actually need. When I get to my goal I plan to have fasting days once or twice a week too to try and make sure I don't put it all back on again.

How are we all doing?

Hi all. I'm on day 4 of Cambridge, and the thing that's bothering me is the highly-processed nature of the stuff I'm eating, especially the weird chemical glueyness of the porridges. I'm doing it because I'm desperate, and have almost five stone to lose, but I feel I'm letting myself down by having to resort to weird chemical mini-meals, rather than just eating far less of the good, fresh food I usually eat.

Can someone kindly kick me up the ass and remind me that apples will still be in my future, someday?

Also, my counsellor spoke of how good and energetic going unto ketosis somewhere between days 3 and 5 might make me feel. I feel exactly as usual, only rather more bad tempered and full of additives.

I really, really want this to work, and the fact that I don't 'trust' the diet is disturbing me. I want to stay on Sole Source for as long as I can manage, though, because getting a good chunk of weight off will be the single best way to keep me losing. I know the longest is 12 weeks.

Can I ask how long anyone else stayed on SS (or the equivalent on other VLCDs), and how much weight they lost.

Sorry for essay. The prospect of chemical soup for lunch is depressing.

Morning. 1st weigh in this morning and I have lost 10.4lbs. Woohoo!

Pulledapart, have you managed to get started yet?

catinbootz, how are you getting on?

TalcumPowder, yes it is very processed and in no way an ideal way of eating. I suppose I am thinking of it as a means to an end. I'm planning on staying on it for 12weeks, and during that time as well as losing the weight I will use the time away from food as a time to reavaluate my way of eating, break my bad habits, and really think about how I want my diet and way of eating to be going forward. I've dabbled with many diets over the last 20 yrs, so I sort of know what suits me, as well as thinking about how much nutritional advice has now changed. I'm currently thinking to minimise sugar and processed food, and also fast 1 or 2 days a week to maintain my weight.

As for energy levels, I would say I'm fully into ketosis now, and my energy is pretty good, I'm not bouncing around full of beans, but getting up in the mornings is a little bit easier than normal. Is the bad temper hormonal? Apparently as our fat cells release fat they also release oestrogen, so much so it can sometimes trigger a period when you're not due on. It should settle down soon.

Thanks, Alley. I needed to hear that. Yes. I agree on thinking of it as a means to an end, and that having some time away from food might be a good thing for me too. And I think i will incorporate 5.2 style fasting when I go back to food.

Is your 10.4 pound loss from the first week of sachets? Impressive stuff! I am trying to remind myself of how much better I will feel without this weight. A bit daunted by the project of my target involving slightly under one third of my total current body weight.

Hello. I've done 2 weeks of Slim and Save (after the packs had sat in the cupboard for a few months while I made excuses not to start). I'm in it for the long haul as I've nearly 6 stone to lose but I've made my peace with the idea that this will take a long time and have broken it up into mini targets. 11lbs down in the first 2 weeks so 5 stone left to go. I'm only weighing on Mondays. Next week should see 5% of my bodyweight gone.

I'm a SAHM and I do find it hard to have to think about food for everyone else and cook it but not eat any! School summer holidays will be hard for that.

It must be hard, Bookcave. I'm a writer, so finding it difficult to sit for eight hours without regular coffees and snacks - which is of course why I'm on the VLCD in the first place. I only cook for my toddler, but even then, I find myself eyeing his tortilla, his fruit and porridge, and the apple pancake I put in his lunchbox as a treat!

Also, I am FREEZING all the time, from having been someone who didn't mind the cold!

That's a great start bookcave.

Yes Talc, just sachets for the first week. Try not to be daunted by the end goal, break it down into mini ones, and reward yourself for each one

Hi all,

The sachets have finally turned up today :) so far I've had a banana for breakfast (as they arrived after breakfast) so I will be having a sachet for lunch & dinner. The diet is well & truly under way from today. Hoping to keep my concentration going though! I suffer from mental health issues and at the moment I'm battling with things with that also.

Well done on the loses everyone it has given me inspiration!

Good luck Pulled, remember lots of water to get you through the first few days.

Hello everyone- I'm Jenny and I'm very new! I have to confess I am not a Mum, but I've started lighter life this week and have been searching the net for support and this thread just blew me away! I'm hoping that's ok and it doesn't offend anyone.
I started lighter life this week- I'm 5 ft 7 and weigh 15 st 10 and am desperate to get to 11 stone for my target. Very hungry today! Trying to power through. How is everyone else getting on?

Hi mswrenster. You don't need to be a mum, everyone is welcome. The hunger will pass I promise, n the mean time drink more water.

Talc I forgot to say, if you're cold try drinking hot water with boullion, Marigold is a good brand. Warms me up and tastes good, I usually use about half a teaspoon.

Alley, thank you - I'm really struggling to stomach the shakes (won't order any for next week), so last night I had a sachet of miso soup instead, having been reminded by your tip about bouillon. It had only 29 calories, though it may well be bursting with things you aren't meant to eat on Cambridge, but I'm disliking the shakes so much that I'm finding I would rather skip a 'meal' than gave one.

It strikes me that Cambridge has far more sweet products than savoury. Am only realising now how comparatively little of a sweet tooth I have!

I'm on day six, and feeling curiously up hungry this morning. Not sure whether that's the much-famed ketosis or just lack of interest in CD porridge...

I don't think miso soup would be that bad really.

I don't mind the shakes so much, but I can see them getting a bit boring, so have ordered some bars, and some of the meals to add a bit of variety.

On day 6 you probably are into ketosis now. I still get little feelings of hunger every now and then, but they pass quickly. I usually don't even have my first shake until around noon, as if I'm busy doing stuff I don't get that hunger to remind me to eat.

Just had my first weighing after one week of Cambridge - 12 pounds lost, (and seven and a half inches). So why do I not feel more pleased? The counsellor was clearly expecting me to leap about, but it felt a bit depressing to think about how much is still to go, and how much smaller the losses will be after this week...

Can I ask anyone else how quickly their weightloss slowed down after the first week or two on Sole Source or equivalent? It just seems grim to be living on sachets for a pound or two a week (I know, I know, that's a normal, excellent, healthy way of losing weight) when all that got me through week one was imagining a significant weight loss...

(Not usually this much of a miserable sod - apologies. Maybe at some level, I'm afraid to stop being fat...)

Mswrenster, I'm an inch shorter than you, had the same start weight and am aiming for the same target. The hunger does stop, honestly, though I can't remember exactly when. Good luck.

Hi Talc.
12lbs is a great start. Roughly about 6 or 7 lbs of that would have been water and glycogen. So that's 5 or 6 lbs of fat!! Of course it's going to slow down now, but if you stick to the plan you should expect to lose an average of a stone a month! You won't do that on any other diet.

Do you have a nice dress or outfit in the next clothes size down from where you are? Hang it up and think how pleased you'll be when you can fit into it again. Then put up the next size down. Try not to focus too much on numbers. In fact if they have the potential to bring you down then ask your councillor not to tell you, maybe to just tell you when you meet mini milestones. I currently have a dress that I want to wear for my 40th birthday party next year, as my end goal, but I also have a pair of new black jeans that I bought a while ago without trying on, thinking I would fit into them, but then couldn't even do up when I got them home . So they're my first goal.

Keep going, you've done the hard bit, signing up, and then getting into ketosis. You can do it.

How is everyone else getting on?

Lovely summer's evening like this, I've got a taste for a nice cold cider, or glass of white wine. Must ignore!

God, alley, someone offered me a beer this evening, and I accepted and drank a couple of mouthfuls without thinking! I was horrified, and ended up having to surreptitiously let it spill on the grass behind me. I think that if I'd been offered food, I would automatically have refused, but because I never drink beer, it doesn't compute as anything other than 'something cold and refreshing'. It would be very stupid for my one lapse in eight days to be from pure absentmindedness.

Can I ask other people on Sole Source or equivalent what they do when they're out and about?

I'm a writer who works from home, so not usually an issue, but I had to suddenly take a trip to London at five minutes notice the other day, had no time for porridge breakfast and would have had no opportunity to make soup or porridge in Central London. I ended up eating nothing at all until nine that night when I got home, and felt weak and woozy. My counsellor said I should have bought myself a bean salad from M and S, but I thought that eating anything would wreck my progress.

What do the rest of you do? Do you make shakes at work? Do your colleagues know you are on a VLCD? We have foodie friends coming to stay, who will be baffled at me not eating and drinking as usual, but I would be humiliated to tell them.

Try not to stress about it Talc, it can be dangerous to drink alcohol when in ketosis though so be careful in the future! but I'm sure a couple of mouthfuls should be ok.

I work from home too so it's easy to make shakes when ever. I'm out at an all day meeting next week though, so I'll have a shake before I leave home and then take a bar with me. Do you have any bars? Also I think Cambridge do ready made cartons of shakes. (I'm using slim and save but I think I've heard others say that). Maybe you can just have a couple in the cupboard in case you ever need to take one with you. I suppose if you really need to get some food at any point then try to go for a small portion of the lowest carbs option. Pret do a little pot with a boiled egg and spinach.

Have a good weekend.