Exante

[Sarah_P]

I use 3 packs a day and it costs just under £50 per week for that. When I ordered 3 weeks worth, the postage was £7.50. Not sure what it will be for you. Their website is exanteinc.com.

The banana shake is yummy, chocolate and strawberry are also really good. I find the vanilla very bland, but you can add a sweetner tablet to it to sweeten it up. I am not getting any more vanilla. I like all the soups also (tomato is my least favourite), but as you won't use many, I guess you will avoid these. There are only two bars, but both are great! If you mix the shakes with the recommended amount of water, then they are really thick and I don't like them like that. I find it better to mix with almost twice the amount and it makes a nice creamy drink.

If I had to live on the 3 shakes and two bars, then I could easily do it with these products for as long as I need to. Having the soups at tea time is a bonus for me in the freezing british weather that we are getting at the moment!

Good luck with the doing LL and Exante. It's such an easy way to lose weight isn't it?

 

[IslandBreeze]

Thanks for the website address Sarah. Yes, I think they're a great way to lose weight. I was doing really well with LL. Then we left the UK and although I brought enough packs with me to finish losing the weight, I fell pregnant and couldn't use them obviously. Now I can start again but I gained weight when pregnant so I need extra packs. It sounds like Exante can oblige.

I think you're doing great in the current weather - it must feel freezing to be in ketosis right now. I've just gone into ketosis and I'm actually looking forward to feeling a little cooler! Day 3 over almost. One more shake and I'm done. Have got to file my online tax return to the UK authorities first though - shouldn't have left it until the day before the deadline! Oh well, once it's done I can collapse on the sofa with a DVD and chocomint shake.
x

 

[Sarah_P]

Ketosis in this weather is hard, especially as I work from home. I am dreading the heating bill!!!

Good luck with the tax return. I did mine a couple of months back and now have the bill to pay !

 

[IslandBreeze]

Have done the tax return and they owe me £434!! That'll pay for quite a few shakes and bars! Woohooo!!!!!!!!:bliss:

 

[IslandBreeze]

I've been looking at the Exante website and was quite impressed that the packs contain fewer chemical nasties than LL ( I don't know about CD or the others).
Could you tell me if the shakes dissolve easily or do you need a blender? With LL I always use an electric hand blender as it's so lumpy otherwise. It's a bit of a pain if you want to take one out on a picnic or other day out.

 

[Sarah_P]

A tax rebate, you lucky thing. Am jealous .

I have always used a hand blender so far. I am going to try shaking one in a beaker with a lid, as also want to be able to use them if I am out. I'll let you know how it goes. Will try it out on my lunchtime shake.

 

[IslandBreeze]

Yep, I love tax rebates! Always seems like free money even when you know they're just giving you back your own money cos they were a little too eager to get their sticky paws on it.

It would be nice to find shakes that don't need a blender. So much easier for going out. I used to take bars out with me but somehow found them too tempting (sad I know, the LL bars don't even taste nice) and would eat them much too early and end up cheating. I have the willpower of a blancmange.

 

[Sarah_P]

I tried mixing a shake by shaking in a container but it didn't really work. I did think that one of those hot chocolate whisks might work. A battery operated one. I have one of those but the batteries are flat. . Looks like it will still be bars for taking out and a cast iron willpower.

 

[IslandBreeze]

Oh well, thanks for letting me know. I tried one of those cappucino whisk thingies for the LL sachets when I was at work - thought it would be handy for the office but it didn't really work - still left them all lumpy. Now I just need a website that sells willpower - Amazon? eBay?

Thanks
x

 

[flumpy]

I'm on day 3 and I'm starving!! I havent caved in though. Keep telling myself I've spent too much money to spoil it now

 

[Sarah_P]

Hang in there Flumpy. You should be in ketotis anytime now and the hunger subsides. When I was going through that stage, I just kept sipping my water. I also found that a few glasses of sparkling water helped in the evening. A friend of mine used to have a bottle of Pellegrino water on a Saturday evening as a treat and I have followed suit. It sounds silly, but it really does give you something to look forward to.

Are you spacing your packs out well? I try to space mine out so I have one every 4 hours and it see's me through the day.

 

[flumpy]

I have to admit I caved in last night! We moved house and I was so stressed that I needed food! I wasnt even hungry but food in my stomach made me feel a bit better! Of course I will have to start all over again now though. I have been having my breakfast shake just before 9am then my lunch soup just after 12, my bar at 3pm then my soup just after 5pm. It is after my last soup that I get hungry. I just find it so depressing not eating!! Gonna stick with it though as keep reminding myself of the money I am spending on it!

 

[Sarah_P]

Don't beat yourself up for caving in. Moving house is stressful and I don't think I could have managed to do that without eating.

I find the evening the worst so I have my breakfast shake at 9, lunchtime shake 12.30 - 1, soup at 5 and then save the bar for 8 - 9, when I am relaxing and watching TV. I have also bought a pot of Marigold Swiss Bouillon as it makes a nice savory drink and it only 10 cals. I restrict it to one drink a day and usually have this around 3.30ish. It's not officially on the diet, but LL have something similar in their plan. I make it fairly weak as it does have salt in it. I also drink an extra glass of water to help flush the salt through.

I had a really bad night saturday and contemplated cheating, but managed to fight it off. Weekends are the worst for me!

I am keeping focussed on the money it costs and also I just keep thinking that 12 weeks (which is how long I think I am going to do it) is such a short space of time really.

Good luck with it!

 

[flumpy]

Well done on your losses, you've done really well! I'll weigh myself on Thursday when I've done a week so I hope yesterday's blip hasnt made too much damage!

 

[IslandBreeze]

Hi Flumpy
Well done for restarting. I think 5pm is too early for your last shake unless you're used to not eating later in the evening. If you would usually have an evening meal later than that and maybe nibble while watching TV you will feel quite deprived all evening until you've been in ketosis for a while. Maybe you can try pushing back your last 2 shakes? I usually have mine at 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm. Works for me as they're evenly spaced and it gives me something to eat in the evening. But we're all different so you'll have to see what works best for you.
Good luck in your new home.

 

[flumpy]

Thanks islandbreeze. I am used to eating at that time but then nibbling in the evening so I'm going to try and not have my bar at 3pm and save it until later in the evening :argh:

 

[Sarah_P]

You could try cutting it in half and having half in the afternoon and half n the evening? I did this in week one when I was feeling hungry.

 

[Sarah_P]

Thanks islandbreeze. I am used to eating at that time but then nibbling in the evening so I'm going to try and not have my bar at 3pm and save it until later in the evening :argh:

Hi Flumpy, How did you get on last night with your packs?

 

[IslandBreeze]

Hi Sarah
how are you? Still freezing over there? I'd like to ask another question - it would take the packs about 2-3 months to reach me and then another 1-3 months to use them so I was wondering what the use by dates are like on Exante packs, given that they have fewer artificial nasties in them? Would hate to ship them out here and find they'd gone off.
Day 7 for me today and still hanging on in there! Had to bake and decorate 2 dozen fairy cakes today for son's playgroup and didn't eat any - very proud of myself!

 

[Sarah_P]

Hi Sarah
how are you? Still freezing over there? I'd like to ask another question - it would take the packs about 2-3 months to reach me and then another 1-3 months to use them so I was wondering what the use by dates are like on Exante packs, given that they have fewer artificial nasties in them? Would hate to ship them out here and find they'd gone off.
Day 7 for me today and still hanging on in there! Had to bake and decorate 2 dozen fairy cakes today for son's playgroup and didn't eat any - very proud of myself!

Hi, still freezing over here. Layers of clothing are a must all day whilst in ketotis!

Well done on making cakes and not eating any. That must have been tough!

The last order of packs that I received last week have a use by date of 9 July, so not very long. The first few orders were June dates, so I guess they might regularly replenish the stock. You could ask them to send you ones with a longer date if they have them. Why will it take so long to get to you? Can't they post to coincide with your parcel delivery times for the island?

I was contemplating switching to CD once I have used up my packs, but looking on their board, it seems the products aren't very nice. I was tempted by the porridge! So I have found a porridge made by Protikee (on ebay) which is a VLCD product, so have ordered a box to try it. If it is ok, then I will replace half a sachet of shake each day with it.

Good luck with getting the right use by date. The guys at Exante are very helpful, so might be worth mailing them on their customer service email?

Good luck on your weight loss for this week!