Louise Parker method anyone? I know it's a bit old fashioned now ..

[HardRockOwl]

But I've decided to give it a go

The food is the sort of stuff I like to eat although I'll have to make some substitutes as I'm a vegetarian. But I love Bircher, porridge, all her snacks and salads etc

I'm starting tomorrow and wondered if anyone had some advice regarding the method or stories

Thanks!

Thank you @EssexLioness I wasn't sure about the banana? Can't see them mentioned anywhere in the book ..

Oh, I’m not sure on bananas. I have only been doing the plan for a few days and been eating them as snacks most days and still losing. They are quite a sugary fruit though so maybe they aren’t allowed 🤔 Sorry that isn’t any help, is it!

Thank you @EssexLioness it is really helpful to hear they the plan works and that you're losing! I don't know if it'll work for me (nothing does!) but I'm more hopeful about this one than previous

@NinetyNineRedBalloonsGoBy yep that looks on plan to me - depending on the gravy and how that was made and what with?

Bananas are fine on plan as they're mentioned in a couple of the snacks in the books

@NinetyNineRedBalloonsGoBy I lose very very slowly but this plan looks promising. I also find I am not as hungry as normal and I feel like I am eating loads per day.

6 week menu plan done, (not including this coming week). Photos included as requested @clpsmum! I have a vague pattern of veggie twice a week minimum, fish once, meat once. Fridays are something previously cooked as no time to do it on Fridays. Husband cooks weekends. I like to plan 2 lunches which I'll then make 2 or 3 lunch boxes worth for myself each week. I plan a more interesting breakfast or snack once a week (snacks obviously make enough for more than 1 day.) Then there are lots of go to breakfasts and snacks I don't plan, things like yoghurt, eggs, oat cakes, fruit etc.

Here are the other 3 weeks.

Wow @ElvenDreamer I'm very impressed with your planning! I struggle so much with a proper plan because I'm all rebellious - even with myself - and it would come to a specific day and I'd look at what I was having and say ' I'm not sure I fancy that!' 😀

Ok so today's food times. Not a great eating day but I've stayed on plan

Bircher with strawberries

Mango + portion of mixed nuts

Watermelon chunks
Apple slices with peanut butter

Decaf iced coffee with oat milk

Quinoa with tomato, cucumber, goats cheese + quorn pieces

So very uninspiring due to being out the house all day. Probably why I feel a bit peckish!

Wow I love that meal plan @ElvenDreamer. Thank you for sharing

@HardRockOwl well done on keeping to plan even though you were out of the house all day.

I am going to stick to plan as much as possible tomorrow but I am meeting my MIL for brunch. She is very partial to a mid morning cake but I plan on resisting. There’s not many other options, mainly toasted tea cake or toast (it’s a quaint old style tearoom). I think I am going to go for granary toast with a little spread as that seems to be my best option. Soya cappuccino no sugar will be fine. She originally suggested meeting for lunch but I thought breakfast might fit into the plan more easily.

I must admit I am struggling to think of actual meals for dinner. I seem to be veering towards some protein and collection of veg together, which works fine but might get a bit boring in time. Will have to think of some proper meals I can do too.

My dinner plans are exactly that @EssexLioness - protein plus veg. Will try to keep the portions delicate but it's hard as I'm also cooking for 3 hungry teens and I work FT.

I've got on my dinner plans:

Bolognese and courgetti

Chicken curry & cauli rice

Cheese & mushroom omlette and salad

Fish goujons (I roll white fish pieces in Cajun seasoning) with swede mash & peas

Chicken fajitas with iceberg lettuce leaves as wraps

Lasagne made with sliced aubergine instead of pasta

Sausages, roasted Brussel sprouts and onion gravy

Chicken & chorizo & peppers & tomatoes traybake

Naked cheese burger (no bun) & salad

Prawn kebabs

Sounds like a nice varied meal plan. I think my meals are a bit basic compared with many of the ideas on here. I just need to spend a bit of time brainstorming ideas. My evening meals aren’t always delicate looking however they are mostly veg and I am eating 1000-1200 cals most days so not too worried. I won’t continue counting calories but changing to a new plan this week I was curious/ wanted to keep a check on what I was eating.

I too can struggle a bit with dinner. I select from the books so far - and it's a further limitation when you're veggie isn't it @EssexLioness

It's my second weigh in tomorrow morning.

@HardRockOwl swimming 5-6 days per week is really good exercise.

That's amazing organisation @ElvenDreamer

For the PP who asked - yes there are recipes with banana topping in the book but it's just half a banana .

Today:

B overnight oats with 0% Greek yogurt, chia seeds, cherries and a tea spoon of almond butter

L. veg soup with grains in

snack - one rice cake with peanut butter and slice banana

D salmon, spinach, green beans,
Cauliflower cheese

I will probably have some fruit with Greek yogurt in a bit

It's 20 past 9 so better start my screen curfew! I'm reading my kindle which I know is a screen but it's a different kind of light so assume it's OK. She does say old fashioned paper book but I have kindle unlimited so I'm not about to start collecting books again .

@HardRockOwl yes it is trickier not eating meat as that excludes a lot of the recipes. I am enjoying our simpler way of eating though - just want to get organised in case I suddenly get bored with it after a while.

@shinynewapple22 thank you for reminding me about screen time. My sleeping is poor and I tend to forget to turn screens off and go to bed at a sensible time.

Meals all went to plan today, although I was a bit peckish this evening so had a slice of soya and linseed toast with on, along with my smoothie for dinner. Soya and linseed bread is low gi so although she doesn’t specifically mention it in the book I reckon it’s ok.

@ElvenDreamer those meal plans are great. You've inspired me to do the same.

I've maintained over the weekend. I'm happy with that though because I was more relaxed and stepped out of the circle a few times. Weekends are where things usually go really wrong for me and I end up gaining back any losses and going round in circles. If I can continue losing a bit in the week and maintaining at the weekend I'll be at goal in about a month.

I admire everyone's will power to stick to it fully. Keep going!

Morning all, hoping to really hit the ground running today, this week is the last week of previous planning before my 6 week menu starts but I have got stuff planned this week for main meals at least. Today main meal will be spicy vegetable pie (essentially Mediterranean type veg with a sweet potato topping.) Can understand those finding the LP books hard because she doesn't include a lot of veggie recipes, I try to eat veggie/vegan 3 times a week and that's hard enough. I do have a LOT of recipe books though which helps. I love 'The Green Roasting Tin' (and indeed all the Roasting Tin books which all have quite a lot of veggie recipes in) as they are mostly quite on method anyway and I just add a side for the rest of the family. Or if I cook a veggie (or indeed meat) story or something I just leave the noodles/rice etc out of my portion and add more veg.

@Pumpkin2901 have fun! I fell into 6 week plans a couple of years ago as I don't really enjoy cooking and then having to think on the fly made me even crosser about it, I do enjoy a really varied diet though. This way I spend an hour or so having an enjoyable flick through books then I don't have to think again for ages, I've found it really helps me.

@Pumpkin2901 I fell out the circle on Friday so you are not alone. Otherwise stuck to it completely. Got on the scales today and in 6 days it is showing I’ve lost less than 1lb. Bit annoyed really as despite Friday I hoped for more. I am a slow loser though so maybe I set my hopes too high.

Morning all. Week 2 weigh in for me (well, 12 days! No idea why I started this plan on a Wednesday!) and I've lost a further 3lbs. So that's 10 lbs in total.

I'm going to dig deep this week and aim for a stone off by next Monday which could be ambitious

Off to catch up on your posts now

Hi all,
May I join you? And congratulations to those successfully starting and continuing this program. For the last three weeks I have been following The Beck Diet for Life, v psychology-based ( authors father invented CBT) It is really good at getting your mindset right, lots of focus on giving yourself credit for all successes, no matter how small. The food side not so effective: insistent on not dropping daily calories below 1600 (feels that people often fall off diets due to excessive calorie restriction) but that doesn’t work for me. Also allows probably too much sugar.
I read the LP PDF with interest. (Thanks for posting link!) I very much like the holistic, positive, emphasising bringing beauty & order into your life point of view (some diet books are rather dreary -Zoe Harcombe, anyone!?) So I started inventorying my ingredients by doing a much-needed cupboard clean. I have quite a few already, so my next shop won’t be too punishing.
The Beck approach emphasises writing down what you are going to eat each day, (I do it the night before) and sticking to it. I find this really helpful with temptation, if not on my list, less likely to succumb. Also you create affirmations that you review daily as well as positive outcomes. So I will leave the Beck to the psychology, and try LP for eating structure.
As my calorie requirements are low ( always have been, basal metabolism has hardly changed from 1400 cal/day) hunger can be a real problem. I know eliminating sugar & maximising fibre is key, so I hope the LP approach is effective. As PP have noted.
I might start today if I get a chance to go to supermarket, but for sure tomorrow. Vanilla paste & oat bran at the top of the list!

Hello everyone, reporting my week one weigh-in loss of 4.2 lb. I am very pleased with this, as I managed not to do my usual of putting back on at the weekend. Pumpkin2901, I think you have the right idea.
One thing though, I often find that there can be a lag, from going off-plan to when it shows up on the scales. Maybe this explains your scale reading today EssexLioness? The benefits of staying in the circle over the weekend may not show up for a day or two. I'm sure my theory is very unscientific but it is what I have seen for myself.

That is a fantastic result HardRockOwl . Well done!

I too am very impressed with your planning ElvenDreamer. At the moment I am planning 1 week at a time. For dinners I have been mostly using the book. The recipes are for 4, so I have 1/4, DH has about 1/3, leaving the rest to make into lunch the next day. I will have just one DC and partner home next weekend, and only for 1 day and night, so it should be easier for me to stay in or close to the circle (entertaining is another of my danger points!)

Clpsmum I don't manage 10k steps everyday, depending on what I am doing. Some days are higher and some lower, but my average for last week was about 11k. This is helped by the fact that I run (very slowly) three times a week. Three walks a week would help get the average up if you are not a runner.
Welcome Moanranger! Yes, I hear you on Zoe Harcombe . I do think she talks a lot of sense and there is quite a lot of overlap with LP, but I agree that this seems more achievable. Good luck.

Welcome @Moanranger , just get stuck in to the thread. I've heard of Beck but haven't looked into it at all - sounds interesting. And yes - don't forget your vanilla paste now! (totally doable without btw!)

@Topazpearlagain that's a great loss. You must be pleased. Fingers crossed for potentially the half stone by next week? Just a case of keeping plodding along

@EssexLioness I agree with @Topazpearlagain I think - there can be a lag when it comes to weight loss. I'd also have a closer look at bread .. I know for me it's one of those foods that just cause slow weight loss for me. Before this plan I was calorie counting and sticking to 1300 cals a day - lunch would usually be a sandwich with crisps and a snack bar type thing - even though it was all counted in, the bread / crisps combo was not working for me. Pasta has the same effect on me too. Actually all the things I love do

@ElvenDreamer you might enjoy the book 'My Darling Lemon Thyme Every Day' if you enjoy a flick through recipe type things. It's all LP type foods so worth a look IF you can get past the stupid title. In fact, I was telling my brother I'd bought it and he said ' Move over Pinch Of Nom, there's a new c*nt in town!' which really does emphasise just how terrible the name is.

Book is excellent though 😀

Casting my eye over LP recipes, a couple of things stand out: except for mainly 0% yoghurt, there is little dairy/ cheese. Also minimal oil. Hummus has literally no oil, just a drizzle over top.
To bear in mind when free-lancing, quite a lot of complex recipes, so I will be adjusting some of my standard ones to conform to LP