Absolutely confused, and in need of some advice.

[Catscratch]

See I'm the opposite. I find S&S packs much much more filling and far easier to stick to. I have 4 packs a day and never feel the need for anything else. Cost wise it's much of a muchness. I'd rather pay slightly more for a plan I love and can do 100%. I honestly couldn't come back to Exante now

You can't have 3 packs on their own with s&s if it's only packs then it's 4. 3 packs plus veggies etc or 4 packs is still less than Exante

You can pick the contents of your bumper pack to your exact specification - Exante are you listening??? - so if you don't like something you dont order it . It's lots more flexible and sitting down with a meal pack is so much more satisfying.

You Can order a sample pack - one of each product before you commit yourself

Oh and the weight loss is every bit as good

Hi Starlight, I've just seen your reply here and wondered if you could answer a question for me that I actually put on the S&S forum. I am losing virtually nothing now on Exante about 1lb every 2 to 3 weeks so am thinking of changing but I have a problem with sweetner and see s&s has it in. Is it possible to have Exante shakes and the rest from s&s? Are the s&s shakes very sweet as I don't like sweet things? I was thinking of getting the sample pack to try but there are a lot of shakes in it. Do you think if I change theres a chance of more of a loss. I have another 17lbs at least to lose and want it gone by August. I have enjoyed Exante but it's now getting hard work as I'm thinking is it worth it if I'm not losing.

It sounds as if a few people are enjoying doing s&s so may give it a go. CS

 

[Starlight]

ahh sandy .. I rememeber when you were so anti - S&S !!!!! It was you that put me off it in the first place !!!!

I'm never shy to say when I was wrong

 

[Starlight]

Hi Starlight, I've just seen your reply here and wondered if you could answer a question for me that I actually put on the S&S forum. I am losing virtually nothing now on Exante about 1lb every 2 to 3 weeks so am thinking of changing but I have a problem with sweetner and see s&s has it in. Is it possible to have Exante shakes and the rest from s&s? Are the s&s shakes very sweet as I don't like sweet things? I was thinking of getting the sample pack to try but there are a lot of shakes in it. Do you think if I change theres a chance of more of a loss. I have another 17lbs at least to lose and want it gone by August. I have enjoyed Exante but it's now getting hard work as I'm thinking is it worth it if I'm not losing.

It sounds as if a few people are enjoying doing s&s so may give it a go. CS

A few people have done it. It's not the best way to do it. To be honest though if it's that or give up I know what I'd chose. Like I said a few people. Have mix and matched and survived . You'd probably need 3 s&S products though to ensure your nutrients etc

 

[determinator]

oh you made me order some S&S stuff now !!! I ordered some bars and a few shakes ...... will still use exante too

 

[Starlight]

I'll get you on the dark side yet

You should try the meals!!

 

[Catscratch]

Thanks Starlight, I think I'll give it a go, I am going to order the sample pack, I'll know then if I can tolerate them. If not the OH can have the shakes. I have a lot of Exante stuff still so for now I'll mix n match but once they are gone I think I'll give just the s&s a try for a couple of months and see how it goes. I go away in August for 3 months so want to have lost by then. Will have to look if they sell s&s in OZ. If I can't manage the shakes can I just do without them and have porridge instead? Thanks CS

 

[Mally]

See I'm the opposite. I find S&S packs much much more filling and far easier to stick to. I have 4 packs a day and never feel the need for anything else. Cost wise it's much of a muchness. I'd rather pay slightly more for a plan I love and can do 100%. I honestly couldn't come back to Exante now

You can't have 3 packs on their own with s&s if it's only packs then it's 4. 3 packs plus veggies etc or 4 packs is still less than Exante

You can pick the contents of your bumper pack to your exact specification - Exante are you listening??? - so if you don't like something you dont order it . It's lots more flexible and sitting down with a meal pack is so much more satisfying.

You Can order a sample pack - one of each product before you commit yourself

Oh and the weight loss is every bit as good

Must admit this is all becoming very tempting. So, I can actually order a sample pack of every single product on their website?

 

[Starlight]

Yes you can. It's about £25 so it works out at 99p a pack so you get to try every single item

 

[Mally]

Yes you can. It's about £25 so it works out at 99p a pack so you get to try every single item

Wowee, that sounds amazing. Also, considering I am still on Exante, would it be acceptable to do a single week of SaS, and then go back to Exante for the following week if I am not keen on the products? Or would this reek havoc with my body, and cause me to put on weight (or lose more etc.)?
Thanks x

 

[Alex_1978]

That would be fine Mally. It's not really advisible to mix and match VLCDs on the same day because Exante works on the basis of 3 packs per day at around 200 cals each, and S&S works on the basis of 4 products at roughly 130 cals each (or 3 plus a small protein meal).
So for instance, if you imagine having two Exante, and one S&S per day, you would risk not quite getting all your vitamins and minerals, since each Exante pack has a third of your RDA and each S&S only has a quarter.

However both diets are ketogenic so you could easily swap to S&S for a week, and then back to Exante if you don't like their products. It wouldn't cause you any harm or stall/increase your weight loss.
I personally love the S&S products, especially the 'meals'. Despite posting mostly on the Exante forum, I tend to have the majority of my products from S&S these days. Funnily enough, I do really like the Exante soups, so I do mix and match a little (despite my earlier guidance not to!).

Good luck with whatever you decide x

 

[shoebedoo]

Hey Starlight I missed u off this forum See Uve switched to S+S Can u tell me if any of der products r wheat free as I'm totally intolerant Ta ?

 

[Mally]

Thanks Alex, I will definitely consider it, however I just found out that to try the samples you need to pay around £29 for it, so I will be putting that off for a while unfortunately, ahaha.

Anyway, I am back for a few questions, if you lovely people do not mind too much.
Will VLCD's only take you to a weight your body is happy with, e.g just get you into your healthy BMI, and then stop their effectiveness? Or will it help you to continue to lose weight as long as you stick to it 100%? I ask not because I am looking to get underweight and want to see if this is the best way to do it, but because if it is indeed the case that it stops when you get to a normal weight, well then I will be halting VERY soon, basically just a few numbers below 'overweight'.
What were the cereal bars you could buy locally that were deemed acceptable on Exante (and do they have to be particular flavors)?
Is there a problem with, or will one suffer if they did not take a 'food break week'? As it does not appeal to me, and it not something I am looking to do (as I am now only a week away from it now).
Also I don't know why but I am really beginning to feel down about losing weight, and this whole process (this happened to me before when I had lost two stone, and subsequently put it all back on). The reason why being that for some reason my body just does not seem to show weight loss that well, only tiny differences which is COMPLETELY demotivating. How is it possible, that I am not seeing barely any difference, when the scale is dropping? God it is frustrating.
Sorry for venting, but thanks all so much. x

 

[Starlight]

Mally you can buy the samples individually too for 99p each. You don't have to buy the full pack

 

[Saddlebag]

Mally stick with it. You will get what is sometimes by dieters called a 'whoosh' and you will literally wake up feeling thin! Bizarre how our bodies work, but it's true! Remember that a lot of the first weight loss is water weight, so you won't necessarily see much of a difference yet. But stick with it and you will.

 

[Mally]

Mally stick with it. You will get what is sometimes by dieters called a 'whoosh' and you will literally wake up feeling thin! Bizarre how our bodies work, but it's true! Remember that a lot of the first weight loss is water weight, so you won't necessarily see much of a difference yet. But stick with it and you will.

Starlight they did tell me that when I emailed them last. I think I am just going to stick with Exante for the foreseeable future, but thank you for your support.

Saddlebag I sincerely hope you are right. This is what stopped me from achieving my goal in the past, when I had already lost 2 stone. It seriously did not show, and I simply could not understand how the scale was dropping, but my appearance was staying very much the same, it really was driving me up the wall. I am now at the end of my fourth week so should not be losing any more 'water weight' and have been securely in ketosis since day three. I do hope this 'whoosh' is somewhere on the horizon I really do! By the way Saddlebag do you have any idea about a question I asked previously which I am interested to find out...

"Will Exante only take you to a weight your body is happy with, e.g just get you into your healthy BMI, and then stop their effectiveness? Or will it help you to continue to lose weight as long as you stick to it 100%?"

Thanks x

 

[Saddlebag]

I think you'll continue losing, albeit slowly. If you think about how the diet works, it's simply burning more calories than you consume. As long as you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight- whether that's 600 cals and no exercise or 3000 cals and hours of heavy exercise.
Your body will be getting used to the diminished amount of calories you are consuming, your metabolism slows, which is why weight loss slows down. It starts to realise that it's only going to get 600 cals so uses them differently.
However, as long as you burn more than you eat, you'll lose. Whether it be a pound or a half, it'll go. I don't like to put too much emphasis on BMI as it does not take into account body shape, muscle mass etc. Saying that, don't be tempted to lose too much. BMI is a good general guide.

 

[Mally]

Thank you for your honest answer Saddlebag. I have an exceptionally sluggish metabolism, so I am hoping this will be the trick to keeping it running (so to speak).
Just thought I would let everyone know I have lost another 5 pounds this week (weighed myself this morning). It was more like a high 4, but I am rounding it up. I am quite pleased with that result as I was on my totm this whole week and was told to expect no weight loss, possibly even a gain, so I am pretty chuffed. I am just anticipating actually seeing the weight loss on my body, not just the scales, which I am begging is going to happen very soon. x

 

[Saddlebag]

Mally, if you have a slow metabolism, maybe consider a very light meal? Food boosts the metabolism. I had a meal last week and still lost 7lbs. It was only some lettuce, cucumber and turkey that I stir fried with some soy sauce but I enjoyed it, it filled me up and I think it gave my metabolism a boost.

 

[Mally]

I have heard about this before. Is there science behind it, or does it just seem to be the case for a lot of people on these sorts of plans? Altough the process is becoming easier, my mentality is very much going down the same route it did before, and I am trying to kick myself out of it (and suceeding to an extent). The weight is still coming off my extremities and not much happening elsewhere, which is not very motivating, but I cannot expect everything at once. Thank you for your time Saddlebag I really appreciate it.

 

[Saddlebag]

Arghh just typed a really long reply to this then ran out of battery!

Metabolism is boosted by food and exercise, which is why it slows down on a VLCD. I personally find that a low calorie, low carb meal once a week boosts my weight loss. Others may say differently, and let's face it, if it was that brilliant Exante would advocate it! But it works for me, and there's only so much damage a tuna or chicken salad can do. As long as there's a calorie deficit you still lose weight.

I have the same problem as you Mally in recognising my weight loss. As much as I'd like to lose a bit off here and a bit off there, we can't choose, which is infuriating! I'd love to keep my boobs and lose my big bum and thighs. But typically my boobs have shrunk, as has my tummy, and my bum and thighs are the same. Well, that's what I thought anyway- an honest friend told me that I've lose weight all over, proportionately. So of course my bum has shrunk, so have my thighs and everything else, but I'm exactly the same shape so I probably won't notice much of a difference in the mirror. Plus, we see ourselves every day! I have realised that, if I want better legs, bum etc, I'm gonna have to do some exercise and all that energetic stuff... :sigh: