Thread: Target Reading Festival - here we go

Hi Everyone
I have just completed my first week on Exante and am delighted that I have lost 10lbs My goal is to be in a size 12 by August bank holiday which is when Reading festival is held. I know I can do it, because I have done it before. In Oct 2007 I started Lighter Life and by the early May 2008 I had lost 7 stone and was in a size 8. It was the most amazing thing and I felt so brilliant! Any way I worked really hard doing Management and for the first year I managed to stay within the half stone range I had planned. It was very tough though. I didnt really feel great at size 8, so then I thought might need to go up a bit..... my brain saying , well you really only wanted to be a size 12! And so the story goes... now in 2013 I have managed to regain most of the weight I lost. I am not quite where I started (10lbs away from my previous starting weight) but still close enough to feel the same fat self!
So 2008-2013 - 5 years and put back 6 stone, and now 5 months to loose at least 5 stone..... I hope!! I have done all sorts of healthy eating and various diets in that 5 years, but I have to say I never felt better than on a VLCD. So when I found out about Exante, and being able to obtain the packs without doing all the GP and group meetings, I thought this is for me. I know I can do it!

So guys I know I will get tons of support from you all and I will be able to give loads of encouragement to everyone else, as I know the journey well.

Sarah x

Hi Sarah, welcome. Well done on your first 10lbs, that's a great result for your first week. So many of us have come from doing LL previously, I did it in 2006 and again in about 2009 I think. The first time I lost 5 stone and got down to a size 12 but didnt stay there for very long and ended up putting back 7 stone. The second time I gave up after 3 months as I couldn't afford to keep going. I was so happy to find Exante and not have to pay as much and attend those tedious meetings. There's great support on this forum and everyone's lovely, I'm sure you'll find it helpful. Good luck x

Thanks for the reply, its good to know you are all out there with the same challenges and experiences. LL was expensive, and Exante does seem great value, so i hope it will be as successful as LL. I am just struggling with feeling cold at the moment and then getting all the water down. I hate having cold hands and feet!

Hi Sarah, your weight now is exactly the same as my start weight, Day 91 today and I am 11st 10lb. So it just shows what you can lose if you stick to it 100% no cheating! 44lbs so far and still plenty to lose lol.

i have also yo-yo dieted and been up and down by 5-6st!

Best of luck Hun, look forward to following your progress xx

Originally Posted by ExanteDreamer

Hi Sarah, your weight now is exactly the same as my start weight, Day 91 today and I am 11st 10lb. So it just shows what you can lose if you stick to it 100% no cheating! 44lbs so far and still plenty to lose lol.

i have also yo-yo dieted and been up and down by 5-6st!

Best of luck Hun, look forward to following your progress xx

Well done you. 44lbs is brilliant and I bet you feel so much better. i can completely remember how good it feels to get closer to target (its what is motivating me again) I have been feeling so rough having put the weight on again. My joints ache from carrying so much

glad to know this forum is here to support and encourage
xx

Congrats on the first 10lb

Not having to do the group sessions and such is one of the things that sold me on Exante, I can't be doing with all of that. But the forums here are a great source of motivation

Originally Posted by katmat

Congrats on the first 10lb

Not having to do the group sessions and such is one of the things that sold me on Exante, I can't be doing with all of that. But the forums here are a great source of motivation

Katmat
have you just started too?

Yep, on day 5 at the moment! This is my first VLCD attempt, and it's going good so far

Originally Posted by katmat

Yep, on day 5 at the moment! This is my first VLCD attempt, and it's going good so far

I just caught up with your diary, well done first few days are the hardest. I loved your update on the packs you like / not like. I'm not a big fan of the shakes - but I can bear them until I finish the 4 week bumper that I bought, also some of the soups make me gag. When I get into the pick your own I will be a bars, vanilla (with coffee) Chocolate (with coffee) Veg Soup and Porridge girl. I haven't tried the Carbonara as its sounds horrible

You should make your own mind up about the carbonara, I love it but nearly didnt even try it because so many people said they hated it. I like that it's quite salty, I miss that taste and I like having a different texture and taste from the other packs. Maybe find some cheap packs on ebay to try?

Originally Posted by jael001

You should make your own mind up about the carbonara, I love it but nearly didnt even try it because so many people said they hated it. I like that it's quite salty, I miss that taste and I like having a different texture and taste from the other packs. Maybe find some cheap packs on ebay to try?

Yes you are right, I should give it a try, I will add one when I do my next order as I will probably do a chose your own bumper pack

Well done on your first 10lbs off
What amazes me about this diet, is how your tastebuds change, so you might not like one product.....try it a month later and you do like it ! Weird

You're so right Marge - I didn't like the tomato soup on LL but I like it on Exante - things change and sometimes you need to try something different

I'm on the bumper pack too and I think I've tried everything but the porridge and carbonara now.. still waiting for those to come in the post. I can handle all the shakes and bars but the tomato and chicken soups make me want to go hide in a corner. Next month will be picking my own looking forward to that.

End of Day 8
Its been a good day with my first WI and the amazing 10lb loss. First week is always a bonus with such a high loss, but I already feel so much better. Being in ketosis makes things so much easier, my only issue is how cold I feel. I am feeling Ok and am trying hard not to think about the months ahead as this will make me want to give up. I can do this, I lost 7 stone last time, and I am as determined now as I was then.
Food isn't really as important as I think it is. It takes the same amount of time to eat a dinner as it does for me to eat a bar / drink a shake. Physically I feel the same after, so it makes me wonder why on earth I might even for the tiniest moment think of eating.... what will it give me????? What did it give me before I started this diet??? Things to ponder so that when I eventually hit target again (which I will) I wont put it all back on again.
I have my Nephews wedding on my mind and whether I will be able to cope with the mini break from the diet to enjoy his celebration.... I stayed on LL through weddings and Christmas last time, but I dont want to do that this time. I want to prove to myself I can have self control and get back into the diet after the short break.... Well I have 6 weeks to ponder this.

So pretty proud of myself today, and writing on this diary will be useful to look back on over the weeks.
Good night Minimins x