Exante: Challenge accepted

Spethyla

Member
Hi all,

Like many I feel that keeping a diary might help make me feel a little more accountable, as well as help me to reflect on the days on this diet. I'm a newbie to Exante, and this is my first VLCD having only done Slimming World (lost 2 stone) and a quick dabble in Weight Watchers which didn't work for me at all.

I'm currently at the heaviest I've been for 5 years currently. A combination of being carefree, and then settling into a relationship with the kind of man who can eat 3 burgers, a pizza and lose a pound (I still hate him for his metabolism). On top of this I've moved myself across the country away for a new job (nearly a year ago now) and disrupted myself with a new environment, people and a very stressful job.

Ultimately I realised about a month ago that I've been doing some serious comfort eating. I never considered myself a comfort eater, but all new stresses and circumstances hit me with some unexpected depression and I ate to "fix things" without realising. I'm sure I'm not alone in that one though.

Anyway, I realised I need to just take full control for a bit and kick myself into action hence Exante. I've started today as it is half term and so should allow me to get through the worst before going back to work. I ordered a 14 day pack so I can commit myself to the first two weeks and then move on from there. I'm worried if I commit to a month now that I'll give up because it is too long; 2 weeks feels like baby steps into the long term, then I can always buy more since they offer next day delivery!

Day 1
Starting weight: 15st 12

It feels horrible to type that. I had lingered around the 15st mark for a long time, the last 12 pounds have literally shot on recently and I am angry for myself for not stopping them. However, today is a new day and new challenge.

Overall, day 1 is a success. I had the maple syrup pancakes for breakfast, though I did forget to use my non stick pan so they weren't the tidiest pancakes made. I then went out for the day with the boyfriend and took one of the bars with me in my bag and a big bottle of water. I nibbled the bar as and when I felt hungry; I think it essentially ended up into quarters, this was effective for staving off hunger pangs too! I think I'll keep this going tomorrow with the next tricky day. I had the spaghetti bolognaise for tea which was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be actually. I also added a tiny amount of broccoli to go alongside it - I'm going to do around 700 cals and the 'total solution plus' just so I can boost the evening meal slightly.

I'm so happy that I got through the day. I nearly slipped and went for a meal when I was getting grumpy mid-afternoon, but resisted which I'm really proud of. The only mistake I seem to have made is drinking Pepsi Max! Thought I'd got it all "right" but only discovered this slip once I was home and the 'damage' was already done. Still, if that is the worst that I've done then I'm pretty happy at this point.

If anyone else is at a similar point I'd be interested to know how you find it, especially the first week. I'm still feeling skeptical about whether it will actually work.
 
Hello and welcome :)

Well done for day one!

The first few days are tough, no doubt of it, but it does get easier after that :)
 
Hi spethyla, I'm on day 3 now. I too have been pleasantly surprised by the food...so far!

I have had a few sudden pangs of hunger but after glugging a big glass of water they appear to go! first day back at work tomoz and am worried about old habits, but I plan to stagger my lunchtime bar in to chunks too! I'm also worried that my breakfast milkshake won't fill me up, but we'll see!

Good luck and keep the updates coming!
 
Hi and welcome, good luck!
There are loads of supportive people on here who will help you at your best and encourage you when you are struggling.

Hope you are getting on ok x
 
Day 2 - a shocking willpower success!

So today was always likely to be the hardest this week. Not only is it day two, but I've been at home all day for a scheduled in cleaning day AND I've been alone - so no one (except the cat who has a worse appetite than I do) to tell me to stick to things. This means little distraction except for cleaning, and I spent half my day distracting myself from cleaning - it has been quite the cycle of distractions.

However I MADE IT THROUGH. I did eat 4 mangetout and a dairylea triangle in a moment of weakness though. I then promptly told myself off and went for a 3 hour nap - there is a reason I started this diet this week, so I could nap!

Breakfast - started with Blueberry pancakes, ended up with a disaster trying to cook them as they burnt to any frying pan I used. A lot of grumping and extra dirty dishes later I decided on a mint shake. Tasted ok, but think I need to adjust to the diet a bit more for them to feel satisfying. I think that is more my apprehension of feeling hungry more than anything because I wanted lunch by half 11. I don't think I did, I think I was a more mentally unconvinced about the shake. Tasty enough though.

Lunch - Strawberry and jam bar. Quite nice, broke it into sections like yesterday, but I had eaten it all by 1pm in a "clean, eat bar, sit, clean, eat bar, sit and repeat" cycle. This meant I hit the dairylea and mangetout (reflecting back I find this quite funny - we have all sort of crisps and chocolate scattered around that I could have eaten and I'm feeling bad about a dairylea slice). I headed for a nap at half 2 to stop myself from eating and because I was freezing and getting sleepy.

Dinner - Curry and rice, again with some broccoli. This was again tastier than expected and actually quite spicy, I couldn't wait for something warm tonight so it worked a treat.

I've noticed a huge drop in my temperature, I'm going to head for a bath in a bit to warm up. I'm drinking lots of water, I keep two large 75cl bottles in the fridge and rotate because I love cold water and find it much more enjoyable to drink, probably doesn't help my overall temperature though.

Tomorrow is going to be about timings which I'm a bit worried about. I have a revision session at work 12-3, a house viewing at 6:30 and then doing a 1hr30 motorway drive after that (this is the bit that is worrying me, I don't want to lose concentration/have headache or simply be hungry!). I think I'll have to try to move breakfast later so that my meals are all shuffled along a bit. Worse case I'll take an extra bar with me and I'll just have to do 800 calories; I'd rather the extra cals than not feeling 100% with it on a long drive.

Either way - I have completed two whole days and I am so proud of myself for sustaining the willpower needed.

Finally thank you for the messages and support! It was in my head that this diary is making me committed and others were cheering me on - far more effective than the cat ;)
 
Hi spethyla, I'm on day 3 now. I too have been pleasantly surprised by the food...so far!

I have had a few sudden pangs of hunger but after glugging a big glass of water they appear to go! first day back at work tomoz and am worried about old habits, but I plan to stagger my lunchtime bar in to chunks too! I'm also worried that my breakfast milkshake won't fill me up, but we'll see!

Good luck and keep the updates coming!

How did you find things being back at work? Especially the milkshake for breakfast? Hope it has been a good day for you!
 
Day 3 - Still ok.

This is perhaps a little premature as there are still a few hours of today to go, but I wanted to write and don't know if I'll get chance to do it later.

Today has been a relatively straightforward day. I didn't sleep well at all which was horrible, but surprisingly I don't feel too shattered! Have been in and out all day which is good for avoiding nibbling, but means I've timed my meals weirdly. I haven't been particularly hungry at all which is good, but I am craving normal foods. Not even bad foods, I just want something with some substance - I couldn't tell you what I wanted though, maybe eggs or a piece of cheese? Proteins I guess! I'm also feeling like I'm hitting a metaphorical water wall because I just cannot stand the thought of drinking more water - I'm just about through one bottle :/

Breakfast - Chocolate sponge pudding. Was desperately craving something sweet last night (which I resisted) and as my boyfriend put it "as long as it is one of those packs, it doesn't matter what order you eat it so go for it, have cake for breakfast!" So I did. Probably these kind of words that got me to this weight in the first place, but he had a valid point in this case. It was alright, not amazing, not awful.

Lunch - Cookies and cream bar. Still can't decide if this is nice. It is like one of those things that you eat the whole way through with a confused look on your face because it is nice, and yet it is also horrible at the same time... I've opted for another one for dinner so it must be nice? Genuinely not sure.

Dinner - As lunch. I'm also going to have a soup either before or after my car drive depending on what my stomach/brain tells me.

Anyone else find the sweetness a bit much? Writing this I've realised I'm not really craving the sweet things, in fact I'm feeling somewhat nauseous at the thought of more of them, and I actually look forward to the "normal meal" the most? I usually have such a sweet tooth too so finding it a bit strange. Only have limited options with the 14 day pack too so trying no to rush through my savoury things. Any solutions here would be welcome, even if is for the long term rather than the next 2 weeks.
 
Hi and well done for your brilliant start.

I, like you, ordered a two week starter pack and then realised two things. 1) I want more savoury than you're given and 2) I don't like the puddings/pancakes etc. After my two weeks I meal planned for the next 3 weeks (things like I have a bar for lunch at work but soup or a meal at home) and then I ordered everything individually. It is more expensive but they regularly have large 45% off sort of offers on so I still did three weeks food for less than £20 a week.

Best of luck with your sweet foods for now!
 
Hi and well done for your brilliant start.

I, like you, ordered a two week starter pack and then realised two things. 1) I want more savoury than you're given and 2) I don't like the puddings/pancakes etc. After my two weeks I meal planned for the next 3 weeks (things like I have a bar for lunch at work but soup or a meal at home) and then I ordered everything individually. It is more expensive but they regularly have large 45% off sort of offers on so I still did three weeks food for less than £20 a week.

Best of luck with your sweet foods for now!


Thank you! It's useful to see someone else's perespective and find out about doing it seperately! Will look into it for the next round if things. I've actively avoided all the shakes so far because I can't deal with the sweetness levels.
 
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Hi all,

I've been a bit AWOL as I've been visiting my parents and their internet died and I did not have the patience to use my phone! It's been a funny few days, been 90% on plan, and what's been "off plan" has been calorie controlled/checked for carbs (eggs for example!! No carbs and were my lifesaver when I realised I hadn't put much in for breakfast).

So starting back on diaries now normality is resumed.

Day 7

Weighed myself this morning. 6.5lbs down! Woohoo!

I think this could have been better had I not had a slight break fri/sat night, but I think the extra bits made me maintain rather than lose as I certainly didn't go over 1000 at the absolute most (despite meals out I will add). I am however a bit "stoged up" too as I didn't have as much water when I was being busy. I'm not concerned though, all is falling into place and nearly half a stone is still amazing - I can't quite believe it!

Back into full focus again tomorrow to aim for the next half stone. Got all my work meals ready to roll and I've not got anything to hinder me in the next week.

What I am starting this next week with is: Even if this week ended up not 100% on packets, it did end up fully counted, considered and I DID NOT indulge in the wrong things (I.e. I didn't say "screw it" and proceed to eat 5 pizzas, 10 chocolate bars and a cake) I stayed focused and determined and that is what I am more proud of than anything. It has started to change my way of thinking, given me motivation to keep going and lose the weight I want to.

Back to work tomorrow so let's see how it works in the real world!
 
Rebooting this diary for attempt 2.

I'm now on day 3, finding it a million times easier than last time (no idea why), but I've barely felt hungry at all.

Tried the pizza today which was oddly alright, just the sauce is a bit odd tasting, I did weigh 15 grams of cheese and melt it on top though..

Reason for rebooting diary though, is on day 3, at 6:30pm, I ate a chocolate! :mad: I didn't even fully realise what I'd done (I suppose that explains my weight...) for 15 mins. I'm now feeling massively annoyed with myself and needed somewhere to vent as my bf is out. My current thoughts are at least it was just one and wasn't a whole bar, but what if it ruins the progress/route to ketosis I've made so far??

I also, stupidly, weighed myself earlier and nothing has happened yet, but I've also hit TOTM for first time in months (I roll the pill) so I'm hoping it's just hormones holding on tight and it'll get moving soon. WI day is Sunday for me, I think in my head it should be on a Friday so maybe I'm also not giving myself enough credit just yet. Has anyone ever had a better second week than first week?!

I'm aiming to do the plan until Jan 20th then I have a weekend in London and I'd like normal food for my break away, then get back on it straight after that. This is making it seem much more achievable as it is "only" 3 weeks of it.
 
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