Thread: Curious about RTM...?

Originally Posted by Alibongo

Don't forget you are only eating very low cal just now and you do need to up the cals each week gradually building it up from the 500 to around 2000. You need to do it gradually to allow your metabolism to stabilise.
This is roughly what I worked it out as
Week 1 add 100 = 600 per day
Week 2 add 100 = 700 per day
Week 3 add 100 = 800 per day
Week 4 add 100 = 900 per day
Week 5 add 100 = 1000 per day
Week 6 add 100 = 1100 per day
Week 7 add 100 = 1200 per day
Week 8 add 150 = 1350 per day
Week 9 add 150 = 1500 per day
Week 10 add 150 = 1650 per day
Week 11 add 150 = 1800 per day
Week 12 add 200 = 2000 per day

Always so helpful - cheers Ali!

I would try everything on the list for that week and eat what you like best, i love berries, plums (these are really nice stewed in orange juice and eaten hot with yoghurt), apples, I often get tinned fruit cocktail in juice and other tinned fruit too.

For lunch I have whatever I fancy really from the veg list, just stick to the weight limit of 250g this week, it goes up to 500g limit in week 5, and you can start making it into soup.

I think from week 4 it starts to get a bit more exciting with being able to cook your fruit and veg. Instead of salad for lunch you could have a veggie stir fry.

Did you manage to get an RTM book yet? If not I could lend you mine as I finish this week.

Hi Alex, thank you hun! Your gr8 you are, a true star!

Will let you know about the book, may need to take you up on that offer! Did speak to the other LLC yesterday and she said that she isn't taking anyone on now and has no on on RTM at all (they just finished). I asked her if I can get hold of the books and she said that she will let me know by Friday and if so, then i can collect by Friday (so will let you know).

Right now, your my only BOOK, lol!

Yesterday i ate:

2 oranges,
1 apple,
1 plum
15 strawberries
2 Total yogurts
2 Foodpacks
Protein/Salad

I increased my total yogurt to 2 tubs, so 300g a day, however i think its around 150cals? Is that right.

I will only try to stick to 3-4 fruit from today! But cos i have been constipated, i am trying to have that little bit extra, so it will help me!

Don't think i have lost any weight, will be getting weighed tomorrow night, will let you know!

Last night i worked out on my Crosstrainer and burnt off 201 Cals in 22 mins. Will be doing the same again today, am trying to build up my exercise regime as i still have under 2 stones to lose and want to just lose that gradually now through healthy eating and exercise.

Cos i don't have that RTM book, what veggy snacks can we munch on for lunch and how many?

The total 0% is 52 cals per 100g, so yes 300g would be 150 cals.
I had a constipation problem in the first few weeks, I found a glass of OJ or plums are very good for that.


What week are you on? Are you still on 3 or have you started 4 yet?

Hi Ali, i have started week 4 today, but there is nothing really that i would probably want from week 4, so i will just stick to my week 1-3 food only.

Would it be ok to have a small tin of Tuna with a dessert spoon of Cottage cheese?

So Ali in your opinion shall i just stick to the 1 x Total 150g only, rather than 2 per day (as i only had 2 1st time ever yesterday)?

Also i still haven't drank anything else apart from water, (as i don't think tea, coffee, etc).

Which orange juice do you recommend, my Hubby has been buying these juices from Tescos lately i think they are 100% pressed juice i don't know, what juice can we drink? which is the best one Calorie wise and would you recommend just the 1 glass per day?

Are we allowed to drink diluted sugar free juice, that you can mix with water?

Until i get that RTM book, i should be more better at this- Sorry all

Not a problem, it is really hard without the book. You have the food lists, but there is also a lot of blurb that goes along with it.

Don't forget you can cook all your fruit and veg from this week, so the week 4 stuff might not sound nice raw, but being able to cook it now opens things up a lot.

Stir frys using stock to fry. You can steam veg to go with your protien meal, or have something like, 1 scrambled egg, rasher lean bacon, 'fried' mushrooms, grilled tomato. Stuffed aubergines, tomatoes peppers or mushrooms. The korma recipe from week 4 is lovely, and very nice served in a portobello mushroom.

You should have 1 protein meal, 1 snack of up to 250g veg, so you could have that as a salad or stir fry for lunch. 2 foodpacks and 3L water. You can have fruit, yoghurt and jelly whenever. There is no limit to jelly, my LLC says 2-3 yoghurt (200-300g) and 3 fruit.

Your fruit and veg can be fresh, frozen, canned or bottled, but make sure it is canned in water only, not sugar or syrup.

You can have any low cal drinks now, including squash or fizzy diet drinks.

At week 4 you should be having around 900 cals per day. You need to try and up it a little each week so your metabolism can increase gradually. It is worth keeping a check on it as I found I was eating a lot less than I should have been. I use a great cal counter website Food Focus - Permanent Weight Loss but there are a lot out there that do similar. I found this one has a very good food database.

I would say the tuna/cottage cheese is fine.
As for the yoghurt, it is really up to you, if you would rather have the extra fruit, then don't have 2 whole yoghurts a day, maybe have 1.5, but check out your cal intake as well and see how you are doing.

You can have any fruit juice as long as it is from your fruit list and doesn't have added sugar. There are more fruits added in week 6.
Orange I find very good for constipation, there is 150ml per 1 fruit serving.

Just shout if you have any more Qs.

Thanks Ali, really gr8 help, im going to buy some robinsons sugar free orange squash today then, that would be ok then right?

Will come back to you with more questions tomorrow, thanks sooooooo much, your a star!

no probs.
yep, sugar free squash is fine.

Does the low cal/diet drinks allowed in week 2 include Pepsi Max and diet lemonade and those type of drinks or something else???????

any diet/no added sugar drinks
that includes fizzy like pepsi max, diet coke, fanta etc.
I never liked coke, and never touched diet drinks before, but I now have a thing about diet ginger beer!

From a health point of view fizzy drinks are usually full of colourings and nasty chemicals so should be limited. I think they usually say the equivalent of one can per day.
You are also not allowed to include it in your water allowance, unlike fruit juice and squash.
But, yes, you can have a pepsi max and enjoy it, especially in this weather!

I'm glad you said that, as I had a glass - have to say I totally forgot what it tasted like, and was gorgeous.

Have also tried SF jelly with 0% Total Greek Yoguht (which the local Tesco Extra doesn't stock, but the small ASDA over the road does!) and have to say it is fantastic - my new favourite dessert I think.

I still have jelly & yog nearly every day.
I love it!
It is a perfect v. low cal pudd.

I am now in development but our group are always asking what happens in RTM but our counsellor never tells us she says until we've done development we should not get confused with RTM but i think it's just to a way to get more money out of us, we have the meetings once a week but have never had any one to one counselling. So this is great to actually find out what it involves.

Originally Posted by flower

I am now in development but our group are always asking what happens in RTM but our counsellor never tells us she says until we've done development we should not get confused with RTM but i think it's just to a way to get more money out of us, we have the meetings once a week but have never had any one to one counselling. So this is great to actually find out what it involves.

Why would her not wanting to muddle up the work in Foundation with the work in Development make it possible for them to get more money out of us?? Sorry, that doesn't make sense?

Also, no one gets one to one counseling. Thats not what the program offers and never claimed to as far as I am aware. One to one counseling would be far more expensive then £66 a week consdiering thats your weekly shop included!!

Hi peeps - sorry for butting in, but what a great thread!! Some great information here!! Thanks for getting it stickied - it will come in handy for lots of people!

I am still a couple of months away from RTM, but its helpful to kind of see what lies ahead, and it looks pretty good!!

Now, I just have a question - these lists of foods we are allowed - what are the restrictions, just out of idle curiosity? Do you choose say, one or two from each list per day? Is it unlimited amounts? Its a bit confusing. And I am just curious.

You all are doing so well, and Ali - what a great source you are for SLims....this is such a fantastic network.

I reckon I am 2 - 2.5 months away from RTM. Maybe sooner if my body cooperates!! So looking forward to it!! And hope you lot will still be here hanging round as you are the experts!