Exante and other VLCDs support thread

[PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair]

Hi,

Giving myself a general overhaul at the moment and have some time for myself so I can concentrate on cracking on with a few goals.

I have ordered my Exante pack to start tomorrow - I have done it before and it has proved good for me as I like fast results. Currently peri-menopausal and my weight is creeping up-Ijudge it by clothes size for means at the moment my size 16s are snug. I want to get down to being a comfortable size 12 and feel ok in a swimming costume and figure I am looking at 3 months.

Anyone thinking or currently on this path who would like to natter about their experience ?

One thing I have found tricky previously is doing too much physical activity before being in ketosis - so this time I am going to take it easy until I am over that hurdle :)

HI everyone- day three done and dusted.
Apart from the noxious gas - all is going great guns 🙂

Feeling more energetic with each passing day....

DAy 4 -feeling calm and slept well. No head ache or energy issues.

Drinking water is proving incredibly helpful. Clothes feeling looser already 🙂

Hope everyone else has a good day 👍🏻

Hi StumpersPlunkett - great start - hope today goes well for you too!

Well done PaulHollywoodsleftbollockhair - that's the hard bit done!

I'm having a slow loss week (I daily WI) - official WI day tomorrow so we'll see. I know a lot can change in a day. Now I've lost bulk of my weight I don't expect to lose more than 2-2.25 lbs/wk on average.

Camping is back on but just for two nights now...I'll take my packs and use them to help me keep it as low kcal as possible. I'll have to carb up a bit as I want to enjoy a glass of wine or two in the evening. The good thing is that every time I manage to come off and then get back on my confidence in being able to do so again in the future increases. I call it maintenance training!

This is how my journey has looked so far:

Phase 1: 9 weeks before Christmas (1 night off - felt I needed it)
3.5 week break over Christmas
Phase 2: 12 weeks before Easter (1 night off - felt I needed it)
3.5 week break over Easter
Phase 3: 5 weeks and counting (1 night off - birthday)

It took me about 7-10 days after each of the big breaks to get back down to where I was. I don't intend to do the big breaks again. I think over the summer I will be having more regular (every 2-4 weeks) short breaks (1/2/3 days) like this one coming up. So I'll have to learn to manage it!

Effectively I've been at this approximately 23 weeks and lost an average of 2.8 lb/wk.

Cracking headache today.
Had 1 litre water and a cranberry crunch bar
Plus cup of coffee

Chicken and mushroom soup for lunch
Another litre of water
Spicy couscous for dinner.
Slept a lot to balance hunger and headache.

Now just need to cope with my family having toad in the hole 😳😳

It’s tough for the first few days. stick with it, it gets easier.

How are you getting on Clunky3? When is your second WI day?

Hello,
Hope everyone is doing well. Had some cravings for chicken today which I didn't give in to. Bit low on energy today so trying to up my fluid intake. Nearing the week mark now :)

Well done Paul ! Is Tuesday your WI day?

I’m just 0.2 lbs away from the weight I got down to in 2008 now...hoping to tick off that mini goal before I come off plan for 2 days on Tuesday. Sunday is my weekly WI day so my optimistic goal for next Sunday is to be back to what I am on Tuesday morning, or at least today! We’ll see!

I’ve got a spreadsheet with as many mini goals as I could think of - keeps me motivated!

Hello all
May I join?
I’m starting Exante vegan range tomorrow
I have to .i weighed myself today
I have some questions.can I drink diet fizzy drinks?
How many calories are most of you all on?
My 3 packs come in at 600 cals

Hi snowdrop!

You can have sugar free drinks with no citric acid e.g. Coke Zero. However, you may find you can have citric acid - I can. I would get established first before you experiment. I now have squash like Robinson’s Special R (or the Lidl version which I prefer) too. If I have a choice about fizzy drinks I go for Coke Zero but whilst out I will have Diet Coke. I tend not to have fizzy drinks every day but sometimes I will have two or even three cans if I want it (other times I won’t have any all week).

Calorie wise I push that too, whilst still staying in ketosis (well my breath says I am as does little hunger). I think I have 900-1000 kcals/day and up to 100 g carbs. I have 4 slim and save packs (porridge, shake, meal, bar), 200g mixed veg, cashew milk (500 ml+ sometimes up to 1 litre). I also snack on sugar free jelly and wasabi seaweed thins when I fancy something sweet or savoury. I typically have significantly more sugar free jelly than slim and save recommend.

All of this may have slowed my loss a bit but without it I don’t think I could’ve stuck at it so long and therefore lost so much.

Thanks hobbz,how long have you been doing it .does it get easier over time?
I’ve a wedding reception type meal soon, not sure how to approach this .do I just push the food around my plate.or refuse it and take my drink.i know from past experience one normal meal will mean I can’t get back on the plan.
I nearly thought perhaps I should wait till after the meal to start,but I could of gained another stone by then at this rate .

Yes, I think it gets easier. Boredom sets in though. Lots of mini goals helps a lot.

I would’ve said the same as you about the meal on my first phase (if you go back a few posts you will see my timeline etc) but I’ve changed my mind about that now. Now I would pick the healthiest (I chose Vegan when not on plan or at least vegetarian with minimal cheese) meal - enjoy it and get straight back on plan the next day. I will only do that for things I really want to do though. Time has made me more confident in my ability to do this, which makes me more confident in my ability to keep this weight off and in turn more motivated.

How many weeks will you be at by the time of this meal?

Sorry choose

4 weeks on plan ..not really in it enough to have a meal of
Last time I’d been on plan for months and was stones down.
Xmas day and everyone is saying you can diet for the Xmas meal..
That was the start of the slippery slope back to today 😨

Sorry can’t not can

In that case then I would eat the vegetables and ask my partner (assuming you are going with someone else who knows you're doing this and is supportive) to discreetly take from my plate. Take a meal replacement bar to quietly eat somewhere before or after if the timings mean you can't eat beforehand. Alternatively do what S&S call a 'lifestyle' day and swap out one for your packs (on S&S you have four so have three) for a low carb meal - e.g eat the veg, the 'protein' but leave the potatoes. That is still 'on plan'.

Would it be a cop out to say that I have learned enough from my first week and to stop?

I am isolated from my family by doing this diet. It is making me so sad. No number on the scales is worth me missing this time with my family.
I am feeling that moving to a 5:2 diet could work well because then I can schedule my fasting days around days when the boys are already having alternative meals due to clubs.
Weight loss is important to me but the speed isn’t worth the price.
What do you think?

So each day I am still having to cook and prepare food for my family.

It’s not worth being sad for StrumpersPlunkett. There are so many other diets, that work, that may fit your current lifestyle better. I would view this time on the VLCD as prep for your next stage - good luck!

I ended up coming off the VLCD a day early - ate too much for my shrunken stomach and Went to bed early. Feel like going back on plan today! Hopefully I will feel the same way on Thursday...

Strumper is this just more of a case that you are finding it tough and therefore finding a reason to justify stopping?

If you carry on you will be able to hit your goal sooner and re-engage with family meal time then. After all you are likely to lose a stone a month if you continue.....

The thing is I am not hungry at all. I am finding most of the packets delicious.
I managed to negotiate lunch with mum today by lying and saying I had an upset tummy to justify eating a couple of lettuce leaves.
But I think I will finish this week and talk to my consultant about moving in to a different phase of the diet where I can have a protein and veg meal each day.
This will mean I can eat with my family.

Ps am already 1/2 st lighter so can def see how well it works.

StrumpersPlunket I don't think it's a cop out at all, but have a think about stage 2. I am almost 3 weeks into the Cambridge diet and my consultant advised me to start on stage 2 as stage 1 is so tough. I have a lot to lose (c 7 stone) and she said it would be more sustainable. I'm finding it a lot easier than I thought it would be. I have 3 products and a 200 calorie meal, which I tend to have as my evening meal. When you look at the amount of protein you can have it's a decent amount. I've been having a large chicken breast or a whole bag of king prawns. The veg you can have with it is not lots (80g) so I have mostly been having a bit more veg to bulk out my meal and it feels like a proper meal that I eat with my family. They generally have the same protein as me and I'll often have the same meal entirely minus the carbs. It's made the whole thing feel so much more doable, and it's really quite flexible. I've eaten out a couple of times and just had one less meal product that day. I've lost 8lbs in the first two weeks (6 in the first week then 2 the week after) so losses are slower than just the products but it's very do able in my view.

That really does sound less lonely!
I will be v open with options on Friday.
Next week back at work will be easier

How is everyone else getting on?