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

[Cheesyslice]

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

Weighed this morning. Been 2 weeks on LL Total and I've lost 12.5 lb!

I feel great. I have a ton of weight to lose, but already I've been able to wear a top, skirt and pair of trousers that were too small a fortnight ago. I know it's mostly just water bloat but it's still such a huge motivation to keep going!

Chazs, in that situation I tend to have a cup of coffee and something crunchy like a little gem lettuce with loads of salt/pepper/chilli flakes to dip. Celery works well too.

Basically enough seasoning fools my brain into considering it a decent snack.

On reeally bad days I have an extra sachet. :)

Blithereens - what a great result! And get you with the new wardrobe! You are looking pretty good for that stone next week...

Scone

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try that next time. I ended up having a small piece of fish and a bit of cheese which took the edge off until the next pack was due.

Back on it after 4 days off, managed to put on 3 1/2lbs in those 4 days but I am looking forward to getting back in ketosis and dropping them by this time next week, will be under the 11st mark then which will leave 21 lbs to go to my 1st target of 9st 7 I wanna then lose the last 7lbs to get down to 9 st as don't mind fluctuating too much between 9st and 9st 7

Hello all! Can I join you please?

Well done all on your weight loses, especially those who've had challenges like a meal out or holiday ??

I've done Lighter life before and lost over 2 stone (can't remember exactly how much) and loved it. I remember feeling full of energy and ecstatic about the weight loss but it all ended when I went on holiday with my now DH and stopped suddenly. The weight crept back on slowly and since then I've lost and gained a few times in different ways- I think that's probably just my way. Anyway, I was doing well through exercise last year and then over winter I regained due to poor weather for exercise and mainly a bereavement since when I've been comfort eating. I gave away all my old clothes last year as I was so convinced I'd turned a corner with yo yoing that I've now got nothing to wear and that's adding to me being low and comfort eating so I've decided to take the plunge and go back on a VLCD to get me back on track. My lifestyle has changed a lot- I've now got a 2 yr old and a 1 yr old so I'm sure it will be harder than last time, but I know that the lack of thought needed will help and I can be very self controlled when I need to be. I'm thinking of just doing this to start me off and then go back to diet/exercise when I've shaken the comfort eating. I'm not sure which diet plan to follow though. I've heard of slim and save as not involving counsellor sand being cheap. Will look to order today!

Hi tinwe, I've just started slim and save, I hated the taste of Cambridge and didn't like going to the councilor as I get she wasn't very motivational just weigh, measure, get your food and pay! I'm sure there are some good ones. In then tried exante, that one was fine but slim and save is cheeper and when I last did it had more choice on the meals (I don't really like shakes and soups) so I'm back on slim and save, day 3 and it's going ok
The delivery was quick as well

Hi tinwe. It's great you're getting back on the wagon again, bet you feel better for that already. DS is nearly 3 and I find it so much easier being on a VLCD; it's just more convenient and easier to eat healthily.

If you can afford it, do LighterLife again. I'm doing Lite and it's about £58 a week. My counsellor is amazing. I've had a tough time with the diet recently and if it wasn't for her I would have given up and piled the 2 stone back on.

Thanks Loves. I thought Exante was cheaper than S and S? I went for S and S as I'd heard the taste was better. I've gone for the introductory sample pack to try everything but I don't expect to like the foods, just the soups and shakes. Quite fancy the bars too, they were v useful with LL. Is it S and S that does those? Well done on your great start (3 days), was that a straight swap from another diet, ie have you been going more than 3 days IN TOTAL?

Hi Cheesy. Sorry to hear you've had a tough time lately but well done for working it through with your counsellor. As I just told Loves I've bought S and S now (more convenient than trying to make a session once a week with the kids) so will see how it goes but I think you might be right about support/embarrassment factor being a big motivator to stay on track. I'm hoping that my stubborn streak will work for me in that once I set my mind to "that's just how it is now" I'll be ok. I was rigid with LL and only broke it once for an important wedding meal but others in my group were only following the plan 50% of the time. They didn't get the benefits of lack of hunger and energy etc as they were rarely in ketosis so I couldn't see why they even chose that particular plan. I think once you break it once it's so easy to do it again and again... I'm sure it will be much harder for me this time, preparing food/feeding the girls and DH though I'm meeting some friends from our toddler group today for a Jacobs join meal at 11 with all our kids so I was debating whether to wait til afterwards to start, but I've just been texted that my stuff is bring delivered at 10.30 so I guess that's "a sign" to start today.

tinwe I totally agree.. LL, as with any of these, only works if you stick at it rigidly. I haven't been, and as a result I haven't be in ketosis recently. However I have been an angel all week and as a result have taken almost 3lbs off since Monday. Oh happy days.

Dah is away this weekend and I need to make sure I stay on track and don't have any 'treats' over the weekend. Motivational words / arse kicking welcome.

Words of motivation... Well Cheesy, you're back on track now, do you REALLY want to go through all the getting into ketosis thing again? Imagine when DH comes home you could be celebrating even more weight loss or you could be about to go through the whole difficult bit all over again... Once you're actually in ketosis you probably feel physically better than otherwise, mentally more in control, proud of yourself (rightly so) and you're not wasting the money! Come on here if you feel tempted...

I'm one day down now and doing ok. I was starving first thing this morning and thought "I can't cope this time, I'm too old, my body is different, what am I doing trying this right now in my life (lots of stresses at the mo) and with 2 tiny ones?" But then I got a big glass of water, and then another and put all the tempting foods well away and then felt much better. Makes me wonder how many times my hunger has really been thirst! My food came shortly after that and after my first sachet I've been fine all day. Got a bit of a headache and my hands are freezing (forgot that gem from last time) but otherwise (motivation wise) so far so good. Feeling a bit low today for other reasons so I don't suppose this part of the diet is helping my mood but on the other hand neither is not fitting in my clothes!

Oh yes! Meant to ask a question - can any of the s and s shakes be made with hot water or does it kill the nutrients? I'm sure I used hot water with some of the LL sachets to make a custard rather than a shake.

Excellent motivation, thank you

I can only speak for the lighter life shakes but yes, you can heat them to make a shake. I do this every day. Blend with a good hand whizzer for a really thick texture. Yummy.

Oh the cold thing is a bitch isn't it?! I never used to feel the cold, now I have to wrap up like an Eskimo just to walk to the wheelie bin.

Hows everyone going over the weekend?
Tinwe, I had the Cambridge chocolate shakes as hot choc so I'm presuming you can with the SS shakes, if you've tried let us know
Slim and save is cheeper than Exante I think, but you have 4 a day not 3, think it's still cheaper though. I get things in packs of ten so it cones out about £1.50 each. The S&S bars are more treat like, the exante bars are love or hate bars I think, dryer and more cereal like but bigger.
Friday and today I've had 3 S&S packs and a meal but the meal being a bit of salmon and broccoli and today a bit of steak and greens so still about the 700 cal mark I hope! Then back to 4 S&S packs tomorrow. I hate the soups (all of them!) I tend to stick to oatmeal for breakfast, any of the meals for lunch and dinner and a hot choc before bed (run out of the Cambridge choc so I'm keen to know if the S&S shakes make good hot choc)

Interesting, Loves. I've had a hot banana milkshake for pudding and it was ok. Bit lumpy but then they nearly always are if you don't get your blender out (in my experience)! I fancy a hot choc so will try that. Still don't know if it kills the vitamins (bit like over cooking veg can) but it doesn't say so...

When I did LL there were soups and shakes and bars but no "meals". We weren't supposed to have bars for the first week either as they stopped you going into ketosis apparently. S and S seems a lot more relaxed than that, hope I get the same good results. I've enjoyed the meals (had spaghetti and cheesey pasta so far) so think I'll stock up on them and the bars as they're really handy. I'm not impressed with the porridge and the soups I've had but I'll give them more of a try before I order next weeks stuff. Definitely don't want the mushroomy meals though. Anyone want mine?

How're you doing today Cheesy?

I like the oatmeal rather than the porridge tinwe, maybe it reminds me of readybrek I don't know but I like it

hi everyone sorry crap week last week. boss off two days n one of staff went sick all week.
equals me running round like headless chicken. day off friday for a tour of houses of parliament.

today had to buy children new wardrobe! Why do they keep growing? Downside my two in same size clothes n shoes so rarely have any hand me downs

Weight seems not to be moving much this week. jinxed by councillor .

stomach growling a lot. Keep fingeea crossed I can make n drink shake before I get a shout tonight.

I'm doing ok thanks tinwe. Down to my lowest weight in seven years this morning And my size 12 Topshop jeans were falling down at soft play this morning so I can't be doing too badly. Will be interested to see the results at weigh in tomorrow.

On LL you can now have bars in the first week, and you can have as many of them per day a you like as they've adjusted the recipe. My counsellor also says that it's fine to heat the shakes, in fact LL say so in the magazine. If anyone wants a free copy of the mags in my counsellor gives them out for us to share, so PM me if you want me to post you a copy.

tigger great to see you again I feel your pain re rapidly growing children. DS is growing like a weed. We all have slow weeks, hang in there and it will show soon. X

I DIDN'T like the oatmeal I'm afraid but it was the smell rather than the taste. There's a proteiny smell/flavour all the sachets/bars have which I normally don't notice. Quite liked the cafe late shake though which is weird as I hate coffee! No takers for my mushroom stuff then?

Tigger - my tummy's growling lots too. DH has even noticed! Does that ease off? Don't remember it from last time...

I've also just had to buy new clothes for DD, seeing her lovely new clothes though is inspiration to get back into my nice clothes

Sympathy re work. I've been off work all week on annual leave and I'm not looking forward to going back... I think there'll be a pile of work waiting plus the boss "wants to see me", which always makes me nervous

Wow cheesy! Size 12's too big... In my dreams! How much have you lost and what size do you want to be? Sounds like even with the time off you've done well. Are you on track this weekend after all?

I'm about 5'9" and honestly (not excuses) solid build, so I'm slim/normal at a 12-14. I'm about a big 16 now so hoping to lose about 2 stone on this diet then aiming to step up my exercise regime again as I did last year to firm up and lose any more weight I need/want to. At present I'm just aiming to get "back to normal/into my clothes I was wearing last year" so that I don't have the stress of no clothes fitting. I lost weight last year through the C25k and chucked all my bigger clothes but have put on about 1.5 stone since October with dark nights meaning no exercise and comfort/easy eating with my mum falling ill and passing away in December.

How much does everyone else want to lose/have lost?

tinwe sorry about your mum. How sad. I lost my mum when I was fifteen.

I'm still very much a size 12, however the topshop jeans are a good measure of how focused I've been! I have a pair of their skinnies in a size 14 which used to be the jeans I could only get into on a good day, now there's no point as they're sagging on me and look crap.

I'd like to be a size 8/10 if I'm honest. I think I'll need to hit 9stone to reach that. I'm 10st 3 and-a-bit now.

Totally know what you mean about dark nights = no exercise. I love running but live in the arse end of nowhere. We have no street lights so running in the winter is out for me. And I can't be arsed at the weekend.

Has everyone managed to stay on track over the weekend?

Hi guys, interesting you mention hot shakes I have just made my 1st with slim and save, hazelnut with a spoon of coffee added, delish! Just make the shake as normal, I always blend it, the transfer to mug and micro for 1 min, then stir and micro for 1 more min. Was really nice.

Also down to 10 11 I've lost 17lbs since 6th jan have 20 to go.

Hot shakes rule. I put mine in my Starbucks flask (guaranteed to keep it hot for three - four hours) and take it to work with me. So handy for being out and about if you don't want to eat bars all the time.