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One of the reasons I don't want to go back on food packs is the hair loss. Our LLC says it doesn't usually affect men - but mine was getting noticeably thinner

Good luck - I managed 50 minutes for the first time on Sunday. I've read that you shoudn't try to increase by more than 10% a week. I managed to up my speed for my 5k treadmill session to 9 kph (5.6 mph) which I guess is actually quite slow - not that I mind particularly

I used soya milk - it was really nice in the Thai Chili soup -still lost a 3 lbs that week. I'm on maintenance now and can't stand milk in coffee any more - however instant coffee tastes pretty bad without it so I only drink real coffee now. Mind you I've heard that men over 40 shouldn't use...

Well done Morticia-Its amazing how our ability to run increases the more we do - I went for a 4 mile run on Sunday (~50 minutes) and am hoping to do a half-marathon at the end of Feb - I'm planning to increases my runs by 1/2 mile a week. I'm not particularly bothered by how fast I go though 5...

Daisy said: i don't want to have to count every blinking calorie or risk putting on weight either.... Neither do I :sigh:. I've only recently gone onto maintenance and didn't calorie count and the weight started creeping on. It doesn't seem fair that I have to become a marathon runner just to...

I'm in a similar position too - never got down to the weight I wanted (13 st 7) and am currently 14 st 7, although I don't look fat - people look at me askance when I say I still have weight to lose - although my BMI is 28. I wanted the top of my box to be 14 st. I'm very reluctant to go back on...

Managed two miles in the park this Sunday :) in about 23 minutes - one lap of Hove park is about a mile. May try three next week. I haven't done any running for about 16 years until recently so am very pleased with myself

I used these on the Atkins diet - quite useful for that. I didn't use them on LL since if you stick to the foodpacks you are in ketosis so no point really. I used to get mine form Express Chemist online pharmacy as I'd been told that sometimes pharmacies will only sell themm to diabetics, not...

We done Daisy - I've started running on the treadmill in the gym and over the past 12 weeks have built up from not being able to run for very long at all to doing 5k in 40 minutes. I now have to take this out of the gym and run in the real world - I don't think I could run for 40 minutes off the...

Started Maintenance this week - finding it a bit of a struggle. I seem to be hungry quite a bit, so having to resist the temptation to nibble.. Need to find a breakfast that suits - high carb breakfasts (even porridge) seem to leave me hungry by 9:30.

I used Soya Milk for my milk week - now I'm on RTM I even use it on my breakfast cereal (unsweetened variety of course)

My hair started falling out when I started RTM - I think it has calmed down a bit now (Week 11 RTM), but it has got noticeably thinner! You have to take a close look though. It's worth it for the weight loss though.

Possibly the mix gets hotter in the microwave when you try to make poppadoms than when you add water from the kettle which may be why the nutrients get destroyed...

I've lost 6 stone on LL and I'm sure I couldn't have done it any other way. I can heighly recommend it. I'm now in week 9 of RTM and have unfortunately been experiencing the hair loss I had been warned about, although I'm assured that this is due to new hair growth pushing the old hair out...

I found I needed to start RTM about 1 stone over my target weight (13 st 2) I had started upping the exercise and found that I was feeling tired all the time. My body was definitely telling me it was time to stop abstinence - I'm now in week 6 of RTM and have lost about 5-6lbs during this time -...

It's amazing just how much your taste change! I now love Low fat natural greek yoghurt (Total 0% anyway-haven't tried others) and fromage frais and also cottage cheese. I now can't stand milk in coffee, but find instant coffe tasteless without it and have had to buy an espresso machine to make...

Keep up the good work! I'm just starting Week 6 of RTM and am still losing about 1lb a week - not doing a lot of cooking at the moment still mostly Fish/Meat/Cottage cheese + salad. I think I need to get a bit more adventurous

You might be better off getting professional help from a psychotherapist, rather than relying on the CBT/TA you get in LL. This may be more coherent in the women's group, but I've found it a bit patchy, mostly because we're all at different stages, though still useful.

We were told by our LLC to avoid the low salt variety. The ingredients are different - corn startch being one...

Im taking it easy - 1/2 hour on the treadmill doing 5 minutes run 2 minutes walk, repeating till the 1/2 hour is up. The machine tells me I've burned 330 kcals. I didn't do any running at all before this (not for about 15 years anyway..) I'm trying to work up to being able to run for 1/2 hr at a...

Definitely carbs - bread, white rice - and even worse carbs mixed with fat - cake, pastry, roast potatoes, even sausages. Not that keen on pasta so probably will be able to cope with that . I'm on RTM at the moment eat mostly protein, salad, veg, fruit & low fat dairy and not missing the carbs...

Its a shame you don't like the water flavours - that's what kept me going during abstinence (expensive though!) I'd get through two pots every three weeks. I still only managed about 2-3 litres a day. I wouldn't worry too much about the water - you're still losing weight at a good rate and...

I'm finding it quite difficult not to dip into the Quark Cheese/Fromage Frais/Natural Yoghurt in the evening - the odd spoonful here and there as well as the scheduled snacks. Mind you I am still losing 1-2 lbs a week (now starting week 4 RTM) Might have to drop the quark cheese at some point...

I ususally add tabasco to all my soups just to make them edible!

When you say 2 greek total 0% Yoghurt is that the 150g pots? Or do they do smaller ones? I never really liked Natural youghurt/fromage frais before but I love it now and am concerned I'm eating too much -also the cottage cheese as well. I bought a 650g pot of cottage cheese and it only lasted...

I made some up with sparkling water - fizzy jelly! The kids weren't convinced though..

I believe the sugar free jelly is free - however don't try to make up jelly (crystals or normal) with pineapple because enzymes in the pineapple will stop it setting. This is why we eat pineapple with gammon - it digests protein!

I think you only need the 4-week checkup when you are on abstinence - I haven't had one since starting RTM. Once you start RTM I guess you are on a low-calorie diet rather than a VERY Low Calorie diet. The reason for the checkups is that LL follow the NICE guidelines about vlcds It was getting...

Hi Daisy, Its likely that the weight gain is glycogen rather than fat - I guess it is expected that you'll put back on the glycogen you lost in the first week of LL. I think the 'Trigger Week' is to add back those foods that are know to cause cravings and "pig outs". I know that I'm going to...

Chocolate Porridge: Mix 1 pack choc shake and 1 porridge and add just enough cold/tepid water - it mustn't be too runny - you'll probably have to experiment. Then microwave for about 90 seconds - if its a bit to runny give it another 30-40 seconds. I also tried this with banana - disgusting...

I'm going to Florida at the end of August - must buy some Graham Crackers to see what the fuss is about ... :) Won't be able to eat them yet though:(

Before I started RTM I was having a porridge and a choc shake mixed together for breakfast - yum

Sounds to me that you controlled yourself OK given the fact of the 3 hour walk. Don't beat yourself up about it, but use it as a learning experience - this is what RTM is all about. The important thing is to note how your behaviour has changed from what it used to be...

I noticed that although I was really happy to be losing weight on several days I had a 'low mood' or mild depression which I didn't normally experience before the diet. I think this may be due to the fact that in the past I (we?) would eat something to make myself feel better. When you are...

I tried the cauliflower for rice thing when I was on the Atkins diet (lost 2 st put 4 st back on again)- don't like cauliflower that much - mind you I'm eating it raw as a snack so maybe I'll give it another go...

Apparently, the liver actually expands when it stores extra glycogen which is what makes your belt/waistband/whatever feel tight when you've processed a large meal - as you say it isn't fat, which needs consistent over-eating to get laid down. Lay off the carbs for a few days and the extra...

I was think about using it as a substitute for brown rice with chili con carne. Next week I'm in week 3 of RTM and am allowed beef and tomato so I can make a Chilli con Carne (without beans!) Rump Steak cut into small cubes and 'dry fried' Tin Chopped Tomatoes Chopped Garlic (instead of onion)...

If you needed any more incentives to start, the before and after photos (Especially BL's - amazing weight loss BTW you are literally unrecognisable compared to before) should convince you! The counselling isn't magic - you have to apply the teaching to yourself in an active manner. The urge to...

I started 1 week after my info session and lost 3 lbs during that week. I was quite apprehensive about starting as I found it difficult to believe I could survive on 500 calories a day. I was very surprised to find just how easy it was! It was a great relief to find a 'diet' that was so...

I find it hard to believe I let myself get so big! I feel so much better now! And I can run!

I see that in week 3 of RTM that Quinoa is allowed - I'm not sure I've even heard of it before! Anyway I've bought some from Tesco and I'm wondering what to do with it - although there is a recipe in the LL recipe book - Any suggestions?

My LLC hasn't taken any pictures of me at all -either before or after foundation :( - but here are my own pics - Week 1 and end of week 15 I think - i've lost 6/7 pounds since then.

Hang on in there! Its useful to have someone to pave the way for me as I'm in week 2 of RTM...

Lost 3lbs last week (RTM week 1). Weighed myself this morning and am down to 14st - which is the lightest I've been since 1994! Amazing what married life and 4 kids will do to your weight... (But its my wife who's the slim one!:confused:) That brings my total weight loss since the week before...

Beat

Get some Germoloids cream (or suppositories) also use Fybogel as a gentle laxative and Dulcoease (stool softener) I know all about this......:cry:

Our LLC mentioned this article during our session on Sunday....

I bought two polo shirts and a pair of size 34 trousers in the Next sale - really pleased to find that the trousers are comfortable! I expected them to be a bit tight. Until recently I couldn't shop in Next at all because their sizes didn't go up high enough!

Personally, I don't think I've been that bad (except for the first couple of weeks) and have certainly been a lot happier since doing LL. My mood generally has improved and I am certainly a lot more optimistic about the future. Over the last few weeks I had been struggling a bit and that might...

And I thought I had gotten over the grumpiness too:( Maybe I'll be a bit better now I've started RTM

You pay for one week at a time and you can stop whenever you want to. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend LL to anyone. I have lost 6 stone since mid-march. I can't believe I could have done it any other way. The support and encouragement I have had at the meetings has been great! Also the...

One of my work colleagues has said that I have been very grumpy lately and blames the diet - my kids have said so too. I guess I have been a bit snappy on occasion - anybody else find this?

Bananas are supposed to emit ethylene gas which is apparently what causes fruit to ripen - don't know if it works on fruit still on the tree though....

Mate - Date - Dare - Bear - Beer - Peer -Seer

Toyota

This weeks New Scientist has an interesting article about how calorie counts in food can be misleading. Some calories are more fattening than others.... The calorie delusion: Why food labels are wrong - health - 15 July 2009 - New Scientist

This was a major milestone for me too .. Now for BMI 25 (whether that means anything really....)

LL has given me the only way out I could find - I was at my wits end and had visited my doctor for advice (healthy diet blah blah). I had tried going to the gym, which didn't help at all, and had yo-yo'd with my weight over various diets. I've just started RTM so I'm determined to stop the yo-yo...

I had a similar choice - I wanted to make sure that I was well into RTM before I went on holiday. With 5 lbs to go I can't see that it would be a problem. The further you are into RTM the more choice you will have in the restaurants - just be careful what you choose and remember you don't have...

Interesting. I decided that 100g grams was just a bit too small so have had on average ~ 130g. So far its been ~ 100g fish and ~ 1 oz Cottage Cheese. I had my first salad last night, which I put in a soup bowl. When I sat down to eat it I thought "too much" and sure enough I left about a 1/3...

Love the Cranberry and Rasberry Bars - Porridge mixed with chocolate shake is good too. One think I tried which was really nice was chocolate shake blended with ice and Fruits of the Forest flavouring (with extra water) for the past few weeks I have just had Chocolate Shake Porridge and...

I'll give that a try - they didn't seem to have any in my local ASDA, but maybe I was looking in the wrong place. Yesterday I had 105g tinned red salmon with a 2 oz dollop of cottage cheese. I'm still not that sure on portion sizes. Yesterday's total calories were around 575 - is this enough...

The milk week is because NICE recommends that you don't spend longer than 13 weeks on a very low calorie diet. Gallstones are a well known side effect of rapid weight loss - an "occupational hazard" of this kind of diet. You might find that a milk week might help rather than hinder you're...

I've just started RTM with about a stone left to lose - I think it may be different for guys though - I know Sean lost ~ 26 lbs on RTM :eek: In the end I guess the amount you lose will depend on the serving sizes you allow yourself during RTM. The first couple of weeks are a 'ketogenic' type...

Had my first 'meal' since March last night - dry fried tuna steak - a bit bland without any dressing/sauce but still nice... I may be brave and try tofu later in the week - haven't had much success with this in the past.

I've just finished abstinence with 1 st left to go - I was starting to struggle big time with abstinence - feeling tired all the time, dreaming about food etc. It is entirely your decision - I have started RTM rather than LLL because I may still lose a stone on RTM. I had also noticed my...

I'm wondering whether upping the exercise might put the body in a 'protective' mode in which less weight is lost...

Thanks guys. I'm hoping to follow Sean's pattern of weight loss during RTM. My weight loss was 'only' 2 lbs last week, 3 lbs the week before and between 4-5 lbs in the previous weeks so I appeared to be slowing down. I don't know whether the increase in calories on RTM might (paradoxically)...

I'm starting RTM today - this is a bit earlier than I expected to as I'm still about 1 stone above my target weight-however I've been finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the 4 foodpacks a day and have been feeling really tired for the last two weeks. My attempts to increase the amount...

considering he's lost 16st I don't think he's done so badly - what was he expecting? I wonder how old he is? The younger you are the better with this..

This happened to me during a company presentation in a (small) auditorium. Extremely embarrassing! I just hope it was only the people who were sitting next to me who heard it!

I started on 22 nd March and have now lost ~ 5 ½ stone which I'm very happy about:D. It now looks as though my weekly weight loss is starting to slow down as I get nearer my goal weight which I'm not so happy about:sigh:. Oh well. I'm going to stop abstinence at the end of July as I'm going on...

Got to be careful with the exercise... I started doing the gym last week (3 times) with what I thought was light exercise - 1/2 hr on the treadmill alternately jogging/walking for 3 mins at a time followed by some light weights for 10 mins. By the end of the week I was really tired. Could...

I guess that since vlcds reduce your metabolic rate (or is that just because your muscle mass reduces because you aren't carting all that lard around?) you may need to take steps to kick-start your metabolism again by increasing your muscle mass- I intend to start running once I'm off abstinence...

Well done Sean. Glad to hear you can maintain on ~2000 kCals - some of the guys in my group reckon they need 1200-1400 to maintain which seems a bit low to me. I'm hoping to ramp up my exercise levels as soon as I'm on RTM - I started at a gym recently and overdid a bit and ended up extremely...

Thanks for the replies - I have noticed some changes in my tastes already - I inadvertently drank a mouthful of coffee with milk in it the other day and didn't like it.. I've read Sean's diary and find it a great help. I'm starting RTM in a few weeks and am starting to psychmyself up for it...

I find some of the counselling part is a bit hit and miss - mostly because we have a men's group with a mix of abstainers, RTMer's and maintainer's - having said that a lot of what we do cover is very enlightening in exploring the reasons why we behave as we do. Also our counsellor has given us...

I've been chatting to the guys in my LL group who are on maintenance about who many calories a day they can eat without putting on weight and have been quite shocked to discover that it seems to be as low as 1200-1400 calories a day. From what I have gathered, men should need between 2000 -...

Of course I don't really know - but I have averaged 4-5lbs weight loss a week for the last 10 weeks - and there doesn't seem to have been any difference in the weeks I drank "diet coke/coke zero" and the weeks I didn't. However the excess caffeine did have undesirable effects! I must say I...

I've not heard about the quinine one- our LLC told us that citric acid in diet drinks can disrupt fat metabolism, and bring you out of ketosis. Being a natural skeptic I investigated this and found that citric acid is part of the body's fat metabolism cycle, and so theoretically extra citric...

Hi - I'm hoping to start RTM before too long, and I was wondering how much weight I can expect to lose on RTM? I suspect the answer to this is different for men and women. Originally I wanted to get to my target weight of ~ 13 st before starting RTM but I don't want to end up below 12 st after...

Of course, I could start RTM a week earlier so I can have alcohol the first week of the holiday! But I can't say I've missed it that much....

Hmm, that makes sense - slight complication is that my family and I are off to Disneyland Florida for 2 weeks at the end of August which lands roughly at weeks 4-5 of RTM. We have a Disney Dining plan which means we eat at restaurants the whole time. I think I'm going to have to be very careful.....

It's easy to get hung up on the quick results thing - remember you're in this for the long haul! Until recently I was weighing myself every day to see how I was getting on. My LLC said I really shouldn't and should only weigh in at the weekly sessions. - I've taken this on board. It is...

Don't cut down on the foodpacks - it may make things worse, and you risk damaging your health. Did you do a milk week? Some people find that increasing the number of calories increases the weight loss, at least temporarily. I've often heard it said that exercise can slow weight loss, one...

Weight loss on RTM Hi Sean, glad to see your doing so well! I'm currently on week 16 of abstinence an have about another month to go until I reach my target weight - and then start RTM. In notice though that you have lost quite a lot of weight during RTM ~ 23 lbs. If I lost that amount on...

I wonder what the advice is if you were to get swine flu while on abstinence? My feeling is that you'd probably need to start eating real food immediately. Mind you, you probably wouldn't feel like it....

One of the chaps in my LL group has been in maintenance for several months and has just gone back on to LighterLife Lite - he says this is because he never acheived his target weight before going on RTM - so I think it probably is a good idea to lose all the weight you want to before going onto...