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!

@collywobble welcome. I did download the app but it then looked like a faff. Can't recall why now! You possibly have to pay to u lock recipes? But don't quote me on that.

I find the books nice and straightforward so far. I just pick a few things and buy the stuff and I'm not recording anything (unusual for me) because I'm eating what Louise tells me to

@Sutra yes I agree re delicate potions. I am usually not a delicate portion type of person. When I did the baked apricots with ricotta cream yesterday , I took one look at it and thought ' umm what's the point of this? I'll be starving!'

Turns out I was stuffed after it

[quote HardRockOwl]@Luredbyapomegranate no. Old fashioned because it was all the rage at one point and then... nothing much really. I used to see the name and think 'meh, overpriced and fancy' and that was even after reading a couple of threads.

It's all keto, intermittent fasting, low carb, etc at the moment and none of that suits me - although I appreciate the LP method isn't exactly laden with pasta and chips (worst luck) [/quote]
Oh I see.

I would say it’s low carb though - not Keto low but low. I ended up adopting a broader approach but I still use quite a few bits from it.

Yum! This is in Lean for life!

Gosh, this thread has got busy since I last checked in, yay! @indiesearcher that salad is one of my favourites from the books. @HardRockOwl I remember googling her practice a while ago too, those prices are not for me! Well today I've been for a run, then been out at a rehearsal all morning so actually behind on food if anything today. However, I intend to use this evening to do a bit of prep for the week ahead. @Wastwater I wouldn't worry too much about not liking butcher, there's loads of other options for breakfasts. My garden and freezer have really come into their own too, I have a major glut of raspberries, currants etc in the summer, pick tons and freeze and at this time of year grapes out a handful to go on my breakfast or whatever.

@ElvenDreamer sounds like you've had a positive day. I should probably do some prep tonight but because I'm at home working it's easier for me to do as and when

Today food times

Apple, walnut and cinnamon bircher

Chocolate dusted almonds + plum

Mozzarella, beef tomato + basil salad

Edamame beans

Feta, watermelon, cucumber + hazelnut salad

Today’s food:

Peanut butter on whole grain toast, apple
Half a banana, was going to be the whole one but it was a bit squishy so the dog had the other half
An accidental tiny bit of french bread and butter as I was at my friend's
Lentil and chickpea curry (from bbc food website which is ace ) with some peas and a tablespoon and a half of brown rice cf delicate portions

Going to try not to have a glass of wine now

@HardRockOwl your salad looks delicious

Just stumbled across this thread and feel compelled to order these books now! I put on loads of weight in lockdown 1, lost it all plus a bit more last year, and am now slowly creeping up again. I did plain old calorie counting but I didn't have much inspiration for meals and am bored witless of salads for lunch. Plus I was hungry a lot of the time which was crap - no wonder I've fallen off the wagon!

So thanks for the inspiration- I'll order the books and report back!

Evening all,

Day 1 for me... Today I've had;

Carrot cake Bircher
Cocoa almonds
Beluga lentil and goat cheese salad (loved this!)
Seeds - handful
Leftover sausages and bean mash from last night.
And a small oat milk coffee.

So far, so good....

Hi, can I just ask a bit of advice please? I have lost over 3 stone but still have one stone to go. The last bit of weight is proving to be impossible so ordered the books and going to give this a try.

However, my main problem is cravings. I am peri menopause and struggling with exhaustion and a cycle which ranges from 10-45 days. It means when I am due my cravings are out of control. I get starving hungry and also crave cake/ chocolate (don’t eat sugary foods any other time). I know I can’t do this on this meal plan but can people please suggest alternatives that would work? Fruit just does not cut it unfortunately. Thank you!

@EssexLioness

Hi, can I just ask a bit of advice please? I have lost over 3 stone but still have one stone to go. The last bit of weight is proving to be impossible so ordered the books and going to give this a try.

However, my main problem is cravings. I am peri menopause and struggling with exhaustion and a cycle which ranges from 10-45 days. It means when I am due my cravings are out of control. I get starving hungry and also crave cake/ chocolate (don’t eat sugary foods any other time). I know I can’t do this on this meal plan but can people please suggest alternatives that would work? Fruit just does not cut it unfortunately. Thank you!

Well, I'm only a day in but have scoured the book I ordered (lean for life), and it has a good few sweet recipes. There's a hot chocolate, Choc dipped Brazil nuts etc. I feel it's all about portion control and using dark choc.

@indiesearcher how were the carrot cake oats? I'm considering making them tonight for the morning. Would you recommend?

@EssexLioness trust me, your cravings won't be a strong as mine can be. They just can't! I've been known to eat an entire cake (that serves 6) and then chased it down with a bag of Squashies, so unless you're at my level, don't worry about it !

I'm about 5 days in and I haven't had one craving. I've only felt a bit peckish once - maybe twice? Today I could have skipped a snack quite easily.

Just give it a go for a week and if it's not suiting you, no harm done. But if it does suit you? You'll be thrilled you have it a go

@EssexLioness I'm also very very firmly in peri-menopause so I do get it

Yum @HardRockOwl - I needed the stevia on mine to taste (does LP ban all kinds of syrup to sweeten)? But I didn't have the vanilla paste in it as it only arrived this evening so definitely hold fire on the stevia until you've actually tried it.

@MrsPaperclip welcome! I was really struggling with calorie counting after having some success with it. I think because I was always thinking about what would 'fit' into my allowance. And I was eating sandwiches with crisps etc - all calorie counter but as Louise and @Sutra would say .... nothing 'delicate' about it

@indiesearcher I've not been using any stevia or vanilla paste so sometimes my bircher can be a little ... sharp?

However I'm now in possession of both! So I'll add tiny bits and see tomorrow what it's like.

And there's not one mention of honey 🍯 in any books that I can see? So clearly BAN HAMMERED by Louise

Yeah no honey, maple, or date syrups.... 😢

She really means this no sugar thing!!! Clearly fruit sugars ok though?

The no honey thing does upset me a bit, I'm not going to lie, because we keep bees so therefore it's cost effective to use. Stevia for and honey for the rest of the family! I've seen some people slate stevia on other threads but I actually quite like the taste, it has a slight vanilla taste to it I think.
How is everyone getting on with the other 'pillars' of the method btw?

*Stevia for me and honey for the rest that should have said.

@ElvenDreamer I think I'd be tempted to use your honey in that case! But sigh probably best to stick to it properly

I'd never have considered stevia before as thought it was some weird frankenfood! Probably is 😀

Err .. ok ish with the other pillars? I can't put my phone down at 9pm or whatever it is. I'm a social media manager so doesn't really work for me. But I'm making sure I settle down to sleep by 11.30pm and that's unusual for me, I'm usually an hour later so that's progress

I've not looked at her exercises I must admit. I swim every day and for now, that'll do. I want to add in more but im lazy. I can only swim as long as I can as I listen to podcasts and that makes me forget how dull swimming is.

What's the other pillar?!! Is it the eating beautifully?

Um, Think successfully, live well, eat beautifully, work out intelligently according to the index! Stuff like creating a nice environment in your home, lowering stress levels etc. Need a reread to inspire myself I think!

Thank you @indiesearcher, they actually sound really tasty and should hit the spot. I’m not a fan of dark chocolate but hopefully will get used to it.
@HardRockOwl thank you for the reassurance. Good to know it’s not just me. I half expected people to reply and say just eat an apple 😆
I have just downloaded Lean for Life onto my kindle and started reading through. I’m a bit confused on things like grains. I can see we shouldn’t eat potatoes, couscous or pasta, but what about things like quinoa?