VLCD Sequel: Electric Boogaloo

[#GymBunny]

I’ve bought the pancakes but not tried them yet. I’m just about to place another order and I’m going to get the maple syrup for those bad boys! Shame there will be no dripping butter but it’s as good as it’s going to get

 

[enlightenme2]

Just wanted to say "hi" and am here to follow your wonderful progress!

Can't wait to dig into my favorite packs once again *lol* I'm just curious as to which ones I'll like this time around. I'm a full on savory person, but have been know to munch on bars or dig in Exante desserts during TOM. As I've got just about every exante product under the sun, I'm sure I'll find something, however, I refuse to do their soups and their chemically enhanced eggs!
I'm not sure which plan I'll follow, I'm tempted to do the man plan as my bmi is pretty much under 30 when I drop the water weight - guess I'll play it by ear, or tummy in this case.

 

[castingnasturtiums]

I've just bought some apple crumbles, which have good reviews, and I thought could be breakfasty.

I didn't even know they had apple crumble! Report back immediately Lt Watermelon - this is exciting!

I’ve bought the pancakes but not tried them yet. I’m just about to place another order and I’m going to get the maple syrup for those bad boys! Shame there will be no dripping butter but it’s as good as it’s going to get

Omg, your new little bunny icon is soooo cute. I'm dubious about the pancakes, tbh. But I should be brave.

Just wanted to say "hi" and am here to follow your wonderful progress!

Yay! Thank you for stopping by! My BMI is horrendous so I'm on 3 products a day and nothing else. But, actually, I'm in the zone now and managing pretty well, I think.

The man plan sounds like a good option for someone further along their weight loss journey than me - I think product-only VLCDs can be too restrictive when people are out of the obese bracket.

Also don't get me started on diet product eggs. I have had terrible experiences. I don't get on so well with the soups either: they tend to leave me with a serious case of dry mouth and, for some reason, I don't find them satisfying. Even though I'm fine with shakes. My favourite products are usually bars - I get to practice a bit of self-discipline in making them last, the good ones aren't too sweet, and I do like being able to crunch away at something.

Though I do like to have a savoury meal in the evening over a shake or a bar - looking forward to hear what you go for!

 

[FullFathom]

The 'apple crumble' is hilarious. It's worth having once just for the giggle of disbelief. Smells sort of right though.

 

[castingnasturtiums]

Hurrah, I love my weight loss products hilarious.

 

[castingnasturtiums]

Yikes. The thing about a VLCD is that it's manageable when everything is going to plan. But today I got up late, missed my bus, had to gallop the 2 miles into work on foot and then immediately attend a meeting. I managed to grab a bottle of water on the way and throw down about half a litre of the world's best energy drink ... since I was genuinely lightheaded (pretty much for the first time since getting In The Zone). Anyway I survived the meeting by being grumpy as ye gods and then threw myself on a Slim 'n' Save yogurt coated muesli bar.

Slim 'n' Save yogurt coated muesli bar, I love you, will you marry me.

Seriously, I got that thing inside me so fast (err, that sounds way wrong) it barely touched the inside of my mouth.

But, anyway, I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking to plan despite all other plans going horribly awry. Honestly, I wasn't in psychological danger of cheating but I was physically fading. Okay this is going to age me but there was a kid's TV show back in the 80s called Knightmare - which I LOVED by the way - where you had a team of younglings who had to guide their mate through a computer generated dungeon. Seriously, this thing was the bees knees. Anyway, if the dungeoneer failed to pick up food while adventuring this (absolutely terrifying - to a seven year old child) skull graphic would appear at the top of the screen and start literally ... like *dissolving*.

That was me this morning. Oh, I found picture of it:

(Portrait of the artist as a middle-aged woman on a VLCD)

New logistical adjustment: keep diet bar in bag AT ALL TIMES.

 

[enlightenme2]

New logistical adjustment: keep diet bar in bag AT ALL TIMES.

YES YES YES!! I definitely do not follow that rule and it ends up biting me in the behind every time! And I should know being tributary to late flights made even later by delay, traffic delays, never-ending meetings and it goes on and on...
And to make matters worse, I always seem to have someone trying to get me to "try something new", "taste this new thing", "have dinner with me"... the NO usually comes out of my mouth before the sentence is finished but end up looking psychotic if I did remember to bring a bar all,g when they find me inhaling it in a corner somewhere

 

[FullFathom]

You must try an apple crumble. Maybe all the desserts (once!) You get the kind of risible dollop that makes a shake feel like a lavish option. Try 'em!

 

[enlightenme2]

yeah, I actually didn't mind the crumble, just nit a fan of the "egg-y" taste/smell

 

[castingnasturtiums]

I am definitely looking forward to crumble adventures now.

YES YES YES!! I definitely do not follow that rule and it ends up biting me in the behind every time! And I should know being tributary to late flights made even later by delay, traffic delays, never-ending meetings and it goes on and on...
And to make matters worse, I always seem to have someone trying to get me to "try something new", "taste this new thing", "have dinner with me"... the NO usually comes out of my mouth before the sentence is finished but end up looking psychotic if I did remember to bring a bar all,g when they find me inhaling it in a corner somewhere

Being on a VLCD can be super anti-social. Thankfully I'm such a grumpy bugger I haven't, as yet, run into any challenges. Also me and mah lovely wife and our friends are kind of on the nerdy side of the spectrum ... so the biggest challenge for me is when people come round to play board games because, omg, the urge to snack is *extreme*. I put everything off for the first couple of weeks, hoping to settle into the diet, but we have a game coming up Tuesday so I'll see how that goes.

But I'm not a huge fan of people who pressure other people at the best of times - and if someone does try to be a dick to me (in the guise of being nice to me "oh you *should eat*) I remind myself I'm doing this diet *for me*. And I am the one who will get diabetes and die at the age of 43 half in and half out of a pie. So that helps me stick to my guns.

 

[#GymBunny]

Knightmare

Loved it! Some of the questions they were asked were truly difficult. I watched a few episodes for nostalgia on YouTube and I was struggling at my age now

 

[FullFathom]

I am definitely looking forward to crumble adventures now.



Being on a VLCD can be super anti-social. Thankfully I'm such a grumpy bugger I haven't, as yet, run into any challenges. Also me and mah lovely wife and our friends are kind of on the nerdy side of the spectrum ... so the biggest challenge for me is when people come round to play board games because, omg, the urge to snack is *extreme*. I put everything off for the first couple of weeks, hoping to settle into the diet, but we have a game coming up Tuesday so I'll see how that goes.

But I'm not a huge fan of people who pressure other people at the best of times - and if someone does try to be a dick to me (in the guise of being nice to me "oh you *should eat*) I remind myself I'm doing this diet *for me*. And I am the one who will get diabetes and die at the age of 43 half in and half out of a pie. So that helps me stick to my guns.

Do you like salt or plain popcorn? Put a couple of tablespoons of popcorn kernels in a large microwaveable bowl, add a vented microwave lid, and just nuke it for four or five minutes or so. Or buy a microwave rice steamer style thingy from Amazon and use that. Guilt free snacking for your next Risk marathon. In fact there’s even some good stuff in there (and sod all cals)

 

[castingnasturtiums]

Guilt free snacking for your next Risk marathon. In fact there’s even some good stuff in there (and sod all cals)

Ohhhhhhh. This is the best idea, thank you.

 

[castingnasturtiums]

I bought a bar of Cadbury's Oreo chocolate last night - always used to be one of my favourite kinds because of the combination of squishy stuff and crunchy stuff. Anyway, I opened it, fed some squares to my wife, and left it there on the coffee table, all night. Well, she ate a bit more of it later.

Point was, I sat next to an entire bar of chocolate and did not chuff it down.

I guess now that I'm approaching my 4th week on powder (that makes me sound like I'm cocaine) I want to kind of dissolve some of the barriers between me and food. I mean, it's all very well being to be strict with myself if I live in a strange food-less bubble. But essentially I don't want a situation whereby I stick to plan religiously for x weeks and then the moment I try to introduce food turn deranged because it has become this alien luxury I have not seen or interacted with for months on end.

Also I'm trying to ... teach my brain that it is okay to leave food uneaten. Even if the food is nice and I want to eat it.

Speaking of food (though not nice-ness) I had a few nibbles of a Slim 'n' Save white chocolate covered lemon bar today, found it unspeakably sweet (2 on the product rating scale) and while I could have forced down, decided Friday warranted better. So I had a Shake That Weight maple & almond bliss bar instead and it was pleasantly adequate (4). Though I do feel "bliss" was pushing its luck.

 

[Darcy15]

Well done for resisting the chocolate!

I have found my attitude around food is changing a lot.......recently on holiday, when I would have eaten anything and everything normally. This time I ate main meals, with no snacking or desserts and I didn’t miss it.

Can I ask you a personal question? I see your weight goal is 8 stone, so I’m thinking you’re a ‘tall’ person like myself
.......what height are you?

The reason I ask is because I think I might have to lower my target, to allow for carb regain after stopping the VLCD

 

[castingnasturtiums]

Thank you I mean, I probably need to do something to shift my attitude to food when I do get back to eating it - I'm not sure leaving chocolate on the coffee table is a long-term solution, but it'll do for now. I definitely find my attitude to food shifts when I'm on a VLCD, but the problem is it's too easy to snap back, I think (if you're me at least) once you start introducing food again. But I'm determined to do this right this time. Second time lucky and all that.

I'm 5'2 - so apparently my healthy weight is 7-8 stone. I mean, I don't know if I'll get there. Frankly, at this point I'll settle for 12 which is merely overweight instead of horribly obese. But I guess I'll see how things feel when I get down there. Which is a looooooong way away!

 

[FullFathom]

You should try some products from a diet called 'Exante'. I heard it's pretty good

I'm on my last few days now. I'm actually going 'food' shopping on Sunday. Get me

 

[FullFathom]

Blimey, "horribly obese" is a pretty cruel category. The NHS is getting increasingly direct about this issue, isn't it?

 

[castingnasturtiums]

You should try some products from a diet called 'Exante'. I heard it's pretty good

*slaps thigh* In all seriousness, when I was cruising for a VLCD, I settled on Exante but I ... err ... took advantage of all the "get things cheap when you join us!" offers from all the others out there. Because, I mean, why the heck not? One diet product is basically interchangeable with another so there's no particular reason not to mix 'n' match a bit - especially when you can take advantage of a bunch of offers.

So I'm clearing my backlog of other stuff - specifically I'm trying to get rid of the Slim 'n' Save because yuuuuck - by mixing them with Exante products I do like.

(Guess who had dahl for dinner last night?)

 

[castingnasturtiums]

Blimey, "horribly obese" is a pretty cruel category. The NHS is getting increasingly direct about this issue, isn't it?

Frankly, I don't think you get can worse than the generally accepted adjective of morbidly. I know it means it in the medical sense - as in, you are compromising your health in a you might die way.

But it always makes me feel like Puglsey Addams.