Ask A Question Thread On VLCD

[Jellybabe]

Thanks forgetting back to me Linda

[Ajax]

Does anyone use the cd water flavourings? Are they any good? I am used to drinking quite a lot of squash, so worried ill find the plain water hard to take! Can you add the water flavourings to sparkling water?

[CD Counsellor]

The waterflavours are lovely and yes you can add them to sparkling water. You can drink these hot or cold or add a little to black tea to make an allowable fruit tea.

You can also make flavoured ice lollies and ice cubes. If you add a little of the Sunshine Orange (which tastes more lemony to me) to your vanilla shake it tastes like lemon cheesecake if you add the summerberries to the choc shake it tastes like black forest gateau

One pot makes 30 litres of flavoured water.

Linda
CD Counsellor

[Isobel1965]

They are indeed yummy! I hate plain water and found that my first week on ss was quite hard because of that (cos you shouldn't have the WF while you're trying to get into ketosis). So instead, I drank a lot of peppermint tea with tablet sweetener - that helped!
love

[Ajax]

Wow it just gets better and better!! Thank you for the quick reply!

Looks like I am in for a lot of experimenting too with the mix of flavours.

Another question for you all (hope you all dont mind!)

When do you have your food packs? As breakfast lunch and dinner? split and spread thruout the day? all in one go?!

[Isobel1965]

Different people have them in different ways, hun.
Personally, I would have my first pack at 12noon, then another at 5pm and the last at about 9-10pm, as my danger time is always the evenings!!

Yes, you can split the packs up and have 6 little meals throughout the day - just don't make up the whole shake and leave half as you have to drink it within 15 mins, otherwise the nutrients start to diminish.

It's whatever works best for you, really altho you shouldn't leave too long a gap between packs, as I got very tired and grumpy when I did!

love

[Isobel1965]

And you ask as many questions as you like, hun - that's what we're all here for - to support each other!
love

[Ajax]

Thanks :-)

I am actually really looking forward to the challenge today, so that exciting, also, my sister has decided to give up smoking, so we have decided to go thru this together, me with not eating and her not smoking, as long as I don't end up on 20 a day, and her 19 stone we should be ok lol. This will be a fanatastic result in the end as we lost both our parents to cancer in 2004, so this really should be the biggest incentive to do this!

Another question. (on a roll today)

In the first few weeks, when you felt really really hungry? What did you do? Does more water, go to bed etc really work? I know at the moment if I go too long without food, I actually feel really lightheaded, as if I would faint or be sick! I don't drink enough water, i know that so am hoping that will help, but wondering what you did in this situation?

Thanks again everyone

[Russiandoll]

Hi Angela

Re water flavourings - I drink 95% of my water flavoured with CD flavourings. I tend to have it pretty weak though but I wouldn't be able to drink as much water as I do if it was plain.

I've made lollies with mine and also fruit jelly. It's great to have a bowl of jelly after my soup every night!

To make the jelly, I use 500ml of very cold water (I store mine in the fridge just for this purpose!) I then add 1 level teaspoon of flavouring (or whatever amount you prefer depending on your taste). I also add 2 drops of red food colouring but this is just an aesthetic thing ... in my eyes jelly should be red .
I then add 1.5 scoops of mix-a-mousse and give the whole lot a really good zizz with my blender. It looks a bit like strawberry milkshake when I've finished but once you put it in a bowl and stick it in the fridge, it separates as it sets so you get a clear jelly with a frothy, bubbly 'head'. One bowl lasts me a couple of days so it's well within the 'permitted' mix-a-mousse daily allowance.

When I have my jelly, I make up a little chocolate sauce to pour on top made with 1 teaspoon of milkshake in an eggcup. I buy an extra choc shake per week for this purpose ... the one pack lasts all week and I don't think 1 extra teaspoonful is going to affect my weight loss too much! Having a little treats like this make the whole CD experience just that little bit more tolerable.

As for times when I have my packs ... I have a shake in the morning (8-ish) a bar at around 1-ish and a soup (plus jelly ) at about 7-ish. Lots of water between times and I find I don't suffer from hunger or light-headedness. I'm diabetic so you'd think it would affect me but it doesn't so I guess my body is being adequately catered for!
You'll probably find that the hunger you experience won't last for 'weeks' but will ease as ketosis is established.

Good luck with your challenge! Keep us posted.

Debbie x

[KD]

I used to split my packs in 6. I only sleep about 4 hours in 24, so the day is long otherwise.

I loved the berry drink, and the orange one, hot with a paracetamol makes an adequate replacement to Lemsip when you've got a cold.

As for the water thing. Yep, it does work. One of the jobs your liver does is burn fat, another is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly.

If the kidneys don't get enough water, the liver has to do their work along with its own. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight

[Isobel1965]

When I get hungry, I have a cup of peppermint tea with tablet sweeteners - it does the trick!
But of course when you're in ketosis, as has already been said, you don't really feel hungry - it's more an emotional hunger and habit that tempts you to break SSing.

love

[canireallydothis!!]

Hi Angela,
I'll tell you about my first week and then it may give you some idea, i'm on day 12 so its not that long ago for me!

I started on a Saturday Morning and all day Saturday I was fine, it didnt bother me at all and I didnt feel ill or shaky. On Sunday, I went out for the day armed with 5 ltrs of water, and I planned toilet stops on route, thanks to the advice of all on here!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On Sunday I didnt feel brilliant, I wasnt really hungry but just felt a little light headed at times, whenever I did I sat down and had another litre of water and it soon passed. Water does curb the pangs for the first few days, Dont forget as well, the packs contain everything you need nutrients wise and it is mainly mental pangs, I was assured that although you may feel a little faint you wont actually faint and a lot of it is withdrawl from carbs.
I also got a headache on Sunday night which lasted through till Monday afternoon, then that went and I was fine.
I was a little woolly headed until Thursday, not dizzy just felt like I had left my brain on a bus and someone had put cotton wool in instead! Although thats normal for me most of the time
I hit Friday, and well, lets have a party, I've thrived, dont get me wrong, sometimes a really want to shove something in my mouth but I'm not going to!!
And now, well, I'm rocking, day 12 and 12lbs down. I have loads of energy too.
Keep going through those first few days and you'll be smashing, just like me!
Good Luck Ange, keep me posted on how you do!
x

[Flopster]

I am going away at the weekend and was wondering if I can make up some "crisps" to take with me? I know that you have to drink the soups/shakes within 15 minutes but wondered if that counted the same when you "cooked" the packs?

[Flopster]

Sorry another question - I am on LL but wondered if I could buy any CD mix a mouse - would it work with the LL packs?

I was also wondering if I could by the CD water flavourings as the LL are so expensive?

[Isobel1965]

Originally Posted by Flopster

I am going away at the weekend and was wondering if I can make up some "crisps" to take with me? I know that you have to drink the soups/shakes within 15 minutes but wondered if that counted the same when you "cooked" the packs?

Hmm - it might be ok - it's the nutrients being destroyed after a while and in the microwave which might be a problem. It's worth a go, but try to eat them the same day. If you were on CD, I'd say to get some tetras & bars but on LL you can have the bars, which are portable lol
love