Total Solution Here we go again - Day 1

So I'm very excited - Weeks starter pack has arrived - delivered by the lovely Anthony who was far more shocked that i had to get out of the shower to receive a parcel than I've seen a young lad in a long time!!

I'm the usual type of person - nothing senstaional - nothing too boring - lived a pretty fast and at some points exciting life - managed to get 2 girls to their teenage years with no deaths or lasting scars - very confident at what i do - not a wall flower - had various success with the opposite sex - although they dont last long - and yet I'm here posting on yet another diet forum!

The one area of my life i have never really controlled - or maybe controlled too much by saying stuff it i love being fat, large and sweaty - i dont care that only Evans clothing will fit - hey I've got Simply be and when I look in the mirror I dont look that bad so I will eat what i want!! is my WEIGHT ! So how come I mostly eat in secret - how come I binge on 6 packets of crisps before tea - how come those photos dont match the image in my head!

because i'm not happy - i'm not in control - i'm resigned to it!

However today is it!! this is the last time I'm going to try to lose weight - not for the kids, not for potential partners, not for work - JUST FOR ME!!

I'm scared I'll fail again (been there - done that)
I'm scared I'll be a demon (altho technically some would argue i already am!)
I'm scared i'll be hungry (reality check girl - you probably will be)
I'm scared i wont like myself (do i now?)
I'm scared i cant visualise an end point - I've never been thin (dont be dramatic and take it hour by hour)
I'm scared I wont like the drinks/shakes etc (hold your nose and think of England - you've done worse)

6 reasons to be scared but:

I'm excited this could work
I'm excited I could learn to like myself
I'm excited at the opportunities this could bring
I'm excited to try something new
I'm excited i could make new friends
I'm excited I could blow all my salary on new clothes
I'm excited that my kids love me and are really supportive

and the rest - I'm gonna give this a bloody good go and if I do fail - hell I've been there before!


Banana shake is first on the hit list - and actually I like it!!

will post at various points - which will be the sign that I've approached the fridge and trying to distract myself

Take care Vee x

So I managed to get through Day 1 - wasnt as bad as I thought although there were moments when I could have raided the fridge - didnt help with kids coming back from trick or treating with a carrier bag of sweets! - these have now all been removed, hidden, in the bin!!

Friend of mine came round and where normally I keep diets (along with eating!) secret - i told him what i was up to - there was no shock or judging, he was more concerned I wouldnt be drunk at the party we're having at the weekend - bless him! He then helped me strip the kitchen which kept me occupied for a couple of hours and was a good diversionary tactic.

Verdict on food to date

- Banana shake - thats was ok - mixed with a hand blender and enjoyed that
- Chicken thai soup - not pleasant - do-able but may try to avoid in future - sweet and got a strange perfumed after taste
- chocolate and orange bar - that was actually like real food - i enjoyed that and was pretty impressed how full I felt after.

I got through 2L of water - did sainsburys basic sparkling water (17p for 2L!) and their sparkling blackcurranta nd cherry - which was the only one I could find without citric acid - it has malic acid.

i had a couple of cups of black tea throughout day - which is fine - i like builders tea anyway so to go to 'no milk' wasnt a huge jump and a cup of bouillon - great when I felt a lull at mid point.

had a headache pretty much all the time - but I'm susceptible to headaches - i used to get migraines - I'm really hoping its short term and will go soon

So today is Day 2 - I'm off work all week so hoping to get the worst of this out of the way before i go back in.

I'll keep you and me posted

Take care Vee x

hey Vee!

Keep doing what youre doing and youll get there!... ill be starting on monday (though i am not new to the vlcd scene) so it was refreshing to read your first post. All those reasons to be scared and excited is exactly how i feel, you are not alone.
the great thing is we can change everything

hope today went ok? x

Morning all - and its Day 3 - wow last night felt tough - had to go to bed early to tie myself down to the bed - in my youth that would have been exciting just on its own!

However last night it was just torture - couldnt sleep - kept thinking about food - nothing in particular - just reliving recipees! But i stayed in bed and didnt succumb so here we are - day 3 - hoping this will get easier but know this is tough!

I find getting through the day isnt too bad - the evenings are the hardest - that's always been an issue on other diets - its that being busy and determined through the day but then at night when I'm sat down in front of the telly i start twitching - I know i should find something to occupy my mind but I love that time with catching up on my sky + - does that sound sad?? I think it probably does.

Today i shall try yet another soup flavour - you may have seen my other post on how disgusting these are but got to get through them - next week will just be ordering shakes and bars!

Stupidly having a party at mine on saturday night - that will be testing! Somone else is cooking a curry so at least i dont have to do that but I have a boozy lot of friends!! I am determined to not put all this hard work in jeopardy - so will stay STRONG!!

Cheers vee x

Wow Day 5 already - am very mystified how I've got to this without falling off the wagon!

Day 4 went without any hitches and was certainly easier than Day 3 - mushroom soup was edible just but by the time I get to the end of the bowl I'm wishing it was gone - I read in someones else's posts that they visualised the shakes/soups etc as medicine and that you just had to get through them! Thats how I cope with the soups!

Shakes and bars are fine - put the toffee one in the fridge last night and that improved it even more - so good tip!

We had a party at ours last night and i'd done a huge pan of curry and a hotpot for everyone and by will power and sheer determination I did not succumb to a drop of alcohol or cake or sweets or anything - I even sent the leftovers off with various drunken people at the end of the night!

I tell you what i better have lost weight at weigh in on Tuesday - I must have done - if not thats it - duvet and takeaway and sod it!!

Cheers Vee x

ww congratulations on reaching day 5 without any accidents, and getting thru the party thats sheer dertemination and willpower coz u know the end results are great so u try harder to get thru each and every day even if its hard. You are nearly there ketosis will be kicking in anytym soon so hang in there it will be all worth it. Im sure teh scales will do u proud, even if its not wat u expected hang in there it will improve, get better, or sometymes not so good but at the end the hard work WILL DEFINATELY PAY OFF....

u can also try out the porridge and pasta carbonara the porridge is okey, im yet to taste the carbonara today

Well Done Vee,I m on day 5 as well and I know Its hard to stay 100%.We can do it and we will do it for our slimmer future. Carry On Hun...

Thanks for your support guys - appreciate it!

its Day 6 and I've had a sneaky peak at the scales - 8lbs down - which is fab - obviously in my head i want to have lost 2 stone in a week but even I know thats not gonna happen! But 8lbs will do me - i'm rather smug and chuffed!!

read through a lot of posts and diaries yesterday and picked up a couple of tips that were rather good

Tip 1 - mint hot chocolate - make a cup of peppermint tea, remove teabag and then add chocolate shake mix - that was really nice.

Tip 2 - strawberry mousse - make up shake with about 100ml of cold water and put in fridge - sets to Angel delight consistency

Just makes a bit of a change - thank you to whoever sussed those first - worked well.

i've ordered next months supply - just shakes and bars though - the soup is not my friend :wave_cry:

Lets hope Day 6 goes as well as the rest

Take Care Vee x

Well thats it - Week 1 done and I'm 10lbs off - bloody hell - thats huge - *sits rather smuggly sipping a black tea*

I think for me the success ahs been removing food altogether - I know I can only have whats in the box and thats that - other diests I've just allowed things to slip in or treats have been included but that only made me want more - one bag of crisps became 2, became 3, became 4 if I'm really honest - but of course I had it all under control :sigh: NOT!

So delivery 2 is arriving this afternoon - I've ordered a months supply of shakes and bars - as we know the soup and I dont see eye to eye!

I really am determined to give this a bloody good go - i've told the kids I'll do this till christmas and then we'll see where i'm at - having never been slim (ever!) I cant visualise any sort of goal and i dont want to lose too much = i love curves (not blubber!) and I dont want to look old - a lot of people i see who have lost weight around my age suddenly have all the wrinkles - where the fat before plumped those wrinkles out - I'm hoping that oil of olay will keep them at bay!!

Good lucjk everyone heading into week 2 - we can do it - it cants be any harder than last week and we did that

Take Care vee x

WELL DONE on 10lbs vee!!!! that is FANTASTIC!!! when the times get tough and they pitch up when you least expect it battle through them and it does pass!! .....most of the time!!!

Im also just on shakes and bars and recently added in the bullion as during week four i started getting light headed so i was advised possibly not enough salt in my system so hoping a boullion or two a day will help! Fluid intake is very important, i aim for 2.5-3 litres everyday a bit more if ive been for a swim or to the sauna.

When times are really tough then use on here to vent, always someone around!!

Keep up the fantastic work xx

Well done Vee on your fab week 1 weight loss that is amazing. I am a bar and porridge woman as well I never even tried the soups after reading on here what they are like. I tried the pasta during the week and it wasn't bad a bit salty but it made me drink more water. Congrats again on your WI it's fab.

well done fab weight loss fingaz crossed for week 2

wooop wooop woopp well done on the fantastic loss this week!... i got scared when you said sod it for duvet and a takeaway and i was praying youd had a decent loss,,and check that out! i hope you are really really proud of yourself,,youre doing great!

shame about the soups eh... im hoping im the opposite to everyone on here and like the soup because its that and the shakes im stuck with for a month from tomorrow!

heres to your week two woooooo x

Cheers Pudge for the whoops!

Amazing how the support on here becomes really important.

Well its Day 1 of Week 2 now - exciting stuff


I'm having very strange sleeps at the moment - last couple of nights it's taken me ages to drop off - brain going whirrly! - and my legs realy ache - as if I've done a load of exercise - I havent!!! Very strange!

I was staring to think about why I'd chosen this method to lose weight - to be honest I've tried absolutely everything else - WW, SW, diet tablets, GP etc etc - I've not done vlcd before - but a friend at work started on Lighter Life about 2 months ago and has lost about 2-3 stone now and was my inspiration to stop moaning and feeling jealous and actually do something about it. I honestly thought why the hell couldn't I.

I went to a LL introductory meeting but to be honest it was so far away from where I live - at an inconvenient time and as a single mum the cost every week put me off - then I went searching on the intranet and stumbled across Exante - and a week in - best stumble I made.

I think the support on here is great - addictive- and I am worried about my fix next week when I go back to work next week !

Maybe I've replaced one addiction for another - although i much prefer this one!

So good luck to everyone- whatever day you're on in your journey

Vee x

End of Day 1 Week 2 and all is calm , all is well!

At the moment I'm just a little nervous that this feels ok - surely I'm gonna hit some bloody big wall at some point!

Until then - 1 day at a time

Be strong everyone

vee x

Hey Vee, sounds like you are doing amazing so far! Well done x

Day 2 - Week 2

Well kids back at school so this is a tester of a day - these are the times the secret snacking used to really kick in - if I look at myself from outside my body my eating habits are shocking - in the old days (well about 2 weeks ago!!) I'd skip breakfast and then mid morning have a couple of bags of crisps (and the rest!) - lunch may be soup but with lovely bread and thick butter - then whilst making tea snack on melba toast - again butter and cheese! then tea then snacks whilst watching tv - god no wonder I'm fat!!

But I'm doing ok today - i've set my own little pantry up of shakes and bars so i dont go in the other cupboards or fridge unless I'm doing kids tea - I've had strawberry shake so far today - really enjoyed it actually - strange!

At the moment I'm steadfast - I'm strong and I'm doing this!

Stay with me folks in case I hit a rough ride

Love Vee x

Back at work today - although as I work from home some days - its not really a test of that dreaded commute and office based meetings I'll hit on Monday!

but by then i will have nearly done 2 weeks - flippin eck - would love to get 4LB next week to take it to a stone - how exciting that would be!

Its going Ok at the moment - but I am feeling cold - more so than normal - when you're big you're used to being hot all the time! I am worried that as I'm doing shakes and bars all the time that I'm not getting enough hot liquids inside me - I have bouillon once - maybe twice a day and the odd cup of black tea - really not as appetising as a good ole cuppa!

i'll keep going - i think I introduce food from the end of week 3 so that will be hot food and veg - should be ok till then

Take care all

vee x

This diet malarky doesnt have lull you along - i thought I was pretty much cracking it but heck last night was a test - I didnt veer from the path - but was sorely tempted - i went to bed early feeling hungry and a little pissed off with the world - how long do i have to do this????

it was my own fault i gave in and let the kids get a chippy tea - i removed myself from the room whilst they ate it - i made them clear up any remains but hell the smell!!! Then i think i spent about the next 4 hours visualising food - had bizarre dreams last night where I'd lost all my energy and could no longer function!

got up this morning and thought bugger it I need a boost so done a sneaky weigh-in - and thank god I've lost some weight - no scores on doors todays as waiting for official weigh in on tuesday but if it stays the same at least I'll be happy!

off now to go round some colleges with my 16 year old to see what she wants to do - how did that happen - 16 years flying so fast.

take Care all and have a lovely saturday

Stay strong - we can and are doing this !

Love Vee x