Cooking Packs - more than one a day?

[Cake'n'eat it]

Hi all

I must prefer the packs cooked to shakes and soups. The soup-pack crisps are lovely, the shake-pack muffin things are ok and the bar biscuits are great ( particulary the lemon ones). I read somewhere though that you should't 'cook' more than one pack a day. Does anyone know if that is right?

Cooking the stuff makes this diet much more bareable and varied for me - I'd love to hear what you all do.

[Roch]

Hi Cake`n`eat it.
Yes u r right u can only cook one pack a day and the reason is that when you cook the packs it looses some of the vital nutrients you need.
I know the receipes do make it much easier to follow the plan but you dont want to get run down by not having all your vits and iron u need.
Sorry cant help u put with any more info not an expereinced vlcd peep but i am sure someone will pop along soon to help u.
Take care and luv your username xx

[CW Consultant]

Hi,

Roch is correct the maximum you can cook is one pack, although CD don't really like you doing this.

Last year they allowed us to use one pack to make into muffins, etc and and Roch rightly says some of the heat sensitive vitamins are affected by this so if you use more than one pack you are risking the safe nutritional levels.

You should only use fresh packs also not anything close to its sell by date.

Linda

[BuxomWench]

My LL Counsellor told me that you dont lose any nutrients, but it was because you were not "abstaining" properly if you make them more palatable...that you should live with the feeling of deprivation or something like that to really explore your food issues! Not sure if this is correct or not but apparently if they lost nutrients they would say no to doing it at all. She might be wrong though!

[Flopster]

I was told by my LLC not to cook packs as some of the vitamins and nutrients break down in the process.

I do vary them by making a "mousse" with my chocolate and strawberry packs and by adding the water flavourings to make them a bit more varied.

There is two types of mousse I make - one tastes like angel delight very creamy by putting a drop of water in a bowl adding the pack and whisking.

The second type is more like raw cake mixture - a drop of water in a bowl with a pack, and stir with a metal spoon - add a drop more water if you need too but it is better not so watery as it does taste very globby and just like raw cake mix or cookie dough!

[Cake'n'eat it]

Thanks evryone. I have been having two packs a day cooked so I will reduce it down. Sometimes I struggle with having the four pack and its much easier to eat crisps or muffins. Isn't abstinance generally enough deprivation! Saying that I don't feel deprived but I cant say I look forward to the pile of congealed goo that I call a muffin!

Thanks again for your replies - it really helps.

[Shadow]

I asked for the LighterLife official line on cooking so I knew exactly what I would be allowed.

They say that the idea of cooking packs is contradictory to the principal of abstaining from conventional food so they prefer us not to do it at all. However, if it means that a client will remain on the programme where they might not succeed otherwise, they would allow it. But since the cooking definately does damage the nutritional content they advise it to be done no more than 2 or 3 times a week.

Hope this helps.

[Joolz]

I agree with the comments here - my LLC says best not to cook the packs as the microwave and high temperatures destory some of the nutrients. For the same reason you shouldn't use "boiling" water to make your packs - just off boling is better. I let the kettle cool for a few minutes after its boiled before I make mine.
If cooking a pack is the only way you can get a pack down then fine - but the other advice my LLC gave me which has helped me, is try not to see the packs as "food" but as "medicine" to help you on your way to slimdom. When I think of it that way I don't get the urge to make them in to crisps muffins etc coz it ain't real food.

It works for me and we're all different - so on this bonkers diet you gotta do what you gotta do to get through the abstinence stage.

Joolz x