VLCD/Meal Replacement on 1st Jan

[DelightfulCunt]

Hi everyone!

I’m starting a VLCD (Slim and Save) on 1st Jan and wondering is anyone starting too? Or Cambridge, Exabte etc and maybe we could keep each other motivated?

I think it is a bit miserery loves company. If they are going to cheat, they want you to fall off the wagon too.

Oh yes! The whole 'your body will go into starvation mode' or 'you will just put it all back on again' stuff. Yes of course you will if you go back to eating like you did before! It's been heavily researched, it doesn't actually matter how you lose it, it is how you maintain the loss that is the big thing!

Hahaha Clash fuck Sandra! 🤣

You keep thinking about non food treats that you will enjoy when you are a skinny mini! I know how hard it is when there are loads of sweets/chocs/biccys in the office (Read earlier post, chocolate table!) I'm just trying to block them all out now. They do not exist, the size 14 playsuit I haven't been able to fit into for 4 years in my wardrobe, THAT EXISTS!!

Make the pee-ing work for you. Do 10 squats every time you go. I got to 160 in a day once!

Eliza’s squats challenge sounds like a winner. Based on the number of times I need to visit the bathroom each day I’ll have rock hard thighs by the end of the week!

I’ve been in ketosis since pretty near the beginning but according to my ketostix I’m not in ketosis anymore, damn than work lunch! Hopefully I’ll fall back into ketosis without too much pain given I’ve probably just tipped slightly out of it!

Squats challenge is a brilliant idea.

Anyone else not weighing? My view is that if I stick to it 100%, then there's nothing more I can do, so knowing my weight is just a distraction. If I don't lose, I might get fed up and give up. If I lose a lot, I might get over happy with myself and think a little snack won't hurt.

First weigh for me is Feb 21st.

Love the squats challenge! With the amount of times I'm weeing, I'll be able to crack walnuts between my buttocks soon, now there's a party trick!

Have tried not weighing in the past (yup, I'm a veteran of trying to shift the pounds through various methods... 🙄) but found it hard to keep on whatever regime I was up to at the time. I do agree with you though, in theory. It's just not something I can make work for me in practice.

Well, I've woken rather early today so day 3, come at me!

Ooh count me in with the squats challenge! That's a brilliant idea, I will be doing about 200 a day! Hahahaha

I do agree about weighing yourself as little as you can stand, weight fluctuates so much so daily weighing can be disheartening and push you off track. I stick to once every week / week and a half. Don't know if I could go over a month! Good luck though, it will be amazing to see that chunk come off

I can't help but weigh daily. I'm another pound down so 14st 9 this morning.

Well done Eliza! That's really good going

Hey can I join you?

I’m on day 3 of exante(tried last year but had a lot of personal stresses and a stay in hospital due to gi issues so all went out the window and I struggled to get back on the wagon)

First two days have been hard, been freezing cold constantly, having really bad sleep and have had to doze mon+tue morning all morning as so tired and devoid of energy! Not feeling as bad this morning thank god.

I’ve got a lot to lose, weight last week was 19st 5lbs, which is heinous considering I’m very short of stature

Have also started avoiding going out places, think I’ve become mildly agoraphobic. Nothing fits, very few clothes as refuse to buy more as want to lose weight and rarely see anything that’ll look good on me this size.

Can relate to poster up thread in regards to weighing, I self sabotage when I weigh, if it’s a good result I think ah fk to I can treat myself and If its a bad result I think ah fk it I can’t be bothered it’s not working.
Therefore this time I have decided to try not to weigh until nearer the summer, I’ve just got to focus on the plan and have faith and not worry about what the scales might be saying.

I’m doing a mix of 2-4 products plus a low carb meal, generally shakes Asa I’m not keen on the food packs (apart from lemon pancakes) and usually some sort of fish with cauliflower rice and steamed greens for low carb meal.

How’s everyone else found their first few days?

@makingmiracles hey! I'm on Exante too, day 4 today and am really enjoying it. It's gotten progressively easier every day. I'm doing man plan - have 4 stone minimum to lose, hopefully more like 6 to get me to 10 stone. Haven't been that weight since I was 12. I'm 5'8 so that's middle of 'healthy' for me and I'd like to be there to have some leeway.

Have you tried the soups? I absolutely love the butternut squash and red Thai soups. So so nice!

Trying to mentally brace myself, I'm starting tomorrow...

@makingmiracles you're in the same ball park weight wise as me and I'm 5ft 6. I'm weighing and measuring tonight so I'll post it as a motivator. Good luck!

Anyone doing smoking at the same time? Again, tried last year but after three months I ended up in hospital so the smoking went out the window. Exp got diagnosed with a terminal illness last yr so really need to knock cigs on the head so kids have still got one parent around for years to come. I’m doing champix, on day 5 so not completely stopped yet but only had a 2-3 for the last few days so I think I’ll be quitting by the weekend. Not sure if I’m mad doing smoking and weight at the same time but hopefully I’ll feel a hell of a lot healthier by the summer!

Sorry makingmiracles the fags are the one thing that's keeping me going!

That's next on the list though!

Hello all, good to see so many of us! I'm a week in and still freezing cold, does this carry on long term? I've done Exante before and I do remember being a bit chilly but nothing like this, though maybe it's the time of year that is making it feel much worse. Have also been really hungry this morning but managed to wait it out until 12.
The whole weighing thing is really difficult, I'm trying to stay away from the scales but also seeing them tick down is an incentive for sure but then again if it's too good it can lead to falling off the wagon!
Eliza, I'm loving the squat challenge, I've racked up a fair few already today! And have a new fitness tracker than arrived yesterday so trying to get my Steps up as well.
Keep going everyone, we can do this!
Bishop, go low carb today if you can, should make the transition easier.

I’m permanently cold kittens, in the first week I even went into some kind of hibernation mode where by body curled up in a ball on the sofa and I literally could move!

My kids had another massive bickering session this morning before school and they still didn’t break me so if nothing else I feel I’m starting to break the back of my knee jerk response to stress being a slice of toast or whatever else I can find in the snack jar!!

makingmiracles I imagine giving up smoking at the same time would be really tough but it might be worth starting giving up once the diet is established (ie once you’ve passed the first 10 days or so).

Otherwise, if you wait until you’ve reached your goal weight it might be really difficult to give up smoking and maintain the weight. So many people seem to put on loads of weight when they give up smoking.

I’m not speaking from experience as I’m not a smoker myself! I just think the first 10 days of the diet are the hardest - it’s why I started the diet on 27th dec because I wanted the diet to be established in a period when dh off work still so he could support me and help with the kids.

I’m down 0.2kg today. I can’t stop myself from daily weighing, it’s like a new obsession!!

Want to hear my massive first world problem?
I've accidentally ended up with a two hour lunch break today. I don't want a 2 hour lunch break, I want to be busy! So I decided to go home for a bit to distract myself, my cleaners at my house so I can't sit on the sofa and watch Doctors. Woe is me!

I read something about weighing a while ago, and it basically was that some people need to weigh daily to keep on track, some weekly, some less often so do what feels right. The standard weigh once a week at the same time doesn't work for a lot of people.

pitapotamous I know it's disheartening when it's not showing on the scales especially when you feel you have sabotaged it! Just to maybe give you hope but mine stalled after a few weeks, then it was Christmas so I ate what I wanted for a week and felt for sure I'd have gained. I actually lost 9lbs when I weighed a few days later! It can be a delayed reaction from your body. Like others have said, take confidence in your clothes feeling looser even when the scale isn't changing.

Making miracles. I’m a smoker too, and have tried to stop while dieting. It was really hard. I’m going to wait till I’m a bit more established on my VLCD before I give up the cigs. Good luck though!

Day 2 today, feeling like I could eat the leg off the table at the moment. So so hungry. Just had the lemon yoghurt bar, was really nice actually.

Haha Rainbow, I’ve been at home at times when my cleaner is there. It always feels awkward, I tend to hide in my bedroom on the IPad, then scuttle off to the living room when she comes up.

Can I also tell you all about Inofolic, inofolic.org.uk/, its primarily for PCOS & is also for general fertility problems but it also helps with weight loss, due to insulin resistance & hormones etc. I found my box this morning and have started taking it again. My fertility Doctor gave me a sample box and then I bought some. You take 2 sachets a day.

That's interesting Eliza. I have PCOS however as not TTC doctors have pretty much shrugged and said live with it. I'll check them out.

Day 3 - trying having two meal replacements during the day and having one later.

Feeling just as unsatisfied as if I'd only had one during the day so think I will definitely stick to saving two for the evening!

Feeling quite tired and weak so going to have a bovril as maybe salts are low?

Finding this day the toughest so far, but will keep ploughing on. I think I'm going to do three replacements a day through the week, then two replacements plus a low carb healthy tea on the weekend. I'm a bit worried that two weeks straight on three replacements a day will make me ill! I may just be being pathetic though.