Total Solution Double Trouble...The Exante Duo!

Hello everybody

I'm Alex and I'm starting my Exante Journey today with my boyfriend, who will hereafter be known as The Man (a nickname that started on my Xenical diary and seemed to stick!)

We've been talking about doing TFR for quite a while now - for me it's because I've been messing around in the same stone/two stone bracket for what feels like years! And for the Man, it's because he feels that he needs the strictness and big rewards that a VLCD can bring.

I'm no stranger to diets - I started back in 2001 at 21st 10lbs doing Slimming World, and I've since tried Xenical (getting down to my lowest weight of 12st 8lbs a couple of years ago). More recently I've tried WW Propoints, which I think I'll probably use again after Exante.

The Man, on the other hand, hasn't really tried any structured diet plans, so this is a first for him.

We're hoping that doing this together will give us the support we need to stay on-track. Just the fact that we both know what each other is going through/struggling with will be a massive support. And hopefully if one of us if feeling disheartened or weak, then the other will be able to help.

Starting Exante has been a bit delayed for us both - we ordered the bumper pack agggges ago, but I had the V festival to look forward to, and The Man had an appointment to have a wisdom tooth out, so we decided to wait until those things were behind us.

In the meantime, I've been on a complete food bender - I've eaten anything and everything I thought I might miss while I'm on Exante, resulting in a HUGE 1st 5lb gain in the last month or so, which I feel very ashamed about. I'm also pretty gutted that the first few weeks of Exante will be spent re-losing the weight gained during my bender!

Anyway, there's nothing I can do about that now...but I CAN change what happens next

This is day one for us both - I've managed 3 litres of water (so far) and I've had a vanilla shake and a chicken soup. It was supposed to be the vegetable soup but I had a blender-related incident!...
The Man had a chocolate shake and the chicken soup as well...which we both thought was alright.
I wasn't a big fan of the vanilla shake to be honest - it was a bit sweet and creamy for my taste so I might try it with coffee next time.

We're both planning to have a bar and a Coke Zero tonight while we're watching TV...and then I think it'll be an early night for me

I've just asked him what his first thoughts on the diet are, and he said that day one was easier than expected (I agree) but he doesn't think day one will be the worst, purely because we absolutely filled our boots food-wise yesterday.
Then there's obviously the adrenalin/excitement of finally starting Exante after planning it for so long, which will no doubt wear off soon enough!

Well I think that's enough rambling for now... hope to get to know some of you soon.

x

Well we're half way through day two, and so far so good! The man and I don't live together, but he emailed me earlier to say that he'd had the strawberry shake for breakfast, and he thought it was alright.
I decided to hang on until lunch time to have my first shake (also strawberry) so I can have my soup at about 5 when i get in, and my bar in the evening while I'm watching TV.

Being in the office is tricky as I've had to watch everyone else eating their meals, but I've stayed strong and glugged my water all morning!
I do feel a bit bad tempered today though, which I'm putting down to tiredness and hunger, so I hope that passes soon!

Hi Alex, good to see you over here! The first week is always the hardest, if at times you feel like you're flagging, just hang in there, I promise weighing in at the end of the week will be worth it!

Maybe try the vanilla shake hot?..I have all my shakes hot now and I love them like that, I use loads of water too and it really fills me up. I pretty much do the same as you regarding the times I have my shakes.

I've been having my first between 2pm and 4pm my 2nd shake between 7pm and 8pm and I have an SF bar around 9pm ish while I watch tv

It's great that you have each other for support and to keep you both on track, you'll do great

Hi Violet! Thanks for popping in

Yeah, I thought I might try the shakes hot - and I might try the vanilla ones with a bit of coffee, just to try to get rid of the sickly sweetness. I've heard a few people metion that they have them this way, so I'll give it a try!

I might be flogging a dead horse though, because I never really liked milkshakes in the first place!

Hope you're doing OK today
x

Hey Alex, gonna look forward to reading your diary. Stick with it for 1st few days tho, drink tons of water and the weight will just drop off you. I've been doing it for 3 and a half weeks now and I love it.

Welcome double trouble 2 the crazy world of exante! Good luck & feel free to moan, shout, scream, laugh, cry & anything else that comes in the way on this journey

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tenney 75 said:

Hey Alex, gonna look forward to reading your diary. Stick with it for 1st few days tho, drink tons of water and the weight will just drop off you. I've been doing it for 3 and a half weeks now and I love it.

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Hiya, and thanks for saying hello - I'm on about my third litre of water at the moment, and I'm running to the loo about every 5 minutes
The Man is the same - I just spoke to him on the phone and he had to nip off to the loo twice during the one phonecall!

kay80 said:

Welcome double trouble 2 the crazy world of exante! Good luck & feel free to moan, shout, scream, laugh, cry & anything else that comes in the way on this journey

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

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Hello and thanks for the welcome! I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of all those things along the way during this journey!

For now, we're both doing alright and feeling positive. We're already talking about which products we might order again, and those we're not so keen on.
We're both really hungry but it's bearable, which is about as good as it gets I expect, until ketosis kicks in.

I had a vegetable soup earlier, which I really liked - would probably even eat it if I wasn't doing Exante !
The choc orange bar that I just had wasn't quite as nice, but it was definitely edible...just the choc shake and the tomato soup to try for the first time (we decided not to keep out banana shakes or mushroom soups)

Onto day three!

Well day three is nearly over, and we're both still doing well...I tried the chocolate shake tonight - just half, made with hot water. It was very sweet, but this one was from the dodgy batch that Exante have been replacing.
I also had half a vanilla shake made with a mug of coffee - very nice indeed! It tasted a bit like a latte - really indulgent and creamy This has been a revelation for me, as it took me nearly half an hour to get one plain vanilla shake down me the other day!

I also had the tomato soup at lunch time, which was another first - and I actually thought it was pretty good, especially with some black pepper. I'd been dreading trying it, because it doesn't seem very popular and The Man wasn't very keen, but it just shows - everyone is different!
Think we'll be doing a bit of swapping when we see each other at the weekend!

Other than that, there's not much to tell - the hunger is subsiding, so I'm hoping the big K is on its way soon...day 4 tomorrow so it can't be far away.
Had a few struggles at work today - food seems to be such a big topic of conversation in our office! I stayed strong though, even when someone brought a hot pork roll into the office!

The Man is also doing well today - he's changed tactics a little though - he was trying to save his favourite packs for last, but he's decided that during these tough first few days, he should splash out and have his favourite ones to make it more bearable! Even if it means being left with the crappy ones at the end!

Hope everyone else is doing well
x

Alex_1978 said:

Well day three is nearly over, and we're both still doing well...I tried the chocolate shake tonight - just half, made with hot water. It was very sweet, but this one was from the dodgy batch that Exante have been replacing.
I also had half a vanilla shake made with a mug of coffee - very nice indeed! It tasted a bit like a latte - really indulgent and creamy This has been a revelation for me, as it took me nearly half an hour to get one plain vanilla shake down me the other day!

I also had the tomato soup at lunch time, which was another first - and I actually thought it was pretty good, especially with some black pepper. I'd been dreading trying it, because it doesn't seem very popular and The Man wasn't very keen, but it just shows - everyone is different!
Think we'll be doing a bit of swapping when we see each other at the weekend!

Other than that, there's not much to tell - the hunger is subsiding, so I'm hoping the big K is on its way soon...day 4 tomorrow so it can't be far away.
Had a few struggles at work today - food seems to be such a big topic of conversation in our office! I stayed strong though, even when someone brought a hot pork roll into the office!

The Man is also doing well today - he's changed tactics a little though - he was trying to save his favourite packs for last, but he's decided that during these tough first few days, he should splash out and have his favourite ones to make it more bearable! Even if it means being left with the crappy ones at the end!

Hope everyone else is doing well
x

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Have Exante replaced those dodgy shakes you had? They replaced mine and i didn't need to send the dodgy ones back

I love all the shakes and hate the soups so, it just shows how different our tastes our, plus as the time goes on, our taste seems to change further still. I do love the chocolate shake hot though, I have that in the evening with 700mls ish of hot water, so yummy and it's nice to have them hot now the weather has been changing.

You've come through to the worst of it now, day 4/day 5 is usually the turning point and you start to feel better..plus weigh in just round the corner, I have a feeling you'll be pleased! Well done Alex and for resisting at work!

hello
Yeah, Exante replaced the dodgy ones for us, but we're trying to use them anyway to extend our supplies a bit further! I'm not sure if I'll manage mine though, because the one I had last night was VERY sweet, even when I added coffee to it.
I've also now realised that so much coffee close to bed time is a bad thing because it took me ages to get to sleep last night!! So I'm about to have half a vanilla one now, and the other half of the chocolate one later, followed by my bar.
I've got a friend calling round for a catch-up after work, so that'll be a good distraction from food for a couple of hours

Had the vegetable soup earlier on.. it has to be my favourite so far. Call me weird but I think I'd actually eat it if I wasn't dieting!
x

hi, your doing great so far. a big well doen to you and your man

as for the vanilla shakes,, try and a small bit of cinnamon to it. tastes yummy and cinnamon is supposed to boost your metabolism

fortyandfat said:

hi, your doing great so far. a big well doen to you and your man

as for the vanilla shakes,, try and a small bit of cinnamon to it. tastes yummy and cinnamon is supposed to boost your metabolism

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Ooo thank you, I'll have to try that! So far I've just been having them with coffee, but it's nice to have a bit of variety!

Well it's day 6 now! Can't believe we've got this far, and that it hasn't been toooo difficult. The Man says he's got a gurgling tummy but no hunger, and I've got the opposite!
My stomach's not making any noises, but it feels very 'empty' if that makes any sense. I keep getting that feeling in my tummy that you get when you're hungry and your stomach is about to do a big growl...but it's not actually growling!!

I still have no idea how much I've lost, as I've managed to stay completely off the scales since I've started (don't know how I've managed it though!!). I think I've done alright though, as I'm wearing some trousers today that were cutting me in half last week! They're still not 100% comfortable, but I can breathe in them which is a bonus

Just about to have my second half pack of the day - I'm finding it easier to split them into several smaller 'meals' at the moment.
I think I've been holding off too long before having my first pack, because I've got this fear of getting hungry later in the day. If I split my packs into smaller portions, I don't feel like I'm putting all my eggs in one basket...if that makes any sense. Or do I just sound bonkers

Alex_1978 said:

hello
Yeah, Exante replaced the dodgy ones for us, but we're trying to use them anyway to extend our supplies a bit further! I'm not sure if I'll manage mine though, because the one I had last night was VERY sweet, even when I added coffee to it.
I've also now realised that so much coffee close to bed time is a bad thing because it took me ages to get to sleep last night!! So I'm about to have half a vanilla one now, and the other half of the chocolate one later, followed by my bar.
I've got a friend calling round for a catch-up after work, so that'll be a good distraction from food for a couple of hours

Had the vegetable soup earlier on.. it has to be my favourite so far. Call me weird but I think I'd actually eat it if I wasn't dieting!
x

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You could try caffeine free, I have de caff tea bags now as I was getting awful heart palpitations, I feel much better without the caffiene and I sleep better since doing Exante

Alex_1978 said:

Ooo thank you, I'll have to try that! So far I've just been having them with coffee, but it's nice to have a bit of variety!

Well it's day 6 now! Can't believe we've got this far, and that it hasn't been toooo difficult. The Man says he's got a gurgling tummy but no hunger, and I've got the opposite!
My stomach's not making any noises, but it feels very 'empty' if that makes any sense. I keep getting that feeling in my tummy that you get when you're hungry and your stomach is about to do a big growl...but it's not actually growling!!

I still have no idea how much I've lost, as I've managed to stay completely off the scales since I've started (don't know how I've managed it though!!). I think I've done alright though, as I'm wearing some trousers today that were cutting me in half last week! They're still not 100% comfortable, but I can breathe in them which is a bonus

Just about to have my second half pack of the day - I'm finding it easier to split them into several smaller 'meals' at the moment.
I think I've been holding off too long before having my first pack, because I've got this fear of getting hungry later in the day. If I split my packs into smaller portions, I don't feel like I'm putting all my eggs in one basket...if that makes any sense. Or do I just sound bonkers

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You are doing so well Alex, the week has quickly flown by, will you be weighing in tomorrow? Look forward to hearing how you do

My tummy growled quite bad at first, every now and again it gurgles, but not because I'm hungry. I understand what you mean by that empty feeling, it stopped after a week or so. It's great that you've come this far and without any major side effects too, well done!

The Beck book works well with this plan too. Good luck for weigh in

well done on getting this far, i too half my shakes after the crushed ice and cold water it equals out to just under a pint glass so dont think i could drink double that in 1 go sometimes lol. also makes me feel like im getting more. then i save my bar for the evening to enjoy. xx

Hi, just popped in to say Hi. Thanks for reading my diary...when is your weigh in? All the best of luck! You've done great to get through week 1.

Hey Alex....how did you do?

You are doing so well Alex, the week has quickly flown by, will you be weighing in tomorrow? Look forward to hearing how you do

My tummy growled quite bad at first, every now and again it gurgles, but not because I'm hungry. I understand what you mean by that empty feeling, it stopped after a week or so. It's great that you've come this far and without any major side effects too, well done!

The Beck book works well with this plan too. Good luck for weigh in

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Weigh-in is Sunday for us...so not long to go now! I must admit, the past couple of days have been a bit difficult, as the hunger/emptiness is niggling away at me, but I'm staying strong!

Thanks for reminding me about the Beck book - I have it stashed away somewhere so I'll have to dig it out. I think I only got through the first chapter last time - obviously my head mustn't have been in the right place back then.

well done on getting this far, i too half my shakes after the crushed ice and cold water it equals out to just under a pint glass so dont think i could drink double that in 1 go sometimes lol. also makes me feel like im getting more. then i save my bar for the evening to enjoy. xx

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Yeah I'm the same, I always save my bar for a treat in the evenings And it does seem to work better for me to split my packs in half, so I'm going to carry on doing that.

I had a mixture of chocolate and vanilla as a 'creamy' hot chocolate drink this morning...it was really nice actually! I really struggle with the shakes so I'm glad I'm finding more ways to enjoy them.

Hi, just popped in to say Hi. Thanks for reading my diary...when is your weigh in? All the best of luck! You've done great to get through week 1.

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Hello Thanks for popping in! Our weigh in day is tomorrow, and neither of us have even had a sneaky peek, so we have no idea how we've done!! Can't believe week one is nearly over....on day one I didn't think I could make it through the next hour, never mind the next week!

x

Well it's the night before our first weigh-in, so we've officially done 7 days 100% TS
We're just trying to plan our next Exante order at the moment - working out whether we're going to go for another mixed bumper pack, or whether to mix it up a bit.

Today, we went to Sainsbury's, Tesco and ASDA, and bought more or less all the products on the 'what can you drink on Exante?' sticky! We also bought a Biggest Loser bar and some Tesco meal replacement bars (on offer, two boxes for £3.50 at the moment!) I must say that I thought both were better than the Exante bars, but I thought the Tesco ones were nicest overall - and lots cheaper than Exante too!

I also tried my first cup of Bouillon (very nice) so I expect I'll be having that between meals from now on, along with the diet coke/diet cherry coke that I've bought from the 'allowed list'. I even added some to my tomato soup (Bouillon, not Coke ) and it made it a little less sickly.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, I'll report back in the morning with our results!
x

Its good to add a bit of variety. Good luck for tomorrow!

Hi

Hope your weigh in has gone well. I tend to make my soups with 500 - 600mls otherwise I find them too 'gloupy'. I've not tried any of the Exante bars - I needed to do this the cheapest way so opted for the mixed bumper pack of soups and shakes and Tesco bars. I really enjoy the bars - my favourite is the raspberry one The chocolate one reminds me of rice krispie cakes!

Good luck to both of you and hope your weigh in keeps your motivation strong.

Lesley x