10 week vlcd

[minimalist99]

Hello,
I was wondering how much weight u fellow vlcd people have lost in the space of 10 weeks. I am planning to attend a friends wedding in 10 weeks and am attempting to loose weight. I am abit 5 stone overweight so i am desperate to loose some weight using exante till the wedding.
Looking forward to hearing your success stories.

@holycityzoo welcome to the group. I find that posting my weight loss (or gain!) here is quite motivational. There's something about admitting it to others....

I'm enjoying Exante as there is lots of variety and some food to actually chew. I have setbacks when friends/family visit as we go out to eat and drink - which I acknowledge, but one can't live like a hermit!

Dr thank you, yes I'm hoping it will be motivational (I could really use some motivation!)
So I've done my first day, it was fine much better than I thought but my goodness I didn't realise how often I reach for a snack without even realising
I'm not going to lie, I don't love the shakes but I'm going to chug them down and hopefully I will get used to them.
I made a chicken salad for dinner which was nice. I think I will order some bars (maybe not the double beef choc ones!) I've only had two shakes today and my meal so I'm thinking maybe a bar after dinner with a cup,of tea would be nice.

Ugh I feel awful today very tired and lethargic I could sleep for a week.
I'm hoping it's just temporary!
I know I said I would look but I did and I've lost 4lbs I'm so pleased

@holycityzoo i think the energy slump is normal in the first week until you enter ketosis. I too don't just look at the scales once a week 😂

I've lost 4 stone in 3.5 months doing Cambridge then got pregnant again and gained 5 stone again. Lost it again doing slim and save. Getting into ketosis can take a while depending on how much carbs you usually eat. For me it's around day 7 or 8 and it's hell For the 1st 5 days. I drank decaff coffee for a lot of it

Hi all I just thought I'd update again after my holidays ! (Btw yes moomin it's all , or 99% anyway, exante). I weaned off exante about a week before starting hols and by sticking to small protein type meals I managed to stay in ketosis and lose another 10kg so ended up 19kg down (3 stone). I definitely ate what I liked on hols but really tried not to go ott, if I had a big meal for lunch then I had something small for tea, that sort of thing. Any way after 3 weeks off plan I ordered 2 weeks of exante to kick start me back into ketosis (because once I'm in ketosis I make good food choices as I'm not hungry). The box arrived yesterday so I gathered my courage and stepped on the scales today to see what damage 3 weeks of holiday food had done........and I was only 0.6kg up!! To say I'm shocked is an understatement, I genuinely expected 3 or 4 kg so I don't know what happened there. I'm very happy though . I'm still going to do the 2 weeks exante and go from there, I really want to try and keep eating low carb/low cal as it seems to suit my body. I did Slimming world for ages and lost hardly nothing, it was so disappointing but I know it works for lots of others.
So I guess I just wanted to say exante works if you stick to it, it really does. It's not easy but neither is being fat. I feel so much better in myself and all the clothes in my wardrobe that were too tight, they're all too loose now ;).
Oh the only other thing I found was regarding bread. I love bread, any and all kinds, and I know it was definitely one of the reasons for my weight issues. Plus I regularly suffered from bloating and wind and felt it was connected with bread/wheat somehow. So I obviously haven't eaten bread since I started exante 3 mths ago and I didn't eat it on hols either until last night. I decided to have some gorgeous wholemeal toast for tea , it was delicious but my god have I suffered for it. I'm awake half the night with pains and gas, which I haven't had since I went off bread, so it confirmed for me that I love bread but it doesbt love me and next time I feel tempted I'll pass !
Also I know exante mention citric acid as possibly kicking you out of ketosis and while I was doing it I stuck to citric acid free Tesco coke zero, but when I was weaning off exante and eating protein, low carb food I drank lots of sugar free dilutable squash and remained in ketosis so I'm going to hopefully keep drinking that for the next 2 weeks and it shouldn't make a difference.
(Sorry for the essay, just wanted to update!)

@TyrionLannistersShadow wow! that's amazing that you were able to managed to keep the weight down while on holiday.

I was also pleased to receive (finally) a back order of Exante stuff. Tried the flapjacks warmed for 30s in the microwave and it was really tasty - had the texture of malt loaf and not too sweet like the bars. I also tried the chocolate and mint chocolate cookies this week - I don't like them cold, but again warned in microwave for 30s they taste a bit like brownies.

Week 5 weigh in: -2lbs (net loss -5lbs, Exante man plan). Finally back to where I was after week 2. Stuck rigidly to plan and no distractions of dinner/drinks with friends this week. I honestly think that is my personal downfall! Aim to hit 7lbs net loss this week.

I’m back! Holiday over, I had about 3 weeks off plan. Looking back at holiday pics and wasn’t happy with what I saw, thank god I lost 23lb ish before we went. Anyway decided to give Exante another go, yesterday was day 1 and it was fine, thankfully my stomach is fine. I’ve got a few social things planned for the next couple of weekends that I can’t get out of but I’m going to make good choices and see how it goes.

Right I’m going to catch up with the thread see what you’ve all been up to.

Ditto there @Ronnyhotdog ! I started again (properly) yesterday after a tea-time fail on Monday, and feeling good about it as I still didn't feel right on holiday with my body. I have lots of social things going on in the next couple of weeks, including an anniversary so good choices and support from family definitely needed. Thankfully my husband has forgone the anniversary meal out in favour of something not centred on food, so we may go bowling. How 90s!

Hello all, late joiner here. I started CD on 26th July weighing in at 14 stone, Todays weigh in I am 12 stone 9, so 19 pounds off in less than a month, I am finding it hard though as my counsellor has now left and I am doing it solo, (bought another 6 weeks worth of bars and shakes)...so would like the support of this thread. How is everyone doing? Oh my target is 9 stone so 3 stone 9 to go (hopefully by December)

Hi wetdog hope you had a good holiday. How have you found this week so far? I’m 6lb down so lighter than pre holiday. I’ve just got afternoon tea to deal with tomorrow!

Hi jen That’s brilliant, well done. I did exante for around 6 weeks and lost 23lb, came off it for about 3 weeks, I gained 5lb in that time which has now gone plus an extra 1lb. In a perfect world I’d like to lose another 2st but I think I’ll play it by ear and see how I feel. It would be lovely to be slim for Christmas and not have to hide from the camera.

Didn't check in last week.
Lost 3lb last week and 3lb this week
Lost 39lbs total now

Wow minnie that’s brilliant, well done.

I’m very very hungry tonight, very hungry.

Me too Ronnyhotdog I am also giving up smoking so I am grumpy, hungry and miserable tonight

I got my DD to take a photo of me, wondering whether im brave enough to post it here, just thinking a photo each weigh in may motivate me

brilliant losses Minnie x

I started my day at 6am with a bar and a coffee, I was silly as I didn't need to be in work until 11 so could have had a lie in and spread out my packs. I have also just taken on a more demanding position at work, which means I get phone calls at home when things go wrong, weekends, evenings, early mornings etc. Today was one such morning so an early morning phone call and I was then hungry for my bar

I walked in to work, 3.5 miles, craving a cigarette at every step ( I have had to give up as I am spending too much money on them) maybe doing it at the same time as dieting wasn't a good plan though. Got into work, was jumped on with problems...got to my desk had my tetra pack, and a cup of tea....some water

Started getting an aural migraine, felt weird and weak so had my last pack...and it wasn't even 1pm, My colleague and I normally have lunch together, well we go to Next and shop, today she went with another colleague, realised why! She appeared with sandwiches and crispy crème doughnuts and didn't want to tempt me, then proceeded to eat them in front of me (she did get me a coke zero though).....left work at 5.30, walked the 3.5 mile trek home, craving ciggies and feeling hot and sweaty (wore the wrong thing today)...I almost bent down and picked up an old fag end I spotted on the way home...I stopped myself, horrified at how low I almost stooped … then realised my son still had my door key, I texted him to let me in, but he was out!

At this point, knowing I may be locked out a while, I started to need the loo (as you do), then my DD appeared, let me inside.

My eldest son asked me to go on a walk to the shop with him, when we got there he said he would get me cigarettes with his change (he could tell I was feeling awful and wanted to keep me on my diet)….but he only had £6.00 change so suggested I have the coffee crème cigars instead!!! I politely declined and walked back home with him and his bag of sweets and my bag of nothing.

Feeling hungry and bored and craving so badly, talk some sense into me please (I had my packs too early today)

@Jenasaurus you've had an amazing loss so far! I too try to stagger the packs for later in the day as Im not that hungry in the morning, so I try to eat breakfast around 10 and lunch around 2pm. When I feel hungry during the day I drink a mug of herbal tea - loads of flavours which helps if you find the meal replacement packs too repetitive in taste. Majority of the time I'm not hungry after that, so prob wasn't actually hungry in the first place!

Quitting smoking is hard. I went cold turkey 14 years ago and even now I enjoy the smell of a fresh cigarette, but I have never given in. For the first few months I didn't go to any social occasions or to morning/evening coffee (as these were activities I associated with my smoking). Keeping busy and occupied helps, I used computer games, reading, diy and cleaning/organising stuff as distraction tactics.

jen stopping smoking is hard. I stopped around 13 years ago and I still get the occasional craving. Apparently a craving lasts for 7 seconds so as soon as you feel it get busy with something else. Remember it will pass.
I stagger my shakes too. I try not to have my 1st before 10am, it’s not always possible if I’m on an early start at work but most days I work round it. Lunch I don’t have before 2pm and my last one I have around 7.
You have done so well, keep going. It’s going to be worth it.

I quit about 14 years ago, had a few slips through the years. Well done, it's hard work quitting but you can only take the first steps.

I also stagger my packs starting later in the day, first about 11, then 2.30 and 6ish. I tend to feel hungry at about 7.30 but it passes quickly.

Hey Ronnyhotdog I found last week easy, but this weekend dreadful. We had visitors on Friday, through to Sunday, and a meal at a much-loved relative's last night - I did very well in sticking to plan until last night when I couldn't resist her cooking. I did avoid potatoes entirely, but had a big meal and pavlova with cream for pudding ouch. It was so worth it...

How did you do with afternoon tea?!

Well done on resisting Jen - I tried to give up tea at the same time as my first go on this diet (see start of thread) but that resulted in far too many headaches so I haven't worried about milk content this time around. This place is great for keeping me going, so I hope we can support you too.

Week 6 weigh-in: -2lbs (net -7lbs)
Finally made it to net half stone loss but family are now here. So I'm doing one or two packs during the day plus joining in with family for dinner - trying to stick to low carb, and no alcohol (this is hard because today we are having a BBQ!). Only two more weeks to go before I can get back on plan fully and hopefully there won't be too much weight gain in between. 🤞

DrOnWheels - My son gave up smoking in January, he is 28 and had smoked since the age of 16, he now vapes and hasnt cheated but he asked to smell my hand as he still enjoys the smell of tobacco.

I havent smoked now for over a week and still crave it!

RonnyHotDog - the 7 second craving is a good thing to remember, thanks for sharing as I should be able to get through 7 seconds, mind you I am also craving food too :)

MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting - cool username, I am about to have my first pack today so hoping this will make it easier at the end of the day

WetDogLovesHubert I still drink tea, but have changed to green tea which I hope is allowed on this diet.

My sons GF is pressurising me to eat on his birthday as she is planning a meal but I really dont want to as its those sort of things that lead me to come off it for good, how can I explain that to a lovely lady who has never had a problem and can eat what and as much as she likes and stay a size 8?

Jen can you tell her that you will enjoy their company without food, as sticking to the diet is really important for your long term health - her support would mean a lot to you? Can you ask if there's anything you can contribute to the evening (other than food) to make them feel like you're not just watching everyone eat?!

Good Idea Wetdogloveshubert that sounds a really good way to put it.

wetdog hhmmm afternoon tea, well before afternoon tea I’d lost 6lb in the week, yesterday was week 1 weigh in and it had turned to 5lb. Still happy with that. We’ve got friends staying with us this weekend, I’m going to have Saturday off plan again. I’d love to be down in the next stone bracket by next week so I’m going to make good choices (she says)

Well done jen 7 days of no smoking will have already made a big impact on your lung health. I like wetdog’s advice re the meal.