Cambridge/Exante/Slimfast 2021

[YourWurstNightmare]

New thread combining all the VLC shake diets: Cambridge, Exante, Lighterlife, Slimfast, etc. Everyone is welcome.

If you have any underlying health conditions, please check with your GP first (as I did).

I'm doing Slimfast (two shakes and one healthy meal a day). I use the premade shakes, because I actually like them! They are currently on sale here: www.amazon.co.uk/SlimFast-Replacement-Shake-Chunky-Chocolate/dp/B010PM6XO4/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I noticed Amazon is selling Lighterlife products now, too, if that helps anyone: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/DCB0D716-63B4-4265-8862-CF4AEEE9FEF9?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

My goals:

• Get two stone off quickly, then swap to less restrictive healthy/calorie controlled eating.
• Do 30 minutes of exercise (walking, jogging, lifting weights, whatever) a day.

Would love to share tips and motivate each other as we go!

Thank you all for the support! I keep going, but it is hard

Is anyone taking supplements too? I’ve started taking some vitamin d, especially since I’m walking less. Also taking a probiotic. Today was ok for me, I’m doing the 16:8 timings, so I have late breakfast shake, no lunch, afternoon shake, piece of fruit or bowl of berries or nuts then light dinner. I really hope I can keep going! My work in the day is so full on so I’m not bored and then at risk of snacking more

@Shwighty1 I've been taking this one for a few weeks now: www.amazon.co.uk/Vitabiotics-Immunace-Extra-Protection-Tablets/dp/B0056PESPW/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 Plus a separate iron tablet.

I take Vit D anyway, but actually stopped my multi-vit when I started the shakes, as they have most/all the RDAs of everything anyway. I have started collagen capsules though (having been convinced by the Style and Beauty threads) as my skin has gone a bit a lot wrinkled and saggy. Too early to say if there's any difference with those yet though.

Oh my friend had amazing results from taking collagen

Exercise has completely fallen off this week. I think it's a combo of diet fatigue, weather fatigue, covid fatigue..!

Doing well with the eating. The M&S Buddha Bowl I mentioned earlier was gorgeous and very filling. Heavy on the mushrooms, which I don't mind. Will be grabbing a few more.

I came here to sob because DH and the DC are having something delicious and I can’t, but then I deleted it because I don’t want to trigger anyone by talking about what it is: But please sympathise with me!!!

Hello,

I have really put a lot of weight on, and I want a big kick start. Ive been researching Exante all afternoon and I think i'd like to give it a go.
Do you think it's best to buy one of the starter packs or buy the stuff individually?
Are people finding it easy to keep to?
Thanks,

@Karcheer I think it depends if you know what you like. If you’ve never done anything like it it before, get a selection :)

My top tip is to make the shakes in a blender with 5 or 6 ice cubes. It turns them from a powdery thick drink into something that fills a pint glass and you could kid yourself it’s a proper milkshake, it tastes so much better. I struggled to get them down before I worked this out, now they’re my favourite.

[quote YeahBabyYeahYeah]@Karcheer I think it depends if you know what you like. If you’ve never done anything like it it before, get a selection :)

My top tip is to make the shakes in a blender with 5 or 6 ice cubes. It turns them from a powdery thick drink into something that fills a pint glass and you could kid yourself it’s a proper milkshake, it tastes so much better. I struggled to get them down before I worked this out, now they’re my favourite.[/quote]
Thank you. I've watched a million youtube videos this afternoon. Doesnt sound like the soups are very nice. The girl was making them into bread and all sorts :/

@YeahBabyYeahYeah HUGE sympathies! I can smell from the hallway because my neighbour ordered some!

@Karcheer Welcome, hope you find some decent products. I'm also here for that 'kick start' and 3 weeks in, I can say it's definitely worth it.

For anyone weighing in today, just reiterating that it's not unusual to maintain or have a lower loss on the second or third week. It won't matter in the long run. Keep going and you WILL lose!

It's pouring down with rain here. I already cleaned the house yesterday, so I think I'll do some beauty treatments and check out WandaVision on Disney+ to keep myself busy today. Haven't read any reviews so hoping it's not a total disaster!

First week today - 8lbs down. Irrationally slightly disappointed as when I did LL years ago, I lost a stone in the first week and I have more to lose now. But it’s a good start. Good luck everyone!

@YeahBabyYeahYeah Woo, congrats!

Only 0.8kg loss this week, but I have to keep going. Really disappointed though...

Hey everyone, I started step 2 of Cambridge today. This is introducing one meal (dinner) up to 200cal. However, when I compared the calories in the guidance in their book vs Internet, the calories seem to be higher - e.g. they say your protein is around 180cal based on the sizes in the book-170g chicken breast, 260g prawns, 2 eggs, 145g pork, etc. but in Internet all those sizes appear to be higher calories which means at the end I would be actually eating more than 200cal although I am following the 1:1 diet book. Have you thought of this before/discussed with your consultants?

@Shwighty1

Oh my friend had amazing results from taking collagen

interestingly, just come off a video call with friends who said my skin looked really fresh and glowing, and was I pregnant! Maybe it is working .

@457mm

Only 0.8kg loss this week, but I have to keep going. Really disappointed though...

any loss is a loss though, you just have to power through, and trust in the science - you can't not lose weight on 600/800 cals a day!

I'm 25kgs down overall, and a lot of weeks have been stay the same/lose hardly anything, but when I look at the overall picture, I am seeing that there's a lot less of me than when I started

Thank you MyVisionsComeFromSoup! For how long have you lost the 25 kg (congratulations!). Are you doing SS, or you also eat some food (Step 2)? Thanks!

I hit my max weight in October 19, then started a VLCD in August 20, most of the loss has been since then. I'm doing shakes only (no food, except for when I have a few days weeks off), I'm aiming to have the rest of the weight off around Easter, so a few weeks before that I'll have to start adding in one meal at a time. I'm too impatient to do it any slower .

For me it was easier to just not have any food in the fridge (youngest DC had gone off to uni, so it was just me here) as I don't have a great track record with being able to stop myself bingeing - I know I need to do a lot of work on that between now and Easter though, otherwise I'll be back in size 20 jeans within 6 months. But having made some massive life changes, with even more coming up, I finally decided that I wasn't going to be fat any more, so I'm hoping that resolve will carry on through the transition back to actual food.

Well today has been a good day with one shake and two very light meals, I have the xls nutrition shakes normally, but bought a slim fast banana one. My goodness me it tastes like those foam banana sweets!!!

Well done! And good luck! When there is will, there is a way. I am sure you will find your way. Shakes only is too extreme for me, I would not be able to sustain, esp. while cooking at least few times per week for my family. I feel really great at step 2 to the point that I started accepting this might be a loner period of time, it does not bother me that much. I only hope I will be losing weight as otherwise I need to go a step back to SS

Good for you MyVisionsComeFromSoup you’ve done so well! The good thing is you’ll likely transition but retain some form of fasting, like 5:2 for maintaining it all off

@MyVisionsComeFromSoup How is the rowing machine? I was flipping through a fitness book yesterday (written by Chris Hemsworth's wife, no less!) and it was very much recommended as part of training.

I finally decided that I wasn't going to be fat any more This really resonates with me. I'm so tired of feeling rubbish and while it's down to multiple factors for me, I know that my weight is a big part of it.

@Shwighty1 Yeah, the Slimfast banana shake is not great. Chocolate is the best, imo. Strawberry is tolerable.

New week, getting closer to our goals each day, keep going everyone!

rowing machine is great - I'm doing 3km a day, but I don't yet have MO arms . I'm working on getting the right technique rather than working up a sweat, but I think there might be a touch less belly than there was, which is great. From what I've read/watched, a rowing machine is almost the perfect piece of fitness equipment cos it uses so many more different muscle groups than anything else.

I can't remember if I said on this thread or not, but what triggered my "not going to be fat any more" was leaving H in the summer, and wanting to make a point when the family was all together at Christmas, that I had been fat because I was seriously unhappy, and now that I was happy again, I wasn't fat (and looked shit hot ). Obviously the get together didn't happen, but he finally noticed just before Christmas that I'd lost weight (although was prompted into actually looking by someone else telling me how great I looked).

But, having lost a chunk of weight (helped by not feeling the need to have two big glasses of wine every night ), I'm in a lot less pain, I'm sleeping better (that's the giving up wine tbh), I don't get as red and sweaty, so feel a lot more confident, and am looking forward to moving to another new city I've only been to once, to start a college course, with the plan to go back to uni (and as I don't dye my hair any more, I need to be able to wear vaguely stylish/trendy clothes if I'm not to be a total figure of fun among the 18 year olds!).

And that confidence has all stemmed from the weight loss, which is a bit gobsmacking really.

Shwighty - yes, I'm going to have to really cut down on the times/quantities I eat, especially since I'm 50, and so my metabolism is slowing down/menopause is kicking in. So 5:2 or 16:8 is likely to be the plan I think. I probably will only need around 1200-1400 cals a day to maintain (I have PCOS as well which affects my metabolism) which is a bit low to fit in all the necessary nutrition and variety from just food, so 1/2 shakes a day will supplement that.