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

[Cheesyslice]

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

Anyone else still here? Miserable two pound loss last week in week three of Cambridge, after a week when I exercised and stuck rigidly to the plan (including a particularly grim bit where some friends surprised us with a meal at a restaurant we'd always wanted to eat at, so I spent the entire time chewing three cubes of paneer and claiming nit to be hungry, while arrayed in front of me was exquisite Bhel poori and masala dhosa etc etc.)

I know weight loss goes down after the beginning, but presumably I would be able to lose two pounds a week on a 'normal' diet, one that involves actual food...? Will I be plugging along at one and two pounds a week from now on?

Hi Talc. I'm still here, just. Had a terrible week last week, had a bit of a binge, drank some wine, then just couldn't stop picking. Feel shit about it but I'm back on track now. What a waste of a week though. Ho hum, onwards and upwards.

Hi alley, I hear you. Good on you for sticking at it. My bête noire has always been the binge from which there is no coming back, so I have the utmost admiration for someone who can pick themselves up afterwards and get back on track. Here's to a better week ahead.

Thanks Talc

Hi can I join?
Its day one for me on slim and save, I've had 2 packs so far a mint chocolate bar and a cookie shake both which were lovely. But its hard. I've never been so overweight in my life I've always managed to keep on top of it but my toddler is so difficult I've been eating for comfort. He's my 4th child but cries/whines all day.
I've weighed down boots (don't own a scales) I'm 12st 7 at 5ft 2. Please tell me it gets easier.

Hi squirrel, yes it does get easier. You'll be into the swing of it in a day or two. There will still be tough times ahead, I had a tricky week last week.
I also succumbed to far too much comfort eating last year when I went through a tough period in my life, and then that comfort eating became habit. I think the best thing about this diet is it helps you to break the bad eating habits we have slipped into.

Welcome, squirrel. Good on you for getting started. I don't know S and S, but presumably it's much the same as Cambridge - three daily sachets/bars? If so, yes, it does get much easier. Just grit your teeth and get through the first three days or so, and experiment until you find sachets you can stomach. Once you've seen a loss, you'll feel more motivated.

Total sympathies on whiny child - I only have one, a toddler, but I know what you mean about eating as a response to exhaustion.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I survived day one and am doing ok so far today. About 4 pints of water down so far. The water is the easiest part as its all I drink anyway.
Slim and save is 4 packs a day. I had the spicy spaghetti last night. I cooked it for longer than what they said with lots more water and it turned out brilliant. Going to have the chilli with button mushrooms tonight. I'm struggling though there's chocolate digestives in the cupboard

I'm also doing S&S squirrel, I haven't tried the spicy spaghetti, but I do like the chilli and the shepherds pie, I have them with roasted cauliflower.

Lots of water definitely helps, I always manage plenty during the day but in the evenings sometimes I can forget and that's definitely when I feel like nibbling if I haven't drank enough.

I haven't had my first pack yet today going to have a raspberry shake in a bit with plenty of ice. I need to do this, I hate how I look when I take the children swimming plus I have no confidence due to my size.
Alley are you doing 4 packs a day?

I have my fourth weigh-in tomorrow, but am suddenly ravenous today, I think hungrier than I've been since the first couple of days. I ate two mouthfuls of pizza crust (toddler leftovers - we had friends from abroad staying over, DH made a beautiful meal, and I had to resist it, and crumbled when clearing) last night, and it seems to gave released my inner savage. Despite so much water I'm peeing every five minutes.

My counsellor says I'm not actually hungry, it's a sort of tic or habit. But I'm not so sure. It feels pretty much identical to hunger. Am clinging to the programme by my fingernails. Only the thought that I've made it through four weeks of this already is keeping me on the straight and narrow... That and the knowledge that if I eat something, I'll eat everything.

Best wishes to everyone else.

Another four pounds off. Tbh, I'm really relieved, as I struggled this week and nibbled a bit. I could have cried I was so relieved!

That makes 23 pounds in total over the four weeks. Not visible to the naked eye yet, unfortunately, but at least moving in the right direction. How are you, alley and squirrel?

Hi all,

I've started today as have been really unwell the past few weeks and just could not get myself motivated.

Toddler causing comfort eating is basically what I do too. My DD is 4 and causes me meltdowns more or less everyday :( I've decided though I need to be tough with myself. I've got literally 3 weeks left to a big family wedding for which I wanted to slim down but now I'll just be happy with a bit of weight loss so I look less bloated if that makes sense.

I've been kicking myself for not getting started :(

Good to read others are on the losing track.

What do all think I will sensibly manage to loose over the next few weeks? I was thinking at least 20lbs... By end of week 3. Or is that wishful thinking

Forgot to mention I'm doing 3 sachets a day (Exante)

Hi Pulled. I know what you mean about toddlers causing reactive eating, plus of course, you can't get away from food even on sachets when you're cooking a child's meals. I've never been a leftovers picker, but I do now find myself coveting my two year old's nice meals...

I'm doing Cambridge rather than Exante, but I assume the principle and calorie intake is similar. I lost 12 pounds in my first week, five in my second and two in my third, so 19 by the end of week three. If that's any use as a guide - I had slightly under five stone to lose. That was doing it rigidly, though with fairly minimal exercise until week three. Dispiritingly, though, on me I don't think you can see much/any difference yet, but ymmv.

Thanks talcum that does help as a guide. I think like yourself it probably won't make much difference to my appearance but at least it will be a step in the right direction.
I just want the feeling of being a bit lighter to boost my confidence a bit.

As for picking leftovers I do find it hard aswell not too but I'm hoping I will be able to restraint myself

The other thing that is slightly worrying me is not being able to chew gum! Apparently even that is not allowed on Exante but I'm a habitual smoker so always have chewing gum all the time as I can't stand the aftertaste of smoking in my mouth (weird I know for a smoker) so am not sure how to deal with that yet :(

Hope everyone is doing ok today with the sachets. I'm just about to have my first one of chilli - looking forward to it :)

Have shiny new id for forum on Slim and Save, but have a really stupid question - do you have to wait to get your id activated?

Each time I log in, I can read all the posts, but the bit at the bottom of the page tells me I can't post, even though at the top of the page I can see that I'm logged in.

It's driving me witless, well what few wits I had.

Am a convert - only started it expecting not to like it, so that I could say to the doctor "look, I've tried thisn eaten/drunk this for the last 13 weeks and not lost a gramme, so now please treat me like a lab rat and find out why my metabolism just doesn't move my fat......".

Anyway, bugger me, I've lost 10kg in 2 months including 6 weeks in a clinic when I couldn't do it and the food was crap. They would let me have a bar per day instead of the high sugar/white bread/jam at 4:30 if I asked nicely.

So, 10kg down and 40+ to go, just can't post my starting weight and "hello" message on the forum.

Hi bt, I know nothing about that forum, but did recently join a Cambridge one (as that's what I'm doing). I haven't used it at all, as it's full of lolz and text speak that made me want to slam my head in a door, but I did have to wait for an email and click a link in order to activate my membership. Might there be one in your email inbox?

That's a great loss, especially in the circumstances -you must be delighted. I'm 23 pounds down after four weeks of Cambridge, and as I am vegetarian plus I cannot stomach any of the shakes and porridges, somewhat tired of peanut bars and oriental chilli soup. But getting there...

Hmmm lack of sleep killing me at present as well as the heat. One good thing I'm drinking plenty of water :)

Hope everyone is doing ok.

How is everyone else doing? I don't feel I've done great this week - my counsellor is of holiday, so I'm missing a weigh-in, plus it was my birthday yesterday (had a little cake fir the sake of my toddler, who loves blowing out candles, and ate one tiny bite), and we're going to a French city notorious for its good food fir the weekend - with another set of friends to whom I will need to lie about not eating...

Grr. Why is it getting harder as it goes on?

Sorry, FOR, not 'fir' throughout!

Hi all, can i join? I was ill for a week and am just starting to get better now but lost half a stone this past week. I have not attempted to do a vlcd for a long time as i cant get through the first few days and always fail but having been used to not eating much for the last few days i think this is as good a time as any.

Starting today and just had my 1st shake - i am using slim and save and had a soup last night to try it out, both taste bloody horrible so far so im hoping that the meals are better ( and the bars ).

People seem to lose phenomenal amounts of weight and i have about 6 and a half stone left to lose so im really hoping this gives me a kick start. I am only intending to do it for 9 weeks as i have a party id like to be a couple more stone lighter for then after that i might do low carb or something similar, maybe ill go back on slim and save - not sure yet?

How do you all know when you are in ketosis? I have ordered some ketostix from ebay but i have heard they don't always work.

Well hope everyone is having a good and successful weekend on their various plans - wish me luck as its day one for me.

Good luck, Rosie. I'm on Cambridge, rather than S and S, but I gather 2 stone should be absolutely achievable in nine weeks. I'm in week 6 of Cambridge, and didn't weigh in at week 5 because my counsellor was away, but had lost 23 pounds in the first four weeks, so am hoping I will have reached the 2 stone mark when I weigh in this coming week.

Irritatingly, I found the first two weeks or so fine, and it's got harder since then. I think boredom kicks in. Some of the Cambridge products are not nice - I can't stomach the shakes or porridges at all, so am subsisting entirely off one bar type and two varieties of soup.

I think I knew I was in ketosis (I wasn't sure at the time, but looking back, I was) because of a dryish mouth, despite drinking gallons of water, and suddenly not feeling hungry. I quite liked the sensation, tbh.

Right, I'm back and this time no messing around. I'm so cross with myself for how rubbish I've been the last 3 weeks. I've had 3 good days in a row and am feeling stronger and more positive now. Just pissed off with myself, I could have lost another stone by now.

I've had a crap fortnight, and have a weigh in tomorrow. I could kick myself in my still-sizeable ass with frustration. I'm out of the zone and desperately trying to get back in. I should be able to expect I will have passed the 2 stone mark tomorrow, but honestly, it's unlikely.

Any thoughts from anyone on how to get your head back to the right place after you've got out of the zone?