Weight Loss Aids / Hindrance

[Claire_Williams]

Hi All

Does anyone think that the bars hinder your weight loss in any way? Some of the group tonight felt that because they had had a bar each day last week that this had lessened their weight loss tonight!

They only told me this after I'd taken 7 as I've been missing my treats last week.

Any ideas?

 

[Spanglymum]

Hi Claire

I was worried at first that the bars would slow my weight loss - partly because I didn't like the way they felt "tempting". If you're worried, why not skip them for a couple of weeks and see how you feel? You don't have to have them: the other packs will provide the nutrients you need. I know other people have avoided them completely and lost weight.

Having said that, I did continue to have the bars, but tried to think about why I might see them as a "treat", when in fact they're just vitamins and minerals and protein etc... which my body needs... just like food, really!

Why do you see the bars as a "treat"? Have a ponder... could be interesting! Good luck!

 

[Claire_Williams]

Have been pondering that one... and I think I'm dithering as on all the other diets in the past as I've always 'treated' myself on achieving goals with food. These bars are sooo nice (both new and old toffee bars - can't have the rest as I'm allerigc to nuts and apparently there's more of a trace of nuts in the rest) they just feel like a treat when I know they aren't. I guess I feel like I'm sabotaging myself knowing that this is what has let me down in the past.

All that aside, the bars are very useful when I either don't have time for lunch or don't want others to know I'm on LL (get some very unsupportive comments from the few I have told).

Spangly - your goal achievement is amazing! Fantastic results and I only hope I can emulate! xx

 

[slendablenda]

Hi Claire
I know where you're coming form with this. The more we get into the LL journey (sounds corny, but it is) the more we realise that our relationship with food is mostly psychological.
For me the bars were too similar to "treat" food. I knew I might be tempted to have the odd extra one.
I was able to convince myself while on abstineince that the packs weren't food -they were just a way of making sure I got the necessary vitamins etc. With the bars that didn't work, they were too nice! So I didn't have them.
That said, I know some people have them successfully every day.
Whatever works for you. There's no reason they should slow down your weight loss.

 

[Claire_Williams]

Thanks Brenda, your photos are amazing!!

 

[Minerva]

I don't find the bars hinder me in any way... I think it's all psychological. We either perceive them as a 'treat' and therefore equate it to 'bad' and a logical reason why we didn't shed 'X' amount of lbs this or that week. Or we perceive them as a 'real' food, because we actually get to chew something!

However, just looking it a purely calorie deficit point of view - at the end of the day, the difference between the smaller bars (130 calories - same as the shakes) and the bigger ones (205 calories) is very small in the grand scheme of things. On a normal day you will still be using much more than the 600-odd calories you consume on LL... And considering 1lb of fat is made of 3,500 calories - well... Do you really think that a bar can make such a difference?

I think it's about learning to have a balance and allowing a 'treat' in moderation. I am sometimes tempted to have a second bar, but I don't. I'm trying to learn self-control... This is good practice with these bars - so that I can put it into practice later, in the real world!

 

[goodthingsinsmallpackages]

I had a bar every day apart from one week (test for the bars) and I lost the same amount when I didn't have the bars so I kept having them as it made the whole thing a lot easier for me. I went over 4 months without lapsing once and I put this down to having the bars.

 

[Joiya]

I have a toffee bar every day and have done since day 4 of LLT. I still averaged 3lbs a week (probably a little more) so I don't feel they affected my weight loss.

I completely understand what you mean about the "treat" mentality and yeah, that is a challenge for me sometimes. But then I think, actually this is a challenge that I'm going to have to deal with every day when I finish LL too - so might as well get used to it now. If I can control myself with the toffee bars, I can control myself with Mars bars, you know what I mean? And no I don't mean I'll be having a Mars a day, no matter what their advertising says