Vlcd - advice needed

[Weightlosstipsneeded]

Hi everyone.
Please could I preface this by asking that people don't say meal replacement diets are unsustainable etc. Everyone has their own reasons why they do them.
I'm on day 4 of a meal replacement/shakes diet and the hunger pangs are unreal.. I have 2 stone to lose and just want to reset my eating habits.
I'm on 2 shakes and 1 bar a day with 3 x 100 calorie snacks plus 2 litres of water. I can already tell I've lost weight.
I just want some on advice on staving off the hunger pangs and in addition when I could introduce a low calorie dinner into the mix which I think will be more sustainable for me.
Any advice would be welcome.

What plan are you following?

I did the Lighter Life diet for several months. The first week is difficult because you are used to eating more and it takes a while for your body to get used to dealing with less.

A good tip was, when hunger strikes, to do something which means you cant eat: do your nails, have a bath, knit, sew, whatever.

This is meal replacement so don't start adding meals in so early on in the process as that:

A - makes it harder to get used to VLCD
B - makes it much easier to try and 'game' the diet

If you are going to do it, stick with the rules.

I've never done one. But I know of people who have. It requires a lot of willpower and you have to stick to it. Deviate and you will regret it.

Packets of sugar free polos. Don't over do them as they're laxatives but a strong taste of mint in your mouth means that everything else tastes horrible so stops you from trying. Or clean your teeth!

And keep drinking lots of fluid, that gives you the feeling of being full.

I'm sticking religiously to it. I did CWP a number of years back and lost 2 stone in 2 months.. then piled it on after pregnancy in lock down. Had great success with slimming world but stopped after 8 months and was just never able to get back on it properly.

I decided I needed a complete reset from food.

I've been brushing my teeth during the day to help.

I am just doing the Tesco meal replacements as they're a bit cheaper for the moment but I've just placed an order with Protein Works as most of the reviews read that the shakes are a lot more filling.

I know I will 100% regret it if I blow it by having a McDonald's. I feel like I've lost a few pounds already so that's keeping me motivated. My god the will power required is unreal.

I would drink around 3-4 litres of water a day. Stops hunger.

Sorry I name changed.. fail 😅.
I'm finding drinking more than 2.5 litres makes me feel so headachy and lightheaded in addition to the hunger but I will try to up it.

The headaches are probably a mixture of dehydration and also withdrawal of sugar, carbs etc.

Hi all, I am 5 days in now, am in the office today and have a really bad headache. Would it be ok for me to just have some protein? i was just going to have some chicken, it shouldn't derail my progress should it?

No @Weightlosstipsneeded stick to the plan!

Feels like you are looking at ways to cheat. If you start eating other things it’s not a VLCD, it’s just a regular diet.

The first week is the first but then it does get easier.

I feel so lightheaded today :(

I'm not looking for ways to cheat, but just want the lightheaded feeling to go away, especially as I am in the office!

Would coffee help?

I have had a decaf black tea this morning.
The side effects the past few days have been awful, headaches, lightheaded, the keto mouth/breath is the worst, no matter how much water I drink or how many times I brush my teeth it is overpowering. I am actually NOT even hungry, it's the lightheaded/dizziness that is getting to me the worst.

Get through today and I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow

Did you make it through the day OP?

Did you make it through the day OP?

I did thankfully :)

Well done @Weightlosstipsneeded

So...... I'm one full week in as i started last Thursday. I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 7lbs which I feel ecstatic about and already feel so much better. I've got another 1.5 stone to lose.
The light-headed feeling has gone and keto mouth is slowly getting better.
I'm utterly bamboozled that I just don't feel hungry at all and 2 x shakes, 1 x bar and 3 x low calorie snacks are doing it.
Fingers crossed I can get through to my goal weight loss.

Well done! You do get good results with VLCDs. If you stick to the rules then the hunger pangs do tend to ease relatively quickly.

I'm on 1200 calories per day (so appreciate more than you) and am getting towards the end of my third week with a weigh in on Sunday. So far I've lost 9lbs (to last Sunday) and feel so much better, the dizziness and extreme hunger has gone.

I find that when hunger strikes it's best to do something, go for a walk, hoover, clean the bathroom, anything as a distraction. Anything works and you get loads of jobs done too!

Well done OP!!